Wreck Of The Day [chapter ten] [JAG]
CHAPTER ONE - CHAPTER TWO - CHAPTER THREE - CHAPTER FOUR - CHAPTER FIVE - CHAPTER SIX - CHAPTER SEVEN - CHAPTER EIGHT - CHAPTER NINE
Apologies for the wait for this one. Schoolwork is kicking my ass & on top of that i've been sick, blah blah. I own Sam, Emma & Callum. With thanks to delgaserasca, without whom I'd be a lost puppy. And I'd make a lot more mistakes!
WRECK OF THE DAY.
(ten)
---
“You were given orders, Tango. It was your duty to carry them out.”
“Yes sir; I apologise sir.”
“It won’t happen again?”
“No sir.”
“Good.”
There was a click as the caller hung up on his acquaintance - because that’s all they were, he kept reminding his team - not friends, not ‘mates’ - just acquaintances. He rubbed at his closed eyes with his fingertips, before clasping his hands in a begging gesture and resting his chin over his fingers.
///
Mac looked up from her desk as someone knocked at her door.
“What are you doing here, Mackenzie?” Sam entered her office before Mac had chance to speak. He dropped into the chair opposite her and folded his arms across his chest. She looked at him blankly as he stared back.
“Working - y’know, it’s what adults do for a living…” she trailed off.
“You should be home. Resting. Away from you-know-what.” Sam had begun to refer to Mic as a “what” rather than a “who”, and he’d also taken on a big-brotherly role towards Mac. Whilst Mac didn’t object too much to having someone look out for her, she did protest strongly when Sam played the over-protective sibling and insisted on driving her home and making sure no one lurked outside the door.
“I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself, you know…”
“I know you are, but we don’t know what he’s up to. After what he did-”
“Sam, we don’t even know it was him-”
“Come on, Mac! Who else could it possibly have been?”
She exhaled heavily. “I don’t know, I didn’t see him!”
“So it could have been,” Sam argued, “All signs point to Brumby, Mac. He’s been acting shifty for the past few days.”
“He’s always shifty.”
“More so than usual, and he’s spending more time on the phone, too.”
“That could be for any number of reasons.”
“You’re determined for him to be innocent in all of this, aren’t you?”
“No…”
“Harm’s exactly the same. You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say the two of you share the same brain…” Sam trailed off and stood up. “Don’t ignore this, Mac. It’s a serious issue.”
Mac sighed as Sam left her office. “I know,” she whispered to the empty room.
///
“Craig, Mackenzie - civilian woman, Emma Lassiter, claims she was attacked by a petty officer.”
“Does she know who the attacker is?”
Admiral Chegwidden looked down at the papers on his desk. “Petty Officer Callum Davies, stationed at Miramar.”
“When do we leave?” Sam asked.
“You’re to be at Andrews by nineteen hundred tonight. Tiner has made all the relevant arrangements. Dismissed.”
Mac and Sam spun around and left the office.
“Let me guess - six hours, thirty-four minutes and eight seconds?”
“Eight hours and thirteen minutes,” Mac smiled, squeezing past him and waltzing into her office.
///
“He… he ruined a photograph I had… a photograph of us together. He said I didn’t deserve to keep it after what… what I did…” Emma Lassiter sobbed her story to Mac and Sam. “He hit me… he threw my phone at the wall so I couldn’t call for help. He would have killed me!” Mac’s sharp intake of breath was not unnoticed by Sam.
They interviewed Emma for more than an hour. After she left, Sam closed the door to the small office and sank into a hard plastic chair. He looked over at Mac, whose head was rested in the palms of her hands, elbows propped up on the desk. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she looked over at Sam and smiled weakly. “Bad memories…”
“You gonna be able to finish this case?”
“Yes, Sam - I’m fine.”
“Good, because we need to speak to Petty Officer Davies this afternoon.”
Mac sighed. “What do you make of Emma Lassiter’s story?”
“I don’t know.”
“You think she’s faking?”
“I didn’t say that. I just think I need to hear both sides of the story before I decide anything.”
“Ever the investigator, huh?”
“That’s what we’re here for: to investigate.” Sam smiled tightly. Everything about Mac was cheery, but it didn’t seem right to him.
“So, charge him with assault, bad conduct discharge, twelve months confinement.” Sam leaned casually against the wall of the small office.
“Twelve months? He vandalised her property, brutally attacked her - not to mention the verbal assault and blackmail!”
“I’m not sure I’d call it brutal, Mac-”
“He broke her nose!” Mac threw her arms in the air.
Sam sighed. “There’s more to this than just Emma Lassiter, isn’t there?” He pushed himself away from the wall and moved closer to Mac.
“It’s too familiar, Sam. I can’t do this. I’ll get Harm to switch places with me.”
“Have Bud come out here. If you’re going back to Washington, you stay with Harm - he knows what’s going on, I don’t want you alone.”
Mac considered this for a moment, before nodding. “Okay.”
/// /// ///
TO BE CONTINUED.
Apologies for the wait for this one. Schoolwork is kicking my ass & on top of that i've been sick, blah blah. I own Sam, Emma & Callum. With thanks to delgaserasca, without whom I'd be a lost puppy. And I'd make a lot more mistakes!
WRECK OF THE DAY.
(ten)
---
“You were given orders, Tango. It was your duty to carry them out.”
“Yes sir; I apologise sir.”
“It won’t happen again?”
“No sir.”
“Good.”
There was a click as the caller hung up on his acquaintance - because that’s all they were, he kept reminding his team - not friends, not ‘mates’ - just acquaintances. He rubbed at his closed eyes with his fingertips, before clasping his hands in a begging gesture and resting his chin over his fingers.
///
Mac looked up from her desk as someone knocked at her door.
“What are you doing here, Mackenzie?” Sam entered her office before Mac had chance to speak. He dropped into the chair opposite her and folded his arms across his chest. She looked at him blankly as he stared back.
“Working - y’know, it’s what adults do for a living…” she trailed off.
“You should be home. Resting. Away from you-know-what.” Sam had begun to refer to Mic as a “what” rather than a “who”, and he’d also taken on a big-brotherly role towards Mac. Whilst Mac didn’t object too much to having someone look out for her, she did protest strongly when Sam played the over-protective sibling and insisted on driving her home and making sure no one lurked outside the door.
“I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself, you know…”
“I know you are, but we don’t know what he’s up to. After what he did-”
“Sam, we don’t even know it was him-”
“Come on, Mac! Who else could it possibly have been?”
She exhaled heavily. “I don’t know, I didn’t see him!”
“So it could have been,” Sam argued, “All signs point to Brumby, Mac. He’s been acting shifty for the past few days.”
“He’s always shifty.”
“More so than usual, and he’s spending more time on the phone, too.”
“That could be for any number of reasons.”
“You’re determined for him to be innocent in all of this, aren’t you?”
“No…”
“Harm’s exactly the same. You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say the two of you share the same brain…” Sam trailed off and stood up. “Don’t ignore this, Mac. It’s a serious issue.”
Mac sighed as Sam left her office. “I know,” she whispered to the empty room.
///
“Craig, Mackenzie - civilian woman, Emma Lassiter, claims she was attacked by a petty officer.”
“Does she know who the attacker is?”
Admiral Chegwidden looked down at the papers on his desk. “Petty Officer Callum Davies, stationed at Miramar.”
“When do we leave?” Sam asked.
“You’re to be at Andrews by nineteen hundred tonight. Tiner has made all the relevant arrangements. Dismissed.”
Mac and Sam spun around and left the office.
“Let me guess - six hours, thirty-four minutes and eight seconds?”
“Eight hours and thirteen minutes,” Mac smiled, squeezing past him and waltzing into her office.
///
“He… he ruined a photograph I had… a photograph of us together. He said I didn’t deserve to keep it after what… what I did…” Emma Lassiter sobbed her story to Mac and Sam. “He hit me… he threw my phone at the wall so I couldn’t call for help. He would have killed me!” Mac’s sharp intake of breath was not unnoticed by Sam.
They interviewed Emma for more than an hour. After she left, Sam closed the door to the small office and sank into a hard plastic chair. He looked over at Mac, whose head was rested in the palms of her hands, elbows propped up on the desk. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she looked over at Sam and smiled weakly. “Bad memories…”
“You gonna be able to finish this case?”
“Yes, Sam - I’m fine.”
“Good, because we need to speak to Petty Officer Davies this afternoon.”
Mac sighed. “What do you make of Emma Lassiter’s story?”
“I don’t know.”
“You think she’s faking?”
“I didn’t say that. I just think I need to hear both sides of the story before I decide anything.”
“Ever the investigator, huh?”
“That’s what we’re here for: to investigate.” Sam smiled tightly. Everything about Mac was cheery, but it didn’t seem right to him.
“So, charge him with assault, bad conduct discharge, twelve months confinement.” Sam leaned casually against the wall of the small office.
“Twelve months? He vandalised her property, brutally attacked her - not to mention the verbal assault and blackmail!”
“I’m not sure I’d call it brutal, Mac-”
“He broke her nose!” Mac threw her arms in the air.
Sam sighed. “There’s more to this than just Emma Lassiter, isn’t there?” He pushed himself away from the wall and moved closer to Mac.
“It’s too familiar, Sam. I can’t do this. I’ll get Harm to switch places with me.”
“Have Bud come out here. If you’re going back to Washington, you stay with Harm - he knows what’s going on, I don’t want you alone.”
Mac considered this for a moment, before nodding. “Okay.”
/// /// ///
TO BE CONTINUED.