Waiting | a fanfiction

chapter seven

"I need all hands on deck, all hands on deck!" Captain Hudson was yelling orders as Lucas and I entered the bridge.

"Ensign, pull up maps and schematics of the Macronesian war subs. We're under attack and I need insider information."

"Yessir!" Lucas saluted. He squeezed my hand before rushing to his computer.

"Lieutenant McIntyre, can you pilot a Subfighter?" Captain Hudson asked me.

"Yessir, I can," I responded.

"Good. You and Piccolo go see if you can fight off those Macronesian haulers while the bridge works on dismantling the war subs."

"Aye, Captain," Tony and I said in unison.

Tony led me away from the bridge, but not before I looked over at Lucas. I waved, and he ran over to me and hugged me.

"Be safe, Shelby, okay? Come back to me," He pleaded.

"I won't leave you, I promise," I said. He kissed my forehead before hurrying back to his station. He looked at me as he put on his headset and I blew him a kiss. Lucas caught it and stuck it in his pocket. Then I ran out the entrance of the bridge.

"You ever pilot one of these before?" Tony called as we clamored into our subfighters.

"Yeah, but never during actual combat," I called back.

"Just follow my lead and you'll be fine," Tony launched his subfighter out of the launch bay and I did the same.

The ocean was big and empty. Besides Tony's subfighter and the marine life, there was nothing else out in the ocean. Although it was beautiful, it also seemed a bit suspicious.

"Piccolo, Lieutenant, how are we doing?" Captain Hudson's voice rang loud and clear through the headset I had put on.

"We're doing fine, Captain," Tony's voice replied.

"The waters seem eerily empty," I added.

"Figures," Captain Hudson muttered. "Don't hold back. If you see a hauler or a war sub, you have my permission to open fire. These are our waters."

"Yessir!" Tony and I chorused. We continued making our way through the waters until I could see a dark silhouette up ahead.

"I've got eyes on the target, dead ahead," I announced. I pulled my subfighter up beside Tony's.

"Stay low so you can pull a surprise attack." Lucas' voice in my ear comforted me.

"Lucas?!" I exclaimed.

"Hey, Shelby. Don't worry, you got this. I'll be with you the whole time."

"Thanks, Lucas."

"Okay, I don't feel like being a third wheel. Either shut up, or join a secure channel," Tony complained. Lucas and I laughed. But my laughter didn't last long.

"They're coming for us. I can see them, and I know that they see us," I exclaimed.

"Just get low, Shelby."

"On it." I piloted my subfighter to the ocean floor.

"On my mark, you and Piccolo are gonna have to aim your lasers at that hauler," Lucas commanded me.

"Yes, Ensign," I obediently replied, a smile plastered on my face.

"Three... two..." my heart beat faster with each slow second that passed by. "One... fire!" Lucas called.

I hit the red button that fired my lasers, and watched as they hit the hauler and it exploded into millions of pieces. My heart rate slowed a bit, and I could hear Lucas' whoops and cheers through my headset.

"It's not over yet, Lucas," Tony reminded him.

"Piccolo, McIntyre," Captain Hudson began. "I want you two to get as close to that war sub as you can and fire on it."

"Aye sir," Tony said, taking off.

"Yes, Captain." I followed Tony.

When we reached the war sub, Tony and I were given explicit instructions on how to destroy it without causing too much of a distraction. The last thing we needed was the entire fleet in the Macronesian Alliance coming after us. However, during our instruction, an alliance subfighter crept up and started firing at us.

"Captain, they have a subfighter and it's on Piccolo's tail!" I cried.

"Can you shake it off?!" Captain Hudson demanded.

"I'll sure try, sir." Tony took off with amazing speed and maneuvered his way around trenches to try and lose the alliance subfighter. I followed close behind, trying to lock onto the target.

"I almost got it..." I said as I readied my lasers. I was half a second from pulling the trigger when the subfighter disappeared.

"I've lost eyes on the target, I repeat! I've lost eyes on the target!" I cried. I searched around frantically, trying to find it, but it was nowhere to be seen.

"Shelby, you have to get out of there!" Lucas yelled.

"I can find it, Lucas, just give me a minute. I'll find it and destroy it," I swore to myself.

"Shelby, even Piccolo is fleeing. Get. Out. Of. There. Now!!" I could hear the concern rising in his voice.

"Lucas, I'll be fine. Trust me." Lucas took a deep breath.

"Okay. Now keep your eyes and ears sharp, because he could strike you at any mo-" Lucas was cut off by a loud bang. My subfighter shook and I lost control.

"I'm hit! I'm hit!" I called into my headset. Static crackled on the other side, making it hard to hear what Seaquest was saying. But I could vaguely hear Lucas' frantic voice.

"Eject, Shelby! Eject!" I followed Lucas' instructions and hit the eject button of my subfighter.

The pod I was sitting in detached from my subfighter, and just in time, too. The subfighter I had been seated in just moments before crashed into the wall of a trench and exploded. I turned away, wincing, and noticed Seaquest's secondary grappling torpedo headed towards me. It latched onto my pod and pulled me back into the launch bay. I closed my eyes and thanked the Lord that I had made it out alive.

•••

I climbed out of the pod as fast as I could. A vast majority of the crew, faces both familiar and unfamiliar, were crowded around what was left of my subfighter.

"Shelby!" I heard my favorite voice yell, and I saw Lucas running to me. I ran to him as well, and leaped into his arms as soon as I was close enough.

"Thank god for you, Lucas," I said, holding him tight.

"I thought I lost you," he cried, cradling me tighter.

"I wouldn't do that to you, Lucas. That's why I'm still here."

"I know," he whispered.

He gently let go of me and took a step back, but he held onto my arms and I did the same to him. He stared into my eyes and I stared back into his. Then, Lucas dropped his grip on my arms and put his hands on my waist instead. I draped my arms around his neck, and slowly but surely, we leaned towards each other and we kissed.