This is a Season 5 story, occurring about four months after the Series end and continues the ongoing adventures of Seaview and her Crew...at least in my universe. ; )

The Rookie

by Lynn

Lee Crane moved wearily through the South American rainforest. He held both arms around his stomach, it lessened the strain on his shoulders. One shoulder was dislocated, the other torn muscles he figured. It was amazing that both shoulders hadn't dislocated the way Hernandez had creatively tied his hands behind his back. If it wasn't for Hernandez' kid brother taking pity on Lee, he might still be lying in the hut with his elbows meeting in the middle. He wasn't sure if he had pursuers, the rush of noise in his ears was preventing his hearing from working properly, and Lee wondered if he was going into shock.

He looked up ahead and spotted the shore, his alternative extraction point. Lee sighed as he scanned the twenty feet of downward slope he'd have to traverse to make the shoreline. He looked down at his left wrist to check the time only to view an empty wrist. He had forgotten...Hernandez' kid brother wanted a little payment for his kindness and it was all Lee had to give. Good thing he had left his ring in DC, because he would have given even that up to have his ropes cut. Still, he figured it would be a few hours before dark. He needed to be at the shore and waiting. There was good cover in the brush below him and he could just lay back and wait for the SEALS to pick him up.

Lee took a deep breath and started down the slope working to keep his moans hidden inside and trying not to leave a trail behind him. He made it down, taking way too much time and found a place to hunker down until nightfall. He leaned up against a rock wrapping both arms back around his middle and once again sought that face that had driven him over five miles through the dense rainforest to this point. He had studied every line of her face in his mind as he searched for something to give him hope. A survival trick he had learned a long time ago, focus on something good and never give up hope. He didn't usually think of family or friends, not wanting to break the concentration of his cover story, but as he lay in the hut her face was the brightest place in his memory. He needed to get back, to find out if what he felt was real, and that drove him onward.

The sun began to set, and the hot humid day gave way to the cool breezes coming off the ocean before him. He thought he saw a small glint in the waves, and hoped it was his ride home. He started to rise when he realized that his body wasn't cooperating. Come on move, he willed himself. He was too close to miss the extraction now and so he pushed himself up the rock barely holding in his groans this time and staggered for what he was now sure was the zodiac. He made it to the shore and sank to his knees as the zodiac spotted him and moved to intercept their retrieval target. His head dipped downward, as he felt the hands of his extraction team lift him to his feet.

“Lee!” He heard in an insistent whisper, and recognized the voice of his young partner, Jake Connell. Relief flooded Lee's face and he let a smile escape nodding back as he was lifted into the black rubber raft. Expertly and quietly the boat was turned around and soon Lee was looking up at a perfect cloudless sky with millions of stars glittering in his view.

His eyes caught Jake, “The intel?” he inquired through pained breathing.

“Safe and secured on board, Sir.”

Lee nodded and then returned his gaze to the brilliant sky above him and closed his eyes. He was going to make it home...one more time.

* * * * *

Three Days Earlier

Lee walked the halls of ONI heading for Admiral Johnson's office wearing his dark service blues and approached Johnson's receptionist with a smile. Sally McIntyre had flaming red hair that sat in soft curls on her shoulders, her fair skin and gray eyes were an intriguing combination, as were her dainty facial features accentuated by her soft freckles.

“Hello, Miss McIntyre, the Admiral is expecting me.”

“Hello Commander Crane. Yes, I'll buzz you in.”

Lee returned her pleasant smile and headed into Johnson's office, as Sally moved her head in a position to get the best “view” of the Commander as he passed. She sighed to herself, as she pressed the button allowing Lee in and broke her contemplation returning to type on the newfangled word processor she had just received.

Lee entered Admiral Johnson's office and presented a crisp salute as he stood in front of Johnson's desk. Johnson returned the salute and motioned Lee to the chair.

“At ease Commander,” he said as Lee settled into the guest chair, placing his cover on the corner of Johnson's desk.

“I'm sorry we interrupted your leave, but I've got a rookie who I think could benefit from your experience.”

Lee had been called in on the second day of his ten day leave. Seaview was in port and Jamie had insisted that Lee take some time off. Somehow, he didn't think this is what the good doctor had in mind.

“Who's the new recruit, Sir?” Lee asked, not bothered by the fact that he was teaming up with a rookie. He had been a rookie once himself and had survived all these years partly because of the experience he had gained while working alongside seasoned operatives.

“Jake Connell from cryptography is moving into the field. He's got good skills, just needs seasoning.”

Lee nodded as Miss McIntyre interrupted their conversation announcing the arrival of the young JG.

“Lieutenant Junior Grade Connell reporting as ordered, Sir,” the young officer reported crisply delivering a salute as Johnson reciprocated.

“At ease, Lieutenant. This is Commander Crane, he'll be the senior operative on this mission. You'll be operating under his direct supervision.”

Connell gave a sharp nod as he addressed Lee, “Commander.”

Lee returned the address with his own nod as Connell moved into the second guest chair, placing his cover on the desk as well. The two officers sat forward as Admiral Johnson began the mission briefing, while Lee stealthily studied the new recruit. He had taken a few rookies out for their debut in his day, and a couple of them nearly got them killed trying to “prove” their skills. So as Johnson spoke Lee looked for signs of an unhealthy arrogance. Confidence was good, but arrogance was much harder to work around especially if the rookie found it hard to accept guidance from the senior operative.

“This office is sending you into a South American rainforest on a strictly reconnaissance mission.” Johnson reached over and deposited a manila folder in front of each officer as he continued. “GPS coordinates as well as satellite photos of your target are provided. The Sat photos definitely reveal a sophisticated operation of some kind, we need to know what it is. You are to gain access and photograph the facility and ascertain its function. You will be inserted and extracted by way of sub and you have two days to complete the Recon, any questions?”

The complete mission details were included in the folder, including the exact insertion and extraction points, as well as the alternative extraction point for the just-in-case. Lee also noted the dossier of the most likely “king-pin” of the area, Johnson was always complete in his mission details. He was a high target criminal, with his hands in enough illegal dealings to catch the attention of espionage organizations across the world; he was known as El Gato de la Jungla, The Cat of the Jungle.

“What about El Gato, Sir? What are your orders if he's retrievable?” Lee inquired, partly to clarify the mission, partly for Connell's sake. Learning to ask the right questions at a briefing could save your life in the field.

“Under NO circumstances will you make contact with or attempt to take El Gato into custody. We'll deal with him on another day, just get the Intel and get out.”

Lee nodded and continued thumbing through the folder till he caught the Disavowalment Disclaimer and raised his eyes to meet Johnson.

“Admiral, I see a DD has been assigned to this mission,” Lee asked with concern.

“Yes, do you have a problem with that Commander?” Johnson replied matter of factly.

“Permission to speak freely, Sir?”

“Aye, Let's get on with it Commander, what's on your mind?” Johnson replied as his eyes narrowed in concern.

Lee's face steeled as he questioned his commanding officer's decision, “Sir, I question why Lt. Connell is being sent in as a rookie, his first mission in the field, with a DD in place.”

Lee registered the stirring to his right as Connell started adjusting in his seat, barely containing his need to speak. Interrupting an Admiral and a Commander's heated discussion was definitely not within Naval decorum and so the young lieutenant worked hard to keep himself still.

Johnson didn't back down an inch as he matched Lee's determined face with his own. “Lt. Connell is qualified for this mission even with the Disavowalment Disclosure in place.” Johnson leaned forward on his desk with his hands folded in front of him as both he and Lee ignored the antsy lieutenant's movements in his chair as he tried to break into the conversation concerning him.

“I don't understand, Sir. Will his specific skills in cryptology be required, because if not, I object to his presence on this mission,” Lee said boldly.

“Your objection is so noted Commander Crane, but the DD stands and so does the operative assignment. You of course, are free to either accept or decline the mission; as for the lieutenant, he has already accepted the mission with the DD fully disclosed.” Johnson sat back in his seat, awaiting Lee's decision with his steeled eyes never diverting from Lee's.

Lee took a deep breath, Johnson's body language of sitting back in his chair had ended the “speak freely” part, as Lee returned to full naval decorum.

“Aye Sir. I'll accept the mission, Sir.”

“Very well. Anymore questions gentlemen?” Johnson said, wrapping up the meeting.

“No Sir,” both officers replied, almost in unison.

Johnson nodded, “Very well, gentlemen. We'll get you set up with a few “toys” and your handlers will brief you on the insertion details. That is all.”

Both officers rose from the chairs, tucked their covers neatly under their elbows and saluted smartly as Johnson returned the salute and turned his eyes back to the folders on his desk as he took the next folder off the pile and began reading.

* * * * *

The two officers left the Admiral's office and were immediately met by an aide, who escorted them to a briefing room. Neither one said a word as they walked through the hall and into the room, but Lee's command face was firmly in place as he moved along. Once inside the briefing room, they were left alone as Lee took a seat at the table and Jake Connell began to pace the room.

“Permission to speak freely, Sir?” Jake asked as he stopped in front of the superior officer.

“Go ahead, Lieutenant,” Lee replied, still harboring his command face.

“Sir, is there some reason you don't trust me? I scored the top in my class in field training.”

“Lieutenant, do you know what the Disavowalment Disclaimer is?” Lee asked matter of factly.

“Of course, Sir. It means if I'm caught the US will disavowal any knowledge of my actions,” Jake answered.

“Good answer, straight from the textbook,” Lee observed. His eyes narrowed in intensity as he continued, “Now let me tell you what it really means,” he said rising from his chair and taking up pacing speed himself.

“It means that if you're caught there's no rescue party. You're on your own. There's no one coming on a white horse to save you, and if you think imprisonment is the worst that can happen – you're wrong. There's “No Man Left Behind” creed to hang onto in hope and they won't even tell your parents that you died for your country. You'll disappear off the face of the earth and even the bad guys won't remember you.” Lee continued pacing and then stopped and faced Jake as he continued. “I don't object to you personally, but to put an unseasoned op into the field under these conditions is a burden you shouldn't have to bear yet.”

“How many DDs have you taken, Sir?” Jake asked, definitely heading somewhere with his question.

“More than my share,” Lee replied.

“And yet you've managed to make it back,” Jake answered.

“Yeah, and I've got the scars to prove it,” Lee ran a hand through his hair as he thought. The kid was determined to go, Johnson was determined to send him, although he didn't understand the Admiral's reasoning. This wasn't Seaview, he wasn't going to win the argument. He took a breath as he decided to do what he was sent along to do; teach the kid how to complete a mission and stay alive in the process.

“Alright Lieutenant, as long as you understand. Let's start with first things first. I'm the Senior Operative, you will defer to my good judgment in all matters in the field, that part is non-negotiable,” Lee waited for the Lieutenant's reaction. Connell shook his head in agreement as he answered with a small tight smile.

“Yes Sir.”

Lee nodded back, “Okay. Second thing, there's no honorifics or titles in the field. I'm not Commander or even Sir, and no last names. You don't want anyone tracing you back to your family back home.”

Jake's smile faded at the seriousness of the conversation, “Yes Sir,” he replied out of navy habit.

Lee allowed a soft smile to penetrate his face, “Just Lee. Don't worry, it's allowed. In front of the brass we keep it formal, while we prepare we drop the titles and honorifics. It will help you get used to it and not slip in the field.”

“Yes Sir...uh...I mean Lee,” he answered back with a soft smile of his own. Jake had been waiting for this day for a long time. Not only was he finally going into the field, but he was going in with one of the best. All the rookies knew who the top guys were, and Lee Crane was definitely one of them.

“And Jake,” Lee added, “Throw out every idea you have about this being like some James Bond movie. I've never driven a car that shoots rockets out the tail pipe, and as far as I know “Q” is just a letter in the alphabet. You're not going to woo beautiful women to get their secrets, most of the time it’s dark and lonely. It's about being stealth and careful. You take chances when you have to, but you take the safe route whenever you can. Completing the mission is your first objective, getting home is icing on the cake and believe me, I go for the icing every single time.” Lee smiled as he delivered the last statement as the two sat down to begin reviewing their mission folder together.

* * * * *

The mission was pretty straight forward; insert by way of zodiac, hike five miles to the target building, recon and determine the function, secure all relevant intel, hike back to the prime extraction point for pick up by way of zodiac and report to ONI. Lee and Jake had gone over the mission half a dozen times, now it was time to get the job done.

Jake had listened intently but had been bored with the preparations. He was ready to get into the field, to show the Commander that he had what it took to be a Field Operative. Still he listened, taking in what he thought was important and filing away the rest. He was anxious to see Crane in action. He heard that the guy had nine lives, that he had gotten out of some impossibly tough situations in the past and rarely left a mission incomplete. He knew he had some tricks of the trade to share and Jake was ready to learn. Who knows? Maybe he had a few tricks himself to show the Commander.

They took a flight out by way of helicopter to a carrier patrolling in the Atlantic, about a hundred and fifty miles off the eastern seaboard. From there, they hopped onto two F-14 Tomcats and were delivered to a second carrier, bringing them just a couple hundred miles to the South American Atlantic shoreline.* From there, they boarded another helicopter and met the submarine that had surfaced a hundred miles off their targeted shore. Lee and Jake were lowered by cable down to the deck of the sub and were escorted down the sail hatch to the control room.

“Permission to come aboard,” Lee said in crisp military fashion as he saluted the boat's captain.

Captain Tim Sterling smiled, saluted back and answered, “Permission granted,” as he reached for Lee's hand shaking it thoroughly.

“Lee you old sub jockey, I thought you'd given up the spy games by now?” He said jestfully.

Lee returned his smile as he answered, “Yeah, well you know the fringe benefits; travel and see the world,” he replied returning the jest and then turning to introduce Jake.

“This is my partner, Jake Connell.”

Captain Sterling extended his greetings to Jake as well. Jake was surprised that Lee had introduced him that way, his partner. Not a rookie, his partner. It bolstered his confidence as the three legged trip over had started some serious butterflies in his stomach as he realized that he really was being inserted into a dangerous situation to do a dangerous job. He noticed that Crane hadn't shown any emotion or signs in his body language that would indicate any trepidation at all. He wondered if that's what fifteen years worth of espionage work produced, or was Crane just good at hiding it?

Even though Lee and Captain Sterling were obviously good friends, Jake noticed that Lee had taken to quiet contemplation in the wardroom instead of reminiscing with his old friend. They had a five hour trip gliding stealthily underwater to their insertion point and Crane used that time to study the maps, check his gear and then sat with his chair against the bulkhead and his head leaning back, though Jake was sure that he wasn't asleep.

Lee opened his eyes, catching Jake's inquisitive look and offered an explanation. “It's what pilots do when they're learning to fly jets. You only get a couple of hours in the craft a day, so you fly in your chair at home, going over every part of the flight, moving controls and adjusting airspeed as if you were really flying. It's your chance to go through possible contingencies before they happen; know what you're going to do before you're faced with it.”

Jake nodded in understanding, “You walk through every mission in your head, even the easy ones?”

“One thing I've learned,” Lee said his mood serious and in control, “is that every mission is different. There's no such thing as an easy in-easy out.” He allowed a small smile to escape, “No matter how many times you hear the ops describe it that way.”

Jake nodded, and then turned his chair in a similar fashion and began walking through the mission... step by step.

* * * * *

The insertion was clean as Lee and Jake ran from the beach to the cover of the brush and rocks. Jake watched as the SEAL detail headed back to the sub. The butterflies in Jake's stomach took a sudden jump in intensity but he willed down the adrenalin and concentrated on his partner in front of him. Lee was scanning for the best way to scale the small incline and maintain their cover. He turned making eye contact and tilted his head for Jake to follow as they took the route to provide the best cover. Once they made it to the top of the ridge they took cover again as Lee pulled out the hand held GPS device and shielded the light it produced with his hand. He checked his bearings and motioned for Jake to follow.

This wasn't a training mission it was the real thing, so Lee didn't stop to explain everything he did or to explain the merits of choosing to do one thing over another; they could do that in debriefings. This was where the classroom met reality. Everything Jake learned in training missions would be tested here, only this time the consequences were real. No ink blotches showing you had been hit by enemy fire. No red bands to show that you were a causality in the war game. This was the real deal. Jake steeled himself with that realization and followed his partner, trying to match his ease of movement.

They moved through the darkness of the jungle with the small light the early morning afforded without saying a word to one another. Jake had rustled a couple of large fern leaves a couple of times, but after nearly five miles he thought he was getting the hang of moving through the dense jungle nearly as stealthily as his partner. Finally, he spotted a clearing up ahead as he caught up with Lee and squatted beside him. They had reached the jutted road that was used to supply the facility. If they had done everything right, they would cross the road a quarter of a mile from the facility so that they could enter from the jungle without exposing themselves.

Lee and Jake scanned the road both directions. Jake started to rise when it looked clear but Lee pulled him down by his hand as he pulled his night vision goggles out and scanned the area for heat signatures. Seeing none, he rose and quickly crossed the road with Jake following closely behind as they settled back into the safety of the dense jungle.

They moved toward the facility cautiously, looking for perimeter guards. Lee pulled out the newest in surveillance cameras, an ultra-low speed camera with a larger aperture allowing in more light without the use of flashes. The stealth camera offered no audible “click” taking pictures silently, and had an added function to automatically stabilize the camera reducing the often fuzzy by-products of low speed shutters. The new computerized digital data cards no longer required film and they could take hundreds of shots if necessary, using the same technology to retrieve images from satellites orbiting the earth.

Lee motioned for Jake to fan out to execute their prearranged plan. As expected, they hadn't run into any patrolling guards, this they had determined by SAT photos taken at various times of the day. Apparently, El Gato felt that his operation was safely hidden, though they did expect the guards to appear later in the morning. The building was constructed of wood and concrete and not at all like the huts that surrounded the facility where the compound workers now slept. The concrete was of most concern, as the likely reason for its construction pointed to chemical manufacturing. Their job was to confirm this, and if possible, the chemical's purpose. In this rich, dense rainforest fertilizer wasn't necessary so they suspected either chemicals for constructing bombs or perhaps a deadly chemical agent. In either case, if El Gato was involved the chemical was a likely target against America and its interests when it reached its final destination.

They circled the facility, taking photos of spent chemical canisters loaded on a truck. Other than a few canister labels they still didn't have enough to ascertain the facility's function. They met at the door at the back of the building, it opened toward a smaller clearing and retreating into the jungle would be easier upon their exit. Lee reached for his lock pick in his utility belt and made quick work of the lock, this wasn't the time to test Jake's skills, they needed to get in and out in as little time as possible. So far, it didn't look like they worked the plant twenty four hours, and Lee figured they still had an hour before the workers would show up. They should be well away from the facility by then if everything went as planned.

Inside the building they found a sophisticated laboratory with various rooms that opened from the main hall. Each of the rooms had large windows, and the laboratory setup indicated the chemicals in use were highly volatile. They weren't, however, double doored and so Lee began to feel that they weren't dealing with chemical warfare agents. Lee sent Jake into one room to photograph it while he entered another. They took photos of the apparatus' used to refine the chemicals and opened locked storage cabinets taking photos of their contents as well.

They met back in the hall and proceeded on through the hallway. Jake's heart felt as if it was going to beat right out of his chest, but he followed Lee's lead trying not to make a mistake that would get them both killed. Finally, they reached a room that looked different from the rest, unlike the other doors it was locked. Lee motioned Jake to the lock and made hand motions to indicate that this room was his, as Lee proceeded to the office to look for paper trail evidence.

Jake opened the door, not as quickly as Lee but not exactly like a slacker either. This room seemed to be where the final process was completed as Jake snapped his photos off quickly. Then he turned to the steel shelving units and inspected the boxed final products. They were labeled as a totally inoffensive household product but the skull and crossbones placard that labeled the shelf dis-spelled the deception. Jake opened a box and photographed the contents, then took a small vial and carefully took a sample. He looked around as he secured his sample in a small styrofoam bio-container and left the room satisfied that he had left no trace of his presence in the room.

As he entered the hallway he met Lee, having already reconned his target room. Jake started to head back to their exit point when Lee stopped him. Lee turned the handle of the room Jake had just vacated as it opened easily. Lee reached around to relock the door and then started to pull it closed when a small red light caught his eye near the bottom of the door jam. He examined the laser beam and found its twin beam on the side of the door and shook his head in disgust. There was no way to avoid tripping it unless they had known about the beam beforehand. Time to make tracks. It was either an alarm or a security device to log entry and exits into the room. Either way, the bad guys would know that the facility had been compromised. Lee and Jake moved to the back door quickly, also relocking the door behind them and moved to melt into the jungle behind the facility.

The morning was beginning to break from dusk into the brightness of a new day and so hitting the jungle foliage was a great relief. Jake's heart hadn't stopped pounding like a marching band's bass drum since they entered the facility, but it had started to ease off as they hit the cover of the dense rainforest. They had two options for crossing the road, go back the way they had come, or move further up where the road ended. The huts and the main house were on that side of the compound, and they'd have to be careful, but maybe they could finger who was behind the facility. Lee moved them further in the forest but close enough to keep the huts in sight.

They found a good recon place and positioned themselves to take photos as the compound began to slowly come to life. Workers began to exit their huts and headed toward what looked like a “mess” area for their morning meal. But Lee was most interested in who might be occupying the better constructed and dignified main house at the end of the compound. There were lights inside, and unlike the huts it appeared to be powered by a generator. All the comforts of home, Lee thought. Even if it wasn't El Gato, a photo of their lead chemist would be of use to ONI so Lee hunkered down with his camera ready.

They took photos of everyone wearing a white lab jacket and were about ready to leave when the occupants of the main house stepped onto the covered porch. Lee raised his camera and took a double take as a young boy came bounding out the door calling for “mi hermano”. A tall man with dark hair slicked back wearing black slacks and a white shirt opened three buttons down from the collar followed the boy out. Lee snapped the photos as did Jake. Hernandez? It wasn't El Gato, who Lee expected to see. Hernandez was a South American terrorist and arms dealer who had fallen off the intelligence grid several years ago. He was a high value target, and ONI needed to know where he was. Lee snapped the photo and shook his head at Hernandez disgustedly. The jerk was prepping the young boy to follow in his footsteps. Though Hernandez was in his late twenties, his younger brother was only about eight to ten years old.

Lee watched as Hernandez placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and patted approvingly, and then moved towards the main compound. They had what they needed, so Lee motioned Jake to back out as he led his partner around the main house heading for the safety of the rainforest. Jake felt a huge sense of relief, as they seemed to put distance between themselves and the compound. But as they traveled along they heard a stirring in the camp, as the quiet morning erupted into loud yells and activity. They heard the word “intruders” spoken in Spanish as Lee realized that the trip alarm had been discovered, just as he feared.

Lee nodded that they should make haste and worked their way deeper into the forest to circle around the compound. They were now on the shore side of the compound as their need to hurry was accentuated by the rat-a-tat sounds of gunfire headed their way. The mission had just gone bad.

* * * * *

Jake's adrenalin was moving his feet swiftly but he had to work hard to stay focused. Never in all his training exercises had his heart pumped like this before, as bullets sliced through the jungle ferns to the right and to the left. Still, he concentrated on not losing his edge and reminded himself that this is what he had trained for. He took control of his wandering mind's desire to tell him that he should have stayed safe and sound deciphering cryptic messages in DC and followed his partner through the jungle.

The shots began to hone in on their targets as Lee tucked behind a large fern and Jake joined him. They were both breathing hard as Lee reached into his belt and pulled out his camera, unloading the small rectangular shaped data disk and handing it to Jake. Jake held the data disk in his hands and looked back with a question in his eyes as he breathed heavily.

“I'm going to lead them away. You get the intel back, I'll meet you at the extraction point.”

“You're going to be the diversion?” Jake said, realizing what Lee was doing. “We can out run them,” he said trying to offer Lee a different solution.

Lee's command glare was firmly in place as he answered, “Secure the intel. That's an order.”

Jake took just a second to consider and nodded placing the disk securely into his utility belt and headed back toward shore. It grated against everything he wanted to do, but Crane had done this many times before, and at least he trusted that Jake could secure the intel. So Jake moved on, determined to do his part and fully expecting to see Crane when he reached the shore.

* * * * *

The bullets followed the path that Lee had intentionally laid out as he broke leaves and made enough noise to raise the dead. As soon as he had heard the first bullet whiz by them Lee knew what he had to do. The intel was important, no doubt about that, and sending Jake off with the information would ensure the mission's completion. If he had been alone, he would have tried to out run them and high tail it to the extraction point. He was taking the scenic route for one reason, and one reason only...to make sure that the Rookie didn't have to suffer the consequences of a blown mission with a DD attached. It wasn't something he had to reason out, just something he instinctively knew to do. Jake's skills were untested, but so far he had done well. Even Lee would have tripped the alarm with no “head's up” on the added security. He was sure Jake would make the extraction point if he gave him this little extra edge.

He had been successful gaining his pursuers attention and it didn't sound as if they were shooting toward Jake's direction, so he stopped leaving a trail and began to run a large zigzag pattern. He needed to make it back to the extraction point, but he wanted to make sure that he didn't lead his pursuers back with him. He was starting to feel confident as the bullets began to be shot indiscriminately in a random fashion. Lee's confidence took a boost when the gunfire stopped altogether. Good, lost them, he thought all too quickly as all of the sudden more shots erupted and he realized he was being flanked.

He reached for his utility belt and unsnapped it as he ran. This wasn't looking good and being caught with high-tech spy gadgets would implicate America, even if they weren't marked. He swung the belt tossing it away from his forward motion off to the side, and unless he was incredibly unlucky, the forest would claim the belt and its gadgets forever. He continued on, but he was no longer converging on his extraction point. He couldn't lead the bad guys to Jake. He'd evade them now, and then meet back with Jake later. Then, without warning he was tackled, flanked by his pursuers. He recovered and rose to fight when others joined in the fray, and before long Lee was subdued.

Lee stopped struggling as soon as he realized that he was grossly outnumbered. To get out of this one, he'd need all his ribs in place and no concussion. A guard took one last cheap shot at Lee, whipping his head to the side, but all in all Lee knew he was in pretty good shape. They unceremoniously tied his hands behind his back and began marching him back to the compound. Lee had no identification on him, and since this was a DD mission, he had left his ring back at ONI with instructions regarding its distribution should he not return. His watch was a nondescript Casio and had no cool spy add-ons, and so Lee was now a nameless man without a country. It wasn't the first time, Wouldn't be the last time, Lee thought, because he had every confidence that he was going to make it home again. He just had to wait for an opportunity and make good his escape.

* * * * *

Jake was breathing hard as he reached the beach. He stayed in the brush taking cover as he pulled the GPS unit from his belt and checked his bearings. He wasn't that far off his intended coordinates and was satisfied with his reckoning as he had run, but his self-satisfaction was marred by the fact that his partner hadn't caught up with him yet. He moved on toward his extraction zone, planning to hunker down in good cover. Who knows? Crane is probably there now, he mused silently. He moved along hoping to run into the senior op but was disappointed when he realized that Lee hadn't made it back yet. Okay, he was behind you. Just hunker down, the guy's a Pro, he'll get here when he can. Jake wasn't feeling as confident as he was letting on to himself, and wondered if Lee was really alright.

* * * * *

Lee's hike back to the compound had been uneventful. The lead guard had radioed ahead and Lee knew that Hernandez would be waiting for him as he planned out his next step. He could play this a couple of ways: stay silent and let them draw their own conclusion who the obvious American with European traits was, or he could play a spy from another king-pin's operation. Sort of like industrial espionage – gangster style. That might work. Take the heat off the torture and give them only useless information for their trouble.

They broke the trees and ferns of the rainforest as Lee was brought to the center of the compound where Hernandez stood with his kid brother. The boy stood with his hands on his hips, and Lee figured the boy had seen more action than a New York cop on his beat. Lee was sure that Hernandez deserved that “millstone” he had read about**.

Lee stood looking Hernandez in the eye, not allowing the obvious intimidation his captor was trying to evoke take hold.

“You are not Brazilian,” Hernandez noted in Portuguese. “You are not even from South America,” he finished in Spanish.

“What's the difference, where I'm from?” Lee answered in English, letting Hernandez in on the fact that he had understood his observations in both languages, and admitting his native language all at the same time.

“What are you here for Americano? To learn my secrets for your government?” Hernandez asked, answering in heavily accented English.

Lee chuckled, “I haven't been in the US for years. I work for the highest bidder,” he said trying to lay out a plausible alternative to the American Spy theory that he was sure Hernandez had already latched onto.

“And who might that be?” Hernandez inquired as his eyebrows sharpened.

“Let's just say that someone wants to know what you're doing in his back yard,” Lee answered, almost in a taunt.

“El Gato knows what I'm doing here,” Hernandez said, trying to fish for information.

“I get paid well for my services, and that doesn't include sharing who my employer is.” Lee's face held a smirk that infuriated Hernandez as he unwisely continued to supply enough information for Lee to play on.

“I knew El Gato didn't trust me! He sent you in to verify my work, is that it?”

Lee gave Hernandez his best stone face and stayed silent. Here's where it gets dangerous, he thought. He needed to stay silent so that Hernandez didn't kill him outright, but he needed for Hernandez to feel that Lee had something important to share. That combination usually produced the need for a corpsman, but it was the best he could come up with without implicating his real reason for snooping about the compound.

Hernandez' face grew dark and his features were cold as he nodded, silently agreeing upon his next course of action. He turned to his second in command and spoke softly and turned back to Lee, issuing a dark glare in his eyes.

“Highest Bidder indeed,” he stated. “We will see, take him.”

Lee was led into a hut and forced to his knees as Hernandez circled him. “So El Gato thinks I am skimming the profits? At least he won't have to pay your wages,” with that Hernandez stepped behind Lee and applied a second rope just below his elbows. Lee grunted as the pull of the ropes brought his shoulders into an unnaturally tight position.

“What is it that El Gato hired you for?” He asked, still fishing for answers. Hernandez knew that he had stabbed El Gato in the back with several of his dealings and so Hernandez “fished” believing that sooner or later he'd get to the heart of what El Gato suspected. Lee reined in his breathing and stayed silent; give something up too soon and he might get killed when he was no longer of any value.

Hernandez blew out an audible breath as he walked around Lee again and then reappeared in front of Lee with another rope in his hands.

“You wish to reconsider?” He asked menacingly.

Lee kept his face neutral as Hernandez walked behind him and applied the rope above his elbows, using a knee in Lee's back for leverage and yanking it tight. Lee yelled when his right shoulder popped out of the socket as Hernandez finished off the knot and threw Lee to the ground. His vision blurred but he caught the small feet of Hernandez' brother scurrying out of the hut. Lee was working on keeping his breakfast inside his gut as Hernandez squatted down next to him and smiled.

“I think you will tell me what I want to know now,” he said assuredly.

“No one double crosses El Gato,” Lee breathed out, “you know that,” intimating that he feared El Gato more than Hernandez.

Hernandez made a “humpf” sound and rose as Lee lay on his side writhing in pain. “We will see about that,” he said, kicking Lee in the side for effect and then left the hut. Hernandez' Second stepped up and secured Lee's ropes to a stake in the ground, effectively immobilizing Lee even more and then left. Lee breathed in and then looked around his hut. They hadn't left a guard, but in his present condition he couldn't move or hope to wiggle out of the three tightly tied knots, not to mention the stake holding him in place. Lee groaned as he felt his hand and wrists begin to burn as the circulation was cut off. He closed his eyes and worked on pain management, but everything was getting worse.

Don't give up, he told himself and started looking for something to give him hope.

* * * * *

There was no rescue party coming and no commandos dressed in black to save the day. He'd have to work this out himself and to do that he'd have to hold on to something. So he reverted back to a survival skill he had used before, focus on something good and never give up hope. Just then the pain spiked and he gasped, the constant pull on the dislocated shoulder was excruciating and his left shoulder felt like it was in a precarious position as well. He needed to protect that shoulder, he'd be useless if both shoulders popped so he resisted the urge to move his left shoulder in order to relieve his right one.

He returned to his task of looking for something good but the pain was interfering with his concentration. Try harder, Crane, he told himself and willed himself to think of something. He was just about ready to give up hope when her face came to his mind. He didn't usually focus on his family and friends because slips up were too easy, but if he didn't find something soon he was literally going to scream. So he let his mind wander back to the best thing that had happened to him in a long time, a chance meeting on the beach.

Seaview was in port going through a standard six months maintenance and Jamie had used this time to order Lee to take a leave. The leave actually sounded nice after the last three missions at sea, but for effect Lee put up a good argument and finally accepted his penance of a ten day leave.

“And no sneaking aboard Seaview at night!” Doctor Will Jamieson admonished as Lee turned to leave his office at Med Bay. Lee sulked as he walked toward the door and then turned with his hand on the knob and smiled.

“Don't worry Jamie, as far as you know I won't sneak aboard Seaview.”

Jamie smiled at his victory as Lee left, and then began to ponder what Lee had just said as his smile faded. He shook his head and reached for the phone to inform Admiral Nelson that Lee's leave was effective immediately. As Jamie hung up the phone he realized that although he and the Admiral had planned this forced leave for Lee that they both had in fact, been handled by one Lee Crane.

* * * * *

Lee had actually enjoyed his first day of his leave by catching up on the mail. Most of his bills were deducted automatically from his bank account, ensuring payment when he was out to sea, but there was still plenty to keep track of. Lee was meticulous in keeping his records filed and he had actually enjoyed reducing his in-box on his desk. He had ordered in a pizza and watched an old John Wayne movie and then headed to bed.

He hadn't set his alarm but woke up at 0530 anyway. He lay in bed disgusted that he couldn't sleep in and decided to just get up and take his morning jog. He enjoyed his time on the beach, it recharged his batteries and the exercise was good for reducing stress. He wasn't as fast as he used to be at thirty-six, but he was still in good shape and had surprised a few trainers in his periodic field tests for ONI.

As he did his warm-up stretches on his deck he noticed a young woman sitting on the beach near some rocks, not that it was unusual, except he had seen her before. Usually, he was coming in from his run about the time she and her friend were starting theirs. They would acknowledge each other with a nod as friendly joggers often do, but he had never stopped to talk as his orderly day demanded he get to the office by 0730. She looked as if she was in deep thought so Lee simply nodded as he passed.

He had a good run and began slowing for his warm-down as he approached his house. The young lady still sat in almost the exact position she had been in when he passed the first time. Lee slowed to a walk bringing his breathing down with his slowing heart beat as he approached her. He smiled and nodded again as he started to round the rock formation and head to his deck when he noticed her red eyes and the tears that fell in huge drops down her cheeks. He couldn't just walk by, so he turned around and sat on the sand looking out at the sea about three feet from her right shoulder.

“Hi, my name is Lee. I hope you don't mind the company.”

“Brianna,” she replied, sniffling back tears and holding her hand out to greet Lee.

Lee took his cue and moved to shake her hand and then sat down closer to her as they looked out to the sea together.

“I was a bit lonely anyway. I thought I could do this, come out here and run like we used to, but I just couldn't...”

Brianna wasn't making too much sense, but Lee knew sorrow when he saw it and realized that her ever present jogging buddy wasn't around. He didn't want to pry and wisely let her set the pace for telling what she wanted to say.

“My friend, Tracy, you've seen her with me before?” She stated as Lee nodded an affirmative. “Last week, Tracy was killed in a car accident. We buried her on Wednesday and I thought if I came out here like we used to, I might just feel closer to her. But I was wrong...”

Brianna's voice broke as her sobs escaped and Lee instinctively reached over placing his arm around her. She hesitated only a moment and then leaned into his shoulder shedding silent sobs in grief. Lee didn't know her friend, but he did know what it was like to lose people he cared for. He had lost too many friends to ONI missions and too many crewmen to the dangerous missions of Seaview. He knew all too well the sorrow she felt.

He offered no platitudes of “you'll get over it in time” and the like, choosing to offer her the comfort of an understanding heart instead. After a long while, she composed herself and sat up wiping her tears away as she chuckled.

“I'm sorry. I don't know why I broke down like that. You've been very kind, thank you,” she offered with a soft embarrassed smile.

“I understand, and it's alright. Look Brianna, I was just about to make some coffee...”

“Oh, I'm sorry. Please don't let me stop you...”

“No, that's not what I mean. I mean would you care to join me for some coffee on my deck,” Lee nodded towards his house and the covered redwood deck that overlooked the ocean. He smiled warmly and Brianna sniffed again and returned his smile.

“Thank you Lee, that would be nice.”

Lee smiled broader, “I'll go start the coffee, you come when you're ready.” She nodded and Lee left towards his house, about fifty feet from where they were sitting.

Brianna looked back out at the ocean and shook her head as she spoke softly. “Well Tracy,” she said speaking to the waves as if her friend could hear her, “Can you believe all those times we talked about that tall good looking guy we saw at the beach, and here he is offering me coffee.” Brianna looked down and studied the sand before her, it almost didn't feel right. They had both noticed Lee, he was a little hard to miss, but they only saw him in passing from time to time. He obviously took to the beach earlier than they did, and there were long stretches when he was gone and then would faithfully return to morning jogs. As she studied the sand before her, drawing nonsensical paisley patterns into the sand she realized that Tracy would not have begrudged her this moment. She would have told her to 'go for it girl', and so Brianna tried to pat her tears from her face. 'My goodness, what I must look like', she thought to herself. Her eyes were probably blood shot and puffy, but at least she hadn't put on make-up to run in long black streaks down her cheeks. She laughed at herself and looked one more time out to the waves in front of her. “Okay Tracy, no laughing at me up there,” she teasingly admonished and took one last breath as she rose to walk to the deck behind her.

* * * * *

Lee hurried inside the house and prepared the coffee maker, then ran upstairs to take a quick shower. He was a submariner and knew how to effectively take a three minute shower, although with a pretty woman waiting downstairs he fudged to a five minute shower. He quickly dressed into blue jeans and a powder blue denim oxford shirt of which he rolled the cuffs up to rest on his forearm, took one last look at those unruly wet curls that refused to lay flat and laughed at himself. 'It's only coffee', he told himself, and headed downstairs. He looked out the window and was relieved to see Brianna walking toward the deck as he pulled out two Thomas Kinkade mugs, the ones his mom had bought for him with lighthouses painted on the sides. He thought it might be better than the Go Navy or NIMR mugs he usually drank from. He pulled out the tray that Chip's wife Monica had given to him when she realized that he didn't own a serving tray and placed the mugs, coffee, and cream and sugar on it and took a deep breath.

He sat the tray down on the deck table as Brianna walked up and smiled. Lee offered her a chair and she sat down in much better spirits.

“This view is wonderful,” she remarked as Lee poured the coffee.

“Thanks, I really enjoy it. It's a good stress reducer after a long day,” he said offering her cream and sugar.

“Just cream. Yes, I see where it would be,” she replied, referring to the ocean view. She laughed out loud as Lee smiled at her inquisitively.

“Lee, would you mind if I used your washroom and washed my face. I'm feeling a little self-conscious after all those tears.”

“Not at all. Through the french doors and to the left,” Lee rose as she left the table and then returned to his seat thinking about how beautiful Brianna was, red puffy eyes and all. He was drawn to her, and he wasn't blind. He had noticed her before when she and Tracy would run in the mornings. She usually wore her long jet-black hair in a ponytail for the run, but it was wavy and full of body and Lee wondered what it looked like trailing down her back and dancing on her shoulders. Her eyes were a little bit of a mystery right now, he had thought they were green, but they looked bluer against the blue running suit she wore. Her morning jogs had produced a healthy California glow, and her curves were perfectly proportioned to her 5'6” frame. He might be off on her height, but he didn't think by much.

His contemplation was interrupted as Brianna rejoined him. Her face was washed, and although her eyes still bore witness to her pain he saw that they were an intriguing blue-green that changed with her moods and was likely influenced by the color clothes she wore. As he looked at her, he thought he'd had never seen a more beautiful woman, and it wasn't just the outside. He could see a kindness in her that drew him to her in a deep way.

They sat and enjoyed their coffee, talking about everything and nothing at all. She thought his work was interesting and declared that she always got seasick. They laughed as he assured her that motion sickness could be overcome, and offered to prove it to her by taking her out on his sailboat sometime. They were just making inroads in that direction when Lee's phone rang.

“Excuse me,” he said as he went through the french doors to answer the phone.

Brianna took another sip of her third cup of coffee. Three cups! She never had three cups in a row, but she'd take a fourth if it meant sitting here with Lee. She enjoyed his company, and this morning had been such a pleasant surprise. He was way more than she expected. As handsome and hunky as a Hollywood model, but so full of kindness and when he laughed his gorgeous eyes twinkled. She could get lost in those eyes if she wasn't careful. He was a perfect gentleman, and Brianna thought that he fit the motto of “an officer and a gentleman” to a “T”. Her musings were interrupted as she heard Lee move back to the deck looking very disappointed.

* * * * *

The phone rang just as Lee was working up to a date on his sailboat. He excused himself, ready to let Chip, Harry or whoever was calling from the Institute know that they had really lousy timing, but as he answered the phone he was greeted by a different Admiral.

“Commander, this is Johnson. I understand you're on leave, but I have something for you. How soon can you be in Washington?”

Lee made an inward sigh and looked out the french doors to the lovely lady he had just spent the last two hours with. This was definitely lousy timing, but duty won out as Lee looked at his watch.

“It will probably be late tonight, Sir,” he said figuring the five hour flight, if he had no layovers, along with his preparations and the drive to LAX.

“Good, I'll see you in my office first thing in the morning.”

“Aye, Sir,” Lee replied as Johnson signed off. Lee placed the receiver down and sighed. He walked back out and began apologizing.

“Brianna, I'm sorry. I'm being called away, something for work.”

“Oh, don't let me stop you. Thank you so much for the lovely morning Lee, I really needed the diversion,” she offered sincerely.

She started to leave as Lee called to her. “Brianna. When I get back...could I call you, maybe have dinner?” He asked almost shyly.

Brianna's face lit up and her twinkling eyes betrayed her delight, “Yes, that would be nice.”

Lee started to turn, “Let me get your number,” he said as he dashed into the house coming back with a pen and pad. She took the pen and pad and jotted her full name and number down and handed them back to Lee as her fingers gently brushed his in the exchange.

“I'll call you when I get back,” he promised and she nodded and smiled as she left by way of the beach, turning once to wave.

Lee watched her leave and waved back, and then headed back inside to make the necessary flight arrangements.

* * * * *

He had been left in the hut for hours, and the morning had given way to the afternoon. He couldn't think anymore, so he just concentrated on her face. Her eyes when they twinkled, the lines of her mouth when she laughed. They had only just met, but he felt like he knew her a lifetime. Somewhere along the line she had moved from being his “good” thing to focus on, to being the only thing, and he realized that he loved her. He wasn't going to try and figure out if he was being foolish, he just knew that he needed to see her again.

Lee could see the late afternoon light filtering through the hut's only window as he heard his door open. He laid there waiting to see what else Hernandez would do next in his “fishing” expedition when two small shoes appeared in his line of vision. Lee raised his eyes to see the dark brown eyes of Hernandez' “hermano”. The boy held a large survival knife and for a moment Lee thought he was going to carve him up, but then the boy dropped to his knees and began slicing the ropes free. He started with the top rope above his elbows as Lee felt both relief and pain when the blood began to circulate more freely. His shoulder was still in considerable pain as the second rope was cut and Lee laid breathing into the dirt floor as the circulation was causing a new spike in pain. The boy stopped at Lee's wrist and fingered his watch and then cut the final ropes.

Lee laid in pain, unable to move on his own for a moment when he felt the boy help him rise to a sitting position. The boy indicated towards the door and Lee nodded, but before Lee could rise the boy tapped his watch. Lee nodded in agreement but his right arm was nearly useless, so “hermano” leaned over and unlatched the watch looking happily at his prize. Then he helped Lee to stand and they moved towards the door.

Lee didn't know where his strength came from, because he was running on fumes just now. But this was the opportunity he had been hoping for, what he had been holding out for. He allowed the boy to look outside the hut, clearing the way for him and then Lee placed his left hand on the boy's shoulder and nodded his deep appreciation and then slid out the door heading for the side of the hut and towards the rainforest jungle, not ten feet away.

Lee moved as quickly and quietly as he could. There was no guard posted outside his hut, or perhaps the boy had diverted him away, he didn't know. He was just glad to be free from Hernandez' creative knot tying club and made a bee-line towards the second extraction point. He still had time to make the first extraction point but he didn't want to lead any possible pursuers to Jake, so he headed for the back-up. If he kept moving, he could hit the backup e-zone and still make it home.

He traveled with his right hand tucked into his belt to keep it from hanging loosely, but his left arm was only a tad better. Still, he needed that one to keep his balance, and to keep from leaving a trail of broken leaves. He sincerely hoped that the lack of activity in the compound coincided with dinner in the mess hall, keeping his pursuers busy for awhile. He needed to make as much distance as he could before they discovered his absence, and while he still had the late afternoon sunlight to guide him.

He traveled about a mile and a half when he tripped over an exposed root. As he laid on the jungle floor the pain took over and hope almost slipped away until he refocused on her face. Brianna's perfect, beautiful face. Slowly he raised himself up supporting his right shoulder until he sat back on his haunches regaining his breath; then Lee rose and began moving again.

He concentrated as he traveled and kept her face before him. And her hands. Her hands were dainty and beautiful. He had noticed her hands as she raised the mug to her lips to drink. She didn't wear nail polish but her hands were as sexy as he had ever seen. Lee would have chuckled to himself had he had the energy. Here he was moving through the jungle with a dislocated shoulder and probably torn muscles on the other one, and he was having fantasies about a woman he had only just met and had spent only two hours with.

But it was more than fantasies, somewhere along the line the hope she had given him had turned into life itself. Can you fall in love this quickly? He wondered. Maybe, it was the reverse side of the Florence Nightingale Effect. Instead of the caregiver falling in love with her patient, maybe he had fallen in love with his caregiver. Because, even though she had existed only in his thoughts as he laid on the dirty hut floor, she had been there to comfort him in his mind. He didn't know, all he knew was that it was strong and he needed to find out if it was real; or if it would pass when the danger was over and he was safe.

He continued on, nearing his objective, but his senses had become severely compromised. This wasn't the worst punishment he had taken in his long ONI career, but a person could go into shock with a simple broken leg and the roar of noise in his ears was a hint that shock was a definite possibility. He moved forward, having lost all track of time, just knowing that he had to make the shoreline. He'd adjust his course once he broke the forest, but even with his disability and the lack of his GPS he thought he was on the right track.

The mission had already been completed by Jake, he was sure of that. If they had found Jake, they would have paraded him about the compound, maybe even used one against the other. So Lee moved forward driven solely by his need to get home and specifically by his need to see Brianna again.

* * * * *

Jake made an inward sigh as he moved toward the zodiac. Lee didn't make it back. He wanted to hand off the intel and go back looking for Lee, but there was still the backup extraction zone. SOP, standard operating procedure; since Lee missed the first extraction he'd head for the backup, so Jake climbed in the raft and indicated that he was alone and watched the jungle for any sign of his partner as the zodiac silently left the shore.

* * * * *

He was almost there, he was operating on dead reckoning but he figured he'd have to be close and the smell of the sea water was becoming stronger as a breeze occasionally drifted by. He thought again about whether it could be love at first sight. He had loved, really loved several women in his past, Carol Denning being the most recent.

It had been nearly five years since he, Nelson, Carol and her amnesiac fiancé, Jason Kemp had been pulled into the strange current in the diving bell, taking them to a strange island full of dinosaurs and primitive natives.***

He loved Carol, she was perfect. Her dark hair accentuated her perfect green eyes, and her milky white skin created a woman of rare beauty. Carol was aware of Lee's feelings, but she had chosen instead her father's assistant; someone who would be around and not continually off for weeks and months at a time at sea. They had all three worked together closely on a project that Seaview had taken part in and Lee's heart was silently broken as Jason Kemp announced their engagement at a dinner honoring the project. He smiled, offered his congratulations and like the gentleman he was made no reference to his feelings.

Kemp had victoriously paraded her around that evening making sure that Lee knew he had been bested in love. Jason Kemp was a Class A Jerk and Lee didn't want to give him any indication that his ploy to hurt him was working. So he put his feelings in place and went on. Then Carol's world came crashing down when her father, Dr. Denning, Kemp and two scientists from the Nelson Institute were lost at sea in their diving bell. There was no hope of survival after their air ran out, but Carol wouldn't give up hope, not until their craft was found. Eventually the ice moving in and arctic storm demanded the search be called off.

She went on with her life as the weeks drew out to months and buried herself in her work. Lee offered his help and comfort, but he wouldn't take advantage of her grief and so he continued his role as the perfect gentleman. Then the day came when Kemp appeared out of no-where, with a suntan in the middle of the cold arctic waters sporting amnesia. Harry knew how close Lee was to Carol and sent him to break the news. He was happy for Carol to have someone she thought was dead return, but it still hurt as he escorted Carol to Jason Kemp's hospital room. In the end Kemp showed his colors, having been directly responsible for two team member's deaths, and working his hardest to sabotage the diving bell's mission to hide his deeds of setting his team up to be killed by the natives while he alone escaped. He even used the simple love of a native girl to bring about his escape. In the end, he couldn't live with the fact that his deeds had been discovered, and did probably the only decent thing he had done in his life, he diverted the water beast and died to give them a chance to escape.

What a mess! He was relieved that Carol and her father were safe aboard Seaview, but really nothing had changed between them. She still had no desire to marry a man who would be gone so much, and ended up throwing herself into her career as the “best underwater photographer in the business” and later married another one of her father's assistants.

The whole mess had left Lee scarred, and he subsequently decided to just enjoy the company of the women in his life without any expectations of marriage. For the next two years that had worked fine, and the women in his life were fine with it as well, as they too had little patience for his absence.

Everything was fine until Chip met Monica. Their whirlwind courtship ended up in marriage within six months and Lee couldn't be happier for him. He really liked Monica, she was a dazzling blond with a heart of gold. He was pleased for Chip but watching him adapt into the “domestic” life had begun to stir those feelings for marriage again. Then just last year, Chip and Monica had a baby; a beautiful baby girl, Megan. Something happened inside when he held Megan and his ache for a family began to grow again. But just as before, the women in his life had not been interested in getting serious about a submarine captain who spent as much time at sea as he did at home, though they didn't mind parading about on his arm. He didn't know what it was, something about the notoriety of being Seaview's Captain coupled with the age old adage of a “man in uniform”, but somewhere along the line he had become arm-candy.

Not that there wasn't several women that would have loved to have been Mrs. Crane, and although he had enjoyed their company he somehow knew that the sparks just weren't there. He wasn't desperate, and he wasn't going to just “settle”. He knew there was someone for him, he always believed that, and he figured when it was right he'd know it – like Chip did. And now as he staggered through the jungle holding both arms around his stomach he thought he found her. And now that he found her, he had to find out if it was all real, and if she would love him, submariner and all.

* * * * *

Lee sighed as he finally broke the jungle and saw the expanse of the ocean in front of him. It would be dark soon and he sighed again as he realized that he needed to get to the cover of the brush some twenty feet below him. This wasn't going to be fun with his shoulders throbbing the way they were, but he pulled his last reserve of strength and moved down the incline till he reached the bottom and found a place to hunker down.

He watched the sun begin to set on the horizon before him and listened for trouble, but he began to think that he had made a clean get away. After a couple of hours he thought he saw a glint on the waves before him. He looked harder and breathed out in relief as his head dipped for a moment of thanks. Then Lee moved to rise, only his body was cooperating. It was like every muscle in his body was rebelling against the abuse. Come on move, he thought willing his body to obey as he made his way to his feet.

He was sure it was his ride as relief began to wash over him. He made his way forward and sank to his knees when he realized his extraction team spotted him and waited for their arrival. He heard his name and smiled as he raised his head to see Jake. A spasm of pain erupted as they used his shoulders to lift him to his feet and finally to help him into the rubber raft. Lee sank back into the boat and reined in the pain and then opened his eyes to meet Jake's.

“The intel?” He asked through pained breathing.

“Safe and secured on board, Sir,” he answered with concern in his voice.

Lee nodded and continued with his pain management. The mission was complete, the intel secure and the Rookie was safe, and he even had the “icing on the cake”...he was going to make it home...again.

Lee was lying on the bottom of the raft looking up at the starry sky and allowed himself to think about Brianna again. Once he got back to the boat it would be all business with debriefs, reports, and oh yeah...he planned on sacking out under pain meds till his shoulder stopped acting like it was going to fall off.

Brianna. His final questions were whether she would tolerate a relationship with Lee gone at sea so much...and then there was his second job. His reserve status with NIMR had been contingent upon his continuing to accept ONI missions, so if having a sub commander for a husband wasn't enough he had to throw in being a part time spy. He sighed, he didn't know if this was going anywhere or not, but he had made it through hell to find out. He left it on that thought as the raft reached its destination and now the painful job of climbing the ladder to the sub's deck was at hand.

* * * * *

Lee was resting in a bunk in sickbay, the Corpsman had popped his shoulder back in place and Lee had been sleeping under heavy pain meds for nearly four hours. He woke and felt someone beside him; he didn't know how he always knew, but sure enough he opened his eyes and saw his partner sitting beside him.

“How're you feeling, Lee?” He asked with concern.

“Better,” Lee replied hoarsely.

“How are you doing?” Lee asked, knowing that the kid had just gotten an overload of field experience with this one.

Jake's head dipped and then rose slowly as he stared at some unknown spot on the wall.

“Is it like this all the time?”

“No,” Lee said groggily, “but I've seen my fair share of Navy sickbays,” he finished.

“When you sent me ahead...it was so hard to go on and leave you...”

“You did the right thing,” Lee interrupted.

Jake's head dipped again as he spoke towards the floor, “I don't know if I can do this. Leave my partner behind to secure some obscure intelligence that may or may not be important. What if you hadn't of made it back?” He asked rhetorically as he raised his head.

Lee stared at the ceiling in quiet contemplation. “I'm not going to try and convince you to do this. It's got to be your decision alone, but if you choose to continue you have to believe in what you're doing,” Lee offered.

“Why do you do it?” Jake asked, hoping the commander would tolerate his prying. Lee was quiet for a moment, and then spoke.

“They asked me, and I found out I was good at it.” Lee's eyes met Jake's, “But I think that what we do makes a difference. We protect innocent women and children and sometimes even secure peace before there's a war. And because...if I don't go, someone else will have to do the job.”

Lee's pain meds were wearing off as he unwillingly groaned.

“Doc?” Jake said, calling the Corpsman over from the supply cabinet of the small sickbay.

Doc appeared with a hypo in hand, “Ready for some relief, Commander?”

Lee nodded and smiled, “Yeah, sounds good,” as Doc injected the IV with medication. Lee began to relax as his comfortable feeling returned, along with his sleepiness.

“Just rest up, Lee. I'll prepare a preliminary AAR and you can go over it before I dispatch it,” Jake said moving back into his operative role. He had a lot of questions to answer, but it would be done privately.

“Okay. Sounds good...and Jake,” he added tiredly, “You did a good job out there,” Lee finished as he drifted off to sleep.

* * * * *

Lee was back in Washington, he was mobile with one arm in a sling and the other shoulder wrapped securely with ace bandages. He and Jake had just finished the debriefing with Admiral Johnson. Hernandez had been a surprise and plans were already being made to secure the criminal; if they moved fast enough they had a chance to apprehend him. The sample was being tested, but all indications pointed to a new explosive, stable in its powder form but packing quite a punch once ignited. Lee was surprised that Johnson had handled the debrief personally, since the mission didn't necessarily warrant his direct supervision.

Lee and Jake stood as Jake saluted and Lee stood at attention, his arms in no condition for full military decorum at present. As they turned to leave Admiral Johnson addressed Lee.

“Commander Crane, a moment more of your time,” as Jake left and Johnson stood rounding the corner of his desk.

“Commander, I...owe you an explanation.” Johnson said as he walked to the window on the other side of the room.

“Why Lt. Connell was assigned to this mission?” Lee asked respectfully.

Johnson nodded and turned, “And why I called you in as his partner,” he finished. Johnson turned and moved to the sofa motioning Lee to sit as well; this movement indicating an “off the record” conversation was about to take place.

Johnson looked Lee squarely in the eyes as he spoke. “Lt. Jake Connell is my nephew, my baby sister's youngest.”

Lee's eyes narrowed in understanding and confusion at the same time as Johnson continued.

“He wasn't happy in cryptology, I had hoped he would be satisfied there. But I had vowed that I would do nothing to neither aid nor deter his career and so he moved into field training. He's young, but as you saw for a Rookie, he's good. Inexperienced, but good. There was no reason not to send him, but I couldn't protect him from the DD when I have to send someone else's son off to do the same thing.” Johnson broke eye contact as he continued, “So I evened the odds for him. I chose you Lee, because I knew you wouldn't leave him behind...no matter what.” Johnson returned to direct eye contact and continued, “At this point, I want to offer my apology...”

Lee cut-off his superior officer with a firm, “No, Sir,” as Johnson's face registered concern. “You don't have to apologize; it was my honor to serve my country and to offer you peace of mind at the same time. He carried his own weight, he'll do fine, Sir.”

Johnson took a moment to rein in his emotions and then said, “Thank you, Lee.” He started to say something else and thought again as his command face returned and he stood, ending their candid “off the record” discussion.

Lee started to rise slowly, still handicapped by his shoulders and the low sofa as Admiral Gerald Johnson reached over and helped Lee to stand. His hands were still on Lee's shoulders as they passed an unspoken regard for one another, and then Johnson stepped away and headed back to his desk.

“That is all, Commander,” Johnson said, returning to his four-star-I'm-the-Admiral role.

“Aye, Sir,” Lee returned and left the office fully understanding that everything they had just discussed was private, and would never be spoken of again.

* * * * *

Lee had returned home late that same evening and hit the sack as soon as he got home. He saw five days worth of messages on his answering machine and figured that between Chip, Harry and Jamie he would be in some hot water. Jamie he'd have to see soon enough, and Harry had already been briefed by Johnson so Lee walked by the messages and headed straight to bed. The next morning he woke up at 0530 sharp. You think I'd be able to sleep in just one day? He thought sourly as he rolled out of bed. He showered, which left his ace bandage off his left shoulder but managed to place his right arm back into its sling as he gulped down three aspirin.

He started to head to the kitchen when he stopped at the french doors. Out sitting by the rocks was a dark haired brunette sitting with her arms wrapped around her legs, her hair untethered and waving gently in the early morning breeze. Lee breathed in and smiled, Brianna. Okay you coward, he thought to himself, You said you wanted to know if was real, but he already knew it was. He reached for the handle on the door and breathed deeply again. He felt like he was as much of a Rookie at this love business as Jake was in the field. But like Jake, he wasn't a novice, so he pulled open the door and headed out to greet the woman he was now determined to win.

“Hi,” he said as he approached her.

“Lee,” she said, first in delight and then with concern as she caught his arm in a sling. Immediately she bounded to her feet.

“What happened?” She asked in concern.

“A little accident,” Lee said, not ready to divulge his second job. “I was just about to make some coffee,” he offered with a smile.

She returned the smile, “Great.”

As they walked to his house Brianna stopped and looked downward and then raised her eyes to Lee. “Lee, I need to confess something...” she said embarrassingly, “I've been staked out at your place for the last five mornings waiting for you to come home. I know it's crazy, but I really missed you.”

Lee's heart melted and his smile broadened as they moved back toward the house sharing a laugh together as Lee began to make plans for the rest of his leave...and for a lifetime afterwards.

The End

The Rookie

* The South American country on the Atlantic shoreline is purely fictitious, accentuated by the point that they speak Spanish not Portuguese and was created solely for the story.

** From the Bible, Matthew 18:6

***See First Season Episode, Turn Back the Clock

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