AN: Thanks to Joxer, Gina, the Dominatrix, GraciePixie, LoP, lucasfan, Lady Winter, skywise, and Katie for their reviews. Since no one commented on the little girl at the end of chapter fourteen, I decided to hold a contest. The first person that identifies her gets to be written into the story. You get to choose your name and your character. Sorry, Michael, you can't play.
"What are we going to do?"
"We can't just let Bridger get away with this."
"He has his reasons for doing this. Bridger was a good Captain. He wouldn't just abandon his post for no reason. We have to talk to him."
"He must be punished!" growled General Thomas.
"You should hold your tongue, General," snapped another one of politicians. "It was your folly that caused this whole mess."
"Then let me fix it."
"This is out of your hands now. You have done quite enough."
"Then I don't see that there's much point in me being at this meeting." Thomas stood to leave. "I have other things that need my attention."
"General Thomas," began the highest ranking officer, "do not step out of bounds."
"He's going to cause trouble."
"He's already caused trouble."
"He's a powerful man, gentlemen. He needs to be watched but right now SeaQuest is a bigger concern. We need to decide our stance before we can open talks."
[Scene Change]
"Implement Scenario Rogue."
"Yes, sir."
"Captain Bridger needs to learn who he's dealing with."
[Scene Change]
"All hands to battle stations! I repeat, all hands to battle stations!"
"Are we sure the boats are hostile?"
"They're ours but they're not answering our hails. These aren't friendlies."
"Just the same. Make sure all of the pilots know that they are to take the first shots," warned Captain Bridger. "I don't want them to say we attacked them."
"Captain! We don't have enough men to man the fighters," called Jim as the first ships began to pour out to meet the oncoming war craft.
"I can pilot if you get Lucas to cover for me," volunteered Katie. "Ensign Henderson can help too if she stays close to the boat.
"Contact Medbay, Lt. O'Neill."
"This is Dr. Westphalen. What can I do for you?" asked Kristin harried. She continued to collect items from around her as Medbay prepared for the casualties that would follow battle.
"Doctor, we need Lucas here on the bridge to cover for Commander Hitchcock."
"He's not ready. He hasn't used a computer since he was rescued."
"Please," interrupted Katie. "He can do it. This might make the difference between life and death for our pilots."
"I assure you. The boy will be safe on the bridge."
"I'll send him up," relented Kristin. "Just take care of him."
"Hitchcock, gather Ensign Henderson and go prepare your fighter."
"Yes, sir." She left the bustle of the bridge hurrying to find her roommate.
[Scene Change]
She hovered anxiously as the deadly face-off continued. Fighters from both sides lined up neither firing. She tried to keep moving. She did not want to be an easy target when the action started. The tension kept building. She knew it was going to blow soon. Then she saw it. A single torpedo left the submarine heading towards SeaQuest. She felt the aftershocks from the intercepts colliding with the torpedo but by that time she was too busy dodging enemy fire to notice anything else.
[Scene Change]
Tony tried to ignore the yelling around him as he struggled to stay on his feet. The ever-increasing turbulence of battle made the task more difficult. He grabbed onto the pipes above him for leverage as he made his way through the underbelly of the ship. A man ran drunkenly past him sloshing in the water.
"Piccolo!" shouted his superior grabbing him by the shirt. "We've got men stuck behind the gates. Can you get to them through the tubes?"
"I'll try, sir. Do we have air tanks?" The tanks only held enough air to bring the four men out from the sealed sections. Because of his gills, Tony was the only person who could get in to rescue the men without using up the precious oxygen. Tony tore off his shirt and kicked off his shoes. They would only weigh him down in the water. Another man grabbed the tanks from the emergency station and tossed them to Tony. He snagged them mid air, slinging them across his back.
"Hurry!" urged his superior. "Things are still flooding back there. They don't have a lot of time." Tony slipped into one of the maintenance chambers, sealing it behind him. He opened the gate swimming out into the aqua tube. His pants were a hindrance but it was better than going naked in front of his comrades. At least he did not have to worry about his shirt clogging the gills. With strong, swift strokes, he pulled himself through the water. Before he knew it he had reached the designated portal. He had to struggle to get the outer seal open. Water pressure was building up on the other side and this gate did not have the same hydraulics as the one opening into the tubes. Water rushed through slamming Tony against the other gate. He coughed and choked as he tried to breath through his mouth. Calming himself, he forced his way into the room, kicking upwards towards the ceiling.
"Is anybody here?" he yelled treading water to keep his head in the foot or so of air left near the ceiling.
"In here! We're in here!" The yells were coming from the other side of the wall. Tony dove down seeking the doorway through the gloomy murk. He pulled himself through to the other side and rose rapidly upward. Three men were clinging desperately to any handhold they could find.
"Where's the other one? I thought there were four of you back here?"
"Sally," gasped the bedraggled man that Tony recognized Alex from his shift. "She was in the other room. She didn't come out."
"I'll go look for her," said Tony passing the air tanks to the three men. "Do you think you can make it to the moonpool alone?"
"I know the way," promised a man Tony did not recognize. "I've helped build these pipes." Tony helped them through the doorway then turned to go search for the girl. One of the men grabbed his hand as he was leaving pressing something into it. He fingered it for a second before finding a button to push. It was not until a dim beam of light emerged from the object that he realized it was a flashlight.
Everything looked ghostly as the light flitted over it. It was very eerie down here with the sounds of battle muffled by the water. He floated into another room. This one was filled with airtight waterproof containers holding supplies. Some of them had fallen during the jostling of the ship. He was almost ready to move on to the next room when he caught sight of something. Swimming closer, his light illuminated the missing fourth person of his party. The woman's blond hair floated around her in a halo. Her mouth was open slightly and her eyes were blank. He pushed at the container gently freeing the foot that had trapped her here. Scooping her body in his arms, he began to swim back for the aqua tubes. He tried not to think about his burden or the family and friends she must have left behind but the knowledge weighed heavy on him and the returning swim was long and difficult. He stepped out of the maintenance chamber with water spilling at his feet. Another worker hurried over to take the woman from him.
"You did good," reassured his supervisor, patting him on the shoulder leaving greasy fingerprints. Tony gave a tired nod, pushing his wet hair back off of his forehead. The boat shook again almost making him fall. He regained his balance and took back his place in the group working to keep the SeaQuest afloat long enough to survive the battle.
[Scene Change]
"We've got another fighter down!" shouted Ben as he fought the controls. He had volunteered to pilot this hunk of scrap metal in order to free up a pilot for the fighters. He was doing more good out here towing damaged fighters back to the boat than he would have been on the bridge. Out here, he was saving lives by getting the injured and the helpless back to protection. "We're lined up with her. Reel her in."
"I'm lowering the clamps," called his co-pilot, Jack. A large metal attachment lowered from the bottom of their ship and secured itself onto the downed fighter. That completed, Ben began to carefully maneuver through the fighting back towards SeaQuest. A quick laser blast hit the fighter below them sending the small ship rolling in the after effects of the explosion.
"Jack! You OK?" he yelled, struggling to level the ship. He glanced down at the radar and paled. Another wave of the enemy was heading straight for them. This was it. There was no way they could survive the reinforcements. Giving his talisman a quick squeeze, he began to pray silently. The gods answered quickly as his radio came alive with a burst of static.
"Cease fire. I repeat, cease fire," commanded a voice that Ben did not recognize. Warily, the fighters backed off. "The first vessel to fire a shot will be destroyed. You are to cease fire."
"Man, what do you think of that? They just saved us!" exclaimed Ben. There was no reply from Jack. "Jack? Answer me, Jack!" Ben unbuckled his seatbelt and turned around to the back. Part of the siding of the ship had been dented in during the blast leaving a jagged edge stabbing into the cargo area of the ship. Jack hung limply on the metal piece, a small river of blood flowing from where he'd been impaled. "No, Jack! No! They saved us! They saved us!" Ben pulled frantically at his friend pulling him off of the metal but it was too late to do anything for Jack Dawson.
[Scene Change]
"Bridger, we apologize for this dreadful event," stated the man on the screen. "We had no knowledge of the attack or we would have done more to prevent it."
"What is the meaning of all this?" demanded Bridger. "First you attack us and now you apologize for us!"
"These men were not operating under the orders of the United States military. They were operating independently against our commands. They will be dealt with accordingly."
"They were operating on their own?" repeated Bridger skeptically.
"The board has not yet decided what actions to take against you. There are some who insist you must be punished immediately. Others hope there's a way to talk this out peacefully. Clearly, someone decided to take matters into their own hands."
"And I'm sure you have no idea who this someone might be."
"We have an idea. As I said, the matter will be investigated."
"That's not good enough!"
"I'm afraid it's no longer your concern. We'll contact you again to initiate talks." The screen went blank. Nathan glanced around the bridge noticing the exhausted faces.
"Let's get some people up here to relieve you. We have repairs to get started." He glanced over at the hacker boy who was falling asleep where he sat now that the excitement was over. "O'Neill, escort him back to his room," he added with a nodded towards the boy.
[Scene Change]
He stepped inside the room glancing around for its occupants. There was no one in the room except for the boy sleeping in the bed. With a sigh, he sat down beside the bed. He was tired. He was so tired. Yet he felt guilty for stealing this little respite for the aftermath of the battle. All over the ship, his men were scrambling to make repairs. The doctors and nurses were currently engaged in a more critical battle; one of life and death. People had died. They had killed. All over this one little boy. What had he been thinking when he refused their decision?
The boy was sleeping peacefully. He was exhausted from the battle. 'Lucas,' thought Nathan correcting himself. He should at least call the child by his name after going through all of this trouble to keep him. Lucas looked so innocent lying there. He was a beautiful child although still too small for his age. He was the complete opposite of Robert. Robert had been dark where Lucas was fair. They both had large expressive eyes that threatened to swallow you but Lucas's eyes didn't have the joy that Robert's often had. Lucas was just discovering joy after a life of horror.
Perhaps that was why the crew was so captivated with him. Nathan himself did not understand how Lucas could have inspired such loyalty but he had. Nathan had tried to stay away from the boy as much as possible. Lucas made him uncomfortable and brought back memories he really did not wan to look at anymore. He couldn't really escape it now. He had willingly risked his life and the lives around him for a boy that he barely knew. That had to change things. Yet, part of him did not want anything to do with Lucas. The boy was dangerous. He knew too much. He could do too much. No one knew what kind of a person he would grow up to be. Who knew what would happen if he continued to inspire such loyalty as he grew up? He could end up controlling them all.
Nathan shook his head trying to dispel the disturbing thoughts. He did not really think that Lucas would grow up to be such a malicious person. He might have if his former life had continued but he was here on SeaQuest now with good people to make sure he grew up right. The question was: what was it going to take to keep him here? And how many lives were too many to give up for one little boy? Even one as gifted as Lucas.
[Scene Change]
"You did good today," said Katie patting Lonnie on the shoulder.
"Really?" A beaming smile lit Lonnie's face.
"Yeah. You should be proud." She smiled tiredly at her roommate as continued down the hall. She entered the bridge scanning the room for Jonathan. He noticed her first and separated himself from the group inspecting the first damage estimates.
"Hey," he said, rubbing a thumb across her cheek.
"Hey," she answered, sighing as she leaned into him. He wrapped his arms around her squeezing gently. "I just wanted to make sure you're OK."
"I'm fine. You should go get some rest." She nodded pushing back against him. She tilted her head back studying his face for a second.
"All right," she said, untangling from his arms reluctantly. He watched her until she had left the room then turned back to the business at hand.
[Scene Change]
"May I have a seat?" He looked up from the reports in surprise.
"Sure," he replied waving his coffee cup towards the chair in front of him. "You must be exhausted."
"I always am after surgery. It went well though. All but one are still hanging on."
"That's good to know."
"You know, I haven't had a chance to thank you," she said brushing a stray lock behind her ear.
"Thank me? For what?" he asked honestly confused.
"Lucas."
"Dr. Westphalen, you don't owe me thanks for that."
"You're risking a lot for him. All of you are."
"What they were doing was wrong. I couldn't uphold their decision."
"A lesser man would have," she replied.
"Don't kid yourself, Doctor. It's not about who's lesser or greater. I'm just too old and suborn to give in to their demands."
"Old? I don't see any old men around here." He looked up to meet her gaze and they both smiled at each other. There was a friendly tension growing between the two of them.
"Would you care to join me for dinner, Dr. Westphalen?"
"This is dinner," she reminded him with a teasing smile.
"Not tonight," he replied grinning at her. "I mean a real dinner. In my quarters."
"Only if you promise to drop the doctor nonsense, Captain."
"Then call me Nathan, Kristin."