Author's Note: This is the story that finally features the other contest winner. Bec_b's character is Ms. Rebecca Moore. I'm sorry you had to wait so very long for your prize.
Also, thank you to Cadnobach for her review.
Lucas had been in an airplane on a few other occasions but it had never been like this. This airplane had soft seats with a tray that folded down from the one in front of him. There was a nice lady that brought him drinks and snacks. It had been a little scary during take off but the plane didn't shake the whole time. It was even quiet and he could look out the window. The ground below looked like a miniatures set. Ben had kept him occupied for a while pointing out landmarks.
At the moment, Ben was sitting beside Tim at the back of the plane. Tim didn't appear to be listening to him though. Every time Lucas looked back to check on them Tim was staring out the window. Lonnie was sitting in the middle of the plane talking to the Lieutenant from security. Kristin and the Captain were asleep in the row ahead of him. Tired of looking at everyone inside the plane, Lucas turned back to the window. A few minutes later Ben reclaimed his seat with a sigh.
"I don't know what else to do," muttered Ben to himself running a hand through his hair. "He shouldn't have to go through this alone."
Lucas touched Ben's hand questioningly.
"It's alright, kiddo. It's private. Don't worry about it."
Lucas pantomimed locking his lips and throwing away the key. A girl did that in a movie he saw last week. Ben laughed.
"No, I don't suppose you would tell anyone." Ben thought for a minute. "Well, Tim's having a hard time right now. He just ended a really close relationship and he can't tell anyone because this is the military."
Lucas's forehead wrinkled in concentration. He remembered how angry Ben had been with Miguel. He thought about how close Tim and Miguel had always been. Even from a distance, he could tell that Tim had bags under his eyes. Carefully, Lucas got out of his seat and made his way to the back of the plane.
"Lucas, what are you doing back here?" asked Tim as Lucas sat down beside him.
Lucas threw his arms around Tim squeezing as hard as he could. Surprised, Tim returned the hug. Lucas wiggled until he was underneath Tim's arm then curled up against his chest. Closing his eyes, he waited for Tim to relax. Lucas stayed there for the rest of the flight.
[Scene Change]
"Well, this isn't anything to write home about," remarked Jim as they made their way down the stairs from the plane. Ottawa International Airport was far from awe inspiring. Like the terminal they had just left and many airports across the nation, the airport was beginning to show its age. It was well kept but there just wasn't money in the budgets for renovations. A line of black Cadillac's was waiting for them.
"Welcome to Ottawa, Captain Bridger," greeted the short, stocky woman waiting at the end of the steps. Her brown hair was pulled tightly back and bound out of the way. "I hope you enjoyed your flight."
"Everything went fine. Thank you," he replied shaking her hand.
"My name is Rebecca Moore. I'll be in charge of security for you and your crew as well as acting as your guide for group outings."
"We brought our own security detail."
"That's fine. We can coordinate our security." Captain Bridger nodded.
"You will need to speak with Lieutenant Brody then. He is in charge of our security," he said.
"I'll arrange a meeting as soon as we arrive at the accommodations. You and your men will be staying at Rideau Hall. It's quite close to the Prime Minister's estate." Ms. Moore waved them towards the cars. "After you, sir."
[Scene Change]
"This place is gorgeous," said Lonnie as she was ushered into the dining room. "I wish Katie could have seen this."
"I came here once on a field trip in high school," said Nathan taking his seat beside Kristin. "Didn't get to see the inside much. It was still inhabited by the Governor General then."
"How long has it been vacant?"
"Oh, I'm not sure. The Canadian government has been forced to change a lot in recent years."
"The Governor General was a sign of the strong ties between Canada and the Crown," replied Kristin. "When transatlantic travel became so dangerous, it was difficult to maintain those ties."
"Oh that's right!" said Lonnie. "You're British, aren't you?"
"Yes, although I doubt I'll see my homeland again."
"You like it in North America though, right?" asked Tim as he arrived at the table.
"Well, yes," answered Kristin. She glanced beside her at Lucas and noticed him playing with his water. "Lucas! Please stop fidgeting. I'm sure dinner will be served as soon as the rest of our party arrives."
"Lieutenant Brody and the other security officers will not be joining us. They are coordinating our security with Ms. Moore."
"I'm sorry for being so late," said Ben as he finally arrived. "I got a little lost wandering around the grounds. You should see the river."
Behind him, waiters began entering the room with their meal. Soon the only sound was the chink of silverware on the china.
"Captain, can we steal their chef for SeaQuest?"
"I wish," murmured Kristin.
"This doesn't make sense," said Nathan abruptly, frowning at his plate. "Why hasn't anyone contacted us yet? The Prime Minister didn't bring us here to feed us gourmet food."
"Running a country must be hard work. She probably just got caught up with something."
"Perhaps." Nathan frowned again. "I just want to know what she wants."
[Scene Change]
Nathan yawned as he made his way down to the dining room early the next morning. The presence of guards on either side of the entrance made him straighten alertly. Pausing for a deep breath, he pushed through the doors. The Prime Minister sat regally at the head of the table. She was immaculately dressed in a business suit and sipping a cup of coffee. She looked like she had been awake for hours.
"Good morning, Captain," she said looking up from her paper. "I trust you had a restful night."
"Yes, thank you. The accommodations have been wonderful." Nathan took a seat beside the Prime Minister. A cup of coffee was quickly poured for him.
"I had hoped to meet with you last night but something came up." She slid a pair of newspapers over to him. One was in French and the other in English. A picture of him and Kristin exiting their car yesterday was on the front page of both of them. "Canada Harboring SeaQuest Fugitives" read the English headlines. He sucked in a breath and read further as the article detailed their arrival in Canada.
"What's the meaning of this?"
"You caused quite a stir when you stole your vessel. Some of my country men are not happy to see you here. This could potentially cause problems with the United States."
"You knew our status would be problematic before you invited us here," replied Nathan straight forwardly.
"True. But we did not expect the news to reach the media so soon."
"What do you want with SeaQuest?"
"I believe in your cause. Keeping you patrolling the Atlantic will benefit Canada." She watched him then smiled. "We believe that SeaQuest will be important for several of our long term and short term plans."
"What kind of plans?"
"All in good time, Captain Bridger," she laughed. "Right now I'm more concerned with how we can help you. Then there's the minor detail of a job Canada would like to hire you to do."
[Scene Change]
"Relax. He's not going to drown him." Tim sat down beside Kristin on the patio and began peeling his orange.
"Am I really that bad?" asked Kristin with a rueful smile.
"Only slightly."
"I just want to protect him. He's been through so much in his short life." She turned and looked at Tim in surprise as he started laughing.
"I'm sorry. It's just that after everything we go through on a normal day you're going on like this about Ben giving Lucas swimming lessons." Kristin stared at him for a minute then started laughing too.
"When you put it like that, it does seem kind of silly," she admitted. They watched as Ben tried to get Lucas to lie on his back and float. Lucas was staring at Ben with an expression that plainly said, "You've got to be kidding me."
"Come on! Lay back already," said Ben loud enough for his voice to carry over the water. "Look, if I wanted you to sink, I could just do this." Ben lowered his arms and Lucas bobbed under the water. Before either of the spectators could react, Ben lifted him back up. Lucas came to the surface sputtering with laughter. He lay back in the water like Ben had instructed and promptly sank again. It took several more minutes of coaching from Ben before Lucas was able to float by himself.
"That looks like fun," said an unfamiliar feminine voice behind Kristin. Tim and Kristin turned around to see a petite blond-haired woman standing beside Nathan in the doorway. "I'm Debra Tibault, Canada's Prime Minister."
"This is Timothy O'Neill, a lieutenant aboard SeaQuest, and Dr. Kristin Westphalen, one of our physicians and Lucas's guardian."
"Pleased to meet you."
"The two in the pool are Benjamin Krieg, another of my lieutenants, and Lucas Wolenczak."
"Lucas," called Kristin. "It's time to get out of the water. There's someone that wants to meet you."
He was grinning as he walked over to her leaving footprints of water trailing from the edge of the pool. Kristin wrapped him in the fluffy terrycloth towel she'd brought and gave him a hug. Lucas looked up at the Prime Minister innocently. Water dripped from his hair to tickle his nose. The Prime Minister gasped as the towel fell open revealing the vivid pink scars on his pale chest.
The Prime Minister stepped forward and held out her hand to Lucas. "Hi, I'm Debbie."
Kristin immediately took a step closer to Lucas. She watched the woman warily. Beside her, Ben and Tim both tensed. Oblivious, Lucas smiled shyly and shook her hand.
"I'm very pleased to meet you," she said with a smile. She raised her head and met Kristin's eyes including her in the smile. "I think I understand the decisions that SeaQuest made a little better."
[Scene Change]
Peering through the curtains, Lucas bit his lip and watched as more and more people kept filling into the room.
"Explain to me again why we needed to be here for this media circus?" demanded Kristin behind him.
"I know you don't want to be here and I know you don't want Lucas here," answered Bridger. "The fact is that we're big news right now. The Prime Minister felt the best way to inform everyone of our deal was to have you and the crew here for the press conference."
"Lucas is not to be harassed."
"I know," repeated Bridger. "They're just going to take pictures of him."
Lucas sighed. He pulled the curtains to a close and left Kristin and the Captain to their arguing. They just kept repeating the same things over and over again. He sat down beside Ben in the chairs they had provided for him. Scuffing his feet on the floor, he wished he could go home.
"It's time to go on," said the technician. "Could I have everyone line up here?"
Lucas stood beside Kristin holding her hand. She looked down at him and brushed the hair out of his eyes.
"Don't be nervous," she said. Lucas nodded but couldn't help thinking about all of those people.
She tugged on his hand and he followed her up the stairs. He was immediately blinded by the torrent of flashing cameras. When the spots cleared, he was standing on podium before a mass of people. He shuddered slightly and squeezed his eyes shut.
"The next item up for auction is a prime specimen. This boy is seven years old and just graduated at the top of his class. He comes with certification proving his breeding and Mensa certification. This is a purchase that guarantees you top of the line computer protection for years to come."
0916 shook as he was shoved up on stage next to the auctioneer. The bright stage lights made it hard to see the crowd. To him, the shadows looked like ogres and his insides shook at the thought of one of them owning him.
"The bidding with open with a thousand credits. Do I hear a thousand credits? Two thousand credits. Show me three thousand credits…"
"Lucas? Are you all right?" Lucas blinked rapidly, focusing on Kristin's face. Dazed, he nodded. He winced as the noise of the microphone being adjusted.
"Thank you for gathering here today," said the Prime Minister as she opened her speech. "Our world has been a dark and dangerous place for much too long. Today, we will start to first step towards reclaiming our world…"
Lucas jerked upright as someone in the audience screamed. "He's got a gun!" shouted someone else. Lucas's eyes widened as he heard the all too familiar crack of a gunshot.
"You! You did this!" shouted his owner, pointing a gun at the boy. The pot-bellied Captain stared down at him; his face contorted with rage. Two sharp cracks.
Something crashed into Lucas and he plowed into the floor. He could hear screaming every where. There were more shots. Gasping, he clutched his chest. He couldn't breath!
"You! You did this!"
His eyes were wide open but he couldn't focus on anything. His chest hurt so much. He was suffocating. Air! Why couldn't he breathe?
"Doctor! We need a doctor!"
"Get them out of the way."
"Someone check on Lucas."
Panting, Lucas tried to hold on. His ears were ringing drowning out everything around him. His lungs were screaming for air. More. Just a little more. Slowly, the darkness began to close in on him. Lucas went limp as unconsciousness claimed him.