"Hey kid, good work" (seaQuest)
Title: "Hey kid, good work."
Rating: G
Spoilers/Warnings: None
Summary: Five times Captain Bridger told Lucas good work, and one time he didn't.
Disclaimer: I don't own SeaQuest. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction.
“Hey kid, good work”
Lucas stared at the screen, his fingers flying over the keys as he typed. The keyboard was like an extension of his arm and he barely needed to look down at the keys. He searched through the main frame, running diagnostic and virus scans, trying to locate the problem. Weapons and propulsion were down, and SeaQuest was a sitting duck in the water.
Dr. Westphalen asked him to figure out what was going wrong. Him, out of everyone on board, military or science. Sure, his master’s degree looked nice on the wall, but most adults still brushed him aside, looking at his age rather than his skills. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t surprised that they asked him to complete the task.
“It’s dying,” he said when Dr. Westphalen and Captain Bridger entered his room. He looked back at the screen, seeing things that no one else on board SeaQuest would recognize.
“What’s dying?” The two adults took seats in his room as he typed away at the keyboard.
“The core of the main frame has a virus. It’s what’s been eating away at our systems.”
“But if it’s in the core, why isn’t it affecting the whole ship?”
“Oh, it will. It just started with weapons and propulsion.”
The doctor seemed to be asking all the questions, and Captain Bridger simply nodded, cradling his chin in his hand, deep in thought. “Wouldn’t diagnostics have found it in a routine check?” She asked, looking from Lucas to the computer screen and back again.
Captain Bridger shook his head. “No, artificial intelligence just makes a quick pass. Unless you’ve fixed that, too?” The captain gave him a quick look.
“Well, as a matter of fact, I have some parts on order,” he replied sarcastically. He didn’t need to be treated like a child.
“I still don’t see how it could be missed,” Dr. Westphalen said, her eyes moving to the flashing lights on the computer screen.
It was a very impressive virus, buried deep in the mainframe, so deep that the routine checks would never find it. Only when things started shutting down would SeaQuest have even known something was wrong. “Well this sucker is buried so deep that the diagnostics sweep couldn’t find it. It’s pretty cool, I mean, whoever planted this thing really knew what they were doing.”
“Then it’s not organic?”
“No way. It’s too specific.”
“Is there anyway to tell how long it’s been in there?”
“Not until I pull back the layers of data between me and him.” Lucas looks over in alarm as the screen began flashing and barking. “Woah,” he said, keying in a few sequences. “It’s got dogs.”
Dr. Westphalen and Captain Bridger glanced at each other, confusion showing across both their faces. “Dogs?”
“Watch dogs. Subprograms to protect the virus. If I mess with any of them, the entire ship could crash and burn. Life support, navigation, defense, the whole works.” He turned back to the screen, his fingers typing away at the keys.
“Captain to the bridge,” Lt. O’Neill says over the loud speaker and Lucas looks up. “I think that’s you,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Just keep doing what you’re doing,” Captain Bridger said before standing and heading for the door. “Hey kid, good work.”
Lucas smiled, a self satisfied smirk on his face. “Don’t get cocky,” Dr. Westphalen said, rising to follow Bridger out of the room.
It was the first time in weeks anyone told him good work. He had gotten to the point where he was used to being looked over for his accomplishments. He had nearly forgotten how nice it felt to be complimented. It was like a warm feeling, running through your body and bringing a smile to your face.
He stuck his pencil between his teeth and sat up straight, his fingers flying over the keys once more. This might not be such a bad place to be after all.
Rating: G
Spoilers/Warnings: None
Summary: Five times Captain Bridger told Lucas good work, and one time he didn't.
Disclaimer: I don't own SeaQuest. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction.
“Hey kid, good work”
Lucas stared at the screen, his fingers flying over the keys as he typed. The keyboard was like an extension of his arm and he barely needed to look down at the keys. He searched through the main frame, running diagnostic and virus scans, trying to locate the problem. Weapons and propulsion were down, and SeaQuest was a sitting duck in the water.
Dr. Westphalen asked him to figure out what was going wrong. Him, out of everyone on board, military or science. Sure, his master’s degree looked nice on the wall, but most adults still brushed him aside, looking at his age rather than his skills. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t surprised that they asked him to complete the task.
“It’s dying,” he said when Dr. Westphalen and Captain Bridger entered his room. He looked back at the screen, seeing things that no one else on board SeaQuest would recognize.
“What’s dying?” The two adults took seats in his room as he typed away at the keyboard.
“The core of the main frame has a virus. It’s what’s been eating away at our systems.”
“But if it’s in the core, why isn’t it affecting the whole ship?”
“Oh, it will. It just started with weapons and propulsion.”
The doctor seemed to be asking all the questions, and Captain Bridger simply nodded, cradling his chin in his hand, deep in thought. “Wouldn’t diagnostics have found it in a routine check?” She asked, looking from Lucas to the computer screen and back again.
Captain Bridger shook his head. “No, artificial intelligence just makes a quick pass. Unless you’ve fixed that, too?” The captain gave him a quick look.
“Well, as a matter of fact, I have some parts on order,” he replied sarcastically. He didn’t need to be treated like a child.
“I still don’t see how it could be missed,” Dr. Westphalen said, her eyes moving to the flashing lights on the computer screen.
It was a very impressive virus, buried deep in the mainframe, so deep that the routine checks would never find it. Only when things started shutting down would SeaQuest have even known something was wrong. “Well this sucker is buried so deep that the diagnostics sweep couldn’t find it. It’s pretty cool, I mean, whoever planted this thing really knew what they were doing.”
“Then it’s not organic?”
“No way. It’s too specific.”
“Is there anyway to tell how long it’s been in there?”
“Not until I pull back the layers of data between me and him.” Lucas looks over in alarm as the screen began flashing and barking. “Woah,” he said, keying in a few sequences. “It’s got dogs.”
Dr. Westphalen and Captain Bridger glanced at each other, confusion showing across both their faces. “Dogs?”
“Watch dogs. Subprograms to protect the virus. If I mess with any of them, the entire ship could crash and burn. Life support, navigation, defense, the whole works.” He turned back to the screen, his fingers typing away at the keys.
“Captain to the bridge,” Lt. O’Neill says over the loud speaker and Lucas looks up. “I think that’s you,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Just keep doing what you’re doing,” Captain Bridger said before standing and heading for the door. “Hey kid, good work.”
Lucas smiled, a self satisfied smirk on his face. “Don’t get cocky,” Dr. Westphalen said, rising to follow Bridger out of the room.
It was the first time in weeks anyone told him good work. He had gotten to the point where he was used to being looked over for his accomplishments. He had nearly forgotten how nice it felt to be complimented. It was like a warm feeling, running through your body and bringing a smile to your face.
He stuck his pencil between his teeth and sat up straight, his fingers flying over the keys once more. This might not be such a bad place to be after all.