Hello! I bet anyone who started reading this story way back when I first posted it thought it was abandoned. Mais non, I am back! Life just gets kind of crazy sometimes, and lately it has been the kind of crazy that took me away from my computer and sent my imagination on vacation.

Anyway, one more chapter after this one, and then I am done. I think I have learned a valuable lesson here: finish writing a story in its entirety before I begin posting it (that way, it won't go so long between chapters).

So, this chapter is for Kiddo (happy birthday, Kiddo!) and Grandma Rose.

Remember the disclaimer way back at the beginning of Chapter 1? Well, it still applies. So, here we go with Chapter 6, as always, starting with a brief recap of the end of Chapter 5...

Chapter 6

BEEEEP! BEEEEP! BEEEEP!

Ben was still smiling as he awoke to the sound of his alarm going off. He slammed his fist down on top of the annoying little machine, and he opened his eyes to the sound of beautiful silence. As he sat up, a sudden thought came to him. I don't remember setting that alarm last night...

The smile faded from his face.

It can't be, he thought. Lucas said that the time loop already broke because I stopped us from getting on the shuttle!

Ah, said a rational voice in his head that sounded just like Katie. Lucas said 'maybe' you'd already broken the loop.

No, he said to himself. I probably just forgot that I set my alarm last night.

But there was a doubt in his mind. It was a new day!

Wasn't it?


I don't believe this, Ben thought to himself. He glanced around the room, looking for the tell-tale signs that the day had started over again.

His duffel bag was still empty, and all his toiletries were still in the same places they'd been. A quick look under his bunk told him that his cologne was still there. That doesn't mean anything, Ben thought, because I didn't pack my stuff the last time.

Ben got up and got dressed. He then sat down on his bunk to think about things. Then hope suddenly sprang into his heart. His computer clock! He knew that his computer clock also contained a calendar, and by looking at it, he could prove that the day had passed.

Ben moved to his desk where the computer had been waiting for three days to start the inventory (the inventory! he thought), and he turned the machine on. He waited impatiently for the computer to boot up. It felt like it was taking forever, and he started tapping his fingers against the desktop.

Finally, the screen came to life. Ben hesitated for just a moment before clicking on the computer's clock to bring up the calendar. As his finger clicked, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Letting it out slowly, he opened his eyes.

His heart sank as he saw that, once again, it was the day before shore leave was scheduled to start.


Deciding to forgo the conversation with Katie, Ben headed directly to the Moon Pool to find Lucas. Repeating the same day over and over had at least given him the advantage of knowing exactly where people were going to be.

Just as he had expected, Lucas was standing by the edge of the pool, staring into the water. This time, however, he saw that Lucas was speaking. By not going to the gym, he had gotten to the Moon Pool early enough to hear Lucas's request to Darwin.

"Lucas still scared?" Darwin asked in his mechanical voice.

Ben frowned. This didn't sound like a simple request to go and check the weather; it sounded more personal. He was tempted to walk away, but Darwin's mention of Lucas being scared kept him glued to the spot.

"A little bit," Lucas answered. "Not as much as right after the attack, but it's still there."

"Why scared?" Darwin asked. "Bad men gone."

"I know they're gone, pal," Lucas started, "but it's this little nagging fear at the back of my head."

"What is nagging?" Darwin asked. Ben's curiosity kept him there, listening.

"Let me give you an example," the teenager said. "Say you're out looking for fish one day, and you're looking in a spot that you've been to many times. You follow me?"

"Darwin follow," the dolphin said.

"Good," Lucas responded. "Anyway, say you're out looking for fish in this spot one day, and you get attacked by sharks. And then say that someone or something comes along and captures the sharks. Now, you know that the place you go to get fish is safe, but when you go there, you're still a little afraid that sharks might come and get you. The nagging feeling I get about the men who came in my cabin with the guns would be like the fear you get when you go to a familiar fishing spot where you were once attacked by sharks. You understand?"

"Darwin understand," the dolphin responded. "SeaQuest attacked by sharks, make afraid."

"Exactly," Lucas said with a small smile. "I still feel a little bit afraid, and I'm sure some of the others who were on the ship feel that too."

Ben wanted to interrupt, to announce his presence and say something that might help Lucas feel a little bit better, but his mind was a blank. He had no idea that people were still bothered by the attack.

"Who else afraid?" Darwin asked.

"Well, I know Chief Crocker has been a little bit off, especially after being injured and everything, and Katie's still on edge."

Something clicked into place in Ben's brain. Some of the people he cared about were still afraid, and they were hiding it very well. Maybe he hadn't broken the loop because there was still something he needed to do. Like help his friends.

Ben knocked on the door and took a step into the Moon Pool. Lucas turned around quickly, his face flushing. Ben knew that the teenager was very good at hiding what he was feeling behind smiles and quick-witted remarks, and the kid would be embarrassed if he thought anyone had overheard such a personal conversation.

"It's ok to be afraid, Lucas," Ben started, "especially when something really scary happens to you."

Lucas looked at the floor. "But it's all over, and I know nothing else is going to happen, so I don't know why I'm still afraid."

"You're human," Ben said, putting his hand on Lucas's shoulder, "that's why." Lucas smiled. "Is it true, what you just said about Katie?" Ben asked. Lucas raised his eyebrows inquiringly. "I mean about her still being on edge."

"Yeah," Lucas said, confused. "Why wouldn't she be?"

"I don't know," Ben started, "she's usually such an ice queen, even during scary situations. I used to take her to horror movies, and she wouldn't blink at all. I'd be the one hiding my face in her shoulder."

Lucas chuckled to himself. "I can picture that." He sobered up immediately, though. "I think it's more than the being scared that's got Katie on edge. She lost something important during all the mess. I mean, lots of people's things got damaged, but she lost something pretty irreplaceable."

"What did she lose?" Ben asked.

"Some necklace," Lucas responded.

The pieces started going together in Ben's brain. That's why Katie's been so upset! Her Naval Academy ring is missing, and she can't get a new one!

"Hey," Ben started, in a somewhat insulted tone, "how come she told you she lost her necklace but not me?"

"Well," Lucas answered, "she didn't. Not really, anyway. I saw her sitting in the mess one day, and she looked really unhappy. Since we went through the whole attack together, I sat down with her and asked her what was wrong. She told me then."

"She looked unhappy, you asked what was wrong, and she told you, just like that?!" Ben asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah," the teenager answered.

"Huh," Ben said and started thinking. Maybe he was supposed to help Lucas through his fear and help Katie get her necklace back. Maybe that would break the loop! Help Lucas, help Katie, and help the rest of the crew get their things replaced!

Trying to get himself back to the present, Ben shook his head briefly. "You know, kid, anytime you feel afraid or you need to talk, you can talk to me. Darwin's not the only one who's a good listener."

Lucas smiled at that. "Oh, I know. I was going to come here and talk to him anyway. I want to try and get off the ship early for shore leave, and I want him to go up to the surface to check on the weather." Lucas's smile widened. "Hey, you want to come with me if it's not too bad up there?"

Ben squeezed Lucas's shoulder. "Can't, kid, I got inventory to take care of, and yes, I know I should have started it days ago." Lucas laughed again and shook his head. "But, you shouldn't be trying to get off the ship today anyway."

"Why not?" Lucas asked, his tone of voice expressing his curiosity.

Because if you try it, you'll end up in Med Bay - or worse, Ben wanted to respond. Instead, he turned to walk out of the Moon Pool and simply said, "Just trust me."


The first thing Ben did when he left the Moon Pool was go back to his cabin. He grabbed his Pal and sent a text message to the crew:

SeaQuest Crew Members:

I am taking inventory of all items damaged or destroyed in the recent terrorist attack on seaQuest that need to be replaced. Please send me your list as soon as possible. All items will be replaced during the upcoming shore leave, and replacements will be here before we depart Pearl Harbor.

Apologies for not making contact sooner.

-Lieutenant Benjamin Krieg

With that done, Ben called Lucas's Pal and made arrangements to meet him in the mess for lunch later. Knowing that his best friend was still scared over the recent ordeal, he was going to make every effort to ensure that he would be ok. After making his plans with Lucas, he set about trying to come up with a plan to find Katie's ring.


Ben's first thought was to try Katie's cabin. He knew he'd have to wait a little while for her to go on shift before beginning his search, so he headed for the mess. He couldn't search on an empty stomach, and he didn't have anything to eat in his own room, so he resigned himself to eating the same manufactured food that everyone else did.

Moving through the breakfast line, Ben picked up a plate of scrambled eggs (or what the UEO said were scrambled eggs) and a glass of orange juice. Glancing around the mess, he spotted Ortiz and O'Neill sitting at one of the tables, finishing up their food before their shifts. They saw Ben and waved him over.

"Our shifts start soon," Tim started as Ben set his food down, "but we can stay for a couple minutes."

"Thanks," Ben said, "I could use the company." He started eating his eggs.

Tim and Miguel looked at each other and smirked. Ben's disdain for the ship's food was well known throughout seaQuest. "So," Miguel said, trying to hide the laughter in his voice, "how's the food?"

To the amazement of both men, Ben just shrugged and kept eating.

"Wow," Tim said. "No comments? Nothing about how the eggs taste like wet cardboard?"

"No point," Ben replied. "I can't do anything about it, and I gotta eat." He took a sip of his orange juice.

"Ok, who are you and what have you done with the real Ben Krieg?" Miguel asked, his eyebrows raised.

Ben laughed quietly to himself and just finished his eggs.

"I'm impressed, Ben," Tim said. "Not only are you not making comments about the food, but I think you've actually finished a seaQuest meal in record time!"

Ben grinned at the two of them. "Well it's no fun if I have to sit here and finish it by myself, now is it?"

"Guess not," Miguel responded as the three of them got up to dispose of their trash.

They walked into the corridor together. "Have fun, guys," Ben said to Miguel and Tim with a wave as they headed off towards the bridge. He turned his footsteps towards Engineering. It was time to go look for Katie's necklace.


Standing at the intersection of the corridors closest to Katie's room, Ben looked at his watch. If he had timed this right, and he was pretty sure he had, Katie should have just finished getting cleaned up after her workout and would be leaving for her shift.

Hearing the door to her cabin open, Ben smiled and ducked out of sight. He could hear her footsteps going the other way. Perfect! he thought. He quietly went over to her cabin, looked up and down the corridor to make sure no one was watching (all he'd need would be for some nosy crew member to tell Katie they saw him sneaking into her room), and slipped inside, closing the door behind him.

As Ben expected, the room was immaculate, if somewhat bare. Although, when he thought about it, he wasn't surprised at the lack of personal items in the room. Katie had probably lost some things in the flooding besides her necklace, just like the rest of the crew.

Ben stood in the middle of the floor, looking around, wondering where to start searching. If Katie had lost her ring, then that meant she would have already looked in the obvious places and couldn't find it. The ring was small enough that it could have gotten stuck in a vent, so Ben decided to start there.

Now, Ben thought, where are the vents in this place?

Ben looked carefully around the room, but he couldn't find a vent. It's gotta be here somewhere, he thought. Not spotting one, he started looking in the less obvious places.

He didn't find the vent behind Katie's locker or behind her desk. Glancing around the room, he decided that there was one place the vent might be that he wouldn't spot right away. Ben walked over to Katie's bunk, bent over, and peered under it. Bingo! he thought. He lay down on his stomach and wriggled under the bed so that only his legs were sticking out.

Ben closed his eyes, trying to picture the size of Katie's ring. Deciding that it quite possibly could have slipped through the vent, he opened his eyes and pulled on the grating. It barely budged. He started pulling harder, and in his frustration, he didn't hear the door to the cabin open.

"Lieutenant!" the word came, distracting Ben as the vent grate came free and smacked him in the face. He quickly tried to scoot himself out from under the bed, somehow managing to bang his head on the frame.

As soon as he was clear of the bed, he jumped up and saluted. "Lieutenant Commander!"

Katie looked like she was ready to breathe fire. "You have 10 seconds to explain yourself!"

The words came pouring out of Ben's mouth. "I saw Lucas in the Moon Pool earlier, and he said you were upset because the necklace with your Naval Academy ring on it was missing, so I came in to look for it for you." He took a breath and looked at his watch, smiling. "Whew, and I still had 3 seconds left."

Katie stared at him with her jaw hanging open. "You came in here to look for my ring?"

Ben nodded. "I know how much it means to you."

After a moment, Katie started getting over the shock of finding Ben in her room, on his stomach, under her bed. She smiled. "Thank you, Ben."

Ben let out a breath. "You're welcome. Do you think you lost it in here in the flooding? Or do you think you could have lost it somewhere else?"

Katie thought for a moment. "I doubt I lost it in here, although I suppose it's possible. When Schraeder took over, which was the last time I remember wearing it, he caught me on the bridge. After that, we were in the launch bay."

"I'll check the launch bay then," Ben said, "and then the bridge."

Katie opened her mouth and then paused before finally saying, "If anyone can find it, Ben, you can." She went to her desk, picked up the report she had come back to get, and turned to leave. Stopping at the door, she turned to face Ben once more. "Thanks, Ben, really. I'm impressed." Then, Katie left.

Ben smiled widely. He'd impressed two people. It seemed like the day was turning around already...

End of Chapter 6

Ok, folks, one more to go. I know it probably doesn't seem like this can be wrapped up in one more chapter, but I know how it's going to end, I know how to get there, and I know it won't take long. Hopefully by the end of next weekend this will all be done.

If you're still with the story, and you have my deepest admiration if you are, I would love to hear what you think.

Cheers!