A Second Season Story...

Breach of Trust

by Lynn

“Okay I'm in,” the ONI Operative whispered into a small mic attached to his lapel, the receiver an ear bud that fit snuggly like a hearing aid keeping his hands free to do the delicate work. He looked around making sure he was still undetected as his partner on the radio guided him through the steps to lockout both the firing mechanism as well as the electronics to create a Sudden Ionospheric Disturbance, thereby rendering the stolen weapon worthless to the unauthorized hands that now possessed it.

Tiny beads of perspiration slid down his face as he studied the compartment now that he had loosened the screws in the exact order required to bypass the anti-tampering security device.

“Find the red screw, but don't touch it,” the voice calmly guided as he moved with careful precision hands.

“Got it, Cardinal.”

“Right below the red screw is a fuse; you must pull it out evenly. The connection must be broken cleanly.”

“Roger.”

The Operative grabbed the small fuse firmly and pulled evenly as instructed, while the electronic lights testified his success by not disturbing their connections.

“Status Blue Jay?” Cardinal asked, obviously impatient.

“I've got it, everything is still operational.”

“Good. Now disconnect the blue wire underneath the empty fuse slot.”

“Roger.”

The Operative used his small precision tool kit to turn the screw releasing the pressure as he unwrapped the wire.

“Got it,” he reported.

“Good. You can now rekey the access device to lock-out the warhead. Do you wish for me to provide a random number?”

“Negative Cardinal,” he said to his partner, the better choice for this delicate technical job, but as his auburn hair was a stand-out feature in this African country it was thought wise to pass the duty along to Blue Jay since the inhabitants here were of much the same demography as other Northern African Coastal countries with both dark and lighter skinned inhabitants sporting mostly jet black hair. So they improvised, sidelining Harriman Nelson at the Safe House and sending the dark haired, olive skinned Lee Crane in his stead. It was the best they could come up with on such short notice as the pair had been attending a conference in southern Spain when Intelligence found the stolen warhead in the small African country of Ikuda.* The rogue nation had changed hands in various military coups so many times the political map makers couldn't keep up with the latest government or even the country's name for that matter. The current unstable government of Ikuda was presently threatening its neighbors with a rather nasty weapon obtained via the black market. The warhead utilized a powerful ionospheric disruption band and had the potential to affect not only the continent of Africa but a good deal of Europe rendering them without electricity for at least three days and very possibly longer before the disruption dissipated. It would be catastrophic on many levels as anything running on electricity would be affected, including back-up generators for hospitals and even of more concern... the generators for nuclear power plants, providing the means by which to dampen and control the fusion process.

It was therefore, a precision mission: disarming the warhead was step one; locking it out from further commands was step two; planting the tracker was step three. The final step would take place once the warhead was moved to an acceptable distance from the village of 2,000 innocents when an air raid would drop a precision bomb to finish the job.

Blue Jay keyed the code to lockout the warhead then added a second security code that would keep even the best weapon's expert from reversing his work.

“Done,” he reported as he heard activity in the compound. “I think they're onto me,” Blue Jay reported.

“Bug out, Blue Jay.”

“Negative. Tell me how to close the panel, the more security devices in place the better chance we have of keeping a lid on this.”

An audible but resigning sigh was heard, one Blue Jay was well familiar with. “Back track through the steps exactly, starting with reconnecting the blue wire.”

Blue Jay worked quickly, wrapping the wire around the screw and turning it into place.

“Okay,” he said noting the sounds of pursuit coming closer. “Now the fuse?”

“Affirmative. Straight in,” he reminded his partner.

Blue Jay slid the square flat fuse in evenly, noting no change in the operation lights, signaling a clean connection.

“Okay, now the panel?” Blue Jay inquired, ignoring the sounds of the soldiers' voices coming closer.

“Reverse order, Blue Jay. Start from the bottom far left, move to the top left screw, then the right top and finally the bottom right.”

“Got it,” Blue Jay said already replacing screws even as Cardinal instructed him with the knowledge that one screw secured out of sequence would set off an anti-tampering device rendering the unauthorized personnel quite incapacitated with a hefty shock. A few long seconds later and the panel was secure.

“Done.”

“Is the tracker in place?”

“Affirmative.”

“Mission accomplished. Now get out of there!” Cardinal answered in passionate insistence.

“Roger. See you at the Aviary,” he said ending his transmission, the radio probably the reason the camp was in an uproar as his broadcast had most likely tripped an alarm in the Communication Center since all radios had been confiscated by the intrusive government.

Lee retrieved the rifle he had ensconced from a guard who was currently out cold and trussed up with duct tape in the corner. Quickly he moved toward the door and listened then opened it a crack to peer out, everything looked good so he opened it wider and stepped into the hall to the sound of multiple “clicks” flanking him. His rifle was tugged from his grasp as he raised his hands in surrender finding himself too well covered for another option at present.

“What have you done?” an angry officer asked, knowing Lee had just left the room with the hidden warhead; four feet long but only two feet in diameter, small enough to be wheeled inside under heavy guard.

Lee's indigo blue chambray shirt wasn't his first choice for espionage work, but the need to look less like a spy and more like a fairer skinned local necessitated the need to divert from his usual black turtleneck worn over black slacks, besides, he left his spy wear in Santa Barbara not expecting this unscheduled assignment.

The officer stepped around him and checked out the warhead, everything looked fine but he knew the spy hadn't come for nothing.

“Get Ardell in here!” he demanded, the red braids on his shoulders indicating he was a captain.

“I'll ask you again... what did you do?”

Lee's silence was met with a swift backhand as he kept his face even despite the blow, while a rather large brown headed man scurried past to examine the warhead. He fussed for a few minutes and then came out, his small brass wire glasses fogging as he perspired.

“He's deactivated it and rendered it 'Cold and Silent'.”

“What does that mean?” the captain asked staring Lee down with disdain.

“It means it's locked out; even though I can get into the panel, the controls are not accepting old command codes. I can't reactivate it without a security password... one that only he knows,” Ardell assumed, his white lab coat dusty and dirty with grease marks that would never launder clean.

“Cold and silent,” the captain repeated thoughtfully, studying Lee's eyes and his determined face. “I assume that is what you plan on being as well?”

“The thought crossed my mind,” he replied evenly.

“I have just the cure for Cold and Silent,” the captain promised and motioned for his men to lead the prisoner to the detention area.

* * * * *

Lee was led by the firm grasp of two flanking guards down the earthen hall, the entire complex dug out of rocky shale and granite though from above it looked like an innocent rock formation with the village less than twenty yards from its entrance.

They walked past a rather large air vent hole providing natural lighting and continued through the cave-like corridor sporting box shaped holes carved into the rock.

“The complex was built out of an old underground cemetery; those holes are the sealed tombs of villagers from times past. So even if the villagers hear your cries for help they will not come, they are afraid of disrupting the graves,” he recited, pushing Lee forward with an intimidating shove to his back.

The captain continued with the expected psychological torture as Lee ignored him checking out possible escape routes instead and taking in every nuance of the underground structure. They passed another air vent that opened to the opposite side of the village and toward the beach some two miles away. A slight breeze brushed against his face bringing with it the smell of saltwater as Lee held back a satisfied inner smile.

Finally they stopped in front of a large, well-constructed door as Lee was guided inward to the Captain's Workshop, a room used to loosen the tongues of “informers” and discipline those he had found displeasure with. On the back wall were shackles bolted into the stone wall and placed to spread the unfortunate prisoner’s arms across the wall making him vulnerable to any attack.

“You see how useless your stubbornness will be?” the captain asked, picking up and fondling some of his “tools” lying on a nearby table as Lee continued to ignore the mind-games.

“Take off his shoes, they always carry lock picks in their heels,” the captain ordered as he threw three deep punches into Lee's gut to incapacitate the prisoner.

Lee breathed in shallow breaths regaining his strength as his shoes were stripped from his feet then strategically waited for the guard to grasp his arm once again. The captain was quite predictable and moved right in front of Lee getting into his face and toe to toe with the operative... just what he wanted.

“Now American, you will see how we extract information in my country,” he taunted, promising to inflict great pain as he smiled deviously. “You will not be 'Cold and Silent' for long,” he continued but found his next words at a loss as Lee took the moment to offer a devastating knee to the captain's most sensitive part followed up by a kick to his gut using the firm hold of his guards to leverage his attack as he wheeled back and used both feet to kick.

The captain's face still held his silent gasp as he fell to the ground holding his “injuries” while Lee turned his attention to the surprised guards, elbowing the solar plexus of one guard and swinging with a heavy uppercut to the other guard's jaw. Lee turned toward the guard holding his chest and gasping for air and issued a double fisted blow to the back of his neck as he fell heavily to the ground. Just as quickly, he issued right-left-right punches to the second guard as he took a step back with each punch until he was flat against the wall without any further retreat as Lee finished him off with a blow to his gut dropping the guard in a heap. The entire attack was executed efficiently and silently as the men were caught off guard, having gotten the wind knocked out of them on their first unexpected blows.

Lee reached for the keys lying on the floor next to the captain and grabbed a rifle on the way out. He stopped to lock the captain and his guards in and headed for his escape route padding along in his socks, not even taking the time to grab his shoes. There was no time to spare as his captors wouldn't let their guard down again if he were recaptured. He moved along the cave corridor, listening carefully for the sounds of pursuit and thankfully finding everything quiet as he slowed his approach passing an air vent and scooted past the backs of several guards standing watch facing the village.

Lee moved along crouching a bit as he both heard and smelled his destination; the vent that opened to the sea side. Lee climbed into the hole and found himself with a rock face to scale down; it wasn’t unexpected as he slung the rifle over his shoulder and started down. There were plenty of hand and foot holds in the jutted rock face and he was glad to note the descent wasn't a completely vertical climb, giving him a safe route down for the well-trained Operative. Ten minutes later he was safe at the base of the three-story high rock face and jogging toward the beach, a two mile jaunt through thick shrubbery up ahead. He nearly made it clean when a passing patrol spotted him as a bullet ripped past his feet kicking up dust and dirt at its impact. The cover of the shrubs was too far away to make a run for it so he turned and trained his rifle toward the direction of the attack, searching for and finding two targets as he issued two well-placed bullets taking down his pursuers but not before one of their shots found its mark. Lee grunted, taking a hit to his side and felt a searing pain as the bullet lodged deep inside. He reached for his side, watching the two guards fall then ran for the cover of the shrubs holding his side with one hand and his rifle in the other.

His jog slowed to a walk and then a swagger; the pain in his side demanded a rest as Lee fell unwillingly to his knees, gasping for air to curb the pain. His side was a bloody mess as he apparently hadn't been successful in stemming the blood loss. He lowered his rifle and reach into his pant pocket for his radio, grateful the captain hadn't bothered to frisk him, no doubt figuring to do so after he was shackled to the wall.

“Cardinal this is Blue Jay... do you read me?” he radioed through pained airy breaths.

“This is Cardinal, are you at the Bird Bath?”

“Negative, but send the Flock in anyway. I'll meet them there,” he breathed out. “Blue Jay out,” he finished hearing the concern in Harry's voice but not able to keep transmitting as his radio broadcast would surely catch their attention in the compound.

Lee picked up his rifle standing it on its butt and maneuvering himself up using the gun for support. He breathed in the pain and continued on; he was close... he only had to get to the beach; the SEALS would do the rest.

Lee found a place to stake out until nightfall as he shivered on the beach, safely hidden in the rocks. He had lost entirely too much blood while the sea breeze added a chill to his weakened state. Slowly his eyes began to close, too heavy to keep open any longer as his grip loosened on the rifle and he lost consciousness.

* * * * *

Harry paced the safe house having made the call to bring in the SEALS from the small sub waiting off shore; he heard the pain in Lee's voice and knew the get-away hadn't been clean. He sighed audibly and sank into his chair, staring at the radio and willing Lee to call him; but he knew it was wishful thinking, a bad idea in fact. The Ikudian military, or whatever name the country was using this week, would surely pick up on the unauthorized radio waves, zeroing in on Lee's location. No... it was radio black-out from this point on as the sub would retrieve Lee then negotiate the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar and finally to the Atlantic Ocean. Only once it reached international waters would the small sub make contact and report; until then it was a waiting game.

* * * * *

“Blue Jay?”

Lee opened his eyes, surprised he hadn't heard the SEALS' approach and smiled wearily at the dark camo-greased face of the young man standing over him.

“Good to see you Flock Leader,” he said followed by an unwanted moan as the SEALS helped him to his feet; his legs barely moving as they practically carried him to the black raft under cover of the dark night.

“Only a little further Blue Jay,” Flock Leader encouraged while Lee concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, splashing through the water to the raft.

Skilled hands hefted him into the zodiac as the pain from the lodged bullet produced grunts of discomfort.

“Easy there Commander,” a SEAL comforted as he prepared a hypo for the pain.

“Wait... have to report...” Lee started but faded fast as the SEAL ignored the Commander's request and injected him anyway.

* * * * *

Lee's moan preceded his wakefulness as he blinked and reached for his side.

“Steady there Commander, that bullet's still lodged.”

Lee blew a heavy pained breath out and focused on the young seaman doubling as the sub's corpsman since subs typically don't carry doctors, particularly a sub of this size.

“Sorry Doc,” Lee said, referring to the generic title given corpsman aboard subs. “But I need to speak with the Captain.”

“I'll get him Sir, but you need to stay still. I'm not trained for surgery and I just got the bleeding under control.”

“Just don't hypo me until I talk with the Captain,” Lee said with a small smile to accompany his very real order.

“Aye Sir. I'll be right back Sir,” he said leaving the small sickbay that wasn't too much bigger than a closet aboard Seaview, but right now he was grateful for the warm bed and the fact that the bad guys weren't shooting at him anymore. It felt good to be aboard the boat and among Navy brothers; he was safe and could finally let down the intense concentration it took to complete the mission. Lee closed his eyes, resting in the fact that he could leave the cloak and dagger espionage world out in the field... here he was among colleagues and friends... men he could trust. He dozed off soaking in the feel of the boat until he heard the hatch.

“Commander, I'm Captain Sutter.”

“Nice to meet you Captain,” Lee offered before getting to the crux of what was bothering him. “I needed to report and your SEAL drugged me against my direct order...”

“Sorry about that Commander, but you were in a lot of pain. My man reported that it was necessary for the protection of the entire Extraction Team.”

Lee nodded. “Very well,” he conceded graciously. “How long have I been out?”

“No more than an hour... So,” Captain Sutter said taking a seat in the rolling chair beside him, “Do you have a report to give me that I can pass on to ONI?”

“Mission accomplished, the warhead is Cold and Silent.”

“Is that supposed to mean something?” Sutter said with a small smile.

“It does to ONI,” Lee returned with his own small smile to ease the fact that he couldn't tell the Captain too much more.

“Anything else?”

“That's all they're interested in right now, I'd rather report personally,” he explained.

“Well, this will be one short report,” Sutter said as he stood. “Just hang in there Commander, we'll be through the Strait in no time.”

“How long?”

“About a day and a half... longer if we have to go silent on the bottom, but we got in undetected,” he assured. “I'm confident our departure will be just as quiet. Until then Doc will do what he can to make you comfortable.”

“Thanks. Feels good to be aboard,” Lee acknowledged grimacing on his last word as Sutter placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I'll have Doc fix you up with some meds.”

“Sounds good,” Lee admitted and closed his eyes to manage the pain of a bullet still lodged in his side and pressing against something important by the feel of it.

Sutter turned the hatch and exited as Lee opened his eyes to see the steel bulkhead of the corridor, he was curious as he had been drugged and was unconscious when brought aboard. He knew the Skate-Class sub was relatively small at only 250 feet long but was agile and well-suited for the close coastal work she was currently engaged in. The hatch was pulled to but not dogged as Lee heard Captain Sutter conversing with someone in low, hushed tones; the words were muffled and he couldn't make them out as the conversation ended and Doc entered, dogging the hatch behind him.

“The Skip says you need some meds,” he stated rather than asked as he headed for the medicine storage cabinet.

“Something to take the edge off, but I don't want to be out cold,” Lee instructed.

“I think you Spooks are all alike,” Doc said over his shoulder with half a grin visible. “We picked up one that that was bleeding out of three holes and still trying to convince me he wasn't in pain.”

Lee allowed a tired smile to form in response.

“By the way Sir, we were only given your rank and mission call sign, so if you want to be called by something else...”

“Blue Jay is fine,” Lee interrupted.

“No problem Sir,” he said turning and expelling the air out of the top of the hypo, then flicking the side to remove the lingering bubbles.

“Just what the doctor ordered,” Doc quipped. “Just pain meds, no sedative,” he assured. “But that doesn't mean your body won't demand sleep once you get comfortable Commander.”

“That's fine,” Lee said ready for some relief as Doc injected him.

* * * * *

Harry packed his gear, it was time to head to the Secondary Extraction Zone in the nearby country of Tunsibika where he would eventually airlift out. Everything was moving along as planned as far as he knew, but he'd feel a whole lot better once Lee's extraction sub cleared the Strait and was cruising in International Waters, until then all he could do was wait.

* * * * *

“Report Commander!”

Lee's eyes fluttered open but everything was fuzzy and hazy. He could make out the form of a man standing over him but his face was blurry.

“This is Admiral Johnson, report Blue Jay!”

“Where am I?” he asked confused, the last thing he remembered was falling asleep in the sub and he was sure he hadn't slept a day and half, especially as lousy as he was currently feeling.

“Aboard the Constellation, now I didn't fly 4,000 miles for twenty questions, Commander. Report!”

Lee blinked, trying to see Gerald Johnson better. His voice was just as blurry and unrecognizable as his vision and everything seemed to be echoing in distorted patterns in his ears.

“Commander, I need your lock-out code.”

“...Warhead still in unfriendly hands...” Lee slurred.

“You're behind the times Commander, a Special Ops team retrieved the warhead... now your lock-out code.”

Lee strained to see Johnson. He couldn't see his commanding officer nor recognize his voice in his current state and decided to ignore what was probably a hallucination brought on by a reaction to the pain meds. At any rate, a good spy didn't report when he couldn't think straight so he closed his eyes and shut off... Johnson could ream his six later, right now he needed sleep and a clear head.

But something went terribly wrong when Johnson reached over and intentionally pressed on his injured side as Lee's eyes popped open in sudden uncontrolled pain groaning loudly. He implored Johnson with his eyes for some sort of explanation as the fuzzy face of the Head of ONI morphed into the vicious sneer of the Captain at the Ikudian Compound.

“The code Commander!” he insisted as he pressed even harder turning Lee's groans into a pained scream until he blacked out in the agony of his mistreatment.

* * * * *

The next time Lee woke his vision was clear as he blew out an airy breath and reached for his injured side.

“Whoa there Commander,” Doc said gently stopping his hand movement.

“You're bleeding again Sir, I'm having a heck of a time stopping it.”

“What happened?” Lee asked in serious need of explanation as the fuzzy memory of the Ikudian captain's assault returned.

“You were caught in a nightmare Sir. You tried to get up, I had a hard time keeping you in the rack... almost put the restraints on,” he explained.

“Thanks Doc... there's one thing Spooks don't like is restraints,” he quipped wearily.

“No problem Blue Jay. Well it looks as if I can re-tape this... sure wish we had a surgeon on board,” he said mostly to himself as Lee felt even more tired than before.

“Now you just rest Sir. I promised the Skipper I'd report when you were stable.”

“I'm good Doc,” Lee assured him and watched the young corpsman exit.

* * * * *

Doc knocked on the door of the Captain's Quarters, it was a small but functional cabin that doubled as his office. He received his invitation to enter and stood at attention as Captain Sutter finished writing in his log, speaking without turning his attention away from his entry.

“Well?” he asked, the one word question completely understood by Pat Turner, the Electrician's Mate, otherwise known as Doc when utilizing his first aid skills aboard the sub.

“He's resting now, I got the bleeding under control.” His official reporting stance deflated in extreme familiarity as he sunk into the small straight-back chair next to the desk.

“Geez Bill, did you have to go after his side like that? He lost a lot of blood you know.”

“Did he believe you about the nightmare?” Sutter asked sitting back in his chair and turning his full attention to Doc's report.

“Yeah, I think he thought you were the interrogator back in Ikuda,” Turner replied stretching his legs out in front of him to get comfortable.

“Yeah well, I was desperate,” Sutter admitted. “I knew the drug would have him pretty much out of it, I don't know why he didn't spill his guts.”

“He's not going to be as easy as the last Op you got info from,” Turner predicted.

“Why not?” Sutter snickered. “They come back from the cold, dark world of espionage and totally let down their guard because they're safe aboard the sub surrounded by US sailors. The last guy never even knew he gave me the goods, once they let down their concentration the drug works fine.”

“You hit it lucky that he took that bullet.”

“I've been doing this for a couple of years,” Sutter explained, his boat though an aging attack sub was sleek and well suited for Insertion and Extraction of Special Ops and Espionage personnel and he had proven to be particularly good at maneuvering in tight places to get the job done. “You have to wait for the ones that are vulnerable,” he continued. “This one will net us a good profit if we can get that lock-out code before we reach the Strait.”

Sutter picked up the pen on his desk, clicking and unclicking the protracting end as he thought through his options. “This may be our last chance for a big payout before they reassign me, you never know when an opportunity like this will arise and we could easily go the next six months without another chance... it's not like these guys come back injured or on the ragged edge of PTSD every time out,” he stated.

“Or with something worth stealing,” Turner added, having been brought on board with Sutter's side business not long after he'd been transferred.

“What Blue Jay has is hot, probably the hottest thing we've ran across; that warhead isn't worth squat without the codes to reactivate it. My guess is they'll be willing to pay a hefty price for the code.”

“So what's the plan?” Turner asked, sitting forward with his elbows on his knees, clearly interested in the Captain's response.

Sutter sighed in thought, airing out a long breath in the process. “We need to convince him it's his duty to report.”

Turner's furled eyebrows indicated his unspoken question of just how Sutter was going to accomplish that as the Captain queried him further.

“What's his condition?”

“Stable but he's still got a bullet lodged and showing signs of infection. I haven't treated him, I wanted to talk to you first.”

“Perfect, but a fever might not be enough. What else do you have in your medicine cabinet that will convince him that he's dying?” Sutter said with a dangerous grin.

Turner thought for a moment then returned an equally dangerous grin of his own.

“The only info ONI sent on the Op was his call sign and notification of an allergy to penicillin...”

“Won't they pick up that you gave him the stuff once we reach the carrier?”

“Not if I give him a trace amount, just enough to make him uncomfortable... it won't even be enough to curb the fever,” Turner said getting excited at what he perceived to be a clever answer to their problem as he further explained.

“Listen Bill, they do it in hospitals when a patient has an infection that absolutely requires penicillin even if he's allergic. They give him small amounts over the course of a few days in a controlled desensitization process... only we may need some extra time so he really feels it,” he noted thoughtfully.

“I'm way ahead of you, buddy,” Sutter said with a smile that threatened to break into a laugh. “I think I feel a dangerous submarine game of cat and mouse coming on... we'll have to sit tight on the bottom until I know it's safe to proceed,” Turner 'predicted' as his laugh broke forth.

“You go take care of your part, call me when he's really feeling the effects... I'll do the rest.”

“Aye, aye Skipper,” Turner said shifting from his 'business partner' to 'navy subordinate' role and leaving the cabin to play his other role as 'concerned Doc'.

* * * * *

Captain Sutter walked the deck of the Control Room looking for the perfect opportunity to put his plan into action... it was now or never, he thought as he walked by Sonar and used the notoriously small surroundings of his sub to 'accidentally' stumble, dumping his hot coffee into the operator's lap. The coffee wasn't hot enough to burn the sailor, he definitely didn't need another patient in sickbay, but it was certainly hot enough to have him reflexively jump out of his seat in response.

“Damn Rogers, sorry about that...” Sutter said feigning concern as his sonar operator brushed the offending liquid off his lap, in real need of a change in uniform about now. Sutter took the opportunity to glance at the clear sonar screen... not a blip in sight... as the well-trained crew returned their attention to their own stations... now was the time.

“Flash reading!” Captain Sutter said as the sonar man ignored his wet slacks to jump back into his seat and focus on the screen.

“Sir?”

“It's gone now... what are the Russians doing here?” he pondered shrewdly in false concern.

“Hydrophones did you get anything?”

“Negative Sir.”

“It's gone now,” Sutter observed. “Watch this quadrant,” he ordered, pointing to the screen in the deeper waters and making it look good, playing the hero-captain on top of his game by catching the Bogie.

“All stop,” Sutter ordered.

“All stop aye.”

“Helm, where's the bottom?”

“627 feet Sir.”

“That'll do,” Sutter said with a nod then turned toward Sonar.

“XO, get a replacement for Kyle here so he can change,” he said placing a warm hand on the sonar man's shoulder.

“Sorry Skipper, I didn't mean to miss the Bogie Sir,” he apologized, completely giving the Skipper a pass for the fact that he lost his concentration directly due to the hot coffee bath courtesy of his commanding officer.

“The important thing is we know he's there, Kyle,” Sutter offered, letting him off the hook with a good-guy wink as the men sharpened up at their stations, grateful for such a fair and competent captain Skippering their Boat.

Sutter soaked in his men's obvious trust, then began issuing orders to put the sub on the bottom and wait out their “Bogie”.

* * * * *

Lee woke burning up with a fever just as Doc added an IV to his left arm.

“Sorry Sir, didn't mean to wake you but you're running a mean fever there and we need to start fluids.”

“That's alright, Doc,” he said airily and then raised an eyebrow. “Boat feels like we've stopped.”

“Do all Spooks have such a keen sense of feel?” he asked with a chuckle. “You missed some action while you out. We got a flash reading and the Skipper is waiting the Bogie out on the bottom before proceeding,” Doc explained.

It made sense so Lee let it go; his side was still on fire and he was generally feeling pretty lousy about now.

“Are you ready for something a bit stronger for the pain?” Doc asked.

“Yeah, sure,” he conceded.

“And I've got you covered, the Navy didn't tell us much about you, but I do know you're allergic to penicillin,” Doc assured his patient as Lee nodded, grateful he didn't have to do any thinking right now as his head was currently pounding in perfect harmony with his heartbeat.

Lee closed his eyes and let the “good stuff” wash over him taking the fire from his side and leaving him with a warm fuzzy feeling of floating as Doc left his patient to confer with Sutter in the corridor.

“Give him an hour and he'll be feeling it,” Doc reported. “I only gave him a small dose of pain meds, once it wears off I'll add the penicillin and see what that does.”

“Don't kill him, we can't afford an autopsy,” Sutter warned.

“I'm doing this very methodically... trust me,” Doc assured him as Sutter nodded and headed back to the Control Room.

* * * * *

Lt. Brian Adams stood against the bulkhead wall listening to Captain Sutter's discussion with Doc and not liking the sound of the conversation one bit. He was the Lead Seal whom Lee had addressed as Flock Leader during his extraction and as far as he was concerned getting the ONI Operative to safety meant all the way home. Something was off here, but he had his orders; Blue Jay was in quarantine until they reached the Carrier. He'd just have to sit tight and hope that what he thought he overhead was nothing but a big misunderstanding. He waited until the corridor cleared then made his way back to the Crew's Mess.

* * * * *

Lee woke finding himself trying to roll into a tight ball to somehow alleviate the pain in his side, whatever that bullet was pressing against was protesting loudly as he moaned even before he was awake.

“Easy there Sir,” Doc said, feigning real concern for the operative's pain as he added a designated amount of penicillin to his IV. If the reaction were severe he'd be in big trouble, but the odds were in his favor that Blue Jay would exhibit smaller versions of a full allergic reaction, leaving him terribly uncomfortable but not in mortal danger. It was a chance Doc was taking but worth the pay-out if Sutter's plan worked to get the operative talking.

As expected, it didn't take much time at all before the penicillin affected the Commander as his patient started having trouble breathing accompanied with red blotches on his chest. Unless he was especially tuned into the reaction Doc figured the Commander would believe the new symptoms were due to the internal infection.

“Okay, Sir. We're going to start you on a cannula and see if we can't get you more oxygen,” Turner said as he carefully suggested the reason for his worsening condition. “It looks like the infection is playing havoc on your body, I'll do what I can to make you comfortable,” he promised as he fit the oxygen cannula into place. Turner didn't want the fever breaking so he adjusted the saline solution to drip slower and feigned adding the medication that should have relieved Lee's symptoms.

“Sir, I'm going to report to the Captain. You just take it easy until I get back.”

Lee nodded, too tired to respond and feeling incredibly weak from the fever, blood loss and the fact that Doc hadn't added any nutrition to his IV. He closed his eyes with every muscle in his body aching and holding his side trying fruitlessly to stem his pain.

* * * * *

“Commander?”

Lee opened his eyes; his face flushed red and his eyes glossy from the fever. He swallowed hard and acknowledged Captain Sutter sitting beside him.

“Doc tells me you're feeling pretty rotten,” he said in false concern.

“I'll be alright. When do we get moving again?” Lee asked, in tuned to the fact that the sub was still sitting on the bottom.

“Got another flash reading, I'm afraid we're not going anywhere until we're out of sonar range of that passing sub.”

Lee nodded as Sutter dipped his head and blew a breath out as if he wished he didn't have to say what he was about to say.

“Blue Jay I have to be honest with you. Doc says the infection is aggressive, the meds aren't bringing your fever down and if your breathing gets too much worse he'll have to intubate you.” Sutter shook his head in a mournful move. “I just thought you needed to know... I'll do what we can to get us moving but even if we get underway now, we're still about eighteen hours away from the Strait.”

“Don't push it... boat comes first,” Lee said wearily.

“Not according to ONI... the mission is first this time around and until you report my job isn't done.”

Sutter let that statement hang as he stood and squeezed Lee's shoulder then left Sickbay without saying another word.

Doc was waiting outside as they conversed in hush tones despite the fact that Sickbay was in quarantine at the moment, ensuring their privacy to talk in the corridor.

“Give him another hour,” Doc suggested. “I'll give him another dose of penicillin, by then the dehydration will kick in and he'll believe he's fading fast,” Doc said, confident that their plan was working.

“Good work Pat,” Sutter complimented with a hand to his shoulder.

“I'm going to run to the Mess, I'll meet you back here in an hour,” Doc said as the two parted ways.

* * * * *

Lt. Adams rounded the corner to the empty corridor, quietly entering Sickbay as he eased the hatch shut.

“Blue Jay?”

Lee's eyes fluttered open immediately. “Flock Leader... what are you doing here?”

“You don't look so good,” Adams observed, ignoring his question.

“I'm alright... maintain Quarantine,” Lee ordered.

“Are you sure Blue Jay?”

“I'm sure.”

“Alright. Hang in there,” Brian offered sincerely then left, making sure the corridor was clear and silently promising never to call a Spook a “wuss” again.

* * * * *

Lee's head thrashed side to side with delirium close to setting in as Captain Sutter sat by his side, shaking him awake with a nudge.

“Commander!” he urged.

Lee woke confused for a moment then remembered where he was; safe aboard a US Fast Attack Sub.

“Commander... you need to report. I think we both know you're worse off than before.”

Lee was barely taking in enough breath despite the cannula as he nodded in the negative.

“Under orders...” he muttered explaining why he couldn't report to Sutter.

“But you're the only one who knows the codes to make the warhead talk again,” Sutter said suggesting the problem for Lee to consider. “There's a Special Ops team right now risking their lives to retrieve a useless bomb unless you report.”

Lee shook his head wearily, still trying to gasp for his next breath and grimacing at the heat emanating from his side.

“No... not the only one.”

Sutter sat forward. “What do you mean?”

Lee was tired and confused. All he wanted to do was sleep and talking was difficult as he wasn't getting near enough air as it was. His guard was down wrapped in 600 feet of a US Fast Attack Sub, as he told Sutter what he wanted to know, intending to ease the Captain's mind concerning the mission... they were after all on the same side.

“My partner knows the Code.”

“Partner?”

Lee gasped accompanied with a moan. “Cardinal... Secondary Extraction Zone...” Lee explained airily, confused by his weakened state and completely breaking protocol by divulging the information as Doc applied a full face mask to aid his breathing.

“Thanks Blue Jay, that's a load off. Now you just rest up, Doc here is going to do everything he can for you,” Sutter assured while simultaneously nodding and giving Doc the go ahead to treat Lee's condition.

Sutter left pleased; with this new information they could get underway, hopefully Doc could stabilize the operative and by the time they reached the Carrier they would be heroes for saving Blue Jay's life.

* * * * *

Captain Sutter scrutinized the sonar and quizzed the hydrophones man, seemingly satisfying himself that it was safe to move on.

“Mr. Porter, blow ballast, ten degrees up bubble. Give me 400 feet keel to bottom and let's get underway. Proceed at Standard for two hours, if we have no further contacts we'll surface to radio depth.”

“Aye Captain,” the XO acknowledged issuing orders and making the necessary preparations as Sutter held back a satisfied grin. In two hours he'd make a call to his Contact and negotiate what should be a hefty reward for his efforts.

* * * * *

Captain Sutter carried an official envelope, one the Control Room crew would recognize as official orders as he approached the radio shack. He pulled a small piece of paper out with a coded message as “Sparks” nodded and dialed up the frequency without question; it all looked legitimate even though the envelope wasn't any more official than the message he was sending as the radio operator inadvertently sent a message to sell-out the whereabouts of Blue Jay's partner. Sutter stood nearby waiting for the completed transmission then took the message when Sparks was done, handing him another message. This one was official, informing the carrier of their success and ETA to rendezvous.

Sutter took both his messages back to his cabin, the official one was logged, the “unofficial” one was burned in his ash tray.

* * * * *

The sub was underway once again as Flock Leader made his way to Sickbay while Doc took another meal break.

“Blue Jay,” he called quietly as Lee lolled his head over wearily. “We're underway again... I need to know... did you break?”

Lee blinked, barely lucid as he tried to recall what Flock Leader was talking about.

“Come on Blue Jay, think... is the warhead still cold and silent?”

Lee fought his way out of the daze of his illness, feeling better than before as Doc had begun treating him in earnest with a non-penicillin antibiotic, proper fluids to combat the dehydration and the proper dose of pain meds for his condition. He searched his memory for the information Flock Leader was searching for and breathed out heavily, finally grasping his recollection of Sutter's prodding for information and his own admission that his partner knew the code. Lee made eye contact and shook his head wearily.

“Negative... I spilled Cardinal's whereabouts,” he said with concern for his partner, knowing he had just set Cardinal up at the Secondary Extraction Zone as Flock Leader just nodded his understanding.

“Leave it to me Blue Jay,” he said without condemnation and left quickly as Lee turned worried eyes to the bulkhead ceiling in real concern for Harry.

* * * * *

Flock Leader went to the only place on a submarine that was completely private... the head, and made his transmission. His ONI-issued communication's device was only useful at radio depth, so he had to wait for Sutter to make his transmissions first. He monitored the expected frequencies then sent his message piggy back on Sutter's transmissions. Adam's transmission was automatically scrambled through the sophisticated device as Flock Leader smiled at the handy contraption and wondered if he could requisition one for his team. He tabled the extraneous thought for later, stashed his device and left with no one the wiser.

* * * * *

Harry paced a cut in the rug at the Secondary Extraction Zone, a Safe House in Tunsibika. Lee had been extracted aboard a US Navy Sub that was currently under radio blackout and nearly a day over due. It was a waiting game as the mission wasn't over unless the warhead stayed neutralized, making the waiting game a tense exercise. In the meanwhile, he was Plan B... a second chance to render the device useless in the event Plan A failed. He was monitoring the tracking device Lee planted from his position as well as the electronics of the warhead. He would be the first to know if the device went active again and as such the last defense option for two continents to keep the warhead contained. They would go for the safety of the villagers first, waiting for the warhead to be moved a safe distance from the innocent population, but if it went active again he would have to think of the greater good and order the dangerous bomb's destruction.

His radio came to life as Flock Leader's message was received.

“The Bird Sang”

He ran the transmission through the decoder and nodded to himself knowing exactly what needed to be done.

* * * * *

Harry sat a table making plans with a map spread out before him, when his door was suddenly kicked in by three men bearing machine guns and yelling for him to raise his hands. Harry stood slowly as the three thugs searched the Safe House, a small bungalow on the Tunsibikan coast. He was kept at bay by two thugs flanking him with their weapons trained as one radioed, signaling the “all-clear”.

Harry watched as another man entered the bungalow, this one wasn't wearing black fatigues like the hired guns, but dressed in a business suit and having the distinct appearance of a European.

“Cardinal I presume?” he asked rhetorically.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” Harry replied as his guards sharpened their stance, ready to act upon their leader's slightest request.

“Now, now Cardinal. Blue Jay himself told us you were at the Secondary Extraction Zone.”

Harry raised an eyebrow at the mention of Lee's call sign.

“And just who are you?” Harry asked, keeping his cool as the leader kept his distance.

“A businessman,” he replied suavely, “And I believe you have something that will make me a very rich businessman.”

“Oh and what might that be?” Harry quipped as the guards got antsy as if they were anxious to work him over.

The leader let out a small chuckled scoff, pleased to be fully briefed and in control. “Your partner locked out the controls of a certain warhead, and you Cardinal, are going to tell me the code to bring it back to life,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“And what makes you think I have that code?” Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Watch yourself Cardinal, I won't play this game much longer,” the leader warned then decided to lay his cards on the table in an effort to shock Harry and put him off balance.

“You trusted your partner, but Blue Jay folded. He breached that trust and sold you out.” The Leader smiled, suspecting he was throwing Harry for a major loop as he continued. “He spilled his guts giving your location and the fact that you have the Code to my Contact.”

“Your contact? I'm sorry, but I figured you were the middle man, working for someone bigger,” Harry taunted.

“There's no one bigger!” the Leader shot back. “I run this operation, buying and selling right under the nose of any government I choose!” he boasted.

“What if I told you I don't have the code?”

“I already told you, Blue Jay...”

“Lied,” Harry stated flatly, interrupting the Leader's explanation.

“What are you talking about?”

“He lied,” Harry repeated evenly. “You see... we found out about your “Contact”, too many things didn't add up and he didn't cover his tracks as well as he thought... but we didn't know who you were, so we arranged for this little meeting.”

The Leader's eyes widened. “You're bluffing. Get him ready,” he instructed his men. “We'll take him to a secure location and get the code from him one way or the other...”

His next words were silenced, however, by small “pfittt” sounds as all three guards suddenly dropped, the drug tipped darts working so fast they didn't even have time to pull the offending objects from their necks. The Leader reached for his holstered sidearm inside his jacket when another “pfittt” sound dropped him just as quickly as a team of SEALS entered the bungalow to secure the scene, truss up their catch and call in the airlift.

Harry walked to the downed leader, standing over him as he peered at his captor barely holding on to his lucidity.

“Let me fill you in on a few details,” Harry stated flatly. “Blue Jay didn't sell me out... he set you up in a well-played game,” he explained with a tight-lipped smile. “And that my friend is what we call 'A Sting',” Harry stated with satisfaction as the Leader glared back... just before his eyes rolled to the back of his head in a deep unconsciousness state.

The SEALS cleaned up the four men quickly as the helicopter landed on the beach. Harry grabbed his radio which packed nicely into a suitcase-like package and did the same for his tracking equipment noting the warhead was still Cold and Silent but was now on the move away from the village. He boarded the chopper and donned a full helmet to make his important dispatch.

“This is Cardinal, come in Falcon One.”

“This is Falcon One, go ahead Cardinal.”

“The warhead is clear to target. Repeat the warhead is clear to target.”

“Roger that Cardinal, the warhead is clear to target.”

The transmission ended as Harry sat back knowing that the handlers of the stolen warhead were about to be visited by A-Very-Smart-Bomb, as Washington wasn't taking any chances with the dangerous weapon. He sighed in satisfaction but couldn't bask in the completed mission just yet, not when he didn't have a clue what Lee's condition was at that very moment. Harry sat back as the crowded helicopter flew under the cover of night to a series of stops for fuel before heading to its final destination, the USS Constellation waiting in international waters to receive the high value prisoners.

He leaned his head back against the chopper bulkhead letting down the tension of playing such a strenuous game and thought about the whirlwind he and Lee had just been on. They were in Spain attending a Conference when the warhead was located in Ikuda, the rogue nation threatened to use the weapon and demanded cash from surrounding nations to strengthen its own military might. Lee and Harry were in the right place at the right time, and just as importantly, so was Captain Sutter. It was the perfect opportunity to finally bring in both the Navy's leak and the elusive criminal at the same time. Sutter had recently fallen under ONI's suspicion, but had been strategically left to run his “business” in the hopes of flushing out his Contact. Neutralizing the warhead was their primary objective, but if Lee could draw Sutter into exposing his Contact, then all the better. Giving Sutter the coordinates to the Secondary Extract Zone would prove his involvement as not even Lee himself knew where Harry was posted, that information could only come from the rogue submarine captain who had been briefed with the coordinates. It had been a long waiting game as Harry monitored the warhead and waited for Sutter's Contact to show up. He had been sure to engage the Leader in conversation to determine if they had the right man and once he was sure... well the SEALS were there to clean up the rest.

It had been a good Operation, but he couldn't rest yet... he had no idea just what Lee had gone through to provide Sutter with the information without exposing the Sting. Harry checked his watch, it was going to be a long night... his only comfort was knowing that Lee wasn't alone aboard the sub, ONI had at least covered his six this time.

* * * * *

“Skipper, I just got a message for Lt. Adams.”

“Very well,” Sutter said, not too concerned as the SEAL commander was most likely just receiving orders for reporting once they rendezvoused with the Carrier.

“Lt. Adams, report to the radio shack.”

“Adams here. Radio Shack Aye. Be right there.”

Adams hung up the mic and turned to his SEAL team.

“This is it men. Remember this isn't a mutiny, we're under orders and those sailors in there are the good guys,” he directed.

“Jones, you'll round up Doc and detain him.”

“Got it.”

“Doc is already detained in Sickbay,” Adams heard as he turned to see a flush cheeked operative moving slowly toward them holding his side and wearing short-sleeved ship board whites.

“Blue Jay, what are you doing here?”

“This is your show Flock Leader, but I'd sure appreciate being there when you present the orders.”

Adams shook his head and suppressed a smile, despite the seriousness of what they were about to do.

“Okay Blue Jay, you're in. If anyone deserves to see Sutter go down it's you,” he replied, this part of the operation under his command despite the fact that he was the junior officer.

“Thanks,” Lee offered sincerely as Flock Leader led the way to the Control Room.

“Okay men, let's do this.”

* * * * *

Adams entered the Control Room as his three man team hung out in the corridor trying not to look like the dangerous special ops men they were, while Lee positioned himself out of sight.

“Lt Adams reporting. You have a message for me?”

“Yes Sir,” the radio operator said handing him the short obscure message.

“Present the orders. Falcon 1.”

Adams reached into his pocket and pulled out a red envelope, taking both it and the newly received message to Captain Sutter.

“Sir,” Adams said presenting first the radio transmission which Sutter read with raised eyebrows as the SEALS waiting in the corridor filed in, standing back to keep the situation from spiraling out of control. This was a Navy vessel and the orders in the red envelope should be enough to ensure a clean transfer of command; their job was to make sure Sutter didn't do anything drastic.

The XO picked up on the unusual situation as the red envelope suggested a very official document, he walked over to stand beside the captain as Sutter read the orders. His mouth opened ready to protest but thought better of it as Lt. Adams said the stinging words that he never thought he'd hear.

“Commander Sutter, by order of the SECNAV you are hereby relieved of your command. Commander Porter,” he said turning to the XO, “You have been named temporary Captain of this vessel until which time the SECNAV names a permanent replacement.”

The sounds of the Control Room were silent with every sailor sneaking a peek in the direction of the confrontation.

Sutter chuckled. “This is some kind of joke, right?”

“It's no joke Sutter,” Lee interjected walking forward as Sutter's shock continued to express itself in various facial expressions of surprise.

“Blue Jay...?” he started.

“Actually I'm a Crane... and your days of intelligence gathering are over,” Lee stated.

“So you set me up?” Sutter asked incredulously as if Lee had betrayed him.

“You set yourself up when you messed with operatives who believed they were safe in your care,” Lee said, staring him down with dark eyes that broadcasted his distaste for the disgraced Naval officer who had so abused the trust of vulnerable agents returning from the field. A brotherhood with his fellow operatives only heightened his disgust for Sutter as Flock Leader issued more instructions.

“Captain Porter, you'll find authorization in those orders to detain Captain Sutter in the brig along with his accomplice, Electrician's Mate, Patrick Turner.”

Porter was shocked but found his military decorum, reaching for the red envelope from Sutter's limp grip and perusing its contents.

“Very well, Lieutenant,” he said reaching for the mic. “Master at Arms to the Control Room.”

Sutter stood by tight-lipped and silent, knowing it was best not to confront the orders and risk incriminating himself as he blew a dark breath of resignation out.

Adams gave a slight nod, a silent instruction for his SEAL team to withdraw, the Change of Command having gone smoothly, legally and without issue; the best thing for the submarine now was to let Captain Porter do his job.

“Very well, Lieutenant,” Porter said, rising to the occasion and trying to bring order to the confused Control Room sailors who were doing their best to keep it professional, as Sutter was led to the brig. “The orders state that I report once the Command has been transferred. I'll make that call now, would you care to join me at the radio shack?” Captain Porter asked.

“Thank you Sir, but my presence is not required,” Adams conceded in an effort to show support to the sub's legal commander and restore the respect that the title Captain of the Boat both required and deserved.

Porter nodded his wordless thanks and turned toward Lee.

“Commander Crane, no offense Sir, but you look like you're still in need of medical care.”

“Aye Captain,” Lee said with a small grin, readily agreeing and doing his part to ensure the Change of Command restored established military order to a very confusing situation.

“I'll make sure of it, Sir,” Lt. Adams piped in as the two left the Navy's newest captain to establish his own rightful command of the boat.

* * * * *

Adams escorted Lee back to sickbay, walking slowly for the commander's sake.

“Correct me if I'm wrong Sir... but you do still have a bullet lodged in your side, right?” Adams asked with a sideways grin.

“Most definitely,” Lee replied with a slight grimace.

“So just how did you take down Doc in your condition?” Adams asked.

Lee chucked. “A little hypo goes a long way,” he replied with a waggle of his eyebrows as Adams laughed heartily, enjoying the fact that the mission was nearly complete. Only one thing left to do... get Blue Jay back in one piece.

“Sir, there's one last thing you can do to make this mission a success.”

Lee raised an eyebrow as they stood in front of Sickbay having a good idea where this line of conversation was going.

“Please Sir... lie down before you fall down,” he deadpanned as he opened the door for Lee hoping the Commander would be reasonable.

“Fair enough,” he conceded, in much more pain than he was trying to let on and grateful to find the rack ready for him as Adam's man Jones was medically field trained and ready to tend to Lee's needs.

“It was a pleasure working with you Commander,” Adams offered with a salute, knowing what Lee went through to make his “admission” a believable breach in protocol for Sutter to act upon and understanding that once aboard the Carrier they probably wouldn't have a chance to talk again.

Lee returned the salute. “Thanks for watching my six, Flock Leader,” he said, passing his own respect for the able SEAL then headed for the rack ready for the good stuff to ease the sharp pain in his side.

* * * * *

With the radio black-out lifted, Jones was able to contact the Carrier doctor and receive instructions for Lee's care. An aggressive regiment of antibiotics was started, along with an IV of fluids and nutrition in the hopes that Lee would be strong enough to tolerate the impending surgery. Lee's little jaunt to the Control Room hadn't helped his weakened state and the Doctor planned on issuing some choice words for him once aboard as the dangers of the bullet traveling to a potentially deadly location was noted. Fortunately, Lee was too weary from blood loss to attempt any more “unauthorized” trips out of the rack. The heavy duty pain meds had him floating rather nicely at present and as such rendered him quite agreeable as the doctor came aboard, sedated him and supervised his transfer to the Carrier Sickbay.

Harry was briefed by Lt. Adams on the mission aboard the sub, including what he overheard regarding the use of penicillin and the withholding of medical care to weaken Lee's physical condition. He nodded without emotion when Adams described how Lee held out until he was obviously unwell to make his “passing of information” look like a slip, but inside he wished his friend would have played it a bit safer. Still, it was what made Lee who he was and Harry knew he couldn't change him... nor would he want to. But Harry would have to wait for him to wake to get the story on what happened inside the Ikudian compound. Indeed there would be an exchange of information as Lee would also want to be briefed on what happened at the Secondary Extraction Zone and the ultimate capture of the elusive criminal who had evaded several country's Intelligence communities for so long.

With briefings finally complete, Harry took a stroll down to Sickbay hoping to find Lee out of surgery. Another six weeks on the sick list, but at least ONI wouldn't be calling for his services for awhile, he thought looking for the silver lining. All in all he was quite pleased at the “big fish” they had reeled in and the roles they played in shutting down the Naval leak as well. Lee had been more than a willing participant in the operation and no doubt counting his current physical condition a small price to pay to stop the rogue sub captain. It had all worked out, and despite the fact that Seaview's Captain would miss Seaview's next voyage, he couldn't help but be proud of him just the same.

* * * * *

Lee was resting in the large, state-of-the-art Sickbay. His surgery had gone well with his insides repaired and now all that remained was to regain his strength before being transferred to the Flying Sub for transport back to Seaview, currently berthed in her home port of Santa Barbara.

He was still flat on his back when he woke finding Harry by his side with a clip board on his lap, immersed in writing his After Action Report.

“Hello Sir,” he greeted coming out of the anesthetics a bit groggily.

“Hello Lee, how are you feeling?” Harry asked obviously pleased at seeing his friend awake.

“Much better,” he answered, still heavily medicated but in comparison to his pre-surgery condition his assessment was an honest reply as opposed to his standard answer of “Fine” to all things medical.

“How about you Admiral?” he asked, checking Harry over for injuries even as he spoke.

“It was a clean take-down. We got the Contact and three of his thugs without a shot fired.”

“That's a relief, Sir. I knew that as soon as I “slipped” the information you'd be in the cross-hairs. I have to admit, I didn't like that feeling.”

Harry nodded, knowing exactly how Lee felt but glossed over the personal assessment with his next statement.

“Adams briefed me on the penicillin, he said he almost called the mission.”

“Yeah, I recognized the symptoms but I figured Sutter needed me alive so I stuck with it.”

Lee's face turned thoughtful. “Did the Doctor find any trace of truth serums?”

Harry sat back. “As a matter of fact he did and an evidence team has already turned up the vial in Sickbay.”

“I thought so. I was so out of it... and very confused. I guess I could have “slipped” the info then but I wasn't in enough control. Probably would have spilled more than we wanted if I had started talking,” Lee explained having only a slight, distorted memory of the dream-like interrogation Sutter issued under the influence of the strong drug.

Lee's thoughts turned inward and quite introspective as Harry gave him a chance to articulate his feelings. He knew his friend was weary but their close friendship also told Harry that Lee needed to talk.

“I heard what happened to one Operative Sutter got ahold of. He had barely made it in from the field alive; his eyes were completely swollen shut and his insides were like hamburger meat, I don't even know how he made it to the extraction point. Sutter must have used that same truth serum he used on me but Ed was so out of it he had no idea. ONI drilled him, they knew the Intel had to have leaked from him but he maintained he hadn't broken. Finally he demanded sodium thiopental to prove it... his mind released the details under the truth serum, and that's when it all came out. Ed could hardly believe it himself... he's a good operative, Admiral... as good they come,” Lee noted then sighed heavily, a moment of tense silence lingering in the air. “He thought he was safe and let his concentration down, he was half dead and not thinking clearly,” he continued his voice rising with each new point made. “He paid the price in the field, but damn it, he never expected to have to do it aboard the extraction boat,” he finished full of emotion and staring at the ceiling, silently articulating his next thought.

“You know what bothers me the most Admiral?” Lee said after a few quiet moments, talking once again in a subdued voice to keep their conversation private.

Harry acknowledged his question with a nod as Lee proceeded without a verbal answer.

“When you make it to the extraction point and see those SEALS coming, you feel like you're a kid who's just been given a security blanket because you know you're almost there... but when you finally hit the deck of the sub or whatever extraction vessel you land on, it's more than transportation... you feel like you're already home...” Lee trailed off as more silence filled the air, something Harry wasn't willing to break yet, not until Lee said all he needed to say.

“...I always felt safe once I was aboard and now... well Sutter's done more damage than he could possibly know.” Lee plunged ahead getting the matter off his chest as Harry responded with small nods of affirmation, knowing exactly what he was feeling from his own experiences with ONI. “I know it makes us better operatives to never let our guards down, but there's got to be a place where we know our minds won't be messed with, if it's not out there in the field it has to be here,” he finished angrily as Harry waited a moment before speaking.

“I agree Lee,” Harry answered, his baritone voice an instant soothing balm to Lee's strong emotions drawing hazel eyes to meet his own. “But you know the nature of the business never affords the ability to completely let your guard down.”

Lee nodded his understanding, conceding to the truth of Harry's words.

“It's the reason you didn't spill the information under the drug's influence,” Harry reminded him. “But out of the hundreds and hundreds of men who have done their part in retrieving you over the years Lee... Sutter has been the only one to breach that trust.”

Lee blew a breath and nodded in agreement. “Aye Sir.”

“I can see where this could shake your faith and it demonstrates that you'll always have to be careful, even on board a Navy vessel but Lee... you and I both know you can't function out there without the trust that your six is covered back here. You can't let Sutter destroy the trust that these men have demonstrated and earned by putting themselves at risk with every extraction; either on the raft in the line of fire or tucked in a sub with the real possibility of being blown out of the water for violating national waters. If we all stop trusting, we'll have nothing left to build on,” Harry finished as Lee closed his eyes and sighed.

He reined in his emotions and allowed a measure of found peace to penetrate through.

“I believe that too Sir, you know they carried me off the beach this time... I wouldn't have made it without them. I can't... I won't let go of that security blanket when I see those SEALS or hit the deck of a Navy vessel; it's the greatest feeling in the world to know your six is covered, especially when you haven't got much more to give on a mission.”

Harry expelled his own satisfied sigh accompanied with the twinkle in his eyes, grateful that Lee wouldn't be tempted to become callous to the men who worked behind the scenes to make the missions a success by bringing both him and his Intel home, often at great peril to themselves. He leaned over issuing a warm squeeze to Lee's shoulder as he took a sideways glance toward the CMO.

“Well Lad, it looks like my Four Stars have garnered me about as much time as this Navy Doctor is going to allow on this visit,” he jested with a smile in a humorous but true observation, as anyone else would have been asked to cut the visit short by now.

“You just rest and get better... and Lee... your six is covered.”

“Thanks Admiral,” he replied, his words holding way more gratitude than face value and completely understood by his best friend as Harry offered a tight-lipped smile with a slight nod.

Lee heard Harry's oxfords lay quiet but distinctive steps across the deck and closed his eyes knowing that the Admiral had included not only himself, but the entire ship's compliment among those watching over him and every other Operative returning home injured, either physically or emotionally, and expecting a safe haven to come back to. He rested in that thought and pulled his blanket higher, grateful that he could trust his “brothers” with his life and feeling the safety of the Navy's finest watching his six.

The End

Breach of Trust

Notes and Credits

*Ikuda and Tunsibika are fictional countries on the northern African coast.

Skate-Class Subs - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skate-class_submarine

Penicillin Reactions - http://allergies.about.com/od/medicationallergy/a/penicillin.htm

Copyright 2015, All Rights Reserved

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and her main characters belong to Irwin Allen