Hidden Truths

by cmakintosh

One of the crew remembers what happened on Hyperion.

Disclaimer: I don't own seaQuest or any of the characters appearing in this story.

Hidden Truths

" . . . Scofiel . . . mining col . . . request aid . . . lost . . . power . . . 'gency generat . . . failing . . . " The static filled voice echoed throughout the bridge.

"Where's that coming from, Mr. O'Neill?" Captain Hudson demanded.

"Scofield Mining Colony, sir," Lieutenant Tim O'Neill replied. "We can be there in about half an hour."

Hudson nodded. "Plot a course. Mr. Brody, get a rescue team ready. Prepare to launch as soon as I give the word. If their power is failing, I want everyone in and out as soon as possible." He paused. "Mr. Wolenczak, go with them. See if you can figure out what happened to their power."

"Yes, sir." Ensign Lucas Wolenczak pulled off his headset and stood, looking at Brody. "I'll need to get my computer from my quarters."

Brody nodded. "I'll meet you in the launch bay in fifteen minutes."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Less than thirty minutes later, the rescue team and Lucas were at the mining colony. There were about twenty workers left and all of them looked like they had been in the middle of a war.

"What do you need to do, Lucas?" Brody asked.

Lucas hugged his computer close to him, as if suddenly afraid to lose it. This place gave him the creeps. "I should be able to plug in easily enough at the command center. Hopefully I'll be able to find some answers there."

Brody nodded. "Go on. We'll gather all the miners."

Lucas made his way through the colony, and for whatever reason, goosebumps crawled up and down his skin the whole way. After a few wrong turns, he finally found the room he was looking for.

"Calm down," he muttered to himself. "There's nothing here to be worried about."

Electricity sparked from broken wires, causing Lucas to step carefully as he looked around the main control center. He set up his computer and within moments was trying to hack into the system to determine what had gone wrong. After about five minutes, his PAL suddenly beeped, making him jump.

"Wolenczak," he answered.

"Lucas, how much longer are you going to be? We'll be ready to leave in five minutes," Brody said.

"I'll meet you there, sir."

"All right, just be careful. This place is a mess."

Lucas grinned wryly at the clutter around him. "I had sort of noticed that, sir."

Brody gave a short laugh. "See you in five."

Lucas looked up as one of the mineworkers entered the room. He was a tall man with short brown hair and streaks of dirt crossing his face.

"Why aren't you with Lieutenant Brody?" Lucas asked more harshly than he had meant to. He was getting frustrated -- for some reason he was having trouble breaking into the system.

"I need to get something," the man replied calmly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lucas watched the man glance around the room. While he wanted to know what it was the man wanted, he also needed to get into the system. Sighing, he turned all of his attention back to the computer in front of him. Abruptly, a strange pressure entered his mind, causing his fingers to falter momentarily. Without even thinking about it, he strengthened the wall in his mind, as he had been taught, and felt the presence slide against it. He forced his fingers to type -- he couldn't afford to let the presence know that he could feel him. After a heartbeat the presence was gone and, for a long moment, Lucas wondered if it had even really been there.

Lucas jumped when the man gave a small yell of triumph. "Found it," the man explained when Lucas looked at him.

Lucas nodded slowly. Turning back to face the computer so that the man would not see what he was doing, he pulled a necklace out from underneath his jumpsuit. Closing his hand around the small crystal that was in the shape of a jumping dolphin, he again glanced at the man as he left the room. His eyes opened wide at the sight of the red glow surrounding the figure.

"Oh, this sucks," he whispered.

The necklace fell out of his nerveless hand, and fear threatened to overwhelm all his other emotions. Taking a deep breath, he told himself to calm down. They had told him that this might happen. He had been prepared. He could handle this, but only if he remained calm and in control. There was absolutely no need to panic.

Swallowing, he closed his eyes. What was he talking about? There was absolutely every reason to panic. They were back and, whether they realized it or not, they wanted him.

His PAL beeped again, and Lucas let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. He tried to calm his shaking hands as he picked up the device.

"Yeah?" He hoped Brody wouldn't hear the terror in his voice.

"You ready to go?"

Lucas blinked, trying to remember what he had been working on. The computers. Breaking into the system. "I'll be right there, sir."

Running a nervous hand through his hair, he stood, grabbed his computer, and made his way back to the launch. During the ride back to the seaQuest, he realized why he had been having such trouble getting into the main system. They hadn't wanted him to see what had happened. And knowing their technology, he was probably lucky to have gotten in as far as he had. The whole thing had been a trap so that they could get onboard the seaQuest.

Calming his breathing, he cleared his mind and then carefully built up another wall. This wall would make sure no one could pick up his thoughts. And he couldn't let anyone, or anything, learn what he was thinking. Surreptitiously, he grabbed the necklace and looked around the launch. All twenty of the miners were enclosed by the red glow. His face grew pale.

"Are you all right, Lucas?" Brody laid a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Lucas glanced up at Brody's concerned face. "Yeah, I'm just a little tired. I've worked double shifts the past couple of days." Breathe in. Breathe out. Act normal. He couldn't let them know that he knew. That was the only advantage he was going to have during the upcoming game. Lucas snorted. Game, right, some description. This was his life, not some perverse game of Monopoly. In the end, all he could hope was that everything he had learned would be enough.

The launch shuddered slightly as they met up with the seaQuest. Hudson and Commander Ford were waiting outside when they disembarked.

"Lieutenant Brody, do any of the miners need to go to medbay?"

"A few, sir," Brody admitted. "They mainly have some bruises, but it wouldn't hurt to have Dr. Perry take a look."

Hudson nodded. "Would you please show them the way?" He turned toward the tall man standing next to him. "Commander Ford, would you show the rest of the miners where they can stay?"

"Yes, sir." Ford motioned for the remaining miners to follow him.

Lucas watched the miners disappear with relief. The further away they were from him, the smaller the chance they would learn his secrets.

"Ensign, what did you discover?"

Hudson's voice drew Lucas from his thoughts. "Not much, sir. I didn't have enough time to actually get into their system."

Hudson frowned. "I thought you could get into anything."

"With time," Lucas replied. "I've never seen a system like that before. All of the normal tricks weren't working."

"We'll be here for the next few days, so you'll have all the time you should need." Lucas closed his eyes -- a few days with all the miners onboard. "McGath wants us to help the miners get back on their feet."

"Yes, sir." For a second he wondered if he should tell Hudson the truth. But he couldn't -- not yet. Hudson wouldn't be able to keep the knowledge hidden if they scanned his mind. Hell, Lucas wasn't even sure he could keep his secrets if they started digging. The wall he always had up in his mind -- the one that said he didn't remember -- fooled most people, but the miners weren't most people. If they really wanted to, they just might figure it out. No, he couldn't take the chance of telling anyone else until he absolutely had to.

"Get some rest, Ensign," Hudson demanded. "You can start again in the morning. The mining colony isn't going anywhere."

"Yes, sir."

As he made his way to his quarters, he removed the wall he had put up on the launch. If they were scanning minds, they would become suspicious if they couldn't get anything from him. He had to pretend that everything was all right for as long as possible. But when the wall was down, that also meant he couldn't think about . . . all of this. They could pick up on anything that might leak out. He shook his head, as if the movement could stop him from thinking. Think about the upgrade that Hudson wants done on the computers, he commanded himself. That should be boring enough to make sure they didn't stay in his mind for long.

"Hey, Luke," Tony Piccolo yelled from the end of the hallway. "We're going to play poker tonight. You in?"

"Sure." Anything to keep his mind off of . . . his problems.

"Great. Eight o'clock in O'Neill's room. Where ya going now?"

"To sleep," Lucas answered dryly. "You know, that thing you do when you close your eyes and mouth for more than a minute."

"Very funny, Luke," Tony said sarcastically.

Sighing, Lucas entered into his room and clambered into the top bunk, after making sure his alarm was set. Well, this should give him four hours of sleep. Four hours was good. Four hours of not having to think about . . . what had happened. Again he built a wall around his mind, this time blocking off everything about . . . what he knew. While he was sleeping he would be the most vulnerable. With the wall in place, he would appear to be like the rest of the crew. The weight of the necklace comforted him as he drifted off into sleep.

* * *

The bright sun beat down on him. Dagwood sat across from him in the small raft, unwilling to take his eyes off of him. Lucas' throat swallowed convulsively. He was so tired and so thirsty. All he wanted to do was sleep. And forget. Forget the fact that all of his friends were dead -- the Captain, Ford, Tim, Tony, all of them. No one could have gotten off the seaQuest before it had exploded. Tears leaked out from underneath closed eyes, and his chest started to burn from grief. Was this how he was destined to die? On some dingy raft on another planet under an alien sun? Thirsty. He started to giggle as his mind tossed up the old saying, "Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink." How very true it was. His laughs turned into tears, and he pulled his knees up to his chest as best he could on the small raft. Somewhere in the distance he heard Dagwood talking to him, but he refused to listen. They were dead. And he was dying . . . that he knew without a doubt. And there wasn't anything he could do about it.

* * *

Lucas gasped and sat up in bed. Running a hand through his hair, he cleared his mind of the cobwebs of the dream. It had been so long since he had had that particular dream. What had dredged it up? Slowly the events of the past few hours came back to him. The mining colony. The miners who were not miners.

All of a sudden he felt the same strange presence enter his mind again, stronger this time. They must have finished making the initial sweep of the boat and were starting again, digging deeper. Subconsciously, Lucas supported the wall he had created right before falling asleep. Raft. Interrupting the meeting of the Joint Chiefs. And in between -- nothing. After what seemed like minutes, but was probably really only seconds, the presence withdrew. Maybe they had just tried to probe him again because of the dream. He knew his mind had to have been screaming during the dream. It was hard to keep quiet when you were in that much terror and dread. He wouldn't be surprised if Tony, with his latent psychic abilities, would question him later about how he had slept.

Cautiously he expanded the wall until it again covered his whole mind. He needed to think about the situation some more. Obviously they weren't going to leave until they had found what they had come here to find. That was a given. Also a given was the fact that eventually they would learn that he knew. However, thanks to his teachings, he was fairly certain that they would need physical contact to break through all of the walls he had built. He didn't think they'd be able to learn everything from afar. Given number three, he needed to send a message to the rebels. If he failed, it would serve as a warning. And if he managed to hold on long enough, it might even save him. But in sending the message, he would have to open himself up and they would learn that he was the one they wanted.

"Lucas need talk to Tobias." Darwin's electronic voice interrupted his thoughts.

He turned to look at the dolphin and grabbed the nearby vocorder. "Yeah, Darwin, I do. Will you help me?"

"Tobias teach Darwin how to help Lucas. Darwin help. Lucas talk tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

Before they could make any more plans, his PAL beeped and Lucas automatically turned it on.

"Yeah?"

"Lucas, Captain Hudson would like the senior staff to meet in the wardroom in thirty minutes."

"Okay, Commander." Dropping the communications device on his bed, he reached out to touch the cool swim tube. "Now, Darwin. Meet me at the moonpool."

He was going to raise the stakes of the game.

* * *

As he ran through the hallways to the moonpool, his mind was frantically trying to figure out what he was going to do after sending the message to Tobias. He would have to tell the senior staff, which was why he was doing this right before their meeting. All right, go through this whole thing step by step. Step one, send the warning. Step two, try to stay out of sight of any of the miners. Step three, make it to the wardroom. Step four, make it harder for the miners to find him. Step five, tell everyone the truth. Right, as if it was going to be that easy. And then, step six, try to stay out of the miners' hands. Simple. Not a problem. He groaned, wondering why he had ever felt this was an acceptable solution to their problem. Tobias, though, believed in him and felt that he would be able to do whatever needed to be done. He never would have let Lucas leave if he thought Lucas would fall. Or at least he hoped Tobias had that much faith in him.

Darwin was waiting for him by the time he skidded into the room. Quickly he turned on the vocorder and laid a hand on the dolphin's head.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Darwin?"

The dolphin seemed to nod and flicked his tail in the water. "Darwin help. Tobias teach."

Lucas nodded and glanced at the time. Twenty minutes until the meeting was supposed to start. He wanted to give himself about ten minutes to get to the wardroom. Any longer than that and he ran the risk of having one of the miners find him before he could talk to the others. And if he was late -- well, he was pretty sure Hudson would excuse him once he heard his secrets.

Lucas tossed a ball out to Darwin to help pass the time. But both were too tense to truly enjoy the familiar game. Finally, nearly ten minutes later, Lucas called the dolphin over to him.

"It's time, Darwin."

Before he could start having second thoughts, he placed his hands on Darwin's head, and closed his eyes. Opening his mind, he followed the paths Tobias had set up and in the space of a breath, he had shared with Darwin all that had happened in the last few hours. He felt more than heard Darwin splashing, sending everything to the rebels in a language he couldn't even begin to understand. Hopefully it would reach Tobias or maybe even Wendy.

Exhaustion swept through him and he fell to his knees. His mind felt raw, but he knew he had to set his walls. The miners would be looking for him now. Wincing at the pain racing through his head, he grabbed the necklace Tobias had given him, and built all the walls he could. He even built one around his whole body that would hide his entire presence from all but the strongest of psychics. They would have to physically see him before being able to get a fix on where he was. And if he was careful, that wouldn't happen. But now it was time to get out of here.

He wavered slightly as he got to his feet. Keeping one hand on the necklace, he stumbled out of the room, heading toward the MagLev. After a dozen steps or so, he was able to walk in a straight line, although his head was still pounding. As he rounded a corner, the MagLev not more than ten steps away, he heard one of the miners yelling from somewhere behind him. He heard a slight humming sound -- a sound he knew all too well -- and then felt a sharp pain in his left arm. Sliding into the MagLev, he scrambled into the corner, out of sight of any of the miners who might be trying to catch up to him. Within seconds, it was moving and he gave a sigh of relief. None of the miners should be near the bridge or wardroom.

His upper arm seemed to be on fire, and Lucas clamped a hand over the wound, after letting go of the necklace. He couldn't believe that the miner had actually shot at him. But perhaps, if they figured he would put up too much of a resistance, they would just rather have him killed. Or perhaps it was supposed to have been a warning, and the miner wasn't that good a shot. Neither of those thoughts exactly raised his spirits.

The MagLev shuddered to a stop and Lucas staggered down the hallway towards the wardroom. It even looked like he was going to be a few minutes early. Which would be good -- it would give him time to work on step four.

He entered the empty wardroom and collapsed into the nearest chair. Taking a few deep breaths, he calmed himself, mentally pushing the pain in his arm away. Closing his eyes, he again took the necklace in both hands. Reaching out with his mind, he set walls over the minds of random people throughout the ship. The miners would be searching for someone whom they couldn't scan, and hopefully setting the extra walls would keep them busy for a while. Then Lucas started to set the same walls over the minds of the senior staff. Hudson. JJ. Tim. Commander Ford. Brody. Tony. Lonnie. He would protect them as best he could while he was telling them everything.

Suddenly he became aware of a hand on his shoulder. Wearily, he opened his eyes and turned to see Ford standing beside him. From the concerned look on his face, Lucas knew that the commander had tried to break into his trance.

"Are you all right, Lucas?" Ford wondered.

Lucas nodded, and then winced as his head started to pound from the movement. It was then that he noticed everyone was in the room, watching him. "I'm fine. Really." His mouth was dry.

Nodding, Ford patted his shoulder and then moved around Lucas to reach his chair. As he started to sit down, he glanced once more at the boy, and noticed the blood stain on his sleeve. Jumping up as if the seat had bitten him, he was again next to Lucas before anyone could even move. Kneeling down beside the boy, he rolled up Lucas' sleeve and studied the wound.

"How did you get hurt?" he asked. Without waiting for a reply, he continued, "Come on, I'll take you down to medbay. How come you didn't say anything about this before?"

"No." Lucas jerked his arm out of Ford's hands. "I'm not going to medbay."

"Ensign?" The steel in Hudson's voice caused them both to flinch. "You will accompany Commander Ford to medbay. Then we will talk about how you received the injury."

Lucas coolly met Hudson's eyes. "No, sir, I will not. I will not leave this room until I have had a chance to explain myself."

He felt a touch of surprise leak out from behind Ford's walls. Lucas raised his eyebrows in astonishment. Who would have thought that Ford would have the strongest emotions of them all? Taking the necklace into his right hand, he strengthened the walls he had built around Ford's mind. He couldn't afford to have anything leak through.

"Ensign, you better have a good explanation for your actions."

Lucas could only nod. His head felt like it was about to fall off. Now that he was finally going to be able to tell somebody, he found himself unable to form the words he wanted to say. "I'm not sure where to start," he mumbled.

"How about you start with how you got injured?" Hudson commanded.

"One of the miners shot at me," Lucas stated calmly.

The look on everyone's face turned to one of disbelief. This was going to be harder than he thought.

"What'd you do? Crash their computers?" Tony quipped.

"I hope you have more than that to say, ensign," Hudson said.

Lucas pulled the necklace off and tossed it onto the middle of the conference table. Without its comfortable protection he felt strangely exposed. "Tobias gave that to me."

Ford blinked and rocked backwards on his heels. "Tobias Le Conte? Captain Bridger's friend?"

Lucas nodded, and looked around the room to see recognition of the name on the faces of those who had gone to Hyperion.

"But why?" Lonnie asked. "Was it some kind of gift?" Her eyes narrowed. "And how would you remember if he did or not?"

Lucas ducked his head. They were never going to forgive him. "But that's just it, I do remember."

The wardroom broke out into a cacophony of noise as everyone started yelling at him incredulously. After a few moments, Hudson's voice finally broke through.

" . . . calm down!" Everyone turned to look at Hudson as he stood, glaring at his ensign. "Why didn't you tell anyone this before?"

Lucas sighed. "Tobias knew there was a good chance that the Kraytex, the aliens who took the seaQuest, would find out that someone remembered, and come after that person. If I told someone, the Kraytex would know exactly who they were looking for. Both Tobias and I felt that the best way to keep me safe was to not tell anyone."

"I was under the impression that they didn't want anyone to remember. Why didn't they block your memory as well?" Hudson's voice was even.

"They tried." Lucas unconsciously rubbed his forehead, remembering the headaches he had suffered through after every failed attempt. "They tried multiple times. But, for whatever reason, my mind refused to accept the blocks. Tobias could have forced a block, but he would have left me a vegetable. He gave me the choice, and I decided to remember."

"But the UEO had psychics read our minds when we returned," Lonnie pointed out. "How come none of them figured this out?"

"I can put up a wall in my mind that acts exactly like the block," Lucas explained.

Tony's eyes narrowed as he stared at his friend. "Are you saying you're psychic, Luke?"

Lucas nodded. "Tobias knew I had latent abilities and so, when I decided to keep the memories, he made them active."

"None of this explains why the miners shot at you," Hudson interjected.

"Captain, the miners are the Kraytex. They knew we were nearby and created a situation so that we would rescue them. They wanted to come onboard the boat."

"To find you," Ford said simply.

"Yes, though they didn't know that at first. When they first arrived, they just knew that somebody remembered. They scanned my mind twice, but didn't look any further than the wall I had up."

"You said, 'when they first arrived,'" Brody interrupted. "Do they know now?"

"Yes," Lucas replied tiredly. "I needed to let Tobias know what was happening, but when I sent the message, I had to open my mind. They most definitely know exactly who they want now."

"But why are they after you?" Tony asked. "I mean, sure, you remember. So what? It's not like they can actually figure out where the rebels' base is or what kind of weapons they have." He paused, studying Lucas' face. "Tell me I'm right, Luke?" His tone was pleading.

"Tony, I know the exact coordinates of the rebel base. And as for weapons, well, I helped Tobias design some of them while we were there."

"Damn it, Luke, how could you have been so stupid?" Tony exploded. "You knew there was a chance the Kraytex might come back for you, and so you go and make sure they can find all of the information they might ever need in your head?"

"That's enough, Mr. Piccolo," Hudson interrupted. "Ensign, pretend for a moment that I believe you . . . "

Lucas' mouth dropped. Never had he expected that Hudson would doubt his word. "Captain . . ."

"Let me finish, ensign," Hudson growled. "Pretend that I believe aliens are on my boat, searching for one of my officers. What do you want me to do? Call UEO Headquarters?"

"Get them off the boat, sir."

"And do you really think that will stop them from trying to get their hands on you?"

Leaning forward, Lucas picked up the necklace and slipped it back on. "No, sir. All I have to do is stay out of their sight until Tobias and some of the other rebels can get here." His eyes lit up. "I can also try to send a message to the aliens who were here in 2022."

"The aliens who were here in 2022?" Hudson repeated.

"Uh, I'll explain it all to you later, sir," Ford said. He turned back to face the boy. "Do you really think they'd come for you?"

Lucas met Ford's eyes without hesitation. "Absolutely, sir."

Ford nodded. "What do you need?"

"My computer."

"Brody, I want you to get a team together and get the miners off the boat," Ford ordered.

"Mr. Ford," Hudson started angrily.

"I'm sorry, Captain, but this has to be done. You may not believe your officers, but I surely do." He paused. "Piccolo, Henderson, go with Lucas to his quarters. When he's done there, take him to medbay."

"No," Lucas said. "I'm going to the moonpool. A doctor can meet me there, but I'm staying by Darwin."

"Mr. Wolenczak," Hudson began.

"The Kraytex are afraid of Darwin," Lucas stated. "As long as he's around, they won't be able to hurt me."

Hudson sighed. "I hope you know what you're doing, ensign."

Lucas gave him a small grin. "I hope so, too, sir." He looked over at Tony and Lonnie. "You guys ready?"

"We're right behind you, Lucas," Lonnie replied.

After they had left the wardroom, Lonnie asked the question that had been in the front of her mind, "How did Ortiz and Wendy die?"

"They didn't," Lucas replied. "They decided to stay and help the rebels."

"So you let us mourn them all this time when you knew they were still alive?" Tony yelled. "And I thought you were our friend! How could you keep something like this from us?"

Lucas' eyes roamed the halls around them, searching for the telling red glow. "I already explained that Tony, and I'm not going to do it again. What is done, is done. And I wouldn't change my decisions, even if I could."

"How long were we there?" Lonnie wondered quietly.

"About a week and a half."

"What?" Tony stopped, turning to stare at him. "But how? I know that it takes a while to master the psychic power you seem to have. How could you have done all this in only a week and a half?"

Lucas sighed. "It's complicated," he admitted. "Once I decided to keep my memories, Tobias knew he had to teach me how to defend myself. Also, he wanted to learn everything he could from me in the way of electronics and computer science. So he . . . manipulated time. What was only a week and a half for all of you was three months for me. I have no idea how he did it -- if he slowed down time for everyone else, or sped it up for us, or . . . I'm not exactly sure. All I know is that he did it."

Tony's mouth dropped. "Luke, that's impossible."

Evenly, Lucas met Tony's eyes. "If it's impossible, how come my hair grew longer while no one else changed?" He paused, watching Tony and Lonnie struggle to accept what he had just told them. "Come on, I don't know how much time we have, but I've got to get to our quarters."

Silently, Tony and Lonnie nodded, and then followed the slight figure that had so suddenly become a stranger.

* * *

Brody watched Lucas, Tony, and Lonnie leave the wardroom before turning back toward Ford.

"You really believe him?" he asked softly.

Ford nodded. "When has he ever lied to us?"

"Why didn't he ever tell us about Hyperion? How could he keep something like that from us? He knew how much the not knowing was tearing us apart."

"Mr. Ford," Hudson interrupted. "We need to talk. Now."

"Gather the miners," Ford instructed. "That's the most we can do for him."

"Yes, sir," Brody replied.

He left the wardroom, still angry with Lucas for having kept everything a secret. Why hadn't he told someone? They had been, still were, in so much pain from the lost years, the deaths of their crewmates . . . and all this time, Lucas could have answered all their questions. He wanted to scream and yell . . . or maybe just punch him into sometime next week. Oh, he was never going to forgive the boy for not mentioning this before. The sound of approaching footsteps pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Patricks and Johnson, two members of the security team, approaching.

"Patricks, Johnson, I'm glad you're here," Brody called. Immediately the two men stopped and glanced at their superior officer. "I want you two to lead a team. We need to get all of the miners off the boat. There should be twenty of them in all. I'll head another team. Let me know as you finish a sweep of each deck. Got that?" Patricks and Johnson nodded. "Good. Don't be afraid to ask for backup if you run into any trouble."

"Trouble," Patricks repeated blankly.

Brody's eyes narrowed. "Are you all right?"

Without warning, everything went black.

* * *

Johnson watched the man crumple to the floor. "Did you read that?" he asked Patricks in their own language.

Patricks nodded. "The one who remembers is headed that way," he said, pointing down a hallway. "We should get someone to take on this one's body."

"It could make things easier," Johnson agreed.

* * *

"Almost there," Tony whispered, peering around a corner. "This is just too weird for words. I thought Brody was going to try and get some of these guys off the boat."

Already they had almost run into the miners half a dozen times. However, they had always had warning thanks to Lucas' necklace.

"I thought so, too," Lucas said, frowning. "But what if they got to him first?"

"Now you're just being paranoid, Luke," Tony replied with a small grin.

"But, Tony, they are out to get me," Lucas reminded. "I have every right to be paranoid."

"Look," Lonnie hissed, "there's Brody."

"Hey, Lieutenant," Tony called out. "I thought you were going to be cleaning the hallways of the aliens."

"Uh, Tony." Lucas tugged on his friend's arm. "That's not Brody."

"What?" Tony whirled to glare at his friend. "I suppose you're going to tell me that's some alien wearing Brody's face . . . " He trailed off. "Oh shit." Looking down the corridor, he noticed Patricks and Johnson approaching. "Uh, Luke, are those friends?" Lucas turned and grew pale. "I'll take that as a no."

The three unconsciously drew together, gathering comfort and confidence from each other. Closing his eyes, Lucas sent a wordless message, a blast of fear and panic, to Ford. Hopefully, just hopefully, he would be able to gather a team to help them. Brody cried out and flung himself at Lucas. Lucas' eyes snapped open as he hit the hard deck floor. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Tony and Lonnie fighting against the two other aliens, without much luck. Aliens were just out of the realm of their normal experiences. One of Brody's hands closed around his neck. Panicking, Lucas clawed at the hand, but the alien easily lifted him up and slammed him into the wall. Black spots appeared before his eyes. Distantly he heard Tony and Lonnie yelling, but couldn't make out the words. Weakly he tried to fight the Stormer, but his energy, and consciousness, was fading quickly. Gathering up as much of his will as he could, he mentally flipped a switch Tobias had set up in his mind. Tobias had warned him about the dangers of what he had just done, but he knew he had no choice. Lucas would have gasped, if he had had the breath, at the pain that suddenly rocketed through his mind. Thankfully, darkness claimed him and he effortlessly slid into its welcoming grasp.

* * *

"Gone?" Ford repeated, his command face on. "What do you mean gone?"

Tony sighed. "It's like I said, Commander. One moment they were there, then they were surrounded by this blue glow, and then they were gone. All of them -- Lucas and the three aliens."

Ford ran a hand over his eyes. "And you didn't make it to your quarters?"

"No," Tony replied. Absently he ran his fingers over one of the bruises on his face.

"All right." Ford sighed. "I want both of you to go down to medbay and let Dr. Perry look you over. There's nothing more we can do right now anyway." He looked back and forth between Tony and Lonnie. "You tried your best. There wasn't anything you could have done differently." He paused. "And don't worry, we'll get him back."

* * *

Brody groaned, opened his eyes, and then immediately closed them again as light painfully lanced through his head. He felt someone place a cold cloth over his forehead, and forced his eyes open again.

"How do you feel?" Nurse Burke, Dr. Perry's medical assistant, asked.

Brody shifted and winced in pain. "I think something exploded in my head."

Placing her hands around his shoulders, she helped him into a sitting position. "You'll be just fine, Lieutenant. Here, have something to drink."

As he took the cup from her, he looked around medbay, his eyes growing wide as he saw the battered faces of Tony and Lonnie. Gathering his feet beneath him, he stood, and the world tilted crazily around him.

"I don't think you're ready for that quite yet," Burke admonished, helping him back down on the bed.

"What happened?"

"We're actually not sure," she replied honestly. "You're physically well and there are no signs of injury. As far as I know of, there is no reason why you should have been lying unconscious on the floor."

"My guess would be some kind of psychic bolt," stated a calm voice from behind them.

Startled, both Brody and Burke jumped, and turned around. Brody's mouth dropped at the sight of the woman before them.

"Wendy," he whispered.

"It's good to see you again, too, Brody," Wendy replied, smiling.

An amazed shout from the other side of the medbay caused all three to glance around. Tony and Lonnie were both staring at Wendy, astonished. Slowly they made their way over to Brody's bed, still studying Wendy.

"He told us you were alive," Tony said simply.

Wendy nodded. "He told the truth. Speaking of which, where is Lucas?"

Tony and Lonnie exchanged glances. "The aliens got him," Lonnie replied.

Wendy closed her eyes. "We were afraid of that. Although we came here as soon as we could, we knew it might not be fast enough."

"We?" Brody repeated.

"The others will be here in about an hour," Wendy said. "We figured it would be best if I came early and explained everything. We didn't want to startle anyone."

Tony raised an eyebrow and grinned. "And you didn't expect your own presence to startle us a little? Until today, we thought you were dead."

Wendy nodded sadly. "I know. We thought it would be for the best. How else could our absence have been explained?"

"Lucas still could have told us," Brody complained. "He could have trusted us."

"It wasn't a matter of trust," Wendy explained. "And this isn't what we need to be talking about right now. Lucas and all the rest of us made decisions that we felt were the best -- not only for us, but also for all of you. Nothing can change that." She sighed. "But right now we need to figure out where Lucas is and how to get him back. Could you please lead me to Captain Hudson? There are some things we need to discuss."

"Of course," Lonnie said, looking at Brody, who nodded. "Let me call the Captain."

Stepping away from the small group, she turned on her PAL and called Hudson.

"Hudson here."

"Captain, this is Henderson. Sir, has Commander Ford talked to you recently?"

"Commander Ford has been updating me about the situation with Ensign Wolenczak, yes," Hudson replied coldly.

"Well, sir, someone arrived who might be able to help us, and she'd like to meet with you."

"I wasn't aware that any shuttles had docked with us."

"Uh, I don't think she arrived by shuttle, sir."

"Lieutenant Henderson . . . "

"Sir, I think it would be best if you just met with her so that she can explain everything herself."

Hudson sighed. "All right, Lieutenant. Meet me in the wardroom in five minutes."

"Thank you, sir." She turned to find the other three were watching her expectantly. "I'll take you to see him, Dr. Smith."

"I'm coming with you," Tony said.

"Me, too," Brody interjected. Standing, he grimaced as pain shot through his head.

"I don't think so," Wendy said. "You need to rest some more. The Stormer hit you pretty hard."

Brody gave her a small grin. "I think you might be right, doctor."

Wendy stood up straight. "Lieutenant Henderson, I would appreciate it if you would lead me to Captain Hudson."

Lonnie nodded. "If you'll follow me."

* * *

"Captain, I'd like you to meet Dr. Wendy Smith," Lonnie introduced. "She has some information to discuss with you."

Hudson silently studied Wendy for a long minute. "Start talking, doctor."

"I was on the seaQuest when she went to Hyperion," Wendy started. "However, some of us decided to stay and help the rebels when the seaQuest returned to Earth. I stayed because I felt that I could help the rebels more than I could ever help the people here. My talents . . . "

"I would appreciate it if you would get to the point," Hudson interrupted.

"My point, Captain, is that the Kraytex have Lucas, and we need to get him back. If they manage to retrieve all of the information in his mind, they will be able to crush the rebels within days."

"Commander Ford told me that Ensign Wolenczak has disappeared from onboard the seaQuest."

"That's true, but Tobias will be arriving soon. He should be able to find Lucas."

* * *

Lucas woke, screaming. It felt like a bird had grabbed his brain with its sharp talons and had shredded it into small pieces. Grabbing his head, he curled up into a ball, trying to escape the pain. Somehow he opened his eyes, and made them focus on the world around them. A Stormer was slumped in the corner, unconscious, and he immediately knew that was the one who had tried to enter his mind. His mind had as much security surrounding it as the World Bank. There were traps, dead ends . . . it was like a convoluted maze. Of course, he knew how to take it back down, but the aliens didn't. But every time they attempted to break in, they caused him pain. That was the major downfall of this barbed wire and booby-trapped wall. How had Tobias explained it? Oh yes . . . something about "every rock thrown at a wall hurts the wall. It can stand for ages, but eventually a small crack will form, and then it will crumble. Even the smallest of pebbles will do some amount of damage." Right now it felt like someone had thrown a boulder at the wall.

Suddenly someone jerked him to his feet, and Lucas gasped as the movement made his head start to spin. Looking around, he saw that he was surrounded by aliens. That certainly didn't bode well. A pile in the opposite side of the room caught his eye, and he turned pale as he realized the pile was made up of the dead bodies of the real miners. All right, so the aliens clearly had no qualms about killing. Well, that was good to know. Oh, he was in so much trouble.

One of the aliens backhanded him, and he slumped in the arms of the alien who held him. Another one of the aliens, clearly the leader, walked towards him.

"You are prepared," the alien acknowledged. "But we'll see how long the wall stands." He made a gesture with his hand, and the alien holding him let him go. Uncertain of what to expect, Lucas stood silently, waiting. The aliens circled around him, and the leader stepped next to the still unconscious Stormer. A gentle pressure entered his mind just as one of the aliens hit him in the ribs. "You can protect your body or your mind," the leader said. "It's your choice."

Lucas swallowed as he realized the leader was right. He could either try to protect his body, but leave his mind open to attack, or he could protect his mind and leave his body open. Or he could just tear down the wall and let the aliens learn everything. That would stop all the pain. He shook his head vigorously -- that was not an option. Never had been, never would be. He bit his lip as one of the aliens punched him in the stomach.

True, it would take days for the leader to gently work his way through all the winding passages of his mind, but he just might be able to do it. He was clearly a strong psychic. And all the time he was testing Lucas' walls, he would be causing extreme pain. If he concentrated on his mind, he could help soften some of the blows, as well as help head off the leader if he somehow found the beginning of the right path. He cried out as an alien hit him in the face.

Lucas threw a number of wild punches, but none of them connected. The aliens converged on him -- punching, kicking, jabbing. He couldn't do anything more than curl up into a small ball, hold his hands around his head, and hope that Tobias would rescue him soon.

* * *

"This is going to sound strange," Ford started, "but I could have sworn I felt Lucas' fear earlier today. It was right before Piccolo and Henderson came to tell me that he had been captured."

Currently Ford, Wendy, Tony, and Lonnie were near the moonpool, waiting for the rest of the rebels to arrive.

Wendy raised an eyebrow. "Really? That does seem strange. Would you mind if I scanned you?"

Ford hesitated. What if she was really one of the Kraytex in disguise? Piccolo and Henderson had told him about how one of the aliens had taken on Brody's form . . . but this was Wendy! She couldn't be an alien. But neither could twenty miners. Before he could think about it anymore, Darwin swam up, clicking at them.

"Wendy back," the dolphin said happily.

Smiling, Wendy held out a hand to pet the dolphin. "It's good to see you again, too, Darwin." She looked up at Ford, grinning. "Does this help persuade you?"

"Yes," Ford replied, remembering Lucas' earlier words. "And you have my permission to read my mind. Maybe you could find something in there that I missed."

Wendy smiled and closed her eyes. There was silence for about thirty seconds. Even Darwin seemed cautious of breaking the quietness. Finally Wendy opened her eyes.

"Yes, Lucas did send something to you, Commander. Actually, I'm amazed that you felt anything at all, but I suppose Lucas' powers would have grown since I last saw him." She figured he wouldn't appreciate her telling everyone that he had felt it because, despite his stoic outside, he truly was a strongly emotional person.

Ford nodded. Just then a purple glow filled the room, and everyone turned their faces away from the sudden brightness. When it had faded, they found two men and five aliens standing next to the moonpool.

"Tobias. Ortiz. Friends," Darwin chirped.

Smiling, Tobias lightly touched the dolphin. "Thank you for the introduction, old friend."

"Find Lucas," Darwin commanded.

Tobias laughed softly. "We will." Turning, he studied the small group who had gathered to greet them. "It's good to see you all again. I just wish we hadn't had to meet under these circumstances."

Tony found himself staring at Ortiz. Lucas had said he was alive, but there were so many differences between hearing the words and seeing the truth before your own eyes. He could hardly believe it. Miguel. Wendy. They were really both alive.

Lonnie threw herself into Ortiz's arms, laughing. Ford frowned for a moment, and then shook his head, grinning at the reunion.

"I was just wondering, but can't you find Lucas by reading his mind?" Ford questioned Wendy.

Wendy shook her head. "That was the first thing I tried upon arriving. But it seems that the Kraytex put up a wall to hide them and Lucas."

Tony frowned. "Wouldn't they just be in that place you can't read then?"

"It's difficult to put into words." Wendy sighed.

Oritz interrupted before Wendy could say anything more, "It's like the seaQuest sensors. There are certain spots around the boat that they can't see -- blind spots. But the sensors can also be fixed to be fed false information, so that we can't see what's really happening out there. The only way to tell what's real is to see it with your own eyes."

"And if we were seeing Lucas with our own eyes," Tobias entered, "we wouldn't be standing here having this conversation."

"All right," Ford said. "So how do we go about finding Lucas?"

"By using this." Tobias pulled a necklace out of his pocket. He held it out so that the three seaQuest crewmembers could see it.

"Lucas had a necklace like that," Lonnie remarked.

Tobias nodded. "I know, I gave it to him," he reminded. "Although he may psychically be hidden from us, there is no way to block the bond between our necklaces."

"Bond?" Lonnie repeated, confused.

"Yes. You see, the material the dolphins on these necklaces are made out of resonate at a certain frequency. The nearer you get to one of the necklaces, the faster the necklaces will vibrate. It's a kind of bond. We knew that if Lucas was ever captured, the Kraytex might blind us to him. So, along with being a focus point for psychic powers, the necklaces are also a homing beacon of sorts."

For the first time since this whole thing had begun, Ford felt his spirits rising. "So you can track him?"

"Beyond a shadow of a doubt. The best thing might be for me to be in the shuttle that you send out to rescue him. I'll be able to tell the shuttle exactly where they are."

Ford nodded. "Okay. How many people do you want in the rescue team?"

"How many Kraytex are there?" Tobias asked.

"Twenty," Ford answered.

"At least ten then -- the seven of us," he replied, motioning toward Ortiz and the five aliens. "Wendy? Do you want to come?"

Wendy nodded. "Yes. We don't know what he's going through. It might be good to have a medical doctor on the team."

"I'll come, too," Ford stated.

"Uh, Commander, I'm not too sure that's a good idea," Tony said.

"And why not, Mr. Piccolo?" Ford questioned.

"Because someone's got to stay here and keep Hudson under control. I don't think he's going to be too happy when the shuttle lifts out of here."

Ford grimaced at the thought of having to explain to Hudson what was happening. "You might have a point, Piccolo. I suppose you two want to go?" Both Tony and Lonnie nodded, and Ford sighed. "It looks like you have your ten, Tobias."

"Thank you, Commander Ford."

"Be ready to leave in fifteen minutes," he ordered. "I'll clear this with Hudson . . . I hope," he muttered under his breath.

* * *

"Lucas?" The familiar voice punctured the agony. "It's all right, you're safe now. I'm here."

Tortuously he opened his eyes and slowly focused on the smiling man who was running a gentle hand through his hair.

"Captain?" The word was so soft that the man had to bend closer to hear him.

"I'm right here, Lucas. You're safe, just relax."

Lucas sighed, feeling some of the tension in his body flow out. He tried to remember why he was so tense . . . and why in the hell did his body hurt so much? And how come his mind felt like a bowl of mush? What had happened? He remembered being on the bridge and then . . . grayness. Pain shot through his mind as he tried to figure it out. Clenching his eyes shut, he put his hands on either side of his head.

"It's all right." Bridger's soothing voice reached him. "Just relax. If you pull down the walls, it won't hurt as much, I promise. Everything's fine, Lucas."

Wall? What wall? And how would Bridger know about it? Frowning, Lucas dug through his sluggish mind. Wall? Bridge . . . right, he remembered being on the bridge. Call for help. The miners. His eyes snapped open despite the pain. The only living thing in the room that he could see was Bridger.

"Captain? How'd . . .?" His voice was rough, and his throat completely dry.

Bridger laid a finger on Lucas' lips, keeping the boy from saying anything else. "I'll explain it to you later, Lucas. I know how much you're hurting. Please, Lucas, pull down the wall. The pain will stop."

Wariness flooded his body. This might not be Bridger. "What was the first question you asked Darwin?"

"Please, Lucas, just trust me," Bridger pleaded. "I can't stand seeing you hurt. If you bring down the wall, you won't hurt anymore."

"What was the first question you asked Darwin?" Lucas repeated.

Above him, Bridger's face morphed into a grotesque sneer. The alien backhanded him in anger. Lucas gasped, and then started to cough as he swallowed blood. Everything hurt. He didn't think he had an inch of skin that wasn't bruised. And then the attack on his mind began again. Whimpering, Lucas balled up, withdrawing into himself.

* * *

"That way," Tobias pointed.

"According to the sensors, there's a mining colony down there," Ortiz said, piloting the shuttle.

"That's where we picked these creeps up from in the first place," Tony commented.

"Are you getting anything, Wendy?" Tobias asked.

"No, they're still blocking me."

"How much longer, Miguel?"

"Two minutes, Tobias," Ortiz replied.

"Won't they be watching for us?" Lonnie questioned.

"Probably not," Tobias answered. "I really don't think they'll give much thought to it. They don't think very highly of humans."

"But wouldn't they know that Lucas tried to contact you?" Tony wondered.

"Possibly." Tobias shrugged. "However, they don't believe they can be beaten. We're just a thorn in their side, not truly any kind of threat to their plans. Even if they knew Lucas reached us, they wouldn't fear interruption. They don't believe that anyone can stand up to them and live."

"SeaQuest to MR-3." Tim's voice interrupted their conversation.

"This is MR-3," Ortiz answered. "What can we do for you?"

"Captain Hudson just wanted me to call and wish you all good luck," Tim said.

Grins broke out on the human faces. They knew that was the closest Hudson would get to giving them his approval for the mission.

"Tell him thanks," Ortiz said. "We appreciate the thought. MR-3 out." He paused, watching the controls. "Docking sequence beginning." There was silence as the shuttle settled into the docking bay. "And we're here. Tobias, I hope you know where we're going now."

Tobias nodded. "Everyone stay close and be careful. We can't afford to lose anyone."

* * *

They went in shooting, surprising at least five of the Kraytex before they even began fighting back.

"Wendy, Tony, with me," Tobias whispered. "We have to find Lucas before they just decide to kill him."

Clutching the necklace in his hand, he started running down a corridor, the other two behind him. A Kraytex stepped out from around a corner, raising his weapon. Instinctively, Tony slid to the ground and shot the alien. The Kraytex fell before getting off his own shot. Getting to his feet, Tony continued running. Together they burst into one of the rooms, stopping when they saw Lucas on the floor. Another Kraytex was bending over him, his hands on Lucas' head. The Kraytex was so deep in his trance that he never even heard the shot that killed him.

Tony blanched at the sight of his friend. Lucas' face was multicolored, and he could only imagine what the rest of his body looked like. Kneeling beside Lucas, Wendy mentally reached out to the still figure.

"It's no use," she said quietly, turning toward Tobias. "You're the only one who's going to get him to bring the wall down."

Tobias nodded. "We talked about this." Taking Wendy's place beside the boy, he touched Lucas' mind as gently as could.

* * *

Soft. Felt like feathers. So cool after the fire that had filled his mind. Like a healing balm being spread over his raw insides. The touch was familiar and he struggled to place it. Tobias? But Tobias was . . . no, they wouldn't get him to drop the walls by pretending Tobias was here. He paused. But he had touched his mind. They couldn't lie mind to mind. It had to be Tobias! Slowly he opened his eyes, forcing them to focus on the blur that was Tobias.

"Tob . . . " The name was so hard to say.

"Easy, Lucas. You're going to be just fine. Look, Wendy and Tony are here with me."

"Word?" He couldn't remember talking ever being this difficult before.

Tobias gave him a small smile. "Robert."

Lucas sighed in relief. He was safe. Closing his eyes, he wanted nothing more than to sleep. The pain wouldn't bother him there.

"Lucas, you have to take down the wall."

"Tired," Lucas whined.

"I know," Tobias said soothingly. "And after you take it down, you can sleep for as long as you want to."

Lucas started to follow the path that would allow him to bring the wall down. But, tired and in pain, he lost his concentration.

"Can't," he whimpered.

"Yes, you can," Tobias encouraged. He put his necklace in Lucas' hand, and curled the boy's fingers around the dolphin. "Try again."

Starting again, Lucas went down the path, ducking and weaving to avoid traps, and finally ended up in front of the switch. Grasping the necklace Tobias had put in his hand, he flipped it off. As the wall crumbled, it felt like all the barbed wire that he had put up to protect himself was cutting into his mind on the way down. Screaming, he slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

"How's he doing, doctor?" Hudson asked, glancing down at the young ensign. Two days had passed since his rescue, and he still hadn't woken up.

"Better today," Wendy replied. "Don't worry, Captain, this is fairly normal. He was hurt mentally and physically. It takes some time for all that to heal."

"Do you know when he'll wake up?"

Wendy shrugged. "Whenever he can. This isn't something we should rush or try to bring him out of. His mind felt like it had been flayed."

"Will he be all right?" While Hudson's voice was cold, his eyes betrayed his concern.

"Eventually. As I said, it's just going to take some time for everything to heal."

"Were the Kraytex able to get any information from him?"

"No." Wendy smiled at the boy. "He's stronger than any of us imagined. Besides, the team managed to kill all of the Kraytex in the colony."

"Will the Kraytex ever come looking for him again?"

"It's a possibility," Wendy admitted. "But it's also a possibility that they'll steal the seaQuest again. I can't predict the future."

"Will you be staying on Earth?"

"Don't worry, Captain, Miguel and I both plan on returning with Tobias and the rebels. There's still a war going on over there."

Hudson nodded slowly. "Thank you for your help, doctor."

"It was my pleasure, Captain. Lucas is a good friend."

"I'm beginning to realize that he has friends from all over the universe," Hudson said.

* * *

Lucas groaned and opened his eyes. Turning his head slightly, he saw Wendy checking the readings off some nearby instruments.

"Wendy?"

The doctor turned at the quiet word, smiling. "Lucas! It's good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

"Like I was in the middle of a stampede," Lucas joked weakly.

Wendy's smile grew. "And you look like it, too." Leaning over, she pushed some of his hair off his forehead. "How does your mind feel?"

"Rare."

"I imagine it will feel like that for a while," Wendy said. "And don't worry if you seem to have some holes every once in a while. All of your memories will come back as you heal."

"Holes?" Lucas asked. But before he could get too worked up about it, his eyes grew heavy, and he fell back asleep.

* * *

Wendy sat down at the table with Ford, Tim, Tony, Lonnie, Brody, and Ortiz. She smiled reassuringly as they all glanced at her.

"He's going to be just fine," she assured. "He woke up for a little while."

The group visibly relaxed.

"Can I come see him?" Tony asked.

"Sure," Wendy replied. "Just don't be surprised if he acts a little strange. He's gone through a rough time, and he might get confused."

"Can you tell us what happened to him?" Lonnie questioned.

"I could, but it's not my place to tell," Wendy answered. "I can't break his trust like that. If he wants you to know, he'll tell you himself."

"He's good at keeping secrets," Brody muttered.

"We all have secrets," Ford commented.

"Somehow I think he still wins the secret keeping award," Brody murmured softly.

Wendy glanced at him. "What do you think would have happened if he had told someone? For instance, let's say that he told you that he remembered. You were with the landing party who originally picked up the aliens. I imagine that everyone on the rescue team was scanned. Now Lucas was able to hold his wall, but you wouldn't have had any. They would have known who they were after right then and there. The Kraytex probably would have taken him somewhere else, and he never would have had the opportunity to reach us. And the seaQuest would have no ideas about how to find him."

Brody sighed. "As much as I don't want to, I see your point." He paused, staring at the table. "It's just hard . . . not knowing what happened."

"I know." Wendy laid a friendly hand on his arm. "I know."

* * *

Tony was sitting beside his bed the next time he opened his eyes.

"Hey, Luke," Tony greeted cheerfully. "You know, you missed the poker game."

"So sorry," Lucas replied wryly. "Wendy know you're here?"

"I have her permission," he answered. Tony melodramatically placed a hand over his heart. "Why are you always ready to think the worst about me?"

"Because the worst is usually the truth," Lucas kidded. "At least where you're concerned."

"Well, it's good to see you up and joking around." They turned around to see Wendy standing in the doorway. "How are you feeling today?"

"Better," Lucas said. "My mind doesn't feel as hazy. How long has it been?"

"We rescued you four days ago." She checked the IV, adjusting the level of pain medication slightly. "I need to talk to you. Alone."

Tony stood up. "Even I can catch that clue," he said, grinning. "I'll talk to you later, Luke."

"I have the feeling I'm not going anywhere," Lucas replied. They both waited until Tony had walked out of earshot. "What did you want to talk about, Wendy?"

"What you want to do about all this." She sat down in the chair Tony had recently vacated.

"Do about what?"

"You know you have two options. You could let everyone remember what has happened these past few days, including the fact that you know about Hyperion, or you could have Tobias put up another block before he leaves. Like before, this is your decision."

Lucas sighed. "What would you do?"

Wendy shook her head. "This isn't about me," she replied. "Just think over both sides carefully before deciding. We won't be leaving for at least another three days, so you have at least that long." With that, she stood and left, leaving him to his thoughts.

Lucas nodded. He should have known he would have to make this decision. Last time, the rebels had made it for him. They had been the ones who had decided that the knowledge of Hyperion was too dangerous to remain uncovered. But this time? Pros of everyone keeping their memories: he wouldn't have to feel guilty about keeping secrets. That was what had hurt the most before. And the cons: what would the UEO do if they found out? Every section of the UEO could, and probably would, interrogate him. They would ask him about alien technology and how to make it. There were so many things to consider.

Nearly an hour later, Brody knocked on the doorframe, causing Lucas to jump.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he said. "Mind if I come in?"

Lucas shook his head. "No, have a seat. I was just . . . thinking."

Brody raised an eyebrow. "Already?"

Lucas grinned. "Yeah."

Nervously, Brody shifted in the chair. "Lucas, I wanted to apologize."

"Apologize? For what?"

"When you told us that you remembered Hyperion . . . I was angry. I wanted to kill you for not telling us before."

"I'm not surprised," Lucas replied. "I would have felt the same in your place."

"But the more I think about it, well, I see that you were right. I realized that I would have done the same thing if I had been offered the same choices. And, well, uh, I'm sorry."

"It's all right, Brody. Like I said, I would be mad if I were you. When I told you, I knew there was a chance that I might not be forgiven for hiding the truth."

Brody paused. "So, do you think you could tell us some of what happened on Hyperion? Or would you and the rebels still prefer we didn't know anything?"

Lucas glanced up at the ceiling. If he told Brody, that would mean he had accepted the dangers of not blocking their minds. It didn't make sense to tell and then block the memories of what he had just said. Which way could he live with himself?

Slowly a smile crossed Lucas' face, and he turned to look at Brody. "Sure. What do you want to know?"