THE
LOCKDOWN
A
‘Voyage’ story by Seaview Siren.
Claire
Crane gunned her SUV along the coast road, the wind lifting her hair in the
mid-morning breeze. She was headed
towards the Institute building. Captain
Lee Crane, her husband had left earlier leaving her with a lingering kiss,
driving his Cobra from their cliff-side home back towards Santa Barbara. Claire smiled to herself, they had both
fallen in love with the house and had bid on it at the local property auction.
Now it was theirs; it needed renovating but it was their haven, overlooking the
ocean where they worked. It was such a beautiful place, away from the town but
right near the ocean.
Claire
noted a bit more traffic on the main route into Santa Barbara. It was a
beautiful sunny Sunday, so something
must be going on to delay traffic. She turned off the road and took the very
familiar left turn that would bring her straight up to the main entrance of
N.I.M.R. But police cars blocked the entrance. Her stomach began to churn as she pulled up next to patrol car, pressed her window down and flashed her I.D.
“I’m
Claire Crane, PA to Admiral Nelson. What’s going on?”
“There’s
been some trouble Ma’am. A shooting. Nobody goes in.” “Who was shot? How badly?
My husband…my boss…”
The
officer waved to another officer to come over.
“She’s
the captain’s wife….”
“I’m
Detective Mike Mills,” the newcomer said…I’m only telling you this because of
your husband. Now, don’t get all hysterical. He’s okay…it was the secretary who
was shot….”
“Oh
gawd…” Claire said as she sank back into the car seat.
“We
don’t know if she’s dead or alive yet. The alarm system didn’t work. We’re pretty sure the three gunmen sabotaged
it when they ‘checked in’ for freelance maintenance work yesterday.’
“But
they had to have been checked through security…even Nelson is….”
“It
might have been an inside job to get them work yesterday. We’re not sure why
they didn’t try to take out anyone then…”
“I
can’t believe it, I can’t believe it…are they holding anyone other than Angie?
Or is the place on lockdown and they can’t communicate?”
Jenson
read out his list, “Admiral Nelson, Captain Lee Crane, Lt. Commander Chip
Morton, Chief Petty Officer Sharkey and Patricia Sweetly.”
“What do the gunmen want? Other than shooting
innocent people?”
“Jenson,
check with the Chief of Police to see if we can give out that information. Tell
him we have Mrs. Crane…the admiral’s personal assistant…she might be able to
help us…come on out of the car, ma’am, let’s go over there,” he pointed to one
of the police Swat team vans. As soon as they arrived, Jenson gave the
detective a ‘thumbs up’.
“They
want the Seaview and it’s missiles,” Mills said, “ and need Nelson and Crane to
deliver it to their country. The Seaview’s deck watch and the women in the
building were just in the wrong place at
the wrong time.”
“Lee
and Nelson would rather die than do that!”
“Yes,
that’s what the president said. However…they might be able to play for time if
they pretend to be agreeable.”
“I
have an idea….please don’t look at me like that. I’ve been married to Lee and
have been Nelson’s assistant to know how they think….
“Very
well…what’s your idea….”
*****
Lee
had seen his wife arrive and been led to the police Swat Van. What were they up
to?
“Skipper,
“Sharkey asked, “she’s getting worse.”
“Chip?”
Lee asked.
“Keeps
drifting in and out of consciousness,” Chip said as he held her with Tish. It
was an abdominal wound and she’d lost a blood that was hard to staunch despite
pressure spare clothing against it.
“She
needs a hospital!” Tish yelled.
“We
told you,” one of the gunmen said, “not unless the admiral and captain give us
the Seaview and take us where we want.”
“And
we told you,” Nelson said, “that we can’t sail her all by ourselves.”
“You
can’t expect me to believe that my ten armed men can’t assist.”
“Seaview’s
too complicated even for ex-Navy men to handle,” Lee lied. “And my crew’s on
shore leave.”
“I’m
sure the sub has some automatic controls. Now, do you really want the girl’s
death on your hands?”
“Go-to-hell!”
Angie gasped. “Do you duty Lee. I’m expendable.”
Just
then one of the gunmen turned up the TV that had a live broadcast about the
NIMR lockdown. Claire was running toward Ski and Pat, still in civvies, and
herded them to one of the side parking lots out of view.
“Little
scared ants,” the gunman laughed.
“All
right,” Lee said. “We’ll take you where you want to go. Sorry Admiral, I have
to break my oath.”
***
“The
Swat team knows the plan. While the TV crews are watching the front, we’ll
sneak down to the Seaview, and be ready for the bastards who shot Angie.”
“But
how do we get rid of the guards without guns or Tasers?” Riley asked.
“Who
said we were without any weapons?” Claire said, raising her skirt a little and removing some miniature Tasers taped on her
slip, then pulling out a few small handguns that had been hidden in her blazer.
***
“Right gentleman, it’s time we got what we
came for!” the lead gunman shouted.
“What
about her, we just can’t leave her here?” Sharkey shouted, Tish was frightened,
holding on to Angie who was very weak and needed urgent medical attention, her
face was pale and clammy and she was shaking. Chip had a hopeless expression on
his face that filled Tish with dread.
“She needs the hospital, NOW!” he cried.
The
leader took no notice of the woman’s plight, he was only content on what he
hoped to achieve, Seaview and the delivery of her to his own country with all
the weaponry intact, enough to start a war.
“WE
GO NOW!” the leader shouted clicking his gun and aiming it at Lee, “Or do I
execute your captain?”
The
other two men moved the four officers out of the room, “As soon as Seaview
leaves the docks, Miss, you can get your little friend an ambulance, that’s if
she lives that long!” the leader laughed.
“PIG!”
Tish called him, as the four officers were ushered out.
*****
Kowalski
was waiting near the upper deck hatch, waiting for a signal from one of the
deck officers that their men were on their way to the Sub. Claire had done a fine job of putting a plan
together. He only hoped it would pay off.
He
was told ten armed men had alighted from a maintenance van and that Nelson,
Crane, Sharkey and Morton were approaching with three more armed men.
Ski
jumped off the hatch, “They’re coming, along with thirteen more armed men, he told Claire who was trying to put on a brave
face.
“We’d
better make ourselves invisible, Ski,” Claire said.
******
“You
seem to have everything in hand, Mister,” Lee said as he climbed below.
“You
may call me Mister Murdoch,” the leader said as his men took various places,
including two to guard the Control Room and Observation Nose.
“Why
the hell do you need us?”
“Let’s
just say I have plans for you as well as Seaview. Here’s the course. No funny
stuff, Captain. I wouldn’t want to have to maim your colleagues.”
“Chief
Sharkey will go to the engine room, and you, Admiral, you will accompany me to
the missile room to show me your missiles. Morton, you can keep your captain
company.”
As
Murdoch and Nelson departed, Chip picked up the set square from the shelf
underneath the plot table, and his
fingers settled on something. A key. He
quickly handed it to Lee, “That’s the key to our SUV!” Lee whispered, “Claire
must be aboard, oh Christ!”
“What
on earth’s she playing at?” Chip whispered.
“I
don’t know Chip, but maybe, just maybe, she’s not alone,”
***
Admiral
Nelson entered the missile room Murdoch’s gun at his back. “Is that all?”
Murdoch asked.
“Sorry.”
Murdoch walked over to the control panel,
“This is where they are controlled, I see…and yes, a military fail-safe unit,
no doubt my officials can over-ride the controls!”
“Afraid
not. It was designed to be infallible.”
“We
shall see Admiral. Now let’s go check out your torpedoes,” Murdoch said as he
walked under and looked up at the torpedo rack.
Suddenly a gun struck his head as Kowalski and
Patterson emerged from hiding between the empty tubes.
“Good
job, men,” Nelson said, “Patterson, take him to the brig. “You’ll need a lot
more planning Murdoch, to take over this submarine!” But it was doubtful
Murdoch really heard him, as he was still clutching his head, moaning.
“How,
Ski?” Nelson asked as soon as Pat and his prisoner had departed.
“Mrs.
Crane, sir. She got us all called up so we could be here.
“I
should’ve guessed! Now, let’s take back our boat,” Nelson said and clicked the
mic, “you may as well give up. We have Murdoch. Surrender peacefully or you’ll
end up in the brig as well. Yes, we have an armed crew aboard and no doubt
already on your tails. If you cooperate, I can guarantee lesser charges than
the one your boss will have, less jail time too. Meet me in the Observation
Nose.”
One
at a time Murdoch’s men came forward, some alone with their hands up, others
with bruises, having been subdued by Seaview’s skeleton crew. When they’d all
be accounted for, Nelson left them in the care of his crew who took them to the
brig.
As
soon as Nelson entered his cabin, Claire ran toward him.
“I
heard,” she said. “Is everything okay now?”
“All
taken care of…”
“The
institute says Angie had surgery. They report she’s stable.”
“Claire, what did I ever do without you, hey?”
Lee
came rushing in, “CLAIRE!” he exclaimed, grabbing his wife in a possessive
embrace.
“I’m
alright Lee,” she said clinging on to him anyway.
…
After
Washington and the O.N.I were advised, Claire and Sharkey raided the galley. Soon
they out a table in the observation nose with food and drink for them all.
“Our
brigg’s never been so full” Chip remarked taking a sandwich from the tray, the
crewmen were all enjoying the food.
“I
can’t wait to dock and turn them all over to the authorities……tell me Admiral,
was Murdoch really going to start a war with our missiles?” Lee asked.
“He
maintained that was his purpose, all he had in his mind was power.”
“A
very dangerous thing,” Claire said sitting at the table with a cup of tea.
Nelson
smiled then, "Now the two of you can get back to renovating this new home
of yours!"
Lee
groaned, "That's a work in progress Admiral, believe me!" he
said.
THE
END.