Leviathan

The crew was thrown around in their seats. Water leaks sprang up in a thousand places. Her thermal-dynamic drive went offline, sending out a screeching alarm throughout the ship. The four nuclear power plants scrammed and shut down.

As her life's work shuddered around her, Alexandria's eyes fluttered open. She tried lifting herself off the carpeted deck. She failed, then tried again, finally gaining her feet. She slowly wiped blood from her lip and knew she had blood coming from her ears. She staggered to her chair and hit the intercom.

"Report, Mr. Samuels."

"We're still getting information, Captain. Power plants are offline and we have already switched to battery power. We have preliminary reports of casualties in engineering and three out of the six weapons rooms. We have a hull breach in engineering--no report as to the extent of damage. The hull has sustained damage from the strike and from our own ramming to the point we must be heard by enemy sonar. We ca

"Very well--get Leviathanmoving out past the Strait, then take us deep; three thousand feet will do. For now, plot us a course for Saboo. We'll use the deep thermal cline to hide our noise."

"Aye, Captain--Saboo."

Alexandria steadied herself, then decided it was time to go and see how Compton and the others were, and congratulate them on a surprise move that she would have never guessed them capable of. As she wiped the blood that streamed from her left ear off the side of her face, she knew deep down she was grateful for her, and Leviathan's, first-ever failure.

USS MISSOURI (SSN-780)

Captain Jefferson was in sonar listening on a set of headphones. He shook his head.

"I'm not sure, Captain, until I run the tapes back, but I think we hit her. The detonations were too far away for our fish to have struck any debris from the Akulas. After that we picked up a high-speed whine heading due south out of the Straights. We may not have caused that boat to sink, but we caused some kind of damage to her hull. We hurt her," the supervisor in sonar said. "The Mark forty-eights had to have picked up on some previous damage to her hull after the guidewires broke. That and the damage we caused are what we heard."

Jefferson removed his headphones, looked at First Officer Izzeringhausen, then back at the three sonar technicians. "Once the sonar recording is examined, can you find her again?"

"Unless they can dry dock whatever that thing is, yes, Captain, we can find her."

"Look, Izzy, there's been nothing for the past twenty minutes. Get to the surface and sweep for survivors. I want to get out of this valley of death as soon as we can go with a clear conscience. When we are up top, we need to call home and report this mess. And hopefully they'll send us some help."

Missourihad won a shortened fight because she threw a sucker punch just before they themselves were about to go down. Jefferson figured they had stretched their luck just about as far as they could.

PART THREE

THE BLACK QUEEN

The sea is the greatest magician of all--it hides the truth beneath miles and miles of water--it covers its real meaning with layers of depth and pressure, and will only reveal what it needs to draw men close, closer to the depths, then suddenly it wraps its cold arms around you and the real truth is finally revealed.

-- Captain Octavian Heirthall

13

Sarah, Lee, Alice, Virginia, and Niles waited outside of Leviathan'ssickbay. They had been there for the past hour as the ship's surgeon, Dr. Warren Trevor, worked on Farbeaux. The bullet had hit the Frenchman in the lower right hip, hitting nothing vital.

"I am having the hardest time figuring out Colonel Farbeaux," Niles said, looking at his hands.

"I think it's time I tell you something." Sarah hesitated, and then decided just to say it outright. "The colonel is almost as insane as our good Captain Heirthall," she said, slowly standing up and pacing in front of the small group. "He saw an opportunity when Leviathan's assault team attacked, and came into the complex behind them to kill Jack. He's under the illusion that Jack killed his wife, and Farbeaux, at least I suspect, really looked at himself for the first time as an accomplice in her death. When he found out Jack was already dead, something drained from him--like he lost his only reason in life for living."

"He focused on Jack because--?"

Sarah stopped pacing and looked at Niles. "The only thing I can figure is that he blamed Jack for making him feel human back in the Amazon, saving those students and the rest of us from that nuclear detonation. His actions since being onboard Leviathanare bordering on--well, like he's looking to get killed. Maybe a death wish. His move on the sergeant, his open hostility to every member of the Leviathan's crew ... it all adds up."

The Group was silent as they thought about the intricacies of the Frenchman.

"I congratulate you on your ability to endanger Leviathanfor the first time in her long existence."

They all looked up and saw Alexandria Heirthall standing in the open doorway. Four of her security men, including Sergeant Tyler, who was sporting a white bandage around his head, flanked her. They could see the bloodstained handkerchief knotted tightly around her right hand, and the traces of blood at her left ear.

"Captain, I think it's time we understood each other," Niles said with dark anger edging his voice. "We are not, as you so euphemistically state it, your 'guests.' We are held here against our will to answer for our knowledge on just who you are. Since you have declared war on the world, must I remind you that as prisoners of that war, we have the right to attempt escape when the opportunity presents itself?"

Tyler started toward Niles with rage etched on his features, but Heirthall reached out and stayed him with just her delicate hand.

"Fair enough, Doctor, prisoners of war it is. Sergeant Tyler, please escort the prisoners to the forward observation lounge and secure them there."

Tyler turned on Heirthall. "Captain, these people are an extreme hazard to our mission. I warned of the consequences of bringing them onboard in the first place. I must insist they either be executed or placed adrift at sea. They are--"

Heirthall turned on Tyler, placed a hand on his chest, and slammed him against the bulkhead--her actions startling everyone watching.

"You insist?" she hissed with a low menacing tone as more blood started flowing from her left ear. "Onboard Leviathanyou insist on nothing! You follow command, for not only my sake but the higher order we fight for. Am I understood, Sergeant?"

Lee nodded at the flow of blood from Alexandria's left ear, and Niles decided to use that as a reason for ending the confrontation. As crazy as Heirthall was, he knew Tyler, in his cold and calculating way, would likely be a far less merciful captor.

"Captain, you're bleeding rather severely," Niles said.