All to Hell

Captain Crane felt useless, useless, responsible for this mess, and guilty for the injuries to his crewmen.

This was supposed to have been a good day, a day to enjoy, a treat for Chip Morton his Executive Officer. Now it was shot all to hell and so was Chip. Morton urgently needed medical attention. What a mess.

The entire mission was in jeopardy and Crane, as leader, was responsible. Admiral Nelson would be livid. Crane didn't plan to go back to Seaview.

"Chip. Stay with me buddy," Crane beseeched. Just moments before he had slid his Executive Officer off his shoulders and down onto the sandy gravel and leaned him back against one of the rocks forming the little shoreline niche they were sheltered in. Seeing Chip open his eyes he pulled out their only remaining canteen and held it for Chip to take a tiny sip of the water they had left. They were all a bit dehydrated from the day's exertions.

Crane screwed the lid back onto the canteen and gave it a gentle shake noting there were just a thirty or forty millilitres left. Dropping it to the ground beside Chip's hand he twisted and fiddled with the heel of his left boot.

"Stay with me, Chip. Stay awake just a bit longer, so you know the plan." He extracted the transponder from his boot heel, activated it, and in the darkness of the starlit night held it up close to Chip's eyes, then slid it into the chest pocket of the olive drab fatigue shirt that was holding Chip's bandages in place. He buttoned the flap over it carefully. He gently patted Chip's chest under the pocket. "There. You have my transponder. Just wait a bit and the Seaview team will pick you and Ski up as soon as the tide is right."

"What about you, Lee?" Chip's words were thick and difficult to understand.

"I'm going back for the pack. You two should be picked up in … " Crane looked at his watch, "about four hours." He gave Chip a small reassuring smile. "You'll get to goldbrick and snuggle up in a nice, warm, cozy bunk in sick bay."

"Lee, don't go. It's too dangerous."

"Not anymore and if I don't go this will all have been for nothing." He gestured to Chip's wounded side. He was lying about the not dangerous part. Some of the attackers were gone but they didn't know how many there were. He wouldn't admit that to Chip.

"Take Ski with you." Chip's voice was pleading urgently but fading.

"Sorry, Chip. Ski would slow things down. He needs to get back to Seaview too. I'll be fine. I'll just zip back, pick up the pack and come right back, okay." It wasn't a question. It was an order, but gently given. It wasn't all he intended to do either.

Chip felt useless. Worse than useless, he had been nothing but a burden to Kowalski and Lee. Especially to Lee. Lee had carried him on his back and said nothing about the effort but Chip had felt the trembling muscles, the faltering steps, and especially the labouring breathing. Lee had been working so hard under his weight staggering at times from the exertion.

Chip had tried to not let his discomfort show when his friend was going to such extremes to get him back to Seaview but sometimes he had gasped in pain when Lee picked him up or put him down. He could tell his groans distressed Lee when that happened. He had been mentally biting his lip so as not to let the groans out but sometimes he couldn't help it. Lee had tried to carry him piggyback or pack strap style but sometimes Lee had to change it up. Unfortunately fireman's carry was highly disorienting and had made him very nauseous. That had caused Lee to apologize profusely in remorse for trying it and Chip felt guilty. He was worse than useless. This was supposed to have been an enjoyable day of hiking and breathing fresh air. A simple hike to resupply the tiny research facility. Not a marathon effort for his CO. It was not his favourite day.

Kowalski spoke up. "Sir, you aren't going to make it back in time for the tide." He trailed off uncertain if he should point out other issues about that. "It must be at least fourteen, fifteen klicks back to the pack … " Ski hesitated, "do you think you can make it in time?"

"No I won't, not for your extraction, but maybe the next window."

Ski looked at him doubtfully. "The next, sir?" He murmured quietly. "No offense, sir but you're about done in and there's no food or water for you."

Crane's answering look acknowledged those observations. He glanced surreptitiously at Mr. Morton then replied very quietly. "Has to be done, Ski."

"But, sir … " Ski paused treading very carefully. "If I may, sir I would respectfully recommend you wait. When they get here have someone else go?"

Crane recognized from Kowalski's very carefully worded suggestion that Ski was very serious. A rating didn't make recommendations to superiors lightly. Especially recommendations the superior didn't want to entertain.

Crane glanced over his shoulder again to see that Morton had closed his eyes. He murmured quietly trying not to let his voice carry, "Ski, they won't be prepared for that. They will just be ready for an extraction. The tide window is too small for them to arrange a detail once they get here and find out the situation. We three are the only ones who know where the pack is. If I go back to Seaview with you I can't get back until evening tide. It's too important to leave it unattended longer than necessary. I won't wait that long. Besides it would mean the next few hours are wasted entirely."

Crane looked at him, his eyes conceding the difficulties but also silently telling Ski not to say anything more about it especially out loud for Mr. Morton to hear. He wanted Mr. Morton to stay as calm as possible.

Crane also didn't want Kowalski to put other pieces together. If he returned to Seaview now Doc would stand him down until he was 'adequately' rested. He was the only one of the three who could go back to find the pack. If he stayed here until the extraction team arrived they would have a radio and he could get ordered back aboard leaving the mission in jeopardy. If he left to get the pack now he removed that possibility. It would be hard, certainly far from pleasant, but if he forced himself relentlessly and caught a bit of luck he could salvage the mission. Even slow as he would be he could be back by the evening tide. That's as soon as a shore detail from Seaview could land on the beach to start for the pack anyway and he would prevent putting anyone else in jeopardy.

Ski, seeing the determined look in the Captain's eyes, nodded. "Right, sir."

Kowalski felt useless. With his sprained ankle he hadn't been able to help much with Mr. Morton. Sure he had supported him part of the way as they started their walk out but only until Mr. Morton got too weak to walk at all.

He was pretty sure that after Mr. Morton was hurt he had only walked about two kilometres with assistance. After that the Skipper carried him. It had been heartbreaking to watch. The Skipper could only go a couple of hundred metres before he absolutely had to rest. It hurt Mr. Morton each time the Skipper lifted him and set him down and seeing that wrung his heart. Sure Mr. Morton was the Exec and kept all the ratings in line at all times but he was a good guy.

The carrying had surely trashed the Skipper. He cringed remembering the Skipper's laboured breathing. Each breath almost like a steam engine the work was so hard.

Ski had proposed a travois but both he and the Skipper realized the terrain inhibited that option and the marks it would make would give them away should they be pursued. In addition if they had to leave the trail to hide it would slow them down too much to get Mr. Morton safely hidden and hide all traces. It was simply too risky.

He hadn't been able to carry the all-important pack or Mr. Morton so they had hidden the pack and the Skipper had done all the hard lifting. Now the Skipper proposed to go back for the pack himself. Ski wondered if the Skipper, tired out as he was, could even get there and back now for the evening tide.

"Look, Ski. See those trees near the centre of the beach?" Crane started to point out the trees a couple of hundred metres away to the left of their hiding spot but then glanced over his shoulder at Morton. He didn't want Chip to connect the dots about what he told Ski next, so he lowered his voice and reigned in the gesture. "There in the middle." He gave a guarded gesture toward the trees then made another small movement to point toward the seaward end of the narrow cove to their right, "From the right angle they are visible from offshore. Since I won't have the transponder I'll tie something there when I get back. That way Seaview doesn't have to surface to find out if I am here. Just put up the periscope to see if I have put a flag on those trees. Safer that way for the boat. No need to surface or put anyone at risk with a landing until you know I am back. Ok? Once I do that I will work my way over here and hole up right on this spot to wait for the tide. This place has the best cover for a bit of a wait. Got that?"

Kowalski wanted to point out that Crane had already traveled nearly forty klicks and too many of them carrying Mr. Morton. He wanted to point out that they had lost their rations and most of their water. The backpack Crane was going to fetch weighed at least forty kilos. The Skipper was already so tired that he would move slower than usual. He would have to be cautious to avoid detection. It would be hard to see anything as small as a flag or bandana or whatever the Skipper meant by 'something' by periscope. All of those impediments showed in his eyes as he looked at his Skipper then over the Skipper's shoulder at Mr. Morton who shouldn't be troubled by any of that.

"Sir, wouldn't it be better to go back with us? Send another team tomorrow? There's no food or water for you."

Crane just looked at him with stubborn determination in his eyes and avoided the question entirely. "Tell the Admiral to contact ONI. If there's anyone left of the project team they need to be removed ASAP. ONI needs to know immediately."

Ski swallowed, nodded, and feeling useless to help the Skipper said, "Yes, sir. I'll make sure the Admiral knows."

"Good man." Crane's eyes showed his recognition of all those things and his appreciation for not mentioning any of them. "Thanks Ski. Do your best to keep Mr. Morton comfortable right?

"Yes, sir."

With a final glance back at Morton who was leaning back against the rock with his eyes closed he turned back towards the trail to collect the precious backpack they had hidden in the forest.