I do not own seaQuest or its characters. I am not profiting from this story, it is for entertainment purposes only.
Haunted by Evil
By: Kaitlyn Rose
Nathan watched his son pick at his breakfast and pretend to eat it. Nathan knew the boy would shove the food around his plate for a few more minutes, force one or two bites in his mouth so he could say he ate something and then ask to be excused.
He didn't have to be psychic to see that Lucas hadn't had a very restful nights sleep. Lucas' eyes were surrounded by black circles. Ever since he had received the e-mail about Patrick Keenen four days ago he started having nightmares again, nightmares that he inevitably called Nathan into for help, which meant that Nathan wasn't sleeping very well either.
"Lucas, try to eat some more of your breakfast," Nathan asked.
"I'm not hungry," Lucas replied.
"I didn't ask if you were hungry, I told you to eat."
"I can't," Lucas told him. "I'll be sick if I do."
"Lucas, you've barely eaten anything in four days. You're going to collapse if you don't eat something."
Lucas lifted a bite of hash browns to his mouth but suddenly dropped the fork as just the smell made him gag. The other days he had been able to eat a few bites but after last night now even a few bites was just to hard to do.
Last night they had received news of the next boy who took his place. Tim Donaldson. Lucas hadn't been allowed to see the pictures in the e-mail but he knew anyway. He could remember Patrick's pictures clearly enough in his mind to know exactly what had happened to Tim. The look on his Mom and Dad's faces after they left his room was more than enough to confirm his worst fears. Tim had been fifteen, like him. He had since learned that both Tim and Patrick were from New York. Both murders had taken place there.
"Lucas, I know you planned to work in the labs with Mom today, but I think you should just relax and take it easy," Nathan said.
"No," Lucas replied. "I need to keep busy."
Nathan nodded. He could understand that. "Fine, work with Kristin, but if you get tired I want you to take a break."
"I will," Lucas said. He picked up his untouched breakfast and threw it away and then walked out of his quarters to the lab.
Nathan sighed and ran a hand over his face. He hated what all of this was doing to Lucas. He felt like he was watching his son slowly die. The boy's spirit was broken and he was tortured by fear and regret.
He wished like hell Lucas hadn't had to find out about the new boy, Tim, but unfortunately Lucas was needed to write the program that stopped the e-mail from deleting itself. Once the program had been written Nathan ordered Lucas out of the room. The boy protested but finally did as ordered. He tried to force Kristin out of the room too, but she had refused to go. So he, Kristin, Jonathon, and Katie all opened the e-mail together.
It was like seeing Patrick Keenen all over. Tim was tortured and mutilated in exactly the same way as Patrick had been.
Lucas had been waiting for them when they stepped out of his room. The first words out of Lucas' mouth were, "He did it again, didn't he?"
Nathan had simply nodded his head yes.
Then Lucas had asked to know the boy's name. Nathan had told him. He knew if he didn't Lucas would simply go on the internex and find it for himself.
Lucas hadn't fallen apart last night, not like he did when he received the e-mail about Patrick, instead he simply hung his head as if accepting this was the way his life was going to be from now on. Kristin had stayed with him while Nathan went about calling all the authorities and faxing the grisly pictures to the detectives and agents in charge.
Nathan hadn't been the least bit surprised when an hour after going to sleep for the night Lucas called him into a nightmare. Lucas was dreaming of the crime, only he was the kid lying on the table while an attacker dressed all in black cut him. By the time Nathan entered the dream it was already too late to save Lucas from his own mind. Seconds later the boy woke screaming. It had taken Nathan and Kristin the better part of an hour to calm him down enough to even get him to try to go back to sleep. Even once Lucas was back asleep it would have been hard to call it restful sleep. Nathan knew the boy had been plagued by bad dreams all night.
He prayed that the police would catch this man before he had the chance to kill again, but he highly doubted it since almost all of the information the police had was coming from seaQuest.
_________________
Agent Frank Cope sat at his desk in the New York FBI offices staring at the pictures in front of him. He was a relatively new agent and this was his first big case. He was determined to solve it. Frank had always been hell bent on making a name for himself. If he managed to solve this case he would basically be able to work on any case he ever wanted too. The police were baffled as to who the killer was.
The only real information anyone had to work on was what they were getting from a Captain Bridger and his son. It seemed the Captain's son was the primary target for this sicko, but since he couldn't get the boy he had found a new way to relieve his desires. He started killing other kids who resembled the boy.
Frank had seen enough of these cases to know that this case was really no longer about the Bridger boy. He might have been the focus for this person when it first began, but now that this man had discovered killing and seemed to have an appetite for it since he now done a repeat performance, Frank knew that even if he did succeed in killing the Bridger boy he would still continue his campaign of carnage.
Still, the Bridger kid was the key to solving this. Frank needed to talk to the boy. He also needed to get an FBI profiler on the case ASAP. There was no doubt the killer knew the boy, had a history with him, or maybe the Captain.
With time and patience they would catch this guy most likely, but only after a lot more kids had died. Frank didn't want to wait that long. He wanted this guy now. The sooner he caught him the better it would be for his career after all.
_________________
Lawrence stood in line at the post office. He had a very special package to send. He had put a lot of time and effort into making his gift just right. It was a wedding present for the lovely doctor. Lawrence hoped she liked it. He remembered how beautiful she was. That day at the cemetery he had been so tempted to throw her down on the crypt floor and have her, but he wouldn't allow himself to be distracted.
He stepped up to the window when it was his turn.
"Hello, I need to have this sent to Florida, overnight mail," Lawrence said.
The woman quickly checked to make sure the package was properly addressed and then weighed it. She waited for the computer to tally up the amount.
"That will be $16.53 for overnight express delivery," she said.
"Fine," Lawrence pulled out a twenty and handed it to the woman. "It will arrive there tomorrow morning right?"
"Yes sir," she said tiredly. "It will be there tomorrow by noon."
"Good, I'm trying to make sure it's there for a one o'clock supply run," Lawrence said.
"You do know you don't have a return address on this?" the woman asked.
"Don't worry," Lawrence said. "They'll know who it's from."
__________________
Lucas stood up and walked away from his computer. He had been working on the same calculations for the Stinger II now for a half an hour, calculations that he should have had finished in several minutes.
He was just too tired to think straight at the moment. His stomach growled loudly, letting him know of its displeasure with his new eating habits. Lucas wasn't avoiding food on purpose, it's just that he was so stressed that as soon as he started to eat he felt sick.
He ran a tired hand through his hair trying to think of what he should do next.
"Lucas?"
Lucas practically jumped out of his skin.
"Whoa, I'm sorry," Dr. Levin said. "I was just going to ask if you were okay?"
"Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Excuse me," Lucas said and stepped out of the lab. He didn't know where he was going but he needed to be alone. He made a point of not going to the moon pool because with his arm still broke he couldn't swim.
He decided to just walk for a bit hoping that would help to clear his mind so he might be able to go back to work. Of course the job would be easier if Dad would stop poking around in his head to see how he was doing. In the past two hours Lucas had felt Dad in there on three different occasions.
_______________
Nathan sat on the bridge and pretended to be focused on what was going on around him. He drank his cup of coffee that had gone cold a long time ago. Everyone was pretty bored actually. With the wedding now just three weeks away seaQuest had been sent to the Atlantic instead of the Pacific so they were currently hanging around Florida and then would head to England for the wedding.
The crew was basically running checks and diagnostics on the boat and doing basic maintenance to pass the time.
Since practically the entire senior crew was attending the wedding the rest of the boat would get shore leave in England for four days.
The wedding. God. That was going to be an event. Nathan didn't know if that was necessarily a good thing. Since Bill was coming and he was currently the Secretary General of the UEO there would be a ton of security. Not to mention the guest list was now at two hundred and fifty, not that that was particularly large but most of those people were military brass and politicians.
Truth be told, Nathan really would have preferred something much smaller in scale and more personal. But he wasn't in charge of planning the wedding, for that matter neither was Kristin. This was the creation of Mrs. Westphalen. She wanted a huge production and by George she was going to have it.
It was going to be a miracle if everything went the way it was supposed to anyway, but now with Lucas being stalked by a serial killer it seemed like an impossible dream. If Lucas didn't start eating and sleeping soon he'd be too ill to even attend the wedding.
________________
Lucas stepped up to the maglev doors. He had been walking for a while and had worn himself out. He didn't want to go to sleep but he needed to rest some if he were going to make it through the day.
The door opened and he stepped inside. He grabbed the pole when he suddenly got dizzy. He was still standing holding lightly to the pole when the doors closed behind him and the maglev took off. Lucas was quickly tossed onto the floor and then went rolling along when the mag stopped just as suddenly as it had started.
The doors opened for him to get off but instead he just lay in the floor trying to get his senses back about him.
"Lucas?"
Lucas felt two sets of arms lifting him off the floor and pulling him to his feet.
"I'm okay," Lucas said.
"Like hell you are."
Lucas just then realized that he was with Ben and Tim.
"Really, I was just going to my room to sleep," Lucas said. Actually, that was only half true. He was going to his room but he had no intention of sleeping and allowing the dreams to return.
"Let's get him to med bay," Tim said.
"No, I'm okay," Lucas replied, trying to pull away.
"Let's just have Kristin check you out real fast, and then you can go to your room," Ben said, already leading Lucas out of the maglev and down the corridor to med bay.
"Ben, I'm okay. You're making a big deal out of nothing."
"Passing out in the mag-lev isn't nothing," Ben said.
"But I didn't pass out, I just tripped and fell," Lucas tried futilely to convince his friends that he was okay.
They entered med bay and saw Kristin talking with her nurses about checking over the medical supplies. She looked up and saw Ben and Tim dragging Lucas inside.
"What happened?" she asked immediately.
"Nothing," Lucas said. "I just tripped."
"We found him lying on the floor in the mag-lev," Tim said. "He seemed kind of out of it."
"I just need to sleep in my room for a bit," Lucas protested.
"Ben, help him onto a bed," Kristin said.
"Mom!"
"Don't Mom me," she said. "Darling you don't look well at all."
She began examining him and it was obvious the boy needed real sleep, and food. His color was off, his eyes were sunk in, and he was completely lethargic. She stepped over to the medicine cabinet and came back a moment later with two small blue pills and a glass of water.
"What's this?" Lucas asked.
"It will help with the dizziness," she replied. "Now take them."
Lucas took the pills and swallowed them down.
"Now I want you to just rest here for a bit. Kick your shoes off and lay back," she ordered.
"Why can't I just go lie down in my room?" he asked.
"Because you're already here," she replied.
Lucas was so tired that her logic actually made sense to him so he kicked off his shoes and lay back in the bed.
Kristin looked at Ben and Tim and thanked them for bringing Lucas to her.
"Someone should tell the Captain," Tim said.
"I'll take care of it," Kristin replied. "Don't worry, he'll be fine."
Ben and Tim nodded and then left the med bay.
She turned back to Lucas. "I don't suppose I could get you to eat something."
"Not hungry," Lucas said automatically.
Kristin sighed. She had expected that answer. She hated to do what she was about to but Lucas was leaving her little choice. She watched as his eyes began to grow heavy. She knew the sedatives she'd given him hadn't begun to work yet, but Lucas was exhausted and his body was insisting on sleep.
Once Lucas was out she pulled out her PAL to inform Nathan were Lucas was and why. Next she had a nurse get an IV while she filled a syringe with vitamins. Lucas wasn't going to be happy to wake up and find himself hooked up to an IV but his body needed nourishment.
__________________
As soon as his shift was over Nathan hurried to the med bay. He knew Lucas was okay, but still he wanted to be there. Lucas had been sleeping now for six hours.
He entered med bay and walked up to Lucas' sleeping form. He was surprised to see the IV in his arm.
He turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Why does he have an IV?" Nathan asked.
"It's hydrating him and it has a mega dose of vitamins in it to help him. His body needed sleep and nourishment. I'm worried about him. If he doesn't start eating soon he's going to be vulnerable to illness and infections."
"He's so stressed out. I tried to force him to eat his breakfast this morning. The food was making him gag," Nathan said.
"Then I'm going to have to put him on something to help him relax a little. I don't like the idea of having to drug him but he can't keep going the way he is."
"No drugs," came Lucas' sleepy voice. He was just waking up.
Kristin dropped the subject for the moment and smiled brightly at Lucas. "Well hello. How are you feeling?"
Lucas sat up in the bed and rubbed his eyes. He looked at them for a minute before saying, "Okay. How long was I asleep?"
"Six hours," Kristin replied.
Lucas went to rub his eyes again and noticed the IV in his arm. "What's this?" Lucas asked.
"An IV," Kristin stated.
"I know it's an IV. Why is it in my arm?" Lucas asked.
"Because you weren't well when you came here and you wouldn't eat, so you left me no choice," she replied matter of fact.
"Well take it out now," Lucas said.
"On one condition," Kristin said.
"What?" Lucas asked.
"You have to eat what I bring you from the mess," she said.
"I'll try," Lucas replied.
"No, you won't try, you will," Kristin said in a no nonsense tone of voice that surprised Lucas and even Nathan.
"Fine," Lucas said.
"Nathan, stay with him till I get back, and don't let him take his IV out," Kristin ordered, causing Lucas to roll his eyes.
"Hey kiddo," Nathan said.
"Hey."
"You feeling more rested?" Nathan asked.
"Actually, yeah I do. It was nice to sleep without nightmares," Lucas said.
"I'm glad."
"Do you have to go back to the bridge?" Lucas asked.
"Nope, I'm done for the day, barring any emergencies," Nathan replied. He saw the small smile on Lucas' face and he couldn't believe the wave of emotions that came over him. He liked to be needed again. There wasn't a day go by that he wasn't grateful for this second chance at fatherhood that he had been given.
"What do you say after you eat your dinner we go to our room and veg out on the sofa and watch a new movie?" Nathan said.
"That sounds nice," Lucas said. "Something funny."
"Oh, that won't be a problem," Nathan said. "I have the perfect funny thing to watch, though I think it'll probably drive Mom absolutely crazy."
"What?" Lucas asked, his interest definitely peaked by that comment.
"Have you ever seen the Three Stooges?" Nathan asked.
"The Three who?" Lucas replied.
"That's what I thought," Nathan smirked. "Crocker gave me several disks of them. All together I have over six hours worth of their short films. Plus I even have two Abbot and Costello films."
"Am I supposed to know who those guys are?" Lucas asked.
"Not yet, but after tonight I doubt you'll ever forget them," Nathan smiled.
"Why? What did they do?" Lucas asked.
"I think I'll let you find out for yourself by just watching them," Nathan replied. "At the very least you can make faces at Mom when she calls us childish and complains about our choice of entertainment."
"If you know Mom isn't going to like it then why are you going to do it?" Lucas asked. "Not that I don't want to do it," he added quickly with a grin on his face, "but you seem to get a kick out of doing things that tick her off."
"Sometimes Kristin needs to be reminded to lighten up a bit," Nathan replied with a chuckle.
Just then she stepped back into the room carrying a tray with food. She set the tray down in front of Lucas and he looked at it. It actually didn't look too bad, chicken stew over rice with a roll and even a slice of chocolate cake. The question was would he be able to eat it with out throwing it up.
Nathan sensed Lucas' hesitation to eat and figured a diversion was definitely called for.
"So, are you almost finished for the day?" Nathan asked.
"As soon as Lucas eats I can take the IV out and we can go to our quarters," she replied.
"Good, because Lucas and I are going to have a Stooges Marathon tonight."
"A what?" she asked.
"We are going to watch six hours worth of the Three Stooges. You know, Larry, Moe and Curly, and sometimes Shemp."
"You've got to be kidding," Kristin replied. "Six hours worth of that rubbish. What are you trying to do, make the boy brain dead?"
Lucas started laughing. He had never heard of the Stooges but suddenly he couldn't wait to see them. He put a bite of chicken in his mouth and listened to Mom and Dad banter back and forth between each other.
_________________
Agent Frank Cope stepped into the profiler's office. The word was that Parker Raines was the best profiler the FBI had. He hoped so, cause he wanted the guy caught.
He had a seat in the chair that Mr. Raines pointed to while he talked on the vid-phone. Frank looked around at the office feeling an immediate pang of jealousy. This guy's office was twice the size of his and it had one heck of a view from the window. Frank's office didn't even have a window, but with this case that just might change.
He began to grow impatient as Mr. Raines continued to talk on the vid-phone and ignore him. Frank let out a loud impatient breath, which Mr. Raines heard, and then went about tapping his fingers on his knee.
"Yes, I'll be in contact with you again soon. Good day," Parker said to the party on the screen and then cut the connection.
"Agent Cope I assume," he said, sticking his hand out to shake.
"Yes, and you must be Parker Raines."
"That what it says on the door. So how can I help you Agent Cope?"
"Well, I have been assigned to a new case and all of our leads are dead in the water so far. I'm hoping that you can help?"
"What case would that be?" Parker asked.
"Have you seen on the news the two young boys who were kidnapped and then gutted alive?"
"Yes, I have," Parker said shaking his head. "That guy is truly disturbed."
"Yes, I agree. He seems to be singly focused on one person though. A boy by the name of Lucas Bridger. He e-mails the boy pictures of what he does and torments him. He actually attacked this kid a few weeks ago in Hawaii, but now that he can't get to the kid anymore he has found other ways of getting his jollies."
"Why can't he get to the kid anymore?" Parker asked.
"Because Lucas Bridger is the son of Captain Nathan Hale Bridger."
"Of seaQuest fame?" Parker asked.
"The one and only," Frank replied. "So the kid is currently on a sub at the bottom of the ocean."
"That doesn't mean this guy doesn't still want to kill the kid though, trust me, guys like this, they just wait and wait and wait. Then when the opportunity presents itself they move in for the kill."
"So you mean that even though he's killing other kids right now, if this Lucas Bridger were to surface he'd stop and go after that kid instead."
"Most likely," Parker said. "I would really need to see the case before I could guarantee that outcome, but that would fit the typical pattern when a serial killer is fixated on a living person. Eventually they kill the person who is the source for their anger or pain."
"How could a fifteen year old cause this guy so much anger or pain that he would feel the need to do this?" Frank asked.
"For that I would need to interview the kid, get to know him, know his past. Is this guy doing anything sexual to the bodies? You're sure this isn't a sexual fixation?"
"Forensics has already ruled out any sexual contact of any kind. No rectal bruising or tearing, no semen, his or the boys."
"Well, set up a meeting between me and Lucas Bridger and I'll be able to help you more," Parker said.
"Thanks, I'll do that," Frank replied.
"Be sure that he has a parent come too. He's a minor, I won't question him without a parent."
"Not a problem," Frank said and left the room to start making some phone calls.
_____________________
"Why is it in black and white?" Lucas asked.
"Because these were made before there was color in films," Nathan replied.
"You mean you were alive before they had color television?" Lucas was astounded.
"No," Nathan exclaimed. "I'm not that old, these were actually made before I was born, but as a kid I watched the reruns with my dad. He thought they were a riot."
"That doesn't say much for your father's taste in entertainment," Kristin smirked. She and Nathan had been going at it now for the past half an hour. It was all in good fun, and it had gotten Lucas to lighten up enough to actually finish most of his dinner and even some of his dessert.
"Yes, well we can't all be prim and proper all the time now can we?" Nathan joked back.
"I am not prim and proper all the time," Kristin replied.
Lucas rolled his eyes and laughed again. He focused on the tv and watched the show. Lucas watched as Larry, Moe, and Curly made beer in their bathtub in their apartment.
"Why are they making beer?" Lucas asked. "Why not just buy it at the store?"
"Because this was during prohibition," Nathan said. "All liquor was illegal during this time."
"Oh," Lucas said. "I remember reading about that." A minute later he asked another question. "Can you really make beer in the bathtub?"
"Lucas, stop analyzing it and just watch it," Nathan said.
"Okay!" Lucas replied. Lucas did as told and watched the show. Five minutes later he was holding his sides laughing. To Nathan and Kristin it was the sweetest sound they could hear.
Nathan stepped into his room and for a minute and when he came back he had with him a bag of chips and several Twinkies.
"Anyone want some snacks?" Nathan asked. "You can't watch the Stooges without having munchies."
"Cool," Lucas said, grabbing the chips and tearing the bag open.
Nathan had a seat between Lucas and Kristin on the sofa. He shared a smile with her before he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. They settled back to get comfortable and watch the show.
____________________
Agent Frank Cope was now talking to person number four in the UEO. He was learning just how difficult it was to get a hold of a UEO captain, especially when they are out to sea, especially one as esteemed as Nathan Bridger.
"This is General Thomas, How can I help you?"
"General, I am Agent Cope with the FBI. I am trying to get in contact with Captain Nathan Bridger of seaQuest. As you may or may not know a serial killer is stalking his son. I am the Agent in charge of the case involving three murdered teens that all look like Lucas Bridger. I need to speak with the Captain and with his son about this. I have a profiler who is assisting with the investigation and he can't do his job if he can't speak with the Bridgers."
"Give me your number where you can be reached and I'll contact Captain Bridger first thing in the morning and have him contact you."
"Thank you General. I appreciate the help. I really want to get this case solved before anymore murders happen."
"Of course. Good night Agent Cope."
Frank was surprised when the General severed the connection so suddenly. No matter, as long as he got to speak to the Captain in the morning. Frank decided to call it a night and go home. At the moment there was nothing more he could do.
_____________________
Lucas was getting sleepy. Even after sleeping earlier in med bay he was still tired. He let out a yawn. He figured they had been watching tv now for about two hours. Lucas decided he liked the Three Stooges. Dad was right. They were hysterical to watch. He really liked Curly. He was definitely the funniest.
"I bet Ben would like to see these," Lucas said, yawning again.
"Yeah, I bet he would," Nathan replied. "You should go get in pajamas. This way when it goes off you'll be all ready for bed"
"Okay," Lucas replied. He hurried into his room and whipped off his clothes and changed. He came back out just as quickly so he wouldn't miss too much of the show. He sat down again next to his Dad. Nathan raised an arm so Lucas could snuggle against him as he watched tv.
As Nathan suspected, Lucas began to fall asleep. For the first time in days Lucas was well fed, rested, and relaxed. Nathan knew if he told Lucas to go to bed the boy would resist for fear of having more nightmares, but hopefully he could get Lucas to fall asleep here in the sofa. Then he could put Lucas to bed without any fuss.
Kristin picked up the remote and lowered the volume on the tv a little to help Lucas nod off. Five minutes later Lucas was sound asleep, nestled next to Nathan.
"I guess we should put him to bed," Nathan said.
"I'll pull his blankets down," Kristin said.
A few minutes later Nathan was sitting on Lucas' bed next to him. He caressed the boy's cheek softly.
"Pleasant dreams son," Nathan said. He leaned down and gave him a quick kiss on his forehead. He looked up to see Darwin in the aqua tube next to Lucas' bed. "You'll keep watch over him won't you?" Nathan said to Darwin. Darwin seemed to understand the question as he nodded his head up and down.
Nathan stood up from the bed and walked out to Kristin who was waiting for him at the door. She encircled her arms around him and held on to him.
"You okay?" Nathan asked, returning her embrace.
"I'm fine," she said. "Nathan I want to do something."
"What?" he asked.
"I want to adopt Lucas," she said. "I mean...I know he considers me his mother, but I want to make it official."
"What brought this on?" Nathan asked.
"I don't know," she said. "It just suddenly hit me that I don't have any legal rights when it comes to Lucas. God forbid if something bad happened, I couldn't help him or protect him from a legal standing. I want to legally be his mother."
"I never looked at it from that perspective. I'll contact a lawyer tomorrow and get the process in motion. Lucas will be overjoyed."
"Let's not tell him just yet. I want to surprise him," she said.
"Good idea," Nathan said.
______________________
Nathan woke the next morning feeling refreshed. He smiled as he realized that Lucas didn't have any nightmares last night and they both slept peacefully. He got up and went to the bathroom to get dressed for the day. He had an early shift on the bridge.
He showered and dressed quickly. He stepped back into his room and woke Kristin with a kiss.
"Mmm, this is the best way to start the day," Kristin mumbled.
"Good morning to you too," Nathan said. "Did you sleep well?"
"Most definitely," she cooed. "After last night I was more than worn out enough to sleep well."
"Well, I'm glad I was able to be of service," Nathan teased.
"What about you? Did you get a good nights sleep?"
"Yes thank god. No nightmares last night. He actually slept the whole night through. He's still asleep."
"Good, his body needed it," Kristin said. "I was really worried about him yesterday. He was so tired and weak. I want to make sure he eats a wholesome breakfast this morning."
"Well, I wish I could stay and have breakfast with you two but I have to go."
"A Captain's work is never done," Kristin said and kissed him passionately. Nathan leaned into her and caressed her back with his one hand and tangled his other hand in her hair.
"I better go," Nathan murmured in her mouth, "or else I'm going to be late, very late."
"Have a good day," Kristin said, releasing her hold on him. "I'll see you later."
___________________
Nathan had only been on the bridge for an hour when Tim announced that he had a call from General Thomas.
"On screen," Nathan said.
"Good morning Nathan."
"Morning Frank," Nathan said. If Frank wasn't going to be formal than neither was he. "So what can I do for you today?"
"Actually, it's what I can do for you," General Thomas said. "I have the number here of an Agent Cope of the FBI. He has been trying to get in contact with you and Lucas to work on the case of the murdered boys. He has some profiler who needs to interview you and Lucas so he can start to figure out who this guy is."
"They can talk to me but not Lucas," Nathan said.
"I'm just going to give you the number so you can speak to them yourself and make what ever arrangements that need to be done. If you need to leave for a day or two it has already been cleared."
"Thanks," Nathan said. General Thomas gave him the number. After a quick good-bye Nathan motioned for the connection to be terminated and then he had Tim place the call to Agent Cope. A moment later he saw Agent Cope staring back at him.
"This is Agent Cope, may I help you?"
"I'm Captain Nathan Bridger. I was told you needed to speak with me."
"Ah, yes Captain. Actually, we need to speak with you, but more importantly we need to speak with your son. It's very important."
"Who is "we" exactly?" Nathan asked.
"Myself and our FBI Profiler, Parker Raines. He has a great deal of expertise in catching these types of criminals. It's his understanding that this man after your son probably knows him in some way. By interviewing him we are hoping to get some clues as to who the murderer is."
"Lucas has already spoken with several people. I'm not really ready to put him through anymore if it isn't necessary."
"I understand that, but we are trying to prevent this man from killing again. Mr. Raines really needs to interview your son. Lives may depend on it."
Nathan was torn. He wanted to protect Lucas, but he couldn't allow more children to die without doing everything in his power to prevent it.
"Fine, give me Mr. Raines' number. He can speak to Lucas, but only if I'm present."
"Actually Captain, Mr. Raines doesn't work that way. I'm afraid we need you to come to New York. He likes to interview in person, it helps him to do his job better."
"You want me to bring Lucas to New York where the man who is trying to kill him is currently located? Are you out of your mind?" Nathan exclaimed. He heard the other crew members on the bridge mumbling the same sentiments.
"Captain, I can assure you that you will both be protected. FBI agents will meet you at the airport, fly with you to New York, and then personally escort you to our offices. You'll spend the night in a safe house and then tomorrow fly back to your submarine. You'll be in and out before anyone is the wiser."
"No," Nathan said simply. "Mr. Raines can speak to Lucas over the vid-phone or not at all."
"Captain, please, be reasonable," Agent Cope said. "I know you want to keep your boy safe, but I'm trying to protect a million boys who might end up being this guys next victim. We can catch this guy and end your son's nightmare, but only if you help us. Your son is the key to all of this…we just have to figure out how?"
Nathan didn't like this one bit. "Agent Cope, I'm going to discuss your plan with my family, and then I will let you know what we decide. I'll be in touch."
Nathan signaled for Tim to cut the transmission. He had a seat in his chair going over the conversation he had just had.
"Sir, you're not going to go to New York are you?" Katie asked.
"I don't want to, but I don't want more kids to die either. If this Parker Raines is as good as this guy says he is…I need to talk to Kristin and Lucas. Commander Hitchcock you have the bridge."
"Aye sir," she replied.
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Lucas was waiting for Ben when he got back from his supply run. He had ordered a bunch of new games and was dying to get his hands on them. Right now mindless entertainment was what he needed. He couldn't stay focused on anything long enough to actually work in the labs or on the Stinger.
"Hey kid, give me a minute will ya, I just stepped off the launch," Ben protested in good fun.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Did they come?" Lucas asked.
"Did what come?" Ben teased.
"Ben!" Lucas exclaimed. "Did they come or not?"
"My, aren't we in a touchy mood today. What's the big hurry? You should slow down, chill out a bit. How about helping me to unpack all of this stuff?"
"BEN!" Lucas yelled.
"Okay already. Yes, they came," Ben replied. "Give me a second to get them." Ben started shifting around the packages looking for Lucas'.
"Oh, here, give this to your Mom. It looks like a wedding present. It's from Tiffany's. Must be expensive," Ben said, handing the package over to Lucas.
"Yeah, no problem," Lucas said.
"Here ya go," Ben said. He handed Lucas his box from Media Central.
"Cool," Lucas said. "What are you doing tonight?"
"Nothing, why?" Ben asked.
"You have to come over and watch the Three Stooges," Lucas told him. "They're a lot like you."
"Hey, I resent that remark. For your information I happen to know who the Stooges are and I am not like them."
"Yeah, if you say so," Lucas grinned. "So does that mean you won't come over and watch them?"
"I didn't say that," Ben replied. "I happen to like the Stooges. Especially Curly."
"He's my favorite too. Well, I gotta go," Lucas said.
"Don't forget to give that to your Mom," Ben reminded.
"I won't." Lucas took off walking for the lab where Mom was.
_______________
Lawrence looked at his watch. He knew where seaQuest was and he knew what time it was. For the first time in a while they were actually in the same time zone. The dear doctor should be receiving her wedding present any moment now. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine her reaction to his gift.
_________________
"Mom!" Lucas yelled as he entered the lab.
"What?" she asked. "And don't yell."
"You have a package…from Tiffany's."
"Oh my," Kristin said. "I wonder what it is."
"Ben said it was a wedding present," Lucas said.
"I wonder from who? Nathan and I didn't even bother to register. We really don't need anything," she said.
"Well open it and we can see what it is," Lucas said.
"We should get your father, after all, he is getting married too," she smiled.
"Get me for what?" Nathan asked, catching the tail end of their conversation. He had come to talk to them about Agent Cope and the profiler.
"We seem to have received out first wedding present," Kristin said holding the box up for him to see. "Unless you bought me something from Tiffany's."
"Sorry, but it's not from me," Nathan said.
Kristin opened the shipping box and removed the fancy gift box inside. Then she opened that one and saw a card and a black velvet jewelry box inside, the kind that expensive necklaces came in. She opened the card to read it aloud.
"Here is a little something blue for you to wear at your wedding," she said. "That's odd, who ever sent it forgot to sign it."
Kristin picked up the necklace box and began to open it. Nathan suddenly wanted to stop her from opening it. The words she had just spoken rang in his head. 'Who ever sent it forgot to sign it.' Before he could tell her to stop it was to late. Kristin opened the case and screamed. The case and its contents fell to the floor.
Nathan and Lucas both looked as two bloody blue eyes fell onto the floor and rolled for several inches before they stopped.
Nathan immediately went in to action and grabbed both Kristin and Lucas and dragged them from the room. Kristin was crying and clutching on to Nathan while Lucas seemed to be in shock from the sight. The boy hadn't said or done anything except let Nathan lead him into the corridor.
"Captain! What's happened?" Levin asked as he came running up to them along with a nurse.
"We need to get these two to med bay," Nathan said.
"Are they hurt?" Levin asked.
"No, just…just…" Nathan didn't know what to say. "They were frightened by something," he finally stated.
Levin looked confused but he said fine and then took hold of Lucas' arm and led him to med bay while Nathan helped Kristin who was still crying softly into his shoulder. Once in med bay Nathan sat Kristin down on a bed and tried to calm her down. He didn't know what was worse, Kristin's crying or Lucas' stone face. The boy still hadn't said anything.
Nathan pulled out his PAL and called for a security team to the med bay.
"Kristin, it's okay," Nathan said.
"Oh my god, it was eyes. He mailed me those boys eyes."
'Shh," Nathan said. "Sweetheart, I want you to lay back and rest."
"I don't need to rest, I'm okay," she said.
"Please don't argue with me," Nathan said.
"Kristin, take these," Dr. Levin ordered, handing her two small pills and a glass of water.
"I don't…"
"Kristin, please, just take them, all right," Nathan asked.
She looked at him and nodded her head. She took the sedatives and laid back. Nathan stayed with her and held her hand as she slowly calmed down and her tears subsided. All the while he tried to keep an eye on Lucas.
He saw Dr. Levin listen to the boy's heart and take his blood pressure. Several times the doctor spoke with him but he didn't answer.
"Lucas, you have to talk to me," Dr. Levin said. "Lucas, do you hear me?"
Nathan felt a shiver go up his spine as he looked at Lucas. The boy's current state reminded him of when he had been catatonic for two weeks.
"Kristin, I'm not leaving, I'm just going to go to Lucas on the other bed," Nathan said, letting go of her hand.
He hurried over to Lucas and placed his hands on Lucas' shoulders. "Lucas, it's Dad, come on son, you're worrying a lot of people here," he coaxed. He waited for a reaction from Lucas but he didn't get one. "Lucas," Nathan tried again, tapping at the boy's face lightly. There was still no reaction.
Nathan did something he said he would never consciously do on purpose. He slapped Lucas across the face. In the next instant Lucas' hand shot up in a defensive motion and he looked at his Dad.
"D-Dad?" Lucas said. The boy had a look of total confusion on his face.
Nathan quickly pulled the boy in to a hug and held him tight. For a second he had been really afraid by Lucas' lack of reaction. It had brought back a lot of feelings he had worked hard to suppress.
Nathan was still holding Lucas when Chief Crocker walked into the med bay.
"What's wrong Cap?"
"Chief, I need you to have someone go in the lab two doors down and collect the evidence in the floor. This person mailed something to Kristin and it needs to be sent to the proper authorities."
"What is it?" Crocker asked.
"Eyes," Nathan replied. "I'm assuming it's the eyes he removed from the two boys he murdered." Nathan felt Lucas tense up in his arms at the mention of the dead boys and he quickly stroked the boy's hair and rocked him gently to calm him down.
"My Lord," Crocker gasped. He looked over at Kristin in the bed. "Is everyone okay?"
"We will be," Nathan replied simply.
Crocker nodded and then motioned for his two men to follow him and get to work
"Dad, we have to stop this. I mean it. I don't even care anymore about what happens to me, just so long as we stop this."
Nathan nodded. Lucas was right. This did have to stop, for his sake. Everything that was happening was chipping away slowly at the boy's sanity. How much more could he really go through before he had a full scale mental breakdown?
"Lucas, we are going to go to New York. The FBI needs to talk to you. There is a man, a profiler who wants you to help him figure out who this person might be. We'll only be there for a day and we will have FBI protection the entire time we are there. Hopefully this profiler can put the pieces together to stop him before another kid is murdered."
"Okay," Lucas said. "When do we go?"
"Right now I want you to get some rest. I'm going to stay with you and Kristin while you do. Then I'll call Agent Cope and let him know that we agree to come so he can make the arrangements. Are you sure you're okay with this. If not I'm sure you can talk to the profiler over the vid-phone."
"I'm okay with it," Lucas said. "Anything. I'll do anything to help stop this…this…psycho." Lucas suddenly buried his face in Nathan's chest as his emotions threatened to overtake him but he managed to pull it together and force the fear to stay down. Once he was back under control he looked at Mom in the bed now asleep.
"Is Mom okay?" Lucas asked.
"She's sleeping," Nathan said. "She was upset but I think she will be okay when she wakes up."
"I want to get this guy," Lucas said again.
"I know," Nathan said, "and we will. Now lay back." Nathan guided Lucas back on the bed.
"You're going to stay, right?" Lucas asked, squeezing Nathan's hand tightly.
"I'll be right here."
__________________
Several hours later Agent Cope sat at his desk and grinned. Perfect, Bridger and his son were coming. He'd make sure they had protection, but not too much protection once they went to the safe house tomorrow night.
He wanted to solve this case, and solve it now. He knew the best way to do that would be to apprehend the man responsible for these crimes while he was attempting to kill the Bridger kid. Catching the criminal with his hand in the cookie jar would allow the Agent to set up an iron clad case against him, ensuring a conviction.
Thank god they had agreed to come. Parker Raines really hadn't needed to talk to Lucas in person, but it was the best reason he could think of to get the bait for his trap to come to New York. Now he just had to wait until tomorrow when he was sure they were on the plane to New York to allow the story to leak to the press.
Any good reporter worth a grain of salt would only be to happy to spill the beans that Captain Bridger and the main victim in this case, Lucas Bridger, where currently in town to help the FBI to track and catch the child murderer.
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Lawrence double checked the items in his backpack. He could barely wait for the cover of darkness. He was going out again tonight, much to Ace's chagrin. He was starting to wonder if he had really needed Ace. The man was just a little disturbed by Lawrence's nighttime activities. He knew Ace would never turn him in to the cops, but still. Maybe Ace wasn't the right person to help him when they went to England in a few days to start staking out the church and grounds.
Then again, he didn't really have time to find a new partner now and getting Lucas away from his security in England was without a doubt going to be a two person job.
Oh well, he'd have to worry about that later. He needed to keep his mind focused on what he was going to do tonight. It was time to punish Lucas once again.