CHAPTER SEVEN
"Mr. Morton!" cried Patterson, "We hit her! I can hear sounds of her starting to break up!"
There was a moment of stunned silence then the crew cheered briefly in relief. Chip, still cradling his injured arm simply felt numb. Nelson, standing nearby, bore a similar expression. They exchanged weary glances. Yes, they were glad they had defeated the enemy sub but knowing who was on board, dampened their feelings of triumph. Maybe he had turned out to be a traitor, but it was difficult to erase all the good memories they had of the man they had known as Lee Crane.
"Sir," Patterson called again. "They have reached the surface, and I think they must be abandoning ship."
Kowalski turned. "Mr. Morton, I'm detecting rising levels of radiation coming from the sub. We must have damaged their nuclear reactor."
Nelson nodded. "Then abandoning ship is their only option. Can we blow ballast? We will need to pick up survivors." Morton looked at him. And perhaps Lee Crane.
Morton gave the order to blow ballast and slowly the Seaview began to rise finally coming up several hundred yards away from the crippled Viper. Men in rafts could be already seen in the water while more were pouring out of her hatches. Nelson and Morton watched expressionlessly as the men began to approach the Seaview. They were only concerned with finding one particular crew member.
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The air quality inside the Viper had become barely breathable as Crane shepherded men out of the Viper. The faces of the men were grim and Crane could feel their accusing glances as he moved among them. He had never really been a part of them, and he knew they hadn't completely trusted him as a commander. Well, he'd certainly confirmed their doubts, hadn't he? He wiped the sweat and blood from his face as he leaned against the bulkhead. Everything ached and his head throbbed worse than ever. He frowned. Where was Babrof?
Although the Viper had managed to just make it to the surface, it was now taking on large amounts of water and by the list of the decking below his feet, Crane knew it wouldn't be long before it started to sink. He was again reminded of his executive officer. He was supposed to be in the reactor room. Crane pushed himself back to his feet and stumbled forward, still coughing in the noxious fumes. He couldn't seem to remember where they kept the emergency oxygen on this ship.
He met with few crewmen on his journey deeper into the ship. They should all be working on escaping, at least those that were still alive. So, should he, for that matter, but he felt it was his duty to make sure no one was left behind. Finally, he reached the door of the reactor room. He peered in through the window hoping no one was in there but his heart dropped when he spied a man clad in protective anti-radiation gear sprawled on the floor. Crane checked his badge. The radiation level had passed the danger level and was on its way to lethal. He stood uncertainly for a moment then noted a movement in the man's hand. He was alive!
Crane turned to find a radiation suit for himself when another explosion rocked the boat. The list became even more pronounced, and Crane knew he was running out of time. The Viper was sinking fast. Without taking time to suit up, he yanked open the door, and hurried inside. There were two other men lying nearby partially buried in the wreckage of the reactor room. Both were dead. Crane gave them a brief look then grabbed the unconscious Babrof, flung him over his shoulder and fled.
Crane had little memory of the hellish journey through the bowels of the sub trying to reach the escape hatch before the sub sunk with them in it. Smoke filled the corridors and debris impeded their path. There were far more dead crewmen than he'd expected. He knew if they didn't reach the surface in time, they would both die along with the others. After their exposure to the radiation, they might already be dead, but all Crane could think about was getting them both out. After that, well, what happened, happened.
Gasping for breath in the acrid fumes, Crane fought to remain conscious. He cursed again as he tried to remember where they kept the emergency oxygen. He could picture it easily aboard the Seaview but despite his hours of studying every aspect of this new boat, he simply couldn't remember.
At long last, they reached the forward escape hatch. Water was already starting to pour in as the deck of the Viper dipped below the surface of the choppy sea. Crane had managed to snag a couple of life jackets and quickly maneuvered Babrof into one. He was forced to release the man as he slipped on his own. He looked out across the sea and could see a line of bright yellow rafts leading towards the second sub sitting on the surface. One raft remained just astern of where he stood, waiting for the last few survivors. Lee felt his heart flip with delight at seeing his beloved Seaview, but he quashed that feeling quickly. The Seaview was not his ship and never really was. For some reason that thought made him immeasurably sad. He looked down at his feet and noticed Babrof was starting to float away. It was time to go.
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The men on the Seaview grimly helped the survivors of the enemy sub onboard. Dr. Jamieson stood nearby to check them for injuries or radiation exposure. A number had already been taken away for treatment. Side by side, Chip and Nelson stood silently in the sail watching the proceedings carefully. Thus far, there had been no sign of Crane. Had he perhaps been killed during the conflict? Nelson looked outward and noticed a few last stragglers fighting their way out of the sinking sub. The Viper was rapidly disappearing below the surface of the waves and would soon be gone. He watched as men swam out to the final raft waiting astern of the dying sub.
The winds were picking up and the seas were getting rougher. Nelson looked up at the darkening skies. A storm was coming and would soon be upon them. They needed to get the last survivors in as quickly as possible. Suddenly, the bloated clouds burst and the men were completely soaked within moments. Nelson cursed softly as he and Chip retreated back into the sub.
Chief Sharkey stood encased in foul weather gear as sheets of water flowed off of him. He could barely see his hand in front of his face. He was supervising the loading of the prisoners. They were a defeated lot and put up no resistance. Sharkey sighed wearily and shivered. The cold was seeping into his bones. He looked out and saw one last raft fighting its way towards them. He could just make out five or six figures in the raft. They had identified a variety of ship's officers, but so far neither the captain nor the executive officer had been located. Sharkey wondered if they were in this final raft, or if the men had died on their sub. He looked out at the now empty sea and shivered again. There was nothing glamorous about dying in a submarine. He sighed and stepped forward as the raft finally reached the Seaview.
"Kowalski!" Sharkey shouted over the roar of the downpour, "Get these last men on board and get 'em checked out by the doc!" Kowalski nodded and stepped forward to reach down to help the first of the men on board. The man was unconscious and clad in water-soaked anti-radiation gear. Sharkey noted the man would need to head directly to sick bay. He'd heard the other sub's reactor had been leaking. Finally there was but one man left and he stood, head down as if uncertain of what to do.
"Hey, you!" shouted Sharkey irritably, "C'mon! Let's get a move on! We haven't got all day!" He was about to head into the hatchway when he heard Kowalski gasp in shock.
"Chief! Look!" Sharkey frowned and glancing back at 'Ski saw the crewman was staring at the last survivor in disbelief. Sharkey turned to look and abruptly felt his world turn upside down. He blinked and wiped the water out of his eyes. Still, the image was the same. The man staring up at him through the pouring rain was none other than Commander Crane.
No one moved. The armed Seaview crewmen just gaped at their former commander who now regarded them with cold disdain as he began to slowly climb the ladder to the deck of the Seaview. Once on the deck, Crane turned to Sharkey who continued to stare dumbfounded at the man before him. It was if he was looking at a ghost.
"Hello, Chief," smiled Crane coolly. "Good to see you again. You too, Kowalski. And in case you are wondering, yes. I am the captain of the Viper. You can let Admiral Nelson know I'm now on board. I'm sure he has a few questions."
"Sk…Skipper?" stuttered Sharkey, still unable to comprehend the situation "You were the captain of that sub? You? You can't be serious! You were tryin' to sink us? But…but this is the Seaview!"
Crane gave a short laugh. "Yes, that was my assignment although I must admit, I didn't do a very good job. If I had been successful, the Seaview and that bastard, Admiral Nelson, would both be at the bottom of the sea."
He then closed his eyes for a moment fighting off a wave of dizziness. He knew he couldn't keep his feet much longer. He coughed deeply and bent over against the pain in his ribs. He suddenly heard the urgent sound of a Geiger counter nearby. They were checking him for radiation. He opened his eyes again. The men were still gawking at him, but now their eyes were hard. They had been joined by Dr. Jamieson who stared at him open-mouthed. Finally the doctor seemed to shake himself and turned to two corpsmen standing nearby.
"Get this man down to Sick Bay. We need to treat him for smoke inhalation and radiation exposure immediately."
Crane smiled faintly at Jamieson. "Thanks, Doc," he muttered and then felt his knees give way as he allowed his consciousness to flee at last.
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Nelson sat in his cabin, staring sightlessly ahead. He was trying to process all that had happened and it wasn't easy. His reverie was shattered by an urgent knock at the cabin door. "Come in."
Sharkey, eyes wild, practically ran in. "Admiral, sir! It's the skipper! We just picked him up. He said he was the captain of that…that sub! He called it the Viper. But Admiral, that can't be true, can it! I mean, this is the Skipper we're talkin' about! He loves the Seaview more'n anything in the world. He couldn't have been trying to sink us…could he?" Sharkey's eyes pleaded with Nelson to set things right, to tell him that of course Captain Crane hadn't been trying to kill them all; that it was all some kind of horrible mistake. But Nelson knew he couldn't do that. He sighed deeply.
"Sit down, Chief," he said wearily. "I don't think you're going to like what I'm going to have to tell you." Sharkey, his face pale, sank into a seat across from the admiral.
"Chief," Nelson began slowly, his voice harsh with pain and anger. "I'm afraid, it's all true. Lee Crane is a traitor. He sold government secrets to a foreign power, killed a fellow naval officer who might have identified him and then apparently defected to the People's Republic where he was made commander of their newest and most powerful nuclear submarine. And now, as you have just witnessed, attempted to destroy the Seaview and everyone aboard her, men who knew and trusted him." He paused a moment looking down at a list on his desk. "In fact, has killed. Five men on board Seaview died as a result of the Viper's attack."
Sharkey sat silently as he digested this. His face gradually darkened as his own anger began to build. "So, you're sayin' that we meant nothing to him?" he demanded, his eyes blazing. "That killing us all and destroying the Seaview was…was like all in a day's work for him?" Sharkey jumped to his feet knocking over his chair unable to contain his deep sense of betrayal. "I risked my life more than once for the skipper!" he raged, "We all did! Time and time again, and this is how he repays us? By trying to blow us out of the water? Admiral, if I ever get my hands on him…"
"Chief!" snapped Nelson trying to get Sharkey's attention, "Chief! Listen to me!He betrayed all of us. He was my best friend, almost like a son to me! I handpicked him to command the Seaview, and now I feel like the biggest fool that ever lived. He fooled all of us, Chief. All of us!"
Sharkey, suddenly deflated, sank back into his seat. "I'm…I'm sorry, Admiral," he muttered still shaking his head in utter dismay. "I just can't believe this is happening, that's all. Sir, how could he have done this to us?"
"I don't know, Chief," growled Nelson. "But believe me, he I fully intend to find out and make him pay for his crimes."
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Chip stood rigidly beside Dr. Jamieson watching the doctor adjust the IV now attached to Lee Crane's arm. "I assume he's going to be all right?"
Jamieson glanced at Chip, frowning inwardly at the man's haggard expression. This entire voyage had been rough on Chip, and now Jamieson knew why. Apparently both Chip and the admiral had known Crane had turned traitor but had kept the information to themselves. Now, the entire ship's company knew and there was an undercurrent of deep anger and betrayal running through the crew. He glanced at the two armed guards standing nearby. Jamieson knew they'd need to keep Crane under guard more for his own protection than anything else.
"Well, we've been able to treat the radiation poisoning and the breathing therapy has improved his lung function. He's got a few broken ribs and a slight concussion to go along with that gash in his head, but yes, I would say he should make a full recovery."
"Good," said Chip bitterly as he adjusted the sling supporting his broken arm. "I'd hate for him to miss out on his own execution." He glanced around at the other injured prisoners. The one in the bunk nearest Crane had been identified by other crewmen as the Viper's executive officer, Leo Babrof. His radiation exposure had been far more serious than Crane's but he was beginning to show improvement. Chip hoped he would regain consciousness soon. He and the admiral were eager to question him about Crane. He had little doubt that Babrof would just finish nailing the lid on Crane's coffin.