The Mother of Invention

By Caribou Kid

Drawn suddenly awake by a slight noise, Harriman Nelson, founder of the Nelson Institute of Marine Research and designer and builder of the fantastic submarine Seaview, found himself at a distinct disadvantage as several men dressed in black clothing with masks obscuring all but their eyes, surrounded his bed in the middle of the night. They had managed to bypass the considerable security system on his home, and stealthily make their way to his bedroom. Each man was large, well-muscled, and appeared to be heavily armed, brooking no opportunity for Harri to attempt an escape.

As he looked at the eight forms illuminated in the pale moonlight shining through the balcony doors, one of the men raised a flashlight and flicked it on revealing a red light which he shone on Nelson's face. The intruder quickly looked to his companions and shot them a slight nod indicating they had found their target.

"What the hell are you doing here? What do you want?" Harri stormed.

"Admiral Nelson, sir, you are in no danger, I assure you. Please keep your voice down. We have been dispatched to collect you and escort you to a top secret meeting. I am not at liberty to reveal any other details but ask that you get dressed and accompany us," the leader replied quietly.

Harri regarded the men momentarily weighing his options. "Well seeing that I apparently don't have much say in all this, I will cooperate. Can we at least turn on some lights?"

"Negative sir. We need to ensure that our activities go unobserved. Please sir, get dressed. All your questions will be answered once you have arrived at the meeting."

Harri grunted realizing he didn't have much of a choice, climbed out of bed and made his way to his closet to get dressed. He pretty much figured that if he balked he would find himself hogtied and dragged out of the house in his pajamas, and didn't relish being at that much of a disadvantage when he met whoever was behind this.

"Do you mind if I have a bit of privacy?" he asked rhetorically assuming they wouldn't trust him not to raise the alarm or produce a weapon.

"Of course, sir. Just don't try to alert anyone as to your situation. Again I stress that you are in no danger," the man in black responded hoping to assuage the admiral's fears.

Harri nodded and made his way into the closet. As he walked in he was surprised to find that he was handed a flashlight and the closet door was closed behind him. He snapped on the light and found it too emitted a red beam. He quickly doffed his pajamas and pulled on his clothing. Once dressed he opened the door finding all but two of the men gone.

"Thank you, sir," the man remarked quietly. "If you will come with us, we need to be on our way at once. We will be exiting through the side door and will enter a van parked there. I must stress to you that it is imperative that you remain quiet and draw no attention to us."

"What the hell is going on?" Nelson inquired one more time.

"As I said sir, once we arrive at our destination all your questions will be answered. Please follow me, sir."

The three men made their way quietly down the main staircase and walked through the house to the side door that opened out to the driveway. Upon exiting Harri immediately spotted a black work van and was urgently escorted the short distance from the steps to the vehicle. He climbed in and was then joined by the two men who had ushered him out. The door was silently pulled shut and the vehicle was then set in motion, to where Harri had no idea.

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The interior of the van was completely dark with no windows or access to the driver's compartment, and Harri was wedged between two of his abductors as they motored through the streets of Santa Barbara. He mentally tried to keep track of the estimated speed at which they travelled, the number of turns and their direction, and any outside sounds that could prove helpful if he managed an escape. That was all rendered moot when he felt them pull up a slight incline and come to a stop. The next thing he heard and felt was the rumble and vibration of airplane engines, and the very familiar sensation of rushing down a runway for takeoff.

Once it was clearly evident that they had left the ground, a light was snapped on in the van momentarily blinding the men inside. As their eyes adjusted, the six men clad in black sitting around and across from him began pulling off their masks. Harri stared at them wondering what the hell was going on.

"So are you going to tell me why I've been abducted in the middle of the night, and being flown to parts unknown?" Harri asked testily.

"Pardon all the subterfuge sir, but we were under strict orders to ensure that you were spirited away undetected. I'm Captain Fleming, USMC, SEAL Team Eight, at your service, sir."

"SEALs? Are you at liberty to tell me why I'm here or where we're going?" Nelson inquired.

"I'm not privy to that information, sir. Our mission was to collect you, and get you aboard this aircraft undetected by anyone. I have no idea how long we'll be flying or our destination," Fleming explained. He stood up, walked to the back of the van and opened the door, revealing the inside of a cargo plane.

"Sir, you're welcome to exit the van. I'm sure you'll be more comfortable outside."

Nelson nodded and rose from his seat to follow the captain out of the van. As he stepped out and walked around the vehicle he found that he was now inside the cargo bay of a C-130. There were two pallets of conventional airplane seats secured to the floor so at least he wouldn't have to endure the mesh jump seats for however long they were aloft. He also noticed a makeshift galley had been set up with coffee urns, and trays of pastries and other breakfast fare along with a small metal picnic table with attached stools. He was also most pleased to see that a porta-potty had been staged in the aircraft so he could forgo the usual bucket used for such activities.

The SEALs had already seated themselves in the seats and were snoozing after what had probably already been a long day. Realizing there was nothing else to do but go along for the ride, Harri made his way to the galley, poured himself a cup of coffee then sat down at the table and tried to put what he'd been through into some kind of sense.

(olooo

By his best estimate they had been inflight nearly four hours when he detected the engines being throttled back and the gradual drop in elevation as they prepared to land. Twenty minutes later they were bouncing down what felt like a dirt airstrip. The plane taxied another 10 minutes once on the ground until finally the pilot indicated that they had stopped and all passengers were free to disembark.

Nelson unbuckled his seatbelt and made his way forward to exit out of the left front door. As he stepped out he immediately noticed that they had been moved into a large hangar, and the doors had been shut to prevent seeing where they were but also keeping any interested observers from seeing who was on the plane. He looked about the hangar until his attention was drawn by the sound of a familiar voice.

"Harri, glad you could make it," Jiggs Starke said as he made his way towards the plane.

"Not that I had much of choice. What the hell is going on Jiggs? Why all the smoke and mirrors? Couldn't you have just called and asked me to come to wherever the hell we are?" Nelson groused at his old friend and current COMSUBPAC.

"No Harri, we couldn't just extend you an invitation. Something's happened and you and that boat of yours are the ace in hole we need. Come on, the rest of the group should be assembled now and you can start getting your answers," Jiggs replied. He clapped Nelson on the back then turned and walked towards a gray door on the far wall of the hangar. Harri shrugged and followed after intrigued by the few words Jiggs had shared.

When Starke opened the door he revealed a staircase leading several stories beneath the ground. Once Harri entered, they began their descent to wherever the steps led. Jiggs trotted quickly down with Nelson following after. Harri estimated they were nearly 4 stories beneath ground level as they reached the final landing and another gray door. This one was secured with an electronic lock and a biometric sensor that read retina patterns. Jiggs placed his right eye against the soft cup surrounding the lens and after a moment the door silently slid back revealing a long featureless hallway.

"You're sure not taking any chances on being overheard or discovered," Harri commented as they made their way down the corridor towards another gray door at the other end.

"Believe me that's the whole point of this exercise," Jiggs replied as they reached the next door where he repeated the entry procedures only with his left eye this time. When the door slid open it revealed a massive office complex comprised of nearly a hundred cubicles and offices filling the room and lining the walls. The room itself had to be 300 by 300 yards with a ceiling easily 20 feet high. There was a soft hum of voices, machines, and people moving between the offices and cubes conducting whatever business they were assigned.

Jiggs led the way down the wide center aisle towards the far end of the room and an imposing solid oak door. As they neared the door it was suddenly pulled open and the Chief of Naval Operations stepped out followed closely by the Secretary of Defense. Harri was more than a little surprised and intrigued at the status of the company, as he and Jiggs neared the door.

"Admiral Nelson, welcome," Arnold Wainwright, SECDEF, said as he extended his hand.

Nelson took the outstretched hand and shook it. "Mr. Secretary. At the moment I can't say it's a privilege until I get a few answers to a number of questions I have."

"Sorry about that Harri, but the situation is critical and we had to get you here undetected by any who might have been watching," the Chief of Naval Operations, Mark Fitzpatrick said. "Our old friend Dr. Gamma is back at it again and has threatened the entire world with the release of an extremely virulent and lethal strain of flu. We have seen an unprecedented willingness to cooperate between rival world powers to ensure that doesn't occur. Each of the major nations is being held hostage in lieu of payment whether it's money, precious metals, gem stones, oil or in our case and that of Russia, China, the People's Republic and other members of the nuclear club, plutonium."

Harri blanched at the thought of what Gamma and his organization could do with sizeable quantities of fissionable materials. It was a daunting choice, hold out in hopes that the medical teams could develop a vaccine in sufficient time to save the majority of the population, or cave to his demands, provide the materials, and then wait to be held hostage or eradicated by some other means in the future.

"What's that got to do with Seaview and NIMR, Mark?" Harri inquired.

"As I said Harri, the major nations of the world have banded together to try and ferret out Gamma and eliminate him and his virus instead of paying the ransom he has demanded. To that end, each nation is stretching out their tendrils in hopes of finding out where this madman is holed up and taking him out. We realize that Gamma most likely expects an effort such as this, and is now closely observing the military and espionage assets around the globe; he probably has moles well established within every nation's organizations. Harri, we're hoping that he won't be watching you or your organization too closely," Fitzpatrick responded.

"So I take it you want me, and my men and assets to take part in this search?"

"That's the basic gist of this meeting," Wainwright answered.

"Well get me briefed so we can get started," Harri replied, indicating he was willing to commit NIMR to the hunt.

"In a few minutes, we're waiting for two more people to join us and then we'll begin. Why don't you come in, get something to eat and drink, and as soon as the others arrive we'll start," the CNO said.

"Who are we waiting for?" Harri asked.

Before Fitzpatrick could answer, he spotted the other members of their group coming down the corridor towards the conference room. "Ah, Robert, you're here earlier than we expected," Fitzpatrick said as the two men made their way over.

Harri turned around and spotted Admiral Robert Masterson, head of the Office of Naval Intelligence, and Commander Lee Crane, his captain of Seaview and occasional ONI operative. Lee made immediate eye contact with Nelson and gave him a quick nod of greeting as he followed Masterson down the aisle. It was quite apparent to Nelson that his captain had been collected much like himself as he was clothed in a pair of cut off denim shorts, a holey t-shirt smudged with stain, a beard, no socks, and a ratty pair of sneakers that had seen better days.

"Good morning Mr. Secretary, Mark, Jiggs, Harri," Masterson replied to the hail. "I believe you all know Commander Crane," he said by means of introduction.

"Good morning, sirs," Lee replied feeling sorely underdressed and particularly unkempt given the company around him.

"What the hell were you doing Crane, playing vagrant?" Jiggs asked as he took in Lee's attire.

"No sir, I was working on refurbishing a sailboat I've purchased when my immediate presence was requested. I didn't have an opportunity to clean up; my apologies." Lee replied evenly. Nelson couldn't control the smug grin along with Masterson as Lee sucked the wind from Starke's sails. Starke harrumphed and glowered at the younger man, a bit miffed at not being able to set him on edge.

Wainwright cleared his throat, quickly defusing the situation. "All right gentlemen, time is short and we need to set things in motion to hopefully prevent a catastrophe on a global scale. Let's all retire to the conference room."

They all nodded in agreement and followed the Secretary into the conference room; the last man in shutting the door. They quickly claimed seats and all eyes were focused on the SECDEF for the briefing for the two men that had been so abruptly encouraged to attend.

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"As I stated earlier Harri, as best we can tell, Dr. Gamma has contacted ever major military and industrial power in the world informing them he has developed a particularly lethal strain of flu, and unless each nation ponies up the demanded ransom he will release it. His demands have ranged from money, precious metals, gemstones, oil, and in the case of the nuclear nations plutonium. Based on the folks at the Center for Disease Control, the impacts of such a virulent strain of flu would be devastating with fatality rates similar to a nuclear war but would leave the infrastructure intact," Wainwright began.

"So the CDC thinks this is a credible threat?" Harri inquired.

"Yes. The son of a bitch sent a video of some poor souls he had exposed to the virus; men, women, children, the elderly. Knowing Gamma's total disregard for innocent lives, we're certain this is an accurate log of the virus' progression. Assuming he didn't alter the date and time stamps on the recording, the virus is both rapid and exceedingly brutal in how it lays waste to the human body. As expected the children and elderly died first, within 48 hours of exposure, followed by the men and then the women. The progression of the disease goes from high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, delirium, convulsions, coma, and ending in death. The longest anyone lasted was 5 days." Fitzpatrick nearly spat.

"I see, but where do we and Seaview fit into this discussion?" Harri asked.

"We're hoping that Gamma's attention is stretched too thin as he has to be monitoring all the nations he's threatened. Hopefully with his eyes diverted elsewhere, you and Seaview can come in under his sonar and investigate one of the potential locations we think he's holed up in right now. Intelligence agencies across the world have kicked into high gear tracking down every lead they've come across, and are drawing the noose tighter. One of our contacts thinks he's spotted Gamma on a very small volcanic island in a remote area of the south Pacific." Masterson added. "We're not naïve enough to believe he doesn't have the virus already positioned across the globe ready for immediate dispersal, but he has to have a central control point from where he runs his organization, and coordinates its release. All the traffic we've observed is pointing to the island of Drambezi."

"We want you to work your way in close enough to the island to allow Commander Crane here to infiltrate the island and determine if we've guessed correctly. If we have, he'll then take actions to retrieve what virus or vaccine that may be present, neutralize the site, and exit," Masterson finished.

Nelson stared momentarily at his young captain seated across the table from him, not happy with the task they'd already determined he would complete. Lee met Nelson's gaze and gave him a very slight nod indicating that he had already accepted the mission and would ensure it was carried out regardless of the cost to himself. "What are we looking at in terms of time?" Harri asked.

"Gamma has given everyone until this Friday at 1600 GMT to have their ransom delivered to the appropriate coordinates for collection. If even one of the nations contacted balks, he will release his virus on all," Wainwright replied grimly. "I have a feeling he intends to do that anyway regardless of payment, which will set the nations against one and other trying to figure out who didn't pay up. That would eliminate any resistance that escaped the virus."

"You honestly think he isn't already watching NIMR and Seaview?" Harri inquired.

"He probably is, but it's my understanding that you're already positioned to sail on your next mission to the south Pacific on a research project for Woods Hole on Monday. Which is the reason we have gone to such lengths to bring you here as we have. You proceed as you normally would and sail as scheduled; make no changes to your pre-mission routine. Once away you go silent and make haste to Drambezi where you deposit Crane to carry out his portion of the mission," Starke answered.

"All the while you're making your way to Drambezi, the rest of the nations will continue their attempts to ferret out Gamma through their intelligence networks, and hopefully find where he has stashed his virus and take control of it," Masterson finished.

"And you don't think he's in league with the PR?" Harri asked pointedly.

"He very well could be, but based on the conversations I've been privy to between the President and the Premier of the PR, they're every bit as concerned as we are. The President is willing to take the chance that we're not being played by the PR on this, and I tend to agree with his judgement," Wainwright answered. "Based on monitoring of activities in the PR, there's been no large scale inoculation program implemented by the country to protect their military or their civilian population. If this thing is as bad as the CDC fears, once it's loose it will travel quickly becoming a global pandemic like this planet has never seen."

Harri nodded silently as he visualized the impact of such a virus on the peoples of the world. He looked once again to his captain and read his resolve to support this mission. "Very well then, we're in," Harri stated. "Ship us back home, and we'll get things moving and underway at once."

Wainwright and the others smiled, thrilled to have Nelson's buy in. "Excellent, Harri. I was certain we could count on your support." He quickly pushed the button on the intercom. "Grimes, notify Captain Fleming to be ready to fly immediately. Commander, you will accompany Admiral Nelson back to Santa Barbara and both of you will be deposited at your pick up points as though none of this has taken place."

"Aye sir," Lee replied.

"Do you have everything you need from ONI, Commander?" Fitzpatrick asked.

"Yes sir, Admiral Masterson has fully briefed me, and will provide me with all the equipment deemed necessary to carry out the mission," Lee answered as he sent a confirming nod to the head of ONI.

"Very well, then it sounds as if we are all set. Gentlemen, thank you for taking on this critical mission to protect the people of this country, and the world. I want you to know that the only people privy to your assignment are seated in this room, so should this come to light the list of suspects is very short. Your activities will not be listed amongst our efforts to counter Gamma's threat and will not be addressed at any time by those here. Those escorting you back have no idea of the reason for this meeting, so you should not discuss the particulars in their presence; it is purely need to know. I must admonish you to trust no one, and don't reveal your true intent to your crew until you're well away from shore, if then. I would also suggest you continuously scan for transmissions to and from your boat. We all know Gamma's been able to gain access in the past, so I don't put it beyond him now," the Secretary stated as he rose from his chair. The other men in the room immediately stood and Lee made his way over to Nelson's side in preparation for their departure.

As they prepared to exit, Wainwright walked over to Nelson and Crane and shook hands with each man. "I wish you all the best of luck, and sincerely hope to see you both again when this is over."

"Thank you Mr. Secretary," Harri replied as he shook Wainwright's hand.

"Jiggs, escort them out to the hangar," Fitzpatrick ordered as he too shook hands with Nelson and Crane. "Good luck gentlemen."

(olooo

They walked in silence as Starke escorted Nelson and Crane up to the hangar. As they exited through the last door into the bay, Harri was surprised to find an executive jet waiting for them instead of the C-130 he had been transported on earlier.

"I take it you want us back a bit faster than it took to get here?" Harri remarked as they headed over to the sleek craft.

"Always keep 'em guessing," Jiggs replied with a wink for his old friend. "Once you land, you'll be escorted back to where you were picked up just as though you'd been there all along. Crane your equipment will be delivered to NIMR as normal cargo and marked as parts. Here is the list of seal numbers on the crate," Starke said as he handed Lee a sealed envelope. "If the seals are broken or different, it may mean that the mission has been compromised; you are to contact the number contained inside by secure channel to request guidance."

Lee accepted the envelope and acknowledged Starke's information with a nod. "Understood sir."

As they reached the plane it became immediately obvious that the windows on the aircraft had been painted over obscuring the view from inside. Reading the question on his old friend's face Starke immediately offered an explanation. "This is a closely guarded secret base Harri, and the number of people that know its location can be counted on two hands. Even I don't know where we are." Jiggs confessed.

Harri and Lee stared momentarily in disbelief. That added bit of information just confirmed the level of the perceived threat against both the US and the world. Both men nodded their understanding, a look of grim determination marked their faces.

"Well good luck Harri. Give me a call when you're back and we'll have dinner," Starke said and shook Nelson's hand. "Good luck to you as well Commander," he added and shook Crane's hand too.

"Thank you sir," Lee replied.

"All right gentlemen all aboard," the pilot said as he stood in the doorway of the jet.

Harri nodded to the pilot. "I'll be talking to you soon, Jiggs. Dinner is your treat," he said and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Come on Lee, let's get going."

Both men quickly climbed aboard the jet and found Fleming and three of his men already seated and belted in. Crane and Nelson claimed their seats in the opulently appointed jet and secured their seatbelts as well.

"Sure beats the plane we arrived in," Nelson said as he took in the plush leather seats, thick pile carpeting, stylish sofa along one bulkhead and stocked bar at the rear of the plane. The other men aboard smiled slightly and nodded in agreement.

Once his passengers were aboard, the pilot pulled shut the cabin door and secured it. He verified everyone was belted in then entered the cockpit and shut and locked the door. They were quickly set in motion and soon felt the aircraft racing down the runway and lifting off on their way back to Santa Barbara.

(olooo

Ordered not to reveal the purpose of their meeting, Harri and Lee had limited topics of conversation once they had reached cruising altitude. When the fasten seatbelt sign went out, Lee got up and made his way back to the bar where he found a carafe of hot coffee waiting for them along with some snacks to nibble on. Lee quickly poured two cups of coffee, grabbed a couple of bagels, then returned to his seat and handed Harri a cup and a snack. They sipped carefully on the hot brew and noshed on the bagel as both were rather hungry after their unusual summons to the meeting.

"So how goes the work on your boat, Lee?" Harri asked breaking the silence in the cabin.

Lee had purchased a 1938 Herreshoff 51' Bermuda Cutter in desperate need of some TLC. He'd actually begun using his leave to spend time at the marina refurbishing and repairing the boat whenever they were in port for more than a couple of weeks at a time.

"Not too bad. I managed to get the sanding done topside and had just started staining the deck when I was collected," Lee replied. "I think she's going to be a looker once I get everything done."

Harri grinned in quiet amusement as he looked over his captain and surrogate son, seeing the evidence of his activities on his clothing and person. "Well I like the color of the stain you've chosen. If it looks as good on the boat as it does on you, she should be quite the looker," Harri answered with a laugh.

Lee looked down at his arms, hands, and legs taking in for the first time the number of smudges and blotches from the dark mahogany stain he had applied to his boat. He blushed slightly then just shrugged. "Glad you like it," he said chuckling taking in the twinkle of amusement in his 'father's' blue eyes. "You know, this type of work goes much faster with assistance, sir."

"I'm sure it does," Harri responded noncommittally, then smiled again and nodded. "So have you come up with a name for her yet?"

"Well since Seaview is already taken, I'm still considering possibilities. I'm not settled on whether I want to give her a lady's name or something else. Any suggestions would be welcome."

"Definitely something that requires a great deal of deliberation and consideration of the many aspects of both the vessel and the master," Harri replied, as he started running names through his mind.

"If I can't get elbow grease out of you, I suppose I'll settle for your considerable mental efforts in identifying suitable names for my other girl." Lee laughed and took another sip from his coffee. "I think she'll be just the ticket for decompressing following some of our more unusual missions, should current trends continue."

Harri laughed as well and nodded in total agreement. "That will probably be true lad."

They continued to chat about everything but NIMR and work as the plane continued on towards her destination. Both men found the forced diversion from work enjoyable and actually groaned in disappointment as they felt the aircraft begin to descend and the pilot ordered his passengers to fasten their seatbelts for landing.

Once down the plane taxied for what seemed an inordinate amount of time. When they finally pulled to a stop and the pilot emerged and opened the cabin door, they found themselves once more in an aircraft hangar with two work vans waiting for them. The SEALs were the first ones out and escorted each man to one of the vans where they were asked to enter the back and take a seat. They were soon motoring on their way presumably to their points of origin.

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As the van pulled to a stop a muffled 'all clear' was heard from the driver's compartment through the wall. At that point Captain Fleming rose, cautiously opened the rear door and stepped out. He quickly surveyed the surrounding area then walked to the side door of the house, unlocked it and stepped inside. After about 5 minutes he returned and indicated that Nelson should exit the van and walk immediately into the house. As Harri exited the van he noticed that it was still dark but with the slightest hint of dawn on the eastern horizon.

"Everything is all clear sir," Fleming said once Harri was inside. "If there's nothing else you require; we'll be on our way. We will maintain surveillance of the house until you depart on your mission, to ensure your continued safety."

"Thank you Captain," Nelson replied. "I think I have everything I require, that will be all."

"Very well sir. Should you require any assistance, flash the lights three times and we'll be here instantly. Good morning, sir," Fleming responded and then exited the house and reentered the van.

With Fleming departed, Harri locked the door then stretched and yawned. He made his way to the kitchen, poured himself a glass orange juice and chugged it down finding he was seriously thirsty. He put the carton back in the fridge, placed his glass in the sink then made his way upstairs and bed for an hour or two of shuteye following his unexpectedly long night. He figured he better get what rest he could now because odds were he'd get next to none once everything was set in motion.

(olooo

In the meantime, Lee was transported back to the marina and his escorts had him climb into a small zodiac then motored silently over to Lee's vessel using the boat's small electric motor. Once tied up to the side and obscured from sight, the SEAL climbed silently aboard and conducted a thorough once over to ensure nothing was a miss. He returned moments later and indicated that everything was all clear. Lee acknowledged his report then he too silently boarded his boat.

"Commander, we will be maintaining surveillance on both your boat and home until you depart for your mission. Should you require any assistance, flash the lights three times and we will be here at once," the young petty officer said.

"Thank you, Petty Officer," Lee replied, then headed down into the cabin of his boat and shut the door. Lee walked wearily over to his bed and flopped down face first. He was exhausted after laboring all the previous day on his boat and then being rousted out of bed shortly after turning in for the night. He too knew he needed to grab what little sleep he could before he reported to NIMR and Seaview in preparation for their perilous mission.

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