THE SECRET DEVICE

by J7339

In the process of being rewritten with more complicated content and hopefully a better story. New version will be uploaded as soon as I can with many additions and some changes (May 2019).

10. RECOUNTING WHAT HAPPENED

THE SECRET DEVICE

By Jules

CHAPTER 10 - RECOUNTING WHAT HAPPENED

Some of this chapter has been reposted from the last one as I have lost all of my stories,Including SeaQuest and all my other ones. I will be able to get most of them back, it will just take some time.

I was almost ready to post the next chapter when my computer crashed and took with it what had been written. I apologize for the long delay.

This chapter may be a little different to what I had written, but I had to start it againfrom scratch, which interrupted the flow a little.

I apologize in advance for the parts you may have already read. I needed to remind myself where I was up to.

And no….. unfortunately none of you are rid of my and my crazy writing yet.

Recap of last what happened at the end of the last chapter:…………

A sharp turn from the larger boat sent it careening into the lighter, rubber craft, sending Bridger, Piccolo and Ford tumbling over each other in the boat. Lucas had awoken a little with the commotion, but for the most part remained on the seat. None of them realised what was happening until it was almost too late.

As the other craft got close enough and the other crew members were trying to pick themselves up from a second and third ramming, Riley had leaned over even further and before Lucas or the others could stop him, had gotten a grasp on the sneaker of Lucas's good leg.

"Ahhhh," Lucas cried out as he felt his body being pulled awkwardly to the side by Riley. The man was attempting to drag him back into the other boat without any real concern for his current injuries or any fresh ones that he might sustain from such rough treatment.

"Let go," Lucas protested, as he attempted to reach down to pull the offending hand away.

Bridger and Tony saw the brazen attempts and were immediately getting to their feet to stop the man from getting any more of a hold on Lucas.

The two boats were now travelling side by side. Frank had put the larger boat on auto-pilot and was now able to come back and help Riley a little more. He grabbed one of the oars from their boat and was attempting to strike at the smaller craft's outboard motor to damage it and stop the boat's progress altogether. Once they had snatched the kid back again, they could make a fast get away and leave the others drifting on the water.

Ford did his best to thwart Frank's attempts to sabotage their boat with the oar, while the Captain and Tony saw to stopping Riley from taking Lucas.

Lucas had sat up a little now, even though his body was strongly protesting about it. The dizziness was bad, and the headache worse, but his only thoughts were of making his attacker let go of his foot.

"Get away from him," Tony shouted to the man, leaping across the short distance and ready to fight for his younger, more vulnerable friend.

It was right about then that Riley struck out with a closed, clenched fist, meant for Tony. None of them expected what happened next which was for the punch to miss Tony entirely, and catch a totally unsuspecting Lucas on the jaw as he was lifting his shoulders upwards. The blow stunned him, and he instantly fell back against the long seat of the boat, losing his tenuous grip on consciousness.

Whilst Bridger had cried out in outrage at seeing the man punch Lucas without warning, Tony on the other hand, made the point of a more direct approach.

"Why you good for nothing……….," was only the first part of the sentence that he got out before he swung one of his own fists at Riley.

The punch from Tony was good and hard, causing Riley to loose his own balance and fall backwards into their boat on the deck. "That's for Lucas," he shouted with a proud smirk on his face.

It was about now that Commander Ford put the little motor into full throttle in a final attempt to gain some distance between them. As they looked back, it became clear that the two kidnappers had lost interest in catching them now, as they both stood on the deck of their boat, watching the SeaQuest crew scoot across the water. Riley was rubbing absent-mindedly at his chin with a hand, where Tony's punch had connected.

When Bridger finally declared it safe enough to slow down, Tony and he were still at Lucas's side, trying to see how much damage had been inflicted by the wayward blow. A discolouring bruise was already beginning to form and stood out in contrast due to the already pale skin.

"Going to have a good bruise, but I don't think there is any permanent damage," Bridger commented, knowing that he was no medical doctor and that Kristen would be horrified about what had caused the small swelling and bruise in the first place.

Lucas was just beginning to regain consciousness again and reached out blindly with his hand, looking for the source of the pain, not wanting to open his eyes into the light as he knew this would only make it worse.

"Should we give him anything for the pain?" Tony asked, knowing that Lucas's leg must have been aching badly by now without the medication that Kristen had prescribed since his forced kidnapping. With the added discomfort of the punch, he knew that the kid needed all the help and relief he could get.

"No, I don't think so, not just now. We only have a short distance back to the SeaQuest now, and I don't want to tamper with his system until Kristin has taken a good look at him and the drugs that they have already injected into him. He is only partially awake at the moment, and not really aware of everything that is going on. Tomorrow might be a different story when he wakes up," Bridger answered.

"How about the milk in this thermos that Kristen gave us then? I don't know when he ate or drank last, or even if they gave him anything at all since the party," Tony asked, wanting to offer a little help. His own hand stung from the punch he had delivered and the knuckles were slightly red. His own leg was throbbing badly and would be discoloured nicely to match the bruise on Lucas's face no doubt.

"Okay, but only a little, until Kristin checks him over properly," Bridger agreed. "I don't think he will want much anyway," he added, looking down at the teenager, who still seemed asleep for the most part.

Tony gave the thermos to Bridger, afraid that he might not be able to pour it slowly enough. Bridger woke Lucas as best he could to tell the teenager what they were doing, but with merely a few grunts of pain to indicate that he was alert enough, he signalled for Tony to lift the boy's head a little to take the liquid sustenance.

While this was happening, Ford had taken over the steering of the boat again and had also taken on the job of attempting to contact the SeaQuest whilst the Captain and Piccolo attended to the injured Lucas.

"Yes, we found him," Ford was able to say through a crackled transmission to the SeaQuest. A harsh sounding whoop of joy could be heard from the other end at the news that Lucas was safe.

"Doctor Westphalen will need to be on standby as soon as we come in," Ford now said, wanting for Kristen to be ready when they arrived to take care of the patient. She was surprised to learn that she might well have two patients instead of one when Ford explained about Tony having a possible leg injury that would need attention.

Piccolo had wanted to object to needing any medical treatment, but the radio transmission was ended before he could voice his protest. He knew that Kristen would be waiting, but also knew that he and Lucas would be in good hands.

"I am not going to let anything else happen to you after this, Lucas," Bridger whispered as he lay the boy's head in his lap for the last part of the journey and gently stroked the blond locks as Lucas slept.

---

and now the story continues a little more …………….

Ten minutes after arriving back at the SeaQuest, Commander Ford and the rest of the rescue group were quickly taken aboard, to find a very anxious and waiting Doctor Kristen Westphalen.

Lucas was the first concern of course, not having awoken since the later part of the boat journey. Tony and Bridger had assumed this was mostly due to the residual effects of the drug concoction in his system and the rough treatment he had received in the hands of Riley and his side kick.

Jonathan Ford had helped Tony Piccolo to Med-Bay, not wanting to admit his injury, but becoming a little worried about the amount of stiffness that he was experiencing. He had begrudgingly agreed to see the doctor, but only after Lucas had been tended to first. This also gave him the opportunity of being able to check on the condition of his young friend from Kristin herself.

"It don't really hurt that bad, Commander" Tony said through clenched teeth, trying to hide his pain from Ford.

"Sure it isn't," Commander Ford replied, not buying anything the unorthodox seaman had to say.

"Coming from the same man when he first came on this vessel, told me that he wouldn't be here more than a week, because you had a confirmed appointment with the President."

"I did too, dirty rotten fink that he is, reneged on our deal," Tony tried to answer seriously, but grinned when he saw the Commander doing the same. Ford shook his head as they continued down the corridor towards Med-Bay. Somethings around here didn't change, and he hoped they never did.

Tony took position on a medical bed next to the one that Bridger had set Lucas down on. Westfalen and he both now hovered around it, Kristin very clinical in her approach at first as she set to tending to Lucas's various injuries.

Clearly written on her face though was a mixture of concern about the young man laying before her and a sense of relief that he had been rescued from his kidnappers.

Bridger ended up sitting in an aluminium chair beside Lucas's bed, forcing himself to get out of Kristin's way and allow her time before being able to make her diagnosis.

"I want to take a look at this foot first," Kristin said, explaining her methods as she worked. Lucas had not shown any signs of regaining consciousness yet, but that was to be expected given the concoction of drugs that had been forced upon him. Not to mention the rough treatment he had endured.

The outside of the special cast was filthy. A combination of that rough treatment and when he had laid on the cave floor. Kristin was concerned that the small bone break might have been turned into something substantially more serious.

Kristin carefully began undoing the cast. It was the only way to assess if any further injury had been sustained to the bones. "I might need your assistance here for a moment," she said in Bridger's direction. She didn't have to ask twice.

"Just put your hands here," she directed, "I want you to hold his leg firm and as still as you can until I can see if the bones have been disturbed. I will have to remove this cast and replace it with a new one."

Bridger did as he was told, placing one hand firmly above the cast and one as gently as he could near the bottom. Just as he put his second hand on the cast, a groan was heard from the teenager.

Lucas murmured in pain and turned his head as though an attempt to escape the source.

"He moved," Tony blurted out, speaking the blatant obvious, almost losing his own balance off the edge of the bed.

"You stay exactly where you are Mr Piccolo," Kristin issued in a stern voice.

"Don't put any more pressure on that leg than is absolutely necessary." But she could see from the exertion on Tony's face that even that small sudden jerk had inflamed the damage to own leg.

Kristin bent over Lucas's face, his eyes still closed, and seemingly asleep. She used the palm of her hand to feel the gentle breaths he was exhaling. "Lucas, can you hear me honey?" She waited before repeating the question.

Kristin gently brushed the hair out of his eyes hoping to invoke a response from the unconscious teenager. "Lucas?" No response again so she went back to assessing the damage to his foot.

"His breathing is a little shallow, but nothing to be over worried about," Kristin informed the small group of onlookers, as she turned her attention to the cast.

"I can't risk giving any more pain medication at present due to the mixture he has already had his captors. Hold him once more please, Nathan, but be prepared as this may hurt him," Kristin warned.

"Commander Ford, please hand me that pair of cutters on that table there," Kristin requested. "The only way to take this off without causing too much pain is by cutting it off altogether."

"Hold him steady, Nathan," Kristin repeated to Bridger.

Kristin used the sharp metal blades to cut through the flexible material that made up the cast. It was a little stiff in places from where it had come into contact with moisture. She was almost down the length of the cast when Lucas began to stir again.

At first his awakening was no more than moans from the pain and turning his head from side to side as he tried to fight the dizziness that assailed him. But the semi-consciousness state caused him to be confused and disoriented.

Lucas began to feel more of the pain beginning to flare in his leg and Kristin's actions, although gentle as she could, made the teenager more alert. His system was running on adrenaline and had yet to feel to full impact of exhaustion.

"It's alright, Lucas, Kristin is trying to fix your foot. You are safe now, but you just need to keep still for a few more minutes," Bridger said, trying to reassure the teenager that the worst was now over.

Part of Lucas's brain registered what was being said to him, the other parts were winding down as a result of the deeper sense of exhaustion that was beginning to set in.

He was telling himself he should open his eyes and talk to the voice that he could hear, but the effort to raise his eyelids was more than he could muster at the moment.

"Too tired…….."

These were the only two words that Lucas managed to mumble before succumbing to the tiredness that wouldn't let go. He felt himself drifting away from conscious thoughts and couldn't remember what it was now that he wanted to do.

"You just rest, and let us take care of everything," Bridger whispered, running his hand through the untidy blond locks on Lucas's forehead. Feeling for the first time since this whole saga began, that the teenager was at last back with them and safe.

"He really sounds tired," Tony commented, hearing the drawl in his friend's voice and seeing the level of exhaustion etched on his young face.

"He should be just fine, Tony," Kristin replied, knowing how close the two friends were.

There wasn't too many times that Piccolo showed a more sensitive side to his personality. He always liked to put on a mask so to speak and not let anybody see the real Tony. Much like a certain blond teenager too. Too afraid to let anybody else in. The friendship between them made perfect sense.

"Commander Ford, could you please ask two crew members to get a bed ready for Lucas in Bridger's quarters. By then I should be finished examining his leg and be able to give a better assessment," Kristin suggested.

"Your going to let him stay out of Med-Bay tonight?" Tony queried, thinking it odd rather than a bad thing. Kristen was known for being strict with adhering to medical advice, but Lucas was about the only one he knew of that got special treatment. Except maybe the Captain himself.

"Ordinarily, I would not agree," Kristin responded, see Tony trying to turn her rules back against her. "But Lucas was forcibly taken away from those people who care and love him. He might be very anxious in the weeks to come. He might be flighty around people he doesn't know or unfamiliar surroundings."

"Yeah, you can say that again, that cave wasn't exactly the warmest or cheerful of places," Tony interrupted briefly.

"I think it would be better if he was near the people that he is most comfortable with, like the Captain, you and myself. He probably doesn't want to be bombarded all at once about what happened for him, and for a time, he may want to forget or deny it happened at all," Kristen continued.

"But it has to be better for him to talk about it doesn't it?" Tony offered in logic.

"Yes, but at a pace that he is comfortable with, Tony. Lucas is someone who hides his emotions and feelings at the best of times, even from us. We can predict how he may react to something like being kidnapped, but have to be prepared to exactly the opposite if it happens."

"I hear what you are saying, Doc. I will make sure that the rest of the boat gives him some space for a couple of days. They are probably going to want to know how he is."

"I suspect they will too, but I would appreciate your help in limiting the number of visitors for a few days, until Lucas begins to recover a little more. The first few days will see him resting as much as possible and probably longer than that, allowing his foot to heal more again," Bridger asked, seeing

Kristin nod her head in agreement of such a suggestion.

"Make sure the bed is padded a lot with extra blankets on the bottom," Kristin instructed Ford. "I want to put some pillows under his knee to support the leg as well. I will monitor his temperature for a few hours, but it doesn't greatly concern me at present."

"It shall be done," Ford said formerly. "I will check back on how you are doing later," he said to Tony before leaving to find two volunteers.

Tony and Bridger were forced to wait another ten minutes whilst Kristin removed the remainder of the flexible cast and gently assessed the damage.

An x-ray was the best course of action, and thankfully with Lucas asleep, he offered little resistence. He had murmured incoherently when she had handled his injured foot, but his slumber too deep for him to feel any great pain. No doubt the story would be different once the teenager was conscious and more alert.

"Fortunately for Lucas, the bones appear to be still aligned. No displacement that I can see immediately. That is what I feared the most when I saw the state of the outside of the cast," Kristin explained as she worked.

"There is a little swelling around the top of the foot though, and the redness of the surrouding skin suggests some inflammation."

"I am going to rewrap his foot and then place a fresh flexible cast on his lower leg. That will help support it as it did before, and hopefully without too much activity or jarring over the next few days, the bones should continue to mend without too much interference," Kristin stated.

"So glad you are going to be okay, Kiddo," Bridger said to Lucas as he watched him sleep. "We gave him some milk from a thermos on the boat," he remembered.

"That wouldn't have done him any harm. It might have proven a benefit in coating his stomach against the concoction of drugs he received. The milk should absorb some of the drugs, and allow any side effects to be decreased."

Twenty minutes later, mostly watched in silence by Bridger and Piccolo as Kristin worked on Lucas's leg and put a fresh cast in place.

"Hand me that blanket from underneath there, Nathan," Kristin said, pointing to a trolley nearby. "And two of those pillows."

Bridger watched as the two pillows were carefully placed underneath Lucas's knee, raising the foot to an acceptable level that allowed support and decreased any stress on the bones or muscles.

Kristen placed another two fresh pillows underneath Lucas's head, and then covered him with two warm blue blankets. He had been cold in the cave, causing a slight low grade fever, but she didn't want to risk him developing a chill.

The doctor had tried up until now to ignore the bruise that was beginning to darken on the teenager's face. The leg had been the most serious injury, but now that it was taken care of and treated, Kristin went to the extra lengths to check out any other bumps Lucas may have suffered at the hands of his kidnappers.

"How did he get this?" Kristin asked, already suspecting some sort of physical blow from the position on his face.

"Some of those guys went to hit me," Piccolo admitted. "Somehow he missed and hit Luke there. Knocked him clean over in the boat."

Kristin clenched her unseen hand onto a sheet, controlling the anger she felt that someone would strike Lucas. Keeping her doctor persona though, she turned her attention to its after effects rather than the cause.

"Seems to be mostly superficial. Only fresh though, so may be worse in the morning. I suspect it is tender to the touch," Kristen remarked, giving her opinion orally.

"Lets him some rest for now, I can access his pain level through the day if he wakes. Hopefully, with crossed fingers, he should sleep soundly though most of the afternoon," Kristin instructed.

---

"Now," she said firmly, turning attention to two new suspected patients. "Which one of you wants to go first!"

Tony and Bridger both looked at each other and then Kristin, hoping that both of them would be able to slip under her radar whilst she was more concerned about taking care of Lucas.

"Him first," Tony said, pointing to the Captain. Kristin took the opportunity that presented itself and grabbed at his out stretched hand.

"Now lay down on your stomach for me Mr Piccolo," Kristin said, hoping the sterner tone of voice would get him to comply.

Piccolo reluctantly did so, but could only glare back at Bridger who was smirking to himself from behind Kristen's back at the seaman.

"It doesn't really hurt that much now, Doc," Piccolo tried to say in his own defence. It was Luke here that needed the care, not me."

"Doesn't hurti huh?" Kristin asked impartially as she gently began to touch the bruised skin on the back of his lower calf.

"Yipe!"

"I'll take that as a yes," Kristin said, never understanding why men tried to behind a tough outer mask. Most of them never admitted to injury unless it was forced upon them.

Tony was surprised himself just how much it hurt. He had momentarily forgotten about it while they watched over Lucas, but now the residual soreness was apparent.

Though clenched teeth, Tony let the doctor continue her examination, though he found to difficult to hold back from calling out when she had accidentally pressed on a particularly tight spot. The muscles felt as though they were knotted together, and there was a slight stiffness that he described to Kristen.

"Well, I think you will live, Tony," Kristin said with a sly smile, but with genuine regard for his wellbeing. "It may be tender for a week or so, and like Lucas, I suggest you stay off that leg for a few days. I will give you some inflammatory medicine that will help ease most of the pain."

"Its alright, doc, I am tough enough to put up with the pain," Tony said, turning himself over and preparing to get off the examination table. "I come from a long line of……………" was all he managed to get out as he allowed his feet to touch the floor.

"Yipes" he cried out once more, holding onto the bed until the sharp burst of pain began to subside. He raised the foot a little to ease his body weight off that foot.

"You were saying?" Bridger said with a laugh.

"I was saying, I better take a bit of that medicine, Doc," Tony admitted sheepishly. "But what about you too?" he now added, making sure that he wasn't the only one that the doctor had to look over skeptically.

"Nathan?" Kristin turned and asked at Tony's words. She knew only too well that when it came to admitting pain, Bridger was worse than Tony or Lucas.

"It's nothing really," Bridger said as he began to back pedal a few steps, rotating his injured shoulder as he did so to check that there had been no miraculous recovery. Much to his dismay there had not been and his face turned into a grimace at the protesting muscles.

"Now, where have I heard that before," Kristin said, gently scolding him. "No wonder Lucas doesn't come to me when he needs to, just look at you two."

"Don't look so smug, Piccolo," Bridger said in mock sternness. "Things have a way of coming around you know."

"Sitting up here please, Captain!" Kristin said, emphasing his title, but padding her hand on the bed where she wanted him to sit. "Shirt please."

Bridger knew he wasn't going to get out of this one, and did as he was told, removing his shirt. Unfortunately for him, it resulted in a few more grimaces at the protesting muscles that Kristin clearly heard.

Upon observation though, the doctor could clearly see the reason for his discomfort. A large egg sized bruise had formed in the centre of his left shoulder blade, indicating where the rock had hit him as they carried Lucas to the boat.

A thin pinkish welt gave evidence of where a sharper edge of the rock had connected with the bone of his shoulder blade but had not had enough force to break the skin.

"All of this just for the sake of a computer chip," Kristin muttered tersely, as she gently dabbed at the bruise with some antiseptic. "The lengths some people will go just for money," she added.

"That is what we will need to discuss with Lucas when he is well enough," Bridger said on a more serious note. "I don't want to crush his desire for this project, and I doubt any of you do either, but we have to look at what has happened over the past few days and the risk his life has been put into just because of it."

"That's the most sensible statement I have heard all night," Kristin agreed with Bridger, but she knew how much the teenager had poured into his chip.

Lucas had taken great pride in the fact that these companies were fighting over each other and willing to hand over fists full of dollars just for such revoluntary technology.

"Perhaps we can reason with him about slowly down and pulling back a little for a while, until all this has passed. Lord knows, he is going to feel the effects of his captivity over the coming week to remind him of the danger he has faced," Kristin suggested.

"That should heal in a few days, Nathan," Kristin said, finishing her examination and allowing him to put his shirt back on. There wasn't much she could recommend for the bruising except ice packs that she would also suggest to Tony for his injured leg.

"Thanks," Bridger replied, getting of the bed and looking in Lucas's direction. "Guess we had better move him."

"Yes, but not you two," Kristen stated. "Your leg is too sore Tony, and Nathan, you will do more damage to your shoulder. I will call Commander Ford and someone else. You two can supervise and help me get him settled into bed once we get to your quarters.

"She's the boss," Nathan said to Tony, submitting to her plan.

---

Commander Ford was summoned and came to inform that all was prepared. He was only too happy to help move the injured teenager as Kristin explained the minor injuries that Piccolo and the Captain had sustained.

A few minutes, and Lucas was being laid in the ready made bed in Bridger's quarters. Commander Ford took his leave, telling Bridger that the SeaQuest was secure and he would have control for the rest of the day to allow the Captain to rest and watch over Lucas without being disturbed.

Tony left at the same time, Kristin insisting that Ford give him some assistance in getting to his own cabin, much to the protest of Tony. Piccolo bid the sleeping Lucas to rest easy and promised that he would be visiting first thing when he awoke.

"You don't know what thoughts ran through my head when I first saw him laying on the floor of that cave," Nathan stated, his voice very soft and low in tone.

Kristin paused fluffing the pillow she had just picked up and listened to Bridger's brief admission. She did not want to interrupt it as the chance rarely came along with this man who chose to hide his true feelings and emotions most of the time.

Except when it came to Lucas. And oh boy, how much that teenager followed after Nathan in that respect. She could throttle the both of them at times, but then inwardly recognized for a moment, that it was this very reason that the bond between them was so strong.

That neither of them demanded anything from each other, but depended on each other so strongly, even if there was not always a physical contact that could be seen.

"I can't believe grown men would stoop to such underhanded tactics just to gain the upper hand on a boy Lucas's age," Kristin stated firmly, punching the soft folds of the pillow a little more to get rid of her anger. She soon realised what she was doing and placed the pillow on Lucas's bed, monitoring his sleep.

Between themselves, Kristin and Bridger shared the responsibility of keeping a close eye on their patient. Thankfully, Lucas's sleep appeared to be deep enough for him not to dream and toss or turn about in the bed. Kristin wanted his foot to continue the healing process.

---

By 6 am the next morning, the majority of the SeaQuest crew was asleep and the corridors of the large vessel remained quiet. Commander Ford was on duty on the Bridge, but there was only a small skeleton crew maintained for those tasks that could not be ignored.

In Bridger's quarters, one of the figures began to stir, slowly at first. The fog swirling around him threatened to take him again before he had a chance to wake properly. He lay still for a moment, trying to gain his bearings, searching for a coherent thought.

It was only then that Lucas sat bolt up right in bed, gasping for breath as the memory of the cave and his captors hit him full force.

---

In a tall building in the city, a single office was lit up and voices could be heard coming from inside:

"You two let him get away!"

Frank and Riley cringed at the anger that was directed at them.

"Technically we didn't let him get away, Boss no good Seaquest people found him," Riley offered in his own defence.

"Technically, you are an idiot," the man shouted back, and began pacing back and forth trying to formulate a new plan and somehow salvage what was left of his previous intentions.

"You of course realise how difficult it is going to be to get anywhere near him now? You bumbling boobs don't realise how much I want what that kid has. And what I am willing to do to get it. The kid has shown that he does not want to co-operate willingly, so we will have to persuade him, the hard way."

"What have you got in mind?" Frank asked, trying to find a way of getting out.

"As usual, if you can't get something done right, then it is time to do it yourself. Which I intend to do.

"I still have one ace up my sleeve."

---

Lucas held his breath for a moment, before slowly letting it out. The cabin was only dimly lit, and the teenager had to wait for his eyes to adjust. As he looked about the room he saw a figure sprawled on the couch on the other side of the room.

Lucas recognized that it was Bridger, but thankfully the captain's sleep had not been disturbed.

It took a few moments for the teenager to remember what had pulled him from his slumber. He vaguely remembered being rescued, and he recalled there being a boat, but everything else was still too jumbled.

His body was beginning to hurt, especially his injured leg. The blankets that covered him concealed the new cast that had been applied, but he could feel the additional weight and a new stiffness.

Lucas groaned, and attempted to lay back down on the bed. A shuffling of feet had and a pair of hands on his shoulders, but his eyelids were beginning to droop and a powerful wave of exhaustion began to wash over him.

For a moment he thought he could hear a voice calling his name, but it sounded too far away and he fell too tired too answer back.

Bridger sighed as he watched the teenager fall back into repose. He had heard Lucas gasp out in pain, but the young man was still appeared to be in a state of confusion.

He was relieved to see Lucas struggle to consciousness, but was worried about what effect the kidnapping would have and how much the teenager remembered about what happened.

The captain was helping to make you more comfortable and adjusting the bedclothes over his charge when there was a small knock at the door and Kristin came in.

"Has he been restless?"she asked, falling into doctor mode. She checked is breathing and the cast, teenager's leg.

"He was trying to sit up, and sounded like he was hurting. By the time I walked across the room, he was drifting back to sleep," Bridger replied.

Kristin carefully lifted back the blanket to examine the cast on Lucas' leg, without waking him. "He looks comfortable enough. We will have to keep an eye on him until the drugs in his system wear off."

"You should try and get some more sleep yourself," Kristin admonished playfully. "You look as though you need it."

"I can't help but think what could have happened to him out there. What did happened to him out there. A lot of things could have gone wrong or worse than they did," Bridger commented, his hands digging into the back of a chair showing how he was feeling inside."

"I know you blame yourself, but we have to think of Lucas right now and be there for him when he needs us," Kristin said, placing a sympathetic hand on his back. "You cannot focus on the things that you had no control over."

"Thanks," Bridger smiled. "Always knowing the words to say and always there for us."

"For you and Lucas, absolutely!"

"You get some rest, and I will watch over our patient for a while" Kristin offered.

"I will take you up on that offer, but I really should make my way to the bridge and relieve Jonathan. With only a skeleton staff, it hasn't been a easy on him lately."

"But first, I am going to grab a hot cup of coffee," Bridger informed the doctor. 'I really could go for some extra sleep later on,' he muttered to himself.

---

As he made his way through the quiet corridors towards the bridge, Nathan was reminded how stiff his own muscles were. The shoulder blade where the stray rock struck, was aching something fierce.

He tried to push it from his mind as more important matters needed his attention. As the two large doors leading to the bridge opened, and the alarm signalled his arrival, Commander Jonathan Ford looked grateful for the reprieve.

"How are things going, Commander?" the Captain heard himself ask out of routine.

Now that he looked about the room, Nathan acknowledged that presence of Miguel Ortiz, and Communications Officer, Tim O'Neill.

"Cannot seem to be able to keep these two away from a place," Ford said in mock sternness. Truth was they had offered to take the helm and let the Commander get some sleep after returning from rescuing Lucas. Up until a few minutes ago, the two of them had been trying to badger him to finish his shift.

"How is Lucas doing?" Ford now enquired, knowing that the rest of the crew were just as keen to know have a teenager was. The commander recalled the weakened condition they had found the young friend in.

"As well as can be expected for now," Bridger answered generally. "He needs a lot of rest to heal and as much reassurance as we can all give him. It is not going to be easy for him."

"No, I don't suppose it will be," Ford replied. He knew that Lucas tried to put on a tough act most of the time in front of the crew. This was a self defence mechanism to the teenager had learnt to attain and keep his independence. They all had to hope that it helped the young man to cope this time around.

"Has anyone checked on Tony since he was taken to his quarters?" the Captain asked those in the room.

"I took the liberty of checking on him about an hour ago before I came to the Bridge, Captain," O'Neill responded. "He looked to sleeping peacefully enough."

"Thank you," Nathan said appreciatively, knowing that the mild mannered man would have done so for any of the SeaQuest crew.

Bridger, could now see from the pleading looks of his crew that they were hoping a more authorotive voice might work to get Jonathan to take some rest himself.

Normally, Jim Brody would have been able to actively take over command at short notice, but he had been unavoidably called away, at a time when his skills and expertise would have been gladly welcomed.

"Thank you, Commander, I will take control of the SeaQuest now," Nathan said in a tone of voice that didn't leave in room for compromise.

Jonathan gave a small smile in appreciation to O'Neill and Ortiz as he left.

Bridger took up his usual place at the Captain's station and began monitoring their progress over the past few hours. There was nothing urgent to be done, that had been completed when they brought Lucas back aboard, but he needed to keep his mind alert and stop himself from falling asleep.

That four hours later, Bridger's thoughts were interrupted by Tim O'Neill trying to get his attention.

"Sir, I have a call coming in. Normally I wouldn't want to bother you with it, except it is from a Mr Collins, asking to talk to Lucas," Tim explained.

"Thank you, transfer it over to here, Lieutenant. Lucas is still asleep and I have no intention of waking him until he is ready."

"Aye, Captain," Tim remarked and did as he was asked.

Bridger proceeded to address the person wanting to talk to Lucas. It wasn't until the man identified himself that he recognized the voice coming from the man who had met with Lucas a few days ago over the microchip.

Although polite, the man was clearly anxious and nervous while talking on the phone, that his company had been overlooked. Bridger certainly didn't want to tell the man about Lucas' kidnapping or the injuries he had sustained as a result.

"I am afraid that Lucas is under a doctor's orders to rest as much as possible for the next few days and is unable to come to the phone at the moment. When he is feeling better, I will get him to call you," Bridger said, not completely telling a lie.

He rolled his eyes and pinched the top of his nose in frustration as Collins wanted to ask a dozen questions about the teenager's condition. Nathan informed him that Lucas was still having trouble with his leg. Collins seemed happy enough with this explanation, having remembered the young man having to use crutches at the meeting.

Bridger terminated the transmission, pleased that Collins was prepared to wait for the teenager to recover and then make a decision.

Now that the Bridge was fairly quiet, Nathan thought that he may be able to slip away and see how Kristin was doing and if Lucas was awake yet.

He passed control of the Bridge over to a very capable and aspiring Ortiz, who readily accepted the responsibility with pride.

---

Excusing himself, Bridger headed towards the galley before going to his quarters. He made a fresh pot of coffee, and a tray with 2 cups and a jug of milk. He was almost ready to leave, deciding at the last moment to add a glass of juice in case his young charge was awake.

Being as quiet as he could, the Captain entered his own quarters, greeted by a smile from Kristen who had been reading quietly on a chair seated next to Lucas.

Setting down the tray on a nearby coffee time, Kristin set aside her book and joined him. She could see Nathan's attention immediately go to the young man laying in the bed.

"He hasn't moved since you left, but I expected as much. His body is taking the necessary time for to heal," Kristin reassured him.

Bridger had poured two cups of coffee, handing one to the doctor, but leaving his and walking over to Lucas' bed. He had not intended to disturb the young man's rest, but unconsciously found his hand running through the uncontrollable blonde locks.

To his surprise the young man turned his head towards the touch, and let out an audible breath. "I think he's beginning to stir," he announced to Kristin. Despite the doctor's words about needing rest, Nathan was relieved to see Lucas beginning to wake and gently encouraged him.

"Can you hear me, Lucas?" continuing his soothing motions, noting that the teenager's eyelids were beginning to flicker.

Kristin stood nearby watching for any signs of distress, or pain that might be visible. "Take his hand and see if he responds a little more."

Bridger did as the doctor suggested and was rewarded by Lucas turning his head on the pillow once more.

The teenager frowned a little and slowly opened his eyes, only to squeeze and close them again and winced at the pain in his head. He opened his eyes again to see two worried faces looking at him.

To the captain and the doctor observing, the confusion was very evident but at the same time, the recognition that showed in Lucas' blue eyes allowed and to relax a little.

" Captain?" Lucas managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper.

Kristin handed Bridger a small cup of plain water, which was held for the young man to drink from. As the cool water trickled down his throat, the teenager began to show signs of his strength returning a little.

After laying on his back for a number of hours, Lucas attempted to sit up, but did so too quickly, the dizziness assailing him.

"Hey, take it easy for a minute," Bridger said. "You have had a pretty rough time of it lately. We only just finished putting you back together," he added with a grin. Lucas gave no indication that he had heard the comment, but gave a grunt of pain as his leg moved.

Fortunately the dizziness soon abated and Lucas became much more alert, pulling himself up and leaning back against the pillows.

"How are you feeling?" the doctor asked, knowing it was the first question to be asked a feeling a little foolish as soon as the words were spoken.

Lucas displayed none of his usual vagueness or attempts at masking his pain, that they had come to know from past experience. The boy's eyes still showed signs of fatigue and were bloodshot. His posture and lack of enthusiasm demonstrated that he had yet to fully recall his ordeal.

"My foot is hurting and I have a dull headache," he answered truthfully in a dull tone.

Kristin stood on the opposite side of the bed, "I am afraid I cannot give you anything at the moment because of the toxicity of your blood." She realized after speaking, that Lucas was not in any frame of mind to absorb such technical talk."

"I will give you something as soon as I can," she now rephrased, giving him as much reassurance as she could.

Now it was Lucas' turn to ask a question, "How long have I been asleep?"

"A few hours," Bridger informed him.

" I still feel so heavy," Lucas admitted, is words directed at nobody in particular.

" I can't describe it, just that I feel weird."

"Are you hungry?" Kristin asked, trying to avoid explaining why he felt this way.

Nathan offered to go and get food for all three of them. The teenager had left the question unanswered, but they needed to get him eating regular meals again if he was to recover fully.

Small meals to begin with, consisting of soft foods to account for the days in captivity where he received little nourishment or water.

"I will be right back," Bridger told them, leaving the room.

Kristin took the glass of juice from the coffee table and offered it Lucas, the teenager accepting it with thanks. He took a mouthful before setting aside. The doctor did not want to pressure him into conversation if he did not wish to, but was hoping he would open up a little more to her.

Just when Kristin thought the silence between them was growing, Lucas spoke, "Is everyone back safe?" he asked

"Yes, you all made it back safe and sound," she replied, wondering what are the questions he had yet to ask and whether she would have the answer he sought. "I am going to take a look at your leg and make sure the cast is in place."

The doctor pulled back the blankets and began examining the limb, ensuring that she could see the boy's face during the procedure. Although he did not talk, he seemed interested in what she was doing.

"I had to replace the old one," she informed him, noticing his questioning look at the new flexible cast that adorned his leg. "The old one was a little battered and dirty when they brought you in."

Lucas swallowed a lump in his throat, as the remembering some of the details of why the old cast was battered and dirty. He looked away and let her continue her inspection with a feigned expression of disinterest.

Kristin pulled the blankets back up to his chest and continued to fuss over them for a few more seconds until Bridger came back through the door, balancing trays in his hands.

Lucas was caught in the middle of a tide of mixed emotions. Part of him was certainly grateful to be back aboard the SeaQuest and in the company of people who cared for him. The other part of him had a strong streak of independence, baulking at the attention.

For now, he could see the tiredness that he felt in Bridger and Kristin, and knew that they must have been worried about him since the kidnapping. Knowing both of them, they would have not left any stone unturned and would have put a lot of effort into finding him.

The teenager had seen the results of some of that effort, when Tony and Commander Ford turned up with Bridger at the cave and managed to rescue him in the boat. He still had no idea how he knew that he was there.

"I should wash my face and take care of some personal needs," Lucas replied, pulling back the covers Kristen had been so carefully placing over him. "I don't know how this is going to go," he admitted.

"Just take it steady," Kristin warned. "The cast should support your weight as before, but your body might not so co-operative," she predicted.

Lucas gingerly pulled himself into a standing position, but found himself a little uneasy with balance. He grasped out at reached Kristin's supportive shoulder.

"Thanks," he said sheepishly, adding a little smile.

"You are welcome," she responded, seeing that her assumptions were not far off.

The young man was surprised how good the cast felt, somehow thinking that the battering his leg had taken and expecting some more pain than he was currently experiencing. He took the first few steps on his own, but knowing that the doctor wasn't too far away is his step should falter.

Kristin too, did her best to cater to his sense of independence, but offered any help if he asked for it. Part of the mothering instinct in her kicked in and she had a tirade of words to lecture him about moving to quickly and that he shouldn't be out of bed, but they were never uttered out loud.

Lucas made it to the bathroom, but could feel that his body was a little more tired that it should be after such a short excursion across the room. Thankfully Kristin left him mostly to his own devices and did not want to intrude on his personal space.

"You did well," the doctor commented at the food Nathan had brought, but she already suspected he knew what would be best. Picking up a cup she began to pour some piping hot coffee into it for herself.

"He is doing okay," she mentioned, watching Nathan's gaze drift towards the bathroom and the sound of running water.

"Has he said anything to you yet?" he asked, not able to help but ask the question.

"No, but I didn't really expect him to."

The quiet conversation ended before it really got underway by the door to the bathroom opening and Lucas emerging with damp hair.

"Feel better?" the Captain asked casually.

"You bet," the teenager responded, but none of the usual animation to his voice that they were used to hearing.

Lucas went back to sit on the bed, only to have Bridger approach and hand him the plate of eggs and place the glass of juice nearby.

"Eat up, pal."

"Thanks, they smell good," Lucas replied, accepting the plate. Given the chance, he would have declined any food, but he didn't have the heart to refuse when his health and wellbeing meant a lot to the both of them.

Leaving him to his breakfast, Bridger and Kristin dined together only a short distance away, trying not to encroach on the boy too much.

Lucas used the cutlery on the plate and moved it around enough for them to believe that he was making an attempt to eat. Without realizing it, he began drifting off in to a little world of his own. It looked as though he was in deep thought about something, or trying to remember.

All of a sudden, Tony burst into the room, startling Lucas from his thoughts, causing the plate to fall from his hands and to tumble to the floor along with the cutlery.

"Tony!" came the shocked exclamation from both Kristin and Bridger, but they could see from his face that he was sorry.

"Oh gee, sorry Luke, I didn't mean that," Tony spluttered, moving to help clean up the mess on the floor.

"It is okay," Lucas said quietly, feeling a little embarrassed that he had reacted like that to somebody just coming in the room.

"You all right?" Tony asked, concerned that he had genuinely frightened the teenager and worried about the wrath he might get from the doctor and Captain.

"Yeah, just afraid of my own shadow it seems," Lucas said, not knowing how else to explain it.

Sometimes Kristin could just kick Tony for his uncouth behaviour and abrupt manner. Bridger was thinking along the same line as she, when they heard what Lucas had to say next.

"You know you can come and talk to me anytime," Piccolo offered.

"I know, and thanks. If I need to, I know where to find you," Lucas answered.

"I will come back by later and check how you are doing," Tony said, glad to hear his friend's answer, but noting the looks of daggers he was getting from other in the room.

"You and I will have a little discussion later, on how to knock on a door," Kristin hissed as Tony neared the door."

---

Bridger smirked at the look on Piccolo's face as he realized what he was in for, and opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came out. He gave the seaman a look of empathy.

"I didn't mean to act so jumpy just now," the young man commented. "I mean I don't exactly feel threatened sitting here now, but I guess a small part of me is remembering what happened."

"I think a lot more of you is remembering what happened," Kristin rationalized. "Not just your mind, but your body is tired from the lack of sleep you experienced and no doubt you are hurting in more than a few places. All of this is only natural after being through something like this.

Lucas spoke softly, "I guess you both want to hear the full story too?"

"Only if you want to talk about it, Lucas," Kristin said, walking across the room and sitting gently at the end of the bed.

"You may not want to revisit some areas of your kidnapping just yet," Bridger said standing behind the doctor.

"And it doesn't have to be us that you talk to," Kristin added. "Remember, Tony just offered for you to talk to him if you feel uncomfortable to talk to us."

"Actually, I think it would help for me to talk about it," he responded, almost laughing at the look on Kristin's face. "Yes I know how you physiatrists think."

"Studies have shown it to be more helpful for victims to talk of their ordeal closer to the time of the event," Kristin commented in a clinical tone.

"Only that I don't really remember a whole lot of it," Lucas admitted.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of, Lucas," Bridger assured him. "We can talk for as long as you like. If you get bored or just don't want to talk anymore we can stop."

"Would you like Tony to be here?" Kristin enquired, wondering if the presence of a friend would help him.

Lucas thought about the question for a moment, signaling negatively, but then felt the need to explain himself further about the decision. "It is not because I don't respect him as a friend or confidante. But because I don't really want him to hear about some of the things that happened," his gaze falling to the bed clothes as he spoke.

Bridger and Kristin didn't comment further, but looked at each other with an unspoken question about what might have happened that they had yet to hear about. Both of them suspected neither of them would be comfortable hearing any details of what Lucas experienced.

"If it is alright with you two though, I would like to sleep for a little while first," Lucas interjected. He knew they were waiting to hear what happened after the party that night, but his head was still aching a little, and he didn't think it would help him to keep things straight in his mind. Maybe he was avoiding it a little? Delaying it? Perhaps

"Of course we don't mind," Kristin stated, noting the hesitation.

Lucas laid down and closed his eyes, trying to relax his body and mind enough to sleep, letting out a soft sigh. It was clear to the other people in the room that his inner struggle continued.

For the next couple of hours, Kristin left the room, allowing the teenager as much peace and quiet as he needed. Bridger decided to keep a silent vigil of his own over the teenager, still feeling a little overprotective. Laying himself out on the sofa across the room, it wasn't long before he succumbed to his own tiredness and drifted into a light sleep.

Kristin went to the science labs, and although she tried to immerse herself in work, she found her own mind going back to the night at the barn where she had been dancing casually with Nathan and enjoying the company of a small group.

Awoke a little after lunch. His light sleep taking the best part of four hours. He was surprised to look over and see that Lucas was still asleep as well. Obviously the teenager was still recovering and needed the rest.

Kristin must have been into the room at least once since her departure. There was now a small pillow underneath Bridger's head and a light throw blanket had been laid over him. He didn't even remember her coming in.

Bridger crept over to the sleeping Lucas and made sure that everything appeared to be all right Before leaving the room in search of Commander Ford. The young man's leg was still elevated Slightly and he didn't appear to have tossed or turned too much in his sleep.

The first person Bridger came across in corridors heading towards the helm of the vessel, was Seaman Tony Piccolo. The man was supposed to be resting his leg as much as possible, but was now quite some distance from the quarters he usually shared with Lucas.

Tony had spotted the Captain and saw the curious looks about what he was doing. He was more concerned about the harsh words that might come his way about startling Lucas earlier that day.

"Captain, I am real sorry about not knocking this morning," he said, trying to get the first word in.

"Well, I wished you would have, if not only for Lucas's sake, but by the looks of it, there was no real harm done," Bridger said in mock sternness. "I must say though, for a man who should be resting his own leg, you are taking an awful risk aren't you?"

"I won't say nothing if you won't," Tony tried to bribe. "I mean it feels great anyway and it doesn't really hurt all that much now…………" running out things to say in his defence.

"Hey, I am not going to say anything, but I wouldn't like to be in your shoes if Kristin finds you," Bridger informed him.

"How is Luke? Tony asked quickly, trying to deflect attention from himself. "I meant what I said to him this morning about listening if he wants to talk."

"He is still asleep for now, but before you hear from anywhere else, he spoke to Kristin and I about wanting to discuss what happened. We asked him if he wanted for you to be present, but he said no. I think he is a little worried about how he is going to feel once the story starts coming out," Bridger explained.

"No problems," Tony responded, already assuming that Lucas would want to talk to Bridger and the doctor before anybody else. They were the people best qualified to help him through it.

The Captain saw this chance encounter with no-one else about as the perfect opportunity to talk to Tony about another subject which he wanted to discuss.

"There is something that I wanted to talk to you about however," Bridger began. "Because of what has happened, I want someone who I can rely on to keep close to Lucas when Kristen and I are not able to. Somehow I don't think he is going to want us watching over his shoulder every ten minutes or so………."

"And you were thinking of asking me?" Tony finished.

"You were the most logical choice, and Lucas trusts you over some of the other crew members. I am sure that the others will be watching out for him too, but I wanted to ask someone personally, especially if he wants to leave the boat for any reason."

"Glad to be able to help out, Captain. Don't worry, I won't let Luke know that he is being watched. I can make sure he is safe."

"Just watch that he doesn't suspect. I don't think any of us want to see his reaction if he knew that people were deliberately trying to look out for him."

"You can count on me, Sir," Tony promised and walked off in the other direction as he heard a female voice approaching and wanted to avoid if it was Kristin Westphalen.

After speaking with Tony, Bridger found Commander Ford on the Bridge once more, despite only having a few hours of rest himself. Nathan mentioned to him and all the other people present that Lucas was improving since this morning. He did not elaborate further.

Drawing Jonathan aside for a few quite words, Bridger brought up the subject of Lucas perhaps wanting to having some time along with him and Kristen later in the day to talk about his ordeal.

Ford assured Nathan that all necessary courtesies would be extended to leaving the area around the Captain's quarters as quiet as possible for the remainder of the day. He also promised that he would hand command over to someone else after a reasonable time frame.

Bridger made sure that his plans didn't involve anything else for the next 12 hours except what Lucas wanted to do. Even if he didn't want to talk.

---

Upon returning to his quarters, Nathan was surprised to see Lucas sitting up in bed, Kristen Sitting nearby talking quietly about what she had been doing in the labs that day.

"Hey there, you were still asleep when I left the room," he greeted the teenager, pleased to see him awake and looking a lot better for the rest.

"I didn't know I was so tired," Lucas said with a following.

"You look as if you could use some more," Bridger noted.

"Maybe later, not just now," the teenager replied. "If you have the time, I would like to talk to you and Kristen about what happened."

There was a slight pause, "If you are sure?" Bridger asked gently, wanting to add no pressure at all.

"I have to be honest and say I don't know if it is going to help or not. But once it is out of the way, I can try and focus on something else."

"Where did you want us to talk?" Kristin asked, thinking that the right conditions was just as important as the right people Lucas felt right talking to.

"Here, I guess would be best," Lucas answered, not having given it much thought up until now. The Captain's quarters had always been some sort of sanctuary or haven for him.

"I would like to sit somewhere else from this bed," the teenager slipped into the conversation.

Bridger looked about the room, "The long sofa might be okay over there," he suggested, pointing to a small corner of his quarters. "I can rig up a couple of the pillows underneath your leg," he added, trying to think ahead of what Kristen's practical requirements. He also thought it provided a quieter little corner where they were unlikely to be disturbed.

"Looks all right to me," Lucas voted, and started to pull himself off the bed. Kristin and Bridger gathered up the blankets and pillows and watched as the teenager made slow steps over towards the furniture.

Lucas was a little surprised when Kristin and Bridger decided not to sit right along side of him of him. He didn't mind, but thought it odd due to the over protective natures that they usually displayed. Bridger sat on a single arm chair closest to the teenager and Kristin sat adjacent to him, on a larger, two seater couch.

"I guess this is as good a time as ever to tell you that I don't remember a whole lot," Lucas admitted sheepishly. "Some parts I can see well in my mind, others are only fragments and there are some gaps where I just don't remember what happened to me at all."

"Just go slowly and tell us what you do remember," Kristin encouraged, "Do you remember being at the party that night?" she asked, thinking of the most logical starting point for them all.

"Yeah, I do remember being there. I had too much stuff going on in my head and I was trying to think of everything that had happened that day at the meetings."

"Do you remember seeing anything unusual or out of the ordinary?"

For now, Bridger listened intently to the questions that Kristin asked.

Lucas thought about the question, trying to form a mental picture in his head of what had happened at the party, "Not specifically, but I wasn't really taking any notice. My foot was beginning to ache a lot more and I wasn't feeling the sharpest."

Bridger nodded, recalling that Lucas had admitted that his foot was troubling him that night.

"You both got up to dance, and I was left on my own." The teenager failing to see the guilty looks that Kristen and Bridger exchanged.

"Hey, I do remember something," Lucas said, pleased that his memory hadn't totally failed him. "There was a guy running from the bushes. He tried to…………."

"We all thought he was trying to attack Lonnie," Bridger finished. "After he tried to grab her, we all tried running after him."

"Except me because of my leg. But I did try and follow too. It just took me a lot longer get up, those crutches were so awkward to use."

"We didn't even know at first that you had tried to follow us."

"Well, by the time I got the first tree line, it was so dark that I could barely see where I was going. I didn't know which direction you guys had run in and when I looked back to see where I had come from, the trees all looked the same."

"You got lost," Kristin said, more as a statement than a question.

"Yeah, but I guess at the time, I was more worried about the chewing out I would get from you when someone found me," Lucas said to Kristin, adding a apologetic smile.

"What happened then?" Bridger prompted, knowing that the minutes before finding the abandoned crutches were still a mystery to them all.

Lucas fell silent for a moment, the details still relatively fresh, but knowing it would not be easy for his family to hear.

"That's when I heard someone behind me," the young man said in a much softer voice. "I thought it might have been you or one of the other crew coming back, but it wasn't."

Kristin and Bridger did their best not to interrupt the teenager's train of thought, but know that what happened then had been quite terrifying at the time.

"I heard a noise behind me………. like a stick breaking, but just as I tried to turn around and see what it was, someone grabbed me from behind. I tried to call out for help, but he stuffed a gag in my mouth and placed a hand over it."

Lucas stopped his story, reaching for the glass of water nearby as though remembering how dry his mouth had felt at that exact moment with the gag.

"Oh, it must have been awful for you," Kristin said in alarm, giving the teenager some reassurance that he had every right to feel afraid.

"It must have been right about the time we heard your cry for help," Bridger told him. "That is when we realized that you were not anywhere about. We tried calling out your name, but you must not have heard us." The guilt he had felt that night about leaving Lucas unprotected had already begun to multiply.

"Yeah, well," Lucas continued, his hands drifting to the blankets covering him and beginning to play with the edging to keep his emotions in check. "The next thing I know is that he was dragging me through the bushes and shoving me on the ground behind some trees."

"Must have been quite an effort for him," Bridger said, trying to elevate the boy's self confidence that he had done all he could to free himself.

"Not really, by that time there was two of them," Lucas stated matter-of-factly."

Kristin felt her mouth fall upon at this piece of information, but could not find the words to respond.

Unfortunately, the next few sentences only allowed their suffering of hearing such details to continue. Lucas was doing his best to keep his emotions separate, but his hands involuntarily began rubbing at one shoulder where he had been held down forcibly by his captors.

"I heard you calling out to me," the teenager said softly to Bridger, "but they kept me down on the ground and I could barely breath with the gag and the hand over my mouth."

Unconsciously, Bridger found himself moving from the single armchair to now sitting Beside the teenager and putting a comforting arm around him. One that the Captain noted was willingly accepted by the teenager.

Lucas hadn't crumbled completely, to his credit, but Kristin was mindful of his injuries and kept a close eye on his demeanor whilst they talked.

Finding a little more to his voice, Lucas gathered his thoughts together and kept telling the events that he remembered.

"After a while, not sure how much time went by, they pulled me to my feet, and started to drag me away from the trees. We must have been near some sort of road way, because all of a sudden there was a car, and a third guy."

"Could you describe any of them?"

"No, not really. I heard voices, and I saw them briefly, but apart from that, everything is still hazy."

Lucas paused for a couple of minutes, not saying anything. Kristin asked if he was too tired to continue, but he shook his head negatively, telling her that he was still all right.

"Well I tried to stop them from putting me into the car at first. I struggled as much as I could, but one of the guys was huge. I must have made him a little angry because the next thing I saw was stars………….", leaving the sentenced unfinished, but assuming that their imaginations would be able to fill in the blanks.

"I woke up some time again later, with my hands tied together," the teenager continued, confirming that he must have been knocked unconscious for some period of time in the car.

"They were driving somewhere, but I don't can't recall any of the scenery to tell you where. They stopped the car along a road, but there was no other cars that I could see. I tried to look out the window, but the big guy got angry at me again and shoved me back down onto the floor, and stuck his boots on me."

Bridger tried to get as many details as he could from the vague clues Lucas was giving about his captors. The teenager had referred to one of them being large a couple of times, but it wasn't much to go on. He wanted to do some stomping of his own on these men for what they had done to Lucas.

"Did they drive somewhere else from there?"

"No, we didn't drive in the car again that I know of. One of the guys got out and was cursing loudly at the driver about not being able to get anything right. They shouted at each other for a few minutes."

"The next thing I remember is being dragged from the floor and made to stand up outside the car. My foot was killing me and my leg wouldn't support my weight enough. I wanted to tell them that I didn't think I could walk anywhere, but I don't think it would have made any difference."

Kristin found herself balling her hands into fists, hidden out of side of the teenager, her own anger at such callous and cruel treatment was growing to new heights.

"They pushed me down this hill. My foot………. was hurting…….. badly," not knowing how to describe the pain that he had experienced. His face said it all, his colour paling a little at the memory. "They didn't care………. didn't even give me a second glance."

Lucas leaned his head against Bridger's shoulder, most of his energy spent and the memory of the pain and the helplessness that he had felt, very draining and exhausting for him.

Bridger looked at Kristin, thinking along the same lines as her that the boy had enough for now, and they could continue at another time, when Lucas was feeling more refreshed.

But Lucas spoke first, "I am sorry, but that is most of what I remember," he spoke softly. "The big guy tried to get me to take some pills. Told me they would help with the pain. When I refused, he shoved them down my throat, without any water."

"I must have passed out, because I don't remember much at all after that. Snippets of feeling pain, but nothing else specifically until I woke up here on SeaQuest."

"How did you find me?" the teenager now asked, feeling the worst was now over. Lucas looked at them, expecting them to tell him what had happened afterwards.

Kristin gave a slight nod to signal that she trusted he would find the right words to say. Despite his obvious tiredness, neither of them had the heart not to tell him something.

"You can thank Tony for that later," Bridger said with a genuine smile. "At first we didn't know where you were," he added leaving out the details of the tape that had been received as part of the ransom demand.

"We eventually found a series of caves where they had hidden you, and one of the men must have had some food when they took you, because there was part of a recent newspaper laying on the ground in front of one of the entrances. That's when we started searching that one, and found you."

Bridger realized that he had left out large parts, including the way they had found him bound hand and foot, and the treatment that the captors had left him in on the tape. None of that seemed relevant at the moment, and he didn't see any point in rehashing bad memories unless Lucas persisted down that line of questioning.

Lucas was still leaning back against Bridger's shoulder and appeared to be losing the battle towards sleep. They were unclear if he had even heard the last part of how they had found him.

"Thanks for coming and getting me," came the whispered thanks, though the teenager didn't open his eyes. A few more moments of silence in the room, and he drifted off, much to the relief of the Captain and the doctor.

"Could not have done anything less, kiddo," Bridger whispered back gently, his voice barely audible.

Kristen helped Bridger removed himself from the chair, allowing the teenager's body to lay down properly. He was covered warmly with the blanks and left to his rest.

Walking over towards the doorway, both adults talked quietly to each other, "Do you think it will help him? Bridger asked.

"I think only time will tell. Even though they were difficult for him to recall, I think he was looking for reassurance that he could not have done anything different to change what happened," Kristin surmised.

---

Over the next two days, things began to come back to normal for those aboard SeaQuest. Lucas was recovering nicely and had begun feeling a little cramped under the constant vigilance of the doctor and the Captain, but recognized it for what it was and tried his best see it from their point of view.

His foot wasn't troubling him so much at the moment, and the cast was working well to keep even pressure on the foot while the bones healed. It did ache first thing in the morning or if he spend too long standing up without a break, but he had begun to distinguish the signs and towards the second day, was able to manage some sort of independence without feeling too much pain.

After he had his talk with Bridger and Kristin, he had woken up, feeling a little drained, but better for it. He didn't remember when exactly he had falling asleep, but had been grateful that he had been at least able to come to terms with his abduction.

He had even managed to pull Commander Ford aside briefly and thank him for his roll in the rescue. Of course the Commander had told him that it wasn't necessary to thank him, but was glad he was back with them.

Lucas had spent a couple of hours talking to Tony as well, and felt a little bit of guilt creep in when he learned about the injury to his leg. The bruise was still fairly fresh, and the teenager had gasped out loud at the discolouration that was present. Piccolo had assured him that it didn't hurt now and hadn't at the time, but the bruise was enough not to believe him.

The one question that the teenager had not asked, nor did the others bring up, was about the captors themselves. Lucas had not asked directly if the men responsible had been caught, but perhaps he didn't want to believe that they were still out there, capable of trying again.

Kristin had briefly touched the subject of their appearance and if Lucas might be able to describe them, but so far he had been unable to provide any identifiable features or characteristics.

Despite the best efforts of the crew, Lucas was aware of the watchful eyes as he walked slowly about the corridors. He knew that they all meant well, and had almost laughed out loud in the mess hall when Tim and Miguel had almost fell on top of each other trying to sit at the table with Lucas. Probably making a report to make it back to Kristin about how much and what he had eaten.

Tony wasn't quite so obvious about his checking up, but Lucas knew it was there. Dagwood on the other hand, did not try and hide that he was watching out for the boy. But Lucas loath to deter the man who seemed genuinely pleased to be helping protect the boy.

Right now, Lucas was leaning against the tube of Darwin's tank that ran through the room he and Tony shared. He had been there about an hour now, on the bottom bunk, so it was less likely that his current whereabouts would be discovered if someone opened the door.

He wasn't deliberately trying to hide, but the peace and quiet and time to think to himself was something he had not been able to enjoy for a week or two. Once subject was on his mind at the moment.

Something he intended to tell the Captain and the others at dinner tonight. He had already predicted their reaction, but he was determined and hoped they would see things from his perspective and support him rather than begin to worry all over again.

Later that same day, Lucas found himself on the Bridge, his mind still pretty much on the topic of conversation that he intended to bring up when he had dinner shortly. The Captain was there too, and was beginning to notice his lack of concentration and general quiet persona.

Tim O'Neill was the one to interrupt, "Ahem, Lucas, I have a call coming in for you," he stated. "Says he is Mr Collins," he added a little louder, so that Bridger over heard as well.

Lucas saw the look on Bridger's face and the direct look from O'Neill to the Captain, but wasn't sure how to take it. It felt a little like they were keeping something from him, but he didn't want jump to conclusions.

"Thanks, Tim," Lucas answered, taking the head piece from the Communications Officer, "Hello, Mr Collins?" he asked, making sure of who he was talking to.

O'Neill and the Captain could hear little bits of static chatter, but not the ensuing conversation itself.

"No, Mr Collins, I am afraid I didn't know that you had called earlier," Lucas said, looking at Bridger questioningly. Bridger nodded his head in silent agreement.

"Well as a matter of fact, Mr Collins, I have been thinking about our discussions, just today in fact. I would like to give it some more thought before I give you a definite answer."

Lucas smiled a little at the surprised looks that he got in reply to that statement from the people in the room.

Bridger was seen to let go of the breath he was holding at what the teenager was saying.

"Yes, I will talk to you some more tomorrow," Lucas said. "Thank you for the concern, I am feeling much better now," he added, wondering a little about how much the man knew about his kidnapping and injuries.

Lucas terminated the transmission, handing the headset back to O'Neill. Bridger eased any fears he might have had, "I didn't tell him anything about you going missing or being kidnapped. I told him you were still experiencing some pain in your leg."

"Thanks. I was worried there for a minute."

"Want to go and get dinner?" Bridger asked, trying not to dwell on the call from Collins.

"Yes, I have something to talk to you about anyway," Lucas admitted.

The two of them left the Bridge together, headed for the galley. Kristin was already there, with Tony, which suited Lucas fine. All the right people to talk to in one place so hopefully he wouldn't need to repeat himself.

---

An hour later, and after some food, Lucas headed back to his room, feeling as though a little weight had been lifted off his shoulders. They had taken his piece of news about continuing to work on the micro chip project rather well. Much better than he had anticipated.

He had started off by telling them about the way he had thought that day about what to do, considering everything that had happened. He also talked a little about how the last two companies he had talked to had been greedy for the power of his micro chip and the technology that went with it, rather than for the benefit that could be gained.

Greed and power were the two biggest characteristics that had driven him away from his father Lawrence Wolenczak, and why he appreciated someone like Bridger all the more. He couldn't have gone to either of those companies knowing what they would eventually do with a project that he had sweat blood and tears for.

He knew of their concerns about his safety over this project and the danger he had been placed into in the past week. But the determination and passion that they could hear in his voice, swayed them towards the support that he was hoping to gain.

In the end they agreed with him, that he didn't deserve to be punished for the actions of others. To miss out on a fabulous opportunity that might cement his future and allow his talents to be recognized separate from the SeaQuest. Lucas had been craving such attention nearly all his life. The chance to let his skills and abilities to be judged for themselves and not governed by his age or how others saw him.

Lucas confirmed that he was going to accept Mr Collins offer to work with his company. He had been the only one to accept Lucas for who he was, despite the chip. The man had not questioned his abilities due to his age, nor use condescending attitude towards him at the meeting.

When he had walked out of the office that day, Lucas had been fairly confident then, that Collins Industries would help make his dream a reality without having to sacrifice it for money and power. Although they were certainly offering a pretty handsome purse themselves.

The next day, Mr Collins was so elated to get the call from Lucas, he just about burst a blood vessel. The man was gushing with all sorts of praise and accolades. He wanted to hold press conferences and parties and meet people seminars.

Lucas kept his head on though and didn't want to do everything so quickly. He didn't want a fuss made at all, but in the end, he had wavered a little and consented to a small gathering of just the SeaQuest crew and Collins himself to celebrate the beginning of a new venture.

The SeaQuest crew were certainly happy for their teenage friend and hoped that he had all the success. They knew that the boy wouldn't be wooed away from the boat too easily, with Bridger and Kristin being his family now.

Lucas had set himself the task of concentrating on the microchip. He had relented to Kristin's stern warnings about taking care of himself and not over using his healing leg. But for the most part, the crew allowed him to work quietly and undisturbed as he requested.

He assured all of them that they would be among to see the experimental tests that would be carried out on the chip.

Little did any of them know that the party that Collins had been organizing was not the small gathering that Lucas had been wanting. His over zealous nature got the better of him, and before he knew it, the guest list was written, with some very high profile people on it.

The venue would be a very stylish hotel in the middle of the city that catered to such grand events. The catering would be taken care of by only the best chefs and of course, there was music, entertainment and a fully stocked bar.

Collins made one fatal error with his party plans however, and instead of keeping the nature of the celebration to himself, thought he was doing the right thing in inviting some of the competitors that had been in competition for the young man's invention.

These competitors were people like Sykes and his two side kicks, Frank and Riley, who had been waiting to hear the slightest whisper about the young man's whereabouts since his unfortunate rescue and escape from the caves.

The SeaQuest didn't think that a large scale security force would be needed, upon hearing the details of the small gathering that Lucas saw himself celebrating with. With the crew there, the teenager would be well protected enough and nothing was expected to happen.

To be continued (very soon)………………. The Finale (and some don't play nice together or plan to go down without a fight).