Chuck vs The Wayward Legionnaire

Book 2: Water.

Chapter 7: The men from Atlantis….

07th May. 2010. Mediterranean Sea, French/Italian Naval Operation. 17.40. CET.

The spray from the huge shockwaves generated by the undersea explosions had died down, the only noise Chen and the rest could hear was the diesel turbines of the ship's engines and the rushing sea water as it cascaded off the decks on its return home.

The shocked faces of Chen and Vanderlaan and Brun looked at each other. The Ukrainians were still screaming their heads off in warning.

"Jesus!" Stammered Erik. Brun stared sullenly, Chen just shook his head, if Sean and Robie were down there still, he didn't rate their chances, Carina Miller didn't either. Explosions at that depth would have wreaked havoc on the undersea base. She laid a consoling hand on Erik's forearm, he glanced at her, but his facial expression belied his fears.

There was a commotion behind them, Ilsa Trinchina and Maggie approached, there were armed guards with them, their eyes were on Miller. It dawned on her that nobody knew she here, she was a spy and that nobody knew what her mission had been, she licked her lips nervously.

"Ms Miller?", Trinchina confirmed. Carina nodded. "it appears we have a communique from the DEA that you're on a missing list."

Miller nodded again. "I had been due to report in a couple of days ago, unfortunately…" The rest went unsaid.

The DGSE spy said nothing but looked interested, so she continued, "I had been sent to check on a former person of interest. Turns out he had changed from a minor drug supplier to an arms dealer. I never got the information out, somehow, I got made."

Trinchina pursed her lips, they had conversed in English so the majority of what they said had gone over the heads of the French sailors, Koh and the rest understood though.

"I'm informed you knew one of your rescuers, John Robie, or should I say Chuck Bartowski."

Miller sighed, "Yes, I knew him as Bartowski, we worked a mission together in LA with some of his former colleagues. There's an order out for his arrest…."

Erik and the others stiffened at that.

Ilsa considered what she had been told. She noted the condition of the woman and Erik Vanderlaan, they had been put through the wringer. She had no reason to hold Miller. The DEA missive had outlined her mission, now she had confirmed it. The Bartowski connection was a surprise but the way everyone looked right now, as if the worst had already happened might help her out. She made a small sign at Koh. A small tilt of the head confirmed she would back the play.

"That's not possible, I'm afraid." Carina's face screwed in surprise. "What do you mean….?"

From what we can guess, the base was destroyed…"

"NO!" cried Erik, his and Philip's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Chen looked to Koh; her lowered head served as confirmation. He walked away to the stern of the ship; Brun went with him.

Ilsa looked at Miller and Vanderlaan, "I've arranged a medvac back to Marseille, there'll be a debrief after the medical treatment. Capitaine Koh will accompany you."

Miller was relieved, she'd let the higher ups sort things out, the quicker she was on her way the happier she'd feel, it was a real bonus hearing Erik would be joining her. Koh had wandered off to grab Chen. When they returned the Helicopter, they had arrived in was ready, Delon appeared, he spoke briefly to his men, the Ukrainians stayed, Ilsa had heard the part they played, it was agreed their technical knowledge might be useful.

Brun joined the others, his face also a mask of misery. They watched as they took off from the foredeck, the men watched the sea though as if willing the others to appear. They watched long after the ships disappeared from view.

Back on the Bridge, standing around the sonar array screen the faces of Guillaud and his officers were a picture of concentration as they watched the operator try to make sense of the returning data…

Anxiously the young officer tried to follow the image that the screen was telling him, the undersea topography of this area; the Tyrrhenian Sea was still an ongoing process, some the deepest parts were up to 2 miles or nearly 4 kilometres.

The undersea base was dropping like a rock right over an abyss!

.

The two men were running, tumbling through a series of bulkheads, barely having time to slam a door shut and dog it before Chuck would grab Sean and drag sprint him to the next exit.

Behind them the sounds of groaning metal and rushing water lend them wings as they ran, Sean had no idea where they were, he trusted Chuck though, if anyone could find a way out of this mess they were in, it was him.

They halted by a door blocked by fallen equipment, he started to despair until Chuck began throwing the heavy debris to one side.

"COME ON!" exhorted Chuck, red faced with effort, Sean bent immediately and helped as best he could, but he wasn't fooling anyone, this was all Bartowski, the man's strength was unbelievable!

With a gasp, they dragged a heavy metal container to one side, just enough to gain access to the last door, Sean recognised it!

They were back where they started, the docking area. He had no idea why, but now was not the time for questions, Chuck was bent over the electronic mechanism and after a few seconds of rewiring the large bay doors slowly opened.

They shot through the gap; Chuck has already hitting the emergency locking mechanism, and the doors slammed shut again with a loud clang!

Sean had his hands on his knees, Chuck was looking around, he realised the bombardment from the surface had stopped, the violent shaking from the detonations had ceased, they stood on a raised gantry facing the docking stations, below them the patrol boats had ripped loose from their moorings and the sloshing waters inside had piled them up against the outer doors.

The alarms had stopped but the decks were moving about under their feet as if they were on a moving ship, which in part they were. The base was rocking from side to side in a vain attempt to overcome its less-than-optimal hull design as it slowly sank.

They were both violently flung to the metal deck as the outside hull made prolonged contact with something, the noise level of the crashing ships and falling equipment with the scream of tortured metal had them grasping their ears, it felt like they were sliding and then they were, across the deck until with a bump and a short moment of freefall they ground to a sudden halt, both men shot up against a wall before the base settled and they dropped unceremoniously to the deck again.

They rolled to their feet and took stock.

"Well, it seems like the worst is over, I mean what else could go wrong?" Sean said.

The lights flickered and went out abruptly plunging the area into darkness…

"You had to ask…."

.

Back on the surface, the sonar operator turned to Capitaine Guillaud, "Sir! They've stopped!"

"How is that possible?"

"Best guess is that the base has lodged itself on an overhang on the side of that crevasse just above where the Undersea City is suspected of being, that might explain why earlier scans of the area missed it, Sir!"

Guillaud tapped the younger man on the shoulder, "Well done, Montefiore, keep me informed."

"Oui Sir!"

Guillaud grabbed his cap and headed to the stateroom with the others in tow.

Once inside, he motioned them to sit down.

"Major Trinchina, you may have a window of opportunity here to fulfil your orders."

Ilsa nodded. Delon turned to her, he asked, "is there a possibility Bartowski and Murphy survived?"

Ilsa had no idea, Guillaud spoke up, "Anything is possible, it's a craft of unknown design. Communications are out, we won't know until the Major gets down there and assesses the situation."

A comms unit started buzzing, Guillaud picked up, "Oui…." For a minute he conversed, listening more than speaking. Finally, he hung up. "Major, the Anteo is due in an hour, there is a small submersible really for deployment on it."

Trinchina nodded, "Oui, it has been arranged, I am to survey the Base and access the missile array. There should be an Italian NBC specialist on board."

Guillaud's eyebrows raised at that.

"Joint operation… their waters..." He nodded sagely. It seemed cooperation at higher levels was already at play.

Delon had a thought, "I don't suppose there's room on that submersible for another?"

Trinchina wasn't a ghoul, she knew whatever the outcome he was still a commanding officer with missing men. Not just any missing men. Legionnaires. She knew their code. It was a unique brotherhood. She nodded.

"Welcome aboard".

.

Across the bay, deep beneath the earth a lift slowly came to a halt at the bottom of a shaft. The men inside shifted uneasily, weapons were prepared, there had been enough space to get the smaller transports inside.

Now they blocked the doors, the drivers sat ready to blast out, for now they were to provide cover once the doors opened, the two Officers Perrault and Bertelli sat in one, they carefully monitored the progress as two engineers prepared to open the doors. Above them in the shafts two team of men also prepared for their final rappel to the lift.

It all hinged on what exactly lay in store for them.

In the end it was an anti-climax, as the doors slowly opened, the first soldiers burst through, instantly fanning out and already relaying information before they had even opened halfway.

Inside the officers relaxed, the rest of the battle group joined them.

"Well Major, it appears no one has laid out the welcome mat."

Perrault smiled, "Lulling us into a false sense of security perhaps…"

Bertelli wore a wolfish grin. "Well let's not disappoint… Advance!"

At his command the drivers pulled out, he let a vanguard of his and Perrault's men move ahead of the vehicles, it was a well-lit passageway, they could see it had been widened and some rudimentary road surfacing done. Still, it was an unknown quantity, and they proceeded with caution.

They kept in constant communication with their command, especially, the going's on back on the surface, which they realised was just above their heads kept the edge in the proceedings.

They both knew if they were in charge of the undersea city defences they'd have mined the approach. At this depth the collapse of the tunnels was instant death!

For an hour they proceeded to delve deeper into the domain, finally the advance scouts stopped, radio silence had been established as the tunnel grew bigger, they had figured they were close to the main chamber.

The defences were still unknown but given the naval battle the safe bet was to assume some form of military or mercenary setup, Callidis had deep pockets, it seemed a fair assumption.

They slowly crawled up to the main chamber entrance, marvelling at the height of the 'ceiling' …

"Must be 200 metres at least." Guessed Bertelli, Perrault had a rangefinder out. "231". He added with a grunt as he turned around, they entered the main chamber, for once both men were speechless.

A low whistle came from Bertelli, the inner sea and the city were still a good few kilometres away, but the dimensions… it was amazing… they could tell it wasn't all a natural formation, human hands had fashioned this. Their minds boggled, this was going to turn history and ideas about ancient archelogy on its head.

There was some shouting ahead from the scouts again, they got to their feet and jogged over, what they saw had them gasping in surprise, it was bodies. Not all of them were human….

They had been warned of the plan Callidis had envisioned, the reality was a shock even to combat experienced men like themselves.

A battle had been fought here. Modern assault rifles and bullet casings littered the ground as well as the remains of the victims, the medics quickly checked those that were human, the others… well who knew where to start? Nobody had prepared them for a new species.

A few of the group nudged them with barrels of rifles. But dead was dead. The medics accessed one of the bodies.

"Incredible…" as he raised a hand the webbing could be seen, the gills on the throat were also apparent, the skin, a blueish grey felt like a shark the medic had once held in an aquarium at the Cite De La Mer in Cherbourg.

A barrage of shots had them all diving for cover as the ricochets whined all around them!

"Over there!" screamed an NCO as he led a small offensive group returning fire. Whoever the attackers were they quickly dispersed heading back in the direction of the city.

Bertelli quickly regrouped the men, two had been wounded, thankfully nothing serious, he scowled. Perrault wasn't too happy either, they quickly organised the battle group into assault formation and advanced rapidly. Whoever they were, they had made a serious mistake!

The best defence was a strong offense, and they quickly mounted their vehicles and sped in pursuit.

They found themselves under fire as they entered the gates of the city, the muzzle flashes could be seen from the upper floors of the nearest buildings and what Bertelli suspected where guards' quarters strategically placed by the entrance.

With Perrault, he quickly spearheaded a response, the two officers led their men in an arrow type formation, he engaged the forces head on, while Perrault and his men attempted to breach the walls with their climbing equipment, they had some collapsible ladders from the transports, so it was with some relief that he noted they quickly penetrated the walls and began a surprise counterattack!

They were under orders to be wary of civilians messed up in the business, already reports of the mind-controlled staff of the company had reached them, and the fact that the spell had been broken.

The attack had been poorly co-ordinated by the defenders, their inexperience showing, he called a halt.

"This is Col. Bertelli of the Italian and French forces facing you! I will give you one minute, ONE! To surrender!"

It didn't even take that long, instantly guns were thrown out of doors and windows, a small white flag appeared, and a tall, bearded man appeared, a woman was beside him, she looked like someone in authority.

"Col. Bertelli, I am Maria Ricci, and this is my colleague, Rocco Ferri. We surrender."

Bertelli and his men approached cautiously, from above and behind the surrendering forces, Perrault and his men appeared. Bertelli nodded appreciatively.

Ricci approached the officer, "I'm sorry Col. Bertelli… we thought… we thought you were more of… them..."

Bertelli took stock, it was obvious to see that she was no soldier, her shocked face told of a harrowing ordeal.

"By them, you mean those …", he searched for a word, "…humanoids…"

She nodded, "When we got here, they were waiting, some were openly hostile, they killed a number of us before more of them appeared and helped us fight them back… they were human once… someone altered them and from what we were told the process is underway in ALL of us…"

She pointed to her neck, to Bertelli's unease, something squirmed under the skin. He felt the gorge rise in his throat and swallowed hard.

"Mio Dio…" he muttered under his breath. His brain kicked in though, his eyes narrowed, "You said, some of them helped you?"

Ricci nodded, she called out to someone, and they approached, they had a laptop with them. He could see the name Karol Shiva inscribed on it.

"This one…" Ricci began," … was their leader, she left this…" she indicated the laptop, "… it contains all the information including a drug we need to manufacture to kill the symbiote inside us, we only have a couple of weeks before the changes become permanent, and we end up like … them".

"Do you know how many are left?" Perrault asked, joining the group.

Ferri shook his head, "it was chaos down here, from what we were told, they were the original group, a mix of scientists and former soldiers Callidis had turned, his most loyal… he had wanted to prepare them for the apocalypse he tried to unleash… with the mind control established, any dissenters were obedient, Dr Shiva hadn't been seen for a few years at the company… "

Ricci paused, her eyes glistening, "… after she had… changed… there was no way back. Callidis didn't need the mind control all the time for them, so she continued her research into their condition secretly hoping for a cure…"

Ricci paused again, "… she wanted to derail his plan, with the mind control off, in time, she had devised a plan to stop the alteration process, it's all on that laptop. You need to get it to the authorities."

"Why isn't she here herself?" asked Bertelli.

"They had their humanity torn from them, Col…." Ricci responded, "…where can they go, but to the sea. They left as soon as we overcame the others. Come, this is but a fraction of us. The rest are at the Temple…"

Perrault posted a few men to watch their flanks, then they walked to the huge temple in the distance, entering they paused as they saw the many staff of Callidis arrayed before them, it numbered into the hundreds. They approached as they saw the uniformed men.

Bertelli walked to the altar, mounting the steps he turned to face the crowd.

"Your leaders have explained the situation, for the duration I would ask you to cooperate with my men, we are contacting the surface now and will have any supplies needed sent down…"

"Col. Bertelli?"

It was Ricci again, he nodded. "Yes?"

"We have plenty of supplies, there are storage structures built on the far side of the city, they have been well stocked from what we told."

Bertelli looked at Perrault, he called some men over, after a brief discussion they left to inspect and report back.

Bertelli looked at Ricci, "We're going to wait for orders, we may as well get comfortable… we may be here for a while. Has anybody displayed any side effects to your… condition?"

"Not so far, but Dr. Shiva explained it's dependant on the genetic makeup of the individual involved. Some will transition faster than others…"

"Sounds like we may need to organise a quarantine area, can I rely on you and your people to govern yourselves?"

"Yes Col. you can, believe me, I want this thing out of me as soon as possible too."

"That bad?"

"I want to be human again, Col. Bertelli, the alternative doesn't bear thinking about…"

"You said the… others left?"

"They went to the airlocks where the submersibles docked, it's to the south of the city… they mean no harm… they saved us…."

It was too much for the young woman, it all caught up to her, she began to weep.

Bertelli sighed; what training covered this? He called his second over, Lt. De Marco who'd been listening to the conversation.

"Sir?"

"We better make sure of that, organise a team to check that area, and Lt…."

"Yes sir?"

"Those… people are victims too… be diplomatic…"

De Marco nodded and left.

Bertelli took off his beret and sat down and looked at the 'sky' above him, the mixture of bioluminescence and modern lighting was surprisingly soothing. This was going to be an interesting mission, that was for sure, he thought.

.

In the total darkness there was a sudden thudding sound and then a stream of heartfelt abuse poured from the lips of the injured party.

"Oh, sweet lanterning divine Jesus…. that really fucking hurt…!"

"I thought I told you to stay there".

"Well, if you would at least make some noise as you wander about, instead acting like some kind of goddamn ninj…"

There was a click, and a torchlight pierced the veil of darkness around the docking area.

"…and that's another thing, how'd you do that?"

"I can see in the dark Sean."

"You can what now?" came rather nervously from the other man. Chuck sighed. Well, it was a conversation he would have had to have had at some point.

"Yeah, ever since … the accident…"

"So that's what we're calling it?" snarked Sean. Chuck looked over his shoulder from the electrical panel he had open, tossing Sean the torch along with a glower, he nodded.

"… yeah, ever since then, things have been sort of dialled up to eleven…"

"I thought that was the physical stuff and the … thingy in your head."

"Apparently not, I think my senses have been … upgraded too.", He paused in thought, "It's not 'seeing' as such, like right now, it's almost like a screen in my head, a HUD…"

"HUD?"

"Heads Up Display, it's how I was able to see Autokhython behind the filter. I am still confined by certain physical limitations but the Intersect isn't, just because I can't 'see' … doesn't mean it can't, it sort of relays the information to me, an overlay only I can see, just like the flashes. Only now, there's more…It's not unlike using a thermal imaging system….

"Holy Shit Chuck! That's incredible!"

Chuck shook his head, "Where does it end Sean? Am I man or … some sort of cyborg?"

Sean could hear the worry in Chuck's voice, he remembered hearing Akio talking to Morgan, "The fact you're worried about these changes is a good sign, the human is alive and kicking inside you, but we're going to have to work more on this when we get out of here, speaking of which…"

Chuck had continued his work on the panel in front of him, the Intersect fed him in real time the circuits and their redundancies, it was with some satisfaction that he pressed a reset button, and the area lit up with some emergency lights.

.

Online… situation critical… battery power for area 5 hours maximum before living conditions for organic Murphy critical, Bartowski/Robie host 6.75 hours maximum before failure… oxygen already low, combination of atmospheric gases…. nitrogen and helium above safe parameters for human viability…High pressure neurological syndrome imminent… baseline symptoms apparent in organic Murphy… tremors… dizziness… begin monitoring….

The Intersect, always on alert was using Chuck and his now heightened senses to test the environment, it didn't like what it found, Wolff and his team had done severe damage to the life support systems. The only reasonable recourse was to escape… but how? As Chuck Bartowski looked around the ruined docking area, everything he saw, the Intersect saw…. including a dormant nuclear submarine… It began to flash….

"Uhhh….", muttered Chuck as the information sped into his consciousness. He put his hands to his head. This was intense, Sean noticed.

The revelations of the past few minutes were deeply worrying to the other man, Chuck hadn't mentioned the other changes. He began to wonder if cyborg wasn't a more apt description of his friend's condition. He shook his head, another dizzy spell, those scraps and the excitement must have taken more out of him that he thought, he went to brush the sweat off his face when he noticed his hands….

"Shit".

Chuck turned to face his friend, he saw the shaking hands and the worried look on Sean's face.

"I'm in trouble mate… if this is what I think it is… I don't have long before it's full blown…"

"I know what it is Sean, the question is, how does a sergent with advanced med skills know…?"

Sean turned away, then looked back at Chuck, an unhappy expression was on his face.

"… you need to keep an eye on me… I presume you have an idea for getting us out of this mess."

Chuck pointed out the sealed doors to the outside sea, "We're going nowhere unless we can rig up something to open those, but yes I have an idea…", he turned in the direction of the Russian Submarine. "…we're gonna need that…"

Sean frowned, "I thought that was useless, didn't they strip out missiles and launch systems…?"

"They did, but you can't just turn off a nuclear reactor, Sean, If we're lucky I can power it up and then we'll have a real fighting chance. Come on!"

The two men clambered across the debris strewn docking area, stopping briefly in front of the hatch Chuck crossed and fingers and pulled, with a groan it opened.

He turned and smiled to Sean, "we're in business…" he stopped, Sean Murphy had a slightly dazed look on his face. He snapped his fingers in front of his face, Sean jumped. He grinned sheepishly.

"You better start talking, I'll have to concentrate on what I'm doing, And right now I'm trying to simultaneously translate Russian…" he pointed out the control panels and signage all around them as they made their way through the control room. "… and figure out how to run a bypass of sufficient power to those doors so we can get the hell out here and we only have…"

He stopped talking, he was spiralling again. He needed to focus again… like before.

Sean tapped his shoulder, "… before what?"

"Before we die… now you need to talk… "

"About what?" asked the slightly puzzled Irishman before he too caught himself, Chuck's a mate, he's trying to help…he concentrated, it was getting harder…

"Anything, keep us focused…."

"Anything? What about Walker and …."

"I don't want to talk about her!", snapped Chuck angrily. His head dropped and it shook it apologetically.

Sean's eyes had widened in surprise, but he had raised his hands surrender fashion…" look I get it", he sighed. He sat down at a station, he looked away for a moment… a haunted look on his face.

"You need to work, we need to stay lucid, so let me tell you a story… "

Chuck caught the raw emotion in Sean's voice and made to say something, Sean quickly waved him off…. "listen…"

14th August 2002. Sean's home, Salthill, Galway Ireland. 19.10 Local time.

Sile Murphy smiled behind her hand as she watched her eldest son make a mess of his tie for the fourth time that evening, he was a mess.

His eyes screamed his helplessness as he swore under his breath and started again, tutting slightly she put a frown on her face as she walked over.

"You're as bad as your father, Dr. Murphy. No patience whatsoever, I hope you have a better bedside manner than this!"

Sean laughed, but let his mother put the finishing touches to his appearance.

"It's another few months before I'm officially Dr. Murphy, Mam, you still hold the title there."

"Nonsense," Sile declared, "Professor Cummins said you're the best resident that he's seen yet in Galway University Hospital, he was my mentor too."

Sean turned open mouthed, with a mock glare he eyeballed his mom, "No wonder you were hyping Galway, and why he's been such a hardass to me!"

She laughed, "Well you did want to follow in my footsteps, so I just made sure you did exactly that!"

Sean hugged his mother tightly, stepping back, he opened his arms and turned slowly, "How do I look?", he asked tentatively.

Sile nodded approvingly, "Like I always hoped you would, ready."

From the doorway of his bedroom there was a grunt, Oisin Murphy stood there, leaning against the lintel, his broad arms folded, he also smiled approvingly.

"Can we go now; my stomach thinks my throat has been cut and that poor woman who's been silly enough to like you must be starving!"

Sean rolled his eyes, but grabbed his suit jacket off his bed, he paused tapping his right pocket, his fingers told him what they had told him ten times already that hour, it was there, it was safe, it just needed its new home… it was time.

They walked to the large SUV outside, his parents got in the front, Sean got in the back. His fingers strayed to his pocket again, he was so nervous, this was the biggest thing he had ever done in his life, he looked at his folks, they made it look so easy, he wondered had it been, he remembered asking his Dad how he knew his Mam was the one, his Dad had smiled, "From the moment I saw her, son…."

Sean smiled, like father, like son, he remembered….

Eight months ago, Galway University Hospital AE Department….

Sean pulled at his scrubs as he entered the consultants area, damn things were never sized right and as usual he had found the one that had a tag that was trying to dig a hole between his shoulder blades, Niall Quigley laughed as he watched his colleague and friend strain to reach the offending article, with a satisfied scowl and the sound of ripping fabric, one goal was accomplished that evening.

"Alright Niall, what is so important that you dragged me out of old Cummin's clutches?" Niall grinned; he pulled back a blind so they could peek into the waiting area. He pointed to a couple of security guards that were trying their utmost to look like they weren't keeping an eye on a couple in the front row.

Failing miserably, thought Sean if the amount of side eye thrown by the man was any indication, he was huge. Like rugby player huge…

"What's the deal….?," Suddenly a premonition hit him, Niall looked uneasy, "I think it's a domestic…" he indicated the security guards, "…that's why…."

"So, they want me to suss it out?" Niall nodded, "Well you did run that self defence course for the nurses… and from the looks of the bruising on her face…" Niall stopped, Sean's eyes had hardened, without another word he walked towards the waiting room.

Niall turned to Maura Delaney, head nurse, "Did you call the Gardai?" She shook her head, "They haven't given us a reason to…" Niall swore softly under his breath but kept watching, Sean had reached them….

..

Sean Murphy wasn't particularly brave, few things pushed his buttons, but a bad relationship suffered by a female colleague before he had got involved and 'discussed' things with the so-called boyfriend; had him using his skills to first, mete out some deserved retribution and then to limit the damage those skills wrought with his medical skills and that had placed the doctor in a quandary.

The self-defence course helped ease his guilt, but he was damned if it hadn't been satisfying on a certain level.

Now as he approached the couple from behind, he started to feel a spurt of adrenaline, the two security guards caught his eye and he gave the easy motion with his hand, they visibly relaxed.

That caused the woman to look back sharply at the young doctor, for the first time in his life, Sean Murphy got the meaning of love at first sight….

Although she was well on the way to a black eye, it wasn't just the injury he noticed, the warm brown eyes locked on his own surprised green eyes which had now widened in appreciation at the beauty before him, she had long black hair, Betty Paige type cut, it accentuated her heart shaped face and porcelain white skin, flawless, with a beauty spot high on her left cheek, her lips were a deep shade of red and shaped like a Cupid's bow, she was shapely, built for damage…

She must have liked what she saw too, as a dazzling white toothy smile broke out on her face, then he saw what they were wearing under their jackets, heavy Gi's, he smiled broadly in return, looking around at Niall and the security guards, he nodded all clear. It was with a sense of relief that they quickly exited the waiting area.

Sean turned his attention to the woman seated in front of him, "let me guess, you bobbed when you should have weaved…"

The snort of supressed laughter from the giant beside her confirmed his theory, her brother, stepbrother as it turned out. The resemblance was easy to spot now, the tension had disappeared.

"Yes… Doctor….?", she laughed too, a light tinkle with a cute American accent, if he was any judge.

"Murphy, though you can call me Sean…." He answered, surprising himself, well that was a first, around female doctors and nurses, he was always a consummate professional, introducing himself on a first name basis! It was a sure sign his world had been altered…

"And you are…?" She smiled again, "Kiri, Kiri Ballach and this is my brother Ry, and yes, we had a 'training accident'…"

The hulk spoke, "She walked into a front kick…" waving a leg about the size of an elephant's, Sean was suitably impressed, "…it wasn't a hard kick, but she was loopy for about half a minute…"

Sean had popped a pen light from his scrubs and was directing the young woman's eyes with his finger, she followed for a moment before she reached out and caught his hand in a soft but firm grip, Sean felt his skin goosebump at her touch, he saw her shudder slightly too. He didn't draw back though…

A groan came from behind them, Sean peeked back to see Ry shake his head and look heavenwards… an unspoken prayer on his lips. A giggle turned his head again and he noticed Kiri had shifted closer, a heady aroma of some exotic floral scent and sweat had his nostrils quiver as he tried for some professional acumen.

"How's it looking, Doc?" she enquired, he shook himself. "Well, it could be a concussion…. perhaps … I should book you in for the night, run some more …tests … to be sure…"

"…to be sure…" she echoed softly.

Ry had heard enough. "Right... well, if you don't need me…" Kiri shook her head, never taking her eyes off Sean, "Bye Ry…."

He snorted again and left. The two stared at each other, it was a comfortable silence. Sean suddenly remembered his duties.

"Time to get you into a bed…"

Kiri's face showed mock outrage. "Not this girl, I expect flowers and a dinner first before any bedroom shenanigans …."

It was Sean's turn to look surprised….

And that was it…. It was the sort of thing that the term whirlwind romance had been coined for….

He fell and fell hard, it was like nothing he had ever experienced, she was the one

She helped run a Close Protection Security firm with her brother and some friends, they were all ex-military, combat proven. Their main business was wealthy businesspeople that needed protection especially in the new Russia where a lot of money was to be made, and some very treacherous waters negotiated.

It wasn't uncommon for the Russian authorities and former security agents that had now taken over much of the criminal underworld to let the western investors take the lead in risky capital ventures before swooping in to illegally assume control or worse yet, disappear the westerners foolish enough to fight their corners, a awful lot of 'accidents' had occurred, strangely the main beneficiary was the new Russian state, eventually the more savvy caught on.

As well as more traditional business opportunities that blossomed, services such as close protection security grew too.

Into this world Kiri and her brother had flourished, a small firm, they made an impression and word of mouth quickly spread. They built an impressive and exclusive clientele, nobody famous, unless you counted the movers in the financial world, but they kept themselves anonymous anyway, security played a large part in that.

They had finished a month's work in Moscow and had returned to their Irish base, much like a soldier, their skills needed constant honing, courses to attend and physical conditioning to be maintained, they pushed each other hard on this occasion, a bit too hard…

Within a month they were living together, after two, she'd met his family, and they were as smitten as Sean. Oisin, the ex-legionnaire bonded within minutes of meeting the spunky younger woman, Sile was acutely aware of her eldest son, their shared professions meant their bond was particularly strong, her son had never lowered his guard so quickly before, she could hear wedding bells just looking at him.

Roisin was overjoyed at gaining a sister, and Micheal was as smitten as his brother, which caused him no end of embarrassment at the good-natured ribbing of his elder siblings. His reddening face was a familiar sight at family gatherings until he finally found a girlfriend of his own.

Kiri's work was steady enough to keep her moving back and forth in Europe, Sean was busy with completing his residency so every moment that they could be in each other's company was savoured.

Before long, Sean was asking both his parents the "How did you know….", they thrilled to the realisation that their son was about to take a serious but welcome step in his young life.

They loved the young woman who had captured their son's heart, her life had sounded like a storybook, her and her brother shared a father, he was a ne'er do well who had journeyed around Europe, meeting and impregnating young ladies before swiftly moving on, Ry had been born in Ireland, Kiri had been born in Italy.

The shame had destroyed her mother who put her daughter up for adoption, a wealthy Irish American and his British wife in the States adopted her, Ry had grown up unaware of his sister until a fatal illness forced his mother to search for his father, she had money, and a new partner, Ry and his almost stepfather didn't get along, she decided to find his natural father, it was with some surprise she found Kiri.

After arranging a visit the kind hearted couple agreed to adopt Ry too, the siblings were unaware of their shared connection until puberty, then the resemblance could no longer be ignored, he shot up to 6' 5 and she lounged around on 5' 6, the same mass of black curly hair adorned both heads and prodigious intellects served them well, their adoptive father had been from a military family, without meaning to, he shaped their interests, sports and career paths.

Ry joined the army winning selection to the Special Forces, he watched with pride as his sister followed in his steps, Army, then psy-ops, after a quick enlistment, they realised they wanted more than the military life, Ry was first out, he quickly found a niche in the private security arena and when Kiri joined him, well, it only made sense.

Now, she was looking for a life beyond operations, she always had the backroom skills, this would be a transition she would enjoy, welcoming a new life and a family.

Sean and his parents entered the Hardiman Hotel of Eyre Square, its Victorian structure belied its opulent interior, and they were quickly led to a private section of the Gaslight Brasserie, the premier restaurant at the hotel.

Sean's heart soared as Kiri entered the room after them, her brother Ry looked resplendent in a bespoke suit he had picked up for a job. Kiri wowed in a formal evening dress, a crimson silk that showcased her flawless complexion and full figure to perfection.

The atmosphere in the small dining area was charged, the two lovers tangible excitement filled everyone.

Somehow, Sean got himself under control and grabbed Ry, dragging him to the bar, behind them Oisin smiled as the two women gushed over each other's fashion attire.

"Alright you big ape…. I need to ask…" Ry cut across him, "Are you going to make my sister an honest woman?"

Their eyes met, Sean sneaked a peek over Ry's vast shoulder, he grabbed the older man's suit jacket, shielding his hands, he pulled a box from his pocket. Ry's eyes widened and he grinned.

"You have my Blessing…" Sean gave a breath of joyous relief, "Thanks Ry."

"Of course, if you hurt her …." That part was said with a hint of menace.

Sean gulped. "I think she would kick my ass…" he pondered for a second, "… probably shoot me in a vital part…"

"I'll finish the job…" They smiled at each other. "You're a good man Sean, take good care of her"

Sean embraced his new brother. Across the room Kiri smiled nervously, she had a feeling what was happening, she was buzzing with excitement, she had news of her own, but looking at the state of Sean she decided hers could wait. He was a basket case.

He came to her, before she could even say hello he had dropped to a knee, she felt her eyes watering as her heart went into overdrive, her hands rising to her mouth as she stifled a sob of happiness, the goof fumbled in his pocket for a moment, she let the giggle out.

Green eyes met brown; the rest was a formality.

Across the room Sile sobbed in her husband's arms as he punched Ry in the shoulder, the other man grinned for all he was worth as he watched his sister give a whoop of joy as Sean placed the ring on her finger.

Sean stood, his earlier nervousness gone as he gathered her in his arms, hers wrapped around his head as she pulled him in for a soul searing kiss.

As engagements go, Oisin thought his son had played a blinder, certainly if the sparkle off that ring was any indication! Sile had her phone out and managed a snap of the couple, she quickly forwarded it on, seconds later Roisin and Micheal had a multitude of emoji's pinging with their replies.

She put the phone away, they could tell their brother in the morning when they returned to Dublin.

Now the celebrations began….

..

15th August 2004. Galway/Dublin motorway near Athlone. 10.45am local time.

"A little neglect may breed mischief; for want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want a horse the rider was lost; for want of the rider the battle was lost."

― Benjamin Franklin

In the end, it was a spare tyre or the lack of, that lost no battle, just four lives….

Dan Quinn couldn't remember when he'd dropped off, wakening, everything was hazy, that changed when he glanced at his bedside clock, shock gripped him! Jesus, he was late, and Bridey was going to kill him! He loved his wife since they roamed the local parish as youngsters but God that woman had a temper and a tongue as sharp as a knife. She hated tardiness with a passion.

He shot to his feet, quickly dressing, he threw some cold water in his face and ran to the garage, popping the door he saw with surprise there was a tarpaulin on the car, he swore, he must have really tied one on last night!

He threw it to one side and grabbing his keys off the small key holder near the entrance he jumped in, his heart nearly stopped when it turned over not once but three times before the engine caught, damn thing, didn't he only just have the service done? He gunned the motor and eased out of the garage, as he did, he saw Ned Dwyer rushing towards him.

He rolled down the window, "No time now Ned! I'm late, Bridey is going to kill me!" He shot off.

Half an acre away, Ned Dwyer cursed his 78-year-old body, broken by years of toil, he could hardly run, his eyes with shock he tried to catch a breath….

"Dan! Dan! She's been dead for years….!" He screamed. Too late, Dan waved a hand as he turned out of his laneway, the shouts landing on deaf ears.

Ned cursed and turned back to his own farmhouse, as fast as he could he made his way back, Mairead his wife watched, "Call Ciara!" he shouted as soon as he got closer.

She ran into the kitchen dialling the number as he came through the door, grabbing it, he could hear Ciara's voice.

"…. Paidi's running late, Ned, we had a puncture, and I forgot…"

"Feck's sake Ciara, he's gone to collect your mother...!"

There was a horrified gasp from the other end and the line went dead.

Mairead looked with stunned eyes at Ned, "what can we do?"

"Pray". Gasped the old farmer.

Out on the road, Dan was driving on pure instinct, that stopped when he hit the slip road to the new motorway it threw him, he could see the village church, damn council, was this that new road they had been talking about? Confused he turned down the short connection to the main road, if he noticed the sign, his dementia reduced it to nonsense…. TURN BACK …. Repeated in Gaeilge underneath Cos ar Ais.

He sped up….

Stefan Lasecki cursed for the umpteen time that morning, a few drinks the night before had turned into a lot. He'd managed to call a halt before things got completely out of control, but he had stumbled out of bed late, and the delivery of metal profiles had been a priority that morning on a Dublin construction site. He was in trouble!

He pushed the flatbed truck as hard as he could, there was a governor on the engine, so he was stuck just under the speed limit of 75mph. He groaned in frustration; no coffee stops today.

He drew level with an SUV that was idling along, he flashed, and they pulled over, he stood on the accelerator and slowly passed them, with typical driver curiosity he glanced down at a lowcut top that boasted a magnificent cleavage, he grinned.

The woman caught his glance and glared back, God she was pretty, Stefan thought, his head shot up just in time to see the Toyota hatchback turn the approaching corner towards them!

"DROGI BOZE!" he screamed but it was too late….

.

Oisin smiled. It felt like that was all his face was capable of that morning, beside him Sean slept, Oisin figured Kiri had contributed to that state of affairs if last night's entrée had been any indication!

In the front of the SUV the two women had kept up a lively conversation, wedding plans and admiration of Kiri's new ring, Sile drove, she was a cautious driver so when the truck had pulled up behind then she had pulled out of the way almost reflexively, barely pausing in her conversation with the younger woman.

Oisin had stared out the window, it was a beautiful day.

That was his last thought for three days….

..

The young Garda looked at his elder colleague as they surveyed the scene, the truck driver was ashen faced, it was a horrific accident.

It didn't need the road traffic technical examination unit to tell someone even as green as him what had happened, the Toyota was destroyed, a head on collision with the cab unit had crushed it instantly, Dan was gone before he'd had time to realise his error.

Stefan had done his best to avoid him, but his manoeuvrers had strained the restraining bars and straps on his load, several metric tons of metal had been violently slammed against them, in the end their sheer mass had prevailed, to Stefan's shocked gaze they shed themselves on top on the SUV, instantly crushing the passenger section.

He jumped from the cab as soon as he managed to stop, he didn't even check Dan. Scrambling over the fallen load, he stopped short as he saw a woman's hand jutting from what was left of the passenger side window, bloody, a ring sparkled on her finger….

He reached for his mobile, but other cars had pulled in and the drivers were already ringing for help, then he heard the screaming from the back of the SUV, mercifully it had escaped the worst on one side of the roof, he managed to peer inside, it was a mess, the front was flattened, the two women were gone, but there a young man a large gash on his head unconscious in the back seat, the screams were from an older man, one of the profiles had speared him through the abdomen!

"Mister! Mister! Hold on, ambulance is coming!" Stefan tried his best to see if he could free the other man, but it was hopeless, it was a waiting game….

..

Heavy units soon arrived, Garda Duffy and his partner had quickly accessed the scene. The fire engines arrived with their hydraulic cutters and soon Sean and Oisin's unconscious forms were heading to Portiuncula Emergency hospital, there was no rush for Sile and Kiri…

Roisin sat in her office, when the phone rang, she'd laughed, they were going to be late, she knew it! Knowing her brother, he'd planned a few stops as a grand gesture of sorts for his new fiancé …

"Hello, I should have…."

The colour drained from her face, "Breda!" she screamed as she hung up, grabbing her coat as she ran from the room, a nonplussed PA had been rooted to the spot by the pain in Roisin's voice.

"Roisin… what's going on?"

Moments later the young woman gunned her car towards Dublin airport and her boyfriend's hanger, Micheal was on his way from the house, Turlough would get them there faster than anybody….

.

It was a week later when Sean Murphy groped his way back to consciousness, he bit his lip as the pain hit but the nurse opened the drip and morphine did its job well, he was hazy, but he could hear the raised voices outside his door…

"Niall, I don't want him to know, it's going to be hard enough to tell him about the others, he doesn't need to know this, promise me you won't, PROMISE!"

He heard Niall sigh, "Alright Roisin, I'll get Madigan to remove it from the autopsy report…"

Sean cried out at that, he had guessed there had been an accident, but when Niall said autopsy, his worst fears had been released. He tried to stand but suddenly Niall was there, "Jesus Sean, stop!" You'll tear your I.V. out!"

"Sean! Stop!" it was Roisin, her worry froze him, and Niall Quigley managed to add a sedative to the drip, try as he might the waves crashed over him again and he slipped beneath them.

It was hours later before he awoke again, it was night, he gingerly tested his body, it took half an hour, but the words kept ringing in his head, "…. remove it from the autopsy report…".

Remove what?

He gritted his teeth and with strength found from God knows where he stumbled to his feet, grabbing the IV stand like it was a crutch. He staggered to the hospital morgue.

.

The tears had stopped and now he registered a croaking noise, with a start he recognised it was coming from his own lips, he'd cracked his vocal cords, screaming….

The voice recorder, the coroner, Dr Madigan used had fallen to the floor, it was trapped in a loop…

"…the subject, a young woman, aged 28, had been in excellent condition, I note indications of a knife wound upper chest and also a bullet hole on her left hip…. her main injures consist of crush injuries causing massive damage to the sternum, it shattered sending the rib bones like spears through her internal organs, the lungs, heart, liver and spleen…. right down into the lower abdomen near the …. oh dear…."

"What is it, Doctor?" the coroner's assistant asked.

"…. she appears to be two months pregnant judging by the size of the fetus…." There was an audible gasp.

The recording looped. Sean seemed indifferent to it, he held Kiri's lifeless hand in his own, his eyes red raw, he never heard the door to the morgue open. The firm hands take his arm and guide him back to his bed.

The same hands that closed the doors to the morgue storage area, after replacing the sheets over the bodies of Sile Murphy and Kiri Ballach.

Nurse Maura Delaney stood with tears running down her face as she dialled a number. The cat was out of the bag now…

09th December 2002. Salthill Garda Station. Galway Ireland. 03.20am Local time.

Niall Quigley frowned as they opened the cell door, the fetid smell of alcohol laden urine and vomit assailed his nostrils and he paused in the doorway, the figure on the bunk didn't even stir.

The young Garda beside him spoke, "Niall, I can't cover for him anymore, next time I'll have to charge him, we've a new regional Superintendent and he's keen for arrests."

"Jesus, Keith, you weren't saying that when he patched up your sister…." Snarled Quigley.

The two men paused and looked at one another. Niall hung his head, "Sorry Keith, he shouldn't be putting you in this position…"

Keith Dowling nodded, "Niall, we heard the hospital suspended him, do the man a favour and get him somewhere that will sort him out. He was fighting again, if he picks on the wrong lads… well …I don't want to be the one that finds his body…"

That was a frightening thought. Quigley nodded, "Give me a hand to get him to my car, this ends tonight." He promised.

It took twenty minutes, but he reached Sean's house, he dragged the man inside and deposited him on his sofa. He put a pot of tea on and sat down.

After a few minutes he reached for the house phone.

"Roisin…. Yeah. It's a bad one this time, look you need to tell Oisin something must change…. Ok… he's in the house…. No go…. Cummin's wouldn't touch him with a barge pole now. He needs help…. Something… ok. Sorry Roisin, but it's impacting on us all here…. Ok … good night, sorry for waking you. Oh, tell Oisin he needs to see that specialist." The call ended.

Niall looked at his friend. It was beyond him; grief had torn Sean Murphy asunder. He got his jacket and left.

..

Sean groaned as the strong morning sun, low in the sky hit his face, it was cold, Winter had come and the mornings on the West Atlantic coast were no joking matter. He swivelled on the sofa seeking a warm spot and stopped.

His father was sitting in the armchair watching him, his oxygen mask lay open beside him and the pain was evident on his face, but not as much as the anger and hurt he felt towards his eldest child.

After a moment of self-pity Sean faced his parent.

"I'm sorry Dad…." His voice broke, as did Oisin's heart, he was mired in his own grief, he had lost his wife, the mother of his children but he had had a life with Sile, and this was something they had discussed, one of them going, dying….

But he had a family, three wonderful children to hold him and a business to run. People depended on him and God knows he was behind on Cerberus as it was…

No, his son needed him, his grief he could manage, he had a life of memories to draw upon, poor Sean had still been in the first bloom of the love of his life and to find out what he had lost, Oisin shuddered and wondered if he could have made it this far. He survived his surgery, just about, the best of the best had worked on him, Roisin had seen to that. His body would never been the same, he'd been given time. More than others….

Sean was a mixture of pain and grief, destroyed that he'd been unconscious throughout the whole ordeal, helpless to help, even though Kiri and Sile had been beyond help, it had ate at him.

He couldn't function at the hospital. It had taken all of Oisin's persuasiveness just to prevent the board from kicking Sean out, as it was the suspension, or 'administrative leave' had kicked the last legs out from under him and he had fallen into a bottle.

Drunken. Abusive, spoiling for a row, his old friends had covered for him as best they could but now the wall had been hit, things were desperate, and desperate times required desperate measures.

Another figure filled the door now, Ry Ballach and he had a face of thunder. Shamefaced Sean looked away he wouldn't meet the other man's eyes.

"She loved you… and this is how you honour her? Giving up? "he raged. He grabbed Sean and hauled him to his feet, slapping him hard sending him sprawling, Sean went with it, he welcomed it, surrendered to it…

Ry turned away in disgust. "Is this what you dragged me here for, Oisin? This…."

"No Ry, Sean is going away, somewhere where he'll need some of your skills, somewhere where he can lose his grief, purge his rage… and maybe find the will to live again…"

Oisin explained, Sean laughed until he saw his father's face, Ry nodded in approval.

He poked a finger in Sean's chest, "Tie one on tonight, make it a good one, because tomorrow, we begin…" Sean gulped. He looked at his father, but Oisin sat stone faced, he debated running but he couldn't… maybe Dad was right he thought. A life of order, others directing him, he could just switch off and drift…

A month later he sat clean faced and shaven, he was in ridiculously good health, his mind was another thing, but that was down to him now, Oisin told him if he wanted it, he'd get it, he'd never failed at anything in his life up to now….

Roisin sat beside him, he was taking the ferry from Rosslare to Cherbourg, he wanted some time to himself before France… before the next five years of his life…

"Sean, are you going to be, ok?" she whispered, she had lost a mother, a sister, nearly her father and now it felt like she was losing the last of her brother.

He gripped her hand and stood, he hugged her to him, "I have to, I can't stay here, there's too much of her and Mom, but especially her around me here… you take care of the auld fella and Micheal, ok?"

She nodded; her tears dripped down her face. He kissed her forehead and turned towards the gangway, he didn't dare look back, it was taking everything he had just to put one foot in front of the other.

Four months later he was in, five years later he was still there, he reupped, He'd made Caporal with Damian, Africa, things seemed to flow better after that, a life-or-death situation made him choose life, if not for himself then for his friends, Damian and Dario.

Time passed and then his Dad called, "Hello Son, I need a favour…."

Chuck had kept busy, shocked as he was by Sean's story, he knew they were on a timetable, but by the time Sean had described the scene in the morgue, Chuck sat silently, he wept quietly for his friend.

Dear Lord, here he'd been pining away for Sarah, feeling sorry for himself and his loss, now he knew what real loss sounded like, what platitude did he have to assuage this situation?

He reached for the other man's shoulder as he shuddered in what Chuck thought could only be indescribable pain.

"Sean, I had no idea…. I've been a right self-centred idiot…"

Sean collapsed backwards into Chuck's arms, his face turned, and Chuck gasped as he saw blood streaming from Sean's eye's, nose and ears!

It was convulsions, he had finally succumbed to the pressure in the docking bay…. Chuck grabbed him and ran to the submarine; he'd have to some back himself and finish the connections.

As quickly as he could he dragged Sean's body inside the hatch and started the pressurisation of the main deck. Sean stopped convulsing, but the Intersect knew it wouldn't last long. The information sped across his cortex, graphs and tables showing him what the prognosis would be if they didn't get help soon, they needed to get out of here!

He walked to an airlock, it had offered some respite, but he needed to finish the connection to the outer bay doors, or they were stuck here as the base imploded!

As soon as he hit the outside of the submarine, he knew he was in trouble, the pressure had changed again and it took all of his concentration just to make it to the makeshift connection he had cobbled together, he felt his mind wander, he punched a steel bulkhead hard, the resultant pain radiated up his arm, he gasped but used it.

He quickly finished the job and started the sequence, slowly he turned and stumbled back towards the open airlock, but he had waited too long, he swayed as he realised his nose was gushing blood, there was a roaring in his ears and eyes closed in pain, the nitrogen in his body was overwhelming him… he collapsed.

.

Online…. situation critical, Bartowski/Robie host has exceeded operational parameters…. entering terminal stage…. divert all resources to preservation of Host and Intersect…. All…. systems… exper..ienc…ing …failu…re…...

..

With a final convulsion Chuck lay still, he never saw what his efforts had wrought, there was hiss of escaping pressure as an airlock that the base divers had used for access opened inwards…

The beings that entered the bay were no longer completely human, the pressure and atmosphere had no effect on their ability to function, they had adapted for far harsher conditions.

The leader's anatomy showed she had once been female, she walked quickly to Chuck's body and hissed something, she heard the hum of the submarines engines and saw the open airlock, she pointed, and two others picked up Chuck's prone form and quickly moved him inside.

She studied the wiring connections from the panel Chuck had jury rigged and saw his intentions. Quickly she finished the sequence and joined the others inside the submarine, some had been trained and they assumed their stations, waiting as the doors opened and the outside sea flooded in.

They had been outside, drawn to the undersea base as they had made their way away from the Undersea city, their leader had wanted to make sure the last of Callidis and his plan had been stopped, when the mind control, had switched off they had quickly assumed control, dealing with the last of the fanatics.

She had guided the new arrivals to a place of safety, but they had to go, there was no place for them in the human world now….

She looked at the two men, she knew they had only the slimmest of chances of survival, she had to get them to the surface and medical aid!

.

Outside the Undersea base…..

The small submersible made another pass over the base, the exposed warheads gleamed in the glow of the searchlight as they slowed to take another reading, the Italian scientist Dr. Enrico Fermi smiled as his instrument's readings staying in the safe zone. He gave a thumbs up to the pilot who plotted a new course to the next open hatch.

Lt. Delon and Major Trinchina busied themselves with camera and video recordings that they relayed to the surface. The huge craft had been caught as predicted by the French sonar officer on a massive overhang in the crevasse above the Undersea city.

There was no danger of the ledge crumbling, they had been lucky, Fermi reckoned it would make the recovery of the missiles more achievable at their present depth.

Trinchina nodded and relayed the information to the waiting Hierarchy, their decisions would determine the next course of action.

Delon suddenly gave a yelp of surprise, "What?" demanded the senior officer.

"I thought I saw some figures in the water toward the back of the base there. He pointed to a lighted area.

"Impossible" said Fermi, "Nobody could survive at this depth without proper equipment!", he snorted.

"Oui, but then how do you explain those lights that are there now, they weren't working a half an hour ago!" replied the indignant officer.

Trinchina knew Delon wasn't prone to flights of fancy, "have you logged all twenty missiles Dr. Fermi?" she asked.

"Si Major" He acknowledged. She turned to the pilot, "take us on a pass of that area".

The pilot nodded and spun the craft in the water. He headed slowly over. Hovering he trained his outside lights over the surface area.

"Where exactly did you see those 'figures' Alain?"

He pointed towards the airlock, "Abou…."

There was a sudden burst of light, and a crack appeared in the side of the base!

A vast burst of bubbles as the air escaped from the opening bay doors buffeted the smaller craft and the pilot fought for control, they tumbled inside as they tried to hang on.

Suddenly a vast black shape appeared heading straight for them, the pilot cursed but his hands moved expertly over his controls as he dropped them beneath whatever it was.

The bubbles had quickly dispersed and they all gasped as they realised it was a submarine exiting the base, they barely had time to register that when it cleared the bay doors, pausing, it slowly rose as it blew its ballast, it gained momentum and rose rapidly towards the surface.

"You better get on the comms and tell the surface they're about to have visitors before they blow it out of the water!" cried Ilsa.

.

She needn't have worried; all the sonar operators had screamed an alert as soon as their sonar picked up the approaching craft. The ships quickly pulled back from the expected area and trained their main weapon batteries on it, they waited.

From the upper decks of the Surcouf, Guillaud watched with his binoculars, there was a massive surge from just below the surface as the enormous submarine breached the waves.

The sailors manning their weapons waited nervously as silence descended again on the surrounding area, then a hatch opened on the floating craft, what happened next would go down in two countries Naval history as folklore for the foreseeable future!

A being stepped out onto the deck. Sailors, a superstitious lot crossed themselves and the Lord's name was taken over and over again as their minds struggled to take in what their eyes were seeing.

Another figure joined the first and this one waved a first aid cross on small flag, Guillaud snapped an order, and a small boat sped towards the submarine, his ship's doctor was aboard.

He watched as his boarding party made their way onboard, there was no attempt to interfere with them by the …. creatures.

The waters bubbled beside his ship, and he quickly saw the Italian submersible rise into view, another pair of small boats quickly arrived and hooked it, bringing it swiftly to a landing platform, he watched as a hatch opened and the Major and Lt, quickly exited.

They made their way quickly to the bridge. There was a call from the comms area, they made their way over. "Capitaine…." The voice of his doctor came over the line, "…. We have a medical emergency on our hands, we have recovered two men, they have decompression sickness, we need to get them into decompression chambers NOW!"

"Acknowledged Doctor, we're sending a medevac, there's some chambers on the Italian ship, I'll prep the commanding officer. Out!"

He quickly relayed the situation to the Italian ship, "we're standing by to receive them, Sir!"

Guillaud gave silent thanks, he turned to the other two officers that had joined them, "mission accomplished Major?"

Ilsa nodded. "It looks like they suffered no damage, but I recommend we salvage them as soon as possible."

There was a shout from the deck, they hurried over to watch as the helicopter peeled off the deck, the boarding party stood beside the small compliment of … humanoids. As one they walked to side of the deck and gracefully dived in before anyone could even stop them.

The female one had bobbed on the surface for a moment, her eyes locked on the watching officers and then she flipped over, disappearing beneath the surface.

"Incredible" murmured Guillaud.

..

Back at both the French and Italian government agencies, both sets of leaders watched the scenes through their monitors. Each thankful the situation had been resolved, but now the aftermath….