Author: MacKynzie
Part: 3/6
Rating PG-13
Disclaimer: SeaQuest and all her crew aren't mine, I'm just borrowing them.
A HIDDEN PAST - part 3
Lucas blinked as the sunlight poured into his room. He looked around, unsure of where he was. Ah, yes. His mother's spare bedroom. Day 3 of Hell.
His mother had come home around 6:00 pm with some guy that first night. She'd yelled for awhile and left him alone. Then came Monday.
Unbeknownst to Lucas, apparently he had a stepfather. Bill was some houtie-toutie exec in a big company with so many names, it made Lucas' head spin. Bill had had a rough day at the office, and needless to say, was not pleased to come home and find that his wife had some smart-alek kid, he had known nothing about. He yelled at Lucas for stupid things, such as leaving a dish in the sink( "The sink is for looks not to be used!"), or putting his feet on the living room table. Stupid stuff. It didn't really bother Lucas. Bill was pretty mild, relatively, anyway.
Cynthia, of course, was as bad as Lucas imagined. Screaming at him every chance she got. And that was quite often, unfortunately. She always needed to put him down. Was he so meaningless to her? Was his life worth nothing? His mother didn't seem to think so. He had lost count of how many times, in an unprovoked rage, Cynthia would scream, " I wish I had aborted you like I wanted to!!!" Lucas was determined not to let her get to him. He sat there stoicly, eyes cobalt blue, staring straight ahead. His mind somewhere else. Some place nice and warm and safe. SeaQuest? No. After awhile, the inevitable happened. There are only so many times a person can be told his life meaningless before he starts to believe it. No one could ever love him. His mother knew that . There was something about him. Oh, people loved Lucas the computer genius. The Lucas that had graduated from MIT at age 14. The Lucas that could make all their technical problems go away. But not the real Lucas. They hated the real Lucas. Lucas had fought all his life not to believe the things his mother and father had screamed at him, but now he knew the truth. They were right. They had been right all along. They had known it and now Lucas knew it too.
It was inevitable, Lucas supposed. 10 months of recovery on SeaQuest destroyed by a week at his mother's home. Ironic, really.
And Lucas knew that when he went back to SeaQuest, things would never be the same again.
* * *
Lucas stopped a moment and decided to go in. Enhaling the smell of greasy food, Lucas was reminded that he hadn't eaten all day. Lou's Diner. You couldn't get much more generic than that.
He walked up to the counter and set himself on a stool. Pretty old-fashioned, but very charming, Lucas decided. He picked up a menu and ordered a hamburger and coffee from a fortyish year old waitress desperetly trying to look thirty. Some things will never change, Lucas thought as he lit up a cigarette. No one paid any attention to the teen, who obviously was a minor. But this was downtown New York. People didn't usually pay any attention to things that didn't concern them. Even then, most didn't really care.
"Ahem," Lucas was startled by a femine voice to his left. Lucas turned, surprised. He hadn't even noticed the woman who had slid onto the stool next to his.
"Could you hand me that menu, please?"
"Uh, sure, there ya' go."
" Thank you." she looked at Lucas' upturned palm as he handed the menu to her.
" That's a very interesting scar you have there. How did you get it?" she questioned, curious.
"Umm, I," Lucas studied his palm almost nostagically " burned it on a hot pan."
" Ouch, that must have hurt." the woman sympathized.
'More than you can know' Lucas thought, bitterly. " Yeah, a little." he said
"I'm Gaia. Gaia Romanov." she said, sticking out her hand. Shaking her hand in return Lucas said, " I'm Lucas. Lucas Wolenczak. "
" A pleasure to meet you, Lucas."
" Likewise." And with that, they settled into easy conversation, talking about anything and everything that came to their mind.
* * *
Lucas looked at his watch and jumped off the stool he still occupied. " Ohmygod! It's 4:30! I'm never going to make it to the airport in time!"
"Airport?" Gaia asked, puzzled.
" Yeah, I have a flight to Miami at 5:00. I'll never make it in time!!"
Thinking quickly, Gaia jumped off her stool and grabbed his wrist.
"Let's go!" she exclaimed and dragged him out of the diner as Lucas threw some bills on the counter and grabbed his backpack off the floor.
" What are we doing?" Lucas asked
" Here's my car. Get in and I'll drive you. " she ordered
" You don't have to do that and besides, it's too late. You'll never make it there on time!"
" Trust me, Lucas, you've never seen me drive! "
* * *
Lucas sighed with relief as he read the flight board. Flight 247 en route to Miami had been delayed. They arrived at exactly 5:00 and Lucas' heart was just returning to normal speed. Gaia's driving rivaled the Andretti's!!
" Did you make it?" Gaia questioned from behind Lucas. He jumped, turned around quickly, and scowled at her. She held her hands up in surrender. " What did I do?" his scowl deepened, but he replied,
" Yeah, the flight was delayed, thankfully."
" Where are you going, anyway?" she asked, as they sat down in a row of seats across from the terminal. Lucas looked at her. " To Miami."
Gaia rolled her eyes at the typical teenage answer.
" I'm going home. " Lucas replied in response to her look.
" I thought you said your family lived here, in New York. "
" They do. My grandparents live in Miami. If I were to miss the flight, I would be dead." Lucas quickly recovered. He hadn't told her anything really personal about himself. Hadn't told her that he was a computer genuis on the UEO's most powerful and forboding vessel. Hadn't told her that his IQ was higher than some of the smartest minds in the world. Hadn't told her that he had been abused all his life; still was. Hadn't told her how worthless he really was. Then again, maybe she already knew. Maybe she was taking pity on him. She didn't care at all. Nobody really did.
Gaia looked at him. She had accepted his answer, and both were left to his or her own thoughts. There was something about him that was very familar. Something she had seen before, but couldn't quite identify. Something she could identify with..... Oh, they had talked for awhile, but she hadn't told him anything really personal about herself. Hadn't told him that at 15 her father had molested her. Hadn't told him that she had been hooked on crack over half of her life. Hadn't told him about the men that had used and abused her as a teen. Hadn't told about the long and hard uphill struggle to stay clean. That was before. She did tell about how she was now. She was 28. She was a doctor. A scientist. A respected figure. A force to be reckoned with. That's what she was and that was all that mattered.
* * *
*beep* " Flight 247 en route to Miami is now boarding."
Lucas jumped at the voice and got up. He looked at Gaia who was also getting up. They had stayed silent the whole time. Lucas had told her to leave, but she had insisted, and he finally gave up.
They looked at each other awkwardly for a moment before Gaia reached out and enveloped him in a bear hug. " I know that we just met, but I sure am going to miss you kiddo." she said, nearly in tears.
Lucas nodded, he felt the same way. They harldy knew anything about each other, but Lucas felt as if they had been friends for years.
They broke apart and Lucas turned around to leave. " Wait!" she exclaimed, before he had gotten 5 feet. " Here." she handed him a piece of paper with her name and a number scrawled messily on it. " You call me anytime you're in town or if you ever need anything. I mean it. You just give me a call for anything. You got it?"
Lucas nodded, " Thanks for everything, Gaia. "
And with that he turned around once more, and walked to the entryway to the plane.
Gaia smiled. " Anytime, kiddo, anytime."
* * *
Gaia Romanov was irritated. She had just walked into her condo after getting back from the airport only to find her kitchen a mess. 'Where is that damn cat?!' she questioned herself. There were papers everywhere! Important papers that she needed. Papers that allowed her to board the ship that she would soon call home.
Gaia couldn't wait. In three days she would be in a position that most civilian scientists could only dream about. She would be one the handful of civilian scientists that were chosen. It was sort of an exchange program. For 6 months! She was so excited! For 6 months, Dr. Gaia Romanov, scientist extrodinaire, would be a scientist on the UEO's pride and joy. The SeaQuest.
***
Part: 3/6
Rating PG-13
Disclaimer: SeaQuest and all her crew aren't mine, I'm just borrowing them.
A HIDDEN PAST - part 3
Lucas blinked as the sunlight poured into his room. He looked around, unsure of where he was. Ah, yes. His mother's spare bedroom. Day 3 of Hell.
His mother had come home around 6:00 pm with some guy that first night. She'd yelled for awhile and left him alone. Then came Monday.
Unbeknownst to Lucas, apparently he had a stepfather. Bill was some houtie-toutie exec in a big company with so many names, it made Lucas' head spin. Bill had had a rough day at the office, and needless to say, was not pleased to come home and find that his wife had some smart-alek kid, he had known nothing about. He yelled at Lucas for stupid things, such as leaving a dish in the sink( "The sink is for looks not to be used!"), or putting his feet on the living room table. Stupid stuff. It didn't really bother Lucas. Bill was pretty mild, relatively, anyway.
Cynthia, of course, was as bad as Lucas imagined. Screaming at him every chance she got. And that was quite often, unfortunately. She always needed to put him down. Was he so meaningless to her? Was his life worth nothing? His mother didn't seem to think so. He had lost count of how many times, in an unprovoked rage, Cynthia would scream, " I wish I had aborted you like I wanted to!!!" Lucas was determined not to let her get to him. He sat there stoicly, eyes cobalt blue, staring straight ahead. His mind somewhere else. Some place nice and warm and safe. SeaQuest? No. After awhile, the inevitable happened. There are only so many times a person can be told his life meaningless before he starts to believe it. No one could ever love him. His mother knew that . There was something about him. Oh, people loved Lucas the computer genius. The Lucas that had graduated from MIT at age 14. The Lucas that could make all their technical problems go away. But not the real Lucas. They hated the real Lucas. Lucas had fought all his life not to believe the things his mother and father had screamed at him, but now he knew the truth. They were right. They had been right all along. They had known it and now Lucas knew it too.
It was inevitable, Lucas supposed. 10 months of recovery on SeaQuest destroyed by a week at his mother's home. Ironic, really.
And Lucas knew that when he went back to SeaQuest, things would never be the same again.
* * *
Lucas stopped a moment and decided to go in. Enhaling the smell of greasy food, Lucas was reminded that he hadn't eaten all day. Lou's Diner. You couldn't get much more generic than that.
He walked up to the counter and set himself on a stool. Pretty old-fashioned, but very charming, Lucas decided. He picked up a menu and ordered a hamburger and coffee from a fortyish year old waitress desperetly trying to look thirty. Some things will never change, Lucas thought as he lit up a cigarette. No one paid any attention to the teen, who obviously was a minor. But this was downtown New York. People didn't usually pay any attention to things that didn't concern them. Even then, most didn't really care.
"Ahem," Lucas was startled by a femine voice to his left. Lucas turned, surprised. He hadn't even noticed the woman who had slid onto the stool next to his.
"Could you hand me that menu, please?"
"Uh, sure, there ya' go."
" Thank you." she looked at Lucas' upturned palm as he handed the menu to her.
" That's a very interesting scar you have there. How did you get it?" she questioned, curious.
"Umm, I," Lucas studied his palm almost nostagically " burned it on a hot pan."
" Ouch, that must have hurt." the woman sympathized.
'More than you can know' Lucas thought, bitterly. " Yeah, a little." he said
"I'm Gaia. Gaia Romanov." she said, sticking out her hand. Shaking her hand in return Lucas said, " I'm Lucas. Lucas Wolenczak. "
" A pleasure to meet you, Lucas."
" Likewise." And with that, they settled into easy conversation, talking about anything and everything that came to their mind.
* * *
Lucas looked at his watch and jumped off the stool he still occupied. " Ohmygod! It's 4:30! I'm never going to make it to the airport in time!"
"Airport?" Gaia asked, puzzled.
" Yeah, I have a flight to Miami at 5:00. I'll never make it in time!!"
Thinking quickly, Gaia jumped off her stool and grabbed his wrist.
"Let's go!" she exclaimed and dragged him out of the diner as Lucas threw some bills on the counter and grabbed his backpack off the floor.
" What are we doing?" Lucas asked
" Here's my car. Get in and I'll drive you. " she ordered
" You don't have to do that and besides, it's too late. You'll never make it there on time!"
" Trust me, Lucas, you've never seen me drive! "
* * *
Lucas sighed with relief as he read the flight board. Flight 247 en route to Miami had been delayed. They arrived at exactly 5:00 and Lucas' heart was just returning to normal speed. Gaia's driving rivaled the Andretti's!!
" Did you make it?" Gaia questioned from behind Lucas. He jumped, turned around quickly, and scowled at her. She held her hands up in surrender. " What did I do?" his scowl deepened, but he replied,
" Yeah, the flight was delayed, thankfully."
" Where are you going, anyway?" she asked, as they sat down in a row of seats across from the terminal. Lucas looked at her. " To Miami."
Gaia rolled her eyes at the typical teenage answer.
" I'm going home. " Lucas replied in response to her look.
" I thought you said your family lived here, in New York. "
" They do. My grandparents live in Miami. If I were to miss the flight, I would be dead." Lucas quickly recovered. He hadn't told her anything really personal about himself. Hadn't told her that he was a computer genuis on the UEO's most powerful and forboding vessel. Hadn't told her that his IQ was higher than some of the smartest minds in the world. Hadn't told her that he had been abused all his life; still was. Hadn't told her how worthless he really was. Then again, maybe she already knew. Maybe she was taking pity on him. She didn't care at all. Nobody really did.
Gaia looked at him. She had accepted his answer, and both were left to his or her own thoughts. There was something about him that was very familar. Something she had seen before, but couldn't quite identify. Something she could identify with..... Oh, they had talked for awhile, but she hadn't told him anything really personal about herself. Hadn't told him that at 15 her father had molested her. Hadn't told him that she had been hooked on crack over half of her life. Hadn't told him about the men that had used and abused her as a teen. Hadn't told about the long and hard uphill struggle to stay clean. That was before. She did tell about how she was now. She was 28. She was a doctor. A scientist. A respected figure. A force to be reckoned with. That's what she was and that was all that mattered.
* * *
*beep* " Flight 247 en route to Miami is now boarding."
Lucas jumped at the voice and got up. He looked at Gaia who was also getting up. They had stayed silent the whole time. Lucas had told her to leave, but she had insisted, and he finally gave up.
They looked at each other awkwardly for a moment before Gaia reached out and enveloped him in a bear hug. " I know that we just met, but I sure am going to miss you kiddo." she said, nearly in tears.
Lucas nodded, he felt the same way. They harldy knew anything about each other, but Lucas felt as if they had been friends for years.
They broke apart and Lucas turned around to leave. " Wait!" she exclaimed, before he had gotten 5 feet. " Here." she handed him a piece of paper with her name and a number scrawled messily on it. " You call me anytime you're in town or if you ever need anything. I mean it. You just give me a call for anything. You got it?"
Lucas nodded, " Thanks for everything, Gaia. "
And with that he turned around once more, and walked to the entryway to the plane.
Gaia smiled. " Anytime, kiddo, anytime."
* * *
Gaia Romanov was irritated. She had just walked into her condo after getting back from the airport only to find her kitchen a mess. 'Where is that damn cat?!' she questioned herself. There were papers everywhere! Important papers that she needed. Papers that allowed her to board the ship that she would soon call home.
Gaia couldn't wait. In three days she would be in a position that most civilian scientists could only dream about. She would be one the handful of civilian scientists that were chosen. It was sort of an exchange program. For 6 months! She was so excited! For 6 months, Dr. Gaia Romanov, scientist extrodinaire, would be a scientist on the UEO's pride and joy. The SeaQuest.
***