A late Fifth Season story... (For new readers, Season 5 are my stories that take place after the series' timeline which includes Lee's new naval rank of Captain, his courtship and marriage... as well as other fun stuff.)

Reboot

by Lynn

Captain Lee Crane woke to a strange sense of dread which was immediately followed by a searing pain as he reached for his side in a silent gasp. His awareness had returned and he realized he was lying on the deck in the nose, just under the windows. He heard the soft sounds of duty station computers and lolled his head toward the Control Room... it was empty.

Though his side was searing in pain there was no blood, no wound to explain his pain. He rolled to his side and attempted to rise using the bulkhead and the window to finally find sure footing. Lee scanned the duty stations as he walked shakily towards the Chart Table. He felt Seaview make a course correction and instinctively looked toward the empty helmsman's chair. The yoke moved in accordance to the slight turn Seaview was making as though invisible hands were guiding his boat. He swallowed hard, trying to understand what was going on and reasoned it must be some sort of electronic device, like the Super Brain computer that had been installed on Seaview almost five years ago. But the Control Room was lacking of any such device that he could see as he slowly walked a circuit around the duty stations.

The pain was still emanating from his side and he was somewhat disoriented as he woke up to this bizarre situation without any recollection of what happened to his crew. Lee willed his brain to sharpen into submission and made his way to the radio shack. He turned gains and dials, flipping switches without success as the most powerful submarine radio on earth sat silent and non-functional. He opened the access panel and noted no apparent cause for the radio's lack of responsiveness and closed it with a frustrated sigh.

Lee turned, still scanning the Control Room and then moved decisively toward the mic on the periscope island.

“This is Captain Crane, all duty stations report.”

He waited but only silence greeted him, so he clicked the mic again. “Is there anyone on board?”

More silence.

“Admiral Nelson, this is Crane.” “Mr. Morton report!”

The silence was deafening as Lee shipped the mic and rubbed a frustrated hand across his neck in thought. He walked over to the Nav computer and pressed the button eliciting the soft sounds of the dot matrix printer relaying the sub's current position as his eyebrows sharpened in question.

He moved to the Chart Table with the navigation printout still in hand and looked over his charts. They were off course from their last position as he reached for the Captain's Log to see who had ordered the course change. The last course correction was signed off by his Exec, but it was completely in synch with Seaview's original course.

Seaview was still making headway in forward motion towards some unknown destination as Lee moved to execute an All-Stop.

“Engineering... if there's anyone there execute an All-Stop.”

He listened for a reply but received none. Lee took a step to the main computer to punch in his Command Codes, the codes that would allow him to remotely access Engineering from the Control Room. He reached for the console to key in the code when he took a second thought withdrawing his hand. He didn't know what he was dealing with, and his Command Codes could be used to access the entire computer so he decided instead to check out the other areas of the sub, look for his crew and execute the All-Stop from Engineering himself.

As Lee moved toward the aft hatch the pain in his side sharpened until he nearly doubled over, but as he stumbled back the pain eased off. He breathed in deeply and started for the hatch again as once more the searing pain over took Lee in his forward motion. He stepped back, realizing that someone or something didn't want him to leave the Control Room. Lee took a deep breath and lunged for the hatch, turning it even though the pain began to incapacitate him. He pulled on the hatch just as the pain spiked beyond his ability to ignore it and fell to the deck breathing hard as his eyes squeezed shut. All of the sudden he remembered... the pain in his side was exactly like the pain he felt when he shook his double's hand and subsequently pushed the nuclear missile to fire on the Pacific Fleet.* It was the last thought he had before he lost consciousness.

* * * * *

Lee woke again, feeling that same dread and having only a slight recollection of his previous experience. He was lying in the nose again but the searing pain in his side was absent, what was present was a fatigue that nearly took him over. He turned his head and surveyed the Control Room once again, it was still empty and the only sounds he heard were the soft beeps of computer consoles, the bleep of the sonar and the familiar hum of Seaview's engines.

Lee rolled to his hands and knees and worked his way back to his feet again. He vaguely remembered pulling the aft hatch open, but it was closed and dogged once again. All of the sudden he heard a familiar sultry woman's voice.

“Warning. Collision imminent.” The woman's voice was soft and emotionless and Lee recognized it immediately as the computer that was installed when he and Harry had participated in that near fatal experiment involving the power of subliminal suggestion. He had been so affected that he and Harry had engaged in all-out mortal combat guided by the subliminal messages broadcasting through Seaview's communication's system.*

“Warning. Collision imminent,” the sultry voice repeated.

Lee turned to see a sea mount in the distance through Seaview's windows. He ran to helm and tried to turn the yoke but the controls weren't answering. He reached for the mic at the Chart Table and snatched it up quickly.

“Engineering!” There was no answer as he suspected, even as he continued to hail his crew.

“Someone answer me!”

He heard nothing and looked back to the Nose seeing the sea mount growing larger in the windows. Instinctively he reached for the computer console again to enter his Command Codes but stopped his hands in mid-motion.

“Warning. Collision imminent.”

He withdrew his hand and then looked up to the bulkhead speaker and yelled, “It's my Command Codes you want, isn't it?”

“Warning. Collision imminent.”

The fatigue returned. He remembered it well from the experiment; he had been subject to sleep deprivation for several days before boarding Seaview. Lee took a step and stumbled, trying to work his way over to the spiral stairs but his legs gave out and he fell heavily to the deck wondering what sort of game he was caught up in. Command Codes... someone wants my Command Codes... with that the fatigue overtook him and his eyes closed decisively.

* * * * *

“Lee? Lee!”

Lee woke up on the deck in the nose again, the feeling of dread still hanging thick in the air. As he woke he was vaguely aware of his past experiences, though they hung just barely within his graspable reach at the far corners of his mind.

“Lee!”

Suddenly he became aware of Harry's voice as he felt his insistent hand attempting to wake him with gentle nudges to his shoulder.

Lee moved to rise to his elbow as Harry helped him to stand.

“Admiral? Where did you come from and where's the crew?” Lee was still somewhat disoriented and his mind was a jumbled mess, he could hardly think.

“I don't know all the answers, Lee. I woke up in my cabin on the deck, but the best I can figure is we're caught between two dimensions. My guess is the crew is still in our own dimension.”

Lee nodded in agreement. He trusted Harry implicitly and he was relieved to finally see someone else in the Control Room.

“I've been working on this,” Harry took Lee to the Control Table where an electronic box sat looking adequately impressive.

“It's based on Mallory's invention when he opened the Fourth Dimension.* I think we can use the device to catapult us back to the third dimension where we belong,” Harry finished.

It all sounded so good to Lee, he was weary and tired of being thrown back to the same empty Control Room. He was relieved now that Harry was here, allowing himself to hope as he examined the device Harry devised.

“Now all we have to do is execute an All-Stop,” Harry explained as he looked down preparing the device for usage.

Lee's head rose slowly as he struggled to put together his jumbled thoughts.

“Now, wait a minute,” he said rubbing his hand across his dark hair in a familiar move when he was frustrated. “Why do we need an All-Stop?”

Harry let out a humorless chuckle and shook his head as if Lee should already know why.

“Lee, I'm executing a lot of fine adjustments to return us to our own dimension, I can't be continually adjusting for our speed as well. We may just end up 200 feet below sea level without a submarine surrounding us,” Harry answered coolly.

Lee reached his hand to his forehead. Harry was the smartest man he knew and able to think on his feet, coming up with options when others would have given up resolving themselves to failure. He trusted Harry... so why was this all wrong?

Harry walked to the computer console, obviously expecting Lee to follow.

“Lee, we need your code to remotely access Engineering.”

Lee took a few steps away from the console and moved toward the windows in the nose.

“Lee?”

“Admiral, I've woken three times underneath these windows, and even though each time the situation is different there's always one common element... the need to enter my Command Codes...”

“Lee I would never lie to you or do anything to hurt you or Seaview, you know that,” Harry said with a note of regret in his voice that his friend doubted him now.

“I know Admiral, but something isn't right here,” Lee answered faltering as he took a step toward Harry.

“Lee!” Harry yelled taking his Captain by both shoulders and shaking him slightly. “Enter the Command Codes so we can stop this ship and get home!”

Lee blinked. Did Harry actually call Seaview a “ship”? He took a step back, shaking his head in the negative. All of the sudden his jumbled mind was accompanied with a searing pain emulating an electric shock as he fell to his knees and then crumbled to the floor. Immediately he remembered the sensation as he could hear Dr. Vanessa Paris' voice ringing in his ears.

“You're sick, Captain. Give me the Command Codes and I'll take care everything. We have to protect Seaview.”

Lee blinked as he tried to clear his jumbled mind. Dr. Vanessa Paris wasn't after his Command Codes, she wanted his nuclear codes... this was all a scam... He was still feeling the effects of the electric shock somehow induced even though he hadn't been injected with Dr. Paris' brainwash in a bottle serum.** The pain heightened as the last thing he remembered was Harry walking over to him, smiling and then disappearing into mid-air.

* * * * *

Lee woke up in the nose under Seaview's Herculite windows once again. He lay on the deck looking straight up at the overhead bulkhead as he reasoned out what was happening to him. He had been rebooted to the empty Control Room once again, just like a computer that had suffered a “fatal error” and was continually rebooting and initiating its start-up sequence. He couldn't say for sure he was being rebooted to the same time, indeed he had no concept of time. As he lay there he was aware of the feeling of dread that lay thick in the air each time he woke. It was surreal and unreal, like... being in a dream and wondering if you were awake. But his sensations were too real, as was the pain that had been inflicted on him in each circumstance he had faced. He reasoned he wasn't dreaming, but nor was he experiencing reality... at least the reality he knew.

Lee heard the soft sounds of the boat operating in the background and felt the sensation of the boat moving at “full” underneath him. Still he didn't move, refusing to play the game any longer. He was here, there didn't seem to be too much he could do about that at present, but he could control whether he would continue to respond to the circumstances being invented for him; each circumstance requiring his Command Codes to solve the problem at hand.

Suddenly his contemplation was interrupted by the piercing noise of the klaxons blaring as Lee instinctively moved his head to view the console over the Hydrophones station. Even from where he lay he could see the red line approaching the nuclear reactor safety gauge as he felt Seaview's engines engage to flank speed. Lee blew out a breath and turned his head back to the overhead bulkhead. He wasn't about to enter his codes and execute an All-Stop, the solution this situation called for. Instead he continued to work through the possible scenarios that could account for the bizarre world he found himself in.

Drugs... it could be drugs producing a strong suggestive element. Maybe he was lying on some gurney in some foreign country getting pumped full of drugs. It was wild, but plausible. But how were they accessing his memories? He continued to reason. Maybe he was doing a whole lot of talking and they were suggesting it back to him.

Lee sighed, maybe it was Mallory again. He thought Mallory had been destroyed when he threw the grenade on his Fourth Dimension machine, but maybe he wasn't dead and found a way back...

And then again... he had encountered plenty of aliens in his five years with Seaview. Perhaps this was another plot to invade the earth...

The sounds of the klaxons still rang loudly as the whining sounds of the engines signaled a speed overload. Still Lee lay there refusing to participate in the situation that had been engineered for his benefit.

Suddenly and without any transition he lost consciousness.

* * * * *

Lee woke again in the Front Porch but this time he rose to his feet instantly at the sound of the radio coming to life, the voice having pierced his unconscious state calling him to instant awareness.

“Lee? Lee if you can hear me please answer!”

He nearly ran to the radio console at the sound of Brianna's voice, his wife of six months. As he worked his way forward he remembered with perfect clarity their last morning together before Seaview departed.

Lee woke up before the alarm sounded and pulled Brianna close. She snuggled in under his arm without waking as he caressed her arm lightly. They had dispensed with the nightgown the night before and he reveled in the feel of her body pressing against his. He heard her sigh as her wakefulness began to make itself known.

“How long have you been awake?” She asked as she leaned her cheek against his bare chest.

“A little while,” Lee answered, pulling the sheets down to caress her back.

“Why didn't you wake me?”

“It felt good to lie here with you in my arms,” he answered with an innocent smile.

“I know something else that would feel good,” Brianna teased as she moved to sit astride Lee's hips.

Lee's smile morphed to playful deviousness as he reached to draw Brianna down to meet his lips in eager anticipation.

The rest of the morning was a blur as Lee made the most of his last morning before shoving off. Somehow he had made it to the dock on time as Lee Crane boarded a content man...

“Lee! Please answer me!”

Lee reached the radio shack and flipped the switch to answer. “Brianna, this is Lee.”

“Oh Lee, thank heavens I reached you.”

“Where are you Brianna?”

“At NIMR. Communications hasn't been able to make contact with Seaview for two days now, we've been so worried.”

“I don't know what's going on, Brianna. The crew is missing and...”

“Lee, the crew is safe. They were evacuated from Seaview, you've been sick and in quarantine. Jamie says that it should be safe for you to leave now.”

“Leave?” Lee was confused, but the idea of his crew being safe with the explanation that Seaview was in quarantine sounded a whole lot better than bad guys drugging him or aliens manipulating him.

“Yes. FS1 has been returned and docked remotely. You can fly home. Lee, come home to me, I'll be waiting. Come home Lee.”

With that the radio went silent as Lee tried to raise NIMR once again. He was greeted by static and hung up the mic walking slowly back to the nose. He stopped at the periscope island and scanned above the sonar duty station. The indicator lights showed FS1 docked in the nose berth. His excitement grew as he realized that he could escape in the flying sub. If he had been sick, that would explain his strange hallucinations.

Lee moved forward to Helm and noted his course and speed, he'd have to bring Seaview to a stop to launch FS1. He moved to the computer console and stopped, pausing as he thought through the situation; a circumstance once again requiring his Command Codes. He turned and made purposeful steps to the aft hatch. If he had been sick then there should be nothing preventing him from going to Engineering and shutting the engines down from there. His steps quickened as he reached the hatch but then his hand rose sharply reaching for his head. The room turned and spun in slow motion as brilliant flashes of light blinded him in psychedelic colors. He fell to the floor recalling the effects of the neutron bomb that had leaked its hallucinogenic gas and then lost consciousness.*

* * * * *

(Back in the Nose, but in the Real World...)

Harry paced the Nose in Seaview stopping to drag a tired hand across his neck as he pondered the white sparkly column of light that had invaded Seaview and encased Captain Lee Crane. Lee was standing erectly with his head slightly tilted up and his eyes closed. The column of light had immobilized him and no sign of life had been detected since Lee's imprisonment; Gorgon had seen to that.

Gorgon had been an unexpected find at the bottom of the sea as Seaview divers laid new earthquake sensors in this tectonically active region in the Pacific “Ring of Fire”. A recent earthquake had exposed the space traveler's capsule making it an intriguing find by Lee and his dive team. From that point on things got worse as the divers brought the capsule aboard and the warm submarine surroundings activated the heat sensitive controls releasing its occupant from his previously induced sleep.

Harry and Lee stood nearby as the control panel came to life on the small capsule. Kowalski and Riley stood by holding their laser guns in position ready to incapacitate the obvious alien should he prove to be dangerous. Lee had since changed from his diving gear and stood wearing his green wool sweater, acclimating back to the sub's temperatures after his cold dive.

After a series of clicks and sounds of hydraulic pumps releasing the capsule door opened revealing the stiff form of the silver skinned alien standing in some sort of frozen suspended animation. As the door opened it was followed by a white vapor and cold air. More lights flickered, this time inside the capsule as the alien's fingers began to move.

“Easy men, don't get itchy trigger fingers... but stay alert,” Lee admonished as Ski and Riley shifted noticeably upon the opening of the capsule door.

The Ratings, one dressed in red the other in a blue jumpsuit stood ready to fire and yet in control of their emotions in spite of the unknown situation unfolding itself before them now. Each one had been with Seaview for enough years not to be completely shocked at seeing a real live alien in their midst though they were both careful, not taking anything for granted.

The cold vapor was followed by a release of warm air as the alien's eyes opened and moved from side to side as if quickly assessing his current situation.

“My name is Admiral Nelson. You are safe aboard my submarine, the SSRN Seaview,” Harry stated calmly.

The alien moved, slowly at first and somewhat shakily as he worked to regain use of his muscles once again. He recovered quickly and stepped out of the capsule, a unit only big enough for one occupant. He took a deep breath in and then smiled warmly at Harry.

“My name is Gorgon, a space traveler making my way across your solar system when my ship lost power and crashed. I was able to jettison in my escape pod before the crash and have been suspended in sleep mode ever since,” he finished offering an explanation for his presence.

“This is Captain Crane,” Harry said offering a polite introduction, “The commander of the Seaview.”

“Captain,” Gorgon acknowledged Lee but then turned his attention back to Harry as if he were unaccustomed to dealing with those of the lesser ranks.

“I understand your precaution, Admiral Nelson, but I can assure you that I am a peaceful visitor to your world,” he stated noting the laser pistols still pointed at him.

Harry agreed with the assessment and gave Lee a nod.

“Stand down men,” Lee ordered evenly as Ski and Riley holstered the laser pistols but stood nearby having not been relieved.

Gorgon smiled knowingly at Lee's precaution and chose to ignore the fact that the armed guards were apparently assigned to him at present.

“May I ask what year it is? My last monitoring of the planet before my crash indicated it was Anno Domini 1879,” Gorgon stated as Harry raised an eyebrow at Gorgon's understanding of the earth's Gregorian calendar.

“It is AD 1982,” Harry replied seeing no reason to hide the truth.

“Ah, I see. Then your race has made incredible advancements in the one hundred years I have been 'sleeping',” Gorgon answered.

“We'd like to think so,” Harry answered in a polite but somewhat indirect response to Gorgon's observation.

Gorgon took in a deep breath and sighed. “I am very fortunate indeed to have crash landed on a planet with an atmosphere so much like my own planet's.”

“Indeed,” Harry responded with a small tight lipped smile that indicated he was still observing the alien before offering his complete trust.

“Lee, issue our guest here accommodations,” Harry turned his attention back to Gorgon. “I assume you must be fatigued after your long journey.”

“Thank you Admiral Nelson. I would very much appreciate a time of reflection and rest.”

“Ski, Riley. Escort our guest to Visitor Cabin A. I hope you understand that my men will act as your escorts while aboard our vessel,” Lee finished addressing Gorgon directly.

“I understand, Captain.”

Ski swept his arm toward the missile room hatch door, “This way Mr. Gorgon.”

Gorgon's eyebrows rose at the title Ski had used but kept silent none the less, choosing to keep his Rank a secret for the time being. He followed Ski out as Riley followed behind taking the necessary precautions with the alien.

Harry's eyebrows sharpened in analysis as Gorgon left the missile room. His silver skin, simply silver in pigmentation and not at all like shiny aluminum, seemed to be the only indication of his alien citizenship, as his physical body seemed to be quite “human”.

“Lee, prepare a State Dinner in the Nose this evening,” Harry said after some reflection.

“The Nose Sir?” Lee questioned, obviously not comfortable with allowing the alien access to the Control Room, the heart of sub's operations.

Harry smiled and reassured Lee, “We'll dine with the collision doors closed, but for now we'll offer our guest the privileges of a visiting delegation from another planet.”

“Aye Sir,” Lee replied, accepting Harry's concession of keeping the collision doors closed and turned his attention to the capsule behind him.

“What should we do with this, Sir?” He asked motioning toward the seven foot tall pod sitting in the middle of the missile room.

“Have it moved to my lab, I'm interested in its technology to say the least.”

Harry left with a nod as Lee delegated the job to Chief Sharkey.

* * * * *

Gorgon was escorted from the guest quarters in Officer's Country to the nose via the spiral staircase.

“Right this way, Sir,” Ski said guiding Gorgon with all the respect of a foreign dignitary. Gorgon, for his part, had emerged from his guest quarters wearing a white uniform of sorts, presumably worn under his silver aluminum-like environment suit they found him in.

Gorgon looked with wonder at the ocean floor before him, seen through Seaview's windows and illuminated by floodlights.

“It's a grand sight, Admiral Nelson,” Gorgon commented with a pleasant smile.

“Yes it is,” Harry agreed as Lee slipped in the nose via a small opening in the crash doors. He closed the door behind him and greeted his guest. He was wearing his tie and jacket as the dress for State Dinners required.

“I hope you found your quarters suitable, Gorgon?” Lee inquired sincerely.

“Yes, it is quite adequate, and actually Captain Crane, my title is General. I am General Gorgon of the Tegorian Sector.”

Lee nodded respectfully, “Very well, General Gorgon.” He shot a glance over at Harry who hadn't missed the fact that their space traveler had now informed them of another piece of the puzzle. He wasn't just an explorer, but from a military detachment of some kind. The revelation was enough to cause both Harry and Lee to watch their visitor closely, but the fact that he was a General wasn't proof of any ill intent and so they moved on in the conversation.

“I'm unaware of your planet's dietary requirements, General Gorgon, but I trust you'll find the delicacies of our planet palatable,” Harry offered as he swept his arm forward for Gorgon to sit beside him at the table.

“I'm sure I will find your hospitality a delightful change of pace, Admiral Nelson.”

“May I introduce my Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jamieson,” Lee added, “And my Executive Officer, Mr. Morton.”

“Gentlemen,” Gorgon nodded in complete and proper etiquette for the occasion.

The evening wore on with much the same decorum until Lee and Chip excused themselves from the Nose through a small opening in the crash doors.

“Admiral. General. If you'll both excuse me, I need to make preparations for several medical exams in the morning.”

“Of course, Dr. Jamieson,” Harry answered as the Nose emptied leaving just the two escorts in the room with Gorgon and himself.

“I see you are still over the site where my capsule was apparently retrieved.”

“Yes, we're still conducting our own surveys in the area,” Harry answered evenly.

“Good,” Gorgon answered walking closer to the window to look outside.

“Good?” Harry repeated. “Is there some reason you want to be in the area, General?”

Gorgon turned and displayed a malicious smile. Gone was the polite decorum he had displayed throughout the evening as he apparently decided to enlighten Harry on his intentions.

“Yes. You see my space craft is hidden below the seabed as well. I had to abandon it when I ran out of fuel and it could no longer keep my life support systems running. But your submarine's own nuclear propulsion system is close enough to my own fuel to break the atmosphere and get me on my way again.”

“How did you know that this submarine operates on nuclear power?” Harry asked with sharpened eyebrows and looking toward Gorgon's escorts.

“He never left the guest quarters, Sir,” Ski spoke up.

“There is much I know about your vessel, Admiral. I visited the expanse of your vessel without even leaving my quarters.”

Harry's lips pursed. “Some sort of telepathy or can you walk through walls?” Harry asked in slight sarcasm.

“Your first guess is more correct. My mind wandered the corridors by simply reaching into the minds of my guards just outside my door.” Gorgon smiled, as if he was laying his cards down one ace at a time in a high stakes poker game.

“Then you can read minds?” Harry asked needing all the information he could get from what was fast becoming a confrontation with their alien guest.

“Read minds? No. I see what they see by accessing their memories. It is purely based on what the subject views through his optical lenses. Much like your brain, I can read the neurons in the electrical chemical impulses and see what my subject sees through their memories.”

Both Ski and Riley moved their hands to their holsters waiting for their orders to draw their weapons as Gorgon spotted their movement and laughed. He brushed his hand in their direction as each rating fell to the floor unconscious.

Harry reached for the mic but Gorgon was faster as he moved his hand palm forward towards the Admiral causing Harry to freeze in mid-motion. Harry was completely aware but unable to move as Gorgon smiled again.

“And now Admiral. I will commandeer your vessel.” Gorgon let his statement linger enjoying with arrogance his control over Harry when he felt the submarine's engines engage. The alien turned sharply toward the window as Seaview began moving away from the area where his space ship was hidden. The submarine began to move at greater speed, evident by the rush of water flowing past the bow leaving large bubbles rolling over Seaview's windows.

Gorgon raised his hand toward Harry and released him. “What's going on Admiral? Why are we moving?”

Harry responded with a small tight smile of his own as he quickly deduced just who had ordered Seaview's hasty departure.

* * * * *

Lee had left the dinner party as the evening began to wear down. He just needed to check on the boat before turning in, so he left the crash doors slightly open intending to return to the Nose in short order. He shed his jacket and tie and made a quick circuit around the Control Room floor, conferred with the Officer of the Deck and then headed back to the Nose. As he approached he noticed right away the change of tone in Gorgon's demeanor. The hint of superiority that Gorgon had displayed earlier was now operating in full gear as he spoke in condescending tones toward Harry. Lee caught enough of the conversation to know what needed to be done as he slipped away from the crash doors and moved into the Control Room. Chip was still standing at the Chart Table making his last preparations before turning in himself as Lee approached the table quietly. Lee reached for the chart and drew out a line as Chip looked inquisitively.

“Chart the course with no obstructions, Chip. I'm taking her to flank speed and leaving these waters.”

Chip's eyes showed his question, but Lee added his command glare that said, “Just do it.”

“Aye Sir,” Chip rendered and began making preparations as Lee called Chief Sharkey over.

“Chief,” Lee said in a whisper. “Get to Engineering, I want this boat at flank speed in two minutes.”

“Aye Sir,” Sharkey said with a quick glance over to the Nose. He had a feeling about that silver faced alien, he was bad news from the moment they brought him aboard. Sharkey executed a quick pace out the aft hatch to get to Engineering as Lee hurried over to the main computer console and began keying in with quick determination. He knew exactly what he needed to do as he keyed his orders never looking down at his hands. On the last key stroke he moved to the mic at the Chart Table as Chip nodded that all preparations had been made.

“Now, Chief,” he said quietly into the mic as Seaview engaged her engines and Chip issued orders to raise the planes in order to clear the known obstacles in their path. The issues were ordered and Seaview began her journey as the crash doors suddenly opened revealing Gorgon ushering Harry forward. The fury in Gorgon's eyes revealed an alien with an attitude as Lee stood stoically in place ready to fight for control over Seaview.

* * * * *

“Stop this ship!” Gorgon yelled as he began applying pressure to Harry's neck with only two fingers. The pressure elicited sounds of discomfort as Harry pursed his lips determined not to give the alien any further indication of his pain.

“Stop Gorgon!” Lee yelled.

“Bring us about Captain Crane,” Gorgon said releasing Harry as he nearly crumbled to the floor, catching himself on the Chart Table.

“This is futile, Captain,” Gorgon continued, bringing his voice level down as if exercising his complete control over the situation. “I know how to make your crew obey,” he finished arrogantly.

“My crew can't change the course or the speed of the boat, Gorgon,” Lee stated flatly. “I've locked out every single computer function on this submarine. Not even Admiral Nelson can override the computer lock-out.”

“Is this true?” Gorgon asked as he turned toward Harry. He reached up with his palm toward Harry's forehead and closed his eyes momentarily, then opened them. “Yes, I see through Nelson's memories that you can lock-out the computer functions.”

Gorgon then turned and raised his palm toward Lee's forehead, as Lee felt the invasive grabbing of his memories but he kept his face stern and emotionless as Gorgon realized that he couldn't see the actual code Lee had keyed in.

“You think you have won, Captain, but you haven't! There are other ways!”

Gorgon began pointing his hand at various crew members as they screamed and fell in pain from their posts.

“Stop Gorgon!” Lee yelled as Gorgon turned toward him.

“Are you ready to turn this vessel around?” Gorgon challenged, “Before I begin doing permanent damage to your crew?”

“You're a greater threat than just to Seaview, Gorgon. What's your next step after taking Seaview, General? The entire planet? No, my crew and I will all die before we give you that power.”

Gorgon stepped back into the Nose as Lee moved closer to Harry at the end of the Chart Table. Suddenly Gorgon vanished, leaving no trace of his whereabouts. Lee moved into the Nose to where Gorgon had been standing, amazed that he had disappeared when suddenly a whining sound was heard as the entire crew reached for their ears. Harry covered his ears as well but didn't miss the column of white light that appeared out of nowhere enveloping Lee. Lee's head snapped back as the light imprisoned him and his eyes closed decisively as he stood encased in the strange light.

The shrill whining sound began to dissipate as both Harry and Chip ran to the nose.

“Lee!” Harry yelled, but Lee made no indication that he could hear the Admiral's insistent calls.

Harry stepped back to analyze the column just as Gorgon reappeared in the Nose.

“He is suspended in a place of my choosing, Admiral. In time he will reveal the Command Codes that will place this vessel in my control; until then your crew will sleep.”

Gorgon raised a hand as all the Ratings sitting at their stations in the Control Room slumped over. Only Harry and Chip remained awake.

“Once I have the Command Codes, I will wake your men and retrieve my space craft.”

At that, Gorgon disappeared again leaving Harry and Chip alone with a runaway sub and no crew to man the stations.

* * * * *

“The whole crew has been affected,” Chip reported coming back in the aft hatch after having re-conned the boat.

Harry nodded his head running a hand across the back of his neck. “He may not be able to control too many things at once, Chip. He's got Lee immobilized and I suspect working to access the Command Codes. He only returns long enough to check our current situation and then is gone again.”

“You think he's working on Lee right now?” Chip asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, otherwise what's the point of all this?” Harry answered motioning towards Lee's imprisoned state.

Harry continued to pace the deck as he attempted to analyze the light column, looking for a way to break its hold on Lee as Chip continued to follow their progress as Seaview traveled at Flank Speed. Suddenly, both Chip and Harry felt the boat transition smoothly to Full.

Harry nodded to himself as he surmised out loud. “Lee apparently programmed the boat's speed to change at this point.”

“It's a good thing he thought ahead, Sir,” Chip replied looking toward Lee's stiff and unresponsive body.

There wasn't anything else to do as Harry continued to pace and Chip continued to chart Seaview's progress as the hours dragged out.

“Ten hours!” Harry said in exasperation. “If only I could find the frequency this light is emitting from.”

Gorgon took that moment to pop back into the Nose.

“Your Captain is growing weak Nelson. He will soon divulge the Command Codes to me. This is merely a time consuming diversion, it is inevitable that I be victorious.”

“Why is it inevitable?” Harry challenged.

“You have to ask? And here I thought you were an intelligent human, Admiral.” Gorgon took several steps in a short pace and turned around gloating as he spoke. “I am superior to you. Just as I am superior to those of my own race. They failed to welcome my leadership, but with the fuel from your ship there will be no stopping me. Once I am free from this watery prison, I will access the rest of your world's nuclear reactors and drain the fuel I need to return to my home world.”

“You can't just drain the nuclear power, there are protocols to be adhered to or the cores will overheat into a melt-down.”

“That is inevitable as well,” Gorgon admitted with no emotion for the loss of life the nuclear disasters would cause worldwide.

“Your world is of no consequence to me. I will return to my world and rule not only it but the entire system!” Gorgon's voice elevated as he reveled in the power he sought.

“But Crane is stopping you, isn't he?” Harry challenged.

“After I have control over Seaview he will suffer adequately for the delay he has caused.”

Gorgon took that moment to disappear as Harry slammed a frustrated fist down on the Chart Table. Neither he nor Chip could do anything to help Lee, and they couldn't even guess how Gorgon was attempting to extract the information he sought.

* * * * *

Lee woke up in the Nose once again and swallowed hard. Hearing Brianna's voice had pulled him back into the game; but who's game? Someone or something wanted his Command Codes, but he had no recollection of the fact that he himself had locked out Seaview's computers. Lee continued to lay there with one leg bent at the knee and a hand across his middle. He wasn't in a hurry to move or do any responding to the false stimuli that surrounded him. He noted the feeling of dread once again and determined that this wasn't real, but neither was it a dream. It lied somewhere in the middle, in a place where his memories were being used against him.

“ComSubPac to Seaview, answer me!”

Lee recognized the brusque voice of Jiggs Stark as the boat's radio came to life once again.

“If you can hear me, respond.”

Lee stayed put, choosing to stare at the bulkhead over him. He simply wasn't going to play anymore.

“Seaview,” the radio crackled, Stark's voice rough with emotion. “The United States has been attacked. You must fire your missiles or America will be completely destroyed!”

Lee didn't turn his head toward the Status Board, though he was sure it now read “WAR”.

“Seaview, come in!”

The radio went silent as Lee sighed. This is getting old. The situation, had it been real, would require Seaview to stop engines in order to fire the missiles with precision to take out their objective. Had it been real...

Suddenly Lee was consumed by the overwhelming sense of thin air all around him, reminiscent of the thin air he breathed while trapped on the flying sub two years ago.*

“I'm not playing!” He yelled, using up more precious oxygen as he started to gasp. The sense of suffocating was as real as the original experience as Lee struggled for breath. The air was then definitively cut off as Lee gasped, receiving no oxygen for his effort. He struggled not to panic and felt his consciousness begin to falter as he welcomed the darkness.

* * * * *

Lee woke on the deck in the Nose once again. He breathed deeply feeling the air fill his lungs.

“Captain Crane.”

Lee turned his head toward the silver faced being standing in the Control Room. Immediately Lee was intrigued as this being wasn't part of his memories.

“Who are you? You're the one doing this to me aren't you?” He said as he shakily found his legs to stand with a hand supporting himself against the windows.

“I will clear your mind so that you can remember,” the obvious alien said in a caring tone as he raised his palm toward Lee.

Lee blinked as the memories of Seaview's voyage returned. Though he still felt the sense of dread that signaled he was still in his non-reality world he could somehow discern that the memories were real; finding the capsule, rescuing Gorgon and then reprogramming Seaview's computers to keep her out of the General's hands. But the alien standing before him wasn't Gorgon. As the alien lowered his palm Lee was fully aware that Gorgon was responsible for the hellish world he had participated in, for how long he didn't know.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Separ and as soon as Gorgon was released from his bio-chamber we were able to track him once again. He is an insurrectionist and a criminal from our world. I've come to claim him and return him to our world for trial.”

Separ's features were younger and less harsh than Gorgon, as Lee studied him for any signs of treachery.

“I haven't seen him, and I'm pretty sure this isn't real,” Lee said sweeping his hands to indicate Seaview. “So where am I?”

“You have never left the Control Room of your vessel,” Separ moved his hand once again as Lee followed the line of sight as Seaview's windows turned into a “projection screen” of sorts where he saw himself encased in a white light. The view turned as Lee was able to scan the Control Room where he saw Harry and Chip, but the rest of his crew were draped across their consoles, obviously unconscious.

“I will help you to return,” Separ said as the projection screen dimmed and Seaview's windows were visible once again, “You must continue to resist Gorgon. It will not be long now.”

Lee nodded as he watched Separ disappear. Their meeting had felt right somehow, as he held on to the hope that he would finally be freed of this quasi-reality.

* * * * *

Harry was sitting at the conference table with a mess of papers strewn across the table top as he worked to come up with a way to interrupt the wavelength frequency of the light column surrounding Lee. He had already considered and rejected the idea of using the laser gun on the column not knowing what affect it would have on Lee. Harry crumpled another piece of paper and tossed it indiscriminately across the table. He had concluded that the column's frequency abode outside of the longer wavelengths of infrared and the shorter wavelengths of ultraviolet. He simply couldn't interrupt the wavelength without having some reference point for the frequency. His frustration was palpable when a silver faced alien appeared in the Nose as Harry noted immediately a new player had arrived.

“My name is Separ, and I am here to help you, Admiral Nelson.”

“You'll forgive me if I reserve my relief for your offer of help, Separ.”

“Of course and I understand. I do not have much time, but I will tell you what I told your Captain Crane.”

“You've spoken with Crane?” Harry said tilting his head in inquisition.

“Yes, though his body is inactive his mind has been put through a series of situations and circumstances designed to deceive him into entering the Command Codes General Gorgon desires. General Gorgon is a criminal from our world, I am a sentinel assigned to return the General to our world for trial. When you opened his bio-chamber it reactivated our ability to track him. As you have already surmised, Gorgon cannot keep the simulated world he has created for Crane intact and deal with you at the same time. The process drains him and he has retreated to regain his energy. Once he reappears I will confront him. I will free Captain Crane at that time and force Gorgon to appear here.”

Harry nodded. He had no choice but to trust the alien as he watch Separ disappear. Slowly Harry walked to the column of light as Chip joined him, both looking at the still unresponsive body of Lee Crane.

“Do you trust him?” Chip said, breaking the silence.

“I don't have any other choice at this point, Chip. Let's just hope Separ is who he says he is.”

Chip nodded in agreement wondering just what Lee had been through for the last twelve hours.

* * * * *

Lee woke under the windows but with the full understanding of what Separ had revealed to him. He was now totally cognizant of his predicament as he waited for Gorgon to continue with his deception.

* * * * *

“Gorgon has reappeared.”

Harry spun to see Separ who had reappeared himself without any fanfare. Both he and Chip watched as Separ raised both palms towards Lee's column, closing his eyes in what appeared to be intense concentration. They waited only a moment and then Harry recognized the column of light change in its color and intensity until it finally faded.

Lee was still standing erect with his head tilted back; as the light faded completely away his legs went limp and he began to fall. He was caught by the sure hands of Harry and Chip as they laid him on the deck. Lee began to shake uncontrollably as his eyes fluttered open and he breathed erratically, a direct response to the physical effects of his imprisonment. His eyes moved back and forth over the bulkhead, trying to ascertain his whereabouts.

“Lee?” Harry said quietly.

Lee's forehead furled in question as he examined Harry's face. “Not a trick?” He asked, trying to reassure himself that he was really back on Seaview and not caught in Gorgon's pretend world.

Harry blew a breath of relief to hear Lee respond, “No Lad, not a trick. You're back home.”

Lee's homecoming celebration was cut short however, as Gorgon appeared with deadly fire in his eyes.

“How did you free him?” He demanded, but that was as far as he got when all of the sudden a white column completely encased Gorgon. His primal scream of “Nooooo!” was drowned out by the firmness of his prison as Gorgon's head tilted back and his eyes closed.

Separ appeared, displaying a satisfied smile.

“I am truly sorry for the pain Gorgon has inflicted on you Captain Crane,” Separ said as Harry helped Lee to sit against the Nose bulkhead.

“He will be returned and placed on trial for his crimes.”

“We're grateful Separ, that you were able to track Gorgon and lend your aid,” Harry offered graciously.

“You are most welcome, Admiral Nelson. I am glad that we were able to help one another, for I have been assigned to retrieve Gorgon since his escape. If Captain Crane had not acted so wisely in putting your power source out of Gorgon's reach, many on my planet would have died.” He turned his attention to Lee. “I feel we are a kindred spirit Captain Crane, for you have exhibited the characteristics and fortitude that I seek to achieve in my own existence. Perhaps our worlds will touch in the future, but only when we can be assured that those like Gorgon have been dealt with.”

“There are more?” Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes. We sentinels have been charged with bringing Gorgon and his fellow conspirators to justice. At least today, we can rejoice that the General will no longer be a threat to your world or ours.”

“Thank you, Separ,” Lee added sincerely, still weakened by his ordeal.

Separ smiled and then without any fanfare or forewarning, both he and Gorgon's column disappeared as Seaview's crew began to stir from their places.

Chip left to see to the crew as Harry placed a hand on Lee's shoulder.

“How are you feeling, Lee?”

“Much better, Sir.”

“Can you stand?”

“I think so. I'm not hurt, just tired.”

Harry helped him into a standing position as Lee looked about his Control Room full of his crew and soaked in the lack of dread that had hung over him each time he had previously woken in this same spot in the simulated world he had endured.

“Uh... Lee?” Harry asked almost shyly. “We really could use the Command Codes to stop Seaview.”

Lee chuckled, fully convinced he was living in the real world and advanced to the computer console to unlock Seaview's computers and issue an All-Stop.

* * * * * Epilogue * * * * *

Lee sat in the Nose of Seaview enjoying a cup of coffee. He always loved the Admiral's Front Porch and the view from Seaview's windows, but his recent ordeal had very nearly stolen that from him. Each reboot to the Nose under Seaview's windows had started exactly the same; the mundaneness of waking there had piled upon itself with each subsequent waking, adding to the dread the surreal world had created for him.

He had shared his experience with Harry and Chip in detail. Soon the Seaview Grapevine had adequately relayed Lee's experience in full detail faster than a boat wide announcement; that's when his crew stepped into action. It was Stu Riley's idea to make the Nose a... non-mundane place to be. The table had been moved to make room for the crew as they brought their bizarre and crazy possessions to decorate the Nose and with the Admiral's permission had serenaded their Captain in Beach Boys mock style fashion. Patterson, Kowalski, and Riley all wearing Hawaiian shirts with Sharkey playing a ukulele and wearing a grass skirt over his khakis singing, “We'll have fun, fun, fun till daddy takes the Cobra awa-a-y!” It was their way of welcoming the Skipper back and thanking him for once again beating the odds and saving the planet.

The party had given way to the quietness of the Nose and most of the remnants of the crew's attempt to turn the Nose into a not-so-ordinary place were stowed back with each ratings' possessions. A few still remained on the table, a round wall clock with surf boards in place of the hour and minute hands still remained, as well as Lee's favorite, an Indian chief that Chief Sharkey had brought still adorned the table along with a few other odds and ends. Lee appreciated the gesture and had taken the impromptu party in the spirit of an equator crossing, though it wasn't really necessary; he would always see the Front Porch as a very special place on his Gray Lady.

Chip walked into the nose handing Harry a radio transmission just in from ComSubPac, as Lee poured himself another cup of Seaview's famous high octane coffee. Harry reached over to Sharkey's “Chief” and depressed the drumstick, then reached to catch the gumdrop dispensing from the Chief's drum. He popped the gumdrop in his mouth and moved the “Chief” out of his way as Lee chuckled and then leaned over to read the communication's dispatch. Soon Harry and Lee were discussing their new orders and planning out Seaview's next great adventure.

The End

Reboot

* Lee's reboots included scenes or references from the following episodes:

Day of Evil, written by William Welch, Directed by Jerry Hopper, original air date October 23, 1966

The Death Watch, written by William Welch, Directed by Leonard Horn, original air date November 13, 1966

Death Clock, written by Sidney Marshall, Directed by Charles Rondeau, original air date March 24, 1968

Sealed Orders written by William Welch, Directed by Jerry Hopper, original air date October 22, 1967

Rescue, written by William Welch, Directed by Justus Addiss, original air date November 19, 1967

**And a reboot from my story, Integrity

Copyright 2014, All Rights Reserved

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