|
Shades of Gray
22:00 Zulu (9:00 am Local
time)
A.J. Chegwidden had made it a point to be early for this meeting. He wanted a chance to think carefully about what he was going to say. The last thing he needed was for this to blow up in his face. If Captain Howell was involved, as Rabb seemed convinced that he was, A.J. would have to be very careful indeed. They didn’t have any hard evidence yet. Just suspicions. And if Howell made a run for it, there would be nothing A.J. could do to stop him. He heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Mic Brumby’s former commanding officer coming toward him on the path. The men’s white uniforms gleamed brightly in the morning sun, and more than one passerby stopped for a second look. With a final brief thought about honor, A.J. walked to meet the captain, returning Howell’s salute. "Admiral," said Captain Howell, "You’ve come a long way." "Yes, I have," agreed A.J., without elaborating. "Commander Brumby’s funeral was several days ago. I’m afraid you’re too late…" "That’s not why I’ve come," A.J. interrupted. Captain Howell stopped walking and looked over at A.J. curiously. "It’s a great time of the year for a holiday here. May I give you some suggestions about things to see?" "I’m not on vacation." "Oh." Captain Howell seemed puzzled. "You’re aware that Commander Rabb and Colonel Mackenzie are in Pine Gap?" "Yes, I met with them just before they left," said Captain Howell. "Told them everything I know." "Hmmm, yes," said A.J., noncommittally. "Well, they’ve brought something to my attention, and I wondered if you had a moment to talk with me about it." "Sure thing, mate. Fire away." "Do you have any family in Alice Springs?" at A.J.’s words, Captain Howell tensed slightly, his reaction nearly invisible except for the fact that A.J. was looking for it. "Yes, I do. Me Aunt’s out there. And some cousins." Captain Howell sounded wary, and A.J. continued cautiously. "You close?" "I visit occasionally, why?" A.J. turned, and pinned the captain with his eyes. "Is Tim Blake one of your cousins?" Captain Howell didn’t answer. "Rabb has met your aunt, Captain. Says she’s pretty strongly opposed to the base." "What’s that got to do with me?" Captain Howell demanded. "Nothing… except for an interesting coincidence I discovered when I talked with Admiral Koch this morning. " "And that would be?" "Well, oddly enough, it seems you’ve been on leave each time one of these recent incidents occurred. You were even out of town the day Brumby disappeared." "So what? A man’s free to visit his family now and again." "Oh, absolutely. Family’s the most important thing there is." Admiral Chegwidden hesitated, regretting the necessity of his next words. "Do you mind if I take a look at your service revolver?" "You bet I mind." Captain Howell was blustering now. He was defensive and angry, and his reaction instantly convinced Chegwidden that Harm’s instincts were right on target… as usual. "I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to hand it over." "You can’t do that. You don’t have jurisdiction!" "No, but I can, Howell, and if you don’t turn it over right now you’ll find yourself sitting in the brig faster than you can say ‘kangaroo’." "Admiral Koch!" Captain Howell snapped to attention, his face blanching as his commanding officer approached on the trail. The admiral was flanked by two MP’s, who moved to stand on either side of the captain, blocking his escape. Howell seemed almost to deflate before A.J.’s eyes. He slumped, and his shoulders dropped, his proud military bearing rushing out of him in one deep breath. He slowly pulled out his service revolver and handed it to one of the MP’s. Then he turned back to A.J., his eyes sad, but still defiant. "I don’t regret it, you know." "Excuse me?" "I don’t regret killing Brumby." Admiral Chegwidden resisted the urge to reach out and throttle the man. Brumby had been a good man, and a good officer. A.J. didn’t always agree with his methods, but he’d been honorable, and he’d been good to Colonel Mackenzie. A.J. stared into the eyes of Brumby’s killer, shocked to see a complete lack of remorse. "No?" was all he could bring himself to say. "No…" Howell’s chin came up defiantly. "He knew too much. Got in the way of what we were trying to do out there." "And what was that?" "That base needs to go, Admiral. You Yanks’ve got no right spying on people from our land." Howell smiled slightly. "It’s ok, though. You’ve got me, but you’re too late. Nothing you can do will stop it now." A.J.’s pulse leaped. "What do you mean?" Captain Howell stubbornly refused to say more, and as A.J. watched the MP’s drag off their prisoner, he flipped open his cell phone. He had to talk to Rabb and Mackenzie.
23:30 Zulu (9:00 am Local)
The telephone phone rang just as Mac finished drying her hair. Harm was in the shower, and she reached across and grabbed the telephone, hoping it was the admiral. "Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie." "Lieutenant? It’s Bud." "Oh, hi, Bud." "The commander told me to call if I found out anything else about those names he gave me." "And?" "Well, I’ve found something else, but I don’t know how helpful it is." "Spit it out, Bud." Mac had always preferred the direct approach. "The second in command out there… Colonel Eaton?" "We’ve met her." "I met her parents today. Did she tell you that she used to spend summers in Australia when she was a girl?" "No, but I don’t see that it matters." "Well, ma’am, apparently she and her brother were real good friends with one of the locals." Mac heard Bud shuffle some papers. "Here it is, Ma’am. Her brother’s name was Michael, and their friend’s name was Robert. I’m afraid I didn’t get his last name. " "That’s O.K., Bud. Anything else?" "Not really, except for the fact that Colonel Eaton’s brother was killed in action during Desert Storm." "Are you sure, Bud?" "Yes, Ma’am." "OK. Thanks. Good work." "You’re welcome, Ma’am. And Colonel?" He hesitated. "What?" "Take care." "We will. I’ll talk to you soon, Bud. Give Harriet and the kids my love." She disconnected, but before she could put the phone back on its base, it rang again. "Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie." "It’s Chegwidden." "Hello, Sir." "Colonel, you’ve got trouble. You need to get out to that base immediately." "Yes Sir, I know. I just spoke with Bud." "Bud? What’s he got to do with it?" "He told me about Colonel Eaton…" "Colonel Eaton?" "Yes, he said…" The admiral didn’t give her a chance to finish. "Tell me later. Listen. We have Captain Howell in custody. He’s confessed to killing Brumby." Mac caught her breath, shock slicing through her at the admiral’s news. "Colonel?" "I’m here." "I know it’s a shock, but you need to set that aside for a while. One of the last things Captain Howell said to me before they led him off was that it was too late to stop what was going to happen on the base. I need you and Rabb out there immediately. I’ll contact the base as soon as I get off the phone with you and let them know you’re on your way." "Yes, Sir." He hung up, and Mac set the phone down in time to see Harm coming out of the bathroom, still scrubbing his hair with a towel. She grabbed her cover, and slid her service revolver into her waistband as she slipped into her shoes. "We need to get out to the base." "Why the hurry?" "I’ll explain on the way." Moments later they were in the car, and Mac quickly outlined her conversations with Bud and Admiral Chegwidden. Harm barely seemed surprised when she revealed Mic’s murderer, focusing instead on the current situation. "So… we know that Captain Howell killed Brumby." He paused in thought. "Wait. Do you have the case file handy?" "It’s right here, why?" "I seem to remember Webb mentioning Captain Howell’s first name. Is it in there?" "Hang on a sec. I’ll check." She flipped quickly through the folder, looking for the notes from their briefing with Webb. "His first name is Robert, why? It’s a fairly common name…" "I know, but what if it’s the same Robert that the Colonel’s parents were talking about?" "That would mean that Eaton and Howell know each other, and if Howell killed Mic, and something else is still planned out here… "Yeah…That means Eaton is probably our man." Mac grinned. "You mean ‘our woman’." "Whatever." They reached the base and waited impatiently while the guards at the gate checked their identification. Once through, they sped to the main building and dashed inside, skidding to a stop at the security desk. "Where’s Colonel Eaton?" The urgency in Harm’s voice startled the guard. "I’m not sure. Would you like me to page her?" "No, that’s ok. We’ll find her." Just then, the elevator doors opened, and they dashed inside, jabbing the button that would take them down to Level B. Long seconds later, Harm and Mac emerged into the noisy room, their eyes already scanning for Colonel Eaton. Harm signaled, and he and Mac split up, she going to the right, and he to the left. They worked the room, checking everywhere for the Colonel, but they didn’t see her. When they met back at the elevators, Mac shook her head at Harm. Harm considered for a moment, and then grabbed a headset from a nearby technician. "Can this thing broadcast to the whole room?" "Yes Sir," came the puzzled answer, "But…" "Do it," ordered Harm, standing on a chair and fitting the headset over his ears. "Does anybody know where Colonel Eaton is?" His voice boomed out into the room, and all activity ceased as heads turned their way. A hand went up in the back of the room, and Mac hurried over. "Where is she?" "She said something about having to check some data down in Level A." "Thanks." "Harm, she’s down in Level A!" yelled Mac as she ran back towards him. He jumped down and returned the headset to its owner. Just then, the emergency evacuation alarm sounded, its harsh tones causing the room to erupt into controlled chaos. Not waiting for an explanation, Harm and Mac dashed for the elevators. The doors opened, and Harm nearly ran over General Preston. "What’s going on here?" He asked, his deep voice booming across the hallway and into the data center. "Sir, it’s Eaton," said Harm, trusting that Preston would know immediately what he was referring to. "Come on," said Preston. As soon as the three of them were on the elevator, the general punched the button. On the way down, Harm quickly explained what they had found, and by the time the doors opened again all three officers had their weapons out and ready. The hallway was deserted, the guard desk unattended. The three officers exchanged grim looks, and Preston quickly executed the security code. They pushed through the heavy door. "Take one more step and we’re all dead." Colonel Eaton stood in the middle of the room, a small electronic device clutched tightly in her hand. Harm glanced around the room and noticed small packages attached to the sides of several of the tall data banks that filled the room. "You’re just in time for the big bang," she said. "I had hoped I could finish setting this up before you came down, but it looks like I wasn’t quite fast enough. It’s a good thing I wired the antennas first. I’m almost done now." She glanced at Harm and Mac. "You know, I pulled the evac. alarm to clear the base," she said. "I don’t want to kill anyone. There’s been enough of that already. I even tried to warn you, but I guess it was too much to hope that you would leave after what happened in the cafeteria and at the hotel." She glared at General Preston. "It’s all your fault, you know. You and your cronies. All eager to fight your wars. None of you care about the people who get killed. My brother died fighting one of your wars, and all you people did was say some lame words about honor and country and go back to killing." She looked sadly at the device in her hand and sighed. "It doesn’t matter anymore though. It’ll all be over soon." Harm wasn’t about to let things end this way. There were three of them, and only one of Colonel Eaton. He hoped they could stop this before she pushed that button. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mac signal to him. She started edging her way slowly around the room, working her way behind Colonel Eaton. Harm’s adrenalin notched up even further, but he stayed calm. One wrong move, and they would all be dead. He tried to distract Colonel Eaton hoping he could keep her from noticing what Mac was doing "Why?" he asked. She laughed, but there was no trace of warmth in her voice. "That’s what they always want to know," she said. "Why, Why, Why, …?" She giggled, and Harm knew she was on the edge of losing control. "Does it really matter why?" she asked. "It matters to me," he said, but that only made her laugh again. "Right." Her voice was sarcastic. "I’m supposed to believe that you, a total stranger, care two pennies about what happens to me?!" "Yes," he said firmly. "I do care." That made her laugh even more, and her hand shook on the detonator. Harm caught his breath. The last thing he wanted to do was to make her push that button. "I know exactly how you feel. My father died in Vietnam." Eaton looked vindicated. "Then you know what I’m talking about." Harm noticed that Mac had worked her way almost behind Colonel Eaton. She nodded to him, and Harm started to move very slowly toward the colonel. He sensed General Preston moving, too. Suddenly, Colonel Eaton realized that Mac was gone. She spun around wildly, and Harm jumped to grab her arm, accidentally knocking the detonator free. Time slowed as all four tracked the device with their eyes. He felt Colonel Eaton cringe when it hit the wall and fell to the floor. Nothing happened. Harm sighed in relief, pulling Colonel Eaton’s arms behind her back to keep her from going after the device. "I don’t understand!" she cried out. "It should have worked! Bobby said he checked it out after he caught Brumby with it!" "Well, apparently he told you wrong," Harm said grimly. At that moment, four security guards burst through the door. In seconds, two of them had Colonel Eaton handcuffed and led her from the room. The other two began carefully disconnecting the explosives and removing the small packages from the data banks. Harm and Mac secured their weapons, and Harm turned to the general. "If you will excuse us, Sir, we need to contact our CO and tell him what happened here." Preston nodded. "Dismissed." They were on their way out the door when he spoke again. "Commander Rabb? Colonel Mackenzie?" "Sir?" They stopped and turned. "Good job." "Thank you, Sir." They saluted, and waited until General Preston returned the gesture before leaving the room.
19:00 Zulu (7:00 pm Local)
Harm set his briefcase down and hung his cover on the hook beside the door. Today had been his first day back at the office after the long flight back from Australia. It had a surreal feel to it. Much had happened, and although in many ways his life was still the same as it had always been, much had changed. Brumby was dead. One of America’s most important military installations had almost been destroyed. And, most amazingly of all, he and Mac had finally admitted their feelings for each other. He still couldn’t quite believe that last. Who would have guessed that Brumby’s death would be the catalyst that would finally bring the two of them together? The irony of that would not have been lost on Mic, but Harm felt fairly certain that he would have been ok with it. Harm suspected that Mic had seen things a lot more clearly than anybody had given him credit for. Harm hung up his coat and stepped into the kitchen to start making dinner. Mac would be over soon, and it was a safe bet that she would be hungry when she got there. He and Mac still had a long way to go. They had hurt each other many times, and all of those skeletons would have to be put to rest before they could move forward. He didn’t know where he had finally found the courage to tell her that he loved her, but he was incredibly glad that he had. What a relief it had been to discover that she shared his feelings. It had taken them a ridiculously long time to get to where they were today, and he intended to make sure she knew she wasn’t going to get away from him again. Just then, there was a knock on the door, and he opened it to see Mac standing there. Snow was melting on her shoulders, and a few flakes still gleamed in her dark hair. Her eyes sparkled up at him, bright with the cold, but her smile was warm. Harm reached out and pulled her gently through the door and into his arms before closing it with his foot and zeroing in for a kiss. When he finally raised his head, he kept her close in his arms, amazed at the thought that he finally had the right to do this. He smiled softly. "Hi."
***** The End *****
|
