Chapter 12: Getting To Know You
Surprisingly, no new things arose in the days that followed. Bodek pouted miserable and bored in his upgraded cell. HUE waddled around getting used to his repaired body. Fox and Ash discovered an arcade in the spaceport that kept them entertained for hours. Nightfall quietly went about gathering supplies and fixing the ship. Avocato never fully woke up when they moved him from the recovery pod to Gary's bunk. Drugged and exhausted still, Avocato barely stirred as Fox all but carried him through the Crimson Light and practically clawed his way into Gary's still-warm blankets. Little Cato managed to get his father to take a few bites of food before he dropped into a sleep not far removed from the coma he'd enjoyed in the pod. Gary gratefully followed the general into the recovery unit, surrendering himself and his aching head to modern medicine.
So, as it happened, Gary was up and about before Avocato, though Nightfall declared him unfit for anything more strenuous than lifting a coffee mug or keeping a chair warm. Lighter injuries and a jump start on healing had him up and about by the following Zee Secundus morning. Showered, shaved, dressed in clean clothes and fortified with a cup of the best, cheap imitation coffee money could buy, Gary gladly settled down on the floor in his cabin right next to his son. Little Cato had been planted in Gary's berth waiting for Avocato to wake up, and had fallen asleep himself. As soon as Gary joined him, Little Cato snuggled close and warm, half-sprawled across Gary's lap as he slept. Content with being used as a pillow, Gary tucked the blanket around Little Cato and settled in for the siege, sipping his coffee, pondering what they were going to do to get home, and enjoying the presence of the two people dearest to him. He petted the crest of stiff hair on Little Cato's head in long, gentle strokes. His son had worn himself out with worry. Experience had taught him the Ventrexian needed to eat and sleep, but it also told him that until Avocato was awake, Little Cato's top priority would not be himself.
Good thing he had two dads to look after him.
Gary hesitated at the thought, his coffee cup poised in midair. Yeah, that was going to be an interesting conversation. Actually, he and Avocato were due for a whole boatload of interesting conversations – and by boatload, he wasn't talking some cute dingy or canoe, but a freaking aircraft carrier.
Not much later, he looked up at signs of life from Avocato. The general stirred, rolling to his side and pushing himself up onto one elbow to take in his surroundings. He frowned and sniffed at the unfamiliar room, still dimly lit, and then spotted Gary. He blinked, clearly piecing together bits of memory, and sniffed the air again. His surprise was evidenced by a slight jerk when he spotted Little Cato curled up on Gary. For a long moment he could only stare at his son before he focused on Gary.
"Good morning," Gary said softly, trying hard not to grin like an idiot. It was a losing battle.
Avocato looked at him curiously. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse but pitched to let Little Cato sleep on. "You fought the Scoti."
"Yeah. So did you. Chalk it up to a group effort to take that jerk down." He gestured with his mug. "There's water in that cup beside you if you need a drink."
"Thank you. Do I know you?" Avocato lifted the cup from the shelf built into the wall by his bunk, sniffing at it before taking a cautious sip.
"Not exactly. Not yet, but you will. My name is Gary. Gary Goodspeed."
Avocato considered, frowning slightly in concentration. "I've heard that name before. Infinity Guard?"
"That would be my dad, John Goodspeed. He was a command pilot."
"And you are . . . ?"
"Not in the Infinity Guard."
"Where am I?" asked Avocato with a hint of relief, which told Gary the Lord Commander's corruption hadn't penetrated the Infinity Guard quite yet. Or if he had, Avocato didn't approve.
"You're on the VX-9 lightrunner Crimson Light, presently docked in Geegua Spaceport on Zee Secundus. I'm her captain. I've got to ask you not to leave the ship while we're here."
Avocato nodded. "Understood. Secundus . . . ?" he wondered, recognizing the name of the backwater planet. "What happened to the Kalibar?"
"It self-destructed and took out half the Ziga Turi system and all the leftover Scoti except the one you met."
He bent his head and let out a little sound of suffering at the mention of ship and planetary system destroyed. Gary grimaced, sensing such needless loss of life was not the general's intent and he took the related deaths greatly to heart. Avocato was silent for a long moment, gathering himself before he sat all the way up and looked at Gary again.
"How am I here?"
"Chalk it up to crazy-ass friends. I'll fill in all the blanks once we're sure you're okay. Until then, just know that you're safe and with friends." Gary glanced at Little Cato, wondering how he was going to explain the whole friendship, feels, time travel, death, life, amnesia, possession, and adoption thing before adding, "And family."
"Okay. Captain . . . Goodspeed, you said? I'll wait to hear how I got here, but tell me this much: that is my only son, Little Cato of House Cato, is it not?"
"It most definitely is, Avocato."
Those yellow eyes narrowed at the use of his given name without his rank. "Then kindly explain what he's doing here and not Tera Con Prime and why he isn't four years old!"
He couldn't help but grin at hearing that familiar tone. This was going to be fun . . . so long as no bloodshed was involved.
"Your four-year-old son is still on Tera Con Prime, I promise. This is your fourteen-year-old son. I've been taking care of him for the past year."
"Why would you be taking care of him?"
"Because you asked me to. I know it's asking a lot for you to trust me without knowing anything about me or stuff that lead up to this moment. It's a long story and I promise I'll explain as much as I can. Be careful, please, Cato. He hasn't had an easy time these past few years."
He got a hard and confused look in reply, but no argument. Slowly Avocato maneuvered to sit on the edge of the bunk, facing Gary. He glanced at the healed wounds on his thigh and chest, and Gary couldn't help but wonder if he was contemplating launching himself across the room to throttle the information out of him. Before Avocato could get his annoyance levels up to 100%, he tried a new tack.
"Okay. I'm not explaining this very well. Let's take it from the top. This ship and crew came here from ten years in the future. We were swallowed by a temporal worm and ended up in the battlefield after you went up against . . . the Citrons? Citronellas?"
"The Sitronu fleet," provided the general shortly.
"Yeah, them."
"Prove it."
"Your teenage kid is using me as a futon. What more do you want? He's still trying to teach me the Eyebrows of Everything but I'm nowhere near the expert he is. I can give it a try if you want, though."
Avocato's eyes narrowed and he canted his head as he looked to the sleeping teenager. A moment later he spat a sharp noise between a hiss and a meow. Gary blinked in surprise, but Little Cato snapped awake instantly. If ice water had been dumped on him, he could not have moved faster. Jumping up to land on his hands and feet like a cat, with his tail sticking stiffly upright and every hair on end, Little Cato's eyes were wide and his voice was shrill as he looked around wildly and exclaimed,
"I'm up! I'm awake! I'm awake!"
"Well, yeah," agreed Gary, astonished and trying not to laugh at his son's reaction. He leaned around Little Cato to face his friend. "You gotta teach me that."
Avocato relented a little and even smirked the least bit, pleased with the results of his wake-up call. "I believe you, Captain."
At the sound of his father's voice, Little Cato twisted about, surging to his feet to throw himself at Avocato with a happy shout of, "Dad!"
Gary smiled in speechless delight to see father and son reunited. They might be from totally different times, but the affection was definitely there as Avocato braced for impact. To Gary's relief, Avocato never hesitated as he swept Little Cato into his arms, holding him close and tight. For all he was worth, Little Cato clung to his father, pressing his face into Avocato's shoulder to hide his tears.
"I was so scared," whispered Little Cato.
"I've got you," promised Avocato, as if his mere presence would expel all worries. Gary knew that for Little Cato, it would. For himself, too. Just having Avocato awake reassured him immensely, and all their problems suddenly seemed a little less scary. With the general's knowledge and the resources of the Tera Con Empire at his disposal, there was at least a glimmer of hope that things would somehow work out.
Avocato smiled and almost laughed. There was awe in his voice as he said, "You're so tall."
Little Cato giggled and shrugged, pleased by the observation. "I'm fourteen."
"That's amazing." Resting his head against his son's, Avocato whispered, "Remind me if I forget."
"Will do, Dad." He drew back, a wide smile plastered on his face. "Hey! Are you hungry?"
"Yes," said Avocato after a moment. "Very. And I take it that as a teenager, you're-"
"Always hungry. Yup. What do you want to eat?"
At a loss for what might be available, Avocato ceded the decision with a shrug. "Whatever you feed me."
Little Cato turned mischievous eyes on Gary. "You thinking what I'm thinking, Thunder Bandit?"
"Like we have but one mind, Spider Cat!" Gary said, matching his tone and his grin as he climbed to his feet. Together they exclaimed,
"Street meat!"
Wondered Avocato a little nervously, "What?"
