A/N: Yes, we still have a bit before Macronesia is in full swing. "A Brave New World" gave a lot of information to what had happened in the ten years between 2022 and 2032, but they didn't go into anything in detail. So, I'm trying to fill in the necessary details as needed. I hope you're all still with me. I thank everyone for reading, especially the reviewers. Thank you.
Inspiration for the chapter, 'Under Pressure' by Queen and David Bowie: http (colon) (backslash, backslash) www. youtube. com (backslash) watch?v (equals) eWca8OGaR0U
Chapter 8
Four years later, Nexus Underwater Colony
Kristin awoke to knocking. Actually, it was more like banging on the door to her room.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," she muttered sleepily.
On her way to the door, she heard more banging.
"Hang on just a bloody minute!" she yelled, now completely frustrated. She opened the door, and although she was frustrated, she softened a bit when she saw who it was.
"Mr. Krieg, this better be good," she said, folding her arms across her chest.
He didn't give her an answer. He pushed past her and turned on her vid-screen. He turned it to one of the news channels. "Have you seen this?" he asked, motioning towards the screen.
"No, I was asleep," she said dryly.
Ben took a moment to really look at her, something he hadn't done before. He did see she was in pajamas and a bathrobe. "You were asleep?" he asked sheepishly. "Sorry."
She nodded. "I worked the night shift last night. Now, I was having a very lovely dream, so you'd better have a good reason for waking me up."
Ben turned the sound up. "Watch; you'll see this is a good reason."
Kristin turned her attention to the vid-screen. It was showing footage of the economic footage from one month earlier. "You woke me up for this?" she questioned. "I already know about the economic summit, thank you. I don't live under a rock."
Ben shook his head. "Just keep watching; you'll see."
At that moment, the scene changed to show some sort of debate led by General Arthur McGath of the UEO. On the other side was Alexander Bourne, head of the Macronesian Alliance. Bourne opposed the UEO and its statutes. He was one of the people that came out of the woodwork after seaQuest disappeared. The screen then became split, the UEO conference room on one side, the announcer on the other. The announcer said, "Earlier this morning, the UEO made a shocking announcement. They have lifted the ban on colonial deregulation of all waters under their jurisdiction. We break now to footage of that announcement."
The screen changed to a full-screen view of the UEO conference room just then. Kristin listened for a few moments. Then, she turned to Ben. "So, what does this mean for us exactly?"
Ben sighed. "Katie says it's going to be chaos." He sighed heavily. "You know, this was going to be the year she said she'd retire. I don't think that's happening now."
Kristin placed a gently hand on his shoulder. "They need to keep an eye on Bourne; he's a power-hungry maniac," she noted.
Ben nodded in agreement. "I know, but why does my wife have to be in the midst of it all?" He sighed heavily once again. "And I almost had her convinced that we should start a family."
Kristin smiled sympathetically. "You know that's how Katie is. Eventually, your wish will come true."
"Yeah, I suppose," Ben replied thoughtfully. "I guess I'm just worried about the state of the world."
"We all are," Kristin assured him. "But, we have to trust that the UEO knows what they're doing."
Ben looked at her. He'd almost forgotten that the doctor had barely stepped foot on land since they'd arrived in Nexus. He mentally tried to figure it out in his head how many times she'd left. Seven times, he could remember, in the last four years. And, the last time was nearly a year ago. She really didn't know how much power the UEO didn't have anymore. He knew she and Katie spoke, but apparently, it was never about the UEO. Ben had lost some of his trust in the UEO; he wasn't even sure how much trust Katie had in them anymore. And, the anti-military doctor still did? It was shocking. "Doc, the UEO doesn't have the jurisdiction they used to have," he said gently.
She nodded. "I know," she answered. "Perhaps I can explain it in a way you'll understand. Since I worked the night shift last night, I'm not in med bay right now; Dr. Anderson is. Now, do I worry when Dennis is in charge, and I can't be there to see what he's doing? Sometimes," she admitted. "But I have to trust that he'll do a good job with my staff and my patients. Dennis doesn't always do things the way I would, but he gets the job done. And, when I'm ready to go to med bay, I see he hasn't burned the place down. You understand what I'm saying?"
Ben couldn't argue with her logic. "I suppose, but it's not exactly the same thing. You and Dr. Anderson aren't exactly the same thing as two opposing governments. I mean, you're not going to start a war if Dr. Anderson does something you don't like."
She smiled. "I might," she quipped. Then, she became serious. "I know it seems like the world's falling apart sometimes, but if we don't put our trust in the powers that be, we lose all hope."
Ben didn't answer. Instead, he turned off the vid-screen and walked over to the corner of the room where Kristin had the shelf with Nathan and Lucas' flags and photos. He picked up Lucas' photo. "Too bad these guys weren't still around. None of this would be happening now."
Kristin walked over to him and gently took the photo out of his hand and lovingly placed it back in its proper place on the shelf. "We can't say that. It might have been inevitable."
"I guess; but without them, I'm not sure the situation will get any better." Ben stared at the items on the shelf.
"I still believe they might come back," Kristin said quietly.
"After four years?" Ben gave her a doubtful look.
She shrugged her shoulders. "I know you probably think it's silly, but part of me refuses to believe they're gone."
Ben smiled. "Well, you're not the only one. Katie tells me there's a UEO captain who's been looking for the seaQuest since it disappeared."
"Really? That's fascinating. Where exactly is he looking?"
Ben laughed. "Same place she was when she disappeared; the ocean. Where else would he look?"
"I'm not sure…"
Ben placed an arm around her shoulders. "Sorry; you keep believing what you do. I hope you're right, but I just can't believe they're out there. They're dead, and they're not coming back. We're on our own."
Neither of them said anything for several moments. Then, Ben broke the silence once again. "Uh, I guess I'd better get to work. I'll let you get back to sleep."
She rolled her eyes a bit. "Oh, I don't think I can sleep now, thank you. I'm going to head to the lab. See you around?"
He nodded. "Sure thing; bye, Doc."
A short time later, Kristin headed to the lab. Some of the technicians gave her surprised looks. Dr. Lysander noticed her and immediately crossed the room to her.
"Kristin, what are you doing here? I thought you were asleep."
She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not tired. I thought I'd do a little work. I'm not doing anyone any good just sitting around my room. Is that a problem?"
Bruce shook his head. "Certainly not; in fact, you're just in time."
"In time?"
Bruce smiled. "Of course. Today's the day, you know."
She gave him a confused look. "Forgive me, but I have no idea what you're talking about. Today's the day for what?"
"For my experiment. I'm sure I have it perfected now."
Her heart sank slightly. As a science tool, yes, it was exciting. But, with the world in the dire state that it was, a successful man-made subduction experiment could mean something awful in the wrong hands. She hesitated.
But, Bruce didn't seem to notice her dismay. He took her hand and pulled gently. "Come on, I was just about to start. You're just in time."
Kristin watched as Bruce successfully performed his experiment, not once, not twice, but several times over. Finally, he turned to her. "Well, can you believe it? Finally, particle liquefaction. Man-made subduction. And, they said it couldn't be done."
"Congratulations," Kristin said, trying to force a smile. "But, you really should notify the UEO of this discovery."
Bruce gave her a look. "Why would I do that?"
"Because this knowledge could be useful in defeating the Macronesian Alliance," she explained.
Bruce didn't answer her. Instead, he walked into the lab and sent all the technicians to lunch, leaving the lab empty, save for the two of them. "There's one problem with that," he said, turning back to her. "I don't want to defeat the Macronesian Alliance."
"W-what?"
Bruce smiled evilly. "I know you don't know who our benefactors are, but did you ever stop and think why anyone would give us money to run whatever experiments we like?"
The look on her face told Bruce she never had thought about it, never even questioned it. The look on her face made him laugh once again.
"Well, you're going to find out soon enough, so I may as well just tell you. One of our benefactors happens to be Alexander Bourne himself. If it weren't for him, I'd have never achieved success. He's going to be very pleased to find out."
Kristin's head was spinning. She could hardly believe what she'd just heard. She literally felt the color draining from her face. "Y-you mean I…we've been…working for Bourne?" she stammered.
"Aw, you don't look well," Bruce said with mock-sympathy. "Perhaps you should lie down?"
"D-does David know?"
Bruce laughed once again. "Who do you think is responsible for getting benefactors to invest in us? The truth is, there aren't many who will invest in a small, independent colony unless there's something in it for them. You think people still do things out of the goodness of their hearts?"
Kristin avoided his gaze.
Bruce slapped his hand down on the table to get her attention, causing her to jump. "Wake up, Doctor. That's not the way the world works anymore." He looked at the clock. "In fact, I'm expecting visitors any moment now."
"Visitors?" she asked nervously.
As if on cue, a procession of people walked in; they looked vaguely familiar. The procession parted ways, and Bourne came into view. "Bruce, I've heard you have good news for me."
"That I do, Alex. It works," he told him, motioning towards the experiment. "I hope it was worth the wait."
"Show me," Bourne urged.
Bruce did so, and the experiment worked once again without fail. Bourne gave a satisfied smile. "I knew I could count on you." He noticed Kristin in the corner. "What's the matter with her?"
Bruce waved a casual hand. "She had a sudden dose of reality. She'll be fine. She won't give you any trouble, will you, Doctor?"
Bourne approached her. "Tell me your name, please."
"D-doctor Kristin Westphalen," she said quietly.
"Oh, yes, you're a friend of David's. You used to work for the UEO?"
She nodded nervously. She suddenly realized she was trembling. She was afraid.
"Don't worry, Doctor, I don't plan on hurting you. We're just here to collect Dr. Lysander and his experiment. Then, you can go on about your life. You have nothing to be afraid of," Bourne explained.
Kristin, however, couldn't help but notice his sinister tone. "W-what do you plan on doing with this knowledge?" she asked bravely.
Bourne gave her a smile. He ran a gently hand across her cheek. "Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about. We're just going to show the UEO what Macronesia is made of."
And before Kristin could protest, they all left as quickly as they came, taking Dr. Lysander with them.
