the persistence of memory

Disclaimer: I do not own SeaQuest or it's characters. I'm just borrowing them for fun.

His clothes, soaked, hung off him. His long wet hair, fell over is face as his made his way into the large room. Audible, incredulous gasps resounded through the hall, “It’s Lucas Wolenczak.”

The wet, haggard figure continued to stagger forwards, leaning on each chair to keep himself up, occasionally glancing up with exhausted, intense, almost angry blue eyes to glare at the people whispering.

Shaking more and more as he came closer to the Secretary-General, his legs finally gave underneath him and he collapsed to the ground, face down. He stayed there, shivering on the floor as the Secretary-General, wide mouthed, slowly walked down towards him, stopping to stare at the figure on the floor.

McGath continued to watch the young man lie on the floor, face down, slowly processing the implications of what he saw before him. If Lucas Wolenczak was no longer missing, the key to the SeaQuest’s disappearance had to be just around the corner. He looked up at his current foe, President Alexander Bourne of Macronesia, who was looking down at the intruder and clearly coming to the same realisations.

The Secretary-General felt arms around his, pulling him away from the young man and voices calling out for people to take action. Several armed officers approached Wolenczak with caution. Three of them kneeling down beside him with their weapons at the ready, one placed a knee on his chest as they turned him over and cuffed his hands in front of him. The boy’s eyes were slits, he was conscious but barely. His head slowly rolled from side to side. He was clearly too weak to be a threat at this point in time, but he had breached a secure area and had been staggering towards the Secretary-General – the most important man in the UEO.

The picked him up quickly and placed him on a stretcher, keen to get him out of there.

“Where are they taking him?” McGath asked his head of security.

“UEO custody,” the Admiral told him, “He’s clearly a UEO citizen and this is UEO territory.”

McGath nodded quickly and turned back his advisors, “I’m just going to make a quick announcement here and then I’m calling an emergency meeting. Get me Captain Hudson.”

The Secretary-General didn’t wait for them to answer but took his place at the microphone where he’d been sitting and waited a few moments until he had the room’s attention.

Alexander Bourne was still standing from rising to address the confederations earlier and looked very unamused as he reluctantly sat down so that McGath could speak.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” McGath addressed the Confederation’s leaders, “Clearly we have a situation to deal with. If you could carry on without us.”

~

Lucas opened his eyes slowly, still feeling tired and groggy, although his initial crippling exhaustion had worn away. He sat up slowly, realising that he was lying on a bed in a cell. His clothes were gone and he was now wearing an orange prison jumpsuit.

He tugged at it with two fingers as he sat up fully on the edge of the bed, quickly forgetting his clothes, realising that he had more important issues on his mind.

He vaguely remembered struggling against some people on his way here, but his memory was foggy. He fingered his hair, realising that he was no longer soaking wet, but still damp. Clearly he had just been left to dry off.

He looked up as he heard a low clicking noise and his door opened; a UEO soldier stood in front of him. Lucas recognised the uniform, but there was something.. off.. something.. different about it, about everything.

“Lucas Wolenczak,” the man spoke as two bulky security guards took their place behind him, “You are to be taken in for a de-briefing.”

Lucas stood up from the bed, cautiously and faced the door, “Where am I?”

“The Ballard Institute. It hasn’t changed much in the last ten years,” he held out his hand, “Let’s go, son.”

Lucas frowned as he walked towards them, “The last ten years..?”

It was more of a comment to himself that a direct question and it was taken that way. Nothing was said as one of the guards grabbed his arm to stop Lucas from straying. They led him into a room with a very very long table. They took Lucas all the way to the end and sat him there.

“So,” the officer asked him, “Can you tell us how you arrived here today?”

Lucas looked down, thinking. He’d recovered from his exhaustion but he was suddenly very tired. He knew he looked a mess. His hair was still damp and stringy, his face was sunburned, his expression exhausted.

“I.. I don’t remember,” Lucas whispered.

“How about the last thing you remember?” The man leaned towards him.

“The last..?” Lucas furrowed his eyebrows.

The man nodded.

Lucas shook his head, “SeaQuest.. was..,” He looked up, realising, “What’s going on? What’s happening?”

“That’s what I’m asking you,” the officer told him patiently.

Lucas swallowed, trying to ignore tears of frustration, “I don’t remember.”

“You don’t remember? Okay.. how about telling us what you *do* remember?”

Lucas put his hand up to his face, even his hands were sore. He rubbed his eyes and forehead. He brought his hands back down roughly, hitting the table, “I don’t remember, okay?” he snapped forcefully, his voice cracking.

The officer stood back and nodded. Turning his back on Lucas and walking to the end of the long table, before leaving through the door without a glance back.

Lucas slumped down in the big chair, frustrated, angry, upset, and a little scared.

He stayed like that, staring ahead for the next several minutes. He didn’t flinch when the door opened again and in walked a middle aged man with a largely receding hairline, dressed in a military officer’s uniform.

“Mr Wolenczak,” the man greeted him unkindly, “My name is Captain Hudson,” he placed a gun down on the table in front of Lucas. Lucas reacted slightly, wondering what the hell that meant, “and I need answers,” the man told him, all business.

So, Lucas realised mildly but unpleasantly surprised, they weren't going to try to help him. All they wanted was something for themselves. What kind of world was this?

“What am I doing here?” Lucas asked him sadly, “Why am I being held?”

~End Missing Scene