Chapter 24

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Kara had a brief moment before heading to the hangar to prepare for their upcoming mission. She had almost reached the doorway to the sickbay when she noticed that the door was open and she heard bits of a conversation between Tex and Danny. Apparently the hot topic at hand was the Kardashians. Tex was probably trying to make the time past quicker for Danny, but the Kardashians? She smiled as she thought that Danny was probably counting down the minutes when he would leave.

"No doubt." She heard Danny's voice and kept listening.

"Oh, man. I just hate reading about people breaking up." Tex's voice got slightly sad like he was actually grieving for the couple in question. From the sound of it he was holding a magazine in front of him.

"I may not look it, but I'm a softie. I like seeing people getting together." Tex explained and she had to smile. Apparently there had to be more than just 2-percent body fat on the guy if he called himself a softie.

"Yeah, man. I bet you do." Danny's voice was vague and she wondered if he was just lying on the bed, his eyes closed and just said some random things.

"You know. I got a theory about you." Tex said with a knowing voice and his words got her interested.

"You keep going on about this no fraternization business, but I think maybe you just want me to keep my grubby hands off the girl you're sweet on." Tex stated in a confident tone.

Danny remained silent to her surprise and she wondered why hadn't Tex gotten the memo about her and Danny? Guess that gossip was old news on this ship, she thought.

"You'd better tell me Amigo. Don't want our swords crossing by accident." Tex added and she almost chuckled at the thought of her and Tex. Still no word from Danny, she wondered what was he waiting for?

"Heh. I'm just messing with you, because I already know who she is." Tex said.

"Just keep talking, Tex." She finally heard Danny's voice.

"All right, I will."

"I'll bet you 10-to-1 that she's a Lieutenant, and her initials are K.F.C without the C." Tex said with a smirk on his face, or at least that's what she pictured in her mind.

"Kara.." Tex coughed her name out and she decided it was best to step inside the sickbay and she did it when Tex was about to cough the remainder of her name.

She managed to startle old Tex as she appeared to the doorway simply by saying "Hey." She smiled as he almost fell off his chair as his legs were on the edge of Danny's bunk.

"Hi there." Tex gave her a wink which automatically made her smile at him. He wouldn't rest, she thought.

"I think you got the initials wrong.. It's actually K.G.C without the C." She gave a wink back at Tex and for a moment he was baffled. But in the end he took the magazine and rolled it like he was after a fly and slapped Danny on his leg. "Why didn't you tell me she's your missus?"

Danny chuckled and shared a look with Kara.

"Because she wasn't that until a few hours ago." He then said with a smile. Feeling completely amazed over the fact that she had actually insisted him to marry her right there and then. Half scared that one of them would die, although he wasn't sure whether she was the kind of girl to walk down the aisle in a white dress.

"I gotta tell you, having the Commodore as a father-in-law might be scary." Tex joked.

"And don't forget a world saving doctor as a mother-in-law." Kara walked beside Danny's bunk and leaned to give him a kiss on the forehead.

"Sounds like you need to up your game buddy." Tex smiled.

Tom walked to the hangar were the small group was going to prepare for their upcoming mission. But as he looked up from where he had placed his feet, he saw 16 sailors standing in front of him. The 16 sailors that wanted to jump ship.

He stopped in his tracks and stared at each individual standing next to each other. One of them, Cossetti stepped forward with the flag of United States folded between his hands.

"Sir, we all respectfully request to reenlist." Cossetti said while handing him the flag.

He moved to take the flag between his hands and gave it to his XO. When Cossetti was back on his place amongst the 16 people, Tom raised his right hand and the group in front of him began taking the oath again.

"I swear to support and defend.."

After the group was dismissed he noticed Lieutenant Foster approach Cossetti.

"Cossetti." Kara looked at the man with her best effort to mimic Danny.

"You've only been on Lieutenant Green's team for a couple of weeks. But everything you do reflects on him." She said and reminded herself of the talk she got from him not so long ago.

"He's not gonna be out there to cover your ass." She continued on.

"I'm aware, ma'am.." Cossetti said with a unsure voice.

"That everybody's doubting me. That I brought that on myself. But I will do the job." Cossetti continued, trying his best to act humble.

"You know you took Frankie Benz's spot. Those are some tough shoes to fill, so you gotta bring it."

"Every second of every day from here on in, or he will find somebody else that will." Kara ended in firm tone. Hoping he got the message.

"I'll bring it, ma'am." Cossetti nodded and went to gear up.

"Well done." Kara heard suddenly from behind her and turned to see Danny standing there.

"Couldn't done it better myself." He joked a bit and she chuckled.

"I learned from the best." Kara gave him a smile but continued on with a more worried tone "What are you doing here? You can hardly stand up."

"Staring at walls when my team is out there? Without me? Just can't." He shook his head and she wondered if this was Frankie all over again.

"Get in bed, son." She saw Tom come over and place his hand on Danny's shoulder.

Danny met the CO's gaze and nodded silently.

"We got this." Tom assured him and she agreed with a nod.

She met his gaze, looking at his eyes she knew he was nervous, worried and terrified of her leaving the ship without him. Her being out there when the Russians most likely had a trap set up for them. She gave him a nod and watched as he reluctantly turned to walk away from the hangar.

As Danny walked out, she noticed Rachel enter and almost felt furious right away.

"You can't stop me from leaving the ship." Kara stated before Rachel got a word out.

"I can't stay on this ship. Everyone's looking at me, so I gotta be out there. Prove them that I'm part of them. That I'm not any different because I'm immune, or the daughter of you guys." Kara continued on in a sharp tone. The ramifications after her parents' reveals were getting to her. Not only had she broken the fraternization rules, and pretty much gotten away with it, her punishment not being hard enough. And then on top of that she was immune, and the child of the two people the crew relied on. Not to mention that Rachel had arranged her on this ship. The list of reasons was long. She had everything to prove to the crew. She didn't want the looks and second-guessing about where her loyalties lie.

"I wasn't going to stop you." Rachel said lowering her voice a bit and sensing that their conversation was getting some glances around them.

"Oh." Kara was out of words and felt bad that she had almost yelled at her.

"Just be careful and come back in one piece." Rachel gave a clap on her overarm.

"I will." She said and moved to gather her gear. The redness coming to her cheeks as she felt a sting of guilt because she had raised her voice to her mother.

"And you.. Don't do anything stupid." Rachel looked at Tom beside her and backed away before Tom could answer her back. He watched her as she disappeared through the doorway to the P-Way. "Same right back at you." He whispered knowing she didn't hear him.

"Nathan James does not transmit under any circumstance." Mike looked around at everyone in the CIC as they were following the mission through the comms.

He then noticed Danny hover in and gave him the head-to-toe assessment.

"I don't think you should be up and about." Mike said as he watched the screen.

"You know me, sir. I can't just sit around and wait either." Danny stated, trying to hide the fact that he was a little labored with his breath.

"Just sit down before you faint." Mike glanced at him and Danny sat down a chair.

"Where are the beacons?" Danny asked as he didn't see anything on the screen. Either that or his eyesight had gone from better to worse.

"They're not wearing any. Can't risk that the Russians might follow them back to the James." Mike explained.

Just when he thought that the situation couldn't be any worse.. They weren't wearing any beacons. What if something went wrong? His heart was restless and with good reason. At least this time around there was just sounds, not a video feed. A flashback of the water colored all red went through his mind. He tried to push back the horrible sight in front him. Hoping it wouldn't happen now.

"This does not feel right." He heard Mike's skeptical tone as the team was still searching the boat for the young girl.

"Captain, we got company." Jeter's voice on the comm got them on high alert.

"From where? What direction? You got something?" Mike interrogated Lieutenant Commander Barker.

"Negative, sir." Barker answered.

"We got her!" Tom's voice came through and from the sounds of it they were loading on to the RHIBs.

"Here they come. Stick to the plan Mike." Was Tom's last words for the time being.

"Okay, everyone. You know the plan." Mike gave a look over the crew.

Kara placed a blanket over Bertrise's shoulders and saw that she was scared. The young girl almost jumped out of her skin when she simply touched her slightly as she had the blanket over her. Everyone was still wearing their masks, terrified of the possibility of getting infected. Poor girl, she thought and moved to take off her mask.

"Kara!" She heard Burk's protest but ignored him.

"You okay?" She asked Bertrise who looked at her suspiciously.

"It's okay." Kara said in a warm tone and reached to hold Bertrise's hand, she looked liked she might pull her hand back, but didn't.

"You're safe now." Kara continued to look at her and she nodded faintly.

"Aren't you afraid? That I'm infected?" Bertrise asked with a dry voice.

"No. I'm immune. Just like we think you are too." Kara explained.

"Immune?"

"Naturally immune to the virus." Kara nodded and noticed the team around her take off their mask one by one. Burk being the last one after getting an elbow from Ravit.

"Thank you." Bertrise finally said in a humble tone.

"Thank you for coming." Kara listened to her voice and moved to hug the young girl. Thinking she needed to be held right now. She felt Bertrise's arms around her tightly, like she was almost not sure if this was just a dream. It had been some very long weeks for her and she couldn't even imagine how she had coped through being the sole survivor on that boat. Surrounded by death.

"How did you escape the Russians?" Ravit asked and Bertrise broke from the hug, nervously looking at Ravit.

"I jumped to the water from their boat. Swam back to the Octopus." She gave her answer.

"They thought I was dead." She explained and tears came into her eyes at the thought of it.

"Did they shoot at you?" Kara noticed a graze right under her knee. Probably from a bullet.

Bertrise just nodded, all tearful and she took her back in her arms.

"Shhh. It's okay now. You're safe." Kara whispered as she held the crying girl in her arms.

"Come on, Tex!" Tom shouted as he drove the RHIB away from the Russians that were after them.

"Hey, man. It's not as easy as it looks." Tex snorted as he held his gun steady enough to take one of the guys out.

Tex then felt a bullet breeze through somewhere in the proximity of his shoulder. "Son of a bitch! How long are we going to keep doing this?" He asked in wonder. The plan was after all to get caught.

"Just a while longer. Can't look like we give up too easily." Tom exclaimed. And so Tex kept shooting like the Commodore had told him.

"Okay. Enough of this shit. Tex, go to the .50 cal." He heard the man and gladly moved to the big gun on the RHIB.

"When I brake hard starboard, light them up." Tom said and shortly after it he turned the boat around so that Tex had a good shot.

"Wuhuu!" Tex was cheering victoriously a moment later and then he heart a gun fire.

"Why the hell did you do that for?" Tex looked at the Captain all puzzled and stared at the water coming to the RHIB through the newly made hole.

"I told you. Are you up for a swim?"

"Hey, I didn't really think you meant it literally." Tex said as he realized that they were actually going to hop in the water.

"What am I doing here?" Quincy walked into the CIC looking at the XO. Last time he had been in the CIC things hadn't gone according to plan. He had managed to piss off probably half the crew. Again.

"We've located your Russians pals." Mike walked over to him.

"What'd they say?" Quincy asked, slightly curious.

"I don't know. That's why you're here." Mike answered sarcastically. He didn't speak russian.

"You're gonna sit down next to Mason. Eavesdropping." Mike gestured to the empty chair and Quincy reluctantly sat down.

"So you just listen. Pick up anything on the UHF, you translate. You tell me later what this is gonna cost me." Mike said.

"I'll do what you ask." Quincy finally said.

"But when this is over, you make sure Ruskov dies." Quincy looked firmly at Mike.

It didn't take long before they got the call from their Captain. Right on time, Mike glanced at his clock. He just hoped the Russians were buying all this crap about ceasing any rescue operations and riding into the sunset with the package.

A few moments later they got a head count from Burk.

"Besides the package, seven souls." Burk's voice came through the comms. Danny had his ears at high alert as he listened in on Burk telling who he had on his boat.

"Burk, Cruz, Cossetti, Jeter, Bivas, Green, Rowler." Danny listened and when everyone heard 'Green' he saw the puzzled looks around him, wondering if Burk had gotten a hit in the head or something. Because to everyone else Green was in the CIC, not on the RHIB. He couldn't help but have a smile escape on his face as he thought that Kara had decided that this was the moment to tell everyone she actually wore his name.

"Green. Either you got a dobbelganger, or is there something I should know?" Mike asked in amused tone and all he did was lift his left hand slightly as a reply, so most people saw his golden ring on his ring finger.

"Congratulations. Here's a piece of advice: Never laugh at her choice's, because you're one of them." Mike gave him a wink with a grin and Danny felt blushing since the entire CIC was staring at him getting marriage advice from the XO. She sure as hell picked an odd moment to tell the news, he thought.

As the hours went by Mike began forming a bad feeling in his gut. After he had ordered the Russian UAV shot down, he wondered if his reasoning was so good after all.

"You sure that was a good idea?" He heard Lieutenant Green's voice, questioning his choice.

"Yes. Now they'll want to find them even harder because they know we will do anything to save our Captain." Mike answered confidently of the idea he had gotten at the time.

"Stick to the plan, Mike." Captain's voice echoed through him. Stick to the plan..

He hissed through his teeth as this waiting was giving him an ulcer.

"XO. The Russians are talking." Mason informed him.

"Finally." Mike scoffed and wondered what was taking them so long.

"They're still searching the water." Quincy repeated and concentrated on listening to the bad connection they were hearing.

"He thinks the Americans have drowned." Quincy then said with a unsure voice.

"He thinks? What exactly did he say?" Mike asked, feeling his insides twist. Drowned? That was definitely not in the plan. His heart jumped to his throat as he was thinking the situation over.

"Do they have a body?" Mike demanded to know. Making Quincy jumpy at his behavior.

"They said 'drowned'." Quincy swallowed nervously and met Mike's gaze.

Had their plan gone wrong after all?

After a moment of pause, Mike spoke "The Russians know we're listening. They could be deliberately feeding us bad intel." He was trying to calm down both the crew and his own thoughts.

He was reminding himself of the trick the Russians had played on them, and then they had done the same to the Russians. But still he couldn't shake that feeling in his gut that their plan might have costed the Captain's and Tex's life.