VULNERABLE MIND
Disclaimers apply
CHAPTER FOUR: ‘Acceptance’
The SeaQuest Bridge carried on its usual activity. Many of the crew who were close to Lucas sought refuge there, as it was a place to bury their concerns.
Tony Piccolo was just about to begin his afternoon shift. He liked to pretend that Lucas didn’t work the same shifts as him anymore, and he would see him when he got back to their room. It was becoming increasingly difficult to do, since Lucas had disappeared over a week ago.
It was about to get even more difficult. Today SeaQuest was due to leave the island from which Lucas was taken. The UEO would continue to conduct the investigation and some personnel would be staying there, but the island had been swept clean. If the teenager was alive, he was not on the island.
But Tony knew that he was definitely alive. He had discovered his psychic ability before Hyperion when Clay Marshall had boarded the SeaQuest. Lately he dreamed of Lucas, and he knew his friend was alive. Apart from that all he knew was that Lucas was inside a small brick room.
Forcing his mind onto the task at hand, Tony gave Dagwood a pat on the back as he walked up to his station.
Suddenly, Tony felt his stomach contract violently. He gave a short cry and doubled over.
“Tony!” Commander Ford rushed over to him.
Tony sank down to his knees, “Tony?” Commander Ford wrapped his arms around the younger man’s waist. He looked up, “Get a med team!”
Tim had stood up in his seat and was unsure whether or not to go over. The majority of the crew had gathered around to take a look.
“What are you all staring at?” Hudson demanded as he strode onto the bridge, “Get back to work. Give the man some room.”
He came over to Ford and Piccolo, who was recovering, “Are you alright, Mr. Piccolo?” he asked him.
Tony nodded stiffly, “Stomach cramps, sir.”
Hudson looked at him with concern, “Accompany the team to med bay,” he told Ford.
Ford nodded and helped Tony stand just as the team arrived. Tony waited until Hudson was out of earshot before he spoke to Ford, “Jonathan,” he said quietly, “I felt Lucas.”
The Commander narrowed his eyes and looked at him carefully, “You mean… like Wendy..?”
Piccolo shrugged, “I guess so.”
Ford looked over at Hudson to make sure he wasn’t listening, “Do you think you could find his location?”
Tony looked at him meekly, “I don’t think Lucas knows where he is,” he told him.
“What do you know?” Ford asked.
“That something awful just happened to his stomach and hands,” Tony told him.
Ford looked at Tony with concern, “Come on, let’s get you to med bay.”
***
Three days later, Lucas sat comfortably on cell bed, leaning against the wall and reading what looked like a magazine. He had recently been allowed to shave, his hair was wet from a recent wash, and he was wearing a fresh set of clean clothes. He had been disappointed to find that despite the impressive increase in amount of stubble on his face in the past year, he still wasn’t able to grow a proper beard.
The debilitating pain from the torture had faded after only a few days. During that time Lucas had slept almost all day, doped up on painkillers and being fed each day by Stephen or Peter.
He was still very angry at the fact that he was being held against his will, but he had to keep reminding himself that Stephen, Peter and Alec where parties to his detention. Despite the fact that the men had been the ones to cause him the pain in the first place, Lucas appreciated and felt indebted to them for their tentative nursing.
Lucas couldn’t remember anyone looking after him like that in his life.
As much as he hated, and refused, to admit it, Lucas now feared physical and deductive punishment as well as fearing loss of Peter and Alec’s kindness.
For some reason, fear of more punishment or the desire for respect from Peter or Alec, Lucas tried to understand the article that he currently read. Two weeks ago, he wouldn’t have even picked up such an absurd piece of rubbish, and even if he’d been forced to read it, he would not have believed a word.
But now, as he literally searched for a way for it to make sense, it began to. Other pieces of logic filtered into Lucas’ mind to back up many of the more obscure points, although he couldn’t remember where he had heard the information.
There was no way he could know that they had been fed to him via the TV sound cards as he rested in a drug induced sleep.
Lucas knew that they were trying to brainwash him. They were trying to get something from him. The problem was, Lucas didn’t know what. There didn’t seem to be anything really sinister about what they did. If he resisted them, they made him uncomfortable. Sure, that made sense. But Lucas was having trouble working out what it was he needed to resist, and why.
Why was he resisting? It’s not like they were asking him for any kind of secure UEO code or secret. There was nothing that Lucas could specifically harbour. What harm would it do if he just did what they told him? If he just pretended to comply?
***
Two men in suits walked through a technologically sophisticated and finely furnished facility.
“We’re getting close,” Peter said as they pushed the glass doors open and walked into the computer room, “He’s reading and absorbing everything we give him.”
“Absorbing as in being able to recall, or absorbing as in actually taking it on board?” Stephen asked him.
“The former,” Peter said, turning to face him as they stopped, “But that’s the first step right?”
Stephen smiled genuinely, “Actually its about the fifth step.”
Peter lifted his eyebrows in appreciation.
“Has he said anything about the SeaQuest? Made any mention of his old life?” Stephen asked him as he sat down in one of the chairs.
Peter followed him and sat across from him, “No, not at all. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t thinking about it.”
“Yes it does,” Stephen correct, “He’s in isolation. You are the only people he has to talk to. Not only that, we know the drugs are working.”
Peter nodded. It was clear that Peter wasn’t experienced in this field, “He’s been taking the needles willingly.”
“That’s great. But we’ll have to start weaning him off them soon,” Stephen said.
“Sure,” Peter said, taking a mental note.
“I told him that his old friends have already held a service for him,” Stephen told him.
Peter looked at him in surprise, “And he believed you?”
“The more his thoughts are directed towards the type of life that is offered to him here, and how he can avoid punishment and pursue rewards, the more distant the memory of his old life will become,” Stephen told him, “Not only that, thoughts of home is what kept him fighting at the beginning. But the more time he spent on his own, the more he became convinced that he had never fit in and was never meant to be there.”
Peter nodded, “Yeah, like the recruit video.”
Stephen smiled. Since the last serious discipline session with Peter and Alec, Lucas had started to enjoy some of the videos that he had been given to watch. Many of them followed the recruitment of Section Seven officers.
The two men had seen Lucas crack a smile as one of the men interviewed told the camera that when he was in the UEO he had often been *ordered* to hack, despite the fact that most of the superiors knew it was illegal.
The interview would not have had its intended effects on Lucas had the man said that he used to change the covers on his text books so no one would know what he was reading. Memories from before Hyperion of how Sandra had manipulated Lucas to retrieve SeaQuest's deadman's codes would have alerted Lucas to the manipulations.
But Stephen Cuwley had done his research, and Lucas was no wiser.
“What *has* been happening with the UEO?” Peter asked.
Stephen waved his hand dismissively, “Oh they’ll find out eventually. But by the time they do, it won’t matter. He’ll have signed on voluntarily by then.”
Peter nodded again, "By then it'll be a personal contract between him and us."
Stephen nodded, "That's right."
“How about his behaviour?” Stephen asked, reaching over for a cup of water.
“Well, I think you saw that for yourself,” Peter told him, “As he was recovering, he was very submissive.”
“Yeah, but since then,” Stephen asked.
“He’s still very bold..”
“That’s okay,” Stephen cut in, “He’s going to need those attributes for when he signs on.”
Stephen handed Peter a glass of water, “Just remember. There are some personal attributes we can’t suppress. Those we have to *redirect*.”
Peter looked at his watch, “We’re late. He’ll be pacing his cell by now.”
Stephen nodded, “Let’s go then.”
The two men got up and made their way over to an elevator. Stephen pushed some buttons.
“How long have you been going in without Alec?”
“A couple of days,” Peter told him, “We’ve had no reason to hit him or confiscate any meals.”
“Excellent,” Stephen said as he watched the elevator doors open. He gestured for Peter to go in first.
Peter walked in abd Stephen followed him as the doors closed, “I was getting a bit worried for a while,” Peter said, “We’ve only got two days until Garcia wants to have him debriefed.”
“What Garcia wants he doesn’t always get,” Stephen assured him, “I’m in charge of this. We have as long as we need.”
Peter nodded tightly as he glanced over at Cuwley.
The door opened and the two of them made their way down the familiar hallway. There seemed to be no other doors apart from the orange one they stopped at, and the elevator doors were a good twenty meters from there.
“Now remember,” Stephen coached, “The drugs are working on his behaviour well. Don’t hit him for anything minor.”
Peter nodded, “In fact,” Stephen corrected, “Don’t hit him at all.”
Stephen went to leave, before Peter grabbed him and handed him his paper cup, “Good luck, Dambers,” Cuwley added.
“Thanks,” Peter said as he opened the door.
***
Lucas looked at the door expectantly. The only way he could tell day from night was the way the lights in the cell turned on in the day time, and switched off at night. He thought that his body clock was becoming accustomed quite well though, and he was pretty sure that he should be getting a visit pretty soon.
He was becoming increasingly attached to the people that he had contact with, and his friends from the SeaQuest were almost a distant memory. All Lucas remembered of his SeaQuest days now was his arrogant attitude after he’d signed on, and the way he had pushed everyone away. They may miss him, but they would have moved on by now.
Lucas was actually starting to like it here. He got on well with Peter and Alec if he did what they wanted, and he especially liked Stephen. He had never felt so normal in his life. He honestly began to feel that he would fit in here. But he clutched onto the idea that he was being brainwashed and that his friends on SeaQuest loved him and were looking for him.
The idea sounded stupider and stupider every day.
Lucas had been here for nearly three weeks and not once had any of the three men demanded anything tangible from him. There was basically nothing *for* Lucas to resist.
The door open and Lucas’ stomach fluttered excitedly. He smiled genuinely, “Hey, Peter,” he said.
“Hey kid, how are you doing?” Peter asked him.
Lucas had learned by now that this was a rhetorical question, and so he didn’t answer.
Peter came over and sat on his bed with him, “So have you looked over the 2029 mission?” Peter asked him.
Lucas nodded, “Yeah," He referred to the mission content,"That’s what I would have done.”
Peter smiled good, “There were a lot of people on that team that reminded me of you.”
Lucas suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, “It’s just,” Lucas sighed, “I mean, did this actually happen?” He held op the report.
“Sure it did,” Peter told him, “Why?”
Lucas looked at him, “Why?” he repeated, surprised.
Peter nodded encouragingly, “You can ask.”
Lucas licked his lips nervously. Peter laughed, “It’s okay. If it upsets me I brought it on myself.”
Lucas nodded, wiping a hand across his mouth nervously, “It’s just… I’ve already seen some things that Section Seven is involved in,” Lucas told him, “And this doesn’t seem to fit with that.”
“Like?” Peter encouraged.
“The GELF projects,” Lucas said boldly.
Peter nodded, “There are rotten apples in every barrel, Lucas.”
Lucas furrowed his eyebrows.
“I mean, one of the reasons I joined up is to try to help outnumber those guys,” Peter shrugged.
“So, you’re not all like that?” Lucas asked.
“You’ve met three of us so far,” Peter said, “What do you think?”
Lucas thought about it. Stephen and Peter often gave him physical contact that he needed. Evil people wouldn’t do that, “I guess,” he said, “But that’s only three of you.”
“We *are* UEO, buddy,” Peter told him.
Lucas turned his eyes to the side as he thought about it.
“But enough with the questions, huh?” he tussled the teenager’s hair playfully, “How about a game?” he offered.
“A game?” Lucas asked. He’d played games with Peter and Alec before. They were always games he’d never heard of and they involved Section Seven procedure and protocol or hypothetical questioning.
“Yeah, like poker.”
Lucas lifted his eyebrows, “What type of poker?”
Peter laughed, “You’ve never played poker before?”
Lucas said, “Actual poker?"
At Peter's nod, Lucas couldn't help but feel pleased at the idea, "Sure.”
Peter smiled, “Great. You, me, Stephen and Alec, we’ll come in this evening after dinner.”
Lucas smiled happily, “Okay, sounds great.”
Peter patted Lucas’ shoe and got up, “See you in a few hours then.”
“Yuh.. You’re leaving?” Lucas asked, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice.
“Yeah, sorry buddy, but I got stuff to do.”
Lucas looked down helplessly. What was *he* suppose to do?
Peter saw his sadness, “You still got some reading there,” he pointed to the pile.
Lucas nodded unenthusiastically. He didn’t feel like reading.
Peter looked at the young man sympathetically. He sat down on the bed and wrapped his arms around Lucas’ shoulders, “We’ll make it up to you, okay?”
Despite the fact that it happened all the time, Lucas couldnt get used to the physical contact. Not only that, he was very upset about being left alone all the time with nothing to do.
“How about a movie?” Peter asked him enthusiastically, “I’ll go out and I’ll hook you up a movie.”
Peter tugged on Lucas’ shoulders to get a response.
“Okay, sure,” Lucas said quietly, turning to look at him. He mustered up a fake smile, which Peter saw through.
“Unless you’ve done something to the TV again,” Peter said, jokingly.
Lucas’s lips curled into a half smile and he chuckled, “No.”
Peter rubbed his shoulder again before letting go, “We won’t be long,” he told him as he got up.
He watched Lucas carefully and tussled his hair before he left.
***
Tony woke up with his alarm. The first thing he realised was that he had slept a full night. He hadn’t had one disturbing dream. He swallowed and sat up quickly. Why was that? What had happened to Lucas?
He closed his eyes and tried to sense his friend. He felt a surge of panic when he couldn’t and opened his eyes quickly. He shut them again, trying to calm himself.
He jumped out of bed and threw some clothes on. He had to be on the bridge soon but he didn’t care. He ran out of the room towards the moon pool, the tail of his uniform shirt flying up behind him.
Darwin was waiting for him when he got there. He grabbed the vocorder and switched it on, leaning over the tank.
“Darwin,” he asked, “Can you sense, Lucas?”
“Lucas still light,” Darwin squealed, sensing Tony’s fear.
“He’s still alive?” Tony asked.
“Yes,” the dolphin replied.
“How do you know?” Tony asked.
The dolphin was silent for a few moments, “Darwin know,” the dolphin responded.
Tony cursed the machines simple vocabulary, “You need to upgrade this when you get back, Luc,” he said to himself.
“Tony sense Lucas,” Darwin told him.
“No, I can’t,” Tony told him frustrated.
“Try,” the speakers translated the clicking.
Tony took a deep breath and sighed, closing his eyes. He soon felt Lucas’ presence. It was only like a whisper in the back of his mind, but it was there.
He opened his eyes, “Thanks, Darwin,” he said.
***
Lucas’ face had lite up excitedly when he saw all three men walk into his cell at the same time. Stephen was carrying a pack of cards and some pizza, Peter some fold up chairs and a table and Alec was carrying a six-pack.
It wasn’t long before the four of them had engaged in several games. After a few games and when Lucas had started to relax, Alec offered Lucas a drink. The teenager looked at Stephen to see what he should do.
“Go on,” Stephen said, “Don’t you like beer?”
Lucas went to respond but Alec cut him off, “Come on, you’re with men now,” he held the beer up in Lucas’ face.
Lucas grinned slightly and took it, opening it with a crack and a hiss. The beer was full strength and Lucas didn’t often drink. So it wasn’t long before Lucas had relaxed completely and was laughing and listening to the Agent’s casual conversation.
“Who is that guy?” Lucas asked of a man they had all been bitching about.
“Some ass,” Alec responded, “Cuwley put him in line though,” he grinned.
“That guy is a real bastard,” Peter told him.
“Like the guys involved in the GELF operation?” Lucas asked.
The room went silent. Lucas realised his mistake and swallowed, looking down at his cards.
“Yeah, actually,” Stephen answered, “Kind of like that.”
Alec laughed at Lucas’ nervousness and pushed him roughly to tease him about it. Lucas allowed a small grin of relief to form.
“If you were to work here,” Alec said, throwing a card down, “I can see you doing something about that.”
Stephen laughed, “We can only hope."
Lucas just watched them curiously.
“But the only way you can stop it is from the inside," Stephen told him, "Becoming a Section Seven agent."
Lucas narrowed his eyes skeptically, "What's that like?"
Alec shrugged his shoulders, "It's bascially about following the basic philosophy."
"Playing the enemy's game? Persuit of justice?" Lucas asked.
"Yeah," Stephen answered, “You would fit right in, and you’d have clothes, accommodation, everything provided for you.”
Lucas looked at his cards while he decided which ones to throw down, resisting the urge to comment that it sounded like the SeaQuest.
“And you’d learn how to control your own incredible talents,” Stephen looked at him, “It'd guarantee that you’d never end up making a mistake that would hurt people.”
Lucas stopped and looked at him quickly, staring at him for a few moments before nodding.
***
That night Lucas lay awake in the bed. Section Seven really seemed like the place for him. No, he told himself. They had held him against his will, tortured him.
He thought about it more. But that was only because he never would have heard them out. They had to hold him until he understood.
He bit his lip, unexpected feelings of guilt swelling up inside him. He wished he hadn't been so difficult.
***
Peter arrived on schedule the next day.
“You’re really making progress, Lucas. This is amazing.”
Lucas looked at him modestly but didn’t say anything, the way he tended to do when he was complimented.
“Peter I’m really sorry about everything,” Lucas told him.
Peter looked up at him, genuinely surprised, “For what?”
“Well you know,” Lucas said, immersing himself in the numbers in front of him, “For being difficult.”
Peter looked at him suspiciously. He had very little training in psychological manipulation, and he wasn’t sure if Lucas was being serious or if he was being played. He doubted it though. Lucas was a fighter. Sure, he could be strategic. But not like this.
“It wasn’t your fault,” he told him gently.
Peter paused for a few moments, considering nervously, “There’s a place for you here if you want it.”
Lucas kept his head facing downward, swallowing nervously as he thought about it. It's not like he was leaving behind a family.
Section Seven didn't seem so bad after all. It was probably the place he was meant to be anyway.
Lucas looked up from his work, nodding, "I want it."
Chapter Five: 'Brainwashed'