The "Whale song" is keeping me awake.
Ever wonder why on the episode "Whale song" when Lucas comes to the bridge, Bridger says" I thought you were in your room." to Lucas? Then after he blows up the bad man's sub he says "You better get some sleep." to Lucas. I wondered about this and this story is what I came up with. The parts that look like a play are taken directly from the episode.
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- seaQuest DSV, launch bay -
Manilow Crocker: Captain on board.
Nathan Bridger: (salutes) Request permission to come on board, sir.
Jonathan Ford: This is your boat, Captain.
Nathan Bridger: No, it's not, I resigned. Don't you remember, you sent the letter.
Jonathan Ford: I never sent the letter, sir.
Nathan Bridger: That was an order, Commander.
Jonathan Ford: I know, sir, but once you wrote it, technically you were no longer a
Captain. I was under no obligation to carry out the order. What should I do
with this?
Nathan Bridger: Do with what?
Jonathan Ford: Thank you, sir.
Nathan Bridger: Well then, make way for the Irish Ocean. We've got a submarine to
catch.
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The captain addressed Ben while motioning him aside "Lieutenant Krieg."
Quieter the captain said to the moral officer "I made a vid call while I was gone. The call was to the Wolenczak's and it seems Lucas had called them and informed them that there was a change of plans and he was staying on the boat. I seem to remember ordering you to take Lucas ashore. You wouldn't happen to know his whereabouts would you?"
Krieg stumbled trying to come up with a reply. He was in deep water now (no pun intended). "Uh, sir well…"
"I don't want an explanation Lieutenant. I want a location," The captain ordered.
"That would be my quarters." Ben paused "Sir."
"Thank you, Lieutenant. Let's go find him." the captain said before heading in the direction of Krieg's quarters.
When they reached Ben's quarters, Ben unlocked the door and the captain marched into a room devoid of people.
"Lieutenant?" The captain questioned.
"I left him in here. I told him not to go wandering around the boat. I don't know where he went."
The captain spied a computer screen in the corner and walked over to it. "Well apparently he was monitoring the boat and he notice Darwin was back" he said pointing to the screen.
Bridger contemplated for a split second, "He is probably at the moon pool." He said as he headed for the door. Krieg stopped him.
"Ah, Sir, I think you should know. Lucas was not happy when you left."
"I am aware of that Lieutenant."
"I mean he was angry. Really angry. And hurt, I think. Anyway, he might not be in the best mood because I couldn't get him to sleep the entire time you were gone. "
"I was gone three days. He hasn't slept?"
"I don't think so sir. Lucas kept telling me he was sleeping during my shifts, but I could tell he was lying."
"I'll take care of that, Lieutenant. Thank you for the info." And with that statement the captain head out of Ben's quarters.
"Now I really need that hamburger" Ben mused aloud to himself.
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- seaQuest DSV, sea deck, by the moon pool -
Lucas Wolenczak: Darwin. Darwin. (Darwin swims over) You're back.
Darwin: Man bad. Bridger wrong.
Lucas Wolenczak: Yes, I know.
Nathan Bridger: So do I.
Lucas Wolenczak: What are you doing here?
Nathan Bridger: That's my question. I thought I ordered you ashore.
Lucas Wolenczak: Look, it's not Krieg's fault, it's my own. And if you're wondering, we
made it to shore, but then I made Krieg turn around and come back because I
told him I was gonna run away and get a tattoo and join the Italian Navy --
Nathan Bridger: All right, all right, all right.
Lucas Wolenczak: Uh, seaQuest is my home, too, you know.
Nathan Bridger: Yes, I know, I guess I wasn't even in command when I gave the order.
Lucas Wolenczak: Why'd you come back?
Nathan Bridger: Not a perfect world, and sometimes you have to do things you don't
wanna do. And I missed you.
Lucas Wolenczak: I missed you, too. (they hug)
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The captain pulled Lucas away from the hug to look at him.
"So what did you do while I was gone?" the graying man asked.
"Nothing" Lucas replied while shrugging,
The captain moved his arm around Lucas's shoulders and steered him towards the door. "Maybe I should ask what you haven't done." Lucas leaned into the captain's side tiredly.
"I don't know what you mean." He replied.
"Ben said you had a little trouble sleeping."
"I slept."
Knowing Lucas's tactic of avoiding the whole truth by telling a partial truth, the captain asked, "How much?"
Under Bridger's arm, Bridger felt Lucas shrug his shoulders. They moved as a pair towards Lucas's quarters.
"Well, I'm back now, so I want you to get some sleep."
"Are you going to destroy that sub?"
"I don't know, Lucas"
They lapsed into silence for the rest for the walk. Lucas was worried. What if the captain did blow up the sub? What if the captain killed someone for destroying whalers? The captain agreed the whaleing should be stopped. Would the captain be upset if he had to destroy the sub? Would he want to leave again? Lucas knew he had no guarantees.
When they reached Lucas quarters, the captain opened the door and escorted him in. They were both a little sad seeing his quarters empty.
"Really, I don't think I can sleep sir." Lucas commented as he sat on the bed.
"Just try for me, okay." The captain said as he pulled a blanket out of the closet. Because his mess was absent, the room didn't even look like Lucas's. He handed the blanket to Lucas as the young man laid down.
"Where are you going to be?" the teenager asked the captain drowsily.
"I'll be on the bridge. Just try and sleep okay?"
"Yeah, okay" he replied into his pillow.
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Lucas fell asleep but the restlessness of his mind did not allow him to sleep long. When he awoke, Darwin floated at his window looking in at Lucas.
"Hi Darwin. I missed you too." He said patting the window. The vocorder had been removed from his room when he packed but he knew Darwin would understand his meaning without translation.
He pulled the blanket up around his shoulders. It wasn't cold in his room but he felt cold. He was worried. Not about the battle with the sub, which was destroying the whalers; Seaquest was strong and the other sub was much older and outdated. He was worried about what was going to happen to the captain.
He sat there lost in thought for a long while. He felt the stress mounting. In his head, he ran himself in circles worrying about losing the captain over some stupid guy who had decided to take the law in his own hands.
Lucas finally concluded he was scared. He was scarred of what was going to happen with this sub and scared to loss the captain. He had really bonded with the captain and he wanted to be with Bridger because it made him feel good, confident and safe. Not the false confidence he had shown when he came on the boat but a sense of security in knowing he was important.
What would happen to him, to the captain, and to his home if the captain blew up the other sub? Finally, he couldn't handle the doubts any longer. He got up off the bed, threw the cover on the floor and headed for the bridge.
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- seaQuest DSV, bridge, a little later -
Miguel Ortiz: I've picked up a pod of whales on our passive sonar, sir.
Nathan Bridger: Follow them. Update WSKR readings, that's our bait. Let's keep the
energy up boys and girls. This guy's no Easter Bunny. Chemical scan.
Miguel Ortiz: Traces of kerosene, sir.
Nathan Bridger: Parts per million?
Miguel Ortiz: Two parts per million.
Nathan Bridger: Rotate sensitivity three five niner.
Miguel Ortiz: Five parts, sir, now seven populating at ten o'clock. I'm picking up a low
frequency prop noise.
Nathan Bridger: Run it through our acoustical library, see if it confirms Foxtrot. Then
come sixteen degrees port. I think this is our man.
Miguel Ortiz: I've got him, sir.
Nathan Bridger: Come starboard, twenty degrees, half speed ahead, split the
difference. I'm gonna run a down field block here.
Katie Hitchcock: Aye, aye, sir.
Nathan Bridger: Arm forward lasers and torpedoes.
Jonathan Ford: Arming forward lasers and torpedoes.
Nathan Bridger: Inflate the outer skin with maximum ballast shell protection at assault
ratings -- he may take a shot at us.
Katie Hitchcock: What can we take at this depth?
Nathan Bridger: Well, we're specked at twenty-nine thousand pounds at impact. I hope
that's enough. (sees Lucas enter) I thought you were in your room.
Lucas Wolenczak: I'm scared.
Nathan Bridger: So am I. Back up Ortiz. Let's go to alert.
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- seaQuest DSV, bridge -
Nathan Bridger: (enters) Firing torpedo number one. (to Lucas) You better get some
sleep.
Lucas Wolenczak: Did you kill him, sir?
Nathan Bridger: No, that was his choice.
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They repeated the exercise as before. They walked back to Lucas's quarters with the captain's arm around Lucas's shoulder. The captain could see and feel the stress radiating off of Lucas. By the time they reached Lucas's quarters the captain decided he better talk to the boy before he put him to bed this time. Bridger was stressed about sentencing Max to death, but he also knew he could not have done anything more. Max had gone off the edge.
As Lucas sat on the bed this time the captain put his hands on Lucas's shoulders. "I didn't want to do that. But I know I needed to." He told the boy.
Lucas hated to ask but he had to know if the captain was going to leave again. He was feeling nauseous due to worry. "Are you going to leave, sir?" His stared at the captain, wide eyed.
"Not now, Lucas, and not anytime soon." He said seriously. Then teasing Lucas he continued "I am going to be here for a long time bugging you to get enough sleep. Don't worry. "
Lucas smiled as the captain ribbed him.
"Now lay down and get some sleep, already." Bridger smiled back.
The captain grabbed the blanket off of the floor where Lucas had dropped it. He placed it over Lucas and tucked him. "I gotta be on Seaquest or you'll drop of from exhaustion." He said has he patted Lucas hair. He sat in a chair and waited while Lucas fell asleep. As he watch the teenager nap, he realized he was glad he had meet Lucas. The boy had changed him for the better.
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I'm trying to decided if I should write another chapter in which the captain has to deal with a very clingy Lucas. Any opinions? Also, Constructive criticism is good. Don't be afraid to hurt my feelings.