The Miracle of the Ellington

"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." Helen Keller

Chapter 4: Older and Wiser

The lights in sickbay went out suddenly as Seaview rolled disturbingly to port. Patterson stumbled against Ski before falling to the deck, bumping his head against the examination table. Kowalski could hear him groaning but couldn't tell where he was. He knelt down and felt for his friend in the darkness. "Hey," he said urgently, "hey, are you OK?"

Patterson's only answer was another groan.

"Doc!" Kowalski said. "Are you there? He's hurt."

"I'm here." Across the cabin, Jamieson sounded shaken. "Coming!"

There were quiet, tentative movements in the darkness, then the doctor was beside him.

"It's taking a long time for the emergency lights to come on," Ski grumbled. "Ensign! Are you all right, sir?"

There was no answer.

"This is all we need," Jamieson said. "If he's injured again…"

Another shudder shook the boat and Kowalski felt an influx of air as the cabin door swung open. It only took him a moment to register what had happened, but that was one moment too long. He lunged belatedly, hands closing on air. "Damn," he swore. "Come back here!" His voice echoed in the dark passageway. There was no answer. He hadn't expected one.

X X X

Harry felt his way through the blackness, feeling strangely steady. He hoped he hadn't escaped the Ellington only to die on a submarine, but he didn't have time to be afraid. He wouldn't have another chance like the one he'd been given and he wasn't about to waste it.

Barefoot and in pajamas, it seemed unlikely he'd succeed in getting very far, but perhaps the chaos on the boat would give him a chance to satisfy his curiosity. At the very least, he might discover if the men holding him were really Americans. Perhaps he could gather some useful intelligence. If he was very lucky, he might find a place to hide until the submarine surfaced again and he could find a way off.

He remembered the way back to the control room, but it would be full of people and doubtless the captain would be there. Nelson preferred not to encounter him—he had a feeling this transgression would push the man's patience too far. Instead, he went the other way down the passage, counting his steps. He was grateful when the emergency lights came on, suffusing everything in a ruby glow. His hands, thick and unwieldy with bandages, trailed the walls and he looked over his shoulder nervously. The last thing he needed was for the big crewman to find him. He doubted the man would forgive him for slipping away right under his nose.

Footsteps echoed in the empty passageway ahead of him and Nelson looked around anxiously for a place to hide. He ducked into the nearest cabin and pressed himself against the cool metal wall as three crewmen hurried past at a jog. He didn't relax and examine his surroundings until they disappeared around a turn in the corridor. Then he wiped his face on his arm and advanced into the room, awed by what he saw.

There were rows and rows of cabinets containing circuitry, each taller than a man and bristling with multicolored wires. Nelson forgot his weariness as he approached, holding his breath in excitement. He ran his damaged hands lightly over the nearest cabinet, wishing he could feel the components beneath his fingers. What systems did they control? How were they organized? He'd never seen such complicated circuitry, never even imagined it.

As he stood admiring this display of technology another shudder rocked Seaview. He fell to the deck, banging his knee hard against it. Warning sirens sounded again and he pushed himself up quickly, feeling his pulse soar. The circuitry in the nearest cabinet was burning. Nelson could smell ozone and for a moment was paralyzed by the memory of the Ellington, of searing heat as he and McMann tried to clear away flaming debris to reach Captain Harris. Then he shook his head once, hard, and flung himself towards the fire extinguisher. It was difficult to pull the pin but he managed it, dampening the flames with cooling foam.

Drained, Nelson stood staring at the damage as smoke swirled around him. He didn't even start as the door opened and the large crewman who'd held him prisoner in sickbay entered. The man hurried to the cabinet, hardly sparing him a glance. "Damn," he muttered. "Air purification's off now, too. That's why the smoke hasn't cleared. We need the blowers back." He pulled some tools from the nearest locker, muttering under his breath.

Nelson watched him work, uncertain what to do. Perhaps he could slip out while the man was occupied or perhaps… he looked down at the fire extinguisher in his hand. It wouldn't take much strength or skill to knock a man out with it.

At that moment Kowalski looked up, frowning. Nelson had the uncomfortable feeling the man could read his thoughts. "Put that down," he said, "and give me a hand. Even with all those bandages, you can still hold a flashlight." When Harry hesitated, he said, "Come on, will ya? I don't know how much time you have to waste when there's trouble on a surface ship, but on a submarine every minute counts. Get over here!"

Nelson took the proffered light and shone it over Kowalski's shoulder into the recesses of the cabinet, illuminating the ends of charred wires. The crewman shook his head. "What a mess! Repairing this stuff isn't my specialty. I don't even know which wires control air purification! Usually when there's a problem in here the Skipper fixes it, or the…" he broke off, glancing back at Nelson. "Say, do you know much about wiring, sir?"

"Some."

"What color wires would you use for air purification?"

Harry shook his head. "The engineer who designed this could have chosen any color."

"Just tell me what you'd use," Ski said impatiently. "We're wasting time."

"Green, but I don't see…" Nelson broke off as Kowalski set to work reconnecting the wires he'd indicated. After a couple of minutes there was a low hum and a warm breeze brushed his cheek as the blowers kicked in.

Ski turned and grinned. "See! You're a pretty lucky guesser, sir. Care to try for ballast control? That's the next priority."

"This is ridiculous," Nelson said, but he couldn't help feeling a bit of pride in his success. "It's a dangerous game you're playing. If we get the wiring wrong…"

"We're already on the bottom," Ski said quietly. "It can't get much worse."

"Orange," Nelson said soberly. "Orange for ballast control."

"Will do. Hand me those pliers, will ya?" He glanced at Nelson's pale face as he took the tool. "Never been on the bottom before, I guess?" When Harry didn't answer, he smiled. "Sorry, sir, I forgot—no questions."

"Didn't your captain say you weren't to talk with me?"

"Aye, sir. He sure did." Kowalski handed the pliers back to him. "More light here."

"Doesn't it bother you to disobey a direct order?" Nelson leaned in, shining the light where he directed.

"Well," Ski said, "it's like this: If I was a dog and my master said 'Lie down,' I guess I'd do it. And if he said 'Sit up and beg,' I'd do that, too. But I'm not a dog, sir." He turned and his steady gaze held Nelson's. "I'm a man, and a man's got to think for himself sometimes." He turned back to his task. "When the Skipper gave me that order, he didn't count on you breaking out and me finding you here, did he?" He glanced over his shoulder and Nelson flushed. "He didn't count on us being on the bottom, either, or on me needing your help."

"I'm glad to help," Nelson said, surprised to find it was really true. He'd been suspicious of these men, eager to get away, but he found himself strangely at ease with this crewman. He felt at home in this room full of circuits and wondered if he'd like the rest of the boat just as much. He'd always been fascinated by submarines but hadn't had the chance to be on one before.

"Besides," Kowalski continued, "you look like you could use some friendly conversation." He glanced at Nelson again. "You're all beat up, kid — inside and out. You can stick to name, rank, and serial number if you'd like, but I can see that just by looking at you." When Nelson didn't reply, he continued, "Don't buy all the macho stuff they tell you when you join up. Give yourself time to grieve, sir. It's the only way to stay sane when the world's crazy."

"Officers can't be self-indulgent," Nelson said quietly. "We have to set an example."

"Sure you do," Kowalski agreed, "in front of the men. Pliers." He took them and turned back. "I don't think you have any trouble being tough on yourself or your men. Just don't be so good at convincing everybody you're invincible that you convince yourself."

"Do you always talk to officers this way?"

"Nah." Kowalski turned and looked at him seriously. "Only to the ones that need it."

Harry gave a little laugh, surprised to find it brought tears to his eyes. Ski noticed and smiled. "That's the way, sir," he said. "That's better."

"You're a very intelligent and original man."

"Don't sound so surprised. There are lots of smart men who've never been to Annapolis."

"I didn't mean…"

Kowalski waved his protest away. "I know you didn't. You're just awfully young and, if you'll pardon me, your experience is pretty limited. Here's what you do, sir: Find an older enlisted man, maybe a warrant officer, and talk with him every week about anything—the weather, or politics, or what he did before he was in service. Find out how he thinks and what matters to him." Kowalski gently squeezed his shoulder. "You do that, and I guarantee you'll be a better officer."

"I'll consider your advice, if I ever get the chance to use it."

"You will. We won't be on the bottom forever. The Skipper's brought us through worse than this."

"You admire him?"

Kowalski gave a snort. "Admire? That falls way short of it, sir."

"Even if you disobey his orders?"

"Even so." They both blinked as the main lights came on again. "Well, that's a good sign," Ski said. "Ready to try for ballast control?" He connected the last orange wire.

"Did we get it right?"

"Can't tell yet. I'll have to let the Skipper know to give it a try." Kowalski reached for the intercom just as the door opened.

"Let me know to give what a try?" Crane asked. Jamieson and two crewmen stood behind him. "Where has he been?" he demanded.

Harry shifted a little closer to the crewman as the captain glared at them, but Kowalski was unperturbed. "Just here with me, sir. He was helping me fix this mess. We got air purification and ballast control back online."

"It didn't occur to you to report and let me know where he was?"

"Well, he needed a break, sir, and I sure needed his help!"

Crane appeared to be only slightly mollified. "I'll talk to you about this later," he said. "Doc, let's do it."

As they stepped forward into the cabin Nelson noticed the hypodermic needle in the doctor's hand. He tried to keep his voice steady as he turned to Kowalski. "Are you going to let them have me?"

"I'm afraid so, sir."

"I should have hit you when I had the chance," he said bleakly.

"Nah, you shouldn't. It's not your style to sneak up on guys and bash them with fire extinguishers. What is your style—if you don't mind me saying—is holding yourself up with courage and dignity when your back's against the wall."

"Is my back against the wall?" Nelson asked quietly.

"Yes, sir. You know it is."

"Well, then," Harry squared his shoulders, "I guess this is it." He met Crane's eyes as the captain advanced on him.

Lee stopped an arm's length away. His anger had evaporated the moment he'd seen the resignation in Nelson's eyes. He'd been so worried, so furious, when Harry had escaped from sickbay, although he couldn't really blame him. He probably would have done the same. He hated what he had to do now. "Ensign," he said softly, "we're going to give you a sedative, nothing more. You need to rest and I can't have you running loose around the boat."

"Is that really what you're giving me?" Nelson asked the doctor.

Jamieson nodded. "It is." He unfastened the buttons on Harry's pajama top and Kowalski felt a tremor run through the young man's body.

"Steady," Ski murmured. "Be brave, sir."

Nelson kept his eyes locked on Crane's and didn't flinch as the needle entered his arm. His last memory before the drug took effect was the captain gently grasping his shoulders. "Don't worry," Lee said quietly, "I won't let you fall—now or ever."