This is a
scene filler for the Fourth Season Episode, Fatal Cargo. I think the episode is one of the better “monster of the week shows”.
An ape just seems more plausible to me than some of the other crazy
monsters, but mostly because of the relationship between the main
characters. The show did a good job of
showing viewers their concern as they searched for Crane. It did however, fail to keep us apprised of
the Captain's situation and the back story between Brock and Crane would have
been nice. But hey, they had to fit it
into 52 minutes, so here's my version with missing motivation for several key
scenes.
Vengeance and Recompense
by Lynn
Captain Lee Crane hung the mic back on its hook. They were bringing aboard a rare wild ape that had already killed one man, if that wasn't enough, the Admiral said Leo Brock was accompanying the beast. Leo Brock. How many Leo Brocks could there be out there? If he was the same man, and Lee had no doubt it was, then the sooner he warned Harry the better.
Lee looked up from his silent thoughts to the approaching steps of his Exec and best friend, Chip Morton.
“Chip, have the machine shop weld together the cage in the missile room, the Admiral's bringing the ape on-board.” Chip's eyebrows rose slightly and then lowered resuming his ever proper stoic XO face. “And let's also add restraining chains, I don't want to take a chance on things getting out of hand.”
“Aye, Sir.” Chip left the control room to handle the preparations for the cargo himself. Working for the Admiral had taught Chip a long time ago to go with the flow. A huge rare white ape was no less crazy than some of the experiments they had hosted on Seaview before.
“Quartermaster, lay up to guest quarters and prepare to receive one guest.” Lee held the mic in his hand until he heard the reply.
“Aye Sir, Quartermaster out.”
Lee returned the mic, the Admiral still had to catch the beast, now wasn't the time to discuss their “passenger” but his mind couldn't help returning to those years ago when he and Brock first met. It was a few months before he signed on with Seaview. Lee's Los Angeles Class submarine, the Baton Rouge had been tagged to provide an extraction for an outpost in the arctic. The team had sent out a distress signal and since the Baton Rouge was patrolling the waters, Lee and his crew got the call.
When Lee arrived at the post, he found the group of
scientists in bad shape, most of their out buildings had been destroyed by an
arctic storm and he found them huddled together in one building with the
generator barely keeping up with the cold outside. Unfortunately, two members of the team had
succumbed to the harsh weather, and a third an older man name Ted Pearson lay
in bad shape suffering from exposure.
The fourth man of the party was Leo Brock, like the others he was
suffering from exposure, but was ambulatory enough to walk out with aid.
Lee oversaw the extraction of Pearson the lead scientist,
and the bodies of his team members.
“Captain Crane,” Pearson called in a weak airy voice,
“please, I need to speak with you.”
Lee bent down to one knee to hear Pearson whose voice was
hard to hear over the generator.
“All of our work is in my locker,” he handed Lee a key as
he spoke, “please, turn it over to the government so this will not be for
nothing. Will you do that for me?”
“Of course, I'll make sure that everything that can be
salvaged will be.” Lee smiled to
reassure Pearson, but they both knew that he was dying.
Pearson nodded, “We all participated, make sure that my
colleagues get the recognition due for their work...and for their sacrifice.”
Lee held onto Pearson's shaky hands in a moment of
comfort, as Pearson slowly closed his eyes and died. Lee's head hung for a moment, such a waste,
he seemed like a good man. He hoped that
their experiments were worth the huge cost they paid, somehow he doubted
it.
He rose and went to the foot locker inserting the
key. He pulled out a series of binders,
each of the binders held the names of each of the team members on the cover
page. The project, Arctic Home, was
beyond his scope of understanding but he did note the generosity of the team
leader's desire to make sure that the entire team received recognition for
their work.
He gave instructions to his crew for the salvage and
picked up the binders turning around, nearly bumping into Brock.
“May I secure those Captain? It's all I have left of my colleagues now.”
Lee shook his head and handed Leo Brock the binders with a
nod. Lee's compassion was evident in his
eyes, it was never a good thing to be sent on a rescue
that ended up as a recovery. He logged
that the binders were in Brock's possession and went about his duties.
Once they cleared the pack ice, the Baton Rouge surfaced
and off loaded their cargo of equipment and the remains of the team to a
waiting vessel. Lee noticed that Brock
held the binders close to him as he left.
Lee followed up the hatch and joined the recovery party on the Navy ship
waiting. A helicopter waited topside to
airlift both Lee and Brock out for the debriefing.
It was at the debriefing that Lee realized that Brock had
made changes in the binders, what all he couldn't fathom, but most notably was
the omission of the other team member's names on the project binders. He tried to speak to Brock about it, but was
summarily dismissed, so he reported the discrepancy to his superiors. He had promised a dying man that the entire
team would be recognized, and he intended to keep that promise.
The investigation had been messy. Brock had managed to convince several of the
project overseers of his validity, but not enough to offset Lee's testimony of
what the binders said before and after reaching Brock's hands. Brock was disgraced, and the names of the
team members were restored to the project.
That had been about four years ago, and Lee hadn't heard of Brock since. He hadn't thought of him since either, glad to put that mission behind him, until now. Leo Brock, the world's biggest fraud who had as little scruples as he had talent was coming aboard his boat.
* * * * *
With the great white ape safely stored, Lee made preparations to take Seaview to her home port of Santa Barbara. He heard the clicks of oxfords on the spiral staircase and looked up to see Chief Sharkey making his way down and inquired about their “guest”.
“Just coming now, Sir.” Chief nodded his head back toward the stairway, he kept his face pleasant but Sharkey had already decided that he didn't like Brock. He was too helpful and yet the lack of sincerity in his voice screamed that he couldn't be trusted. He had an agenda, that he was sure of, he just hoped that Brock behaved himself while on board. Still, he smiled politely to Captain Crane and proceeded to his station.
Lee dipped his head looking over their present course, marking out their first position check for subsequent watches when he heard more footfalls on the spiral staircase. He raised his eyes to see the man that four years ago had sought to steal an entire project from his three dead colleagues. Lee's face clearly showed dislike for the man standing before him.
“So it is the same Lee Crane I knew all those years ago,” Brock’s arrogant and self-serving voice didn't reveal a man repentant for his past sins.
“I'm wondering if it's the same Leo Brock I knew,” Lee could already tell that it was, but he'd give Brock a chance to see if the years since had changed him. If he had any doubts, they were cleared up with Brock's next words.
“I'm a bit more mature, and a great deal more successful.” His smirk and the essence of his statement shouted that Brock's ambition still dictated his life. Lee really needed to talk to Harry about this man. Brock asked for directions to the missile room to check on the beast, and Lee was glad to get him out of the Control Room.
Sharkey listened to the conversation between Brock and the Skipper. They obviously knew each other, and it was apparent that neither one like the other. Sharkey would put his money on the Captain's good judgment any day; he thought he'd better keep a watchful eye out for Brock. If the Skipper didn't trust him, then he was trouble for sure.
Lee continued making position check points for the log book and turned to check the status of the boat. As usual the boat was running all green and in perfect order. So he decided it was time to talk to the Admiral about Brock, at the very least he would need to be restricted to certain areas and perhaps have an escort aboard. Lee didn't trust that any of the Admiral's ongoing experiments would be safe from Brock's ambition so he was going to suggest that the lab be off limits to him.
Lee picked up the mic and hailed the Admiral's private line asking if he had time to discuss Brock. They needed to have this conversation sooner rather than later.
“Alright Lee, come to my cabin now.”
“On my way, Sir.”
Lee left by way of the aft hatch dropping off a duty assignment on the way back to Officer's Country. As he walked he thought back to that mission where the rescue had become a recovery operation. Three men dead, and now this mission, another dead scientist. He didn't have any proof, but something didn't sound right, at the very least tragedy seemed to follow Brock like the plague. He had just finished that thought when he was clubbed from behind and everything went black.
Lee was out cold and wasn't aware of the fact that he was being dragged back to the downward stairs in the aft corridor. Slowly his awareness began to return when he realized that he wasn't in the gentle hands of his crew. Though not completely lucid his sixth sense warned him of impending danger and he woke up in time to keep himself from being hurled down the flight of stairs below him.
He fought back, still dazed by the knock on the head and not performing at his usual abilities. He was aware that his assailant was Leo Brock and realized that if Brock was attacking him on his own boat then things had gone from bad to worse. He made a good showing even in his weakened state, until one of Brock's punches caused him to lose his balance and he fell down the staircase landing hard on the deck below. He barely had a chance to roll onto his hands and knees when Brock descended upon him again.
They exchanged punches, but every blow Lee took weakened him further. He thought he finally had Brock pinned down, but Lee found himself taking a double fisted blow to the chin that threw him against the bulkhead. Everything went black and Lee slid down the bulkhead into a heap on the floor, deeply unconscious.
* * * * *
Brock stood over him, obviously winded. He needed to move Crane before a crew member happened by. He pulled out his handkerchief and twisted it, knotting a ball in the center and then fastened it around Lee's mouth as a gag.
He smiled at himself, Crane was about to pay for the years of disgrace that he suffered because of his self-righteous busy body ways. He picked Lee up by the wrists and dragged him through the corridor to the service hatch he had seen earlier.
He opened the hatch and threw Lee down, without any regard for his safety and then climbed down after him. Brock heard Lee moan as he pulled the hatch closed and hurried down the ladder pulling him over against a huge back-flow valve. He pulled a piece of rope out of one of the ample sized pockets of his jungle attire and turned Lee over on his stomach wrenching his arms behind his back.
Lee groaned again, and this time opened his eyes. Brock tied the ropes cruelly tight with a smile on his face as he did so. He tied his legs together just as Lee's consciousness returned in full. Lee tried to resist, but his weakened state and the way he was hog tied presented too much of a disadvantage. Instead he concentrated on trying to see straight, he didn't even know where he was on the boat; his mind confused by too many blows and tumbles down two sets of ladders.
He felt Brock's knee in his back as he finished the last knot, then Brock turned him over to look into his eyes as he spoke.
“Do you know what happens to disgraced scientists who are accused of stealing other people's work Crane? They spend years on projects of little value or importance. But I rose above that, and now I have an opportunity to further my career even more than Arctic Home could have taken me, and you are not going to stop me again!”
Lee was effectively gagged, and could do nothing but listen to his tirade, what he couldn't figure out was why Brock had bothered to hog tie him all, why not just kill him outright? Brock obviously wasn't taking a chance on Lee telling the Admiral about him, but kidnapping him like this was a one way deal. There was no way that Brock could let him out alive now. Lee's confused mind had just come to that conclusion when he saw Brock pull out a hypodermic needle. Lee's eyes widened, as even his confused mind understood that this was not good.
“I don't have time right now to make you adequately pay for me losing Arctic Home, Crane. First, I need to take care of Admiral Nelson, then you and I are going to have another session. You're going to pay for what you did to me.” Lee swallowed hard as Brock shoved the needle straight through his shirt into his bicep and injected the contents of the needle.
“But I'm going to give you a taste of what's coming. This is a tranquilizer I developed for big game, it's not formulated for human hemoglobin, but I think you can tell that now, can't you?”
He stood watching Lee writhe under the effects of the drug coursing itself through his blood stream. His eyes closed as he fought to maintain control over the pain, as the grunts escaped the gag in his mouth. Brock turned Lee back from his stomach over to his side to look into his face again.
Lee looked into Brock's eyes with as much defiance as his wretched body could handle, then his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell into a dark, disturbing sleep. Brock kicked him back to his previous position and smiled once more. He'd come back and deal with Crane later when he had time to make sure Crane suffered adequately. Right now, he needed to arrange a little accident for Nelson.
With Nelson out of the way, he alone would have Blanchard's notes, and Leo Brock would rise with the great achievement to his credit. He would finally get the recognition his great mind deserved. At that thought he smiled and headed back for the hatch.
* * * * *
Brock left Admiral Nelson's office with a satisfied smirk on his face. He had brilliantly handed off the pen with the by-product masquerading as ink. The by-product produced a scent that caused the ape to act in a primal rage, seeking to destroy the offending source of its rage. It was this very pen that he had used to remove Blanchard from his path of opportunity, but he himself was safe as long as he had the transmitter to control the beast.
Nelson, was none the wiser, only he had left the pen on his desk. For this to work, he'd have to have the pen on his person. He'd come back later, right now he'd try and see if he could get the ape to make his way to Nelson's cabin. This was all too easy.
* * * * *
The search for Captain Crane had now escalated into an all boat search and rescue operation. Chief Sharkey had just arranged for Patterson and Kowalski to join in the search. There was no way that the Skipper would be missing like this if something wasn't wrong. Sharkey looked over at the over grown monkey and blew a breath in a scoff.
He really didn't see how this monkey was worth all the trouble, then he turned to continue his search for the Skipper.
Sharkey had not gotten far when everything broke loose at once. The boat com system was going crazy with sightings of the mad ape. They organized a party loaded with tranquilizer guns to hunt down the beast...again. When they rounded the corridor they met Patterson and Kowalski watching the hatch before them begin to buckle.
“OK guys, give it everything you've got!” Sharkey yelled. Admiral Nelson rounded the corner soon after as they laid down a barrage of darts into the ape, it seemed to no avail. Then the ape inexplicably stood down, turned around and began staggering back toward its cage in the missile room.
“I think it’s had enough Chief, report to the control room when the ape is secure.” Harry turned heading back to the control room, wondering where Lee could possibly be on the boat and not for the first time wondering if Brock had anything to do with it.
Harry entered the control room and found Chip keeping things together in Lee's absence.
“Chip?” Harry's one word understood by the Exec as he began bringing the Admiral up to date.
“DC is repairing two water tight hatches, Sir. Sharkey reports the ape is back in the missile room sleeping it off. We're still on course and making good time.”
“Good, now how about my report on the Captain?” Chip was used to Harry's no nonsense approach and wasn't offended at all as he called Sharkey over for the update.
“Well we were looking for him Sir, but then all this broke loose,” Sharkey's hands waving in his usual demonstrative fashion.
“Well it's over now Chief. Find Captain Crane, something's obviously wrong.” Harry's voice was rough and frustrated, his concern obvious to everyone in the Control Room.
Sharkey's “Aye Sir” was delivered and just as quickly he was out the aft hatch.
“But what about the ape, Sir? What if it wakes and goes wild again?” Chip's concern was completely reasonable and Harry nodded in agreement.
“You're right of course, Chip. Place a guard with a high velocity rifle, if it wakes again put a bullet through its skull.”
Chip nodded approvingly, as Harry headed to his cabin. As he walked Harry thought about the course of events they now found themselves in. Lee obviously had concerns over Brock, but before they could talk he had unexplainably disappeared. He thought about having Brock restricted to his cabin, but the frightened man he just saw frozen in fear against the corridor bulkhead didn't fit the profile of someone who could get the best of Lee Crane, and he did have some experience with the ape as well.
Harry sighed, he just didn't feel he could lock up the man unless he had some proof. He decided the best course of action was to watch him, and hope that all of this was just a coincidence.
* * * * *
Lee began to thrash about as the nightmare he was having brought him to a semi-conscious state. He opened his eyes to look around but couldn't comprehend his surroundings, nor his current predicament. He only knew that his stomach was cramping beyond belief and his blood was on fire. He breathed heavily and tried to rise up when another spasm of pain hit his stomach and curled back into a ball hoping to keep himself from vomiting into the gag that was tied tightly around his mouth. Sweat poured down his face as he willed himself to relax, and he felt his consciousness fade again into another fitful sleep full of disturbing images.
* * * * *
Chip had enough. The boat was under 90 feet of water, Lee had to be somewhere. His worry was palpable by the Control Room crew, everyone knew that nothing would have kept the Captain from reporting if he could. If he could...was he lying hurt somewhere? And if he was, where? They had checked everywhere. The more Chip thought about it, the more it pointed to foul play.
He was just about to get a report from Sharkey who had just walked in, when an alarm sounded alerting the Control Room that a torpedo had just been fired. Chip reached for the mic, demanding answers.
“Missile Room, who gave you permission to fire a torpedo?”
The silence on the other side was deafening as Chip turned to Sharkey summoning him with his head to follow.
“Come on Chief.”
Together they ran to the Missile Room. They walked past the white ape sprawled on the floor, picking up the high powered rifle as they did so.
“Where's the guard?” Chip's question to Sharkey more rhetorical than anything as they made their way over to the firing panel on the back wall.
“Here's the one that was fired, Sir.” Chip and Sharkey looked at the bay, tube number 2, the bay closest to the floor. A quick look at the torpedoes hanging from their ports in the overhead bulkhead revealed that it wasn't a torpedo that had been fired. They both feared for Captain Crane's life, but didn't have a chance to explore the thought as all of the sudden the ape was awake and advancing on them.
Sharkey positioned the rifle to fire, but all they heard was a click. “It's empty Sir.” They started backing away from the beast, Sharkey turning the butt forward to use as an ineffective club as the ape batted it away like a toy. The ape advanced throwing Chip and Sharkey around like rag dolls, first against the wall, and then against the bars of the steel sturdy cage. Then, for no discernible reason the ape left through the hatch.
Chip ran to the mic reporting the ape's whereabouts. And listened as a moment later the ape was reported in an adjacent corridor.
“We're cut off,” Chip stated as he thought out loud.
“We could go through the inspection hatch and meet them on the other side?”
“Good idea Chief, let's go.”
* * * * *
Lee began to come around again, the nightmarish dream he came out of again shocking him to awareness. His stomach cramps had calmed a little, but his head pounded like he was inside a kid's new drum set. He squeezed his eyes closed trying to make sense of why he felt this way, his mind still muddled from the drug not designed for humans at all. He thought he heard something and concentrated on the noise. Something had to start making sense soon.
* * * * *
Sharkey turned the hatch and lifted its heavy lid and ascended the compartment that was only used for maintenance and DC purposes, they would make two compartment changes to end up in the corridor they needed. Sharkey had just entered the first compartment and was helping Chip up when he spotted the curled form of the Skipper on the deck. He was tied hand and foot, with a white gag around his mouth.
“Skipper!” Sharkey yelled as both he and Chip arrived at Lee's side at the same time. Chip removed the gag and Sharkey began working on the rope. They sat Lee up as his awareness began to make a serious come back, but not quite lucid he couldn't recognize the compartment he was in.
“What happened, where is this place?” His confusion apparent to both Chip and Sharkey as he struggled to stay seated on his own.
“I think I'd better get a corpsman to help move him,” Sharkey said taking the initiative, with Chip wholeheartedly agreeing. Something was definitely wrong with Lee; he knew every bolt on the boat, much less every little known compartment around.
Lee's awareness finally hit him, and he realized he needed to get to the Admiral...Brock said that he was going after him too. He said as much to Chip, who wasn't putting too much stock in Lee's brain functions at this point. He had already found the bump the size of a walnut on the back of Lee's head, and small bruises were already making themselves known on his face, testifying of his recent battle.
But along with Lee's awareness returning was his command voice. “Help me up Chip, I've got to find the Admiral.”
Chip sighed, it was going to be another one of those arguments, trying to get Lee to sickbay. But just then the boat began to rock back and forth and lights began to flicker, it was no longer an option, they needed to leave the compartment.
Chip helped Lee to a standing position. He seemed to be getting more lucid and was stronger than when they found him. He watched as Lee held his left arm to his side, a small dot of blood blossomed on his sleeve, though Chip wasn't sure what happened. Lee used the arm sparingly as they switched compartments and ended up under the staircase, by-passing the ape's last known position.
Lee steadied himself on the staircase support pole as Chip ascended the ladder.
“I've got to find the Admiral, get to the control room, Chip.”
“Lee, don't you think you'd better go to sickbay?”
“I'm alright, really. Get to the control room.”
Chip couldn't help roll his eyes at Lee's lack of concern for his own welfare. But right now, one of them needed to be in the control room, and Chip knew that someone was him. He only hoped Lee didn't collapse on the deck looking for the Admiral.
* * * * *
Lee rounded the corner following the sounds of the raging ape. He saw two crewmen down and the ape advancing on Harry. Lee spotted the rifle and reached down to pick it up, but his left arm couldn't bear the weight of the rifle and it was batted away easily by the enraged ape as it swiped the arm that had been injected with the drug. Lee fell and the ape advanced on the by-product in the pen that Brock now wore in his shirt pocket.
Harry retrieved the pen and threw it into the high voltage circuitry room, but Brock was frozen, watching the ape advance. He was frozen in the fear that the ape would bring down the sub and without the transmitter, all he could do was watch. Harry called to him, but he was fixated on the advancing ape until they were both consumed in the electrical mayhem of the room they had fallen into. When the sparks died out, the ape and Brock both lay motionless on the floor, dead.
Harry found his way over to Lee; Patterson and Kowalski having already revived and being helped to their feet by Sharkey. Lee lay on the deck, breathing hard holding his left arm, he started to sit up when Harry placed his hand on his shoulder.
“Rest a moment, Lee. Then you can tell me where you been all day.” Harry's smile giving away his relief at seeing Lee.
“Brock?” Lee asked, unaware of his demise.
“He's dead, Lee.” Harry's words were nearly lost on him as Lee's body gave out once more and he blacked out again.
“Jamie's on his way Admiral,” Harry looked to see Chip who had just walked into the corridor. He knelt down moving closer to Lee as he spoke.
“He didn't look so good when we found him, I think Brock drugged him.” Chip rolled up Lee's left sleeve where he had seen the dot of blood, the injection site was flaming red and bruised. Harry nodded his understanding and moved to make room for Jamie and the corpsman.
“Chip, check Brock's body, see if he has the hypodermic needle still on him; maybe we can give Jamie some help with the junk in Lee's system.”
Chip left and returned a few moments later with a hypo containing several drops of a dark liquid still inside and handed it to Harry.
“Chip thinks Brock used this on Lee.” Harry passed the offending hypodermic needle to Jamie as he eyed the contents and then the red line that was advancing out of the needle site on his arm, following a vein toward Lee's heart.
Jamie's eyebrow creased as he considered the possible dangers, “I'll analyze it as soon as he's stable. Let's get the Captain to sickbay and see what's going on.”
* * * * *
Harry sat beside Lee's bed watching him sleep. Jamie had found an array of bruises across his chest and legs, and he sported a concussion to go with the goose egg on the back of his head. The drops of dark liquid turned out to be a derivative of a tranquilizer, only Jamie found that the additives were not clarified for humans. It was a mean trick to play on Lee, and Harry could only guess at what the effects had been.
Lee began to stir and Harry leaned closer to talk to him, “Lee, can you hear me?”
Lee's eyes fluttered open and he cracked a weak smile at the sight of Harry. “I was worried, Brock said he was going after you.”
“He tried to send the ape to take care of me, but in the end, the ape was his undoing.”
Lee nodded and breathed deeply, “Feel kind of funny...”
“Jamie gave you something to counteract Brock's injection.”
“Hmmm,” Lee began drifting again, and Harry thought that was just fine, he hated to tell Lee that Brock had killed a crewman, right now Lee needed to rest. Later they would hear the entire story but for now, it was enough to know that Lee was going to be alright.
* * * * *
Harry sat in his cabin reading the report he had requested on Lee and Brock's first encounter regarding Arctic Home. It was easy to see that Brock was a madman drunk on his own ambition. He might have even got away with it had he not decided to take his revenge on Lee.
A knock on the door caught his attention, “Come in,” Harry smiled at Lee as he entered the room. Jamie had cleared him from sickbay, but not to duty. Lee was in his dark blue robe still recovering, but looking much better.
“You feeling better Lee?”
“I think I'll live,” he returned Harry's smile and comfortably deposited himself on the rack as Harry walked around his desk leaning back as he talked to Lee.
“For a while there I had my doubts,” Harry admitted.
“So did I, Admiral.” Lee ducked his head, after Jamie had cleansed his system he was able to remember most of his experience, some of it he'd just soon forget.
“I've been reading about Arctic Home, obviously Brock was trying to stop you from telling me about him, but what he really wanted was revenge wasn't it?”
Lee nodded, “He blamed me for losing face after Arctic Home,” Lee looked off in the distance remembering, “when he gave me the tranquilizer he told me it was just the beginning, he wanted me to pay for his years of disgrace, but he also needed to get to me before I talked to you.”
“I think I know what you were going to tell me. You were going to tell me you that you doubted Brock's sanity, weren't you?”
Lee nodded, “Something like that. He was an egomaniac. His only real talent was to fool people who were really talented. Apparently he had Dr. Blanchard completely fooled.”
Harry nodded, “And most of the rest of us too,” Harry walked Dr. Blanchard's notes over to his safe, tucking them safely in. “I think we can put these in cold storage now. The world may be ready for Dr. Blanchard's experiment, but I'm not.”
Lee joined Harry's chuckle as he silently agreed. It was good to laugh again; it hadn't been easy waking up to hear that a crewman had been killed by Brock. On top of that, Harry and Lee both agreed that Blanchard was most likely his victim as well. Who knows how many people had gotten in his way before and were now dead. And if Brock had had his way, both Lee and Harry would have joined those numbers.
Harry noticed that Lee's chuckle had settled into something a little more serious.
“You're thinking about Seaman Yates, Lee?”
Lee nodded, “I'm not sure how I explain to his parents that a mad egotistical scientist killed their son for prestige. It just doesn't make sense.”
“No it doesn't, Lee. No more than Blanchard's death, or the revenge he nearly took out on you. I'm just glad that Brock finally got his recompense for his deeds. I think that's about all the happy ending we can pull out of this one.”
Lee nodded, looking down, and then lifted his eyes to meet Harry's. “It could have been worse Admiral, it really could have.” Lee smiled, he knew that Harry understood what he meant. “And I don't believe you were fooled by Brock, you just didn't have proof yet.”
Harry returned his smile. He and Lee knew each other pretty well, and each one was glad that Brock's plans for the other were thwarted. So they rested back on that knowledge and began talking about the next mission. Their conversation settled into an easy banter, and before long they were laughing again... and that's exactly what they both needed just now.
The End
Vengeance and Recompense
Credits: Please note this story contains direct quotes as well as paraphrased lines and story details from the Season Four episode Fatal Cargo, written by William Welch, directed by Jerry Hopper, Original air date November 5, 1967.
Copyright 2013, All Rights Reserved
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and her main
characters belong to Irwin Allen