Chapter 7

When Lee arrived in the control room, he looked around and saw that all the stations were manned.

"Any damage?" Lee asked as he looked at Janet making sure she was okay. She caught him staring at her and wondered what was wrong.

"No damage, one injury," Chip replied. "Make that two injuries. You better lay-up to sick bay and have that cut looked at."

"I'm fine," Lee declared as he wiped away some more blood and rubbed his forehead as his headache was getting worse. He knew he had a slight concussion but didn't want to get stuck in sick bay until after they had retrieved the box.

"Lee," Janet started to say but he stopped her. "I'll go later."

"How are we going to get that box out of the crevice?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure sir," Lee answered running his hand through his hair. "There's no way to reach it and no one small enough to fit into the crevice."

"I'll go," Janet declared. "You wanted the smallest man on board… that would be me. I have my advanced open water certification and Lee has taken me on several dives."

Harry, Lee and Chip looked at Janet and couldn't argue with her about her size or capabilities.

"I don't like it," Nelson said worriedly. "There's got to be another way."

"Admiral, no one else can get into the crevice provided the turbulence didn't cover it. It's too narrow long ways but she should be able to go in the front side."

Sighing deeply Harry looked at Janet, "You're willing to do it."

"Yes sir," she responded.

Since they really needed to get that box, Harry and Lee both reluctantly agreed.

"Janet, go get your diving suit on and I'll get dressed and meet you in the missile room," Lee told her.

"No," Nelson stated, "You'll go to sick bay and have Jamie check you out. Chip and Patterson will accompany Janet on the dive.

"Aye, sir," Lee replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. He had a headache and knew he shouldn't go out on a dive.

Janet looked at Lee as she ascended the staircase. She would've liked to have Lee with her but she had been diving with Chip before and was comfortable going with him. Chip, Lee and Patterson walked out of the control room.

No one was in the observation nose and didn't see any of the rocks falling from the land mass at the back of the crevice to the ocean floor.

()()()()()()()

Lee arrived in sick bay just as Kowalski, Cooper and Riley were leaving. Chip and Patterson continued on to the missile room.

"Are you all right?" Lee asked as he was worried about them.

"Yes sir," Kowalski replied for the men. "Fit for duty."

"Thanks for your help men," Lee told them. "Report back to your stations."

"Aye, sir," they replied and headed to the control room and wardroom.

"It's about time you showed up," Jamie said to Lee when he walked in.

Giving him a wry grin, "You just can't wait to get your hands on me," Lee replied as he sat down on the gurney. "How's Kowalski, I see he had a bandage on his forehead."

"Just a couple of stitches and a waterproof bandage," he answered as he looked at Lee's forehead. "The other men just had a few bruises."

"Your cut doesn't need stitches but I don't like how your eyes look. Do you have a headache?"

"Yes," Lee answered truthfully. "I bumped it on the ladder in the escape hatch."

After doing a more thorough check, Jamie determined Lee had a slight concussion and wouldn't be able to dive for a couple of days.

Jamie put a waterproof bandage on Lee's forehead. "You're free to go," Jamie said to Lee as he stood up from the gurney.

"Thanks, Jamie," Lee replied as he left sick bay.

()()()()()()()

Janet entered her cabin and took her swimsuit out of the drawer and put it on before slipping into her black diving suit with shocking neon pink stripes. She was a little nervous but knew the admiral and Lee were counting on her to retrieve the box. Maybe Lee won't get into trouble because I'm on board if I get the box, she thought as she finished changing.

She took a deep breath and left the cabin going down the ladder to the missile room just as Lee was leaving sick bay.

He waited for her so he could walk with her.

"You okay?" she asked with concern as she could tell he wasn't feeling well.

"Yes, no stitches but I do have a slight concussion so it's good I'm not diving with you," he said as they entered the missile room.

Chip and Patterson had just finished dressing and were putting on their tanks. Lee explained to them where the box was located.

"Please be careful. There's a huge hole in front of the ledge…it's so deep you can't see the bottom. Just get the box and get out of there," Lee said as he gave Janet a pouch to put the box in so it would be easier for her to swim back. He then helped her on with her tanks and turned on her regulator while Sharkey and Gil took care of Chip and Patterson.

The three of them entered the escape chamber, Lee secured the hatch and signaled Gil to fill it with water. They watched the water fill the plastic tube letting them know the hatch was full. Lee looked into the porthole and gave Janet a thumbs-up. He left the missile room and joined Harry in the observation nose. They didn't have to wait too long before they saw the divers clear the front of the boat.

()()()()()()()

Chip was in the lead with Janet directly behind him and Patterson next to Janet. Janet stopped briefly and Patterson stopped with her.

"You okay Mrs. C.?" he asked stopping when she stopped.

"Yes, the pouch was making it hard to swim as it keeps flying in my face, I want to tuck it in my weight belt."

She tucked it in and caught up to Chip who was waiting for them. The three divers made it to the crevice. Chip flashed his light down into the crevice and saw that the box was still sitting on the ledge.

"The box is still there," he reported.

"Good," Lee answered. "Janet, go to the front of the crevice. I think you'll fit in there."

"Yes, Lee," she replied as she swam to the front.

Chip and Patterson helped her slip down into front of the crevice. Once she was level with the ledge, she knelt on the edge and reached for the box. She grabbed it, stowed it in the pouch and snapped it closed.

"Got it," she exclaimed as she pushed off the ledge.

()()()()()()()

"Skipper," Riley shouted, "the seismometer is showing some activity. Looks like an undersea quake is going to hit the area.

"Chip, get back to the boat. There's quake going to hit the area," Lee warned urgently.

"We're on our way," Chip replied.

()()()()()()()

Janet reached her arms up so Chip and Patterson could pull her up out of the crevice. Just as they were helping her out, the underwater quake hit causing the land mass at the back of the crevice to start sliding down into the crevice. The force of the quake caused the men to let go of Janet's hands. Losing her balance, she fell backwards into the crevice bumping her head on the side and landed on her back.

I'm being buried alive, Janet thought as rocks and sand piled on top of her. Panicking, she tried to push away the rocks and sand as they continued to bury her but her arms were pinned by her sides. She was amazed that she still had on her mask and regulator. With the pouch laying across her chest and the weight of the rocks and sand; she was having a hard time breathing. Her head hurt and she was dizzy from knocking her head on the edge of the crevice. Tears ran down her face as she realized she would never see Lee or anyone she loved again.

Chip and Patterson also lost their balance and were knocked down. They were trapped as the rocks, boulders, and sand continued to fall on top of them. As hard as they tried to push away the debris that fell, the size and weight of the boulders, rocks and sand proved too much and buried them up to their chests.

()()()()()()()

Harry and Lee watched in horror as they were buried.

Picking up the mic from the table, "Janet, Chip, Patterson," Lee yelled frantically.

Janet faintly heard Lee's voice calling her over the radio. "Lee, love you," she replied weakly before everything went black.

"Chip, Janet, Patterson" Lee shouted again, but not one of them responded.

Throwing the mic on the table, he ran into the control room, "O'Brien, conn," he barked as he continued out the aft hatch with Nelson following quickly behind.

Taking the mic from the holder, "Rescue diving party, report to the missile room on the double. This is not a drill," O'Brien ordered. "Chief Sharkey, bring all digging equipment to the missile room. Sick bay report to the missile room three divers down."

"Aye, aye, sir," Sharkey replied as he snagged a crewman in the passageway to help him gather the equipment from one of the storage rooms.

"Aye, aye," Jamie responded as he and his corpsman grabbed their emergency supply kit and stretchers.

Gil and Blair were in the missile room and immediately readied the scuba gear. Simpson, Thompson, and Dunlap also reported to the missile room to help out with the diving suits and assist anywhere they were needed.

Cooper arrived first, with Kowalski and Riley right behind him. As Lee ran down the passageway, he was undoing his tie and buttons. He arrived in the missile room and was unbuttoning his cuffs. Blair had his suit ready, so he quickly shed his shirt, shoes and pants and donned his diving suit.

As the four divers were ready to leave the boat, Sharkey handed Cooper and Riley each a shovel and Kowalski a pick ax.

Just as Lee followed the three drivers into the escape hatch, Jamie ran into the missile room. "Captain," he said angrily.

"Jamie not now," Lee hollered and entered the hatch. Gil turned the valve and watched the tube fill up as the other three divers got ready to go out.

"Admiral, I told the Captain he couldn't dive for a couple of days," Jamie reported exasperated with Lee's disregard for his orders.

Harry lightly touched his arm, "Jamie, Patterson, Chip and Janet are the three divers," Harry said softly.

Jamie let out a sigh, "We'll be ready when they bring them aboard," he answered.

"I know you will," Harry replied. "I'll be in the observation nose."

"Yes, sir," Jamie responded as Harry left the missile room and headed for the nose.

Sharkey, Phil and Marco finished suiting up and climbed into the escape hatch, Gil released the valve and they left the boat swimming towards the other divers.

()()()()()()()

As the first team of divers swam to the trapped men, Lee told them urgently, "I only saw two divers trapped. Look around the area and see if you can locate the other diver. Kowalski, Riley, you take the diver on the back side of the crevice. Cooper and I will free the diver on the front. Let me know which diver you have."

"Aye, sir," the three men replied as they arrived at the crevice.

They quickly surveyed the area and only saw the two divers so Kowalski and Riley went over to their diver.

"Skipper, we have Patterson," Kowalski reported. As they removed some of the smaller rocks away from him, they saw a large boulder had trapped his leg. Both Riley and Kowalski tried to move it but it wouldn't budge. Kowalski looked at Lee. "We can't move the boulder and his leg is caught."

Lee shouted, "Where are those other divers?"

"Right here, Skipper," Sharkey answered as they swam up to Lee.

"Marco, Phil, help Ski and Riley free Patterson and get him back to the boat," Lee directed.

"Aye, sir," the men responded quickly. It took all four men to move the boulder off Patterson's leg. Once his leg was freed, Riley and Marco started digging the sand away from him.

Lee and Cooper approached their diver and discovered it was Chip. "Chip, where's Janet," Lee asked frantically.

"Lee, I'm sorry…she fell backwards…I lost my grip on her hand," Chip responded terrified they wouldn't be able to get to her.

"Don't worry, we'll find her and get her out," Lee reassured Chip as he could see Chip was very upset.

Lee looked over the crevice and as much as he wanted to dig for his wife, he knew that they would have to dig through all the debris that covered Chip and Patterson to get into the crevice, so he had no choice but to free them first.

Chip was buried up to his chest in rocks, small boulders and sand. Lee, Sharkey and Cooper moved the rocks off his legs and carefully moved the sand off of him.

The four men had finally dug out Patterson. Marco and Phil wrapped their arms around his waist and took him back to the boat. As they passed Lee, he could see his leg was broken by the way it just hung in place.

Kowalski and Riley joined Lee and the other two men as they continued to dig out Chip.

"Ski, Riley, starting digging out the crevice. I'm afraid Janet is buried somewhere in the debris.

"Aye, Skipper," they replied and starting hastily digging, careful not to put their shovels in too deep as not to hurt her.

Finally, Lee, Sharkey and Cooper got Chip free. "Lee, let me help dig," Chip gasped trying to catch his breath. "I'm not hurt that badly."

"No, you're going back to the boat," Lee ordered. "Chief, take Mr. Morton back to the boat and bring out an extra air tank. Janet could run out of air by the time we find her."

"Yes, sir," Sharkey replied as he took Chip's arm and led him back to the boat.

Chip's chest and ankle hurt so he was having a hard time swimming. When Marco and Phil returned to help dig after dropping off Patterson, Sharkey stopped Phil and had him help Chip to the boat while Marco continued on.

When they reached the hatch, Phil went down the ladder first and then helped Chip down. Sharkey quickly followed. They waited as the hatch was drained of water.