A/N This is really an experiment to see if I could write an action sequence. Don't know how successful I was, but it was fun to try. I hope you enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the characters or the TV show Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. I just enjoy continuing their adventures.

PROLOGUE

The man sat silently, handcuffed to the steel table. The only sign of nerves was the constant tapping of his foot. He felt as if he had been there forever. First, they had interrogated him hour after grueling hour until abruptly his captors just left the room. He'd been sitting alone for some time now. He figured they must be watching him, and he didn't want to give anything away. He knew he was in serious trouble. You couldn't be arrested with a briefcase full of stolen classified military documents and expect to be released with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. No, he was sure espionage would be the charge even though he was merely a courier. He rubbed his aching head. Maybe he could work out some kind of deal with these guys. His contact had called him that morning and given him the briefcase to deliver to an address in LA but he'd never even made it out of Santa Barbara before the Feds picked him up.

The door opened and the man looked up. Two federal agents eyed him with disdain. "All right, Montoya," said the first, a tall, stocky man with deep set eyes. "We'd like to offer you a deal. We believe you when you say you're just the courier, but that doesn't mean you get off scot free." The man licked his lips nervously as he listened. The agent smiled. "I have some photos I want you to look at. All you have to do is tell us if one of them is the man who gave you the briefcase. You do that, and I'm sure we can do something like maybe decrease the charge from espionage to something a little less serious."

Cesar Montoya was no fool. He knew they could nail him on the bigger charge with no trouble. He looked back and forth between the two agents before slowly nodding. The first agent smiled again and sat down across from Montoya, pulling a sheaf of photos from an envelope. "Ok, Montoya, take your time. Just point out the guy who gave you the briefcase."

Montoya sifted quickly through the photos. He knew if the picture was there, he would easily recognize the man. He was about two thirds of the way through the stack when he paused. The photo was grainy, having been taken at a distance, but it showed a tall, dark haired man, walking across a parking lot carrying what looked like the very briefcase Montoya had accepted. Montoya frowned and looked up. "I…uh, I think this is the man, but the picture isn't very good."

The agents exchanged glances as they identified the photo. The second agent took out several more photos from a second envelope and handed them to Montoya. "Check these out." Montoya took the photos and without hesitation identified the picture of the man in the second photo in the stack.

"This is the man," Montoya said, handing them the photo. "Without a doubt."

The first agent took the photo and smiled grimly. He looked at his partner again who nodded. They had their man – Commander Lee Crane of the SSRN Seaview.

CHAPTER ONE

Chip Morton, executive officer of the Seaview stood in the control room of the research submarine, clipboard in hand, checking off the final preparations for the sub's imminent departure. He looked at his watch and frowned. The Seaview's commanding officer, Commander Lee Crane was not yet aboard, and time was growing short. Chip had spoken with him earlier that morning. Lee had wanted to let Chip know he needed to run an errand, and then would be on his way to the sub but that was hours ago. Chip was beginning to feel a little anxious.

"Mr. Morton?" Chip looked up from his clipboard as Admiral Nelson's voice came across the intercom. "Is Captain Crane aboard yet?"

Chip picked up the mike, "No sir, not yet and I'm beginning to get a little worried."

"Let me know as soon as he's on board. I have few things I need to discuss with him before we get underway."

"Aye aye, sir." Chip was about to replace the mike when a call came from topside.

"Mr. Morton, there are two federal agents up here requesting permission to come aboard. They say they need to talk to Admiral Nelson immediately."

Chip blinked in surprise. "Admiral," he said, speaking again into the mike still clutched in his hand, "Two federal agents are topside requesting permission to come aboard. They say they need to speak to you immediately."

"I'm on my way."

Five minutes later, Nelson watched curiously as two men climbed down the ladder into the control room. As the men turned and faced the admiral, one stepped forward flashing his ID. "Admiral Nelson, my name is Carl Rogers with the CIA. This is my associate Tom O'Reilly. We need to speak with you immediately. In private."

Nelson studied the two men for a moment. "All right. Please follow me." The admiral turned and led the two men up the spiral stairs and to his cabin. He opened the door, ushering the men inside before taking a seat at his desk and facing the two agents. "Now, exactly what is this all about gentlemen?"

"Admiral Nelson," said Rogers, "Do you know where Commander Lee Crane is at this time?"

Nelson frowned and shook his head cautiously. "No, I don't. He's supposed to be on board preparing for our departure, but I was told he had not yet arrived."

The two agents exchanged glances. Rogers pulled out a photo and handed it to the admiral. Nelson studied the grainy image of the man with the briefcase. "Do you recognize this man?"

Nelson peered more closely at the photo. "It looks like Lee Crane," he said slowly. He looked up at the agents again his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What exactly is going on here?"

"Admiral Nelson, the briefcase in that photo contains stolen highly confidential military documents including details concerning this submarine and yourself." Rogers pulled out a second photo. "This is Cesar Montoya, a known courier for a certain hostile power. He met with your man early this morning to pick up that briefcase which he was then to deliver to his contacts in LA."

"Wait, wait, wait!" exploded Nelson leaping to his feet. "Are you accusing Lee Crane of espionage!? That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard! Commander Crane is the most loyal officer I've ever known!"

The two agents stood impassively watching Nelson explode. They were used to this kind of response by friends and family of people accused of treason, but they had the evidence and were convinced they had the right man.

"Admiral," said O'Reilly firmly, "Commander Crane was positively identified by the courier as the man who gave him the briefcase. However, we do have other evidence. For example, did you know Crane has a bank account in the Caymans opened just two weeks ago, containing over twenty million dollars? Now, I'm sure you pay him well, but I doubt that well. So how do you explain it? I'm sorry Admiral, but there is no doubt that Lee Crane is our man and we want you to help us find him."

Nelson was dumbfounded by this news. How could he explain it? Absently, he ran his hand through his hair. "Perhaps it was someone impersonating Crane. That's certainly a possibility."

"Maybe," conceded Rogers, "But I doubt he could duplicate his fingerprints as well. Crane's fingerprints were found all over that briefcase. I'm sorry Admiral, but Crane played us all for fools. If the documents in that briefcase had found their way into the wrong hands our entire defense system would have been heavily compromised, and as I mentioned earlier, that includes information concerning this submarine and crew." He now handed Nelson a sheet of paper. "Here is a list of documents recovered."

As Nelson skimmed over the list, his mouth went dry as chill ran up his spine. There was information on missile installations, military bases, covert operations being conducted all over the world by the US government including names, places and missions, information on all kinds of military research including the work of the Seaview. Rogers was right. If the enemy had gotten its hands on any of this information, it would have been a disaster.

Nelson's anger began to grow. How could Lee have done this? How could he have betrayed his country and his friends? He shook his head in confusion. But this was Lee they were talking about! A man Nelson would trust with his life and had, many, many times. Could he have possibly been so wrong about the man he had hand-picked to command the Seaview? But they had the evidence: Crane's fingerprints, the photo, the testimony of the courier and not to mention the huge account in some overseas bank.

"Admiral?" Rogers' voice broke through Nelson's confused reverie. "I really am sorry about this. I've seen Crane's record, and it's exemplary. There's nothing that would give any indication that he would turn traitor."

Nelson flinched at the sound of the word. He still couldn't reconcile its use in conjunction with Lee, but he couldn't deny the evidence either. Ideally, he would like to ask Lee point blank if he was involved, but so far, there was no sign of Crane; another damning sign. "What do you want me to do?" he asked wearily sinking back into his seat. He suddenly felt so old. How would he explain this to the crew? Chip would be devastated to learn his best friend was a spy. This was a nightmare come true.

"Admiral, we don't think he'll return to the sub," replied Rogers flatly. "It's apparent he knows he's been identified so is undoubtedly on the run. All we ask is if he contacts you, let us know immediately."

Nelson nodded in resignation. He hoped some evidence would emerge to clear Lee, but it didn't look good. As of now, Lee Crane was to be considered a traitor and an enemy of the state.

After the two agents had departed, Nelson called Chip to his office. Chip was alarmed at the Admiral's appearance. The man seemed to have aged ten years since Chip had seen him just a short while ago. "Sir? Are you all right?"

Nelson stared pensively ahead for a long moment before answering. "Chip, I have some very disturbing news concerning Captain Crane."

"Lee?" Chip immediately figured the worst had happened. "Has something happened to Lee? He's not…dead, is he?"

Nelson gave a short mirthless laugh. "No, but it might be better for him if he was." Again Nelson paused. This was far more difficult than he'd expected. "Chip, Lee has been accused of espionage and treason."

Chip gaped at him, his mouth open in shock. Blinking rapidly, he slowly sank into the chair beside the admiral's desk. It took him several moments before he could respond, and then it was with a fierce anger. "Admiral, that's insane! You know as well as I do that Lee would never engage in espionage! I simply can't believe it. What kind of proof do they have?"

Nelson sighed as he handed Chip a copy of the document list. Chip scowled as he read it over. "This," began Nelson grimly, "is a list of highly classified documents that were found in a briefcase taken from a courier arrested earlier today. The courier identified Lee Crane as the man who delivered the case to him, and the CIA has a photo that supports that claim. Lee's fingerprints are all over the briefcase, and to top it all off, he apparently has an overseas bank account containing over twenty million dollars."

Chip sat silently digesting this information slowly shaking his head in disbelief. "Admiral, I just can't believe it! Not Lee!"

"I agree, Chip," Nelson replied, "But we can't deny the evidence or the fact that Lee seems to have disappeared." He paused then continued quietly, "Some of that information pertained to the Seaview's work and personnel. That includes you and me, Chip. How many people would have access to that particular information? As much as I don't want to believe it, until we have evidence to the contrary, we have to consider Lee a traitor."

Chip rubbed his eyes feeling as if a heavy weight had settled over him. "So, what are your orders, sir?"

Nelson shoulders slumped. "Prepare for departure. You will be acting captain until further notice. We'll simply say Captain Crane has been detained and will not be able to join us on this mission. For the moment, the crew doesn't need to know anything more. Perhaps it will all turn out to be a big mistake and I want to give Lee the benefit of the doubt for now."

Chip slowly stood and nodded his assent. "Aye, aye sir. I'll see to it immediately." Silently, Chip turned and slipped from the office. Nelson stared after him for a few moments then buried his face in his hands, a wave of hopelessness crushing him.