BRAINWASHED

By Seaview Siren

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An alternative universe story inspired by Season 1 episode 'The Saboteur'

Admiral Nelson slung his phone down in a rage, Angie gave him a sympathetic

look. “Didn't she say anything about where she was going?” he asked her for the fifth

time. She shook her head.

“That damned woman! I need her in here, I need to brief her,” he shouted.

Angie left the room, rolling her eyes at Captain Crane who had just walked in.

“He's not happy Lee. He can't raise Claire Young, have you seen her?” she asked the

handsome Captain, he shook his head.

He went in and you could hear Admiral Nelson's raised voice.

Angie tried the number again, let it ring out. She'd already been across to Claire's apartment

which was in the Institute complex. There was no sign of her; her car was there in its space.

Claire had gone out in it the night before; Angie hadn't seen her come back but she obviously

must have.

Where was Claire? Admiral Nelson depended on her, perhaps more than he should, but that's

what their working relationship was. Claire was at his beck and call all day long; they were

both happy with this arrangement. Claire had no ties or commitments like Angie and the other girls,

she was able to give one hundred percent. Knew the Admiral's system, had been on

the Seaview, loved it, she was valuable to him.

Captain Crane became concerned, he'd been out of town visiting his Mother. Claire Young

wasn't the kind of girl that went off without leaving word. If she left the observation nose

to go to the Lab aboard Seaview, she always informed him or Chip in case Admiral Nelson

wanted her.

“Her car's here, she isn't in this building somewhere hurt is she......?” he asked the Admiral.

“We've made a search!” Admiral Nelson shouted, rubbing his head, he'd began to get an

uneasy feeling in his stomach which was warning him of trouble. He had enemies, renegade

scientists who were jealous of him. What if Claire had been kidnapped?

Claire had in fact been kidnapped. She had been hijacked in her car late last night on the

mountain road between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. She'd gone for a drive to clear her

head, stupidly thinking she may see Captain Crane coming back from his travels in his red

Cobra. She hadn't, and a lorry had blocked the road in front of her and two men had forced

her out of her car. It had then been driven back towards Santa Barbara, a station wagon

following it.

Claire had been bound and gagged in the back of the lorry, it was dark and smelt musty. She

couldn't see anything save for the bit of fading light coming through some tarpaulin, and a voice

had told her to relax and she would be taken care of.

Her car had been parked back up at the Institute and left there.

Claire had been taken to a dis-used warehouse in an industrial area and led into a laboratory

and pushed into a chair. Her feet had been chained up and her wrists put into metal cuffs.

She had struggled against her imprisonment and had been hit round the face with a gun butt.

A helmet had been attached to her head with wires and electrodes on the outside.

“Before we start Miss Young, allow me to introduce myself. I am Dr. Hardwick, a well known

physicist. Well at least I was until Admiral Nelson and his cronies discredited me. Now I

can't even get a job. He is going to pay for what he'd done to me, with your help of course,

because you my dear, are going to kill him!” he told Claire.

“DON'T BE ABSURD!”Claire gasped, the guy was like a father to her.

“Oh I know you don't want to my dear, but you're going to do exactly as I tell you,”Dr. Hardwick

said. He went over to the other side of the Laboratory and pushed a lever down on a machine.

Claire cried out as shockwaves went through her head.

“You will do exactly what I tell you to do Miss Young, you will kill Admiral Harriman Nelson!”

he told her.

Claire sat there in the chair, being forced to answer questions and memorise Dr. Hardwicks

chain of events. Any wrong answers and the shockwaves went through her head. Felt like a

lightning bolt causing her head to feel as though it might split open. She tried to memorise

what Hardwick wanted but had also tried to fight against it. It was no use of course, her

head hurt, her eyes ached. She was hungry and thirsty, he wouldn't even give her some

water.

“You drove your car back to the Institute Tuesday night Miss Young and you decided to walk

into town, you met up with a man at a nightclub and stayed the night with him,” Dr Hardwick

told her.

“I drove into town and met up with a man,”Claire began and got the shockwaves again.

“That is the wrong answer Miss Young, if we have to stay here all night you will get it

right!”Dr. Hardwick told her. Claire struggled again, she was exhausted. Her head hurt so

much, her eyes, her body was crying out for sleep, she'd been here hours.

Captain Crane had made calls, an outside chance. Had Claire gone out with one of the crew?

He knew it was highly unlikely, she barely went anywhere apart from the Institute. He went out

to her car and saw that the keys were left in it. He took them out, climbed in her car and looked

for clues. He rather thought she'd been kidnapped, out here, in these grounds. Fear grew in the

pit of his stomach. Admiral Nelson had plenty of enemies, jealous men wanting revenge.

Had Claire been killed?

He tried to banish the thoughts from his head.

“I walked into town, went to a nightclub and met up with a man and I spent the night with him,”

Claire said.

“Excellent Miss Young, now who is Admiral Nelson?” Dr. Hardwick asked her.

“My boss, my employer, my friend,” Claire replied, got an electric shockwave through her

head.

“No Miss Young!” Dr. Harwick shouted.

“He is nothing to me, I want him dead, I want to kill him! ”Claire shouted.

“Why do you want to kill him?” Dr. Hardwick asked, “Who are you working for?” he

added.

“Scientists Unite. We want Nelson dead, he has discredited you and disrupted many of our

plans, I want to take revenge for you, I love you!” Claire shouted.

Dr. Hardwick smiled in the shadows, a little extra ingredient within the brain conditioning

a love drug convincing her that she loved him.

“You will see a small gun next to you on the table Miss Young, pick it up!” Dr. Hardwick

told her and her hands were freed. She picked the gun up.

“Are you familiar with this weapon?” she was asked.

“Yes I have one the same in my cabin safe,” Claire replied.

“Yes but that is where the similarity ends my dear. The bullets are coated with a special

metal which means a hit anywhere in the body will kill instantly, ”Hardwick told her.

“You will take that gun with you Miss Young and you will shoot Admiral Nelson with it!”

Dr. Hardwick ordered Claire, “Yes I will kill Admiral Nelson,” she said.

Claire was taken by car once dark. Back to the Institute parking lot and dropped off. She

made her way to her apartment, had her keys. She let herself into her apartment and saw

her answer machine flashing. She replayed the message, a frantic Angie. She immediately

called Angie at home.

“Claire where have you been, Admiral Nelson and Captain Crane are worried sick!”Angie

told her.

“Call him for me Angie, I'll be aboard tomorrow,” Claire told the other woman and rang off.

Angie immediately rang Admiral Nelson who was angry but relieved.

Claire drank two glasses of orange squash and gobbled a sandwich down her, she was

starving, she went to get a shower.

As the warm water ran over her tired body. She thought about how she could kill Admiral

Nelson. He deserved to die, he'd discredited Dr. Hardwick.

She climbed into her bed and fell asleep.

MORNING.

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Crewmen began to arrive with their luggage and Chief Sharkey checked them off, passing

comments with them.

“What’s this scuttlebutt about Miss Young, going awol Chief?” Riley asked.

“Awol, Miss Young, you kidding?”Chief Sharkey told him, hurried him on. Sure he had

heard but he wasn't gossiping about Claire. He respected her.

Admiral Nelson paced the control room. Captain Crane was sensing real trouble, where had

Claire been? He'd asked Angie to give her a quick briefing over the telephone. Hoped it would

be enough, didn't want to see her in trouble.

Mr Morton came aboard, “She's topside Admiral” he told the older man.

Claire's case was lowered down and she began to climb down with her bag over her shoulder.

She was wearing a skirt which in itself was a rarity as she always wore trousers. She had

some court shoes on and a printed blouse. Her gun was hidden in the bag she carried, a

duplicate bag with a false bottom.

“Miss Young, where the devil have you been!” Admiral Nelson boomed as she jumped off

the hatch. She turned to him “I do apologise Admiral, I was on personal business,”

She nodded to Captain Crane, “Hello Commander,” she said to him. Her first mistake, she

never addressed Captain Crane as Commander. Mr Morton sometimes but never him.

Claire went up to her cabin, Kowalski carried her case and bag as he had to check it, he

was always discreet with a females luggage, besides Claire was like a sister to him. He

checked her case and her bag.

“Ok Claire,”he said to her, she nodded at him.

“Say are you alright Claire, you look a little worried?”Kowalski asked her, Claire stared at

him, was going to say something but instead smiled and said “I'm fine Kowalski thank you”

Admiral Nelson's voice came over the intercom, “Miss Young, my cabin please”

She went along and knocked, was asked in.

“You mind telling me where the devil you have been Miss Young?” Admiral Nelson asked her.

“Sir I walked into town and went to a nightclub, I met this man and went home with him,”

Claire told him as if she was reading from a script.

Admiral Nelson stared at her, “Didn't he have a telephone you could use?” he asked her.

“No Sir, it was out of order,” Claire told him. He shook his head at her.

There was something not quite right about her, her eyes, they weren’t kind.

Claire always had such warmth in her eyes, she looked distant. He tried a question;

“Did you find the Ritchmore file at the Institute?” he asked her.

“Er Yes Sir, it was behind the bookshelf” she told him, he nodded, there was no such file.

He picked up a pile of papers.

“Go and type these up please”he told her.

Claire looked at him, seemed to want to say something, opened her mouth, then just took

the papers and left.

There was something very wrong with his PA.

He pressed his buzzer and called Captain Crane up.

A fax came through then, he pulled it out and read it.

The O.N.I. Believed that someone in the ship's company wanted him dead. They believed

someone had been the victim of a brainwashing programme. He looked horrified, it

couldn't be.

He was rather sure it was.

Captain Crane knocked and came in.

“Sir there's something wrong with your PA” he began.

“I asked her for an explanation as to where she was, she told me, she'd walked into town,

gone to a nightclub, met a man and went home with him,” Admiral Nelson told Lee.

“I don't believe that Admiral, not Claire. She doesn't go picking guys up in clubs, she

doesn't go to clubs, period!” Lee put in.

Admiral Nelson nodded, “I asked her if this man had a telephone she could've used, she

said no. I also asked her if she'd found a file at the Institute. She told me she had, it was a

trick question, there is no such file,” Admiral Nelson told Lee.

“So what?” Lee began.

Admiral Nelson handed him the fax, Lee read it and his eyes widened.

“I think Claire has been the victim of brainwashing” Admiral Nelson said.

“And you think Claire's had orders to kill you?” Lee asked.

“I rather think so, they must've hijacked her, then drove her car back, you said the keys were

left in it?” Admiral Nelson asked.

“Yes they're in my bag, I didn't know where else to leave them,” Lee said.

“They'll have given her a gun, go and search her cabin,” Admiral Nelson instructed.

Lee nodded and got up, he had a master key which fitted all the locks.

He let himself into Claire's cabin, Admiral Nelson joined him.

“Kowalski searched her case and bag” Lee told him.

“ Kowalski was probably more discreet that thorough you know how he is with her,”

Admiral Nelson said.

Lee opened the bag and emptied everything out.

“Are you sure Admiral? ”he asked, this bag had women's products in it, talk about invading

someones privacy.

“Check theres no false bottom in it, it may be a duplicate bag,” Admiral Nelson instructed.

He knew the combination to my safe. I'd asked him for a code number and he'd given me

' 2471', Lee watched him open it, he took out a gun.

“I gave Claire this for her safety, ”he told Lee.

Lee turned the bag upside down and there was a catch, he sprung it and to his horror, a

small silver gun fell out.

“Empty the ammo out and put it back,”Admiral Nelson told him.

Lee did so, took out the ammo cartridge and pocketed it.

He put everything back as it was.

The two men left Claire's cabin, went to the Lab as Admiral Nelson wanted to analyse the

ammo cartridge.

Claire was typing at her desk in the observation nose, Mr Morton was observing her

in between doing his duty. She wasn't herself at all, seemed to be making lots of mistakes.

She tutted and screwed another sheet of paper up

“These are specially coated bullets, curari tipped, meaning a hit anywhere in my body would've

killed me straight out Lee,” Admiral Nelson told the Captain.

Lee looked horrified.

“Claire loves you Admiral like a daughter, she wouldn't hurt you,” Lee told him.

Admiral Nelson swallowed, “I know that Lee, I wonder who brainwashed her”

he said, rubbed his head and sighed.

“Which of your enemies has the knowledge to do it?” Lee asked him. Admiral Nelson laughed

then nervously, “A few”he answered.

Claire saw Captain Crane come back in, she needed to tell him something so urgently but

when she tried to remember, her head hurt, like a shooting pain. She kept thinking of a Dr.

Hardwick, she loved him, then she couldn't remember who he was!

Her mind seemed to be confused, jumbled, she was scared.

She had to get the gun, what gun?

The gun in her bag, she had to kill Admiral Nelson!

She watched the Captain at the computer, then he moved to radar, she got up, ran up the

spiral stairs to officers country.

Captain Crane waited a couple of minutes then ran up after her.

Admiral Nelson had remained in the Lab, Chief Sharkey was with him, helping him with

an experiment.

Claire was in her cabin, she was pacing the floor, she had to kill Admiral Nelson! She

couldn't kill him, he was like a father to her. She opened the bag and emptied all her

stuff out, sprung the catch and took the gun out, she didn't check it, knew nothing about

guns, didn't like guns.

Lee rushed in, “Claire!” he gasped.

“I have to kill the Admiral, he has discredited Dr. Hardwick the man I love!” she told Lee.

Lee grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and shook her, causing the gun to fall

out of her hand, “Is that who brainwashed you Claire, a Dr. Hardwick?” he demanded.

“I love Dr. Hardwick, I have to take revenge,” Claire cried and bent to get the gun.

Lee kicked it across the floor. Claire struggled against him, he hung on to her.

“Don't bother Claire, we emptied it and we took yours out of your safe”

Claire cried out and went for him, punching at his chest with her fists, trying to get free.

Lee held onto her, She was struggling, she kicked out at him, determined to get free.

He shoved her back onto her bunk roughly. Her thick hair was all tangled, her clothes were

all creased, her eyes were scared, wild. she was struggling, lunging out at him like

a wildcat. He yanked his tie off with one hand and climbed over her.

“Sorry Claire but I'm gonna’ have to tie you up!” he told her.

“NO!”she cried.

Lee climbed over her, held her wrists above her head and bound them up. Claire struggled

against him, kicked out at him.

Lee knelt on her legs so she couldn't kick, she was rendered powerless.

Claire gasped, and tried to shuffle, she couldn't move.

“LET ME GO, LET ME GO DAMN YOU!” she cried.

“Who is this Dr. Hardwick, where did he take you?” Lee asked her.

Claire tried to shuffle, “Let me go!” she gasped.

“You're not going anywhere Claire now tell me,” Lee ordered, he had perspiration on his fore

head with the struggle. He was fast losing his patience.

Claire tried to shuffle again, fighting against him, she was strong, stubborn, determined.

“Please” she gasped.

Lee was crouched over her, she couldn't get free, she continued to shuffle, became hysterical.

“LET ME GO!”she cried, Lee had to snap her out of it.

He slapped her face hard.

Claire laid there, her face smarting, she was still now, she stared at Lee Crane, why

had he hit her? She wanted to Kill the Admiral, KILL THE ADMIRAL, she couldn't

do that. He was like a father to her, she couldn't kill him. Brainwashed, she'd been

brainwashed. Dr. Hardwick, an enemy of Admiral Nelson's.

The pain had gone from her head, “A warehouse, on, on an industrial e-estate, in a L-lorry, I

s-s-aw the s-ign t-through the tarpaulin, Coversdale,”she murmured.

“Coversdale industrial estate on the far side of the city?”Lee asked her.

Claire nodded weakily, winced from the weight of Lee knelt on her.

“He, he said I w-was w-working for Scientists Unite, to get revenge,”Claire gasped.

“H- he has a Lab there, there was t-this c-chair, I was chained to it. A helmet on my head,

electric shockwaves, it hurt me,”Claire gasped, tears fell down her face.

Lee got off her and leaned over and untied her wrists. She winced and rubbed them, he

helped her up so she was sitting, sat by her.

“I need to see Admiral Nelson, what must he think of me, I couldn't kill him,”Claire gasped,

her voice breaking, she burst into sobs.

Lee sighed and held her in his arms.

“Its OK now Claire come on,”he soothed, she buried her face in his shoulder, glad of his

comfort.

He tightened his hold on her, she felt safe and she felt secure.

“Coversdale industrial estate, that’s on the North side of the city, I know it,” Chief Sharkey said.

Lee had gone down to the Lab after taking Claire to sickbay, she was now under sedation.

“There is a Lab there, we use to use it,” Admiral Nelson said.

“Hardwick is the worst perpetrator of the lot. He's done this kind of thing before but

Washington couldn't prove it so he wasn't charged,” Nelson told them.

“Scientists Unite, obviously some group of discredited scientists, dangerous men,”Nelson said.

“He won't get away with it this time Admiral,” Lee said.

Chief Sharkey nodded in agreement.

“No gentlemen, now its personal!” Admiral Nelson vowed with a steely determination set

in his eyes, getting to Claire was too close.

Admiral Nelson stood over Claire as she lay in the sickbay bunk, she was still asleep, Doc

assured him she should be fine and suffer no ill effects.

“Look after her Doc, I have a score to settle!”Admiral Nelson said.

The flying sub was launched and Admiral Nelson, Captain Crane, Chief Sharkey and

Kowalski set off.

Mr Morton had informed the O.N.I who got onto the F.B.I. Hardwick would be picked up.

The flying sub was landed round the back of the Industrial estate, near to where the Laboratory

was and the four men got out, each armed. Dr Hardwick's Lab would be destroyed.

Admiral Nelson went into the front entrance, the other 3 went in the back.

Dr. Hardwick was flicking through the news channels, he'd sent his two assistants home,

he needed to be alone. He cursed under his breath, so far there'd been no news of Nelson's

death

“Hello Peter” came a voice, he looked up and the colour drained from his face, Admiral Nelson

was standing before him with a gun.

“What?” he began.

“Hoping to see news of my death Peter? Sorry my personal assistant is in our sickbay, her plans were scuppered, she told my Captain all about it”

“Weak bitch, I should've killed her instead!” Hardwick vowed.

Admiral Nelson clicked his gun.

“I'd like to kill you right now Hardwick!” he vowed.

Lee, Kowalski and Chief Sharkey came in.

“Ski, give me a hand with this dynamite” Sharkey asked.

Him and Kowalski began to work setting up the dynamite.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Hardwick shouted.

“Blowing up your Lab, oh don't worry, you're getting out. The F.B.I want you!” Lee told

him, he drew his arm back and punched Hardwick hard in the face.

“Thats's for Claire!” he spat.

Dr. Hardwick was led out by Admiral Nelson and Captain Crane, Chief Sharkey and

Kowalski followed and they rushed to cover.

Sirens could be heard in the background of the explosion.

Dr. Hardwick was taken away.

Claire sat in the observation nose grasping Admiral Nelson's hand with one hand and Lee's

with the other. She had apologised countless times, felt real bad, guilty, remorseful.

“Relax Claire, we'll forgive you this time,” Lee said with a mischievous grin on his handsome

face. He'd already given her a lovely kiss in sickbay, made her wish she was still sick!

“I feel I need to make amends Admiral”Claire said.

“Oh don't worry Miss Young, I've got a lot of paperwork for you to complete believe me!”

Admiral Nelson said with a grin.

“Admiral, I'd be honoured,” Claire said and kissed his cheek.

THE END.