Time to Leave
Tim sat in his usual spot on the bridge on a quiet day when he suddenly perked up, attracting the attention of Jonathan.
"What is it?" Jonathan asked.
Tim looked at Jonathan before looking at Captain Hudson.
"We received an incoming transmission, but from a different channel."
"Captain!" Lieutenant Pierce yelled. "There's a ship right over us!"
Captain Hudson and Jonathan ran towards a window. Before they got there, a large rectangular ship became visible, startling everyone on the bridge.
"What is that thing?" Captain Hudson asked, almost angry. "How did we not detect that?"
"I'm working on it, sir," Lieutenant Pierce replied. "They seem to have advanced stealth technology."
"Lieutenant, open up a channel," Captain Hudson ordered Tim.
Tim didn't respond. He sat in his chair, mouth agape.
"Lieutenant?" Jonathan said, noting Tim's facial expression.
Tim turned to Jonathan. "I played the transmission."
"What is it?" Captain Hudson asked.
Tim played the transmission he received and a series of clicks and reverberations echoed throughout the bridge. Jonathan's eyes widened.
"We know that sound," Tim noted.
"That would explain the stealth," Jonathan added. "Captain, it's safe."
Not wanting to take too much time, Jonathan and Tim quickly explained the ship's history with the aliens that visited before.
"Why didn't we get advanced notice about this?" Captain Hudson asked.
"Well, they gave us advanced notice last time and didn't show up, so maybe it doesn't mean anything," Tim suggested.
"But Darwin should have at least mentioned something or gave any other type of indication," Jonathan said.
"You know, now that you've mentioned it, I haven't seen Darwin in a couple days," Tim noted.
"I hear he's been spending most of his time with . . . " Jonathan's sentence trailed off as he guessed at what was happening. "Lucas! If the aliens connected with Darwin . . . "
"Lucas probably knows," Tim finished.
Jonathan, Tim, and Captain Hudson ran to Lucas's room. Captain Hudson didn't even knock when they arrived. He opened the door and saw Darwin nearby and Lucas standing in the middle of the room with two aliens. Lucas seemed to pay little attention to the three.
Captain Hudson reached for his gun.
"Captain," Jonathan said quickly and quietly, "I think it's all right. A gun might antagonize them."
"Lucas, what's going on?" Tim finally asked. His question drew Lucas out of the stupor.
Lucas regained focus as he saw Tim, Jonathan, and Captain Hudson in front of him. He looked slightly embarrassed at first, but then steeled himself.
"What are they doing here?" Jonathan asked.
"Ummm . . . a little while ago, I sent a transmission out . . . "
"To them?" Captain Hudson asked. Agitation was clear in his voice.
"When?" Jonathan asked calmly, trying to reassure everyone.
"Uhhh . . . not too long after the last time I saw Captain Bridger."
"What are they doing here?" Captain Hudson asked.
Lucas started to look uncomfortable. "It's a long story, but the last time they came, they offered to take me with them."
"When did you talk to them last time?" Tim asked.
"It's really a long story, and there are probably some things I shouldn't say."
As this exchange transpired, Jonathan put the pieces together.
"Lucas, did you ask them back to take you?" Jonathan asked, catching Tim and Captain Hudson off guard.
"You've been planning to leave us?" Captain Hudson asked.
"I was upset when I sent that transmission. I didn't really want to be here anymore. But, things have changed and I'm glad to be here." Lucas meant to continue speaking, but he couldn't get the words out.
"Lucas?" Tim broke the silence.
"Ever since Darwin began speaking to them, I've been thinking about everything that's been going on."
"When Darwin communicated with them, the UEO was able to intercept and they freaked out," Tim mentioned.
"I was able to redirect all that," Lucas explained.
"Lucas, are you thinking about leaving?" Jonathan asked. He was more concerned about Lucas' intentions rather than the communication.
Lucas waited a moment before steeling himself. "Yes. I hope you guys can understand. I really don't feel the way I did when I sent the transmission, but I think it's time for me to go."
It was only then that Jonathan, Tim, and Captain Hudson saw two full duffel bags on the floor near Lucas. Lucas grabbed an object off his desk and gave it to Jonathan.
"Could you guys watch this some time? And then give it to Captain Bridger?"
"What is it?" Jonathan asked.
"Just a video of me explaining my reasons and just a good-bye from me and Darwin. The long story is there, too."
Tim, Jonathan, and Captain Hudson knew that no one had the ability to stop the aliens from doing what they wished. They also wanted to respect Lucas' wishes.
Jonathan was particularly determined to convey his approval. "We'll miss you Lucas."
"You're just going to leave?" Captain Hudson asked.
"Well, I was going to see you all first."
"Very well," Captain Hudson replied.
Lucas grabbed his duffel bags and laid them in front of the two aliens. The two teleported away with Lucas' bags.
Followed by Jonathan, Tim, and Captain Hudson, Lucas exited his room and quickly walked through a portion of the ship, bidding everyone good-bye. Most people were confused, not understanding the suddenness of his farewells. Finally, he reached Darwin at the bridge.
Tim put his right hand on Luca's left shoulder.
"Take care, Lucas."
"You, too. All of you." Lucas looked at Darwin, who then let out a series of whistles.
Seconds later, Lucas and Darwin disappeared.
"Captain, the ship is gone." Lieutenant Pierce noted.
"Thank you, Lieutenant." Captain Hudson looked at Jonathan and Tim, who exhaled.
"That was . . . interesting. I wished they stayed just a bit longer."
Two weeks later, Nathan received the video from Jonathan and played it.
". . . and I hope that whatever I end up doing there is something that would make you proud. I'll never stop loving you or missing you. I really mean that, captain. I hope you find Robert very soon," Lucas said to Nathan.
Nathan laid back in his chair, saddened by the departures, but he rest assured knowing that the pair were happy.
Thanks for reading. This was just a plot idea that I had that wouldn't go away, so I quickly put it down. I should have given it more time and attention, but this semester's been rough. I didn't see a story like this, but I guess it's possible that I missed something while scanning through everything.
Admittedly, I've forgotten much about SeaQuest; I hope I didn't trample on the show's continuity too much. I forgot what Lieutenant Henderson did exactly and Wikipedia wasn't helpful, so I just made up a new character.
If anyone likes this idea and would like to develop it further, feel free to adopt this story. I'm pretty sure this is complete on my end.