The Last Ship Season 2

The Storm

The Nathan James had made steady progress down the United States East Coast they had successfully contacted a medical facility in Wilmington, North Carolina, who said they would distribute the cure as far as possible. The leaders there had offered the crew a place there with the Nathan James supplementing their defence but Chandler wanted to push on, he'd enlisted the French submarine Le Terrible to save Europe, he had to help as many as he could in the United States. Fortunately not a single member of crew had decided they would be better at Wilmington and they had carried on. Now Lt Green had led his team to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, there another group had isolated themselves from the virus by blowing up a series of bridges leading to the island there were only a couple of hundred there but it was a start Green had encountered no problems with the survivors there and the cure had been distributed rapidly.

"Comm's room, bridge, we have an incoming distress call." Lt Granderson reported

"Pipe it through, Lieutenant" Chandler ordered moments later the bridge speakers came to life.

"...I repeat this is the Concordia we are struggling in rough seas ninety miles west of Bermuda, none of our crew are infected with the Red Flu and we have more than enough food and provisions to share with anyone who can assist. I repeat.."

"Sir, it continues." Granderson reported cutting the signal.

"Depending on the weather we can be there in a couple of hours" Slattery said having either done the math himself or checked while Chandler listened to the message.

"Set a course best speed. If we're going into some choppy seas have all damage control crews moved up in readiness." Chandler ordered getting off his seat. "I'm going to CIC to have a look at this 'Concordia' and the weather forecast." He said leaving the bridge heading deeper into the ship.

Entering the CIC crewmen stood to attention as he passed showing their military discipline had not wavered Chandler moved over to Lt Kata Foster's radar station clearly on the radar there was a blip ahead of the Nathan James' position however the ship was rapidly being overtaken by a weather front that dominated the screen. "That weather's going to catch that ship."

"Yes, sir, the winds are approaching eighty miles per hour, this looks like the formation of a type two hurricane."

"The last thing we want to sail into." Chandler said looking at the screens for a moment before heading aft into the communications room glancing at the operator "Granderson, have you been able to get a hold of the Concordia."

"It's broken sir, but you're on with their Captain, a Waylon Gundry" she said Chandler nodded and took the offered microphone from the Lieutenant.

"Attention Concordia, this is Commander Tom Chandler of the Nathan James, we are answering your distress call." He said his words were followed by a series of cracks and static before a voice, the same as from the distress call came through.

"...mmder, I am very glad to hear your voice, our ship is struggling with this weather. None of my crew or passengers have the Red Flu we are no risk to you or your crew we just desperately need your help."

"Captain, don't worry the cavalry is on the way. I need you to try and maintain a course south-west from your current head towards the coastline of Florida, we're coming from the north." He explained praying the Concordia could maintain the speed it needed to keep ahead of the storm.

"Should we not turn to you? Captain, we are no danger to you none of us are sick, we would feel far better if you were with us."

"I understand that Concordia but this storm that is bearing down on you is at least a Class two hurricane and it could get worse, if you turn towards us then you will get caught up in it. You need to maintain your course south-west away from the storm at the best speed you can."

"I... I will do as you say, Nathan James, thank you for your assistance."

"Our pleasure" Chandler said hanging up grabbing the internal comms "bridge, full speed to the Concordia. I've instructed them to stay ahead of the storm and get the chopper up I want to keep tabs on them visually for as long as possible."

Climbing into the co-pilot's seat of the Nathan Jame's MH-60R Seahawk Lieutenant Adrian Mousseau glanced at the pilot US Navy Lieutenant Felix Larivee, this was their first flight together. "Let's see what you can do" Larivee said taking his hands off the controls.

"I have command" Mousseau said after helping complete the checks for the helicopter Mousseau throttled up the aircraft lifting it from the aft landing deck of the Nathan James. "We are clear of the fight deck, turning onto intercept course for the Concordia" he said gently turning the helicopter port onto its new course as he did he dipped the aircraft's nose increasing its speed away from the Nathan James. "Lovely weather for an afternoon flight" he observed glancing out the aircraft's cockpit windows as the storm front continued to close on their location.

On the Nathan James Commander Chandler entered Hanger Deck 1 at the rear of the ship since this whole mission had begun instead of housing a helicopter and the machinery required to maintain it the deck had been converted into Dr Rachel Scott's lab. It was here that the cure had been developed for the Red Flu, the name the population had given the virus. "Doctor, I just wanted to warn you to expect some choppy seas, if you have anything breakable or that you need put away now would be a good time for it."

"I don't have much out, Commander" she said glancing around, "production of the cure is a lot cleaner than developing it."

"Well I'm glad to hear that" he said "the children haven't been causing any problems?" He asked Kelly Tophet's hastily put together classroom was in the adjacent room near the hanger.

"No not at all..." she said her voice drifting slightly "I've barely noticed them." She admitted he knew that Kelly had asked her for some help with the science classes but also that Dr Scott had been spending a lot of time in the infirmary near the still comatose Tex.

"How's Tex?"

"Little change" she admitted glancing up at him "comas take time even when they are induced for medical reasons, as in Tex's case, they can be unpredictable we have to wait and see." She explained "fortunately his body is healing well from the damage that was caused in the rescue."

"It wasn't your fault" Chandler said reaching out touching her arm "Tex wanted to make sure you were okay he knew the dangers going into it and went willingly." He said he didn't say that Tex had been the only one in position to rescue her as the Nathan James had been taken over by Baltimore Guards.

"If I had foreseen what they were doing, I saw the medical data, I should have left as soon as I did there was no-way they were helping people." She said the people under Amy Granderson's employ had done with science what she loathed and turned it against humanity ending suffering by ending lives, it wasn't a solution to the plague, it was little less than murder.

"What they did was unforgivable but hopefully we ended all of that" Chandler pointed out Thorwald's people had said they would close down Granderson's operation unfortunately he couldn't keep the Nathan James in and around Baltimore.

"I hope so, I wonder if it is all like that?" She said "fractured, people turning on people."

"From what we've seen there are pockets of people that have survived larger areas free of the virus appear to be further out west." Chandler said the East coast of America had been hit badly by the virus, Washington DC and New York were dead zones with not a single radio transmission being detected from either. "Captain, the next time we land I'd like to go along, I'd like to see if for myself."

"I'll see what I can do" he said after a moments consideration and a mental note to take twice as many men with him "you're not going to run out on us?" He asked half-jokingly eight months ago before the plague he'd have been happy to see her leave his ship never to return now he was used to having her on board. The crew had become accustomed to her presence as well and since she'd developed the vaccine she'd been forgiven, mostly, for keeping them in the dark about the virus while in the Arctic.

"Unless I find a suitable lab to continue to produce the cure you're stuck with me Commander" she promised him just as the ship rocked quite heavily forcing Scott to stumble into Chandler before regaining her balance "I guess I better batten down the hatches" she said stepping away embarrassed by her stumble.

"I better get back to the bridge" Chandler said exiting the hanger as the ship rocked heavily again.

Heading back to the bridge Chandler looked out and saw that the weather had rapidly closed in on them the ship was being battered by large waves and heavy rain fall. "That was fast" he commented looking at Slattery.

"Foster said it's now officially a class three." Slattery complained he had never been someone who liked the weather.

"Has the chopper spotted the Concordia yet?" Slatter shook his head it had been airborne for nearly forty minutes and had no sign of the vessel "call them back before the weather becomes too rough for them to land." He said the XO nodded and grabbed his microphone to speak with the helicopter while Chandler reached for his own "all hands secure all water-tight doors, damage-control-teams stand by for possible damage." He said to all the crew as the ship was pounded by a large wave. "CIC, secure all radar masts switch to short range systems." He ordered he didn't need one of the ship's targeting radar systems damaged by a wave, there was no friendly port that they could repair at. "Helm, once the helo is back on-board turn us towards the Gulf of Mexico we need to get around Florida and hope this storm breaks on the coast." He said the last thing he wanted was to see the storm kill more innocents but he also knew that his ship couldn't survive forever in these heavy seas in fact navy ships were often ordered to avoid storm hit areas if at all possible waiting for the storm to clear before moving in. "Hopefully the Concordia finds her own way..." he whispered to himself looking out at the rolling seas, considering the pounding his ship had already taken there was little hope the civilian ship had survived this long.

The helicopter returned to the destroyer without incident and was soon stowed safely within the ship's hanger it had happened just in time as the hurricane hit them. In the time it had taken for the helicopter to return the storm grown stronger and was now at least a class four storm with winds over one hundred miles per hour, crashed down on the Nathan James battering the ship from all sides.

"The good thing about a submarine" Mousseau muttered sitting beside Green in the officers mess "you don't have to worry about choppy weather." He said like green he was wearing survival gear but was staying out of order neither of them could fight a storm.

"That's fine if you don't mind never seeing the sun or dying in a tin-can!" Green replied as they were both thrown from side to side inside the ship as the storm buffeted the vessel. The Nathan James continued forward cutting through the choppy seas as waves battered across the front and sides of the ship fortunately the worse of the weather was behind them.

"Land contact to the port side!" One of the bridge watch officers called out Chandler and Slattery reached for their binoculars as the gripped their chair's armrests.

"Florida?" Slattery wondered as the waves continued to buffet the ship and began to smash into the beach.

"Looks like the outskirts of Miami beach" Chandler answered "been a while." He admitted reaching for his microphone "CIC, full sonar scans we're in range of the coast line I don't want to come across any underwater hazards send your course corrections directly to helm!" He shouted over the noise of the waves smashing against the bridge windows Chandler was glad that they were reinforced.

For nearly two hours the Nathan James continued to skirt the edge of the storm as it followed the Florida coastline. The storm that had chased them so far clammed into Palm Beach and then into the heart of the city. Before the Red Flue hit the world nearly half a million people lived in the centre of the city with more than five million living in the surrounding areas Chandler knew that with how deadly the virus had been that there was likely a fraction of the population remained however he hated to see suffering he couldn't help stop. An enemy he could fight with his fists, his crew and his ship, the virus he now had a cure for but mother-nature he couldn't stop.

As the storm ravaged the city the Nathan James moved forward entering the Gulf of Mexico ahead of them was clear seas "Nathan James, this is the Captain, we've cleared the storm and are heading into the Gulf of Mexico there has been no further contact with the Concordia we'll continue to search for them as long as we can but failing us finding any sign of them we'll continue on for those who believe I ask you to spare a thought for their passing today." Chandler said pausing for a moment before continuing there was so much loss in the world sometimes he wondered how much more they could take. "Department heads report any damage or injuries to the XO." He said hanging up the microphone "Mike, I'm going to see my kids and make sure everything's fine." He said the XO nodded as Chandler left the bridge.

Making his way below decks Chandler reached his children's quarters to find them empty a moments panic crossed over him looking each way down the corridor then back into the empty quarters, where the hell were they? He thought suddenly he heard Kelly Tophet's unmistakable voice turning towards it he saw her standing with Sam and Ashley both looking scared but completely fine.

"I didn't think either of them wanted to be alone" she said explaining why they were not in their quarters "I hope you don't mind, Captain?"

"Not at all" Chandler said stepping aside to allow the children to enter their quarters "thank you, Ms Tophet" he said formally.

"Please, Captain it's Kelly, I think we're both too old and have seen to much for such formalities." She said smiling briefly before leaving Chandler with his children both of them were no worse for wear following the storm but he could have kicked himself for not making sure they were with them only Kelly Tophet's caring thinking had covered his mistake. Darien his wife had always been the one who knew what was best for the kids... but now she was gone and he had to learn to adapt.

Some time later Chandler was heading back through the ship towards the bridge passing nearby the medical bay as he did he saw Dr Rachel Scott coming the opposite way "Rachel" he said greeting her informally it was time to take Kelly Tophet's advice especially with the civilians on the ship. "I hope none of your equipment was damaged?"

"None at all, Commander, I thank you for warning me the hanger is an open space some of the other boxes were not as fortunate as my equipment." She reported smiling to cover her embarrassment.

"I'll have some crewmen come by and clean up the mess. Well I'll let you get on with your visit" he said Rachel nodded and stepped to pass him Chandler stepped the same way there was an embarrassed moment between them before Chandler stepped the opposite way to allow her to pass. At that moment another figure appeared at the doorway of the medical bay his beard even more dishevelled than normal.

"Commodore, I'd like to formally lodge a complaint with you, the driver of this boat has taken us over the worse seas I have ever had the displeasure of sailing on. And I seem to have been sent to the wrong quarters." Tex said looking at the medical bay door.

"Tex!" Dr Scott called out wrapping her arms around him holding onto him.

"Well Princess I guess I found the way to your heart" Tex said returning the hug "easy now" he joked smiling as he looked up at Commander Chandler "what did I miss?" He asked Chandler just smirked glad to see that Tex was back on his feet.