Fragments of Fear by Pauline

Lee Crane suppressed a sigh, it had been another useless trip – long hours spent looking for something that they weren’t even sure was there. The lengthy time he’d spent piloting the Flying Sub had done nothing to improve his mood. Normally he enjoyed piloting the craft, but he could do it in his sleep and the tedium had give him time to dwell on the fact that he was responsible for Nelson’s present condition.

Experiment or not, Lee should not have allowed something to influence his mind so easily. Maybe he was no-longer fit to command Seaview. With Nelson laid up, Seaview had been in port. Lee himself had returned unscathed, if tired. So he had little choice but to accept Admiral Stark’s request to help locate an experimental remote control robot the Navy had lost contact with. In truth, Lee had been only too happy to accept an assignment. He had needed to get away from the institute while he got his head together.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, he turned to Kowalski in the co-pilot seat. “We’ve finished this grid. Any sign?”

“No sir, not so much as a flash reading,” Kowalski reported, shaking his head as he looked up from the scanner.

“It could be anywhere.” Lee said in frustration. Lee was not happy with the idea of letting Nelson down.

“We’ve been at it for hours, Skipper,” Kowalski complained.

“I know. We’re just wasting time now. Let’s get back to the boat.”

“Aye, Sir.”

“FS.1 to Seaview, come in Seaview,” Lee called.

“Receiving you, FS.1 – go ahead, Lee,” Chip Morton answered.

“We’re headed back, Chip.”

“Any luck?”

No, Chip – nothing.”

“Okay, I’ll have the bay ready for Docking. Any other orders?”

“No, just continue on course. FS.1 out.” Lee banked the craft into a turn that would take them back to Seaview.

* * * *

As Lee climbed up wearily from the Flying Sub access hatch, he was beginning to wonder if he had been fit to take this mission at all. Nelson had told him that he hadn’t blamed him for shooting him during the subliminal mind control experiment. Thank heavens Sharkey had managed to escape and change the mind altering tape before Crane could succeed in killing Nelson. Blowing out a breath, he ran a hand through his hair; just the thought of the complete failure of the experiment made him cringe.

“You okay, Lee?” Chip asked, straightening up after securing the hatch.

“Yes, Chip, I’m a little tired, that’s all.” Lee walked with Chip back to the chart table. “What’s our position?”

“We’re here,” Chip indicated their position on the chart. “Do you want to lay-to for the night?”

“No, Chip. There’s nothing here, let’s move on.”

“Aye, Sir.,”

Looking back, what really bothered Lee was his own refusal to agree with Nelson’s ‘it wasn’t your fault, Lad. It was an experiment gone wrong.’ Lee should never have agreed to the crazy experiment. His feelings for the man he regarded as a surrogate father had clouded his judgement, and so he’d joined Nelson in the experiment, almost killing him. He still couldn’t get the image of it out of his mind. Another minute and it would have been too late to pull the man up out of the open well.

And now nightmares disturbed his sleep, not that he would admit it to Chip or Jamieson. It wouldn’t do to be seconded to Sickbay, drugged to the gills.

* * * *

Chip watched Lee as he stood slouched over the charts. He’d never seen him so low. Nelson’s injury couldn’t be the whole reason for Lee’s mood. A quiet word with Jamie might be in order. Burying himself in work had always been Lee’s way of dealing, or not, with a problem. When Lee was on one of his guilt trips, it would take their combined resources’ to persuade him that it was not all his fault. Typically, Lee would blame himself or everything. Of course, Lee wouldn’t be pleased if Chip called the Doctor behind his back, but it would be for his own good.

Lee straightened from the charts and looked at his watch. “Take over, Chip. I’ll be in my cabin.”

“Aye sir,” Chip said, watching Lee climb the spiral stairs. Crane had never backed away from duty, but the last cruise had cost him. Shooting Nelson, almost drowning him...Lee was wallowing in guilt, despite Nelson’s blame on the tapes. Chip had refused any part of the mind control experiment, but in hindsight, maybe that had been a mistake. If he’d been aboard, maybe he could have prevented things from going so far to begin with.

* * * *

Kowalski looked up as Morton entered the crew’s mess and started to get to his feet, but Morton waved him down.

“As you were, men.”

“Pat, get Mr. Morton a cup of coffee.”

“Kowalski, what happened out there?” Chip asked, seating himself beside the crewman.

“Nothing, Sir.” Kowalski replied, unsure of exactly what the Exec was expecting him to say.

“Did Captain Crane seem okay?”

“Yes, Sir – why?” Kowalski asked, a little uneasy. Morton wasn’t in the habit of asking questions of the crew regarding the Skipper. Although it was no secret that the two officers where as close as brothers and Morton worried about his friend.

Morton nodded a thank you to Patterson as he placed a cup of coffee on the table in front of him. “I don’t know, Kowalski.”

“Is something wrong with the Skipper, Sir?” Patterson asked as he resumed his seat at the table beside Kowalski.

Morton sipped his coffee thoughtfully for a moment and then glanced from Patterson to Kowalski. “No, I guess not.” Taking another swallow of coffee, he but the cup and stood to leave. “Carry on.”

“Aye, Sir. Kowalski looked at Patterson and shrugged.

* * * *

Doctor Will Jamieson usually waited for his patients to come to Sickbay but in the case of Lee Crane, Sickbay was the Captain’s least favourite place on the boat and he would only visit under duress or if he were unconscious. Pausing outside the young officer’s cabin, Will knocked and waited for him to answer.

“Doc, what’s the trouble?” Crane asked, surprised at seeing the Doctor.

“Nothing, I hope – but Chip seemed to think there might be a problem with the Captain,” Jamieson joked.

“Chip worries too much,” Lee countered, deliberately remaining seated at his desk.

“Maybe, but humour me,” Jamieson smiled, determined not to be put off.

“I’m fine, Doc,” Lee insisted.

“Then you’ve nothing to worry about. Now take off your shirt and lie on the bunk please, Captain.”

“Doc, is this really necessary?”

“Do as you’re told,” Jamieson ordered, setting his bag down on the desk and rummaging inside. “Or would you rather come down to Sickbay?”

Lee sighed. “All right, I give in,” unbuttoning his shirt, he moved to the bunk and sat down.

“Relax, Captain,” Jamieson put a hand on his shoulder to urge him down onto the bunk. He could feel the tension in Lee’s body.

“I don’t have time to relax!”

“That’s part of your problem,” Jamieson told him sternly. The Doctor lapsed into silence while he continued his exam.

“Well, Jamie?” Lee asked when he’d finished.

Jamieson frowned. “I should confine you to your cabin for some badly needed rest.”

“That’s ridiculous, I’m fine,” Lee insisted, sitting up and swinging his legs off the bunk.

“You’re on the edge of exhaustion. When did you last get a full night’s sleep? Jamieson challenged.

“I tell you, Doc – I’m fine.”

“It’s not debatable, Captain. I want you to get a good night’s sleep and tomorrow I’m placing you on light duty.”

“I have a...” Lee started to argue.

“I don’t want to hear it, Lee,” Jamieson interrupted. “Now, take these,” Jamison produced a bottle of pills and held two out to him. “Or would you rather I gave you a shot?” he threatened.

Lee eyed them with suspicion, “What are they?”

“They will help you sleep.”

“I don’t need anything.” Lee glared at him.

“Take them,” Jamieson ordered unequivocally. “You’ve a perfectly capable Exec, so no excuses.” Crane’s glare might work on the crew, but Jamieson wasn’t intimidated in the least.

Lee grudgingly took the pills and washed them down with the remains of some coffee.

“That’s better, now get to bed.”

“Okay, okay. Geesh, you’re bossy,” Lee conceded and disappeared into the head.

* * * *

Crane stood by the escape chamber in the missile room watching Chip preparing to lead a diving party. They had picked up a metal contact, but had been unable to find anything on the camera and so Lee had reluctantly agreed to letting a diving party go out for a closer look. Lee didn’t like letting others take the risk, usually preferring to take the risks himself, but he’d had no choice but to concede to Jamieson’s warning and let Chip take his place. Jamieson had been specific in his warning to him to take things easy for a few days, threatening to relieve him of duty if he caught him doing something he shouldn’t. Jamie would throw a fit if he caught him out diving, not to mention what the Admiral would say when they returned to port. Lee caught Chip’s arm as he stepped into the escape chamber. “Good luck, Chip, and be careful.”

Chip nodded and smiled. “Thanks. Don’t worry; we’ll be back aboard before you know it.”

Lee waited until Sharkey had closed the hatch behind the diving party before forcing his attention from the chamber. “I’ll be in the control room.” He would have liked to have stayed in the missile room, but he could better follow the diver’s on the view screen in the control room.

Sharkey nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

* * * *

Exiting Seaview, Chip hoped that someone would keep an eye on her Captain. Lee was still pushing himself too hard in a misguided attempt to make up for what he perceived as his failure.

Moving away from the sub, Chip headed towards a large rock formation that had given some interesting reading on the spectral-analyser. He was aware that Lee would be following their progress from the control room. He hoped that they could find the robot they were looking for so that Lee could return to the institute with some good news. Maybe then Lee would take time to relax and enjoy some shore leave, instead of haunting the institute day and night.

Settling at the base of the formation, Chip set to work clearing away debris in the hope of locating the RCV - The sooner this cruise was over, the better.

* * * *

“Switch on the view screen,” Lee ordered as he entered the control room through the aft hatch and hurried forward to follow the diver’s progress. Lee watched Chip, his yellow wetsuit making him easy to spot, as he worked at the base of a rock structure, clearing a small slide that could have buried the mission RCV. Visibility was pretty good, making it easier for the men to work and for Lee to observe their progress.

“I’m picking something up on sonar, Skipper,” Kowalski reported.

Before Crane had time to respond the whole side of the rock structure started to move, sending a waterfall of stone towards Chip. “Chip, get out of there!” Lee shouted vainly as the rockslide continued with deceptive slowness through the water, churning up bottom silt.

To everyone’s horror, the XO disappeared in a swirl of mud and sediment.

At the sonar station, the echoes were lost in a hundred sparkling signals caused by the fragments of rock and clouds of silt stirred up from the seabed, making it impossible to track the divers.

Realising the danger, Lee turned from the view screen to give a warning just as shock wave hit the sub. Seaview dipped and rolled, sending everyone tumbling. Kowalski, grabbed for the chair that was no-longer there and he sprawled on the deck. Losing his precarious grip on the periscope rail, Lee collided painfully with the chart table, sending charts and instruments crashing to the deck. All around him, men were knocked off their feet and sparks erupted from several control boards. As Seaview rolled again, Lee was unable to stay on his feet, he hit the deck hard and as Seaview pitched back, he was violently thrown against the periscope island.

Crane hauled himself to his feet with a groan as Seaview regained trim. Ignoring the pain from his own bruised body, he glanced around the control room to see the men already resuming their stations. “Damage control report,” he demanded into a mic.

“Full water tight integrity, but the port side ballast vent valves are blocked by silt, Sir.”

Damn. Lee considered the information. “All right, get a work detail on clearing those valves,” he ordered, stifling a groan, he bent and retrieved the charts from the deck before returning his attention to the view screen and the divers. There was no sign of the diving party through the murky water. He waited for the debris to subside and settle back to the ocean floor. A few steps and he was standing behind Kowalski at the sonar station. He reached over the man’s shoulder to turn up the gain, but it was useless. There were too many ghost echoes from the debris stirred up by the rock slide. “Crane to diving party, come in,” he called into the mic that he still held. The radio remained silent. “Chip, can you hear me?” All they could hear in reply was static. Throwing the mic down, Lee turned to the screen once more in the desperate hope of catching sight of the divers.

* * * *

Outside, a relatively unscathed Newman and Murphy swam over to where they had last seen Morton. After digging through the rubble for a worrisome few minutes, they found him lying near the base of the rock slide. Although stunned, he was conscious and the only injury appeared to be a gash on his left arm. Blood was seeping from a slit in his wetsuit. Carefully supporting the injured officer between them, they started back towards the welcoming sight of Seaview, her powerful light cutting through the cloudy water.

* * * *

“Get that hatch open,” Lee ordered, entering the missile room at a run just as the light above the escape chamber winked to green. He watched anxiously as Sharkey opened the hatch and the two crewmen stumbled out with Morton. “Are you all right?” Lee asked as Chip stood, supported by the two men.

“Yeah, just hurt my arm,” Chip winced as he shrugged off his air tanks.

“You’d better go with Doc, I’ll see you back in the control room.” With the immediate danger to the divers gone, Lee’s next priority was the intake valves. As much as he would have liked to have gone to Sickbay with Chip, he needed to check on the damage control party,

Chip nodded, unzipping his wetsuit.

* * * *

Lee’s own bruises forgotten, he made his way to check on the damage control party working to clear the valves. If the valves where not functioning, it could affect the ballast tanks and Seaview could go into an uncontrolled dive.

“How’s it going, Chief?” Crane asked.

“We’re not having much luck, Skipper. We’ll have to send divers out to clear them from outside.”

Lee nodded. “Very well,” he agreed reluctantly. “But be careful Chief, the area might be unstable.”

“Aye, Sir. All right you men, suit up,” Sharkey instructed.

Lee wasn’t happy with the idea of sending more divers out in this area; there could be more disturbances at any time, but the valves had to be cleared. He had responsibility for one hundred, twenty four men under his command. He hoped that the repairs would not take too long and further endanger the men. Pausing in the corridor, he unclipped a mic from its wall bracket. “Sparks, keep a line open to the divers – I want to be kept informed at all times.”

“Yes, Sir,” Sparks acknowledged.

Replacing the mic, Lee continued back to the control room.

Lee’s mood lightened as he entered the control room and found Chip at the plot table. “Chip what are you doing here? Are you all right?” he asked as he approached his friend and XO.

Chip smiled. “I’m fine, just needed a few stitches.”

“Good.”

“What now?” Chip asked.

“I’m waiting for the Chief to report. There’s a diving party out clearing the ballast intake valves. Keep an eye on our depth.”

“Aye, Sir,” Chip nodded and turned away towards the depth gauge near helm control.

Lee was determined to find the missing robot. He would not leave the area until they had found it. Moving to the plot table, he turned his attention to the charts, looking for anywhere the missing robot could have got hung up or an undersea canyon that could have caused it to lose contact with the support ship. After studying the charts for a minute, Lee crossed to the fathometer and printed out a profile of the seabed. Taking the strip of paper, he returned to the chart table to compare it to the charts of the area.

Suddenly Seaview rolled to port, Lee grabbed the table in an effort to stay on his feet.

“We’re losing trim,” Chip called.

“Flood starboard tanks, trim ship,” Lee ordered. Seaview slowly rolled back to an even keel and crewmen resumed their stations.

The sound of a body hitting the deck brought Crane around, looking to locate the source. Crewmen were already gathering around the fallen Exec, and Lee was beside his friend in seconds. Kneeling beside Chip, Lee lifted Chip, cradling his head and shoulders. “Get Doc down here,” he ordered. Chip was gasping for air, in respiratory distress. Lee loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt collar. Lee was relieved when Jamieson appeared.

“What happened?”

Lee looked at the Doctor. “I don’t know, he just collapsed.”

Jamieson knelt to do a quick exam. “It’s an allergic reaction,” the Doctor opened his bag and searched inside, coming up with a small vial and a syringe. “He’s going into anaphylactic shock,” he explained as he filled the syringe and quickly administered an injection. “All right, let’s get him to Sickbay, fast.”

As Chip was carried away, Lee looked around at the crewmen gathered around him. “All right, back to your stations.” He desperately wanted to follow Chip to Sickbay but knew that he could not leave the control room while the problem with intake valves remained. With a frustrated sigh, he reached for the nearest mic. “Chief, how’s it coming with those valves?”

“It’s slow going, Skipper. We’re using compressed air to try and clear them.”

“Very well, report to me in the control room as soon as you’ve finished.”

“Aye, aye, Sir.”

Lee replaced the mic and returned to his study of the charts, resisting the temptation to pace. This was his entire fault; first Nelson and now Chip.

“Contact, Skipper,” Kowalski reported, pulling Crane’s attention back to the control room.

“Range?” Resting a hand on the back of Kowalski’s chair, Lee leaned over his shoulder to watch the screen.

“Twelve hundred yards.”

“Profile?”

“Working on it Skipper.”

Lee didn’t like the thought that there might be another sub out there, shadowing them, especially while they had divers out. If it were an enemy sub, it was imperative that Seaview find the robot first. They couldn’t risk it falling into the hands of however was out there.

Lee glanced towards the flying sub’s access hatch, if Chip were here, Lee would take the SF.1 out to look for the robot, but he couldn’t leave a junior officer in charge with an unknown out there. Damn!

“The contacts gone!” Kowalski reported.

Lee turned back to check the sonar screen himself. “Keep a close watch and let me know if it comes back,” straightening, Lee left the seaman to his screen while he returned to the plot table to chart a search pattern.

* * * *

With a sigh of frustration, Nelson stubbed out his cigarette on the ashtray with his good arm, the other still in a sling, and rose to his feet. Jamieson had refused to allow him aboard Seaview for the mission, so he’d had no choice but to remain behind.

Try as he might to immerse himself in work, he could not concentrate on anything for long. Walking over to the window, he stood looking out at the view over the ocean and Seaview’s hidden pen. Harry was worried, he knew that Lee was still berating himself over what had happened on their last cruise. Harry had been extremely lucky that the bullet hadn’t done more damage, considering what a good shot Lee was. Had Lee subconsciously shot to wound rather than kill?

In hindsight, Nelson had cursed himself for agreeing to the experiment. His precautions of having all weapons removed from Seaview before they sailed had been usurped by Crane bringing a hand gun aboard with him. He should have known that Lee’s ONI training would kick in and that Lee would not come aboard un-armed. What he didn’t understand was why Sharkey had been affected. Luckily the Chief had regained his senses in time to play the correct tape to put an end to the fiasco before someone had been killed.

Turning from the window, he glanced back at the telephone on his desk, tempted to call Seaview, but Lee didn’t need him checking up on him. Except Lee had looked tired, yet he couldn’t bring himself to temporarily relieve him of command. Lee needed to know that he still trusted him. He hoped that Seaview’s current mission would give Lee something else to focus on and he would return in a better frame of mind. Maybe then they could both put the fiasco of the last mission behind them.

* * * *

Jamieson bent over Morton, using a stethoscope to check his heart and lungs. Satisfied, he straightened and hung the instrument around his neck before replacing the covers over the Exec. An injection of adrenalin had stabilised Morton’s heart.

Chip groaned and stirred as Jamieson cleaned the area around the wound on his arm. Chip’s other hand mover instinctively to try and bat Jamieson’s hand away.

“Easy, Chip,” Jamieson caught the hand.

Chip’s blue eyes fluttered open. “Doc, what happened?”

“You had an allergic reaction to the Lidocaine. Just lie still while I finish this and then we’ll get you settled into a bunk.”

“A bunk!” Chip protested. “I need to get back to the control room.”

“Now settle down. You’re not going anywhere,” Jamieson told him, placing a restraining hand on his shoulder. Morton and Crane both hated spending time in Sickbay and were both stubborn; frequently driving the Doctor crazy.

Chip looked around “Lee?”

“In the control room, I’m sure he’ll be down as soon as I tell him you’re awake.” Jamieson smiled.

“How long are you going to keep me cooped up in here?” Chip asked morosely.

“That depends, if everything remains stable, I’ll release you for duty in the morning.” Once he was satisfied that is was safe to leave Chip in the hands of his corpsman, Jamieson planned on making a rare visit to the control room to check on Crane.

“Never get a straight answer,” Chip grumbled.

Jamieson smiled, used to his senior officer’s grousing when they were in Sickbay. He finished taping a new dressing over the wound. “All done, now let’s get you into that bunk.”

“Can’t I go to my cabin?”

Jamieson folded his arms. “No, you cannot. One, I need to monitor you, and two, if I let you go to your cabin, you’ll be doing paperwork instead of resting.”

* * * *

Jamieson decided to report on Morton’s condition in person. It would give him an excuse to go to the control room. Knowing Crane as he did, Jamieson knew that Lee was reproaching himself over shooting Nelson. The Captain was still supposed to be on light duty, but Jamieson suspected that Lee had ignored those instructions. He understood that the safety of the boat and crew took priority, especially with Morton in Sickbay. However, Left to his own devices, Lee would ignore the need for food and sleep, pushing himself to the edge of exhaustion.

Jamieson found the control room relatively quiet as he entered. Crewmen were seated at their stations, waiting for repairs to be completed. Pausing just inside the hatch, Jamieson stood watching Crane pace restlessly and knew that he had been right to be concerned.

Lee stopped as a junior officer approached him with a clipboard. Crane accepted the clipboard and after scanning the attached report, grabbed a pen from the plot table and signed it before handing it back to the officer. “Carry on.”

“Captain,” Jamieson announced his presence as he moved further into the control room.

“Jamie, how’s Chip?”

“He’s doing fine. He came around and was coherent.”

“That’s good news.”

“What about you? How are you doing?” Jamieson asked.

“I’m fine, Jamie,” Lee replied a little too hastily and turned back to the chart table, avoiding eye contact.

“It’s not your fault.”

Lee sighed and walked forward to the observation nose before speaking. “I shouldn’t have sent him out there.”

“You had no choice. If you want to blame someone, then blame me.”

Lee shook his head. “No, Doc, it wasn’t your fault. I wasn’t fit for this mission, if I hadn’t been so stubborn...” Head down, Lee rubbed two fingers across his forehead.

Jamieson bit back the urge to ask if he had a headache, he’d only lie anyway. Instead, he reached out and pulled him gently round to face him. “Blaming yourself won’t help.”

“I’m the Captain, Seaview and the crew are my responsibility.”

“You keep that up and you’ll end up in Sickbay or worse,” Jamieson warned.

“Maybe, but I’ll worry about that when the mission is over, right now I have a boat to run,” Lee shrugged Jamieson off and headed back to the con.

Jamieson watched him walk away. Crane had retreated behind a protective barrier, as he often did when Jamieson confronted him about his health. What, Jamieson wondered, caused Lee’s aversion to Doctors and hospitals? It made things very difficult for him when trying to treat a patient who would not stay in Sickbay long enough for effective treatment, let alone give himself time to heal.

* * * *

Lee checked his watch; sure that time had somehow stopped. He last hour had felt like a lifetime as he waited for a report on the repairs. His unfinished dinner tray that a steward had brought after he’d missed lunch and dinner, sat on the table in the nose – something else for Jamieson to nag him about. Why couldn’t they accept that he was not hungry and leave him alone? He thought in frustration.

“Skipper, this is the missile room,” Sharkey called over the PA.

Lee unclipped a mic. “Go ahead Chief.”

“Repairs are complete and the divers are back aboard, Sir,” Sharkey reported cheerfully.

“Good work, Chief,” Finally, something was going right. Buoyed by the news, Lee felt that he could leave O’Brien at the con long enough to go to Sickbay and check on his friend. Replacing the mic, Lee looked around. “Mr O’Brien, take over. Lay in a search pattern and get us underway, ahead one third.” Lee ordered, already headed out.

“Aye, Sir. Err, Captain, where will you be?” O’Brien asked, taken aback by the sudden avalanche of orders.

“In Sickbay.”

* * * *

“How is he Doc? Can I see him?” Lee asked, standing in front of Jamieson’s desk.

“Of course, but not too long,” Jamieson cautioned.

“Thanks, Doc,” Lee smiled and headed through the folding doors into Sickbay proper. Crossing to Chip’s bunk, he rested a hand on the rail and looked down at his friend and Exec. “Chip?”

Blue eyes flickered open and looked up at him. “Lee.”

“How are you doing?”

“Okay,” Chip smiled.

“Good,” Lee allowed a smile to cross his face, feeling a little better at seeing Chip awake and looking better.

“Repairs must be completed,” Chip observed.

Lee nodded. “So you can relax and quit worrying about the boat,” he joked. Lee may be the Captain, but Chip was just as protective of the Seaview.

“Huh, look who’s talking.” Chip snorted. “And what about her Captain?”

“What? I’m fine,” Lee replied defensively, caught off guard by the unexpected question; but he really should not have been, Chip could read him too easily. Lee shifted uneasily under Chip’s un-waving gaze. “What?”

“Why don’t you tell me?”

“Would I be here if anything was wrong?” Lee pretended ignorance, knowing full well that Chip was asking about his health, not the boat.

“I wasn’t talking about Seaview and you know it.”

Not about to worry Chip by telling him about the injury that was causing him some degree of discomfort, the last thing he needed was Jamie and Chip fussing over him, Lee did his best to look innocent; he’d be fine after a few hours sleep. Fortunately Jamieson stuck his head in. “That’s long enough Lee, Chip needs to rest.”

Lee almost sighed in relief. “Well, you heard the Doc, time for me to go,” he smiled.

“I know you don’t like Sickbay, but you could try not to look so pleased to get away,” Chip teased.

“Doctor’s orders, Chip,” Lee told him. “Besides, I have to get back to the control room.”

“Yeah sure – or is it that you want to go before Jamie gets suspicious?”

Lee was hard pressed to keep the shock from showing on his face. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“What was that?” Jamieson asked, catching the end of the conversation.

“Nothing, Doc. Good night, Chip.” Lee quickly turned and headed for the door. Pausing with his hand on the knob, he glanced back, catching the grin on Chip’s face and the confused look Jamieson was giving him; Time to make a hasty exit.

* * * *

Kowalski tuned from his station to look in Crane’s direction at the sound of a pencil clattering to the deck. Crane looked almost asleep on his feet. Rumour had it that he’d been up here for 24 hours straight. He wouldn’t have gotten away with that if the Admiral had been aboard. It hadn’t taken long for the news of what had happened on the last cruise to get around the institute. The whole crew knew that Crane had shot Nelson during an experiment that had gone horribly wrong. Kowalski did not understand why the Admiral and Crane had agreed to the Seaview being used as the platform for the experiment in the first place. It was no secret that Mr Morton had refused to have anything to do with it.

Ski wondered what would happen when the Exec found out what Crane had been up to while he’d been in Sickbay. The two officers were as close as brothers and Morton was very protective of Crane. Ski had heard about some of the lectures that had gone on in behind closed doors when the XO was upset with Crane over something.. They were nearly as legendary as the disagreements that sometimes took place between Nelson and Crane. Kowalski had even been on the receiving end of Crane’s anger himself on one occasion, when he and Patterson had failed to return to Seaview when ordered to do so. But even then, the Skipper hadn’t really been mad, just worried about them, and when they had turned up safe, he had yelled out of relief rather than anger.

Kowalski turned back to his screen, if Crane caught him neglecting his duties, he’d be in real trouble.

* * * *

Stifling a groan, Lee straightened from retrieving the pencil from the deck. He was tired, but too wound up to think about sleep. What had started out as a simple mission was turning into a disaster. Still he knew that he should try and catch a couple of hours of sleep. His bruised ribs constantly ached and were even more painful if he moved; he needed to rest. He was going to be in trouble with Jamie when he found out that Lee had not told him about his injuries, but it was just bruising and he would make do with the painkillers that he had purloined from Sickbay while the Doctor had been engaged elsewhere.

“Captain?” O’Brien interrupted his thoughts.

“Yes, O’Brien, what is it?”

“Magnetometer reports metal contact. Three hundred yard to port.”

“Helm, change course five degrees to port,” Lee ordered, crossing to check the reading for himself. “All stop.”

“All stop, aye.”

“Mr O’Brien, assemble a diving party, I’ll lead this one myself.” They had found what they were looking for. All thoughts of his sore ribs forgotten, Lee headed for the aft hatch. “Mr O’Brien, you have the conn.”

* * * *

“Mr O’Brien, unidentified object, bearing 170 degrees, range two thousand yards and closing fast,” Kowalski reported.

O’Brien walked over to stand behind the sonar man and watch the screen over his shoulder. “Riley, what are you picking up?”

“Fast propellers, Sir.”

“Sound general quarters,” O’Brien ordered. Moving away from sonar, he headed to the radio shack. “Sparks, there’s a sub on our tail. Try to contact them and ask for identification.”

“Aye, Sir.”

Returning to the sonar station, O’Brien watched the blip on the screen, worried about the threat that the unknown could present to their divers. “Sparks, any response to our calls?”

“No, sir, they are no answering our hails.”

“Mr O’Brien, divers approaching from the other sub,” Kowalski reported.

There was no time for them to get another diving team in the water before what he must assume were hostiles would reach Seaview’s divers. “Chief, standby to launch the Flying Sub. Kowalski, go with him.”

“Yes, Sir.” Kowalski removed his headset and passed it to Murphy who was taking over on sonar.

“Emergency launch procedure,” O’Brien ordered as the Chief and Kowalski climbed down into the Flying Sub and a crewman secured the hatch.

* * * *

Crane always enjoyed the peace and tranquillity of the undersea world and took every opportunity to escape to the silent depths that now surrounded him. Shaking off his tiredness, he concentrated on the task at hand. Once they had the remote control robot aboard, Seaview could head for home and they could all take some much needed leave. With a flashlight in one hand and metal detector in the other, he kicked hard towards the metal contact. Behind him, his two diving companions followed his lead. It was all too easy to forget how deadly this fragile environment that they moved through with such freedom could be, where one mistake could mean death. But they were all experienced divers with many hours logged underwater.

Sparks’ warning came just as a spear whizzed pasts Lee’s head. “Take cover,” he ordered, changing direction towards a small rock formation. Several more spears cut through the water close to them as they dived for cover. One glanced off of Lee’s tank and ripped open his wetsuit, grazing his ribs on his left side. He bit down the regulator, stifling a cry of pain as the seawater stung the wound. The metal detector fell from his grip as he automatically clamped his hand over the wound.

“Skipper, are you all right?” Jackson asked, grabbing Crane’s arm.

“Fine. Get behind the rocks,” Lee nodded towards the outcrop. Out of the corner of his vision he could see FS.1 coming towards them. He should have thought of that. Used the Flying Sub to retrieve the robot instead of putting divers at risk.

The hostiles, seeing the Flying Sub, broke off their pursuit and headed back towards the other sub.

Lee waited until FS.1 drifted to a stop before swimming towards it. The hatch was already open and he told Jackson and Franklin to load the robot first. Hauling himself up into the craft after it was secured, Lee sat on the deck while he unfastened his gear and shrugged off his tanks.

Sharkey hovered over him with concern. “You hurt, Skipper?”

“It’s nothing, I’m fine,” Lee replied firmly, he didn’t need Sharkey fussing over him like a mother hen.

“But, Skipper – you’re,” Sharkey persisted.

Lee cut him off with a gesture. “I said I’m all right. Now secure the robot and get us back to Seaview, on the double.” He hoped that the other sub would not risk using torpedoes while they had their own men in the water.

“Aye, Sir,” Sharkey reluctantly moved back to the co-pilot seat.

Lee grabbed a towel and the first aid kit from the locker below the bunk, before unzipping his wetsuit to inspect the damage. He knew that he wasn’t going to talk his way out of a visit to Sickbay when they returned to Seaview. He’d be lucky if Jamieson didn’t take his head off when he discovered that he’d gone out on a dive. Feeling suddenly cold, he couldn’t stop his hands shaking as he opened the first aid kit.

“Can I help you with that, Sir,” Jackson offered, kneeling beside him.

“Thanks,” Lee conceded, letting the man help him out of his jacket.

“Maybe you should lie down, Sir.”

Lee shook his head. “Just put a dressing on it. I’ll see Doc when we get back to Seaview.”

“Yes, sir.”

* * * *

Jamieson was checking on Morton before retiring for the night. He took the chart and read the notes made by the duty Corpsman. Morton was responding well to treatment and his vital signs had remained stable. He things remained as they were, the Doctor planned to let Morton return to light duty tomorrow. Returning the chart, Jamieson looked at his patient. “No need to ask how you’re feeling.”

Morton grinned, sapphire blue eyes sparkling. “I feel fine now. When can I get out of here?”

Jamieson returned the smile. “We’ll see how things are in the morning. Do you need anything now?”

“No, thanks, Doc – how’s Lee?”

“Hopefully in his cabin,” Jamieson noted, looking at his watch. “I’ll stop by before I turn in.” It was hard to decide who out of the two was worse. Crane spent more time than Morton in Sickbay, but that caused Chip to frequent Sickbay, checking that Lee was all right. “Don’t worry, Chip, I’ll keep an eye on him.

Unable to find Crane in his cabin or the wardroom, Jamieson was about to make his way to the control room when the call came over the intercom. “Doc, report to the control room. Flying Sub reports the Skipper’s hurt.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Jamieson folded his arms, his displeasure reflected on his face. “All right, Kevin thanks.” What had Crane managed to do to himself this time? Jamieson waited while his Corpsman arrived with a stretcher and placed it on the deck near the hatch.

* * * *

Lee had flatly refused the stretcher, insisting that he could walk to Sickbay. Much to Jamieson’s annoyance, Lee had further exacerbated the situation by insisting on remaining in the control room until Seaview was underway and he was sure that they would not come under attack.

“All right, let’s see what you’re hiding under that blanket,” Jamieson instructed, now that he finally had his patient in Sickbay.

“It’s just a graze, no big deal,” Lee defended as he shrugged of the blanket and draped it over the exam table to stand shivering in his skivvies.

“And the bruising?”

“I had an argument with the chart table,” Lee mumbled, dropping his gaze to the deck.

“Hmm, the table won I see,” Jamieson observed dryly. “You had no business being out diving with bruised ribs.”

“Can we get on with this? I’m freezing here,” Lee complained.

Jamieson scowled and shook his head, but took pity on the shivering man. “On the table please, Captain.”

Lee obeyed silently, carefully lowering himself onto the exam table.

Jamieson drew a blanket up to Lee’s waist to help keep him warm. “Grey, get the Captain some pyjamas,” he instructed.

“I’m not staying,” Lee told him.

“I’ll make the decisions around here,” Jamieson countered. He could feel Lee shivering as he examined his ribs. He didn’t need him getting hypothermic. “Can you turn onto your right side please, Captain? But be careful, I don’t want you to fall.”

When Lee was settled on his side, Jamieson removed the dressing and inspected the injury. “I’ll clean this up and get you stitched up as quickly as possible.”

* * * *

Returning to Seaview after using the Flying Sub to return to robot to its rightful owners, Chip let Kowalski handle the Docking. The crewman had more flying hours than Morton, as he regularly accompanied Lee in the Flying Sub, as well as being Lee’s usual diving partner.

As FS.1 settled into the berth below the Seaview’s observation nose, Chip unbuckled and swung his seat round; anxious to check on Lee. While Kowalski powered down the craft, Chip moved the boarding ladder into position ready to climb up into the control room.

“All secure, Sir,” Kowalski reported.

Chip nodded. “Return to your station.”

“Aye, Sir,” Kowalski had unbuckled and was waiting to follow Morton up the ladder.

The access hatch had been opened ready for them and Chip soon emerged into the control room. “Welcome back, Mr Morton. Good flight?” O’Brien greeted.

“Fine, thanks Kevin. Can you keep the conn? I need to report to the Captain.”

“Yes, Sir,” O’Brien smiled.

* * * *

Officially, Lee was spending the day in his cabin doing paperwork. Chip was happy to go along with the ruse if it meant that Lee stayed in his cabin and rested. Pausing outside Lee’s cabin door, he knocked and waited. He was surprised to find Lee stretched out on his bunk, resting back against the bulkhead. He’d expected to find him at his desk, working. “Mission accomplished,” Chip grinned.

Lee smiled. “I’m sure the Navy is grateful to get their toy back.”

“I think it need some work,” Chip turned the desk chair around to face the bunk and sat down.

“I’m just happy that we were able to find it before that other sub. Now if you would be kind enough to plot a course for home.”

“Looking forward to some shore leave?” Chip teased. Seaview was Lee’s second home, but the last two cruises had been tough on Lee and whether he wanted it or not, Lee needed shore leave.

Lee eased himself onto his good side. “I could sleep for a week.”

“Now you are really worrying me, maybe I should call Doc.” Lee never admitted to any weakness and Chip was beginning to wonder if Lee was worse than he was letting on.

Lee laughed. “Got to rest up ready for shore leave.”

“For Sophie,” Chip suggested with a grin.

“Dismissed, Mr Morton.” Lee rebuked and then grinned. “Wake me when we reach Santa Barbara.”

*End*