Hostage,
a 'Voyage' story
by Seaview Siren.
Claire Crane had been kidnapped. Taken from Admiral Nelson's office by two gunmen. She was one of the most valuable members of Admiral Nelson's staff at the Institute as she was his personal assistant and had been cleared to handle a lot of top secret data. It was believed that was the reason she’d been taken. Plus she was married to Nelson's first in command Lee Crane.
Admiral Nelson had cut a two day conference in Washington short when he’d gotten the word, taken the first flight back to Santa Barbara and was now in his office, waiting for more news.
His face was a mask of worry he tried to hide when anyone came in.
The kidnappers had found one of his weak points. Claire Crane meant the absolute world to him as did Lee. Nelson lit up another cigarette and couldn’t even think about how he was coping.
Captain Crane was in the outer office, worried sick but trying to remain calm. But
that didn't stop him from grabbing Angie’s phone every time it rang, then crashing it back down
when the call hadn't been news of Claire. He'd been here all night and the strain was showing.
Angie had come in early and hadn’t been surprised to see him. After having checked in with the admiral, she’d headed down to the employee’s lounge to make some really strong coffee.
Claire had stayed ashore during the last mission. It had been deemed too dangerous for
her to come along. A wise decision as Seaview had been attacked and damaged while transporting a top secret device to a secret sea lab. It had taken a while to conduct emergency repairs, deliver the device, and get back to port.
Angie returned with a large carafe, and poured out three cups of coffee, but Lee barely noticed her offering him one.
"What do they want from her?” Lee asked, looking out of the window. “Are you sure you didn't recognise any of the men from the security cams?"
“Lee, I’ve told you a thousand times that they knocked all of the cameras offline. By the time the security guards came around from the tasers, they were gone. All that was left was the note that they’d taken Claire. You know the FBI is working on it. And ONI.”
“There’s no ransom. What do they want with her?”
“I think you know that as well as I do,” Nelson said, emerging from his office. “She has enough clearance for us to share some top secret info with her.”
“Yes, but not enough to be of any real use to our enemies…”
“She’s also you wife. I hate to say it, Lee,” Nelson said as he accepted a cup of coffee from Angie, “but they may want to use her as some kid of bargaining chip. But…”
“Yeah, I know. If it’s government info they want, we can’t bargain with them.”
*
Claire didn't know where she was. She'd been taken from the Admiral's office by two armed men in the early morning hours when it was still dark. She had been tased and knocked unconscious.
Claire had found herself in a small windowless room, containing a chair and a bed. Toilet facilities were primitive but at least there was a bucket. She couldn’t even tell what time it was. It was hard not to cry and long for the strong safe arms of her husband.
The door to her room suddenly opened and a tall man walked in.
Claire instantly recognised him from the Institute lab.
"You? Mr. Barry?" she asked, "Why are you holding me?"
"That should be obvious, Mrs. Crane. You have information on the device Seaview delivered to your so called top secret sea lab.”
"How should I know? They don’t give me any details!"
"You’re lying. And I think you may change your mind about not cooperating.”
"I don't know anything!"
.”I don’t believe you don’t know anything. As for telling me what I want to know, you may change
your mind."
Barry clicked a device in his hand, and two men appeared." Take her to the chamber.”
"Chamber, w-what chamber?"
"All will be revealed Mrs. Crane!"
In seconds the men dragged her out.
*
The chamber was also windowless, and cold as she was shoved into it, and manacled to the rings in the cold stone wall.
“Now we need to bare a little skin.”
“Let me go! Stop it! Oh, God, stop it!” she shouted, struggling against the manacles and the men, who ripped the back of her blouse open and pulled the pretty little heart shaped pendant necklace from her neck.
"You bastards!" Claire cried.
*
Chip Morton and Chief Sharkey were now in the Institute office, Kowalski, Riley and
Patterson too. Claire Crane was well thought of, the men wanted to help.
"We should be hearing something, a ransom demand, anything!" Lee said wearily.
"We've made a search of the Institute grounds Sir," Kowalski informed him.
"We've been round the whole area, no sign," Riley said.
"Anyone phones the Captain now we can trace the call," Chief Sharkey informed Lee after Security and the police department had set up the equipment to do so.
*
"Maybe this will loosen your tongue a little Mrs. Crane!" Paul Barry said and used a whip on her back. Once, twice, three times, but to no avail even as she cried out in pain.
"Tell me!”
"I'm telling you nothing!" Claire shouted defiantly at him.
"You will!” he yelled and began to whip her until the blood flowed from her back.
“You’re a determined little woman, aren’t you, my dear,” Barry said as Claire hung from the rings, sobbing. “You just think about what else we can do to you…surely it’s worth the price for a little info and returning you to your husband, shall we say, somewhat intact?”
He snorted and left with the guards, locking the cell.
Claire’s back burned with the lacerations, and blood dripped onto the floor. How could she resist much longer…but she had to. She just had to.
*
Paul Barry arrived at the Institute for his shift, parking his blue station wagon in a space.
He headed over to the main foyer and went inside. Nobody paid him much notice, as had been part of his plan all along.
Meanwhile the first CCTV tapes, the ones that forensics had recovered from the satellite imagining system the institute grounds had, had turned up nothing. Lee was rubbing his tired eyes, exhausted.
Just when the group watching the screen were about to give in, they saw a car pull next to the Administration Building, waiting for two men, one of whom was carrying the unconscious Claire in a fireman’s carry to the trunk.
"That's Paul Barry, a lab technician!" Angie cried.
“But he’s here now!” Tish said, “I saw him pull up a few minutes ago.”
Lee ran to his office and armed himself, joined shortly after Nelson who’d done the same. By the time they reached the lab, Security joined them and the police had been summoned.
*
Barry was filling a test tube when the door slammed open, and was grabbed by Crane.
"Where’s my wife, you bastard?”
"Patience Captain, patience. You too, Admiral, It’s not time yet.”
Lee tightened his grip and held his gun against Barry’s head
“Take me to my wife or I swear I’ll kill you!”
“Then you’ll never find her, will you.”
Just then Ski and Patterson entered with two struggling men.
"You said we'd be safe!" one of the men shouted at Barry.
“You were paid, Avery. Don’t whine to me about the best laid plans.”
"Where is she!” Nelson yelled.
Barry just laughed.
“He wanted the SCS device,” Avery said. “She knows where it is.”
“Where is my wife!” Lee shouted.
“I’ll tell you if you give me amnesty.”
“Don’t you dare, Avery,” Barry ordered. “You neither, Baker. You know what will happen to you if you do.”
“And you know what will happen to you if you don’t,” Chip aimed his gun at Avery and Baker.
*
Two police cars, one with Avery and Baker in cuffs, drove their prisoners, Crane, Sharkey, and Ski up to the dilapidated building. As soon as they entered they began calling Claire’ name as they rand toward the cell the prisoners had pointed out.
“Here! Down here!” Claire called out, her voice hoarse from crying for help in the abandoned building. The police fired guns at the lock and rushed in with Lee, Sharkey, and Ski.
Lee ripped off his jacket and placed it over Claire’s shoulders while the police used a universal key to unlock the manacles. She melted into Lee’s arms as he helped her to put on the jacket.
“It’s all over. It’s all over,” he kept saying as he embraced her.
*
“You were lucky in a way,” Nelson said after Claire had been released from the Med Bay. “You know what else they might have done to you.”
“Small comfort to my back. Next time, let me come along on your top secret missions? I'm safer aboard Seaview.”
“Well,” Chip said as he joined them, “Paul Barry was working for known terrorists and is in Federal custody now. Avery and Baker are too, but will face lesser sentences due to their cooperation.”
“You’re sure she’s okay?” Lee was asking the doctors that had attended to Claire.
“She’ll be fine. Just make sure you treat her back like we showed you…and let her get plenty of rest.”
“No worry about that,” Lee wrapped his arm gently around her shoulders, careful not to press against her wounds. “Isn’t that right, Admiral?”
“Take as much time as you need.”
THE END.