Chapter Four
"This is a bad idea," Lex hissed in the darkness of the shrubs.
"You're just freaking out 'cuz of the water," Nate reasoned quietly.
"This is a UEO supply station!"
"That makes sense, since we're after UEO supplies," Nate drawled. "All we have to do is go in, grab the stuff, and get out."
"Oh, is THAT all! It's not like they'll have security or anything." Lex glared at him.
"It's a dinky little building on the beach. No-one knows it's here! C'mon, we're wasting time."
Lex cursed under her breath as Nate and the other four teens in the group scuttled across the sand towards the small brick building. Trying to ignore her sense of foreboding, she followed, her black body suit allowing her to blend perfectly into the dark shadows.
"Any problems, Commander?" Nathan Bridger asked over the com link.
"None, sir. We're just heading back now," Ford replied, his gaze intent as he steered the launch out of the docking bay of the supply post.
"None? I wouldn't say that."
"Knock it off, Kreig," Ford warned.
"I can't. They gypped us of essential supplies."
"Since when have soft porn videos been 'essential supplies'?" Crocker asked, one bushy eyebrow raised.
"Since I'm Morale Officer for over two hundred people trapped on a sub. A large portion of which are single, hot blooded men, I might point out."
Ford groaned and shook his head as he guided the launch into the dark depths of the sea.
Lex looked around the dimly lit hallway as Sophie hooked up her by- pass unit to the electronic keypad of the storage room. Something wasn't right.
It had been too easy to pick the double lock of the main door. With too much ease, the group had slipped inside and had met no obstacles as they had carefully descended the stairs to the subterranean base. They'd seen no security cameras, found no hidden sensors. For a military storage area, Lex found that very unsettling.
"Yes!" Nate hissed as the heavy door slid open with a loud whoosh. The others followed him inside.
Pausing inside the large room, Lex's gaze flickered around the dozens of shelves packed with various supplies. Each member of the group had memorized the list Luther had given them, dividing it amongst themselves. Now, they all separated as they began searching the shelves.
Nate placed three large canvas duffle bags on a metal table in the centre of the room before heading to the shelves himself. As each member found an item from the list, they were to place it in the bags before returning to the scavenger hunt.
Nate glanced at his watch. "Hurry up!"
The others acknowledged him silently, speeding up their search. Lex found her last item and after jamming it into one of the bags, waited with growing impatience for the others to follow.
No-one noticed the four small panels that opened in the top corners of the room.
"Commander, where are you?" Captain Bridger's voice filled the launch.
Ford frowned at the control panel before replying. "We're about half way back to the SeaQuest. Why?"
"Because a silent alarm has just gone off in the supply store room."
"We're on it," Ford replied grimly as he deftly turned the launch around.
Carrie was the last to join the group. "I had a hard time finding the mod chips."
"We're done?" Nate asked. When everyone agreed, he, along with Mark and Ash, hefted the bags and headed for the door. Just as they reached it, plexiglass cases slammed down over the shelves.
"What the hell?!" Ash yelled as water began flooding the room. Mark jammed a nearby metal rod in the door as it attempted to seal them in the room.
Lex began to shake violently as the water rapidly filled the room. It lapped up past her ankles, then her knees. Frantic to escape, she scrambled over to the metal table and climbed atop it.
"Lex!" Sophie shouted, hesitating in the doorway.
"Go!" Nate yelled, shoving her out the door. The metal rod groaned ominously as he slipped under it.
"Nate!" Lex cried frantically, her eyes pleading with him to help her. He paused briefly before shrugging and running away.
Lex whimpered as the rod snapped in half, trapping her inside.
Ford, Kreig and Crocker ran from the docking bay, entering the hallway just in time to see five teens racing up the stairs.
"Follow them!" Ford shouted. "I'll take the room."
As they rushed past him, Ford swiped his security card in the lock. As the door slid open, grates in the floor opened, releasing the waist high water.
There, huddled on the table, Ford found Lex.
"This is a bad idea," Lex hissed in the darkness of the shrubs.
"You're just freaking out 'cuz of the water," Nate reasoned quietly.
"This is a UEO supply station!"
"That makes sense, since we're after UEO supplies," Nate drawled. "All we have to do is go in, grab the stuff, and get out."
"Oh, is THAT all! It's not like they'll have security or anything." Lex glared at him.
"It's a dinky little building on the beach. No-one knows it's here! C'mon, we're wasting time."
Lex cursed under her breath as Nate and the other four teens in the group scuttled across the sand towards the small brick building. Trying to ignore her sense of foreboding, she followed, her black body suit allowing her to blend perfectly into the dark shadows.
"Any problems, Commander?" Nathan Bridger asked over the com link.
"None, sir. We're just heading back now," Ford replied, his gaze intent as he steered the launch out of the docking bay of the supply post.
"None? I wouldn't say that."
"Knock it off, Kreig," Ford warned.
"I can't. They gypped us of essential supplies."
"Since when have soft porn videos been 'essential supplies'?" Crocker asked, one bushy eyebrow raised.
"Since I'm Morale Officer for over two hundred people trapped on a sub. A large portion of which are single, hot blooded men, I might point out."
Ford groaned and shook his head as he guided the launch into the dark depths of the sea.
Lex looked around the dimly lit hallway as Sophie hooked up her by- pass unit to the electronic keypad of the storage room. Something wasn't right.
It had been too easy to pick the double lock of the main door. With too much ease, the group had slipped inside and had met no obstacles as they had carefully descended the stairs to the subterranean base. They'd seen no security cameras, found no hidden sensors. For a military storage area, Lex found that very unsettling.
"Yes!" Nate hissed as the heavy door slid open with a loud whoosh. The others followed him inside.
Pausing inside the large room, Lex's gaze flickered around the dozens of shelves packed with various supplies. Each member of the group had memorized the list Luther had given them, dividing it amongst themselves. Now, they all separated as they began searching the shelves.
Nate placed three large canvas duffle bags on a metal table in the centre of the room before heading to the shelves himself. As each member found an item from the list, they were to place it in the bags before returning to the scavenger hunt.
Nate glanced at his watch. "Hurry up!"
The others acknowledged him silently, speeding up their search. Lex found her last item and after jamming it into one of the bags, waited with growing impatience for the others to follow.
No-one noticed the four small panels that opened in the top corners of the room.
"Commander, where are you?" Captain Bridger's voice filled the launch.
Ford frowned at the control panel before replying. "We're about half way back to the SeaQuest. Why?"
"Because a silent alarm has just gone off in the supply store room."
"We're on it," Ford replied grimly as he deftly turned the launch around.
Carrie was the last to join the group. "I had a hard time finding the mod chips."
"We're done?" Nate asked. When everyone agreed, he, along with Mark and Ash, hefted the bags and headed for the door. Just as they reached it, plexiglass cases slammed down over the shelves.
"What the hell?!" Ash yelled as water began flooding the room. Mark jammed a nearby metal rod in the door as it attempted to seal them in the room.
Lex began to shake violently as the water rapidly filled the room. It lapped up past her ankles, then her knees. Frantic to escape, she scrambled over to the metal table and climbed atop it.
"Lex!" Sophie shouted, hesitating in the doorway.
"Go!" Nate yelled, shoving her out the door. The metal rod groaned ominously as he slipped under it.
"Nate!" Lex cried frantically, her eyes pleading with him to help her. He paused briefly before shrugging and running away.
Lex whimpered as the rod snapped in half, trapping her inside.
Ford, Kreig and Crocker ran from the docking bay, entering the hallway just in time to see five teens racing up the stairs.
"Follow them!" Ford shouted. "I'll take the room."
As they rushed past him, Ford swiped his security card in the lock. As the door slid open, grates in the floor opened, releasing the waist high water.
There, huddled on the table, Ford found Lex.