Chapters 1-7        Chapters 8-15        Chapters 16-23        Chapters 24-30         Chapters 31-36 Title: Twist of Fate Background: Takes place in season seven during In Country.  This is a stretch from my usual stories – I got the idea from another author’s unfinished story, and decided to do it  my way.  You’ll have to cut me an awful lot of slack on some stretches of reality. As the story progressed, I found myself taking a GAZILLION liberties with reality and military protocol in order to stick with the original set up- if you notice anything abnormal, ridiculous, or unbelievable - ignore it- I have!!!  LOL Rating: Strong PG13 for subject matter Summary: Lives change after Harm and Mac are captured in the Afghan desert. Chapter 1 JAG Headquarters May 2002 “Admiral, I was just on my way to see you.” Lt. Singer approached Admiral Chegwidden as he was leaving his office. “By the look on your face it must be bad news.” AJ continued walking with the sour-faced lieutenant. “Sir?” “What is it, Lieutenant?” He couldn’t help but think that maybe giving her a prime billet in Italy would be worth it just to get rid of this woman. “A report from Afghanistan. Commander Rabb and Colonel Mackenzie are unaccounted for.” “Missing?” AJ stopped in his tracks. “Yes, sir. They were conducting an investigation on their own and lost contact with base camp.” “How long?”  he asked, not at all happy with how pleased the lieutenant seemed with the news. “Hours, sir. The search party has been sent to look for them.” Somewhere inside strike zone in Afghanistan After dark Running with everything they had in them, Harm and Mac leapt behind a group of large boulders.  Taking a deep breath and glancing behind them long enough to see the bombs still bursting in the not-far-enough distance, Harm scanned the area ahead for better cover as quickly as possible. “It looks like there might be some caves over that way.”  Harm pointed behind Mac. “Let’s make a run for it.” Mac turned her head as far as she could while still curled behind the stone barricade.  She was about to agree when a sudden quiet fell over them.  Looking into Harm’s eyes, she sat perfectly still for several seconds before asking, “Do you think that’s it? Or are they coming back for round two?” “I don’t know. Let’s go back for our gear and then see if there really are caves up that way. Just in case.” Mac nodded, but before she could get her footing she found herself staring at the wrong end of a rifle.  How the hell did they do that? When she looked around, there were at least ten men surrounding them, the majority pointing their weapons at Harm.  Harm stood with his hands behind his head. He should have heard them approaching.  He’d been a prisoner all of thirty seconds and already he didn’t like the way the men were starting to ogle Mac. How the hell was he supposed to protect her against all of them? The man holding a gun to Mac hollered something to the other men and prodded her in the back with his rifle, pushing her to move forward. Instead, she stumbled into Harm’s arms. “You okay?” he asked, reflexively reaching down to break her fall before feeling the barrel of a gun pressed painfully into his back. “I’m fine but junior over there seems to know something about American military insignia.  He’s figured out we’re officers.” She rolled her eyes towards the largest of the three men standing off to her right. Harm could only hope the satisfied leer he’d seen in the men’s eyes had more to do with the glee of finding officers than the potential pleasures of finding a lone female. “Did he say anything else?” “There appears to be a slight issue with food and where to take us. They seem to be working on the logistics.  I get the impression whoever’s in charge isn’t nearby.” Stripped of their watches, money, and sidearms, the next few hours were spent maneuvering through the rocky Afghan terrain.  Harm and Mac had been slightly battered by the unexpected firefall, and now they’d been marching through the cold desert without water for four hours and twenty-three minutes, Mac would later tell Harm.  They had each stumbled more than once and were grateful when their captors finally chose a spot to rest and wait out the day. The mountains of Afghanistan hosted an intricate collection of natural caverns and caves. This particular section of cave fed off a narrow tunnel, much like a hallway.  Harm and Mac were shoved into the very last offshoot. Two guards sat just outside the entryway to their little niche, the others having taken position at dispersed distances along the interior of the tunnel. They now found themselves huddled in a small space, not quite tall enough to stand, and barely wide enough to stretch out if they wanted to.  As much as Harm had searched for an opportunity to escape, he saw little hope of overpowering all these men, especially having grown weaker after the long march with no food or water. “How are you holding up?” he asked, his fingers stretching out, searching for her in the dark. “Tired. Could use some water.”  Mac was feeling around, trying to measure out how much space they actually had.  “Got any ideas on how we’re going to get out of this mess?” “Not yet, but I’m working on it.  There should be a team out looking for us at first light.” “Which probably explains why they marched us all night and are hiding out now. They’ve got to know the hills are going to be crawling with Marines looking for us.” “First thing I’m going to do when we get out of here is find out why intel didn’t warn us about active rebel cells in the area.” “First thing I’m going to do is take a long hot bath.” Mac stretched her neck and let out a deep sigh. Harm shifted his weight a little closer in her direction, feeling blindly for her. He didn’t really care if it was or wasn’t appropriate, he needed to feel her near for just a minute, to know that even for a brief moment, she’d be safe in his arms.  “Mac?” “Yeah?” “Keep talking.” “Want me to talk about anything in particular?” she teased, not sure where she found the energy. “I’m just trying to....” Harm’s hand bumped up against something soft. “Find you.” “Well you got me. Now what are you going to do with me?” Mac couldn’t believe she’d said that, but under the circumstances, she was too tired, and frustrated, and scared for her normal conversation filters to be operating. Harm was suddenly very glad it was too dark to see or Mac would have had a field day with his undoubtedly panicked expression.  “I...I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” “I suppose this ‘is’ better than sleeping with scorpions.”  Being confined with Harm in close quarters was far superior to sleeping with scorpions; she just hoped by the time this new adventure was over she wasn’t going to wish she’d slept with poisonous critters instead. Harm could tell her voice was shaky, despite her attempt at humor. This was a problem, undoubtedly the worst scrape they’d ever been in, and she was right; hiding in caves by day and moving by night was going to make it all the more difficult for any search teams to locate them. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, carefully wrapping his arm around her. “It’s not your fault.” Mac leaned into him. “I can’t help but feel that if I’d done something differently somewhere along the line we wouldn’t be in this mess.” Maybe if he’d seen the goat sooner, or if he hadn’t been so tired from driving all night before she took over, they’d still have the humvee and would be safely back at base camp. Before Mac had a chance to try and stop him from blaming himself, a light grew brighter coming down the ‘hallway’. Not wanting to give their captors any additional fuel, Harm and Mac both scurried away from each other.  A few seconds later Junior appeared in the doorway, if you could call it that.  Holding the lantern in front of him, Junior bent over and walked towards Mac first, keeping a watch on Harm out of the corner of his eye. Visions of snapping the big oaf’s neck in two flashed before Harm’s eyes.  He knew he had to keep his cool, he couldn’t assume the worst. If these people even smelled that Harm felt anything more towards Mac than he would for a male counterpart, they were both screwed. Mac watched carefully as the outstretched arm handed her a canteen. So chivalry in the Taliban wasn’t dead. Somehow she doubted that. Choosing to not reveal for the moment that she spoke Farsi, Mac shook her head. “Thanks, but no thanks.” Junior snorted at her, amused by her sense of restraint. He knew she had to be thirsty.  “Take it. It’s only water,” he offered in Farsi, but Mac shook her head again. Turning to Harm, he shoved the water in his face and repeated the same phrase. “Thanks, but, I’ll have what the lady’s having.” Harm also shook his head. Looking back and forth at the two officers, Junior laughed out loud and took a long swig of the water.  Harm and Mac both resisted the urge to smack their lips watching the man swallow the cool, wet water.  When Mac spotted Junior’s hand outstretched again, she was honestly surprised. She hadn’t expected a second chance. Careful not to chug, she accepted the canteen and took as long and slow a sip as her parched throat would allow.  After a few sips, Junior pulled it away and handed it over to Harm. Harm pushed it back towards Mac. He wanted her to have more. “You need it too, Harm. This is no time for ladies first.” Accepting the truth in her words, he reluctantly took a long sip of water himself. The cool liquid felt heavenly.  He resisted the urge to pour just a little over his head to remove the dirty dusty feel he’d worn for too many days. Taking back the canteen long before Harm had drunk enough, Junior spat at them in Farsi and walked away taking the light with him. Scurrying back to each other’s side as quickly as possible, Harm asked, “What did he say?” at the same time Mac explained, “He said we’d better get some rest while we can, we move on after sundown.” Chapter 2 “He’s right. We’d better get some rest.” Harm wished he had something to make the hard ground not quite so hard. “Come here.”  He reached for Mac and lightly tugged her towards him. “I’m not quite as comfy as your bed, but maybe this will be a little better than...” “Sleeping with scorpions,” they both echoed, bursting into a sincere laugh. “It is a little cool in here.” Mac snuggled her head into Harm’s shoulder. “I don’t think much of the desert heat gets through these thick walls.  It’s probably like an icebox in winter.” “How far do you think they’re going to take us?” “I wish I knew.” Harm tightened his hold on her shoulder. Hopefully, the cavalry would arrive soon and it wouldn’t matter. When her stomach started to rumble rather loudly, Mac chuckled quietly. “At least there’s one benefit to starving and dehydrating.” “Oh, yeah, and what would that be?” “Haven’t needed to find the head.” Harm’s body stiffened reflexively as the significance of her words permeated his distracted thoughts.  He’d been so preoccupied with finding a way to leave some trail for the Marines to follow that he hadn’t given any consideration to what would happen when Mac needed to use the ‘facilities’. How much ‘privacy’ would those characters be willing to allow her?  Looking around their small space, still unable to see his own nose, Harm nuzzled his chin against her hair. “Maybe it would be a good idea to try and go before they come for us later.  I mean, it’s pretty private.”  The idea of Mac removing a single article of clothing in front of those men with them ogling her, or worse, made his stomach revolt. Mac knew exactly what he meant. The minute the words were out of her mouth her thoughts turned to what would happen if she needed go while they were out hiking with all her escorts. “That might not be a bad idea. It’s only 0800. We’ve got nine hours ‘til sundown.” “Are you ever going to tell me how you do that?” Harm didn’t know why he bothered asking; he already knew her answer. “Actually. I don’t know how I do it, I just always have, and I’m rarely off by more than 20 seconds.” Now that gave Harm something to worry about.  In six years Mac had never given his question a straight answer, and now, after only one night as prisoners of ...war, she’d told him what he knew was the truth.  Maybe if he got some rest, he’d come up with a plan, any plan. Afghan Cave Later that afternoon Mac had always had trouble sleeping through the night and in this case, sleeping through the day was no exception. Even though the cave was darker than any night she’d ever slept through, and Harm’s warm body was still curled around her, she simply couldn’t get any more sleep. “Can’t get comfortable?” Harm mumbled. He’d pretended not to notice her restless shifting in his arms.  He hadn’t found it any easier to get some much-needed sleep either. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to wake you.” “As much as I love having you in my arms. I wouldn’t say this is the most comfortable night’s sleep I’ve ever had.” “You do?” Mac asked sheepishly. “Do what?” Harm hadn’t even realized what he’d said. “Love having me in your arms.” Mac was pretty sure her heart and lungs had stopped in anticipation of his next words. Oh heavens. He had said that aloud.  As much as the need to respond with his instinctive litigator’s rhetoric, his standard ‘you know the answer’ being the first thing to pop into his head, Harm knew if he didn’t speak up now he might never get another chance. “I always have.” Three simple words and yet the sound of them seemed to hang in the air like the heavy San Francisco fog.  Waiting to hear how she would react was even harder than it had been to formulate those three little words. “I’m glad.” Mac buried her head back into his shoulder.  The temptation to say more, to carry this conversation to where she’d wanted it to go for years was threatening to swallow her whole, but now wasn’t the time or the place.  If they got out of this, she would take that long hot bubble bath she’d been dreaming of and let him really hold her in his arms. ‘I’m glad.’ Of all the things Harm could possibly have imagined Mac answering, that wasn’t one of them.  He debated silently if he wanted to pursue this further; after all, this had been the closest thing to a major declaration for him since he’d murmured ‘come to me’ that rainy night almost a year ago.  The increasing light coming down the tunnel told him this conversation would be tabled for another time, another place, like so many other lost opportunities. Setting the lantern down in the middle of the small space, Junior shoved two small bowls at them, grumbled something in Farsi and walked away. “I’m not sure if I’m glad he left the light or not. What is this stuff?” Harm lifted the small bowl and sniffed. A little bit more adventurous than Harm, Mac stuck her finger into the bowl, licking off the sticky remnants. “I’m not sure, but I think it’s some kind of rice.” Following Mac’s example, Harm dipped his fingers into the bowl and pinched a small amount of the contents, dropping it slowly into his mouth. “I think you’re right.  It’s not much, but at least they’re feeding us.” “Probably don’t want us slowing them down on tonight’s march.” Mac hadn’t wanted to complain about how worn down she felt, but she was delighted to have anything to eat. “How much longer do you think it will be before we head out?” Harm asked, having gobbled his food in a few quick swallows. “Should be dark in about an hour.” Less than an hour later, Junior and his cohorts had come to lead them out.  Barely outside the caves, Harm was immediately alarmed when three goons grabbed at Mac, babbling at her and pushing her away from the remaining rebels. He lunged in her direction, attempting to get between her and them. It took four of the guys nearest Harm to restrain him, each rambling on as if he could understand them. Mac heard the commotion but couldn’t understand what the men were trying to tell her. Whatever they were speaking, it wasn’t Farsi.  She tried calling to Harm that she’d be okay, but she had no doubt he wasn’t listening to a word she said. Much to her surprise her greatest fear was not of what these men might have in store for her, but what they would do to Harm if he didn’t settle down. Harm couldn’t help but spew out every cuss word he had ever learned. His heart was in his throat pounding fiercely.  It wasn’t until he noticed the men shove Mac around a large stone mount and step back away from her that he stopped struggling to reach her.  A few minutes later she emerged and walked carefully escorted back to Harm. “I don’t know what language these three speak, but they’ve dug a small latrine behind the rocks. They’ll probably bury it once we’ve moved on.” “God, Mac. I don’t think I’ve ever been this scared. Not since that time back in the woods...well...” He didn’t get to finish his sentence. The same three goons shoved him off to the same rock, only this time they followed him more closely. Privacy was obviously something only Mac was being given.  Harm had no idea why, but he was thanking God they had. The next three days passed the same as the last. They walked by night and rested by day in one of the many caves dotting the landscape. On the second night Mac had heard the three men who spoke Farsi discussing how they only had two more days’ journey.  She didn’t dare mention to Harm some of the other plans she’d overheard.  Delivering the ‘merchandise’ undamaged was a high priority, but it was clear her officer status held little importance to them. As far as they were concerned, a woman was only good for one thing, but more frightening was the idea that a woman who thought herself equal to a man needed to be taught a lesson. Chapter 3 It was nearly one o’clock in the morning, according to Mac’s ever-dependable internal clock, when they arrived at the rebel’s base camp. At first sight, neither Mac nor Harm would have spotted anything out of the ordinary.  The town ahead looked like any other small village nestled in the Afghan countryside, but everything was very different once inside. The first things Mac noticed as she was pushed over the threshold of the small building were the sparse and barren furnishings of the tiny home.  A woman sat weaving in the corner of the room, wearing a full burqa and partly hidden by a narrow curtain.  Mac nodded at the faceless woman but had no way of knowing whether or not her gesture was recognized. She heard Harm stumble in as the three Farsi speaking men accompanied them further into the structure.  Using his gun as a pointer, Junior nudged Mac to continue down the short hallway to a back room. Mac wasn’t surprised to find herself standing in a small bedroom. However, she was startled when Junior pushed on a rickety bookcase, only to have it pop open, revealing another still smaller room cluttered with more electronic equipment than she would have expected the tiny space to hold.  The crude copper mesh covering every inch of the ceiling and walls explained why none of their satellite surveillance had detected the use of any sat-phones or computers from this location. From the sounds of static and squelches there was obviously a combination of monitoring and scrambling devices in use. The two men seated at opposite ends of the room were engrossed in their work and completely ignored the newcomers’ arrival, until Junior spoke. Moving a small table out of the way, Junior pulled on a handle and lifted a trap door.  Harm glanced over at Mac. He couldn’t help feel like a pioneer about to hide from the Indians, except of course for the simple fact that they were more likely walking into trouble than avoiding it. The bottom of the stairs opened up into a large, well-lit hallway that appeared to turn back under the house.  With Junior leading the way, Larry and Curly, as Harm and Mac had affectionately dubbed Junior’s two cohorts, followed closely behind them, guns pointed in their backs. The sound of someone screaming in the distance was slowly growing louder. Mac could feel the hair on her arms standing on end.  It was obvious that someone was being tortured. Turning her head quickly to glance at Harm, more for reassurance than anything else, she could see the fire in his eyes.  His eyes had been draped in a seriousness the last few days that had just turned dangerous.  The idea of the Marines coming to the rescue in the nick of time wasn’t going to be an option anymore. They were simply going to have to find a way out of this, or die trying. JAG Headquarters 1630 Harriet’s head shot up when she heard Admiral Chegwidden come storming out of his office and stomp across the bullpen. AJ couldn’t help but notice Harriet’s reaction to his presence. Every time he left his office, her head shot up faster than Old Faithful. He couldn’t blame her either. His entire staff had been on pins and needles for five days, ever since Commander Rabb and Colonel MacKenzie had been reported missing. Every piece of intel that had come in with even the hint of a lead quickly turned into another dead end.  If it weren’t for his confidence in men like Gunny to do the best job possible, AJ would have been on the first flight east out of DC. As it was, his patience was running thin.  The thought of any of his men held prisoner for even an hour was intolerable, but the thought of Colonel MacKenzie taken prisoner was worse than his worst nightmare. “No news yet, Lieutenant. I am, however, on my way to the SecNav’s for an update.” AJ knew he didn’t need to pass that information on, and yet he felt compelled to nonetheless. Afghani compound Underground tunnel Harm was more than relieved when he and Mac found themselves tossed into the same cell. He didn’t know how he would have maintained his sanity if he couldn’t at least keep an eye on her.  As soon as the heavy metal door slammed shut behind him, he turned to Mac. “I thought they believed in separating men and women.” “So I’m told. Maybe they’re thinking of me as a soldier and not a woman.” Mac walked around the room examining the crevices and corners. Harm had to bite his tongue not to scoff. If his onetime comment about ‘no man wants to be friends with a woman who looks like her’ had been unappreciated, she wasn’t going to like it if he said ‘no man can ignore that a Marine who looks like her is a woman.’  “Find anything?” Harm lifted the tattered carpet up off the floor, then glanced over at the small hole in the ground.  At least this confinement allowed him enough room to stand up straight and even pace if he needed to.  “No. Even if they did have any listening devices, I don’t think anyone here at the moment speaks English.”  Mac stopped in the middle of the room and wrapped her arms unconsciously around herself, brushing off a chill she couldn’t shake. “Why do you say that?” Harm took a few steps and glanced at the primitive ‘toilet’. “Junior asked the guys upstairs where Barhiim was. I don’t think he expected him to have gone off site. The little guy told Junior that he was meeting up with someone named Kandhar and wasn’t expected back for two more days.” “What exactly did Junior reply?” He turned towards Mac, noticing for the first time how she had stopped looking around and was instead nervously rubbing her arms. “Let’s just say he’s not happy about having to keep us healthy for two more days.” Mac felt another chill run up her spine. “Mac.” Harm couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and pulling her into his arms. Mac snapped away from him. “Don’t do that!” “I’m sorry... I.. I didn’t mean to upset you. I ... oh Mac.” “No. I think we’re being watched.” “What?” “I’m not sure, but it’s the way Junior told Curly, ‘Let’s see what they do now.’  The last thing we need is for them to use our...friendship against us.” Harm moved to examine the room again. “Why didn’t you say so sooner?” “I wanted to make sure they weren’t listening, too.  What are you doing?” She watched him from across the room. “Double checking.” Harm moved around each wall, carefully checking and re-checking for a crack, a crevice, any spot where a camera or scope could be hidden.  “It has to be the door.  That’s the only possibility.” Mac looked over. He was right. The room would be completely dark except for the rays of light that shone through from a small gap underneath and a smaller sliver above the door. “It would be easy to slip something through there when we’re not paying attention.” Mac’s eyes flickered back and forth from top to bottom of the door. Harm walked over to the corner along the same wall as the door. “Come here,” he called. Waiting for Mac as she slowly walked up to him, her one brow curled in curiosity, Harm calculated the angle of vision from the door.  When she reached what he concluded to be a safe point, he reached out and pulled her forcefully into his arms. “I know you’re a Marine, but I need a hug.” Chapter 4 SecNav’s Office 1730 “What I’m about to tell you does not leave this room.” Secretary of the Navy Nelson paced quietly in front of AJ. “Understood.” “We’ve managed to obtain some previously withheld information from State.” “Webb?” AJ’s jaw tightened. “We may have a traitor in our midst. Someone is passing information to the growing rebel forces.  It’s what’s keeping them one step ahead of us.” “How long has State known about this?” AJ was throwing daggers with his glare. “That’s not important. What does matter is that we know now. From now on, any operation involved in the attempted rescue of Rabb and Mackenzie is on a need-to-know basis only.” “Do we have any idea who this person is?” AJ was going to slowly break every single bone in Webb’s body. “The only thing we know is his codename, Condor.” “Is there a connection to Kabir and his plans?” “We don’t know, but that’s what I want your people to tell me. I want them to pick up where Rabb and MacKenzie left off.  I want to know who this Condor is, and what he and Kabir are up to.” “I’ll need to put my best people on this,” AJ tossed at Nelson. “Agreed. I want them in Afghanistan yesterday.” “Glad to hear you say that. I’ll be on the next flight.”  AJ stood up ready to be dismissed. Nelson sputtered like a used car before he finally spit out, “I need you here AJ. There are plenty of good people to get Rabb and MacKenzie out.” “Respectfully, sir, there are plenty of good people to run Ops here, too.” AJ wasn’t budging on this.  Webb couldn’t be trusted.  His plan had almost gotten Harm and Mac killed in Russia.  AJ wasn’t prepared to let that happen now in Afghanistan. Afghan Compound Underground cell Mac stood wrapped in Harm’s arms. Even dirty and sweaty, he smelled so good to her. For just a few seconds she could pretend all was right with the world. “If what Junior says is right, we’ve got two days to observe their MO and use it to get us out of here.” Harm stroked the back of Mac’s hair. “Harm?” she spoke into his shoulder. “Yeah?” “I need you to promise me something.” “What?” Harm stiffened slightly. “No matter what they do to us... to me, please don’t do anything that will get you killed.” Harm closed his eyes and swallowed hard. “I’d promise you the moon, but I can’t promise you I’ll do nothing if they try to... hurt you.” Mac pulled away from him just enough to see into his eyes. “We knew what might happen when we put on these uniforms.  Capture and torture is a risk every soldier takes when he steps into a hot zone.” “You know I know that better than anyone, Mac, but this is different. We’re not talking about a broken nose or leg when it comes to you.” “You’re not telling me something I don’t know, and I knew it when I rode into the desert with you six days ago.” “Mac, I can’t.  We’ve both heard stories of what they do to women. They think of you as spoils of war.  I can’t allow that. I just can’t.” “Harm, I don’t want anything to happen to you trying to defend me.  I know I’m a Marine, but I admit I need you now more than ever. You have to accept the facts. You have no choice. Please. Promise me.” “I think that rug is supposed to be our bed. Let’s try and get some sleep.” Harm resisted the temptation to kiss the top of her head. “Harm...” “I can’t, Mac. I’m sorry.” Mac sighed heavily, leaned into his shoulder, and prayed for a miracle. It turned out to be three days before Bahriim returned to the compound.  Harm and Mac had fallen into a surreal simultaneous sense of peace and terror. When nighttime came, they’d be filled with relief and warmth at surviving another day unscathed, and at the same time, doubt and fear would slowly build, waiting to see if tomorrow was the day all hell would break loose. Every morning a dish of food and bag of water had been shoved under the door. They never saw or spoke to their captors. They’d spent the days talking of work and friends. They’d rehashed old cases and predicted the outcome of the ones they’d left behind. By silent agreement nothing was said of a personal nature. Neither wanted to believe they needed to make a dying declaration, and both knew this was no place for finally acting on their true feelings.  Every night they curled up together on the small carpet. It wasn’t much for comfort, but at least they didn’t have to lie on the cold floor.  Only once did they detect anyone watching them. Mac had been sitting on the carpet chatting with Harm about Jennifer, and Bud, and what Singer had done to Harriet with the instant messaging, when Harm noticed a narrow metallic cord just barely hanging over the top of the door. Standing up, he walked over to the makeshift latrine and pretended to use the facilities, his back to the door, but his profile in Mac’s line of sight.  At first she turned her head, not sure why he would be urinating from that view without warning her first, but when Harm whispered, ‘Big Brother abounds, one o’clock,’ she glanced out of the corner of her eye in his direction and realized he was merely going through the motions.  Stretching and rubbing her neck, she nonchalantly scanned the door and spotted the tiny device.  It was only Mac’s sense of time that had helped them know when it was day and night. The glaring light from the hall, which barely shone under the door, never went out, keeping them in near darkness twenty-four hours a day.  Shortly after breakfast on the third morning, the door finally creaked open. Junior walked in with Larry and Curly, and two other goons at either side, all armed to the hilt and taking up strategic positions in the room.  Harm and Mac stood at near opposite sides of the room waiting for someone to say something when another man entered. “We finally meet,” he smiled. Harm and Mac said nothing. “I apologize for the wait. I was unavoidably detained.”  The man looked around the cell. “I hope the accommodations have been satisfactory.  Most of our guests have to make do with less.” Harm looked quickly at Mac. He wondered which was considered the luxury, the rug or the hole in the ground? “Well, I’m afraid you’re going to have to be a little more talkative if we’re going to come to any kind of an agreement.” The stranger turned to Mac. “Perhaps you’re the one I should be addressing, Colonel. You are the senior officer?” “I’m your point man,” Harm finally responded. “I had thought as much, Commander.  If you’ll be so kind as to come with me.”  The man turned, smiled at Mac, and continued out the door. Junior nudged Harm to follow. Mac didn’t dare say anything. She couldn’t let them see how worried she was, but she hoped Harm read the warning in her eyes to be careful. At his quick nod, she was sure he had. Marine Corps Base Camp Somewhere in Afghanistan It had taken AJ Chegwidden much longer than he would have liked to get out of DC and into Afghanistan, and catching up with Webb was taking all that much longer. “Sir.” Gunnery Sergeant Victor Galindez snapped to attention when AJ walked into the tent. “Admiral,” Terri Coulter added. “Gunny, Commander.  Where the hell is Webb, and what can you tell me about my people?” Chapter 5 Surrounded by the three stooges, Harm followed Bahriim further down the hall and up another flight of stairs. This time the room at the top was nothing like the previous home they’d passed through. There were beautiful hand woven tapestries hanging from the walls. The furnishings scattered about the large room were plush and comfortable. Bahriim waved at Harm to take a seat across from the large hand carved desk.  “Please. Would you care for something to eat?”  He waved at Curly, who rushed out of the room. “No.” Harm considered saying thank you, but he wasn’t feeling very gracious. “You see, Commander, we are both in a unique position to help each other.” Bahriim studied his prisoner’s blank expression.  “You have information on American Special Force’s operations: what they know, what they’re planning. And I...I can keep your colonel safe until we work out a deal with your country.” “We don’t make deals.”  Harm was thankful for all his years as a fighter pilot and even more so for the Friday night poker games. “Perhaps I should discuss this with the colonel?” “We’re lawyers. We don’t have any answers for you.” “You would have me believe the United States military allows their ‘lawyers’ to wander freely through the Afghan desert? Really, Commander.  My hospitality has its limits. We could do this the hard way.” With a slight lift of his boss’ brow, Junior moved within inches of Harm... Marine Base Camp Somewhere in Afghanistan Webb stood with his back to the wall as Adm. AJ Chegwidden breathed fire in his face. “Don’t hand me that ‘need to know’ crap, Webb.  Unless you want me to break your nose again, I want to know everything, and I mean EVERYTHING you know!” “I keep telling you, AJ. We don’t know anything. We found Harm and Mac’s gear just outside the hot zone. They apparently ran off to get away from the explosions where they seemed to have run into a crowd.” “Why hadn’t I heard this before?” “It’s a big desert, AJ.  It took us a day just to find the broken down humvee. It took two more days to find where they had tried to make camp for the night.  The trail was already three days old when we started. The team was able to keep track for a short while, but once they got into the mountains the trail grew cold. Honestly, they could be anywhere,” Webb sighed. Surely AJ recognized none of this was his fault. “Who is Condor?” “Where’d you hear about him?” Webb was starting to worry again.  AJ had the same look in his eye he’d had at the airfield in Russia. Afghan Camp Underground Cell Mac paced the cell anxiously. It had been two hours and thirty-four minutes since they’d taken Harm away. She was at least thankful she wasn’t hearing any screams, but that was no guarantee Harm was all right. The sound of the latch turning on the prison door snapped Mac out of her worrisome thoughts.  When Harm’s body fell into the room, the worry turned to near panic. “Harm!” She ran over to his side. “I’m okay,” he mumbled, holding his side. “I just need to rest a bit.” Mac gave him a cursory going over. She saw no signs of bruising or bleeding, yet Harm looked to be in severe pain.  “What did they do to you?” “Junior packs a pretty good punch.  It seems Bahriim’s planning on using us as some kind of bargaining chip, so he doesn’t want any marks.” Harm winced when he tried to take a deep breath. The back of his head was pounding rather loudly, too, from where it had ‘accidentally’ hit the wall. “Let me help you.” Mac put her arm around his middle. He barely managed to crawl the distance to the carpet. She whipped off her jacket and rolled it up for him to use as a pillow.  Looking up at her with one eye, he couldn’t help but grin. “Nice view. Too bad I’m in no condition to do anything about it.” Leaning over him, Mac’s upper body uncovered except for her bra. She had completely forgotten that she and Harm had taken their t-shirts off and had been tearing small pieces of fabric to use for toilet paper.  “In your dreams, sailor.” “You always are.” “What did they want?” Mac figured if she had to be near him half-dressed, she’d better change the subject. “Information.  He has ‘big’ plans and he doesn’t want the US messing it up. He thinks we were out looking for him when we got separated from our unit, but he’s trying to find out how much we know.” “I don’t suppose you told him we never heard of him?” “Right before Junior found my kidneys.” “Oh, God, Harm.” Mac reached for their daily bag of water. There wasn’t much left, but she poured a little onto her hand and rubbed away the dirt and sweat from his face. “Try to get some rest.” “No. I want to be awake if they come back.” Mac raised one brow at him. “I think you’ve had enough for one day.” The words had barely left Mac’s lips when the latch to the door turned again. The two lesser goons were at the door. Mac swore they were salivating. With an absurd air of defiance, half dressed, she stood up and confronted them. “What do you want?” she yelled in English. She’d hidden her knowledge of Farsi this long, she might as well wait it out a little longer. She smiled inwardly when Larry reached over to Curly. “Remember, the boss said do not touch. She can’t look injured.” “What I was thinking won’t show,” Curly sneered. “If you want to keep your hands, you’d better do as the boss said,” Larry snapped back. Mac swallowed hard. For a second there things could have gotten ugly. Harm was already struggling to his feet, ready to offer himself for another round.  Rushing to help him again, she whispered in his ear, “They’re here for me, but it’s okay. The boss doesn’t want me touched, but I think it would be best if I took my jacket back.  Will you be okay?” Harm hesitated a minute, unsure if she was telling him the truth. “Honestly.  Larry said the boss would cut off their hands if they touched me.”  Mac knew what he had been thinking. “Be careful,” he huffed as he landed heavily back to the ground, handing her back her top.  He didn’t feel right about this. As a matter of fact, he was seriously wondering if he couldn’t just knock the two characters out when they turned their back on him.  No, he could never take both of them in his current weakened state, but maybe, just maybe he could use this to his advantage at a later time. Mac followed the men down the hall, still buttoning her shirt.  Unlike Harm, she’d been led to another room not far from their cell. There were two chairs along one side, a large wooden table in the center, and a few unpleasant looking paraphernalia hanging from the wall. If there was ever a time to fall on her Marine training to fool the enemy, this was it.  Trying desperately not to show the sheer terror that was currently racing through her system, Mac walked over to one of the chairs, took a seat, and crossed her arms. “So, gentlemen. What can I do for you?” Chapter 6 “You can tell me what your associate would not,” a voice came through the door. “Not much to tell,” Mac answered nonchalantly. “I had hoped you and the commander would be more ‘cooperative’, but I see I’m going to have to resort to other tactics...” Back in their cell, Harm couldn’t believe he’d actually fallen asleep.  That overzealous Junior must have left him with a concussion. Right about now he’d have given anything for Mac’s sense of time. He had absolutely no idea how long he’d slept. Had she been gone only a few minutes, or God forbid, a few hours? Shifting his weight, he was alarmed to discover he was moving more easily. Good Lord, how long had he been out? He was suddenly overcome with the urge to vomit.  Barely making it to the pit of a latrine in time, Harm had no idea if he was nauseated from a concussion or if it was the terrifying thought that he might have left Mac in the hands of those people for hours, maybe days. He was still leaning over the hole when the door flew open.  He couldn’t explain where the strength came from, but the rush of sheer anger and adrenaline that shot through his system when he saw Junior carrying an unconscious Mac into the room was enough to have overtaken a small battalion. Harm lunged in his direction as Junior placed Mac on the dirty carpet.  Junior hadn’t seen Harm coming when he felt the full force of Harm’s fist come crashing into his face.  With a single word, Larry, Curly, and another goon were rushing into the room. It took all three to restrain Harm.  He heard Junior babble something he obviously would not understand, and then felt the crushing blow to his gut.  By the time he was able to look up, all the men were gone and the door was once again locked. Moving as quickly as he could with whatever air was left in his lungs, Harm reached for Mac. “Mac, can you hear me?” He brushed her hair away from her face. He was afraid to look elsewhere for any sign of injury.  Watching her frail body struggle with every breath, he supposed he should be thankful they hadn’t killed her. “Mac?” he repeated before he broke into sobs, pulling her tightly into his arms. Ten days later Outskirts of Afghani Camp AJ Chegwidden and Gunny Galindez lay perched on a hilltop.  AJ had been watching the movement of the villagers below through binoculars as Gunny filled him in on the details. “As you know, whenever we go through a town trying to gather information, I hand out chocolate to the local children. Two villages ago, one of those kids, Mustafa, asked me if it was true we let women fight in our army. I asked him if he’d seen a female soldier lately and he said no, but his aunt’s friend was visiting and said that her cousin’s sister-in-law had told her there were two American soldiers in her village and one was a woman. From what we’ve been able to figure out, this is the village.” “Any sign of them?” So far the minimal amount of activity below looked normal to AJ. “Not yet, but according to the latest intel on Condor, he’s meeting with the warlords from several neighboring areas.” “What does that have to do with finding Harm and Mac?” “Bahmiir Faeid has been bargaining for more local power. He claims to have something we would be very interested in.” Gunny watched as team Alpha took position at the rear of what looked to be a school building. “I still don’t see the connection.” AJ put the glasses down to look at Gunny. “Bahmiir’s sister lives in the first house right over there.” Gunny pointed to the home Harm and Mac had been brought to their first day.  “It’s time to move, sir.  Teams Bravo, Charlie and Delta are in position.” “Who’s taking the sister’s house?” “Team Charlie, in five, sir. We need to be in position.” AJ, Gunny and five of his men moved into position for the simultaneous raid.  On cue, four Marine special ops teams stormed the designated buildings.  The echo of gunfire could be heard for miles.  One by one, the all clear sign was passed along.  The frightened women were all relegated to a single home while the men were cuffed and moved to a more secure location.  Captain Mark Hannah and his men had cleared Bahmiir’s sister’s house.  The two men manning radio ops had been detained and escorted to the temporary brig while the Marines waited for military intelligence to show up and examine the electronic equipment left behind.  Captain Hannah was relaying information to base camp when he heard a rustling noise and then a bang.  Looking up, he was surprised to see a man rush past him. “Where the hell?! Corporal!” The surprised look on the face of the corporal guarding the front door was worth its weight in gold.  In a matter of seconds he had wrestled Curly to the ground. “Sir, where did he come from, sir?” “That’s what I want to know, Corporal.  Hand him off to Wexler, tell him to send back up, and follow me.”  Hannah walked back to the room and studied it carefully.  Had the first man they’d apprehended not been trying to crawl behind the faux bookcase, they would not have discovered the secret room.  It stood to reason, if there was one hidden room, there might be more.  By the time Corporal Ferst reached the electronics room, Hannah had pushed and poked at several spots on the wall.  “Sir?” Ferst asked. “There has to be another room here somewhere.  He came from someplace around here,” Hannah stepped back and waved at the direction the man had come from. “But the bang sounded more like bricks falling than a wall moving.” He wasn’t really talking to anyone in particular when it hit him like a flash.  “It’s the floor! Look for a loose board. Something that might work as a handle.” The two men moved about on their hands and knees. “Sir! Over here!” Corporal Ferst stood up and moved the small table back a little further.  He wasn’t sure why the man had taken the time to put piece of furniture back in place before trying his escape, but it hadn’t made a difference, he’d found the handle anyway. Carefully, with weapons drawn and two more Marines for back up, they descended the stairs. “Whoa. Must have been pretty miserable spending any amount of time down here,” Ferst mumbled to himself as the first wave of stench overtook him. “Indoor plumbing isn’t usually a priority in underground tunnels,” another Marine whispered back almost under his breath. Captain Hannah grabbed a large key ring that was hanging on the wall near the bottom of the steps.  One by one they carefully approached each door. “Kinky,” Ferst commented quietly at the room with the large table and miscellaneous... accessories. Hannah signaled the corporal to be quiet. Just because they hadn’t stumbled onto any more unfriendlies so far didn’t mean he wanted his men announcing their presence. “Damn, this one’s locked,” Hannah grumbled. “Hand me those keys.” Trying several different keys before finding the correct fit, Hannah turned the latch and shoved the door open.  Bursting into the room, weapons drawn, he and his men scanned the room quickly.  He took a deep breath when his eyes fell on the corner. “Oh, my God.  Go get the admiral.  I think we’ve found his missing JAGs.” Chapter 7 Field Hospital Outside Qandahar Several hours later AJ sprang to his feet at first sight of the doctor. “How are they?” “Malnourished, dehydrated, no apparent bone fractures or abrasions, and very heavily sedated, but other than having been drugged, they seem to be in pretty good shape for two people who have survived over three weeks in captivity.” “What’s the prognosis?” “Not sure yet. We’ve sent a blood sample to the lab to see if we can determine what they’ve been given.  In the meantime, we’ve got them on IVs. Rest is probably the best medicine.” “Will there be any permanent damage from the drugs?” “There’s really no way of telling without knowing what they were given. If either the commander or colonel wakes up before we get the test results, I’ll have someone send for you. Until then, I suggest you go get some rest. It looks as though they were kept pretty heavily sedated, possibly even for the entire confinement. I really don’t expect them to wake up for some time.” “Thank you, Colonel. I’d appreciate it if you let me know as soon as we get some information back on whatever drug was administered.” AJ nodded at the doctor. “Will do, sir,” Colonel Baker, USAF, agreed. Sitting down heavily, AJ dropped his head in his hands and rubbed his temples.  Everything was happening at once. Kabir was trying to blow up the Pacific fleet with a nuclear warhead, Sturgis was impersonating Alec Baldwin with a Russian sub, Singer had managed to worm her way in as acting JAG, and some gung-ho warlord was playing kingpin with his best people! Two hours later, AJ was still sitting in the same spot Colonel Baker had left him when the colonel came back down the hall. “I thought I told you to go get some rest.” “I’m the only two-star within twenty miles. You don’t really think anyone is going to let me rest?  What have you got?”  AJ moved to stand up when Baker gestured for him to remain seated. “The commander is starting to stir.  I was just on my way to check on him.” “Mind if I tag along?” “Just give me a few minutes to see how he’s doing. Then you can come in.” Harm still looked soundly asleep, but for the first time since he’d been brought in, he was moving his head and trying to blink his eyes. “That’s it, Commander. Open your eyes,” a soft-spoken nurse encouraged. Colonel Baker watched his patient’s reactions as he struggled to regain full consciousness, then sent the nurse for the admiral. “Commander,” AJ offered as soon as he was by Harm’s bedside, smiling when he heard Harm’s muffled voice struggle to respond. “Sir.” Harm’s voice was barely audible.  Smacking his lips, he wondered why he had cotton in his mouth when he heard his CO’s voice again. “Commander, we need you to wake up now,” AJ spoke again. Forcing his eyes open, Harm responded without thinking. “Yes, sir.” “That’s it, Commander. I need you to tell me what happened to you and the colonel.” “Mac,” Harm mumbled, his eyes falling closed again. “Commander, you have to work with me here.  Do you know what drugs they gave you?” “Drugs,” Harm repeated quietly, his eyes still closed. “Keep talking to him.  He should be more fully awake soon. I’m going to walk over to the lab and see if they’ve got any answers for me yet.”  Colonel Baker nodded at the nurse before turning to leave. Visions of bombs exploding, debris flying, running, caves, darkness, guns, and Mac were all scrambling simultaneously in Harm’s brain. He couldn’t quite figure any of it out, and yet he could clearly hear his CO’s voice calling him.  Mac, even dirty and scraped she looked so good, and that pretty little brown bra... AJ wondered what Rabb was smiling about. “RABB!” For a man who had been drugged unconscious for an undetermined length of time, Harm’s eyes flew open extremely wide. AJ wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d sat up at attention. “Sir.” Harm looked around, a little more alert than he’d been moments before. “Rabb, I need you to try and focus. We have to know what went on while you two were captive.” Harm stared blankly at AJ. What was he talking about? Captive? Slowly he scanned the recesses of his mind. He and Mac had been out searching for a truck and Kabir. They’d run into a herd of goats and almost gotten themselves blown up on a landmine. Well, he had almost gotten himself blown up. Mac had been the one to come to the rescue with something she’d learned in the movies. AJ misinterpreted Harm’s groan at the thought of Mac using a movie maneuver to save him. “Are you okay? Are you in pain?” The pounding sensation growing stronger in his head forced Harm to verbally respond instead of merely nodding his head. “Fine, sir.” Now all he needed was some aspirin and to figure out what the hell the admiral was talking about.  They’d walked away from the landmine, gotten caught in a strike zone. “Whose idea?” Harm mumbled. “What, son?” “Bombs, all around us.” No sooner had he said the words than he remembered the three stooges and company. “MAC!” Harm sprang up. “Take it easy. She’s fine. She’s in another room.” It was all flooding back to his memory; the nightly marches, the days alone waiting in the underground cell, the inquisition by Bahmiir, the three stooges taking Mac away and then bringing her back unconscious, and then, then the memories stopped. “What happened?” Harm asked. “That’s what I’m hoping you would tell me?” AJ sighed. Very briefly Harm recounted all the events from the time they’d lost contact with base camp.  In his head, AJ tried to keep track of the days, occasionally stopping Harm to ensure he had the timing correct. When Harm finally stopped at Mac lying unconscious in his arms, a sick feeling settled in the pit of AJ’s stomach. “And you don’t remember anything after that?” “No, sir. I must have fallen asleep. I had a concussion, which probably explains this pounding headache. I just fell asleep.” “Harm, what you’ve told me only accounts for ten days.” “Sounds right,” Harm nodded, instantly regretting the move. “Harm, you and the Colonel have been gone for twenty days.” “That can’t be.” Harm’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “When we found you, you were both heavily drugged.  The doctor says there’s evidence they’ve been drugging you for some time. Do you think Mac was under the influence of a sedative when they brought her back to you?” Harm closed his eyes and rubbed the side of his head. “Um.... maybe, yes.  I did notice she didn’t seem to have any outward injuries, but I also knew they didn’t want to leave any visible marks. I... I didn’t have the nerve to check for any other...evidence.” “No, no.” AJ paused to consider what all this meant.  This nut, whoever he was, had kept AJ’s best officers locked up for almost three weeks and AJ had little idea what he was after. “I want to see Mac.” Harm looked over at the nurse still fussing around him. “She’s still asleep, and you need more rest.” AJ glanced up at the nurse for confirmation. “Have you seen her? Is she okay?” “Not yet, and Colonel Baker says you’re both fine. We’re waiting for the lab report on what you were given or for the drugs to wear off, whichever comes first.” “Did they...” “I don’t know.” AJ honestly didn’t know, but there was little doubt.  “The important thing is we found you both.” “Yes, sir.” Harm’s eyelids felt very heavy again. “You get some rest now. I’m going to track down the doctor.” Knowing Harm was already fast asleep, AJ headed out in search of the only man who might have some more answers. He hadn’t needed to go very far when he found Colonel Baker coming towards him in the hall. “We’d better take this to my office,” the doctor suggested as soon as he’d caught up with AJ. Quietly following the doctor to another side of the hospital, AJ spoke as soon as the door was closed behind him. “What is it?” “Do your people have a very high clearance level?” “Why?” “The tox screen shows traces of thiopental sodium together with Desoxyn, flunitrazepam, and another compound the lab hasn’t been able to isolate yet.” “Thiopental sodium? Isn’t that....” “More commonly known as truth serum.”                                                                                      NEXT                                                                    HOME