TWG Part 9
By Gryffyn copyright 2001
Disclaimer: See part 1
Part 9
Tap, tap, tap Lucas softly knocked on the door to his father's cabin. "Dad?"
"Snort…sniff…huh? Lucas is that you?" The startled captain attempted to shield his eyes against the light that flooded in from the hallway. He was already up and moving about, a habit from his years in the service. Had things been less serious Lucas may have been tempted to snicker or even comment to Nathan on the older man's attempts to locate his robe.
"Yeah Dad, its me," the gangly teen said hesitantly. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, it was hardly an emergency, was it?
"Lucas are you alright? Was it a nightmare?" Nathan pulled his son into the room and closed the door, all the while checking his son for the telltale signs of the ghosts that haunted in the night.
""No, no nightmare tonight." Seeing the love and concern on Nathan's face Lucas suddenly started to feel guilty for waking the captain. His new problem was how to get out of this.
"Are you hurt? Did you call Kristen?"
"No, uh just forget it, I'll wait 'til later," the teen started backing towards the door.
Nathan was having trouble reading Lucas' body language, was the teen afraid? With an inward sigh the tired captain just decided to cut to the chase. "Forget it? Nice try kiddo, but when I'm woken up at," he checks his watch, "03:42 it's not that easy to forget about it and go back to sleep."
"Sorry," Lucas mumbles, "I won't do it again." He shifts from foot to foot. Uneasiness emanates from his every pore, as the youth seems to be waiting for something.
Suddenly the fog of sleep lifts from the captains brain as he realizes that Lucas seems to be expecting some sort of reprimand and/or punishment for disturbing his father. Nathan almost groaned out loud as this came to light. He inwardly cursed Lawrence Wolenczak for everything he'd put the boy through.
"Lucas, its alright. If you need to talk don't ever apologize for it. Obviously if it's bothering you enough to keep you awake then its important to you. I want to help, but I can't if you keep pulling back." Nathan's tone was gentle as he held his son's face, ensuring eye contact was made.
"Well its just, I…uh…" The words didn't want to come, Lucas began to hyperventilate with his frustration.
The older man gently placed his arm across Lucas' shoulder, the movement gradual as to keep from upsetting the youth any further, then he steered the, towards his bunk. "Sit down for a moment and take it easy kiddo, just let the words flow out." The teen just looked incredulously at his father before finally succumbing to the wisdom of the advice.
It took nearly half an hour for Lucas to relate to Nathan all that Alexia had told him over their late night encounters and his own searches. Then it took another half-hour of questioning by Bridger to go over it all, ensuring that nothing had been missed.
The captain was wary of Lucas' idea of hacking into some possibly sensitive material. It wasn't that he doubted the teen's ability, he was concerned about the possibility of drawing the attention of the UEO's notorious Section 7. The crew of the SeaQuest had had dealings with them in the past and they weren't very pleasant. On a couple of those occasions it had been Lucas' tactics that had been under scrutiny, and while he'd never been found guilty of anything, Nathan doubted that Lucas would exit this experience unscathed.
By now Nathan had worn a rut in the floor with all his pacing. He wished that he could get close enough to Alexia to talk, but all his efforts thus far had still been thwarted. Unfortunately with what little information he had, Nathan couldn't condone Lucas' plan. When the youth started to protest, the captain had to forbid the action with threats to Lucas' use of his computer and the nex.
"Look Lucas, its not that I don't want to help Alexia, I do. Its just too great a risk right now, if we had more information, maybe. And no offense kiddo, I'd like to speak to her myself before this goes any further." He raised an eyebrow, quelling the interruption Lucas had been about to make. "It's not that I don't trust you, you should know better by now, I just want to be sure this is what's best for her, what she wants."
"How can being a prisoner be what's best for her?" His son asked indignantly.
"I didn't say it was," the older man admonished. "However, she may be, just may be, right about some of the legal ramifications of this. I'd have to make a few discreet inquiries to be sure." Nathan sighed, somehow he got the feeling it was going to be a long day.
Checking his watch again he turns to Lucas, "Look I have to get up in an hour so there's no point in my going back to sleep. Don't you dare apologize again Lucas," Nathan cut the youth off. "There's no reason you can't go get another couple ours of shut eye though. I'll leave a message for Kristen telling her you'll be late this morning."
"Dad, don't bother I'm too wired to sleep anyway. Let's go get some coffee from the mess."
"You're on." Nathan grabbed a clean uniform making his way to the private head that was off his cabin. Calling through the closed door "Its no wonder you can't sleep kiddo, with all that caffeine you drink." Emerging a scant moment later Bridger found his son asleep sitting on his bunk. Gently he guided Lucas into lying down and proceeded to tuck the covers around him. Giving the boy's hair a little ruffle he whispered "sleep well kiddo" before leaving to start his morning.
Tbc
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