A/N—Hello to all of you who are still reading along.
Poohbear123—Don't worry, someone will find Lucas soon.
Fan of SeaQuest—Thanks for your kind words. I'm very humbled by them. I hope you will continue to enjoy the rest of the story as it unfolds.
Coralie14—Yes, I'm glad Clemens is out of the picture. I'm very sure Nathan is going to enjoy testifying against him and putting him away for a very long time. Thanks for reading and reviewing.
Ang—Yes, one of my favourite parts of SeaQuest was the relationship between Bridger and Lucas. I'm so glad you like my story.
SamDeanLove—here is more!
Lucas stumbled down the corridor, fighting to keep his balance against the forceful pitching of the boat. He kept falling and pulling himself up, determined to find a place to hide. He ran blindly towards the only safe place that came to mind. He irritably swiped at tears that welled up in his eyes, blocking his vision. His lungs were screaming at him to stop and rest, but he continued running. The violent pitching of the boat was making him feel nauseous. He struggled to keep from being sick. Finding his destination, he ducked into the room and crawled into a corner. Lucas pulled his knees tightly up to his chest and rested his head on them. His head was filled with venomous words that kept echoing his mind.
"It's better if you're not here!"
"Don't tell me you're gonna do something if you don't intend to do it!"
"You're such a disappointment."
"You're always in the way."
"You're an ungrateful, selfish brat."
"I don't have time for you."
"Get out of the way!"
"Go away!"
"IT WOULD BE BETTER IF YOU WERE NEVER HERE!"
Lucas held his hands to his head, trying to rid himself of the words. The words continued to berate and assault him, relentlessly. He covered his ears and screamed at the words to stop. Gut-wrenching sobs engulfed him. He felt like he was drowning as he gasped for each breath. It would have been better if he never had set foot on SeaQuest. Everything that had occurred was his fault. Captain Bridger might be dead, and it was ALL. HIS. FAULT.
Nathan walked briskly down several corridors, wracking his brain trying to think where the distraught teen would go. He was thankful the boat had finally settled in the water. The tossing to and fro had been horrendous. He was immensely relieved that his idea to have the dry dock shifted worked. He was feeling desperate to find a way to get Lucas off the bridge. As long as Clemens had had his gun on Lucas, he'd felt helpless to do anything. Nathan hadn't wanted to do anything to endanger the kid. The timing of the massive displacement of the dock couldn't have been better had he planned it himself. At just that opportune moment, Jonathan had managed to yank the kid into the moonpool. He felt like he owed fate something for that miracle.
Nathan turned a corner still lost in his thoughts. Just as he did, he bumped into Crocker.
Crocker smiled at him warmly and clasped a hand on his shoulder affectionately.
"Good to see you safe and sound, Cap," replied Crocker, relief obvious in his voice. "Things were a little hairy there. SeaQuest felt like she was out in open sea during a hurricane." Nathan smirked at his good friend.
"That was my intention, Chief. I wanted to knock that idiot off his feet,"
"You knocked the boat off her feet, Cap," laughed Crocker. Nathan chuckled as well.
"Have you seen Lucas or Tim, by any chance?" asked Nathan.
"No, Cap," responded Crocker, shaking his head. "In all honesty, most of the personnel onboard are still trying to get their bearings after being shaken so badly. Lots of injuries are being reported. Thankfully, there wasn't but a handful of crew onboard when the violent rocking began. I just spoke to a few guys from the outside. They're still trying to get 'er steady. SeaQuest took a brutal beating. They're sending more people onboard to help us clean up and check for damage."
"So, no damage report yet?" inquired Nathan, furrowing his brows. He didn't really want to know how much damage had been suffered by the boat. The massive beating that she took attached to the dock wouldn't be good. Crocker shook his head again in answer.
"Has anyone seen Kristin?"
"The Doc wasn't onboard during the calamity, Cap, but that's all I can tell ya. I haven't seen her." Nathan sighed in relief. His mind rested in the news, happy she was safe.
"Keep your eye out for Lucas, Chief. He was pretty distraught. I need to find him as soon as possible. I don't even know how badly injured he is." Crocker smiled compassionately at Nathan. He knew Nathan loved the kid. Heck, the whole crew knew how much the two of them needed each other.
"Hang in there, Cap. We'll find him," assured Crocker, patting him on the shoulder and striding off.
"I hope so," Nathan muttered to himself as he continued off on his search.
Several minutes later, Nathan turned down a corridor to find Tim unconscious on the floor. Nathan ran to him and accessed his injuries. The man had a huge lump on the back of his head, and from the way he laid, it looked like he might have been thrown off the stairs onto the floor. Nathan cringed at the awkward position that his arm laid. Nathan turned the man over carefully, and gently secured his arm across his chest. He shook him gently, calling his name.
"Tim, hey Tim, wake up, Lieutenant." The man stirred briefly, moaning and rolling his head. Nathan shook him again, patting his cheek firmly as well. Tim's eyes fluttered several times before opening.
"Hey, welcome back, Lieutenant," replied Nathan, leaning back on his knees. Tim blinked his eyes a few times and groaned again, attempting to sit up. Nathan held his hand on his shoulder firmly.
"Captain," whispered Tim in bewilderment.
"Easy now, Tim. You took a bad knock to the head, and I think your arm is broken. Take it slow," suggested Nathan. Tim nodded slowly taking in the situation. He felt the throbbing of his head and his arm exponentially.
"That was the worst amusement park ride I've ever been on, Captain. What happened?" questioned Tim, blinking his eyes again to clear his head.
"Let's just say that I had the rug pulled out from under SeaQuest," commented Nathan with a small smirk. "Do you think you can sit up now?" Tim nodded. Tim gasped out in pain as Nathan helped him sit upright, supporting the man's injured arm. He heaved a sigh of relief once he was leaning against the wall.
"Clemens?"
"In custody," replied Nathan, not offering any more. "Did you happen to catch a glimpse of Lucas when he took off, Lieutenant?" Tim nodded, putting his hand to his head in obvious pain.
"He took off up the stairs like a jack rabbit, Captain. That kid is amazingly agile even when the boat is upside down," began Tim, "I started after him, but then the boat lurched so hard sideways that I lost my balance." Nathan patted the man kindly on the arm.
"It's okay, Tim. Stay put, and I'll get ya some help. The whole boat is a mess. Sit tight." Tim nodded, grateful that the captain was ok and that SeaQuest had stopped jerking violently in the water. Nathan stood up and headed up the stairs quickly.
Nathan managed to find someone to get help for Tim before he continued searching the boat. He searched all the places he could think of on B-deck. He grumbled to himself as he searched the deck. There were too many places for a kid to hide. Heck, the kid could be hidden in the floor again, or the vents, for all he knew. He stomped on the floor firmly in case he might hear something. It seemed like his efforts were all in vain. A crackle over the intercom caught his attention. The crackle turned into a voice.
"Captain Bridger, please report to the bridge immediately," came an unfamiliar voice. Nathan scowled and groaned at the interruption. He headed towards the stairs up to A-deck and to his quarters. It was the closest intercom to him to answer the call. He didn't have his PAL on him and at that point, he hadn't even known the intercoms were operational yet. A part of him was impressed with how quickly SeaQuest was functioning again. He reached his quarters, surprised to see the door ajar. He entered quickly, taking a quick glace around and walking to the intercom. He reached out to hit the button.
"Bridger,"
"Captain Bridger, sir, your presence is required on the bridge," repeated the unfamiliar voice.
"I'm busy at the moment," stated Nathan with annoyance.
"Captain, sir, it's imperative you come to the bridge at once."
"What the hell for?" he snapped, groaning at himself for losing his patience. He heard the voice gasp slightly and pause. Nathan sighed. "I'm on my way," he replied and tapped the button irritably. He was getting more concerned about Lucas with each passing moment.
"Damn it, Lucas, where are you?" he mumbled out loud. He shook his head and left the room.
Lucas was startled when Captain Bridger burst into the room. He made himself as small as possible as to not be seen by the man. He felt his heart rate increase when he saw him. He was alive! Captain Bridger was alive. Clemens hadn't hurt him. Lucas felt an overwhelming feeling of gratefulness. He had been so worried that the captain had been injured or even killed by Clemens. He silently sighed a breath of relief. He fought the urge to leap at him. However, the Captain's voice sounded weary and agitated. The anger in his voice made Lucas shudder and keep extremely still. Captain Bridger would be angry with him as well. That thought kept him hidden and silent as the captain left from the room. Hearing Captain Bridger angrily use his name before he left the room caused Lucas to wince and lay his head back on his knees in despair. His head throbbed. His breathing was shallow, and his entire body ached from the abuse of the night. He felt too weary to move. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept. Soon exhaustion overwhelmed him, and he slipped into a fretful sleep.
Kristin entered c-deck and gasped when she saw the disarray of the science and medical equipment. It looked like someone had put everything into a cup and shook it like a game of Yahtzee. Everything was strewn across the room haphazardly. Personnel were trying aimlessly to upright equipment. Kristin clucked her tongue in frustration. An early morning phone call from Jonathan had alerted her to what had occurred. Despite the fact that the commander had assured her that it had been best she hadn't known, she hadn't stopped scolding herself since she had heard about SeaQuest being commandeered. She had decided to retire early the night before and hadn't even known what was happening. She knew Nathan, Lucas and the rest of the crew were safe, but her mind seemed to assault her with what ifs anyways. She hurried into the med-bay to see Katie lying on a cot. Kristin outwardly assessed her injuries as she approached the woman.
"How are you feeling, Katie?" asked Kristin, patting the woman's arm affectionately. Katie opened her eyes and smiled at Kristin.
"Fine, just a little dizzy," responded Katie softly. "The medic made me lie down as a precaution." Katie indicated the other young woman in the room. Kristin glanced across the room to see a female medic treating other crew with various injuries. The medic returned the glance with a warm smile. Kristin returned the smile.
"Well young lady, you listen to that medic. You may have a concussion." replied Kristin, shining her ophthalmoscope in each of Katie's eyes to check pupil dilation. "How did you hit your head?" Katie shrugged his shoulders.
"I wish I knew. The boat was tossing around so violently, and things were flying at us from every direction." Kristin nodded her understanding. She had been onboard seaQuest during some rough storms and had experienced similar situations. Submarines were much more stable far beneath the water. Above the water was a whole other story.
"SeaQuest is finally resting easy now, Doc." said a familiar voice. Katie and Kristin turned to the doorway to see Miguel enter the room, helping Tim to a nearby bed. Kristin hurried to man's side with concern.
"Oh Tim, what happened?" asked Kristin, assessing his injuries. Tim groaned wearily.
"I was walking upstairs when SeaQuest starting rocking. Bad idea," he chuckled. Kristin managed a smile. Tim's face was bruised and his glasses were broken. He looked more than a little worse for wear. She noticed that he was favouring his right arm carefully.
"Can you get an x-ray for me?" Kristin asked the female medic in the room. The woman shook her head, kindly. She crossed the room and held out her hand in greeting.
"My name is Jenna Brooks, Dr. Westphalen," commented the young woman, not much older than 19 or 20. Kristin shook her hand warmly.
"We're glad to have your help, Jenna." Jenna nodded and proceeded to wheel Tim towards an x-ray room. Kristin glanced around the room once again. Other than Katie and Tim, there were five other people with various injuries. She felt relief that there were not too many crew aboard when the ship started pitching a fit.
"Miguel, do you have any idea how many people were onboard during the incident?" inquired Kristin. Miguel pulled a chair up by Katie, and sat down, feeling a sudden surge of exhaustion. He had just had a grueling conversation with Admiral Noyce and several UEO big wigs, and the task had left him feeling depleted.
"By the time the order was given, about 25 souls were onboard. Most are accounted for, and a few more injuries have been reported. Some have been taken off the boat already and more will be headed this way. Nothing serious I don't think. I believe Krieg got the worst of it," replied the dark haired man, obvious fatigue showing on his face. Katie's blue eyed widened in concern.
"Have you heard anything about him, Miguel?" Miguel ran a hand through his hair and rubbed his eyes.
"As far as I know, he's stable, but he got a good lung full. The pitching of the boat, combined with little oxygen left in his breather gave him a rough ride. He's been transferred to Port Everglades General Hospital." Katie blinked her eyes slowly at the words. As much as Ben annoyed her, a part of her still cared for him very much. Kristin noticed her concern and patted her shoulder compassionately.
"As soon as I have a moment, I will check on his condition, Katie. Don't worry, dear." Katie nodded gratefully. Kristin took a minute to mentally take attendance in her head. She felt a sense of relief knowing the whereabouts of each senior crew member. Suddenly a thought occurred to her, and she felt her heart skip a beat. Lucas. Where was Lucas?