Chapter 18

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Tom stood silently on the bridge as Mike was informing everyone of the difficult and dangerous task ahead of them. The entire day had been like a rollercoaster and now they were tempting fate again. He was thinking through every second of the day that had led them to this moment.

"Apparently he was leaking information with another scientist. According to him governments were pressuring their biologists to withhold vital information."

"He disagreed."

"And this other scientist was in knee-deep with Ruskov. So Ruskov took his family as a guarantee of his cooperation."

Mike's words echoed through this mind as he sighed at the position they were in. He glanced at the darkened horizon and remembered how he had gotten Ruskov to move his ugly ship.

"Consider that a warning, which is more than you gave to my men, next time I won't miss."

Back in the CIC they had been following the scouting of the canal by a video feed from the helmet of Lieutenant Benz. One minute Lieutenant Green was casually talking with Benz about their fishing trip a while back and on the next they heard a boat approaching, guns being fired.

"No!"

"Frankie! Ravit!"

"Answer me! Frankie! Ravit!"

Everyone could see the water turning red as the video on the helmet was still sending a feed. Showing them the severity of the moment. Then the video went static.

Before he knew it, he had moved to the bridge to retaliate his men's fate.

24 hours. They had 24 hours to hand over Dr. Scott, her research and the primordial strain of the virus. They needed a plan and fast, luckily for them the Russians didn't know that they had figured out Quincy was working with them.

"If you deviate from our plan, I will know." Tom said as he looked down at Quincy who was staring at the sat phone in front of him. He needed to contact Ruskov, who still thought Quincy was playing along on his team.

"Why should I help you? He'll kill my family!"

"He killed one of his own men!" Quincy's voice was desperate.

"Right now we need to get away from Ruskov. If we want to have a chance to survive. A chance to maybe save your family." Tom met eyes with Quincy, answering his doubts honestly. There was no guarantee that Ruskov would keep Quincy's family alive. But if he wanted to redeem himself, this was the time.

Tom noticed Rachel appear silently to the bridge to follow the delicate plan. He shared a look with her and saw that she was worried.

"Are you out of your mind?" Rachel had asked him. Frightened of the thought that their daughter would be on the mission against the Vyerni. But right now it didn't matter if she was immune or not, their mission of finding a cure would be over if they wouldn't get away from Ruskov.

"Maybe I am, but we don't have a choice here! Unless you want to be stuck in Gitmo."

Rachel looked at him in despair and he remained still. They both knew what was at risk here. Not only Kara, the entire world was depending on them.

Danny glanced at the white boat he and Kara would be using. Literally sensing his heart stomp in his chest as he thought about the situation they were put in by the events of the day.

All he could see was water tainted with blood, a lot of blood. The sight in front of him was devastating. It meant Frankie was dead. Ravit was dead. He shared a brief look with Kara and Carlton who stood silently beside each other. He saw Kara reach to hold Carlton's hand probably wishing it would comfort them both. The man wore a face of utter disbelief. They were gone. Dead. Killed in a split second.

He let out his frustration as he tore his headset off and used his muscle power on the chair in front of him, getting looks from his fellow crewmen. He noticed the Captain leave the room shortly after.

"We should have blown them out of the water." He noted Tex's words as the situation resolved itself. They had negotiated the Russian ship to move further away.

He felt his blood boiling inside of him as he thought over what had just happened. At the moment his mind was so clouded that he almost had forgotten what were his last words to Frankie, to Ravit. He shared a look with Kara, noticing that she was as distraught as he was.

But he was alerted when there was a contact coming through the comm.

"Nathan James.."

He rushed to pick up the headset again.

"Ravit? Frankie?"

"Are you okay?" He was relieved to hear Ravit's voice. Feeling slightly out of breath as he rejoiced in the moment.

"I'm okay.. But Frankie's injured." Ravit's voice was faint and Danny felt his chest heavy again as he noted her words.

They had found them just in time, he thought as he helped Frankie to the RHIB from the water, he saw he was hurt badly. Ravit wore a look of fear as she wrapped herself under a warm blanket beside Burk on the other RHIB. She had managed to keep Frankie from drowning.

"Frankie.." He gave him a look from head to toe as he assessed the situation. He felt two bullet holes on his back as he held him in his arms. He gave a look to Rios who was with them and realized the despair in the situation. There was nothing they could do to help him.

"Thank you." Frankie's husky voice was low. He had lost a lot of blood. But he was a fighter, he thought.

"..For being there for me brother." Frankie opened his eyes and met directly his gaze.

"You're the one who's always had my back." Danny said as he watched Frankie and saw him close his eyes for the last time. His chest was still, he wasn't breathing anymore. His body felt heavy as he leaned over his friend, holding him in his arms. Frankie was gone.

He felt Kara's hand on his shoulder giving him a gentle squeeze. Wanting to comfort him in his sorrow.

"Ravit!" He then registered Burk's frantic voice as Ravit had passed out. Doc Rios jumped to the RHIB beside them and began saving her life. She was hit too, but it must've been the adrenaline kicking in her, that had made her hold on for so long.

"You okay?" He heard Kara ask as she was checking the rifle. He met her worried look and felt completely lost in the moment. Frankie was dead, and now they would be facing their own danger. He felt the weight on his shoulders as he thought about the conversation with the Captain.

He listened as Chandler told them the plan they had cooked up. Ruskov had told Quincy to take a boat from the other side of the beach along with Rachel and the samples. The plan was to hit a direct hit to the Vyerni with the boat, loaded with explosives.

"Unless we completely cripple the Vyerni, he'll still have retaliatory capability." He heard Gator's words. Noting the fact that this was a mission that needed to succeed on the first try. One mistake and it all would be over.

Chandler's reply that they would be safely out of the harbor by then, to the young Lieutenants scared of the thought of being blown out of the water, was rather hopeful, it seemed that the Captain was certain of this plan.

"But who's impersonating Dr. Scott?" He asked and in the moment he had asked the question, Kara walked in.

"Sir. Are you sure about this?" He asked after he was left alone with Mike and Tom.

"She's the only one with the skills and I trust you to keep her safe." Tom met his gaze and he pondered over the words of trust his commanding officer was giving to him right now. But it wasn't she he was worried about.

"All do respect sir, she can most certainly take care of herself." He replied with a confident voice.

He moved closer to Tom, knowing they weren't alone in the room. Mike was behind him filling his cup with coffee. He lowered his voice as he said "It's myself I'm worried about. What if I'll blow the entire mission?" The thought of admitting this to Tom was frightening but he had to. His feelings for Kara might risk everything.

Tom heard his doubts and he watched his reaction that wasn't giving anything away, he wasn't sure if the Captain even blinked as his eyes were assessing him.

"You won't." He heard Tom's voice and nodded as a reply before leaving the room. Apparently the Captain had faith in him, but it had to be the father in him that thought he wouldn't dare to let him down.

"It's time." He glanced at his clock, ignoring her worry over him. He had to focus on the mission.

"You absolutely sure about this?" Mike walked beside Tom and asked as he had heard the rather unsure conversation from Lieutenant Green's part. At least he was mature enough to show that his judgement might be clouded.

"He won't let me down." Tom stated with confidence and Mike just hoped the young Lieutenant would manage to control his emotions on the mission. This was exactly why the fraternization rules existed. But right now they were short on female personnel who got the skills and looks to impersonate Dr. Scott.

Mike stood on the bridge, informing the crew about their plan. Noting the scared looks the crew was giving when he explained their plan to maneuver the James through the narrow canal without sonar, without radar. Briefly letting his mind escape to his moment with Andrea.

"I told you. You won't get rid of me this easily." He heard Andrea's light comment in her painkiller induced haze. Her midsection was gauzed up under the gown she was wearing.

"I'm glad you're okay. And as I told you, keep your guard up." Mike smiled as he caressed gently her soft cheek while he sat beside her bunk in the sickbay.

"You did." Andrea smiled at him.

"Luckily for you Dr. Scott came to your rescue." Mike thought to bring up the reason why she was still around. He noticed the uncomfortable look Andrea held.

"Don't remind me." Andrea winced as she moved a little in the narrow bunk making Mike more worried about her. "I'm fine." Andrea said before Mike could ask, seeing the worry in his eyes.

"It was she who volunteered." Mike told her and Andrea remained silent for a moment.

"So what's the deal here?" Andrea asked, wanting to change the subject from the heroic actions of Dr. Scott. She knew she would have to thank her even if she still felt angry.

Mike sighed as he thought how to fill her in on their crazy plan.

Danny took a hold of Kara and got her over the edge of the boat just in time, but the impact with the water made him lose his grasp of her. His body felt the blast wave coming from the explosion and as he turned around under the water, trying to see a glimpse of her. He felt afraid. She was gone. Where had she gone? He felt panic wash over him as he thought about how he was suppose to keep her safe. How could he go back now?

But he felt a tug on his arm and there she was. They swam away from the ship towards the extraction point and were met with high spirited crewmen back on the ship as they got a pat on the shoulder and congratulations for a mission well done.

He noticed both Tom and Rachel stand further away from the crew, holding their eyes tightly on Kara. He locked eyes with the Captain and saw that he gave him a strong nod, like he was thanking him for coming back with their daughter. He replied with a nod as they walked past the two of them, they needed a change of clothes right now.

"I meant what I said." He heard her voice when they were alone enough on the deck.

He turned around to look at her. After today he really wasn't in the mood for fighting. Arguing over anything. He had just lost his best friend. Ravit was still fighting for her life in the sickbay.

"I love you Danny. I do love you." Kara stepped closer to him and he watched her as she told those words to him. Words that in the moment were making his heart jump out of joy.

"What I tried to say, came out wrong. We haven't put a label on us." She explained and he listened to her as he stood there quietly.

"Danny..?" She asked softly. The tone of her voice made him wish they where on dry land now. All he wanted was to kiss her soft and warm lips, to show her how much she mattered to him. After today, who knew how long they had in this world? Seeing a flashback of the attack that took Frankie's life in a split second go through his mind again.

"Come with me." He gave her that smile of his and saw the glow on her face again as she learned he had forgiven her.

He heard her giggle in a girlish way a few times as they maneuvered their way through the ship as if they were playing hide and seek. They got to his cabin and he thought Tex was probably off flirting with Dr. Scott. He just hoped he wouldn't become Kara's stepfather now. Listening to him rest of his life would be a pain in the ass. It was already bad enough to share a room with the guy.

Luckily for them Tex wasn't around, it was just Halsey in the empty room. He locked the door and stared at her. Breathing nervously as he thought about what he wanted right now and what was forbidden aboard the ship.

She stepped closer to him, placing her hands on his chest noticing his body stiffen under her touch. She knew the battle he was going through right now, fighting the urge to not to give in to the temptation. She locked eyes with him, sensing the tension rise as she thought about how it would be to kiss him.

Carlton stepped inside the sickbay, the Chief Engineer was sound asleep on the lower bunk. Ravit was lying on a bunk in the first room, still out of this world. She was hooked up with oxygen, IV drip, a monitor was showing her steady heart beat, the sight in front of him was scary. The bullet had luckily been a through and through, piercing her right under her collarbone. Any lower it would've been her heart, her lungs. Even though the injury had been severe, just inches away from the nearest artery.

He sat beside her and got a quiet stare out of Doc Rios who was writing notes by his desk.

He reached to hold her hand, knowing it might be too much, but right now he wanted to feel she was still alive. That her heart was still beating, despite the fact that he actually saw it on the monitor screen. He felt a small squeeze on his hand and looked at her face. Her eyes were open finally and he smiled as he saw her recognizing him.

"You owe me a date." He heard her teasing yet dry voice and it made him chuckle slightly at her. She hadn't lost her sense of humor.