NEVER THOUGHT IT COULD BE YOU
Disclaimer: I do not own SeaQuest or it's characters. I'm just borrowing them for fun.
Every person on the colony's science team was soaked to the bone, as they trudged their way through what was left of excavation site, breathing through their mouths and simulateously spitting out water that ran over their faces.
Nathan Bridger hadn't been down here long, but the panic was already starting to get to him.
Doctor Carroson still looked good for her age in her late forties, "Nathan!" she yelled to him through the roaring noise that surrounded them in the rocky tunnel, "Half the team are down below trying to hold up the roof to stop the water from cascading!"
Nathan shook his head urgently, "No, the research isnt worth it! Get them out of there!"
"Most of them want to stay!" she shrugged.
Nathan stopped as he got closer to her and wiped a hand across his face to ease the amount of water pouring down it, "We need to focus on stabilising this area first. If this part collapses that could cause peril to people living in the nearby colony. Hundreds of lives could be lost."
She shook her head again, "Parts of the colony's east have already been hit. We already have people injured or dying."
Nathan looked at her horrified, "Damn," he swore.
"We have the SeaQuest sitting right above us," she said, "They've already sent a team down but even some of them have been caught up in the disaster."
Nathan nodded, realising the situation, "Get me down to the colony - where the damage is. Then I want to contact Captain Hudson."
She nodded and the two of them trudged their way out of the tunnel.
"The damage that was done hasn't spread too far. We've blocked off the most badly damaged areas and everywhere else seems to be holding."
Nathan nodded, as they entered a hallway which lead to an indoor arena, "Good."
He surveyed the damage to the walls of the colony up above him. There were mild cracks in the ceiling but nothing severe enough that would let the water in.
"Excuse me!" Nathan called out to a man dressed in SeaQuest's blue jumpsuit in a black combat helmet, "Can I speak to whoever's in charge of you're team please?"
The man shook his head, "Leuitenant Reithmuller is leading our squad but he's in helping the injured. There in the part of the colony that was most severly affected by the eroding debri." The officer pointed Bridger in the direction.
"We'll need to check it out," Bridger said, but the man stopped him.
"Sorry, only authorised medical personal can go in there. We have a lot of serious injuries."
"Well, that's okay, we can help," Bridger was miffed that he wouldnt let him by.
Doctor Carroson had already barged her way around towards the doorway and presenting herself as a doctor. The man shook his head at Bridger, "Well how come they let her through?"
"She's a doctor."
"She's a doctor of marine biology!"
The officer gave up and shrugged his shoulders, "Whatever."
Nathan made his way to over the doorway and was greeted with more personell from the SeaQuest, wearing the regulation combat helmets, one of whom recognised him, "Captain Bridger!"
"That's ex-Captain Bridger," Bridger corrected, "This damage has been caused by a problem which I should have known about. I'm in charge of this project. Would you let me through?"
The officer who had greeted him shook his head hesitantly, "I don't think that's a good idea, sir."
"Why not?" Bridger was becoming increasingly frustrated.
The other officer butted in, "You may recognise some people who are injured. It's best you stay outside and resume your normal activities."
Bridger looked at the man incredulously, "These are my normal duties, and I can't see it's a problem me recognising anyone."
"Nathan!" Doctor Carroson called out to him from the beyond the blockade.
Bridger gave one last look at them before they stepped aside and he pushed his way over to his work partner.
Doctor Carroson was looking up at the ceiling, "It looks like it's been bordered off okay. At least we'll have a bit of warning before it collapses on us."
Nathan looked around at the sea of bodies on stretchers and blood that marked the floor and walls, "What happened here?"
She shrugged, "Rock hit the weaker parts of the walls, panelling exploded, and the room started to fall apart. Lucky we had some proffessionals in here, and someone thought to pump water through the walls so that the pressure originally pushing on the our walls is actually serving to hold the place up."
Bridger lifted his eyebrows, impressed, relief now that things werent so bad making his awareness of his damp clothes increase, "Yees, that was lucky. Were are these people now?"
"The specific person you want to see is trapped under metal and rocks," she told him, "Over there," she pointed, "We've got most of it off but he's still impaled through the midsection with metal coil."
Nathan looked over where activity of medical officers appeared to be busiest. Carroson grabbed his arm as he went to make off.
Carroson sighed again, "There's the other thing you should know."
"What's that?"
"They said he was the officer in charge of the science team," Bridger knew before she told him, "Ensign Wolenczak."
Carroson watched the shock soak through Bridger's features, "Lucas," he whispered.
She let his arm go as he made off towards the more severe debri. Walking swiftly but carefully towards the fallen figure.
She had recognised the boys name as soon as she'd heard it. Nathan spoke about him a lot. From what he said it sounded to her that he had a lot of respect and love for him, but for some reason never had the urge to say it out loud.
It hadn't yet been a month since Nathan had last seen Lucas, and they hadn't parted on the best of terms. But all that was set aside for now and Bridger felt the stab in his stomach intensify as he saw his precious friend on the ground.
Lucas was paler than he had ever seen him, his lips the same colour as the rest of his face. Dark blonde hair looked almost brown as it was smoothed back from sweat and seawater. His deep blue eyes looked up at the ceiling.
From where Nathan was standing he could only see the top half of him, his legs were hidden by massive rock and debri which looked like they were crushing his lower half.
He was at his side in an instant, "Lucas!" He could barely breath.
He felt arms around his shoulders, "Excuse me, sir. You going to have to back off."
He turned around to the medical officer, "No, he's.. Let me stay," he turned to face the doctor who immediately softened at the devasted look on his face, "Please."
The man sighed, "Alright, here is okay but don't crowd the workers."
Nathan nodded and looked down at Lucas, "How bad is he?"
"Captain," Lucas gasped out the word as though he was still sixteen.
Bridger grabbed his limp hand and squeezed it hard, taking it in both his own, "I'm right here, kiddo. I'm right here."
"He's uh.. been impaled with debri, but ah.. four peices of metal coil through his midsection are holding up cement. We have to work out how to get it out of him without this massive rock collapsing on top of him."
Nathan looked at Lucas' stomach. The metal wiring each about the diameter of a pencil were bent and twisted. They jutted out of Lucas like macarb tubing from an old horror movie.
"Oh God," he leaned foward and squeezed Lucas' hand tighter, trying not to be sick. He focused on following the metal upward to where it was cemented into the rock. With relief he saw that Lucas' lower body wasnt actually crushed under the cement as it was being held up by the other debri near his legs and the wiring that had unforntuately impaled the teenager.
Bridger nodded, "Can't you get a prop to hold up the cement while you get him out."
The doctor nodded, "We need something strong enough, and then we need to work out how to cut the metal so we can move him without killing him."
"How will cutting the metal kill him?" Bridger asked weakly.
"Well sir he's hurt badly enough as it is, any more pain and he'll go into shock, which could very well be fatal," the doctor told him gently.
Bridger nodded and turned to look at Lucas, "I'm going to be okay, Captain," the boy gasped weakly.
Bridger was suprised at how strong his voice was. Lucas squeezed his hand back as he gritted his teeth, and Bridger felt tears well in his eyes.
Lucas really looked like he could die like this, and the thought hurt Bridger more than anything had in a long time. Lucas, who had been his strength so many times, who had such a strong future, was suffering and hurt badly enough that doctors were fearing for his life.
Bridger felt a tear trickle down his face. He had never even considered that Lucas might be hurt like this. Subconsciously, he knew, he had worried about it. He worried about Lucas' happiness and his future. That's why he was so hard on him, and so upset when he discovered the career choice that involved the navy.
"It was your idea to change the direction of the water pressure to stop the walls from caving in," Bridger realised.
Lucas opened his mouth to speak but gasped instead. He breathed out slowly before he answered, "It seems it worked."
"Yeah," Bridger nodded, "It seems it did."
Bridger watched the young man as he pursed his lips and closed his eyes again. He noticed the teenager's right foot kicking out slightly in his body's weak attempt to writhe in pain. He felt the urge to comfort him and touched his face gently.
"You do good work, Lucas."
A few tears leaked out from Lucas' eyelids, "It hurts, it hurts so bad," he looked at Bridger, "I'm so scared, Captain."
"Don't be scared, you're going to be fine." It was all Bridger could do to keep from bursting into tears himself. He adjusted his grip on Lucas soft, cold and clammy hands and felt his heart beating fast.
"I'm so sorry for everything that has happened between us. I was mad at you for leaving," Lucas blurted out hurriedly.
Bridger closed his eyes and gripped Lucas' shoulder tightly before going back to stroking his face gently, "Shh, don't be sorry. It's not your fault, it's mine."
Lucas shook his head at him but Bridger insisted, "No no, it's mine. Don't think about that now. We have plenty of time to discuss it, okay."
"Captain what if we don't?" Lucas asked his voice rough with exhaustion and pain.
"We do," Bridger insisted looking at him severly, "You'll be fine. Don't be silly."
"I love you," Lucas whispered as he passed out.
Bridger grabbed onto Lucas limp hand as they boy lost his own grip, and let his head fall over Lucas' body.
He let several tears fall over his injured friend, "I love you too, Lucas."