Disclaimer: I don't own Seaquest!

Note: *huffles* I just wanna write x.x ok ive decided on a phobia that may not correspond with the series, but with many fan fictions this will work perfectly for all the ELF members ^_^!

Fear Factor

Chapter 8 - Pain!

By Faith Childrey

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David could see how much Tippy was still shaking as the moved down the hall. It had lessened a lot since they found her, but from the soft shallow breaths and her arms wrapped tightly around her chest, he could see she was still have problems. He walked up behind her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She turned and gave have a warm, tired smile. She let out a long breath and attempted to get herself back together.

The hall was coming to an end at what looked like the final room. Lucas was the only one left of the group to still have to go through the phobia torture. The group slowed as they made their way to the entrance of the room. Inside, along the far wall, stood five tall boxes, big enough to hold a full grown man.

"You sure you don't know what your phobia is?" Adam asked over his shoulder as he checked the room.

"I can't think of anything… what do you see?" Lucas answered.

"Nothing… it looks ok so far…let move." Slowly, Adam led the team into the large, bright room. The boxes across the room looked to be color coded, and the letters that were attached to each box helped to figure out what they were for. There were two black boxes, the letter A on one and D on the other. A dark blue one with the letter T, a dingy orange one with the letter L and a red with the letter A.

"Are you claustrophobic?" Amanda asked as she stood next to the confused Lucas.

"I live on a submarine, I know I'm not claustrophobic…"

"Maybe we should check out the room a little more." David suggested.

Adam nodded, "You three check out the south end, Tippy and I will check out the north. Meet back in the middle." They nodded, moving to their sections in groups.

There wasn't much to see around the room, just the walls and the five boxes. After a few minutes of searching, they were back in the middle. There was nothing to report. They were faced with the boxes.

"I say we open them all one at a time, that way if anything does pop out at us, we can all kick its butt." Amanda suggested.

They all looked to one another. It sounded like a plan. After a moment of discussion it was decided, they would open the boxes. Starting at the end with Amanda's, they all stood around her as she pulled it open. They were relieved to see that it was empty. The next box belonged to David. He slowly open his and was met with nothing. Tippy's was next and again there was nothing to see. They were now on Lucas's box. Everyone was silent as he stepped up to the orange box. His heart was pounding as his hand touched the side of the wooden box and he slowly opened it. They all stood stunned to see that the box was full of nothing.

"Odd…" He stepped back and allowed Adam to open the last, and like the others it was empty. "I don't get it…"

Everyone was silent for a long time. Nothing moved, nothing screamed or breathed. There was nothing in the room. "What's going on here?" David called, hoping the annoying voice might tell them something. That they had made it to the end and all they had to do was click their heals and they'd be home, but there was nothing, only silence. Frustrated, they all turned back to the colored boxes and gasped as they saw five men come flying out. All of them looked the same, all but one. He wasn't much taller than them. His hair was short and a dingy, dark brown, and he had a crooked grin playing across his face.

The group was unable to Lucas's shocked for stumble backwards, as the five body-builder sized men rushed forward. The AK-47 crashed to the floor as one of the towering figures tackled David to the floor. One of the other men had Tippy in a bear hug, her legs kicking at anything she could hit. Adam had been knocked backwards as one of the giants shouldered him in the gut, causing him to gasp for air. Amanda had managed to out-maneuver her attacker, ducking under its flying arms. Her attempts were useless unfortunately as the inhuman being snatched her shoulder with incredible speed. She was easily yanked off her feet and restrained by the emotionless figure.

Lucas shuffled backwards, unable to keep his eyes off the figure that approached. Painful memories were flashing through his mind as the man's hands clenched into fists, the smug grin still on his face, and he spoke, "Hello, Lucas…"

"…D-dad… w-what are you d-doing?" His heart was racing as his father continued his advance, and suddenly Lucas ran out of floor. He was now pressed up against the cold wall, the figure of his father stopping inches away, his form towering over the teen.

"You've been a very bad boy, Lucas." He wanted to run, his mind telling him what he knew was coming, but his legs had become numb with fear. "And for that you must be punished." Lawrence sneered, and with one quick blow, smashed his fist into the frightened teens stomach.

The others, now restrained by the overly strong men, stared silently as their friend fell to his knees, his "father" stepping to the side as Lucas gasped for breath. Amanda watched to scream as she saw the man pull his booted foot back, but the blow was too quick and the blond teen was sent sliding across the room, gripping his bludgeoned ribs. He now lay on his side, his pain filled eyes brimming with tears. The man was walking towards the fallen teen, his footsteps slow and deliberate.

Lucas tried to push himself away, his breaths coming out ragged and uneven as he heart felt like it would explode. His father was only a few feet away when the intercom came on, the madman sounding as giddy as ever, "I must thank you children for all the hard work you've done! It seems I have gotten all I need from you!" He paused the teens hoping that this was now all over and they could leave. "But I'm sad to say that you all must die now… Truly this has been a must interesting game! Sorry for this, but I must be off! Good bye kiddies!" Wide, unbelieving eyes were raised to the ceiling as the intercom shut off for what they understood would be the last time. The figure standing in front of him began to move again, the grin disappearing as his face became cold and unemotional. A large hand wrapped around Lucas's arm as he tried to scramble away, pulling him roughly to his feet. Before he could do anything to stop it, he was being slammed against the wall, a hand wrapped around his throat. He began to claw at the hand as the fingers tightened, cutting off his airway. Black spots were bursting in front of his eyes as his air way was closed, causing him to franticly try to force in air. The only thing he could manage was a choking gasp. His fingers dug into the flesh of the hand that was pushing hard against his throat, but his efforts were getting weaker as the darkness began to seep in.

Keith stood with Claudia and the doctor. The fear tank was now full and the teens were being dealt with. He watched as the doctor marveled at his own genius, fiddling with his machine. He placed the filled tank inside what looked like a nuclear war head, locking it into place. Claudia also seemed to be enjoying herself, a content grin on her face. Apparently her job had been a lot more exciting than his.

He watched as the doctor pulled out a small vile, placing it under the "fear tap" as he liked to call it. It was instantly filled with the remaining terror being sucked from the teens. Keith suddenly became a bit nervous as a spray nozzle was added to the small tub, a sly grin playing on the doctor's face. Apparently, Claudia was in her own little world as the doctor quickly stepped forward and released a mist in her face. Shocked by the sudden attack, she stumbled back swiping at her face. It only took a few seconds before she began to shake, her eyes wide in terror.

"Get AWAY!" She screamed as the doctor took a step forward.

Keith stared in shock as the woman shrank away, curling up in fear. All at once it became clear how insane the doctor really was. Quickly, he turned, sprinting out the door towards the launch bay.

Jumping into the small, underwater craft, he opened the outer hatch, powering up the ship and moving out, "Screw the money. I'm not becoming on of his guinea pigs!"

The shuttle moved into the open waters, unaware that it was being watched.

"Captain!" Ortiz called over his shoulder.

"What have you found?" Bridger replied from his place at the helm.

"We've got conformation on an unknown craft leaving the ocean floor."

"Get a lock on it and bring it in. Find out where it came from. If could be our only clue to finding the kids." He prayed they had found what they were searching for.

David struggled against the vice grip of the giant. They were all in the strong bear hugs, being slowly crushed by the monstrous body builders. He could see the AK-47 still laying untouched on the floor just a few feet of the groups. Amanda was the closest.

Gritting his teeth as he tried to muster up the breath he yelled to her, "Amanda! The…GUN!" He could see the understanding on her face as her small frame moved slightly and one leg came flying up, smashing into the emotionless face of the giant. The nose snapped and the arms loosened, giving Amanda an opportunity. She dropped down from the monsters hold, springing forward. The gun was in her hands as the towering figure reached down and grabbed her ankle in an attempt to retrieve what it had lost. The gun was aimed and fired, a massive hole blossoming from the creatures forehead, and it vanished, leaving only four of the enemies.

Her gaze quickly turned to Lucas. The figure stood over his coughing, gasping form, boot raised for another devastating blow. She took aim and fired, the fleshy chin of the man tearing off in the blast, revealing an empty black hole in its place. The boot came crashing down into Lucas's chest, his "father" unfazed by the hideous wound. She fired again, the bullet smashing into the right temple in an explosion of tattered flesh. Quickly, she turned to the rest of the team, half conscious as the monsters' grips remained tight around their chests. She aimed as best she could, the gun dwarfing her form. One shot fired and the monster holding Tippy was down, her form collapsing to the floor, gasping for air. Another shot and David was free, coughing and hugging his chest. The first shot to Adam's monster went high, taking off a chunk of its ear. The second one hit, smashing into the eye socket, white goo running down its lifeless face, and Adam was dropped.

His mind was dizzy with pain. It was hard to breath and his chest was burning. He tried to role over on his back, but the movement sent biting pain through his form. Tears fell from the corners of his closed lids, falling to the floor. He was unaware that the others had made their way to him aching body, their eyes moving sympathetically over his, examining the injuries. They were all sitting around him now, their faces portraying the exhaustion they felt after their ordeal. Lucas could feel himself slipping away into darkness, his thoughts buzzing through his mind. Can you die in a computer simulated world…why does it hurt so much…Captain… and with that last thought unconsciousness claimed him.

Tbc…

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Hey guys! I hope you liked this one. It was hard x.x I think im gonna try and explain why Lucas was afraid of his dad later… soooooooo ya don't worry itll all be happy ^_^

Thanks for reading!