Season X – Episode 6
"Changed Forever" 
 

By Jared Chapman

  

Disclaimer:  I do not own JAG, or any of its
characters used in this story.  Those of you who
do…please don’t sue me.  I’m just another one of the
thousands of fans who love your shows and I am not
profiting in any way from this story.  Those of you
who read this story…please do not copy or redistribute
it.  You could get me in trouble and that’s just not
nice!  However, if you wish to archive it, please send
me an email and I will be happy to say ok!

  

Rating: PG

  

Category:  Entire series will be Harm/Mac and Other
Romance

  

Spoilers:  A little bit of everything to date.

  

Summary:  Episode 6 of the fictional season entitled
“Season X.”  Cindy’s brother is accused of murder
after one of his recruits dies during training,
leaving Tim and Cindy to defend him.  Meanwhile,
Sergei arrives at Fort Rucker for pilot training and
Harm gets some startling news.

  

Feedback:  jared2142@hotmail.com

  

Archive: BTL

  

  

2140 Local Time

Tuesday 8/27

Parris Island, South Carolina

  

  

---Scene opens in the belly of a Marine Huey
helicopter.  A squad of Marine recruits are preparing
for a nighttime river insertion.  Camera pans in on
one particular recruit, a pale, skinny Marine who
looks like he is getting sick---

  

“Are you alright, Dawes?” a tough looking drill
instructor asks the young recruit.

  

“Sir, yes, Sir!” he replied with a bit of a croak. 
Then he took a quick swallow from his canteen to wet
his throat, which had dried up due to nerves.

  

“Nothing to worry about, son,” the instructor
responded in an uncharacteristically understanding
tone.  He sat down next to Dawes and his name and rank
become visible: Staff Sergeant Thomas.  “Just tuck
your arms like I showed you and when you hit the
water, swim for the north shore.  Got it?”

  

“Yes, Sir.”

  

“Good, let’s do it,” he replied with a quick smile
before rising to his feet and making his way to the
open door of the chopper.  He took a quick look over
the terrain before turning to his squad.

  

“All right, Ladies,” he shouted, now back in drill
instructor mode.  “River insertion is a go.  Move it!”
 The recruits responded quickly, each executing a
nearly perfect jump into the river rushing some twenty
feet below.  A smile of pride crossed the Staff
Sergeant’s face when the last two recruits made their
jumps and he followed closely behind them.  Within
minutes the squad had assembled on the opposite shore
and the instructor took a quick mental count.

  

“Where is recruit Dawes?” he demanded when the young
Marine was not found among them.  There was no answer
as the other recruits scanned the water for their
squad mate.

  

“Drill Sergeant, I see him,” came the call from one of
the recruits.  “There in the river,” he called
pointing to a large mass floating down stream.

  

“Robbins, Mitchell, and Gibbs, with me,” Thomas
bellowed, reacting quickly.  The three recruits he
called quickly followed the drill instructor into the
water and helped to drag the unconscious recruit to
shore.  When they made it to shore, Thomas quickly
checked for a pulse.

  

“Is he going to be ok, Sir?”  The Sergeant stood
slowly and turned to face his men.

  

“No, he’s dead,” came the pained reply.

  

  

---Cut to opening credits---

  

  

0925 Local Time

Thursday 8/29

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

  

It was fairly slow for this time of the morning in the
JAG bullpen.  Everyone had been working quietly at his
or her desks in the past hour since the Admiral’s
arrival.  Gunnery Sergeant Victor Galindez was just
standing to get another cup of coffee when he noticed
the elevator doors opening on the other side of the
room.  His face curled into a sly smile when he saw
the Marine that emerged thru the doors.  ‘Wait until
the Commander sees this,’ he thought with a quiet
chuckle.  As the officer came closer, Gunny gave him a
crisp salute.

  

“Welcome, Captain Rabb!” he said enthusiastically when
Sergei returned the salute.

  

“It’s good to see you, Gunny.  Is my brother in this
morning?”

  

“Yes, Sir.  He’s in his office with Colonel
Mackenzie,” Gunny replied.

  

“Thank you,” he said, quickly turning and making his
way towards Harm’s office.

  

  

---Cut to inside Harm’s office---

  

  

“Harm, why don’t you just give it up?” Mac said with a
sigh of exasperation.  “You and I both know that he’s
guilty and this deal is a gift.”  Her exasperation
grew when she turned to find him grinning at her with
an unmistakable glint in his eye.  “Oh, no.  Don’t you
even start that, Commander…” she started to protest,
but before she could, he was up and around the desk. 
His arms went around her waist and his lips came down
on hers so swiftly that even her Marine instincts
couldn’t prevent it.  This kiss lasted for a few
seconds before Harm let her go and looked down at her.

  

“You’re so beautiful when you’re angry,” he said with
a mischievous smile.  She smiled back at him for just
a moment to let him think that he had won, then, in a
quick flash she wrenched his arm and flipped him on
his back.  Harm just lay on the floor staring up at
her in total shock.

  

“That’s not the only thing I am when I’m angry,
Commander,” she said in a stern tone, but she couldn’t
help the smile that came across her face.

  

“I guess I need to remember who the Marine is in this
relationship,” he teased as she pulled him up from the
floor and put a quick kiss on his lips.

  

“That might be a good idea,” she replied.  They were
interrupted by a knock at the door.  Harm quickly
wiped the lipstick from his lips and straightened his
uniform.

  

“Enter.”  A moment later the door opened and Sergei
walked into the office and came to attention.

  

“Captain Rabb reporting,” he said crisply.  Harm’s
smile instantly went to a thousand watts.  At that
moment he knew what it was like to be a proud brother.

  

“At ease,” he replied.

  

“Good morning, Colonel,” Sergei said, acknowledging
the other superior officer in the room.

  

“Good morning, Sergei,” she replied.  “Marine green
looks good on you.  Much better than say, white or
blue,” she said, poking at Harm.

  

“Hey, you do what you have to in order to fly, right
Sergei?” Harm replied coolly.

  

“Yes, Sir,” Sergei said with a smile.  Mac just rolled
her eyes at both of them and headed for the door.

  

“I’m out of here before the mixture of jet fuel and
testosterone in this room causes any permanent
damage,” she said, causing both Rabbs to laugh.  “Why
don’t you join the Commander and me for lunch,
Captain?  I want to here all about your retraining,”
she said, turning at the doorway.

  

“Yes, Ma’am.”

  

  

---Cut to Cindy’s office – Same time---

  

  

“Good morning, Cindy,” Lieutenant Tim Alton greeted
his friend from the door of her office.

  

“Good morning,” she replied, not looking up from the
file she was reading.  Tim walked over to her desk and
set a tall cup of coffee in front of her before
sitting down.

  

“Mocha chino,” he said when she finally looked up.

  

“Thank you.”

  

“You’re welcome,” he replied with a smile, then
motioned to the file she had been studying so
intently.  “Still trying to figure out how to beat me
and the Colonel on the Zimmer case?” he asked with a
smug smile.

  

“No, that was easy,” she replied, returning his
banter.  “I’m just working on something else a little
more challenging.”

  

“I see…” he started to reply when the phone on her
desk rang.

  

“Captain Thomas,” she said into the receiver.

  

“Bob, it’s so good to hear from you,” she said
excitedly when she heard her brother’s voice on the
other end of the line.  Then her expression turned to
dread as moments passed while she only listened.

  

“Ok, I’ll do everything I can to get down there,” she
said quickly before hanging up the phone.  Tim was
about to ask her about the call, but she blew out the
door before he could even open his mouth.

  

  

---Cut to Admiral’s office – Ten minutes later---

  

  

Cindy had been waiting impatiently in one of the
chairs outside of the Admiral’s office for about ten
minutes when she heard his voice come over the
intercom on Tiner’s desk.

  

“Tiner, send Captain Thomas in.”

  

“Aye, Sir,” he replied.  “You can go in now, Ma’am.”

  

“Thank you, Tiner,” she said as she quickly
disappeared behind the large oak doors.

  

“Come in, Captain.  Have a seat,” A.J. greeted her. 
By the look on his face, she could tell that her CO
already knew why she had come.  “I take it this is
about your brother?”

  

“Yes, Sir.  He just called me a few minutes ago to see
if I could represent him.  You already know about the
case, Sir?”

  

“I just got the file this morning.  It seems that the
JAG investigators down south wrapped up the
investigation yesterday morning.  Their report is
recommending a court-martial.  I’ve already assigned
Commander Imes and Lieutenant Singer to represent the
government,” he replied matter-of-factly.

  

“With your permission, Sir, I’d like to defend him.”

  

“Permission denied…” he started to reply.

  

“But, Sir…”

  

“Let me finish, Captain Thomas,” he said in an
understanding tone.  “Staff Sergeant Thomas needs
someone who can look at this from the outside.  You
are just too close to this case for me to assign you
as defense counsel.  However, I will allow you to sit
second chair on the condition that you let your
co-counsel handle the courtroom.  You can help with
preparation and any investigative work that the case
may require.”

  

“Thank you, Sir.  Does Commander Rabb know about
this?”

  

“No, Commander Rabb and Colonel Mackenzie are going to
be tied up this week with the interrogation of the
captured terrorist from the consulate attack. 
Lieutenant Alton will be lead counsel on this case. 
I’ll leave it to you to brief him,” he replied,
handing her a copy of the file.  “That will be all. 
Dismissed.”

  

“Aye, Sir.  Thank you, Sir,” she replied with an
inward, sigh of relief.  At least she would be able to
help, and next to Harm and Mac there was no one she
would trust more than Tim to help her brother.

  

  

---Cut to Tim’s office – thirty minutes later---

  

  

“Knock, knock,” came a soft voice from the doorway,
lifting Tim’s nose from the file he was working on.

  

“Hey,” he replied just as softly when he saw the look
on Cindy’s face.  Something was definitely wrong. 
“You want to talk about it?” he asked, motioning to a
chair in front of his desk.

  

“Not really, but I don’t have much of a choice,” she
replied, handing him the file for their new case.  He
browsed thru it quickly and one of the first things
that caught his attention was the name.

  

“Staff Sergeant Robert Thomas…” he said out loud, his
eyes growing wide with horror at the realization. 
“Murder?” he asked, looking up to meet her eyes.

  

“One of his recruits died a few nights ago during a
river insertion.  Poison was found in his body and a
bottle of the same poison was found in my brother’s
quarters.  The phone call I took when you were in my
office earlier was him calling me to defend him.”

  

“When do you leave?” he asked automatically.

  

“The admiral won’t let me defend him myself.  He says
I’m too close for my brother’s good,” she said with a
pained expression.  “He’s assigning you to defend him.
 I am going to sit second chair and help you with prep
work and any investigating that needs to be done.  Not
to mention just the moral support for Bob.”  The color
instantly drained from Tim’s face when the information
sank in.  He would be defending the brother of the
woman who was quickly becoming his closest friend
against a murder charge.  Thankfully he was able to
get a grip on himself quickly and he walked over to
Cindy and took both of her hands.

  

“You know I’ll do everything I can to clear his name,
don’t you?” he asked with a gentle squeeze to her
hands.

  

“I know,” she responded softly.  She looked up into
his eyes and found pure determination there.  “We’ll
do it together.”

  

  

---Cut to Commercials---

  

  

1232 Local Time

Thursday 8/29

Beltway Burgers

Washington, D.C.

  

“This is appalling,” Harm said with a look of
disapproval.  He was currently watching Mac and Sergei
gorge themselves on super double cheeseburgers, which
were seeping all kinds of gooey looking toppings.

  

“What is so appalling about eating cheeseburgers?”
Sergei asked innocently, causing Mac to burst out
laughing.

  

“It’s appalling to see the two people that I care
about most in the world clogging their arteries with
fat right before my eyes,” he replied.  Mac laughed
even harder at this causing Harm to wonder what had
gotten into her.  He fixed her with a disapproving
stare, as if to say: “What’s your problem?”  After a
few moments, Mac calmed down a little and caught his
stare.

  

“Hey, Navy, do you realize that you just said the two
most important people in your life were Marines?” 
Harm just rolled his eyes at the comment.  “Can’t they
kick you out of the Navy for that?  Or maybe take away
your Tomcat privileges?” she continued teasing him. 
His eyes instantly went wide with mock horror and he
covered his wings with a protective hand, causing both
Marines to dissolve into laughter again.

  

“Like a little kid when you threaten to take away the
TV,” Mac laughed as she continued to dig at him.

  

“Ha, Ha.  Ok you two, I’m sorry I even said anything,”
Harm said with a smile, conceding defeat.

  

“Ok, tell us about your time at Quantico, Sergei,” Mac
said after they were done laughing at Harm.  Sergei
had just returned from three weeks of intense
retraining that was necessary for him to be
transferred from the Russian Army into the Marine
Corp.

  

“It wasn’t at all like I expected,” he replied, a
little embarrassed at the attention.  “The physical
training was very similar to what we went thru in
Russia, but the technology and the weapons are far
superior and the instructors are much tougher in the
Marines.”

  

“Have you received your next assignment?” Harm asked.

  

“Yes, I leave on Sunday for Fort Rucker in Alabama to
start my Apache training,” he replied, his whole face
instantly lighting up at the thought of flying.  Mac
chuckled to herself. ‘Yep, definitely brothers.’

  

“Isn’t Fort Rucker an Army base?” Harm asked
curiously.

  

“Yes it is.  The Marines have only just started to use
Apaches in the last two years.  All of the training is
still done by the Army until the Marines have enough
combat experienced pilots to do the training
themselves,” Sergei replied.

  

“Army pilots training Marines. Now that’s going to be
interesting,” Harm replied thoughtfully.

  

  

---Cut to Navy issue car – somewhere in North
Carolina---

  

  

After several hours of riding in silence, Tim was
beginning to worry about the Marine sitting next to
him.  He had been doing the driving and Cindy had
spent the time starring out the window and off into
space.  In the few months he had known her, he had
never seen her look so lost, and with good reason.  He
couldn’t imagine what it must be like to have someone
you love be put on trial for murder.  He didn’t know
what to say to her, so he had left her to her thoughts
up until now.

  

“Cindy?” he asked softly.

  

“Hmm?”

  

“Are you getting hungry?  There’s a little town coming
up in a few minutes.  We could stop for lunch.”

  

“That’s fine,” she replied, never looking over, her
gaze still fixed on the highway passing beneath them.

  

“Hey,” he said, reaching over and putting his hand
lightly on her shoulder.  This finally brought her
head around and the look in her eyes was chilling.  He
could see clearly that the strong Marine that he had
come to admire so much was scared to death.  “I’ve got
two good ears you know,” he said, trying but mostly
failing to give her a reassuring smile.  “It might
help to talk about it.”  At that she smiled back just
a little.

  

“Thanks, but I’m not sure what I need to talk about,”
she replied honestly.  She knew what they needed to do
and she really wasn’t sure what made this hurt so
much.  She knew that her brother was innocent and that
they should be able to help him.  It wasn’t that she
was scared of losing the case; it was something deeper
than that.

  

“Why don’t you tell me about him?  I can tell that he
really means a lot to you.”

  

“Ok,” she replied.

  

“Is he older or younger than you?”

  

“Older by three years.  He was the one who always
protected me when we were growing up.  We used to hike
together in the mountains to the south of our hometown
every summer, just the two of us.  I’ve got three
other brothers, but Bob was the one I grew the closest
to.  He always seemed to know what to say to make me
feel better when anything went wrong in my life,” she
said, smiling thoughtfully at the memories that came
so naturally.

  

“Is he the reason that you decided to join the
Marines?” Tim asked.  He noted that she seemed to be
doing better just talking and he wanted to keep her
going.

  

“Yeah, he left Montana behind right after graduation
to join.  He had been talking about being a soldier
for as long as I can remember.  When he came home that
first time in his perfect uniform, he looked so happy.
 It was his dream to be a Marine, and it made me so
proud to see him accomplish it.  Years later, it was
Bob that told me about the JAG Corp.  I was practicing
civilian law at the time, but I was bored.  When I
told Bob about it, he suggested that I try the Corp. 
I told him that I didn’t think I had what it took to
be a Marine, but he just looked me right in the eyes
and said: ‘Of course you’ve got what it takes, Kiddo. 
You’re MY sister after all!’  Cindy let out a laugh as
she related the story and Tim laughed right along with
her, glad that she was feeling better.

  

“He sure sounds like a Marine!”

  

“You have no idea,” she replied.

  

  

---Cut to Harm’s apartment – later that evening---

  

  

“That was delicious, Flyboy,” Mac said as she helped
him clear the table.

  

“Better, even, than my meatless meatloaf?” he asked in
mock disbelief.

  

“Not a chance.  You know that will always be my
favorite,” she replied sarcastically, as they set
their used dishes in the kitchen.  She then took the
opportunity to wrap her arms around his waist and pull
herself into his arms.  “It’s so nice to be like
this,” she whispered against his neck.

  

“Tell me about it,” he replied, leaning down and
placing butterfly kisses on her checks and nose before
capturing her lips for a brief moment.  “And not just
the new stuff, either.  I love having our friendship
back and all of the things that go with it,” he added
softly.  “I missed that so much.”

  

“Me too,” she replied, looking up into his eyes.  He
only held her gaze for a moment before he looked away.
 In that moment, though, the observant Marine caught a
glimpse of hidden pain behind his eyes.

  

“What is it, Harm?” she asked, not sure if she really
wanted to know the answer.  He didn’t reply for a
moment and his arms relaxed a little bit around her.

  

“I want to tell you how sorry I am, Mac,” he said
suddenly, his eyes locked with hers again.

  

“Sorry for what?” she asked.  She couldn’t remember
anything he’d done to make her angry in the last
couple of days.  ‘Why is he apologizing to me?’

  

“For everything,” he replied quietly, his voice just
above a whisper.  “For all of the things that I did to
push you away and to make you think that I didn’t love
you.  For going back to flying, for Sydney Harbor, for
taking so long to realize that I love you…” he said,
everything coming out in one big breath.  Mac didn’t
let him finish, though.  She put a finger to his lips
to stop the rush of words and then she looked up at
him with a soft smile.

  

“Don’t apologize, Harm.  I’ve done just as much to
push you away as you have ever done to push me.  But,
none of that matters anymore.  Sure, some of those
things that you mentioned did hurt me, and sometimes I
can’t help but remember them.  The thing is, every
single thing that has happened between us from the
moment we met is a part of who we are.  Those things
are part of the man I love, and now that I finally
have him, I don’t want to change anything about him,”
she said forcefully, holding back the tears forming in
her brown eyes.  “I love you, and we are together now.
 Let’s not let the past hold us back.”

  

“Have I told you how amazing you are?” he replied, an
expression of awe on his handsome features.  Her mouth
curled into a wicked smile and she winked at him.

  

“Not today, but now is as good a time as any,” she
said.  A patented flyboy grin was her reward and she
soon found herself in his arms once again.  ‘You were
worth the wait,’ she thought to herself as she lost
herself in the warmth of his embrace.

  

  

---Cut to Brig – Parris Island, SC---

  

After taking only a few minutes to stow their gear in
the VOQ, Tim and Cindy decided to visit her brother
quickly that evening before calling it a night.  As
they walked down the hall lined with cells, the grim
reality of their situation hit home just a little bit
harder.  They shared a brief glance before turning to
enter their client’s cell, Cindy first and then Tim.

  

“Hey, Kiddo,” came the familiar voice as Cindy and Tim
made their way into her brother’s cell.  When he
realized that she wasn’t there by herself, he quickly
snapped to.  “Officer on deck, ten hut.”

  

“At ease,” Tim replied.  When he was relaxed, Cindy
made her way over to hug her brother.

  

“Hey, big brother.  It’s good to see you,” she said.

  

“Yeah, though I wish it were under better
circumstances,” he replied.

  

“Bob, I’d like you to meet, Lieutenant Tim Alton,” she
said.  “Lieutenant Alton is going to be lead counsel
in your defense,” she explained.

  

“What about you?” he asked before turning towards Tim.
 “No offense, Lieutenant.”

  

“None taken, Staff Sergeant.  Admiral Chegwidden
thought that it would be to your benefit to have
someone who wasn’t so close to you as lead counsel. 
Captain Thomas will be working closely with me on the
case and she will be right next to you during the
court martial,” he explained further.  Bob looked to
his sister with the obvious question in his eyes.

  

“Don’t worry, Bob.  I trust him.  We are going to
prove that you didn’t do it,” she said sincerely.  The
simple statement meant so much to both of the men in
the room, though in totally different ways.  The Staff
Sergeant was just glad to hear that he could trust his
new attorney, while Tim was touched that Cindy had
that much faith in him.  For just a moment, no one
said anything as the three soldiers just took one
another in.  It was Tim that finally broke the
silence.

  

“Ok, Staff Sergeant.  Let’s get to work.”

  

“Where do we start?”

  

“Why don’t you tell us about recruit Dawes?” Tim
asked.

  

“He was a good recruit overall.  He had a good
attitude, he was disciplined, and he truly wanted to
be a Marine.  He was a little on the weak side
physically, but he made up for it and then some with
raw determination.  He was going to be a good Marine,”
the Staff Sergeant responded, the weight of his last
sentence hanging in the air.

  

“So, you didn’t have any personal problems with
Dawes?”

  

“No, Sir.”

  

“Do you know of anyone else that might have, Bob? 
Like maybe one of his fellow recruits?” Cindy jumped
in.

  

“Not that I know of.  He seemed to get along with just
about everyone.  That’s what doesn’t make sense.  I
could see if there had been some kind of accident or
something like that, but I can’t think of a reason in
the world why someone would kill that kid on purpose.”

  

“Tell us about the River insertion, Staff Sergeant,”
Tim asked, deciding to move on.

  

“It was as routine an insertion as I’ve had with
recruits, Sir.  I have a real good squad this session
and they all did me proud on the river insertion,
including Dawes.  He was a little nervous before the
jump, but I talked to him and calmed him down.  After
that, he executed a nearly perfect jump.  When we
found him floating in the river, I just couldn’t
understand it.  That is until Colonel Drexel told me
about the poison.”

  

“The poison that was found in Dawes’ body matched
poison from a bottle found amongst your things.  How
do you explain that?”

  

“I can’t, Sir.  I keep the poison to kill the rats
that we get here on the island.  They’re everywhere
and if we don’t stay on them, they just take over the
place.”

  

“So, someone must have gotten into your quarters and
taken some of the poison,” Cindy interjected.

  

“That’s the only thing that I can think of,” was all
that Bob Thomas could offer in response.

  

“Ok, Staff Sergeant.  That will be all for tonight. 
We’ll come back to this tomorrow,” Tim said, standing
to leave.

  

“Aye, Sir,” Bob replied, standing as the two
attorney’s left the room.  Cindy paused for a moment
at the door and offered her brother a reassuring smile
and a wink.

  

“Don’t worry, big brother.  We’ve got you.”

  

“Yes, Ma’am.”

  

  

---Cut to Commercials---

  

  

0535 Local Time

Monday 9/2

Flight Line

Fort Rucker, Alabama

  

It would still be at least an hour before the sun made
its first appearance on the horizon, signifying the
start of a new day.  Today it would signify something
else as well.  Today, Captain Sergei Rabb would be
back in the cockpit of an attack helicopter, a place
the young man felt he was born to be.

  

Naturally, he couldn’t sleep with his first day back
in the air so close at hand.  It had been months since
he’d soared in the clear blue Russian sky and the
anticipation was running high within him.  But, it
wasn’t just the need to fly or the thrill of the fight
that was driving him this time.  As the young man
walked slowly down the flight line, which was adorned
proudly with the most feared helicopters in the world,
he wore the uniform of his new country.  A uniform
that so closely resembled his father’s and his
brother’s uniforms.  A uniform that so emphatically
represented everything that he’d dreamed of as a
child.  He could not help but walk proudly, his head
held just a little higher than normal.  Yes, his
brother was proud and his father would be too.

  

As he made it to the end of the flight line, he walked
up to the Apache on the end of the row and placed his
hands on the cool metal of the fuselage.  At that
moment, the young man became fully aware of the
awesome opportunity and the tremendous responsibility
he would have this day and a cool smile played across
his lips.  Then he looked at the machine as though it
were the best friend he had ever known.

  

“Today, we will fly for America, you and I,” he said
softly, giving the helicopter a soft pat before
turning and heading back up the flight line, his
strong silhouette standing out against the rising sun.

  

  

---Cut to random office – Parris Island – later that
morning---

  

  

“Thank you, Robbins.  That will be all,” Cindy said to
the young recruit that she and Tim had just finished
interviewing.  When he was gone from the room, the two
officers exchanged an exasperated look.  They had
interviewed all but one of Dawes’ squad-mates and not
one of them had any new information to offer.  The
evidence against their client was on the border
between solid and circumstantial.  The poison found in
the victim did match the poison found in the Staff
Sergeant’s quarters, but his fingerprints hadn’t been
found on the canteen.  However, the canteen had gone
into the river with Dawes, so finding fingerprints was
nearly impossible.  As both attorney’s mulled over the
evidence in their minds, they heard a knock at the
door.

  

“Enter,” Tim called out.  When the door opened, a
young Hispanic recruit made his way into the room and
stood at attention.

  

“Recruit Hernandez?” Cindy asked.

  

“Ma’am, yes, Ma’am.”

  

“At ease, and have a seat.”

  

“Yes, Ma’am,” the recruit replied and did as she
instructed.  Tim instantly noticed that there was
something different about this recruit.

  

“You look a little nervous, Hernandez,” he said
calmly, fixing an intent stare on the younger man.

  

“A little, Sir,” the recruit replied weakly.

  

“Why is that?” Cindy asked softly, deciding that she
would play good cop on this one.

  

“Ma’am, I don’t think that the Staff Sergeant is
guilty.  He was hard on us, sure.  But, he always
watched out for us.  Especially with Dawes.”

  

“Why more so with Dawes?”

  

“Because he was weaker than the rest of us, Ma’am.  He
didn’t hold us down, but it took a lot of extra effort
for him to keep up with us during training.  Staff
Sergeant Thomas never gave any of us any slack, but he
used to encourage Dawes when he really needed it.”

  

“Ok, if it wasn’t the Staff Sergeant, can you think of
anyone else who might want to kill Dawes?” Tim asked.

  

“No, Sir.  Everyone liked Dawes.  He used to tell the
best jokes and he always went out of his way to help
the rest of us when he could.  It just doesn’t make
sense,” he replied.  “Unless…” he started to add, then
stopped.

  

“Oh no, recruit,” Cindy exclaimed.  “Spit it out. 
What are you thinking?”

  

“It might be nothing, Ma’am, but I remember seeing
Colonel Drexel coming out of the Staff Sergeant’s
quarters an hour or so before we were to depart on the
river insertion.  I didn’t think anything about it at
the time.  The Colonel wouldn’t have any reason to
kill a recruit, would he, Ma’am?” he finished, looking
right at Cindy.

  

“Probably not.  Is that all, recruit?” she responded.

  

“Yes, Ma’am.  That’s all I know.”

  

“Very well, dismissed.”

  

“Aye, Ma’am,” he replied, spinning on his heals and
exiting the room.  When he was gone, Tim and Cindy
exchanged a knowing look.

  

“Let’s go have a little chat with the Colonel,” Tim
suggested.

  

“Right behind you, Lieutenant.”

  

  

---Cut to classroom – Fort Rucker – Same time---

  

  

Sergei walked into the designated classroom ten
minutes before the time the instructors had scheduled
for the beginning of training.  This gave him a chance
to size up the other members of the squadron.  In all
there were twelve Marines and twelve Army officers
assigned to this training squadron and the resentment
between the two services didn’t escape Sergei’s
attention.  The Army officers, six pilots and six
gunners were all congregated to one side of the room
while their Marine counterparts took over the other. 
Sergei didn’t really understand what this was about,
but Harm had told him to expect as much and he decided
not to think about it.  Slowly he made his way over to
the Marines at the far side of the room.  He noticed,
as he got closer that some of the Marines shared his
rank of Captain, while others were only Lieutenants. 
When he reached the group, one of the young
Lieutenants noticed him.

  

“Good morning, Sir.  My name is Lieutenant Rick
Wilkins,” the young man said with a distinct Texas
drawl.

  

“It’s nice to meet you, Lieutenant.  I’m Captain
Sergei Rabb,” he replied.  Suddenly all of the other
Marines and even a few of the Army officers were
staring at him.  For a moment he forgot how strange it
must sound to them to hear a Russian accent from a US
Marine.

  

“Sir, I know I’ve got quite an accent myself, but
would you mind tellin’ us where you got that from?”
Wilkins asked, causing Sergei and some of the others
to laugh.

  

“I’m half Russian, Lieutenant.  I just transferred
from the Russian Army,” he replied.  This was enough
explanation for the other Marines, but one hot shot
looking Army pilot decided to make a comment.

  

“That’s what it takes to fill up the Marine Corp,” he
said loudly, though to no one in particular.  “They’re
importing Commies now,” he finished with a grunt.  A
few of the other Army boys laughed, though some of
them turned away and pretended not to hear.  Sergei
took a step toward the officer in question, but an
older looking Marine Captain put his hand on the young
man’s shoulder to stop him.

  

“Don’t worry about them, Captain Rabb.  We’ll be
seeing them in air to air in a few days anyway.”

  

“He’s right, Sir,” Wilkins piped up.  “I heard we are
going to be going against the Army in several drills. 
You can show him then.”

  

“Thanks,” Sergei said, shaking both men’s hands.

  

“Welcome to the Marines, Captain.  Hoo-rah,” Wilkins
replied, causing all of the other Marines to respond
with their own: “Hoo-rah.”  Just then, three Army
instructors walked into the room and the young pilots
took their seats.  The senior of the three
instructors, who wore the eagles of a full Colonel,
addressed the squadron.

  

“Welcome to Fort Rucker, Gentlemen,” he began with a
gravelly voice.  The Colonel was a short man who
looked to be in his mid fifties and his uniform bore
the unique ribbon of a Vietnam veteran.  “My name is
Colonel Mike Taft.  To my right is Major David Baxter
and to my left is Major Greg Tillis.  We will be your
instructors for the next six weeks as you learn to fly
the single most deadly helicopter ever created.  As
I’m sure each of you has noticed, this is a mixed
service training squadron.  Six Army pilots and six
gunners and Six Marine Corp pilots and gunners will
make up the squadron.  I expect both sides to behave
in a manner reflective of your status as officers.  We
are all on the same side, Gentlemen,” he said, taking
a moment to scan the room and make eye contact with
each of the men in the room.  “Major Tillis will be in
command of the Marines and will fly with you on each
of your missions.  Major Baxter will be in command of
the Army pilots and will also accompany you on your
missions.  That will be all, for now.  See your
respective commanders for your flight pairings.  We
have our first hop in one hour.  Good luck gentlemen,”
the Colonel finished and walked swiftly out the door. 
When he was gone, Major Tillis approached the Marines.

  

“Enjoy this while it lasts, Marines,” he said evenly. 
For a moment there was no response, until Lieutenant
Wilkins, who was already proving to be the outspoken
one of the bunch, spoke up.

  

“Enjoy what, Sir?”

  

“The wonderful feeling of being lead by a real
soldier,” he responded seriously, looking at each one
of them, and then cracking into a big smile.  “After
this you’ll have to settle for fellow Marines,” he
said, now obviously joking.  Most of the Marines
laughed with him, and Sergei decided that he liked the
Major already.

  

“Come on Marines, let’s meet in my office and discuss
assignments,” he said leading them from the room.

  

  

---Cut to Parris Island – Headquarters building – same
time---

  

  

“Good morning, Colonel,” Tim said as he and Cindy
entered the office of Colonel Drexel, the commanding
officer at Parris Island.  Colonel Drexel was a tall,
well built Marine in his late fifties; an intimidating
figure to be sure.

  

“Good morning, Lieutenant, Captain,” he replied in a
deep booming voice, greeting both JAG officers.  “I
hear you have some questions for me.”

  

“Yes, Sir,” Cindy replied.

  

“You are the Staff Sergeant’s sister, aren’t you,
Captain?” he asked, surprising Cindy just a little.

  

“Yes, I am, Sir.”

  

“Your brother is a good man and a fine Marine.  What
can I do to help,” he said seriously.

  

“Well, Sir, what do you know about the recruit that
died?”

  

“Not all that much, really.  We have several hundred
recruits on this island at one time.  I can’t really
keep them all straight.  I do know from the
investigation that his name was Brian Dawes and that
he comes from Oklahoma.  Beyond that, I don’t know how
much help I can be.”

  

“So, you didn’t know Dawes personally, Sir?” Tim
asked.

  

“No I did not.”

  

“Sir, can you explain what you were doing in Staff
Sergeant Thomas’ quarters on the night of murder?” Tim
asked in an innocent tone.  He didn’t want the Colonel
to feel as though he were being accused, especially
since they had no hard evidence to prove that he had
been involved.  It didn’t work, however.  The
Colonel’s face instantly went red with rage.

  

“What are you accusing me of, Lieutenant?  You think I
poisoned that recruit?” he demanded, standing and
leaning over his desk to glare at Tim.  This reaction
caused Tim’s suspicions to grow and fresh idea to pop
into his mind.  He decided to diffuse the situation
and get out of there so that they could hash out this
new theory.

  

“I’m not accusing you of anything, Sir.  One of the
recruits witnessed you leaving the Staff Sergeant’s
quarters on the night of the murder.  You understand I
have to get your alibi, or I wouldn’t be doing my
job,” Tim said, never flinching for a moment.  This
fact along with his cool words caused the old Colonel
to back down.  He wasn’t used to being unable to
intimidate someone, and he realized that his reaction
didn’t reflect very well on himself.

  

“Understood, Lieutenant.  The recruit you spoke with
must have been mistaken.  I wasn’t in the Staff
Sergeant’s quarters that night.  I never left the
office here from lunch that day until the word came in
from the river insertion.”

  

“Thank you, Sir,” Tim replied.  “May we give you a
call if we have anything further?”

  

“Of course, Lieutenant.  I’m here to help in any way I
can.”

  

“Thank you, Sir,” they both replied, turning to leave.
 As they walked together across the base towards the
brig, Cindy noticed that Tim was deep in thought.

  

“What’s going on up there, Lieutenant?” she asked,
pointing at his head.  He smiled at that before he
replied.

  

“I’m just thinking that maybe we are looking for the
wrong thing here.”

  

“How so?”

  

“Well, what if Brian Dawes wasn’t the target in this
murder?”

  

“Ok, say he isn’t the target.  Then who is and why
aren’t they dead, yet?” she replied, not understanding
his meaning.

  

“What if the target is your brother?  What if Colonel
Drexel has some reason for wanting your brother put in
Leavenworth?” he replied, causing Cindy’s jaw to drop.
 Now she understood what he was saying and her mind
began to race at the same speed as Tim’s.

  

“Let’s go talk to my brother.”

  

  

---Cut to Commercials---

  

  

0834 Local Time

Wednesday 9/4

Flight Line

Fort Rucker, Alabama

  

“Good morning, Gentleman,” Colonel Taft greeted the
squadron of Apache pilots.  “After two days of getting
to know your new aircraft, it’s now time to test your
combat skills,” he said causing of brief murmur to
spread thru the squadron.  “Today we will be
conducting an air to air combat training exercise. 
The Marines, lead by Major Tillis, will deploy from
the north and meet the Army, lead by Major Baxter,
coming from the south.  The simulation software in
your helicopter will let you know if you have been
hit.  If you are shot down during the exercise, return
to base immediately.  The side with the most kills
wins.  Let’s move out,” he said, causing the pilots to
scramble to their choppers.  Sergei climbed into the
rear pilot seat of his Apache and soon young
Lieutenant Wilkins had climbed aboard in the front
gunner’s seat.

  

“Are you ready for this, Lieutenant?” Sergei asked the
young gunner.  While he had had a large amount of
combat experience in the Russian Army, Wilkins had
none.

  

“Ready as I’ll ever be, Sir.  Yee-ha!” he exclaimed
excitedly, causing Sergei to laugh as he started the
Apache.

  

“Hang on to your hat, Cowboy,” he replied, coming up
with Wilkins call sign just like that.

  

“Yes, Sir.”  With that Sergei lifted the Apache off of
the ground and fell in beside Major Tillis in the lead
Apache.

  

“Marine 1, this is Marine 2,” he said over the radio. 
“Sir, your Marines are in line and ready to kick some
Army butt,” he joked, causing the Major to laugh and
roll his eyes.

  

“Marine 2, let’s see what you Marines are made of,” he
replied, rolling to the right and heading for the
battlefield.  Sergei followed his lead, closely
followed by the other five Apaches.  Ten minutes
later, they entered the battlefield, but they saw no
sign of the Army half of the squadron.

  

“This is Marine 1.  Keep your eyes open gentlemen. 
They’re here somewhere.”

  

“Twelve hundred yards ahead, Marine 1, behind those
hills,” Sergei replied, matter-of-factly.

  

“How do you know, Marine 2?”

  

“Gut feeling, Marine 1,” he replied.

  

“Well, what are you waiting for?  Go kill some of
them, Comrade,” Tillis replied, giving Sergei his call
sign.

  

“Here we go, Cowboy,” Sergei said to his gunner as he
kicked the Apache into gear and approached the hills
from the long way around.  The other Marines followed
suit and in moments he was proven right and they
jumped the Army choppers from behind.

  

“Yee-ha,” Cowboy yelled as he lit up one of the Army
helicopters and put him out of the exercise.  Just
then a warning sounded in the cockpit of their Apache.

  

“Comrade, you’ve got Army all over your six,” Major
Tillis called out on the radio.  Sergei never even
flinched.  He immediately took the helicopter into a
steep climb and then a hard left bank, testing the
Army pilot’s ability to stay with him.  Then they
approached a large hill on the left and Sergei let the
Army pilot draw closer, then as they went over the
hill, Sergei ducked the Apache down, causing the Army
pilot to fly right over.

  

“He’s all yours Cowboy,” he said coolly as he pulled
behind the other Apache.  The Army pilot tried to
shake him, but it was no use.  Sergei had seen enough
combat to know how to stick to a mark, and that’s
exactly what he did.  In another few seconds his
gunner had painted the Army chopper and they had their
second kill.  Then Major Tillis’ voice came over the
radio.

  

“Five of the Army’s choppers are down and the rest are
bugging out and going home.  Round one to the
Marines,” he said, causing a chorus of “Hoo-rah’s” to
flood the radio waves.  Sergei just smiled as they
turned the choppers back toward the base.

  

  

---Cut to courtroom – JAG Headquarters – latter that
morning---

  

  

The trial of Marine Staff Sergeant Robert Thomas had
begun the previous day with the prosecution’s case. 
Commander Imes and Lieutenant Singer had built a
surprisingly solid case against the Staff Sergeant and
had managed to present it in just one day.  Now, it
was Tim’s job to convince the members that what they
had heard on Tuesday was nothing more than an
incorrect assessment of the evidence.

  

“Recruit Hernandez, did Staff Sergeant Thomas treat
his men well?” Tim asked, now in the middle of
questioning their key witness.

  

“Yes, Sir, he sure did.”

  

“What about Brian Dawes?  Did he treat him well?”

  

“Yes, Sir.  He helped Dawes a lot during training.  He
was weaker than most of us, but he tried really hard
and the Sergeant was helping him to make it as a
Marine.”

  

“Do you think the staff sergeant killed Dawes?” he
asked.

  

“No, Sir,” Hernandez replied.

  

“Recruit Hernandez, did the recruits have access to
Staff Sergeant’s quarters?”

  

“No, Sir.  The staff sergeant always kept his quarters
locked.”

  

“Did anyone besides the staff sergeant have a key to
his quarters?”

  

“Yes, Sir, Colonel Drexel does.”

  

“And how do you know this?”

  

“Because I saw the Colonel coming out of Staff
Sergeant Thomas’ room on the night of the murder,
Sir.”

  

“No further questions.”  At this Commander Imes stood
and walked towards the witness.

  

“Recruit Hernandez, you say you saw Colonel Drexel
coming out of the staff sergeant’s quarters on the
night of the murder.  Did you see what he was doing
there?”

  

“No, Ma’am.”

  

“So, he could have just been looking for the staff
sergeant.  Isn’t that right?”

  

“I suppose so, Ma’am.”

  

“Isn’t it also possible that you mistook someone else
for Colonel Drexel.  After all it was dark at the
time,” she asked.  At this the recruit let out a small
chuckle.  “Is something funny recruit?”

  

“Sorry, Ma’am.  It’s just that Colonel Drexel is about
6 foot 4 and he’s built like a tank.  On top of that,
he’s the only marine with gray hair on the island. 
I’m sure it was him, Ma’am,” he responded, and Carolyn
kicked herself for asking a question that she didn’t
know the answer to.

  

“I have no further questions, your honor,” she said.

  

“Good, then we will take a recess for lunch,” Captain
Sebring replied with a bang of his gavel.

  

  

---Cut to debriefing room – Fort Rucker, Alabama –
same time---

  

  

As the post flight debriefing came to an end the Army
pilots filed from the room one by one, slightly
embarrassed in being so badly beaten by the Marines. 
One Army officer, a man who Sergei recognized as the
one who had called him a commie on the first day,
walked slowly towards the Marines, his eyes down and
his cover in his hands.  He walked directly to Sergei,
who was sitting at the front of a group of Marines.

  

“Captain,” he said, raising his eyes to look at
Sergei.  “I just wanted to apologize for my comment
the other day.  I was way out of line,” he said,
genuinely sorry for what he’d done.

  

“Don’t worry about, Captain…” Sergei replied.

  

“Reamer,” the Army officer finished, extending his
hand to accept Sergei’s handshake.  “John Reamer.”

  

“Sergei Rabb.  It’s a pleasure to meet you, Captain
Reamer.”

  

“You too, Captain Rabb.  That was some flying you did
today.  I’ve never seen anything like that,” he said.

  

“Thanks,” Sergei replied.

  

“Well, good luck to you, Captain.  To all of you
Marines,” he said looking up at the rest of the
pilots.  “I’m proud to serve with you,” he said,
turning and leaving the room.

  

“Looks like you changed his attitude, Captain,”
Wilkins said with a laugh, causing the rest of the
Marines to join in laughing with him.  Sergei just
smiled.

  

  

---Cut to Cindy’s office – JAG Headquarters – same
time---

  

  

Cindy sat behind her desk working on a sandwich from
the cafeteria, while her brother sat on the other side
with his own lunch.  Tim had had to file a motion on
another case and couldn’t join them for lunch, so they
were alone.

  

“So, are you going to tell me what’s going on with you
and Lieutenant Alton?” Bob asked with a raised eyebrow
all of a sudden.  The question surprised her for a
second and it must have been written all over her face
because her brother was now laughing for the first
time since this whole ordeal started.

  

“Nothing is going on,” she replied, taking a bite of
her lunch and hoping that her brother would just let
it drop.  Of course she had no such luck.

  

“Come on, Kiddo.  I see the way he looks at you and
the way you look at him,” he prodded, causing his kid
sister to smile.

  

“What do you mean the way he looks at me?” she asked,
not able to help herself.

  

“Like you are the only person on the planet,” he
responded seriously.  She didn’t say anything to that,
she just thought to herself for a moment.

  

“That doesn’t mean that there is anything going on,”
she tried to defend herself.  “I’ve only known him for
two months, and besides, we are both officers in the
same chain of command.  We can’t be involved…”

  

“So you would be if you weren’t in the same chain of
command?” he interrupted her.  She just rolled her
eyes at him.

  

“You never change.  You know that?”

  

“Course not, Kiddo,” he replied with a wink.  “I just
want you to be happy.  Lieutenant Alton is a good man.
 He’s working very hard on this case, trying to clear
my name.  I can tell that he cares about you very
much.  I guess it just depends on what’s important to
you.”

  

“I guess so,” she replied thoughtfully.

  

  

---Cut to Commercials---

  

  

1345 Local Time

Wednesday 9/4

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

  

“Lieutenant Alton, please call your next witness,”
Captain Sebring instructed as the afternoon court
session began.

  

“Yes, your honor.  The defense calls Colonel Fred
Drexel to the stand,” he replied.  As he did so, the
doors of the courtroom opened and the tall Colonel
strode purposefully to the stand.  After Commander
Imes swore him in, Tim began his examination.

  

“Colonel Drexel, how long have you known Staff
Sergeant Thomas?” he started, allowing the Colonel to
believe that he was nothing more than a character
witness.

  

“He’s served under me for the past six years,
Lieutenant.”

  

“In that time, have you come to know the staff
sergeant personally?”

  

“Yes, I have.”

  

“And what is your personal opinion of the staff
sergeant?”

  

“He is a fine soldier and good teacher.  His recruits
always go on to make fine marines.”

  

“Have you ever been aware of any mistreatment of the
recruits on the part of Staff Sergeant Thomas?”

  

“No, I have not.”

  

“Have you ever had any reason to believe that my
client would ever endanger the lives of his recruits,
either purposefully or otherwise?”

  

“Never,” he replied.  At this Tim turned and headed
back to his seat where he sat down as though he were
finished.  The Colonel visibly relaxed thinking that
Tim was done with his questions.  Commander Imes was
about to stand for her cross when Tim finally spoke
again.

  

“Colonel, you served in Vietnam, is that correct?” he
asked casually.

  

“Yes, that is correct.”

  

“With the Red Raiders battalion, am I right?”

  

“Objection, your honor.  Relevance?” Commander Imes
said, coming out of her chair.

  

“Your Honor, I would ask the court’s indulgence for a
brief moment,” Tim said very respectfully.

  

“A brief moment, Lieutenant,” Captain Sebring replied,
himself curious as to where the young attorney was
going with this.

  

“Yes, I was with the Raiders for my second tour,” the
Colonel replied.

  

“Your service records show that on the night of
October 15, 1969 you distinguished yourself in battle
and were later decorated for your actions.  However,
there was a young soldier under your command that
claimed that you had acted cowardly during that same
battle.”

  

“That is correct.”

  

“Did you hold a grudge against that soldier?”

  

“I was upset with him.  It wasn’t true,” the Colonel
replied emphatically.

  

“Do you remember the name of the soldier, Sir?”

  

“No, I do not,” Drexel replied, beginning to squirm a
little bit.

  

“You’re certain you don’t recall the name?”

  

“No, I don’t recall who it was that accused me,
Lieutenant,” he replied, growing agitated.

  

“Does the name Corporal Howard Thomas ring a bell,
Sir?”  Now the Colonel knew that the connection had
been made, so he decided he had better just remember.

  

“Now that you say it, that was the name of the
soldier.”

  

“The same Corporal Thomas who is father to Staff
Sergeant Robert Thomas, Sir?

  

“I don’t know, Lieutenant.”

  

“Oh, Sir, I think you do,” Tim said, looking right at
the jury.

  

“Objection,” both Commander Imes and Lieutenant Singer
said at the same time.

  

“Sustained.  Watch yourself, Lieutenant,” the judge
warned from the bench.

  

“Yes, your honor,” he replied.  He’d gotten just what
he wanted and now he was ready to go in for the kill.

  

“Colonel Drexel, we’ve heard testimony from an
eyewitness alleging that you entered the quarters of
Staff Sergeant Thomas on the night of the murder.”

  

“The witness was mistaken.  I was nowhere near the
staff sergeant’s quarters.”

  

“Colonel Drexel, did you poison Recruit Brian Dawes to
pay back a grudge against a soldier from your platoon
in Vietnam?” Tim asked with a piercing glare.

  

“No, I did not!”

  

“Thank you, your honor.  I have no further questions.”

  

  

---Cut to Courtroom – next day---

  

  

Captain Sebring instructed the jury foreman to read
the verdict.

  

“Staff Sergeant Bob Thomas, on the charge of murder in
the first degree, the members find you not guilty,”
the foreman said.  When they heard the verdict, Bob
and Cindy embraced.

  

“I knew you wouldn’t let me down, Kiddo,” he whispered
in her ear.  Then he let go of her and extended his
hand to Tim.  “Thank you, Lieutenant.”

  

“My pleasure, Staff Sergeant,” he replied, returning
the handshake.  With that he headed for the rear door
of the courtroom, leaving Tim and Cindy as the only
ones in the courtroom.  When they were alone, she
wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, slightly
surprising the young Lieutenant.

  

“Thank you so much, Tim,” she said sincerely as he
returned her embrace.  “I’ll never forget this.”

  

“Anytime,” he replied as he held her close, a warm
smile taking over his features.

  

  

---Cut to A.J.’s office – later that evening---

  

  

Admiral A.J. Chegwidden was once again working late. 
He’d hoped to spend some time with Sydney this
evening, but he was buried under a mountain of
paperwork.  It was times like this that he’d started
to think about moving on.  He wasn’t sure himself how
serious he was about it, but he couldn’t help having
the thoughts.  Just then the phone on his desk rang,
breaking his train of thought.

  

“Chegwidden,” he said into the handset.

  

“Colonel Fry, it’s good to hear from you,” he said
when he recognized the voice on the other end of the
line.  “How are things in Kansas?” he asked, never
expecting the response that he was about to receive. 
His face suddenly went as white as a sheet.

  

“I see.  I will let the Commander know right away. 
Thank you, Colonel,” he said hanging up the phone and
dialing another number immediately.

  

  

---Cut to parking lot outside of Harm’s apartment –
same time---

  

  

After a severely long day of working on the one
surviving terrorist from the consulate attack, both
Harm and Mac were worn out and glad to going home. 
Mac pulled the red corvette into the parking lot to
drop Harm off before heading home.  He got out of the
car and came around to her window, which she rolled
down, expecting a good night kiss.  Instead, Harm
opened her door and lifted her to her feet, wrapping
her in a tight embrace.

  

“I love you, Colonel,” he whispered in her ear.

  

“I love you too, Commander,” she whispered back before
Harm captured her lips in a loving kiss.  Before he
could let her go, they heard his cell phone ringing. 
He let go and answered it with a smile of apology.

  

“Rabb,” he said.

  

“Admiral, what can I do for you, Sir,” he asked trying
to sound cheerful, then suddenly the color and life
drained from his face in such a way that it made Mac
begin to shake.  He didn’t need to say anything.  She
knew what the call was about from the moment she saw
his face.

  

---Camera draws back and you suddenly realize that you
have been watching this scene thru a pair of
binoculars.  Then the camera turns to reveal none
other than Clark Palmer---

  

“Hello, Commander,” he says with an evil laugh.

  

TO BE CONTINUED…

  

  

---Cut to Executive Producer’s credit---

  

  

End of Episode 6

  

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