"It wasn't me, sir." "You were found with his body, De Mara." "He was dead when I got there, sir." "Chief Sturtevant overheard you threaten him." " We had words." " Words?" ""I'm gonna choke the life out of you and when we get back to port," "I'm gonna find your mother and do the same to her."" " I was upset, sir." " The victim was strangled to death." "A coincidence, sir." "What do you want from me?" " I want a better answer." " I don't have one, sir." "If you didn't do it, who did?" "That's it." "Interview over." " Sit down, De Mara." " No, no, no." "You wanna stick it to me, fine." "But don't expect a thank-you note." " You're not helping yourself." " I have nothing more to say to you, sir." "Sorry about that, sir." "He's a major hothead." "What the hell is going on?" "Attention, all hands." "Security condition modified Zebra." "Collision." "Starboard side aft." "That is all." "That's where we are." " Better check it out." " Yes, sir." "It's jammed, sir." "I can't open it." "All deck sections make Zebra reports to Damage Control Central." "The overhead hatch is stuck, commander." "The wheel won't turn." "It feels like something's blocking it." "All right." "We'll get some bodies down there and pry you out." " What did we hit anyway?" " An uncharted reef." "Our surface search and sonar never even saw it." " It looks minor." "I'll be in touch." " Roger that." " What did he say, sir?" " They're sending down a team." "Are we okay?" " He's not worried." " Well, he's not down here, sir." "We're gonna be fine, okay, De Mara?" "Master-at-arms shack." "Hey, how are things below the waterline?" "The hatch is stuck." "We're locked in." " That's not good." " They're sending down a team." " How's the suspect?" " Angry, scared." " Well, what's the story?" " Wrong place, wrong time." "You find out anything?" "Yeah." "I filled in some blanks on the victim." "Petty Officer Chinick was apparently a one-man black market." " Booze, drugs, pornography." " I'm surprised he was murdered." "Guys like that are usually pretty popular." "Yeah, not with their skippers." "Captain Salveras began hearing rumours about him a few days ago." "He notified NCIS." "They were gonna bust Chinick when they docked." "You know, maybe there's a connection." "I'll follow it from this end." "Hang on." "Captain Salveras wants to say hello." "I apologise for the poor hospitality, commander." "It's no problem, sir." "We'll have you out in time for a bedtime snack." "I'll ask my steward to conjure up some Swedish pancakes." "Well, I'll look forward to that, skipper." " All right, stand by." " Aye, aye, sir." " Coffee, sir?" " Thanks." "Where's the head?" "Yes, sir." "Damn it." "Tiner, I need you to let me in." " I thought you were gone." " I couldn't get in my car." " Why not, sir?" " Because my keys are in my office." "Actually, it's good you came back, sir." "You forgot your itinerary." "Have a good flight, sir." "Sir?" "Good night, admiral." " How long has he been down there?" " Thirty-seven minutes." "I got caught in a carnival fun house once for four hours." "Must have been terrifying." "Actually, I fell asleep on Dracula's coffin." " How's Jingo?" " Your dog is fine, ma'am." "I wish I could say the same about your bathmat." "Here's what I know, ma'am." "This was Petty Officer Chinick's first deployment." "Well, that's on his record." "Anything else?" " No, ma'am." " And Petty Officer De Mara?" "Captain's mast aboard the U.S.S. Dubuque." "Right." "But why?" "Well, according to his former CO, he had a habit of falling asleep during his watch." " Nothing more serious?" " No, ma'am." "No behavioural problems?" "Yes, ma'am, Petty Officer De Mara was always on edge and Petty Officer Chinick couldn't be trusted." " In what way couldn't he be trusted?" " You know, in anything." "Petty Officer Daniels, we're aware that the victim was selling contraband aboard ship." " Were you a customer?" " No, ma'am." " But you knew about it." " I suspected it." " How about Petty Officer De Mara?" " I would assume he knew, ma'am." "Any idea why he would've threatened to kill Petty Officer Chinick?" "No, ma'am." "But it didn't take much to set him off." " Where did you find Chinick's body?" " The main machinery room." "And what were you doing there?" "I was checking the bilges, ma'am." "It was part of my afternoon watch." "As I was coming down the ladder well, I saw Petty Officer De Mara leaving." "When I went inside," "I found Petty Officer Chinick with a rope around his neck." "Did De Mara say anything?" "No, ma'am." "He just kept walking." "How would you describe his expression?" "Anxious, ma'am." "It's too close in here, chief." "I can't breathe." " Sorry." " Come on, chief, let me out." "Cuff my ankles." "I'll sit in the corner." " Can't take the risk." " Seriously, what can I do?" "I'm not getting into this right now with you." "So back away from that door." " What was that?" " Must be trying to back off the reef." "All right, chief." "Fun's over." "There's no emergency hatch in this room." " That's the whole point, De Mara." " Let me out, come on." " Hey, now" " Let me out!" "Calm down, De Mara." "That's an order." "It's brutal in here, sir." "You're as secure as anyone else aboard ship." "There's no reason to panic." "Just calm down." "If you want something, don't bang on the door, just ask." "Can you turn the lights back on, please, sir?" "Surprise!" "Hurrah, SEAL." "A.J." "How's that final inspection going, admiral?" "Better now that I know the lights work." "Vice Admiral Richard Kern." "Tonight, when you step off this naval vessel, you'll leave behind a leadership vacuum of immense proportions." " Hear, hear." " Hear." "You came all the way out here for this?" "Well, be happy I'm not popping out of that damn cake." "This is the way out here." " Do you consider yourself lucky?" " No more than anyone else, sir." "I've managed to avoid catastrophe all my life." "Caught the net when the exhaust from an F-18 launched me off a carrier deck." "Sailed out the butt end of a typhoon." "Slid past a crumbling iceberg." " I'm fortunate." " Sounds like it, sir." "Until my ship ran aground in calm waters." "This is a career killer." "There's a difference between bad luck and negligence, sir." "Not if Fleet Command has to yank us off this reef." "Well, if your record is strong, they might overlook it, sir." "Colonel, three years ago, one of the Navy's top ship drivers got the screws of his cruiser stuck in the Oakland Estuary." "They had to move heaven and earth to tow him free." "He was in the Fleet Commander's office the next morning." "I know of it, sir." "The captain's Article 32 hearing was handled through our office." "Did you know he is now the manager of a hardware store in Wilmington?" "It was a high-profile incident, sir." "Well, they would at least keep me sideways." "You mean a desk job?" "I mean, the command of a self-propelled suction dredging the Fiji islands, colonel." " Attention on deck." " As you were." "Well, she's snagged good, commander." "We're checking alternatives, sir." "What do we get by pumping out?" "Not much, sir." "We're sounding the fuel tanks to see what we can shift." " Will that raise her in the water?" " No." " No, but might give us a better shot." " Yeah, a long one." "I'd rather put an anchor astern, winch her off." "The winch seemed to suffer some damage in the collision, sir." "We could try rocking her." "And subject her hull to more damage?" "I need a plan that works, commander." "That would be a tow, sir." " I'll call Second Fleet." " Aye, sir." " DCC." " Hadge, this is Commander Rabb." "We have no power." "We're on emergency lighting." "The effort to free the ship must have caused a short in a junction box." "What about getting us out of here?" "Well, there's a big pile of debris blocking your overhead." "They're working on it." "Can't you hear them?" " You hear me?" " Too much extraneous noise." " Well, it shouldn't be long now." " I'll hold you to that, commander." "Colonel MacKenzie's here." "Wanna speak to her?" "Please." " How are you?" " Mac, take my mind off of this." "This is serious negligence." "Petty Officer Chinick was conducting business in a main machinery room." "Another petty officer on her afternoon watch saw De Mara leaving." "When she went inside, she discovered the body." " Could have been a deal gone bad." " Bad enough to provoke murder?" " Why don't you talk to De Mara?" " I would but he's a little preoccupied with his mortality at the moment." "Is he getting worse?" "To say he's unstable would be an insult to unstable people." "Well, at least he's locked up." " Let me out!" " Yeah, so are we." "Damn it, this isn't funny." "Commander Cunningham, report to the forecastle." "Commander Cunningham, report to the forecastle." "Pull harder." "Come on." "Hey, De Mara, you okay in there?" "Screw you, chief." " What's he doing now?" " Shivering in his rack, sir." "It isn't cold in here." "Well, I've stopped trying to figure him out." "How about you, how are you doing?" " I'm not afraid of the dark, sir." " How about tight spaces?" "I think the time to get anxious is when there's no options left." "Until then, you just deal with it." "Adjust." "This sucks!" "Unless you're Petty Officer De Mara." "On our last anniversary, my wife presented me with a document." "She calculated how many years out of 19 we actually spent together." "Less than seven." " Retirement's a big step." " I'm ready for it." "I mean, given the miracles of modern medicine, hell, you could live to be a hundred." "What are you gonna do with the second half of your life, garden?" "Actually, we're moving to France." " I'm gonna take cooking lessons." " That's worse." "Dick, if you're doing this for your marriage, your marriage is gonna suffer." "You have to be comfortable with this choice." "When we were seals, what did I always say about my performance, huh?" "If you couldn't be out in front, you'd rather be out of sight." " The skills diminish, A.J." " Well, I don't see it." "The hearing's not as sharp." "I've got a balky knee." "Hell, I can remember the name of my first damn goldfish, but I blank on the XO's." "It's not like I'm getting old." "Just a beat slower." "But you always held yourself to impossible standards." "Hey, wait till you taste my risotto." "Sir?" "I'll make a deal with you, sir." "What makes you think you're in any kind of position to make a deal, De Mara?" "Sir, I'll answer any question you ask, but you gotta let me out of here." "Then you'll say I coerced your confession by locking you in a dark cell until you agreed to talk." "Sir, I can't confess to something I didn't do, all right?" "I'm merely agreeing to cooperate." "No promises, all right?" "I understand, I understand." "I have to win back your trust." "Let me try." "Ask away." "Anything." "Were you buying contraband from Petty Officer Chinick?" "Bourbon, sir." "He was overcharging me." "That's why the argument." "Think about it, sir." "Why would I murder somebody over $10?" "Well, you're an impulsive guy, De Mara." " Oh, sir." " Maybe you were overstressed." "See, you're doing it again, sir." "You're jumping to conclusions." "Well, why else did you go to the room if it wasn't to kill Chinick?" "To buy bourbon!" "Chief, did you find bourbon at the murder scene?" " No, sir." " What about in De Mara's locker?" " Or under his rack?" " None, sir." "Sir, I thought you were gonna listen, you know?" "I thought you were gonna be honest, De Mara." "Forget about it, all right?" "Forget about it." "You can't get off my back long enough to see the other side." " What's on the other side?" " You're just like my mother, you know." "My brother's crying, she'd smack me." "It could be that he was tired, or that he smacked his leg." " Didn't matter, I was guilty." " I'm not your mother, De Mara." "Well, maybe you could be my father and disappear." "I'm gonna get an ETA on this rescue team." "Yes, sir." " The phone is dead." " What?" "The phone's dead, chief?" "Open the door." "Open it now!" "Let me out!" "Let me out!" "I told you everything I know!" "This isn't doing anybody any good." "Well, I'll be the last one from our team on active duty." "It's an honour, A.J." "Or an indication that I can't let go." "Hell, you don't need to, A.J." "You're an attorney." "It's not like you drive ships around." "That's true." "If I forget a statute, I can just look it up." " Do you?" " What?" "Forget statutes?" "Let me get you some more cake." "Mattoni can't find the files on the Billups case, your dry cleaner may have lost your green sweater and I think a small animal may have died inside your office wall, ma'am." " Any good news, lieutenant?" " Sorry, colonel." " What about for the commander?" " Ms. Peterson called." "I told her he couldn't speak to her because he was trapped on a ship." " What was her response?" " Well, she assumed it was a lie, but liked the fact that it was a bald-faced one which meant that in fact he wasn't lying but trying to send her a signal that he wanted to talk but that now wasn't a good time." "And I didn't feel the need to discuss it any further, ma'am." "Wise of you, lieutenant." " It's over three hours now, ma'am." " I know, Bud." " What's going on?" " There have been complications." " He is gonna be all right, isn't he?" " Of course." "You don't sound convinced, ma'am." "No, I am." "I'm sure the worst is over." "Chief, we got a leak in here." "We're taking on water." "Now, hold on." " Where?" " There." "Now how about letting me out here now, huh?" "Come on." "There's ductwork and drainage pipes back there, sir." "If they were damaged, one might be leaking into the other." "It's salt water." "It's got fuel in it." " Where's the closest fuel tank?" " I wouldn't know, sir." "I would, I'm a machinist's mate." "There's one outboard of us." "That's against the hull." "It must have ruptured when we hit the reef." "Hole opened up when we tried to pull away." "Well, then Damage Control should be on top of it, right?" "No, hull checks wouldn't uncover it unless somebody got inside the tank." "I know what's happening, sir." "Overfill's running up a sounding tube." "Well, then how is it getting to us?" "Somebody left the cap off, it's flowing down the drain." "I'm telling you, the entire ocean's flowing in here." " What's next, sea monsters?" " Please, it's time to let me out of here." "You'll get out when rescue arrives." "Damn it, let me out of here now!" " Back away from the door now." " Stand down, chief." "Put the weapon away." "Talk to him, sir, please." "Please, tell him to let me out of here." "He's your prisoner, chief." "Then he stays where he is." "Sir, Bridge reports we're bow down 2 degrees." "I need flooding reports from repair-to investigators ASAP." "Aye, sir." " How's it going, commander?" " They're on top of it." "Maybe they'd have better luck if they got off it." " You making jokes?" " My partner's down there." "Yeah." "Some of the debris is jammed in real tight." "They've sent up for a cutting torch." "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a ship that's taking on water." "So I surface and I look around and I thought," ""Where's the damn fuel depot?"" "About this time your admiral swims up and he's covered with this muck and he stinks." "And I go, "Hey, what the hell's the matter with you?"" "And he goes, "I could ask you the same question."" "And I look down and I'm covered in this muck and then I get it." "This underwater pipe we were swimming through was for waste." " It wasn't industrial." " We were in a sewage pool." "Maps were wrong." "It took us months to live that one down." "Yeah, we'd get orders to report to the head." "Stuff like that." "I had to chunk my regulator." " Do you ever dive for pleasure?" " Used to." "Been threatening to do it for years, never get around to it." "It's a young man's sport." "From the Bridge, sir." " Thank you, petty officer." " Aye, sir." " LST ran aground just north of us." " Is she foundering?" "No, but they have two crew members and a JAG officer trapped below." "I sent a team to the U.S.S. Suribachi today." "I'll assume you wanna be part of the boarding party." " Skipper?" " Yes, sir." "Right away, sir." "Look, chief, I don't think we have much choice." "Are you sure, sir?" "If we don't let him out now, when we do, the water will probably be over the knee knocker and it'll come in the room." " I hear you, sir." " This water's freezing." "My feet are all wet." "Get on your knees, face the bulkhead, and put your hands behind your back." "Yes, sir." "You son of a bitch." "Chief." "Are you all right?" "Do you have any idea what you are doing, sailor?" "Yes, sir, I do." "This is not a bright move, De Mara." "I don't know, sir, I'm feeling pretty good about it." "You're trapped below decks in the middle of the ocean." " Yeah, well, at least I'm in control." " Why don't you give me the weapon?" "No, no, sit down." "Now!" "Secure the door, chief." "Move." "If you think you're any safer, you're mistaken, De Mara." "That water's gonna come right through that brig window." "Shut up, sit down!" "You think I'm an idiot?" "You think I don't know what's going on?" "Both of you, you're talking to me like I'm crazy." "I'm not crazy." "I don't think you're crazy." "I think you're crashing." "What is it?" "Crack?" "Speed?" "Petty Officer Chinick your supplier?" "Black beauties, sir." "They keep me awake." "I've been kicking for two days." "Is that what you and Chinick were arguing about?" "He kept raising his prices, saying that his overhead had increased." "And when I ran out of money, he wouldn't carry me." " So you murdered him?" " No." "I threatened him, sir." "That's it." "Now, I was hoping that after we both calmed down, that, you know, that he'd change his mind." " And it turns out I was right." " You lost me." "We used to leave notes for each other behind a pipe in the mess deck." "You know, to figure out when we'd meet." "After a couple hours, I checked." "Sure enough, there it was." "Fourteen hundred hours in the machinery room." "So you went to the machinery room expecting to be cut some slack and you found him dead." "Yes, sir." "Well, you're either lying or you were framed." "Wait." "Excuse me, sir, am I getting this right?" "Are you giving me a break?" "I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt." " That's what you want, isn't it?" " Yeah." "Yeah, I wonder how open-minded you'd be if this was a cap pistol." "Look, I came here to discover the truth, not to railroad you." "Who would want to frame me?" "Why don't we table this conversation for the moment until we figure out how to save our skins, huh?" "No." "No, sir." "You don't make the rules anymore, all right?" " It's my show now." " Think again, De Mara." "About this theory..." "Repair-to investigators have yet to locate the flooding." "Inaccessible voids have been sounded." "The fuel tank indicators are showing full." "It's a wait-and-see situation." "In the meantime, the Manassas has offered to tow us off the reef." "I'm plotting a course to open ocean at bare course steerage." "A ship that's moving is a more stable repair platform" " for the Damage Control teams." " What about the rescue?" "They're making progress." "Shouldn't be long now." "Well, that's what you've been saying for the last few hours." "Admiral, we've been impeded by power outages, communications breakdown and now this phantom leak." "Okay, best-case scenario." "Where's this leak?" " In a non-functioning compartment." " Worst case." "The brig, sir." "Let's go." "Get it out." "We're almost there." " You got it?" " All right, take it away." "Dead calm." "Spare me the depressing metaphors, colonel." "I'm sorry, sir." " I'm sure he'll be all right." " Yes, he will." "Now convince me." "Colonel, the commander's too damn pig-headed to leave this world." " He will find a way out." " Even if they offer him wings, sir?" "Well, I've always believed in the permanence of things." "Naively maybe, but hell, it's gotten me this far." "And farther still, sir." " Do you believe that?" " Of course, sir." "Then why do you keep sending me reminder memos?" " Excuse me, sir?" " And why are they in large type?" " Well, sir, you have, on occasion" " Misplaced my reading glasses." "It's just in case, sir." "You know, colonel, I've always respected your objectivity." "Thank you, sir." "Am I slowing down?" "Sir, as we age, our physical skills diminish." " Wrong answer." " But our hearts grow stronger." "New Age mumbo jumbo." "Well, hell, that's what I tell myself anyway." "I'm glad you agree, thanks." " Don't mention it, sir." " I won't." "And incidentally, if you do, to anyone," "I'll be on your 6 faster than a surface-to-air missile." "Understood, sir." "Attention on deck, attention on deck." "Prepare rig for towing." "Fantail reports towing rig is secure and in place." "Helmsman, verify that Main Control is standing by to answer all ordered bells." "Engineering is standing by to answer all ordered bells, sir." "Very well." "Prepare to get the hell out of here." " How long are we gonna do this?" " Keep talking, sir." "All right." "It had to be by somebody who knew that you and Petty Officer Chinick were arguing." "That would be a large portion of the crew, sir." "Somebody with a motive." "Someone who knew that you and Chinick arranged a meeting." "Did everybody who met with Chinick pass notes?" "Yes, sir." "Typewritten." "Now, why would Chinick wanna meet you in the main machinery room in the beginning of the afternoon shift where you could be spotted?" " That's a good question." " Maybe Chinick didn't write the note." "Chief, when you took De Mara into custody" "Did I find a note?" "No, sir, not on his person." "Not in his berthing compartment." " Was there a note?" " Yes, sir, I even kept it." "I put it in the sweatband of my ball cap." " Well, where's your ball cap?" " In my locker, sir." "When we get out, I'll run it for prints." " You'll do that, sir?" " I will." "Now lay the weapon down." " Why should I trust you, sir?" " Because he's all you've got, De Mara." "Now give it up." " Grab hold." " I think my knee" "My knee is smashed." "Why the hell wasn't this secured to the bulkhead?" "It was, sir." "It must have worked lose in the collision." "Well, pull." " Where's the smell coming from?" " Right there, right there." "It smells like chlorine gas." "There's a battery compartment right near the IC gyro." "There has to be a leak somewhere." "Salt water's mixing with battery acid." " Isn't that stuff deadly, sir?" " Yeah." "Let's get this done." "It's flooding." "Anybody down there?" "Chief." "Chief, are you all right?" " I hear someone." " Hey." "Hey." "Tell them we need a rope and a winch." "Aye, sir." "Go on, chief." "Get out of there." " What is that, sir?" " Chlorine gas." "We've got to get out of here ASAP." " Where are the other two, chief?" " What's that, sir?" "The commander and the petty officer." "Where are they?" "They're dead, sir." "They drowned, sir." "There was nothing I could do." "Where are they?" "I can't see them, chief." "They're on the far side." "Hurry, hurry." "They're gone, sir." "We're the only personnel you can save right now." "We got rising water." " Give me a hand locking this down." " Aye, sir." " Get out of here." " Yes, sir." "Where are they, sir?" "Do you smell something?" " Chlorine." " It's coming from above." "All right, what's going on?" "Hey, sir." "Sir, don't leave me here." " The hatch is closed." " What?" " The wheel's stuck again." " But they just opened it." "You lousy, chicken-sucking bastards." "We're still down here." "Help me!" "Help me!" " Help me!" "Help!" " Calm down." "All right?" "Or you're no good to either of us if you waste your energy." "I got it, sir." "I got it." "Let me go, or kiss and make up." "Good." "All right." "You've got a sense of humour." "You'll need it." "Now think." "Is there anything in here we could use for leverage?" "I don't know, sir." "Maybe this isn't such a bad way for a Navy man to go." "Well, it's a hell of a way for an aviator to go." "Now think." "What the hell kind of a leader are you?" "No decent officer on this planet would leave men behind." "With all due respect, sir, I had every intention of returning." " I came back to get breathing devices." " What are you doing standing here?" "My orders, admiral." "Any rescue at this point would risk not only the spread of gas, but also the flooding of other compartments." "All right, let's say the water is leaking into another compartment, even a passageway, could that sink us?" " Perhaps." " Perhaps we should take that risk and get those men the hell out of there." "Admiral, both men have been reported dead." " Question, petty officer." " Yes, sir." "Why were we left behind?" "The gas, sir." " They got the chief out." " I guess he was lucky, sir." "Or desperate." "They both drowned." "Trapped beneath the water line." "I managed to pull the commander out, but it was too late." " Did you try to move the locker?" " Of course, but it was massive." " There was just no way." " What about snorkels?" "There weren't any down there, sir." " Did you try to improvise?" " With what, sir?" "I don't know, chief." "You break the bottom off bottles." "You rip pipes off of bulkheads." "Hell, there's two options right there." " Sir, it just happened so fast." " Oh, wait, chief." "I've seen men drown." "It doesn't happen fast." "You said you pulled the commander out." "Did you check his pulse?" " I did, ma'am." " Administer CPR?" "No, sir." "The water level was too high." "Why didn't you try to take him up?" " Well, at the time" " Or call the team down for help?" " Well, I assumed, sir" " Assumed what?" "You assumed what's helped thousands of drowning men and women wouldn't help in this case?" "Sir, ma'am, I'm sorry." "But I did the best I could." "Sturtevant is the chief master at arms aboard ship." "Is it possible that he knew about Chinick's operation?" "Sir." "Doubtful, sir." "Petty Officer Chinick was a pretty smart guy." "Let's just say that he knew, for argument's sake." "All right, keep talking, sir." "Maybe you'll take my mind off of the fact that I'm about to drown." "You said that Chinick raised his prices because of increased overhead." "Yeah." "Well, I thought he was lying, sir." "Well, what if he raised his prices because he was being squeezed by someone?" "Sir, you are fast becoming my favourite person of all time." "Colonel, you have no evidence they're alive." "The only evidence they're dead is Sturtevant." "And we're not signing off on the chief's statement." "Admiral, I don't know what to say." "Gut feelings are all well and good, but any attempt to go back down there will risk not only the ship but the lives of the men on that mission." " Point made." " I'll make it as many times as allowed." " I hope you understand, admiral." " I understand perfectly." "There's a broken pipe under here." "If I could just get it free." " That will get me out, sir?" " You can at least use it for a snorkel." "Sir?" "Sir, I need you up here." "Keep your chin up, De Mara." "For how long, sir?" " Do you pray?" " Not really, sir." "Start." "Sir, sir." "What do I say?" "This would be a lot easier if you'd give me a sign or something." "I can't." "Right there, sir." "What were you gonna use, CBDs?" " Yes, sir." " Give me three of them." "These will keep out both the gas and the water, sir." "They're good for about what, 15 minutes?" "Approximately, sir." " Will it give me time to get in and out?" " I would think so, sir." " Okay." " Let me help you, sir." "I had the instinct to check the brig and I failed to follow through, sir." "And I feel real bad about it." "That's why I should be the one going in." " Captain won't allow it." " What about the two of us?" "Only reason I'm going is because I outrank him." "Yes, sir, you do." " You got a minute to suit up." " Yes, sir." "Okay." "I'm gonna try and leverage this locker away from the bulkhead." "If you feel it move, try and pull your leg free." "All right, is there anything else I can do, sir?" "Just keep talking." "I need a topic, sir." "How about the most exciting moment of your life?" " Other than this one?" " Please." " That would involve sex, sir." " I'm listening." "It's through here, sir." "You're gonna need me to help open the hatch." " Thanks." " Sir, you really shouldn't be doing this." "I got every reason in the world to be doing this." " Let's go." " Yes, sir." "So we were both reaching the finish line, you know, sir, and I guess we hit an air pocket because the plane drops like a stone." " Try now." " No, not yet." " Is this the hatch?" " Farther, sir." "So both our heads hit the ceiling and when we come back down, my foot lands in the toilet." "And we're both just" "We're just staring at each other and..." "Stay with me, De Mara." "Life is something, isn't it, sir?" "The pipe, the pipe." "Captain, we have a merchant vessel sighted on the port bow." " Bearing 290 relative." " Very well." "Helmsman, come right, steer course 320." "You got it, sir." "How did you do that?" "Faith." "Sir, if there's gas up there, how are we gonna breathe?" "Let's concentrate on one obstacle at a time." "How are we gonna get this hatch open?" "Faith, sir?" "You got a towel I can borrow, chief?" "Chief Sturtevant found out that Chinick was smuggling contraband aboard ship." "He was extorting a share of the profits." "When he found out that Chinick was gonna be arrested, he murdered him to prevent him from rolling on him." "He left us to die because he knew I'd find fingerprints on De Mara's note." " It's been one hell of a night, skipper." " Gentlemen, my apologies." "No problem, no problem." " How did you know they were alive?" " We didn't, sir." "But you were so confident." "Well, I suppose it comes from our experience with the commander, sir." "You're a tenacious man." "Is that it, commander?" "You ever try to get gum off the sole of your shoe?" " Petty Officer De Mara?" " Yes, sir." "Report to my office and wait for me there." " You're not out of the woods yet." " Aye, aye, sir." "Just as long as I'm out of the water." "Commander." " Thank you, sir." " Life is something, petty officer." "Yes, sir." "Admiral, may I speak to you in private, sir?" " Concerning?" " Concerning the rescue, sir." " Well, what is it?" " Sir, it's probably better in private." " What?" " All right, sir." "Well, what happened down there was a miracle." "Well, lieutenant, it's a bit of an overstatement." "Sir, what I mean is, the tank you grabbed, it was practically empty, sir." "I just checked it." "You had maybe 15 seconds of air left, sir." "You must have misread the gauge." "Well, I'd say you nailed it, sir."