Meet the Goodmans

by JaimeDee87

My AU's version of the Bad Apple incident.

Jimmy was scared, dread pulsing in all of his programming as he ran. His own scan analysis kept re-playing on his internal memory: 'Just outside of the town of Plainville- to a local farming community. But that means they would lead back...home!'
HOME.
The farm had not been his home for a long time now. Whenever Jimmy thought about it, the emotions were mixed, at best. Missing his mother. Resentment mixed with respect and love for his father. Desperation to escape the orchard life. The thoughts in his rapidly maturing AI that had confused him, that he couldn't talk about with either of his parents.
All of their problems aside, they were his family. His parents, even if they were ashamed of him now. All the Robot knew was that mutated monstrosity had come from that direction, and that knowledge filled him with fear.
So he ran.

The Commander was eating again. He always ate when he was anxious, it seemed. The way Jimmy had taken off running outside of the grocery store was so out of character, it had startled him.
And what about this 'home' business? Jimmy had never before talked about a home, or a mother before. The Commander was a little ashamed to realize he had never asked such questions, assuming them moot because his best friend and lover wasn't human.
But remembering the look on his face as he ran off, the Commander was worried. Worried about Jimmy, worried about whatever could upset him so much he couldn't even see how little sense it made for him to run the whole way. Worried for what they would find when they got there.
"Why don't we just pick Mom up and drive him the rest of the way?" Eaglebones asked, a puzzled look on his face.
"Because, Eaglebones, sometimes people- and Robots, just need to run." the Commander replied, hoping that the running was helping Jimmy with whatever was obviously running around his Robot head.

Jimmy stopped running abruptly in front of the barn- feeling as if someone had ripped his power core straight out of his chest plate. Upon seeing the smoldering skeletons, a strangled anguished cry of 'Mother!' tore it's way roughly from his throat.
The Aquabats were horrified, and slightly disgusted by the scene in front of them. The obvious grief and loss on the Robot's face unsettling them further, but most especially the Commander. Torn between revulsion at the fumes from the skeletons, and heartbreak for Jimmy. Whoever these people had been, they had been important to the Robot.
"Mother?" Eaglebones said in quiet shock, looking to him for more information. I have none, the Commander thought. There stands the single most important person in the world to me, and I have no idea where we are, or what this means to him- to US. Who were they?
"I didn't make it in time to save them..." Oil welled up, threatening to burst from his eyes, as grief was joined by guilt. 'I...I never spoke to them again. Not after I left. I was so angry. That fight with Dad, things we both said. We made her cry. I never even said I love you, never even said goodbye. I just left, storming off to live MY life how I wanted to live it...'
"Maybe you shouldn't have run the whole way..." Ricky said quietly. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. All of this was unreal for him, Mom standing there crying, the remains of two people lying on the ground. He was immediately shamed by his words, the other Aquabats staring at him as if they could not believe what had just been said. "Just sayin..." he mumbled.
"James?!" a voice said in surprise. 'That sounded like- !' He spun around quickly, relief flooding his face as he took in the most wonderful sight. His mother, paused mid-step on her way out of the kitchen door.
"Are my eyes playing tricks on me?" she asked, voice wavering with joy and hope.
"Mother!" Jimmy cried in happiness, the two rushing towards each other for a heartfelt embrace. "I thought a giant bug roasted you!" he hiccupped.
" A giant? A giant bug-?" she looks over at the skeletons, and begins to giggle. "Oh, no! Oh fiddlesticks. No1 That's just your father burning skeletons from his lab. He's just got so many!" she chuckled a little more before hollering, "RAALPH!"
Jimmy's shoulders tensed at his father's name. Sure enough, there he came stalking out of the barn/lab, yet another skeleton on a pitchfork. He took one look at Jimmy, and angrily threw down the skeleton, stalking over to the Robot.
Jimmy began squirming. He had always hated that look of his father's. It was a well practiced blend of low-burning anger, with resentfulness and smug thrown into the bargain. It might as well have been nails on a chalkboard to the Robot when he spoke.
"Well, well, well," the superior tone began, "Mr. Too Good For His Own Family has come home." Ouch, the Robot thought. Even after all this time, his father knew exactly how best to hurt him. "Hello, Father." he sighed, fidgeting in discomfort. Feeling the uncomfortable hovering of his mother next to him, Jimmy was relieved to hear the Commander speak.

"YOU MUST BE JIMMY'S PARENTS!" Oh my ska, why am I screaming? "WE'RE THE AQUABATS, WE'RE JIMMY'S FRIENDS! WE PLAY IN A BAND TOGETHER? YOU KNOW, ROCK AND ROLL?" I did NOT just air guitar to them.
The Commander was horrified by the way he just could not stop shouting. How could he stop shouting? These were Jimmy's PARENTS. The mother and father of his super rad Bot, and it was imperative that they like them all, but especially him.
"You're very loud..." Martha giggled, raising a speculative eyebrow, looking between the Commander and Jimmy. "It's WONDERFUL to meet you! Won't you stay and have lunch with us? I just baked a fresh apple pie."
"WE LOVE PIE!" Unable to NOT see the looks Jimmy and the boys are giving him, the Commander groaned in his head. Stress takes away my volume control button. Great. JUST GREAT. As he allowed himself to be led away by the very sweet lady, he couldn't help stealing glimpses back at Jimmy and his dad, wondering why they were just...glaring at each other like that.

Man, this is really awkward, the Commander thought. All of the Aquabats were seated at the large dining table, with Mr. Goodman sitting at the other end all by himself. Trying to be respectful, he and Jimmy had elected to sit with Crash between them, as their habit of holding hands, or light touches might make the Robot's parents uncomfortable.
No one was talking to each other, just sort of picking at their food. Ralph was serving himself in what seemed to be a bad temper. Catching Jimmy stealing a longing gaze at him, the Commander waggled his eyebrows, managing to coax a wan smile from the Robot as his mother sat next to him. "So you're really Jimmy's parents?" Eaglebones asked suddenly, wide eyed.
Smiling, Martha replied, "Oh, yes, dear." Crash's face lit up in excitement as he quickly asked, "Are you robots?" Ralph's glower got even more pronounced if that was at all possible. "No, we're not robots!" he snapped at the young man, "Are you dumb as a sack of apples?"
Crash's face fell, all traces of excitement gone, at the harsh words. The look of pure fury on Jimmy's face at the cruel treatment of one of his sons was unmistakable to the other Aquabats and his mother. She made a disapproving noise at Ralph, frowning meaningfully.
"I'm a scientist," he continued smugly, "I built JAMES to be a farmer." he finished bitterly. Ricky cocked his head to the side, asking, "You built Mom?" Ralph's head snapped around to the young man, not able to believe what he had just heard. Jimmy quickly interrupted, with a begrudging, "Yes, my father built me."

Latching on to the distraction the Robot was providing, Ricky quickly switched focus. "Get outta the city!" he encouraged enthusiastically.
"Many years ago." Jimmy continued, trying to distract his father's incredulous anger away from the younger Aquabat. "As a young Robot. My father is a brilliant scientist. He created me to help with chores around the appple farm. I spent EVERY DAY picking apples. Cleaning apples. Coring apples. But thanks to the ever expanding AI I was built with, I began to have ideas and hopes of my own. I had to get out."
Smiling sadly, Jimmy continued. "One day, I told my mother I was leaving for the big city. I was going to do what I finally wanted to do: To fight crime while playing the saxophone. In the park. On horseback." The Robot chuckled a little at his younger self. "When I actually got there, things weren't so easy. It was tough. I was working nights as a dishwasher, until that fateful day I came across a flyer on the local library's message board."
His smile grew wider as he remembered seeing the poorly photocopied advertisement for a lab assistant. If only that young Robot could have seen where answering that ad would lead... "It was the Professor, seeking out a new assistant. Having a good basic knowledge of science and experimentation from my father, I figured it would pay more than washing dishes. I got the job, and a mentor to boot."
Jimmy fondly remembered those days, improving his internal algorithms, soaking up all the information his circuitry could handle. "And after many months, the Professor told me he had found a man, half drowned, on the beach, and needed my help bringing him to the Lab. That man was the Commander. Using many experimental processes, we were able to not only save his life, but an un-intended side effect gave him super charisma and leadership abilities."
After hearing the circumstances which led up to the Commander being found on the beach, I decided I'd join him in his quest to fight crime and play super rad music. The Professor helped me install my original defence and weapons systems, as well as upgrading my scanning abilities. We called ourselves the Aquabats. You boys know the rest." Jimmy finished, feeling better remembering all those happy times.
It also had put the others in a more lighthearted mood, hi-fives and smiles going around their end of the table. Looking astonished, Martha exclaimed, "I always wondered what happened..."
"He never bothered to call us." Ralph ground out, glaring. "He was too busy being a heathen rock star!" Pushing roughly away from the table, Jimmy stood up, shouting, "You always tried to make me something I didn't want to be!" The Commander was shocked. He had never seen Jimmy so angry. Without thinking it through, me moved forward and tried to touch the Robot's arm. "Hey, Jimmy, baby, relax!" Glaring daggers at the both of them, Ralph also rose, shouting back, "I only ever wanted you to become a great man!" Eyes fixing on the little intimate display between the two, he bit out, "I guess that was too much to ask of you, too."
Black, angry tears welled on Jimmys face. "No, you only wanted me stuck here- working as one of your farm tools!" Martha was becoming more and more distressed, trying to distract everyone, she asked, "Who is ready for some apple pie?" Crash lept up, not really understanding what was going on, or why the men were yelling at each other, but he liked the sound of pie. Shaking his head minutely, the Commander guided him silently back into his chair. "If you were half the father to me that the Commander has been to our boys, maybe I never would have left in the first place!" Jimmy howled, tears openly falling now. An utterly silent moment passed as the words sank in. "OUR boys?!" Ralph exclaimed, a look of confusion slowly giving way to one of disgust.
"You mean to tell me, you-" he jabbed his fork in the air in front of Jimmy, "and HIM-" fork now pointed at the Commander, "are...TOGETHER?" The disdain was practically dripping off the man's voice, his wife squirming at his behavior. "I didn t program you that way! You must have knocked a screw loose from all that crime-fighting and rock and roll, you re CLEARLY Broken!" A small, hurt gasp was all that could be heard in the moment after. Jimmy literally could feel his processors come to a halt at the venom in his father's words. He was shaking in silent fury and anguish, unable to back down. Seeing his distress, the Commander immediately jumped in. "WELL, THAT'S QUITE AN ENORMOUS APPLE YOU'VE GOT OUT THERE MISTER GOODMAN." Why am I still yelling? Please just make the yelling stop, he thought.

Completely thrown off balance by the odd statement, Ralph sat back down. Befuddled, he said, "Uh, yeah...Genetically altered right off our own tree. After James left, I couldn't manage the work on the farm- ALL BY MYSELF. So I invented a way to enlarge fruit- big enough to feed a whole town. Easier than having to harvest an entire orchard- ALL BY MYSELF." That was the last straw. Jimmy's fists slammed onto the tabletop, causing everything on it to shake, oily tears freely streaming down his cheeks. "Would you drop it already? I'm not what you want me to be. I never will be! When will you accept me for who I am?" The Robot blindly stumbled out of the dining room, trying to control his sobbing. Face a mask of barely contained fury, Martha rose, throwing her napkin down. "You have driven our son away once before, Ralph Goodman! And I will be DARNED if I'm gonna let you do it again."
Martha stormed off, leaving behind a confused and guilty husband. The Commander quickly whispered to the others, "Okay homies, I need a really big favor. I need you guys to stay here with Mr. Goodman while I go find Jimmy. I don't think he should be alone right now. Okay?" All three boys nodded, Crash saying in a small voice, "Go get Mom, so we can leave. I don't like it here." Giving the young Aquabat a reassuring pat on the shoulder, the Commander left in pursuit of his hurting friend.
Bursting out of the house, the Commander saw Martha standing not 3 feet away, hand over her mouth as she watched her son pace and cry out his pain. Jimmy couldn't see her, so wrapped up in the thoughts racing through his circuits, kicking rocks and mumbling. The look on her face pained the Commander, a sort of angry helplessness, as he walked steadily towards the pair. When she realized he was coming up behind her, she turned her tearing eyes to him, and asked in a low voice, "Are you? Are you two...together? Like Ralph said?"
Shuffling his feet nervously in the dirt, the Commander nodded. "Yes, Mrs. Goodman, we are. Jimmy and I are together, and we are raising those three boys in there together. I- I love him very much, and I know what we have isn't considered 'normal' exactly, but it makes us- ALL of us, happy. We fit this way." He waited anxiously as she seemed to think about it, more for Jimmy's sake than his own. The Commander didn't know if the Robot could handle anymore rejection, and his Mother's opinion obviously mattered.
A soft smile crept upon the older woman's face as she took the Commander's hand in her own. "You can call me Mom." He felt his own crooked smile quirk his lips, while she shooed him towards Jimmy, saying "You go on to him, then. He'll need you more than me right now." The Commander was able to walk right up to Jimmy before the Robot saw him, he was so agitated. His face was a streaked mess of black tears on synthetic skin, his hiccuping sobs slightly rough and static. Without saying a word, the Commander pulled him into a tight hug, putting one hand on his head to soothingly stroke it. That was when the floodgate opened. Shaking as great sobs racked through him, he slowly sank to his knees, still holding on to the Commander like a port of safety in a storm.
"Shhhh," he murmured, rocking Jimmy in his arms. "It's okay, babe. Let it out, it's okay." "Nuh-Nuh-NOT." The Robot grit out between sobs. "NOT BROKEN. I'M NOT BROKEN." The Commander was freely crying now, hurting for his best friend and lover, angry with his callous father, and himself because he had no idea how to fix this. "What? Of course you're not. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Babe." He lifted Jimmy's face until they were looking eye to eye, "You are perfect. As is. Always have been, always will be. I love you, our boys love you and your mother loves you. No strings attached." They stayed there, neither knew how long, just holding each other, whispering words of encouragement, love and comfort. Martha had come up to them so quietly, they didn't realize she was there until she had a hand on each of their shoulders. She gave a small squeeze, before saying, "James, your Pa doesn't mean to hurt you- he loves you very much. To be honest, I think you've startled him. You're not the same young man who left home all those years ago. You've grown up in a lot of ways, sweetheart. Your father is old fashioned, but you ARE his son. Give him time."
"If that's true," Jimmy said miserably, "he sure has a funny way of showing it." Taking both men by the hand, she waited as they stood."I want to show you both something. Come with me." She smiled as she led both men to the barn.

The Commander smiled as Jimmy looked at the wallS in wonder. It was pictures of him, pictures of them, all over the walls of his father's lab. Every newspaper article, every interview, even some of his articles from Journal of Science were tacked to those walls. "I- I'm deeply moved." he said quietly.
"We're so proud of everything you've done to save the world." She once more took Jimmy's hand into her own. "HE'S so proud. He loves you honey. Please, just- be patient with him. Give him time." Hopeful, the Robot hugged his mother, saying, "I'll try."

Ralph Goodman was still at the table, head in his hands as the three younger Aquabats awkwardly ate pie. Figuring the sooner they got down to business, the sooner they could leave, Eaglebones cleared his throat before asking, "Mr. Goodman? Did you happen to see any large bugs around here lately?"
Ralph's head shot up, his gaze roaming out the window towards the large apple sitting there. "Bugs?"

Spirits improved, the Commander, Jimmy and his mother were walking out of the barn when the earth began to tremble. Stumbling, son tried to support mother, as the remaining Aquabats and his father came tottering out of the main house to see what was happening. All of them looked on in terror as a massive worm came bursting and roaring out of the modified giant apple.
Screaming and running, they weren't quick enough to reach the trio before the beast launched itself, swallowing Martha whole as it tunneled into the ground. "Mother!" Jimmy's horrified scream rang out, gazing desperately into the hole left in the worm's wake. "Martha!" Ralph screamed, tearing at his hair and falling to his knees beside his son.
Snarling, the worm erupted from the ground behind them, teeth gnashing. Still panicked, the Aquabats and scientist scrambled, doing whatever they could to get off the ground. "What was that thing?!" the Commander yelled.
"There must have been a worm in that apple you enlarged." Jimmy theorized to his father. Realization dawning in the man's face, he continued the train of thought. "Thus enlarging and mutating the worm as well!" Nervously, they all watched the ground for any sign of the worm. Ricky decided to chance it, jumping off of the silo ladder he had climbed. No sooner did his feet touch the ground than an explosion of dirt shot up next to him, the worm already chasing him back up the ladder. Salivating and snapping at his feet, the nimble Aquabat was just able to avoid it's maw. "Dad!" the Frightened teen yelled, "Come pick me up!"
From inside the doorway of the Battletram with Crash, the Commander sprang into action. "Hang tight, Ricky!" he called out, racing to the the driver's seat in the front. He revved the engine, the worm immediately losing all interest in Ricky as it slithered back in it's hole and headed for the Battletram. "Commander!" Jimmy called out. "Turn off the engine!" He couldn't shut off the engine fast enough. The worm came barreling towards them, Crash screaming the whole time, slamming the door closed at the last possible minute.
The Battletram rocked and pitched with the force of the blows the worm rained upon it's undercarriage. "Quick!" Ralph said, "let's distract it!" Grabbing the farm tools and debris closest to them, he and Jimmy began banging on the side of the barn, shouting, trying to create as much noise as possible. Pulling an about face, both men fled inside the barn as the worm came rampaging at them. It burst through the floor of the lab as they made their way frantically upstairs. They reached relative safety in the hayloft, able to see the others in their various hiding places.
"We've got to save your mother, son!" Goodman said, hands fretful in his hair. "Without her, I got nothing!" Doing his best to ignore the sting in his father's remark, Jimmy placed his hand on the man's shoulder. "No, Dad," he said quietly, "you'll always have me." Ralph felt pride well up inside him. Maybe I was wrong, he thought. I can't say I like or approve of what he's doing with his life, but I was so wrong. He has become a great man. The Commander was heartened by this, hoping that there would be a chance for father and son to reconcile further.

"Commander! Boys! The worm must register seismic activity! Which is how it knows where we all are!" Jimmy shouted down to them as his processors were clicking all the information into place. Crash looked at the Commander in confusion. "Size- mah- whaty?" "It can feel by vibrations! We don't have much time, we have to lure the worm out of the ground with loud noises!" Jimmy continued, making a mental note to allot more time to catching his youngest son up to his grade level. Triumph flashed across the Commander's face as he realized where this was going. "Like loud music!" he crowed, finger stabbing up into the air.
"Exactly! Let's just hope my mother is still alive..." The Robot answered, panic and worry fraught on his face. Ralph could not even bring himself to voice his fears, biting his hand in impotent frustration.

The Commander quickly looked around him, making sure everyone was in their position. They only had one shot at this, so nothing should be left to chance. Mr. Goodman took up his position at the barn door, some gizmo controller and what looked like a metal stake clenched in his fists. Bones was making last second strap adjustments as he stood ready in the bed of the pick up truck he had hidden in. Ricky waited expectantly for the signal, poised on the ladder with his drumsticks by his sides. The Commander and crash were side by side on the hood of the Battletram, shifting nervously as they waited. Finally, Jimmy came back to the loft door.
"Aquabats! My father is activating a sub-sonic woofer that will send seismic waves into the ground, forcing the creature to the surface." The Robot said, running through the plan one more time. Good thing too, he thought, as the Commander promptly shouted back, "And then we can blow it up!" Sighing in his head, Jimmy called back, "No, Commander. My mother's in there, remember?" He awkwardly looked around on the roof. "Oh, yeah. Your mom." Nice one, MC he chastised himself. Sometimes he just really got too into the fights.
"You've got to play music to keep the creature from going under again. That's when I open the worm, and get my Momma out." Ralph quickly stabbed the spike into the hard packed dirt, Jimmy giving one last glance to everything. "Aquabats! Are you ready?" All together, they screamed, "READY!" Goodman readied himself at the switch, ready to turn the machine on full tilt at a second's notice.
All the shouting must have alerted the worm. The creature rammed the Battletram from below, sending Crash and the Commander sprawling to the dirt. They scrambled up, backs pressed flush to the sides of the Tram as it sprung from the ground right in front of them, snapping and snarling blindly. Ralph cranked the power up, hoping to distress the monstrosity. Visible waves pulsed from the rod, fanning out rapidly. The Commander bravely began pummeling it with his microphone, trying to hold the beast back. "It's going under!" Bones shouted, as the mutation began a grudging retreat. "Aquabats, hit it!" The family broke into a harsh rock number, heavy on the beat and bass, anything to keep the worm from retreating. Literally shredding as loudly as they could, Mr. Goodman stomping his feet for good measure. "OPEN THE WORM AND GET YOUR MOMMA OOOOUT!" The Commander screamed/sang, pushing his voice to it's loudest, most abrasive reach. Crash joining in on back up, amplifying the effect further. The worm was writhing in what appeared to be pain and confusion, unsure of what to do with all the information flooding it's senses. The amp was literally pulsing with the force of the sound coming out of it. In a panic, the worm launched itself out of it's hole, fully on top of the earth for the first time. Goodman ran back into the barn, returning with a shotgun, taking aim as Jimmy quickly slapped the barrel back towards the ground.
"No, Dad! We can't risk hitting Mother!" Ralph watched in pride as his son calmly walked off, right to the head of the worm. "Keep playing, Aquabats!" he shouted, scanning the creature and running complex equations as quickly as he could. After a hasty re-check, he walked around the beast's side, before carefully using one of his finger lasers to surgically slice open the contorting flesh. "Mother!" he cried out joyously, as he helped the woman extricate herself from the smoking innards. "Are you all right?"
"Martha!" Ralph exclaimed, rushing over to his muttering, slimy, but otherwise un-harmed, wife. The smell coming from the worm was almost unbearable. The Commander especially seemed to be having a hard time not getting sick. Neither of the Goodmans seemed to notice, as they embraced one another, laughing and crying their relief. "James," his father said in a tear- choked voice, "you did it son. You saved your mother. You are the man I always hoped you would be." The little trio huddled closer together, feeling better than any of them had since the day began.

"I guess sometimes it takes cutting open a giant, disgusting, slimy worm to bring a family closer together." the Commander mused aloud. Noticing Ralph's attention had focused on him, and that the all too familiar angry glower was back on his face, the Commander was actually relieved. Hate me if you've got too, little man, he thought. Anything you need so I don't ever have to see Jimmy cry like that again. Deciding for once that discretion might be the better part of valour, the Commander gave the rallying cry, "All right, Aquabats! Let's go!"
Watching as his son and his...friends, raced back to their vehicle, Ralph couldn't help but call out to him. "Go, Jimmy! Do what you were MADE to do- go save the world. I can't say I'll understand, but I love you, son." Tears of bittersweet happiness welled in the corners of his ocular units, Jimmy flashing a quick thumbs up because he didn't trust his voice as he too climbed back into the Tram. Belting himself into the driver's seat, he watched his parents waving in the side mirror as they drove away, letting the tears fall. The Commander didn't want to upset the teens anymore than the whole visit already had, so he silently reached over and gave Jimmy's shoulder a squeeze. When the Robot looked over, he saw that familiar goofy grin, full of love and hope, and knew that it would be okay.