Chapter 3
Goshen, Georgia
- Baz and Lucas are walking down a dusty road with backpacks, Lucas is still using his cane.
"Wow, I can't believe you still can't remember your name!" Baz exclaimed.
"Thanks for the reminder." Lucas said sarcastically. Baz and him had come to comfortable terms, Lucas had learned to deal with Baz's frankness and Baz had learned to deal with Lucas's sarcasm. They actually complimented each other well, Lucas was book smart and Baz was much more artsy. They had become inseparable in the past week since they had met.
"Sorry, tell me why do we call you Luke again?" Baz replied, "I mean if you can't remember your name, where did Luke come from?"
"Well, the nurse at the hospital said I looked like her younger brother and his name was Luke, so she started calling me it and then Jean caught on and now everyone does. I guess I am stuck with it." Luke guessed.
"Do you like the name Luke, or would you want a cooler name, like Rambo or something?" Said Baz, hysterically laughing.
"I guess it's okay, but sometimes it annoys me, I don't know why but hearing it stirs something, I can hear someone calling me Luke and then laughing and I get angry, weird huh?
"Were all weird Lukey, but you are certain weirder!" Baz said laughing and ducked when Luke's cane came flying at him, "okay, okay how are you doing in school, so far?'
"It's okay, its been easy all I had to do was observe and now I am picking classes I want, and I am taking a math aptitude test to see where I belong." Luke said grimacing.
School
- "Welcome Luke, this is a first year math class, since the school technically placed you in 10th grade this test with show what level of math you should be in. It is an aptitude test, it gets harder with each question, do not worry about skipping or stopping it will show how far your math skills go. Take as much time as you need and you can use a calculator." Explained Mrs. Artz the teacher.
- Lucas sat down staring at the papers, he could feel Mrs. Artz staring at him. All this looked familiar, so he started working. After the third page he realized he could use his calculator but he was enjoying his self so he left it alone. Luke didn't even notice as each page he finished the problems got harder, he just kept going clearly enjoying himself.
- He finished the 100 problems in 45 minutes. Mrs. Artz looked up as he handed it to her.
- "Well, lets see how far you got." She smiled thinking he must have not got to far since he didn't take that much time. She was shocked to see he had done all the problems, all 100. When she pulled out the answer sheet, she was more surprised to see that they were all right and the calculations he had written out were way advanced.
- "Luke…I will have to talk to the principal about this."
- "Did I do something wrong." He questioned.
- "Of course not, it's just that you scored so high I don't even think we offer a math class here for you. I was thinking we could send you to the college or something, where did you learn to do math like this?" She asked astonished.
- Lucas became very uncomfortable, "I don't know, I just know it." He stammered.
- Mrs. Artz remembered his condition and quickly said, "yes, well, it is remarkable talent, you should be proud."
- "Yes ma'am, could you please tell me where room 145 is, that is my next scheduled class."
- Lucas left the class as fast as he could, he ran to the bathroom and cowered in to a stall. He was getting a major headache, he had had them before, they happened whenever his memory was triggered. He could see flashbacks, first it was M.I.T, then a diploma. Luke could see his self-looking into a mirror, he couldn't have been more than 13 and he looked so sad, what was depressing himself that much. Luke saw his arms all black and blue and he saw a woman walk up behind him and smile evilly. Then a hospital appeared and then a large submarine and a man was standing in front of him, this man was tan and he was standing next to a dolphin, smiling and waving to Luke to join them.
- Luke opened his eyes, the headache was going away, he had to get to class if not they would call Jean and he didn't want to cause any trouble.
- * * * *
- Savannah, Georgia
- A week later
- The young nurse who first treated Lucas is cooking in her kitchen. A black van, pulls up to her house, she is oblivious.
- ____
- Bridger, Westphalen, Kreig, and O'Neill are at County General Hospital in Savannah.
- "Hello, we are looking for a boy who might of come in here about a 2 weeks ago." Bridger asked, holding up a photo of Lucas and his U.E.O. I.D.
- "Two weeks ago? Let me check the records, we are such a small hospital it shouldn't be that hard to find out…here we go an unidentified boy was brought in, he presented with a major concussion, a fractured ankle, some bumps and bruises, but that is it." The head nurse read.
- Kirsten gasped. Bridger gave her a reassuring smile, in the past week he had been to 20 other hospitals in the area and had been asked to identify 2 bodies, neither thankfully had been Lucas. He was feeling worse and worse, the past two weeks had taken its toll on him. The crew could see it also, but he wasn't giving up.
- "Also the records showed signs of previous bruising and scarring, does he get into a lot of fights?" Asked the unassuming nurse.
- Kirsten and Bridger exchanged a look, "yes, he is quite active." Kirsten said forcing a smile.
- They all knew where those scars came from, it was obvious Lucas had been abused before he came aboard SeaQuest now they just needed proof, but they didn't want to explain it to this nurse.
- "Do you know where we can find him?" Bridger asked quietly.
- "Hmmm… it's not on the records, I think Mary Carv, took care of him, she is the best, but she has the day off, can you come back another time?"
- "Oh sure," said Ben sarcastically, "we are only missing a kid, but sure we will come back!"
- "Ben…ma'am please we need to find him now." Bridger commanded.
- The nurse looked again at the photo and at the I.D's before her and sighed, she then drew out a map for Ben to follow to Mary's house.
- "I would of thought his father would of picked him up by now, he left here 30 minutes ago with the directions." The nurse commented.
- "What are you saying?" Asked Bridger dryly.
- "A man came in with the same picture of Lucas and he said he was his father…"
- The SeaQuest crew raced out to the van outside.
- ____
- When they arrived at the house a black van was parked outside.
- "We'd better hurry." Stated Bridger.
- The crew proceeded cautiously to the house. Ben had already taken out the driver of the van.
- The front door was ajar, Bridger stepped in with his gun raised. Slowly they searched the house, then there was a scream from the upstairs. Ben and Tim raced up, Mary was in a corner trying to back away from a tall man in black.
- "Tell me where the boy is…" Hissed the man.
- "No, even if I did know where he was I wouldn't tell you!" She yelled back.
- "Wrong answer." He raised his gun to shoot.
- "No, you have the wrong answer." Said Ben before he stunned the man.
- Kirsten ran over to Mary and held her while she tried to stop her from hyperventilating.
- An hour later, the crew and Mary were sitting in the living room with coffee, Kirsten had her arm around Mary's shoulder for reassurance.
- "Lucas was so sweet, he wasn't afraid as many kids in his position would be. I think it was better he couldn't remember what happened to him, with all the bumps, bruises and old scars, it was obvious he was beaten when he was younger. I'm guessing it was family abuse, I've seen a lot of that." Mary sighed.
- "Yes, we figure that he…" Kirsten started to say.
- "Wait, what do you mean he couldn't remember what happened?" The Captain said obviously puzzled.
- "What? The hospital didn't tell you?" Mary looked shocked now, "Lucas presented with amnesia and when he left he still had no recollection of who he was."
- Bridger looked scared and shocked.
- "That explains why he didn't try to get in contact with any of us." Ben said sounding relieved.