part five
"Hey-" Lucas grunted as the sergeant shoved him through a dark doorway and onto the floor. "Mindless drone," he muttered under his breath as he heard the sergeant laugh and lock the door behind him. Lucas stood and dusted himself off before taking in his surroundings.
He couldn't see very well in the darkness, but he could tell that he was in a small, stuffy room completely made of steel. A small cot was pushed into the corner, and someone had laid his duffel bag on the mattress. Thank god, he thought, as he ran over to the bed and tore though the bag, looking through for any glimpse of the metal frame surrounding the face of his mother. His heart started to pump faster and faster and his hands moved more and more frantically as his search turned up nothing.
"Looking for this?" Lucas turned around to look at Captain Mitchell's form silhouetted in the doorway. As he walked into the dark room and turned on the lights, Lucas could see his mother's face in the captain's hand.
"Give that back to me." He barely got it out through his clenched teeth.
"Is this your mother?" Mitchell's voice was surprisingly calm and detached from the turmoil going on inside him.
"Give that back!" Now Lucas was yelling. He was shaking from the anger he was unsuccessfully trying to push down inside.
"Is this your mother?!"
"Yes! Are you satisfied?" Lucas ran up to Mitchell and grabbed the frame and its contents. Mitchell let him take it and closed his eyes in resignation.
"So you're the child." Lucas slowly turned around, pressing the frame to his chest.
"What?" He whispered.
"You're the child that ruined my marriage." Understanding dawned on Lucas. This was the man who had left his mother 18 years ago!
"You're..."
"Kathryn was my wife, my love. And my only regret."
"Regret?" Lucas felt numb.
"You have to understand, Lucas. I was young; when I left, it was out of selfish pride. It had taken my whole career to rise in the ranks here, and when Kathryn had an affair with that UEO man-I couldn't stay, not after what they had done to my country. It was stupid, Lucas. I know. It is the only thing in my life that I regret."
Lucas didn't know how to feel. Part of him refused the fact that this man was who he, until recently, used to think of as his father. But another part of him was excited to find Mitchell. This man had known Lucas' mother before Lucas had; he could tell Lucas all sorts of stories about her. If Mitchell regretted leaving, then maybe he could become the father Lucas never had. But Lucas knew he could never fully forgive this man for the hurt he caused his mother and himself. All of Lucas' pent up rage boiled deep inside him. Despite the opportunity this man represented, Lucas could feel the rage taking over. He had been forced to be the strong one, the "man" of the house for so long that Lucas tried to use his strength of will to combat the rage growing inside him. But his strength failed him. He could feel the anger winning.
He walked up to the tall man blocking the doorway and looked him up and down. He could feel his hands making fists almost against his will. He pressed the picture harder and harder against his chest; he was holding it so hard that he was surprised the glass didn't break.
"You self-righteous bastard." He spoke so softly that Lucas didn't know if Mitchell even heard him. Before he knew it, Lucas' hand hurt like hell and Mitchell was on the floor, reeling from the punch.
Lucas ran. He didn't know where he was going, but still he ran. Blinded by his rage, he didn't stop to think about where he was going. He just ran and prayed to any god that was listening that he would find the shuttle bay and get the hell out of here.
Lucas had been running for a while when he started to hear voices and footfalls behind him. He tried to push himself harder but found that he had no more to give. He breathed a sigh of relief when the hallway widened and he was in the shuttle bay.
Since it was the middle of the night no one was manning the stations, so Lucas walked up to the consul and ran his fingers over the controls. They weren't that different from the controls on seaQuest. Soon he found his shuttle and started the sequence that would set him free.
"Stop right there!" Lucas turned to find a young ensign not that much older than himself pointing a gun at his head. He took a deep breath.
"Please." His voice shook. "Don't do this. I just want to go home." His eyes darted to the opening doors that led to his shuttle. "Please," he pleaded. "Just let me leave. No one will know." The young ensign paused, gave Lucas a sympathetic look, and lowered his gun. Lucas took a deep breath, thanked the young man, and ran to the doors of his docking port.
But before he could mount the ladder and climb into his mini-sub, Mitchell and five armed men ran into the room. Lucas decided to make a run for it. He dove for the ladder as one of the men pulled his trigger. Lucas felt two small pricks hit the small of his back and knew that he had been drugged. He didn't even try to fight it as he fell backwards into darkness.
"Oh, god. No..." The voice made Wendy Smith sit up straight. She often fell asleep reading in her chair. Her psychic abilities were heightened while she slept, and this night she could hear Lucas' scared voice. "It can't be him. It can't be." The voice came again, and this time not only could she hear it, but she could sense Lucas' fear and anger. "He can't get away with this!" Wendy grabbed her chest. Oh, Lucas... She got up and ran out the door.
Mia swished the brown washcloth in the cool water, wrung it, and placed it once again on Lucas' forehead. Poor boy, she thought. He had no clue what he was in for. All he was trying to do was help me. She gently brushed his cheek with the backside of her hand. For the first time in her life she felt guilty about following orders. The captain was her father, for pete's sake; how could she have disobeyed him? She knew that she had been given no choice, but some part of her said she should've tried to do something.
She glanced up as the door to the room opened. She let out a tiny sigh of relief when she saw that it was only Michael who entered.
"How is he?" The young ensign walked over and knelt beside the bed.
"No change. What about you? What'd he say?"
"10 lashes." He grimaced as he arched his back. "I got off easy, considering if they hadn't shown up the kid would've been gone." He watched her gaze drift back to Lucas. "I'd better be careful the next couple of days; they'll probably be watching me very carefully."
Mia ran her hands through her hair. "What did they pump into him? He's running a fever and shivering like crazy." Michael looked Mia up and down, worried.
"Mia, have you eaten today?" She glanced at him, surprised.
"What?"
"I'm worried about you. Ever since this kid was brought here you haven't eaten or taken care of yourself at all." He sighed." What's this boy to you, Mia?"
"He's here because I couldn't stand up to my father. I put on a good act, but in reality, I can't." She looked at Lucas' face. "I feel guilty."
"You know your father would've gotten him here even without your help."
"I know. But...I just can't help it. God, I hate the fact that I can't stand up to him!"
"Well, maybe it's time you started."
"What do you mean?" She was taken aback.
"Let's get this boy out of here."
"What?" Mia couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Do you know what would happen to you?"
"Mia, there are many among the crew who think your father is wrong. I am one of them. I can't keep following the orders of a madman. He wants to take on the UEO by himself and expects us to follow him like sheep. It's ludicrous!" Michael leaned over to her and took her small hands in his. "We grew up together Mia, and I think we know each other better than anyone else." He looked strait in her eyes. "You have a good heart. You can't tell me that you haven't thought about it already."
"I know you're right, Michael. I know." She thought for a moment, looked at Lucas' tortured face, and sighed. "What's your plan?"
"You're sure it was Lucas?" Captain Bridger paced the floor behind Wendy, seated in a chair.
"I'm positive." She shivered. "Something's going on, Nathan, but it goes deeper than whatever situation Lucas has got himself into now." Bridger stopped dead in his tracks. He took a deep breath, walked over to his desk, sat down and put his head in his hands. "Nathan, do you know anything about this?"
Bridger sighed. He was sick of holding it all inside of him. He needed to tell someone.
"Yes, Wendy, though I'm surprised that you haven't read it already." He paused. "Wendy, none of what I'm about to say can leave this room. Understand?" She nodded, and Bridger looked down at his hands. "I ... am Lucas' father."