Two for Terror
By Seaview Siren
Alternate
Universe story based on The Human Computer with paraphrasing from the same.
Dr Reston's computer was a super electronic
brain of such technological genius it was
considered advanced 20 years ahead of its time. The Admiral was eager to test
it which meant
it would be running the Seaview. No one needed to be aboard but a
derelict ship could be
claimed by the country of those who found it so Captain Crane was staying,
such was his
loyalty to the sub.
Claire was also
staying, such was her loyalty to him.
Claire hadn't said too much to the Admiral but she had a
bad feeling about all of this.She
thought it was a recipe for disaster. She'd gone topside with her bag, only
to come back down
again while the computers were being installed and head to her cabin.
Kowalski had actually joked that if the
computer was so clever, how come it couldn't install itself,
the lads had found carrying it and all the components back breaking.
“Just relax Lee,”Admiral
Nelson said, “the computer is in charge. You will be taken to the
co-ordinates where the war games are due to start. There are some destroyers waiting for you.
The computer is programmed to take evasive
action and hug the bottom”
“ Don't worry,” Dr. Reston said “any problems and
you're to contact me by short wave radio ok?”
Lee nodded.
“Have a good rest Lee, Claire already gone?”Admiral Nelson asked.
“Yes she went up a while ago, didn't say
goodbye, seemed to be in a hurry”
It was unlike Claire, especially knowing he
was staying aboard alone.
She hadn't wanted to stay with Lee on this
mission then?
Claire was aboard, in her cabin.
She was waiting until they got underway, not that there was
much Lee could do about it anyway, Claire was here and she did have work
she could be doing.
Truth was she wanted to be alone with the
handsome Captain, this seemed ideal.
They'd so far only had stolen moments, Two
days at sea, just the two of them. She
wanted him to
make love to her. So far they
had kissed, they had kissed quite passionately in the ships Lab
late one night, both wanting to go further. There was an attraction
between them and Claire
wanted them to take the next step.
Claire sat at her desk and read some reports,
why she doing all this work? She'd left a
telephone message with Lola Hale at the Institute saying she was unavailable.
It didn't matter
anyway as the Admiral was flying to
Washington to oversee the planned war
games
from the Pentagon. They had to lose Seaview on their sonar for it to be
deemed
a success.
The computer had already taken evasive action
on a similar test run prior to this, now it was in
charge of the Seaview.
The tape began to run and the computers
started up, Captain Crane watched all the instrumentation
come to life, then ran down to
the nose and saw them leaving port, him
all alone, He couldn't
think where Claire had rushed off to,
couldn't believe she'd not hung around to say goodbye or
tried to stay with him
Unbeknown to him there was also a third
person aboard, a saboteur who had orders to sabotage
the radio and change the tape so the course was changed, bringing the
Seaview into
his country's ocean. Then the computer would be stolen once they'd
learnt its and Seaview's secrets.
But first, he had to make it look like
Captain Crane had died by accident.
They were underway now, and Claire was in her
cabin, changed into a pair of jogging bottoms
and a hoodie and some trainers. She heard a door close up here on
officers country, and
ran out of her cabin thinking it was Lee. But it was another man, she saw disappear
round the corner. Her insides went cold.
Who was he?
Claire hurried back to her cabin and shut
herself in. Was he one of Dr Reston's geeks. She
didn't
think so, so who was he? Was Lee's
life in danger?
She hung on as
Seaview lurched in a dive.
Lee had seen the destroyers out of the
periscope and now watched Seaview's dive from the
observation nose in awe.
Claire sat at her desk trying to contact the
'Office of Naval Intelligence' to get Kim Sandars but
she couldn't get through. Was this guy part of the war games? She
didn't think so.
She'd heard some of the briefing in the
observation nose before pretending to go ashore
they were to dive and sit on the bottom and get out of the destroyer's
sonar range. That was
their part, then they could head for home. But what about this guy she'd
seen?
Claire knew she would have to stake this guy
out. She was in the perfect position with Captain
Crane not knowing she was aboard. She would have to follow this man whoever he
was.
Lee was back in the Control Room, and watched
the steering wheels moving on their own at
the helmsmen's seats. The levers
moved, Seaview lurched, and Lee hung onto the chair
as Seaview headed
for the bottom. He continued to hang on
to the chair back as the
submarine landed on the sea bed and was jolted forward, then side-ways.
Instrumentation was flashing, and he was
impressed. He rushed down to the
observation nose to
see for himself just how well she'd landed. Sure enough, Seaview was level. He sighed and
decided to make some coffee, picked up the pot and found it empty, then
went to fill it.
Claire had fallen on the deck when they'd hit
bottom. She got back up gingerly and
took the
spiral stairs down to the control room.
She saw no sign of Lee ot
that other guy. She looked
around the control room at all the instrumentation flashing. Intelligent these computers may be
but she would sure feel better with crewmen up here and Mr Morton
taking control like he did
so well.
Computers were only as good as the person
that knew how to repair them when they went
wrong. Claire heard footsteps and
hid behind the periscope base, her heart pounding.
Lee had come back up just to check again, he
was naturally suspicious . That’s what came of
being a submariner she guessed. She saw his feet as he walked by and
wanted to reach out to
him so badly but this other guy was stopping her from doing so, if he
was going to make an
attempt on Lee Crane's life, Claire
had to stop him!
Lee went back down to the observation nose
and suddenly the sub plunged into darkness.
Lee took a flash light and came back up to
the control room. Hr shone it on a
panel and pressed a
Button. The lights came back on but only
temporarily. They went out again, he sighed
and marched over to the radio-shack and put a call in to the Admiral
Nelson at the Pentagon.
“Nelson here,” Admiral Nelson answered.
“Admiral, you can tell Dr.
Reston his superbrain is a first class Commander. It
took perfect
action and we're sitting on the bottom,” Lee said cheerfully down the Mic.
“The destroyers report they have lost you on
their Sonar. You can consider your part
of the test
over Lee, ”Admiral Nelson said smiling.
“Well can you do me a favour?” Lee asked smiling.“These machines may not
need light but I do,
I've
got a blackout down here.”
Admiral Nelson passed the Mic to Dr.Reston who told him to reset a series of buttons to
get the lights back on.
“You'll be started back in a matter of
minutes Lee, relax!” Admiral Nelson told him,
Lee put the Mic down and walked past where
Claire was hiding and ran back down
to the nose, Claire remained where she was, this guy had to make an
appearance up here
didn't he?
Lee sat in the nose sipping coffee and
playing chess with himself.
The other man showed up then, he entered the
control room and walked past. Claire
was up the ladder now leading to the outer hatch she was straining her
ears to listen, she
heard him open the panelling to the radio and wires sparking. He walked past again
carrying a tape reel in his hand, he was obviously going to change their
course.
He went over to where the computer’s
navigation tape was running and stopped it, looking
round, He removed the tape and threw it aside, put in he was carrying with him. He left
the control room
The computer made a noise with the tape as
though it was initalising it. Lee came back
up to the control room to look around.
The man had ran down the stairwell to the
lower corridors.
“Come on, come on lets head for home!” Lee
said, getting impatient. He tutted and went to
the radio to call Dr.Reston again. He saw the panelling was loose, his forehead
creased in a frown,
he opened the panelling and took out some wiring that was all cut and
looked around with a
pure look of terror on his face. The radio had been sabotaged, he wasn't
alone!
Claire was back in her cabin, and took a gun
out of her safe, a piece of protection given to
her for her safety by Admiral
Nelson. He had enemies, was worried
she's have them too
working as close to Admiral Nelson as she did. He had shown her how to aim and fire.
Captain Crane was unaware she had a gun. She
took it and left her cabin.
Captain Crane ran back down to the nose as they had started
to move again, he ran back up to
the control room, the Seaview was climbing again. He heard a noise from down the stairs
Seaview was climbing again, he heard a noise
from down the stairs, he ran down them.
He moved stealthily along the corridor. He needed a gun. He picked up a large spanner up
from out of a ventilation inlet a damage party had been working on and
fixing earlier. He
walked holding the spanner and entered the small arms locker.
He moved stealthily along the corridor, he
needed a gun, he picked a large spanner up from out
of a ventilation inlet a damage party had been working on and fixing
earlier. He walked
holding the spanner and entered the small arms locker.
Claire was further down the corridor. She'd seen the man; he was heading for the
missile room
she dodged in and out of storage areas, couldn't be seen.
Captain Crane loaded a gun and left the small
arms locker, He heard a banging noise and set
off in pursuit of it, his own heart racing. Who was this aboard?
Obviously a saboteur of
some kind, obviously they were after the computer. Lee opened a
water-tight hatch
and neared the banging, his heart pounding as he rounded a corner and
saw a fire extinguisher
banging against a bulkhead. He
steadied it with shaking hands and walked on.
It started to
bang again. The man hurled past
an open junction at the end of the corridor and Lee gave a
shot, missed him, ran on.
Claire heard the shots, panicked. She stood against the store lockers door, her
gun in hand.
She heard footsteps then Lee's voice over the
intercom.
“Who are you?
What do you want?” he was asking the intruder, He got no reply and
hurried
past. Claire went out and headed
the other way. She took the other
junction to the missile room
corridor. The man opened the hatch and ran in there. She heard more
footsteps and Lee's questions.
He got no reply, he hurried past, Claire went
out and headed the other way, she
took the other junction to the missile room corridor, the man opened the
hatch and ran in there.
She heard more footsteps, Lee's. She ran
round the corner.
Lee headed into the missile room, where only
the night lights were on. Claire crept in and hid
behind a missile silo. She could see the man at the mini sub area. He was
doing something with
it. Was he planning on launching it? She didn't think so.
Lee was at the other side where the diving
gear was kept. When the man ran round
the back behind the torpedo's, Lee headed towards the mini sub area.
Claire wanted to scream. He'd sabotaged it to
fall on Lee, to kill him!
Gave a shot up in the air as if to distract
Lee, but it was too late. The mini sub fell, knocking
him down, a scream caught in her throat.
The man left the missile room, Claire needed
to be over there where Lee was.
Her heart was in her throat as she began to
walk over but she heard movement and shrank
back behind a torpedo. Lee struggled to free himself but he got up and
Claire swallowed
her heart back down. He limped away.
Lee limped gingerly along the corridor looking
for the man. He saw his shadow at the
junction
and fired a shot, then another.
He hurried along, rounded the corner and the guy was in
front of him, Lee squeezed the trigger but the gun was empty. The guy
aimed at him but Lee
dodged the bullet and slipped into another locker area, the ballast pump
area, the smallest
place on the submarine, just what the guy wanted, who dogged the hatch.
Lee took a Mic, “Who are you, what do you
want?” he asked again, “TELL ME!” he demanded,
“Don't concern yourself with that Captain
Crane, now I have you exactly where I wanted you to
go, the smallest space on the submarine. The accident in the missile room failed to
kill you, this
will not”
Claire was listening staring up at the
intercom.
“What do you want?” Lee asked again, “The
computer of course for my country, The Seaview
is already on its way there as I have changed the tapes around. My
country will get the computer
to harness the information and your country will get your submarine
back with you dead.
Death by asphyxiation because I'm cutting off
your air supply!
The smallest place on the submarine, where
the hell was that, Claire asked herself, panicking
She crouched on the floor getting her breath
back. She should know more about the Seaview.
There were maps but there was no time to find
one.Where the hell where was Lee?
She saw the man then heading out of a storage
area. Was that the place? Sobs caught in her throat.
Lee loosened his shirt collar.The
air was musty down here, barely breathable. He watched his
air supply run out, as the ribbons in the duct stopped moving. He clung
to it, his body covered in
perspiration. He opened the hatch hastily and saw her standing there.
“Claire?” he gasped as if uncertain,
“You don't think I'd really leave you here
alone do you?” she gasped
He grabbed hold of her in a hug,
“Darling you're a sight for sore eyes, you
are!”
He gripped Claire's shoulders, “Where have
you been hiding? We've got company, We've got
company, we ….”he began and saw the gun stuck in
her trousers pocket, and took it from her,
“A present from Admiral Nelson for my
safety!” she told him,“I've
been chasing our visitor all over
the submarine. I was in the control room. He wrecked the radio, he's changed
the tape. I fired
the shot in the living room to try to distract you. I think he's gone
back to the control room!”
Lee cupped her face then, sheer relief
showing on his, his eyes twinkling, and kissed her.
“Come on,” he said taking her hand,
“You need a bandage on your ankle!” she told
him.
“Stay behind me,”he
told her as they climbed up to the control room.
“Get up to the hatch!” Lee ordered her as
soon as they entered.
The man came back in and Lee fired Claire's
gun but missed. Lee got behind the periscope
base, to aim again, but the man lunged at him. Lee was fighting for his
life. Suddenly a shot
fired.
Claire began to climb down, her heart
pounding, had he shot Lee?
Lee got up then and pressed the periscope
button, bringing it down onto the man's back
trapping him.
“Are you Ok?”Claire
asked Lee.
“Yes he missed. Got the base”
“The tape,” Claire said breathlessly.
As Lee rushed to
where the tape was running and replaced it with the original. Claire
went down to the observation nose where she knew there was a first aid
kit.
Lee watched the instrumentation flashing and
the tape run and the steering wheels begin to
move to answer to the change of course. The man was out cold, gash on
his forehead. Lee
got some handcuffs from the locker and chained him there to the base.
He'd be dealt with at
port. Lee had some more pressing issues requiring his immediate
attention
“Come on let me bandage your ankle Lee?”
Claire asked him, as Lee joined her in the nose.
She knelt next to him and removed his shoe
and sock. The ankle was swollen and he
winced when she applied a 'instant cold pack' to it.
“Hows that feel?”
she asked him.
“OK you're an amazing girl Claire” he told
her
“How’s that feel?”she asked him, giving him a smile.
“Its fine”he said.
Claire smiled at him.
“Why did you really stay behind?”
“So we could be alone together,”she
said.
Lee stood up gingerly and drew her into his
arms.
“I've really enjoyed some of this mission,”
Claire told Lee hours later with a slight flush,
as they toasted some bread in the Wardroom and heated some water for
instant coffee and tea.
“It certainly had its moments!”
When they arrived back at port Admiral Nelson
and Dr. Reston
were waiting.
“Miss Young!”Nelson
exclaimed, more surprized at seeing her than the man that Lee was
leading to the dockside guards.
“I kind of stowed away,”Claire
said, as Lee returned.
“Claire saved my life”
“Somehow that doesn't surprise me,”Admiral Nelson said,
“Come along to my office and tell me all
about it.”
THE END.