Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Seaquest, so please don't sue.

Author's note: This is my first shot at writing a Seaquest fan fiction and English is not my first language, so bear with me. Any reviews, ideas on how to improve the story is very much welcomed:o)

At first, when Wendy opened her eyes, she didn't know where she was. She stared up at the ceiling, and realized she was lying in a bed in a small alcove. Then memories from the day before came washing over her. She had arrived at SeaQuest yesterday, hired as the new CMO. Small butterflies stirred inside of her as she wondered what her new life onboard the submarine would be like.

She turned over to the side and looked at what was going to be her new home. It was a small room, sparsely furnished with only a desk and a chair, but still more luxurious than she had expected.

"Well, I guess I get to put my own stamp on it. It could really use some flowers to start with," she thought.

She got up out of the bed and started to get ready for the day.

All the science personnel had gathered by the moon pool on Sea deck. Most of the crew had been working on the original SeaQuest, and Wendy could sense a wide spectra of feelings in the air. From happy to see old friends, to an excruciating nervousness.

"As if I didn't have enough of my own," she thought.

Wendy noticed that when she had called out all the names and looked over the papers that the head of the science team, Ecco Dantori, was missing.

"What a strange name," she thought as she couldn't derive it from any particular language.

"Do you know where Ecco Dantori is?" she asked a blonde woman, who had identified herself as Marie before.

Even though she tried her best to hide it, everyone could see the wide smile on the woman's face at the mention of Ecco. It struck Wendy that Marie was in love with this person.

The girl then said that she didn't know where he was or could be found.

"So it's a he," Wendy thought.

When she was done at the moon pool, Wendy had been summoned to meet the Captain himself in the Ward room. Captain Nathan Bridger.

Going through what seemed almost endless hallways and corridors, it didn't take long until she realized she was lost.

The hallway was completely empty. To her right was a big double door, and something inside her told her that there were people behind that door. People she could ask for directions.

She knocked lightly on the door, and though she knew she could trust her instincts, it always came as a surprise when things turned just as the "voice" inside her had told.

"Come in," a voice came from behind the door.

She entered and saw a man sitting on the table. He was about 50 something and very casually dressed in a grey hooded sweater.

In the corner of her eye, Wendy noticed another man sitting down at the table, but for some reason her eyes hesitated to go there. There was some strange and undefinable vibes in the room, and she felt that they were coming from that man.

"Hi, I'm sorry to barge in on you like this, but could you tell me where I can find Captain Bridger?"

"Bridger? He's me," the man in the sweater answered and pointed at himself.

"You must be… Doctor Smith?" he asked after pressing some buttons on the computer.

She nodded.

"Come in. Doctor Smith, this is our head of science, Ecco Dantori. Since you're both part of the science team, I suspect you two will work closely together."

The man stood up and Wendy, almost unintentionally, locked eyes with him. The emotions that came over her were overwhelming. There was something ancient and powerful about him. His eyes were dark, shining blue. She had never seen such eyes before; it was like looking down in the deepest abyss in the deepest of oceans. His hair was short and sooty black and the face was exquisitely beautiful. He looked human, but didn't feel human.

"Who are you?" she spontaneously thought.

"I'm Ecco. Nice to meet you doctor Smith."

She could hear the words in her head as clearly as if he had spoken out loud. That amazed her, "talking" like this you never heard any actual words, but just intuitively knew what the other person was saying. And if you did hear any words, it was because both people were highly concentrated, almost in a trance. He must have incredibly strong telepathic powers for her to hear him so easily.

"You're a telepath," she thought, still lost in his eyes.

"So are you," he thought back.

"E-herm," Bridger discreetly broke the link between them.

Ecco turned to him and smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry, but Doctor Smith is an empath."

"Oh, another one." Bridger smiled.

"It was nice meeting you doctor Smith. I look forward to talking with you some more."

"So do I."

Ecco left and the room seemed to lose its strange glow.

"Who is he?" Wendy asked Captain Bridger.

"Ecco? I honestly don't know."

"He is not of this earth," she whispered faintly, still looking at the door through which he had left.

"Shall we continue with the interview perhaps? Please, be seated."

The sound of Bridger's voice snapped her back to reality.

"Oh, yes of course." She took place in the chair opposite of him.

"So, you can read minds?" Bridger started.

"Well, not exactly. I don't know what you're thinking, if that's what you're afraid of," she smiled. "Thoughts themselves are dead, and irrational. It is your mood, feelings you have, that we sense."

"Must be very interesting to have it like that?"

"No" she answered shortly "It's a gift I'd rather not have. To sense what other people feel, their fears, longings, every emotion you could think of, that's a heavy burden."

"I see," Bridger contemplated this for a while.

They left the subject, and continued with the interview.

Wendy was back at her quarters, when the call came that she was needed in Med Bay.

"Already?" she thought.

Her inside was still in turmoil after meeting this mysterious Ecco person. She wanted to see him again to see if her eyes had not deceived her. Maybe he wasn't real at all but a figure of her mind. She hoped that it wasn't so.

As she arrived to Med Bay she saw that Captain Bridger was already there, and alongside of him was a man she earlier had been introduced to as Commander Jonathan Ford. Lying on a bed was a man she did not recognize.

"Doctor Smith, this is Lieutenant Jim Brody. Would you like to check if he's alright?" Bridger said

"Certainly," she said and started to make the necessary preparations.

"What happened to you?" she asked the Lieutenant.

"I was at the GELF colony, when the GELFs started to rebel and take hostages" he answered.

"Were there any casualties?" Bridger asked.

"I had to get out of there pretty fast, sir."

"But the GELF population has lived peacefully ever since they were first created." Wendy heard herself say. She couldn't believe that the GELFs so suddenly changed their ways.

"Not for the past six months or so. Things have been changing around there. I don't know…subtle things. It's hard to describe."

"But they're artists and dancers," Wendy protested.

"They were bread to be warriors"

Wendy concentrated on the computer, checking the vital signs of Brody. They were fine; he was going to be ok.

Suddenly she realized that Bridger had left. As she reached out over Brody to get the blood pressure cuff, a wave of emotions came from him. Some people were just easier to read than others, and sometimes it felt as if the feelings practically pounced her and she couldn't do anything to stop it. Brody was one of those people. Wendy felt his attraction to her, something that made her feel very uncomfortable. She could sense his self confidence and the sexual undertones, and that it was directed to her, in what he was thinking.

"So, what's the prognosis? Will I live?"

Wendy looked into his eyes.

"Not long enough for what you're thinking," she said and left the room. She was certain that the Lieutenant had understood what she was referring to.

Wendy was busy working on Sea deck when she heard someone come through the doors.

When she looked up she saw that it was Ecco.

"Hi," he said. "I'm sorry for not being at the meeting earlier."

"That's ok," she smiled.

There was a splash from the moon pool and Wendy saw a man trying to lift up a refuse container.

"A little help over here?" he said.

They helped him with it and he jumped out of the moon pool.

He reached out his hand to Ecco.

"Seaman Anthony Piccolo at your service."

"My name is Ecco and I'm sorry," he said. "But I don't shake hands"

"Why?" Piccolo asked

"I'm a psychic; I get too many impulses that way."

Tony looked at Wendy in disbelief.

"What about you?" he said.

"I'm Wendy, and I'm a psychic too"

Tony's eyes opened wide in disbelief.

"Where did you find this?" she asked about the refuse container.

"Outside."

"Outside? In the ocean?"

"Yep."

Then Wendy noticed that Tony in fact had gills. He smiled at her surprised look.

"Yeah, people usually react that way."

Captain Bridger came in and alongside of him was Commander Ford and Ortiz.

Ortiz immediately started to scan the container with a sensor.

"Nothing," he said after a few seconds. "No readings of any kind of electronics or explosives. Beyond that…"

Then they heard a baby cry.

"Oh my God, get it open!" Wendy said.

They opened it and to her amazement she saw a GELF baby.

"Hey there."

"A GELF baby?" Ortiz said in disbelief.

"And they aren't supposed to be able to reproduce." Bridger said

"Well, it sure looks like the real thing to me," she said and gently lifted the baby up.

"If this is their baby, it means they are becoming human."

"Doctor Smith, take the baby to Med bay to see if it's alright. I'll send Dagwood over," Bridger said.

"Busy day, huh?" a voice came from behind her. Wendy was pleased to see that it was Ecco. Dagwood had just left Med Bay and the baby was in safe custody of Lucas.

"Indeed. I'll be happy when this is all over. First day of SeaQuest and all of this happens, it makes you wonder what the rest of the tour has got installed for us. I'm sorry, I'm just rambling," she smiled apologetically.

"No, no rambling is good," he smiled back.

Ecco looked searchingly at her. She felt him reading her like an open book and tried her best to feel neutral. She did not want him to know what effect he had on her.

"Are you reading me?" she asked though she very well knew the answer.

"Oh, I'm sorry," now it was his turn to apologize "Sometimes I just can't help myself, it just comes naturally, you know."

"Yeah, I do know," she said "What did you feel?"

"You are tired… All these emotions and a new place have worn you out, you need some rest," he said.

"Well, you don't need to be a psychic to figure that out" she laughed.

"I noticed that you tried to put up a wall, so I didn't go any deeper."

"You could have broke through that wall so easy as if it was made of spider web"

"Maybe… But it's more fun to get to know you slowly," he smiled and then left Med bay and for the second time that day she wondered who Ecco really was.