Mesmerized
By Subjockey
Chapter One
He was floating, the thin air about ready to mercifully take his consciousness, hopefully before he became completely oxygen starved. The sea had been part of his life for so long, and now there wasn't anything left to do but let the sea claim him as her own. He was too weak to swim or fight any longer, and he sincerely hoped he'd get to skip those agonizing moments of complete oxygen deprivation, gasping for the life-sustaining gas that was dwindling out of his near empty tanks.
The floating feeling continued; it was almost peaceful, if he didn't succumb to the fear of suffocation, that is. Captain Lee Crane willed himself to calmness, and closed his eyes. His hands went limp as the underwater torch fell unwittingly from his grip. He opened his eyes in time to watch the light fall and disappear into the darkness, taking with it his only illumination. He was in the dark now, lost... alone... and dying. His eyes fluttered closed as he gasped unwillingly, sucking up the last remnants of his tank's contents as his body reflexively convulsed attempting to glean all the oxygen that was possibly left.
Oh God, it hurts, he thought in an unspoken prayer that the end would come quickly now that there was no longer any hope... and then there was nothing but blackness.
VTTBOTS
Earlier that day...
"The sensors are highly sensitive and will need to be placed at twenty feet intervals for maximum coverage and efficiency," Harry explained to the dive detail to the tune of collective, "Aye Sirs."
"Now, does everyone have their assignments?" Lee asked, already suited up in his familiar yellow dive suit. Nods of affirmation followed as Lee continued. "Report to Chief Sharkey after you've placed each of your team's four sensors," he ordered, tilting his head toward Sharkey who was already stationed at a temporary workstation near the dive hatch to monitor the sensors as they were laid.
"And watch your mixtures," he admonished, "absolutely no over-extending your stay to place the sensors. Whatever doesn't get placed now will have to wait for the next dive team, led by Admiral Nelson. Mr. Morton's final dive will wrap up any loose ends we leave out here, so there's no excuse for a sloppy dive. Is that understood?" Lee stated, his question more an order than a request.
"Very well," Lee replied as three sets of the two-man teams acknowledged his command, each man qualified for the deep dive at 250 feet below the surface. He and Kowalski made up the fourth team as Seaview's men placed new and improved seismic sensors to monitor the known fault within the South Pacific region known as the Ring of Fire.
"Anything else, Admiral?" Lee asked, adjusting his tank in place as he spoke.
"No, I think we've covered everything. Just be careful out there, the area has been experiencing seismic clusters," he reminded the group. "Nothing over 1.8 on the Richter scale, but be aware and prepared," he admonished, before adding an extra affirming nod to Lee.
"We'll do, Admiral."
"Have a good dive," Harry replied to Lee's confident smile, indicating that he intended to do just that.
VTTBOTS
It took two shifts through the vertical dive hatch to dispatch all eight men into the sea for their task. Lee and Kowalski were in the last shift, which gave the other teams a chance to reach their target coordinates. He checked the progress of his men and then proceeded to the furthest coordinates along the fault line. Lee didn't mind taking the longest swim and knew Ski, his regular dive partner, enjoyed diving as much as he did.
Like the rest of the dive teams, Kowalski and Lee each carried two sensors. They continued swimming to the target coordinates as Lee pointed to the intended location to place their first sensor.
"Okay Ski, place one here," he directed as Kowalski nodded, pulling a stake and weight from one dive bag as the two fastened an anchor before retrieving a sensor from his second dive bag, attached to his weight belt.
The sensors were pre-programmed aboard Seaview and activating the unit took only a moment as Lee entered the start-up sequence and then watched as the small indicator light flashed, then turned solid once the initiation cycle was complete.
"Dive Team Alpha to Chief Sharkey."
"Sharkey here, I read you loud and clear, Skipper."
"We've just set our first sensor," Lee informed, receiving an expected slight delay as Sharkey checked the transmission.
"Aye Sir, I'm reading it just fine."
"Very well, we'll proceed to our next location," Lee advised just as a cloud of sediment kicked up at their feet. A small rumble sent a bottom fish from its concealment in the sand as both men steadied themselves and then cracked adrenalin charged smiles once the small shaker subsided. With the excitement over, they proceeded to their next location.
Ski retrieved the next anchor, holding it in place as Lee hammered the stake into the sea floor. Once satisfied with their work, Ski pulled out his last sensor and secured it to the anchor as Lee activated the device and called in their progress to Sharkey. Lee couldn't help enjoy himself; he always found the dives to be one of the perks of commanding Seaview, knowing full well that sub captains in the Navy didn't have the same opportunity to get wet.
They proceeded to their third coordinates and followed the same pattern, working efficiently with the Rating who had become one of his most trusted men. They had come a long way from Ski's initial first impressions, when Lee belted the rating upon sneaking aboard Seaview on his first mission as temporary captain. Indeed, Ski was almost exclusively his dive partner; they just worked well together and Lee knew his back was covered, whether on a dive or when he tagged Ski for off-boat ONI excursions.
They were well on their way to placing their third anchor when another small shaker impeded their progress as silty sand fogged their view.
"Seaview, this is Crane, is the Admiral close by?" Lee asked, waiting for the silt and sand to settle enough to proceed.
"I'm here, Lee," Harry's voice chimed in.
"That was the third quake in thirty minutes, Sir, how do you read it?" Lee inquired, hoping they were within safety parameters to place the remaining sensors on this dive.
"All three quakes still registered under 1.8 magnitudes. The cluster is admittedly closer together than previous readings, but I see no reason to forestall the mission," he reported.
"Very well, we'll proceed," he said, pulling a sensor from his own dive bag as Ski secured it. Lee activated the sensor, reported in and moved to their last coordinates to place the last sensor. Both men carried their own underwater torches to light their way and were, by design, the team advancing the furthest from the Boat.
As they neared their last location, Lee could hear the other dive teams checking in, having placed all four of their sensors. Two teams were already being cycled through the dive hatch as the third team waited to lend their assistance if required.
Lee pulled out the fourth anchor, this time holding it so Kowalski could hammer it into place. Ski tapped on the stake when the ground started to shake once more, causing both men to stumble in the buoyancy of the water. A larger sediment stir followed as the rumble continued.
"That was way more than 1.8," Lee noted to his dive partner.
"It sure was, Sir," Ski agreed.
"Dive Team Alpha, report."
"We're okay, Chief, but if we get another shaker like that one, we'll call it a day and watch and wait from inside Seaview," Lee advised. "Are the other dive teams secured?"
"Teams Beta and Charlie are secure; Delta is waiting to board with you."
The ground shook once more, just as strong as the last quake as Lee shook his head.
"I think we'd better let things settle down a little, can't see much with the sediment anyway," Lee advised.
"Lee, this is Nelson," Harry broke in. "I think that's a good call, the last two quakes measured 3.1 and 3.3, a definite change to the recent activity," he observed.
"Very well, we'll abandon the dive," Lee acknowledged while yet another quake stirred sediments under them as they swam; the resulting shock wave sent a current of resistance, slowing their forward movement.
"Lee, that was 3.9, how close are you?" Harry asked, his voice full of concern.
"We can see Team Delta's lights up ahead," Lee replied, his breathing somewhat labored as the swim through the current required more energy.
"Good," Harry answered. "I..."
His next words were cut-off as the ocean became a violent churn of water with Seaview caught in the fray.