Battlefield
Disclaimer: I still own nothing but original characters
Author's Notes: I started this story before I watched episode 3, but then decided to change the beginning after watching the episode. Fair warning to those who aren't caught up in season 5. For the purpose of this story, Azima and Wolf's faces were not shown in the photo released saying they assassinated the Panamanian president.
February 20, 2020
Caucasia, Colombia
7:00 AM
Tom Chandler made a fool of you.
Tom Chandler made a fool of you.
Tom Chandler made a fool of you.
The word from Gustavo's wife kept ringing through his brain the next day.
He knew what he had to do.
He would make a fool of Tom Chandler...He would take Tom Chandler down.
Tom Chandler was now his enemy.
Gustavo was about to play hardball with his enemy.
February 20, 2020
1:00 PM
Tom and Mike were in the Wardroom discussing the preparations needed for the James when Kara rushed in.
"There is a radio broadcast from Gustavo. He is directing it towards you Admiral Chandler." Kara said as she rushed over to the radio and turned it on.
In Colombia, Danny, Mike, Sasha and Azima gathered around the radio with Armando and the other rebels, also listening to the radio broadcast.
"This message is for Tom Chandler. You may have won this battle...but I will win the war. You Americans think you're special, that hope makes you hard to beat. The United States had hope five years ago when the cure was created. They lost that hope due to a death….a death that was a lie…
"I discovered the lie...I took that hope. Tom Chandler...what will you do to get this hope back? Will you cave? Will you bow to my demands? I think you will."
There was a shuffling on the radio.
"Tom…Gustavo said you are listening...the last time I saw you...I should have said more to you than I'll see you when I see you..."
The transmission abruptly ended.
Tom, Kara and Mike exchanged looks. Shock, confusion, worry marred all their faces.
"Rachel." Tom said.
Back in Colombia, Danny, Sasha, Wolf and Azima had gathered around a radio, along with Armando and a group of rebels, listening to the broadcast. As Rachel spoke, Danny and Wolf exchanged shocked looks with one another, while Sasha and Azima wore looks of confusion.
"Who was that?" Azima asked the two men who didn't respond. "What did he mean about a lie?"
"The voice" Danny said "that was the voice of Rachel Scott."
"As in the Doctor Rachel Scott, creator of the cure, the one shot and killed five years ago...that Rachel Scott?" Sasha asked.
The two men nodded.
"That's the lie, that she's not dead. If she's not dead, how did she get here?" Azima asked "And why does he think Tom would do anything to get her back?"
"I don't know how she got here...but it's her. I spent eight months on the James with her. I know her voice." Danny said "And as for Tom...he did anything and everything to protect her those eight months. He blamed himself for her death."
"Our mission has changed" Danny told them, "We need to find Rachel and get her the hell out and get ourselves to the James as quickly as possible."
February 20, 2020
USS Nathan James
2:00 PM
Mike found Tom in the helo bay, staring at where the makeshift lab had been erected for the tour of the James during fleet week.
"Tom"
"He lied to me Mike." Tom said and turned to face Mike. "He looked me straight in the face and told me she was dead. Told me she did not survive surgery. When I asked to see her body...I didn't question why my commander and chief was telling me no. Now I know...it was all a lie."
"He lied to all of us...to the world...and if the man wasn't already dead, we'd probably all kill him for the lie." Mike said "But Tom...we can't do anything about that. We will need to figure out how Gustavo found out about Rachel...how he got her later. Right now we not only need to figure out when and where Gustavo's next attack on the James will be...but where Rachel is and how the to get her out."
Tom rubbed his face. "Where do we even start?"
Mike sighed, "I honestly don't know Tom...we find sympathizers...we find...someone...anyone...who may know where Gustavo is."
"But does Rachel have the time?"
"He's pissed at you Tom. You made him look weak. He's going to torture you with Rachel. You need to be prepared for that...but he also knows if he kills her...you will kill him...there won't even be a question of if you should or a moment's hesitation. He knows this."
Mike was right about Gustavo torturing Tom. The next morning, they were pulled into CIC for another broadcast.
"The United Nations, which rarely focused on the troubles in Central and South America, dissolved after the red flu. Here it is five years later and we still do not have representatives on the world stage fighting for us...fighting for our needs! This is unacceptable!" Gustavo stated.
"We will no longer be taken advantage of by the United States!" Gustavo shouted. There was some mummering in the background.
"Tom...I'm okay...for now...I know it shocked you, but I think about our kiss and the first time we met on the Nathan James all the time."
The transmission cut off. Mike and Kara gave questioning looks to Tom as no one but Tom, Rachel, Tex and Ruskov knew about the kiss on the Vyerni.
"Kiss?" Mike questioned Tom.
"It was on the Vyerni. It was how Rachel passed the message to me that you guys were coming."
"Of all the things for her to bring up...why would she bring that up?" Kara wondered aloud.
The trio stood silently for a few minutes, thinking.
"Her first message" Mike suddenly said "What did she say again?"
"She said she wished she had said more to me than I'll see you when I see you."
"That was the last time you spoke to her right?" Mike asked.
Tom nodded then caught onto Mike's line of thinking, "Rachel was shot on the twenty-fourth of February."
"That's in three days" Kara said.
"The mission to rescue you guys from the Vyerni took place at four am." Mike told them.
"That's what she's trying to tell us" Tom said "The next attack on the James will be on the twenty fourth at four am. She must have overheard."
"And Gustavo wouldn't understand the clues...only we...well you" Mike said pointing to Tom "would".
"We know when they will attack, but we don't know how." Kara replied "It will be either by air or by sea."
"We prepare for both." Tom said "let's get to work."
In Colombia, Sasha, Danny, Wolf and Azima also heard the message from Rachel. Through Danny detailing when Rachel had been shot and that Tom had been the last to see her and the mission to the Vyerni, the team was also able to deduce that Rachel had given a message to Tom. What the underlying message was, only the people on the James would know.
Danny was incredibly frustrated. He wanted to get back to Kara, but he also wanted to find a way to save Rachel. She deserved to be rescued given all she had sacrificed to save the world. Danny felt he owed her, and Tom, that much.
"I wish there was a way for Rachel to know we were here and listening." Danny told the group "She knows Tom is listening and she is giving him messages…"
"If she knew we were listening…" Wolf continued
"She may be able to give us a message." Azima finished.
Danny nodded.
"Well then that's what we need to do." Sasha said, refusing to let her emotions cloud her judgement on rescuing Rachel, "we need to find a way to let Rachel and even the Nathan James know we are alive."
February 22, 2020
Tom and Mike were in the Wardroom getting their morning cup of coffee, discussing the days preparations for the upcoming attack that Gustavo was planning to unleash on them. Kara entered and joined them with her own cup of coffee. The phone rang in the Wardroom and Kara answered. When she hung up she turned to the two admirals, with a look of surprise on her face.
"There is another transmission coming in...it's from Danny."
"This message is for the Nathan James...we are alive...repeat we are alive…" Danny paused before continuing. "Rachel...we will find you...I promise."
6/2014- Nathan James leaves Norfolk for Arctic
10/2014- Learn about virus, which Rachel states struck Cairo 7 months prior. They head to Cuba, get Tex. The ship gets damaged in episode 4, which takes 7 days to get to the island and another 7-10 days to be fixed.
11/5/2014- Episode 5. Tom does an audio recording to the kids, he states the date (the only "set in stone" date we get the entire season).
12/5/2014- Episode 7. Shows a timeline of "6 months prior". Sorensen was talking to another doctor. The virus was already known (probably stage 1 at this point). He admits that he did something to the virus that inadvertently weaponized it.
12/5/2014-1/2015- remainder of season 1, which includes rescuing Tom and Tex, the trials, and Baltimore. Kara learns she is pregnant (probably 8 weeks tops).
1/2015-2/21/2015- Season 2. We learn in episode 10 that Kara is approximately 16 weeks pregnant, so we know between season 1 episode 10 and season 2 episode 10 about 6-8 weeks have passed. We also know dates (18, 21, etc…) that the James stopped for the cure, but no month was given.
2/24/2015- Rachel shot
7/28/2015- Michener gives speech about Rachel
8/2015-9/2015- Season 3, Tom resigns
2/2017- 16 months later we see Tom in Greece
2/2017-3/2017- season 4
2/2020- season 5.
