Duty Calls
By JSRobertson
Lee Crane and Chip Morton were at the beach on Saturday morning watching Stu Riley one of the crewman on Seaview surfing the waves at a beach not to far from NIMR. He was an excellent surfer and had entered a contest for the best surfer in the area and had asked Lee and Chip to come watch. They didn't mind going to the beach to watch him surf and check out the girls in their bikinis; neither one had a steady girlfriend right now so who knew who they might find.
They were joined there by Kowalski, Patterson and Chief Sharkey. They had seen Riley surf before and knew he was very good.
"Wow, he really is good," Lee said as Riley hanging ten rode the wave all the way to the shore.
"I've never tried it and even though it looks like fun, I think I'll just stick to girl watching," Chip replied looking over the top of his sunglasses at the beautiful blond walking by in the skimpiest bikini he's ever seen.
She noticed him and Lee watching her and walked over to say hello. "Looking for some fun?" she said to Chip as she grabbed his hand. "Don't worry I've got a friend for you," she said pointing to Lee and grabbed his hand too.
Lee and Chip looked at each other and decided she was trouble and removed their hands from hers.
"No sorry, I don't think we're ready for your kind of fun," Lee told her. They both enjoyed the intimate company of women but this one screamed trouble.
She walked away in a snit after being turned down by them.
"I wonder what she had in store for us besides the obvious," Chip pondered.
"Go find out if you want too, but you're on your own buddy," Lee snickered.
Nodding his head agreement, "No I see nothing but trouble with her."
"Sir, who was the chick you were talking to? She sure was a looker," Kowalski asked Chip as he came up along side of him.
"Yes, she sure was a looker but she had trouble written all over her."
"If you say so Mr. Morton," Kowalski said as he watched her walk down the beach.
Kowalski, Riley, Patterson and Sharkey didn't mind hanging out with their commanding officers. The two of them were chick magnets and good judges of character. So if Mr. Morton said she's trouble then she probably was.
The afternoon passed quickly and soon they were assembled in front of the judging stand waiting for the results of the competition and for trophies to be passed out for the best surfer of the day. After shredding every wave, no one was surprised when Riley won first place.
((()))
The six of them left the beach and went to Albert's Hamburgers to celebrate; he had the best burgers around and Lee was treating them. Sitting at a large round table, a young cute waitress came over to take their order. The men checked her out but Lee, Chip and Sharkey decided she was a little too young for them. Kowalski, Patterson and Riley had no problem getting her phone number. She brought their order to the table a few minutes later and there was an extra-large helping of french fries on all their plates.
"When's your next competition?" Chip asked as he took a bite out his bacon cheeseburger.
"There's a huge competition in Daytona Beach on the 25th and 26th of next month. I've already turned an entry form in and reserved four rooms for the guys. We've all got vacation that week provided Seaview doesn't get any last minute missions," Riley replied taking a swig of his beer.
"Well Riley so far we don't have anything scheduled. If we do get one, we might be able to spare you but I'm afraid the rest of the guys wouldn't be able to go," Lee told him.
"Bummer."
"I'll try and make sure nothing comes up," Lee assured him as he finished his beer. He asked the waitress for the check which she brought over and gave him her phone number too. Smiling Lee paid the bill along with a generous tip and they left the restaurant. Lee kept the phone number. Who knows maybe I'll give her call, he thought.
"Enjoy the rest of your weekend," Patterson told Lee and Chip.
"You too," Chip answered for them.
Chip and Lee got in Lee's red cobra and drove out of the restaurant parking lot. He sped along Highway 101 heading to Chip's condo.
"Chip, why don't we see if we can get rooms in Daytona Beach for the surfing competition? We both could use a vacation. The admiral is always telling us to get away for a while, why not go to Daytona Beach."
"Do you think the admiral will let both of us go together?" Chip asked holding on as Lee took the turn a little too fast.
"We'll just have to convince him that we need to watch over the other guys so they don't get in trouble," Lee told him as he pulled into Chip's driveway.
"Sounds good. I'll check it out and see if we can get rooms. Talk to you tomorrow." Chip crawled out of the car and waved to his friend. Lee put his car in reverse backed out of Chip's driveway, and sped away to his house.
((()))
Chip went in his house after checking his mailbox, nothing but bills. He took a shower then booted up his computer and typed in Daytona Beach in the search line. He found an article about the surfing competition and was impressed at how many people actually attend the competition. He found the website for Perry's Ocean Edge Resort. They had a web cam that showed what the weather was and the beach. The resort had all the amenities they were looking for; two pools, putting green, volleyball court and an ocean view. He tried to book rooms for them but they were booked solid because of the surfing competition. He checked a few more hotels around the area and found they were totally booked also.
((()))
Lee pulled his car into the garage and went into his ocean front condo. He grabbed a beer and went out on the balcony knowing Chip was probably already on his computer checking to see if he could get them rooms. He sat outside for a couple of hours just enjoying the view and relaxing. He nodded off while he sat outside but woke up when his cell phone rang.
"Crane," Lee answered yawning.
"Lee, I've checked every hotel within a fifty mile radius of Daytona Beach, there's nothing available, looks like we're out of luck," Chip said dejectedly.
"Umm. I have an idea. Let me check it out and call you tomorrow."
"Okay. I'll wait for your call before I do anything more."
Lee hung up then dialed Riley's number. He wasn't home so Lee left him a message to call him. After getting up at 0500, running five miles, being in the sun all day and downing a few beers Lee was tired. He got up and went to bed.
((()))
Lee woke up next morning to the ringing of his cell phone. Who calls at 0700 on a Sunday morning?
"Hello Riley," Lee said recognizing his number when he picked up the phone.
"Hi Skipper. You left a message for me last night. Sorry I wasn't home, I met a friend after we left the restaurant. What can I help you with?"
Lee went downstairs to the kitchen, to make some toast and a pot of coffee as he talked to Riley, "Mr. Morton and I would like to go with you and the guys to the surfing competition in Daytona but there are no hotels rooms available. Didn't you say you had reserved four rooms?"
"Yes Skipper. We could double up so you and Mr. Morton could come with. You and Mr. Morton could share a room. Ski and Pat wouldn't mind sharing one. Chief and I will have our own rooms if that's alright with you."
Smiling broadly Lee replied, "That will be just fine Riley. Thanks for suggesting it. I'll let Mr. Morton know. How are you getting out there?"
"We haven't booked our flights yet but we're going to try and all get on the same flight."
"Don't book them just yet, there's something I want to check out."
"Thanks, Skipper. Talk to you soon."
"Far out," Riley said out loud after hanging up with the skipper.
Lee hung up with Riley and called Chip.
"Chip, we're going to Daytona," Lee said before Chip could get a word out, "I remembered Riley said he had four rooms. He thought we could double up and suggested we share a room. I told him no problem."
Chip and Lee were roommates at Annapolis for four years. They'd also shared a room on many occasions when they attended business meetings so that wasn't an issue.
"I have no problem with that. How are we getting out there?"
"Doesn't the admiral have a friend who owns a small jet and didn't the admiral tell us he could use it any time he wanted as long as it was available," Lee asked as he sipped his coffee.
"Fred Blaine is his name. Do you think maybe he would let us use it?"
"Let's talk to the admiral tomorrow."
Lee was pretty proud of himself. He got them rooms in Daytona and maybe a way out there plus he would get to fly a plane for a change instead of FS-1. He loved flying FS-l but it was too small to take all of them plus their gear.
He didn't do too much after his phone call with Chip. He went for a run, took a shower and did some laundry. It was a beautiful day so he sat out on his balcony most of the day reading over some proposals the admiral asked him to look over but only got through a couple of them before he fell asleep. Jamie would be proud; he's taken two naps in the last two days. When he woke up, he was hungry so he made himself a steak, baked potato and a salad.
He finished his dinner, made another pot of coffee after he cleaned up and went out on the balcony with a cup of coffee. He noticed the couples walking hand in hand on the beach some of them stopping for a quick kiss before they continued on. He thought about what it would be like to share his life with some one everyday. He wondered if he would ever get married. He knew it would take a special woman to handle his unusual life. One who didn't mind being second fiddle to his 'gray lady' or be alone for long periods of time when he was at sea or his ONI missions. Sighing he went back into the house, got another cup of coffee and on to his office to finish looking over the proposals and do some reports. He should have done the reports earlier but after his nap this afternoon he was still wide awake. It was 2300 hours by the time he finished.
((()))
Lee was up at 0500 and got ready for work. He made breakfast while he listened to the news on the television. When he was finished, he cleaned up, grabbed his briefcase with the reports he completed and left for work. When he got to NIMR he noticed that the admiral was already there so he headed towards his office to ask him about his friend's jet. Chip came in just as Lee walked into Angie's office.
Before Lee could knock Chip entered and asked "Want company talking to the admiral?"
"Sure. He can't turn us down when we ask for a vacation together if both of us are there," Lee replied as he knocked on the admiral's door.
"Come in."
"Good morning Admiral. Did you have good weekend?" Lee asked as he and Chip sat down in the chairs in front of his desk.
"Yes, how about yours?" he answered looking at the two of them and knew they were up to something. "Okay, what's up?" he asked putting his pen down and leaning back in his chair with a smile.
"Lee and I would like to take a vacation next month to Daytona Beach," Chip told him.
"Okay that's no problem as long as Seaview doesn't have a mission. You both need to take a break and Daytona Beach is a nice place to visit."
"Well sir, there's more to it. Chip and I along with Kowalski, Patterson, Riley, and Sharkey are going there to watch Riley in a surfing competition. We watched him over the weekend and he's very good. We were wondering if your friend, Fred Blaine, would let us use his jet to fly back there?" Lee asked hopefully.
"I can check with him and find out. He did say I could use it whenever I wanted. Give me the dates you'll need it."
Lee told him the dates they would need the jet. "Thanks Admiral."
Lee and Chip left his office with huge grins, so far so good. Lee went to his office and got the reports out of his briefcase and put them on Angie's desk. He felt bad giving her more work. He and Chip kept her busy as well as the admiral. They might have to consider hiring another secretary. If they did, they might want to consider having them work on Seaview too as it would reduce some of the paperwork they needed to do after they returned from a mission. He would talk to the admiral about that sometime soon.
((()))
Harry leaned back in his chair thinking about what Lee had just asked him. Maybe he'd go to Daytona Beach with the rest of them, he could use a vacation too. He hadn't seen his friend Carolyn, who lives there in quite a while. He picked up the phone and dialed Fred's number.
"Fred Blaine," he answered on the first ring.
"Hi Fred. It's Harriman Nelson, how are you."
"Just fine Harry. It's so nice to hear from you. Everything okay with the institute and Seaview?"
"Yes Fred everything is good. I need a favor from you."
"Name it. If I can't do it I will find someone who can."
The admiral grinned at his response, "Fred could I borrow your jet to fly to Daytona Beach next month? Some of my crew is going down there for a surfing competition and I'm going to join them. Commander Crane, Commander Morton and Seaman Kowalski all have pilot's licenses to fly jets so I'm in search of a plane."
"Harry, give me the dates and I'll check for you right now. If they can fly the little yellow sub of yours I'm sure they can fly my jet with no problem."
The admiral gave Fred the dates and tapped his pen on the desk while he waited for an answer.
"Harry you're in luck, she's available and could use a good run as she hasn't been out for awhile. I'll make sure the airport and my personnel know you will be taking her out on those dates. All you need to do is pay for the jet fuel and you can keep it as long as you need it."
"Thanks Fred. You want to come along?"
"No but thanks. My wife and I are going to France that week. Have a good time."
Harry smiled as he hung up the phone deciding to go along with his men. He was really looking forward to visiting his friend, Carolyn.
Hearing Angie rustling around in her office, Nelson buzzed her before she got a chance to get settled in for the day.
"Angie, would you please tell Lee and Chip I'd like to see them?"
"Yes sir, Angie replied and then called Lee's office to pass on the summons. Unable to reach him she headed out the door and down the hall to track him and Chip down. As she strode down the hall she spotted him in an empty office looking out at Seaview.
"Lee, the admiral would like to see you and Chip."
"Thanks Angie. Oh, sorry about all the reports I put on your desk. I saw Chip had put some there too. Maybe we need to hire another secretary; you and Wanda are always overloaded with work."
"Sometimes it can be overwhelming but we get it all done eventually," she answered him as they left the office.
"I'll get Chip," Lee replied as he walked to Chip's office and stuck his head in the door.
"The admiral wants to see us."
Chip got up from his desk, "Let's go."
Lee knocked on the admiral's door and went in before the Admiral could reply.
"You wanted to see us," Chip asked.
The admiral was sitting at his desk with a smile on his face. "Yes sit down. I talked to Fred and his jet is available. We can use it for as long as we need it, we just need to pay for the fuel."
"We?" Lee inquired raising his eyebrows.
"Yes, I've decided to go with you. I need a vacation too and I've never been to a surfing competition. Is that a problem?"
"No sir not at all. We're happy you're going with us."
Lee and Chip left the admiral's office in total shock that he was going with. They really didn't mind but hoped the rest of the men wouldn't mind. Lee headed back to his office and called Riley to give him the news.
"Hello," Riley answered hurriedly as he was just walking out the door.
"Hi Riley. It's the skipper. We've got a way to Daytona Beach. We're going by private jet. We just need to pay for the jet fuel and we'll divide that cost by seven."
"That's great Skipper! Uh seven of us...who's the seventh person, sir?"
"The admiral has decided to join us. I hope that's not a problem."
"Far out, the admiral's going to a surfing competition. I think it's great. Chief and I can share a room so the admiral can have his own. I'll tell the other guys. Thanks for the ride too."
"Okay Riley. I'll talk to you soon," Lee said shaking his head as he hung up his phone. Riley was on a permanent high.
Riley called the other men and they had no problem with the admiral going to Daytona with them.
((()))
Seaview had to leave on an emergency mission before they left for Daytona. They had to check some sensors that weren't working near Guam. They would be gone about fifteen days but would still have plenty of time to get ready for their trip.
The admiral called Lee into his office one afternoon a few days before they were to leave with a perplexed look on his face. "Lee what do you wear to a surfing competition?"
"I think just shorts, shirts and swim trunks. I'm only bringing one pair of pants and collared shirt just in case we go to a nice restaurant."
"Thanks," the admiral said him as he rubbed his forehead. Now all he had to do was get some shorts. He hadn't worn shorts in years.
The next couple of weeks went by pretty fast; they had a lot of work to do after they got back from the last mission. They received quite a few proposals and they needed to be reviewed by the admiral, Lee and Chip. They got most of them done but the rest would have to wait until they got back.
((()))
Since the surfing competition started on Friday afternoon, Lee decided they would leave early Thursday morning to give Riley a chance to adjust to the local time before the event. Riley had reserved the rooms for Thursday night through Tuesday morning. They could wait at the pool or on the beach if their rooms weren't ready when they got there.
Lee had arranged for the men to meet the Monday before they left at 1000. He wanted to give them some last minute instructions. Of course they all were on time as Lee hated when anybody was late. He considered you late if you got there fifteen minutes before the meeting started.
Once everyone had arrived he got started. "We're going to leave the Santa Barbara airport at 0600. I've plotted our course and the whole trip should take us about seven hours. We'll be stopping at a small airport near Dallas to refuel and stretch our legs, then on to Daytona Beach. I'll be piloting us there and Kowalski will be the co-pilot on both legs of the trip. Mr. Morton will fly us back home. Any questions?"
"No sir," they all replied.
"Good, see you on Thursday, bright and early." Lee said smiling as the men got up walked out of his office.
They left the institute and went to the diner down the street for lunch. None of them minded that the Seaview's command staff was going with them. With the skipper, Mr. Morton and even the admiral going they were sure to get some girls.
After the men left, Chip stayed in Lee's office while sitting on the edge of his desk he said, "Thanks for letting me fly home. I need to log some hours in jet. I haven't flown one in awhile. We seem to use FS-1 for everything."
"I need the time too, so it will be good for both of us," Lee replied looking forward to flying the jet.
Chip went back to his office to finish the inventory he started. Some time soon they were going to have to inventory the whole boat. They seem to be ordering the same items all the time but not keeping track of what they are using. It was time to design and implement a new system.
After Chip left, Lee returned to his reports. He wanted to finish up the rest of his reports and logs so that he could give them to Angie before he left for Florida. If he gave them to her now she would have plenty of time to complete them. Since they would be gone for a few days he knew she would get the work done.
Chip went to Lee's office at 1930 to see if he was ready to leave for the day. He was hungry and tired as he too was trying to get all his work done before he left.
He walked in Lee's office at 1900 hours, "Up for some pizza and beer?"
"Sure your house or mine."
"How about we just go out; no clean up on our part."
"Give me a minute. I'll meet you by the elevators."
Lee shut down his computer and put the work he had finished on Angie's desk with a note. She had finally left for the day after staying an extra two hours.
Sorry for all the work. Only have a little more to do before I leave. Lee.
He grabbed his coat and cover and headed out of his office. Chip was already at the elevators waiting for him. Lee followed Chip to their favorite pizza joint where they ordered a sausage pizza and beer.
"I'm looking forward to lying on the beach and maybe finding a girl to take to dinner," Chip told Lee as he took a bite of pizza.
"Relaxing on the beach sounds nice. Hopefully you'll find a girl," Lee teased as he took a swig of beer.
Both of them enjoyed dating when they were home but neither one of them were fans of one night stands. They rarely jumped in bed with a girl on the first date. If they did, she would have to be someone very special. With their schedules they could be gone for a week to a month or more so it was hard for them to keep a steady girlfriend since most of them didn't want to wait for them.
Chip paid for the pizza and beer tonight. Lee would pay the next time they went out.
"Good night. Thanks for dinner," Lee told Chip as they left the restaurant.
"See you tomorrow."
They went home, checked the mail and just relaxed after a long day.
((()))
The next two days flew by as the command team wanted to finish all their work before they left. Wanda and Angie couldn't wait for them to leave as they were driving the two of them nuts. Finally on Wednesday, they left early to get ready for their trip to Daytona. Angie and Wanda breathed a sigh of relief. They were finally gone and now they could get their work done without being interrupted a dozen times.