Thankyou to everyone for your reviews. It's always appreciated to know what you think. I'm itching to just jump to the chapter I've already written but I know things need to move along properly so here's the next installment. We'll get there soon I promise.

Chapter Seven

Lucas chewed his lower lip as he typed. He was completely unaware of the passage of time as he focussed on the job before him. Part of him felt frustrated that he was being blocked but another part found the thrill of the challenge exhilarating. His mind ran the possible answers to the encryption almost too fast for his fingers to keep up. Finally he found a small chink in the armour but that was enough.

"I'm through!"

He absent-mindedly wiped at the perspiration on his face with the edge of his t-shirt while he scanned the information before him. Lucas sucked in a breath with shock. This wasn't possible! The implication of what he was reading was staggering and he slumped back against the wall. His heart was pounding as he resumed reading.

When he got to the end of the communiqué Lucas urgently began another search thread. He knew this couldn't possibly be the only one. There had to have been more. It didn't take long before he pulled up another one, encrypted just as the first one had been. Since he had already broken the encryption on the first one it didn't take very long for him to get through this one as well.

It was dated the day after Ben's altercation with Commander Ford. He picked it straight away as that date was burned into Lucas' brain. The day that Ben lost his mind! As he read the secret document the pieces began to fall into place. Lucas closed his eyes and tried to calm the emotions that were competing for his attention. Shock. Anger. Relief. Fear.

He realised he hadn't found this sooner because he only started searching the files dated after Ben left. There had been no reason to think to look for anything earlier. He was mentally kicking himself at the short-sightedness of that decision as it had stopped him finding what he was after for so long.

Finally it made some sense. Lucas tried to shake the fear that threatened to overwhelm him on two fronts. Admiral Rogers had been part of a larger conspiracy and Lucas knew the UEO had only scratched the surface of it. He had tried not to worry about who was still out there and that had gotten easier as time had passed and nothing further had come of it. The idea that two conspirators had gotten onto the seaQuest had shaken him more than he had ever admitted to anyone but gradually things had gotten back to normal and he had convinced himself it was all over.

Now he realised it was far from over. Section Seven was running a covert operation and Captain Bridger knew about it! No … he was a part of it! And obviously so were Ben and Ford. Lucas thought about the things he had said to both Bridger and Ford. Angry words, born out of frustration. Now he didn't know what to feel.

He was elated that Ben hadn't really thrown away his career. He hadn't really been discharged after all but then Lucas pulled up short as he realised that Ben was out there somewhere, playing a game of cat and mouse with the very men who had tried to kill him! He swallowed down the lump that was sticking in his throat and tried to decide what to do next.

It was obvious Bridger was trying to keep this all a secret from him so Lucas wondered if he should let on what he had found out or stay quiet. Finally he decided he needed to be cautious and keep quiet, at least for now.


Ben was exhausted. Not only was he physically tired but the strain of trying to keep three steps ahead of these people was beginning to catch up with him. He had decided the best way to stop from making a mistake was to stick to the truth as much as possible. He knew they had to be waiting to see if he slipped up. He really didn't want to think about the consequences if that happened but he guessed it would be quick, if not painless.

These people were relying on his angry response to his apparent disgrace so he needed to make it convincing. It turned out to be surprisingly easy for Ben to get into the swing of pretending to hate Ford. He dredged up everything that had ever bugged him about the man, from the perfect state of his uniform to his ever-cool exterior, even under pressure.

It seemed that whenever Ben made a hash of something, Ford was always there to show how it should be done. Not only that but he seemed to have charmed Katie as well. Ben had long ago resigned himself to the fact that he blew that one but a part of him still liked to dream. If only …. He just wasn't ready to see her with anyone else although he knew it was inevitable. Mentally stirring himself into a state of jealousy ensured he could keep up the act.

Mouthing off in front of these guys about his former commanding officer had become almost second nature. He secretly wondered if he would be able to reign it back in when, or if, he made it back to the seaQuest.

For their part, everyone he had been introduced to was ex-UEO. It seemed they had come from varying backgrounds but whoever was doing the recruiting had sought out anyone who had ever had a serious gripe with the UEO. There didn't seem to be any shortage of them either. Every one of them felt they had been cheated in some way and were justified in what they were doing. Revenge is a powerful motivator and it was the driving force which held this group together and pushed them forward.

Ben spent his days helping to plan the raid on the seaQuest. He struggled to know how much information to give to sound convincing without overdoing it. Each night he went back over the events of the day. He took careful note of the interactions between each of the team and tried to work out what made each of them tick. If he could analyse them well enough it would mean he could possibly predict their reactions once they were on board. It could make the difference between success and failure. More importantly, it could mean the difference between life and death.

As he lay on his bunk each night and stared into the dark he prayed that somehow they could pull this off without any of the seaQuest crew getting injured in the process. He knew there was a Section Seven operative buried somewhere in this group but he had no indication of who it was. He hoped they had been able to get word back to Bridger that he had made it in but there was just no way of knowing anything. He also had no idea who he could count on when it all hit the fan.

"Just me, I guess"

He scratched at the thick stubble on his face. It had been years since he last grew a beard but someone here had suggested it. It seemed logical enough as he would be attempting to get back on board without being spotted. Growing that was the easy part.

Jacobs had also insisted he wear a knee brace which altered the way he walked. Instead of his usual long confident stride, he now moved with a slightly stilted walk. It seemed that even from a distance most people could pick up someone they were familiar with by their posture and walk so this was one more element in the effort to disguise Ben from his friends. Another detail that would help get him aboard without alerting anyone.


Captain Bridger stood at the shuttle bay doors and waited for the last of the science crew to leave. They were headed out to various places, each of them taking advantage of the three weeks scheduled leave. Many were going to conferences while some were taking research time at different institutions. Some were just taking a well earned break from the confines of life on a submarine.

Bridger looked at his watch again and wondered what was keeping Lucas. It wasn't like it was unusual for him to be tardy but he had seemed so keen to get going this morning and now he was holding up the last shuttle.

"Don't worry. He'll be here," Kristin smiled.

She knew how time could get away from the teenager when he was focussed on something. He seemed to have been preoccupied for the last two days but he hadn't been inclined to explain why.

"He's looking forward to catching up with his friends."

Bridger raised his eyebrows slightly as he looked at her.

"He actually told you that?"

"Yes. He said they were planning on meeting up tomorrow. I think it's rather sweet that he will get to see Julianna again. I thought he had discussed this with you. Didn't he?" Kristin looked at him with a slight frown, wondering how Nathan could be unaware of Lucas' shore leave plans.

Bridger shook his head.

"He doesn't seem to want to tell me anything lately. It feels like he has been avoiding me for the last few days. I knew he was going to see Nick but he hadn't mentioned Julianna."

"Maybe he just wants some privacy. You know what teenagers can be like." Kristin tried to put a positive spin on the conversation but she was worried too. The strain between the two of them was obvious and she hated to watch it. She hoped that some time apart might remind them both how much they cared about each other. After all, didn't the saying go that absence makes the heart grow fonder?

In actual fact, Lucas had spent the last two days debating whether or not to tell Captain Bridger he knew what was going on. He knew where Ben had gone and why. He knew that Bridger was intentionally walking into a trap and he knew that it was ultimately his fault.

All this began because of his program. He had felt so clever in designing it but he had never considered just how destructive it could be in the wrong hands. After Admiral Rogers demanded he hand it over, Lucas had realised just what he had created. He wondered if this was how other scientists had felt when their work had been corrupted and used for other purposes.

He felt sick at the thought his designs could be used as a weapon against the UEO. At first he wanted to destroy the program and his research but Bridger had stopped him. He reminded Lucas that all things can be misused but creative people shouldn't stop dreaming because of it. So he had put it aside for a time and struggled to decide just what to do with it. So far he hadn't come up with an answer that answered his fear of misuse.

As he hurried down the corridor towards the shuttle bay, Lucas tried to think what he was going to say. He hoped the captain wouldn't be there but he knew that wasn't going to happen. He came around the corner and through the door just in time to see Bridger deep in conversation with Kristin.

" No guessing what they are talking about!"

Bridger looked up as Lucas hurried through the door. The teenager tried to compose his face into the "don't talk to me" teenage face but Bridger had already caught a glimpse of something. His heart skipped as he briefly wondered if Lucas knew something he shouldn't. He tried to ignore the thought. After all if Lucas had stumbled onto anything he wouldn't be voluntarily leaving now. He would be trying to hang around and help Ben. Bridger knew him well enough to know there was no way he would be leaving the seaQuest if he thought Ben was coming back.

He decided he was imagining things and he stepped over to intercept Lucas before he boarded the shuttle. Lucas tried to avoid eye contact in case he inadvertently gave something away. The gear he was carrying in his bag had nothing to do with visiting friends and everything to do with helping one friend in particular. Some days he was convinced Bridger could read his mind so he just wanted to get on board the shuttle and get out of there.

"Have a great time, Kiddo. I'll see you in a few weeks."

"Uh yeah. It'll be great to see everyone again. Well I've already made everyone late so we better get going." Lucas ducked his head and headed into the shuttle leaving Kristin standing next to Bridger. She looked at him and saw the flicker of pain cross his face.

"You had better get going. You don't want to miss your flight." He smiled at her but there was no warmth in it. She nodded and smiled back. He gestured towards the shuttle and she began to walk to the door. As he watched her leave he felt relieved that they were both on that shuttle, heading away to safety.