Disclaimer: I do not own seaQuest. If I did, it would still be on air. The other teenagers in this fiction are just that: fictional. I made them up to fill in the story. They are supposed to be friends from before his parents sent him to seaQuest.
Takes place in first season, pre-photon bullet episode.
This is my take on AU Lucas being abused by his father. I have a little bit of personal experience on the subject and I think that a lot of the stories portray the teenager as more of a crybaby than a victim. Granted, there will be break downs and angst, however do not expect to see Lucas crying uncontrollably to the point of needing a sedative. I'm aiming at a more realistic approach here.
Lucas sighed and typed a response back to his friend Seth. "Yeah, I'll be there."
There was a ding and then a response. "Great. Just tell your captain that I'm your cousin. He can't dispute family."
Lucas sucked on his bottom lip, feeling a little guilty for conspiring against the captain, but he didn't want to spend his 3 day leave in a UEO sanctioned hotel room with Captain Bridger. He wanted to be with his friends and hang out with people his own age. There was no way Bridger would let Lucas do that without proof of some kind of parental supervision.
Lucas finished up his chat with Seth and closed out the internex. "Here goes nothing," he said to himself as he prepared to tell the captain of his plans.
Lucas walked slowly down the corridor to the Captain's Quarters, where he knocked quietly on the door.
"Come in," he heard Bridger say from inside. Lucas ran a nervous hand through his already messy blond hair before opening the door.
"Lucas! What brings you down here?" Nathan Bridger set aside his paperwork to devote his fullest attention to his youngest crew member.
"Well, sir, um, it's about shore leave." Lucas fidgeted with the hem on his tee shirt.
"And...?" The captain prompted.
"Well, I know you were looking forward to us sharing a room, but I have a cousin who offered to pick me up. And, I mean, nothing against you, sir, but he's around my age and I haven't seen my aunt in a long time..." Lucas trailed off.
"Okay, that's fine. Is he picking you up at the hotel or when we dock?" Bridger prodded for information, a little hurt that Lucas didn't want to stay with him, but understanding.
"When we dock, sir." Lucas looked up, feeling more secure in his lie.
"You do know when we depart?" Bridger met the deep blue eyes of the fifteen year old standing rigidly in front of him.
"Yes sir, 0900 hrs Monday." Lucas replied, mechanically.
Bridger smiled. "Okay, then. As long as you are clear on that, then I will just give you the number to my hotel room." He pulled a post it note off his table and wrote down the number. "You can call me for anything. I don't have any plans."
Lucas felt a sudden pang of guilt, knowing that the captain would probably sit around reading or watching television while he was out partying with friends. "Thank you, captain." Lucas said, putting the number in his wallet.
"You're welcome, kiddo. Now go get ready, the shuttle leaves in an hour." Bridger said, clapping an affectionate hand on Lucas' shoulder.
Lucas all but leaped out of the hatch once it opened, taking in the fresh air and the setting sun. Waiting in the parking lot was Seth, standing next to a new looking Honda. Just as he was darting off to his friend, he heard Nathan yell a reminder for Monday. Lucas gave him the buddy sign, letting him know that he knew.
Nathan turned to Dr. Kristin Westphalen, who was also getting to enjoy the time off, and sighed. "You know, I can't help but be suspicious. Who is really that excited to see family, especially if it's Lucas' family?"
"Relax, Nathan. Lucas is a responsible young man. I'm sure he'll be just fine." Kristin smiled softly, appreciating the parental instincts in Nathan. "Besides, you know that he will call if he gets into trouble." Nathan gave a resigned nod in agreement and let it go. The good doctor was right. Lucas was a good kid.
Lucas lowered his mouth to the tap as he did his first keg stand. His head already buzzed with alcohol and his conscience had retired an hour and 9 bottles of beer ago. Twelve seconds and he signaled to be let down. The room spun wildly and someone caught him before he could fall. He couldn't remember having this much fun. There were some girls Seth had invited in off the beach and a lot of people he didn't know, but they were all getting wasted so it didn't matter. Names weren't important anymore. Some of the girls seemed to forget where they had placed their bikini tops and had decided that whipped cream would be a suitable substitute. One of them staggered and tripped, landing on Lucas' lap. The teenager swallowed convulsively and smiled. "Um... hey." She smiled back and then pouted. "Oh dear, I think I got some on your lap." Lucas looked down, wide eyed as she licked the whipped cream off the jeans covering his upper inner thigh. His jaw hung loosely. "Th... thanks." He stuttered, unable to move or even breathe.
"Hey, Luke! Looks like you could use another drink!" Seth yelled as he walked by, tossing his friend another bottle. "I see you've met Candy."
Candy, who no longer had any whipped cream covering her breasts at all, winked.
"Isn't she sweet?" Seth grinned. "Candy, this is Lucas. He's a genius. You two should talk."
Candy giggled. She tossed her bleach blond hair over her tanned shoulder and played with the string on her bottoms. "Lucas, huh. I've never met a genius before." For a moment, Lucas imagined she hadn't even met a book before, but he was too awe-struck by the perfect body before him. "Are you a doctor?" It was a stupid question. But all Lucas could do was nod. "Would you like to examine me?" She purred, not allowing him time to answer before she had dropped her bikini bottoms. "Whoopsie." She giggled and fell over again, her face landing where her boobs had previously landed. "Oh. I know. Maybe I can examine you!" Lucas gulped down the beer Seth had just handed him. Any guilt he felt for coming to this party was completely sucked out of him.
An hour later, Lucas stood on shaky legs. He didn't intend to lay on the floor so long. Once Candy had finished "examining" Lucas, she had passed out, naked and still smiling dumbly. Now, nothing seemed capable of staying in one place and he felt vulnerable. Panic rose in his throat as he realized he didn't recognize a single face and every sound he heard sounded like it was coming through the aqua tubes on the seaQuest. Lucas slurred a few profane words. "Se-e-e-th!" He yelled, but got no reply. His lips felt dry. Picking up a paper cup, he took a sip and grimaced. "Never mind that." Lucas made his way to the kitchen. His intended destination was the refrigerator, but once he spotted the vid-phone, a little bit of fear crept over him. He wanted to go home. He wasn't having fun anymore. And the dizziness was something he was unaccustomed to. Clutching his head, Lucas tried to focus. Taking a deep, unsteady breath, he pulled out his wallet and the slip of paper that the captain had written the number down on. He hiccuped and started dialing.
Nathan looked at the clock. It was 2 am. "That better be Lucas." He groaned and answered, surprised by the sweaty, pale face that greeted him. "Lucas, are you alright?" Lucas just shook, his head and moaned. "What's going on?" Nathan asked, now completely awake.
"I'm sorry captain..." Lucas' eyes sort of rolled and tried to focus again. "I knew it was a bad idea. I just wanted to have fun."
Nathan just sort of half smiled. "You aren't with family, are you, Lucas?" Again Lucas shook his head, making a face. "Where's the party at? I'll get a cab to bring me to you." Lucas smiled weakly and gave the directions to the best of his ability, describing the beach house as the one with all the drunk people inside and some naked girls he didn't know. Nathan finally felt he had a decent description and assured Lucas he was on his way, wondering how to punish this act of rebellion.
Lucas leaned against the railing on the back porch, which faced the road. The hotel really wasn't that far from the beach house. But it was a long twenty minutes before he saw a yellow cab pull up and a not-quite-as-mad-as-Lucas-thought-he-would-be captain get out. In fact, Nathan was sort of grinning. Or maybe it was the alcohol because once Bridger got closer, he realized that the captain was actually frowning. "Ready to go?" Nathan helped Lucas to his feet and directed him to the car. In the backseat, Lucas leaned against the captain, his eyes closed against the outside passing by. Neither of them said anything. They would talk in the hotel room. Nathan stroked Lucas' damp hair. He was disappointed in Lucas, but he couldn't be angry. The boy was trapped on a submarine with nobody his age. That had to be stressful for a teenager. Nathan remembered his teens and knew he was guilty of going to such parties. It was a peaceful drive back with Lucas lost in his drunkenness. Just outside the room, Lucas felt hot suddenly, and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes tightly. "Just a second, kiddo." Nathan got the key card out and opened the door. Lucas made a bee line towards the bathroom. "At least we got back to the hotel first." Nathan laughed softly. Once the door was closed, Nathan slowly pushed open the bathroom door. Lucas was sitting on the floor, leaning against the tub, his head on his knees. "How are you doing?" He rubbed Lucas' back. Lucas gave him a pleading look. "Sorry, kiddo. I can't do anything for you." Just then, tears pooled in Lucas' blue eyes and started streaming down his face. "Please don't tell my dad. You don't know what he'll do to me for this." For a moment, Nathan thought maybe the alcohol was making Lucas moody. "Everything will be alright, we'll talk about this when you're sober." Lucas' lip quivered and in a moment, hatred and anger filled his normally innocent eyes. "You don't get it! He's gonna kill me! Please! You can't tell him!" Nathan took a step back, not understanding where this was coming from. "Lucas, any father would be angry. I'm sure he wouldn't hurt you."
"No!" Lucas screamed at Bridger. Then looked around frantically. "Let me show you." Lucas began pulling off his jeans. Nathan sighed, concerned for the boy and positive about never letting him touch alcohol again. "Just look!" Lucas' voice held a desperate tone. And Nathan looked down at the boy on the bathroom floor, now in just his boxers and shirt. Lucas turned his leg to reveal a long scar. "He did that." Lucas lifted off his shirt. "And this one." Another scar across his stomach. "And these too." He showed Nathan his back. "You can't tell him! He'll do it again. Please, you ca-" Lucas, wide eyed, threw his head over the toilet bowl and began to vomit. Nathan felt shaken. He sat on the edge of the tub, rubbing the youth's back, pondering his next move. Lucas pleaded in between heaves, gasping for breath, attempting to make Nathan understand. "Lucas, this is something we need to discuss when you can think clearly." Nathan soothed, "I promise to believe you." The party Lucas had lied to go to now in the back of his mind; rage boiled in Nathan's veins. Lucas was a good kid and, though he might manipulate situations to get his way, would never lie about something this serious. Nathan already had suspicions about the teenagers home life. He never once saw disciplinary issues severe enough to warrant restricting Lucas to a military vessel. He sighed and prepared himself for a long night.
Lucas groaned and opened his eyes, wincing at the sunlight coming through the drapes. He was sitting in a comfortable chair in front of a small table. His head throbbed and his stomach churned. "Good morning, Lucas." The captain said a little too cheerfully as he sat a cup of coffee in front of the teenager. Lucas visibly winced at the smell. "Just try a little bit. It will help. I promise."
Lucas took a small sip and pushed it away, shaking his head.
"You'll feel better in a few hours." Nathan patted Lucas' hand. "Then we can talk about last night." Lucas drew a blank. The last thing he remembered was Candy doing better things with her mouth than talking. Again, Lucas' jaw hung open, confusion evident on his face. Nathan's lips were set in a firm line. "You don't remember calling me to come get you?" Lucas fought through the fog in his brain and then gasped as the rest of the night came into focus. The glazed, hungover gleam in his eyes turned to one of realization and fear. "Captain, I..." Lucas shook his head for a moment. "I over reacted. I was drunk. I'm sorry. It wasn't what it looked like. I mean, anything he's done to me, I deserved. Last night, a perfect example. Please don't tell him. I'll do anything you want. I'll scrub the aqua tubes. Anything."
Nathan narrowed his eyes. "No. I think you've learned your lesson. I trust you won't do it again. There is no need to tell your dad any of this." And with that, Nathan just wrote it off as a teenage mistake. "Are you up for some breakfast?"
Lucas nodded, pleased at the change of subject. Nathan made a mental note to do a little bit of investigating once they returned to seaQuest.
Later that day, Lucas curled up on the bed for a nap, still worn out from the night before. Why had he told the captain those things? He'd never told anyone about what his father did to him. It was humiliating. The captain had to think worse of Lucas now more than he ever did. In his gut, Lucas knew that the captain didn't believe that he had exaggerated what his father had done. And he felt a little bit lighter having told someone, but it didn't help ease his mind. The more he thought about it, the more desperate he needed to tell Bridger everything. He'd gone his entire life without telling anyone. Maybe now was a chance to change things. Maybe he could get emancipated or some sort of restraining order. Feeling hopeful, Lucas fell asleep.
A few hours later, he woke to the sound of the television. It wasn't loud, but enough for Lucas to know it was some sort of news broadcast. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked over at the other bed where the captain lay, barefoot in a pair of denim cut offs and a sun bleached gray shirt. Lucas cleared his throat as he sat up, feeling stiff but better. He had no plans of ever repeating last night. The captain seemed not to notice Lucas sitting up, and he was about to clear his throat again when Nathan said, "Feeling better?" Lucas nodded.
"Hungry..." Lucas said quietly, bringing an exasperated smile to Nathan's face. He remembered how Robert could eat him out of house and home in his teens, while Lucas barely ate.
"Well, lets go grab some food." Nathan stood up, slipping on some black flip flops, making him look like even more of a beach bum.
"Could I get a shower first?" Lucas asked, making a face. Nathan laughed and nodded.
Soon they were sitting at a picnic table on the boardwalk, eating hot dogs and potato chips. After the vacation worthy meal was devoured, Nathan sighed and leaned forward, resting his chin in his hands. "Listen, kiddo, I know you don't want to talk about this, but I am really concerned about you. After what you showed me last night and how you reacted this morning. Even if you don't want to talk about it, I'm willing to listen if you change your mind." Nathan felt useless. He was the Captain of the Navy's prized submarine. He'd been a father and a husband, and here he was with this troubled child and not a clue what to say or do.
"With all due respect, sir," Lucas wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Why do you care? I'm not your son. I'm nothing like your son."
"Lucas, every time I look at you, I think about Robert. And then I think about all the things I did wrong. You don't deserve that."
"So are you trying to make up for the things you didn't do with your son through me?" Lucas looked offended.
"No. Not at all. I just don't want to see you thinking that you can't do something just because someone beat it into you that you can't."
Lucas stiffened at that comment. "I see." He sighed. "Look, my parents have some problems. And sometimes I do things that make them project those problems on to me. Is it extreme? Yeah. Sometimes. And I think some of it I deserve. I don't always listen. I don't always do what I'm told. Hence why I'm on seaQuest. But I don't think they handle it right." Lucas stared past Bridger for a moment before continuing. "My mom drinks a lot. She overlooks a lot of what my dad does. She gets so blinded by what he says I did that she won't listen to me. She says all I do is twist the truth. That I hate them. She says that I don't deserve to have the kind of parents I do, the kind that can give me whatever I want. That I'm ungrateful."
"And your dad?" Nathan probed.
"He gets angry a lot. I can sigh at the wrong time or say the wrong words and he flies off the handle, throwing the nearest object or just hitting me. He has this leather razor strap from his grandfather. He was a barber. When I was a kid and I would misbehave, he'd take it out of the closet and beat me with it. When I was 10, I hit one of the neighbor's kids with a rock. It was an accident. I was playing with a slingshot. My dad ripped off my shirt and beat my back like I was a criminal or something. It hurt sitting in class. I'd started carrying my books instead of wearing a backpack. Nobody ever asked what was wrong, why I couldn't sit back. Up until I graduated from Stanford, I don't remember a day without an open wound. His job was stressful then. Everything that went wrong was my fault. If I wasn't around, then he could focus. I was just in the way and neither my mom nor my dad hesitated to tell me so." Lucas' throat felt tight. His eyes pooled with tears that he refused to shed. He just shook his head and then looked down, feeling a little embarrassed that he had said so much.
"There is something you can do, Lucas. You don't need to feel trapped." Nathan watched a series of emotions play across Lucas' face. "I'm sure we can find a good lawyer. Maybe we can get your parents to give up custody of you."
Lucas all but snorted. "Right, then the state has custody of me and I'm off seaQuest in a heartbeat. Then what do I have?"
"No, Lucas." Nathan smiled. "They can turn custody over to me. That is, if you'd like that."
"Why?" Lucas leered. "How can you over look what they say? How can you ignore the whole 'you're useless, Lucas' 'Get out of the way Lucas' 'You're a disgrace, Lucas'. How can you just forget all that?"
"You really believe that? You think that because they said those things that you really are?" Nathan sighed when Lucas gave no response. "I don't believe any of it. I've seen you do too many amazing things to believe you possess any of those character flaws."
"And what about last night? I lied to you to go do something stupid." Lucas inhaled sharply.
"And I did the same thing when I was a teenager. I don't approve of it, but it's something all teenagers go through. I don't hate you for it. It's a reminder that you aren't an adult and that you need to be around people your age, that you need to do things teenagers do." Nathan narrowed his eyes. "I care about you, Lucas. I think of you as a son, and I'm willing to do what it takes to make sure you're safe."
Lucas stood up. "I need to think about this." He walked away from the picnic table and down to the sand. Part of him wanted to run out into the ocean and let the waves carry his body into the abyss. The other part wanted to meet his father in a boxing ring and show him how he felt. Neither were possible. His father hadn't hit him in a long time. Not since before he left for seaQuest. It seemed as if being away really did make his father happy. Maybe he could just talk to his dad and see what kind of deal he could make. "No. That would never work." Lucas felt the waves crash against his legs. "Why do I even have to do anything at all?" Lucas thought aloud. "I'm already away from him." He sat down on the sand and laid back so that he was staring at the sky. "It's just fucking bullshit." He swore, making a fist around a handful of hot sand. Lucas felt his eyes well up with tears again, this time allowing them to fall freely with no one to see them. Nobody was here to make him feel weak. Hearing footsteps in the sand, he quickly wiped his eyes and sat up. The captain sat down beside him. Neither spoke until the sun had nearly set. Nathan looked down the coast, seeing the small theme park now lit up. "Do you like roller coasters?"
"Huh?" Lucas looked up.
Nathan pointed down the beach. "Do you like roller coasters?" Lucas laughed out loud.
"Actually," he chuckled. "I don't know. I've never ridden one."
Nathan was taken aback. "Fifteen and never been on a roller coaster? Well, come on then." Nathan stood up and held out a hand, pulling Lucas to his feet. "Let's go hunt down Kristin and see if she'd like to come. I bet she's just sitting by the pool reading some medical book."
Lucas dragged his feet into the hotel room, followed by Nathan. He'd pulled Lucas onto every ride. It was good to see the boy genuinely laugh and enjoy himself. Lucas flopped onto the bed with a tired groan. "That was awesome.," he said into his pillow.
"We'll have to do that again, huh?" Nathan felt his back pop as he sat down. "Maybe next time we can go somewhere with some better roller coasters." Even with Lucas laying face down, Nathan could see a smile stretch across his face. "So, what do you think? Do you want to try and get things straightened out?"
Lucas slid into a sitting position and exhaled slowly. After a moment of sucking on his lower lip in thought, he nodded. "Yeah. I think I'm ready."
"Good. You do understand this means we will both have to tell other people about what you've gone through? There's no way around that." Nathan got up and moved to Lucas' bed. Lucas nodded. Nathan gave the teen an affectionate squeeze and mussed up his hair. "Alright. Now lets order up some room service. All that fresh air has made me hungry."
Monday Evening
Nathan tapped the table in the conference room impatiently. Lucas sat beside him as they waited for Admiral Bill Noyce to take them off hold. Suddenly, the UEO screen changed to an office and Bill's tired face.
"What can I do for you, Nathan?" Bill asked politely.
"I need a favor, but not just for me. It's for Lucas here, too." Nathan stood up and started to walk around the table as he talked.
"What is it?" Bill narrowed his eyes, wondering what kind of favor he was going to grant a teenager.
"Well, Lucas would like to apply for emancipation." Bill started to speak but Nathan held up a hand to stall him. "I know what you are going to say. The law requires the minor to be at least 16 years of age to be emancipated, but Lucas has already graduated from college. He doesn't need to worry about supporting himself as he is a member of the seaQuest crew."
"We could work something out about the emancipation, but even after that, he wouldn't be able to work on seaQuest until he was 18." Noyce stated.
"Which is where my part of the favor comes in." Nathan paused for effect. "Lucas has already proved how beneficial a crew member he is. Lucas has already had a hand in several classified scientific tests, including his own personal project with the vocorder. It would be a mistake to remove him from the seaQuest."
Noyce sighed. "I will see what I can do. In the meantime, I will have my secretary fax you the emancipation forms so that Lucas can look over them. Lucas, do you really wish to stay on board the seaQuest? Because I can pull some strings and make a few exceptions given your intellect and your contributions to the crew."
Lucas nodded, "Yes sir. I would."
"Okay then. I will get to work on this as soon as I can." Noyce replied.
"Thank you, Bill. I really do owe you." Nathan said sincerely.
"Yes, you do." Bill smiled before disconnecting his end of the call.
Two weeks Later
Lucas had filled out the emancipation form as soon as he read over it. He had been waiting to hear something back. It just so happened that a few minutes ago, Lt. Tim O'Neil informed him that his father was on the line, waiting to speak to him. Lucas braced himself as he made the connection. The captain asked if he wanted him there, but Lucas declined. He needed to do this alone.
"What the hell is this all about?" Lawrence Walenczek glared, red faced at his son.
Lucas stood, his hands clenched at his sides, in the empty conference room. "Did you read it?"
"Of course I read it and I don't appreciate your tone! What the hell makes you think you can get emancipated? Do you know what I can do to your career? Did you even think about how this will make me look? Lucas, if I thought you were retarded before, then I severely underestimated your ignorance. This... this... is pure bullshit! You probably don't even understand the consequences of the situation! Do you think you'll be able to keep working on that boat with that stupid dolphin if this goes through? And when you lose it all, do you honestly think I'm going to give you a job? Let alone a reference?"
Lucas stood patiently waiting for his father to run out of breath. "I've already discussed this with Admiral Noyce. I've been guaranteed that my position here on the seaQuest will be secure for as long as I want it, as long as I abide by UEO regulations, which I have. As for you and mom, I don't really care what this does. I've worked harder than anyone my age has to and I've got nothing from you! No support, nothing but fucking scars! I hate you and I want you out of my fucking life!" Lucas seethed, his fists clenched so tight that his forearms ached. "Just sign the fucking papers or I will take this to court!"
Lawrence stared placidly at Lucas. "I don't know who you think you are, but if you think you can be that disrespectful and immature and get through life then fine. I'm signing the fucking papers right now! " He violently scrawled his name in the appropriate places. "Now we are rid of each other. Good luck getting someone to respect you with that attitude of yours, you fucking brat!" With that, the connection was cut and Lucas couldn't help but sigh a long relieved sigh and smile. He was finally free. Nathan had said to Lucas, just after he'd received the papers, that the easiest way of getting away from the abuse was the hardest thing he would have to do. Tell someone who cares. And Lucas had already done that. After that, it was just a matter of time before the pieces would fall into place. Now they had, and he hadn't expected it to be so easy. He'd imagined his father hunting him down and blowing up the seaQuest. At the same time, it was hard to accept that his own flesh and blood was so willing to just let him go. And if he was so nonchalant about it all, then Lucas was already better off. He had a real family with people who really cared about him. Too bad it took being sent to the bottom of the sea to find it.