Chapter Two

Part Four: "Nice Aft Quarter"

The next morning saw them up before first light pulling out their fishing poles and trying to catch enough fish to tide them over so that they could actually start thinking about making a permanent shelter. Some sort of way to keep them out of the elements, especially when the weather started to go bad as it was apt to do in the North Atlantic was a wise choice for survival. The weather systems were not as mild as in the tropics. You might get hurricanes and such in the Bahamas, but Mother Nature was hormonal to the n'th degree up here...and it could be that Animal and Butch would have to make their way to higher ground in order to try to keep from getting drowned by higher waters, especially during winter. Animal figured that he'd made a good choice in choosing the larger of the two islands to swim for; the other island had no such shelter. Not only did the trough between two ridges of the same mountainous peak shelter them from the high gale-force winds that would be prevalent between November and December, he knew that they would be safe, the farther up the hill they went from the increase in sea height. If they stayed on the beach, there could be the chance that they could be washed away.

At least they would be able to try to get their equipment and other belongings up to a higher level part-way up the mountain where the ridge lines woul protect them. And that had to be done before the end of summer so that they would have the fall season to keep a look-out for weather changes and make their adjustments to their encampment as necessary.

They fished in silence; each contemplating over the chores that had to be done that day. The trek up the mountain, they were planning, seemed to be quite the task...and this wasn't some small hill. Sheer jutting rock shot nearly straight up into the sky almost 7,000 feet in the air from sea-level, which was rather staggering for a rock that was jutting out from the middle of the North Atlantic forced to the surface presumably by tectonic forces. The steps up the couloir were carved by millions of years of erosion as the mountainous island was forced to the surface and projected into the air.

It wasn't sure how long they fished quietly lost in their own thoughts, but eventually the pink in the sky indicated the dawning of a new day.

The warming weather made Butch notice that she was sweating and she felt rather grimy and smelly so she decided to use the shower that she had helped her CO setup just by his tent. Luckily he was far from the shower busily engrossed in fishing for tonight's dinner.

Bemusedly, she noted that he tried his best to keep his eyes averted; And frankly, he was very particular in not looking in the general direction of the tents. Was that actually a shade of red crawling up his neck...of embarrassment? Well, they were well and truly marooned and they'd probably have to deal with being in close quarters with one another. This was truly an isolated island. And at least he was being polite enough to give her enough space for herself.

When she returned to fishing; she realized that he still was purposely trying not to look in her direction. She did find that amusing after all. They'd flown together for several years so they should have been comfortable with each other. But evidently this was a whole new ball-game. They weren't crewing an F-14 Tomcat this time. They were stuck, marooned on an island with the distinct possibility that they would be the only ones there for the rest of their lives. She wondered if it was a possibility that she could forge such an existence in life.provided that the person that she was with was someone that she could get along with. They had after all gotten along with each other for that duration of years that they'd flown as a crew.

She noted wryly that her own bladder was feeling rather full after drinking rainwater that had collected in their survival trough that they'd built to capture rainwater. Surrounded by water but undrinkable. So they had to rely on the rain in order to keep themselves hydrated. And she noticed that he was heading for his own shower too. Well...he'd have to tolerate me using the facilities while he's in the shower. I'm not peeing on myself. she thought to herself as she traipsed off to the loo.

He was fully engrossed in taking a shower when she finished her own business so he was unaware of her right behind him as she walked past heading towards the new fishing spot so as not to deplete the stock of any particular spot by overfishing. She just couldn't resist commenting, "Nice aft quarter, Animal..." She smirked at the view.

Needless to say, it wasn't certain if Animal's response was all that amused.

Part Five: "Meltdown"

Tension was starting to rear its ugly head around the middle of the second week. Every day, it seemed was a futile attempt to look for any signs that there was a rescue mission underway, but all it seemed was that there was nothing but blue horizon every where they looked. They had accomplished much, including moving themselves lock stock and barrel up to the second steppe that was away from the beach, high enough that it would take a large storm surge to sweep them away from that far up. It was an onerous climb, but at least it meant their safety in the scheme of things.

Stuck alone with their thoughts, the two tried to be positive and did whatever they could to make sure that they were able to survive. Surviving took preparations. But with the fact that there seemed to be no rescue imminent; these preparations took on a more foreboding element. How exactly were they going to not only survive but thrive in a situation like this? They needed to ensure that they were able to live out their lives on this island.

A lot of conversation took place during that week...on how they were going to tackle the fact that they needed more permanent shelter than a tent. That considering the North Atlantic storms that happened during the fall, they would be battered by storm after storm. It would be a rare lull in the torrential rain and wind when it came along. They would have to stock up with what they could find on the island as they would never be able to leave. If you couldn't be rescued...where was the rationale of leaving the island and then returning to the island? They were stuck here to live or die as fate would dictate. The only thing that would help them was Providence, the will of God and the waves bringing in the spoils of the ocean current.

It was quite noticeable the change in Leah's mood as the week wore on...with no sign of rescue. It was starting to dawn on the both of them that the rear admiral in charge of the battle group may have called off the search at the 72 hour mark...as an ejection into the North Atlantic, if one didn't find the missing crew in 72 hours, the chances of survival for that crew dropped to zero.

During the first few days, she tried to look positively on the whole experience. Bright, perky and full of energy...

But as the realization grew that no rescue was forthcoming, her mood started to slide downhill. And it became harder and harder for her to summon the energy to keep doing the things that were going to keep them alive.

Animal could notice a distinct change in her; that despondency was starting to creep in.

"Are you alright, Lieutenant?" He asked. He had to be sure that she was still with him...on the same page...their very survival hung in the balance.

She nodded quietly. That was not a reassuring sign, but coming down on her hard would just have the opposite effect that he wanted. He needed her to work with him and to stay motivated to stay alive.

"Lieutenant, we need to make sure that we get our equipment up to the hut that we built. We don't need it swept out to sea with the next storm that swings by..."

Silence, just a nod...

"You with me on this, Lieutenant?" he asked.

"Butch...I gotta know that you have my back..." He said softly. She looked at him. "Tell me that you're on the same page with me..."

"Yes, sir...I'm with you on this...sir." Her voice was quiet. She was still hiding something...

"It's going to be a tough slog...but we can do it...you got to believe that, Lieutenant." Animal told her, "What we're doing now is laying the groundwork to make sure that we survive just in case that someone does stumble on us."

"Yes, sir."

She sat there for a long moment, then asked, "Are we going to make it, sir?"

"I'm not going to play God and say I know the answers...Lieutenant..." He paused looking into the fire, "All I know is that it's going to take a hell of a lot more than this to take me down." She knew what he was referring to. In 1994, he'd taken on a battalion of North Koreans on a numbered hill trying to get his downed crew-mates out. Single-handedly, he'd inflicted major casualties on the opposing force. It was why he wore the sky-blue ribbon with the five white stars on his uniform. And why even admirals stood up for him when he entered a room. "I don't intend to die on this rock..." He gave her a dry smile, "...at least not until I've lived a long and full life."

"I wish I had that same willpower and belief in my own abilities, sir." Leah said quietly as she looked away...not wanting to meet his eyes; the doubts she had that she had the same iron-clad strength of will.

"You need to dig deep and find it within yourself, Lieutenant. That will that says that nothing that anything is going to throw at you is going to take you down...fight the good fight."

He heard her sigh and barely audibly reply, "I wish I could believe in myself as much as you believe in you, sir..."

The next day she appeared to be back to her old chipper self...it seemed that only the nights brought her self-doubt...when she had plenty to do, it didn't have time to take root in her mind...and Animal tried to keep her busy. One morning, there was a loud cackling and mooing coming from shore. "What the hell?" Animal woke up to see a group of waterlogged hens and a rooster as well as three cows washed ashore. All were still alive and kicking "Well, look what the tide dragged in..." he said and Leah and Animal got busy. Frankly there was no time to ruminate over the predicament they were in; when they had chickens and cows to corral.

"Well..." Leah said as they rounded up the last of the chickens and put them in the chicken coop; "At least we won't starve with eggs and milk for breakfast..." she smirked at him, "That's a good sign."

"You a good cook?" Animal asked her with a grin on his face.

"Well, I don't use the fire-alarm for a timer." She replied.

"Well...that's a relief..."

"Very funny, sir."

She looked pensive for a moment and then said, "So...sir. Now that we have a replenishable amount of food, what happens now. We're picking up seeds from the ground and planting them. We're fishing for food...and we're picking up gemstones that we can't even grind into gems...so what next?"

"That's not really what's bugging you, is it?"

She turned away from him, her shoulders heaving...slumping to the ground in a defeated heap. "I try to stay cheerful...but it's so g*****n hard...when we're in this situation." She sniffled. "I have to reconcile myself to the fact that we may never get rescued. That I'll never get to see my family again...my mom, my dad, my brothers...and sister?"

"You wouldn't understand..." she continued, "You don't have a family...to miss..."

"They may not be alive any more, but I still will miss not being able to go to their memorial site..." Animal said quietly, not even raising his voice. It wasn't necessary to get across the hurt that he felt. He turned and walked away to center himself.

Leah got up whirling on him following him and getting in front of him again, "How are you bloody well able to stand up so well in this. Aren't you even the slightest bit scared? The fact that you won't ever have a family...to call your own...the fact that it's just the two of us stuck here on this godforesaken island?!!! Doesn't ANYTHING FAZE YOU FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!?"

"Who says I'm not scared?"

"Well, You sure don't show ANY sign of it." Leah snapped sarcastically. "Well, I'm ****ing terrified."

Part Six: "Admitting the Fear"

"Believe me, I'm just as terrified as you are." Animal said, still to Leah he looked infuriatingly calm. "I've just had more experience hiding it. Being terrified is natural but you can't let it keep you from doing the things you have to do." He paused for a long moment, looking at her, "So...what else...is it that you're so terrified of?" Who the hell was he? Sigmund Freud? Was he going to pull out a sofa out of his port-hole and tell her to sit down for a psychiatric consult?

"For me a part of being terrified has always been the fact that I've always been alone." he admitted, "...it's been rough...not having anyone to go home to, that essentially you're your own cheering squad." He continued, intensely looking at her. "It's the fear of being left alone...isn't it?" he asked her.

She nodded mutely as Animal looked at her. They couldn't help their own feelings...she stepped forward with a choked sob and Animal met her as they hugged each other tightly as she cried...softly...face buried in his shoulder.

"You're right..." she admitted when she could speak again without sounding choked-up, "I can't come to grips with being alone in this world. That's the one thing that terrifies me about Naval Aviation in general...being shot down; my driver being killed and me being left in some godforsaken wilderness area to have to fend for it alone. It kept me up at night and I tried to fight that fear...but...the ejection...and having to swim for it...not knowing if you were still alive..." She tightened her grip on him.

"I was scared...that when I reached shore...you...wouldn't be...there..." she sniffled...her body trembling in his arms... "So...now I know that I may not be alone, but now it's anger...at the higher ups and the fact...that we were just written off...as dead...like we didn't matter; like we're some replaceable cog in the Navy machine."

Animal looked at her as she pulled away finally. "I know...if it was up to me, I'd have kept looking for us...but..." He paused for a moment. "they have their rules on search parameters...and well, we just fell out of those parameters."

"It doesn't make it hurt any less..."

"Leah...I know it doesn't..."

"So what now?" she asked.

"At least we're alone together..." Animal looked at her, "And I won't leave you...ever..." he promised her gazing into her eyes intently, "We're in this together...you and me...we're partners...just like we've always been...we're a crew...a team..."

Leah couldn't help it...she'd had feelings for her driver, even though it was against the UCMJ and she'd had to stifle it. He was capable, tough and above all a team-player. When he was the XO, they were always still a crew. If excrement fell from above, he stood by her side, and took it with her. He was right...they were a team first and foremost...and she'd always thought that they could make a good team in another sense...if he was willing. She leaned in as he was starting to pull away...

To her relief, he didn't pull away when she wrapped her own arms around him...and leaned in hungrily...

The kiss lingered for a time...and when they separated, they headed for the little cabin that they had built...to shelter themselves.

...before finally succumbing to their desires...

...secure in the knowledge that no matter what the world threw at them...that they were no longer alone in the sense that they were together...as intimately as anyone could be.

Chapter One

Part One: "Mayday"

Summary: Animal and his RIO Lieutenant Leah “Butch” Cassidy have to punch out of their Tomcat after hydraulic issues renders the F-14 unflyable in the middle of the North Atlantic and are marooned on an island in the North Atlantic. Harm and Mac have to bully their way into convincing the Navy to cotinue to search for them while Animal and Leah make a life for themselves on the island.

"Homeplate, Fast Eagle 101, Angels 20..." Commander Toshio "Animal" Nakamura spoke into the mic embedded in his oxygen mask, "Two minutes past waypoint three heading two five zero,"

"Say your state, One Zero One..."

"State zero plus four five to splash."  was Animal's response to the Combat Information Center on the USS Theodore Roosevelt, (CVN-71). 

"Roger that, One Zero One...do you need a Texaco."

"We're One Five to Marshal...we should be fine before we get behind the boat."

"Copy that, One Zero One...  We'll have a Viking up if you need one."

Animal grinned behind his oxygen mask, "How you doing, Butch?"

"Five by five, Animal...sure was a boring patrol."

"Like things exciting?   At least the sky was clear of MiGs.  Don't want to rattle the dragon too much unless we want to be eating Atolls for breakfast."

"You have a point there, Animal." Butch's voice was merry as her green eyes twinkled;  her oxygen mask was tight to her face and her head was doing circuits around the instrument display looking for any anomalies in the readings.   That was the job of the Radar Intercept Officer; the backseater in the F-14 Tomcat.

"Should be back on the boat in twenty."  Animal's F-14 was the CO's bird.  It was kept in good condition...but of course the rigors of being shot off the front end of the boat and constant banging of the aircraft main-mounts when trapping was not the best way to keep in continuing good health the multitude of components that made up their frontline fighter aircraft. 

It was about three minutes later that everything went to hell in a handbasket. 

"Oil pressure is down, Animal." Animal heard worry in Butch's tone as she scanned her panels. 

"Yeah, stick's getting heavy...too, I think we got a hydraulic leak...somewhere."

"Combined and flight pressure dropping to zero..."

Animal's tone went no-nonsense, "Emergency checklist... Emergency Flight Hydraulicss switch.."

"Low..." Butch's head went down to the panels. 

"Says we should divert, we're blue-water...no divert possible." Animal informed her. 

"Horizontal stabilizers, reducing rate, No SAS/ARI."

Going down the checklist...and praying that the plane didn't depart controlled flight, Animal fought the controls. 

"Landing Gear Handle" he reached for the handle to put it down.  "Emergency Down...flaps twenty...Oh...s---- Combat, Mayday Mayday Mayday, Fast Eagle One Zero One, Hydraulics are gone, Oil Pressure Zero, stick is tight, Cannot control Attitude..."

"Fast Eagle One Zero One, What's your position?"

"Can't tell at this point, the front boards went out, I'm deadsticking it with no controls, The Electricals gone too. I'm going to point this thing towards the nearest island I can find and punch us out."

"Roger that, One Zero One, Godspeed."

Animal stomped on the rudder and cranked the stick over...hoping that the F-14 wouldn't depart controlled flight.  He could see a pair of islands just over by his starboard, maybe he could get them close enough that they could swim for it..."Stow your gear, I'm gonna try to get us as close as we can before we punch it. "

"Oh, man, I was hoping we wouldn't have to do this today..."

"Yeah...neither did I..." As he felt the stick go completely tight..., Animal said, "Mask on, Leg loops tight, Visor down...Eject Eject Eject..."

Pulling on the ejection handle loops just above and to the rear of his helmet on the ejection seat.  He pulled the loops and the unfurling curtain to protect him from flying debris.  Butch's GRU7 ejection seat fired first, then two seconds later he felt a sharp kick at the base of his spine as his ejection seat fired rocketing him out of the F-14 Tomcat. 

A few seconds later, he separated from his seat and he hung to his straps as the chute opened above him.  Which meant that he had a clear view of the final moments of his bird and he felt a pang of despair as he saw his F-14 fall stricken towards the water...and impact...sending a cloud of spray...probably going straight to the bottom.   Looking around he felt a huge sigh of relief as he saw the companion chute of his RIO floating down; it was wide open and slowing her descent. 

"A rough way to end a day at the office."  Animal muttered to himself.  Hitting the water was a bit painful, but survivable at the rate of descent of his parachute.  Pulling out his knife he sawed at the ropes freeing himself, just before they could pull him under.  Then he sighted the shore of the island he had aimed for eight hundred meters away.  He could make it.  Hopefully Butch would do the same.

It took nearly twenty minutes to swim to shore and it was the longest twenty minutes of his life.  He had excelled in swimming at ROTC, but that was being well-rested.  This was after a Fleet Air Defense air patrol and being aloft for over four hours.

It was a relief to see Butch pull her self out of the water.  Sopping wet from head to toe, still in her flight suit...as was Animal.  "That was one hell of a swim..." she muttered, "Remind me when we get back to thank my swim instructor."

"Yeah, wasn't expecting to have to do that... I thought we were in closer...but apparently the wind was in the opposite direction."

"Well, our gear is completely soaked and our flight helmets and oxygen masks are probably at the bottom of the ocean somewhere, so we'd better get out of these things unless we want to catch a cold or something..."

"Yeah, that might be a good idea; Nice, wasn't expecting this white sandy beach on an island so far north."

"Well, we might as well enjoy the weather while it lasts...why don't we take a swim...after we get out of these clothes and let our flight suits dry?" Leah suggested.

It was about fifteen minutes later, stripped down to skivvies...and in the water that Animal grinned at Butch. "Good thinking, Lieutenant..."

"Well....you know, sir... young minds work pretty quick."

She wasn't even the slightest bit startled when she got splashed with sea
water.

"Wiseacre..." Animal raised an eyebrow.

"I know..." she smiled sweetly at him.

Part Two: "We're Marooned"

Seeing nothing but desolate rock and grass and trees all the way up a steep slope, meant only one thing. There was no human habitation on this island. The simple fact that practically all the vegetation on the island was essentially coniferous also meant that they were above the line where you would find deciduous trees growing. That meant that it was going to get downright cold in the winter and that the summer, spring and fall seasons were short and that the winters would be long and bitter. It was going to be a serious test of their survival skills.

As they were descending on their parachutes, they found that no trees grew on the exposed sides of the mountains that sheltered them. That meant that the winds that would pelt this island during the winter were harsh subjecting anything growing on the island to extremes. They were lucky that they were in a sheltered cover surrounded on three sides by towering hills and cliffs of jagged rock. It would prove to provide them some protection.

The water was cool but it wasn't something that they would be able to swim in for very long...at least unprotected, a half hour at the most in the summer. Just enough to cool themselves off. Any longer and one's body temperature could plummet and subject them to hypothermia. And swimming was a definite no-no during the winter time; especially when it came to dealing with the possibility of snow. Exposed parts during wintertime would subject them to frostbite and worse.

"I think we should try and fish; we do need to catch some dinner. We also have to set up camp before nightfall. You have an emergency tent in your pack?

"Yes, sir, I do..." was Lieutenant Cassidy's response. After all, she thought, they were only supposed to be informal in the cockpit of the aircraft; not when their boots were touching the ground, unless the CO said that they could forego military formalities.

Animal sighed, looking up and around at the vista that unfolded before them...the long trek up to the summit would be quite laborious. The plain realization was that there was no one here. No one to care if strict military protocol was being observed. If they were back on the boat, on the ground, they would have to adhere to their Commander and Lieutenant roles; superior and junior officer but they were marooned. Far from civilization and only God even knows where the TR is at this point, "Don't worry about the sirs...Butch, we're not anywhere near civilization. don't think that anyone is going to care that we're not using strict formalities at this point.

She smirked at him, "Yes, sir..."

Animal rolled his eyes. Butch was impertinent but who cared. At least he was stuck on an island for the foreseeable future with someone that he could get along with. Crews had to be close in a F-14. Two male crew were as close as brothers, trusting each other with their lives; especially since they were going into combat together. Two female crew were the same ways as sisters-in-arms...but a male-female crew was about as tight-knit as a married couple. They each had to know each other's idiosyncracies. As with the other crew members, they trusted each other with their lives. He'd flown with Butch now for several years, ever since Scooter had been pick-pocketed by the Pentagon to XO a R&D department NAVAIR. Flying with Butch was a new experience. Saucy and capable, she manned the rear office of the Tomcat with practiced ease, remarkable for a junior officer with only six years in the service. Animal was a seasoned veteran at his twenty year mark. Frankly, he was fourteen years her senior. But Navy rules had put them together in the cockpit, the old hands teaching the young and eventually passing on the torch to them. This was Animal's second year holding the reins of the VF-41 Black Aces. his XO being Commander Kimber "Jugs" Benton. Well, looks like she gets to be CO now...if we don't get rescued soon. The Aces need a squadron commander.

Fishing, giving each other some space to contemplate over the day's events gave one a lot of time on their hands to ruminate over whatever thoughts came to one's mind. And a lot of things went through Animal's mind, like what if we don't get rescued... It was a sobering thought but a very distinct possibility. Of the many islands dotting the Atlantic, it was one of quite a number...and if they couldn't find a way to set up a signal they were as good as marooned here forever. One of the crushing things that he'd found out was that Butch's personal beacon had been irreparably damaged in the ejection...even though it was supposed to withstand the g-forces taken in such an event. And his was lying at the bottom of the ocean having slipped out of his pouch. So there was no way to even send out a signal letting them know that they were alive. If the TR couldn't locate them in their parameters of search coordinates suspected of where the aircraft had supposedly gone down, they would be considered lost at sea and presumed dead.

If Butch and he weren't rescued from that island and were declared missing and presumed dead, it appeared that they were going to get much more closer than regulations would dictate, because for them, they would be the only ones that would be able to be with each other. The other unpalatable thought was to be alone for the rest of their lives.

Part Three: "A Hard Conversation"

A lot of things went through Animal's mind as he concentrated on catching fish that afternoon and by the time nightfall came around he and Butch had managed to catch several fish that were edible for the firepit that they'd found. He and Butch were both starting to feel the cold and it was sweet relief to have finally lit the firepit and be able to sit and roast their catch over a hot flame.

"You feeling OK...bumps, bruises, no broken bones...sprains?" Tosh easily slipped back into the role of CO...trying to ascertain that his backseater was OK.

"I'm fine, I didn't break anything punching out and no sprains, loops were tight so nothing was flailing around when the bang-seat went off.

Good thing, Butch. Survival gets a lot tougher if you're injured..."

"Thanks for asking...though..." Butch said as she looked at her fish that she was roasting to make sure that it didn't catch on fire. Well cooked was preferred."

Quite the ride we had. Wasn't sure if we were going to make landfall..." Animal admitted soberly. "Punching out over water isn't the best possible scenario especially when we've both lost our beacons." He looked over at her.

"If I had some tools, I could try to see if I could get mine working...but yours might be a complete bust...considering it's sitting at the bottom of the ocean."

Animal muttered, "Thanks for reminding me..." Darned cheap velcro...made by the lowest bidder. When he got back; if he got back...he was going to send a blistering memo up the wire to DC telling Requisitions off about their propensity to go with the cheap end of the deal. It could have cost them their lives. You spend over a million training up a crew and you don't give them the best chance to survive because you skimp out on the other stuff. That Beltway bureaucratic bean-counter thinking was absolute horse-manure.

Taking a bite out of her fish, she commented, "This isn't bad fish, is it? I like the taste."

"Yeah, with red herring, you gotta watch the bones..." Animal replied picking a bone out from between his teeth.

Maybe if the bones sit long enough they'll become brittle enough to become fertilizer for any plants...

Butch looked soberly at him, the hard-edged competent naval officer was gone and the look of a scared mid-twenties young woman replaced her, "You think we're going to be here for a long time?"

Animal didn't want to frighten her, but he also had to prepare her mentally for that eventuality. "I hope not..." he said finally, "But the possibility is there that we may not be found."

"...and what happens in that eventuality?"

"I'm hoping we'll get rescued..." Tosh said trying to put a positive spin on things...trying to keep a cheery expression...

"but on the other hand...if a rescue isn't possible within two weeks of when we went down...." Animal looked at her and soberly said, "It's a grim possibility, that we won't ever get rescued. In that eventuality...we have to make a life for ourselves..." he said...as he looked at her with a serious expression, "...here on this little island..."