Metamorphosis
By Chris B.
Lt. Commander Chip Morton, executive officer of the
Nelson Institute of Marine Research submarine SSRN Seaview sat quietly in the
dimly lit room keeping silent vigil over the unconscious man in the bunk next
to him. The heart monitor and respirator
marked off the passing minutes with their steady cadence as Lee Crane,
Seaview’s captain and Chip’s best friend and self-adopted brother clung
desperately to life. This was an all too
common occurrence when Lee carried out missions for the Office of Naval Intelligence
and Chip had far too much experience keeping watch.
He sat there silently contemplating the man lying
before him, wondering once again why he continually answered ONI’s call when
more times than not the missions ended just like this. The objectives were always achieved but at a
horrific cost. When was being the best
submarine captain going to be enough for him, when was he going to finally tell
them to go to hell?
Chip was drawn from his reverie as Will Jamieson,
Chief Medical Officer for NIMR, wearily entered the room to check on his
patient’s progress. It had been a
desperate scramble to save the young man’s life as he and his corpsmen raced to
reverse the effects of the injuries the captain had sustained in service to his
country. He quickly checked Lee’s pulse,
blood pressure, and pupil reactivity then readjusted the flow of fluids
dripping into the captain’s arm via multiple IVs.
“How’s he doing Jamie,” Chip inquired softly as if
he spoke too loud he’d disturb the man in the bunk.
“He’s hanging in there Chip, that’s about all right
now. If he can make it through the night
we should be good,” Jamie replied as he pushed a tired hand through his
thinning hair. He moved across the room
to grab a chair and placed it next to Chip.
He lowered his aching body slowly onto the seat knowing he needed to sit
with the worried XO for a few minutes.
He’d been watching Chip with great concern since he came aboard; this
mission seemed to have affected him more so than others Lee had taken in the
past.
“Are you all right Chip,” he inquired after a few
moments.
“No… no I’m not all right. When is he going to come to the realization
that he is going to die doing this someday?
How can he keep doing this time and time again? Keep reinventing himself and paying a price
that the majority of the world, hell the country isn’t even aware of, let alone
would appreciate?” he replied angrily.
“Lee has always been committed to this; you know
that as well as I. His deep seated
belief and conviction that he needs to answer when his country calls regardless
of the personal cost is a huge part of who he is. While, like you, I think he’s done more than
his fair share I can’t see him ever refusing a call until he’s physically
incapable of doing the job.”
“It just doesn’t seem worth it Jamie; all the pain,
fear, uncertainty and for what?” Chip replied bitterly. “Odds are they won’t even give him a pat on
the head for pulling off their most recent impossible mission.”
Jamie stared at Chip deeply worried by this
heightened state of animosity and anger towards ONI and Lee’s continued
association. He had been privy to some
of the loud and sometimes less than civil discussions in the past, if that’s
what their shouting matches could be called, regarding Lee’s activities with
ONI but he usually wasn’t so vocal to anyone but Lee or the admiral. He kept his disdain and disagreement over his
captain’s on-going association with the intelligence agency private, showing
proper support and decorum when others were present. “Chip, I know you hate this, but what has so upset
you this time, other than the obvious reasons?”
Chip kept staring intently at his brother as he
replayed the events leading up to this moment.
After a few minutes he sighed heavily and turned to look at Jamie. “You weren’t here for the first part of the
mission Jamie. This one was different than
the missions Lee usually gets and for the first time he did most of his prep
for it on Seaview.”
“Different how Chip?”
Jamie inquired. “Lee’s received
assignments in the middle of some of our missions in the past; he’s prepped for
them before. What made this special?”
“In the past he’s only had to go in to retrieve
information, blow something up or rescue some poor unfortunate soul; to quote
James Bond here ‘a quick in and out’. His prep for those involved just a shift in
mindset from sub captain to invisible spy.
This one required he go undercover, become someone else, someone
completely foreign to the person we know as Lee Crane. We’ve never seen that transformation before
only the results after the mission is over; his metamorphosis scared the hell
out of me and most of the crew Jamie.
Even the admiral seemed unsettled by it and he’s had personal experience
as an agent. I suppose that’s why Lee has
never prepared for undercover missions while on the boat.”
Jamie sat there startled by Chip’s confession. Chip Morton was, next to Lee Crane, the
steadiest and most unflappable man he’d ever known. For him to admit discomfort with a situation
was nearly inconceivable, to admit fear was almost beyond comprehension. He honestly believed the man would be hard
pressed to even define the word fear. Jamie stared in amazement at the man
seated next to him trying to come up with any scenario that would so rattle the
usually stoic XO.
He had missed Seaview’s departure because the notice
to sail came ahead of schedule and he was attending a continuing education
seminar across country at Johns Hopkins.
The admiral had assured him that his services shouldn’t be needed for
the first half of the mission and he should complete the course. When he was finished, Nelson would have FS-1
pick him up and deliver him to the boat.
He made it out to Seaview nearly three weeks after she sailed and the
captain had already departed prior to his arrival.
Coming on board Jamie had registered an unusual uneasiness
with the crew but just assumed it had to do with their captain being off boat
and in the midst of an ONI mission. Even
the admiral and especially Chip seemed unsettled as though they had witnessed
something unseemly or unpleasant. No one
spoke of the preceding weeks as though it would evoke some hideous monster. Now, putting all the extraneous bits of
information together Jamie realized that it must be rooted in Lee’s preparation
for the mission.
ooOOOoo
Six Weeks Prior…
Seaview had been in port two weeks of a scheduled
three week break to allow the crew time off and to install some new
equipment. Chip had taken leave and
wasn’t expected back until a few days before the next mission. All that suddenly changed when he received an
emergency recall notice stating Seaview would sail in three days. He acknowledged the page and found that he
already had return travel arrangements waiting for him. Whatever was up was big.
Upon his return he headed immediately for NIMR to
get his mission brief and sailing orders so Seaview could meet the accelerated
departure date. As he exited the
elevator in the Admin building and was heading for his office Admiral Nelson
spotted him and called him into his office.
“Good afternoon, sir” Chip said as he moved to the
chair in front of Nelson’s desk.
“Afternoon Chip, thanks for returning so
quickly. I know you had another week of
leave but as you’ve probably guessed we’ve received orders from the Navy and I
need my A team in place for this one.” Nelson replied.
Nelson’s demeanor was decidedly tense and curt,
which spoke to the serious nature of this mission. His eyes and expression were hard, the usual
relaxed company he shared with Chip was missing; he was all business and all
four star admiral at the moment.
“What’s the mission sir,” Chip inquired deciding it
best to cut to the chase.
“Chip this part of the mission brief is ‘Need to
Know’ at this point and does not go beyond this room, understood.” Nelson
started.
“Aye sir, understood.”
“Multiple intelligence agencies around the world
have discovered a credible threat involving the production of an atomic bomb by
Red Jihad extremist centered in the border regions of Pakistan and Iran. Based on what has been uncovered they have in
their possession over five pounds of weapons grade plutonium and are nearing
completion of their first device.
Intelligence agencies from the NATO nations are mobilizing an all-out
effort to infiltrate and gain possession of both the plutonium and the bomb
before they are able to finish and mobilize it to their chosen target. This is not some insidious dirty bomb that
will scatter radioactive material all over; this is a full blown thermonuclear
device capable of vaporizing a large city and millions of people in the blink
of an eye. Seaview has been assigned to
transport one of the agents tapped to infiltrate the group and extract him when
his mission is complete.”
As Nelson lay out the background information on the
mission Chip felt the blood drain from his face and a feeling of dread settled
heavily in his heart at the implications.
He looked intently at the admiral’s face and knew immediately who they
would be escorting to the region. Hoping
his initial feeling was wrong he asked the question he really didn’t want
answered. “Lee’s got the ball on this one,
doesn’t he sir?”
Nelson nodded grimly. They both knew Lee was too well qualified to
not be selected for such a vital assignment.
He spoke the regional languages fluently, was well-versed in the various
extremist factions in the area, had a working knowledge of the principles of
nuclear physics and explosive devices and had the complexion and physical
characteristics that would allow him to easily be taken for someone from the
region.
“Chip you will be commanding Seaview on this trip to
allow Lee the time he needs to prepare for this mission. He needs to become completely immersed in
every aspect of the life and the ideology associated with this group and he and
I will be working together to bring him up to speed on nuclear bomb construction
principles,” Nelson added.
He opened the top right desk drawer pulled out a
folder and handed it to Chip. “Here is
the compliment of men that will put out to sea during the first phase of this
mission.”
Chip accepted the folder, opened it and quickly
scanned the names listed. He furrowed
his brow and looked up at the admiral in confusion. “Sir this is less than half the crew.”
“I know Chip.
We’ll be taking the bare minimum number of men needed to get Seaview to
Lee’s drop off location. The fewer
people he has to interact with the better.”
Chip continued scanning the list still somewhat
confused over the limited crew. The one
thing that did jump out at him was that the men identified were those most
loyal to the captain and would do anything to ensure his survival. Kowalski, Patterson, Riley, Sparks, Sharkey,
Rodriguez, Thomas to name a few. He looked up from the list again and stared at
the admiral.
As though sensing Chip’s observation about the
selected crew, the admiral continued. “We need those men who are closest to Lee
and those he trusts most. This won’t be
a pleasant cruise Chip and the group that goes has to be able to give Lee the
benefit of a doubt and support him regardless of his words or actions.”
The one glaring absence was Jamieson which struck
Chip as odd. “Why is Jamie not on this
list sir?”
“We hopefully won’t be in need of a doctor on this
phase plus Jamie is taking a course on updated emergency surgical procedures
and that can only benefit us all. Once
he’s done FS-1 will fly him out along with other crew members. By the time we need to pick up Lee, the rest
of the crew should be on board as they are shuttled out while we wait.”
“So is Lee here now?” Chip asked.
“No he’s still in DC finishing up his briefing and
getting the most current intelligence on the players involved and their
resources. He’s been working through
that for the last two weeks and should be just about finished. Once he is he will be flown back here and we’ll
be on our way.” Nelson answered. “Keep
your mission brief to the crew to a minimum, just enough to get things loaded
and us out to sea. Once we’re safely
away we will be able to provide them more information on our objectives and
goal.”
“Very well sir.
I’ll get things rolling so that we are ready to sail once Lee’s aboard.”
Chip replied.
ooOOOoo
The men of Seaview being consummate professionals
promptly returned when they received their summons. Everyone quickly turned to ensuring that
Seaview was loaded and ready to sail in record time. They instinctively knew this mission was
beyond what they were normally called to do and exercised special care in
preparing Seaview for whatever unknown challenge she would have to face. Answers to their questions would come in due
time.
There was a decided tension in the air that radiated
from both Admiral Nelson and the XO, and the continued absence of their captain
only reinforced the feeling that something big was going to happen and in all
likelihood involved ONI. Once
preparations to sail had been made they were all restricted to the boat to
prevent any slip of the lip to those who might be looking for information.
“Everything’s ready to go sir, we’re just in need of
the skipper and we can be on our way,” Chip informed Nelson.
“Excellent Chip, I think you and the crew set a new
record for getting us ready to sail.” Nelson replied.
“Aye sir. Everyone seems to sense the importance of
this mission and have been extremely diligent in making sure we’re ready for
anything.”
“I noticed that as well. I’ve always known we’ve got the best crew
around and they’ve more than proved it the last two days.” Nelson said. “Well it looks like it’s time for dinner what
say we head to the wardroom for a relaxed meal before things start hitting the
fan.”
Chip smiled and nodded his agreement. “After you sir.”
They exited the admiral’s cabin and started on their
way to the wardroom. As they passed the
captain’s cabin they heard a sound inside and stopped, no one should be in
Lee’s stateroom and given the degree of secrecy associated with the mission
anything out of the ordinary needed to be checked out. Chip made immediate eye contact with the
admiral and received a quick nod of agreement.
He carefully placed his hand on the doorknob and silently turned it until
the bolt was drawn back then rapidly thrust open the door to catch whoever was
inside unawares.
At the sound of the door being flung open, the man
in the head stepped out and looked at the intruders with a highly amused
look. “You could have knocked; I would
have let you in.”
“Lee?!”
Nelson and Morton responded in unison.
Lee laughed.
“Wow, stereo.”
“When the hell did you come aboard and why wasn’t I
notified of your arrival,” inquired Harri.
Chip nodded his head wanting answers to those questions as well.
“Oh I’ve been on board for about an hour. I was
practicing my covert entry techniques to get in the mood for things to come.”
Lee responded with a chuckle. “I
employed the same method to get aboard you used when you were suspected of
murdering Mason on live TV*. I came
aboard as a crate of machine parts.”
Harri and Chip just shook their heads in amusement
but were also concerned that Lee had made it aboard undetected. Chip made a mental note to put procedures in
place to hopefully prevent that means of entry in the future. “Well good to have you here now son” Harri
replied and placed his hand on his shoulder.
“I’m sure that won’t last for long,” Lee answered
knowing full well the coming days would be unpleasant for them all.
“Good to see you Lee,” Chip added. “Although it looks as though you’ve missed a
few visits to the barber.”
Lee looked decidedly uncaptain like, his hair was
longer than regulation and the curls that he usually combed into submission
were left to their own devices. He also
sported a full, thick beard giving him a decidedly Middle Eastern appearance.
Lee laughed lightly.
“Believe me there’s nothing I would love more than scraping this thing
off, it itches so bad and this hair…” he sighed resignedly as he pulled one
long curl straight. “So are you two off
to dinner?”
“Yes, we were just heading down to the wardroom when
we heard you rustling around in here,” Nelson replied. “Care to join us?”
“Definitely. I’d better take advantage of these
opportunities before you all want nothing more to do with me and have a torpedo
tube readied with my name on it.” Lee answered with a slight smile.
There was no humor in his voice which sent an
involuntary shiver down Chip’s spine. He
wondered what the hell was going to happen that would keep him from wanting to
be around his best friend. Nelson also
grimly nodded his head in agreement apparently knowing what was coming.
They exited Lee’s cabin and finished their walk down
to the wardroom. It was an odd feeling
seeing so few men aboard, almost like a ghost ship. There was an eerie quiet as the normal
conversations and activities were absent.
The boat herself even seemed reserved and uneasy with the change.
ooOOOoo
They spent the next hour savoring one of Cookie’s
best efforts and enjoying each other’s company in the calm before the
storm. With dinner finished Nelson told
Chip to put out to sea as soon as possible.
Ensuring that everyone had had the chance to eat and that all
preparations had been completed, Chip gave the order to sail and Seaview
departed the dock without fanfare to carry out her mission.
Once they had cleared the breakwater and the boat
slid beneath the surface the admiral moved to the nose and picked up the
mic. “Attention, this is the admiral. Men we are on a mission of the utmost
importance requiring the greatest degree of focus and professionalism of any
cruise we’ve undertaken. The lives of
millions potentially rest in our hands and we dare not fail. For this voyage Commander Morton will be
acting as captain while Captain Crane prepares for his portion of the
mission. Captain Crane would like to
make a few comments before he turns over command to Mr. Morton. Captain.”
“Men, as the admiral has indicated this mission is
vital to the security and well-being of not only the United States but the
entire world. For my portion of the
mission I will be going under deep cover to try and retrieve a parcel that in
the wrong hands threatens us all. I give
you this explanation because I will have to completely immerse myself in the
cover I’ve been given and conduct myself as that individual would. Any failure on my part, any break in
character, could have disastrous results for both me and the world.” Lee began.
“The cover I’ve been given is that of a terrorist
zealot looking to strike at the major powers of the world and foment a
jihad. This person loathes anyone from
the western world and is not shy about voicing or demonstrating that contempt
and hate. During this cruise to my jump
off point I will become that person and regretfully I will be treating you all
as though this is my true outlook on life.
Please understand that none of what I say or do in the intervening time
is personal but is my attempt to fully embrace my cover. I will do my best to keep our interactions to
a minimum and ask you to do the same.
There is a very good reason why preparations for undercover assignments
like the one I have now are done away from those we work and live with; it is
not a comfortable process for anyone involved especially those closest to
us. I therefore apologize to you all in
advance and ask for your understanding and patience. Commander Morton, you have the con.” Chip acknowledged the shift in command and
ordered the course and speed to get them to their appointed station.
When the captain completed his address a pin drop could
have been heard throughout the boat there was such a stunned silence. The critical and dire nature of their
assignment was driven home by both the admiral and skipper’s comments and the
crewmen exchanged worried looks. They
were worried about the situation but even more worried about what their skipper
was being asked to do.
ooOOOoo
The first few days aboard were relatively normal as
Lee focused on what Nelson had to teach him.
They sequestered themselves in Nelson’s lab as he tutored Lee on the
theory and principles of construction of a thermonuclear device. It was believed that the Red Jihad had hit a
snag in building their bomb and was looking for someone who could complete the
device. Lee needed to be able to
convincingly sell the cover story that he was a doctoral student studying
advanced nuclear physics in France but had come home due to a family
crisis.
Harri was charged with teaching Lee how to construct
a reasonably realistic facsimile without giving him all the information
necessary to make one that would work.
He had always known Lee was brilliant but his uptake and comprehension
of the topic surprised even him; he was making incredible leaps in logic and
grasping the concepts easily. As they
worked through the material, Harri actually became concerned that Lee would put
all the pieces together; intuitively filling in the steps Harri left out, and
actually be able to construct a working device.
The last thing anyone wanted was for the RJ to get their hands on someone
that could actually build a working bomb.
The RJ was notorious for using extreme torture on
those in their grasp unfortunate enough to have information they wanted. Every man has a breaking point and from all
accounts they were extremely adept at finding that point and extracting exactly
what they were after. If Lee were
successful in gaining acceptance into the RJ ranks, then not be able to sell
them on his facsimile they might turn to torture to pull out any missing pieces
they thought he might have. It was
unlikely that Lee would ever give them the information they wanted but then
again, every man has a breaking point.
After three days Harri put an end to their
classes. “Lee I don’t think it wise we
go any further with the instruction; you’re proving to be just a little too
adept at this subject. We both know
what’s at stake if they get a hold of someone with all the pieces to the puzzle
they’re building.”
“Just how much am I missing sir?” Lee inquired. “Do you think what you’ve given me exceeds
what they already have? The last thing I
want is to come up short.”
“There’s very little you’re missing, son. I think given your innate talents and a
little time you could complete the bomb on your own with no further instruction
from me. Based on the intelligence I’ve
seen, your knowledge far exceeds that of their lead physicist giving you the
ability to credibly ‘finish’ their
device.”
“Well then I’ll defer to your expertise on the
subject,” Lee replied with a smile. “I
suppose that brings an end to our association then.”
Harri closed his eyes and sighed deeply knowing what
would come next. “Yes I suppose it does. Before that happens I want to wish you luck
Son, while we’re still on speaking terms.
You’ve impressed and amazed me beyond words on this project Lee. You take damn good care of yourself and come
back to us, got it!”
Lee blushed slightly at the heartfelt words from his
adopted father. “Yes Dad. That’s always the first thing on my list of
things to do after grabbing the prize.
Thanks for everything Harri, you’ve given me the best chance at pulling
this whole thing off,” he said extending his hand. Harri readily accepted it and pulled him into
a tight embrace which had a high potential of being the last they would enjoy.
ooOOOoo
With the necessary instruction completed, Lee’s
attention was now focused on becoming his cover. He withdrew into himself and became a virtual
recluse rarely leaving his cabin. He
immersed himself on the customs and habits of the region and poured over the
rhetoric and propaganda published by the RJ.
He rarely spoke to anyone and with each exchange of words they became
more terse, derisive and hateful as he assumed the mindset of the anti-western
extremist he was purported to be.
Each day he became more passively aggressive in his
dealings with the men around him. The effect of Lee’s metamorphosis was blatantly
apparent on the crew. At the start of
the cruise the crew welcomed their skipper coming into their workspaces,
chatting with them about their job, their families, the happenings in their
lives. Now more often as not, if they
spotted him coming down the passageway they would do an immediate about face to
avoid coming into contact with the man.
They had initially thought the skipper’s speech at
the start of the cruise a bit extreme and it was inconceivable that he could
ever so deeply offend them that they would want nothing to do with him. That his preparations would just be an act and
Captain Crane, the man they respected and followed, would still be there. It was a shock when that turned out not to be
the case. As much as they still cared for their skipper, many of the men much
to their shame were secretly counting the days before they would be rid of the
jerk that had taken over their skipper’s body.
Chip had never witnessed Lee assume a persona for a
mission like this before and watched in horror as day by day Lee forced his
true self into the dark recesses of his mind and began sealing that identity
behind an impenetrable wall one brick at a time. The true measure of that transformation was
the dying light in Lee’s eyes. As he
became more and more the abrasive and despicable man dreamt up by ONI, all the
compassion, understanding and humanity that defined Lee Crane bled from his
expressive eyes. Now instead of the
familiar warm glow common to his gaze was a cold and calculating glare that
chilled anyone down to his very soul if he were unfortunate enough to be captured
by his cynosure.
Chip was probably most affected by Lee’s
metamorphosis because of the close friendship he shared with the man. Gone was his friend and brother, that person
so totally subverted in this process that Chip had to wonder how he ever worked
his way back. This process gave him much
more insight into Lee’s other life as an agent and most likely explained those
times when Lee came back from a mission deeply withdrawn and wounded in spirit
even more so than body.
He was losing patience with the whole thing and
chaffed more than the others as Lee pushed the limits of his new
personality. At one point when Lee had
intentionally run into him while walking down the corridor and made very
derisive remarks about his family, Chip lost it. He grabbed Lee by the front of his shirt and
slammed him back against the bulkhead glaring fiercely at the enemy aboard his
sub. He found himself fighting the urge
to punch Lee in the face as he shot Chip a smug and contemptuous sneer having
forced him to react. This couldn’t be
over fast enough as far as Chip was concerned.
Harri too was not immune to the effects of Lee’s
transformation. Where he had a better understanding
of what was going to occur he still found himself unsettled by the totality of
Lee’s assumption of the new persona. He
prayed that all of this was worth the pain and sacrifices his captain and son
was going through and that he would emerge on the other side unscathed. Like Chip he found himself wanting to slap
the superior and self-righteous smirk off Lee’s face as he worked on pushing
his buttons looking for a reaction. If
Jiggs Starke thought Lee Crane was too self-assured and arrogant in his normal
life, what would he think of him now?
ooOOOoo
The atmosphere on Seaview was tense beyond anything
the crew had experienced in the past.
They had been through life and death situations many times, playing tag
with enemy submarines, aliens, and ghosts, but that paled in comparison to the
mood aboard Seaview now. The boat felt
more like a pressure cooker and they all hoped they could hold it together
before things exploded.
Two and a half weeks into this voyage they had
finally reached their coordinates and Captain Crane would be departing the boat
in short order to begin the mission he had been preparing for since before they
left port. The crew had been fully briefed
on the reason for this ordeal and what was at stake, but despite the grave
nature of the captain’s mission they were all waiting with baited breath for
that moment when the skipper would step off the boat and they could all relax
and hopefully shed the growing feelings of animosity towards the man.
Chip made the call to Lee informing him his
transport would be leaving in 20 minutes and to report to the nose. Lee acknowledged the alert curtly then
finished packing the gear he would need to carry out the mission. He hated taking missions like this and even
more so hated how this one in particular had impacted his friends and crew. He
had to admit he’d done one hell of a job alienating them with his change in
character. He just hoped that they would
cut him that slack he asked for upon his return and not hold it against him. If
that was something they couldn’t do, then Lee knew he would have to leave
Seaview and go back to the Navy. He
thought ruefully ONI may have just asked too much of him this time, the costs
were becoming too high to keep on with this.
Lee grabbed his gear and headed down to the control
room to get his ride to shore. He knew
the last thing he could do was acknowledge any of the men lest he lose his
edge. There was no place he wanted to
stay more than aboard Seaview but duty called and he had answered. Coming down the spiral staircase he moved
directly to the open hatch leading to FS-1.
He looked neither right nor left and acknowledged no one as he descended
into the small ship. Nelson quickly
followed and Chip secured the hatch.
Within minutes they watched the little yellow sub pull away from Seaview
and an audible sigh passed through the entire boat.
ooOOOoo
Two hours later FS-1 returned to Seaview less one
crew member. Chip quickly spun open the
hatch and raised it up to allow the admiral to disembark. Nelson climbed rapidly up the ladder and
acknowledged Chip’s welcome. He was
visibly pale and the concern and worry for his captain was written plainly across
his face.
“Well he’s on his way and on his own, there’s
nothing more we can do for him until he calls for a ride,” Nelson said tiredly
as he perched on the ledge by the windows.
“Yes sir. Do
you think he stands a chance of making it into their organization?” Chip
inquired.
“He fits the bill perfectly Chip, they would be hard
pressed not to accept him though I’m sure they’re scrutinizing everyone showing
even the slightest interest in their cause very closely before they let them
get too close. As long as he stays in
character he should be fine.”
“I hate to admit it sir but I was relieved when he
finally got off the boat. I had just
about reached my limit. I hate having
him out there but I really didn’t want him here either,” Chip admitted.
Nelson nodded and gave him a sympathetic smile
understanding exactly what Chip meant.
“That’s why the prep for these types of missions is usually done away
from the agent’s normal life. The only
reason it was done this time was because of the instruction I needed to give
Lee and the fact that we would be required to recover him and verify his
authenticity of his package upon his return.
It’s a shock to friends and co-workers to see how they change and it is
doubly difficult on the agent knowing how his actions are affecting those
around him. I’ve got to admit I’ve never
seen anyone go so deep into character and it disturbed me as well witnessing
it. But then again I shouldn’t have been
surprised, this is Lee Crane we’re talking about and he never does anything
half-assed which is probably why he has always come back.”
“That’s very true sir. I guess we need to take comfort in that and
believe he’ll achieve his goal and come home to us,” Chip replied.
Nelson sighed and stood up and placed his hand on
Chip’s shoulder. “Come on Chip let’s get
on with our work as well.”
“Aye sir.”
ooOOOoo
The wait seemed interminable as Seaview lurked
around the waters of the Indian Ocean collecting samples, monitoring fish
populations and just killing time. It
had been almost four weeks since Captain Crane had been shuttled ashore to begin
his undercover assignment. In the
intervening time, Seaview was almost fully crewed now as the members left
behind had been shuttled out via FS-1.
Harri and Chip monitored the intelligence reports forwarded
by ONI closely, Lee had disappeared from the face of the earth but there had
been no indication one way or the other if he had made contact and been
accepted by the RJ. Chip held the
position that no news was good news but silently feared the worst.
The admiral and Chip were reviewing the charts for
the next round of sediment samples when Sparks called out. “Admiral, Mr. Morton, the skipper’s
transmitter just activated sirs.”
Chip and Nelson exchanged relieved looks and then
moved rapidly back to the radio shack.
“Did you get a bearing on it Sparks?” Nelson asked.
“No sir, it was too brief. If the skipper follows protocol there should
be another quick blast in 4 minutes and thirty seconds.” Sparks replied. The three men stood staring at the radio
willing it to receive the next signal as the control room crew strained their
ears for the incoming message. The next
signal came in at precisely the correct interval and was followed by three
quick bursts indicating mission accomplished.
“He’s got it!” exclaimed Nelson. Chip and the rest of the control room crew let
loose a cheer and huge sigh of relief.
After the next prescribed interval location
coordinates were sent, it was now Seaview’s turn to reply and acknowledge the
message. Sparks looked to the admiral
and received a nod approving transmission of the verification signal along with
the time they would be there to collect their captain. The signal was quickly acknowledged and they
all let a relieved smile light their faces.
“Get your team assembled Chip, you’ve got just 4
hours to get packed and over there to recover the captain and his packages.”
Nelson said.
A broad grin spread across Chip’s face. “Aye sir, with pleasure. Sharkey get everyone in motion now.”
“Aye, sir,” Sharkey replied as he smiled and then
moved quickly on his way to spread the news and get the team ready.
The recovery team, composed of Morton, Sharkey,
Patterson, Kowalski, Rodriguez and medical corpsman Thomas, set new records
collecting their gear and readying FS-1 for departure. Once their tasks were completed they
assembled in the nose and awaited the final mission brief and orders to board
the little sub to depart for the rendezvous coordinates.
ooOOOoo
“As you can see from the satellite pictures, the
shoreline is rocky with scrub brush, small trees and long grass providing good
cover for any unfriendlies that may be in the
area. We have no idea whether the
captain is injured but do know based on his communication that he has a package
with him. Recovery of that package is
our primary goal. If it comes to having
to make a decision between grabbing the skipper or what he’s got with him the
package gets first priority. Use extreme
caution when you deploy and keep your eyes open.” Nelson explained.
The men all nodded solemnly knowing the importance
of successfully completing this mission.
They weren’t thrilled with the order to grab the package over the
skipper if it came to having to make a choice but understood what was at stake
if they failed.
“Does anyone have any questions?” Nelson asked. Everyone shook their heads in the
negative. “Alright then get loaded and
go get our captain back. Good luck and
see you when you return.”
They all quickly climbed down into FS-1 and were
away within 15 minutes. They would go in
submerged so as not to alert anyone in the area. There was no conversation other than the
required exchanges between the XO and chief as they piloted the sub to their
coordinates. The men sat there going
over the maps and the mission brief preparing for rapid deployment once they arrived.
Upon reaching the designated coordinates, Chip
raised the periscope and quickly scanned the shoreline for any sign of Lee or
anyone else. It looked deserted but he
had learned through experience looks could be very deceiving. Chip spied a small protected inlet with good
cover where they could go ashore and deploy off to the right of the cove Lee
had selected; he directed the small sub there and gently beached her.
“Okay does everyone know what their assignment is?”
Chip asked as he rose from the pilot’s chair and scanned the interior of the
boat. Everyone nodded affirmatively and
donned their equipment ready to execute their recovery mission. Kowalski undogged
the aft hatch and they cautiously stepped out.
Morton and Kowalski paired up and took point as they
moved along the shoreline towards the cove, followed closely by the rest of the
team. As they reached a large boulder at
the edge of the cove Chip signaled for everyone to halt while he scanned the
way ahead. After a moment he motioned to
Ski to follow him and the rest of the team to remain in place until called
forward. Chip had a bad feeling about
this; it was quiet, too quiet for his liking and wasn’t going to risk the rest
of the team until he was sure what was out there waiting for them. There was no sign of Lee which most likely
meant he was either injured or there were enemy soldiers around the area.
Momentarily Chip had a sinking thought that perhaps
Lee had actually been consumed by his cover and was setting them up. By the time he had left the boat Lee’s words
and actions were so attuned to the RJ beliefs, so fervid and vitriolic that he
if he hadn’t known better he would have sworn they had captured a true believer
of the RJ cause. As quickly as that
thought occurred to him Chip just as quickly dismissed it, there was no one he
knew that was more loyal and more stubborn in his beliefs than Lee Crane. He flushed momentarily in embarrassment and
shame at even considering that thought.
ooOOOoo
In the next few minutes all of Chip’s concerns and
questions were answered. As he suspected
Lee was in hiding, about 60 yards down the shoreline, keeping a close eye on
two RJ soldiers working their way down towards the beach no doubt trying to
locate the missing traitor. Much to
Lee’s horror he spotted Chip and Kowalski just as they made their way around
the large boulder at the far end of the cove.
Their entrance was immediately noticed by the approaching soldiers and
they quickly took a bead on the exposed men.
Unfortunately Lee hadn’t been able to obtain a
weapon so he couldn’t eliminate the threat to his men. Knowing he had to distract the soldiers
before they could fire Lee sprang to his feet and started running across the
beach yelling. “Chip, Ski down!”
The diversion worked as intended as the RJ soldiers
quickly changed their focus and fired at the new target. Chip and Ski moved for cover and watched
helplessly as Lee was dropped by enemy fire as he ran. Both men immediately honed in on the source
of the gunshots and eliminated it with extreme prejudice. Once sure there were no other surprises
hidden in the rocks Chip and Ski bolted down the beach closely followed by the
rest of the team.
“Lee!” Chip screamed as he approached his skipper
and brother. He dropped to his knees at
Lee’s side and carefully rolled him onto his side. Lee’s eyes slowly focused on Chip and he
smiled wanly then grimaced in pain.
Chip quickly unsnapped the straps on Lee’s backpack
and divested him of the load. As the
rest of the men approached he handed the pack to Patterson. “Pat, Rod, get back to FS-1 now. Keep this
safe at all costs. Got it?”
“Aye sir,” Pat replied as he grabbed the pack and
the two men immediately began running back to the sub. Both desperately wanted to stay with the
skipper in case there was something they could do to help but their orders were
clear and they wanted to make damn sure the skipper’s sacrifice was not made in
vain.
Thomas jumped into action next quickly cutting away
the skippers shirt and trouser leg and applyed
pressure bandages to the multiple wounds he had sustained saving his men, while
the rest of the team maintained surveillance of the area making sure their
skipper stayed safe. Lee gasped in pain
at the corpsman’s touch.
Chip quickly grabbed Lee’s hand and squeezed it to
try and reassure him. “Hang in there Lee,
we’ve got you. It’s time to take you
home.”
“Chip…you…Ski… okay?” Lee ground out between
clenched teeth.
“Yeah Lee, thanks to you we’re fine. Now you on the other hand are a mess.” Chip
replied trying hard to hide his concern and fear. “We’ve got your package
Skipper so you just lay back and let Thomas take care of you.”
Lee swallowed convulsively a couple times and
screwed his eyes shut against the pain.
“Good,” was all he said then passed out.
Chip looked immediately at Thomas for a report. “We need to get him back to FS-1 now and back
to Seaview stat if he’s going to have any chance of surviving. From what I can tell the bullet to his chest
tore him up pretty bad and the one to his leg is really close the femoral
artery. I can’t control all the bleeding
here.”
“Alright let’s get him moved,” ordered Chip.
Thomas pulled a blanket from his medkit
and knotted the corners. They gently
placed Lee on the blanket then grabbed the corners of the makeshift stretcher
and moved as quickly and as carefully as they could back to FS-1.
ooOOOoo
The trip back to Seaview passed in a blur. As the final clamp secured the small sub in
its docking cradle, the aft hatch was nearly torn open as Jamieson and the
other corpsman entered to assess the captain’s condition. Nelson stood helplessly behind them as Jamie
took Lee’s vitals and got a download from Thomas on the extent of the
damage. He was quickly transferred to a
stretcher and the team nearly ran back to Sick Bay with their injured charge.
Once Lee had been rushed from FS-1 Chip and the rest
of the team exited. Chip was pale and
looked dejectedly at the admiral as he stepped out and handed Lee’s backpack to
him. “Here sir,” he said quietly,
“mission accomplished. There’s a
canister inside which I assume contains the plutonium. That’s all he had with him and he passed out
before he could tell us anything about the bomb.”
Harri nodded somberly and accepted the pack. “Thanks Chip.
You and your team did well. I’ll
head down to the lab and verify what’s inside.
Care to come along?” Chip nodded
his acceptance and started following the admiral to the lab.
As they walked through the boat, there was a call
from Sparks. “Admiral there’s just been
a massive explosion onshore located about 30 miles inland from where we picked
up the skipper.”
They looked at each other at the surprising news. “Thank
you Sparks. Let me know immediately if
anything comes in from ONI regarding the source.” Nelson replied.
“Aye sir.”
Sparks confirmed.
“Well I suppose that answers the question about the
bomb.” Chip stated flatly. Nelson gave
him an amused smile and they resumed their walk to the lab.
ooOOOoo
Five hours later Jamie paged the admiral and XO and
requested their presence in Sick Bay for an update on the captain’s condition. Jamie chuckled to himself as the two seemed
to immediately appear almost before he had time to put the mic
back in the cradle. He wondered if they
had run from wherever they had been biding their time.
“Jamie?” Harri asked his voice filled with dread as
he took in the doctor’s exhausted appearance.
“It’s touch and go right
now Harri, the shot to the chest did a lot of damage, tore up a lot of muscle
and nicked the right lung. It took five
units of whole blood and quite a bit of fancy stitching to repair all the
damage. Lucky for him the shot to the
leg missed the femur and the artery, there’s extensive tissue damage there too
but it should heal well given time. He
lost a lot of blood and the only reason he’s alive is your foresight to include
Thomas on your recovery team. He did an
exceptional job mitigating the shock and trauma and stabilizing Lee so we could
move him into surgery almost immediately,” Jamie reported.
“I’ve got him on a ventilator to give his body a
chance to rest and begin recovery. I’m
going to keep him heavily sedated for the next 48 hours to keep him quiet so he
gets a good start on healing before I have to be on alert for escape attempts,”
he added with a smile. “You can go in
and sit with him a bit if you’d like.”
ooOOOoo
It had been two long days as Harri and Chip traded
shifts watching over Lee. Chip had
become more sullen and withdrawn as the time passed as if wrestling with some
inner turmoil. Jamie had alerted Harri
to the situation and the admiral kept a close eye on the younger man in
addition to his son.
As he entered Sick Bay he saw Chip sitting next to
Lee talking to him urging him to come back to them. Harri walked quietly over to Chip and gently
laid his hand on his shoulder. “Have
faith lad, Jamie says he’s getting stronger every hour; he’ll be back with us
shortly I have no doubt.”
“Yes sir,” Chip mumbled.
“Chip is something wrong? I know you’re deeply concerned by Lee’s
condition but I somehow sense there’s something else bothering you?” Harri
asked.
Chip sat there quietly for a long moment. “I doubted him sir. As we were going in to pick Lee up I had a
feeling something wasn’t right and for a moment there I actually considered the
possibility that he had turned and had set a trap for us,” he replied ruefully
and hung his head in shame. “It was
right after that he threw his life in jeopardy and drew the enemy fire to
protect me and Ski. I know Lee, how the
hell could I have ever even considered the possibility that he would betray
us?” Chip said miserably.
“Chip, that’s a testament to how well Lee did his
job. If you, of all people, could harbor
even a fleeting moment of doubt about Lee’s loyalty then he had created the
perfect alternate identity that no one could see through. I’m sure Lee would be pleased that you
thought his cover so good you had a question as to which side he was on. I’m also certain that he would be the first
to tell you to not beat yourself up about it.
Given what we’ve all been witness to these past few weeks, I probably would
have had a moment of doubt as well,” Harri replied.
“Thank you sir, that helps, though I’m still not too
proud of myself.”
As they sat their quietly lost to their own thoughts
Lee began to stir and let loose a low moan and a deep sigh. In a heartbeat Jamie was at his side checking
his vitals and assessing his condition.
“Come on Skipper, it’s time for you to wake up now,” he said loudly.
ooOOOoo
Lee began the slow and labored climb back to
consciousness. As his senses returned he
registered the soft bed, the medicinal smell, the reassuring thrum of his
boat’s engines and the familiar voice calling him back. He shifted his position and was immediately
greeted by a sharp pain in his chest and leg.
Startled by the jolt he was unable to bite back the groan that escaped
his lips.
“Come on son, we know you’re in there, open your
eyes,” Harri said.
A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth as Lee
realized he was back home, back in the place he loved best with friends and
family. Making a herculean effort he
pried his eyes open and after a moment focused on the relieved faces of Harri,
Chip and Jamie staring down at him. “I’m
home,” he barely croaked out a wide smile spreading across his face. “Chip, you
and Ski okay?”
“We’re both fine, thanks to you Lee.” Chip replied
as he passed a cup of water to Jamie so he could give Lee a drink.
Lee took a couple of sips and sighed in relief as
the cool liquid slid down his sore and parched throat. He closed his eyes and just laid there
relishing the feeling of being back in his life again, on his boat. After a moment he reopened his eyes and
smiled weakly at his friends. “Thanks
for getting me home. Did you get the
package?”
“Yes son, we have the plutonium locked away safe and
sound,” Nelson said smiling. It was
always the same; he never worried about himself, but always about his men and
his mission first. “I’m guessing you
were the reason behind the massive explosion back in the mountains shortly
after we picked you up.”
Lee nodded.
“Good to hear it worked. There
was no way I could get the bomb out; it was just too big so I set it up to
explode. I’m happy they discovered it
ticking down and tried to disarm it.”
“Really? You’re glad they tried to disarm it?” Chip
inquired.
“Yeah, before I left I set the timer on my bomb
figuring they’d make a bee line for it the minute they realized I was gone. If they had let the timer run out nothing
would have happened but the minute they attempted to disarm it that was the
trigger. If the explosion was as big as
you say it was then their tinkering also set off the chain reaction I was hoping
for. They had a huge cache of
conventional explosives and I set up a remote detonator that would trigger when
they started messing with the timer on the bomb, apparently that worked too,”
Lee replied with a yawn. He looked back
at Jamie and glared as he noticed him fiddling with his IV.
Jamie smiled unapologetically down at Lee. “In case you haven’t noticed Skipper you’re
more than a little injured and in need of your rest. I want you to sleep for a few more hours,
I’ll send your guardians off to do the same, and then if you’re good I’ll let
them in to join you for dinner.”
“Do I have a choice?” Lee asked sleepily.
“No. Now be a
good captain and don’t fight the sedative.” Jamie replied with a laugh. Chip and Harri chuckled as well as they
watched Lee drift quickly back to sleep.
Jamie turned to face the other men. “I meant what I said, now that you know he’s
back with us to stay, you both need to
grab a few hours of shut eye as well or I won’t let you back in for dinner.”
They both rolled their eyes and sighed in
resignation. “Yes Jamie,” they
replied. Chip turned and left Sick Bay
actually quite glad to be able to sleep without having to worry about Lee.
“Thank you, Jamie, for pulling yet another rabbit
out of the hat and saving him. I don’t
say it nearly often enough how much I appreciate all your efforts to keep him
and the rest of us in one piece.” Harri said.
Jamie flushed briefly at the kind words. “You’re more than welcome Harri. When he gives so much to keep the world safe,
I can do nothing less than my very best and so far I’m glad to say that’s been
enough. I’m very happy you insisted I
complete the course at Johns Hopkins because a couple of the new techniques I
picked up there helped make this a happier ending. Now go find your rack and I’ll see you at
dinner.”
ooOOOoo
At 1800 they all reconvened in Sick Bay for dinner
with Lee. Cookie had whipped up the
skipper’s favorite casserole, fresh baked rolls, veggie medley and double
chocolate chip brownies with cream cheese frosting for dessert. Much to everyone’s surprise Lee managed most
of his meal and polished off his brownie to boot.
“He only makes these brownies when you’re on the
boat, ya know,” said Chip as he licked the last of
the frosting off his fork. “You need to
try staying on board more, if for no other reason than that.”
“Always thinking with your belly aren’t you Chip.”
Lee replied laughingly.
“I’m thinking of the crew Lee, they don’t get these
either, so there,” Chip answered with a wink.
“So now that you’re fed lad, how about you tell us
as much as you can about what happened after you went ashore,” Nelson inquired.
Lee sighed deeply and set about collecting his
thoughts to relate what happened after Harri dropped him off. He began recounting his tale to a rapt
audience.
ooOOOoo
Once he made contact with the RJ and was taken to
their hideout, he was intensely interrogated with the aid of truth serum, by
the leadership of the cell before they finally determined he was a true
adherent to their cause and accepted his offer to help complete the first
bomb. He constantly reinforced their
perception that he agreed with their plans to establish a new world order and
as time went by gained more and more autonomy especially as they discovered he
was capable of delivering what he had offered.
Lee’s cover had been bought in full by those around
him as he echoed their chilling cries for destruction of the western forces
against them. His blood ran cold as they
outlined their plans to position and detonate at least five bombs in major
capital cities around the world. There
was no consideration for the innocents they intended to slaughter only their
own myopic view of the perfect order and how they were going to impose it on
the rest of the world.
He had proved successful beyond his wildest dreams as
he was readily accepted into the RJ cell and given almost immediate access to
their device and the stolen plutonium.
He worked diligently with the RJ lead physicist correcting the man’s
inept efforts and neared completion of the device. Lee had wondered at times if he too were a
plant put in place to confound their attempts to construct an operational bomb
but finally settled on an arrogant, self-important blowhard that had only a
nodding acquaintance with the task he had set himself up to achieve.
As his stock rose, the current project lead’s
declined rapidly as they realized the man hadn’t a clue. Lee needed to monitor and include this man in
his work to forestall any attempts on his part of submarining him and
sabotaging his work. An ego like that
didn’t take dismissal gracefully and if he wasn’t careful he would find himself
on the wrong end of a gun.
Lee accelerated his efforts working nearly around
the clock to finish his facsimile. As he
neared completion he had gained unchallenged access to anything he needed. He now had the opportunity to grab the
plutonium and escape; there was no way he could make it out with the bomb but
he would take care of that in his own way.
Using the other physicist’s wounded pride Lee set him
up to begin construction of the second bomb.
The man focused wholeheartedly on his task in an attempt to reclaim his
position within the cell and left Lee to his own devices. Now freed from the man’s constant attention
Lee stole into the room where the plutonium was stored and swapped out the
container with one he had fabricated.
Lee smuggled the container out in the large leather
briefcase he carried with him wherever he went.
He had built the story that the case contained all his notes and tools
needed to create the bomb and he didn’t feel safe having it out of his
control. As he exited the lab the guards
performed their usual cursory search and let him go on his way. He made his way back to his quarters then set
in motion his plans to escape the mountain bunker.
One of the first things he had done when he arrived was
scout out exit routes so he could expeditiously depart the facility when the
time came. Located deep within a cave
the RJ had drilled several air shafts to supply fresh air required by so many
people in a confined space, Lee had to laugh at the irony of the escape route
presented him. Now in possession of his
prize, he quickly transferred the container to his backpack, hoisted himself
into the shaft and started the long climb to the surface.
The shaft had been camouflaged to prevent detection
by satellites which worked to his benefit.
Under the cover of night, he deftly eased his way out of the shaft and
worked his way down the side of the hill.
He had to put as much distance between him and the facility as possible
before he was found to be missing along with the plutonium.
At some point the following morning, his absence was
discovered and the RJ sent out patrols to track down and capture the missing
man. Lee kept a wary eye out for the
patrols as he made his way to the coast.
It took him the better part of the day to cover the 30 miles due to the
rugged terrain and the need to travel undetected. Once he reached the coast he activated his
secreted transmitter and called for retrieval.
As he waited for his ride, much to his dismay, he
spotted a roving patrol high on the hillside above the cove he had chosen. He tracked the team as they moved slowly down
towards the water. Unfortunately Lee had
been unable to get his hands on a gun and had no means to take them out of the
picture. The last thing he wanted was
for them to get the drop on his extraction team and injure or even worse kill
them.
His worst fears were realized as he spotted Chip and
Kowalski easing their way onto the beach at the far end of the cove. The patrol likewise noticed the men and
immediately took aim at their unsuspecting quarry. There was no way Lee was letting them get injured,
these were his men, his responsibility and he would do everything within his
power to protect them. He knew that if
he could draw their fire Chip and Ski would be able to lock in on them and
eliminate the threat. They would be able
to grab his package and successfully complete the mission.
His course of action decided Lee sprang to his feet
and bolted out onto the beach alerting his friends to the danger above. He felt the first shot tear through his chest
and as he stumbled forward the second shot caught his leg and he dropped to the
sand. Those two shots were answered by
at least ten by his count then all was quiet.
The next thing he remembered was Chip at his side, telling him they were
safe and they had his package. At those
words he sighed in relief knowing his mission was complete and his men were
safe; he let the darkness claim him.
ooOOOoo
As Lee finished relating what he had been through
the room was silent. The three men privy
to his tale let out a deep sigh each marveling at their friend’s ability to
pull off the seemingly impossible but not without a terrible price.
“Well I would say that all your preparation paid
off,” Harri finally said breaking the solemn silence.
“Yes sir it did, but I never want to do that again
aboard Seaview; the cost to you and the crew was too high.” Lee answered
sincerely.
“The cost to the crew,” Chip echoed
incredulously. “What about the cost to
you Lee? How long do you think you can
keep putting yourself through that kind of hell? You scared the bejeezus
out of me when you turned into that monster we released. I’m ashamed to admit it but for a moment
there on the beach I actually considered the possibility you had switched sides
and were setting us up.”
Lee smiled at his brother. “Thanks Chip that’s the nicest compliment you
could give me. I must have done
something right to get you doubting me.
As far as the cover, it’s sometimes needed to get the job done, I don’t
enjoy it but if we can achieve the ends were after then it’s worth the price.”
Chip glared at him not buying the end at any price and was about to let Lee know his views on
that when Nelson placed a hand on his shoulder cutting off his rant before he
could get started. He sighed deeply and
let the matter drop, for now. He grabbed
a quick look at his watch and noticed it was time for him to relieve
O’Brien. “Luckily for you I have to go
on duty,” he said with slight smile. “We
will discuss this later.”
“Not until he’s better able to defend himself,”
Jamie interjected as he rose from his chair.
“On your way Chip, it’s time I tuck the captain in for the night
anyway.”
“Rest easy bro, I’ll see you next time you surface.”
Chip said as he patted Lee on the shoulder and made his way to the door.
“You know where I’ll be for the next day or so,” Lee
replied with an impish grin that garnered an exasperated sneer from Jamie as
intended.
“You just keep believing that Skipper; you’ll be
lucky to see the outside of Sick Bay before we dock.” Jamie said as he moved to
the next room to gather up the appropriate sedative to ensure his most challenging
patient got all the rest he needed.
Harri sat there quietly watching Lee. He had a feeling that there was something he
was holding back from his report but it could be that it was something that
Chip and Jamie weren’t cleared to hear.
Somehow he doubted that as he saw a troubled and unsettled look cross
his captain’s face. He could tell he was
exhausted otherwise Lee never would have let his uncertainty show. Harri decided not to push the issue for the
moment; if Lee needed to tell him something or just talk he would let him do it
in his own time. Coming down off these
types of missions was hard enough but he knew Lee was also most likely worried
about how his crew would receive him now that it was all over.
Jamie returned momentarily and injected the sedative
into Lee’s IV. As he started to drift
off Jamie took his vitals then pulled up the blankets effectively tucking in
the captain for the night. He saw the
worried look on the admiral’s face and gave him a small smile. “He’s going to be fine Harri; he just needs
time to rest and recover.”
“Thanks again, Jamie,” Nelson replied as the doctor
exited the room. Harri looked over at
his son and brushed one of the long wayward curls off his forehead. “Sleep well son, you’re home and we’ll keep
you safe.” With that he shut off the
light above the bed and left for his quarters to pass on what Lee had reported. A formal debrief would occur when they
returned and Lee was strong enough to provide it, but the powers that be needed
something to ease their minds and Harri was more than happy to deliver the
news.
ooOOOoo
Six days later Jamie released Lee to his cabin with
the provision that he was to rest and no excessive wandering about the
boat. The first couple of days Lee
seemed almost reluctant to leave his quarters afraid to find his crew no longer
trusted him because of his actions at the start of the mission. That fear was quickly dispelled as they all
seemed to go out of their way to welcome him back and ask how he was doing.
Harri noticed the relief on Lee’s face as he found his
crew fully granted him the patience and forbearance he had asked for as he
morphed into his cover and he still had a place on Seaview. He still had the
impression there was something lingering beneath the surface, something that
was bothering him deeply. He was
decidedly withdrawn and more quiet than usual; brooding more than he was prone
to do. It was tough coming back out from
deep cover but he thought Lee should have dispelled most of that by now. Chip and Jamie had both noticed Lee’s
continued funk and remarked on his uncharacteristic behavior. Jamie was to the point of recommending
counseling once they returned to shore.
Harri was deeply disturbed by Lee’s emotional
withdrawal to the point he found himself unable to sleep. After finding no relief within his cabin, he
got dressed and wandered down to the control room and found the crash doors
shut. “Mr. O’Brien is there a reason why
the crash doors are shut?”
“Good evening sir.
Yes, the captain wanted them closed; I believe he’s sitting in the nose
and just wanted some quiet.” Bobby replied.
“Very well, thank you,” Nelson responded. He quickly backtracked to the deck above then
descended the spiral staircase from officer’s country to see if he could get
Lee to talk to him. As he walked down he
saw Lee sitting in the dark just staring out the great windows. He turned his head slightly as he tracked
Nelson’s steps down the staircase.
“Evening sir,” Lee said without looking back. “You’re up late.”
“Couldn’t sleep, what’s your excuse? Jamie’s not going to be pleased you aren’t in
bed resting.” Harri replied as he walked over and took a seat next to Lee.
“That’s about all I seem to do lately, I just needed
to get out for a bit.” Lee explained.
They sat there quietly for a few minutes just
staring out the windows. Finally Harri
decided he needed to broach the subject and asked the question most on his
mind. “Son, what’s wrong, what’s
bothering you about this mission?”
Lee turned his head and stared at Harri for a moment
and then smiled slightly. “You read me
pretty well any more. Harri there’s
something I need to tell you about this mission,” he said very quietly almost
fearfully.
“Yes Lee, what is it? Are you upset about blowing up the cave?”
Nelson inquired.
“No, what was in that cave had to be destroyed. You know I don’t like killing but the men in
that cave were there by choice and the attacks they were planning would
indiscriminately kill millions of innocent people; they were a casualty of war
they chose to start.” Lee paused for a
moment deciding whether to reveal his secret or not. If he couldn’t trust Nelson, who could he
trust?
“Sir… once I actually started working with their
bomb I suddenly realized what you left out during your instruction and what you
had altered. I can build one Harri;
given all the correct materials I can build a fully functional atomic bomb.”
Lee replied quietly. “The thought of
that scares the hell out of me. As soon
as I realized what I now knew, I really pushed to complete my fake so I could
get out before I was discovered as a mole and tortured for my secrets.”
Harri stared at Lee somewhat stunned at the
revelation. After taking a moment to
digest the information he placed his hand on his shoulder and gave it a
reassuring squeeze. “I can’t say that I’m too surprised Lee. I could see once we got into this that you
were grasping it all very easily and it wouldn’t take much for you to correct
the errors, spot the gaps and fill in the missing pieces. To your credit son, you’re only one of a
handful of people that have made all the connections and reached the point
where you could complete the device.”
“I don’t want this knowledge Harri, but like Pandora
once the box is open there’s no putting things back.”
“Ah but with you, like Pandora, Hope remains and
hope will temper the ills that have escaped. I know how you feel Lee, believe
me; I’ve faced that same revelation myself and it is a frightening thought. Yes, you hold the keys to massive destruction
but take solace in the fact the materials needed to build such a weapon are
extremely difficult to come by. I
personally can think of no one I would rather have in possession of those keys
than you son. Your moral compass is so
strong that you would never allow that knowledge to be used to further evil
purposes,” Harri answered.
Lee stared at Harri for a moment mulling over what
he said. “I find myself with a dilemma
sir and hopefully you can help me with it.
Do I report that I am able to build the bomb? I’m inclined to keep that just between us but
would truly like your advice.”
Harri sat silently considering Lee’s question. He quickly ran through all the implications
that a revelation like that could mean to his young friend. On the plus side, ONI might deem him too much
of a risk to send out on missions and quit using him as an operative. On the minus side ONI might deem him too much
of a risk and virtually or actually imprison him to ensure that the information
stayed safe. If Lee told them of his new
found skills that information would most likely be written down somewhere and
given past experiences they’d had with moles within ONI it could get out and
make him a target.
As long as no one else knew Lee could build the
bomb, he wouldn’t be questioned about it.
If Lee were captured and interrogated in the course of his ONI
activities Harri couldn’t see his captor ever asking him for the instructions
on how to construct the device. Those
who had seen him in the bunker were now dead so they could never reveal his
secret and if perchance someone did survive they would most likely think of him
as just a spy sent in to sabotage their efforts and not someone in possession
of the knowledge to actually build a working bomb.
Harri felt the intensity of Lee’s scrutiny as he
mulled over the pros and cons of full disclosure to ONI and the Navy. Finally resolving his internal debate he
smiled slightly at Lee had laid his hand on his shoulder. “I’m inclined to agree with your assessment
Lee. The fewer people who know the less
likelihood it could ever become an issue.
And as I said earlier there’s no one on this earth I’d rather have in
possession of that knowledge than you because you will always protect it and
this country,” Harri said, the sincerity of his words written clearly across
his face.
For the first time since this entire mission had
started Lee felt the tension and disquiet he held inside begin to melt. A relaxed and easy smile spread across his
face feeling as though a massive weight had finally been lifted from his
shoulders. Somehow he had managed it
all, the successful completion of the mission, acceptance and welcome from his
crew and friends and reassurance from the man he respected most in this world
that what he wanted to do with his new found knowledge was the right thing.
After a moment he fought hard to stifle a yawn but
finally gave in to the weariness. “I
think I’m ready for bed now sir. How about you?”
Harri smiled broadly at the man he also respected more
than any other and clapped him lightly on the shoulder. “That sounds like an excellent suggestion
son; I think sleep will come very easily now.
Let’s put everything to rest and call it a night and a mission.”
With that Harri assisted Lee to his feet and
followed him slowly to the staircase. As
they made their way up the stairs, Harri once again marveled at the younger man
before him and his chameleon like abilities to change to meet any need yet the inner
strength of conviction and force of personality to retain his true identity
regardless of the challenges. He
wondered not for the first time how many times Lee had forced himself into a
new identity and how many unwanted memories or how much unwanted knowledge he
kept locked away deep inside. As of now
Lee was Lee again, as the last of the demons were dispatched and he completed
his metamorphosis back into the man Harri knew as his captain, his friend, his
son.
The End
*Man of Many Faces