Chapter Four

"I don't got time for your bullshit…" The site manager pulled a radio mic from his belt. "Security, this is Martin…I need someone up here to get some Delta Foxtrot out of my construction zone before he gets his Sierra Alpha Hotel hurt…

It will be a few minutes before we can respond cause we're in the middle of shift change

"I don't give a Gulf Delta about that…just get this snot-nosed Alpha Hotel out of my area before we toss his sorry Alpha out the window…expedite Sergeant."

Within seconds after the site manager threaten to toss someone of the window, two Marines in battle gear rushed into the area.

"Admiral, would you please evacuate the area?" One of the Marine's yelled down the hallway.

The Admiral turned and stared at the two Marines, who had locked and loaded their M16s.

"And if I don't Corporal?"

"We are authorized to use deadly force to keep the construction area free of unauthorized personnel…the only personnel other than the construction crew who are authorized into the area are Captain Avery, Mr. Rabb, and Petty Officer Coates, sir."

The site manager looked up and saw the two Marines in the hallway. "Corporal…" He yelled. "…get Popeye out of MY area. I don't care how but get him out NOW!"

"Admiral, please." The Corporal asked.

"Ok…I will get to the bottom of this…" AJ turned to face the site manager. "…then your ass will belong to me."

"In your dreams Popeye…you don't have big enough balls to get my ass." The site manager laughed in AJ's face, which made AJ even madder.

The Admiral quietly left the area, leaving the two Marines following him down the hallway. They stopped after the turn and put earplugs into their ears because that would be their duty post for the next two weeks.

"Hey Sam."

"Yes Bill."

"Would you have actually shot that Admiral if he had refused to leave?"

"Sure would…we are under orders not to allow any unauthorized personnel into the area…the site manager gives our Sergeant the names of who is authorized into the area…anyone else, we are to consider them to be a spy."

"Oh."

"Where would you rather be…here – where we are only going to stand guard on this construction site for six hours a day for the next couple weeks…or the Force Recon range in the heat and mud."

"Here of course but I wish it was a little quieter though."

"Don't worry…the noise will only last a week if it is like the last security construction site that our squad was tagged to guard…two weeks of short shifts and parties."

AJ reached the hallway leading into operations and found both glass doors were propped open by a filling cabinet. As he looked down his nice wide hallway in operations had filling cabinets lining both sides of it. "What the hell? Sergeant, get these filling cabinets out of my operations area."

"Sir, may I ask you. Where do you want me to put them?"

"I don't care…just get them out of here."

"Sir, all of them are from the secondary storage room that was next to Commander Rabb's office and they are filled with files. There isn't any empty rooms or spare office area to place them. Where do you suggest where we can put them?"

"Put them down in the basement with the rest of the stored files."

"Aye-aye, sir. Its going to take the majority of the support staff to get them moved down there and a whole bunch of time."

"Explain."

"Sir, in order to move a single filling cabinet. We are going to half to empty it out…place the files into file boxes while running a new inventory…carry the cabinet down three flights of stairs along with personnel carrying the material that was removed from the cabinet since it cannot be left unattended since they haven't be signed out…run a complete inventory to ensure all the files are placed back into the cabinet…if there are any missing files, hopefully the person needing the file used a removal file card, then go to that individual to see if he/she still needs that file…if there are any missing files, we will need to check every nook and cranny in this building since every person who works in the building is authorize to get files out. Then, a clerk must go into the database and change the location where the files is located and then have his/her work double-checked to ensure it was done correctly. The last time we switched a damaged filling cabinet with a new one, it took 5.5 man-hours to do so.

"Now, if the elevator was available…it would only take 2.5 man-hours per cabinet since we wouldn't need to make a new inventory…we could just run the old inventory and hope everything is there."

"I see. Belay that last order. I guess we can live with how things are until the elevator is fixed."

"Sir, there's nothing wrong with the elevator. The only people authorized to use it currently are the Army Corp personnel since they are using it for storage of their equipment. They said there were six options where they could store their extra equipment and they figured that the elevator was only place that wouldn't effect our operations too much."

"They did."

"Yes, sir."

"Carry on."

"Aye-aye, sir."

AJ walked threw Petty Officer Coates office and saw a white safety helmet sitting squarely on her desk. 'I will find out what is going on when she arrives this morning.'

0858 Local
HQ JAG
Falls Church, Virginia

"Stand Aside Gunny." Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie ordered the Gunny Sergeant guarding the door leading into the conference room.

"Can not do, Ma'am."

"Why not Gunny?"

"You are not authorized to enter the conference room, Ma'am."

"I'm the JAG's Chief of Staff and I'm authorized to enter every room in this building."

"Sorry Ma'am. You might be the JAG's CS but you are not authorized to enter this room until you have been cleared by its clearing authority."

"Well, I'm going in there whether you like it or not. We have a staff meeting that starts in sixty seconds."

"You will need to move where you hold your staff meetings, Ma'am."

Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie reached for the door handle to pull the door open to enter the room.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you Ma'am"

"Are you going to stop me Gunny?"

"No Ma'am. I'm not going to life a finger to stop you from trying to enter that room."

"Very well." She pulled the door open and started to walk into the conference room. Then suddenly stopped as two M16s were pointed inches from her face.

"I would highly suggest that you step back out of that room Ma'am before my men's fingers twitch the wrong way and blow your pretty head off your shoulders."

Mac gulped and complied with the Gunny's suggestion.

"Like I previously stated Ma'am. You are not authorized to enter that room until its clearing authority has cleared you to enter and the staff meeting will have to be moved to a new location until then."

"Who is the clearing authority Gunny?"

"They informed me this morning, a Mr. Rabb is the clearing authority Ma'am."

"Don't you mean Commander Rabb instead of Mr. Rabb?"

"No Ma'am. I have never met Mr. or Commander Rabb before but I have heard of Commander Rabb before my team and three others were dispatched from HQ Recon late last night for this security operation in this building."

"When you see a Mr. Rabb or Commander Rabb, have him report to my office?"

"No Ma'am, I will not. I know that you're an officer but the only people authorize to give me orders during this operation is Captain Avery, Mr. Rabb, and Petty Officer Coates."

"You can accept orders from a Petty Officer and a Mr. but not from a Lieutenant Colonel?"

"Yes, Ma'am. The Commandant of the Marines personally briefed our teams upon arrival last night and he followed up those verbal orders with written ones. He stated he had received his orders a few hours earlier from the President himself. So, yes Ma'am. I will except orders from the Petty Officer and a Mr. because they have been authorized to get me lawful orders and they are in charge of this operation."

1130 Local
HQ JAG
Falls Church, Virginia

Chief Petty Officer Jennifer Coates got out of the staff car that had just dropped her of from the Pentagon. She had been worried about the dressing down that she would receive from the Admiral for showing up to work so late until Harm pulled her to one side of the conference room just before she left there for work.

'Jen, we know that Admiral will ask you where the hell you have been this morning. Tell him the Commander and yourself were called to the Pentagon early this morning. If he asks why didn't either of us call in about it, tell him that we were ordered not to do so and the people here would take any heat from not letting anyone know. If he asks when I will return to HQ, you don't have a clue. You can tell him about your promotion but don't tell anyone about mine. I'll pick you up at 1700 at the guard shack. Ok sis.'

The first person Jen ran into when she walked into operations was Bud, who was leaving JAG for court that was going to run through the normal lunch hour.

"Good Morning Commander Roberts."

"Morning Petty Officer." Bud replied without looking up since he knew her voice. "I don't know how good of a morning it has been since the Colonel and Admiral has been on the warpath since they walked into the building. Besides the noise the construction crew has been making has given almost everyone here a slitting headache. The Colonel and Admiral have been looking for Commander Rabb as well since he hasn't showed up, called in, or answered his cell phone."

"I just left where the Commander current is and we wasn't given an option of letting anyone here know where we were. As for answering his cell phone, I have it here in my pocket to turn in to communications since he has been issued a new secure satellite phone."

Bud finally looked up from double checking something in his notes. "A Sat phone…whoa…I wonder why they issued that to him…Chief Petty Officer…Congratulations Jen…when did this happen?"

"This morning sir. It was the first thing that happened in the meeting the Commander and I attended. When I got to his apartment, he ordered me to go back to my room to put my dress blues on. I was shocked at the meeting when he asked me to remove my jacket and he replaced it with this brand new one with Chief strips on."

"Well it couldn't have happened to a better person. Congratulations again. I better head back to court. Chief."

"Good luck sir."

Jen had been stopped and congratulated about a dozen times by the time she finally reached her office where she found a dozen yellow roses sitting beside a while safety helmet on her desk. She pulled the card off the flowers.

Congratulations on your promotion to Chief Petty Officer, Jen. We have reservations at La Tours at 2000 tonight to celebrate both our good fortunes. Don't let the Admiral get to you.

Love Ya Sis,

H

She moved the vase towards on side of her desk and opened the draw to stow her purse and beret when the Admiral's door opened.

"Petty Officer Coates, come into my office."

"Yes, sir."

Jen followed the Admiral into his office and shut the down behind her. Jen saw the Colonel sitting in one of the chairs in front of the Admiral's desk.

"Where in the blazes have you been this morning?"

"The Pentagon, sir."

"Was Commander Rabb with you there?"

"Yes, sir."

"Didn't either of you consider to let someone here know that you would be at the Pentagon all morning."

"No sir."

"Why not Petty Officer?"

"We were ordered not to inform anyone, sir."

The Admiral turned around from staring out the window and noticed her new rank not expecting to hear that answer.

"Chief Petty Officer? When did this happen?"

"This morning sir."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you sir."

"Do you know when Commander Rabb is expected to be released?"

"No sir."

"Do you know if the Commander has his cell phone with him?"

"No sir. He doesn't."

"Where is it?"

"It's in my pocket sir."

"What's it doing in there when it's suppose to be on the Commander?"

"I was ordered to turn it in to Communications since he was issued a Sat phone."

"Why was Rabb issued a Sat phone?"

"Don't know sir."

"Do you know why the Army Corp of Engineers are tearing up my building?"

"No sir. I was not informed of that. I was dismissed after the promotion ceremony."

"What did you do after that?"

"I was ordered to return to my apartment…pick-up all my uniforms to take them to the cleaners in the Washington Navy Yard to have my new rank placed on them. When I got to the cleaners, a Senior Chief inspected all of them. She gave me a listing of new uniforms that I was going to be issued including a female's dress mess uniform and thus was required to remain on station while the tailors fitted me. The only piece of uniform that I was allowed to keep was the 'new' jacket that I'm currently wearing. After I was finished there, I was required to return to the Pentagon for a small banquet that was setup in one of the large conference rooms before I was dismissed from the day's proceedings entirely after being placed into a staff car, which dropped me off at the guard shack about fifteen minutes ago."

"I will have to write you up for breaking JAG OI-1912 for failing to report for duty and for not letting me know that you were called away."

"Sir, I was told that you would have to take that up with Admiral McGuire. He's the one who give the Commander and I the direct verbal order not to bother anyone or you about our whereabouts and if anyone had a problem with that…then he/she is expected to be standing tall in front of his desk waiting his arrival."

"Dismissed."

"Aye-aye, sir."

1000 Local
Friday
HQ JAG
Falls Church, Virginia

The gate guard watched Read Admiral Harmon Rabb Junior get out of his vehicle. When he disappeared into the vehicle, she picked up the telephone, dialed a number, and spoke a few words into the handset.

Harm went directly to his temporary office and picked up the new desk nametag that had been hidden from view from prying eyes. He wanted to be the one to present his 'new' sister, her brand new desk tag. He really wanted to have this moment two days ago but Admiral McGuire and Vice Admiral Edwards had him tied up in meetings all week long. Harm removed the outdate Petty Officer Second Class pin off the desk tag and put a brand new Chief Petty Officer pin in its place. He opened the door and smiled at the Recon Marine guarding the door and cradled the tag in his arms.

When he reached operations, he had to pause to allow two burly seamen moving a filling cabinet on a dolly heading for the elevator. As he walked through the glass doorway heading for Jen's office, he heard Mac voice coming from behind him.

"It's about time you returned to work Commander."

"Attention on Deck." Jen's voice cried out.

Mac noticed that Harm turned around and hadn't come to attention when the order was given but she couldn't say anything until the officer who had entered operations the 'as you were order' to allow everyone to return to their duties.

"As you were saying Colonel." Harm reached up to rub his chin. "As you were."

"Sorry sir."

"Quickly gather the senior staff and report back to me with them in tow."

"Yes, sir."

Mac knocked on Sturgis' door.

"Commander, please come with me."

"What's going on Mac?"

"Don't know.

Mac knocked on Bud's door.

"Commander, please come with me."

"Just a minute Mac."

"Right now Commander, don't make me keep a Admiral waiting."

Bud walked out of his office expecting to turn right to head towards the Admiral's office. Instead Mac had walked to the left where he saw Harm standing.

"Sir, the senior staff has been assembled."

"Very well Colonel. On my six."

"Yes, sir."

Harm walked towards Jen's office and walked in. She promptly stood at attention.

"Chief."

"Sir."

"It appears that your uniform isn't correct."

"Sir?"

"Colonel MacKenzie."

"Sir?"

"Would you remove the Chief's nametag and replace it with the one that I hand you?"

"Yes, sir."

Mac walked around the desk and stood in front of Jen to remove her nametag from her jacket. She turned slightly to hold her hand out, which Harm put a new nametag into her hand. She raised her eyebrows slightly as she saw the name embossed on the tag.

"Sir, the Chief's new nametag has been put in place."

"Thank you Colonel. As you realize when you seen the name, that I could have done that myself but I wanted to keep the suspense a little bit longer. I do believe that this is wrong as well." Harm picked up Jen's old desk nametag and dropped it into the trashcan. Then, he placed her brand new desk nametag onto her desk. "Welcome to the family, Jen."

"Thank you sir."

"This folder contains all the documents that you will need to speed up getting all your Naval records changed to your new name. If anyone gives you any hassles about it, inform them that Admiral's Rabb and McGuire will be stopping by their respective offices before the end of the business day and that we expect to find everything settled and with new covers installed. Is he in?

"Yes sir."

"Announce us."

Jen reached down to the incom toggle.

"Yes Chief."

"Harm and the senior staff would like to see you if you have a few moments."

"Send them right in…I have been waiting to hear from him since Monday."

Jen released the toggle. "You may go in."

"Chief, your dismissed to take care of business. Here take the corvette, it will allow you to get things done quicker." Harm handed her the keys, which would allow her to park near all the places she needed to visit without being hassled since it had a flag officer's vehicle tag on it.

"Thank you sir."

Harm knocked on the door.

"Enter."

Harm entered the Admiral's office with Mac, Sturgis, and Bud in tow.

"Commander…Admiral Rabb?"

"Yes, sir. I'm here to inform the senior staff and you that I no longer am under your direct command. When the CNO surprised Jen and myself Monday morning with our promotions, Rear Admiral Wallace, was named as my new CO. Everyone knows that he's the AJAG Civil affairs, who reports to you Admiral. The AJAG's offices is at the Naval Yards here in DC but my office will be maintained here at HQ JAG, which are currently being remodeled."

"Anyone have any questions?"

"Which part of AJAG will you be responsible for, sir?" Bud asked.

"I will be in charge of JAG Code 10 – International Law and the Rules of Engagement, which now all the Battle Group JAGs report directly to me. This is why the Code 10 office is being moved to HQ JAG since I will be working closely with the Admiral whenever a Battle Group JAG is replaced or removed from office by it's commanding officer. I will have a complete set of all the Fleet's ROEs as well as the area ROEs in my office available for your usage when it is required for your duties.

"If I'm not around or unavailable, Chief Petty Officer Rabb has been authorize to escort whoever into my office to allow them to review the need material."

"Chief Petty Officer Rabb?" AJ asked.

"Chief Petty Officer Rabb, formerly known as Chief Petty Officer Coates. She asked my mother to adopt her into the family and it was finalized Wednesday evening. So Jen is now officially my sister, which allowed her to move into the house my parents gave us last weekend without having to live in fear that the Navy would try to punish either of us because of her interaction with my adopted daughter Mattie Grace Rabb. Which also became finalized Wednesday evening after the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court took her case out of the Family Court judge's hand.

"Mattie's father, Tom Johnson was removed from rehab Thursday morning by the Virginia State Police and charged with vehicle manslaughter, driving under the influence, child abandonment, and embezzlement. Troopers from the Blacksburg State Police station and personnel from the family court that handle Mattie and her father's cases maybe facing charges as well.

"We're having an house warming party this Saturday and everyone at HQ JAG including the judges are welcome to attend. It will also serve as Jen and my wet downs. You are welcome to bring a guest. Everyone will be welcome except Clayton Webb.

"For everyone's information that should be arriving shortly, the CNO has placed a band on allowing Clayton Webb from entering or using Naval/Marine assets during or for one of his ill planned missions. If he tries to enter Navy property, he will be placed under arrest and charged with espionage."

"That will effectively prevent him from working in the field." The Admiral flatly stated.

"I've got it on good authority that Webb doesn't know it yet that his new duty station will be Chief of Station Burrows, Alaska."

"He will just retire then." Mac flatly said.

"No, he won't Mac. He will be give two choices that even his mother cannot even use blackmail getting them to over turn this decision. That is accept the assignment or hide from every active, inactive, or retired sweeper the company has as well as bring placed on the FBI's most wanted list as number uno with a 250 thousand dollar reward, dead or alive."

"They cannot do that to him after what he suffered in Paraguay."

"What you don't really know Mac is that most of what you thought he suffered there was all faked. Most of the bruises you saw were food-colored dye that was injected right under his skin. Those screams you heard and thought were screams of pain. In reality, they were screams of passion. One of the videotapes that were recovered from the house there, he flatly told Sadik that he was more endowed then what he was told about. The report you got from Bethesda last week concerning your health was also doctored by Webb or someone. You actually had a tubal pregnancy since all the birth-control pills that you have were replaced with fertility drugs that were doctored to look like your birth-control pills. Simon, Webb and Sadik had agreed that they were going to take turns keeping you pregnant until your body couldn't take having children anymore."

"At least I sent Sadik to hell."

"No, you didn't. The pistol you used to shot Sadik that night was a weapon that you took from your apartment. Webb had replaced all the bullets with blanks that had paper points that looked like real thing."

"Simon was the person who took out Sadik with a silenced sniper rifle from the roof of the club across the street from Sadik's apartment. When you when to the bathroom while there, Sadik opened the window to allow the club's music to enter the apartment freely and to prevent the bomb blast from shattering glass all over you two when it went off inside the club. Thus allowing Simon's bullets to enter the apartment without anyone's knowledge since they didn't go through the glass windows.

"Yes, Simon was out to kill Webb since he was the last person left that double crossed him since he desperately wanted your body.

"We're fairly sure how they found out about you since we traced their money transfers into a Grand Cayman bank account controlled by Clark Palmer. There were four people who paid Palmer for your pictures and information he had about you. The fourth member was Hessian, who currently is sitting behind bars."

Ring, Ring, Ring

"Rabb."

Palmer's information has been swept away as well as himself click

"How did you find out all this stuff?"

"When they started checking into my background for these Admiral's stripes, the ran across the Grand Cayman account. The NSA was able to use a little known Super Cray computer that they had set-up ten years ago to track all the wire transfers into every banking institute in the world. It took them an entire month going through their enormous storage of back-up tapes before they finally found all the transfers that total the amount that's found in the account today. There were only four transfers.

"Now they had the time frames when the four transfers occurred, they went to another secret computer to locate who had transferred that much money into that account. Once they pinpointed one of the people, it was simple to find the other three. All that data was removed from every place it was located. The only remaining copy is in my possession currently in a classified safe and under Force Recon guard.

"If you want to see whatever evidence we have about it and if you desire too, you are welcome to join me in the conference room after we are finished here."

"Ok."

"Any other questions?" Harm looked around the room. "Sturgis and Bud, you are excused. What I have left to say only the Admiral and Colonel are authorized to hear?" Sturgis and Bud got up from their chairs and left the room. Harm handed the Admiral and Mac a red folder each.

"Read what is inside very carefully please."

Mac and AJ opened the folders and read the contents.

"Do you two remember signing that first document?"

"Yes."

"You're both very lucky that I took the security procedures that I took when handling my classified material. Admiral, if I didn't care about you like I do, I would not have taken those pain-staking steps and kept classified material in the tiny safe you gave me for my office. Likewise with Mac, if I didn't care about her like…"

"What are you going to do about this?" AJ held the folder up.

The End