Chapter 2:
Author's Note: yeah, they liked it! Haha. I am doing what I told myself I never would, and am writing an obscene number of stories at once, all the while attempting to get through college and maintain my job…..hmm. So, needless to say, updates may take a while. Anyway, glad you liked the beginning, and could someone possibly clarify the term Mary Sue for me?
Disclaimer: I didn't own em the first chapter, just own the ones you don't know.
~*~
Stryder's eyes were cold, darkened by hate and blood lust. Painful memories flashed through her mind and she sneered. Instinctively, she placed a little more weight onto her boot, relishing the feeling of someone writhing beneath it. Her hands were up, defensive, and she stared blankly forward.
Lucas squirmed, his knuckles garishly white as he gripped the girl's boot. It was hard to breathe, to swallow, and he coughed violently. Blue eyes were wide and frightened. His legs kicked out uselessly. He watched her face twist, morph into something dark and distant, like a mask slipping down over her features. "I won't….." he gasped. It was getting harder to draw breath, and his voice was quiet and raspy. "I won't," he tried again, "hurt you."
The words sent Stryder's walls crashing down around her. She blinked twice, her eyes losing the deeply haunted look they'd possessed only minutes before. She lowered her hands and relaxed her foot. Then she glanced down, seeing for he first time the blonde headed boy beneath the sole of her foot. A flush stole up her neck and she stepped back quickly, her fists relaxing.
Lucas rolled away from her, just in case she decided to attack again. He stood quickly, hands rubbing his throat. He eyed the girl nervously, staying close to the comm. panel on the wall. His tongue flicked out over his lips and he swallowed once painfully. Then he noticed the girl's mouth quirk, just a little. Her eyes glimmered. "What?" he finally asked.
"You always do that?" Stryder queried.
"Do what?"
"You always tell the person who could easily kill you that YOU won't hurt THEM? Seems like kind of an odd way to go is all. Personally I'd be more inclined towards begging."
"Well I don't know," he returned dryly. 'I generally don't have people trying to snap my neck."
"Fair enough."
"What about you?" Lucas asked.
"What about me?"
"Do you always attack innocent people just trying to start a conversation?"
Stryder's eyes clouded again for a moment, a muscle twitching in her cheek. "Nobody's innocent."
"That's rather cynical, don't you think?"
"Actually I think it's rather pragmatic, and maybe that you're just a little naïve." Lucas blanched a the comment. Stryder's grinned again, a little wider this time. "Hit a nerve?"
Lucas didn't answer. "Who are you?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
"Are you always this contrary?"
"Pretty much, yeah." The now evident twinkle in her eyes gave away the fact that she was teasing.
He rolled his eyes, but felt himself relaxing. He pushed himself away from the comm., holding out his hand. "Lucas Wolenczak." Stryder eyed the outstretched palm dubiously. "See now, this is where we shake and you tell me your name."
Slowly, she clasped his palm in her own, shaking it firmly. "Chris Stryder."
"See, that wasn't so hard," Lucas teased. "Captain Bridger said your sub was scuttled after a raid by pirates."
"Yeah."
"Was it bad?"
"It wasn't good," she answered quietly.
"I'm sorry…..about your parents." He let his gaze wander down her figure. Her hands were chapped and calloused. Scars wound their way down her right arm from shoulder to wrist. Another was half hidden by her eyebrow, just above her left eye. Her face was haggard, eyes sunken. She was thin, too much so, and looked like she could stand to eat more than a couple good meals.
Stryder could feel the boy's gaze on her and she shifted uncomfortably. She wished, and not for the first time, that she could hide her external scars as well as she could those people couldn't see. "I wish things could have turned out differently." She turned her back to him then, leaning against the moon pool once more.
Lucas wasn't sure what he had expected. Tears maybe? An emotional outburst? Perhaps he'd half been expecting for the girl to break down at the first mention of her deceased parents, but the contemplative wistful reply definitely had not sprung immediately to mind. "You gonna kick my tail if I come over there again?"
Stryder chuckled and shrugged, not bothering to face him. "Only if the mood strikes me."
Lucas figured that was as much an invitation as he was likely to get so he made his way toward the pool, while all the while maintaining a comfortable distance between them. Stryder's eyes flicked over in his direction. She sighed, "I'm not gonna bite," Lucas moved closer. Her mouth quirked again. "Hard," she amended. Lucas just glared. "What? Talk to a smart ass, expect a smart ass response."
"I'll remember that, thanks."
"You're welcome."
"have you had the grand tour yet?"
"Well, I don't know about the GRAND tour. Can I make my way back to my cabin? Yes, I think."
Lucas chuckled. "yeah, SeaQuest can be kind of daunting to navigate if you don't know where you're going. Want me to show you around?"
She shrugged again. "Sure, so long as you're offering, why not?"
"Well then, let's start with one of the most important parts of SeaQuest, the moon pool." HE grinned broadly and motioned with a jerk of his head. "Follow me." He started up the steps of the walkway over the center of the pool.
Stryder followed. "Hey, aren't we already at the moon pool?"
"yeah, but you haven't seen it's best feature yet." Lucas wiggled his eyebrows and kneeled. He reached down into the water and slapped it gently with his palm.
"It's water, I got that part." Despite herself she was amused. It had been a long, long time since she'd been able to do anything even halfway entertaining. And Lucas seemed nice enough, easy to talk to.
"You're entirely too impatient, did you know that? Just chill a minute and you'll see."
"See? See what? All I see is one weird guy with his hand in the…..oh wow………" Lucas smiled broadly, removing his hand from the water just as the silvery hide of the dolphin slid beneath his fingertips. The dolphin poked his nose out of the water and splashed. Stryder laughed. "Wow." She reached out to touch him. "Does he have a name?"
"Name Darwin," the dolphin tossed his head and the odd, computer generated voice startled her. Stryder snapped her hand away and rocked back on her heels, lurching to her feet. She stumbled backwards. Unfortunately, the platform was only a few feet wide. Her boots slipped off the edge and she tumbled back, arms flailing, into the water.
Stryder slipped beneath the pool's surface. A whoosh of air bubbles obscured her vision and for a moment, she couldn't tell up from down. Then the dolphin was swimming around her, nudging her. She propelled herself off the bottom of the tank, breaking the surface with a gasp. Beads of water rolled down her face and she blinked to clear her vision. "What the hell?" She yelled, though Lucas could barely hear her through his incredulous snorts of laughter.
"Are you laughing at me?" he nodded, his face red, one hand covering his mouth.
"I'm sorry," he wheezed, shoulders still convulsing with laughter. "I don't think anyone's done that before."
"You have a talking dolphin," Stryder stated, wide eyed.
"Yes, and you're soaked. What's your point?" he grinned. "hey, you're not the only one who can be a smart ass."
She ignored him. "A talking dolphin named Darwin." She swiped a stray lock of hair away from her face. "That is wicked cool."
"Told you, best feature. Now come on, one you get dried off I can finish showing you around." He reached out to give her a hand back onto the platform. Stryder clasped his palm tightly. Suddenly her eyes lifted, glinting mischievously. Lucas shook his head and started to protest, but it was too late.
"How bout first joining me for a swim!!!???" Stryder launched herself back, yanking a surprised Lucas off the platform and into the water. Lucas belly flopped into the pool, a rush of salt water flooding hid mouth. He came to the surface sputtering.
He swiped the water from his eyes, taking a deep gulp of air. He heard laughing on his left and turned to see Stryder treading water, shoulders shaking and a devilish smile on her face. "Looks like you're all wet too Wolenczak."
"I can't believe you just did that," he said.
"What goes around comes around. Now you have to go get changed too, and I won't have to rush." She heaved herself out of the water, dripping a huge puddle on the floor. She winked. "I'll see you at my cabin a little later. Bye Wolenczak."
Lucas watched the girl leave silently, his mouth hanging slightly agape. Darwin swam up beneath his hand. He looked down at the animal and raised an eyebrow. I have a feeling things around here are going to get a lot more interesting." The dolphin didn't answer, just rolled over so Lucas could scratch his belly.
--
Stryder pulled another tank top on over her head and sighed. She'd showered again, just to get rid of the smell of sea salt. In the last day she'd been able to take more showers than she would have been able to in a week working in the mines. She savored the smell of clean clothes, the feeling of being warm. She pulled her hair back off her face and turned. She sucked in a small breath as she almost ran into a broad chest.
Her eyes burned, and she dropped her hands down by her sides. "You scared the crap out of me Levi. How'd you get in here anyway?"
"You keep in mind what we're doing here Stryder." His visage was dark, stormy. He pushed her back against the wardrobe, one hand thrust against the base of her neck. "I saw you." His other hand reached up to finger her hair.
"Saw me what?" She smacked away the offending appendage.
"It would serve you well to remember who your friends are."
"I know who my friends are, and I remember why we're here. Don't start with me."
"Good. You will not screw this up for me, for us, I won't let you." He leaned closer, his lips brushing over the skin by her ear. "You owe me, remember? I'll be watching."
She shoved him off her with both hands. "The cryptic shit Levi, it's irritating. You'll be watching me? Is that supposed to make me all weak kneed and nervous? And just so you know, I don't owe you a damn thing. I'm not something to control."
Stryder went to pass him, but Levi smacked his palm down against the dresser, blocking her. He closed his eyes as if pained and shook his head. "You just don't get it, do you? You're mine. Don't think that I can't break you. What would your new friend think if he knew about you what I do? You think anyone would help you?" He winked at her, grinning cockily as he watched her face fall. "Later babe." He dropped his hands, leaned forward and kissed her quickly. "Behave." Then he spun on his heel and headed back out the hatch.
Levi passed Lucas coming out of the doorway. Lucas eyes the taller boy warily. There was something about him, something in his eyes, that he instantly disliked. A cold shiver rushed down his spine. Levi barely glanced at him as he passed. Stryder was standing next to the clothes locker, a blank expression on her face.
"Chris?" She blinked. "You okay?"
Stryder blinked again and shook her head slightly to clear it. She forced herself to smile. "I'm fine. Now how about you show me the rest of this tug?"
Chapter 2
Hope you liked this chapter too. I don't know where exactly I'm going with the Lucas/Stryder thing so….. Reviews are of course appreciated and begged for. Thanks.
Author's Note: yeah, they liked it! Haha. I am doing what I told myself I never would, and am writing an obscene number of stories at once, all the while attempting to get through college and maintain my job…..hmm. So, needless to say, updates may take a while. Anyway, glad you liked the beginning, and could someone possibly clarify the term Mary Sue for me?
Disclaimer: I didn't own em the first chapter, just own the ones you don't know.
~*~
Stryder's eyes were cold, darkened by hate and blood lust. Painful memories flashed through her mind and she sneered. Instinctively, she placed a little more weight onto her boot, relishing the feeling of someone writhing beneath it. Her hands were up, defensive, and she stared blankly forward.
Lucas squirmed, his knuckles garishly white as he gripped the girl's boot. It was hard to breathe, to swallow, and he coughed violently. Blue eyes were wide and frightened. His legs kicked out uselessly. He watched her face twist, morph into something dark and distant, like a mask slipping down over her features. "I won't….." he gasped. It was getting harder to draw breath, and his voice was quiet and raspy. "I won't," he tried again, "hurt you."
The words sent Stryder's walls crashing down around her. She blinked twice, her eyes losing the deeply haunted look they'd possessed only minutes before. She lowered her hands and relaxed her foot. Then she glanced down, seeing for he first time the blonde headed boy beneath the sole of her foot. A flush stole up her neck and she stepped back quickly, her fists relaxing.
Lucas rolled away from her, just in case she decided to attack again. He stood quickly, hands rubbing his throat. He eyed the girl nervously, staying close to the comm. panel on the wall. His tongue flicked out over his lips and he swallowed once painfully. Then he noticed the girl's mouth quirk, just a little. Her eyes glimmered. "What?" he finally asked.
"You always do that?" Stryder queried.
"Do what?"
"You always tell the person who could easily kill you that YOU won't hurt THEM? Seems like kind of an odd way to go is all. Personally I'd be more inclined towards begging."
"Well I don't know," he returned dryly. 'I generally don't have people trying to snap my neck."
"Fair enough."
"What about you?" Lucas asked.
"What about me?"
"Do you always attack innocent people just trying to start a conversation?"
Stryder's eyes clouded again for a moment, a muscle twitching in her cheek. "Nobody's innocent."
"That's rather cynical, don't you think?"
"Actually I think it's rather pragmatic, and maybe that you're just a little naïve." Lucas blanched a the comment. Stryder's grinned again, a little wider this time. "Hit a nerve?"
Lucas didn't answer. "Who are you?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
"Are you always this contrary?"
"Pretty much, yeah." The now evident twinkle in her eyes gave away the fact that she was teasing.
He rolled his eyes, but felt himself relaxing. He pushed himself away from the comm., holding out his hand. "Lucas Wolenczak." Stryder eyed the outstretched palm dubiously. "See now, this is where we shake and you tell me your name."
Slowly, she clasped his palm in her own, shaking it firmly. "Chris Stryder."
"See, that wasn't so hard," Lucas teased. "Captain Bridger said your sub was scuttled after a raid by pirates."
"Yeah."
"Was it bad?"
"It wasn't good," she answered quietly.
"I'm sorry…..about your parents." He let his gaze wander down her figure. Her hands were chapped and calloused. Scars wound their way down her right arm from shoulder to wrist. Another was half hidden by her eyebrow, just above her left eye. Her face was haggard, eyes sunken. She was thin, too much so, and looked like she could stand to eat more than a couple good meals.
Stryder could feel the boy's gaze on her and she shifted uncomfortably. She wished, and not for the first time, that she could hide her external scars as well as she could those people couldn't see. "I wish things could have turned out differently." She turned her back to him then, leaning against the moon pool once more.
Lucas wasn't sure what he had expected. Tears maybe? An emotional outburst? Perhaps he'd half been expecting for the girl to break down at the first mention of her deceased parents, but the contemplative wistful reply definitely had not sprung immediately to mind. "You gonna kick my tail if I come over there again?"
Stryder chuckled and shrugged, not bothering to face him. "Only if the mood strikes me."
Lucas figured that was as much an invitation as he was likely to get so he made his way toward the pool, while all the while maintaining a comfortable distance between them. Stryder's eyes flicked over in his direction. She sighed, "I'm not gonna bite," Lucas moved closer. Her mouth quirked again. "Hard," she amended. Lucas just glared. "What? Talk to a smart ass, expect a smart ass response."
"I'll remember that, thanks."
"You're welcome."
"have you had the grand tour yet?"
"Well, I don't know about the GRAND tour. Can I make my way back to my cabin? Yes, I think."
Lucas chuckled. "yeah, SeaQuest can be kind of daunting to navigate if you don't know where you're going. Want me to show you around?"
She shrugged again. "Sure, so long as you're offering, why not?"
"Well then, let's start with one of the most important parts of SeaQuest, the moon pool." HE grinned broadly and motioned with a jerk of his head. "Follow me." He started up the steps of the walkway over the center of the pool.
Stryder followed. "Hey, aren't we already at the moon pool?"
"yeah, but you haven't seen it's best feature yet." Lucas wiggled his eyebrows and kneeled. He reached down into the water and slapped it gently with his palm.
"It's water, I got that part." Despite herself she was amused. It had been a long, long time since she'd been able to do anything even halfway entertaining. And Lucas seemed nice enough, easy to talk to.
"You're entirely too impatient, did you know that? Just chill a minute and you'll see."
"See? See what? All I see is one weird guy with his hand in the…..oh wow………" Lucas smiled broadly, removing his hand from the water just as the silvery hide of the dolphin slid beneath his fingertips. The dolphin poked his nose out of the water and splashed. Stryder laughed. "Wow." She reached out to touch him. "Does he have a name?"
"Name Darwin," the dolphin tossed his head and the odd, computer generated voice startled her. Stryder snapped her hand away and rocked back on her heels, lurching to her feet. She stumbled backwards. Unfortunately, the platform was only a few feet wide. Her boots slipped off the edge and she tumbled back, arms flailing, into the water.
Stryder slipped beneath the pool's surface. A whoosh of air bubbles obscured her vision and for a moment, she couldn't tell up from down. Then the dolphin was swimming around her, nudging her. She propelled herself off the bottom of the tank, breaking the surface with a gasp. Beads of water rolled down her face and she blinked to clear her vision. "What the hell?" She yelled, though Lucas could barely hear her through his incredulous snorts of laughter.
"Are you laughing at me?" he nodded, his face red, one hand covering his mouth.
"I'm sorry," he wheezed, shoulders still convulsing with laughter. "I don't think anyone's done that before."
"You have a talking dolphin," Stryder stated, wide eyed.
"Yes, and you're soaked. What's your point?" he grinned. "hey, you're not the only one who can be a smart ass."
She ignored him. "A talking dolphin named Darwin." She swiped a stray lock of hair away from her face. "That is wicked cool."
"Told you, best feature. Now come on, one you get dried off I can finish showing you around." He reached out to give her a hand back onto the platform. Stryder clasped his palm tightly. Suddenly her eyes lifted, glinting mischievously. Lucas shook his head and started to protest, but it was too late.
"How bout first joining me for a swim!!!???" Stryder launched herself back, yanking a surprised Lucas off the platform and into the water. Lucas belly flopped into the pool, a rush of salt water flooding hid mouth. He came to the surface sputtering.
He swiped the water from his eyes, taking a deep gulp of air. He heard laughing on his left and turned to see Stryder treading water, shoulders shaking and a devilish smile on her face. "Looks like you're all wet too Wolenczak."
"I can't believe you just did that," he said.
"What goes around comes around. Now you have to go get changed too, and I won't have to rush." She heaved herself out of the water, dripping a huge puddle on the floor. She winked. "I'll see you at my cabin a little later. Bye Wolenczak."
Lucas watched the girl leave silently, his mouth hanging slightly agape. Darwin swam up beneath his hand. He looked down at the animal and raised an eyebrow. I have a feeling things around here are going to get a lot more interesting." The dolphin didn't answer, just rolled over so Lucas could scratch his belly.
--
Stryder pulled another tank top on over her head and sighed. She'd showered again, just to get rid of the smell of sea salt. In the last day she'd been able to take more showers than she would have been able to in a week working in the mines. She savored the smell of clean clothes, the feeling of being warm. She pulled her hair back off her face and turned. She sucked in a small breath as she almost ran into a broad chest.
Her eyes burned, and she dropped her hands down by her sides. "You scared the crap out of me Levi. How'd you get in here anyway?"
"You keep in mind what we're doing here Stryder." His visage was dark, stormy. He pushed her back against the wardrobe, one hand thrust against the base of her neck. "I saw you." His other hand reached up to finger her hair.
"Saw me what?" She smacked away the offending appendage.
"It would serve you well to remember who your friends are."
"I know who my friends are, and I remember why we're here. Don't start with me."
"Good. You will not screw this up for me, for us, I won't let you." He leaned closer, his lips brushing over the skin by her ear. "You owe me, remember? I'll be watching."
She shoved him off her with both hands. "The cryptic shit Levi, it's irritating. You'll be watching me? Is that supposed to make me all weak kneed and nervous? And just so you know, I don't owe you a damn thing. I'm not something to control."
Stryder went to pass him, but Levi smacked his palm down against the dresser, blocking her. He closed his eyes as if pained and shook his head. "You just don't get it, do you? You're mine. Don't think that I can't break you. What would your new friend think if he knew about you what I do? You think anyone would help you?" He winked at her, grinning cockily as he watched her face fall. "Later babe." He dropped his hands, leaned forward and kissed her quickly. "Behave." Then he spun on his heel and headed back out the hatch.
Levi passed Lucas coming out of the doorway. Lucas eyes the taller boy warily. There was something about him, something in his eyes, that he instantly disliked. A cold shiver rushed down his spine. Levi barely glanced at him as he passed. Stryder was standing next to the clothes locker, a blank expression on her face.
"Chris?" She blinked. "You okay?"
Stryder blinked again and shook her head slightly to clear it. She forced herself to smile. "I'm fine. Now how about you show me the rest of this tug?"
Chapter 2
Hope you liked this chapter too. I don't know where exactly I'm going with the Lucas/Stryder thing so….. Reviews are of course appreciated and begged for. Thanks.