A/N—YAY! Reviews are working again. Thanks for the reviews everyone. I'm glad you are enjoying the story.
Thanks to all the guest reviewers. I appreciate that you took time to comment.
Poohbear123—WOW! Thanks for all the chapter reviews. They were encouraging to read and it's nice to know how involved you are in the story. I hope you won't be too disappointed, but Nathan isn't going to do anything to Lucas but love on him. So many times, my kids have done some aggravating things, and I have often found myself wishing I could take them across my knee but I never would. It's something I would never act upon. I see Nathan being like that…kind of irritated and gruff but not reactive. I see him as a proactive kind of man.
Fighttowin1—So, are glad you found my story! What do you think? Is it meeting your expectations? Lucas took a wumping, but he's been one tough cookie, don't you think? Thanks for reviewing. What did you think of Star wars?
Fan of SeaQuest—Thanks for your review. Hope you are enjoying it!
Ang—thanks for the reviews…I appreciate that you are enjoying the story.
Just reviewing—thanks for the most excellent reviews and suggestions. I hope you are still reading along and enjoying the story.
Now on to the exciting stuff…dun dun dun
"Lucas," whispered Jonathan reaching out to grab his arm. "Listen to me, Ortiz is going to pull you into the moonpool and get you out of here." Lucas looked wide eyed at Jonathan and shook his head passionately.
"No, I'm not leaving without Captain Bridger," insisted Lucas, struggling to free his arm. Jonathan held fast to the frightened teen's arm. He gazed into his eyes firmly. He knew Lucas wasn't thinking straight and that he was terrified for the safety of the captain.
"Lucas, we need you out. Bridger can take care of himself!" replied Ortiz softly, beseeching Lucas to listen to the commanders words. Lucas shook his head again stubbornly.
"No, I won't go without him!" Lucas again struggled to free his arm from Jonathan's tight grasp. Just at that moment, the sub lurched violently to the side. Jonathan took that opportune moment to haul the protesting boy over the edge and into the water. Before the teen had any more time to protest, Ortiz shoved a breather into his mouth and pulled him under the water.
Nathan was pitched viciously to the left, and he struggled to maintain his balance as the boat was fiercely rocked off kilter. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lucas being thrown into the moonpool. His heart skipped a beat as he thought about Lucas being injured by the fall. He was pleasantly rewarded when he saw Jonathan's head pop up briefly. Nathan heaved a sigh of relief, knowing that Lucas was in good hands.
Clemens grabbed the side of the console, narrowly avoiding being tossed across the floor. He gripped his gun and whirled around to see Lucas gone.
"What the hell?" he screamed, turning to put his gun on Nathan. "Damn it, what's happening, Bridger?" he demanded, with venom in his voice. He had reached his breaking point and felt like he had nothing to lose anymore. "Where's the kid?"
"Too late, Clemens, my crew got him out," snapped Nathan, closing the dome with a smirk of victory. Clemens momentarily looked confused, but the violent rocking of the boat made him grab for stability. It was all he could do to keep his balance and keep the gun trained on Bridger.
Jonathan tried desperately to keep himself afloat as the submarine lurched back and forth. Someone must have forcefully moved the dry dock to upset the balance of the boat. The sub was being brutally rocked back and forth. Keeping his wits about him, he noticed the pool dome was being closed. Motioning quickly to Hitchcock, he managed to pull himself out the pool before it sealed. He laid breathing hard on the floor of the bridge. He turned to see Katie disappear back into the moonpool. There was nothing more she could do but head back to Sea-deck. Lucas would need her calm presence.
Sea-Deck on C-deck
Lucas' head came up out of the water, pulling the breather out of his mouth. He grabbed onto the side of the pool to keep from being thrown sideways violently. Tears of frustration filled his eyes and anger stormed within him. When Ortiz surfaced, Lucas attacked the larger man, pulling back fist to strike him. He felt himself being firmly restrained and hauled out of the water by the back of his shirt.
"Let me go!" he screamed, kicking and flailing to free himself. "Captain Bridger is trapped on the bridge with that nut. We need to get back to him!" Lucas glared venomously around the room at the personnel, who appeared to be doing nothing to help. At that moment, Katie surfaced and struggled to pull herself out of the pool. The sub was violently being tossed to and fro and the crew members were all struggling to remain standing.
"The dome is closed, Lucas," commented Katie, catching her breath. Lucas shook his head in denial. He was trembling and in shock. Katie reached out to pat his arm compassionately.
"Don't touch me!" he hissed, vehemently pulling his arm away. He glared daggers at her. A tall, muscular man stepped forward and grabbed Lucas by the scruff of his shirt, shaking him angrily.
"Cut it out, Lucas, Captain Bridger can take care of himself. It's better if you aren't there," snapped the crew member, dragging Lucas to his feet roughly. Tim glared at the man and pushed him away from Lucas.
"Leave him alone," warned Tim, feeling suddenly protective of the frightened teen. Lucas scowled at the man. The words burned in his head. 'It's better if you aren't there.' The words continued to ring through his head, echoing in his brain. Lucas shoved Tim's hand off of him and took off, stumbling to his knees several times before disappearing from the deck.
"Brilliant move, Jacobs," groaned Tim. "You're so tactful. The kid is traumatized. Have a heart, for Pete's sake!" The other man shrugged his shoulders but looked away from Tim's glare. Tim glanced at Katie briefly and took off after Lucas, also stumbling as the boat continued rocking.
SeaQuest Bridge
Clemens stumbled awkwardly towards Bridger, being tossed to and fro by the violent rocking of the boat. Suddenly, another abrupt jerk sent the men on the bridge tumbling to the floor. Clemens clung desperately to the gun as he attempted to gain his footing. Jonathan crawled across the bridge frantically trying to gain the upper hand on Clemens. Nathan struggled to keep his footing, holding tightly to the helm. The jerk of the dry dock further up-heaved the vessel, causing the boat to rock fiercely. Clemens eyed Jonathon and trained the gun on him.
"Don't move," he commanded, gripping to the side for dear life. Jonathan froze and tried to keep his balance but was thrown sideways. Clemens shot the gun, narrowly missing Jonathan. Nathan took that moment to fling himself at Clemens, knocking him to the ground harshly. Nathan took a swing and punched Clemens in the face. He struggled and wrestled with the man trying to get him to release the gun. He smacked his hand to the ground viciously. The pitching of the boat made it hard for him to keep his balance on top of Clemens.
"Ford, input code alpha 374 dash 9 dash 049 omega 2," shouted Nathan, struggling to keep the high ground with Clemens. Jonathan nodded, quickly getting to a computer and inputting the code. Afterwards, he dove at Clemens who had knocked the captain to the deck with the gun trained at his head. Jonathon hit Clemens hard from behind, sending the gun flying across the floor. Jonathan took off after the weapon. Nathan pulled himself to his knees, and threw another punch at Clemens, knocking him to the deck again. He flung himself at Clemens and wrapped his hand around the man's neck viciously, squeezing tightly.
"How does it feel, Clemens? Having the air choked out of you?" shouted Bridger. His anger was raging within him, thinking of how Lucas had looked when he found out about the strangulation. All the events of the past flooded his mind, and he gripped the man's throat tighter. Clemens clawed at his neck desperately, his eyes wide in terror. "You almost killed a teenage boy, for crying out loud! For what purpose? Huh?" Nathan shook the man roughly. Every fibre of his being was screaming at him to choke the man to death.
"Captain," shouted Jonathan from a distance, attempting to bring Bridger back to reality. Jonathan had retrieved the gun and was trying to regain his footing as the boat pitched back and forth. The rocking was starting to dissipate slightly, but it was still difficult to maintain his balance when standing.
"You pride yourself on attaining peace yet you nearly kill a child to achieve it?" continued Nathan, his face red in rage. He was struggling to keep his temper in check as he held the man's neck viciously. "Men like you make me sick! You're a coward, Clemens!" Slowly Nathan willed himself to calm down, and he loosened his tight grip on the man's throat. "Mark my words, you will rue the day you ever stepped foot on my boat!" Nathan shoved hard on the man's neck and stood up, straightening his shirt and glowering at the man. Clemens lay still holding his throat weakly, staring at Captain Bridger. As Nathan towered over the man, he thought he saw regret in his face.
"I never meant to hurt him, Bridger," whispered the man pathetically. Nathan scoffed at him, shaking his fist as his temper flared again. He reached out and hit some keys on the console which opened the door of the bridge.
"Too little, too late," Bridger seethed. He quickly turned his attention to the security personnel that flooded the bridge. "Get him out of my sight before I kill him with my bare hands!" barked Nathan, leaning against his chair on the bridge. Two security men grabbed Clemens roughly and dragged him off the bridge. Nathan heaved a sigh of relief and rubbed his face, fatigue enveloping him. His mind swirled with the events that he had just lived through. The name of one person rang out in his mind. Lucas. He needed to see Lucas. Nathan took off in search of the teenager. He needed to find out how the kid was doing.
Sea-deck on C-deck
Nathan hurried to c-deck to find Lucas. He briefly conversed with a few men on his way but refused to acknowledge most until he could see for himself that Lucas was okay. He reached the deck and rushed in to see Katie leaning against the moonpool in shock. She looked pretty bruised up, blood trickling down the side of her head. Nathan rushed to her side and glanced around. By the looks of things, personnel had taken a horrendous beating on the deck as medical equipment and science paraphernalia had been tossed across the deck haphazardly.
"Katie, are you alright?" asked Nathan, accessing her injuries. Katie nodded and looked at the captain with her clear blue eyes. "Where's Krieg? Is he ok?" Katie nodded again. "Ortiz?"
"Someone took Ben off the ship to the infirmary. He almost drown, but he's okay, Captain. Ortiz went to talk to Admiral Noyce," Katie hesitated before continuing. "Sir, Lucas took off, and Tim went after him. No one can find either one of them," finished Katie, grimacing at the pain in her head. Nathan frowned questioningly.
"Took off? Why?"
"He was angry that he was forced off the bridge. He didn't want to leave without you. One of the security guys said something without thinking, and he took off. He's not himself, Captain. He looked so scared," implored Katie. Nathan's heart ached for the kid.
"I know. He's been through hell. What was said?" demanded Nathan, inwardly groaning. Nathan knew Lucas had reached his breaking point a long time ago. How the kid had managed to keep himself together as long as he did was beyond Nathan's comprehension.
"Something about it being better if Lucas wasn't here," responded Katie. Nathan closed his eyes wearily. Of all the dumb things to say to a frightened 15 year old boy, thought Nathan. He sighed in aggravation. Nathan patted Katie's arm gently. He turned to one of the medics that had entered the bridge, ordering them to assist the wounded woman. He rose to his feet and rushed off the deck in search of the teenager.