To Hear the Sea-Maid's Music
CHAPTER 2
Chip and Lee pulled on heavy jackets and gloves as they emerged topside, defense against the brisk winds Seaview would encounter as soon as shecleared the Institute's docking facilities and made her way into Santa Barbara Channel. Admiral Nelson had selected the site on the California coast due to its suitability for cave construction. Security considerations had been his priority, not comfort. The rocks that formed the 'pen captured the coldness of the surrounding waters and held it, never letting go.
"Get everybody settled, Chip?" Lee asked with a smile.
"I guess so. She was making the admiral comfortable enough in his cabin. They didn't need me, so I left," he said dryly.
"No interest in a beautiful woman, Mr. Morton? You're slipping!" Lee quipped, and waited for Chip's jokey protest. It didn't come. He hadn't misunderstood the way that Chip had looked earlier, then; the frown on his friend's face when he took the Westermans to their cabins was still there. "What's bugging you?"
"There's something strange about her, if you ask me. I felt it the minute she stepped out of the car. Those eyes! It's like she's looking right through you." Chip heaved a big sigh. "She was trying to be friendly, asking me questions as we got them settled. And right here I'll admit I was pretty rude to her. Okay, okay, don't say a word," he inserted as Lee opened his mouth to speak. "I was about to apologize when I got the feeling that instead of being angry at me she was inwardly laughing. There are some things I can do without, so I got Patterson and Kowalski and off we went. And believe you me, I practically had to drag them out. I saw how you couldn't stop staring, too."
"Me?" Lee exclaimed, eyes wide and his voice innocent. One glance at Chip and he knew it was foolish to prevaricate. "Okay, I admit it. But damn, Chip, you saw her! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't attracted. Hell, I'd be dead," he added, gratified to see Chip's face soften. Lee tugged on his gloves and said decisively, "You'll feel better once we get this show on the road."
Chip rested his arms on the rail. "You'd be right about that. I'm just antsy I guess, been sitting around on land too long."
Good answer, Chip, but not the right one, Lee thought. Maybe his best friend just didn't want to admit that Ellen Westerman had given him a jolt just as she had stunned the rest of the crew.
Lee turned and looked forward and aft, checking that the crew was in place. The big submarine was vibrating quietly, seemingly eager to leave the confines of land behind. "No time like the present, then. Prepare to get under way, Mr. Morton."
"Aye aye, sir!" Stepping to the other side of the bridge, Chip shouted, "Single up all lines! Take in the gangway!" The crew obeyed immediately. "The boat is ready to get under way, Captain."
"Very well, X.O. Take her out slow. Oh, and do me a favor," he added. "Don't hit anything. I certainly don't want to disappoint Miss Westerman."
Chip narrowed his eyes and threw him a thin-lipped smile.
With a rush of foamy water, the port side thrusters pushed the submarine away from the pier while the crew slipped all the lines. Seaview glided through the open outer gates and was soon cutting her way south.
"I'll expect my Brownie points for that one, Skipper, sir."
"I'll make a note of it, chum."
Once safely away Lee glanced up, into a cloudless sky lit by a million stars, and then down. A dolphin pod was slipping past on the starboard side. Seaview seemed to attract Tursiops truncatus, often accompanied on her Pacific Ocean travels by the bottlenosed inhabitants of the watery world. Lee hoped he would never find himself jaded by the life he saw around him as Seaview traveled the seas.
"Let's stay on the surface, Chip. We've got plenty of time to get there now."
"And plenty of time to think about a certain passenger," Chip mused softly.
"Absolutely. Admiral Westerman has done great things. It's a privilege to take him to San Diego."
Chip looked at Lee, and Lee looked at Chip. Both men burst out laughing, the sound echoing far across the water, while the lookouts snuck glances at each other and rolled their eyes. Officers!