Bridger's Birthday Present

Lucas Wolenczak stood behind the two women and tried to suppress the yawn that fought its way from his mouth. Dr. Kristen Westphalen, seeing his actions reflected in the shop window, spun upon him and stated, "See, I told you not to come. I said that Commander Hitchcock and I were only going to look for a birthday present for Captain Bridger."

Lucas pulled a face and answered sourly, "Well the way you two were sneaking about made it look a lot more interesting than it really is."

Westphalen's eyebrow rose at that statement and she looked over toward Katherine Hitchcock, who shrugged her reply. "Well maybe in future you'll listen to me when I say that you won't want to come, then," Kristen snapped with the air of a mother proven right.

Lucas opened his mouth, then remembered the last fifteen shops he had been dragged about and realised that if he upset Westphalen any more she would only punish him by dragging him into even more shops.

"How many shops are there in this place?" he muttered under his breath instead.

Westphalen wisely decided to ignore him and turned back to the display in the shop window. "I still say that a pocket watch is a very nice present." For emphasis she pointed at the watch in question.

Hitchcock suppressed a sigh and answered slowly and with care - she too was remembering the fifteen shops, "Well, I'm not saying that a pocket watch isn't a nice present..." she paused, "but is it really Captain Bridger...? What do you think?" she added for effect.

"I think that we've spent most of the day traipsing about the shops, going from art gallery to toy shop, trying to find something for Nathan's birthday present."

"Hey," piped up Lucas in a hurt tone, "I thought the toy dolphin was a good idea."

"It was Lucas, if Nathan was celebrating his third birthday," Westphalen agreed. "But he's not, and if we don't decide soon his birthday will be over and done with and we'll have nothing to give him. Then we'll have to give this money we've collected back to the crew."

Hitchcock suppressed a shudder at the comments this action would cause about the seaQuest and agreed with some haste, "Maybe a pocket watch is just what the captain needs."

Westphalen threw her a suspicious look, then relented, saying in a tone of compromise, "Maybe they have something more suitable inside."

"Maybe," Hitchcock agreed quietly, before following the older woman into the shop. Then she reappeared a few moments later to drag the protesting boy after them, saying firmly, "You insisted on coming, so you're coming."

***

Lucas stood off to one side, looking slowly about the large jewellery store while the shop assistant pulled out tray after tray for the two women to look at. Ten minutes had passed since they had entered the shop and the pocket watch had been pushed aside for some gold cufflinks, a bracelet and a very large tie pin. Shooting them another glance, he sighed when he saw the assistant reach for the pocket watches again.

He silently vowed that under no circumstances was he ever, ever going to ask where they were going again. He wished that he had taken his breakfast at a different time that morning and hadn't seen them deep in some private discussion, that his curiosity hadn't got the better of him and he had insisted on going ashore with them, even to the point of threatening to tell Bridger that they were acting suspiciously. Well, that was something that neither of the women wanted brought to the captain's attention, so they had finally agreed to take him with them. He had discovered to his cost, sixteen shops later, that what they had told him about Bridger's birthday present had - in fact - been the truth.

It should have been a relatively simple matter. They had been collecting from the crew for the past two weeks and now had a tidy little sum with which to buy Captain Bridger a present from his whole crew. The only problem was, neither Westphalen nor Hitchcock could agree on anything they had seen that day. Not colour, size or item.

"What about that gold frame?" Hitchcock said, pointing to one that was on display upon the wall.

"No... no, we got him a frame for Christmas," Westphalen said, her patience beginning to wear thin.

"Well, how about...."

Lucas again tuned out the two women and began to wander about the store. The displays were tastefully done and showed the high class tone of the shop. The security guard on the door watched him with eagle eyes and Lucas felt compelled to push his hands in his pockets just to indicate that, although he was a young person, he was not going to touch anything. Glancing down at a ring, he caught sight of the price and nearly whistled out loud: no wonder the guard was watching him.

Turning from that display, he made his way over to the other wall and saw some beautiful crystal statues in a line going up the wall, the light catching them in just the right manner to show off their beauty. He stopped and gasped at one: it was a dolphin leaping from the waves. The artist had caught just the right amount of flare to show the animal in a frolicking mood, at one with nature and enjoying the feel of freedom that only the water could give.

As he turned back to call over to the others, the front door flew open and five men burst into the room. Guns were fired, and the guard fell to the floor clutching at his middle. Lucas shot a frantic glance at the others before starting in their direction.

Even as he moved, he realised that it was a mistake. One of the robbers, catching his movement, turned his weapon upon the boy and fired. Lucas froze for a moment in shock before he too slid to the ground to lie as a lifeless hulk near the wall.

"Nobody move and nobody else gets shot," cried one of the gang, his weapon pointing firmly at the cluster of people at the far counter.

Westphalen and Hitchcock had spun at the first sound of trouble and watched in frozen fear as Lucas had begun to move and then been shot to the ground. "I need to check the boy," Westphalen said, her tone firm, but unable to hide the quiver of shock and fear that underlay it.

The other four members of the gang had dispersed and were now ordering the shop assistants to fill the black bags they had produced. "On the floor everybody," cried the apparent leader, totally ignoring Westphalen's words.

"Please... I just need to..." she began again, this time her tone defiant.

"You need to get on the floor now," snarled the leader, pointing the gun directly at her and motioning it slowly down towards the floor. "The quicker you're down there, lady, the quicker we leave and you can see to the boy," he added.

The doctor was on her knees before he had finished the sentence. Hitchcock followed suit, her eyes never leaving Lucas' too-still form. The boy had not moved or made a sound since he had been shot, unlike the guard who was rolling about, clutching at his middle and groaning loudly.

"That's good, people. Now, nobody move and this bad nightmare will soon be over," stated the leader, watching his men as they finished collecting the jewellery from the display cases. Time was ticking on, and he knew that if they were not out of the store within the next three minutes then they were in deep trouble.

"Damn it..." one of the robbers by the window snarled. "Higgs, you'd better get over here."

The leader span away from the people lying on the ground and hurried over to the window. Peering outside he hissed a curse then, turning back to the room, he asked in a very controlled tone, "Okay, who pushed the panic button?" Nobody replied, and a few seconds later a vid-phone on the end counter began to ring.

***

Dr Kristen Westphalen worked frantically over the unconscious boy. Lucas had not awoken since the shooting a half hour before, and she was growing more concerned with each passing minute.

"We're going to have to do something," Hitchcock whispered as she passed the other woman the makeshift bandage.

"Such as?" Kristen demanded as she angrily wiped a stray lock of hair from her eyes before stating, "There are five men with guns, while all we have are some shop assistants who are busy cowering in the corner, one guard who's been shot, you, me and an injured boy. What do you suggest we do?"

"We can't just sit here and do nothing," Katherine insisted, her tone indicating just how totally helpless she was feeling.

Westphalen opened her mouth to snap out another reply, then - seeing the look of frustration upon the other woman's face - she paused, realising just how helpless Katie must be feeling. The lieutenant commander could handle herself in any situation - she was, after all, a bridge officer on board the UEO's finest submarine, the seaQuest - yet here she was, totally unable to use her finely honed instincts and fighting abilities, because to do so would put others in jeopardy. All she could do was sit idly by and let the officials outside set the pace of their release.

Licking at dry lips, Kristen advised quietly, "I know how frustrating this must be for you, but there is nothing we can do at the moment... we have to wait and see what happens. If we get the opportunity, then we can...."

"What the hell are you two whispering about?" Higgs suddenly shouted from across the shop as he made his way over to them. "I said you could see to the boy, not get into a conversation," he finished with a snarl.

Westphalen spun about and glared at the man who led the robbers. "This boy needs hospital attention," she stated after taking a deep breath, trying to keep her voice calm. Seeing Higgs slowly shake his head, she hurried on, "At least allow us some medical supplies; give him a chance," she pleaded.

Higgs opened his mouth to deny the request then paused, his eyes narrowing to a squint as he considered his options. "What uniform is that?" he suddenly asked, pointing at the clothes they both wore.

"This?" Katie asked, her hand reaching up to touch her badge, confused at the sudden change in conversation. "It's the uniform of the seaQuest. It's a UEO submarine," she continued, looking at Westphalen who had turned back to Lucas as he groaned, regaining consciousness.

Higgs smiled, the parting of his lips displaying his crooked teeth and emphasising the scar that travelled across one of his cheeks. "Look at this, boys, we've got ourselves some right important people here."

Lucas groaned again, this time arching up as the doctor applied pressure to his wound. He cried out and weakly tried to push her away. The boy's suffering was too much for Lieutenant Commander Hitchcock, who sprung up, ready to attack the jeering man before her. Westphalen, catching the motion out of the corner of her eye, reacted instinctively. In one swift movement she had reached up and pulled the young woman down, pushing her hard against the wall as she did so.

Higgs stumbled back, bringing his gun up, his eyes flaring with anger. Then, seeing that the situation was averted, he took a few cautious steps forward and hissed to Hitchcock, "You're lucky that woman stopped you, otherwise you'd be dead now."

"I wouldn't count on that if I was you," snapped Westphalen, standing up, unconsciously placing herself between the lieutenant commander and the gang leader. Glaring at Higgs, she advised with contempt, "I didn't stop her to save you, you slime... I did it to save us. Now, I want medical help in here and I want it now, do you understand? Otherwise you will be placing bodies outside that door, and I know for a fact that that won't increase your chances of surviving this." She stopped, out of breath and shaking with the reaction of what she had just done.

Higgs looked at both women and realised from the defiant look that rested in Hitchcock's eyes that she was capable of fulfilling any threat that she might make. He licked at his lips and, keeping the smile plastered across his face, he stated, "Alright, you want medical supplies, you ask for them." With that, he motioned towards the vid-phone that the police had used to contact them on a short while before. He raised an eyebrow as he continued, "Otherwise keep your mouth shut."

Westphalen shot a look towards Hitchcock, her expression one of surprise and mute apology for the rough way she had treated the lieutenant commander.

"Well?" Higgs demanded, running out of patience.

Kristen took a deep, steadying breath and answered slowly, "All right... I just need to get Lucas settled.... Please give me a moment." So saying, she reached over and took Katie's hand and rested it upon the makeshift bandage over Lucas' wound. "Keep the pressure on there." Before the other woman could protest, Westphalen had stood and moved over towards the vid-phone that Higgs indicated.

***

Captain Nathan Bridger was enjoying having most of the seaQuest to himself. They had called into a friendly port the day before and now most of the crew had taken up the option to spend a few days ashore on leave.

Nathan had decided against the idea, but had chosen instead to dig out an old book that he had been intending to read for the past eight months. He now lay stretched out upon his bunk, deep into the yellowing papers.

A tap came at his door. He gave it a quick glance, but decided to ignore the interruption. The whole crew knew he was on leave, so maybe they would just go away. The noise continued, and he finally snapped the book shut with a flourish and stormed from his bunk, determined to make whoever was disturbing his peace pay for the privilege.

He was pulled up short when he saw Commander Jonathan Ford standing at his door. The younger man was chewing his bottom lip and looked, if it was possible, pale. "What is it?" Nathan asked with a sinking feeling.

"Sir, sorry to disturb you, but we've just got a call from the local police."

He stopped as Bridger interrupted, "If Krieg's in jail again, then he can stay there and rot."

"No, sir," Ford said. "It's not Krieg." He stopped again, as if unsure how to say the words.

"Well?" snapped Nathan, not liking the feeling that was beginning to claw at his middle.

"Dr Westphalen and Commander Hitchcock are in a hostage situation in a jewellery shop on shore, sir," he finally stated.

"What?" Nathan asked, his face losing colour.

Ford took another breath and licked at dry lips. "They were in a jewellery store when it was robbed. The silent alarm was sounded and now they are being held hostage."

"When did this happen?" Bridger asked, moving back into the room and picking up a jacket he had discarded earlier.

"About forty minutes ago," Ford said as he followed Bridger down the corridor. "And sir...." He stopped again, knowing this was going to be the hardest part. "Er... Lucas was with them."

Nathan stopped dead and spun about to face the younger man. "Lucas?" Now the man's face had totally drained of colour. "Why... no, belay that," Bridger stated as he strolled onto the bridge. "O'Neill," he snapped, seeing the bespectacled man sitting at his post, "get me the officer in charge of the hostage situation."

O'Neill shot Bridger a concerned look and stated, "I'm already trying, sir, but I'm getting a lot of blocking." Then he added, "They came on earlier to confirm if we have a Dr Westphalen and Commander Hitchcock on board. Once we confirmed, they cut off and now are refusing to talk to us."

"The hell they are," snapped Bridger, coming to stand over the communications officer's shoulder. "Get someone... anyone... from the police on the line."

A few anxious moments passed while O'Neill tried frantically to get past the stonewalling that he was experiencing.

"Sir," he suddenly said, "I've a Lieutenant Ramos on the line - he's in charge at the scene."

"Lieutenant Ramos..." Bridger began, surprised that such a young-looking police officer was in charge of the hostage situation. Nathan would have said that he was no older than thirty-five years, only his eyes spoke of a greater age. He was ruggedly handsome, but his unruly mop of black hair and crumpled clothes showed that he did not spend too much time or trouble over his appearance.

Before Nathan could continue, the other man interrupted, "Do you have a crewmember called Lucas Wolenczak, Captain Bridger?" The voice was deep and strong, the tone resounding of the rich native accent.

"Er... yes. Apparently he was with Dr Westphalen and Commander Hitchcock," Bridger confirmed. Gathering his own questions, he tried to begin, but was interrupted again.

"Thank you, sir," Ramos acknowledged as he leant forward to cut the connection.

"Lieutenant Ramos... I have some questions of my own," Bridger snapped, annoyed that the man was about to cut the line without answering any of his queries. Seeing the lieutenant pause, he continued, "Could you at least tell me if my people are all right?"

Again Ramos paused. He shot a look about, then answered slowly, regretfully, "We know we have two wounded in there. They've requested medical supplies, and we also know that one is the guard. The gunmen chose your Dr Westphalen as their spokesperson - that's how we got their names." He stopped, then added, "I'm sorry, Captain, but that's all I can tell you at the moment."

"What are the gunmen asking for...?" Bridger began, but stopped as the line went dead. "Damn," he finished. "O'Neill try getting him back; Ford come with me."

"Where are we going, sir?" Ford asked, trotting after the older man.

"To the scene, then let's see him cut me off," stated Bridger, his anger resounding in his tone. "Those are my people in there and I want some straight answers."

***

Westphalen rested one hand against Lucas' neck and felt for the pulse. The medical supplies had arrived and she had given the boy a shot of antibiotics and a powerful painkiller. After a few moments, she removed her hand and gave Hitchcock a reassuring smile. The young commander was kneeling by Lucas, her hands covered in blood from where she had held a makeshift pad over the gaping hole in the boy's upper chest while the doctor had dressed the injury.

"How bad?" she asked, knowing from her own experiences that, although the wound was high in the chest, it had bled too freely to be considered a minor injury.

Westphalen licked at suddenly dry lips and considered lying to the woman who knelt beside her. Then, seeing the determined look, knew that she would see through the false words. "Well," she began, wiping a hand over her face, trying to push the worry and fear to the back of her mind. "It's not looking too good." She paused again, before adding quietly, "I'll give him a couple of hours, maybe half a day, without full medical help. After that...." She stopped and shrugged.

"What the hell are they doing out there?" Hitchcock snarled, turning to look toward the door that led to freedom and further medical attention for Lucas. Westphalen, fearing that the lieutenant commander was about to do something rash, rested a hand upon the other woman's arm.

"Don't," she cautioned, drawing the other's attention back to herself. "Nathan will sort it out, don't worry."

"I doubt if the captain is even aware that we are trapped in here," spat Katherine, shooting the men who had hurt Lucas a look of pure loathing.

"I made sure that the local police would have to contact the seaQuest to get information on us," Westphalen said in a whispered tone.

"You did what?" Hitchcock gasped loudly, turning a sharp look upon the other woman.

The doctor held up a hand and motioned for the lieutenant commander to keep her tone down. The leader of the gunmen had only allowed the two woman to sit with Lucas after they had threatened to cause trouble if they weren't allowed, but Westphalen knew that it was only on a whim that Higgs had permitted them that freedom.

Hitchcock gave the restless gunmen another long look and asked again, this time in a whispered tone, "How did you manage that?"

The doctor worried at her bottom lip and answered in a low voice, "That's not important; getting Lucas out of here is." She stopped and waited until the patrolling robber with the gun had passed them by and again taken up his position near the door. "They know that the guard and another person has been injured, so you can bet your bottom dollar that Nathan is now moving heaven and earth to get us out of here."

"I wish I had as much faith in the local police force as you have," Hitchcock commented in a dry tone. She would have said more, but the boy under their hands began to stir and mumble under his breath, drawing both women's attention back to his needs.

"It's all right, Lucas," Westphalen said, gently pushing a stray lock of the boy's hair from his forehead.

"Dolphin..." Lucas mumbled as he fitfully tossed his head from side to side, the fever already starting to grow. "Get the dolphin," he muttered again. Licking at dry lips, he gave a choking gasp and gritted his teeth as pain flared. He whimpered and tried to fight his way up.

Westphalen was there and, with Hitchcock's help, managed to keep the boy laying flat as she explained in as clear and concise a tone as she could manage, "Don't move, Lucas - you've been shot and the bullet is still in there. I want you to keep as still as possible... can you do that for me?" she asked, wishing that she had accepted the first present that Hitchcock had suggested.

Lucas blinked owlishly at them for a few moments before he coughed weakly and asked, "Did I do something... wrong?" His voice was that of a very young man in a lot of pain, and Kristen wanted to hold the boy and force his pain away.

"No dear, you've done nothing wrong. We were looking for Nathan's birthday present and the shop was robbed... can you remember?"

Lucas drew his eyes away from Kristen and looked over towards Katherine. "I don't think I want to go shopping with you two anymore," he stated matter-of-factly.

Hitchcock felt a smile tear at her face and knew that if she did not smile then she would cry. "My shopping companions don't usually get shot," she explained in a gentle voice. "Normally they just get bored to death." Her voice faltered over the word death, and she wished that she had thought of another word, but the boy didn't seem to notice her slip. In fact, he seemed to be having trouble keeping his eyes focused.

"Get Captain Bridger the dolphin, he'll like the dolph...." His words drifted off, and Hitchcock shot Westphalen a look of pure fear as the medical woman searched for a pulse. She let out a breath as the doctor met her frantic glance and smiled.

"He's better off asleep," Kristen stated with more confidence than she felt - she knew that the boy had fainted and not slipped into a natural, healing sleep.

"How's he doing?" Higgs, the leader of the gunmen, asked as he walked up to stand over the two kneeling women.

"He needs immediate medical attention," snapped Westphalen, her tone made sharp by her concern for her young charge.

"Well, let's hope that they listen to our demands and act on them, then," Higgs shot back, motioning for the doctor to go to the vid-phone.

Westphalen would have liked nothing better than to tell him where he could put the vid-phone, but she paused and gave the unconscious boy another quick glance before she stood and stretched to get the kinks from her body. Slowly she headed towards the counter, knowing that their only chance of getting Lucas out of this alive was to end the hostage situation quickly.

The connection was immediate as she picked up the vid-phone, and she knew that the line had now been tapped directly into one in the command centre of the hostage unit. "Lieutenant Ramos," she said, her tone measured, as she waited the few seconds until the man was put on the line.

"How are the wounded?" Ramos asked, his own tone indicating his dislike of having to deal with men he would much rather just kill.

"The guard has a serious gash along his side, and Lucas Wolenczak is seriously injured and needs immediate medical attention."

"Are they prepared to send the wounded out?" Ramos cut across her words.

Westphalen looked at Higgs who was listening on another extension. The man shook his head and glowered at her. "No... that is not an option."

"What do they want?" Ramos asked, his voice sounding suddenly very tired.

"First, a safe route out of here," the doctor repeated the demands that Higgs had dictated to her earlier on, "and a van with a full tank of petrol. No one is to follow them - they want to take some of the hostages with them for safe passage."

"No way," Ramos stated firmly. "First we have to talk about releasing the wounded, then maybe... maybe we'll talk about a van."

Higgs hit the vid-phone's connection, cutting the connection with a snarl. "Maybe I should give them the wounded full of holes," he snarled, spinning upon the people in question.

"No," Westphalen cried, then gulped and took a step back as Higgs spun back upon her. "If you do that, then they won't negotiate at all." She paused and took a deep, steadying breath. "You know how this works - you give them something and they give you something."

"Yeah," snarled one of the other gunmen, waving his gun angrily in their direction. "We give them the wounded and they give us a cheap burger meal."

"Shut up and let me think," snapped Higgs, beginning to pace the room again. He moved over towards the door and pulled back the curtain slightly to look at the scene before him. The police cars were spread in a wide arc about the front of the shop, just as they were at the back of the building. They were effectively trapped in here, and he could not see a way out. "Waide," he suddenly snapped. "Get the guard over here."

The thief in question hurried to obey his leader, and totally ignored the cry of pain his rough treatment of the wounded guard evoked from the injured man. "What do you want to do?" he asked, quite prepared to shoot the man at his feet if Higgs asked it of him.

"Toss him out and see what they do," Higgs said slowly, moving over and unlocking the door.

Waide helped the injured man up and shoved him from the building as soon as the door was open. The guard staggered a few feet before he collapsed upon the pavement and lay twisting in his pain.

Several seconds passed before a SWAT team in heavy protective gear sped from the edge of the shop and roughly dragged the injured man to safety.

A few more tense seconds passed until the vid-phone began to ring. Westphalen hadn't even been aware that she was holding her breath; the action of releasing the guard had happened so quickly that she had been totally shocked by the events, and she had honestly believed that Higgs was going to carry out his threat of killing the wounded man.

"Get the damned vid-phone," Higgs snarled, shoving the doctor towards the only instrument of communication that they had with the outside world.

With shaking hands she opened the connection and gasped, "Yes?"

"What about the other wounded man?" Ramos asked, his tone one of calm reason.

"What about our van?" snarled Higgs into the other, voice only, vid-phone before Westphalen could find her voice again.

There was a long silence at the end of the vid-phone before Ramos said, "We're working on it, but it's going to take time."

"Yeah?" Higgs growled. "Well, you take as long as you like, pal - in the meantime, the boy in here is going to bleed to death... and, after he's dead, I may just shoot someone else and watch them slowly die until you finish working on it. Do I make myself clear?" As he finished his tone ominous, he broke the vid-phone connection and motioned for Westphalen to replace her headset. "Get back over there." He pointed his gun over towards where Hitchcock and Wolenczak were settled upon the floor.

She hastened to obey as she realised with sudden shock that Higgs considered that he now had nothing to lose, and letting Lucas die would be an option towards getting what he wanted.

***

Captain Nathan Bridger was angry; it had been confirmed upon his arrival at the police mobile headquarters outside the store that Lucas was the other injured hostage. He could not remember ever being so filled with frustration as he was at this moment.

"You're not going to let them have the van?" Nathan questioned slowly, as he repeated the words the other had just spoken.

"It's not our policy to let robbers and thieves dictate to us the terms of their surrender." It was a speech the other man had obviously practised over the years.

Bridger moved so that he was standing a mere hairsbreadth away from the handsome police lieutenant. "And it's not my policy to just stand by while a member of my crew bleeds to death."

Ramos looked at the other man and knew that he took his responsibility of looking after his people very seriously, and - in a way - he could sympathise with him. "We are doing everything possible to make sure that doesn't happen."

Bridger paused and, taking a very deep breath, let it out slowly before he continued in a calmer, more deadly tone, "If that boy dies, I'm going to hold you personally responsible."

Lieutenant Ramos swallowed hard and licked at suddenly dry lips. The man before him carried a very powerful presence, and he could well understand the iron will the man possessed to command such a craft as the seaQuest. "I'm sorry, Captain," he began, "but I cannot endanger other civilians by allowing these men access to a vehicle." He paused, then added, his tone demanding reason, "Damnit, who's to say that they wouldn't kill their hostages once they were safely away from here?"

Bridger reached up and pushed the heels of his hands against his eyes, trying to force away the boiling anger he could feel twisting at his gut. He knew that what Lieutenant Ramos was saying was correct, but he couldn't seem to get past the fear that balled his stomach into knots every time he thought about Lucas laying wounded in the store. "There must be a compromise that we can reach," he finally said, his tone showing that reason was slowly returning. "Something we can offer them...."

"If you have any suggestions, then I'm prepared to listen to them, but until then...." Ramos shrugged, wanting to help the hostages inside but unwilling to do so at the expense of other people's lives.

Nathan, realising that the man was only doing his best in trying circumstances, offered his thanks before turning to Commander Ford.

"Look," Ramos suddenly interrupted. "We might be able to get some more medical help in to the boy. Maybe we could negotiate a doctor going in to see to him."

Nathan shook his head. "seaQuest's own doctor is one of the hostages." The handsome man paused before continuing, "But you could offer them medical supplies, whatever Westphalen needed."

Lieutenant Ramos shook his own head at Nathan's suggestion, admitting, "That was one of the first things we sent in." The police officer considered the facts for a few more moments before he offered, "Once they contact us again, we should be in a better position to negotiate. Maybe we could get someone trained in there, under the guise of being a specially trained doctor or something." He chewed at his lips as he further worked out the plan in his mind, then - turning - he shouted, "Get me Lancer on the line."

Bridger, realising that there was nothing more that could be done until contact was again established, decided to back off a bit. All he seemed to be achieving at the moment was annoying the local police and giving Commander Ford a heart attack. "I'm sorry about losing my temper just now, Lieutenant," he apologised to Ramos.

The man waved the words aside with a weak smile as he commented, "I think I would feel the same if it was one of my people in there." He gave a slight nod of his head to Commander Ford before turning and walking slowly away.

"What are we going to do, sir?" Ford asked after a few moments of tension-filled silence.

Before Bridger could answer, they were joined by Krieg and Crocker, who had been loitering in the background while the captain talked to the police officer. They had eavesdropped on most of the conversation, and Krieg was unable to hide the concern that filtered across his features and coloured his voice.

"We can't just leave it to these locals, sir," Krieg stated firmly. "They are going to get them all killed."

Nathan shot the supply officer a look of pure anger, before he lowered his own eyes in acknowledgement that it did, indeed, look grim. "There seems to be very little that we can do at the moment," he said after another short pause. No matter how helpless he was feeling, he was not going to let his men see just how dispirited he really was.

Crocker interrupted, his voice eager to pass on the information that they had gleaned from some of locals who were watching the scene unfold before them, "This shopping complex is fairly new, sir." Seeing the questioning look Nathan threw his way, Crocker hurried on, "We've been speaking to one of the locals and he reckons that there is a sewer that goes right under that shop, and he's pretty certain that every one of these plots has a manhole cover in the basement, which gives access to the shop above."

"I can't see the owners of the jewellery shop overlooking a tunnel or manhole cover coming in from the street, can you?" Ford interjected. "I mean, it would be too easy for anyone to break into the shop at night."

"Well that's just it, sir... it has been sealed up, but we should be able to break the seal with some equipment from the seaQuest," Crocker continued, his enthusiasm getting the better of him.

Bridger shook his head in slow denial. "How would you know that you've got the right shop? And," he added, pointing a finger at the man in question, "if those men hear you coming, then it could be you dead inside that shop as well as..." he paused, realising with a start, what he had been about to say.

The three men surrounding him looked very uneasy, and Ford even glanced down at his shoes so that he wouldn't have to witness the pain he read in the captain's face.

"No," Bridger stated firmly. "It's too dangerous. Besides," he continued, waving the idea away for more practical reasons, "you've not enough information."

"But sir," Krieg insisted, joining his weight to Crocker's plan, "it might be Lucas's only chance."

Nathan worried at his bottom lip as he considered his options. No matter how appealing the idea sounded, he realised that the chance of it succeeding was very slight and could end up endangering more of his people. So, no matter how prepared he was to clutch at straws, he was not prepared to do it at the risk of further injury to his people. "No," he stated again. "And I mean it," he added, seeing the defiant look that entered Crocker's and Krieg's eyes.

"Yes sir," they begrudgingly agreed after a few more tense seconds. Both men had considered it a very good idea and were not too pleased at having the chance taken away from them.

Bridger knew that if he left them to their own devices, they would be knee deep in trouble before the hour was out, so he continued, "If you could get me more information, more details of how the manhole is sealed and the exact location, then I will consider it again."

He never got to finish, as both men gave him a large smile and began backing off, with Krieg saying determinedly, "We know just where to get that information, sir. Leave it with us." Then they were both gone.

Ford gave Bridger a suspicious look before asking, "Would you really consider that as a feasible idea?"

Nathan gave Jonathan a weak smile as he answered, "Not really, but at least it will keep those two busy and out of trouble for a few hours."

***

Dr Kristen Westphalen watched the leader of the gunmen as he nervously chewed at one of his nails. She had begun to realise that he was not totally stable, and his actions of nervousness had been growing and causing her more concern with each passing minute. Suddenly he leapt to his feet and advanced toward her.

Pointing the gun at her, he questioned, "This seaQuest sub you're on... she's pretty important, isn't she?"

Kristen shot Katherine a quick glance and answered, "Yes, she's considered to be the best that UEO has."

"So, the captain has to be a real bigshot, right?"

He was fishing for information, that much was clear, but Westphalen was not sure where the line of questioning was leading, so she answered honestly, "Nathan Bridger is considered to be the best in his field... yes."

"Good," Higgs mumbled, then - motioning with the gun - he advised, "Get him on the vid-phone." When Kristen hesitated, he pointed the gun directly at Lucas's head and hissed, "Now, lady." The threat was clear. Giving Hitchcock a reassuring smile, Westphalen stood up and made her way over to the vid-phone.

A stunned silence followed her request to talk to Captain Bridger. Ramos considered the request, then answered, "He's not here..."

Before he could continue, Higgs leant over the doctor, glaring down at the police officer at the other end of the vid-phone and shouted, "Get him now, or I'm killing the boy... and one hostage every minute after that." Then he slowly cut the connection to the vid-phone and began to laugh as he waved his gun about and took imaginary sights on each of the hostages in the shop. One of the shop assistants began to whimper and tried to curl into a tighter ball. Another woman reached out and wrapped her arms about her friend, trying to comfort the distressed girl.

Westphalen fell back under the intense gleam that had entered Higgs' eyes. She had seen that look only a few times in her life, and each time it had meant the dead. The man had been pushed beyond his limits, and he was now running on pure fear.

The vid-phone ringing caused the whole room to start, as if a collective breath had been held and released in one rush. Kristen reached out and picked up the receiver on Higgs' bidding.

"Yes," she asked, then coughed to clear her throat and said again in a stronger voice, "Yes?"

"Kristen?" Bridger's voice sounded clear and she almost wept to hear it. "How's Lucas?"

Higgs held a hand over the receiver and asked, "Is that him?" She nodded her head and move aside as Higgs slowly replaced her image on the vid-phone was taken off her. "You're Captain Bridger?"

Nathan shot Ramos a startled glance, noting that the man was frowning as he listened in on another vid-phone. "Yes," he answered. "How is my crewman?" he demanded.

Higgs shot the injured boy lying near the wall a look and said, "He's alive... for now."

"What do you want?" Bridger gritted out, his grip tightening upon the receiver, wishing that it was the man's neck.

"You," Higgs shot back. "In here, now, otherwise your man is definitely dead."

Nathan looked up at Ramos and saw the man ineffectively shaking his head. "No way," he was also mouthing at the captain.

"What makes you think that the police are going to allow me to just walk in there?" Bridger asked, more to have a few moments to consider his options.

Higgs threw a look over at the crying woman and the other two shop assistants. "I'll give you some of the shop people," he bartered.

"What about Lucas?" the captain asked, unable to hide the eager tone from his voice.

Higgs laughed under his breath and advised wisely, "No way, man... he's the only gem I've got that's likely to get you in here."

Seeing Ramos's frantic actions of cutting across his throat, Nathan realised that he wanted him to cut the connection to the shop. "I'm going to have to talk to the lieutenant about this, but I will get back to you."

"Don't leave it too long, Captain, otherwise you might be short more than one crewmember." The threat was left hanging as the connection was cut.

"No way," Ramos said, his tone firmly cutting across any argument that Bridger might have considered using. "Once he's got you in there, he's got a bigger bargaining chip... and he knows it."

"He's prepared to release three of the hostages for me," Bridger snapped back. "That seems like a pretty good exchange to me."

"I can't sanction that, and you know it," Ramos shot back, his mind frantically going over their options. Bridger waited until the man came to his own conclusion that he didn't have any. "Shit.... Shit.... Shit," Ramos finally chanted as he began to walk in a small circle, pushing his hair roughly out of his eyes. "This is not good."

Bridger licked at his lips as he fought back a sudden smile. The man was obviously unaware of his actions, and the captain was slightly reassured by his show of frustration: at least the captain of the seaQuest wasn't the only one feeling the claw of frustration across his back. "All right," Ramos continued, "We'll send in a double."

"Now hold on a minute, I've just been speaking to the man on the Vid-phone" Nathan began, all humour at the situation suddenly lost at the other's words. "He's not going to fall for that, and once he finds out that he's been lied to, then he's going to shoot my people first." Bridger stopped to gather breath to continue his argument.

"Captain Bridger, I can't allow you to..." Ramos started to oppose, but Bridger interrupted, his anger raw.

"I'm not asking for your permission. The decision is mine - you will be getting three lives for one. I'm prepared to take to risk." Bridger could see that the other man was fighting against his instincts to allow the exchange. "This might just be the break you need," he reasoned, slowing his anger down and calming his tone... he needed this man on his side.

"Lieutenant," one of the officers interrupted, coming to a stammering halt as he received one of Ramos's deadly glares. "Sorry sir," he gasped, before he bravely ploughed on, "you wanted to know as soon as Lancer arrived, sir."

Ramos choked back the biting reply, saying instead, "Get him in here now." Turning to Bridger, he ordered, "Okay, Bridger, I'll give you what you want - you can agree to the exchange, but only if you tell him you won't go in alone... one of your officers will have to come with you."

"What! One of my officer's?"" Bridger began, totally confused by the man's sudden change in attitude and the addition of another person placed in danger. "I don't understa..."

Ramos held up a hand and cautioned sharply, "You're getting what you want, but on my terms." He raised an eyebrow and waited for the other man to reply.

Nathan considered the man who stood before him and knew that if he didn't go along with his suggestion, then he wouldn't be entering the shop. "All right," he finally agreed. Seeing the nod of acceptance this earned him, he tapped out the numbers that would connect him to the vid-phone in the shop. A few minutes of desperate wrangling ensued before he finally had the agreement of Higgs to allow him to bring one of his people in with him. Replacing the receiver, he turned slowly to Lieutenant Ramos and asked, "Who exactly is the crewmember I'm taking in with me?"

Ramos smiled coldly and motioned a tall, oddly handsome man forward. "We call him Lancer," he introduced the man. "He's one of our best undercover agents." He was about the same height as Bridger, though much younger - the captain would have only put the man in his late teens - and he had long dark hair which waved about an angular face that carried striking cobalt blue eyes. Those eyes were now watching Nathan with an intensity that caused the man to reconsider his thoughts about the man's age.

"Lancer?" Bridger repeated, testing the name and wondering what this young man had done to give him such a high option in Lieutenant Ramos's eyes.

The man in question smiled, showing even white teeth and a face full of innocence. He leaned forward and held out his hand. "Not my choice of a name, of that you can be assured." His tone was English, but with a hint of an accent that Nathan was unable to place.

Nathan nodded his head, not sure how to answer the young man - who he was sure was laughing at him under his breath. Bridger kept the smile plastered upon his face as he turned a raised eyebrow upon Lieutenant Ramos. The man took pity upon Bridger's confusion and stated, "He's the best we've got and he knows how to handle hostage situations." He gripped the man in question's shoulder. "He might not look like he's old enough, but he really does know his job."

"And that is?" Bridger questioned, not too sure that he liked the idea of trusting the life of his crewmembers to this young boy, who - when he smiled - actually looked no older than Lucas.

Lancer shrugged Ramos's hand off, pretending offence. "Thanks, Ramos... build me up so I feel more confident, why don't you?" Then, turning his glance back upon the captain, he answered his question with a slight smile, "To get your people out alive."

As Lancer said those words, Bridger found that he was actually believing the young man. He felt the frozen smile upon his lips shatter and he frowned at the feeling of confidence that was slipping across his mind, wondering where the feeling had come from. With an effort he shook his head and, glancing back at both men, he saw Ramos hold up both hands in mock surrender to Lancer. It was obvious that their relationship went deeper than just that of commander and subordinate.

"I'm sorry," Ramos said, but whether this was to Bridger for the young man's words or to the boy himself for his earlier insult, Nathan was not sure, so he decided to let that one slide. Ramos, seeing the glance the other two men traded, suddenly grew very serious. "Now here's what we are looking at...."

A few minutes later Lancer leant back, reached up a hand and rubbed at the back of his neck, asking Bridger, "Your people are well trained?"

"The best," came back the sure reply.

"So if I get a play set up, I can count on them?"

Lancer gave Bridger a narrow look when the other man just smiled slightly and answered with confidence, "You can count on them... and me."

Lancer considered the captain's words and felt a smile slowly creep across his face as he agreed, "Alright, we just might have a chance here. I'm going to need a uniform and..." he paused, considering, "a name?"

Bridger glanced up to meet the intense look of Commander Ford, who was waiting impatiently just outside of hearing range. "I believe that I've both, just give me a minute."

Within a few minutes, Ramos was on the vid-phone making the final arrangements as Lancer swapped clothes with Commander Ford. He wiggled as he got the uniform more comfortable upon himself. The clothes were slightly loose, but didn't look odd or out of place. "Anything in the pockets I should know about?" he asked the handsome black man with a slight smile.

Commander Ford frowned; he was not sure that he liked the idea of this young man going in, effectively in his place. "You'll have to tie your hair back," he stated, looking the man up and down with a critical eye. "It's not standard UEO length."

"Yes sir," Lancer snapped with a sloppy, half-hearted salute. "Look," he added, glancing up as Bridger crossed to stand beside Commander Ford. "I know you don't particularly agree with this..." he indicated his wearing of the other man's uniform, "but I'm the best chance your people inside have got."

Ford gave the man who stood before him a very cold, hard look before he spoke, the words slow and measured: "Modest with it." Then, realising that the other was only trying to make them feel better, he added by way of an apology, "I know, but it doesn't make waiting out here any easier."

"No, I guess not," Lancer agreed, then - breaking the moment - he again began to check the fit of the uniform.

"How did you get a name like Lancer?" Bridger found himself asking.

"That is a long story; needless to say, it's not my real name." He saw the frown this evoked from the captain and continued, "It's a cover name, a code if you like." He added, rolling his eyes for effect, "I do a lot of undercover work - usually on the drug scene - and having a codename makes it a bit easier when I have to go back out on the streets."

"So you don't usually handle this kind of situation?" Nathan questioned, a knot of fear growing as he thought of the implications.

Lancer reached out and gripped each man's shoulder tightly and turned his will upon them. "Listen and listen well... I am really, really good at what I do. I've survived on the streets for the last eight years, and you don't do that by making mistakes or misjudging the situation." Slowly he let go, seeing that his words had had the intended settling effect upon the other men.

"What did you just do?" Nathan asked, not sure why he trusted this young man, but knowing that the lad must be influencing him in some way.

Lancer looked surprised at the question, then - seeing Ramos approaching - hurried to say, "Later." The urgency in his words caused Nathan to turn and watch the approach of the other officer.

Lancer acted as if nothing had happened as he began to slip an array of weapons about the uniform. "Now, these three I expect them to find..." he said out loud, as if demonstrating a magic trick for them, "but these babies need to be well hidden." He considered places to put them, until he spied the extra medical supply bag they would be taking into the store. Opening it up, he began to undo a roll of bandage and carefully re-wrapped it with a knife concealed inside it. Picking up another roll, he hid the second knife. After he had finished, he looked up and gave Ford another reassuring smile.

"Are you ready?" Ramos asked, coming to stand beside them.

"Just about," Lancer answered, lifting the bag and testing the weight. Then he gave Bridger a quick glance and smiled as the man nodded. "Well then, I guess it's a go. Are they letting the hostages out at the same time?"

"As soon as they see you moving toward the store," Ramos answered as he spoke into the hand-held radio.

"Ready?" Lancer directed this question towards Bridger, who was giving Ford some hurried last minute instructions. It was obvious from the commander's expression that, while he still did not like the idea of the captain becoming a hostage without him, he at least seemed to be more at ease with the situation.

Nathan gave Lancer another measuring look; this young man seemed to have more talents than he had first suspected, if he had been able to ease Jonathan's fears concerning being left behind. The older man patted his young officer's shoulder by way of apology for causing him concern before he answered, "As ready as I'm ever going to be."

Slowly they made their way across the gap that separated the shop from the cordon of police cars that had fanned out in front of it. Lancer held out a hand and prevented Bridger from advancing too far. They waited until the door before them slowly opened and three people were pushed roughly out; two were vainly trying to supporting a third, a woman who could not walk without their aid, and who was sobbing hysterically. As they approached, Bridger gave the two supporters an encouraging smile and slowly began to move forward under Lancer's direction.

As they entered, their arms were caught and they were roughly searched. The three knives were quickly found on Lancer and this earned him a hard glare from Higgs, but the young man just shrugged, totally innocent, as he said in an apologetic, silk-like tone, "Can't blame a man for trying." Behind the tone was a core of steel and Higgs stared at the young man for a few moments, deeply lost in thought, then he slowly shook his head, as if awakening from a sleep.

Bridger watched for a few anxious moments as the criminal weighed up the comment. Higgs blinked a few times and then, with a few gruff words towards his men, he indicated with his gun that the new hostages were to move over with their companions.

Bridger fixed his eyes upon the small group huddled near the far wall under a display of glassware. Westphalen and Hitchcock were watching them with wide, concerned eyes, so with a smile of encouragement he began to head towards them, but was brought up short by a snarl from Higgs. The man moved swiftly over to them and snatched the medical bag from Lancer's grip.

"It's just medical supplies for the boy," the police officer protested as he watched Higgs delve his hands in the bag, looking for more weapons. Once the man had satisfied himself that it was safe, he tossed the open bag back at them and Lancer caught it with some difficulty.

"Get over there and shut up," Higgs snapped, before turning away and dismissing them from his thoughts.

"How's Lucas?" Nathan asked as he knelt beside the injured boy. Reaching out, he gently wiped a stray lock of hair from the boy's face, surprised and a little shocked at the heat of fever that he felt there.

"Not good, Nathan," Kristen confided as she took the bag that Lancer offered and swiftly began to check the items hidden inside. "I've got him started on antibiotics, Aminoceprioc acid, and I've given him a painkiller, but he needs a hospital."

"Wait," Lancer hissed under his breath as she reached for a bulky bandage, "not that one." He held her hand within his gentle grasp, preventing her from removing it from the bag.

She gave him a hard, cold glare before turning back to Bridger and asking sharply, "Who is this man?" His good looks were obviously not having any effect upon her.

"This," Nathan said patiently in a hushed tone, "as far as you are concerned is Commander Ford."

"Commander Ford?" Hitchcock commented with surprise, her glance sliding up to meet the man's intense gaze. She blushed and looked away.

"I know," Bridger stated in a tired voice, "but it will take too long to explain." He paused, then seeing the look both women traded, he added in a tight tone that allowed no argument, "Just take my word for it."

Westphalen considered the captain's words for a few seconds, then pushed them aside as she turned her attention back to her ward, who was starting to mumble under his breath as he once more fought his way to consciousness. Digging out a safe bandage from the bag, she began to unwrap the wound, slowly releasing the pressure pad. As she did so, she advised in a weary tone, "We need to get Lucas out of here as soon as possible - every moment lessens his chance of surviving."

"We're working on that..." Bridger answered, turning a demanding stare upon Lancer. "Aren't we?"

"Absolutely," the young man replied, before he quietly and efficiently removed the knives from their hiding places and secreted them about his person with incredible ease, before settling back against the wall next to Hitchcock and giving the room a very slow, detailed look. "Have any of them been out the back yet... say to the toilet?"

"What?" Hitchcock twisted to look at the young man, her voice just barely low enough not to be heard. "Not yet; one did go to check if there was an entrance out to the back, but it seems that the front door is the only way out of here." She paused before adding, "Although one of them does keeps complaining about being hungry."

"Great," Lancer commented, looking as if Hitchcock had given him the answer he was looking for. "Which one?" he asked as he looked across at the four men who held their lives in their hands.

Katie glanced across the room before answering firmly, "Over there... by the watches - I think his name's Wilkins. He's been whining quite a bit... about the whole situation, but he has complained about being hungry, too."

"Wilkins." Lancer let the name roll about his mouth. Slowly a predatory smile crept across his features. "Wilkins," he whispered quietly under his breath, staring at the man's back as if daring him to turn towards them. As if hearing Lancer, the man in question looked over at them, a confused, frightened expression crossing his face before he rubbed at his ear and turned uneasily away from them again.

The police officer, realising that the others were giving him strange looks, shook his head slightly and, giving a weak smile, explained, "Worth a try." Seeing this cause even more glares in his direction, he wilted under the looks and glanced down at Lucas instead, a frown pulling at his handsome face. The others all knew that he was judging if he had enough time to implement his plan before the boy died. Bridger, Westphalen and Hitchcock traded nervous glances before turning their attention back to the injured boy.

***

Lieutenant Benjamin Krieg rounded the corner, jerking to a stop before scuttling back and pulling Security Chief Crocker behind the cover of the shop wall. "Look," he hissed by way of explanation, pointing a finger towards the front of the jewellery shop.

Both men drew in a sharp breath as they saw Captain Bridger pause at the door just before he ducked his head and entered. The three released hostages hurried to the waiting police, ambulances and Lieutenant Ramos.

"What do we do now?" Crocker asked, taking off his hat and wiping a hand across his brow.

"Let me think," Krieg said, chewing at his bottom lip as he considered their options.

"You know Commander Ford is never going to agree to this," Crocker stated, indicating the ancient underground maps that they had scammed from the local library.

Krieg, waving the other man's words aside, stated, "What the commander doesn't know won't hurt him."

"We can't do that - the captain told us to..." Crocker started, his tone faltering as Krieg butted in.

"Captain Bridger told us to report to him when we had all the information; we have all the information and now it's up to us to report to him - and seeing as he's now inside the shop... I guess we'll just have to get inside to get his permission - and the best way to get in is by these tunnels," Krieg finished, slightly out of breath... for him it was only a short speech, but he had said most of it without taking a breath.

"I guess so," Crocker hesitantly agreed, scratching his head, "but if you don't mind, I think I'll leave it to you to explain the logic of your argument to the captain... once we get in there."

Krieg shot his friend a startled, pleased look as he realised that Crocker was agreeing with him, then he broke into a wide smile, gripping the other man's shoulder as he advised, "We'd better get in touch with O'Neill and Ortiz and have them fetch the cutting equipment ashore." As they began to move away he continued, "And we'd better tell them that it's to be kept under wraps."

"Under wraps?" Crocker queried, moving to one side as the younger man brushed past him.

"Not to mention this..." again he held up the maps, "or the cutting equipment to Commander Ford."

Crocker shot a quick glance back at the commander in question, noting even from the distance of their hiding place the worried look that filled the other man's features. "I don't think Commander Ford is going to like us when he finds out," he mumbled under his breath as he followed his friend away from the scene before the jewellery shop.

***

"You..." Higgs spat, pointing his gun in Bridger's direction, "over here." He motioned jerkily toward the vid-phone.

Nathan rested a quick hand upon Lucas' shoulder, as if gathering internal strength from the lad. Glancing down, he smiled reassuringly at the boy who had just crept back to consciousness and was surprised to find his captain hovering over him, concern written clearly across his face.

"Captain...?" Lucas gasped as he tried valiantly to struggle up, but a restraining hand from Nathan kept the boy firmly against the floor.

"Lie still... try not to move," the older man advised, then Bridger looked towards Westphalen who shrugged her shoulders in helplessness. She had no idea how long Lucas would remain lucid; the powerful painkillers were obviously working, but the agony of the injury was only being held at bay - they both knew that the boy needed professional help.

"Now," cried Higgs, moving forward a few steps to emphasise his willingness to use his weapon.

Bridger stood up slowly, holding up his hands as a sign of compliance, and slowly headed towards the vid-phone. He paused slightly before he picked the receiver up. Gathering his thoughts, he waited for Lieutenant Ramos to answer.

"Tell them... we want that van - NOW - otherwise they will have to explain the death of your women to the UEO," Higgs snarled.

Bridger suppressed the flare of rage that ripped into his body at the threat to his friends. He knew that Ramos would have to take the same stance as before, but he repeated the demands nonetheless, knowing that time was the most important commodity they had at the moment.

Higgs listened in on the other vid-phone, his face darkening in anger when Ramos began to explain in a calm, patient tone that the van was going to take more time. "I want that damned van now, otherwise bodies are going to start appearing outside the door," he cried towards Bridger as he held the gun at arm's length, pointing it directly at the captain of the seaQuest.

Nathan began to repeat the words, but Ramos cut him off, insisting, "It's going to take a few more hours... I've got to get permission from higher up, but it's coming."

This seemed to have a slightly calming effect upon Higgs, who slowly nodded his head, saying to himself, "Now that's more like it; they've got to listen to me now." Then, turning back to Bridger, he said with a demented smile, "See... I was right... I knew having you would make a difference." Suddenly his attitude changed again and he snarled, "Tell him two hours... that's all. One minute longer and you're dead," Higgs stated. Looking into the man's eyes, Bridger knew that he was not lying.

While they were talking Wilkins edged forward, his rat-like features twitching nervously as he whined, "If we've got to wait, can't we have some food...? I'm starving."

Higgs spun upon him and the man wilted under the deadly glare that was thrown his way, but another of the group, Gould, spoke up, his tone indicating that he was not so afraid of their leader, "Come on, Higgs, what the hell harm is it going to do?"

The man in question looked at the other four men and realised that they were all of the same mind, and that to ignore this demand would cause a threat to his authority. "All right," he finally agreed, as if giving them a big concession. "But no hostages will be given over in return for food," he ordered, turning back to Bridger who was standing beside the vid-phone. "Tell them what we want. If they don't agree, I'll shoot one of you in the arm or..." he giggled, warming to the idea, "maybe the leg." As he spoke, he turned and trained his gun upon the group seated along the wall, mimicking the actions of shooting one of them.

"They want some food," Bridger repeated into the mouthpiece, his mouth suddenly going dry at the insane light he glimpsed in the other's eyes as he played with his gun. "If they don't get it, they will shoot one of us." He kept his tone purposely even, but knew that the other man would pick up on his growing concern nonetheless.

"Yeah... I heard," Ramos replied, letting Bridger know that he fully understood the situation. "It'll take a few minutes to arrange."

"They're sending some food in... it will take a few minutes," Bridger said, then he stopped, waiting for Higgs' next command. The man stood for a few seconds before he slowly indicated that Bridger was to replace the vid-phone and go back to the wall where the others waited.

As he reached Lucas's side, he squatted down and smiled into the boy's open eyes. "How're you feeling?" he asked, gently holding out a hand and carefully wiping the ever-present bangs from the boy's fever-bright eyes.

Lucas pulled a weary face and started to shrug, wincing as it pulled against his wound. "I've had better days," he replied in a breathless tone.

"I just bet you have." Nathan forced a smile into his voice, determined to hide how worried he really was from the young man. "Perhaps next time you'll let Kristen and Katie go shopping on their own?" he questioned.

Lucas licked at dry lips as he answered slowly, in a rasping voice, "You've got that right." He suddenly paled even more and gripped tightly at Westphalen's hand as a wave of pain swept over him, leaving him sweating and shaking.

"That's right, Lucas..." she advised in her best mother-hen tone, "just ride with the pain, let it all go... it'll pass." She reached out and wiped a damp cloth over his face and upper chest. "It will pass." She kept repeating the words until the suffering left the boy's face and he relaxed back, exhaustion clearly showing within his eyes.

"Getting shot sucks," he stated breathlessly, before he closed his eyes and slipped back into unconsciousness.

"We've got to do something, Nathan," Westphalen stated firmly, her face showing her very real concern for the charge that now lay unconscious under her hands, her eyes fixed upon her captain's face.

Bridger wanted to cough past the lump that had swollen within his throat, but he knew that it wouldn't do any good. Instead he looked towards Lancer who nodded his head, fully understanding and accepting that if he was going to do anything it would have to be soon. "When the food comes we'll let them eat, get a bit more relaxed... then make our move." As he spoke, he reached down and gently touched one of the knives hidden beneath his trousers leg.

***

Krieg suppressed another groan as his footing slipped again on the narrow ledge and he stumbled into the channel of shallow water. Closing his eyes, he sent up a silent prayer and hoped that it was only water, but the smell told him otherwise.

Crocker glanced back at his companions and suppressed his own groan as he wondered how they had allowed Ortiz and O'Neill to talk them into taking them with them into the underground sewer system of the city. Admittedly, the equipment that they had needed from the seaQuest was heavy, and having the extra hands did make the job easier, but he still had a bad feeling about the whole situation - especially the snide remarks that had been flowing between O'Neill and Krieg over the correct direction to take.

"Here," Krieg suddenly yelled out, pulling the little group to a grinding halt. "This is the one we want." He tilted his head so that the light on his helmet shone directly onto the damp map he was holding in one hand, then looked back up at the tightly welded-shut cover over his head.

"Are you sure we took the right turn at the last junction?" O'Neill asked. "I could have sworn that we needed to go east."

Krieg gave the other man a dirty look; he had had to put up with O'Neill questioning his every direction since they had entered the sewer. "Look," he almost snarled, "who's got the map?" He held up the precious item and continued, "It's west we had to go... and it's west that we went... all right?"

O'Neill felt his eyebrows rise in shock at the tone, but then - catching the glare of frustration in Crocker's eyes, and knowing that it was from the other man's concern for his captain and friends - Tim pushed his concerns aside and, pulling a face of his own, he finally agreed, "All right... if you say this is the one, then I guess it is."

"Great," Krieg shot back in a sweet, sarcastic tone. "Now do you think we can get on with it?" he continued as he struggled out of his backpack straps and, turning, let the heavy load drop unceremoniously to the ground with a loud thud.

"Hey..." cried Ortiz. "Careful with that stuff," he snapped, reaching for the item in question. "Do you know how much this thing costs?" he added, glaring at the supply officer.

"No," hissed Krieg with deep feeling. "But I can tell you exactly how much it weighs," he complained as he started to stretch the kinks out of his back - no mean feat considering that they were in a stooped position because of the low height of the ceiling.

"Can we just get on with it?" Crocker stated as he firmly pushed past the other two men and began to help Ortiz take the equipment from the backpacks and assemble the cutting machinery. "Lucas could be dying up there for all we know," he added as an incentive. A heavy silence trickled sickly over the small group. O'Neill gave Krieg a small smile by way of an apology and Ben returned it with a nod of his head to show that it was accepted.

"Now," Krieg stated, clapping his heads together and pushing the unpleasant thought to the back of his mind, "let's get this rescue on the road." Willing hands reached for the machinery that would be used to cut through the sturdy metal grid that had been welded firmly into place over the cover to prevent any break-ins to the shop above. The only sound that could be heard then was the sound of breathing and the occasional curse as one or other of the men slipped into the narrow channel that carried the sewage under the city.

***

Lucas began to grow more restless as time passed, and his fever grew with the onset of infection.

Wilkins snatched at the parcels of food as soon as they arrived in the store and began to eat, giving the hostages the growing impression that he had not eaten in days. Bridger noted that no food was offered to them - a fact that they were grateful of, because none of them thought that they could eat as long at they were being held against their will.

"How long until the van arrives?" Waide, the fourth gunman, asked Higgs. It was the first words that Bridger had heard him speak.

Higgs glanced at his watch, then across the room toward Bridger and his people. He spoke loud enough for them all to hear: "About fifty minutes. If it doesn't arrive this time, the boy is going out with another bullet hole in him." He looked directly at Bridger as he spoke and could tell from the steely glint that entered the other man's eyes that his barb had hit home.

"Don't let him bait you," Lancer said under his breath, his lips hardly moving.

"It's not your... friend... he's threatening," Nathan shot back, turning the glare upon the other man.

As if knowing that he was the topic of conversation, Lucas began to thrash about, his fever now high enough to cause him to mutter under his breath and struggle to get up. "No... don't... " he gasped feverishly, "Darwin.... Let go, he's just... a defenceless animal."

Bridger glanced up at Westphalen, seeking an answer to the boy's muttering, but the pretty doctor just shrugged aside his unasked question and went back to tending Lucas while chewing her bottom lip.

Lancer watched the scene before him unfold for a few moments and knew that the more the boy moved, the more likely it was that he was going to hurt himself. Finally he leant over and gently rested his index finger upon the boy's forehead. "Deep," he said in a firm, steady tone, "deep sleep." The effect was immediate and startling... Lucas gave a gentle sigh and slipped into a more restful sleep.

Bridger felt his eyes snap up to Lancer's face as a ripple of shock swayed him. When he had first met the young man he had been ready to reject whatever suggestion Ramos would make, but then Lancer had touched him and he had calmed down and accepted his accompanying him into the shop almost without question. "How did you do that?" he asked, his throat going dry as he realised he was not sure if he was referring to their first meeting or to what he had just done with Lucas.

Lancer looked down at his hands, almost as if seeking an answer within their grasp, but he licked at his own dry lips and answered slowly, "I'm... I'm empathic." Seeing the confused looks that Bridger and Westphalen exchanged, he hurried on, "I can... er... influence... people's thoughts." He took a deeper breath and ploughed on with the explanation that had been given to him as a child, when his ability had first been discovered. "It's a bit like throwing a junction switch... it... allows me to send a person thoughts - and therefore actions - down another pathway than the one they might have chosen."

"In theory it's possible," Westphalen stated, seeing the look Nathan gave her, "but I've never met...." She stopped, only just remembering to keep her voice low.

"There's no such thing," Hitchcock said, looking at the young man as if he had just appeared before her with horns.

"Isn't there?" Lancer asked, annoyed at the woman's attitude. Tilting his head to one side he concentrated slightly, a frown appearing between his eyes with the effort, before continuing, "If your right hand itches, why don't you scratch it?" Even as he spoke, the lieutenant commander was reaching to scratch the hand in question. She snatched her hands apart and then turned wide eyes upon the young man.

"I've been working on Wilkins and Gould since I got in here," Lancer said, ignoring the questions he could see in the others' eyes, his manner now totally professional. "Higgs is hard, but I've pushed him so far. Unfortunately Waide has a natural wall."

"You can really...?" Hitchcock asked, moving back to scratch at her hand again, her eyes wide.

"Look," Lancer snapped, before he drew a breath and went on in a calmer tone. "It's what makes me good at what I do," he explained, knowing that until these people adjusted to the idea, they would not be able to work with him properly. "And it's what just might get the kid out of here alive," he added for good measure.

Bridger waved aside the other comments, pushing his own questions to the back of his mind as he concentrated on the issue at hand. "All right, we can continue this once we get out of here," he said, his tone indicating that - while this was a long way from over - here was neither the place nor the time to discuss the matter.

Lancer suppressed a smile of relief and said with feeling, "I'll agree with that."

"Now, what exactly do you want us to do?" Nathan asked, knowing that their chances to survive had just risen considerably, if what Lancer said was true.

"I'll cause a distraction; I should be able to get two of them out of the room and, once separated, I can deal with them. You wait until you see me make my move and, if you get a chance... take out whoever's left."

"You're fogging this conversation from them, aren't you?" Westphalen suddenly asked, realising that they had been speaking quite openly for a while now and none of the gunmen had so much as even looked in their direction.

Lancer glanced down at his clenched hands and agreed, "Yeah, and I'm going to have a headache to prove it in the morning." Then, looking up, he smiled at the serious faces that surrounded him. "Just be ready to act the next time Higgs wants you to speak to Ramos."

Bridger nodded his agreement before he exchanged a glance with Hitchcock - he could tell that the woman was shaken by what she had just learned, and he noted that she was still unconsciously scratching at her hand. With gentle fingers he rested his hand over hers and, meeting her inquiring look, he gave her an encouraging smile.

Suddenly Higgs leapt up and threw the rest of his food to the floor in disgust. "Damn it.... Damn it, they've got us caged like rats..." he cried, moving over and slapping Wilkins' drink from his hand. The man cried out and dodged away from his leader's sudden rage.

"What... did you do that for?" he whined as he wiped his soaked hand up his jacket, casting frightened looks about him, as if he expected to receive an attack from another direction.

"This is getting us nowhere, can't you see what they're trying to do?" Higgs snarled. Then, seeing the blank look that his words received, he continued, "They should have an answer on that damned van by now." Spinning about, he pointed his gun at Bridger. "You... on the line.... Ask him how long... now!"

Nathan felt a ripple of fear climb up his back; was Lancer ready? He gave the man in question a quick glance and felt the slight tingle of reassurance seeping into his being. He gave a moment's consideration to pushing the young man out of his mind, but dismissed it in the next instance. He had enough to worry about.

As Bridger slowly stood, Lancer also rose. "Look," he began, showing growing agitation, "I've got to go, man... you know... use the toilet." He put just the right amount of anxiety into his tone and, with his ability, was able to give just the right impression of being a man in desperate need.

"That's just tough, pal... learn to hold it," Higgs snarled, an evil smile playing about his eyes.

"Fine," Lancer stated, his anger boiling. "If you don't mind the smell, then neither do I." He never took his eyes from Higgs, and was using all his ability to force the man to let him move.

"What the hell," Higgs finally agreed, waving his gun in the general direction of Wilkins and Gould. "You two go with him... see that he doesn't do anything," he stated with a slight snigger, "besides the obvious." Then, growing serious again, he ordered, "Waide, watch the others."

The man in question looked up from his food in surprise, then - glancing back at the soggy packet he held - he pulled a sour face, wrapped the remains up, and casually tossed it to the ground. Standing, he slowly sidled over and leant against the wall next to Hitchcock.

"You going to be nice to me, pretty face?" he said, leaning down and smirking into her face. She swallowed and raised an eyebrow showing her contempt. He just rose back up and laughed.

"Thanks," Lancer said with feeling as he moved past Bridger and Waide, heading towards the back of the shop and the rest rooms.

"Do you still want me to contact Lieutenant Ramos?" Nathan asked, not sure if Higgs would want him on the vid-phone at the same time as two of his men were occupied.

"Yeah... why not? It's about time he realised that I'm not just some punk he can jerk around." Higgs was almost relaxed as he ordered the older man about, and Nathan knew with a sinking feeling of certainly that he had finally made up his mind to kill the hostages, no matter what the outcome was.

Bridger held up his hands to show his compliance and walked slowly towards the vid-phone. Just as he reached it and was standing near to Higgs, he heard a gun go off out the back. Instantly spinning, he dove into Higgs, catching the sight of Hitchcock attacking a shocked Waide from the corner of his eye.

The fight was short and fierce - Bridger had a lot of pent-up frustration and anger towards the man he now fought. He was brutal as he chopped at the wrist of the hand that held the gun. It slipped from numb fingers as the man cried out - the bone in his wrist had been snapped. Then, pulling Higgs about, Nathan drove his clenched fist into his face, feeling the nose dissolve upon impact with great satisfaction. Higgs was not totally out for the count, however, and he came back with a vicious blow to Bridger's middle, but the captain of the seaQuest had seen it coming and was able to turn slightly so that his side took the force of the blow. Dipping back, he put his full weight behind another blow that lifted Higgs from his feet. The man went down and didn't look as if he would be getting up without the aid of a hospital.

Bridger spun to see how Hitchcock was managing, just in time to see a knife embed itself into Waide's back as he was reaching for his gun. Hitchcock was laying sprawled at his feet and Westphalen was slumping against the wall, obviously having only just been hit by the man now reaching for the knife that was deeply buried into his back. He clawed at it like a drowning man reaching for a liferaft. He failed and tumbled slowly to the ground, still reaching for the knife even as he died.

Glancing in the direction that the knife had come from, Bridger saw Lancer leaning weakly against the far counter, his face deathly pale as he gripped at a bleeding wound in his stomach region. Nathan was at his side before he slipped to the ground. "Ahh... " Lancer hissed as his legs gave way. "Wilkins got off a lucky shot," he explained, gasping for breath as he spoke.

"Gould?" Nathan questioned, ready to finish off the man in question if he was still a threat.

"Knife," Lancer gasped. The way he said it indicated that his aim with the knife was as true as it had been with Waide. "Wilkins' neck's broken," he continued, putting the captain's mind at rest about the chance of further attack. "Get Ramos," the wounded man panted, "and an ambulance... for your boy."

"Hitchcock," Bridger called while trying to see the extent of Lancer's wounds. "Get help... now!" Seeing the young woman start towards the door, he ordered, "Use the vid-phone - they might just blow your head off if you rush out there."

She came to a sudden halt. Reaching up, she felt at the nasty gash that lay across her cheek, the obvious reason for her disorientation. "Right," she agreed, changing direction and moving over towards the vid-phone, giving Higgs a vicious kick as she passed.

Bridger stayed by Lancer, having replaced the injured man's hands over his wound and applying as much pressure as he could to slow down the loss of blood.

"You know," Lancer stated about a rough cough, "your kid's right... it really does suck...." Seeing the confused, concerned look that Nathan gave him, he added, "Getting shot."

Bridger remembered the words Lucas had spoken earlier and stated with feeling, "I hope... I never get to find out." Before he could say any more, the front door burst open and a team of armed police rushed into the room, followed swiftly by Lieutenant Ramos, who began shouting orders.

Moving immediately up to Lancer, he squatted down beside Bridger and asked, "Oh God, Lance... how bad?" Bridger could hear real fear behind his words and wondered at the friendship that lay behind the deep concern that Ramos obviously had for the young man.

"I've had worse," Lancer gasped, before a coughing fit broke into his words. As he finished, he drew in a ragged breath and continued, "See to the boy first." As he spoke he tried to move, but both Bridger and Ramos reached out restraining hands and prevented him.

"He's getting help, Lance... don't you worry... just concentrate on staying alive," Ramos said, before moving aside slightly to allow some medics access to the injured man.

Bridger also reluctantly gave up his position as a pressure bandage and skilled hands replaced his. Standing, he shot a look over towards the far wall and noted the small group of paramedics that were moving under Dr Westphalen's orders as Lucas was carefully lifted onto a stretcher and wheeled out of the shop. "Captain," Hitchcock said by his side. He turned to face her, only just realising, with a slight ripple of shock, that he had forgotten all about her.

"I'm sorry, Katie," he apologised. "Are you all right?" he asked, reaching a hand up to gently touch the cheek that sported a nasty cut.

Hitchcock ducked her head away and answered with a slight edge of embarrassment, "He nearly got away from me, sir." Then, lifting her head up, she commented with a slight smile, "But Dr Westphalen is one nasty lady when she gets riled up."

Bridger laughed shakily in agreement, "You can say that again." Then, falling serious, he continued, gently taking his lieutenant commander by the arm, "Let's get that wound looked at." He led her out the door, blinking at the fading light. Had the day nearly past? With a shudder, he realised that he would be spending most of the night at the local hospital - at least until he found out if Lucas and Lancer would be all right.

"Captain... Captain Bridger," a frantic voice called from behind the police cordon. Looking up, he saw Commander Ford roughly push past the police officer who tried to stop him and head towards Bridger, Ford's relief evident in his every movement. "I'm glad to see you all out of there," he said with feeling.

"Where's Lucas?" Nathan suddenly asked, not seeing the boy or Dr Westphalen, and panicked by their absence.

"On the way to the hospital... the ambulance just left," the young second-in-command informed Bridger as he came to stand beside them. "Dr Westphalen went with him," he continued before he turned a worried frown upon the cut upon Hitchcock's face. "Katie, you ought to get that looked at."

"It's nothing," she began, wanting to push the issue aside.

"You're going to get that cut looked at," Nathan stated firmly as he led her towards one of the waiting ambulances.

As they moved forward, Commander Ford cleared his throat and Bridger turned and asked him a question with merely a raised eyebrow. The man under the stare licked his lips before he answered, "Krieg and Crocker are missing."

"Missing?" Nathan said, allowing two medics to take Katie from his grasp. "I thought they went to look for some plans or diagrams?"

"Yes sir, but the library has been closed over an hour and they have not reported back on board yet," Ford continued, following his commanding officer as he climbed into the ambulance with Hitchcock.

Nathan felt dead tired, but he pushed that aside as he said, "Give them a few more hours; if they haven't turned up, then let..." He paused as he took in the scene before his eyes. "Let me know," he finished.

***

Three hours later and Bridger was once more considering the trek to the hospital coffee machine. He glanced at the numerous empty cups that littered the small table beside him and pushed the thought aside.

Both Lucas and Lancer had been rushed straight into surgery, and the first hour of the wait had been taken up with the police statement. After that, the wait had really begun.... Bridger shot a look over at Lieutenant Ramos, who had chosen to remain behind to see how his young officer was faring. He noted with a weary smile that the lieutenant had just as many empty cups beside him.

Ramos, as if realising that Bridger was looking at him, glanced over. Standing, he made his way across and sat down beside the captain of the seaQuest. "I hate this waiting," he commented, searching his pockets before continuing with a weak shrug, "I gave up smoking six years ago and I still reach for them every time I'm in this damned place."

"I know what you mean," Bridger said with a dry smile of his own. The two men were alone in the waiting room; Nathan had sent Ford back to the seaQuest with Hitchcock, who had had her face treated and was now ordered to have bed rest for the next few days.

"What the hell takes them so long?" Ramos questioned suddenly, standing with a burst of nervous energy.

Bridger watched as the man began to pace again. He had spent the last hour walking across the floor from time to time. "How long have you known Lancer?" Nathan asked.

Ramos stopped and considered the question. "About fifteen years. I caught him stealing some hubcaps from a parked car."

"Did you book him?" Bridger asked, his interest piqued.

Ramos laughed at the memory and answered honestly, "No... he promised to pay me for the damage." Seeing the confused look this earned him, he went on, "The little swine stole them from my car."

"Sounds like quite a handful."

"Yeah... yeah, he was... back then." Ramos paused, then moving over, he sat back down and continued, "But he had a few problems of his own and... well, he has a knack of getting you to like him."

"Yes," Nathan stated, "I discovered that little talent myself."

"You know about his...." Ramos stopped, not sure how to continue.

"His ability?" Bridger offered.

"Yeah," the other man said with some relief. "He had a really rough time - some scientist wanted to rip him apart to find out how he ticked."

Bridger didn't say a word, but pushed aside his own burning desire to know just how the young man had gained his ability.

Ramos, taking the other man's silence as an indication to carry on, said, "His parents did a runner when he was about ten, twelve... that's when he went on the street and I found him." He paused again, as memory slipped over him. "He was really small for his age."

"You adopted him?" It was only a guess, but from the other man's reactions to date it was obvious that he had strong feelings for his young charge.

"No... not adopt - I'm a single cop, living on my own. The job doesn't encourage a stable environment for a kid, but he became my ward, of sorts." Ramos, as if realising that he was revealing too much, tried to change the subject. "You know, you're lucky that we didn't decide to come up into the shop from that manhole in the basement."

Bridger was thrown by the sudden change of conversation, but then he remembered telling Lieutenant Ramos earlier about Krieg's and Crocker's idea about the manhole. "Why?" he asked with a slight frown as he realised that he hadn't seen either of those two men in quite a while.

"Well, I spoke to the shop owner, and apparently he was really paranoid about having the thing in his basement and he dumped over a ton of cement and titanium on top of it... there is no way that we could have got into the shop from there, and the thought of going into those sewers...." The police officer shuddered at the idea.

Bridger considered the other's words, then found himself chuckling to himself as realisation began to dawn. Before he could explain his laughter, Westphalen appeared. She looked tired and drawn, but was smiling as she explained, "Lucas is going to be fine... he's sleeping at the moment." She accepted the offered hug and relished in the feeling of security that Nathan always managed to convey. "The doctors very kindly let me assist," she continued, before she added, "well... they let me into the operating theatre."

"Any news on Lancer?" Ramos asked, unable to contain himself any more. Even as he spoke, another doctor appeared. It was a man the lieutenant obviously knew, because of the smile of greeting that passed between the two men.

"You are going to have to tell that young man that dodging bullets is a much better pastime than taking up one of my beds for a week," the doctor said as he shook the lieutenant's hand.

"Lancer's going to be all right then?" Nathan asked, moving over to stand beside the two men.

The doctor drew a deep breath; he had been on duty for two shifts now and it was beginning to tell. "Yes... but he's out of commission for at least a month." Seeing the sour look this earned him from the lieutenant, he cautioned, "I mean it, Ramos... take the boy away - go fishing or something."

"I'll put it to him... but you know what he's like," Ramos said, his tone indicating just how successful he was likely to be.

The doctor stretched again, before continuing, "Well, he's in here for at least a week, so you can work on him. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to find my bed." He nodded to them in turn and began to leave. Just before he did, he turned and said, "He's in the recovery room if you want to see him." He directed this towards Ramos. "But only for a few minutes."

The man in question expressed his thanks to the doctor, then - giving Bridger and Westphalen a quick smile - he disappeared down the hall.

The elevator at the end of the corridor opened and Commander Ford stepped out. He glanced about to get his bearings, then seeing Bridger and Westphalen at the end of the hall he headed towards them at a fast pace. "How's Lucas?" he asked as soon as he was close enough.

Kristen repeated what she had told Bridger and finished, "I was just going to take Nathan in to see him."

"He's awake?" Ford asked in some surprise.

"No," Kristen answered firmly. "He's sleeping, but I know that Nathan won't be until he's seen that Lucas is safe. "

"Oh, right," Ford said, casting the man in question a raised-eyebrow look.

Nathan just accepted the doctor's words, as he knew that she was right and he was eager to see his young charge. "What room's he in?" he asked by way of a gentle reminder.

"Oh... I'll take you... it's just down the hall," Westphalen said, placing a hand under the man's arm and leading him away. Ford began to follow.

Bridger stopped, a slight frown creasing his handsome face. "Has Krieg or Crocker reported back to the seaQuest yet?" he asked. Commander Ford suddenly found the ceiling and floor very interesting viewing. Bridger turned and asked in a command voice, "What is it, Commander?"

"O'Neill and Ortiz have disappeared, as well as that experimental cutting equipment that we had on board to test," Ford answered reluctantly.

Bridger closed his eyes as an image filled his mind. Sighing with resignation at his men's ability to get themselves into trouble, he glanced at his watch before he ordered, "Let's give them another hour or two before we go and find them."

"Find them?" Ford asked, totally confused by the captain's resigned air.

"The sewers, Commander Ford... the sewers."

"Sir?" Jonathan asked as he followed the other two down the corridor.

They came to a stop outside a room and Nathan answered, "I'll explain later. Right now..." he glanced at the closed door and thought of his young friend who was resting beyond it, "I'm a bit busy at the moment, and it won't hurt them to wait a little while longer."

***

Krieg considered seriously harming O'Neill. That one thought had been there, just below the surface, for the last three hours. Just ticking over, getting deeper and deeper into his conscious thoughts. It would be so easy.

"Are you through yet?" O'Neill asked again, his impatience just as bright as the halogen light that showed them their immediate area.

"No," snapped Krieg. "It's pretty difficult to cut with this damned thing when I have to keep stopping to answer your question every few minutes," he griped. Not to mention, he thought, the difficulty of holding the cutting head up while it churned at the metal over his head.

"We should have got through by now," O'Neill continued, totally ignoring the other's words and turning towards the other two men who were slumped against the wall, no longer caring about how much dirt and excrement they stood in. They had just finished their half hour stint on the cutting machine and were gasping in deep gulps of breath, near to exhaustion.

"Will you hold the damned thing still and concentrate on what you're doing," snapped Krieg as the blade slipped again and bit into the wall. "Now look what you made me do," he stated, his air of unjust injury complete.

"It's almost like we're trying to cut though titanium and concrete," Crocker said, wiping the sweat from his face and eyes. "If we don't breach it within the next half hour, I say we should call it quits."

"Quits!" Kreig yelped in a shocked tone. "It's the captain, Katie, Lucas and Westphalen we're talking about... would they quit on us if we were in there?"

"They might if they were knee-deep in this shi..." Ortiz began, but his words trailed off at the dirty look that Crocker threw his way. He shrugged defiantly, before he finished, "Well... it is shit, and we are knee-deep in it."

"I was trying to forget that," Crocker said solemnly.

"If you've got a sense of smell, you're not going to forget that," O'Neill stated, coming to his friend's aid. "Take my word for it."

Krieg had taken the few minutes' exchange to rest his arm, now he hefted the machine back up again, stating, "Come on... another half hour and we'll be saving the captain and co., just you wait and see... I can feel it in my bones."

THE END

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