Five minutes later, the senior staff was assembled in the wardroom. Bridger sat at the head, waiting impatiently for everyone to take their seats. Bill Noyce stood at Nathan's shoulder with an anxious look on his face. As the last of the people seated themselves, Bridger began the meeting.
"Lucas, I need you to pull up all of the information that Dr. Arnolds was able to get through." He paused while the teen worked rapidly on his computer, then spoke again when the station's blue prints appeared on the vid screen. "For those of you who are not aware of the situation, we are dealing with an unknown number of terrorists with a deadly virus, and only the doctor's sketchy information on the hostage situation.
"So here's how we are going to handle it," he said, leaning forward. "Crocker, I need a minimal but efficient security team. Ten members maximum, because we have to keep this as small as possible. Kristin, I need for you to have a quarantine unit ready just in case we run into that virus. Also, I need for you to personally start analyzing the information on the virus. If things go bad in there, we may need a counter virus. I am also going, no argument Commander," as he cuts Ford off. "We meet in the shuttle bay in twenty minutes, and anyone late gets left behind. Any questions? Good. Everyone else, I want you to keep an eye on the station while we are in there. Commander Ford you have the bridge. Dismissed."
Almost as one, the entire senior staff rose to leave. Lucas ran after Bridger, who stood by the entrance talking with Kristin. "Captain, I want to go."
Bridger turned to face him, giving an impatient sigh. "Lucas, how many times do we have to go over this? I can't send you into a situation like this. You are civilian, not military personnel. It would be too dangerous. And besides, I have a bad feeling about this whole thing. If something does go wrong, I don't want you caught in it." He glanced down at his watch. "I have to get going, kiddo. Try and keep Bill and Kara occupied while I'm gone." Casting a quick grin in the teen's direction, Bridger headed off to finish final preparations.
Noyce came up behind Lucas, startling him as he spoke. "I don't like this at all. He's running into something, I know it. He knows it too." The Admiral shook his head. "I just hope he doesn't get into trouble. He's a good captain," he said, then added quietly, "and a good friend."
Lucas nodded, started toward his quarters. As he walked, he remembered about his forgotten meeting with Kara, and changed directions. He headed toward the mess, and found her seated at a table picking at her food as though bored. When he sat down across from her, she looked up, large brown eyes full of humor. "You people actually eat this stuff?" Both laughed, and Lucas went to grab some food. As they ate and talked, however, his mind kept going back to what the Admiral had said. The teen was growing increasingly uneasy about the whole situation himself. Something about it just seemed wrong. Finally, he decided to act on his feelings of uneasiness.
"Um, Kara, I have to go to the labs real quick. Would you like to come? We can just start the tour there and continue once I clear something up."
The girl studied Lucas' face. "Lucas, what's wrong? Something's bothering you; I can see it in your eyes. Come on, you can tell me."
"It's just a feeling I have," Lucas hesitated for a moment before he looked away. "All right, I'll tell you about it on the way." The pair stood, and Lucas led the way to the labs. As they walked, he told Kara about the emergency call and the rescue team that was sent to the station. "It just doesn't sit right. I mean, first of all, we're in peace-time, so why would Section Seven want to make a biological weapon? And then, that doctor. He looked panicked, but he knew what to say, like it had been rehearsed or something. I dunno, maybe I'm just being paranoid."
"No, I think you should check it out. I mean, it wouldn't hurt, and what if you're right?"
* * *
The man paced anxiously by his PAL, awaiting the order to begin the mission. Bridger was already approaching the station, and the plan was in its crucial stage. He awaited the order on board the SeaQuest. Having conveniently been assigned duty in the docking-bay would aid him in securing it for the invasion team. A small, subtle noise emerged from the PAL, a tight sequence of beeps. That was the signal. He grabbed his gun, signaled to his hidden comrades, and went to work commandeering the SeaQuest.
* * *
As the two teens arrived in the labs, Lucas asked for Kristin. Once he found her, the youth was surprised to see Admiral Noyce deep in conversation with her. Both wore a concerned look on their faces as they bent over a microscope.
"How can this be? Bill, we have to get a hold of Nathan." The doctor's tone belied her concern.
"I know Kristin. I knew there was something wrong with this from the start. Come on, we have to warn him before he gets there."
"What's going on?" Lucas spoke, alarm shining in his bright blue eyes. "Is that the virus you're looking at? Warn the Captain about what?"
Kristin answered first. "There isn't any virus. It's a set up, and the Captain, it appears, is walking into a trap. Come on; let's get to the bridge. Hopefully we can get a message through before the captain gets into any trouble."
As the group turned toward the doorway, it burst open, and a spray of gunfire sent them diving to the floor before they realized what was happening. A handful of heavily armed men came storming into the room, weapons ready for another round of gunfire. They seemed to be searching for something, and they're intent eyes stopped when they crossed the group on the floor. One nodded to the others, and they came toward Lucas and his group.
"You four, come with us. Now!" The man ordered, waving his gun at them.