LOOKING OUT FOR LEE

BY SEAVIEW SIREN

 

 

 

I studied the fax from the office of Naval Intelligence in horror. They believed that an

attempt might be made on Lee Crane's life this mission. My mind began to reel, I ran up to

officer’s deck. He was in the Admiral's cabin having a briefing. I rattled at the door, he let me in.

“Claire what is it?” he asked me. My face looked a deathly pale, he took the fax off me, I covered my face.

 

“What is it Lee?” Admiral Nelson asked the Captain. Lee passed him the fax.

“Who will it be, who would want to? “I cried. Visibly shaken.

Lee took my hand, “Relax Claire it’s OK.”

Admiral Nelson was concerned and contacted the O.N.I who confirmed the fax.

I stood at Lee's side and refused to leave him, such was my loyalty to the gorgeous Captain.

 

 

The crew were briefed. Mr. Morton sat me down in the observation nose with a hot sweet tea.

“He'll be OK, Claire,” he assured me. I was thinking, did Lee have enemies like Admiral

Nelson? Being involved like him, in the scientific community and working with Washington

I guessed he would have.

 

 

I was scared for him and myself. I rang the O.N.I to see if there were any further

developments, spoke to Kim Sandars. She knew how fond I was of Lee. She was only one

of two women I really had let myself get friendly to. Well, she and Angie from the

Institute.

 

 

The Admiral informed us that we were picking a Dr. Jata up from his Sea-lab in the mid

Pacific. He had almost finished working on a device that could be used to detect mines before

even sonar picked them up. The Admiral was keen to test it.

 

 

I immediately began to look for any information on Dr. Jata; he was a well respected

scientist. The Admiral knew him very well, I went to find Chief Sharkey who was in the

missile room, I needed his help.

 

 

“Chief?” I asked the friendly petty officer and drew him aside.

“What’s on your mind kiddo?” he asked me. He always called me kiddo.

“This death threat on the Skipper; have we taken any new crewmen aboard?”

“A couple, Jones and Stone.”

“Is there any reason they'd want Lee dead?”

Chief Sharkey shook his head.  I looked worried sick.

“Look I'll check ‘em out,” he told me.

 

I nodded and left.

 

What if there had been something planted on the ship to cause him an injury? Maybe that was it.

I went up to the control room and voiced my concerns to Mr. Morton.

“I'm already on it Claire, I've got crewmen checking vital areas.”

“Thanks Mr. Morton,” I said. I loved this guy, he thought like me.

 

People retired for the night. Captain Crane was on the late watch, which meant so was I.

 

 

I took a book down to the observation nose.

“Claire?” he asked, coming over,

“Look, call me nuts but I'd rather be here so I can see you.”

He poured me a tea and he had a coffee and sat with me.

“Sharkey told me you'd enquired about Stone and Jones, the two new crew members?”

“Yes I'm naturally suspicious.”

Lee laughed.

“Doesn't it bother you?” I asked him.

“It’s no good me worrying Claire; you're doing enough for both of us, it comes with the job. I wasn't looking so sure,

if I ordered you to bed would you go?” he asked me.

“If you came with me yes. I have got a legitimate reason at long last to sleep with you.”

“Very good Claire, I doubt we'd be doing any sleeping either?”

“Of course not, I couldn't guard your body all night could I, asleep?”

“You're a little minx Claire”

“Yes Sir.”

“Care for a ride in the flying sub tomorrow? The Admiral wants some co-ordinates checking

for the Sea-Lab?

“How could I refuse? Your flying gives me such an adrenalin rush”

 

 

I remained with him until 2am. We had talked together, flirted, I walked up to my cabin

and opened it. “I'll take the chair you have the bed,” I told him. He smacked my bum and

went into his. I sighed and went into mine and got into my nightshirt.

 

 

I laid in my bunk and shut my eyes and I began to have this dream.

 

Lee climbed down the hatch into the flying sub, giving me a cheeky salute as he went,

looking dashing in his flying sub jacket.

“Are you sure I can't persuade you Claire?”

I shook my head.

“Check we have the correct co-ordinates Lee and radio them in,” Admiral Nelson told him

from the control room.

“Right Sir,” Lee said.

 

I watched the yellow flying sub launch into the sea and watched it through the observation

nose windows. It flew a little way, then Kowalski spoke up on sonar.

“Mr. Morton I'm picking up some kind of interference in the flying sub!”

Mr. Morton went over.

I stood at the window watching Lee till he was out of sight, then there was a mass

explosion and the flying sub was no more, it and Lee had been blown up!

 

I woke up with a start, a scream caught in my throat, the flying sub, Lee, was that it?

The flying sub had been rigged to explode.  I shot out of bed and pulled my dressing gown

and slippers on and left my cabin.  I know Lee had been on about going out in the flying

sub and taking me, yet in my dream I hadn't gone, was it some kind of premonition?

 

 

I hurried down to the observation nose, I shut the privacy doors, I'd actually done this on a

couple of occasions when I couldn't sleep.  The watch officer didn't mind, I'd slept in the easy

chair up here.

 

I bent to the flying sub hatch and began to open it as quietly as I could. I climbed down

hastily and put the lights on and began to look round, what was I looking for?  My dream

hadn't been specific. Kowalski had reported electrical interference from the flying sub.  I hadn't

the faintest idea what I was looking for, I looked at the panels, looked in cupboards, looked at

the consoles, then something caught my eye, it was on the radio panel.

 

It looked to be a small grey box, It looked out of place, as much as I knew about the

flying sub, this didn't  look right.

 

 

It was no bigger than a plug; it had some wiring attached to it then ran down under the chairs.

It was fixed to the pilot’s seat.  I stared at it, tried to figure it out.  It looked like when Lee got

into his pilot’s seat and moved it, this thing would be triggered!

 

I had to tell them.

 

 

I set off for the hatch and climbed onto it, but I was stopped.

It was one of the new crewmen, Carl Stone and he had a gun!

  

“Think again darling!” he warned.

I stared at him, pure terror on my face,

“What?” I gasped in little more than a whisper.

“Oh aren't you a clever girl, determined to save Captain Crane from certain death. Well you

won't, I owe him for my brother’s life!”

“Your brother’s life?” I asked, scared, my mind reeling.

Stone had backed me down the hatch now, back into the flying sub, he held the gun on me.

“Yes on this Submarine, a year ago, Lee Crane ordered a hatch shut, trapping my

brother Mark in a flooded compartment, Now he pays!”

“He, he must've had a reason to give that order, he's not a killer!” I cried.

Lee Crane wasn't a murderer, he must've been left with no option.

 

Carl Stone pushed me, “Get over there!” he ordered, I moved up near the panels scared. What was he going to do?

He opened a locker and took out some dynamite, then found an army type vest with pockets.

Aah,” he said and began to load the vest pockets with the sticks of dynamite.

“Put this on!” he ordered.

I gasped and protested, was hit across the face with the butt of his gun, I cried out.

“Off with those and put this on, or do I rip them off?” he shouted.

I took my dressing gown off, I only had my nightshirt under and nothing else, he pointed the

gun at me. I lifted it off exposing my nakedness to him. He forced the vest over my head, it

was tight and painful to wear. There were eight lots of dynamite in a series of pockets.  He

connected them up with wires and fixed a sending type device to it, which connected to

another device with a big button on the side.  He held this device in his hand.

“Put the robe back on!” he ordered me. I gladly did so, terrified.

 

 

“Now if I press this button darling you will be blown to pieces,” he told me.  I was terrified.

“Please, please no, this is crazy” I gasped.

“Captain Crane is going to die, because if he doesn't do as I say, he'll be scraping you off the

deck!” he told me. “Now because of you I have to change my plans, he was going to take a one way trip

in the flying sub but no matter!”

 

 

I felt sick, if only I hadn't' come down here, had any of the night crew heard? I'd shut the

privacy door, oh why had I done that?

 

“You won't be able to warn him either sweetheart,” Stone said and stuck some duct tape over

my mouth and forced my hands behind my back. He then began to bind me tightly with rope.

I tried to struggle but got hit again, across the fore-head, it was no use.

“You do as I say, bitch!” Stone shouted to me.

He made me climb the hatch which was terribly hard, I almost stumbled twice.  He pushed

me up and out into the observation nose.  I was crying, terrified.

“Up those stairs” he ordered me.  He pushed me up, the detonator in his other hand.

 

 

If he pushed it, would there be a delay before it went off?

I gasped as I reached officer’s deck.  If only one of them happened to open their door, see me

walking with him behind me, with his gun and that detonator.

I passed Lee's cabin, Admiral Nelson’s cabin, Mr.. Morton’s cabin, he made me walk past, then back

down the other ladder aft which bypassed the control room area.

I walked down the corridor, Stone behind me.  I realised we were headed for the missile room,

he opened the hatch and pushed me through it, “Go and stand near the escape hatch” he ordered.

I walked over.

“Being as you foiled my plan to send Crane out in the flying sub, he can die

down here,” Stone said.  He ripped the tape off my mouth roughly, causing me to cry out.

He took the Mic from the wall bracket, held it towards me, pressing the button in.

“You call him and get him down here!” he ordered me.

“He'll be asleep,” I managed.

Stone shoved the Mic near my mouth.

“Captain, please come to the missile room!” I gasped. Stone held the hand control to my

face, had he heard me?

“Captain please come to the missile room!” I gasped again.

His reply came.

“On my way”

He hadn't questioned me, he would obviously think something was wrong, me being in the

missile room at 3am wouldn't he? Would he notify the admiral and Mr.. Morton?

 

 

I had been gagged with tape again and was stood near the escape hatch, the robe tied up.

The missile room door opened and Captain Crane came walking in with his dressing gown

on, Stone was hiding behind a missile silo.

I stepped towards Captain Crane, gagged and bound, his expression became one of fear.

“Claire, what?” he began.

 

I'd been wondering if I could use ESP, I'd had some as a child, I'd been willing myself to

concentrate on Lee Crane, I stared at him.

'Stone is behind the missile silo, he has a detonator. 'He has strapped dynamite to me!'

'He wants to kill you, he rigged the flying sub to explode.'

 

Lee stared at me, “Ok, Young,” he said.

He had heard me, this was code, he never addressed me with just a surname.

 

Lee walked forward towards me, Stone came out behind him,

“Captain Crane you're going to die!”

 

I was trying to use ESP again but my head hurt me, I was terrified.

Lee glanced at me, “Why am I going to die Mr. Stone?”

“You killed my brother on this submarine, you ordered the hatch closed where he was trapped.

He died because of you. Now you die!”

Lee took a step forward, “I ordered that hatch closed to save the rest of the crew, it was a

vital area. If I hadn't sealed it off, the whole submarine would've been lost and the 125 men

on board!” Lee gasped.

 

“I don't believe you, I rigged the flying sub to explode but this little bitch foiled that plan!”

Stone shouted and hit me again.

“Don't hurt her again!” Lee cried.

“Don't even think about it Captain Crane!” Stone warned and pulled my robe unfastened.

Sure enough I was wearing a vest strapped with dynamite and wires.  A cry escaped from

Captain Crane's lips.  Stone showed the detonator device to Captain Crane, an evil smirk

on his face. Captain Crane stared at me, I had a cut head, my eyes were glazing over, I was hurt

and I was terrified.

 

 

 

Lee gulped, his heart in his throat, I had eight sticks of dynamite fixed to me, if Stone pressed

that detonator.

“You wouldn't want to be scraping this little bitch off the deck now would you, it'd be a terrible

waste!” Stone mocked and waved the detonator at Lee.

“YOU BASTARD!” Lee shouted at him.

 

“How am I to die then, Mr.. Stone?” Captain Crane asked, he was very aware of me. I was still

trying to communicate with him but my head hurt bad, I was getting weaker.

 

“You're off for a swim without any air tanks!” Stone told him.

I stared at Lee, he wouldn't die like this, he could climb back in the open pressure chamber

well.

“Do I get a wetsuit?” Captain Crane asked.

“Why bother!” Stone said.

Captain Crane took his dressing gown off and slung it over the scuba gear rack.  He was just

in pyjama bottoms now.  Obviously Stone hadn't thought this through, he didn't know about the

open well.

“Open the hatch!” he ordered Captain Crane.

 

 

I began to mumble and moan against the gag, had to make it look like I was protesting.

 

“Can't we talk about this?” Captain Crane asked, playing along with me; “Can't we talk?”

he pleaded.

 

 

 

Chip Morton had the vent grill off and was about to throw the smoke bomb, I looked up and

saw him.

 

“There’s nothing to talk about Captain!” Stone said and pointed the gun at him. He had the

detonator in his other hand. Captain Crane got into the escape hatch and began to close

it, Stone went round to press the controls to release Lee.  I swallowed, then I saw Admiral

Nelson, a sob caught in my throat.

 

 

Captain Crane was released, the indicator showing green, Stone was watching the indicator

ball travelling up the tube convinced he had avenged his brother’s death.

 

Mr. Morton threw the smoke bomb into the missile room.  Stone started coughing, in the

panic Admiral Nelson gave him a hefty chop to the back of the neck.  He fell to the floor, the

gun and the hand control flew out of his hand.

 

I gasped, trying to free myself.  Mr. Morton had jumped in, he had a mask on his mouth.

Admiral Nelson had hold of me, he had a mask on. He got the tape off my mouth quickly and

a mask was  placed over my mouth.  Mr. Morton picked the gun up and the detonator real

carefully, there was a button on the edge of it.

 

 

Admiral Nelson put Lee's dressing gown round me and we all ran out.

 

 

We got into the corridor, Mr.. Morton took his mask off and called mastered arms.

“Please,” I said and swayed, my head was bleeding.

“We need to get these wires off Claire, then she needs sickbay!” Admiral Nelson gasped.

 

 

I had been taken to the Lab, Mr. Morton held onto me while Admiral Nelson disabled the

hand detonator.  He took it apart cut a wire and rendered it dead.

 

 

“Right, we need to get this off you Claire,” he said of the vest.

Lets get the dynamite out of it,” Mr. Morton suggested.

 

Captain Crane came walking in and he made for rather an erotic sight. His pyjama bottoms were

white and silk and they clinging to him, hurt I may be but  I couldn't help noticing.

Admiral Nelson followed my eyes and threw a towel at him.

 

“Right Claire, ”he said, Mr. Morton had already started taking the sticks of dynamite from off the

vest, they were coupled with wiring and it was quite fiddly.  Captain Crane was drying his hair

with the towel, I tried not to laugh in spite of my injuries.

 

 

 

Captain Crane came to help Mr. Morton with the dynamite.

“How come you foiled his plans Claire?” he asked me.

“If I told you I had a dream would you believe me?”

“A dream?” Admiral Nelson asked.

“I saw Lee go out in the flying sub, for the co-ordinates check tomorrow.  He got blown up.

There’s a grey box fitted on the radio panel with wires going under his seat.  I just found it and

was coming to get someone when Stone came down. He held a gun on me and got this vest

out of the locker, stuffed it with dynamite and made me put it on,” I told them.

 

Mr. Morton whistled, impressed.

“A dream?” Admiral Nelson asked, wondered what he'd hired in me.

“She spoke to me by ESP in the missile room, she's quite gifted!” Lee said.

 

 

I was taken to sickbay, I needed my head examined!  Doc had been called up, Stone was in

the Brig under armed guard, the officers went to get dressed.

 

I had a dressing taped to my head, I'd been properly checked over; Doc was very good.  I

wondered where Lee was, concentrated on him, it wasn't hard now, not with that vision I had

of him permanently  in my mind with those wet silk pyjamas.

 

 

I heard him come in and purposely closed my eyes.  Doc went to get some coffee. Lee bent over

me and gave me a kiss, then another.  I couldn't stay asleep could I? I gave him a kiss back,

he had really turned me on in his 'wet look' pyjama's.

 

 

Dr. Jata and his device were safely picked up.

 

Chief Sharkey was very angry that Stone had managed to fool them all with fake ID papers

to get a job on the Seaview.

 

Stone was in the Brig under armed guard.

 

I was just glad that Lee Crane was still alive.

 

We all were.

 

 

  The end.