Chapter 8

Starke and Hardy made their way to the Bunker Hill's captain's quarters ready to begin the final act in this damnable play Logan had devised. With the NIMR's bell and Logan securely on board, and Crane's dive rig attached, there was no point in drawing this out. They would be on location in another 5 hours and it was time to contact Weems. As they entered Crane and Captain Allen rose from their seats around the small conference table.

"Be seated, gentlemen," Starke ordered as he and Hardy grabbed their seats. "All right Captain, I think we're ready to begin. Have your radioman contact Seaview."

"Aye Admiral," Allen acknowledged and hit the intercom on his desk. "Anderson, place the call."

"Aye, aye, Skipper," the petty officer immediately acknowledged. A couple of minutes later the intercom buzzed. "Captain, I have a Mr. Weems aboard Seaview on the horn for you."

"Pipe it down," Allen ordered. There was a moment of silence then the line crackled alive. The captain hit the speaker button so everyone in the room could hear what was going on.

"Weems, this is Starke."

"Ah Admiral Starke, I assume you're calling me to let me know when you're going to arrive," Weems oozed.

"That's affirmative Weems. We will be in position and ready to complete the transfer in 5 hours," Starke informed him.

"My, my, my, you have been busy little bees. Or is that SeaBees?" he joked. The silence on the other end was deafening. "Very well Admiral we will be standing by to receive the diving bell. As soon as we have confirmed that you have given us Mr. Logan and he is in good health, we will depart the area taking our threat of a nuclear blast with us. I suppose I don't have to remind you not to try anything stupid Admiral, or I will blow up this boat and take all of you with us."

"I'm holding you to your word, Weems. As I stated earlier, you will never see any benefit from your participation in this plan. You will be a hunted man on every continent and in every country on this planet. And again I remind you not to underestimate the length of our reach, we are everywhere," Starke replied in a cold and deadly tone.

Despite his best efforts, Weems shuddered at the thought of falling into that man's hands. "I'll await your call when you're ready to conduct the transfer, Weems out." Allen snapped off the speaker as the line went dead.

"Well everything is now in motion," Hardy remarked. "Have you got everything you need, Crane?"

"Aye, sir. My tanks and depth gauge have been secured to the backside of the diving bell. They have also installed a perch for me so I can ride down in some comfort," Lee said with a quick smile. "I've talked to Riley, who is piloting the diving bell, he will ensure a smooth ride down and also make sure that you hear each step of the docking procedures as he slams hatches and otherwise makes as much noise as possible to cover any sound I might make. A small sea scooter has been attached as well and that will be my means of making it quickly to Seaview's moon pool with the least amount of effort. If I can make it onboard, the boat will be mine."

"Very well, Commander," Starke acknowledged with a nod. "Why don't you shove off and get some rest, I think you're going to need every bit of strength you possess to pull this off, Mister."

"Yes, sir. I couldn't agree more. If you will excuse me sirs, I need to start my final preparations," Lee said as he rose from the table.

"See you in five hours, Lee," Hardy said as Lee headed out the door. Once he had left the three men exchanged grim looks.

"What do you think his chances are, Admiral?" Allen asked.

"They aren't good, but there's no one else I would want to attempt this or to put my confidence in. If this is at all possible he will make sure it succeeds," Hardy responded. Starke nodded in complete agreement.

ooolo)

Logan stood up and swayed until he established his balance as the deck below him pitched slightly as the vessel motored to their rendezvous. He ground his teeth and took a short tentative step forward unable to see anything with the hood still over his head. After a moment he shuffled forward a bit, his legs and arms still shackled. His anger had grown to monumental proportions at his treatment.

They were taking no chances on his preparations and had eliminated every opportunity he had arranged to communicate with his people and guide his release. They would pay for this ignominy and humiliation in ways they could not conceive. Nelson would be the first to taste his rage and then Crane. They would beg for death but he would leave that decision up to his partners in the PR. They had purchased that right with their support and promise of a place to hide his submarine once they disappeared into the depths.

It was a tenuous relationship that relied heavily on some sense of honor between thieves. He was nowhere near naïve enough to believe that they wouldn't plan on taking his boat as soon as they docked. He had additional plans should they try to relieve him of his prize before he collected his due; his dearly beloved Mona Lisa.

Bumping into the bulkhead after only a few steps, he carefully spun around and walked the other direction until he ran into the bunk he had been sitting on. Too angry and too anxious to sit and wait he continued his blind shuffle back and forth as he waited for an escort to his ride and freedom. They would all pay he vowed viciously as he scraped his shins against the bunk.

(olooo

Zero hour had arrived. Lee stirred slowly from his bed having tried as best he could to grab some sleep with very little success. He sat up, placed his elbows on his knees and buried his head in his hands as he began playing the tasks he needed to accomplish through his head. All it would take is one mistake on his part, and virtually everyone and everything he cared deeply for would go up in a raging ball of fire.

Pushing away the self-doubt and the elephant sized case of nerves that had taken up residence in his stomach, he stood and headed for the head. Once done he moved to the closet and pulled out the thermal undergarments he needed to wear to at least stave off some of the chilling grasp of lightless depths into which he'd descend. He shook his head and laughed at his overly poetic ruminations on his coming task. He then pulled his .45 out of his pack and several clips of ammunition and stuffed them into a waterproof bag. He placed his gun inside a small mesh bag that held the gas canisters containing the sedative he would release into the revitalization unit to knock everyone aboard unconscious.

Now dressed and starting to overheat, he headed out the door and down to the staging area where all this would begin. When he reached the hatch he stood there momentarily watching all the preparations. Marquez and his team were busily giving his suit and tanks a thorough inspection ensuring there would be no chance for failure on their part. Riley climbed out of the bell having completed his pre-dive check and moved next to Marquez to watch their work. Lee had a great team and they were increasing his odds of success exponentially.

Riley then moved to the sea scooter and conducted a complete inspection of it and verified that the batteries were fully charged and that everything was working as designed. He attached a bright dive light to the unit to make sure his captain had no trouble finding where he needed to go. Lee smiled, when it came to Seaview, he was like a salmon returning to its place of birth. He would be able to find her even if he was blindfolded. Something about his great gray lady called to him, always bringing him home. Such was his obsession for her.

"Ah, Lee," Al called out after spying him across the room. "Everything is ready to go. We should be ready to launch in 15 minutes. Let's get you into your suit and ready for introduction of the breathing medium."

Lee smiled and nodded as he walked over to the dive bench holding his suit. Marquez and his associates expertly assisted him in donning the suit and ran through a refresher on its operation. With it now on, he walked Lee around the room to ensure it fit correctly and was not binding or inhibiting his movement. They then attached the small oxygen cylinder he would need to use once he removed the helmet and cleared his lungs. Next he was fitted with a buoyancy compensator and scuba tank that held the breathing medium he would use to get to Seaview once they arrived. Lee had them attach his dive watch to his wrist so he could monitor the time as he went down. The small mesh bag holding his sedatives and gun was then secured to the back of his scuba tank. Now comfortable with how everything fit and was arranged, he was walked over to the bell and one more time went over the breathing system controls between the tanks and how to operate them, and how to detach from the bell when he arrived.

As they finished up their tour a voice over a loudspeaker echoed across the room. "Dive team members prepare for launch in 5 minutes. All team members to your stations. The prisoner will be escorted to the bell in 5 minutes."

"Okay Lee, it looks like it's time. You're sure you want to try this?" Al asked in all seriousness.

"Yeah Al, I'm certain. The way any of this is even remotely possible is because of you and your team. Thanks for all your help regardless how this turns out," Lee replied earnestly. He walked over to the bench and then sat down waiting for the helmet to be placed over his head and the breathing medium released into the helmet.

Once the helmet clicked shut, Al made eye contact with Lee and gave him the okay sign. Lee nodded and returned the gesture. His associates and Riley then took position on either side of him and gripped him tightly to help control his reaction once the fluid was released. Receiving an all set nod from them, Al cracked the valve from the tank and fluid began filling the helmet.

"Come on Lee, breathe it in," Al said via the headset and mic, encouraging his friend to introduce the liquid into his lungs.

No longer able to hold his breath, Lee sucked in a large breath of the fluid and immediately began to thrash about trying to break free and tear the helmet from his head. After a moment as his system began to replenish with oxygen and the urgency to draw in a fresh breath of air subsided, he relaxed and began to breathe more normally.

"You okay?" Al asked. Lee nodded and gave him a thumbs up. "All right, let's get you settled into position and then try as best you can to just relax and enjoy the ride down."

Lee just stared at him a moment, rolled his eyes and gave him a 'yeah, right' glare, then smiled. He pushed slowly up to his feet and was assisted over to his perch on the outside of the bell. Once there, he clipped his suit to a D-ring to keep him from falling off if he lost consciousness. He then verified that his sea scooter was ready and his oxygen was securely fastened to his thigh. Riley walked over and put his fins on so he was ready to move when the time came.

"Okay Skipper, I'll give you a smooth ride, you just make sure to hang on," Stu said with a smile. Lee returned his smile and gave him a thumbs up.

ooolo)

A couple of minutes later, the armed guards escorted a pink clad, shackled and hooded man to the bell. Once at the hatch they lifted him up and unceremoniously placed him in the bell then climbed in, put him in a seat, and tethered him to it. Lee watched with some amusement knowing Logan would be doing a slow burn over the dehumanizing treatment he had received. He was fairly certain this was not the way he envisioned his release. He was all too used to extreme deference in his personal dealings and this had to be galling him to no end.

Lee also hoped that he would not take his embarrassment and anger out on his men or the admiral and Chip before he could act. The man had no compunction about erasing an irritant or minion that didn't perform as expected. He knew, given the treatment Logan had received, he had to get on-board as quickly as possible and put things in motion before Logan could get around to exacting his retribution for the indignities he had suffered.

Riley watched in mild amusement as his passenger was secured. The guard then turned around and handed him the keys and a weapon. "Here, once you get there make them come up and get him. Keep the gun trained on them at all times, and only after they have him in the sub and are out of the bell do you drop the keys and slam the hatch shut," the guard instructed. "We don't need to lose you too."

Riley nodded, placed the holster around his waist and shoved the keys in his pocket. "You got it." When the guard exited Riley closed the hatch, put on the headset and let all who were listening know they were ready to be placed in the water.

The response was immediate as the crane quickly lifted the bell out of the hold and swung it carefully over the side and lowered it into the water. Riley conducted another review of his gauges and dials then signaled they were ready to descend.

(olooo