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Chapter Two
It had only been a short conference but Lucas had made the most of every minute. He had been asked to deliver an address on his latest research into nanite technology and how the microscopic machines could be applied into gene therapy.
He had developed a program that would allow simulations to pinpoint the best course of treatment without having to waste time and resources trying different options.
He had spent every spare minute over the previous month preparing for the lecture and he felt that it had gone over well. Just being a genius wasn't enough when it came to these kinds of things. You also had to be able to present information well and that was where Bridger came in.
Lucas knew his material inside and out but he still felt incredibly nervous standing up before an audience and speaking. He was still treated as a kid by some researchers and made to feel that he couldn't possibly have any answers to complex medical problems. Having Captain Bridger sitting in the front row, silently encouraging him had certainly made the difference.
Afterwards he had talked almost non-stop on the way to their rooms as he excitedly recalled the responses from his audience.
"Did you hear what Professor Ortega said? He actually wants me to come and spend some time at their research lab! I mean, that's only the biggest nanite project on the go, anywhere in the world!"
The captain couldn't help but smile at his young friend's enthusiasm.
"And you thought you were going to make a hash of this, remember? You did a fantastic job. I think you generated quite a bit of interest in your research today."
As they continued down the corridor several more delegates stopped Lucas to discuss his research. He even had another offer of some research time at another medical facility. By the time they were ready to leave the conference he was feeling like he had actually taken some ground in the battle to be treated seriously in the research world beyond the seaQuest.
As the captain maneuvered the small shuttle craft out of the docking bay he glanced over at Lucas and caught him trying to stifle a yawn.
"Did you get any sleep last night?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
"I tried but every time I nodded off I kept having stupid dreams."
"What kind of dreams?"
"Oh, you know the kind. The ones where you are standing in front of a room full of people in nothing but your underwear." Lucas looked up with a sheepish look on his face.
Bridger laughed out loud.
"Oh you mean the kind where you suffer total humiliation and your professional reputation is left in tatters?"
"Yeah, that'd be the one." Lucas laughed. He was finally beginning to let go of the anxiety he'd been trying so hard to hide. He loved his research but standing up to present it was about as much fun as being eaten by a shark. It was much easier to hide behind a computer screen.
"You know most people hate public speaking and will go to great lengths to avoid it. You did a great job today, Kiddo."
"But you make it look so easy. I mean you have no problem getting up in front of people."
"Don't think I haven't had my share of public disasters. I remember once getting up on stage and making a complete idiot of myself." Bridger smiled to himself over the long distant memory.
"Well c'mon, you can't leave me hanging here. What happened?" Lucas couldn't imagine how the confident Captain Bridger could have embarrassed himself.
"Well it was all because of a girl really," he smiled absently. "She was gorgeous. I was walking onto the stage of a large auditorium and I saw her sitting in the front row. I was so busy looking at her that I walked straight into the podium, lost my balance and fell off the front of the stage."
Lucas was looking at him sideways, trying to gauge if this was a true story or if the captain was just trying to make him feel better.
"So then what happened?"
"Well I managed to break my nose and so there I was sitting in a puddle of blood when she came to check if I was all right. I told her she owed me an icepack and a date since it was her fault I fell off the stage."
"And did you get one? A date I mean."
"Got more than that. Two years later I married her."
Lucas laughed at the image and wondered why he'd never heard that story about Carol before.
"Well it isn't exactly the kind of thing you want to advertise, you know. It doesn't do a whole lot for my image."
Lucas tried in vain to smother another yawn.
"Why don't you get some sleep in the back? We've got a few hours still to go and you look like you could use it," Bridger looked over at Lucas, hoping he wasn't going to get an argument on this.
To his surprise the teenager nodded and climbed over into the back of the shuttle. His feet dangled over the edge of the bench seat but he stretched out anyway and was soon fast asleep.
Lucas was rudely jolted out of his sleep as the small shuttle rocked violently. He tried to sit up but was pushed back into the bench by the momentum of the shuttle.
"Captain! What's happening?" he called out in alarm.
"Hang on Lucas. I don't know. Sensor readings are all over the place."
Lucas began to pull himself upright by hanging onto the back of the seat. The shuttle was still pitching around and he struggled to hold on.
Suddenly an alarm began to sound and he realised seconds later it was the de-pressurisation alarm.
"Captain!"
"Lucas we're going to have to bail out of here. We're losing hull integrity! I don't know what's going on out there but I'm heading for the surface. Get the life raft ready while I contact seaQuest."
Lucas scrambled over the edge of the seat and dragged himself across the rolling floor. The life raft and emergency gear was stowed at the back of the shuttle. He pulled out two life jackets and dropped them at his feet while he tugged at the release handle for the storage locker. The jackets skidded across the floor as the shuttle continued on its random path.
He yanked at the release handle while struggling to maintain his footing. The captain was battling to control the small craft against the violent currents outside. He kept trying to raise the seaQuest on the radio but he wasn't getting any reply.
Lucas had the life raft half way out of the locker when he felt the first spray of water on his back.
"Captain! We're taking on water! We have to get out of here. How deep are we?" he called frantically.
"I can't tell! The instruments keeps bouncing back conflicting readings. Either we are rising and falling at the same time or the seafloor is shifting. That would certainly explain the shockwaves that are hitting us. I can't get a steady bearing on anything!"
As Lucas turned back to the life raft he saw water pouring down the back of the shuttle. Before he could react to what was happening it was swishing ominously around his feet.
The shuttle was still being buffeted roughly and Lucas just couldn't get the life raft out because he couldn't stay on his feet long enough to get a good grip.
"Captain! We're in trouble! I can't get this raft loose." He turned in time to see Bridger getting out of the pilot's chair and coming towards him to help.
"It's on autopilot. We should break the surface in a few minutes. Now let's get that thing out of there before…." He was cut off as the shuttle lurched violently to starboard and he was flung across the small space towards Lucas.
Raising his arms instinctively to protect his head, the captain was thrown to the floor, crashing into the bench seat that Lucas had been sleeping on.
"Captain! Are you all right? Can you hear me?" Lucas called frantically but got no answer. He let go of the raft and staggered over to where Bridger lay on the floor. He shook him urgently but got no response.
Trying to be gentle he eased the captain over onto his back and gasped when he saw the blood on the side of his head. Water was still rushing in through the breached seal and Lucas realised that it was nearly ankle deep now.
Suddenly the shuttle broke the ocean's surface and he was thrown roughly against the hull. The captain was rolled back against the bench seat and Lucas realised with horror that his face was submerged under the water.
Fighting the pitching motion, he managed to crawl across the space between them and pull Bridger back into an upright position against the seat. He began to stir slightly and Lucas shook him to get a response.
"Captain, can you hear me? We have to get out of here! Please, help me get us out!"
Bridger mumbled something Lucas couldn't make out and closed his eyes again. While Lucas crawled over to the life raft the captain slid back down the side of the bench. Fear gave Lucas the strength to drag the life raft out from its locker and somehow he got the shuttle hatch open.
The ocean outside was still churning angrily and he battled against it to get the raft out. He tied it off against the shuttle hatch and pulled the self-inflating plug. While the raft came to life he turned his attention back to the captain.
As he turned away from the treacherous water a monster wave swept over him and nearly pulled him out into the darkness. He grabbed the life raft rope and clung on as the surge of water swept through the shuttle and swept back out. He grabbed at the life jacket that swam past but couldn't reach it.
He was running out of time and he clutched urgently at the remaining life jacket. With Bridger still unconscious he had to get a jacket on him quickly. He struggled to get the jacket over his head and keep his face above water.
The shuttle was almost half full of water and he knew he only had minutes before it went down. He roughly tied the jacket cords around Bridger's right arm.
Finding strength he didn't know he had, he managed to drag his friend's unconscious body towards the life raft. He glanced backwards at the emergency supplies but couldn't afford to let go of Bridger to get them.
The next wave that washed through the shuttle gave him enough forward momentum to launch himself at the raft. Somehow he managed to drag the limp body of his captain over the edge of the raft and crawl in himself.
The raft lurched violently and he realised the rope was still attached to the shuttle door and it was going down! He couldn't get to the knot on the shuttle end so he began pulling at the knot on the raft end. His fingers were freezing and he cursed their clumsiness.
The shuttle dropped below the surface and the edge of the raft began to dip alarmingly. Lucas ripped the rope from the raft and breathed a sigh of relief as the raft righted itself again.
He collapsed back against the side of the raft, his energy all but spent. Crawling over towards Bridger he saw that even against the rocking motion of the raft, he still hadn't awoken.
As the adrenaline subsided, Lucas began to feel the despair of the situation. He was freezing so he pushed himself up against the captain's body and wrapped his arms around him. They needed to get warm and this was the only way he could do anything about it. The emergency packs were gone and that meant there were no blankets.
"Captain? Please wake up. I can't do this by myself," he whispered to his friend.