This story takes place late in the Second Season after Death Ship. It is a cross-over, mostly because I had no desire to set Lee Crane in a realistic setting of this time period, besides, it was more fun this way!
Eye of the Storm
by Lynn
Captain Lee Crane sat at his desk reading over the reports that engineering had put together on their last mission. Seaview had been de-fitted with the computers that had replaced the entire crew, all except the Admiral, himself and eight scientists who were overseeing the experiment. The mission had ended very badly with multiple body bags and an enemy agent nearly destroying the Peace Ship. The technology was left over from the failed super-computer that had been installed on Seaview the year prior. Although the computer had played hide and seek with the Navy in perfect form the mission had also proved why the submarine needed her crew. A computer only does what it's programmed to do, as the assassin running around after Lee had proven. If Lee hadn't been there, Seaview would have been in the hands of the enemy. Both of these attempts at taking the human factor out of submarining had failed miserably and he still questioned the super computer's reaction time. It seemed to him that he would have given certain orders sooner. As far as he was concerned, nothing took the place of experience and a man's gut reactions.
As Lee read the report he was unaware of the eyes that were watching him.
“Is he the one?”
“Yes, we have been observing him. He has the qualities that we want to study.”
“Very well, when will the experiments begin?”
“We are prepared to begin as soon as the subject goes airborne..”
“Excellent, make the portal open for all to observe.”
The voices were metallic sounding and their words echoed as if speaking to each other in a vast cavern. As they watched the Captain, a portal opened over his head revealing dark clouds and an ominous sky over an unknown American city. The portal lights were illuminated yellow in two parallel lines over his head. All the while Lee sat studying his reports, totally unaware of the portal that had opened above him, or the dangers that the storm represented over America and indeed, the entire world.
* * * * *
Lee descended down the spiral staircase, his oxford heels clicking a cadence of his swift steps. He wore his leather flight jacket and stopped at the chart table to talk to Chip Morton, his executive officer before leaving. Chip lifted his head as Lee neared and gave a friendly smile as he handed Lee the clip board.
“FS1 is all checked and ready to go Lee.”
Lee looked over the pre-flight log and signed off handing the clip board back over to Chip as he spoke.
“Very well Chip. Have Sparks send the Admiral my ETA, I should reach Washington by 1100 hours.”
“Aye Sir.” Chip's reply was sharp and crisp but held a familiar tone as he spoke to Lee. “Have fun in those meetings.” Chip's head was down as he tried to look busy with charts but the half smile on his face gave away his intended humor.
“Its not too late to conscript you into coming you know?” Chip's head shot up and greeted Lee's smile which said “Gotcha!”
“Thanks, but no thanks. I'll think I'll stay and supervise the bilge tank cleaning.”
Chip's witty reply elicited a chuckle from Lee. Right now, he wished he could stay behind and supervise the bilge tank cleaning! Unfortunately, these budget meetings in Washington were a necessity when Seaview did as much government work as it did. The Admiral was capable of handling the meetings himself, but more and more Lee found that Harry was including him in on more of the administrative details. He didn't mind. Lee enjoyed working closely with Harry and these Washington trips usually included at least one night of Harry sharing some of the more colorful stories of his long career. But Washington was Washington, and the bureaucratic machine was an element of funding that he wished he could bypass.
Lee turned to leave with a “Carry on, Mr. Morton,” and descended down the flying sub hatch as Chip followed him, dogging the hatch for him. Lee settled into the pilot's chair flipping switches, readying FS1 for the launch.
He adjusted his throat mic and spoke into it, “FS1 ready to launch.”
“Aye Skipper, launch in five, four, three, two, one, launch.” Chip's steady voice filled the cabin of the flying sub as Lee felt the magnetic arms release and FS1 slipped into the depths of the ocean.
“FS1 has cleared the bay doors Skipper.”
“Very well, Chip. See you in a week.” They signed off as Lee piloted the yellow manta-like wonder through the depths and headed for the surface. Lee checked his surface sonar readings and verified a clear path as he increased his speed for the moment the flying sub would broach the surface and go airborne. He made his radio check with Sparks and continued his ascent. A satisfied smile crossed Lee's face as FS1 transformed from a submersible to a jet aircraft capable of Mach 2. He would be taking the aircraft to Mach 2 for the flight and Lee never tired of handling the smooth aircraft. FS1 wasn't just a joyride, it was a work horse for Seaview, putting the command crew within reach at virtually any position on the globe. Lee smiled to himself as he turned on the auto pilot for the five hour flight ahead. Here he was out in the middle of the Pacific and by noon he'd be having lunch with Admiral Nelson in Washington.
Lee sat back as the auto pilot guided the craft along her preset course, when all of the sudden a storm appeared out of no-where. He didn't fly into it. It just appeared before him. The storm wasn't like anything he had ever seen before, and he took back the controls as he activated his throat mic.
“FS1 to Seaview, come in Seaview.”
All Lee got was a strange buzzing noise in response. It wasn't static electricity, and the closest thing he could liken it to was a high voltage power line buzzing as its power surged through. He called for Seaview again but got no result. He held both hands on his control sticks riding the rough storm out, as the storm began to change colors. The familiar dark purple in the clouds changed to the full spectrum of a rainbow as the lights began to penetrate through the hull of FS1 nearly blinding him. FS1 was taking some heavy turbulence, and Lee was glad he had stayed strapped in as his harness worked to keep him in his seat. Then just as quickly as the storm had appeared, it was gone. He didn't fly out of it, it was just gone. But what was there caused him to swallow hard as Lee realized that he had just flown into a barrage of flack!
* * * * *
Huge “booms” preceded dark black puffs of smoke all across the sky as Lee sought to climb out of the range of the deadly explosive charges detonating all around him. Even as he climbed he heard a terrible explosion and felt the impact too close to the flying sub. His panels began to short out as the flying sub began to lose altitude. Lee worked hard to keep the aircraft in a controlled dive and found himself looking for a place to set down. He was supposed to be over the Pacific Ocean but what he saw below him was land everywhere, as far as his eyes could see. Nothing was making sense, but all he could deal with now was the need to set FS1 down safely. He fought to keep her nose up, thus lowering his airspeed but he was coming in hot. There was plenty of fields around but also a forest, he worked hard and set the flying sub down in a field with adequate space for his speed.
The flying sub hit hard and bounced like a dolphin a couple of times till he was finally able to keep her down as she slid to a grinding halt. The harness held Lee safely in place as he took a big breath looking out the window in front of him. He tried again to reach Seaview, but her frequency was dead. Lee continued looking out the window trying to figure out how he had ended up over land so quickly. He wasn't anywhere near an island when he ran into the strange storm. Something wasn't right, that he knew. He went to the supply cabinet and pulled out the service revolver pulling the clip out and checking its contents and then sliding it back into place with an audible “click”. He slid the revolver into his holster and started up the flying sub's top hatch.
He didn't know where he was, but the flack had been a good indication that he wasn't in friendly territory so he dogged the hatch and keyed in his personal security code securely locking the flying sub. The security system included crash doors that secured FS1's windows, preserving her technology safely inside from prying eyes.
Lee started down the ladder and dropped to the ground pulling his gun out of the holster as he did so. He squatted down scanning the area, in the distance he spotted several trucks coming. They were decidedly military trucks and by the looks of their models they weren't American, so he took off headed for the cover of the forest. He was sprinting for the trees when a line of soldiers stepped out of the forest with their guns bearing down on him. He was pinned downed, and out gunned. He dropped his revolver as he stared at fifteen machine guns pointed toward his chest and raised his hands in surrender.
There was a flurry of action around him as they spoke German telling him to stand still. Other than to comply with their obvious request to “halt” Lee did not let on that he understood their language. He was totally confused as they searched him, they wore WWII uniforms. Nazi uniforms. The vintage of their trucks, their uniforms, the flack...everything was screaming out that he was in Nazi, Germany. His thoughts were interrupted as he was brought to an officer in a black uniform, a gestapo captain. He looked over Lee noting the dolphins on his collar insignia.
“You are a long ways from your submarine, commander.” He spoke in thickly accented English as Lee stared ahead. “Your aircraft seems to be locked. You have a code to open it?”
Lee did not respond and kept his face schooled ahead as the captain backhanded him. “You will find it more pleasant to talk with us now commander.” But Lee turned his face back to it's original position and continued to stare ahead. He was backhanded again, and again stared straight ahead. The captain let out a small humorless chuckle, “Very well commander. We will have your aircraft and all it's secrets, but you have just chosen the hard way.” He turned toward a guard, “Put him in the truck and secure the aircraft.”
Lee was placed inside a covered truck full of guards and sat back trying to make sense of how he ended up in a war that was fought forty years ago.
* * * * *
Colonel Robert E. Hogan stood outside his barracks watching his men play a spirited game of volleyball. The ballgame was a good distraction for the guards as it hid the fact that not all of his men were out for exercise time in the yard. Staff Sergeant Kinchloe was busy in the radio room of the underground tunnel receiving a radio message from their submarine contact. He wrote the message and tore it off the clip board stuffing it into his fatigue jacket pocket. He headed up the ladder that doubled as the bottom of the bunk bed. Corporal Newkirk was playing a game of solitaire at the table, but actually he was the look out for “Kinch”.
“Anything Kinch?” Newkirk asked in his decidedly British accent as he placed another card down on a pile.
“Yeah, I need to get this to the Colonel.” Kinch patted his pocket holding the message that he had just received. They ambled out the door, showing little emotion as Colonel Hogan leaned against the side of the barracks with his cover tilted off of his forehead.
“A message for you Colonel,” Kinch said quietly while watching the volleyball game. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the note palming it over to Hogan. Hogan turned slightly as Kinch and Newkirk stepped in front of him to block him.
“Be on the look out for a yellow flying saucer?” Hogan said almost too loudly as he looked at the note incredulously. “Last seen flying over Dusseldorf at 1,500 mph?” Hogan stuffed the note into his pant pocket and pushed his hat higher over his head, “Are they crazy?”
Just then Corporal LeBeau came running up seemingly to chase an errant ball, “Kolenal,” speaking in his distinctive French pronunciation of the word Colonel, “incoming trucks.”
Hogan watched as a caravan of trucks and a staff car entered the Stalag. The covered truck off loaded a litany of German soldiers and one American prisoner. He was heavily guarded and was herded toward Klink's office before Hogan could get a look at him.
“LeBeau, get a peek under the canvas of the flat bed,” Hogan ordered casually.
With that the volleyball made a few trips over the net and then ended up underneath the flat bed truck. LeBeau went running after the ball and slipped under the flat bed quicker than the guards could stop him. He reached for the ball and snagged a quick peak under the tarp before he was called out by a very loud Sgt Schultz.
“LeBeau you little cockroach, get out of there!” The small agile corporal found his way out speaking in French all the way back to the volleyball game where he suddenly lost interest and went to take up a place next to Hogan.
“Kolenal, you're not going to believe what it is.”
“Try me,” Hogan deadpanned.
“A big yellow saucer, what it does I can't tell, but its as yellow as a daisy.” LeBeau followed Hogan back inside the barrack to his office. Kinch and Newkirk followed as Sgt. Carter stood at the barrack's door standing watch.
“Kinch, let's make some coffee,” Hogan said with a smile referring to the ingenious listening device that was set up inside the coffee pot. A few cracks and a short spray of static later and they were in business, listening to Klink go on about, “What a privilege it is to help the gestapo in every way possible.”
“Yes, yes Colonel Klink, you said that before. What I need is a place to interrogate this prisoner. Your office will do,” the voice of the gestapo captain was heard.
“Of course, Captain Schmidt. My office is your office.”
Hogan smirked to Newkirk standing nearby, they had all heard that one before.
“Let's start with your name commander,” the captain asked.
“Commander. Crane. Lee, Benjamin. Serial number 544891357,” was heard from the officer that had been brought in.
“Commander? What's a naval officer doing this far into Germany?” Hogan asked in a soft voice so that he could still hear the conversation in Klink's office.
“Very well Commander Crane. Your aircraft seems to be locked, the fatherland has use of its technology. How do we access your craft?” He asked as he obviously paced the floor, his voice coming in louder as he walked past the microphone hidden on Hitler's picture.
“Commander. Crane. Lee, Benjamin. Serial number 544891357.”
A series of punches was heard and Hogan's eyebrows sharpened, “This is getting a little rough, you boys keep monitoring, I'm going to pay Klink a little visit.” Hogan left the room swiftly and headed toward the Commandant’s office. He entered the outer office as Helga cringed with each grunt she heard while she sat at her desk. Sgt. Schultz was pacing the floor and livened up when he saw Hogan.
“Colonel Hogan, its such a nasty business the gestapo. This is most unusual!”
Hogan started for the door, as Sgt. Schultz tried to hold him back, “Colonel Hogan, the gestapo officer left instructions that they were not to be disturbed. It would mean my life!” Schultz' melodramatics were lost on Hogan as he burst through the door just as the Naval officer received another blow to his gut.
“Colonel Klink, I protest. This man is a prisoner of war and under the Geneva Convention he has the right...”
Hogan's speech was cut off as Captain Schmidt yelled at the top of his lungs, “I left orders not to be disturbed!”
Colonel Klink who had been pacing behind his desk wringing his hands welcomed Hogan's outburst. If the Red Cross ever found out about this it could tarnish his record at the Stalag.
“This is Colonel Hogan, ranking officer of the POWs. Colonel Hogan, Captain Schmidt. Captain Schmidt, Colonel Hogan.” Klink's nervous introductions were met by Schmidt's fury.
“This prisoner is not under your jurisdiction Klink, we are merely here because the allies will not bomb this facility and it will give us time to extract the information from our guest here.” Captain Schmidt's tone had lowered some, but Hogan wasn't buying it. The Commander was hanging between two guards barely able to stand and breathing hard. Schmidt had been careful to lay his blows where his clothes would cover the bruises, but it was apparent that the Commander had been roughed up good.
“Yes, but you see Captain Schmidt,” Klink bumbled along not wanting to infuriate the gestapo officer, “he is here in my prison camp and the Geneva Convention clearly states...”
Klink's words were cut off by Schmidt, “This prisoner is an enemy spy and does not fall under the rules of the Geneva Convention.”
“Wait a minute Captain,” Colonel Hogan chimed in, “the Commander is clearly in uniform wearing insignias of the United States Navy.”
By this time the Commander had recovered and was standing more steadily on his own two feet watching the exchange going on before him.
“This man is an enemy spy, and will be treated as such. Klink, put him in solitary confinement. No visitors! And you, Colonel Hogan will not be granted the opportunity to speak with the spy!”
With that Hogan was ushered out of the room as Klink followed Schmidt to view the solitary detention area with the Commander stumbling along between two guards.
Hogan rushed back to the barracks and was confronted by his men all speaking at once.
“What are they trying to pull?” “What are we going to do Kolenal?” “If I could get my hands on that gestapo captain!”
“Alright! Cut it out! Let's work the problem, not the other way around.” Hogan's words put the men back on track as Hogan began issuing orders.
“Kinch, get on the horn and find out what they know of a Commander Lee Benjamin Crane, also notify them that the yellow flying saucer is here.”
Newkirk's and Carter's eyebrows both went up and then down as if in unison as he continued.
“LeBeau, let's see if they've got the Commander settled in yet, and then we'll go pay a little visit.” With that they walked over to the water faucet and pulled on the fixtures till it rose to Hogan's line of sight as Hogan said, “Up scope.” LeBeau slipped outside and stood in front of the tomato soup can that hid the lens on the “periscope” as Hogan positioned it to see Klink, Schmidt and his entourage of guards leaving the detention cells back toward Klink's office.
Hogan lowered the periscope and turned around facing his men, “Gentlemen, let's go visit the Commander. Newkirk, Carter, you're with me. LeBeau, monitor the coffee pot for me.” Hogan proceeded over to the bunk on the far side of the wall and whacked the bunk twice as the secret compartment rose and the three descended down the makeshift staircase toward their secret tunnels.
* * * * *
Lee was dumped off in a cell with one cot, a toilet and a sink. His body felt like it had been used as a
boxer's bag as he laid on his cot with one leg bent at the knee. He was still confused about how he ended up here,
it wasn't like any storm he had ever seen before, that was for sure. But could he really be in Nazi Germany during
World War Two? Stranger things had
happened even on his short two years aboard Seaview, so he couldn't rule it
out. He swallowed hard and bit back some
of the pain with a small groan and closed his eyes.
Off to his left the dingy sink slowly and silently swiveled away as Colonel Hogan ascended the hole by a ladder from the underground tunnel. Carter slipped up to the door to listen for guards as Newkirk stayed at the tunnel, listening for a possible alarm from there. Hogan stepped up to the Commander and spoke quietly.
“Commander, Commander Crane.”
Lee's eyes opened immediately and his face turned toward the American Colonel beside him. “Colonel,” Lee said trying to rise from where he lay.
“At ease, Commander.” He gave Lee a reassuring smile as Lee surrendered and fell back on the cot.
“What's a Navy Commander doing so far from the ocean?”
“That's what I'd like to know as well.” Lee's answer didn't help Hogan out at all but Lee ignored it. “Colonel...”
“Hogan,” he finished for Lee.
“Colonel Hogan, what about my aircraft?”
“They brought it in on a flat bed. You mean that yellow flying saucer actually does fly?”
Lee smiled, but his smile changed to one of concern as he finally knew it was true, “I really am in Nazi Germany, aren't I?”
“Yeah, you really are. Commander what do they want from you?”
“My security code to unlock my aircraft.”
“Someone's coming!” Carter whispered loudly.
“We've got to go. How long can you hold out?” Hogan asked candidly.
“As long as it takes,” Lee answered with a half smile. Hogan returned his smile and Lee watched the three men climb down the hole and the sink swivel back to its original position.
He heard the keys in his cell door as a large German Sargent walked in with a tray placing it on the floor next to him when Lee made no motion to sit up. He tsked, tsked and walked out shaking his head as Lee closed his eyes thinking about what had just happened.
* * * * *
Hogan entered back through the tunnel stopping off at Kinch's radio on the way up the ladder.
“Anything Kinch?”
“No Sir. London is checking on it, but so far they are not missing a Navy Commander or a yellow flying saucer.”
Hogan nodded his head, “Why do I also get the crazy ones?” he asked in comical unbelief as he climbed up the ladder heading straight for his office.
“LeBeau?”
“The Captain made a phone call, they are bringing a special interrogator tomorrow.”
“Great! Just what we need. Alright, we'll just have to try and figure a way to get Crane out of here before they get too serious with their interrogations.”
All the men nodded in agreement, but no-one knew how they were going to spring the Commander out from under the noses of the gestapo, not to mention his yellow flying saucer. But they were also believers in their commanding officer, and Colonel Hogan had pulled many rabbits out of his hat before, this time would be no different.
* * * * *
Lee woke the next morning and found his way over to the sink. He would have liked to figure out how the tunnel mechanism worked, but he figured there was a reason that Colonel Hogan had not taken him with them. He wasn't sure when the Colonel had stormed into the office who Hogan was at the time. At the time, he was busy trying to put some air into his lungs, but when he showed up in his maximum security cell by way of an underground tunnel, he knew. He recognized Hogan from his pictures, and that's when he knew that he really was in Germany during WWII.
He knew that part of how Hogan's operation worked was to keep the inept Colonel Klink in command. So, Hogan made sure that Klink could boast what no other POW camp could. No successful escapes. Of course that was not really the truth, as prisoners rotated out the camp with some frequency, along with the ones that they helped to move along to the underground from other POW camps. Lee knew that he couldn't risk destroying this efficient espionage operation with his untimely escape.
He turned the water on, almost surprised that the plumbing still worked, and washed his face. There was no towel, so he just patted his face dry. His leather jacket was laying on the cot, he walked back holding his side sitting down beside it. Everything was riding on him not breaking, the entire course of the war could be changed if the Nazis got a hold of FS1.
His head lifted and turned toward the door as the very large Sargent opened his cell door and called to him almost apologetically.
“Commander, this way please.”
Lee's eyebrows raised. Please? Here he was a prisoner in a POW camp and the guard was escorting him around like he was a guest in a hotel. Lee stood and walked as the Sargent mumbled about the strange goings on in Germany today.
Lee found himself back in Klink's office. It was somewhat comforting, he knew that Hogan could keep track of him from here since it was bugged. He was taken to a straight back chair with arm rests in the middle of the floor and pushed into a sitting position. The guards took small belts and strapped his wrists tightly to the armrests. This wasn't looking good. They proceeded to strap his legs to the legs of the chair in like manner. Yep, this is definitely not good.
Lee looked around the room, looking for anything that might be of value to him, but even the radio was useless. Who would he call in 1943? No, this was Hogan's game, and he'd have to trust him to make good his escape.
Just then the door opened as Captain Schmidt, Colonel Klink and a very dangerous looking female walked into the room. She was exquisitely beautiful with her blonde hair coiffed perfectly on her head and her well fitted dress showing some dangerous curves. But her eyes spoke of her character right away as Lee spotted the cold evil within her deep blue eyes.
She walked to stand squarely in front of Lee bending down to reach his eye level. Lee stared without reacting, which annoyed her.
“So Commander Crane, you have a security code that we need.” She began to unbutton his shirt starting from the top button working down as she spoke. “This doesn't have to be unpleasant Commander,” she said as she reached the button just above his buckle. Then she nuzzled up close to him stroking his dark hair as she spoke in his ear. “I think I could arrange for a better place to interrogate you.”
Her insinuations weren't lost on Lee, he just didn't care to play her game. So he spurned her with his Command face as she rose from her seductive pose over him.
“Bring in my gear,” she bellowed and Lee knew that he was about ready to feel the fury of a woman scorned.
Lee watched as she unpacked her contraption and recognized the electric shock electrodes that she was preparing. He took an inward sigh, the bad guys always seemed to favor this particular mode of torture and he steeled himself for what was going to be a very painful session.
* * * * *
Sometime during the interrogation Lee had mercifully passed out and was deposited back onto his cot in his cell. He woke grateful that he was lying down, his shirt was still open as small red round marks displayed where the evil woman had placed her electrodes. Lee had denied her at every turn and she had finally zapped him one last time in her rage putting him over the edge when he passed out.
He laid there breathing heavily trying to reign in the pain from his chest as well as his wrists from wreathing in the chair. He didn't hear the sink, but he did feel a breeze and looked over to see Hogan climbing back up the tunnel.
“Crane, we need to talk.”
Lee knew what was coming. The Navy didn't know who he was, to them he was just impersonating an officer.
“Who are you?” Hogan continued. Lee took a deep breath, he needed Hogan's help to get FS1 out of the Nazi's hands and the only way he knew to do that was to level with the Colonel, as fantastic as it might sound.
“I'm Commander Lee Crane and I'm from your future. Forty years into your future.” Hogan's eyes registered his unbelief and Lee chuckled.
“I know Colonel, I wouldn't believe me either. But you do have to believe in my aircraft sitting out there. If the Nazi's get their hands on it's technology it could change the course of this war, and very likely the course of the entire world.”
Hogan studied Lee's eyes as he spoke, the red burns on his chest signaling the depths that the Commander would take to keep his aircraft out of German hands.
“Give me something to go on, something that tells me you're not crazy.” Hogan was deadly serious as Lee nodded his head, he was aware of many of Hogan's missions and he knew that very few people on the face of the earth would understand what he was about to say.
“My aircraft runs on nuclear power,” Lee watched Hogan's eyes raise. Lee knew that Hogan and his men had liberated a barrel of “heavy water” from the Germans setting back their nuclear program a least six months.
“It also has jet engines. I know that the Germans are working on theirs now, but the ones on my aircraft will make travel across the Atlantic possible in hours.”
Hogan took off his cover and rubbed his hair replacing it as he spoke, “You sure don't make this easy on a guy do you?”
Lee would have chuckled at Hogan's attempt to lighten the mood except that his pain took that moment to spike as he breathed in deeply putting the pain back in place. He opened his eyes again and found Hogan.
“Colonel Hogan,” his voice was soft and airy, “I heard them say that they were moving me out tomorrow,” Hogan's eyebrows raised, but Lee continued on, “if you're as connected as I think you are then I need you to blow up my aircraft on the road. Me too if you have to, I can't let them take possession of my craft.”
Hogan looked Lee squarely in the eyes. He had heard Lee's interrogations, and listened to their plans catching only a few German words as they spoke.
“You speak German?” He said in a slightly accusatory manner.
“Yeah, I speak Ruskie better, but I'm not Russian either. I've had...espionage training.”
Hogan's head shot up, “With who?”
“ONI, but they won't know who I am either, at least not for another forty years.”
“Please Sir, just blow up the convoy. But you'll have to totally destroy the aircraft. Leave nothing for them to salvage.” Lee's eyes closed as he worked through more pain and Hogan watched the officer as he made his decision.
“We'll do what we can Crane, but my connections are even better than you think. Hang in there.”
Lee nodded and Hogan and his men quietly left the cell as he closed his eyes and succumbed to the rest he needed.
* * * * *
“Kolenal!” LeBeau called as Hogan came out of his office. “General Burkhalter just came in the gates, and they're moving Commander Crane.”
Hogan peered out the barely open door and watched as Lee Crane was walked across the compound. His shirt was buttoned again, and he walked proud with an officer's quality that Hogan had recognized before the war.
“Men we got to do something.”
“You can't believe that cockamine story of his Sir?” Newkirk's British accent adding a colorful sound to the question.
“I don't know what to believe, but I do know that there is an American officer that is taking a lot of pain to keep that aircraft,” he said pointing in the direction of the flying sub from inside the barracks, “out of enemy hands. And our job is to not only protect that aircraft, but that officer as well.” Hogan's conviction wasn't challenged as he headed toward the office. The men followed sheepishly, as Kinch set up the coffee pot once again.
* * * * *
Lee was brought back to Klink's office as he was set back down into the same chair that he had sat in earlier that day. This time his cuffs were unbuttoned and his sleeves moved back before the straps were laid across his wrists and secured. A large German General had joined the party, and the scar across his face gave Lee the impression that he was not someone to cross. The blond bombshell who had presided over his last interrogation session was present and pressed seductively against his body once more.
“The hard way or the easy way Commander?” She whispered in his ear. Lee flexed his hands under the tight belts that strapped him in.
“I'm told I better with my hands free,” he quipped.
“I'm sure you are Commander, but I don't trust you.” She backed away introducing the new arrival.
“This is General Burkhalter, he is most interested in your flying aircraft. It seems that it was monitored exceeding 1,000 mph?”
Lee looked straight ahead, not confirming or denying the speed of his aircraft as the blond chuckled. She turned around and pulled out a syringe ejecting the air bubbles out as she walked toward him.
“I think you will become very talkative Commander,” she said as she injected the needle into Lee's right arm at the vein.
Lee felt the affects of the truth serum and began to immediately resist its compliant tendency as he felt someone move closer.
“What is the security code Commander,” the decidedly nasal voice of the General was heard as Lee worked on his defiancy.
“Commander. Crane. Lee, Benjamin...”
“Yes, we know that. What we want is the security code to access your craft,” Burkhalter yelled, sure that the stupid American didn't understand the question, but Lee's intentions weren't missed as he answered again.
“Commander. Crane. Lee, Benjamin. Serial number...”
At that the blond woman stepped forward and injected another dose of truth serum into Lee's arm. His head tilted down over his chest as Lee continued to drum up his defiance.
“Now Commander. Will you give me the security code?” Burkhalter demanded.
“No,” was Lee's simple reply.
“What?” Burkhalter screamed, not believing that the American could still be able to resist the truth serum.
“No...Sir.” Lee responded, adding a Sir with a level of defiance that sent the General into more of a rage. The woman leaned forward and jammed another needle into Lee's arm and somewhere in the middle of the interrogation he lost it and blacked out.
* * * * *
Lee woke up on his cot curled into a tight ball holding his mid-section as the affects of three doses of truth serum left him sick as a dog. He opened his eyes to see Hogan squatted down to talk to him at his level as he lay.
“What did I tell them?” Lee asked breathy and pained.
“Nothing Crane.”
“Its Lee.”
“My friends call me Hogan. I'm saving my first name for when I'm not blowing up bridges and dodging gestapo.” Hogan smiled and Lee returned it weakly.
“Listen Lee. They're moving you out tomorrow. We'll take care of everything.”
Lee nodded and held his mid-section tighter. He felt Hogan pat his arm and left again through the tunnel under the sink.
* * * * *
The next day they moved Lee out to the covered truck again. He had six guards with him and he was still very ill. His chin rested on his chest and he listened as the caravan headed out of the POW camp. He worked to stay awake, although the bouncing around was doing a good job of keeping him awake. He knew that there would be a diversion and he kept himself ready. If he didn't take out a few of these guards then some of Hogan's men might get hurt, so he listened around him for anything out of the ordinary.
They had traveled about a half hour when he heard the explosions outside. Lee reacted immediately pulling the two guards on either side of him together in a thunk as their heads bounced off one another. He kicked the gun out of the guard directly in front of him while grabbing for the machine gun of one of the downed guards. Three guards were down and three started toward him when he brought his machine gun up to take one out, then another explosion rocked the truck and his three guards landed at a heap in front of him.
He smiled at them with a serious “make my day smile” and they dropped their guns and raised their hands. The truck stopped and Lee heard noises outside. He trained his machine gun on his guards and waited to see who was going to open the canvas.
“Whoa there Commander, its just me,” Carter stood outside the canvas and Lee felt a great sigh of relief as he recognized him as Hogan's man even though he was wearing a German uniform. More men, underground contacts Lee thought since they were dressed in village attire, climbed in and Lee was helped out of the truck. The energy it had taken to take his guards out had spent him so he leaned heavily on Newkirk as Hogan took up the other side and they headed back into the woods.
“My aircraft?” Lee asked before taking too many steps.
“Trust me. I do this all the time,” Hogan flashed a brilliant smile and Lee thought he returned it, but his head dipped just as quickly as they moved swiftly through the Bad Kissingen Woods. Lee was barely aware as he felt them lay him on a cot. He didn't know where he was, he had lost track of that the first mile away from the road and his body gave way completely to a deep sleep.
* * * * *
Lee heard men talking around him, but he didn't recognize them. All he knew was that he wasn't on Seaview. His awareness returned in full force when he remembered where he was, right in the middle of the second world war. He kept his eyes closed, not wanting to alert the men around him that he was awake. He needed to know where he was, and who he was with.
“I tell you, he must be some kind of commando, 'cause when I opened the canvas he had all six of those guards on the floor training a machine gun over them.” Carter's excited farm boy voice gave way to Newkirk's British accent as he chimed in.
“I still say he's looney, this whole thing's a sticky wicket if you ask me.”
“What about his aircraft, have you ever seen anything like it before,” came the calm reasoning voice of Kinch.
“Well the Kolenal trusts him and that's good enough for me,” came from the very French sounding LeBeau.
“Okay men, knock it off. Let's get back to work, shall we?” Hogan's final say so quieted the men as they continued to argue about the sanity of the Navy Commander laying on the cot.
Hogan turned toward Lee and sat down, “Okay, so how long have you been awake?”
A smile formed on Lee's face and he opened his eyes, “Only a few minutes. Sorry, habit of mine. I woke not knowing where I was or who I was with.” Lee looked around at the obvious inside of a dug out tunnel.
“I still don't know where I am,” Lee smiled.
“Its not much, but we call it home. You're just about under Colonel Klink's office.” Lee's face crinkled in reaction.
“Don't worry, when you're up to it we'll get you out of Germany.” Hogan watched as Lee's face took on a concerned look.
“I'm not sure where to go. I don't know how I got here, so I have no idea how to make it back.” Lee adjusted himself and moved up against the wall. His ribs were sore from playing punching bag, his chest was sore from burns, and his stomach was sore from the side effects of the truth serum. All in all a pretty routine mission, except he wasn't on a mission.
“You want to explain to me how you got through three doses of truth serum? Its pretty potent stuff.” Hogan shifted back in his chair as Lee nodded his head.
“The drug must be a derivative of MI Dioxide*, its like antibiotics, they become less effective the more their given. So I spent a week in special training getting pumped with the stuff and interrogated until I built up the resistance.”
“Special training? And these are the good guys?”
“Yeah well, I've got a day job. I only do missions on occasion,” Lee said as he rested his head back on the wall. Lee looked tired as he continued.
“Is the aircraft secure?”
“Its hidden away, at least until someone gets a little snoopy.”
“I was thinking that I might be able to rewire my shorted panel and fly out. I don't know where I'll head, out of Germany and away from Japan.”
Hogan watched Lee's play of emotions on his face, somewhere deep inside he believed this Crazy Commando Navy Commander.
“Tell me Lee. Is it worth it? Do we win this thing?” Hogan was tired of the espionage and danger, and truth be told, he was tired of sending everyone else home while he stayed. He wouldn't leave though, he had been given a chance before and turned it down. He made a difference to the war effort here, and his way of life meant something to him. Something he didn't want to turn over to the evil of Hitler and his men.
“Yeah its worth it.” Lee owed it to Hogan for believing him and getting him out of the hands of the gestapo, so he told him what he wanted to know. “America will win this war and become a strong power in the world, helping to balance the on-going struggle against evil.” Lee watched Hogan's eyes respond to that last statement.
“I wish I could tell you that this would be the war to end all wars, but it won't. We continue to work to
keep our country safe even forty from now. But what you do here today matters, your generation secures the future for us. Hitler is a madman, he has to be stopped.”
“How much do you know about me and my men.” Hogan asked, his curiosity peaked.
“About your men, not much. About you?” Lee smiled, “ONI has an entire training session on thinking outside the box, your missions are the cases we studied.”
Hogan chuckled, “And here I thought I was just be creative, now I find out I've been thinking outside of the box. I think I'll remember that the next time we have to call all the way back to the states for a pizza recipe.”
Lee hadn't heard that story, but it sounded like it was a good one.
“Well, I've got to get topside before Klink pulls a surprise inspection, which isn't scheduled for another half hour,” he said checking his watch. “Get some rest Lee, we'll get you and that aircraft out of Germany.”
Lee leaned his head back and took comfort in Hogan's confident words. He was tired, so he laid back down and slept. He slept soundly and peacefully for the first time since he had landed in Germany.
* * * * *
Lee stood outside of the flying sub. He had re-wired his control panel and hoped it would be good enough. He had done the rewiring over the course of three nights and Lee had talked Hogan into moving FS1 to a nearby lake for the take-off. That had taken some doing, as Lee was sure that Hogan had put him back into the category of the crazy commander again.
Lee shook each of the men's hands, thanking them for saving his life and then stood in front of Hogan.
“Thank you Sir, I'll look you up when I get back.” It was wishful thinking, Lee really didn't know how to make it back to where he belonged, he just knew it wasn't in the middle of Germany with technology that could change the course of the world.
“You better, but when you do...call me Bob.” Lee smiled, by then Hogan wouldn't be blowing up bridges and dodging the gestapo.
Lee climbed to the top of the flying sub and saluted Hogan, and then descended downward dogging the hatch. He fired up the engines and was pleased to see his baby responding just the way she should. He eased her back till she was floating freely and began his take off across the lake like a runway. When he reached VR, he pulled back on the control sticks and lifted FS1 out of the water and shot across the night sky gaining altitude to ride above any possible flack.
Down below, Hogan and his men, Carter, Kinch, LeBeau and Newkirk watched as the yellow flying saucer skimmed the water building speed until it shot up into the air speeding out of sight across the night sky.
“He might not be looney, but I still think he crazy!” Newkirk said with a grin.
“Yeah, well aren't we all?” Hogan said with a grin as he thought of the yellow aircraft, and someone said I think out of the box, he mused as he shared a silent joke with himself.
* * * * *
Lee took the flying sub to Mach 2 and was soon out of Germany, he still didn't know where to fly but he figured he might find a tropical island to wait out the war, but his thoughts were disrupted when the storm appeared again. His hopes were realized as the rainbow began to illuminate and penetrate his bulkhead again. He kept flying as FS1 took turbulence again and inexplicably found himself back over the ocean. A quick bearing check found him on course for Washington DC.
He reached for his throat mic and called, “FS1 to Seaview, come in Seaview.” The noise on the other end nearly brought tears to his eyes.
“Go ahead FS1, we're reading you loud and clear.” Spark's voice sounded mighty fine just about now, and Lee thought he better not sound like he was cracking up but he needed to know when he had returned, and if he had lost any time.
“Sparks, how long ago was my last transmission?”
“er...about fifteen minutes Sir, just before you went airborne.”
Lee smiled, he had returned to the same spot that he had encountered the strange storm.
“Very well, Sparks. Contact Admiral Nelson, with my ETA.”
“Aye Sir.”
Sparks signed off and Lee flew watching for any signs of the storm, but somehow he figured that it wouldn't happen again. He didn't know why he felt that way, it was just his gut feeling.
* * * * *
Over the top of Lee the portal still hung open as the metallic voices began to speak again.
“So, he protected the future with his life, and was even willing to blow up his only hope of returning to his own time. Interesting.”
“Yes, his character trait of self sacrifice has certainly been worth the study.”
The metallic voices spoke amongst themselves as the window below the portal transformed from an ominous dark storm to a beautiful sunny day over the unknown American City, as the danger of the test passed and the world returned to the place that the generation of men like Hogan had fought to preserve. Their voices faded as the portal lights changed from yellow to white and then the portal closed.
All the while, Lee was unaware that he had been observed, or that the circumstances had been arranged for him to be tested. The rest of his flight was thankfully uneventful as he guided the flying sub into her berth and took a cab into DC. By noon time he was walking towards the Capital in full uniform to meet Harry.
“Lee!”
He turned around to see Harry and an elder gentleman with silver hair and an unmistakeable smile.
“I hope you don't mind, but I met up with my good friend...”
But Lee interrupted Harry as he reached his hand out to the 75 year old man and with a fantastic smile said, “Good to see you Bob.”
Their hands clasped in friendship as Harry looked on perplexed.
“Have you two met?”
“Yes Sir, and do I have a story to tell you...”
The End
Eye of the Storm
* MI Dioxide was the truth serum used on the Second Series episode “Escape from Venice”
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Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and her main characters belong to Irwin Allen