Captain Nathan Bridger left the seaQuest in the capable hands of
Commander Ford. Ford would be a great captain someday but he had his heart
set on captaining something like the seaQuest and to run that much
boat and that much crew he'd need a little more experience. Still, Bridger
could put thoughts of seaQuest out of his mind for the moment and
concentrate on the problem at hand. There was still too much that didn't
add up. Too many pieces of the puzzle he didn't have yet. Channing's youngest
son was evidently responsible for all the acts of piracy that had been taking
place. He supposed he could see where Rupert jr. was coming from. He thought
like Kreig. Something was standing in the way of his inheritance and he'd
simply get rid of it. But CC was right, why would loyal employees of his
father's join Rupert junior? Everyone seemed to consider him a jerk. If he
did not have the respect of his father's employees, what hold did he have
over them? Why would they chance jobs that were secure to go along with this
fool scheme? Yet someone at Channing Oil was involved. What did Katie's ship
have to do with all this? If it wasn't hauling oil what was the cargo? How
many people here at New Atlantis were involved? Why would they try to blow
up a facility they were in? There had been no mass exodus attempts so if
the rats hadn't yet crawled off the ship, there was probably still time to
find and deactivate any explosives that might be planted. Crocker and Shan
were working on that. He stepped onto the sea walk that led from the outer
and lowest ring. The inner ring was taller than the outer ring and the interior
hub was highest of all so each ring and the hub had an unobstructed view
of the ocean. The design of this place was amazing. He really admired what
it stood for. If anyone could make this concept work it was Kristin Westphalen.
He had to admit he missed her on the seaQuest but this was where she
belonged and what she should be doing. He wasn't about to let some spoiled
little rich boy take it all away from her and from the world.
The sea walk was passing over the inner ring in its gradual and comfortable
assent to the hub. He looked down. He could see members of his crew wandering
around the "street". Let them enjoy themselves while they could. He was on
his way to a meeting with Kristin and Rupert Channing. There was something
about that guy he didn't entirely trust. Was it some offhanded remarks that
his daughter had made? Was it the man's reputation for greed and his past
record? Was it the past he shared with Kristin? He looked ahead as the sea
walk approached the magnificent 27 level hub that was the heart of New Atlantis.
Tony had called it a Crystal Palace. In a way, he was right. Most of the
structure was glassed in to afford the center a perfect view of the ocean
around it. Kristin had said it was to be a constant reminder of where they
were and why. As he got off the sea walk his eyes fell on the mural the GELF
from Katie's ship was working on. The GELF's vision of Ancient Atlantis took
his breath away and caused him to stand there and stare for several minutes.
He'd had the privilege of seeing Ancient Atlantis. The GELF had gotten it
exactly right. He was lost in the painting for awhile as he drank
in each scene the GELF had painted. The GELF was now working on his version
of the great cataclysm. It made Bridger's blood run cold in light of the
current threat they were under. He hurried off to Kristin's office.
The GELFs were sitting around a park-like area in the residential section
where they had been assigned quarters. The GELFs were not particularly good
at relaxing.
"I have decided to stay," Anna said. "Dr. Westphalen has invited me to
study medicine at the University. I am certain I can find some employment
here in order to support myself."
The others let that sink in a minute.
"If Anna is staying. Elijah and I should stay," Lillian said. "The baby
is due in four months and I would feel better having Anna deliver him."
"There does seem to be plenty of work here," Elijah agreed.
"I don't think I trust Channing Oil anymore," William said. "They were
using us as expendables. Us and Captain Hitchcock. I know we are not
completely considered human by many but how could they do that to one of
their own?"
"Some humans are fair and some are not," Rachel put in. "I don't think
we can condemn them all for the actions of a few. I do not wish to be judged
for what Mariah and a few of the others did."
"I don't really want to return to the GELF colony," Tobias told them.
"We all have bad memories of that place. No matter how they fix it up it
was once our prison. I liked the freedom of movement working for Channing
Oil afforded. Maybe some other company..."
"It's not likely any other company would hire us all. Do you want to be
the only GELF on a ship?" Martin pointed out.
"Dagwood is the only GELF on seaQuest."
"Poor Dagwood grew up alone," Corrine said. "He isn't used to the company
of his own kind. It's all we knew. We depend on it. We need each other. But
there might be work here for all of us."
"Alexander is certainly happy here. I've barely seen him since he started
his mural," James laughed.
"None of us will see him till he's finished," Benjamin stated. "You know
the way he is with his art."
"We haven't seen much of Penelope either," Corrine giggled. "She and
Dagwood have become inseparable."
"We aren't here to gossip," Anna reminded them. "We're here to decide
what to do."
"Being under the water was unnerving at first," Rachel admitted. "But
once you get used to it, it is rather nice. If we stayed, perhaps we could
all further our studies at the University."
"I'm sure there would be that possibility," Anna agreed. "We should consult
Captain Hitchcock first, I believe, and get her advise."
"Captain Hitchcock has gone off in the Recovery to try and find
the Carlton," William informed them.
"We will speak with her the moment she returns," Anna assured them. "If
we are all in agreement." She looked around at her fellow GELFs. Each one
nodded. New Atlantis would be a good place to call home. The GELFs had never
had a real home of their own choosing before and a home sounded like a wonderful
thing to have. Especially to Lillian and Elijah, who were soon to be
parents.
"Are you lost yet?" Lonnie laughed.
"Completely," Ortiz admitted. "They should put up a map like in the
mall."
"Everything is a big circle," Tim told him. "We finally figured it out
yesterday."
"Tony didn't have any trouble," Lonnie reminded him.
"Well, he just naturally goes in circles. It was nothing new for him.
Besides he has some kind of a thing for shopping," Tim said.
"I think it was the shop girls he had a thing for, Tim."
"That sounds more like it," Ortiz sighed.
"Are you alright? We can rest if you're tired." Lonnie was concerned.
"No, I want to see this Atlantis shop you were telling me about. If you
can find it, that is," he teased.
"It's right down here," Lonnie assured him.
Inside the shop Lonnie pulled Tim aside as Ortiz wandered away intrigued
by the contents of the shop. "He's putting on a brave front but he's not
alright," she told Tim.
"Hey, he told us what happened over lunch. It was kinda rough, don't you
think?"
"Yes and he's not dealing with it at all. He's suppressing it. That's
not good," she worried.
"What can we do to help?"
"Just be there for him I guess. He's always there to cheer us up," she
reminded Tim.
Tim had known Miguel quite a while. He'd never seen him bummed out by
anything. He was the most upbeat guy on Earth. Lonnie was right, though,
there was a shadow over his friend he'd never seen before. Lonnie and Miguel
were both touchy feelie kind of people. He, himself, was naturally more reserved.
Another time he might be jealous of all the attention she was paying to him.
But he could tell Miguel really needed it. He wished there was something
he could do to reach the old Miguel and bring him out. Of course, he reasoned,
Miguel had been injured. Physically he probably wasn't feeling completely
well but it was something more than that. Something deeper and darker that
his friend could not laugh off. Tim wanted to help him but he didn't know
how.
Miguel wandered around the shop. He'd always been fascinated by the stories
of Atlantis. His grandfather had told him many. When he was older he'd read
everything he could get his hands on about the subject. He'd never doubted
there was an Atlantis. He'd even fantasized about having lived there in another
lifetime. Then he'd put that helmet on and he'd learned the one truth about
Atlantis he had not wanted to know. He did remember Atlantis. He had
been there. But he was not some brilliant scientist or wealthy trader.
He had been a slave. Atlantians had come to his island and stolen him. In
his fury, he took that sword and went to lash out at everything he could
see. Once he saw Atlantis as it truly was he wanted no part of it. He'd never
told anybody this. People tended to expect him to be the clown. It was a
role he'd grown comfortable with but there was more to him than that. His
eyes fell upon a replica of a helmet. It looked authentic but it was way
too small. Atlantians were gigantic, imposing people. They weren't all good
either. They were brought down from within. No one else in the world could
defeat them but, in the end, they defeated themselves. Their world came crashing
down around them.
He suddenly felt a sense of dread. He tried to put it out of his mind.
He'd been doing the Texas Two Step with death these last few days. He didn't
like it at all. He'd always been fairly lucky. His grandmother had always
said he kept his guardian angel on his toes.
Was his luck
running out? Had his guardian angel finally thrown up his hands in disgust?
He wasn't sure if luck and guardian angels were real but he knew his family
was. They'd straighten him out. They always had. He tried to concentrate
on thoughts of home but the feeling of dread was getting stronger. He suddenly
felt cold and claustrophobic. He wondered if he was having some kind of anxiety
attack. He'd never had one before but he felt a sense of panic. His throat
was dry and his palms were sweaty. He wanted to run but his legs felt stiff
and his body felt heavy. His movements were slow as if he moved through water.
Lonnie touched his arm. He almost cried out.
"You're shivering. Are you cold?" She looked at him with deep concern.
"Must be the air conditioning," he heard himself lie. He felt very
distant.
"There's a coffee shop back there. How about something warm to drink?"
Tim suggested
"No coffee!" He tried to smile but then had to become more serious. "I
think I'm wired enough," he finally admitted. His hands were starting to
shake.
"Let's just go sit down out here then," Lonnie suggested warmly, taking
his hands in hers. "It's brighter and nicer."
He just nodded and they left the shop. He was beginning to feel a little
embarrassed. There were some benches in a small area with trees and a fountain.
He let them take him there and sit him down.
"It would be better if you talk about how you're feeling," Lonnie said
softly. "It's not good to keep things like this in. It's perfectly alright
to feel scared. After what you've been through it would be unnatural not
to." Lonnie knelt in front of him. She still had both his hands in hers.
"I'm not scared about that," he admitted quietly.
Tim sat down next to him. He tentatively put his arm around his shoulder.
"It's over, Miguel. You're safe now," he said encouragingly.
"What if it's not over?" He hadn't meant to yell it. His friends were
trying to be nice but they just didn't understand. "I don't feel like it
is. I feel like the worst is yet to come. Something is going to happen. Something
really bad." He closed his eyes and told himself to shut up. There was no
need of upsetting people.
Lonnie sat on the other side of him and hugged him. "I understand why
you feel that way," she told him. "That's what has been happening to you.
But things will start working out now. You'll go home tomorrow. You'll have
30 days to rest and get your health back. All your female relatives will
spoil you rotten," she promised. "There'll be no living with you when you
get back."
He had to smile. He knew she was right about the fuss that his family
would make over him. Maybe she was right about everything. He fought his
feelings of dread down a little but he couldn't shake them altogether.
Krieg and Tyler were walking by at a discrete distance.
"Do you think they need any help," she asked.
"No, they look like they are doing alright," Kreig told her. "The kid's
got to work through it."
"It must have been awful -- having some madman with a knife at your throat."
Tyler shuddered involuntarily. "He's gonna need some TLC."
"I think he could use a place where there's bright lights, music, dancing,
girls. That's what he needs to get his mind off this whole ordeal."
"Is there such a place in New Atlantis?"
"Not yet. But there will be. That's what I wanted to show you. Come on."
The inner ring was only about half finished. She became a little suspicious
as he led her past the barricades and into a section of the ring where things
were boarded up. It still looked like a construction site here. "There will
be more shops here and services you know things people need to get by.
Entertainment mainly. Entertainment is very important. The scientists up
in the hub don't necessarily see that but I do."
They came to an area that was not boarded up. She stared at what looked
like a replica of a submarine from the end of the 19th century. "What is
it?" she asked.
He turned a large flywheel and pulled the huge vault like door open with
a groan. He waved his hand with a flourish indicating she should enter. He
followed close behind. "This," he said proudly, "is the Nautilus. Hottest
nightspot in all of New Atlantis. Or it will be when it's finished."
She looked around in wonder. From the Victorian furnishings to the brass
fittings no detail had been left out. She felt like she stepped into the
past. It took her breath away. "My God, Ben. I expect to run into Captain
Nemo."
"Why, my dear," Ben donned an old fashioned black Captain's hat, "in here,
I am Captain Nemo."
She had to laugh.
"What do you think?"
"I love it! I've always loved Jules Verne."
"Me too. All the waiters and waitresses will be dressed like Nemo's crew.
Look. I've been working on the menu. All the meals will be named after
something." He handed her a legal pad.
She glanced down it. "The seaQuest Burger?"
"Yeah. When I was on the seaQuest I got such a hankering for a
hamburger. I don't know if it was just because I was surrounded by so much
ocean or what, but I figure other submariners or people stuck under the ocean
will feel the same way. It's not genuine cow, of course, but it will have
all the nuances right down to actual fake grease."
"This is your place?"
"Yeah. My dream I guess. My job here in acquisitions is really only temporary
but it paid a lot so I took it. Then when I got here some funny things happened.
For one thing, I was making money and had no place to spend it. It started
to pile up. A real first for me. All of a sudden I actually had a nest egg
- something I could do something with. I'd always wanted a place like this
and here under the ocean it - it just seemed like the right place for it.
New Atlantis kind of grows on you after a while. You'll see. At least, I
hope you'll stay and see. It may sound hokey but I could see that Kristin's
dream was coming true here so why not mine? I had to kind of fight tooth
and nail but I finally got them to give in and lease me space for this. They
are suspicious of me and my motives, I suppose. But it's not just for me.
I really think New Atlantis needs something like this. A place where people
can come, have a good time, forget their troubles for a while. Is that so
wrong? I can't think in terms of saving the Earth or cleaning up the Ocean.
I guess, I'm not that noble but temporary mood alteration -- that's
where I shine."
"Hey, without people like you all us crusaders would go crazy. That's
what we're doing what we do for, you know. It's easy to get caught up in
a cause and lose sight of what life's all about."
"I party for
the good of humanity." He held his head up high and they both laughed. They
sat in a red leather booth. "So tell me, how did you become a crusader?"
He produced a bottle of wine and two glasses.
"I can remember exactly." She accepted the glass of wine he offered. "I
was a little girl. We were vacationing on the Riviera someplace. You know,
white sand beaches, select few obscenely rich people, one of the tres chic
locations. I didn't know anything about all that. I was a kid. I wanted to
play in the surf. Well, the adults partied late there and Mother wasn't up
for the beach as early as I was. She told me to wait till a more reasonable
hour but being a kid I didn't. I slipped away from the nanny and went down
to the beach. But instead of the white sand and clean water I found an oil
slick. There'd been a major spill. I don't think it was one of my father's
ships that did it but it could just as easily have been. There was black
gook up past the high tide mark and as far out into the water as I could
see. It was slippery and smelly but I made myself walk through it and see
all the damage and imprint it on my mind. I knew something terrible had happened
here. I didn't know if the grown ups would be able to fix this very soon
and I was annoyed at having my fun interrupted by it. Then I came upon a
bird. I wasn't even sure what it was when I first saw something move. It
was covered with oil. It floundered and flopped around trying to escape.
I picked it up. I couldn't even feel its feathers it was so covered with
the stuff. I could feel its heartbeat, though and it was going like mad.
The bird had exhausted itself in its struggles. It didn't have any strength
left to fight me with. It just looked into my eyes. Like it was accusing
me. Like this was all somehow my fault. And then it died. I don't know how
long I stood there holding that dead bird. But I knew it was right. This
was my fault. All I'd been concerned with was my own fun and this bird had
been fighting just to live. I realized that my fun - my whole lifestyle was
what cost this bird and thousands of other creatures their lives. I promised
the spirit of the bird that I understood and I would devote my life to trying
to make it right. And I have." She was surprised to find that Ben Kreig,
the party animal, had tears in his eyes.
Lucas and CC were back in his quarters hard at work on the puzzle. CC
had put up a 3D wire frame picture of one of the Super tanker's super canisters.
They both stared at the screen as the model slowly spun around showing it
from various angles.
"If there wasn't oil in the canister what was it? What other liquid is
that valuable or could even be found in enough quantities to fill up those
canisters? They would have had to have been full to make the weight right,"
Lucas reasoned.
"Well, the port scales could have been doctored or port authorities bribed
to look the other way," CC pointed out.
"Yeah, but they weren't empty by any means. The tanker's displacement
would have been way off. It would have been riding too high in the
water. Katie would have noticed. I'm sure she's not in on this."
"Me too," CC agreed. "Nobody with eyes like that could ever be bad."
Lucas laughed. "That's sound scientific logic."
"You'll understand someday. When you're older."
"I understand now but, may I suggest you reverse the blood flow back to
your brain and we get back to the problem at hand."
"The giant roach eggs," CC sighed as he looked back up at the screen.
"Actually," Lucas began lazily, "these look more like ----Holy Shit!"
He suddenly got an idea. He dove into seaQuest's files and put up
an image of a delta sub. "---submarines," he finished quietly. He merged
the two images. The deltas fit nicely inside the canisters.
"Well, I'll be damned," CC cursed.
"Now we know where the renegade deltas were coming from," Lucas stated.
"Try to relax, Wendy," Josh said kindly. He handed her a cup of herbal
tea. Josh was not really a psychic himself. He was merely a sensitive. Although
he was very well informed on the subject, he could only stand on the outside
of that special world looking in. At times he envied the psychics their gift
but not at times like these. Wendy was one of the best at blocking unwanted
responses and properly channeling others but she was about on overload. She
looked exhausted and yet, he knew she wouldn't quit. He too, could sense
the danger. He could pick up vibrations but not thoughts. She was letting
thoughts flood her in hopes of picking up any useful information. He sat
quietly and waited. He couldn't help her with this.
Wendy took a sip of tea then she closed her eyes. She tried to clear her
mind of everything but first, she found, she had to try and organize her
thoughts a little. Lt. Shan had reported that Rupert Channing jr. was going
to attempt to blow New Atlantis up. The entire facility had been checked
for any sign of explosives. None had been found. At her suggestion, special
attention had been paid to the pylons. Again there was no sign of explosives
there. It seemed the threat would come from someplace outside New Atlantis.
But there were people here who were working under false credentials. Why
was that? Were they the ones that were responsible for all these "accidents"?
Many of the clues had been contradictory. For instance, loyal employees of
Rupert Channing suddenly seeming to be in league with his son to destroy
his dream. Why were the Channing Oil super tankers being sunk? It seemed
Rupert Channing jr. was responsible for that. If he wanted to save the company,
why target company vessels for destruction?
All that was in the past, she told herself. She had to concentrate on
the future. Clairvoyance was not her long suit but she had to try. She found
the idea of explosions upset her so much that she could not get past it.
They had found nothing but somehow she had a cold feeling in the pit of her
stomach when the word explosion was mentioned. There was a certain inevitability
about it, like nothing they could do would matter. She felt things were as
unstable as a house of cards and a fall was in the near future. There were
forces at work here she could not lay her finger on.
Suddenly she realized that, that was the case. That was why things did
not make sense. There was more than one force at work here. There were two
different things happening. She didn't know what they were but together they
would spell disaster for New Atlantis.
Tears were streaming down her cheeks when Josh shook her shoulder. "Did
you learn anything?" he asked gently. Surely Josh Levin was the most patient
man on Earth.
Suddenly Jamie burst into the lab, shattering the quiet. "Can you feel
it?" she screamed. Jamie was young and undisciplined. She could not yet control
her psychonics. She was pale and shaky.
"It's alright," Wendy took control for her. She put her hands on the girl's
shoulders completing the circuit ringing the girl's energy field with her
own and slowing the rush of feelings that were overtaking the girl. "Take
a deep breath. Get a handle on it," Wendy instructed. The girl obeyed and
she felt her calm.
"Can you feel it?" she finally asked Wendy in a calmer voice.
"Yes," Wendy told her.
"It's coming. What can we do?"
"We have to wait and see. Just like everyone else."
"What's coming?" Josh had to ask. His curiosity got the better of his
patience.
"Destruction," Jamie said without any emotion.
Kristin Westphalen was not sure why she didn't trust Rupert Channing.
She only knew she didn't. She and Nathan had decided to tell him as little
as possible. She kept that in mind as she showed him around.
"It's almost too much," he had said with surprising reverence.
"It's your dream," she said simply.
"It was your dream first. I just took it and ran with it."
"I thought you'd forgotten that over the years," she pointed out.
"I tried," he laughed. "But now that I really see it and see you here,
I can't deny it. It was your dream. You said it would work and it does."
"Well, it wouldn't have come about without your money." She was honest.
"There's a problem, though," he prompted. "Tyler and CC told me about
Rupert jr. I have to admit I never gave him that much credit. I thought of
him as a speedboat bum. When he seemed to be interested in the company. I
put him in shipping since he was so into boats. I figured he'd lose interest
after a while. But I guess he was more like me than I realized. The place
is secure, though? Your men didn't find any explosives."
"No, they didn't find anything."
"With the seaQuest sitting there I doubt he'll try anything, at
the moment. He may be ruthless but he's not stupid. In the mean time, let
me try to get a hold of him and talk some sense into him. You try to do right
by your kids but I guess I was just too busy. You turn around and they are
all grown up. Where the hell does the time go, Kristin?"
"I don't
know. My own daughter seemed to slip through my fingers, as well. One minute
it's pigtails and Barbie dolls the next it's outwitting Central American
Dictators," she laughed, remembering her daughter's successful attempt at
rescuing little boys from the death squads of a madman. "She became such
an ardent idealist. I don't know where she gets it. I've always been so
practical," Kristin mused.
Rupert laughed. "I don't think so, Mom. I don't think the apple fell far
from the tree, at all. I can remember a very idealist young girl fighting
to get her ideas heard. I remember hearing them. They may have been dismissed
by the graybeards at the time, but look around you. You were right. If it
weren't for the young idealists, where would we be?"
"Your daughter is the idealist YOU once were," she told him.
"How does time play such rotten tricks on us? We think we have all the
time in the world. We rush headlong into life so sure we are doing the right
thing. Then, all of a sudden, we look around and make a shocking discovery.
Our kids have grown up while we were too busy to notice. And one way or another,
we are responsible for what they became. Only you don't realize that until
it's too late."
Bridger had joined them in the lobby of the hub. He had heard the last
part of the conversation and it had really hit home. He'd been too busy with
his career to pay proper attention to his son Robert and his wife Carol.
Now they were both gone and it was too late to change anything. Why did wisdom
like this have to be so hard won and so long in coming? The three of them
stood for a moment pondering the real truth to the statement that you don't
inherit the Earth from your parents but borrow it from your children. They
leaned on the railing and looked out into the ocean. The future was there.
Their future and that of all successive generations. It was up to them not
to screw it up, if they hadn't already done so. They were all old enough
to know you couldn't grasp the world and bend it to your will, as they thought
in their youth. All you could do was hold on tight when the world grasped
you and hope its will and your own were on the right course.
Dagwood sat in a darkened movie theater. Penelope sat next to him. They
shared a giant box of popcorn. He could usually eat this much all by himself,
but he didn't feel as hungry when he was with her. He told himself he was
on a real date. Just like Lucas and Tony and Miguel go on. It felt a little
strange but Lucas had said this was cool. He didn't feel cool. He felt kind
of warm and nervous. He looked at her and she smiled. That made him feel
even more nervous but he liked it. He liked her. The way she looked. The
way she smelled. He smiled back at her. He glanced back up at the screen.
The people on the screen were kissing. He never cared for that much but suddenly
it seemed like such a good idea he leaned over and kissed her. She kissed
him back. Tony had said the earth would shake when that happened. He was
right! The whole place seemed to rise up. He did feel the Earth shake!
Suddenly things fell down from the ceiling. She stopped kissing him and
looked around. "Dagwood!" she gasped. "What's wrong?"
"Isn't this supposed to happen?"
"No."
They both heard and felt the ground rumble. It heaved up again and the
movie screen went dark. There was no light anywhere. The ground really shook.
The shaking seemed to last for hours but it was merely seconds.
"I'm scared, Dagwood," she whispered.
"I'll take care of you," he promised. He just didn't know how at the moment.
Something was really wrong. Then they heard the sound of a siren. He'd heard
sounds like this on the seaQuest and it meant BIG trouble!
To be continued......
Screen captures courtesy Patt. Be sure to check out her great website seaQuest screen captures & sound files