November 23, 2016: have been laid up with pneumonia for the past two weeks; just now getting back into writing. Sorry 'bout that, but health is of primary concern first and foremost. Sorry, but this illness hasn't put me in a Christmas writing mood so the Christmas stories may be seriously late or may end up being finished by Christmas 2017.
May 6, 2019: Yep, this one has been sitting on the back burner for quite some time and well…things haven't been progressing well, as a relapse with a second bout of pneumonia (that didn't clear up for five rounds of antibiotics) and a diagnosis of deteriorating discs in my back has pretty much laid me up.
National Naval Medical Center (Bethesda Naval Hospital), Bethesda, MD, 1845 hrs
Clayton Webb gave Harm a sardonic grin. "Sorry to disappoint…" he remarked sarcastically. "Considering that this time, you were the one that instigated the whole mess with DSD… way back when you stumbled across them out in the desert somewhere. Now I have to save your ass this time."
Animal rolled his eyes and growled, "Keeter gave us…the lowdown. My question is…what the hell are you going to do about it?" Clay looked over at the man lying propped up in the bed, his hand held by a blonde woman in civilian clothes…who continued, "You two…compare woody sizes…later after…we're out of…danger."
Keeter, who was standing over in the corner of the hospital room, smirked knowingly. Even a wounded duck (and Animal was far from a duck; when healthy, he was a living breathing manifestation of a psychopathic demon…or at least that's how Keeter remembered him from RAG – he still had nightmares) if still breathing could peck at an annoyance. Webb glared irritatedly at Harm who didn't comment. "Hiding will give you the best chance of survival…" Webb continued as he looked around the room at the six who were there. He gave each person a good once-over glance. The responding glances back from the occupants of the room reassured him with the sole exception of Harm. None of the others were willing to put themselves in danger, especially the man in the hospital bed, who was well aware of the fact that he wasn't able to put up any sort of fight against someone who was, for all intents and purposes, a hired killer.
"So we're supposed to hide like rats in the sewer?" Harm groused at Webb who adopted a look of bored cynicism. Harm looked over at Lia and Meg who looked back at him with non-committal glances. "What if he finds out where the hell we are?" Harm glared at Webb, mentally resolving that he was going to be armed with an M4 carbine as well – hell, he was going to go ahead and requisition five of them; one for each of them.
"He's not going to find out because we've scouted out the place before-hand." Webb insisted looking over at the five of them who all had skeptical looks on their faces. "It's never been compromised and it's actually the first time we've used this particular safe-house.
Meg interjected this time. "I have no problems with hiding out, but what about Captain Nakamura here? He hasn't been cleared yet to leave the hospital. In fact, Bethesda was supposed to be his recovery center."
"Well, Miss…"
"Lieutenant Commander" Meg corrected him; she didn't want him using her name in any shape or form. After dealing with too many lecherous spooks over the years, she wasn't about to put up with any sort of unwelcome familiarity on his part. Not to mention, if he persisted, she would be very glad to divulge the fact that she knew hand to hand combat; the hard way. And if she didn't do anything about him, Animal would.
"Well…Lieutenant Commander; " Webb continued, "We will have him transported with access to a physical therapist."
"And if he has a relapse?" Harm asked pointedly, glaring at the CIA agent. He knew that Webb's assurances weren't worth the air expended. Harm wasn't about to let his friend and mentor be placed in any sort of risk but there were trade-offs with Animal's condition which was guarded and having to move to a safe-house exacerbated the situation. Stress was not a situation that Harm wanted to deal with especially when it came to Animal's gunshot wound. "I'm gonna tell you this much, Webb, that if something happens to him" he thumbed indicating Animal in the bed. "I'm not going to be a happy guy. These are my friends and I don't give a flying shit what you think. You'd better capture this guy or I'll go hunting."
"Do you even know where this guy is; or where to start looking?" Clay wisecracked giving him a sardonic look. "Because we've been aiming to track him and we're coming up with nothing. He knows how to hide in plain sight and would probably take you out before you even knew what happened. Leave it to the professionals, Rabb or you might find your friends burying you."
Harm moved threateningly towards Clay but Keeter stepped in front of him, blocking his path towards the agent. "He's right, Harm. You need to keep your wits about you and protect your friends within the confines of the safe-house."
"What about you?" Harm asked Keeter; no small amount of aggression in his voice. "What's your role in this?"
"You guys are going to need someone to get things for you; it's too dangerous for any of you to step out of the safe-house. I'm the guy who gets to go grocery shopping to keep you in food, get ammo and weapons for you guys and liaison with your COs to tell them that you five are incommunicado for the next however long it takes to capture this sonofabitch." Keeter said matter-of-fact.
Lia muttered to herself barely audible, "Oh, joy, Admiral Morris is going to just love this." But she understood just how volatile the situation was; that their safety and lives depended on how safe this safe-house was.
"So when does this move…happen?" Animal asked, looking up at Meg then over to Webb.
"…as soon as we can get a physical therapist, which I'm just waiting for a return call from." Webb replied, just as the phone went off. Answering it, Webb spoke inaudibly for a few moments, then hung up from the call, then dialled another number. "Bravo Team, we're rolling." He spoke briefly. At that, a few doctors came in from the hospital; briefly speaking with Webb and then Animal was transferred to a stretcher, Webb saying. "Follow me," to the other three officers and then proceeded with the medical team to push Animal out of the room and down the hallway.
Meg was surprised to see an ambulance (disguised as a regular over-sized cargo van – replete with medical equipment) waiting for them at the hospital entrance. Further agents milled around the area trying to look incognito, but Animal's sharp eyes could detect who they were and she noticed him gazing around as best he could with his head practically still on the pillow. They were positioned in a way that the van and the hospital entrance were securely covered from all angles. Meg also noticed the number of agents covering the whole hospital to ambulance transfer.
"Bravo Team…roll-out Camp Swampy." Webb ordered on his radio.
"Bravo Two rolling on point." The first security vehicle radioed back.
"Bravo Three rolling…" The second security vehicle adopted a position second to the point vehicle.
"Bravo One rolling" The ambulance started moving while Meg, Harm, Lia and Keeter gripped the handles of the secured stretcher holding Animal.
"Bravo Four and Five rolling…" The last two calls came in as the cavalcade started moving in earnest.
An unknown location, Williamsburg VA. 4 ½ hrs later
There was organized chaos when the cavalcade reached its destination. A flurry of activity got Animal into the house that they were going to be staying at and settled him into a secure room with a lot of the equipment being transferred from the ambulance to the room in which he was going to be staying in. Meg, Lia and Harm were also ushered in while Keeter grabbed the weapons that the quartet had brought with them. Then Keeter investigated the fridge after which he announced that he would be heading over to the Camp Peary Exchange to get some groceries and asked if they wanted anything. Animal grumbled that he really wanted a change of clothes from the bloody hospital gowns that he was stuck wearing but unfortunately that wasn't able to be done until he was well in recuperative stage, by which time he hoped to hell that he was back home with Meg and he made it well-understood vociferously. After Lia and Harm added some things to the list, Keeter headed out the door with Animal's bellow of "Get some…goddamned meat, Not eating like…rabbit just…because…wants me to!" along with Meg's agreement ringing in his ears behind him along with the vision of Harm rolling his eyes. Keeter waved a hand at Animal indicating that he would, shaking his head as he headed over to the driveway and to the Army vehicle that he detested having to drive.
There were CIA agents training within the area for high-security work. They would actually be utilizing this situation as a training situation to help them learn how to protect high-value detainees or spies who defected from Eastern bloc countries, but they knew that the situation was one that they could not fail at because they were doing this for real. If they failed five lives would be at risk.
Lia looked over at Harm who was sitting at the kitchen table, cleaning out his Beretta; it was in pieces on a towel while Harm cleaned out the barrel and M9 parts, re-oiling them and making sure that they were exactly in excellent condition, because he knew deep down that this weapon meant his life and the lives of those he cared about. He went about this silently, meticulously, almost obsessive in his attention to detail. She asked, "You OK?"
He looked up, his eyes haunted, "No…I'm not OK…" as Lia moved in to embrace him. "I've had to deal with that creep before. I know what he's capable of and he has no remorse. He's a psychopath. He won't hesitate to kill all of us if he gets a chance." He paused for a moment while polishing the part that he was working on cleaning to get all the dust off it. "And instead of hunting him, we're on an installation just waiting for him to come to us; like sitting ducks."
"I know, Harm, but we have to work with the situation that we're given. As far as we're concerned, our first bet is to make sure that we make this a hardened target. Prevent anybody who isn't supposed to access this area from entering…" Lia noted as she looked around the room trying to see if there was any vulnerabilities in the house that they were in.
"I understand what you're getting at…" Harm replied as Lia looked back at him, "If we're going to defend against anybody coming in here, we need to have several layers of defence. Outer circle is the perimeter of the house – that's the field agents' priority. They need to be on the ball. The second is the main area out here…in the living room/kitchen, hallway. We need to secure that…Jack and I can do that by figuring out where the weak points are in relation to any points of entry; windows or doors. The third is the inner area where Animal's bedroom is…where all the medical equipment. We need to secure that area the most. We need to figure out what weapons we're going to need and have Jack go and get them. I'm getting the feeling that we're going to need rifles too maybe even a shotgun or two."
Over in the bedroom, Animal was in the bed, his hands near his lap…where the Beretta lay in its concealed carry holster. "I…presume…Jack cleaned…it." He said slowly to Meg.
"I don't know if I'd assume it, but I'm going to clean mine. I'll clean yours when I'm finished mine…" Meg said as she reached into her bag and brought out the M9 that she had with her. Animal raised his eyebrows. "Oh, I do carry it with me…" Meg looked over at him, "I believe in being prepared." The unasked question prompted Meg to give him a look that said… it goes everywhere with me. "Yes…I had it when we were in the ambulance. I didn't know if there was going to be an attempt on your life while you and I were enroute to Bethesda. Remember we came armed for the investigation? Gibbs brought the M9 you requisitioned through the Pentagon Armory and that's also here with me. So now we have three amongst the two of us.
"I…think…I'd feel safer…with a M-4…in hand…" Animal said as he looked over at the weapon in his lap. "Somehow, I think… guy will…try…and wear…bullet…proof vest. Higher power…bullet…might punch through…Kevlar…and drop him…"
It was about three hours later that Jack came back from his run to the grocery store. He finished bringing the bags in…then looked over at Harm. "I gotta go back out to the car…I brought something else." He headed back outside and brought in a heavy black canvas dufflebag that rattled with metallic sounds. "9mm ammo…frangible tip" reached in pulling out about six boxes. Pulling out an M4 carbine, "There's five of them…"
An agent came in with two ammo cans of .556 military grade rifle rounds mumbling something that sounded like, "There's more where that came from." And put the cans on the ground,
"and two Benelli tactical grip 12 gauge shotguns…got six boxes of ammo – I think we've got three boxes of slugs and 1 box of 12 gauge bird shot. 2 boxes of 12 gauge buckshot." Continued Keeter.
Harm gave him a thumbs up as he helped to finish putting away the food that Keeter had brought in, "Looks like you're on the ball, thinking ahead of the power curve, Jack…"
Rear Admiral (ret.) Chegwidden's House, McLean, VA.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs looked over at the house. The exterior looked like a log cabin, but he knew for a fact that the house was fully equipped as a residential home. As he stepped away from the car, he saw the admiral appear on the porch. "So…what brings you out here? Gibbs?" The admiral's tone was bitter. "They conducting a NCIS investigation into my command to see if there's any discrepancies?" The retired rear admiral had grown out his beard and a mustache.
"Look, AJ…I don't know what went on there, but all I know is that I need someone who has excellent sniping skills. And I can't free up any of my NCIS tactical guys. You have those skills; that you used in the Teams. I need you to help cover a safe house in Williamsburg and you're the only guy I trust outside of the guys in Investigative. NAVINSGEN stumbled onto a black operation in Crane and stirred the hornet's nest. The head guy from NAVINSGEN got shot and well, we know that the guy who did it is looking to finish the job." Gibbs looked over at the admiral.
"Nakamura?" AJ snorted; Gibbs nodded and the admiral muttered more to himself than to Gibbs, "Figures the son of a bitch would be hard to kill. Why the hell should I help?"
"I don't know, AJ…what Nakamura did to piss you off…but I really don't have the time to jaw with you about it. I got five people in the safe-house that we have to protect and I need an in-guy covering the door with a sniper rifle."
"Who's in there?"
"Nakamura, Austin, Rabb, Gracen and Manetti…"
"You got Lia involved?" AJ's tone was glacial as he turned around and went into the house, gesturing to the agent to follow him. His destination was his gun-safe as he reached in to pull out his prized Remington 700 bolt action sniper rifle with the matte black Choate Ultimate Sniper Stock…checking it over…he had a high-powered sniper-scope on the rifle where he could see any target from roughly 800m away. The only scope more powerful would be the one that they used on the M107 Barrett anti-materiel weapon. Grabbing his rifle case, he carefully put the rifle in the case along with the gun bipod which he would rest on the ground. Heading to his closet, he grabbed a set of black fatigues and a black cap. He would also grab his face camo.
"I didn't…Webb did. Your protégé was just in the room with Rabb and they ended up having to all go into protective custody."
"Rabb?! Are you saying that Lia is involved with Rabb?" Chegwidden growled ominously and Gibbs was wondering if Rabb was going to be intact by the time AJ got through with him, "Maria's going to friggin' kill me. I was supposed to protect her." Maria (nee Chegwidden) Gracen was Lia's mother. "Get me up to Williamsburg…and I want all the details on who's going after the five of them. I need any info you've got on the potential shooter so if he makes an appearance, I can make it his last appearance!"
Gibbs thanked the deity that he didn't have to persuade the obstinate admiral into coming. Just the mere mention of his niece pretty much made it so that it wasn't necessary. And winced when AJ growled, "…and Webb is getting his nose rearranged…AGAIN…" the implied menace in his voice made Gibbs glad that he wasn't the target of AJ's hostility.
Somewhere out in the desert, NV
The subject of Gibbs conversation was currently in a vehicle headed to a convenient little DSD outpost that had a facility underground. It was the same one that Rabb and Roberts had stumbled upon when he and they had caught wind of each other. He intended to play mind-games with the NAVINSGEN and JAG investigators. He knew that they had been pulled into hiding…that they were in protected custody. His mole in the CIA had let him know of that. The best way to keep them scared is to keep them thinking that I'm going to come after them. When it came apparent that they weren't being followed, then they'd let their guard down. The rogue agent grinned to himself. It was all a matter of playing his cards right. It's when the prey lets down their guard that they're the most vulnerable. Rabb…was the hinge in that particular instance. If he's aware that it's me, then I'm not going to get a chance to do the lead investigator in…since Rabb's going to always keep his guard up. Do I send a decoy to test the security of the safe-house; just to see what defenses there are which need to be overcome? Besides it would make an interesting game of cat and mouse.
Besides, he had all the time in the world to wait for the opportunity. In the meantime, he'd do whatever it was that he had to do to cover his tracks from the debacle at Crane. The lockout virus should have done its job by now. By the time they figured out how to crack the virus and remove it, he'd be long gone. Rabb had already foiled him once, sending a full detachment of armed Marines out to prevent him from silencing Rabb about DSD operations. It was going to be fun to make him sweat, while he watched from a distance. Sometimes the best trap that you can throw a person into is the trap that he sets in his own mind. It was like tossing a guy into a room full of mirrors where every time you turned a corner you saw a reflection in the mirror and eventually the guy would go paranoid.
An unknown location, Williamsburg VA. 0345hrs
Five agents were checking the perimeter of the house…night vision goggles on their heads; listening for any sound of footfalls, any movement in the bushes; anything suspicious or out of the ordinary was instantly investigated. There was no combined shift change; Each went off as another came on and in staggered rotation since this way…there was no lapse in coverage or any gap that anyone could utilize to get through to the occupants within. Keeter slept in a cot beside the door, an M-4 right next to him on the floor so that if he heard the door open, he could roll out and onto the M-4 to get it in his hands in seconds. The other four were split amongst Animal (who had it beside his hospital bed), Meg, Tracy and Lia. Harm had his hands on the Benelli tactical shotgun; which was loaded with 12 gauge buckshot. He was looking forward to blowing a hole right through Palmer if he tried to show up.
Animal was sleeping with one eye open…though the recovery would go better if he had a good night's sleep…every night. But with everyone else on edge and himself as well, he didn't want to drop fully to sleep or if something went wrong; it would go horribly wrong. As a combat naval aviator, during alerts, you slept with one eye open because if there was an alert five; you had to be fully awake in an instant and scrambling for your fighter. In this case, he was alert because if he dropped off to sleep, there would be two less eyes covering the house. And his hand was always outstretched towards the M-4 leaning beside his bed. The stitches had healed from the incisions that they'd had to do and the wound area was healing with hospital dressing that was changed every two hours. But he was still a far way away from physical therapy yet. The wounds that he had would have to be fully healed and sealed before he would be able to have any sort of strenuous exercise. His nurses were rotated every eight hours and the first shift change had already happened. The second shift change was due in another four hours.
Somewhere in the CIA 0400hrs.
"Yeah…well, how do you want it done?"
"Quietly. Don't give yourself away…" the voice on the other end of the line said. "We don't need him testifying against us in court."
"OK…consider it done…"
An unknown location, Williamsburg VA. 0800hrs
"So you're coming on shift-change?" the nurse asked the replacement. "Well, the patient needs a dressing change."
"Fine…I can see that it gets done…" the replacement stated. "If you want I can do so now…" his hand crept into the pocket that was holding the syringe. It was a fast acting liquid nerve agent that shut down nerves and caused the person to die of asphyxiation in seconds.
"OK…well, that'll get you familiar with the patient and what he requires."
The DSD mole walked down the hallway towards the patient's room. Meg was alert as was Animal who had slid his Beretta under the blanket. When the mole entered the room, he said, "I hear you need a dressing change." He said as he walked towards Animal.
Animal's eyes were on him, while his hand was on the trigger of the Beretta. Meg also was watching the staffer closely. They knew what normal procedure for the dressing changes was and this medical staffer didn't have the dressings with him. Meg's hands closed around her Beretta grip. But Animal was faster. As the man's hand slipped in towards his medical jacket pocket, Animal brought up his Beretta out from under the blanket and fired two shots. One hit the medical staffer in the chest; the other took him in the throat. The medical staffer hit the ground and didn't move again. Meg covered the staffer with her Beretta and noticed a syringe that had been pulled out of his pocket. "Don't touch that…" Animal cautioned. Meg backed away from it.
By this time, Harm, Keeter, Lia and Tracy had all charged back into the room. "Get Clay…" was all Animal said.
Clayton Webb was on the property when he heard the two shots and he wasn't but 10 seconds behind the other four. He looked down at the syringe. "Shit…" was all he said, "We've been compromised. Who got him?" He looked first at Meg and at the other four. Animal slowly brought his M92FS into view, not saying a word. He pointed at the syringe with the muzzle of his personal sidearm. Clay looked down at the syringe. "Shit…" he said again. "Nerve Agent X; we had a DSD Mole here… How'd you know?"
"Guy…didn't come in…with the dressings…" Animal said. "Mind getting…that piece of shit…out of here?"
AJ was hot on the heels of Clayton Webb. "You son of a bitch…" AJ snarled at Webb. "How did a DSD mole get into this room?"
"…Slipped in on the medical staff shift-change." Webb replied; quite possibly a little too casually. One could see AJ's anger rising.
"You son of a bitch…" AJ repeated and smashed Webb in the face, knocking him back against the wall.
Webb wiped the blood from his nose and winced. Shit; his nose was broken again.
AJ looked over at Nakamura who was holding a Beretta. "Got yourself in a hell of a mess, didn't you, Nakamura." It didn't take a rocket scientist to know who fired the two shots that had done in the DSD mole; the muzzle still had a slight bit of smoke rising from it.
"Wasn't…my idea…" Nakamura snarled back. AJ wasn't sure if he was referring to him getting shot during the investigation or to AJ's ouster from the JAG position. "…sir…" he added. The two had egos…and both were in full display at the moment. AJ wasn't about to be friendly to Nakamura and Nakamura wasn't ready to back down either. It was like watching two fighting bulls, one wounded, one whole, but both still ready to go at one another.
Webb was wiping his nose with a handkerchief that was now sodden with blood; he now sounded a bit nasally, "We've been compromised," he said again.
AJ looked at him with sheer disgust, "No shit, Einstein." Then turned to Lia, "You know your mother's going to kill me?" he looked at her with a grim expression. "How'd you get mixed up in this?"
"I got tasked to go with Lieutenant Commander Austin to the investigation. RADM Morris sent me." AJ looked even more aggravated as he heard this from Lia. By this time, two CIA staffers had come in, removed the body and taken the syringe into custody – the staffers knew that they had to get this to toxicology and make sure that it was appropriately contained. They removed it in a sealed syringe case to prevent its contents from getting loose.
"How much of this was black…Webb!" AJ growled ominously.
"It's classified…" AJ raised a fist menacingly.
"You're going to speak up…unless you want me to double the number of bones in your nose from what there already are…" AJ growled; Webb got the idea that if he didn't speak up, he was going to know just how many broken bones that AJ was going to inflict on him.
"The project that they were working on was Project Arrowhead; they were developing a one point two megaton nuclear bunker-buster that they were intending on using on the Taliban that were entrenched in mountain bunkers. They figured that it would vaporize the tunnels that they were hiding in." Webb admitted grudgingly. "It was started on by DSD and then funded covertly through the Pentagon channels."
"Who is involved?" AJ growled; and Meg thought the former admiral was going to go hunting. "They just tried to silence the lead investigator in the case and they're looking at trying again." He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number, "Kaz, it's AJ… I want an Armed Marine Detachment placed on the premises that the NAVINSGEN investigators are being held in. Gibbs, NCIS, brought me into this. Said he needed a sniper. No shit, Admiral, we've got a major problem here…and no, Admiral, I'm no longer in uniform…so my presence is entirely voluntary and while there's JAG and NAVINSGEN in danger, I'm staying on-site. Sir, I appreciate that. So the Marine Detachment will be here in two hours? Thank you, sir." He gave everyone a sardonic grin, "May not be in uniform anymore, but I can still pull some strings."
He hefted his Remington 700. "I'll stick around here until the Marine Detachment gets here, then I'm going to go back to my post and stand guard with this baby. I'm covering the door…any suspicious activity and they get a tap on the head…" meaning that their brains would get nicely relocated from interior to exterior. "Nakamura, try not to get yourself shot again…"
"Can't promise…anything…" Animal muttered. "I'll try…and be the…faster shooter…next time…"
JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA 0845hrs
Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie was looking over at Lieutenant JG Bud Roberts, "Bud, Has Commander Gracen been in today?"
"Negative…ma'am."
"Do you have any idea why she's absent?"
"No, ma'am."
At this LCOL Mackenzie smiled a cold smile, "Thank you, Bud…" and walked towards RADM Morris's office, pounding the pine.
"Come in…" barked RADM Morris who looked up from his folder, "What can I do for you, Lieutenant Colonel." He pulled his glasses from his face and set them down on the desk.
"Sir, are you aware that Commander Gracen is away without leave, sir?"
"Yes, I am…" RADM Morris replied,
"Sir, are you convening court-martial proceedings for that?"
RADM Morris looked over at her with his eyes narrowing in displeasure, "Is there a reason why I should?" He was waiting for Mac to dig herself in deeper.
"Well, sir, it's customary that all military personnel should be present on site unless they have reported in ill. Being away without leave is a court-martial offense, sir."
"I am well-aware of the rules governing attendance, Lieutenant Colonel. It just so happens that Commander Gracen's life is in danger…and so are the rest of those who investigated a black case…which you have no need to know the wherefores or whys about. They are in protective custody. Former Commander Jack Keeter has informed me of that fact." He glared at Mac, "I believe…Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie, that that is an extenuating circumstance allowable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Dismissed, Colonel." Evidently there was no love lost between the two 0-5s under his command. Morris thought to himself. I may just have to put a disciplinary letter into Mackenzie's jacket if she continues to try to undermine Commander Gracen. Well, we'll just see just how much rope she gets to hang herself.
"Sir, Yes, Sir…" Mac replied, snapping to attention and about-facing.
"Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie, if you have any problems with Commander Gracen, I suggest you shelf them…" Morris paused then continued menacingly, "…because if you continue with your attempts to undermine a fellow officer, you will find that you will be under court-martial proceedings yourself. I highly suggest that you read the statute under Article 132 (10 U.S.C. 932).I hope I've made myself understood, Colonel." Morris's tone was unmistakably threatening that if Mackenzie continued on her vendetta that she would end up with an Article 15.
"Sir, Yes Sir…" Mac stated as she halted her stride towards the door as Morris's threat was aimed towards her back.
"Dismissed!" barked Morris, he refrained from snarling get out of my sight; admirably.
Lieutenant Colonel Sarah Mackenzie seethed as she left the office. I'm never going to be able to deep-six Gracen's career; that witch holds all the cards… In Sarah Mackenzie's mind there was no wondering how any of the investigators were going to get out of this situation with their lives; it was just what Mackenzie could get away with in terms of trying to destroy a rival's career and right now, the Navy Commander held the upper hand. All she cared about was that Lia had taken away Harm and that Harm was Mac's possession to do with what she wanted. Revenge was the only thing on her mind.
But unfortunately for Mac, it appeared that every time it seemed that she had a prime opportunity to get back at Gracen, that opportunity was illusory; she ended up stepping into major heat. But Sarah Mackenzie didn't intend to give up. She intended to watch the situation closely and any legitimate opportunity that came up to scupper Gracen's career, she was going to drop the hammer on. And eventually, Gracen wouldn't be able to slide out from the descending hammer that was going to ruin her career. She just had to be a little less obvious doing it.
Evidently Sarah Mackenzie didn't care that Harm was in the line of fire too. He made his bed; now he got to sleep in it, was her only thought. He left me was her thought as she stood looking out the window of her office Now I don't care about his well-being either.
An unknown location, Williamsburg VA, 0945hrs
Animal looked over at Harm, Lia, Keeter, Tracy and Meg, "That's…what they…expect us to do…move places…in…order to…avoid…being attacked." He said slowly.
"Well, if we don't…" Harm stated to Animal, "We run the risk of having yet another attack."
"Harm…I don't…want to pack…up and have…to move…again…too hard on…my body…while it's trying…to heal…"
"Then what?" asked Lia.
"Lia…we stay in…place…we…harden the target area…and make it as…un…friendly as possible… for anyone…to try…any…thing." Animal said. "Moving…just…makes…it harder…to do…that. Guards…have to…get used to…new place…and…set up…new…fences…staying in place…makes…easier…to watch…for something…not usually there… because…they know…what…to…look for…" Animal winced as he felt a twinge from his head. Probably thinking too much…
Harm nodded, "I see what you're saying, Animal…better to harden this target…so that the bad guys can't get through, than to change locations and end up having to go through evaluating everything all over again. OK…we'll stay put…but I still don't like it."
"Don't…have…to…like it…Harm…just do…it…" Animal said slowly; his speech was still affected by the brain injury caused by the lack of oxygen when he coded.
Harm's heart tugged, He hoped that Animal could get back everything that he lost after getting shot. It really hurt to see his friend laid out in the bed like this…speaking like he had to search for every word that he had to get out of his mouth. A friend who had flown with him; that was a consummate naval aviator reduced to this…and to see the look of concern in Meg's face…his heart tugged for her too. Animal needed to get better. Evidently just the effort of defending himself today had wiped Animal out physically as well as mentally. But Harm had to say that despite having been shot, Animal certainly could still wield his Beretta with deadly accuracy. Damaged brain or not, he still could recognize a dangerous situation…and that he could defend himself. That was a relief.
Somewhere out in the desert, NV 1030hrs
Evidently, that didn't go as planned the DSD rogue agent thought. The target even when incapacitated in bed was still deadly. He'd found out from his other mole that the mole that went in on the shift change had been carried out in a body bag; a shot to the chest and a shot to the throat. Looks like the lead investigator was a pistol expert and he's capable of defending himself, even from a hospital bed. He'd miscalculated; badly. He'd shown his hand…and now the hornet's nest was active. So no more attempts. We're going to bide our time and wait and see what happens.
An unknown location, Williamsburg VA, 1045hrs
Keeter was checking with the guards that had shown up. A full contingent of one hundred and fifty Marines were going to set up an armed cordon around the property. Sandbags and a 50 calibre Browning was set up, covering the driveway with a clear field of fire so that any threats coming towards the house would be able to be stopped, without putting anyone else in danger. Four 50 calibre Brownings covered the corners of the lot. And the rest of the contingent was spread out with M-16A2s, M-60s and two more Marine snipers had joined Chegwidden. Both were carrying anti-materiel Barrett M107s. Two shots through the engine block would stop any vehicle from coming through. Combined with the firepower from the Browning Machine Gun. Any potential attacker would have to come through a hailstorm of lead. Hell anybody would have to be crazy to attempt that.
But then again, the guy who was on the dossier as the potential attacker was crazy enough. The guy was psychopathic. Keeter hadn't made a personal acquaintance with Clark Palmer, but it was absolutely certain that the rogue DSD agent was nuttier than a rabid shithouse squirrel. Wouldn't be beneath the guy to try and breach the perimeter. The only problem is that we don't know how he's going to do it. Keeter turned to the Gunnery Sergeant that was in charge of the Marine contingent. "Gunny. Your men are in place?"
Gunnery Sergeant Bret Singleton looked at Keeter then went into detailed explanation: "We got four checking the perimeter right now, sir. The others are establishing a rotation of duties. We have thirty; split amongst five gun emplacements, two Marine snipers on both hills, four more replacement snipers and that leaves one hundred and fourteen of us to cover the area split into three shifts; thirty eight men for each shift, sir. We're going to stagger our shifts to cover the space in between the CIA security detail so that there is overlap in the coverage and that the subjects in question are not left without any security detail, sir. I understand that the CIA has already staggered their shifts so that only one person goes off at a time and is immediately replaced by another, sir."
"That's what I'm led to understand, Gunny." Keeter looked over at the CIA guys who were manning the door, armed with M4 carbines; one on either side of the door like a pair of black-fatigued bookends. "And I will also be inside the house; I will only be leaving for supply runs. Hopefully this whole thing doesn't take too long. Gunny, but it appears that it might."
"Well, sir, we're here for the duration, however long it takes…" Gunny Singleton looked determined that nothing was going to get through on his watch. "Evidently, the secret squirrels have also got 40 men per shift covered into four shifts, so they're going to be quite numerous as well. And considering they're armed with rifles as well as their own personal side-arms, sir, anybody trying to make an attempt has got to be out of their mind."
"Well, it's already been tried. One rogue came in on the medical shift change so keep your eyes peeled for anyone who doesn't look like they're supposed to be there." The Gunny nodded. "It was lucky that the target was observant…and capable of defending himself. The target took the rogue out with two shots."
Gunny nodded, looking impressed, "Wounded badly; still took out the bad guy. Glad to see that he's not entirely defenseless."
"All subjects are armed too."
Gunny nodded at Keeter's statement. That was good, if anyone did slip by…at least the exterior guards wouldn't be the last line of defense, not that the Marines were intending on letting anyone slip through their cordon of security. "Just to let you know…sir, the entire base has been notified of the security risk and they are on alert as well with men and equipment ready to roll at a moment's notice." The Gunny was referring to MC Quantico which was practically on site to the CIA facility.
"Thank Colonel Gordon for me." Keeter responded; that was a plus that Quantico was ready to pitch in with auxiliary support. Considering how much firepower was at their disposal, it was certain that those who wanted to silence Captain Nakamura were going to be reconsidering the situation.
An unknown location, Williamsburg VA, 1145hrs
"Hon, Harm just cooked up some eggs and bacon, do you think you can handle getting that down?" Meg asked as Tracy brought in a tray with food and some tea.
"Yeah, I think so…" Animal said quietly as he looked over at Tracy, "Thanks…" Keeping his answers brief, he was able to get out his words a bit more smoothly. The ache in his head was slowly starting to subside. After the attempt on his life, he was even more determined to stay alert to any possible threats.
Tracy looked over at Meg, "I'll try and keep the things that he needs to eat, soft…so that his stomach doesn't go through having to do too much at a time." She gave the captain a smile…and then looked over at Meg who nodded to the lieutenant commander.
"Great…" Meg replied, looking over at Animal, who nodded.
The stomach wound was healing up nicely…but he still didn't want to abuse his stomach by trying to make it do too much at one time. But he knew that he had to eat regularly in order to regain his strength so that they could eventually move on to rehabilitation. It stank being helpless, but he knew that at least he was able to defend himself…with the Beretta near him; tucked under the blanket, safety on. Despite his injuries, Animal still knew his way around the M9; it had been driven in by rote at ROTC by Marine Gunnery Sergeant Elton Hobas, so that the ROTC candidates could disassemble and reassemble their M9s blindfolded and in the dark, by feel. If they had to; such as escape and evasion, a training course that all Naval and Marine Corps aviators had to go through; at least they would always be able to keep their weapon clean and ready to use at any time. The plus side of having shot the DSD mole was that Animal now knew that his grip was firm and his aim was still true. It gave him a sense of relief that at least that hadn't been taken from him by being shot and having coded on the hospital bed plus it also gave him something positive to hold on to; though of course for the DSD mole that probably wasn't a positive event considering he was now cooling to room temperature. They were baby steps forward, but at least he was moving forward and not regressing.
"You got to try and eat…" Tracy informed him. "We got to get you mobile again…"
"Understood." Animal informed her, nodding, He completely agreed with her assessment of the situation and the fact that he needed to be on his feet and whole again. If this was going to be long-term; it wasn't going to do, for him to lie around languishing in bed. He looked over at Meg who moved in closer, as Tracy brought the tray over and moved the hospital desk on wheels over to him having laid the tray down on it. The tea was warm; not too hot and the bacon was soft, yet fried. At least it wasn't crispy… Animal preferred his bacon soft and Harm had scrambled the eggs, just like Animal preferred it. Animal grinned as a memory popped into his head of the fact that Harm remembered his preferences having had served with him aboard the Seahawk and most of their meals were at the same time. In fact, Harm and Animal were wingmen back then. Animal being the flight lead on their initial deployment, in terms of abilities and rank. Harm being a cone JG was relegated to wingman status to learn off the continued tutoring of his former RAG instructor. That was a good thing. Memories were starting to come back. "Harm knew…how I liked…my eggs…bacon…" he grinned at Meg, "We served… same time… on Seahawk…Harm JG… Me Lieutenant Commander…ate at same mess time…always took…eggs scrambled…bacon…soft…he remembered…"
Meg's face brightened as she heard Animal speak haltingly. Some of his memories were coming back to him…which meant that his brain was healing…slowly…but healing. It would take a lot of speech and physical therapy, but there was the first glimmer of a sign that Animal would heal. She looked over at him as she watched him eat, slowly…but he was taking food and nutrients in and that would form the building blocks of his recovery. His body would use those nutrients to start rebuilding and maybe…just maybe…if they were lucky; he'd recover fully.
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