Chapter 6 (Pt 1)
JAG headquarters
"Good day to you too, Mr. Secretary!" A.J.
Chegwidden slammed down the phone, nearly crushing it in the process. It only took one conversation with the SecNav,
and the morning was already spoiled. Chegwidden was all but seething in anger.
The buzz of the intercom interrupted his silent string of curses.
"Yes, Tiner!" he roared, pressing the button so hard that, had (by some freak of nature) the Secretary of the Navy been in place of that intercom button, Admiral Chegwidden would have been charged with voluntary manslaughter.
"Admiral, the Seahawk's skipper is on line 2. He wishes to speak to you. Says it's urgent."
A sudden inexplicable sense of dread came over him, and A.J. felt his stomach lurch in alarm, as he managed a curt "Patch it through, Tiner."
Five minutes later a much more subdued Rear Admiral placed the phone back in its cradle. Leaning slightly forward on his elbows, his chin pressed against his clasped hands, he stared with unseeing eyes into the empty space before him. Motionless and numb inside, he sat like that at his desk, as the minutes ticked away. Closing his eyes briefly to collect his jumbled thoughts, Admiral Chegwidden reached for the intercom yet again.
"Tiner, find Colonel Mackenzie. Tell her to come to my office immediately," he said, relieved to find his voice fairly under control.
"Yes, Sir. ... Um, Sir?"
"What is it?"
"Mr. Webb is here to see you, Sir."
Chegwidden felt his jaw tighten involuntarily. "Send him in."
Clayton Webb stepped slowly into the office, glancing cautiously at the Admiral, as if attempting to gauge his mood. Seeing the deep frown on the older man's face, the special agent sucked in a short breath, steeling himself for what was to come.
"You already know," Chegwidden stated matter-of-factly, his eyes darkening a shade, as they narrowed on the agent's face.
"A.J., I'm sorry .." Clay began, but the Admiral cut him off with a wave of his hand.
"Stuff it, Webb! Save your apologies for when Mac gets here. And, while you're at it, maybe you can explain to her why her partner is ..." He stopped short, noticing the slight figure of a Marine Colonel in his doorway.
"You wanted to see me, Sir?" Sarah Mackenzie asked, her eyes darting nervously from one man to the other.
A.J. stood up from his desk, throwing a murderous glare at Webb. "Come in, Mac," he said softly. "Close the door."
She did as she was told, swallowing sharply, as she tried to squelch the butterflies in her stomach. Something wasn't right. She felt it. She felt it even earlier today ... a horrible sense of foreboding that gnawed at her very soul, making her almost dizzy with raw inexplicable fear.
"What about my partner, Admiral?" she asked quietly, her dark brown eyes searching his, begging for answers.
A.J. gathered all his resolve, deciding that the simple truth was the best way to go. Taking a deep breath, he spoke slowly and distinctly, careful to keep his voice level.
"Commander Rabb was sent on the Seahawk to locate an alleged Taliban sympathizer who was responsible for the loss of 2 aircraft and the death of a CIA agent on board. It appears the Commander was able to find that man, but, in an attempt to capture him, the Commander was shot down."
Sarah felt her heart freeze at these words, as her mind stumbled through the tangled pieces of information, trying desperately to make sense of it all.
"I don't understand, Sir," she mumbled weakly. "Harm told me he was recalled to active duty because 2 pilots were lost. He ..."
"The Commander was under orders not to divulge the true nature of his mission to anyone," A.J. deadpanned, straining to keep his emotions at bay.
"Whose orders?"
"Mine." This was the first time Clayton Webb spoke since he entered the room, and Sarah whirled to face him, her eyes burning with poorly concealed fury.
"Yours?!"