When the ship got close enough, Alexander fired off a laser flare. To everyone's
delight the flare was answered from the oncoming ship. "They see us!" Lucas
yelled happily.
Ortiz was
also overjoyed. He threw his arms around Anna and hugged her. He had forgotten
how strong GELFs were as she nearly squeezed all the air out of his lungs.
In her joy, Penelope kissed Dagwood on the cheek. He rubbed his cheek
in wonder. He thought he kind of liked that. William and Corrine also shared
an embrace.
Katie looked up at Brody. He must have been deeply asleep to not be arroused
by all this commotion. She reached up and put her hand on his forehead. He
felt feverish. She was doubly glad help had finally arrived.
On board the Channing Princess, Tyler Channing stood next to her captain
- Bill "Rags" Ragsdale on the yatch's bridge. She peered through some powerful
binoculars.
"I don't know, Ty," Rags worried "We got a hell of a lot of contraband electronic
monitoring equipment on board. Do we dare chance it?"
"Rags, we can't just leave people stranded. This must be the source of those
explosions we picked up. I don't see a lot of debris in the water," she mused.
"Wonder if it was a collision or what."
"Nothing much around for them to have hit," Rags put in. "Maybe their engine
blew."
"That wouldn't have necessarily sunk them. We didn't pick up any maydays
or other distress signals. Whatever it was it must have happened fast."
"I still say we could call for help for them and get the hell out of here."
"Boats that size are pretty hard to spot from the air," Tyler disagreed.
"Besides there's a storm due soon. We have to render assistance. What the
hell kind of seaman are you?" she teased.
"One that would just as soon stay out of jail."
"We can keep them out of CC's inner sanctum. We'll let them get cleaned up
and feed them and drop them off on one of the islands or transfer them to
a Coast Guard vessel if we can radio one," Tyler decided.
"You're living in the past, Ty. The Coast Guard lost most of its funding
years ago. They just patrol right off shore. This far out is strictly UEO
territory. I don't think we want to tangle with them."
"Those lifeboats look commercial not the usual passenger liner fare. Maybe
they can contact their company to arrange transport and we won't have to
deal with any authorities at all," Tyler told him.
"Always the optimist," he teased.
"If I wasn't, I would have gotten out of this game years ago," she confessed.
As the ship got closer Katie was disappointed to note it was not a military
or even commercial vessel but a damn party yatch. In her estimation they
were the scourge of the seven seas. Rich people who thought all rules and
especially the maritime laws were not meant for them. They still freely dumped
trash into the ocean and drunkenly caused accidents or sent out distress
signals for a joke just to see who would answer. She'd gotten behind schedule
twice answering bogus distress signals. Still, she'd take back every rotten
thing she'd ever said about them if this one picked them up. The sky was
clear now but she smelled another storm in the air. Chief Crocker had once
said you could do that and she'd laughed at him but it was true.
The yatch came almost to a dead stop when it got close so its wake would
not endanger the lifeboats. Katie appreciated that piece of seamanship. It
crept closer at idle and Katie could read the name painted on bow. The Channing
Princess. Katie had seen this yatch before. It belonged to the spoiled daughter
of the head of the company she worked for. She'd even been in the same room
with her before. Tyler Channing was everything she hated in women. It wasn't
just that she was beautiful and rich. Hell, if she was rich enough any woman
could be beautiful. It was the way she pouted and schmoozed the room, flirting
and making eyes at all the men. Letting them admire her like she was a prize
heifer at a cattle auction. Everything was perfect about her. Perfect hair,
perfect clothes, perfect tan, perfect body. A complete package put on earth
as trophy for her father and some other lucky man. Every man in the room
practically slobbered all over himself. Woman like her made it so difficult
for any other woman to be accepted as more than fluff. The worst part was
how eager this girl had been for all this attention. She lived to please
men and herself, of course. She was spoiled rotten. Any little thing she
wanted Daddy joyously provided. Poor little rich girl. All the material things
under the sun but totally empty inside.
Katie looked around at her own situation. Sure, she was wet and bedraggled
but she was surrounded by real people. People who had real lives and who
came through in a pinch. Suddenly she felt a little sorry for the plastic
princess and her hollow existence. She decided she wouldn't want to trade
places with her.
Tyler Channing herself stood on the sun deck on the bow of the yatch as they
came along side. The engines came to a full stop and two members of the yatch's
crew lowered a ladder over the side. Tyler came to that position. "Is everyone
alright?" she called down to them as they maneuvered the lifeboats up to
side of the yatch. She sounded genuinely concerned.
"I have two injured men here," Katie told her.
"Let's get you all on board. The weather service says there's a storm coming.
Help them," she told the crewmen.
Dagwood and Penelope went forward. Penelope showed him how and together they
pulled the lifeboat into line with the yatch and held it fast so the others
could exit. Katie got off first.
"I'm Tyler Channing," Tyler extended her hand.
"Katherine Hitchcock..." Katie began.
"I know you. Didn't we meet at one of my father's receptions?"
"Yes." Katie was astounded that the princess would remember her but then
got down to business. "I captain the Carlton. Or I did. Look, I really
need to call the office."
"Let's get everybody onboard and cleaned up and fed and give my captain a
chance to skirt this storm. You'll get a clearer connection that way," Tyler
said nodding at the clouds that were forming on the horizon.
Katie nodded. It made sense. She couldn't believe this airhead could think
so clearly. She should see to her crew first. It's not like her ship could
be saved.
William picked up Brody. Brody cried out in his sleep. Anna checked him over
quickly then nodded for William to proceed up the ladder with him. Corrine
helped Lucas then Ortiz to his feet once William and Anna were safely on
the yatch. Ortiz pulled his blanket tighter around himself.
"Are you still that cold?" Lucas asked him.
"No," Ortiz admitted, "but I'm not wearing any pants."
Lucas laughed.
"It's not funny."
"Yes it is."
Lucas and Corrine made him go up the ladder first. He grumbled under his
breath as he climbed with one hand and tried to hold the blanket in place
with the other. With both Corrine and Penelope still below him in the lifeboat,
he told himself this was payback for all the times in grade school when he
and his friends tried to look up the girls' dresses. Then he told himself
he was being ridiculous. Before he could converse with himself any further
he reached the deck and two deck hands helped him onboard. He couldn't believe
how rubbery his legs felt once he was on the deck.
"Are you alright?" Katie grabbed his arm.
"Yeah. My legs just feel sorta weak."
"Well, you lost some blood. You're bound to be a little weak."
"Why don't you sit down for a minute," Tyler suggested sliding a deck chair
over to him.
Both women pushed him into the chair before he could object. It was impossible
for him to keep the blanket in place and his secret was revealed. Neither
woman took a bit of notice that he was in his underwear.
Lucas came up the ladder behind him. "Oh you poor thing." Tyler tilted Lucas'
chin and looked at his bruise. "We'll have to get you some ice."
Lucas just nodded stupidly. Ortiz doubted the kid's feet even touched the
deck.
When they were all onboard Tyler led them off the deck and into a large party
room. "I have the cook preparing a meal. Pete here will show you all where
the crew's showers are. They are rounding up some dry cloths for you all
to put on. Captain, you come with me to my cabin. I'm sure I can find something
for you. We look about the same size. Then you can tell me what happened
over lunch."
"Somehow I knew you'd like this place," Jamie said after they'd been in the
Atlantis shop for a few minutes. "Of course, a lot of this is reproductions.
Knock offs for the tourists, so to speak. But the stuff in these display
cases is authentic. At least authentic of the period. Some people believe
Atlantis is a myth but you don't, do you?"
Ford didn't answer. He was wrapped up in looking at the artifacts. Deep inside
he could swear he felt some distant hint of a memory he could not quite recall.
He ran his hand reverently over the case as if getting closer to the artifacts
would make things clear.
"The spirit of Atlantis is strong in you," she said softly.
"I beg your pardon." He seemed to come to.
"I would have taken you for a skeptic," she went on.
He looked confused.
"I wouldn't have thought you believed in Atlantis."
"Why not? You obviously do."
"But I'm one of those crackpot psychics," she teased. "We're suppose to believe
in whacky stuff. You're serious and practical, you're .." She interrupted
herself with a gasp. "You have proof! You found something...."
"No, I uh.."
"It's alright. I understand. It's classified. I don't NEED proof. I always
believed. You did, too. Deep down inside," she stated simply.
It unnerved him to have a stranger know so much about him. To know things
he barely admitted to himself.
"You can't fight genetic memory," she told him. "It doesn't lessen you. It
makes you greater."
He looked at her. The dimness of the shop gave her an air of mystery. He
wasn't sure if he liked the things she was saying but he was fascinated by
them. He told himself to get a grip. Strange feelings were washing over him
and he had to be careful not to get lost in them. He had to maintain control.
He forced himself to walk away from the display case and look around the
rest of the shop. Suddenly she grabbed his wrist and spun him around toward
her. "Joshua!"
"Jonathan," he corrected her.
"No. Joshua. Dr. Levin. He's in trouble!" She suddenly looked very pale.
Her breathing was rapid. She closed her eyes in deep concentration. He'd
seen Wendy do this kind of thing before. He trusted her intuition.
"Where
is he?" he asked.
"I see water - the sea- all around them. His friend - your doctor- is with
him. They are in one of the observation subs. That way." She pointed to the
southwest. "It's hard for them to breathe." She opened her eyes and looked
at him. "It must be some kind of mechanical problem. They are running out
of time!"
"Can you find them?"
"Yes."
"Come on." He grabbed her hand and ran back toward seaQuest. The Stinger
was the fastest underwater vehicle they had and it had been equipt with the
rescue pack when they thought they would be picking up the survivors of M
R 4.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Channing, but that's the way it is," the captain told him.
"If the seaQuest is going to be involved there's no way we're pulling
anything else. We lost 3/4 of the fleet already."
"I got replacements on the way. They should be here anytime," Rupert Channing
jr. tried to reason with him.
"I don't care what you have coming. We are not going up against the
seaQuest. Not for any amount of money."
"Fine," Channing spat. "Pick up your pay. I can find other crews with more
guts."
"Nobody is stupid enough to go up against the seaQuest."
"I've got a crew that's not afraid of anything."
"One crew," the captain laughed. "In how many deltas?"
"One's all I need," Channing mused. "I'll just switch to plan B. I'm getting
rid of New Atlantis one way or another."
Nathan Bridger helped Kristin wriggle out of her scuba tank. "Whew. Thank
you," she breathed, pulling off her cowl and face mask.
"You're welcome." He also felt a bit winded as they readjusted to the atmosphere
of New Atlantis. He reached down and took off his flippers. "You were right.
That was a workout."
"Now who's out of shape?" she teased.
'Certainly not you' he thought admiring her figure. Before he could make
any verbal comment he heard his name yelled. They both turned in that direction.
"Captain Bridger!" Ben Kreig screamed again. He ran down the ramp toward
them. This was not the cool, collected, conniving Kreig they were used to.
He was very upset. He was pale and shaky and tears streamed unabashedly down
his face. When he reached them he tried to grab Bridger by the lapels but
as the wet suit had no lapels he grabbed his shoulders instead. "It's Katie,"
he sobbed openly. "We gotta GO. We gotta save her!"
"Ben, what are you talking about?" Bridger demanded. Kreig's uncharacteristic
behavior was unnerving.
"Katie. Katie." Kreig was running out of breath.
"Breathe, Ben," Kristin commanded. "You're hyperventilating."
Krieg gulped in the necessary oxygen.
"Now calm down and tell me what's wrong," Bridger told him.
"It's Katie's ship," he gasped. "It's missing!"
"Missing?! How do you know?"
"I got a guy - friend - contact- what have you - in the offices at Chanoil.
You know, to keep tabs on Katie."
"To SPY on her?!" Westphalen was floored.
"No. Just to be sure she's alright! She's the closest thing to a family I
ever had and ..and I worry about her," Kreig admitted honestly, brushing
a tear off his cheek.
"Tell me, how you know her ship is missing?" Bridger repeated.
"She missed two scheduled check-ins. You know Katie. She would never do that.
I tried calling Channing through official channels and they are denying there's
a problem or that the ship's missing at all!"
"Ben, " Bridger began patiently. This was a side of Kreig he'd never seen.
"Maybe it's just a radio problem."
"And maybe they've been hijacked! Or sunk!" His voice cracked with emotion.
"I may have to sedate him," Kristin commented honestly.
"Look," Ben said angrily. "This is not so farfetched. My contact admitted
they lost another supertanker last month. It was attacked and sunk!"
"Sunk? By whom?"
"Reef huggers," Ben spat. "Come on, we can't just sit around. The seaQuest
has got to go look for them." Ben dragged him farther down the ramp toward
the seaQuest.
"Ben, the seaQuest has been ordered to defend New Atlantis. I can't
just....."
"It's not just Katie," Ben screamed. "What about Lucas? And Ortiz and that
smug Lieutenant and the plaid guy. They were with her. What if they are stranded
or hurt?!" He was shaking Bridger by now. A pair of security guards from
the seaQuest ran up the ramp and pulled Kreig off.
"And what if it's just a communications glitch?" Bridger tried to calm him.
"So you're not going to DO anything?" Kreig looked like he'd cry again.
"I'm going to go check with MY sources at the UEO. They might have some
information. If you can act like a rational human being you can come along,"
Bridger told him.
Kreig nodded and Bridger led him and Westphalen onto seaQuest. They
made their way through sea deck. Bridger spotted Tony. "Where's Commander
Ford?" He barked.
"Uh - he and a girl just took off in Lucas' Stinger," Tony reported.
"What?!"
"He and a girl - uh - woman just took off in the Stinger."
"Did she have him at gun point?" Westphalen wondered sardonically.
Bridger didn't comment. He just handed Tony the vocorder to put away and
turned on his heel and headed for the bridge. Kreig and Westphalen followed.
As Tony was gazing after them Darwin breached the water in the moonpool and
chirped at him. "You got that right, Fishface. Hubba hubba," Tony commented.
Katie stepped out of the shower. She felt 100% better after she had washed
the salt water out of her hair and off her skin. Tyler Channing had laid
out some clothes for her and told her to help herself to whatever she needed.
She had to admit she couldn't bring herself to dislike her as much as she
had before. She seemed to be going out of her way to be helpful and accommodating
to her and her crew. After she'd dried her hair she went out into the hallway.
Tyler was waiting for her out there.
"That outfit looks good on you," she said kindly. "I thought it would."
Why did this bimbo feel the need to compliment her? Katie fumed silently.
Worse yet, why did the compliment make her feel good? Maybe she was just
being nice, Katie tried to keep a civil attitude. As she followed Tyler down
a hall lined with small staterooms they heard Brody scream from one them.
"Your medic is with him," Tyler explained. "What happened to him?"
"He was shot," Katie was disgusted.
"Shot?! By whom?"
"Reef huggers," Katie spat.
"Reef huggers?!" Tyler gasped. "That's not possible!"
"It's possible alright," Katie said through clenched teeth. "They boarded
the Carlton last night and sunk him."
"The Carlton? Isn't that a supertanker?! My God! The spill ---"
"There was no spill. The only petroleum in the water was from my engines.
It burned off."
"Thank God for that, but still it couldn't have been reef huggers. They never
---"
"I guess the bastards are getting more aggressive." Katie went up the small
staircase and pulled open the door to the main room. She really didn't want
to argue the merits and practices of reef huggers with someone so far removed
from reality. She heard Brody cry out again. The sound cut right through
her. She knew Anna was doing the best she could for him. She wanted to check
on the rest of her crew. She walked into the room. The GELFs were helping
one of the stewards set up a table and chairs. Lucas looked like he'd already
showered. He wore clothes that looked about a size and a half too big. He
was sitting on a long padded bench that ran the entire length of the room.
Ortiz, who also looked like he'd cleaned up, half sat and half laid down
on the bench. He appeared to be asleep. She hurried over to them. "Is he
okay?"
"I think so. Anna changed his bandage. He just said he was tired and fell
asleep."
"The poor guy," Tyler joined them. "He can't be comfortable sleeping like
that. Esteban," she called to one of the stewards, "find him a bed. He can
eat later."
The steward came over and spoke to Ortiz in Spanish. Ortiz still seemed out
of it. Esteban helped Ortiz to his feet and led him toward the staterooms.
Over lunch Katie told their story. She finished by swearing at the reef
huggers again.
"But, Katie," Lucas stated softly, "it just doesn't make sense that it was
reef huggers."
"You heard them, Lucas," Katie yelled without meaning to, "they wanted to
return the oil to the sea."
"But once the oil's been drilled returning it to the sea is disastrous,"
he insisted.
"Not if it doesn't spill then no one makes a profit from it. Do they really
think they can put Channing Oil out of business?" Katie wondered with a laugh.
"Sucking the ocean's resources dry puts us all out of business, doesn't it?"
Tyler asked.
Katie laughed. "Coming from you that's really funny." Katie looked around
meaningfully. "You, of all people, can't buy into that reef hugger crap.
Look, we must have skirted that storm by now. I've GOT to make a call and
report this."
"You can't do that," Tyler sounded almost desperate "You have no idea what
a witch hunt my father will instigate."
"He didn't last time."
"Last time?"
"They did the same thing last month with the Clinton. They aren't
just a harmless bunch of crackpots any more."
"NO!" Tyler yelled. "Reef huggers do NOT sink tankers or shoot people or
slash their throats or beat up little boys!"
"Little boy?" Lucas yelped but everyone ignored him.
"Look, Miss Channing, I appreciate all you've done for me and my crew. Honestly,
I do, but when it comes to defending a bunch marauding, pirating cutthroats
posing as concerned citizens I just have to say you don't know what you're
talking about!" Katie fought hard to rein in her anger.
"But I do, Captain," Tyler said quietly. "You see, I am the head of COI."
"Of what?"
"The Coalition for Oceanic Integrity, "Lucas supplied.
Katie looked quizzically at her.
"Reef huggers," Tyler explained. "That's how I KNOW we are not responsible
for any of those atrocities."
"But you - you live off the fat of Channing Oil?!"
"Exactly. Who better than me to try to help the Ocean and give something
back to the planet? Who owes a greater debt?"
"But, I always thought the reef huggers were a ragtag bunch of radicals that
had no money to ---"
"We started out that way but then I realized I should use my share of my
father's wealth for the cause. And you'd be surprised what you can get a
bunch of foolish old rich men to donate to, albeit unwittingly, if you just
bat your eyes at them. Men can be such fools."
Katie was astounded. All the time she'd thought the men were using Tyler
she'd been using them to promote her own cause. Executives of Channing and
other oil companies were donating to their enemy without even knowing it.
Part of her loved the irony in that but she still didn't approve of reef
huggers or their tactics and now that she realized how well funded they were
another idea occurred to her. "Does your arsenal include delta subs?"
"What? Of course not. Delta subs are primarily weapons. We don't approve
of weapons being trained on the oceans or on people. Why do you ask?"
"Our shuttle was attacked by four deltas," Lucas told her. "We were carrying
supplies for New Atlantis."
"Dear old Dad's conscience-easing project," she muttered. "I don't approve
of that at all, either. That area was set aside as conservation area. The
reef and other wildlife are too fragile for man to be monkeying with."
"But it's a science center," Lucas objected.
"I'm afraid I don't bend my knee at the alter of science," she told him.
"Scientists are those wonderful people that gave us things like the atom
bomb."
"They gave us a lot of other things too!" Lucas was incensed. "Things we
need to live everyday. My dad is a scientist."
"Mine was too, once and look at all the havoc he has wrecked upon the Earth's
oceans. I know him. This place is all a sham."
"Why don't you come and see for yourself," Lucas challenged.
"Walk right into the lair of the enemy?" Tyler laughed.
"If you're not guilty of those crimes what have you got to be afraid of?"
"There are plenty of people that don't approve of what we stand for. They
assume, as you did, that we are guilty."
"I didn't assume it. I doubt very much other scientists would either. It
would not be logical for environmentalist to commit this type of crime."
"I'm afraid you don't speak for New Atlantis," Tyler said gently.
"No. But I know people who do. And they are not just little boys,"
he added bitterly.
"I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "That was insensitive of me. You are certainly
no little boy."
"No and he never was," said a voice from the doorway.
"C C!" Tyler seemed surprised to see him.
"Carlisle?!" Lucas gasped "Carlisle Channing?"
"I thought that was your annoying, whiney voice."
"I don't whine. I never whined," Lucas declared.
"You two know each other?" Tyler couldn't believe it.
"Luke the Spook?" Carlisle continued to tease. "Hell, yes. We were roommates
at Stanford. No one else could stand either of one us. He was 10 and I was
obnoxious," Carlisle stated proudly.
"I
was 12," Lucas corrected. "Somehow I never connected you with Channing Oil.
I didn't know you were rich. I just thought you were obnoxious."
"Hey, I taught you everything you know about arrogance," Channing reminded
him.
"And I taught you all you know about Applied Artificial Intelligence," Lucas
teased back.
"Why you..." Channing almost fell for it. "Good, kid. You do me proud." He
messed up Lucas hair and the two old roommates swatted each other playfully.
"Look, Spook, since my blabbermouth sister has spilled her guts to you, let
me show you my set up. You're gonna crap your pants with envy."
"I doubt that very much," Lucas stated flatly. "I have the seaQuest."
"What?!"
"I'm the computer specialist on the seaQuest."
"You're not in the Navy?"
"Nope. I'm a civilian consultant."
"Talk about havin' your cake and eatin' it too," Carlisle ceded. "Damn. I
taught you good."
"You taught me?!" Lucas disagreed following Carlisle back the way he had
come.
"You two play nice," Tyler called after him. Carlisle made an obscene gesture
and let the door slam behind him.
"Small world," Katie commented. "I can't imagine being in college at 12."
"If Lucas was 12 then they were both emotionally the same age," Tyler commented.
"But it looks like Lucas, at least, grew up. Is he really with the
seaQuest?"
"Yes," Dagwood said proudly. "So am I."
Bridger burst on to the bridge with Kreig and Kristin hot on his heels.
"O'Neill!" he barked at Tim who was back on duty.
"Aye, sir?"
"Have there been any distress calls or maydays in the last 24 hours from
any commercial vessels?"
"No sir. All those channels are constantly monitored and it's been quiet."
"What if they didn't send out a distress signal? What if there wasn't time?"
Kreig demanded.
"Well, lifeboats have automatic distress beacons," Bridger pointed out.
"Begging your pardon, sir, but commercial lifeboats are not required to have
them and even if they did they may not have underwater capabilities," O'Neill
pointed out. Kreig had called looking for Bridger and told O'Neill of his
suspicions. He had somehow thought O'Neill would take the seaQuest
on a search and rescue mission all on his own. O'Neill had referred him to
Bridger. "There might be something a surface vessel could pick up," he added
hopefully.
"Ortiz," Bridger commanded, "send a WSKRS up to the surface and do a wide
area sweep to....." His eyes fell on Ortiz' glaringly empty seat.
"I'll do it, sir," Lonnie volunteered quietly, switching to his position.
Tears burned at her eyes. No one could do this as well as Ortiz. Now he was
one of the ones that might need rescuing.
"Captain!" O'Neill looked up. "I have Commander Ford in the Stinger. He's
declaring a medical emergency."
"Now what?" Bridger's patience were being tried. "Put it up on the screen
and try to locate Wendy." He looked at Kristin.
"I'm afraid our medical facilities are still being put in place. The med
bay here is your best bet. I'd be glad to help, of course," she told him.
"Thanks," he breathed.
The vidscreen came on. A very worried looking Ford appeared. Bridger was
tempted to harangue him about joy riding in a company vehicle. That sounded
more like something Lucas would do than the ever law abiding Ford. He tried
to put thoughts of Lucas out of his mind and deal with this new crisis.
"Captain, " Ford began, "I have Wendy and Dr. Levin. They are both
unconscious. The sub they were in apparently lost life support."
"Oh dear Lord!" Westphalen stated. "Have a med team meet them in the docking
bay. I'll get things ready in medbay."
"Call for a med team," Bridger told O'Neill and headed for the docking bay.
Kreig followed him like a puppy.
Ford eased the Stringer into its bay carefully. He was towing the disabled
sub. They got everybody out. Jamie ran along with the med team and the two
unconscious patients.
"Who's your friend?" Bridger asked as Ford climbed out of the pilot's seat.
"Oh, that's Jamie Leyton. She's Dr. Levin's assistant. She is the one that
alerted me to the situation," Ford said seriously.
'Good old dependable Ford,' Bridger thought. 'How could I have ever thought
he would do anything that wasn't strictly by the book?' "What do you think
" he asked aloud, "another 'accident'?"
"This was no accident," Kreig declared. Bridger had forgotten he was there.
He had climbed onto the disabled sub. He held a partially frayed piece of
tubing in his hand. "This was cut enough so it would give way once the sub
had left New Atlantis."
Bridger, Ford and Kreig paced around the waiting area of med bay. At last
Kristin came out of the examining room.
"They'll be fine," she smiled. "You got to them in time. Thank the good Lord."
Bridger handed her a cup of coffee. "You look like you could use this."
"Can I ever. So what is it? An accident or sabotage?" she asked directly.
"No accident," Bridger was blunt but before he could explain farther the
med bay intercom clicked on.
"Sorry to bother you, Captain," O'Neill said. "But you have an urgent
call from a Captain Hudson of the Recovery."
"What now?" Bridger moaned. "Alright, transfer it to Wendy's office. I'll
take it down here."
"Aye, sir."
They all trouped into Wendy's office as the view screen lit up.
"What the hell kind of an outfit are you running here, Bridger?" the angry
looking man demanded.
"Nice to see you too, Oliver," Bridger forced his voice to be calm.
"Enough with that," Hudson dispensed with the pleasantries. "I've just come
from your shuttle incident. Not much left after the 86 engaged. I'm barging
the remains of the deltas back to Cape Quest for analysis. There's very little
for the lab boys to play with. We did recover some cargo marked for this
place though. HQ wants it delivered but that damn fool docking master won't
give me clearance."
"I'll take care of that," Kristin promised and picked up the desk phone.
"Good," Hudson remarked sarcastically. "I'm glad somebody is in charge."
"I AM in charge," Kristin stated not liking his tone of voice.
"Nathan, you were supposed to declare martial law," Hudson pointed out.
"WHAT?!" Kristin shrieked.
"I didn't think it was necessary," Bridger said through clenched teeth. Hudson
thrived on getting people's goats and he wasn't giving in to him.
"The UEO does. We need a command post," Hudson said matter of factly.
"How about my office?" Kristin offered sarcastically.
"Fine." Hudson was serious "Have all principles meet me there in 20 minutes.
Hudson out." He ended the transmission.
"That arrogant son of a bitch!" Kristin did not mince words.
"This is one of his good days," Bridger commented.
Rupert Channing sat in the lounge of his personal submarine. The image
of docking master of New Atlantis filled the vidscreen. "You now have a SECOND
UEO sub in port?!" Rupert yelled furiously.
"Westphalen overrode me and gave him clearance. He said he was delivering
stuff from that wrecked shuttle but I think he's got more than that in mind."
"What makes you say that?"
"I've heard of this guy Hudson. He's a real bulldog. Once he gets a hold
of something he doesn't let go. He's worse than Bridger or Crocker."
"If he's going to be a problem you know what to do."
"You want the UEO swarming all over this place? Kill one of their captains
and that's what will happen."
"The UEO screwed me up once. I've gone to a great deal of trouble and expense
to see that that does not happen again. Captain Hudson may have to meet with
an accident and see that it is considered that."
"Even accidents don't always come off as planned."
"They do if they are planned right. I pay you to do things right," Channing
said evenly. "I don't want any mistakes this late in the game."
Crocker had checked out the observation sub the two scientists had been in.
Kreig was right. Lines to both the life support and power unit had been cut.
It was a pretty sloppy job, too. This sub had been intended to be in the
water awhile before it was found. Currents would have washed a lot of the
evidence away or maybe even crashed the sub into the reef destroying all
clues. People that had access to this sub were limited. Crocker had secreted
himself in an unused bay. He'd placed bugs of his own and tiny but powerful
hidden cameras in the whole area. So far he'd caught a couple of guys goofing
off but nothing sinister. He was so busy watching his portable monitoring
station that he didn't notice the hatch to this bay was suddenly placed in
the locked position. He wasn't aware of any trouble till the outside hatch
opened and the bay began to quickly fill with sea water. He knew the inner
hatch would not open while the outer hatch was opened. He was trapped!
Captain Oliver Hudson sat behind Dr. Kristin Westphalen's large desk. He
had made himself completely at home. He had readjusted the chair and shoved
all of her personal doodads into a desk drawer. She sat across the desk from
him silently fuming. He did not even look up from the reports he was reading.
Bridger sat next to her. He was as angry as she was by Hudson coming and
usurping his authority. He knew Kristin. A big military show of force was
going to end all cooperation on her part and make this job twice as hard
as it needed to be.
Ford and Kreig sat on chairs against the wall. One chair was empty.
Hudson looked at his watch. "I wouldn't even include an ordinary rent-a-cop
at this meeting," he said simply. "But I know Crocker. He's a good man. Where
the hell is he?"
"It's possible he didn't get my message," Kristin pointed out.
"Your message? You didn't send someone after him? I love the way you civilians
do things." He shook his head. He took an antibugging devise from his pocket
and put it on the desk. "I'll talk to him later. Alright, people, talk to
me. What do we know?"
Tyler took Katie down to CC's inner sanctum as her brother called the special
room onboard the Channing Princess that housed all of his sophisticated
electronics and ocean monitoring devices. Katie had no idea, though Lucas
certainly did, that most of the things in this room were illegal for civilians
to use much less own. They told her that this was how they knew about the
explosions that sunk her ship.
"Do you suppose with all this there is anything that I could make a phone
call on?" Katie wondered.
"Chanoil already knows you're missing," CC told her. "Although they are
officially denying it. I monitor them, too."
"Are they sending someone to look for us?"
"That would be admitting there was a problem."
"They were going to let us just rot in lifeboats?!"
"It's all bottom line with them," CC said. "You are one person with no family
to report you missing. No one worries about the GELFs. They could easily
hush this one up. They don't want wildcat salvagers to get wind of this.
That's a hell of a lot of oil sitting down there."
Katie sat down in a state of shock. She had pledged her loyalty to a company
that simply wrote her off. Her and her crew.
"So, you see, you don't really need to call them," he finished more kindly.
"The Navy would have never left somebody like that," she said quietly.
"Why don't we call the seaQuest?" Lucas suggested. "Captain Bridger
will be fair."
"He'll hear us out - not just convict us because we are the easy scapegoats?"
Tyler asked.
"I guarantee it," Lucas said. "Right, Katie?"
"He's right. Nathan Bridger is one of the few things on Earth you can put
your trust in."
"Okay," Tyler decided. "Call."
"SeaQuest 4600," O'Neill answered the call routinely.
"Tim. It's Lucas."
"Lucas! For Godsake, where are you?!" O'Neill put the image up on the screen.
"No one can find your ship. Kreig is an absolute basket case! Oh, Captain
Hitchcock, hello."
Lonnie came around to Tim's position. "Lucas, are you alright? We were so
worried. Is everyone else alright? Miguel, Brody, Dagwood?"
"Dagwood and I are fine but Brody has been shot. Miguel's not as badly hurt
but he was knifed. They both need medical attention."
"What about you?" she questioned farther. "What happened to your eye?"
"Lonnie, I'm fine. I...."
"Well, where are you? We'll send help ..." Lonnie assured him.
"Suppose we let the captain exercise THAT prerogative, Ensign," Tim was firm.
"You're as bad as Kreig."
"Kreig?" Katie asked.
"He's the one that found out your ship was missing. Don't ask me how, but
he's been hysterical ever since."
"Hysterical?"
"Hysterical," Lonnie nodded. "He practically hijacked the seaQuest
to go look for you."
"Oh brother." Katie shook her head in disgust.
"Hey, he was worried. We all were," Lonnie defended him.
"Maybe I should talk to the captain," Lucas suggested diplomatically.
"That might be a problem. He's in some meeting. I'm not supposed to disturb
him even if the UEO high council calls," Tim thought outloud. "But Ford usually
carries his PAL. Let me see if I can buzz him."
Hudson shot Ford a dirty look when his PAL buzzed. "This how your crew follows
the instruction 'no interruptions'?" he said snidely to Bridger.
"I told them I wasn't to be interrupted," Bridger dismissed the situation
lightly.
"Excuse me," Ford said and went out into the hall. "What is it, O'Neill?"
"Sir, I have Lucas on the line. I thought the captain would want to know."
"You bet he would!" Ford said louder than he intended getting the attention
of the attendants at the reception desk. He ducked back into Westphalen's
office. "Captain Bridger!" Ford didn't care if he interrupted Hudson or not.
"They have Lucas on the line at seaQuest."
"Transfer it in here," Bridger commanded.
"Put the call on the vidscreen in Dr. Westphalen's office," Ford told Tim
over the PAL.
"Aye, sir," O'Neill obeyed.
Hudson raised his eyebrows in surprise at Bridger's taking over but said
nothing.
The vidscreen came on. Both Bridger and Westphalen were on their feet facing
the screen on the back wall. Lucas' image filled the screen at first.
"Lucas," Bridger nearly melted with relief. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Captain," Lucas smiled. He was glad to see Bridger too.
"What's the other guy look like?" Bridger teased.
"Excuse me?"
"Your eye, Lucas," Westphalen explained. "That's quite a shiner you have
there."
"Oh, it's nothing. Hello, Dr. Westphalen." Lucas allowed his vidscreen to
widen out to include the other people in the room with him.
"Katie!" Kreig jumped to his feet.
"Hello, Ben," she greeted.
"Whee!" Hudson complained, tossing a pencil in the air in disgust. "Did anybody
think to make tea for this party?"
"Captain Hudson?!" Lucas gasped paling. He'd dreamed about this guy. Now
there he was. It took him a minute to process this.
"Do I know you,
kid?" Hudson was curious.
"This is Lucas Wolenczak, my computer specialist," Bridger explained.
"How is this relevant to the matter at hand?" Hudson's voice was full of
its usual sarcasm.
"Lucas was part of the shuttle crew that was attacked by the deltas," Bridger
told him.
"Now, maybe we're getting somewhere," Hudson said with mock patience.
"Is everyone alright?" Bridger ignored him.
"No, sir," Katie took over. "Brody has been shot and needs immediate medical
attention. My medic has done all she can for him but our medical supplies
went down with the Carlton."
"Who the hell are you?" Hudson demanded.
"Katherine Hitchcock. Captain of the Carlton. We were boarded and
sunk by unknown hostiles. I demand UEO sanctuary for me and my crew under
Article 6.92 of the UEO Charter."
"How the hell many civilians are familiar with the UEO Charter?" Hudson wanted
to know.
"I'm familiar with it, sir. Up until a year ago I was in the Navy assigned
to the UEO with the seaQuest."
"I'm sending a launch for you all," Bridger assured her.
"Belay that," Hudson said.
"To Hell with you, Oliver. I'm not leaving my people stranded again," Bridger
vowed.
"Your launches are like flounders at the surface. I believe that is sky I
see out the porthole over the young man's shoulder. I'll send one of mine.
They are designed for rescue." He punched some buttons on Westphalen's desk
and Lucas' image shrunk down to half the screen. The screen was split and
the face of a young black woman appeared on the other side. "Fredricks,"
Hudson barked, "get the hell out of my chair."
"I'm not hurting it," Fredricks said calmly not moving.
Bridger found such blatant disregard for Hudson's authority amusing but did
not let on.
Hudson ignored it also. "Trace the call seaQuest has up. It's a surface
vessel."
Frederick's attention was on the console in front of her for a minute. "Got
the co-ordinates." She looked up.
"There's survivors of the seaQuest Shuttle and a civilian ship on
board. Go get them. It is a medical so step on it."
"Gotcha, sir. My ETA should be approximately 52 minutes." She darkened the
screen without being formally dismissed.
"Problem is," Hudson commented, "she is just as good as she thinks
she is." He looked up at Lucas. "Help's on the way, Kid. Anything else?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is." Lucas was not about to be just brushed
off by this guy. "I have some representatives of COI here."
"Coy?" Bridger asked.
"Reef huggers!!" Kreig stood up excitedly "Are you prisoners?!!"
"NO NO NO!" Lucas fought to regain control of the conversation. "They are
the ones that rescued us. They are not responsible for any of this and they
would like to come in and talk to Captain Bridger and prove it."
"I'd be delighted to have them here," Westphalen put in. "I have wanted to
have the Coalition represented here since the beginning but you people are
a little hard to find to extend an invitation."
"You WANT us there?" Tyler couldn't believe it.
"I think an outside observer to act as a watchdog on our activities is an
excellent idea. Scientists sometimes get carried away and need someone to
re-plant their feet on the ground. I'm looking forward to your visit. Perhaps
we can work out some sort of permanent arrangement?" Dr. Westphalen offered.
"We'll see you soon, Lucas," Bridger promised.
"Good-bye, Lucas," Hudson cut off the transmission to the shock of all. "Anybody
else you'd like to invite? The Kiwanas Club, the Girl Scouts maybe the Ladies'
Sewing Circle?" Hudson asked Westphalen snidely.
"I have had just about enough of you and your condescending attitude," Westphalen
shot back. "Since you are so familiar with the UEO codes and articles perhaps
you will recall that the UEO cannot declare martial law on a member coalition
or facility without the expressed consent of the head of that facility which
you, my good captain, do not have. I fail to recognize your authority over
New Atlantis. Now, get the hell out of MY chair!" She blew her bangs off
her forehead as she released all her frustrations on Hudson.
"Yes ma'am," Hudson laughed. "I was wondering how far I'd have to push you
to see what you were made of."
"This was some kind of test?!"
"I like to know who I'm dealing with."
"You're not dealing with me at all. As soon as you've delivered the survivors
your associate went after I want you and your submarine out of here."
"Well, I'm afraid I can't do that. I've been sent here to assist
seaQuest in this investigation. UEO and civilian vessels have been
attacked. This is not just a New Atlantis problem anymore."
Just then the door burst opened and a very wet Crocker came into the room.
"Chief, what on Earth happened ?!" Westphalen demanded.
To be continued..........
Screen captures courtesy Patt. Be sure to check out her great website seaQuest screen captures & sound files