Sorry it's only part 1. I'll try to get the rest up as quickly as possible. I'm having troubles. I think I corrected all the paragraph breaks but let me know if I missed one.

Spider's Web part 1

A soft hand caressed his face as he struggled back to consciousness. "Oh, honey, don't do this to yourself," a soothing voice cooed in his ear. "You know I hate to see you suffer. Tell us what we want to know and then you can relax, go to sleep and have pleasant dreams. I'll give you a nice back rub."

Squinting, he could make out the shadowy form of a tall blonde lady bending in front to him. Exhausted, he once again mumbled, "Bridger. Captain. 382842."

The shadow pulled away with a sigh. "Doctor, let's try the Xemper. We've always had excellent results with that."

Straining against the metal clamps that held his arms down, he weakly kicked his legs until a blow to his face left him dazed. Sniffing to stop the blood flow from his nose, his eyes half open, he focused on the large syringe swinging into view, moving in slow motion to his bare arm. He couldn't hold back the whimper of pain as the sharp point broke his flesh and the poison flowed like ice through his veins.

The women with the blonde hair peered into his face once more. "If you tell me what I want to know , the pain will stop. What is the seaQuest's next assignment ?" As the voice droned on, his mind slipped back into the black nothingness. *****

"SeaQuest, can you hear me ? The vid link doesn't appear to be working so voice only. Are you there, O'Neill ?" The Captain's voice sounded cheerful and rejuvenated after his short vacation spent up world at the marine biology conference.

Giving O'Neill a signal, Ford flicked a switch it front of him. "We've got you, Captain, but you're moving away from our position. Swing a bit to your right."

"Had a great time...."

>static<

Jonathan Ford stood, staring in horror at the screen, looking at the aftermath of an explosion, pieces of the little two man shuttle spreading across the water, sinking to the bottom of the ocean.

He glanced quickly around the bridge, and saw Tim O'Neill crossing himself and closing his eyes, lips moving silently. Katie had one tear rolling down her face, even as she kept working, readying the hyper reality probe in case she was ordered to send it out. Ben Krieg was clutching his stomach, and looked like he was going to be sick. Others stood in small groups, talking quietly among themselves, some hugging others, lending comfort. His eyes stopped when he saw Lucas, stunned and pale faced, slumped in the Captain's chair. Doctor Westphalen was kneeling next to the teen, taking his pulse, talking to him softly. The Doctor glanced over and saw him looking at them. She gave him a head shake and a look filled with grief. He knew what she meant. No one could have survived that explosion. Kristin was urging Lucas to come with her.

"No !" Lucas stood staring at the screen. "I have to stay here, I have to help the Captain." The teen was near hysterics, and Kristin didn't look like she was far behind. "Commander, let me suit up and take Darwin out to find him. He'll drown if we leave him out there too long." He looked at everyone standing there, not moving. As a tear slipped down his face, he pleaded to the Commander. "What are you waiting for ? You've got to send some one to get him!"

Krieg came over and wrapped his arms around the boy, comforting him as he slowly led him off the bridge.

Ford was shaken by the teen's outburst but let his command mask slipped into place. The crew needed leadership, needed some one to take control and hold things together. There would be time later for his personal feelings. "Crocker, take some people and suit up. I want every minuscule piece of the Stinger picked up and brought in. Katie, send out the probe and search...for a body." He felt tension in the atmosphere at the use of the word but it was best to be honest, and not go into things with a false hope. "People, I know this is difficult for all of us but we have to face facts. Think about what the Captain would want. You're all trained UEO officers and we need to carry on, and figure out what happened out there."

Ford wished he had more words of comfort to offer, some speech that would calm emotions, but that was always Bridger's department and something he had never been very good with . "There'll be time to mourn later," he added sadly.

Fifteen minutes later, there was no use denying the truth as the hyper reality probe slowly pulled back towards the boat. Following behind it were the two divers who had the unfortunate task of locating the Captain's remains, which they carefully wrapped in a body bag. Darwin paced them on the side, as if he were escorting his friend home one last time.

Quickly, the news had spread through out the boat. The body was gingerly placed on the stretcher and covered with a white sheet, and rolled down the corridors as crew members lined the hallways, giving their Captain a final salute.

******

Time had lost all meaning and pain was his constant companion. He laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to gather together the whispy threads of his mind. Nothing made sense, nothing came together to form a coherent thought. He knew they'd be back soon, back with their drugs, back with their questions. He had to do something, had to find some way to escape.

A tear slowly rolled down his cheek as he struggle desperately to remember something about his life. "Lucas...Jonathan....help me....." Now if he could only remember who these people were and why they were important to him.

*****

As Kristin blindly fled the small room, hands pushed her into a chair and handed her a small cup. She took one whiff, and downed the drink in one gulp, throat burning from the fire trail of the whiskey. Looking up into the comforting eyes of Ben, he enveloped her in a bear hug.

"I'll let the UEO hospital take care of the autopsy. There's not ...much...to work with after the fire and then the explosion." Kristin shuddered as she remembered the horror viewing the blackened, bubbled skin of the torso. The head, and one leg had not been recovered and there was little hope, what with the native wildlife swarming the ocean floor.

There was a reason that doctors did not work on family and this was one of those times Kristin felt too close to the situation to do her duty as a Medical Officer. She did not want her name on Nathan Bridger's death certificate.

*******

A week after the explosion, seaQuest was not a happy boat. Ford had been named acting Captain but headquarters was searching for someone to take the position permanently. The wreckage of the shuttle had been examined throughly, and a faulty piece in the electrical system had been found, which had started a fire in the system and, ultimately, led to the explosion. It had been ruled accidental, a one in a billion coincidence. Extra counselors had been brought aboard to help the crew recover from the death of their Captain. The funeral, held at Bridger's island, had been a sad and painful affair. Kristin and several others had sobbed their way through the ceremony and Lucas had refused to even attend, locking himself in his cabin. Jonathan had to put on his dress uniform and entertain the brass even though he longed to drink enough beer to drown his grief.

The atmosphere on the boat was tense with fear for the unknown. People were either angry, depressed, anxious or a combination of all and the only release was to take out their emotions on others. The crew was walking on eggshells, afraid of doing something or saying something that would upset someone.

Ford strode briskly onto the bridge early one morning. He was still working under the theory that if he carried on business as usual, the rest of the crew would start to feel more comfortable and distance themselves from the tragedy. Working hard, putting in extra hours, would numb the pain and he hope that time would help distance himself from the heartache. Standing next to the Captain's chair, he reviewed the overnight reports and waited for an upcoming call from Noyce.

"Jonathan ?" Startled, he turned to see Doctor Westphalen, a solemn expression on her face. standing at his side.

"Sorry, Doctor, I didn't hear you come in. Is everything all right in Med Bay ?"

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Darwin has been missing for 24 hours. Lucas has been calling him but there's been no sign of him."

"Could Darwin, well, since the Captain is...maybe Darwin decided that there was no reason to stay here?" Ford wasn't quite sure what else to say.

"I've thought of that but I was afraid to say anything to Lucas. He's barely recovered from the shock of losing Nathan and now this. Not that he's come out and say it, but I think he's having nightmares. Also, he told me the other day that he's worried that he's going to have to leave seaQuest. Well, we'll wait another day and then we'll deal with it." She hesitated for a minute, not wanting to broach the next subject. " Are you going to send some one to pack up Nathan's room or would you like Katie and I to do it ?"

Ford put a gentle hand on Kristin's shoulder and with relief in his voice said, "That would be great. I know that Nathan would have wanted it that way. The only problem is that I'm not sure what to do with it. Since there doesn't seem to be any immediate family, I was waiting to hear from the lawyer after she opened the will." He was struck with a funny thought. "You don't think he left everything to Darwin, do you ?"

Much to his relief, Kristin cracked a small smile at this. "Wouldn't be surprised," she muttered as she started walking off the bridge.

On the way to Med Bay, Kristin decided to pay a visit to Lucas' cabin. The teen had been taking Nathan's death especially hard and she had been trying to spend extra time with him. Besides it was comforting for her too, she had to admit. Knocking lightly on the door, she heard a crash and was surprised when the cabin door was yanked open and she was greeted by an excited, happy teenager.

"Oh, I was just going to call you ! Come here, listen to this. I was playing the Captains' message through the computer and, it's choppy, and the background noises don't match up, like some one put pieces of audio tape together."

Kristin's heart began to ache as she looked into the bright eyes of the teen before her. "Lucas,"she began gently, taking his hand, "I know it's hard to understand but Nathan is gone. Why are you doing this ? We saw the shuttle explode, we have the body. Please don't make this any harder; denial won't help the pain go away."

"No ! Listen to me. I have proof that something funny is going on. Don't you want to hear it ?" he demanded. "Don't you find it peculiar that the shuttle's vid link was out and the Captain only had audio communication?" He look at the disbelief in the Doctor's eyes. "Won't you at least say something to the Commander ? Please ?" he pleaded.

"Yes, I'll say something to Ford," she finally agreed. What else could she do, she thought to herself. It wouldn't hurt to play along for now until Lucas finally accepted reality. As an adult, she knew how difficult that was. To be sixteen and have to face it ... She gave Lucas a weak smile and patted him on the shoulder. "How about getting something eat ?"

Trying to hide his disappointment, he turned off the computer and stood up. He'd have to dig harder and come up with more evidence before he could convince the others. Maybe Darwin would come home with some information. It was not possible that the Captain could be gone. He refused to believe it.

***

Later that night, Kristin was working on some papers when her computer beeped that she had mail. Looking at the words on the screen she realized it was the hospital report on Captain's... autopsy. She closed her eyes as the unwanted picture of Nathan laying on a cold slab in the morgue popped up in her brain. With her head cradled in her hand, she dutifully scrolled through the report and transferred it to another file to be read more throughly later. Maybe in ten years or so when she could handle it. Putting her computer to sleep, she decided it was time to put herself to sleep also.

She had only been asleep for a few hours when she sat up quickly in bed, woken by a small niggle in the recesses of her brain. She thought back to the words of the autopsy report. No, it couldn't be, she must have read it wrong. Hauling herself out of bed, she slipped into her robe and headed for Med Bay. She's check it anyway, knowing that there was no way she'd fall back to sleep with this question in her mind.

Scrolling down the report again, this time more slowly, she found the part she wanted and stared at it as the word jumped off the screen. There is was, right before her eyes, in black and white. Hitting the button of her PAL and trying to keep her voice calm, she said anxiously, "Commander, sorry to wake you, but you really need to come down to Med Bay, right now. She interrupted Ford's response with "No, it can't wait. You have to come NOW" and she broke the link. Five minutes later, Ford hurried into Med Bay, zipping up his jumpsuit. "What's so important that it couldn't wait till morning, Doctor ?" he asked in an annoyed voice. "Is some one hurt ?" Pointing a trembling finger at the screen, her expression a mix of incredulity and relief, she declared, "The body wasn't Nathan's."

"What !" Ford moved into the computer, trying to decipher the medical terms before him. "Doctor, I know you were close to the Captain, and believe me, I would like nothing better that to..." "He doesn't have a gall bladder - it was taken out ten years ago."

She almost laugh at the confused look on Jonathan's face. "Nathan told me the whole sordid details of the operation one night when we went to dinner. He says it's the only time he was a patient in a hospital, and how after that ordeal, he won't be going back anytime soon." She jabbed a finger at the screen. "This body, according to the autopsy report, has a gallbladder. There's no way that this is the Captain's body !" She grabbed Ford into a tight hug.

"Whoa ! Hold on a second, Doctor. This doesn't prove anything. Maybe they sent you the wrong report ?" Kristin shook her head emphatically. "No, no, I already called. Maybe Nathan is still alive." She clutched at Ford's sleeve and gasp. "Lucas - I stopped to see him earlier and he tried to convince me that something was peculiar about the Captain's last transmission and I didn't believe him !"

Jonathan rubbed his chin, reviewing his options silently. "We can't tell anyone about this." He held up his hand as the Doctor started to object. "We don't know what's going on here and there's no point in getting people's hopes up. For all we know, he's dead still, somewhere else. Also, who ever's behind this has gone through a lot of trouble. We don't want to tip our hand yet. I'll go see Lucas when I get a free minute and see what he has. I'll have to call Noyce too, we'll need his help to do some discreet digging." He smiled, something he hadn't felt like doing for a long time, as Kristin let out a loud yawn. "Let's try and get some sleep, and we'll discuss our options in the morning."

*****

His heart was beating rapidly, as his lungs worked hard to push more air through, sweat pouring down his temples. Run, he told his legs, run faster. They're after me, can't let them get me, they'll take me back, to the bad lady.

Ducking behind a box, he burrowed into the piles of trash, trying to calm his breathing, putting his hand on his mouth to quell his panting. Loud foot steps ran by him but he stayed hidden for awhile longer, afraid to take a chance that they had left. Finally, he had to move because the trash was irritating his already nauseous stomach and he started to retch.

He crawled out, and tried to get on his feet, but only had the energy to stand half way, clutching the wall. "Sir, do you need assistance ?"

The soft voice behind him startled him and he started clawing at the wall, trying to get away. Petrified, he sank down onto his ankles, hiding his head in his arms. They found him, they were going to take him back.

Two uniformed officers stood there, exchanging knowing glances. One reached forward. "Come with us, sir, we'll take you to a place where you can get help - a bed, some hot coffee, a shower." Jumping to his feet like a shot, he stared angrily at them with bloodshot eyes, fists balled at his sides. He wouldn't go without a fight.

"Now, let's not make things worse then they are. We want to help you, not hurt you." One man reached forward and received a weak punch in the arm. "Kirby, this guy looks familiar."

"He looks like every other drunk we've seen this week."

"I think he was on tv. Look at his blue jumpsuit. He looks a little like that guy from seaQuest."

"The one that died about two weeks ago in some sort of underwater accident? They had his funeral on the news "

During this conversation, the man in question covered his ears. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. They thought he was dead ? As the burst of adrenaline subsided, he felt dizzy and black spots started to appear before his eyes. As he pitched forward, he whispered "seaQuest", as one of the officers caught him.

Laying the unconscious man on the ground, the officer started to loosen the ragged, torn uniform. Letting out a low whistle, he commented, " Well, if this is the famous Captain Bridger, UEO has a problem." Turning over the arm so his partner could see, he motioned to the needle tracks on the man's arm. "Looks like he's a drug addict."

******

Twenty four hours had passed and they were no further along then they had been two weeks ago. Westphalen had spent most of the day contacting people who might have seen Nathan while he attended the marine biology conference but every thing seemed normal. Bridger had been where he was suppose to be, when he was supposed to be. There seemed to be no hint of foul play, when some one would have had the chance to snatch the Captain and rig the shuttle for an explosion. They were still waiting on a background check of the employees from the ship yard.

Kristin felt like a traitor, walking around with the secret. She could barely restrain from blurting out the news, especially when she ran into Lucas. He had been rushing down the corridor, carrying papers, which he dropped when they collided. She had felt so guilty, and swore that Lucas looked at her like he knew what was going on.

As she helped him picked up the papers, the teen asked, "Did you mention my findings to the Commander ?"

"Yes but..." she started before he interrupted.

"Excellent. I'm working on something else that will convince everyone that the Captain is still alive," he whispered secretly. "Gotta run!" He gave her a small smile and took off down the corridor.

She stared after him, not quite sure if she should be concerned or not. If she had not known that Nathan was, most likely, alive, she would be dragging the teen to counseling. It was obvious the boy did not handle death well.

On the other hand, Lucas had gained quite a reputation for uncovering important information . Kristin decided to talk to Ford about telling the teen and letting the teen work his computer magic.

On the bridge, the Commander currently had his own problems. He was distracted and found it hard to stay focused on his duties. The bridge crew were exchanging worried glances when they thought he wasn't looking and O'Neill had repeatedly asked him if he was alright. Lying was not one of those things he did well and he couldn't help but feel like a traitor, keeping the knowledge that their Captain might be alive from the crew.

"Call coming in from Noyce, Sir. He requesting a private call in the wardroom with Dr. Westphalen." Tim looked over to Miguel with a raised eyebrow. There had been a lot of private phone calls, more so than usual. Rumor had it that a new Captain had finally been assigned to seaQuest and that was why Ford had been acting so strangely.

"Commander, you have the Bridge." Ford gave a nod to Hitchcock as he hurried to the clamshell doors but Katie surprised him by stepping in front of him.

"Jonathan, what is going on?" Katie hissed at him, mindful of causing a scene while on the bridge but tired of feeling that she was missing out on something.

"Nothing Katie. Everything is fine." Keeping his eyes focused on her chin, he tried a reassuring smile on her.

"Wipe that fake smile off your face and look me in the eye ! Everything is NOT fine and you're lying to me. I have the right to know what's going on here, for the safety of this boat."

Ford took her elbow and rushed her out the door towards the Mag Lev. "Katie, I can't tell you but wait till I'm done with Noyce. We're working on something, but I don't want to get people's hopes up yet." He held up his hand as Katie opened her mouth to protest. "I'm not saying anything more." As he stepped into the Mag Lev, he turned back to her and added, "Now would be a good time to say a prayer for Nathan Bridger, though."

*** Karel Black 1999