CHAPTER 20 IS IT OVER?
CFB Hornet, Deep, Dark Forest, Montreal…
Cooler lifted up Patch as he exited his cockpit and walked off the runway. He grinned as he walked into his barracks and got out of his flight suit as Lucky came over. His boss scowled as he approached him.
"You are very disobedient, Captain." Lucky scolded.
"Sorry boss but there were a few things I had to take of."
"Where'd you find the cute kid?"
"Over at the Decepticon base."
"So, these robotic creatures do exist?"
"Nyet, not anymore. I just killed them all along with the destroyer Novosibirsk." Cooler grinned, "Before I do anything, I have to go bring this poor kid home."
"He looks a lot like you,"
"I've noticed." He picked up Patch, "See you in a little bit." He hopped into a shiny silver car, "Alright Patch, it's time to take you home."
Jeffery and Lynda's Home, Emerson, Manitoba, fourteen hours later…
"This looks like the right address to me if I'm correct and the whole roof is gone, that just sucks." Cooler got out of his car, I can't believe I'll be seeing my parents again. OK Cooler, just take it easy. Pretend to not even know who they are.
He rang the doorbell.
"I'll get it!" the door opened to show another pup that looked just like Cooler (Only difference he had glasses), "What do you want?"
"I would like to speak to Mr and Mrs Debaby, please?" Cooler requested as the pup turned and went back inside, "Mama! Daddy! Some weird guy is at the door."
Seconds later, two much taller, yet similar, dogs came out of the door, "What do you want?" they both asked at the same time.
"Pardon me for interrupting, but I found your son." He handed Patch to his parents.
"My baby!" Lynda cried, embracing her son an kissing him.
"How could we ever repay you?" Jeffery asked.
"There's no need to do so Da… I mean…uh… Mr. Debaby." Cooler replied.
Jeffery took Patch into his arms as Lynda came outside and asked, "Do I know you? Somehow I have a feeling I've met you before…"
"Sorry ma'am, but I don't think our fates were ever intertwined before,"
"Why does your name tag say 'Debaby'?"
"It's my last name. Debaby is a very popular last name where I come from."
"You look a lot like Jeffery and all my children, I must say!"
"I can't say I've you before. All I remember was being in a orphanage for four years when I was only two and running away at the age of six. I've roamed the streets, found a nice family, moved on, and now I'm with the Air Force! What could I say, time really flies at some point in your life."
"What's your name?"
"Rex Debaby but you can call me Cooler."
"Thank you very much Cooler," she kissed his cheek, "Thank you so much." She and Jeffery walked back inside the house with their pups.
"You're welcome ma…" he said as he walked back to his car and once had gotten inside it, he started to cry. He ruined it for himself; by lying to them. If only he had mentioned that he was born in Emerson, they might've remembered.
Inside Jeffery and Lynda's Home…
"I'm certain that those robots were looking for a Rex Debaby who was also named Cooler," Lynda said, "They claimed that we had a son before the economic crisis eleven years ago. I wonder… no wait, it's not possible because that means he'd be no older than fifteen years old. In order to join the military, you have to be sixteen or older."
"Did we not have a son named Rex?" Jeffery asked, "I'm certain we did; the name seems so familiar but we had to leave him at an orphanage."
"Well, he DID say that he was left at an orphanage when he was only two years old. Perhaps we can invite him to stay for dinner and we might be able to find out a little more about this Cooler. He has your face, dear."
"And he has your eyes."
"Could it be possible?"
"It's possible Lynda, it's possible."
Outside the House…
"You idiot, Cooler! You just blew a chance of finally getting to be with your family; way to go!" Cooler was in tears as he insulted himself.
"Is something wrong?" Lynda came over.
"Um no ma'am…it's…uh…it's the engine. It decided to quit on me again and I tend to get very emotional when I see something touching then something bad happens, it just really gets me."
"Well would you like to stay for dinner?"
"Oh I wouldn't want to intrude…"
"I insist that you stay for supper and then for the evening."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely," she walked back into the house, followed by Cooler who was just wiping his tears with his arm.
Decepticon Island, Ascension, Atlantic Ocean…
"I'm never dead!" Megatron yelled as he got up, "I'll kill that kid if the last thing I do!"
"Megatron, are you alright?" Soundwave asked as he surfaced from the rubble.
"Soundwave, go see what other Decepticons are still alive."
"As you command Lord Megatron,"
"Decepticons, this is your leader Megatron," he called in Cybertronian, "Forget the mission of destroying and causing havoc, pursuit and capture Cooler. Bring him to me alive so I can torture and kill him myself!"
"Blazemaster: orders received and will be carried out with."
"Grindor in position…"
"Mixmaster and Constructicons oblige…"
"Barricade on patrol…"
"Astrotrain message received…"
"Combaticons rolling…"
"Seekers inbound."
"Revenge will be mine!" Megatron yelled as he transformed and took to the skies followed by his loyal hound.
Jeffery and Lynda's Home, Emerson, Manitoba…
Cooler sat quietly at the table, not knowing what to say. It had been a very long time since he had seen them, and now he had been invited to eat supper with them which was way different from the Officer Mess Hall at CFB Hornet. He didn't know what to talk about, so he waited for either his mother or father to say something.
"So Cooler, how long have you served in the Air Force?" Jeffery asked.
"Four years. Almost five years."
"I see. And what area of the Air Force are you in?"
"The fighter pilot area. I fly the CF-188 Hornet and another type of jet which I can't reveal to you because it's classified. But I have flown the American F-22 Raptor a few times and I'm trying to get a flight in a Russian MiG-29 Fulcrum." He showed pictures of the Hornet, Raptor, and Fulcrum.
"Where do you come from?"
"As in home base or where I was born?"
"Both."
"I was born in this city, Emerson, and my home base is CFB Moose Jaw in Saskatchewan."
"Emerson, eh? There is no one with the last name Debaby in this city either than my family."
"Interesting…"
Patch, Hunter, and Willie kept glancing at him and whispering comments such as, 'he looks like us' and 'I wonder if we're related in some way'."
Cooler was just about to say something when another call came to his cell.
"Hello?"
"You little fool; you cannot kill me!" Megatron threatened.
Cooler's eyes went wide with fear.
"Who is it?" Jeffery asked.
He pressed the speaker button.
"Now when my Decepticons find you, you'll wish you had never been born!"
"You won't be able to find me; not this time." Cooler answered.
"Foolish idiot! My Decepticons WILL find you and when they do, I'll let you figure out the rest, Fur-ball!"
"Just leave the Debaby family out of it, this time."
"I cannot do that or else I would have to leave you out of it. I see you've finally found your family. Congratulations. But once I get my hands on your worthless body, its all over for you and your family."
"I'm hanging up…"
"You won't be able to do that. Good job on answering your phone, now we know where you are and soon you'll be gravelling on your knees like a spineless dog begging for mercy."
"Curse you!"
"We'll meet again boy and when we do, the Doctor will take care of you." The call abruptly ended.
"Great! He tricked me into answering my phone in order to find my location. Perhaps I was wrong, Decepticons are smarter than you think."
"What did he mean when he said that you had finally found your family?" Patch asked curiously.
"I don't know. Maybe he's on crack."
"I think that had meaning somewhere in your mind, eh Cooler?" Jeffery said.
"What?"
"We know your secret, Rex. We just found it out."
"Welcome home my son," Lynda said.
"Mama! You remembered!" Cooler embraced his mother as he started to cry.
"When you dropped your wallet, we found the picture of us and you when you were just a little toddler and then we remembered." Jeffery exclaimed, "Sorry it took a while but how are you in the Air Force if you're only thirteen?"
"That's my secret Dad,"