Roger Ellis - AK-239

Santa is Rear Admiral Robert Baker and this is his last official deployment before retirement. He is in charge of all U.S. Naval Fleets and, only by chance, happens to be on this ship.

On this day a cruiser, two destroyers, a frigate and a supply ship surround the carrier as they steam into the Gulf of Alaska.

The OOD (Officer of the Deck), James McMillan, exclaims, “Santa, you’ve wrapped the presents so nicely.”

The admiral replies, “Oh trust me, Santa had to have a little help from some of his elves.”

Two “elves” now enter the bridge. One is a very pretty young female elf. The other a not so pretty male elf, who looks embarrassed to be there.

James says, “Wow! Eye Candy and Godzilla.”

Admiral Baker, “Ya, it’s a bigger horror show in the officers’ mess. Garland, ribbons and colored paper are everywhere! Looks like Santa stepped on an IED!”

On any day, only eleven officers in the entire U.S. Navy have the honor of commanding a 5,000-sailor aircraft carrier and Admiral Baker is in charge of those eleven officers, at least for a few more weeks.

Admiral Baker, “So where’s your captain?”

James Norton and the other officers become very quiet and look at each other.

Norton nervously says, “He’s in the war room, sir.”

Admiral Baker is stunned, “On Christmas Day?”

The admiral heads for the door when he meets the captain of the ship, George Murray. Admiral Baker exclaims, “George, where ya been?”

It’s clear George is not into the festivities as he is the only person on the bridge without a speck of holiday clothing! George is a serious man who takes his job very seriously.

“Could I speak with you privately, admiral?”

Admiral Baker jokingly looks around at all the others, “All right, Christmas is over. Scrooge is on deck!” The admiral then warmly puts his arm on the captain’s shoulder and shows him the way off the bridge saying, “After you, captain.”

As the two step off the bridge they are alone. Captain Murray then pulls up the AOAIA charts from the USS Alaska saying, “I think this is a new class of Russian sub. Look, this signature is clearly not one of ours and looks to have been regularly going under Arctic ice to Alaska for as far back as I have pulled data.”

Admiral Baker is taking this very seriously as he looks over the AOAIA data.

“Well, this is why we’re steaming to Alaska on Christmas Day, George. I just hope your wrong.” Just then an off duty officer rounds the corner looking like he’s had something to drink. He exclaims,

“Merry Christmas!”

The officer sees his two bosses do not react as they are overtaken by the possible severity of this situation.

The officer quickly wipes the stupid grin off his face and attempts an inebriated salute.

Bokan Mountain, AK

The Factory

I somehow manage to find my way down a vein into this huge room with a nuclear reactor in the center.

This room has been hued out of solid rock. A jagged roof and walls give an ominous look to the place.

I’m standing here when it dawns on me:

“Oh my God, this is a bomb factory!”

I’m a little slow but that seemed so obvious that I can’t believe it took me this long to see. I’m about thirty feet above the floor of the modern looking room. I’m standing on a metal grate. It looks just like a small power plant that you’d see in any electric generating facility.

Large tubes look to be pumping water in and out of a nuclear reactor in the center of the room.

Many scientists hustle around checking equipment.

I see that scientist we met on the dock scurrying around.

His lies got my partner shot: Oh, he’s on the list, I said to myself.

But I’ve got more important things to do first as a more immediate problem has just arisen.

Two guards walk out of a room overlooking the reactor room dragging the Russian doctor, Tatiana, who looks to have been beaten and tortured.

They haul her to another vein in the mountain that has not been remodeled.

They drag her limp body and I’m not sure she’s alive.

I look back to the floor and see a scientist with one arm as the other arm is totally missing!

“Ruddy! I knew that son of a bitch was alive!” I mumble out loud.

I notice the guards aren’t looking and I try to creep toward the area where the doctor was taken. I’m forced to duck into a room so as not to be seen.

As I close the door behind myself, it looks as if I just walked in to a Miss Universe pageant.

I think I’ve gone to another planet.

Five of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen are playing in a game room.

The room is filled with sofas, Ping-Pong tables, chessboards, and flat screen video games.

All the women stop what they’re doing and stare at me.

A woman closest to me sexily walks over saying, “Can we help you?”

I stand confused as to where I am.

The woman walks up to me and, gazing into my eyes, asks,

“My name is Katrina, what’s yours?”

“John.” Before I could stop myself I’d already told her my name. Then I thought.

Idiot!

No sooner had I said that than two Russian Special Forces guys burst into the room. I punch the first guy in the face, who falls into the second guy.

I escape the room as gunfire erupts from one of the women (I think)!

I run down the second story platform looking for any means of escape. The entire room of scientists scrambles in all directions as gunfire targets me.

As I’m running I’m thinking,

This is what we call ineffective fire. Trouble is, a few inches closer and it will be very effective, ‘cause I’ll be dead!

As I come to a vein in the mountain, I pull my Glock.

Good thing, as I have to shoot a Spetsnaz soldier running toward me who fires his machine gun. The soldier immediately falls.

I stop and grab the lifeless soldier’s PP-2000 sub-machine gun.

I then make my way down this jagged rock tube, looking for the doctor who saved my partner’s life.

Another soldier opens a door and I take him down with a quick burst of my newly acquired machine gun. It’s a little heavy and not very accurate, I think as I continue down the vein.

I look into a room with bars on a door and there she is!

Tatiana, the Russian doctor is tied to a chair and beat to a pulp.

Ducking inside the room I untie the poor doctor. I lift up her head as she sees it’s me.

“I don’t think I properly introduced myself, I’m John Denning.”

Now I realize she’s too weak and her mouth so swollen that she can’t speak.

“Never mind. How do we get outta here?”

She motions to the door and to the left.

I pick her up and as we run out of the room to the left. Gunfire erupts at my ‘6’ (Directly behind me). Running away from it, I turn a corner and suddenly there are three veins in which I could go.

I take the one on the right and am immediately hit in the arm by Tatiana’s fist. She motions to go back.

After I figure out what she means, I then take the middle vein.

She hits me again and I finally figure out she means to take the vein on the left.

This is the only one of the three that is not lit. I have to stop and turn on the flashlight on my iPhone.

“Are you sure?”

“Da!” she barely slurs.

“Okay.” I hand the doctor my phone. “Here, hold this.”

As I carry her, she holds the iPhone flashlight toward my feet.

As I carry her through this vein, I’m thinking:

Hell of a week! Hell of a week!

We finally near another gated door with bars across our path. I now realize, we are in another one of those air vents as a large fan begins blowing air.

Problem is the gate is locked.