Deep Sea

Chapter 13: Swimming

Chapter 13: Swimming

"Oh, thank all that's holy." Josh said as Kai poked his head out from the sub.

They had surfaced a few hundred feet from the ship, steered it over, and the crane with the giant magnet had descended and grabbed them before hoisting the tank up onto the ship deck.

Kai jumped down onto the deck as Joe pulled herself out.

"I was starting to really worry." he breathed a sigh of relief. "What happened?"

"Sweetie!" Ilia ran forward as Joe climbed down off the sub and slammed hard into her.

"Hey." Joe gasped as all the air was pushed out of her.

"Don't scare me like that!" Ilia told her fiercely, her eyes swimming with fear for her friend. "Not a word for hours! For hours! I was afraid you had gotten shot by a submarine or something!"

"We're fine, Ilia." Joe laughed as the fea let her go as the maintenance team descended on the waiting sub.

"We didn't want to risk radioing you in case someone was listening." Kai explained.

"Kai."

They turned as the captain approached.

Captain Hughes, with his marvelous mustache and bald head, cut a bit of a comical figure. However, his muscles diminished that affect a bit, especially when he was frowning as he did now.

"I would speak with you in my room. You and Joe both." he looked at her.

Wondering how she could possibly get in trouble for this, Joe followed Kai who followed Captain Hughes, looking unconcerned and indifferent.

Ten minutes later, the captain shut the door of his stateroom and turned to them.

"What the hell happened down there?" he demanded to know.

"It's not our fault." Joe said defensively. She had never liked being reprimanded as a child. And now, as an adult, it was worse than it had been before. "I forgot about the subs."

"You forgot." he grabbed at those words. "You, Joe, were sent because of your brain. You are supposed to keep everything and everybody safe from the unexpected by expecting it with that marvelous head of yours. So tell me, girl, how is it you forgot about submarines!"

"Don't be angry with Kyma." Kai said, his expression tightening a bit. "No one remembered them. It was an unforeseen event that we'll take precaution to avoid in the future."

"You damn well better." he snapped at the both of them. "I don't want to hear it from Jack because two of his people died under my care. And I sure as hell don't want to hear from Mr. Ozera because I lost an expensive deep sea submarine."

"It wont happen again." Joe assured him.

"Be sure it doesn't!"

XXXXXXXXX

"Got chewed out, huh?" Ilia asked.

They were in Joe's room.

Because of her mission, and the need for as few a people to know as possible, Joe recieved her own room. It was small, most ship rooms were, consisting only of a single wide bunk, that Ilia was lounging on, and a desk that Joe was seated at.

"Like teenagers in the principles office." Joe grumbled as she typed up a report for Jack on her laptop. "I hate being lectured."

"I love it." Ilia laughed surprising Joe.

"I was sure you would hate being lectured too." she said. "It doesn't seem like you to put up with a verbal flaying."

"Oh, it's not." Ilia assured her. "But as soon as who ever it is gets that lecture tone in their voice, I ask them if I've been naughty and need a spanking."