part thirteen
Piccolo could feel his heart pounding as he poked his head around the corner. Gun fully charged and raised to point at the ceiling, he checked the hallway for bad terrorrist guys and, seeing that it was clear, he turned back to the group behind him and motioned for them to move forward. Silently, the group moved forward around the corner, all fully armed and tensed for an attack. They weren't sure just how many terrorists there were, and they assumed that at least some would be searching for them.
Evan's mind was racing a mile-a-minute. He had barely ever held a gun before, let alone gone looking for reasons to shoot one. There was a reason he worked in Med bay. For three tours in the Navy, Evans had gotten a free ride all the way through med-school. He had worked hard, and when he had earned himself a place aboard the UEO's flagship, he never thought he would end up in his current situation. He couldn't remember ever being more frightened, but he kept thinking about Lucas, and his own vow to make sure that the Ensign made it out of this alive. Taking a deep breath, he moved forward.
The group moved down the hallway. They didn't run into a single person, and the closer they got to the bridge, the more anxious they got. They ran silently, though it seemed unnecessary. They all wondered at their good luck. At this rate, they would reach the bridge too early and wouldn't be able to coordinate their attack with the arrival of the sub Noyce was sending.
Suddenly, Thomas heard movement from around the corner. Motioning for the group to stop, he checked the power setting on his gun before peeking around the bulkhead.
What he saw made his heart jump. Lucas, bruised and weak, was being led down the hallway by two bulky guards. He turned back around and motioned for the group to be ready to fire.
The next few moments passed in a blur. Laser fire flew through the air at such a fast rate that it was hard to distinguish which were coming from which side. Piccolo ducked as a shot nicked a hole in the wall right next to his head. Wide eyed, he took a deep breath and resume firing.
The two guards held their own for a while, but it didn't take long for the one on Lucas' right to fall, a laser shot hitting him in the chest. Desperate, the other grabbed Lucas in a chokehold and pressed his gun to the blonde's temple.
"Hold your fire!" Thomas yelled, though the group had already ceased their assault. "Let him go."
"No. Not until all of you lower your weapons." The group looked around at each other, not knowing what to do. At Thomas' nod, they lowered their guns. The descending whines of the laser pistols de-charging pierced the sudden silence. Thomas went to disable his weapon, but only pretended to hit the switch. He was the only one who remained with his gun charged, lowered at his side.
"There. Now let him go."
"No. All of you are going to come with me to the bridge." When no one moved, he pressed his gun harder against his hostage's head. Lucas just closed his eyes and tried to breathe, his mind running a mile-a-minute. "I said move! Now!"
Lucas tried to get his normally rational mind to complete a thought, but it was running in a hundred different directions and he couldn't seem to get it to calm down. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't let himself be used against his friends like this, but what options did he have? He had a friggin' gun pointed to his head, for heaven's sake! Suddenly, his muddy mind remembered something that Chief Crocker had showed him once, when, after seaQuest had been boarded by terrorists, he had asked the security chief to show him some basic self-defense moves. Without thinking, he formed a single fist with both hands and jammed his right elbow into his captor's stomach.
Surprised that his captive, who he had thought to be barely conscious, had attacked him, he guard doubled over and let his grip on Lucas go. Turning, Lucas grabbed the gun and tried to point it away from his head. As the two struggled for control, they shuffled around, so that the guard's back was facing the seaQuest crew.
Taking advantage on the opportunity, Thomas raised his gun and shot the guard in the back.
Letting go of the dead weight, Lucas fell back against the wall and, energy spent, slid down to the floor, his eyes locked on the surprised expression the dead guard was still wearing.
Tony rushed over to his friend, crouching down and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Lucas, you okay man? You had us worried there for a while."
Lucas looked up then, his eyes distant and filled with pain. "T-Tony?"
"Yeah, Luke. It's me." He smiled then, before grimacing.
"Don't... don't call me... Luke..." Tony returned the smile, heart searing at their familiar joke, and helped his friend to stand. He tried to keep his mind off of the obvious pain Lucas was in, and what most certainly caused it. He failed, reaching out to catch Lucas as he swayed unsteadily on his feet. Guilt washed over him as he looked, really looked, at his friend for the first time since they had been separated.
"God, Lucas... I'm so sorry. It's my fault; I shouldn't have left you on the bridge. Can you forgive me?"
Lucas closed his eyes and willed the pain to pass. "Tony, it wasn't... it wasn't your fault. You... you had to... to leave. I'm glad..." Lucas mustered as much strength as his ailing body would let him. He had to get this right. "I'm glad it wasn't you."
There were certain things that made Tony Piccolo who he was. His love for women, drinking, and fun had gotten him in more tight situations that he cared to remember, but he had always been able to talk his way out of most of them. If Tony was one thing, he was a giant walking mouth. But now, for the first time in his life, Tony Piccolo was speechless.
Juliana strode onto the bridge, her confident aura now firmly back in place. Lucas was not going to join them- which meant they were enemies. She believed her cause to be just, but somewhere inside her she mourned for the loss of his friendship, and the children they had been together. She also grieved for what she knew she would ultimately have to do to Lucas, but for now, she focused on the higher cause that had called her to action. If Lucas' faith in the UEO had blinded him to what was really going on, then they were on opposite sides.
She could handle that. She could. She would have to.