Nathan grimaced when he sniffed the coffee. Instant! He could smell the vile stuff from a mile away. His brain and body was craving coffee so badly that it was tricking him into believing it was good coffee. It wasn't. After so many years living on the island alone after his wife died and drinking instant coffee, he just couldn't stomach the liquid anymore. Nathan forced himself to take a small sip. Instantly, he spit it back into the cup. To add insult to injury, it was decaffeinated. Great, I'm being held hostage, haven't slept much and you send me instant, decaffeinated coffee? Sheppard, you are a jerk! Nathan's mouth continued to water at the thought of coffee, but he couldn't bear to make himself drink it. He groaned as he watched others in the room greedily indulge in the hot liquid. Even under these circumstances, I still can't make myself drink that swill. He peered into the boxes dreaming of caffeine, and freshly brewed coffee. Disappointment creased his face as he reached for a juice box. At least I'll be healthy when they bury me.

"It's your lucky day, Cap," said Miguel, biting into a chocolate-dipped donut. "They sent your favourite: coffee and donuts." Nathan could see the light-hearted humor on the man's face. Nathan knew that the crew often poked fun at him for his pickiness. Some of their favourite pranks onboard were to switch Nathan's coffee with instant. Nathan had started sniffing his coffee and taking small sips before taking a larger gulp, especially if he left his mug unattended on the bridge. One time, Shan and Miguel had mixed his coffee half instant, half brewed and then mixed chocolate sauce in it. Nathan grimaced at the memory. He hated chocolate about as much as he hated instant coffee. He had felt like drinking a mouthful of water out of the moon pool just to wash the taste out of his mouth.

Reaching into the box, he pulled out a piece of fruit. "Bring some food to Kristin, wise guy." He saw Miguel smirk. " How's she holding up?"

Miguel grabbed fruit juice and a muffin from the box. "She's awake now. She wants to talk to you, Captain."

"Tell her to hold tight. I'm going to talk with Dosa more." Nathan pushed the straw through the hole in the juice box and noticed that Miguel was scanning the room with a puzzled look on his face.

"Cap, have you seen Ford?"

Nathan put a finger to his lips and spoke very softly. "He got out."

Miguel's eyes widened. "How?"

"Lucas managed to get in the back door. I don't think Dosa knows it's there. Jonathan got him out."

"There's a door? Where?"

"Behind that stage curtain. Something tells me this room has been recently renovated otherwise Dosa would have guards on it."

"Damn, leave it to Lucas to find it," said Miguel, worry creasing his forehead.

Nathan sighed. "He's too smart for his own good."

"I swear that kid has a guardian angel watching over him."

"You and me both, Lieutenant."

Nathan patted Miguel on the shoulder and grabbed a hot cup of coffee to take with him. He noticed that Dosa was standing off to the corner of the room by himself playing on his cell phone. The man looked angry. Tread carefully. Nathan eyed the man carefully as he walked towards Dosa, looking for body language that would alert him to how Dosa was feeling. Dosa looked up at him as he approached but didn't look threatening. It almost seemed like his presence was being welcomed.

"They cut my cell service." Nathan nodded, showing empathy on his face. Nathan was surprised that it took as long as it did. That meant that he wouldn't be able to use his own communication device in his pocket anymore. But he didn't care. He felt so thankful that Jonathan had gotten Lucas out to safety. He knew that his commander would make sure Lucas stayed out of trouble. That knowledge alone made him relax. Knowing Lucas was safe took a huge load off his mind.

"I'm told the coffee is good." Nathan held out a hot cup of coffee.

"You're told? Didn't you have any?"

"Instant. I can't stand the stuff!"

Dosa accepted the hot drink and took a long drink. He sat quietly on the table, breathing in the aroma of the hot substance. Yuck! How can anyone drink that stuff?

"What kind of food did they send in?"

"Chocolate donuts, muffins and fresh fruit."

Dosa smirked. "Sounds like a continental breakfast." Nathan allowed a smile to tug at his lips. Dosa was quiet for a few minutes as he seemed to be lost in his thoughts as he drank his coffee.

"Tell me more about your kid, Bridger."

Nathan searched his head for something to say. We have a commonality. Keep engaging him. Get him to start talking about himself. Keep the conversation light.

"Well, he spends most of his free time on board my ship swimming with Darwin."

"Darwin?"

"Yes, he's a dolphin I rescued from poacher's nets. My son tamed him and trained him to be a pet." Not completely true but good enough.

Dosa's interest was piqued. "That's a unique pet."

"What grade is your son in?" asked Nathan.

"Since we moved to the underwater colonies, my wife has been homeschooling the kids. Mikal is in the tenth grade." Dosa emptied his mug and set it down. "How do you handle school on a submarine, Captain?"

"I guess you could say he's on a one year co-op. He just wrote me a large research paper on the dangers of driving while under the influence." Nathan noticed the man's brow furrow, casting a concerned look. It was the look only a parent could have. "He sneaked out to a party, had a few drinks and drove home."

Dosa whistled. "Your son sounds like a handful, Bridger."

"Not really. He's a good kid actually. I think it's just hard on him being stuck on a submarine surrounded by 200 parents."

Dosa looked at his gun in his hand and his face grew serious again. Nathan wasn't sure what he was thinking. It was like he could see the colour drain from the man's face.

"This isn't the same world we grew up in, Bridger. Our kids don't get the luxury of being soft and mollycoddled. You're not doing him any favours to over-protect him."

Nathan shifted his position as he leaned against the wall. He had finished his juice box, and his stomach was growling now for food. He glanced around the room and was surprised to see Kristin wandering towards him. What the hell? Kristin, what are you thinking? He made his face look stern as she approached him. Turn around and go back. From the corner of his eye, he saw Dosa's demeanor change slightly. His features hardened and his resolve stiffened.

"Nice to see you awake, Doctor. Now you can attend to my friend."

Kristin held two pieces of fruit and a chocolate donut in her hand. Her face was pale and she had black circles under her eyes.

"What happened to your friend?" She offered a piece of fruit to Nathan. Dosa glared at her and snatched the other piece of fruit from her hands.

"While you were getting your beauty sleep, I shot him." Dosa's voice was sounding dangerously threatening again. Damn it, Kris; back away NOW! Nathan felt his pulse increase. Dosa reached out and snatched the donut from her other hand, shoving it in his mouth. The man took a few steps towards her and appeared to checking her out. Nathan clenched his jaw when Dosa touched her cheek with his hand. Chocolate smeared her face from his hands.

"You're a handsome woman." Nathan saw a determined look cross Kristin's face. Don't do anything stupid, Kristin. Just accept the compliment and turn away.

Kristin frowned and swiped the man's hand from her face. "You make me sick." Her voice was soft but dripping with hatred. Nathan glared at her. Kristin!

"She's a stubborn woman too," said Nathan, flooding his voice with humour. Kristin gave him an unamused look. It's true, Kristin. What are thinking interfering? What the hell do you think you're doing? Dosa looked at Nathan with amusement on his face, seeming to enjoy the moment.

"Is she your woman, Bridger?" Nathan looked sharply at Kristin, trying to gauge the best way to answer that question. If Dosa thought they were together, he might use her as leverage against him. But if Dosa thought she was available, he might decide to take advantage of her. She was the only woman left in the room. She was vulnerable. Think Nathan. What would be in Kristin's best interest? Dosa took a few more steps closer to Kristin. Nathan felt his heart racing in his chest. Relax Nathan, don't do anything foolish. Just as Dosa was about to touch her again, a loud sound came from the stage. Was Tactical infiltrating? All eyes in the room turned to the stage and within seconds, Dosa and his men were on their feet and running towards the stage.

oOoOoOoOseaquestOoOoOoOo

Kristin's heart was beating furiously as Dosa brushed his hand against her cheek. She felt something sticky on her face. Anger burned inside of her. Filthy pig! Her thoughts were anything but kind in that moment. Her eyes threw darts at Nathan as he joked with the terrorist about her being stubborn. You have no idea how stubborn I can be Nathan Bridger! Negotiation doesn't mean making the man your best friend. Kristin eyed Nathan carefully once again. She'd been watching closely to all his interactions with Dosa, and she had become worried. Part of her wondered if he was suffering from Stockholm syndrome. It wasn't so uncommon for hostages to succumb to the disorder, and Nathan was under a huge amount of stress. Sometimes, it happened that hostages started to sympathise with their captors and befriend them, almost to the point of protecting them. And it wasn't normal for a hostage to be the negotiator. Nothing about this situation was normal. Kristin knew Nathan well enough to know that he was taking responsibility for every single person in the room, including the hostages who had lost their lives. Nathan was that kind of man. He took things personally. Why are you sharing such personal information about yourself and about Lucas, Nathan? You're supposed to make your conversation believable, but you don't need to tell the truth. There is a difference.

"Is she your woman, Bridger?" asked Dosa, with an arrogant tone in his voice. Kristin felt herself cringe. What era did the man come from? Who talked about women as property anymore? She glared at Nathan, waiting for him to answer; no, daring him to answer.

The loud noise coming from the back of the room made her jump involuntarily. She furrowed her brow as she thought she heard a small voice whimper. Lucas? That sounded like Lucas! Her heart pounded faster as she rushed to Nathan's side as Dosa and some of his men rushed to the stage.

"Nathan, tell me I'm crazy, but I thought I heard Lucas."

Nathan looked at her with wild fear in his eyes. "He was here! I told Jonathan to get him out." Kristin put her hand to her mouth. How? How could he get in? "Go stand with Miguel and Tim, Kristin!" Kristin heard the command in his voice. It left no room for argument. She stood trembling as she watched Nathan rush across the room. Be careful, Nathan!

As Kristin watched helplessly from the side of the room, Dosa and a few of his men disappeared behind the curtain of the stage. Nathan followed behind at a sensible distance. Kristin heard some shouts and curses and then the curtains were pulled open. Kristin sucked in a breath when she saw a gunmen holding Lucas by his hair. The boy was whimpering in fear but was screaming at the man. There's a door back there! Did Sheppard know that was there?

"Let me go!" shouted Lucas.

Kristin released a painful breath when she saw Nathan walk across the stage towards the gunman. Nathan held his hands up in the air and had his eyes on Lucas the whole time.

"Please, don't hurt him! He's just a boy. Look, can't you see he's frightened?"

The gunman shook the teenager fiercely and shouted at him to shut-up. Kristin wrung her hands together as she watched Lucas' reaction closely. It's okay, Lucas. Don't panic. Nathan can handle this for you.

Dosa stalked towards Lucas and pointed his weapon at him. "Where the hell did you come from, kid?"

"I-I…" stammered Lucas.

Nathan turned quickly to Dosa. "He was at the Summit. I saw him with his parents. He must have hidden back here in fear when you came in."

Dosa glared at Nathan. He reached out and grabbed Lucas by the arm roughly. His mercenary stepped back with an amused look on his face. Lucas' face was white with fear, and Kristin could see his hands were trembling. Dosa dragged Lucas off the stage with him stumbling in an attempt to stay on his feet. He hauled him towards his wounded man, Tarek, and shoved him on top of the man. Tarek cried out in pain as Lucas landed on top of him. Kristin saw Nathan quickly follow.

"There's a gawdamn door back there! Did you know the stage had an entrance?" Dosa's face was red with fury. Tarek moaned in pain as Lucas struggled to get to his feet only to be knocked back down, again landing on Tarek.

"NO, no, the blueprints didn't show a door to this room." Kristin could see the look of agony on the man's face. Lucas had landed on his shoulder and bumped the injury. Blood was flowing again from the wound once more. The man's face was pale from loss of blood.

"Son of a bitch!" Dosa grabbed Lucas by his hair again, dragging him towards Nathan who was approaching them. Kristin could see the desperate look on Nathan's face. She felt certain that Dosa could see it as well. Dosa pulled Lucas up by his hair and wrapped his arm around his neck, pointing the gun at his temple.

"Have you been hiding back there the whole time, kid?" Kristin saw Lucas nod his head; tears were cascading down his cheeks. Please don't hurt him!

"He's just a boy, Mr. Dosa. He looks to be about Mikal's age," said Nathan.

Kristin saw Dosa's hand tremble as he held Lucas tightly. Lucas was breathing heavily with a look of terror on his face. Play along, Lucas.

"Where are your parents, kid?" Dosa shook him roughly as he shoved the gun harder into his temple. Lucas was trembling and stammering words that Kristin couldn't make out.

"His father is there." Nathan pointed to the pile of dead hostages. As if on cue, Lucas screamed in shock when he saw the bodies, bloodied and dead. Kristin saw Dosa's face twitch as he too looked at the dead hostages. He dragged Lucas over to the pile and shoved him down to his knees.

"Which one is your father?" Kristin saw Lucas look at Dosa with a pleading look. His face looked horrified as he turned to look at the bodies. His hands were on the floor as he balanced himself. Dosa was shoving down hard on his back, still pressing the gun against his head. The blood from the bodies had pooled onto the floor in a sticky puddle. Lucas' hands were almost submerged in the blood. Kristin held her breath as she watched Lucas gag and choke back tears. He looked at Dosa again and then back at the dead hostages. Kristin held her breath. Pick one Lucas. Play along. C'mon, you can do it! As if he could hear her pleading with him, his shaking, blood-covered hand pointed at a blonde-haired man. The body was contorted in an awkward position as another body had been thrown on top. It was stiff with rigor mortis. Kristin sucked in another breath as Lucas vomited on top of the bodies. Dosa seemed unmoved by the action.

"Give the kid a break, man. You already killed his father!" shouted a man from the room. Kristin whirled around as the man rose to his feet. Kristin thought her heart might stop as Dosa turned to glower at the man. Within seconds, Dosa had released his grip on Lucas and flown across the room towards the man who dared to defy him. In one fell swoop, Dosa grabbed the man by the scruff of the neck and slammed his head into the table with a sickening thud. Then in another quick motion, he pulled the man's head up by the hair and slammed it down again and again. Dosa's face was ferocious. Kristin bit her lip trembling and turned from the scene to see Nathan rushing to Lucas' side. She watched him embrace the frightened boy and pull him away from the massacred bodies towards her. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the boy's terrified face. She could tell he was in shock as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Keep him close to you, Kris." Nathan brushed his hand along her cheek momentarily looking at her with a look she couldn't read. Then he pulled Lucas' chin up to make eye contact. "You did good, Lucas. Pretend you don't know me, alright? Just follow my lead." Kristin pulled Lucas closer, feeling him trembling as he nodded in silence. Kristin swallowed hard as Nathan turned to walk away again. Then he stopped to face her again.

"Don't say his name. Call him anything but Lucas." Kristin nodded.

Kristin ran a hand through Lucas' unkempt hair and reminded herself to breath. She forced him to sit in the nearest chair and turned his head to look at her.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Lucas didn't answer but instead pulled his head away and continued to stare across the room. Dosa continued assaulting the man who dared to stand up for him. The teenager's eyes were filled with tears as he gazed on the scene in horror. Kristin wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes. Dosa was certifiably insane, unpredictable and dangerous. Kristin was beginning to doubt that any of them were going to get out alive.