SEED OF DOUBT

By Jules

Author Notes: This idea was one that came to me recently when I was trying to think of a way of bringing back the character Marilyn Stark from the 1st Season. The idea of having her again as the villain appealed to me greatly, but I wanted her revenge focused on a more personal level than just being about losing her

Captaincy of the SeaQuest. Of course there was only one avenue I could travel down, where she intends to drive a large wedge between the two people that mean so much to each other.

The first chapter or two may be a littler darker in terms of the father/son relationship between Bridger and Lucas and it will be tested. I don't usually have Lucas calling Bridger Dad a whole lot in my stories, but it does appear on a few occasions in this story.

a seed is planted…………….

The SeaQuest was due arrive home in the next twenty four hours. Normally this time saw the vessel a hive of activity with bags being packed, but this morning most of the senior crew had gathered just inside the Ward Room on C Deck.

Kristin Westphalen was also present and together they were listening to a very unusual event aboard; a heated argument taking place in the Captain's quarters between Nathan Bridger and Lucas Wolenczak.

The younger of the two adversary's could now be heard, "I can't believe you are being so hard-headed about this," Lucas shouted.

The Captain ran a hand down his tired face, trying to keep his temper, but he had been trying to get the teenager to listen to reason for the past 40 minutes since their disagreement began.

"I am not being hard-headed, Lucas,"

"Yes you are."

"No I am not, and I don't know why we are still having this conversation."

"We are having this conversation because you keep treating me like a three year old," Lucas accused. The teenager's frustrations clearly showing and he was pacing back and forth in front of the Holo-projector.

"You are not treated like a little kid, but you sure are acting like one at the moment."

Lucas flinched slightly at the remark, "But what's wrong with wanting to take one out by myself!" he demanded. "Do know how many times I have been off here in the last 3 months without somebody holding my hand?"

"I told you when you first came in here that I don't think that is such a good idea. We are only a day or so away from Pearl. Once we arrive there, I will ask Tim and arrange for him to give you some more instruction."

"I don't need more instructions, Dad. What I want is to have the same privileges as everybody else on this crate"

"And you can have them, just as soon as I am satisfied that you are capable enough to handle the launch on your own."

Bridger now used his PAL Communicator, "Commander Ford."

"Aye Sir," Jonathan responded to the Captain's hail.

Nathan looked intently at the teenager as he spoke, making sure that Lucas heard his next statement, "Commander I am giving you specific instructions that Lucas is not to be allowed unaccompanied in any SeaQuest launch without my knowledge and consent."

"Understood, Captain," Ford responded. Due to his position he was obliged to carry out the man's orders.

"God Damn it," Lucas shouted angrily, "Most kids my age have already had their driver's license for a year or two by now."

"There is a bit of difference between driving a car and operating a launch, Lucas."

"No, there is not," Lucas said, his voice now calmer, but the disappointment written all over his face. "The only difference here is that you don't trust me."

With that statement, Lucas sharply turned away from the Captain, slamming the hatch door behind him with a considerable amount of force.

The crew members in the Ward Room were looking at each other with shock. They could see both sides of the argument, Lucas had come to the Captain wanting to have permission to take a launch upworld on his own.

Bridger wasn't too keen on the idea at all, and wanted to keep the teenager safe. Lucas felt constricted by the Captain's explanation of the rules and declared that he was being treated unfairly.

Lucas stomped his way back to his cabin, unaware of the pair of eyes that watched him storm out of the Captain's quarters.

Kristin knocked briefly on Nathan's quarters, and slowly opened the door. Bridger looked up as she entered.

"Where did I go wrong on that one?" he asked, finding the whole situation unnerving.

Since Lucas had become his adopted son, their relationship had been such a close one that any idea of a confrontation hadn't crossed his mind. Until today. Bridger had tried so hard not to display such emotions in front of the young man due to his troubled past with his own parents.

The teenager was usually very reserved and gentle natured, but half an hour ago, had gone off the deep end about not being allowed to pilot a launch on his own.

Bridger could understand the teenager's desire for independence. It had taken him so long to get the boy to come to him and talk comfortably about his feelings and troubles. But the parent in him also wanted to prevent him from getting hurt. He had done such a lousy job with Robert, and was adamant that he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

Kristin tried to find the right words to say, "At this age, sometimes they don't think rationally and want to do things on their own."

"He wants to prove himself, but I am not about to let him do that by crashing a launch."

"Give him some time. He is just angry. He will cool down and then you can talk together more calmly," Kristin suggested, putting her hand on his shoulder, gently trying to massage the tension that she found.

"You think I did the wrong thing by telling him no?"

"I think you gave the right reasons, but perhaps for Lucas it is difficult for him to understand that we make these decisions in his best interests."

"Let's hope you are right," Bridger said, giving her a gentle kiss. He knew she understood better than anybody, the fragile nature of his relationship with Lucas.

"I am going to the Bridge for a while, perhaps taking my mind off it will make it go away."

"Give him some space for a couple of hours, everything will work out," she tried to assure him.

The crew in the Ward Room dispersed back to their duties, silently hoping that a compromise would be reached. Most of them were aware of how close the two were and needed each other.

Ben Krieg had approached Kristin in Med Bay a short time later, worried about Lucas and asking if he should try and talk to him instead of the Captain. But Westphalen convinced him that it wasn't necessary and that she hoped Nathan and the boy would find peace with each other soon.

Lucas had gone back to his room, and had considered the idea of just going to sleep and shutting out the world for a while. After a few moments, he soon realised that this wasn't going to happen. He was still feeling angry and hurt and needed to get away from everyone.

Without being able to use a launch he changed into a wet suit and grabbed a towel, heading towards the Moon Pool. Thankfully there was nobody else about and he slipped into the cooling water, hoping to clear his mind and relax.

At first he used the Aqua tubes to swim around the SeaQuest, enjoying the calming effect that it was hoping. Darwin soon appeared, appearing to sense the sullen mood of his young friend. Lucas finally decided to go a little further, grabbing a small scuba tank and following the mammal out through the sea doors and into the open sea.

Ensign Cooper surveyed the launch bay area, ensuring that it was deserted, and allowed him access without being noticed.

A short time ago, he had been in his cabin, receiving a secured message from the mainland. He had responded that he understood his instructions and would put the next part of his plan into effect.

His employer was specific and wanted him to frame the boy at doing something wrong, but hadn't said what form the deception should take.

Stage 1 had taken place quite by accident, as he secretly overheard the argument between the Captain and the teenager. The whole argument had been recorded by a silent microphone that he had placed when Bridger had been out of the room. His employer wanted proof and evidence for the substantial payment that he was being given.

Upon hearing the topic of the argument being about a launch, Cooper thought it presented the perfect opportunity and why he found himself hiding near the launch bay now. He had snuck into the laundry and stolen one of the teenager's baseball shirts.

Climbing down inside, he placed the shirt in plain sight and left without being seen. He quickly used the control station to set one of the launches on auto-pilot. It would take more than a few minutes for the breach the security measures to register on the Bridge.

For thirty minutes, Lucas swam with Darwin in the ocean, making sure to stick close to the SeaQuest. He had done this on a number of occasions and found it relaxing and invigorating.

Out here he could forget about everything and just swim, watch nature at its best and have fun with Darwin. The dolphin would stay by his side, not judging, not demanding that he do anything or telling him that he couldn't do anything. His friendship was unconditional.

As the water began to calm his temper and anger, Lucas thought more about the argument that he had with the Captain. He knew that Bridger's reasons for not wanting him to go out in a launch on his own. The man was worried that he would get hurt.

A little thought from the teenager and he began to understand why the Captain had been so tough on him. Maybe it was time to go in and apologize for shouting at him. If his dad was so worried, perhaps he could convince Bridger to teach him instead of O'Neill. That way they could spend some more time together, and he could show how capable he was.

With that thought, Lucas began to make his way back to the SeaQuest. He reached the Moon Pool, grabbed the towel and started drying himself off. He would change clothes and dry his hair and then go and find the Captain and apologize.

During the same half an hour that Lucas was outside with Darwin, Nathan was on the Bridge. He had tried to block out the argument but found his thoughts going back to what the teenager had said and seeing the look of his appointment.

Maybe the way around the problem was to spend some more quality time with Lucas rather than restricting him. He could teach the teenager how to operate the launch correctly.

His train of thought was interrupted by an alarm being sounded nearby. Commander Ford approaching him with a serious look on his face.

"Captain, Sir, we have a security breach."

"What sort of breach, Commander?"

Ford tried to choose his words as carefully as possible, "In the launch bay, Captain."

"Launch Bay?" Bridger said, noting Ford's uncomfortable look, but not grasping what it meant entirely.

Chief Crocker spoke in to the microphone, "Launch MR-5, you have no authorisation to leave SeaQuest. Return to the docking bay area immediately," he ordered trying to contact the unidentified party.

The security officer tried a second and third time to contact the pilot, without success.

"I am sorry, Cap, but whoever is in there doesn't want to talk," Crocker informed him.

"You don't think……..," Bridger started to say, the sentence left unfinished, but Commander Ford pre-empting what he was about to say.

"Surely he wouldn't have, Captain," Ford tried to say in Lucas's defence.

"The launch is returning," Crocker announced, watching the progress of the transport on the screen in front of him.

Nathan quickly left the Bridge with Ford quickly following behind him.

Once the launch was secure, Ford volunteered to check on the unknown pilot. Perhaps they were just jumping to conclusions. There were been a dozen people who could have been in the launch. Though he couldn't explain why it had departed SeaQuest, travelled a short distance and returned after Crocker tried to radio the pilot.

Bridger stood by, his face an iron mask at present, refusing to believe the thoughts that plagued him.

Kristin had been travelling from the Science Department on her way to the Moon Pool, when she saw the men standing in the launch area. Crocker had whispered to her about the security breach and about not being able to contact the pilot.

Kristin could only watch the mixed emotions stain Nathan's face, she too trying to convince herself that Lucas wouldn't have done something so stupid.

Ford had now emerged from the launch, "It's completely empty, Captain. The controls were set on auto-pilot, and there is no sign of damage."

But it wasn't the words Ford spoke that held Bridger's attention, but rather what was being held in his hand as he climbed back up the ladder.

Ford knew there was no other way than to show what he had found, "I found this in the cockpit."

Lucas had changed clothes and taken a shower after his swim with Darwin and was just about to sit down at his computer in his cabin, when the door burst open.

Standing before him was his dad, Doctor Westphalen and Commander Ford.

At first he was about to say something about nobody knocking, but the expression on the Captain's face made him forget what the words.

"I want an explanation, Lucas," Bridger said his voice devoid of any emotion.

"About what?" Lucas retorted too casually.

"Don't play games, Lucas. I want the truth."

Lucas found his temper quickly returning from earlier, "I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about."

Bridger tried to catch the youth out with his own words about trying to take the launch, "You were outside weren't you?"

"Yeah, so!" Lucas shot back, thinking that the Captain was talking about his swim with Darwin.

"Is that all you have to say for yourself?" Bridger demanded.

"I went for a swim, is that a crime now too."

"Don't lie to me, Lucas. You took a launch."

"Took a launch……….?" the boy's face changing slightly from angered to confused.

"After I specifically told you not to."

"I didn't take any launch. I heard what you told Ford."

"This was found on the launch," Bridger said, tossing the t-shirt at the teenager.

Lucas didn't attempt to catch it, but watched it fall to the floor. "That's my shirt."

"How do you explain it being found on the stolen launch, Lucas?"

"I have no idea how it got there."

"I do……. you deliberately disobeyed me, and I very disappointed in you, Lucas."

"I didn't take any launch," Lucas declared hotly, unable to control the hurt at being accused.

Bridger's shoulders slumped a little, finding it difficult at having to be tough on the boy, "I thought we had a good understanding between us, Lucas."

"As of this moment you are confined to quarters until we reach home. You are not to leave this room under any circumstances. Your meals will be brought to you, and you have lost your computer rights."

"You wanted to be treated like any other crew member, Lucas. When we reach port, then I will decide what other disciplinary action needs to be taken," Bridger finished, preparing to leave the room.

Lucas watched as the door was closed, leaving him alone in his room. He laid down on his bed, the words of distrust echoing in his mind. He was tracing his finger along the wall of the Aqua tube, unable to stop the hurt he was feeling inside.

"I didn't anything wrong," he whispered, a single tear rolling down his face.

to be continued…………………..

Author Notes: Will be updating soon. Thoroughly enjoying writing at the moment, so the ideas are flowing. Hope you enjoyed this little snippet ……..a bit more to come yet in the next chapter as the deception continues and the relationship begins to strain to breaking point.

This whole story came about because I had the argument between Lucas and Bridger about piloting a launch on his own running through my head – I just had to find the rest of the story to match up with it.

Bridger sounds a little out of character to how I usually write him, but that should change soon enough.