Silence. That was all that could be heard on the bridge of the seaQuest, as it quietly skimmed through the water. All its occupants completely unaware that what was about to befall them was something so incredibly astonishing, that it would be marked in the history books as the "almost-Armageddon." Needless to say the events that were about to take place in the depths of the ocean would be enough to shock anyone, even the brave men and women of the seaQuest.
The night had started out fairly normal, there was little activity and Captain Nathan Bridger, had found little to concern himself with and retired for the night. Commander Jonathan Ford had easily found his way into the chair of command and had taken his private pleasure into account as he asked for a report from the whiskers for about the third time in the past ten minuets.
"All's quiet out there sir..." Miguel Ortiz said and quietly added under his breath, "The same it's been for the past ten minuets..."
Ortiz was abruptly cut off by Ford, "Excuse me Mr. Ortiz did you have something to say?" Miguel shook his head, and bowed it in embarrassment. Tim O'Neil merely shook his own head until something caught his attention over his head set.
"Excuse me Commander, but I think you should have a listen to this." Tim said.
"What is it Lieutenant?" Ford was immediately at attention. The bridge tensed up as Ford put on his own head set and had a listen. What Ford heard couldn't quite be described. It was almost a mix of sounds, so soft that he wasn't sure it was really there. "Lieutenant are you making a recording of this?" Ford barked. Tim nodded his head quickly and Ford shouted across to an ensign, "Wake the Captain and get him up here..." he hesitated, "And get Lucas too, we may need his help."
* * *
Less than ten minuets after Bridger had laid his head down on his pillow than a breathless ensign came pounding at his door. "I knew it was too good to last," he sighed, and got up to answer the door. "Can I help you Ensign Carlson? Or do you just randomly go around waking people up?"
"No sir!" Carlson said, "It's just that...*gasp* that Commander Ford has requested a that you come to the bridge... *gasp* immediately!" Nathan sighed in resignation at the thought of getting no sleep what-so-ever that night. Unfortunately for the Captain things were going to go from bad to worse.
"Very well ensign, I will be there shortly," Bridger replied.
* * *
The entire bridge crew waited impatiently for the captain to return. Lieutenant-Commander Katie Hitchcock, who was awaiting orders at her post had never seen Ford so on edge. Quietly she got up and approached the Commander. "Jonathan, what is wrong?" she asked gently while putting her hand on his shoulder. The reaction she received was not one that she would have expected from her long time friend, a literal slap in the face. Katie brought her hand up to her burning check, and remained speechless, she couldn't understand what had just happened. Ford on the other hand stood stock still, watching Hitchcock as though to dare her to do something
Hitchcock merely stood still in the center of the bridge staring at the Commander. Unbeknownst to either of the two officers all work on the bridge had all but stopped and everyone's attention was riveted to them.
The tenseness was broken by Chief Crocker's shout of "Captain on the Bridge!" Immediately the crew became a buzz with activity. Bridger was completely unaware of what had just happened. But was concerned when he saw Hitchcock stand rigidly next his XO, with a look of contained anger. Suddenly Hitchcock, broke her icy glare and left the bridge as calmly as she could, which was really just a about as calm as a class A hurricane.
"Commander care to share with the rest of us what just happened here?" Nathan asked.
"Sorry Sir, but Commander Hitchcock is momentarily... distracted for a moment, she had an important issue to deal with," Ford said icily. Nathan was shocked he had never heard Ford talk like this about anybody, especially Katie.
"Of course Commander..." Nathan paused, he didn't feel ready to ask what call was so important that it couldn't have waited until whatever emergency had occurred to get him up and out of bed, was finished. "Now what couldn't have waited until morning?"
"Sir, Lieutenant O'Neil found unusual activity in the area, and I thought that it would be wise for you to listen..."
"Of course Commander, O'Neil if you please?" Nathan said, cutting Ford off. Tim sneered and grudgingly activated the recording. Bridger put the head set on and listened to the indescribably sound. He stood there motionless for a very long time, just listening to the hypnotic sound. Suddenly Lucas burst onto the bridge, still struggling into his flannel shirt.
"Sorry Captain I was just-" Lucas began but was cut off with a wave of the hand by Bridger. Lucas stopped confused, he had no idea why the Captain was acting the way he was. "Um sir-" again the Captain waved his hand a little more forcefully. Lucas went from confused to bewildered, granted the Captain had every right to want to listen but he could at least say something, shut up, be quiet, or even a good old common "shh" would have been appreciated. "Captain-" he tried again. This time he did get a reaction out of the Captain, and much like Ford and Hitchcock, this was not the way that Lucas would have thought the Captain would have reacted.
Only instead of a hit, Bridger did something far worse... he ripped the head set off his ears and said in an enraged voice "Shut the hell up you worthless piece of nothing... we don't need you now or ever..." Bridger started to turn purple and the bridge crew was in such shock that had another ship pulled up and fired upon them no one would have done anything. Lucas on the other had almost stopped breathing. He couldn't believe that the one person he trusted more than anyone else was betraying him like this. He thought that he had escaped the destitute of an unloving home, and that perhaps he had finally found someone who he could look to as a father. Now that person, the one that had given him hope, was the one who was smashing his heart... the way his biological father had, only this time it didn't look as though he would have anyone to help pick up the broken pieces. Lucas feared that others would see his pain, and he fled the bridge. Most of the crew merely shook their heads sadly.
* * *
Meanwhile, a dark smile crept onto the face of a very cruel woman. The smile was all that showed though, the rest of her face being hidden in the shadows and behind a mask. None of her colleges had ever seen her face and no one really knew who she was. She was merely referred to as "ma'am." The smile grew wider as she observed, in her vid-screen, a young boy fleeing from a man that apparently cared a lot about him. "Suffer, Wolenczak, suffer," she breathed, "May the pain that I have be with you every day of your miserable life, may no one ever love you again..." she trailed off and slowly brought her hand up to her face and gently removed her mask and leaned forward into the light. The scared and grotesque face of Captain Marilyn Stark grinned as she watched a young boy's life crumble around him.
The night had started out fairly normal, there was little activity and Captain Nathan Bridger, had found little to concern himself with and retired for the night. Commander Jonathan Ford had easily found his way into the chair of command and had taken his private pleasure into account as he asked for a report from the whiskers for about the third time in the past ten minuets.
"All's quiet out there sir..." Miguel Ortiz said and quietly added under his breath, "The same it's been for the past ten minuets..."
Ortiz was abruptly cut off by Ford, "Excuse me Mr. Ortiz did you have something to say?" Miguel shook his head, and bowed it in embarrassment. Tim O'Neil merely shook his own head until something caught his attention over his head set.
"Excuse me Commander, but I think you should have a listen to this." Tim said.
"What is it Lieutenant?" Ford was immediately at attention. The bridge tensed up as Ford put on his own head set and had a listen. What Ford heard couldn't quite be described. It was almost a mix of sounds, so soft that he wasn't sure it was really there. "Lieutenant are you making a recording of this?" Ford barked. Tim nodded his head quickly and Ford shouted across to an ensign, "Wake the Captain and get him up here..." he hesitated, "And get Lucas too, we may need his help."
* * *
Less than ten minuets after Bridger had laid his head down on his pillow than a breathless ensign came pounding at his door. "I knew it was too good to last," he sighed, and got up to answer the door. "Can I help you Ensign Carlson? Or do you just randomly go around waking people up?"
"No sir!" Carlson said, "It's just that...*gasp* that Commander Ford has requested a that you come to the bridge... *gasp* immediately!" Nathan sighed in resignation at the thought of getting no sleep what-so-ever that night. Unfortunately for the Captain things were going to go from bad to worse.
"Very well ensign, I will be there shortly," Bridger replied.
* * *
The entire bridge crew waited impatiently for the captain to return. Lieutenant-Commander Katie Hitchcock, who was awaiting orders at her post had never seen Ford so on edge. Quietly she got up and approached the Commander. "Jonathan, what is wrong?" she asked gently while putting her hand on his shoulder. The reaction she received was not one that she would have expected from her long time friend, a literal slap in the face. Katie brought her hand up to her burning check, and remained speechless, she couldn't understand what had just happened. Ford on the other hand stood stock still, watching Hitchcock as though to dare her to do something
Hitchcock merely stood still in the center of the bridge staring at the Commander. Unbeknownst to either of the two officers all work on the bridge had all but stopped and everyone's attention was riveted to them.
The tenseness was broken by Chief Crocker's shout of "Captain on the Bridge!" Immediately the crew became a buzz with activity. Bridger was completely unaware of what had just happened. But was concerned when he saw Hitchcock stand rigidly next his XO, with a look of contained anger. Suddenly Hitchcock, broke her icy glare and left the bridge as calmly as she could, which was really just a about as calm as a class A hurricane.
"Commander care to share with the rest of us what just happened here?" Nathan asked.
"Sorry Sir, but Commander Hitchcock is momentarily... distracted for a moment, she had an important issue to deal with," Ford said icily. Nathan was shocked he had never heard Ford talk like this about anybody, especially Katie.
"Of course Commander..." Nathan paused, he didn't feel ready to ask what call was so important that it couldn't have waited until whatever emergency had occurred to get him up and out of bed, was finished. "Now what couldn't have waited until morning?"
"Sir, Lieutenant O'Neil found unusual activity in the area, and I thought that it would be wise for you to listen..."
"Of course Commander, O'Neil if you please?" Nathan said, cutting Ford off. Tim sneered and grudgingly activated the recording. Bridger put the head set on and listened to the indescribably sound. He stood there motionless for a very long time, just listening to the hypnotic sound. Suddenly Lucas burst onto the bridge, still struggling into his flannel shirt.
"Sorry Captain I was just-" Lucas began but was cut off with a wave of the hand by Bridger. Lucas stopped confused, he had no idea why the Captain was acting the way he was. "Um sir-" again the Captain waved his hand a little more forcefully. Lucas went from confused to bewildered, granted the Captain had every right to want to listen but he could at least say something, shut up, be quiet, or even a good old common "shh" would have been appreciated. "Captain-" he tried again. This time he did get a reaction out of the Captain, and much like Ford and Hitchcock, this was not the way that Lucas would have thought the Captain would have reacted.
Only instead of a hit, Bridger did something far worse... he ripped the head set off his ears and said in an enraged voice "Shut the hell up you worthless piece of nothing... we don't need you now or ever..." Bridger started to turn purple and the bridge crew was in such shock that had another ship pulled up and fired upon them no one would have done anything. Lucas on the other had almost stopped breathing. He couldn't believe that the one person he trusted more than anyone else was betraying him like this. He thought that he had escaped the destitute of an unloving home, and that perhaps he had finally found someone who he could look to as a father. Now that person, the one that had given him hope, was the one who was smashing his heart... the way his biological father had, only this time it didn't look as though he would have anyone to help pick up the broken pieces. Lucas feared that others would see his pain, and he fled the bridge. Most of the crew merely shook their heads sadly.
* * *
Meanwhile, a dark smile crept onto the face of a very cruel woman. The smile was all that showed though, the rest of her face being hidden in the shadows and behind a mask. None of her colleges had ever seen her face and no one really knew who she was. She was merely referred to as "ma'am." The smile grew wider as she observed, in her vid-screen, a young boy fleeing from a man that apparently cared a lot about him. "Suffer, Wolenczak, suffer," she breathed, "May the pain that I have be with you every day of your miserable life, may no one ever love you again..." she trailed off and slowly brought her hand up to her face and gently removed her mask and leaned forward into the light. The scared and grotesque face of Captain Marilyn Stark grinned as she watched a young boy's life crumble around him.