"Knock, knock."

"Who's there?"

"Tony. C'mon, big guy. Open the door!"

The last words had been rather unnecessary since Dagg already had pulled the door open and now held Piccolo hard in his arms.

"Oh... I can't breath, Dagg... you're choking me, man... Dagg, for God's sake!"

"Yes?"

"Put me down."

The Dagger smiled broadly at his friend as he put him back down on the ground.

"Hi, Tony."

"Yeah... whatever." The Italian muttered as he stepped into the small room where Dagg lived. There was not much furniture; just a bed, s small closet, a table and a chair. Yet you could somehow see that this was were Dagwood lived. On the wall a beautiful painting of the sea, signed Tim O'Neill, was hanging and in the bed was a teddybear that Tony and Lucas once had given Dagg for his birthday.

"So how are things on the seaQuest?"

Dagg closed the door and sat down.

"I have a new friend." He bent down and picked up a book that had been laying on the floor. He gave it to Tony with a proud smile. "She gave me this. It's a book."

"Yeah. I can kind of see that."

Tony looked at the book. It was for children and filled with pictures of animals. On a page where small, furry kittens were playing someone had written CATS with big, clumsy letters.

"You like cats, Dagg?"

"Yes. A lot. They eat milk and fish. And they purr. Like this." Dagg purred to show Tony how it was supposed to sound. Then his face lost it's big smile. "But I can't have a cat here. It's not allowed. You can't have any animals. Not even a little, little mouse."

Tony didn't really know how to answer that. The large GELF still lived on the seaQuest and to his knowledge animals, unless to be used for some experiment, were never allowed onboard submarines.

"Well, you still have the bear me and Lucas gave you... right?"

"Yes..." The large man suddenly looked at Tony with pleading eyes. "Tony?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you leave the seaQuest? Can't you come back? I miss you. And Tim and Lucas. And the Commander!" He almost forgot and said that he wanted the Captain back too. But then he remembered that Hudson was dead. And dead people can't come back. Lucas had told him that a long time ago. He wondered if Lucas would be proud that he still remembered what he had been told?

"Dagg... is there something wrong?" When the Dagger didn't answer, Tony sat down beside him and grabbed his shoulder. Dagg was a friend and he really hated to see his friends hurt. "Don't you like it on the seaQuest?"

"I have a friend." The Dagger repeated. Then he added with a more quiet voice; "But most people call me names. They think I am stupid."



"Dammit."

Tim put down the book he was reading and went to open the door. He weren't expecting any guests and a part of him feared that it would be Ford again. Seeing his old Commander had brought back memories. Bad memories.

He opened the door.

"Hi, Tim."

"Lucas?"



"Ford."

"Tony here. I have a question for you, sir. About the IRI."

"Yeah?"

"Are cats allowed on the IRI compound?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"Cause in that case Dagg wants to be a part of the team too. You see, sir... he's been feeling kind of lonely on the seaQuest without us..."



Tim looked at his friend. Lucas was pale and seemed to have lost half his weight during the months spent in hospital. Yet the blue eyes seemed warm and caring. Not so lifeless and cold as they had been the last time he had seen him.

"So... how are you?"

Lucas smiled a little and for a moment he looked almost as the boy Tim had once known. Before Hyperion and the war. Before... the accident.

"Fine. Or I guess I will be with time."

"I have... worried about you."

The smile vanished.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You really have nothing to be sorry for."

"No?" Lucas stood up and walked over to the bookshelf. Tim couldn't help noticing the small limp and the way Lucas winced as he put too much weight on his right leg. "I haven't forgot what happened, Tim. I know you were the one who found me after the... you know."

"The suicide attempt?"

"Yes."



He couldn't stand it any longer. He could hear all the dead people crying for help. They wanted him to save them. But he didn't.

Instead he ended up killed them.

He had been told that it was okay. That it was war and the people that died, they were just enemy soldiers. Killing someone is okay as long as it's done it in the name of the UEO.

But he knew better. The enemies... they had faces and names. They had friends and families. When they died... their mothers cried and their children would have to celebrate their birthdays without their moms and dads.

He knew better than to believe in evil. He knew better than to believe that God was on their side. God, if there was one, didn't pick sides in a stupid human war.

So when the war was over and they were all supposed to celebrate the victory he went with his friends to a small island where an old man lived. When his friends fell asleep that night he walked an hour or two until he came to the cliffs.

Two o'clock, three days after the war between the UEO and the Micronesian government had ended, he jumped.



"I think I understand why you did it."

Lucas didn't answer.

"All the deaths, all the pain... The war hurt us all. I still have nightmares. Captain Hudson's death... sometimes I think that if I just had-"

"Forget the what ifs, Tim."

"I wish it was that easy. When you... when I found you lying there. You looked so... I don't know. I thought you were dead, Lucas. I thought we had lost you."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. It's just... somehow I realized that it could just as well had been me. God, Lucas! I feel so bad for not being there for you. I wish... if you ever feel like that again you must come and talk to me! You must. If you had died..."

"I'm sorry. No... I mean it. I am sorry. I wasn't... thinking. I never meant to hurt you. Any of you."



"I don't understand you, soldier."

Lucas didn't answer. He had been in the hospital for more than three weeks now and even though he was feeling physically better he was to remain here at least another month. His behavior and his unwillingness to talk about the past was "disturbing". Not that he cared.

Most of the time he was tired and nothing really seemed to matter. His friends had all come to visit him but he didn't understand what they were saying so a three or maybe five days ago he had asked to be left alone.

But somehow Captain Hudson had managed to get the doctors to let him in. He wondered how? It wasn't as if the man was known for his charm...

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, Wolenczak."

As he did as ordered he noticed that Hudson was looking like an old man. On some level he realized that his... suicide attempt had hurt the Captain. But he couldn't get himself to really care. The Captain would be okay, they all would be. The war was over now.

Three days later Captain Hudson and five other men from the seaQuest was killed by Macronesian rebels. Lucas cried when he heard the news.

The next day his doctor moved him to another ward. He considered it a good sign that the young man now was able to show emotions.



"Ford told me you've been painting."

"Yes." Tim didn't really care that Lucas had changed the subject. He didn't feel like talking more about the past anyway. "Mostly I've been painting from memory. But sometimes I've been down to the ocean. I like the sound of waves."

"Me too."

They smiled at each other.

"So... did Ford tell you about the IRI teams as well?"

"Yeah. He wanted me to be a part of his team. I guess he asked you the same thing?"

"Yes, he did."

"So... what are you gonna do?"



"Ford."

"It's me, Tim. I want to speak to you about the offer you gave me."

"Do you want me to come to your place?"

"Yes, please do."

"Okay. I'll see you soon then. Bye."

"Bye."



"Welcome back."

As Ford for the second time this week stepped into Timothy O'Neill's apartment he couldn't help noticing that there were three cups of coffee standing on the table.

"Do you have guests?"

"Yes, an old friend. He's in the working room looking at my paintings. We've been waiting for you."

"I know your guest?"

"Hi, Commander."

Ford turned around in surprise. Lucas was right behind him, leaning against the wall. The teenager looked even a little better than when he had last seen him but he still didn't look well enough to be out of bed.

"Does your doctors know where you are?"

"Nope."

"Lucas!"

"C'mon... they don't even let me out in the hospital garden without someone to watch over me. They'd never let me come here on my own."

"Maybe there's a reason for why they want you to stay in he hospital instead of running around on your own!"

Lucas shrugged and limped over to a chair.

"If it weren't for all the money I inherited from my parents they would have kicked me out months ago." He smiled. "Besides, I'm not alone. I'm here with you and Tim. And after we've told you about your decision you can take me back to the hospital and help me check out."

"Check out?"

"Yeah. We've decided to become a part of your IRI team."



"So, this is it?"

"Yes. This is it. The IRI compound. The house over there is ours. That's where we'll live when not on a mission."

"Beats the hospital."

"And submarines too, for that matter."

"And I can have a cat."

The five friends looked at each other and smiled.