"Why do girls always travel to the washroom in a posse?" whispered 15 year old, Lucas Wolenczak, as he leaned in closer to his good friend and the procurement officer of SeaQuest, Ben Krieg. Lucas watched as Ben shrugged and smirked at him. Lt. Commander Katie Hitchcock and Dr. Kristin Westphalen had just recently excused themselves from the table and three other ladies Lucas didn't know had followed suit. SeaQuest's senior staff were all in attendance at an UEO summit in Florida and were currently attending a formal dinner. Lucas yanked at the tie around his neck and fidgeted uncomfortably. He hated these kind of formal events with a passion. He couldn't wait until he could be excused to his room for the evening.

"Better men before us have asked the same question, kid. Maybe they need moral support."

"Moral support for what?"

"How am I supposed to know? I've never been in a woman's bathroom before. Maybe they have ESPN in there."

Lucas shook his head and rolled his eyes at his friend. He fidgeted some more as he picked at the fancy food on his plate. He couldn't imagine anything more boring than sitting through fifty different speakers all tooting their own horns about the wonderful advancements they had made towards making the world a better place. Lucas stifled a yawn and leaned against his elbow. The crew and guests were absorbed in small talk which was about as interesting as watching paint dry. He heard his name mentioned a few times, but he didn't bother to tune into the conversation enough to find out the context. It was beginning to all fade out of his level of consciousness as he found himself daydreaming about the new car magazine he'd picked up at the news stand on the way to the Summit. He'd been wanting the magazine for months and finally had the opportunity to purchase one of his own. Unfortunately, the captain had refused him permission to bring it along to browse at during the dinner. The stuffy, stodgy event was starting to wear thin on him. Lucas wiggled his knee up and down impatiently. His movement accidently disturbed the glasses of water on the table.

"Stop fidgeting, Lucas," whispered Tim, who was sitting on his other side. Lucas watched as a few of the crew tossed napkins on the table to catch the spills from their water glasses. Lucas looked at Tim with a morose look and heaved a weary sigh. "Have you even bothered to listen to any of the speakers? That last guy wasn't all that boring." Lucas could hear a small bit of admonishment in the communication officer's voice. Lucas groaned in response.

"I'd rather do a ship-wide diagnostic, Tim, than sit here any longer. I'm gonna lose my mind." Lucas saw Tim smile at him sympathetically but then turned his attention to Miguel. Lucas reached into his pocket, pulling out a few sticks of gum and popping them into his mouth absentmindedly. He leaned back in his chair thinking about his conversation with Nick the night before leaving for the Summit. Nick Andrews was one of his closest friends. They had met on Node 3, and having survived the stressful situation with Mycroft, they ended up forming a close bond. Nick had been sharing some of his latest escapades. Nick was just as fascinated with computers and technology as Lucas, and it sure sounded like Nick was having more fun than he. Lucas heard himself groan again. Just about anything else sounded like fun other than sitting through the lame UEO dinner event.

A round of applause was heard throughout the room as Lucas continued to daydream and chomp on gum. He looked up to see another grey-haired man take the podium. Lucas slumped down in his chair further wishing the floor would open up and swallow him. He blew an enormous bubble until the room disappeared. He purposely held the bubble there looking around the room, inwardly snickering at how everything looked pink. He jumped when someone popped the bubble, and the gum stuck to his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Captain Bridger frowning at him and making a gesture that clearly meant to dispose of the gum. Lucas looked away as he pulled the gum off his face and shoved it back into his mouth.

"Get rid of the gum," hissed Jonathan, who was sitting beside Tim. Lucas scowled at him when he realised that it had been Jonathan who had actually burst his bubble. Lucas groaned irritably and rose to his feet.

"Please excuse me," he said quietly as he left the table. Curious eyes followed him as he escaped the room quickly.

Opening the back doors, the cool air hit him in the face, and he breathed a sigh of relief to be out of the stuffy room. He glanced around to see the outer foyer devoid of any people. It was peaceful and serene, and Lucas was thankful. Lucas sat down on one of the cosy sofas in the foyer and rested his head lazily. Now if he could only stay hidden from everyone until the dull formal dinner was finished. He pulled out some ear phones, shoved them into his ears and closed his eyes, hoping that no one would see him and drag him back into the suffocating room. He jumped when he felt a hand touch his head. He looked up to see Dr. Westphalen smiling at him. Lucas had to admit that the doctor looked stunning in her navy blue evening dress she had chosen for the occasion. She cleaned up much better than he did.

"Hi, Doc," he murmured, feeling his face flush. He really didn't want to hear a lecture and gave her a small pleading look. As much as he hated being referred to as the baby-faced kid, part of him hoped that that so-called cuteness Ben always referred to would get him a reprieve. He watched as the doctor sat beside him and fished inside her purse for something. Pulling out what looked like an USB stick, she handed it to him with a mock stern look.

"You should be properly paying attention to those stellar speakers, young man, rather than hiding out here listening to God knows what on that phone of yours." Lucas saw her wink at him sympathetically. She leaned in close to him. "I'm a tad bored as well. Listening to all those military stuffed shirts tooting their horns is enough to put people of the higher intellect into a coma," she whispered with a smirk.

Lucas snickered. "What's this?" He saw her smile at him warmly.

"I saw some public computers down the hall. Why don't you take a look at what's on that stick. It might be more intriguing to your neural pathways." She patted his knee as she rose to her feet. "Don't worry; I'll cover for you with Nathan." Lucas gave her a grateful smile and watched as she disappeared back into the conference room.

Lucas sauntered down the hallway taking in the sights of the luxurious hotel. Turnbury Isle was one of the largest and most prominent conference centres in the United States. The UEO was pulling out all the stops for this Summit, likely trying to impress the shareholders and hoping to establish new funding to build a better support system for their vision. Lucas had to admit he had very little interest in the military aspect. He would have preferred to focus on the scientific facets; at least that was useful and interesting. He approached the corner and smiled when he saw some public computers ahead. He felt like he would be forever grateful for Dr. Westphalen and her understanding of his curiosity of all things science. He made a mental note to do something special for her once they returned to SeaQuest. One of the best parts of being on SeaQuest was working with her and her impeccable science team. While part of him did enjoy being on the bridge and in the thick of the excitement, his heart was drawn in by all the scientific experiments and discoveries. SeaQuest as a research vessel made just as much of a difference as it did as a peacekeeping vessel. There was no doubt about that.

Lucas sat down at the computer and switched it on. He felt himself relax as he waited for the system to boot up and come online. He'd managed to hide his laptop in his luggage, but since he was sharing a room with Captain Bridger, he hadn't had a minute to himself since they arrived earlier that morning. As the computer readied itself, Lucas inserted the drive and clicked on the folder marked 'For Lucas' eyes only', eagerly anticipating something to pique his interest. He became so quickly engrossed in what he saw that he didn't hear the person come up behind him until he was tapped on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, could you point me in the direction of the UEO Summit Conference?" Lucas startled, swinging around to see a tall, blonde-haired man in his late twenties smiling down at him. Lucas felt like he knew the man or had at least seen him before.

Lucas stood up quickly, trying to place the face which felt vaguely familiar to him. "Yah, sure. Just head down the corridor, hang a left, and the conference room is the first door on the right." The man hesitated, smiling at him as he glanced down at the computer which had loaded a screen of information on Cetology. Lucas glanced back at it in fascination as well, recognising information directly related to Darwin, but then he minimized the screen and forced himself to focus on the man in front of him. He couldn't figure out why the man looked so familiar to him.

"Interesting choice of study. Are you part of the Summit?"

Lucas shook his head and laughed. "No, no, not me. I'm just one of the lucky guests."

The man held out his hand with a warm smile. "My name is Mitch Brady. I'm a scientist from Berkeley." Lucas' attention perked up at the information as he shook the man's hand. He searched his mind for some kind of recognition regarding the man but still nothing came to him. He did find himself, however, wondering why one of top environmental science universities in the world would be sending one of their own to a UEO Summit that was supposed to be focussed on peace keeping.

"I'm Lucas Wolenczak. I wasn't aware they'd be a science component to the Summit. So far it's just been all about…"

"Military?"

Lucas smirked and nodded; clearing his throat, he did his best to mimic one of the speakers of the evening, "The fight for land rages on, but now the oceans have become the last unclaimed territory. Man's race into the seas to harvest it's riches of food and minerals brings new conflicts, and a new alliance of nations to deal with it. But old power does not give way easily to new order, and the mandate of the United Earth/Oceans Organization to maintain peace is about to be tested at its highest level." Lucas saw Mitch laugh at his imitation.

"Impressive. I can tell this isn't your first rodeo with the UEO."

Lucas shook his head. "Hardly. So, uh, what exactly brought you to this Summit?" Lucas hoped to get some inside information about the scientific feature of the Summit that seemed to have escaped Dr. Westphalen knowledge since she'd never mentioned it to him. He saw Mitch hesitate a moment as he glanced at his watch.

"Let me guess. Classified?"

Lucas tried not to show the annoyance on his face as he emphasised the word classified. It was one of the worst words in existence in his opinion, and Captain Bridger used it a little too often for his liking. He saw Mitch attempt to stifle a laugh.

"No, it's not classified. Well, it was but as of this morning, it was lifted for this Summit. My department has been studying some of the marine life in the North Atlantic over the past nine months, and we've had a few concerns about some of the newer colonies in the vicinity. We speculate that there's been some dumping of toxins into the ocean. I've been sent to report our findings." Lucas' eyes widened at the information. If what Mitch was saying was true, he felt sure SeaQuest would be assigned to research it more in depth after the Summit. The thought of that excited him, but he didn't allow that to show on his face.

"Any plant or marine life affected? Have you determined the source of the toxin?" Lucas couldn't help but dig for more information.

"Well, I'm going to discuss it more in depth tomorrow, but I can share this much with you now. We've found several toxins, but a few of particular interest are Toxoplasma and Microcystin." Lucas felt his jaw drop as he searched his mind for reasons behind why those toxins would be present in the ocean. It was obvious that they could only be directly related to the new colonies.

"Cyanbacteria? I would have thought after all these years and all the advancements we've made, people would be smart enough to know better."

Mitch looked at him with renewed interest. "The dolphins and otters are being poisoned. We've even had some reports of people in the outlying areas coming down with some mysterious illnesses from eating the local fish."

"Three-fourths of all emerging infectious diseases of humans are zoonotic and their incidence is increasing," muttered Lucas, forgetting himself. He glanced up to see Mitch looking at him in wonder.

"Yes, exactly. Many of the diseases gaining a foothold in the ocean could eventually affect people. A virus could mutate in a marine mammal, jump back to people, and mutate again into a more powerful or deadly strain. This hasn't happened yet, but there have been close calls."

Lucas felt himself smile as he continued chatting with Mitch. The man hadn't stopped to ask him once who he was or why he knew so much about science. He just seemed content to talk with him. For once, he didn't feel like the annoying kid at this conference, and Mitch wasn't looking down on him like he was one either.

"These new colonies should realise that what they release into the ocean is just fodder for pandemics." Lucas saw Mitch nod and shake his head.

"I have to admit I'm impressed, Lucas. I haven't had such an intelligent conversation with someone as young as you in a very long time. What grade are you in school? Ninth or tenth?"

"I guess I have a confession to make," admitted Lucas, with a grin. "I'm a graduate from Stanford." Lucas eyed Mitch as he digested the admission. It never got old to Lucas to see the looks of awe he received when people realised he wasn't just a dumb kid.

A warm smile spread across Mitch's face, and he laughed. "Well, I'm still fascinated at your keen interest and intelligence. I hope we will find more time to chat during the Summit."

In that moment, as Mitch and Lucas were deep in conversation, several shots rang out across the foyer. Both of them froze immediately in dazed astonishment and stared blankly at each other. Shouts and screams filled the air, and Lucas felt his blood run cold. The noise was coming from the conference room. Without thinking, he started running towards the commotion. He felt a firm hand grip his arm, stopping him from going any further.

"Lucas, wait!" He turned to see Mitch holding his arm tightly. "Slow down, alright? Let's keep our wits about us here." Lucas tried to pull his arm away, but Mitch firmly held his ground.

"Let me go, Mitch. Those were gunshots!"

More shots were fired and more screaming could be heard down the hallway. Lucas felt Mitch pull him to the floor.

"Calm down! Listen to me a minute. Think, Lucas! How is running into the room half-cocked and getting yourself shot going to help the situation?" Lucas sighed knowing that the man was right. He just felt so helpless not knowing what was happening or if anyone was hurt. Why would someone be shooting? What was going on in that room? Lucas felt his heart racing in his chest. He heard Mitch heave a heavy sigh.

"Lucas, can you tell me who's in attendance? Any dignitaries? UEO big wigs?" Lucas felt his face go red. He hadn't bothered to pay much attention to who the speakers of the evening were. He'd been so busy being bored and irritated that he'd pretty much tuned everything out.

"I can't say for sure. I do know most of the heads of the UEO are in attendance though, as well as Admiral Noyce and Captain Bridger of course."

"Bridger of SeaQuest?"

"Yah, why?"

Lucas frowned as he watched a wave of uneasiness wash over Mitch's face. Lucas had yet to fully introduce himself to his new friend. He'd enjoyed speaking with the man, but he hadn't wholly trusted him enough to divulge anything too personal about himself. More shrill screams brought his attention back to the present situation. He felt himself tremble, not knowing what to do. He stayed squatted down against the wall as security and military police started swarming the building. Mitch continued holding his arm tightly as they watched helplessly from the sidelines.

_OoOoOoO_

Nathan heard himself sigh as he watched Lucas hurry from the room. He could tell the teenager was bored out of mind with the events of the evening thus far. Nathan didn't blame him. He'd already stifled several yawns himself. The rousing list of speakers hadn't exactly been drawing people in with their stimulating conversation surrounding the new peacekeeping treaties. It felt like the same ole same ole to Nathan. A bunch of conjecture was all it was. As long as the colonies kept vying for more control in the outlying areas, things were going to continue to stay heated no matter what the UEO thought. SeaQuest had been commissioned to keep the peace at all costs. Nathan understood that, but he didn't like it. He hadn't been the least bit impressed when the Secretary General had ordered the commission. The only benefit he could see in it was the freedom of the science department to look into the spread of toxins in the area. Reports had been coming in about marine life being poisoned by toxins. Some people had come down with some deadly illnesses as a result; so far, two adults had died. It was getting very serious. Nathan hadn't been at liberty to share any of that with anyone up to this point. Everything had been highly classified up until that morning. He had wanted to find some time to discuss it with Kristin but hadn't found the time as of yet.

Nathan caught movement out the corner of his eye and smiled when he saw Kristin enter the room once more. She looked fantastic in the navy evening dress she had chosen for the event. Nathan often forgot what a beautiful woman Kristin Westphalen was. It seemed like they both got so caught up in work that they forgot to look past their jobs and see the person behind the uniform. Tonight, Nathan was seeing Kristin in a whole different light. She looked gorgeous. He rose to his feet as she approached the table. She gave him a stunningly sweet smile as she sat down and leaned into him.

"I gave Lucas a reprieve, Nathan. He needed to escape."

Nathan smirked. "I need to escape. Where's my reprieve, Doctor?" Nathan saw Kristin put a hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle.

Nathan smirked as Jonathan cleared his throat quietly. Nathan cast him a sideways glance seeing a look of distress on his first in command's face and saw him point a finger at the podium. The Admiral had taken the platform with a grim look on his face. Nathan shifted in his chair in concern as he noticed several armed men standing behind Bill. Frowning at the sight, Nathan started to rise from his chair. He felt a hand pulling him down.

"Captain," whispered Jonathan. "Look at their uniforms." Nathan furrowed his brow as he took a closer look at the men standing beside his good friend, Bill. He felt his blood go cold as it dawned on him who the men were. The room continued to be loud as people pleasantly visited, not noticing the impending threat or that the Admiral had taken the stand. Nathan watched as Bill tapped on the microphone, clearing his throat loudly to gain the room's attention.

"May I have your attention, Ladies and Gentlemen?"

Nathan glanced around the room as people continued to talk. It was past 8pm, and it was noticeable that people had grown weary of the constant speeches. Nathan heard a few gasps from behind him as a few people saw what was going on, but it had become more difficult to capture attention. Nathan's eyes opened wide when he saw a tall, lanky severe-looking man raise his gun into the air and fire off a round of shots. Screams of horror filled the room as people dropped to the floor in terror. Nathan felt Kristin grasp his hand tightly; her hand was cold with fear. He patted her hand calmly to reassure her. Nathan cast a glance at Jonathan and could see the same thoughts going through his commander's head as were going through his own. Identify the enemy, determine his objectives and counter his plan. Nathan zeroed in on the uniform, squinting to make out the emblem. It was difficult to see without his glasses, but he recognised it. The People's Liberation Army. Their leader was Ibrahim Singh, and he and his brother both had been a thorn in the UEO's side since the beginning. Just recently, Singh's brother had been apprehended for his part in a terrorist attack on UEO headquarters. Abdul Singh had been sentenced to life in prison for his crimes.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please return to your seats," replied the gunman who Nathan recognised at Syed Dosa, Singh's right hand man. He sounded diplomatic enough, but Nathan knew exactly how treacherous the man was. He wouldn't hesitate to kill in a heartbeat. "You'll all be safe if you follow my instructions. Now, kindly sit down and shut up!"

Nathan chewed the inside of his lip as he watched chaos ensue. He could hear women crying and others mumbling in fear, but few people moved to obey the command. Nathan looked at Jonathan and Miguel who nodded in understanding. They needed to establish order or things were going to spin out of control quickly. Nathan watched as his two men rose to their feet slowly, holding their hands above their heads.

"My name is Commander Jonathan Ford of SeaQuest. This is her Sensor Chief Miguel Ortiz. Please allow us to help gain control." Nathan cringed as Dosa held his gun in the air again and fired more shots, causing more frightened screams to ring out. He saw terrified tears in Kristin's eyes, and he held her hand tightly to help comfort her. Rising to his feet, he ushered everyone in his area to sit down. Jonathan and Miguel travelled around the room encouraging others to do the same.

"I find my way of order to be just as effective, Commander," replied Dosa with an eerie smirk on his face. Nathan saw the look of fear in Bill's eyes as Dosa and several of his men aimed guns at his head.

Dosa pointed his gun menacingly at the crowd of frightened people. "My name is Syed Dosa of the People's Liberation Army. Several weeks ago, one of our leaders, Abdul Singh was taken hostage. We want him back. As soon as we receive news that he has been released, we will let you go."

Dosa shoved the gun towards Noyce. "Make it happen, Admiral, or I start shooting hostages." Nathan saw Bill cast him a meaningful look.

Nathan took that moment to speak up. "My name is Captain Nathan Bridger of SeaQuest, Mr. Dosa. I recognise you and your little group of mercenaries. Why don't you let everyone go, and save yourself the hassle? You know that the UEO does not negotiate with terrorists."

Dosa's cynical laugh rang out across the room

"Well, well, thee Captain Bridger, the UEO's golden boy." He clucked his tongue, disgust on his face. "Double bonus for me. Your ship will do us quite nicely on our mission." Nathan saw Dosa motion to his men to bring him closer. Nathan felt Kristin's hand grow tighter on his. He patted her hand gently, giving her a smile of assurance. As he pulled his hand away, he saw Ben wrap a protective arm around her in comfort. Nathan nodded his appreciation as he was ushered to the front of the room.

"You can't have SeaQuest," stated Nathan firmly as he was made to stand beside Admiral Noyce at gunpoint.

Dosa laughed. "You underestimate me, Captain. You can make this simple, or you can make it difficult. It makes no difference to me." Dosa looked around the room with a smirk. "I have about 200 hostages here that tell me I can have anything I want." Nathan saw Dosa motion to another one of his cronies. Seconds later, more gunshots rang out and three men lay dead on the floor in a pool of blood. The room again filled with screams as people began to cry out in panic. "Oh dear, perhaps I miscounted, 197." Dosa gave Nathan an unnerving look, and Nathan pursed his lips in anger. As usual Ibrahim Singh had outdone himself with choosing his lackeys; men with no conscience or compassion for human life. Nathan and Bill shared a look, each knowing full well that things were going to get ugly. As Nathan looked out at his crew, he heard Bill call his superiors at UEO headquarters. His heart beat rapidly in his chest as he thought about what the response would be. He'd been a military man long enough to know how terrorists were dealt with. None of the men would leave the building alive.

"You had better start working on getting Abdul released, Admiral. I want a vid-link ready as well. In one hour, we will execute the next hostages if our demands have not been met." Nathan could see Dosa skimming the room, searching for his next victims. "Antef," Dosa called forward one of his men. "Pick three of the women for our next demonstration."

_OoOoOoOoO_

Lucas raked a hand through his hair anxiously as he jiggled his knee up and down, desperately trying to release some of his nervous energy. The whole building had been placed on lockdown. Non-essential people had been evacuated from the building. Mitch had led him outside to a picnic table close by where they had sat down. Lucas was trying to keep himself calm and his imagination from taking over.

"You, ok?"

"I'm fine; you don't need to babysit me. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"I'm not babysitting you, Lucas. I just figured you might need a friend about as much as I do right now. I'm sure you're as worried about your parents as I am about my colleagues."

Lucas ignored the part about his parents. He simply didn't want to explain who he was to anyone at the moment. He was too worried about the crew, who for all intents and purposes was his family. He saw Mitch look worriedly towards the entrance.

"I'm sorry about your friends, Mitch."

Mitch turned to look at him with a sympathetic smile. "Thanks; I got a little lost getting to the conference centre," he explained, "they texted me to say they'd arrived early." Lucas could tell that Mitch was as concerned and upset as he was. Lucas sucked in his lip sharply, feeling his anxiety increase. He didn't know what to say to his new friend. It felt bad enough to him that he didn't know anything that was happening. His imagination was far too creative to be left on its own for long. He could feel panic starting to escalate within him as he swallowed hard to keep his emotions in check.

"Lucas!"

Lucas turned towards the familiar voice and gasped in relief when he saw Commander Hitchcock rush up to him with a thankful look on her face.

"Commander!"

"Lucas, I'm so glad you're safe!"

Although, he was equally glad to see her unharmed, Lucas felt himself blush somewhat when Katie pulled him into a hug. Although, he did have to admit that his nerves relaxed a bit just by her presence.

"How'd you get out?"

Lucas pulled away. "I slipped out just after you and Dr. Westphalen excused yourselves."

Katie nodded in understanding. "I took a moment to call my parents; when I went to return to the dinner, I heard the gunshots," explained Katie. Lucas could see the tension and apprehension in her clear blue eyes. Lucas heard Mitch clear his throat softly and remembered he was there.

"Commander, this is my friend, Mitch Brady. He's a scientist from Berkeley." Lucas saw Mitch offer his hand to Katie who shook it kindly. Lucas could sense her distraction as she kept one eye focussed on the side door. "Mitch, this is Lt. Commander Katie Hitchcock of SeaQuest."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Brady."

"Likewise, Commander," replied Mitch. Lucas smirked as noticed how charmed Mitch seemed to be by Katie. It didn't surprise him as people were often captivated by her beauty and stunning crystal clear blue eyes upon meeting her. Lucas remembered having his own crush on her when he'd first come onboard SeaQuest. Over time, the crush had changed to a deep sense of admiration and respect. "SeaQuest is an impressive vessel with an equally remarkable science department. I've read about some of the phenomenal work being done."

Katie smiled and nodded quietly. Lucas knew that she was searching and strategizing in her mind for ideas on how to proceed and wasn't focussed on what Mitch was saying. The commander wasn't one to just sit around and wait for something to happen. While she was content to follow protocol, Katie would want to know what was happening and how things were going to play out.

"Lucas, stay here, alright? I'm going to find out what's going on."

"I'm coming with you."

"No, Lucas. I need to know you're safe. I'll let you know what's going on as soon as I do."

"I'll stay with him," interrupted Mitch. Lucas scowled at him, irritation obvious on his face. He'd known the man for less than an hour, and suddenly he was offering to babysit. Lucas felt his frustration well up inside him.

"I don't need a babysitter!"

Katie sighed and put a hand on his shoulder. "Listen to me, Lucas; I don't have time to explain right now, but I believe this might be related to the terrorist attack at the UEO headquarters a few weeks ago."

Lucas felt his heart racing in his chest. Two people had been killed in that attack, and the captain had been so distraught and closed mouth about it. He had refused to share anything about it with Lucas, pulling his standard 'it's classified' excuse.

"What makes you think that?"

"I'll explain later. I need to see if I can find Commander Sheppard." Lucas sighed and hoped his panic wouldn't increase when she left. His imagination was already thinking the worst, and her presence had made him feel noticeably calmer. As if Katie could read his thoughts, she placed a hand on his arm. "Don't let your mind play tricks on you, Lucas; take those thoughts captive. Captain Bridger is a smart man. You and I both know that! Remember when you told me what Jonathan said to you when Schraeder hijacked SeaQuest? Let that fear work for you." Lucas swallowed as he took in Katie's words. He was trying to remain calm, but it was more difficult for some reason when he was by himself.

She turned to face Mitch. "Thanks for staying with him. He's been through a lot lately." Lucas saw Mitch nod his head, seeming to understand what she was referring to. It only served to confuse and irritate him further.

Katie patted Lucas' arm kindly and disappeared into the crowd of people milling around. Lucas felt his anxiety increase immediately as he lost sight of her. He forced himself to take a deep breath, and he looked at Mitch who was staring into the crowd with his own worried expression.

"It's okay if you leave, Mitch. I really don't need you to stay with me."

Mitch smiled at him. "If you don't mind very much, I'd like to stay with you. I'm shaken up myself." Lucas nodded and continued fidgeting nervously. He knew that if Commander Sheppard was here, things were really bad and likely very much directly correlated with some kind of terrorists. Lucas had only met Commander Sheppard one other time and that was after Schraeder had commandeered SeaQuest.

"I know we just met, Lucas, but I feel like we have a common bond right now. Does that sound lame?"

Lucas shook his head. "I guess not." If he was to be honest with himself, Lucas had to admit he was grateful for the companionship.

"The commander said you've had a rough time lately. Anything you can talk about?"

Lucas shrugged. "It's nothing I can't handle." He knew the man was just making idle small talk to try and distract him. Lucas just didn't feel like talking much.

"So, how did you get lucky enough to get a hug from that gorgeous commander?" Lucas looked up to see Mitch smirking at him which made Lucas laugh despite his growing anxiety.

"I've known Katie for a while now. I guess you could say that she's like my older sister."

"Well, Lucas, is your older sister dating anyone?"

Lucas laughed as he fidgeted, rubbing his sweaty palms on his jeans. "Not exactly, but I know her heart still belongs to her ex-husband, and I know the feelings are mutual." Lucas saw Mitch feign a broken-hearted look which made him laugh again.

"Sounds convoluted."

"Pretty much. It's complicated plus it's not exactly protocol to be in a relationship while serving on the same vessel."

"Yeah, I can understand that. So, how did you get to know so much about crew members on SeaQuest anyways? Is one of your parents a crew member?"

"Something like that." Lucas didn't feel like explaining things to Mitch. He didn't feel like making small talk anymore either. As much as he appreciated that Mitch was trying to distract him, he was getting too agitated waiting and not knowing. He wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be able to wait around in the dark. Lucas stood up and started pacing. He could feel Mitch's eyes following him as he strode back and forth wringing his hands. He felt his anxiety increase until he felt like he would implode.

"I can't take this!" he shouted. "I'm going to find out what's going on!" Lucas started to head towards the doors, but he felt a strong arm stop him. He twirled around angrily and glared at Mitch. "Lemme go!"

"Lucas, I can't do that. Look, I know you don't know me very well yet, but I'm the adult here and you're not thinking straight. Your friend, Commander Hitchcock told you to stay put, and I told her I would watch out for you. One thing you will learn about me is I'm a man of my word." Lucas glared at him, feeling his anger brewing hot. His rational thought was quickly leaving him. He wasn't going to sit by and be treated like a child when he could be using his skills to help the captain.

"And you don't know me very well either, Mitch! I'm not some dumb kid. Help me or let me the hell go!" Lucas glowered at the man, daring him to interfere again. He felt Mitch's grip on his arm loosen.

"Help you do what?"

"Get me to a computer and you'll see."