---

Title: Something Cool: A Libera Nos A Malo Excerpt

Author: Gil Grissom

Characters: Nico Meridius, Lucas Harrison

Rating: FREO/Everyone

Summary: Lucas reveals his latest projects to Nick on his visit to Sylum Manor

Timeline: April 2007

Author’s Note: This is a brief excerpt from Libera Nos A Malo, and takes place during a very long segment. This is subject to change somewhat by the time it gets to the final draft, due to editing needs and the fact that this is from a very rough first draft.

Artist: Taibhrigh

---

Sighing, Lucas tilted his head back from his position slouching against Nick’s side and stared at him. “Now that the emo, angst-filled meltdown portion of my visit is done, wanna see something cool?”

Nick laughed at him and ruffled his hair. “Always. You always have the most interesting toys when you decide to share them.”

Grinning, Lucas scrambled up with a little bit of help from Nick as he failed to keep his balance. “I am beauty, I am grace,” he quipped as he stumbled toward his laptop bag, which was all the way across the room.

“Yeah, we thought being a Vampire would give you some semblance of preternatural coordination. We were so wrong,” Nick replied dryly as Lucas plopped down in Nick’s desk chair. “Please, make yourself at home.”

“Don’t I always?” Lucas said lightly as he booted up his laptop.

“Remind me why we put up with you?” Nick asked as he got up and walked over to stand behind Lucas.

“It’s the baby face. You’re all suckers for me because I’m adorable,” he said, tilting his head back and grinning up at him. “It’s part one of my nefarious plan for world domination.”

Nick snorted. “You’d be fleeing to a remote mountaintop inside of a week. World domination means you have to deal with people. You’ve never been good with people, since…what was it you said? Ninety-five percent of people in the world were too stupid to live?”

Lucas scrunched his nose. “Yes I did say that and yeah, that’s a problem since I really don’t like most people. I mean, they’re okay as long as I don’t have to deal with them and they stay way over there, away from me. Guess I’ll just have to be content to be ruler of my own personal little corner of the world.”

He pulled up the folder he was looking for and clicked on the schematic program, moving so that Nick could take his place.

“‘Project That Thing We Do’?” Nick asked as he sat down and slid closer to the desk.

“Everyone always asks if Nathan and I are doing that thing we do, since they have no idea what the fuck we’re doing, so we thought it was appropriate,” Lucas told him.

“Cute,” Nick murmured, sitting forward as the screen shifted to the outer view of their final design. Curiosity shifted to fascination as it did. “What is this?”

“That is, or will be at least, the largest deep submergence vehicle in existence,” Lucas told him, ignoring the obvious opening begging for a smartass comment and hopping up on the desk next to the laptop. “Completely designed as a scientific research vessel, to study our oceans, the life within it, and figure out how to fix the fucked up shit we’ve done to it since civilization occurred.”

“It’s very squid-like in appearance.” Nick reached out and ran his fingers over the hull. “What are the specs on this thing? It looks enormous.”

“It is for what it is and where it’s going. Nearly 400 meters long, approximately 100,000 tons, give or take some tonnage. It’s designed to hit a maximum speed of 180 knots and will have a crush depth of over nine kilometers. The skin is my special design, and I’ve already had success in the initial creation. Now I’m just working on making it better. It should be ready for testing in the field in a couple more years. It’s a genetically-engineered bioskin that will be resistant to microbes and bacteria in the ocean, and will have nanites that aid in self-healing. She’ll hold a complement of about 400 scientists and crew.”

“You’re building this on Border’s property,” Nick said as the screen switched to a virtual reality type visual of the inside, starting with the massive bridge. “Josiah and Javier said you were lurking around that area, but hadn’t hinted about anything like this.”

“Because they really didn’t know much. Aside from Josiah and Jose, and my Mates, obviously since they’re helping us, no one has seen these schematics,” Lucas replied, looking down at his shoes as he crossed his ankles and flexed his feet.

“And yes, we’re building on Border’s property. We’ve already scouted out the area and have begun the building of the science and research building. Josiah is taking care of buying off and blackmailing the Mexican government to look the other way, and by the time anyone else gets wind of what we’re doing, Nathan and I will be up to our eyeballs in patents and have everything locked up so tight that if anyone even thinks of stealing my technology, I’ll know about it and make them wish they’d never been born.”

“I have no doubt about that,” Nick murmured. “This is incredible, and has to be damned expensive. How are you paying for this?”

“Aside from sinking a good chunk of my own money and Nathan’s into it? We’re going to be looking for investors. We’ll be extremely picky. We have to be with Galileo and his people all over the damned place,” Lucas said with a sigh.

Then he grinned at Nick slyly. “Thought you might like to help out or know some people I can trust. I’m not naive enough to think that I won’t need some way to protect her once she’s in the water. Thought maybe you could think on that. You seem to know people more weapon-oriented than I do. Well, weaponry that didn’t originate before the turn of the twentieth century. I don’t think swords and cannons are gonna cut it.”

Nick nodded, a calculating gleam lighting his eyes. “I’m definitely in. You two pull this off, and it could be extremely useful. I’ll think about who would be best for weaponry. It’s not something you’ll really need to worry about until you get to the actual building of it. When do you think that’ll happen?”

“We’re estimating that initial construction on the ship itself will start in late 2015 or early 2016.” Lucas’ eyebrows rose. He could practically see the wheels turning in Nick’s brain. “Thinking we’ll need another mode of transportation?”

“I’m thinking a lot of things. Always good to have backup plans even when you don’t know why you’d need them,” Nick said, cycling through more VR shots of the inner workings of the ship. “What are these tube things for?”

“Smaller dolphins and porpoises for research purposes and to help treat damaged ones, without them having the stress of leaving the water. They’ll be able to get into and out of the ship via these tubes,” Lucas told him. “There’s a big pool on the bridge, and an even bigger one in one of the life science laboratories. They can also be used by people to get through the ship by a secondary means in the case of damage or infiltration.”

Nick nodded. “You should go and see Bruce. He’s always looking for new investments, and something like this would be right up his alley. Of course, it’d probably end up being a movie or television series in the future knowing him, but he does know some of the most interesting people, and he has rich, smart friends that can help with research or just to throw money at you.”

Lucas snorted. “And what, pray tell, did Wayne do to you to inflict me upon him?”

“Nothing I’m aware of, but it’s him. There’s always something he’s probably done or will do to deserve it. Let’s just call it a preemptive strike.”

Lucas threw his head back and laughed, tilting to the side and back when he heard a throat clear to see who it was.

“And just what are the two of you up to?” Warrick asked as he leaned in the doorway.

“We’re having a torrid love affair. Can’t you tell by the state of our undress?” Lucas deadpanned.

“And you didn’t invite me?” Warrick replied, stepping all the way in and closing the door behind him.

Nick rolled his eyes at the two of them and motioned Warrick over. “Get your ass over here and look at Lucas and Bridger’s brain child.”

Warrick strode over, stopping briefly to give Lucas a one-armed hug, and sat down in the seat Nick vacated. “What was all the laughing about?”

“Nick’s throwing Bruce in front of my metaphorical bus,” Lucas replied lightly.

“Somewhere in Los Angeles the feeling of sheer terror has crawled up Bruce’s spine and he has no idea why,” Warrick commented. “What the hell am I looking at?”

Lucas and Nick smirked at one another and Lucas proceeded to tell Warrick all about his little project.