Procrastination's Price

by Caribou Kid

Harriman Nelson finds out procrastination can come with a heavy price he's unwilling to pay.

Procrastination's Price

Admiral Harriman Nelson, founder of the Nelson Institute of Marine Research, sat in his office quietly scrolling through the list of email he'd been unable to review during the day due to the seemingly endless stream of meetings he attended. Intent on checking his email, he had failed to notice the sun had set and it was now so late that the rest of his staff had headed home some hours ago.

As he neared the end of the new emails his eye was caught by the subject line from the Chief of Human Resources; Contract Renewal for Captain Lee Crane. He quickly clicked on the icon and the message appeared on the screen.

From: George Nevel, Chief of Human Resources

To: Harriman Nelson, CEO NIMR

Subject: Contract Renewal for Captain Lee Crane

Harri,

A review of our files shows that Captain Crane's contract is set to expire in less than a month. This would now be an opportune time to enter into negotiations with Captain Crane to update and renew his contract before it lapses. At your earliest convenience I would appreciate having you and Captain Crane sit down with my contract specialist to establish a new agreement and get it signed and in place before the captain's contract expires.

Please let us know when you would be available to take care of this item and my staff will set everything in motion.

v/r

George

Harri sat back in his chair somewhat surprised. He couldn't believe it had already been two years since he had snatched Lee away from the Navy to captain his research submarine the SSRN Seaview. He sighed heavily as he thought back over the last two years and all they had been through. He fully realized the fact that Seaview was intact and her crew still alive was in large part due to his exceedingly capable and talented captain.

It had all started with that race to the Arctic to detonate a bomb in hopes of countering the effects of a potentially cataclysmic earthquake and the attempts by Gamma to thwart their efforts*. He'd always known Lee was going to be an excellent submarine commander but his performance during that crisis exceeded even his greatest expectations. Harri fully believed that Lee was the only man that could have pulled that mission off. His command of both his vessel and his crew was beyond anything he had experienced before and knew that Lee belonged as Seaview's permanent captain.

How many other captains could so readily adapt to the incredible situations they had found themselves in and ensure that they prevailed and reached port despite the odds? John Phillips was a good captain but he seriously doubted he could have carried off some of the escapes Lee had engineered. He let a smug, self-satisfied smile spread across his face knowing he had pulled off an incredible coup when he got the President to support his request for permanent reassignment of Commander Crane to the Seaview.

In addition to gaining the finest sub commander for his vessel, Harri also found that he had gained a very special friendship with the young man. They had known each other since Lee had been a plebe at the Naval Academy, and had served together aboard the Nautilus when Harri was in command and Lee was a fresh faced LTJG, but since coming to NIMR that friendship had grown in depth and importance to him personally. It had matured from mentor and student to something akin to father and son. He knew deep down, possibly from the beginning, that Lee was the man he wanted to carry on his legacy and to take NIMR into the future.

Attached to the email was Lee's current contract. Harri opened the attachment and skimmed through the document reading the responsibilities and duties assigned to his captain. This contract simply stipulated the duties of a captain; a man to run his boat and command her crew. Lee had far surpassed those charges in his brief time with NIMR. He had quietly taken on more and more responsibility lightening the load on NIMR's CEO freeing him to pursue his research and experimentation without being bogged down by the administrative minutia inherent with the position.

Harri wanted to involve Lee in even more aspects of NIMR so that when he was ready to step down Lee would be ready to assume the duties of CEO. Those requirements and responsibilities needed to be reflected in the new contract and with that a significant raise in pay. The man was as much of a workaholic as he was spending far too much of his personal time ensuring everything ran like a well-oiled machine. That type of dedication to NIMR and to Harri deserved to be recognized and compensated.

Harri made a mental note to himself that once they had completed negotiations on the contract with the Navy to conduct testing of a new ballast system he and Lee would sit down and write a new contract. He smiled once more then closed the email, shut off his computer for the night and headed for home.

ooo

It was a long tough haul reaching consensus on the Navy contract which ate up the better portion of a month as they bargained back and forth. Now signed, they only had two weeks to get all the equipment installed, software uploaded and the crew trained on the new system. All that added up to very long days that left everyone spent by the end of the day, too tired to do much more than eat, sleep and start it all again the next morning. Routine tasks and other things not a dire emergency were left for when they returned to port in three months.

ooo

To say the atmosphere on the boat was contentious and tense by the time they returned to port would have been a gross understatement. It seemed from the moment they shoved off, the crew and the Navy scientists were at odds about how things were going to go. As far as Lee was concerned the lead scientist Scott Jenkins was of the mistaken opinion that he was the deciding authority when it came to determining when, where and how the tests of the ballast system were to be carried out. On any number of occasions Jenkins, Nelson and Crane adjourned behind the crash doors to discuss the scientist's demands.

Initially Lee seemed to come out on the short end of the stick more times than not as Harri deferred to the Navy lead when testing parameters were established. Tests were carried out with little regard for the crew and established boat schedules, and as best as Lee could tell for no other reason than they could. This was especially evident when the scientists started demanding hot meals and other amenities at other than scheduled times severely taxing Cookie and his staff. That in turn directly impacted what the rest of the crew was fed, sending morale down the toilet. It was getting to the point where the crew was ready to mutiny and Lee had to concede he would most likely be leading the mob.

Only after a potentially fatal near miss, when the ballast system failed to operate as designed, did Harri finally begin listening to his captain again. It was only through Lee's expert ability to control his boat and the crew's mastery of their jobs, did they avoid plummeting below crush depth ending all their lives. Once order was restored and the boat brought to the surface, the argument that ensued between Jenkins, Nelson and Crane following that debacle could be clearly heard through the closed crash doors. Jenkins adamantly contended that the crew had screwed up and his equipment was not at fault. Lee, fully aware of everything going on in the conn as everything went to hell, just as adamantly defended his men knowing full well no one in the control room or engineering had made a mistake. Crane's unquestioned belief in his crew further cemented their loyalty to the man as he took on both Jenkins and the admiral.

Following that exchange things became cool and correct between the admiral and captain as both had said things they knew they shouldn't have. Lee had come out on top after that altercation and it was now well established that all additional testing was to be scheduled based on the captain's approval and the Navy team would conform to the established boat schedules. Those two changes greatly improved the crew's morale and the testing proceeded with less drama and fewer discussions behind closed doors.

As the active testing of the system drew to a close, the command crew and scientists reviewed the data to determine where the problems were and what could be done to fix the system. Lee and Chip closely scrutinized both the data and the system components and it appeared to them that there weren't any problems with the mechanical aspects of the control system but the problems lay somewhere in the computer programing, which fully exonerated the crew of any mistakes. They presented their findings to the admiral and Jenkins and neither man could refute their conclusions.

After presenting their results to Nelson and Jenkins, Lee and Chip left the admiral's quarters and headed back to the conn. "What was that Dr. Jenkins, you're sorry for wrongly accusing the crew of making a mistake?" Lee sniped quietly as they walked down the corridor.

"Don't push your luck," Chip laughed. "We're lucky he even deigned to listen to just us sub jockeys."

"This can't be over soon enough. I've had just about enough of Jenkins' attitude and condescending conversation."

"I think that's true of everyone on board," answered Chip. "Come on lets hit the wardroom and grab a cookie, I've heard that since Cookie is back on schedule the goodies have returned."

Lee looked over at Chip rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Give you a cookie and all's right with the world. Come on gutter gut let's go fill that hole." Lee clapped his friend and self-appointed big brother on the shoulder and made the turn for the wardroom.

ooo

Digesting what Lee and Chip had presented, Nelson and Jenkins decided that once they reached Santa Barbara the Navy team and the admiral would fly to Norfolk, Virginia to pour over all the data and develop a way forward. They were on a very tight schedule to deliver the new system to the Navy and could not take many more delays. It was agreed that to accomplish that task and get back out to sea as quickly as possible for further testing, it would be best if they sequestered themselves at the Navy lab cutting off all distractions from the outside world until the work was done. There would be no email, telephone calls or other interruptions short of a Presidential order to derail their work. If all they had to focus on was the ballast system, they figured it would take two weeks at most.

Upon making port Nelson called Lee and Chip down to his quarters. "Captain after looking at what you and Mr. Morton came up with on the ballast system, we agree that the problems are most likely in the computer programming. To that end I want Chip to accompany me when we meet with the Navy team since he's our resident IT expert. I think with his computer expertise along with his knowledge of the boat we can wrap this up pretty quickly."

"I think that sounds like a good idea sir. It was Chip who spotted the anomalies in their programming and he is better positioned to offer a fix. Is that okay with you Chip?" Lee answered.

"Sure Lee, I would be more than happy to work on this and hopefully we can get this thing operational and close out this contract ASAP," Chip replied enthusiastically.

"Very well then it's all settled. Chip we'll fly back to Norfolk with the Navy scientists first thing tomorrow morning," Nelson said with a nod to his officers. "I'll let you get back to putting Seaview to bed. That's all gentlemen." Lee and Chip rose from their seats and exited the admiral's cabin.

"Man things are still a little frosty between you and the admiral, aren't they?" Chip said as they made their way back to the control room.

"I hadn't really noticed," Lee lied. He had definitely noticed that the admiral had maintained his distance since their blowup following the near miss. He'd tried to apologize for his outburst and return things to an even keel but Harri seemed unwilling to let bygones be bygones. "He's got a lot on his mind and they need to get this system tested and operational in short order. He's just focused on that."

"If you say so," Chip said doubtfully.

"Why don't you let me finish up the reports and close everything out since you have the honor of flying back to Virginia first thing in the morning? I think you'd like a little time to at least say hi to your plants."

"You sure? I don't mind finishing things up," Chip replied.

"Yeah, I'm just damn glad I don't have to make the trip. I'll be happily kicked back on my deck while you're 30,000 feet over the Rockies. Go ahead and take off."

"Okay, thanks bro I owe you big time. I'll see you in a couple weeks, I hope," Chip answered as he spun on his heel and headed back to his cabin to grab his gear and head for home.

By the time Lee finished up with the last report and added his signature it was late. He was bone tired and wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep for a week. He grabbed his gear and departed the boat. Once ashore he immediately headed for the admin building and his office to claim his mail. He then hopped in his car, stopped to pick up some Chinese take-out and drove home to have a bite and crash.

ooo

It was nearly 1000 when Lee finally roused himself out of bed. After hitting the bathroom he donned his shorts and favorite t-shirt and went downstairs to start a pot of coffee. He puttered around the kitchen thrilled to be home after that tense cruise. As the coffee perked he made a couple of pieces of toast for breakfast and slathered them with peanut butter and raspberry jam. Once the coffee was done he poured a large cup, grabbed his toast and went out on the deck to enjoy the view and his meal. Having finished both his cup of coffee and toast he went back inside to retrieve his mail from his briefcase and get another cup.

He returned to the deck and began sorting through the sizeable bundle of correspondence he had received during their three month deployment. As he began placing things in distinct piles, he came across a letter from the Human Resources Department. He quickly opened it and withdrew the sheet of paper. As he read the letter Lee felt as though he had been broadsided by a full spread of torpedoes.

From: George Nevel, Chief of Human Resources

To: Lee B. Crane

Subject: Termination of Employment

Dear Mr. Crane,

This is to inform you that effective immediately your employment with the Nelson Institute of Marine Research is terminated. Your contract with NIMR has expired and since no new agreement has been established you are no longer an employee of the Institute.

At your earliest convenience please return all NIMR property and identification cards to security. NIMR thanks you for your service and wishes you well in your future pursuits.

Very Respectfully,

George Nevel

Lee sat there totally stunned by the message in the letter. He checked the date the letter was sent and it was mailed just three days before they made port. He knew the last cruise hadn't been the best but he didn't think that the admiral was so displeased with him that he wanted to fire him. They had had disagreements before without Nelson taking actions to terminate his employment, what made this one so different?

He read and reread the notice at least 20 times in hopes that he had missed something, but the message never changed. He no longer commanded the greatest submarine in the world or the best crew in or out of the Navy. He was shell shocked by that bomb and he couldn't even get in touch with Harri to find out if this was some sort of misunderstanding or if he really did want him gone.

Lee had tried a couple of times to speak with the admiral during the cruise to address the issue of a new contract but they always seemed to be drawn from that conversation by problems with the new ballast system. He couldn't believe that the admiral would release him because of the issues with the system and the Navy scientists.

He shoved his hand through his hair and stared blankly out at the ocean waves rolling across the shoreline. What was he going to do now? He felt as though he'd been stabbed in the heart with no hint that the blow was coming. He usually picked up very quickly when people no longer had a use for him given his difficult childhood, but this was a complete surprise. How had he missed the signs?

This was a repeat of the incident with his last foster parents, Edgar and Felicia Buffington, his second and third years at the Farragut Military Academy. They had taken him into their home and all seemed to be going well until the fight at school that third year. Not a member of the social elite at school, some of the boys had repeatedly targeted him with harassment and physical attacks. On the last occasion the son of the most prominent member of the Academy board and his pals jumped Lee and made the mistake of coming after him with a knife. Lee quickly disarmed the boy and gave him a severe concussion, broke the arm of another and cracked some ribs on the other two as he fought to defend himself from the pack. What his attackers didn't know was that the entire event was captured on the school's video security system. Lee had been fully exonerated of any wrong doing and the other boys were expelled.

The fact that Lee only injured his attackers in defense of his life didn't mean a damn thing to the Buffingtons. It didn't matter that he still was first in his class, top rated swimmer in the conference, and number one in his weight division on the boxing team, or any of the other positive achievements he had attained. They were aghast that he was capable of such violence and he had become an embarrassment to them with the members of their social clique. When Lee returned home for the Thanksgiving holiday that year he was greeted at the door by the butler, handed his personal effects and asked to depart the property. It had taken him quite a while to get over that blow and swore never to allow anyone to get close enough to hurt him that way again.

He was now equally shocked at the callous and cowardly manner in which Nelson chose to release him; it wasn't much different than the butler handing him his bags. Nelson must think he'd lost face with Jenkins as Lee destroyed each of Jenkins' arguments then finally 'forced' Harri to support him when it came to operations on the boat. He thought Nelson had a stronger grip on his ego but apparently not if he had to get rid of him to eliminate the embarassment.

Instead of being upfront and telling him in person he essentially did the deed with a form letter signed by someone else in the organization and then ensured there would be no discussion by locking himself away at the Navy lab along with Lee's best friend. An even more depressing thought occurred to him, did Chip know this was coming? Was that why he was so excited about accompanying Nelson to Virginia so he too wouldn't be here to face him? Had he already been appointed as Seaview's next captain?

Lee had never worked in the private sector so he had no idea how these types of things were usually handled. Maybe it was SOP to make it all impersonal and devoid of emotion or concern for the person involved. Even if it was, it totally sucked as far as he was concerned. He deserved to know what he had done so wrong that Nelson had lost all confidence in him, that he no longer valued him as his captain, his friend, his… After all they'd been through Nelson owed him that!

As the shock of the situation slowly wore off Lee started mentally sorting through the things he now needed to do since his presence was no longer desired. His first stop today would be at NIMR to pick up his few personal effects and sever all ties to that place. He had done this more than once in his life, but this time he had never regretted having to leave more.

Next he needed to evaluate where he would go from here. He knew ONI would take him full time in a heartbeat but that's not something he had ever wanted to do. The occasional mission was fine but the personal toll of returning to his real life after the horrors he sometimes faced was too high to ever act as a dedicated operative. He wasn't even sure he wanted to go back to the Navy. After Seaview everything else would seem mundane and sedate. He had truly enjoyed the diversity of the missions and the challenges service aboard Seaview brought. The limited operations of a Navy submarine now seemed ordinary and boring in comparison; not something a commanding officer should feel about his charge.

"Well first things first," he finally said to himself as he rose from his chair and headed inside. He went upstairs to get cleaned up so he could go to NIMR and Seaview for the very last time.

ooo

As Lee arrived at the gate to NIMR he was readily waved through by the guard. That seemed a little odd but they probably hadn't been alerted to his change in status yet. He went first to his office and quickly collected the few things that he wanted to take with him. He took the pictures of the various submarines he had served on along with a number of photos of him and the crew. He also grabbed the gifts the crew had given him along with the nameplate on his desk and placed them in a small cardboard box.

Next he pulled out his ID cards, office keys, NIMR cell phone, pager, NIMR uniform insignia and other things he had received while working here along with his termination letter and placed them in a large envelope addressed to Nelson and left it in the center of his desk. He gave his office one last visual sweep to see if he had left anything he wanted to take with him. The only personal items left were the pictures of him, the admiral and Chip. His termination hurt as much or more than a bullet wound and he wanted as few reminders as possible of the reason why.

He exited the building and placed the box in his car then walked slowly down to the dock where Seaview floated quietly in her pen. Only the anchor watch would be onboard which would make getting his things and leaving for the last time much easier. He was relieved in a way that he wouldn't have to endure any public farewells as he didn't think he could face his crew.

Lee stood for a long moment just taking in Seaview's beauty and grace. He would miss her more than any other vessel he had served on or commanded. There was no other boat to equal her and he would always feel as though someone, hell the man he had come to think of almost as a father, had ripped out his heart by taking her away from him. She would always be his regardless of who was appointed the new captain, of that he was sure.

He finally worked up the nerve to go aboard and was cheerfully greeted by the watch; apparently they hadn't been notified of his new status either. Once inside Lee conducted a slow and thorough last walk-a-boat as he mentally bid his Gray Lady farewell. Ending up at his cabin Lee pulled his sea bag out of the closet and stuffed the few items he wanted inside; clothes, pictures of Seaview and the crew and a few mementoes of their voyages together. He pointedly once again left any pictures of him, the admiral and Chip on the wall to be disposed of by the incoming captain.

As he cinched the bag closed he reached over and patted the bulkhead lovingly for the last time. He was going to miss her and everyone aboard more than anything or anyone he'd left before. Feeling the sense of loss and melancholia wash over him it dawned on him that he had broken his own lifelong rule to not let anyone get too close. The sense of betrayal and hurt he felt towards Harri and Chip was almost unbearable. The price of those kinds of attachments was too high; he wouldn't ever let this happen again.

He quickly exited the boat and returned to his car. Tossing the sea bag on top of the box he climbed in, started up the engine then drove out the gate for the last time.

ooo

Arriving home a couple of hours later, Lee slogged into the house making a bee line for the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. He popped the top and chugged the contents planning to get drunk off his ass tonight and on his way there hopefully decide what he was going to the do with the rest of his life. He couldn't believe he had bought into everything Nelson had said lock, stock and barrel. That he wanted Lee to one day take over the Institute. That he valued Lee and had come to consider Lee as more than just his captain and friend, but had come to think of him as a brother, daresay even a son.

"A son?! Oh Geez Crane no one's ever wanted you for anything more than your skills and when those aren't good enough you're gone. How the hell could you have fallen for that, again?" Lee chastised himself verbally as he hurled the empty beer bottle across the kitchen at the wall and watched it shatter. He sighed in resignation, walked back to the fridge, grabbed another beer and made his way to the deck to watch the waves and try to regain his balance.

Well into his fourth beer the phone rang. He fully intended to ignore it until he heard the answering machine kick in and Admiral Thompson, head of ONI, begin leaving a message for him to return his call. Lee sprang to his feet and ran to pick up the phone before the admiral hung up.

"Crane here sir."

"Ah, Commander, glad I caught you at home. I have a mission that you are ideally suited for and need to know if you would be available for a month or more," Thompson replied.

"What are the basics, sir?" Lee inquired.

"There has been a series of break-ins and thefts of sensitive information at a number of military installations recently. In our investigation of these instances we have found that for each break-in a USO** sponsored music show has been present at exactly the same time. We are pretty certain that we have identified who the most probable thief is but need to get someone in with the tour group to verify our supposition and apprehend the thief and the party he is selling the information to."

"Where do you see me fitting in sir?"

"The musical tour is comprised of rock tribute bands that cover the songs of groups from the 70s and 80s. We can insert you as part of the road crew handling equipment for the tour group which would give you access to virtually everything backstage and allow you to get close to the party of interest."

"A roadie, sir? Don't you think I'm a little old for that?" Lee asked.

Thompson laughed. "Only on paper son, you have to know you look much younger than you are and that gives you quite an edge. You can easily pass for your early twenties and that makes you a prime candidate for this assignment. Are you willing to accept the mission?"

"Sure, sir I'll accept the mission. When do you need me?"

"As soon as you can get here, Commander. To fit in better with the group you'll be working with I would suggest you quit shaving and cutting your hair; you're a rock band roadie now, scruffy is appropriate. Do you need me to contact Nelson and let him know you've accepted this mission?"

"That won't be necessary sir. My time is my own and this won't impact anything Admiral Nelson has planned," Lee responded neutrally. The sting of his firing kept him from revealing that bit of information and also kept Thompson from pushing him to return to active duty and ONI full time.

"Excellent, I appreciate you taking this on at such short notice."

"You're welcome sir. I have a few things I need to take care of here before I can leave. I should be there by Wednesday." Lee responded.

"It's all set then. Have a safe flight Commander and see you soon."

He now had something to distract him for the next few weeks and to give him some time and distance in which to plot out his new course. The first thing he needed to do was get the hell out of Santa Barbara and all the memories. He figured he could get that done in the next three days now that he had nothing else begging for his attention.

ooo

Lee arrived at ONI headquarters Wednesday morning around 1100. He was actually relieved to be going on assignment and away from any chance of running into the admiral and Chip. He walked directly to Thompson's office and was immediately shown in to meet with the admiral.

"Thanks for getting here so soon, Commander." Thompson said as he extended his hand to Lee.

Lee saluted the Admiral then accepted his hand. "You're welcome sir. This mission came at a good time and I'm happy I can be of service."

"Good, good," Thompson replied as he sat down, pulled a file folder with the mission brief from his desk and handed it to Lee. "As I said over the phone we have reason to suspect there is a mole or foreign operative burrowed into the tour group the USO is sponsoring. One of the men working for the road crew was recently arrested for dealing drugs. This opens the door for us to insert you with the group as a roadie helping to set up and tear down the band equipment for the shows. You will have pretty much unchallenged access to all parts of the backstage areas and can get close to the other roadies and performers."

"They will be doing one more concert here in the US at Langley AFB, which is when you'll be added to the crew then they will pack up and head to Europe to take the show on the road there. They are scheduled to tour the various military bases overseas for the next three months. Hopefully you'll be able to get into the inner circle and verify who is breaking into our facilities stealing confidential information and who it's being sold to. Once you've obtained the information we want, you are free to terminate your assignment and we will move in and make the arrests."

"The man in the picture is Rafe Garner, he's who we suspect of being behind the thefts. He is the manager for the Foreigner tribute band JB Heroes. The man arrested was the lead roadie for the group and that's whose place you'll be taking. Any questions?"

"Yes, sir. What type of information is Garner stealing and who do you think he's providing it to?"

"A number of our contractors are finding their engineering properties showing up in the People's Republic and other less than friendly nations. Garner is somehow accessing their projects on military installations and stealing key software and hardware designs for fighter aircraft, naval vessels and weapons guidance systems."

"Do you suspect your drug dealer was part of his inner circle?" Lee asked.

"Could be but doubtful given Garner needs the least amount of attention drawn to him or his activities. That's why we feel someone in amongst the road crew would be capable of determining how the thefts occur and when the next sale will be."

"Will I have a contact in the field or do you want me to report in some other way?"

"No field contact on this one. If you feel you need to get in contact with us do so via coded email. We want you to work your way into the group and keep as low a profile as possible to avoid suspicion from Garner or anyone else he's affiliated with in crew."

"Understood, sir, I have no further questions right now," Lee said.

"Good. Head down to ops and get outfitted with any equipment you think you'll need along with an appropriate wardrobe. Good luck Commander."

"Thank you sir," Lee responded, saluted Thompson and departed.

ooo

Lee was now Alexander Lee and was easily accepted by the guys on the road crew fast becoming one of them. He'd been with the troupe for nearly a month now and was actually enjoying the assignment as it kept his mind off of home and engaged in trying to figure out how to get closer to Garner. The shows were a lot of fun and the crowds overseas were especially receptive to the bands as a taste of home. He enjoyed the rush to get everything setup and operational in a short amount of time and then tearing everything down and getting loaded for the trip to the next venue.

He started working his way into Garner's good graces pandering to the man's incredible ego. The rest of the crew teased him about being a kiss ass but Alex was the first to point out what better way to find out what was going to happen than from the horse's mouth. They readily accepted his excuse and were more than appreciative of the heads up he gave them helping them avoid Garner's infamous temper tantrums.

The more he ingratiated himself to Garner the more certain he became that the man was not the source of the information thefts; he wasn't the brightest bulb on the tree and not that good an actor. Someone else was at play in this game and it was up to him to find out who that person was.

ONI had nailed the cover for this mission perfectly, as one of the ubiquitous stagehands Lee could go anywhere he wanted with no one thinking anything about it. Much like a waiter he was more or less invisible in plain sight. He willingly pitched in when someone needed help or wanted something making him all the more accepted in places he had no real reason to be. He got along great with the band members and was readily taken into their confidence and considered one of the gang.

Extremely comfortable with having Alex around, the members of JB Heroes let down their guard and began talking freely about things going on inside the group. Some of the guys complained about the lead singer, Dave Chambers disappearing at inopportune times, missing rehearsals or ditching them on PR gigs with the local AFN*** reporters. If a band wanted to make it to the big time everyone needed to participate and market the group. It didn't make a whole lot of sense for the front man to be shirking those responsibilities if he was really intent on being a professional musician.

One afternoon when Chambers stood up the group for a rehearsal, Alex had been hanging around servicing some of the sound equipment. Fed up with Chambers' dis, Jim Bracken the lead guitarist waved Alex over. "Dude would you sing the lead vocals for this session? We need to get in the practice and focus on our parts instead of his."

"Oh you really don't want me doing that," Alex laughed. "I just got all the sound gear repaired and in good shape. I don't need to fix the speakers after I get done."

"No really, man. I've heard you sing our stuff when you think no one's listening and you're damn good. We just need you for a couple of songs for the sound check."

Alex shrugged his shoulders and agreed to stand in for Chambers. They started the first song and Lee tentatively sang the lead as best he could hoping not to embarrass himself too badly. Once the last chord was played the crew in the auditorium and the rest of the band broke into enthusiastic applause.

"Damn dude, you're even better than Chambers. Sure as hell have better range and more control. You get tired of messing with equipment we have a place for you on stage," Jim said. "Come let's do another and really let go this time."

Lee had a great time playing rock star and by the time they were finished they had done an entire set instead of the usual couple of tunes for a rehearsal. The crowd had grown in the auditorium as their set went on, the other performers and road crew filtering in to listen. Even Garner was there cheering on the group, very obviously sizing up Alex as a potential replacement for Chambers. When JB Heroes finished their last song, the now sizeable crowd went wild giving them a standing ovation showing their appreciation for the fantastic show.

As the applause ended Chambers bellowed from the back of the auditorium, "What the hell is going on?"

Alex took that as his signal to get off the stage and returned to his work, quietly listening to the ensuing fight between Chambers, Garner and the other members of the band. The rather loud 'discussion' that ensued worked out better for Lee than he could have hoped. Chambers was more or less informed that if he missed another rehearsal, PR gig or other group related activity he would find himself with a one way ticket home. He couldn't sneak off now at times when Lee couldn't follow.

Listening to the band member's complaints, Lee gently pried out more information like times and dates of each missed appointment all of which coincided with a theft. There was no doubt in his mind he had found his mole. He switched his attention to Dave and began shadowing him as he came and went. Some of Chambers' forays were to hook up with some girl he had met after a concert but others took him to some of the seedier bars in the cities where they performed. It was after the performance in Aviano, Italy that a theft was detected and Chambers had ditched his bandmates. It was at that point Lee was certain he'd found the culprit.

ooo

The two week sequester turned into more like four before the admiral and Chip were able to return to Santa Barbara. Once they had emerged from their forced isolation and had access to phones and email, they both tried to contact Lee to get a brief on what all had happened while they were gone. The first inkling that something was amiss was the fact that when they called Lee's NIMR cell phone it went immediately to voice mail and then disconnected because his voice mailbox was full. The second and most disturbing finding was that when they called Lee's home phone they got a message that the phone number was no longer in service.

"Chip, have you been able to get in touch with Lee," Nelson asked, worry clearly written across his face.

"No sir. His cell phone goes to voice mail then cuts me off and his home phone has apparently been disconnected. I'm getting more than a little concerned. You don't suppose he skipped off on some ONI mission do you?"

"He better not have or that man's head will be on a platter," Harri fumed. He quickly placed a call to his admin assistant to find out Lee's location. "Angie, its Nelson…. It's good to hear your voice again too… Fine, just fine and yes we've finished up our work. Angie I can't seem to get in touch with Lee, is he there in the office? …What do you mean you haven't seen him since we left? Where did he go? … He didn't say anything to anyone, he just disappeared? … There is? Well go down to his office, open it up and let me know what's inside… Yes call me back." Harri ended the call, with an even more concerned look on his face.

"What's up sir, where's Lee?" Chip asked.

"No one has seen him since the day after we got back from the cruise. Angie said that there is an envelope addressed to me on his desk and that a lot of the things in his office are gone. I sent her down there to get the envelope and let me know what's inside. I have a very bad feeling about this Chip," Harri replied.

"I do too. That doesn't sound like Lee at all. Even if he were on an ONI mission he wouldn't have disconnected his home phone."

Five minutes later Harri's phone rang and he quickly answered. His face paled as he heard the shaken quality in Angie's voice.

"Admiral, this is horrible. According to the letter inside the envelope Lee was fired." She quickly read the letter aloud to the admiral. "Why would you authorize something like that sir? The rest of the contents consist of his ID cards, keys, cell phone, pager , NIMR insignia and oh no…."

"And what Angie, what else is in the envelope?"

"The dive watch you gave him for his birthday last year," she replied reluctantly.

Nelson sat down heavily on the chair behind him as his knees went weak. He swallowed convulsively as he tried desperately to keep the contents of his stomach in place as it grew more knotted the longer he listened to Angie speak.

"When did all this happen?" he asked quietly.

"The letter was dated three days before you returned from the last cruise."

"Put me through to George Nevel immediately," Harri ordered.

"Yes sir, hold on and I'll forward your call," Angie responded.

Chip looked on concerned at the admiral's reaction and appearance. "What's wrong sir, what happened?"

Harri ran his hand through his hair and swallowed hard. "Angie found a letter in the envelope terminating Lee's employment with NIMR. It was sent out from Human Resources three days before we returned from the cruise. She said the envelope also contained his ID cards, phone, pager, NIMR uniform insignia and the watch I gave him for his birthday. She's forwarding me to George Nevel now so I can find out what the hell happened."

"Nevel here, Admiral."

"George what's this I hear that you sent a letter to Lee Crane terminating his employment with NIMR? I didn't authorize that," Nelson growled into the phone.

"Sorry sir, but according to the NIMR charter and established personnel procedures if an employee does not have a valid contract in place within three months after expiration of their contract, the individual is released. We had notified you on a number of occasions that Captain Crane's contract was set to expire or had expired and we received nothing back from you indicating that you intended to renew it. Following the SOP you signed into place, we were required to inform the captain that he was no longer employed by NIMR," Nevel explained calmly.

"DAMN IT!" Harri swore vehemently. "Okay George, thank you for the explanation. We most definitely need to revise the SOP, this never should have happened. Start drafting up a new contract ASAP, I'll forward the additional duties and responsibilities I want included in the new contract by email and I want it ready for Lee's and my signature by the time I get back to the office. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir," Nevel replied meekly.

"Also keep this under wraps; I don't want it spread all over the Institute. Is that understood? Get in touch with Angie and tell her to keep this quiet as well, on my orders."

"Yes sir," Nevel replied again.

"Good! Nelson out." Harri snapped his phone shut and placed his face in his hands as the implications of what had happened hit home.

Having only heard the conversation from the admiral's side, Chip had a feeling of dread wash over him. Had Lee actually been fired? No wonder his cell phone wasn't picking up but the thing that scared him most was the fact Lee's home phone had been disconnected. Had Lee already left the city?

"What happened sir," Chip inquired after a moment, giving the admiral a chance to compose himself. "Was Lee actually informed he was fired?"

"Yes," Nelson said sighing heavily. "When we wrote up the operating procedures for NIMR one of the provisions put in place for the Human Resources Division was that if an employee's contract was not renewed within 90 days after expiration, the employee was to be automatically released from further employment. It was meant to ensure that temporary contract employees weren't carried on the rolls once their contract expired. I had worked with some companies who found out they were still paying employees long after their contracts expired and they had quit coming to work. I wanted to ensure I didn't fall into that trap given the number of short term contracts we use."

"But how did you not know Lee's contract was up for renewal," Chip asked incredulously.

"I knew as did Lee. I had received a number of reminders from HR and I at first told Lee we would discuss his new contract once we got the Navy contract signed but that took so long and we were so pressed to get everything installed and put out to sea that our discussion got placed on the back burner. Lee approached me a couple of times during the cruise about his contract but with all the problems we encountered with the ballast system and the Navy team the negotiations fell by the wayside once again. By the time we made it back to port, the letter releasing him from NIMR employment had already been sent and then we left for Norfolk before Lee received the letter. Being cut off from any external interruptions there was no way he could talk to me about it."

Chip looked as though he was going to be physically ill. He could only imagine what Lee must think given the icy state of affairs between him and the admiral at the end of that cruise and then the admiral pulling Chip along with him to Norfolk to resolve the problems with the ballast system instead of Lee would only have made it worse.

"I've got HR drafting up a new contract and I only hope to hell I can find Lee and set this straight before it's too late," Harri added.

Chip nodded in agreement and he too hoped to hell that this could all be rectified. He secretly feared that Lee had bolted and was now probably working full time for ONI. The thought of that terrified him down to his soul.

ooo

On the flight home, Harri typed madly on his computer drafting up the new responsibilities and duties for his captain along with a huge increase in pay, not that Lee had really accepted the job for the money. He needed Lee to believe that he never meant for this to happen and that he wanted him back where he belonged at Seaview's helm and by his side, for good.

As he added text to his document he mentally chided himself for his unforgiveable act of procrastination that could potentially cost him a price he was unwilling to pay, the loss of Lee Crane from his life. He also kicked himself for his behavior on the last cruise; he had been so cold towards Lee following their disagreement. What Lee didn't know was that it was because Harri was ashamed of his behavior and his lack of support for his captain until things proved almost too late. He never should have sided with Jenkins especially when it came to operations on the boat. Lee being Lee had taken full responsibility for the state of affairs between them repeatedly offering his apologies for how things had played out and Harri had all but ignored him. It was Harri who needed to apologize, not Lee.

He visibly cringed as he thought how all this had to appear to Lee. To receive the impersonal termination notice out of the blue after Harri had been such a shit to him on the cruise it must have added insult to injury. The fact that it was dated before they returned was rubbing salt in the wound, and then to make sure that there was no way for Lee to speak with him about it only made it seem as though he had washed his hands of him. Add to that the fact he took Chip with him to Norfolk instead of him and this all looked like a cowardly way to dispense with him and bring Chip on as captain. He prayed Lee didn't think Chip was in anyway aware of what was going on because that would destroy yet another friendship if he couldn't set this right.

ooo

Upon landing Nelson and Morton were picked up by a NIMR limousine and driven back to Santa Barbara. Harri ordered the driver to go directly to Lee's house in hopes that he would find his captain and friend at home and all this could be resolved. As the limo turned down the long drive to Lee's house both Chip and Harri gasped at what they saw. In the middle of the front lawn was a huge for sale sign.

As the driver pulled to a stop, Chip and Harri bolted out of the back of the car and ran up to the front door. Chip rang the bell a number of times hoping the house's owner would open the door and let them in. After waiting what seemed to be an eternity, Chip pulled out his keys and located the one to Lee's front door. He inserted it into the lock and opened the door. What they found inside was even more startling than the sign out front. Every stick of furniture was gone, every picture, every mirror, every bit of kitchen gear packed and removed; he was gone.

Harri placed his hand over his eyes and sighed in defeat. He wondered how long ago the house had been placed on the market. As he walked through the empty rooms a profound sense of loss and hopelessness settled over him and he fought hard to restrain his emotions.

Chip was equally affected by the absence of his friend and brother. The look of shock on his face was palpable and Harri could tell he too was fighting hard to keep his emotions at bay. This couldn't be happening.

"Damn it to hell," Harri said softly as he regarded the empty rooms. He made a complete tour of the house walking from room to room hoping that the furniture had just been moved to replace carpet or something but each empty room drove the point home. "Come on Chip let's head back to the office and start flipping rocks to see if we can find him."

"Aye sir," Chip replied numbly. He had remained mute since they entered the house too stunned by the turn of events. He turned slowly and followed Nelson out to the car and climbed in. Walking to the car Harri pulled out his cell phone and began dialing.

"Brinkley Realty Company, this is Margret how may I help you?" answered the voice on the end of the line.

"Hello, my name is Harriman Nelson. I'm interested in the house for sale at 23800 Ocean View Way. Can you tell me when it was put on the market?"

"Hold on just a second and I'll pull up the listing. …That house was listed 28 days ago."

"Really, that long ago," Harri replied. "Has there been much interest in it?"

"Oh yes Mr. Nelson, there has been a great deal of interest. We've had a number of offers but the owner is only willing to take full price; it's not negotiable. We're not authorized to accept anything less," Margret informed him.

"I see. Well I want to make an offer on the house."

"Wonderful, would you like me to come out and let you walk through the building?"

"No I don't need to see it; I've been inside numerous times. I want to offer 150% of the asking price, cash. If you would draw up the paperwork, I or my attorney will be down this afternoon to sign all the forms, deliver the earnest money and begin the transfer of title."

"Are you sure," Margret asked incredulously. "That's over two million dollars Mr. Nelson."

"Yes I'm quite sure. Once the paperwork is ready contact me at this number and we can complete the sale."

"Very well sir; I should have everything ready to go by 3 this afternoon. I will call and confirm once the paperwork is ready."

"Thank you, goodbye." Nelson closed his phone and climbed into the limo.

"What was that all about sir," Chip asked.

"I want Lee to have a house to come home to once I chase him down and beg him to come back. The agent said there's been significant interest in the place and the only reason it hasn't sold yet is that Lee only authorized them to accept full price. I just want to make damn sure I get the house," Nelson said with a rueful smile. "Jerry, take us back to the office."

ooo

Arriving at the NIMR admin building, Harri and Chip exited the limo and waited for Jerry to get their bags out of the trunk. After he set their bags down, Harri dismissed him. "Chip, you go down to Seaview and see if Lee cleared out his cabin. I'm going to head up to his office and check that out then give Thompson at ONI a call and see if he's heard from him."

"Yes sir. I'll give you a call once I've checked everything out."

"Fine, you also need to alert Sharkey that the modified ballast system equipment will be arriving in the next couple of days and to make preparations for installation. We need to sail in 10 days."

"Yes sir. I'll take care of it." Even with Lee missing Chip knew they had commitments to the Navy they needed to honor and they had little time to sit in port. Finding the solution for the problems with the ballast system took longer than they anticipated and the Navy expected a workable system in the next six weeks.

Harri entered the admin building, dropped his bags off in his office and made a bee line for Lee's. As he walked in and scanned the room he knew exactly how betrayed Lee felt given the pictures he left hanging on the wall. The few remaining ones were of him and Lee, Lee and Chip and a couple with all three of them together. The fact he left the pictures of him and Chip told Harri he figured Chip was in on this whole mess.

He moved to the desk and picked up the envelope addressed to him. He withdrew the items one at a time and looked at them. As he pulled out the watch it felt as is if his heart shattered knowing Lee now considered their friendship ended by Harri's callous act. Sighing dejectedly he put everything back in the envelope and took it to his office.

As he walked into his office he asked Angie to get Admiral Thompson at ONI on the line. He needed to get busy tracking down his wayward captain/friend/son. A minute later Angie buzzed him and let him know the admiral was on the line.

"Dennis, Harri."

"Hi Harri, what can I do for you today," Thompson inquired.

"Is Lee Crane currently on assignment for you?"

"Yes he is Harri. He told me he had the time and his taking the mission wouldn't impact anything you had going. Is there a problem?"

"Yes there's a problem but nothing I'm prepared to go into right now. How much longer do you expect him to be working on this assignment," Harri asked.

"The longest we expect this to go is three months, he's already completed one, but by the sound of it he's narrowed in on his objective and may bring it to a conclusion sooner than that," Thompson answered.

"Dennis, do me a favor, when he gets back after the mission please ask him to call me. It's very important that I speak with him ASAP."

"What's wrong Harri almost sounds like you two had a falling out? Are you telling me he's a free agent now, so to speak?"

"No," snapped Harri. "I'm not telling you that. I just need to get in touch with him as soon as he's available. Please Dennis this is important."

"Alright Harri, once he returns to ONI headquarters I'll have him call you. Is that all you wanted?"

"Yes Dennis, thanks for your help. Goodbye."

Harri sighed almost in relief; at least he had tracked down a line of communication to Lee once he emerged from his mission. Unfortunately that was through ONI and there was no telling what he might be involved in for them. There was no way Harri could go looking for Lee with him being on a mission and especially with the need to complete the ballast system tests to honor their contract with the Navy. He just had to cross his fingers that Lee was not involved in anything too dangerous and would respond to his request to call him when he finished his work.

His telephone rang and he picked up. "Nelson."

"Sir it's me. I went to Lee's cabin and just about everything is gone, everything but pictures of him with us. What did you find in his office?"

"The same thing, Chip. The only things he left behind are pictures of him with us. I am so sorry Chip; it's rather obvious that he thinks you were part of this colossal screw-up. I did get in touch with Thompson at ONI and Lee is out on assignment for them. He's one month through a three month mission. I asked Dennis to have Lee call me when he comes in."

"So where does that leave us, sir," Chip asked. He suspected he knew the answer but he had to hear it from Nelson's lips.

"I have no idea where Lee's assignment took him so there's no point in trying to find him. We need to finish up with this contract and then once that's done we can go looking for Lee. The sooner we get done with the ballast system the sooner we can get on with our search."

"Aye, sir. I've put in motion everything to get the ballast system reinstalled and to make ready to sail in seven days. I told the crew that Lee is out on an ONI assignment so we're covered there."

"Thank you Chip, I appreciate everything you've done. I'll give you a call when I get back from the real estate office."

ooo

Once Lee had decided that Chambers was the person most likely responsible for the thefts he focused his efforts on keeping track of the man and his communications. He was able to shadow him easily and was there when he broke into the facility on the Navy base in Sigonella. He'd found his man but now he needed his customer. He kept close watch but Chambers made no effort to contact anyone immediately after the theft.

When the group moved to Livorno that's when Chambers made his move as did Lee. He tailed him to an old warehouse where he met up with a man Lee recognized as a known arms dealer named Antonio Varga. Chambers, Varga and one of his men went into the warehouse to conduct their business. Lee moved stealthily from his cover and took out the man left outside to keep watch. Next he disabled their cars, contacted Army Intelligence at Camp Darby to provide backup then worked his way into the warehouse to monitor what was going on.

Lee eased his way in behind some large crates and watched the exchange of money and data. Varga booted up the small laptop he had brought with him and inserted the thumb drive he'd been given. He quickly scrolled through the data and much to his displeasure he discovered the information provided was bogus.

"What are you trying to pull Chambers," Varga snarled. "This is just gibberish, where's the real systems information?"

Chambers blanched and backed nervously away. "I got exactly what you told me to get. How was I to know it was phony? Maybe your information was wrong."

"Shit if you're downloading phony files that must mean you've been made. Damn it I told you to play things cool and watch your back. Did anyone follow you here?"

"No I was very careful, nobody knew where I was going," Chambers replied now really starting to sweat.

"You've just become too much of a liability," Varga said as he nodded his head towards his man. The large man standing behind him removed the gun from the shoulder holster under his jacket and aimed it at Chambers.

"Come on I did just what you told me to do. I got what you asked for. Nobody is on to me," Chambers babbled as Varga rose from his chair and began to move towards the exit.

As he walked away his man cocked the hammer on his gun and a shot rang out. Much to his surprise Chambers was still standing and his thug lay bleeding and unconscious on the floor. Both men still standing quickly scanned the warehouse and spotted Lee as he emerged from behind the crate, his smoking gun leveled at Varga.

"Move back to the table Varga and sit down," Lee ordered.

"Alex, what the hell are you doing here," asked Chambers.

Lee ignored the question and walked closer to the men. "Move over next to him Chambers, now before I shoot you just for the fun of it."

"Come on Alex we can cut a deal. We can take the money and split it 50/50. Shoot him and we walk away rich."

Lee let an unsettling smile spread across his face in response. "Get down on your knees, hands behind your head. NOW!"

Chambers rapidly complied. Both men stared daggers at Lee as he held them at gunpoint. Their faces paled as they heard the approach of sirens and moments later military and civilian police stormed into the warehouse to take custody of the criminals. Mission accomplished.

ooo

Lee accompanied the military police back to the base along with their prisoners and provided all the information he had on the case. He spent the better part of the night there being debriefed then was dropped off at his hotel around 0300 the following morning. He had accomplished his mission and even managed to keep his cover intact. He could quit now and go home, but then again he didn't have a home any more.

He returned to his room and crawled into bed to grab what sleep he could. Three hours later someone was pounding on his door. "Come on Alex, time to get up the bus rolls in 30 minutes," Jim called through the door.

Lee laid there a moment quickly deciding if he wanted to continue being Alex and being on tour. There were still two more concerts they were scheduled to give and being so close to the end he really didn't want to let the guys down. After Jim pounded on the door one more time he pushed himself out of bed and yelled, "Yeah, give me a minute, I'll be right there." Decision made. He padded into the bathroom and started the shower.

He stumbled out to the bus 28 minutes later, climbed aboard and grabbed a seat. They all sat there for the next 20 minutes until Garner climbed on board.

"People, people, listen up, I have some bad news. Apparently Dave Chambers was arrested last night for dealing drugs and will be staying here for the foreseeable future. Alex, are you on this bus?"

"Yeah Rafe I'm here," Lee replied as he stood. "What do you need?"

"Why don't you come along and ride on the bus with me and the rest of JB Heroes, we need to talk."

"Talk about what?"

"Just come on up and let's talk."

Lee grabbed his bag and followed Garner off one bus and onto another. He was escorted to the back where all the guys from the band were seated.

"Alex, we've only got two more gigs before this tour is over. Would you consider filling in for Chambers as lead singer for the last two shows? We've all heard you sing and you crushed it. You would do us all a huge favor if you would agree," Garner stated.

Lee blinked a couple of times startled by their request. "Oh come on you can't be serious. I'm not a professional musician; I'd probably freeze in front of everyone or drive them out of the hall."

"Seriously dude, we would love to have you as lead. It also saves us from trying to find someone to fly in for the last shows. You know all the songs, you sing great, you'll get Chambers' share of the gate, plus you'd be helping us out," Jim added.

Lee shook his head and just smiled. "You're sure you want to risk this?" The group nodded emphatically. "Then what can I say but, yes."

A huge cheer went up and Lee received a number of hugs and pats on the back. He laughed to himself, if he didn't stink he might just have found his next job.

ooo

The second round of testing of the ballast system had gone much smoother than the first thanks to the protocols established by Lee. They had run into a couple of glitches but those were fixed quickly and it looked like they would be able to deliver the system as promised. Chip was acting captain since Lee was on an ONI assignment, which technically was the truth, and thanks to the blowup on the first cruise nobody was butting heads and everything had gone pretty much as planned. They needed to conduct one more test run and if all went well they could return to port and begin their search for Lee.

They had been at sea now for over a month and Chip and the admiral were anxious to wrap this up and return home. To take the edge off of his impatience and burn off some excess energy Chip had taken to conducting his own walk-a-boats in Lee's absence. The more he did them the more his appreciation of Lee and the practice grew as he found himself much more in tune with what was happening on the boat. He also found the crew more inclined to speak to him and raise issues with the boat or operations that he may not have been aware of. As Chip made his rounds checking with the various departments he strolled by the galley when he heard Riley shout.

"No way! Man this is just not fair; nobody should be that good at that many things," Riley called out.

Curious about the remark and just wanting to touch base with the men he poked his head into the room. "What's not fair Riley," he asked with a smile.

Riley blushed at bit and smiled in return. "This Mr. Morton," he said showing the XO his iPad. "There doesn't seem to be anything the skipper can't do."

Chip immediately focused on the iPad and virtually snatched the device out of his hand. He hit the play button and a video began to play. At first it was just a general shot of what looked like a rock concert then tightened in on the stage as the music began. The focus drew tighter on the lead singer standing in the middle, his head down keeping time with the pulse of the drum and the bass guitar then he started to sing:

Standing in the rain, with his head hung low
Couldn't get a ticket, it was a sold out show
Heard the roar of the crowd, he could picture the scene
Put his ear to the wall, then like a distant scream

The singer remained looking down as he sang the first verse, as he started the first line of the second verse "He heard one guitar," and right after the down stroke from the guitar his head shot up to face the audience. At that moment Chip nearly passed out in relief and had to sit down before his legs collapsed. There was no doubt in anyone's mind it was Lee Crane regardless of the long hair and beard. Chip sat there listening to the rest of the song, transfixed by Lee's performance of Juke Box Hero. Riley was right Lee was damn good.

As the song came to an end, Chip shut off the device and looked up at Riley. "Where did you get this?"

Riley was somewhat shocked at the urgency with which the XO had asked the question. "My cousin is in the Air Force stationed at Ramstein AFB in Germany. He said the USO sponsored a music show with a bunch of tribute bands from the 70s and 80s. We're both huge Foreigner fans and he told me this group was one of the best he'd ever seen. He videoed the concert and sent me one of the songs so I could look for them when they returned to the States."

Chip's eyes grew wide. "Can I borrow this for a bit, Riley?"

"Sure Mr. Morton. Heck of an ONI assignment for the Skipper isn't it? Did you see all those girls screaming at him and all the stuff they threw on stage? Man what I wouldn't give to be able to do that."

"Thanks, Riley. You've made my day. I'll bring it back shortly," Chip said as he bolted out of the mess and ran towards the conn.

ooo

Chip burst into the conn startling everyone with his unusual entrance. He quickly scanned the room and spotted the admiral and Jamieson sitting up in the nose having a conversation. "Admiral! You have got to see this," he called out as he rapidly moved forward.

"Chip what's going on?" Harri asked in response to his XO's unorthodox entry.

"Just watch this sir and it will explain everything," Chip replied as he shut the crash doors, plugged the iPad into the video monitor and hit play. The two men gaped in disbelief. They both sat there amazed and mesmerized by Lee's performance.

After the song ended Harri looked up at Chip, the question foremost on his mind clearly written across his face as he struggled to form the words. "Riley got it from his cousin in the Air Force stationed in Germany. There's a USO tour made up of tribute bands and his cousin taped this performance to share with Riley because they're both such huge Foreigner fans."

"My god. Well at least we know he's alive and apparently not in too much danger, I mean from other than those rather rabid female fans," Harri finally said with a chuckle.

"Am I missing something," Jamie asked.

Harri and Chip exchanged looks. They hadn't taken Jamie into their confidence about Lee's accidental firing so he was completely in the dark as to why both men were so relieved. Chip shrugged his shoulders and Harri nodded.

"Lee accidently received a termination notice from HR after our last cruise. I had let Lee's contract expire and then didn't act fast enough to get a new one in place before the termination notice was automatically sent out. He cleared out his office and cabin, put his house on the market and left Santa Barbara. As you know, Chip and I were in lock down back in Virginia so he had no way to talk to me about the letter. Neither of us had any idea this had happened and Lee was gone before we got back and could set things right. On a hunch I checked with ONI and was at least relieved to find out he was on assignment for them," Nelson explained.

"Because we needed to get the ballast system finished and because Lee was on a mission we couldn't go out looking for him. Thompson promised to have Lee call me when he returned from his assignment so hopefully I can apologize and get him back where he belongs."

Jamie looked stunned by the turn of events and the explanation. "I don't see that being a comfortable discussion," he said after a moment.

"That's an understatement. What's even worse is I think he believes Chip was in on this and was hired as his replacement."

Jamie grimaced at that little bit of added information. "Damn. Poor Lee, I can only imagine what he's been going through. I wish you luck in wooing him back, I think you have your work cut out for you. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know."

"Thanks Jamie I will. Chip, have Sparks put a call through to Thompson at ONI at once."

"Aye sir." Chip opened the crash doors and walked to the radio shack to have Sparks make the call. Five minutes later the connection was made. "Admiral, Sparks has Admiral Thompson for you."

"Good, put the call through here. Chip come on over and shut the crash doors."

Chip returned to the nose and closed the doors behind him. As he sat at the table, Harri hit the speaker button.

"Dennis, Nelson here, along with Commanders Morton and Jamieson."

"Afternoon gentlemen; what can I do for you now Harri?" Thompson asked.

"Dennis we were just shown a video of Lee Crane performing with a rock band at Ramstein AFB in Germany, is this his cover?"

"Performing?! How the hell did that happen? We sent him in as part of the road crew with instructions to keep a low profile," Thompson replied. They heard shuffling of paper in the background as the admiral was apparently looking for something. "He's already successfully completed his mission; they apprehended the suspects nearly a week ago. I guess technically speaking he's done with the assignment but hasn't returned yet. His instructions were that he could terminate his assignment any time after he attained his objective; looks as though he's hanging on with the group until they finish the tour."

"When is the tour over Dennis?" Nelson asked.

"Let's see, they are supposed to have one more performance this Saturday in Landstuhl at the Medical Center there before they return to the US."

"Thanks Dennis, I appreciate the information. So would there be any problem with us contacting Lee in Germany?"

"No, as I said he's done with the assignment. If you do I would recommend you not go in uniform if he's by chance still using his cover for something we're not aware of yet. What's the big rush Harri, what's up?"

"Internal NIMR issue, Dennis. Once I get in touch with Lee I'll fill you in. Nelson, out." The three men sat there, smiles of relief plastered across their faces now knowing where they could find their missing captain, and by all appearances undamaged for a change.

"Chip get the crew moving on setting up for the last round of tests. I want them completed as soon as possible so we can wrap this up and be on our way to Landstuhl the minute they're done," Harri ordered.

"Aye sir, with pleasure," Chip replied as he rose from his chair. He opened the crash doors then moved to the conn issuing the orders needed to finish the last round of tests on the ballast system.

ooo

"And now, for your listening pleasure the JB Heroes!" the emcee announced to the rowdy crowd. Cheers and applause filled the auditorium as the lights came up on the band now on stage. The place was packed and ready to rock as the final band struck the first note of their set.

They started the show with Juke Box Hero and the audience roared its approval and surged toward the edge of the stage. Alex played it for all it was worth belting out the lyrics and encouraging the crowd to fill in the chorus. Squeals of lust and delight rose up as the ladies got a good look at the lead singer in his skintight black jeans that displayed his attributes fore and aft and the muscle shirt that clung tightly to his torso highlighting his perfect six pack abs, sexy chest and muscular arms. The soft curly black hair, impeccably trimmed beard and smoldering golden eyes were the icing on the cake. A number of the female audience members threw flowers, notes with their phone numbers and even panties trying to get the attention of the lead singer. Lee blushed in embarrassment which much to his relief was masked by the lights and sweat from his energetic performance.

As the song came to an end the crowd cheered wildly showing their appreciation, and showered the musicians again with a host of little presents. The guys laughed out loud as Alex bantered with the crowd and wound them up a little tighter. The band continued through their list of scheduled tunes and the crowd had become deafening in their applause and shouts of appreciation. With their final chord the band bowed and waved to their fans then trotted off stage.

They stood there gulping down water and listening to the roar of the crowd as they patted each other on the back for a killer show. Then it started, the chant, "We want more, we want more, we want more…" Garner walked over to the band a smile spread wide across his face, the response was phenomenal.

"You guys up for an encore," the emcee asked as he hurried over to the band.

"We are," Jim said. "How about you Alex?"

Alex smiled and nodded his head. "Sure why not. How about I Want to Know What Love Is? That should get them going then we can put this to bed." The guys smiled and nodded.

As JB Heroes walked back on stage the crowd roared even louder, thrilled to get another song from the group. "So you really want another one?" Alex called out over the din. "YES!" washed over them like a tidal wave. "Okay, you asked for it, you got it."

The band started the song and once the audience recognized what the tune was another swell of cheers rose from the crowd. Alex began with the low sultry notes of the opening riff as the crowd grew quiet to hear him sing. When he reached the chorus, "I want to know what love is, I want you to show me," the women in the crowd went wild. By the time they reached the end of the song, security had moved in front of the stage to keep the ladies from climbing up and assaulting the members of the band, especially one in particular.

With the final note the band bowed and accepted the cheers of adulation from the crowd. Lee had to laugh to himself as wave after wave of flowers and various articles of clothing flew onto the stage. So this is what it's like to be a rock star he mused. It's a definite stroke of the ego, a guy could get used to this.

The other members of the band moved around Alex and they locked arms across each other's shoulders forming a line and bowed again to the crowd then trotted off stage for the last time. Calls for another encore followed but they were spent and ready to call it a night.

"Man do you believe that crowd?!" yelled Jim as they made their way back to the dressing room. "That was the best show yet, thanks to you Alex." The rest of the band echoed Jim's words patting Alex heartily on the back.

Entering the dressing room they all picked out a chair and collapsed exhausted from the show. Lee had never realized how much energy and effort was involved in getting up in front of a crowd and performing. He felt as though he had just been chased five miles through the woods by a platoon of PR soldiers bent on doing him in. At least in this instance there was no extreme bodily harm unless some of those ladies got their talons into him.

They sat there cooling off talking excitedly about the show and getting back home to the States after their long tour. Rafe entered and congratulated them all on the fantastic show. He said he'd already been approached by a couple of concert promoters interested in putting them on tour with shows they were developing. Everyone but Alex seemed jazzed by that bit of news.

"Hey Alex," one of the roadies said as he pulled him over to the side. "There are a couple guys out there that said they needed to talk with you immediately about a job."

"Really?" Alex responded somewhat surprised. "Why do they want to talk to me?"

The man stared at him as though he were being obtuse. "Really? You have to ask? They slipped me a few bucks to pass on their message. They're waiting in the empty dressing room next to theater manager's office if you want to talk with them."

Lee looked at him for a moment. He honestly couldn't think of a reason anyone would want to offer him a job. Then it dawned on him, it may be someone from ONI that needed to pass on information before he broke cover. "Sure I'll go see them. Be back in a few." He exited their dressing room and made his way to the one down the hall.

ooo

Chip paced like a caged animal back and forth across the room. Harri felt as though he was watching a tennis match as he tracked him to and fro. "Chip would you please sit down," he growled. "You're making me nervous now."

"Sorry sir, I'm just too keyed up to sit still. What if he doesn't come?"

Just then they heard a knock on the door. Chip moved quickly across the room and pulled the door open hoping to see his friend. The play of emotions across Lee's face as he recognized the man by the door and the other one seated on the sofa was intriguing. He went from stunned surprise, to unabashed anger then shuttered and closed in the span of a second. He eyed them suspiciously then turned and started to return to his dressing room.

"Lee, please don't go," Harri called out at Lee's receding back. "Please son I need to talk with you."

The word 'son' froze him in his tracks then he spun around rapidly. "Don't call me that. I doubt there's anything you'd have to say that I'd find of interest."

"Lee, come on bro. Please come in and let us talk to you for a few minutes. Please." Chip said as he walked over to him. He was tempted to place his arm over Lee's shoulder but given the expression on his face he figured he might just pull back a stump.

"Please Lee; give me a chance to explain what's happened. This has all been a huge series of mistakes. You never should have received that letter and you have to know I never want you to leave Seaview, NIMR, …or me, ever," Harri said quietly trying to draw the young man into the room.

Lee regarded both Harri and Chip through narrowed eyes trying to divine the sincerity of their words. He'd been through situations like this far too many times and he was reluctant to break open the wound that had finally started to heal. After a moment he slowly walked into the room, sat down on the sofa and folded his arms. "You want to talk? Then talk," he replied glowering somewhat at them.

The other men sighed in relief and followed him back into the room. Harri shut the door then moved over to Lee and took a seat in front of him.

"Lee I realize how angry you must be and how betrayed you must feel given that horrible letter you received. I first off want to apologize for everything, the way I treated you on the last cruise, letting your contract expire, leading you think that I no longer wanted you as captain of the Seaview and having you think Chip was somehow involved in this whole fiasco. Please believe me when I say that last thing I ever want is for you to leave."

Lee remained impassive as he listened to Harri's apologies. An apology from Nelson, that's a first he thought to himself unkindly. He remained silent waiting for Harri to continue.

Realizing he wasn't going to get a response Harri pushed on. "Lee the termination letter was only sent out because I failed to negotiate a new contract with you before a certain date following the expiration of your contract. The NIMR Human Resource SOP requires the Chief of HR to issue the termination notice if a new contract is not put in place within 90 days of the expiration of the old contract. Because things seemed to conspire against us in the form of problems getting the Navy contract signed then issues with the tests, along with my own blasted procrastination, I never took the time to sit down with you to put a new agreement in place. This is entirely my fault and is in no way a reflection on how you've carried out your duties on Seaview and at NIMR. Please lad, believe me."

Lee sat there quietly listening to Harri's explanation. It sounded reasonable enough but it could be that Chip had turned down the job. How could he be sure he wasn't just trying to lure him back for a temporary fix until he could find someone more to his liking?

"Lee I've drawn up a new contract and would like you to look it over. If it is acceptable to you we can sign it and you can return with us back to Santa Barbara. You'll be back exactly where you belong at the helm of your Gray Lady," Nelson offered. Harri pulled the document out of his jacket and proffered it to Lee.

Lee regarded the document before him making no move to take it. He glanced at Chip trying to read his expression and how he felt about all this, his eyes pleaded with him to take the paper. Harri sounded as though he really wanted him back and apparently Chip wasn't in on the termination. After a moment he reached forward and grabbed the paper, unfolded it and began to read.

As he worked his way through the contract he noticed that he was being given much more responsibility and authority beyond the captaincy of Seaview. The new duties essentially made him the second in charge at NIMR and the length of the contract period had been increased to 15 years. When he got down to compensation he nearly choked; the proposed salary was triple what he was getting now plus included stipulated bonuses, raises and cost of living increases. He was also to be provided a house that would be his to keep regardless of continued employment with NIMR.

He flipped back to the first page and furrowed his brow. This didn't seem to be a trick or temporary measure but appeared to fully track with Nelson's words that he wanted Lee to take NIMR into the future once he stepped down. He looked back up at Harri and scrutinized his face staring deep into his eyes. He saw there a genuine affection and concern which startled him, setting him off balance.

"You're sure about this?" he said holding the document up suspicion still very evident in his eyes.

"Yes Lee I'm sure. You've been doing most of what's included in the contract the last year anyway so it's time you're given the authority to take care of business. Since you joined NIMR you've lightened the workload on me considerably allowing me to pursue what I love best, the science and exploration. There's no one I trust and rely on more than you and Chip, I can't envision life at NIMR without either of you. I can't even conceive of not having you as my friend, son."

"Can I sleep on it?" Lee asked neutrally. He wanted so badly to believe Nelson wanted him back and truly valued him beyond what he could do for him, but there was too much personal history to not fully consider the costs if this all went sour.

"Of course son, take all the time you need," Harri answered quietly as concern flashed across his face.

"Thanks, I'll let you know tomorrow." Lee wasn't trying to make Harri sweat it out but he wasn't ready to jump back in without due consideration. "So how did you find me? Did Admiral Thompson tell you where I was?"

"No, Riley put us on your trail actually," replied Chip.

"Riley?"

"Yeah. His cousin videoed the show at Ramstein and sent a clip to Riley because he's such a Foreigner fan."

"Oh god, no," Lee responded as he slapped a hand over his eyes. There's no way he'd ever hear the end of this once he got back.

"Relax Lee, he thought it was a great video and was grousing about you being able to pull it off. He was jealous of all the babes drooling over you. That was one hell of a show you put on tonight; I had no idea you could sing that well. So what's it like being a rock star and all that fan adulation?" Chip asked. "Are the girls as crazy as they say?" he said bouncing his eyebrows.

Lee just rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Come on and you can find out. Just tell them you're a roadie, it's almost the same," Lee said with a chuckle as he pushed to his feet. "I'll introduce you to the guys and you can hang with us for the farewell party."

"Great. I'm going to the hit the head then you can introduce me to your groupies," Chip said a huge smile on his face as he exited the room.

Once Chip was gone Harri walked over to Lee and put a hand on his shoulder. "Lee, I don't want to pressure you but I really do want you to come back. I've missed having you around these last few months, you've become such an important part of my life, son. If you don't feel that you can return, I'll understand but I hope that we can at least still be friends."

Lee stared at Harri knowing exactly how he felt. He had missed his friends, his boat, his life back at NIMR; he really wanted nothing more than to be back home with his family. Quickly deciding to let go of the past and take a chance, he let loose a huge sigh and smiled. "Do you have a pen on you sir?"

The End.

* Season One Episode: Eleven Days to Zero

** USO – United Service Organization- a nonprofit organization that provides programs, services and live entertainment to United States troops and their families.

***AFN – American Forces Network – provides television and radio programming for American Forces in overseas locations.