Lion Cub

"Lion Cub, this is the tower. Call the ball."

"Roger, Tower. Lion Cub has the ball," Lt. j.g. Leo Young replied into the microphone built into his flight helmet. For the next thirty seconds all of Leo's concentration was on the flight deck approaching his aircraft at startling speed. Carrier landings were always dangerous, but this landing was taking place at 3 am in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Night landings were worse, much worse, but at least it was a clear night. The phosphorescent algae churned up in the Nimitz's wake shone like a giant neon sign pointing the way home to the weary officers. This was his first tour aboard a carrier after completing his training.

The tension between India and her neighbor had been on the rise for the past few months, and so Nimitz and her support ships had been dispatched to the Indian Ocean as a show of force. Tensions were running high in the battle group as they placed themselves between the powder keg and a lit fuse. One mistake, they knew, and the region would ignite.

Young and his RIO, Lt. j.g. Jack "Whiskey" Richards, felt themselves be thrown forward as their aircraft caught the first of the four trap-lines on the deck of the carrier.

"Nice landing, Lion Cub" the CAG told him over the radio. "Get cleaned up then see me for debriefing."

An hour later in the Briefing room, Young and the other 3 pilots along with their RIO's had just finished giving their reports.

"Very well. Dismissed," Captain Linton told them. "Let's go play some poker. I wanna win some of my money back from you, Cub." It was no secret that Lt. Young was on the fast track to promotion. He had entered the academy a semester early and excelled in all his classes earning him a top billet upon graduation. Young had always shown a preference for flight training. He had, in fact, entered the Naval Academy with a pilot's license already. One of his instructors, a former pilot himself, had given Cadet Young the moniker 'Lion Cub' after glancing at his file, labelled "Young, Leo", and the name had stuck.

"Oh, I don't think so, CAG" replied Young. "I had some very good teachers."

"Oh?" asked Richards. "And just who would that be?" Everyone was curious about Lt. Young, even his RIO. He got along well with everyone, but he never spoke of his family or friends before the Academy causing many of his fellow officers to wonder.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, Whiskey."

"Try us," offered Captain Linton.

"After the game. I don't want to scare you all off, after all," Leo smirked.

The rest of the officers guffawed as they entered the lounge where the officers congregated when off-duty.

"That sounded like a challenge, Cub. Was that a challenge?" asked Lt. Allison "Raggidy Ann" Jennings who served as Leo's wingman.

"Put your money where your mouth is, Cub!" crowed Lt. David "Scissors" Stanley as he settled into his chair around the table.

The game had been underway for more than an hour when another officer turned the channel on the television and CNN began playing in the background.

"....recapping the major story for the day. A riot broke out at the Newseum in Rosslyn, Virginia today at a press conference...."

Leo Young's face went pale as what he'd just heard on the television penetrated his mind and his cards fell from his suddenly lax hands.

"You folding, Cub?" asked Scissors, but Leo didn't respond. He had slowly gotten up from the table and walked towards the television. The others around the table looked at each other, not sure what was going on until the officer holding the television's remote lifted it towards the screen.

"Don't you dare change that channel!" barked Leo.

"What's going on, Cub?" Linton asked as he approached the younger man.

"My dad called that press conference at the Newseum today, sir" Leo told him.

"You think he was in that?" Linton asked pointing to the screen where the commentators had now been reduced to discussing the history of the Newseum to fill in the time. Leo was about to answer when CNN began once again to run the footage taken earlier. All attention in the room was focused on the screen as the other officers became silent understanding that Leo was searching the screen for signs of his father. They saw a young woman approach the elder Young before the conference.

"She's a nice piece," Whiskey admired.

"Watch it, Whiskey!" Young ordered. "That's my cousin you're talking about."

"At least he was wearing a vest," Jennings consoled him.

"He was wearing Sara's vest though," Leo replied. "What's Sara wearing? Hell, she attracts trouble like a magnet."

Linton put his hand on the younger man's shoulder as they listened to the CNN commentator's remarks.

"We have just acquired an amateur video shot by a tourist during the riot," the commentator said as the video began to play. "Here you can see Mr. Young being hit in the head with a rock or other piece of debris....and there is Sara Lyman again with another man, who we believe is Jake Carruthers, another reporter for the Washington Post." The officers in the lounge watched the unsteady camera footage as it followed the progress of Sara and the other two men to the car.

"What the hell?" Scissors said watching the hasty retreat of the skinhead trying to break into the car.

Leo allowed himself a chuckle realizing what had probably caused the skinhead to run. "Sara carries a Glock when she's in the States, and she's not afraid to use it." He turned away from the television towards the telephone mounted to the wall. "I need to borrow someone's phone card," he asked.

"Use mine, son" Linton told the young man handing the card that allowed crew members to call ship to shore. The amount of time each crew member was allotted for the month was small, so Leo was very grateful for the Captain's generosity.

"Thank you, sir." Leo told him as he dialed the number for Sara's cell phone knowing every reporter in the world would be calling his mother. "Sara!" he said when she answered. "How's dad?"

"He's going to be okay, Leo. Your mom and Grandma Abby are with him now. He's got a severe concussion and a slight case of shock from the blood loss. The doctors are going to keep him overnight and let him go in the morning."

"Thank God!" Leo murmured as he allowed himself to rest his head on the bulkhead. "Are you alright Sara? I saw on CNN that you got hit too."

"I'm fine, Leo" she assured him.

"Tell that kid Jake that I owe the both of you a steak dinner the next time I'm on leave," Leo ordered. "Let them know I called, and tell them I'll call tomorrow to check on Dad." He hung up the phone and turned to thank Linton to find everyone in the room staring at him waiting to hear his news. "My dad's alright. He's got a concussion and slight shock from the blood loss." The room erupted in cheers for the safety of Lt. Young's father. "Let's play poker!" Leo ordered as he made his way back to the table. "I'm feeling damned lucky tonight."

"Young..." Linton began.

"Yes, sir."

"If your father is Charlie Young, that would make your mother...."

"Zoey Bartlet-Young."

"I think I know who taught you to play poker, Lieutenant, and I fold."

"Oh?" asked Jennings who was the only one other than Young to be ahead in the game. "Who?"

"His grandfather...President Josiah Bartlet."

"And a few others in the family. They played poker in Grandpa Leo's office pretty often when there was a late vote in Congress."

"Fold."

"Fold."

"Fold."

Leo "Lion Cub" Young just laughed as he reached into the center of the table and collected his winnings.