Notes: I'm taking a break from scriptwriting to play in someone else's sandbox for a while. It's been a challenge getting back into fan fiction, as a screenplay is written in a different format and tense. But it's been a fun challenge. I may even take this final draft apart and write it in script format as a fun little exercise.

I've researched as much of the medical terms, and military jargon in this story as I could. If they're wrong, please let me know and I will correct. I'm certainly no doctor or submariner.

I'm not sure if I have the characterizations correct, as I've never written in this universe before, but I welcome constructive feedback. For without it, one cannot better themselves. This fandom is pretty old, so there may not be anyone reading anymore, but this was fun to write, regardless.

This has been beta'd by author mal4prez. If you like Firefly, check out her fic, its some of the best.

Takes place just before the season 1 ending episode, 'Higher Power' or 'An Ocean on Fire', if you saw the original broadcast.

Synopsis: The year long tour is almost over. Some are moving on, some are staying. One little stop to collect samples before going upworld turns into a race against time to discover why Darwin, along with the rest of the ocean's sea life, has suddenly turned hostile and crazy.

Prelude to Disaster

Teaser

Captain Nathan Bridger walked slowly, reflectively down a narrow hallway as the seaQuest sailed through calm waters on its way to dry dock. His first tour of duty in years had nearly come to an end in what he considered the blink of an eye. He couldn't help feel a bit down about it.

He stopped suddenly, touched the wall, and smiled. Above him, the water-filled access tubes his dolphin Darwin routinely used sparkled with fresh sea water.

"It's been a year already," Nathan said to himself. "Boy, does time fly."

"Truer words have never been spoken."

Nathan turned to see Dr. Kristin Westphalen approach. Clad in the light blues of the boat's science contingent and wearing a white lab coat, she looked every bit the professional scientist and friend she had come to be over the last year. She stopped at his shoulder and smiled warmly at him

"Talking to yourself, again, captain?" Her eyes twinkled, a look he knew all too well when she was teasing. "You know it's not good for the chief physician to witness such a thing. I might feel obligated to submit you to a few tests."

Nathan chuckled. There was no fear in his eyes, despite his very well known distaste for any sort of medical treatment. It wasn't surprising, his wife and son had died and there was nothing the medical community could do to prevent it. "You wouldn't."

Kristin cocked her head, pursed her lips, as if truly considering an answer. "Well, it wouldn't do for the Captain to loose his mind so close to the end of a tour."

Nathan opened his mouth to retort but instead took a step closer, into Kristin's space. He leaned down and briefly considered kissing her, but propriety won out. He simply lowered his voice instead. "You're the cause of many a man losing his mind, no doubt."

Kristin chuckled, the lines around her eyes crinkling with a smile. Not for the first time in his life did he wish he could read a woman's mind. He resisted the urge to touch her face, to pull her to him in a kiss. That would have to wait. Wait until dinner, until they were alone, until he could ask her properly. Such a public display between the two during a tour would be highly frowned upon by the brass. Even though, technically, she was a civilian scientist, she still reported to the UEO – and so did he.

Before either of them could say another thing, Lucas bounded around the corner. The boy was wearing clothes too large for his lanky body and his blond hair fell over his eyes in a fashion that Nathan wished was not commonplace for teens nowadays.

"Oh, Captain, I've been looking for you!"

Bridger reluctantly took a step back, as did Kristin. He turned a wide grin on Lucas and extended his arms. "Well, you found me."

"Can I go with you to collect the samples today?"

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "It isn't really anything that important, Lucas."

Lucas shrugged. "I know. Just wanted to go out one more time before the end."

Nathan placed an arm around Lucas' shoulders. "Life isn't ending, Lucas. The tour is."

"And everyone is going to be leaving." Lucas sounded down about it all.

Nathan lifted his eyes to meet Kristin's. They shared a sympathetic look. He hadn't even gotten around to asking her if she would be signing on for another tour. And he knew why. He was afraid of her answer.

"Well, we're not leaving, kiddo. We'll be back next tour." He gaze was directed at Lucas now, but he knew he'd said the words for Kristin's benefit.

Hope swam in Lucas' blue eyes. "You mean, I can come back?"

Nathan drew Lucas down the corridor. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Lucas stood with Kristin on the sea deck, watching the monitor in front of them. The water in the moon pool behind them lapped gently at its walls. Nathan and Darwin were out collecting the last samples of their tour and the camera attached to Darwin's aqua-lung breather documented the location in greater detail.

"I wanted to go," Lucas pouted while his eyes scanned the monitor.

"Oh, Lucas, there will be other dives."

"I know."

Kristin turned to him, suspicious. "Is there another reason you wanted to go?"

"To get out of these confining walls for a bit?"

Kristin smiled kindly. "I'm sure there was more to the request than that."

Lucas continued to watch the monitor and Kristin could see the longing in his eyes. They'd all become close over the last year, but none more close than Lucas and Nathan. She had a suspicious feeling that Lucas just wanted to spend some time alone with the captain.

"You know, I think he wants to take you to his island for the summer. Show you around." Kristin had to admit she was a little jealous that Nathan had spoken so openly about his plans where Lucas was concerned. If she could only get him to open up about his plans where she was concerned, it would make her choices a bit easier.

Lucas' eyes widened. "Really?"

"He's mentioned it a few times." She was relieved to see his mood seem to lift.

Lucas frowned. "Not to me."

Kristin touched the teen's wrist where it lay on the counter. "Perhaps he wanted it to be a surprise." And she hoped that she hadn't just ruined it. But Nathan would understand her desire to cheer up the troubled teen.

The radio crackled and Nathan's voice came through it loud and clear.

"Almost done. Just have one more sample to collect."

They could see the captain swimming at the bottom of a small reef teeming with sea life. Every so often they could see something a bit larger swim in and out of the corner of the camera view, but dismissed it as curious critters coming to investigate this stranger in their midst.

Kristin reached forward and touched the comm. "Don't overdue it now, Nathan. You don't want to give my team too much work to do before we dock. It simply wouldn't be fair considering that all your people have to do is set the ship on auto to take us home."

She found herself smiling when he laughed and watched the monitor to see him pushing the last of the samples into a container. She could see Lucas watching her out of the corner of her eyes but didn't turn to him. It would do no good to have the youngest person on the boat figure out something was going on between the captain and the chief medical officer. Even if there wasn't much of anything going on – yet.

The picture suddenly slid away from Bridger and his collection and moved toward the open ocean. A few little aquatic critters swam by the camera and Kristin squinted at the screen.

Lucas reached forward and tapped it. "Wonder what happened?"

Kristin touched the control pad again and spoke into the receiver. "Nathan? Something wrong? Or is Darwin trying to give us a hint that he's ready to come back?"

All they could hear on the other end was static.

The smile faded from her lips as Kristin repeated, "Nathan?"

Lucas went to the moon pool and grabbed the vocoder he used to communicate with Darwin; a device he'd designed himself. He tapped a few buttons and spoke into it. "Darwin, we can't see the captain. Turn around and –"

The camera view swirled in front of them more erratic than before. They could see flailing arms and the captain's containers all floating to the bottom of the sea.

Kristin pushed another button. "Bridge, this is Doctor Westphalen, come in please."

Commander Ford's voice echoed around them. "Bridge. What is it, Doctor?"

But it was Lucas who answered. "Something's going on with the captain. He's not responding and neither is Darwin."

Kristin could hear Communications Officer O'Neill speak immediately. "I'm getting some strange interference from the sonar."

"Track it," Kristin heard Ford say. There was no hesitation in the crisp voice.

Just then, Nathan's voice came over Kristin's receiver. The tone was full of surprise – and fear. And it was breaking up. "Darwin, no, wait, don't –"

Kristin tapped the console, eyes wide with worry. "Nathan? What's going on down there?"

The camera attached to Darwin's aqua lung caught sight of a few rocks falling from the reef above the captain. But the view wasn't steady. It was erratic. Something was agitating Darwin.

The last view they saw before the camera flicked off was a few of the dislodged rocks striking the captain. His body jerked in surprise and then went still.

A look of horror passed Kristin's face. "Oh my god."

Lucas screamed into the translator. "Darwin! Bring him back! Bring him back!"

TBC