A/N — I'm sorry. I promise to do better. That's all I can say. I'll go back to my cave of shame now. xoxo — kals

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Chapter 8

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Tom was still trying to figure out how Sasha convinced him that this side trip was a good idea as the two of them took another turn into the bowels of Doak Stadium. When Sasha mentioned meeting another contact, Tom had been picturing something similar to their plan in Savannah, with Sasha once again impersonating Doctor Scott and, most critical to Tom's thinking, surrounded by Marines. At no point had Tom contemplated that going along with Sasha's suggestion would involve winding her way through tunnels that looked like they hadn't been cleaned since the eighties.

At least she finally agreed to let him accompany her, rather than disappearing with Green.

After checking her phone, Sasha took another left, keeping up her brisk pace, moving quickly enough that Tom almost missed the figure attempting to slip into an alcove. He grabbed Sasha's arm. "Wait." He raised his voice. "This is the United States Navy. We are here distributing a vaccine to protect against the Red Flu. Please come out."

There was a long pause, then a man in a baseball cap and shorts that must have once been gray but were now covered in stained emerged, one small child in his arms, another hiding behind his back. All three were wearing surgical masks, the toddler's sagging below his nose. Not, according to Rachel, that correcting the mask's position would have made a difference, not with the way this thing spread.

The man studied Tom's uniform carefully, a defiant look crossing his face. "We aren't causing a problem. Just want to be left alone."

"This is Captain Thomas Chandler," Sasha interjected before Tom could speak. "The captain of the Nathan James. You may have seen him on Nathan James Watch." The man's eyes grew large as he made the connection, gaze swinging from Tom to Sasha and back. Sasha smiled, taking a step towards the three. "We're in the process of vacating everyone here at the stadium. I suggest that you take your children and get into line. There's also food and other medical care available."

The man hesitated, his face reflecting a combination of suspicion and hope. "Me and the kids, we aren't on the official list. The guards here didn't want to let us in. Said that we had to go back to Daytona and our assigned safe zone. But people there were getting sick and I already lost my wife to this thing. I'm not losing my girls."

Tom forced his body to remain relaxed, burying the fury that boiled up at the man's story. One that he and Sasha had heard a half dozen times now — tales of families, babies, being turned away. Worse was learning that the Nathan James bypassed three infected safe zones on their way to Tallahassee. All on Amy Granderson's orders. Tom met the man's eyes, keeping his voice firm and calm. "The Nathan James will remain here until everyone who wants to be vaccinated is, whether people are on some official list or not. You have my word."

For a moment, Tom wasn't sure whether the man would believe them, but then he nodded. Hefting the toddler higher on his hip, the man took the other child's hand and they headed down the corridor away from Tom and Sasha. Sasha was silent until the family disappeared around the corner. "You shouldn't make promises that you may not be able to keep, Tom. There are over a hundred thousand people to vaccinate in the stadium alone and Granderson is already making noise about us moving to New Orleans. It might have been better to let him stay down here. Less chance of exposure."

"Funny thing about that," Tom said conversationally as they resumed their trek. "Lieutenant Granderson said that she was only getting half the messages from Lejeune. Something about problems with the satellite?" Tom paused, waiting to see if Sasha would react. After all, the fact that the satellite problems began within hours of Sasha and Danny being spotted entering Valerie Raymond's cabin seemed slightly too coincidental. But Sasha remained silent.

Because she was protecting him? Or because she didn't trust him?

Three minutes later, Tom was the one to break the silence. "Nathan James watch? Really?"

A smirk crossed Sasha's face. "It's gold. Nobody will remember me being here at all. Not when they realize that they just met the man who saved the world. Even better, nobody will think twice about you being here. After all, this is just the kind of thing that Tom Chandler would do, hunt through the stadium to make sure every last person who wanted a vaccine got one."

Privately, Tom conceded the point. With him here, Sasha faded into the background. Not that he planned to admit it. "What would you have done if Green were here instead?"

"Not worn my uniform, for one," Sasha replied tartly. Then she hesitated, glancing at him for a brief moment before her eyes returned to the corridor before them, shoulders stiff. "If we're going to keep working together, you're going to have to start trusting Danny."

The or else remained unsaid.

Yet this was no empty threat. Sasha was the intelligence officer who originally identified the threat posed by this virus, bringing Doctor Scott's proposal to the Secretary of Defense and getting the initial mission greenlighted. Even with the wrench caused by Tophet's treason, Sasha was the Pentagon's golden girl. If she requested a transfer to another ship, she would get it. And if the choice came down to Tom or Danny, Tom wasn't foolish enough to think that he would be on the winning side. What was it that Sasha said about Green?

The only man who has never let me down.

One stupid choice had cost Tom more than he could imagine.

"I'd pick Green to watch my back in a firefight anytime," Tom objected, cringing at the scornful look that Sasha shot at him. But, to his surprise, Sasha didn't drop the subject.

"Danny thinks you're jealous because you, mistakenly I might add, think that we've had sex." Sasha paused to let that sink in, before adding, "I know that you're more evolved than that. So what is your issue with Danny?"

Tom blinked at the direct question, both surprised and not by the information that she and Green had never crossed that line. Because as physical as Green and Sasha were with each other, Tom had also seen how differently Green was with Kara. The way Danny's eyes followed Kara around a room, how he raised his hand to her back as they walked or tucked Kara's hair behind her ear. On the other hand, while Tom hadn't seen Green put Sasha in a headlock like he did with Benz, the two had the familiarity of two people used to living in the same space.

He's more than a friend, Tom. He's my brother.

"Not jealous," Tom finally responded. Yet, Green wasn't completely wrong and, more importantly, Sasha knew it. "What Karl said, back in Savannah, about me being the new Green? There should never have been a Green, Sasha. I should have been the one watching your back. The one you trusted to watch your back."

Sasha stopped so abruptly that Tom almost ran into her, his attention immediately switching to scanning the surrounding corridors for problems. But then Sasha swung around, hands lifting to her hips.

"You stupid, stupid man." She shook her head, blowing out a breath in exasperation. "Out of over four hundred ships in the US Navy, why the hell do you think that I picked yours? You aren't the new Green, Tom. Green was the new Chandler."

Then, without warning, her hands lifted to frame his face, her lips finding his. The contact was unexpected yet achingly familiar, his body recognizing and responding before his conscious mind realized what was happening. And then, as quickly as it began, Sasha was pulling away.

His brain spinning, both from the kiss and the outburst that preceded it, Tom barely noticed that Sasha was moving again. She took the next several turns without breaking stride, only Tom's longer legs allowing him to keep pace. No more than five minutes passed before Sasha abruptly stopped, checking in both directions, before leaning back against the wall. "You can come out, Barnes."

The man who stepped out of the shadows looked vaguely familiar given that he was a generic white guy with brown hair, Tom couldn't place him. Not, that is, until the man turned to Sasha incredulously. "You seriously expect me to believe that Captain Thomas Chandler is going to give me a no-holds barred interview? I'm not that stupid."

Tom felt his jaw tighten as he realized the man's identity. Jacob Barnes, the host of Nathan James Watch, which had caused nothing but trouble since the Arctic.

Sasha shrugged. "You can believe me or not. I'm here. Captain Chandler's here. If your information is good, I promise you that you'll get your exclusive interview as soon as the Nathan James is done spreading the cure."

Tom almost choked. An exclusive interview? Still, Sasha wouldn't have offered if she didn't think Barnes had information that was worth it.

"You didn't mention waiting," Barnes protested, but Tom could see the calculation in his eyes. Barnes turned towards Tom, studying him for several moments, and Tom knew it was only a matter of time before Barnes took the bait. "I want your word, Captain Chandler, that you will provide Nathan James Watch with an exclusive interview within a week of the Nathan James returning to Norfolk."

"As I said..." Sasha began, only to be cut off.

"No," Barnes interrupted, eyes never leaving Tom. "I want him to respond."

Smart man. Tom considered Barnes, rolling the proposal over and over in his head. Presumably Sasha set this meeting up with plans of dangling Green's story in front of the man. Unless, that was, Sasha expected Tom to insist on accompanying her, and this was the plan the entire time. A test, as it were, to see just how far he was willing to go to help her. Yet, even as the thought occurred, Tom dismissed it. Sasha might never show her cards, but she wasn't a cheat. She merely took advantage of what the game offered.

"You have my word," Tom replied. "Assuming that your information is worth it."

Not that he had any idea what information Sasha was after.

"Here." Barnes flipped Sasha a thumb drive. "You may be particularly interested in reviewing the information about travel exceptions. For example, did you know that the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development's son traveled from a hot spot in Michigan to this safe zone, only seventy-two hours prior to the outbreak here?"

Tom recalled the young man. A college student, Michener had explained to Tom as they stood in the parking lot watching the helicopter taking Michener's family to Solace disappear into the horizon. Michener himself appeared to be immune, showing no signs of infection despite his entire family being sick. Tom had left Rachel with him, along with Tex and Green, assuming that Michener's knowledge on the ground would be useful in determining the best way to spread the vaccine and the cure. But if Michener caused the outbreak...

Sasha, as usual, was two steps ahead. "Who approved the travel waiver?"

Barnes practically spat the name. "Amy Granderson. The president's favorite mouthpiece. Just like she approved the French ambassador's request to bypass security at LaGuardia — and allowed the man to meet with Secretary of Defense Marcus without a quarantine period."

Only fifteen years of training allowed Tom to remain silent. Just yesterday Jed told Tom that Marcus died, alone, quarantining himself in his car after learning that he was exposed. And even after becoming sick, Marcus spent his last hours working to establish safe zones for military personnel and their families. One of Marcus's last calls had been to Jed — a warning not to trust information coming through official channels.

"Five thousand people died at Laguardia," Sasha observed, her voice casual, yet Tom could sense the suppressed anger.

"Officially," Barnes countered. "That doesn't count anyone in transit forced to return to Europe or stuck there after the airport closed."

Sasha gave a short nod. "Anything else you want to share?"

Barnes hesitated, his eyes moving from Tom to Sasha and back. "There have been a lot of calls to Mexico. "

Sasha's relaxed position against the wall didn't change, but Tom could sense her interest. "Lots of reasons why the Secretary of Defense might call her counterpart in a country we share a border with during a deadly pandemic."

Barnes snorted. "You know as well as I do that the Mexican government's been taken over by the Sinaloa cartel. Seems odd that the Secretary of Defense would be talking to them on a daily basis. But if that doesn't interest you..."

A scraping sound came from further down the corridor, interrupting the conversation. Sasha straightened, flickering her flashlight in the direction, but the only thing Tom could see were rats. Still, the interruption was a reminder that this location was far from secure.

Sasha glanced at Barnes, pulling a slim package from her front pocket, tossing it at Barnes. "Jacob, catch."

He caught the package one handed, looking up. "Is this...?"

"Vaccine and cure," Sasha confirmed, before adding. "We've used it on pregnant women. So far there haven't been any adverse reactions."

Barnes swallowed, then nodded, slipping the package into his jacket and then pulling the hood over his head. "Thank you."

Sasha stood, waiting, until Barnes disappeared. Then she pulled a small device out of her pocket, fiddling with several buttons. When she noticed Tom watching, a smile flitted across her face. "Jammer. Jacob has his uses, but at the end of the day, he's still a reporter."

"That reference to pregnant women?" Tom asked softly.

"His wife," Sasha explained. "That was the real carrot. Getting an interview with you was just the icing on top."

Tom followed as Sasha began moving back towards the entrance to the stadium. "What Barnes said about Michener, should we be worried?"

Sasha took a moment to consider, before shaking her head. "No. He's just a pawn."

"A pawn who almost killed a hundred thousand people," Tom replied, feeling a flare of anger. Michener put his son above every other person in this stadium — including his own wife and daughters. "Those people trusted him to keep them safe."

"Tom Chandler. Smart, handsome, noble to a fault," Sasha said, her voice laced with amusement. "And naive enough to believe that honest politicians exist."

"Honor, courage and commitment. The core values of every sailor," Tom replied, lengthening his strides so they were walking next to each other. "Marcus was a good man."

"He was," Sasha conceded. "I thought that Granderson was too. She had me fooled." Sasha sent him a sideways glance. "You saw right through her."

"Only because of Alisha."

Sasha was quiet, and when she spoke, she sounded amused. "I forgot to add stubborn. You can be tenacious as a dog with a bone."

He met her eyes and, despite the gravity of the situation, dealing with death and possible treason, Tom found himself smiling. "Only about the important things." He paused. "Does Green know what Kotenok means?"

Sasha chuckled. "Danny's Russian is about as good as your Yiddish."

Tom lifted an eyebrow. "You once gave me Yiddish for Dummies as a gift."

There was a pause, before Sasha broke into a grin. "I know."