Chapter 47

“There is your planet, humans,” The Grokmar said as Betty Sue and her extended family stood in the galley watching the viewing screen. “According to your friend, Sheanna’Ree, your home is safe from the predations of Vice Chancellor Greklor.”

“So, we can finally go home,” Carol Anne said. The girl had unconsciously taken a half-step toward the screen as the planet’s image grew in size.

Betty Sue shuffled her feet. “About that, Carol Anne. I…I kinda told Grokmar that we would stay with him a while longer if he helped us.”

“You what? How could y’all go and do something like that, Betty Sue. You had no right!” Carol Anne said.

Betty Sue looked at the girl. “What would have had me do? Hmm? Grokmar wasn’t about to just stay behind with us. He was going to leave. We would have been at the mercy of Sheanna’Ree’s daddy or some of the other alien folk. I couldn’t be sure that would happen.”

“But…but I want to go home and see my mama! I want to take Jim Bob with me to meet my folk,” Carol Anne wailed.

It was Jim Bob’s turn to look uncomfortable. “Um, Carol Anne…Ah ain’t going back. Ah cain’t.”

Carol Anne rubbed her eyes and looked at Jim Bob. “Why not? Don’t you care about me?”

Jim Bob reached across the room and pulled the girl into an embrace. “A course I care about you Carol Anne. But look at me. I’m a freak!”

Carol Anne sniffed. “Ah don’t care about any of that!”

“Ah know you don’t, Carol Anne but your folk would. Ah’d either end up fighting half your kinfolk or some dadblamed fool would take a shot at me. I cain’t go with you until ah get proper arms and legs.”

“I won’t go back either,” Bobby John said quietly. “I’ve never really belonged back in the mountains. People only kept me around to fix things.” He patted Vincent. “Here I have friends and I’m useful. Sides, Grokmar needs me to help him find out what his mission really is.”

“I would be very grateful if you would help me, Bobby John,” Grokmar said. “I feel…incomplete without my memory restored.”

“See, Carol Anne. Grokmar needs me too. I cain’t leave until he’s repaired.”

“So, y’all just expect me to stay here and forget about my family?”

Betty Sue took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “No, Carol Anne. I understand that you want to see your family. I had just hoped you would want to stay with us a little longer.” She rubbed her eyes. “It’s not like I promised we would stay with Grokmar forever. I only said we would stay until it was fixed and knew what its mission was.”

“I suppose.…”

“Nobody asked me what ah wanted to do,” Zeke rumbled.

“Oh hush, Zeke,” Betty Sue said.

“No, Betty Sue, ah don’t think so,” Zeke said. “You’ve been telling me to hush for years. You’ve been calling me ‘big oaf’ for even longer.” The big man stepped forward, tears glistening in his brown eyes.

“I ain’t never complained. I’ve always done what you asked cause it’s you and I love you more’n anything.” He absently wiped a tear away.

Betty Sue looked at her husband, a shocked expression on her face. “You never said nothin’.”

“Ah know, but ah gots to speak up now.” Zeke gently put his hands on Betty Sue’s shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes. “Since Grokmar took us, you’ve had to be saved a whole mess a times. Ah cain’t always protect you cause there’s things bigger’n an stronger ‘n me.”

“I’ve never asked you to protect me,” Betty Sue began.

“Ah know it, but ah’m your husband. It’s mah job.”

Betty Sue looked at Zeke for a few minutes. When she spoke again, her voice was soft. “So what do you want to do, Zeke?”

Zeke grinned. “Ah want to do whatever you want to do, a course! But y’all need to be more careful.”

“Zeke, ya big lug. Just when ah thought I had you all figured out.” Betty Sue shook her head and grinned. She gave the big man a hug. “Ah want to stay with Grokmar like ah promised and I want you here to protect me.”

“You got it, Betty Sue,” Zeke said.

“That just leaves you, Carol Anne. What do you want to do?” Betty Sue asked.

Carol Anne pulled away from Jim Bob and looked at the expectant faces of her new family. “We’ll come back some day?” Her voice was pleading. Hopeful.

Grokmar spoke up. “I will bring you home when my memory problem is repaired if you so wish it.”

Carol Anne stood looking at the image of Earth for several minutes before she nodded to herself. “Then, I will stay.” She looked at Jim Bob. “If for no other reason than to help this big oaf get some proper arms and legs.”

“Then, where are we going next?” Jim Bob asked.

“Um, could we go somewhere to get something to eat?” Bobby John asked. “I’m starving.”

***

MegaDan leaned back in the command chair with a hearty sigh. The past half hour had been the most nerve-wracking he had ever experienced. He wondered how real generals could stand watching the battles they planned unfold.

Fortunately, it looked like most of his recruits had made it through the battle.

Right on cue, the brutish face of Space Cycle gang leader Bruce flashed up on the screen. “Hey Bossman. The boys boarded the Vice Chancellor’s ship as ordered but there was no one there. They heard the escape pods ejecting from the ship.”

“Thanks Bruce. I saw the whole thing. Not much you could do about it.”

“Nope. Not a darn thing. BTW, thank that Chairman fella for the escort. It was a cakewalk getting to the Flagship.”

“I’ll pass that along Bruce. You and your gang heading out now?”

“Yeah, I think that would be best. We’ll keep an eye out for Greklor though. If we catch him, we’ll send him back to you in a box. Better yet, several boxes.”

MegaDan laughed. “You do that, Bruce. And thanks for your help.”

“My pleasure, MegaDan. If you ever need me again, just give a holler.”

“I’ll do that Bruce.” MegaDan said with a smile. “See you guys around.”

“Adios, Bossman.” Bruce’s image disappeared from the screen.

MegaDan sat back and watched with mixed emotions as Bruce and the Space Cyclist gangs sped away. On one hand he was glad to see them go; it was way too unnerving having Bruce and his unruly bunch looking to him for leadership. On the other, it was nice calling the shots.

Charlie waved at him.

“What’s up, Charlie?” He watched his friend gesture frantically for a few moments. “The Chairman is calling? Please put him through!”

The Chairman’s image popped up on the screen. “Hello, Mr. Scholes. It appears that our plan was a success.”

“So we caught Greklor?”

“Alas, no. However, I DO have that particular problem well in hand.”

“That’s a relief! I would be very worried if that maniac were still on the loose.”

“He won’t be free much longer. As I said, the matter has been taken care of.” The Chairman looked thoughtful. “I couldn’t help noticing that your friends have left in rather a hurry.”

“The Space Cyclists? They’re hardly my friends, Sir, but yes, they have left. I believe they mentioned something about avoiding the limelight.”

The Chairman smiled. “Vermin generally do. No matter. I can find them any time I need to.”

MegaDan has no trouble believing that.

“But the real reason I’ve called is to ask you an important question.”

“I’m listening,” MegaDan said.

“Very well. How interested would you be in the position of Vice Chancellor? With Greklor all but gone, the position of Vice Chancellor is open and I believe you would be an ideal candidate. You have the support of the people and you are not a megalomaniac as far as I know.”

MegaDan stared at the view screen. His mouth moved, but no sound came out.

“I see that you need to think about it. I have sprung the idea rather suddenly,” The Chairman said. “Please let me know at your earliest convenience. I will throw the full weight of The Corporation behind you in your campaign bid.”

With that, The Chairman’s image disappeared from the screen.

MegaDan sat in the command chair and stared at the blank screen for several minutes. “Did you hear that, Charlie. Where the Zork did that come from? Me? Vice Chancellor?”

Charlie gave him two thumbs up and turned back to his console. 

MegaDan stood. If he had ever needed a drink, now was the time. “I’m grabbing some coffee, Charlie and then I’m going to walk a bit and think this whole thing over.”

Charlie waved a hand and MegaDan walked to the bridge door. It swished open as MegaDan approached. He had to stop because on the other side was the squid-like being he had put in the kitchen freezer. Except, this time, the being was awake and holding a blaster.

“Get back in there,” the creature burbled. “Vice Chancellor Greklor put me on this ship just in case there was treachery. It seems he was correct to do so.” The creature waved the blaster. “Get over there and stand by your fellow traitor.”

MegaDan stumbled over to stand beside Charlie. Things were happening too fast. He had to stall for time. “Um, buddy, I don’t know quite what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t play games with me, Mr. Scholes. The false alarm to evacuate the ship? I stayed behind to ensure that it was real and not a game. It is a good thing too. I’ve seen and heard everything you have done against the Vice Chancellor. I believe I will put you into stasis and rescue the Vice Chancellor from his escape pod. Once he is on board he can.…”

The creature was interrupted by a blaster bolt to the head. The shot appeared to come from one of the air vents at the back of the room. The smell of burnt cephalopod filled the bridge.

The squid creature fell to the floor in a boneless heap. A moment later, the grill from the air vent exploded out into the room and an armoured figure wormed his way out.

“Hello MegaDan,” the figure said, knocking dust from his armour. “I’m Gumbo Feet. Interstellar bounty hunter.”

MegaDan stared for a long moment before reaching out his hand. “Really glad to meet you, Mr. Feet.” He paused to shake the bounty hunter’s hand. “I’ve got to say, you’ve got great timing. I’m just trying to figure out why you’re here in the first place.”

“The Chairman figured something like this might happen.” The bounty hunter shook his head. “I’m not sure how he knew, but he did, so he sent me here to keep watch over you.”

“But, how did you get on the ship without me knowing?”

The helmeted head faced without answering him until MegaDan began fidgeting. “Let me just say I’m very good at my job and leave it at that, all right?”

“Um….Sure?”

“Great! Now, if you will excuse me, I think the danger is passed so I’ll just be leaving.” The bounty hunter turned toward the bridge doors.

“Wait! Would you mind taking that with you, please?" MegaDan asked, pointing at the dead creature. "It’s giving me the creeps.”

“Sure, no problem,” Gumbo Feet said, grabbing the dead creature by a tentacle. “These things are actually pretty good eating, so you’re giving me a bit of a treat.”

“Great, whatever,” MegaDan said, waving his hand. “Thanks for your help. You really got us out of a bind.”

“I’ll let The Chairman know. See ya.” Gumbo Feet left the bridge, the squid creature in tow.

MegaDan shook his head. “Weird! This has just been one weird happening after another.”

Charlie waved at the screen just before Overjohn Wassabi flashed on.”Hello MegaDan.”

MegaDan groaned. “Not you too!”

Overjohn frowned. “I love you too, MegaDan. What’s going on?”

“Sorry Overjohn. It’s just that a LOT has been happening. There was the battle, which we won, by the way, then The Chairman offered to make me the new Vice Chancellor and finally one of Greklor’s sleeper agents tried to kill Charlie and me.”

“The Chairman offered to make you Vice Chancellor? That’s unbelievable,” Overjohn said.

“We’re fine, thank you for asking Overjohn,” MegaDan said sarcastically.

“What? Oh, yeah. Sorry. I’m glad you’re both all right.” Overjohn yawned. “It’s just that things have been crazy here too. I was calling to tell you that I need you to take over directing Galaxy News for a while. I’ve got some business to take care of that is demanding all my time.”

MegaDan sighed. “No promises, Overjohn, but I’ll do what I can. I have a feeling the weirdness isn’t over for me just yet.”

“Thanks MegaDan. I knew I could count on you. I’ll talk to you when I get everything sorted, Okay?” Overjohn’s image faded.

“Overjohn, wait!” MegaDan looked at Charlie. “Yeah, I know. He’s gone.” MegaDan sighed again. “I think I’ll go get that coffee now. Maybe take a nap too. If anybody calls, I’m not available. I think I’ve had enough excitement for one day.”

Charlie gave MegaDan the thumbs up as the newscaster left the bridge. No sooner had the doors swished shut than another call came through. Charlie ignored the message and leaned back in his chair, whistling softly to himself.

-The End-