Washington, DC
1240 Local

Mac quietly slipped into the hotel room. She stood for a moment with her back to the room after locking the door. Finally she turned around to see Harm silently staring at her. "I assume Webb's little device worked?" she ventured with a slight smile. She watched him take an angry step forward and braced herself.

"Are you out of your mind?? What the hell were you thinking?!" Harm glared at her, his voice tightly controlled and intense.

"I'm doing what I have to do, goddammit!," Mac flared. She was suddenly so angry, she was shaking. "I'm going to finish this. Today. I cannot... I will not... go another day waiting for them to find me!"

Seemingly of its own accord, her hand had crept up to press against her side. For some reason, the gesture totally deflated Harm. He sighed and spread his hands, "Look, Mac... "

Mac shook her head, "Don't." She looked at him, "Get out."

He looked at her in surprise. "Mac... Sarah... "

Mac stared back at him, "Give me an hour, just leave me the hell alone." She waited silently until he left the room, then went over to the bed and sank down. Snagging a pillow, she hugged it to herself. She hadn't been kidding when she told Harm she couldn't go another day. Mac felt like she was ready to shatter into a million pieces. She was probably on the verge of giving herself a stroke. Dammit, didn't he see that she was only doing what was necessary? Although, to be fair, Mac knew he was reacting to his fear for her. Still, she'd also known from the beginning that Jacobs would never let himself be caught on ground of her choosing. She'd gone ahead and tried anyway, of course. As far as Mac was concerned, all she'd done was confirm that he would try to get to her before she was anywhere near the warehouse. ... Dear god, she hoped she was ready for what was coming. Mac leaned back, closed her eyes and let the thoughts chase around in her head.

As James entered the hallway, he saw a figure sitting against the door of their room. He hurried his pace until he was close enough to see it was Harm. He stopped in front of him and said, "What did you do to tick her off?"

Harm looked up with a frustrated expression, "Let's see, I gave Mac about five seconds before I jumped on her with both feet for that stunt she pulled with Jacobs." He glanced away angrily, "I am such an idiot! I know she's teetering right on the edge from the stress, so what do I do? Give her a little shove."

James said, "C'mon, it's probably not as bad as you think." He smiled, "You are still alive, you know."

Harm gave him a look.

"Okay, okay." James decided to try another tack, "Did she throw you out permanently or for a specified time?"

"She told me to give her an hour."

"There, see? That's not so bad. When Angie's mad at me, I don't get to grovel back until the next day."

"Grovel?" Harm began to smile.

James settled down next to Harm, "Of course, 'grovel'. Boy, don't you know anything about women? Half the time, I have no idea what I've done. We'll be having a discussion and all of the sudden, BAM, I get this loud sigh and a 'Fine'."

Harm chuckled, "Let me guess, you ask what's wrong and get 'Nothing.'

"Oh yeah," James said, "Right about then I figure it's time to grovel. It saves a lot of wear and tear on the braincells. It would be a lot easier if they came with a manual."

"Or a dictionary." The sound of the door unlocking, sent both men scrambling to their feet.

A subdued Sarah MacKenzie stood in the doorway, "It's been an hour. Thanks. You can come back in." They followed her back into the room.

"Harm, I'm sorry about losing my temper... "

"Mac, I didn't mean to jump all over you..."

They both spoke at the same time and then smiled at each other. Harm stuck out a hand, "Truce?"

Mac shook it in agreement, "Truce."

"Well, now that that's straightened out, shouldn't we be getting ready?" James asked. The two officers nodded and got to work.

Industrial District
Washington, DC
1440 Local

Mac got off the bus and scanned the area. The Metro City Works van was about halfway up the block. Harm and James would be using it to keep an eye on her. She was about six blocks from the warehouse. Mac took a deep breath to try and calm the butterflies in her stomach and started walking. She didn't know where anyone else was, she hoped they were close.

After walking two blocks, she turned south down a side street. There weren't a lot of people around, a garbage truck was collecting trash and a post office vehicle was parked halfway down. The City Works van rumbled past her and stopped at the corner. A tall man got out and looked at the storm sewer. The trash truck continued to work its way up the street as Mac kept walking. She tensed when she saw two men come out of a building and walk towards the mailtruck.

Suddenly, she stumbled against a garbage can. Struggling to keep upright, she saw the trashman advance towards her. Mac took a step backward and turned around into a right cross from the driver who had come up behind her. She dropped like she'd been poleaxed. In a fluid motion, one man threw her into the back of the garbage truck while the other emptied a trashcan over her limp body. They continued to make their way up the street. It had taken less than ten seconds.

Harm swept a casual glance up the street. He tensed and took another, longer look. Where was Mac?! He spoke to the hidden mike on his uniform, "James! Can you see Mac?"

"Negative."

Harm stared up the street again. The garbage truck was still collecting trash. Then he saw a man sprint around to the driver's side of the postal truck and get in. A moment later, it roared up the street. 'Oh God!' Harm turned and raced back to the van, "James! The mailtruck!"

He threw himself into the passenger side as James backed up and then floored it up the street. When they got to the intersection, Harm pointed, "They went left!" They roared along the road, Harm looking anxiously, Where the hell was it? There! "Up ahead, James! They've turned right!"

James said grimly, "I'm on it." They were slowly closing the gap. Suddenly, the truck leaped the curb and careened into a vacant lot. It slewed to a halt in a shower of dirt and gravel. Two men jumped out and ran. James skidded to a halt as Harm flung himself at the truck. He yanked open the back door. There were several large mail sacks inside. He pried each one open, growing more frantic with every failure. White-faced, he looked at James. "A decoy... Goddammit! The garbage truck!!" They flew back to the side street, the garbage truck was nowhere to be seen.

Undisclosed Location
Washington, DC
1520 Local

Mac slowly came awake. She was tied securely to a chair, blindfolded and gagged. The dizzy, slightly nauseous feeling probably meant she'd been drugged. Her nose wrinkled at the smell, they must have thrown her in the garbage truck. The side of her head throbbed where the fist had connected. She tensed when she heard several people walk towards her. From the echoes, she thought she was in a large, high-ceiling room. A warehouse? Admiral Jacobs' voice focused her attention.

"Ahhh, Colonel. I see you're awake. I imagine you're wondering why you're gagged? Makes it a little hard to answer questions, doesn't it?"

He was circling as he talked, Mac tried to keep track of where he was. She jumped and gave a muffled yelp when she received a sharp rap across her shoulders. It felt like a nightstick.

The Admiral continued talking, "I understand you're rather stubborn. So, I thought first, perhaps, we would have a little attitude adjustment period." While he had been talking, someone had hit her across a forearm and jabbed her hard in the ribs. She was beginning to feel panicked. There was no rhythm or pattern, she couldn't tell where or when they would hit next.

"Do you know the problem with beating someone?" He sounded like he was giving a lecture to the middies. She was thumped across a leg. "It's usually done so badly. The recipient gets hit so hard and so often, it all just runs together." The blow to her injured arm sent a jolt all the way through her. "Eventually, they just get numb and you lose all the benefit of beating them in the first place." She tensed, nothing happened. "Now you will get to appreciate each blow." Still nothing, she was starting to feel frantic. "Nothing hard enough to incapacitate, but enough to make you notice." The jab to her solar plexus left her struggling to breathe. It was followed by three quick blows down her arm. Her hand went numb. "The beauty of this, of course, is the mental anguish. We can go on for hours." There was a sudden flurry of hits from both sides, perspiration was pouring down her face.

Jacobs stood and watched her for a moment, she was sweating and shaking, flinching at every noise. He stepped in close and spoke softly, watching her jump, "Don't worry about us killing you, Sarah." He paused, "I've found a buyer for you." She froze. He stepped back and signaled for the gag to be removed. "I think it's time for us to talk, Colonel."

He waited while she worked her jaws. Then she turned her head to where she had last heard him, "You son of a bitch." That was followed by a grunt as she received a sharp jab to the kidneys.

He laughed, "How very defiant of you. The Corps would be proud." She gasped at another shot to her injured arm. "I'm assuming the evidence is on a computer disk of some sort, a CD perhaps?" She yelped at a crack across a shin. "You didn't have anything with you, where is it hidden?" He shook his head and watched her tense, trying to anticipate the next blow. He let the silence drag out, watching her struggle with her fear, finally she spoke, "Go to hell." He nodded at the two men to continue their random attacks and stepped away.

Later...

He was puzzled and a little worried. By now, most people were crying and ready to sell out their own mothers. She wasn't trained for this, MacKenzie should have broken by now. He could tell she was terrified. He didn't believe in superheros - that would leave... His eyes widened, he gestured Hanley over. "Are you sure you searched her thoroughly? There was no transmitter anywhere?"

Hanley stared at him, "Of course we searched her. We didn't find anything."

Jacobs thought for a moment, "Did you check the bandages?"

"Bandages?" Hanley echoed.

"You idiot!" Jacobs hurried back to the Colonel, signaling the men to stop. Mac gasped when a hand pulled her sweatshirt up and stifled a cry when the dressing was roughly yanked off her side. Jacobs and Hanley retreated to the side and gingerly examined the bloody material.

Hanley looked up in relief, "See? Nothing."

Jacobs wasn't satisfied, something wasn't right. "When was the last time you checked with the perimeter guards?"

Hanley stared at him, "Five minutes ago, everything was quiet."

"Contact them again."

Jacobs watched while Hanley pulled out his handheld and spoke into it. Moments later, he looked at the Admiral wide-eyed, "Three of them aren't answering!"

Jacobs felt a rage sweep through him, "That bitch! We've been set up!!" He grabbed a nightstick from one of the men and strode angrily towards Mac, arm swinging up. Before he left he was going to crack her head open like a melon. He stopped in front of her, arm upraised when a pair of gunshots rang out. He looked down at himself in amazement as blood started to spread across his chest, then he collapsed.

Harm and AJ came out of the shadows, pistols still extended. They were flanked by Bud, Sturgis and Gunny Walters. Webb, James and Special Agent Novak led a contingent of DC cops and Federal agents approaching from the other side.

Harm headed right for Mac while AJ stopped to check Jacobs. He carefully removed the blindfold, there was blood running down the side of her face and her cheek was already turning interesting colors. Mac squinted while her eyes adjusted, "Took you long enough."

Harm smiled as he worked on the ropes, "We stopped for coffee." He looked up when Gunny Walters appeared holding a pocketknife. Together they made short work of the rest of the bindings.

Mac drew a shuddering breath. Now that it was over, reaction was settling in. "Harm?" He looked at her, alerted by the tone of her voice. "Get me out of here."

"Sure, can you walk?" When she shook her head, Harm glanced over at the Gunny. Together, they got her carefully out of the chair and into his arms. Harm made a face, "Have you thought about bathing lately?" That earned him a quiet "Shut up." He looked over at AJ, "I'm taking her outside, sir."

AJ gave him a questioning look, Harm smiled reassuringly. "All right, Commander. The paramedics should be out there. Let them see her."

As Harm wove his way past various law enforcement officers, he heard the ominous rumble of Gunny's voice. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Walters advancing on Corporal Hanley. He shook his head and kept walking. Harm stepped out into the afternoon sun and looked around. The paramedics were to the left, the City Works van he and James rode in, was to the right. He turned right. He had a pretty good idea of what was coming. The least he could do would be to give her some privacy.

Sometime later, Harm sat with his arms still wrapped around Mac. She'd finally cried herself out, he figured it was probably the least destructive way she had of relieving the stress. He hadn't done much more than hang on and murmur soothing inanities. It seemed to be enough. He felt her shift. "Mac?" he inquired softly.

"Yeah?" Mac turned a little and looked up at him.

"You really need to let the paramedics look at you."

"I know," she gave a weary sigh and looked at him again, "Thank you."

Harm smiled, "Anytime. Do you think you can walk?"

"I don't know. Guess I can give it a try."

Harm stood first and helped her up. She wound up leaning heavily on him. "Well, that answers that question," he said as he scooped her up.

"I'm sorry, you've been carrying me everywhere."

"It's my job." He raised an eyebrow and gave her an innocent smile.

She looked at him for a moment, then gave his chest a light slap. "Jerk." She pointed towards the door and said in her best Marine voice, "Move it, Mister."

"Aye-aye, Ma'am."

Five minutes later, she was in the hands of the paramedics. Harm hovered around the edges, when he heard his name called. Turning, he saw quite a group approaching: the Admiral, Bud, Sturgis, Gunny Walters, James and Clay. "How is she, Harm?"

"I think she'll be fine, sir. I was waiting to hear from the paramedic."

As if on cue, the young man walked up. He looked at everyone and blinked, then focused on Harm, "Commander? We're getting ready to transport, she looks okay but they'll probably want to keep her overnight as a precaution. GW is closest, unless you have a preference... "