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.