Iced

By: Chris B.

“We’ve got problems.” Lee Crane, Captain of the USRN Seaview, thought to himself as he felt the sluggish response of the flying sub and watched as both airspeed and altitude began to drop dramatically. He cycled through the systems but couldn’t get his baby FS-1 to pick up her pace or gain some height. The engines were starting to labor and he was having a tough time keeping his flight path level as they pitched and rolled through the Arctic twilight. The sound of the engines and the bounce in the ride woke his passenger, Will Jamieson Seaview’s Chief Medical Officer, from his nap with a start.

Both men had attended meetings in Amsterdam at the same time and then needed to join up with Seaview, the Nelson Institute of Marine Research submarine, in the Chukchi Sea afterwards so it was decided to use the little yellow sub as transport. They had left late that afternoon and were now somewhere over the Beaufort Sea off the coast of Alaska.

“Good morning, sunshine.” Lee said as Jamie’s eyes popped open and he fixed a startled gaze on him. His concern was immediately obvious as he took in Lee’s attempts to reestablish control of FS-1. He was fighting the ship and flipping through switches and buttons as fast as he could to try and compensate.

“Problems, Skipper?” Will inquired.

“You could say that.” Lee responded. “It looks like we are icing really bad and I’m having a deuce of a time keeping us up in the air.” He kept struggling with the controls but wasn’t gaining much of anything for his efforts. “Will make sure your harness is tight and grab hold of the flight controls, let’s see if we can both pull her up.” Jamie rapidly complied.

Nothing was helping; they were literally falling out of the sky. Lee started scanning the area below to find somewhere he could attempt to set FS-1 down. In late January the Beaufort Sea was currently locked up tight under yards of ice and snow. Fortunately the area they were over looked relatively flat with no major ice ridges to complicate Lee’s attempt at setting FS-1 down with the least amount of damage to them or the craft.

As they continued to put everything they had into pulling her up nothing was going to forestall the inevitable, they were going down. “FS-1 to Seaview, FS-1 to Seaview do you read me?” Crane radioed. The delay in the response seemed interminable but Sparks in actuality answered the hail quickly.

“FS-1 this is Seaview, go ahead Skipper.” Sparks answered.

“Seaview I have a flight emergency. I am losing control of FS-1 and I’m unable to keep her airborne. I am going to have to try and put her down on the ice.” Lee said in a voice that sounded much calmer than he felt. He could feel the sweat running down his cheeks and neck as he struggled to keep the little craft in the air.

“Lee, what’s your situation?” replied Admiral Nelson’s voice over the radio.

“Admiral, we’re icing badly for some reason and I’m not able to keep her airborne. We are approximately 190 miles offshore due north of Deadhorse, Alaska. I’m activating our EPIRB¹ now.”

“Copy that Lee.” Nelson came back. “We’re tracking your position now. I’ll have search and rescue mobilized immediately. Contact us once you’re down.”

“Roger that, Admiral. Hope to talk to you soon. FS-1 out,” Lee responded and turned the radio off.

He looked over at Will, his knuckles were white from the strain of pulling on the controls and his eyes were the size of platters. “Hang in there, Will.” Lee said. “We’ll get her down in one piece. I spotted an area up ahead that hopefully will give us a smooth place to set down. Keep your hands on the controls and just follow my movements. Ready?”

Will gave him a wan smile which was quickly replaced with a grim stare and a determined nod. Lee started easing FS-1 closer to the ice surface until finally they slammed down. The ride was wild to say the least. The little sub bounced and pinged off every drift and trough on the makeshift runway wrenching the occupants inside every which way but loose. Control panels sparked and smoked from the jolts, the lights went out then suddenly they screeched to a halt hitting a large ice ridge. Both men slammed forward then were jerked to a stop by their safety harnesses.

Once everything stopped FS-1 was bathed in an eerie silence. Jamie was out cold and bleeding from a large gash just above his right eye having hit his head on the console next to him. Lee groaned loudly from the pain in his chest caused by the harness. If he hadn’t known better he would have sworn he’d been shot. He too was sporting a cut on his forehead from a similar encounter and his ribs felt as though he had gone ten rounds with a heavyweight prize fighter. He sat there momentarily trying to chase off the stars before his eyes. Once he was certain he wasn’t going to pass out he released his harness and slowly stood up.

Once up he grabbed the fire extinguisher behind his seat and doused the flames licking out of one of the rear control panels. He next moved over to Jamie and carefully felt for a pulse. He was greatly relieved to find a strong, steady beat. He did a quick exam of Jamie to determine if there were other wounds besides the one to his head and if he had broken any bones. Not finding any apparent breaks, he unbuckled the unconscious doctor and carefully eased him out of the chair and onto the small bunk on the opposite side of the ship.

Lee next grabbed the first aid kit and cleaned and bandaged the cut on Jamie’s head. It would probably require stitches but that was not something Lee had any intention of trying to do. He grabbed the little flashlight in the kit and checked Jamie’s pupil reactions to the light. His pupils were unequal in size but reactive “Well Jamie looks like you’ve got yourself a nice little concussion. Now I get to poke and prod on you for a change.” Lee quipped to himself. Covering Jamie with a blanket and ensuring he was comfortable Lee turned his attention to getting them rescued.

Moving to the pilot’s seat Lee flipped on the radio and attempted to contact Seaview. “FS-1 to Seaview, FS-1 to Seaview do you read me?” Not even static came back. Lee fiddled with the controls and determined the electrical system had shorted out and without power he wasn’t contacting anyone. He turned around and headed to the main electrical panel and pulled it open. It was obvious at first glance the entire panel had fried and he had no way to make the repairs necessary to reestablish power.

He moved over to the emergency supplies locker and started looking for the satellite phone. Finding it he pulled it out, turned it on and phoned the Institute. Angie answered the incoming call, “NIMR how may I help you?”

“Angie, it’s Lee. I’ve had to crash land FS-1 off the coast of Alaska. I had been in touch with Seaview before we went down so they know the general area we’re in. Would you please patch this call through to the Admiral?”

“Oh my god,” Angie replied “Are you and Jamie all right?”

“I’m fine other than a few bumps and bruises but Jamie sustained a head injury and is unconscious with a nice concussion to go with it. He doesn’t seem to have any other injuries so I think I’ll count us lucky.”

“Hold on Lee I’m patching you through to Seaview now. I’ll be standing by if you need further contact.”

“Thanks Angie.” Lee answered.

“Lee! Lee, are you there?” Admiral Nelson inquired urgently.

“Aye sir, we’re both more or less in one piece. Jamie is still out from a meeting with one of the control panels but his vital signs are all good. The landing was rough and it took all the systems off line so I can’t send or receive radio communications, only emergency lighting is online and we have no heat. FS-1 seems to be structurally sound but we’re not going anywhere anytime soon.” Lee responded.

“Understood Lee. Coast Guard has been alerted to your situation and is in the process of mounting a search and rescue (SAR) effort. That is going to take a while and in the meantime there is a huge weather front bearing down on your location. Predictions are for heavy snow with sustained winds in excess of 50 mph with gusts to 80 and temperatures are expected to drop to -50 F and that’s not counting the wind chill. The storm is predicted to last for 48 hours so don’t expect rescue until after the weather has broken.”

Lee swore softly under his breath. “Well isn’t that just what we needed. I’ve broken out the arctic survival gear and we’ll hunker down here until the Coast Guard arrives. Do you know if they are getting a clear read on our EPRIB?”

“We’re both reading your position loud and clear” Nelson replied. “That will definitely speed recovery efforts once the weather permits. You take care Lee and we’ll be there as quickly as we can. We’ve already diverted to the Beaufort and I’ll have Angie set up an automatic call forward from your Sat phone to Seaview so you can get us directly if you need to.”

“Thanks Admiral. I better sign off now so I don’t draw down the battery too much. I’ll give you another call in 8 hours and let you know our condition. Crane out.” With that Lee ended the call and turned his attention to ensuring he and Jamie would stay as warm as possible until rescue. From the sounds of it, it was going to be a very chilly wait.

As Lee completed his inventory of supplies he heard a low moan from the bunk. He moved to Jamie’s side to check on his friend. “Jamie, can you hear me? Can you open your eyes for me please?” Lee implored his Chief Medical Officer. Jamie’s eyes moved rapidly back and forth under his lids and then ever so slowly cracked open.

“Unghhgod.” Jamie croaked as he pried his eyes open a little further. He looked up to focus on the very worried face of his Commanding Officer. “Stand back, my head just may explode.” He attempted to sit up and was immediately hit with a wave of vertigo and nausea each battling to see which sensation would win out.

Lee laughed softly and placed his hand on Jamie’s shoulder pushing him back down onto the bunk. “Come on Jamie you should know the drill, you recite the admonitions to me every time I come in with a concussion. Lie still, relax, breathe deeply, you have a head injury; you have no need to get up and do anything. First things first though, who, what, when, where.”

Jamie shot Lee a particularly nasty glare and muttered something equally rude under his breath. Lee burst into laughter. “Jamieson, Lt Commander, subcrash, somewhere in a frozen waste land.” Jamie answered.

“Well it doesn’t sound as though there has been significant damage.” Jamie chuckled in response as best as his head would allow. “How are you feeling besides the killer headache?”

Jamie did a quick check of his body and groaned. “Everything seems to work but my ribs are kind of sore and my shoulders and chest hurts.” Aiming a practiced eye at Lee he did a quick visual of his captain for any telltale signs of significant physical damage to him. “Nice cut on your forehead. How are you feeling?” he inquired.

“I’m fine” he responded and laughed at Will’s eye roll. “I’m guessing I feel pretty much the same as you. I banged my head but other than the cut and annoying headache I think I avoided the concussion. I’m generally sore all over which is pretty much what I would expect after that carnival ride we just took.”

“So while you were out I’ve been in touch with the Admiral. The Coast Guard is preparing to mount a rescue mission but that won’t happen until after the winter storm bearing down on us passes. We’re looking at high winds and extremely low temps for the next 48 hours. We should be fine here in FS-1 even without heat with the gear we’ve got.” Lee explained.

“It’s getting late and I’m actually rather hungry. I’ll break out the rations and we can have a lovely candlelight dinner here under the northern lights.”

The mere thought of food made Jamieson almost ill. He swallowed convulsively a couple of times to make sure nothing made a surprise trip up. “I’m not hungry Lee.” Jamie replied.

Lee looked at him debating about whether to jump on him the way Jamie did when he wasn’t in the mood or condition to eat but ultimately decided to cut him some slack. “Well you have to at least have something to drink. Here take this sport drink, you have to stay hydrated. Here’s some ibuprofen to help with the pain.”

Jamie scowled at him and then begrudgingly accepted the bottle and pills. “Yes Doctor Crane. Thanks.” He said with a grin.

“Why don’t you crawl into this sleeping bag and settle down for a rest. I’ll keep an eye on you and poke and prod you in a couple hours or so just to make sure you don’t slip off without me.”

Jamie agreed and sat up gingerly allowing Lee to unfurl the sleeping bag, unzip it and stretch it out on the bunk. Jamie slid into the bag and Lee gently zipped it back up. “Comfy?” he asked. Jamie nodded and slipped back off to sleep.

Lee opened one to the prepackaged meals and ate his fill of chicken and dumplings, if that was truly what it was. He then grabbed his sleeping bag and laid it out on the floor next to the bunk. He turned out the lamp and laid there listening to the growing storm outside. He set the alarm on his watch to go off in two hours so he could get up and check on Jamie then lay back down and fell asleep.

~~~~~

Several hours later Lee was awakened by a low deep groan coming from all around FS-1. The sound kept growing in volume and intensity and suddenly the entire craft shook. Lee shot up and began looking around. It was quiet again except for the howling wind then just as before the groan began to build this time accompanied by loud cracks, pops and grinding sounds. Lee grabbed the flashlight and slowly climbed up the access ladder to the top hatch and carefully cracked the hatch to see if he could spot anything. The heavy snow, howling wind and darkness made seeing beyond the hatch impossible.

Lee secured the hatch and climbed back down to the deck. Just as he stepped down the sub suddenly lurched sideways and dropped several feet as the ice beneath them fissured and spilt. Lee was slammed to the floor as FS-1 settled. The jolt also woke Jamie and he quickly sat up to see what was going on.

“Lee” he called out. The sub was completely dark and he was unable to see anything. He could hear Lee moaning from somewhere on the floor. Jamie carefully levered himself out of the bunk fighting off the wave of vertigo and peeled out of his sleeping bag. “Lee! Answer me.”

“Jamie” came a breathy response. “I’m fine just had the wind knocked out of me when the world dropped away.” In the darkness Lee lay on the deck cradling his sore ribs trying to will the pain away. Next thing he was aware of was Jamie’s hand brushing against him in his attempt to locate the downed man.

Lee grabbed Jamie’s hand and slowly sat up. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Still got the headache but I didn’t get slammed to the deck,” Jamie replied. “Let me check you out to see if you’ve damaged yourself. What the hell happened by the way?”

Before Lee could answer the low groan began to grow again along with the pops, cracks and grinds from before. Once more the bottom dropped out from underneath them and they both found themselves hugging the deck as FS-1 settled on what felt like water this time. The sub bobbed lightly up and down.

Lee found the flashlight and turned it on. “I think this storm is breaking up the ice sheet. If we had power that would be a really good thing then we could submerge and work our way out of here but seeing how we’re not much more than driftwood we are at the mercy of the wind and shifting ice. Things seem to have settled down for the moment I’m going to go up and see what’s what.”

Lee again climbed the ladder up to the hatch. His ribs and muscles complained loudly making him bite back a groan as he reached above to open the hatch. The wind whipped through the slight crack chilling the entire cabin. The temperature was easily 50 below and with the wind chill closer to - 90. He played the beam of light in all directions and as best as he could make out through the driving snow they were currently floating in a large lead created once the sheet of ice they had been resting on split and separated.

Closing the hatch Lee came back down and relayed what he had seen to Jamie. “We need to contact Seaview and let them know our current status. If this storm is tearing up the ice they may be able to get in and get us out.”

He grabbed the Sat phone and dialed up the Institute. As promised his call was immediately forwarded to the Seaview where Sparks answered the call. “Sparks this is Crane I need to speak with the Admiral or Mr. Morton, whoever’s most handy.”

Seconds later Chip responded. “Hey Lee, how are things going out there?” The concern in his voice was palpable.

“We’ve had a bit of a change in status. The storm is really stirring things up and we are now floating within a lead that just opened up. If this is happening on a large enough scale maybe Seaview could come in after us.”

“The Admiral already has us moving in your general direction.” Chip answered. “We’ll start monitoring for patches of open water as we move further into the Beaufort. Is FS-1 seaworthy enough to ride this out on the water?”

“Yes” Lee replied. “Everything is tight and dry. It would be nice if the wind would knock down, we’re bobbing like a cork out here and it’s not helping Jamie’s nausea or headache. He’s gotten real attached to his bucket.” Jamie looked up and shot Lee a glare that would have peeled paint. Lee snickered quietly.

“Careful with that” Chip chided. “The man has access to large bore needles and just invents reasons to use them. Hang on out there; we’ll get to you as quickly as we can.”

“Thanks Chip. Better sign off, I’ll be in touch in 8 if nothing changes or sooner if it does.” Lee ended the call.

For the first time since they had crashed Jamie had a chance to look over Lee and try and spot any injuries he didn’t feel compelled to report. “Now that I’m up and more like myself let me take a look at you Lee.” Lee began to balk but Jamie was having none of it. “You’ve been through a crash landing and thrown to the deck at least twice it’s only wise to make sure you haven’t cracked or broken anything.”

Lee finally acquiesced to letting Jamie check him over. His ribs were killing him and he really suspected he had cracked a few. Jamie did a head to toe exam. When he got to his chest Lee gasped as Jamie prodded along his left side. “Feels like you’ve cracked a couple of ribs Lee. I know I would feel better if you would let me tape them up.” Lee nodded and divested himself of his shirt so Jamie could stabilize his damaged ribs. In the pale light from the flashlight Jamie gasped as he saw the massive bruises forming on Lee’s chest. “We’re taking pictures once we get back Captain.” Lee just rolled his eyes and waited for Jamie to finish.

Now that he had been tended to, Lee herded Jamie back to the bunk. “Come on Jamie back in the sack. I know all this motion isn’t making you feel any too good and your head has to be ready to snap of at the neck by now.” Jamie nodded and moved back to his bed.

It had been nearly 18 hours since they had crashed onto the ocean surface and it was damn cold in the little sub. Both men snuggled down deeper into their bags trying to keep warm. The rocking motion of FS-1 soon had them both sound asleep.

~~~~~

Lee suddenly snapped awake as he thought he felt a change in FS-1’s motion as though something was pushing against the side of the sub. He lay there motionlessly eyes scanning rapidly around the sub waiting for the next push. He didn’t have to wait long. There was another sensation of motion and then a grating sound on the hull. It was lighter outside now as the dark of night moved more toward the winter twilight that passed for day this time of year. The storm was still giving its all but he could just make out the ice edge looking out the herculite windows.

They seemed to be moving toward the ice edge and something beside the wind was pushing them there. Lee climbed up the ladder once again and cracked the hatch to survey the situation. Things did not look good. The lead they had been floating in was now in the process of closing back up and that could spell disaster for the little sub. If they got jammed between the two converging ice sheets it would crush FS-1 like a beer can.

Lee closed up the hatch and descended the ladder to find Jamie sitting up looking intently at him. “What’s up?” Jamie asked.

“The lead is closing up and that could prove problematic for us. We need to get all our gear packed up and ready to go if worse comes to worst and we get caught between the ice instead of being pushed up and onto the sheet. The last thing I want to do is leave FS-1 but that will be preferable to being crushed to death.”

“How are you feeling by the way?” Lee asked.

“Relatively speaking I’m feeling fine. Still have a headache but the intensity has backed off. I’ve made it through the night so I think I’m safe from any complications. How about you?”

Lee smiled and gave his patented “I’m fine” response and began busying himself with sorting and consolidating their emergency supplies for a potential evacuation from FS-1.

Once everything was sorted and packed Lee broke out a couple of food packets and handed one to Jamie. Jamie shook his head to decline but found himself trapped in his captain’s disapproving glare. “To quote a well-known physician “I know you don’t feel like it but you have to eat to keep up your strength.” Jamie rolled his eyes and took the proffered package. “Seriously Jamie, in this cold we’re burning nearly 8,000 calories a day just to keep warm. You have to re-stoke the furnace or you’re going to be in trouble.”

He took the packet from Lee and tore it open. Jamie forced down the food and had to admit he did feel better. Lee took his empty packet and tidied up after breakfast. Once finished they crawled back into their bags to fend off the cold. The temperature in the sub was sitting around 20 below zero and anytime spent without a coat or bag left them shivering vigorously fighting off the cold.

As they settled in they chatted about any variety of topics to pass the time. It seemed as though the storm was backing off as the sound of the wind was less pervasive and the curtain of snow sailing past the windows wasn’t quite as dense letting them glimpse more of the severe arctic landscape. They had settled into a companionable silence when all of a sudden FS-1 lurched dramatically to a halt as it impacted the ice edge in front of them.

Sitting on the floor, bundled up snugly in his bag Lee was unprepared for jolt that sent him toppling forward into the access ladder head first. He banged it hard eliciting a loud groan. Jamie nearly launched off the bunk but was able to get his hands out to check his movement before he went over the edge.

“Damn” swore Lee as he finally got his arms out of the bag and was able to push himself back up to a seated position. He quickly zipped open his cocoon and started up the ladder to check out their situation. As he climbed the sub shifted position again as the nose was pushed down by the offending ice sheet. Lee hugged the ladder closer avoiding yet another meeting with the deck.

With difficulty he undogged the hatch and pushed it open. FS-1 was quickly being consumed by two converging ice sheets that were rapidly building an immense pressure ridge as they ground against one another. It was becoming painfully obvious if they didn’t get out of the sub they would be encased in a mountain of ice and snow which could easily flatten FS-1 into the proverbial pancake.

Lee descended the steps. “It looks like our time is about up Jamie. We need to bail out now if we don’t want to end up like something on one of the Admiral’s microscope slides.” Lee started jamming his sleeping bag into its stuff sack and Jamie quickly followed suit. Once that was done they finished packing their remaining gear into their backpacks and donned their arctic parkas, gloves and boots.

Lee grabbed his gear and headed up the steps and pushed open the hatch. The wind threatened to throw it back down on him but he managed to get it all the way over before another gust caught it. The temperature was brutally cold and Lee felt as though he’d plunged into an icy sea as his breath was snatched away. He jumped up on top and leaned over to help Jamie with his gear and to give him a hand getting out. As they stood on the top of FS-1 getting their bearings the little sub shifted again tossing them forward. They both lost their footing and went sliding towards the nose. Jamie’s pack rolled back into the sub and Lee barely managed to grab his before it followed suit.

Recovering his footing and his pack he pulled Jamie to his feet. “Jamie, take my pack and start climbing up that bank. I’ve got to go back in and get your pack or we don’t stand a chance of surviving in this weather.” Jamie thought to argue but one look at Lee’s face had him quickly donning the backpack and starting his ascent up the growing mountain of ice and snow looming over them.

Lee quickly scooted back into the little sub and grabbed the pack. As he turned to head top side FS-1 shifted again sliding nose first into a large crack in front of them effectively blocking the top hatch. Lee lost his balance and went sailing chest first into the front control panel. His already bruised ribs complained loudly not happy with yet another assault. He couldn’t control the cry of pain that was wrenched from his body and laid motionlessly up against the herculite windows trying to stem the threatening darkness and crushing ache.

Jamie stared back in horror as FS-1 nearly disappeared from sight. “LEE! Oh god no! Lee can you hear me?” Only the howling wind responded as Jamie started to work his way back down to the sub. As he neared the craft suddenly the aft door was open and Jamie’s backpack flew out. Lee pulled himself out of the sub with great difficulty leaving him on his knees gasping for breath, holding his chest, eyes screwed shut against the pain.

“Lee!” screamed Jamie speeding up his descent. Lee looked up and motioned that Jamieson should stop. Breathing raggedly Lee forced himself to his feet and picked up the pack and slung it on his back. That move was nearly his undoing as his abused ribs made it known they weren’t happy. He moved forward to the ridging snow and slowly started climbing towards the top. As he neared Jamie, the doctor reached down and helped pull his CO up onto the large block of ice that he was kneeling on. Momentarily safe both men caught their breath and tried to calm their nerves after that near miss.

Once under control Lee nodded to Jamie and they resumed their climb away from the unstable area beneath them. As they finally crested the mountain of snow and ice they rose to their feet to survey the surrounding area. The landscape was a bleak and frigid wasteland. The area around them looked like something from a science fiction movie; everything was composed of shades of white and gray effectively removing much in the way of definition. For as far as the eye could see there were only drifts of snow and massive ridges created from the shifting sheets of ice, whipped and scoured by the raging wind. A profound feeling of desolation swept through the men.

Pulling out his compass Lee took a quick reading and then pointed south. “We might as well start moving towards shore. We need to put some distance between us and this area, it’s far too unstable for us to stay here.” Jamie nodded. Putting a hand on Lee’s shoulder Jamie fixed him with a questioning stare. “I’m okay Jamie, just a little more bruised. We have to get moving and build us some shelter quickly if we’re going to survive.”

Lee turned and started making his way down to the surface below. They both slipped and slid their way off of the mounded ridge until they stood on the flat snow covered ice. Lee pulled a length of rope off his pack and tied it around his waist then turned and tied the other end to the doctor’s waist. “Don’t want to lose you.” He winked and smiled. “I figure if we put about a half mile distance between us and this ridge we should be fine until someone comes to collect us.”

“Sounds like a plan. The quicker we can get out of this wind and snow the better.” Jamie responded. Lee turned and started walking with Jamie following close behind.

It was slow going as the wind buffeted them unmercifully making them feel that for every two steps forward they got pushed back one. The snow and ice pelted their faces and they had to walk with their heads down to keep the wind and snow out of their eyes further slowing their progress. The gusts were vicious and threatened to knock them off their feet as they trod over the uneven surface. Lee finally spotted a series of large drifts ahead and indicated to Jamie that’s where they wanted to go. An hour later they kneeled in the lee of a large drift exhausted from their arduous march across the arctic desert.

As they sat there catching their breath and relishing the sensation of not being blasted by the wind Lee opened his pack and pulled out a collapsible shovel. He unfolded the shovel and tightened down the locking mechanism. Next he began digging into the side of the drift making a snow cave for them to hole up in until rescue arrived.

After digging for an hour Jamie took the shovel from Lee and continued digging giving his captain a much needed rest. Between the two of them they excavated a cave large enough for the both of them to stretch out in. Once it was finished they crawled inside, slid a block of snow over the entrance and collapsed. It felt so good to be out of the wind and to actually be able to catch their breath without their lungs feeling they would burst from the bitter cold. They laid there for a few minutes letting their bodies recover from the exertion of the past few hours.

Lee sat up slowly and pulled a lantern from his pack and switched it on. The cave was actually pretty large giving them room to move around comfortably but not too large that their body heat wouldn’t warm the area up a bit. Next thing out of the pack was food and water. They demolished their meal with relish as they were starved from all the activity and the bitter cold. Finally Lee pulled out the Sat phone and tried to contact the Seaview. He cycled the phone on and off a number of times but he just wasn’t getting a signal inside the cave. Zipping up his parka and pulling his gloves back on, he pulled the snow block back from the cave entrance and exited into the frigid winds and snow. Lee cycled the phone a couple of more times but he still had no luck in pulling in a signal which did nothing to raise his spirits.

“I can’t get a clear signal” he said to Jamie as he reentered the cave. “I’m hoping it has something to do with the weather and not the phone.” He stowed the phone and pulled out a personal EPIRB and activated it. “Want to give them our new address.” As he turned to start pulling his sleeping bag out of his backpack he winced and his left arm shot across his chest.

“Lee, what’s wrong?” Jamie said with a very concerned look crossing his face.

“I just moved too fast. I got up close and personal with the front control panels of FS-1 when she took that last plunge. Nothing broken just added a few more layers of bruises.”

“Riiiigggghhhhttt. Stretch out your bag, lie down and let me check you out.” Jamie replied. Lee sent him a scowl but it bounced off with no effect. Lee complied and unzipped his parka so Jamie could examine his ribs. Jamie quickly examined Lee’s chest feeling for any additional damage since he taped Lee up. Lee gasped audibly as Jamie pressed on his ribs. “Looks like you’ve cracked a couple more ribs and there could be some internal damage given all the abuse you’ve taken recently.” He reached into his pack and pulled out more tape to shore up the injured ribs and some ibuprofen to help take the edge off the pain as well.

Lee took them gladly. “You could probably go for a dose of that yourself, Jamie. You’re still recovering from the concussion and I know you’ve got your share of Technicolor bruises too.” Jamie smirked and popped a couple of pills in his mouth. “Happy now Doctor Crane?” Lee smiled and nodded emphatically.

Taped and medicated they finished pulling out all the gear they needed to make their cave comfy. Both men crawled into their bags and fell quickly asleep.

~~~~~

It had been nearly 36 hours since FS-1’s unscheduled landing and the weather was holding true to the forecast. “Figures,” grumbled Chip. “When you need them to miss the mark they never come through. I just hope this front blows itself out early.” It had been over 8 hours since Lee’s last communication and Chip was starting to grow concerned.

Suddenly Sparks called out from the radio shack, “Mr. Morton we just lost FS-1’s EPRIB! I’m scanning all the channels but it’s gone.”

“Damn!” Chip swore. He picked up the mic and contacted the Admiral. “Sir we just lost FS-1’s EPIRB. Things must be deteriorating rapidly out there. It’s also been over 10 hours since Lee checked in and I’m starting to get really worried”

“Chip increase to flank and get us in the Beaufort fast. Any word on when the storm will break up?”

“Predictions are proving to be right on track so it should be at least another 12 hours before anything can be put in the air to try and locate them. Coast Guard indicates they have their SAR helicopters in Deadhorse and are just waiting for conditions to improve.”

“There’s no one better at surviving in extreme conditions than Lee and Jamie is there to keep him honest. We need to rely on their resourcefulness and their stubbornness to get them through this.” Nelson’s words were as much for himself as for reassurance for Chip and the crew.

“Aye sir” Chip replied and hung up the mic.

~~~~~

Lee’s eyes suddenly shot open. He could tell the storm had died down but there was something else out there now. He could hear whatever it was tromping atop their cave on the drift above. He flipped on the lamp and as slowly and quietly as possible he opened his pack and eased out the flare gun and his .45 automatic. The light disturbed Jamie and he slowly opened his eyes. He was about to question Lee about what was going on when Lee immediately held his finger to his lips to silence Jamie.

Using hand signs he indicated that something was on top of the drift walking around. He motioned to Jamie to remain still. They laid there quietly following the steps back and forth across the top of their drift. As they tracked the movement overhead it was obvious that whatever it was had climbed down. Next thing they heard was sniffing and a heavy chuff from just outside the door. Lee very carefully eased himself out of his sleeping bag and Jamie moved to do the same thing.

Suddenly the entire front of their cave exploded as a large polar bear lunged in grabbing Jamie by the leg and dragging him out. Jamie screamed in pain and in terror as the huge beast sank his teeth into his leg intent on making him his next meal. He pounded with all his might against the animal with no more effect than an infant.

Lee sprang to his feet fighting his way through the avalanche of snow that had been their shelter and fired off a shot from his .45. The loud report from the gun startled the bear enough to release Jamie and it looked up to see the other man moving rapidly to the side. The bear swiped its massive paw at Lee catching him squarely on the left side of his chest launching him a good 15 feet through the air. Its claws tore through his parka like tissue paper leaving a deep gash across his chest. Lee curled into a ball as best he could to absorb the impact as he hit the ground and rolled quickly to his feet. The bear turned to charge just as he climbed to his feet leveling his weapon at the massive beast.

Lee fired seven shots all hitting their mark but none sufficient to bring down the rampaging bear. Roaring in pain and rage it barreled into him slamming him flat to the ground with a sickening crunch. The only thing saving Lee from serious injury was the cushion provided by the recently fallen snow. Somehow Lee managed to hold onto the gun and as the bear prepared to make its killing bite he managed to squeeze off his final round into the bears maw killing it instantly. The bear swayed slightly and fell heavily to the ground with Lee sandwiched beneath it.

Silence filled the air as even the wind had stopped seemingly stunned motionless by the sudden violence of the attack. Jamie just stared, momentarily frozen like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck. As the startled paralysis wore off he tried to gain his feet to go to Lee but crumpled to the ground in agony the minute he put weight on his right leg. In the adrenaline surge he had totally forgotten about his own injuries or the pain. The bite wound from the attack was bleeding profusely and the bones in his lower leg were most likely broken. He pulled himself back towards their demolished cave to try and find something to stem the flow of blood.

Finding the first aid kit he pulled out a large pressure bandage and applied it to his leg. Cinching it down tightly Jamie sat there collecting himself and mentally replaying the entire scene. It was akin to watching his life pass before his eyes as everything seemed to flow in slow motion. When all was said and done the entire attack was over in less than a minute but it seemed to stretch on for hours. Shaking himself back to the present Jamie grabbed Lee’s pack and started crawling over to his downed CO.

Blood seemed to cover everything standing out in stark contrast to the monochromatic landscape around them. As he reached Lee he laid his fingers gently on Lee’s neck searching for a pulse, they shook in fear of what he was sure he would find. As he touched his neck Lee moaned softly startling the doctor. “Lee! Lee can you hear me? Come on Lee try and open your eyes.”

Lee moaned again and slowly pried his eyes open. There was no hiding the pain that racked the captain’s body. He grimaced and swallowed hard trying to staunch the ache that radiated throughout his being. His eyes scanned back and forth slowly until his gaze finally fixed on Jamie. He tried a weak smile but just didn’t have the energy to complete it.

“Jamie, you okay?” he said softly.

“I’m a little worse for wear but I’ll live. How ‘bout you?” Jamie responded.

“Hurts, hard to breathe.” He clenched his eyes shut and swallowed convulsively a couple of times as a wave of pain broke over him. Lee began to shake as the adrenaline surge wore off leaving him fully open to the pain and horror of the moments before.

“I can understand why. Hold on Skipper let me see if I can roll this behemoth off of you.” Jamie pushed and pulled as best he could but with a bad leg he had no leverage on the 1,000 lb load of dead polar bear. Lee wasn’t able to provide any assistance either as one of his arms was pinned down by the body on top of him. Panting from the exertion Jamie had to sit down and catch his breath. “It’s no good Lee that’s just too much animal for me to move.”

Lee closed his eye and tried to catch his breath as well. “Jamie, find my pack, get the Sat phone. With the storm down maybe we can make contact with Seaview. We have to get out of here soon; the smell of blood will bring in other bears.”

“Oh that’s a cheery thought. I’ve got your pack right here.” Jamie rooted around in the pack until he pulled out the phone. He switched it on and dialed the Institute. Three rings later Sparks answered the call.

“Admiral! I’ve got Dr. Jamieson on the Sat phone.” Sparks called across the control room.

Nelson dashed from the nose to the radio shack, practically snatching the mic out of Sparks’ hand. “Jamie, this is Nelson, are you all right?”

“Admiral the situation is not good. We had to abandon FS-1 when it became trapped between colliding ice sheets. We hiked about a half mile south from there and made a snow cave to get out of the storm. That was fine until a polar bear sniffed us out this morning and attacked us. Lee managed to kill the bear but not before it did considerable damage to us both. I’ve got a bite wound to my right leg with a probable tib-fib fracture. I think Lee was badly injured when the bear took a swipe at him but I can’t verify that because the bear is lying on top of him and we can’t get it off.”

“How’s Lee doing?” Nelson inquired his heart feeling like it was clenched in a fist.

“He’s in a lot of pain and is having difficulty breathing because of the weight on his chest. He’s probably bleeding but hopefully the weight of the bear is applying enough pressure to slow it down. He’s on the verge of going into shock and as it stands right now I can’t even treat him for that. What is the status of the Coast Guard SAR Team?”

“They’re ready to fly now that the storm has died down but they’re a good 2 hours from your position. We’re in the Beaufort now, close to your initial coordinates and we’re looking for breaks in the ice. If we can find an area with open water or ice thin enough to push through we’ll surface and try and make it to you on foot. Keep the phone turned on Jamie in case we need to contact you.”

“Copy that Admiral. The sooner someone can get to us the better. Lee is very concerned that with the fresh blood and the dead bear others of his kinsmen will come looking for a meal.”

“Understood Jamie. Hang in there as best you can we’ll get there as quickly as possible. Nelson out.”

Turning off the phone Jamie sagged against Lee’s backpack and laid his head down wearily on his arms. The pain in his leg was ratcheting up as he wound down from the frantic events of the attack. He raised his head and looked at Lee. He was nearly as white as the snow around him. His respiration was rapid and shallow, his eyes were closed and pain was clearly etched across his face.

“Lee”, he called softly. “Are you still with me?”

Lee cracked open his eyes seeing the concern written clearly across Jamie’s face. He tried to give a smile to assuage his friend’s fears but he was just too tired and hurt to make it anything more than a pinched grimace.

“Jamie, can you find the flare gun? I had it with me just as Nanuq here broke through our door. I know you’re hurting but being able to attract attention once the cavalry arrives is going to speed up our rescue immensely.”

“I’ll look for it in a few minutes. Let me see what I can do for you and make you a little more comfortable. How are you feeling, honestly?”

“My chest feels like it’s got a 1000 lb bear on it and I know I’ve broken ribs this time. At least I’m not cold with this bear skin rug on me”, Lee joked.

Jamie grinned slightly and peered intently into Lee’s eyes to determine if he had sustained a concussion when he was slammed to the ground. The golden hazel eyes held no symptoms of a head injury which offered some relief. He took Lee’s pulse again finding it more rapid than he liked which was indicative of blood loss and potential internal injuries but with no access to the majority of Lee’s body there was no way to tell. He was definitely going into shock.

Jamie dragged himself back over to their shelter and started sifting through the snow to retrieve anything he could. He stretched out the sleeping bags and loaded their gear on top then slowly inched his way back to his captain. On the way back his knee hit something hard and as he dug beneath the snow he found the lost flare gun. A grim smile played across his face; one less thing to do.

Once back at Lee’s side he took one of the sleeping bags and folded it into a pillow and gently placed it under Lee’s head. Lee made no move to assist or even open his eyes. Next he searched through his pack and pulled out the first aid kit retrieving some ibuprofen for himself and Lee. He grabbed a bottle of water to wash down the pills down only to find it frozen solid. He cursed softly and choked down the pills dry. He then gently shook Lee to give him his dose.

“Lee wake up for me please. We need to get these pills down you.”

Lee rolled his head slightly and mumbled something incoherently. Jamie shook him a little harder until Lee finally opened his eyes and focused on Jamie. Jamie placed the pills in Lee’s mouth and then gently placed a handful of snow in his mouth to hopefully aid in washing the pills down.

Now more alert Lee reached his free arm under the bear and pulled out his gun. He handed it to Jamie. “Jamie, there’s more ammunition in my pack. We need to have a loaded weapon at hand should anything else come looking for a meal. Did you find the flare gun?”

Jamie took the gun from Lee and nodded. “Yes, I found the flare gun.” He started looking through Lee’s pack for the extra ammo clips for the gun. Finding them he released the expended clip and replaced it with a new one. “There, we’re now loaded for bear.” Lee rolled his eyes and laughed as best he could.

Having done all he could for Lee, Jamie pulled the remnants of his mangled sleeping bag over his shoulders as he settled down next to Lee to try and gather some of his waning strength. For the first time he really took notice of the area and the environment around him. Huge drifts had grown during the storm making the landscape look like heavy seas made up of huge white waves frozen in time. The temperature had risen noticeably especially since the wind had stopped. It was nearing midday and the sky was bathed in the twilight colors that come just before sunrise. Being that far north it was too early in the year for the sun to reach above the horizon but it still lightened the sky enough to allow Jamie to scan the distance.

No sign of bears, so far. That’s a good thing. He closed his eyes and listened intently to Lee’s breathing and for any hint of animal movement or a helicopter. Before he knew it Jamie drifted off to sleep as he bordered on total exhaustion.

Jamie was suddenly jolted awake when the Sat phone went off. He quickly grabbed the phone and answered. “Admiral?”

“No Jamie, its Chip. We bulldozed our way through the ice sheet and are now working our way towards you. I’m trying to triangulate on your position but there’s a whole lot of white country out here and we’re having a little trouble finding you. Is there any way you can send us a signal?”

“Would a flare help you out?” Jamie replied smiling to himself. He was once again impressed with the presence of mind that Lee always seemed to possess regardless of his condition to ensure they had what they needed to survive a situation. Had he not mentioned the flare gun Jamie would never even have thought of it.

“Yeah that would do the trick”, Chip answered.

Jamie pulled out the flare gun raised it overhead and fired. In the semi-dark sky it had all the impact of a roman candle fired off on the 4th of July. He watched the ball of fire ascend high in the sky and seemingly hang there suspended like a miniature sun.

“Gotcha Jamie! We’re on our way. Hold tight we should be there shortly.”

“Hurry Chip, please.” Jamie said as the line went dead.

Jamie sat up and moved closer to Lee. He was still deathly pale and his breathing had taken on a much more labored tone. Jamie placed his hand on Lee’s forehead. He was getting cold, too cold. He tried to rouse Lee to let him know that Chip and crew were on their way but could get no response.

“Come on Lee hang in there. Help is nearly here you can’t give up now. You’ve done too much to get us here and you don’t want to piss off your XO. You know how much satisfaction he takes in reading you the riot act for the improper care and feeding of the Seaview’s captain. You can’t deprive him of that.” Jamie picked up Lee’s free hand and held it tightly in his own trying to will the younger man some of his strength to hold him over until they could be safely ensconced in the Seaview’s sick bay.

Jamie remained at Lee’s side with his hand on his shoulder chatting quietly to let him know he was not alone. He suddenly cocked his head to the side thinking he heard the telltale rumble of a helicopter. He stood up best he could and scanned the southern horizon for any sign of the aircraft. Much to his relief he spotted the helo. Grabbing the flare gun he fired off another round to attract their attention and guide them to their location.

The chopper targeted in on the flare immediately making a bee line for the man frantically waving a makeshift flag on the ice surface below. The aircraft circled overhead as the pilots looked for a location where they could set the chopper down and begin rescue efforts. Spotting a suitable location to their east they moved off and landed on the ice about 50 yards off. As the rotors powered down and men sprang from the helicopter with stretchers and other first aid supplies, Jamie heard a yell from behind him. Turning around he spotted Chip and the Seaview contingent running across the snow and ice to likewise come to the aid of their shipmates.

Jamie had never felt so relieved in his life. The relief on his face could be easily seen by both approaching rescue parties. Chip was the first to arrive giving him a reassuring hug that help had arrived and they were going to be safe and warm very soon. The rest of the team was right behind him arriving seconds later. They moved quickly over to Lee and between the six members of the team they were able to roll the dead bear off of him.

Once the bear was gone the damage Lee had sustained in the attack was immediately apparent. There were five deep gashes across his chest and with the pressure now off they began to bleed in earnest. Jamie moved to start treatment of his captain but was restrained by Kowalski. “Doc, relax. Let us take care of the Skipper and you. There are plenty of trained people here to see you get the best help possible.”

Jamie started to protest but the strain of the last few days finally took hold with a vengeance. He sighed heavily, his eyes rolled back and he passed out into Kowalski’s arms.

Meanwhile Chip had dropped to his knees near Lee’s head and was talking quietly to him as both Seaview and Coast Guard medics jumped into action to save the captain’s life. “Lee we’re here now. They’re fixing you up so you can go back to Seaview and start taking care of your Gray Lady like you’re supposed to. Just focus on breathing and let them take care of the rest.”

There was no response from Lee as the EMT’s cut away his parka and clothing to reveal the damage done by both the crash and the bear. Gasps were elicited from everyone at the extent of the wound and the bruising all over his chest. They slapped on pressure bandages to stem the flow of blood and set up IVs to add badly needed fluids to his body. An oxygen mask was placed over his nose and mouth and heated hypothermia blankets were laid over him. Having taken care of the immediate first aid they gently lifted him into a stretcher for transport.

Jamie was likewise getting the attention he so badly needed. His pant leg was cut off along with his self- applied bandage to reveal several deep puncture wounds on his lower leg. Fresh dressings were applied to his wounds and an air splint was carefully placed on his leg to immobilize the broken bones for transport. Jamie also was the recipient of an IV along with a healthy dose of pain killers and heated blankets to stave off hypothermia.

As Lee and Jamie were readied for transport Chip headed over to the helicopter to speak with the pilot. “I’m Lt. Commander Morton, XO of Seaview.”

“Nice to meet you sir. Lt. Ebsen, Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak. ”

“Thanks for coming out, your help is invaluable. Seaview’s on the surface about 2 miles north of here. I think it would be better for our patients if you could transport them to the sub so we can get them treatment immediately instead of having them wait because of flight time back to shore.” Chip offered.

“That sounds like an excellent idea, sir. We can airlift them to Seaview and lower them to the deck. Would that be acceptable?” Ebsen replied.

“Great. I’ll contact Seaview and make sure we have deck hands ready to assist.” Chip quickly turned and activated his portable radio. “Seaview this is Morton.”

“Nelson here. Did you find them Chip? Are they alive?” Nelson inquired earnestly.

“Yes sir to both your questions. We arrived just ahead of the Coast Guard helicopter. Lee’s in bad shape. He still had the bear on top of him when we arrived so Jamie had no way of taking care of his injuries. He has a wicked gash across his chest, along with broken ribs and bruising all over his upper torso. He’s unconscious and has been for a while according to Jamie. Speaking of Jamie he has deep bite marks on his right leg and both lower bones are broken. He was awake when we arrived but passed out shortly after all the rescue teams arrived. I think the only thing keeping him going was keeping watch over Lee. ”

“Admiral I suggested to the Coast Guard pilot that they airlift Lee and Jamie to Seaview and they’re up for that. Would you please have a deck detail ready to receive the stretchers once the helicopter is ready to lower them to the deck?” Chip continued.

“We’ll make all preparations to handle the incoming helicopter. Bring them home Chip.”

“Aye sir we’ll be on our way shortly. Morton out.”

“Mr. O’Brien, get a deck crew ready to receive the Coast Guard helicopter with Captain Crane and Dr. Jamieson. Also notify sick bay and have the corpsmen standing by to receive the injured”, Nelson ordered. The looks on the faces of the control room crew were somewhat relieved knowing their Skipper and doctor were alive but their reported condition left plenty to worry about. Nelson grabbed his parka and headed topside to await the return of his missing men and his rescue team. At least the weather was holding and winds and waves were calm making a steady platform for the Coast Guard helicopter to lower his injured men down to.

Concern registered across the admiral’s face as he paced back and forth across Seaview’s deck while puffing distractedly on his cigarette. Things sounded bad for Lee and he was worried they might not get him back in time. Time seemed to stop as he waited for the arrival of the chopper. As he strode over the deck the corpsmen and deck hands stood ready to act when the helicopter arrived. Their impatience like his was clearly evidenced in their postures and the concerned looks on their faces.

Within minutes they heard the engine roar of the Coast Guard aircraft closing in on the Seaview. As soon as they were in position, a rescue crewman was lowered to the deck to control the descent of the stretchers. Once he touched down he gave the signal to lower away and the first basket with Jamie inside was winched down to the waiting hands on the deck. The basket was quickly disconnected from the winch and the doctor was whisked away to sick bay.

The Skipper was lowered next and again all hands jumped to take control of the stretcher and get him aboard as quickly as possible. As the Admiral moved towards Lee’s stretcher the Coast Guard rescue crewman approached him, “Sir we’re going to go back and pick up your rescue team and fly them here as well.”

Nelson nodded as a relieved smile spread across his face. “Thank you and your crew for making it up here so fast and for the rescue and support of my team. I really appreciate it. Please pass my regards to your captain.” Nelson replied. The Coastie nodded and then signaled the helicopter for pick up.

Harri quickly followed after the stretchers to check on the condition of his captain and physician. He was tempted to run down to sick bay once he hit the control room floor but a certain degree of decorum had to be maintained. Upon his arrival the scene in sick bay was that of choreographed chaos as the corpsmen worked quickly to assess the conditions of both Captain Crane and Dr. Jamieson and initiate treatment.

Both men had been stripped of their cold weather gear and uniforms exposing the massive bruising both had all over their bodies. Each man was x-rayed from head to toe to identify the extent of the injuries that couldn’t be seen.

Staying well out of the corpsman’s way Harri walked to Lee’s gurney and looked down at his Captain. Lee was ghostly pale from the blood loss, hypothermia and other damage he had sustained and even with the oxygen mask was struggling to breathe. Harri gently laid his hand on Lee’s forehead and leaned forward near Lee’s ear and spoke quietly to him. “You’re home now son. You’re safe and aboard your Lady. Just relax and let them take care of you.”

Next Harri walked over to Jamie. Though not nearly as pale it was obvious that Jamie had also endured a lot on this adventure. He placed his hand on Jamie’s shoulder and likewise spoke softly in his ear. “Jamie, you’re home now. You’re safe and sound, just relax and let us take care of you for a change.”

Jamie moaned softly and then slowly opened his eyes to see the Admiral looking down at him, concern clearly written across his face. He blinked a couple of times and smiled slightly just as the pain from his injuries slammed home. He hissed at the sudden discomfort as John worked on his leg.

Seeing his patient awake, John quickly grabbed a syringe with a heavy duty pain killer and injected it into Jamie’s IV. The narcotic lassitude swept quickly through his body and Jaime let loose a long sigh of relief. “Better Doctor?” John inquired.

Jamie nodded and closed his eyes for a moment savoring the warmth and comfort of Seaview’s sick bay. “How’s the Skipper?” he asked in return. John looked over at the next gurney and watched the other corpsman frantically working on the Captain.

“They’re doing their best for him Jamie.” Nelson answered. “You need to just relax and let John take care of you. You took quite a few hits yourself and it looks like you and Lee will be keeping each other company for a while.”

Jamie turned his head towards the Captain’s gurney and took in the monitors, IVs and blood transfusions attached to his body. “Damn he’s not breathing” Thomas swore. “Looks like a lung has collapsed. Mick, get the ventilator and let’s get him intubated. We gotta get a chest tube in as well.” The corpsmen jumped into action to get the flow of oxygen back to the Captain’s body. Jamie struggled to sit up and to assist in the Captain’s care.

“Sir, you need to lie back down. There’s nothing you can do for the Skipper in your current condition.” John said quietly as he pushed his superior back down on the gurney and tried to continue his ministrations.

Jamie looked up to the Admiral to intervene but Harri was lost in the drama on the next table. His face was nearly as pale as Lee’s as he watched his Captain and surrogate son struggle for his life. Chip and the rescue team entered just as things started going south. Kowalski and Patterson jumped into action assisting Thomas and Mick with the Skipper while Gerome and Phil moved to help John with Jamie.

Chip moved to Nelson’s side taking in Lee’s condition. Shock registered across his face as he stood witness to the bruising, open wound and now the corpsmen’s struggle to get his CO and brother breathing again. He already looked dead with the bluish white pallor of his skin given the blood loss, cold and lack of oxygen. Chip swallowed hard. “Come on Lee, keep fighting.”

“Okay.” Thomas said with a huge sigh, “We’ve got him breathing again.” A small wave of relief washed over the men in the room at that pronouncement.

Jamie once again tried to sit up and take in the Skipper’s condition. “Thomas what are we looking at here”, he inquired. Looking up briefly at his superior on the other gurney Thomas had to let loose a smile at Jamieson’s tenacity and determination to help the Skipper despite his own not inconsiderable injuries.

“Looking at the x-rays the Skipper has 5 broken ribs and a cracked sternum. The gash across his chest is fairly deep and looks to have scraped one of his ribs. He’s lost a lot of blood and his blood pressure and pulse rate bear that out.” John responded as he continued to work on the Captain.

Jamie listened intently to the report on Lee’s injuries dismayed at the extent of the damage. “It’s really important you get that wound cleaned out well. It’s just made for a major infection and as it stands right now the Captain’s not up to fighting off a fever. If you haven’t already done so, get a heavy load of antibiotics started to stave off a potential infection.”

“Already on it, sir” Thomas replied. “I work for the best and he’s taught me well. We’ll take good care of the Skipper. It’s time for you to stand down sir and get some rest.”

With that last remark John smiled and introduced a sedative into Jamie’s IV. Jamie glared at him and then slowly surrendered to the welcoming embrace of sleep. John next moved to set the bones in Jamie’s leg. Thankfully the break had been clean and there had been very little displacement of the bones making the task much easier. Once set he x-rayed the leg again and then reapplied an air cast; with the bite wounds they would need ready access to keep the wounds clean and infection free. Finishing that with the aid of the other corpsmen he wrapped Jamie’s ribs, got him in some sick bay greens and tucked him securely in one of the bunks.

Thomas looked up at the Admiral and Mr. Morton. “Sirs we need to move the Skipper into surgery to adequately clean out this wound and get him stitched back up. This is going to take a while so you may want to go grab some coffee and relax a bit. I’ll let you know when we’ve got him stable and you can come back and sit with him.”

Nelson and Morton nodded having been through this drill far too many times. Chip smiled at Thomas in appreciation of the way he was effectively directing the activities in the room and handling his hovering superiors. Jamie had in deed taught them all well. “Shall we go to the wardroom, sir” Chip asked Nelson.

Harri reluctantly took his eyes off Lee and acknowledged Chip’s suggestion. “Let’s head up to the nose,” he replied. “We need to see about locating FS-1 and if we can retrieve her or at the very least better-mark her location for recovery once the ice starts melting.” Chip agreed and they both exited Sick Bay leaving the corpsmen to fully concentrate on their two patients.

~~~~~

Warmth, blessed warmth was the first thing Lee registered as he began his assent to consciousness. The bitter, biting cold was gone. Next sense to reassert itself was smell, the unmistakable odor of antiseptics and rubbing alcohol perfumed the air; he was in a medical facility. The steady and reassuring thrum of engines, Seaview’s engines, reverberated through his body; he was home. A small smile passed across his lips until he made a critical error and moved. Pain slammed through his body startling him completely. His eyes flew open at the same time a groan escaped his lips.

“Easy lad, you’ve had a busy week.” The reassuring bass of the Admiral’s voice and a gentle hand placed carefully on his shoulder was like a soothing balm easing the jolt of agony that greeted his return to the living. He locked eyes with Nelson looking for the verification that he was home.

“Jamie, is he here? Is he alright?” Lee struggled to sit up and check the room for his CMO and friend.

Nelson smiled and gently pushed Lee back down. The relief in his eyes was almost tangible. “Yes Jamie is safe and recovering nicely. He’s over in the neighboring bunk recuperating from his bout with the bear.”

At the sound of the Admiral’s voice Thomas entered the room to check on his patient. “Morning Skipper, how are you feeling?” He quickly went about taking the Captain’s pulse, listening to his heart and lungs and checking his bandages. One look at the Skipper’s face told him that the pain associated with his litany of injuries was making itself known and not in a subtle way.

Lee gave serious thought to his standard “I’m fine” response but everything hurt too much to try that one out and it wouldn’t elicit the same response he enjoyed getting from his CMO. He settled on “Hurts”.

“I’m not surprised, sir” responded Thomas. “Let me give you something to take the edge off.” He produced a syringe and injected its contents into Lee’s IV. The growing wave of relief spread quickly through his body and he let loose a relieved sigh.

“The truth?!” Jamie exclaimed from the other bunk. “All I ever get from you is “I’m fine”. That’s just not fair.”

Both Lee and Nelson couldn’t control the laugh Jamie’s outburst elicited. Lee deeply regretted it as his entire chest reacted to the sudden activity. Even as Lee sucked in a breath against the pain he continued to smile getting the response he wanted. It let him know Jamie was okay and feeling better.

As Thomas ministered to Lee and Jamie threw in comments from the peanut gallery Nelson moved to the mic. “Mr. Morton this is Nelson.”

“Morton here” came the rapid response.

“Mr. Morton please report to Sick Bay as your duties allow.”

A broad smile spread across Chip’s face, Lee was awake. “Aye, sir. I’ll be there shortly.” Chip did a quick review of the control room. Relieved smiles greeted him as he reviewed each station as the crew also surmised the Skipper was awake. Morton turned over command to O’Brien and moved quickly to Sick Bay to see his CO and brother.

“I feel like I’ve been run over by a tank. How long have I been out?” Lee asked.

“You’ve been out for nearly four days. You took quite a beating in addition to fighting off a fever from the infection that developed from your bear boxing and your body just said “enough” Jamie responded from his bunk.

“Four days…” Lee sat quietly for a moment replaying the events leading up to waking up here. “How’d we get back here?”

Chip heard Lee’s question as he entered Sick Bay, a relieved smile breaking out across his face. “Both the Coast Guard and we found you about the same time. You scared the hell out of us, both of you.” Chip crossed over to Lee and laid his hand on his shoulder and gave it a healthy squeeze.

“Well I knew you were worried about getting bored counting plankton colonies so I thought we’d just spice things up for you.” Lee replied. Jamie rolled his eyes he could have really done with a whole lot less spice. Admiral Nelson and Thomas chuckled.

Chip turned to Nelson. “Sir we’ve located a metallic signature resting on the bottom dead ahead. I’ve got O’Brien maneuvering Seaview directly over it. I think we may have located FS-1.”

“Good. I hope she’s in a position that we can recover her.” Nelson replied. “I’ll go up and check with Bobby. Why don’t you keep the inmates company?”

Chip nodded gratefully. He needed to touch base with Lee and know that he was going to be okay. He also enjoyed the sight of Jamie having to toe the line under the strict supervision of Thomas and John. Not that he wanted Jamie to be injured but having the shoe on the other foot was fun to watch. Both Lee and Chip laughed uproariously when Jamie tried to angle his way out of the sick bay bunk to the one in his cabin. Soundly put in his place Jamie just glared at everyone in the room until he finally had to laugh as well.

Lee let loose a big yawn as everything started catching up with him. John came over and took another reading of Lee’s vitals and then administered a light sedative into his IV. “Hey,” Lee complained, “I was being good.”

“Yes, sir.” John replied “and this will ensure you continue to do so and get some badly needed rest, sir.” Lee scowled and then settled back under the covers. He wasn’t at all upset about getting more sleep, but appearances must be maintained he thought to himself.

“I’ll see you when your surface again, Skipper.” Chip said and headed out of Sick Bay to check on the progress of recovering FS-1.

As they neared the location where they had picked up the metallic readings they started to see a debris field made up of mangled metal much of it painted yellow. “My god,” Chip remarked “it looks like FS-1 was put through a meat grinder.” They followed the trail of parts until they came upon the remnants of the fuselage and the engines. The little sub had been flattened to about a third of her former size from the grating force of the converging ice sheets.

“It looks like they got out just in time,” Harri observed. He closed his eyes briefly thanking the fates for saving his friends from a most untidy death. “Chip get a dive team out there to recover as much of the debris as possible. We’re lucky that she dropped through the ice instead of being incorporated into those growing ridges. Who knows how far she would have been spread across the sea floor come summer.”

Chip assembled a dive team and they started on the recovery operations of FS-1. They rigged a winch system in FS-1’s docking bay and pulled the larger parts of the little sub up into the bay. The divers then scoured the area for the smaller pieces of debris.

Once they had everything aboard Chip ordered a course set for Santa Barbara and they started their return trip. He and the Admiral went down to the sub bay to check out the remains of FS-1. “Lee is not going to be happy when he sees what happened to his “baby”,” Chip remarked.

“I think that’s a bit of an understatement Chip. Well I know one way to keep him occupied as he convalesces,” Nelson replied. Chip looked questioningly at him. “We’ll let him design her baby sister.” Both men chuckled.

“You may regret that sir. I can only imagine what kind of upgrades he’ll come up with for her. “

Harry laughed. “True, but I think the process will be fun to watch. Come on, let’s head back to Sick Bay and give Lee the news.”

The End.

1 Emergency Positioning Indicating Rescue Beacon