Chapter 8

Dr. Kristin Westphalen stood in the back of the rather large church. Peaking in to the small room she caught a glimpse of Admiral Noyce smiling warmly as he adjusted the Abbey's veil with tear filled eyes. She wiped a single tear from her eye, carefully watching as to not ruin her make up. Admiral Katherine Hitchcock took the tissue from her with a slightly concerned look she gestured to the front of the church. The guests were all seated. There were simple, yet elegant, flower arrangements lining the isle. Everything was perfect. Well, almost everything.

"Where's Lucas?" Katie said at almost a whisper.

Kristin sighed heavily, "I'll kill Ben if he isn't here on time."

Katie looked stunned, "Oh no, you left him with Ben! Kris! He was two hours late for our wedding!"

" And you still married him?" Kristin scoffed now panicked about where the young groom could possibly be. She had spoken to him around lunch time and she could tell there was something wrong she just couldn't put her finger on it.

"I had to, otherwise my father would of killed him right there. What can I say? I was young and dumb. Come on lets go see if we can find them," Katie said pulling Kristin in to a smaller room where Chief Shan and Dr. Leven both stood in dress blues waiting to be a part of the bridal party.

"Both of you get out of here, go find Krieg and Lucas now, we have literally 5 minutes before this wedding is set to start and if there not back here—" Katie's angry words were interrupted by a sudden commotion at the door. Katie and Kristin both couldn't help but laugh as they over heard the conversation between the missing groom and his groomsmen.

"Great Ben, that's just great," Lucas said with the same animation he had as a teenager when he was about to get in trouble, "You almost got us arrested! Abbey's going to kill me. Look at this tux would you!"

"How was I supposed to know it was a drug den? I said I'm sorry Luke, what do you want my blood?"

"I wouldn't tempt him on the blood thing, Ben," Robert said coyly leaning against the wall, "and you could just start shopping at a store like everybody else. In case you haven't noticed, this black market crap always ends badly for you."

"Yeah or me, how am I supposed to explain this to Abbey?" The young groom said pointing down at the large stain on his shirt.

"Come on kid, a little water will get that right out," Ben said putting his arm around his friend.

"I doubt that Ben," Robert said smiling as he noticed two familiar females entering the room followed by Admiral Noyce.

"You're not helping Bobby," Ben added before jumping out of his skin when Admiral Noyce spoke up behind him.

"Well, son, that's not so bad. I was actually supposed to tell you earlier but, I couldn't find you," Bill continued winking to Kristin, "Abbey changed her mind, since all of you are military; she wanted you all to wear your dress blues. I took the liberty of picking yours up from the beach house."

Kristin smiled handing Lucas a garment bag as Katie laughed at the terrified look on her ex-husbands face.

"Don't worry Ben, I picked up yours and Bobby, Catherine has yours in the room she's getting dressed in," Katie smiled as Ben turned his grin to Lucas.

"See kid, I told you it would all work out!"

"I'm not a kid Ben, just shut up and get dressed would you? Oh and Ben you did remember the rings right?" Lucas said taking the bag from Kristin and entering a dressing room.

"The rings," Ben swallowed hard.

"Ben you didn't?" Kristin admonished.

"He did." Katie rolled her eyes.

"Well, that's just great," Admiral Noyce said annoyance apparent as he looked at the now shriveling officer before him.

"Lucky for you Captain, I didn't," Bobby said holding up the box," you left it on the dresser."

Every one sighed with relief and quickly went back to making sure everything was in place leaving the two men standing along in the room.

"Bobby, remind me when I'm your CO again to have you keel hauled okay?"

"Aye, sir," Bobby said giving a fake salute as he walked away from Ben towards his wife.

Captain Bridger sat alone in an interrogation room. He had been here for the last few hours since the Seaquest had been rescued. Well, what they were calling a rescue anyway. They had rushed the boat with guns. One of his men, sensory chief Miguel Ortiz, had been shot in the may lay. Occasionally someone would come in to interrogate him about things he really couldn't recall. Nathan would occasionally ask the man to see Kristin or Lucas just to be scoffed at and told, "Why would they want to see you after all this time?" All this time? Kristin had just left a week ago for a conference and Lucas, well the captain had no idea what had happened to the boy but, he took some solace in the implication of the man's words that he was alive. Nathan was pulled from his thoughts again as another man once again entered the room. He looked familiar but Nathan couldn't place him. He reminded him of an older Lt. Oliver Hudson. Nathan realized as he looked at the patch on the man's shirt that he was indeed some relation to the Lieutenant.

"Alright, Bridger, if you are who you say you are, Do you recognize me?" The staunch military man said setting down a file as he sat at the table.

"Well, not exactly, but you do resemble a Lieutenant, I knew. Oliver Hudson."

"Well that would be Captain now, sir."

"Do you know what year this is?"

"2022," Bridger scoffed, "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"Because sir, it's 2032, and we're kind of curious about where the hell you've been the last 10 years. The disappearance of the Seaquest in 2022 triggered national mourning and not to mention a damn war!"

"What war? We may have been missing for 10 hours at the most certainly not 10 years. I don't believe you."

"Fine don't believe me," Oliver Hudson's voice said turning more to a growly as he turned on a small TV in the corner of the room at a news clip about a wedding began to play, "Maybe you'll believe this."

Nathan turned towards the television and watched as a young couple maybe in their late twenties exited a church the broad caster's voice dub began to play.

In happier news today Lucas Wolenzcak, the son of the late Lawrence Wolenzcak founder of the world power project which gives the all UEO nations free power, was married today to Abbey Noyce, the granddaughter of Admiral William Noyce. Noyce if you remember was credited with saving…..

"Lucas?" Nathan looked confused at the screen as the clip continued to play. It looked like Lucas but older. He was dressed in UEO issue dress blues. Could he actually be military? His hair was shorter and looked a little darker but, one could guess that would come with age. The young man's eyes gave away his identity. Nathan had never seen anyone else with such a vivid color. How could this be happening? Looking in the crowed he could see Kristin wiping a tear from her eye as she left the church. She was as beautiful as ever. He auburn hair now had just a tint of silver along the side. She was stunning. Next to her stood a blond woman holding a young blond boy maybe 5 or 6 years old. Nathan thought the boy looked like a young Robert but put the thought aside as he noticed Benjamin Krieg, with captain's stripes no less. He watched as the group got in to a waiting limousine. Tears began to prick his eyes and he slowly began to realize some way somehow, so much time had passed. He watched the screen as Lucas walked up to his groomsmen. He smiled seeing Shan, and Dr. Levin standing next to Krieg. He watched as a very familiar man grabbed Lucas in a head lock and ruffled his hair. He watched as closely ready the groom's lips, "Cut it out, Bobby."

Bobby. Could it be? Yes it was. There on the screen was his son, alive and well. How could this happen? He turned to not Captain Hudson with a combination or anger and hurt in his eyes.

"Shut it off."

"Now do you believe me?" Oliver spoke just as sternly as ever dropping the military recorders of the people he had just seen on the table as he called out their information "Captain Benjamin Krieg, 45 Chief; Medical officer, Dr. Kristin Westphalen, 56 ;Lt. Commander Lucas Wolenzack, 27." Hudson noticed Lucas age made the older man flinch, " And Commander Robert Bridger, 46."

Nathan stared at the photographs before him. This was all true but how?

"Now captain," Hudson continued," If you'd allow me I'll explain to you what's changed in the last 10 years."