Author's Note: Thanks again for waiting. Tell me what you think of this
chapter. Its getting there, I promise.
Hours had passed since Mariah had come and gone, bringing Tony back and taking Jim with her. By the time Jonathan and Miguel had been restrained when the guards had gotten the upper hand in the fight, Tony was coming around. It was only then that Jonathan had realized with a disgusted shake of the head that he had been responsible for causing the distraction that Mariah had needed to get Jim out of the room. Lonnie still had not returned and Jonathan could only hope she had been released with Tim, but he doubted that highly. He had patiently explained to Tony why they had wanted to look at his gills.
"So they're going to do this to Jim? He doesn't deserve that, Sir," Tony said softly, glancing at the floor. Jonathan felt a pang of guilt. His government, the people he worked for, had done this same experiment on Tony. Granted, Tony had chosen the experiment over prison, but it still didn't seem fair.
"Neither did you Tony, however there's nothing we can do about it now. Can you tell us anything about what they did to you?"
"Not really sir, I mean they brought me into some sorta lab and strapped me down. Felt sorta like I was in one of those really bad old movies. Then they put an oxygen mask over my mouth, but it sure wasn't oxygen…some sorta knock out gas I'd guess… No sir, I really can't tell you much."
"How do you feel now?"
"To tell ya the truth, my gills are a little sore, but I know the feeling… Its like when I first got em, and the Docs were always poking around watching em work and stuff," Tony shrugged. "I'm guessing that's what they were doing."
"Sorry to have gotten you into this Tony…I'm sorry Miguel," Jonathan turned to face Miguel.
"Don't apologize, Sir. We've already been over this. We weren't going to let Jim die. After this, he may wish that we had let him, but it sure wasn't his call to make at the time. You did what you thought was best. Who knew we were going to end up in some bad production of Frankenstein?" Miguel smiled at Jonathan, hoping to seem reassuring. He was scared out of his mind and worried for Jim, a man he considered one of his better friends, but being scared wasn't getting anyone anywhere.
"Yeah, no prob, Sir. We said we'd go, so here we are," Tony shrugged again. He looked like he was going to try to say something more profound after that, but the door opened and Lonnie was shoved in. Her face was tear streaked, but otherwise she looked unhurt.
"Lonnie! What happened?" Jonathan hurried over to her and she buried her head in his shoulder and cried softly. Miguel and Tony had reacted immediately, and were soon right behind Lonnie, waiting to hear what she had to say. "Lonnie!" Jonathan's voice was desperate now. He was thinking worse case scenario. Tim was dead. Jim was dead. The seaQuest went down. Something had happened, and frustration began to overwhelm him. He was tired of being helpless.
"I'm…I'm sorry sir," Lonnie sniffed a little and pulled away from Jonathan, wiping at her eyes.
"What happened?" Miguel asked. "Is Jim…"
"Dead? Oh God no…but I think it would probably be better if he was," she was fighting tears again. "No, I'm sorry…hold on, just give me a sec," she turned away, collecting herself and leaving the three men to stare at her back, a million thoughts flowing through their minds.
"Why don't you start from when Mariah took you out of here," Jonathan urged softly when Lonnie turned back to face them. The young ensign nodded her head, brushing away another errant tear.
"The guards held me outside until they brought Jim out. She was so…soft…with him. She touched him…and seemed so apologetic, telling him she was just following orders. He was so silent, but he didn't look afraid. I was terrified. They told us to walk and he gave me a small smile before they dragged him off down another corridor. Mariah took me back to the Comm room made me call Captain Bridger again. I told him that his time was running out and he offered excuses about the money. They had me tell him that they actually understood and would give him more time. To show their good will they would release and officer to him, but they wouldn't let me tell him who. After that they made me wait until they made sure Tim was safely aboard the seaQuest. Then I talked to Bridger again and reminded him of the threat. They gave him twelve hours to have the money where it was supposed to be…that was three hours ago. After that Mariah was going to bring me back here, but I started to argue with her, demanding to see Jim… She got this strange look on her face and then took me down to the lab…." At this point, Lonnie began to cry again, but she continued to speak, soft tears running down her face. "I watched through the glass as they did some of the surgery… He was so white and he looked so cold. I couldn't drag myself away from watching…it was so terrible, Sir…" she trailed off, and then looked at the floor.
"Did Mariah make you come back here?" Miguel asked softly
"Yes…she was there the whole time with me, but I think she couldn't watch anymore, just like I couldn't. I didn't argue when she said I had to leave."
"Lonnie, are you going to be all right?" Jonathan asked slowly.
"Yes, Sir. I'll be fine. But I don't think I'll ever forget what I saw. I hope…I hope Jim makes it…"
"We all do," Tony said somberly.
Jonathan talked with Lonnie quietly for some time, continuing to calm her down. When he had gotten her as calm as she was going to get, he convinced her she should lay down and she was soon fast asleep. Miguel and Tony looked as if they were still digesting all that Lonnie had said to them. Jonathan had to admit that even though he had known Mariah had taken Jim, he somehow thought Jim would have escaped or that they would not really go through with such a crazy and terrible plan. Obviously he had been hoping falsely. Even with this new information, he still found himself not wanting to believe any of it. He doubted he would unless he saw Jim with the gills, and he sincerely hoped that while he wanted to see Jim again, he would never have to see the results of some crazy experiment. The more he thought about the terrible fate that Jim was going to suffer, the more he knew that even though he was powerless to stop the experiment, he could not let these mad men, and women, including Mariah, take Jim away forever. He would have to see UEO doctors and receive treatment…and the seaQuest would not be the same without him. Jonathan would lose one of his best friends.
"I can't just sit here any longer. We have to do something," he said aloud. Miguel and Tony turned to face him.
"Any ideas, Sir? The problem seems to be that we're locked up," although Miguel's voice held the edge of sarcasm, Jonathan sensed the eagerness to do anything but sit back and let all of this take place.
"We've got to get out of this room, rescue Jim, and get out of here."
"How are we gonna do that?" Tony asked, leaning forward.
"We need a diversion. We have to get Mariah in here…"
"Great…but how?"
"Leave that to me," Jonathan said, leaning back with a grin on his face. He would get her in here. Then he would get of here. He would get them all out of here. All it would take was a little time and a lot of very precise planning. "Ok, here's what we're going to do…"
Hours had passed since Mariah had come and gone, bringing Tony back and taking Jim with her. By the time Jonathan and Miguel had been restrained when the guards had gotten the upper hand in the fight, Tony was coming around. It was only then that Jonathan had realized with a disgusted shake of the head that he had been responsible for causing the distraction that Mariah had needed to get Jim out of the room. Lonnie still had not returned and Jonathan could only hope she had been released with Tim, but he doubted that highly. He had patiently explained to Tony why they had wanted to look at his gills.
"So they're going to do this to Jim? He doesn't deserve that, Sir," Tony said softly, glancing at the floor. Jonathan felt a pang of guilt. His government, the people he worked for, had done this same experiment on Tony. Granted, Tony had chosen the experiment over prison, but it still didn't seem fair.
"Neither did you Tony, however there's nothing we can do about it now. Can you tell us anything about what they did to you?"
"Not really sir, I mean they brought me into some sorta lab and strapped me down. Felt sorta like I was in one of those really bad old movies. Then they put an oxygen mask over my mouth, but it sure wasn't oxygen…some sorta knock out gas I'd guess… No sir, I really can't tell you much."
"How do you feel now?"
"To tell ya the truth, my gills are a little sore, but I know the feeling… Its like when I first got em, and the Docs were always poking around watching em work and stuff," Tony shrugged. "I'm guessing that's what they were doing."
"Sorry to have gotten you into this Tony…I'm sorry Miguel," Jonathan turned to face Miguel.
"Don't apologize, Sir. We've already been over this. We weren't going to let Jim die. After this, he may wish that we had let him, but it sure wasn't his call to make at the time. You did what you thought was best. Who knew we were going to end up in some bad production of Frankenstein?" Miguel smiled at Jonathan, hoping to seem reassuring. He was scared out of his mind and worried for Jim, a man he considered one of his better friends, but being scared wasn't getting anyone anywhere.
"Yeah, no prob, Sir. We said we'd go, so here we are," Tony shrugged again. He looked like he was going to try to say something more profound after that, but the door opened and Lonnie was shoved in. Her face was tear streaked, but otherwise she looked unhurt.
"Lonnie! What happened?" Jonathan hurried over to her and she buried her head in his shoulder and cried softly. Miguel and Tony had reacted immediately, and were soon right behind Lonnie, waiting to hear what she had to say. "Lonnie!" Jonathan's voice was desperate now. He was thinking worse case scenario. Tim was dead. Jim was dead. The seaQuest went down. Something had happened, and frustration began to overwhelm him. He was tired of being helpless.
"I'm…I'm sorry sir," Lonnie sniffed a little and pulled away from Jonathan, wiping at her eyes.
"What happened?" Miguel asked. "Is Jim…"
"Dead? Oh God no…but I think it would probably be better if he was," she was fighting tears again. "No, I'm sorry…hold on, just give me a sec," she turned away, collecting herself and leaving the three men to stare at her back, a million thoughts flowing through their minds.
"Why don't you start from when Mariah took you out of here," Jonathan urged softly when Lonnie turned back to face them. The young ensign nodded her head, brushing away another errant tear.
"The guards held me outside until they brought Jim out. She was so…soft…with him. She touched him…and seemed so apologetic, telling him she was just following orders. He was so silent, but he didn't look afraid. I was terrified. They told us to walk and he gave me a small smile before they dragged him off down another corridor. Mariah took me back to the Comm room made me call Captain Bridger again. I told him that his time was running out and he offered excuses about the money. They had me tell him that they actually understood and would give him more time. To show their good will they would release and officer to him, but they wouldn't let me tell him who. After that they made me wait until they made sure Tim was safely aboard the seaQuest. Then I talked to Bridger again and reminded him of the threat. They gave him twelve hours to have the money where it was supposed to be…that was three hours ago. After that Mariah was going to bring me back here, but I started to argue with her, demanding to see Jim… She got this strange look on her face and then took me down to the lab…." At this point, Lonnie began to cry again, but she continued to speak, soft tears running down her face. "I watched through the glass as they did some of the surgery… He was so white and he looked so cold. I couldn't drag myself away from watching…it was so terrible, Sir…" she trailed off, and then looked at the floor.
"Did Mariah make you come back here?" Miguel asked softly
"Yes…she was there the whole time with me, but I think she couldn't watch anymore, just like I couldn't. I didn't argue when she said I had to leave."
"Lonnie, are you going to be all right?" Jonathan asked slowly.
"Yes, Sir. I'll be fine. But I don't think I'll ever forget what I saw. I hope…I hope Jim makes it…"
"We all do," Tony said somberly.
Jonathan talked with Lonnie quietly for some time, continuing to calm her down. When he had gotten her as calm as she was going to get, he convinced her she should lay down and she was soon fast asleep. Miguel and Tony looked as if they were still digesting all that Lonnie had said to them. Jonathan had to admit that even though he had known Mariah had taken Jim, he somehow thought Jim would have escaped or that they would not really go through with such a crazy and terrible plan. Obviously he had been hoping falsely. Even with this new information, he still found himself not wanting to believe any of it. He doubted he would unless he saw Jim with the gills, and he sincerely hoped that while he wanted to see Jim again, he would never have to see the results of some crazy experiment. The more he thought about the terrible fate that Jim was going to suffer, the more he knew that even though he was powerless to stop the experiment, he could not let these mad men, and women, including Mariah, take Jim away forever. He would have to see UEO doctors and receive treatment…and the seaQuest would not be the same without him. Jonathan would lose one of his best friends.
"I can't just sit here any longer. We have to do something," he said aloud. Miguel and Tony turned to face him.
"Any ideas, Sir? The problem seems to be that we're locked up," although Miguel's voice held the edge of sarcasm, Jonathan sensed the eagerness to do anything but sit back and let all of this take place.
"We've got to get out of this room, rescue Jim, and get out of here."
"How are we gonna do that?" Tony asked, leaning forward.
"We need a diversion. We have to get Mariah in here…"
"Great…but how?"
"Leave that to me," Jonathan said, leaning back with a grin on his face. He would get her in here. Then he would get of here. He would get them all out of here. All it would take was a little time and a lot of very precise planning. "Ok, here's what we're going to do…"