The Rift
By
K. Corris-Seale
Chapter
One
At first, he thought he was
imagining it. But as the mission proceeded, he knew he wasn’t. The Admiral was ignoring him, responding only
when absolutely necessary. Lee was sure he hadn’t done anything to
deserve it or to provoke the Admiral in any way.
But Nelson seemed fine with everyone
else. As he recalled it, the last meeting in the Admiral’s office at the
Institute had gone well, everything was fine then, and that was only two days
before they sailed. Lee had mentioned it to Chip, but the Exec hadn’t
seen any evidence of it. “Let it go, Lee. He’s probably just got
his mind on the mission. You know how he gets. Don’t take it
personally.”
He finally did decide to let it
alone, see what transpired as the cruise progressed. Maybe the
Admiral was simply in a bad mood and would work himself out of it given enough
time and space. Lee knew he himself was certainly given to moodiness, but saw
very little of it in the Admiral. The man was famous for losing his
temper, but would always be fine afterwards. And it was always something
obvious that set him off. Ok, I’ll leave it alone, for a while, as
long as it doesn’t affect the running of the boat.
Then came the morning they were all
seated in the wardroom having their breakfast. Lee asked the Admiral the
reason for the course change the Admiral had given Chip earlier, when the Exec
was in the control room going over the log entries from the night watch as he
always did before breakfast. The Admiral
responded icily, “Chip, explain the course change to Commander Crane.”
With that, he jolted up and stalked out of the Wardroom. Lee just sat there,
stunned. And Nelson had belittled him by
using his rank, not his title.
Jamie was the first to speak.
“What was that about?”
“I don’t know Jamie, he’s been
giving me the silent treatment since we left port. I have no idea
what’s wrong. I wish I did.”
“Do you want me to talk to him?”
“No Jamie, but thanks. I’m
just going to see how it plays out. Who knows? Maybe he’s getting
ready to fire me. My contract with the Institute is up soon, maybe he’s
trying to get me to quit so he doesn’t have to fire me.”
“Lee, we all know that isn’t the
Admiral. He doesn’t play games like that. You’re sure you don’t remember
anything happening?”
“Nothing, and believe me I’ve spent
a great deal of time trying to think of anything I could to blame this
on. It has to be something I did or said, but I have no idea what.
I wish he would just blow up, lose his temper, and tell me off. You know,
clear the air. Then I could apologize and it would be over and done
with.”
“Why does it have to be something
you’ve done? Have you thought of just going to him and asking him?
Don’t let this ride Lee. You don’t deserve to be put through this.
Go down and talk to the man. For all you know, he may be just as relieved
to get it out in the open.”
“I guess you’re right Jaime. I
have thought of doing that, but I was afraid it would make things worse.
I’ll go down after breakfast.”
Twenty minutes later, he was
standing in front of the Admiral’s hatch, taking a deep breath before he
knocked. He felt the butterflies in his stomach when he heard the
Admiral’s ‘come’ in response to the knock. Well, it’s now or never.
He walked in and immediately saw the
scowl on the Admiral’s face. He felt like walking right back out, but
stood his ground. “Sir, may I have a work with you, please? I’d like to
know if I have said or done anything to upset you. It seems like you
aren’t very happy with me lately and I’d like to know why.”
Until the day he died, Lee would
never forget the look on the Admiral’s face. This went way beyond ‘if
looks could kill’. The Admiral only growled two words to him, ‘GET
OUT’. After a few seconds, he did just that, then stood in the hallway,
stunned. What in heaven’s name have I done to him?
He soon found himself,
unbelievably, at Jamie’s doorstep. He stepped into Sickbay, relieved to
see no patients there and that Jamie was alone in his office. He told
Jamie what had just happened.
“Jamie, now I’m getting worried that
there is something wrong with him. Maybe you should check him out.”
“On what pretense, Lee? That
he doesn’t want to talk to you? Granted it’s not the usual type of
behavior we enjoy on Seaview, but I’ve known plenty of COs that barely say a
civil word to the men under them. Either play it out, or take me up
on my offer to go talk to him myself. At least that way I could get an
idea if there is something else coming into play here. But I have to tell
you, he’s been absolutely fine with me.
And I haven’t seen any evidence of a physical problem, nothing health or
even just stress related.”
“Ok, Jamie, tell you what.
Let’s give it a couple of days and if things haven’t changed, or at least been
explained, I’ll take you up on your offer. It will be interesting to see
how he treats me now, after throwing me out of his cabin.”
“You got it Captain. All that
I ask is that you keep me informed.”
“Will do, Jamie.”
As Lee walked back to his cabin, he
heard Nelson’s voice, loud and angry, coming from his cabin. He went
closer, wondering who in heaven’s name the poor crewman was that the Admiral
was taking the skin off of. Crew discipline was the Executive Officer’s job,
and Chip handled it very well. Even as
the Captain, he rarely got involved.
Except of course if the crewman involved was the Executive Officer
himself, and Lee could count on one hand the number of times he had to so much
as raise an eyebrow to the Exec. He continued down to the end of the
corridor, and waited at the end to see who came out of the Admiral’s
cabin.
He was shocked to see it was
Chip. Lee followed him down the corridor
to his cabin, coming up behind him just as Chip opened the hatch. When Chip quickly turned around, Lee could
see how upset he was. He nodded his head
to Chip to go inside then followed him in.
“Chip, what the hell was that all about? I could hear him yelling three
corridors away.”
“Honest to God Lee, I’m not sure myself
what set him off. When I got back to
the control room after breakfast, I saw the classified report he was working on
last night left on the table in the nose so I went to his cabin to return it to
him. As I was leaving his cabin, he
asked me if you were down in the control room.
I said no, but I would find you if he wanted to talk to you. He blew up at me, and continued bellowing at
the top of his lungs about not caring if he ever talked to you again. You weren’t the man he thought you were, he’d
be glad when you were finally off his boat forever. At that point, I made the mistake of asking
him what you had done to upset him. I
thought I could find out what was going on for you. But I was told in no
uncertain terms or civil way to mind my own GD business and to get the hell out
and do what he paid me to do or Seaview would soon have an entire new command
team. So, I left.”
“Ok Chip look, I’ve had enough of
this. I’m not going to let him take it
out on you when it’s me he’s after. He
actually threw me out of his cabin when I went to talk to him after breakfast.
I’m going back and demand he tell me what’s going on. This isn’t fair to either of us, and I intend
to stop it before it affects the mission.
I’ll fill you in later.’ He put
his hand on Chip’s shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze. “Take a minute to pull yourself together,
then you better get back down to the Control Room. And for what it’s worth, I’m
sorry.” With that, Lee turned and
quickly walked back to the Admiral’s cabin.
This was going to stop right now!
He was just about to knock on the
Admiral’s hatch when he realized he could hear him talking to someone. He couldn’t make out the words of the other
party clearly, but the other voice he heard sounded like it was Admiral
Johnson’s from ONI. Nelson must be on
his videophone with Washington. Johnson
was Lee’s CO when he was on active duty for the ONI. Did this whole thing have something to do
with ONI, or one of his missions? He
hadn’t been on one in over a month, and the last one he had completed was
successful and he knew he hadn’t left any loose ends. If there was a problem, why hadn’t Johnson
contacted him directly? He knew it
wasn’t right, but he put his ear up against the hatch. If he had to eavesdrop to find out what was
going on, he would. Lord knows he
certainly did a lot of that for ONI anyway.
“I’ll tell you again Robert, this
whole thing is still shocking to me. I
thought I knew the man well. I still
can’t believe he could be capable of something like this. No, I don’t know what I am going to do
yet. You get me the rest of the details
and then I’ll decide. What? Why? What good would that do other than to make
him more suspicious? He already knows
something is wrong, I’m too furious with him to hide it. I’ve never felt so betrayed and deceived by
anyone in my entire life. No, I can’t
relieve him of command, not without good reason. Not yet anyway. At least here at sea I can keep a close eye
on him. Hmmm? Yes, I’ve already talked to Sparks about
it. What? Of course I know the penalty
for treason is still the death penalty!
No! Absolutely not! Why should I pay for good legal counsel, let JAG
defend him, that’s their job. I’m not
wasting mine or the Institute’s money on defending a traitor. Just remember what I said. As upset as I am about this, I will not do
anything until you get me concrete evidence and indisputable documentation. Yes, yes, talk to you then. Goodbye.”
Lee stood there reeling. Then he heard the squeak the Admiral’s chair
always made when he got up off of it and he high tailed it to the end of the
corridor and around the corner just as he heard the Admiral’s hatch open. He quietly made it the rest of the way to his
own cabin.
Lee sat on his bunk going over what
he had just heard. What could they possibly think I’ve done? I’d never betray my country, or Nelson! I’m the poster boy for loyalty and
patriotism. How could the Admiral even suspect I would go against all I believe
in? Doesn’t he have any faith or trust in
me at all? Why didn’t he just come and
talk to me? I can’t go back now and tell Chip about it, he might think there
could be some truth to it. I can’t lose
both my friends. And I can’t go to Jamie
with it either. Guess the only thing I
can do is play along like I didn’t hear anything and am still wondering why the
Admiral is mad at me. He looked at
his watch. He had to get down to the
Control Room. He hoped he could pull
this off. Well, they already knew he was
upset. He was the only one who now knew
why. Him, and Nelson.
Lee and Chip busied themselves with
their duties, and soon it was time for lunch.
Lee tried to think of ways to get out of eating in the Wardroom with the
Admiral, but was afraid it just wouldn’t look right. He couldn’t afford to do anything that the
Admiral might interpret as guilt or even suspicion. But after the way he threw me out of his cabin he can’t expect things
to be the same between us.
Nelson never showed up for
lunch. And this time Lee knew it wasn’t
because he was busy down in his lab.
They finished up eating, he and Chip and Jamie. They had made their usual small talk, mostly
about boat business and the current mission, Jamie’s patient in Sickbay, bad
burns when the handle of a pot of boiled water broke off in the galley. The situation between him and Nelson was
never brought up, but the tension was there.
He knew Chip was expecting an update.
When Jamie left to go back to Sickbay, Chip looked at him
expectantly. He quietly explained that
he hadn’t been able to talk to Nelson, he heard him on the videophone with
Washington just as he was about to knock.
The absolute truth. But he also
told Chip he intended to try again later.
I’ll have to think up another
excuse. Well, no, now that he
thought about it, maybe he should try to talk to the Admiral again. That’s what
he would do if he hadn’t overheard the conversation. At the very least he had to tell the Admiral
it wasn’t fair to take it out on Chip when he was the one Nelson was furious
with.
************
Lee didn’t want to talk to the
Admiral while he was working in his lab, so he went down to his own cabin after
lunch and signed off on a couple of reports, and tried to do some paperwork,
but couldn’t keep his mind on it. He
had a few things to check on, a few minor repairs and routine reactor
maintenance he needed to check on before he signed off on the maintenance
reports. He wound up getting involved with an electrical problem in the
circuitry room, nothing major but certainly time consuming before they finally
found out where the problem was. He
slowly walked back to Officer’s Country.
He had to talk to the Admiral, even if he couldn’t find out what was
going on, he could at least get him to leave the crew alone. He walked down and was just about to knock
on the Admiral’s hatch when it flew open and Nelson barreled out right into
him, almost knocking him over.
“Get the hell out of my way! Who do you think you are?” Nelson face was getting redder by the second.
“I don’t think, I know I am the Captain of this boat, and
I know I deserve an explanation for how you are treating me, and what gives you
the right to treat Chip so badly when it’s me you apparently have a problem
with? Sir?”
“Oh, so he went crying to you did he? The only problem
I have with Chip Morton is that he is your friend. But if he has any morals or values at all, he
won’t be for much longer. Not if I have
anything to do with it!”
“Admiral , . . please . . . Sir, . . .I . . . tell me what I’ve done so
I can explain or apologize, believe me,
Sir, I am completely in the dark here.
Everything was fine before we left port. I ---“
“This isn’t something you can ever
explain or apologize for, your reasons are so obvious they are
transparent. And I refuse to believe you
are completely in the dark. You’ve made
a fool out of me and all the good people on this boat, at the Institute, the
Navy, and every red- blooded American citizen.
Stay clear of me or I swear I will have you thrown in the brig. Get the hell out of my way!”
“Sir,, . .
I, . . .the brig. . . on what charges? What have I
done?”
Nelson never answered him. He shoved Lee out of the way and stomped down
the corridor.
Lee stood there, shocked and
trembling. He slumped against the
bulkhead, so lost in his own thoughts he didn’t realize Chip was next to him
until he felt his hand on his shoulder.
“Lee? Are you alright? You’re white as a ghost! Come on, let’s get you to your cabin. You look like you are on the verge of
collapse.”
Lee allowed himself to be maneuvered
back to his cabin, and then did collapse, right into his desk chair.
“Do you want me to get Jamie?”
“No.”
“Lee, what’s going on? What happened?”
Figuring he had nothing left to
lose, Lee poured out everything to Chip, including the eavesdropping. He needed to talk to someone, and get another
perspective.
“Well, I don’t appreciate the
Admiral speaking for me. I’ll stand
beside you no matter what is going on, I know you would do the same for
me. And I know you aren’t a traitor. So don’t worry about that part. Maybe the thing to do now is to wait until he
approaches me and tells me what is going on.
He’ll have to if he intends to turn me against you. I can’t believe this. It’s got to be some kind of huge
misunderstanding, Lee. If he does
somehow suspect you of treason, he’s got to have a whole lot of proof. I’ll tell him he has to show it to me to
convince me, then I can let you know what you are up against. I just can’t believe he would make an
assumption like that, about you of all people, without concrete, indisputable
evidence. There’s got to be something
wrong here. The last time you spoke with
Admiral Johnson, how were things between you?
Have you heard anything from him at all lately?
“I haven’t spoken to him since my
last mission over a month ago. Maybe
this whole thing is why he hasn’t been in contact with me. But I can’t exactly go asking him any
questions without admitting what I overheard, and I don’t want to give away my
edge. Chip, maybe I should leave the boat. Take FS1 back home and do some investigating
on my own. Get out of Nelson’s hair.”
“Lee, I can’t think of anything else
you could do to make yourself look guilty more than jumping ship. He’ll have Institute Security ready to arrest
you the minute you get there. Despite
the circumstances, you’re safer here until we straighten this out. Just stay away from him, and I’m sure he’ll
do the same. I’ll let you know anything
I find out.”
“Thanks, Chip, I really do feel better
knowing you won’t turn on me, too. What
do you think it was he spoke to Sparks about?
Is he trying to turn my whole crew against me?”
“I doubt it Lee, he wouldn’t get
very far. Your crew is loyal to you
without reservation. But I’ll see if I
can find out what he spoke to him about and let you know. I was coming to get you for dinner. Let’s go.”
“I can’t eat anything Chip, my
stomach is in one big knot and I don’t want to run into him down there. I’ll be fine, you go take care of yourself.”
“I will, and I’ll be back with a
tray for my Captain, too. We’ll both eat
here.”
With that, Chip left for the
Wardroom and Lee let out a long, deep sigh. Well, he still had one good friend
he could count on.
************
They ate in silence, each man’s mind
absorbed in the problem at hand. There
was no doubt in Chip’s mind that this whole thing was a big
misunderstanding. It had to be. What he
couldn’t understand was the way the Admiral was handling it. Lee was like a son to him, they were that
close. How could he possibly believe, or
even suspect, that Lee was capable of anything like this? Why didn’t he just talk to Lee about it?
Could he really have evidence so
damning that he was convinced Lee was guilty, without even hearing his side of
it? That wasn’t like the Admiral. He was tough, but he was always fair, and
always willing to listen. Something else
was going on here, there had to be. But
what?
“Lee, exactly when do you think this
started? When did you first notice he
was treating you differently?”
“I know everything was fine at the
end of that last meeting in his office, we talked about having dinner together
that night but I had plans. I didn’t
see much of him the next couple of days before we sailed, we both were
busy. At least I thought he was
busy. Now that I think about it, I guess
he could have just been avoiding me. It
had to be something that happened that night or early the next day. Admiral Johnson must have contacted him
around then.”
“Do you think you would get anywhere
calling him on some other pretense?
Admiral Johnson? He had to be the one who started this.”
“Absolutely not. If what I heard
through the door is any indication, he hates me more now than Nelson does. I can’t believe this whole thing Chip. I’m being framed for something I didn’t do,
and I can’t even find out what it is so I can defend myself. I thought a man was innocent until proven
guilty in this country. I haven’t even been confronted with the charges or the
evidence against me. I may as well be in
the People’s Republic for the way this is being handled. And on my own boat, too. Well, I guess it won’t be mine for much
longer.”
“Lee, you have to stop thinking like
that. You and I both know you are innocent, we just have to clear this up so
everyone else knows it, too. And to do
that we need facts. Maybe instead of
waiting for Nelson to approach me, I should confront him and demand answers.”
“No Chip, I have a better idea. How about we both go to him together and
demand answers? There’s strength in
numbers, and I believe the way he will probably react if he feels ganged up on
is to lose his temper and blurt out what he probably really wants to say to
me. Either that or he’ll throw us both
in the brig.”
“Very funny. Okay, so we have three options here. We wait it out, or I go to him alone, or we
both go to him together. Let’s just do
something, and do it now before things can get any worse. All right, we’ll hit this head on. Let’s go see if he’s in his cabin.”
They both stood outside the
Admiral’s cabin, and looked at each other like they were first year
plebes. They both knew his temper, and
no matter what else he was to either of them, he was their CO and a four star
Admiral.
Lee finally knocked, and then opened
the door in response to the Admiral’s immediate ‘come’.
Nelson looked up from his desk
scowling and coolly asked them “Is there a problem with my boat?”
“No Sir, I just can’t take the way
things are between us anymore. I deserve
an explanation, because I know I haven’t done anything wrong. You apparently believe me guilty of some
offense and refuse to tell me what it is I have supposedly done so I can defend
myself. It isn’t fair, Sir, and you have always been fair.”
“And Mr. Morton had to come with you
to hold your hand?”
“If by that you mean is Chip here
giving moral support to his friend to help me find out the truth, the way I
would have expected you to stand by me in time of trouble or controversy, then
yes.”
The stern, angry expression on the
Admiral’s face slowly slipped away, and he let out a deep breath and sighed,
slumping back in his chair. He sat there quietly for a moment. “Both of you,
sit down.” He got up and went to his
wall safe and took out a manila envelope, then dumped the contents on his
desk.
“Commander Crane, you have been
photographed and recorded offering to sell classified information regarding
American underwater missile sites and their launching codes to an undercover
Lee’s reaction to the incredible
accusation was certainly not what either of the other two men expected it to
be. His entire body relaxed, and he
smiled, then let out a small chuckle.
“Is that all, Sir? Just a little bit of treason? You can stop
wasting time trying to validate the authenticity of your proof, it’s real. I remember the incident. I was on an ONI mission I’d been given lousy intel about, and I had to get creative. Good to know I gave
such a persuasive performance that I actually convinced a
“I can’t let you do that Captain,
and I will resort to locking you in the brig if I have to. Don’t you see how that would look, Lee? Like you were using the first opportunity to
escape the minute you found out the allegations against you. Tell me something, why wasn’t all of this in
your AAR so Johnson was aware of what transpired during that mission before
this so called ‘evidence’ surfaced?”
“Oh, now that you’ve finally
listened to what I have to say they are only allegations, not accusations? I did touch on it in my report, but the
detailed emphasis in my report was on the organization itself and their
competency. Members, locations,
armaments, communications, and my field assessment of their capabilities and
intent. Those were my mission
parameters, and I’ve discovered from past missions that complaining about bad intel or how I handled it in my reports accomplishes
nothing, it is completely overlooked and clouds the main issue. Doesn’t matter to them how you get the job
done, just get it done. It’s definitely not the first time I’ve found
myself on my own on a mission, and I think my resourcefulness is one of the
reasons Johnson favors me. I can’t
believe it’s now being used to discredit me.
This shouldn’t even be an issue, I should have been asked not
accused. Nice to know how much you both
trust me. And for the record, the only
missile codes I know are Seaview’s, which I’m sure you have already changed by
now.”
With that, Lee jolted up and stormed
out of the Admiral’s cabin, without a backward glance or word. While finally knowing what was going on was a
relief, knowing what was going on was infuriating him. And not the suspected treason part, he knew
he was innocent, but the reactions of his two commanding officers, one of them
a close, trusted friend, almost family to him.
SON OF A BITCH! How dare they
accuse me of treason! Don’t they know me better than that? After all I’ve done
and the hell I’ve gone through for this country? And for them? I don’t believe
this! This can’t be happening! Not to me! I don’t deserve this! Damn it!
The Admiral looked Chip right in the
eye. “Do you believe him? That he is innocent, with all this proof?”
Chip quickly shot up, leaned over
the Admiral’s desk getting nose to nose with him, looking him right back in the
eye. “Of course I believe him, and I
can’t believe you don’t! You know him better than this! What the devil is the matter with you?” Chip stormed out, slamming the hatch shut
behind him. How dare they do this to Lee! What the hell was wrong with Nelson? And
Johnson?
He went to Lee’s cabin first, he
wasn’t there or in the wardroom. Chip
headed for the control room. No
luck. Okay Lee, go be by yourself for a while and cool down. Lord knows you have enough hiding places on
this boat to not be found if you don’t want to be. I’ll touch base with you later. With that Chip turned himself back to running
the boat. But he knew Lee well enough by
now to know that things were only going to get worse.
Lee was nowhere to be found the next
morning. On a hunch, Chip took a closer
look in his cabin. His uniforms were all accounted for, but some of his civvies
and gym bag were gone, as was his sidearm.
Well, there was no need to check the
diving suits, they were too deep and moving too fast for an escape that
way. That left the flying sub. Lord, Nelson was going to have a fit. And I
have to be the one to tell him. Turn
in his best friend, who he had promised to stand beside and support. Lee
will understand that I had no choice but to report it, he probably expects me
to. Since Lee had obviously bailed sometime during the night, they were way
past sonar or radar contact. That only left
radio communications, and he probably wouldn’t respond. But I
have to try. See if I can get him back here before I have to inform the Admiral. He had to admit, it did make Lee look
guilty, and he had an uncomfortable feeling that Nelson was not completely
convinced of Lee’s innocence. He had no
doubt the Admiral would contact Johnson with Lee’s explanation, but it would
still take some investigating to clear Lee’s name, and a self-proclaimed
innocent man would have stayed put while that was being done, but not Lee. To him, stealing the flying sub was nothing
compared to charges of treason. Knowing Lee, he would feel he had to clear this
up completely and immediately and do it himself. He wasn’t going to sit back
and wait, or take a chance that any doubt to his innocence would linger. And he also knew Lee would never let himself
be found until he had all his answers and indisputable proof of his innocence.
************
Chapter Two
A few hours earlier . . .
Lee sat in the Flying Sub, still
buckled in and resting on the ocean floor.
He had to think about this. He’d
left without a plan, although he knew what he had to do. First get back to the mission site and try to
reestablish contact with the supposed CIA agent who betrayed him. He would be
walking into the lion’s den, but he would be unexpected. He would have the
element of surprise on his side. He had made the observations he needed and
slipped away quietly, so as far as he knew no one in the enemy camp suspected
the real reason he was there. He hoped
they would just think that he changed his mind about defecting. Except the
agent, who could be making him out to be a traitor because he knew or suspected
Lee may have been spying on them. He
considered going back and trying to join them.
Say he left to think about it for a while, but now he was sure he wanted
to defect. Act like he was totally unaware of the accusations against him, like
maybe they hadn’t gotten back to him yet.
Or maybe, let them think that was exactly why he was there, he really
was a traitor. But what bothered him
was, who was the third man? Had it been
a trap? Why had the so called CIA agent
suspected him and set him up? Well,
because Lee said he had classified information for sale, that’s why. He’d
opened the door himself. Maybe the agent was just trying to protect his
country? Okay, so he had sent photos and audio recordings back home, had they
in turn told him who Lee really was?
Wait, this wasn’t right. The
agent had to suspect who he really was to begin with or he would never have
thought he could make him out to be a traitor. The only logical reason Lee
could keep coming up with for the agent’s behavior was to take suspicion off
himself if he thought he had been discovered, if he believed that was why Lee
was there. Was the third man an agent as
well, or someone the agent was trying to make himself look good to? Could the CIA agent be so deep undercover,
maybe having worked so long to get that deep, that he couldn’t take a chance
Lee would discover who he really was and blow his cover? Could he have been trying to get Lee out of
there before Lee blew his mission? No, all he had to do in that case was take
Lee aside and confide in him, if he truly knew who Lee was. Lee was so confused. The whole time he was with the man, he was
convinced he was one of the terrorists, and one pretty high up in the ranks.
Lee never suspected he was CIA, and it wasn’t just because he played his role
so well. He had been with the terrorist
organization for too long, knew too much, commanded
too much respect and loyalty from those under him. He seemed to have his own self-serving
motives for being there. He was a key
player here, Lee was sure of it. He just
wasn’t sure what side the man was playing on. I’m so confused, and I set out
totally unprepared, acting on emotion alone. Don’t even have all my spy gear,
just my sidearm and my wits. This
wasn’t like him at all, he was always well prepared. Maybe I
should go back to Seaview. Lee
started thinking about the way he was acting and feeling, and realized much of
it was because his relationship with the Admiral was floundering. The man was not only a mentor to Lee, but a
father figure as well. But more than that, he was a rock that kept Lee well
grounded. And now he was losing that,
losing that stability he had never realized was so important to him. And it was Nelson who was to blame. Guess
I’m not as important to him as I thought. What a fool I am.
************
Admiral Johnson sat at his desk
reviewing the photos and transcripts. Crane had to have been set up and framed,
and he had a sneaking suspicion that the CIA was in on it. The conversation with Nelson last night was
weighing heavily on his mind, despite the fact that he had ordered Nelson not
to inform Lee of the charges pending against him. It all made sense now, why didn’t he put two
and two together before? Why hadn’t he
reread Crane’s AAR from that mission right after the evidence came to him,
before accusing one of his most trusted agents, and an exemplary office, of
treason? Why hadn’t he talked to Crane
first before involving Nelson? He’d not
only made a fool of
himself, but probably lost a good agent on top of it. Crane would never come back to ONI after
this. And what had his careless action
done to the man himself? Crane had to be
insulted, furious, and hurting. Johnson
could think of no one who deserved to be treated that way less than Lee Crane. And he wasn’t thinking about Captain Lee
Crane, top submarine captain, terrific ONI field agent, Medal of Honor
recipient. No, he was thinking of Lee
Crane the man, the good humanitarian and noble human being, who had constantly
demonstrated his courage, intelligence, and integrity no matter what the
circumstances were or the situation he found himself in. His good morals and ethics and constant
self-sacrificing made him an excellent role model for all who served under him
and all who had the honor of knowing him.
How could I have been so stupid?
So careless and thoughtless? What came over me?
************
Lee decided not to go back. If he did, he may never get another chance to
prove his innocence. This was a short
mission Seaview was on, and it didn’t call for the use of the flying sub at
all, except if there was an emergency.
He felt bad about leaving them vulnerable, but for once he was going to
put himself first. He had to. Judging by the way both of his COs were
handling this, he couldn’t trust either of them to do what had to be done to
clear him. It was a bitter truth to
swallow, but when it came right down to it, it turned out that neither one of
them really gave a damn about him. And
they certainly didn’t trust him. He had
to clear his name and save his reputation himself. And after he did, he was done with ONI and
NIMR. And if Starke won’t let me back
into the regular Navy, then the hell with that, too. And if
Nelson wants to press charges for me stealing the Flying Sub, that’s fine, too. But I’m
NOT a traitor!
He’d taken stock of what was on
board he could use, glad to see his diving equipment was still there. It would make it a lot easier to get to the
location from the water than the 20 mile hike he had made last time, in the hot
sun. But the intel
back then had led ONI to believe his parachute jump from the helicopter would
land him within five miles of where they had thought the headquarters
were. And boy he sure remembered that
parachute jump. He had not landed well, tumbling and rolling around, and then
he got caught up in the parachute strings, having to cut his way out. It wasn’t until much later and many hiked
miles further on that he realized his watch was missing. It was a Christmas
present from Admiral Nelson two years ago.
He had forgotten to take it off and leave it behind with his ring as he
usually did when he went on an ONI mission.
And he
hadn’t told the Admiral about it yet.
Later, after making the long trek with the ‘leader’, CIA agent, or
whatever he was once he had made contact with him, Lee realized they were only
about a mile in from the coast. Their
underground headquarters’ proximity to the ocean made it even more imperative
that their threats be assessed and evaluated, it was much easier and efficient
to covertly launch an attack, missiles, or even just boats from here. He certainly knew what Seaview’s underground
pen was capable of. But as he had
documented in his AAR, in his educated and experienced opinion, they were just
beginning to get organized, and should be monitored and reevaluated again in
the future. From what he saw, things
could go either way for them, but for now they had no way to back up their
threats. They had very few weapons stockpiled, no signs of any extensive
communication systems, not much in the way of any kind of technology, at least
not from what he had seen. But when he
was quickly trying to map the headquarters mentally, he realized that there
could easily be more caverns connected to this one. They could just be letting him see only as
much as they wanted him to see, but he doubted it. All in all, they just didn’t seem sophisticated
or experienced enough, at least not yet.
Suddenly, he had an idea! Use the flying sub to look for any underwater
access to the cavern the headquarters were located in. Yes,
that’s what I’ll do! Search for an
underwater entrance, and if he found one he would suit up and explore it,
leaving the flying sub on the bottom a short distance away.
It took him a couple of hours to get
there. He hadn’t had any sleep yet, not
since the night before in Seaview, and he was getting hungry. He settled the little sub on the bottom, a
couple of miles from the general area where he thought an opening might
be. He grabbed an emergency rations
meal, and a bottle of water. He ate, and
then slept for almost an hour on the little bunk, and felt much better when he
woke up. Okay, time to explore.
Lee cruised back and forth, going
miles each way. He couldn’t find
anything obvious or that looked like it might be hiding something, but an
opening could be extremely well hidden.
He didn’t see any area being patrolled, or any suspicious movements of
any type. His instruments didn’t pick
up anything unusual. He really wanted to
take FS1 up and do some aerial surveillance, but he couldn’t risk giving
himself away. He took her up to just a
few feet below the surface and raised the small periscope. It was night time, with a full moon. Enough natural light for a little ground
reconnaissance, and he saw a deep crevice in a flat rock on the beach, the
perfect spot to store his diving gear in.
He put the flying sub on the bottom and suited up, putting the few items
he would need in a waterproof bag. If
this were a regular mission, he would make radio contact, check in with where
he was and what his plan entailed. But
this wasn’t a regular mission, not for NIMR, ONI, or the Navy, it was a mission
for himself. To hell with
procedure. To hell with them. He still
couldn’t believe this was happening to him.
After this, he was done, with all of them.
Soon he was stashing his gear in the
crevice and making his way inland. He
would have no trouble finding his way if he was again coming from the inland
direction he had come from the first time, or if it was daylight. He just had to hope he was heading in the
right direction, and that his estimate of a mile in from the coast wasn’t too
far off. And he had to keep his eyes out
for anyone on guard. Aside from warning
him to be careful and quiet, it would surely tell him he was in the right area.
************
His great task was almost finished
here. Now that the events had been set
into motion, they would unfold by themselves until the final resolution was
realized. It had all gone as planned,
except for the unexpected intrusion, which had been handled in a way that
would, as the expression went, kill two birds with one stone. A sudden thought came to him, to take a walk
to the brook, his attention was needed there.
************
Well, Lee couldn’t find it. Not in the dark at least, even though it
wasn’t that dark with the full moon shining.
He decided to keep walking inland another mile, then criss
cross back and forth a mile each way and see if he came across anything
familiar. He went over how he first
encountered the CIA agent. No matter
who that man really was, that ruse wouldn’t work a second time. He had to come up with something else. He took a deep breath and let it out
slowly. This wasn’t like him, he’d put
himself in danger by acting on emotion alone.
He had no plan, no back up, no equipment. But you
know what? I don’t care. Even if he died trying, he would find out why
this was done to him. He’d lost
everything anyway, he at least deserved to know why. So what if he got killed out here? He had nothing to go back to, nothing that he
cared about anymore. Once even an
innocent man lost his reputation, you couldn’t undo the damage. The memories and suspicions would forever
linger in everyone’s mind. The only
person in this world who gave a damn about him was Chip. And he was sure that by now Nelson was trying
his best to eat away at Chip’s friendship and loyalty to him.
I gotta stop this, stop feeling
sorry for myself, pull out of this dark place and concentrate on what I came
here for. Proving my innocence will mean
nothing if I can’t wave it in Nelson’s face. And Johnson’s.
He started back on the trail. A bit further on he heard the babbling of a
little brook, and he remembered crossing one the first time. He followed the sound and soon came to what
he was sure was the same brook. Okay, he
must be in the general area, he didn’t have much further to go. But first, he took a short break. Sitting on a log by the brook, he ate an
energy bar, then washed it down with a few swigs of water. He sat there, drawing his knee up and trying
to relax for a few minutes, lost in thought. T\hen he
got up, picked up his bag, and crossed over the brook stepping on large rocks,
and soon picked up the trail he had been on the first time. He crept along silently, there had to be
guards around here soon. And then what? What am I going to do then? He stood stock still for almost five minutes
analyzing the problem. He was here to
get proof of his innocence, and the only one who could provide that was the CIA
agent, or whoever he was. But he not
only had to find him, he had to get the truth out of him and get out of here
without getting himself killed. It would
be best if he could somehow get hold of him alone, away from the others that
were so loyal to him they were sure to protect him. But how?
Maybe he should go back a bit, wait for daylight so he could get a
better idea of what was going on in the area, see if he could spot the man from
a distance, then try to make contact with him.
If he was truly CIA, he wouldn’t want another American intelligence operative
killed. Would he? If he wasn’t, well, . . . Lee had gotten this far playing it by ear,
maybe his luck would hold out. It was
the only plan he could think of, so he decided to go with it.
That was until he felt the gun in
his back.
He turned slowly, coming face to
face with the man he sought. Well Lee, what now? He decided to hit it
head on, if he was killed right here, at least it would be after finding out
the truth.
“Who are you, and why did you try to
brand me as a traitor? You’re going to
kill me anyway, at least tell me why!”
“You fool! Do you have any idea what I went through last
time to get you out of here safely? I
was not prepared for your interference! And now you come back? Are you crazy? No one else knows you are back, you are lucky
I found you first! Get out of here while
you still can!”
“No, not until I get the information
I want, or die trying. I ask you again,
who are you? Really? Why did you care about getting me out of here
safely only to try to prove I’m a traitor to my country? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Because I didn’t want you to come
back, and I didn’t want your superiors to believe anything you had to say, so,
I gave them more important things to worry about. You have no idea what is
really going on here!”
“Then why don’t you tell me?” Lee sat down slowly on a nearby rock,
dropping his bag to the ground, and let out a long sigh, acting like he had all
the time in the world to wait for an explanation.
“Crane, I’m telling you, get up and
get out of here now, before the others find you. I can’t help you a second time. Go home.”
“Go home? To what”
You’ve destroyed my reputation, I’m about to lose my boat and my
command, both my COs have turned against me, I’m wanted for treason, an
executable crime in America, so why in heaven’s name would I want to go
home? If I die here, that’s fine with
me. But I at least deserve to know the truth first.” You
don’t scare me because I have absolutely nothing left to lose.
The man stood there staring at Lee,
a strange expression on his face.
Finally, he calmed down, relaxed a bit and began to regain control of
himself, and appeared to have come to a decision about a course of action. He also seemed to become a different man,
more sophisticated and intelligent, well spoken. Suddenly, Lee realized he had no idea who or
what he was dealing with, but somehow he knew or sensed one thing for
sure. This man was no more a terrorist
than he was a CIA agent.
“Captain Crane, what I am about to
tell you is beyond classified information.
You must not speak of it ever to another living soul. I know of you and
about you, I know you can be trusted, but I am not going into any detail. There is a very secret, ancient, elite
network above and behind all your governments, intelligence agencies, law
enforcement organizations, and global military forces, though we sometimes work
through them, as we did this time with your CIA. You’d be shocked to know what historic
figures have played important roles in this network, as well as the names of
some of its current members helping to protect mankind, to guide you into a
more respectful and symbiotic relationship with each other, and away from the
self-centered destructive course you would fall into without guidance. Our mission is not to control the
world. We are peacekeepers, of the
highest order, and have been for over a thousand years. What we do is done so
slowly and delicately, so secretly, that the ripples of the immediate after
effects barely show up, life just goes on a little bit more quietly, and in a
slightly different direction. We are
known only to our members, and a small support group of other people, which now
includes you. Telling you of us is
favorable, as many of your missions have helped us. You are needed, in this world and by us, in
ways you cannot begin to imagine. You
will eventually be cleared of any charges against you, so that you may continue
in your own role as a peacekeeper. It is
not outside the realm of possibility that you may one day be invited to join
us, after your time has come, but for now you still have work to do on this
level. As far as what you are
investigating here, there is nothing.
Your original assessment was correct, although I was unaware of what you
would put in your report or I would have handled this differently. But I needed
time to complete my task. I have
intentionally caused enough mutual suspicion and distrust among the
organization here that it is slowly disbanding.
And the seed has been planted in each member to go home and give up
their violent intentions, to become involved in helping to protect and nurture
each other. This is the peasceful end result needed for this group, not the violent
military one your report might have triggered.
Two of these so called terrorists are now destined to become future
leaders, dedicated to improving the lives of their people in a gentle way. That future outcome was so vital to the rest
of our long term plan that your unexpected interference was dealt with in a
regrettable but necessary way. We will
use the repercussions to you that our actions caused in a constructive way, but
you will be absolved of all charges.
But you must be patient, and never speak of this again. And be of clear
conscience. All will know of your innocence.”
This was a lot for Lee to take in
all at once, but there was one key question on his mind. “Are you from this world?”
The man would only smile at
Lee. “Captain, it’s time for you to go
home. Admiral Nelson worries. And you
are in danger here.”
“I can’t go home without some kind
of proof, evidence of my innocence or who you are. I stole the flying sub to get that, and I’m
sure that is all Nelson is worried about.
And as much as I want to believe what you have told me, God knows this
world needs help, isn’t there some physical proof you can give me, other than
your word? And I still don’t understand,
if you believe you need me to continue in this role, why did you try to
discredit me as a traitor in the first place?”
“Because Captain, we know how this
all will turn out, in time. You simply must trust me.”
Lee heard a noise behind him, like a
small twig snapping after being stepped on.
He quickly turned but no one was there.
When he turned back the man was gone, and gone completely out of sight,
despite Lee being able to see clearly a long way down the trail.
Lee stood up, not really sure what
to do next, but then pure survival instinct kicked in. If he was in danger here, he better leave. It
was the first clear call to action he had had since this started, to get to
safety. As he made his way back to the
shore, dawn was just breaking. If he was
quick about it, he could get back into his scuba gear and to the flying sub
before the sun came up over the horizon.
Finally making it back safely to the
flying sub, Lee changed out of his scuba gear, suddenly realizing how
completely exhausted he was. He laid
down on the bunk and fell into a sound sleep.
************
Chip headed down to Nelson’s cabin,
thinking not only what he had to report to him, but remembering the
disrespectful way he had spoken to the Admiral last night, not that he didn’t
deserve it, four stars or not. Well,
Chip was in no mood to apologize. If the
Admiral didn’t bring it up, he wouldn’t.
Chip knocked on the Admiral’s hatch, hoping he hadn’t already headed
down for breakfast. He wanted to report
this in private, let the Admiral vent at the top of his lungs about the
traitorous Captain who was now also a thief, escaping in the dead of night to
hide his guilt and avoid capture. The way
he felt about him now, Nelson would probably believe Lee had foreign friends
waiting somewhere to abscond with him to a secret hideaway, never to be seen or
heard from again, and – ‘
“Come.” Chip took a deep breath and opened the hatch.
“Sir, the Flying Sub is gone, and so
is the Captain. I’ve tried radio
contact, but he doesn’t answer. It had
to be sometime during the night, so I’m sure he’s a long way from here. Admiral, I know this makes him look bad, but
I know Lee, and I’m sure he is determined to clear himself no matter what it
takes, even borrowing the flying sub to do it.
Please, Sir, could you just give him a little bit of time to do that?
Doesn’t he deserve that much?”
“Sit down, Chip. And relax.
I knew last night he took it, and I realized why. He never saw me at the top of the spiral
staircase watching him. I can’t tell you how long I sat here last night after
you left, feeling very ashamed of myself and with the way I have handled this
whole thing. I let Admiral Johnson get
to me, he was so armed with photos and tape recordings, accusations. I want you to know now, please, that I
believe every word Lee said in here last night, it just felt right. I know he is innocent. I called Johnson and had a long talk with
him, told him everything Lee said, and, I have to tell you, it sure didn’t take
much to convince him of Lee’s innocence as well. He was as shocked and upset about the whole
thing as I was, we both wanted to believe it wasn’t true. According to Johnson, what Lee explained fit
in perfectly with his After Action Report, after Johnson reread it. But, we have to
be military men before we can be friends, and an accusation like this had to be
dealt with accordingly. It couldn’t be
swept under the rug, even given who the supposed traitor was. And the
classified report came down from the CIA, so procedure had to be followed. Do you think I really wanted to believe
it? I felt caught between a rock and a hard
place. My relationship with Lee and my
sworn military duty. I know it seems
like I betrayed him. But I swear to you,
no matter how I acted or what I said, they weren’t going to get him away from
me without a whole lot more proof than Johnson had. My mistake was in waiting for Johnson to get
further evidence, instead of just talking to Lee about it, trusting that he
would never do such a thing. But Johnson
ordered me not to discuss it with him, and, unfortunately, he does outrank me
by one star. The price I paid for
retiring early from my military career so I could get on with my scientific
career. But I’m not passing this part on
to Johnson. As far as he will know, Lee is still on board Seaview. Unless of course the time comes when we may
have to get more information from him as to where Lee might be, if we don’t
hear from him in a reasonable length of time or believe he’s in trouble. But that’s a last resort, a very last
resort. I don’t want Johnson sending a
Seal team in to wherever Lee is to capture him if he has second thoughts about
his innocence. And Chip, if there is any
radio contact with him, tell him he can take as long as he needs, within
reason, to get himself cleared, with my blessing. If there is anything else we can do to help,
he just has to ask. Just tell him to
keep in touch. And please, ask him to forgive
me.”
Chip left and headed down to the
wardroom for breakfast, feeling a whole lot better. Now
that was the Admiral we all know and
respect.
Finishing a hearty breakfast, Chip
headed down to the control room and directly to the radio shack. He had Sparks try again to raise the FS-1,
but to no avail. He gave him orders to
try once every hour, and if he did make contact, to call the Exec
immediately. He started to walk away,
and then turned back. “Sparks, what was
the order the Admiral gave you regarding the Captain at the start of the
cruise?” Noticing the man’s discomfort,
Chip quickly added, “You can consider that an order.”
“He ordered me to notify him if the
Skipper received any radio messages, coded or otherwise, and to let him know
where they came from and when they were received, and whether or not the
Skipper sent back a response. And not to
let the Captain know he was being monitored.”
Chip almost asked him if there had
been any radio messages, but quickly decided against it. Even though Sparks was sworn to secrecy
regarding any radio messages, unless he was ordered to report something, Chip
didn’t want to give the man the slightest inkling that he might be suspicious
of their Captain, too. It was bad enough
the Admiral had done that, although Chip understood his reasons. Chip took a deep breath and let it out, then
walked over to the charting table. He
had to remember they were on a mission, and that had to be put first for the
moment. And here I am, once again, Acting Captain.
************
After Chip left, Nelson was beside
himself. How could he have ever even
considered Lee doing such a thing? And
how badly, how very badly, he had treated him when Lee so desperately tried to
find out what was wrong. It wasn’t just that this was Lee he had done this to,
it was the unbelievable way he himself had handled the whole thing. Unable to sleep, he’d stayed up late trying
to figure out his own strange behavior, finally deciding to go sit on his ‘front
porch’, as the crew called the windows in the observation nose when the Admiral
was sitting staring out of them. But
just as he got to the top of the spiral stairs he spied Lee climbing down into
the flying sub. Standing on the metal
stairs he felt the vibration when the little submersible was released. He could have prevented it instead of just
standing there watching, but he wanted do whatever he could to make it up to
Lee, and more than anything he wanted Lee to prove his innocence. He was the only one who could do it. It was out of Nelson’s hands, he didn’t know
enough about the original ONI mission itself, and didn’t want to tip off
Johnson that Lee was no longer aboard Seaview.
What had come over
him? This was Lee! He
could never be a traitor any more than I could! My God son, what have I done?
************
Chip and Jamie were having lunch,
Chip having just brought Jamie up to date with what was going on.
“You mean he just bailed in the
middle of the night? Didn’t he have to
explain to O’Brien why he was taking the flying sub out at that hour? Didn’t Bobby have to put something in the
log?”
“Apparently, he walked past the
charting table with folders in his hand and told Bobby he was going to do a
little paperwork in the nose, and then closed the crash doors, supposedly for a
little privacy, or so Bobby thought. He
must have come down the spiral staircase earlier and stashed his bag there a
few steps down, then retrieved it after the crash doors were closed. We’ve all gone to the nose at night to work,
sometimes you just have to get out of your cabin. It’s not something the OOD would ever enter
into the log. When Bobby opened them hours later and found Lee gone, he simply assumed Lee
had taken the spiral stairs up to Officer’s Country when he was finished and
forgot to open the crash doors.”
“I may not be the most technically
minded person around here, but isn’t there some kind of noise, or vibration, or
flashing lights, something to give away the fact that the flying sub was being
taken? Don’t the berthing doors opening or
the clamps being released make a noise?”
“If Lee, the Admiral, or I had been
on duty, yes, one of us would have picked up on it. But the crash doors were closed and that
helped muffle any noise, and Bobby, certainly not expecting that to happen,
would have just written it off as mild turbulence if he did hear or feel
something. And Lee must have just let
her drop straight down to the bottom and sit there until Seaview was out of
range, that’s the only way he could have avoided showing up on instrumentation. I can’t begin to tell you how upset Bobby was
this morning when I questioned him about it.”
“Damn. This really makes Lee look guilty.”
“It would Jamie, but I haven’t told
you the best part. I had no choice but
to report it to the Admiral this morning.
And you know what? He already
knew about it, he had watched Lee take it from the top of the spiral stairs,
and let him go because he knew what he was trying to do and hoped he could do
it. I had a long talk with him and was
relieved to find the Admiral was himself again, and he knew Lee was telling the
truth, that he was innocent. He feels
really bad about the way he treated Lee, but apparently once the CIA was
involved his hands were tied, he had higher ups to answer to. I guess sometimes we forget that even
Admiral Nelson has to answer to someone occasionally.”
“So, have you heard from Lee
yet? Do we know where he was
headed? Back to the Institute maybe?’
“No, he’d be a fool to go
there. As far as he knows, Nelson hates
him and would have him arrested if he showed up there, if for nothing more than
taking the flying sub. No, it’s my bet
he went back to where this mission took place to try to find some kind of
evidence to clear himself. Problem is,
we don’t know where that is and the Admiral doesn’t want to ask Johnson because
he wants him to believe Lee is still on board.
He thinks if Johnson finds out where Lee is, he might send in a Seal
team to bring him back, even if it is just to be on the safe side and have him
in custody. You know, procedure. But the
Admiral wants to give Lee to a chance to fix this himself.”
“Well, I certainly hope he
does. He doesn’t deserve to be put
through this, not after all he has done for this country. This whole thing is outrageous. How many times have I put that man back
together, how much suffering have we seen him go through, how many times have
we come so very close to losing him? All
in the course of doing his duty and following orders to protect our country. And
Nelson was right there worried to death about him every time. How could he believe for even one minute that
Lee would ever even contemplate treason, for any reason? As far as his having to answer to higher ups,
his answer should have been to tell them off immediately and in no uncertain
terms how very wrong they were and doing it at the top of his lungs. I still can’t believe he didn’t even try to
defend Lee. Where in heaven’s
name was his loyalty to a man who has been willing to sacrifice his own
life to protect the Admiral how many times? And I’ve seen and heard Nelson
telling off higher ups, and that includes, if you remember, even the
President.”
And Chip did remember that
time. What he also remembered about it
was that it was Lee who interceded and calmed things down between them. Even to his Commander-in-Chief, Nelson could
lose that hair trigger Irish temper when he knew he was right or was being
ordered to do something he didn’t agree with.
It was a calm, charismatic Lee that got the President to reconsider his
order.*
“Well, from what he said to me,
Johnson got on his back about it, and he had so much proof Nelson had to at
least give some credence to the accusation, whether he wanted to believe it or
not.”
“Chip, I have a nasty feeling that
even if Lee does manage to clear himself and all is explained and forgiven,
things will never be the same around here, not after this. He’s got to feel betrayed by both Nelson and
Johnson. How quick they were to believe
the worst about him, without even asking him about it first. That’s not something easily forgotten. It will always be between them, even if they
can both manage to still serve together.
I’m sure you standing by him through this is the only thing that kept
him going, your support and steadfast belief in his innocence. Not that I ever believed a word of it for one
instant, but you two are much closer.”
“Granted there will be repercussions
from this, but as close as they are, or used to be, I’m hoping they can work
through it. They had such a great
personal relationship, but even if that is gone I believe they both are
professional enough to be able to maintain their working relationship. If they can at least do that, then maybe
over time they will be able to rebuild their mutual trust in each other.”
“I hope you’re right. But I still hate to see Lee put through all
of this. It just plain isn’t fair, isn’t
right. The whole thing is crazy. What was Nelson thinking? Hmmm, look at the time. I have to get back to Sickbay Chip. See you at dinner tonight?
“Yeah, if this whole thing doesn’t
take a turn for the worse, I’ll be here.
See you then Jamie.”
************
Chapter Three
Lee woke up almost five hours
later. He laid there a few minutes going
over everything that had happened, and everything the man had told him. He still couldn’t quite comprehend it
all. What he did know was that he was
hungry, thirsty, and the air in the little craft needed to be
recirculated. He started the engines, turned
on the air revitalizing system and took her out a good thirty miles and then
surfaced and turned off the engine. He
cracked the top hatch and let some much needed fresh air in. He sat there a few minutes, bobbing in the
water, drinking a bottle of water and trying to decide his next course of
action. He wasn’t ready to go back to
Seaview yet, he needed time to sort all of this out, try to plan his defense.
And having to do it without the evidence he had hoped to obtain. A few minutes later he closed the hatch then
submerged and headed toward Santa Barbara.
Within a couple of hours he was surfacing in the cove behind his little
seaside cottage. Rock jetties on both
sides gave him protection and privacy for his boat docked there, and made it
safe to dock the flying sub there, he had done it before.
Once inside, he threw a frozen
dinner in the microwave and then headed for the shower. A half hour later he was showered and fed,
yet still didn’t feel any better about the whole thing. The man said to have a clear conscience,
everything would turn out fine eventually, he would be
cleared of all wrong doing. But what was
he supposed to do in the meantime? How
long was he talking about? He’d be
arrested the moment he set foot back on Seaview or the Institute grounds. He knew he had to go back soon, the longer he
was gone the worse things were going to be for him. But then what? And who the devil was that man? An angel?
A mortal man following divine guidance?
An ancient alien that watched over earth? A time traveler? The only sense Lee had about him was that he
was good, not evil. He couldn’t say why
or how, but Lee instinctively knew to trust him, and that his word was
good. But no one would believe him
about the man even if he could talk about him.
He was just going to have to ride this one out alone, stand tall and take
what was coming to him even though he knew he didn’t deserve it, and wait for
vindication to come. He had no choice
but to be patient. But he still thought
that this was going to be the end of his naval career. He could never believe he would be truly
trusted again. Even after his innocence was proven, the stain of the suspicions
and allegations would always be there.
And he would never be able to look either Nelson or Johnson in the eye
again after knowing what they had suspected and believed him capable of. I’ve
lost respect for both of them. I
don’t want to work for either of them again. That is
if I’m ever free to work for anyone again.
He decided to wait a bit to go back,
things would be a little quieter on Seaview if he didn’t get there until
evening. If he was taken directly to the brig, he’d be able to pass the next
few hours by sleeping. Maybe after a
night there, the Admiral would relent a little and let him be confined to his
own quarters. Maybe. Then what?
Probably, whatever happened next would be up to Admiral Johnson or
NCIS. He’d be arrested, indicted, and
after a trial by JAG he would be sent to Leavenworth, until whatever evidence
surfaced to clear him. The whole thing
could take years. Years out of his life
branded as a traitor to his country when he had done nothing wrong. And treason was punishable by death. What if the evidence wasn’t discovered until
too late? Post humus exoneration. What a joke.
What was it the man had said?
Something about joining them after his time had come? Is that was this was all about? The universe’s attempt to make things right
after all was said and done?
He had to stop worrying about
this. Just go back to Seaview and take
his medicine. Don’t think about it, just keep putting one foot in front of the other
and keep going until all is done.
************
“Mr. Morton? Radio contact with the flying sub, Sir. Skipper is requesting a homing signal.”
“Okay, Sparks, send it out,” Chip
ordered as he took the microphone. “Skipper,
homing signal being sent, what is your status?”
Thank God, he’s back!
“Homing signal received, will dock
in, well, it looks like about 45 minutes Chip.
See you then. Crane out.”
Well, that was informative.
Guess I’ll have to wait for him to get back here to see if he is all
right. Now, to report to the
Admiral. “O’Brien, you have the con.”
Chip was going to head directly to
the Admiral’s lab, but decided to check his cabin first. After the Admiral’s ‘Come’, he entered and
told him Lee was on his way back, would be here within the hour. “How do you want to handle this, Sir?”
“Did he tell you anything that
happened? Did he sound himself, or
injured in any way?”
“He sounded fine, didn’t say a word
about anything. Just a standard check-in
for position and notification. I’ll stay
on duty until he gets here, then should I bring him to you?”
“Yes, unless you think he needs
medical attention first. I’ll let Jamie
know he’s on his way back and to stand by in case he’s needed. That’s all for
now Chip. Dismissed.”
************
Lee stood at the bottom of the
ladder, just about to climb up into Seaview.
He took a deep breath, these were his last few seconds of freedom. He saw the hatch above him opening and
started up the ladder. He looked up
and was relieved to see Chip’s face, not the MAA’s, although he could certainly
be standing nearby. He closed his eyes
as he took the last rung up and set foot on the deck. Hearing Chip close the hatch, he opened them
and looked around. No one. No Master-at-Arms waiting to arrest him, no
Admiral scowling or yelling threats at him, no NCIS personnel waiting to
question him. He turned to Chip, who
looked at him questioningly.
“You all right?”
“Yes.”
They just stood there looking at
each other, neither one saying a word.
So Chip broke the silence. “Okay,
come on, the Admiral wants to see you.”
I’ll just bet he does!
The walk to the Admiral’s cabin went
on forever. Finally, Chip knocked on the
Admiral’s hatch, opened it, and ushered Lee in, then pulled the hatch shut,
leaving the two men alone.
Nelson stood up, and looked at Lee
up and down. “Do you need medical
attention?”
“No.”
“Then sit down, Captain.”
“I know I took the flying sub
without permission, and I was AWOL for almost twenty-four hours. But that’s all I’m guilty of.” Sir.
“I don’t give a rat’s ass about the
flying sub or you being AWOL. Were you
able to find anything? Any proof?”
Lee stared at him for a whole minute
trying to figure out just what to say.
The man told him he couldn’t repeat anything, even in his own defense.
“No.” Sir. Lee looked the Admiral right in the eye,
almost daring him to accuse him again.
Nelson let out a long breath and sat
back in his chair. “I’ve spoken with
Admiral Johnson several times, and we both agree you were set up and
framed. He doesn’t know you left the
boat. He’s trying to trace back where
the information came from, but the CIA is being pretty closed mouth. But
supposedly they are looking into it. I
was hoping you would be able to find something, anything, to end this.”
“You aren’t angry I took the flying
sub?”
“Lee, I was standing at the top of
the spiral staircase watching when you left. I could have stopped you then but
I knew what you were doing and wanted to give you a chance to prove your
innocence. It never even crossed my mind
that you might be trying to escape. I
know you better than that, and I’m sorry I let Johnson’s ravings get to me.” Nelson stood up and walked over to Lee and
offered his right hand.
“Lee, please forgive me for the way
I acted and the way I treated you. I swear to you, I have no idea what came
over me, and I can’t begin to tell you how ashamed I am of myself for the way I
have handled this whole thing. I know
what a strain my behavior has put on our friendship, I wouldn’t blame you if
you never spoke to me again, I know I deserve it. But I’m asking you, no, begging you, to
please try to find it in your heart to forgive me.”
Lee finally stood up and took
Nelson’s hand. He was surprised at the
way this was turning out, but it didn’t mean he was off the hook yet. But try as he could, with all he had been
through emotionally, he just couldn’t respond in any way to the Admiral’s
heartfelt words. They meant absolutely
nothing to him. He dropped the Admiral’s
hand, turned and walked out.
He went to his own cabin, glad to
see Chip had stowed his gym bag there.
He sat at his desk for a while pondering the conversation and apology
from Nelson, then decided to get some sleep.
As he was trying to get comfortable, he slipped his hand under his
pillow as he always did. What?
What is that? His hand had
touched something cold and hard. He sat
up and turned on the little light over his bunk and reached under the
pillow. He couldn’t believe what he pulled
out. His watch, the one from the Admiral
that he lost when he parachuted in.
There was only one way it could have gotten here, the man. Lee had asked him for some kind of proof, and
now he had it. Now, he knew there was a
supernatural aspect involved. Or alien.
Now, he truly believed he could trust the man, and also realized that what was
going on was way beyond his own control.
************
Admiral Harriman Nelson was not a
happy man. He had been so relieved that
Lee was back safely, only to have Lee be as cold as ice to him. Wouldn’t even
address him as ‘Sir’. He knew he
deserved it, his Captain and friend had lost all respect for him. And still, for the life of him, he could not
understand why he had turned on Lee. He
should have confronted him with the evidence and accusations immediately,
making it obvious to Lee he didn’t believe any of it, listened to what he had
to say, and then defended him to Johnson. And the CIA.
“Sparks, get me Admiral Johnson
again, patch it through to my cabin.”
He’d be surprised if there was any new news from the CIA, but he was
going to check anyway. He had to stay on
Johnson’s back, it was the least he could do for Lee after what he had done to
him. He had an awful feeling in the pit
of his stomach that he had lost the friendship and respect of the most
important man in his life. He couldn’t
blame Johnson for it, Harry was in control of his own actions. And he certainly couldn’t blame Lee for how
he was handling it. Nelson knew how he
himself would feel and react if he had been unjustly accused of treason,
especially by someone he thought trusted and cared about him. But for it to happen to Lee, who had given so
much of his own blood to protect his
country, only to have someone as close to him as Nelson accuse him of betraying
it was unforgivable. He had every right
to be outraged. Even if he could find some way to make it up
to Lee, he knew Lee wouldn’t accept or
allow it. Lee wasn’t a stubborn man, but righteous indignation was difficult to
overcome. And this turn of events went
way beyond a simple insult. And there
was absolutely no plausible or acceptable explanation for how it had been
handled. None.
“Sir, Admiral Johnson on the line for
you.” Nelson heard the page from
Sparks, yet just sat there looking at his phone instead of picking it up and
responding. It took a second page from
Sparks to shake him out of his reverie.
“Go ahead, Sparks, put him through.”
“Harry, my last conversation with
the CIA was a bit confusing. Apparently,
they have no idea how they got this information or who this man could be. But they do know now that he is definitely
not one of their agents as they originally suspected. Yet whoever forwarded the proof to them knew
the procedure and where to send it, who to address it to. They aren’t even sure how it was
delivered. It just seemed to appear on
the desk of a senior agent. They didn’t
have an agent over there, and didn’t know we had one. They were aware of the threats that had been
made, but felt there was no validity to them, as Lee’s report verified. The only positive observation they could
offer is that they know the man in the picture is Lee. They think the pictures
could have been taken from a hidden surveillance camera. I don’t know if it is embarrassment on their
part or what to think, but they seem inclined to dismiss the whole thing. But they still want to interview Lee before
they close the incident out. Actually, they seem so anxious to end this, it
makes me wonder if they are hiding some mishandling on their part. Anyway, talk to him and let’s see what we can
set up. Or better yet, maybe you should
let me talk to him. I started this whole
thing, I should finish it. And I need to
apologize to him. Is he there?”
“No.
But I’ll contact you in the morning from my cabin with him here, we’ll
do a conference call, you set it up with the CIA agent you’ve been dealing with.. I believe we both
need to be supportive of Lee through this interview, after the way he’s been
treated. I think we should make it clear
to them and to him that we intend to stand by him because we know he is
innocent.”
“All right Harry, how does 0900
hours sound, if I can arrange it with them?”
“Sounds fine, I’ll speak with you
then. Nelson out.” I’ll
wait until the morning to tell Lee, give him time to calm down a bit, get a
good night’s sleep.
************
But Lee couldn’t sleep, too many
questions were keeping him awake. He
finely decided to see if Chip was still awake.
He knocked softly on Chip’s hatch.
He knew how soundly his friend slept, if he was out cold, he would never
hear it, never be disturbed. He
immediately heard a ‘come’ and entered.
“You still up?”
“Yeah, working on all these reports
that wound up on my desk when my Captain went AWOL.” He grinned and pointed Lee to the seat by
his desk.
“I need to know what happened while
I was gone. What turned the Admiral
around? I was expecting the MAA to be
standing there when I came up from the flying sub. Instead he’s being not only his old self, but
apologetic and remorseful, even contrite.
And I wasn’t prepared for it. I
came back ready to do battle.”
“First things first. I was just going down to the wardroom to grab
a sandwich and drink. We can talk down
there.”
“Funny, until you said that, I
didn’t realize how hungry I am too.
Let’s go.”
They made their sandwiches, poured
glasses of reconstituted milk, and grabbed quite a few cookies for Chip, an
apple for Lee. They sat down in a corner
for privacy, even though there was no one else around.
“Well Lee, did you find anything to
help you?”
“No.
Never even made it back to the headquarters.”
“Well, I have to tell you, I went
through hell when I realized you had taken the flying sub and I had to be the
one to report it to Nelson. With his
temper, that old saying of ‘kill the messenger’ definitely flew through my
mind. I was shocked, and plenty
relieved, with the way he handled it. He
knew you took it, said he saw you from the top of the stairs.”
“He told me, we had a long talk a
little while ago. Said he could have
stopped me then but wanted to give me a chance to clear myself. But why?
That certainly wasn’t the frame of mind he was in when I left.”
“Lee, all I can tell you is I blew
up at him after you stormed out of his cabin and then I left. He told me when I went to report to him about
you going AWOL and taking FS1 with you, that he sat up all night thinking about
what you said and what I said. He told
me he believed you, that what you said just felt right, that he knew you were
innocent, and couldn’t believe how he had handled everything. Said he had no idea what came over him.”
“That’s pretty much everything he
said to me. But it still doesn’t explain
what triggered the change of heart.”
“He also told me that he had a long
conversation with Johnson after you left, told him what you said. He said it didn’t take much for Johnson to
agree with him that you must have been framed, and Johnson said that everything
you explained fit your AAR perfectly.”
“Now that part about checking my AAR
report I didn’t know. This could have
all been avoided if Admiral Johnson had just talked to me first. We still would
have to clear things up with the CIA, but at least I would have had some
support. It doesn’t matter Chip, how
things turn out in the end. The damage
is done. I don’t feel like I can forgive
either one of them. Neither one even
cared enough, trusted me enough, to give me a chance, hear what I had to
say. When this is done, so am I. Done with ONI, the Institute, and probably
the Navy, too. I’ve had it.”
“Lee, don’t say that. Please, just give it time. It’ll work out, the worst is over now. Both
Admirals are upset and ashamed of themselves.
Give them a chance to make it up to you.
One thing you aren’t considering is that this came down from the CIA and
so a procedure had to be followed. Don’t throw away everything you’ve worked so
hard for, everything that means so much to you. This is your life you’re thinking of giving
up, for what? Pride? Revenge?
You’re a better man than that.
You’ll only be hurting yourself in the long run. If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for
me. I hate being Captain, and I don’t
want to lose my brother.”
Lee took a deep breath and smiled at
Chip. “Ok, brother, for you this is what
I will do. I’ll give it a month and see
what’s transpires, and how I feel about staying at that point. But that’s all. I’m not staying anywhere that I am not
trusted and respected, or don’t feel comfortable at any more. Whether I’m here or not, our friendship stays
intact, you should know that. I wasn’t
always the Captain of Seaview, you know. Yet here we are.”
“Okay, a month. I guess that’s fair. I do realize how this has got to change how
you feel about both Admirals. If, when
the time comes that you feel you really can’t work with them anymore, then it would only
be right for you to leave. Well, my
tummy’s full, and my bunk is calling to me.
Guess those reports will have to wait until tomorrow. Let’s call it a night.”
“I’m still wide awake, give them to
me. If nothing else, they’ll put me to
sleep.”
************
Lee woke up the next morning feeling
a little bit better. The paperwork did
the job with putting him to sleep. But
the problem was still there. He assumed
it was all right for him to resume his duties as Captain. He showered, dressed in his uniform, and
headed down to the Wardroom for breakfast.
Two mouthfuls into it the Admiral sat down across from him.
“Good Morning, Lee. Sleep well?”
“Yeah. Caught up on some paperwork and reports
first.”
“Admiral Johnson is trying to
arrange a conference call with him, us, and the CIA agent handling this at
about 0900. They just have a few
questions for you before they close this out.
Then this whole thing will be over with.”
“Not by a long shot.” Sir. With that, Lee picked up his tray, dumped
his breakfast out, returned it and then left the Wardroom heading for the
Control Room.
Nelson just sat there, stunned. He knew he deserved it, and he had no idea
what to do to fix it. He and Lee had
always been able to work out their problems before. Usually by a good heart to heart followed by
a handshake and a good dinner. That
wasn’t going to work this time, this was a whole different ball game. And he was beginning to worry that this time
there may not be anything he could do to fix it. He may have lost Lee as a friend and as a
Captain. He was only now starting to
realize just how severely he had hurt Lee.
He was sure Lee would have bounced back if it had only been Johnson
alone that had made the accusation, but Lee’s pain was a testimonial to just
how close he and Nelson had become. My God,
how could I have done that to him? He would have stood by me through hell’s fire.
Chip sat down in Lee’s place, his
plate overflowing. “Good Morning,
Sir. Has Lee been down yet?”
“Yes, Chip, he’s come and gone. Got up and left a minute after I sat down. I
told him there was to be a conference call at 0900 with the CIA, Johnson, him
and me, but he totally dismissed it.
Chip, I think I’ve lost him, for good.
Has he said anything to you?”
“Yes, we had a nice long
conversation last night right in the corner over there. Sir, he said he was done with ONI, the
Institute, even the Navy. I tried to
talk him out of it, but all I could do was get him to give it a month, and then
if he still felt the same way, he would leave.
Said he doesn’t want to work anywhere that he isn’t trusted and
respected. I don’t think you can do anything in a month to get him to change
his mind, he has to change it himself. I hate to say it, but I think that may
be the only way he will stay. Anything
you do will be obvious and resented. I
really think the best advice I can give you, Sir, knowing Lee as well as I do,
is to just leave him alone, give him a wide berth and let him decide things for
himself. If you push him in any way, you’ll be pushing him away.”
“Hmmm. You’re probably right, Chip.
There isn’t much I can do at this point anyway.
I’ll just leave him alone and hope and pray he comes around on his own.”
“I think there’s a good chance of
that happening, he’s just really hurting and resentful right now. He’s usually a very forgiving man. Just give him time, and a chance to get back
into his regular routine.”
“I will Chip, and thanks. Well, just enough time for me to check on
things in my lab before the conference call.
This whole incident is almost making me forget we are on a mission. See you at lunch.”
“Yes, and good luck, Sir.”
************
Lee knocked on the Admiral’s hatch
at 08.59, one minute before the conference call was scheduled to commence. He entered and took a seat next to the
Admiral’s desk, in plain view of the video screen.
Nelson was already talking to
Admiral Johnson, and the split screen also showed the CIA logo, they hadn’t
logged in yet. Johnson saw Lee behind Nelson.
“Good Morning, Lee. While we’re waiting for them to connect, I
want to tell you I take full responsibility and blame for what has happened and
how it has been handled. I will go to my grave saying the same thing, I have no
idea what came over me, and Nelson feels the same way. I should have reread your AAR report as soon
as the CIA contacted me, and spoke to you directly about the accusations before
involving your immediate CO. Both of us
know, trust, and respect you, and both of us now realize you were framed, but
as yet we have no idea why or by whom. I
know how much this has upset you Commander, can’t say I blame you, but pull
yourself together, I need you back at ONI, asap. And
don’t blame Nelson, he was only following my lead and my orders. Ah, here they are.”
Hmmm. Johnson didn’t give Lee a minute or an inch to get
over or think about anything, he’s just going on like it’s
business as usual after this, deal with it.
Have I been handling this the wrong way? No, no, it’s different between Lee and I. With us, it’s the
personal relationship that has been so badly damaged, the professional one is
secondary.
The CIA agent’s questions were
general and expected, pretty much routine.
It almost seemed like he was in a hurry to finish, as if this was a
nuisance. Or maybe an
embarrassment? Throughout the entire
interview though the man seemed to be, to Nelson anyway, uncomfortable and,
well, something else, something Nelson couldn’t quite put a finger on. Hiding something? Suspicious of something? He finally put it down to them not knowing
for sure who it was that framed Lee, or why, and how they all had fallen for it
so easily. With Lee cleared of all charges,
and them not having a single suspect as to who set him up, the case would have
to remain open. Well, that was their
problem.
The call ended without so much as an
apology from them to Lee, but he didn’t need one. Being cleared of all charges was all he
wanted, and all he was going to get. Lee
asked the agent if CIA documentation of him being cleared could be entered into
his Naval files, he didn’t want any surprises in the
future. Johnson said he would see to
it, goodbye, then the video screen went blank.
And it sure didn’t escape Lee’s attention that Johnson had not bothered
to apologize. Before Nelson could make any comments, Lee got up and walked
out.
************
The rest of the month was pretty
much uneventful, except for the coldness between the Captain and the
Admiral. By now, the crew had started to
pick up on it. It was becoming obvious
things would never be the same, even Chip was realizing it. He wasn’t surprised when the Admiral called
him down to his cabin and asked if he would be willing to take over as Captain
if Lee left. He had little choice but to
say yes, and he was beginning to get annoyed with Lee for not dealing better
with the situation, for letting it go and get to this point. For everyone else, it was over and done with.
Lee was sitting on his back deck
overlooking the Pacific, contemplating.
He knew he had a decision to make, the month was nearly up. Years ago, back when he was still a kid, he
had decided that if he didn’t make it into Annapolis, his second choice would
be Harvard, then Harvard Law School.
Many times over the years he had wondered how his life would have turned
out had he taken that path instead. Not
sadness or regret, just curiosity. So he
had just inquired about the possibility of getting into the next class at
Harvard Law, how long the wait was and other details. But even though he already had his four year
degree from Annapolis, it would still be three years out of his life. But then
he could join JAG, still be in the Navy. Maybe specialize in submarine command
law. But he also knew of the shortage of submarine captains in the Navy, and
had already been contacted by Admiral Starke about it. He was pretty surprised at first, until he
thought about it. Nelson and Starke
were good friends, Nelson had probably mentioned the situation to him, and
Starke was taking immediate advantage of it.
It certainly wasn’t the first time he had tried to get Lee back onto the
active Navy. He could do that and be
good at it, he already had an excellent reputation in the Navy, but it sure
would be a step down from Seaview, and the Institute. And somehow, in a way that he couldn’t
explain, he would feel like he was cheating on his ‘Grey Lady’, as he was fond
of calling Seaview. And of course, there
was always ONI. But that was what had
started this whole state of affairs, and he was still as upset with Johnson as
he was with Nelson. Well, almost as upset.
With either ONI or Starke, all he had to do was pick his phone up, make
a call, and change his life. He knew he
had to do something, he had not been able to resolve his problem with
Nelson. And he had tried, more than Chip
realized. But it was like something in
him had just died. He felt nothing for
Nelson anymore, nothing but resentment and hurt. The anger was pretty well gone
though. And he had heard nothing more from the man, whoever or whatever he was,
who was the true cause of all of this.
But he had been right. Lee had been
cleared of all charges. Unfortunately,
that wasn’t enough.
“Lee.”
He knew the Admiral’s voice without
turning his head. What he was doing
here? He hadn’t come over to Lee’s since
before everything happened. Nelson made his way up the wooden stairs and handed
Lee an envelope.
“I’ve taken the liberty of having
Human Resources draw up a separation agreement, stating you are not renewing
your contract with the Institute. All
the details are in there, read it, it also covers your pension and other items,
and if that’s what you decide you want to do, just sign and return it. I will provide excellent references for you
when and if you need them. Please don’t
think I am trying to get rid of you, believe me it still is the last thing I
want. I am only trying to make things
easier for you, I know you aren’t happy and I know it’s my fault. But please believe me that if you ever change
your mind in the future, my door will always be open for you.” With that, he turned and went back down the
stairs and was gone, without Lee having said a word to him.
Lee sat there for a moment,
stunned. The Admiral was making it easy
for him to leave, he hadn’t expected anything like this. And he knew Nelson was doing it only for him,
not himself. That was the kind of man he
was, that was the kind of relationship they had enjoyed. Yet even after this, and being able to
acknowledge how much good there was in the man, Lee could feel nothing for
him. What was wrong with him?
He brought the envelope into the
house and read the contents carefully.
He laid the documents down, sat back, and stared into space for all of
30 seconds.
Then he picked up his pen.
************
The End – Part One
Coming Soon: For the
Greater Good – Part Two
*Future story in the works that I started about a year
ago. I will finish and post it
soon. I hope.
This story was originally written for another challenge,
‘False Step”, due
March 4th, the same day my oldest son was getting married, and with
all the wedding details and running around I had to make a choice. For some strange reason, I chose the wedding
over completing the story!