THE SECRET DEVICE
By JULES6
This story takes place in the second series with the exception of Kristen Westphalen.
The scenes of this story come from a lot of different places, some SeaQuest, others not. Some you will recognize – others you won't. Just a mix up of things and people really.
Enjoy.
CHAPTER ELEVEN – DEAL OR NO DEAL
Lucas played with the collar on his shirt for the umpteenth time within a few minutes. The image in the mirror didn't alter though and it still looked lopsided to him.
He was wearing a white shirt with a pair of black trousers. Casual but neat attire. It would have to do as it was the only set of clothes he owned that didn't involve a pair of jeans and a baseball shirt.
It didn't feel like it was him at all, and part of him was asking himself why he felt he had to dress this way if he wasn't comfortable. His train of thoughts were interrupted when there was a knock ….
"Are you nervous about tonight?" Bridger asked from the doorway, quickly looking over the clothes the teenager had chosen.
Lucas could see the Captain through the mirror, but didn't answer straight away. Thinking a little about the correct response:
"Not nervous exactly," Lucas voiced. "Unprepared or out of place."
"Well, I guess that is perfectly normal given what this is all for. But don't worry, everything should go smoothly and by Monday both you and Mr Collins will be very happy business partners," Bridger commented.
So why did Lucas have this nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had been honest with Bridger, it wasn't nervousness, but it was an overwhelming sense of excitement either. Unease was probably the best description he could offer right at this moment.
"Do I hear the sound of nervousness in this room?" Kristen quipped, dressed in a royal blue dress that accentuated the redness of her hair.
"You look great, Kristen," Lucas commented, roughly dragged a comb through his blond hair. In the end he gave up.
Tonight was all about trying to be himself and having the scientific community admire his achievements without ridiculing his youth or unorthodox approach.
"You didn't scrub up too badly yourself," Kristen remarked, trying to boost his confidence.
She too was pleased that tonight's affair would be a small one, and allow the teenager to relax. After everything that had happened in the past few weeks, Lucas certainly deserved a night without worry or stress. It would be good to see a genuine smile on his face.
"Ready to go?" Bridger asked, glancing at his watch. It was almost 7pm and it would take a good twenty minutes to arrive at the small restaurant that Collins had organized for their small celebration.
"Let's get going, because I am starving," Lucas said with a smirk, knowing that admitting such a thing was unusual.
When they got to the docking bay, ready to take the launch upworld, Lucas was surprised to see Chief Shan and Crocker ready to go along too.
"Hey Luke, about time you showed up, I thought I was going to have to show up at this shindig and give all your acceptance speeches myself," Piccolo joked.
"My acceptance speech, Tony?"
"Yeah, you know the one where you tell them I am your PR manager and that I get 50 percent of all the perks and royalties."
"50 percent," Lucas scoffed in jest.
"Don't take all the credit for yourself will you now, Piccolo," Ford commented.
"Hey, the kid is going places and is going to need somebody, a close personal friend to show him the ropes."
"The only place you are going in a minute is back to your cabin, Tony," Lucas warned. "Its friends like you that see me getting into trouble when I don't need it."
"Oh now that hurts, Wolenczak," Piccolo remarked, "After everything that I have done for you."
"What have you done for me lately again?" Lucas was quick to point out.
"I will tell you. Follow me around for the past week like I was some lost puppy."
"Hey, I was only doing that as a friend," Tony said truthfully. "Ask Dagwood."
"Tony tell Dagwood that we need to keep following you in case bad people come back and try to hurt Lucas," the G.E.L.F. offered in his child-like voice.
"Captain Bridger tell Tony and Dagwood to do it," Dagwood continued.
"Oh did he now," Lucas said in mock surprise, whirling around to face Bridger who now had a 'caught in the act' look on his face. But the teenager had already suspected a week ago that everyone's vigil was at the Captain's request.
The other crew members had to chuckle at Bridger's awkwardness, knowing it was rare to see Nathan on the back foot.
At least now Lucas understood why Shan and Crocker were being brought along. He guessed that the Captain and Kristin were still more than a little anxious over him being kidnapped and wanted to make sure he was safe tonight.
"Come on then, by the time we all get there, it will be half over," Lucas said, giving them all a genuine smile in appreciation of their concern. Even if it did feel like they were too close at times over the past week, he knew the reasons why they wanted to be overprotective tonight.
"Lucas, does my tie look straight?" Dagwood asked his teenage friend.
The man was wearing a simple white shirt and a shoe string tie that Tony had leant him, but it was important to him that he was looking his best for Lucas's big night.
"You look great, Dag," Lucas commented, the G.E.L.F.'s smile obvious at the teenager's simple praise.
"Why are you dressed like that anyway, Tony?" Lucas asked, noting the t-shirt and jeans. The shirt was black and the front was supposed to represent the front of a tuxedo.
"Captain said we should put on our best clothes. I didn't have a tux, and had to make do," Piccolo replied plainly.
All of the other crew members going had put on neat and dressy clothes on. Somehow, although it wouldn't have suited most of them, Tony was dressed exactly as they expected.
"You look fine, Tony," Lucas said to quell any fears that he had. "Promise me you will never change," he added with a laugh, knowing that it was Piccolo's honest personality that made them such great friends.
"The word change doesn't exist in the Piccolo dictionary. You can't improve on perfection."
The group climbed into the launch and pulled away from SeaQuest, ready to celebrate with Lucas, even if they didn't agree with Tony's sense of style.
At the fancy hotel where Collins had booked the venue for the night, it was approximately 6.30pm and a few of the invited guests had started to arrive.
The building was ten storey high and the event itself was being held on the ground floor in an opulent ballroom. The night would be catered with fine chefs and an endless stream of waiters would circulate the room, offering guests finger food and fine wines.
Each table had been elegantly set and there was a large floor space in the centre of the room. In front of that was the podium where Collins planned to introduce the company's newest partner.
To the right of the stage there was a large set of stained doors that led out on to a expansive balcony. There were some tables and chairs just outside the doors, but then only a cobbled stone floor and an elaborate railing where one could get a great look out over the city.
Collins had invited the investors to the new joint venture, but had neglected to tell Lucas of his intentions. The small get to together that the teenager had been promised had turned into a five star event that would last throughout the night.
One of the first people to arrive before the other guests was Bill Sykes. Collins greeted him as he came through the door, not knowing the man's full intentions of the night.
"Bill, good to see you," Collins said, his manner over-exuberant and off putting.
"Tom," Sykes said with a fake smile. "So where have you been keeping the guest of honour?" he asked. He didn't want to do anything to do with this whole set up, but it was going to be the best and only opportunity to get his hands on the kid again.
"Lucas should have been here by now, Bill, I am not sure what is keeping him," Collins said, nervously looking towards the front doors. "But I guarantee you that it is worth the wait," he added with pride, knowing how much of a lucrative deal his company was about to make.
"I have heard some reports about it," Sykes lied, inwardly scowling that he had to play up to this man just to get the information he needed on the young inventor.
"Oh Mr Tezaku," Collins called out, ignoring Sykes as he hurried to greet one of the high profile investors.
"You are not getting your hands on that chip," Sykes whispered under his breath as he watch Collins make a fool of himself in front of the little oriental man that arrived with a group of people.
Sykes walked through the ballroom, taking note of the layout and where everything would be. He didn't want to leave anything to chance, and knew that he had to have a plan A and if necessary a plan B if this was going to work in his favour at all.
On his way past the doors, Sykes made sure that nobody was taking particular notice of his movements, and then proceeded to sneak through a doorway that was labeled "Waiters Room".
This small room was partitioned off from the rest of the main ballroom and served as a bathroom and changing room for the serving waiters and staff from the kitchens.
There was a second set of bathrooms more richly decorated that were meant for guests and visitors.
Sykes looked under the three stalls for any signs of shoes or someone being in there before he locked the door on the inside, preventing anybody from entering whilst he talked to the two men that were waiting for him.
"You sure no one saw you come in?" he asked Riley and Frank. The two men who had been responsible for kidnapping Lucas, were dressed in white waiters suits.
"We are sure, Boss," Riley assured him.
Sykes wasn't totally convinced that using these two blockheads was the best solution, but he needed to have the extra pair of hands in case things didn't go as he hoped.
"Look, we don't have much time before the kid shows up, but I want to make sure you two don't mess things up again like the last time," Sykes began to talk.
"I want you in the kitchens as much as possible until I give you the signal and then you make a grab for him. Remember he will be able to recognize you if he sees you and the whole plan will be blown wide open."
"There is a car waiting outside if we need it, but it is probably going to be quicker to take him upstairs and keep him quiet up there until the heat settles down."
"What do you want us to use on him when we snatch the kid?" Riley asked. "You know that he is going to holler once it all starts happening."
"I have some of that snake juice upstairs in the suite, but I don't want to use it unless I have to. I want to be able to get where the chip is out of him as soon as possible. I can't do that if we have to knock him out," Sykes explained.
"If it comes to using that, then we will use the car and wait until we get far enough away from here, but don't unless we have to. For now I am going to give you this," he said, holding out a small black device.
"A tazer?" Frank said, looking at it dubiously. "I thought you wanted him conscious?"
"I do, but if we can get him on is own like I want to, we might be able to use it as a threat and keep him quiet until you force him up to the suite. You don't have to press the trigger unless it becomes necessary. I am sure he will get the message soon enough."
"This isn't going to be easy with all of these people in the room and the SeaQuest people watching him like a hawk too," Riley pointed out.
"No, but if you follow the plan like I told you, there shouldn't be any hassles and we should be able to grab him before anybody has a chance to stop us," Sykes said, sounding confident.
"Hey, why is this door locked?" came a voice from the other side.
"Quick, lets break this up," Sykes said, disappearing into one of the stalls until the coast was clear.
Riley opened the door and was greeted by the Head Chef.
"What are you two doing in here?" the man demanded to know. "We have important guests beginning to arrive and you two are in here goofing off. Get back to the kitchens and get cracking or you will be out on your ear."
Frank wanted to say something, but Riley grabbed his arm and forced him to do as they were told, knowing that Sykes didn't want then to draw any attention to themselves. "Yes, Sir, sorry we were just having a small break."
The Head Chef watched the pair leave the bathroom, unconvinced with their story, but putting them down as the usual lay about waiters that the restaurant were used to getting on a regular basis. For the moment he didn't suspect that they were anything else but that.
Back at the pier:
Everybody was waiting for the limousine that Collins had told them that would be picking them up from the launch and bringing them to the reception.
The crew apart from Lucas consisted of Bridger and Kristin, Jonathan Ford, Jim Brody, Lonnie Anderson, Tony Piccolo, Miguel Ortiz, Tim O'Neill and Dagwood. Security Officers Shan and Crocker were also present at the Captain's personal request.
Once seated inside the limousine, Lucas's mood changed a little and he became a little too quiet for someone who was about to receive so much praise and be on the verge of signing a deal worth millions.
"Okay there, Luke?" Tony was the first to voice his concerns out loud.
"Yeah, sure, why wouldn't I be?" Lucas said, still looking out the window rather than facing his friend as he spoke.
"Oh, I don't know, you got that whole "New guy without a drink at my cousin Ira's party" look about you.
Bridger rolled his eyes a little at Piccolo's choice of words. Yes it was true that Lucas was acting a little more withdrawn tonight than he had yesterday, but did he have to say it out loud like that? Subtly was not one of Tony's strongest traits.
Kristin decided to try a different approach, placing her hand on his shoulder to gain his attention first, "I know you are going to have a great time tonight, but remember, I don't want you standing on that leg of yours all night."
"If you start getting tired, you can just let us know. You have only just gotten back on your feet," Bridger added.
"Don't worry, I will look after myself," Lucas promised them both with a smile, but quickly resumed looking out the window.
"Its only a small thing anyway, we shouldn't be here more than an hour," Lucas predicted.
The smile quickly faded again and this didn't go unnoticed by the crew as they exchanged concerned glances with each other and the Captain. Something was definitely on his mind.
Before any of them could ask another question, the limousine was pulling up outside the fancy hotel. Lucas looked puzzled at first, but as the door was opened by the valet, stepped out onto the sidewalk.
"Good evening, Mr Wolenczak and guests," the footman greeted them, tipping his top hat to the ladies as they exited the car.
"What are we stopping here for?" he asked confused, not for one moment contemplating that the "small celebration" would be held somewhere as big as this hotel.
The valet looked puzzled, "I am not sure what you mean, Mr Wolenczak, I was instructed by Mr Collins that you would be arriving here this evening with the rest of your party?"
"Uh oh, don't look now, but I think we are about to have a communication problem, Houston," Tony remarked casually and quietly to Lonnie.
"Collins is having it here!" the teenager exclaimed, "And the name is Lucas."
"What does he mean Collins is having it here, Lucas? Ford asked.
As almost on cue and before the teenager got a chance to reply, Mr Collins came scurrying out to meet them from the elegant brass doors.
"Lucas, Lucas my boy, good to see you here," he said, wiping his brow in relief.
"The limousine was to your liking I hope?" he asked in anticipation, standing up close to the teenager. "Your clothes...," he began to say, looking down with a little frown.
"Don't worry, your clothes look fine," he said too enthusiastically, putting his arm around Lucas's shoulder as though he was a long lost friend.
Lucas couldn't understand the man's change in demeanor from a week ago. The man wasn't unpleasant, if anything totally the opposite, almost spilling over and gushing with compliments.
The whole new mannerism seemed a bit over the top for the teenager, and it clearly showed on his face that he didn't like it so up close and personal.
"This isn't anything like what we talked about Mr Collins," Lucas said, removing the man's arm from around his shoulder.
"Oh, don't worry Lucas, I am sure you will do just fine with all of the people inside, once you meet them all," Collins said, virtually thrusting the boy forwards up the small set of stairs to the main doors of the hotel.
"What do you mean "all the other people"?" he questioned, as he found himself in the enormous foyer and staring up at the extravagant fittings and furnishings.
The SeaQuest crew were as unhappy about this as Lucas, but they had yet voice their own opinions on the matter to Collins. Lucas didn't lose his temper very often, but the scowl on the boy's face at this moment, made them think that he might do exactly that.
Bridger whispered for the others to follow and that they would talk more once inside.
Whatever words Lucas was going to say fell away for a second as he got lost in the richness of the foyer and the grandeur that was before him. They were not even all the way into the ballroom yet and he could see a large gathering of people.
"Looks just like a place where my Uncle Benny would feel right at home," Tony whistled as he too look at the grand setting they found themselves in.
"Your Uncle Benny, Piccolo," Miguel said with a raised eyebrow, just knowing that there was more to the story.
"Yeah, he liked to make a living in this kind of place, right before they sent him away," Tony replied.
"Sent him where?" O'Neill asked, knowing that he would somehow regret the answer.
"To maximum security. He got caught locked in a hotel bathroom after swiping a few items from a place as rich looking as this," Piccolo explained. "Cops reckon they found him in a compromising situation with one of the guests."
"They put him in maximum security because he stole a few items from a hotel room?" Ford said, knowing that somehow they always got sucked into Tony's family stories such as this one.
"Oh no, the Judge was going to let him off lightly and be able to have visitors until Aunt Pam found about the "compromising situation" part. Right after that, he requested a transfer to somewhere more secure."
Some of the crew members gave a half hearted laugh, but quickly turned their attention back to the current situation.
"Come on then Lucas, lets not keep them waiting," Collins said, giving the teenager a gentle push from behind. But it was not as well received as he intended, with the toe of Lucas's leg being caught up on the edge of a large rug that they were standing partially on, jarring his injured foot.
He momentarily lost his balance and turned a shade redder at almost falling flat on his face in front of everyone. Clearly embarrassed, he was awkwardly able to regain his balance, but not before having to reach down and rub at the flexible cast.
Lucas gave a gasp of pain as he was pulled up suddenly and had to clench his teeth to stop from announcing how much the sudden change in direction had hurt. Back on the SeaQuest they didn't have plush carpet or rugs to have to worry about tripping over.
His leg had been healing well over the past week, and Kristin had been impressed with the progress, but little incidents like what just happened would see him might just risk him having to endure it longer.
A thought that Lucas was none to happy about.
"Oh, I am sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," Collins said apologetically, but his attention was clearly distracted by the group of people that were gathered towards the ballroom.
Bridger had been ready to step forward after seeing Lucas almost trip and hearing his grimace of pain as the boy was about to say something to Collins. But before he could, the teenager took the man by the front of his suit and dragged him a couple of steps out of hearing range.
At first the man was surprised at the young man's deliberate action, but was shocked to see the displeased expression that now faced him, "Mr Collins, I thought we agreed on a "small" celebration?"
"We did Lucas, but now that we have you going to sign on board with us Monday, we have to wine and dine the investors for this project," Collins tried to explain.
"When I spoke to you a week ago, 'we' agreed that I would be behind the design and development of the chip. You would be taking care of things such as investors," Lucas challenged.
"And I will be doing just that tonight, Lucas. But I thought it would be fun…….," Collins began proudly before he was interrupted again.
"You thought wrong, Mr Collins," Lucas interjected. "This isn't me. I don't like coming to things like this. Not to mention that I thought you would have at least discussed it with me first."
"Clearly this isn't the agreement that I thought we were making," Lucas said, beginning to make his intentions very clear to the man.
"Lucas, I promise you that this will go off without a hitch. Just give me some time to prove to you that this is in the best interests of the project as a whole," Collins pleaded.
The crew couldn't hear all of what was being said, but now saw the teenager use his index finger to get his point across.
"You have one hour to convince me, Mr Collins, no more," Lucas warned.
He had made it abundantly clear that he was less than pleased with being there, but he didn't think he could just walk out in front of everyone now, including his friends and family.
What would they think of him if he didn't give the whole idea at least a chance?
Whilst Lucas was having his discussion with Collins, Bridger and the rest of the SeaQuest crew had made a small gathering of their own, concerned about what a change in venue would mean for the security arrangements that they had made between themselves.
"Do you think we are going to be able to cover such a large room as that ballroom successfully, Captain?" Brody asked in a quiet voice.
"This wasn't suppose to happen, Brody. Collins promised a small gathering, where we should have had to worry about being so vigilant for Lucas," Bridger answered.
"But with everything that has happened, we think it is wise to be on our toes," Kristin added into the conversation.
"I believe with Shan and Crocker on our team Captain that we will be able to manage. But I won't deny that it may be difficult for us to keep an eye on Lucas the entire time," Ford added.
"We will probably be all sitting at the same table, Commander?" Bridger commented, trusting that Ford together with the security officers would have already decided upon a contingency plan. "But I think we need to keep mingling in with the other guests at regular intervals as well."
"Look, please remember that this is a night for Lucas, and I don't want us getting in the way of ruining that for him. I want him to have a good time," Bridger reminded them.
"Captain, I am sorry, but this isn't what was planned," Lucas said as he walked over to the group, unaware of what they had just spoken about.
The teenager was still watching Collins as he walked over towards the ballroom and greeted three men standing together with a hearty handshake.
"Don't worry about us, Lucas, you do what comes naturally. Just be yourself," Bridger encouraged.
"Yeah, well I have given him 1 hour to get this over with and then I am out of here and back to the boat," Lucas informed them. "And at the moment I make it 59 nine minutes and 45 seconds," he emphasized.
"Lucas, come on over and meet someone………," Collins called out to the young man. The teenager began walking at a slow pace towards the men, the reluctance even obvious in his posture.
"58 eight minutes," he said without look back to his friends and family.
"Gee, Lucas feels like he is heading off to his execution rather than selling his chip for a million bucks," Tony commented casually.
"Lucas does not look very happy," Dagwood said simply.
"No, he doesn't sound very happy either, Dag," Bridger agreed.
Approximately half an hour after walking into the ballroom, the SeaQuest crew found themselves sitting at the table assigned to them. It was set back from the stage, but in front so they would be able to see and hear any speeches without any trouble.
Bridger and Kristin had tried to keep track of where Lucas was for most of the night, but as Nathan found himself introduced to a number of the guests, he found them increasingly interested in his Captaincy aboard SeaQuest.
Dagwood sat closest to Tony, and then the rest of the crew in no specific order around the table. The meal served was sumptuous and the quality very high. They were all very pleased with the menu that had been offered.
They were a little disappointed that Lucas had not had much of a chance to sit with them and enjoy a meal so far. He had been seated at a number of different tables, shaking their hands and listening politely to any ongoing conversation.
It was clear at some points that the teenager was growing bored and frustrated with the conversation not being to his taste at all. All of these investors were twenty or more years old of him, and none of them shared his interest in computer technology.
So why exactly were they interested in shedding money on his project he had to ask himself? What was in it for them?
"Man, I haven't had a meal like that since I was a kid," Tony remarked as he leaned back in his chair and waited for the food to settle.
"Your kidding right, Piccolo. You haven't had food like this ever!" Ortiz prodded, thinking that Tony was exaggerating his lifestyle before SeaQuest once more.
"Hey Ortiz, my Ma was one of the best cooks around. She could make almost anything out of a can of spaghetti and a loaf of bread. Even stuffed lobster with garlic butter."
"I am going for a walk, Dag," Tony suggested. "Lucas looks a little lonely over there," he added.
The crew turned and saw exactly that, Lucas standing near the bar, on his own, with looked like a coke in his hand. Collins was somewhere else across the room, talking up a storm.
"Dagwood coming with you."
"Hey, Luke, all silver clouds in the land of computers?" Tony said, trying to think of something clever to bring the teenager out of his darkening mood.
"As a matter of fact, no!" Lucas said curtly. "Sorry, I didn't sound ungrateful or anything," he said after seeing the look on the faces of his friends.
"I don't blame you. If this is supposed to be a celebration, man I have seen more action at a nunnery and monastery convention," Tony joked. "I haven't seen so many stiffs in one room except for Morton's Funeral home when they buried Uncle Louie."
Lucas smirked over the top of his glass as the comment, knowing that Piccolo was trying to help.
"Still counting the minutes?" Piccolo enquired, the conversation quickly drying up between the two friends. Dagwood stood with them but had yet to say anything.
"27 minutes and 36 seconds," Lucas said, looking at his watch. "Dagwood, hold this for me would you, all this caffeine is beginning to affect me," he said excusing himself and using the explanation to head off to the men's room. If the truth be known he just needed some breathing space for a moment.
Tony walked back to the SeaQuest table, Dagwood following, still holding onto Lucas's coke. "He is full of enthusiasm tonight, Captain."
"So I noticed," Bridger replied. They had all observed the boy's body language from across the room.
Lucas entered the men's room and ran the cold water in the sink for a few minutes, before splashing his face and using the fluffy hand towels provided.
"What exactly are you doing here?" he asked, chastising himself as he looked at his own reflection in the mirror and questioning everything that had happened since they arrived.
He had let Collins dictate the flow of events pretty much, despite his verbal protest about the change of the rules half way through the game. Collins had introduced him to all of these people he barely knew and told him everything would work out fine.
If was all supposed to be so right, according to him, then why didn't he feel it?
Briefly he disappeared into one of the stalls, wanting to gather his thoughts before facing the crowds again. Just as he locked the door, three men entered the bathroom.
He couldn't recognize them from their voices, but it was soon evident that they were talking about what had been discussed about his project.
"So, do you think that Collins is on the up and up with this new chip he is talking about?" one of the man asked as the three of them stood at the urinals.
"I don't know. Did you get a look at how young that kid is? Looks like he should still be playing video games or something," one of the other men answered.
"Collins hasn't steered us wrong before, but I am not about to put all of money on a kid fresh out of high school. We haven't even seen the technology yet. Just been told that it is still being developed," the third man responded.
"If I do decide to invest in this project, I want assurances from Collins that he is going to have his best team go over this chip with a fine tooth comb before putting it to any use. As you said, I am not willing to trust all of that money with a kid who should be riding his bike around the street and having his mother tuck him in at night," the first man added.
"Genius doesn't cut it for me either," the third man said as he walked over to the sink to wash his hands. "The costing of this project is astronomical if Collins wants to leave it in the hands of a kid. I say buy it off him for peanuts and then let someone who knows what they are doing work with it. Leaves no strings attached that way and leaves the kid with some pocket money until he gets a summer job."
"Yeah, I agree. Everybody walks away happy then," was the last comment as the three of them exited the rest rooms.
When the coast was clear, Lucas allowed the unlocked door to swing open slowly, scarcely able to fathom what he had just heard. He couldn't even find the right words at the moment to describe how he felt.
A few minutes later, he left the men's room, headed back to the bar for a drink. He passed by the SeaQuest table briefly, not having the courage to look at them at the moment for them to see his disappointment and hurt.
Doctor Westphalen didn't need a medical degree to notice that something wasn't quite right with the teenager.
Kristin was about to go over to the teenager and get some more answers was before she could, Collins interrupted yet again………
"Lucas, come on over here and meet…….," he began say, taking the young man by the arm and beginning to lead him over towards another so-called investor he hadn't met yet.
"I would rather not, if you don't mind," Lucas said in a calm, but low voice.
"Nonsense, you just have to meet………." Collins began to say, not realizing that there was now a major problem.
He started introducing him to the man before they even shook hands. "Mr Zenke, this is Lucas Wolenczak, the brilliant young man behind this project."
"Good evening, young man," the tall, broad shouldered man greeted him, but Lucas could see the same dubious look at his credentials that a number of the other people had during the evening.
They didn't believe that he was the one responsible for designing and creating the chip and thought Collins must have been pulling some PR junket to try and promote something his own company had designed that would have appeal for someone of Lucas's age.
"Mr Collins tells me that you are the brains behind this little revolutionary chip?" the man said, hoping to catch Lucas out about his knowledge of exactly what it did.
"Yes I am," Lucas shot back quickly. He was through playing Mr Nice this evening and wasn't about to sell himself or his chip short for any of these people.
"Your father is Doctor Lawrence Wolenczak is he not. A brilliant man himself. He must have had a large input into the design of this project at some point," the man remarked.
Lucas was left almost speechless at this comment, the mere mention of his father's name in the same sentence as his hard work was more than he could stand.
The man may as well have struck him across the face, rather than bring up such a subject.
"My father has nothing to do with this," Lucas said unable to hide his contempt at the insinuation.
"I need some air………," he said, turning and not bothering to see the surprised looks on the faces of the two men as he walked away abruptly.
Collins was left to apologize to the man on behalf of the teenager, telling him that the boy was merely tired and hadn't meant to be so abrupt.
Lucas walked over to the table where his friends were quietly talking, and addressed the Captain.
"When I come back inside, we are leaving," Lucas said with determination, not wanting to discuss the matter further and not about to take "no" for an answer.
Bridger had almost the same shocked expression as Lucas had a few minutes earlier after hearing the callous remarks of the three men in the bathroom.
The crew exchanged worried looks at each other as they watched the troubled teenager walk through the two stained glass doors near the stage.
Tony was about to get up and go to his friend when a felt a restraining hand from the Captain.
"I think I had better go and see what is wrong," Bridger said, knowing that Lucas was angry over something more troublesome.
Piccolo nodded his head and the rest of the crew nodded their head at his suggestion.
Bridger walked out the same two stained doors, but they all failed to notice, was Bill Sykes sitting at a table meant for two just inside the left-hand side door.
It was time to begin putting his plan into effect.
By the time Bridger had exited the doors onto the balcony, Lucas had made his way over to the ornate railing and was leaning against one of the larger banisters, looking out over the city lights.
Bridger could see that the boy was more than angry, he was upset. And this puzzled and worried him at the same time. Things hadn't turned out tonight quite like the teenager had arranged, but he had no idea of what else had transpired.
Lucas looked up briefly at the approaching footsteps, but quickly looked away as a mixture of feelings began to swell up inside. He didn't know which one to release first. He felt like screaming in anger and crying like a baby all at the same time.
Bridger was astute enough of the young man's pride not to put his arm around him, but he was close enough to see the downcast expression on Lucas's young face.
"I am here if you want to talk," he finally said after a few minutes, knowing that he had learned over time that sometimes the best way to comfort Lucas was to be there in silent support.
"How stupid do I look now, huh?" Lucas remarked, the words seemingly coming out on their own with little control from him.
Bridger listened, but didn't make any judgment just yet.
"I should have guessed that this wasn't going to work out my way. Things in my life have a way of turning out exactly the opposite of how I want them. They have never gone right up to now so why should that track record change all of as sudden now."
"At least the other companies that I spoke to were honest about what would happen if I signed up with them. They weren't feeding me honey in one hand and giving me lemon juice in the other."
"I thought Collins understood what I wanted out of this partnership when we had our meeting. And its not that he is a bad person or anything. Over zealous perhaps, but not bad."
"I don't doubt that he thinks he has all of this planned out to the letter. But take a good look at him in there tonight. He hasn't done anything that those investors didn't tell him to do first," Lucas added.
"Give him a month, and those investors would just waltz right in and take over the project before he would even know what was going on. And he would be naïve to let it happen too," Lucas said, using his hands to emphasis his frustration even more.
Bridger found himself nodding his head in agreement at that assumption of Collin's personality. The man hadn't stopped still for a minute since they first walked into the hotel.
"Did you hear what those creeps said in there?" Lucas said, looking up sharply, his voice becoming more animated and angry as he spoke.
"Those bastards have the hide to talk about me behind my back!"
Bridger had just begun to understand what had happened to upset the boy, when he explained further.
"They didn't know I could hear them from that bathroom stall, but they talked about me being too young and that the chip couldn't be as good as I say it is, and that they weren't going to invest their money in something like that."
"That somehow they think I should be still in school and playing video games," he said, mimicking the tone of voice that he had heard from the three men.
Lucas was now giving a little laugh, but Bridger knew that there wasn't anything funny in the teenager's words. They were full of disappointment and frustration and hurt balled up together.
"And when I come out of there, ready to tell Collins to go jump…. you know what happens then?" he asked, pausing slightly he saw Bridger shrug his shoulders in a negative response.
"For a few brief moments, I am forced to talk to the other guy in there….. you are just going to love this," he mocked.
"The guy says, and I quote: That my miserable father, the esteemed Doctor Lawrence Wolenczak, bastard extraordinaire. And a brilliant man to boot he tries to inform me; must have had a large input into the design of MY project."
Bridger closed his eyes briefly as he realized how much hurt such harmless words would have invoked in the teenager.
"MY PROJECT!" Lucas said, looking up at Bridger, his face showing exactly how he was feeling.
He wanted to be angry and show Collins that he wasn't going to be pushed around or talked down to like a five year old. For a moment, Lucas wanted to forget how old he was supposed to be acting, and jump up and down, giving the biggest tantrum.
Whether it was right at that moment, in a public place or not, that Lucas felt Bridger's arm go around his shoulder as he fought hard to keep his emotions in.
No doubt some would say that he had every right to accept the embrace, but instead, fuelled by a new spark of anger, he deliberately pulled away from Bridger, not wanting to be comforted.
The realization had begun to hit home and Lucas could see his long held dreams for the microchip beginning to slip from his grasp, and it was hitting him pretty hard.
"What do you want to do?" Bridger asked gently, knowing how hard Lucas had worked on this over the past few weeks. How excited he had become, even when others were worried about his safety.
"The decision is yours, Kristin and I will support you in whatever do and I am sure the crew feel that way too," Bridger told him.
The teenager had done his best to swallow the tears of frustration that had built up, as he turned away and wiped at his face. A moment or two later, he felt ready to answer Bridger's question.
"They are not getting that chip," Lucas declared with resolve. "Do you know how much sweat and hard work has gone into that chip? he said, meant as a statement rather than a question.
"Do you know how much pain I have had to put up with over the past few weeks all because someone else thought they wanted to steal it away from me?
"Too much for me to give up on it and just let them take it away. Everything I have worked for will have been for nothing if I let people like that in there get a hold of that sort of technology."
"They are only in it for the money. It was never that for me, despite the offers they made. I made that chip for advancement in science and robotics. Not for profit."
Lucas found himself having to sit down on a nearby chair for a few minutes as his leg began aching just like Kristin had told him it would if he didn't rest it.
Nathan agreed with all of the boy's comments and was pleased that the boy had used his heart as well as his head to make the decision.
At the same time, he couldn't deny that his heart felt heavy for the boy's dreams being shattered like they had been.
For the time being anyway, they could make a better decision on the chip and its development once Lucas had had a chance to rest and gather his thoughts.
"What do you say to get out of here?" Bridger suggested, noting the tiredness on Lucas's face.
"What are you going to tell Collins?" Bridger enquired, about to suggest that he would talk to the man if Lucas didn't want to face him again tonight.
But in true Lucas style, the teenager straightened his shoulders and stood up, ready to face the music of what he was about to do, "I am going to tell him and them the truth."
Kristin was beside herself with worry about Lucas and was about to send Tony out to check on him and Nathan when they saw the two of them walk back in through the doors.
The two of them looked to speak briefly.
"Do you want me to be there with you when you tell him?" Bridger asked Lucas, knowing it wasn't going to be easy.
"No, its alright. I have to do this myself," Lucas said, knowing that the Captain could see through any mask that he might be trying to portray of being able to cope with the decision he had made.
Lucas couldn't see Collins at first, as he glanced around the room. Then he spotted the man standing up on the stage, adjusting a microphone, and began making his way onto the platform.
Whilst Lucas was doing this, Bridger had made his way back to the table. Kristin could see the expression on his face was a grim one.
"Okay people, lets pack it up nice and quickly," he began to say.
"Nathan, what's happened?" she asked. Bridger knew that it wouldn't remain a secret for very long and sighed heavily, as he tried to explain what had happened out on the balcony.
"Lucas is about to pull the plug on Collin's deal. Everything they told him was just to get their hands on his technology and then leave him out in the cold afterwards."
Bridger proceeded to tell the crew bits and pieces of the conversation that he and Lucas had what he had overheard the men saying about him and his chip.
"Oh dear, poor Lucas," Kristin gasped as she already guessed at how well this piece of news would have been received.
"You don't even know the half of it. That kid is tearing himself up inside. This was his dream that they took away from him," Bridger said, starting to get a little angry himself at Lucas's pain.
"One of the investors even accused Lucas of having his father Lawrence Wolenczak involved and coming up with the idea in the first place," Bridger explained.
The crew knew how much of a sore spot any mention of his real father was to Lucas. And for anybody to suggest that they were even in the same room together let alone working on anything, was just ludicrous.
"You want me and Dag to go and sort them out for you, Cap?" Tony Piccolo suggested quickly, intending to take a swing at somebody if that is what it took.
"No, and as soon as we leave here, I want Lucas left alone. He was very cranky and upset outside and this isn't going to be easy for him," Bridger told them.
"Where have you been, Lucas?" Collins asked as he spotted the teenager slowly making his way up to the stage. "I have been looking everywhere for you."
"Yeah, well I have come to tell you something too………..," he began to say, but was prevented from continuing when Collins began to speak into the microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have your attention here for a moment please. I promise not to keep your attention from your drinks for too long," he joked.
Lucas could feel everyone's eyes in his direction, and was wanting to make a hasty retreat, but knew that he had to tell Collins his decision first. Being thrust in the spotlight all of a sudden like this, wasn't exactly how he pictured it.
From behind, Lucas was not able to see Sykes begin to make his way through the crowd towards the elevators. He spotted Frank and Riley standing near the kitchen door and signaled for them to get ready to move into position.
"Mr Collins, you don't understand, I have to…………," Lucas tried to say, but the man spoke over the top of him.
"Without any further ado, I would like to introduce you all to the young man that I believe is going to make Collins Industries a household name. He may be young in age, but the chip that he had designed is out of this world and will be a great asset to this company."
Collins was hoping to keep to his promise of convincing the boy that the partnership would benefit them both, "Lucas, I know you don't like being the centre of attention like this but I hope you will accept this small token from me as a warm welcome."
Lucas found a small green box in his hand, and then Collins opening it for the crowd to see. It was a gold watch. The teenager found himself looking back nervously at the large group of people before the stage.
He wanted to tell Collins his decision, but this hadn't been expected at all. Lucas began to look for Bridger and the crew in the hope that the offer to help explain still stood, but with the bright lights in his face, he couldn't see their table.
"Don't be shy, Lucas," Collins said, wanting the boy to speak, rather than just stand there with a shocked expression on his face. "Here let me," he whispered, taking the watch out of the box and securing it around the boy's left wrist before the teenager had a change to object.
"There, see it fits perfect," Collins announced, taking a step back and beginning a round of applause in honour of the boy. The crowd joined in, except for the SeaQuest crew, knowing that this was exactly what Lucas didn't want.
"I am afraid you have this all wrong, Mr Collins," Lucas said, trying to release the watch from his wrist. "Don't get me wrong, it looks like a very nice watch, but have made the decision not to accept your partnership………,"
Just as the words left his lips, and a startled gasp erupted from the gathered crowd, the room was plunged into darkness as the lights went out. There were a few quick screams from some of the ladies and the sound of one of the waiters falling over whilst he was carrying a tray of glasses.
"Everybody just remain calm please, I am sure this is just a small technical hitch in this evening's events," Collins began to say, but with the microphone also having lost power, his voice was only heard at normal volume.
"What the hell is going on, Captain?" Brody spoke up on behalf of the crew.
"I don't know, but I don't like it," Bridger said. "But before he had a chance to make a decision as to what to do, he could hear Lucas calling to someone on the stage.
Riley had played with the main lighting switch that was located near the main stage area. It gave him and Frank the perfect opportunity to be close enough to not have to worry about tripping over tables and chairs in the pitch blackness.
"What happened to the lights, Mr Collins," Lucas demanded to know, not able to see anything.
"I don't know, Lucas," but before he could answer further, they heard a sharp "zzzt" sound and a tremendous thud as something large and heavy landed near the teenager's feet on the stage.
Riley had convinced Frank to deviate from Sykes plan a little about the tazer, thinking that they could distract the crowd of people more if they were concerned more about the man who was already unconscious.
"Mr Collins………….," Lucas said, trying to grope with his hand in the darkness to work out what had happened. His hand felt what he thought was the back of a jacket, and alarm bells began to set off in his head.
"Captain!" Lucas said as he stood up, still surrounded by darkness, but deliberately taking a step backwards, the fear in him growing that the lights going out had not been a mere accident.
"Hey, what the………!" the teenager exclaimed as he felt a set of arms grab him from behind, making him drop the watch box. Without warning he felt a large hand clamp down over his mouth to keep him silent.
"Surprise kid, bet you didn't think you would ever see us again, huh?" Frank laughed cruelly in his ear as he tightened his hold on the boy, jerking his head back and preventing him from getting loose.
"Let's move," he heard a second voice say.
"Mmpph!" Lucas tried to yell through the hand, trying to get someone's attention, recognizing the voices of his kidnappers, Frank and Riley.
"Lucas, where are you?" Bridger, cursing out loud as his knee connected with a chair.
But there was no response to his question.
Lucas tried his best to keep his feet planted firmly on the floor as possible, but he found with their combined bulk and his slight weight, he wasn't able to stop them very much.
Lucas cried out as the dragging action along the floor caused a sharp pain to his injured foot. The two captors ignored his pleas to stop, with Frank clamping his hand down further over the boy's mouth.
There was the distinct sound of shuffled footsteps as the two men tried to force their struggling captive to walk off the stage. The tricky part for them, like everybody else was going to be making their way across the room in the dark.
Sykes hadn't factored that scenario into his plan, he had merely seen the dousing of the lights as an opportunity to snatch the boy without being seen and take him by surprise..
One of the kitchen hands knew the layout of the room a little better than the guests, and was able to find the main light switch. Soon the room was bathed in chandelier light once more, but everyone froze with the situation now obvious to all.
On the stage, Mr Collins still laid out cold, and a number of the other guests had gone to his aid, trying to wake him and offer any medical aid.
"Hold it right where you are!" Crocker warned, as he and the rest of the SeaQuest crew quickly made their way through the rows of tables, so they could get to Lucas.
Bridger was just as shocked as everybody in the room to see the boy being manhandled by two men. They had almost gotten away with it too if the lights hadn't come back on.
"That's that same two jerks that had Lucas tied up in that cave," Tony declared as he and Dagwood inched along with the others, trying to think of a way to get their friend free.
Riley held the tazer in his hand and held it against the boy's exposed neck as a warning, "Anybody want to play hero?"
"Just let him go," Bridger tried to negotiate.
Now that the lights were back on, Riley and Frank began walking across the floor, Lucas still being dragged along with them.
"Can't rely on you two blockheads to do anything right, can I?" Sykes said as they neared the elevators.
Lucas looked at the red-headed man and recognized him from one of the meetings he had about the chip.
Sykes yanked Lucas out from Frank's grip releasing the hand from around his mouth, but now menacingly held a pistol in plain view, close to Lucas for all to see.
"And now my young friend, I am taking over and when we get you away from here and your friends, you are going to tell me where that chip of yours is," Sykes taunted.
"Get that elevator door open now," Sykes barked at the two men, backing up with his captive still held out in front.
Brody and Ford tried to get a little closer, hoping to catch them off guard and be able to grab Lucas away from them in time.
"Move back," Sykes ordered the crew and Bridger as the kidnappers backed up to the elevator doors.
"Keep coming gentleman, by all means, if you want to see him hurt," Sykes warned, cocking the pistol and butting the barrel up to Lucas's temple for emphasis.
Knowing that he had to create a diversion of some sort, Sykes pointed the gun at a nearby ceiling light and began firing at it. The crew and other people nearby were forced to take cover and shield themselves from the falling glass.
It was in that split second, that Sykes shoved Lucas roughly through the elevator doors, and into the hands of Riley and Frank once more. The teenager had fallen to the floor, but tried to scramble to his feet before the automatic door had a chance to close.
"LUCAS!" Bridger shouted as he tried to make it in time to keep the doors open.
"No, those bastards can't get him again," Tony declared, banging on the front of the elevator in frustration.
"LET GO OF ME!" could be heard being shouted as the elevator began to climb upwards.
to be continued…………….
Author Notes: There are far too many for this story really – suffice to say that the plot changed in several places – but not in others. I will give explanations for this in the final chapter.
It has taken a very long time to update this story – for many reasons – but the last chapter will not take as long – and there is only one more to go.
I decided after readers had waited so long, to put a bit more into this chapter – hence a slight change in what happens.
When I first started writing, I had planned for Lucas to actually have something go right for him for a change – and his deal go through – but then again – this is what happened after I started writing this chapter – got a mind of its own somehow. This will be explained a little more in the final chapter.
Collins character did change – and I tried to explain the reason for his change in personality – but probably didn't do it well enough. He wasn't supposed to be a baddie so to speak – but got too carried away and over the top.
I had planned to stop this in a different place, but that would have left the next chapter quite short – so I left it here………… that's my story anyway LOL
Did I have you guessing with the Tazer – you thought I was going to use it on Lucas didn't you – come on own up. And use the snake juice ?? Just to keep you all guessing.
Don't worry – I have something totally different in mind for the the climax – oh yes – something different…………..and yes there is a reason for the watch idea.
Kristin and the rest of the crew didn't have much input in this Chapter except for Bridger. Tony I hope I am getting a little right with his mannerisms and personality. I did mention his mother in there, ignoring the episode a little where they had little contact.
Please keep reading – I am enjoying it at the moment, so will update stories as soon as I can – including the ones like this that need finishing.
I would like to update every week or every day – but unfortunately that is not the case.
And I would rather the updates be worth reading and keep you coming back for more stories – than just updating for the sake of it.
Please let me know what you think. Reviews inspire me to write more.
JULES
