"Looks like our vegetable man's coming in." "Let's muster a working party to pass it up the A-com ladder." "Sir, we got our vegetables an hour ago." "They came by truck." " Lieutenant Rojas." " Go ahead, sir." "We've got a suspect craft approaching." "On our way, sir." "Let's go." " He's not responding, sir." " Fire a warning shot." "Fire, aye." "Explosives, sir." " Don't shoot." " Don't move." "Don't shoot." "We've gotta get off the boat." " Identify yourself." " Don't shoot." "Who are you?" "Sergeant Joan Steele, United States Marine Corps." "How did you know where to find me, anyway?" "Tuesday 0630 would be your five-mile run along the river, sir." "What if I decided to change my route today?" "Not likely, commander." "You're pretty regular with your schedule, sir." "Enter." "Reporting with Commander Rabb as ordered." " Thank you, Tiner." "That'll be all." " Aye, sir." "Sorry to cut your jog short, commander." "You're aware of Marine Sergeant Joan Steele, disappeared during a terrorist attack in Bahrain last month?" "Yes, sir." "An MP assigned to a Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed to the Gulf." "She's presumably abducted, though no demands were made." "She's still MIA." "Yesterday, Navy patrol and the United Arab Emirates intercepted two gunmen aboard a small boat carrying 400 pounds of explosives toward the USS Vance." "Trying for a repeat of the attack on the Cole, sir?" "Apparently, but this time the patrol killed both gunmen." "They also found Sergeant Steele on their boat alive." "But why would terrorists take along a hostage to bomb a ship?" "It's not clear she was a hostage." "She was dressed like the gunmen in local garb." "She wasn't restrained." " What does she say?" " They forced her to go with them." "We don't have IDs on the dead terrorists yet." "But we're guessing a local offshoot of the Islamic Jihad." "We're thinking they recruited her?" "Well, we don't know what the hell happened over there." "Your flight leaves in 90 minutes." "Dismissed." " Aye aye, sir." " Aye aye, sir." " Mic." "Running away from home?" " I'm not." "What would be the military term for what we're doing?" "Aid and assistance." "You guys taking a trip?" " I'm not." " I'm not." " Hi." " Hey." " Did you find my headscarves?" " Yes, ma'am." "Three packed." " You've got my extra uniform?" " Rolled, not folded, sir." " Water purifier?" " With a new filter, ma'am." "At ease, marine." "Why do I keep thinking I'm forgetting something?" " The minister." " Oh, Mic." "I'm sorry." "No worries." "I'll call him." "Saturday, May 26th, right?" "You guys set the date?" "Oh, I gotta get a dress." " Congratulations, Mic." " Thank you." "Congratulations, mate." "Commander, colonel, the duty driver's standing by." "Gotta go." " I'll be two minutes." " Okay." "I get the front seat then." "I'll call you." " Be careful." " Okay." "Looks like I'll have some free nights, Bud." "What do you say we go waste one of them?" "Go have a drink?" " Sure." " When they do, wine and girl talk?" " That's a date." " Great." "Ever since the Cole got bombed we've been on heightened security." "Every command guideline followed to the letter." "Members of the quarterdeck watch are armed." "Picket boats crisscross bow to stern every 15 minutes." "Water hoses readied to repel boarders." "Exclusion zone extended 200 yards from the ship." "And a recorded warning message in Arabic ready for broadcast." "Seems like something broke down." "You were a few minutes away from being blown out of the water." "That's one way to look at it, colonel." "The terrorists looked like the boat that delivers our vegetables." "Was your vegetable boat scheduled to arrive at that time?" "He came by truck earlier." "The only no-show was the guy who delivers our magazines and videos." "He spent seven hours with Navy and local security explaining his uncle was sick." "Checks out." "So the bombers were on their own and headed toward the ship?" "They didn't just do anything." "Nobody gets near us unless they check their security code with the harbour captain." "This boat knew the right code." "Would someone with knowledge of Naval security have been able to provide them with that?" "Talking about your Sergeant Steele?" "We've all been wondering the same thing." "Yes, ma'am." "Our people coordinated with Navy security." "I was familiar with their procedures." "Any idea how the terrorists knew these procedures, sergeant?" "I told them, sir." "You provided this information because you were threatened, coerced?" "That's what I let them think, sir." "I think you better explain, sergeant." "Sir, ma'am, you have to understand the situation." "The men who abducted me were zealots." "They were prepared to sacrifice anybody, including themselves, to sink that destroyer." "And it's all the more reason not to help them." "It was my duty to stop them, ma'am." "I needed to get them into the section of the harbour where our forces had overwhelming superiority." "Why not try to have them caught at the entrance?" "They would have turned tail and run, sir." "I needed to make sure they wouldn't escape." "What about their chance of succeeding?" "Did you factor that in?" "Ma'am, I knew we weren't expected, that ship's watch or a picket boat would spot us." "Hundreds of lives were at risk, sergeant." "The Navy did its job, ma'am." "The terrorists were killed, the bomb diffused." "And if you'd been killed?" "A chance I was willing to take, ma'am." "Ma'am, do you have any idea how long they're gonna keep me in here?" "No, that's up to the doctors." "There's nothing wrong with me, colonel." "If you could put a word in with someone," "I'd really like to get back to my job." "Why the rush, sergeant?" "They're called terrorists, sir." "If I'm too shaken up to return to duty, they win." " Never give an inch." "That's Steele." " How well do you know her?" "I know how determined she is." "She submitted a MECEP package." "When I didn't endorse it, it was obvious she was disappointed." "You don't think she was a good candidate?" "I knew she was brave." "I knew she was tough." "I wasn't sure she was officer material." "That's what I told her." "I needed more time to see how she operated." " What were your reservations, sir?" " Reservation." "Judgement." "There were a number of incidents." "The one I most vividly recall is when she waded into a scuffle on a liberty boat." "She pulled her weapon on a drunken marine." "What do you know about the night she was kidnapped?" "Terrorists were attacking a Bahraini police armoury." "Sergeant Steele was driving from the harbour to the Naval base." "When she stopped at a red light, she heard an explosion." "Assuming the worst, she got out of the vehicle, rushed to the scene armed only with a sidearm." " She is brave." " Standing orders are to return to the unit in any emergency." "All we found later was a holster." "She's very lucky to be alive." "Actually, she seems to be in pretty good shape." " Asked to be returned to duty." " Oh, she's got grit." "There's absolutely no question about that." "So why don't you just give her a medal and send her back to us." "Colonel, Sergeant Steele has admitted helping the terrorists gain access to Jebel Ali Harbour." "What in the world for?" "She thought it would make it easier to catch them, sir." "That's Sergeant Steele." "Looking to keep cool?" "Hey, you read my mind." " Thank you." " Thought you liked chocolate?" "Well, I understand that vanilla is a very popular flavour." " I thought I'd give it a try." " Go wild." "Got a message from Admiral Chegwidden." "He wants to know what we've got." " Unclear." " She nearly got 300 people killed." "Not to mention almost blowing up a $600 million ship." "Bad judgement?" "Mac, she just spent four weeks in the hands of terrorist fanatics." "I'd say bad judgement is an understatement." "Well, we weren't in her situation, Mac." "Well, maybe what she did is understandable, but it was wrong." "Criminally wrong?" "Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie." "What are they?" "You're sure?" "Okay, we'll need a copy of your report." "FBI forensics pulled fingerprints from the bomb's detonator." "Were any matches with Webb's list of terrorists?" "Some unknowns." "One positive ID." "A ten-point match with Sergeant Joan Steele." "I only had a few minutes, sir." "I did the best I could." "Did what?" "Help them assemble the bomb?" "No, ma'am." "Then how'd your fingerprints get on the detonator, sergeant?" "Two days before they tried to attack the Vance, they left me alone with it." "The terrorist who was guarding me went up to the head." " You weren't tied up?" " I was eating, sir." "My wrists were tied together, but I could move my hands." "The whole bomb wasn't there, but enough of it." "I tried to set it off, but I didn't have time to hook up the detonator." " You tried to kill yourself?" " And them, sir." "Problem was they caught me." "I didn't hear them coming." "They were playing a loud Arnold Schwarzenegger video in the next room." "They played a different one each night." "Or one of the Die Hard movies." "They cheered at the terrorists." " So, what happened then?" " They beat me, sir." "Again." "This time I pretended to crack." "To convince them to allow me to help them get into the harbour." " Lieutenant?" " I'm finishing it right now, sir." "No, different topic." "The colonel's marriage." " Yes, sir?" " Did I miss the engagement party?" "No, sir." "There wasn't one." "Except for the toast that you made in the conference room." "Oh, right." "Right." " Well, isn't there normally one?" " Yes, sir." "And I would be the one to throw it, but our apartment's way too small and there's crayon on the walls." "So have it somewhere else." "I didn't wanna impose on anyone, sir." "Well, nonsense." "We're all a family here." "Well, it's not too late, sir." "Then let's do it." "Okay, sir." "I'll let everybody know." "Thank you, sir." "Thank you for what?" "Lieutenant?" "You gotta admit." "Everything we throw, she throws right back." "Suicide?" "Like that was the obvious choice?" "I might believe her if she wasn't so damn casual about it." "Come on, you really think she helped them make a bomb?" "Patty Hearst robbed a bank" " with Symbionese Liberation Army." " Why would they need her?" "You think they can't find their own bomb makers?" "Maybe he was taking time off to catch up on his Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis movies." "How hard do you think it is to find a copy of Die Hard 3 in Jebel Ali?" "Tiner, do I have a caterer in my Rolodex?" "Planning a soiree, sir?" "Apparently I volunteered to host an engagement party for the colonel." " That's very nice of you, admiral." " I've never done this before." "Should we decorate?" "We, sir?" "I'm there, admiral." "How about crepe-paper bells?" "Why don't you write that down?" "Large arrangement for the table." "Calla lilies, sir?" "Not unless you're planning a double suicide, Tiner." " White roses and irises." " Yes, sir." "Now, what would be the theme of this party?" "Engagement." "Engaging." "People engaging in conversation." "Having an engaging time." "No theme." "I already talked to the Navy and the police." "My uncle was sick or I would have been to the boat." "What exactly was wrong with your uncle, anyway?" "Appendicitis." "I took him to the hospital." "My uncle and me, we have been doing business with the Navy for 15 years." "I am not a terrorist." "I have a certificate of commendation from the Fifth Fleet." "And the fleet does business with you because of your excellent selection?" "The biggest selection from Beirut to Bombay." "And I have more in the back." "What do you like, huh?" "I don't think this is even in the theatres yet." "I have everything." "You like a love story?" " Sandra Bullock, Meg Ryan?" " Arnold Schwarzenegger" " and Bruce Willis." " I have every one." "Even Hudson Hawk." "We'd like to take a look at your rental records." " Why?" " Why not?" "We're gonna send these jackets to the lab, have them dusted for prints." "What fingerprints?" "To see if they match fingerprints we found on the bomb." "You say my customers made the bomb?" "The bombers watched these videotapes." "How many other stores carry Commando?" "Everybody rents my video." "How do I know what else they do?" "You know." "Why else would your uncle get sick on that day?" "If there is a problem, I lose my Navy contract?" "Pal, if you're involved, you're looking at 20 to 30 years in prison." "How are the prisons around here, anyway?" "All right." "I rented them to the girl." "What girl?" "An American." "She came in two-, three times with some men." "Arabs with Saudi accents." "The last time she warned me, "Don't go to the Vance."" " She warned you?" "Not the men?" " They were not here with her." "The last time she came in by herself." " Where were the men?" " Maybe in a car?" "Out front?" "Is that another way out?" "Yes." "Why?" "You were alone in a video store." "You didn't attempt to escape?" " I couldn't, ma'am." " Why not?" " There was a back door." " The terrorists were outside in a car." "Their weapons were trained on me." "You were duty bound to try, sergeant." "Then who would have stopped them, ma'am?" "If I had escaped, they would change their target" " and kill who knows how many people." " So which is it?" "You couldn't escape or you didn't want to?" "Both." "Has it ever even occurred to you that you did something wrong here?" "I don't believe I did, ma'am." " Sergeant, you said you were beaten." " Yes, sir." "Did anything else happen to you?" "They made some comments, sir." "One of them touched me, inappropriately." " Was that difficult?" " Yes, sir." "But I tried to keep my head and do the right thing." "Sergeant, declining an opportunity to escape and participating in an attack on a United States Naval destroyer cannot be considered the right thing." "Is there anything else you wanna tell us, sergeant?" "Were you terrorized?" "Traumatized?" "I knew what I was doing, sir." "Sergeant, sometimes a hostage starts to identify with the captors." "It's called the Stockholm syndrome." "I do not identify with people who wanna blow up American ships, sir." "Is it possible that you developed feelings for the terrorists?" "You were with them alone for a month." "Ma'am, I do not date people who wanna blow up American ships." "I already told you why I did what I did." "We understand you were in a difficult position." "This will go easier if you make a full statement now with every extenuating circumstance." " What will go easier, ma'am?" " You could face charges." "Ma'am, I am not a criminal." "And I am not gonna say I was traumatized or hypnotised or in love with a terrorist when I wasn't." "With all due respect, I did my duty as a United States Marine." "And I'm proud of it." "And I'd do it again." "One of my own people?" "Come on, that's hard to believe." "There's a pattern of concealing information." "Helping terrorists get into the harbour, fingerprints on the bomb, opportunity to escape." "Steele didn't mention these things until we uncovered them." " But then she did offer explanations." " She always has an explanation." "By admission, she helped terrorists get a bomb next to an American ship." "Wait a minute." "With criminal intent?" "Come on." "What the hell would her motive be?" "Maybe that you rejected her application for officer training." "All right." "What do you propose?" "That you refer the charges to Admiral Dawkins for an investigative hearing." "And you would be interested in handling the prosecution of this Article 32?" " Yes, sir." " How about you, commander?" "Sir, I feel that Sergeant Steele was in way over her head." "Vulnerable woman in a terrible situation." "A United States Marine in a terrible situation." " I'd like to defend her, colonel." " All right." "I'll request the hearing." "The secretary, shortly after the Cole explosion, formed a Navy Marine Corps task force on antiterrorism and force protection." "And that task force is spearheading our efforts to affect this sea change, taking force protection to a new level in our..." "Guess it's working or the Vance wouldn't still be floating." "We have learned a lot that we need to focus on." "What does it take for a terrorist to be successful?" "A captured Marine MP feeding you information doesn't hurt." "You think Sergeant Steele is a traitor?" "What are you getting?" "They're running an Article 32." "What about yours?" "We're making inroads into the terrorist group." "How do you do that?" "Carefully, admiral." "Very carefully." " that befell Cole was not the product of carelessness or folly, but a deliberate attack by a determined adversary who was willing to give their lives." "Now we have seen that the Cole attack was not their last attempt." "Corporal Hassler, how long have you known Sergeant Steele?" "About eight months, ma'am." "Ever since I joined the MEU." " Are the two of you friends?" " Yes, ma'am." "Did you have conversations while she was preparing her application for MECEP?" "Yes, ma'am." "She was very excited about the idea of being on officer." "She felt she had a lot to offer the Marine Corps." " Such as what, corporal?" " Well, she's smart, ma'am." "She was studying all the time." "She always had a positive attitude." "Seeking extra duty, extra responsibility." "Even after her MECEP application was rejected?" "That set her back a little, ma'am." "Her father was a retired sergeant-major." "She wanted to be a good Marine for him." "Did this affect her attitude toward the Marine Corps?" "I think she just felt undervalued, like they didn't appreciate her potential." "So she had a grudge against them." "I believe she would have liked to show the Marine Corps that they made a mistake, ma'am." "Thank you." "Corporal, didn't Sergeant Steele tell you that what she really wanted was to serve in combat?" "Yes, sir." "She thought that would show what she could do." "Did you see her the night she was kidnapped, corporal?" "Yes, sir." "I was with her in the duty vehicle when we heard the explosion." "She told me to get back to the base." "She took off running." " Toward the explosion?" " Yes, sir." "To engage enemies of the United States?" "Objection." "Assumes facts." "Nobody could know who was detonating the explosives." "Sustained." "Corporal, were you and Sergeant Steele briefed about the potential of terrorist activity?" "Yes, sir." "When you heard the explosions, who did you think was involved?" "My first assumption was terrorists, sir." "And Sergeant Steele ran in the direction of the explosion?" " That's right, sir." " Does that sound like a grudge" " against the Marine Corps?" " Objection." "Calls for conclusion." "Sustained." "Sergeant may not have been happy, but she was still a damn good marine." "Thank you, corporal." "Sir." "Redirect." "Corporal, did Sergeant Steele want to be transferred to a combat unit?" " That wouldn't have been possible." " Females aren't allowed in combat." " That's right." " To prove her worth, she had to find" " a different outfit to fight for." " Objection." "Withdrawn." "No further questions." "Commander, if it weren't for the help Steele gave the terrorists, would they have been able to get so close to your ship?" "I don't see how, ma'am." "They would be intercepted by our patrol boats sooner than they were." "At the entrance to your section?" " Yes, ma'am." " If they had been detected, would they escape to open sea?" "Objection." "Calls for a conclusion." "Commander Stinson helped design the security plans." "I'm calling for his opinion as an expert." "I'm going to allow this." "Objection overruled." "They would have been caught, ma'am." "Our boats top out at above 30 knots." "But they did enter your section." "So how did a small boat loaded with explosives get within a few feet of a Navy destroyer?" "It approached us during a replenishing operation." "Aren't service boats inspected before they enter your exclusion zone?" "Yes, but we only had one picket boat out and it had stopped to refuel." "So there was a gap in your security zone?" "For a short time, ma'am." "The terrorists' boat held back until exactly the right moment." "Would Steele have known these security measures?" "She's the only one on that boat that could have, ma'am." "Nothing further." "I gather, commander, that you consider Sgt. Steele's plan to help the terrorists approach your ship misguided?" "Honestly, sir, I don't even think it was credible." " It worked, didn't it?" " We got lucky, sir." "Was it luck you were standing watch?" "Or was it luck that you had a picket boat in the water?" "Was it luck that your people did their jobs the way they had been trained?" " No, sir." " No." "Thank you." " Cheers, mate." " To absent friends." "To Sarah MacKenzie." "What a kick, man." "You're getting married." " Is something wrong?" " No." "Life's never been better." " How's Brumby  Brumby?" " It's great." "I had two clients come in off the street." "A slander case against a commanding officer, and a young lieutenant accused of dereliction of duty." " And at home?" " Fine." "Unless Harriet's told you something that I don't know." " About what?" " About Sarah." "You know, Bud, sometimes I think..." "I don't know how she really feels about all this." "Mic, as far as I know, she's fine." "Is this why you wanted to have a beer with me?" "No." "Bud, I want you to be my best man." "You do?" "Are you willing to stand up for me, lieutenant?" "I would be honoured." " Barkeep, two shots of tequila." " You got it." "What are you drinking?" "This is so neat, Mic." "You know, I feel like your best man." "The fact that you're sharing your feelings and trust me." "Mic, I won't say anything to anybody." "Bud tells me everything." " Isn't that kind of scary?" " No." "Not most of the time." "Except..." "What?" "Other women?" "Actually, it's men." "Men?" "Bud?" "Spacemen." "Bud is deeply involved in the search for intelligent life in the universe." "Well, I would settle for a little intelligent life right here at home." " Is Harm giving you trouble?" " Did I say that?" "Harm gives everybody trouble." "Look, Harriet, I know that you and Harm are close." "Close?" "If it hadn't been for Bud, Harm would have come after me a long time ago." "Not." "Renee, you are an irresistible force." " He's an immovable object." " Not for you." "You're different." "You're spontaneous and you're fun, and he's..." "Not?" "Once a day they'd come into my room and hold a rifle to my head." "Nobody moved for five minutes." "Felt like hours." "Then I'd hear the empty chamber click." "They thought I would crack." "I thought I could use that." " Use it how?" " Make them think I had cracked." "Pretend to help them." "Did you help them, sergeant, because you resented the Marine Corps?" "No, sir." "You didn't help them because you felt the Marine Corps judged you unfairly in rejecting your application?" "I didn't help them, sir." "I got them killed." "Did you concoct the plan, sergeant, because you wanted to prove to the Marine Corps you were worthy of the commissioning programme?" "I don't know." "Maybe that was part of it." "When your commanding officer refused to endorse your application for the programme, didn't he tell you that he needed more time" " to see how you operated?" " Yes, sir." "Maybe I did wanna prove myself." "I honestly thought the best thing to do was to lead the terrorists into a trap." "A trap that put a bomb near the hull of the USS Vance." "I realise it was risky, sir." "But at the time, it seemed like the only thing to do." "Thank you, sergeant." "Sir." "Sergeant, didn't you create a very real possibility of repeating what happened on the USS Cole?" "Everybody knew about the Cole, ma'am." "Security was adjusted way upward." "You wanted to be an officer, so you risked the lives of 300 sailors?" "I was trying to save lives, ma'am." "If we weren't intercepted, I was gonna set off the bomb myself." "So Plan A was to get the terrorists captured by putting them inside a sensitive security zone, and Plan B was to get them and yourself killed despite the fact that they were armed?" "Yes, ma'am." "Do you think that was the wisest course of action?" "There was no other way to stop them, ma'am." "If I fought them openly, they would have just shot me and dumped my body in the desert." "What good would that have done?" "I'm not saying you weren't in a bad situation." "I could see how ruthless they were, ma'am." "They beat me for no reason." "One of them would talk to me in English." "Say they were gonna rape me and slit my throat." "Did he rape you?" "No, ma'am." "But every day he came into my room, zipping and unzipping his pants." "One night he ignited a lighter and held it towards my breast." "When my blouse caught fire, he held my hands behind my back so I couldn't put it out." "Then he poured Coca-Cola on it." "He thought that was funny." "Excuse me, colonel." "We're gonna stop here for a brief recess." "Yes, sir." "What is it, Webb?" "I need to talk to Sergeant Steele, now." " Slow down." " We have a lead on the group that kidnapped the sergeant and attacked the ship." "They're planning another bombing very soon." "We just don't know where." "Sergeant, this is Clayton Webb." "He's with the CIA." " Have a seat, please." " Sergeant." "Did you ever see this man?" "I don't think so, sir." "He goes by the name of Abu Hassan." "He was behind your kidnapping and the attack on the Vance." "I don't know him, sir." "His group is an offshoot of Jamaa Islamiya." "We have a man inside." "He reports that they're gonna strike again in the next 48 hours." " Where?" " We don't know." "Did these people ever discuss their plans with you?" "No." "Never." "Except their plan to blow up the Vance." "Do you recall anything that might help us?" "They weren't real talkative around me, sir." "Did they ever mention anything personal?" "Their homes?" "Their schools?" "One man did, sir." "He was only around for the first couple of weeks." " He used to bring me my meals." " And then what happened?" "I think he left to visit his mother in the hospital." "This wasn't in the transcript of your debriefing." "It didn't seem important, sir." " He said she had a bad heart." " You two talked about your families?" "Basic hostage training, ma'am." "Try to establish a human connection with your captors." "And you did?" "Establish a human connection?" "With him, yes, sir." "He told me he used to sneak out to make phone calls to his mother." "He wasn't supposed to do that." "Sergeant, do you think if you saw him again," " he might tell you more things?" " Webb." "Are you forgetting her first go-around with these people?" " Do either of you have a better idea?" " You said you had a man inside." "Why would you need Sergeant Steele?" "Our man disappeared last night." "Sir, whatever you want me to do, I'll do it." "Colonel, in that case I assume you'd drop all the proceedings against Sergeant Steele?" "In exchange for trying to infiltrate a gang of terrorist fanatics?" " Only seems fair, sir." " Sir, this is too dangerous." "Don't you think they might be suspicious when she shows up?" "We'll put out a story that she escaped from custody." " Send out people looking for her." " When I was with the terrorists," "I made them think I was helping them voluntarily." "It's natural if I escaped, I'd go to them." "Colonel, the sergeant is still under suspicion." "How do we know if she goes, she won't be helping them?" "I received a preliminary report from Colonel Dubin." "At this point in the hearing he's inclined not to recommend a court martial." "Doesn't feel there's enough evidence to support your opinion." "I'll agree with that judgement." "And you?" "Commander?" "Sir, I'd like to talk to the sergeant." "Sir, I wanna do this." "It's your decision, sergeant, but this is insane." " It's a suicide mission." " I can handle it, sir." "You can handle it?" "The CIA's operative is lying dead somewhere." "Do you understand that?" " I don't care, sir." " You don't care?" "You don't care if you live or die?" " No, sir." " Nobody is that brave, sergeant." " I fooled them once before, sir." " Did you?" "Or did you help them because you were scared?" "No, sir." "You were alone, outnumbered, unarmed, waking every day to the threat of torture, rape, death." "I survived it, sir." "I think you survived it, sergeant, because you helped them." "Anybody would have been scared." "If you don't believe me, sir, then why am I volunteering for this mission?" "Because you want me to believe you." "You want everybody to believe you." "You're trying to convince yourself." "You're right about one thing, sir." "The decision is mine." "I'm going in." "Did you ever find it hard to understand women?" "There have been times, yes." "Once, maybe twice a day." "Do you think we're hard to understand?" "What, are you serious, Mic?" "Half the time I can't understand a word you're saying." "Red meat, fire, a good game of footie." "I mean, the things we want are simple." "They're easily grasped." "Why can't she be as clear?" "Listen, Mic." "I know that Harriet loves me." "But I also know that she kind of thinks I'm a bit of doofus." "But she never says it out loud." "Maybe once or twice, but she tries not to." "What they don't say, Mic, maybe we don't wanna hear." "What are you trying to say?" "I don't know." "But I do know that Sarah MacKenzie, in two months, is gonna marry you, and you'll have the rest of your life to figure out what else is on her mind." "Yeah." "Do you know what I worry about?" "I have never loved a man before." "Harm is your first time?" "Oh, no." "My first time was in the back seat of an orange Chevrolet." "But what happens if Harm never wants to get...?" "You know." " Married?" " Married." "Since when did marriage become such a dirty word?" "People get married all the time." " I did it." " You did it." " I did." " You did." "Even Mac set a date." "God, I pray every day Brumby doesn't get hit by a bus." " That would be terrible." " Beyond terrible." "Do you know this is...?" "This is the first time I've ever dressed to please a man?" "Love." "Love turns everyone into a sap." "Oh, I don't know." "At least some people can carry it off with dignity." " Well, I guess you say" " Well, I guess you say" " What could make me feel this way?" " What could make me feel this way?" " My girl" " My girl" "My girl, my girl" " Talkin' 'bout my girl" " Talkin' 'bout my girl" "My girl" "What's the range on her signal beacon?" "Two miles." "But we're never gonna be more than a hundred feet from her." "That's if everything goes right." "What happens if they find out she's wearing a transponder?" "It's half an inch long and inside her belt buckle under her robe." "They' need an x-ray machine and a hacksaw." "How sure are you he'll show?" "Somebody's been using that phone to call a 64-year-old woman at King Faisal Hospital in Riyadh who's waiting for a heart transplant." "Lots of nice Arab men call their mothers." "I'm still waiting for a better suggestion." "Well, I say if he shows up, we grab him." "Harm, you're working for me tonight." "Do what I say." "Monty, we have a caller." " Thirty-five, moustache, 5-foot-8." " Anything from Sergeant Steele?" "Nothing." "If he shows up, she could freeze." "You understand that?" "All she needs to do is drop her napkin if she sees the guy." "It shouldn't be that hard." "She made a friend." "Napkin?" "No." "Look, Webb, this is a bad idea." "Let's get her out of there." "Harm, relax." "He might just be trying to pick her up." "She's going inside." "Door to the left." "What's back there?" " Bathroom, kitchen, storeroom." " She's in the hallway." "She's in the hallway." "Where's her friend?" "He's leaving." "What's she doing in the hallway?" "I don't know." "Waiting for the restroom?" "This doesn't feel right." "I'm going after her." "What the hell are you doing?" "She's not here." "But this is." "So do you think she took it off or somebody took it off for her?" " Morning." " Well, here's the mastermind now." "Let's ask him." "We've gone to Threat Condition Delta on every target within 200 miles, but it's a target-rich environment." "We have the Naval facility, three ports, embassies, military housing, oil companies, an American trade show at the Hilton, archaeologists from Cornell excavating in the desert," "And the vice president's wife is touring a kindergarten." "What are you doing about Sergeant Steele, Webb?" "I've got the cavalry combing the country calling in favours." "I've already compromised one agent because he was looking too hard." "Well, hey, whatever you do, don't endanger any of your people." "Harm, I didn't put her out there because I didn't like her haircut." "There was a reason." " She wasn't competent, Webb." " You said she was." "You said your people wouldn't lose her." "Why do you think she left her belt?" "Either somebody searched her and figured it out or she was afraid somebody was going to search her and figure it out." "Or as I believe you suggested," " she really did go over the other side." " No." "All she had to do was drop her damn napkin." "We could have followed him." "At least then we'd..." "I guess that's it then." "Thanks." "Yeah, it's Agent Spears." "Link me into the field office, please." "Thirty kids from the American school were at an archaeological site a mile down the road." " That's where they were headed." " So the bomb went off prematurely?" "Nothing else around here except the bombers and the van." "Probably find pieces of it in Abu Dhabi." "Do we know yet who was in the van?" "A Bahrain policeman saw them down the road." "He said two Arab men and a Western woman appeared to be engaged in a struggle." "She set it off." "Looks like it." "She knew where they were headed and she set off the bomb." "They used her." "Then we used her." "What are you gonna tell them?" "The truth." "Their daughter died a hero."