Disclaimer: I don't own anything seaQuest-related.
Summary: In the aftermath of the World Power Project failure, Lucas faces what may be the most difficult summer of his life. An alternate ending to the first season finale, Ocean on Fire.
Author's notes: This story starts about three-quarters of the way through Ocean on Fire and then branches off into something very different. It certainly wouldn't hurt if you've seen that episode, but I hope I wrote it in such a way that familiarity with the episode isn't necessary. The story is definitely AU, but I tried to keep it as close to canon as possible.
Author's thanks: My endless gratitude goes to Diena, who agreed to beta this story and came up with some amazing suggestions for filling out the characters and the plot. If you find any errors, blame them on her. ;-) Thanks also to Kathy, who gave the finished story a very important final read and picked up quite a few mistakes. And thanks to JOxER, who was the first person to look at this story and offered some great advice about the first two chapters.
Traitorous Gifts
Lucas Wolenczak crossed his arms over his chest, trying to disguise his shaking as another chill ran through his body. Just a few minutes ago he had told the doctor that he was fine. But in truth, he had never been more afraid in his life – which was saying a lot, given all that he'd endured in this past year on the seaQuest.
The launch bay was packed with more people than Lucas had ever seen in one place on the submarine. He imagined that most, if not all, of the civilian science staff was in here, all huddled in small groups, talking in hushed voices and trying to figure out exactly why they were being evacuated. There hadn't been enough time for the captain to make a formal announcement to the crew. Lucas could feel the panic and stress filling the room as gossip passed from one frightened scientist to another. He leaned his head back against the cool hull and closed his eyes, trying to block out the sounds around him and focus on his own fears. On what was happening with his father.
He wanted desperately to be on the bridge with the captain, not shaking here like some coward while his friends went after his father. It didn't help that the last image he had of Lawrence Wolenczak seemed permanently imprinted on his brain – his father terrified and barely in control, reaching out to his son like a man who knew he was about to die and needed to carry out his last wishes. Lucas pulled his arms more firmly into his chest and squeezed his eyes tighter shut. If only he could get that last picture out of his mind.
"Lucas, he'll be all right." Dr. Kristin Westphalen's voice, always so calm and serious, had a small quiver in it. He knew she meant the words to be encouraging, but they had the opposite effect. He opened his eyes anyway and forced a smile at her.
"I know," he said, uncrossing his arms. He rubbed his palms into his eyes but the image of his father remained. Westphalen reached an arm around his shoulders and squeezed him to her in a hug, a small sigh escaping as she leaned her forehead into his hair.
"Darwin must be terrified," she said softly, kissing the top of Lucas' head before letting up. She was rarely this physical with him and again, the attempt at comfort made his fear spike. "Did you explain to him what was going on?"
"Yeah," he said, reaching out to lay a hand on the dolphin, which was being carried by four crewmembers Lucas didn't know very well. He had told Darwin that the entire boat was being evacuated because they were attempting a particularly dangerous mission. Lucas had been tempted to tell the dolphin that the evacuation was a drill, but he knew Darwin would see right through his lie. Still, Lucas hadn't told him about his father.
"Well, he can't be as scared as I am," Westphalen said, and to her apparent surprise, Lucas nodded in agreement.
"I know," he said, and crossed his arms over his chest again. This time he knew she could feel the shiver run through his body.
xxxXXXxxx
Capt. Nathan Bridger rarely doubted his command of the seaQuest. He knew his boat and he knew his people, and more often than not he made the best decisions to keep them all off the bottom of the ocean. But just now he was starting to let some questions creep in.
He had no idea what he expected to accomplish by hovering near the disaster site that once housed the World Power Project, a noble plan to provide everyone on the planet with free, environmentally safe energy, and perhaps among the most important experiments in all of human history. Saving the project was not an option at this point. Saving the people who built that project seemed near impossible. Saving the world by stopping that heaving, boiling river of lava in the ocean floor – well, somehow he had to find a way.
It felt lonely on the bridge with just the three of them. Cmdr. Jonathan Ford was for all intents and purposes steering the seaQuest on his own, but really that just meant keeping the submarine as steady as possible until the evacuations were complete. Petty Officer William Shan was manning the WSKRS, keeping an eye out for sudden changes in the surrounding ocean environment, which seemed a somewhat ridiculous task as far as Bridger was concerned; they were practically sitting on top of a volcano, for Christ's sake. He didn't need the WSKRS to tell him the situation outside was dangerous, and quickly becoming deadly.
"What's the status in the launch bay, Commander?" Bridger asked for at least the fourth time in the past 15 minutes. If Ford was annoyed by the question he didn't show it. He quietly checked in with Lt. Cmdr. Katherine Hitchcock and reported back to his captain.
"They've only got about a third of the crew off," he said, pressing his headset into his ear as Hitchcock apparently supplied more information. "But half of the civilians are gone."
Bridger nodded but didn't look particularly impressed. It shouldn't be taking this long to evacuate, but he knew that with the tumultuous waters roiling about the submarine, they were working as quickly as possible to abandon ship.
"How about Crocker? Is he on his way?"
"Affirmative," Ford said. "He's just leaving now." To prove the point, Shan flashed on the main screen a view of the rescue shuttle leaving the boat. Its nose was pointed too high, Bridger noted, as the shuttle was rocked by a sudden burst of turbulence that also made the seaQuest groan and shake. Bridger grabbed onto the console in front of his chair to keep from toppling over. He knew he should sit down, that he would be safer commanding from his chair, but his legs seemed to have their own plans as they carried him back and forth on the bridge in a constant, jittery march.
Bridger rubbed his hands together as he paced, as though he was very cold. In fact he was sweating under the stress and he just couldn't keep his hands still. A million thoughts kept flying through his mind, and he needed to focus. Chief Manilow Crocker would reach the project headquarters in about 20 minutes, and once his rescue attempt was over – whether it was successful or not – Bridger would have to find a way to plug that hole in the ocean floor.
Suddenly a violent tremor that felt like an explosion blew Bridger out of his dark thoughts. The main screen, his view of the World Power Hydroelectric Plant, filled with the facility breaking literally in half and sliding, almost in slow motion, toward the lava bed below.
"Oh my God," Shan muttered.
"Captain, that's a highly secure UEO facility. They've got nuclear warheads in there," Ford warned.
"Get us the hell out of here," demanded Bridger, toppling toward his own console.
"Aye, sir," Ford yelled.
"Attention all personnel, this is the captain," Bridger announced over the ship-wide speakers. "Cease all evacuations immediately. I repeat, cease all evacuations. We are no longer abandoning the seaQuest. Stay where you are and brace for impact."
"Sir, WSKRS show the facility is almost at the lava," Shan called out.
"Are we far enough out, Commander?" Bridger demanded.
"I don't know, sir," Ford answered. "I think-"
Whatever he was about to say was lost as the building finally hit the molten river. With a blinding flash a fireball suddenly filled the main view in front of Bridger, lighting up the bridge in a dazzling orange. The submarine tipped violently to one side and Bridger was thrown against an equipment panel. The boat was assaulted by waves of tremors that felt like they were breaking apart the seaQuest from the inside out, making the boat moan and grumble in protest. Bridger could hear his men shouting, but their words were unintelligible over the rumbling that filled his ears.
"Report," Bridger yelled over the racket, pushing against the equipment panel so he was standing upright again.
"Just a moment, sir," Shan said, punching furiously at his control panel. "The facility is gone."
"What about the seaQuest? How is she?" Ford demanded. He looked almost in pain as he struggled to keep control of the submarine. Bridger ran shakily to Shan's side, leaning over his chair to look at the monitors himself.
"I'm running an analysis now, sir," Shan said, his steady voice giving away none of the panic he felt inside. "I show no breaches. No reports of injuries so far. Looks like she made it just fine."
Bridger joined Ford in a moment of silent thanks, but his relief was short-lived.
"Were there any survivors?" Bridger asked. "What about Crocker? Can you tell if anyone made it out?"
"I'm trying to reach Chief Crocker now, sir," Shan said, his fingers speeding over the panel. "I don't see anything-"
"Wait! What's that?" Bridger interrupted, pointing at the monitor in front of Shan. "Is that a shuttle?"
"Yes, sir, I think it is," Shan said, excitement edging his words. "Chief Crocker, this is the seaQuest, do you read?"
Bridger squeezed the back of Shan's chair as he waited for a response. Ford stared hard at them, his hands still gripping the main controls. Seconds passed.
"Try him again," Bridger said.
"Wait," Shan said, pressing a hand against his headset. "We've got him, sir. He says he's pretty shaken up, but he's all right. He's on his way back."
"Thank God," Ford muttered, turning his full attention back to his post.
Bridger closed his eyes for a moment, then blinked and stared at the monitor again.
"What about the others?" Bridger asked, his voice tinged with hope that he didn't really feel.
"I'm not reading anything, sir," Shan answered. "I'm sending the WSKRS around the site. Maybe they'll pick something up."
"Okay, Mr. Shan, let me know what you find," Bridger said, patting the lieutenant's shoulder before walking back to his seat. He stopped when he reached the seat, and turned slowly toward Ford. "Commander, is it just me or did things just get a lot quieter in here?"
"No, sir, it's not just you," Ford said, and clearly he wasn't fighting to control the boat anymore. "It seems a lot calmer out there all of a sudden."
"Mr. Shan, show us that lava stream again," Bridger said, stepping closer to the main view screen. The view panned down from the site where the World Power Hydroelectric Plant once stood, but there was no lava in sight. The ocean floor was now covered in piles of rubble.
"Oh my God. It's gone," Ford said.
"The explosion," Bridger said. "It plugged our hole."
"Captain, the sensor readings are returning to normal," Shan announced. "The water's still hot, but we don't seem to be in any immediate danger anymore."
"Commander, see about getting the rest of our crew back on board," Bridger said, finally walking back to his chair and sitting heavily. "Mr. Shan, do you have anything on survivors?"
"Nothing yet, sir," Shan called back. He paused a moment, then added softly: "I don't think anything could have made it out, Captain. Our WSKRS would have picked it up before the explosion, and after that..."
"All right," Bridger sighed, resting his head in his hands. After a moment he stood, suddenly very tired. "Commander, will you have someone send Lucas to my office?"
"Aye, sir," Ford said. He kept his eyes on his console as his captain slowly left the bridge.
xxxXXXxxx
Lucas sat quietly in a corner of the launch bay, one hand gently poking at a blossoming bruise on his left cheek. There had been no time to celebrate Bridger's news that they were no longer abandoning the seaQuest. Within seconds after his announcement, a tremor had rocked the submarine. Lucas and half a dozen other scientists who had been lining up to board an escape shuttle had been tossed like rag dolls against the walls, finally settling into a dog-pile with Lucas buried at the bottom. It had taken several disorienting moments to get everyone on their feet again, and Lucas was now sporting what would likely prove to be a spectacular black eye.
"Are you sure you're all right," Westphalen asked him for what felt like the 50th time since he'd been recovered from the bottom of the heap of scientists. She crouched by his side and pushed his hand away, leaning in to peer into his eyes.
"I'm fine," he grumbled, growing annoyed with the doctor's attentiveness. "What do you think just happened?"
"I don't know," Westphalen said, leaning back on her heels.
"It felt like something hit us," Lucas said. He reached a hand up to his face again, as though touching the bruise would somehow ease the throbbing. Westphalen sighed at him but didn't say anything. They both looked up as a speaker came to life over their heads.
"Attention all personnel, this is Commander Ford. The seaQuest is no longer in immediate danger and all military personnel are to return to their duty stations at once. Civilians should report to their supervisors and return to quarters."
A confused mumble drifted through the crewmembers still waiting in the launch bay, and then someone – Lucas guessed it was Ben Krieg, let out a loud "whoop" and everyone began to cheer and clap. The scientists who had been sulking around him were clapping each other on the backs and high-fiving, and Westphalen was beaming at his side.
"Thank God," she said softly, then glanced at Lucas. It took her a moment to register that he was not joining in the celebratory cheers. His forehead was scrunched in confusion.
"What do you think this means?" he said softly. "Is it my dad? Do you think they got him? They had to get him, right? I mean, everything must be fine or else we'd still be evacuating."
Westphalen offered him a hopeful smile, then stood up and thrust out her hand to help him to his feet. "I don't know," she said honestly, "but it seems like good news."
"Yeah, it must be good news," Lucas said. His cheek was throbbing more now that he was standing. He spotted Hitchcock headed in their direction, her face set in a grim frown. This day hadn't been easy for her, Lucas suspected, and now she was faced with the daunting task of retrieving all of the scientists and military personnel who had already been sent upworld.
"Lucas, the captain wants to see you in his office," Hitchcock said.
"Do you know why?"
"Um, no, I didn't think to ask," she said, distracted by a scientist who was still lying in the launch bay.
"I'll come with you, Lucas," Westphalen said, apparently reading the panic that had briefly washed over his face. "I need to talk to Nathan anyway."
Lucas nodded, but before they could walk three steps Hitchcock was calling back at them.
"Doctor, we need you over here. I think Dr. Levi might have a head injury."
"Damn," Westphalen muttered, and gave Lucas a short, concerned stare.
"It's okay," he said. "I'm sure everything's fine. Who knows, maybe my dad's on board already."
Westphalen smiled and gave his arm a brief squeeze, then rushed back to the side of the fallen scientist. Lucas looked after her for a moment, then walked quickly out of the launch bay.
The walk to Bridger's office seemed to grow more agonizing the closer Lucas got. He wanted to believe that everything was fine, and if he thought about it logically, that answer made sense. The seaQuest had obviously stopped all of the violent shaking and shuddering that had been pummeling the crew for the past hour. They were no longer abandoning ship. Everything must be okay then. But still, a small part of him suspected that answer was too easy. He'd seen the lava running under his father's facility, and something like a river of molten rock didn't just disappear for no reason. And then there was the explosion a few minutes ago. He had no idea what that was all about.
By the time Lucas arrived at the door to Bridger's office, his palms were slick with sweat and his mind was humming with horrific images of what might have happened. He paused to collect himself, taking deep breaths and forcing his hands to unfurl from their fists. It couldn't possibly be as bad as he imagined. Everything was going to be fine. He knocked on the door.
"Enter."
Lucas pushed the hatch open and stepped carefully inside, his heart still racing in his chest despite his best efforts to calm himself.
"You wanted to see me?"
"Sit down, Lucas." Bridger was standing in front of his desk, his face unreadable. He watched Lucas sit, and then joined him in a chair beside the desk. He leaned forward, his hands clasped, his eyes serious.
"What's going on, sir?"
"You must have felt the explosion a few minutes ago," he started, and Lucas nodded slowly, his eyes glued to Bridger's face. "That was the World Power Hydroelectric Plant. It broke apart and slid into the lava bed."
"My father-"
"The facility housed several nuclear warheads, and they exploded on impact with the lava. There were no survivors. I'm sorry, Lucas, but your father is dead."
Lucas was hit first with an absurd urge to laugh, to grin and shout that this wasn't possible, that his father couldn't be dead. But the laugh didn't come, and instead he was frozen, he couldn't blink, couldn't breathe, couldn't move at all. He felt like he was falling down a dark hole and the bottom would never arrive. He was dizzy, the room was spinning and fading, his body felt too heavy.
And then all at once he was caught in the reality of the moment, and the shock was stunning. He closed his eyes hard and found himself gasping for breath. He was choking. Bridger stood and kneeled in front of him, pulling him into a furious hug, burying Lucas' head into his chest.
"I'm so sorry," he repeated, rubbing Lucas' back.
Lucas stayed in the embrace for several minutes, unable to cry or react, just focusing on breathing and pulling himself through the moment. Finally he pulled slowly away, rubbing at his eyes as though he were suddenly very tired. He rested his head in his hands for a few quiet moments, and then looked up to find Bridger studying him carefully.
"Are you okay?"
Lucas shook his head. "No." The word came out as a croak, and he repeated it softly.
"Sorry, dumb question," Bridger said.
Lucas stared down at his hands for a moment, then looked back up at the captain with dry eyes.
"Tell me what happened, exactly."
Bridger gave him an apologetic wince. "We don't know. Crocker was on his way to retrieve your father and the others, and then all of a sudden the building was falling. We saw it break apart, and then it hit the lava and, well, you felt the explosion."
"Couldn't they have gotten out? They had shuttles, and escape pods."
"Yes, they did, but our WSKRS didn't pick up anything," Bridger said, leaning forward to squeeze Lucas' knee. Lucas jumped at the touch, his nerves frazzled, and Bridger drew his hand away. "We looked all around the area, Lucas, but there was nothing. No one got out."
Lucas nodded slowly, leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling.
"But is it possible that you missed something?" Lucas asked.
"Lucas, I don't think-" Bridger was interrupted by a beep from his PAL. He gave it an angry glare, then turned back to Lucas. "Hold on a second," he said to Lucas, then barked into the PAL: "Bridger here."
"Sir, I'm sorry to interrupt, but the secretary general has been asking for you." Ford's voice, full of apology, filled the room. "He's aware of the situation, and he said it's critical that he speak to you immediately."
Bridger sighed. "All right, patch him through." He turned to Lucas, leaning forward on his knees. "I'm sorry, but I've got to take this, kiddo. Just hold on for a few minutes and I'll tell you everything you need to know."
"No, that's okay," Lucas said quickly, his voice shaky as he stood up. "I think, um, I think I need to be alone, for a little while anyway."
"Lucas, you don't have to go."
"I know," he said, moving toward the door. "I just need some time to myself. I'll be okay."
"Lucas-"
"Really, Captain, I need to go." He was already at the door.
"I'll check in on you in a few minutes," Bridger called after him, but Lucas didn't answer. "Damn."
Bridger closed the door to his office and turned to face the vid-link, where Secretary General William Noyce's face was already filling the monitor.
"Bill, can you wait just a second?" Bridger asked. The admiral nodded and turned to an aide at his side. Bridger picked up his PAL and contacted Westphalen.
"Nathan?" her voice sounded tinny and small.
"Kristin, are you busy right now?"
"There are some minor casualties in the launch bay, but I've got it under control. What's going on, Nathan?" She sounded anxious.
"I need you to check on Lucas," Bridger said softly.
"Why?" He could tell from her tone that she already knew the answer.
"His father didn't make it."
"Oh, God. How did Lucas take it?" Kristin asked, her sympathy obvious even through the PAL.
"I don't know. He's upset. He said he wanted to be alone."
"He can't be alone right now," Kristen insisted.
"I know."
"I can be at his room in 5 minutes," she said.
"Thank you, Kristin."
"Nathan, I'm sorry."
"Me too," he whispered, and set the PAL on his desk. When he turned back to face the secretary general, Noyce was staring thoughtfully at him. He cleared his voice before speaking.
"I heard about Dr. Wolenczak, Nathan. I'm sorry," he said. "How's Lucas?"
Bridger sighed. "Not good," he said.
"Of course not," Noyce said gravely, and bowed his head for a moment. "Look, I know you've got a lot on your plate right now, but I need the seaQuest to stay where it is for another week or two."
Bridger looked up at Noyce as though the secretary general were asking the impossible.
"Bill, we're already 24 hours overdue out here," he said.
"I know, I know," Noyce said, holding up a hand. "I'm sorry to have to do this to you, but we need someone out there to lead the clean-up and figure out what the hell happened. A team of UEO technicians is already on its way to you."
"Some of my people have other assignments. We'll need replacements," Bridger said, his frustration building even as he realized Noyce's orders made sense.
"Of course, anything you need, just ask," Noyce said. "We'll have transportation waiting for anyone who needs it."
Bridger sighed deeply and nodded.
"I'm sure you did your best, Nathan," Noyce added.
"I hope so," Bridger said, and his friend smiled sympathetically and signed off, leaving him alone with his unhappy thoughts.