Thanks to my beta Anarore!
Disclaimer: I do not own seaQuest DSV or it's characters and I'm not making money with this story. This is the translated version of my very first story "Der Mörder ist immer..." Reviews are always welcome :)
The murderer always is...
by Samusa
It was dark. He could not make out his hand in front of his eyes and groped his way along through the room. Carefully he moved in the direction that he thought he wanted to go. Here, somewhere... The light went on again, but more dim than before. A little jerky he pressed the key that connected him with the bridge. "Still no solution for our little problem, Commander?"
"Unfortunately not Captain. At the moment the emergency power keeps everything running. We could not find the error. The system must be effected directly."
This time there were no terrorists or enormous sea-monsters who kept the seaQuest on its toes. For nearly one hour the submarine had to fight with its own power supply and seemed more or less helpless. The entire net broke down again and again and left everyone in the dark for a short time, until the emergency power system switched itself on and supplied the seaQuest with light again and protected everything from a complete collapse of all systems.
"If that's the case, perhaps Lucas should take a look at this..." Captain Bridger took his Pal and tried to reach Lucas, but he did not answer. Rolling his eyes, he left his cabin and made his way to his youngest crew member. Just at that moment, when he entered the passage, the light came back on in complete brilliance and everything seemed normal again.
Distrustfully the Captain looked at the lamps. "Well, let's see how long it will last this time."
Nathan Bridger now stood in front of the computer specialist's cabin door and knocked. He waited for a "Come in" orsomething similar, however, in vain. Nobody answered. Was the boy with Darwin again? He could not spend his entire time playing with the dolphin. After all, he had his obligations.
Bridger decided to look for the teenager on the sea-deck. Just as he turned to go, he heard a noise which clearly seemed to come from Lucas ' cabin. Without thinking Bridger decided to look into it. Maybe the boy was there after all...
The Captain opened the door when the light went out again. "Great." Now he stood in the doorway and couldn't see anything. "Lucas? Are you here?" He thought he recognized that nobody was there and stepped forward, when he noticed that something moved on the floor. He tried hard to make out something .
The emergency power activated itself again and in front of Bridger stood a rather surprised looking Lucas Wolenczak, who regarded the Captain with big eyes. "Did you have to scare me that much?" The computer genius put back a heavy book on his already full table that had fallen down a moment ago.
"I scared you? Who here does not answer if one contacts him on his Pal, and descends on innocent people in the darkness?" Bridger was quite annoyed by the constant light on, light off, but he couldn't help it and started grinning, when he noticed how much he actually had frightened Lucas.
"I didn't hear you. That's no reason for almost using me as a carpet."
Bridger took a look at the teenager's big headphones and now understood how the boy wasn't able to hear anything.
"You told me I should not always entertain the whole boat with my music."
Nathan had to smile because he noticed how much it annoyed Lucas that he could be frightened in such a way - however much the boy defended himself. However this smile didn't improve the situation, therefore he started the real topic. "Well, actually I wanted to ask you to take care of our small power problem. You might have noticed it?"
"Believe it or not, I did." Now it was Lucas' turn to grin, although rather out of defiance, than of pure happiness. "Actually I thought the innumerable technicians on board would solve the problem soon."
"That's what I thought too. However they couldn't find anything."
In that moment the normal light returned. "They believe it's the system itself. Maybe a virus. It's a possibility. And that would make it your task."
"It had to be a very clever virus, if it has made it's way into our system. After all, I'm the co-creator of it. There's no virus that can make it through without me noticing it sooner or later." The Captain didn't say anything.
Lucas sighed. "Alright. I'll take a look."
"Thank you so very much." Bridger said sarcasticly.
"Okay, okay..."Lucas rolled his eyes, but had to smile nevertheless. One could have thought, they both didn't really get along with each other. But that wasn't true at all. In reality they were, even at this moment, inseperable. Even if they sometimes annoyed each other.
"Great. I have no desire to have to explain why this technical wonder is left in the dark every five minutes. When I think about the science team that will come on board in less than 20 minutes... perhaps up to then everything should work again. I do not believe that they would be particularly happy to do their research in candle light."
"That would be romantic."
Bridger had to laugh. "Indeed, apart from the fact that there are also problems with the computers and other devices." That was something Lucas didn't even want to think about. It already annoyed him endlessly that his computers had to suffer from the lack of electricity from time to time, but having to live without all of them ... terrible thought. "I'm going to start and try to find out what the problem is. I'll inform you."
"Very well. Then I think it's time for me to make my way to the laboratories to see what's going on." Lucas did not react with more than a strange sound that came from his mouth, due to the fact that his mouth was already full of chocolate. Smiling amused, Nathan Bridger left the room.
The 20 minutes passed by faster than the Captain really wanted, and so he had no other choice than to welcome the scientists and hope that Lucas had found the problem and fixed it. At least there had been no light shows, since he had been at the teenager's cabin.
So Nathan Bridger as well as Dr. Kristin Westphalen waited for the airlock to open. As the guests finally entered seaQuest, a quite amusing sight was offered to the people waiting . In front of the group walked two men, who could not have been more different than each other. One was small, who had a belly that looked like it's owner liked drinking beer, the other one rather large with a rather thin build. The smaller one of the two immediately came smiling in a friendly way to the Captain and the Doctor, in order to shake hands.
"You must be Professor Roberts. I'm really glad to... " the Captain started, however he was interrupted.
"No, you must excuse me. My name is Dr. Grey. And that is Dr. Dickson." He pointed at the tall man beside him. Meanwhile four officers started bringing equipment on board, followed by a man, about 40 years old, with long and somewhat tousled hair.
"This is Professor Roberts. We are his assisting scientists." While Dr Grey explained in friendly words, Dickson didn't seem to be, what you would call – in a good mood. At least not when it concerned the strange professor Roberts.
This professor now moved to the small group of people and seemed quite relaxed. "Hi, it's probably me you are looking for." Without hesitating he took Bridger's hand and shook it. "I have to say, the seaQuest is pretty impressive. Really not bad." He looked around amazed, while he kept on shaking the Captain's hand.
Surprised but also amused, Bridger managed to escape the endless gesture of welcome. "I'm glad to have you on board. I am Captain Nathan Bridger and this is Dr. Kr... " Nathan just wanted to introduce Kristin, when she decided to do it herself.
"You are Professor Graham Roberts!" She looked at the smiling man as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. She simply could not believe that this hippie had written the innumerable papers of evolution and marine biology, which were spoken highly of in the whole world. If Dr. Westphalen was still a teenager, one could have called her a fan of this professor Roberts. But at the moment she regarded him with a due portion of skepticism. On the other hand, she thought, when kids could make dolphins talk...
"Yeah, that's supposed to be me." Roberts laughed.
Dr. Westphalen was embarrassed somehow... She would have liked to laugh at herself. "I am Dr. Kristin Westphalen and I'm the head of the science crew on board the seaQuest. It is an honour for me to meet you." She smiled a friendly smile, just like the professor.
"At the risk of interrupting this little rendezvous...", Dr. Dickson said pompously,
"When can we get into the laboratories?"
"At first we..." All of a sudden it had become dark again. All the lights had gone out and nobody was able to see anything.
"May I ask, what is the meaning of this ?" Dr. Dickson asked, obviously annoyed, while Dr. Grey was heard breathing a little unevenly "What happened?" he asked scared.
No one had a chance to calm Dr. Grey, because Dr. Dickson continued talking, ignoring his colleague and his fears. "I hope you know that... " he mumbled angrily.
"Oh Dickson come on!" Roberts called cheerfully and in the same moment the emergency system switched itself on and everyone could see the annoyed expression on Dickson's face.
"Captain, do you have problems on board?" Dr. Grey asked, unnerved.
"Well, actually we have, but don't worry. It concerns only a small problem in the internal electricity mains. I propose we first bring the equipment to the laboratories and show you your quarters. Up to then the problem will surely be fixed." Of course Bridger was aware of the fact that nothing was sure. At least he hoped that up to then everything would be cleared up.
Dr. Dickson moved his glasses into the right position on his nose and with an annoyed sigh he moved, followed by the four officers who were responsible for the equipment. "Then would you be so kind as to show us the appropriate way? That would be pretty helpful."
Kristin Westphalen was not certain what annoyed her the most: The constant lightshow or Dr. Dickson, whom she just had met. That could become an interesting cooperation. At least Professor Roberts seemed to make a less exerting impression, although in an more unorthodox kind of way.
The light came back on again and Bridger made his way to Lucas, while Kristin accompanied the scientists to the laboratories and the cabins. Hopefully Lucas had found out something.
"That is simply a catastrophe!" Benjamin Krieg stormed into the cabin of the computer genius.
"Ben, not now." Lucas said concentrated. But the supply officer ignored that completely.
"I tell you, it's a disaster. A longer breakdown and it's all over." Ben looked at his young friend, who still stared at his computer screen...
...and couldn't resist any longer: "What do you mean Ben?" he asked curiously.
"What I mean, you ask? I mean the refrigerator. All the frozen delicacies. If the situation gets worse, we can only drink them."
"Ben, it is only ice-cream." Lucas grinned.
"Oh, is that so? Is it still only ice-cream if we could convince the right people that someone has to take care of the ice-cream, to save it?"
"You want all the ice...?" Lucas' brain started to work. Actually he should be looking for a virus that could be responsible for the chaos, but on the other hand he knew exactly why Ben had come at all. He simply wanted to steal the ice-cream. And he even had a plan, if one could call it that. The teenager doubted this fact, but he could not deny that he was somehow attracted to that offer. In addition to that it was an almost non-existing chance that a virus would have made it into the system.
"Well, what d'ya say buddy?" Ben asked already full of excitement.
Lucas rose and stood in front of his older friend "I could stand some ice-cream."
"Ha, I knew it. I already prepared everything. We can really take all the ice-cream, because in my cabin there are, as of late, cool boxes running on accumulators" Krieg rubbed his hands.
For the second time that day Bridger stood in front of Lucas ' door. If he discovered the boy doing something else than working and searching for the virus he would have to talk to him in a serious way. Actually he was rather sure that he would find Lucas in front of his computer. Bridger knocked.
One second later the door opened and the Captain looked into the surprised eyes of the computer specialist. "Oh hello Captain. Are the scientists already there?" he asked and was annoyed that Bridger always had to have such a good timing. He could probably forget the ice-cream plan...for now.
"They are and they were already able to admire our light event. Have you found something?"
"Well, not really. I still believe that it is not a virus."
"I hope you searched seriously, nonetheless?" Bridger stepped into the small room, past Lucas and immediately stood beside Lieutenant Krieg.
"Mr.Krieg. What are you doing here? I hope you are not keeping Lucas from his work." Somehow Bridger had this fear. If Benjamin Krieg and Lucas Wolenczak were together in one room, one could expect the worst. Perhaps Nathan exaggerated with this thought, but in a certain way, he was right.
"Captain. No, I wanted to go anyway. Duty calls." Faster than Bridger could watch, Ben had left the cabin, but not without telling Lucas, that he would wait with his ice-cream plan. Without his young accomplice it would have made only half as much fun.
"Lucas, I know that you can not imagine that it is a virus, but be so kind and make sure that it is something else." Bridger could feel it, this was going to be a long day.
"Understood. I'll make sure it's no virus. Hm, well, perhaps... are you sure you paid the last electricity bill?" Lucas could not help it and grinned.
Bridger, however, sighed: "Lucas."
"Aye aye." he sighed as well. Why did there have to be so many things you would like to do, when you were supposed to do other tasks?
"I'll tell you what... I'll make sure there will be two portions of ice-cream for you this lunch."
If at this point there still is something left, Lucas thought. "Mhm, great."
Bridger shook his head and left the room. "Children."