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Chapter Thirty-Three
Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
1030 Local
She stood silently, watching him. Harm faltered a moment. There was so much he wanted to say, needed to say... how to start? 'Just get the damn words out, Rabb!', he silently berated himself. "Mac... , " he started again, "I was so out of line earlier, I don't even know where to start apologizing." He glanced down at his feet, "I shouldn't have been surprised and you sure as hell didn't deserve to be yelled at like that. I, of all people, should have known exactly what a stubborn, kick-ass marine would do in a situation like this." He looked back up a trifle anxiously and tried a small smile. God help him if she was really pissed.
Mac looked at him and sighed. She had every right to be angry - and he was quite right, he should have known. On the other hand, while groveling was good for a man's soul, she didn't know if she had the energy for a prolonged discussion. With a ghost of a smile, Mac said quietly, "Damn straight, you should have known."
Harm slowly let out a relieved breath, she had decided to let him off lightly. "Look, why don't we all sit down?" Closing the distance between them, he gestured towards the chairs and stopped in surprise when she flinched. "Mac?" he asked, not quite sure what he'd seen. He became a little more concerned when he realized she had drifted out of reach without answering him. Once again, he closed the distance. "Mac?" he asked again, looking at her closely. 'What the hell?' She'd backed away again, her expression was fast becoming unreadable. Determined, Harm followed after until her back thumped into the wall. "C'mon Mac, what's wrong? You're scaring me." She stood in tense silence and then, to his consternation, began to laugh.
Part of her stood there horrified, but she couldn't seem to stop. She thought she'd had the everything firmly suppressed, to be dealt with at a later date. She just hadn't had time to solidify her defenses and Harm, in his persistent concern, had inadvertently cracked them wide open. "I'm scaring you?" she managed to get out, "Oh god Harm, you've been hanging out in all the wrong places." Mac wrapped her good arm around herself and struggled for some semblance of control. She drew a shuddering breath, "Forget about scared, stick with me and I'll jump you right into terrified."
Harm stood silently, just out of arm's reach, his forehead creased with worry. Mac shot a quick look at a wide-eyed Singer and then focused again on Harm. "You know, there are times when having an internal clock just sucks," she said in a near whisper. "Wanna know why?"
Harm stared at her, a sense of dread growing. "Mac?"
She continued like she hadn't heard him, "Because I always know precisely when something's happened, I hardly have to think about it... I know that thirty-seven hours, eight minutes and sixteen seconds ago, I locked the doors to the Memphis JAG offices. And that twenty hours, forty-seven minutes and thirty-two seconds ago, the militia caught you and Lauren. And that forty-nine minutes and forty-three seconds ago, I was the center attraction in the middle of a goddamn riot. Three guys held me spread-eagle on the ground while the fourth bastard told me, and a very appreciative audience, just exactly what he was going to do - in very colorful terms." By now, she was holding herself rigidly upright.
Aghast, Harm breathed, "Oh my god..."
Mac shook her head, "No, no, no, This is where it gets good. Just like a story... I was rescued by Tinker Bell." She started laughing again, "Can you believe it? Saved by the Bell? He came through that crowd like a freight train. Of course, then it was him against a lot of angry, frustrated men. They didn't get their show... " Her breath caught as the tears started, and then Harm had his arms around her. She buried herself in his chest, one hand tightly wrapped in his shirt.
Harm stood with her head tucked under his chin and closed his eyes. He was amazed she'd even let him do this for her after he'd been such an ass. He stood there for a minute, then opened his eyes and looked over at Singer. She was staring at the two of them, looking as shocked as he felt. Apparently, Mac hadn't shared any details while she was getting cleaned up. Softly, he said, "What happened? Is Tink all right?"
Mac shifted a bit, not yet relinquishing her hold, "He's fine. Reverend Trask appeared." She felt Harm tense and looked up at him, "Harm?"
"A little later, Mac... what did Trask do?" he said quietly, carefully tightening his embrace when he felt her shudder.
"He executed two of the would-be rapists right there."
His softly vehement 'Good!' startled her for a moment. Mac took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She was shaking again. "Oh god, Harm, he didn't do it because of what they had tried to do. He did it because they lied to him about Tink and what they had done. He's crazy as hell."
Harm managed a rueful chuckle, "You're telling me? I've been trying to deal with him for the last... umm... twenty hours and forty-seven minutes." He heard a muffled 'fifty-five minutes' and smiled. He rested his cheek on top of her head and said softly, "As much as I enjoy holding you like this, you probably ought to sit down. Think you can make it to the couch?" He felt Mac nod and slowly began unwrapping his arms from around her. Together they made their way across the room to the couch and Harm settled her in the righthand corner. Then he snagged a chair and positioned himself close by. He gestured for Singer to come over and sit down as well.
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. Focusing on a spot on the floor, he said carefully, "Please don't take this the wrong way, but this is the last place I wanted to see you. It's dangerous enough for us, but you... "
"Harm, I know what they have planned," Mac interrupted.
His head came up and he stared at her in surprise, he took a deep breath, "Then have you completely lost your mind? You should be as far from here as possible."
Mac looked back at him calmly. It wasn't hard, the last twelve minutes had left her drained. "And then what? They substitute Lauren for me? How exactly do you think I could live with that? I had to come back, for both your sakes." She looked down, absently rubbing a thumb across the back of her hand, "I knew you were running out of time and that I needed to be here." Something clicked into place and she looked up sharply, "Trask was about to kill you for lying about me, wasn't he?" Singer's quick intake of breath was all the confirmation she needed.
Harm stared at her in exasperation, how the hell did she do that? He waved a hand in dismissal, "I had a plan." Lauren snorted and then subsided when he flashed her a look.
Mac looked at him skeptically, "Did the plan include bleeding?" She'd seen him houdini his way out of a lot of dangerous situations, but Trask seemed unpredictable as hell.
He ignored the question, "Do you expect me to sit here and let you sacrifice yourself? For that matter, what's to stop the dear Reverend from selling both of you and killing me anyway?" He stopped for a moment as another thought occurred to him, "How the hell did you get Perez to go along with this?"
She smiled briefly, "I didn't, I talked Gunny Walters into it." She watched twin expressions of confusion appear on Harm and Lauren's faces. "Give me a little credit for mission planning. Ensign Tyler had your cellphone, Harm. He contacted the Admiral and told him what was going on. He and Gunny Walters flew in yesterday and then came down here. Incredible as it seems, we all managed to find each other. Right now, the Admiral, Perez and Tyler are running some reconnaissance. The Feds are on the way. We just have to hang on until they show."
Harm looked at her incredulously, "Admiral Chegwidden is here?" His gaze narrowed, "He doesn't know you're here, does he?"
Mac glanced away for a moment, "He probably does by now."
"You had Walters tell him?! Good god, Mac, why not hand the Gunny a match and have him play in a dynamite factory? I thought you liked the man!" He shook his head and then stared at her, "We're not looking at Willful Disobedience, are we?"
She managed to look indignant, "I was never ordered to stay away from the militia camp."
Harm gazed upward and sighed. All that meant was that: A. No one thought she'd be able to physically make the trek; and B. They'd underestimated her in the stubborn department. Again. He glanced down to see Mac looking at him with one eyebrow raised. He raised his hands, "Fine. So, all we have to do is wait?"
Vicinity of Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
1014 Local
Walters cautiously scanned the area around him. He had made about half the circuit of the camp from where he'd left the Colonel. He grimaced to himself, no matter how logical her reasons, he should have gone with her into the camp. She was a good marine and he knew from personal experience just how tough she could be; but when all was said and done, she would be one woman in a camp full of undisciplined men. He gave himself another mental kick, if anything happened he wouldn't be able to forgive himself - not that there'd be much left after Rabb and Chegwidden got through with him.
Suddenly, his scalp prickled. Without a second thought, he threw himself to one side, rolling and coming up behind a tree with pistol drawn. His gaze swept the area, looking for the threat. It took him a moment and then he spotted Perez in the brush, gesturing to his right. Cautiously, he peered around the trunk. Two militia men had just entered a clearing about twenty-five yards away. He nodded to Perez and the two marines faded from view. Twenty minutes later, the militia men were safely out of sight. Perez rose out of the leaves and made his way over to Walters' position.
"What are you doing here, Gunny? Where's the Colonel?" he asked quietly, motioning for Walters to follow him.
Walters hesitated, this was going to be harder than he thought. Finally, he said, "I need to see the Admiral. The Colonel surrendered herself to the militia."
Perez whirled around so fast, he almost ran into the Gunny, "Son of a bitch! She did what?! Where the hell were you??"
Gunny held himself stiffly, "I was following orders and coming to find the Admiral. With all due respect, sir, could we wait until we're with the Admiral? I'd rather not go through this twice."
Perez glared at Walters for a long moment and then gave him a wry smile, "She's persuasive as hell, isn't she? Must be a damn good attorney." Walters agreed with a nod and a sigh. Chegwidden was going to kill him. Fifteen minutes later, they were in a copse of trees at the top of a small rise. In the distance, Gunny could see a gravel road wending its way to a large storage structure.
Chegwidden looked up when he heard the soft murmur of voices. Tyler was keeping watch while he'd been sketching a layout of the camp in a large patch of dirt, marking possible approaches. He was waiting for Perez, he needed to send him back for Walters and Mac. He stood up, brushing the dirt from his pants and waited. His eyebrows rose in surprise when he saw Gunny Walters with Tyler and Perez. They lowered ominously when he realized Mac wasn't with them.
"Gunnery Sergeant!" His low, intense tone stopped all three in their tracks. Gunny squared his shoulders and marched resolutely up to the Admiral and stopped at attention. Chegwidden glared at him and said softly, "Where is she?"
Chapter Thirty-Four
Vicinity of Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
1108 Local
Chegwidden glared at him and said softly, "Where is she?"
In an equally quiet voice, Walters said, "Sir... ", he stopped for a moment, and then started again. "Sir, the Colonel is in the militia camp. She... "
Suddenly, Chegwidden was in his face. Walters tried not to wince, the Old Man's eyes were boring a hole right through his skull. AJ repeated carefully, "The Colonel is in the militia camp? How the hell did that happen?!" Although the level of his voice never rose, the increasing intensity was peeling off layers of skin.
"Sir, the Colonel believed Commander Rabb and Lieutenant Singer to be in imminent danger and she was equally adamant that it would take her presence to prevent it." Gunny maintained his rigid posture, "I told the Colonel it was too dangerous and that I couldn't let her go to the camp."
AJ stared at him, "And... ?"
Walters shifted ever so slightly, "She said that unless I had orders to physically restrain her, to stop wasting her time and get out of her way."
The Admiral blinked. "She was on her feet?" Gunny nodded, wondering if a light had just appeared at the end of the tunnel. Chegwidden clasped his hands behind his back and tilted his head to the side, "How are you feeling, Gunnery Sergeant?"
'Damn!' Gunny stifled a groan, "Fine, sir." AJ Chegwidden was about to become Hell-on-Wheels and there he was, standing on the tracks.
"And just how steady was Colonel MacKenzie on her feet?" AJ rocked back and forth, gathering steam.
"Not very, sir." Gunny said dismally. Impact should be occurring at any moment...
"And you didn't feel confident enough to stop a woman who was half your size and apparently still feeling the effects of her injuries?"
Gunny flinched and repeated, "Sir, she told me to stand aside; she wasn't going to let anything happen to the Commander and Lieutenant when she could prevent it." This was gonna hurt...
"So you stood aside?" Gunny nodded slowly. Then Chegwidden was back in his face, "Did it ever occur to you that her mental state might have been a little precarious as well? No? Well, how about this? A TWO-STAR BEATS A LT. COLONEL WHEN IT COMES TO ORDERS!! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!" Walters resisted the urge to squeeze his eyes shut. Once again, the Admiral managed to boost the intensity into the stratosphere without increasing volume. He felt another layer of skin peel away. 'Please let it stop here... '
AJ glared at the Gunny, "How do you know she made it to the militia camp? Did you follow her?"
Damn, damn, damn. "Not exactly, sir." Gunny hedged, cautiously. The Admiral's eyebrows went up and then came crashing down. Walters sighed, "I gave her a hand, sir, helped her get close enough to go the rest of the way alone. I tried to argue her out of it one more time and then I offered to go with her. She said she had to go in and that she didn't want them to know anyone else was out here. Then she told me to find you and let you know what she'd done." He fell silent, vaguely wondering what Antarctica was like this time of year and if he'd go there as a Marine or a sled dog replacement.
Chegwidden stared at the Gunny before turning abruptly and beginning to pace. Son of a bitch! Ultimately, this was his fault. He knew she was becoming agitated about something and he hadn't taken appropriate steps. He didn't think she'd disobey a direct order although she would and could shoehorn herself through any loophole she could find. Of course, once that Marine green sense of duty kicked in, all bets were off. Especially where Rabb was concerned. Goddammit! Mac seldom indulged in hare-brained schemes on her own. Usually, she tagged along with the Commander, providing a logical, steadying influence. Her disciplined, in-control persona was so taken for granted by the people around her, that the occasional wild hair wasn't recognized for what it was. He stopped pacing and glanced around the clearing. Tyler and Perez had prudently withdrawn from the kill zone. He looked at Walters, still standing at attention and sighed.
Leaving Walters to keep an eye on her had also been a mistake. Mac had already had a good working relationship with the Gunny and they had developed even more of a rapport during the 'Archangel' case. AJ knew the Gunny would do whatever was necessary to protect her. What he'd forgotten was that Walters would also walk in front of bus if she asked. He smiled wryly to himself, in effect, she had.
AJ walked back and stood in front of Walters again. He glared a little longer and then said, "When all this is over, Gunny, and we're back at JAG - you, me and the Colonel are going to have a little chat." He turned back to his sketch of the militia camp. Looking over his shoulder, he said, "Come here and put in your two cents' worth." With a sigh of relief, Walters hurried over.
Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
1130 Local
Harm glanced over at the couch. He had convinced Mac to lie down and try to rest. She had an arm thrown across her eyes, but he couldn't tell if she had managed to fall asleep. He turned back and looked at Singer. The knowledge that help was on the way had done quite a bit for her morale. That, and the fact that she wouldn't be substituted for Mac, Harm thought dryly. Still, it didn't lessen the danger they were all in. They would have to survive long enough for the Feds to reach them - a definite problem.
He wouldn't put it past Trask or even Preston to try and take them out at the first sign of assault by Gov't. forces. Their ace in the hole was Cpl. Bell, but even he couldn't do that much single-handed. Harm sighed and rubbed at his temples. What they needed was either an impregnable position where they could wait out an attack or a defensible position and the arms to defend it. Neither showed much chance of showing up.
"Sir?" Lauren asked, Rabb had become increasingly pensive as time went on. Singer wasn't so naive as to think that everything was automatically going to fall into place and give them a happy ending. She was just hoping to escape with her life. For once, being the junior officer wasn't such a bad thing. Both Rabb and MacKenzie were as concerned with her well-being as their own. It was still incomprehensible to her that the Colonel walked back into this of her own free will. That took guts... or a commendable lack of brains, Lauren couldn't decide which. She refocused her attention when Rabb finally dropped his hands and looked at her.
"Yes, Lieutenant?"
"Do you think they'll try to kill us as soon as they know the Feds are here?" Personally, she thought they'd be stupid not to. Deniability was always easier when the witnesses were corpses. She wasn't even sure why she bothered asking the question unless it was some small sliver of hope that the Commander really could pull a rabbit out of the hat and save them all.
Harm leaned back and rubbed his neck. There was really no reason to sugarcoat anything. Stupidity was not one of Singer's flaws, she probably knew just as well as he did what the answer to that question was. That left the distinct possibility that she was looking to assauge the very human need for reassurance. "I imagine they'll try, Lieutenant." He gave her a grin, "We'll just have to see to it that they don't succeed."
Singer found herself smiling back. He was offering platitudes and she knew it, but his easy confidence was contagious. She began to think they would get out of this.
There was a perfunctory knock and then the door opened to reveal Preston. He strode into the room and pointed to a now upright Mac, "The Reverend is expecting you for lunch, Colonel." Harm noticed that she looked a little groggy, apparently she had managed to fall asleep. He started to step forward and then froze when Preston's automatic weapon casually swung towards him. "Just the Colonel this time, Commander." Harm glared at him for a moment, he didn't like this at all, and then swung back to see if Mac needed a hand. He helped her up and then kept a hand under her elbow. He scowled at Preston and said, "She's going to need some help." He lightly squeezed her elbow when she opened her mouth to speak. She turned it into a slight cough and gave him a quizzical glance.
Preston stared for a moment and then, without taking his eyes off them, called over his shoulder, "Tinker!" Mac's eyes widened for just a moment and then she stood impassively as Tink filled the doorway.
"Yes, Mr. Preston?" Tink paid no attention to anyone in the room.
He gestured towards Mac, "Escort the Colonel to her lunch with the Reverend. She needs some help."
"Okay, Mr. Preston." The big man walked up to Mac. He looked at Harm who silently backed away and then wrapped a hand around Mac's elbow, "C'mon, ma'am."
They arrived at the dining room a short time later. Trask was already there, he looked at Preston, "So good of you to join me, Mr. Preston. I've been waiting." Mac was surprised to see Preston flinch, she thought he was unflappable.
Not quite sure why, Mac spoke up, "I apologize, Reverend. It was my fault, I'm not moving as quickly as I would like."
Trask glared at her for just a moment and then broke into a wide smile. He came forward and bowed gallantly, "I am so pleased you could join me for lunch, Colonel. I hope you are feeling better?"
Mac nodded cautiously.
"Very good! And might I add that on such a beauty as yourself, even our uniforms look attractive. Please, have a seat." He held her chair and seated her. Turning, he looked at Preston and Tink and dismissed them with an abrupt gesture. As always, as soon as he was seated, the two orderlies began filling the table with food. When they were finished, Trask smiled at Mac again, "Wine, Colonel?"
Mac shook her head, "No thank you, Reverend. I don't drink."
Trask's eyebrows rose in surprise, "Truly? Well, would you prefer sweet tea or perhaps some lemonade?" He snapped his fingers and an orderly appeared.
"Tea, thank you." The orderly silently disappeared and returned several minutes later with a glass and a pitcher of tea.
"Ahhh, Colonel?" Mac looked over to see the Reverend looking apologetic. "I hope you won't think it too forward of me if I take the liberty of preparing your plate?" He gestured towards her arm, "I imagine that makes it awkward to do a number of things."
Mac smiled at him, "That's very kind of you." She was doing her best to appear relaxed but she found the Reverend unnerving.
Trask waved a hand, "Always a pleasure to serve a lovely lady." He held out a hand and Mac passed her plate to him, "You just let me know what you'd like, although I'd recommend the catfish. The chef works wonders with it." He kept up a steady stream of chat as he filled her dish and then presented it with a flourish. He reseated and quickly served himself, then smiled at Mac, gesturing with a fork, "Please, Colonel. Enjoy." He leaned forward and in a stage whisper said, "If you don't, you'll hurt my chef's feelings and I'll have burnt toast for the next week."
Suppressing her feelings of unease, Mac smiled and began to eat. Trask curtailed his conversation to inquiring if she was enjoying her meal and suggesting other dishes to try. At last, he pushed himself back from the table with a contented sigh. He looked over at Mac who had finished a few moments earlier. She was fidgeting just a little. "Colonel? Is something the matter?"
Mac looked a trifle embarrassed, "I didn't realize how I was sitting, apparently, my feet feel like they're asleep." She wiggled her toes trying to dispel the tingling feeling.
"I see," Trask smiled pleasantly. "I'm afraid I owe you an apology for deceiving you. I thought this would be the least stressful way and I have to admit I was wondering how it would work." Mac stared at him. He gestured towards her plate, "Most of your food has been laced with an animal tranquilizer." He looked thoughtful, "I hope we didn't overdo it. That would be embarrassing."
Horrified, Mac tried to push away from the table. Trask reached a long arm across the table and clamped a hand around her wrist. She couldn't feel her feet anymore and she couldn't tell if the chill she was feeling through the rest of her body was the tranquilizer or just terror. "You bastard!" she forced out. A moment later, she was on the floor, her ears ringing. Her cheek stung where he had hit her although she noted vaguely that she couldn't feel her shoulder anymore.
Trask squatted on his heels next to her and waved a finger, "That was impolite, Colonel. I did this for your own good. The buyers' representatives arrived early and I know how stressful it can be when you have to leave your old life behind and embark on a whole new one. This will make it easier on all concerned and, of course... "
Mac didn't hear anymore as her eyes finally closed.
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