She could almost feel Peterson's gaze lingering on her back, probably on her butt.  She could feel the fabric of her sweatpants riding up, but didn't dare adjust it while he was watching. With a quick turn of the head, Connelly gave one last look back. Peterson waved with a smile and she felt a tightness in her chest, but this wasn't anxiety.

Connelly laughed to herself as she came to a realization. The punching bag wasn't Peterson, but her tension was caused by him. The energy she felt now, after speaking to the man for only a few minutes, wasn't going where she wanted it to go. So she was beating the hell out of a punching bag instead.

CHAPTER 6 -- GOING UP

Rubbing his eyes in the morning sun, Willard looked at the incredible view of the Pacific Ocean. The crew had been flown from the GEC training facility to San Diego where they boarded a GEC research vessel and headed out to sea. By nightfall they were all situated in cramped quarters within the walls of the Naval Auxiliary Landing Facility on San Clemente Island. Sleep came quickly to all, as it had throughout the duration of their grueling training, but an early start was on the schedule for today.

It was seven o'clock in the morning and the CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter's tandem blades sliced loudly through the air. Loud snoring from across the helicopter's interior rumbled along with the chopping blades. Willard frowned and shook his head. Captain Harris sat across from him, sleeping as soundly as a dead man in the grave. Willard wasn't bothered by the sound, just by the fact that Harris could sleep at all.

Willard blinked and felt heavy weights dangling from his eyelids. He turned his attention back out the window to distract himself from his slumber lust. The water of the Pacific was deep blue and the millions of tiny waves reflected glints of yellow from the sun.

But then, something far below caught his eye. A grey shape cut across the ocean. He recognized the shape. "There's an aircraft carrier down there," he said to no one in particular.

Connelly, Robert and Peterson, who had been involved in a scientific discussion of no interest to Willard, immediately moved to the windows adjacent to Willard's, peering down at the ocean. Choi made no move and looked disinterested. Harris remained asleep.

"Is that where we're going?" Robert asked.

"I don't know," Connelly said. She looked at Choi. "Are we landing on the aircraft carrier?"

Choi shook her head, no.

Willard took his eyes off the carrier and looked further out, towards the horizon, where he saw another vessel, and another, and another. He quickly counted fifteen in all, of various shapes and sizes. "Looks like they have a whole fleet out here."

Robert pushed his glasses higher onto his nose and looked at Choi. "Are we launching from sea? Are these ships for our protection?"