Thankyou to everyone for your comments and feedback. I wasn't entirely sure what I was going to do with Lucas in this chapter, but after plying the muse with chocolate and port she seems to have gotten back to work. Blame her for any pain she inflicts on anyone!
Chapter Five
"There!"
"I don't see it."
Ben leaned in closer to the screen, but he still couldn't make out what Ortiz was so interested in. Miguel increased the resolution, but Ben still wasn't sure what he was supposed to be seeing.
"Right there. See that shimmer along there?" He pointed to what Ben could only describe as a hairline.
"That's your proof?" He sounded skeptical, but Miguel seemed adamant.
"This footage has been spliced. I'd stake my job on it."
"Well let's hope it doesn't come to that, but if you are sure, then Bridger needs to know." He reached into his pocket to pull out his PAL.
"Commander, I think you need to get Captain Bridger down here."
"What have you got, Lieutenant?"
"Proof that somebody is lying!"
Ben could almost see the scowl on Ford's face as he answered. "We'll be right there."
Miguel looked over at him and nodded. Now they just needed to work out who was doing the lying and why.
Lucas had lost track of the time while he focused on the job of piloting the Stinger through a maze of rock. Normally he would have skimmed over it and just needed to keep an eye on the depth reading, but now he was concentrating intensely as he steered through the twists and turns with no idea of what was coming up ahead.
Micah was still asleep, but Lucas could see it wasn't a peaceful one. His face was tight with tension and every now and again the thumb-sucking would intensify. Lucas could only guess at what he was dreaming about and he wondered if it would be kinder to wake him up and spare him the nightmares.
Each time he thought about it he decided against it, simply because it was taking all of his energy just to focus on the job at hand. He just didn't think he could spare anything to comfort the boy if he woke up from the dream and was distressed.
Lucas rechecked his heading and decided it was nearly time for them to come up for air.
"Another couple of miles and we're within range of Node 3. You'll be safe there."
He looked down at the child still sleeping in his lap and could barely contain a shudder. The last radio contact from the colony had left him stunned that somebody there was prepared to kill Micah to cover their crimes.
"How could anybody want to hurt you?" he wondered.
Up to that point he had been fairly sure if he could just get the child out of harm's way that would be enough, but apparently he had underestimated who he was up against. And the most frustrating part was that he still didn't even know exactly who that was.
Lucas fingered the radio handset for a moment but quickly pulled his hand away. There was no help coming on that.
After dropping him at the colony the seaQuest had headed off to the South China Sea. They weren't due back to pick him up for another two weeks and he figured they were probably days away at top speed. He knew he was well out of range to contact them from the Stinger, so hadn't even tried. He hadn't dared to call Nick and possibly give away his position, but all the way to the communications node he had been working desperately on a plan. Somehow he needed to hide Micah while trying to get to the bottom of what was going on. Neither of them was going to be safe until he had some concrete proof of who had killed Samuel and why.
And just to add to his problems, he knew he was running out of time. He tried to ignore the constant throbbing in his side as he concentrated on keeping the Stinger from careening into the jagged rockface alongside him. He was already pushing it along at the fastest pace he dared, but he also knew he was losing focus.
"We're nearly there, buddy," he whispered over Micah's head. "Nearly there."
Pederson stood just inside the office door and debated what to say. So far he had managed to keep a lid on most of the colony and stop the panic from spreading. Most of the colonists were trusting people who considered themselves to be part of a large extended family and the news of Samuel's death had been devastating.
Daniel had elected to keep the details under wraps, but it was only a matter of time before it got out. The result of that was more than he wanted to deal with at present. He waved his security chief into the room. "Shut the door."
"Daniel, the seaQuest is less than an hour away. They are still trying to contact us, but we can't ignore them much longer." When he didn't get a response he tried again. "What are you planning to do?"
"The best form of defense is attack."
"What! We can't possibly hope to take a stand against them!"
"Of course not, Mark. I'm not talking about a physical attack. They are going to arrive here with that superior UEO attitude of theirs and start telling us what to do in our own home! Well I say we don't give them the opportunity. We throw it right back at them. Samuel rolled out the welcome mat and they tried to take advantage of us. They sent a spy into our midst for who-knows-what reason! He sabotaged our systems and then when he was caught out he killed Samuel. He took Micah with him. That footage clearly shows him taking my poor nephew out of his quarters."
"We both know that isn't true."
"But nobody else does and unless you open your mouth, who's gonna argue with us?"
Pederson looked over at the other man and recognised the implied threat behind the question.
"But you've told the men that Micah is dead. What are you going to do if he turns up somewhere with that Wolenczak kid?"
"Well if your men can do their job that won't be a problem will it?" Daniel stood up and slowly walked towards the door. "We have come too far to back out now. You have to keep your focus and do your job."
It was clear Pederson was being ushered out and he hesitated briefly. "I didn't sign on to start killing kids."
"No, you signed on for a whole lot of money. Don't start growing a conscience on me now. You don't get to walk away when it gets dirty!" Daniel opened the door and waited impatiently for the other man to leave.
Pederson walked out into the corridor, still shaking his head but saying nothing.
Daniel leaned on the back of the door and closed his eyes. "Samuel, why couldn't you just listen to me?" He clenched his fists in anger and pounded them on the door. "Damn you! Why couldn't you just listen to me?"
Bridger looked at the screen and listened intently to what Miguel was saying.
"So it has definitely been tampered with? What else have you been able to determine?"
"Well it's not technology I've worked with before; I mean digital went out years ago. I can't believe they still use this stuff."
"Ortiz!"
"Sorry, Sir. They said the footage proved that Lucas entered the room prior to Samuel's death, but I can prove that the time-clock has been spliced over the original footage. It wasn't there in the first place."
"Would that proof stand up in a court?" Ford had been watching over Ortiz's shoulder as he explained what he had been doing.
"I don't know about that, Commander. I found it because I'm trained to read details, but I'm not an expert and any good defense attorney would jump on that."
"Lucas would pick it to pieces in five minutes," Ben muttered to himself, "and reassemble the real footage."
"It doesn't matter." Bridger cut across the speculation. "It's enough to take into the colony and shove back in their faces. I'm willing to bet none of them are expert enough to dispute what you are saying. Whoever did this might just be spooked enough to make a mistake when they realise we are onto them."
He clamped a hand on Miguel's shoulder. "Good job, Chief. I need this ready to take with me when we dock. You've got about twenty minutes."
"It'll be ready, Sir."
"Both of you meet me in the launch bay when you are done." Bridger turned and headed towards the door. Ford was close behind him and as they entered the corridor he asked about the captain's plans.
"So, how many are we taking in?"
"I will be taking a small group initially." He held up a hand to block Ford's objection. "We don't want to escalate this if we can avoid it Commander. Just Krieg and Ortiz, along with Crocker. I want his input in dealing with their security chief."
"But you will be armed at least?"
"Yes, but side-arms only. We don't know where Lucas is and I don't want to endanger him by taking an attack force in there."
Ford nodded silently. His gut instinct told him side-arms weren't going to be enough but the captain's logic was right. They were dealing with a previously peaceful colony that had made it clear they didn't want the UEO coming in. Taking in a fully-armed detail was not going to help their cause.
Lucas typed in the coded entry command he had been given by Nick the last time he'd been to visit at Node 3. After the events with Mycroft they had reset all codes but there was no reason to think it had been changed again. He chewed nervously on his lip while he waited for a response.
Micah was still asleep and Lucas decided it was finally time to wake him up. He gently shook at his arm and slowly he started to rouse. As he opened his eyes fully and saw the water in front of him he looked startled, but Lucas quickly moved to reassure him.
"It's OK, we are in the Stinger. Remember?"
Micah twisted around to look up into his face and Lucas tried to stifle a groan of pain. He was only partly successful and Micah looked even more alarmed.
"It's all right, it just hurts a bit," he lied through gritted teeth. He pointed out through the viewscreen in an attempt to distract the child. "Look, we are nearly there. See that structure over there? We are going in there and you are going to meet my friend. You're gonna like him."
Micah didn't look convinced so Lucas tried one last effort. "He's got hair just like yours."
Micah turned to look at the water again and Lucas tensed against the movement, but managed to keep quiet this time.
After clearing the security code for entry it was an easy run into the docking bay. Lucas had debated calling Nick and filling him in, but he knew his friend would try to talk him out of his plan. Staying put and waiting for the seaQuest to get there was too long to wait. Vital evidence would be gone by the time they arrived.
As he pulled alongside the platform and waited for the Stinger to rise to the surface, Lucas was still trying to work out what to tell Micah. The boy hadn't spoken a word since they left the colony and he couldn't expect him to pass on a coherent message to a complete stranger. In the end it was the colour of his hair that gave him an idea.
The canopy of the Stinger opened quickly and Lucas looked up to see several workers on the deck. While Node 3 was mainly staffed by young programmers, there were other people around who kept the daily necessities ticking over. A man in overalls was organising a load of supply crates and sent the other two off with further food crates.
Lucas called him over. "Hey, do you know Wolfman, um, I mean Nick? He's one of the programmers."
"Sure, why?"
"Well I brought his cousin out for a visit and he was supposed to meet us here. Any chance you could give him a call for me?"
"And who are you?"
"Just tell him Franky is here."
As the man turned to walk away Lucas could hear him muttering something about stupid names and bossy kids. He hesitated long enough for the man to move around the corner and out of sight, but he didn't have time to waste. He needed Micah to climb out of the Stinger before anybody else came back. It took all of his self control to stop from crying out as Micah stood up on his lap, but somehow he managed to get the boy out and onto the decking. He reached out a hand to try to explain what he was about to do, but it was clear it wasn't going to be understood.
"I'm sorry, but I have to go back and get something. My friend Nick is coming. He'll take care of you and he'll know what to do. I'm really sorry, Micah, to run out on you, but I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise!"
Lucas closed the canopy as quickly as he could, but it didn't stop him seeing the look of desperation on Micah's face. He vaguely heard shouting before the watertight seal set itself and he dropped the Stinger back into the water before anybody could stop him.
"Don't shut the doors on me, please don't shut the doors on me!" he whispered to himself as he headed back out into open water. Hoping that nobody had the time to react and block his exit, he focused on the outer launch doors. Nothing was moving and he gave the Stinger full power in order to escape.
Back in the docking bay, Nick entered the room expecting to find Lucas. Instead, a small boy stood on the platform while one of the maintenance crew was pacing up and down. As he arrived, the man began shouting at him.
"This isn't Summer Camp you know! You can't just drop kids off here and leave them!"
Nick held his hands up in protest. "Whoa! What are you on about? Where's Lucas?"
"If Lucas is that blonde haired blow-in that just took off thataway in that minisub, then I guess you just missed him! But he did leave your cousin here for you."
"What?"
"The kid over there. Your cou-sin!"
Nick looked at the child who was still standing on the platform. He was clearly terrified and hadn't moved an inch. "Bridger didn't say anything about a kid."
He crouched down in front of the boy and tried to think what to say. "Hi, I'm Nick. What's your name?"
Micah just stared at him as tears were welling in his eyes.
"It's OK. I'm Lucas' friend. Why did he bring you here?"
"You mean he ain't your cousin?" The maintenance guy was standing to one side watching the whole exchange.
Without taking his eyes off Micah, Nick just shook his head. "No, he isn't."
"Then what's he doin' here?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out," Nick tried to keep the irritation out of his voice but he couldn't manage it.
He reached out slowly to take Micah's hand. "Are you hungry? We've got Cheetos in my room."
Micah still didn't react and Nick was getting worried. The child seemed to be in shock and he didn't know anything about how to help him. The fact that Lucas had done a runner had him even more worried, but he decided the first thing he needed to do was call Bridger. At least he'd know what to do.
He stood up and tried to get Micah to walk with him. As Micah pulled away, Nick could see dried blood along the back of his shirt. Without thinking about how the boy would react, Nick crouched back down and grabbed at the back of his shirt. Micah stumbled backwards and Nick had to stop himself from pulling him back. He held both hands up in the air.
"I'm sorry, but you're bleeding! Are you hurt?"
Micah shook his head slightly, but didn't come any closer.
"Can I check?" Nick edged closer and eased up the back of Micah's shirt. There was no sign of injury and it was clear the blood wasn't his. "Oh no!" he whispered as the realisation hit him.
"I need to help Lucas. Can you come with me so we can help him?" Micah didn't respond but he didn't resist either. Nick tried again to take his hand and he was relieved when the boy followed his prompt. He didn't bother wasting time explaining to the maintenance man what he had in mind as he hurried out of the bay, other than to say he would take care of it.
"Bloody tech brats! Think they know everything!" he muttered to himself as he went back to the crates.
The walk to his quarters seemed to take forever. Micah clung onto his hand as he rushed past people, but he still never said a word. Nick couldn't help but wonder what had happened to him, but for now his priority was Lucas. He lifted Micah onto the bed and slid into the desk seat.
If Lucas was in the Stinger it would be an easy matter to contact him. Nick punched in memorised numbers and waited for his friend to answer. He tried again, but nothing came back. After the third fruitless attempt he began to wonder if he had the numbers wrong. For a programmer, numbers were his stock in trade and he had no problem recalling large chunks of code from memory. A radio frequency was child's play.
He stood up to grab a file from above his bed and was startled by a knock on the door. He hoped he hadn't been dobbed in yet and debated what to do. If he didn't answer the door and it was Security they'd just come in anyway. He glanced over at Micah, but before he could do anything further there was another knock at the door. This time a voice called out as well.
"I know you're in there. Are you planning on hiding Lucas from me?"
He smiled with relief at Julianna's voice. "Come in."
"OK what kind of boy's nons…" She stopped in her tracks as she looked over at the small boy cowering on Nick's bed. "Who's this? I thought Lucas was here."
Nick rubbed a hand over his face. "I dunno, still working on that one. And Lucas was here but he took off. Still working on that one too."
He slid back into the seat with the folder in his hand. He checked off the frequency and nodded to himself. "Right numbers. OK, Franky, why aren't you answering me?"
Julianna moved up beside him while still watching Micah. "Nick, what is going on?"
"I wish I knew! Hold on a minute, I've got another call to make." He quickly dialed in another sequence that Julianna instantly recognised. The seaQuest.
It was only moments before the UEO logo filled the screen only to be quickly replaced with an officer's face.
Nick couldn't wait for formalities and blurted out, "I need to speak to Captain Bridger right now!"
O'Neill recognized Lucas' friends on the screen and knew the captain had already suspected Lucas may have contacted Node 3. "Have you heard from Lucas?" he asked hopefully.
"Kind of, but I need to speak with the captain, now!"
As Tim was preparing to transfer the call the captain arrived back on the bridge, accompanied by Commander Ford. He rushed forward at the sight of Nick on the screen.
"I'm right here Nick. Any news?"
"I don't know what's going on, Captain. He was here about half an hour ago, but he left. He didn't tell me he was coming and I just got a call from the launch bay to say he was there. By the time I got down there he'd already gone. He did leave me a package though." Nick swung the camera around to show Micah sitting hunched up on his bed before turning it back to himself.
"Micah!"
"That's his name? I haven't been able to get a word out of him so far. Captain, what's going on?"
"It's a long story, but that child was in danger and Lucas got him out. I just don't understand why he left again. Did he say anything at all?"
"I never got to speak with him, but, Captain, there's another problem. The boy, Micah, he's got blood all over the back of his shirt."
"He's injured?" Bridger looked back towards the child on the bed with renewed alarm.
"Not a scratch. I can only assume it's Lucas who's bleeding."
The captain nodded slowly. "I hoped I was wrong … … but I think he's been shot."
"What!" Julianna cut in on the conversation.
Nick continued on. "Then why would he leave and not let us help him? I've been trying to raise him on the radio, but he won't respond."
"I wish I knew, but at least now we know where to start looking for him. We are only minutes out from Hope Colony and I'll send shuttles out to find him."
Bridger looked back at the two young people on the screen. "Can you take care of Micah until we can get someone there to pick him up?"
"I guess so, but he isn't very talkative."
"I don't have time to go into the details, but you need to make sure nobody takes him anywhere unless they are from seaQuest. Nobody! Understood?"
Nick nodded his agreement as Bridger continued on. "Keep trying the radio for me, but don't say anything on air about Micah. I've got a feeling Lucas is trying to hide him."
"Who from?"
"I've got to go, but I'll be in contact as soon as I can. And thankyou."
As the captain signed off, Nick turned back to Julianna. "What the hell is going on? Who is this kid?"
Micah was still sitting on the bed with his knees drawn tightly up around his chin. His thumb was back in his mouth and he was staring straight at the floor.
"I don't know, but for now I think we need to get him some food and a bath." She moved over to sit beside him on the bed. Micah didn't seem to notice until Julianna slowly reached out to wrap an arm around his shoulders. He stiffened at first, but slowly he began to relax into her side. She tentatively touched a patch of dried blood on the back of his shirt and couldn't contain the awful thoughts that began running through her mind.