This story is the final story regarding Janet and her parents.

Separated and Desperate

By JSRobertson

Chapter 1

Lee Crane was on an ONI mission in the small country of Vadvostok. All he needed to do was pick up the intel and bring it to back to Washington DC. It should have been an easy in and out mission. After he was dropped off at the airport in Vadvostok, Johnson called to tell him the mission would take a day longer. Starvos Maine the gentlemen he was going to meet was delayed in getting the intel. He would have to stay there an extra day. Lee as usual was prepared for the unexpected delay.

It was arranged that he would meet Starvos Meine at a downtown bar. Lee had no idea on how Starvos got the intel or what it was.

He waited inside the bar where he was to meet Starvos dressed in an open collared white shirt, black jacket and jeans he fit right in with the rest of the bar crowd. Starvos was over an hour late meeting him. When he finally showed up Lee gave him a look that would stop a crew member dead in his tracks but Starvos wasn't fazed by it. He passed him the intel, bid him good bye and left as quickly as he came. Lee put the intel in the special compartment in his backpack. He wanted to leave this country as soon as he could as he heard rumblings of a civil uprising breaking out any day.

He was on his way to the airport to catch his plane when all hell broke loose. He tried to radio the pilot in charge of his extraction but the signal was jammed. Hearing explosions in the distance he knew the airport had just been blown up. There went his way out of the country. He knew if he got to the port he might be able to jump on a ship. The country of Vadvostok was on the Sea of Japan and the base for the Russian Pacific Fleet and a major shipping port. The port was about thirty miles from where he was. Right now that was his only way out.

Hailing a cab outside the bar, Lee jumped in before it came to a full stop.

"Take me to the port of Vadvostok," Lee told him. "And hurry."

"Sir, that's a long way away," the cab driver told him. "It will cost you double my normal fee."

"I don't care what it costs just drive."

The cab driver sped away down the road avoiding the active gun fire in the streets. They were ten miles into their journey when the cab was hit by sniper fire. As the cab crashed into a tree, Lee could tell the cab driver was dead. He was shot in the thigh and had a gash on his forehead from hitting the seat after the car crashed. Afraid the snipers would think he was still alive he stayed in the cab for a few minutes. He could hear them talking but they walked away and never checked in the cab.

His leg was bleeding pretty badly and he had a headache. He didn't think he had a concussion but knew he had a bad gash on his forehead. He grabbed his extra shirt from his backpack and put it on the bullet wound using his belt to hold it in place hoping it would stop the bleeding. Ripping the sleeve off the shirt he tied it around his head to stop the gash from bleeding. Slowly opening the door of the cab he checked to see if anyone was around. Seeing no one he got out of the cab. He would have to walk to the rest of the way.

((()))

Admiral Johnson at ONI had just received word of the civil uprising in Vadvostok. He knew Lee was scheduled to leave today. He called the pilot in charge of Lee's extraction.

"Henry, do you have him," Johnson asked anxiously.

"No sorry sir. He was an hour late and I had to leave before they closed the airport," Henry replied somberly. "And they just blew up the airport."

"Damn. Can you get him out at all?"

"Not a chance. Everything is shut down in the country. Now there is no airport and all radio signals are being jammed. His only chance would be to get to the port on the coast."

"Where are you now?"

"In the city of Atyom. There's an airport here."

"Can you keep monitoring the radio just in case this uprising ends quickly," Johnson pleaded.

"I will do what I can sir."

Johnson dreaded the next call he would need to make. He would have to call Admiral Nelson and tell him Lee was stuck in Vadvostok.

((()))

The phone rang in Admiral Nelson's office.

"Admiral Nelson's office can I help you," Angie asked.

"This is Admiral Johnson; I need to talk to Nelson."

"Just a minute, I'll get him for you."

Angie rang the admiral's phone and told him Admiral Johnson was on the line. She could tell by his voice that the news wasn't good.

"Gerald, you better have good news. I just heard about the uprising. Is Lee on his way home?"

"Sorry Harry. They couldn't get him out before they blew up the airport. He was an hour late getting there and the pilot had to leave. I have the pilot monitoring the radio just in case he calls but right now all the radio signals are also being jammed. The pilot says his only chance out is to get to the port on the coast."

"Damn, Gerald. I thought this was an easy in and out mission," Nelson said angrily.

"Harry, I'm really sorry. I will let you know if I hear anything more."

"I can have Seaview ready to leave by tomorrow morning. We can get him ourselves."

"No the State Department doesn't want any interference on our part right now. They are working to get things resolved so Harry please don't jeopardize what they are trying to do. If they give me the okay I will let you know," Johnson stressed.

"Thanks," Nelson replied and hung up. "Damn."

Now the admiral had a problem. He would have to tell Chip and Lee's wife Janet he wasn't on his way home and didn't know when he would be home.

Angie was standing by the door and heard his conversation with Johnson.

"Please don't say anything to Chip or Janet just yet. I need to think about how I'm going to tell them what happened and why we can't go and get him."

"No problem sir, I won't say anything. It doesn't look good does it?"

"No Angie, right now it doesn't look good."

((()))

Lee started limping towards the coast. He stayed off the main road to avoid any soldiers. His leg had stopped bleeding but he had lost quite a bit of blood and it hurt like hell. He also had no water or food since early this morning. He was getting weaker and very tired. He figured he had walked about five miles when he spotted a house a little ways down the road. Maybe whoever lived there could help him. He managed to make it to the house and knocked on the front door.

The front door was cautiously opened.

"Please help me," Lee asked the woman at the door before he passed out.

The woman looked at Lee and could tell he was seriously hurt. She dragged him in the house. Lee was a lot bigger than her so she had a hard time getting him into the bedroom and on the bed. She looked at his leg and could see the wound was already showing signs of infection. She looked at his head wound; it wasn't too bad but would need a couple of stitches. She could also tell Lee had a high fever.

Lee woke up to the face of a woman with light blue eyes and black hair. She was very attractive.

"I'm sorry," he said trying to get up.

She gently pushed him down. She could tell there was a very handsome man under the blood and dirt.

"You have a serious leg wound that is infected. You also have a fever and you need stitches in your forehead. Let me help you."

"I need to get to the coast."

"You're in no condition to go any where."

"Okay just fix my leg and I will leave," Lee said as he passed out again.

He picked the right house to stop at as the woman was a doctor. She went to her office and got her bag. She took off Lee's make shift bandage. She cut away the pant leg and saw a very bad bullet wound that was already turning red from an infection. She needed to remove the bullet from his thigh right away. She didn't have anything to knock him out so she hoped he would stay unconscious until she got the bullet out. She managed to remove the bullet without to much trouble. There wasn't too much muscle damage but it would be hard to walk and very sore for quite a while. Lee only yelled out once. She knew by his reactions that he could tolerate a lot of pain. She stitched up the wounds on his leg and head and put some antiseptic cream on them. She wished she had some antibiotics to give him. She would give him some acetaminophen for his fever and pain when he woke up. She also washed off the dirt and blood from his face and hands. She was very interested in him and why he needed to get to the coast.

She left him for an hour before checking on him. When she returned he was shivering terribly so she put some more blankets on the bed. She was worried he had not woken up. When she checked on him again he was still shivering so she climbed in bed with him hoping her body heat would warm him up. He wrapped his arms around her and mumbled the name of Janet.

((()))

Nelson called Angie into his office thirty minutes after the call from Johnson.

"Angie, where's Chip right now?"

"I believe he's on Seaview checking the upgrades to the sonar and radar systems. Do you want me to get him?"

"Yes, you better call down there. Is Janet in her office?"

"Yes sir, do you want me to get her too?"

"No I will get her," he sighed heavily.

Angie made the call to Seaview as the Admiral went to Janet's office.

"Chip, the admiral needs to see you right away."

"Okay Angie I will be right there," Chip answered promptly.

Standing at the door to Janet's office the admiral asked, "Janet please come with me to my office."

She got up from her desk and followed him. She knew something was wrong by the tone of his voice and the look on his face. She met Chip coming off the elevator. She knew he was on Seaview and in the middle of the upgrades so why was he here?

"Please sit down," the admiral said as he sat on the corner of his desk.

They both sat down on the couch that faced his desk. They both were a little nervous.

"I heard from Admiral Johnson a few minutes ago. Lee isn't on his way home. The country is in the middle of a civil uprising. Lee didn't make the plane so it had to leave without him. We have no way of contacting him as all the radio signals are being jammed. Johnson has asked the pilot to stay close in case the uprising ends quickly so if Lee can get to the city of Atyom he will be able to fly him out. That's the closest city with an airport as the rebel forces blew up the one in Vadvostok. His only way out right now is getting to the port on the coast."

"Do we know if he's hurt?" Janet asked as tears ran down her cheeks.

"As of now we don't know," he told her as he got up and went over to her and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Can't we go get him? I can have Seaview ready to sail by tomorrow morning," Chip suggested.

"No, I already tried to tell Johnson that. The State Department is working on a peace agreement and they don't want any interference from anyone. He will let us know if and when we can get him."

"Admiral we can sneak in there and get him. Who knows by the time we get there this uprising could be over and we can get him out."

"I thought of that too, but if we're discovered it could cause more problems and then there will be hell to pay from the State Department and higher up."

"So we just have to leave him there?" Janet asked tearfully.

"Sorry honey, for now yes we do."

"Chip, why don't you take Janet home and stay with her."

"No please I would rather stay here. I have a lot of work to do and if I keep busy I won't cry," Janet told him wiping away her tears.

"Whatever you want to do is fine with me."

Chip and Janet left the admiral's office and walked into Janet's.

"I'm going back to Seaview. If you need me, please call and I will come back. I want to make sure she's ready to go to get Lee," Chip told her as he gave her a hug. "He's alright."

"I know."

"And don't leave without me. I'll take you home."

"Thanks Chip but you don't have to. I'm getting used to being by myself."

Chip just gave her one of his looks and she knew he would take her home tonight. She watched Chip walk back down to Seaview in her sub pen. She could tell he was very worried about Lee too.