Lucas Wolenzcak groaned at his computer. He had only been working for three hours, but the figures just kept blurring when he tried to focus on them. He promised Captain Bridger he would it done by tomorrow afternoon, but now, he wasn't sure it would happen.

He bumped up the volume on his music player and tried again. The beat of the music pounded in his ears loudly. Normally, this was the key for the young computer genius. This time, however, it just didn't work as well as it normally did.

Lucas shoved away from his computer and checked the time. "I'll just go to bed." It was only an hour past his doctor ordered bedtime, but he felt groggy and oddly disconnected. After pushing a pile of clothes off his bunk, Lucas crawled in. He adjusted the music's volume to a step just below a jet engine's volume and drifted off to sleep.

Lucas only woke up when a smiling Captain Bridger pulled an earbud free, even then, it was barely. "Hfmulg" he muttered.

"Want to try that again Kiddo?"

"Wh...what?" He started to pull out the other bud but paused. "Oh sorry, Captain. Is something wrong?"

"I was about to ask you that same thing. You missed my meeting." Nathan sat on the bed. "How late did you stay up working on the new program?"

Lucas shook his head as he yawned. "Not late at all."

"The truth, Lucas, I won't tell Kristin."

"No, I mean it. I don't think it was even midnight." He blinked to clear his blue eyes and reached for his music player. His thumb drifted to the pause button but stopped when he was able to process what Nathan said. "Wait, I missed your meeting? What time is it?"

"After one." The captain's amused face turned into one of concern. He laid his palm on Lucas' forehead. "You aren't getting sick, are you Kiddo? I know we've been working you pretty hard."

Lucas shook his head, "no, I don't think so. I just feel tired... And weird."

Nathan laughed, "well, why don't you take the day off. The program can wait. And if you still feel 'weird' tomorrow, go see Kristin."

The older man was surprised when Lucas nodded, "ok, I will."

"Yes, uh... good." He handed the earbud back to him. "Go back to sleep."

Lucas popped it into his ear and his head dropped on the pillow. He was asleep again before Captain Bridger could even get off the bed.

For the third time in an hour, Kristin caught Lucas staring off into space. His hand was half raised between the sample of whale's blood he was suppose to be examining though the microscope and his face. She finally reached around him and slipped a thermometer in his slack mouth, and pulled one of his earbuds out in one smooth motion.

"Hemph!" He said in protest, reaching to pull it out.

"Leave it in." His hand dropped but he scowled in her direction. "Nathan told me you weren't feeling well. I'm doing my job."

"Trather."

Kristin chuckled, "he is not a traitor, he's worried about you."

"Ih fee fou!" The thermometer beeped and Kristin pulled it out. Lucas repeated himself, "I feel fine. Just tired."

"Have you been sleeping?"

"Yes, a lot actually." He said defensively.

She pursed her lips, "you don't have a high temperature. Open your mouth, say ah." He scowled again, but still obeyed. "It looks fine in there as well."

"If you're done, Doc, I need to meet with Captain Bridger. I missed his meeting yesterday, and I need to update him on the programming for the WSKR's." He smirked at her to lessen his blow off.

Kristin sighed, "fine, go to the bridge." Lucas pushed the loose earbud in and jogged away.

Several minutes later, Kristin's PAL chirped at her. "Doctor, could you come to the bridge please?"

"Of course Jonathan, is there anything wrong?"

"We aren't sure, Lucas just showed up... and he's just standing here, not moving. We tried talking to him but he doesn't respond."

"I'm on my way, call Nathan."

"Yes, ma'am"

Kristin raced to the bridge, joined by Nathan as she came to the clam shell doors. Lucas was standing in the middle of the large room with the same slack jawed expression he wore in the science lab. The bridge crew milled around him uncertainly, they parted for the ship's doctor and captain. Kristin approached him warily, "Lucas? Lucas, look at me." His head slowly turned in her direction. She reached out and gently pulled both earbuds free. "Lucas what are you doing?"

"I came to the bridge..." He trailed off and looked confused.

"Yes, I see that, what about after that?"

He furrowed his brow tightly, "I... I don't know. What was I doing?"

"Why don't we take Lucas to medbay so we talk to him further." Nathan suggested softly, noting that the entire bridge crew was staring at them.

Kristin nodded, "Come on."

"What?" He shook his head a few times, as if he was clearing it.

"Come to the medbay with us." She repeated. Lucas fell in step behind her without a sound.

"Sit." Kristin told him, pointing to a bed, when they reached the medbay. Lucas dropped onto the bed, looking blank again. Captain Bridger looked on with concern. There was definitely something wrong with the boy.

He heard the music still streaming from the hanging earbuds and he pulled on one to take the music player from Lucas' pocket. "No!" Lucas made a wild grab at the wires.

Nathan blinked at him in shock, "I just want to turn it off."

"No, you can't... it... it has to stay on."

"Lucas," Nathan ordered sternly, "give me the player." The teen reached into his pocket and handed the small device to his captain. The adults were very surprised to see his hand shaking as he did so. Nathan took it and looked at the screen, he paused it. "What is this?" The screen said the words Imagination Control. "I've never heard them, where did you get this album?"

"I... uh... I don't remember."

Nathan sighed and rubbed his forehead. "What have I told you about downloading music, without paying for it, while you are on my ship?" He fought the urge to yell.

"No, I haven't done that in months, Captain. I get a lot of stuff free. I just don't remember who sent me this one." Lucas argued, his blue eyes sparking angrily.

Kristin interceded before it could turn into a fight. "What do you mean, you get it for free?"

Lucas sighed, "since the thing with Secretary General Dre, people started talking about the music I was making. A few music companies found out; they send me albums to pull apart digitally and I look for any problems in the data. When I finish, I send the cleaned up files back. It results in clearer sounding songs. They pay me in music." He shrugged, "it only takes a few hours per album and it doesn't interrupt my other work."

"When did you get this one?" Nathan asked, scrolling through the songs.

"Um, not sure. I know I put on the player a couple of days ago though."

"Can you find out where you got it?" Kristin requested.

Lucas shrugged again, "I can look, but I probably deleted the file already. Why?"

"You, somehow, you forget that you are a computer genius, young man." Kristin told him with irritation. "You can dig through that computer of your's and find the file."

"Since I am such a genius, I wipe my old files completely. I designed the program, if I deleted, it's gone." He fought to keep the irritation out of his own voice. "You didn't tell me why it matters."

"Because, Lucas," Nathan broke in, now he was trying to stop a fight. "You started acting differently a couple days ago, the same time you started listening to this music." He waved the player at him.

"You just don't like my music." Lucas shot back.

"No that's not true... well, it is true, but this could be a serious problem." Nathan countered. "If some one put subliminal messages in this music, and sent it to you, they could be trying to do something to the ship."

Lucas sighed, "that doesn't actually work. No one hides 'Worship Satan' in a song backwards... well, unless they want to freak out the parents. But it can't make you do anything."

"Did you analyze this one?" Kristin asked.

"No... I don't think so. I don't remember checking it. They don't care if I run the payment music through the program, just the new stuff."

"Maybe you should." Nathan suggested softly.

Lucas sighed in frustration and reached for his music player, "fine. I'll do it."

"No, go get your computer. You can do it here." Kristen told him. Lucas turned without a word and left the medbay.

"Has he argued with you today? Or give you any sarcasm?" Nathan asked thoughtfully looking at the music player.

Kristin hesitated, "not nearly as much as he normally does." She turned to him fully. "He would start to, but when I told him to do something, anything... he just did it."

"That's not like him."

"No, no it is not."

Nathan started scrolling though the songs on the player again, "who got into your brain Kiddo?"

Several minutes later, Lucas came back with his laptop and cords. "Is that everything you need?" Nathan asked him, seeing the same blank expression again.

"Hm?"

"Lucas, do you need anything else to run the program?" Nathan tried again.

Lucas paused and set down his computer. "What program?"

Kristin sighed, "oh dear."

"Oh! Hey, my player. I've been looking for this." Lucas tried to pull the device from Nathan's hand.

Nathan shook his head and stepped back so he was out of the teen's reach. "You can't Kiddo. Remember?"

"Why not?" There was anger sparking in Lucas' eyes again.

"Because, you need to run your bug program on it. Um, the music producers asked me to tell you." Nathan fibbed.

Lucas nodded, "oh, they sent something to you? Ok, it shouldn't take long." He started up his laptop and plugged the cord. Nathan hooked up the player, making sure Lucas didn't touch it. The young man then opened a program and sat down to work.

Kristin and Nathan watched his fingers fly across the keyboard. It was always amazing to them when Lucas worked on a computer. He was like an artist working on a masterpiece, effortlessly creating something new and stunning. "Ok," he said, his typing slowing. "I just need to let it go, the results should be up in about an hour. Then I can look for any issues in the data." He fidgeted with the desk. "I just wish I could listen while it's working."

"No, I don't want you listening to anything until we get this figured out." Nathan said, shaking his head.

"Figure what out?"

Nathan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "If there are any problems with the music."

"Oh, right."

Kristin interceded. "Why don't you go play with Darwin, it will get your mind off of this for a spell." Lucas blinked at her in confusion. She cleared her throat, "Lucas, um, go play with Darwin... for one hour. Come back when you are done."

He nodded once and walked towards the moon pool. "This could be useful actually." Nathan said with a smirk.

"Nathan Bridger! Don't you dare even think about leaving that poor boy hypnotized or whatever this is!" She snapped back.

He held up a surrendering palm, "no, no of course not. Just... thinking out loud..." Nathan flushed under the doctor's angry stare. "I swear, just thinking."