Hey, the next chapter is finally out!!! I just wanted to thank Gryff again
for all her hard work and help. If you're reading this, it means you know
I'm trying to get back into the swing of things and get this puppy
finished! Anyway, I will try to have another part done soon everyone!
*********************************************************************
Pain was the only thing that Lucas could feel as he drifted in darkness. He could remember nothing after he had blacked out, and his mind absently wondered what had happened. Suddenly the youth's consciousness flashed with images of Kara, Bridger and Noyce, all of whom had been forced to stand aside and watch. Concern for them brought him drifting back towards consciousness, and soon he could hear voices around him. Forcing his heavy eyelids to open, Lucas instantly regretted his decision and immediately closed them against the harsh lighting above.
"Lucas? Lucas, wake up kiddo." The voice was loud, grating on the genius' already grated nerves.
Once more forcing his eyes to open, the teen became aware of blurred figures huddled around him. Jerking fully awake, he tried to pull away from them.
Bridger, who sat beside Lucas, reached out a comforting hand to hold the boy down. "Easy there, kiddo," Bridger whispered softly, "you're safe. Just relax."
It took a moment before the captain's voice registered in his muddled brain and once Lucas realized who the speaker was he settled down.
Another figure entered his field of vision. The blonde cringed as Kristin's face took on a cold, stern look as she slipped into her doctor persona.
"Lucas, darling, I know you're not very awake right now, but can you tell me where it hurts?" She held his wrist as she spoke, eyes flickering from her chrono to the boy's glazed blue eyes as she measured his pulse.
The teen only wanted to fall asleep, to escape the pain the seemed to travel the length of his body. Unfortunately, the doctor refused to let him close his eyes until he answered her question.
"Umm.my side, and my head. I.can't see very well."
"Ok, Lucas. Just stay with me for a few more moments, all right? You may have a concussion. If you do, you'll have to stay awake, all right sweetheart? Now, hold still for a second." Kristin sat on the cot beside the boy, looking carefully at his eyes for several moments. "Lucas, lad, it looks like you'll have to stay up. Think you can make it for a little while?"
After a weak nod from the boy, Kristin pulled Nathan aside to speak to him. Her curiosity had been in overdrive, along with her concern, since the moment that the guards had brought the four to the brig. Lucas had been unconscious, bruises already forming on his face. Along with the other occupants of the small cell, she had pressed Bridger for information, but he refused to acknowledge her questions until he was sure Lucas would be all right. Now that she had had a chance to examine the teen, it was time for some answers.
As they approached the opposite side of the brig, Kristin watched as her temporary cellmates, the rest of the senior crew, moved to Lucas' side. Kristin watched as the crew began talking to the boy, attempting to take his mind off the pain. "Good," she thought, "he won't have to hear this."
"Nathan! What happened up there? Why is Lucas hurt and the rest-"
"Kristin, its Stark." He paused for a moment as the doctor gasped, then continued in a whisper. "She.wanted revenge. She said that, since I had taken away what meant the most to her, she was going to do the same to me."
Before he could continue, Kristin placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. She could see the anger burning in his eyes; indeed, it was beginning to reflect in her own. But there was also guilt in those eyes. "It's not your fault, Nathan. That.woman, and I use the term loosely, is insane. And there were too many guards; there was nothing you could have done."
Another question rose to the surface, and she decided that she needed to get the captain's mind off of Lucas' condition. "What about Noyce and Kara? What does she plan for them?"
Bridger shook his head. "I don't know.she didn't seem quite as interested in them. I think she has something in mind, but I'm not sure what. It would probably be a good idea to try and keep Stark from remembering them for a while. And Lucas, if we can manage it."
"Wait a moment, Nathan! You aren't planning on taking all of her attention, are you? A fool plan like that will get you killed! The ship still needs a captain!"
Nathan threw up his rough hands in frustration. "I know, and believe me, if there were another way to do this, I'd try. But I can't stand the chance of getting anyone else hurt, and I know that if it were you, you would do the same. So, unless you have any other ideas, Kristin."
The doctor glanced around the brig, taking in the worried and angry faces. Her gaze fluttered from each of the senior crewmembers. They were the only other occupants to the cell except for herself, Nathan, and the admiral and his niece. Tim and Ortiz, along with Noyce and Kara, were gathered around the solitary bunk and its occupant. Ford, Katie, and Crocker were nearby, and she could hear their frustrated whispers. She briefly wondered at Stark's logic for grouping them all together.
Realization struck Kristin as she hurriedly examined the room again. She pulled the captain close, and whispered in his ear. "Nathan, where's Ben?"
***********************************************
As soon as the group of prisoners had been marched past, Ben silently eased himself backwards along the vent in which he was hiding. As he squeezed through his tiny sanctuary, he slowly released the breath he had been holding. Of course, the cramped little vent could hardly be called a comfortable sanctuary. Thankfully Ben wasn't a heavy man, but he suspected that even someone Lucas' size would have trouble fitting comfortably through the ventilation system of the seaQuest.
The thought of the teen shook Krieg's mind back into the present. He wondered how the kid was doing; as a UEO officer, he and the other crewmembers were trained for these situations, but civilians were not. He pushed aside the thought, telling himself that Lucas was fine, that he was probably sitting in the brig with the others. There was no way anyone would hurt him; he was just a kid, right? But a lingering thought of doubt gnawed at the back of his mind.
Ben stopped crawling as he reached his destination. Quietly he removed the vent cover in front him and after scanning the room below, he dropped silently into the small storage closet, replacing the metal grating over the opening when he was through. This was where he had been during the invasion; he had been checking to make sure some specially ordered items hadn't become lost in the last shipment when he heard the shots fired outside. Ben began rummaging through the different crates, searching for something, anything that might help him contact the outside. After a careful search of each box, carton and crate in the closet, Ben sat down, defeated. With a deep sigh the Lieutenant set his mischievous mind to work; knowing that he had to come up with a plan soon, before it was too late for them all.
*********************************************************************
Pain was the only thing that Lucas could feel as he drifted in darkness. He could remember nothing after he had blacked out, and his mind absently wondered what had happened. Suddenly the youth's consciousness flashed with images of Kara, Bridger and Noyce, all of whom had been forced to stand aside and watch. Concern for them brought him drifting back towards consciousness, and soon he could hear voices around him. Forcing his heavy eyelids to open, Lucas instantly regretted his decision and immediately closed them against the harsh lighting above.
"Lucas? Lucas, wake up kiddo." The voice was loud, grating on the genius' already grated nerves.
Once more forcing his eyes to open, the teen became aware of blurred figures huddled around him. Jerking fully awake, he tried to pull away from them.
Bridger, who sat beside Lucas, reached out a comforting hand to hold the boy down. "Easy there, kiddo," Bridger whispered softly, "you're safe. Just relax."
It took a moment before the captain's voice registered in his muddled brain and once Lucas realized who the speaker was he settled down.
Another figure entered his field of vision. The blonde cringed as Kristin's face took on a cold, stern look as she slipped into her doctor persona.
"Lucas, darling, I know you're not very awake right now, but can you tell me where it hurts?" She held his wrist as she spoke, eyes flickering from her chrono to the boy's glazed blue eyes as she measured his pulse.
The teen only wanted to fall asleep, to escape the pain the seemed to travel the length of his body. Unfortunately, the doctor refused to let him close his eyes until he answered her question.
"Umm.my side, and my head. I.can't see very well."
"Ok, Lucas. Just stay with me for a few more moments, all right? You may have a concussion. If you do, you'll have to stay awake, all right sweetheart? Now, hold still for a second." Kristin sat on the cot beside the boy, looking carefully at his eyes for several moments. "Lucas, lad, it looks like you'll have to stay up. Think you can make it for a little while?"
After a weak nod from the boy, Kristin pulled Nathan aside to speak to him. Her curiosity had been in overdrive, along with her concern, since the moment that the guards had brought the four to the brig. Lucas had been unconscious, bruises already forming on his face. Along with the other occupants of the small cell, she had pressed Bridger for information, but he refused to acknowledge her questions until he was sure Lucas would be all right. Now that she had had a chance to examine the teen, it was time for some answers.
As they approached the opposite side of the brig, Kristin watched as her temporary cellmates, the rest of the senior crew, moved to Lucas' side. Kristin watched as the crew began talking to the boy, attempting to take his mind off the pain. "Good," she thought, "he won't have to hear this."
"Nathan! What happened up there? Why is Lucas hurt and the rest-"
"Kristin, its Stark." He paused for a moment as the doctor gasped, then continued in a whisper. "She.wanted revenge. She said that, since I had taken away what meant the most to her, she was going to do the same to me."
Before he could continue, Kristin placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. She could see the anger burning in his eyes; indeed, it was beginning to reflect in her own. But there was also guilt in those eyes. "It's not your fault, Nathan. That.woman, and I use the term loosely, is insane. And there were too many guards; there was nothing you could have done."
Another question rose to the surface, and she decided that she needed to get the captain's mind off of Lucas' condition. "What about Noyce and Kara? What does she plan for them?"
Bridger shook his head. "I don't know.she didn't seem quite as interested in them. I think she has something in mind, but I'm not sure what. It would probably be a good idea to try and keep Stark from remembering them for a while. And Lucas, if we can manage it."
"Wait a moment, Nathan! You aren't planning on taking all of her attention, are you? A fool plan like that will get you killed! The ship still needs a captain!"
Nathan threw up his rough hands in frustration. "I know, and believe me, if there were another way to do this, I'd try. But I can't stand the chance of getting anyone else hurt, and I know that if it were you, you would do the same. So, unless you have any other ideas, Kristin."
The doctor glanced around the brig, taking in the worried and angry faces. Her gaze fluttered from each of the senior crewmembers. They were the only other occupants to the cell except for herself, Nathan, and the admiral and his niece. Tim and Ortiz, along with Noyce and Kara, were gathered around the solitary bunk and its occupant. Ford, Katie, and Crocker were nearby, and she could hear their frustrated whispers. She briefly wondered at Stark's logic for grouping them all together.
Realization struck Kristin as she hurriedly examined the room again. She pulled the captain close, and whispered in his ear. "Nathan, where's Ben?"
***********************************************
As soon as the group of prisoners had been marched past, Ben silently eased himself backwards along the vent in which he was hiding. As he squeezed through his tiny sanctuary, he slowly released the breath he had been holding. Of course, the cramped little vent could hardly be called a comfortable sanctuary. Thankfully Ben wasn't a heavy man, but he suspected that even someone Lucas' size would have trouble fitting comfortably through the ventilation system of the seaQuest.
The thought of the teen shook Krieg's mind back into the present. He wondered how the kid was doing; as a UEO officer, he and the other crewmembers were trained for these situations, but civilians were not. He pushed aside the thought, telling himself that Lucas was fine, that he was probably sitting in the brig with the others. There was no way anyone would hurt him; he was just a kid, right? But a lingering thought of doubt gnawed at the back of his mind.
Ben stopped crawling as he reached his destination. Quietly he removed the vent cover in front him and after scanning the room below, he dropped silently into the small storage closet, replacing the metal grating over the opening when he was through. This was where he had been during the invasion; he had been checking to make sure some specially ordered items hadn't become lost in the last shipment when he heard the shots fired outside. Ben began rummaging through the different crates, searching for something, anything that might help him contact the outside. After a careful search of each box, carton and crate in the closet, Ben sat down, defeated. With a deep sigh the Lieutenant set his mischievous mind to work; knowing that he had to come up with a plan soon, before it was too late for them all.