The red haired temptress tilted her head to the side to avoid the book being thrown at her head. It smacked into the wall with impressive force and harmlessly fell on to the bunk beside her. She sat on Nelson's bed watching the Admiral frantically pace back and forth in the small cabin. If his rage caused her any concern it didn't show; she was the picture of calm Zen. "Temper tantrums are very unbecoming of you Harry." Scolded Lucy.
Nelson paused in his stride to glare at his uninvited guest. The silence wrapped itself around the mounting tension. Lucy quirked an eyebrow; it was a challenge for the Seaview creator to accept her deal, which he had so far been unwilling to consider. Lucy could be patient though, there was all the time in the world.
The Admiral shook his head to clear all notions of going along with such an outlandish arrangement. It was tempting, to just give in and put an end to the torment. If these were the delusions of a mad man then giving into them just might set him free, but what if they weren't? They had certainly experienced their fair share of weird that would support this whole thing as being real. He just needed Lucy to go away for a moment so he could think clearly.
A small smile graced her face as Nelson went back to pacing. "Alas, my love, you do me wrong, to cast me out discourteously, for I have loved you for so long, delighting in your company." Lucy ducked again as another book was chucked her. The Admiral's anger had been escalating for days now. What started as the silent treatment morphed into heated arguments that he was quick to silence in the presents of others, to shutting himself away, to the current physical expressions of violence. Lucy licked her lips at the delicious thought of just how close Nelson was to losing it completely. Not wanting to give up the nerve she had been picking away at for the last few days, she hummed the remaining versus of Greensleeves.
The Admiral snarled and continued shuffling about. She had to be a hallucination; how else would she pick that song to torture him with constantly? Elaina had adored the song and now in her absence it had become all but a painful reminder of many missed opportunities; of a life that had been within reach but didn't work out.
Nelson stomped over to his desk and yanked opened the bottom drawer. The flask tumbled forward from the force and the Admiral snatched it up. Twisting off the top he took a long hard hit off of it. The familiar burn of the alcohol helped restore some of his calm and clarity. The sparkle of cold steel caught his attention and he stared at the gun sitting in the drawer. His hand curled around it and he checked to chamber to confirm it was loaded.
Lucy watched; her evil grin growing larger than even the Cheshire cat could manage. "Please, tell me we're going to play Russian Roulette. I do so adore that game."
He levelled the gun at Lucy; it felt heavier than usual and his hand wavered slightly. "Then you can have the first turn." She didn't so much as twitch; he wasn't sure if she believed he wouldn't pull the trigger or if it was because Lucy was in fact the ghost of his growing insanity. Nelson's finger coiled around the trigger. The resulting bang echoed in his hears and he looked at the weapon as if it had bit him. He wanted to let out a triumphant laugh as he looked back at the bunk where Lucy had been sitting and found nothing but a bullet hole in the wall.
"You missed," whispered Lucy in his ear as she leaned over his shoulder. Nelson turned quickly to see the source of his torment leaning casually against his desk. "Care to try again?"
Reason went out the window. Real or not he was going to shut her up once and for all. Her voice had become like ants underneath his skin; crawling and creeping into every fibre of his being. Her words floated through his head more often than his own thoughts and he could stand no more. The Admiral pulled the trigger again. It was easier the second time, more satisfying.
Crane sauntered down the corridor. He knew he was dragging his feet on this but he really wasn't looking forward to having this discussion with the Admiral. Taking Chip's advice, he'd talked to the doctor about his concerns and Jamie agreed to have a word with Nelson. However, Morton's report over the incident in the lab meant that they shouldn't wait. Lee decided to see his mentor himself as Jamie was called into surgery for a ruptured appendix and wouldn't be available for awhile.
The Captain paused in front of Nelson's door to organize his thoughts on the best way to broach the subject when the sounds of a heated argument caught his attention. He didn't hesitate one second when the undeniable sound of a gunshot rang out.
Crane's heart was pounding as he turned the doorknob and entered the cabin. Lee's jaw almost hit the floor as he watched the Admiral raise his gun and fire it at his desk. He wanted to ask what was going on but he couldn't get the words out before Nelson turned sharply and pointed the gun at him. Lee flinched at the bang and automatically brought his hand up to his side. His brain tried to come up with the word for the bright red substance running down his fingers but everything tilted sideways then faded to black.