Hello again!
This chapter refused to start anywhere else, and I had such fun writing it I didn't mind one bit. And people have been curious about what's been going on there. Fingers crossed I get chapter 12 done soon! Mwwahahaa.
LSLSLSLS
General Slattery
LSLSLSLS
Camp Pendleton
"Good morning, girl."
Christine Slattery turned her head to the left, and shot a smile at the man walking around the corner of her house with a cup of coffee in his hand.
"Morning, old man. You know it's not good until that second cup." She teasingly replied before taking a sip from her own coffee. Jed Chandler just chuckled as he rounded the corner of the porch and climbed the stairs, settling in beside her with a groan on the porch swing.
"Beautiful morning." She commented softly, and he grunted in agreement as he sipped his coffee.
And it was a glorious morning. The trees in her backyard were a riot of color in yellows, golds and reds. The sky was a dark blue as the sun struggled to clear the horizon, and a cool wind whipped away the lingering heat from the summer. Christine closed her eyes in pleasure as the wind ruffled her hair, bringing with it the scents of fall.
"You heard from Mike?"
Opening her eyes, she frowned thoughtfully before shaking her head. "No, he didn't answer his comm yesterday but that's not unusual. He usually calls back within a day if he misses one."
When Nathan James had started her mission here on the west coast, it had definitely been outside the norm. Then again, Christine thought ruefully, what is the norm these days?
Instead of making a three or six month mission trip, the ship went out to deliver the cure in pre-designated spots for four weeks. The SeaHawk would scout out any survivors using thermal heat imaging and sweep patterns over an area. If there were any found, the TAC teams would then travel inland to that area and deliver the airborne cure to any remaining survivors, and look for any sign or word of Rachel and her group. When those four weeks were up, the ship came home for two.
Four weeks on, two weeks off. It had been the brainchild of Mike and Tom, both of whom didn't want to miss any more of their children's lives than they already had. It was also for the mental well being of the crew, both for those who had surviving family and those who did not. For those who didn't have anyone left, they were partnered up at base houses together. It had proven to be instrumental in helping them cope with the losses they had suffered.
There had only been a few occasions when a tour would go longer than four weeks. All of those except one had been longer trips down to Mexico to try to provide some relief there.
And the one trip that had been an exception? Christine blew out a breath as she remembered it. That had been when the James had found out Rachel was being hunted while they had already been out to sea for three weeks. When they had finally returned home, the mixed looks of defeat and defiance had been matched on every single one of them. It had been staggering and uplifting all at the same time. After all, if the Immunes were hunting for her, then that meant there had to be something alive to hunt.
"Tom didn't answer his either last night."
Christine looked at Jed, startled, as he broke through her thoughts before she frowned. The crew rotated using ship's comm to call their families every week. They each got to call in three times a week. But Mike and Tom had their own personal comms to call in on. For both of them to miss a check in was more than unusual.
"It wouldn't be the first time we had issues with the comms at sea. Let's go in to HQ and talk with communications today, just to be sure." She replied, still frowning as she drained the last of her cup.
Jed nodded in agreement and drained the last of his as well. Christine reached down to her feet and hefted the thermos up into the space between them, twisting the cap off and refilling her cup before arching a brow at him. He silently held his out in a mute plea, and she shook her head at him fondly before grabbing it.
Joining up on the Slattery porch in the morning for coffee had become a tradition by the fourth day they had all moved in. The Chandlers had the house next to them on the base, and once they had gotten the children off to school, they would all gather on the porch. Most of the time it was just Jed and her of course, but she treasured the times Mike and Tom could join them.
"They've been out for a week and a half." Jed mused, nodding in thanks as she handed back his cup.
"Puts them about 800 nautical miles west from Baja, California." She noted with dissatisfaction coloring her tone before toeing a foot into the wood floor and moving the swing into rocking back and forth.
When an area was to be searched in the secondary mission for the James, it was coordinated between command at HQ and Tom.
This mission request had come straight from the CO of the base, however. The James was to skirt the northwest coast of Mexico and then venture out into the Pacific. Comms had been getting some unusual feedback from that direction and the CO of the base wanted it checked out. Since the feedback was coming so far out, this mission meant they would be out for six weeks this time. Neither Mike or Tom had been happy that their primary mission had been put on hold, but they had accepted the request. They may have understood why but it rankled deep.
And I don't blame them one bit, she thought fiercely. Christine had only known Rachel for a short time, but the women had developed a deep rapport before the doctor had left. One of the many things they had talked about was the original mission. Rachel had been able to provide information about the mission Mike had been on that Christine hadn't known.
Like how at no point in the original three months of the mission had he known the truth of it. That he'd fought with his Captain and had wanted and eventually did return home to them. Old grief rolled through her as dancing hazel eyes and Michael's laughter danced around her mind. She had been too grief stricken and angry at their son's death to be able to listen to Mike's explanation of how he didn't know. How he'd had no idea that his family was suffering, that the world was dying.
Christine clenched her jaw in remembered pain as his heartbroken voice flashed through her mind when she'd told him about Michael. She had raged at him that night, oh God how she had raged. The comms had gone down shortly after that, and no amount of trying had been able to restore them. Once she had time to process and calm down, she had deeply regretted the way she had told him and the way she acted. And then they'd had to flee Deer Park quickly, with almost no warning due to an outbreak in the safety zone. She and the girls had barely had enough time to grab some clothes and a few keepsakes that she hadn't been able to leave behind. There had been no time to leave a note as to where they had gone.
It was a shoulder nudging her's in comfort that eased her mind back to the present. She gave Jed a wan smile of thanks and dropped her head to his chest when he pulled her in with an arm.
"Do you think they'll ever be able to find them?" She whispered into the light jacket he was wearing.
"When they first started out, I did. The world is much bigger than it used to be, but how well could an English doctor and a group of Marines conceal themselves in this America? Especially if Dr. Black's information could be taken into account, then they wouldn't be trying to hide at all. But with 18 months in and just whispers of her, with the last one five months ago, the hope they'll find her alive dwindles each time they come back empty handed." Jed's grim reply made fear tighten around her heart.
"If anyone could keep her alive out there, it would be Daniel Smith. I fear for them though, especially for Tom, if they don't find her soon." Christine replied softly.
And hadn't that been a revelation? Christine had noticed a squirrelly expression that would cross Jeremy's face every time both Tom and Rachel were mentioned together. Jed had noticed the same thing so they had cornered him one night in the lab and blockaded the hatchway. Pinned in by two demanding stares, the doctor had quickly caved in. To find out Rachel had fallen in love with Tom hadn't been that surprising. The mixed range of love, sadness and longing that would cross her face whenever he was brought up had given her away.
But Tom? Both her and Jed had rocked back on their heels in shock at the thought Tom had fallen in love with her as well. They hadn't believed his theory until Mike had confirmed it with his own that night.
"Is it really that surprising?" Mike had whispered in her ear as they cuddled in bed later that night.
"Of Tom? Yes, but then I haven't seen them together to put that in my mind. It was written all over Rachel's face though. I just thought it was unrequited, and that had been the reason why she had left the James so I didn't bring it up. In hindsight," she had sighed, "I should have pushed."
"Not your fault," he had said lowly, pressing a kiss into her shoulder, " it's ours. Even as we celebrated his death, we shunned her because our CO was pissed at her. Tom isn't the only one who feels guilty, we all share in that."
Mirth had laced his tone then as he added the next part, "Just wait until you see the two of them together, and Tom has fixed the situation between them. They gravitate together when in the same room, and the covert looks one will shoot the other?" He laughed into her shoulder blade. "They aren't as covert as they think they are. She matches him in passion and brings out a side of him I've never seen before. The Doc can have him frothing at the mouth in five minutes."
Christine had looked over her shoulder in shock at her husband. "Tom?!" She had asked, further flabbergasted at his cheerful nod.
"Still waters run deep, Chris. Tom is a passionate man himself, just incredibly well contained. I know he would have been happy and content with Darien if none of this had happened, and he'd never met Rachel. But the Doc? Rachel is his match in every possible way and then some. It's as Sal said once I'd shared my concerns with him. The choice he had before him is no longer a choice. Now he has to decide what to say to her to convince her to come home once we catch up. And we will catch up." His voice had turned hard and she had shivered at the conviction in his tone. "Nathan James refuses to accept anything less."
That had been at the very start of the mission, when they had still been rounding Cape Horn. That conviction hadn't wavered but the hope in the crew's eyes died little by little every time they came home without her.
Christine sighed heavily as she watched the leaves in the trees rustle as the wind blew past. She could only pray Rachel surfaced soon.
"Is everything ready for the Fall Festival this weekend?" She hummed and nodded in response to Jed's question, grateful for the subject change.
"Just about. The main street down near HQ has the banners up above the street, decorations are also up along store fronts and the gazebo is ready. Major Watson has assured me the band stage and dancing area will be put together by tomorrow and he has a couple of Privates stringing lights in the trees today. All in all, we're just about ready. Cooks aren't going to start until Friday morning of course, but with it being Wednesday, we're in good shape to kick this off."
"Good job, General Slattery." Jed teased as he tightened his arm around her, and she smiled into his shoulder in pleasure.
When Nathan James had first pulled into port, they hadn't expected the already operational base that greeted them. It had been mostly full of military personnel but there had been some civilians who had managed to make it to the base when the outbreak hit. There hadn't been many but enough to make it a headache for Colonel Sharp, the CO of the base. He had gratefully handed over the reins of management and coordination of the civilians to her and Jed several days after they arrived. Colonel Sharp is a good man, and a damn fine Marine but he lacked the politesse to deal with people he couldn't just order around.
Once Nathan James began her monthly missions, the civilians began to flock to the Camp after the James directed them there. Sometimes the ship would even ferry small groups back if they didn't have the means to get there. Or if a group was sorely needed at the Camp, like the farmers they had brought back two months into being at the base. It had taken time and much effort, but the farms now located right outside the base had begun to show promise of sustainability. The teams the Colonel had needed to send out for food for such a large population were becoming less and less. Slowly but surely, Camp Pendleton was becoming more of a community instead of just a military base.
It was the sounds of several jeeps pulling up and slamming doors that brought both of them to alertness. It was very much outside the norm for military personnel to show up at their doors this early in the morning. If the Colonel had need of them, he knew to find them in the office they shared at HQ. And they weren't due to be there for at least another hour.
NO.
Christine froze as terror and grief descended over her mind when several uniformed men with matching solemn expressions rounded her house to stand at parade rest in front of her.
There was only one reason why men in uniform would be at the house of an active service member. And it was to tell their significant other they had fallen in service. It was her worst nightmare imagined, come to life in front of her.
"They're not wearing Dress Blue. Chris, they're not wearing their Dress Blues!"
Jed used the arm he still had around her shoulders to shake her gently. She took a deep, shuddering breath and frantically ran her eyes over the men standing in front of them. Jed was right, the men were in uniform but it was standard issue, every day uniforms and not Dress. If they were here to tell her Mike was dead, they would be wearing their Dress Blues in honor of him. The sudden release of tension made her slump over in relief.
Most of the Marines they dealt with day in and day out wore work camo. Only the officers in HQ wore uniforms each day. What the hell had brought them here then?
Startlement followed swiftly by compassion flowed over the senior officer's face. "No ma'am, not that." He said gently as he snapped to attention. "CO requests your presence at HQ, ASAP."
Furrowing her brow, Christine grabbed the arm of the swing and quickly stood with Jed right behind her. Coming down the steps both of them followed behind as the Marines wheeled around as one and began striding back to the jeeps.
"What's wrong?" She said urgently as they slid into the back seat.
"I'm not at liberty to say, ma'am. CO will brief you when we arrive."
Christine and Jed both exchanged grim looks at the jeeps pulled out and began making their way to HQ with haste.
LSLSLSLS
"Mrs. Slattery. Mr. Chandler, thank you both for getting here so quickly."
Colonel William Sharp personified the mental image that came with the word 'battle ax.' Tall, thickly muscled and with buzz cut gray hair he cut a formidable figure as he strode into the room. Normally she would give him the respect that was his due but not at this moment.
"You would be welcome, Colonel Sharp, except for the fact that you hurried us here and then we've had to cool our heels for over an hour." Ire laced Christine's tone and the unimpressed look from Jed completed their assessment of the situation.
To his credit, an apologetic expression crossed his face before it tightened again. "I apologize ma'am, but new information came in right before you got here. I wanted to make sure I had all the intel before I briefed you."
Christine nodded in forgiveness as the Colonel both motioned them into seats at the table. A few more officers entered and she nodded in greeting to Major Watson as he closed the door and took a seat.
"At 0920 yesterday, we had an accident at the ship supply depot. Nobody was killed and only minor injuries were reported but we found something mighty interesting in the resultant investigation." The Colonel grabbed something from the sideboard behind him and handed it to Christine.
"Do you know what that is, Mrs. Slattery?"
"How many times have I asked you to call me Christine?" She muttered absently as she twisted the object in her hands.
"Too many, Mrs. Slattery." Came the wryly reply. "Ma'am?" He prompted.
"It looks like a fuel injector." She glanced up at him in question as she passed it to Jed.
"Close." Grimness and the barest edge of fury in his voice made her straighten in alarm. "It's a fuel pump, for a DDG. Just like the one recently installed on Nathan James before she left port almost two weeks ago."
"What are these marks?" Jed ran his finger along the edge and looked up at the CO with growing dread on his face.
"That pump has been tampered with. We think it was a failed option that got discarded because it was too obvious. Notice that further in its gets smoother? I think they succeeded and got one past inspection."
"Alright," Christine said slowly as the blood began to drain from Jed's face. "Obviously I'm missing something here. Why do you think they got one in the ship? From what I remember, the James has four engines. If one goes down, then they have three more to function, correct? What's the point in disabling one engine?"
"They won't be as fast on three." Jed said heavily. "Remember those noises they were going to investigate? I think it's a trap, those noises were meant to draw them out where they couldn't receive help."
"Right and wrong, all at the same time." Colonel Sharp sank into his seat and leaned back as he regarded them solemnly. "I thought the same until my Chief Engineer corrected me. It is a trap, there's no doubt about that, but I doubt they were going to be attacked."
He quickly gave them the run down on potential problems with the pumps on a Destroyer, and the slow death now facing the James.
"According to my Engineer, when they were due back from this mission their Commander Garrett was going to approach her Captain about taking some time to fix the issue. It had a very remote possibility of ever happening but was still something that needed to be fixed." The Colonel ran a hand over his face as they sat back in shock.
"You have to warn them. You have warned them right?!" Christine tried to tamper down the hysterical edge to her tone but wasn't sure she succeeded.
"This is where the plot thickens, ma'am. The investigation wrapped up, with all relevant conclusions, at around 1700 yesterday afternoon. We tried contacting Nathan James shortly thereafter and discovered something strange. She's gone to MCON1. We know she's still receiving based on the bounceback from her tracker we put in her, but she has all but disappeared. You know we finally hacked into a Google satellite last week?"
Christine and Jed nodded and leaned forward in their seats at the contemplative look on the CO's face.
"When we couldn't reach the James, we backtracked the sat. feed based on their projected trajectory. In the images from the day before yesterday, we finally managed to pinpoint the James plowing full steam ahead. In the opposite direction she was supposed to be going in. Looking back at our comm logs, shortly before that is the last time we'd heard from her. When the satellite swung by again, she was entering San Francisco harbor and exited it almost as quickly. We had to wait for the satellite to make another swing around earth just to see her drifting along with the current yesterday. What do you make of that?"
Something in the Colonel's face indicated more but from past experience, Christine knew he wouldn't give until she did.
Christine sat back in her seat and mulled over the information and felt Jed do the same next to her. Why move to MCON1 and stray way off course, and not inform base? What the hell are you two thinking? She mused softly.
She sat up in shock and whipped her face to Jed just as understanding bloomed across his face.
"You don't think...?" Christine said as excitement and hope began to war within her.
"It would be just the sort of stunt they'd pull. They won't risk it being overheard." The same emotions battled fiercely in his eyes.
"So I was right then. The only reason why Commander Chandler would deviate without word would be for the Priority One mission." Major Watson's tone was both triumph and excited as he glanced over at his superior officer, and the Colonel just raised an eyebrow that demanded she elaborate.
"If it was a distress call from civilians, they would have reported it in and then gone up for rescue. But for them to go silent without word? No. They heard something about Rachel. Tom and Mike wouldn't risk it being reported, even over a secure channel with the Immunes hunting for her." Christine's tone was hard with conviction as she stared at the Marines in front of her.
"That's what I thought, but I wanted to double check. I haven't really had a chance to get to know the command team of the ship as well as I've gotten to know you two." The Colonel sighed heavily and gave them grim looks. "I think Dr. Scott is on the James. The reason why I think so is because of the way the James shot out of the harbor so quickly, and because of the stealth fighter ship we've spotted creeping closer off her starboard bow."
Jed sucked in a breath next to her and started cursing a blue streak as Christine paled.
"Surely they've seen it! Why aren't they moving?" She asked in desperation, remembering the Colonel saying the James was just drifting in the current.
The Colonel gave the pump still sitting on the table a dirty look. "Best guesstimate with my Engineer? We think that pump broke in the race they made to get to Dr. Scott. Now there's two scenarios available. Best scenario is that Commander Garnett is as good as her reputation suggests, and found it before it took out the other engines. Worst case scenario is that they are now without power, and we are too far away to help them."
"FUCK." All the men at the table gave her startled glances. "Oh come on, you've all heard worst." She said in anger as she slumped back in her seat.
"So that's it? We get ringside seats to watch my son's ship get blown to pieces, along with the best chance this world has to survive?" Rage danced in Jed's tone and was echoed by the fire burning in Christine's eyes.
"Not quite." Colonel Sharp said calmly as a rapid knocking sounded from the door. He sharply called out the command to enter and a young comms officer raced in. The CO held up a stern hand before the excited man could say anything. "There's still hope, and if anyone could pull a miracle out of his ass it would most likely be your son. The satellite just made another pass over that area. Lieutenant?"
"Sir! Nathan James is moving again and has engaged the enemy ship. Before the satellite passed out of view she had just launched what looked like missiles. You know we haven't been able to access the magnifying ability on the satellite yet, but based on what TAC is telling us, it's some of her Harpoon missiles sir."
The people around the table had blown out sighs of relief at the news the ship was moving again. The tension returned anew at the information the James was now in a dogfight with an unknown stealth fighter.
"How long until it comes back around?" Christine bit her lip as serious looks were shot her way at her question.
"It won't swing around again until later this afternoon, usually around 1600. The fight will long be over by then." Major Watson and the two officers sitting next to him exchanged solemn looks as he answered her.
"All we can do now is pray. I'm assuming you'll stay until we know?" Christine forced back the tears clouding her eyes and saw Jed's jaw clench hard, both of them nodding at the Colonel's question.
"We wouldn't be anywhere else." Christine put her elbows on the table and covered her face in her hands as Jed spoke for them both. For the first time since Michael passed, she closed her eyes and prayed to a God she wasn't sure she believed in anymore.
Our Father, who art in Heaven...
LSLSLSLS
So in the show we haven't met Christine yet. But I took into account the woman has been married to a detective turned career military, so she's gotta have some starch in her backbone. And it's been fun as hell to turn a canon character into my own. LOL.
See ya on the flipside guys!
