Deep Blue Blackmail

Chapter 3

By Kiddo

In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this fanfiction. Mike Erikson is my own creation.

A big "Thank You" goes to my beta reader Jackie and everybody who reviewed.

Reviews and feedback are always welcome.

Carrying a tray laden with a bowl of steaming soup and a glass of orange juice, Lt. Krieg stepped into Lucas's cabin. "Hey, Lucas, Dr. Westphalen sent me to bring you something to eat." It seemed like a miracle that he hadn't spilled anything.

The blond teenager got up und looked at the tray. "Is this chicken soup?" Krieg nodded. Lucas looked at it in disbelief. "They never served that before!"

Once again the moral officer nodded. "Oh, Dr. Westphalen wouldn't shut up until the cook agreed to make chicken soup for you."

The teenager's forehead wrinkled in thought. "Oh."

Ben sighed. "Yeah, yeah, she didn't do that for me when I had the flu."

The teenager was grinning. "You're probably not nice enough to her."

Krieg shook his head. "I could be as nice as Mother Teresa, and she still wouldn't do that for me."

Lucas shrugged. "Then I guess there's no hope for you."

The lieutenant turned around. "I have to go. And besides, I don't want to keep you from eating."

When Ben was gone, the blond teenager sat down on the chair and thoughtfully stirred the soup with his spoon. The whole thing was really strange. His parents had never really cared for him when he was sick, and now, people who were under no obligation to care for him were caring for him of their own free will. Strange... really strange!

The next morning, Lucas was standing at the edge of the Moon Pool, feeding Darwin some fish. Just moments ago he had been playing with the dolphin.

Dr. Westphalen had, in fact, said that he shouldn't stay with Darwin for too long, but she hadn't specified an exact length of time. And besides, 'not too long' was a completely subjective phrase. At least the teenager tried to follow her other order and stay as dry as possible.

"So, two more fish and the bucket is empty." The teen took one of the remaining fish and threw it to his wet friend. When the dolphin had swallowed the fish, Lucas gave him the last one.

The blond boy took the bucket and put it aside. Then, he went back to the pool.

"Lucas play." The dolphin swam closer to the edge.

The computer genius pulled his sleeve up and glanced at his watch. "Okay, but only for a little bit longer. And remember, don't get me wet."

It looked like Darwin was nodding in agreement. "Or doctor get angry."

The teenager grinned. "Exactly." He looked around for something to play with. "Should I get the yellow ball?"

"Yes." The dolphin swam circles in the water.

Lucas took the ball and threw it in Darwin's direction. The dolphin jumped up and bounced it back to his two-legged friend with his tail. The teen had to get the ball, as Darwin's shot had too much force. Lucas ran after the ball, picked it up, and went back to the pool.

Suddenly, and without any warning, the doors to the Moon Pool began to shut, and the lights began to flicker.

The computer genius looked up in annoyance. "What's going on?" He laid the ball on the floor and went to the door to try and open it. He had little success. Lucas became suspicious; what was the meaning of this? Nobody had said anything about any tests, and they weren't in the middle of a battle. If that had been the case, a red alert would have been sounded.

Suddenly, a beeping sound started coming from the boy's pocket. He grabbed his Pal quickly. "Yeah, Lucas here." He was sure that now he would find out more.

"This is Bridger. We have a problem on the bridge, and we think that it could be related to the computers."

The blond boy nodded. "Did the door just shut, and are the lights acting up?"

"Yeah, among other things. How did you know?"

"The same thing happened where I am." As he was talking into the Pal, he tried to open the door, but the door didn't budge.

Bridger paused to think. He felt horrible for what he was about to ask - after all his youngest crew member was ill - but he didn't know what else to do. Lucas was the best with computers, and, therefore, this was the only solution. "Could you please hack into the system with your computer? Maybe you can find out where exactly the problems lie."

The teenager frowned. "I don't have my computer with me."

Now it was Nathan's turn to frown. "You always have your computer with you. I saw it on your desk this morning." Suddenly something clicked in Bridger's brain. "Where are you?"

"At the Moon Pool." The boy coughed once.

The captain breathed deeply. "What the hell are you doing at the Moon Pool?"

"I'm visiting Darwin," Lucas said, still trying to open the door.

"I thought that Dr. Westphalen ordered you to stay in bed."

The teen nodded. "Yeah, she did, with the exception that I can visit Darwin for a short time once a day."

Bridger decided that it was better not to ask Lucas about his definition of 'short time.' They had more important issues to deal with at the moment. "Is there any other computer you can use?"

Lucas let his eyes wander around the entire room. Unfortunately, he was in the area of the Moon Pool where there were no computers or consoles. The only piece of equipment at hand was the Vocorder, and that wouldn't do him any good. "No, nothing."

Nathan hit his hand against the back of his chair. "Damn it! Then we just need to think of something else."

"I'm really sorry Captain." The teenager felt awful about the whole situation.

"It's alright, Lucas, it's not your fault. Bridger out." And with that, the captain ended the conversation. He'd have to find another way.

Now the blond boy focused all of his attention on the door, although he didn't really believe that he would get it open. The doors of the seaQuest were constructed so that if they were closed by the computer system, as had just happened, then you couldn't easily open them manually.

Five minutes later, Lucas gave up. Without his computer, he had no chance of getting the door open. Again he let his eyes wander throughout the room. Suddenly, his eyes were drawn to something. Why hadn't he thought of that before! It was perfect!

Lucas gripped his orange Pal and switched it on.

"Yes, Bridger." Nathan's voice sounded slightly unnerved, like he was stressed.

"Lucas, here. Do you still need me to fix the computer?"

"Yes, and quickly too. Since I spoke to you before, some of the other systems have started acting up or are flat out not working."

"Okay, I'll be on the bridge in a few minutes," said the teen and nodded.

As happy as Nathan was to hear that, he was also surprised. "How? Even if you manage to open the door to the Moon Pool, all the other doors are still closed."

"I wasn't able to open the door, but I just found another way to get to the bridge." Lucas was being intentionally vague.

Bridger's mental alarm was going off. "What are you planning?"

"You'll see." The teen took care not to tell the captain about his plans. If he did, the older man would surely forbid him to do what he was thinking. But, he could tell from Bridger's tone of voice that they really needed his help. "Lucas out."

"Lucas no, wait! Tell me…"

The teenager couldn't hear the captain finish his sentence. He had already ended the call.

Lucas's Pal started to beep as Bridger tried to reach him again, but the teen just ignored it.

To Be Continued…

Written 2005 / Translated Spring 2006