Lucas was tired, but he couldn't stop now. He had come up with a promising new idea. He had
been fiddling around with the holo-projector in Bridger's room. He had talked to the professor and realized
that the program was sorely lacking. It might have all the knowledge of the known world programmed into
it, along with appropriate responses to familiar questions, but it was lacking a personality. Also, the
program couldn't grow, like the vocorder could.
So here he was, working on new soft ware that would give the hologram more of a soul. He knew
it was a major undertaking, that what he was really working on was artificial intelligence. A computer that
could think and grow the way humans did. Many scientists had been trying to achieve that, and so far none
of them had really exceeded. Lucas didn't know if he could do any better, but at the very least maybe he
could design software for the professor that would make him more social, more conversational, and less
like a talking encyclopedia.
He'd been in his room now for three days working on the program. He was so excited, and he
thought he was actually making headway into it. Kristin had stopped by several times to check on him.
She kept yelling at him to eat and to sleep. He had eaten though, unfortunately, she didn't consider two
candy bars and a mountain dew real food. So she had come back with a tray from the mess hall and had
actually stayed in his room until he had consumed all of it. When he had finished she left and he had
immediately went back to the program.
____________
"Nathan, you need to have a talk with Lucas," Kristin said, barging into his quarters.
Nathan startled and almost dropped the book he was reading. "What's wrong?" he asked her. He
hadn't seen Lucas since yesterday. The boy was so engrossed in his new project that he had given up
trying to have a conversation with him after about five minutes.
"He's been working on that new program for three days. I made sure he ate at least one meal
today, but honestly, I don't know if he's gone to bed at all in that time. I know he is excited, but really, I'm
afraid the child is going to collapse."
Nathan closed his book and set it on his desk. He knew Kristin was right. If he hadn't been so
busy yesterday and today he would have noticed it himself. Lucas may be a genius, but the boy often failed
to take care of himself when he was engrossed in something.
"Thank you for informing me. I'll take care of this right now," he said walking to the door.
"Thank you, Nathan. At times like this you seem to be the only one who can get through to him.
Take him something to eat too, as far as I know, he hasn't left his room at all today, and it was over seven
hours ago when I took him a tray."
Nathan nodded and moved quickly to the mess hall. He grabbed a tray and filled it with fruit,
some spaghetti, and an orange juice box. Then he marched to Lucas' room, mentally preparing for the
battle that lay ahead.
_________________
Lucas heard the knock at the door, but chose to ignore it. Maybe who ever it was would go away.
At the moment he was at a road block in his program and he needed to decide what to do next. The knock
came again, this time more persistent.
"What!" Lucas yelled, and turned around to see the Captain enter his room. "Oh, sorry sir. I
thought you were Ben." At least it wasn't Dr. Westphalen, he thought to himself. She could be so
persistent.
"So I gathered," Nathan said, looking around at the controlled chaos of the room. Lucas had
already turned back to his computers. He had three screens, all working. He'd type something on one
keyboard, and then moved to the next at lightning speed.
"Lucas, you need to stop, now. I want you to eat, and then you're going to bed."
"But, Captain, I'm in the middle of something. Please, just a little bit longer. I'll go to bed in and
hour, and I'm not hungry, honest," he pleaded, still looking at those blasted screens.
"Lucas, right now," Nathan ordered more forcefully. He stood there and waited for Lucas to shut
off the computers, which the teenager didn't do. Nathan sighed, he knew this was going to be tough. He
set the food down on the chair, which had been shoved against the wall, since Lucas preferred to sit in the
floor. Then he kneeled down next to Lucas.
"Lucas, I am giving you exactly 60 seconds to save your work and turn off these machines, or else
I'm going to unplug them from the wall and call Kristin to sedate you.
Lucas looked at him to see if he was bluffing, but the look on Nathan's face showed that he was
totally serious. Lucas rolled his eyes and began saving his program.
Nathan finally got a good look at Lucas' face and was surprised by the large dark circles under the
boys' eyes. The kid was exhausted. Kristin may be melodramatic at times, but she was right when it came
to Lucas. He really would work until he collapsed.
Lucas finally shut down his computers and turned to glare at Nathan. Nathan tried not to laugh at
the boys anger. "I brought you dinner, now eat, and then you're going to bed."
Lucas grabbed the tray and sat on his bed and started eating. Nathan sat down in the now empty
chair.
"Sir, you don't need to watch me eat," Lucas insisted. He had hoped that the Captain would go
away and then he could get back to work.
"Lucas, we both know that if I walked out that door right now those computers would be on in less
than a second. Remember, you're not the first boy I've raised. Give me a little credit."
Lucas sighed. He wasn't going to win this one. He stuffed spaghetti into his mouth and excepted
defeat.
"When was the last time you slept?" Nathan asked.
"Last night," Lucas lied.
"Is that why the bags under your eyes are almost bigger than your eyes themselves. You've got
Kristin worried half to death."
"I should have known she'd go to you," Lucas grumbled.
"I'm glad she did. You have to take care of yourself. I know that it's my job to look after you,
but sometimes I actually have other things to do, too. I need to know that you aren't going to make
yourself sick just because I didn't get a chance to monitor your food intake that day."
"I'm sorry I'm such a burden to you!" Lucas shot back.
"I never said that. You're not a burden to me. You never have been. I like having you here, very
much, I just worry about you kiddo. I don't want to see anything happen to you." Nathan shook his head.
Once again he wondered just what Lucas' parents did to him to make him have such a negative attitude
towards himself. Lucas constantly was waiting to get in trouble, or waiting for someone to insult him, and
he lived in constant fear that one day Nathan would throw him off of seaQuest. He remember about a
month ago when Lucas had caused a small explosion in the lab. It hadn't been Lucas' fault, there had been
a faulty wire in the control panel. But later when Nathan tried to talk to Lucas to see what had happened,
Lucas had broken down and cried, begging Nathan not to send him away. It had taken him almost a half an
hour to convince Lucas that he wasn't going to be punished.
He didn't like the way Lucas flinched when someone made a sudden movement around him. He
also got very quiet and withdrawn when he over heard people arguing, even if the argument didn't involve
him. Nathan still remembered the first time he'd tried to hug the boy. Lucas had pushed his arms away
like they out to get him, but Lucas had been making progress. Both Nathan and Kristin could now give the
boy a hug without him resisting, and sometimes Lucas even looked grateful for the simple comfort of being
touched. But Lucas was still quick to take the defensive if you got a little too personal, or started asking
him questions about his parents.
Lucas was almost finished with his spaghetti. He didn't know how he felt about the Captain. Part
of him was uncomfortable with him. The Captain was the only person he couldn't make go away. Even
when Lucas was at his most horrible, Bridger seemed to find these great reserves of patience. Lucas wasn't
used to having a father figure in his life, at least not the kind and loving father figure. His dad was vicious
and cruel, and it was a blessing that the man had sent Lucas away. Then there was another part of Lucas
that wanted desperately to be held by the Captain, to confide in him, and to trust him, to have him be a
father to him. But he was afraid. Every adult he had ever trusted had hurt him. His parents had beat him,
and then thrown him away. He had tried to build a friendship with several of his teachers, but when he
confided in them, they went to his parents, and then Lucas was pulled from that school, and returned to his
waiting father, and would be beat to within an inch of his life for having spoke of "family matters".
Lucas didn't think he could handle another betrayal. So, he worked to keep Bridger at a distance,
but it was getting harder and harder to do that. He put his tray down and looked up at the Captain.
"Time for bed," Nathan said.
"Please, I'm not tired. Can I just stay up for an hour. I promise I'll go to sleep then."
"Lucas, in bed now, or I call for the sedative," Nathan warned.
"Fine!" Lucas said. He kicked his shoes off and pulled off his jeans, leaving on his t-shirt and his
Mickey Mouse boxers. He crawled into his bunk and plopped down forcibly, trying to muster as much
disgust as he possibly could. He thought for sure the Captain would leave now, but was surprised when the
Captain pulled the chair over to the bed and sat down once again.
"Captain, what are you doing?" Lucas asked, a huge yawn escaping his mouth.
"I'm making sure you really go to sleep. Now close your eyes," he said as he lightly brushed the
hair from Lucas' face. This seemed to surprise Lucas, then he smiled at the Captain, closed his eyes, and
snuggled down into his bunk. It didn't take long for sleep to claim him, since he had a full belly and was
warm and comfortable, cocooned in his blankets.
Nathan sat next to Lucas, even after he had fallen asleep. He couldn't help but be amazed by this
child. His intelligence astounded him, but at the same time, he was a teenager, and he possessed all the
hormones, stubbornness, and rebellion ness that all teenagers had. But with Lucas there was something
more. The boy all but cried out for someone to love him, but anytime he or Kristin got too close, he pulled
back, afraid to accept the love being offered him. He desperately wanted to break down the walls Lucas
had put in place, to get the boy to trust him, and to believe that he would never hurt him.
Maybe he could get Lucas off the sub for a little while. It would be good for the boy to have a
little fresh air, and get away from these computers for a while. He could ask Kristin to go to. The question
was, where should they go? It would have to be someplace fun, someplace where Lucas could just relax
and be a kid. Suddenly, a big smile came to his face. He stood up and gave Lucas' shoulder a quick
squeeze and went to call his friend, Bill Noyce. "Sleep well, kiddo."
_______________
"Hello," Noyce said. "Nathan? Is something wrong?" He was surprised to be hearing from him
at this time.
"No, nothing's wrong, I need a favor is all?" Nathan said.
"I'll be glad to help if I can," Noyce said.
"I need an unscheduled shore leave for seaQuest, and I need it now," Nathan informed him.
"What's this about, Nathan? It's not like the UEO to grant leave just because a Captain asks for it."
"Bill, I'm worried about Lucas?"
"Is he hurt?" Bill asked.
"No, no, nothing like that. I…I can't explain it really. It's just, I just want to get Lucas upland for
a few days. I want to take him to a ball game, or maybe an amusement park, or something!" Nathan
exasperated. "The kid needs a break. You're a father, Bill, you know what I'm talking about."
"Why don't you just let him go home to his parents for a while?"
"No, that's the last thing I want to do. His parents wouldn't even spend any time with him
anyway. They'd just leave him all alone, or stick him with a secretary. Besides, I want to be the one to
spend some time with him. I was hoping that he could learn to trust me a little. He's so guarded. I'm not
sure what his parents did to him, though I have my suspicions, but I want a little time for him to see that
I'm not going to hurt him the way they did."
Bill nodded. He also inwardly smiled. He had hoped something like this would happen. He had
known Lucas for a while before he went to seaQuest, and it was obvious the kid needed someone in his life,
and Nathan seemed like that perfect someone. The kid needed a father, and Nathan needed a son. It had
been a perfect match, Bill realized.
"Fine, Nathan. Give me a day and I'll see what I can do. You're not to far from Florida, maybe
it's time for a few system overhauls. You and Lucas could go sightseeing, check out Disney World. How
does that sound?"
"Sounds perfect. Now just make it happen," Nathan said.
"I'll talk to you soon." Then Bill severed the connection, a big grin on his face.
_______________
Sure enough, the next day Bill called Nathan back. Nathan smiled at the grinning face of his friend.
"You owe me big time for this one," Bill said.
"Do tell," Nathan replied.
"Well, it seems that the UEO has developed new and improved fiber optic wiring, and since
seaQuest is the best, it only makes sense that it is the first to receive the upgrade. I'm afraid that your boat
is going to have to be docked for at least eight days for the work to be completed."
"You're right, Bill, I do owe you one. I'm sure you'll think of good way to call in the debt, too,"
Nathan teased.
"I'm sure I'll think of something. I hope you and Lucas have a good time."
"Thanks, Bill." Nathan turned off the vid-link and with a skip in his step he went to Lucas' room.
He wanted to talk to Lucas before word spread on the boat that there was a shore leave coming up. He
didn't want to take a chance on Lucas making other plans.
He knocked lightly on the door and when no one answered he went in and saw the boy sitting in
the middle of his controlled chaos. He smiled when he saw the half eaten tray of food from the mess,
realizing that Kristin had already been here to make sure Lucas ate.
"May I come in?" he asked.
"Wha…oh…uh, yeah, sorry, you startled me." Lucas typed a few more strokes at his keyboard
and then turned to face Nathan. Nathan was surprised to see Lucas giving him his full attention. Maybe he
had been making more progress with the kid than he had thought. Nathan sat down on Lucas' bunk and
started to talk, but was interrupted.
"Captain, I'm…I'm sorry for being so obnoxious last night. I…I just get really involved in what
I'm doing sometimes." Lucas had felt bad when he woke up this morning. The Captain and Kristin were
really trying to look out for him, and he had been a total jerk to both of them yesterday. He amazed himself
sometimes. He wanted a family, more than anything, and then when one landed in his lap, he tried like hell
to make them go away. Maybe his parents were right. Maybe he was unlovable. But, then again, the
Captain and Kristin had both come back today. He was just so confused.
"Don't worry about it," Nathan said. "I'm just glad to see you're well rested today, and I see
you've already eaten, so I won't ask you to lunch."
Lucas nodded. He looked into the Captain's face, still trying to read the man. His face was so
different from his father's. His father's always seemed to have a look of impatience in it, a look of anger
and disappointment. Not the Captain, though. Bridger's face seemed so warm, always with a slight smile
at the corners of his mouth. Lucas didn't see any of the hostility that his dad's face carried.
"Lucas, I came here to talk to you about something. I just had a call from Bill Noyce and
something has come up." Nathan saw that Lucas' face, which had been calm just a moment before, now
had a look of worry to it. "Relax, kiddo, nothing's wrong. Actually, it's something good. It seems that the
seaQuest is going to be docking in Florida so there can be some wiring upgrades. It looks like we are going
to get an unscheduled eight days of shore leave."
"Oh, great," Lucas said, a touch of sadness to his voice. Great, eight days with his parents…oh
joy…what fun…not. "I'm sure the crew will be very happy. I know Ben will be overjoyed."
"Lucas, what's wrong? You look like your dog just got run over, if you know what I mean."
"Nothing," Lucas replied, quickly trying to put on a fake smile for the Captain. "I'll try and call
my parents today, see which one of them will accept me."
Suddenly, Nathan realized what was wrong. He was also surprised by the choice of words used by
Lucas; 'see which one of them will accept me.' He didn't even associate love with his parents at all.
"Lucas, actually, I was hoping you'd spend the shore leave with me," Nathan said. "I know you
probably already have plans swirling around in that head of yours, and I'm sure your not to fond of hanging
out with adults, but I would really like it if you would come with me and we could see the sights. I haven't
been to Disney World since before you were born. Plus, Florida has one of the greatest aquariums around.
I was thinking that we could also take Dr. Westphalen with us. I promise to tell her to not fuss over your
eating habits during the leave. What do ya say? Sound like fun?"
Lucas just stared at him. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't believe that the Captain
wanted to take him to Disney World, or anywhere else for that matter. Maybe it was a joke.
"Are you serious?" Lucas asked, almost afraid to believe.
"Of course I'm serious. I think a little fun could be good for both of us. So will you come?"
"Yes," Lucas replied quietly. Then the realization really kicked in and Lucas smiled happily.
"Yes, I'd love to come," he said more cheerfully. "Do you really think Dr. Westphalen will come?"
"There's only one way to find out. What do you say we go and ask her?" Nathan couldn't
suppress his delight in seeing how happy Lucas was.
"Okay," Lucas said, standing up, all but forgetting about his new program. Nathan wrapped an
arm around Lucas and the two of them walked arm in arm to Med Bay.
'Yeah, Bill, I owe you big time for this one,' Nathan thought happily.
been fiddling around with the holo-projector in Bridger's room. He had talked to the professor and realized
that the program was sorely lacking. It might have all the knowledge of the known world programmed into
it, along with appropriate responses to familiar questions, but it was lacking a personality. Also, the
program couldn't grow, like the vocorder could.
So here he was, working on new soft ware that would give the hologram more of a soul. He knew
it was a major undertaking, that what he was really working on was artificial intelligence. A computer that
could think and grow the way humans did. Many scientists had been trying to achieve that, and so far none
of them had really exceeded. Lucas didn't know if he could do any better, but at the very least maybe he
could design software for the professor that would make him more social, more conversational, and less
like a talking encyclopedia.
He'd been in his room now for three days working on the program. He was so excited, and he
thought he was actually making headway into it. Kristin had stopped by several times to check on him.
She kept yelling at him to eat and to sleep. He had eaten though, unfortunately, she didn't consider two
candy bars and a mountain dew real food. So she had come back with a tray from the mess hall and had
actually stayed in his room until he had consumed all of it. When he had finished she left and he had
immediately went back to the program.
____________
"Nathan, you need to have a talk with Lucas," Kristin said, barging into his quarters.
Nathan startled and almost dropped the book he was reading. "What's wrong?" he asked her. He
hadn't seen Lucas since yesterday. The boy was so engrossed in his new project that he had given up
trying to have a conversation with him after about five minutes.
"He's been working on that new program for three days. I made sure he ate at least one meal
today, but honestly, I don't know if he's gone to bed at all in that time. I know he is excited, but really, I'm
afraid the child is going to collapse."
Nathan closed his book and set it on his desk. He knew Kristin was right. If he hadn't been so
busy yesterday and today he would have noticed it himself. Lucas may be a genius, but the boy often failed
to take care of himself when he was engrossed in something.
"Thank you for informing me. I'll take care of this right now," he said walking to the door.
"Thank you, Nathan. At times like this you seem to be the only one who can get through to him.
Take him something to eat too, as far as I know, he hasn't left his room at all today, and it was over seven
hours ago when I took him a tray."
Nathan nodded and moved quickly to the mess hall. He grabbed a tray and filled it with fruit,
some spaghetti, and an orange juice box. Then he marched to Lucas' room, mentally preparing for the
battle that lay ahead.
_________________
Lucas heard the knock at the door, but chose to ignore it. Maybe who ever it was would go away.
At the moment he was at a road block in his program and he needed to decide what to do next. The knock
came again, this time more persistent.
"What!" Lucas yelled, and turned around to see the Captain enter his room. "Oh, sorry sir. I
thought you were Ben." At least it wasn't Dr. Westphalen, he thought to himself. She could be so
persistent.
"So I gathered," Nathan said, looking around at the controlled chaos of the room. Lucas had
already turned back to his computers. He had three screens, all working. He'd type something on one
keyboard, and then moved to the next at lightning speed.
"Lucas, you need to stop, now. I want you to eat, and then you're going to bed."
"But, Captain, I'm in the middle of something. Please, just a little bit longer. I'll go to bed in and
hour, and I'm not hungry, honest," he pleaded, still looking at those blasted screens.
"Lucas, right now," Nathan ordered more forcefully. He stood there and waited for Lucas to shut
off the computers, which the teenager didn't do. Nathan sighed, he knew this was going to be tough. He
set the food down on the chair, which had been shoved against the wall, since Lucas preferred to sit in the
floor. Then he kneeled down next to Lucas.
"Lucas, I am giving you exactly 60 seconds to save your work and turn off these machines, or else
I'm going to unplug them from the wall and call Kristin to sedate you.
Lucas looked at him to see if he was bluffing, but the look on Nathan's face showed that he was
totally serious. Lucas rolled his eyes and began saving his program.
Nathan finally got a good look at Lucas' face and was surprised by the large dark circles under the
boys' eyes. The kid was exhausted. Kristin may be melodramatic at times, but she was right when it came
to Lucas. He really would work until he collapsed.
Lucas finally shut down his computers and turned to glare at Nathan. Nathan tried not to laugh at
the boys anger. "I brought you dinner, now eat, and then you're going to bed."
Lucas grabbed the tray and sat on his bed and started eating. Nathan sat down in the now empty
chair.
"Sir, you don't need to watch me eat," Lucas insisted. He had hoped that the Captain would go
away and then he could get back to work.
"Lucas, we both know that if I walked out that door right now those computers would be on in less
than a second. Remember, you're not the first boy I've raised. Give me a little credit."
Lucas sighed. He wasn't going to win this one. He stuffed spaghetti into his mouth and excepted
defeat.
"When was the last time you slept?" Nathan asked.
"Last night," Lucas lied.
"Is that why the bags under your eyes are almost bigger than your eyes themselves. You've got
Kristin worried half to death."
"I should have known she'd go to you," Lucas grumbled.
"I'm glad she did. You have to take care of yourself. I know that it's my job to look after you,
but sometimes I actually have other things to do, too. I need to know that you aren't going to make
yourself sick just because I didn't get a chance to monitor your food intake that day."
"I'm sorry I'm such a burden to you!" Lucas shot back.
"I never said that. You're not a burden to me. You never have been. I like having you here, very
much, I just worry about you kiddo. I don't want to see anything happen to you." Nathan shook his head.
Once again he wondered just what Lucas' parents did to him to make him have such a negative attitude
towards himself. Lucas constantly was waiting to get in trouble, or waiting for someone to insult him, and
he lived in constant fear that one day Nathan would throw him off of seaQuest. He remember about a
month ago when Lucas had caused a small explosion in the lab. It hadn't been Lucas' fault, there had been
a faulty wire in the control panel. But later when Nathan tried to talk to Lucas to see what had happened,
Lucas had broken down and cried, begging Nathan not to send him away. It had taken him almost a half an
hour to convince Lucas that he wasn't going to be punished.
He didn't like the way Lucas flinched when someone made a sudden movement around him. He
also got very quiet and withdrawn when he over heard people arguing, even if the argument didn't involve
him. Nathan still remembered the first time he'd tried to hug the boy. Lucas had pushed his arms away
like they out to get him, but Lucas had been making progress. Both Nathan and Kristin could now give the
boy a hug without him resisting, and sometimes Lucas even looked grateful for the simple comfort of being
touched. But Lucas was still quick to take the defensive if you got a little too personal, or started asking
him questions about his parents.
Lucas was almost finished with his spaghetti. He didn't know how he felt about the Captain. Part
of him was uncomfortable with him. The Captain was the only person he couldn't make go away. Even
when Lucas was at his most horrible, Bridger seemed to find these great reserves of patience. Lucas wasn't
used to having a father figure in his life, at least not the kind and loving father figure. His dad was vicious
and cruel, and it was a blessing that the man had sent Lucas away. Then there was another part of Lucas
that wanted desperately to be held by the Captain, to confide in him, and to trust him, to have him be a
father to him. But he was afraid. Every adult he had ever trusted had hurt him. His parents had beat him,
and then thrown him away. He had tried to build a friendship with several of his teachers, but when he
confided in them, they went to his parents, and then Lucas was pulled from that school, and returned to his
waiting father, and would be beat to within an inch of his life for having spoke of "family matters".
Lucas didn't think he could handle another betrayal. So, he worked to keep Bridger at a distance,
but it was getting harder and harder to do that. He put his tray down and looked up at the Captain.
"Time for bed," Nathan said.
"Please, I'm not tired. Can I just stay up for an hour. I promise I'll go to sleep then."
"Lucas, in bed now, or I call for the sedative," Nathan warned.
"Fine!" Lucas said. He kicked his shoes off and pulled off his jeans, leaving on his t-shirt and his
Mickey Mouse boxers. He crawled into his bunk and plopped down forcibly, trying to muster as much
disgust as he possibly could. He thought for sure the Captain would leave now, but was surprised when the
Captain pulled the chair over to the bed and sat down once again.
"Captain, what are you doing?" Lucas asked, a huge yawn escaping his mouth.
"I'm making sure you really go to sleep. Now close your eyes," he said as he lightly brushed the
hair from Lucas' face. This seemed to surprise Lucas, then he smiled at the Captain, closed his eyes, and
snuggled down into his bunk. It didn't take long for sleep to claim him, since he had a full belly and was
warm and comfortable, cocooned in his blankets.
Nathan sat next to Lucas, even after he had fallen asleep. He couldn't help but be amazed by this
child. His intelligence astounded him, but at the same time, he was a teenager, and he possessed all the
hormones, stubbornness, and rebellion ness that all teenagers had. But with Lucas there was something
more. The boy all but cried out for someone to love him, but anytime he or Kristin got too close, he pulled
back, afraid to accept the love being offered him. He desperately wanted to break down the walls Lucas
had put in place, to get the boy to trust him, and to believe that he would never hurt him.
Maybe he could get Lucas off the sub for a little while. It would be good for the boy to have a
little fresh air, and get away from these computers for a while. He could ask Kristin to go to. The question
was, where should they go? It would have to be someplace fun, someplace where Lucas could just relax
and be a kid. Suddenly, a big smile came to his face. He stood up and gave Lucas' shoulder a quick
squeeze and went to call his friend, Bill Noyce. "Sleep well, kiddo."
_______________
"Hello," Noyce said. "Nathan? Is something wrong?" He was surprised to be hearing from him
at this time.
"No, nothing's wrong, I need a favor is all?" Nathan said.
"I'll be glad to help if I can," Noyce said.
"I need an unscheduled shore leave for seaQuest, and I need it now," Nathan informed him.
"What's this about, Nathan? It's not like the UEO to grant leave just because a Captain asks for it."
"Bill, I'm worried about Lucas?"
"Is he hurt?" Bill asked.
"No, no, nothing like that. I…I can't explain it really. It's just, I just want to get Lucas upland for
a few days. I want to take him to a ball game, or maybe an amusement park, or something!" Nathan
exasperated. "The kid needs a break. You're a father, Bill, you know what I'm talking about."
"Why don't you just let him go home to his parents for a while?"
"No, that's the last thing I want to do. His parents wouldn't even spend any time with him
anyway. They'd just leave him all alone, or stick him with a secretary. Besides, I want to be the one to
spend some time with him. I was hoping that he could learn to trust me a little. He's so guarded. I'm not
sure what his parents did to him, though I have my suspicions, but I want a little time for him to see that
I'm not going to hurt him the way they did."
Bill nodded. He also inwardly smiled. He had hoped something like this would happen. He had
known Lucas for a while before he went to seaQuest, and it was obvious the kid needed someone in his life,
and Nathan seemed like that perfect someone. The kid needed a father, and Nathan needed a son. It had
been a perfect match, Bill realized.
"Fine, Nathan. Give me a day and I'll see what I can do. You're not to far from Florida, maybe
it's time for a few system overhauls. You and Lucas could go sightseeing, check out Disney World. How
does that sound?"
"Sounds perfect. Now just make it happen," Nathan said.
"I'll talk to you soon." Then Bill severed the connection, a big grin on his face.
_______________
Sure enough, the next day Bill called Nathan back. Nathan smiled at the grinning face of his friend.
"You owe me big time for this one," Bill said.
"Do tell," Nathan replied.
"Well, it seems that the UEO has developed new and improved fiber optic wiring, and since
seaQuest is the best, it only makes sense that it is the first to receive the upgrade. I'm afraid that your boat
is going to have to be docked for at least eight days for the work to be completed."
"You're right, Bill, I do owe you one. I'm sure you'll think of good way to call in the debt, too,"
Nathan teased.
"I'm sure I'll think of something. I hope you and Lucas have a good time."
"Thanks, Bill." Nathan turned off the vid-link and with a skip in his step he went to Lucas' room.
He wanted to talk to Lucas before word spread on the boat that there was a shore leave coming up. He
didn't want to take a chance on Lucas making other plans.
He knocked lightly on the door and when no one answered he went in and saw the boy sitting in
the middle of his controlled chaos. He smiled when he saw the half eaten tray of food from the mess,
realizing that Kristin had already been here to make sure Lucas ate.
"May I come in?" he asked.
"Wha…oh…uh, yeah, sorry, you startled me." Lucas typed a few more strokes at his keyboard
and then turned to face Nathan. Nathan was surprised to see Lucas giving him his full attention. Maybe he
had been making more progress with the kid than he had thought. Nathan sat down on Lucas' bunk and
started to talk, but was interrupted.
"Captain, I'm…I'm sorry for being so obnoxious last night. I…I just get really involved in what
I'm doing sometimes." Lucas had felt bad when he woke up this morning. The Captain and Kristin were
really trying to look out for him, and he had been a total jerk to both of them yesterday. He amazed himself
sometimes. He wanted a family, more than anything, and then when one landed in his lap, he tried like hell
to make them go away. Maybe his parents were right. Maybe he was unlovable. But, then again, the
Captain and Kristin had both come back today. He was just so confused.
"Don't worry about it," Nathan said. "I'm just glad to see you're well rested today, and I see
you've already eaten, so I won't ask you to lunch."
Lucas nodded. He looked into the Captain's face, still trying to read the man. His face was so
different from his father's. His father's always seemed to have a look of impatience in it, a look of anger
and disappointment. Not the Captain, though. Bridger's face seemed so warm, always with a slight smile
at the corners of his mouth. Lucas didn't see any of the hostility that his dad's face carried.
"Lucas, I came here to talk to you about something. I just had a call from Bill Noyce and
something has come up." Nathan saw that Lucas' face, which had been calm just a moment before, now
had a look of worry to it. "Relax, kiddo, nothing's wrong. Actually, it's something good. It seems that the
seaQuest is going to be docking in Florida so there can be some wiring upgrades. It looks like we are going
to get an unscheduled eight days of shore leave."
"Oh, great," Lucas said, a touch of sadness to his voice. Great, eight days with his parents…oh
joy…what fun…not. "I'm sure the crew will be very happy. I know Ben will be overjoyed."
"Lucas, what's wrong? You look like your dog just got run over, if you know what I mean."
"Nothing," Lucas replied, quickly trying to put on a fake smile for the Captain. "I'll try and call
my parents today, see which one of them will accept me."
Suddenly, Nathan realized what was wrong. He was also surprised by the choice of words used by
Lucas; 'see which one of them will accept me.' He didn't even associate love with his parents at all.
"Lucas, actually, I was hoping you'd spend the shore leave with me," Nathan said. "I know you
probably already have plans swirling around in that head of yours, and I'm sure your not to fond of hanging
out with adults, but I would really like it if you would come with me and we could see the sights. I haven't
been to Disney World since before you were born. Plus, Florida has one of the greatest aquariums around.
I was thinking that we could also take Dr. Westphalen with us. I promise to tell her to not fuss over your
eating habits during the leave. What do ya say? Sound like fun?"
Lucas just stared at him. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't believe that the Captain
wanted to take him to Disney World, or anywhere else for that matter. Maybe it was a joke.
"Are you serious?" Lucas asked, almost afraid to believe.
"Of course I'm serious. I think a little fun could be good for both of us. So will you come?"
"Yes," Lucas replied quietly. Then the realization really kicked in and Lucas smiled happily.
"Yes, I'd love to come," he said more cheerfully. "Do you really think Dr. Westphalen will come?"
"There's only one way to find out. What do you say we go and ask her?" Nathan couldn't
suppress his delight in seeing how happy Lucas was.
"Okay," Lucas said, standing up, all but forgetting about his new program. Nathan wrapped an
arm around Lucas and the two of them walked arm in arm to Med Bay.
'Yeah, Bill, I owe you big time for this one,' Nathan thought happily.