The Problems of Heating Water
By Kiddo
In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis
I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this story.
Every time I watch the first season "seaQuest" episode "Treasure of the Tonga Trench," I get surprised at the same spot. A few days ago, I was listening to a recording of this episode again and was inspired to write this short story. Enjoy!
I dedicate the English version of this story to my wonderful beta reader Jackie. Thanks for all your hard work!
A big "Thank You" goes to SonicFrost and Jackie for beta-reading.
Lucas Wolenczak stepped into the lab area of the seaQuest and looked around. It seemed like nearly every scientist was here. The science team of the seaQuest was finishing an important project and therefore had a lot of work to do.
The blond teenager went over to Dr. Westphalen. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked. He had nothing important to do now and knew that the doctor would be thankful for any assistance.
Kristen immediately nodded her head. "Oh Lucas, your a godsend! Our water heater has just kicked the bucket." She held up a transparent plastic container filled with a clear liquid. "Could you please go to the kitchen and heat this water?"
"Yeah, no problem," said the computer genius as he took the container and turned towards the door. "See you soon," he said as he left the lab.
Shortly after leaving the lab, Lucas had reached the kitchen. He looked around, searching. There had to be a water heater somewhere around here... When he couldn't spot it right away, he continued his search by opening one cabinet after another.
After three minutes, the teenager gave up with an impatient groan. Either there was no water heater in the kitchen, or the cook had hidden it very well. And of course, as is always the case, when you needed someone from the kitchen staff, nobody was around.
The computer genius shrugged his shoulders; he would just heat it the old fashioned way: on the kitchen stove.
Lucas took one of the empty pots out of the cabinet and poured the water in it. Then, he went to the kitchen stove and stopped.
A gas stove? Why the hell did the seaQuest have a gas stove! Wasn't that too dangerous? All someone had to do was just forget to turn off the gas and the submarine would blow up!
Great, all those times they had faced UEO enemies, and now he discovered that the biggest danger was sitting in their own kitchen! Great, just great... Which so-called genius had had the bright idea of putting a gas stove on a submarine? Lucas could only shake his head in disgust.
His glance fell once again on the pot of water. He had no idea how a gas stove worked. He only had used electric stoves until now. The blond boy looked around, and there was still nobody there who could explain to him how it worked.
Almost automatically, the computer freak's blue eyes were attracted by a pack of matches that was lying near the stove. He had once seen on TV how somebody had first turned on the gas and then held a burning match to the burner, getting the flame started that way. But that had been a really old movie, and Lucas's inner voice somehow told him that this stove wouldn't quite work that way and that the matches sitting there was just pure chance.
The teenager scrutinized the stove. Maybe it would just be enough to turn the knob.
Lucas shook his head and poured the water back in the plastic container. No, he definitely wouldn't mess with the stove. He didn't want to take a chance at blowing the ship up!
He dried the pot, put it away, and left the kitchen.
When the red-haired scientist spotted the teenager, she immediately went to him. Before he could say anything, she took the container from him. "Thanks for your help; that was very nice of you." However, as she touched the, can she realized that the water was still cold. She looked at the genius in surprise. "This isn't hot. Wouldn't they let you in the kitchen?"
"Oh no, that wasn't a problem. But I thought about the whole thing. Imagine if I would have heated the water and then brought it to you. By the time I reached you, it would already have cooled down."
Lucas took the plastic container back from Dr. Westphalen. "Wouldn't it be more effective if I heat it using one of the burners in the lab? And after that, I can take a look at the water heater and maybe even repair it."
Kristen looked at the teenager thoughtfully. Suddenly, it all became clear to her, and a smile spread over her face. "In other words, you have no idea how the gas stove works."
Lucas shook his head. "Not at all!"
THE END
Written and Translated in 2005