Disclaimer: The Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea characters are not mine, just borrowed for this story.

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One Good Turn

The constant thudding drove Nelson from his bed. The persistence of the knocking was only as strong as his anger at being disturbed at such a late hour. The world had better have the decency to be ending, he thought as he stumbled down the stairs fumbling with his housecoat. The last voyage had been particularly exhausting, filled with many sleepless nights, the only thing pushing the man forward had been the peaceful sleep promised upon his return to NIMR which was now being disrupted.

"I'm coming!" bellowed Harry as he reached the last step. There was no way the dead could even sleep through the racket of the unending pounding.

With a huff he twisted the door handle, secretly wishing it was the neck of whoever was on the other side. The door swung open releasing the light of the doorway into the thick night and Nelson's gruff greeting caught in his throat. Of all the people he expected to see gracing his darkened door way it certainly wasn't his current guest.

"I know you," he stuttered, finally able to find his voice again, if only to state the obvious.

"Yeah, I remember you to," spat the drenched individual hovering under what little shelter the doorframe offered.

Nelson motioned for the young man to enter, as his mind desperately tried to come up with some reason for the late calling. A first name wasn't forthcoming but the last name was unforgettable; even without the memorable quasi meeting, the family resemblance was hard to ignore. "Davenport's brother isn't it?"

The teen rolled his eyes, his brashness still firmly intact. "Brayden," emphasized the boy shaking the water out of his hair.

"Of course," offered the Admiral, keeping his irritation in check only for the sake of getting information out of the kid, who seemed likely to withhold it should things turn into a battle with authority. "What do I owe the ... pleasure of your company at three am?"

The younger Davenport looked around the opulent house in awe, a far cry from the more modest lodging his brother occupied. "Nice digs. You got a towel or something? I'm freezing my balls off. It ain't easy breaking in here you know," he said with an expectant look.

"I believe that's the point of having security guard a facility like this," countered Nelson, pulling a towel from the guest bathroom and handing it to the sopping wet mess standing in his living room. "Now would you like a hot drink or a robe perhaps," he snarked, "because I was hoping we could address the reason for your arrival before I call security."

Brayden raised his hands in a pacifying gesture before a twisted smile curled the corner of his lips and he settled his wet body on the expensive looking couch. A serious look gripped his face as he admitted, "My brother's missing."

"On a mission," inquired Nelson sitting beside the boy. His personal feelings for his late night intruder aside, it was always hard to see what families went through when their loved ones were missing or dead in this line of work. He even liked Commander Lyndon Davenport as an officer; the man had performed well as a member of his crew and helped bring about the downfall of Alexi.

The teen shook his head. "No, he was home. They weren't scheduled to leave for another two weeks. We came home from school and someone had been in the house, the place was tossed, you know? Lyndon was just gone and no one's heard from him. The police don't know anything and the Navy came up with nothing, only they're throwing out the idea that he's a traitor." The abject misery on the kid was almost heartbreaking.

That didn't sound like the officer he knew. The man maybe slightly unconventional but he seemed loyal. The problem was, the Admiral really didn't have enough experience with the man to say one way or another, not with the same certainty he could Lee or Chip. "So why come to me?"

"You seemed like someone who would be able to help. Lyndon wouldn't just leave and he wouldn't sell anyone out. Even if he did, you think he'd leave his kids? No, something happened and I need to know what or if he's still alive. He helped you out, now I'm hoping you can do the same." Brayden bit his lip, unable to look the other man in the eye for fear that his plea would be rejected. His first hope for help was out in the middle of the Pacific at the moment and even if Commander Ambrose wasn't, his hands would probably be tied. Nelson and his people weren't strictly Navy, maybe they could find answers where others could not dare to go.

"How long has he been missing?"

"Three weeks."

Nelson's lips pressed in a hard line. "And there's been no ransom?" The teen shook his head. That long without contact from the kidnappers meant they were either going to be looking for a body or the theory of traitor might be accurate. The Admiral's finger tapped against his thigh as he weighed out just what he could do to help if he agreed. It certainly wouldn't hurt to do a little digging and at least see the case file; worst case scenario the man was a traitor and they could all count their blessings that his betrayal didn't come while he was serving aboard Seaview. "I look into it, but I can't promise anything."

Brayden's head shot up, hope welling in his big brown eyes. "On one condition," amended the Admiral. The teen's shoulders deflated slightly. "You write me a report on how you managed to get past security and all the way to my front door in the middle of the night. Clearly security has some tightening up to do."

The disgruntled mask of a put out teenager slipped into place, though Nelson could still see the relief the boy felt around the edges. "I might be able to do that," he replied, all attitude and indifference once again.

"Alright then. I'll call a car to take you back home." Nelson picked up the phone on the end table and dialled the night office at the Institute. Within a few moments a driver was on his way up to the Admiral's residence with order to take Davenport straight home.

Handing back the now wet towel, Brayden paused at the door. "Thanks, you know, for at least tying." Turning back out into the night Nelson reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Where are you staying if your brother's missing?" The saddened look returned at the mention of Lyndon's absence, tugging at the Admiral's heartstrings. "When I find something, I need to know where to find you."

"Holden Ambrose is our legal guardian should anything ever happen to Lyndon."

The name rang a bell. Another up and coming officer destined to do great things but if memory served, the commanding officer was otherwise engaged in a training exercise in the Pacific. "Isn't Commander Ambrose currently out at sea?"

"Yeah, but they're old family friends the Ambroses. His wife Alice is looking after us. They have two boys of their own so it's not a complete foreign concept to them to have a bunch of kids underfoot."

Nelson nodded, filing the name away for future reference. "I'll be in touch in then," he promised as the teen ran down the driveway to the waiting car. He just hoped he wouldn't have bad news when he did contact him.

The Admiral sighed as he passed by his bedroom on his way to his study. There would be no sleep tonight. Seaview was scheduled to leave in four days to carry out important experiments that were ten months in the making. Hopefully that would be enough time to get the appropriate wheels greased and Davenport located or at least some information that would shed some light into his disappearance. Tonight would be filled with various phone calls to agencies and old friends. Brayden had been right, Lyndon was a family man and wouldn't just abandon his children. The whole situation screamed something big was going on but what had the former Seaview member gotten himself into?