Chapter 37
Despite having to show up to "sessions" with Dr. Smith, Lucas really didn't look on the If Island imprisonment as all that traumatic an event anymore. Okay, it had been bad. No denying that. He'd never been hurt that severely and he never wanted to experience anything remotely close ever again. But it wasn't like he'd never been kidnapped or trapped somewhere he didn't want to be before. He'd been just as scared when he thought some whacko terrorist was going to hurt Sandra, but no one had made such a big deal about that. The whipping scars were gone. Beauregard was dead, and they'd even turned the Mobius Hole trip into something good by preventing an alien abduction that would have been far worse than the few months spent in that dark dodecagon.
He showed up to his silly shrink appointments because the captain said it was mandatory and he was trying to be responsible. Lucas convinced Dr. Smith rather easily that he was just fine. After that, the meetings weren't half bad. It was kinda nice having an appointed time each week when he was allowed to complain as much as he wanted without being looked on as the whiney kid. During sessions, Lucas called her Wendy and they talked like friends even though he addressed her formally all the rest of the time. She wasn't as old as Captain Bridger and Dr. Westphalen, who, although much closer emotionally, he couldn't imagine addressing by their first names, even in private. Wendy probably didn't know it, but Dr. Westphalen's almost daily checks on his well-being, combined with the scientific stimulation he'd missed so much were much more valuable than any form of psychology.
Tim had come up with the idea of asking Will to give semi-private martial arts lessons, evidently prodded by his nervous fiancée. It was a little disheartening that his geeky, four-eyed friend was engaged before he (the guy Juliana had once declared had 'perfect hair') could even land a steady girlfriend. He respected and liked Tim a lot, but he'd never seen that romance train coming. However, now that Tim was engaged and had been promoted to lieutenant, he wasn't the same insecure, social misfit he'd been before. And since Lucas was trying to change his own 'kid mascot/captain's pet' image, he found himself even more drawn to Tim as a friend.
Will agreed to teach the two of them and somehow they'd found a time of day that all three of them were simultaneously available to meet. They started slow at first, mostly because Tim had trouble getting non-swimming muscles to stretch in new ways. Lucas didn't admit that he was sore too because he was younger and he'd always spent a lot more time in the gym. Admittedly, much of that time had been spent watching female crew without much concentration on his exercise, but he wasn't about to tell Tim or Will that.
Will said his methods derived largely from Vovinam with a large influence of Tang Soo Do and Karate. Tim probably appreciated all those foreign terms, but Lucas just wanted to know how to defend himself. And in that respect, Will didn't disappoint them. After the first three workouts, when he noticed Tim was loosening up and that both his students were really putting forth a lot of effort and practicing, Will suggested lessons twice a week. Lucas had been reluctant to ask that much of the new ensign, who had plenty of other responsibilities, but he and Tim both leapt at the offer.
Right about the time that his martial arts lessons increased in frequency, Wendy reduced his required shrink sessions. She could see that he didn't need that much chat time—once a month was a lot more reasonable. Lucas was also helping Tony sporadically with his reading. He'd got most of the basics at a public library program, but Lucas was really proud of him for not stopping there. He was working through the next level on his own, but sometimes he needed a little help. If he asked, Lucas would cut the time from his online gaming to help him out. Tony really didn't ask a lot though. Lucas would never admit it, of course, but his roomie wasn't as dumb as most people thought.
The only thing Lucas missed was the whale-song translation project. He and Miguel had lost momentum with all that happened at the end of the last tour and then the long dry dock time. And now Miguel was putting in more overtime than anyone on the Deinosuchus search and when he wasn't on the bridge, all he wanted to do was eat and sleep. He might have missed Miguel more, except having Dr. Westphalen and Dr. Levin as his bosses meant plenty of work and mental stimulation. They both pushed him to look deeper and learn about other projects outside of his regular areas of interest. Most of the scientists aboard were busy with their own projects despite the fact that seaQuest was stuck in a holding pattern in the South Atlantic. To most of them, ocean was ocean, and they could conduct their research anywhere they happened to be.
All in all, it was great to be back home. He loved seeing Darwin in his bedroom window, eating with his friends, and participating in the science community. And he loved being treated like an adult. Except for delivering Wally to Dr. Britton and a very short visit with the Sutters, seaQuest hadn't stopped since they left New Montevideo, going on six weeks now. And in all that time, Lucas had never entertained thoughts of being 'trapped', like he used to. He was eighteen now, and he could have gotten a job anywhere he wanted to live. Funny how the place that he had often cursed as a 'tin sardine can' was now not only home, but a sweet one. He didn't even think about how long it had been since his last shore leave anymore.
However, when Katie Hitchcock emailed him to ask if he could come spend a week in Pearl to help her with the designs for the new submarine, some of his dormant hunger for adventure bit him in the butt. While they probably weren't going to wrap up the Deinosuchus mess for at least another month, the science team didn't really need him, and neither did the bridge crew. Barring an emergency, they probably wouldn't miss his computer skills at all. He'd already debugged all the upgrades and had her purring like a kitten. Wait, the captain always made all his analogies using nautical references, and he'd started trying to emulate that particular habit. So maybe the computers were purring like a catfish? Hmm. Maybe he'd have to ask Miguel what biologic sounded most like a purr underwater.
Lucas straightened his uniform and knocked on the hatch door bearing the word 'Captain'. Of course, he knew it was also Dr. Westphalen's quarters, and he had done his level best to respect their privacy. They all saw each other at work, in the mess, and in the crew lounge. He didn't visit their quarters very often. "Come in," called a feminine voice.
Lucas opened the hatch just enough to stick his head in. All he saw was the doctor reading a mini computer, seated on the bed, but still in her green coveralls. "I'm sorry to bother you. I was looking for the captain."
"I'm here," said a masculine voice from somewhere on the other side of the room. A little further push on the hatch and he could see Captain Bridger at his desk, signing papers.
Dr. Westphalen beamed a smile at him and beckoned him in. "Come on in, Lucas. We won't bite."
He opened the hatch and stepped inside. "Katie sent me an email asking if I could come to Pearl and help her with the new sub."
"I know," Captain Bridger said. "She asked me if this was a good time. I told her it was a good time for me, but she needed to ask you. Aren't you in the middle of martial arts lessons with Ensign Shan?"
Lucas nodded. "Yes, sir, but I can miss a lesson or two. Tim can catch me up on vid-link and I'll use Ben as my practice dummy."
This brought a laugh from both the captain and the doctor. Lucas chuckled with them. He actually could hardly wait to try out some of his new moves on Katie too. She would probably take him down, but at least she would see that he was no longer the helpless wuss she'd known on the first tour. He waited to see if the captain was going to say anything, but he seemed to be waiting for him.
"Is there anything I need to do to get permission," he asked, hastily adding another "sir" and a badly-disguised questioning intonation after that. He knew Captain Bridger didn't require him to adhere to military standards, which was a good thing, since he couldn't always remember all the weird protocols, but since donning the science uniform and asking everyone to use his surname on the bridge, he had been trying to get more of the little things right, just because it amused or pleased the captain. Either way, it made him smile and his smile was worth it. But he wasn't smiling now. He looked puzzled. Lucas tried again. "I mean, like paperwork or anything?"
The smile came then. "No. You just need to check with me, and you've done that." He stood. "She's flying in tomorrow at 0900. Can you be ready then?"
He blinked. Man, Katie didn't mess around now that she had her own private jet copter. "Uh, yeah, I mean, yes sir."
Bridger leaned in and whispered, "You don't have to be that formal in our quarters, Lucas. You know I'm proud of you, right?"
He felt a surge of warm fuzzies amidst the surprise. Not so much surprise that the captain felt proud, but that he'd chosen to voice it. "You are?"
"I'm not the only one who's noticed how much more responsible you've been this tour, how mature." He cast a glance at his wife for support.
She nodded. "Dr. Levin thinks we brainwashed you at Christmas."
If that was brainwashing, bring on more. Truthfully though, it had been the best Christmas he could ever remember. He grinned at her. "Oh, I told him you did. Forced me to eat English cookies until I couldn't take it anymore and gave in to your diabolical plans."
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Diabolical indeed. Decorating a banana tree with lights and popcorn. Positively nefarious."
"Hey, I liked the Evil Banana Christmas tree."
The captain extended his hand. "Bring us back some macadamia nuts. We'll play poker."
Lucas shook his hand for a second, thought better of it, and went for the hug instead. "I will," he said in the middle of the squeeze.
Neither one of them held the hug for long. When Captain Bridger let go, Lucas found Dr. Westphalen had jumped up from the bed and waited with open arms. "You didn't think I'd let you off that easy, did you?" she teased.
He slipped into her waiting arms and hugged her a little longer than he'd hugged the captain. They'd always let him set the pace for affection, probably because he was at that sensitive stage in life (I'm too old for hugs) when he first met them, and because they didn't want to intrude on parental territory (yeah, like that mattered). Although freely offered, Lucas found it difficult to accept what he so desperately needed. But it always felt good when he threw his inhibitions aside and went for it.
He stopped by Tim's cabin next. He heard laughing before he knocked, but when Tim answered, he could see the vid-link and computer screens were both dark. That meant he had to have been talking telepathically to Mary. He used to give Tim a hard time about mind-chatting, and at first, it had made him flustered and embarrassed, but any trace of that reaction was long gone now. Tim could see any snide comment for the jealousy-borne jab it was, and Lucas didn't make a remark he knew would backfire.
"Sorry to interrupt," Lucas said with a grin. "Hi, Mary," he called as if he had an expectation he'd be heard. He didn't know whether she could hear or not, but it was mostly for Tim's benefit anyway, a subtle way of telling him he'd been caught.
Tim smirked and then said, "She says, 'Hi, Lucas.'"
"I'll be quick," he said in a meant-to-be-overheard voice. Then he switched to talking to the person who was actually there. "Just wanted to tell you I'm leaving for Pearl tomorrow. Katie is picking me up in her jet copter at 0900. I'm gonna tell Will to go ahead with the lessons. Record it and email or vid-link it to me, 'kay?"
"Great," he said sarcastically. "That means he'll demonstrate everything on me."
Lucas slapped Tim's bicep. "Just think how good you'll get. I'm going to have Katie throw me around, so we'll be even."
Tim gave him an odd look. He'd probably feel uneasy to practice with a woman. Lucas couldn't imagine it with someone his age, but Katie was like a big sister and she was an excellent fighter. She'd be cool about it. She might even have some moves that Will didn't know, or at least hadn't yet shown him.
"I'd like to see that." Tim had an evil grin on his face. "Why don't you send me your video?"
"Uh…" While he didn't mind Katie practicing with him, he wasn't so sure he wanted any video footage in existence which showed him getting thrown around by a woman.
"What's the matter, don't trust me?"
Lucas had to think a second. "With my life, yes. With my machismo, no."
Tim shook his head and laughed.
The teen turned quickly to go. "Bye."
He heard Tim call from behind him, "Have fun."
Lucas went back to his quarters and packed. Tony lent him a Hawaiian shirt and gave him way too many pointers on how to get a date with a 'hot native beach babe'. Lucas resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Sure, he loved to ogle at bikinis as much as the next guy and he'd talk to a girl if a reasonable opportunity presented itself, but he certainly wasn't interested in another trophy date like he'd had with Miguel's cousin. He was just going to admire from afar until he met someone with at least as much brains as Juliana.
"You realize I'm going there to work, right?"
"Oh come on, Luke. You know you won't be workin' 24/7."
Yes, he did know. He'd probably put in a lot of hours; he didn't mind that. But Katie wouldn't push him beyond reason when there was no urgency like there'd been when they had to build the Stinger from scratch in just hours instead of months. But there was no arguing with Tony. "Yeah, I'll be sleeping some of the time too. Tell you what, when CommanderHitchcock comes on board, why don't you try and wheedle some playtime out of her after she's come halfway around the world to get me and has to have me back in a week." Man, that would be so funny to watch if Tony tried it. "Oh yeah, and then let it get back to the captain that I'm messing around on his company's time."
Tony threw his hands up in surrender. "I gotcha. Work, not play."
And to Lucas's surprise, he could see that Tony really did get it, at least the part about being responsible with his time. Probably not so much about looking for something more than a pretty package in girls. Still, it was a step in the right direction.
SeaQuest had to surface in order for Katie to land. She did get out and greeted the captain and Commander Ford, but she didn't come inside the sub. Lucas didn't keep her waiting. Everyone exchanged goodbye waves before he got in the jet copter and Katie took off. She went straight up first, so they saw seaQuest disappear under the surface before they shot off.
He and Katie spent the entire time talking about the new sub—what she wanted to do, what she hoped he could do, and what the captain had suggested. He totally agreed that they weren't going to leave Captain Bridger outside of their plans this time. The memory of their mistake with the Stinger still stung. She was definitely holding something back though. Every time he started talking about sketches and blueprints, she'd get this big grin.
"All right, what gives?" he finally asked. "I know you're not telling me something. Have you built the hull already or what?"
Katie just grinned bigger. "Nope. You're gonna love the toy I got us though."
Toy? What could she possibly be talking about? "Come on, Katie. Tell me."
She shook her head. "You probably wouldn't believe it anyway. You've got to see it to believe it."
Oh, brother. He would believe her. But he could tell she wasn't going to change her mind no matter how much he cajoled her. He would have to wait. Drat. At least the flight was nearly over. He hated waiting.