Thank you very much to my reviewers : Lynnp, TeacherTam, Amareina and Bratress 2005. Your kinds words encouraged me and my co-author Aewnaur to continue. Aewnaur, I want you to know that you really help me with my story. I'm sure if your not help me with my english and repared my errors, my story are not going to be the same. Thank you very much.
To Lynnp : I know I'm evil my great friend. Thank you so much to help my with my story when you beta it.
To TeacherTam : Thanks to continue to read and review my story. I'm very pleased by this. And it's going to be more dark soon.
To Amareina : All I can say is THANK You for your encouragement.
To Bratress 2005 : We try to not make you hanging to long. Thanks for your support.
Now the story continue.
- THE NIGHTMARES MISSION -
BY
WOLENCZAK2004
AND
AEWNAUR
- CHAPTER FIVE -
- THE FIRST HOPE -
Captain Hudson sat in front of the vid-link, Commander Ford sat at his right, Lt. Brody at his left. He was trying to answer the question Mc Gath had asked. He just couldn't think of how to respond without letting the others hear the despair in his voice.
"Sir, It was a trap. I'm sure of it."
"Oliver, what I want to know now is why. Why did you go on this assignment with Ensign Wolenczak? I specifically said he should go alone," demanded Mc Gath.
"With all due respect Sir. Ensign Wolenczak has no training. I could not in good conscious let him go on a mission like that alone. I knew the consequences of my actions and I take full responsibility for them but I could not let him go alone."
Ford looked at his Captain from the corner of his eyes, he could see the muscles working in Hudson's jaw. A sure sign the Captain was about to lose his temper.
"I understand your position Oliver. I understood it before when I gave the order and I still understand it, however you disobeyed a direct order."
"An order that should never have been given."
"Captain Hudson you are skating dangerously close to a court-martial. Is that what you are aiming for? How will that help Wolenczak?"
"Yes Sir. You're right Sir. I apologize," Hudson sighed. He had to keep himself together. Being on seaQuest and having their resources under his command would be the only way he could affect a rescue.
"Understand this Oliver, I will attempt to cover this up and I will make every effort to find your missing ensign, but, and I stress this. You are not to enter Macronesian waters for any reason. We have no idea what Bourn has done with him or what he would want him for."
Ford felt Hudson stiffen beside him, but kept his observation to himself for now.
"What we do know is that Bourn has Lucas and has had him for the past seven days. We can't ask about him without giving away the fact that he was sent there on a mission, though both sides know this we can not acknowledge it," Mc Gath was obviously thinking out loud.
Brody and Ford thought about what the young ensign could be going through right now, neither was even close to correct.
"Bourn took Lucas with him when he left, the one other time I saw him he taunted me with the fact that Lucas was with him. Wherever Bourn is. That is where you will find Lucas… Ensign Wolenczak," Hudson corrected himself. He had to maintain the appearance of distance, had to act like Lucas was just another soldier to him. Damn difficult.
"Bourn knows that we can't ask about him and he isn't going to simply give him up either. Did they ask you anything? Was Lucas able to complete the assignment before they caught you?"
"They never asked me anything and they were waiting outside the computer room. They gave him time to finish uploading the virus. I'm telling you this was a set up from the start."
Mc Gath didn't like the sound of that and he was starting to agree with the Captain.
"I'm sorry Oliver, but Section Seven will be conducting this investigation. You and your crew are not to interfere. Do you understand that order?" Mc Gath cocked an eyebrow at his most trusted Captain.
"Yes Sir, I understand the order. But let the record show that I, Captain Oliver Hudson of the UEO flagship seaQuest, object strenuously to this order," Hudson gritted out. It was the best he could do under the circumstances. It did make him feel slightly better to hear Commander Ford and Lt. Brody echo his objections.
"Duly noted Captain," Mc Gath sighed and reached over and turned off the device that recorded the conversation motioning for Hudson to do the same.
"You can not interfere at this time Oliver. Understand, something like this could start a war. Is that what you want?"
"He has Lucas," Ford spoke up, unable to keep silent now that the recorder was off.
"I understand Commander, but again I ask. Do you want to start a war?"
"No Sir, but that isn't very fair to Lucas. We can't just forget about him. Especially knowing that it was most likely a set up. Who chose him for this mission anyway?" Ford demanded.
Hudson reached over and laid one hand on his second in command's arm, attempting to calm him. They might not be on the record anymore but they were still talking to the Secretary-General.
"I can't answer that, don't worry. We will not be forgetting about the boy. I won't leave him in Bourn's hands any longer than we have to," Mc Gath sighed again. Damn it, now he had a headache, he cut the vid-link before the conversation could escalate.
Hudson took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He knew that his officers wanted to ask more questions he just didn't feel up to answering any more. He left the wardroom with out speaking.
Ford and Brody looked at each other and shrugged, eventually they would find out what was really going on. The Captain was acting strangely. They left the room and headed back to the bridge.
Hudson was sitting in his quarters waiting on a call from an old friend. He hoped the man would have some good news. The past six months had been the hardest of his life. He had never stopped searching for Ensign Wolenczak though the UEO had declared him dead three months ago. He had asked all of his old pre-war buddies to keep an ear out for any information. He couldn't eat; just thinking about the last conversation he had with Bourn made him sick, he couldn't sleep; the nightmares of Bourn with his hands on Lucas made him wake up either screaming or in a cold sweat. He was a mess and if some kind of information didn't break soon he was afraid he would. He didn't want to break, he had promised himself that he would find and rescue Lucas. He wouldn't rest until he had kept his promise.
"Captain, you have a call."
"Patch it through to my quarters Lt."
"Oliver! I have the information you wanted. Don't you think it is time you took a vacation, the past few months had to have been stressful."
"How much time should I take for this vacation?" He asked catching on right away that the man didn't want to share his information on an open link.
"A month, at least to take care of this kind of stress. Don't worry, you can stay with me at my summer home. Just think, no military, no orders, just you the sun, sand and the ocean."
"That sound great. I'll be in touch as soon as I make the arraignments."
"You do that Oliver, I'll be at the summer house getting things ready."
"Thanks Tom. I'll see you soon."
Hudson cut the call and sat back to think. If the UEO found out about him still looking for Lucas it would lead to major problems, but he had to follow any lead he could find. Tom would never have made a call like that without some solid proof that there was hope.
He wrote the notice of vacation and sent it off right away. He didn't request the time just notified the Secretary-General's office that he was taking it. Then he set about packing his things, he needed to make it look like he was leaving for a vacation. Too many questions would be asked if he didn't take enough. Then he slowly walked to his office and paged Commander Ford.
Lucas sat on the sofa reading a book. The last six months had been hell for him. Bourn had finally given him permission to get dressed. But that was the only concession the man had made. He was still locked up in the same room. He knew he was practically broken, he had retreated so far inside his own mind that he didn't even speak anymore. He had lost weight and his body showed so many scars. Frighteningly some scars he couldn't remember getting so far gone inside himself he had been at the time.
It had finally been pounded into him that the UEO had forgotten him, his crew, his family had abandoned him to this cruel man. He soul and his mind had been shattered into so many pieces that he wasn't sure if he wanted them to come for him anymore. He knew he wanted away but he didn't want anyone he knew to see him like this. This broken shell of a man. He could remember once being so vivacious and so full of new ideas that to think about what he was like now just... hurt. And he was so tired of hurting.
He didn't respond as the door swung open and Bourn entered.
"Hello Pretty One, are you hungry?"
Lucas shook his head no.
"Sweetie, I want you to look over the new program my men have designed," Bourn continued on as if nothing was wrong.
Lucas didn't respond, his eyes still focused on the book in front of him. Bourn sat beside him on the sofa and started petting his hair. Lucas had learned to not resist when Bourn touched him. The man leaned in and slid his lips along Lucas's cheek down to his neck licking a train to his collar bone. Bourn's touch made his mind slid away, Lucas was in a land of mathematics and inventions that no one else in the world would understand.
He had tried to escape, but Bourn's soldiers had found him every time. And every time he had paid with blood and pain. Now he was just waiting, waiting to finally die. An hour later Bourn finally left the boys room. Lucas lay on the bed naked and dirty, trying not to think about his life on board the seaQuest, it just hurt him to much. He missed is old life, his friends, and is best friend Darwin. But he had lost hope of ever going home again.
Commander Ford entered the Captain's office quietly. The entire ship seemed quiet now as if it were still in mourning for the young ensign they all missed. Hudson handed him a paper. He read it then looked back up at his Captain in confusion.
"Sir?"
"I've decided to go on vacation. I'm only taking a month, I'm sure that you can handle anything that might come up in the interim," Hudson sighed at the look Ford sent him.
"I need a vacation. You have Command of the seaQuest starting now. Will there be a problem with that, Commander?"
"No, Sir. Thank You, Sir," Jonathan answered. He had a gut feeling about this 'vacation' but knew that if his help was needed anywhere it would be on the seaQuest doing what he did best.
"Good. Now, I'll be taking my shuttle, and I will see you in a month," Hudson didn't feel like staying and listening to the different questions his leave would make, so he left. No more word to anyone else, he trusted Ford to do his duty and what the Commander didn't know he couldn't tell anyone.
His shuttle craft was prepared in record time and he was off the boat and headed to Tom's summer house. Anxious to set plans in motion to either rescue or at least find out the truth about his young officer. The UEO might have given him up for dead but in his heart Oliver knew the young man was still out there needing his help.
Ford sat in the mess hall taking a break when the other bridge officers joined him. He thought he might as well tell them now as opposed to waiting and calling an official meeting.
"Hey guys, what are you doing?"
"Same thing you are. Taking a break," Lonnie answered with a smile.
"Well, I have news," Jonathan sighed.
"What is it Sir?" asked Tony Piccolo.
"The Captain has left for a vacation."
"How long?" Lonnie asked in slight shock.
"One month."
"Wow, why so sudden?" Tony sounded just as shocked. "Is this a joke?" he asked his eyes narrowing.
"No joke. He just gave me command an hour ago and left the ship. He left before getting the authorization back from Mc Gath."
"So what's up? Why would he do something like this? We all remember what happened last time he just left. What is going on?" Tim spoke up.
"I have no idea. He just left," Jonathan shrugged his broad shoulders he had given up trying to understand this Captain a long time ago.
"You have no idea?" Lonnie rolled her eyes in disbelief.
"Do you really think he has forgiven himself for Lucas? Please guys, the Captain still blames himself for leaving Lucas there. It's no wonder he needs a break," Tim echoed Lonnie's eye roll. Sometimes his friends were so thick.
"I guess. I just never thought Hudson would be so marked by this," Jonathan caught himself sighing again and stopped himself.
"Hmm, more than you think. Darwin told me that the Captain has nightmares about Lucas. He wakes up crying and asking Lucas to forgive him," Tony said.
"Yeah, I get your point," Ford looked at the others. "Come on, we need to get back to the bridge."
Hudson hugged his longtime friend when he threw open the door of the beach house.
"Glad you finally got here Old Man, I was beginning to wonder."
"I wouldn't miss this for the world. Are the others coming?" Hudson asked as they moved into the dinning room and sat at the table.
"They said the would when I called. It's just a matter of time now."
"What did you tell them?"
"You know me, Oliver. I needed to see my friends for our yearly bar-b-que. Don't worry. They'll be here and if I know them, they'll help."
"I can't thank you enough for this Tom," Oliver twisted the top on the beer Tom handed him and took a long drink. He would only allow himself to have two, he needed all of his wits about him for any planning they might do tonight. His thoughts were cut short by his friend asking him a question he had been dreading.
"Tell me something, who is this boy to you?"
"Don't ask that. I don't want to lie to you. Just know that I will do what ever I have to do to get him back."
Tom was quiet for a minute thinking about what his friend had just said. "Okay, I see that he is important to you, but if you need to talk about it or if it becomes important to the mission," he left the sentence trailing knowing Oliver would understand.
"Alright, enough of that. Come on, I'll show you to your room, and you can unpack. Follow me."
"I'm right behind you Tom," Hudson smiled with renewed hope for the first time in six months. 'Hold on Lucas. Just a little while longer.'
T.B.C.