Note: This au takes place immediately after chapter 6, but diverges from the timeline where the Galaxy One saves Gary at the exact right time. Unfortunately for the crew, the Lord Commander has many uses for the Gary.
Before Gary even opened his eyes, he could tell he wasn't back on the Galaxy One. HUE hadn't slammed him out of his bed and into his wall, he couldn't smell the coffee Quinn downed religiously every morning, and no sounds of KVN flying around like the annoying sack of turds he was.
On second thought, he was relieved he didn't have to hear INC. However, it begged the question of where Gary was now.
It was when Gary's eyes fluttered open that he realized the amount of trouble he was. It was definitely a torture room, no doubt. No Windows? Check. Concrete walls and floor? Check. Instruments of torture lining the wall? Freaking check.
Gary felt panic bubble up his throat, his eyes snapping open. Trying to pull himself up from his sitting position, he quickly found he was bound to a bed (a bed? Gary would have gone with the old fashioned chains from the ceiling, but whatever) by energy cuffs. The prisoner felt his heart pound, his breathing ragged and short from fear. 'Calm down, brain. Now is not the time to go AWOL' The blonde thought to himself, remembering the advice Avocato told him if he was in this situation.
Gary took a couple of deep, long breaths, not stopping until he his lungs were full, and then breathing back out slowly. After a few minutes, Gary finally stopped hearing his heartbeat in his ears, and could focus. He carefully tested the cuffs while racking his brain for what had happened last night. Avocado and Quinn would not have allowed Gary to leave the ship unaccompanied, and Mooncake would have undoubtedly protected his best friend from any intruders.
'Quinn...The Lord Commander's prison...Avocato!' All at once it came back to Gary. Avocato had received an SOS from his lost son, and wanted to go immediately. Gary remembered the two sharing a bro hug, jumping onto the wrong planet, entering the empty prison, and walking into the Lord Commander's (completely obvious) trap. Then, after that...
As if on cue, the door to the torture room slid open, and out stepped the very person Gary dreaded to see.
"Lord Commander." Gary stated, still in shock over his present surroundings.
"Ahh, you're awake, the Gary. Hope you're enjoying the accomodations."
The titular man said nothing, even when the alien called him 'the Gary' instead of just Gary. Instead, he only stared at the small tyrant; the Lord Commander looked worse for wear, but much better than he had previously. From the lighter shade of the skin on his head, it looked like he got some sort of skin graft, finally covering up that bit of visible grey matter.
Realizing that the Lord Commander was staring at him as well, waiting for a response, Gary only stated bluntly, "Let. Me. The hell. Go. You sad, eggheaded man." LC only chuckled, hands behind his back as he walked towards Gary.
"Oh, the Gary. You've been a pain in my backside for far too long." The older man ran his hand against the human's pantsed leg, making Gary freeze in place. The human struggled not to respond to this...whatever it was, his hands becoming fists. "You turned Avocato against me, took E351, and destroyed my Infinity Guard."
The Lord Commander ran his hand against the younger man's chest, then caressed Gary's face in a way that elicited nothing but pure disgust.
"Anyone else would be dead long ago. But, you're not like everyone else, are you Gary? You're stubborn, impulsive, and much too emotional. You remind of your father; except for your face, it's too much of your mother's genes.
'Wait, what the crap?'
"What the hell do you know about my father?!" Gary nearly shrieked, pulling against his restraints. How dare this a-hole talk about his father?!
"Simple. I was his co-pilot in the Infinity Guard." LC stated matter-a-factly, stopping Gary's futile attempt to lunge at the Lord Commander in its tracks.
'What the double crap?'
Once again, the Lord Commander chuckled. "I can tell by your dumb face that this is the first time you heard of this. Not surprising; John hated mixing work and family.
So let me enlighten you, the Gary."
Gary knew it was coming when the Lord Commander's eyes lit up with a white light, but could do nothing to stop it as he felt the Lord Commander enter his mind. It felt just as wrong as before, the alien worming his way through his memories, his emotions, his personality. But this time, Gary could see something. The Lord Commander's-memories.
"I was born on Tera Con Prime, before it became a trade outpost. At that time, I lived as Jaxxtrixxriiandraneek, or Jack for short. My family was the typical Earth nuclear family, though we lived "from paycheck to paycheck" as you Earthlings would describe it."
Gary could see this, and feel this as if it was his memories. Playing with his brother and sister after school to keep them busy, watching his parents work multiple jobs just to make ends meet and pay for their small two bedroom house, having to wear the same clothes even as they stretched and crushed him and the others kids made fun of him
"Despite all this, I always dreamt of becoming an Infinity Guard. To me, they were the bastion of hope and justice in the universe. So I studied, spending every waking moment training to become a member And when I was 16, I was finally able to sign up for the Infinity Guard Academy on Earth. That's where I met your father, John.
John was...he was everything I wasn't. He was strong, charismatic, handsome, and brave. Despite all this, he became my first friend on Earth, and we were inseparable."
Gary remembered this too. He remembered going to Earth for the first time, amazed at the blue of the sky and abundance of life. He remembered his first day at the Academy, being in awe of a younger, less grey haired John, learning from John how how to shoot and how to talk to girls...and the tender nights Jack and John spent together, when no one was looking.
"When we graduated, we became co-pilots and spent more time together than ever before. Our days were spent jumping from planet to planet in the battlefield, fighting to uphold peace and justice, saving each other's lives more times than I can count. It was like that for nearly twenty years, the one time I was ever truly happy. Needless to say, things would've been much different today If it wasn't for...The Sheryl."
Gary could sense the anger and hatred the Lord Commander felt for Sheryl, Gary's mother, just from his voice.
"He met her on one of our pit stops back on Earth, in some upscale bar. John could have had any women he wanted, but he fell for one of the crudest, most selfish women I've seen. He was far too good for her, and I think the Sheryl knew that. John found out you were on your way just six months after their 'courtship.' "
The human was surprised by this new information; however, he wasn't shocked. Knowing what he knew now about his mother's criminal past, and remembering how she abandoned him so coldly and so quickly after his dad died, he felt he could agree with and believe the Lord Commander-no, Jack, on this topic.
"All of the sudden, things changed. We went on safer, more boring assignments, John spent more and more of his free time with you and Sheryl. It was always "Sheryl this" and "Gary that." But even then, he felt bad for me, trying to make it up to me on our missions by taking the more difficult parts of running the ship on. It was just like him, to care about others before himself."
This time, Gary could sense a touch of sentimentality in Jack, watching the memories of how John, his father, was so excited to be a father and decorating a nursery and 'do you think the baby would like Infinity Guard blue or green Jack?' It made Gary smile, seeing how his dad truly loved him, even if it was by the Lord Commander basically mind f-ing him.
"Despite this, I bit my tongue, not wanting to ruin what I had with my John. And that's when it happened. The day your father died."
This memory felt different than the others. It was more vivid, more realistic. He could see clearly the inside of the Jack and John had piloted for the last 29 years. Jack, a younger, more innocent looking Jack with a fair green complexion was at the console, with John leaning beside him.
'Central command, we're nearing the breach, please respond, over.' Jack reportedly dutifully, even as he could feel the warmth of John's heavy body against him. He admonished himself for blushing, and kept his eyes on the console.
'Central command here, we-you need-" The com's cut out, and Jack winced as the ear piece in his ear let out a high pitched noise rang through it. Then, just like that, the console went out, displaying the red error screen.
'Must be interference from Final Space. God knows what's in there.' John stated, as if they didn't just lose control of their entire ship.
'What do we do, John?! How do we deliver the anti matter bomb?!'
'Calm down, Jack. The delivery system for the bomb should still be functional, even if the ship's controls are down.' John stepped away heading towards the controls for the bomb. He slide in the place of a SAME, who moved away mindlessly to another station. ' Now, if I just-'
Suddenly, John was knocked off his feet, slamming onto the ground. There was blue, pink, and white lights. Jack's head was shoved against the console at full force, and the alien swore in Greytrexian at the large bruise he was bound to get later.
The alarms of the ship blared, and the SAMES were panicking, rapidly darting across the ship's controls as the two non robotic passengers were stunned.
'H.U.E, what the hell just happened?!' John yelled, pulling himself up. Thoughtfully, John pat Jack's back, making sure the smaller being was alright before standing up fully.
'Captain, we were just hit by an energy wave from the breach. It has knocked out the remaining controls in the ship, and according to my calculations, another energy wave will destroy our ship and kill us all in approximately ten minutes.'
'What are our options?' John asked, eyes narrowing in focus as Jack felt himself panic. They were going to die, they were going to die, they were going to-
John laid a reassuring hand on Jack's shoulder, sending the smaller alien's stress and giving him a small smile. Almost Instantly, Jack felt better.
'Captain, the only option, besides death, is for one of you to activate the anti-matter bomb manually at the breach, saving the ship and the Earth. However, this means one of you will be obliterated by the blast.'
'What?! That-that can't be the only option! What about the escape pods? Can't one of the SAMES do it?!' Jack shrieked, not bearing the thought of losing his best friend or dying himself.
'Didn't you hear H.U.E. Jack? If we do nothing, this thing will destroy Earth. There's no room for error.' Already, John had retrieved the anti-matter bomb from the console and was grabbing his helmet. Oh God, John was going to get himself killed.
'What, John? What are you doing? John, no! Stop! Think about what you're doing!' Jack yelled, sprinting to stop his co-pilot from leaving the ship. Jack couldn't lose the man he loved, not now.
'I have thought about it, Jack, for nine years, and I already made the decision to protect my family at all cost, even if it means my life.' Putting his helmet on, John proceeded towards the door.
'No, don't John! Please, taking this mission was my idea, I won't let you sacrifice yourself, let me do it.' John paused at this statement, watching the smaller man desperately cling to his leg.
'Jack, I need you to promise me one thing. If you make it back to Earth, find Gary, tell him...tell him I'm sorry I wasn't able to see the man he would grow up to be.'
'John...' Jack whispered, hearing his friend choke back his own tears. The John, who Jack had looked up to as a beacon of positivity, was just as terrified as the Greytrexian was.
'Jack, I need you to promise me this.'
'...Okay, I promise John. I promise.' Jack swore, feeling tears roll down his face.
'Thanks, buddy. For everything. See you later.' And just like that, John was gone, leaving Jack all alone, crying in the empty ship.
"I never made it back to Earth." The Lord Commander said, his voice barely above a whisper as he finally left Gary's mind. Gary's vision cleared, seeing the small alien sit beside him in the bed. He could see a tear escape the tyrant's eye, still remembering his partner's loss as if it happened yesterday. "I was left stranded for days in a broken ship, while John was raised up a martyr back on Earth. No one came for me, no one even tried to search for me. To the Infinity Guard, I was expendable, something I learned far too late. It was shortly after that that I discovered my powers."
At this lull in the conversations, Gary finally found the courage to speak. "I get it, your life is one big dump by the universe, I really get it. But you don't see anyone else go power hungry, arm ripping off tyrant mode."
"I know you understand me, the Gary. I've been in your mind, remember?" The LC smiled knowingly. "Your mother, John, and Mooncake, Anyone you've ever loved has abandoned you or died, and you yearn for any sign of affection. I can give you all that and more." At this, the Greytrexian placed his hand on the human's stomach, looking at Gary intently.
"Yeah, no offense or nothing, but I'm getting some really creepy vibes from you and plus I'm kind of nearly already dating a girl, so no thanks." Gary looked both embarrassed and incredulous, not believing what he just heard.
The Lord Commander just scowled. "You still care for those imbeciles?! They abandoned you, after all you did for them. Even Avocato, whose son you risked your life to save, has left you behind."
Gary's eyes widened as the Lord Commander spoke, remembering how Quinn looked at him with betrayal, how Mooncake flew away, how Gary never saw Avocato once Little Cato pushed him through that wall. "You're wrong, you douche canoe! They care about me, they-"
"Aren't coming." The Lord Commander interrupted, grasping Gary's head with both his hands. "Think about it. If they really cared, wouldn't they have found you by now? You've been gone an entire day, and its not like I'm very inconspicuous."
The Lord Commander...was right. They had no reason to come for him. Avocato finally got his son, Quinn only cared about closing the breach and saving the Earth, and Mooncake-well, Mooncake would be too scared of the Lord Commander to do anything.
Gary looked away, his face downcast.
Sensing Gary's doubts, the Lord Commander unlocked the human's energy cuffs with his powers. Sitting up, Gary rubbed his raw wrists as the Lord Commander spoke.
"Now you understand; not one of them care about you, because you served their purpose. But, if you join my command, if you are obedient and loyal, I will not only give you a purpose, but I'll give you the love and appreciation you deserve."
Gary was silent for a few moments, then looked up. "If I help you, will you promise to not hurt Moocake?"
"You mean E351? If that is what you desire, I swear on your father's grave that I won't."
The blonde was once again silent, looking away thoughtfully, before looking into the Lord Commander's eyes determinedly. "...Okay. I accept your offer." Gary held out his hand, and the Lord Commander smirking, gave Gary his.
Not one second later, Gary had grasped the Lord Commander's arm with both hands, and slammed the Greytrexian into the closest way. Laughing triumphantly, Gary bolted up and ran towards the door, not even taking a second to glance back at the older alien.
The halls were surprisingly empty, something Gary could count as one of his blessings. Bathed in a red light, Gary ran for his life towards the double doors in front of him. He slammed his body against it, fell butt first onto the ground, and stood up once again to pull them open before running through.
Gary gasped as he nearly fell over the edge, the double doors not leading to freedom like he thought, but a crater of utter blackness. A trap by the Lord Commander.
" HOW DARE YOU?!" He heard the Lord Commander shriek, and Gary barely had enough time to turn around before he felt himself being crushed, lifted into the air by the Greytrexian's telekinesis. "I REVEALED TO YOU SECRETS NO ONE ELSE HEARD, I OFFERED YOU A PLACE BY MY SIDE, AND YOU REFUSE?!"
"Of course, Lord Buttwad!" Gary gasped, glaring at the smaller man. "Even if no one's on my side, I'm not going to help you destroy the freaking universe just to make myself feel better!"
For a few tense seconds, Gary was sure the Lord Commander was going to snap his neck and be done with it, and Gary was fine with that. At least then he couldn't hurt anyone else.
But then the anger faded from the Lord Commander's face, replaced by a serene, creepy smile.
"Oh Gary, Gary, Gary...you really are like your father. Willing to sacrifice everything you have for others. I'll make sure to keep that quality after I make a few...adjustments."
Before Gary could question it, the Lord Commander slammed the human against the ground, and all went black once again.
And that is the end of the first chapter of Breaking the Hold! I hope you guys enjoyed it, and if there were anything you found interesting or out of place, make sure to put it in the comments.
Thank you for reading, and have a fantastic day!