Sarah glanced over at Emma as they sat in her room going over the details of her escape plan. Emma had given up trying to change her mind after the first thirty-seven minutes. During those thirty-seven minutes... well, it had been an impressive display of persuasion. Sarah knew her own dispassionate view of her plan and the odds against it, puzzled Emma. She wasn't being fatalistic or fearless. She had learned at an early age to separate her emotions from whatever situation she found herself in. During her childhood, it had been a necessary survival tool. As an officer, she'd found it was also sometimes required. A good Marine officer did not show fear or uncertainty in front of subordinates. Nor did a good officer refuse an assignment because of the possibility of injury or death. Sarah truly believed that Harm and the Admiral's best shot at taking down 'Archangel' would be if she kept the network's attention and energy focused upon herself.

But first, she had to get out of the shelter... Sarah was willing to face the danger, but she wasn't planning on being foolhardy. Recon was the key. She knew a good deal more about the subject than a lot of people suspected. Summers spent with her grandmother usually meant at least a week or so with her Uncle Matt, provided he was stationed anywhere near. They would camp in the desert, hunting for fossils and dinosaur prints and her uncle would turn it into a Recon game. That had stopped during the bleak period that began with her grandmother's death and ended, almost literally, with the car crash. Uncle Matt had stepped in and saved her life. After she had joined the Corps; when duty permitted, they always managed at least one trip together a year. (At least until he'd rapped the US government on the snout and gotten a bloody nose in return.) Sitting around the campfire at night, her uncle would expound on the finer points of reconnaissance and being a Marine and she would soak up the information up like a sponge.

Emma's voice brought her back to the present. "Are you sure they're watching this place?"

Sarah nodded, "I think the only reason I made it here at all, was because they didn't think I could stand up, much less walk out of the hospital. They thought they had time." She sighed, "They aren't going to make that mistake again. If Peterson thought I was here, they'll be positive that I am. They're watching."

"But wouldn't it be better to sneak by them?" This was the part of the plan Emma didn't like at all.

"It would probably be safer, but one of the points of this exercise is to make sure they know I've left this place." Sarah didn't like this part either, but it was necessary. She would have to make sure she was seen leaving without being too obvious, and then she'd have to lose them. Privately, she hoped she had the strength.

Emma looked at the DC street guide again. Sarah had been familiarizing herself with the area while Emma filled her in on the neighborhood, its gangs and what areas were disputed. It sounded like Bosnia.

"Sarah? What about a diversion of some sort? I could ask James to come with sirens and lights. I'm sure I could convince him without actually telling him the reason."

"I don't know, Emma. We want to draw these people away from here and they're too dangerous to have James confront them without knowing what he's getting into."

Emma sat with her brow furrowed in thought, "Well, how about this?" She pointed to a street three blocks away from the shelter, "Do you think you can get here?" Sarah looked at the spot and nodded, Emma continued slowly, thinking it over as she spoke, "What if James just raced by them with lights and sirens? See? There's an alleyway that splits off in several directions. If you could get to there while James distracts them, I'll bet you could lose them." She frowned, "It's the timing that will be a problem. From what you've said, it would be better if James didn't start anywhere near the shelter. How will he know when to go?"

"We'll give him a specific time. If I leave the building at, say 0130, it will probably take me 8 or 9 minutes to get to this point. So we tell him to start his run at 0138." Sarah was feeling a little more hopeful, this might work. She looked at Emma in admiration, "You're good at this."

Emma laughed, "You don't raise three children without becoming an expert in tactics and strategy." She started to unstrap her wristwatch, "You'll need this." Emma looked up in surprise when Sarah shook her head. "Don't be silly, it's not expensive or a family heirloom."

Sarah smiled, "It's not that, Emma. I don't need a watch."

"Of course you do, take it." Why was she being difficult over this?

"Emma," Sarah said, "It's 1232."

Emma looked at her watch and then at Sarah, her mouth round with surprise. Sarah shrugged lightly, "I have an internal clock."

Baylor Women's Shelter
Washington, DC
0130 Local

Mac quietly slipped out the side door and crept alongside the building. She was back in Marine mode. She'd said her goodbyes to Emma a few minutes before. After finalizing the plan earlier, they'd gone to the kitchen so she could eat. God only knew when she'd manage that again. Emma had called her son and cajoled him into helping. She'd said something curious about helping out the 'Orphan Brigade' and when she saw the look on Mac's face, had smiled and said, "You're our latest member". Then she had helped Mac into the two layers of clothes. If things worked out, she'd discard the outer layer in the alley, the change in appearance would be insurance. Emma had also had given her what cash she had - fifty-seven dollars. She had brushed off all protests, insisting it would make her feel better. Mac felt a little bit guilty, after everything Emma had done for her, she had asked her for one more favor...

Mac gave herself a mental shake. If she needed any more proof that she hadn't recovered, this was it: woolgathering while playing cat and mouse with people who wanted to kill her. She stopped at the corner of the building and cautiously peered out. It looked clear, but she knew better - they were out there. Mac hurried as quickly as she could through an open area before disappearing into the shadows of the next building. She paused for a second, 'That should do it if they were paying attention.' Now the chase began in earnest.

JAG Headquarters
Falls Church
0900 Local

AJ leaned back in his chair and rubbed his jaw. He had dreaded Monday. Yesterday, after discovering the CD, they'd made several copies. The original was now in his safe. Webb had one copy, Harm and Sturgis were working with the other. They were using Sturgis' laptop to prevent accidental (or intentional) access while they tried to identify the 'Archangel' operatives. The tough part was keeping Bud and Harriet out of the loop for now, without seeming to abandon their investigation. He'd put them to work in a conference room, looking for Mac and investigating the escape of their only suspect. Then there was the staff...

The whole building was abuzz with the news of Friday's incident. He had assembled them all and given the salient points: a security breach had killed PFC Rodreguiz and injured Colonel MacKenzie. He'd tried to pass over Mac's disappearance, but Singer 'damn that woman' had asked about visiting the Colonel in the hospital. He was well aware of the animosity between Mac and the ambitious Lieutenant, although they both conscientiously maintained a professional attitude with each other. Singer was probably hoping Mac would take a turn for the worse and she'd be there to see it. AJ grunted in annoyance with himself, that was uncalled for. After she'd brought it up, he'd been forced to tell them that Mac had disappeared. He could only imagine the scuttlebutt making the rounds.

AJ stood up. He'd needed to get out of his office for a bit. He would stop by the breakroom for coffee and try to gauge the mood of the bullpen. There'd been surprise and alarm and now that they had had time to think and talk about it, he'd see if he could tell how they were feeling. 'Damn, this is what Mac would do for him. Keep him abreast of any turmoil in the office.'

He walked out of his office, Tiner wasn't at his desk. One of the office staff had probably buttonholed him. As the Admiral's yeoman, people assumed he had the inside track. 'Not this time,' AJ thought to himself. Entering the bullpen, he heard 'Attention on deck.' He said 'As you were,' more or less automatically as he strode purposefully to the breakroom. Keeping focused on his path, he risked a casual glance sideways, 'Damn!' It was worse than he thought. They were watching him like a hawk, not even pretending to work. So intent on his thoughts, he barely managed to keep from walking over the top of Lt. Singer. "Yes, Lieutenant?" he asked wearily.

"Sir, I'd like to volunteer to help defend Col. MacKenzie... when they find her, of course." Singer added quickly.

AJ's brow lowered, he crossed his arms and in a dangerously soft voice, said, "Excuse me?"

"I heard she's being charged with espionage and probably treason, that's why she running. I'd like to help if I may, sir." Singer said in what she hoped was a sincere manner. What she would really like would be to help MacKenzie into a life sentence in Leavenworth... or in front of a firing squad. She was so sick of the preferential treatment accorded the Admiral's 'pets' - Roberts, Rabb and MacKenzie. If she pulled half the stunts they had, she'd be in Greenland counting ice cubes by now. Lauren knew she was a much better attorney and still, she had to put up with the crappy cases and their patronizing attitudes. This would be her opportunity to shine and if she could find a way to quietly stick it to Col. MacKenzie, so much the better.

"I see," AJ pivoted towards the bullpen and bellowed, "May I have everyone's attention?" The staff froze. "It has come to my attention", he paused and glared at Lt. Singer who blanched, "that scuttlebutt already has Col. MacKenzie branded as a traitor and spy. The Colonel has been assigned here for seven years, most of you have known her for at least two. I have never known her to shirk her duties, no matter the personal cost or risk. I would be extremely disappointed to find that my staff would throw all that aside on the basis of rumor and innuendo. I thought you would give her the benefit of the doubt." He gazed around the room, "Because it is an ongoing investigation, I was hoping to disseminate as little information as possible. I see it will be necessary to compromise that investigation just a little more. The man who broke into these offices and attempted to murder the Colonel has escaped from the brig. We think he had inside help. Colonel MacKenzie has disappeared for her own safety." AJ looked around the bullpen one more time before focusing on Lt. Singer, "That will be all." He marched back to his office and slammed the door.

AJ stood in the middle of his office, still fuming. 'Well, goddammit. You wanted to know what they were thinking; now you do.' He started forward and then realized he had forgotten his coffee. Angrily, AJ stalked towards his desk. He had his finger poised to jab at the intercom button when Tiner's nervous voice came over the speaker.

"Uh, sir?"

"Yes, Tiner?" AJ tried to control his anger. His yeoman knew now was not a good time to interrupt him. It wouldn't be Jason's fault if he had to bell the cat. The thought almost made him smile.

"Sir, there's a woman out here. She's insisting that she speak with the JAG. She says she's going to sue everyone in the Navy from the SecNav on down and she wants us to arrest Inspector Peterson." Tiner added, 'sotto voce', "She's really angry, sir. Her name's Emma Fine."

AJ blinked. "Send her in, Tiner." He thought for a moment and punched the intercom, "And Tiner? Have Commander Turner and Commander Rabb come to my office."

Admiral Chegwidden stood as Tiner opened the office door and a large, heavyset woman swept into the room. She marched up to his desk and looked at him silently. Almost as one, they both turned and looked at Tiner, who was still standing in the open doorway. His eyes widened, and with a mumbled 'Excuse me sir, ma'am.' he hurriedly shut the door. They looked back at each other. Although her face remained impassive, AJ could swear there was a glint of amusement in the woman's eyes.

"Ms. ... Mrs. Fine?" AJ said, offering his hand, "I'm Admiral AJ Chegwidden, the Judge Advocate General. You wished to see me?" He gestured towards a chair, "Please, have a seat." AJ waited until she had settled herself, then sat down himself and folded his hands on his desk. He gazed at her for a moment and then thought, 'what the hell...' Raising an eyebrow, he said conversationally, "You've been frightening my yeoman."

Emma Fine arched an eyebrow back, "I got here in time to watch you frighten almost an entire office. I thought perhaps you had missed one. Sorry." They stared at each other for a minute, then smiled. "Admiral Chegwidden," Emma began. A knock on the door interrupted them.

AJ gave her an apologetic glance, then looked at the door and barked, "Enter."

The door opened. Harm and Sturgis walked in and came to attention. "Commanders Rabb and Turner reporting as ordered, sir." Harm announced. At the Admiral's 'At ease,' they both relaxed and looked at him.

He introduced them to Emma and then said, "Gentlemen, have a seat. Mrs. Fine is about to tell us why she wishes to the sue the Navy." AJ saw Harm share a look with Sturgis. "And why she would like us to arrest Inspector Peterson." Rabb's head came around so fast, for a moment, AJ thought he'd given himself whiplash. They all looked at Emma.

Emma eyed each man in turn, "Well, you're good-looking men, I'll say that for you." She waited while they exchanged puzzled glances, "I can see where Sarah would enjoy coming to work."

Her words brought the three men to their feet, all speaking at once until the Admiral roared, "AT EASE, GENTLEMEN!" He leaned over his desk towards Emma, "You know where Colonel MacKenzie is?"

Emma sat still for a moment, a little taken aback by their reaction. The tall man looked ready to explode. "As of 1:30 this morning, I did. Which was three hours after I ran that odious little man, Inspector Peterson, and his motley crew out of the shelter where I work. I managed to get him out before he found her, but I couldn't convince her not to leave. She was adamant that staying would put the shelter in danger. That young woman could teach stubbornness to mules." Emma huffed a little, remembering.

Harm couldn't contain himself any longer, with an apologetic look at the Admiral, he asked, "Mrs. Fine, was Mac all right? She should have been in the hospital."

Emma smiled at him, "You're Harm, aren't you? Sarah said you tended to get worked up." Sturgis turned his head and tried to suppress a smile as Harm opened his mouth to protest, but Emma continued, "Sarah was definitely on the ragged side when she showed up early Sunday morning. When she left, she was better - but I'm afraid she's still hurting."

Harm started to ask another question when AJ held up a hand, "That's enough for now, Harm." He turned to Emma, "I'd like to hear everything from the beginning but right now, if you could just give us a synopsis, we can decide how to handle it. I'd like to have everyone who's involved be here when you go through the whole story." For the next fifteen minutes, Emma had their undivided attention. When she finished, AJ looked at Harm, "Call Webb on that dedicated cell he gave you. Tell him what's going on and ask him to come in. Have him imply it's his idea to see me." He looked back at Emma, "Mrs. Fine, how would you feel about playing the harridan one more time?"

Chapter 11

JAG Headquarters
Falls Church
0949 Local

Tiner looked up as the Admiral's door banged open. That woman appeared in the entryway, trailed by Cmdr. Rabb and Cmdr. Turner. She was looking over her shoulder, still loudly complaining, "... And don't think for a minute, that foisting me off on these... these... two dogsbodies is going to keep me out of your face. My taxdollars are paying for your ..." Her voice trailed off as she headed for the conference room, deftly herded by the two commanders. Jason stared after her wide-eyed. He didn't know what a dogsbody was, it couldn't have been good...

"Tiner."

Tiner's head whipped back to see the Admiral standing in the office door. He gulped, "Yes sir?"

"I don't want to be disturbed. Am I making myself clear?" He stared at Tiner for a long moment and quietly shut the door.

Tiner resisted the urge to groan out loud. The Admiral was at his most dangerous when he became quiet like that. Jason knew he was toast - it just was a matter of time. First the news about the Colonel, then Lt. Singer and her apparent deathwish (of all the things to repeat to the Admiral!) and now this lunatic woman screaming at everyone. God, could the day get any worse?

Fifteen minutes later, Jason was retrieving a file from the bullpen when he saw Clayton Webb enter the room. 'Oh no!... Please look for Cmdr. Rabb... please look for Cmdr. Rabb... Damn!' Tiner hurried over to place himself in Webb's path. "Can I help you, Mr. Webb?"

"No." Webb stepped around the petty officer and continued to the Admiral's office.

Jason intercepted him again. "Are you sure, sir?"

"Yes." Webb skirted to the one side. Tiner followed and then moved in front again; they were almost at the Admiral's door. Finally, Webb looked at him in exasperation, "TINER! Get out of my way!"

"Mr. Webb... " Jason was feeling desperate, he lowered his voice, "The Admiral is in a really bad mood because of the break-in and Colonel MacKenzie. Are you SURE I can't help you?"

"Positive." With that, Clay ducked around Tiner, knocked once on the Admiral's door and disappeared into the office.

Jason slumped against the wall, then he softly began banging his head, "Toast. Toast. Toast... "

Clay walked over to AJ's desk, "You realize Tiner's about to have apoplexy?"

AJ grunted, "I'll make it up to him. How much did Rabb tell you?"

"That you had a lead on Mac."

"Yeah, I wanted you to hear this." AJ stood up, "Ready to chase after me to the conference room?"

Tiner looked up with an uneasy feeling of deja vu as the Admiral's door banged open. He had this horrible vision of Webb calling the Admiral a 'dogsbody'. This time, though, the Admiral stomped through the door first, with Webb right behind him. Jason shot to his feet and squeaked, "Sir!" The Admiral barely noticed him as he went by.

"For the last time, Webb, NO! I will not have you involving my officers in another of your operations! Not now! Use your own damn agents!" Storming through the bullpen, AJ didn't bother acknowledging the 'Attention on deck', the staff stood frozen, watching the two men.

Webb stayed right with AJ like a terrier nipping at his heels, "You don't have a choice, Admiral. It's a matter of national security. The SecNav..." His voice faded as they disappeared into the conference room with a bang. The staff relaxed and looked at each other in disbelief. The buzz of conversation slowly increased and then cut off suddenly as the conference door opened again. Cmdr. Turner stuck his head out. Gesturing towards a petty officer, he said, "Get Gunny Walters up here. Now." He disappeared back into the conference room. The staff stood there in amazement, what a Monday!

Earlier that morning
Washington, DC
0320 Local

Mac leaned against the wall of the alley, her arm and her side a constant dull ache. She had successfully eluded Archangel; for now anyway, she wasn't nearly far enough away yet. It had been a little dicey getting away from the shelter - hell, it had scared the living daylights out of her...

To get to the alley entryway had required walking the last block in the open. When Mac was seventy-five feet from the alley, she'd become aware of a man following about fifty feet behind her. Fifty feet from the alley, another man showed up ahead of her. At twenty feet, both men began to close in. It had taken every last ounce of her nerve to wait for James to show up, to not panic and bolt. Finally, he had appeared with sirens and lights blazing. As he roared past, Mac had eased carefully into the alley and then turned and ran.

After reaching the split, she'd turned left, she had forced herself to keep moving. Her side felt like it was on fire, the blood pounding so fiercely in her head that she was seeing spots and she couldn't get enough air. When the alley split again, she turned right and, by then, had slowed to a stumbling walk. She hadn't chanced a look back, she'd been afraid even that small motion would knock her right off her feet. Mac had come across the cubbyhole by accident after tripping on the remains of an old pallet. Unable to keep her balance, she'd gone down on her hands and knees. For a few seconds, she had stayed there, no longer caring if anyone was behind her. She was tired of the pain and the fear... and then she'd seen it. A small opening, visible only at groundlevel, a crawlspace of some sort. Gratefully, she had crept in, ignoring the unidentifiable and sundry bits of garbage. Mac had stayed there for the next sixty-three minutes, recovering - she'd even managed to doze a little. Finally, she'd crawled back out and peeled out of the extra layer of clothes she had been wearing...

A noise behind her startled her out of her thoughts. Mac froze and then, heart pounding, she turned to see two men staring at her. The larger of the two gave her a leering smile.

Mike and Arnie had been cutting through the alley after a night of bar-crawling. When he was sober, Mike was loud, obnoxious and belligerent. When he was drunk, he was just plain mean. At the last bar, a bouncer - bigger, stronger and nastier, had faced him down and thrown him out. Arnie, little suck-up that he was, had gone with him. Mike was still pissed. The last thing he expected to see was some broad leaning against the alley wall. In the dim light, she wasn't half bad-looking. He smiled, this could be fun.

The woman froze, staring at him. Mike waited expectantly. Seeing fear always gave him a rush, maybe she'd try to run. He was surprised when she took an unsteady step towards him, "Tony?? Is tha' you?" Oh man, she was plastered! Better and better... He let her walk up to him. She put a hand on his chest and blinked owlishly at him, "You're not Tony! Who're you?"

"Mike." Now that she was close, he could see the bruises on her, "What the hell happened to you?"

The woman smiled and leaned into him, "I ran into a door." She snickered, "Tha's what I always tell 'em. Doors are dangerous, Mike ... nice name Mike." Her eyes half-closed, she gave a seductive smile, "Are you nice, Mike?" Her hand was making little circles on his chest.

"Let's find out."

He grabbed her arm, only to have her yelp in pain, "Owww Mike! The door hit me there too!" He let go and grabbed the other arm and started to pull her deeper into the alley. She stopped again and he looked at her, "What?!"

She leaned towards him and said in a low, petulant voice, "Somebody's watchin'."

Arnie. He'd forgotten all about him. Mike looked over at him, "Get lost."

"But Mike! What about me?" Arnie whined. He was willing to wait his turn.

Mike's voice lowered dangerously, "I said, get lost." Arnie still stood there. Mike took a menacing step towards him. Arnie ran.

They went deeper into the alley, until Mike decided it was far enough. He backed her up against the wall, leaning in with his hands resting on either side of her. She smiled lazily and ran the back of her hand along his face, letting it drop onto his collar. Grabbing a handful of material, she started to pull him towards her. He was so caught up, he never felt her other hand snake onto the collar on the opposite side. Not until the hands suddenly twisted and pulled. As the collar constricted, there was a terrible pressure and buzzing in his ears. He had time for one wide-eyed look before he blacked out.

Mac followed him down as he collapsed, keeping pressure on the choke hold. She didn't want to kill him, neither did she want him recovering before she could get away. She had taken a chance with that move, not sure if her injured arm would allow her to grip firmly enough to apply the choke. Quickly Mac patted him down, checking pockets - she couldn't afford any surprises. Her eyebrows rose when she found the .32 automatic pistol, she'd been luckier than she thought. A minute later, Mac was hurrying down the alley with the pistol, a switchblade, fifty dollars of his cash and his shoes. Dumping the shoes in a trashcan, Mac disappeared into the pre-dawn darkness of Washington.

Farragut Square
Washington, DC
0840 Local

Mac sat on a bench and rested while keeping a surreptitious eye on her surroundings. To passersby, she was just another homeless person to avoid. She was thinking about her next move. Mac was still surprised to have made it this far. It hadn't been without incident, but she'd managed to turn it to her advantage. Now she had over $100 in cash and she was armed. She had debated about keeping the pistol. She didn't want it distracting her from the role she had chosen for herself. It was dangerous to think of being anything but prey. Mac slowly stood up, unobtrusively scanning the area, it was time to move again.

Undisclosed Location
0900 Local

"Goddammit, where is she?!" the man snapped, he had a low threshold for incompetence.

Hanley threw up his hands in exasperation, "They lost her a couple of blocks from the shelter. She just vanished."

"She was in a hospital two days ago! How fast could she have possibly moved?"

Hanley was becoming irritated in his turn, "If your Inspector Peterson hadn't stormed that shelter like Omaha Beach, we might have been able to grab her there. I told you that man would cause problems."

The man raised a placating hand, "All right, all right, this is getting us nowhere. Let's focus on the problem at hand. Do you know if anyone at JAG has found the missing evidence?"

Hanley paused for a moment and thought, "Not that I know of, and certainly not for lack of trying. Most of them were there all weekend, trying to figure it out. I tried to pump Gunny Walters about it, he told me to mind my own business. That probably doesn't mean anything, he wasn't in a good mood. Oh, and that CIA agent, Webb showed up."

"Webb is back? He could be trouble... we'll have to keep an eye on him."

"We're spreading ourselves thin already," Hanley protested. "How will I find MacKenzie if I have to keep pulling people off to go somewhere else?"

The man looked at Hanley thoughtfully, "You're right, MacKenzie is the key. Once we find her and recover the evidence, any rumors of our existence will be just that: rumors."

"You'll kill her afterwards? Or will it be another 'suicide'?" Hanley was curious.