A short note from the authors: There was an unexpected opening in the season so, we got together and filled it with this story as the result. Many of us have been watching JAG for quite some time and have always enjoyed the lighter side, as much as the far more serious. Tonight we present to you another part of Jag that we all have known and loved. Hope that you enjoy it. Virtual Season: Episode 2 Monkey See, Monkey Do By: Jen Turner & Sharon Clinton OO15 ZULU Harm's Apartment North of Union Station "How was California?" Harm asked, as he and Renee sat on his sofa. "It was fun. I'm glad to be back here with you, though," she answered, as he kissed her. They were so caught up in the moment that neither heard the knock at the door. It persisted for a few moments, until Harm had finally had enough and went to answer it. He didn't notice that his shirt was half unbuttoned until he got to the door. "This had better be important," he muttered, as he opened the door to......."Josh, what are you doing here?" Harm exclaimed, as the fifteen-year-old walked into his apartment. "Mom's getting married." "She, is?" "Oops, sorry, Harm. Didn't think you'd have company." "It's okay. I'm Renee," she said, as Josh looked at her. "Josh, this is Renee Peterson. Renee, this is Josh Pendry. His dad was my roommate in flight school." "Does your mom know you are here?" Renee asked looking between Josh and Harm. "She'd freak out. She thinks I'm at Scott's house. Don't call her, please?" He begged as he watched Harm walk over to the phone. "She'll be worried sick," Renee argued. "She won't miss me until tomorrow after school. Besides, you know she'll blame you if you call her." He looked at Harm. Harm put the phone down. "Okay, you can stay tonight and we can talk about whatever it is that's bothering you. But tomorrow I'm taking you home." "Harm, I'm going to go ahead and go. Still on for the movie tomorrow night?" she asked. "Sure, sounds like fun." He kissed her as she walked out the door. "She's gorgeous, Harm," Josh said, as the door closed. "I can see why you never tried to fix things with mom." "Josh," Harm reprimanded. "You know why things didn't work out between your mom and I." "Yeah, because she doesn't understand us," he proclaimed, as he climbed up on one of the barstools. "Tell me about this man your mom is engaged to." "He's a geek. He's an insurance salesman." "Does she love him?" "I guess," Josh answered, taking a drink of his soda. "Does he love her?" "I don't know, I've never talked to him. Why are you giving me the third degree here? You know what it's like. You told me yourself." "And it's because I know what it's like that I'm worried about you, Josh. You can't spend your life hating your stepfather. It won't do you any good." Josh was about to say something when there was another knock at the door. "It's worse than Grand Central Station around here," Harm said, as he made his way to the door. He was surprised to find........Clayton Webb on the other side. "What do you want Webb?" Harm asked, as Webb walked in. "Your help. Mr. Pendry, have you witnessed any murders lately?" Webb cracked seeing Josh sitting in the kitchen. "Nope, mom keeps a pretty tight reign on me. Never know when some terrorist might blow me away." "Joshua Harmon Pendry," Harm scolded. "You're in for it now, kid, middle name and all," Webb teased. "What do you want, Webb?" Harm repeated. "I need your help." "You always need my help. What with this time?" "I have some top secret classified documents that I need delivered tomorrow." "Why me?" "Because you're the best, Rabb. They know me, I can't risk blowing anything. They don't know you." "Does Admiral Chegwidden know anything about this?" "Of course not, it will only take a few minutes out of your day." "Fine, I'm in. I need to take most of the day off anyway, to get Josh home." "How did you get here, anyway, Josh?" Webb asked. "Bus," he answered. "Where's the drop, Webb?" "Washington Zoo." "Cool, can I come too?" Josh asked. "Is this going to be safe, Webb?" Harm questioned. "It should be, as long as you don't do anything stupid." "Then you can come, Josh, but for pities sake, do not tell your mother." 1616 ZULU Washington Zoo Washington, DC Harm and Josh were to meet the contact in about fifteen minutes by the concession stands. They had already been through the Reptile pavilion and figured that they had time for a fast walk through of the Insect one before the drop. They walked through without incident until they got to the cockroach display. Josh who was closest to the glass peered in with his nose right against the barrier. Disappointed at not seeing anything of interest he was just pulling back when the enormous bug moved. The young man stood there gaping at the insect that he had mistaken for a rock only seconds before. Harm looked on in amusement as a look of horror passed along Josh's face as he realized the actual length and width being exposed as it came into full view. The roach was at least twelve inches long and a good three inches across. What had Josh held in place though were the wings that he saw attached to the insect's outer shell. "Ha...Harm...that, that thing can fly!" he said still gaping. Harm tried to keep the teasing tone from his voice as he replied, "Yes, it can, Josh, but we need to get going." "Ah...you...uhm...you go ahead and come back for me. I...I...I need to stay here and make sure that this thing stays in there." "No way, Josh. Come on, we're going to be late." "But..." "Trust me, it's not going anywhere and we will even come back before we leave to make sure, okay? Now let's get going." "Yeah, sure," Josh replied with more confidence, regaining the 'have no fears' attitude more in tune with his age. "And to think I thought the roaches in Chicago were big." "When were you in Chicago?" Harm inquired, as they headed off to meet the contact. "On a school trip a month or so back. The dump that we were staying in was crawling with them." "Lovely!" Nodding in full agreement, Josh said, "You're telling me." Coming toward the concession stands Harm searched for someone who looked like they might have dealings with Webb. It suddenly struck him that at no point during their exchange last evening did he bother to mention what the contact would look like. Going slowly from one restaurant to the other like they were trying to decide what to eat, they waited. As they came to the McDonald's(tm) a petite brunette who looked like she might be a year or two older than Josh bumped against him. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, and then looked over at Harm expectantly. "Do you have something for me?" "I'm sorry, but I am sure that you are way too young for me to have anything for you, however, my young friend here might be interested," Harm remarked, turning to head toward the next food vendor. "I don't think *you* understand, Commander Rabb." "My apologises, Miss..." he said, as he turned back to face her. "Agent Quesilez. You have something for me?" "Yes, yes, here you go," Harm stammered, as he handed off the small package. "Aren't you awful young for this...I mean..." "I know what you mean, Commander and my looks are more than deceiving and make me perfect for what I do. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be going." With those words Agent Quesilez got on a bike that was leaning against the wall of the restaurant and headed off toward the front gate. Harm stood still waiting for the other shoe to drop, but nothing happened. No terrorists, no bombs went off, and as they walked back to the stand where Harm could grab a salad and Josh could get a fully loaded cheese dog everything remained calm and without incident. Giving his head a shake of disbelief they settled down to eat and plan out the rest of their time at the zoo. Meanwhile... Primate Pavilion Just one more trap door and all the monkeys and baboons would be free. Surprisingly, no one had started to question yet that none of the animals were visible. Four of his accomplices were watching the doors and keeping count. They wanted to have as many humans as animals to do the replacement. He heard the signal that they had the right number just as a tall man and a teenager entered the pavilion. Waiting until they had moved off and were reading the information plate for the first display then on his signal the doors were chained shut from the inside. Alfred Samuels had had enough of the way that the zoo treated its mammals. Better than anyone he knew that the space that they provided was not enough and that they would be helpless in the wild because all they required was given to them by humans. Years he had worked with these animals, talked to them and observed them watching him in that pathetic pleading way they all had, for everything from a clean cage to their daily exercise. Well, no more. Now they would learn to be on their own and those who came to see them would learn how it felt to be locked away and stared at for entertainment. He was originally going to try to free them all, but it would have been too hard to get that many of his supporters on the premises without it costing a small fortune. This pavilion would be a good start and would make the best point. His friends looked so grateful when they had seen him coming. He, Alfred Samuels was no longer their keeper, today he had become their key to freedom. Looking around him he smiled at all their noise as they tossed the work area behind their old habitat. Within the observation area of the pavilion the hair on the back of Harm's neck was standing on end. He looked around and could see nothing out of the ordinary until his eyes came to the exits. Both were blocked by a man and a women each holding what looked like some sort of gun. Involuntarily he groaned. It had been going too well and all that he could register was that one, Annie was going to never forgive him for this and two, that he was going to end up being late to pick up Renee for the drive to Baltimore to take Josh home. Josh looked around and let out a low whistle when he saw the guns. "Hey Harm, you ever been in a hostage situation using tranquilizer guns?" "No, and I can't believe this is happening again. Your mom..." "...is going to kill us both." "Yes she is if we can't figure out how to get ourselves and these other people out of here quick. How bad can this be if that is their ammunition?" No sooner were the words out of his mouth that he regretted them. From the Employees Only door at the far end of the building came a steady stream of fifteen monkeys and baboons accompanied by a rather odd looking little man in a zookeeper's uniform. 1802 ZULU Jag Headquarters Falls Church, Virginia All eyes in the bullpen were on the television screens. All DC area stations had cut away from their daily soaps to air the unfolding drama at the zoo. "Brian, what can you tell us?" the anchorwoman asked the field reporter who was standing just outside the Primate pavilion. "Well, from all indications, it is a disgruntled zoo employee who decided to set all the animals free and use humans as replacements. We count approximately fifteen humans in the cages." "Does he have any demands for their release?" "No, Alison, he doesn't. He just seems to be enjoying seeing them locked away like the animals." "You said he has about fifteen humans?" "Yes, now he does. The strange thing is, he seems to have already released two of the original hostages in exchange for two men who made fun of his choice of weapons." "What kind of weaponry is he using, Brian?" "Tranquilizer guns. He doesn't appear to want to actually hurt anyone." Mac and Bud let out a low chuckle as they watched the newscast. They laughed out loud as the camera panned across the cages where the hostages were being held. Admiral Chegwidden walked up behind them. "OK, back to work. I'm already letting Rabb play hooky today, you two aren't going to watch...television...all...day...." he tried to say, as the camera stopped on the last two hostages taken. AJ burst out laughing at the sight of Harm and Josh sitting in the cage. "What's Josh doing with him?" Mac asked. "Apparently, Mr. Pendry showed up on his doorstep last night, that was why he requested the personal day, to take him home. You two, get over there, see what is going on." "Yes, sir." They snapped to attention and turned to walk away. "Oh, and see if you can get some pictures of Rabb in that baboon cage," he laughed. 1824 ZULU Washington Zoo Washington, DC "Is he just going to sit there and stare at us all day?" Josh leaned over and asked Harm. "I don't know. He wouldn't have taken us if you hadn't made fun of his tranquilizer guns." "It's not entirely my fault. I wasn't the one who thought a nineteen year old was hitting on him. If you had responded to her quicker, we would have gotten here quicker." "She was older than nineteen." "She sure didn't look it," Josh said. "Why don't you two shut up and tell me how you know so much about hostage situations," Alfred said to them passing by their cage. "Movies," they responded together. "We seem to be attracting an even bigger crowd than the news crews. Apparently someone is shooting us for footage in a commercial or something," one of Alfred's supporters told him. "Good we need all the publicity we can get!" Meanwhile outside "Renee, what are you doing here?" Mac asked. "I have a film crew shooting for a video I'm working on." "You're kidding right?" Bud inquired. "No, this thing is so hilarious. I mean, he is holding fifteen people hostage in primate cages with tranquilizer guns! What are you guys doing here?" "You obviously don't know who two of the hostages are," Bud said pointing over the fence to the end where Josh and Harm were. Renee rolled her eyes. "So he really does get himself into messes like this," she groaned. "Does he attract them, do they come looking for him? What?" "I have no idea. I just know we need to get them out of there or Annie is going to blow a gasket." "Josh's mom?" "Yes, this is precisely the reason why she broke up with the Commander in the first place," Bud put in. "Wait, a minute, broke up with him. He told me that Josh's dad had been his roommate in flight school," Renee said looking confused. "Yeah, and then after Luke died, Harm dated Annie for a while. I'm sure he'll explain it all to you later," Mac explained. "Right now we need to figure a way to get them all out of there. "Sounds like the story of a lifetime. Any ideas for a rescue, Ms. Marine." "A few. How many of them are there holding them?" "I count five. The little guy in the zookeeper's uniform and his four accomplices." "How did five people overtake seventeen?" Bud asked. "I think everyone was too shocked that this all was taking place to notice that they were being corralled," one of the spectators mentioned. "You know Miss...." he started pointing to Renee. "Peterson," she supplied. "If you could go in there and distract the three men, I think the pretty Marine and I could get the hostages free." "Why me?" Renee asked. "Well, no offense, but you look like you might be able to use some of your feminine charm on the zookeeper." "I'm up for it, if 'the Pretty Marine' is up for it," Renee said. "Just don't call me 'the Pretty Marine' again, and we'll be ok," Mac answered, staring daggers at the man. "Oh, and what makes you think you're qualified to help me?" "Detective Jason Anders, Baltimore Police. I'm here with my sons, who are at the concession stands now." "Well then let's get this show on the road," Renee muttered, walking toward Mr. Samuels. "Hi." She smiled at him. "What happened to get you all upset at the humans?" "Nothing you would understand. Wait a minute, you're with the film crew aren't you." "Yes, I am. Would you like to have your story told on television." Mac stood back and laughed at the exchange taking place. "One of these days I'm going to find out what it is Harm sees in that bimbo," she whispered to Bud. "It's in the hormones ma'am. Until he's ready for a commitment, he's just going to keep chasing anything in a skirt who won't pressure him for anything." They watched as Renee managed to lead Samuels and two of his accomplices out of the pavilion and toward her camera crew. That's when Detective Anders cuffed him and disarmed his companions with ease. Then Anders and Mac rushed the other two supporters cuffing them too. Renee fished around in Alfred's pockets until she found the keys to the cages. She handed them to Bud who went to unlock the cages. Meanwhile back in the cages "Harm, do you hear all that noise," Josh asked. "Yeah, I think we're saved," he answered just as he saw Bud walking up to them. "Bud, what are you doing here? What happened?" Harm questioned. "It's a long story, sir," he said unlocking the cage. Josh and Harm got up to walk out. Bud let Josh by him, but when Harm started to go out Bud spoke up. "Sorry, sir, but I'm under orders to keep you in here for a few minutes," Bud said softly. "Why?" "I don't know, but when two pretty women tell you do something, you normally just do it no questions asked." Just then, they heard the commotion of the film crew coming down the aisle way. The cameraman stopped in front of the cage. "Is this the one you want the pictures of Ma'am?" he asked. "Yes," Renee replied. "It's so nice to see a man finally put in his place in this world." "Renee, what are you doing here?" Harm queried. "Capturing this for posterity." "Let me out of here, Bud." "Not until they say it's okay." "I don't know, Harm, seems like a good place for you at the moment." Mac didn't even try to hide the smirk on her face. "Mac, please, tell him to let me out." "No, that one's up to Renee," Mac continued. "Renee," he pleaded. "Do you promise to never stand me up again?" "I haven't stood you up lately," he argued. "By my account, you were supposed to pick me up fifteen minutes ago. If I hadn't already been here, you would have stood me up." "Ok, I promise never to stand you up again." "Ok, Bud, let him out." Bud went to unlock the cage, only to have the key break off in the lock. "Great, now I'm stuck in here." 2113 ZULU Home of Annie Pendry Baltimore, Maryland Harm sat in that cage for an additional ninety minutes while a locksmith could be located to get him free. Now as he pulled into the driveway of Annie's lovely suburban home his chest constricted. This was going to be unpleasant. He had called her as soon as he was able to let her know that Josh was safe and with him, but unfortunately the local broadcasts that were picked up on ZNN and had informed the JAG team of his predicament had also been seen by her. She was almost beyond speech with hysterics and Harm had been forced to converse with Fred Smithers, her fiancé. Almost before the SUV had come to a complete stop, Annie was out her front door and yanking the passenger door behind Harm open. Josh went reluctantly into her embrace. "Oh, honey, I'm so thankful that you're safe," she cooed, glaring at Harm who was still in the vehicle. "Aren't you going to get out and face me, Commander?" Opening the door, Harm stepped out and began, "Annie, I..." She cut him off, "You what, Harm? You couldn't respect my wishes to stay away from Josh and I? You felt the overwhelming urge to put my son's life in danger yet again? You, you..." "I've heard quite enough!" Annie looked away from Harm and her tirade to notice Renee exiting the SUV from the other side. "And you would be...this month's bimbo replacement for..." "Annie, stop it," Harm said, effectively ending her statement. "You're angry with me, so please let's deal with that. I'm sorry that I didn't notify you last night that Josh was with me, but he needed some time to sort some things out and I thought it was for the best. There was no way that either of us could have known that we would end up in a hostage situation by going to the zoo." "All I asked of you, Harm, was to stay away, so that Josh and I could move on." "And from what Josh has told me, you have done just that. He is still my godson, Annie and last night he needed me. I couldn't turn him away just to please you. Luke was my best friend and Josh is a part of him. I will always do all I can for him. I promised his father and I intend to keep that promise," he finished and then as an aside added, "Congratulations, by the way." "Uhm...Thank you." "Now was that so hard?" Renee mumbled, as she got back in the vehicle. What Harm had seen in that whiny, neurotic woman, she would never guess, but then there were some things about Harm that she had yet to figure out. Pulling away from his mother, Josh stuck his hand out to Harm. "Thanks, Harm. I had a good time and I will never forget the look on your face when you saw all those cameras pointed at you." The tension that had surrounded the little group instantly began to recede. "There are pictures of this?" Annie inquired, a smile finally tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Mom, there is going to be more than pictures if what I heard Mac and Renee discussing is true." "Oh really, like what?" All evidence of her earlier agitation gone. Harm winked at Josh and pulled him into a quick hug. "That would be my cue to go. Josh, you feel free to call me if you need me. I am sure that your mother and I can come to some agreement on us seeing each other soon." "That would be great, Harm. Any chance of you getting me a date with Agent Quesilez?" "Josh, no offense, but there is as much chance of that happening as there is of you wanting that cockroach as a buddy!" Harm said, laughing and got into the SUV. He waved goodbye half hearted, wondering if Annie would indeed ever let him see Josh again. "Hey, Harm, you okay?" "I'm fine, Renee. Thanks for your help today." "You're welcome, sailor. Now take me home and thank me properly." "I definitely think that can be arranged," Harm replied. "But about those pictures..." "Oh don't worry, Harm. Those are being taken care of." 1258 ZULU JAG Headquarters Falls Church, Virginia The first thing that Harm saw as he walked into the bullpen were posters up all over the place. He groaned aloud, which only served to call attention to him and make his presence known. "Morning, flyboy or should I say, monkeyboy," Mac called, barely keeping a straight face. "Do you like our new promotion posters?" "Oh, man, you guys." "Is there a problem, Commander?" "No, sir. Morning, sir," Harm said, saluting. "At ease. Now Commander, I must say that I am amazed at the lengths you will go to in order to bring a bit of laughter to this office. I trust that you are recovered from your stint...as a...oh heavens, Harm, I'm sorry, but that has...got...to...be...the..fun...niest, oh forgive...me." That was the extent of what Admiral Chegwidden was able to say before he and all the JAG staff burst into peals of laughter. Moments passed and at last Bud was the first to compose himself. "Sir, if I may be so bold, I suggest that you prepare yourself for it to get worse before better. Ms. Peterson has the video coverage and should be here anytime." "Renee?" Harm said, caught between anger, mirth, and shock. Mac looked up at him with a mischievous gleam in her eye and said, "It always helps to have a friend in the CIA and a girlfriend who is a video princess." Everyone burst back into laughter and the cameras fade to black. The End