Chapter Nine
Disclaimer - Have you people gone mad to! Nay! I own not seaQuest nor the Thunderbirds! Yea, my mind doth play with thee...It is the mark of an evil genius...Mah-ha-ha!
As they made their way through the passageways of the seaQuest, Lucas and Alan felt their stress levels rising. Something was wrong and that something was beyond their control, control that they had been desperately trying to reclaim. But it said something about both of them that their greatest concern wasn't for themselves – but for the family they had aboard the sub, families that they were sure were in danger.
"C'mon Alan – this is the perfect spot. No one would look for us here. And if we need anything, trust me – it's here." Alan followed Lucas into the room. Looking around, the youngest Tracy was confused. Was this a storage room or someone's quarters?
Catching Alan's eye, Lucas allowed himself a quick chuckle. "Ben's quarters. He also stores supplies in here." Following Alan's gaze, Lucas saw the organized chaos through his friend's point of view. "Yeah, I know. But strangely enough, Ben can find anything in a flash. No one else can; I think Ben considers that to be job security."
Alan smiled. He really did have to get Ben and Gordon together some day. That twisted sense of logic would definitely appeal to his red-headed brother.
As the two teens began to set up the electronics they had hauled from Lucas' quarters, they remained uncharacteristically silent. It was once more a case of if they didn't discuss their fears or concerns, the problems didn't exist. But the fear was like an elephant in the room – ignoring it wouldn't make it go away.
Forcing the men on the bridge to their knees, Cobb marched in front of them, staring them down. It infuriated him to no end that all four men met his hostile gaze head on, refusing to flinch. Jabbing each with his weapon, he counted of his hostages. "Nathan Bridger, the oh-so-respectable, oh-so-admired and revered, Captain of the seaQuest. Ruined anyone else's lives lately?"
Bridger glared at him but it was O'Neill who spoke up. "You were a murderer and a thief. That gold wasn't yours and you were willing to commit any crime to get what you wanted. You were lucky the UEO doesn't have the death penalty."
Cobb turned his glare on O'Neill. "Timothy O'Neill. My, my – where does this show of bravado come from? Is it supposed to impress me or the stalwart Captain here?" Leaning in, he whispered harshly, "'Cause neither of us is impressed, mate. Not one little bit, ya hear?" Tim clamped his mouth shut, refusing to give Cobb the satisfaction of seeing how much the man's words disturbed him.
Looking down at John's cold blue eyes, Cobb would have been shocked if he realized how rare it was for the otherwise gentle man's eyes to reflect that kind of anger. But John was furious, he was angry…damn it all, he was pissed. What, did the Tracys have some sort of target painted on them, begging every nut case in the world to come after them? But since he didn't know John Tracy, Cobb went on with his "victory" speech. "John Tracy…a young man who comes from wealth and privilege. I see you agree with Lieutenant O'Neill." Grabbing him by the shirtfront, Cobb pulled the younger man to his feet, forcing them to stand face to face. "What would you know about struggle or trying to get more in life?"
John shook his head, refusing to flinch at the older man's angry words. "I know that you get out of life what you put into it. I know that my brothers and I learned to work hard and give back to others. I know that anything my father has he earned, and he taught his sons to do the same. I know that he taught us to despise bullies and cowards." The glare John shot at Cobb made it clear who he thought fit that description.
Infuriated, Cobb pulled back an arm to punch the younger man, only to find himself thrown off balance when Jeff forced his body into the threat to one of his boys. The hostages couldn't help but allow themselves a small smile. Cobb would not find them to be easy victims. But their blood ran cold when Cobb grabbed Jeff by the hair and shoved a gun to the back of his head. "Not sure who you are, my friend; I am sure that I was told to expect four people on board. And you ain't no sixteen-year-old boy, now are ya? Maybe you're a bit of excess baggage, hmmm?"
Before Cobb could pull back the trigger, Lane Bowman leapt forward, crying out, "No!" Startled, Frank turned to look at the other man, furious.
"Listen here, Bowman. No one says no to Frank Cobb, got it? I got plenty of computer experts on this tub. If I need someone, I am sure one of these upstanding gents could be convinced."
Desperate to save the hostage, Bowman thought quickly. "Check his I.D." When Cobb continued to glare at him, Bowman hastened to explain. "Think of it. The UEO only planned on having a select few people on board. Whoever this guy is, he must be important enough to be here. Just check his ID, I can run it through the system and see who he is."
Nodding, Cobb agreed. "Fine. Pull out his ID and we'll see if he is worth anything to anyone." Cautiously, Bowman pulled Jeff's wallet out and opened it. His eyes round, he barely acknowledged Cobb curt, "Well? Who is he? A hostage or a sacrificial lamb to be slaughtered?"
Bowman eyes never left Jeff as he spoke softly. "I'm sorry Mr. Tracy. I didn't recognize you."
Cobb snatched the wallet and stared at the identification card listing his unexpected hostage as Jefferson Grant Tracy himself. Smiling cruelly, he tossed the wallet back to Bowman before walking over to one of the stations. Tossing himself into the seat, he whirled around a bit and allowed himself a self-satisfied chuckle. "Now, this is more like it. One of the wealthiest, most influential, important men of our times…and he falls in to our laps like over-ripe fruit. It's about time things started to go Frank Cobb's way."
Lucas and Alan continued to work in companionable silence. They had accessed the logs and security files. Seeing that Bridger had permitted a prison shuttle to dock raised their concern. "I don't like this," Alan muttered. "I don't like this one bit."
Shaking his head, Lucas agreed. "Yeah, I think they managed to slip something past the Captain. And believe me, that isn't easy to do. I know; I've tried."
"OK. Let's consider our options." Alan abruptly stood and began to pace. "We can't use the communications system. All messages to the outside world have been blocked. We have to assume a worst case scenario, which has the shuttle containing hostile forces and the others have been momentarily overwhelmed. Do we have anything working for us?"
Leaning back in his chair, Lucas allowed himself a small smile. "Well, when Schrader attacked the sub, he was aware that very few people were on board, but not how many. Assuming the worst, that this time how many people on board was known, what are the odds they knew exactly how many? With a very small exception, it was thought that only the Captain, Tim, John and I were to be onboard. You and your father weren't expected. And even if the bridge has been taken, or the others all captured, they may not be expecting you. And, even if they know about either or both of us being onboard, they don't know where we are. We aren't in any lab, my quarters, the Captain's quarters, or so on."
Placing his hands behind his head, Alan flopped onto Ben's bunk, sighing. "Computer access?"
Hands flying over several keyboards, Lucas smiled as he looked at the data. "Communications are cut, security compromised, but they haven't blocked system control. What do you say, Alan? Should I put the seaQuest into neutral?"
Alan grinned. He couldn't help but comparing Lucas to his friend Fermat and how his friends had both used their technical knowledge to slow down the bad guys. Geeks rule!
Still crowing over the triumph of having two Tracys to ransom back, Cobb began to pace excitedly around the bridge. He was in the middle of a whole new rant when Bridger and O'Neill looked at each other. They could feel the slowing of the seaQuest. Lucas! The boy must have accessed the controls remotely.
John and Jeff began to feel the change in the sub as well. While neither were mariners, the Thunderbirds vehicles were not all that different and they felt the shift in power. They remembered when the Hood took over the Island, and Jeff's assertion to his sons' concerns that Alan seemed to be their only hope. "He's a Tracy." Jeff had simply stated. Were Alan and Lucas responsible for the slowing of the engines, trying to keep the sub in UEO territory, allowing a greater chance for help to arrive? Somehow, they were sure the teens were coming to their aid.
Finally, Jackson, the only ex-navy man among the terrorists, held up his weapon to gain Cobb's attention. "Why are we slowing?"
Cobb whirled around, glaring at his hostages. Bridger shrugged his shoulders. "You're in charge, Frank. You tell me."
Bridger slammed into the floor, Cobb having smacked the butt of his gun into the other man's head. Dazed, he still found it in him to glare at the villains.
Barking to his crew, Cobb gave the order that chilled the four hostages. "Jackson, Daniels, you two start searching. Find that boy. I'm sure the Captain wants to see the seaQuest's mascot." Cobb grinned coldly. "I'm sure we can all be amused by him." Looking at Bowman as the other men left the bridge, he ordered, "Start checking the system. Trace any signal. Find that brat. And remember what I told you – do your job or I swear, that so-called innocent boy's blood will be on your hands. Or any other body part it splatters on to."
a/n - Alan and Lucas are scheming, Cobb is bonkers and getting worse. As to Lucas' comment on Ben's quarters, I am sure they were not that bad. But you should see my work area. I am back in a records room, no one goes in there unless they have to, my desk is in the corner (I feel like I am in permanent time-out) and I know where everything in that room is - even the charts that have left. But no one else can. Snicker-snort. Job security. This is a kinda of connecting chapter...more action to come soon. Thanks to everyone who is following along. As always, thanks to Sam1 for her beta-rificness and Shudunedus for her knowledge of all things seaQuest. More to come if I can get my darn cat to stop thinking of my laptop as her bed. (I know - it's warm and the warmth feels good when her arthritis is bugging her. Poor baby has problems due to a bad right hip. Last owner dumped her at a shelter, pregnant and with a broken hip. Three guesses who was responsible for the second problem - and if he had been a responsible pet owner, the first wouldn't have happened either. Sigh. People can be so mean.)
OK. Enough babbling ...review and help bolster my fragile emotional state. - CC
