Chapter 21
Mike looked out the front of the ship and saw Vellek's ship coming up as they sailed closer and closer to the vessel. Soon they'd be in firing range of each other and things would get messy. He moved from his chair to front of Helm and looked at Diaz.
"BM3, what's the first order you get when you take the helm?" he asked Diaz.
"Don't crash the ship, Sir." Diaz told him.
"I want you to belay that order." Mike told him, the young man frowned in confusion as it was the golden rule you never broke as a helmsman. "You do whatever it takes, but get us alongside that enemy ship as hard as you can." Mike ordered.
"Aye aye, Captain." Diaz replied, Mike turned to Lt. Stewart.
"OOD, bring us in at target angle 170. I want that ship to need a cigarette after this." He told her, making it clear what his desire to have happen was clear and understood by all.
"Aye, sir." Stewart replied, Mike moved to Jeter's side.
"Master Chief, no way Vulture team gets back in time. And they're beat to hell. I need a boarding party." Mike told him, Jeter nodded and moved to P.A. system.
"Attention, all hands. This is your Master Chief. At this very moment, our ship's most capable operators are making their way back from one hell of a fight. But we're not done here." Jeter told them.
"Our Captain needs volunteers to join him in boarding the enemy ship and bringing Cooper, Captain Chandler, and those seeds back in one piece. Anyone willing to lay their lives on the line, muster in the Helo bay in five minutes. That is all." Jeter finished, the P.A. system whistled as it signed off.
"Ma'am, permission to join the boarding party." Nioshioka said from his station.
"Granted." Kara told him, the man pulled off his headset and headed out of CIC.
"50 cal and two 40s, Captain." Meylan said as they were close enough to Vellek's ship to make out the weapons the Greeks had at their disposal.
"All right, they showed us theirs. Let's show 'em ours." Mike said, he felt the thrill of knowing that this was all coming to an end. In the next hour they'd know who won the battle. Mike knew in his bones that it would be them, he couldn't explain it, but he just knew. Even knowing the outcome would be on their end. They still had to fight tooth and nail for it. "XO, prepare to pound 'em. Get Commander Green up here. I need her eyes." he told Meylan, the man nodded acknowledging the order as he turned to Granderson.
"Granderson, you've got combat. Work the cut-out zones of Vellek's crew-served weapons. And send Commander Green up to the bridge." Meylan ordered.
"Yes, Sir." Granderson said before she rushed off the bridge. Mike and Meylan lifted their binoculars to watch the distance evaporate between the ships when one of the windows exploded. The men ducked as the bridge was hit with multiple rounds. Metal pinged as bullets hit the from wall of the bridge and glass showered into the bridge as windows imploded.
Mike looked back to see if he'd lost any crew in the initial attack when he spotted Kara ducked low racing into room. "Commander, do your thing!" he ordered as gunfire continued to pelt their way.
"Aye, Sir!" Kara shouted as she took up her post. In seconds the large gun on the front of the Nathan James fired off several consecutive and timed shots. The attack on the bridge had slowed enough for them to move. Frankly, Mike wasn't in the mood to wait for it to stop.
"Joe, let's get that team moving!" Mike shouted at Meylan, he was halfway off the bridge when Gator was at his side.
"Sir! Permission to join the boarding party." he asked, Mike looked at the man he'd expected to be the last to volunteer for boarding party. He could easily deny him but frankly he needed every able sailor he could. He grabbed the man by the shoulder and pushed him towards the door.
"Move!" Mike told him.
Sasha frantically searched every single container and cupboard for the seeds. It was starting to feel hopeless but she couldn't imagine the man had enough time to use all the seeds. There had to something left behind. The fire damage was superficial at best, so there should've at least been the charred remains of the seeds.
She moved to another cupboard and yanked it open, cool air washed out at her. Then in what must have been cold storage was a plant in container crawling with bugs. It had a tag that read 'cure', the plant was indeed healthy. She couldn't help but smile at the healthy plant. As it meant Vellek made a cure that presumably didn't have the Nostos blend, with enough bugs that could spread it.
She gave a half laugh and sigh of relief as she looked around the other shelves but still there was no sign of the seeds. While it was frustrating, if she couldn't find the seeds then at least there was a cure.
Kara kept her head low as she peered out the front of bridge window just in case they were attacked again. Captain Slattery and Meylan were on the boarding party together while she had been given temporary command. She just had to find the perfect moment to swerve the ship and-
"Now! Port engine ahead 2/3! Starboard engine back 2/3!" Kara ordered as ducked down as far as she could without compromising her line of vision outside and braced herself against the console against her. The close proximity alarm sounded on the ship; alerting them they were about to collide with another vessel.
The other ship was coming up fast. "Brace! Brace! Brace!" she shouted, giving everyone time to prepare.
Mike was geared up with the boarding party. He was ready to rock and roll even with his ragtag team of sailor volunteers. They all knew how to fire a weapon but weren't exactly his first choices. But he brushed that errant thought away as the alarm sounded on the deck and Jeter's voice came over the P.A. issuing warning of impact and to brace.
Mike looked out to the side, saw the other ship coming up fast. "Brace! Brace! Brace!" he ordered, he adjusted his footing and leaned hard against the wall. The Nathan James smacked hard into the side of Vellek's ship and started scraping up the side of the ship as the force of collision bent both ships frames out of shape and jamming them together. Once the ship stopped, Mike shouted the order. They only had a few seconds of surprise and disorientation to get the upper hand on Vellek's crew.
"Go! Go! Go! Move! Move!" he ordered as he took point. He quickly climbed over the railings of the two ships, and as soon as he had his feet firmly on Vellek's ship, it was game on.
Naz knew she'd been feeling that collision for a while as she pushed off the floor and went to the gunner that she and Rios had just stabilise when the Nathan James struck the other ship. He wasn't lying when he said that he'd been warned to expect high volume of injuries. As they were starting to flow in.
"I have this." Rios told her, firmly as he tapped more gauze to the man's shoulders. "Go, organise them." he ordered, Naz nodded, she pulled off her gloves, and yanked on fresh pair as she moved to the door stopping the first crewman before they all became a mess around the room.
"Let's take a look." She said to him, as she motioned for him to lift his hand away that was holding gauze to his nose and mouth. The poor man did as she asked, and winced as he gingerly lowered the hand, blood dripped down his face anew as he had broken his nose and lost his two front teeth. "Console?" she asked, he gave a pained nod. "Teeth?" she asked casually, trying not the wince.
"Swallowed 'em. I think." he said his face scrunched in pain. She was empathetic as that was pretty bad but not life threatening.
"Omph, any other pain?" she asked, the man shook his head. "Ok, go to far left. The Corpsmen will look after you. Get you something for the pain." she told him, before she wrote the number '3C' on the back of his hand to denote he wasn't critical but needed be on concussion watch. She gently moved him in the direction and continued to the next.
Sasha coughed as the smoke in the room was becoming too much for her even with the cloth covering her face. She turned to make another round of the room as movement caught her eye, she barely got to pull her sidearm when Lucia shot her in the chest. Luckily, the vest caught the bullet but it didn't stop the pain that knocked her the floor as she was hit in the same place she had at Giorgio's house.
"Bitch!" Lucia said in annoyance. "Finish her!" she ordered to her lackeys, Sasha pulled herself to cover as footfalls came into the room. She hissed out a quiet breath as pain throbbed through her chest painfully. She half crawled and dragged herself behind of one of the lab tables and pulled her weapon just as the sailors shot at her.
Bullets from both sides missed and ricocheted off the metal in the room. Sasha looked for someway to get at the men, then it struck her as she saw their legs clearly from her end. She aimed her weapon and shot both men in the ankles and when they dropped to the floor, she shot them before they could shoot her.
Two men laid dead on the floor across the room, she listened for Lucia as she figured that cow was around there somewhere waiting for the men to incapacitate her. Lucia didn't seem like a hands on kind of gal when it came to dirty work. But when Sasha looked around from her place on the floor she saw no other boots and figured Lucia was gone. It dawned on her that she was most likely going after Tom.
That meant, Sasha had to get off the floor which wasn't going to be fun. She muffled a groan as tight pain radiated through her chest, and it just pissed her off that she'd been shot by Tom's ex-whatever she was. Using the anger, she pushed herself up right and hissed in pain as she was pretty sure the bullet cracked a rib.
Given it didn't sound like anyone was coming, she took a few seconds to push the pain out of her mind. Her eyes skating around her for a distraction when they landed on the huge pile of books on the floor.
There she saw something stick out that wasn't the binding of a book. She muffled a grown, pushed to her feet and walked over to the pile. She carefully lifted the books up and there under the charred remains of Vellek's work was the canister of seeds. She picked up, it wasn't even marred by the seeds or the container. She smiled as she had them back, she had the seeds and a cure. It was time to find Tom.
Mike moved stealthily through the mess hall of Vellek's ship. So far they had made great progress in subduing the Greeks but their arrogance had been their downfall as they underestimated the Nathan James. But for all their arrogance, he had to admire their want to win as they refused to surrender.
Mike took out a guard, while Granderson shot another, they were about to progress when Gator fired off two shots. Mike looked back to see two dead bodies. He looked at Gator with a new appreciation.
"I shot double "Expert" at the Academy. No one ever asked." He informed Mike sheepishly.
"Right." Mike remarked, not one to dwell on that interesting piece of information. "Let's go." he told them.
Tom walked out onto the deck as he saw Vellek standing out on the Helo pad of the upper deck. The old man's eyes were on the horizon, there was something remarkably calm about him. He knew he had lost but he just stood there waiting. It made Tom antsy as he didn't like the feel of the situation, especially for him standing out in the open. But he couldn't see any sailors.
"Hell of a view, man." Vellek shouted back toward him, Tom walked towards him but pain seared through his left leg as a gunshot sounded. He grunted in pain as his leg buckled and he put majority of his weight onto his good leg to keep him kneeling. He looked to source and watched as Lucia strolled over to him with a gun levelled at his head.
"The mighty Tom Chandler, down on one knee. I'm swooning." She drawled mockingly, "Give me the gun." she ordered, Tom unclipped the rifle from his vest and handed his rifle off to her.
"I thought this family didn't believe in violence." Tom said in a strained voice as his leg was killing him. He felt blood drip down his leg which was not good.
"We're only human." Lucia told him curtly, she stood back and Tom looked up at her as she pointed her gun at him. "This one's for Giorgio." she said, Tom looked up calm and resigned to his fate. Just as she pulled the trigger, her body jerked and two spots of blood plumed at the front of her t-shirt. She dropped to the ground, there standing a few yards away was Sasha with seeds in hand.
Tom looked down at Lucia, she was still alive despite her fatal injuries. Blood pooled quickly around her body as she looked to her father.
"Daddy," she said faintly, her tone was that of a daughter begging for help. Tom looked to Vellek who watched on with a conflicted expression as if he wanted to help but he couldn't bring himself to. "Daddy?." she murmured, she gave a groan and slowly dropped her head to the ground, dead. Tom looked up from her to Vellek. He could not understand how a man could sacrifice his children for vengeance.
"This world... Somewhere, this world is good." Vellek said cryptically, Tom knew that look in the man's eye before he turned around and headed to the edge of the ship. Tom pushed to his feet and tried to follow only for his injury to impede him. He stumbled back down to his knee, but he gritted his teeth and pushed himself up to his feet. He sucked in a breath as the pain was overwhelming, stars and speckles crossed his vision. But Tom couldn't pass out, not yet.
"Step away from the edge, Vellek." Tom ordered, the man turned around his expression filled with annoyance and anger like he were fed up with them all. Fed up with the world he lived in.
"I offered a cure, man. A real and final cure for the sickness in us all. You of all people should know about that with what you've seen, what you've done. You need what I'm offering more than anybody." Vellek told him, Tom knew couldn't argue with that.
"You're right, Doctor. I have seen the worst in people, the worst in myself. But I've also seen strength in others that you wouldn't believe, and kindness that would bring you to tears." Tom told him as he thought of all the people he'd lost; Rachel, Tex, his father, Alex... there were too many to count who had been with him; who had held the path and helped save humanity. Then he thought of those who took him in when he was in his darkest hours and showed him kindness when he never believed he deserved it.
Right now, he needed Vellek to understand there was hope as they needed this man for the cure, his brilliance. But Vellek wasn't convinced by his words. He saw Sasha out of his peripheral vision stepping forward with her gun raised ready to shoot the man if needs be. But Tom raised his arm and stopped her, she holstered her weapon and stepped back taking his silent order and standing down.
"That was beautiful, man. I can clearly see why people follow you." Vellek said as he gestured at him, Tom looked to his left and saw Mike was at his side, Sasha was to his right. Meylan and Kat further in the background. "But you are the one-eyed king. I offer you peace, you choose war." Vellek told him vehemently.
"Peace at the cost of free will? I'll take war anytime." Tom told him, Vellek shook his head and sighed in disappointment as he felt Tom would never get it. Maybe Tom never would but he knew Nostos wasn't peace, it wasn't a solution.
"We the people are addicted to your darkness." Vellek told Tom in a despondent manner as if he'd come to the realisation that he wasn't going to win or change minds.
"Being human isn't about cutting out the darkness. It's about fighting, every day, to find the light!" Tom told him, desperate for Vellek to be swayed as he was too far away for any of them to stop him from jumping as it was clearing what the man planned to do.
"No, Captain. You don't have to fight to find the light. That is what you don't understand because you are covered in blood and blinded to the truth. My truth." Vellek told him.
"Maybe but I'm not the majority, there are people out there that need you. People who deserve to survive, who don't have my sickness." Tom told him, "Please give the world another chance. See the good for yourself. We have the seeds, but we need you, we need your science." Tom said imploringly to the man's hubris.
"I appreciate the invite, man. But there's Heaven." Vellek told him as he gestured out to the ocean where the sun was coming over the horizon. "And I gotta go." he said, stepped over the chain railing.
"No!" Tom shouted, but it was too late. Vellek dropped over the side of the ship. He stood there in shock, Mike rushed forward and stopped just at the ledge and looked over. He turned and looked back at Tom, shook his head. Tom bit back a curse, he nearly fell when Sasha linked her right arm through his and helped stabilise him. His eyes locked with hers and there was something unreadable but tangible between them. He didn't know why but he felt in that moment, she was back in his corner 100%, it felt good even in the moment of failure.
A couple hours later,
"Doc Rios says you have a cracked rib and some smoke inhalation. You'll live with some oxygen and rest as you're just one big bruise." Naz said as she handed her a mask and opened the valve on the oxygen tank.
"Your bullet was not a lucky charm. I'm clearly injured." Sasha told her, she winced as her voice has become hoarse from inhaling too much smoke and chemical fumes from Vellek's lab.
"You got shot, in the vest. Not the head. That is lucky." Naz told her, she flicked Sasha's bruised shoulder, Sasha groaned from the pain. She quickly covered it with the ice bag before Naz decided to poke her. "Any sane person would've packed a gas mask knowing they were going to step into a psycho's lab. Fire or no fire. So the smoke inhalation is all on you." Naz told her mockingly.
"Your bedside manner sucks." Sasha told her as Rios had kind, assuring her it would be ok and letting her off the hook for her lack of care while on a mission. Though in fairness, it was amusing how Naz was like the father figure that told a kid to get up and keep going while Rios was the mother hovering over his charges with concern.
"Wolf said the same thing. But remember you not only found the seeds but you found the cure. Which also sounds strangely lucky to me." Naz said, continuing on her weird bent that the bullet was luck and she also made another vaguely good point.
"Ok, it's maybe a little lucky." Sasha conceded, Naz flashed a bright smile that shocked Sasha as she'd never seen anything but faint or sardonic smiles.
"Imagine how you would've gone if you had the gun. Breathe with mask on." Naz told her as Rios called for her from the other side of the room. Sasha shook her head as she watched her friend go. Tom seemed to find the conversation funny as his laughter made her glare at him.
"What are you laughing about?" Sasha asked Tom as the man laid on the table in the mess with his pant leg torn open and his upper thigh wrapped in bandage as Rios had managed to retrieve the bullet from his leg and stitched him back up. It was clear he was under the influence of medication and suffering blood loss as he was smiling at her with a dopey grin. It was kind adorable as he looked boyish and relaxed.
"You resting. Don't think you got an 'off' button." he quipped with a hearty chuckle.
"Look who's talking." Sasha grumbled with a faint smile on her lips.
"I'm sorry, I can't help it if I'm a number 2 sometimes." Tom said showing the back of his hand to her which had a '2' written in marker on it before he snorted a laugh.
"Really grown up," Sasha told him as the man was making poop jokes now. Tom's expression grew soft and serious.
"You know, your eyes are the colour of the cerulean blue ocean on a clear summer's day. So, beautiful." he told her with a dreamy sigh.
"Thank you." Sasha said wryly.
"God, I love you." he told her sincerely.
"That's great. Please go to sleep." she told him, as his declaration didn't count due to the drugs.
"No," He told her. "I love you, we should get married. I'm much better in bed nowadays, I don't have to lift the toilet seat or sit down to tinkle. Double expert marksmanship." he told her smugly, Sasha tried to keep a straight face while others around them laughed quietly. She wasn't sure what was funnier; Tom saying 'tinkle' or evaluating his qualities as a husband.
"You can stop talking now." Sasha told him.
"I don't want to stop talking. You stop talking and listen to me." he told her, Sasha reared back at his demand in slight shock and amusement. "I can do the dishes, take out the trash without prompting. The things I can do with my tongue... just saying you'd tie me to the bed and never let me leave. I'd be fine with it." he slurred, Sasha's cheeks flamed at the notion and embarrassment given the entire room could hear what Tom was saying. She didn't know whether to laugh or hide her face in mortification.
"Am I interrupting something?" Mike asked as he walked up to them with an amused grin on his face. He heard all of Tom's slurred declaration and grand plans.
"Tom's marriage proposal. If you're lucky he might pick you to be his Gentleman love." Sasha said mockingly, Mike grinned.
"I'm a shit." Tom corrected her before sniggering at his own joke. Mike frowned as he wasn't sure he wanted to get into whatever was going on between the two. But given they were bickering like an old married couple, it was a definite improvement. "No, I'm the shit." Tom said correcting himself, before snorting a laugh. He looked to Mike. "We're going to get married." he told him.
"I wouldn't marry you even if you committed yourself to becoming a woman." Mike told Tom, who looked confused as Mike's comment jammed up his brain.
"Are Vulture team back yet?" Sasha asked while Tom was still deciphering Mike's words.
"You sound like a 4 pack a day smoker." Mike told her.
"I think it's sexy. You're really are beautiful." Tom told Sasha with moon eyes. Mike felt sorry for the man as the whole ship was going to be talking about this for a very long time.
"Are my eyes are like an ocean that you just want to dive into and never come up for air?" Mike asked Tom.
"No-well." Tom paused as he actually had to think it over, but then shook his head. "No, stop confusing me." Tom told him, Mike smothered a laugh before he looked to Sasha with sympathy.
"Vulture team's back now, Danny is being rushed into surgery. He is not looking good and Miller was shot in ass. So he'll be in here any minute to add to your entertainment. But at least he's not advertising himself as your suitor." Mike said drily as he'd ordered the young man to shut up given the tired look of his team mates. Mike guessed, Miller hadn't shut up the entire trip back to the ship.
"If only I could set some drugs to knock me out to save me from the humiliation of drugged up Tom. You know Miller's going to make a production of his injury. The man has no shame." Sasha said with a groan as before she placed the mask back on her face to take a breath.
"Cut him some slack. He's young, it's his first gunshot wound." Mike said in good humour.
"I guess, I can let it go this one time." Sasha conceded before she gave a cough and winced from the pain.
"You should rest that voice before you lose it completely. I just wanted to come and see how you're all doing before I donated blood for Green. Meylan is still sorting through the labs over on Vellek's ship. Making sure we haven't missed anything." Mike informed her.
"What about our ship?" Sasha asked him as she didn't want to be left alone with drugged up Tom.
"We're still sea worthy, though we're going to need a few weeks in dry dock to pop the dents out and get a new paint job." Mike said with a wry smile as he knew Garnett will rip him a new one for the damage to the Navy's favourite ship. "Speaking of, I have to call in. I'll leave you to enjoy this." Mike said as he pointed at Tom.
A few hours later,
"How's the view the back there?" Miller slurred at Naz as she was changing the dressing on his backside. She had to admit it was humorous how heavy handed Rios was with the meds. But then it was probably the only way he got a sailor to stay in bed and get some sleep.
"You know that you have a heart shaped mole on your ass." Naz told him, as his team mates sat around smiling and shaking their heads at their redheaded friend.
"Beauty mark, it's not even my best feature." Miller informed her with a cute grin, Naz chuckled as she was pretty sure she knew what Miller thought was his best feature. She was definitely sure that she did not want to see it.
"I'm sure, but I will survive not seeing your best feature." She told him, what she wanted to see was the back of her eyelids. She was just grateful to fit in a shower and fresh scrubs, that and to get the bag off her arm cast. Sure it stopped the blood from staining her case, but it didn't stop her from sweating; it now reeked.
"That's right, you will survive cause I saved you and I'm your first Ranga. It gives me life saving powers. Ranga powers." he said putting a butchered Australian accent on the word 'Ranga'. Wolf and Naz winced at the sound, feeling sorry for their accent.
"So true, you're the only redhead to ever give me mouth to mouth and bring back from the brink of death." Naz replied mockingly, but Miller smiled happy with being her first.
"God, don't inflate his ego." Burk said as he tucked into an MRE at the table across from them. He didn't even look up as he'd claimed earlier that he didn't want to be blinded by Miller's pale ass.
"Kiss of life, no tongue cause I'm a gentleman." Miller reminded her, those around laughed at the poor taste joke and Naz had to stop in what she was doing to laugh herself.
"Well, now you'll have a cute little dimple next to your beauty mark." Naz told Miller as she smoothed tape of the gauze down securing it.
"Hehe, that tickles." Miller said as he giggled like a schoolgirl.
"She's taping gauze to your ass, you weirdo." Burk told him.
"You're checking out my ass. That's a red light offence, Sir." Miller told him, before he pushed up and looked at them all with a lit up expression as he pulled his pants up. "Hey, I got a joke." he said excitedly.
"No." Majority of Vulture team said in unison.
"No more jokes." Wolf groaned as the members of Vulture team heard every single joke Miller had or could invent ever since he got shot.
"Come on, I got shot in the ass." Miller begged pitifully.
"Let him have one joke." Naz told them, the team mates all exchanged tortured look.
"One and it better be the last." Burk told Miller firmly, he even held up one finger so Miller couldn't misunderstand him.
"How many navigators does it take to change a light bulb?" Miller asked, his team mates groaned in exasperation.
"You told this joke three hours ago." Azima said as she covered her face with her hands and rubbed at her eyes.
"How many?" Naz asked earning her a few glares, she just smiled as she was enjoying the easy camaraderie. She might not be one of them but she felt included even if they wished she'd stop Miller from telling jokes.
"Don't encourage him." Wolf groaned as he took a MRE pack that a crew member was handing out.
"One, if you can find it." Miller said to Naz, she wore a bemused look and Miller burst into laughter like it was the first time he heard it. Naz smiled as she finally clued in on the joke. Those around just shook their heads while those drugged off the noggins and still awake laughed in appreciation.
"Jesus, Miller." Burk said shaking his head at the young man.
"I'm on drugs." Miller informed them as he sighed and relaxed on the table. He pulled the pillow under his head and smiled; ready to go sleep when it came for him.
"Naz, up his dosage, please." Burk begged.
"Please, cut him off." Azima told her darkly as she was tired of the man's humour.
"Captain on Deck." Wolf announced, everyone in the room bar Naz stood to attention as Mike walked into the room.
"At ease, I just want to thank you all for your hard work and dedication. To let you know, in case you haven't heard, we have the seeds and a cure for the Red Rust. We'll be making a couple stops to replenish, refuel and send home our wounded. Then we'll be going home. Good work." He said repeating the speech he'd given the crew when Garnett had given him the latest round of orders and information on where to refuel the ship and the airfield they needed to get to. He watched Vulture team members sag in relief and smile as he shook hands with each of them.
"When you're finished, I'd like a word." Mike said to Naz in a quiet tone.
"Sure," Naz said, she peeled off her gloves and motioned for help. "Corpsman." she said, she gave him instructions and then followed Mike out the mess.
"I just saw Green, he's alive." Mike said making conversation as they moved through the ship.
"The bullet hit his scapula; the impact fractured the bone and deflected it downward into the body. His right lung is severely compromised and god knows what else, he's suffered massive blood loss and there's a high chance of infection." Naz told him, "But not from the infirmary or surgery." she added as if assuring him the negligence wasn't on Rios but her.
"We're going to be making port in the next few of hours. A plane will be at the local airfield ready to transport our wounded, along with all of Vellek's research, the seeds and the cure back to the US. Hopefully they'll be able to confirm the cure isn't tainted with Nostos. So they can release the little buggers to do their thing." Mike said as they passed through the helo bay and out onto the flight deck.
"That's great news. Rios said there should be more than enough to spread the cure around the world in half the time the red rust did. Maybe some crops will be salvageable." Naz said.
"Here's hoping." he said as they stood at the railing of the back of the ship. "Ah how's the arm?" he asked.
"Aching, all of me aches. How are you?" she asked genuinely curious not because she was making idle conversation.
"Tired, but happy we got away with minimal damage and no fatalities on our side." Mike answered.
"So, are you going to send me on my way when the ship makes port?" she asked, Mike frowned and she gave him a closed lip smile of acceptance to her fate. "Giorgio and Omar are dead." Naz added.
"You want to stay in Europe?" Mike asked her out of curiosity.
"God no," she scoffed, Mike ignored the sense of relief that washed through him at the answer. "But it's not on you to help me now the threat against my life is gone. You can leave me at the next port, your duty of care has already been met." She told him.
"I gave you my word and there are a lot of people who hate you for being a coalition soldier." Mike reminded her, she looked out to the ocean for a moment with a pinched expression.
"Can't be friends with everyone. So I'm releasing you from your obligation to me." She told him as she didn't want to be his fixer upper or burden.
"Tough, cause I don't accept that. We made a deal, I would get you home. I know I can't get you to Australia. But I can get you to America, help you make a home and a life. One thing you should know about me, I keep my word no matter what." Mike told her. Naz couldn't remember the last time someone kept their word and meant it; let alone follow through. Here he was not even taking the escape she was offering.
Overwhelmed by her own admiration of his kindness, his strength and gratitude for his words. She reached out to cup the side of his face with one hand and leaned in to cover her mouth with his. All her senses were magnified around him, sharpened. She was vividly aware of the starched fabric and hard warmth of the muscles beneath her hands, his clean, crisp scent as it wrapped around her and mixed in with the scent of the ocean. The soft prickle of his whiskers against her skin. It felt good, it felt real.
Awareness prickled through Mike as it had been a long time since he had intimate contact with a woman since Christine. He had figured this part of his life was over but apparently his body vehemently disagreed. Her lips were so soft and against his, and the kiss was so gentle—much gentler than he ever imagined.
Naz moved her lips over hers carefully. Not hesitant, but as though she wanted to learn and memorize the shape of them. And holy hell, was it hot. He knew he should pull away but instead he gripped the railing hard with his hand and his other stayed in his pocket to stop himself from pulling her against him and taking the kiss further.
At least that was the plan except his left hand was a traitorous asshole as it grasped her upper arm. His mouth slanted over hers allowing just a small selfish moment of pleasure, found the unique feel of her. Taste of her, he'd forgotten anything could be this physically soft, he'd forgotten how it felt to be kissed again. It felt amazing, exhilarating and relaxing at the same time.
Brushing another kiss over his mouth before she pulled back from the kiss. She wore a soft smile as her eyes were a little hazy with desire. Something neither had expected to feel given the turmoil and grief in their lives. But Mike felt exactly how she was looking at him, comfortable and yet a little befuddled as to why he should feel lucky to feel any chemistry with her at all. To feel anything with another woman after Christine's death was surprising and strangely reassuring
"Thank you." She said sincerely, a light blush gracing her cheeks. Mike blinked as he wasn't sure what he was being thanked for.
"You're welcome." He replied automatically as he wasn't sure what to say other than that. He did know he felt pretty damn good after that kiss. Reluctantly, he had to remember he was Captain of the ship and that meant maintaining a some decorum. He reluctantly dropped his hand from her arm and turned to face the ship there wasn't anyone around except for a couple crewmen on duty. They were looking outward to the ocean, but Mike wasn't worried about gossip. "Just so we're on the same page, please don't kiss every person you want to say 'thank you' to." he added jokingly.
"I'll only kiss you from here on out as I'm a firm believer of monogamy." She promised, they both looked at one another as an awkwardness filled the air. They barely knew one another and were embarking on something insane together, "This is going to be interesting." she remarked, Mike snorted a laugh as it wasn't far from the truth.
"Scrabble later?" he asked her, changing the topic.
"Sure, I've been released from the infirmary. So where will we play?" she asked, he pursed his lips considering where was the best place to go and ignoring the unintentional innuendo of her words. It was his quarters or the wardroom. After that kiss and wayward thoughts, it was probably best to play in public and keep things low key.
"Wardroom, 2000 hours." he said.
"I'll be there and you should prepare to lose as I'm not on drugs or near death anymore." she told him with a smile.