This story fits in the Second Season Time-line.

The Price We Pay

by Lynn

Admiral Harriman Nelson sat looking over a folder as the driver guided the large sedan through the back road mountain passes of Santa Barbara. The route was scenic, but he had seen it before and was well immersed in his reading. The folder held information for an upcoming mission aboard Seaview and involved tagging dolphins for research in the warm Pacific waters near Hawaii. Next to him sat Lee Crane, Captain of the Seaview and Harry's very good friend, sometimes more like brothers, other times like father and son. It was a fluid relationship and neither one seemed to mind.

Both Harry and Lee were dressed in civilian attire. Harry in a dark brown business suit and Lee in a black suit. They were traveling to a meeting and needed to keep a low profile, which was the reason they had chosen this little used route. While Harry's eyes were glued to his folders, Lee's were not. He was watching the car in the back of them through the driver's rear view mirror.

“We've got company Stan.” Lee addressed the driver, alerting him to the fact that the dark car advancing on them was driving erratically in an effort to catch up.

“Yes, Sir. I'll step on it.”

Harry raised his eyes, as Lee turned around to get a better view of their pursuers. He wasn't being paranoid, he had no doubt that they were in fact being pursued. Just as he had no doubt what the occupants of the other car wanted. Lee pulled out his gun from his shoulder harness and released the safety as the dark sedan squealed around the corner following closely. He didn't want to start the bullets flying, at least not yet. He'd see if they could outrun their pursuers first.

But his decision not to fire was taken out of his hands as gunfire erupted and tore through the back window of the car. They weren't messing around, they wanted Harriman Nelson dead, and that just wasn't going to happen if Lee could help it.

“Get down, Admiral!”

Lee unbuckled his seat belt and turned around firing out of the newly formed hole in the back window hoping to silence their shots. He fired several shots as the car began swerving to make themselves less of a target. Lee noticed that Harry had not “obeyed” his command to stay down, not that he really expected him to, but it was harder to protect him this way. Each of them took turns firing, as the driver had his hands full navigating the road.

“Get a mayday out, Stan!”

Lee had barely said those words when the right back tire was shot out just as they were making a precarious turn. Stan pulled frantically on the wheel trying to straighten out the car but the forward inertia and the whip tail affect made it impossible. The car slammed into the guard rail and instantly the rail gave way sending the car over the ridge. The car tumbled over time after time as it rode the incline down to the valley below. A cloud of dry dust followed their path down as the sounds of metal crunching and cracking was heard. Finally, the car came to rest at the bottom of the ravine, some 60 feet below the road. It landed on its roof and the wheels still turned even as the rest of the car lay in a deadly calm heap.

From the top of the ridge the occupants of the dark sedan stopped and looked down through a cloud of dust looking for evidence that they had completed their job. There was no explosion and so it was still possible that the Admiral was alive. They cared nothing for Crane or the driver except to silence all witnesses, Admiral Nelson was the prime target.

One of the men looked down and began issuing orders to several of the other men.

“Get down there, I want confirmation that Nelson is dead.” The two nodded and began a slow descent down the steep incline.

“Call Blake, tell him we need the chopper,” the man in charge said as he turned to the driver of the sedan. One way or the other, he'd make sure that Nelson never made it to that meeting.

* * * * *

Harry woke up hanging from his seat belt upside down. He reached for the button to release his seat belt, pulling some weight off the belt as he did. Thankfully the belt released, Harry lowered himself down onto the roof of the car. He looked around and saw Stan lying on the roof as well, his seat belt had not held. Harry crawled over to check his pulse and found none.

He coughed, his lungs aggravated by the dust that was just now beginning to settle down. And that’s when he realized that Lee wasn't in the vehicle. He climbed out of the broken side window and looked around, about fifteen feet further away from the upside down car lay Lee, motionless.

Harry began to run to him, and had to stop and steady himself for a few seconds. He did a cursory check for injuries and found an array of bruises and cuts, but no broken bones. He carefully made his way around the wreck to where Lee lay.

He was lying on his back with his head turned away from Harry. Harry dropped to his knees and felt for the carotid pulse at his neck. His head dropped in relief as he felt a steady pulse under his two fingers. Lee let out a breathy moan as Harry turned his face toward him; the blood on his forehead over his left eye was running down Lee's temple. Harry pulled his handkerchief out and placed it against the wound as he registered the sounds of men descending the ridge.

“Lee, Lee.” Harry gently patted the side of his face. Lee's eyes opened with a gasp as his hand automatically reached for his aching head. About that time, Harry heard the sound of a helicopter coming in from the north.

“Come on Lee, we're going to have company.”

Lee nodded a shaky head as Harry pulled him up by his shoulders and led him into the surrounding trees.

“Admiral, my gun...”

“No time Lee, they're going to be on top of us soon.”

Once they reached the trees they kept going until Harry was sure they were covered and sat Lee against a tree. He was still shaky, but he looked like he was becoming more lucid. His head rested heavily against the tree as Harry peered around to see two men making their way to the overturned car.

“Admiral, we need to get going.”

Lee sounded like he was fully aware now, and the two of them headed further into the trees. They were heading away from the road and into the dense woods of pine and the occasional oak tree. As they ran they heard the helicopter land, tucked in behind a tree and took a look back. Four men in black emerged out of the helicopter carrying rifles.

“Come on Lee, let's get going before they find our tracks.”

Lee wholeheartedly agreed as they kept moving further away from the wreck below them. Just then a shot rang out, as Harry dropped. Lee turned him over, the bullet was lodged in the back of Harry's shoulder. He tucked Harry's good arm over his shoulder and picked him up continuing on. They were still a good half mile ahead of their pursuers, but the high powered rifle with sightings had done their job, they would have to stay well ahead of their pursuers now.

* * * * *

Lee took Harry deeper into the foothill forest where they would not be spotted as easily. The road winded away leaving more forest between them and any civilization. Lee heard Harry moan, he needed to find a place for him to rest soon. He knew that the placement of the bullet was dangerous, it was close to his lung, and Lee didn't want to think what would happen if the bullet shifted and pierced his lung.

Lee's pattern of running had a purpose and as long as their enemies didn't have dogs tracking them, he felt confident that he could evade them, at least until they reach the Fire Watch Station. He knew it was at the top of a peak in the direction he was headed, he had seen it in the Flying Sub. It was risky and he knew it. If he knew it was there then chances were their enemies did as well. But he needed a radio to get some help, and he was quite sure that Harry needed medical attention right away.

He found a small rock out-cropping that formed a small cave and decided to stop and field dress Harry's wound. Harry had been very quiet as they ran, though he was sure he was conscious. He laid Harry down and then took some brush and covered themselves into the makeshift cave.

“Admiral?” Harry's breathing was ragged, but he opened his eyes to see Lee.

“I don't know Lee, I think it’s a bad one.” Lee nodded in agreement.

“I'm taking us to a Fire Watch Station, they'll have a radio there.”

“Leave me here and go...you can travel faster without me.” Harry's sentences were soft and airy, and it bothered Lee to see him so weak.

“No Sir, we go together. You're bleeding a lot, let's see what we can do to stop it.” Lee pulled off his jacket and pulled an Old Timer pocket knife from his pant pocket. He began cutting and tearing strips of material to make a bandage.

“I'll have you know that your bandage is the height of fashion these days,” he said, smiling as he tried to lift the heavy mood. He took both their handkerchiefs and placed them on the wound and then began wrapping the black strips around Harry's shoulder. Then he knotted their ties together and wrapped it tightly around his shoulder knotting it directly over the wound.

Harry's smile was tight and pained as he answered Lee, “Good...wouldn't want to be out of fashion, Edith would kill me.”

Lee returned his smile and sat back a moment resting his head against the cool granite rock. His head was pounding nicely and his entire body ached from being thrown out of the wreckage. His eyes closed a moment as he tried to put the pain back in place.

“Lee?”

“I'm alright Sir. Just a little headache.” Lee leaned forward and looked into Harry's eyes as he spoke.

“I'm going to do a quick scouting run, make sure it's safe to move you. I wish we had at least one gun.” The last he spoke almost to himself.

“Go ahead, Lee. I'll be alright.” Lee watched Harry as he spoke placing a hand on his forearm for reassurance, squeezed and then moved out of their secreted hideaway, replacing the brush as he left.

* * * * *

Lee crouched down trying to make himself as small of a target as he could. His white dress shirt was like a beacon out in the forest, but he couldn't do too much about it. He scanned the area watching and listening for signs of their pursuers. He knew Harry had bled a lot, and they would have left a trail. If they were any good at all, they would find them, it was only a matter of time. That's why he knew he couldn't leave the Admiral where he was.

He started to rise and heard a twig snap off to his right. He was in a good reconnaissance location behind brush, so he stayed put waiting to see what made the noise. Sure enough a commando dressed in black walked forward swinging his rifle from side to side, aiming the red laser beam sighting across the forest floor. The commando was headed toward him and Lee knew that he was going to have to take him out.

Slowly Lee picked up a short tree branch, one of many that littered the forest floor. He held it tightly as the commando walked toward him on a parallel line. Lee waited until he was about two feet beyond him and then rose up swinging with all his might at the commando's back. He fell like a brick but started to rise. Lee kicked him in the chin and the commando lay sprawled out on the ground.

Quickly, Lee looked for anything he had that would be of use, he pulled a pair of handcuffs out from the commando's leg pocket and smiled. Dragging the commando over to a tree he sat him against it, wrapping his arms around the tree as he fastened the cuffs, and relieving him of his rifle and ammo as well. He wished he had his tie to gag the bad guy, and then smiled as he looked over the commando. Lee untied his boot laces and pulled off both socks, knotted them together and tied it around his mouth.

That would have to do, sooner or later they would do a radio check and miss this man, he needed to get Harry to the Fire Watch Station as fast as he could. They had a rifle now, at least they could defend themselves. He would have liked to have taken the radio, but he couldn't take the chance of being tracked with it, so he turned the volume down and left it with the commando heading back to the hideout.

He made sure he wasn't followed and made his way to the rock pulling the brush aside. Harry was lying there unconscious as Lee bent over him.

“Admiral, we have to go now.”

Harry's eyes opened and registered the gun slung over Lee's shoulder, his eyebrows rising in question.

Lee shrugged a shoulder, “One of the commandos got sloppy.” He reached down and pulled Harry up and they moved slowly out of the rock outcropping as Lee surveyed the area. Everything looked clear so Lee and Harry headed off again toward the Station.

* * * * *

They had been traveling about an hour and the elevation was rising and so Lee was breathing hard as he nearly carried Harry up the hill. The Station sat in an area that had been cleared and had a 360 degree view of the mountains around it. They were still in the trees, but Lee could see it ahead. He sat Harry down against a tree to rest, as he crouched and surveyed the station.

“How does it look?” Harry's voice was ragged and Lee knew he was in pain.

“Looks quiet. I'm going to check it out.” He slid the rifle off his shoulder and handed it to Harry whose eyebrows creased.

“I don't want to scare the Ranger besides, you might need it.” Lee didn't take “no” for an answer and turned to leave without further discussion.

He breached the trees and was soon out in the open. He didn't want to be too loud, but he also didn't want to startle a Ranger who was used to solitude.

“Hello?” Lee walked with his hands in sight. He was aware that he looked totally out of place, dressed in clothes more suitable for a business board room than tromping through the forest. Add to that the blood that stained his shirt from Harry and the bruises he sported from the wreck, he hoped the Ranger wasn't skiddish.

Click.

Yep, I think the Ranger's skiddish.

“Stand right there Mister,” the decidedly female voice ordered from behind.

“I was in a car accident, my friend and I need help.” Lee said as he lifted his hands in the air. The Ranger walked up from her position behind him and moved to stand in front of him with her sidearm drawn.

“Where's your friend?”

“Listen, Ranger...?” Lee let the last word draw out as he sought her name.

“Smith. Ranger Smith. And yeah just like Yogi Bear, I've heard them all.”

Lee cracked a small smile but then continued in a serious tone, “Ranger Smith, my name is Commander Lee Crane, US Navy Reserve, my identification is in my wallet. My superior officer and I were ambushed, he needs medical attention and we've got a group of unfriendlies on our tail trying to finish the job. I need to use your radio.” Lee started to reach for his wallet when he was interrupted.

“Hold it.” She walked around putting the gun squarely in the middle of his back and pulled the partly exposed wallet out of his back pocket. Then she completed the circle around him and stepped back a few feet to look at his ID. She studied it and lowered her gun, holstering it.

“I'm sorry Commander, but I don't usually get visitors here.”

“I understand. I need to get my boss.” Lee turned in the direction he left Harry and Ranger Smith followed. He was sitting, breathing shallow but still conscious.

“I see you found the Ranger.”

“Yes, Sir. Let's get you inside,” Lee said, his concern evident.

Lee took the rifle and slung it back over his arm and then he and Ranger Smith helped Harry to the cabin that sat near the stilted observation post. There was a bed in the corner and they laid him down with a grunt as Harry managed the pain. Ranger Smith covered him with a blanket as Lee leaned the rifle by the door and headed for the radio.

“They'll know where we're at as soon as you make that call, Lee.”

Lee turned to the sound of Harry's voice, “I know Admiral, it's the only way. Besides, I don't intend on waiting for them to find us.” Harry's look of concern didn't deter Lee one bit as he turned back to the radio.

He dialed in the frequency to NIMR and began calling, “Crane to Nelson Institute, come in.” A moment passed and then he heard the radio command center return his hail.

“This is Nelson Institute, come in Captain Crane.”

“This is a mayday. The Admiral and I were ambushed, we need a fully armed Security Detail...are you tracking us?” Lee didn't want to tip off his coordinates since it was possible that the transmission could be intercepted, even though it was a private frequency.

“Yes Sir, we've got you.” The radio operator was the perfect professional keeping the coordinates unspoken.

“Good. Send a medical team as well. We have unfriendlies in pursuit, priority RED. How do you copy?”

The operator reread the distress call and Lee signed off, the whole message all taking less than two minutes. Lee turned to Smith, “Ranger...”

“It's Melanie.”

“Melanie...do what you can for Admiral Nelson,” he picked up the rifle and looked around the cabin. “Do you have more fire power?”

She went to a closet and pulled out a rifle and a box of shells from the shelf loading and cocking her weapon.

“Lee,” Harry's voice drawing him near to the bed, “You don't have to go out there, we can hold them off from here.” Lee closed the distance to Harry's cot to speak to him.

“Not likely Admiral, they'll have coverage in the trees, this cabin is one big target. I'm going out to even the odds a little. You hold out until FS1 gets here, I'll see you then.” Lee squeezed Harry's hand and turned towards Melanie.

“Take care of him.” With that he was out of the cabin, making his way back into the woods.

Melanie locked and secured the cabin door with an inside wooden beam and went to Harry's side.

“He's seems very dedicated,” she said as she gave Harry a drink of water.

“More than you know,” Harry answered, suddenly too tired to talk anymore.

* * * * *

Lee moved in a direction that would take him closer to where he suspected the men to come from. He hoped he'd only have three commandos to contend with, but it was possible that the fourth one, the one he jumped might be free by now.

He squatted down looking through the forest in several directions and listened as his eyes scanned. He heard a sound coming from the right and hunkered down for a surprise attack. He spotted a commando and like the other waited until he had passed to the side of him, then clubbed him with the rifle butt. He went down and Lee finished the job with another blow.

He searched and found the hapless commando's handcuffs and drug him to a tree securing him and taking his assault rifle and ammo.

Off in a distance he saw another one; they were moving forward but not necessarily converging on the Ranger's Fire Watch Station. He cracked a small smile, that meant they didn't trace the short transmission's source. He began to make his way on a tangent lines towards the next commando moving slowly and careful not to alert him.

He scanned the forest around him, making sure he wasn't being flanked himself and then moved the final feet to take out another pursuer. He hit him squarely on the shoulder blade but the commando got a shot off as he fell. Lee didn't have time to truss him up, so he grabbed his weapon and moved away from the fallen man.

Lee had accumulated three rifles, one assault and two high velocities with sights. He didn't want to lead the bad guys back to Harry so he took the two rifles with sights and hid them under brush. He kept the assault rifle and reasoned he could travel more quickly this way. He only had to hold them off for a short time. Before long, FS1 would be landing in the clearing and if he knew his crew, helicopters with half of the San Diego Naval Base as well.

He moved further away from the direction of the Station, purposely making enough noise to attract the attention of the remaining pursuers, intending to draw them away from Harry. He heard a noise in the distance behind and turned to see where the commando was but was completely surprised by the whack in the head he received. He saw stars and struggled to get to his hands and knees as his earlier head injury combined with the last hit just about did him in.

“Remember me?”

Lee looked up to the face of the first commando he had taken out, the one he had gagged with his own socks.

* * * * *

Melanie took a towel and dampened it, gently blotting the sweat and dirt from Harry's face. Harry was lying on his side, keeping the pressure off the wound so he could rest. She had gotten the first aid kit out, but it appeared the bleeding had stopped, and she didn't want to release the pressure from Lee's field dressing for fear it would start bleeding again. All it seemed she could do was wait.

“How long do you think until your men arrive?” It had been about forty-five minutes since Lee had left and Melanie was concerned about both of the officers.

“Not long, it's a quick ride from the Institute.” Harry looked into her eyes as she spoke and could see she was encouraged.

“Will Commander Crane be alright out there alone?” Her soft question voiced with trepidation.

“Normally yes. He's had...special training for this sort of thing. But I don't know how many men are out there, and he took quite a hit to the head in the accident.” Harry wasn't quite sure why he was being so forthcoming, it just seemed that his concerns were coming out faster than he could pull them in.

She nodded her understanding and continued to apply the cool towel to Harry's forehead, just then they heard a sound that brought a smile to Harry's face.

* * * * *

Lee looked up to the face of the first commando he had taken out. The commando swung his foot and delivered a swift kick to Lee's side sending him sprawling well away from his gun. He lay there trying to find his breath as the other three commandos came walking up, one rubbing his shoulder, another one having been rescued from his incarceration to the tree.

Two of the men picked him up and turned him to face his attacker, the fourth held his gun in a ready stance.

“Where's Nelson?”

Lee looked back with all the defiance he could muster. He readied his body for the blows he knew were coming as the commando standing before him smiled.

“I'm going to enjoy this Crane.”

He delivered several devastating blows to Lee's midsection. Lee fought for air as he hung between the two men. They hoisted him back up and his attacker delivered several more blows to his face.

“I can keep this up longer than you can Crane. Where's Nelson?”

Lee made no effort to speak as he worked on his breathing. The enraged commando swung hard as Lee's head jerked from side to side with the impact.

“He's not going to talk,” he said, as the two men holding him let go and Lee fell into a heap between them. “But I have an idea, get me Blake, have him feed me through to the frequency we intercepted the message on.” He squatted down to Lee's eye level and pulled his head up by the hair looking into his eyes. “We're going to send Nelson a little message.”

He released Lee's head and it fell heavily toward his chest as he tried to think of a way out of the mess he found himself in. It appeared that though they had intercepted the radio call, they hadn't had time to trace it so Harry was still safe. A few minutes later, one of the men handed the lead commando a field radio and he spoke into it.

* * * * *

“Nelson, we've got Crane. If you want to see him alive again you'll give yourself up. He doesn't look so good just now, I don't think he likes my hospitality.”

To emphasize his point, the two men moved back towards Lee lifting him back up, while the fourth delivered more blows audible in the radio.

“Answer me Nelson, or you can listen to Crane getting his brains blown out. We'll find you either way.”

The leader listened for a response and hearing none cocked his rifle, the sound was unmistakable.

“Wait!” Harry's voice registered over the radio.

“Admiral No!” Lee's pleas were silenced with a rifle butt as he fell heavily to the forest floor.

“Alright, just tell me what you want,” Harry said, his voice full of concern.

“Your location Nelson.”

“The Fire Watch Station on top of the ridge.”

The lead commando's eyes widened in disbelief as he pulled the map from his back pocket. How could he have missed that? He looked and didn't see the station marked, satisfying his own pride in the matter.

“Bring him along.”

Two commandos dragged Lee between them, as he began to regain consciousness. Their firm grip on him kept his options limited so he decided to feign unconsciousness until he could come up with a plausible way to get out of this and keep Harry safe at the same time.

They walked about twenty minutes and saw the clearing up ahead.

“What's that?” One of the commandos yelled as they looked up to the sky.

“Choppers! The mission's a bust let's get out of here!”

The two men still held Lee between them, “What do we do with Crane?”

“Bring him along, we might need a hostage to get out of this.”

They turned to make their escape when ropes were suddenly dropped and able marines began to rappel down the ropes in all directions. One of the commandos raised his gun to begin picking off marines, and that's when Lee came to life using his guards' firm hold on him to lift his legs in the air and kick the commando's gun from his hands.

The sudden movement caught the men holding Lee off guard and in one sweeping motion he kicked off the ground flipping over bringing his guards down with him. The commandos began to run toward the forest, only having two guns between them as Lee lay in a heap, done in by his exertion. A few seconds later a marine was over the top of him in a defensive position as Lee opened his eyes to see Chip kneeling beside him.

“The Admiral?”

“Safe and sound Lee,” his smile offered relief and comfort at the same time, “Jamie's taking care of him right now. Let's get you to the cabin.” Chip turned and asked a marine for a stretcher, but Lee found his command voice just then.

“Belay that! I can walk.” Chip's smirky smile lasted only a second, as he pasted back on his XO face and helped Lee to stand. They headed back to the cabin with Lee holding his midsection and a marine medic holding his elbow as he walked.

They reached the door and were met by Jamie and his crew carrying Admiral Nelson out on a stretcher as he lay on his side. Lee squatted down to get into Harry's line of vision, “Are you alright Admiral?” The concern in his expressive eyes evident.

“I'm fine Lee,” he added a reassuring smile, “but you look like a mess.”

Lee would have said something clever just then if he wasn't concentrating so hard on not falling over, so he just smiled back.

“This way Commander,” Lee's marine medic was pointing him toward the helicopter that would take them both to the base hospital. Lee surrendered and followed Harry's stretcher with Chip by his side.

“The marines will secure the scene Lee, we'll meet you at the hospital as soon we can.” Chip's voice had a calming effect on Lee and he nodded. His medic gave him a pair of headphones to wear and then began taking Lee's vitals as he laid his head back on the Sea Knight's* bulkhead and closed his eyes.

It had been close, too close. And for what? To keep the Admiral from telling what he knows to the committee? Lee sighed. It was the price they paid for the genius that Admiral Nelson was, he was just glad that he had been here to keep him safe this time. His body ached, but it didn't matter, it was worth it. That was the price that he was willing to pay for Harry to keep doing what he did, and in the end, they were all better for it. Lee opened his eyes and caught Harry studying him, and gave him an “I'm fine” smile. Yeah, it was definitely worth it.

The End

The Price We Pay

* C-46 Sea Knights, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and her main characters belong to Irwin Allen