The Hand of Wrath, chapter 11 [PG-13, seaQuest, Bridger/Westphalen, WIP]
finally, I was able to wrestle past the many blocks for this chapter. enjoy the read!
index post
A/N: Extra thanks go to two great people in addition to Darkin for their immense help with this chapter - Story (bkwrmnlvnit) and my fellow local NaNo groupie Chautona. Thank you both so much for listening to me and helping me navigate through the continual episodes of writers' block these past couple weeks!
Chapter 11 ~ Amor Vincit Tenebrae
Eastern edge of the Andreanof Islands - 0950 hours
The air of tension on seaQuest's bridge was palpable. Absent was the occasional light chatter between crewmembers at neighboring stations, or over the headsets. Near silence had taken its place, everyone focused on their consoles or on the main viewscreen and the expanse of deep blue without. The entire crew shared their captain's worry about what was to come; they all knew what was at stake.
"ETA, Mr. Ortiz?" Nathan forced himself to keep his voice level, not wanting his anxiety to show in his words. He knew it wasn't likely that the others were buying it, but he continued to maintain his best attempt at a calm demeanor out of habit.
The sensor chief keyed in a quick command and glanced over the data results. "We're coming up on the edge of Amlia Island. About two and a half hours to Tanaga."
He nodded his thanks and resumed pacing. He had taken to wandering a wide circle around the bridge, pausing on occasion to glance at the viewscreen. The action was as much a way to kill time as to distract him from the lingering chill, which had continued to persist despite the passing hours. He would have ordinarily written it off as merely his building trepidation, except for the dream. Given that the images in his dream had proven true, did that mean that the physical sensations reflected some form of reality as well?
Suppressing another shiver, he paused by the engineering station. Hitchcock glanced up, sensing his presence. "The engines are pushed to their limit," she reported. "Luckily, the currents have been with us so far, but if we hit any rogues, we'll have to dial it back."
"I understand, Commander." He silently cursed the inner panic as he turned to walk away, the panic trying to tell him that top speed wasn't enough, that it wouldn't be enough....
"Sir?"
He turned back to face her. "Yes?"
"We'll make it in time." Her bright blue eyes bored into his. "I know she's been put through hell, but she's strong. She'll get through this."
"Captain, we've got an incoming transmission."
He jerked his head around at O'Neill's interruption, a frisson of unease rising up. Had Len somehow detected that they were closing in on her location? "Source?"
Tim keyed in a fast command on his console, then turned back to face him. "It's the NCIS office at Elmendorf-Richardson."
Nathan sighed, partly in relief, partly in exasperation. He was in no mood to deal with Agent Moonin, but even so, he had known she was bound to contact them. I'm surprised it took her this long. "Put it through."
A moment later, the main viewscreen lit up, revealing the furious face of Callie Moonin. Her eyes were bleary and she was impatiently attempting to braid her rumpled hair into some semblance of order. Her hands dropped from her hair, however, once she realized that the link was active; a glower forming as her gaze settled upon the captain.
"Agent Moonin." He clasped his hands behind his back, keeping his expression calm. "What can I do for you?"
"I have just been informed by Agent Brickey, who was informed by Port authority, that you set sail over four hours ago! Would you care to explain why you've disobeyed my order??"
Nathan raised an eyebrow at the last word of her tirade. "I'm not under your command, and neither is my boat. I apologize for neglecting to inform you but we have an important lead."
"And that is why you were to inform me! It is my job to investigate any and all leads in this case."
"I'm sure you can appreciate that time is of the essence in abduction cases--"
"I know that! But so is prudent planning! Do you have any idea what you're walking into, Captain? Did the person who gave you this lead also give you any actual, confirmed intelligence of the location, or how many you're going up against??"
"The information they uncovered is sound and I trust their intelligence, which is why I gave the order to launch." He wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of mentioning the encoded transmission, and had no intention of mentioning O'Neill's part in it.
"So you're going to blindly walk into what could very well be a setup?!"
"And if that happens, then the responsibility will be mine, not yours--"
"The fact remains, Captain Bridger, that you are still ignoring investigative protocol! And did you not request our assistance in the first place? Yet you and your crew have continually failed to cooperate--"
Nathan forced himself to count to five before interrupting her. "I'm sorry that you feel we haven't cooperated well enough with you and your team. But the bottom line is, I will not risk Doctor Westphalen's life on what-ifs." Catching O'Neill's eye, he gestured for him to terminate the link.
"If you think--" Moonin's threat was cut off mid-word as the link was severed with one flick of a switch.
Nathan sighed inwardly and resumed his pacing. He half-expected Moonin to immediately attempt contact again, but, to his surprise, the link remained silent. Another shiver suddenly gripped him and, with it, a faint tightening in his chest. Why the sensations were continuing to plague him, he didn't know. He forced himself to ignore them, but couldn't ignore the persistent dread that was growing with every passing minute.
We're almost there, Kristin. Just hold on a little longer....
(*)
Lash Bay, Tanaga Island - 1315 hours
Crocker listened hard for a long moment, but could hear nothing beyond the muted swish of the waves hitting the rocks somewhere off to the right. He gestured to the others and, one by one, they slipped on silent feet out of the launch. Mars, Olden, and Dietz were first. Carlton and Dexter followed right behind, with Nathan and Doc Levin on their heels. Carasi and Briggs came last, accompanied by Braeckman, Levin's assistant. He had debated with himself for a while about how many of his people to bring along, but finally decided it was worth the risk to have too many rather than not enough. And once they found Doc Westphalen, having an extra man or two to cover her retrieval would be beneficial.
Crocker knew he could trust the two medical officers to stay back out of the line of fire, but Cap was another story entirely. He hadn't even bothered to argue when Cap had showed up in the launch bay; any attempt he could have made would have been pointless. He knew better than anyone just how stubborn his friend was. At this stage, he could only hope that they found the Doc in one piece, for he feared the reaction if they did not.
The fact that they were going in almost totally blind aggravated the security chief to no end. There had been little in the way of confirmed Intel, so he had no idea how many they were up against. Len had done her damndest to cover her tracks. To make matters worse was all the damn fog floating around. Not only did it make it impossible to spot any opponent within range, it was giving him the creeps.
The ground suddenly rocked beneath their feet, catching them all off guard. Dexter and Olden both swore under their breath and Braeckman stumbled, but Levin caught her elbow, preventing her from falling. A second tremor came only a moment later but everyone managed to remain on their feet. Crocker squinted into the gloom, attempting to pinpoint the locations of the old buildings he knew stood there. He literally bumped into the nearest one and braced himself against the wall out of habit. Feeling his way to the edge, he cautiously peered around the corner, weapon at the ready. He could make out little but the shadow of a neighboring building and the gravel pathway that disappeared into the curtain of fog about thirty feet ahead.
He was about to lead the team out onto the pathway when he realized that his bracing hand was touching cold metal. Glancing down, he noticed that his fingertips rested on the outer edge of a circular object embedded into the stone wall. Scowling, he backed up a step and knelt down next to where he'd been originally standing to study it more closely. The closer look confirmed his suspicions: a high-grade motion sensor. From his current angle, he could see that the sensor panel itself was in the exact center of the device, which hopefully meant he hadn't tripped it. But where there was one, there were no doubt more-and finding and avoiding them in this fog was going to be stickier than molasses in winter.
"Gonna need to step careful, people," he said in quiet tones over his shoulder. "We might've tripped one already, but keep a look out. We don't want to lose the element of surprise if at all possible."
He and Olden led the way, moving slowly along the walls from one building to the next to locate the sensors; the others following behind after one or the other of them had declared an area clear or found a way to detour around the sensor. The nagging feeling that they were going to miss spotting one continued to needle at him, but he reminded himself that the fog would hinder the enemy as much as it was already hindering them.
A sudden breeze picked up, causing the fog to swirl and clear in places. Olden pointed out yet another motion sensor and, as it was placed at eye level, they all were able to duck to avoid it as they approached the next building. A sharp indrawn breath behind him made Crocker turn to look at Nathan, and he was immediately alarmed by the paling of his friend's face. Mars and Briggs had noticed the direction the captain was looking in and both had their weapons at the ready. Crocker followed Nathan's gaze and realized that what he was seeing through the thick mist was an old aviation control tower, the cement walls webbed with numerous cracks.
"Don't think it's stable enough for anyone to be up in there, sir," Briggs commented after a hard look up at the observation window.
Crocker nodded in agreement, casting a last glance upward before the fog thickened and swallowed the tower again. He turned his attention back towards the building they were approaching, noticing that it seemed to be in better condition than most of the others. Olden was a few steps ahead of him and he crept along the edge of the wall to the window, listening a moment before attempting a glimpse inside. The foggy silence was shattered in the next instant by a trio of shots that cracked through the glass.
"Down! Down!" Crocker yelled. In an instant, his team had spread out in a defensive half-circle around the captain, Levin and Braeckman, the wall at their backs. Olden had ducked in time to avoid being hit and had already scuttled beneath the window and to the nearby door. Briggs was on his heels and she slid past him to take up position on the other side of the door. They shared a glance before Olden nodded. Briggs reached up her hand and gave the door handle a quick twist, letting it swing open of its own accord. Another barrage of gunfire followed, some hitting the door, the remainder shattering the window. As one, Briggs and Olden turned and fired two shots each through the doorway, ducking down again as whoever was inside returned fire.
"How many?" Crocker demanded over his shoulder, keeping his eyes on the swirling fog in front of them should anyone attempt to come at them from one of the other buildings.
Olden dared a glance past the door frame to fire again, then pressed himself back against the wall. "Male subject, two o'clock! Taking cover behind a desk!"
Briggs edged closer to the doorway. "No one else visible--" She suddenly ducked back with a yelp as the next shot from within struck the door frame within inches of her original position. Swearing under her breath, she chanced another look, firing off another shot of her own before moving into the room in a crouched sidle with Olden directly behind her.
Crocker counted to three before following them in, Carasi falling into step behind him. Olden and Briggs were moving in on the suspect behind the desk, so he did a quick scan of the rest of the room, taking note of the two doors-one directly ahead, the other to the left. He missed the door inching open ahead, but the flash of light off metal caught his eye. "Carasi!"
Carasi spun and ducked in one move, but the bullet struck her in the upper arm and she cried out from the pain, stumbling to her knees. Crocker fired at the door, swearing under his breath when his shot missed. Dexter appeared in his peripheral vision, shielding Carasi and Carlton as his partner moved in behind him, helping the injured ensign to her feet and back out the door.
Disarming the subject behind the door proved to be more difficult than they anticipated, as a series of persisting quakes continually disrupted everyone's balance. A lucky shot by Dexter sent the other man's gun clattering to the floor and the lieutenant started to advance towards the door when a distinct loud thunk on the other side gave him pause. The door swung open a minute later and the man behind it stumbled out, taking a few halting steps before collapsing to the floor face first. Crocker's eyes narrowed at the sight of the knife hilt protruding from one shoulder. He held up a hand to warn Dexter to remain where he was, focusing his gaze through the now open doorway. "Come out of there. Hands where I can see 'em."
The young Native that stepped out at his command spared only a moment's contemptuous glance for the dying man on the floor, then met Crocker's stare with a nod. He offered the knife in his hand hilt forward to Dexter, who took it and passed it to his partner. Carlton tossed him a set of cuffs in exchange.
"How many others you got working with you?" Crocker questioned the younger man as the lieutenants cuffed him.
"There is no one else. Only myself and Len."
"Where is she?"
The Native inclined his head in the direction of the door he'd come through with a careless shrug. "Somewhere below."
"Where's Kristin??" The demand came from Nathan, who had since entered the building along with the rest of the team.
Another shrug was the only response and, despite further questioning, he refused to say another word. Deciding not to waste any more time, Crocker assigned Dietz and Olden to stay with Carasi, the prisoner and the two bodies. Carasi insisted that, despite her injury, she could help stand guard. Levin re-examined the ensign's injury and agreed that she was well enough to assist if necessary.
The tunnel lacked adequate lighting and, below the surface, the quaking seemed more pronounced. Yet it seemed that, despite the frequent seismic activity, the underground part of the facility was stable. Crocker halted the team with a silent gesture upon sighting a glass-walled enclosure at the point where the tunnel began to level out. But, when he moved closer, it was obvious there was nowhere for anyone to hide inside. Outside of the counters built into the walls at various places, it was obvious that the room had been long ago stripped of anything else it had once contained. Past that point, the corridor branched off in two different directions. Crocker assigned Mars to take a group down the right hand corridor and took Nathan, Braeckman and Briggs with him in the opposite direction.
The first two doors opened into rooms that were completely empty. The third room had a large observation window next to its door and appeared to have been used as a laboratory. Crocker took note of the dividing walls that split the large space into sections, as well as another door on the far side of the room. A sizeable shelving unit also took up half the right hand wall, along with a trio of cabinets, all empty. He listened hard but he couldn't make out any potential noise due to the earthquakes, which were now happening every other minute.
Spreading out, the four of them checked behind each of the dividing walls, finding only a couple tables and more empty cabinets. Briggs stealthily made her way to the door opposite that was marked with badly faded signage indicating its original purpose was for isolation. She cautiously opened it, aiming her weapon inside before daring a look. "Clear, Chief," she called out softly. "Only some broken lab equipment."
Crocker nodded and glanced over to Braeckman, who had volunteered to check the corner half-hidden by a dividing wall. She shook her head to indicate that she'd found nothing. He nodded and turned back to see if Nathan had found anything. But the captain was not behind him. Narrowing his eyes in confusion, he hurried back across the room, wondering if perhaps he had gone to guard the door. When he spotted the door wide open, he swore under his breath. A glance out into the corridor showed no sign of him either. Sighing in aggravation, he turned back and gestured for Braeckman and Briggs to follow him out, all the while kicking himself for not paying better attention. Why didn't you keep him in your line of sight, Crocker? You should've known he'd pull somethin' like this!
(*)
Keeping to the shadows afforded by the lack of lighting, Nathan moved at a quick but stealthy pace past another closed door marked with a sign too faded to read. His old friend was no doubt cursing him right now for slipping away and continuing his pursuit without backup, but searching the entire complex was a pointless exercise. He knew exactly where Len was--in that damned room with the pool she'd used to torture Kristin. Now if only he could locate it in this maze....
The ground rocked sharply beneath his feet again and his ears caught the unmistakable sound of sloshing water somewhere up ahead. He followed it down the corridor, pausing once to listen again in order to make sure he was moving in the right direction. Another, stronger quake made the sound more distinct and he turned a corner where the corridor opened up into a large oval-shaped chamber. Squinting in the dimness as he stepped over the threshold, he noticed that the room was a dead end; there were no other doors that he could see-and in the room's center was the pool, a series of new tremors sending water splashing up along its edges. He barely noticed the sudden increase of seismic activity, all his attention riveted to the pool as the horrible images he'd tried to forget for days suddenly rose up again--Kristin sinking beneath the water, being shoved back under when she tried to surface, on her knees struggling to breathe....
He was brought back to sudden reality when a booted foot made hard contact with his wrist, sending searing pain shooting through his hand and centering in his splinted finger. His weapon flew through the air and landed in the pool with a plop. Gritting his teeth against the pain in his hand, he quickly turned to find himself staring down the pistol that was pointed at him--and it took him a full thirty seconds to look past the black hole of the barrel and into the malevolent gaze of the woman aiming it at his head.
Despite the fact that she had succeeded in putting him at a distinct disadvantage, he had no intention of allowing that to hinder him. "Hello, Lenore."
Her eyes narrowed a fraction. "No one calls me that anymore."
"Not even Marilyn?" He refused to look away from Len's cold stare, knowing that to do so would be a mistake. And yet he had the impression that the two of them were not alone. Was she observing from the shadows?
"Don't you dare speak her name." The words were uttered with pure contempt. "Your sense of loyalty is a study in sheer hypocrisy. Here you are, running to the rescue of your little paramour, yet you're fully willing to betray others when it suits you."
"She was the one who betrayed her oath to--"
"She trusted you. She looked up to you. And you murdered her." Len stepped towards him, not even wavering as the floor rolled beneath their feet.
Murdered?? Sheer disbelief rendered him momentarily speechless. He had always assumed that his former protégée was allowing Len to have full control of the plot against him, knowing that her lover wouldn't be easily recognized; he had never once considered the possibility that she might not be involved at all. "Marilyn's dead?"
The echo of the gun going off made Nathan's ears ring and, for a long moment, all he could hear was the manic thump of his own pulse. And then he felt the burning pain radiate through his shoulder. He reached up without thinking to clutch at the wound, struggling to stay on his feet despite the shock that brought black spots dancing in his line of vision and disrupted his sense of balance. Len advanced on him again and he immediately stepped back, stumbling when the ground rocked anew from a prolonged tremor. "You have the nerve to pretend you don't know when you gave the order to drown her!"
He shook his head, still not understanding why Len was accusing him of murder. "If she is truly dead, I had nothing to do with it--"
"I'm not surprised you're going to lie to the very end. And make no mistake, Bridger--I will kill you. This isn't the first time I've killed to protect Mari." A smirk formed on her face. "Though Norman's death was unintentional, and technically it was self-defense, seeing as he attacked me without provocation. He didn't take kindly to anyone 'interfering' with the so-called 'discipline' of his sister and threatened to teach me a lesson. Bet he didn't expect to come out on the losing end with a girl half his size, but that's exactly where he ended up."
Nathan forced himself to focus past the pain of his shoulder wound, hoping to hell Crocker or Briggs had heard the shot that had injured him, fighting to keep his balance even though the continual quakes kept threatening to toss him to the floor. Len's disjointed ranting and the strange glitter in her eyes brought him to a sudden sharp realization: she had gone completely insane. But would he be able to use that against her--or would it leave him at an even greater disadvantage?
"I admit this isn't quite what I had in mind when I started." Len's voice softened to an almost thoughtful tone. "Oh, I knew you would come after your precious Kristin in hopes of saving her. But never did I think that I would get to take you out myself." Her smirk returned as she continued to close in on him.
She was backing him towards the pool--and he knew what she was intending. That meant there was only one thing to do. Lashing a hand out, he grabbed hold of her gun hand, twisting her wrist and jerking her forward in one move. She yelped in surprise and anger and lost hold on her weapon just as the floor jolted hard under their feet. Her own balance faltered, slamming her into him and she tried to pull out of his hold, but gravity dragged them both into the fall and they hit the water at the same instant.
The frigid water shocked Nathan's senses, and he forced himself to ignore its icy grip; allowing the cold to take over would be a distraction. He shoved Len away from him as he surfaced, swiping a hand over his eyes to clear his vision and ascertain his surroundings. It was all he had time to do before she snarled and lunged at him. He managed to catch her hand before she hit him in the face, but her other hand latched into his hair, her weight pushing him underwater. He dug his fingers hard into her arm to loosen her grip, thrusting her away and kicking to propel himself back up for air. Surfacing, he saw that the edge of the pool was within arm's reach and reached out to grab a hold of it.
Without warning, her arm wrapped in a stranglehold around his neck, wrenching him away from the chance of safety. He managed to draw in a breath before she dragged him down again, holding him in a headlock and twisting them around in order to put him beneath her. When he tried to slither out of her grasp, she tightened her hold, pressing harder against his throat. A sliver of panic rose up and he kicked hard, spinning them so that he was on top and dragging her to the surface with him just long enough to catch his breath. He thought he heard someone yell his name before she forced him under once more.
The quick bit of air he'd gotten was not enough and a light-headed feeling immediately began to plague him. He knew he needed to loosen her grip so he could resurface for a proper breath. Since fighting her directly wasn't working, that left attempting to trick her. He allowed himself to go limp, swishing one hand slowly out to the side as if he'd lost the strength to struggle. When the constraint on his neck lessened, he knew she had taken the bait. Ignoring the ache building in his lungs from lack of oxygen, he counted to five, allowing her to drag him further down before throwing them both in a sudden spin while twisting to face her and then giving her a hard shove, a move that he'd learned from Darwin. He kicked hard at the same moment he pushed, propelling them both to the surface and, the second he felt air on his face, threw all of his weight into a second shove, breaking her hold on him. He then swam in the opposite direction, thinking only of staying out of her reach. Crocker was at the edge, offering him a hand. It wasn't until he was out that he thought to look for Len and turned to see Briggs hauling her up from the water. She appeared dazed, not even struggling as the young ensign locked the cuffs around her wrists.
"Cap, you're shot."
"I'm fine." A wave of dizziness swept through him and he braced his hands on his knees, forcing himself to breathe slowly and deeply.
"No, you're not," the security chief snapped. "Braeckman! Get yourself and that kit of yours over here pronto! Captain's injured."
"I'm fine, Crocker." He straightened with a wince and gave Crocker a "don't argue with me" glare. Thankfully, the insistent chirp of a PAL distracted Crocker and he snagged it from his belt, hitting the answer button with his thumb. "Crocker."
"Chief, I can't get through to the captain's PAL. Is he still with you?"
"He's right here, Dexter. You find the doc yet?"
"We did, and she's not looking good--"
"I'm sendin' him and Braeckman to your location now." He handed Nathan his PAL and gestured towards the doorway.
With Braeckman on his heels, Nathan ran through the maze of corridors, following Dexter's directions on auto-pilot. In minutes, he spotted the lieutenant, who was bracing open a thick metal door against the quakes, which had become more numerous by the minute. The door led into a narrow corridor that bore a set of six doors, and the last one on the left was open with Carlton standing guard outside. Reaching the doorway, he froze on the threshold at the sight of Doctor Levin kneeling over a still form on the floor. He wasn't even aware of Braeckman slithering past him to join Levin, his horrified gaze focused on Kristin's pale face and blue-tinged lips. "Is she...."
Levin didn't respond at first, focused on moving the stethoscope over Kristin's chest. His gaze narrowed and he shook his head as he removed the scope and slung it back into his kit. "Core temp very low, minimal response to stimuli, and definite signs of pleural effusions. Even if she has internal injuries, we have to risk moving her. I can't do anything for her here." He looked to his assistant. "Tonya, if you'll get her feet...."
"I'll take her." Nathan stepped forward before the younger man could protest.
"But your shoulder injury, Captain--you shouldn't put weight...."
"I'll risk it. And it will be easier for one person instead of two." He knelt down and lifted Kristin into his arms, ignoring the strain it put on his wounded shoulder. He shivered reflexively at how she was ice cold to the touch, belatedly realizing that her clothes were as wet as his. Fury at Len rose back up, but he forced it down and turned back to the doorway, leading the way out. The sooner they got back to seaQuest, the better-both for Kristin's sake and for their own safety. Despite the fact that Len was no longer a threat, his sixth sense was telling him that a far greater danger had yet to manifest.
index post
A/N: Extra thanks go to two great people in addition to Darkin for their immense help with this chapter - Story (bkwrmnlvnit) and my fellow local NaNo groupie Chautona. Thank you both so much for listening to me and helping me navigate through the continual episodes of writers' block these past couple weeks!
Chapter 11 ~ Amor Vincit Tenebrae
Eastern edge of the Andreanof Islands - 0950 hours
The air of tension on seaQuest's bridge was palpable. Absent was the occasional light chatter between crewmembers at neighboring stations, or over the headsets. Near silence had taken its place, everyone focused on their consoles or on the main viewscreen and the expanse of deep blue without. The entire crew shared their captain's worry about what was to come; they all knew what was at stake.
"ETA, Mr. Ortiz?" Nathan forced himself to keep his voice level, not wanting his anxiety to show in his words. He knew it wasn't likely that the others were buying it, but he continued to maintain his best attempt at a calm demeanor out of habit.
The sensor chief keyed in a quick command and glanced over the data results. "We're coming up on the edge of Amlia Island. About two and a half hours to Tanaga."
He nodded his thanks and resumed pacing. He had taken to wandering a wide circle around the bridge, pausing on occasion to glance at the viewscreen. The action was as much a way to kill time as to distract him from the lingering chill, which had continued to persist despite the passing hours. He would have ordinarily written it off as merely his building trepidation, except for the dream. Given that the images in his dream had proven true, did that mean that the physical sensations reflected some form of reality as well?
Suppressing another shiver, he paused by the engineering station. Hitchcock glanced up, sensing his presence. "The engines are pushed to their limit," she reported. "Luckily, the currents have been with us so far, but if we hit any rogues, we'll have to dial it back."
"I understand, Commander." He silently cursed the inner panic as he turned to walk away, the panic trying to tell him that top speed wasn't enough, that it wouldn't be enough....
"Sir?"
He turned back to face her. "Yes?"
"We'll make it in time." Her bright blue eyes bored into his. "I know she's been put through hell, but she's strong. She'll get through this."
"Captain, we've got an incoming transmission."
He jerked his head around at O'Neill's interruption, a frisson of unease rising up. Had Len somehow detected that they were closing in on her location? "Source?"
Tim keyed in a fast command on his console, then turned back to face him. "It's the NCIS office at Elmendorf-Richardson."
Nathan sighed, partly in relief, partly in exasperation. He was in no mood to deal with Agent Moonin, but even so, he had known she was bound to contact them. I'm surprised it took her this long. "Put it through."
A moment later, the main viewscreen lit up, revealing the furious face of Callie Moonin. Her eyes were bleary and she was impatiently attempting to braid her rumpled hair into some semblance of order. Her hands dropped from her hair, however, once she realized that the link was active; a glower forming as her gaze settled upon the captain.
"Agent Moonin." He clasped his hands behind his back, keeping his expression calm. "What can I do for you?"
"I have just been informed by Agent Brickey, who was informed by Port authority, that you set sail over four hours ago! Would you care to explain why you've disobeyed my order??"
Nathan raised an eyebrow at the last word of her tirade. "I'm not under your command, and neither is my boat. I apologize for neglecting to inform you but we have an important lead."
"And that is why you were to inform me! It is my job to investigate any and all leads in this case."
"I'm sure you can appreciate that time is of the essence in abduction cases--"
"I know that! But so is prudent planning! Do you have any idea what you're walking into, Captain? Did the person who gave you this lead also give you any actual, confirmed intelligence of the location, or how many you're going up against??"
"The information they uncovered is sound and I trust their intelligence, which is why I gave the order to launch." He wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of mentioning the encoded transmission, and had no intention of mentioning O'Neill's part in it.
"So you're going to blindly walk into what could very well be a setup?!"
"And if that happens, then the responsibility will be mine, not yours--"
"The fact remains, Captain Bridger, that you are still ignoring investigative protocol! And did you not request our assistance in the first place? Yet you and your crew have continually failed to cooperate--"
Nathan forced himself to count to five before interrupting her. "I'm sorry that you feel we haven't cooperated well enough with you and your team. But the bottom line is, I will not risk Doctor Westphalen's life on what-ifs." Catching O'Neill's eye, he gestured for him to terminate the link.
"If you think--" Moonin's threat was cut off mid-word as the link was severed with one flick of a switch.
Nathan sighed inwardly and resumed his pacing. He half-expected Moonin to immediately attempt contact again, but, to his surprise, the link remained silent. Another shiver suddenly gripped him and, with it, a faint tightening in his chest. Why the sensations were continuing to plague him, he didn't know. He forced himself to ignore them, but couldn't ignore the persistent dread that was growing with every passing minute.
We're almost there, Kristin. Just hold on a little longer....
(*)
Lash Bay, Tanaga Island - 1315 hours
Crocker listened hard for a long moment, but could hear nothing beyond the muted swish of the waves hitting the rocks somewhere off to the right. He gestured to the others and, one by one, they slipped on silent feet out of the launch. Mars, Olden, and Dietz were first. Carlton and Dexter followed right behind, with Nathan and Doc Levin on their heels. Carasi and Briggs came last, accompanied by Braeckman, Levin's assistant. He had debated with himself for a while about how many of his people to bring along, but finally decided it was worth the risk to have too many rather than not enough. And once they found Doc Westphalen, having an extra man or two to cover her retrieval would be beneficial.
Crocker knew he could trust the two medical officers to stay back out of the line of fire, but Cap was another story entirely. He hadn't even bothered to argue when Cap had showed up in the launch bay; any attempt he could have made would have been pointless. He knew better than anyone just how stubborn his friend was. At this stage, he could only hope that they found the Doc in one piece, for he feared the reaction if they did not.
The fact that they were going in almost totally blind aggravated the security chief to no end. There had been little in the way of confirmed Intel, so he had no idea how many they were up against. Len had done her damndest to cover her tracks. To make matters worse was all the damn fog floating around. Not only did it make it impossible to spot any opponent within range, it was giving him the creeps.
The ground suddenly rocked beneath their feet, catching them all off guard. Dexter and Olden both swore under their breath and Braeckman stumbled, but Levin caught her elbow, preventing her from falling. A second tremor came only a moment later but everyone managed to remain on their feet. Crocker squinted into the gloom, attempting to pinpoint the locations of the old buildings he knew stood there. He literally bumped into the nearest one and braced himself against the wall out of habit. Feeling his way to the edge, he cautiously peered around the corner, weapon at the ready. He could make out little but the shadow of a neighboring building and the gravel pathway that disappeared into the curtain of fog about thirty feet ahead.
He was about to lead the team out onto the pathway when he realized that his bracing hand was touching cold metal. Glancing down, he noticed that his fingertips rested on the outer edge of a circular object embedded into the stone wall. Scowling, he backed up a step and knelt down next to where he'd been originally standing to study it more closely. The closer look confirmed his suspicions: a high-grade motion sensor. From his current angle, he could see that the sensor panel itself was in the exact center of the device, which hopefully meant he hadn't tripped it. But where there was one, there were no doubt more-and finding and avoiding them in this fog was going to be stickier than molasses in winter.
"Gonna need to step careful, people," he said in quiet tones over his shoulder. "We might've tripped one already, but keep a look out. We don't want to lose the element of surprise if at all possible."
He and Olden led the way, moving slowly along the walls from one building to the next to locate the sensors; the others following behind after one or the other of them had declared an area clear or found a way to detour around the sensor. The nagging feeling that they were going to miss spotting one continued to needle at him, but he reminded himself that the fog would hinder the enemy as much as it was already hindering them.
A sudden breeze picked up, causing the fog to swirl and clear in places. Olden pointed out yet another motion sensor and, as it was placed at eye level, they all were able to duck to avoid it as they approached the next building. A sharp indrawn breath behind him made Crocker turn to look at Nathan, and he was immediately alarmed by the paling of his friend's face. Mars and Briggs had noticed the direction the captain was looking in and both had their weapons at the ready. Crocker followed Nathan's gaze and realized that what he was seeing through the thick mist was an old aviation control tower, the cement walls webbed with numerous cracks.
"Don't think it's stable enough for anyone to be up in there, sir," Briggs commented after a hard look up at the observation window.
Crocker nodded in agreement, casting a last glance upward before the fog thickened and swallowed the tower again. He turned his attention back towards the building they were approaching, noticing that it seemed to be in better condition than most of the others. Olden was a few steps ahead of him and he crept along the edge of the wall to the window, listening a moment before attempting a glimpse inside. The foggy silence was shattered in the next instant by a trio of shots that cracked through the glass.
"Down! Down!" Crocker yelled. In an instant, his team had spread out in a defensive half-circle around the captain, Levin and Braeckman, the wall at their backs. Olden had ducked in time to avoid being hit and had already scuttled beneath the window and to the nearby door. Briggs was on his heels and she slid past him to take up position on the other side of the door. They shared a glance before Olden nodded. Briggs reached up her hand and gave the door handle a quick twist, letting it swing open of its own accord. Another barrage of gunfire followed, some hitting the door, the remainder shattering the window. As one, Briggs and Olden turned and fired two shots each through the doorway, ducking down again as whoever was inside returned fire.
"How many?" Crocker demanded over his shoulder, keeping his eyes on the swirling fog in front of them should anyone attempt to come at them from one of the other buildings.
Olden dared a glance past the door frame to fire again, then pressed himself back against the wall. "Male subject, two o'clock! Taking cover behind a desk!"
Briggs edged closer to the doorway. "No one else visible--" She suddenly ducked back with a yelp as the next shot from within struck the door frame within inches of her original position. Swearing under her breath, she chanced another look, firing off another shot of her own before moving into the room in a crouched sidle with Olden directly behind her.
Crocker counted to three before following them in, Carasi falling into step behind him. Olden and Briggs were moving in on the suspect behind the desk, so he did a quick scan of the rest of the room, taking note of the two doors-one directly ahead, the other to the left. He missed the door inching open ahead, but the flash of light off metal caught his eye. "Carasi!"
Carasi spun and ducked in one move, but the bullet struck her in the upper arm and she cried out from the pain, stumbling to her knees. Crocker fired at the door, swearing under his breath when his shot missed. Dexter appeared in his peripheral vision, shielding Carasi and Carlton as his partner moved in behind him, helping the injured ensign to her feet and back out the door.
Disarming the subject behind the door proved to be more difficult than they anticipated, as a series of persisting quakes continually disrupted everyone's balance. A lucky shot by Dexter sent the other man's gun clattering to the floor and the lieutenant started to advance towards the door when a distinct loud thunk on the other side gave him pause. The door swung open a minute later and the man behind it stumbled out, taking a few halting steps before collapsing to the floor face first. Crocker's eyes narrowed at the sight of the knife hilt protruding from one shoulder. He held up a hand to warn Dexter to remain where he was, focusing his gaze through the now open doorway. "Come out of there. Hands where I can see 'em."
The young Native that stepped out at his command spared only a moment's contemptuous glance for the dying man on the floor, then met Crocker's stare with a nod. He offered the knife in his hand hilt forward to Dexter, who took it and passed it to his partner. Carlton tossed him a set of cuffs in exchange.
"How many others you got working with you?" Crocker questioned the younger man as the lieutenants cuffed him.
"There is no one else. Only myself and Len."
"Where is she?"
The Native inclined his head in the direction of the door he'd come through with a careless shrug. "Somewhere below."
"Where's Kristin??" The demand came from Nathan, who had since entered the building along with the rest of the team.
Another shrug was the only response and, despite further questioning, he refused to say another word. Deciding not to waste any more time, Crocker assigned Dietz and Olden to stay with Carasi, the prisoner and the two bodies. Carasi insisted that, despite her injury, she could help stand guard. Levin re-examined the ensign's injury and agreed that she was well enough to assist if necessary.
The tunnel lacked adequate lighting and, below the surface, the quaking seemed more pronounced. Yet it seemed that, despite the frequent seismic activity, the underground part of the facility was stable. Crocker halted the team with a silent gesture upon sighting a glass-walled enclosure at the point where the tunnel began to level out. But, when he moved closer, it was obvious there was nowhere for anyone to hide inside. Outside of the counters built into the walls at various places, it was obvious that the room had been long ago stripped of anything else it had once contained. Past that point, the corridor branched off in two different directions. Crocker assigned Mars to take a group down the right hand corridor and took Nathan, Braeckman and Briggs with him in the opposite direction.
The first two doors opened into rooms that were completely empty. The third room had a large observation window next to its door and appeared to have been used as a laboratory. Crocker took note of the dividing walls that split the large space into sections, as well as another door on the far side of the room. A sizeable shelving unit also took up half the right hand wall, along with a trio of cabinets, all empty. He listened hard but he couldn't make out any potential noise due to the earthquakes, which were now happening every other minute.
Spreading out, the four of them checked behind each of the dividing walls, finding only a couple tables and more empty cabinets. Briggs stealthily made her way to the door opposite that was marked with badly faded signage indicating its original purpose was for isolation. She cautiously opened it, aiming her weapon inside before daring a look. "Clear, Chief," she called out softly. "Only some broken lab equipment."
Crocker nodded and glanced over to Braeckman, who had volunteered to check the corner half-hidden by a dividing wall. She shook her head to indicate that she'd found nothing. He nodded and turned back to see if Nathan had found anything. But the captain was not behind him. Narrowing his eyes in confusion, he hurried back across the room, wondering if perhaps he had gone to guard the door. When he spotted the door wide open, he swore under his breath. A glance out into the corridor showed no sign of him either. Sighing in aggravation, he turned back and gestured for Braeckman and Briggs to follow him out, all the while kicking himself for not paying better attention. Why didn't you keep him in your line of sight, Crocker? You should've known he'd pull somethin' like this!
(*)
Keeping to the shadows afforded by the lack of lighting, Nathan moved at a quick but stealthy pace past another closed door marked with a sign too faded to read. His old friend was no doubt cursing him right now for slipping away and continuing his pursuit without backup, but searching the entire complex was a pointless exercise. He knew exactly where Len was--in that damned room with the pool she'd used to torture Kristin. Now if only he could locate it in this maze....
The ground rocked sharply beneath his feet again and his ears caught the unmistakable sound of sloshing water somewhere up ahead. He followed it down the corridor, pausing once to listen again in order to make sure he was moving in the right direction. Another, stronger quake made the sound more distinct and he turned a corner where the corridor opened up into a large oval-shaped chamber. Squinting in the dimness as he stepped over the threshold, he noticed that the room was a dead end; there were no other doors that he could see-and in the room's center was the pool, a series of new tremors sending water splashing up along its edges. He barely noticed the sudden increase of seismic activity, all his attention riveted to the pool as the horrible images he'd tried to forget for days suddenly rose up again--Kristin sinking beneath the water, being shoved back under when she tried to surface, on her knees struggling to breathe....
He was brought back to sudden reality when a booted foot made hard contact with his wrist, sending searing pain shooting through his hand and centering in his splinted finger. His weapon flew through the air and landed in the pool with a plop. Gritting his teeth against the pain in his hand, he quickly turned to find himself staring down the pistol that was pointed at him--and it took him a full thirty seconds to look past the black hole of the barrel and into the malevolent gaze of the woman aiming it at his head.
Despite the fact that she had succeeded in putting him at a distinct disadvantage, he had no intention of allowing that to hinder him. "Hello, Lenore."
Her eyes narrowed a fraction. "No one calls me that anymore."
"Not even Marilyn?" He refused to look away from Len's cold stare, knowing that to do so would be a mistake. And yet he had the impression that the two of them were not alone. Was she observing from the shadows?
"Don't you dare speak her name." The words were uttered with pure contempt. "Your sense of loyalty is a study in sheer hypocrisy. Here you are, running to the rescue of your little paramour, yet you're fully willing to betray others when it suits you."
"She was the one who betrayed her oath to--"
"She trusted you. She looked up to you. And you murdered her." Len stepped towards him, not even wavering as the floor rolled beneath their feet.
Murdered?? Sheer disbelief rendered him momentarily speechless. He had always assumed that his former protégée was allowing Len to have full control of the plot against him, knowing that her lover wouldn't be easily recognized; he had never once considered the possibility that she might not be involved at all. "Marilyn's dead?"
The echo of the gun going off made Nathan's ears ring and, for a long moment, all he could hear was the manic thump of his own pulse. And then he felt the burning pain radiate through his shoulder. He reached up without thinking to clutch at the wound, struggling to stay on his feet despite the shock that brought black spots dancing in his line of vision and disrupted his sense of balance. Len advanced on him again and he immediately stepped back, stumbling when the ground rocked anew from a prolonged tremor. "You have the nerve to pretend you don't know when you gave the order to drown her!"
He shook his head, still not understanding why Len was accusing him of murder. "If she is truly dead, I had nothing to do with it--"
"I'm not surprised you're going to lie to the very end. And make no mistake, Bridger--I will kill you. This isn't the first time I've killed to protect Mari." A smirk formed on her face. "Though Norman's death was unintentional, and technically it was self-defense, seeing as he attacked me without provocation. He didn't take kindly to anyone 'interfering' with the so-called 'discipline' of his sister and threatened to teach me a lesson. Bet he didn't expect to come out on the losing end with a girl half his size, but that's exactly where he ended up."
Nathan forced himself to focus past the pain of his shoulder wound, hoping to hell Crocker or Briggs had heard the shot that had injured him, fighting to keep his balance even though the continual quakes kept threatening to toss him to the floor. Len's disjointed ranting and the strange glitter in her eyes brought him to a sudden sharp realization: she had gone completely insane. But would he be able to use that against her--or would it leave him at an even greater disadvantage?
"I admit this isn't quite what I had in mind when I started." Len's voice softened to an almost thoughtful tone. "Oh, I knew you would come after your precious Kristin in hopes of saving her. But never did I think that I would get to take you out myself." Her smirk returned as she continued to close in on him.
She was backing him towards the pool--and he knew what she was intending. That meant there was only one thing to do. Lashing a hand out, he grabbed hold of her gun hand, twisting her wrist and jerking her forward in one move. She yelped in surprise and anger and lost hold on her weapon just as the floor jolted hard under their feet. Her own balance faltered, slamming her into him and she tried to pull out of his hold, but gravity dragged them both into the fall and they hit the water at the same instant.
The frigid water shocked Nathan's senses, and he forced himself to ignore its icy grip; allowing the cold to take over would be a distraction. He shoved Len away from him as he surfaced, swiping a hand over his eyes to clear his vision and ascertain his surroundings. It was all he had time to do before she snarled and lunged at him. He managed to catch her hand before she hit him in the face, but her other hand latched into his hair, her weight pushing him underwater. He dug his fingers hard into her arm to loosen her grip, thrusting her away and kicking to propel himself back up for air. Surfacing, he saw that the edge of the pool was within arm's reach and reached out to grab a hold of it.
Without warning, her arm wrapped in a stranglehold around his neck, wrenching him away from the chance of safety. He managed to draw in a breath before she dragged him down again, holding him in a headlock and twisting them around in order to put him beneath her. When he tried to slither out of her grasp, she tightened her hold, pressing harder against his throat. A sliver of panic rose up and he kicked hard, spinning them so that he was on top and dragging her to the surface with him just long enough to catch his breath. He thought he heard someone yell his name before she forced him under once more.
The quick bit of air he'd gotten was not enough and a light-headed feeling immediately began to plague him. He knew he needed to loosen her grip so he could resurface for a proper breath. Since fighting her directly wasn't working, that left attempting to trick her. He allowed himself to go limp, swishing one hand slowly out to the side as if he'd lost the strength to struggle. When the constraint on his neck lessened, he knew she had taken the bait. Ignoring the ache building in his lungs from lack of oxygen, he counted to five, allowing her to drag him further down before throwing them both in a sudden spin while twisting to face her and then giving her a hard shove, a move that he'd learned from Darwin. He kicked hard at the same moment he pushed, propelling them both to the surface and, the second he felt air on his face, threw all of his weight into a second shove, breaking her hold on him. He then swam in the opposite direction, thinking only of staying out of her reach. Crocker was at the edge, offering him a hand. It wasn't until he was out that he thought to look for Len and turned to see Briggs hauling her up from the water. She appeared dazed, not even struggling as the young ensign locked the cuffs around her wrists.
"Cap, you're shot."
"I'm fine." A wave of dizziness swept through him and he braced his hands on his knees, forcing himself to breathe slowly and deeply.
"No, you're not," the security chief snapped. "Braeckman! Get yourself and that kit of yours over here pronto! Captain's injured."
"I'm fine, Crocker." He straightened with a wince and gave Crocker a "don't argue with me" glare. Thankfully, the insistent chirp of a PAL distracted Crocker and he snagged it from his belt, hitting the answer button with his thumb. "Crocker."
"Chief, I can't get through to the captain's PAL. Is he still with you?"
"He's right here, Dexter. You find the doc yet?"
"We did, and she's not looking good--"
"I'm sendin' him and Braeckman to your location now." He handed Nathan his PAL and gestured towards the doorway.
With Braeckman on his heels, Nathan ran through the maze of corridors, following Dexter's directions on auto-pilot. In minutes, he spotted the lieutenant, who was bracing open a thick metal door against the quakes, which had become more numerous by the minute. The door led into a narrow corridor that bore a set of six doors, and the last one on the left was open with Carlton standing guard outside. Reaching the doorway, he froze on the threshold at the sight of Doctor Levin kneeling over a still form on the floor. He wasn't even aware of Braeckman slithering past him to join Levin, his horrified gaze focused on Kristin's pale face and blue-tinged lips. "Is she...."
Levin didn't respond at first, focused on moving the stethoscope over Kristin's chest. His gaze narrowed and he shook his head as he removed the scope and slung it back into his kit. "Core temp very low, minimal response to stimuli, and definite signs of pleural effusions. Even if she has internal injuries, we have to risk moving her. I can't do anything for her here." He looked to his assistant. "Tonya, if you'll get her feet...."
"I'll take her." Nathan stepped forward before the younger man could protest.
"But your shoulder injury, Captain--you shouldn't put weight...."
"I'll risk it. And it will be easier for one person instead of two." He knelt down and lifted Kristin into his arms, ignoring the strain it put on his wounded shoulder. He shivered reflexively at how she was ice cold to the touch, belatedly realizing that her clothes were as wet as his. Fury at Len rose back up, but he forced it down and turned back to the doorway, leading the way out. The sooner they got back to seaQuest, the better-both for Kristin's sake and for their own safety. Despite the fact that Len was no longer a threat, his sixth sense was telling him that a far greater danger had yet to manifest.