A Question of Trust
Chapter 5
By Kiddo
In Loving Memory Of Jonathan Brandis
Disclaimer:
I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest." I also don't own the different characters like Bridger, Lucas, or Darwin. I'm not making any money with this story; I'm just writing for my own pleasure.
A spezial „Thank You" goes to Jackie for beta-reading and KatKnits00, Swasti, dolphinology, wolenczak2004, kokomocalifornia and sweet me for their reviews. You made my day.
KatKnits00: Thanks! It's nice to read your interpretation.
Swasti: Thanks!Yeah, I really wished that Darwin would say what he senses about Oliver. You say it, poor Lucas!
dolphinology: Thanks! Interesting to read that someone ishooked because of my writting.
wolenczak2004: Thanks for your kind words! I think nobody has called one of my stories spezial before….
kokomocalifornia: Thanks for your kind words! How evil is Oliver? That's a good question!
sweet me: Thanks for your review. I hope this is soon enough.
At 2 o'clock in the afternoon of the next day, Captain Bridger stepped into the Hydroponics Lab. This lab was for experiments with plants, but it looked more like a hothouse than a laboratory on a submarine.
Lucas was sitting in one corner of the room between some big plants; he was bent over a book. When he heard someone else, he looked up from his reading "Oh, hello, Captain. What are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to ask you the same thing."
The teenager thought for a moment. "I like coming here to think or if I want to be alone. It's a good hiding place. Or it was until now."
Nathan smiled at the boy. "I won't tell anyone about it. Your secret is safe with me. But you really could have told me about this before, or you could have taken your PAL along - I was looking for you all morning!"
Lucas looked away, slightly shamefaced. "I'm sorry; I didn't think that anyone would be looking for me."
Bridger nodded. "It's alright. Do you hide here often?"
The blond teenager shrugged. "Sometimes. It's always quiet here, and no one disturbs me. It's the perfect place if you need a time-out."
The captain nodded in understanding. It seemed that what happened the day before had really affected the boy. If Bridger had stopped to think, he would have realized that his anger had disappeared, and he was left with the great disappointment he felt.
But now, when he observed the teenager closely, he also felt pity. Nathan knew that Lucas hated arguments and always tried to get around them. "No one has seen you eat breakfast or lunch."
The young man nodded. "I wasn't hungry."
Bridger looked disbelievingly at the boy. "Not hungry?"
Lucas thought back to earlier in the day when he had met the commander. Oliver had told the whole crew his version of what happened at the Moon Pool. "Ummm...I also wasn't keen on getting told off a second time. The lecture from Commander Ford was really enough for one day."
Again Nathan nodded in understanding. That was also typical for the teenager. Sometimes, the boy used his intelligence and wit in a confrontation, and other times, he just let it happen without saying anything so that it would be over faster. Until now, the older man had always thought that Lucas was a fair and honest person, but now he had the feeling that he didn't really know who the teenager was.
Captain Bridger decided that it was time to start talking about what happened the day before. "You still say that you didn't do anything wrong yesterday?"
Lucas immediately knew what the captain was referring to and nodded emphatically. A few strands of hair fell into his face.
"Okay, but there is something else we have to talk about." The teenager raised his eyebrows questioningly. "When you were at Node 3, you hacked into the World Bank, am I right?"
For a moment, the young genius was speechless. Then, he nodded. "Yes. Where did you hear that from?"
Bridger was disappointed - until now, he had hopped that Oliver had been lying or had misunderstood something and that Lucas hadn't done the hack. "It's not important where I have the information from, the point is why did you do it?"
The blond teenager thought about it. What was the best way to explain it to the captain? He knew that he had made a mistake with the hack. "Someone made it look like a good idea to me, and he knew which buttons to push to get me to do it."
Nathan shook his head. "Lucas, you are intelligent enough to know that was wrong. I thought you knew the difference between right and wrong. I thought you had personal limits... Lucas, the Word Bank is not a game!"
The young man felt anger rising in him. The captain wouldn't even let him explain what had really happend. His defiance was rearing up quickly. "I know that the World Bank is not a game. You don't need to explain that to me! And besides, may I remind you that I have also hacked into a few things for you?"
Bridger knew that the teen's last point was accurate. "Lucas, that is something different, and you know it. Yes, I have asked you to hack into one or two things, but not into the World Bank! And besides that, my requests have always had very good reasons."
There was also a good reason behind the World Bank, or so I had thought! shot throguh the young man's mind. Slowly, the situation was deteriorating. "I have the feeling that you have already decided that I'm the bad one. You won't even give me a real chance, and you don't want to hear what I have to say!" The teenager's voice got louder.
"Please don't use this tone of voice, Lucas. I have the feeling that I don't really know you. First, there's what happened at the Moon Pool, and now I find out about the World Bank!" Bridger's voice was getting louder too.
The computer genius stood up and grabbed his book. "I think you really don't know me! If you did, you would know that I didn't push Oliver in the Moon Pool."
The captain shook his head. "I just find out that you have kept something big from me. Please tell me what else I'm supposed to think? Put yourself into my shoes, and tell me what you would think!"
Lucas glared angrily at Bridger. He was getting madder and madder; he hated it when people treated him unfairly. This morning, he had been able to keep his cool when the commander had spoken to him, but now with the captain, a person he had always looked up to, he couldn't hold it in any longer! "You know what? You can think of me what you want! To tell you the truth, I couldn't care less about it! You can get stuffed!"
Nathan gasped for air; he had never seen his youngest crew member like this. "I refuse to be talked to like that, young man. I'm starting to question whether or not this is the right place for you. Maybe I should contact your father when this week is over!"
The book fell out of the teen's hand. The captain's words really hurt. Bridger knew that he wasn't getting along with his parents and that he felt like the seaQuest was his home. He gave the captain an agonized look. "Maybe you should do that. After all, you would finally get rid of me!" Lucas turned around and ran from the lab.
"Lucas!" Bridger shouted after the boy but couldn't stop the teen. Nathan felt the guilt in him rising. He had let the young man provoke him. The captain would never send the boy back to his parents, he wouldn't have the heart to do it. Why had he said that? He knew that he had hurt Lucas unbelievably deeply with his comment. The whole conversation had gone in the wrong direction.
Bridger's glance fell on the book lying on the floor. He picked it up and looked at the title. 'The Gospel According To Larry' by Janet Tashjian. He took the book with him and walked out of the room. He really had to tell the boy how sorry he was as soon as possible.
To Be Continued …
Written Spring 2003 / Translated Winter 2005