by Jane Woods
*originally published in seaQuest chronicles 1
Lt. James Brody was not the kind of guy that was very good at just sitting in one place monitoring scientific data. In fact, he was exceedingly bad at it. The Captain had said they were exploring. To him exploring was something that involved action, danger, excitement - this operation id not qualify at all. They were charting one of the deepest trenches in the ocean. No one had ever been here before. Their eyes - or the WSKRS' eyes were the first to ever see this place. The trouble was there was nothing to see! Mile after mile of barren rock was all they'd seen since this mission began. It didn't look unlike pictures he'd seen of the moon. He'd say the whole thing was just a pain in the butt except he couldn't even feel his butt. Tedium had even put that to sleep. He squirmed around in his chair to try to restore circulation. Finally his patience gave out. He removed his headset and threw it onto the console with a growl.
Captain Bridger and Commander Ford were conferring over by the Captain's chair. His actions caused them both to look up. "What is it, Lt?" Bridger asked.
"Did you find something?" Ford was hopeful.
"No, I didn't find anything. I doubt there's anything to find. Why is the UEO wasting a boat as expensive as the seaQuest on something as boring as deep trench charting?!" Brody flared.
"Maybe because the SeaQuest is the only boat that can submerge deeply enough to chart this trench." Ford pointed out with a smile.
"Well, fine. Who'll know if we actually do it or not? Why don't we just say 'here be monsters' like the ancient cartographers did?"
"I think maybe you've had enough of this for one day," Bridger said. He could sympathize with the young lieutneant's frustration somewhat. It was years of self discipline and a genuine interest in science that allowed him to keep his calm equilibrium in the face of this ungodly monotony. The mission was beginning to tell on the personnel. He'd reduced on duty time. The bridge was now running on skeleton status. He'd hoped a little extra free time would take some of the curse out of this mission for his young crew. And they were young. He sighed to himself and tuned back in on Brody.
"I had enough of this a week ago," he muttered.
"Well, it looks like we have another two weeks of this, at least. Why don't you two call it a night?"
"Come on," Ford said to Brody, "I'll let you beat me at a game of pool."
"You'll LET me?!"
It was a challenge. Ford knew Brody needed one right now. It would also help take the sting out of it when Brody actually did beat him. "Care to join us, sir?" he asked politely.
Bridger was reviewing the data on one of the screens. "Maybe later," he waved them off and they left.
"Here be monsters," he chuckled to himself, "Boring as this tour is I'd almost welcome a few monsters."
***
The seaQuest continued to pass over the trench. One of the WSKRS was actually inside the trench. Its lights were scanning the walls as it meticulously made its way down the canyonlike trench collecting scientific data. After it passed one section, an undulating, bubblelike object about a meter in diameter slowly detached itself from the wall and began to trail the WSRKS as it rose up to the top of the trench wall. The bubble hesitated as the WSRKS continued on down the wall to continued its scanning. The seaQuest hovered above with two more WSKRS dancing around her. The bubble then rose toward seaQuest. When it reached the boat it passed effortlessly through the hull and got inside completely undetected by any of the sensor equipment.
***
O'Neill and Ortiz were in the locker area outside the Mens' Shower Room. O'Neill had already showered and was nervously getting ready for a date. Ortiz was still in his duty uniform and was really pretty amused by his friend's dilemma though he tried not to show it. "I don't see what the problem is."
"You don't understand," O'Neill was frustrated. Nothing was going right.
"No, I don't. She likes you. You like her."
"It's not that simple," O'Neill hissed.
"Yes it is."
"There are a few complications here," O'Neill was becoming annoyed.
Ortiz made ever effort not to laugh. "Like what?"
O'Neill lowered his voice. "I AM the ranking officer."
"Hey, I'm not an officer at all and you like me."
O'Neill slammed the locker door shut. "Not in the same way," he said without thinking.
"I'm glad." Ortiz was laughing now.
O'Neill was trying to compose himself. Trying to think a way out of this mess. There was the option of punching out his 'friend' and landing in the brig. Somehow he knew that would just make matters worse. It was no accident that Ortiz was not an officer. He could get through OTS in a breeze. He just liked the freedom of being an enlisted man. He dated whomever he pleased. He dated women who outranked him and fell back on the excuse that he was just enlisted if there was a problem. Not that there ever was a problem.
O'Neill looked so miserable that Ortiz began to feel sorry for him. Why Tim had to make every single thing a major crisis he'd never know. The poor guy needed help. Well, that's what friends were for. He put his arm around Tim's shoulder like a Dutch uncle. "Go," he smiled, "Have fun."
"Go where?" Tim flared, "It's not like there's any privacy on this damned boat."
Ortiz dropped something into his hand. It looked like a gray credit card. There were keypunch holes down the side and CB 4 was stamped on the front.
"What's this?"
"Access card. It breaks the seal on Cargo Bay 4 on A deck."
"WHAT?!"
"It's private," Ortiz shrugged.
"A cargo bay?!"
"A bottle of wine. A little candlelight," Ortiz said with a knowing smile.
O'Neill indignantly handed him back the card. "I'm not going to some cargo bay."
"Suit yourself, but if you don't make your move pretty soon, Brody will," he said 'innocently'.
"Brody?!" O'Neill shrilled furiously, "What would she see in him?! Don't answer that!" He snatched the key back and left.
Ortiz laughed then caught sight of his reflection in the mirror. "It wasn't exactly a lie. Besides he needed a push. Why am I talking to myself here?" He shook his head and grabbed a towel and headed for the shower.
***
In the corridor on A deck a very nervous Tim O'Neill had Lonnie Henderson by the hand. He was leading her somewhere. He being quite mysterious. She could contain her curiosity no longer. "Tim, where are we going?"
Just then O'Neill finally located the bay that corresponded with the key he had in his hand. "I told you - someplace we can have some privacy."
"Tim?" She was a bit suspicious.
"Lonnie," he tried to explain, "I just want someplace we can talk out of the earshot of the whole boat. Don't worry, I won't try anything." He turned back to the door and unsealed the lock.
She rolled her eyes at his back. "I'm not worried," she said quietly.
He opened the oversized door for her and she walked in. He followed nervously. It was a little dim inside the bay but the light was good enough to see a woman sitting on a large crate. She had been reading a book but she looked up when they entered.
"Timmie, I've been waiting for you." She broke out into a large smile.
All of the color drained out of O'Neill's face. He grabbed Henderson by the hand and roughly yanked her back out into the corridor. Then he resealed the bay.
Henderson was more than a little miffed. "So, you come here often?"
O'Neill flattened himself against the bulkhead. He actually did look more terrified than a guy who had accidentally made two dates for the same night. She still wanted answers.
"You want to explain, Timmie? Who is she?"
O'Neill's eyes were closed and he was almost on the brink of hyperventilation. "M- my -mother." His childhood problem of stuttering returned.
"Your mother! What would she be doing here?"
"What would she be doing anywhere. She died twenty years ago."
He was white as a sheet. He was pressed up against the wall and his eyes were closed. He wasn't faking. He was really frightened and it didn't look like she'd get any more information out of him. Henderson took the key and unsealed the bay. She went back inside but the bay was now completely empty. The woman was gone. She went back out into the corridor. O'Neill was in such bad shape that she actually felt worried about him. "Come on, Tim. Let's go talk to Wendy," she suggested gently.
"That's it!" he brightened, "I'm going crazy. Yes, I need a shrink. I'm hallucinating. That's all."
Henderson took his hand this time. "I saw it too, Tim. Take it easy. You're going to hyperventilate. CALM DOWN!"
***
Lucas and Tony were heading for rec room 3. Lucas was carrying a large bowl of snacks and wishing that Tony would stop running his mouth for a few minutes. He knew it was a futile wish.
Tony was wearing an ugly hat and fanning a deck of cards. "I'm tellin' ya, Lucas. I can't lose tonight."
"That's what you said last time and Ortiz wiped the floor with you."
Tony was still mad about that. " Ortiz! GRRRRRRR. Well, that won't happen tonight."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Simple. Tonight I'm wearing my lucky hat."
They rounded a corner. Before Lucas could begin to tear apart that theory a beautiful, blond jet-set type woman stepped out in front of them. Lucas gasped and dropped the bowl of chips.
"Whoa!" Tony commented. This was definitely not part of the crew. He'd surely have remembered her.
The woman ignored him and smiled at Lucas. "Hello, Lucas."
"You know her?" Tony was incredulous.
Lucas appeared to be in a state of shock and simply stared at the woman. Tony stepped in. "You gotta forgive him. He's a little shy. My name is Tony."
The woman continued to ignore him. She opened her arms to Lucas. He stepped toward her.
Tony became suspicious and grabbed Lucas' shoulder. "Lucas, who is this?"
"My mother," Lucas answered in a small, shocky voice.
"Oh no! Now we're even, Pal." Tony slapped his forehead.
"Come here, Honey," Lucas' mother urged.
"Hold on, there's something fishy about this." Tony held him back.
Lucas tired to shove him off. "Let me go, Tony." He glared at him.
"No wait!" Tony had a gut feeling something was very wrong here. He had a highly developed instinct when it came to smelling a trap. He smelled one now. He knew Lucas would want a logical explanation and he didn't have one. They stared each other down for a long minute.
When they finally broke it and looked back to the woman she was gone. She had been standing in a small dead end corridor. She didn't go past them. She simply vanished. Tony looked back at Lucas who had suddenly gotten very pale. "Hey, you don't look so good."
"I don't feel so good," he admitted.
Tony grabbed his elbow to steady him. "Let's go down to Medbay. They'll give ya somethin' that'll fix you right up," he promised.
***
Outside the shower room, Ortiz was now sitting on a long bench. He had a towel around his neck. He was wearing off duty clothes. He was putting on one sock. The other was next to him on the bench. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the sock slip off the bench. He tried to grab it but it was gone.
"Hey!" he hollered. He got up to follow. He stopped at the doorway, surprised by what he saw in the corridor. There was a small mongrel terrier type dog with his sock in its mouth. It was just out of his reach. It wanted to play. Ortiz knew this because he'd played this very game with this very dog many times. "Tomas! Tomas, give that back." He made a move toward the dog and it took off with his sock, as it always did. The chase was on. The dog raced down the corridor and he followed as fast as his bare feet would allow. He didn't really care how uncomfortable it was to try and run this way. He was enjoying the game far too much.
The dog continued to stay just out of his reach teasing to be chased more. The little boy deep inside Miguel continued to chase the dog without a thought. They ran through the crew's quarters and into the officer's quarters. The dog zipped between Ford and Brody nearly knocking them over and causing them to each grab one side of the wall for support.
"What in the....?" Ford was momentarily confused.
Ortiz came crashing through weaving his way between them obviously intent on the chase and enjoying himself immensely. "'Scuse me. Tomas! Here boy! This isn't funny." The dog once more sat down just out of reach.
"Ortiz, is that your dog?" Brody asked.
"Yeah."
"Did you sneak a dog onboard?!!" Ford asked with shocked disbelief. He was once more very much the XO. Though he didn't seem to realize it, Ortiz was now in trouble.
Ortiz was once more trying to close on the dog. He only half heartedly attempted to answer the Commander's question. "No I ---- Give me that, you little rat." He was concentrating on trying to grab the rather chewed up sock from the dog. He didn't care about the condition of the sock. He was just overjoyed to have his childhood pet to play with again. He was unaware of Ford's mood as he stalked down the corridor to him. Brody came along too.
"You want to explain yourself, Mister?" Ford was bristling.
Brody was amused. "He sure is cute. Where'd you get him?"
"I got him for my 6th birthday."
"This can't be the same dog." Ford stated flatly. This one was little more than a puppy."
"No. This is Tomas alright. He used to do this all the time. Give me that, you old sock chewer." He grabbed for the sock but again the dog was elusive. He ran a few feet away and bent down inviting play.
"Miguel," Ford tried again, "This dog isn't old enough to be ---"
"No, he's exactly like I remember him just before......" The bitter reality he'd been ignoring came crashing home.
"Before what?" Brody asked.
Ortiz straightened up suddenly very melancholy. "Before he got hit by that car," he said quietly.
"See, it can't be the same dog." Ford argued.
Ortiz refused to lose his beloved pet again. "It IS him!" he argued vehemently. He lunged at the dog intending to wrestle with it as he did as a child. Suddenly the dog viciously attacked, savagely biting his hand and wrist. Ortiz was so surprised by this that he just sat there and let the dog bite him.
Brody grabbed a nearby fire extinguisher and blasted the dog who simply disappeared. There was nothing but foam where he had been. There was absolutely no sign of him.
Ford had also been stunned by the attack but once it was over he was able to act. He squatted next to Ortiz. "Are you alright?" He examined the injured hand. The skin was broken and the wound was bleeding quite a bit. He took the towel that was still around Ortiz' neck and wrapped the hand with it. He repeated his question with more authority. "Are you alright?"
Ortiz appeared to be in a state of shock. "He never bit anyone before," he said as much to himself as Ford.
Brody was poking around in the foam looking for some kind of clue that would explain what they had just witnessed. "I don't know what that was, Ortiz. But it sure as hell wasn't your dog!"
"This is really bleeding," Ford told Brody since Ortiz seemed totally out of it. "Let's take him to medbay. Come on, Miguel, get up." He helped him to his feet.
Brody picked up what was left of Ortiz sock from the small mound of foam that was rapidly dissipating. He caught up with them and the three walked together. Movement was bringing Ortiz to. "So you had a dog named Tomas?" The note of amusement in his voice was not lost on Ortiz. He was in no mood for it. His hand was really stinging now and he felt bitterly betrayed. "What's wrong with that?" he snapped, not caring that Brody outranked him.
"Everyone knows that's a cat's name," Brody smirked.
"Knock it off, Brody." Ford let them know that he outranked both of them. "And, you, keep that arm still. I'm trying to stop this bleeding."
***
Dr. Wendy Smith sat at the reception desk in Medbay listening carefully to the confused stories she was being told. Across from her in a ragged semicircle sat Lucas, Tony, Henderson and O'Neill. Lucas nursed a glass of bubbling alka seltzer and O'Neill held a small paper bag they had had to force him to breathe into twice before he could talk.
"Let me get this straight." she said patiently "You both saw your mothers on board?"
"I must have been hallucinating," O'Neill decided.
"No, Tim. I saw her too but when I looked a minute later she was gone," Henderson put in.
"And I saw Lucas' mother too, till she pulled a vanishing act," Tony agreed.
Wendy digested that a minute. "And where on the boat were you when this incident took place?"
"We were by rec room three," Tony told her.
"Were you two anywhere in that vicinity?"
"Not at all. We were in Cargo Bay 4 on A deck." O'Neill informed her.
"So Ortiz gave ya the key to the Love Nest, huh?" Tony said with a smirk.
"The WHAT?!!" Henderson shrilled.
O'Neill could see his life pass before his eyes. "No, Lonnie, you don't understand."
"Oh, I understand alright, you neurotic little weasel!!!" She was furious. She got up and stormed out of medbay.
O'Neill stood up. "Lonnie!" His plaintive cry had no effect. He sat back down miserably.
His eyes fell on a very guilty looking Tony. "Thanks a whole hell of a lot!"
***
The maglev doors slid opened at the medbay stop. Ford, Brody and Ortiz got off. Henderson was waiting to get on. She noticed the blood soaked towel wrapped around Ortiz' hand.
"What happened to him?" she asked coolly. Ortiz was, after all, a co-conspirator as far as she was concerned.
"A dog bit him," Brody explained somewhat flippantly.
"Good!" she snarled angrily and pushed past them onto the Maglev leaving them stunned by her behavior.
***
In Medbay Wendy was trying to remain businesslike but inwardly she shared Henderson's anger. She had felt the Ensign's sense of betrayal and it hurt. She noted that O'Neill was once more resorting to breathing into the bag but she could not feel very much sympathy for him at the moment. She did not notice the Captain enter Medbay.
"I don't understand. What would Ortiz even be doing with a key to a cargo bay?" she asked.
"That's where the spare parts for the Sensor System are kept," Lucas informed her.
"I still can't believe that Ortiz would use the cargo bay for illicit purposes. I - ah - Captain, what can I do for you?" She suddenly noticed him standing behind the others with his arms crossed over his chest. His demeanor was totally unreadable but the three young men sitting across from her definitely felt very nervous at his presence. She didn't know how long he'd been standing there but she guessed it was long enough.
"Someone told me Lucas was sick," he stated simply.
Lucas smiled nervously and held up the glass of seltzer. "Just a slight upset stomach, Captain. This lovely stuff will either kill me or cure me."
Just then Ford and Brody came in with Ortiz. Wendy noticed his wrapped hand. She got up and went over to them. "What happened?"
"You're not going to believe it," Ford warned.
Wendy unwrapped the towel and began to examine the injury. "Tonight, I'd believe anything. Try me."
"He was bitten by a dog." There was an obvious trace of amusement in Brody's voice.
"This doesn't look too bad but the skin has been broken. The dog will have to be checked for rabies. Where is the animal now?" Wendy asked.
"It's gone," Brody said.
"We have to find it. It's got to be on the boat someplace." She tried to hide the sense of exasperation she was feeling.
"No," Ford said simply, "It disappeared. Vanished right before our eyes."
Before she could respond Bridger wandered over and looked over her shoulder at the wound. "Can medical treatment be delayed a few minutes?" he asked in an official sounding voice.
"I suppose so. They've got the bleeding stopped." She had to search his mind for a motive since his voice gave nothing away.
"Good, may I borrow your office?"
She now knew what he was up to and wholeheartedly agreed. "Certainly, Captain."
"Mr. Ortiz, come with me." The tone of his voice did not bode well for Ortiz. Bridger led him into Wendy's private office and closed the door so what was being said could not be heard but it was obvious through the glass in the upper half of the door that the Captain was reaming Ortiz out royally.
"Uh oh," Tony commented quietly.
"Ya happy now?" O'Neill hissed at him.
"Hey, I didn't see the Captain standing there." Tony defended himself.
"He deserves what he's getting," Wendy said with anger.
"What's going on?" Brody asked.
"It seems Mister Ortiz has been using Cargo Bay 4 for something other than storing spare parts," Wendy said with disgust.
Brody laughed but catching Wendy's look sobered up immediately. "Really? How shocking! I can't believe that of Ortiz." He tried to sound like a disgruntled officer.
They all tried to divert their eyes from the door but were drawn to it with morbid fascination. At last, Bridger emerged. He was followed by Ortiz who looked every inch the whipped pup.
"Mister Ortiz," Bridger said formally, "turn over your key to Commander Ford. If you need to go to the bay for official reasons you can borrow the key from him."
"Yes sir," Ortiz said, his eyes still lowered.
"Where is the key now?" Bridger was not going to let this drop.
"Ah-- I have it, sir." O'Neill was once again pale and shaky.
"YOU have it?!" Bridger was shocked.
"When Lt. O'Neill found out he - ah - confiscated my key," Ortiz said humbly.
"Oh. Good man, O'Neill. You can turn it over to Commander Ford."
"Gladly!" O'Neill complied. This key had screwed things up for both him and Ortiz and he was happy to be rid of it.
"Commander, if you're finished here, perhaps you'd like to help me review the duty roster. I'm afraid Mr. Ortiz has way too much time on his hands," Bridger said as he headed for the door.
"Ah, yes sir." Ford followed him out. This was no time to disagree with the Captain.
"Sit down, Mr. Ortiz. I'll get something to clean that wound," Wendy said.
Ortiz sat in the chair Henderson had occupied.
"You lied to the Captain!" O'Neill couldn't believe it.
"No point both of us being in trouble." Ortiz shrugged.
"Look," Tony said miserably, "I'm really sorry man."
"What for?" Ortiz was puzzled.
"I sort of let it slip."
"Yeah," O'Neill said icily, "he called it a Love Nest in front of Lonnie. I'm sure she'll never speak to me again."
"That's too bad, man," Brody said to Ortiz, "but, you know, there are a few places in the hydroponics lab....."
"That's no good for me. I'm allergic to half the stuff that's in there," Ortiz disagreed.
"What will you do?" Brody asked.
"Officially, when I need to get in there I'll ask Ford for the key."
"What about - unofficially?" Tony hesitated to ask.
A trace of a smile touched Ortiz' lips. "Unofficially -- I'll use my spare key."
They all laughed and Brody socked him in the shoulder.
"Ouch! This hurts, you know," Ortiz picked up his sore hand slightly.
"Sorry." Brody had forgotten.
"How the hell did you get bitten by a dog?" Tony thought to ask.
Wendy rejoined them. She was carrying a basin, some disinfectant and some bandages. She liberally dowsed the wound with the most painful disinfectant she had been able to lay her hands on. He yelped piteously.
"Yes, Mr. Ortiz, how did you get bitten by a dog? And cut the crap and tell me the truth!"
***
Henderson was still furious when she walked into her quarters. She pulled off her shoes and threw them. "How could I have been so stupid?" she yelled at herself. "I thought he was different. Here's a guy that thinks with his brain instead of his shorts, I thought! But no - he's no different than any of the other little testosterone factories running around this damn boat!"
Her back was to her bunk so she didn't see the strange little man in the outlandish clothing who sprawled there. Her display of rage seemed to amuse him quite a bit. "Temper, temper, Lonnie," he chuckled.
She spun around. Her eyes went wide at the sight of him. He casually tossed her stuffed dog up in the air. Finally she found most of her voice. "Addison?" she croaked in disbelief.
"In the flesh. Long time no see."
"No! No, it can't be. You're not real." He wasn't real. He had been her imaginary playmate when she was a child.
"That sounds like your parents talking," he teased, "So this is what they gave you to replace me?" He threw the toy up again with disgust, "I think I'm insulted."
"Give me that."
"Come and get it," the little man teased.
"No. I'm not falling for that. Are you responsible for what's going on here?"
"Me? I'm not real, remember?"
"Addison!" she was frustrated at his taunting.
"So tell me, Lonnie, did you miss me?"
"Course not." She turned her back on him and picked up her shoes. When she looked back the stuffed dog was alone on the bunk. She walked over to it and sat down. She curled up hugging her knees. She was teary eyed and reflective as she picked up the toy. "Course not," she repeated quietly. She stared at the stuffed dog. "What in the world is happening on on this boat?" She asked it.
It didn't answer. This Addison never did.
***
Captain Bridger was at his desk deeply engrossed in much hated paperwork. He plowed through stacks of printouts and assorted clipboards. There was a knock at the door. "Come in," he said without looking up.
Wendy came in, "Good evening, Captain. I can come back later if you're busy."
"No, no. This isn't important. I could stand an interruption."
"Is that the duty roster?"
"Yes."
"You're not overreacting just a little?" Wendy teased.
"Not at all. I remember a young officer, fresh out of the academy, with unlimited access to a cargo bay. Seems he let a little party get out of hand one night and darned near set the boat on fire!"
"Nathan, who might that have been?" she laughed.
"Oh, nobody you know. But the point is, it would have been a whole lot better for all concerned if his captain had jumped all over him before things got to that point."
"That's what you're doing?"
"Exactly. Just practicing a little fire prevention. How is Ortiz?"
"Oh, his hand will heal and he's acting properly contrite."
"It didn't look like an act to me."
"To tell you the truth, I think he was more upset about the dog than anything you did."
"Jonathan told me he was bitten by a dog that wasn't there. Is it some kind of hallucination?"
"Not an hallucination," Wendy was serious, "Those bites were real. Ford and Brody saw the dog too."
"Then how did it vanish right before their eyes? It couldn't have been real!"
"Maybe there are more realities than we understand. O'Neill and Lucas both saw their mothers. There were other witnesses to their 'hallucinations' also."
"What do you make of it?"
"I'm still trying to sort it out. Why would Lucas and O'Neill see their mothers? O'Neill's mother is dead."
"Lucas' mother is not dead."
"But when was the last time he saw her. I think it's picking up on a loss. That dog was Miguel's childhood pet. He saw it get run over. That would be a psychological wound an adept could pick up on."
"It?"
"I don't know what, but there is some presence on board. The only real similarity in the stories whatever is that it was trying to lure the victim to it."
"Like the sirens of old? They are just legends, Wendy."
"Are they?"
"You expect me to believe that something supernatural is on my boat? Wendy, I don't believe in the supernatural!"
"Neither do I, Nathan. But I do believe that there are a lot of natural phenomenon we do not yet understand. The point is, the only one that actually touched it was Ortiz and he was injured. What ever this thing is, it does pose a potential danger to the crew. That much, I do know."
"So what do I tell them, - if you see something that's not there, don't touch it?"
"Something like that," Wendy said indignantly. She never expected anyone else to be as interested in parapsychology as she was but Nathan Bridger could be so stubbornly against it that she could just scream.
***
Lucas and Tony were going back to their quarters. "I guess the card game is a bust. Ortiz is not going to feel like holding cards with that mitt for a while." Tony was disappointed.
"Not after Wendy got done with him. How come she was so mad anyway?"
"Because Henderson was. Women stick together, Lucas. It's some kind of code. Like going to the ladies' room in packs," sage old Tony explained. They came upon Dagwood who was, as usual, mopping.
"Did you guys see the blue ball?" he asked pleasantly.
"Nope," Tony told him, "You'll have to keep better track of your toys, Dagwood."
They continued on without letting Dagwood explain farther. Lucas was still confused about Wendy's uncharacteristic behavior. He'd never seen her angry before. "Well, I still don't see-------"
"What the---?" Tony suddenly grabbed his head with both hands. He closed his eyes and let out a painfilled scream.
"What is it? Tony, what's wrong?"
Tony still had his hands on his head. He went down on one knee the pain was so great.
Lucas was afraid to touch him. "Tony, say something."
Tony opened his eyes. They were wild and terrified. He had the appearance of a trapped animal. "AHHHHH I gotta get outta here. I'm lost!" He grabbed Lucas by the lapels. The desperation is his voice was nearly palpable.
"No you're not." Lucas was thoroughly confused.
"I GOTTA GET INTO THE OCEAN!" Tony yelled then pushed Lucas aside and took off down the corridor. The one that led to Sea Deck.
"No, Tony, we're too deep!" Lucas gave pursuit and pulled his PAL from his back pocket. "Security Alert! We need a team at Sea Deck. Piccolo is trying to leave the boat. Stop him!"
***
Tony ran onto Sea Deck. He was running so fast that he overshot and had to skid to a stop. He turned and ran back to the mechanism that opened the aquatubes. Lucas rushed in and tackled him knocking him to the deck. They wrestled a while but Tony was able to push him off.
He got back up and went back to the controls. Lucas got up and spun him around earning a belt in the jaw. Lucas crashed unceremoniously to the deck.
At that point Bridger, Wendy, Brody and a Security team arrived. Wendy went to check on Lucas who was still sprawled on the deck. Tony had opened the interior doors by this time. He saw them coming and dove into the moonpool. Darwin surfaced.
"Stop him, Pal. Get Tony." Bridger accompanied the words with the familiar hand signals he and the dolphin still knew so well.
Darwin pursued Tony. He caught him with ease. They struggled and Darwin had to hit him hard with his melon to subdue him. The blow shoved Tony into the side of the aquatube and knocked him unconscious.
Darwin gently took his arm and towed him back to Bridger.
Wendy and Lucas had now joined the concerned crowd gathered around the moonpool. Two security guards climbed into the pool and lifted him out.
"Be careful. He could have some broken ribs," Wendy cautioned.
"What the hell was he doing?" Brody demanded.
"I don't know," Lucas admitted, "He just screamed all of a sudden and said he had to get off the boat."
"At this depth, if he'd have gotten those outer hull doors opened he would have killed us all. He should know better than that," Bridger stated emphatically.
"Tony not Tony," Darwin said.
Wendy had been giving Tony a cursory examination on the deck where the security guards had placed him. She put her hands on his ribs to check them but when she came in contact with him a strange look can over her face. "Darwin could be right. Let's get him to Medbay STAT."
"Let me know how he is," Bridger called after her as she and the team rushed Tony to medbay. Bridger caught sight of Lucas. The events of the day were telling on him. "Why don't you go crash? You look beat," he suggested.
"Sounds good to me," Lucas muttered.
Bridger put a protective arm around the kid's shoulder and decided to walk him to his quarters.
Soon Sea Deck was completely clear except for Brody. He was looking for some kind of clue to explain the bizarre events of the day. He checked the sea doors to make sure they were secured. He turned to leave but had the nagging feeling that something was not right. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of a dark man-sized figure leaping out of the moonpool with a tremendous splash. It knocked him down as it landed. It stopped for a minute. Long enough for Brody to get a good look at the thing. It stood there as if to say "Catch me if you can." Brody was intent on accepting the challenge so intent that he hadn't quite placed the beast yet. He leapt to his feet in hot pursuit of the Creature From The Black Lagoon.
"So that's what you really look like!" he yelled at it as he pulled the PAL from his pocket. "Intruder Alert! This is Brody. I'm in pursuit. I'm in the corridor outside Sea Deck. It looks like it's heading for the crews' quarters. Brody out," he reported.
"What does it look like, sir?" One of the Security men asked over the PAL, "What exactly are we after?"
"It's big, dark and slimy. We're in corridor K. I've got it! Freeze You!"
He trained his weapon on the thing and lunged at it at the same time. The Creature alluded him by ducking into a nearby doorway. Brody steadfastly followed. So intent was he on the chase that he didn't realize that he had just stepped into the Ladies' Shower Room..
***
Bridger and Ford approach Corridor K from one end and the Security Team approached from the other.
"Where is he?" Bridger demanded.
"This is the last location we have on him, sir," a security man reported.
Suddenly the Ladies Shower Room door opened and Brody was unceremoniously flung to the deck at Ford and Bridger's feet. Three angry women in terry cloth bathrobes glared at him.
"Honest, Lieutenant," Brody tried desperately to explain to Lt. Albright, "there was a monster. I chased it in there."
"The only monster in here was you, Brody!" she slammed the door in a huff.
Brody had been pummeled with bottles and jars of every kind of cosmetic known to woman. Shampoo and lotion of every gooey hue dripped from his head and various parts of his uniform. Ford spun around to face the wall in hopes of keeping from laughing.
Bridger looked at the Security team most of whom were having the same problem. "I guess you guys can go now."
"Yes sir," one of the men of the team tied to say in all seriousness (after all it didn't do to laugh at your boss). "Nothing could have stood a chance against those women anyway."
"Ha Ha." Brody remarked sourly, rubbing his shoulder where he had been hit with a large jar of something. "Oh man, I'm a mess."
"Yeah, but ya smell great." Ford nearly lost it.
"Go ahead and laugh before you bust something," Brody grouched.
Ford did laugh. He laughed so hard that tears rolled down his cheeks. The cocky security chief had really had the pins knocked out from under him that time and Ford was enjoying every minute of it.
"So, what exactly did this thing look like?" Bridger tried to remain businesslike despite the fact that Jonathan Ford, the rock, was nearly hysterical.
Brody was still taking inventory of his bruises and trying to recover his dignity. "Well, it was about 7 ft. tall and it was covered with scales. It had flipper like feet and sort of fins on its arms and ears."
"Sounds like the Creature From the Black Lagoon."
"That's it! That's exactly what it looked like! I saw that movie when I was a little kid. I had to chase that thing out from under my bed for six months."
"Again a childhood memory," Bridger mused, "I gotta go talk to Wendy. I wanted to check on Piccolo anyway."
Bridger had helped Brody up but as soon as Brody put any weight on his left ankle a burning pain shot up his leg. He yelped.
Bridger grabbed him again. "What's wrong?"
"I guess I must have landed wrong," Brody admitted sheepishly.
"You'd better come along to Medbay with me. Can you walk at all?"
"I can't go anywhere like this! " Brody declared.
"If you'd like to get cleaned up, there's a shower right here." Ford burst out laughing all the harder.
"That will be all, Commander." Bridger dismissed him. The man hadn't cracked a smile in six months now he was laughing like an idiot.
"You sure that's really him?" Brody commented on the XO's odd behavior.
"I think so." Bridger wasn't all that sure of anything at this point.
***
Commander Ford was still chuckling when he walked past Dagwood.
"Good evening, Commander," Dagwood greeted.
"Yes, Dagwood, it is, isn't it?"
"Have you seen the blue ball?"
"Sorry, Dagwood, I haven't seen it. But keep looking. I'm sure it will turn up." He continued on, not noticing Dagwood's confused look. Suddenly Captain Bridger came up the corridor behind him and ran past him. "Captain? Where are you going? What's the matter?" He ran to catch up with Bridger.
"Going?" I'm getting the hell out of here and if you're smart, you'll do the same thing."
"Sir?"
"Abandoning ship. Get the picture?"
"Why?"
"Why?! This place is crazy! I don't belong here, anyway. They tricked me into it. They tricked you too, Jonathan. It's your boat or it should be. You lost command of seaQuest because of me. Well, you can have it back. I don't want it! I'm OUTTA here!"
"Captain, wait!"
Bridger disappeared down a stairwell. Ford gave chase but by the time he got to the bottom of the stair well, Bridger had disappeared. "I'd better tell Wendy about this. The Captain has flipped out!"
***
In Medbay Wendy was examining Brody's ankle as Bridger looked on. "The x-rays are negative," she said, "It's just a sprain. I'll spray some painkiller on it and wrap it for you. I suppose, it would do no good at all to tell you to keep off it for a while."
"Thanks. And thanks for not asking how it happened."
"I can sense that you don't want to talk about it."
Just then Ford burst in. He was very excited. "You're not going to believe what just happened. Bridger flipped out! He says I lost the command of seaQuest because of him and he-------" Ford caught sight of Bridger standing there and his excitement deflated like a balloon. "-----and it wasn't you, was it sir?"
"Sorry to disappoint you."
"Oh, I'm not disappointed. I - ah - ah."
It was now Brody's turn to laugh at him. "It got you, too. Didn't it?"
"Hey," Ford was on the defensive, "at least I didn't chase it into the ladies' shower!"
"The what?!" Wendy could barely keep a straight face.
"Can I go now?" Brody asked sourly.
Wendy nodded still trying to contain herself.
"Give him a hand," Bridger told Ford.
Ford tried to obey but Brody just limped past him. Ford shrugged and followed him out.
Bridger shook his head, "The whole damn boat is hallucinating. Brody chased the Creature from the Black Lagoon into the Ladies' Shower Room!"
"Did he find a monster in there?"
"He'd have probably faired better with the Creature than he did with Lt. Albright. What's happening to my bridge crew?"
"It's not just them. I'm getting reports from all over the boat, but so far it's only minor injuries -- except for Piccolo."
"How is he?"
"Well, physically he's not seriously injured but I've got him sedated. I want to keep him under observation."
"What do you suspect?"
"Well, Darwin said Tony was not Tony."
"He was 'possessed' by this presence of yours?"
"Not possessed exactly more like psychically connected. It seems to be trying to communicate telepathically. Tony is the first one it came upon with any ability to do that but he's not trained. He's in no way prepared for anything like that. When the thoughts of this thing entered him it was like he was caught in a flood. He didn't know how to control it."
"The obvious question is why didn't it go to you. You're easily the most empathic one on the boat."
"Since I was a child I have been bombarded with the thoughts of others shouting at me totally unbidden. I have learned to put up a psychic wall around me. If it tried to contact me, it ran into that wall. Tony has not yet learned to do that. He wasn't ready for this."
"What do we do?" Bridger asked.
"You go back to your office and keep your mind busy. I'm going to try and reach him psychically but this is something I have to do alone. I'll let you know later how it went."
Bridger didn't exactly like it. He didn't understand or completely trust the type of thing she was referring to. He was hesitant to leave but he had faith in her. If this was a medical procedure, he reasoned, he'd have no qualms about her performing it. If it was the only way to reach Piccolo and reclaim him from what ever had him then he'd have to go along with it. He stole a glance at her as he left. She was standing over Piccolo looking very worried. This did nothing to reassure him, but he knew he had to trust his crew and he did trust Wendy. He forced himself to leave medbay and return to his quarters.
Wendy continued to stare at Tony. He looked to be peacefully sleeping but she knew that that was an effect of the sedative. She knew he was very lost. "Oh, Tony, I hope I can find you." She took a deep breath and then put one hand on his chest and the other on his forehead. She closed her eyes in deep concentration.
She found herself in a strange room. Everything had a bluish tint. The walls and ceilings appeared rounded and reminded her of a cave. Fog billowed around her knees. "Tony," she called, "Tony, where are you? It's Wendy. I won't hurt you."
She was concerned and she walked a little further into the room. She came to a small alcove and looked into it. He was sitting on the floor hugging his knees and trying to hide himself in the fog. She sensed his terror and her heart went out to him. She knelt in front of him and gently put her hands on his shoulders. He looked up.
"Is it gone?" he asked. His voice was strained.
"I think so."
"What was it?"
"I'm not sure. What did it feel like?"
"It felt like my whole head exploded. What happened to me, Doc?"
"I think that you were flooded with a barrage of psychic impulses, thoughts if you will, from some presence that is on the boat."
"Psychic impulses? Is this what happens to you?"
"Not like this. This was really like an electrical overload."
"Well, I don't like it!" he yelled. He was on the verge of tears. "I never asked for any of this."
"None of us ask for it, Tony," she said gently.
"I thought it would be fun at first. I thought I could finally beat Ortiz at cards. But this is NOT fun! I was scared. I ran away," he admitted miserably.
"That's alright, Tony. That was probably the best thing you could have done. You want me to show you the way home?"
"Please, Doc. I don't like it here."
She took his hand and stood up pulling him up with her. He looked weary.
"I'm really tired," he said as much to himself as her.
"Come on, Tony. I'll take you home," she was sympathetic. She took his other hand so they were facing each other. She was now able to include him in her own energy field. She had feared he might fight her but he wanted to go back. As her energy surrounded his spirit she used gently hypnosis on his mind. "Close your eyes, Tony. Relax. Think of the most pleasant place on Earth then start counting backwards from ten when I tell you. When you get to three you will be asleep. Just asleep - not trapped here. Are you ready?"
Tony nodded. Together they counted. Tony's voice began to sound sleepier with each number. He stopped counting at three.
".....two, one. Tony?"
A snore was her only reply. She smiled and prepared herself for the return journey out of his mind.
When she opened he eyes once more she was once more standing by Tony's bedside in Medbay. Tony snored again and she smiled, "Welcome back, Tony." She was very relieved that it had gone so smoothly.
***
In the Captain's quarters Bridger was once more at his desk. He was trying to follow Wendy's advice and keep busy. Suddenly he was nearly startled off his chair by the sound of a conch shell being blown. He spun around to face the sound. There was a conch shell on his book case. At least, that was where it usually was. Now it was in the hands of a four year old boy. His four year old boy. He was startled. "Robert?"
"I scared Daddy," the little boy laughed.
His laughter was infectious and Bridger had to laugh too. "Yes, you did."
"Come on, Daddy. No more working. Come play with me." He extended his arms toward Bridger.
Bridger was completely mesmerized. There was no room in his mind for logic or even conscious thought. There years of guilt he'd felt over putting his career over the needs of his son melted away. He could change things. Make it up to Robert. He had a second chance. He got up and walked toward the child.
Wendy knocked on the door for the second time and called his name. Her sixth sense was screaming out an alarm so she threw protocol to the wind and pushed the Captain's door opened. He appeared to be entranced as he walked toward the center of the room. She saw nothing but sensed something she could not identify. She walked up to him. He was completely unaware of her presence.
"Nathan." she said and she put her hand on his arm. The minute she was in physical contact with him she was startled to see the child.
"Play with me now, Daddy. Make time for me," Robert begged.
Wendy knew no father could resist that. She held his arm tighter in efforts to restrain him. "Stop, Nathan. He isn't real." Bridger seemed unwilling to listen. She asserted herself. "He ISN'T real!"
Bridger spared her a glance and when they looked back the boy was gone. Wendy could feel what he felt and she was nearly in tears. "I'm so sorry, Nathan. That was your child, wasn't it?"
Bridger was shaking his head as if coming to. He was channeling his emotions into anger. Wendy had to withdraw from that. She took her hand away.
"This is personal now," Bridger spat.
"You see how the others were fooled?"
"Yes! How do we fight this thing? I won't have it attacking me or my crew!"
"Hold on. It hasn't actually attacked anybody."
"What about Ortiz?"
"From what they told me, he lunged at it in play. I think he frightened it."
"What about Tony? How is he?"
"He'll be okay. I'm letting him sleep it off."
"You yourself said it posed a danger to the crew."
"Anything we don't fully understand is a potential danger. I thought keeping busy would be enough protection. Maybe no one should be alone," Wendy thought out loud. It only seemed to target one person at a time. If there were others around maybe they could prevent anyone else from actually coming in contact with the thing.
"In legends of old they used to lash people to the mast," Bridger scoffed then shrugged. "Hell! I'll try anything at this point." He walked back to his desk intercom and buzzed the bridge. "Sound General Quarters. I want all hands at their stations!"
"Nathan," Wendy gasped, "it's the middle of the night."
"We'll get everybody together. Maybe we can draw it to us. Force a confrontation. Find out what it wants with my boat and my crew."
Bridger was in full battle mode. Wendy realized that there would be no reasoning with him now. She shook her head as he stalked out of his quarters, like the rest of the boat he was rushing to his station.
She sighed and followed.
She passed people in various stages of dress. Most of them had just awakened but they were running for their stations. There was a sort of nervous confusion in the air but these were well trained people capable of facing any situation.
When she reached the bridge she noticed that the entire bridge crew had arrived most in some semblance of a uniform. They had taken their stations and were looking to their Captain for further instructions.
Bridger cleared his throat. "As most of you know, something has been playing cat and mouse with us. Well, folks, we are no longer the mouse. We are going to try and draw this thing to us and see what it wants. In the mean time, I want a complete diagnostic run on every station."
They almost grumbled but didn't quite dare.
"Understood?" Bridger challenged.
A few less than enthusiastic 'aye sirs' sounded off around the bridge. Bridger walked away from the command chair to stand by Wendy at the moonpool where she was petting Darwin.
"Now what?" she asked.
"Now we wait. It's his move." Bridger turned to Darwin, "What about it, Pal? Do you know how this thing got here and what it wants?"
<"Follow the shining. Want to play.">
"Sorry, Darwin, no time to play now," Bridger misunderstood the dolphin's response. He moved off to walk the perimeter of the bridge. He passed a yawning Lucas and stopped to talk.
Over at Communications O'Neill startled. He gritted his teeth and continued his diagnostic. This was not the first time this happened and Ortiz' curiosity was peeked. He tuned his headset to Tim's frequency. "What's up? Why are you so jumpy?" Suddenly a loud crackle of electrical static assaulted their ears. "Owww."
"That's why," O'Neill said simply.
Ortiz looked around. He noticed Lonnie had a screw driver in her hand and two wires. The exact two that would cause the sound. She appeared to be vindictively torturing O'Neill. "Let me handle this," Ortiz told O'Neill with the utmost confidence in his ability to charm Lonnie out of this behavior. He took off his headset and stood up to talk to her.
Suddenly she turned the screwdriver on Ortiz in a very menacing fashion. He didn't catch everything she was muttering but the word vasectomy was all he had to hear. He put his hands (one of which was bandaged) up in front of himself defensively and returned to his station. He put the headset back on. "Sorry, you're on your own," he informed O'Neill. There was a difference between being a friend and being a fool, he told himself. His mother's plans for his future definitely included his providing her with grandchildren. How could a guy disappoint his mother like that?
O'Neill just sighed and tried to continue working but after two more painful squeals in his ear he was too angry to try to ignore it. He threw his headset down on the console. He stormed up to the perimeter station that Lonnie occupied. "I'm picking up a lot of static. Henderson, you want to help me track down the source?" He didn't wait for her answer. He took her arm and led her to the maintenance access door that was situated behind her station. He opened the door and went inside all but dragging her in behind him.
As soon as they were out of sight Ortiz all but dove under the auxiliary console that faced the rear wall about three feet to the left of the door O'Neill and Henderson had disappeared into. He got under the console and yanked off the wall access plate. His conscience nagged him a little as he was spying on two of his best friends but he assured himself he was doing it for O'Neill's safely. He'd never seen Lonnie this steamed.
Inside the small access way behind the bridge there was barely room enough for them both to stand. Cables, conduits and wires ran the length of the small hallway. She leaned against one wall with her arms crossed defiantly over her chest.
"You see!" O'Neill exploded, "You see what's wrong with shipboard romances! This is exactly what I was afraid would happen. I'm the ranking officer. I know better than this. Regulations are against it. Logic is against it!"
"Then why did you ask me out to begin with?!" Her fury easily matched his.
"Because...because," he sputtered miserably, "I really like you. All of my logic, all of my training goes out the window when I look at you. I guess I care more about you than any of that." All of the anger had gone out of him. At first, he looked away but eventually he had to look at her. To his amazement she seemed as defiant as when they first walked in here. "Hey! I just bared my soul to you. You could at least say something!" He was completely frustrated.
"I don't know." Henderson was still suspicious "With all the hallucinations going on a round here -- how do I know you're even real?"
O'Neill had reached the pinnacle of frustration. Logic failed him. Words failed him. He followed his instincts. He placed his hands on the wall, one on either side of her head. He leaned into her and planted a long hard kiss on her mouth.
At his access peephole Ortiz was jubilant. "All right!" He completely agreed with O'Neill's actions. He was so taken with the drama he'd been watching that he failed to see Captain Bridger standing right behind him.
Bridger leaned down to him, "Well, did he kiss her?"
Ortiz tried to stand up. He slammed his head into the bottom of the console. "Ahhh Oww. Excuse me, sir?" He was wearing his most innocent look.
"O'Neill and Henderson. Did he kiss her?"
"Ah, um, ab," Ortiz was completely flustered.
Bridger laughed, "Mr. Ortiz, you are perhaps the best sensor man in the entire Navy."
"Uh, thank you, sir..." Ortiz was totally lost now.
"And perhaps the worst liar. So tell me the truth. Did he kiss her?"
"Yes sir." Ortiz hated ratting on a friend.
"Well, it's about time," Bridger commented casually.
Ortiz was completely confused. After the way Bridger had torn into him about this kind of thing and now, if anything, he seemed pleased about O'Neill and Henderson. He couldn't just let it go. "Ah, sir, you don't ah care?"
"What people do on their own time doesn't interest me."
Ortiz couldn't buy this change of heart. "But, sir, earlier....."
"What they do in my cargo bays however...."
Ortiz still didn't get it.
"Parties can get out of hand." Bridger tried to clear it up for him.
"Parties?! If you want a crowd go to a rec room!"
"Well then, suppose that in the throes of romance a candle gets knocked over." Bridger painted a different picture but if anything Ortiz looked more bewildered by his captain. "What's the matter, Mr. Ortiz, don't you think I was young once?"
"No sir. Ah, I mean, you're still young."
"Nice save."
Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by Brody. "CAPTAIN!" he called. There was a note to his voice that was very unlike him and everyone on the bridge looked up.
Bridger and Ortiz also turned to look. Brody was standing by his station. He had his weapon drawn. It was trained on the center of the bridge. "I have the intruder in my sights!"
"All hands to your stations," Bridger commanded.
A tocsin sounded and Ortiz jumped to his station. O'Neill and Henderson came peeling out of the access way and ran to their stations. All eyes were focused on the center of the bridge but each saw his own hallucination.
While Brody has his gun on the Creature of the Black Lagoon to Bridger the weapon was pointing at his son. "Stand down, Mr. Brody!"
"But, Captain...."
"Return to you station." Bridger was firm.
Wendy was alerted by their behavior but she saw absolutely nothing in the center of the bridge. She walked up to Bridger and put her hand on his arm. Again she saw the little boy. She looked around the bridge. Everyone seemed to be mesmerized and completely unaware of the world around them as they stared at the center of the bridge. She became increasingly concerned. She looked back at the image of Bridger's son. In frustration she addressed it. "I don't understand. I don't know what you're trying to say!"
Dagwood walked onto the bridge with his mop and pail. He put the pail down and began to mop. He was looking down at first concentrating on his work but then he looked up and brightened. "You found the blue ball," he said simply. He seemed very happy and began to approach the center of the bridge.
"No! Dagwood, don't touch it!" Wendy warned
"It won't hurt me, Wendy. Do you see it?"
Wendy walked up to him. "No, Dagwood, I don't. Will you show it to me?"
Dagwood nodded and put his hand on her arm. Dagwood's childlike innocence and total lack of bias allowed him to see the bubble in its true form. He was happy to share it with her.
When she saw it she was in awe of it. "Dagwood, it's beautiful! Let me show it to them."
She walked up to Ortiz. He was unconsciously cradling his injured hand in the other one. He looked betrayed. She gently touched his arm. Suddenly the image of the dog he had been seeing vanished and the bubble was in its place. His expression changed and he shook his head as if coming to.
Wendy went on to Lonnie. She was blinking back tears as she stared at her "imaginary" friend. She whispered the name Addison. At Wendy's touch she also seemed to awaken as she saw the bubble in its true form.
O'Neill was sitting like a stone statue betraying no emotion as he stared at the image of his mother. Wendy touched him gently enlightening him. She moved on to Brody who was sitting in a pose not unlike that of an angry child staring down the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Wendy's touch showed him the truth.
Lucas was staring longingly at the mother who never seemed to really have time for him. Wendy passed by and showed him the bubble. He rubbed his eyes but continued to stare. His scientific curiosity replacing all other emotions.
At Wendy's touch the image of the second Bridger disappeared. Ford looked a little surprised at the new image but accepted it as the truth.
She went back to Bridger who was still staring at his son. "This is what it really is," she said quietly.
Ford joined them as they continued to stare at the bubble. "The blue ball. That's what he meant. Dagwood asked me if I had seen the blue ball just before I had my - uh - hallucination."
"Only Dagwood could see it in its true form," Wendy commented. She stepped up to the GELF who'd been pleasantly watching the bubble the whole time. "Dagwood, what does it want?"
"It wants its mother."
Suddenly Wendy got it. "Of course! It's a child looking for its mother! When it projected the thought "mother" O'Neill and Lucas saw their own mothers! When it projected "lost" other people saw things that they had lost, and when it projected "lost" and "child" together..."
"I saw the child I had lost," Bridger concluded, "But how do we find Mother?"
"Mother?" Ortiz asked. He keyed a few commands on his console. A WSKRS appeared on the main vidscreen. "There's Mother."
Bridger whirled on the young sensor chief seriously doubting anybody could be that stupid. "Not that Mother, ya twit! It's mother!"
"Nathan, wait. Look!" Wendy pointed at the bubble. It was beginning to approach the vidscreen apparently attracted by the lights of the WSKRS. Ortiz skillfully backed Mother up away from the seaQuest and the bubble continued to follow. It passed through the hull and out into the ocean.
"I take it back, Mr. Ortiz. You're not a twit."
"Thank you, sir," Ortiz smiled but then became more serious. "Now that I've got it, what do I do with it?" Ortiz has keyed another WSKRS up and it's data was now on the vidscreen. They watched the bubble continue to follow Mother.
"Follow the trench back," Bridger advised. "Hopefully it will recognize home when it sees it."
"That must be what happened. Like any child, it was attracted by a shiny object. But when it got in here it felt lost," Wendy surmised.
"That's what Darwin said - 'follow the shining'," Bridger agreed.
"And Tony said he was lost and tried to get back out to the ocean," Lucas put in.
"It was all right there in front of us." Bridger was somewhat disgusted.
"Captain," Dagwood said somewhat shyly. "Sometimes people hear but they don't really listen."
"I'm afraid you're right about that, Dagwood," Bridger admitted
"Look!" Wendy's excited voice got everyone's attention. She was pointing to the vidscreen. They watched as the bubble followed the brightly lit WSKRS. Ahead a strong glow was emanating from the trench illuminating the area. The glow continued to rise until a huge bubble came into view. It was nearly the size of the seaQuest as it rose majestically above the rim of the trench. There were many smaller bubbles satelliting around it much like the SeaQuest and her WSKRS. Their bubble dashed away from Mother and joined the others of its kind.
"How do we chart that, Captain?" Brody asked in a subdued voice. "Maybe there are monsters here, after all."
"If there's any monster here, Mr. Brody, I'm afraid it's us," Bridger remembered how ready he was to fight this thing.
The bridge crew watched the reunion with a sense of wonder and of relief. The crisis had passed and things were returning to normal.
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