Revenge
Chapter 3
True to Hodge's prediction Harm begins to stir just before they reach the gates. A tall wrought iron fence surrounds the immediate property of what is clearly an old lodge. Trees have grown up throughout the small valley it is located in, obscuring any view of the lodge from those who do not know it exists. Palmer maneuvers the SUV through the maze of trees leading up to the front door. The lodge is still solidly built—at least since the rebuild after the fire that destroyed the original building over a hundred years ago. It appears to be a giant pyramid built in layers; the first floor roof serving as a balcony for the second floor, the second floor roof serving as a balcony for the third floor.
"What a magnificent structure," Hodge gasps in awe. "Who owns it?"
"The lodge is property of the Bradenhurst Corporation, although they are unaware of its existence," Palmer explains. "Bought, paid for and hidden, no one knew about it until Rabb managed to disassemble the DSD. It's one of the perks they supplied us with without knowing."
With that, Palmer brings the SUV to a stop in front of the lodge. An older man approaches the vehicle. "Palmer, Banes wants to see you and your 'guests' immediately," he says without greeting or preamble.
"Kind of figured that would be the case," Palmer replies unconcerned. "Did Nabey make it back with Arams yet?"
"Arams is dead," the man states over his shoulder as he walks away.
Palmer sits in stunned silence for a moment, then realizes he now has the one thing Banes wants most of all—first-hand information of Arams' code. He smiles when he realizes that although Banes will most likely be unhappy he brought Harm here, he will have to concede it turned out for the best. He peeks through the curtain at the object of his thoughts. Harm is sitting up against the side of the van accepting a sip of water from Hodge. "Is he ready to walk?" he asks Hodge.
The question startles Hodge momentarily. He jerks, pouring the entire cup of water in Harm's mouth. "Uh yeah," he answers dodging the water spewing out of Harm's mouth as he attempts to catch his breath. Palmer, Hodge and Sturtevant break out in laughter at the sight of the naval officer now covered with water.
"Let's go," Palmer announces, not even attempting to keep the laughter out of his voice. "This ought to make a great entrance."
Palmer leads the way, leaving Hodge and Sturtevant to walk on either side of the unsteady commander. He leads them to the lodge dining room which also doubles as a meeting place. Long wooden tables with matching benches are lined up throughout the room. At times they are full—Harm estimates 50-60 could sit comfortably—now they are empty. At the far end of the room is a table set on a platform, almost a foot above the others. It is toward this table that Palmer leads the others.
Five men sit at the table conversing. When Palmer enters the room the man in the center looks up and favors him with a disapproving stare. Because he's sitting down, Harm cannot tell how tall he is, but he would estimate just a few inches taller than Nabey, who is also present. The man is a few years older than Harm with an almost boyish face. Dark hair without a hint of gray tops his head and piercing gray eyes gaze at the four men. The others are of various ages. What surprises Harm is the young man who he doesn't think is any older than early-20's. He is standing looking over Nabey's shoulder at whatever is on the table. His blonde hair hangs into his eyes a bit; but it is his green eyes that catch Harm's attention. When the young man looks at him, Harm sees a moment of helplessness before the young man turns to answer a question from the man in the middle.
A few tables from the men, Palmer asks Hodge and Sturtevant to wait with Harm while he goes forward to talk with the men. He continues to the table alone, greeting the five when he's close enough to do so. Harm's thoughts are confirmed when the man he's pegged as the boss begins questioning Palmer, although their words are not loud enough for him to hear.
"Who are they?" Banes demands.
"Hodge is the baby-faced one, Sturtevant is the other blonde," Palmer says. "They were with me in Leavenworth, and since we share some of the same goals I thought they could be helpful here." He turns to Nabey. "Didn't you fill him in?" he asks.
"Nope," Nabey replies with a smile. "I wasn't going to get in the middle of that one with a 10 foot pole."
"Okay, so what about the other one?" Banes asks.
"You're going to love him," Palmer smirks.
"Palmer, I'm not in the mood right now. In case you haven't heard Arams committed suicide and I have no idea how we're going to get those papers decoded." He looks up at Palmer who just has a satisfied smile on his face. "Nabey told me you didn't get the papers. You know we need those."
"I've got something much better than that," Palmer replies. "The man in the middle is Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr." He waits for a reaction and is not disappointed.
"The guy who single-handedly destroyed the DSD?" Banes asks incredously.
"One and the same," Palmer retorts. "And, if you recall, the one who was supposed to have those papers. Since I couldn't find the papers I thought I'd bring Rabb along. You can help us get the information we want from Mr. Boy Scout over there."
"Who?"
"Rabb. He's going to take a lot of persuasion."
"You said help 'us'. Do you mean you and your two friends?"
"Yeah. You need to meet them. Let them tell you about their run-ins with Commander Rabb. I think you'll like them."
"Well then, send them up. I think I'd like to talk to Rabb before we find a nice secure place for him to stay," he says viciously. "Nabey," he says.
"All taken care of boss," Nabey replies. At the look he gets from Banes and Palmer he shrugs. "I knew he was coming and didn't want it to wait until he was here. That nice storage locker at the end of the hallway has been cleared out."
Palmer has to think a minute. "The little one with the hidden doorway?" he asks.
"The same. But I made a few modifications," he says smugly.
"Nabey, why don't you go and check to make sure everything is ready for our special guest, Palmer let me meet these two and then I'll have Ryan show them around a bit. You can show them where Rabb is 'staying' later."
Palmer returns to where Hodge and Sturtevant are waiting with Harm. "Banes wants to meet the two of you," he says to his cohorts. "Tell him everything, and then Ryan will give you a tour and help you find rooms. I'll catch up with you later." Hodge and Sturtevant share a look of apprehension, but approach the table nonetheless.
Banes greets the two men, introduces himself and the rest at the table then asks about their run-ins with Rabb. Hodge goes first, once again leaving out the part about Harm being drugged at the time of the fight. Sturtevant then explains about his situation. "How'd you hook up with Palmer?" the man named Darby asks.
"He sought us out," Hodge says. "Somehow the details of our sentences must have been told to him."
"Actually, I think it was after the commander almost fell into his trap. He had contact with the outside then," Sturtevant puts in.
"That's true," Hodge agrees. "They were watching him like a hawk…at least until we got into that fight."
"I take it he's told you about his run-ins with Rabb," it was more of a statement of a question.
"Yeah, kind of to compare stories."
"When he first approached me about coming here with him I was skeptical," Hodge reveals. "The brawl was brilliant. Gone for a week and they're probably just now missing us."
"One of Palmer's better ideas," the fourth man comments.
"How far do you want this to go with Rabb?" Banes asks. He holds up a hand to forestall any comments until he's finished explaining what he means. "I know Clark Palmer; he's going to want the man to suffer as long as he can. He also won't hesitate to kill him if the situation warrants. Now I know you've both attempted to engineer his death—whether directly or indirectly—and I want to know if you can make Rabb wish for death without killing him…and kill him if it becomes necessary."
Both men actually take the time to seriously think about Banes' questions. Before either has fully thought things through Banes adds," I will back whatever it is that Palmer wishes to do with him. I have my own reasons for disliking the man and will happily see him suffer. If either of you would prefer not to be part of it I would ask that you not interfere. If you feel you cannot be around and not attempt to stop it, I will give you this one chance to leave, with the provision you do not tell anyone about this place."
Almost as soon as he's finished Sturtevant speaks up. "I'm in. All the way." Banes meets his gaze and nods.
Both men then turn to Hodge. The younger man is clearly in conflict. The oath he took when he became a corpsman wars with his desire for revenge. The fight plays itself out on his face. After a couple of minutes his face hardens as does his resolve. "I'm in," he says.
A wide grin encompasses Banes' face. "Ryan will show you around a little and find you rooms. Come on back down in an hour for breakfast."
"What about Rabb?" Hodge asks.
"Don't worry; Palmer and I will take good care of him. We'll show you where after breakfast," Banes replies with a satisfied grin on his face.
Hodge and Sturtevant leave with Ryan for a tour and explanation of the rules of the place. At the end of the tour—after the two men have selected adjoining rooms on the third floor—they all head back down for breakfast. When they arrive, Palmer and Banes are there but there is no sign of Harm.
xxx
While Hodge and Sturtevant are on their tour, Banes asks the other men to take care of some small errands he makes up on the spot. He wants to do this alone. Palmer waits until everyone has left before propelling Harm forward via a hard shove to his back. Still woozy from the sedative Harm stumbles, but manages to keep his feet. Banes meets them on the floor in front of the tables. Without warning Banes plants a fist in Harm's stomach causing him to double over. Another swing connects with Harm's jaw, sending him sprawling on the floor. Palmer had wisely stepped aside so he does not block the descent to the floor. Harm lands hard, what little breath he has left from the sucker punch to his stomach leaving his lungs with a whoosh. He lies there, dazed and gasping for breath—a small trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth—while Palmer and Banes share a laugh at his expense. Finally, Palmer grabs an arm and drags him to his feet.
"I always wondered how I'd react if I ever met the man who ruined my career and my life," Banes says. "Now I know. Of course if you weren't so damn tall I would have only punched you once," he laughs.
Harm glowers at him. "I've heard your name before Banes," he says, his voice raspy with non-use. "You used to work for the DSD."
"As did most of the men here," Palmer says.
"Come on Commander," Banes says, making the title into an insult, "we'll show you to your room." Palmer and Banes share another laugh as Nabey returns to lead the way. Banes walks with Nabey, getting a description of the modifications made; Palmer brings up the rear, guiding their reluctant captive along via a hand on his back.
It is a short walk from the meeting room to the turn in the hallway where Nabey stops. He opens a hidden panel, removes a card from his pocket and swipes it through the security lock there. With a small click, a hidden door opens slightly. Banes takes hold of the exposed edge and pulls. Once opened, Nabey flicks a switch located in the hidden panel and light floods the small room.
Palmer and Banes take turns checking out the room, both nodding their approval of the changes. Measuring 6' x 6', the room has a sloping ceiling that makes the height vary from 2' at the outside edge to 6' at the door. A thin mattress has been placed under the low ceiling, a thin blanket folded on top of it. "Looks perfect to me, Nabey," Palmer voices his approval.
Harm eyes the small room with apprehension. He realizes his situation is about to get much worse than it already is. He ducks his head just in time as Palmer pushes him toward the doorway, his head just missing the top of the door jam. His right shoulder isn't as lucky; the glancing blow against the side of the jam is enough to bring tears to his eyes. Palmer takes advantage of his distraction to remove the handcuffs and shove him the rest of the way into the room. The door is pushed closed behind him. Finally alone, Harm falls onto the mattress and allows the residual effects of the sedative take him into welcome blackness.
xxx
Breakfast is an uneventful affair. Banes introduces Hodge and Sturtevant to the group—there are about 30 former DSD agents at the lodge at this time. He doesn't mention the naval commander they have locked up in an old storage closet. He's not sure he wants to share him yet. After breakfast, Hodge and Sturtevant are taken for a tour of the grounds. Banes and Palmer head off to plan what they want to do with Harm. Ryan is given the task of making sure Harm is fed.
A soft noise brings Harm out of his slumber. The last man from the first meeting opens the door and allows Ryan to enter the small chamber, standing in the doorway to discourage any attempt at escape. Ryan sets the tray in the middle of the floor. His eyes meet Harm's briefly. Harm is surprised to see guilt in those eyes. After setting the tray down, Ryan backs out of the room before the door closes.
Harm contemplates what he's just seen. It appears the young man has reservations about Harm being here. 'Maybe I can use that to my advantage,' Harm thinks. He wonders briefly if the food brought to him might be the cause of the discomfort, if perhaps it is drugged. The growling of his stomach makes any thought of not eating seem very silly, and he begins to eat. A piece of toast, a couple bites of eggs and a bottle of water later he is full. Harm is confused momentarily until he realizes he has no firm facts on which to base his assumptions that they only traveled the night. Based on his inability to eat more, he guesses they had actually traveled much longer—perhaps through the weekend. Frustration at himself for not realizing these facts earlier changes into determination to find a way out, no matter where they are.
Not long after he has finished his breakfast, Harm hears the unmistakable sounds of several people approaching his doorway. He curls up on the mattress, back to the door, pretending to be asleep. He knows it isn't Ryan returning for his tray; Harm hadn't heard the young man approach earlier. The soft click of the door opening precedes Palmer's voice telling him to get up, along with a boot to Harm's spine—Harm's reward for his attempt at subterfuge. Harm reluctantly begins to climb to his feet, stopping when he reaches his knees because Palmer will not allow him room to stand farther.
"Afraid I'm going to get away from you, Palmer?" Harm taunts hoarsely as his hands are once again locked behind him. For this comment Palmer makes sure the cuffs are tight, nearly cutting off the circulation in Harm's hands.
"No Commander. Call it payback or whatever you want; I do it because is makes me happy." It's only a white lie; he wants to humiliate the naval officer as much as he felt humiliated while in Leavenworth. Making sure he's in handcuffs every time they take him out of his room is just part of the revenge. But if he would only admit it to himself, he is wary of Harm escaping. He knows the man has an uncanny ability to get himself out of sticky situations and Palmer is determined that this will not be one of them.
For his part, Harm submits to the small indignities. Something tells him they will be the least of his worries soon.
Palmer leads the way, Hodge and Sturtevant flanking Harm. They continue past the meeting room, instead turning into one of the corridors branching off just past it. A short way down the hallway is a smaller room, the door standing open.
A brick fireplace resides in the corner of the room, signifying it might have been used as a recreational room at one time. More recently, however, the room might have been used as an office, although the desk and chair—the only furniture in the room—look like they've seen better years. The floor is bare concrete and there are no windows.
Banes is waiting in the room, along with Darby and the other man—Padilla—Harm thinks. Padilla is as large as Darby is small, making the two an unlikely pair. According to Harm's observations they, along with Banes, Palmer and Nabey, form the leadership of the former DSD. Harm is unsure where the young man, Ryan, fits in.
When the foursome enters the room, Darby crosses over and closes the door, taking up position in front of it. Harm feels rather than sees Sturtevant remove his handcuffs. The thought of trying to escape barely flickers across before the more rational part reminds him that six against one are not good odds. Harm joins Banes at the desk when directed. Palmer trails along behind him.
"I want you to decipher these," Banes tells him, indicating the stacks of folders on the desk.
"I'm not in crypto, I'm a lawyer," Harm says, not bothering to check the folders.
Harm finds that Banes has a very short temper and he's already at the end of his fuse. Banes doesn't have to sucker punch Harm first this time since he's leaning over the desk. Once again Harm goes sprawling on the floor as Banes' fist connects with his jaw.
Harm fingers his jaw, noting he was hit in almost exactly the same place as earlier. His lip is once again bleeding, inside as well as where it was split outside earlier. "If you'd like to warn me next time, I'll let you hit the other side," Harm says sarcastically from the floor.
Banes is not amused—this time he walks over and kicks Harm in the side. Harm gasps in pain as the steel-toed boot connects with his ribs. He feels one snap. "Any more smart comments, Commander?" Banes sneers.
Harm shakes his head while protecting his injured side in case Banes decides to kick him again. He is thankful when Banes turns back to the folders on the desk.
"It's too bad you didn't have the papers I wanted when Palmer picked you up. Where did you hide them anyway?"
"I didn't hide them; Admiral Chegwidden wanted to see how far I'd gotten, so he took possession of them before I left on Friday," Harm answers after deciding the truth can't hurt at this point and he'd best not do too much to piss off Banes—at least not today. "I left JAG early to make my flight to Miramar. I was supposed to take a Tomcat out and spend the weekend there," Harm adds.
"Cut the crap, Commander. We all know you're a lawyer, not an active pilot despite those fancy wings you wear on your uniform. And we checked all of the passenger logs and your name was not listed. So quit wasting my time with untrue sob stories. I want these papers deciphered. I want to know what they say." Banes had calmed slightly after kicking Harm, but his temper is rising again.
No one moves to help Harm up; they've all been watching impassively. Harm makes it to his feet and walks back over to the desk, this time taking a look at the papers in the folders. Harm immediately recognizes that they are papers from Arams. 'These must bet the earlier sets of information, which means DSD must be the buyers,' he muses. "You want me to decode all of these?" he asks pointing to the stacks of thick folders covering the desk. "That's going to take a long time."
"I can't think of anything else pressing for you to be doing right now," Banes replies sarcastically. "Now, I can beat you until you cooperate, or you can save your self further pain and suffering and just do it. Which will it be?"
Harm acknowledges Banes would most likely make good on his threat. He's sorely tempted to refuse, but curiosity about what the papers contain propel him to give in. 'Course that doesn't mean I'll give them the correct information,' Harm tells himself. Aloud he says, "I'll need some blank paper to work it all out on. I just hope he's coded them all the same or I'll be at this forever."
"Paper and pencils are in the drawer. I'm almost disappointed you've agreed. I was looking forward to teaching you a lesson. Maybe I'll get the chance later," Banes says with a gleam in his eye. With that, the men all file out, leaving Harm alone; the audible scratch of the deadbolt sliding home making him sigh with relief and frustration.
Harm approaches the door and presses his ear against it to determine if anyone had been left behind to guard the door. Three minutes of listening and he doesn't hear anything to indicate anyone is still out there. He files that information away for future reference. Satisfied for the moment that his captors may be a little less vigilant than they should be—therefore the possibility of his escape has just risen—Harm crosses back to the desk and takes a look in the drawers for the items he needs. As Banes said, he finds paper and pencils. He sits down; flips open the first folder and reads the note just inside the first folder. He is astonished to discover the first delivery is dated in 1995, years before the DSD was disbanded. 'What kind of information would they have had to obtain using subterfuge?' he wonders. Before he can begin to decipher the information, the slide of a key in the deadbolt brings his attention back to his situation. A moment later the door opens and Hodge steps through carrying a bag.
"What do you want?" Harm asks after determining the man is alone.
Hodge sets his bag on an open chair. "Thought I'd tape your ribs for you," he says quietly. "If you would prefer otherwise, I'll leave."
Harm is unsure what to make of Hodge's apparent change in attitude. "Why?" he asks suspiciously.
Hodge looks uncomfortable. "Because I don't think that was fair. And I'm afraid if your ribs aren't taped, that broken one could puncture your lung. No matter what you might think of me, I was a good corpsman," he says, growing defiant.
"Until you started making people sick so you could cure them and be a hero," Harm counters.
"Well I didn't do that," he says indicating Harm's ribs. "Are you going to let me take care of them or not?"
Harm can't come up with a single good reason not to have Hodge do what he wants, although a small part of his brain is screaming for him not to trust Hodge. "Please," he says finally.
Hodge carefully helps him remove his shirt. Already, the entire right side of his torso is an impressive array of colors. Hodge looks surprised at the amount of bruising. He gently probes the area, taking note of the places Harm seems most tender. "One is definitely broken, maybe two. Several are cracked. He must have kicked you pretty hard," he comments.
"Yeah. And the steel-toed boots helped," Harm affirms while Hodge pulls his supplies out of the bag.
Working quickly and efficiently, Hodge had Harm's ribs taped in no time. "Do you want anything for the pain?" he asks when he's done helping Harm put his shirt back on. Harm doesn't get the chance to answer. In their preoccupation with the taping, neither hears the sound of a key in the lock. The door slams into the wall as Palmer and Banes see the setting before them.
"What the hell is going on here?" Banes roars, crossing to where the two men have frozen. "I thought we had an understanding," he says to Hodge.
"I guess my training'll be harder to get around than I expected," Hodge answers flippantly. "But I really don't think it would have been a good idea to neglect this. A broken rib can quickly puncture a lung if you're not careful."
"Aw gee, I broke one of his ribs. It's too bad I didn't kick him a little harder and break them all," Banes says nastily. He gives Hodge a look that promises further discussion on the subject. Hodge acknowledges with a shrug, gathers his things and leaves the room with Palmer. Banes turns to Harm. "I suggest you get busy here, Commander," he sneers. "You're already behind schedule."
Harm doesn't attempt to answer; he simply waits until Banes leaves and locks the door behind him before returning to the desk and the open folder. He wishes to sigh deeply, but the pain in his ribs and now the bandages around his torso make that impossible. He settles instead for a mental sigh and makes himself as comfortable as possible before beginning.
xxx
"Tell me about Hodge," Sturgis requests when they've both gotten in the car. The trip to the garage where Harm keeps his Corvette is short, but Mac manages to fill Sturgis in on the main details of their run-in with Hodge.
"He purposely made the crew of the Watertown sick and endangered the ship just to get credit for containing another epidemic," Mac says succinctly. "When Harm called him on it, he attacked him—herniated his larynx in fact. By the time I reached the corpsman's room, Hodge had Harm doped and on his examining table. Harm later told me Hodge was talking about attempting surgery, which he didn't expect Harm to live through. I asked Harm who attacked him. I thought he was indicating Hodge could tell me, but he was actually trying to telling me Hodge did it. I wanted him to go with me to see the captain. He already had problems with Harm's theories, so I thought having someone else would lend credibility to the report. Harm sent me an email to warn me it was Hodge, but by that time he already had his attack planned. He blinded me with ammonia, and then offered to 'treat' it for me. I made it back to Harm and we tried to get away. Unfortunately, Hodge knew the ship better than we did and we got caught. He attacked Harm, knocked him out—quite a bit easier since Harm was still doped—and then tried to strangle me. Harm said I actually stopped breathing for a while. Hodge had brought a syringe full of sedative which Harm knocked out of his hand then used on him. The rest is history," she finishes lightly.
"Hodge is beginning to sound more dangerous than Sturtevant at this point," Sturgis observes. They have reached the garage. This time Sturgis is the one to produce a key. Sturgis does a quick search, but finds nothing is missing. "Nothing here," he says.
"I'm not sure about Hodge being more dangerous than Sturtevant. I think deep down inside he was sorry for what he had done. And anyway, the most dangerous of the three is the one I haven't told you about yet—Clark Palmer."
"Why don't you save that one for over lunch," Sturgis suggests. "It's nearly noon. How about we grab a bite to eat and you can fill me in."
"Sounds like a plan. Just make sure they serve something other than rabbit food," she says.
"Deli alright with you?" he asks.
"Great," Mac responds. They are both lost in their thoughts for the ride to the deli—Mac trying to put the events with Palmer in order, and Sturgis trying to catalogue everything she has told him already. They place their orders and select a booth in the rear of the restaurant.
"Discussion of Palmer isn't going to ruin our appetites, is it?" Sturgis asks once their food has arrived. Mac has ordered a roast beef sandwich, Sturgis chicken salad. Mac shakes her head and they both take a few bites to put the pangs of hunger to rest.
"And anyway, I'm a Marine. I've got a strong stomach. I don't know about you," she quips.
"I can handle anything you can throw at me," Sturgis responds. "And I'm also pretty good at keeping secrets, if you remember."
"How could I forget that?" Mac says. She takes one more bite of her sandwich before beginning the tale.
"Okay. First of all, I wasn't involved in most of what happened between Harm and Palmer. In fact, I was in Washington when Harm first met him. It was Bud who got to go along on that case."
Sturgis makes a mental note to find out why Mac didn't go along, noting the wistful look on her face. "Do you think things would have turned out any differently if you were there?" he asks.
"Probably not. You know how Harm gets. I don't think there would have been anything that would have stopped him at that point. I probably would have just ended up either in the same boat Bud was in, or in trouble with Harm."
"Isn't that how it usually goes?" Sturgis comments.
"Usually," she agrees with a smile. "The case involved a helicopter crash at Twenty-nine Palms. At first it was thought there were two helicopters involved, but there was only one at the crash site. The pilot of the helicopter died in the crash, but the rest of the team and his co-pilot survived. Shortly after Harm arrived at the site, several black SUV's arrived. The agent in charge was Clark Palmer. He had papers that gave him jurisdiction over the site. Both Harm and the CO of the base wanted answers, so Harm and Bud continued to dig. They were out driving when they saw what they reported as an unidentified aircraft. They followed the aircraft to the Bradenhurst Corporation. Wanting answers, Harm crashed through the gate, but only managed to get himself and Bud arrested. The admiral was not amused, and he had others breathing down HIS neck to get Harm to back off. Probably the only thing that kept Harm from serious punishment then was that both Admiral Chegwidden and the CO at Twenty-nine Palms wanted answers and Harm was the only way they were going to get them. After talking with the team that was on the helicopter, Harm was convinced he needed to get onto Bradenhurst property to get to the bottom of things. This time he had Bud create a diversion that allowed him to sneak through the gates. His plan was to get the evidence he needed then get out without anyone knowing he was there. Unfortunately, the aircraft he was looking for found him and used a new soft weapon on him, knocking him out. I'm not sure what Palmer had planned for him—at this point he was officially sanctioned by the DSD—but Harm got away from him. While he was running around the property, he ran across the hangar where they had the aircraft and saw a technician put a disk with the information into a computer. When the man walked away, Harm grabbed the disk then took off because he was spotted. What followed was a chase from Bradenhurst property onto the base. Palmer's men eventually shot out one of Harm's tires, causing Harm to stop the truck he stole. Palmer wanted the disk and when he didn't find it in the truck he decked Harm. Then he thought threatening him with his gun would help. That's where Bud and the CO came in, declaring he was taking Harm and all items on his person into his custody—since they were on the base. Of course Harm just had to deck Palmer before going with the CO."
"Yeah, that sounds like Harm, all right," Sturgis agrees. "Was that when the DSD began to be dismantled?"
""I believe that was the beginning of the end for the DSD. Also, a lawsuit was filed against the Bradenhurst Corporation. They were responsible for the death of that pilot but didn't want to admit any fault in the incident."
"At least Harm found out the truth for the wife of the pilot. I remember him telling me about impact finally knowing the truth had on her," Sturgis comments.
"Yeah, well he's always been after the truth first and foremost," Mac puts in. "Anyway, the next time we saw Palmer was during the Vickers court-martial about four months later. Palmer showed up at Harm's apartment dressed as a delivery driver. Not suspecting anything, Harm let him in and started signing the forms. Palmer used a stun-gun and tied Harm to one of his chairs while he was out. Harm had to sit there while Palmer created a mask of his face. Once Palmer was done, he attached a bomb to the underside of the chair he had Harm tied to and left—telling Harm it was tied not only to a motion detector but also to a timer."
"How did Harm get out of that one?" Sturgis asks, finishing up his sandwich.
"I tried to get a continuance for the trial, but Vickers' lawyer argued against it. Since I was second chair, Admiral Morris contended that I could handle the case myself and ordered the trial to proceed. I sent Bud to look for Harm—he had already called and left over a dozen messages without response. Harm, sitting tied to his chair in his apartment, his mouth taped, was mortified when Bud showed up and started attempting to break down his door. Then Bud got the idea to climb to the roof and try the fire escape. Unfortunately for Bud, there was no fire escape up there. It was storming, too. Bud tried climbing down a drainpipe, but it broke away from the wall. He crashed through Harm's window, nearly setting off the bomb. The power went out and Bud tore the tape off Harm's mouth, only to have Harm yell at him to pull the plug. Before he could reach it, the power returned, leaving Harm still tied to the chair and the bomb, and Bud standing poised to run to the plug. I'm not sure how long they stayed there like that before the power went out again, allowing Bud to pull the plug on the motion detector. He then freed Harm and they hurried to HQ. Palmer had arrived and somehow convinced the admiral he needed to get into the courtroom, taking over my cross on Vickers just as I was about to get him to give up names from the DSD. When Bud and Harm arrived at HQ, they wouldn't let Harm through because he didn't have his ID—Palmer had it. Harm sent Bud on ahead, but a little too late. Harm bullied his way past the Marines and pulled the fire alarm. In the ensuing confusion, Palmer dosed Vickers with a nerve gas. Palmer ran; the admiral, Bud and I got Vickers to the admiral's office; and Harm caught Palmer. They engaged in a fistfight in the corridor outside the courtroom, Harm coming out on top. He tore off Palmer's mask and ran to the admiral's office. When he saw we were having problems with Vickers, he ran back out, grabbed the antidote for the nerve gas he knew Palmer had, and brought it back with him. That time Palmer was arrested, tried and sentenced to Leavenworth."
"Interesting choice of words—'sentenced to Leavenworth.' You didn't say sent. Any reason?"
"Sometime between the trial and the beginning of his stay at Leavenworth, the DSD made a switch. A year later, we found out he had never even set foot on the grounds."
"What happened then?"
"Webb called Harm one night. By the time he answered the phone, Webb's battery died. The next day at work the admiral told us Webb was killed. Harm was overcome with guilt. When we figured out whatever Webb was into was connected to the Bradenhurst Corporation, we flew out to Leavenworth to see what Palmer could tell us about the subject. That's how we found out he'd never set foot on the grounds—they were convinced the man they had was Clark Palmer."
"Webb's obviously alive though. So how did you locate him?"
"When we figured out Webb wasn't alive, Harm went looking for him alone. He sent me to get the admiral to update him and ordered Bud to stay behind. He found Webb all right. Then Palmer found both of them. They exchanged fire, Harm and Webb split up—Webb to get out and get help and Harm to go after Palmer. Palmer found Harm first, shot him and left him for dead. Then he found Webb and forced him to take him to where he hid the superconductor, which was what the whole thing had been about. Just as he was going to shoot Webb, Harm shot Palmer. He chased him up on deck and shot him a couple more times. When Harm turned around to help Webb, Palmer dove overboard." Mac paused and shuddered at the memories. "I actually felt sorry for Jordan," she says quietly.
"Who's Jordan?" Sturgis asks, interested.
"She was Harm's girlfriend at the time. Palmer could have killed her, but instead he used her to get to Harm. Twice in fact. The first time was the night I was just speaking about. He took roses and a nightgown to Harm's apartment, sent her a note 'from Harm' and left a bottle of champagne. When Harm arrived home he said she was sprawled on his bed and he thought she was dead. But she was only sleeping. Harm took her to a hotel for the night. Webb told him the next day they couldn't find any trace of Palmer in the apartment. But Harm had seen a picture of Palmer at his desk. Webb said Palmer was just trying to leave Harm in the Wilderness of Mirrors. And he did."
"What's the Wilderness of Mirrors?"
"It's basically a condition where someone—usually a spy—gets to a point where they're constantly looking over their shoulder, living in fear. Webb said that would be Palmer's ultimate revenge on Harm. Palmer tried to get Harm to kill Jordan after confusing him to the point he was ready to let Jordan—who was a psychiatrist—commit him because he thought he was seeing his father. Fortunately, Harm figured Palmer out and shot him instead. He even accompanied Palmer to Leavenworth, much to the consternation of the CO."
"I can see Harm doing that. So is this the last time?" he asks.
"Not by a long shot," Mac replies. "When Harm was up for Commander someone wrote an op-ed piece and routed it to the newspaper from his computer. He was almost court-martialed for it."
"I remember reading something about that piece and wondering how a naval officer could do something like that. My leave was over before the whole thing ended. But I don't remember reading a name; I definitely would have remembered that."
"Harm's name wasn't released for a while. He found it was actually one of the people who were trying to 'defend' him that actually wrote the piece. She figured, no matter the outcome, that Harm would make a great spokesman for their cause."
"I'll bet that hurt," Sturgis comments. "But where does Palmer come into this?"
"Harm thought it was Palmer who wrote the piece. He went to Leavenworth, but the only copy of the piece he found was downloaded from the paper. I suppose one good thing came from the whole thing…" she says mysteriously.
"What's that?" Sturgis says sounding confused.
"The SecNav personally presented his promotion. I'm sure it hurt him to do that for 'Harmful' Rabb, as he used to refer to Harm."
Sturgis barks out a short laugh. Patrons in the restaurant turned to look at them. "Sorry," he says sheepishly.
Something about the number of patrons causes Mac to think about the time. "We'd better get back to JAG," she says reluctantly. "I'll fill you in on their last encounter on the way back. Otherwise the admiral just might send a search party after us."
Sturgis nods in agreement, wanting to get out of the place where he just made a fool of himself. They leave a tip for the waitress and proceed back to the car. By unspoken agreement, Mac waits until Sturgis—who without comment accepts the keys Mac hands him—has maneuvered into the lunchtime rush traffic before beginning the last tale.
"Okay," Mac begins. "This one is a bit confusing and in some ways downright unbelievable."
"Things with Harm tend to be both," Sturgis comments.
"Well, this one would have been even if Harm hadn't been involved. It actually involves another case, so I'll give you the background there first. It all boils down to his defense of a Sgt. Major Krone. Krone was accused of attempting to murder his wife. Krone's defense—which Harm somehow managed to deliver with a straight face—was simply that he was led to where his wife lay dying by a vision of the padre from his unit in Vietnam—Wiggins. It wasn't enough and Krone was sent to Leavenworth. There he met and somehow befriended Palmer. Palmer managed to convince just about everyone that he was reformed. About that time I received a wedding present sent directly from Leavenworth—a flag case. Inside was a bloody knife. Upon investigation, the only fingerprints on the knife were Krone's. While I was at Leavenworth, Harm was contacted by the Police Lieutenant in charge of the investigation into Krone's wife carjacking. It seems there was another carjacking with the same MO. Once Harm found out that Krone and Palmer were friends, we switched places—he took over the investigation at Leavenworth and I went with the Lt. to talk to a witness in the recent case."
"Whose idea was that?" Sturgis breaks in to ask.
Mac answers with a wry smile, "Harm's, who else? He asked to interview Palmer and was given permission. In the middle of the interview Palmer collapsed. Krone spent the night praying to Wiggins for his friend, Harm watched warily. In the morning, Palmer made a miraculous recovery and claimed to have had a vision—he said Wiggins told him where to find the man who carjacked his wife. He even provided Harm with a description that matched the one the witness gave the Lt. and me. Harm was still skeptical, but Krone convinced him to take a chance since it was the only thing that could clear him. They traveled to Baltimore and sat at the place the last carjacking took place at waiting for Palmer to receive 'instructions' to where they needed to go. After waiting all day, Harm gave the order to return to the plane, cutting off Krone's objections. En route, Palmer claimed Wiggins told him they were headed the wrong way. After an argument, Harm reluctantly told the driver to follow Palmer's directions. They were stopped at a railroad crossing when Krone had a vision of them proceeding and everyone but Palmer and himself being shot and killed—most vividly Harm. He spoke up and warned Harm who had backup waiting. They proceeded cautiously and apprehended a couple of DSD snipers who had been waiting to ambush them. Palmer got several more years tacked onto his sentence and the ironic thing was that to make things more believable, Palmer's compatriots had bought a hot lime-green Impala, which turned out to be Mrs. Krone's. Krone was cleared of all charges and allowed to go free."
"Wow. That sure is pretty unbelievable. What happened to Wiggins?" Sturgis asks while turning the car into the parking lot at JAG HQ.
"Wiggins was killed in Vietnam. Since then members of his platoon who prayed to him have been granted a number of miracles. Harm managed to convince a clergyman accompanying them of two of them—the leading of Krone to his wife in time to save her life and the vision Krone had saving all their lives. He's going to be declared a Saint."
"That's amazing. When will that happen?"
"Harm asked the same question. His answer was in 100 years or so," she laughs. The two officers laugh, Mac remembering and Sturgis contemplating the look on Harm's face when he heard that. "We'd better get inside," she reminds Sturgis, breaking the mood. He merely nods and exits the car, losing himself in the thoughts of all she's told him.
Almost as soon as they enter the bullpen, Tiner descends upon Mac and Sturgis. He advises them that AJ wants to see them ASAP. They detour to their respective offices long enough to drop off their covers before meeting outside AJ's office. "Go right in," Tiner tells them, having already reported their return. Sturgis knocks perfunctorily before opening the door and allows Mac to enter before him.
"At ease," AJ commands immediately upon their entrance. "Have a seat. As soon as Mr. Webb joins us we'll all have a chance to share what we've found, and hopefully go from there."
It's less than 5 minutes later that Webb joins them. The grim look on his face warns the others not to expect too much.