An early first season story...
The Message
by Lynn
The cruise started out difficult and for the life of him, Lee didn't know why. He had only been with the Seaview for a few short months, but he had managed to settle in well despite the tragedy that left the Captaincy open for him. It was John Phillips' untimely death that had necessitated the need to pull Lee from the Baton Rouge in the middle of the ocean. The seas had been extremely choppy that day and his extraction from the boat included a harness ride to the helicopter as the chopper couldn't risk a deck landing in the high winds. It was a tricky maneuver, one that could have left him damaged goods before he even made it to the mission briefing.
He was briefed on the seriousness of the mission and the fact that Phillips had been murdered by men trying to get to Admiral Nelson. Lee figured he'd been tagged for the mission specifically because of his ONI training and “tested” the boat's security upon his arrival to Seaview. A move that didn't go over well with his crew or friend of many years, Chip Morton. Come to think of it, it hadn't gone over well with Admiral Nelson either, but Lee had a job to do and so did his crew. They didn't have time to mourn Phillips and by pretty much ignoring his friendship with Chip, he had placed his XO out of the cross-hairs of the angry crew.
By the end of the mission he had earned their respect, it wasn't something he was trying to do. He just did his job and the crew responded. With the mission success came new found respect from Wilson and a relaxed cruise back to Santa Barbara. As Seaview neared her home port he realized just how much he was going to miss this boat, her exceptional crew, and to be perfectly honest working with the extraordinary Admiral Harriman Nelson.
Now, three months later and a reassignment to the Reserves to go along with his appointment as Seaview's Captain, he felt as if he was back at square one. Just like that awkward first mission; except it wasn't a feisty Fred Wilson questioning his every move, it was Admiral Nelson himself. It was much easier to ignore and even put into place Wilson, but how does one go about ignoring the tenacious outspoken tirades of a three-star Admiral?
“Captain Crane.”
Lee heard the same edge in the Admiral's voice that had been there since the cruise began. It was the way he said his name that left no imagination to the disregard he had for Lee's skills as master and commander of Seaview.
“Aye Sir,” Lee answered in full navy decorum, something they had managed to do without on previous cruises, or at least had certainly been relaxed upon this private submarine. Theirs was a professional relationship, based upon navy decorum to be sure, but it also had a strong element of mutual respect that allowed for an uncommon exchange of ideas and opinions that was proving to work well for the command team. He had enjoyed working alongside of the brilliant mind of Harriman Nelson and he thought the feeling was mutual. Had he misread it? He didn't think so, particularly after they had weathered Harry's kidnapping in San Francisco two months ago.* What he saw in Harry's eyes then was true respect and an almost fatherly affection. So what changed?
“Captain, I fail to see why you ordered the last course correction; an order that has added at least twenty minutes to this cruise. I hope I don't need to remind you that this boat doesn't run on good intentions. Every minute we spend out on the seas cost money, as captain of this vessel I would think you’d be aware of that,” Harry added with sour pursed lips adding venom to his sour words.
“Aye Sir, I'm perfectly aware of the logistics of running a submarine and the cost of making unnecessary course changes. However, I am also responsible for the safety of this boat and her crew; the course correction was necessary to clear an obstruction ahead,” Lee answered evenly.
This was all so ludicrous, questioning a course correction? He knew the Admiral was a tough cookie, not one to run from a fight or face unknown dangers. Their mission to find the answers to the Polidor's destruction was a perfect example. Even with the Fear Gas running through the air purification system the Admiral hadn't flinched in his resolve to get to the bottom of the mystery and eventually expose Dr. Davis as the culprit to the disaster. Harry was brave, but come on! Playing chicken with a sea mount just didn't make sense.
Harry's lips pursed even tighter. “And just why was a correction required at all? Phillips could plot a course and ride the line all the way home.”
Lee's eyes turned dark as his voice lowered, they had been traveling at ninety feet but the rough seas above had necessitated diving to 200 feet where their radio antennae wouldn't suffer damage and therefore the course correction to give the boat maneuvering room.
“If the Admiral would care to retire to his cabin we could discuss this privately, but I will not have my orders questioned and dissected in front the crew, Sir.”
Harry smiled smugly, “By all means... Captain.” He turned on his heels after delivering the last word with considerable disdain.
“You have the Con, Mr. Morton,” Lee said watching Harry leave the Control Room out the aft hatch. Lee's expressive hazel eyes displayed his great displeasure at having this confrontation in front of the crew. With each step the sulking admiral took the more Lee's blood boiled. He needed to get to the bottom of this. If Admiral Nelson had lost confidence in his ability then he would have his resignation at the end of the cruise, but not before. He was responsible for Seaview for the entire mission and he would ride out all the indignation the Admiral could dish out till he brought her safely home. His shoulders remained squared and his lips pursed tightly but he held onto the dignity and decorum afforded to a Captain of a vessel. It was his right... for now.
“Aye Sir,” Chip offered with as much respect as could be rendered in those two short words.
Lee looked over offering the smallest of nods for the support Chip was trying to offer and followed the Admiral out of the unusually quiet Control Room.
* * * * *
“Your performance has been lacking, Captain,” Harry stated coolly as Lee stood at attention in front of his desk. He was feeling like a first year academy plebe being dressed down for not having his shoes shined properly instead of a well-trained naval officer commanding one of the finest and most technologically advanced submarines in the world.
“You of course, are entitled to your assessment, Sir. But I will not have those assessments shared in front of the crew again,” Lee answered in tones just a fiery as Harry's.
Harry “harrumphed” and let out an accompanying scoff. “I will question an officer at any point I feel necessary Captain and if you can't stand the heat, I suggest you get out of the kitchen.”
“Does the Admiral wish to relieve me of my duty?” Lee returned going all Navy.
Harry's face changed, went almost confused and then turned to a noticeable fluster. “No, no,” he said moving his arms demonstratively as he rounded the desk. “Just keep us on course, Captain. The sooner we finish the mission the sooner we head to port.” Harry was now standing on the same side of the desk as Lee, but made no further effort to lessen the tension other than not calling for his resignation.
Lee turned toward him seeking something in Harry's eyes that would explain his actions, something to give him a “pass” for his incomprehensible behavior as of late, but saw nothing there but contempt.
“Aye Sir,” Lee replied and turned to leave accepting Harry's nod as a dismissal. He headed straight for his cabin and upon entering closed the door leaning back heavily. Something was wrong with Harry. As much as he wanted to just blow up, toss a letter of resignation down on his desk and wash his hands of this crazy affair, he just couldn't. He hadn't misread these last three months. Something had changed.
Lee walked slowly to his desk and sank into the chair leaning over to rest his chin on his hands folded in a point before him. When was the last time things were right? He willed himself to think over the cruise; it was bad from the get go, it had to be before. The last cruise had gone well, there was no hint of Harry's displeasure, the two had in fact worked together like a well-oiled machine. Harry was satisfied with his choice of Captain then, Lee was sure of it. Back at the Institute things were normal, they even had dinner together at Giovanni’s. Lee honed in on the change; it was after Harry had spent a week in Washington just before shoving off. But what happened in Washington to change Harry's opinion of him? Lee took a deep breath in and leaned back in his chair. Perhaps he was trying too hard to save the situation, maybe Harry had wind of the captain he really wanted. If that was the case it would be better to cut his losses now before he invested anymore of his life into the Nelson Institute. He'd miss Seaview for sure... his crew... working with Chip... and truth be known, he'd miss Harriman Nelson as well. No... he was going to fight for Seaview. Something wasn't right and he was going to find out just what was going on.
* * * * *
The Boat settled back into normal routine even though the grapevine had efficiently spread the Admiral's displeasure with Seaview's Captain. Most of the men were surprised at the exchange, not that the Admiral wasn't known for award winning tirades when appropriate, but the exchanges with his COs had always been conducted with professionalism. Indeed, the Admiral's displeasure was most often rendered at the powers-that-be in Washington. There was plenty of talk going on in the crew's quarters with most defending their new young and innovative captain. Not that anyone was choosing sides, they were all to a man loyal to Admiral Nelson but Captain Crane had gone a long way in earning the same loyalty even in the short few months he'd been aboard. The fact that he had gone after Malone and Wilson on that first mission proved he cared about his men. He risked his life to get to the snow cat even though the mission was deemed a success as soon as the nuclear device was programmed and ready to fire.
“What about it, Chief?” Kowalski asked as Chief Curly Jones walked into the Crew's Quarters.
“What about what?” He replied in his familiar raspy voice, a voice that fit his COB job well. There were rumors he could have had a career in professional wrestling, wearing a mask and using that same raspy voice to intimidate his opponents. His stalky but fit physique seemed to fit well, but everyone knew that Chief Jones was a career navy man and someone was surely pulling someone's leg on that rumor.
“Scuttlebutt has it that the Admiral is ready to cut loose our new Captain?”
“You knuckleheads!” Curly yelled back with considerable fervor. “Don't you know enough to keep talk like this down? The Skipper is here to stay and don't you forget it!” He added as tenacious as a bulldog.
“Okay, okay,” Kowalski said raising both hands in surrender. “We just heard the Admiral wasn't happy with the Captain lately.”
“'Ten-hut!” Curly's strong voice snapped all the ratings to attention as the Exec stood in the door with his infamous command glare glowering down on each rating in turn.
“You men are dangerously close to insubordination or worse, inciting discontent toward the legal commander of this vessel,” Chip said in a low tone that was heard as easily as if he had bellowed it across the room.
“Chief.”
“Aye Sir.”
“I expect the men will not be engaging in similar discussions in the future.”
“Aye Sir, I'll make sure of it,” Curly promised with assurance in his voice as Mr. Morton walked away and the breath everyone was unconsciously holding was expelled almost in unison.
“Alright you knuckleheads! You heard the Exec, stop spreading the scuttlebutt around or you'll find yourself spending the rest of the cruise in the Brig!”
* * * * *
Chip could hear Chief Jones' rebuke even as he turned the corridor heading away from the CQ. He blew a breath as he walked along, knowing that something would have to give soon. The Admiral had at least cooled his tirades in front of the men, choosing to spend most of his time in his cabin or in the forward nose, down below the Control Room.
The Observation Deck touted the windows that gave Seaview her name and was known as one of the Admiral's favorite places to brainstorm new ideas and work through design changes. Chip, Harry and Lee had recently spent a great deal of time there working through the final design changes for one of the Admiral's newest inventions. The flying submersible was nearing its completion and would soon be ready for trials. Along with the new vessel came the problem of redesigning Seaview to berth the Admiral's incredible innovation. Harry had it all worked out, but Lee had offered several important observations that the Admiral had sincerely appreciated. Chip shook his head, he didn't know what changed between that last cruise and this one, but something was most certainly wrong. He needed to hold the crew together until the Admiral worked through whatever it was that was bugging him. Lee was being stubborn at least, not giving in to the uncomfortable air between the two officers, keeping his cool and still offering professionalism despite the uncharacteristic attacks of the Admiral's sharp tongue.
Chip had been with Admiral Nelson for Seaview's entire building program, a five year project that started out under active duty at the Pentagon and then moved to Reserve status just before Seaview's commissioning over a year ago. In all that time he'd never seen Admiral Nelson conduct himself this way. He had seen many moods, witnessed many tirades as they dealt with Washington over the issues of a Private Submarine and her dual responsibilities of Research and National Security. Indeed, as a Reserve vessel carrying nuclear weapons the Admiral had to jump through a myriad of hoops to see Seaview to completion. But in all those dealings Chip had always seen Harriman Nelson as a professional and a perfectionist, not always in that order mind you, but the Admiral Nelson he knew wasn't into berating his men. He may not always be easy to work with, but Chip had always found it a privilege to work with the brilliant mind of the Admiral. And as for his grumpiness from time to time, well... he was an Admiral and that seemed to come with the stars; he thought nothing of it, until this cruise that is.
Chip finished his thought with a cleansing breath and returned to his unreadable XO face. He'd hold it together until the Admiral worked this out. He owed that much to both Harry and Lee.
* * * * *
Lee descended down the spiral staircase into the Observation Nose and steeled himself for another cold reception from Admiral Nelson. He and Harry had been forging a strong friendship that translated into an even stronger command team. Lee had provided the means for Harry to spend his valuable time on the science he loved as Lee provided the voice of reason for the safety of the Boat. It had worked well, up until now.
“You wanted to see me, Sir?”
“Huh? Oh yes Captain,” Harry said obviously distracted. The Admiral stood and walked toward the windows as Lee caught the notations on Harry's note pad. Not really notations, more like doodling with the word “Goteborg” written all over the page in nearly every blank spot found. It was written in small print and large print, in cursive and even some calligraphy. The Admiral had turned the page on its side and continued doodling as if he were obsessed with the word.
“Are we on schedule for the supply run?” Harry asked with his hands clasped behind his back, a familiar admiral's pose that Harry didn't favor in his normal stance. One he had seen Admiral Johnson at ONI take often, and even Admiral Stark at ComSubPac was fond of this pose, but Admiral Nelson? This was the first that he could remember.
“Aye Sir, we'll be docking at the Platform by 1430 hours tomorrow,” Lee answered efficiently.
“Good. Once we're finished I'm altering our cruise to these coordinates,” he turned toward Lee pulling out a paper from his left shirt pocket and holding it for his Captain to retrieve. Lee closed the distance and took the note reading the coordinates and nodding his head.
“Any particular reason, Sir?” Lee asked cautiously.
“I'm not in the habit of explaining my orders, Mister,” Harry replied sharply.
“Aye Sir, I'll make the necessary arrangements. Anything else, Sir?”
“No. That will be all. Dismissed Captain.”
“Aye Sir.”
Lee turned for the spiral stairs as the young officer at the control board pretended not to hear the uncomfortable exchange between the two senior officers. As Lee took to the stairs he paused momentarily surveying the room below him. The Admiral was still standing at the window with his hands clasped behind his back as the notepad with the doodling sounded off his internal alarms. Harry was prone to doodle, but it was often mathematical formulas and ideas worthwhile to his thought processes. The word “Goteborg” obviously meant something important to Harry just now, and maybe it held the key to his recent change of behavior. Lee continued the ascent and entered the Control Room, his first stop was the Chart Table where he retrieved the necessary sea chart and pinpointed the coordinates and Seaview's next destination: Sweden. It was a four day cruise as Lee sighed inwardly making a silent decision. Maybe it would get him fired, possibly kicked out of the service all together, but something told him Goteborg, known in English as Gothenburg, Sweden held the key.
* * * * *
The restocking mission proceeded as planned as Seaview docked at the platform lab in the Arctic Ocean. The lab resembled an oil rig where she indeed did drill into the sea bed below, but her research had nothing to do with oil as the lab collected samples from the earth's upper mantle. Seaview docked alongside the platform pilings as the supplies were loaded onto an elevator at sea level and raised some 200 feet to the platform where the lab and living quarters were housed. The drilling operations were a minor miracle in engineering and many geologists vied for the opportunity to work on the project; known fondly as Operation Bread Crust. Harry had a particular fondness for the project, although at present no one would know it.
“Sir?”
Harry was standing at his chalkboard in his lab writing a complex algorithm and didn't flinch until he was finished as Lee waited patiently. Upon finishing his calculation Harry turned to address Lee with a question in his eyes.
“Yes Captain.”
“Sir, the resupply run is complete. If you're not interested in boarding the Platform I'll make the order to get underway.”
“Fine, I'll visit the next time around,” Harry half-heartedly promised as he turned his attention back to his calculations. Lee started to turn but caught the corner of the chalkboard where Harry doodled the word Goteborg once again; this time with three numbers preceding the word: 146. As with the other doodling the number 146 was written in varying sizes and fonts. Lee made a mental note: 146 Goteborg. He had no idea what it meant but he was sure it was important.
“Very well, Admiral,” Lee replied as Harry barely acknowledged the fact that he was still standing behind him. Lee left the lab and walked to the nearest mic shipped on the bulkhead.
“Mr. Morton, make preparations to dive and have Sparks send a message conveying the Admiral's compliments and his deep regret that he cannot visit as his engagements are pressing elsewhere.”
“Aye Sir.”
Lee shipped the mic, took a deep breath in and headed forward to the Control Room to plot Seaview's next course to Sweden.
* * * * *
Seaview navigated the waters around the Scandinavian countries of Norway and Denmark and followed the North Sea as it met the fresh waters flowing from Lake Vanern near Sweden's southwestern tip. Seaview sent radio transmissions indicating her intent and received clearance to dock at the Port of Gothenburg. It would have been a celebrated visit by the locals, but Harry had no interest in conducting a good-will tour, another anomaly further convincing Lee that something was definitely off.
He had been studying the number 146 as it applied to Goteborg and couldn't find a direct connection. Solving puzzles like this was as much a part of the espionage world as slinking around in dark combat gear with a sidearm drawn, so Lee continued trying to decipher the number even though time was running out. Seaview would be docking within the hour and Lee needed to head up to the Control Room. He signed off on the last report on his desk, dating the document in his usual military format: day month year. Lee's pen was still sitting on the paper when the date seemed to jump out at him, 12 Jun 75. It was now June 12th; in two days it would be June 14th … the fourteenth day of the sixth month... how could he have missed that? On June 14th in Stockholm, Sweden all the major leaders of the Free World were gathering for a Round Table Summit discussing the issues of freedom. Was Harry under orders from Washington to conveniently be in Sweden during this visit? And what had these last two weeks of verbal abuse been about? If Harry had been trying to distance Lee from whatever was going on he had failed miserably. His behavior in fact had drawn Lee deep into the mystery. Lee couldn't see that scenario anyway as Harry had backed off considerably these last few days; still short, curt and downright rude, but not in front of the crew. No, it had to be something else.
It was the “something else” that was bothering Lee because those scenarios were far more dangerous. His chief suspicion was that Harry had been compromised. Brainwashing came to mind; sleep deprivation, electric shock and drugs were the tools of that evil trade. Furthermore, though the Summit was scheduled in Stockholm in two days, Harry's doodling suggested that Gothenburg was still important. His hunch was that it was more than Seaview's docking point. Still Lee had no proof, he couldn't, no... wouldn’t get ONI involved until he knew for sure.
“Mr. Morton, report to my cabin,” Lee said, in deep thought even as he fingered his desk intercom on.
“Aye Sir,” was heard as Lee leaned back contemplating his next move.
* * * * *
Lt. Commander Chip Morton stood in the sail wearing his service jacket and cover having maneuvered the great submarine efficiently to the dock. He reported Seaview's docking sequence was complete and watched as deck hands secured the moorings and put the gangplank in place. Within minutes Admiral Nelson exited the vertical sail hatch and walked with purpose across the gangplank. He headed straight for a dark sedan obviously waiting for him and entered without turning once to acknowledge the officer in the Sail and as such, never even noticed that Captain Crane was noticeably missing from the top of the Conning Tower perch.
Chip's lips pursed tightly. I sure hope you know what you're doing Lee, he thought silently and continued watching as a second car pulled from the curb following the Admiral's sedan as it drove away.
* * * * *
Lee used his considerable skills to make his way on shore before Seaview docked. The move had entailed a bit of help from Chief Jones as a zodiac raft was quietly launched while Seaview waited its clearance to dock. Admiral Nelson stayed ensconced in his cabin and hadn't missed Lee's absence in the Control Room. Curly efficiently shuttled Lee to the smaller dock used for pleasure craft and returned to Seaview without the usual eagle eye of the Admiral even noticing; the whole maneuver sparing Lee from having to play frogman through the moon pool. He needed all the time he could get to obtain a car and subsequently be waiting at the commercial dock when Seaview arrived.
He watched as Harry deboarded Seaview without stopping to salute the colors, and moved immediately to a waiting vehicle. Lee took one last look at Seaview sitting majestically in port. He noted Chip in the Conning Tower and then pulled out to follow the dark sedan. As he drove away he couldn't help but wonder if his hunches were going to cost him his Command on Seaview or any boat in the Navy for that matter; because if he was wrong he very well could be stepping in the middle of a Top Secret Mission of some kind. He shook off the thought. Too many alarms were ringing loudly; too many to ignore. He was in it up to his ears, he had to see this through.
* * * * *
Lee tailed his target, hanging back far enough to stay off their radar. They hadn't tried any “tail-shaking” maneuvers causing him to seriously doubt the “Top Secret Mission” scenario as a good operative would have spotted him somewhere in the twenty-five minute ride along the coast. The sedan slowed and even turned on their blinker to make a right hand turn into an ancient estate, a castle built just off the sea cliff. Lee pulled off and ditched the car on a rural road and started on foot toward the castle. He was dressed in blue jeans belted at the waist, with a black t-shirt covered by an opened collared denim shirt. He wore hiking boots and looked more like a tourist than a spy, which was the general idea since he didn't know where the “tail” would end up.
Quickly Lee made his way toward the estate, bounded by a large hedge. He found a bare spot in the dense hedge and made his way onto the grounds moving from bush to bush to stay covered. He was nearing the castle when he heard a sound and ducked behind cover to survey the situation. A guard, shorter than himself but very muscular was making his rounds and heading straight for him. The blond haired guard had a rather large nose distinguishing his face and unfortunately, was heading straight for him. Lee readied himself as the guard took an offensive position indicating he had spotted Lee. He raised a radio to his mouth as Lee lunged from his hiding place to silence the inevitable alarm. The two exchanged punches until Lee threw a powerful uppercut that spun the guard around as his eyes closed before he hit the ground. The guard seemed to be rather resilient as it had taken more blows than usual to drop him.
Lee breathed deeply and started to take another step when he heard another noise behind him. He swung around coming face to face with a second guard. Lee blinked as he saw the same blond haired, muscular man with the same large nose standing in front of him. A twin? he thought. He didn't have time to analyze the situation as the two engaged in more hand to hand combat. It took a fallen branch from a tree to down this guard as Lee delivered a solid hit across his back with the heavy stick and he too fell.
Lee bent over with his hands on his knees, breathing deeply to recover from the exertion of fighting two guards and the subsequent blows he had taken to do so. He heard another sound and wheeled around to find the very same guard coming his way from a different direction. Three of them! The guard started to pull his gun as Lee leapt forward knocking the sidearm out of his hand as they exchanged more punches and counter punches. Lee delivered several jabs to his jaw as the guard faltered stumbling back, but before he could finish him off a fourth guard appeared, flanking Lee and tackling him from the side. They rolled on the grass as Lee continued to deliver powerful punches more reminiscent of street fighting than the boxing ring that had earned him his middle weight championship back at the Academy. He got the upper hand and rose over his opponent ready to deliver another jab when he was hit by a double fisted blow to his shoulder blades. The impact sent him to his hands and knees where he tried get back up, but his efforts were met with a second double fisted whack that finally hit the mark and sent him sprawling to the ground. He rolled over slowly but was met by the blond haired guard grabbing a fist full of collar and dishing out the final upper cut that sent Lee off into oblivion.
The four guards all surrounded Lee, each one the perfect image of the other three guards as one took out his radio and spoke into it.
“We have the intruder.”
“Bring him to me. Make sure he is blind-folded.”
“Yes sir,” the guard answered with little emotion as two of the guards took Lee by the arms, a third guard blind-folded him with a black cloth and the fourth walked behind them as they made their way to the castle.
* * * * *
Harry paced the cell in his prison. He had been here for fourteen days if he could believe the date on his wrist watch, but where was here? From the sounds of the waves breaking he was on a coast, and by the same sounds he could deduce they were on a cliff. He had no memory of making the trip to where ever “here” was. The last thing he remembered was finishing his meetings in Washington and hailing a cab from the hotel to take to the airport. He got into the cab and then... then... something about a gas... and that was it. He woke up in some strange laboratory with his eyes nearly blinded by the intense light over him. He had electrodes positioned on both temples, two across his forehead as well as two electrodes on either side of the base of his neck. He had been strapped down securely as he woke up trying to make sense out of his current situation.
“Admiral Nelson,” a strange voice was heard, obviously
electronically modified to disguise his Captor's voice.
“What do you want from me?
Who are you?” Harry fired off his questions even though he was barely
lucid having just come out of heavy sedation.
His Captor chuckled. “I am more interested in what you can tell me, Admiral.”
Harry looked toward the sound of his captor's voice but
saw only darkness. “You won't get
anything out of me,” Harry promised darkly, still not knowing what they wanted
in particular.
“Ah, but you are already providing it,” his captor said
jovially. “I see you are confused. I know you are a curious man and I'm more
than willing to share my genius with you,” he continued just a jovial.
“Make some sense man!” Harry bellowed.
“Yes, yes. First
some introductions are in order. Admiral
Nelson... meet.... Admiral Nelson.” The
chuckles continued as another light was illuminated to reveal the perfect
mirror image of himself standing against a strange board that lit in various
colors as the leads from the electrodes on Harry's head were connected to
electrodes in the same places on the fake Nelson.
“A double?” Harry stammered out.
“Nothing so simple, Nelson,” his Captor continued. “Show him Admiral Nelson,” he said speaking
to Harry's double. The double opened his
white linen tunic to reveal his bare chest.
He pushed on a spot below his third rib as a panel slid across his
abdomen revealing a circuit board complete with blinking lights, wires and
leads.
Harry blinked, taking in the sight from his position as he
laid flat on his back and tethered securely in place.
“A robot?”
“Robot? Oh nothing
quite so primitive, Admiral. Robots
cannot think, they are simply programmed to react to very specific instances...
not like my cyborgs,” the distorted voice said gleefully.
“Cyborg?” Harry answered somewhat confused. Cyborg technology was an emerging science and
as far as he knew, no one was close to achieving a working cyborg.
“Yes, although Cyborgs still need programming, they take the programming one step further and learn from the stimuli around them. But first we must give him a personality... yours.”
“Is that what these wires are for?” Harry asked, already
having deduced the fact but wanting confirmation.
His Captor giggled gleefully; he stood in the shadows and
seemed to be a man of large stature, though Harry couldn't say for sure. Another figure stood beside him, veiled in
the same darkness but decidedly petite and feminine. She said nothing as his Captor continued.
“Are we ready Lab Assistants?”
Harry watched as several “lab assistants” wearing all
white came forward, and frowned slightly when he saw that all three of the men
looked exactly the same. Not triplets...
cyborgs, he reasoned.
“Now Nelson, all you have to do is lie there,” his Captor
instructed with a hint of a smile that Harry couldn't see but knew
instinctively was there.
Harry thought quickly through his options finding none for
escape, but perhaps he could do something about the “personality” he was about
to unwillingly give to the cyborg. In an
instant he knew what he needed to do as he drummed up anger, disdain,
disrespect and rudeness for every thought he had of Lee Crane. Captain Lee Crane who had taken Phillips'
place without batting an eye for the mourning crew. Crane whose arrogance was displayed in every
order he gave, like Seaview was built for him to command. The young upstart couldn't command his way
around a bath tub! He got to where he
was because of his poster boy looks. The
kid was insolent and unimaginative... he relied too much on Morton...
Harry was growing weary of the anger he had falsely
conjured up but couldn't stop as his only hope was that Lee would see through
this charade. And so Harry continued
thinking berating thoughts, drumming up memories that never happened and
changing circumstances in his mind to reflect a Lee Crane not worthy of
Seaview.
Crane had been forced on him, touted as the best sub commander in the Navy. “Harrumph.” Phillips was twice the man he was. So he put himself in harm's way to get to Wilson and Malone... he was a show-boater, always going for the limelight. Even Kowalski knew he was a jerk... sneaking aboard and decking a rating like he was nothing. The kid was just that... a kid. He should still be a Lt. Commander working as an Exec under an experienced captain, not pretending to be good enough....
The whining sounds of the transfer was taking away his ability to think and he knew he would black out soon so he added another thought and concentrated on it over and over. Crane must stay in command of Seaview.... Crane must stay in command of Seaview... The sounds of the whine increased as lights of psychedelic colors enveloped his face, he took a risk and looked over at his cyborg who stood seemingly unaffected as Harry allowed his final thoughts to permeate his being: Question his actions... Question his abilities... Question his orders...
The rest was lost as the whining etched up until Harry
passed out on the hard, cold, steel table.
* * * * *
The sound of disembodied chuckling woke him as Harry's
awareness returned and he opened his eyes to the same blinding light hovering
over him.
Harry looked to his cyborg and noted they were still
connected by electrodes.
“Now Admiral, we must finish the personality
transference. The first half took three
hours, this should take considerably less.
It simply reinforces what has already been transferred. From this session the cyborg will continue
your personality traits as if they are his own.”
“Wait!” Harry asked, trying to buy time and if he was
lucky, clues to where he was.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Oh really Admiral, you're such the curious scientist
aren't you? Alright, I'm inclined to
share my plans, they're as brilliant as I am,” he paused to revel in his own
compliment.
“Very soon your submarine will dock at Goteborg, you
didn't know that did you?” He laughed.
“And something very important will happen a few days later,” he teased,
letting his clues out a little at a time.
“The Summit,” Harry deduced out loud.
“Oh yes. You are as
brilliant as ever Nelson. The Summit is
highly guarded, but you... the great Harriman Nelson will have access to the
inner circle. You see I need those world
leaders to give their personalities to my cyborgs as well. You, or rather your Cyborg, will deliver them
to my hands and they will be replaced without anyone knowing.”
“But how?” Harry asked in disbelief.
“Oh believe me, the logistics have all been worked
out. Now no more questions. Time to reinforce your personality.”
The Captor's voice was full of chuckles and glee, there was no doubt that he was insane. Harry had to quickly drum back up all his “feelings” for the young, arrogant Commander Crane. Crane couldn't hold a candle to Phillips... Crane was arrogant, a show- boater... He couldn't stand Crane... but was stuck with Crane, he had to keep Washington's choice to secure his funding... Crane was a disappointment... a disappointment... a disappointment...
Harry tiredly poured as much energy as he could into
continuing to berate Lee Crane, while reinforcing his need to keep Crane aboard
Seaview. A paradox, but not for the
Cyborg. He would simply add it to
Nelson's personality and even take it further.
Now Harry needed to leave some tangible clues for Lee. Goteborg... Goteborg... he repeated over and
over and then three numbers... 1-4-6... 1-4-6... 1-4-6.
An hour and half later an exhausted Harriman Nelson
succumbed to the final loud whines of the electronic device as the psychedelic
colors flashed across his face, even as his eyes closed.
Harry woke in the cell he was currently occupying and had paced his little prison every day for the last two weeks. He hadn't “seen” his Captor since that first day as they had apparently taken everything they needed from him. He stopped and looked at his watch... June 12th. Just two more days. He wondered if Lee got his “message”. The only hope to stop this mad man was for Lee to recognize the cyborg's actions as incongruous and indeed, completely contradictory to his real feelings. They hadn't talked about how they enjoyed working together, he couldn’t even imagine what that conversation would look like. They were both private men, but at the same time they didn't seem to need words. He was sure Lee knew that he was proud to have him as Seaview's Skipper. Bravo Zulus were few and far in between, but he had given enough to reinforce his opinion of Lee as a submariner. Moreover Lee Crane was an exceptional man full of duty, honor and integrity. A high calibre person any man would be proud to call his son... he didn't know where that sentimental thought came from... but it was true. And somewhere in their relationship, though no words had been spoken, Harry was sure that Lee knew he was proud of Seaview's Captain, proud to work alongside him, and proud to be his friend.
* * * * *
Lee was carried into the Laboratory by his shoulders and feet.
“Captain Crane,” the Captor said stepping out of the veiled darkness since his prisoner was blindfolded.
Lee was deeply unconscious and couldn't reply as Dr. Tabor Ulrich** turned the captain's chin from the left to the right trying to determine his wakefulness.
“I regret I don't have time to create a cyborg for you,” he said wistfully, curling his bottom lip in disappointment.
“He's unimportant,” the Nelson Cyborg said stepping in, full of confidence and carrying the bearings of a three-star admiral. “He's barely competent to command the Seaview.”
“Then why does Nelson keep him about?” Ulrich asked, his blue eyes squinting as he held Lee's chin harshly.
“He is Washington's choice and I need him to continue to secure future funding.”
“Ah yes. Well, at any rate he is of little value. Put him with Nelson,” Ulrich said with a devious giggle. “Since that's who he came for after all.”
The four cyborg guards all nodded in unison and carried Lee through the dark halls to an opposite wing of the large ancient castle until they reached Nelson's cell.
* * * * *
Harry was still pacing the floor when he turned toward the sound of his cell door opening. He hadn't heard that particular sound since he was placed here two weeks days ago, as his meals were slid on the floor from a small opening in the door. He watched as four identical cyborgs entered. Two carried Lee and placed him on the cot, the other two bearing their sidearms on Harry keeping him at bay. They left without saying a word as Harry rushed to Lee's side, even as he heard the lock click in place.
He removed the blindfold and found small bruises and scrapes on Lee's face, not unlike some of the scrapes and bruises he saw on the guards' faces. Lee hadn't gone down without a fight. The thought elicited a small but short tight lipped smile as he tried to revive his unconscious friend. He patted the young officer's face gently as a small moan passed through Lee's breaths. His head tossed slightly but Lee Crane was still out as Harry wondered just what he'd been through these last two weeks with a Cyborg Nelson most likely criticizing and castigating him at every turn.
* * * * *
Lee's unconscious state passed to REM sleep where a dream unhappily gripped him as he relived a very recent memory.
“What's our ETA, Captain?” Harry said, placing an
uncomfortable and heavy accent on the last word.
“We've made good time and will dock with the Platform at
1400 hours; thirty minutes ahead of the revised schedule, Sir,” Lee replied
standing at attention in front of Harry's desk.
It was awkward and nothing like the last few months where Lee had taken
to casually sitting on the edge of Harry's desk as they discussed issues of the
boat.
“Ahead of schedule?
What about the lost twenty minutes?” Harry asked sourly.
“We made up for the loss capitalizing on the prevailing
sea currents, Sir.”
“Harrumph. We could
have been there twenty minutes earlier then?” Harry noted not giving Lee an
ounce of credit for his seamanship.
“I doubt it, Sir.
If I hadn't made the first correction we would have likely been on the
ocean floor,” Lee answered with a bit more attitude than he intended.
Harry let loose a humorless chuckle. “Phillips was twice the man you are Crane. If it wasn't for Washington I'd ship you out so fast your head would spin. Frankly, you're a disappointment.”
Lee kept his shoulders square and his eyes pasted on a
spot just behind Harry's left ear.
“Does the Admiral require my presence any longer?” Lee
asked, effectively bringing the conversation to an end.
“Do I require your presence?” Harry repeated with a scoff
as his voice trailed off. “Get out of
here Captain.”
“Aye Sir,” Lee said executing a perfect about face and
walking calmly to the door quietly closing it behind him and using all the
self-control he had within him to not slam the door. That resignation was getting easier to write
with each passing moment...
“Lee?” Harry coaxed noting the movement in Lee's hand as it twitched. “Come on, Lad. Wake up.”
Lee's head tossed slightly as his eyes fluttered and then focused on Harry's face over him. He laid there studying Harry's eyes; gone was the steel coldness laced with disdain, hatred and... disappointment, as Lee let loose a relieved one-sided smile.
“You're back aren't you?” He asked without any further explanation as he tried to rise from the cot.
“Don't move yet Lee, it looks like you had quite a time of it.”
Lee continued to move into as sitting position rubbing the back of his neck and shoulder where the final blows had done him in.
“You should see the other guys,” he quipped with a small grin.
“I did and they're all bearing the signs of a good fray.”
Lee looked deep into Harry's eyes until he reached the part that told him there was no disappointment ... all the friendship and deep respect was back. Still, he needed answers for what happened on Seaview, something Harry seemed to realize without his asking.
“I'm sure these last couple weeks haven't been easy for you, Lee?” Harry asked rhetorically.
Lee sighed. “No Sir, and I'd like to know why?”
Harry stood and paced as Lee leaned against the stone cell wall recuperating his strength.
“I've been in this cell for the last fourteen days Lee.”
“But how?” Lee chimed in.
“What you saw was a cyborg.”
Lee's eyebrows tightened, he'd heard the word recently. “A robot?”
“More than that, the cyborg learns from the stimuli around him; one that was given my personality as well as my image.”
“But the things you... he said,” Lee corrected.
“When my captors were making the transference of my personality to the cyborg I added a false layer to my relationship with you. For nearly five hours I thought of nothing but horrible and berating thoughts of you in particular.”
Lee's face still registered questions but Harry moved on, not allowing himself to stop and examine closely the hurt he knew his robotic counterpart had inflicted on Seaview's captain.
“I'm sorry Lee, but it had to be you. I knew you would question my behavior as antithetical and I was banking on you knowing it wasn't me.” He stopped to finally look into Lee's eyes. “I take it I gave him enough ammunition to work with.”
Lee let out a blow of breath, “He seemed to thrive on it Sir.” Harry nodded his understanding as Lee stood to examine their cell.
Harry seemed to have paced himself out and moved to sit on the cot as he contemplated the rescue operation.
“Lee... don't tell me you came alone?”
“Admiral,” Lee answered still examining a certain section of the cell wall. “I came alone,” he deadpanned reiterating Harry's question into a statement. “But I came with a plan,” he added with a crafty one-sided smile.
He proceeded to remove his belt and once free placed it on the cot in between them. On the backside of the belt was a carefully hidden wire, in actuality a fuse. Harry returned the crafty smile as they began to gently lift the long fuse from its safely hidden spot.
“Chief Jones ferried me to shore,” Lee explained as he worked, “And Chip covered for me in the Sail, but other than that no one knows I followed you.” He stopped and looked into Harry's inquisitive gaze. “I entertained for a while that you were distancing me for some sort of top secret mission and I couldn't risk anyone else's career on my hunch alone.”
Harry nodded as Lee proceeded to cross his leg placing his heel over his knee. He twisted the heel of his boot as the compartment slid open and Lee pulled out blasting caps.
“You keep live blasting caps in your heels?” Harry asked with raised eyebrows.
Lee just smiled and switched legs to retrieve the electronic components of his makeshift bomb. “They never look there,” he answered with a shrug and a grin.
“Uh-huh,” Harry said returning his grin.
“What's this scheme all about Admiral?” Lee asked as he continued to assemble his detonation device and then moved toward the cell wall facing the ocean.
“Whoever is behind this is a mad man. He plans on using my cyborg to infiltrate the Summit and through some convoluted plot of his, plans to replace every world leader with one of his cyborgs.”
Lee blew out a breath and stood letting the fuse trail away from the wall about a foot.
“You're not taking out the cell door?” Harry questioned.
Lee nodded his head in the negative. “Their plan is worthless once you're safe. We'll contact the authorities and the cyborg won't have access to the Summit.”
“But we have to stop him,” Harry argued knowing the large dark figure in the shadows was a menacing foe that needed to be dealt with.
“ONI will have to clean this up, Admiral.” Lee took a deep breath in and continued. “I don't know how many guards they have Sir, but they just kept coming and coming. We need to get you to safety.”
Harry sighed and acquiesced as Lee dug into his pocket and pulled out a single match.
“What? You're not going to rub two sticks together for the flame?” Harry quipped, as Lee's ingenuity up to this point had proven quite innovative.
Lee's eyes twinkled as he struck the match on the stone floor and lit the fuse. The two officers hastily retreated to the opposite wall where Lee grabbed the mattress from the cot to provide a barricade against the impending explosion. Twenty seconds later the wall exploded as pieces of small stones peppered the mattress where Lee and Harry huddled safely cushioned. When the blast settled down they dropped their barricade and stood to examine the nice three foot hole in the castle wall.
* * * * *
Dr. Ulrich heard the explosion and curled his lower lip.
“The prisoners! Go get them!” He shouted to his security force as the identical blond haired, large nosed guards made their way to the cell.
“What about me? When should I head to Stockholm?” The Nelson Cyborg asked calmly, his auburn hair styled exactly has Harry would have and his eyes just as piercing.
“The world leaders don't even arrive for another two days,” Ulrich reasoned. “We must stop Nelson or this plan will not work,” he added with frustration.
The Nelson Cyborg pursed his bottom lip, not liking taking orders from Ulrich and liking even less the idea that the real Nelson might be escaping.
“Then I'll stop them,” he said pulling the Glock from his inside holster and checking its readiness.
“No Nelson,” Ulrich said in vain as the Nelson Cyborg left the laboratory ignoring the mad scientist behind him.
“What now Dr. Ulrich?” The soft, sweet voice of Ulrich's personal nurse asked.
“We move our operation back to Switzerland, Gundi.” Ulrich curled his lips again and called for his cart. Though he was mobile on his feet, he preferred to ride his motorized cart as walking took too much energy away from his thinking and reasoning. He did his best thinking on a full stomach and so his personal nurse also made sure that he was well fed. “The plan is not ready, Gundi. We will retreat to our castle in the alps.”
“Then your plan did not succeed?”
“Something went wrong. Crane found Nelson; he shouldn't have had a reason to follow him. I must perfect my machine to make the personality transference quicker.”
Gundi's head tilted not understanding Ulrich's deductions.
“My dear... simple... Gundi,” he said enunciating each word. “Nelson obviously planted clues into his thought processes to alert the young captain. The Nelson Cyborg will have to be destroyed.” The cyborg's personality was flawed and he was also becoming difficult to control. Without any fanfare he moved to the main control board typing in a command and then pressed a red button.
“We will start again when the transference component is perfected.” Ulrich turned upon hearing his cart in the hall and moved slowly toward it, taking awkward small steps as Gundi stared at the red button Ulrich pushed without a hint of regret. Somewhere on the castle grounds laid a heap of robotic parts, disintegrated into almost nothing salvageable; a self-destruct mode that protected the cyborg's technology. The Nelson Cyborg was no more. Still, Gundi knew he was just a facsimile of the real man; a man that Gundi found intriguing. It was something about his eyes; it was if she could see into Harriman Nelson's heart and soul. His eyes were as deep as the man's sense of honor. Honor and integrity...
“Gundi!” Ulrich shouted. “Help me!”
Gundi shook off her contemplation and rushed to Dr. Ulrich's side helping him into his cart and then walking quickly behind it as they made ready to abandon the laboratory.
* * * * *
(Back with Lee and Harry several minutes earlier…)
Lee was pleased to see their cell was on the first floor of the castle, not exactly high security he thought. He had no clue that Ulrich used his cart in the many hallways and taking stairs was a definite exemption from his current physical abilities.
“This way Sir,” Lee said first checking around the corner of the castle as the two ran for Lee's car ensconced safely in the trees less than a mile away. They heard the report of a gun as Lee threw himself over Harry to protect him from the flying bullets. Harry and Lee rose from the ground as they turned toward their pursuer in time to see the perfect replica of Harriman Nelson standing in his khaki service uniform and bearing his gun on Seaview's officers. The Nelson Cyborg trained his gun on Harry as Lee stepped in front of the Admiral, a move Harry wasn't happy with, but before the next bullet could be fired straight at Lee's heart a loud explosion ripped through the cyborg's inward parts. Pieces of electronic parts splattered over them as if it were the life blood of the cyborg. When the cyborg stopped raining down there was little left as Harry and Lee turned to leave with the strange sight of the exploding Nelson Cyborg still fresh in their minds.
* * * * *
They sprinted to the car, their escape aided by the fact that Dr. Ulrich recalled his security force to help with the evacuation of the castle.
As they sped away Harry looked over at his friend, the small but noticeable bruises on his face only fueled the volcano about to erupt.
“And do you mind telling me Captain Crane, just what that was all about?”
Lee looked over inquisitively but then refocused on the road as he fought back the small upturns of his smile.
“If you EVER try a stunt like that again I'll keel haul you back to an Ensign... No! I'll take you back to a lowly Plebe!” Harry yelled, rattling his stars as he fumed.
“What do you mean Sir?” Lee asked innocently, not at all put out by the Admiral and knowing exactly what Harry was ticked off about.
“You know perfectly well what I mean, Lee. Don't you EVER step in front of a bullet meant for me again!”
Lee's small smile turned to a chuckle; this was one tirade he didn't mind. The Admiral was back and his loud displeasure was music to Lee's ears. The heat of the moment passed as Harry joined in Lee's chuckles and placed a hand on his shoulder as he drove.
“Well done Lad. I knew you'd get my Message.”
Lee sighed and took a quick glance at Harry's eyes, seeing every bit of the friendship they were forging still present in those deep blue orbs. He smiled and returned his attention to the road as he replied.
“Thank you Sir,” inwardly pleased that Harry trusted him to know that their friendship was sound.
Harry added a small squeeze to Lee's shoulder and then sat back comfortably as the Port of Gothenburg began to appear on the horizon.
* * * * *
By the time ONI and the Swedish officials arrived the castle was bare of any cyborg and very little indication of the laboratory. There were no clues as to who had abducted Harry but the officials were extremely pleased that the plot had been foiled. The remains of the Nelson Cyborg left little for the Intelligence Agencies to glean technology from and in fact remained the only proof of the ill-fated plot to take over the leaders of the Free World. It was sadly agreed that the Intelligence community would just have to wait until the mad scientist struck again and hopefully they would be ready the next time they faced his cyborgs. And with the briefings finally complete Seaview was given clearance to leave Port.
It was a beautiful morning as Lee and Harry stood in the Sail with a light breeze brushing against their faces as Captain Lee Crane expertly navigated Seaview from her berth out to the open seas. Harry took in a deep breath filling his lungs with sea air as Lee ordered the decks cleared and made the final preparations to dive the boat.
“Well done, Captain,” Harry said with pride referring to Lee's able seamanship of Seaview's departure, but also relaying in his eyes his unspoken delight with Seaview's Master and Commander.
Lee offered a satisfied smile in return. “Thank you Sir,” he replied reveling in the Admiral's words and catching the unspoken message behind his compliment. They passed unspoken regard through their satisfied smiles and then descended down the Conning Tower and dogged the hatch behind them as the strong voice of Seaview's Captain could be heard reverberating throughout the Control Room.
“All green Chief?”
“Aye Sir. All green.”
“Very well. Dive Mr. Morton.”
“Aye, aye Skipper. Dive all dive....”
The End
The Message
* See my story Marathon
**See the second season episode The Cyborg, written by William Read Woodfiled and Allan Balter, directed by Leo Penn, and originally aired October 17, 1965.
Credits: The following first season episodes were described in synopsis form:
Eleven Days to Zero, written and directed by Irwin Allen, originally aired September 14, 1964
The Fear-Makers, written by Anthony Wilson, directed by Leonard Horn, originally aired September 28, 1964
Author's Notes: The Message qualifies as a WHB (What Happens Before) story and is actually a prequel to the second season episode The Cyborg. I personally liked the over-the-top performance by Victor Buono as Dr. Tabor Ulrich and I found Brooke Bundy's rendition of the sweet, beautiful and highly under-estimated Gundi character to be superb, especially since she had so little lines to express the turmoil within her. The climax in the episode occurs as Harry saves the day by sending a “message” which Lee reads and responds to appropriately (once again from our perspective.) And now you know the rest of the story... according to Lynn's universe anyway. : )
PS – In way of continuity, The Message occurs after my story Marathon and prior to Compromised.
Copyright 2014, All Rights Reserved
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and her main characters belong to Irwin Allen