New Atlantis
There was a fairly large crowd waiting in the seaQuest docking
bay as Fredricks made her approach in the Recovery's Transport 2. Wendy came
up behind Bridger and put her hand on his arm. He turned around. "Hey, should
you be up?"
"I'm fine. I want to help," she insisted.
Dr. Levin and Jamie joined the throng. Jamie went and stood by Ford. He
smiled warmly at her and moved over to give her a better view. They were
watching the hatchway to bay 6 where Fredricks had been assigned to dock.
At last Dagwood appeared. He was flanked by two female GELFs and he was carrying
a protesting Brody.
"Honest, Dagwood," Brody argued. "I can walk." Brody's voice sounded weak
and he was very flushed but he was conscious and alert.
"Anna says you don't walk, so you don't walk." Dagwood was firm.
A med team pushed a gurney up to them. Wendy went up and joined them as
Dagwood eased Brody down to the gurney.
"Dr. Smith," Dagwood explained, "this is Anna. She's been taking care
of Lt. Brody and Ortiz."
"Hello, Anna," Wendy said as she began to examine Brody.
"He was shot at close range by a pulse rifle," Anna told her. "The weapon
was on a stun setting. The patient has incurred a third degree burn and is
currently running a temperature of 102.6 degrees." Wendy nodded to the med
techs and they took Brody to med bay. Wendy and Anna followed close behind.
Next Hitchcock and Ortiz walked through the hatch. Ortiz looked half asleep
and Hitchcock was ready to steady him if he stumbled. Suddenly Kreig burst
from the crowd and ran to them. "Katie!" he yelled picking her up and spinning
her around. "You're alright?"
"Of course, I'm alright." She tried not to smile.
"Why, of course, you are. Do I look like I was worried?"
"Yes," she said quietly, "and thanks."
"Well, it's a dirty job but somebody has to do it." He fumbled looking
around for something to divert attention from the fact that he had lost his
cool. He realized in his exuberance he nearly knocked Ortiz down. "Sorry,
Ortiz, you okay?"
Ortiz nodded.
Kreig looked closer at the bandage on his neck. "Man, you should be more
careful shaving."
"Drop dead, Kreig," Ortiz told him. The creep didn't outrank him anymore
he could say whatever he wanted to him.
"Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed," Kreig declared.
"Knock it off, Ben." Katie started to step in.
"Mr. Kreig," Dr. Westphalen joined them. "All of these people are going
to need quarters. Suppose you get right on that."
"Katie can stay at my place," he said but then followed Katie's line of
vision to Ford. "No, that probably wouldn't be such a good idea, after all.
I'll come up with something else."
Dr. Westphalen gently shoved Kreig to get him started. Reluctantly he
wandered away. She then slipped her arm through Ortiz' arm. "Mr. Ortiz,"
she began, "come on down to med bay. Bet you'd never thought you'd hear me
say that?"
"No," he laughed.
"I like the new hairdo," she commented.
"Thanks," he said not completely sure his ears weren't playing tricks
on him.
Ford stared for a minute at Hitchcock then remembered he had a date of
sorts. He looked at Jamie.
"Go ahead," she smiled. "You did nothing but think of her the whole time
we were together."
"No.. but..I.."
"Go," she laughed giving him a little push.
He walked up to Katie as hesitant as a seventh grader at his first school
dance. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she smiled.
"It's good to see you again," he said formally.
"For crying out loud!" Jamie had followed him. "That was pathetic," she
told him. She took his arms and put them around Katie. "When friends haven't
seen each other in a long time they hug. Now come on hug or I'll never leave,"
she threatened.
To Katie's delight Jonathan obeyed the strange girl and hugged her warmly.
She returned it.
Jamie walked
back up to where Dr. Levin stood. "You gotta hit some people over the head
with a rock," she complained.
"What have I told you about interfering in other peoples' lives?" he
asked.
"Come on, those two need all the help they can get," Jamie told him.
Lucas walked up to Bridger. Bridger needed no coaching to give Lucas a
hug. "Captain, there's some people I'd like you to meet." Lucas indicated
the Channings who stood on either side of him.
"Come to my office. We can talk in private," Bridger told them.
Soon the docking bay was empty again. Tony walked up to the moonpool and
Darwin. "Looks like ol' Lucas is gonna be busy awhile. What say I take you
swimming?" Darwin chirped in the affirmative. Tony fitted Darwin's aqualung
on him. "You really should think about getting gills. Makes life so much
easier." Tony dove into the pool with him. They both swam through the aquatubes
to the open ocean.
"Upon questioning I discovered the patient had a history of earaches and
motion sickness dating to childhood so I determined the injury was an aggravation
of a pre-existing condition. I initiated measures to correct the situation,"
Anna explained while Dr. Westphalen checked Ortiz' ear with a light.
"The damage seems to be cleared up," Westphalen marveled. "Did you realize
he had this problem?" she asked Wendy.
"No. I guess I missed it," Wendy admitted.
"Well you wouldn't ordinarily test for this. What did the doctors do for
you as a child?" Kristin asked Ortiz.
"Eardrops," he said. "Or tubes. I hated those."
"It's too bad this wasn't caught earlier. It would have saved you a lot
of grief," Wendy told him. "How is it you thought to test for this?" she
asked Anna.
"Isn't it customary to check for middle ear problems when a patient presents
with severe vertigo and nausea?"
"Not when they've been in a raft fighting 15 foot seas," Wendy said. "The
assumption then is sea sickness. I wouldn't have thought to do it."
"Neither would I," Westphalen admitted. "You are an excellent diagnostician.
Have you ever considered getting your MD?"
"Most universities do not accept GELFs," Anna told her.
"This one does. I could arrange for you to study medicine right here."
"I believe I would like that," Anna said simply.
"Well, Mr. Ortiz, now that your neck and your ear have been properly tended.
If you feel up to it, you may go and enjoy some of the facilities New Atlantis
has to offer."
Ortiz sat up slowly.
"But no alcohol, Mr. Ortiz, while you are on this medication," Anna
warned.
"Don't worry. I learned my lesson," Ortiz told her.
"That was my fault. I didn't think to give you this advise the last time,"
Anna told him.
"Did he have a chemical reaction?" Westphalen asked.
"I just made a fool of myself. At least, Lucas says I did," he admitted
miserably.
"It wasn't as bad as all that," Katie said kindly. She, Bridger and Ford
had come to check on his condition. "He is in dire need of home leave," she
said quietly to Bridger.
Bridger nodded. "Dr. Westphalen, didn't you tell me you have a weekly
transport come in from Cape Quest?"
"It's due tomorrow evening," she told him.
"I think when it leaves, Mr. Ortiz should be on it. How about a 30 day
Captain's leave?"
"Really?" Ortiz' eyes lit up.
"I think you've earned it, Miguel," he said. "In the meantime go and enjoy
yourself. You're off the duty roster."
"Thank you sir!" Ortiz left quickly before the captain could change his
mind. Outside in the hall he met O'Neill and Lonnie. Lonnie threw her arms
around him and hugged him tight. "Careful," he joked, "Tim's watching."
"We were so worried about you," she told him. "Are you alright?"
"They patched up all the extra holes in my head," he told them.
"All of 'um?" Tim joked. "I would have thought it would have taken longer
than that."
"Stop it!" Lonnie smacked Tim's arm.
Ortiz smiled but Lonnie noticed it seemed forced. She thought he looked
pale and tired. "Are you hungry? If you feel up to it, we'd like to take
you out for some food and show you around."
"Okay," he told them. "The captain gave me a 30 day leave. I'm suppose
to get on a transport to Cape Quest tomorrow night. Till then, my orders
are to enjoy myself."
"As officers, it's our duty to see you follow the captain's orders," Lonnie
told him. "Do you want to call home and tell them you're coming?"
"I'll call from the transport."
Within the hour there was another high level meeting going on in Westphalen's
office. This time she sat behind her desk.
"Imagine tryin' ta drown an old submariner in a docking bay. Guess they
don't know how many hours we train in them -eh, Cap," Crocker laughed. "Anyway
I got three suspects in custody. I let the fourth slip through my fingers
to see where he leads us. None of these guys are bright enough to be the
mastermind behind all this."
"Very good, Chief," Kristin said.
Lucas, Katie and Tyler had all told their stories.
"If it wasn't really reef huggers why the hell would anybody sink the
Carlton?" Hudson wondered.
"That's what I'd like to know!" Katie spat.
"We could go nose around," Hudson told her, "but with possibly undetonated
explosives on board it's too dangerous for divers."
"What about the hyper reality probe?" Katie suggested excitedly.
"I got one of those fool things but nobody in my crew knows how to use
it."
"I know how to use it," Katie stated.
Hudson looked at Bridger for conformation. "She's the best there is,"
he agreed.
"What are we waiting for?" Hudson asked and got up to leave. Katie joined
him.
"CC and I are going to get into Channing's records see if we can find
out anything about the Carlton that might give us a clue," Lucas
said.
"Good idea," Bridger agreed.
"If this is going to be a lot of military hoopla now, how about if I show
you to your quarters?" Kreig asked Tyler.
"Alright."
"Behave yourself, Mr. Kreig," Dr. Westphalen cautioned.
"Why, Doctor, I'm hurt. How could you ever insinuate that I would do
otherwise?"
"Man, it's getting deep in here," Crocker commented.
Kreig and Tyler left.
"Nathan," Westphalen wondered, "since when is the UEO in the habit of
issuing something as expensive and sophisticated as the hyper reality probe
to submarines in which no one is trained in their operation?"
"Since never. He wanted to give her a chance at it."
"I can't figure him out."
"That hard ass routine is all an act mostly for my benefit."
"What's he got against you?"
Crocker started to laugh.
"I might as well tell you. Laughing boy here, probably will spill his
guts to you about it, if I don't. Hudson and I go back a long way. We both
came up through the ranks. When we were both seamen, not quite dry behind
the ear, we went on shore leave together. We both got rip-roaring drunk and
I convinced him to have a butterfly tattooed on his backside. He never has
forgiven me. Since that time there has been a fierce competition between
us. I designed the seaQuest. He designed the Recovery. We both
submitted the plans. At the time, the Navy liked the idea of a showy supersub
but his idea had a lot of merit. Recovery is all about undersea rescue
and wreck recovery and accident investigation. He had the wild idea saving
lives was more important than flexing muscle. He can come to the aid of surface
vehicle too, I'm told. It's a pretty amazing boat."
"So underneath that gruff exterior is -" Kristin asked
"A gruff interior, "Bridger assured her.
"And a butterfly," Crocker really broke out laughing.
Tony swam after Darwin. "Alright, Fishface, I'll let you win." He glanced
at his watch. "It's about time to head back anyway. I have a date tonight."
Tony turned around and headed back to seaQuest. Suddenly Darwin came
up behind him and nudged him hard. "Hey, none of that. I said I'm going in
and I am." Darwin took Tony's arm in his mouth and spun him around. Tony
was starting to get angry. He tried to pull his arm away but Darwin would
not let go. "DARWIN!! Knock it off. I've about had it. Bad dolphin. BAD."
Then Tony spotted what Darwin had been trying to show him. Off in the distance
was a diver and he looked like he was in trouble. Tony and Darwin sped off
to him.
"Take it easy," Tony told the diver. He noticed his air gauge was practically
on empty. "Let me tow you in. Conserve your energy."
"SeaQuest," the diver gasped, "gotta get to seaQuest."
"Whatever you say. Just relax." The diver relaxed and Tony pulled him
to the seaQuest. He broke the surface in the moonpool at seadeck.
"Hey," he called to a passing seaman. "Need some help here." The man came
over and helped Tony get the weakened diver out of the pool. They got his
mask and cowl off of him.
"Bridger," the diver panted, "gotta see Bridger."
"Lt. Shan?" the seaman asked.
"You know him?"
"Yeah, he served on seaQuest last tour."
"So," Hudson said almost offhandedly, "you left the service to become
a captain?"
"It sounds kind of shallow, doesn't it?" Katie admitted.
"Not at all. Anybody who joins an outfit without an idea of someday running
it, is hardly worth having."
She looked at him with surprise. They were having coffee in the mess hall
of the Recovery. They were the only two in the room.
"There's a lot of good people out there that would be great captains.
Some of them just dutifully wait for the Navy to give them a chance to show
what they can do. The best ones aren't that patient." He took a sip of coffee.
"Maybe they are right to wait," Katie ceded somewhat miserably. "I may
not have been as ready as I thought I was to be captain."
"What makes you say that?"
"I lost my ship." Her voice raised two octaves but she fought to control
her emotions and won.
"I lost my first two," he commented.
"Did you cry?" she flared, angry at herself for her apparent weakness.
"Bawled like a baby both times," he said without looking at her.
She wasn't sure if he was joking or not.
"I was mad as hell and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. I imagine
you were in a somewhat similar situation. The important thing was you got
your crew out alive. No boat is worth unnecessary loss of life. They can
built another boat. People are harder to replace."
She thought about it. He was exactly right. Why hadn't she seen that
before?
"So after this is all over you going back to your cushy high paying job
with Channing Oil?"
"I think my days with that company are over," she declared flatly."They
would have easily sacrificed me and my crew to protect the location of their
oil."
"Ever think about coming back to the service?"
"Would they take me back after I resigned my commission?"
"They took Bridger back and he went off and became a bum." Hudson could
see the idea appealed to her. "I reviewed your record. I could put in a good
word for you."
"I think I'd like that, sir." She felt awash with emotion but outwardly
remained completely composed.
"Course, it couldn't be at the same rank you left with."
"I understand completely. I'm willing to work my way up again."
"I don't know, once you've been a captain it kind of gets in your blood."
"If you are worried about my ability to follow orders. Don't be. I am
very capable of following orders."
"Following them is a lot easier than giving them. How are you at that?"
"I can do that." She didn't really understand this line of questioning.
"Captain Hudson," the loud speaker squawked. "We have located the
Carlton."
"On our way," Hudson answered. "Let's go take a look at your ship."
Katie just nodded trying to steel herself to see her ship as a wreck.
"It just doesn't make sense," Lucas complained rubbing his tired eyes.
"What doesn't?" Bridger asked from the door of Lucas' room. Lucas and
CC each sat at different terminals. They both looked up as Bridger entered.
"The Carlton. Records show she - or he, as Captain Hitchcock says
- left port with the perfect displacement and everything to be hauling four
super canisters of raw crude."
"Isn't that what it was supposed to be hauling?"
"Yes," CC took over. "But Chanoil records don't show that that much crude
has left the field inventories. The figures don't jive at all. We checked
last month's records. It's the same deal with the Clinton which was
also sunk before reaching its destination port I doubt it could be this much
of a bookkeeping error twice."
Just then the intercom called Bridger to sick bay.
"Is
Brody okay?" Lucas gasped. He had tried to keep himself too busy to think
about the dream he'd had, but seeing Hudson had really rattled him. Hudson
had been in his dream and in his dream Brody had been shot and died in med
bay. He felt himself break out into a cold sweat.
"I thought he was," Bridger commented. "Let's go find out." Bridger headed
for the door.
"Go ahead," CC said "You look like you could use a break from this. I'll
keep at it."
"Is Brody alright?!" Lucas demanded of Wendy as he and Bridger entered
med bay.
All of Lucas fears hit Wendy like a blow. She was inside his head before
she even realized it. His emotions washed over her. In a few minutes she
knew it all. "He's fine, Lucas." She put her fingertips on his temples relieving
him of most of his fears and confusion and sending soothing vibrations into
him to calm him. "He's just asleep. Don't worry." She used strong suggestion
on him. After all he'd been through he needed some help. When she took her
hands away Lucas felt calmer. He was better able to put things in prospective.
"Brody had nothing to do with the reason I called you here." She led them
to an examining room. A man in a diving suit sat with his back to them. Tony
stood next to him.
"Here is Captain Bridger," she told the man. He turned around toward them.
He held an oxygen mask to his face but they could still see who it was.
"Lt. Shan!" Lucas was suddenly furious and lunged at the man. Tony and
Bridger had to hold him back.
"Lucas?! What the hell is the meaning of this?!" Bridger yelled.
"He was one of the ones that attacked the Carlton. He slashed Ortiz!"
"Why didn't any of you mention this before?" Bridger asked.
"We were hoping Ortiz was wrong," Lucas admitted miserably.
"Captain," Shan sounded tired and winded, "do you follow soccer?"
"I prefer baseball," Bridger told him.
"How can you two discuss sports at a time like this?!" Lucas' voice cracked
with emotion. All the good Wendy had done him went out the window.
"So you are the inside operative I was told to look for," Bridger said.
"Operative?" Lucas repeated with disbelief.
"I get it," Tony announced. "That was a sign and a countersign. Just like
the spy movies from the 60s."
"And just about as hokey. Why did you attack Ortiz?"
"I had no I idea he would be there. I got myself assigned to the crew's
quarters hoping to avoid Hitchcock. Then he knew me and --"
"And you slit his throat."
"No I didn't. If I hadn't grabbed him as a hostage one of the others would
have. I knew I wouldn't really hurt him and I could convince him not to put
up a fight that would have surely gotten him killed."
"You threw him off the ship." Lucas was not ready to let Shan off scott
free.
"He was ready. He was only pretending to be unconscious. He IS alright,
isn't he?"
"He will be," Bridger told Shan. "If you're feeling up to it why don't
you come to my office and make your report."
"I'm alright," Shan assured him.
Bridger looked to Wendy for confirmation. She nodded.
Lucas tagged along with them. When they got onto Bridger's office he asked,
"What's the Carlton's real cargo?"
"I couldn't find that out but I did find out the head of this operation
is Rupert Channing jr. and he is planning to blow up New Atlantis!"
"That badge you're wearing guarantees you access to anyplace in the entire
complex," Dr. Westphalen explained to Tyler. "That includes all laboratories
and meeting facilities -- no matter who they are leased to."
"Come now, Doctor, we all know how scientists like to closely guard their
discoveries and experiments."
"Not here they won't. This place is based on an open sharing of knowledge
and ideas for the common good of man and the ocean."
"I find that a little hard to believe."
"Believe it, Miss Channing, we have no real choice but to learn to live
in harmony with nature and each other. We have run out of Earth. Warnings
of conservationists have been ignored for nearly 100 years and now we face
complete global disaster unless we do. The only future for mankind is under
the sea. We have sea water in our bodies. We came from the sea. Now, hopefully,
we can take proper advantage of the bitter lessons we have had to learn on
the land and return once again to the sea. Not as conquerors or exploiters
but as residents. People actually living and thriving under the sea in peaceful
co-existence with the life forms that currently reside here."
The tour was about complete and they found themselves once more in the
immense lobby of the hub. There was a panoramic view of the sea before
them.
"That reef out there," Doctor Westphalen pointed out. "It was dying when
New Atlantis began - dying of natural causes that had nothing whatever to
do with man. Reefs do have other enemies besides man. We were able to intervene.
Now it is healthy again and growing at its normal rate. If New Atlantis were
not here the damage would not have been detected until the entire ecosystem
was in danger of collapse. We may well have lost it. So, you see, we can
be an asset here."
Tyler seemed to be taking it all in. Ben Kreig had been trailing along
with them. Kristin suspected he was bored to tears but somehow his presence
had reminded her not to sound too much like a pitch man when extolling the
virtues of New Atlantis.
"What's this?" Ben asked diverting their attention from the glass outer
wall to a large white interior wall just below them on the observation deck.
The GELF called Alexander was hard at work on a mural on this wall. They
had discussed this matter earlier and when he had suggested it Kristin had
agreed. She felt all this science and technology should be tempered with
a little art.
They found themselves making their way down to the GELF and his work.
Alexander had explained that he liked to tell stories with his art. He was
at the beginning of his story. He was painting ancient Atlantis. The curator
of the Atlantis shop had leant his some reference materials. Alexander's
painting was so lifelike that you felt yourself drawn into the work.
"Hello, Doctor," Alexander greeted happily. His already multicolored face
wore smudges of every paint he'd employed. "I almost didn't see you. I'm
afraid I get a bit caught up in my work."
"That's quite alright, Alexander. This is magnificent."
"I'm pleased that you like it. I'm never so happy as when I am up to my
elbows in color bringing a wall to life."
"Well, you certainly are bringing this one to life. It was exactly what
was needed here. Please continue." She turned to Kreig and Tyler. "Well,
I shall expect you two in my office for that diner meeting in about an hour."
"We'll be there, Doctor," Tyler assured her as she and Ben continued on
down toward the observation deck.
"Man, he's good," Ben commented. "He could make a fortune."
"He already has all the fortune anyone could want, Ben. He's happy," she
commented.
"Being rich could make him even happier."
"Nothing can make you happy. Happiness has to come from within."
"Being rich would make me happy."
"You just think that. Chasing wealth is what makes you happy. It's the
hunt that you find exciting. If you had all the money in the world what would
you have to live for? Then you'd have to start worrying about some young
schemer like yourself taking it all away. You wouldn't enjoy your wealth.
You'd be enslaved by it."
"You don't enjoy being rich?"
"I'm not rich in money, Ben. I've turned over all my assets to the coalition.
I get my satisfaction from my work."
"You're not rich?"
"You're probably worth more than I am financially. If you want to walk
away now, I understand."
"Wait a minute. Do you think I'm only interested in your money?!"
"Most guys are. That's why I was so happy to get rid of it."
"I always thought having money meant you could have whatever you wanted,"
he admitted.
"I guess that depends on what you want." She gazed out into the ocean
that enveloped this deck.
"And money isn't important." He honestly tried to get a handle on this
idea.
"How much money you have doesn't make you who you are. It's what's inside
you that makes you who you are. Not the veneer you present to the world."
"Veneer?"
"Your flippant, sleezeball image that you put between the real you and
the rest of the world. I can see through that."
"Are you so sure there's not just another flippant, sleezeball underneath?"
he wondered.
"Are you so sure there is?" she countered with a knowing smile then walked
on down the deck.
He was totally confused but he followed her.
"Is everything set?" Rupert Channing jr. demanded as the last group of
divers emerged from the air lock.
"The charges are all set. The detonators are in place and the timers are
engaged," the diver panted as he bent over to pull off his flippers. "There'll
be a hot time in the ol' town tonight," he laughed.
"Alright. We'll go rendezvous with my other four deltas and get ready
to close in for the kill."
Channing left for his office. He'd decided to become the captain. It was
his boat, why the hell not? He'd contracted with the fledgling dictatorship
of Macronesia to provide crews for his other deltas from their navy
in exchange for oil. It was quite the coup but not as great as the one he
was about to pull off. He hadn't spent the last half of his life kissing
up to his stinking father and learning the ins and outs of the oil business
to have the fool give it all away to someone else. Nothing was standing in
the way of his inheritance. When the old man finally kicked off, which would
hopefully be sooner not later, he'd get what he had coming to him. He wasn't
beautiful like Tyler or brilliant like CC but he had inherited the old man's
cunning and that's what would pay off in the end.
The divers went off to get some food leaving a nervous young man to put
all the suits away and refill the tanks. He was still nursing a fat lip he'd
gotten from one of these guys. He wasn't about to give them any news that
would piss them off. He wouldn't say a word about the fact that five divers
had gone out and only four had returned.
"I can't believe it," Tyler was saying, "Rupee." She used the nickname
she and CC had for their half brother "He was always the perfect son. He
did everything Dad wanted. He even took an interest in the oil business."
"Well Dad was married to his mother the longest. 14 years. He always
considered himself the heir apparent," CC pointed out.
"If you'll pardon my indelicacy at asking but isn't it a little odd that
you two get along as well as you do." Bridger tried to be tactful.
"You mean because his mother was Dad's wife when I was born?" Tyler laughed.
"As soon as she found out about me she divorced him. Really took him to the
cleaners too."
"Then her mother married him and did the same thing," CC laughed. "Poor
old Dad. He'd never dreamed that the two of them had already decided that
Dad was the real enemy and were working together to screw him over
royally."
"How are you doing with your pigeon?" Bridger asked Crocker.
"I have him under observation," Crocker said, "but so far he hasn't led
me to anyone else."
"We checked your personnel records against Channing Oil's," Lucas said.
"As you might expect there were no name matches but high level positions
require retina scans that's where we got lucky." He handed Crocker a list
with three names including the dock master.
"Two of these guys I suspected," Crocker admitted.
"Only thing is," CC put in. "I can't see these guys going against Dad
and working for Rupee. They go way back with Dad."
"Maybe they don't want to see Channing Oil fold in favor of this place,"
Kreig suggested.
"Channing Oil is not folding," CC informed him. "The assets for this place
are coming from my Dad's personal fortune not the company's. Channing Oil
will probably go on forever."
"And Rupee will probably inherit it. We don't want it," Tyler stated.
"I don't think so," Shan said. "Or at least your brother doesn't think
so. He said he'd been cut out by his Dad's pipe dream and he was going to
blow it to kingdom come."
"Does he have that capability?" Bridger asked.
"He's done things on a pretty big scale so far. And he's imported a lot
of underworld specialists. When a gathering like that took place the UEO
got suspicious. They arrested a thug called Kung Fu Ling and I replaced him
to try and see what it was all about and what the target is."
"Jonathan, go back to seaQuest and put the WSKRS in a wide search
pattern. I want a report on everything that's moving out there or that should
be moving and isn't."
"Should we cancel shore leaves and be ready to evacuate?"
"Not yet. I want to see what's going on."
"We don't want to start a panic either," Kristin pointed out.
"She's right. For the moment it's business as usual," Bridger agreed.
"Nathan, " Wendy grabbed his arm. "Someone is coming."
Just then the door to Kristin's office opened.
"Hello, Daddy," Tyler greeted dryly.
Rupert Channing looked around the room trying to size everyone up.
It felt like coming home to use the hyper reality probe again. The probe
responded to her slightest move as she eased it up to the remains of the
Carlton. It was hard to see him like this. He had been a great ship.
She began her inspection with the bridge. It looked so undamaged it was eerie
to see it empty. She moved the probe down the bridge tower. The lights of
the probe fell onto the mural.
"What is that?" Hudson asked.
"That is the history of my brief and illustrious career as captain," Katie
said honestly but then smiled "When you tell an artist to paint the bridge
tower that's what you get." She looked carefully at the mural. Suddenly it
was the most important thing in the world to her. "I want it," she said.
"I want to keep it."
"You can cut it out with that probe, can't you?" Hudson asked.
"Yes."
"Well, go ahead but I gotta warn you it's going to be a bitch of a thing
to find a frame for."
Katie flicked the buttons with her thumb that activated the probe's lasers.
She eased it up to the side of the bridge tower. The lasers cut through the
metal like it was butter. When it was cut away the section slowly fell forward
to the ocean's floor. Skillfully Katie picked it up with the probe's pincers.
She placed it into the small, remotely controlled sledge Fredricks sat beside
her operating. Then she moved down the side of the ship. Huge holes were
blown into it. The blasts came from inside and jagged metal stuck out of
the side of the ship like teeth.
"That looks like overkill just to hull the ship," Hudson remarked.
"That explains why he went down so fast," Katie commented.
"He?" Hudson wanted clarification
"No stranger than she," Katie countered. "I want to go inside and check
on those canisters and make sure they are not about to leak."
"Good idea."
Katie skillfully eased the probe inside one of the gaping holes in the
side of the ship and into the cargo area. She squinted into the hyper goggles
not believing what she was seeing. Each of the canisters had a gaping hole
where the end should be. It looked as if something had blasted it's way out
of them.
"What the hell did that?" Hudson asked leaning forward for a better view.
"And what happened the oil?" Katie demanded.
To be continued......
Screen captures courtesy Patt. Be sure to check out her great website
seaQuest
screen captures & sound files
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