Tuesday, February 1, 2000

Cabin Pressure - 99

Chegwidden (C) assigned Harm (H) and Mac (M) to investigate the murder of PO Chinick aboard the USS Suribache while he flew to the USS Manassas for a retirement party of, Vice Admiral Richard Kern, the last other member of his SEAL team on active duty. PO De Mara (DM)was seen leaving the machinery room, where Chinick was found with a rope around his neck; and, was put in the brig where H was interrogating him with Chief Master at Arms Sturdevant. The ship hit an uncharted reef and grounded blocking the brig hatch and trapping them all below. DM freaked out and became very angry and loud. Above, M called to the brig and told H that Chinick was a "one man black market for booze, drugs, and porn" but the captain had become suspicious and NCIS was going to bust him when they docked. Bud (B), who was dog-sitting Jingo, found that DM had a captains mast on his last ship for having a "habit of falling asleep on watch." H told M that "to call DM unstable would be an insult to unstable people." The brig began leaking and DM attacked Sturdevant when he tripped while trying to remove him from the cell in handcuffs. DM had the gun and forced H to continue to talk about the murder. H deduced that DM was having withdrawals from drugs. He admitted Chinick was his supplier of seed, so he could stay awake; but continued to raise prices, claiming that he had "increased overhead." They argued then, later, he got a note from Chinick to meet him in the mechanical room. The note was still in the sweatband of his cap in his locker and H said that he could lift some fingerprints from it because someone may be trying to frame him.

C was worried about "slowing down" in his abilities and Kern reminisced that they had always said "if they couldn't be out front they'd rather be out of sight." The Manassas (with C) was sent to assist and during the tow the ship shifted trapping DM under a heavy steel cage. Water rose & boat shifted trapping DM under metal cage. The phone went dead and chlorine gas began leaking. C told M that "H is too pig headed to leave this world, he'll find a way out." M asked "even if they offer him wings, sir?" Lt Jenarette finally opened the hatch and Sturtevant came out but told everyone that H and DM were dead. They resealed the hatch and left them there. The Capt. wouldn't let Jenarette go back with breathing equipment. C and M argued with him but he didn't give in. C didn't believe Sturtevant's story so, outranking the captain, C went to rescue H himself with Jenarette. Just as the water was passing DMs mouth, the ship shifted and released him. He asked H "how did you do that?" and H answered "faith." When they got to the locked hatch H asked, rhetorically, "how are we going to get out?" DM answered, "faith, sir?" just as C opened it and brilliant light streamed down on them.

H appeared in Sturtevant's quarters dripping wet and asked him if he had a towel. H and C told the captain that Sturdevant was "on the take" with Chinick and, when he found Chinick was going to be arrested, killed him so he wouldn't talk. He framed DM and when DM said he had a note in his locker that proved his innocence Sturtevant decided to kill them too. The captain asked "how did you know they were alive." C responded "we didn't" and M said they just had "experience with H." The captain asked H if he was "tenacious" and C broke in "have you ever tried to get gum off your shoe?"

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