Title:
Author's Note: Okay, have never written a SeaQuest fic before, so bear with me. Hopefully it will be fairly plot and action driven.
Disclaimer: The only ones I own are the ones you don't know.
~*~
The tiny sub puttered slowly through the water. It ran silent, it's captain and first officer preferring to stay under the radar. The sub was in UEO waters and the United Earth Oceans tended to frown upon the type of cargo the small vessel carried. Outside, everything appeared to be operating normally. Inside, however, a revolt was underway.
"Come on!!" The strident voice carried down the sub. A young woman stood at one end of the main passageway, lips pursed, her attention totally on the key pad in front of her. Steam streamed hot and fast from the broken pipe above her head. Sirens blared loudly, ringing in her ears as she fiddled with the console. Frustrated she hit the wall with a growl and swiped at her sweaty head with her forearm. All she really managed to do was smear the dirt and grease on her face. "Move! They're coming! That seal won't hold for much longer."
"I'm trying!" She shot back over her shoulder. "The codes aren't working."
Someone ran toward her. "Get out of the way," he barked. He shoved her aside with her free hand and she struck the wall with a clang. Her eyes narrowed and darkened, and a muscle in her jaw clenched, but she remained silent. He hefted a long shard of metal piping and jammed it into the doors with a grunt. "Guess for once it's a good thing that this tug is falling apart. Help me."
Still glaring at him, she pushed herself back up. Together, the two young people leaned into the pipe. The door creaked and groaned. Then the metal began to buckle, twisting under the pressure. Their pole started to bend. "It's not working," she grunted.
"It's working, push harder." She leaned into it, the toes of her boots scraping over the metal grated walkway. Suddenly there was a audible snap, and the doors slid open. The boy cast the bar aside and rushed inside the munitions room. The girl stood anxiously by the door, knees bent, body tense, ready to fight. He busted into the weapons locker easily and quickly tossed two to the girl, a small pulse pistol and a rifle. She caught the rifle, slinging it around her shoulder and held the pistol ready.
The young man grabbed two weapons for himself and sprinted back outside. He hit a side room door with his shoulder and kept going, barely even breaking stride. The girl followed, weapon pointed down, even as the doors at the other end of the passageway slid open. She couldn't see through the fog, but the sound of fast approaching footsteps was warning enough. She entered the room too, and they took up defensible positions behind pieces of furniture.
She kept low, hunching her shoulder behind the desk in the middle of the room. She was on one knee, fingers closing lightly around the trigger. She caught the other's eyes across the room and he nodded quickly. Then, someone was at the door and the time for silent looks and planning were over. Now it was kill or be killed. She shot around the side of the desk, hoping to catch their attackers unaware. Unfortunately, it only took a few blasts from her pulse pistol for the man to know where she was.
She drew his fire and ducked back behind her blockade. Her partner came to her defense, taking the man at the door down with a warrior's cry. He motioned for her to move on the door, but the moment she stepped into open space there was another blast from a second man in the hall. A anguished yelp escaped her lips as a pulse tore at the flesh of her leg just above her knee. She jerked instinctively back into the room, hitting the floor with a bang. The young man came out from behind cover to haul her to her feet. Gritting her teeth, she ignored the pain and they advanced together, until the second, a woman, had fallen too.
"The bridge!" he yelled. "We still have to take the bridge." They descended upon the sub's main control room. Their pilot was frantically trying to activate the comm., which under normal circumstances was left completely inactive. "Hey!" he rushed the helm, jamming the butt of his rifle into the control panel. The panel sparked and crackled. "That was not a smart idea," he snarled. He yanked the pilot out of his seat and thrust him to the ground. "Don't move."
The young woman stepped forward then, putting a restraining hand on her partner's bicep. "We've taken over the ship. Your partner's are dead."
"So what?" The pilot sneered viciously. "Gonna kill me too?"
"Not if you cooperate. You're gonna get up, sit back down behind the helm and take us to the nearest free port. Then we leave, and you go on about your life. You gonna………shit!" She cried, the rifle pulse surprising her. She whipped around, slamming her hand into her partner's chest. "What the hell are you doing!??!!"
He shrugged her off, toeing the pilot's body with his boot. "What did you think was gonna happen? We were just going to offload at some port, go our separate ways, and that'd be the end of it?"
"Yes, damn it. I've had enough of you to last me a lifetime."
"Oh wake up. They'd send us back, they'd send all of us back. You know they would. Do you really want to end up back there, living like that? We did what we had to do."
"I don't want to go back. I know what we did here was necessary so don't preach to me. I knew, I agreed, but you just murdered him. Murder, and it wasn't necessary!"
The young man wheeled, lashing out with a fist. Her head snapped back as the punch connected with her jaw. She stumbled and almost fell, holding out a hand to halt her descent. He came at her, dragging her up by holding her arm. His eyes were dark, his face hard. "It was. I've had enough of your mouth. From now on, you listen to what I say. I'm in charge and I'll get us all out of this my way, understand?" She swiped at the trickle of blood running down from her lip and nodded slowly.
"Good. Now go free the others, find Charlie and bring him here. We need to get this tug started. That pilot managed to jam the console before we came in. We're sittin ducks out here." He released her arm, holstering his pistol in the waistband of his pants. He set the rifle down near the destroyed console. Casting a glance over his shoulder he said, "Go." She turned on her heel and headed down into the dregs of the ship.
"Sir, I've got the long range sensors operational. And uh, I think you should look at this," Charlie, a boy of maybe fifteen stated. He spun around in his chair, motioning at the panel with his arm. "We've got a vessel approaching our position, and it's big."
His eyes scanned the screen and he turned to Charlie. "What's the state of our engines?"
Charlie shook his head. "It'll take me another thirty minutes or so to reactivate the engines. And even if I could get them up and running in five, we still wouldn't be able to outrun her. Maybe they'll just pass over us."
The girl walked to the center of the bridge, pushing off from the doorjamb where she had been leaning. She stared out the portal at the enormous dark mass approaching. "I wouldn't bet on it. If this is the tug I think it is, they already know we're here."
"What boat?" Charlie queried.
"I think it's the SeaQuest DSV. Only sub I know that's that big."
The young man next to Charlie frowned thoughtfully. Kill the power," he said finally.
"What?"
"I said kill the engine power. Make it look like we're dead in the water."
"We are dead in the water," Charlie told him dryly.
"You know what I mean. We need to make it look like we broke down. I'm gonna send out a distress call, weak. Tell 'em we got hit by pirates. Tell em we got dead and we need to be picked up."
"You really think that's a good….."
"Don't test me," he barked, striding toward her and shoving a finger in her face. "I told you once already, we do this my way. Charlie, go get the others quick. We need to get our stories straight. And you," he said to the girl, "Not one damn word. Now, here's the story….."
--
Captain Nathan Bridger of the UEO Sub SeaQuest DSV stood ramrod straight at the loading dock. An hour earlier the comm. had picked up a faint distress signal from a crippled sub. The message had been slightly garbled, but the bottom line had been clear, the sub needed help. He'd sent Lonnie Henderson and Lieutenant Brody out with a transport to bring back the crew. They were in the process of docking back at SeaQuest now.
The doors opened slowly, water dripping down onto the floor. He heard the hatch pressurize and open. Lonnie came out first, and Bridger couldn't help notice that her face appeared strained, sorrowful. Her eyes met his briefly and his brow furrowed. It wasn't until the first survivor came up the hatch that it made sense.
The 'survivors' were little more than children. Most of the eight kids appeared to be fourteen or fifteen, though one seemed younger. Two were older, perhaps 17 or 18, a girl and a boy, took up position at the front of the little rag tag group. Their faces were hard and they stood with feet shoulder width apart, arms crossed over their chests. All of them were dirty, enough so that Bridger could barely distinguish where their skin ended and their filthy, worn clothing began.
The younger kids huddled together, eyeing Bridger and the others warily. He could hear a couple crewmen behind him whispering, and shot them warning looks. The older pair definitely looked like they'd just come out of a fight. The boy's shirt was torn in a few placed and his hands were chapped and raw. The girl's lip had been split and their was a blood stained bandage wrapped around her lower thigh. Her dingy hair hung in a loose ponytail that started at the nape of her neck. Wisps of hair clung around her face, obscuring her eyes.
Nathan stepped forward to meet them as they descended the stairs. He held out his hand. "Welcome to SeaQuest. I'm Captain Nathan Bridger. My crew will bring you and yours to some spare quarters and help them get cleaned up. However, I'd like the two of you to stay for a few minutes and answer some questions, if you're up for it." The young man nodded. The girl glanced back at her charges and nodded reassuringly, motioning for them to follow Henderson down the passageway.
"Thank you for picking us up Captain," the boy began. "I was beginning to doubt that anyone would hear our distress call. I'm afraid our long range communications were damaged in the raid."
"How long have you been scuttled?" Bridger questioned.
"Two days, maybe more. Oh, I'm sorry. You probably need our names. I'm Levi Harten. This here's Stryder." He jerked a thumb at the girl.
The girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and held out her hand. "Christina Stryder sir, but I prefer Stryder, or Chris." The captain took her hand firmly.
"What exactly happened here? What were you doing in these waters?" He questioned, not missing the brief look shot between the two.
"The ship sir," Stryder began, casting her eyes toward the floor, "was my family's business. We're a trade ship, a supply vessel that runs merchandise between coal mining colonies in the area. We were starting on a new run when we were ambushed. Our ship ain't much sir, we couldn't outrun 'em. We were boarded. My little brothers and sisters took cover, while my parents, our pilot, Levi and I made a stand."
Stryder glanced up once, just to be sure that Bridger was buying it. "We held the bridge, but they ransacked the hold. My parents died in the fight, protecting the hold, the pilot a little later from injuries. Wish we could have done more. My siblings aren't taking this all very well, as I'm sure you can understand."
"Of course. And you, what's your involvement?" The captain turned to Levi.
"Chris's parents were kind enough to pick me up on their last trip. I was done coal mining. I've been working as a sort of mechanic for them ever since. It's a shame, they were good people."
Bridger nodded thoughtfully. "All right. You two follow Lieutenant Brody. He'll show to sick bay so you can be checked out by our physician. I'll send someone later to show you to your quarters." Levi and Stryder nodded quietly, following Brody complacently down the passageway.
--
Stryder sat on the med bay table, her legs dangling loosely over the side. She picked at the bandage on her thigh absently. The blood had soaked through the cloth, turning a dark shade of rust red. Her shoulders were hunched and she couldn't help but notice the long looks members of the crew shot her way.
Eventually a pretty, dark haired woman approached, carrying a clipboard. She smiled when she saw Chris, making her eyes spark. "Hello. I'm Wendy."
"hi," Stryder responded gruffly. "Look, I've been sittin here for a while. When's the doc coming?"
"I'm SeaQuest's head physician," she said pleasantly.
The girl raised a dubious eyebrow. "Dr. Wendy?"
"Wendy Smith," she answered dryly. Chris's opened her mouth in a silent, 'oh.' Dr. Smith examined the girl, deciding that aside from an unusually biting humor, she was in fairly decent condition. Sure she needed a shower and a few decent meals, but her lungs were clear, her pulse slow and steady. Her split lip would heal in time. She gently untied the makeshift bandage the girl had applied before coming aboard. The wound was some six or seven inches long, and deep enough to warrant sutures. Dried blood caked the area around the wound.
Wendy noticed that Chris stiffened when she had started the exam. Her steel blue eyes became hard and her jaw tightened. She stared straight ahead the entire time, fingers clamped down on the edge of the table. She never once flinched. Wendy wondered exactly how much pain this girl had seen, and how bad it must have to so deaden her reactions. She noted a couple long, jagged scars on the girl's shoulder and forearm, but didn't mention it. There was no reason to spook the kid.
Wendy placed a hand on Chris's shoulder when she had finished with the leg wound. "You may want to stay off that for a couple of days."
"Nope."
"Nope?"
"I gotta look out for everyone. Can't do that lazing on my as now can I?"
If the doctor was taken back she didn't show it. "I assure you the children will be well taken care of here. Nothing will happen."
"No offense, but I don't put much stock in the words of people I don't know. SO if it's all the same to you, I think I will do this my way. Look, Captain said something about quarters and shower. If the mini-lecture's over I'd like to go now."
"Sure, Lieutenant Henderson just arrived. She can show you around."
Chris flashed her a tight lipped half smile. "Thanks." She hopped of the exam table, landing lightly on her left leg. Henderson walked over to her, smiling warmly. 'Was anybody on this tug not chipper?' Chris thought. "You Henderson?"
"Call me Lonnie. Come on, I'll show you where you can bunk down, and get dome new clothes. I'm sure you need some time to yourself to think after…..well, after everything. And Stryder, I'm sorry about your parents."
"yeah," her voice fell as she remembered the pilot falling at her feet. The look in his eyes, shocked and pained, haunted her mind. This wasn't the way things were supposed to have been. It was different now, and she couldn't forget it. "Me too."
--
"Lucas," Bridger stood outside the boy's door, rapping on the hatch with his fist. He could hear strains of loud rock music echoing through the room. It had to be Lucas, Piccolo was still on duty. "Lucas!" He yelled this time. He hit the door harder.
He had raised his fist to knock when the hatch opened. A rumpled, bleary eyed blonde stood in the doorway. Half his shirt was untucked, blonde hair sticking up at odd angles. He ran a hand through his hair and yawned. "Were you asleep?" He asked, indignant.
"So?"
Bridger pursed his lips and rolled his eyes. "It's two in the afternoon." The boy just stared at him blankly. "Never mind. Look, we received a distress call about two hours ago. Henderson and Brody went over to bring back any survivors. The ship was a supply vessel run by a family. The adults were all killed, and now I've got eight young people on board."
"Kids?" Lucas couldn't keep the interest out of his voice.
"Yeah, thirteen to eighteen. There's a boy that was working for them and an older sister. They're pretty much all in shock right now, which is to be expected. They all seem fairly guarded too. I was hoping you could spend time with them, talk to them. They need to talk Lucas, and I don't think they'll talk to us."
"Where are they at?"
"The younger kids are all in their rooms, resting. Levi, the worker is still with Dr. Smith. At last report Henderson said the girl was at the moon pool. Will you spend time with them, show them around? I really can't spare other crew at the moment."
"Sure, not a problem."
--
Lucas watched the girl standing by the moon pool for a few minutes before he approached. She was leaning on the edge of the tank. She was dressed in UEO regulation clothes, a blank tank top and navy blue combat pants. She had showered, and her still damp hair was pulled back in a messy bun. She ran the fingers of her right hand over the top of the water, watching the ripples.
Lucas thought she looked reflective and almost left her, but then thought better of it. He approached slowly, quietly. She took no note of him, still staring into the water. Lucas lifted a hand and lightly touched her shoulder. "Hey….." he started.
Stryder wasn't paying attention to anything, content to just let her mind wander aimlessly, just so long as she didn't think of the pilot. She shuddered when she felt the hand on her shoulder. Painful memories surfaced in her head and she reacted instinctively. She swept around, thrusting her left arm up in a block, and striking with her right fist. The person doubled over with a gasp. She grasped the collar of his shirt, hooking her leg behind him and shoving him to the deck. He landed with a thud.
It all happened so fast Lucas didn't quite know how it happened. One moment he'd been standing the next, he was lying on his back, staring into angry slate blue eyes. Her fists were clenched at her side and she planted her boot on his throat. Lucas grasped at her ankle to no avail. One wrong move, and she could snap his neck.
Chapter 1
Okay, so that's the start of my first SeaQuest fic. Continue, stop? Hate it love it? Please leave me a review if you can think of any gross, or not so gross, characterization errors, or if you liked it whatever. Just looking for a little feedback.
Author's Note: Okay, have never written a SeaQuest fic before, so bear with me. Hopefully it will be fairly plot and action driven.
Disclaimer: The only ones I own are the ones you don't know.
~*~
The tiny sub puttered slowly through the water. It ran silent, it's captain and first officer preferring to stay under the radar. The sub was in UEO waters and the United Earth Oceans tended to frown upon the type of cargo the small vessel carried. Outside, everything appeared to be operating normally. Inside, however, a revolt was underway.
"Come on!!" The strident voice carried down the sub. A young woman stood at one end of the main passageway, lips pursed, her attention totally on the key pad in front of her. Steam streamed hot and fast from the broken pipe above her head. Sirens blared loudly, ringing in her ears as she fiddled with the console. Frustrated she hit the wall with a growl and swiped at her sweaty head with her forearm. All she really managed to do was smear the dirt and grease on her face. "Move! They're coming! That seal won't hold for much longer."
"I'm trying!" She shot back over her shoulder. "The codes aren't working."
Someone ran toward her. "Get out of the way," he barked. He shoved her aside with her free hand and she struck the wall with a clang. Her eyes narrowed and darkened, and a muscle in her jaw clenched, but she remained silent. He hefted a long shard of metal piping and jammed it into the doors with a grunt. "Guess for once it's a good thing that this tug is falling apart. Help me."
Still glaring at him, she pushed herself back up. Together, the two young people leaned into the pipe. The door creaked and groaned. Then the metal began to buckle, twisting under the pressure. Their pole started to bend. "It's not working," she grunted.
"It's working, push harder." She leaned into it, the toes of her boots scraping over the metal grated walkway. Suddenly there was a audible snap, and the doors slid open. The boy cast the bar aside and rushed inside the munitions room. The girl stood anxiously by the door, knees bent, body tense, ready to fight. He busted into the weapons locker easily and quickly tossed two to the girl, a small pulse pistol and a rifle. She caught the rifle, slinging it around her shoulder and held the pistol ready.
The young man grabbed two weapons for himself and sprinted back outside. He hit a side room door with his shoulder and kept going, barely even breaking stride. The girl followed, weapon pointed down, even as the doors at the other end of the passageway slid open. She couldn't see through the fog, but the sound of fast approaching footsteps was warning enough. She entered the room too, and they took up defensible positions behind pieces of furniture.
She kept low, hunching her shoulder behind the desk in the middle of the room. She was on one knee, fingers closing lightly around the trigger. She caught the other's eyes across the room and he nodded quickly. Then, someone was at the door and the time for silent looks and planning were over. Now it was kill or be killed. She shot around the side of the desk, hoping to catch their attackers unaware. Unfortunately, it only took a few blasts from her pulse pistol for the man to know where she was.
She drew his fire and ducked back behind her blockade. Her partner came to her defense, taking the man at the door down with a warrior's cry. He motioned for her to move on the door, but the moment she stepped into open space there was another blast from a second man in the hall. A anguished yelp escaped her lips as a pulse tore at the flesh of her leg just above her knee. She jerked instinctively back into the room, hitting the floor with a bang. The young man came out from behind cover to haul her to her feet. Gritting her teeth, she ignored the pain and they advanced together, until the second, a woman, had fallen too.
"The bridge!" he yelled. "We still have to take the bridge." They descended upon the sub's main control room. Their pilot was frantically trying to activate the comm., which under normal circumstances was left completely inactive. "Hey!" he rushed the helm, jamming the butt of his rifle into the control panel. The panel sparked and crackled. "That was not a smart idea," he snarled. He yanked the pilot out of his seat and thrust him to the ground. "Don't move."
The young woman stepped forward then, putting a restraining hand on her partner's bicep. "We've taken over the ship. Your partner's are dead."
"So what?" The pilot sneered viciously. "Gonna kill me too?"
"Not if you cooperate. You're gonna get up, sit back down behind the helm and take us to the nearest free port. Then we leave, and you go on about your life. You gonna………shit!" She cried, the rifle pulse surprising her. She whipped around, slamming her hand into her partner's chest. "What the hell are you doing!??!!"
He shrugged her off, toeing the pilot's body with his boot. "What did you think was gonna happen? We were just going to offload at some port, go our separate ways, and that'd be the end of it?"
"Yes, damn it. I've had enough of you to last me a lifetime."
"Oh wake up. They'd send us back, they'd send all of us back. You know they would. Do you really want to end up back there, living like that? We did what we had to do."
"I don't want to go back. I know what we did here was necessary so don't preach to me. I knew, I agreed, but you just murdered him. Murder, and it wasn't necessary!"
The young man wheeled, lashing out with a fist. Her head snapped back as the punch connected with her jaw. She stumbled and almost fell, holding out a hand to halt her descent. He came at her, dragging her up by holding her arm. His eyes were dark, his face hard. "It was. I've had enough of your mouth. From now on, you listen to what I say. I'm in charge and I'll get us all out of this my way, understand?" She swiped at the trickle of blood running down from her lip and nodded slowly.
"Good. Now go free the others, find Charlie and bring him here. We need to get this tug started. That pilot managed to jam the console before we came in. We're sittin ducks out here." He released her arm, holstering his pistol in the waistband of his pants. He set the rifle down near the destroyed console. Casting a glance over his shoulder he said, "Go." She turned on her heel and headed down into the dregs of the ship.
"Sir, I've got the long range sensors operational. And uh, I think you should look at this," Charlie, a boy of maybe fifteen stated. He spun around in his chair, motioning at the panel with his arm. "We've got a vessel approaching our position, and it's big."
His eyes scanned the screen and he turned to Charlie. "What's the state of our engines?"
Charlie shook his head. "It'll take me another thirty minutes or so to reactivate the engines. And even if I could get them up and running in five, we still wouldn't be able to outrun her. Maybe they'll just pass over us."
The girl walked to the center of the bridge, pushing off from the doorjamb where she had been leaning. She stared out the portal at the enormous dark mass approaching. "I wouldn't bet on it. If this is the tug I think it is, they already know we're here."
"What boat?" Charlie queried.
"I think it's the SeaQuest DSV. Only sub I know that's that big."
The young man next to Charlie frowned thoughtfully. Kill the power," he said finally.
"What?"
"I said kill the engine power. Make it look like we're dead in the water."
"We are dead in the water," Charlie told him dryly.
"You know what I mean. We need to make it look like we broke down. I'm gonna send out a distress call, weak. Tell 'em we got hit by pirates. Tell em we got dead and we need to be picked up."
"You really think that's a good….."
"Don't test me," he barked, striding toward her and shoving a finger in her face. "I told you once already, we do this my way. Charlie, go get the others quick. We need to get our stories straight. And you," he said to the girl, "Not one damn word. Now, here's the story….."
--
Captain Nathan Bridger of the UEO Sub SeaQuest DSV stood ramrod straight at the loading dock. An hour earlier the comm. had picked up a faint distress signal from a crippled sub. The message had been slightly garbled, but the bottom line had been clear, the sub needed help. He'd sent Lonnie Henderson and Lieutenant Brody out with a transport to bring back the crew. They were in the process of docking back at SeaQuest now.
The doors opened slowly, water dripping down onto the floor. He heard the hatch pressurize and open. Lonnie came out first, and Bridger couldn't help notice that her face appeared strained, sorrowful. Her eyes met his briefly and his brow furrowed. It wasn't until the first survivor came up the hatch that it made sense.
The 'survivors' were little more than children. Most of the eight kids appeared to be fourteen or fifteen, though one seemed younger. Two were older, perhaps 17 or 18, a girl and a boy, took up position at the front of the little rag tag group. Their faces were hard and they stood with feet shoulder width apart, arms crossed over their chests. All of them were dirty, enough so that Bridger could barely distinguish where their skin ended and their filthy, worn clothing began.
The younger kids huddled together, eyeing Bridger and the others warily. He could hear a couple crewmen behind him whispering, and shot them warning looks. The older pair definitely looked like they'd just come out of a fight. The boy's shirt was torn in a few placed and his hands were chapped and raw. The girl's lip had been split and their was a blood stained bandage wrapped around her lower thigh. Her dingy hair hung in a loose ponytail that started at the nape of her neck. Wisps of hair clung around her face, obscuring her eyes.
Nathan stepped forward to meet them as they descended the stairs. He held out his hand. "Welcome to SeaQuest. I'm Captain Nathan Bridger. My crew will bring you and yours to some spare quarters and help them get cleaned up. However, I'd like the two of you to stay for a few minutes and answer some questions, if you're up for it." The young man nodded. The girl glanced back at her charges and nodded reassuringly, motioning for them to follow Henderson down the passageway.
"Thank you for picking us up Captain," the boy began. "I was beginning to doubt that anyone would hear our distress call. I'm afraid our long range communications were damaged in the raid."
"How long have you been scuttled?" Bridger questioned.
"Two days, maybe more. Oh, I'm sorry. You probably need our names. I'm Levi Harten. This here's Stryder." He jerked a thumb at the girl.
The girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and held out her hand. "Christina Stryder sir, but I prefer Stryder, or Chris." The captain took her hand firmly.
"What exactly happened here? What were you doing in these waters?" He questioned, not missing the brief look shot between the two.
"The ship sir," Stryder began, casting her eyes toward the floor, "was my family's business. We're a trade ship, a supply vessel that runs merchandise between coal mining colonies in the area. We were starting on a new run when we were ambushed. Our ship ain't much sir, we couldn't outrun 'em. We were boarded. My little brothers and sisters took cover, while my parents, our pilot, Levi and I made a stand."
Stryder glanced up once, just to be sure that Bridger was buying it. "We held the bridge, but they ransacked the hold. My parents died in the fight, protecting the hold, the pilot a little later from injuries. Wish we could have done more. My siblings aren't taking this all very well, as I'm sure you can understand."
"Of course. And you, what's your involvement?" The captain turned to Levi.
"Chris's parents were kind enough to pick me up on their last trip. I was done coal mining. I've been working as a sort of mechanic for them ever since. It's a shame, they were good people."
Bridger nodded thoughtfully. "All right. You two follow Lieutenant Brody. He'll show to sick bay so you can be checked out by our physician. I'll send someone later to show you to your quarters." Levi and Stryder nodded quietly, following Brody complacently down the passageway.
--
Stryder sat on the med bay table, her legs dangling loosely over the side. She picked at the bandage on her thigh absently. The blood had soaked through the cloth, turning a dark shade of rust red. Her shoulders were hunched and she couldn't help but notice the long looks members of the crew shot her way.
Eventually a pretty, dark haired woman approached, carrying a clipboard. She smiled when she saw Chris, making her eyes spark. "Hello. I'm Wendy."
"hi," Stryder responded gruffly. "Look, I've been sittin here for a while. When's the doc coming?"
"I'm SeaQuest's head physician," she said pleasantly.
The girl raised a dubious eyebrow. "Dr. Wendy?"
"Wendy Smith," she answered dryly. Chris's opened her mouth in a silent, 'oh.' Dr. Smith examined the girl, deciding that aside from an unusually biting humor, she was in fairly decent condition. Sure she needed a shower and a few decent meals, but her lungs were clear, her pulse slow and steady. Her split lip would heal in time. She gently untied the makeshift bandage the girl had applied before coming aboard. The wound was some six or seven inches long, and deep enough to warrant sutures. Dried blood caked the area around the wound.
Wendy noticed that Chris stiffened when she had started the exam. Her steel blue eyes became hard and her jaw tightened. She stared straight ahead the entire time, fingers clamped down on the edge of the table. She never once flinched. Wendy wondered exactly how much pain this girl had seen, and how bad it must have to so deaden her reactions. She noted a couple long, jagged scars on the girl's shoulder and forearm, but didn't mention it. There was no reason to spook the kid.
Wendy placed a hand on Chris's shoulder when she had finished with the leg wound. "You may want to stay off that for a couple of days."
"Nope."
"Nope?"
"I gotta look out for everyone. Can't do that lazing on my as now can I?"
If the doctor was taken back she didn't show it. "I assure you the children will be well taken care of here. Nothing will happen."
"No offense, but I don't put much stock in the words of people I don't know. SO if it's all the same to you, I think I will do this my way. Look, Captain said something about quarters and shower. If the mini-lecture's over I'd like to go now."
"Sure, Lieutenant Henderson just arrived. She can show you around."
Chris flashed her a tight lipped half smile. "Thanks." She hopped of the exam table, landing lightly on her left leg. Henderson walked over to her, smiling warmly. 'Was anybody on this tug not chipper?' Chris thought. "You Henderson?"
"Call me Lonnie. Come on, I'll show you where you can bunk down, and get dome new clothes. I'm sure you need some time to yourself to think after…..well, after everything. And Stryder, I'm sorry about your parents."
"yeah," her voice fell as she remembered the pilot falling at her feet. The look in his eyes, shocked and pained, haunted her mind. This wasn't the way things were supposed to have been. It was different now, and she couldn't forget it. "Me too."
--
"Lucas," Bridger stood outside the boy's door, rapping on the hatch with his fist. He could hear strains of loud rock music echoing through the room. It had to be Lucas, Piccolo was still on duty. "Lucas!" He yelled this time. He hit the door harder.
He had raised his fist to knock when the hatch opened. A rumpled, bleary eyed blonde stood in the doorway. Half his shirt was untucked, blonde hair sticking up at odd angles. He ran a hand through his hair and yawned. "Were you asleep?" He asked, indignant.
"So?"
Bridger pursed his lips and rolled his eyes. "It's two in the afternoon." The boy just stared at him blankly. "Never mind. Look, we received a distress call about two hours ago. Henderson and Brody went over to bring back any survivors. The ship was a supply vessel run by a family. The adults were all killed, and now I've got eight young people on board."
"Kids?" Lucas couldn't keep the interest out of his voice.
"Yeah, thirteen to eighteen. There's a boy that was working for them and an older sister. They're pretty much all in shock right now, which is to be expected. They all seem fairly guarded too. I was hoping you could spend time with them, talk to them. They need to talk Lucas, and I don't think they'll talk to us."
"Where are they at?"
"The younger kids are all in their rooms, resting. Levi, the worker is still with Dr. Smith. At last report Henderson said the girl was at the moon pool. Will you spend time with them, show them around? I really can't spare other crew at the moment."
"Sure, not a problem."
--
Lucas watched the girl standing by the moon pool for a few minutes before he approached. She was leaning on the edge of the tank. She was dressed in UEO regulation clothes, a blank tank top and navy blue combat pants. She had showered, and her still damp hair was pulled back in a messy bun. She ran the fingers of her right hand over the top of the water, watching the ripples.
Lucas thought she looked reflective and almost left her, but then thought better of it. He approached slowly, quietly. She took no note of him, still staring into the water. Lucas lifted a hand and lightly touched her shoulder. "Hey….." he started.
Stryder wasn't paying attention to anything, content to just let her mind wander aimlessly, just so long as she didn't think of the pilot. She shuddered when she felt the hand on her shoulder. Painful memories surfaced in her head and she reacted instinctively. She swept around, thrusting her left arm up in a block, and striking with her right fist. The person doubled over with a gasp. She grasped the collar of his shirt, hooking her leg behind him and shoving him to the deck. He landed with a thud.
It all happened so fast Lucas didn't quite know how it happened. One moment he'd been standing the next, he was lying on his back, staring into angry slate blue eyes. Her fists were clenched at her side and she planted her boot on his throat. Lucas grasped at her ankle to no avail. One wrong move, and she could snap his neck.
Chapter 1
Okay, so that's the start of my first SeaQuest fic. Continue, stop? Hate it love it? Please leave me a review if you can think of any gross, or not so gross, characterization errors, or if you liked it whatever. Just looking for a little feedback.