part nine
The silvery flash glided through the water like a bird through the air. Dolphins don't know political boundaries, nor do they care much for them. Like a flash, a dolphin could go in and out of a confederation without fear, much unlike his territorial human counterparts.
This particular dolphin was not your run-of-the-mill porpoise. He often saved the lives of the humans on board his ship-for he owned seaQuest. But that wasn't the only thing that made this dolphin special.
The oblong, skin-covered ship came closer and closer until finally he could spot the small opening. He swam inside and, being an expert at finding his way around the swim tubes that covered the many decks of the seaQuest DSV 4600II, quickly found himself on the bridge.
The clicks and whistles that make up the dolphin language filled the sir of the tense bridge. Ford looked over from his command chair to the open pool at the back of the room.
"Not now, Darwin." He said, annoyed. He had never felt as comfortable with Darwin as Lucas or Bridger had. "We're busy." But even the words of the Commander of the UEO's flagship meant nothing to the dolphin. The clicks and whistles came again, this time more urgent. Ford sighed and walked over to the pool. He pressed the power button on the dolphin vocoder and petted the animal on the head. "Okay, Darwin. You're online. What is it?"
"Lucas voice." The computerized voice that came from the speakers masked the clicks and whistles that came from the dolphin.
"What? Darwin, I don't understand." Ford wished that Bridger were there. He had always been good at understanding Darwin's words.
"Lucas voice. Hear."
"What? Darwin, you heard Lucas?"
"Yes!" He bobbed his head up an down energetically, splashing water everywhere. "Hear Lucas voice. Message."
Ford smiled for the first time in hours. "You heard a message from Lucas?" The dolphin's smile seemed to widen. "Darwin, what did he say?"
"Meet crescent moon island after sun." Time had been a difficult concept for Darwin to grasp. Ford was ecstatic.
"Darwin-where is this island?"
"Follow-Darwin show!" Ford grinned at the dolphin and rubbed the top of his head.
"Thank you, Darwin." A small laugh escaped his mouth. "Thank you."
Ford stood up and ran to O'Neil, who was sitting at his communications consul.
"O'Neil, call all senior officers to the ward room."
"Yes, sir."
Lucas tried to ignore the pain in his side as his fingers flew over the consul. The information he was getting back confirmed his suspicions. Bridger got up from where he was sitting and walked over to Lucas' station. He noticed the boy's ragged, heavy breathing and concern started to burn in the pit of his stomach.
"Lucas-how are you doing?"
"We're too far away to contact seaQuest, captain, and we're running out of fuel."
"Lucas-"
"We're going to stop at this island-" he pointed to his screen at a crescent-shaped island few nautical miles from their current position. "-though I'm not sure what we're going to do once we're there if seaQuest didn't get my message."
Bridger gently placed his hand on the boy's arm. "Lucas-I meant you." Lucas stopped typing and looked up from his controls. He opened his mouth to speak. Nothing came out but a cry as his face contorted in pain and he collapsed onto the floor. "Lucas!" Bridger cradled the boy's head in his arms as he pulled back his shirt. He gasped as he saw the blood-covered rip and knew instantly what had happened.
Lucas tried not to give into the pain but it was too great. He had wanted to be strong for Bridger, to not give him more reasons to worry, but he had failed. He just wasn't strong enough. He looked up at Bridger's concerned face.
"I'm sorry, captain." He turned his gaze to the lights as Mia an over to them with the med-kit.
"Lucas..." Bridger felt completely helpless. All he could do was sit there and hold on to a hand while his son bled to death. No, he told himself. I will not lose another son! He turned to Mia, who was just as distressed as he was but had to work through her pain. "Can't you work any faster?!" He demanded.
She shot him a glare. "I'm trying my best here, captain, but I'm not a doctor. All I know to do is stop the bleeding." She glanced back at Bridger's face and knew that she shouldn't take his harsh words personally, but it was hard not to.
Bridger turned his eyes from the wound and back to Lucas' face. The dread he felt in the pit of his stomach growled at him as he saw that Lucas' eyes were closed.
"Lucas?!" Bridger lightly tapped Lucas' cheek then shook his shoulders violently, willing him back to life. "Lucas, don't you leave me! Do you hear? Don't you leave me!" Bridger's voice caught in his throat, and for the first time since his wife's death his emotion was so great that he found he couldn't speak. As Lucas' eyes fluttered open weakly, relief washed over him like a wave. "Stay with me, son."
Mia released the pressure on Lucas' wound and placed a fresh bandage over it. "The wound doesn't look too deep, captain," she said, finishing up. "I've done all I can do. The biggest problem lies in the amount of blood he's lost." She sighed. "We don't have any way of replacing what he's lost. So unless we get him back to seaQuest fast..." she let the thought finish itself.
When Ford walked in to the Ward Room, the rest of the senior officers were already there, sitting around the oak table in tense silence. He walked around the table and felt everyone's eyes on them. He couldn't help thinking who, if any, would follow him to where he was suggesting they go. He took a seat at the head of the table.
"What I am about to suggest," he started looking around the table, peering into each face present, "is not an order." First was Lieutenant Commander James Brody, then Lieutenant Tim O'Neil, and Chief Medical Officer Doctor Wendy Smith. "It has nothing to do with the UEO, but it does disobey direct orders." He paused, searching for any look of uncertainty in the faces of his executive crew. "We received a message from Lucas that asks us to rendezvous with him on an island not far from our present location. The problem is that it is across the border in New Australian Territory." He saw worried glances exchanged among the gathered officers. "Secretary General MeGath has ordered us not to cross the border for any reason. Here comes the decision that each one of you has to make." The senior officers watched in shock as their commanding officer stood up out of his chair, put his hand to the triangular UEO officer patch on his arm, and tore it from his uniform. Ford responded to the shocked looks by tossing the patch into the table in front of them. "I don't expect all of you to follow. But remember this-Captain Bridger risked his life to save Lucas, and I know with absolute certainty that he would do the same for any of you."
Only Wendy knew the real reason that Bridger had gone after Lucas, but she could feel Ford's determination and knew that he would go whether or not any of them came along. She also knew that he would need help.
"I'll go." She said as she stood up.
Ford looked around the table. "Anyone else?" Lieutenant Commander Jim Brody, with his face set hard as stone, slammed his hand down on the table and stood up.
"I'm right with you, Jonathan." He said, as another patch joined the one already in the center of the table. The two men's eyes met, and a smile passed between them. Brody hadn't always been the easiest man in Ford's executive crew to get along with, and their relationship, until now, had always been full of rivalry. Now all traces of that were gone from either soldier's eyes and minds.
Three pairs of eyes all turned to the remaining officer, still sitting in his chair. Uncomfortable with the situation, Tim O'Neil supported his head with his hands, covering his mouth. He had never been one to be a rebel; disobeying orders just went against the grain. But for his captain and for LucasÉ he looked up at the faces staring at his own.
When the meeting adjourned, three UEO patches sat in the middle of the oak table, waiting patiently for their owners to return.
Tony Picollo caught Ford as he was exiting the Ward Room and pulled him off to the side of the hallway.
"Commander." In a very un-Picollo-like gesture, Tony stood strait up with his shoulders back and offered Ford a salute.
"Seaman, I don't have much time to talk," Ford warned.
"Asking permission to join the team to go get Lucas and Captain Bridger, sir."
Ford was taken aback. "You want to come along?"
"Yes, sir." Picollo let his straight forward gaze falter a moment to look into Ford's eyes. "Lucas is my friend, sir. He's kinda' like a kid brother to me." He turned his stare forward once more. "I want to help get him back, sir."
Ford thought a moment. Who was he to stop this man from helping a friend? Did Ford have a right to keep his from going because he was just enlisted crew? Ford smiled slightly and patted Picollo on the back, his smile widening at the man's surprised expression.
"We leave at 2400, Mr. Picallo. Don't be late."
"Thank you, sir." Picallo smiled.
"Don't thank me. Just get ready to go." Ford was gone down the hallway before Picallo could offer a response.