"Let us out of here!!" Seaman Anthony Piccolo banged his fist against the reflective reinforced perspex screen, trying to rattle his captors.

Next to him, Lieutenant Commander Katie Hitchcock put a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Stop it, Tony. That won't get us anywhere." Turning to their unseen observers, she spoke with authority. "Why are we being held? Who are you?"

Still there was no reply. The black man who had thus far been sitting in the corner stood up. "My name is Commander Jonathan Ford, UEO seaQuest. Under the terms of the Geneva Convention, I request that myself and my crew be made aware of the charges against us or released immediately. Furthermore, if we are to be held, I ask that we be permitted contact with a UEO representative, so that our presence here can be made known to the UEO government." He glared at the mirror.

"As you wish, Commander." The voice startled the occupants of the room. The only door slid aside, granting them a brief glance at the armed guards outside. However, what captivated their attention was the man silhouetted in the doorway.

"Your representative is here Commander." The man spoke coldly. "What would you like to say?"

As he stepped forward into the room, the door closed behind him allowing Ford a better look at the man. He was dressed in a plain black jumpsuit, marked with two and a half gold bars on each shoulderboard, which Ford took to mean that he was a Lieutenant Commander. It was devoid of any other insignia, and there were no weapons in evidence. He looked to Ford to be about 30; his blue eyes were cold and unemotive, set in a harsh, angular face framed by short sandy hair. Most unnerving for Ford was the air of familiarity that surrounded the man.

"You're UEO? How did you get here so quickly?"

"I was ordered here." A curt answer.

"This is a UEO facility?" Hitchcock was incredulous.

"It is."

"Who the hell are you?!" Piccolo had been growing more and more agitated.

The man's eyes hardened. "A question I intend on asking all of you, should I not receive confirmation of your identities."

The door slid open, and a young marine walked in holding a data disk. He whispered in the mystery man's ear, shot an unreadable look at the room's other occupants, then left. The Lieutenant Commander slid the disk into a reader on the room's single table, looked at the display, then looked up at his prisoners. "Well, that settles the question of your identities." He turned the display so that the seaQuest crew could see the genotyping results displayed on it. "However, it does leave several other questions. So, where shall we start?"

Ford gave him an even look. "How about your name?"

"Calm as ever, Commander?" The man did not appear predisposed towards smiling, however Ford thought he detected amusement in his captor's tone. "You'll work it out eventually, I hope. Not to sound overly egotistical, but I would have thought I left enough of an impression for you to recognise me, even after all this time."

Hitchcock let out a small gasp. "Oh my God."

The young man looked at her. "Hello Commander Hitchcock. It's been a while."

"Lucas."