Chapter 16

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It was few hours after the Captain had made the announcement that their mission was now to survive at sea, their destination for the time being was Guantanamo Bay. Kara was walking the P-Way towards the Captains cabin, she was still getting strange looks from some of the crew members even though the news of her being immune had spread throughout the ship quite fast.

She hadn't spoken with Captain Chandler since she had left the helo bay in the early morning hours. She felt the palms of her hands sweaty as she reached the door leading to his cabin. She was nervous and with good reason. The Captain knew about her and Danny.

She gathered enough courage to knock on the door, and heard him give the word to enter. She went inside, closing the door behind her.

"Lieutenant Foster." He glanced at her as he sat in front of his desk. Slightly surprised that she had come to meet him.

"What brings you by?" He asked casually. Feeling his role rather strange at the moment.

She met his gaze shyly and pondered how to bring the matter to the daylight, but perhaps she just had to blurt it out without hesitations.

"I'm here because I've violated the fraternization rules, sir." She said holding her posture and feeling her heart stomp in her ears as she focused her glare just beside his face, not daring to make eye contact with him at the moment. Feeling ashamed of her actions.

"You've talked with Lieutenant Green." He got up and stood in front of her. He noticed the nervousness she was feeling. She nodded at him and he thought about what he was going to say to her.

"You understand that I can't treat you differently because you're my daughter. On this ship, you're like anyone else of the crew." He said sincerely and she met his gaze this time around.

"Understood, sir. I wouldn't expect nothing else." She said and felt that some of the nervousness she was feeling, was disappearing. Right now he was her commanding officer, but it didn't change the fact that he was also her father.

"I'm glad we're on the same page." He said.

"I want you to assist Lieutenant Benz in the training of the men before Gitmo. It will be some hard days ahead, but they need to be prepared." He explained his plan.

"Yes, sir."

"You know Lieutenant Green is on double night watch? After he's done, your up." He stated with a firm voice.

"Understood, sir." Kara said in reply and glanced briefly at the picture frame on his desk. There was several pictures in one frame. It was the first time she really focused on looking at the two children who she now knew to be her younger siblings. Thinking that her family had suddenly gotten bigger from only containing her, to having both of her parents, two siblings. And a stepmom, she thought as she glanced briefly at the picture of Darien. Wondering how she would react to the news of her husband coming home possibly with a cure and a secret daughter he never knew about.

"I gave Lieutenant Green some advice and I'm giving one to you too." She heard his voice which felt more softer in tone now, and she focused to listen to him.

"If you feel that what you have with him is something that can last for a lifetime, then surely it's worth the wait." He met her eyes, seeing that her mouth immediately smiled at the thought. She wasn't as easy to read as Green, but perhaps she was just hiding her true emotions better than the young man had.

Kara came in to the armory with Frankie, Carlton and Ravit. They were done with the training for the day.

"You think Miller is ready?" She asked and glanced at Burk as she took off her protective vest.

"I sure hope so." Burk said with a sigh. Thinking back how he had given Miller some harsh words during their training. But on the field one mistake could be fatal.

"Oh come on, he's not that bad." Ravit said with a light tone and placed her weapon in the cabinet.

"How's the training going?" They all turned and saw Danny standing in the doorway and she didn't know why but every time she met him now, she thought her face was glowing like a star.

"Would be easier if we knew what we were training for." Frankie said coldly as he kept storing away his gear.

"Some are more ready than others." Burk shrugged his shoulders.

"How's night duty?" Ravit gave Danny a wink and he replied shortly "Boring."

"That's what you get when you fraternize with the ladies." Frankie turned to look at his friend and Kara felt like hiding at the moment.

"You make it sound like I do it every time." Danny said in his defense.

Suddenly Kara noticed that she was left alone with Danny as the rest of the party had gone either to shower, eat or rest. She was placing her weapon back to its place as she sensed him standing closer to her.

"I don't think this is a good idea." She turned around and smiled at him.

"I know, but I just wanted a moment with you." He said as he saw a lock of hair hanging on her cheek. He reached to place the loose hair behind her ear, and saw she was breathing more heavily. Her entire body tensing as his fingers slightly grazed her skin.

"Well the ship is making port soon." She met his gaze and he smiled at her. Remembering exactly what he had said to her earlier.

He leaned in so he could whisper into her ear in a seductive and slow manner "What I have in mind, takes longer than five minute quickie on the docks."

She leaned against the wall for extra support as she feared that her knees would soon be pudding, all the while meeting his wanting gaze. He was so close to her right now that it would be easy to just lean in and kiss his hot lips. She opened her mouth a little as she thought about it, but the moment was gone as he gathered his posture and left her standing there all alone, feeling rather out of breath by their encounter. How on earth does he do it, she wondered.

Tom found his way to a small gathering on the deck as Master Chief was holding a vigil. He stopped to stand behind his crewmen and took of his navy hat. Listening in as the crew was taking a moment to remember their families back home.

"This is my father, Paul. My brothers, Nate and Ronnie." He heard O'Connor's voice and saw him briefly show around a picture he had stored on his mobile phone.

"Couldn't get through to them, so I don't know where they are."

"Like most of us, I guess." He noted the words. Like most of us, I guess. He sighed as he was in a position that made him extremely lucky. He had gotten a proof of life from back home, and all he could hope was that his wife and children along with his father were still okay. The cabin is located in an isolated area which gave him comfort that his family just might survive. And then there was Kara and Rachel. A daughter whose existence he hadn't known about, she was here on this ship along with his old love, that in some moments didn't feel old at all.

"But, um, what keeps me going is the idea that we might be able to help them somehow." He continued to listen as O'Connor gave them all something to think about.

"You know, maybe there is a reason we were out there in the Arctic all that time. Maybe this is God's plan for us." It had been Rachel's countless efforts to persuade the bureaucrats to send her up there, but why had they chosen the Nathan James for the mission.. Was it just a coincidence or a plan of a higher force, he wasn't entirely sure of.

"Amen to that." Master Chief Jeter said and he met his gaze over the crowd as they heard them say in unison "Amen."

"The rules of the virus are these. It's airborne.."

Andrea was standing beside Mike and the others in a briefing about the threat waiting for them when they would get their feet on the ground at Gitmo. She would be leading the Tiger Team to the fueling station. She listened as Dr. Scott was laying out the facts for them.

"How long is the incubation period?" She glanced at Doc Rios who asked the question.

"Three to five days. At least, that's what I understood from my last contact with the CDC." She heard Dr. Scott's reply and before she knew it she had opened her mouth and asked sharply "And when was that?" Noticing Mike glance at her way beside her. It was a legitimate question to ask, she thought. Still feeling furious after what she had learned about the good doctor.

"Three weeks ago when we were in the Arctic." Rachel said meeting her glare. At least she had the balls to look her straight into the eyes and admit it, she thought.

"Are you saying the incubation period can change?" Doc Rios asked a follow-up question and Andrea crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at her boots. Listening the conversation as it went on.

"The virus has been mutating for some time, although I believe now that it's been altered, it's been stabilized."

"You believe?" She chuckled and yet again found herself talking. This time she only got a short glance from her, no reply. She even felt the Captain's eyes on her this time.

"What about animals?" Lieutenant Benz asked.

"If you're concerned about Halsey, dogs happen to be immune." Rachel turned to face him and Andrea saw him pet the dog. She listened as Dr. Scott explained to them that other animals can contract the disease, but transferring the virus to humans from them was not possible.

"Weren't the birds from the Arctic the original carriers?" Andrea heard her voice echo in the air again and knew she was probably in trouble for her behavior in front of the officers.

"The birds were the original carriers, the virus jumped, probably from their feces, to a mammal, before mutating and landing on us." Rachel explained the process adding force in her words. She wasn't surprised over the Chief Engineer's doubts about her knowledge of the virus. She was still on thin ice when it came to having the trust of the crew.

"After several mutations, it was artificially altered. It is that version of the mutated strain that is currently devastating our planet." Rachel locked eyes with Andrea again and saw her nod to her. Perhaps her explaining had helped her understand the matter better.

"So CBR gear at all times, except outside in open spaces. Masks can be off to preserve your oxygen." She stated.

"And inside?" Tom asked.

"One infected person could jeopardize this entire ship, simply by breathing." She said, swallowing nervously as she thought back to when they came back from the Italian ship. Here she was advising them, and it was she who had risked the crew, the mission, for Kara.

"Before we send our men into a hot zone, if the virus keeps mutating and you haven't heard from homeland in almost a month, how can you be sure of what you're sure of?" She now heard the XO of the ship ask.

"If I had any doubts about what I was saying, I would tell you." She replied with honesty.

Tom and Mike stayed behind as the rest of the officers left the helo bay.

"I know she's your wife, but she needs to calm down." Tom gave a look to Mike.

"She was undermining her in front of the officers." He said with a stiff voice.

"I know." Mike nodded and thought about Andrea's behavior through the briefing. He knew she was still angry about what Rachel had done, and he felt agitated himself at the thought, but in the end.. there was nothing they could do to change the past.

Rachel was gearing up and listening to Quincy complain over the fact that she was leaving the ship, again. And he would have to stay behind, yet again.

"If I let you go, you'll be out there all week." She stated as she was about to put her arms through the sleeves of the suit. "You're too meticulous, Quince."

"What if something happens to you?" He asked. She thought about it, there was no guarantee that the place was entirely deserted, but her thought process was disrupted when she heard Tom's voice "He's right. We can't risk you leaving the ship."

"We can't risk either one of you." Tom quickly added.

"That's flattering.." Quincy began to say but she cut him off as she tried to understand the Captain's plan.

"How do you plan on getting us the supplies? Not to underestimate your men's capabilities, but it's highly unlikely they're gonna identify what we need." She explained.

"If we can knock an ICBM out of the sky, I think we can handle this." Tom said confidently.

"An officer will escort you both to CIC." He said and was about to leave.

"And what about Kara? Or you Captain?" She asked hearing her voice slightly desperate.

"What if something happens to either of you?" She added, knowing that Quincy might pick on the strange vibe in her questions. There was only a handful that knew about the true relations of her and the Captain, and their connection to Lieutenant Foster.

"Lieutenant Foster is part of my crew, part of the United States Navy."

"She's also immune to the deadly virus. We can't risk her dying." Rachel glanced briefly towards Quincy who nodded. Thank you God, at least they were agreeing about something, she thought.

"Fine. She stays on the ship." Tom gave in and walked away. Hoping that Lieutenant Foster wouldn't think he was acting in the role of a concerned father when he would inform her that she would have to stay on the ship.

He entered to the deck were the teams were preparing. Everyone was almost geared up and checking their equipment.

"Lieutenant? A word?" He went to stand by Foster and walked to the side to have a talk with her.

"Dr. Scott wants you to stay on the ship." He informed her noticing her puzzled look.

"What?" He heard her voice.

"She says that because you're immune to the virus, we can't risk losing you." He explained.

"You've got to be kidding me! She's taken enough of my blood, why does she need me?" She asked, feeling upset about the fact that her being immune was a reason that she couldn't be out there. Helping her teammates.

"I don't know, but right now, we need you alive." Tom met her gaze and understood that she wasn't happy about the turn of events. The situation had a slight feel that Rachel might be just saving her yet again from possible threats like she had already done twice before.

"Fine!" She handed him her gun and walked inside. The whole rushing inside with a sulking face reminded him of Ashley. She was just like her.

"Lieutenant Green. Take Cossetti, Lieutenant Foster is sitting this one out." He gave the order and got a nod out of the young Lieutenant.

"Hey Miller!" Ravit walked up to the young man as he seemed to struggle to tighten his gear.

She helped him tighten his vest as she sensed he was a nervous wreck. "Just stay focused out there. I know you've worked hard during the training, but it's different out there. You'll find yourself at high alert but listen to your gut and keep calm." She came around to face his nervous face after tightening his vest.

"And keep your muzzle down." Ravit added raising her one eyebrow slightly up as she gave him a look and Miller glanced at the firepower he was holding onto.

"Oh and Miller.. I'm counting on you to keep his ass safe." Ravit gave a glance towards Burk, who was checking his gun. "It's a nice ass, so don't screw anything up." Ravit locked eyes with Miller, using her threatening voice as she meant what she said. The poor kid nodded nervously and swallowed hard as he held onto his gun.

"I didn't see you last night." Mike walked over to were Andrea was on the deck.

"Got problems down in the engine room, thought Master Chief informed you." Andrea said casually.

"Yeah, heard as much." He said. It's not like he hadn't known where she was, but he was waiting for her to cool down before having a chat with her.

"About the briefing.."

"I know I crossed the line but I just felt so angry at her and needed to vent." Andrea explained humbly.

"This is taking its toll on everyone, you're not alone." Mike reached to pat her shoulder, the closest thing he could do at the moment on the crowded deck.

"Keep your guard up out there." Mike nodded his head towards the land.

"I wasn't born yesterday Mike." Andrea gave him a look which usually meant that she knew how to take care of herself.

"I know. But you haven't been on the field in a while." Mike laid out the facts and Andrea nodded.

"Trust me, you're not getting rid of me just yet." Andrea gave him a smile as she departed from him.

Mike stared through the windows of the James. Waiting for a status report from the land teams. He had three teams out there at the moment. All scattered around. A feeling in his gut was telling him there was trouble ahead.

The Cobra Team was currently inside the hospital, getting the supplies for Dr. Scott. The clock for them running out of air was slowly ticking down.

"Nathan James, Tiger Team, we're all set." He heard through the comm and felt slightly relieved to hear Andrea's voice. Perhaps his gut was telling him he just ate too much peaches for breakfast.

"Copy that. We are ready to receive." He gave a reply and continued to deliver the message forward "CCS Bridge, your martini is on its way." A few moments after, as he sat comfortably in the XO's chair thinking how everything was going smoothly, and maybe this was just like any other 'routine' refueling and stocking supplies stop, minus the possibility of a life threatening virus lurking behind every corner.

"Nathan James, we're under attack by unknown number of hostiles. Stand by for fire mission." He heard over the comm and alerted his crew to take precautions immediately.

"Set General Quarters. Threat warning red, weapons tight!"

He felt useless in the moment. He had a warship up in his sleeve but there was no confirmed target for him to kill. He just had to wait and see how the situation played out.

"Nathan James, Vulture One, be advised, hostiles are armed with RPGs and appear to be en route to your whiskey."

Mike immediately got the word to the Tiger Team to disengage the fueling and moved to the CIC to be in control of the hostile movement towards their location. Fueling was still ongoing several minutes after his order and he wondered what the hell was going on at the fuel rig.

"The valve is frozen. We're working on it, sir!" He noted Andrea's hurried words over the comm and not long after that, they contacted the ship again and said they were under a attack.

"Nathan James, this is MPA. Chief Engineer's been hit." Chung's voice came through the comm and he felt his heart stop in the moment.

"We need the doc up here, ASAP!"

Mike send Doc Rios to tend to Andrea after they had successfully eliminated the threat in the vicinity of the fuel rig. ETA five minutes, he thought to himself. During those five minutes anything could happen. And the day wasn't over just yet. He had Vulture Team chasing after the remainders of Al-Qaeda, and now it seemed the Cobra Team was facing their own trouble as they were almost out of the hospital. Luckily for him Lieutenant Green was a quick thinker and reported back that he had the situation under control, so he thought he had a moment to breath.. or more like to held his breath as he waited.

The minutes went slowly by even if he had his mind full with dealing the hostage situation Captain Chandler had managed to get himself involved with.

Seven minutes, it was seven minutes ago that Doc Rios left the ship. He was hoping for an update, but perhaps it was better that there was none. He had to keep his head in the game if he wanted to survive through the day.

"Nathan James, this is Doc Rios. She's injured pretty badly. I require assistance."

There was the update he had been waiting for. He probably looked white as a ghost as he thought about the line he had just heard over the comm. If Doc Rios was asking for help, it meant he needed someone with a medical background. Because extra hands on the scene he had already.

"Commander?" Rachel thought to speak as she had been following the situation beside Mike.

"Commander.." She finally got to him.

"I worked a year in a trauma ward in Mogadishu." She said and gave him a firm look. She needed the green light from him and she was good to go.

"Gear up."

But before she could move, she felt his hand gripping into her arm and he was looking straight into her eyes.

"If she dies.." She heard his voice barely. The order might have been given to her by Commander Mike Slattery, but the man desperately pleading to her right now was acting a different role, the role of a husband. She nodded and left, hoping she would make it in time.