Chapter 6 (Pt 2)
"Reasonable? To send him out there alone to find a killer? With no one around whom he could trust ..." she cut herself short, realizing with a start that she was screaming like a hysterical female in front of her commanding officer. "I'm sorry, Sir."
A.J. waved her off. "Never mind that, Colonel. I'm as much to blame as Webb is. I should never have agreed to let him go on that mission." The Admiral fell silent, his head bowed in penance, as his mind replayed the frightful words of the Seahawk's Captain: 'I regret to inform you, Admiral, that Commander Rabb's plane was shot down over Afghanistan yesterday. I apologize for not informing you sooner, but I was under orders to report to the director of operations at CIA first.'
"How did it happen, Sir?" Sarah Mackenzie's voice jerked him back to the present.
"I don't know all the details, Colonel," he replied in a quiet voice. "All I know is that Commander Rabb found evidence leading him to a suspected Taliban spy, who turned out to be one of the pilots. But, I guess the evidence was too circumstantial for him to get a conviction, so the Commander decided to provoke the man into confession. He set up a fake reconnaissance mission, giving the suspect a chance to inform those he was spying for, and then changed the mission parameters in midair."
"Leading the suspect into a trap of his own making?"
"Precisely," Chegwidden nodded. "Unfortunately, the skipper could not spare more than 2 planes, and Rabb did not want to needlessly endanger the lives of 2 more RIOs in case something were to go wrong..."
"He was up there alone?" she gasped.
"I'm afraid so, Colonel. ... And something went wrong."
Sarah closed her eyes for a brief moment, imagining how he must have felt up there, one on one with a suspected traitor. She opened her mouth to speak, but A.J. shook his head, anticipating her question.
"I don't know what exactly happened up there, Mac. I don't know anything else beyond what I told you. I'm sorry."
She nodded her understanding, dropping her gaze to the floor.
The CIA agent who stood off to the side, seemingly lost in thought, looked up at A.J.'s last words. His eyes took in the dejected faces of the two JAG officers, and he reached inside his jacket, freezing his hand midway in a brief moment of hesitation. Looking intently at the young woman before him, Clay frowned in concern, trying to picture the impact that his piece of evidence was going to have on her. He did owe it to Sarah Mackenzie to let her know exactly what happened to her partner, but, at the same time, knowing how much she cared for Harm... Clay inhaled deeply, stepping up to the desk.
"I think this can answer some of your questions," he said in a strained voice, pulling out a small tape-recorder. Feeling their eyes on him, Webb carefully placed the recorder on the desk in front of A.J.
"Is this what I think it is, Webb?"
The agent nodded. "Harm made sure that both mikes were on and transmitting to the ship during the whole flight." He turned to Mac. "I'm not sure you want to hear this," he said quietly, noting her pallor, as she eyed the small machine. She looked up at these words, her expression tense but full of determination.
"Get a grip, Marine!" she scolded herself, willing herself to speak. "I want to know."
A.J. nodded and, throwing a quick glance at Webb, pressed play.
Clay watched them, as they listened intently, their eyes riveted to the recorder. He saw Mac dig her fingers into the back cushion of the chair before her, when she heard Harm's scream. He saw A.J. flinch. And for the second time since receiving that tape, the special agent wished he never had. The tape ended with a loud click, stopping suddenly seconds after the Mayday call was made, and all three of them started involuntarily, lost in the stifling silence that set in. Sarah's next question came out strangled, as she fought to hold back the tears.
"Do you know if he's alive?"
Clay shook his head. "I don't. An air strike was called to the coordinates that Harm transmitted. That happened only some 15-20 minutes after he went down. So, even if he did survive the crash, he may have been killed on the ground."
"Or he may have survived that too," A.J. interjected forcefully, eyeing the agent.
Webb sighed, resigning to tell them everything he knew. "The aerial photos from the crash site showed only the wreckage of the plane. Nothing else -- not even a chute." He flinched, hearing Mac's sharp intake of breath.
But the former SEAL wasn't finished. "He could have been captured by the ground troops."
"It's possible," Clay nodded, "but so far there's no way to know ..."
"Find a way!" the JAG bellowed, getting in the agent's face.
Webb flinched, expecting to be slugged. "I'm trying," he said meekly. "I'm really trying, A.J."
A.J. looked to the side, making sure Clay followed his gaze, until Mac's pale face came into view. The men looked back at each other, and Webb closed his eyes, nodding in understanding.
"Try harder."