This is a Fifth Season story that begins with a Fourth Season flashback to the final moments of my 4th Season story, The Better Part of Valor. (For the back story on Admiral Milton see my story, Response and Responsibility.)
The Eagles
by Lynn
Admiral Gerald Johnson watched with satisfaction as
Commander Lee Crane greeted the other guests during the impromptu awards
ceremony. His service award for valor
was a small reward for the price Lee had to pay on this last dangerous
mission. A suicide mission, if the
double agent hadn't wanted to keep Lee alive long enough to gloat over
him. Lee had been drugged to the point
of being catatonic and had his extraction team not been good, he might have
ended up in enemy hands. In the end, it
was Lee's information that had identified both the double agent and the inside
contact, Johnson's own receptionist, who were now awaiting charges of high
treason. If it hadn't been for Lee's
willingness to take the mission, ONI might still be sending out operatives unsafely
into the field with their covers blown.
Johnson caught sight of Admiral Harriman Nelson as he
proudly looked on. He was aware that
Nelson and Crane shared deep feelings of friendship and that Harriman looked
over Lee like a father figure. Gerald had
high regard for Lee as well, but over the years had managed to keep those
emotions in check. He couldn't allow his
feelings to enter in as he made the hard decisions on which assignments to send
his operatives out to fulfill. Still, in
times like these he allowed himself to feel the pride of the Commander's
accomplishments.
The gathering began to dwindle as Lee and Harry excused themselves to beat a weather front back to the west
coast. There were three other admirals
of various star rankings who had left as well as Gerald caught the last admiral
before he reached the door.
“You want to tell me why that boy isn't wearing an eagle
on his collar and a full set of bars on his shoulders yet?” Johnson asked
Admiral Bill Milton in a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is moment. Johnson knew full well that Lee had fulfilled
his minimum three years in rank as a commander last year.
“You know I only get a certain amount of postings,
Gerald. I need them for full-time
servicemen. Reserve Officers accept that
their promotions may be slightly delayed when they accept the Reserve status,”
Bill answered without any hint of the vindictive grudge that he held for Lee's
decision to leave active duty when he signed on with Seaview four years ago.
“You and I both know that there's more to it than that,
Bill. I'm not sure what else Crane has
to do to 'earn' his captain's bars. If it's blood you want, he's shed it in pints for his country,”
Johnson replied in his full four star admiral demeanor.
“And with his time on Seaview, he's one of the most
experienced boat commanders in the fleet,” Johnson continued.
“That's just it, Gerald.
What's he doing floating around on that over-grown monstrosity with
windows when he should be patrolling the waters for his country?” Milton's tone was just as four-star and full
of conviction as he spoke.
“For not being active duty he's put in enough time to earn
nearly every service award out there.
Heaven knows he should have gotten the MOH* over the Davy Crockett
affair two years ago**. The only reason
he didn't was because the Navy chose to sweep that one so far into Top Secret
that the file won't be unsealed for another fifty years!” Johnson's disbelief coming
out in frustration as he spoke.
Bill Milton blew out a breath and then spoke, “His promotion orders are sitting on my desk now Gerald. I had every intention of putting them through the board for the next round of reviews.” Bill knew that Crane would have no trouble receiving his next rank, nor his first officer Charles P. Morton; he had made sure that one hadn't moved along as well, but he wasn't stupid. Both of the officers had received enough attention with their exploits aboard Nelson's dream-boat to warrant the next rank. The whole thing just grated on his nerves. Bill never expected Crane to stay in the Reserves this long and his ploy to hold back Crane's rank to entice him back to active duty had somehow moved from working in the best interests of his country to a personal vendetta. But even he knew when it was time to move on.
Gerald acknowledged Bill's statement concerning Lee's
promotion as Bill left the office in a sour mood. Admiral Gerald Johnson walked over to the
window and stared outside with his hands clasped behind his back. He would be retiring in another year or two,
and he owed it to Lee to see this promotion through. He was satisfied with the outcome of the
conversation and walked back to his desk ready to read through more
intelligence reports.
* * * * *
Admiral Bill Milton left Johnson's office and headed
toward the Pentagon thinking the entire way.
Crane would promote, but he'd make sure it was in the second
rounds. The military had adopted a
promotion in rounds to ease the fiscal strain of the promotions into two
different quarters. Morton's promotion
would be effective in February and Crane's in June. He smiled to himself, pleased with his
plan. Bill wasn't sure why this whole
thing bothered him so much, but he was sure that Morton's promotion to full
commander ahead of Crane's to captain would provide the added insult to injury
he intended.
* * * * *
Present Day – (Fifth Season)
Seaview glided along the depths hugging the deep bottom of the Pacific as the oceanic wonder and her crew mapped out the floor for a new communication's array for the United States Navy. Seaview “sat” at 2,500 feet below sea level, and was below the “published” crush depth of the US Navy's fleet of submarines. The depth made any possible repairs to the array only accessible by diving bell or submersible, but also effectively kept other submarines away from the sophisticated junction box that linked the various cables, making underwater communications possible without surfacing to a “radio” depth.
Although the depth was below the capacity of the navies of the world, it was within easy reach of Seaview and her crew.
Captain Lee Crane stood at the Chart Table noting the sub's current depth as his first officer and XO, Chip Morton stood by making notations on the computer generated topography map. The Command Team worked well together, and Lee was going to miss both the efficiency and friendship that he shared with his XO when Chip moved on to his own Command. Harry had begun working on a new sub to add to NIMR's fleet several years ago and had long since tagged Chip as the sub's Skipper.*** Chip's promotion to full Commander had ensured that possibility and Harry's blueprints were about ready to be turned into reality as Seaview's sister boat was in the process of receiving bids for her construction. Lee had enjoyed the process of meetings and brainstorming sessions with Harry and Chip, something he missed out on with the construction of Seaview, and he was truly pleased for Chip's appointment. Chip was as efficient at Seaview's helm as he was an Executive Officer.
The two officers stood across the table from one another, both bearing the silver oak leaf of a navy commander. Lee's promotion had been announced at the same time as Chip's, but wasn't effective for another three weeks. He and Chip were planning on taking Monica and Brianna on a celebratory dinner at the best five star restaurant in town. The promotions for both officers had been long overdue, but it was a small sacrifice to bear in order to stay aboard Seaview in Reserve status. Lee was also not fooled in the least regarding Admiral Milton's timing of the promotion schedule, but chose to totally ignore the entire situation. His friendship with Chip was way stronger than the petty feelings Milton was trying to elicit from him. And things were going pretty well in his life at present, as he and Brianna were getting along quite well. They had only been seeing each other for about a month, but he had already been making plans for a trip to the jewelers.
The calm and serenity of the moment however, was interrupted with a shout from Patterson sitting at the hydrophones station.
“Shockwave headed our way!”
Lee immediately reached for the mic, “All hands prepare for shockwave.”
He and Chip took a strong handhold as the shockwave hit sending Lee against the spiral stairs on one rock and Chip against the helmsman on the subsequent roll. After a few long seconds of dancing across the floor they were finally able to regain their handholds on the chart table as Lee called for a damage report. Chip instantly complied as they waited for DC's report.
“DC Aye. We're tight and dry, Sir.”
Lee scanned the duty stations, satisfying himself that the unforeseen shockwave hadn't caused any damage, then headed towards sonar as Chip reported from the seismic reader situated above Rick Kowalski's station.
“Looks like a sizable seaquake, 8.0,” Chip said handing Lee the small read-out.
“Nelson to Captain Crane,” was heard from the com system as Lee stepped back and retrieved the mic from the periscope island.
“Crane here.”
“What's going on up there, Lee?”
“A seaquake registering 8.0, Sir.”
“hmmm, everything secure up there?”
“Aye Sir. I'm going to bring us to 800 feet so we can safely monitor the aftershocks and get an idea of the seismic activity below.”
“Good idea. I'll be up to help with the seismic readings.”
“Aye Sir.”
Lee shipped the mic as he gave his orders, “Chip make our depth 800 feet.”
“Aye, Skipper.”
“Captain Crane to the radio shack, please.”
Lee headed aft, speaking as he approached the shack, “What do you have, Sparks?”
“A distress call, Sir. I've tried answering, but I think their unit is damaged,” Sparks replied as Lee motioned for the headset.
Lee placed the headset to his ear and heard a voice frantically speaking, “...is Sandstone Alpha, repeat... the dome is damaged, integrity of the hull is precarious... in danger of collapsing... please someone respond...”
“Put it on speaker, Sparks,” Lee ordered, his eyebrows sharpening in concern as both Harry and Chip arrived at the shack in time to hear the repeated message.
“Keep monitoring the frequency Sparks, if you can manage a reply tell them we're on our way.”
Lee's tight voice matched his steps back to the chart table as Harry and Chip leaned over the charts while Lee traced his finger until he found what he was looking for, tapping the map as he spoke.
“About 130 nautical miles...four hours at flank speed, Sir,” Lee said, looking up to Harry's eyes as he spoke.
“Alright, get us there Lee. And get a message out to COMSUBPAC, that's a Navy installation,” Harry noted tapping the chart table as he turned to work on the seismic readings.
“Aye Sir. Chip,” Lee said, delegating the job as he leaned over and began making the necessary course corrections to bring Seaview about and head toward the sea dome. Chip nodded and headed towards the radio shack as the boring mapping mission they were on just turned into a Rescue Operation with way more excitement than anybody wanted at the moment.
* * * * *
Lee had Seaview operating at flank speed closing the distance to Sandstone Alpha, a domed underwater lab on lease to the US Navy. Sparks had not been able to raise the Sandstone, but continued to transmit Seaview's approach. Bobby O'Brien and his team in engineering had managed to squeeze out a 1% increase in speed as the boat raced to the damaged underwater laboratory.
Lee and Harry were sitting at the conference table in the nose going over the seismic reports on the underwater quake. Tsunami warnings were in place, but it was expected that any possible tidal waves would lose steam before reaching the projected islands in its path. Right now the danger lay in the underwater lab which housed fifteen researchers conducting secret military experiments at 1,200 feet below sea level.
“Admiral, a video call from COMSUBPAC,” Sparks hailed.
Harry reached for the mic, “I'll take it in the nose, Sparks.”
Lee reached for the control knob and soon the face of Admiral Jiggs Stark filled the screen.
“Harriman, how far out are you?”
Harry deferred to Lee as he answered, “About another hour, Sir. We're pushing the engines to her capacity for this.”
“Very well. I have a rescue ship complete with a DSRV, but it's five hours out,” Jiggs reported, speaking mostly to Harriman.
Harry nodded in
acknowledgment, “Well, hopefully we won't need them Jiggs, but keep them coming
just in case.”
The DSRV, short for Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle could couple with the domed laboratory and rescue the occupants in short order once it arrived and was capable of carrying up to twenty-four people making the rescue a faster operation than the Flying Sub. Harry figured it would take three trips to evacuate the dome occupants safely to Seaview via FS1. Hopefully, Seaview would have the dome evacuated before the DSRV arrived, but it never hurt to be prepared.
“Aye, and another
thing, Harriman,” Jiggs sighed an audible breath as Harry and Lee noted his
concern. “One of the Researchers is Bill
Milton's grandson, Justin.”
Harry nodded. The information didn't make the rescue any
more important than it was before they knew an Admiral's grandson was affected,
but it did accentuate the human element into the equation.
“We'll do everything
we can Jiggs, pass that along to Bill.”
Jiggs and Harry
signed off as Harry turned to Lee. “I
had no idea that Bill's grandson was on board,” Harry noted.
“Neither did I, Sir,” Lee shook his head sadly sympathizing with Admiral
Milton. Whatever the muddy water between
them, it made no difference in the rescue of the Researchers. Lee sincerely hoped that he'd be able to give
Admiral Milton good news when the rescue operation was complete.
“I'll check our
progress, Sir,” Lee said as he moved from his perch on the conference table and
headed to the control room.
* * * * *
Lee and Harry watched
through Seaview's windows with a keen eye trying to ascertain the damage to
Sandstone Alpha's twin domes and its impending danger.
“We'll have to do a
fly over and see if the hatch is secure for link-up,” Lee noted as he studied
the domes.
“There,” Harry said,
pointing to an area on one dome where the outer hull appeared to be
cracking. “They haven't much time Lee, let's get this evacuation underway before it turns into
a Recovery Operation.”
Lee shook his head,
wholeheartedly agreeing as he donned his leather flight jacket. Stu Riley was already in FS1 working up the
pre-flight and Lee had opted to go as light as possible to lessen the amount of
trips they'd have to make.
“And Lee,” Harry
added as Lee stopped half-way down the flying sub hatch, “be
careful.”
Lee offered a small
tight smile, “Aye, Sir.”
Lee finished lowering
himself down as Harry dogged the hatch behind him and moved into the pilot's
chair. A few moments later and FS1 was
lowered from her bay and heading toward the damaged dome.
After the fly-over,
Lee reported that the hatch appeared sound and piloted the submersible to
couple with the dome. Riley used a
wrench to knock on the hatch as they waited for some sign that the occupants
were alive. No sooner had they knocked than
they received a reply as three solid taps were heard in response.
Lee blew out an
audible breath in relief as Riley cracked the hatch. A small puddle of water flowed down the hatch
but the flying sub was perfectly coupled.
Lee descended down the ladder and was met by an extremely relieved group
of researchers.
“Oh thank God you're
here! We didn't know if our calls were
being received or not,” Dr. Terrence Fielding, the lead researcher said.
Lee greeted Fielding
with a smile as they shook hands, “I'm Captain Crane of the SSRN Seaview. What's the condition of your team?” Lee asked, needing to get down to business
and start the evacuation.
Fielding nodded and
answered, “We have three injured, but the rest are in good shape.”
“Alright, we'll take
your injured first plus two more; Riley here will pilot the flying sub over to
Seaview.” Lee stopped to smell the
air. “Looks like your air purifier isn't
keeping up with the smoke,” Lee observed.
“Yes,” Fielding said,
“We have two units. One was damaged in
the quake, the other is having to work extra hard to keep up. Removing some personnel will help, but we
should be able to evacuate before the air reaches a dangerous level.”
Lee nodded his
agreement as five researchers were loaded onto FS1; Lee followed behind the
last researcher dogging the hatches for Riley.
As he climbed down he reached for the transmitter that was hanging on
his shoulder and hailed Seaview.
“Crane
to Seaview. Come in Seaview.”
“This is Nelson. Go ahead Lee.”
“Riley's ready with
the first load, Sir. We'll need a
corpsman standing by to receive three injured,” Lee stopped and coughed and
then continued. “The rest of the team is
in good shape, but the air purifier has been damaged. The quicker we do this the better.”
“Alright Lee, we'll
make the turn-around as fast as we can.”
Lee placed the
transmitter down on a nearby console and scanned the room. “Dr. Fielding, let's break out the rebreathers, just in case,” Lee stated politely but in a
straight forward tone.
“I'm afraid we only
have access to about half the rebreathers, we had to
seal off the companionway between the main stations due to the hull damage.”
Lee nodded his
understanding as Fielding and several of his team helped to locate and dispense
the rebreathers.
“Nelson
to Crane.”
Lee picked up the
transmitter, “This is Crane.”
“Lee, we've got your
first passengers on board, looks like our total turnaround time will be about
ten minutes.”
“Aye Sir, we'll be
ready with five more passengers.” Lee
signed off, thinking through the math of having five passengers plus the
pilot. The Flying Sub was built for a
pilot, co-pilot and two passengers, plus one in a bunk. Weight wasn't a problem underwater; the issue
was air. FS1 was built for the capacity
of five people without straining the air filtration system. Six was pushing it, but it was a short
“flight” and well worth the added burden on the system. Still, more than ten minutes would be pushing
it, and that's just what they were doing with three trips at over capacity.
Fielding had five
more passengers ready to go and the evacuation was moving in an orderly
fashion, as Lee dogged the hatches once again sending Stu Riley off with the
second load of evacuees. Lee climbed
back down the ladder, and took a shallow breath as he reached for a rebreather for a shot of oxygen. The dwindling group of researchers would slow
down the output of bad air, and in another ten minutes the dome would be
evacuated, so Lee wasn't worried.
As they waited, the
remaining researchers talked amongst themselves quietly and Lee turned his head
as he caught the name “Justin” in a conversion.
As he looked at the young man, Lee could see the family resemblance to
Admiral Milton. Justin had carried
himself with dignity and had handled the deteriorating situation well. Lee allowed a smile to form as he watched the
young man speaking with his colleague.
If everything went as planned, the next load would be the last. They would be overcapacity for sure with
seven on board, but FS1 was a good craft and Lee was sure it would make the
short shuttle without any trouble.
“Nelson
to Crane.”
“Crane
here.”
“FS1 is ready for the
last load, Lee.”
“Aye, Sir. We'll be ready.”
A few more minutes
passed and Lee could hear the coupling of FS1 to Sandstone. He climbed the ladder and used a hammer to
signal a clean connection as the hull reverberated the two raps they heard in
response. Lee opened the hatch and
descended to allow the final researchers of Sandstone Alpha to climb the
ladder. The Researchers had happily
abandoned their rebreathers as they climbed. Lee positioned himself last in line as he
waited to follow Justin Milton up the ladder.
Just then, Lee's transmitter came to life.
“Lee,
shockwave approaching in ten seconds!” Chip's elevated voice
was enough to stop the forward movement of researchers as they turned to look
toward the sound of the warning.
“Go! Go!”
Lee urged as the group filed upwards, but Lee knew they weren't going to
make it. Not only did they have to seal
both hatches but they had to uncouple before the shockwave hit.
“Riley, I'll get your
hatch, prepare to disengage as soon as your hatch is
secure!” Lee yelled even as he climbed
upwards. Justin's feet barely cleared
the hatch as the shockwave hit. He
turned around to see Captain Crane pulling the hatch closed over the top of
him. Their eyes met for just a moment
and then Justin moved to help secure the hatch.
Once Lee realized that FS1's hatch was being secured he moved get
Sandstone's hatch dogged, trying desperately to stay on the ladder as he hooked
his legs around the rungs. He barely
secured the hatch when the effects of the shockwave were too much and Lee was
thrown to the floor of the sea dome.
Inside the Flying Sub, Justin Milton grabbed a handhold on the supply
case behind him, but his eyes never left the hatch below. He had just helped to dog the hatch, sealing
Captain Crane in the lab with a hull breach and the real possibility of an
imminent implosion.
* * * * *
Stu Riley swiftly
moved back to the pilot's chair to obey his Captain's order to disengage and
studied the hatch secure light. It
cycled to green as they felt the brunt of a shockwave hit the dome with the
Flying Sub still attached. Stu knew
that the coupling put FS1 in a precarious position and applied the power and
pressure he needed to disengage. As FS1
rose the sounds of metal scrapping against metal could be heard as well as the
awful sound of distorted metal grinding.
Stu held the controls firmly as his passengers held on for dear
life. Once free from the dome, the
Flying Sub received the full blast of the shockwave as the Flying Sub tumbled
forward out of Stu's control. FS1 landed
hard on the ocean floor as its occupants rode out the remains of the
devastating wave. The lights flickered
off and on several times before they stabilized as Stu pulled himself off the
console in front of him. He immediately
started flipping switches and turning FS1's systems back online. The first system up was communications.
“Seaview
to FS1. Come in FS1.”
Stu reached up and
positioned the mic to his throat and answered, “This is FS1. Go ahead Seaview.”
“Report your
situation,” Admiral Nelson's unmistakable voice was heard.
“I've got all the
researchers on board,” Stu took a moment to look around the Flying Sub, the men had sustained some minor cuts and bruises but
otherwise looked uninjured. “I think
everyone's fine here, but I don't know about Captain Crane, Sir.”
“What do you mean,
Riley?”
“He's still aboard
the Sandstone, Sir.”
There was a short
delay, and then, “What about FS1?”
Stu finished bringing
FS1 online and did a quick check over his systems. “I think we're good Sir. We'll be aboard shortly.”
Stu Riley moved the
Flying Sub towards Seaview, but inside he knew that the whole situation was a
real bummer, a wipe-out even.
* * * * *
Lee's head lolled to
the side as he began to come around. The
emergency lights were lit as he moved to his hands and knees to steady himself
up. The quietness of the dome was eerie,
and the subsequent moans from the precarious dome signaled impending
danger. He looked around and found his
transmitter still in one piece. He
breathed deeply which was a bad idea, as the air fouled with smoke caused a
coughing spasm to hit him. So he chose to
sit on the floor with his back up against a console where the air was better,
and flipped the switch to hail Seaview.
“Crane
to Seaview.”
“Lee! Are you alright?” Harry's concerned voice was
heard.
Lee shook his head in
the affirmative as he looked around him.
“Yes Sir. How
about FS1 and the researchers?”
“All hands are
on-board and safe, but we have a problem Lee.”
Harry's voice trailed off and then came back strong as he described the
situation at hand.
“FS1's lower hatch
was damaged in the shockwave, it's unusable for coupling. But the DSRV is still on its way. What's your situation there?”
Lee looked around and
found a discarded rebreather, pulling it to his face
for a shot of oxygen and then answered.
“The hull is still
holding. The air is foul, but shouldn't
deteriorate as quickly now. I have some rebreathers here, I'll try and make them last. What's the ETA on the DSRV?” Lee was in total control, but he also knew
that his situation had moved from precarious to down-right dangerous, with a
hull breach and the fouled air poisoning the breathable air.
“A
little under three hours, Lee.” Harry's concerned voiced was masked in his
usual in control Admiral's tone, but Lee could hear it just the same.
“Acknowledged. I'll
make do here. I really think the air
will hold out, Admiral,” Lee said.
Harry acknowledged
and signed off. He knew he could trust
Lee's assessment of the situation, even though Lee was known to down-play the
dangerous situations he found himself in from time to time. Still, after five years Harry could read the
sound in Lee's voice, and knew that Lee was giving him an honest appraisal of
the situation. Even so, Harry knew the
danger wasn't over. There was still the
chance of more aftershocks, and just as important was the condition of
Sandstone's hatch. FS1 had sustained
damage during the disengagement, and there was a good chance that Sandstone's
hatch had been affected as well. They'd
have to ascertain the damage before the DSRV arrived.
* * * * *
Lee looked around and
gathered the abandoned rebreathers in a pile. The air wasn't polluting as quickly now that
the station had been evacuated but he'd have to conserve the rebreathers if he was going to make another three
hours. The air was lightly fouled with
carbon dioxide as the single air purifier struggled to do the job of two
units. A thin layer of smoke floated
ominously against the ceiling, as he sat against the console taking shallow
breaths. He glanced at his watch and did
the math, even with one air purifier off-line by his estimation he would make
it. With little else to do he just
leaned back and resolved himself to wait for the DSRV.
* * * * *
Harry and Chip stood
at the chart table discussing the current situation as Dr. Fielding and two
other researchers stood in the nose looking out at the nearly abandoned sea
dome. The rest of the researchers had
been ushered to Sickbay and then onto the Wardroom where they were now enjoying
the hospitality of one of Cookie's hot meals.
The two men who had
opted to stay with Dr. Fielding both wore light blue jump suits with US Navy
insignias on their collars. Lt. Justin
Milton studied the dome speaking in low tones with Dr. Fielding and his fellow
officer Lt. Mark Hollis. Justin and Mark
were the Navy liaisons to the civilian group that the Navy had contracted with
to conduct their highly secret research.
“Chip, ready the
flying sub for launch again. We're going to have to ascertain the damage
to Sandstone's top hatch and determine if the DSRV can couple,” Harry said,
matter of factly but with concern in his eyes.
“Aye Sir, I'll see to
it myself,” Chip said as he pushed off the chart table and summoned Chief
Sharkey over to the Flying Sub's hatch.
Harry stood at the
chart table staring beyond the windows toward the sea dome in front of
him. The underwater laboratory was of
unusual construction in that the facility actually housed two domes connected
by a rounded corridor. It was large, as
the fact that its facility supported fifteen researchers testified. As he studied the structures before him he
was interrupted by one of Dr. Fielding's team members.
“Admiral,
permission to join the detail for the hatch recon, Sir.”
Standing before Harry
was a young version of Admiral Bill Milton, standing smartly at attention
awaiting his reply. Before Harry could
answer, Justin continued, trying to strengthen his case for going.
“I'm familiar with
the facility, Sir and may be of use for answering specific questions regarding
the domes.”
Harry cracked a small
smile, Justin reminded him of a very young Lee Crane years ago on the
Nautilus. Not so much in his looks, as
the determination he saw in the Lieutenant’s eyes. In the end, Harry decided it wasn't such a
bad idea after all.
“Very well,
Lieutenant. We'll be ready to leave as
soon as FS1 is checked out again.”
Justin walked away relieved that Admiral Nelson had agreed to his tagging along. He really didn't know if his presence was that necessary, but he needed to be busy doing something about getting Captain Crane out of Sandstone. It hadn't sat well with the young officer to help dog the hatch over the top of Crane, and he sure wasn't just going to sit around and wait to see what the outcome was. He needed to help.
Chip climbed back up
the ladder, followed by Sharkey as Harry was pulling on his leather flight
jacket.
“She's ready, Sir,”
Chip reported efficiently.
“Good, Chip. Mr. Milton will be accompanying me on the
recon. We'll stay in touch.”
Chip nodded and
helped Harry step down the hatch as Justin followed wearing a guest flight
jacket. He secured the top hatch behind
them and then moved to the chart table to begin the launch procedures.
* * * * *
Lee sat with his
knees bent and his forearms resting on his knees. His head was resting back against the console
with his eyes closed. Sleeping wasn't a
good idea with a mixture of carbon dioxide and smoke in the air, and he was too
wound up to sleep anyway. He was thinking
through a list of maintenance projects he wanted completed on Seaview. He was presently keeping his mind occupied as
he slowly took apart the compressor unit for a standard maintenance. Lee had served as an officer in engineering
on the Nautilus and had plenty of experience with such maintenance. The thought reminded him of the “good ol' days” working under then Captain Nelson. He had learned a lot on the Nautilus, and
working for Harry had been great even back then. A small smile broke forth on Lee's face as he
remembered how he would shudder when Harry came to Engineering. Harry had a presence about him, but he always
found his advice sound and helpful.
Lee's revelry was broken with the sound of a hailed call on his
transmitter.
“Lee, this is
Nelson.”
“Aye Sir,” Lee
responded.
“Lee we're inspecting
Sandstone's hatch for link up with the DSRV.”
Lee nodded, even
though Harry couldn't see it. He could
already tell Harry what he was going to find when they got here. The last thing he heard before he lost his
balance and fell from the ladder was the grinding of distorted metal as FS1
disengaged. Lee heard an audible sigh,
as Harry apparently got a close enough view to confirm Lee's suspicions.
“The hatch is a no
go, Lee. It's in even worse shape than
FS1's hatch,” Harry answered barely hiding his disappointment.
“Sir?” Lee
heard an unfamiliar voice coming from FS1.
“There's another
hatch on the second dome,” Justin finished, pointing out another possible
solution.
“Lee, we'll check out
the second hatch and call you back.”
“Aye Sir,” Lee
responded as he tilted his back against the console. Already he was thinking through the
possibilities for link up with the dome in danger of collapsing and the chances
of it doing so with the DSRV attached.
Lee shook his head in a negative, he just
didn't think that was going to work, much less the fact that he was going to
have to transfer between the domes through the corridor. Right now, he was protected against a
collapse with the corridor sealed off.
A few minutes passed
as Harry called in reporting his findings.
“Lee, the hatch is
solid. We could link up there and get
you out.”
Lee hated to break
this to Harry, but there wasn't any way he was going to risk the crew of five
aboard the DSRV if the dome collapsed while it was still coupled.
“Negative Sir,” Lee
continued on before Harry could reply.
“There's just too great a chance of the hull imploding with the DSRV
still connected.”
“Lee...”
“There's just got to
be another way, Sir,” Lee said interrupting Harry and assuring the Admiral that
he wasn't resolving to die, only to lessen the danger for the rescue team. There was a short silence and then Harry
answered.
“I'll get back to
you, Lee. But if I order you to the
dome, you better high tail your six there!”
Harry said with fervor.
Lee let out a little chuckle, he really peeved Harry off with his last
statement. He recovered but answered
with a smile, “Aye Sir.”
* * * * *
Admiral Nelson's
determined look could bore a hole through a solid metal plate, Justin was sure
of that as the Admiral piloted the Flying Sub back to her berth. He had wisely kept quiet during the exchange
between Crane and Nelson. Justin had to
admire Captain Crane for his composure and his desire to keep the DSRV crew
safe. Less than ten minutes later, and
the Flying Sub was seated back in her berth in the
belly of Seaview.
Justin followed
Admiral Nelson up the ladder. Nelson
hadn't said a word except in orders to bring the submersible on board. Justin could almost see the wheels turning as
the Admiral maneuvered the yellow manta-like sub, obviously trying to work
through possible solutions to Captain Crane's dilemma at the same time. Justin had spent plenty of time around
another Admiral, his grandfather, and knew when to keep quiet and when to speak. Right now was definitely one of those “keep
quiet” moments. Justin moved out of
Nelson's path and took up a position out of the way but where he could still
hear Morton and Nelson confer.
“The hatch on the
second dome is safe, but Lee doesn't want to risk a link up with the damaged
hull,” Harry explained.
Chip nodded, it
sounded just like Lee, but he didn't have to like it. “What about the Bell, Sir? We could drop it from Seaview, and if an
aftershock was imminent we could cut the line,” Chip offered, knowing that Lee
wouldn't risk Seaview any more than he'd risk the DSRV.
Harry nodded as a
smile began to form, “You're right Chip.
He can't object if we assure him the Bell would be cut away at the least
bit of a problem,” Harry answered with enthusiasm.
“He'll still object
to the potential danger...” Chip started, but was interrupted by Harry.
“He can object, but
it won't do him any good,” Harry said waving off Lee's objection as if Lee were
actually here to see it. Chip smiled,
Lee was going to get rescued whether he wanted it or not!
“Admiral, a video
call for you Sir,” Sparks reported over the com.
Harry reached for the
mic at the chart table, “Put it through to the nose, Sparks.”
Harry moved toward
the video console as Chip turned the video monitor on and Admiral Stark's face
appeared on the screen.
“Harriman, what's
your update there?” His voice rough with the tenseness of the
situation.
“We've evacuated all
fifteen researchers but Captain Crane is trapped at Sandstone,” Harry explained
as Jiggs' eyebrows sharpened, needing an explanation. “Sandstone was hit by an aftershock with FS1
still coupled. Lee was able to dog the
hatch and my pilot disengaged, but both hatches are now damaged. Our only solution now is to move Captain
Crane to the damaged dome and link up with the diving bell,” Harry finished.
Jiggs nodded his
understanding, “I'll keep the rescue ship on course Harriman, keep me posted.”
Harry acknowledged
and turned the monitor off.
“Come on Chip, let's
inform the Captain of the plan and get the diving bell ready.” Harry had a gleam in his eye, ready to pull
his four star rank on Lee should he balk in any way.
* * * * *
Lee listened to Harry
acknowledging that it was a good plan.
Seaview would position itself over the dome at 700 feet,
that would give Seaview 500 feet of slack in the cable. If an aftershock occurred Seaview would
disengage and have plenty of room for the inevitable rock and rolls. Now that Seaview had moved into position the
Bell would begin the descent down 500 feet of water to link up with the damaged
dome. Lee had stayed in the safety of
his dome until the last minute, now he would need to make his way across the
corridor that connected the two domes and open the water tight door. If the dome imploded it would take him with
it.
Lee gathered up
several rebreathers that weren't spent and headed for
the corridor. He had been briefed by Dr.
Fielding on the best route to take to reach the hatch. The corridors were lit only with the red emergency
lights and the eerie creaking noise of the dome settling was enough to unnerve
anybody, but Lee ignored it, moving on towards his objective.
“Lee, the Bell's
away,” Chip's voice was heard on the transmitter hanging on Lee's
shoulder. Lee repositioned the
transmitter and answered.
“Aye, Chip. I'm heading to the hatch now.”
With Chip still on
Seaview, Lee knew who was piloting the Bell.
He hated that Harry was taking the chances, but he knew better than to
argue with Harry when he sported that, “I'm the Admiral,” tone.
“Very well, we'll
keep you posted. Seaview
out.”
“Crane out.”
Lee made it to the
end of the corridor and sat down the torch he brought from the undamaged
dome. He hoped he wouldn't need the
flashlight, but he was unfamiliar with the dome and needed to see his way
around. He reached for the water tight
door and began to turn the wheel. At
first, it didn't budge and Lee had to lean his entire body weight into the
turn. Finally, the wheel “gave” and Lee
breathed a sigh of relief. He picked up
his gear and proceeded through the hatch carefully dogging it behind him; if
anything went wrong he would need to make his way back to the safety of the
undamaged dome.
He followed the
directions Dr. Fielding gave him and entered the section that housed the hatch
for link-up. He dogged every water tight
door behind him, but he knew that if the dome collapsed, nothing would save
him. Once inside the dome he settled at
the base of the ladder and waited it out for the diving bell to make its
appearance. He didn't want the Bell
waiting for him, they needed to make the link-up and disengage as soon as
possible. Now all he could do was wait.
* * * * *
“900 feet,” Kowalski
reported as Chip supervised the Bell's descent from the missile room.
Chip raised the mic
to his mouth and reported, “The Bell's 300 feet above you, Lee.”
“Okay Chip.”
The line was still
open when they heard Bobby O'Brien's voice from the Control Room, “All hands
brace for shockwave in ten seconds.”
Immediately Chip
reacted, “Halt the descent Ski!”
He doubled clicked
and continued, “Admiral! Hold on,
shockwave approaching!”
* * * * *
Inside the diving
bell Admiral Nelson was holding on for dear life, as was the second occupant of
the bell.
“Hold on Lieutenant,
it's going to be a rough ride!” Harry said speaking from experience. The diving bell swayed and moved precariously
as the water churned around them. If the
cable broke they would likely be lost, probably taking the damaged dome out
with it. But Harry was confident in his
equipment, and the aftershocks were coming at less intensity now. Just as Harry expected, the waters around
them calmed and both he and his young traveling companion took a deep breath as
Harry smiled a tight half smile.
“Well, that's one to
tell your grand kids about,” he quipped as Justin nodded and smiled back.
Harry raised the mic
back to his mouth, “Bell to Seaview, come in Seaview.”
“Morton here,
Sir. What's your condition?”
“We're fine,
Chip. Start the descent when you're
ready.”
“Aye
Sir.”
A few moments passed
and then Harry could feel the downward movement of the Bell once again.
* * * * *
Lee held on to the
ladder as the shockwave hit the dome. He
could hear the creaking of the dome and knew that he was sitting in a rather
precarious position. Though the shockwave
wasn't nearly as strong as the previous ones, it still managed to put out the
lights. He sat in the dark groping for
both his torch and his transmitter. He
found the torch first and thumbed it on and then retrieved the transmitter
sitting just out of his reach. Just as
he reached the transmitter he heard Chip's voice.
“Lee, report your
situation.”
Lee took a breath and
smiled, “I'm alright Chip. I've lost my
lights, but I've got a torch. I'm
stationed right at the base of the ladder and I'll just stake out here till the
Bell arrives.”
“Aye Skipper, I'll
pass that along to the Admiral. We
should have you out of there in no time.”
“Thanks Chip. See you top-side.” Lee signed off, hoping that the last
aftershock signaled a reprieve for a while as the aftershocks were occurring
further apart. He really wasn't sure if
the dome would take another hit from a shockwave.
About fifteen minutes
later, Lee felt the “thud” of the Bell on the hatch. He shouldered his transmitter and tucked his
torch under his arm and ascended the ladder.
It was sweet heaven to hear the wrench reverberating through the hatch
above. Lee smiled and took his torch
rapping in response and then began to undog his
hatch. A flow of seawater trapped
between the two linking vessels flowed down on him but he was in near ecstasy
as the bell hatch opened and he looked up to see Harry's auburn hair and deeply
expressive eyes looking down at him.
“Permission to come
aboard, Sir,” Lee said as he climbed, not bothering to wait for an answer. As he cleared the Sandstone's hatch he turned
around and dogged it down and then finished his ascent. It was possible that the Sandstone's hull
could hold out for repairs, so Lee secured the dome. As he cleared the Bell's hatch helpful hands
lowered the hatch dogging it tightly. It
was only then that Lee recognized Justin Milton. His eyes were inquisitive, but right now they
needed to uncouple and get clear from the dome.
Harry picked up the
mic, “Okay Chip, we've got our passenger and our hatch is secure. Ready for disengagement.”
“Aye
Sir.” Lee could hear the relief in his Exec's
voice, and frankly he was feeling pretty good himself about now.
The Bell began to
rise and Lee settled into his seat as the diving bell ascended safely back to
Seaview. Lee sent a relieved smile over
to Harry, which Harry returned.
“Thanks
Admiral.” Harry returned the sentiment
and busied himself with his controls, not wanting the young lieutenant to
witness his near ecstatic euphoria that was threatening to make its appearance
just now.
Lee turned his
attention to Justin. “How'd you get a
ticket on this ride, Lieutenant?”
Justin smiled
sincerely, “I didn't like dogging that hatch over your head, Sir. I just wanted to be here to help in case we
ran into any situations that my experience with the dome might help with.”
Lee extended his hand
and shook Justin's firmly, “Thank you, Mr. Milton.” He smiled and the sincerity in his eyes
deepened the regard of the handshake.
* * * * *
Chip was waiting in
the missile room as the diving bell was raised and then positioned into her
berth. The detail was secured and the
side hatch was opened. Lee was the first
to exit and sported a broad smile that Chip wholeheartedly returned.
“Welcome back
Skipper,” Chip said with a gleam in his eye, “Jamie says you're to report to
Sickbay immediately.” The glimmer in
Chip's eyes was met with Lee rolling his own as he exited the Bell completely,
with Harry and Justin following.
Harry tapped Lee's
shoulder as he walked by, “Report to my cabin when you bust out of Sickbay,
Lee.”
Lee smiled back, “Aye
Sir.”
* * * * *
Lee was surprised how
tired he was after being sprung from Jamie's clutches. He had breathed compromised air and so Jamie
had placed him on oxygen and admonished no diving for a week, and finding
nothing more than a tender spot on his head from his fall from the ladder,
released Lee to his cabin. Lee made a
quick stop to the Wardroom to greet his guests as Seaview was station-keeping
at 700 feet awaiting the arrival of the rescue ship on the surface. He hit the Control Room and greeted his
relieved Crew, made a circuit around the room and then reported to the
Admiral's cabin where he, Chip and Harry sat back and decompressed in comfortable
camaraderie. He excused himself on his
second yawn and after a quick shower found himself out like a light. It was a short nap, however, as he had asked
to be informed when they were ready to off-load their passengers.
“Captain Crane, we
are in your debt,” Dr. Fielding graciously offered as they shook hands. Their dramatic rescue was underscored by the
shockwave that hit when the damaged hull did indeed, implode.
“I'm just glad we
were able to help,” Lee returned as each of the research team offered their
thanks in turn.
“Thank you Captain
Crane,” Justin offered with a firm handshake, there was no doubt in his mind
that Crane and Nelson's fantastic submarine had saved them all. Even though the second dome survived the
damaged dome's implosion, there was still the real problem of fifteen men
adding poison to the air with each exhale; add to that the fact that only a
DSRV or a diving bell, definitely not stock equipment on most surface ships,
could have evacuated them. Watching
Captain Crane's heroism was inspiring, and Justin filed away this event as a
shaping moment in his career, and indeed his life. He knew the type of officer he wanted to be,
and the calibre man he wanted to grow into.
Lee returned Justin's
handshake and added a smile truly pleased that Jiggs Stark had good news to
relay to Admiral Milton. “It was my
pleasure, Mr. Milton,” Lee added as they broke their handshake and Justin took
his turn to step into the waiting zodiac and transfer to the rescue ship.
* * * * *
Nelson
Institute of Marine Research, Santa Barbara – Three Weeks Later
Seaview was back in
her home port of Santa Barbara and was in between voyages. Lee sat at his desk going over the latest
engineering reports and their recommended maintenance schedules when his
intercom came to life.
“Lee, this is
Nelson.”
Lee pushed the
intercom button and answered, “Yes Sir, what can I do for you?”
“Could you come to my
office? I have something we need to
discuss.”
“Certainly. I'll
be right there.” Lee leaned back a
moment pondering the odd sound in Harry's voice. It didn't sound like anything was wrong,
just...different. He shook off the
thought and headed toward Harry's office.
Today was a significant day for Lee, at 1700 Eastern Time, Lee's
promotion to captain would be effective.
He and Chip had planned a dinner at Santa Barbara's finest restaurant,
and Lee was looking forward to sharing this moment with Brianna. What a difference she had made in his life,
and he knew with all certainty that she was the missing part that made him
complete.
Lee entered Angie's
domain, Harry's executive secretary and all-around glue that kept the Institute
running, as she motioned him on. “Hello
Captain Crane, he's expecting you.”
Lee entered Harry's
office, but was surprised to see not one, but two Admirals to greet him. Admiral Milton stood by the window and had
obviously just been viewing Seaview as she sat in her surface berth. Milton turned slowly, not sure of the
reception he would receive, but being an Admiral held all the confidence in his
demeanor that said, “I'm an Admiral...I'm always right.”
Lee greeted both
Admirals. “Admiral Nelson. Admiral Milton, this is a surprise.”
Bill nodded and then
stepped forward, “I've come to offer you and Harriman my deepest gratitude for
the rescue of all fifteen researchers on board Sandstone Alpha...but especially
for my grandson.”
“It was our pleasure,
Sir,” Lee said sincerely and with no hint of the bad air that had existed
between them since the day that Lee told Milton he was accepting Nelson's offer
to captain the Seaview.
Milton continued,
“That event opened my eyes to several realizations that have, quite frankly,
humbled me beyond words.” Bill stopped a
moment, swallowed and continued, “Justin reported to me that their situation was
imminently dangerous, he doesn't believe they would have survived until the
DSRV arrived. Your boat, Harriman,” Bill
turned to speak to Harry, “is truly a wonder.”
“Thank you, Bill,”
Harry offered graciously, but holding back full acceptance of Bill's under the
table apology for the years of opposition he had received from Admiral
Milton. He was holding back for what he
knew Bill needed to say to Lee. Bill's
vindictiveness had held back Lee's well-earned promotion, delaying it a year
and half beyond what Lee deserved.
Bill nodded,
understanding Harry's unspoken regard and turned back to Lee. “Commander, I have come to offer you my
apologies. I am well aware of your
service record, indeed with every accolade you
received I felt it strengthened my case that you were wasting your talent on a
research vessel, even one in Reserve status.”
Bill plunged forward, having obviously made his mind up with what he
wanted to say, “My grandson...Justin relayed to me the specifics of the rescue
and how you stayed behind to secure the hatches to give your submersible the
best chance of surviving the shockwave.
It is what you have done over and over again in your career with the
Navy and aboard Seaview. You made quite
an impact on my grandson, and I want you to know that if he grows into half the
officer and man that you are, he'll do me proud.”
Bill's eyes lowered
and then rose as he took a breath; his next words obviously hard to form. “I've come to offer my apologies, your
promotion was long overdue and your country is honored to have you serve.”
Lee's face softened,
and his expressive eyes lent their sincerity as he addressed Admiral Milton,
“Apology accepted, Sir.” Then he nodded,
and offered his hand to Bill, as Harry stood off pleased for the exchange he
just witnessed. This had been a long
time in coming, and as difficult as it was for Bill to humble himself, it was
the right thing to do.
Bill released Lee's
hand as he glanced at the clock. He
reached into the pocket of his Service White uniform and pulled out a small
box.
“I do believe you are
now Captain Crane, USNR,” Bill said as he handed Lee the box. “These were mine. I’d be honored if you’d accept them in the
spirit they’re given, and allow
me to present you with my eagles.”
Lee opened the small
box to view the two eagle insignias worn by naval captains. Lee returned his eyes to Admiral Milton, “Thank
you, Sir.”
Harry looked on,
proud for Lee at this moment. This was a
hatchet that Bill needed to bury, and to know that Lee would no longer be
hampered by an ill-placed vendetta was very satisfying. He wanted to speak to Bill about Lee's rank
last year, but he knew that Lee wouldn't want the promotion that way. He wanted to earn it, even in the eyes of
Admiral Milton.
Bill removed Lee's
insignias from his collars and placed the silver spread eagles in their place. He placed the insignias stepping back and
before Lee could offer the traditional salute to his superior officer Admiral
Bill Milton crisply delivered his salute first, expressing his deep regard for
the officer before him.
Lee returned the
salute and then reached to shake Milton's hand, “Thank you, Sir,” he offered
with a smile. He turned to Harry and
saluted his superior officer, best friend, mentor and father figure as he
greeted Harry's infectious smile with a smile of his own.
* * * * *
Lee stood out on his
deck watching the moon reflect back her beams off the waters before him. His evening out with Chip, Monica and Brianna
had been very pleasant and he had just dropped Brianna off at her home. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a
velvet ring box and opened it looking down at the solitaire diamond before him
and smiled. Tonight wasn't the right
time, but he was sure that it would be soon, and he was equally sure that
Brianna would say “yes”. He placed the
ring box back inside his jacket and smiled.
Then his thoughts turned toward Seaview.
He remembered back to
the thoughts he had after accepting Harry's offer to command Seaview; fully
understanding even then Admiral Milton's determination to lure him back to
active duty.
“Rank was never
his ultimate ambition. It was both the
reward and responsibility of his duty but he could wait a couple of years for
it. Seaview was worth it, and right now
Lee knew with all certainty, that his time working with Harry was definitely
worth it.”****
He felt like he was
on top of the world right now. It wasn't
just the promotion coming through, it was everything. Serving under Harry these
last five years, finding Brianna...everything. Finding Brianna was freeing. She was supportive of both him and his work,
and he no longer felt like being a sub commander and a part time spy was a
detriment. He had finally found a woman
who understood that doing his duty was who he was and nothing he needed to
apologize for. He viewed his duty as
being like the laurel leaves and arrows held by the eagle on his new rank
insignia, reflecting the peace he secured for his nation, and the victory of
the many battles he had fought for his country.
He sighed in
contentment realizing that he felt as free as the eagle in flight he now wore
on his collar...soaring the heights. And
even though the winds of adversity had threatened him many times serving both
aboard Seaview and in the Navy, he had done what the soaring eagle did: He rose above the wind, caught a draft and
took his flight higher.
He smiled, sighed and
left his contemplation on the deck to hit the sack and prepare for another day
as the Captain of the most powerful and fantastic submarine on earth.
The End
Eagles courtesy of Col. (Ret.) Warren Foss
* MOH – Medal of Honor
**See my story, When Danger Calls
***See my story, The General's Son
**** A quote from my story, Response and Responsibility
Copyright 2013, All Rights Reserved
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and her main characters belong to Irwin Allen