Maverick #31

by KaitlynRose

Lucas and seaQuest are put into danger when Fagan decides it time to make his move.

I do not own seaQuest or it's characters. I am not profiting from this story, it is for entertainment
purposes only.


Maverick
By: Kaitlyn Rose

Lucas woke the next morning in his own bunk. Mom had let him out of med bay only because she
would be able to keep a closer eye on him in their own quarters. She was watching him like a hawk,
actually checking on him a couple of times during the night. Plus she had refused to take the IV out of his
arm so he was still wearing the dumb thing. He had been tempted to take it out himself but he knew she'd
just stick another one in.

He sat up slowly in bed. His arm and his back hurt, but by far the worst was his stomach. Just
breathing in and out made it hurt.

He still couldn't believe that Bobby had tried to kill him. The strange thing was, he wasn't angry
with Bobby. He knew it really wasn't his fault. Dr. Marks was to blame. He had hurt Bobby and messed
up his mind. Lucas really hoped that Bobby wouldn't be punished to bad, that they could use temporary
insanity or something like that.

Lucas looked at the door when he heard a soft knock. Mom came in.

"Good morning," she said.

"Morning."

"How are you feeling?"

"Sore."

"That's to be expected. I'm going to change your bandages and then I'll get you some breakfast
and something for the pain."

"Can I get out of bed?" Lucas asked.

"Absolutely not. Honestly, Lucas, you have three stab wounds, not to mention you almost bled to
death. I think it's safe to say you're going to be here for at least today and tomorrow. Plus, I'm pulling
you off duty for a week. After that we'll see about part time work."

"Mom, I can't be pulled for a week. I have to go to the seaScape in a few days."

"You will go when I say you can go. Need I remind you that I'm the ships doctor?"

Lucas sighed. He wasn't going to win this one. She was pulling rank.

"Now lift your t-shirt so I can change your bandages."

Lucas laid back on the bed and raised his shirt. Mom began to peel off the tape on his stomach.

"Ouch!" Lucas yelled. "That smarts."

Kristin didn't say anything. She just smiled. "Well, your incision looks good, no sign of
infection." She put some fresh ointment on it and then applied clean gauze. She repeated the process with
his arm and back.

"Where's Dad at?"

"He's at the mine. He's finishing up there. When the miners found out that the diamonds they
were mining actually belonged to someone else there was a panic and a few fights broke out. They're
afraid. Everything they've worked for during the past six years could be lost. Their Reverend is a crook
who's about to go to jail, the mine's accounts have been frozen, and everyone there is trying to keep their
home. Your father is trying to negotiate between the owner of the other mine, settle the claim dispute."

"Wow," Lucas said sadly. "How's Bobby doing today?"

"He's in the brig. I'm afraid it's not good. He's…he's like a wild animal. I tried to talk to him,
calm him down some. We brought his parents to try also. It was no use. He was hurting himself in the
cell, throwing his body into the bars. It took three men to hold him down so Dr. Levin could sedate him."

"Dr. Marks really messed him up."

"Yes, I'm afraid he did. Bobby is going to need long term psychiatric care."

"Can I see him later? I'd like to tell him that I understand, that I don't really blame him."

"Lucas, sweetheart, I don't think that's a good idea. Not after what's happened. I think it would
be bad for both of you. Who knows how Bobby will react to seeing you again. There's a real possibility
that it could do him even more harm."

"Oh."

"You rest, I'll be back with your breakfast and your pain pill."

"Can you take this out first?" Lucas asked, holding up his arm with the IV.

"I'll do it as soon as I get back," she said.


_____________________________________



Nathan stood before the miners trying to calm them down. He could understand that they were
upset and worried about their futures, but honestly he didn't have the authority here to make decisions for
them. Luckily, it seemed like Mr. Ross, Noah's father, was going to be able to step forward to try and help
them through this crisis.

"Listen, all I can tell you is that tunnels #6 & 7 are off limits to you. That land is part of Ben
Landon's claim. For now I would go ahead and keep mining your other tunnels or look for new prospects
on your land. I honestly don't know what will happen form here. I imagine that Mr. Landon will take this
to court to sue for the profits made off tunnels 6 & 7. I spoke to Mr. Landon and tried to explain the
situation to him, and I don't think he will try to shut you down, just so long as you don't do any more
mining on his claim."

Mr. Ross came forward to address the crowd. "I have looked at Rev. Hart's books, along with the
Captain here, and luckily for us everything is here. We know exactly how much money was made off the
diamonds sold from Mr. Landon's property. There is money in the mine's account to pay the debt, but we
are going to have to go to court to get access to the account, unless we can get Rev. Hart to simply pay up
since the account is in his name."

"So how do we get Hart to pay?" someone yelled.

"I'm going to go talk to him today. Ask him to do the right thing, remind him that his wife and
daughters are still here and to do right by them. That's the best we can hope for," Mr. Ross said.

"Do you really think Rev. Hart will sign the mine over to his wife?" another person yelled.

"We won't know until we ask," Mr. Ross replied. "I suggest you all just go home and relax. I'll
be going to seaQuest shortly with Mrs. Hart and I promise to let everyone know what happens the minute I
get back."

There were some grumbling in the crowd but eventually they started to leave.

"Good work," Nathan told Mr. Ross.

"I just hope I can do what I say. I don't know how I got roped into this job. I'm not a leader," Mr.
Ross said.

"You're doing fine so far," Nathan told him.

Mrs. Hart came up to them. "May I see my husband now?"

"Yes, we're going to leave for seaQuest right now."

"Dad."

Everyone turned to see Noah and Michael standing there.

"Dad, can we come with you?" Noah asked. "We'd like to see Lucas."

"Son, Lucas is hurt pretty bad, maybe…"

"Actually," Nathan interrupted, "I think that would be a great idea. I'm sure Lucas is bored to
death and would love to see his friends again. If it's okay with you, Mr. Ross."

"Please, call me Tom, and it's just fine with me. Noah, run home and tell your mother so she
won't worry. She can call Michael's parents and let them know, too."

"Cool," Noah said, and took off like a lightning bolt.


__________________________________________



Kristin lifted Lucas' breakfast tray off the bed and tucked his covers around him. As she
expected, his medication put him to sleep again. She placed R.B. next to him on the bed and felt his
forehead for fever. He was doing pretty good, considering. It always amazed her how young he looked
when he was asleep.

She picked up his tray from the floor and quietly left his room. She set it down on the table and
curled up in their small sofa to just sit for a minute. She was tired since she had only gotten a few hours
sleep last night. She decided to do something she almost never did. She turned on their TV and laid down
on the sofa. Lucas would probably sleep for several hours, so she could relax for a little bit.


_______________________________________



The shuttle docked and Nathan and the others disembarked.

"Wow," Michael said in awe. "This place is cool."

"Wha!" Noah gasped. Everyone turned to see Darwin bobbing in the water. The dolphin
chattered happily.

"Hey Darwin," Nathan said.

"You have a dolphin!" Noah exclaimed.

"Sure do. Lucas made a device that allows us to talk to him."

"You're kidding," Mr. Ross said.

"No, I'm not. Follow me and I'll show you since Lucas can't leave his room." Nathan led them
to the moon pool and turned on the vocorder.

"Hey pal," Nathan greeted.

"Bridger play."

"Not now, maybe later. I have some people I'd like you to say hello to. Darwin, this is Noah,
Michael, Mr. Ross, and Mrs. Hart."

"Hello. New pod, like Lucas."

"What does he mean?" Mrs. Hart asked.

"He's pointing out that the boys are Lucas' age," Nathan said. "Pod is what Darwin calls a
family."

"This is amazing," Mr. Ross said. "You're son really invented this?"

"Yes he did," Nathan said proudly. "Speaking of which, why don't we drop the boys off at my
quarters so they can see Lucas, and then we can go speak with Rev. Hart."

They left the moon pool and walked down the corridor. Michael and Noah waved at Darwin as he
followed them through the boat.

"I've never seen a submarine like this," Mr. Ross said, "and I've been on a few over the years."

"SeaQuest is one of a kind," Nathan said. "This isn't a military vessel, but actually a science and
research one. We have military personnel on board, but they actually only make up a third of the crew."

They reached Nathan's quarters and he asked for a minute. The others nodded and he stepped into
the room. He wanted a chance to inspect Lucas' room before he let the others in. He was surprised to see
Kristin asleep in front of the television, but then she didn't get much sleep last night.

"Honey," Nathan said as he shook her shoulder slightly, "we have visitors."

Kristin sat up and smiled at him. "I was just catching up on a little rest," she said.

"Is Lucas awake. His friends are here to see him."

"Let them in, I'll go wake him up and tidy his room real quick," she said.

Kristin stepped into Lucas' room. She picked up the dirty cloths he had tossed in the floor and
threw them down the chute, and then she tossed his junk food wrappers in the wastebasket next to his desk.

She went to the bed and picked up R.B. She slid the big bear under Lucas' bunk. Then she woke him up.

"Lucas, your friends are here," she said.

"Mmmm," Lucas mumbled.

"Lucas, your friends from the mine have come to see you, you need to wake up."

Lucas looked at her. He was still sleepy from his medication but he seemed to be coming around.

"Did you say that the guys are here?" he asked.

"I sure did. Michael and Noah came to see you. Do you feel like seeing them?"

"Yeah, sure," Lucas said. He started to get out of bed.

"On no you don't. You have to stay put. They can come in here and visit."

"But Mom."

"No buts, young man." Kristin opened Lucas' door and motioned the two boys inside.

"Hey Lucas," Noah said. "Glad to see that Bobby didn't slice and dice you too badly."

"Yeah, we just about flipped when we heard what happened. But you're going to be okay?
Right?" Michael asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Hopefully some day Mom will let me out of bed," Lucas laughed.

Kristin just shook her head and smiled. Kids!

"I'll leave you boys alone. Lucas if I catch you out of that bed I'll stick another IV in you, got it?"
she teased.

"I got it," Lucas replied, rolling his eyes.


________________________________________



Kristin stepped back into the main room with the others who had been watching from the
doorway. All had a grin on their face.

"Thank you for bringing the boys," Kristin said. "This was the best thing for him."

"It was no problem," Mr. Ross said. "Actually, it was Noah's idea to come. Your son is an
incredible kid. I truly am glad that he's going to be alright."

"So are we," Kristin agreed. "How are the negotiations going?"

"Well, Mr. Landon is being cooperative so far. Things seem to be falling into place. The only
hold up will be if Rev. Hart refuses to help. The mine and the accounts are in his name. We need him to
sign everything over to Mrs. Hart so the debt can be paid to Mr. Landon, and the mine can continue to
operate," Nathan said.

"Do you think he will?" Kristin asked.

"I hope so," Mrs. Hart said.

"Well, we may as well go speak with him now," Nathan said.

"I'm going to stay here," Kristin replied. "I think I'll keep an eye on the boys. Good luck. I hope
everything works out."

"Thank you," Mr. Ross said.


___________________________________



"So are you really okay? Still fully intact and everything?" Noah asked.

"I still have all of me," Lucas laughed. "But he did a number on my stomach. I actually had to
pull the knife out myself. It was truly gross, not to mention it hurt like hell."

"Where else did he get you, besides your arm and stomach?" Michael asked.

"He got me in my back too, by the shoulder blade."

"Wow," Noah said. "I still can't believe Bobby did that. I mean, we've known Bobby for years.
Sure, he could be crazy at times, but he wasn't "crazy" if you know what I mean. He was just wild and
goofy."

"I think what happened to him pushed him over the edge. Dr. Marks did some really bad stuff to
him. Really, what Bobby did wasn't his fault. He wasn't Bobby anymore when it happened."

"I guess. It's strange to think that you live with people for years and years and you never really
know them. Never know what they are capable of. I mean, I didn't know about Derek and Dr. Marks. I
never knew that Bobby could lose it like that. It's all just a little strange," Michael told them.

"You guys guessed right about Rev. Hart though," Lucas pointed out. "He really was a crook."

"Even that's weird," Noah said. "I mean, I know we said that, but I don't think we actually
believed it. It was just something we said to be smart alecks. When we found out the truth, I just was as
blown away as everyone else."

Lucas just nodded. He knew what it felt like to have the rug pulled out form under you. He
decided it was time to change the subject.

"You guys want to play a game or something. I have some of the best computer games around."

"That would be great," Michael said.

"Grab my laptop over there and I can start one up for ya," Lucas said, pointing to his laptop sitting
in the floor next to his desk. "Hey Darwin," he said when he saw his friend swimming next to his bed. He
turned on the vocorder.

"New friends," Darwin said.

"Yeah. This is Noah and Michael."

"We met already," Noah said. "Your dad showed him to us. How did you make him talk?"

"I didn't make him talk. He already did that himself. I just made a way to translate what he said."

"Wow. I knew you were smart, but I didn't know you were that smart," Noah told him.


____________________________________



Rev. Hart had a hard time keeping his eyes off of the boy who was in the cell across from his. He
was still under heavy sedation and had been put into a straight jacket to keep him from hurting himself. He
couldn't believe what had happened at his mine. Yes, he was a crook, but he really had tried to provide a
good life for the people who believed in him.

But now he sat, looking at what he was responsible for. He had known about Dr. Marks and
Derek, but Derek seemed to be a willing partner, so he turned a blind eye for fear of Marks reporting his
own criminal activities. Now Bobby's life was ruined, and he was responsible.

"Reverend, are you listening to us at all?" Tom Ross asked.

Jeremiah turned to look at the people sitting in his cell. His wife was there to see his shame. He
had ruined her life too, hadn't he, along with his daughters. They were going to grow up fatherless and
with a mark of shame next to their name.

"I'll do whatever you want me to do," Jeremiah told them. "Just give me the papers and I'll sign
them right now."

Everyone seemed a little shocked at how quickly he had complied with their request. Jeremiah
took the papers from the Captain and signed them where told. Then the Captain signed as a witness. When
it was done Tom took the papers and folded them up and put them in his coat pocket.

"Thank you," Tom said. "I'm sorry for you, and I will miss you. I hope god gives you the
strength to make it through the trying times ahead."

"Thank you, Tom. If you all don't mind, I'd like a moment of privacy with my wife."

"Of course," Nathan said. He and Tom stepped out of the cell to leave the two alone. They went
outside of the brig to wait.

"Well, it looks like the mine will survive, along with your dreams of a better life," Nathan said.

"Yes, although it will be a struggle for a little while. Everyone will need time to heal from the last
few days."

Nathan nodded.

About ten minutes later Mrs. Hart came out, her face moist with tears, and then they left to get the
boys so they could return to the mine.


__________________________________



Lucas sat in his room very bored. The guys had left about an hour ago and he was tired of being
in bed. His injuries were starting to hurt again but he knew if he told Mom she would give him another
pain pill and it would just put him back to sleep.

He looked up when he heard a knock on the door. He looked up to see Ben and Tim walk in.

"Hey kid, thought you might be bored," Ben said.

"Got that right," Lucas said. "Mom won't let me up just yet."

"Well, it's your lucky day. I just got a new game in to play." Ben sat down on the bed and pulled
a game box out of a plastic bag. "Have you ever played pictionary?"

"Yeah," Lucas said. "I used to play in college."

"Well, I bet you've never played this one," Ben grinned.

"Ben, what are you up to?" Tim asked.

"I'm just trying to cheer up my best friend is all," Ben said. "Besides, I am the moral officer,
right? So anyway, like I was saying, I bet you never played this."

Ben pulled the box out all the way and showed Lucas the cover.

"Dirty Pictionary?" Lucas smirked.

"Yep, a must for teenage boys with over active hormones," Ben replied.

"I do not have over active hormones," Lucas insisted.

Ben laughed. "You're a guy, and you're fifteen, like I was saying, this game is a must. So, let's
play."

Tim and Lucas both just rolled their eyes, and then helped Ben to set the game up so they could
play. Tim actually began to blush as he started looking through the cards.

"Ben, I don't know if this is appropriate for Lucas."

"Nonsense," Ben said.

"Okay, then I don't know if this is appropriate for me," Tim said.

"Ah, Tim, what are we going to do with you. You have to learn about the birds and the bees
someday. Today may as well be that day."

Tim just shook his head, but he didn't reply to that one.

"Hey, you didn't start without me," came another voice.

Lucas saw Miguel enter his room carrying a bowl of popcorn. You could always count on Miguel
to bring the popcorn.

"Nope, we're just getting started," Ben said.

"Cool, this used to be my favorite game when I was a teenager."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Lucas laughed.


_____________________________________



Kristin sat in the main room working on some of her research while everyone else was in Lucas'
room. Like Tim, she found herself blushing over and over as they played their game. She wasn't trying to
eavesdrop, but Lucas' door was open a crack and they were pretty loud as they shouted out their possible
answers to the nasty little pictures they were drawing.

She couldn't believe that when Ben asked if they could come play a board game with Lucas that
this was what he had in mind. She couldn't believe the perverted filth she heard coming from the room.
What was even more shocking was just how much of that filth was actually coming from Lucas' mouth.
She found herself having some deep seeded need to wash it out with soap. She would definitely get the
Lieutenant for this one.

She saw Nathan enter the room. Good, maybe he could tell them to play something else, this way
she wouldn't have to be the bad guy.

"Who's with Lucas?" he asked.

"Tim, Miguel, and Lt. Kreig of course."

Nathan knew that she was mad by the way she referred to Ben using his last name and rank. "So
what's…"

"Bitchslap!" Miguel yelled.

"You're an idiot!" Ben yelled. "You mean you can't see that that's an ass! I thought you were
this great Latin lover. We're getting beat by a Catholic and a virgin for Pete's sake!"

"Hey!!!" Lucas and Tim both yelled.

Nathan actually cracked up and started laughing.

"You think this is funny?" Kristin asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Nathan coughed several times and tried to wipe the smile off his face but it was a futile effort as
his mouth refused to cooperate, so he just grinned.

"You have no idea the sick and disgusting things they've been yelling out for the past half an hour.
Honestly, where did Lucas hear such stuff?"

"You mean to tell me you never played Dirty Pictionary?" Nathan asked, still grinning.

"I most certainly did not," she replied. "And I don't approve of them playing it either."

"Kristin, he's a teenage boy. He knows all kinds of stuff we wouldn't want him too, trust me."

"So you're just going to ignore what's going on in there?"

"What should I do? March in there and embarrass the heck out of the kid and send his friends
away? Yeah, that'll get me father of the year for sure. Oh no, if you have a problem with that then you go
break it up. Me, I'm going to go to the mess and get something to eat."

"Really, you men are all just a bunch of big jerks," she said. She picked up her papers and walked
to the door. "I'll be in the lab. When you're done eating bring Lucas a tray since it's time for his lunch."
Then she left slamming the door behind her.

Nathan groaned. "Great, that went well," he told himself.

"Uh, sir," Tim spoke up.

Nathan turned to look at him.

"Should we leave?" Tim asked.

"No, go play your game, but tell Ben that next time you should play that one in his room, not
Lucas'."

"Yes sir," Tim replied and then closed Lucas' door again.

Try as he might he actually started laughing again as he left the room for the mess.


______________________________________



Fagan walked into the computer lab and saw Zebrowski and Channing working there. They were
running virus scans. Once a week scans were done to make sure nothing had compromised the system.
This was good. The scans would be done in about an hour, and then they wouldn't be repeated for a week.

He knew that the Captain's brat had been hurt while at the mine. Stabbed actually. Unfortunately
for him, he was still alive. That meant Fagan would still have to find a way to neutralize the boy so he
could do what he wanted. He knew how to take control of the boat's systems and operate them by remote.
No one would be able to stop it until he had done what he wanted to do. No one except the kid, that was.

He was good, too good, and might just be able to stop him and regain control of the ship.
As much as the kid annoyed the heck out of him, he didn't want to have to kill him. He just
needed somewhere to put him for a day or two. Some place where no one would find him. Not that that
would be an easy thing to do a on a submarine. There were lots of access tubes, but even if he stored the
kid in there someone still might find him.

He left the computer lab and headed down to the engine room on the lowest level. Most likely
he'd be able to find somewhere down there. The large boilers and engines made for lots of nooks and
crannies, but he'd need something really good.

He stepped off the last stair and began to look around for a place to put the boy. He walked
slowly past the machines and didn't see anything that would suit his purposes. There were plenty of hiding
places but he'd be found eventually.

"Hi," he greeted at a few of the maintenance guys he walked past. They nodded but didn't bother
to pay him any attention. Then he saw something that caught his eye.

A maintenance man was working in a shallow hole in the floor. Fagan looked down to see that
every so often certain floor panels were made so that they could be lifted to work on parts of the ship under
them. He began to locate these panels. He looked for ones that were out of the way and in obscure places.

He walked between two large boilers. The walkway was very narrow here and the machines were
incredibly loud. He saw one of the panels was actually located behind the engine.

He looked around to make sure that no one was watching him. He was alone. He walked over to
the panel. It was a tight squeeze behind the boiler. The panel was only about two feet wide and about four
and a half feet long. He bent down and lifted the panel. The hole underneath was only about three feet
deep. The boy would be cramped, but he'd definitely fit in here. There was the added bonus of the noise.
He'd be bound and gagged of course, but even if he kicked and moved no one would hear him over the
loud machinery. Yes, this would work. The only draw back was the heat, but it wasn't so hot that it was
unbearable. He'd just have to make sure he came every so often to give the kid some water so he didn't
dehydrate.

He closed the hole and stood up. He was glad to see that no one was around here. This place was
tucked away nicely. Now he just needed to grab the kid somehow.


______________________________________



Nathan carried Lucas' tray of food back to their quarters. He entered the main room and noticed it
was pretty quiet. He walked to Lucas' door and went inside. Lucas was once again alone in his bed.

"Hey, kiddo, where did everyone go?" he asked.

"Tim and Miguel had to go on duty, and Ben said he had to contact someone about some supplies.
There going to stop by later though."

"Okay, well, sit up. Here's your lunch, and after you eat Mom paged me to make sure your took
your medication."

"Is Mom really mad?" Lucas asked. "We didn't know she was out there listening."

"Don't worry about it. She's mad, but not at you. I think her big targets right now are Lt. Krieg
and myself."

"That's good," Lucas said. "I mean, that's not good, but, you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Nathan laughed.

Lucas looked at his food. An imitation chicken patty, instant mashed potatoes with some kind of
gravy that looked like it would glow in the dark, and canned peas and carrots. Yuck.

"I'd kill for an order of French fries and a hot fudge sundae," Lucas said as he poked at his food.

Nathan smiled. "It's not as bad as it looks."

"Really, cause it looks bad," Lucas sighed.

"Tell you what, eat that, and I might be able to do something about that hot fudge sundae."

"Huh?" Lucas said.

"I just happen to have a gallon of vanilla ice cream in the freezer along with some hot fudge that
we can microwave. I was saving it for a special occasion, but I guess you can have it now."

"Cool," Lucas said. He shoved a bite of chicken and potatoes in his mouth.


_____________________________________



Kristin walked back to her room. She had gotten caught up in her work at the lab and hadn't
realized that so much time had passed. She didn't mean to be gone that long.

She entered her room and heard laughing coming form Lucas' room. 'Oh not more nasty
pictures,' she hoped. She walked over to Lucas' door and saw Lucas and Nathan playing poker. Darwin
was in the aqua tube. Lucas kept showing Darwin his hand.

"No eight," Darwin said.

Lucas took the eight out of his hand and Nathan gave him a new card.

"I got three fours," Nathan said, setting his cards on the bed.

"Hah, we got a full house," Lucas laughed. He turned to look at Darwin, "Good job fish face."

"Darwin good poker."

Everyone laughed, even Kristin.

"Hi Mom."

"Hi," she said.

"We have a hot fudge sundae for you," Lucas said, pointing at his dresser.

"Where on earth did that come from?"

"I had it in the freezer," Nathan said. "It was a surprise."

"Well, I'm surprised. Lucas, did you take your pill?"

Lucas let out a big yawn.

"I'll take that as a yes," she said. "Nathan, perhaps you should let him get a little rest now. He's
been up for quite some time."

"Sure," Nathan said, ruffling the boy's hair.

"Dad!"

Nathan got off the bed and Lucas scooted down under his covers. Lucas turned his head side to
side, looking for something.

"Something wrong?" Dad asked.

"Uh, no," Lucas said.

"Okay, you rest," Nathan said. "I'll see you later."

Lucas smiled at him as he walked out of the room. Kristin stepped inside after Nathan left. She
reached under the bed and pulled out R.B.

"Looking for this?" she asked. "I stuck him under there before letting the boys in. I thought you
might like to keep him a secret."

"Thanks," Lucas said, taking the bear.

"Sleep well."


_____________________________________



Nathan was writing his report detailing the events that took place at the mine. Lucas had tried to
get him to do it on the computer, saying that it was faster that way, but he still preferred to do them long
hand. It was true what they said. You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

He put the pen down and rubbed at his eyes. He was at the part where he was giving a description
of Lucas' stabbing. Even though Lucas was fine it still bothered him to think about it. When Lucas' heart
stopped yesterday it had frightened him to the point where he thought his might stop too. He took a deep
breath and picked up the pen to continue working on the report.

"Captain," O'Neill called on his PAL.

"Bridger here."

"Sir, you have a call from General Thomas."

"Patch it through," Nathan said.

In a moment Nathan was face to face with the General. "Frank, what can I do for you?"

"Hello Nathan. I'm afraid that I need to see you in regards to something very urgent."

"You can't just tell me now?" Nathan asked.

"Afraid not. This is a very complicated and delicate situation. Your presence is needed in Pearl
immediately."

"Well, the soonest seaQuest can be there would be about seventeen hours. We are off the
Australian Coast right now helping a mining colony."

"I already have a chopper on its way to you. It'll pick you up in about one hour. From there
you'll fly to Santa Isabel. A military plane will then fly you to Pearl. Don't worry, we'll have you back on
your boat in less than nine hours."

"Frank, what's the big emergency?" Nathan asked.

"I'm afraid that all explanations will have to wait until you arrive here. Be ready in one hour."

Nathan turned off the vid-link. He'd have to notify the crew and tell Kristin and Lucas. He'd also
pack an overnight bag just in case. He'd learned the hard way that just because they tell you they'd get you
back the same day it didn't always work out that way.


_____________________________________



"Nathan do you have to go?" Kristin asked as he packed.

"Kristin, I'm in the military, and when they tell you to go, you go. I should be back before
morning."

"The timing could be better."

Nathan laughed. "I'll tell the General you said so."

"Don't tease me," she said. "Lucas is still hurt and you know he hates when you have to go. Not
to mention the situation at the mine is still unstable."

Nathan walked over to her and put his hands on her arms. "Mr. Ross is doing a fine job of dealing
with the mine. It's not our job to baby sit them. As far as Lucas, he's healing fine, you said so yourself.
Plus he's got you to look after him. I'm sure Ben and the others will be by tonight to keep him company,
and you don't have to worry, I told Tim no more Dirty Pictionary."

"You did?"

"Yes, I did. So everything is just fine. I'll be back in the morning." He lifted his hand to caress
her cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said. She leaned in to kiss him.

"Not again. Don't you two ever stop?" Lucas said.

"Lucas, you really know how to ruin a moment," Nathan said.

"Sorry," he laughed. "It just seems like anymore all I do is see people having sex," he said, and
went into the bathroom.

"Did he just say what I think he just said?" Kristin asked.

"Yes he did, and I'm not even sure if I want to know," Nathan replied.

"Well I most certainly do," Kristin said with a smirk.

Lucas came out of the bathroom and started walking back to his room.

"Lucas, just what did you mean, you keep seeing people have sex?" Kristin asked.

"Uh…uh…nothing. It was just a figure of speech," Lucas said, and ducked back into his room.

"Figure of speech my foot," Kristin said. "I'm almost tempted to tell you to read his mind."

"I think I'll pass on that one." Nathan zipped up his bag and set it next to the door. "I'm going to
say good bye to Lucas real quick. The chopper will be here in about ten minutes." He walked to Lucas'
room and went inside.

Lucas was back in his bed laying on his side.

"Well it's just about time for me to go," Nathan said.

"But you'll be back in the morning, right?" Lucas asked.

"Sure will," he said, sitting down on Lucas bed. "I want you to listen to Mom and be good."

"Yes sir."

"Are you feeling okay, any pain?"

"I'm fine, besides, Mom will probably be here in a few minutes to drug me again. I can't get into
trouble if I'm sleeping. Actually, do you think you could talk to her about maybe letting me out of bed
other than just going to the bathroom."

"Lucas, I know you want out, but your hurt, and a day or two of rest won't kill you. Besides,
you've actually had a pretty busy day. Noah and Michael stopped by, then Ben, Tim, and Miguel. Mom
and I have been here most of the afternoon. I know the crew is coming back after their shifts. Honestly,
you're being showered with attention. Even Darwin has spent the better part of the day here."

"Fine, I'll stay put today, but tomorrow I'm outta here."

"We'll talk about that tomorrow," Nathan said, raising an eyebrow. "Take care and I'll see you in
the morning." Nathan gave Lucas' shoulder a quick squeeze.

"Bye."


_______________________________________



Fagan couldn't believe his luck. The Captain was leaving. This was too perfect. With the brat
under wraps and the Captain gone nothing would stop him now. Now he'd just have to create a diversion
so he could grab the kid. He was stuck in his room recuperating. It would be risky getting him from there
since it was so close to the bridge, but a good diversion would take care of all of that.

He walked to his bunk and pulled out the cardboard box he kept under it. He took out the special
remote control device he had made. It was a laptop specially designed using the kids program. He'd been
working on it for a couple of weeks now. He could plug this thing in anywhere on the boat and control all
the systems after he locked everyone else out of the computers.

Next he took out a brand new roll of silver duct tape. He'd had to tie up more than one person in
his life, and in his experience nothing worked as good as good old fashioned duct tape. He'd never seen
anyone get out of it yet if you tied them right, and he knew how to do it right.

The last thing he grabbed were a handful of smoke bombs. These were also nothing too fancy.
Just a small canister of smoke with a digital timer. He'd need to place two in engineering and six near the
bridge. Engineering would serve as a distraction and the ones by the bridge would provide him with cover.

The last thing he'd need to worry about was timing. He'd wait about two hours after the Captain
was gone, this way it wouldn't look so obvious. He looked at his watch. The Captain had been gone for
ten minutes. It was time to plant his smoke bombs and set the timers.


_________________________________



Nathan exited the chopper and got on the plane waiting for him. He always hated missions that
started with these types of meetings. They were never good. He remembered the last time he'd been called
by General Thomas.

He'd been so upset by the mission that he'd actually turned in his resignation. He'd gone to his
island and said the heck with it all. But something happened that he hadn't planned on. He was lonely.
Sure, he went back because it was the right thing to do, but if he told himself the truth, he went back
because of Lucas. It was that moment he realized that he needed the boy, really needed him. It was about a
month later that he'd taken Lucas to Disney World. Ever since then they were pretty much inseparable.


___________________________________



Kristin checked on Lucas and once again he was sound asleep. She was grateful to have these
couple of days with Lucas here. She wanted him to relax and gain a little weight before going back to
work. Plus he really did need to recuperate. The wound to his stomach was a pretty serious one. It was
important that he not tear his stitches.

Kristin was surprised when suddenly the lights went off and the emergency lighting went on. She
got up and went to the door and looked into the corridor and saw that the whole ship had gone dark. She
stumbled and fell when the ship suddenly lurched.

"What on earth?" she gasped. She got up and quickly went to see if Lucas was still in his bed.

She saw that he was still in his bed and had even slept through the jarring. She grabbed her PAL when she
heard it beeping.

"Westphalen," she said.

"Doctor, we need your help in Med Bay," Dr. Levin said.

"Anything serious?" she asked.

"Looks like just a few sprangs and a couple of bumped heads."

"On my way," she replied. She grabbed a paper and left a quick note for Lucas and went to his
room and taped it to his computer screen. Then she hurried down to med bay.


____________________________________



"What are the computer techs saying?" Ford demanded.

"They said they're working on it," Tim told him.

"This is just great," Ford exclaimed.

"Should I page Lucas?" Tim asked.

"Negative. We've got five techs working on the boat. Surely we don't have to drag a teenager
with three stab wounds out of bed to turn the stupid lights on."

"Not to mention Kristin would personally pulverize anyone who tried," Miguel added.

"That's for sure," Katie added. "Uh oh. Commander, we have fire alarms going off in
Engineering and outside the main corridor by the bridge here."

"Get crews on it right now!" Ford ordered.


_________________________________



Fagan watched as the pandemonium started. The crew was too well trained to let things get out of
control, but they were all preoccupied with finding the causes of the supposed fires and figuring out why
the lights were off to pay him any attention.

He quickly made his way to the Captains quarters. He'd seen the doctor leave so he knew the boy
was alone. He slipped inside. The main room was empty. He stepped to a door and saw the master
bedroom was also empty. He went to the second door and saw his target. Perfect, the kid was sleeping.

He wouldn't know what hit him. He tore off two pieces of tape before he stepped into the room. He
advanced on Lucas quietly. He stopped when the boy rolled over in his sleep.

Fagan was now standing right next to him. In a second he used to two pieces of tape to cover
Lucas' eyes and mouth, preventing him from seeing his attacker and from calling for help. The boy was
now awake and frightened. He struggled but Fagan had no problem grabbing Lucas' hands. He quickly
wrapped them together firmly with the tape. The tape made loud noises as he unwound it from the roll.
Once he was sure Lucas' hands were secured he moved quickly to the boy's feet. Since he was sleeping he
didn't have shoes on and Fagan was able to get his bare feet close together as he taped them up.

The boy was panicking and twisting his body wildly. Fagan applied more tape to his knees
working it slightly up his thighs. He'd need the boy to be completely immobilized as he moved though the
boat carrying him. He finished up by wrapping tape around Lucas' arms and body, effectively pinning his
arms down to his sides. The boy was now relatively still.

He looked at his watched. The other four smoke bombs would be going off in approximately sixty
seconds, thereby allowing him to get out of the room with the boy. He wrapped the kid in his blankets to
help hide him from prying eyes and hoisted him up in a fireman's carry. Then he went to the door to wait
for the other bombs to go off.


______________________________________



Lucas had been confused and disoriented when he first awoke, but now he was positively terrified.
He didn't know what was going on or who was responsible for it. He'd tried to break free but he felt his
attacker tie him up everywhere. He couldn't move at all, or see or talk.

What was even worse was the immense pain radiating through his stomach. He could feel he was
being carried but the person's shoulder was pushing right on his wound. If it weren't for the tape covering
his mouth he'd be screaming.

He couldn't believe someone had literally taken him right from his bed. Was there really nowhere
that he would be safe. What had happened to Mom? She had been in the other room. Was she taken too
or had his attacker done something worse to her?

He moaned as he felt the jarring from going down the stairs. Each step sent the persons shoulder
into his gut.

A minute later he heard the familiar noises of the engine room. Why had he been brought down
here? What was happening?


________________________________



Fagan had managed to effectively get to E deck without detection. He moved quickly in the
direction of where his access panel was. He set his bundle in the floor and pulled back the panel. He took
the blanket off of the kid and used it to line the floor of the hole, then he tried to carefully lower the boy in.

He was surprised to see a spot of blood forming on the boy's stomach. He hadn't realized that he
had hurt him. He lifted the kid's shirt and saw that he must have accidentally reopened his stab wound. He
hoped this wouldn't be a problem. He really wasn't looking to kill the boy. Sure, he was incredibly
annoying and a thorn in his side, but honestly, he didn't kill kids if he could avoid it.

He peeled the tape back and was glad to see that only a couple of stitches had broken and the
bleeding was already stopping. He put the bandage back and finally put the steel panel in place,
sufficiently hiding him. Luckily there were small holes already made into the panel for lifting so he didn't
have to worry about the boy suffocating.

He made sure no one was looking and then he made his way out of the area. He had to get back to
his room where he left the remote control. It was time for the next part of his plan to be put into action.


_________________________________



Lucas didn't know where he was exactly, but he had a pretty good idea. It had to be somewhere
on E-deck since he could hear the loud machines working, and he was by the heaters because of how warm
it was.

He squirmed and pushed with his feet to get in a more comfortable position but wherever he was it
was cramped. He was also in a lot of pain, not as bad as yesterday, but it was close.

He began to pull and tug at his bindings but it was no use. He wasn't going to break free. With
his hands pinned next to his body he couldn't even feel around to see what he was inside. The only thing
he could really move was his legs, but since they were also tied he could only move them up and down.

He wished he knew who had done this too him and just what they were planning to do. He found
himself trying to use the only form of communication available to him. He mentally called out to dad,
hoping that he wasn't too far away to hear him.


_________________________________



Kristin finished dealing with the few bumps and bruises in Med Bay and went to the bridge to see
what was going on. She was shocked to see the corridors filled with smoke.

She entered the clam doors and heard Ford barking orders at people. She walked up to the
Commander.

"May I help in any way?" she asked.

"Not really, not unless you happen to know how to operate computers," he replied.

"Sir, reports are coming in. There are no fires. I repeat, no fires, smoke only," Tim said.

"What happened? Did we have a wire melt down or something?" Ford asked.

"Not exactly," came Crocker's voice. He walked onto the bridge holding two small metal
canisters in his hands. "It looks like someone wanted to create a diversion. These were found in
engineering. I'm willing to bet we'll find some of these right outside those doors."

"Create a diversion for what purpose?" Kristin asked.

"That seems to be the million dollar question," Miguel said.

"I need a crew to inspect and account for all of our weapons," Ford yelled. "Mr. Ortiz, are sensors
picking up any vessels near us? Anything at all to suggest we are under attack?"

"No sir," Miguel said. "The waters are clear for miles."

Suddenly the lights came back on.

"Well, that's at least an improvement," Kristin said.

"I'm afraid it's only a temporary one. We just lost helms control," Katie said. "We're changing
course."

"I'm locked out of my system," an Ensign called. "According to this we are gaining speed, we're
moving at 130 miles an hour and gaining, but I didn't do it and the computers won't let me stop it."

"Communications are down," O'Neill informed.

"Someone has to be operating seaQuest by remote," Ford exclaimed. "I need Lucas here. We
have to gain control of the computers again and regain control of the boat."

"Lucas is resting," Kristin pointed out.

"Kristin, he designed the system. We need his help."

"He's asleep and that's how he's going to stay. Did you forget that he was stabbed yesterday, or
that his heart stopped beating when he almost bled to death?"

"I just need him to sit in front of a computer, not run a marathon," Ford replied.

"Kristin just crossed her arms. "There are five other computer technicians on this boat."

"And all of them are working on it already and they are getting no where. Right now this boat is
driving itself. We have no control. Lucas isn't going to recover at all if we suddenly crash into the sea
floor."

Kristin seemed to think that over for a minute. She uncrossed her arms and said, "Fine, I'll go get
him."

"Thank you," Ford told her.

Kristin left the bridge and hurried to her quarters. She ran through the door and into Lucas' room.
She stopped dead when she saw he wasn't there. He must have woken up and left. Then she took another
look around. Something was wrong. Where were the blankets?

She stepped into the room and saw R.B. was lying in the floor. She leaned over to pick the bear
up and that was when she saw something sticking out from under the bed. She reached to pick it up and
suddenly she knew something was very wrong. She was holding an almost empty roll of duct tape.

"Oh dear god," she said, suddenly understanding what the diversion had been for. She turned and
ran from the room still holding R.B. and the silver duct tape in her hands. She needed to get to the bridge.

She burst onto the bridge out of breath. "Commander," she yelled, "he's gone. He's been taken."

"Are you sure he isn't just wandering around?" Ford asked her.

"No, no. His blankets are gone and I found this," she said holding up the roll of tape. "Someone
took him. Did a shuttle leave? Are the outside doors open?" She was on the verge of a panic.

Jonathon grabbed her by the arms to calm her. "Chief, I want a team covering the launch bay
now. Someone go down and manually close the doors if we can't do it from here. I want every available
person searching the boat right now."

"Aye sir," Crocker said and left the bridge immediately.

"Do you think this was some crazy kidnapping plot?" Tim asked. "Keep us so busy that they had
time to get away?"

Ford seemed to think for a minute. "I just don't know. Where are we headed exactly?"

"Our course projections point us towards the Solomon Islands," Katie said.

"What's after that?" Ford asked.

Katie looked at her charts for a second and then looked up at the Commander, "Pearl," she told
him.

"This isn't a kidnapping plot," Ford said. "Someone is trying to attack the UEO headquarters."

"Then why take Lucas?" Kristin asked.

"Because he was our best hope of getting control of the boat back," Katie answered. "With Lucas
out of the picture, it's going to take a miracle for us to break into the computer system and regain control."

"Out of the picture!" Kristin exclaimed.

"Kristin, stay calm. We don't know that he's been hurt. Think about, if who ever is behind this
just wanted to kill him then why bother with taking him. They would have just killed him in his bed and
left him. But they didn't. They took him, which means that he's still on the boat somewhere. We just
have to find him."

"I hope you're right. I really do," Kristin said.


________________________________



Nathan walked down the long hall to General Thomas' office. He wasn't looking forward to this.

Last time he'd seen this man hadn't been pleasant. He had refused his orders to destroy the sub sinking
whaling ships. He only hoped that he wasn't about to be asked to do something once again that fell in that
gray area of morality. He liked his good guys to be good and his bad guys to be bad.

He knocked on the door and went inside.

"Well, hello Nathan," Thomas said.

"Frank," Nathan replied.

"Please have a seat."

"Thank you," Nathan said. "Now what was so important that you dragged me off of my boat."

"I see you haven't changed a bit," Thomas said.

Nathan didn't reply to that, he simply sat and waited.

"Nathan, we have a very serious situation here. There is an imposter on your boat."

"Excuse me?" Nathan said.

General Thomas handed him a set of photos. Nathan took them and found himself looking at the
corpse of a man in his late twenties.

"Who was this?" he asked.

"That was Jack Fagan," Thomas told him.

"What? Just what the hell is going on here? If this is Jack Fagan then who is the man on my
boat?"

"We believe he is a rogue section seven agent."

"Section seven!" Nathan knew this wasn't going to be good. Nothing good ever came out of
section seven. "You best start at the beginning."

"The man aboard your boat is named John Youngblood, better known as Maverick. He was
recruited by Section Seven when he was thirteen."

"Recruited or kidnapped?" Nathan asked.

"It wasn't like that. He was given a choice, a criminal detention center or join us. John was one
of the greatest hackers the world had ever seen at the time. He was better than Mycroft, maybe even better
than Lucas."

"So why is he on my boat?" Nathan asked.

"Something happened a year ago. A mission went bad, real bad, and the men serving under him
were all killed. He was never right after that, and then one day he just disappeared. He resurfaced three
months later and was almost caught when he tried to set off a bomb here in the UEO headquarters. He
managed to elude us though. During the next two months several people from section seven were found
dead. They had been John's superiors and the person responsible for recruiting him.

"We've managed to keep tabs on him but no matter how hard we tried we were always two
minutes to late. Then about five weeks ago he disappeared completely."

"The same time seaQuest started her second tour."

"Exactly," Thomas said. "Jack Fagan's body was just discovered four days ago. Because of its
condition it took us this long to positively identify it. As soon as we did we contacted you."

"So one of the world's greatest computer hackers in on board my boat. We have to get him in
custody and right now. Why on earth didn't you just tell me this five hours ago?"

"We couldn't be certain that Maverick hadn't tapped into your communications. I'm sure that by
now he has full access to your entire boat."

"That's why he's behaved in the manner he has. He's managed to fool the crew and myself into
thinking he was an idiot. I was just getting ready to put in for his transfer to get him off my boat because of
his inability to do the job."

Nathan stood up and started to pace the room. "I need to contact seaQuest. I won't tell them
about Fagan, or Maverick, but I need to see if everything is okay."

"Certainly," Thomas said. "You can contact them from here," Thomas said, pointing to his vid-
phone.

Nathan wasted no time trying to patch a call through. He waited for the connection to be picked
up. A feeling of dread crept over him when he saw the UEO logo along with the bulletin running
underneath stating that communications were currently off line.

"I think we have a problem," Nathan said. "It looks like your warning came two minutes too
late," he grumbled.

General Thomas pushed a button, "Mrs. Bertelly, get me the Secretary General, also, we need
satellites tracking the seaQuest right now."

"Yes, General."

"I never should have left seaQuest," Nathan said, slamming his hand on the table.

"We don't know that this is Maverick's doing."

"Don't we? Face it General, you screwed up," Nathan said as he marched out of the room.


__________________________________



Ford massaged his temples and let out a sigh. He was frustrated. He hated feeling helpless. The
crew was tearing the boat apart looking for Lucas. The computer science guys were completely
overwhelmed and thoroughly useless.

They had just passed the Solomon Islands and it was true, they were traveling at 180 miles per
hour on a course straight for Pearl. At this rate they would be there in approximately twelve hours.
Ford knew they had to get control of the boat back, and soon. If the UEO didn't know about their
situation already it would only be a matter of time before they did, and he knew that the UEO would
destroy them before they had the chance to reach Pearl.

Even though the nuclear warheads couldn't be activated by remote since it required two keys for
detonation, there were still the torpedoes, more than enough to take out the headquarters at Pearl.

"Commander, we've searched this boat from top to bottom and front to back in the past four
hours. There's no sign of him anywhere," Crocker told him.

"He has to be on the boat," Ford said. "All the shuttles are accounted for, and the haul doors were
closed during the chaos, so there was no way to get him off the boat. Have your men search again. Do a
deck by deck search of all access tubes, heating ducts, you name it."

"It could take a day to search all of the access tubes."

"We don't have a day," Ford said. "The way I figure, they are going to shoot us out of the water
once we are about three hours outside of Pearl, so that gives us nine hours to find him and get control of the
boat back."

"If he's in the heating ducts he'll be dead by the time we find him. He'll cook in there."

"Chief, please don't talk like that in front of Kristin. Just find him, and pray we find him alive."

"Aye sir," Crocker said.


__________________________________



Kristin walked through the ship. She had been searching every nook and cranny she could find for
the past four hours. She had to find Lucas. She had to. She refused to even think about the possibility that
he wouldn't be alive when they found him.

She wished Nathan were here. He'd be able to just close his eyes and locate Lucas. Actually she
wished Nathan were here period. She was terrified.


________________________________



Lucas was so hot and thirsty. His pajamas were glued to his body in sweat. He felt it rolling
down his back. His cuts were stinging as the salty moisture seeped into them. There was one advantage
though. The duct tape covering his face was slowly loosening. He kept moving his face about, puffing his
cheeks and arching his brows, hoping to god that he could get the tape to come off.

It would be nice to get the tape off his eyes so he wouldn't feel so trapped in the blackness, but
most important was getting it off his mouth. Then he'd be able to yell for help.

He stopped wiggling when he heard something over him. Foot steps! Someone was walking over
him. He was in the floor. Of course! He should have realized. He had to do something. Someone was
standing right over him.

He began to make muffled sounds as loudly as he could but he knew it was useless. No one was
going to hear that over the loud machines.

'NO!' They were walking away. 'Oh god, come back.' It was too late. Who ever it had been
was gone now.

He had to be ready for the next time someone came by. He began to wiggle again, sliding down
on his butt. He needed to position his legs so that he could kick up on the panel over him. He doubted he'd
be able to move the panel off, but maybe the next time someone was standing over him they would feel his
kicks and realize where he was.


________________________________



Maverick walked through the corridor and between the machines trying to look busy. He had
been trying to get to the kid to give him a drink of water but it was just too risky. E-deck was crawling
with people looking for the kid.

He was worried that someone was going to find him even without him accidentally tipping
everyone off to the kid's location. It appeared that the search seemed to be focused on E-deck and the
access tubes. Obviously he hadn't necessarily picked the most secure hiding place for the boy.

He really hadn't wanted to kill Lucas, but he was starting to wish that maybe he had done just that.
He still had twelve hours to go before they got to Pearl. If they found him soon there was a good chance
that the plan would get ruined.

"Fagan, what are you doing here?" a voice called.

He turned to see Crocker standing there addressing him.

"I was just helping with the search," he said.

"Shouldn't you be working on getting the computers fixed?"

"I was just taking a break form it. I've been staring at that computer scene for so long I thought I
was going to go cross eyed," Maverick said.

"Well I suggest you finish up your break now and get back to work. Don't worry, we'll find
Lucas, but in the mean time we need all the computer people working on getting control of the boat back,"
Crocker said.

"Do you have any idea where he is?" Maverick asked.

"We are searching this floor and the access tubes. We just hope he isn't in the heating ducts."

"Why?" Maverick asked.

"Because, if he's been in the heating ducts for the past four hours then…" he ran a hand over his
bread before continuing, "if he's in the ducts then we aren't going to find him alive."

"Oh," Maverick said. "Well, I guess I better get back to work." He quickly walked away from the
Chief. He had a new idea. He couldn't get to the kid, to help him or kill him, without getting caught, and
he no longer doubted that they would find him, it was just a matter of time. Crocker had just unwittingly
given him the answer he needed.

Lucas wasn't in the heating ducts, but he was right next to the boilers. It had been because of the
excess heat that he had been trying to get him some water.

He headed for his room. It was time to log into the boat's systems once more. He needed to turn
up the heat.


__________________________________________



"We need to take action," General Pulaski demanded. "We can't just sit here and wait for
seaQuest to dock in the harbor and then blow us off the map."

"Just what are you proposing?" General Thomas asked.

"That we strike first," Pulaski told him.

"You want to destroy seaQuest and her crew?" Secretary Noyce asked in disbelief.

Nathan jumped up out of his seat, "Are you insane? No one is blowing up that boat? You don't
even know for sure if it is planning to attack here."

"Nathan, be reasonable," Thomas said. "I know you are worried about your crew, but we are
talking about two hundred lives vs. thousands. Not to mention if the headquarters is destroyed every
enemy the UEO has will ban together to try and take us down."

"You are not blowing up my boat. We haven't even tried to retake it."

"Nathan, our people have been working on overriding the boat and remote piloting it for the past
two hours. Maverick has managed to lock us all out. We can't even shut down the weapons. You of all
people know how this works."

"Damn it, Bill. You can't just blow them up. At least give them some more time. They still have
over nine hours before they reach us. I'm sure Lucas is working right now on regaining control of
seaQuest. If anyone can beat this Maverick it's Lucas. He designed the system. No one knows it better
than him."

Everyone in the room seemed to think about that for a bit. Finally Thomas spoke up.

"I say we give them four more hours. But after that…"

"Fine, four hours," Bill agreed.

Nathan sighed. He had bought them some time, but would it be enough.

"Gentlemen, I'd like to speak with Captain Bridger alone, please," Bill said.

Both Generals stood and left the room. Bill looked at Nathan.

"Nathan, I know this is hard, but we have a responsibility to protect the masses."

"Don't talk to me about responsibility. Bill, that's my family. Tell me right now how you would
feel if Janice and your daughters were on that boat. Would you be so anxious to blow it up? Not to
mention my crew. Those people that you currently view as expendable are my friends. We have to think
of something."

"I'm sorry for what you're going through, and I'll give them all the time that I can, but in the end I
am going to have to do my job, Nathan."

Nathan nodded. He understood, really he did, but his heart was still being ripped out of his chest.
If only he were still on board. At least then he could be doing something as opposed to just sitting here
being useless. At least then when the UEO destroyed his home, family and friends he would have been
there to die with them.

His entire life was wrapped up in that boat, and he didn't just mean Kristin and Lucas.

"Here," Bill said. He reached into his desk and pulled out a bottle of scotch with two glasses.

"No thanks," Nathan said.

"You sure?" Bill asked.

"I promised Lucas I'd never touch the stuff ever again," he told him.

"What? When were you drinking around Lucas?"

"It's complicated," Nathan said. He wasn't about to tell Bill that he'd made the promise in a
dream about two weeks after Carol's death. "Bill, excuse me, but I have to get out of here for a bit."

"Of course," Bill replied.

Nathan stood up and left the office. He walked to the stairwell and went up to the roof. He sat
down on his bottom and leaned back against one of the chimneys. He closed his eyes and began to pray for
a miracle.

"Lucas, I know you can beat this guy. Don't give up," he said. He tried to reach out with his
mind, but he felt nothing. Lucas was too far away to make the connection.


____________________________________



Lucas turned his head back and forth. He was desperate for some fresh air. It was so hot here. It
felt like for the past hour or so the air had been getting warmer and warmer. He was sweating terribly and
he was so thirsty. God what he would give for just one sip of water.

He had been pushing up on the steel panel with his feet but unfortunately no one was around to
feel him.

He also had another problem. He needed to go the bathroom really bad. He wasn't sure how long
he had been in here, but it had been long enough for his bladder to become very uncomfortable.

He breathed in deeply but the warm air was just making him nauseous. He felt like he was slowly
being cooked alive. He hoped someone would find him soon. He didn't know how much longer he could
stand this.


_____________________________



Maverick worked at his computer, pretending to work on the problem. Actually, he was working
hard to keep the other techs from accessing the system. Once Zebrowski had actually gotten close, but he
had managed to block his efforts.

He pulled up the screen that showed the boiler output. He had boilers one and two cranked up.
They were pumping out the heat, and had been doing so now for the past two hours. He figured it wouldn't
take long for the boy to succumb to the heat at this rate. He had to be burning up by now in that cramped
little hole he was in.

He felt bad, he really did. If he had known that he was going to have to kill the kid anyway he
would have handled it a different way. Something that would have been quick and painless. He didn't feel
guilty enough to save him however. No, he had a job to do.

He was going to let the people at the UEO know exactly how he felt. They had robbed him of his
childhood and his family. They had changed him and manipulated him until he didn't even recognize
himself anymore. They had made him a murderer. Well, he was going to put a stop to the UEO's power.
Blowing up the headquarters was only the beginning of his plan. He would eventually bring the UEO to
it's knees when he was finally finished.


____________________________________



Kristin walked up to Jonathon. The man looked exhausted. "Is there any word yet on Lucas?" she
asked.

"Kristin, I have almost everyone on this boat looking for him, even the civilians. We've almost
ripped the place apart. There are people crawling through the walls looking for him."

"It's been almost seven hours. How many hiding places can there be on this boat?" she
demanded.

"Kristin, we won't stop until we find him. Trust me, I want to find him as badly as you do. We
are only nine hours away from Pearl. If we don't find him soon then it won't matter if we find him at all."

"What are you talking about?" Kristin asked.

"Because, the UEO will sink us. We are heading towards Pearl, and an unknown party is in
control of our weapons. We don't even have communications to let the UEO know what is happening."

"I…I hadn't thought of that," Kristin admitted. "Are you sure you're searching everywhere?"

"Kristin I just told you…"

"I know, you said you had people in the walls, but what about the ceiling and the floors. Are there
places there to hide him?"

Ford was about to reply when he stopped. He thought for a moment. "My god, you're right.
There are places to hide him in the floors. Every deck has access panels in the floor so maintenance can be
done." He grabbed his PAL and called Crocker and told him to meet him on the bridge. He couldn't take a
chance on the person responsible for this overhearing him tell Crocker their new search pattern.


__________________________________



Nathan once again found himself sitting in Bill's office.

"At the moment the seaScape, the Atlantis, and the Kennedy are all on an intercept course with
seaQuest. The three subs will be able to take on seaQuest here," Pulaski pointed on the map. "It's
approximately four hours outside of Pearl. It's the soonest the Kennedy can get there. This gives seaQuest
a little more time to get the problem under control themselves, if they can."

"Do we really need three subs?" Bill asked.

"Depending on how good this Maverick is, yes," Nathan said in a voice that didn't even sound like
his. He couldn't believe he was sitting here talking about killing his loved ones. This couldn't be
happening.

"Fine. Now we sit and wait for seaQuest to come to us, and pray we don't have to put this plan
into action," Bill said.


____________________________________



'I can't breathe,' Lucas thought to himself. It was just too hot. Why wasn't someone coming to
get him? Surely they had noticed he was missing by now. It had been hours and hours. He couldn't stand
it any longer. The heat was too much. Also, all of his pain medication had long since worn off and it felt
like he hurt everywhere.

He felt the tears pool in his eyes, but the tape prevented then from falling as his next humiliation
occurred. He wet his pants. He had been holding it and holding it, but the unavoidable finally happened.

The wetness just added to his overall discomfort. He wanted out of here in the worst way. He
couldn't believe that he had complained all day about being confined to his soft, comfortable bed. What he
would give to be back in his bed, happily drugged and resting, wearing pajamas that weren't soaked with
sweat and urine.

'Mom, Dad, where are you?'


_________________________________



Ford watched as the men searched all the access panels in the floor. All the decks were being
search simultaneously. They had been looking for Lucas now for over ten hours. Everyone was exhausted.

He turned around and saw Ben standing with Kristin trying to comfort her. She was a wreck.

He left the people working here and went down stairs to E-deck. This floor had the most access
panels just because so many of the mechanical systems for operating the boat were located on this floor.

He saw that Tim and Miguel were helping with the search on this floor. It was useless for them to be at
their posts since they couldn't do anything there anyway.

Ford wiped his brow. It seemed unusually warm on this deck. He knew the boilers were located
here, but he didn't remember it being so warm usually.

He walked up to Crocker to get a progress report.

"How many more?" he asked.

"We've just about searched them all," the Chief said.

"You're kidding?" Ford said. "I really thought we had figured it out."

"Don't give up yet," Crocker said.




Tim and Miguel slid the panel back over the hole they had just checked.

"This is hopeless," Miguel said. "I hate to say it, but I'm starting to think that maybe Lucas is
dead."

"Don't say that," Tim said. "Don't you dare."

"Tim, we've searched the whole boat. Where else can he be?"

"He's not dead," Tim repeated. He sat down on the floor for a minute. He looked at all the panels
they had lifted already. He scanned the area to make sure they hadn't missed any.

"Wow it's hot here," Tim said. "Why are the boilers still on?"

"Beats me," Miguel said. He looked over at the big heaters. Tim was right. They were working
over time. He looked down at the floor and saw another access panel partially hidden by the boilers. "Has
anyone checked that panel over there?"

"I don't know," Tim said, shaking his head. He took off his glasses and wiped them clean on his
shirt. He put them back on and said, "We may as well go have a look."

They both went into the narrow space and slide the panel over. Both were shocked to see their
friend lying inside, wrapped almost head to toe in duct tape.

"Lucas!" Tim gasped.

"OVER HERE!" Miguel yelled, "WE"VE FOUND HIM!"

Ford and Crocker came running. Tim and Miguel struggled to lift Lucas out of the tight hole that
he was in.

"Is he alive?" Ford asked.

"I think so," Tim said. He had gotten into the hole with Lucas to get a better hold of him. "He's
drenched in sweat. It's like a sauna in here."

Tim and Miguel set Lucas down on the floor gently. Neither commented on the fact that Lucas
had obviously urinated on himself. Tim peeled the tape off of Lucas' eyes and mouth. Lucas didn't move.

"Lucas," Tim said as he slapped lightly at Lucas' face. "Come on, wake up."

Crocker handed Miguel a knife to start cutting away the tape holding Lucas while Tim tried to
wake him.

"He's burning up," Tim said. "We have to cool him down, fast."

"Someone go tell Kristin we've found him and he's alive," Ford said as he bent down to help
Miguel pull the tape away from his hands and arms. He became frustrated that the tape wasn't coming off
faster.

"Leave the tape on his legs for now," he said. Ford scooped Lucas up into his arms and took off
with him.

"Where are you going?" Tim called, running to keep up with the Commander. Tim looked back to
see that several people were following them, including Crocker and Miguel.

"We've got to cool his body down right?"

"Right," Tim said.

"Well, that's what I'm going to do," Ford said. He moved quickly up the stairs to D-deck heading
for the labs. He entered the moon pool and yelled, "Tim, get in the water."

"Let me get a suit on."

"Tim, get in the water," Ford almost yelled.

Tim kicked off his shoes and got in letting out a small screech as the cold water soaked him. Ford
handed Lucas to Tim and then quickly got in himself. They submerged Lucas all the way to his chin, and
then they used their hands to scoop water up and pour it over Lucas' head.

Kristin came running into the moon pool. "How is he? Why is he in the water?"

"We found him by the boilers," Miguel told her. "He's unconscious, they're trying to cool his
body down."

"I don't know if this was the best way," Kristin said. "That water is extremely cold. He could go
into shock. We need to get him out and to Med Bay."

Ford and Tim pulled Lucas back to the edge of the moon pool and Miguel and Ben took the boy
from them.

"I've got him," Ben said.

"You two get out of those wet clothes now," Kristin ordered. "Ben, follow me."

Ben carried Lucas to the med bay and laid him on a bed. Kristin immediately began to examine
Lucas and take his vitals while Ben cut away the remaining tape. His temperature was 102.8, and that was
after being submerged in cold water.

She ordered the nurses to get his body covered with cool cloths and then she started an IV in him
to help replace the fluids he'd lost. She saw the spot of blood on his shirt and lifted it up. She removed his
bandage and saw that a couple of his stitches had busted, but it wasn't anything serious. She asked the
nurse to get her the supplies she would need to clean and restitch the wound.

"He's okay?" Ben asked.

"Once he cools down he'll be fine," Kristin told him.

"You're sure?"

"Yes," she said as she started stitching.

A few minutes later Ford came running into the med bay. "How is he?"

"We're cooling him down now and replacing fluids. He'll be fine."

"How soon before he wakes up?"

"Commander, I can't tell you that. He'll wake up when he wakes up."

"Kristin, I don't mean to rush you, but we are working on a clock here. We're all going to die
unless Lucas can take back control of the boat."

"I know that. I'll do my best to help him recover, but at the moment his body temp is over a 102
degrees. Even if he were awake right now he'd probably be delirious.


_____________________________________



Maverick was back in his room once more. They had found the kid and he was still alive.
Luckily he was unconscious, but he knew the kid would wake up eventually. This was going to pose a real
problem for he didn't doubt for a minute the kid would be able to get the boat back.

He was beginning to think it was time to fall back on his contingency plan, the one that involved
him getting off this boat. 'He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day,' he reminded himself.
He decided to give it a little time to see what would happen.


______________________________________



It was an hour before Lucas finally started to come around. The first thing he realized was that he
was cold, not uncomfortably so, but it was a definite change from what he remembered just before he
passed out from the heat. He was also lying flat and on something soft.

He heard voices. Mom. Mom was talking. He wanted his Mom.

"Mom," he moaned, and was surprised when he heard his own voice. He opened his eyes and
suddenly realized that he wasn't tied up any more. He found himself staring at the lights in med bay. They
had found him obviously.

"Mom!" he called louder. In an instant she was by his side.

"Lucas, it's about time you woke up," she said, smiling at him.

"What happened?" he asked. "Who took me and why?"

"I'm afraid we don't know." Lucas saw that Commander Ford was also there.

"You don't know! You mean he's still here somewhere?"

"Yes, I'm afraid that he is, but don't worry Lucas, he isn't going to get you again."

"How do you know!?" Lucas snapped. "Someone came and took me right out of my bed!"

"Lucas, don't upset yourself," Kristin said.

"Why shouldn't I be upset?" Lucas said and sat up in his bed. As soon as he did he clutched his
wounded stomach in pain. Once he moved he realized that pain was everywhere.

"Lucas, Lucas are you okay?" she asked. "What hurts?"

"Everything," Lucas gasped.

"I'll get you some pain medication."

"NO," Lucas cried. "I'm not going back to sleep."

"Kristin, you can't put him to sleep, we have to get control of the boat," Ford said.

Lucas looked at them totally confused. "What do you mean, get control of the boat? What's
going on?"

"Lucas, right now the seaQuest is being operated by remote. We are completely locked out,
furthermore, we are currently on a course to Pearl. I think who ever is controlling us is planning to attack
the UEO headquarters."

"We have to stop them," Lucas said.

"Can you get control of seaQuest back?" Ford asked.

"It shouldn't be a problem," Lucas said. "It's my system, and I sort of left myself a few back
doors so that I could always access the program."

"Then let's get you to a computer," Ford said. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah, I can walk, just don't rush me," he said as he stood slowly off the bed. "Uh, I need some
clothes. I'm not going out there in a gown."

"Commander, will you please have someone bring Lucas some sweat pants and a t-shirt from his
room. No jeans, he can't have anything pressing on his stomach."

"Sure. You two stay here. I'm going to post a security guard on you."


____________________________________



Nathan was pacing the room. They were getting close to the deadline. There were only a couple
of hours left before seaQuest would be destroyed. Images of Kristin and Lucas floated in his mind. How
could he be standing here doing nothing while the UEO was preparing to kill them? He should be on that
boat, too.

He had promised Lucas that they were going to be together for a long time. He prayed that
promise hadn't been a lie.


___________________________________



Lucas entered the bridge. He saw several people breath a sigh of relief when they saw him. He
realized that all the people that really cared about him were there. Ben, Tim, Miguel, Katie, Ford, Crocker
and Mom were all present. The only person missing was Dad. He suddenly thought about how afraid Dad
must be at the moment. The Commander had explained to Lucas that if they didn't get seaQuest back that
the UEO would be forced to sink them. Lucas understood. He remembered it being mentioned twice
before when the boat had been compromised.

"Lucas."

Lucas looked up to see Ben was calling him.

"You okay kid?"

"Yeah, just thinking." Lucas went to a console and sat down. He started typing in several
commands. Several screens popped up and then finally a screen came on asking for user id and password.
Lucas entered his secret information and then the system seemed to shut down totally. For the second time
that day the lights went out and it looked like every other system on the boat was shutting down.

"Lucas, what did you do?" Ford asked.

"Hang on," Lucas said. "It's supposed to do that." The computer screen suddenly came back to
life along with the lights, and then Lucas began turning on the boat one system at a time.

"All right, we've got life support back," he said as he typed. "I've got communications back on
line…I'm starting propulsion and helms now." He typed for several more minutes and then announced that
ballast control and sensors were back on line.

"Okay, Commander, the boat's all yours," Lucas finally announced several minutes later.

"Excellent," Ford said. "Mr. O'Neill, get a line to the UEO, tell them we are back in charge. Mr.
Ortiz, I want all WSKR's in the water. Report anything unusual. Ensign, bring us to a full stop. New
course will be set after we talk to the UEO." Ford turned to look at Lucas and Kristin. He could tell by the
way Lucas was grimacing that he was in pain.

"Kristin, you can take Lucas to his room to rest now. Lt. Krieg, Chief, I want you to stay with
them. No one but senior staff enters their quarters. No one," he repeated.

"Aye sir," Crocker said.

Ben and Kristin helped Lucas walk off the bridge.

"Mom, I'm sorry I complained about spending the day in bed," he said.

"That's good to hear, because you are about to spend the next two days in it."

Lucas just nodded. The way he felt at the moment he welcomed the idea of two days in bed.


__________________________________________



Maverick cursed himself for being soft. He should have just killed the kid, but he felt sorry for the
boy. Now his plan had gone to hell. That was okay. The UEO hadn't seen the last of him.

He sent out a coded message for his friends so they would know where to find him.

He plugged his laptop into the wall and typed in an override code for the launch bay. He climbed
into the Stinger and then opened the haul doors. In less than a minute he was in open water and moving
quickly away from seaQuest.


___________________________________



"Sir," Ortiz said. "Sensors are showing that a launch is leaving seaQuest. It's the Stinger."

"Open a channel," Ford said. He spoke to the unknown passenger in the Stinger but the pilot
didn't respond.

"Can we snag it with the grapnel?" Ford asked.

"Negative" Katie said. "It's too far out of reach and the gap is widening. Whoever is in that thing
has it going 140."

"Should we pursue?" Miguel asked.

"No," Ford said. "I want roll call taken. Let's find out who our traitor was."


__________________________________



Nathan was once again sitting in Bill's office when the call came through. He wanted to jump out
of his chair and high five someone when he saw Commander Ford's face on the vid-link.

"Commander Ford, are we ever glad to see you," Noyce said.

"I would like to report that we are in control of seaQuest once more," Ford said.

"Jonathon, is everyone on board okay? What happened?" Nathan asked.

"Everyone is fine now, a bit stressed maybe, but fine none the less."

"That's to be understood," Bill said.

"Commander, you need to get Seaman Fagan in custody right now," Nathan said. "He is the one
responsible for taking over the boat."

"Actually sir, that won't be possible. Right after Lucas regained control the Stinger was stolen.
We took roll call in Fagan is missing from the boat."

"Damn," Noyce whispered. Then he looked up at Jonathon. "What took Lucas so long to reclaim
the boat?"

"Actually, it only took him about fifteen minutes to accomplish that."

"Well, then why was seaQuest on remote for almost fourteen hours?" Nathan asked.

"Sir, Lucas had been abducted. We spent over twelve hours looking for him, and then when we
did it took another hour for him to regain consciousness. He's okay now, though. He's back in his room
resting with Dr. Westphalen."

"Where was he?" Nathan asked. "Why was he unconscious?"

"He was tied up and stuffed into a floor access hole on E-deck. He was at the base of the boilers.
He became over heated and lost consciousness. Like I said though, sir, he's fine now."

"Commander, patch this call through to my room. I want to talk to Kristin and Lucas."

"Yes sir."


________________________________



Nathan exited the shuttle and ran past the people in the launch bay. The only thought on his mind
was getting to his quarters. Even though he had spoken briefly to Kristin and Lucas only to hours ago, all
he wanted was to hold them in his arms.

He raced down the corridor and entered his room. Kristin stood up form the sofa immediately and
raced into his arms. For a moment neither spoke, they simply held each other. Then Nathan pulled back
and kissed her with a desperate need to simply feel her, touch her.

"I was so worried," he finally said. "I couldn't do anything, and I had to sit there and listen to
them plan to blow you and everyone up."

"It's over now," she said. "We're all safe."

"How's Lucas?" he asked.

"He's in his room sleeping. I gave him a much needed pain pill and it knocked him out."

"I'm going to go see him," Nathan said.

She smiled at him and walked with him to Lucas' door. Nathan opened the door and gasped.
Lucas wasn't in his bed. He pushed the door the rest of the way open and then breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he felt his heart break at the sight before him.

Lucas was asleep all right. He was sitting in the floor with his back in the corner. He had a
blanket across his legs. Even in his drug induced sleep he looked like he was ready to fight anyone who
came at him. Nathan entered the room and stepped over to Lucas. He got down in the floor next to him
and pulled the boy into his lap.

Lucas mumbled something in his sleep and began to squirm and pull away.

"Shh, it's Dad. You're safe," Nathan said. He touched Lucas on his brow and entered the boy's
mind and calmed him down. It worked like a charm because Lucas stopped struggling and instead
snuggled up to his Dad, making himself comfortable.

Kristin stood in the door and smiled at the two. Then she walked into the room and sat down in
the floor next to Nathan. She laid her head on his shoulder.

"I'm glad you're back," she said.

"I'm glad I had a home and family to come back to," he said.