Submerged

by Graysen Morgen

  "XO you have command," CAPT. Undell said to her as he went back to meet with the Chief Engineer. They had a reactor technician and electrician on board for qualification for senior watch station positions and he was always involved with qualifications.

  Scooter walked around the small Control Room listening to various information being given by the Chief of the Watch.

  "Commander, I've got a large surface blip off the northwest 500 yards and closing," the sonar watchman stated when she checked in with his station. She knew they were only a hundred miles off the pacific coast.

  "Chief of the Watch take us to periscope depth. Weapons Control stand by." She stated her commands calmly and waited.

  "Crossing 100ft ma'am and closing on periscope depth."

  She stepped up to the large tube and placed her face against the goggles on the side. She set the coordinates and turned until the object came into view. It was three o'clock in the afternoon on a fairly clear day so she could tell right away that it was a U.S. carrier and it was probably coming home from deployment. She closed the periscope screen and backed away.

  "Weapons Con, stand down. Chief of the Watch take us to two, zero, zero feet.

  Chapter 8

  Layne was unimpressed with the Special Agent that she spoke to about the naval investigation. She turned to the man standing next to her outside of the NCIS office, San Diego Police Detective Donald Birmingham.

  "What a bunch of bullshit," she huffed. "Call me after you go over the file he gives you, if we have enough cause I'll have the warrant this afternoon."

  "The Agent in charge of the case is apparently on leave for a family emergency and this guy didn't seem to enthusiastic about handing over the case file, but I'll go above his head if I need to. Someone dropped the ball here and I don't give a shit if these were Secret Service personnel involved, I'm the investigator now and I will get my information one way or another." He lit a cigarette and looked back towards the building when he checked his watch. "The Special Agent said he would need an hour to pull the file and get it released to San Diego PD. I'll call you after lunch."

  Layne went back to her office to wait for the call. She was sure this would be an open and shut case. There had to be a witness, submarines weren't that big.

  "Something is being covered up and I will bend over backwards to find it," she said to herself.

  ~~~

  "Captain has the command," Scooter announced.

  "XO, what's our position?" CAPT. Undell asked when he stepped into the command center with a fresh cup of coffee. They had been at sea for two weeks with no distinct direction except for basically riding around testing out the equipment.

  "150 miles off the coast in Canadian water, depth 550." She yawned lightly. Scooter had been in command for the better part of twelve hours, which was twice as long as a normal shift, but they were running with a skeleton crew and she didn't mind the extra time on duty. Concentrating on commanding the sub kept her mind off home and more importantly the beautiful brunette that seemed to sneak into her head at the most inopportune moments.

  "Go grab some bunk time; we should be getting our return orders in the next twenty four hours."

  Scooter wasted no time going back to her tiny stateroom. She stripped out of her tan uniform and crawled into the tiny bunk. A little desk folded down from the wall on the other side of the room and the wall at the end of her bunk had a makeshift closet and a footlocker. Scooter briefly thought about the paperwork she needed to work on, but she was asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.

  ~~~

  Detective Birmingham sat across from Layne in her office. "I went through the file, of course it was pretty empty, but I interviewed Stacey Greenfield yesterday. Getting someone on that base to talk to me though was pretty much useless. Anyway, based on her statements, the assault happened while the submarine was at a port of call in Spain…" He paused to check his notes. "Rota Naval Base is what the NCIS has in their file. It's classified documentation. Anyway, Stacey Greenfield is a Second Class Petty Officer and her duty on the submarine U.S.S. Lincoln is reading navigational instruments. She described it as listening to radar equipment and watching the GPS to give coordinates in relation to radar blips."

  "And the woman she is accusing, what is her position?" Layne asked as she made notes on her yellow legal pad.

  "LCDR. B. Scuttero is the Executive Officer of the submarine, meaning she is second in command. A very big position with the upmost authority next to the Captain. She is highly respected around the base."

  "Okay, so what is the working relationship between these women?"

  "I never served in the military and I couldn't get much out of the base personnel, but Stacey said the XO is in command of the sub about half of the time they are at sea or in port and she periodically asks for information or gives orders. She had to relay information directly to her and took orders from her routinely so they interacted almost daily according to her statement."

  "Okay." She scribbled a few more notes. "Now, what happened in Spain?"

  "I'm not sure how long the sub was in port, but Stacey said the crew was given a four hour shore leave pass from Six PM to Ten PM. Based on her statement she went to shore just after six with most of the crew of the sub. They caught taxi buses off the base to the little town outside of Rota. At approximately 8:15PM she saw LCDR. Scuttero leave a small bar across the street from where she was and she crossed over to her to say hi and converse with her."

  "Had Stacey been drinking?"

  "She said only one beer, which she didn't finish."

  "Go on."

  "When Stacey caught up to her, LCDR. Scuttero turned down a small alley that led to the back of the bars. She motioned for Stacey to follow her. She said she only followed because she trusted her commanding officer. Behind one of the bars LCDR. Scuttero shoved her against the wall, and held her there with her body while she tried to kiss her as she put her hands up her shirt. She tried to fight her off, but she said the Commander is a muscular built woman and much bigger than she is. She said LCDR. Scuttero told her to stop fighting or she would be in the brig when they got back to the sub. She shoved Stacey's pants and underwear down and forced her hand between her legs and her fingers inside of her. When she was finished she told Stacey to clean herself up and report back to the sub. She also told her if she said anything she would be kicked out of the Navy." He closed the file. "So there you have it. She waited a week after they got back to their homeport here at Point Loma to go to the NCIS authorities on the base."

  "What evidence do we have?"

  "Not much, basically a torn uniform shirt. She had scratches that were pretty much healed by the time she got back here. It looks like the Special Agent in charge of this case interviewed Stacey and the Captain of the sub and dropped the charges."

  "He never even spoke to the commander?"

  "Nope."

  "Okay. I'll go to Stanos, hopefully he signs the order and you can pick her up tonight."

  "One slight problem, she's at sea at the moment."

  "What do you mean she's at sea? How is the Lieutenant Commander at sea and this person Stacey Greenfield is not with her if they serve on the same boat?"

  "I was informed that LCDR. Scuttero is at sea aboard the U.S.S. Lincoln until further notice. I guess PO2 Greenfield was not invited on this trip. That could be to our advantage actually if the Commander really is trying to have Stacey red flagged."

  "I see your point." She made a few more notes. "I'll have your warrant pending. You find out the minute that sub is due to arrive and I don't care what you have to do to get that information."

  Chapter 9

  Scooter was glad to be home. Going to sea was always a challenge that she enjoyed, but testing out equipment was about the most boring assignment she could stand. She dressed in her whites and stood on the deck as the sub pulled up to its home dock in Point Loma. When they were settled CAPT. Undell gave the all clear order and Scooter dismissed the crew. She was a
lso dismissed, but had to return at 0800hrs to debrief.

  Scooter turned to go below deck to get her bag when her name was called from the gang plank. She turned to see two San Diego Police Officers standing with the MPs.

  "Are you LCDR. B. Scuttero?" The fat man in the dark blue uniform asked.

  "Yes. How can I help you?" she said as she crossed the dock. Her first thought was something happened to Libby.

  "You will need to come with us. You're under arrest for sexual assault," he said as he grabbed his handcuffs. The large MP towering over his left shoulder moved closer.

  "That won't be necessary. You have identified her. We will take her to the gates to transfer her into your custody."

  "She is charged with a felony and is under arrest by the City of San Diego."

  "No matter what the charges are, this is a commanding officer of the United States Navy and you are standing on a private naval base, which means we have sole jurisdiction. Now, you will follow our protocol or we will have a serious problem."

  "Fine. We will follow you to the gate," he growled.

  "We're sorry, Commander," he said to Scooter as he led her to the Hummer the MP's drove. He left her to her own free will without the cuffs.

  "Do me a favor…" She looked at his nametag. "Chief Brim, contact LT. Ike Duncan at the JAG office and have him meet me at…" She turned to the officers. "Where are we going?"

  "Downtown, Central Booking," he said as he cuffed her and held her head so she could get in the back of the squad car.

  ~~~

  Scooter sat in the interrogation room for two hours while LT. Duncan worked his way through the red tape to see her. She refused to speak to anyone until her attorney arrived.

  "Commander," LT. Duncan said as he walked into the room and saluted her. She stood and hugged him.

  "Knock that shit off, Ike. You've been like a brother to me."

  He took a seat across from her. "What the hell is going on?"

  "Not sure. They were waiting for me when I arrived in port this morning. They said something about a sexual assault." Scooter thought back to the last person she had sex with…Layne. There was no way she did this. It had to be some kind of misunderstanding. She had never assaulted anyone in her life, much less sexually.

  "It took me two hours to get a copy of the charges from the D.A.'s office. It looks like a sexual assault claim by…" He paused and raised an eyebrow.

  "What? Who is it?"

  "A woman."

  She grinned. "I'd hope so. Otherwise, I'd be in a nightmare worse than this one."

  "I never knew," he said.

  "Yeah well DADT sort of kept me closeted." He was her closest friend in the Navy. They had gone through the academy together and had periodically been stationed close together. He chose law as his career path and she chose submarine warfare.

  "This is some serious shit."

  "No kidding. What the fuck is sexual assault?"

  "Rape."

  "Excuse me!" Her voice shot up and she slammed her hand on the table. "I did not rape anybody! What the fuck!"

  "Calm down." He scratched his head and stared at the arrest report. "There isn't an accuser named on here. The D.A.'s office is who came after you, it's not NCIS."

  "I don't get it," she said, defeated. Someone had seriously fucked up her life and her career. She hoped it wasn't Layne, that night was too special to be tainted by something this disgusting.

  "Me either. I need to go find out when your hearing is. I'll be back in a couple hours. Don't speak to anyone. If you need to take a shit, hold it until I get back."

  Twenty minutes later, Detective Birmingham walked into the room. "I see you still don't want to talk." She sat in silence. "It would be beneficial for you to talk to me. I might be able to help." She stared straight at the wall behind him. "I never served in the military, but you sure are a hard headed bunch." He shook his head and stood up. "Come on, you're going to a cell to await your arraignment."

  She grimaced at the five by five cell with a ratty bench on one side. Thankfully, she was alone in there instead of crammed in the one at the end of the hall with what looked like ten other people.

  ~~~

  Layne sat at her desk going over the arraignment file for LCDR. Scuttero when Stewart Griffin walked in unannounced as usual. She loved how he just barged right past her secretary and into her office whenever he felt like it.

  "What's the latest on the Navy case?" he asked as he sat in front of her.

  "Going over the arraignment now. The hearing is at nine tomorrow."

  "Good. I'll go with you."

  "Okay." She wasn't okay. She didn't need to be babysat. She didn't even want the damn case to start with.

  "Has the media got wind yet?"

  "Nope."

  "We'll wait until after the hearing and then set the leak." He grinned and stood up to leave.

  "Is that really necessary?" she asked.

  "Of course it is. The Mayor is out for blood." He smiled and left her office.

  "Great," she said sarcastically to the closed door.

  ~~~

  Scooter sat on the bench waiting for what seemed like days for Ike to return. Finally, an hour later he appeared in front of the bars she was behind. She heard a buzzing noise and a loud click as the cell door slid open so he could enter. It closed behind him. He looked around at her surroundings before sitting next to her.

  "I figured out why NCIS isn't involved. Apparently, they already investigated this case and dropped it. The D.A.'s got a hard on for this case for some reason and picked it up."

  "None of this makes sense, Ike."

  "Have you been dating anyone?" he asked quietly.

  "No. I haven't been in a relationship in three years."

  "Have you seen anyone recently?"

  "No." She thought about Layne. "Just one girl about two months ago, but it was very mutual." She blushed and turned away.

  "Doesn't matter. Maybe she changed her mind."

  "I doubt it."

  "Was she Navy?"

  "No. I've never dated anyone in uniform, too complicated."

  He laughed. "Your hearing is in the morning. We will probably be given more information then and hopefully figure out who is behind this. After that we'll start planning a defense. Do you have anyone available to post your bail if we get it?"

  "Yeah. Do me a favor and contact Libby Mitchell. She lives at my civilian address and owns Frog's at the beach. She's my sister. Tell her to give you a khaki uniform for me and don't let her come here. I need to get out of these whites before they turn to blacks from the grunge in this place."

  "Are you sure you want to stay in uniform?"

  "Yes. No matter what the charges or outcome of this mess are, I am a Naval Officer and I will present as one. I shouldn't have to tell you this." She glared at him.

  "No problem. I'll be back tonight with your uniform."

  "Tell her to give you my bank information so you can withdraw the bail."

  "Will do. ma'am." He popped to attention and saluted her before leaving her cell.

  ~~~

  Frog's was slow with only a few patrons when Ike walked in. He had already gone by the house and no one was home. He hoped Libby was at the bar. He didn't want to have to deal with the second shift of officers that came on duty if he didn't get back to Scooter within the hour. He found a tiny blonde wiping the counter top.

  "Hi. What can I get you, sailor?" she asked as he sat on a bar stool.

  "I'm looking for Libby Mitchell."

  "You got her. What can I do for you?" She knew if something ever happened to Scooter it would be highly decorated gentlemen in dress blue uniforms asking for her, so she was sure the young man in the tan uniform and minimal decorations wasn't there because of Scooter.

  "Can we talk in private? Outside maybe?"

  She crinkled her brow. "Sure." She went to the back to get a redheaded bartender, then stepped out from behind the bar and led him to the front door.
>
  "Did something happen to Scooter?" she asked quietly.

  "Yeah. I'm sorry, I'm LT. Ike Duncan from the JAG office. I've known Scooter since we were in the academy together."

  Libby started crying. He immediately realized it looked like he was telling her Scooter was dead. He immediately put his hand on her shoulder. "She's in jail."

  "What?" Libby sniffed and wiped her eyes.

  "She's been arrested by the San Diego Police Department."

  "What the hell? She's supposed to be at sea. When was this?"

  "She made port today and as soon as they docked she was picked up. I'm not sure if she wants you to know the charges and as her attorney I'm not at liberty to say. She asked me to find you and get her khaki uniform so she can get out of her whites and get her banking info so she can post bail in the morning if we get it."

  "Post bail? Oh my God, this is serious."

  "Yes ma'am, very serious."

  "I need to go see her. Is she okay?"

  "She asked me to tell you not to go there,. She doesn't want you to see that place. I promise to do everything I can to get her out."

  "I think I'm in shock. Scooter's the most straight laced person I know. I don't understand."

  "Trust me, neither do we. I should know more in the morning. Her hearing is at nine. You are welcome to come to that. It will be downtown at the federal courthouse in room 3B."

  "Okay. Let me go back in and tell Rhonda I need to go for a little bit and you can follow me home to get her stuff."

  Chapter 10

  The courtroom was small with wood panel walls, a judge's desk with a testimony box attached to the side of it, a jury section, two counsel tables, and a few pews in the back for observers.