Z-Boat

by Suzanne Robb

  "You should have told me. What would have happened if you did find him? If he's trying to screw everything up, he might have killed you."

  Ally pushed herself away from him. "Marcus, I'm more than capable of handling myself. I also don't think he's the one sabotaging anything. I think he really wants to do this job."

  "But you just said he was skulking."

  "He was. He looks like someone trying to find hiding spots. It seems to me as if he's scared of what we're going up against and wants to make sure he has a safe place to go. He knows more about the job than what he's telling us."

  "I wish we'd decided to get off this stupid sub when we had the chance."

  "Me too."

  Marcus wrapped his arms around Ally again. She turned in his embrace and kissed him with all the passion she could muster. Marcus gladly responded and let her lead him back onto the bunk. She happily obliged and took control. With time growing short, things going bad, they both needed one good thing to hold on to right now.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Iain sat in the rec room thinking about the digital chip in his pocket. He knew someone on board had given it to him as a warning. Someone who wanted him to turn back or prepare for what lay ahead. The chip didn't give any hints as to how to prepare, since he wasn't entirely sure what the images meant, nor did he have the luxury of turning around. Part of the contract was that any sign of giving up would result in the immediate sinking of the Betty Loo.

  He hadn't told anyone that they were dealing with a government job. His crew adamantly opposed those, due to the extreme measures taken to ensure that things got done. For example, threatening to sink you if you turned around. He sighed.

  Iain hadn't initially thought they would actually sink his sub, but when he got the notice before leaving dry dock, he knew they were serious. One of the air tanks was full of enough explosives to blow a hole the size of a house in the side of the Betty Loo. The message informed him that there was no disarming it, and scans would not be able to determine its location.

  In his speech, he tried to warn the crew of the dangers, hoping they would leave when given the chance. The depth they were going to alone should have at least made Nina leave. Damn loyalty to him would get them killed.

  He hadn't drunk since he watched the video. For once, he wanted to be responsible, or at least sober. The problem with his plan was that he had the shakes and was starting to feel sick. He would have to go see Maxine for something if he was going to make it through this. Though she wasn't a real doctor, even Iain knew what to take for his 'condition.'

  He stood up and almost fell over as a wave of dizziness hit him. Definitely time to go and see Maxine. He left the rec room and headed down the aisle way. He saw Ivan coming out of the research lab.

  Odd, he thought.

  "Ivan, I wanted to talk to you." "What?" Ivan's face was hard, and Iain debated talking to him later.

  "Just, um, could you be a little nicer to Nina? The whole Johnny thing has her shaken."

  "Nina's emotions are not my concern, and I hardly think she cares what happened to Mister Ventura."

  "Okay then, let's try this. What were you doing in the research lab?"

  "I am helping with the samples taken. There was much chaos with Johnny's death. I am making sure nothing gets lost." Ivan started to walk away from Iain.

  "Ivan, hold on. There's something I wanted to talk to you about." Ivan froze in place.

  "Yes?"

  "Is there anything about this job you might be holding back? I feel like perhaps there's more to it than we're being told."

  "Nothing I can share with you."

  "So there's something we should know?"

  "Captain, my advice to you is prepare for the worst you can imagine, because when we get there, you might be able to stay calm."

  Ivan turned and continued to walk away. Iain sighed and shook his head. Sometimes he hated his job.

  "Now to deal with the so-called doctor." He wondered if he should still call her that, since they knew she really wasn't one. Then again, it probably wasn't a good idea to let her know they were on to her.

  Iain continued down the aisle way and stood in front of the med lab for several moments before he had the guts to knock. He didn't really have to knock, but he was willing to do anything to delay this.

  He heard a faint "Come in." He turned the knob slowly and entered. Maxine sat atop a stool in the corner, looking at a slide. She pushed the magnification panel aside and turned to look at who'd come in.

  "Captain, what can I do for you?"

  "Doctor, I was wondering. You have anything for someone who might be having some problems with stuff?"

  "I'm sure I do. I just need to know what kind of stuff we're talking about." Maxine smiled at him.

  "Right, of course. Say someone used to drink a lot. Then they decided to stop and were having a harder time than they thought they would..."

  "Say no more, Captain. I have just what this person needs." Maxine stood up and walked over to the medicine cabinet.

  She keyed in the security code and looked through several bottles before she found what she was looking for. She grabbed a small bottle and turned to the captain.

  "This should help with most of the symptoms. There might still be some minor headaches or pangs, but they'll be go away."

  Maxine held out the bottle.

  Iain reached out and took it.

  "It's for a friend, you know."

  "Of course, Captain, no worries. Your friend will be fine. Anything else?" Iain just wanted to get the hell out of the room.

  "Nope, that's it."

  "I should probably tell you: I examined a sample of Johnny's blood and found something in it."

  Iain knew it couldn't be good. "What did you find?"

  "I don't mean to talk ill of the dead, but it looks to me like he was a squisher. He had high levels of the organisms in his system."

  "Could it have affected his performance or what happened?"

  "It's hard to say now. Most likely, his judgement was compromised, as were his physical reflexes. From the amount of organisms in his system, he's been using while on board."

  "Okay. Thanks, Doc."

  "Captain, there's something else. The organisms are different. Under the magnification panel, I can see them trying to eat the dead blood cells. It's highly unusual."

  "Something we need to be worried about?" Iain felt a chill and looked around the room.

  "No, I don't think so. Just an anomaly."

  "Okay. Talk to you later, Doc." Iain left the room.

  He got the feeling Maxine wanted to keep him in there, and it creeped him out. He headed to the control room to see if Ally was there. He wanted to know if there had been any progress made in the security footage regarding the suit incident in the diving room.

  ***

  Ally stared at the ceiling of her room, Marcus next to her in the bunk they had shared for over a year. She looked around the room they'd made into a home. A few images of them on the walls, an old calendar, peculiar mechanical items Marcus liked, and not much else. Ally knew they didn't have a lot, but she didn't care about stuff.

  Moments like this, she wished she could do something for Marcus to let him know how she felt. Words were not so much her strong point; she was more action oriented. Ally sighed to herself and sat up on the bunk. She felt Marcus move with her and run a reassuring hand down her back. She turned to him and smiled. He seemed to know exactly what to do.

  "We better start going through the footage. Captain will want news soon."

  "Really? Isn't he usually a little too drunk to care much right about now?" Ally spoke the comment as a joke, but there was a lot of truth to her words.

  "I think something about this job spooked him. He's trying to stay sober."

  "Wow, kind of makes me more worried than I was before." Ally shivered, but not from the cold.

  "I know what you mean."

  The two got up and dressed in a hurry. They
wore the traditional outfits of those who worked on a sub: jeans with t-shirts and thick sweaters to top it off. Thick-soled footwear that was warm and comfortable was also a necessity. Submarines were cold, dank places. You had to dress properly to avoid feeling achy and damp all the time.

  They left the bunkroom and headed to the control room. Iain was already there talking to Tom.

  "Tom, you okay?"

  "Fine, Captain. Why do you ask?"

  "Well, you're sitting at a ballast control panel and didn't respond to me the first five times I spoke to you." Iain's voice held a note of concern.

  "Oh, sorry about that. Must have been in another world." Tom turned to look at the captain and saw Ally.

  "There you are, honey. I was hoping you'd make it back in time." Ally raised an eyebrow at Tom.

  Iain figured he was cracking up again. It would make sense, considering how his day had gone so far.

  "What the hell are you talking about, Tom? I left you in control. Are we even on the right course?" Ally went to her control center and checked.

  "Tom, you have us off course. Were you paying attention at all? Did you change anything else?" Ally raced around the room, checking panels, pressing buttons, and flipping switches. Iain watched and waited.

  "Why are you mad at me, dear? I even remembered to bring home the milk. You're always upset with me these days." Marcus and Iain, both concerned, watched Tom closely.

  Iain knew they were witnessing another episode. The best course of action was to call Maxine. She would be of little help, not being a real doctor, but all he needed from her was the sedative. He walked over to the communications panel and hit the button for the med lab.

  "Doc, could you come up to the control room? Tom is here and seems to be a bit upset again."

  I'm on my way.

  In the meantime, Marcus kept himself between Tom and Ally. He watched as Tom seemed to come and go- one minute, here; the next, gone.

  Iain waited by the door for the doctor. He saw her coming down the aisle way and hoped she'd brought the good stuff. Maxine stood in the entryway and watched Tom.

  "Tom, it's Maxine. How are you feeling?" Iain saw the needle in her hand.

  "Who? Are you a friend of Mary's? She likes making new friends. She's a very social girl for her age."

  "Mary, your daughter? No, I'm not a friend of hers."

  Tom's mood changed instantly. "Then you must be a friend of my wife's? She's always mad at me. Did she tell you why?"

  "No, Tom, she isn't mad at you. Everything's fine." Maxine inched closer to Tom.

  Iain moved around, trying to get behind him.

  "Tom, what's the picture you're looking at?"

  "My family, the last time we were all together and happy." Maxine inched close enough to see that Tom wasn't looking at a picture; it was a news image of some sort.

  She couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw the word 'slaughter' in the title. Alarm bells went off in Maxine's head.

  "Can I see them, Tom?" As he turned to show Maxine the digital image in his hand, Iain grabbed him from behind.

  Tom didn't put up a fight; he just sat there limply. Maxine jabbed the needle in his arm and stepped back. Tom fell unconscious in seconds. The chip fell from his hand and hit the ground. The noise was unbearably loud in the quiet room.

  Maxine bent over and picked it up. Iain tried to rearrange the heavy body of Tom so he stayed in the chair. Marcus remained in a protective stance in front of Ally. Ally ignored the whole thing as she frantically searched for any other damage Tom may have inflicted to the sub.

  "Captain, you may want to read this." Maxine handed the chip over to Iain.

  The chip, actually an old news display, was worn with use. The image was grainy after several viewings, but the title of the article spoke for itself: Man Slaughters Family, Still on the Loose.

  It was a story from years ago about an entire family killed by the father when he came back from a deep-sea dive. They attributed it to deep-sea sickness and sentenced the man to death. Before the order was carried out, he escaped custody and hadn't been seen since.

  "He killed them? He's a damn killer? How the hell did he get this job? How the hell did they not catch him? He has nervous breakdowns like clockwork," Iain yelled to anyone who would listen.

  "I don't think he has them often. The date on the article is a few days from now. The looming anniversary triggered it. I also remember him saying he had taken this job for a friend. Might explain why security was more lax on him. Not to mention there's no photo of the killer. We don't know for sure it's Tom." Marcus didn't sound very convincing.

  "I don't buy it. The guy talked about bleeding walls, according to Kramer. Someone let this lunatic board this sub knowing full well he was about to blow. Marcus, find something to tie him up with, and take him to the research lab. The containment area should be enough to hold him until we get back."

  Iain didn't add that he highly doubted they would get back. They were now down two crewmembers and one diving suit, and they had someone on board sabotaging the job from the inside. He'd never wanted a drink more in his life than he did right this second. He left the control room and took one of the pills Maxine gave him. When he returned, he saw Marcus bending over Tom.

  Marcus used some of the same wire Ally had used to tie him up earlier. Iain nodded when he saw Marcus test the strength of the knots. Marcus then hefted Tom up and over his shoulder as if he were a bag of potatoes. He left the control room and headed- Iain assumed- straight to the research lab.

  ***

  Kramer was sealing the last of the sample jars when Marcus kicked open the door. He dropped what he was holding, and it shattered all over the floor.

  "Damn it, Marcus, look at this. Is it really so hard to just open a door normally?" When he got no response, he looked up to see Marcus carrying a body over his shoulder.

  "Hey, man, I didn't mean it. We're totally cool. Tom totally deserved whatever you did to him. I won't say anything, I swear."

  "Relax, Kramer. Tom here had another episode. We knocked him out. He might be a killer, by the way. We're going to keep him in the containment area you were so kind as to reinforce."

  Kramer wasn't happy. This wasn't why he had done what he did, but he was in no position to say so. He watched as Marcus tossed Tom on the floor and secured him to the wall with some restraints. He then shut the door and initiated the electrical lock. Marcus turned to look at him.

  "He'll be out for a bit yet. Maxine gave him a shot of something. When he comes to, just let her know, and she can probably knock his ass out again."

  "What did you mean he's a killer? Is someone dead?"

  "Yep, his whole family. Apparently Tom here got fed up with them and killed them all."

  "But he told me all about them, how much he loved them."

  "Now you know the truth. Sorry about the jar." Marcus left the room.

  Kramer turned and glanced over at the unconscious body of Tom Simon. This would complicate things. He hoped that Tom was a sound sleeper and that the assumption of his craziness extended to anything he said, or claimed to see. He didn't want Tom talking about his activities and being taken seriously by the others.

  ***

  Ally huffed in annoyance but was happy Tom hadn't made any other obvious alterations to their course. She ran a systems check to cover the last twenty-four hours, and one for every time Tom was on duty. The full report would take a few hours. This gave her time to start reviewing the security footage to find out who'd sabotaged the suits.

  Iain walked over to Ally, peering over her shoulder. Maxine stood in the corner of the room, a concerned look on her face.

  "As soon as I see anything, I'll let you know, Iain. Go talk to Maxine. She looks like she's about to lose it." Iain took in Maxine's posture.

  "Hey, Doc, you okay?" Maxine looked up.

  "Where did Tom go?"

  "Marcus took him to the research lab."

  "Oh good. He's a danger, you know." I
ain walked over to Maxine.

  "Hey, Doc, want me to walk you back to the med lab? Or your bunk? Maybe you want to get some rest."

  "No thanks. I'm fine, Captain." Iain watched as Maxine, or whatever her real name was, walked out of the control room, holding the syringe in front of her like a weapon.

  He figured it wouldn't be too long before he was down another crewmember.

  "Ally, is lunacy contagious?"

  "No."

  "Good. I'll be in my quarters, going over some files."

  Ally didn't bother with a response. She was too interested in what she was seeing on the screen. The surveillance cameras all went blank about an hour after Tom came on duty, and then went back online two hours later. She wondered if he had been the one to take the suit parts. Marcus entered the room as Ally stood up.

  "Tell Iain we need to search Tom's room. The cameras went offline when he was on duty. He would've noticed."

  Marcus left the room to go and talk to Iain. He didn't like this one bit. He knew something else was going on; he just couldn't put his finger on it. Tom was doing fine, and then all of a sudden, he snapped. Again. He felt bad telling Kramer the guy was a murderer, but what the hell, let Kramer squirm a bit.

  The last time it happened- right after he came on board, if he remembered right- Kramer and he had spoken at length in the rec room. He was curious as to whether Kramer and Tom had another talk last night. He turned around and went back to the control room.

  "Ally, can you do me a favour?" Ally turned in her chair and nodded.

  "Can you check to see if Kramer had any interaction with Tom yesterday before his shift?"

  "Will do. Now go talk to Iain about checking out Tom's room."

  "Going."

  Marcus went down the narrow stairwell to where the captain's quarters were. He knocked on the door and entered when he heard a response. He filled the captain in on what Ally had told him. He decided to wait before he announced his suspicions about Kramer ,though. They both left the room and headed towards Tom's room.