Disclaimer: I do not own Seaquest!
10-12-02
Fear Factor - Chapter 1
By Faith Childrey
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Lucas Wolenczak shoved a handful of unfolded clothes into a tattered bag, a smile playing on the sixteen-year-olds face. Three more hours and he'd he out of the ocean and on dry land. A week of fun in the sun and relaxation was definitely the top priority on his mind. The Captain was allowing Lucas to stay with them over shore leave since neither of his parents would be around to keep him.
Throwing in a pair of pants, he zipped up the bag and tossed it on the floor by the door. He turned back to his laptop, noting that there was still a constant stream of information running through the screen. He had been backing up most of his files for safety purposes before it was time to leave the ship. Bridger had made it quite clear that there were to be no electronic devices on this trip. He was being forced to spend all his day outside and getting plenty of exercise.
Sitting down to his computer, his hands flew over the keyboard as the streams of data stopped. There was a small beep and the screen turned a dull black. The teen, pushed down the top and gently placed it in a compartment below his bed.
He glanced down at his watch, "One fifteen…. Lunch sounds good right about now." Smiling, he stepped out of his quarters and into the hall. A small number of the crew was actually out in the halls. The few who were, were busy checking on the ships wiring and pipes to make sure everything was functional before leave.
It didn't surprise him to see the cafeteria almost completely empty. He grabbed what was available for food, then turned to find a table and sat down. The cafeteria had been left with a small amount of processed sandwiches containing something that looked like baloney. Shrugging, Lucas forced the sandwich down.
He stumbled as he made his way down the hall. That sandwich was not going down without a fight. Lucas placed a hand over his stomach as if the feel of his hand would make the pain go away. He let out a long breath of air and straitened up, continuing his walk.
Moaning, Lucas sat on one of the cushioned seats on the launch, leaning against the wall. He actually felt nauseous. Cursing the sandwich one more time, he glanced around the transport pod. He had boarded with Captain Bridger and the other senior officers.
"You don't look too good, kiddo?" Bridger asked as he took a seat next to the teen.
"I had a fight with my food… or should I say I'm still battling." He grinned as Bridger gave him a small chuckle and a pat on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, it goes away after a few hours." The Captain gave Lucas a wink making him let out a laugh.
"I hope so."
Ben finished the launch preparations, and the launch made its way to the docks.
Bridger pushed the door open to his island house, holding it so Lucas could squeeze in carrying him luggage.
"Go throw your stuff in the guest bedroom, and I'll see what I can cook up for dinner." Lucas gave the older man a nod and quickly hurried off to his room. Nathan couldn't help the smile that played across his face. These next two weeks were going to be great, for himself and Lucas.
He tossed his own bags into his room, taking a peek in the guest room to see Lucas pulling out his things. He had called ahead to have enough food delivered for them. Nathan rummaged through the cupboards trying to find something suitable for dinner. His hand fell on a long narrow box, and he pulled it down just as the teen entered the kitchen.
"Spaghetti sound good?" He asked, holding up the unopened box of noodles.
"Sounds great."
Keith stood on the edge of the small yacht. The kid had arrived on schedule, but he couldn't get to him any time soon. He'd have to wait till the kid was alone. No one could see them.
Lowering the binoculars, Keith turned to check the other two teens that lay unconscious in the dim cabin. The other team would have the other two victims in captivity by now. There was only one more guinea pig for the doctor, then the main part of his job would be over.
Nathan sat on the porch, sipping his cup of dark coffee. The sun was peeking over the horizon, sending warm colors of pinks and oranges across the sky. It was nice to actually be able to sit down and watch the simple things in life for a change.
He looked up as he heard a shuffling of feet and then the door opening. Lucas stood, still in his pajamas, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Good morning. Did you sleep ok?" He asked, as Lucas made his way over to an empty seat next to him.
"Like a log." The blond yawned.
Bridger smiled, "Glad to hear it. Ready for some breakfast? I was thinking about cooking up some eggs, bacon and hash browns."
"That sounds great!"
"Thought it would." Nathan smiled. "How about you make the eggs and I'll do the bacon and hash browns?"
"You got it!"
Breakfast was anything but dull. Lucas had managed to break five large, white eggs into a bowl and was about to do his sixth, when his hit the side of the bowl a little to hard and it went flying off the counter. When the bowl hit the ground, it didn't break, but the impact and momentum of the eggs sent them flying across the room and onto the front of the refrigerator. Nathan had found the incident quite amusing, and was forced to hold the side of the counter to keep from falling to the floor in a fit of laughter.
"I'm stuffed!" Nathan leaned back in his chair, patting is full stomach.
"Me too. I think I'm gonna go sit on the dock and see if Darwin is here yet." Lucas stood and began walking to the door.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Nathan motioned to the dirty plate on the table, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Lucas shrugged, grabbing his plate and taking it over to the sink. He washed off the leftover particles off and stuck the plate in the dishwasher. With that over with, he quickly ran outside to find his friend.
Before Lucas even made it to the dock, he could see the gray dorsal fin come up out of the water, then submerge again. The boy smiled, sitting at the edge of the dock and letting his feet dangle into the water. He banged the palm of his hand on the dock and waited. The waves were making it hard to see anything in the water. Water suddenly drenched the boy's face as Darwin popped out in front of him and proceeded to splash him.
"Hey, you! Cut that out!" Lucas yelled playfully. Another wave of water splashed up against him, soaking him completely through. "Ok, that's it!" With that, he pulled off his drenched shirt, tossing it onto the dock, and jumped into the water.
Nathan laughed from his view on the porch. He watched them splash around and chase each other for a little while, before going back inside. This was definitely going to be a great vacation.
Claudia casually swam her way out into the water. She turned her head to see her boat gently bobbing up and down on the top of the water a good distance away. Turning back to the island, she was almost to the halfway point between the two. The young woman took one more stroke and stopped, checking to see if anyone was around, only spotting the boy.
Claudia pushed back the few strands of long brown hair from her face before taking in a deep breath and going under. A second later, she came back up splashing frantically.
"HELP~!!!"
Lucas popped up out of the water, letting out a laugh as Darwin bumped into his back. His attention was quickly drawn away from the friendly dolphin when he heard a cry for help come from behind him. It was short and strangled, but definitely noticeable. He quickly turned in the water, his blue eyes searching over its surface until they rested on the form of a person thrashing in the water.
"Come on, Darwin!" The dolphin quickly swam to his side and he grabbed on to his dorsal fin, then pointed off in the direction they needed to go.
They were at the girls side in just a few seconds. Lucas swam up behind her, grabbing hold of her arms to keep her afloat.
"Calm down… I got ya!" Hearing his words, she seemed to loosen up a bit. Using one arm, he wrapped around the front of her, then paddled to stay afloat himself with the other. He looked around and saw Darwin circling around to pick them up.
"My…boat…" Lucas turned to the woman in his arms, then scanned the area and saw the large yacht bobbing up and down not too far away.
"Ok, just relax." Darwin made it to his side and he quickly pointed to the boat, then grabbed onto his friend's fin.
As the three of them got closer to the boat, Lucas saw two men step out onto the deck. Their eyes widened when they saw the girl in tow.
"What happened!?" The first man, who had long hair tied back into a tight pony tail, said as he leaned over the edge of the boat, lifting the girl up out of the water. The other man with shorter brown hair helped Lucas out and into the boat.
"I…I must have gotten a cramp… If it wasn't for this brave young man here, I would have drowned." She gave Lucas a soft smile, causing him to blush.
"I-It was nothing." He stumbled, "You're ok now right?"
The woman nodded, the smile still on her face. "Yes, I am alright." She suddenly turned her head to one of the men. "Richard, is lunch ready? I would like to invite Mr. … Oh! I forgot to ask your name."
"Lucas, Lucas Wolenczak, But I can't stay for lunch, I have someone waiting for me on the island. Sorry, but I should probably be going now." He turned back to the side of the ship, looking over to see Darwin before she spoke again.
"Oh by I insist." Her voice had taken on a tone that wouldn't take no for an answer.
Lucas turned back only to see that the two men were now holding guns. He looked to the woman who had a content grin on her face. He felt two pricks of pain in his chest as the two men fired the drugged darts. He fought to stay awake, but quickly found himself consumed by the darkness.
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WHEEEE first chapter of my first Seaquest fic ^________^ I hope yall liked it! If you have any suggestions on my writing and stuff feel free to email me at
