Chapter One: Choices

Disclaimer: I don't own seaQuest, the show's characters, the script 'To Be or Not to Be' that I borrowed heavily from, blah blah blah, etc etc etc.

There are always two choices, two paths to take. One's easy. And its only reward is that it's easy.
-Unknown

Nathan Bridger walked up towards his house and saw what he least expected, and least wanted, to see, a group of UEO officers at his door. He squinted in the bright sunlight to be sure he was seeing correctly. And also some inside.

"Damn it," he swore under his breath. How had the found him?

He pushed through the door to get inside. "Excuse me. Pardon me. So sorry." He saw his daughter in the kitchen, getting mugs out of the cupboard. "What are you doing?" It looked suspiciously like she was making the UEO people coffee.

"Hi, Dad," Sheila replied brightly. "I making everyone coffee. Want some?"

"Don't make them coffee. They'll stay," he told her, annoyed. He wasn't going to give those trespassers anything.

A young, nervous-looking ensign approached him. "Captain Bridger?" he asked tentatively.

Bridger thought for a second. "Bridger...I think there's one on the other side of the island. Course, he gets up very early to go to work. You may have to hurry. And that's a very nice outfit."

"Nathan Bridger, we come at the request of UEO Command." The ensign was persistent, Bridger noted.

"Who?"

"United Earth/Oceans Organization," came the reply.

"Doesn't ring a bell, but then I've been out of touch for a while."

"Captain, we've gone to great lengths to find you-" The ensign was starting to look annoyed.

Bridger himself was annoyed. And Sheila seemed to be enjoying the exchange, like she knew something he didn't. "I don't really know what you people are selling, but I'm really not interested. Now, why don't you do yourself a big favor, and get the hell off my island." Someone stepped out of the hallway. "Ever hear of private homes? What did you do, Sheila, give them free reign of the house?"

"Not all of them," she replied, with a grin. "Just him."

Bridger turned around to face the man fully.

"Hello, Nathan," said Bill Noyce.

Bridger stared at him for a moment, then turned to leave. "Go home, Bill."

"Nathan, will you just listen?" Bridger ignored him and started to push his way out of the house. "Damn it, will you just let me explain?" Bridger kept going. Noyce called after him. "She's finished. She's been operational for three years. Nathan! Nathan, don't pretend you don't care. I know you do."

Bridger almost stopped, but he knew if he started to listen he might cave in, and he didn't want that. He went down to the dock where he and Darwin did most of their work. Darwin was there waiting for them.

"All right, come on." He started making hand motions at the dolphin. "Come on, you know the routine." Darwin splashed water at him with his tail. "Don't make cute, I'm not in the mood. Go down, one, two, three, and tag the marker. Go. Go." Darwin dove under water.

"Hand motion communication," he heard Noyce say behind him. Slowly, he turned to face his friend.

"Well, it's not perfect, but we understand each other. More than I can say about you and me." Noyce appeared to ignore the jab.

"I remember it was Carol who got you interested in dolphins. I heard about what happened. I'm sorry. She was a wonderful woman." Noyce did look genuinely sad, and Bridger felt guilty about thinking he could feel otherwise. Noyce had been Carol's friend as well.

"Yeah, I hear ya."

"Sheila's grown up to look a lot like her. Acts like her too."

"I know," Bridger said.

"You don't think the Navy's gonna let one of its most valuable human resources run off to some desert island and not keep tabs on him." Noyce deftly changed the subject.

"What happened to privacy? Last time I looked, the Bill of Rights was still intact."

Again Noyce ignored him. "Everything's changed, Nathan. I've come halfway around the world to tell you about it. Once the ocean became a frontier for mining, pharmaceuticals, farming, the world became a dangerous place. Undersea borders formed, nations broke into confederations to protect their territorial claims. They hammered out a treaty. The United Earth/Oceans Organization was formed to administer it."

Bridger wondered if he should pretend to care. "Administer? Sounds desperate."

"It's different out there now. Farms, colonies, families; UEO needed a way to maintain the situation. That's why NORPAC gave us the seaQuest. Not as a warship, but as a peacekeeper."

"What's the difference?" Bridger snorted.

"She's being refitted to contain a large science contingent." Noyce knew that would spark Bridger's interest.

"What for?" He was curious now. Damn Bill.

Noyce smiled. "Research, deep sea exploration, the largest deep submergence research vehicle ever."

Bridger shook his head emphatically. "No way. That part of my life is over."

"Don't you understand what I'm offering you?" Noyce asked, frustrated, as Bridger walked away from him. "Nathan, you can't pass this up." No response. "For God's sake, Carol is dead. Let it go."

Bridger stopped, then turned around. "I won't," he said. "I gave her my word. And I can't bring Sheila into it."

Noyce sighed. "I know how much losing Robert hurt you and how you blame yourself for his joining the service. I have kids. And Sheila needs more than this. Look around you; you've isolated her. Don't you see how your research, your passion, may be used aboard a ship you poured your life into? Come see her. Let me at least show you what I'm talking about."

Bridger sighed. Maybe they could just take a little visit, a little look around. What could it hurt? And then they could return to their normal lives, like nothing had ever happened. Because nothing ever would. He wondered how Sheila would react. Knowing her, she would probably be delighted and irrepressible.