The Siren, the General's Daughter Book One (19 page)

“Well, it
is
for science, right? We probably should have a crew there to shoot the mission. For analysis, of course,” she hinted, hoping he would grab the suggestion.

He did, hook, line and sinker. “Of course! That’s an excellent idea, lieutenant, I’ll authorize it immediately,” Scott sniggered as he hugged her once again before standing. There, now Recon didn’t have to ‘appropriate’ cameras!

Sam brought dinner to her brother who was angrily pouting over the lecture his father had given. She rolled her eyes, adjusting his tray, “I would rather listen to Daddy go on any day than deal with this. Look!” She dropped her pants to show him her still red, blotchy backside. “Scott’s in on the plan, by the way.”

“Ow.... You told him?” Michael looked shocked. And a little nervous. He wasn’t as comfortable with involving his uncle in pranks as his sister was, especially since they tended to backfire.

“He asked. And he approved a film crew. We got Recon covered so they don’t have to steal anything. We’ll show him that being a girl doesn’t mean I’m a wimp, huh?”

“We’ll show him more than that. He won’t ever go into the water again without thinking of you, baby sister. Ow,” he groaned, lifting his fork. With a giggle, his sister began to hand feed him with her fingers, doing her best to avoid being bitten.

***

The day of the mission arrived and the Master-Sergeant paraded into the lab with a display of arrogance that overshadowed the room. Michael greeted him respectfully, accepting the paper in his hand.

“Here is the mission statement. The dive will commence in one hour at the north island station buoy. Will you go by ship?” he asked, deliberately failing to acknowledge Michael’s rank.

Michael noticed and slowly inhaled. He had been instructed from an early age to display proper manners and wisely chose his father’s path—to ignore stupidity and rise above ignorance. Yes, Dad would be proud. Michael really just wanted to slug the bastard in the jaw. “No Sir, I think I’ll go with the Recon team on the floater. We are all eager to observe. Will you go down?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Too bad sea lions are color blind, huh?” he asked as he left. Michael was joined by his sister minutes later and handed her the sheet.

“Oh, seriously, retrieve specific items and disengage a bomb? A fake one, right?”

“I hope so,” Michael laughed, “He’ll be in the water with us.”

“Recon has the cameras ready?”

“Yep, and the I-band seems to be working well since we made that little alteration of yours,” he chortled back.

His sister hugged him. “This is going to be fun. I got the peds and cetaceans to help us make a penguin out of this guy. Stupid land walker. They also promised to work together when I told them how he had challenged our bull’s territory. That’s a major accomplishment in itself. The dolphins will signal our needs to the peds. Color wires? He calls this real life? Idiot. No problem, like plucking a squid from a bucket.”

“Cool, I’ll send Recon out with the boat. They are geared up to go down. Does he know you’ll be in the water?”

“He knows nothing. I have the entire tech crew on ship with the folks.”

Sam was all smiles as she boarded the small training cruiser and stood next to the Master-Sergeant. He eyed her scornfully. “Sure you want to do this, lieutenant?” he sneered as he stated her rank. “There are a lot of people who are going to see you fail and make a fool out of yourself.”

“Don’t mistake this when I tell you, Sir, I’m not afraid to fail, I’m only afraid not to try. Oh, a wetsuit? Will you be diving?”

“Yes, I want to make sure your Recon team doesn’t help you cheat.”

“By all means. Do you mind if I join you?”

“We have no gear for you.”

“That’s ok, I can hold my breath for a real long time.” She waved across to the other cruiser where the Generals stood, accompanied by their crew and few other officers interested in the event.

“The bomb has no detonation time. I tried to make this as real to life as possible. You have one hour to complete,” the man said with a superior tone.

“Real life, huh? Can your sea lions determine color ratios? Or know what a radio, dog tags and a logbook box are? That doesn’t seem very realistic to me.”

“That is your mission. Changing your mind?”

“Not at all. In fact, I’m looking forward to it. After you, please,” she said politely as he lowered himself to the platform and jumped into the water. Higgins bobbed the surface as she stripped out of her uniform and stood in her wetsuit, already summoning her help before diving gracefully into the gray waters.

He signaled time when they sunk to 15 feet. Recon was already filming the event as the sea lions quickly and efficiently did their jobs, stopping only to receive an affectionate pat from the girl. Still submerged after 15 minutes, Sam handed the items to the stunned Master-Sergeant, including the properly detonated practice bomb. Seconds later, a small Blue Tip approached. It swam around her then rushed the man. His eyes widen behind the mask as another, twice the length, approached Sam before rushing him. Four more arrived, joined by two Threshers and three Makos. The sharks gently circled her before approaching the panicking diver. They started to shiver as their pace increased, blocking his exit towards his ship.

The Recon team remained in place, following Michael’s instructions to remain perfectly still so his sister would not be distracted while directing the fishes movements. She saw the bubbles increase from Higgins’ regulator and decided the idiot had enough. Slowly she swam through the circling shiver, pushing them away with her hands. Once scattered, she had one more surprise as Ton rose up from underneath and grabbed the terrified man in his large jaws. His sharp teeth clamped firmly into his captive prey only loosening when Sam reminded the whale that the man was part of her pod. In an unexpected, but delightful moment, Ton rose to a high breach and tossed Higgins from his mouth accompanied by the image of rotting kelp.

Sam watched from the surface as Higgins was pulled up onto the dive platform, and then dove back under to express her gratitude to all who assisted. Recon, still sat frozen, completely paralyzed with awe. This was the first time they had seen her in action. She swam over to them and kissed each mask before directing them back to their floater. Michael joined her, popping to surface and waving at their parents and their crew.

“We did it, huh?” she said, swimming towards the small ship and her father’s proud smile. She knew that would be short lived once he saw the underwater footage, but it was worth it.

“You did it, kiddo. The bands worked great!”

“Yep. And I have a little secret,” she said, treading water to face him. She lifted her chin to show her neck. Michael’s mouth fell open. She only wore the I-band.

“How—”

“It’s them! Not us. They chose me. It’s still limited since I’m a calf, but they don’t think I’m a penguin anymore. The band is a tool for them to touch us until they decide we are worth their trouble.”

“Amazing. Too bad it’s top secret, huh?”

“Not really. I would rather none of this information ever fall into the wrong hands. I’ll find another study for my Ph.D. that protects my friends, not harms them. They are ok with you, too, but you’re still a bit of a polar bear,” she laughed, reaching her hand out of the water for assistance onto the diving deck.

Michael eased himself out, his thigh and ribs still very sore. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m not sure, but grumpy has something to do with it. Daddy! Uncle Scott! We won!” she squealed.

Dr. Quimby picked her up high and hugged her closely. “I’m so proud of you! No problems?”

“Not for me.”

“Uh oh, what did you two do? I saw the grand finale with Ton. I figured that was his doing, not yours. He can be a bit of an asshole and he’s very protective of you,” Dr. Quimby asked, looking around and noticing how the whole crew avoided his gaze. They were all in on it! Even Scott! His friend will have some explaining to do later, that was for sure.

“Um, I’ll tell you all about it on the way home, ok?” Scott said, elbowing his nephew.

“Or you can just watch it. Recon taped the whole thing, under Scott’s authorization,” Michael shrugged. “I’m pretty sure we won’t have any more problems from him.” He watched his sister leaning over the platform to rub the heads of the peds coming up to see her, barking delightfully at her touch. ‘Inferior creature’ was flashed in her mind. She glanced up to see the pod of dolphin playfully retreating, before turning to smile back at her brother who still wore his band. He saw it too.

In celebration, Scott gave the crew a three day weekend for their hard work and support. They closed shop early and were dismissed. Michael gestured towards his uncle, getting his sister’s attention. “He is positively bursting.”

“It’s about time I make him proud instead of pissed. We did well. I couldn’t have done this without your help. Twins?” she held her knuckles to him.

He joined his to her. “Twins. Now, let’s watch the movie. Dad is itching to know exactly what happened. Too bad we can’t post it on the internet.”

“No, but we can post it in the secured network....”

“But your secret. Everyone will know.”

“Only in the seal unit. They are under the same security as we are and I am part of it now, whether he likes it or not.”

Scott pulled his niece onto his lap as the four sat before the terminal to review the tapes. His smile was as broad as hers, and he hugged her fiercely. Dr. Quimby scrunched his face, struggling whether to laugh or be mature. He ultimately chose the former. “I bet that bastard shit his drawers,” he said, smugly, replaying the close-up of the man’s face.

“Daddy!”

“Sorry, sweets,” he didn’t sound as sincere as he would have liked.

“What I’m betting is that he will request a transfer. I hear Anchorage needs some researchers.”

“That’s mean, Scott,” his nephew said firmly.

Scott shrugged. “Hey, I didn’t start this. He’s out of here as far as I’m concerned. Don’t screw with my family or my crew.”

“Let’s see how he deals with the situation first. I suspect our girl will be a hero to the enlisted group after today,” Dr. Quimby commented in his typical, calm manner.

“You do know that the entire base knew about the mission, right” Scott asked his friend. “They need to see we won’t put up with any division in the ranks.”

“Let’s just play it by ear, ok? Now, I am asking you very nicely, please replay that part. The one when he looks like he dropped a load.”

Just as Scott predicted, a request for transfer was on his desk the next Monday. It was granted. The man was also cautioned that if he continued in the research department, he would likely find himself face to face with the family again. He was strongly urged to put aside his grudge and make peace. Scott promised him that if he chose to do so, he would grant his choice of duty station. If not, he was going to Alaska. The man humbly promised to consider his options. The lab door buzzed later that afternoon.

“Ma’am, it’s the Master-Sergeant to see you,” Nick announced, sticking his head in Sam’s office.

“Show him in. Master-Sergeant, please have a seat. To what do I owe this pleasure?” she asked sweetly and politely, her upbringing evident in her carriage and demeanor. “Would you like some coffee?

“No thank you, ma’am. Is your brother around?”

“He is running some programs. Do you need him? I can have him in here in two minutes,” She remained pleasant, professional and the perfect lady. Daddy would be so proud!

“No, ma’am. I’m here to talk with you. Might I speak freely?”

“From what I’ve seen, that’s not been an issue for you, Master-Sergeant,” the girl said, leaning back in her chair.

He glanced down at the deck and then looked back at her. “I’m an idiot. What you did down there was beyond spectacular. I never would have dreamed of witnessing anything like that. Even watching the clip, I was dumbfounded. Good payback, by the way. I learned a valuable lesson about prejudice and judgment. I apologize, Lieutenant. Please forgive me for my lack of respect, manners and inexcusable behavior. I’m ashamed and humbled. I’m really sorry,” he stood, offering her his hand.

Sam stood as well, shaking it firmly. She knew this was very difficult for him and his pride. Her upbringing showed in her dignity. “All is forgiven, Master-Sergeant, and considered forgotten. And thank you for the compliments. You don’t have to leave us, you know. I really would like to work with you.”

“Yes, ma’am, I do. I’ve been here too long and forgot what my purpose was. Although undeserved, the General offered me choice of duty station. I’m uncertain which to pick. Do you have any suggestions?”

“Well, I know I’ll be working up at Monterey on occasion. So don’t go there if you want to avoid me,” she cautioned with a smile.

He returned it warmly. “Monterey it is. Oh, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“How do you hold your breath for so long? It’s physically impossible.”

“Didn’t you hear? I’m a mermaid. And you thought we weren’t real!”

He just stared at her as she laughed. Somehow, a part of him believed her.

Michael saw the man salute his sister which was followed by a hug, then exit the lab with a smile. He hurried over to her side and got a quick synopsis of the conversation. “Once again, the Siren at work. Don’t they know that creature can lure any man into her clutches?”

“They do now. All of them, huh guys?”

“Yes ma’am!” The crew enthusiastically responded.

“That and good manners. I really should thank Daddy for teaching us that one day. They really do work. Go figure!”

“So, Sammi, it looks like you will be in charge of the seal unit now. Think you’re ready?”

“As much as I’ll ever be. Plus I have all of you to help. I really am a lucky gal,” she said happily, proudly looking at her crew as she leaned against her handsome brother. “Yeah, a real lucky gal.”

THE END

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