Prologue

Mid-September 2019 - Hawaiian Islands

Stepping silently through the darkness, Nathan Bridger pulled his shirt on and fumbled with the buttons. He managed to get one or two fastened as he searched for his shoes, finally stumbling across them just inside the doorway of the bedroom. His socks were nowhere to be found but that certainly wasn't an earth-shattering crisis. Cautiously sitting down at the foot of the bed he pulled one sneaker on and tightened the laces. He was bending forward to pick the other one up from the floor when the figure which lay curled within the bedclothes stirred. Bridger held his breath and waited, hoping against hope that she wouldn't wake up. His prayer was apparently answered as he heard her breathing return to the soft rhythmic cadence of sleep. Releasing the breath he was holding, Nathan finished his task then carefully stood and quietly made his way down the stairs to the living room, gathering his wallet and car keys from the end table as he did so and continuing with the buttons on his shirt as he made a bee-line for the door.

"What are you doing?"

The sleepy voice from the darkness behind him stopped Nathan in his tracks, his hand freezing in mid-air as he reached for the door knob. He grimaced, his back still toward her as he recognized what was coming, then dropped his hand and slowly turned around.

"Ummmm..." Raking his fingers through untidy hair he took a cautious step forward. "I need to get out of here... I have an early schedule tomorrow." Nathan's gaze lit on the luminescent numerals of the mantle clock. "Today," he corrected.

"Oh."

Kristin pulled her robe closer about her, then wrapped her arms around herself in an almost protective gesture as she exchanged stares with Nathan. A shaft of moonlight drifted through the half open curtain, catching her hair in its glow and turning it into an auburn halo against her shoulders. Involuntarily Nathan moved closer, a few short steps carrying him to within a few feet of her. Stuffing his hands deep into the pockets of his brown cords, he gave a hesitant half-shrug as his dark gaze roamed over her.

"I'm sorry," he offered in a low voice.

Kristin looked away.

"Of course."

Nathan stared at her, trying to gauge her mood, yet unable to read her expression as she turned her face toward the window and stared into the cool night beyond.

"Kris--"

"Just go, Nathan..." she murmured, her words stopping him in his tracks as he began to move closer, "...please."

He opened his mouth to say something, then thought better of it and decided to let the matter drop. Instead he just nodded, eyeing her critically for a moment before turning and heading once again for the door. With his hand on the knob he glanced back at her.

"Why don't you go back to bed and get some sleep," he urged softly. "I'll see you tonight."

Kristin ran weary fingers through tangled russet hair and gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head.

"I... ummm... have some things I need to do tonight," she demurred, her voice distant.

"Oh," Nathan muttered, unconsciously echoing her earlier reply. He turned back to the door and stopped, one hand tiredly rubbing the back of his neck as he stared down at the floor. Finally he looked up and attempted to catch Kristin's gaze.

"Look..." he murmured, scratching his jaw thoughtfully, "... why don't we do something this weekend. I can take a few days... we can go somewhere."

"You think so?"

Nathan frowned at Kristin's skeptical tone but chose to ignore it.

"Yeah," he said instead, leaning with his back against the door. "Maybe we can charter a plane to one of the islands. Rent a place for a few days..."

Kristin waited a beat.

"You have a perfectly good island," she reminded him.

Nathan's eyes didn't change expression... but it seemed to Kristin that he somehow withdrew into himself... and away from her. After a long moment a shadowed smile curved his lips.

"I think that would probably take more than a few days... don't you?" Though she identified a slight tenseness in the way he held himself, his tone was nevertheless nonchalant. "Maybe we should save that for later in the fall."

Kristin's sable gaze rested on the profile he suddenly presented to her. He appeared to be avoiding her eyes... eyes which flicked briefly over neatly trimmed dark hair now flecked with gray and an autocratic nose which somehow emphasized his often aloof attitude. Her gaze landed on his mouth and remained there for a few seconds before she glanced away. Absently tightening the sash of her robe, she stuck her hands into its deep pockets and returned her gaze to the window and the moonlit blackness visible beyond its panes.

"Sometimes I wonder if it really exists," she murmured, almost to herself.

"What?"

Kristin shifted her eyes to Nathan's, to the sudden confusion she found in their deep blue depths.

"Nothing," she muttered, shaking her head, then hurriedly continued as he pushed himself away from the wall and seemed about to say something further. "Do you think you can find time to make the arrangements... or do you want me to do it?"

Nathan blinked, uncertain for a moment about what she was referring to, and slightly nonplused by the faint sarcasm which edged her soft British drawl.

"This weekend?" Kristin prompted with a raise of eyebrows.

"Oh... yeah. I'll take care of it." Reaching behind himself he pulled the door open. "Friday evening okay? We can come back Sunday night." Her brief nod of acquiescence brought a faint smile to Bridger's lips. Her eyes met his again, an unreadable expression in their shadowed depths, intensified by the dimness of the room. He wanted to walk across the room, pull her into his arms and kiss away whatever strange uncertainty lurked there... but was somehow afraid of her reaction. He wasn't quite certain why. And it scared him. Instead he breathed a deep sigh and pushed against the outer door. Stepping onto the porch he closed it behind him, then motioned through the glass for Kristin to lock it. She slowly moved across the room and did so... the resounding click of the latch fitting into place seemingly loud and strangely final in the silent stillness. Giving her a slight smile and saluting the glass of the door with a tap, Nathan turned and hurried down the steps, his hands buried in his pockets and his eyes staring broodingly at the sand beneath his feet as he headed to his car.

Kristin stood in the doorway and watched him walk away from her... not for the first time... though more often than not she did so from behind the relative security of her bedroom window and the lace curtains which covered them and fluttered in the nighttime breeze. She watched as the automobile lights came on and heard the engine catch, her ruminative gaze on the red of the tail lights as Nathan swung the car in an arc and headed toward the main road. She stood where she was until all evidence of the vehicle and its occupant disappeared from view, then quietly closed the door and returned to the bedroom. Tossing her robe across a chair Kristin crawled back into bed, pulling the sheet up to cover herself. She lay on her back, staring into the darkness, for a long time following Nathan's departure. Rolling onto her side she felt the faint warmth that his presence had created. Her arm went around the pillow his head had lain on and she pulled it close to her body, inhaling the masculine odor imbedded there... a musky combination of aftershave, perspiration and the sea. With a trembling sigh she closed her eyes and tried to force herself to sleep. Instead, she lay awake until the sun crept over the horizon, her thoughts becoming increasingly confused as she contemplated the future.

Thirty minutes found Nathan Bridger reclining on a deck chair just outside the back door of his beach house, nursing a cup of tepid coffee and wondering what his big rush had been. He glanced at his watch. It was barely five in the morning. His excuse about having an early schedule had been genuine... but it hadn't been reason enough to send him scurrying from Kristin's beachfront condo as if half the zombies from "Night of the Living Dead" had been hot on his trail. Setting his cup on the ground he ran weary fingers through his hair, then leaned back and stared through the moonlit night toward the beach, toward the waves crashing against the shore before falling unceremoniously back into the ocean.

Since the destruction of the original seaQuest almost three and a half months previously... even before that actually... Nathan Bridger and Kristin Westphalen had become what Chief Manilow Crocker jokingly referred to as 'tighter than bark on a tree'. Where one was to be found... outside of work of course... you could be almost certain to find the other. But during the last few weeks, since almost the exact moment actual construction had begun on the new ship, there'd been a strain in the relationship. Nathan sighed and shook his head. Maybe that wasn't the word for it. More like a distance between them. He knew he'd been working long hours and that he and Kristin weren't able to spend as much time together as they wanted... but he was certain she understood the situation. Was certain she realized that it wouldn't last forever. That as soon as he was secure in the knowledge that everything was moving according to schedule at the shipyards... things would get back to normal. Then again... it wasn't like he was the only one spending extended hours on the job. Kristin had been putting in her fair share of overtime shuffling between her office and the labs at the UEO's Department of Biological Oceanography.

With a drawn out sigh Bridger decided that maybe the weekend outing he'd suggested was just what they needed. Glancing at his watch once again he noted that the small hand had surreptitiously crept past six... and figured that now was as good a time as any to make those reservations. An eager smile began to curve his lips as he headed for the vid-phone...

Brushing a comb through her hair and tying it back with a blue silk ribbon... more as a means to pass the time than because she hadn't already done it twice during the past half hour... Kristin resignedly looked at her watch. He was late. They were due to fly out at eight-fifteen and it was now past eight-thirty. By the time they reached the airport it would be almost nine... and that only if he showed up within the next few minutes. Damn the man... she muttered to herself, then glanced out the door as a car rounded the curve and came to a stop beside the house. Grabbing her bag and pulling the door shut behind her, Kristin was next to the silver-blue Mercedes with her hand on the door handle almost before Nathan could get out of the car. She watched as he walked around to her side, ostensibly to open the door for her, an expression half amused and half mutinous in her deep brown gaze.

"Don't you think--"

Nathan's hand appeared from behind his back and a single red rose was pressed into her palm.

"For you," he murmured, a cautious gleam in his eyes as he settled her bag on the back seat and held the door open for her.

"Don't you dare try to bribe yourself into my good graces."

His arm snaked around her waist and he pulled her close, at the same time ducking his head to hers to exchange a kiss bordering on the erotic. They both drew ragged breaths when he finally lifted his head.

"Was that better?"

"I'll... think about it," Kristin answered weakly, burying her nose in the fragrant petals of the rose as she slid into the front seat of the car and waited for Nathan to join her.

The trip to the airport was uneventful... as was the twenty-five minute plane ride to the big island of Hawaii. By midnight they were ensconced in a secluded bungalow somewhere that Kristin figured she'd never be able to find her way out of if she was alone... and probably wouldn't be able to find her way back to if she was asked. It was close to the beach, yet hidden away by the foliage of a proverbial rain forest... and that was all she knew. Later... as they walked hand in hand along the cooling sands of the beach... she voiced her approval.

"This is nice."

"Yes... it is," Nathan agreed, his gaze on her profile made visible by the almost full moon.

"This isn't a rental place is it?" Kristin asked, turning her head to meet his eyes.

"No."

"Who does it belong to?"

"A... friend."

Kristin smiled slightly at his evasive answer.

"Sorry... I don't mean to be nosy."

"I know..." His hand slipped from hers to wander to her russet hair, gently brushing his fingers through the wind-blown tendrils before he lowered his arm to her waist and pulled her closer. He urged her into a u-turn and they headed slowly back to the cottage. "Actually... its Malcolm's."

Kristin raised one eyebrow in disbelief.

"I didn't know he had such good taste."

"He doesn't. It landed in his lap when one of his heavily endorsed customers hit a streak of bad luck and couldn't pay for services rendered."

"Have you been here before?" Kristin asked curiously as they approached the door. Nathan opened it and turned to face her before they stepped over the threshold.

"No..." he murmured, shaking his head. He stared into her eyes as she leaned against the doorjamb. "Hungry?"

Kristin's mouth tipped up at one corner.

"Depends."

Nathan ushered her into the house and pushed the door shut.

"Tired?" he asked, moving to stand in front of her.

"A little," she murmured, her hands light against his chest as his arms went around her to rub gently against her back.

"You should get some rest then," he softly told her.

Kristin smiled at the hesitant question in his dark eyes.

"I'm not that tired," she said, her voice suddenly husky with desire.

Nathan swallowed.

"Good," he whispered, his lips meeting hers hungrily.

Time passed slowly... then he finally raised his head, took her hand in his, and led her into the bedroom. Within moments they were on the bed... warmth and beauty pressed close to strength and muscle... silk against steel... soft curves against hard angles. Skin against skin. Lips meeting in yet another earth-shattering kiss. Kristin sighed audibly, her breathing ragged, as Nathan's mouth left hers and began tracing a sensuous path along her jaw and neck... his tongue leaving a moist trail as he moved down her body. She moved experimentally against him... the material beneath her back wonderfully cool. She smiled faintly as her fingers tangled in his hair.

"Silk sheets," she whispered.

"Mmmmmm..." Nathan muttered, bringing his mouth back to hers as he covered her body with his, "...Malcolm does tend to get carried away."

"I like it," Kristin breathed against his neck.

"Sweetheart..." Nathan murmured as he kissed her again, "...you want silk sheets... I'll get you silk sheets."

"Would you?"

"Anything you want..."

"Right now all I want is you..." she whispered, her breath catching as he brought them together more intimately. She stared into his eyes, mesmerized by they way they darkened with such intensity, the darkest of blues fluctuating to ebony as they began to move in a gentle rhythm. He brought his lips back to hers and kissed her deeply, then buried his face against the curve of her neck as the world seemed to explode around them.

"I love you..." Kristin whispered, her words a soft breath against Nathan's shoulder. Nathan smiled, his unshaven chin rough against her soft skin. Relaxing against her, he rolled to his side, taking her with him and tightening his arms around her. He opened his eyes to find her watching him drowsily.

"Okay..." he murmured, his hand sliding in a smooth caress from her hip to her shoulder.

"Mmmmmm..."

Her gaze dropped to his chin... something reflected in it that Nathan couldn't quite fathom. His fingers trailed through her soft russet hair as he pulled her closer, her head resting securely in the curve of his shoulder.

"You sure?"

Kristin nodded, her arm creeping around him to rest warmly against his back. Nathan held her as her breathing returned to its normal cadence, a slight frown settling between his eyes as he watched her struggle silently against a sleep which claimed her anyway.

Nathan frowned. Someone was definitely doing a tap dance on his skull. Had to be. One eye slowly opened, leaving him staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. The other eye opened. Exasperation mixed with confusion as the noise continued. Familiarity came only with the warm weight draped along his side and the arm laying across his chest. Deciding that it didn't really matter where he was... and that maybe he really didn't care what was going on outside... he let his eyes slowly close.

The noise came closer. Nathan's eyes popped back open as he sat up in bed, finally realizing where he was... a place where such things weren't supposed to happen.

"What the--" he muttered, jumping out of bed and pulling his pants on as he crossed the bedroom and narrow foyer to pull the door open, "--hell!"

The door swung crazily on its hinges as he stepped onto the porch and glared at the man who grinned back at him. The glare became a scowl.

"What the hell do you want?" Nathan growled.

The grin on Malcolm Lansdowne's face widened, if that was possible. He shrugged in obvious unconcern at Bridger's atrocious welcome.

"Just happened to be passing by..." he jovially answered, leaning into the open door of his car and reappearing with a large box in his hand, "...and figured you might like some breakfast. Didn't know if you'd... ummm... manage to find time to think about such a mundane thing..." he ended suggestively, stepping cautiously forward and gingerly depositing the box on the porch at Nathan's feet. One eyebrow tweaked upward as his glance landed beyond Nathan's shoulder.

Nathan slanted a glance sideways as he felt a hand on his back, realizing that Kristin stood immediately behind him, from the look of things clad in no more than a blanket pulled hastily from the bed as she stared over his shoulder at their early morning visitor. His eyes narrowed on Lansdowne.

"Just passing by, huh?" he grumbled. "You should have kept ongoing."

"My... you're really not a very nice person first thing in the morning, you know that? Here I am--"

"Thank you, Malcolm," Kristin murmured against Nathan's shoulder, her breath a warm caress against his skin as she offered Lansdowne a crooked and somewhat apologetic smile.

Malcolm smiled triumphantly then retreated hastily to his car as Nathan descended the first step of the porch. Kristin crept along behind him, seemingly glued to his back, one hand at his waist while the other kept the blanket in place. As Malcolm's vehicle disappeared along the winding trail which passed for a road Bridger turned around, his hand clutching at a handfull of blanket as Kristin rescued the box Lansdowne had left behind... and which was now emitting a sumptuous aroma of fresh pastry. Kristin wrinkled her nose and a smile curved her lips as she opened the lid and studied her choices. Unable to help himself, Nathan ducked his head and captured her lips, removing the container from her hands as her arms lifted to encircle his shoulders. He dropped it to a bench, forgotten, as he lifted her easily in his arms and carried her back inside the house. The quilt fell to the floor, unheeded, somewhere between the front door and the bedroom.

Hands buried deep in the pockets of white cords, Nathan wandered slowly along the beach, his eyes on the woman who sat motionless on the sand just beyond the breakers. Arms draped loosely around drawn up knees, she stared out over the sea, toward the blood red sun which was slowly setting along the western horizon.

"Hey," he murmured, coming up behind her and gently nudging her with a bare toe. "You about ready to go?"

"I suppose so," Kristin whispered... a bit pensively Nathan decided... without shifting her gaze. He stood there a moment, staring down at the top of her head, watching as the sea breeze gently ruffled the soft hair at her temples. Cautiously he sat down behind her, embracing her with the hard length of his legs as she leaned back against his chest. Her hands moved restlessly against his thighs before she turned her head slightly to look up into his face. "If we have to."

Nathan smiled into her eyes.

"Nobody says we have to do anything..." he whispered next to her ear, "...but its getting late... and I have to work tomorrow and you have to work tomorrow. If we leave now and stop for dinner it'll still be almost midnight before we get home."

Kristin sighed with resigned acceptance.

"I guess you're right..."

Nathan pushed himself to his feet and grabbed her hand, pulling her up to join him and placing a brief kiss on her lips as he turned her toward the bungalow. Hand in hand they walked back up the beach as the sun slowly sank into the ocean.

Kristin put down her spoon after finishing off the last bite of her chocolate pudding, idly watching as Nathan played with the ice cubes in his tea... picking them up with a long handled tea spoon and dropping them back into the glass so that they emitted small splashes. His mind was obviously elsewhere... something she hadn't expected to happen at least until the drive home. Their plane had landed at nine-thirty, giving them enough time to drive into Honolulu for a quiet dinner at one of the small restaurants frequented by personnel from both the naval base and the nearby headquarters of the UEO. Kristin's mind went off on a tangent as she briefly wondered how she had ever managed to become so comfortable in such a setting... then her eyes wandered back to Nathan.

She gazed at him for a moment... then took a deep breath... knowing that what she was about to say wasn't going to go over very well.

"Nathan."

No response.

"Nathan?"

"Hmmmmm?" Bridger raised his head and stared at her absently.

"You haven't heard a word I've been saying."

"Of course I have," he murmured, frowning as he searched his mind for some sort of clue as to what she'd been talking about. He laid down his spoon and leaned forward, opening his mouth to make some type of response, though he wasn't sure what it would be.

"That's funny..." Kristin continued before he could get a word out. "Considering I haven't said a word in twenty minutes."

Nathan's frown grew as he leaned back in his chair and stared across the table at her.

"Is there a point to this?" he sighed.

"Yes."

"Okay... what?"

Kristin ran her tongue over her lips nervously, fiddling with her own spoon and staring at it as she formed the words she wanted to say.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately..."

"Uh oh."

She ignored the sudden amusement in his eyes.

"We haven't..." she shrugged hesitantly and stared at a point beyond his right shoulder, "...it doesn't seem like we've been able to spend much time together lately."

"I realize that," Nathan responded quietly.

"Don't you think--"

"Kristin... we've had this discussion before," he interrupted, resting tanned forearms on the table as he leaned forward and studied her expression. "It's not gonna last forever... I promise."

"It feels like its already been forever," she murmured, staring down at her hands for a moment before raising her eyes to meet his. "Nathan... I'd like to see you sometime other than..." she shrugged uncertainly, "...than between midnight and four in the morning. Sometimes I feel like..." With a sigh she dropped her gaze.

"Like what?" Bridger frowned.

"Like... I don't know... like... I've become nothing more than a convenience..."

Nathan's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Kristin.

"Like..." His voice trailed off as he slowly shook his head. "I never meant..."

"I know..." Kristin interrupted. "I didn't mean that like it sounded. I'm just... I don't know. Tired, I guess."

"Kris--"

She stared at him blankly for a moment... then released a sad sigh and shook her head.

"What?" he prompted.

"I think... I need a break."

"What do you mean?" Nathan muttered into the sudden silence, knowing full well what she meant.

Kristin's voice was gentle as she answered.

"I mean... I think it would be a good idea if we didn't..." she shrugged narrow shoulders, "...if we didn't... see each other... for a while."

Nathan felt the sweat suddenly break out on his forehead as he silently digested the words of the woman sitting across from him. Kristin's eyes held his as she waited for his reaction.

"What do you mean... for a while?"

"I guess until..." she shrugged again, "...until you decide what your priorities are."

Nathan frowned and was set to respond when she forstalled him.

"Nathan..." Kristin leaned forward, an urgency in her tone. "You spend eighteen hours a day at the base... with your computers and your blueprints and that... that bloody ship! I hardly see you anymore. You appear on my doorstep in the middle of the night... you leave before I wake up in the morning..." She collapsed back in her chair with a weary sigh. "Nathan... there has to be something more."

He chewed on his lip and stared at his palm, rubbing it nervously with the thumb of his other hand. After a while he nodded.

"I'm sorry..." he murmured without lifting his eyes. "I never meant for you to feel like I was taking you for granted." Finally he looked at her. "That's something I would never do."

Kristin steeled herself against the hurt in Nathan's eyes.

"Not purposely," she agreed softly. "Nathan... I don't want it to sound like I'm whining. I understand your work. I know it's important to you. It's important to me."

"I know," Bridger returned quietly. "You're right."

He frowned and raked his fingers through his hair, leaving them there for a moment as he rested his elbow on the table, then he abruptly pushed his chair back.

"I guess I'd better get you home, huh?"

The twenty minute drive to Kristin's beachfront condo was spent in silence. Once there, and still without saying anything, Nathan helped her out of the car and accompanied her to the door.

She felt his eyes on her as she searched her purse for the house keys.

"What exactly does... time apart... mean?" Nathan asked quietly, breaking the oppressive silence.

"It mean..." Kristin lifted one shoulder in a hesitant shrug as she retrieved her keys, "...time apart."

Nathan averted his face and stared across the beach.

"It's not because... you want to see someone else... is it?" he wondered, his almost inaudible words drifting to her on the night breeze.

Kristin stared at him in surprise.

"No... its not because I want to see someone else," she assured him in a soft voice, noticing his sudden awkwardness and the way he hid his hands in his pockets.

Nathan felt himself relax slightly at her words. After a few seconds he glanced at her, a rueful smile curving his lips.

"It's been a while since I've been dumped," he murmured, the look in his eyes not quite matching the smile on his face.

"Nathan... I'm not dumping you. I love you."

He stared at her with a lost look.

"I can't let you just walk out of my life."

Kristin moved until she was merely a hands breadth away from him. Raising a hesitant hand she tentatively ran her fingers over his jaw and chin in a light caress, then brushed his hair away from his forehead.

"I'm not walking out of your life," she whispered. "We both just need a little time to think... and some space to breathe."

Nathan nodded... then slowly bent his head toward hers. He touched her lips with his... lightly at first. When she didn't pull away he deepened the kiss, not touching her in any other way, simply allowing her to feel his emotions through that simple contact. It was Kristin who pulled away... gently brushing his lips with her fingers as she gazed at him.

"I'll call you... okay?"

With those words she slipped into the house and softly closed the door behind her. She watched from the darkened window as Nathan slowly made his way to the car, then stood next to it for a long time, staring down at the ground. Finally, unable to bear her own pain, she turned away...

Chapter One
'The Better Part of Valor'
 

Manilow Crocker, former Chief of Security aboard the UEO's prized flagship seaQuest and currently blending into the realm of private security in his new position with Tucker Industries, stared at his former commanding officer. He stood in the doorway of Nathan Bridger's makeshift office aboard the new seaQuest, which was under construction in the shipyards of the Pearl Harbor Naval Station under the jurisdiction of the UEO. Actually he'd been standing in the same position for some minutes without Bridger noticing him. He frowned and craned his neck, trying to get a look at whatever it was Nathan was doing... which seemed to be nothing more than staring into thin air with a preoccupied expression. Finally, realizing that if he didn't do something fast he'd never be noticed, Crocker stepped further into the room. Then, leaning against the doorjamb with his arms folded across his chest, he cleared his throat... loudly and suggestively. It took a few seconds for the sound to sink in... but Bridger finally glanced up. He stared at Crocker blankly for a few seconds before he pushed himself out of his chair, a wide smile on his face as he stepped around the desk to clasp his friend's hand and exchange a brief bear hug.

"Gator... you old son of a gun!" he growled. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be off peddling those micro analytic thingamajigs... or whatever they're called... for your new bosses."

"Yeah... well..." Crocker grinned back, rubbing a hand over his beard as he eyed Bridger, "...I happened to be in the neighborhood so I thought I'd stop by... see how things are comin' along."

"Good... good," Nathan nodded, then slapped Crocker on the back again. "It's damn good to see you, Chief."

"Same here, Cap." Crocker ran a hand through his hair, feeling strangely bereft without the cap he'd always worn aboard ship. "You know... it's real strange how you miss things you never thought you'd miss. Know what I mean?"

"Yeah... that I do," Bridger mused. "That I do, Chief."

"So..." Crocker continued after a brief pause, during which he allowed his eyes to roam the interior of Bridger's office before coming to rest on Bridger himself, "...aren't ya gonna offer me the grand tour?"

"You bet..." Nathan answered, placing a hand on Crocker's back and motioning him through the door. "See anybody on your way in?"

"Naw... just some of the construction crew," he rejoined, his wide gaze on the inner workings of the ship which were finally beginning to take shape. He shook his head in silent wonder. "Ain't it amazin', Cap? How fast they can get something like this built these days?"

Nodding his agreement, Bridger steered his friend along the ship's narrow main corridor, pointing out a new gadget here and an unpdated device there. The engine room and security area received a thorough examination, followed by a quick trip by the crew's quarters.

"You people are gonna be livin' the life of Riley... that's all I gotta say," Crocker muttered toward the end, once again shaking his head in the wonder of it all. Thirty minutes after they began they found themselves back in Bridger's office. He wandered around aimlessly for a few moments before turning his attention to Crocker.

"So Chief... what say I spring for dinner?"

"Naw, Cap... thanks. Supper's done passed me by." Crocker's eyes narrowed slyly. "But I can't say that I'd mind a couple free drinks."

Nathan visibly considered the offer before finally nodding.

"Sounds like a good idea to me... I could use one myself." Thirty minutes later found them deep in the heart of downtown Honolulu, ensconsed in a side booth at "Shelley's Bar and Grill".

The country club of bars, it was run by none other than Captain Calvin Shelley, USN Retired, and had been open for business for approximately two months... or since Shelley had surprised just about everyone he knew with his sudden retirement. Bridger still couldn't help but smile as he remembered the way Shelley had so blatantly attempted to kidnap a number of his crew members during seaQuest's first, and unfortunately only, tour of duty. Luckily for him he and his people had been able to win that idiotic volleyball game... or Jonathan Ford might today be wearing the uniform of Captain and serving on a ship other than seaQuest.

"And just what the hell are you smiling about?" Shelley demanded, doing the unthinkable and actually waiting on them himself.

"Oh nothing... nothing at all," Nathan replied innocently.

"Yeah... I'll just bet," was Shelley's sarcastic answer. "So... what'll it be?"

"Depends."

Shelley gave an exaggerated sigh and ran a hand over his crew cut hair.

"Still trying to make me pay, huh Nathan?"

Bridger laughed and shook his head.

"No, Shelley... I'm not. Just bring us a bottle of your strongest stuff and a couple glasses."

Shelley nodded and moved away, returning a few minutes later with a bottle of aged bourbon which he placed in the center of the table. With an unreadable glance at Crocker he set the glasses next to the bottle, then directed his attention to Bridger as he began to pour.

"This one's on the house."

Nathan raised an eyebrow.

"The drink... or the bottle?"

"Bottle."

"I'm impressed."

"Don't be."

"Okay," Bridger agreed, raising his glass in a brief salute.

With another obscure glance at Crocker Shelley turned away.

"What's his problem?"

"Hmmmm?"

"He keeps giving me these strange looks," Crocker grumbled.

"Just ignore him... he'll go away."

Crocker grinned and tossed back his drink.

The two men sat in companionable silence for a while, their long standing association making small talk unnecessary. Crocker caught Shelley giving him the odd glance every once in a while, but as Bridger had instructed he attempted to ignore him. He noticed that Nathan, for his part, was apparently too absorbed in his own thoughts to pay much attention to anything else. After the third drink, and beginning to feel a bit mellow, he leaned back in his chair and grinned.

"Now this is what I call living."

When Bridger didn't answer a sudden thought struck Crocker.

"Uh..." he leaned forward awkwardly, "...maybe there's someplace else you'd rather be, huh Cap? I mean... you don't have to entertain me. I pretty much know my way around."

Nathan stared into his drink.

"I mean... you know..." he shrugged, "...if the Doc's waiting on ya... well... you just take off. Don't mind me."

Bridger shook his head.

"No... she's not waiting on me," he finally said.

"Oh, that's good. I mean... it's not good but... hell... you know what I mean." He watched Nathan, waiting for him to answer, then frowned when he remained silent.

"Uh... Cap... you don't mean you and the Doc..."

Nathan heard the question in Crocker's voice but didn't immediately answer. After a few seconds he downed his drink, then reached for the bottle and refilled his glass. Finally he looked up.

"She said... I was working too hard... and she never got to see me anymore."

"Aw hell..." Crocker fell back in his chair, running his fingers through his hair strictly out of habit. His chin sunk down onto his chest as he considered what he'd just heard. Lifting his eyes he stared hard at his friend, wondering exactly what he was thinking, wanting to say something to sooth the hurt he knew existed somewhere beneath that emotionless wall Nathan always appeared to hide behind. As such he took the optimistic approach when he next spoke.

"Hey, Cap..." he spoke softly into the silence, "...you know women. They can never make up their minds. One day its 'you're working too hard and don't have time for me'... the next day its 'go away and leave me alone'. It was the same way with my wife... and do you see me complaining?"

Nathan stared at him.

"You're divorced."

"Like I said... do you see me complaining?"

"No," Nathan muttered.

"Anyway... how long's it been since she told you that? A day or two? A week? She's probably over it and wondering where you are."

"Four weeks and six days."

Crocker stared.

"Five weeks? Damn, Cap... I didn't realize." He released a heavy sigh and refilled both of their glasses. "You... uh... you've talked to her though. Right?"

"She said she'd call me."

Crocker had to strain to make out Bridger's words.

"She hasn't?"

Nathan held his glass up and stared at the amber liquid within it. Slowly he shook his head.

"Have you ever thought about calling her?" Crocker asked.

"Every day." Bridger gulped his drink and set the glass back on the table, the noise unseemingly loud.

"But you haven't."

He shook his head.

"Why not?"

"Because she was right."

"Cap--"

"And nothing's changed." He poured again, emptying the bottle.

From behind the bar Calvin Shelley watched intently. Almost before Nathan could set the empty bottle down he was standing next to the table, a fresh flask in his hands. As he placed it on the table between them he again met Manilow Crocker's gaze, giving an encouraging motion with his head as he glanced at Nathan. Finally understanding Shelley's strange behavior, Crocker gave an almost imperceptible nod, then turned his attention back to Bridger as they were left once more alone.

"You've been keeping this all bottled up inside... haven't you?" he observed, breaking open the fresh supply of whiskey.

"It's nobody else's business."

"Maybe not... but talking helps."

Bridger quirked an eyebrow.

"That high falutin' company you work for now sending you to psychology school too?" He decided he was beginning to feel pretty darn good... better than he'd felt in quite a while. Warm on the inside, feeling little if anything on the outside... and with a faint buzz going round and round in his head that seemed to be trying to send him off to dream land. It'd been a while since he'd had more than a couple drinks... an extremely long while. Not that he was averse to the pastime. He just wasn't one for spending half the night in the bathroom with a throbbing headache, feeling like his guts were about to spill out of his throat at any second. Leaning back in his chair, Nathan watched in fascination as Crocker allowed the honeyed liquid to trickle into into his glass. Then he reached for it, pulling it forward until it balanced near the edge of the table. It wasn't until Crocker had downed his own drink that Bridger picked up his glass and quickly emptied it. He felt nothing as it went down, his throat numb from what had gone before. But it felt good as it settled in his stomach.

Crocker poured again.

This time Nathan didn't touch his drink. He merely leaned his forearms on the table top, positioned his closed fists one on top of the other, and rested his chin atop them. Then he stared at the man opposite him.

"She's so easy to make love to," he murmured, his eyes gazing earnestly into those of his friend.

Crocker choked on his drink, coughing until tears came to his eyes.

"You don't believe me?" Nathan frowned.

"Uh... sure, Cap. I believe you." Crocker sighed and wiped his face with his sleeve. It was bright red, either from the exertion of coughing or from embarrassment, and he suddenly felt hot all over. "I'm just not sure it's something I need to hear about, you know? I mean... what goes on between a man and a woman in the privacy of their own... ummmm..." He scratched his head.

"Bed?" Nathan supplied innocently, devouring his drink in one swallow and pushing his empty glass across the table as Crocker reached for the bottle.

"Uh... yeah," the other man muttered in obvious relief. "It's their own business."

"I wasn't planning to go into detail."

"Oh."

Nathan almost smiled at the veiled disappointment in Crocker's voice. For all the man's seeming reluctance to hear the intimate details of his former Captain's relationship with Kristin Westphalen, it was apparent he was not totally put off by the idea.

"I've never known anyone quite like her."

"She's... unique... all right," Crocker muttered.

Bridger pillowed his head on his arms and stared out over the wide expanse of tables, chairs and booths which populated the pub.

"I miss her," he sighed.

"So... why don't you do something about it?"

"I guess..." Nathan straightened and flexed his shoulders, then sank back in his chair, "...I'm scared to."

"Uh huh." Crocker tipped back his head and downed his drink, catching a sidelong glance from Bridger. "Scared how?"

"Scared... that she might not miss me," Nathan murmured.

"You mean... scared that the reason she hasn't called is that she doesn't want you anymore," Crocker shot back. The sudden glare in Nathan Bridger's dark gaze told him he'd struck a nerve.

"Maybe ya oughta just face facts, Cap," he needled, figuring Bridger needed something to snap him out of the blue funk he'd obviously fallen into. "You've known all along how anti-military she is... so what in God's good graces ever put the idea into your head that she'd go for a guy who represents everything she's spent her life fighting against?"

Bridger said nothing verbally. The stony set of his face and the muscle working in his jaw said it all for him. A feeling of uneasiness settled over Manilow Crocker as he gazed across the table. His only hope was that Bridger realized the alcohol was an overwhelming contributor to the way his mouth was suddenly running away with itself... and taking his brain in tow. As was the friendship they'd shared for so many years. Somebody had to knock some sense into his head... for better or worse... and make him come to terms with his feelings for the woman and their effect on his future.

"I like the lady, Cap... but I have absolutely no earthly idea how you can put up with her twenty-four hours a day." He sigh-ed and shook his head, his expression dumbfounded. "She's got to be the most opinionated person on the face of the earth. I've seen her argue with you about things that weren't worth the words to describe 'em. She'd rather die than admit she was ever wrong about anything..." Crocker leaned forward and stared hard at Bridger. "To put it mildly, Cap... more often than not she's a royal pain in the--"

"I think you've said enough," Nathan softly interrupted, his tone deceptively mild. Realizing he'd already gone further than he should have, Crocker decided to let the chips... and more than likely himself... fall where they may.

"Is she really worth the trouble, Cap?"

The expression in Bridger's eyes would have sent a lesser man scurrying for cover. Crocker, for his part, merely flinched inwardly and held the steel blue gaze of the man sitting across from him.

Nathan didn't say a word. His face remained impassive. But his eyes were almost black with anger. They sat like that for a while ...neither one knew how long. Then the wrath in Nathan's eyes slowly began to dissolve... and one corner of his mouth tipped upward. He swallowed and averted his gaze, staring blankly at nothing for a few moments before he finally spoke.

"Yeah... she is."

"Then don't you think you should do something about it?" Crocker questioned softly. Reaching for the almost empty bottle, he kept his eyes on Bridger's face as he poured the remaining whiskey into their glasses.

"Yeah... I guess I should."

Bridger watched as Manilow Crocker downed his whiskey in one gulp. He looked at his own drink... then with a smile on his face pushed it across the table to his friend, rising to his feet as he did so.

"Have one on me, Chief."

"Gee, Cap... you're swell," Crocker muttered sarcastically, a grin splitting his cheeks. "Tell the Doc I said hi."

With a nod to Crocker and a salute to Shelley, who stood behind the bar drying a glass with a towel, Nathan was out the door and heading toward his car. As his fingers touched the door handle the vehicle automatically unlocked itself to allow him to get in. As he opened the door he paused, head tilted to one side, and listened. His eyes narrowed as he raised them, searching the dark sky toward the western horizon. Frowning, he listened intently, straining for the sound that had caught his attention. Finally, hearing nothing and mentally chiding himself for being a fool, he got into the car and drove away.

"How'd it go?"

"Smooth as silk... those damn choppers don't make a sound. We'll be on top of 'em before they know what's happening."

A deep chuckle split the velvety stillness of the night.

"Good... let's get out of here then."

Two black-clad figures moved as shadows away from the shoreline, their booted feet digging into the sand as it gave beneath the weight of their bodies. They moved swiftly first through tall seaside grass and then a small forested area before reaching the highway and the vehicles they'd parked out of sight of prying eyes.

As they paused to catch their breath one man snaked his hand out to grasp the other man's forearm. Moonlight glinted dully off the gold watch on his wrist and gave his shadowed face an expression of saturnine evil.

"Make sure your men take it easy tonight... I want everyone fresh and ready to go. Drinking and carousing half the night away won't make their job any easier . . . and alcohol tends to loosen lips. Keep them in line. Got it?"

The other man nodded briefly.

"They know the routine... there won't be any problems."

"Good." A finger jabbed into the man's chest. "Because if there are... it's your head I'll come looking for next..."

Nathan rested his chin on the steering wheel and stared at the front of the house... the bright light of the full moon emphasising the blackened windows. He glanced at his watch. It was almost three in the morning... of course she wasn't awake. Probably off in dream land, where he and everyone else in their right mind ought to be. As he reached out to touch the ignition his hand stilled. In the sudden complete darkness caused by clouds obscuring the night's natural lighting a dull glow became apparent behind one of the windows on the far side of the upper level. A thin slat of light was just visible from between pulled curtains. Without giving himself further reason for delaying the inevitable, Nathan pushed the car door open and found himself on Kristin's front porch. He automatically reached for the keys in his pocket, then pulled his hand back as if scalded. Instead... he touched his finger to the doorbell... something he hadn't found the necessity to do in months. It felt funny to be ringing the doorbell of a house that was as familiar to him as his own.

"Damn..." Kristin muttered. Sticking her pencil between her teeth she quickly flipped through the book in front of her, shaking her head in exasperation. Retrieving the pencil she jotted down a few quick notes, then turned back to the computer screen. A few taps on the keyboard and she finally located what she was after. She began reading, brow furrowed in concentration, so absorbed in her work that the almost jumped out of her chair as the doorbell sounded. The frown deepened as she listened for the sound to repeat itself... which it did. Grabbing her robe from the chair where she'd thrown it once she decided she might as well get some work done... since she obviously wasn't going to get any sleep... she stepped to the window, pulled the curtain aside, and cautiously looked out and down. Her gaze narrowed slightly as it landed on the automobile sitting out front... then her eyes widened as she recognized it.

Following a moment's brief hesitation Kristin hurried into the hallway and down the stairs. Pausing at the front door she did all she could to pull herself together... brushing her hair back and straightening her nightshirt in the process. Glancing at the robe she still held in her hand, she made a face, then slipped it on. The deep blue silk contrasted with the sharp white of her pajamas. Neglecting to tie the sash, she deliberately slid back the locks on the door and opened it a crack, no more than an inch, then slanted her gaze toward Nathan. Meeting his eyes she opened the door wider and unlocked the glass outer door, watching as he pulled one hand from his pocket to reach for the handle. He opened the door slowly and thrust his shoulder into the crack, then returned his hand to his pocket.

"Hi."

Kristin shoved her own hands into the deep pockets of her robe and stared at Nathan.

"Hi," she echoed.

"I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

One eyebrow rose.

"At three in the morning? Not much chance of that."

"What are you doing up?"

Kristin shrugged.

"Catching up on a little work," she murmured. "How about you?"

Nathan shrugged and declined to answer, wishing she'd invite him in. Absently pulling at his ear, he glanced over her shoulder into the interior of the house, then dropped his gaze back to her face as she stepped aside.

"Since you're here... you might as well stay a while," she offered diffidently.

Without giving her a chance to change her mind, Nathan stepped quickly into the house and followed her into the living room. He smiled faintly as she quickly pushed books and magazines off the sofa and onto the floor to provide a seat for him before she turned to face him. His eyes flickered over her face.

"You look tired."

Kristin smiled ruefully and lifted one shoulder in a shrug.

"You look half out of it yourself," she returned.

His smile matched hers.

"Crocker came by and decided I should buy him a drink."

"Ah..." Kristin drawled, her British accent adding new meaning to the word. "Or two or three perhaps?"

"Something like that," Bridger admitted.

"Mmmmm..." she continued, her tone plainly indicating that she knew something about Manilow Crocker's drinking habits. "I'll make some coffee..." she offered, then glanced back over her shoulder as she headed toward the kitchen, "...unless you don't..." Her voice trailed off into a question.

"No... I mean yes... that'd be fine."

Ten minutes later she reentered the room carrying two steaming mugs of coffee... to find Nathan apparently fast asleep on the couch. Carefully setting the mugs down, she knelt next to him, her sable gaze intent on his face. Smiling faintly, she trailed her fingers along his jaw and chin, then allowed them to pause against his lips. His breath was warm on her skin. She sighed. She'd missed him intensely during the past month... and now that he was here in front of her she wanted nothing more than the feel of his arms around her... the touch of his body against hers. Unfortunately, she had a feeling he was in no shape to do more than sleep. She lay a hand on his chest and prodded gently.

"Nathan..."

"Mmmmm..."

"Come on... you need to get some sleep."

He rubbed a hand over his face as he sat up.

"What about the coffee?" he mumbled.

"It can wait until morning. Come on..." She wrapped an arm around his waist and slowly led him up the stairs, switching the lights off along the way. Once inside her bedroom she helped him undress and get into bed, then slipped in beside him, pulling the bedclothes over both of them as the dark silence of the room enveloped them.

"You didn't call."

Kristin opened her eyes and turned her head toward Nathan. He was laying on his stomach, his face turned toward her, dark eyes glimmering in the shaft of moonlight which had eased its way past the lace curtains. She rolled onto her side, her cheek resting on his forearm, her hand warm against his bare back.

"I know," she whispered.

Nathan's eyes began to close drowsily and his next words came out garbled.

"...mean you don't love me 'nymore..."

"No..." Kristin murmured, wrapping her arm around Nathan's waist and shifting so that he was forced to turn onto his side to face her. Pillowing her head in the curve of his shoulder she relaxed into his arms. "I'll always love you..."

"Sure..."

"Positive."

"No matter what..."

"No matter what."

Nathan sighed, his breath gently stirring the soft hair at her temple.

"...love you..." he mumbled, drifting into sleep.

Kristin smiled wryly as she brushed his hair away from his forehead and allowed her arm to curve around his neck.

"So why do you have to be half zonked to say so..." she whispered, kissing his chin as she closed her eyes and curled into his embrace. Within moments she joined him in sleep.

Bill Noyce nodded to his aide as he stepped past him into his office. With a weary sigh he tossed his briefcase onto his desk and grabbed a quick cup of dark coffee from the dispenser situated in one corner of the room. Two more months, he told himself... two more months in this godforsaken job and I'm home free. Back to the real world. Better than that... I can finally retire and leave all of this behind me. A smile finally worked its way onto his face and he stepped to the vid-phone. The touch of a button connected him with his house. A few moments later the dark haired visage of his wife appeared on the screen.

"Janet... what say we put on the nosebags tonight... do the town a little bit?"

Janet's eyebrows rose.

"Well... what happened between here and the office to put you in such a good mood?" she smiled.

"Just the sudden realization that time's closing in."

"Getting itchy feet, Bill?"

"You could say that. Be ready at seven... we'll make a night of it."

After severing the connection with his wife, Noyce stepped back into the ante-room and headed for the exit into the corridor. As he reached the door he paused and glanced back over his shoulder.

"Lieutenant..." He waited until the young aide glanced up. "I may be a few minutes late for my four o'clock meeting. Inform the others when they arrive and make refreshments available. And please be certain you remind Captain Bridger that the printouts he wanted to make available to everyone are on my desk."

With a nod at the young officer Noyce disappeared through the doorway.

A Remote Island
900 Miles SSW of Hawaii

Westerly winds rippled waves into ten foot whitecaps as a whipcord lean man of approximate middle age walked slowly along the beach. The island was private... and remote... willed to him by an old maid aunt who'd taken him under her wing and raised him following the deaths of his parents. He'd been ten years old at the time... and totally unable to understand the how's and why's of two innocent people having their lives taken from them at the whim of a total stranger. A car bomb they'd told him... a few sticks of dynamite wired to the ignition switch of a Volkswagen Rabbit... had terminated their lives as they'd walked along a festival street in Madrid forty years before. They hadn't been the intended target, but that hadn't mattered to the man who'd done the deed. He'd stood at a corner a block away and watched. Witnesses had seen him park the car... had seen him walk away from it and saunter slowly up the street... had seen him turn around no more than ten seconds before the blast to watch what happened. Then he'd disappeared.

A heinous crime had been committed. No justice had been done.

But from the ashes of death a new life had come. For the small boy who'd lost his world to the caprices of human nature had made a vow that very day. A vow to see that justice was served... quickly and without mercy... to the planners of destruction, to the murderers of the innocent, to the high and mighty defenders of causes who cared so little for their own lives that killing came naturally.

Some called him vigilante... others called him savior. No one knew his true identity... and few cared. Until it was their turn to die. But he wasn't without ethics. They were all given a chance to defend themselves. To face judge, jury... and finally executioner. For no one had yet escaped his style of justice... and no one would... until he was no longer around to serve it.

"Mr. Smith..."

Hand shielding his eyes, the breeze tearing at his salt and pepper hair, the man turned to face the individual who'd hailed him.

"Status?"

"Everything's on schedule."

"Good." Smith... not his real name... glanced first at the gold watch which adorned his wrist then toward the northern horizon. "Are the men ready?"

"They're manning the choppers now."

Smith nodded.

"Let's put this thing into motion then."

As the other man turned away... a man of about forty years of age, clothed in black, his face camouflaged in shades of black and grey... Smith grabbed the collar of his shirt and jerked him around.

"You know who I want."

"Yeah... I know."

"Alive... got that?"

"Sure boss... wouldn't want to interfere with your fun."

Smith stared at him for a moment... then slowly chuckled and tapped the man's cheek with the palm of his hand.

"Keep that attitude, Monty... and you just might get somewhere in this old world."

The chuckle continued as the two men moved along the beach toward the outcropping of rocks and trees which hid what had been the source of their discussion...

Nathan woke slowly, his senses gradually absorbing his surroundings even before he opened his eyes. The cool pillow beneath his cheek... the pungent aroma of strong coffee... the sweet fragrance of bath soap and perfume. He reached out with one arm, expecting and hoping to encounter the soft flesh which the latter clung to, but came up empty. Turning onto his back... and groaning at the sudden throbbing ache that shot from one side of his head to the other... he slid his eyes open. He was alone in the room, but subdued sounds from the bathroom indicated that Kristin was nearby. He rolled his head in that direction to find the door standing open and Kristin in the final stages of dressing. With a sigh Nathan allowed his eyes to close while he listened to the comforting sounds of her presence.

"Nathan?"

"Mmmmm..."

A light touch on his shoulder prodded him back to consciousness.

"You awake?"

He pried his eyes open. Kristin stood beside the bed, dressed in faded jeans and a white t-shirt bearing the symbol of the UEO. In her hand she held a coffee mug, which she placed on the night stand next to him.

"I have to go to work," she murmured in a low voice, smiling as he winced in reaction to even such a mild sound. He carefully rubbed a hand over his eyes before letting his gaze stray to her compact form.

"Dressed like that?"

"I'll be down in the labs all day..." she whispered, carefully sitting down on the bed next to him, "...might as well be comfortable."

"Guess I have to go..."

"You don't have to go," Kristin denied. "Not if you don't need to. Is there any place you have to be today?"

Nathan frowned and gave that one some thought.

"Not until four," he eventually mumbled. "I have a meeting at four."

"Well you have all the time in the world then," Kristin concluded. "You can just lay here and get some sleep. I brought you coffee... and there's more downstairs."

"You're so good to me," Nathan muttered. "Too good."

Kristin smiled and gently touched her fingers to his face, allowing them to trail along his jaw and lightly touch his lips before brushing them through his hair. Nathan reached up and grasped her hand as she lowered it back to her side. There was a question in her eyes as she looked at him, but he merely smiled, something she was forced to return simply because she couldn't help herself. Giving his hand a quick squeeze, she stood up, and was almost through the door when he spoke.

"Kris..."

"Hmmmm?" She stopped in the doorway and looked back at him.

"D'you think..."

"What?" she murmured as he paused.

"D'you think maybe..." he shrugged hesitantly against his pillow, "...we could go somewhere tonight? Get something to eat... talk for a while?"

Kristin stood for a moment, visibly considering her answer. Finally she nodded.

"How long will your meeting last?"

"Few hours..."

She nodded again.

"Why don't I come by your office and wait for you?"

"Meeting's at Noyce's... you could come there if you want."

Kristin made a face.

"Thanks... but no thanks."

Nathan smiled.

"I'll tell him you said hi."

With a very unladylike snort Kristin disappeared, the sound of Nathan's soft laughter accompanying her down the stairs... followed by a soft groan.

"Oh, great... isn't this just fine and dandy!" Benjamin Krieg, former United States Navy Lieutenant and once upon a time Supply and Acquisitions Officer aboard the UEO flagship seaQuest, flung his clipboard down and heaved an exaggerated... and exasperated... sigh. "You're talking about serving the biggest big shots on the surface of this planet... and you're actually considering serving instant coffee? Instant coffee?" He shook his head in apparent astonishment. "People... the stuff is pure drek. Has been ever since it was invented back in the good old days... before the beginnings of time. And most of it's probably that old."

"It's just not in our budget--"

"Not in your budget..." Ben nodded sagely, feathered eyebrows rising high on his forehead as he surveyed the two young UEO officers seated across from him. "No such thing, gentlemen... take my word for it."

"I don't get it," the second young man said.

Ben leaned foreward conspiratorially, glanced from side to side as though to make sure no one else was around and listening, then began talking.

"I can get you what you want... whenever you want it... below cost. The best stuff there is. And it's not just coffee I'm talking about." A smile curled his lips. "I'm talking steak... and not the prefab everybody and their dog's used to eating. I'm talking the real thing... shipped fresh overnight."

"I'm not sure..." the first man began, straightening and looking at his partner.

"Hey... trust me. I didn't get this high up in the restaurant supply business in three months by sitting around twiddling my thumbs. I know people... and it's all legal."

Both men raised their eyebrows.

"Well... mostly legal," Krieg admitted, then smiled slyly. "And think about it... you'll have those people eating out of your hands... literally. Talk about networking..."

Ben's deep blue eyes darted between the two victims... er. .. men... as he awaited their decision. Finally the more senior of the two nodded.

"Okay..." he looked at his partner for reassurance and recieved a dubious shrug, "...we'll give you a shot, Krieg. But

..." he held up his index finger and wagged it in Ben's face, "...no funny stuff."

Ben's hands went up in mock surrender.

"Hey, guys... if you can't trust me... who can you trust?" Smiling, he reclaimed his clipboard. "So... let's just get this order processed... and I guarantee that within the week the quality of the food served in the UEO dining hall will be on everybody's lips... in more ways than one."

Five minutes later, his work done, Krieg stood and shook hands with his two new customers.

"Thanks, guys... you won't regret this," he murmured encouragingly. "Now... if you could just point me in the direction of Captain Bridger's office I'll be forever in your debt."

Once again, as if on cue, both men raised their eyebrows.

"You know Captain Bridger?" the first once asked.

"Hey, I want to tell you..." he intertwined his index and middle fingers, "...we're just like this. You know?"

"Uh huh..." the second man muttered. "Fifth floor... top level. But you won't be able to just walk in. You'll have to call up first..."

"Will do. Thanks guys."

With a cocky salute Krieg was gone.

Smith tore his gaze away from the whitecaps which churned beneath the relative safety of his helicopter, glancing at his watch in the process. Two o'clock. Now halfway to their destination, the group of four stealth choppers collectively veered to a more north-easterly direction. Keeping well below radar reconnaissance, traveling at speeds in excess of two hundred and fifty miles per hour, ebony blades broadcasting the noise equivalent of a bumblebee, they were the ultimate flying machine. The birds would get him and his men where they were going... take care of any resistance that might be encountered along the way... and get them all back home again in one piece once business was taken care of. Smith smiled grimly and adjusted the small headset he wore, catching the sideways glance of Aiden Montgomery as he did so. Together more than twenty years, he knew absolutely everything there was to know about Montgomery. Knew him inside out, back and forth and upside-down. Montgomery, on the other hand, knew little more about Smith than his name... or rather his assumed name.

"What do you think, Monty?"

"I think..." the pilot said, returning his gaze to his instruments, "...that this is gonna be one hell of a head-banger."

"You could be right," Smith murmured.

"I could be? You know damn well I am."

"Scared?"

"Yeah... you bet I am," Montgomery returned, a wide grin splitting his face. "This is gonna be like nothing we've ever done before. Blowing into that place in broad daylight..."

"It'll work just fine... believe me. I know these people... I've been dealing with their kind my entire life. Expect the unexpected they always say... but they're the last ones to hold to their own rules. They'll be as unprepared as a turkey on Thanksgiving day..."

Smith's deep chuckle filled the cockpit of the craft as it sped soundlessly toward its destination...

With a disgusted sigh Kristin Westphalen dropped her pen to the table top and rubbed her eyes. Burying her face in her hands she sat for a moment, her thoughts far away from the microbes swimming on the glass slide of the microscope. After several long minutes she raised her head to gaze absently at the scene beyond the windows of the second floor lab area. Normally ensconsed in her fourth floor office on days like this, she was usually happy to get away and spend a few hours burying herself in the research she had always felt more comfortable with. Lately, more and more of her time seemed to be spent there, as she found it becoming increasingly difficult to sit still for the nine to five office routine. Of course the situation with her personal life wasn't helping things any either. More often than not she found herself thinking about Nathan when she shouldn't be... in the middle of meetings, during lectures and... well, times such as the present.

And then there was...

Kristin shook her head to banish her next thought. One that had kept her awake one two many nights during the past few weeks.

"Don't even think about it..." she murmured to herself.

Finally allowing her eyes to focus, she found herself staring at the huge structure directly opposite which housed the headquarters of the United Earth/Oceans Organization. Though regarded as a section of the complex as a whole, the research facility in which her office and the UEO labs were located branched off into a sepaate wing so that it almost seemed to exist on its own. It was connected to the main ediface by an underground tram system somewhat reminiscent of seaQuest's Mag-Lev... and the only way an individual could get from one building to the other was via that linkage. The entire complex was under the strictest of security regimens due to the classified nature of what went on behind its walls... so even boarding the tram to go from one area to another required contingencies such as metal detectors and scanners, not to mention presentation of badges and papers to establish identity, even by those who daily went from one part of the complex to another. Fifteen stories high, UEO Headquarters stuck out like a sore thumb almost at the waters edge of Pearl Harbor. And today... somewhere within those fortified walls... she knew Nathan had just entered into a meeting with Bill Noyce and God knows who else to discuss...

Kristin sighed. To discuss what always seemed to be on his mind and on the collective mind of the UEO. seaQuest... or rather the new seaQuest... the ship which would replace the one destroyed so ignomineously all those months ago. Her thoughts went back to those final days aboard the old ship... and what had followed once their lives had gotten back to normal. Her relationship with Nathan had occurred so naturally. They'd become so much more to each other over the past months than either one could have imagined... especially when one looked back on their inauspicious beginnings a year and a half earlier. And now ... Kristin shook her head. She wasn't sure of anything any more... beyond the fact that she loved him. And that he loved her. That she knew... even though it seemed so difficult for him to say the words. Perhaps that was part of their problem. The words were there... between them... but locked behind that wall Nathan always seemed to surround himself with.

"It's too soon..." Kristin whispered. "It won't work this way, Nathan..."

With quick resolve she reached for the vid-phone... her hand hovering above it momentarily before she finally tapped out the number that would connect her with Nathan's office in the building beyond.

Nathan stared at the note in his hand, eyes expressionless as he read it for a second time, then a third. His dark gaze shifted to the young lieutenant standing nervously before him.

"When exactly did she call?"

"I'm not really sure, sir... your messages were rerouted from your office as you requested." He glanced at the wall clock. "I received it approximately forty-five minutes ago... so the original call probably came in just after the meeting began. You should be able to check the initial transmission file--"

"Yes... thank you, Lieutenant... I think I know the routine," Bridger muttered, absently stuffing the memo into his shirt pocket as he turned back toward the meeting room. Absently dismissing the others present... either wandering in search of coffee or leafing through the information they'd been processing over the past hour... he pulled the table-top comm-link toward himself and entered his security code. Once the link was established he dialed up his personal management system and checked his messages. Seven had been received... but the name attached to the last one was what captured his attention. Not caring to have his personal e-mail made public knowledge he opted for the wireless earphone attached to the side of the device... then waited impatiently for the message to be translated. Finally Kristin's image appeared on the screen. She seemed nervous, glancing away from the screen for a moment before finally speaking.

"Ummm... Nathan..." she began, seeming almost to be staring right into his eyes while at the same time rubbing absently at some invisible spot on the table at which she sat, "...I've been doing some thinking... and I've come to the conclusion that... ummm..." Her eyes dropped to the table top. "I don't think dinner tonight is a good idea."

Nathan waited for Kristin to continue. When she didn't immediately do so he leaned forward, as though he could urge the words from her lips. Finally she glanced back at the screen.

"I know we have to talk... you were right about that. But there are still some things I need to..." Her voice trailed off. "Things I need to work out," she finally concluded. "I wasn't trying to ignore you when I didn't call... I want you to know that. I've thought about it every day." Kristin gave a self-deprecating smile. "I've really... missed you," she whispered. "Having you home last night was... well..." she shrugged one shoulder in an almost embarrassed gesture, "...it was the nicest thing that's happened to me in a long while."

Kristin was silent for a few moments... causing some brief doubt in Nathan's mind as to whether she planned to continue. Then she spoke.

"Nathan... I will call you... I promise. And please try not to be too mad at me." A smile flitted across her face then was gone. "I love you," she whispered... then the screen went to black as the message ended.

Nathan stared at the blank screen for some minutes, his mind replaying everything Kristin had said, word for word. I've missed you... having you home... I love you. He sighed and rubbed a weary hand over his eyes, then almost jumped out of his skin as he felt a touch on his shoulder. He looked up into Bill Noyce's blue gaze.

"...Nathan?"

"Ummm... yeah? What? I'm sorry..."

"You okay?" Noyce muttered, placing two paper cups filled with steaming coffee on the table before sitting down next to Nathan.

"Yeah... fine," Nathan returned, switching off the comm-link and replacing the earphone.

"Bad news?" Bill inquired, eyeing the small device as he took a sip of coffee.

"No more than usual."

Bridger leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes wearily. He said nothing further to elaborate on his short answer to Noyce, figuring the other man would get the message and leave him alone. Unfortunately, Bill Noyce had a habit of sinking his teeth into a subject and not allowing it to drop until he'd squeezed as much mileage out of it as he could. Nathan watched from the corner of his eye as Noyce followed his lead and tilted back in his chair, his curious gaze locked on Bridger's profile, a little smile playing about the corners of his mouth as he swallowed a mouthful of coffee.

"I hear you and Crocker made quite a night of it last night."

Nathan raised an eyebrow... at the same time catching the interested look coming across the table at him from Scott Keller's smiling hazel eyes.

"Word certainly gets around."

Noyce's smile grew.

"Janet and I stopped by Shelley's around twelve... you know how he likes to talk."

"I'll have to have a word with him."

"Won't do any good," Bill chuckled, his sharp gaze studying Nathan. "I called you when I got home. Four or five times...
but didn't get an answer... not even from your machine. Tried again this morning... with the same results."

"Well shame on me for not answering to your beck and call."

"Guess you weren't home, huh?" Noyce continued.

"Been holdin' out on me again, Nathan?" Keller jibed, the frown Nathan sent across to him bouncing right off. "Had a drinkingparty and didn't invite me... then spent the night out somewhere doing heaven knows what... not even letting me in on it."

"Why don't you two mind your own business?" Nathan muttered.

"Because..." Noyce never finished his response, his voice trailing off as a shadow loomed large against the window... followed by another... and another. An almost soundless hum seemed to accompany the fluttering movements.

"What the hell was that?" Thomas McGath interjected. The Secretary General-elect of the UEO pushed himself out of his chair and headed for the window... but nothing out of the ordinary caught his gaze... only cloudless sky and blue sea was visible.

Keller took a bite out of a donut he'd scraped up from somewhere and glanced over his shoulder in McGath's direction.

"Probably maneuvers... you know how the military likes to sneak up on people," he grinned, downing the remainder of his coffee and wiping crumbs off his hands.

Bill Noyce heaved a sigh and pulled his papers together, suddenly intent on getting the meeting moving and totally forgetting the brief repartee between himself and Nathan. Motioning McGath back to the conference table he became once again businesslike.

"Let's get these items settled so we can get out of here and go home," he suggested. "I don't know about any of you..." his blue gaze, once more containing a glimmer of a smile, rested on Bridger, "...but I've got things to do tonight. And my wife'll kill me if I'm not there to do them. So..." he shuffled a few pages of yellow legal paper, "...what do you think--"

A sudden explosion shattered the relative quiet, imploding the long security window which covered one entire wall and showering the room with missile-like shards of glass and metal. The four men hit the floor as an alarm began to sound throughout the complex... muted within the room... blaring shrilly on the salty breeze which gusted through the gaping window. Reacting purely on instinct Bridger flung himself toward the door, sliding through it as it automatically opened and stumbling into two uniformed security guards racing along the corridor from the opposite direction. He followed them into the large ante-room which was the center of the fifth floor of the top level of UEO headquarters, accepting an automatic pistol that one of the men thrust at him, realizing at the same instant that Scott Keller was quick on his heels. Heading for the elevator, they were halfway across the room when the stairwell door burst open, emitting a bevy of black-clad figures, their faces camouflaged with grease paint in shades of black and gray. As the two guards went down, barely knowing what hit them, Bridger got off three quick shots... then went down hard as he was tackled from the side. He heard the sound of fists meeting bone as his face hit the hard floor and knew that Keller had met the same fate. His arm was wrenched behind him and he felt a knee in his back. Turning his head sideways, Nathan tried to get a breath through the blood oozing from his nostrils, at the same time tasting the bitter liquid in his mouth as it flowed from a split lip. A pair of shiny black shoes met his gaze...

Chapter Two
'The Demons Within'
 

Bill Noyce glanced at Nathan Bridger, sprawled in a chair on the opposite side of the large conference table in the sixth floor meeting room they'd been led to following the terrorist takeover of UEO Headquarters. He wasn't exactly sure why they'd been moved to the uppermost floor of the building... other than the fact that it had its own private link to the helipads on the roof which presently housed the craft which had brought the intruders. Noyce wondered for the hundredth time how they'd managed to get four helicopters past what was supposed to be the most highly secured area in the world. Fronted in two directions by open water and nearly surrounded by the Pearl Harbor Naval Station, the UEO complex was considered perfectly safe from the type of action it had just incurred. Apparently whoever had made those assumptions was wrong. As was evidenced by what was going on this very minute within the main structure of the complex.

A movement from across the table caught Noyce's attention and his eyes shifted once more to Bridger, lingering on the other man as he touched the back of his hand to the trickle of blood which continued to ooze from the split in his lower lip. The nosebleed had stopped... though he figured in all probability it'd been broken again... but the front of Nathan's stark white uniform shirt was spattered in red. Bill's gaze moved to Scott Keller as he reappeared and handed a wet cloth to Bridger, who responded with a grunt as he held it to his mouth. Keller sat down next to him and leaned forward confidentially, glancing around before speaking to make sure no one was listening.

"Looks like the entire complex has been sealed off," Keller murmured, his gaze on Bill Noyce and Thomas McGath. "Security grids are up all around the perimeter... and its been cordoned off by the military." He glanced toward the two intruders stationed by the door then back to his companions. "It does look like they're allowing those on the lower floors to leave though."

Noyce heaved a sigh and leaned back in his chair.

"Who the hell are these people?" McGath whispered.

Bridger lowered the bloodied cloth from his mouth, shaking his head as he tossed it into the trash, his eyes never leaving the activity apparant in the next room. He'd counted fourteen men, all camouflaged and dressed in black, and toting the latest in automatic weaponry. That didn't include the obvious leader of the group and his apparant right hand man. But according to what they'd overheard earlier, upon being transported to the upper floor, the levels immediately below were being quickly evacuated by other members of the group... and one of the men had been heard telling his superior that four choppers and all personnel were accounted for. Figuring their craft were as state-of-the-art as their weapons, Nathan figured they were looking at a total force of forty-eight to fifty-two men... again not including the top man and his aide. Not very large when considering an invasion force, but with their obvious training more than enough to cause their fair share of trouble before all was said and done.

"The question isn't who they are..." he eventually muttered, "...it's what do they want..."

The man who called himself Smith gazed at the image on the vid-screen, grey eyes narrowed against the glare of the monitor as he scrutinized the lined face of the officer who stared back at him. A man named Humboldt... head of security at Pearl Harbor Naval Station and an individual suddenly thrust into the center of a situation the possible outcome of which he didn't even care to contemplate.

"I don't give a tinker's damn what you think..." Smith hissed smoothly, "...I'm telling you what I want. And unless you want me to start tossing bodies from the windows... I'd suggest you start paying attention and put some effort into getting it done."

Humboldt held up a staying hand and nodded.

"Okay... okay. We'll do it your way. The last thing we want is to have anyone hurt." He ran a hand through peppered blond hair as he grabbed a pad of newsprint. "Tell