After the Vortex
Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean... circa now.
Lee yelled, "Damage control? Report!"
The chief answered, "All emergency systems functioning, control returning very slowly!"
Lee called again, "Someone turn off that bell! Sick Bay? Report!"
Doc answered, "My count is three dead, and 14 injuries, two serious."
Lee looked down, bent over and helped the admiral to his feet. Admiral Harriman Nelson shook himself and pulled the charting pin from his hand. A small droplet of blood welled up. "Well, Professor it seems your theory about the Formosa triangle may have some basis after all." said Admiral Nelson.
The large woman he addressed was dressed in a navy colored pants suit and appeared unruffled by the turbulence they had encountered. She was the head marine biological science professor at Melbourne University. Her name was Helga Hammersmythe. Helga said, "I warned you that these things could be rough. It has definitely not been the North Vietnamese sinking those ships. It is something in the ocean itself."
"Captain Crane will find out exactly where we are in a few minutes." said Admiral Nelson.
Across the sea, Neri, heard the whale song and looked eastward. She spoke to the dark haired young man, "Kal, you must stay here. There is a problem! I will return soon." Then she dove under the water.
Aboard the "Sea Quest": "Doktor, there is a sonar image that just appeared." cried the technician.
"Where is it?" asked the Doktor.
"Almost directly east at 92, range about 63 kilo meters." replied the technician.
"Alert, Alert, ready the ship, prepare for immediate cast off.", the Doktor ordered over the intercom.
…..
"I have called you here to discuss our current predicament. Lee go ahead and brief us on the facts we know and can prove." said Admiral Nelson.
"First, our best navigation estimates are that we are nearly 300 miles from our last fix four hours ago. Instead of being near Taiwan, we are much further south between Australia and New Zealand. Second, we have lost all contact with Santa Barbara and the Nelson Institute. Third, we replaced the radio antenna that was torn loose during the turbulence. And none of the Military radio wavebands that we have been monitoring have been active in the last hour. We did pick up some civilian traffic, but they indicate that the current year is not 1969, but rather thirty years from now." Lee Crane said. "I have the exec calculating a course to a safe port in Australia, and if his slide rule doesn't burn up he will have it soon."
"With the evidence from the radio broadcasts, I am going to surface and try to contact WESEAPAC for confirmation that we are still assigned to this mission." said Admiral Nelson. "Any comments, Professor?"
"I prefer to await more evidence before theorizing Admiral." said the professor.
Back in the control room, Lee took the microphone and ordered, "Prepare to surface.", and then spoke "Surface, surface, surface". The S.S.N. Seaview rose from the depths and broke the surface.
A few seconds later, Kawolski cried out, "SONAR contact, bearing 182 , range 14 knots, speed 15 knots, course 92 , she's coming right at us sir. Twin screws, could be a gun boat, fishing trawler, or yacht. LORAN contact, same source, but that is impossible for a boat that size."
The professor asked, "What is LORAN?"
Admiral Nelson said, "It is a secret Navy Underwater Radar for mine sweeping. That proves that it's a friendly ship though."
Lee ordered, "Course 182, ahead 1/3."
The helmsman answered, "Course 182, Aye".
The motorman answered, "1/3 ahead, Aye".
As the "Sea Quest" approached the submarine, the Doktor came outside onto the flying wing and stared in amazement. Then he whispered to himself "the Seaview, I don't believe it." He ordered his captain to come alongside the conning tower. He yelled out, "Hello the Seaview, permission to come aboard?" When he got the permission to come aboard, he climbed the ladder and then went down the hatch. The exec took him to the forward briefing room. Three people came in and sat down.
The oldest spoke first, "Let me introduce ourselves to you, I am Harriman Nelson, this is the Captain of the Seaview, Lee Crane, and Professor Hammersmythe."
The Doktor paled, "That can't be. My name is Hans Hammersmythe. You have all been dead for almost thirty years."
The professor exclaimed, "I was afraid you were going to say that. Where were you born?"
Hans explained, "I was born in Melbourne, Australia, on February 14, 1958. My father's name was Heinrick and my mother's name was Helga. My father past away, just after I received my doctorate and my mother disappeared aboard the Seaview in 1969. My father had sued the U.S. government, the Navy, and the Nelson Institute. Without clear last wills for the sailors lost on board. The judgment went basically towards us because of mother. Father got the corporate holdings of the Nelson Institute. All that remains today is the Nelson Foundation. All the other assets were turned over to me, once Father died. I built my company, the Underwater Biological Research Institute from those assets except for the one I couldn't sell. The ownership papers for the S.S.N. Seaview. Mother, I believe this submarine belongs to me."
"What year is it? What the hell are you talking about? Professor? What are you going to do with my submarine?" asked Admiral Nelson.
Helga replied, "Admiral, I believe this is my son. I believe we have passed through a space-time vortex. It is one of the major theories about the disappearance of ships in the Bermuda and Formosa triangles. "
Hans spoke, "The year is 1997. You people went missing thirty years ago, and because you took my mother with you, the courts gave me your submarine. What I want to do with it is find the Ocean Girl."
Lee spoke, "Wait a minute. Don't believe him Admiral. This is some kind of North Vietnamese trick or maybe Mr. Lucky. I don't know how they could do it, but it has to be a trick to turn the Seaview over to him. No offense Doktor, but this whole situation doesn't feel right."
"That's all right Captain, we are all in shock right now. I'll need to show you some proofs, and of course you'll see more once you land. Let my get my computer." said Hans.
"The Seaview has the state of the art Cray II as its computer." said Admiral Nelson proudly.
"Yes, of course, well my Mitsudata 73 is only a laptop, but I think it can impress you." replied Hans. He placed his briefcase on the conference table, and said. "Who would you like to speak with first Admiral?"
"Someone in the Pentagon, who was in charge in 1969." said Admiral Nelson.
"I think that they are all dead, Admiral. Please choose someone younger." said Hans.
"Yeoman Jane Rand, my secretary at the Nelson Institute", said Admiral Nelson. "And she better not have died, or I think you'll be swimming with the seafood."
"Ah! I think you mean Rear Admiral Rand, of Johns Hopkins, I'll see if she's home. Yes, Doctor Rand this is Doktor Hammersmythe from UBRI. Do you happen to have video software? Yes! Excellent! Your third number! I have quite a surprise for you. See you shortly. Let me just redial, Captain and you can test my correctness." said Hans.
"Yes, Hello Doktor Hammersmythe, we haven't spoken in about 10 months, how is your daughter Liasa?" asked Doctor Rand.
Hans replied, "She is fine Jane, but I have a surprise for us all". With that statement, he turned the laptop around so that his mother, Nelson and Crane could all see the screen. His mother gasped. Nelson glared at the screen, and Crane did a double take. There nestled in the bottom of the briefcase was a small typewriter keyboard. In the center of it was a blue ball. Above it was a rectangular screen; on the surface of the screen was a picture of Jane Rand.
She blinked and said "Admiral Nelson? Lee? How can this be? Hans where did you get this pic? Hans, is this an old film or something?"
Admiral Nelson stated, "We are not a photograph! Jane! What year is it?"
Admiral Rand said, "1997. I can't believe this. Lee your mother is here at John's Hopkins. I can ask her doctor, if you can see her. Where have you been all these years? Wait, I know, Hans if the Sea Quest is beside the Seaview. I can bring up a SATVID. Lee what's your ships time?"
Captain Crane said, "Our ships time is 17:23 G.M.T., October 31st, 1969." He thought about his mother. "Let me know what that doctor says. I can be there in fifteen hours with the flying sub. What is a SATVID?"
"Live satellite video transmission, here I'll send you a window." said Dr. Rand. Another small rectangle appeared on the screen. This showed Australia and New Zealand. There was a thunderstorm over the Northern Island and a cloud base too thick to see through. The picture turned and zoomed until it pointed at the sea, then zoomed more until two ships appeared.
She said, "Well I'll be damned. It's true. Sorry Admiral, I had to check it out, these private sector people sometimes like to hassle us. Let me contact NAVCOM and see where they want to debrief you and once that is done, Hans may wish to hire a trained crew for his new sub. He has been trying to find you for ten years."
"Kowalski, to the watch." Lee said.
"Kowalski, at the watch, aye sir." said Kowalski. He climbed the ladder and went through the bulkhead into the sunlight. He stood up and appeared on the SATVID screen. "Kowalski, on watch sir", he stated into the microphone.
Lee ordered, "Kowalski, signal with your pet dog's name."
"Aye, sir." Kowalski raised his hands and spelled out the word "Kirk". Hans looked at the screen and asked "What did he signal?"
Admiral Nelson claimed, "The proper signal for his dog that he got three weeks ago in port. He named it after a television character." Admiral Nelson paused, and asked "Doktor Hammersmythe, what do I have to do to get my Seaview back?"
"If you help me find the Ocean Girl, I will give you the papers now. I just wanted to bury Mama. But now I don't have to do that. Here, let my sign this over to you." He signed the papers and gave them to Admiral Nelson.
Helga said, "Who is this Ocean Girl and what are you going to do with her?"
Hans explained, "My Company specializes in research in areas where underwater mining will take place outside the reef and really anywhere. Two years ago we saw a girl, a savage really, but she has amazing powers, including gills to breathe underwater. I believe that she is a spy from another planet in another solar system. I want to study her, and if my theory is correct, prove that there is other life out there."
Lee claimed, "I don't think that you really want to find one of them Doktor, They smell pretty bad and the one's we've run into were violent".
"Man, overboard, to the west about a quarter knot." radioed Kowalski. The four people in the forward briefing room stared at the laptop screen. There near the edge was Neri, swimming like a porpoise.
Lee asked, "Is that a mermaid?"
Helga said, "No, I believe that is Hans' Ocean Girl".
Hans screamed, "Thank you Admiral! Come on mother we have to go now. Hurry!"
Neri approached the Submarine and looked inside the large windows. Admiral Nelson stood up and walked over to them. Neri waved.
Admiral Nelson waved back. He stated, "Well Lee, It looks as if we have some catching up to do. I don't know if the war is over, but we should probably find out. We did find her for him, but I hope that he doesn't catch her. Also we should cancel the Halloween party this evening."
The Seaview sailed into the west toward Australia.