Chapter 8: Where Were You?

"Okay Captain. The file says that our next mission is to the King Air Foundation. We're supposed to be picking up an important package for his Highness Gaignun." Hammer said reading the papers with angered eyes.

"Man, don't you ever get tired of doing Gaignun's chores?" Tony said, not believing the fact that they had to do more delivery work. He wriggled in his chair impatiently, "When do we get promoted...or something?"

"Ah shut-up, Tony! You know how things run here! If you're not listenin' ta me, you're listenin' ta Gaignun or little master, okay?" He said strictly, "I didn't say I liked doin' this but...can't help but do what Gaignun says...because..." Matthews paused dramatically and the whole crew sat in wait. Nothing happened.

"Why, Captain?" Chaos said, seeming louder than usual after the awkward silence.

"I lost ta him at poker!" Matthews said loudly. Everyone let out their breath in a sigh of disappointment, "Anyway, he's better than the other hogs and foundations in this damn solar system, so be grateful ya morons!"

"Fine. Enough with the sermons. King Air is close by anyway. This'll be cake." Tony said, grasping the steering wheel, "Everyone. Get ready for take-off."

"Hey, ya moron! I get ta say that!" Matthews yelled, getting into his seat, "Put on yer seatbelts ya bunch of freeloaders!"

The ship shook and then began to feel weightless. The stars came into view as they left the Kukai Foundation docking area and slowly, they began to float past them as they cruised to faster speeds.

"Captain, the U.M.N. pulse is approximately 100 miles away. Should I begin preparations?" Chaos said brightly, his station alight. Matthews pondered slightly.

"Ya go ahead, we'll be there in a matter of minutes. Tony wadn't kiddin'." Matthews said, looking like he was going to get up to the cafe once more.

"Ya. Might as well keep tight. I can get us there in seconds." Tony said, reaching over to his side.

"Tony ya mo--" It was too late as Tony went into high-speed, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Alriiiiiight!" He yelled, obviously getting a kick out of dodging the other ship exiting the foundation who were probably cursing him and his mother.

"Tony your an idiot!" Hammer yelled, shaking his fist.

The ship began to slow to a stop as the screen popped up with the realian girl on it.

"The Elsa von Brabant. Crew of..." As she ran through the procedures.

"Ah. That wasn't so bad." Tony said, lying back in his big chair. The other crew, shocked and dazed from the unexpected ride were speechless.

"Tony...perhaps...that was unsafe..." Chaos had muttered first.

"Unsafe?" Hammer said, getting up, "That was stupid! I think I got a concussion! Why doncha just...ask or something?" He held his head as he peered at Tony with some evil red malice burning in his eyes.

"Oh come on guys! We're alive, aren't we? It's not like we haven't boosted before, look how fast we got here!" Tony seemed very proud of himself. Chaos ignored him and began punching in the information, which Hammer probably should have been doing.

"Whatever." Hammer said, beginning to walk out, "come on chaos, I'm taking you instead."

Chaos got up on Hammer's word. Tony watched them leave without saying anything. Well, not anything Hammer or chaos could hear.

"Okay, chaos. Says here we're to go to the 23rd division. Wherever that is." Hammer said, peeved and looking at a piece of paper in his hand, "Paper. How primitive. What if it gets wet?"

"Look, Hammer. There's an official. Let's ask her!" Chaos said. He began to trot over to a realian girl in a blue suit when Hammer stopped him.

"What? Are you a girl or something? Ask for directions in a big foundation? That'll make us look like idiots!" Hammer pleaded.

"Oh come on, Hammer. She's a realian. It's not like she'll think it's funny that we don't know where we are." Chaos said quietly and understandably so that Hammer couldn't say no.

"Fine, fine. YOU do it." Hammer pushed chaos forward. Chaos began to talk to the realian. She smiled and made gestures to a way behind her and laughed a bit too. Hammer sighed as chaos came back.

"Well? Is that the way to the 23rd division?" He pointed to where the realian had pointed. Chaos looked that way confused almost.

"Oh...I forgot! I'm not sure where that is...but that road does lead to King Air's finest diner!" Chaos said happily with a big hopeful grin. Hammer made a sound of disbelief as his features drooped.

"Ah chaos, what am I supposed to do with you?!"

"Tony ya big oaf why doncha do somethin' around here?!" Matthews scolded as Tony began to fall asleep in his chair. Tony shook his head.

"Hammer and chaos'll be back in no time, why can't i just relax a bit, huh?" Tony said with puppy dog eyes. Matthews grunted.

"Are ya kiddin'? Let ya sleep when chaos' A.G.W.S is all busted up? You make me sick, ya moron!" Matthew scowled. Tony grimaced.

"A.G.W.S.?! But Captain!" Tony moaned. Matthews lifted Tony up by his shirt.

"You'll fix 'er up or I'll fix YOU up, ya got that?" Matthews said.

"Yes, sir."

"Okay. 18th Division..." Hammer read off the sign, "That means the 23rd division is beyond this part of town. Hammer looked out beyond the paper and recoiled in disgust. Then he noticed chaos was somewhat cowering behind him.

"Hammer, I don't like this place." chaos said quietly. Hammer stuffed the paper in his pocket and crossed his arms.

"Oh come on. Tony wouldn't cower like this. Actually I bet he grew up in a slum like this." Hammer chuckled to himself, starting to walk through the primal, almost brown area. Chaos walked timidly behind him, looking at the people and waving politely, masking his fear.

"This place...is very dangerous." Chaos whispered. Hammer kept walking but began to feel nervous too.

"Dangerous like...gnosis?" Hammer said in a shrill whisper. Chaos shook his head.

"No, no. It's just..." Chaos muttered until he couldn't be heard.

"Stop being a wuss." Hammer said uneasily, "We'll live!"

Matthews sat back with his cap over his eyes when a sudden sound went off. Surprised, Matthews jumped out of his seat. The beep sounded again.

"Uh...what? Oh...must be a message." He said, looking at Hammer's panel. He pressed a button and Jr.'s head popped up on a big screen.

"MATTHEWS!" He yelled. Matthews was taken aback and feared for his life.

"L-little master...what did I...what do you...?" He stuttered. Jr. hunched over the screen and stared right into Matthew's soul!

"Matthews where is your crew? What are you DOING?" Jr. hollered, obviously the result of a bad day. Matthews stumbled upon his words.

"They're out there right now, little master! We're doin' just what ya...I mean Master Gaignun told us ta do..." Matthews said, intimidated by the huge face of the livid master.

"Listen, I just got a ring from Mrs. Young, the director of King Air, and she said that she hasn't seen any of your men. I hope you know that this is a VERY important package!" Jr. said, his crystal blue eyes glimmering in fury. Matthews' scratched the back of his neck.

"Uh...I sent them. I can't just keep tabs on them all the time. Jest how important is this thing?" Matthews said, like a little kid asking his parents what 'as' means. Jr. shook his head.

"Was it not in the report? You have to get this package right away! This is medicine for our clinic. A new virus just came out of space! The vaccine is very concentrated and won't work if there are preservatives in it! That means it needs to get here RIGHT NOW!" He yelled. Matthews' eyes widened.

"Little master, I promise the Elsa will complete this mission without fail!"

"Crap! This isn't fair!" hammer whined as 5 thugs surrounded him and chaos.

"I told you we should have taken the lift." Chaos said silently. Hammer nodded it off.

"Come on, we have to think of SOMETHING! Oh man if Tony were here!" Hammer said with dismay. Suddenly the pocket of his brown jacket began to make a cute jingle.

"You had better answer that." One of the thugs said, a kind of simulated knife in his hand. And that's what Hammer did.

"H-hello? Hammer here." Hammer mumbled.

"What are ya DOIN' ya moron! I hope you know you're supposed to get that package here this INSTANT or a whole buncha people will get sick and die or something!" Matthews yelled.

"Listen Captain...people will die or something...if you don't send Tony over here right now!!" Hammer cried into the portable phone. One of the thugs flinched then grimaced.

"18th division! Hurry!" Hammer then hung up and him and chaos backed against the wall.

"Tony!!" Matthews called. Tony wiped the oil off his face and onto his shirt.

"What now ya goat?!" Tony yelled back. Matthews appear at the elevator in the A.G.W.S. hangar.

"Listen ta me Tony! It's yer HEAD if ya don't get down ta the 18th division PRONTO." Matthews yelled, veins popping out from everywhere on his face.

"What?! Listen I don't care if you pay me, you can't just make me do everything at once! It's Tony do this, Tony don't do that! I'm sick and tired of it already!" Tony retorted, pointing a finger at the old man.

"Tony ya dumbass get your rear in gear and do what I tell ya or I'll make ya pay for all the damn funerals! Now get!" Matthews said, getting up in Tony's face. Tony was silent for a moment, with a perturbed and scared face on at the same moment.

"Uh...Rodger!" Tony said, running to chaos' A.G.W.S. He climbed up the side and sat down in the cockpit, pressing a button to close the top.

"Ya moron! Whatr ya doin' in chaos' egg?! Someday Tony I swear--!" Matthews yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Open the damn hatch you old halfwit!" Tony yelled. Matthews growled and then climbed out of the room, slamming his fist on the open hatch button.

"Good luck. Ya stupid moron." Matthews said to himself, walking back to his chair.

Tony flew through space in the A.G.W.S., soaring at faster speeds that he had ever imagined. There was a quiet happiness that Tony felt, something he had missed driving a big ship with a whole bunch of bickering adults. Something about the quietness of space got to Tony just then. Something special that made him feel different. This spark in him, that ran through the lightweight controls of the clashed together metal mech, it burned something in his brain. He went faster than anything you could imagine. Except light. Not that fast.

"Look, my A.G.W.S.!" Chaos said in delighted surprised as his A.G.W.S. burst into view, a shine in it's core that had never been there before.

"OUTTA MY WAAAAAY!!" Tony yelled, coming down like a comet.

"YOU IDIOT!" Hammer yelled and he and chaos ran as fast as their legs could take them. Tony crashed into the earth not hitting anyone, luckily, with a mess of earth going with him.

"Hammer, chaos! Get the stupid package!" Tony said, getting up on his mechanical feet, "and that means, like, NOW!"

"Right!" Hammer said, a smile on his face as he heart began to beat faster, "Now THIS is a mission!"

Hammer and chaos burst through the glass doors of a big laboratory-looking building. It was all white and window and everyone was wearing white. A woman with big black glasses and light brown hair pulled back in a curly and unruly bun.

"At last! Do you gentlemen work for the Kukai Foundation?" She said, "I am Mrs. Young. It is imperative that you relocate the vaccine immediately! There is no time to spare!"

"Vaccine? That makes more sense! Hurry up lady, where is it?" Hammer said, making a motion to his wrist meaning they were out of time.

"Over here. Please, hurry!" Mrs. Young said, holding out a heavy looking crate with string tied around it. Chaos' features turned immediately serious as he clutched the package, using whatever super strength he had proven to have. He looked upon Hammer with eyes blazing with concern. They glowed with an angelic purity and perfect-ness. The lab around Hammer began to close in and become all white as it seemed only him and chaos were there in a realm of nothing and time had stopped.

"Hammer. There's no time. They'll all die." Chaos said with a chilling coldness to his voice. It seemed to echo and bounce off the nothingness. There was a long pause as Hammer felt like he couldn't talk. Then he knew he had to.

"No! They won't! They can't!" Hammer yelled. Chaos' eyes eased and his face fell back into a beautiful and soft smile.

"Thank you Hammer. And sorry." Chaos said. Everything went black.

"Where...!" Hammer bolted up out of bed. He saw chaos and Tony beside him with smiles on.

"Hey Ham-ster, ya finally woke up!" Tony said, dirt and oil still on his face. He smiled really big nonetheless. Hammer's heart began to beat steadily again from seeing their joyous faces.

"Wha-what happened? The medicine...the thugs...I..." Hammer said, looking at chaos mostly.

"You fainted from all the panic, Hammer." Chaos said, not looking into Hammer's eyes, "But everything's fine. The people in the clinic are all okay."

"Ya. And those guys didn't stand a chance. One of then had an A.G.W.S. but he wasn't half the pilot I was." Tony said, once again very proud of himself. Hammer smiled. He didn't care whether that thing with chaos was a dream or not, but everyone was safe and happy.

Everything was right.

"Can I have an A.G.W.S.??"

AN: Sorry if you wanted funny but I was listening to music and I got all enlightened-like. O.o I don't know about you but I enjoy this chapter. It's seems kind of weird -; I FEEL REAL BAD ABOUT IT NOT BEING FUNNY THO! The next one will be REAL funny I promise!!!