Disclaimers in Part one
Chapter 13
Chegwidden knew that Mac was, at the very least, being held hostage in a foreign land, at worst, she was already dead. Rabb would find out what happened to her. That he was sure of. If Rabb didn't go to her rescue, he would let it leak to the press what the CIA was doing.
At 2145 local time, fifteen minutes before lights out, Rabb was rousted from his cell by one of the guards he'd quickly despised, Gilroy.
"Rabb, you're wanted in the warden's office ASAP" Arden Gilroy sneered. He was one of the guards the inmates feared on the night shift. He'd perform his duties and privileges as a guard to the letter of the law while others were in the vicinity, but absolutely none of the prisoners wanted to be alone with Gilroy. People tended to have 'accidents' and inevitably, the prisoner wouldn't be believed.
Gilroy had fresh meat with Rabb, this was a prisoner he hadn't had the 'pleasure' of doing business with just yet, tonight he'd show this hot-shot attorney who was boss, that those who'd caused the deaths of women and unborn children deserved severe pain. However, Gilroy didn't wait after the unexpected meeting with the warden to 'talk' to Rabb. Gilroy planned on 'talking' again on the way back to Rabb's cell. That was his usual M.O., to wait until after whatever meeting the inmate had been summoned to, that way he couldn't complain. Not that many attempted to tell, it just caused the prisoner more grief than it was worth to inform on a guard or another prisoner.
The warden wasn't alone, he introduced Harm to the older man who announced the best news Harm had heard in a very long time. "Harmon Rabb, you have been cleared of all crimes you were convicted of, and your conviction has been overturned."
Harm was naturally stunned to hear he'd been cleared of the charges.
The warden told then him "You are officially released However the last boat of the day already left ten minutes ago, otherwise I'd have you on it, for your safety, I'll put you in the infirmary. Is there anything you want to say about your time here, have you had any trouble with any of the staff?" Unlike the stereotypical warden seen in many a film or television show or movie, he was a very compassionate man, and he knew that Harmon Rabb was just the person to stop Gilroy, someone who would actually be believed by federal officials. He'd kept an eye on all the new inmates, and had quickly noticed the younger man had what appeared to be a bruise developing on his neck. He'd long suspected Gilroy, but didn't have the proof to suspend the man, so far, what proof he had was just hearsay, now he could convict the man who belonged in a cell not guarding the prisoners.
Harm told the warden what he'd seen occur during his short time at McNeil, as well as what just happened on the trip from his cell. "The only things I want from are the pictures that arrived in the mail yesterday." The warden would have one of the trustees get them in the morning. He didn't want to alert Gilroy. To get Rabb to the infirmary without Gilroy's suspicions he first made a phone call to the doctor on duty to play along with Rabb's sudden illness and therefore the needed trip to the infirmary. Harm suggested to the warden that a 'stomach virus' would do the trick. The warden had been eating supper when he got the call regarding the release and on his plate was his beloved asparagus; this something that always made Harm ill when he ate it. He was slightly allergic to the stuff, which was why he avoided eating it.)The warden easily agreed to this, as he wasn't that fond of it himself, on a diet kick, his wife had packed it for him to eat. Harm ate the spear and while they were waiting for the asparagus to 'do its work' Harm gave his statement as to what he'd seen the guard do. He also requested a chance, while in the infirmary, to write a letter to his cellmate. Before the necessary call to the infirmary, the warden's guest left the same way he came, by the warden's private entrance, so Gilroy was not aware of the visitor. Soon the asparagus had the desired effect on Harm, within a few minutes; a thoroughly disgusted Gilroy escorted an obviously ill Rabb to the infirmary. The guards who were stationed in the infirmary were no friends of Gilroy and provided the patient wasn't difficult, they left them alone.
The doctor quickly diagnosed what the 'problem' was and stated Rabb would be staying there overnight. What he didn't tell Gilroy, his prescription was a good nights rest. Dismissing the troublesome guard he gave Harm an antihistamine, this would have the added benefit of helping Harm sleep. A glass of seven-up also helped the lingering nausea. Before he went to sleep Harm wrote a letter to Ibrahim, telling him he'd look into his case, as the timing of the conviction was very suspect, his arrest occurred in the week after September 11. An over-zealous IRS agent and prosecuting attorney had treated what should have only caused the garnishment of wages before nine-eleven, as tax evasion. Several careers were finished by the time the aftermath of that investigation was finished.
Chapter 14
Harm headed out of the prison a few minutes after 0800 the next morning, and he was able to witness an unsuspecting Gilroy heading towards the warden's office. One of the infirmary guards, the one who was apprised of Rabb's release asked to walk with him as they left the facility. This way Gilroy would not know what was imminent. Harm left the prison smiling, knowing the prisoners were safer now. On the boat with him was the man who'd given him the good news, he'd stayed in guest housing for his own safety.
The air on the short boat ride over to the mainland had never smelled so sweet to Harm, even if it were filled with the exhaust of the diesel engine on the boat.
Harm saw three people waiting for him, his mother, stepfather, and Admiral Chegwidden. His fellow passenger on the boat, the Judge he'd met the night had also arranged for Gilroy's arrest. It was quite apparent to Harm that the judge had already met his parents Burnett's as well as Chegwidden, who were waiting in the parking lot set aside for McNeil island use.
"Thank you Judge, for expediting my son's release," Frank said shaking the man's hand. Joe then got in his car and returned home, he'd had a busy twelve hours.
"I've arranged for us to use a room at McChord, we need to talk," AJ said after Harm hugged both his mother and stepfather. "It's already been arranged to get you'all on base." AJ had with him, Harm's District of Columbia driver's license and passport. Bud had retrieved them before AJ's transcontinental dash.
Harm made the short drive to the Air Force base. It was great to hear about the inconsequential things in life, a friend of the Burnett's, who was a high school classmate of Harm's was running for city council and had a good chance to win. As they neared McChord Harm wondered why Chegwidden had insisted on meeting on abase. Soon they were off I-5, and at the base. Harm wasn't about to admit it, but he felt naked without a military ID or uniform. Despite the fact, it was a zoomie base.
The room they were placed in seemed more like a hotel lounge than a conference room and the admiral filled them in at once. "The past few days we've been securing your release, we found out a few things along the way We not only found out who killed Lt. Singer, we found out who the father was, is. The short version is, and DNA tests are preliminary, but they prove that Clayton Webb was the biological father of the fetus."
Chapter 15
Harm was glad he was sitting down; he'd have dropped like a rock hearing that tidbit of news if standing. AJ censored what he'd really wanted to say next because of Trish's attendance. "We found out that it was that...that weasel, Commander Ted Lindsey was the one who actually killed her." By the look on their faces, Harm knew the Burnett's had been informed. "Apparently, he was 'seeing' Singer, she wanted money in exchange for her silence--so they met. He said he accidentally shoved her, that she hit her head on the railing, he panicked and tossed her into the river below, not knowing she was still alive, he also didn't know she was pregnant until that...infernal audit a couple of months ago. He decided to make you look guilty. He hates you; he called you the 'golden boy'. Face it Commander, it was due to your actions, and reactions, that had you appeared so guilty to everyone. He thought he'd gotten away with murder." AJ explained, in detail, the sting they'd done to get his confession. Fifteen minutes later, he spoke directly to Trish and Frank. "Mr. and Mrs. Burnett, if you will excuse us, I need to talk with Harm privately for awhile. They left, but didn't go any further than the next room, they'd already discussed with the admiral what was about to take place, if Harm agreed.
"I don't think Webb knew for sure the baby was his, but Porter gave us proof. Clay's hairbrush" AJ chuckled "That, and preliminary tests run on the fetus state that he is a Webb. There is a genetic trait the family tries to keep hidden. By the way, you might want to go to NCIS and thank Abby Sciuto. While running the tests that eliminated you and Sergei as potential sperm donors, she was able to confirm that you two shared the same father; you now have conclusive proof you need for ICE that let's them know you are Sergei's half brother.
Harm smiled his first true smile since his arrest at NCIS, knowing that something good came out of this mess. Now, if his brother truly wanted to become an American citizen, a major hurdle was cleared, he had proof he was the son of an American citizen.
"Now for the bad news, the reason we're here at McChord. I'll get straight to the point. Mac's down in Paraguay with Webb, on a mission, they're long overdue for their contact." He saw Harm start as if he were to get up and leave the room, giving him a stare the younger man stilled himself, reluctantly. "If you go there, say on a vacation, after your ordeal, and you just happen to run into an old friend, let's hypothetically call him Victor, how am I to stop you." Harm understood what AJ wasn't saying. Harm, however, was dying of curiosity.
AJ took the papers he'd received from Kershaw and laid them on the table next to Harm. After a small nod from the Admiral Harm read them, and when he was done, the admiral picked them up, walked over to the shredder, and disposed of the classified material. Hearing the shredder was what Frank and Trish were waiting to for. After knocking first, they walked back into the room. The night before, Pacific time, 3 a.m. his time, upon his arrival in Tacoma, AJ met with them and planned their part of the rescue of Mac. They all knew Harm well enough to know he couldn't live with himself if something happened to her. There was no doubt, what Harm's decision would be, and it would be to go with his mother and stepfather on a trip to South America.
Chapter 16
Frank asked him "Harm, your mom and I were wondering if you wouldn't mind tagging along with us for a week or so, while you decompress. Trish needs to see if a promising young artist in Asunción is all she's cracked up to be, then maybe we'll all head to Rio to relax while you decide what to do with the rest of your life." Obviously, the three had talked earlier and were in on this 'conspiracy'.
"Mom, I'd have to go to DC first, or have someone express me my passport before I can leave the country" Harm wasn't expecting what happened next, even with everything that had occurred in the past several hours.
They had concluded the meeting and were leaving the building when he brought up the fact he needed the passport. This would delay their departure by at least six hours.
The admiral then took something out of his shirt pocket--it was Harm's passport. He'd been forced to surrender it when he'd been arrested, even though he'd been denied bail as he was considered too high a flight risk. Between his access to a large sum of money from the Burnett's and his ability to fly pretty much anything but a helicopter, he'd been asked to surrender his passport just make sure he didn't leave the country. "Cathy Gayle stopped by my place with a few things you'll need for your trip." He then gave Harm the suitcase he'd had with him since their arrival on the base. Harm realized the indirect reference was for the others in the area as they were heading out of the building. Because of the distance from Langley, it was doubtful anyone within earshot would know Catherine Gayle was an attorney for the CIA, also the items in the suitcase Harm now carried, were not his own, but CIA issue. "If you all will excuse me, I need to head back to DC. Call me when you find Gunny."
The Burnett's had flown into a small airport near Tacoma so they drove directly there after leaving the base. Harm waited until they got to the car before opening the suitcase, a few items there were items he hoped not to have to use. In the car was another suitcase, apparently Trish had raided his closet in LaJolla, because most of the clothing in the suitcase he hadn't seen since he was a teen. These were items he hadn't worn for over a decade. The suitcase from Cathy was opened first, on top was an old People magazine; Harm knew it was the one with Mac in it. He knew there was a valid reason for that particular issue of that magazine in his suitcase; he also knew that the regular jet Frank used had a shredder on-board. Once he'd memorized the information, the magazine would be shredded. With the exception of a certain picture, Harm decided.
According to the 'magazine', the man holding Mac and Webb was a terrorist, Chegwidden noted that this information had gathered, at the expense of his freedom, by Gibbs and company. Now Harm knew the same team had found out the truth and helped to clear his name. It showed the link from Sadik Fahd to Al Qaeda, and that he, Fahd, reported directly to bin Laden. It was imperative to shut down his operations. Harm said a quick prayer for Mac and Webb's safety. However, once, Clayton was safe Harm wanted to pummel him into next week or worse for what he'd done, not only to Mac, but for what he'd not done for Lauren Singer.
The plane Burnett's owned had the capability to get them to South America with minimal refueling. Harm could help with the flying and therefore they could arrive in Paraguay earlier. If Harm took the controls, they had no need to stop because the pilot was tired or had been in the air too many hours.
Chapter 17
After a quick trip to the Tacoma Mall to get several pairs of pants, it turned out the pants that were in the suitcase Harm had worn in high school, he was now a few inches taller and several pounds heavier, they could take the private plane they normally used for transcontinental trips which was still in San Diego. They'd refuel as needed. Harm told them a little of what had happened, who'd given him the bruise on his neck. Trish was relieved to hear that Gilroy was finally held responsible for his actions against inmates.
After switching planes in San Diego, with Frank running to the house to get their own passports they headed south. By noon, the plane was already in Honduran airspace. When they took off Trish lowered the boom. "Harmon I'm going to ask you to do something I haven't done since 1969. Go take a nap. You're obviously exhausted, my guess is you haven't had a good nights sleep since your arrest. You need to be at full strength for whatever's coming up, and I want you coming back with us." He did as requested and lay down at the rear of the plane. Unfortunately, he had nightmares; he knew Mac was in danger. By the time they stopped in Panama to refuel, Harm had slept all he could or would. He knew Trish was right, he needed to be at the top of his game when he they arrived in Paraguay.
While he slept, Trish gazed at her son, thankful his prison ordeal was now over. Maybe this ordeal had happened for a reason. Just maybe when this was over, and Mac was safe, her son and Sarah Mackenzie could finally get together, finally talk and realize exactly what each other meant to each other. Trish knew Harm hadn't ever talked to her about any female the way he did about Mac. It was the reason she and Frank had insisted that they be involved in the rescue mission. Trish knew that if Mac didn't survive Harm would need his family around him. To the outside world, the trip might appear to be the whim of a wealthy couple, only Chegwidden knew the true reason.
Harm took a turn in piloting the aircraft, as this way they didn't have to stop for the night for the pilot to rest. Now he was the only one awake, the crew was resting as well. He'd come to realize Frank had been a father to him, even if he hadn't accepted him until recently. If he wanted to do this for Harm, he wasn't going to turn him down. He wondered just how much money was spent in securing his release, but they hadn't had a chance to talk about it yet. The only thing Frank had said on the trip from Tacoma to San Diego was that they had hired The Stetson Group. Living in Washington DC for as long as he ha, Harm had often heard about The Stetson Group, he knew they didn't come cheap. He also knew, given the circumstances, the company worked gratis. They were concerned with finding the truth, and if money were a factor, the client would not be away.
Harm thought back over his years at JAG trying to figure out what might have turned Lindsey into the vengeful man he'd become. True, the guy had never seen combat, as he was too young for Vietnam. As an attorney, the man was mediocre at best, much better suited dealing with paperwork than in the courtroom. He'd been passed over for promotion more than once, hadn't realized he'd never be an attorney of distinction. If he'd been a civilian attorney Lindsey would have never have been offered full partnership at a firm.
After a few hours at the controls of the plane and thinking back in his dealings with the man Harm realized that his apparent flaunting of authority, his receiving accolades for his actions when others would've been reprimanded. He knew most careers would have stalled if brought up on murder just once, but he'd had been suspected three times. The first accusation had been the worst because of the close relationship with the victim. He'd been accused of killing his Academy friend and Mac look-alike, Diane Schonke. NCIS agent Turkee had arrested him. What was with the investigators in that agency not getting all the facts first? Thankfully, Meg Austin had quickly proved that; one, Diane had left the naval base with Lt. Lamb. The guard on duty that night, easily remembered her, since he didn't see many gorgeous female officers at that time of night, she'd been easy to remember. Harm was able to give a solid alibi when the murder took place, he'd gone to a neighborhood bar to listen to music and had drank three beers, it was close to payday and he was a little short on cash so he'd used his credit card. That showed he was too far away to have killed Schonke. The accusation of killing Lamb was also dismissed and he had NCIS to thank, Harm had been forced to give his service revolver to NCIS when his apartment had been shot up dealing with the widow of the Thai ambassador. Because of turnover of NCIS staff at the time, he'd not yet had it returned to him. The chain of evidence proved the gun was still with NCIS, and they quickly cleared him of any murder charge. He'd still had to face captain's mast, which had been his destination when Turkee had arrested him. He'd accepted a non-judicial punishment resulting in his pay being docked for two months and Officer of the Day duty for four weekends in a row. Turkee had been suspended for his actions against Rabb and transfered to the base in Bremerton, Washington. Krennick's shoddy handling of the case got her sent her to the JAG office in Bahrain. Allison did not do well in that environment, and resigned from the Navy as soon as her twenty was up. Meg had been sent to Naples; a reward for her quick thinking, and level head during the case involving Mac's doppelganger.
Meg was the one to talk to the guards and to the forensic specialist intern at NCIS, Abby Sciuto. Abby had quickly found that records proved Harm's gun was still in the custody of NCIS, she also noted the last person to have custody of the gun was--Agent Turkee.
Thinking about it; Harm realized he'd sensed the animosity grow as years passed. When he'd met Lindsey, the older man was already a commander. Lindsey was, or had been a commander until his arrest the day before. Meanwhile Harm had received two DFC's, a Silver Star, promotion to Lt. Commander, and an early promotion to Commander.
Chapter 18
After several hours, the pilot took control. Harm knew he needed to study all the data the CIA had sent him. He took the magazine and read the special insert, shredding the pages as he finished them. He'd watched enough James Bond movies to figure that the suitcase he'd been had a false bottom and how to operate it. He waited to put together the weapon until he cleared customs. One of the insert pages in the 'magazine' was the instructions on how to put the weapon together. He then catnapped the rest of the flight. When they landed in Paraguay Frank told him where they were staying. Clearing customs in Asuncion Harm quickly went to where he was to meet Galindez.
Frank had, once again, used his many contacts and outfitted Harm with whatever he needed. Harm didn't know that the US government was actually footing the bill for the rescue. Not everything could be brought through customs, even in the false bottoms of suitcases.
Gunny was surprised to see Rabb. However, after a second thought he wasn't all that shocked, he knew there was an unbreakable bond between the two attorneys. "It's good to see you, sir." Galindez said as they moved to a more secure location. Noticing the bruise on his neck, he pointed to his neck and said. "Who's boyfriend did you tick off?"
"Call me Harm, I'm out of the Navy, Gunny, in fact I have been for close to a month."
It was apparent the news of his arrest and conviction hadn't reached Victor by the look of utter shock on his face. He'd figured Rabb as a career officer. The two men were on their way to Fahd's estate after Harm called the Burnett's hotel room with a pre-arranged message. Now, if they didn't hear from him in 72 hours, they were supposed to go to the Ambassador for further instructions. During the time they waited to hear from Harm they'd do exactly what they told Harm. Trish would check out the artist she'd mentioned earlier as well as the local art scene in general. Therefore, after they got the message Harm was on his way, they left the hotel for the galleries of Asunción and the surrounding area.
The duo spent the time driving to the Chaco Boreal reviewing what needed to happen. Victor was dying to know what had happened why Harm left the Navy. Victor still had friends at JAG and when this was all over, he'd contact them and find out what was going on if Harm didn't tell him. Because of what they needed to do, Victor was only able to get from Harm that he'd been accused of killing Lt. Singer, and in fact had been convicted, thus booted from the Navy. Harm said that new information had come out proving his innocence.
Mac was thankful for Fahd's adherence to his faith, as he hadn't tortured any of his prisoners; Clay, her, or the missionary couple for the twenty-four hours which was considered Friday. However, on Saturday Clay was brutalized, Mac and the missionary couple could hear the screams from the agent. Even over a hundred yards and the stone wall between them.
Mac knew Clay was receiving some of the torture she'd have had. It was obvious Fahd still thought she was pregnant; it would be late Sunday night when he finally found that pregnancy had been a ruse. To say he was unhappy about that was an understatement.
Very early Monday morning Fahd came in to the prisoner's cell and took the missionary couple out, Mac knew she was next. Clayton would soon either soon die of his injuries or they were giving him a respite before torturing him again. She heard two shots, and she knew the British couple had been executed. They then came for her. She relied on her Marine discipline not to fall to pieces. It was hard, but she was determined not to give Fahd any information.
Harm and Victor were witness to the execution of the missionaries and were powerless to stop it as they were too far away to do anything. However, moments later they saw Mac frog-marched into to a room and the two rescuers knew it was now or never. Sneaking up on Fahd's men, they put them out of commission, permanently. Victor went to get Clay, and get rid of the other guard. Harm was nearly to his objective when he was finally spotted. A brief gun battle ensued, soon Fahd and company were hightailing it out of the hacienda. It was just those who were alive or not badly injured. There were several who lay on the ground not moving. So much for the adage not leaving anyone behind, this group had apparently never heard of it.
Before they launched the rescue Victor and Harm had taken a few minutes to rig explosives to make it sound like a large invasion force, not two men. Harm quickly dispatched Mac's torturer, not knowing that other than the psychological terror of what had happened Fahd hadn't started physically torturing her, but he was just about to.
Mac had resigned herself to her fate, and would do her Marine best not to surrender to the torture. At first she was beyond amazed when a familiar face showed up and rescued her, she figured it was wishful thinking on her part; there'd had been a rescue by the CIA after all, and the rescuer just resembled Harm in build.
tbc
