Kristen lowered her eyes and noticed his right hand resting on the table and the fingers rubbing the table top absent mindedly. He was perfectly calm. He was always so calm…
Not quite always.
She recalled seeing him angry a few times before. She then remembered their all too brief moment together in his cabin…
“Doc Reed and Hoover were there,” she recalled softly. “We had Dr. Dar-Hyun on oxygen…”
“And you could hear the hissing of the oxygen flowing through the mask,” Brodie offered softly.
“Yes,” she paused thoughtfully, her nervousness fading. “The heart monitor was beeping erratically,” she added and looked up at him. “You had two EAMs in your pocket.”
“That’s right.” His voice was gentle and soothing. “Your hair and clothing were still soaked from the SDV.”
“I remember water dripping on the table and not wanting to get it on his face as I leaned over him,” she said as the images washed over her again, but this time without the emotional baggage that normally accompanied them.
“You were cold,” he said easily. She could feel him leading her right back to the exact moment in time. It was as if he himself could recall every detail as he guided her to the memory waiting somewhere in her subconscious.
“I was cold…” She admitted, not having remembered the sensation. “How did you know?”
“You were trembling with the chills,” he explained. “The water was in the fifties and all you had was a wetsuit to protect you. Your lips were almost blue.”
“He was scared,” she whispered. “I think he knew he was dying.”
“You were scared, too,” he reminded her. “But not for yourself,” he added. “You were scared for him because you knew he was frightened he would die alone.”
Kristen looked at him incredulously, remembering thinking exactly those thoughts. She cocked her head slightly, her eyes questioning. “How did you know that?”
“Because you took his hand so he would feel a human touch,” Brodie responded, his eyes warm and gentle. “You wanted him to know he wasn’t alone.”
Kristen stared into his eyes and for a moment thought she would never be able to look away. The usual harshness in his eyes was gone and replaced by something far more comforting. Kristen felt warmth filling her up, only like a warmth she’d never quite known. But, at the same time she was looking into his eyes, she was afraid to let him do the same. Her usual carefully controlled exterior had been badly shaken over the last few weeks, and she hadn’t had time to rebuild it. As a result, she felt vulnerable, as if her emotions were on display for all to see. The others were watching, and she couldn’t allow her true feelings to show.
“I leaned down to hear him; he was whispering.”
Brodie nodded, saying no more.
“He knew he was dying. He could feel his heart giving out…” she uttered softly, her eyes once again transfixed on Brodie’s hand gently caressing the table top. “He told me goodbye, and thanked me for getting him out of North Korea. He said something about enjoying the free air.”
Across the table, the men watched in fascination as she remembered.
“He said the UN Security Council would never approve military force against them. They had assurances from the Russians there would be no war.”
Pencils scribbled feverishly as the men resumed writing.
She looked at Brodie, again with a questioning eye. “He told me his people needed fuel oil to heat their homes. They had none in their country, and every year thousands died from the bitter cold. Then he mentioned a general named…” she hesitated as she tried to remember.
The pencils stopped. The men’s eyes stared at her intently, but they were now just fixtures on the wall. Her entire world had shrunk down to just her and Brodie.
“Cheong,” she suddenly remembered, and the pencils resumed scribbling furiously. “General Cheong-In,” she hesitated. “I couldn’t understand his full name, but the general told the doctor it was important to maintain the illusion of progress with their rocket program to keep the United States preoccupied with what the DPRK was doing on the peninsula.”
She looked at Brodie who sat calmly. She saw the warmth and pride in his eyes.
“There was more, but…” she shook her head, “he couldn’t finish.”
Brodie nodded and lifted his teacup and took a sip. “That’s good, Lieutenant,” he said regaining some of his professionalism. “Thank you.”
“Did he say anything else?” Jones asked sharply, wanting more.
Kristen didn’t have to answer. Brodie’s eyes turned hard almost instantly as he looked across the table at the man. “No,” he told him flatly. “That’s all he said.”
“We need more,” Jones insisted. “She needs to dig deeper.”
“There is no more,” Brodie replied and set the saucer down, clearly growing agitated again. “Now how about you go back to wherever you came from and figure the rest out for yourself.”
Beagler gave Brodie a warning glance. “Sean…”
But Brodie was fuming, tired of the questions and all of the second guessing. He leaned forward and once more was pointing at Jones accusingly. “If you assholes at the CIA could ever get your shit together then—”
“Captain,” Kristen said softly. Without thought, her left hand came to rest on his forearm. “It’s all right, sir.”
Brodie had been on the verge of coming out of his chair, but he calmed down almost at once. Kristen hadn’t realized she’d touched him, and when she did, she withdrew her hand immediately.
“Admiral,” Jones insisted, “we need to make certain she doesn’t have anything else locked up inside that head of hers we could use to piece this together.”
“That’s all there is,” Beagler said, his eyes watching Brodie cautiously.
“How can you be certain?” Jones demanded.
“He told you already,” Beagler snapped as he looked at the civilian with annoyance, “she remembers everything. You read her file. You know!” he added angrily. “Total recall of everything she sees, hears, smells… absolutely every detail!”
Realizing they would get no more out of her, the review board dismissed Kristen. She exited the wardroom reeling. No other witnesses were called, and Kristen joined her fellow officers in the control room to wait to hear what the board of inquiry decided. Graves sat in his chair, and Kristen took a seat at one of the tactical displays. Several of her fellow officers had questions for her, but neither Graves nor Kristen could answer them. The hearing was classified, and they were each under orders to discuss none of it.
After another hour, the civilians and Admiral Malone departed the submarine. A few moments later, the officers saw Brodie as he walked with Admiral Beagler. Everyone was waiting to learn the “verdict,” although Kristen was no longer worried Brodie would lose the Seawolf. She’d seen the way Beagler had intervened to keep Brodie from going too far. Brodie’s value was clear to those who had the power to relieve him. He was the best they had, possibly the best they ever would, and although they might not want to admit it, they needed him at the helm of the Seawolf a little longer.
“Attention on deck,” Graves barked, and everyone snapped to their feet and came to attention as Rear Admiral Beagler appeared in the control room.
The admiral paused and looked in her direction. “Lieutenant Whitaker,” Beagler called to her.
“Yes, sir?” Kristen replied automatically.
Beagler then asked Brodie, “Might I borrow the lieutenant for a few moments, Captain?”
“Of course, Admiral,” Brodie agreed.
Beagler led Kristen aft. She fell into step behind him until they reached a passageway where they had some privacy. “How are you, Lieutenant?” he asked her, a bit of concern in his eyes.