Captain Lee Crane was not having a good day. Nothing seemed to be going right. John Warner had to take emergency leave just before they sailed so they had to scramble to find a replacement. John Criler had come highly recommended and Nelson and Crane had been delighted to get a man with good credentials who could pass their rigid security screening on such short notice, yet his Executive Officer expressed a deep concern about something not quite right about the man. Chip Morton had excellent instincts about people and something about Criler told Chip that the man seemed too good to be true. Lee felt that because it was only one cruise, they could afford to take the chance.
Lee had been on edge ever since he came back from his last ONI mission. Now THAT had been a disaster! It had resulted in the death of a young female agent and Lee had felt personally responsible. He had been tormented by the memories of that dreadful night and his feeling of guilt over the incident manifested itself in anger, which he took out on the only person he safely could...Chip.
Lee felt guilty about taking his frustrations out on Chip, but couldn't help himself. The mission had been a secret that he had not shared with anyone, not even Chip. Lee found himself snapping at Chip over the slightest mistake, even when he had been totally innocent of any wrongdoing and Chip just took it in his stolid steadfast way. THAT made Lee feel even guiltier and exacerbated an already tense situation.
Lee's constant criticism was starting to take its toll not only on Chip but the entire crew. Even the men in the Control Room had noticed and started to remark amongst themselves about the friction between the two senior officers. It was a relief when the watch finally ended and Chip could make his escape from his ill-tempered Captain. Lee watched him march up the staircase stiff-backed without a word or glance at Crane. Lee sighed and tried to ignore the whispered comments between the sonarman and the hydrophone man.
Tossing his pencil down on the plot table, Lee decided to go back to his cabin and try to relax. Leaving O'Brien with the con, he climbed the stairs to the third level of the sub and walked down the corridor. He paused outside Chip's cabin and listened to the silence behind the door. He wanted to knock on the door, wanted to make things right with Chip but his insides were still in turmoil. Lee knew that Chip didn't understand why his Captain was so irritable but he didn't know how to explain what he didn't understand himself. Lee knew that everyone on the ship was aware of the tension between him and Chip. Even Nelson had remarked on it when Lee had bitten Chip's head off over yet another minor mistake that had been made by the sonarman. With another sad sigh, he continued down the corridor to his own cabin. Going inside, he tossed his tie on the desk and threw himself down on his bunk.
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He tossed for a while, unable to get the image of Juanita's face and the shocked look in her eyes as she died out of his mind. If only he hadn't sent her in to check on the informer. If only he had gone up with her...if only... He had heard the shots ring out and had run up the stairs and into the room, just in time to see the life's blood ebb from her and the deep mystery fade from her beautiful green eyes. He had held her in his arms as she breathed her last... and he had cried.
Finally he fell into a restless slumber, broken by tormented dreams of Juanita and all the others who had died, all because he had given the order.
An hour later, he awoke, drenched with sweat. Stumbling into the tiny head, he splashed cold water on his face and ran his fingers through his rumpled hair.
Then he heard the call over the intercom..."Medical Emergency, corridor B. Send a litter and corpsman, STAT."
He rushed to his desk and hit the switch. "Crane here, what's going on?"
"Captain Crane, this is O'Brien. Cmdr Morton's been hurt, they're taking him to SickBay now."
"Hurt? How? What happened?"
"I don't know Sir, he was found unconscious in Corridor B."
"What was he doing there? I thought he went back to his cabin."
"There was a glitch somewhere and he wanted to check out the wiring in the panel there, Sir."
"Thanks, if you need me, I'll be in SickBay."
Lee threw open his door without stopping to redon his tie and dashed down the corridor to SickBay.
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Doc Jamieson was bending over Chip's still figure when Lee burst in the door.
"How is he, Doc?"
"I don't know yet, Captain. He's hurt pretty bad. Looks like someone's been using him for a punching bag. He's got at least one broken rib, multiple contusions and a severe concussion."
"Does anybody know how or when it happened?"
Nelson came in SickBay at that moment and gave Lee a hard look, taking in his rumpled appearance.
"We believe it happened shortly after you and Chip left the Control Room, Lee." Nelson said. "Did you see or hear anything?"
"No, I went straight to my cabin, why?"
"Well, you would have passed by the corridor where Chip was attacked, strange you didn't see anything."
"Just what are you implying, Admiral?"
"Nothing, Lee, just that there's been a lot of tension between you and Chip lately. Hell, everyone's noticed it."
"Are you saying that I had something to do with this? You know I would NEVER hurt Chip! Especially like this!"
"Now calm down, Lee. Nobody's implying anything."
Just then Chip started to stir.
"I think he's coming around, Sirs," said Doc.
Nelson bent over Chip as he moaned and slowly opened his eyes.
"Chip, who did this to you?"
"Lee..." whispered Chip before lapsing into unconsciousness again.
"Lee!?" Nelson stared bewilderedly at Crane.
Lee felt his face flush. He was astounded by Chip's accusation. And the looks he was getting from Nelson and Doc didn't make him feel any better. He had been feeling bad about snapping at Chip earlier and now this latest injury to his best friend only compounded his feeling of guilt.
"No, that can't be..."Lee stammered. "I was in my cabin...it must be a mistake...I would never..."
Nelson cut off Lee's rambling. "Chip must be delirious, Lee, that's the only explanation. Why don't you go back to your cabin and get some rest? You look like hell. Doc will keep you advised on Chip's condition."
Lee shook his head. "I'd rather stay here for a while."
"No, you get some rest, and that's an order, Captain." Nelson insisted.
Reluctantly Lee left the SickBay, but instead of going directly to his cabin, he decided to go back to the Control Room.
Arriving there, he discovered that, acting on Nelson's orders, O'Brien had already started an investigation into what had happened to the Exec. He tried to concentrate on the progress report (such as it was) from O'Brien but his thoughts kept going back to the sight of Chip's battered face. Who could have done this? Why would anybody want to hurt Chip?
He called down to SickBay for an update on Chip's condition.
"I'm sorry Sir, Mr. Morton is still unconscious." Criler reported.
"Well, keep me advised." Crane never felt so helpless. His best friend was lying badly injured in SickBay and they had no idea who had committed the crime. Finally he decided to return to his cabin and try to get some sleep.
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Chief Sharkey was absolutely beside himself with anger and frustration. He considered the Senior Officers his particular charges and was incensed that someone would have the nerve to hurt one of them, especially Morton! Although they couldn't be called friends exactly,
Sharkey had a certain fondness for the cool detached Exec. He had a way of putting Sharkey at ease with just a little smile or a cock of his eyebrow. Morton had a very dry sense of humour that Sharkey found infectious.
He had always prided himself on how well he protected the Officers and felt it a personal affront that someone could hurt ANY of them, especially in such a brutal fashion. He was determined not to let that happen to anyone else.
He had spent several hours questioning the crew but was no closer to discovering the culprit than he was 24 hours ago. Finally he decided to check on how Mr. Morton was doing.
Rounding the corridor, he was surprised to see Criler exiting SickBay with a body over his shoulder. Drawing nearer, he tried to see who Criler was carrying. As he got closer, Criler heaved the body at Sharkey, knocking him to the floor and banging his head against the wall. As he fell, he was stunned to see that the body was Morton's. Before he could get up, Criler had picked up the body again and disappeared around the corner. Struggling to his feet, he staggered to the wall and grabbed the microphone.
Just as he was calling for help, Lee appeared from around the corner.
"Sir, am I glad to see you!"
"What's going on, Sharkey?"
"I dunno, Skipper. All I know is I'm coming down here to check on the Exec...you know, make sure he was okay. I come around the corner and there is Criler and he has this body slung over his shoulder. He spots me, and he comes at me saying he needs my help. Well, Sir, I am such a dim bulb, that I just stand there, and the next thing I know Criler's heaving this body at me, and I'm going down."
Sharkey looked grim as he continued, "it was Mr. Morton...Criler was taking him someplace...Mr. Morton looked like he was out cold...I tried to stop him but he knocked me down and got away..."
"Criler? Why would he do that?"
"I don't know, Sir. But you can sure bet he had something to do with Mr. Morton getting hurt. Boy, when I get my hands on that guy..."
"Settle down, Chief, we'll get to the bottom of this. Where do you think he's headed?"
"Last time I saw him, he looked to be heading towards the Missile Room, Sir."
"Okay, let's go."
As the two men started down the corridor, Crane suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, his hazel eyes unfocused as if listening to an inner voice that only he could hear.
Listening to the voice that whispered pressure hatch he turned to Sharkey and said, "Chief, why don't you check out the Missile Room, I have to check the Bilge Control Room."
"But Sir, he was headed for the Missile Room."
"I know, but I have to check the pressure hatch!"
With that, Crane took off up the corridor, leaving Sharkey shaking his head.
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Lee hurried to the nearest access ladder and climbed down to the nether regions of the sub. Rushing down the corridor, he prayed he wouldn't be too late! The sense of impending disaster was overwhelming. Nearing the Bilge Control room, he heard a loud splash! Running into the room, he saw Chip thrashing and choking in the water. Chip was obviously tiring and his struggles were getting weaker. To Lee's horror, Chip's head disappeared beneath the surface. Desperately, Lee threw himself into the water and grabbed at Chip's collar, trying to drag the exhausted man out of the water before he drowned. He managed to pull Chip's head above the water and was trying to heave his body up on the ledge when Chip regained consciousness and started fighting him.
"Chip, relax buddy, I'm trying to help you." Lee panted as he tried to calm the terrified man. Chip didn't hear him and, striking out blindly, managed to free himself from Lee's grip, only to sink beneath the water again.
"Damn!" Lee gasped, then taking a deep breath, dived beneath the water after the fast sinking Chip.
He was able to grab a trailing arm and, holding Chip close, struggled back to the surface and this time was finally able to heave Chip onto the ledge. Crawling out of the water, Lee bent over Chip's body.
Chip was choking on the water he had inhaled and Lee quickly turned him over onto his side to help drain the fluid from his lungs. Unfortunately, he forgot about Chip's broken rib and the pain from the movement caused Chip to start fighting him again. Squirming to escape from this strange person who was beating on him, Chip slithered back to the edge of the hatch and fell back into the water.
"Oh no, not again!"
Lee jumped into the water and managed to grab Chip just as he was going under. Pulling him back to the ledge, he heaved Chip's struggling body back onto the deck.
"Chip! Relax!! I'm not going to hurt you!" He gasped as he fought to keep Chip from sliding back into the water as well as keeping his own head from being pushed under by Chip's struggles. Just as Chip was about to go into the water for the third time, Nelson and Doc appeared. Together they pulled Chip from the water and lay him on the deck, then gave Lee a hand out of the water.
Doc bent over Chip and examined him quickly.
"He's very agitated, Captain. I'll give him something to help him relax." Doc said, reaching into the bag he had carried with him. Taking out a syringe and vial, he drew some of the sedative into the needle and injected it into Chip's arm, then called to SickBay for a stretcher.
As they waited for Frank to show up, Lee filled Nelson and Doc in on what had happened.
"Criler? I can't believe it." Nelson was shocked to hear that the man had tried to kill Chip.
"Why would he try to do that?"
"I don't know, Admiral," Lee replied.
"Well, we'll find out soon enough. First thing to do is to make sure that Chip's alright, then we'll take care of Criler," Nelson said grimly.
Frank Learner and another corpsman showed up with the stretcher and he and Doc lifted Chip's still form onto it. Then, with Doc trailing behind, the corpsmen headed back to SickBay.
Lee and Nelson headed to the Control Room to initiate a search for Criler.
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The search had barely gotten underway when Lee received a panicked call from the Doc.
"Control Room, this is SickBay!"
"Control Room, Crane here."
"Sir, Mr. Morton's gone!"
"What do you mean...gone?"
"We had just gotten him to SickBay when he suddenly woke up and started fighting Frank. He was completely berserk! He knocked Frank down and took off down the corridor. I don't know where he went!"
"Okay, Doc. We'll start a search."
"That's just great!" Lee snapped as he slammed the microphone back into its holder. "As if we don't have enough problems!"
"Relax, Lee," Nelson said soothingly, "I'm sure they'll find him."
Lee couldn't wait to hear from the search parties. He had a feeling that Criler was going to go after Chip again and in Chip's condition, he didn't stand a chance. Leaving O'Brien with the Con, he decided to join the search party himself.
Something was inexorably drawing him back to the Bilge Control Room.
He ran down the corridor and into the room to see Chip holding off Crier with a gun.
"Stop right there, or I'll shoot!" Chip was wavering on his feet, the gun held shakily in front of him. Every few moments, he would shiver violently, his eyes wide with terror.
"Take it easy, Chip...it's me, Lee." Crane tried to soothe his distraught friend.
"No! Don't listen to him," shouted Criler. "He's your enemy, he tried to hurt you, remember?"
"Chip...Chip...it's me, don't you recognize me?" Lee moved slowly towards Chip, who backed away, still holding the gun trained on Lee and Criler.
Crane was frightened to see that Chip was edging closer to the edge of the pressure hatch. If only he could just make Criler shut up. Chip was badly confused and obviously didn't know whom to believe. Every time Lee tried to soothe him, Criler would interject and distract Chip. Chip was visibly on the brink of collapse. The gun was shaking in his hand and it seemed to take all his formidable willpower to keep it trained on the two men that were converging on him. Then his eyes rolled up and he slowly started to slump to the floor. As he fell, Lee raced forward and grabbed him, keeping him from tumbling into the water. As he pulled Chip away from the edge and lowered him to the deck, he felt a blow across his back. Grunting, he turned to see that Criler had picked up the gun Chip had dropped and had it pointed directly at Lee's head.
With a sneer, Criler motioned him away from Chip. Reluctantly, Lee backed away, keeping an anxious eye on Chip's still form. He was lying perilously close to the edge and his violent tremors placed him in danger of going into the water again.
"Criler, you can't get away with this." Lee said. "Why are you doing this?"
"He killed my brother!" Criler screamed.
"What are you talking about?" Lee was perplexed. The man was obviously deranged and that made him doubly dangerous.
"He killed my brother and he has to die for that! I'll kill him!"
Criler swung the gun towards Chip's body. The moment his eyes were off Lee, the Captain leapt forward and grappled with Criler, trying desperately to keep him from carrying out his threat. He struggled with Criler, trying to keep the gun pointed away from Chip. Criler pushed Lee back and once again tried to aim at Chip. Lee grabbed his arm and as they struggled for control of the gun, it went off with a muffled bang! Both men stiffened. Lee looked at Criler to see a look of surprise cross his face, then Criler fell to the floor, clutching at his chest. As he fell, he tumbled against Chip, knocking him back into the water! This time Chip's water-soaked clothes pulled him down and he sank like a stone!
"Oh no!" Lee dived back in after his friend. Swimming down, he managed to snag Chip by the collar and pull his head above water. By that time he was so drained he barely had enough strength to keep them both afloat, let alone heave Chip's dead weight onto the ledge again. Just as he was starting to despair of ever getting out of the water, helping hands appeared to grab his arm. Sharkey and Nelson had arrived in response to the sound of the gunshot. The two men hauled Chip's limp form onto the deck. Pulling Lee from the water, they turned their attention to Chip, who had stopped breathing.
Lee lay panting, while Nelson and Sharkey bent over Chip's recumbent form and started performing CPR.
"C'mon...c'mon, breathe." Sharkey urged, as he did chest compressions. Nelson kept breathing air into Chip's lungs, mentally encouraging him to start breathing on his own.
After what seemed a lifetime, Chip coughed and took a gasping breath. Nelson turned Chip's shuddering body onto his side and held him close while Sharkey called to SickBay for medical assistance. Lee crawled over to where Criler was lying motionless and turned him over onto his back. Criler's brown eyes stared sightlessly at the ceiling, a broadening crimson stain covered the front of his shirt. In the struggle, the gun had discharged directly into Criler's heart, killing him instantly.
Lee shook his head sadly at the senseless waste of life, then turned to Nelson, who was still holding Chip's shivering body. Chip's breathing was still ragged and there was an ominous rattle coming from him.
"How is he, Admiral?"
"I don't know, it doesn't look good. He inhaled a lot of water and I don't like his breathing. We'll just have to wait until Doc gets here. What happened, Lee?" asked Nelson.
"Criler, he tried to kill Chip. He said something about Chip killing his brother."
" That doesn't make any sense." Nelson said. "We never had him or anybody else named Criler onboard before. Why would he say that about Chip?"
"I don't know, Sir. He was mad... talking crazy. I don't think he knew what he was saying."
"I'll check with ONI and have them investigate, Lee. There must be SOME explanation to all this!" Nelson held Chip close, trying to reassure him, even though Chip was past hearing.
Lee paced back and forth anxiously, stopping now and then to look up the corridor for the Doc.
"What's keeping them?" Lee fretted, "They should be here by now!"
"Relax, Lee, they'll be here in no time." Nelson told him, as he tried to keep Chip warm.
After what seemed to be an interminable time, Doc showed up with Frank in tow. Doc bent over Chip and examined the shivering man quickly. Placing a stethoscope his chest, he shook his head somberly.
"I don't like the sound of his breathing. That broken rib may have punctured his lung. I'll know more when I get him back to SickBay and take some x-rays. I'll have to run some blood tests as well. His vitals are depressed, his heartbeat is very erratic, and his pupils are dilated. If I didn't know better, I'd swear he had been drugged. The sedative I gave him earlier couldn't have done this! Nor should he have become so paranoid like he did. I'll let you both know more after the tests are completed."
Doc and Frank put Chip on the stretcher they had brought with them and after covering him with a blanket, took him back to SickBay. Two crewmen showed up with another stretcher and took Criler's body to the cold storage locker that doubled as a morgue.
Lee and Nelson were headed back towards the Control Room when Nelson suddenly stopped and looked at Lee.
"Lee, you're exhausted. Why don't you go back to your cabin and rest? As soon as I find out anything, I'll let you know. O'Brien can handle the conn for now."
Lee was physically and emotionally drained and he didn't want to anything more than collapse on his bunk and sleep for a week, but he wanted to make sure Chip was going to be all right. It took all of Nelson's powers of persuasion to convince Lee that there was really nothing that could be done at the moment.
With a resigned sigh, he returned to his cabin. Peeling off his soaked clothing, he let them drop to the floor and, crawling under the blankets, he quickly fell into a deep sleep...a sleep that for a change wasn't broken by bad dreams.
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Lee was in high spirits as he walked down the corridor. He had just received encouraging news about Chip. The Doctor had been very optimistic about Chip's prognosis.
"Other than the broken rib, and the 'cocktail' he had in his bloodstream, Chip's injuries weren't life-threatening, Captain." The Doctor had said, reassuringly. "Luckily the lung wasn't punctured. I've taped his ribs so they should heal. I was able to counteract the drugs Criler had given him and once they are out of his system, he should be right as rain. What he needs at the moment is rest. You can see him for a moment, but remember, keep it brief. I have him sedated and I want him to sleep as much as possible for at least the next two days. Then he's going to be on sick leave for at least two weeks."
Lee had sat beside Chip's bed and quietly watched his even breathing for a few moments, reflecting on the last 24 hours. It had been too close a call for Lee's comfort. When he thought of how close he had come to losing his best friend, he thanked the powers that be he had been in time to save him.
Sitting there gazing at Chip's peaceful face, he made a startling discovery: his concern and fear for Chip's safety had made him forget all about his own problems. He accepted then that he could not control what happened and the guilt he had felt over Juanita's death finally dissipated. He would grieve her passing, but now he could move on.
As he watched, Chip was still sleeping deeply and unaware of Lee's presence. With a final, gentle touch on Chip's shoulder, Lee had stood up and left the SickBay.
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Nelson was sitting at his desk when Lee knocked on his door
After receiving permission to enter, Lee walked in and gave Nelson a beaming smile.
"Doc says Chip's going to be okay, Sir." Lee said happily.
"That's wonderful news, Lee." Nelson sighed with relief.
"Boy, you can say that again, Sir." Lee took his customary perch on the corner of Nelson's desk. "Did you hear anything back from ONI, Sir?" Lee asked.
"As a matter of fact, I received the report just before you came in, Lee, and it makes for very interesting reading. They searched John Criler's house and found some journals he had been keeping for a long time. It appears that John Criler's older brother had been in the Navy. About 15 years ago he was caught embezzling funds from the Officers Mess. He couldn't face the humiliation of a Military court-martial and so he committed suicide. John would have been about 10 at the time. Here's the kicker: the investigating Officer was Lt. C. Morton. Apparently John Criler decided that Lt. C. Morton was responsible for his brother's death and decided to get revenge. According to ONI, there have been three other C. Mortons who all died under rather mysterious circumstances. All were serving onboard ships that John just 'happened' to be on when the 'accidents' occurred. One slipped and fell into a cargo hold, breaking his neck, another was electrocuted when a panel exploded in his face and the third drowned when he slipped somehow while on deck and went overboard. All were deemed unfortunate accidents, that is until now."
"But how could he possibly have blamed Chip? Chip would have not been much older than 15 himself when Criler's brother died."
"He was obviously demented, Lee. There's no other explanation. His obsession with avenging his brother's death blinded him to all reason. I'm just glad it's over with."
"So am I," breathed Lee. "So, what do we do now?"
"Set a course for home, Lee. We'll turn Criler's body over to the proper authorities when we reach port. How are you doing, Lee?"
"I think I'm going to be okay, Sir. I think it took almost losing Chip to make me realize just how fleeting life is and how much we should treasure what we have. When Chip gets out of sickbay, I think we should all go out someplace special and celebrate."
"That sounds like a good idea, Lee. In fact, I'll even buy," smiled Nelson.
"You're on, Sir," laughed Lee and with a final wave left Nelson's cabin to return to the control room... and home.
THE END