Mysterious Circumstances
Natalie laid on the dock, tanning herself, the vague hint of a baby bump showing off as her bikini left her mostly exposed. Darwin came up and spit water onto Natalie, who opened her eyes, peeking out of her sunglasses. She smiled at Darwin and sat up, looking around. Lucas was nowhere to be seen and that was not uncommon. He often disappeared into the ocean for hours no matter the weather. In his upgraded stinger, he would just zip through the water and enjoy the feel of speed. She couldn't see the stinger, so she assumed he was underwater somewhere. She headed for the house and walked in, picking up the PALL, calling him.
"Lucas? Do you know when you may be home?" She carried the PALL and moved for the kitchen, looking through the fridge, pulling out a few items and placing them on the counter. She heard Lucas' voice and smiled like she always did when she heard him.
"Not sure yet. I am about 40 miles to sea. Why?"
"When you planned on coming home meant the difference between a major dinner and a relaxing grilled meal outside." She already knew what he would say and was preparing to grill.
"Say grill and I will be home in about 20 minutes." Lucas said with a laugh.
"Ok, see you then." She put the PALL down and smiled moving to the grill with steak, chicken, and some asparagus and yellow squash. She started the grill and let it warm up, heading back to the dock. After a moment, she grabbed a bucket and sat down, looking down at Darwin. She tossed fish at him and Darwin did what he loved. Swimming and catching dead fish.
"Lucas and I still don't have a name for our baby. What do you think we should name her?" She asked Darwin, who bobbed up and down.
"Darwin." Was what he stated to her and Natalie laughed, shaking her head.
"We are having a girl, or we would. Sorry." She stood up after petting Darwin.
"Come back. Swim." Darwin kind of asked and Natalie nodded.
"After dinner, Lucas and I will swim with you. I promise." With that answer, Darwin disappeared under the water just as Lucas steered the stinger onto the beach. She looked over, watching him and headed back to the house. Lucas got out of the stinger and headed towards the house, watching Natalie as she opened the grill.
"Let me do that." Lucas said, coming up behind her and pulling her into his arms. He placed his hands on her stomach, feeling the baby move slightly and smiled, kissing her neck. Natalie closed her eyes and let herself be enveloped into his arms. She tilted her head and smiled as he kissed her neck.
"Sure thing. I planned on letting you." She looked at him, craning her neck. Lucas laughed and kissed her softly. Natalie then slid out of his arms and let him cook, going into the house for a robe.
"Awe. Going to cover that amazing figure up on me?" Lucas pouted as Natalie came back out, wrapped in a warm robe. She nodded and smirked.
"Don't worry. I promised Darwin we would swim with him tonight. You still get the chance to see it again." She leaned against the outdoor grill/bar and sat up on the bar top.
"Yeah? I found a wrecked ship about 50 miles out. Once our baby is born maybe we could go and check it out. I know it looked intriguing to me." Lucas put the chicken on the plate and the steak soon followed.
"As long as it is nothing like the George..." She shivered and pulled her robe more closed. Lucas looked confused for a moment, and then thought back. His eyebrows going up as he remembered that trip.
"Oh yeah...the haunted ship we found off the Canary Islands. I doubt it; this ship was full of holes. No lights, no air pockets." Lucas said cryptically as they sat down on the patio and started to eat.
"Yeah well... As much as I like knowing we helped lost souls, I don't want a repeat... of that climax." She thought back to that time and shivered again.
(From the episode Knight of the Shadows, Season 1)
Natalie followed Crocker, Lucas, and Westphalen as the diary was read back, verbatim by Dr. Westphalen. The door started to bleed as Crocker told the Captain where they were; outside the Captain's quarters. She leaned against a wall as the crew discussed what was going on. She watched Crocker as he burned his hand on the door handle.
"On the day they were supposed to be married, the ship sank." Lucas said and then the door was reached for again, causing flames to come from the door. Nathan looked at Lucas and Natalie.
"I think the door is safe for you. We need the ships log." Nathan stated and Lucas reached for the handle, gripping it tightly, and attempting to open it, forcing it with both of his hands. Allowing Natalie to enter first, Lucas walked in and then the entryway was engulfed in flames. The door slammed shut, the room on fire. Natalie let out a scream and Lucas stood there, pushing Natalie behind him, as the ghost of the Captain showed up. Lucas looked at him defiantly and after a few minutes the fire went out and Lucas called out, talking to Bridger.
"Captain... Go the ballroom!" Lucas called out as Natalie stared in fear at the ghostly image of the George's Captain talked with Lucas. Natalie heard the story of the Captain's guilt and Lily's own guilt and how the only way out of the curse was to be forgiven.
"That is so sweet..." Natalie said, wiping a tear away. Lucas looked at her and rolled his eyes, though he had started to well up as well. They both watched the Captain and his sadness.
Following the Captain into the ballroom, Lucas and Natalie moved towards Bridger as the George's Captain talked to the skeletal remains of Lily. Natalie watched and stood near Lucas, tilting her head. Lily's apparition appeared and forgave the Captain, just in time for Robert, the George's Engineer to appear. Lily ran into his arms and the embraced. After a moment, the three apparitions disappeared into a bright light and Dr. Westphalen was taken out of her transient state.
"I want that... Before I am old... True love." Natalie said and sniffled, causing the crew to look at her. Nathan let out a grunt and Dr. Westphalen smiled softly at Natalie.
"That was one hell of a trip... Odd, strange, but it was cool. I so saved you." Lucas said, finishing dinner. Natalie looked at him, taking the dirty plates into the house, leaving the patio door open.
"Are you kidding me?! It was fire, and a ghost! You were scared too, I saw your face and you held me while you were shivering!" She cried out, cleaning up the dishes, putting them in the dishwasher. Lucas cleared up the barbeque area and brought in the dishes. He helped her clean up and then slid the robe off her and smiled, twirling her, gently pulling her towards the patio.
"Come on... Time for a swim..." Lucas said, as they walked onto the beach and he pulled her across the dock, and he jumped in. Darwin appeared with him and he laughed, motioning her to come in.
"Come on Nat! It's not like we are going to die!" Lucas said and Natalie looked at him in shock.
"What did you say?" Natalie leaned towards him, as she sat on the dock.
"It's not like we are going to blow up and die!" Lucas said and his face got angry. Darwin disappeared under the water and Lucas swam to her, yanking on her legs.
"Come on Natalie. Come with me. DIE WITH ME!" He yelled and yanked her legs, causing her to fall into the water. She started to sink, pulled down by Lucas.
Natalie sat up fast, letting out a scream and looked around, not recognizing where she was at first. She furrowed her brow, standing up, and looking around, getting her bearings. She ran her hands over the wall, finding the lights and turned the light on. She knew instantly realizing where she was; the original Seaquest. She swallowed hard, getting a sick feeling in her stomach. She opened the door and saw two guards, blinking.
"Tell him that she is up." One of the guards said and another guard disappeared down the hall. Natalie closed the door and looked around, hoping some of this equipment still worked. She looked around and saw the teleconference screen. She looked over the conference remote and attempted to turn it on, but heard the door and stopped, moving back to the bed, seeing Robert walk in. He looked at her, then the teleconference screen and shook his head.
"That system is not available right now. It requires passcodes to initialize that only 10 people have. You are one not one of them. Your husband and my father, on the other hand, did. I know you know their codes, so I want you to input the codes, so we can take Seaquest." Robert said, as he paced, slowly in front of her. Natalie listened to him and shook her head.
"First off, I know this is not the new Seaquest. I helped design the new Seaquest, and I know this room is the Captain's quarters of the old Seaquest. I also know that if this were the new Seaquest, you would not have gotten within a half a mile without being stopped by security. And being a former Naval officer yourself, Robert, you would know that as a civilian I cannot have passcodes given to me by officers. My husband was an officer, therefore I do not have his passcodes. Even if I did have them, I would not tell you or use them." Natalie did have passcodes for Seaquest, both old and new. As for the old codes, she was not sure they would even work, but Robert's insistence on them gave her an idea.
"Very observant, you are defiantly my father's granddaughter. Also stupid like him as well. Maybe leaving you with him was not the smartest thing I have ever done. I will get those codes from you one way or the other. Even if it I have to take your child from you." Robert pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. Natalie stared right back at him and then turned away.
"I am not worried about it. You will be found out long before you plan on doing anything to me. Besides, do what you have to. But knowing you, you will just run off and leave everyone behind, again." She crossed her arms and got comfortable.
"There is a reason I left. If you knew the truth about your grandfather, you would never look at him the same again." Robert got in her face, pulling her to look at him. Natalie looked him in the eyes with a cold stare.
"You can leave now. I will not have someone who ran off on his newborn child, letting everyone think he is dead, say bad things about my grandfather. Goodbye." Natalie stated to him, waiting for him to let go. Robert looked over her, and then let her go.
"You and your husband have led a pretty quiet, secluded existence. I actually no desire to come forward and find you. I never have. But I got the idea, from you and your husband without ever meeting you. I will show you." He nodded and walked out of the room and one of the guards came up and pulled up a video on a portable player, then walked out. Natalie stared at the wall until she heard the video's voice over.
"Some people are calling them they next generation of the UEO. Natalie Bridger, the granddaughter of Captain Nathan Bridger and Lucas Wolenczak, the newlywed couple that have revolutionized some of the technology used by the UEO today. At the young ages of 37 and 34, they have made more progress with environmental technology than any other scientist or officer in UEO history. We are standing in front of the UEO's new testing facility where the Wolenczak's have been testing a new "stinger" submarine that can race both out of water and in. We have been allowed to this testing site to see the progress of this new sub and been given a day in the life of the UEO's hottest couple."
The camera panned out to show what looked like a racing practice track as well as the ocean with a ramp towards the track. There was a 2012 Camaro speeding through the course, and there was talking next to the reporter. It sounded like people talking over a walkie-talkie, garbled and loud.
"I'm coming into the track at 30 mph, ready to retract tail and release wheels." Lucas' voice came over the radio. The Camaro skidded around a test corner, drifting slightly, and then straightening out.
"Turning at 90 mph, putting on cruise control to maintain speed. If it works right, we should meet perfectly in half a mile." Natalie was heard on the radio and a camera angle changed to what looked like a passenger side angle of Natalie. Another camera angle split the screen and showed Lucas. Both wearing helmets, so their faces weren't visible. After a moment, the two angles disappeared and the camera panned to the course, and the stinger appeared and as the tail disappeared. The wheels were already rolling and the stinger turned onto the course just as the Camaro went by full speed.
"By the end of this lap we should be able to meet and maintain 90 mph. You ready?" Lucas asked and Natalie laughed.
"Why don't we go for 100? I'm game if you are." Natalie challenged and Lucas let out a laugh.
"You're on." Lucas sounded excited and the sound of a car's engine revving was heard on the radio. The stinger was gaining speed and sped by where the reporter and camera man were. A moment later the Camaro went by, full speed, tires screeching around the corner. Out of nowhere the stinger gained full speed and sped up to the Camaro.
"3 seconds behind you, 95mph." Lucas stated, sounding both worried and excited. Natalie's laugh was heard and the two racing vehicles crossed the line at the same exact time. The two slowed to a stop near the reporter and camera man, and Lucas opened the stingers door, getting out, as Natalie slid out of the driver's window. They both pulled their helmets off and looked at each other, standing 10 feet apart. Natalie looked her Lucas, who looked back. Both of them had on formal racing gear and then they both yelled at once.
"100 mph!" Lucas ran at Natalie, who smiled big and lifted her off the ground and dropped her onto the trunk of the car. She smiled to him as she unzipped her jacket, and he unzipped his. Never stopping their kiss, the reporter and an Admiral walked over, the Admiral clearing his throat. The young couple looked over as they got close and the Admiral smiled, taking Lucas' hand.
"Great job. This will work wonders for the future of sub vs. car races." Laughing the Admiral lead the reporter away, the camera man backing up, but keeping the camera on Lucas and Natalie. The radio could be heard as they spoke, their helmets next to them.
"It worked amazing! You did so well! I love you so much!" Natalie said and kissed him, her legs wrapping around his waist. Lucas pulled her to him, pressing their chests together, then cupping her face with his hands, kissing her passionately.
"No, you did the work, racing a car is completely different from a sub. You did great." He continued to kiss her and the camera pulled away to the reporter.
The video ended and Natalie stared at the video player, crying. She curled up on the bed her grandfather once slept in, as tears streamed down onto the pillow. Her back to the wall, she stared at the holographic system that was once programmed to show her grandmother and walked to it. She winced at the weight of her stomach, and pressed a few buttons. After breaking into the computer system and re-calibrating a few things, it came to life, the fog rolling down, and a picture of Lucas appearing. It was a younger picture, roughly 2021 or 2022, and he was smiling. Natalie moved back to the bed, looking at the picture and curled up once again, crying.
(TBC)