This started out
as a WHN story for the Voyage episode, ‘Journey with Fear’. However, it very quickly became something
else, a romance involving Commander Morton, I’ve played around with a few
things. I’ve set my ‘Voyage’ story in
the present day, although this may not
be obvious. As usual I don’t own Voyage
To The Bottom of the Sea or the characters, I’ve just taken the characters out
of my shoe box to play with for a while.
I make no money from this story, it was written purely for pleasure.
Lorelei
Chip awoke clawing at his eyes, his
whole body shaking and sweating.
Fumbling for the light above his bunk he finally found the switch and
flicked it on. Sitting up he wiped his
face with the arm of his pyjamas and swung his legs out of his bunk. Looking at his watch he swore softly under
his breath, 0100 hours, for a few moments he thought about getting dressed and
going on duty and then he remembered that Jamie had relieved him of duty for
the next twelve hours. Getting to his
feet he walked to the door and checked that he had locked it. Sighing softly he poured himself a cup of
water and drank it in three swallows. He
looked at the sleeping tablets Jamie had left and debated whether to take them
or not. Finally deciding that he
wouldn’t, he went back to bed.
He reached up and clicked the light
off feeling the darkness surround him as he lay back down. He tried to calm his breathing and gradually
he felt the hammering of his heart ease.
He laid a hand against the smooth bulkhead and felt the gentle thrumming
of Seaview.
Lee’s
‘Gray Lady’ he thought drowsily, the gentle
thrumming relaxing him and almost without knowing it, his hand slipped down the
bulkhead as he drifted back into slumber.
Forty minutes later he sat bolt
upright, biting back a scream as the dream overwhelmed him again. He lay back down again, panting.
Someone knocked on the door and Chip
jumped, then they tried the door and he heard Lee’s voice, “Chip, Chip it’s me
Lee. What’s wrong? Why have you locked the door?”
Chip gritted his teeth, he did not
need his commanding officer fussing over him now. “I was asleep, Lee.” He lied.
“Thought I heard you shout,” Lee
called through the door, “Come on, buddy, open up.”
“I just want some privacy!” Chip
snapped and then felt mortified, moderating his voice he said, “I just want to
be left alone tonight, Lee. I’m a bit
frazzled.”
Lee stood outside his friend’s door
and frowned, it was unlike Chip to lock him out, but he had been somewhat
subdued since their return from Venus.
Jamie had recommended that he go to his cabin and rest. Lee laid his hand against the door and then sighing
softly he walked away.
Meanwhile, Chip lay down on his bunk
again and curling into a ball buried his face in his pillow and began to sob
softly as though his heart was breaking.
“Commander, please do not cry.” A
gentle voice dropped into the blackness and Chip started. Sitting up he swallowed and turned the light
on. A young woman was standing next to
his desk, Chip eyed her amazed, long brown hair trailed down her back and green
eyes regarded him with great gentleness.
“Who the hell are you?”
“My name is Lorelei,” she replied,
“and I think you have need of me.”
He hugged the pillow and said
brokenly, “How can you help?”
She moved so that she was sitting on
the bed, “You have to want me to help you.
You are having bad dreams, yes?”
“Just one,” he looked up at her and
was suddenly startled by her eyes, they had a certain chatoyance alternating
between blue and grey and green and he was reminded of the sea.
“About what?”
“I was selected for a special space
flight because of my computer knowledge.” He managed a wry smile, “it went
somewhat awry.”
“I know,” she said sadly, “but why
have you returned with bad dreams?”
“These aliens transported me to Venus
for interrogation,” he said, “and to render me helpless they blinded me. I was left sitting alone in the dark-” he
broke off burying his face in the pillow and tears ran down his face again.
He felt gentle arms enfolding him and
unable to hold the tears back, buried his face in her shoulder and sobbed. He was only half aware of being helped back
into bed and then being held in her arms, her hands stroking his head and
back. Gradually, his crying eased and he
began to feel sleepy again, “You should go,” he murmured, looking up into those
amazing eyes.
“When you are resting,” she replied,
“Do not worry, Commander, I will be quite safe.”
“Who are you, Lorelei?” he asked sleepily.
“You will know me soon enough,” she
replied, “Sleep. I will keep the demons
at bay.”
Somehow her voice seemed to have a
soporific effect and he snuggled closer, wrapping his arms around her midriff
and burying his face in her shoulder.
Lorelei felt his body relax as he
drifted into slumber, gently she touched his mind, he was beginning the dream
again, the blackness enveloping, suffocating him. He twitched and she took his face in her
hands. As she did so she carefully
pushed the darkness back, making him sense that the darkness was infinite and
was comforting, a release from the stress and madness of the day. For a moment it seemed to work, and then she
was confronted by a small child with fair hair and blue eyes. He looked up at her, “Can I come out now,
please?” he quavered.
She knelt so that they were looking
into each other’s eyes, “Come out from where?”
“The cupboard under the stairs.” He
swallowed, “Can I please come out, I don’t like rats.”
“Yes,” Lorelei replied, “and you
won’t ever have to go back in there again. But before you go, there’s someone I
want you to meet.”
She took the boy’s hand and led him
through the darkness. He was lying in
the darkness, lost and afraid. Gently
she shook him. Dazed, Chip opened his eyes and stared at the younger version of
himself.
“You need to forgive one another,”
she said quietly, “neither of you could stop what happened.”
“I should have stopped her,” the
younger Chip said quietly, snail tracks of tears running down his face.
“No, you trusted that she would take
care of you.” The older Chip replied, “I should not have blamed you for not
being able to stop what happened. I am
so sorry.” He opened his arms, “Forgive me?”
The younger version of himself ran
into his arms and both of them hugged.
Then Chip and Lorelei were alone.
“What-” Chip burbled.
Lorelei smiled, “It’s all right,” she
touched his chest, “he’s in there, he’s a part of you.”
Chip chuckled and wrapped his arms
around her burying his head in her shoulder.
She came back to herself as he settled in her arms, his breathing easing
as he slid into deep slumber. She
stroked the hair away from his face and tenderly kissed his forehead. Then, as quietly as she’d appeared, she
disappeared. Just before she left she
unlocked the door.
Chip sighed in his sleep and settled
deeper into the bunk. Thirty minutes
later the door opened and a familiar figure quietly stepped into the room, he
stood watching the sleeping figure for a few moments and then silently closed
the door. Although he couldn’t see her,
Lorelei stood watching the dark haired man, I
see why She adores you, she
thought quietly, she would normally have followed him but this time her charge
was the man lying deeply asleep in his bunk and she would not leave him.
Lee was pacing Sickbay, “Doc, he
locked the door on me! Then when I went
back about an hour later the door was unlocked and he was fast asleep, as if
he’d been drugged!”
“I did leave him some tranquilisers,”
Doc remarked quietly, “Maybe he took one.”
Lee started to shake his head and
then frowned, “I suppose so, but it’s unusual-”
Doc laid his hand on the younger
man’s shoulder, “Lee, he’s been through a bad time, maybe this was one of those
times that he felt he needed something to help him sleep.”
Captain Crane ran a hand though his
dark hair, “I’m just worried about him, Doc.”
“I know you are, Lee,” Jamieson smiled,
“let him sleep, sleep’s the best thing for him now.”
Lee nodded reluctantly and left
Sickbay.
Chip awoke slowly, he was aware of
lying in his own bunk, of being relaxed and comfortable. He stretched and a familiar voice said, “Good
morning, Commander, I trust you slept well?”
Memory rushed back and he sat up with
a start, Lorelei was sitting on the chair opposite his desk. “How are you feeling?” she asked gently.
Chip smiled and propped himself up on
one elbow, “Surprisingly good. What time
is it?”
“About 0600 human time,” Lorelei
replied.
“I’ve got to get dressed,” he managed
a shy smile, “Got to get on duty.”
“I’ll see you later,” Lorelei
promised, “if you want to talk, although I recommend talking to your doctor.”
“Do you think he’d understand what
I’ve been going through?” Chip’s voice had hardened.
“Possibly not, but he might be able
to point you toward someone who can listen while you talk about it.”
“If I said I’ll think about it, do
you promise not to mention it again?”
“Only if you think about it,” Lorelei
smiled, “Oh well, better go or Sy will have me on the carpet for not doing my
duty. Catch you later?”
“Catch you later,” he smiled and
watched as she faded from view.
Duty was routine. At one point he Lee found his friend standing
in the observation nose. Gently he
touched his friend’s arm, “You all right, Chip?”
Chip nodded, “Just thinking. Sorry, Lee, my mind was miles away.”
“Take your time,” Lee squeezed his
shoulder, “I’ll be here for you if you need me.”
Chip nodded, he heard Lee walking
away and then a familiar voice said, “Your friends care about you, you know.”
He turned and saw Lorelei standing
next to him, “I shall miss this,” she said softly, “This is glorious.”
Chip found himself smiling, “I had
forgotten how spectacular it was.” He sighed softly, “I haven’t been able to
get you out of my head all day.”
“It’s probably lust,” Lorelei
responded, raising an eyebrow, “Us water sprites have that effect on humans.”
“Is that what you are?” Chip asked.
Lorelei nodded, “Not always. Once I think I was human, but that was a long
time ago and I made so many mistakes.”
“Everyone makes mistakes,” Chip
replied.
“The same one continually?” Lorelei
turned to face him and he saw that her eyes were hard. “I kept making the same one again and again
until ‘Sy’ offered me something else.
Even now I have problems, although he says that one must take
responsibility for one’s actions. I
should be imprisoned for eternity although he says that wouldn’t do any good.”
“What did you do?”
“Murdered at least 20 men,” Lorelei
replied, “For some reason I was seeking company and I couldn’t get it into my
head that humans weren’t like water sprites and that if they couldn’t breathe
they drowned.” She paused, “Then eventually
it became harder to live in the Rhine itself, the pollution from the ships; the
fact that no-one really believed in supernatural creatures any longer almost
killed me. Then ‘Sy’ came to me, he
offered me the chance to redeem myself if I would become the soul of a
ship. I agreed, but that didn’t really
work either.” She paused and Chip saw what he thought were tears in her eyes,
“the ship went down with over 1,000 hands and I couldn’t save them. Afterwards-”
she stopped, “afterwards I was – well I suppose the word would be ‘jinx’.” She paused to look out of the herculite
windows, “My Master accepted me back but I was not to appear in his presence
until summoned. I did a lot of wandering
in those forty years.”
“What was the ship?” Chip asked
gently.
She didn’t say anything and he
repeated the question, she turned to him and said quietly, “The USS Arizona and I failed her.” Then as quickly as she’d appeared she
vanished.
Chip stood watching the place she’d
been for a few moments and then shaking himself he walked back through to the
control room. For the remainder of his
shift he found himself occasionally looking out at the observation nose. He was just about to go off shift when Lee
touched his arm, “You all right, Chip?”
Chip started, he turned to his friend
and nodded, “Yes, Lee. I’m fine. Just a bit weary that’s all.”
“Perhaps you ought to get Doc to take
a look at you.” Lee suggested.
“No, I just need sleep.” Chip
replied, and to talk to Lorelei he
thought.
He was quiet during supper and he
didn’t see the Captain and the Admiral surveying one another concern in their
eyes. When it was over he quietly
excused himself saying that he was tired.
When he’d gone both men looked at one another again and then Nelson’s eyes
flicked down to the plate. Chip had
barely touched his meal and when he looked up Nelson could see the strain in
Lee’s eyes, “He’ll be all right,” he said quietly.
Lee nodded jerkily, “I know, Admiral,
I just wish that he’d let me in.”
Nelson suppressed a smile, these two
men were like sons to him and they were so alike sometimes, “He’ll be fine,
Lee.”
Chip stared at the reports in front
of him, willing himself to stay awake, he was afraid of the nightmare returning
and he wondered if another coffee would help.
Suddenly he felt a gentle hand on his
shoulder, “You should be in bed,” a familiar voice said.
Chip made an inarticulate sound and
standing up he wrapped his arms around Lorelei and buried his face in her
shoulder, she felt him shuddering and realised he was sobbing. Holding him gently she stroked his back and rocked
him as if he was a child, “It’s all right, Charles, it’s all right.”
“Ch-chip,” he stuttered through his
tears. “Everyone calls me Chip.”
Gradually the tears stopped and Chip
wiped his eyes, “This is ridiculous,” he muttered, sitting on the edge of his
bunk. “Blubbering like a baby.”
Lorelei moved so that she was sitting
on the edge of his desk, “Not necessarily.
The experience has obviously brought back memories that you’d
suppressed. I’d be more worried if you
weren’t crying – and everything was back to normal.”
Chip looked up at her, “How do you
know all this?”
Lorelei sighed, “I had forty years of
wandering the world. I am unusual among
my kind in that I can read and write.” she smiled forlornly, “after I learnt to
read and write I spent a lot of time in libraries, reading. So I found out about various things.”
Chip laughed suddenly and as he did
so his stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten much of anything at
dinner, “Can you – do you eat?”
She looked puzzled for a moment and then
her expression cleared, “Oh, you mean Human food, yes, just haven’t found any I
particularly like.”
“Then let me surprise you,” Chip
walked across to the intercom and pressing the button ordered supper.
She sat down in the chair and he
smiled down at her, “You’re going to have to disappear when the food arrives.”
“No,” she smiled, “you’ll be the only
one who can see me. Trust me, Commander
Morton, this’ll be fine.”
She was right about no-one else being
able to see her, when the supper tray arrived the corpsman set it on Commander
Morton’s desk along with a new pot of coffee.
“Shall I pick these up in the morning, Sir?” he queried.
“That’s fine,” Chip replied, the
corpsman nodded and then without a glance towards Lorelei left the room. Chip turned to the woman, “This could be a
figment of my imagination,” he said thoughtfully, “with everything that’s
happened to me I could finally be going off the deep end.”
To his surprise she chuckled again,
“Now I’m surprised hearing that from you, Commander, that’s something Captain
Crane is more likely to say.”
Chip nodded just as Lorelei suddenly
paled and stiffened, she turned to him, “On that note, Captain Crane’s got
himself into difficulties again, back in a minute.” And then she was gone
again.
The Control Room was a mess, people
were getting to their feet but she could see Captain Crane’s limp form against
the plotting table, sighing and completely unseen she walked through the
Control Room and knelt next to the Captain’s body. He wasn’t breathing and she bent over him and
began giving him mouth to mouth. He
gasped and spluttered and she sat back on her heels as he began to breathe
again. He opened his eyes and for a
moment she was sure he’d seen her, then the Chief was helping him to his feet,
“Skipper, Skipper you okay?”
Lee got unsteadily to his feet and
the Chief said worriedly, “I’d get the Doc to look at that head wound.”
Lee nodded raising a hand to his head
and looking marginally surprised when the fingers came away red. Lorelei stood up and watched as he forced
himself to straighten up, “Chief, what happened?”
“Underwater quake, Sir. I’ll call the Doc.” Sharkey replied.
Lee grimaced and almost fell again,
but Sharkey’s arm steadied him and eased him into a vacant seat. Ten minutes later, Dr Jamieson came through
and began to examine the cut on Lee’s temple.
“I should order you to Sickbay,” he said sternly.
“Should I call Mr Morton, Sir?”
Sharkey sounded worried and Lorelei had to smile, Oh, yes, She was so lucky to
have this boat. There was so much love
here although none would ever admit it. “No,”
Lee managed a painful smile, “I’ll be okay.” Unseen, Lorelei smiled and
then vanished again.
Morton was regarding her quizzically
when she reappeared, “Emergency over,” she said shortly, “although Captain
Crane should go to sickbay.”
“He won’t while his boat’s in
danger,” Chip remarked. “Join me for
supper?”
Lorelei rolled her eyes and nodded,
“All right, Mr Morton.”
“Chip,” he corrected gently.
Lorelei smiled, “You know, ‘Sy’ would
caution me against becoming too familiar with you.”
“Who is this ‘Sy’ you keep referring
to,” Chip asked as he poured them both coffee.
“Poseidon, Lord of the Seas,” she
replied, “He also uses the term ‘Earth-shaker’ although not too much these
days.” She sat opposite him and gingerly picked up a fork, “I wonder what he’d
do to me.”
“Would he punish you?”
“He might,” she looked thoughtful,
“He doesn’t like fraternization between species. Says that if all humans knew about the
supernatural world they would seek it out and destroy it. He only tolerates sailors because they
appreciate Him more.”
“But you’re not fraternizing with
me,” he argued, “this is part of my therapy.”
“I’m not sure he’d agree,” Lorelei
replied as she stabbed a piece of cucumber, “I’m only here because the Sea
Spirit who normally guards Seaview
needed a break. She would not approve of
me spending time with you.”
“Because?”
“Because my duties include the safety
of your boat and your crew. She would
see this as dereliction of duty.”
“I still maintain that this is
therapy,” he replied, “Without you I think I’d have gone mad.”
“You’d have been fine,” she replied,
“eventually. Captain Crane would have
bullied you into submission.”
“Or got me drunk,” Chip’s mouth
curved upwards in a smile, “yes, we would have talked it out eventually. Which leaves the question – why did you get
involved?”
“I couldn’t bear to see you so
distressed,” she replied, “I was asked to do this for eight weeks of your time
and I wandered around the boat watching you all. I was fine until –”
“Until we came back from Venus,” Chip
interjected, “and last night.”
“Mmm,” she nodded, “I thought about
comforting you without your knowledge but then it struck me that would frighten
you even more. I couldn’t leave you the
way you were.”
“Actually you could,” he said slowly,
“but you didn’t.” He looked down at his
plate and seemed surprised to see it empty.
“You were hungry,” her eyes
sparkling.
“Come to bed with me?” he pleaded, “I
just want to hold you.”
“What do we do now?” he asked softly
as they lay spooned up together in the darkness, “I have never met anyone like
you.”
“I told you,” Lorelei replied, but he
thought he detected a trace of sadness in her voice, “it’s just lust. If we had sexual intercourse then it would be
out of your system and you would remember me with kindness but I would not
invade your waking thoughts.”
She heard him sigh, “I don’t just
want you for one night,” he said gently, “I’d like you for always.”
“Then I think that you may still be
suffering from lust.” She moved so that
his hand was resting at her waist, “In Hera’s name, why do you want to spend
time with me? I’m a Naiad.”
“No, you may have been one once but I
think that now you may be a Nereid. A
spirit of the seas.” He clarified, then yawned, “I need sleep. I’m back on light duties tomorrow and I’ll
need all my concentration.”
She chuckled softly, “All right,
Chip, I’ll let you sleep.”
“See you tomorrow.” She felt his head
rest on her shoulder and his whole body relax as he drifted into slumber.
When he awoke he was alone again
although this time he did feel better.
Showering he dressed and walked through to the observation nose, to his
surprise Admiral Nelson was sitting poring over some papers, a cup of coffee at
his elbow. He looked up as Chip entered,
and smiled, “Morning, Chip.”
“Morning, sir.” Chip smiled and
poured himself a coffee. Sitting down
opposite Admiral Nelson he suddenly asked, “You haven’t been here all night,
sir?
Nelson looked up and a smile lit the
firm mouth, “No, Chip, I’ve only been awake a couple of hours. As I couldn’t sleep I thought that I would go
through these plans. How are you?”
“Better thank you, sir.” Chip replied
guardedly.
Nelson nodded, not willing to push
his XO any further. He looked up as the
cook arrived with breakfast and watched, pleased as Chip tucked into his. They were interrupted by Captain Crane
entering the room, “Good Morning,” he said breezily, as he sat down and helped
himself to coffee. He and the Admiral
exchanged glances again watching as Chip ate.
“I understand that the Doc has cleared you for light duties?” Nelson said quietly.
“Yes, Admiral,” Chip smiled
thoughtfully, “be nice to get back to some semblance of normality.” He
swallowed the remainder of his coffee
and got to his feet, “If you’ll excuse me gentlemen, I’d better get to work.”
Crane raised a dark eyebrow as he
looked across at Nelson, “I don’t get it.
Yesterday he was in bits, could barely eat anything and this morning he
polishes off his breakfast as if nothing’s happened.”
Nelson smiled, “Maybe he talked to
Jamie.”
Lee started to shake his head and
then frowned, “If he had he wouldn’t tell me and Jamie certainly wouldn’t tell
me – but he was hurting, Sir. I could
tell when we got back from Venus. You
know Chip, those blue eyes turn into glaciers when you’re trying to worm
information out of him.”
In
many respects he’s just like you Nelson thought
watching his Captain quietly. “Perhaps
this is something he needs to work out for himself, Lee.”
Lee shrugged, “I would just like to
know what snapped him out of it.”
“My guess is that he’ll tell you when
he’s ready.” Nelson replied and then his blue eyes became serious, “Leave it,
Lee. If you want I’ll make it an order.”
Crane nodded his jaw tightening and
then Nelson’s tone softened, “Lee, if you had been in Chip’s position would you
have willingly told anyone what you experienced when you were blinded?”
Crane shook his head, “No, sir, I
wouldn’t. Not willingly at any rate.”
“You’d have just suppressed them
using your ONI training,” Nelson remarked, “and truthfully, would that have
been any better?”
Crane shrugged and then returned to
his breakfast. He was still deep in
thought when he walked through to the control room. Chip looked up and a small smile curved his
lips, “Orders, Captain?”
“I think we’ll maintain this course
back to Santa Barbara,” Crane returned the smile, there was an odd lightness
about his Exec and he almost thought that he might be on drugs of some sort,
but then he dismissed it. He’d looked into his eyes and there was no evidence
of substance abuse. Sighing softly to
himself he bent over the plotting table.
Somehow he would find the time later to talk to Chip about this.
Lorelei stood in the nose watching
him, a soft smile on her face. He was
beginning to heal now, and she knew that the best thing she could do would be
to leave. Unfortunately Seaview’s natal spirit would have to be
summoned back early, and Lorelei had a nasty feeling that she was in for
another spell of banishment.
She turned to look out of the windows,
still spellbound, when she saw the armed figures coming through the herculite
windows. She swallowed hard, as one of
them brandished his trident, and managed to find her voice, “You are here to
summon me back to Poseidon’s Citadel.”
“Him also.” One of the armed men
gestured to the figure of Chip.
“He’ll drown.” Lorelei protested.
“We take his spirit. Lord Poseidon commands both of you to present
yourselves to him.”
She turned, suddenly helpless as Chip
looked up and their eyes met and she knew with a horrible clarity that he also
saw the sea-creatures. He took a step
forward and then dropped to the deck as if poleaxed.
Crane saw his friend start to fall
and just had time to catch him before he hit the deck. “What the hell!” he spat.
Meanwhile, Chip’s spirit form stepped
away from his unconscious body, “Lorelei!” he said, relief in his voice, “What
the hell happened?”
“We are summoned,” she said sadly, “It seems ‘Sy’ has been keeping an
eye on us.”
“Then I would be honoured to meet
him,” Chip replied, “Let us go see him together.” He held out his hand and
surprising herself she took it. Then,
following their guards, they stepped through the herculite windows and into the
ocean.
Lee grabbed the intercom, “Doc!” he
snapped, “Get down to the Control Room!
Chip’s collapsed.”
“On my way.” Jamieson responded. When he arrived, he knelt down beside Chip’s
supine body and carefully examined the unconscious man, he patted Chip’s face,
gently at first and then more firmly to try and elicit a response, all to no
avail. Chip remained stubbornly
unconscious.
“Let’s get him to Sick Bay,” Jamieson
said tersely.
He was settling Commander Morton into
one of the bunks when he heard Nelson’s voice, “What’s the matter with him,
Jamie? Is it to do with the trauma on
Venus?”
Jamie ran a hand across his face, “To
be honest, Admiral, I’m stumped. He
seems perfectly fine, but I just can’t rouse him.”
“Drugs?” Nelson queried.
“None in his system,” Jamie
confirmed. “All I can do is keep an eye
on him and hope he comes round on his own.”
VTBOTS
Chip stepped up into the chariot,
ahead of him the driver was holding the reins of what appeared to be
dolphins. “You may sit here,” one of the
guards said, brandishing his trident.
Chip nodded and drew Lorelei down to
sit beside him, “Do we get an explanation for this?” he asked.
“Lord Poseidon will explain,” the
guard said and turned his back on him.
“Any ideas,” Chip turned to Lorelei.
“Not at the moment,” she sighed, “I
suspect that Lord Poseidon is furious with me and has planned a rather nasty
retribution for you.”
“I see,” Chip replied, “is there
anything I can do?”
She sighed, “I do not know. We’ll just have to wait and see. I just don’t
want him to do anything to you. It’s not
fair.”
“I have learnt over the years that
fair has very little to do with anything.” Chip sighed, “things happen and we
have to deal with them.”
“There is no law on this planet that
will make me agree with that.” Lorelei replied, “and I would rather I died than
you suffered because you had developed an attachment to me.”
“My brave Lorelei,” he slipped an arm
around her shoulders and hugged her.
“Not that brave,” she replied, “I’m
scared stiff.”
“That is what makes you brave,” he
said quietly. “I think you more human
than water spirit.”
She didn’t reply, just turned to
stare at him speechless. Their guard
halted the carriage and said, “Come, He awaits.”
Chip stepped out of the carriage and
turning, held his hand out to Lorelei, “A gentleman should always help a lady
out of her carriage.”
Lorelei took his hand and managed a
tremulous smile, “You’re an idiot.”
“Perhaps,” Chip replied, “but whether
this turns out for good or ill I will not see you suffer for me.” He squeezed
her hand and looked up at the guards flanking them, “I think we’d better move
along.”
They were escorted to the end of the corridor
and Lorelei swallowed hard as a pair of huge doors opened soundlessly in front
of them and they saw the huge figure on the throne above them, “Oh boy,” she
murmured
Walking forward together they caught
sight of the crowned figure and Lorelei dropped to one knee, her head
bowed. Chip followed suit, his heart
thumping in his chest.
“Rise, Lorelei,” the voice boomed
above her, “and introduce me to this mortal you seem so fond of.”
“My Lord,” Chip said slowly, as he
got to his feet, “I confess I am more fond of her than she is of me.”
“A brave one who stands before the God
of the Seas and confesses such an emotion,” Poseidon chuckled.
“No, not brave, my Lord, only
truthful.” Chip responded, “and it is said in my world that the truth will set
you free.”
“That is your world, young man. In my world the truth is likely to get you
killed.” The creature took a goblet from
a small table on his right, “although I confess that I do admire courage, in
all its forms.” He paused, “Now I could
spend hours relating stories of my day to you, but I shall come straight to the
point. You are summoned to my presence
to answer for your behaviour with one of my subjects.”
“My Lord,” Chip knelt, “I am in love
with Lorelei, I ask to make her my wife.”
Lorelei stared at the man kneeling on
the tiled floor and felt a sudden blush rise in her cheeks.
There was dead silence and Poseidon
stared at the bent blond head in front of him, “You come straight to the point,
don’t you, young man? By the way, what
is your name?”
“Chip – Charles, my lord,” he
stuttered.
“Rise, Charles. Are you certain sure of this?”
Chip rose to his feet, “I am, my Lord.”
“Ah, Commander,” Poseidon spoke,
stepping from his throne he walked towards them, shrinking as he did, so when
he reached them he was the size of a mortal.
“It would appear that you are bonded.”
“But it was only a healing,” Lorelei
protested, “this is not normal!”
“When there is a connection between
two people, ‘normal’ is not a reading that applies.” Poseidon explained, “it is
unusual I grant you, but not unheard of.”
“So we were meant to find one
another?” Chip asked.
“I believe so,” Poseidon replied,
“and if I were to split you up now, it would kill you. So you must choose.”
“Whether I stay in her world or she
makes the transition to mine?” Chip asked quietly.
“No!” Lorelei shook her head, “I
won’t let you – I’d sooner die first!”
Poseidon sighed, “This would kill
both of you, have you not understood this?” he explained gently.
“Then I choose to make her my wife,”
Chip replied.
Poseidon eyed him thoughtfully and
then said, “There will be a penalty for this choice. And she will have to bear it.”
“So you’ll punish her for falling in
love?” Chip turned on the god, “that is unfair!”
Poseidon looked affronted, “This is
not a punishment, Commander. Do you not
understand? One cannot move from one
world to another without paying a price.
Since she is the one who must move from her world to yours, she must pay
the price. You would have to do the same if you made the transition to my world.”
“Is there nothing that can be done?”
she turned to the sea-god, “We have not known one another long enough-” she
swallowed. “there must be something you can do.”
“My dear, unco-operative Lorelei,”
Poseidon replied, “have you not fathomed the reason for my summons? If I could banish you to the farthest corners
of the earth do you not think I would have done so?”
Lorelei’s mouth twisted into a
grimace, “I thought you were all powerful!” She complained.
“There are things even more powerful
than me,” Poseidon replied. “But come, you both have little time left and you
must be joined if you are to find one another again. Have you a token you can give her?”
Chip slid his wedding ring from his
finger, “This is all I have of mine that I can give you,” he said.
Lorelei looked shocked, “You’re
married? Then I cannot marry you,
Comander.”
“I was,” Chip said slowly, “she died five
years ago.”
Lorelei looked helplessly at the god,
“Please,” she said, “I cannot go through with this – wipe our memories, then we
would never know-”
“It does not work like that,”
Poseidon said softly, “I told you, you are bonded. Nothing I can do would make you forget.”
Lorelei looked from one to the other
and folded her arms, “I won’t do it, it’s not fair.”
Chip smiled at her, “Lorelei, Melissa
and I grew up together, I think I married her because I was expected to.” He paused, “She died five years ago in a car
accident.”
“I’m not a replacement for her,”
Lorelei stared at him, and then she turned away, “Commander – Chip, I can’t do
it.”
“I don’t think you have much choice,”
Poseidon replied, “did I not make it clear, if you are not joined, then you
will both die.”
If possible, Lorelei paled even
further and then folding her arms tighter she shook her head and turned away
from him, “I won’t do it, it isn’t fair.
It’s certainly not fair on him.”
Chip took her shoulders and gently
turned her to face him, “Lorelei, I promise you. I would not ask to marry you if I did not
wish it.”
She turned and he could see the shine
of tears in her eyes, “But your wedding ring-”
“I told you, it is all I have of mine
to give you,” Chip replied, he slid his ring over the third finger on her left
hand. “Will you wear it for me?”
“I may have to swop fingers,” Lorelei
said slowly.
“Just wear it, then I’ll know that
you’re mine.” Chip smiled.
Gently Lord Poseidon took their hands
and placing Chip’s over Lorelei’s he covered them both with his own. “Be thou consecrated to one another and
joined as man and wife in this realm. Go now, I wish you both joy.”
Chip swallowed, “What happens now?”
he asked.
“Six months, Commander,” Poseidon’s
voice seemed to be fading away, “You have six months to find one another, examine
your feelings and decide what you wish to do.
I will be watching.”
Chip opened his eyes to find himself
lying in sickbay and Dr Jamieson bending over him. The doctor smiled when he saw that Chip was
awake, “Good morning,” he said quietly.
Chip blinked, “Morning?” he
whispered.
“You’ve been unconscious all night,”
Jamie explained.
“Oh,” Chip sat up slowly, “What
happened?” he asked, although he knew very well what had happened, Lorelei, he thought dully, What happens if I can’t find you again?
He swallowed as the faces of Captain Crane and Admiral Nelson swam into focus.
“Chip! Good to see you awake at long
last!”
Chip managed a faint smile and
struggled to sit up, “Take it easy, Mr Morton,” Jamie was standing behind him. “You’ve been out quite a while.”
Chip grimaced and sat up, letting his
legs dangle over the side of the gurney, he looked down at his left hand and was not
surprised to see that he was no longer wearing his wedding ring, Jamie
meanwhile was taking his pulse, “Well there doesn’t seem to be anything much
wrong with you, Mr Morton. I think you
can go back to duty.”
Chip stepped down from the stretcher and managing a
rueful smile at Lee, followed the Admiral out of Sickbay.
VTBOTS
“Well, Lorelei,” Poseidon turned to
the water spirit, “it appears that I now know what to do with you.”
She turned and managed a wan smile at
the sea god, “I hope so, Lord, you may be wrong about this.”
“Perhaps,” Poseidon looked
thoughtful, “but as Caesar said, alea
jacta est, the die is cast. You have
to make the transition from my world to his – the price is your legs.”
“Paralysed?” Lorelei asked, managing
to keep her voice level.
“You will have sensation,” the god
said, “and a few other things, but you will not be able to walk.”
Lorelei nodded again, “Yes, my Lord.”
“Be well, Lorelei, whatever you
decide to do and wherever you decide to go.”
He raised his hand in a salute and Lorelei smiled as a shower of golden
sparkles swirled around her whisking her away.
She opened her eyes and stared up at
an unfamiliar ceiling, Where was she?
There was a soft tap at the door and
a head poked its way into the room, “Are you feeling better, Miss Rogers?”
Better
than what? She was tempted to ask, but decided
instead to sit up and turn to face the woman.
She smiled, “You do look better, Miss.”
“I feel better,” Lorelei smiled, “and
please call me, Lorelei.”
The woman looked slightly
uncomfortable and then nodded, “Yes, Mi-Lorelei. Would you like to get up for supper?”
“That’d be great,” Lorelei replied,
still slightly dazed. The woman nodded
and then opened the door wider, “I’ll help you get dressed.”
Lorelei looked down at herself and
saw that she was wearing pyjamas, “Do I need to get dressed?”
“You have guests from the NIMR,” the
woman said.
“Oh,” Lorelei replied, suddenly
dumbfounded, “then you’re right, I should get dressed. Any suggestions?”
The woman walked across to the
wardrobe and took out a pair of slacks and a blouse, “You usually wear
something like this,” she explained, “want some help getting out of bed?”
“Mmmm, that would be nice,” Lorelei
agreed, and maybe I can figure out what
the hell has happened to me.
The woman was quick and methodical,
helping Lorelei sit on the edge of the bed.
Somehow she managed to get into her bra, and then with a bit of wiggling
the woman managed to pull her pyjama bottoms off and then get a pair of
trousers on. Eventually they stood
looking at one another and Lorelei smiled up at her, “Are you sure I couldn’t
have gone in pyjamas? It would have been
easier.”
The woman smiled properly for the
first time, “And what kind of impression would that create?”
“Oh probably not the best,” Lorelei
agreed, “let me get my blouse on and get myself across to my dressing table.”
“Fair enough, Miss Lorelei,” the
woman seemed unexpectedly flustered and Lorelei smiled, “how long until they
arrive and what am I serving for dinner?”
“Um, an hour and you’ve got a chicken
casserole in the oven and you said you’d cook rice.”
“I did?” Lorelei looked almost
frightened for a moment or two and then she ran a hand across her forehead,
“I’m having a really bad day – I don’t remember that-”
The woman looked mystified for a
couple of minutes and then placed her hand on Lorelei’s forehead, “You feel a
little bit warm, are you sure you’re all right?”
Lorelei managed a wan smile, “No, not
really. I can’t seem to remember
anything.”
“Well you did say that you weren’t
feeling very well this afternoon-“ the woman mused, “all right, if I leave you
to put on your make-up I’ll go into the kitchen and see if I can sort something
out.”
Lorelei nodded and reached for the hairbrush,
as she did so a familiar figure shimmered into view, “Sy,” she whispered.
“My dear Lorelei,” the god said, “the
woman whose body you inhabit died this afternoon, in that instant, as her soul
left her body, I slipped your soul into her body. Your name is Lorelei Rogers – I wish you all
the best, my dear. We will not be able
to speak like this again.”
Lorelei nodded and then Poseidon
slowly disappeared. Slowly she pulled
the brush through her hair wondering what the hell she was going to do. She heard the door open again and a soft
exclamation, “Lorelei! What are you
doing?”
“Hmmm,” she murmured, still lost in
her thoughts.
“Come here!” the woman took it from
her unresisting hand and began to brush Lorelei’s hair with long smooth
strokes, “You aren’t yourself are you?”
She smiled faintly and the woman
shook her head, “I knew I should have cancelled this evening when you said you
weren’t feeling very well this afternoon.”
“No, no that wouldn’t be a good
idea. I’m supposed to going to work with
these people-”
“But we could reschedule-”
“I rather think that their time is
precious and they want someone who can start work immediately.”
“Yes,” the woman smiled, “all
right. I’ll stay and make the rice for
you tonight.”
“Would you?” Lorelei turned in the
chair, “that’s awfully nice of you.”
The woman gave her an odd look but
continued to brush her hair, “Would you like me to style it for you.”
“Oh, please,” Lorelei said, “that
would be wonderful.”
She watched as the woman brushed,
combed and curled her hair and Lorelei was stunned to see her hair transform
from a wildly disordered mop to a mass of shining, dark curls. “Right, a touch of lipstick I think and then
I’ll wheel you through to the lounge.”
“Can’t I wheel myself?” Lorelei asked
looking up at the woman.
If possible the woman looked even
more mystified and then she said, “Well you normally ask me to wheel you in
because you said that if you did, you’d break your nails-” and Lorelei stared
down at her scarlet painted nails and thought, Well they’re comng off as soon as possible.
The woman wheeled her into the lounge
and said, “I’ll get you a glass of lemonade,
are you sure you wouldn’t like a couple of paracetamol?”
“The lemonade would be fine,” Lorelei
said slowly, and thought, What the hell
is her name? Who am I?
The woman returned with a glass of
lemonade and Lorelei smiled, “Did you get yourself one?”
For a split second she thought she’d
overstepped the mark and then the other woman said, “Are you sure –
Mis-Lorelei?”
“Of course!” Lorelei exclaimed, “get
yourself a glass of lemonade and fill me in on what I’m supposed to be doing
tonight.”
The woman gave her another peculiar
look and then nodding quickly, left the room.
When she returned she was carrying another glass of lemonade. Gingerly she sat down opposite Lorelei and
asked dubiously, “You said that you wanted me to fill you in. I’ve typed up
your Resumé and left it in the folder there – and I’ve detailed all your
proofreading experience as well. This
meal’s merely a formality.”
“Good,” Lorelei smiled again and this
time the woman almost recoiled, “I am grateful for your assistance-”
“Rosemary – Mis-Lorelei,” she
frowned, “normally you don’t give a damn about us – me or Sally? What’s happened?”
“I had a rotten dream,” Lorelei
replied, she knew it was a lame excuse but it was the only one she could think
of.
“Oh,” Rosemary said, blinking. Lorelei wasn’t sure she believed her but at
that moment there came a soft knocking on the door and Rosemary went to open
it, Lorelei could hear her talking, she caught snatches of words, “...she’s had
a bad afternoon...don’t think she’s quite herself...”
Two figures walked into the room and
Lorelei felt her heart soar, with these two women she knew that she’d have
nothing to worry about, “Lorelei! Rosie tells
us you had a bad afternoon – one of your attacks?”
“Something like that,” Lorelei replied,
reaching out to take the first woman’s hand.
“I’m Angie,” the woman smiled, “are
you sure you’re up for supper tonight?
We can reschedule-”
“That wouldn’t be fair,” Lorelei
managed a half-hearted smile, “yours and the Admiral’s time is too valuable to
waste traipsing back and forth to a potential employee.”
The other woman smiled, “I’m
Patricia, we met at the Institute.”
Lorelei smiled, “Yes, a pleasure to
see you again. I’ve asked Rosemary to stay
and cook the rice for me – I’d also like her to join us for dinner – would that
be all right Rosie?” Lorelei looked at the woman and was shocked to see a
frightened look cross her face, I must do
something to remedy that, she thought.
To her surprise dinner was better
than she’d expected, afterwards, they retired to the lounge and Rosie asked,
“Would you like coffee?”
“Show me how to do it?” Lorelei
asked. Giving her another odd look Rosemary led her through to a small, but
well equipped kitchen.
Lorelei was tempted to whisper Wow, but realised that whoever’s body
she jumped into would have considered this perfectly normal.
“You don’t normally come in here,”
Rosemary said, “you always said that cooking was for peasants.”
“Then I was an idiot,” Lorelei
replied, “show me what to do.”
As she reached for the kettle she
caught the top of her thumb and cursed under her breath as part of her nail
chipped.
“That’s it,” Lorelei said, “Rosie,
you get the coffee – I’m going to find a pair of nail scissors and something to
get rid of this horrendous nail varnish.”
“I can do that,” Rosemary said, “go
and chat with the girls.”
The
girls? Lorelei thought, but nodded anyway and
wheeled herself back into the lounge.
Angie stood up and held her hand out,
“Are you sure you’re all right, Miss Rogers?” she asked.
“Please, call me Lorelei,” she said,
shaking the woman’s hand.
“Lorelei,” Angie smiled, “can you start work Monday?”
“Absolutely,” Lorelei replied.
VTBOTS
Chip stood looking out of the
herculite windows, his mind far away.
Two weeks had elapsed since he’d collapsed in the Control Room and while
the Admiral had said nothing, but Captain Crane was another matter. Sighing softly to himself he turned to the
two men sitting quietly behind him.
Sitting down he poured himself a cup of coffee, picking up the vessel,
he cradled it in his hands and began, “I was seven when my sister was born,” he
took a sip of his coffee, “she was premature which meant that my Mum had to
stay in the hospital and my Dad didn’t know what to do with me. So he sent me to his mother, she had this
huge old brownstone in the Bronx. I
remember looking up at it and thinking of all the things I could do in that
house.” He swallowed again, “only I found out that my grandmother’s idea of
discipline –” he took a shuddering breath and concerned, Lee put a hand on his
arm, “Chip, you don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to-”
“Yes I do,” Chip looked up and Lee
was shocked to see the shine of tears in his eyes, “she’s the reason that I
fell apart after our impromptu trip to Venus.”
He took a shuddering breath and staring down into his mug began, “I
upset her one day – didn’t know what I’d done, still don’t know now actually –
but she grabbed my arm and dragged me inside, she threw me into the coal
cellar. God it was so dark,” he broke
off and Lee squeezed his arm, trying to reassure him, Chip flashed him a glance
of gratitude and continued, “the dark I could get used to, but it was the
rats-” he swallowed again, “I can remember them, running over my shoes, over my
legs – I thought they would eat me alive-”
“How long were you in there?” Nelson
asked gently.
“I don’t know the first time,” Chip
replied truthfully, “maybe six, maybe eight hours. I do know that it was dark when she let me
out. She gave me some bread and cheese
and told me to go to bed. I grabbed the
food off the plate and shot to my room so fast-”
“How many more times did she lock you
up there?” Lee asked.
“Six or seven times during that
year,” Chip replied, looking up at him for the first time. “and I swear, the
rats got bigger every time.” He managed
a wan smile, “my father came for me at the end of that year – Mum was better
and I had a new baby sister. I thought about
telling my father – but Grandmother caught me in the kitchen before we left and
said that if I told anyone she’d kill my mother and new sister.” He managed a weak smile, “of course now I
know she couldn’t have done any such thing – but then –”
Lee nodded sympathetically, “So that
first night-”
“I was having the most horrendous
nightmares – they blinded me and suddenly I was seven again – and when they
started bombarding me with questions – I couldn’t resist-”
“Chip, it wasn’t your fault,” Nelson
said gently, “you couldn’t help yourself.
We could see how distressed you were when you excused yourself after
supper.”
“Who helped you?” Lee asked suddenly,
more sharply than he’d intended.
A wry smile touched Chip’s lips and a
sudden sparkle lit up the blue eyes, “How do you know that anyone helped me?”
Lee eyed him thoughtfully and then
said, “Someone did though, didn’t they?”
“Yes,” Chip responded, “more than you
know, she was – she is the most amazing woman I’ve met – and now all I have to
do is find her again.”
“Do you think you will?” Nelson asked
slowly.
“I intend to try,” Chip replied.
“Try not to worry about it,” Nelson
replied, clapping him on the shoulder, “you’ll probably find one another when
you least expect it.”
“I hope so, sir,” Chip smiled again.
Nelson nodded and then said, “Well,
gentlemen, we’ve still got work to do.”
Lee nodded and then swallowing the
last of his coffee, stood up, “Admiral, Chip.
I’ll be in the Control Room.”
VTBOTS
To her surprise, when she’d arrived
at the Nelson Institute of Marine Research, Patricia had greeted her warmly and
shown her to an office next to her own, “It’ll be easier for you to work here,”
she said, “then if you can’t read the Admiral’s writing, you can shout me.”
Lorelei had been totally
stunned. Eventually she’d managed to
stutter her thanks and then Patricia had smiled and said, “I’ll get the first
reports for you. Just correct the
spelling in the margins and any queries, write them down on this pad and then
once you’ve finished the report, type them up on the computer.”
“Right,” Lorelei said slowly,
wondering if she was going to get the hang of this.
Patricia patted her on the shoulder, “Don’t
worry, you’ll get the hang of it.”
“I shall do my best,” Lorelei
replied, turning to look at the woman.
Patricia gave her a warm smile and
then returned to her own office leaving Lorelei alone. The first day was one of the worst she’d ever
experienced, thankfully she’d read some books concerning proofreading as she’d
travelled around the world, so she had a fair idea of what was expected of her.
She was halfway through the
scientific journal and trying to work her way through a typed section with
written corrections down each side and over the text itself when Patricia entered the room. She was attempting
to make sense of it when she heard Patricia say, “It’s almost one, Lorelei,
would you like to come to lunch with us?”
Lorelei and looked up and smiled,
“That would be super! This one page is
driving me nuts!”
Patricia looked over her shoulder and
a broad smile curved her mouth, “Ah, that’s a rebuttal to a paper by a Dr
Dmitri Lefkin – the Admiral gets a little carried away with him. We’ll go through it together after lunch.”
“Thanks Patricia,” Lorelei smiled.
She was quiet during lunch, she’d
ordered a ham and tomato sandwich, grateful that all her years of wandering
hadn’t been wasted and she knew how the human world operated, how my world will now operate, she
thought wryly.
She ordered at the counter, wondering
how she was going to take her sandwich across to the table when a familiar voice
said, “Go and sit down, Lorelei, I’ll bring lunch across. What would you like to drink?”
“Erm, a cola?” she asked hesitantly.
“Cola it is then.” Patricia smiled
and then shooed her away. Lorelei
managed a half-smile and then Angie said, “Lorelei, wheel yourself over here.”
“I hope that your introduction to
this office hasn’t been too manic,” Angie said as Lorelei settled herself at
the table.
“Only a little,” Lorelei replied,
smiling, “but it could have been worse.”
Angie grinned, “Not sure about that. Working for NIMR is a baptism of fire – but
you’re doing okay.”
Lorelei blushed suddenly and Angie
laughed, “Oh, sweetie, you’ve not had much experience of praise.”
“No, not really,” Lorelei replied.
“In fact I wouldn’t have applied for this job ordinarily, but I was tired of
sitting at home watching the dross on television.”
Patricia set Lorelei’s lunch and
drink in front of her, “Here. Eat.”
Lorelei looked up and a broad smile
curved her lips, “Thanks,” she replied.
“Not a problem. We’ll go through that Lefkin paper after
lunch.”
“That would be super,” Lorelei
replied.
“I think she’s a bit overawed,” Angie
said gently.
“Just a bit,” Lorelei replied,
smiling. “NIMR has an international
reputation.”
“You’ll be fine,” Patricia said as
her own lunch arrived, “Eat up, you’re going to need all your concentration for
this afternoon.”
When Lorelei wheeled herself through
her apartment door that afternoon it was to see Sally and Rosie waiting for
her, “Is something wrong?” she asked.
“You said that you weren’t feeling
well yesterday, so I took the liberty of contacting your doctor.” Sally began
hesitantly.
Lorelei nodded, “You may be
right. All right, Dr Winters,” She sent a silent prayer to any deity who
might be listening for allowing her to remember that name, “where do you
want me?”
“Wheel yourself through the bedroom,”
Dr Winters said, “and I’ll take a look at you there.”
Flashing a quick grin at her carer,
Lorelei wheeled herself through to the bedroom and submitted to the
examination.
“You can button up your blouse now,”
Dr Winters said as she took the earpieces of her stethoscope out of her ears,
“and then get yourself through to the lounge.”
Lorelei was sitting in the lounge,
Sally and Rosemary on the settee when Dr Winters came through, “What’s the verdict?
What’s wrong with her?” Sally asked quickly.
“Hold up there!” Helen Winters held
up her hand, “there’s nothing wrong. Her
blood pressure is down and some sensation has returned to her legs, although
she still can’t stand up. On the whole I
would say that she seems to be a little bit better.”
“Well that’s good,” Rosie said,
“anything else?”
“Nothing I can think of,” Helen
replied, “I’d like to stop the nightly sedative, if you’re agreeable. I think with this new job you’ll probably
find it easier to sleep at night now.”
“That would be good,” Lorelei
replied, she neglected to reply that every time she’d been given a pill at
night she’d wrapped it in a tissue and shoved it in the drawer in the bedside
table.
“Any other problems?” Helen asked
quietly.
“None that I can think of,” Lorelei
replied.
“Then I think we can leave it there,”
Helen smiled, “but I want to see you again in six months.”
Lorelei smiled, “Fair enough. I’ll see you to the door, Doctor.”
“Now Lorelei, I’ve told you before,
call me Helen.”
“All right, Helen,” Lorelei replied,
“thank you.”
“My pleasure, Lorelei. Now look after yourself.”
Lorelei nodded and then Sally was
opening the door and Dr Winters was walking down to her car. “Shall I make us all a cup of coffee?” Rosie
asked.
“I’ll come and help if you like,”
Lorelei said, “now we’ve got that ridiculous pink nail varnish off.”
“That would be super,” Rosie
replied. “Sal, we’ll be in the kitchen.”
VTBOTS
It had been almost a month since he’d
encountered Lorelei. The Seaview was moored in Guam, there had
been a typhoon in the area and the submarine was helping evacuate
survivors. Chip looked up as Lee and the
Admiral entered the bar. Lee ordered two
beers and then moved to sit opposite his friend, “You still looking for her?”
he asked gently.
“Been looking all day,” Chip replied
gloomily as he took another sip from the bottle.
“Maybe you’ve been trying too hard,”
Nelson replied sympathetically, “you’ll find her. You’ll find one another – didn’t the Being
you spoke with promise that?”
Chip gave him a wry smile, “Not
exactly, Admiral. He said that he would
give us six months.”
“Have faith,” Lee said, “do you know
her name?”
“Lorelei,” Chip replied.
“And you’ll know her when you see
her?” Nelson asked quietly.
“Yes,” Chip replied with such
certainty that both his friends were momentarily rendered speechless.
“Then if you have faith you will find
one another,” Lee said firmly.
Chip smiled and took another sip of his beer, “I hope so, Lee,
I really hope so.”
VTBOTS
It had been almost two months since
she’d started work at the NIMR. Lorelei finished reading the scientific report
and then sitting up, rubbed the bridge of her nose between her thumb and
forefinger. Angie tapped on the door and
asked, “How are things going?”
“Just finished,” Lorelei stretched
and turned to grin at Angie. “Admiral
Nelson really doesn’t like this Dr Lefkin does he?”
“I think he hates bad science,” Angie
replied guardedly, “he doesn’t hate the man, just his practices.”
“Well, Patricia helped me make sense of
some of the notes,” Lorelei grinned, “I’ll start typing them up tomorrow.”
“Good,” Angie replied, “I have to
make a report to Admiral Nelson, do you want to stay and be introduced to him?”
“No thanks,” Lorelei grinned, “I want
an early night, it’s been a rather crazy week.”
“See you tomorrow,” Angie opened the
door and watched as she wheeled herself down the ramp.
Meanwhile, Angie sat herself down in
front of her computer and began pressing the buttons that would connect her to Seaview.
She smiled when the face of Admiral Nelson appeared on screen, “Good
evening, Admiral. How are you?”
Nelson smiled, “We’re good,
Angie. How’re things at the Institute?”
“Excellent, Admiral,” Angie replied,
“we’ve finally hired a new proofreader, a Miss Rogers. She’s very good.”
“Even with the Lefkin report?” one of
Nelson’s eyebrows went up and Angie chuckled.
“Yes, sir. She went through it line by line.” Angie grinned, “says that she’ll type it up
tomorrow. Would you like it sent through
to the Seaview, or can it wait a few
days?”
“It can wait,” Nelson replied,
“everything else all right?”
“Couldn’t be better, Sir,” Angie
replied. “When will you be back?”
“Sunday evening,” Nelson replied,
“I’ll pop into the Institute to check a few things, but I’ll be sending Captain
Crane and Commander Morton home.”
“Bad mission, Sir?”
“Somewhat fraught, yes Angie.” Nelson
smiled tautly, “we’ll see you soon, okay?”
“See you soon, Admiral,” Angie
replied.
Nelson turned off the computer screen
and ran a hand over his face, he’d be glad to get back to Santa Barbara and
some shore leave. It hadn’t been the
easiest of missions and although Commander Morton had returned safely from the
surface of Venus, his subsequent collapse and confession had added to the
stress of himself and his Captain, added to this was the evacuation of Guam
after Typhoon Hilda had hit the
capital leaving a number of refugees needing medical treatment, all in all it
had been a difficult ten weeks.
Commander Morton entered the Control
Room and smiled, “Good evening, Sir.”
“Evening, Chip,” Nelson smiled, “did
you rest well?”
“Surprisingly, yes sir,” Chip nodded.
“I’ll be in my cabin,” Nelson
replied, “see you later.”
Chip grinned and nodded, bending over
the plotting table, “See you later, Sir.”
The next two hours were uneventful,
and then Lee came on duty. Chip handed
him the clipboard detailing their fuel consumption and progress. Lee flicked through them and then scrawled
his signature on the final page.
“Looking forward to getting back?”
Lee asked.
Chip shrugged, “Sort of. Keep wondering about Lorelei.”
“I think you’ll find her, Chip,” Lee
said quietly, “and when you least expect it.”
Chip’s lips twitched in a wry smile,
“We’re making good progress, should be back home late Sunday.”
“It’ll be good to get back,” Lee said
thoughtfully, his eyes far away. “It’s
been a difficult couple of months.”
“Yeah,” Chip nodded, “you can say
that again.”
The next two days were quiet and
uneventful with no nasty surprises for which everyone, especially Dr Jamieson
were grateful. Admiral Nelson guided his
lady into her subpen at Santa Barbara.
Thankfully it was quiet. Seaview was moored in her usual spot and
then as the final line was secured, Captain Crane was already in the conning
tower watching as Seaview was firmly
moored.
The gangplank was moved into place
and all three men walked across the span until they were standing on the
dock. “I’m heading for the Institute,”
Nelson said quietly, “Angie said she’d wait for me, but I suggest you two go on
home – and I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.”
“Yes, Sir.” Both men saluted and then
slinging his bag over his shoulder Lee began walking up towards the NIMR’s car
park and his scarlet Cobra. “Want a lift, Chip?” he asked.
“That’d be great, Lee,” Chip
smiled. “Going to get an early night I
think.”
“Me too,” Lee smiled. He parked in front of his friend’s house,
“see you tomorrow, Chip.”
“See you tomorrow, Lee.” Chip grinned
at him and then he was letting himself into his house.
VTTBOTS
Lorelei spent a delightfully lazy
weekend. Sally was her carer for the
Friday and half of Saturday and Rosemary for the remainder of the time. With her carers help, Lorelei managed to have
a long, luxurious bath on Saturday night.
Rosie styled and dried her hair for her while she sat, swathed in bath
sheets on her stool. On Sunday Lorelei
hadn’t bothered to get dressed, she’d merely sat in her pyjamas and they’d
watched television programmes together.
Eventually, Rosie had gone to prepare supper and Lorelei had got herself
into her wheelchair. Lorelei smiled up
at her when she brought the plates through, “What delights have you prepared
for us tonight?” she asked, smiling up at her friend.
“Chicken casserole,” Rosie replied,
“but I only have chocolate ice cream for dessert.”
“That’s wonderful,” Lorelei replied,
“come and sit down.”
Rosie sat down adjacent to her and
picked up her knife and fork, “Eat up,” she urged, “or I’ll get upset!”
“And I wouldn’t want that,” Lorelei
laughed, cutting into her chicken breast.
They were finishing off their supper
and Rosie said, “Do you want me to help you to bed or just to lay your pyjamas
out.”
“It’ll be fine if you just lay my
pyjamas out,” Lorelei said, “I think I’d better have an early night. Going to be a busy day tomorrow.”
Rosie cleared away the plates and
said, “Do you want your ice cream now?”
“Actually I think I’m a bit full,”
Lorelei replied, “so I think I might call it a day.”
Rosie nodded, “Fair enough, I’ll help
you get undressed and into bed.”
Lorelei nodded,
“Thanks, Rosie.”
She was helped
into a pair of pyjamas and then Rosie pulled back the duvet and Lorelei eased
herself into bed, using her hands to slide her legs down the bed, then pulling
the duvet up.
Rosie set the
glass on the bedside table and then said, “Sally will be here about seven
tomorrow morning, so I’ll say goodnight.”
“Night, Rosie,”
Lorelei replied, “see you tomorrow evening.”
“Goodnight,
Lorelei,” Rosie said quietly, as her employer picked up her book and began to
read. Lorelei heard the front door close
and settling more comfortably back onto her pillows, opened her book and
continued reading.
Her alarm buzzed
her into wakefulness at half past six and she groaned and opened her eyes. She was sitting on the edge of her bed
sipping her water when there was a soft knock on her door and Sally’s head
popped around it. “Morning,
Lorelei. Did you sleep well?”
“Actually I did,”
Lorelei smiled, “I thought it would be nice if you left my hair loose this
morning.”
“I’ll brush it out
for you,” Sally said, “now, let’s get you dressed and into your wheelchair.”
Lorelei nodded and
then opening the drawer in her bedside table took out Commander Morton’s ring
strung on a necklace. She slipped it on,
fastening the clasp, and then wheeling herself through to the bathroom, Lorelei
washed her face and brushed her teeth.
Sally called her and she went through to the lounge, “Is cereal all
right?” Sally asked.
“Cereal and coffee
will be great,” Lorelei responded, “are you going to have something?”
“A coffee with you
I think,” Sally replied, “and then I’ll see you off. Rosie will meet you this evening when you get
back.”
“Any idea what’s
for supper?” Lorelei asked.
“I think Rosie’s
planning a surprise.”
“Great,” Lorelei
smiled, “then I look forward to it.”
To her surprise
the institute seemed suddenly busy and very full. Lorelei stopped one of the secretaries
scampering down the corridor and demanded, “What’s going on?”
“They’re back!”
was all she got before the woman wriggled out of her grip and practically ran
down the corridor, leaving her alone.
She wheeled
herself into her office, it was strangely devoid of life, although thankfully
her pile of projects didn’t seem to have increased. Sighing, she shook her head and parking
herself at her desk, picked up the file on the top of the stack and setting it
on the desk, opened it. No doubt she’d
be told what was happening soon.
The door opened
and Angie’s head popped round, “They’re back,” was all she said, and then
followed it up with, “will you be all right on your own for a bit?”
“I’ll be fine,”
Lorelei replied, “you look frazzled, go, sought out things and come back when
you can.”
She finished
typing up the Lefkin report and printed it out.
Sighing she slipped it into the folder.
She ought to run this through to Angie, just to be on the safe side. She laid the file on her knees and then
opening the door, manoeuvred herself out into the corridor. She was rearranging the file and then she
heard the strong, familiar voice, “Lorelei?”
Almost
automatically, her head snapped up and she stared into the face of Commander
Morton, “By Poseidon’s Mane,” she whispered, “is it you?”
For a long moment
he stood staring at her and then he said, “It can’t be? Lorelei?”
“Chip,” she
murmured, her eyes never leaving his face, and then he was moving up the
corridor, dropping to his knees next to the chair.
“My God, Lorelei,”
he murmured, his hand coming up, but stopping about an inch from her cheek,
afraid to touch her, almost as if she was an evanescent soap bubble.
For an answer, she
bent down and touched her lips to his. The effect was electric and suddenly his
arms were around her, lifting her from the chair, their lips melded together. She took his face in her hands, feeling the
skin beneath her fingers.
They parted and he
stared down at her, “I don’t believe it,” he murmured, “Two and a half months –
I’ve stared into thousands of faces in every port we’ve stopped at and you’ve
been here all along-”
“I didn’t know
what to do,” she said slowly, “I did think about contacting Seaview, but I couldn’t think of a good
enough reason –”
“What are you
doing with our new proofreader?” Angie’s voice interrupted them.
Chip turned, still
holding Lorelei in his arms, “Angie!” he said delightedly, “this is the woman
I’m going to marry.”
Angie looked from
one to the other, a mixture of disbelief and puzzlement clouding her features,
“But you’ve only just met-”
“Er, not quite,”
Lorelei replied, she touched Chip’s shoulder, “Put me down, Commander, I think
we need to explain.” Smiling, Chip set her down in the chair, bending to kiss
her again.
“That’s for damn
sure,” another familiar voice said, and Chip turned his head to see the tall,
dark-haired man standing behind Angie.
“Lee!” he smiled,
“I’d like you to meet Lorelei. Lorelei
this is – Captain – oh you already know.”
“Yes,” Lorelei
grinned, “I’m glad to see you suffered no ill effects from your skirmish with
the plotting table, Captain.”
Lee took two steps
towards her and said, “You look very familiar, Lorelei. Have we met?”
“Only in desperate
circumstances, Captain.” Lorelei replied.
She leant down from her chair and picked up the buff file, “Angie, I’ve
got the Lefkin report typed up, I was coming to deliver it.”
“I think we ought
to go to the cafeteria,” Angie said thoughtfully, “by all that’s Holy, Lorelei! Why didn’t you tell us?”
“There were
reasons,” Lorelei replied, looking uncomfortable, “I don’t look the same, he
might not have known me-”
“I knew you,” Chip replied, “I’d have known
you anywhere. Do you still wear it?”
For an answer
Lorelei took out the wedding ring hanging on a chain round her neck. He knelt again and took both of her hands in
his own, “Be thou consecrated to one another-” he began.
“and joined as man
and wife in this realm.” Lorelei finished, and then flung her arms around him,
“oh, it’s good to see you again!”
“We’ll see you
both downstairs,” Lee interrupted, “all right.”
“I’ll drop the
Lefkin report on my desk and meet you there,” Angie said quickly, “want me to
bring Patricia?”
“I think so,” Lee
looked thoughtful, “should the Admiral come?”
“It might be
wise,” Lorelei grimaced, “better that you all hear it all at once, and from
me.”
“How confidential
is this?” Lee asked suddenly.
“Not really
confidential,” Lorelei replied, “more unbelievable; or perhaps magical might be
a better description.”
“Then Angie better
bring the Admiral,” Lee responded tersely.
“Do you want me to
push you, or would you be more comfortable wheeling yourself?” Chip asked.
“Oh I think I can
propel myself,” Lorelei grinned.
They were sitting
at one of the tables, their drinks in front of them when the rest of the party
walked in. Nelson sat down and said, “So
you’re Chip’s mystery lady.”
“It’s a little
more complicated than that, Admiral,” Lorelei began.
“I don’t doubt
it,” Nelson smiled, “what’s your name?”
“Lorelei,” she
replied, “Lorelei Rogers.”
When the others
arrived, Nelson ordered another round of drinks and Lorelei rolled her eyes, “I
thought this would be so much simpler,” she sighed, “you know. Our eyes meeting across a crowded room;
recognition dawning in each other’s faces and we fling ourselves into each
other’s arms.” She grimaced, “or in my case, I wheel myself across the room
crushing toes and breakings shins.”
Nelson watched as
Chip laid a hand on hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, “It’ll be all right,
sweetheart, just tell them the story.”
Lorelei took
another sip of her coffee and began her tale.
To her surprise
they listened quietly, Lee only interrupting once or twice. But it was Nelson
who asked, “This price you had to pay to enter our world – it was your legs?”
“Yes,” Lorelei
nodded, “although that is a minor thing.
This ‘bonding’ that Lord Poseidon said exists beween myself and
Commander Morton disturbs me. I still
feel that he was wrong and that I’ve put Commander Morton in an untenable
position.”
Lee frowned, “You
said that you look different now, and yet Chip recognised you straight away.”
He paused, “whatever exists between the two of you, you can’t run away from.”
“Yes, I’m
beginning to realise that,” Lorelei scowled again.
Chip laughed, and
then bending forward, gently kissed her on the lips. As he sat back, Lorelei realised that she was
blushing crimson to her hairline. “Gods,
it’s good to see you again, love.”
“So, where to
now?” Nelson asked quietly.
“Well, Lord
Poseidon said that we had to find one another, he never mentioned what we
should do after that.” Lorelei responded.
“We were married
in His realm,” Chip replied, “I think he hoped that we might want to make it
permanent in this one.”
Nelson grinned,
and cleared his throat, “Well, Miss Rogers – Lorelei, it’s good to meet you at
long last. May I wish you and Commander
Morton the very best.”
“Thank you,
Admiral.” Lorelei managed to find her voice.
She turned to grin at Chip, “I guess we’d all better get back to work. Want to come to dinner tonight?”
“I’d like that,”
Chip replied thoughtfully, “I’d like that very much.”