Lucas existed as an imaginary figment--a memory inside an illusion that seemed entirely real to him, or as real as dreams get. He was a remembrance of his physical self, but one with a created space of life kept in the far corner of the mind.

          Slowly he crept back to consciousness and pushed himself off the floor of the illusion. He was in a small blue hued room--the same from Samantha�s imaginings--but he was trapped in it. Flashes of the outside played across his vision like cut film from a slow old fashioned movie. He groaned, rubbing the back of his neck and took in the surroundings, more than confused.

          ~Whoa, what happened? Ah, man, my head is killing me. ~ He looked up during one flash of sight and saw the captain and Westphalen walking with him and another psychic past a tall oak tree in the campus center, then it switched to the dream room again.

          He pressed on the walls but they wouldn�t budge. He pushed harder, but no door appeared, no window, nothing. All he saw were courses of electricity that kept him inside, and frequent flashes of external sight to the outside world. He wanted to blink, but the thought wouldn�t obey him. He tried to move his arm, yet the action eluded him. No matter what he did, his body wouldn�t listen. It was ignoring him completely.

          ~Captain, ~ he called out to no avail. ~Captain, can you hear me? ~ No one answered him, but he did hear conversation, as he was still tapped into all of his senses.

          �This should last long enough to discover if the procedure will succeed when put to full use,� Westphalen said.

          �And the transmitter?� Nathan asked.

          �Working normally. It�ll keep him unconscious for the complete eight hours.�

          ~What? Uhm, no it didn�t, guys., ~ Lucas tried asking. ~This just knocked me out, it--~

          �With luck I�ll have my crewmen back soon, and in one piece. Hey, Sam, how does seafood sound?� Nathan interrupted him without knowing.

          ~Sam? Wait, she�s not--~ Lucas felt his own voice override his thought. �Sounds great. Anything right now. Lucas never ate when he was at the computer. Like to drive me nuts.�

          If it had come down any harder, it would have slammed him into the floor. Samantha was in absolute control, and he had been completely repressed like a bad memory. He pressed his hands against the impenetrable walls again. ~Captain, Kristin, listen to me. I�m not asleep, I�m here. I�m awake. ~

          �We�ll leave you with Jarod while we head back to the SeaQuest for a bit, then meet you after dinner, alright?� Kristin patted Lucas� shoulder.

          She nodded. �Ok, fine.�

          ~I don�t believe this, ~ he sighed irritably. ~Samantha get that psychic dude to tell them I�m still here. ~ He watched them walk to a car through a flash of sight that moved to the psychic. ~Oh, good. A mind reader. Hey, Jarod, tell the others that--~

          �There�s this place the guys and I meet after school on Fridays. You�re welcome to come and share some laughs. It�d be a blast and get your mind off everything,� Jarod offered.

          ~First tell him I�m still awake--~ Lucas stepped back as Samantha responded.

          �I dunno,� Samantha pondered this, biting his lip and wondering if she�d get caught.

          �Come on,� Jarod prodded.

          �mm, alright. I just want to take a walk for a few minutes.�

          Jarod grinned. �No problem. Meet me in the Aspen common room when you get back.�

          �Yea, sure,� she swept Lucas� bangs back, smiled, and watched Jarod walk away, admiring the way his cloths crinkled when he walked.

          Lucas felt a grin crease his face, and cursed when he followed her gaze. ~Samantha, stop it. ~ She was still staring at him.

          This was getting ridiculous. She�d heard nothing he�d said, plus she was making eyes at Jarod. With his eyes no less. It didn�t rub well with him at all.

          ~Please don�t, Sam. ~ He begged. She ignored him. ~I can�t even move. Dammit, Samantha, why are you ignoring me? ~ He paused. ~Or can you not hear me either... ~ It dawned on him almost too fast, and now his insistence spiked. ~I�m right here! Jarod, you�re suppose to be a mind reader, open your ears!~ he yelled.

          �See ya later,� Samantha said to Jarod, and started off across campus with a slight spring in her step.

          Lucas didn�t object, but he was getting very frustrated. ~Why can�t anyone hear me? ~ He pounded on the wall again, breaking the flow of the electricity ~Captain Bridger! Samantha! Kristin! Jarod! Somebody--anybody!~ By now, no one else was around except the occasional wandering psychic, but they didn�t give the slightest hint that someone else trying to scream at them.

          Every emotion connected with the fear than comes with complete helplessness flowed through him, around him, yet seemed enclosed inside the same walls that held him prisoner. Those emotions worked their way into his mental voice and he leaned against the wall, folding his arms and fighting the want to rip his hair out--even though he couldn�t. He was truly, completely trapped.

          ~Well damn. ~ he sighed. ~Guess this brings new meaning to the whole �Access Denied� concept.~

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