Chapter 6: Dogs, Dolphins, and Uniforms

Disclaimer: I don't own seaQuest or "To Be or Not to Be". Still. Blah blah blah.

AN: This is a little better than the last one, I think. Still getting some stuff out of the way. I'm skipping major plot details 'cause I'm sure you all have seen "To Be or Not to Be" a thousand times. Or at least once or twice. And I really just want mostly Lucas and/or Sheila stuff.

Everybody's trying to say I'm wrong. I just wanna be back where I belong. World turning...I gotta get my feet back on the ground.
-Fleetwood Mac – World Turning-

There was a knock on the door. Lucas gave Sheila an 'I-told-you-so' look before calling "Come in!"

Bridger and Westphalen came in.

"Hi, Dad. Hi, Dr. Westphalen," Sheila said brightly. Bridger looked surprised to see her there.

"I thought you were taking a nap," Bridger commented.

"I got woken up," Sheila replied.

"You said you weren't sleeping!" Lucas protested.

"All right, all right. Lucas, we need your help," Westphalen interceded.

"With the computer systems freezing?" Lucas asked.

Bridger gave him a suspicious look. "How'd you know about that?" Lucas shrugged. Bridger turned towards Sheila, who gave him her best innocent look, the one she reserved for when she had actually done something wrong but didn't want him to know about it. She thought it worked, but it always made him more suspicious, and usually rightfully so. He made a mental note to talk to her about it later. "Never mind, that's not important right now. Since you know we have a problem, what else do you know?"

"It's dying," Lucas replied.

"What's dying?"

"The core of the main computer has a virus. That's what's been gnawing away at the systems."

Westphalen looked confused. "But if it's in the core, why isn't it affecting the whole ship?"

"Oh, it will. It just started with weapons and propulsion."

Westphalen still looked confused. "But wouldn't diagnostics have found it in a routine check?"

"No," Bridger interrupted, coming over to look over Lucas' shoulder at the screen, "artificial intelligence just makes a quick pass, unless you fixed that too."

"Well, as a matter of fact, I have some parts on order," Lucas replied with a smug grin.

"I still don't see how it could have been missed," Westphalen persisted.

"Well, this sucker is buried so deep that the diagnostics sweep couldn't even find it," Lucas responded. "It's pretty cool. I mean, whoever planted this thing really knew what they were doing."

Bridger looked up from the computer screen. "Then it's not organic."

"No way. No, it's too specific."

"Is there any way we can tell how long it's been in there?"

"Not until I peel back the layers of data between me and him." Lucas started to tap on his keyboard. After a few seconds, the screen began to flash and bark. "Whoa."

"Whoa, what?" Westphalen asked.

"Did the computer just bark at you?" Sheila chimed in.

"It's got dogs," Lucas said warily.

"Dogs?"

"Watchdogs. Sub-programs to protect the virus," Lucas explained. "If I mess with any of them, the whole ship could crash and burn. Life support, navigation, defence, the works."

Over the ship's loudspeaker came O'Neil's voice. "Captain to the bridge. Captain to the bridge."

"I think that's you," Lucas offered.

Bridger glanced at Sheila. She didn't seem to be paying attention. She was staring at the aquatube. "Just keep doing what you're doing. Hey, kid, good work," he said as he left.

Westphalen followed Bridger. "Don't get cocky," she warned Lucas just before she closed the door.

"Hey, Lucas, I think Darwin's got something for you," Sheila laughed.

Lucas looked over and saw Darwin in the tube with a fish in his mouth. He picked up the vocorder. "Thank you, Darwin. I've already had lunch." He looked at Sheila. "Unless you'd like it."

She shuddered. "Ugh, no thank you."

-Later, launch bay-

"Lucas, honestly, do you really think you can sneak up on a computer virus by going to different computers?" Sheila was annoyed. She had been following Lucas around the ship for about forty-five minutes, going from computer to computer. She thought he was nuts.

"Look, who's the genius around here? You don't have to follow me, you know," Lucas retorted.

"Well, it's not like I have anything better to be doing. I'm just saying, I think you're approaching..." Sheila trailed off as her father approached. In uniform.

Lucas looked up. "Oh, hello, Captain Bridger."

"What have you found?" Bridger asked, self-consciously avoiding looking at Sheila.

"Well, I'm still trying to get to the virus, but I was able to nail the time of entry."

"And?"

"Judging by the layers of data between us and him, I'd say it was planted a little over a year ago. Thirteen months to be exact," Lucas confirmed.

"Keep at it," Bridger said, turning and leaving.

Lucas glanced at Sheila. "Close your mouth."

Obediently, her mouth closed. But she kept staring at the spot where her father had been standing.

-Later still-

"Sheila, I need you to do something for me," Bridger said over to communications system in the launch bay.

"Sure, Dad, what?"

"Meet Westphalen in the moon pool. I need you to get Darwin to tag a homing device to the Delta 4."

"Um, okay." Bridger could hear the hesitation in her voice.

"Look, the only way we can target the boat is with a homing device, and the only way we can get it on the boat without them knowing is with Darwin. You and I know he can do it."

"Okay. Okay, I'm on my way."

"Westphalen will have the homing device. And Sheila? Thanks."

"Sure, Dad."

As Sheila left the launch bay after waving goodbye to Lucas, she couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen. Not with today. Not with the Delta 4, although she wondered about that too. But with her father. And the seaQuest. She could already hear the change in tone in her father's voice. He'd become more authoritative. More captain-like. She wondered what had possessed him to put on that uniform. She didn't know whether she should be upset or happy.

She nearly passed the moon pool because she was so caught up in her thoughts. When she entered, she saw Darwin and Westphalen waiting for her.

"Darwin play," the dolphin greeted her.

"Yes, play, but not like other games. We need your help," Sheila said, stroking his head.

"Darwin help."

"You might want to hear what it is first," Sheila said.

"Trust Sheila."

"We're at six hundred feet, that's the limit of a dolphin's tolerance," Westphalen protested.

"But he's gone deeper than five hundred before."

"You're taking a chance with his life," Westphalen tried again.

"He can do it," Sheila said, not sure if she was trying to convince herself or Westphalen. "Dad wouldn't have Dar do something too risky."

"What about air?" Westphalen tried a new tactic.

"Need air," Darwin agreed.

"With this, he won't have to come to the surface to breathe," Sheila said, strapping the Rebreather on Darwin.

"Need air," Darwin repeated.

"Yes, you'll get air. Just try it." Sheila looked at a crewman standing near by. "Did you flood the tube yet?"

"Yes," the crewman responded. "Captain Bridger ordered that two minutes ago. It's all set."

"I don't like it," Westphalen said.

"Don't like what?" Sheila asked.

"You are going to fire him out of a torpedo tube!"

"What?" Sheila looked shocked. "No! He's going to swim out of a torpedo tube!"

"I still don't like it."

Darwin surfaced. "Darwin breathe."

"Yes, I told you. Now, what you do is swim out and tag the marker."

"Darwin play."

"Yes, just like on the island. You swim down, you tag the marker. Tag the metal boat. Understand?"

"Metal boat," Darwin confirmed.

"And if you play well, I'll give you a whole bucket of fish!"

"Darwin, you don't have to do this," Westphalen tried reasoning with Darwin.

"Swim for Sheila," Darwin said before swimming off.

"Oh, Darwin," Sheila protested. She watched him leave. "Be careful."