Chapter 5: Blending in
In the outback, a few kilometers outside of Brisbane, Australia.
Agent Fenrir landed near the site where Thomas and Jonas were supposed to have crash landed a few days prior. He scanned the area using a device on his wrist and got a reading of where Project New Era had exploded. The crater had no wreckage, as a result of the self-destruct function, but there was still evidence of the impact-Fenrir's scanner had concluded some comic energy was still on site. Suddenly the southern lights, which were still visible in the early morning sky, dropped a crate where Fenrir was standing.
The crate itself was fairly nondescript. If not for a few markings on it, it wouldn't have even been worth looking at for too long-well, assuming someone hadn't seen it fall out of the sky. The crate landed with a thud and a small cloud of dust kicked up from the impact. After a moment Fenrir approached. He noted the markings and opened the box, prying off the lid. Inside was a protective layer of some black substance, likely the same they'd used to form his armor. Technology didn't handle the transferring between dimensions all that well if it wasn't protected-which was likely part of the reason why the vessels from New Era had failed.
He moved the layer aside and punched in a code to open up the locked capsule inside the crate. It flipped open to reveal its contents: laser armed guns and a huge sword with laser cut technology. It was all cutting-edge technology, no pun intended, and would serve him well in his capture and disposal of Thomas Gomez. After stowing the weapons he flipped open his tracer and noted that there was a trail of energy from the site heading toward the city.
Fenrir grinned under his helmet, knowing that this would lead him to his target. So he began his trek, following the cosmic energy that was leading him towards the city of Brisbane.
Meanwhile at Heeler House
Thomas was lying down on his bed staring at the ceiling when he heard a knock on the door. He glanced over as he sat up.
"Good morning mate! Brekkie is ready!" Bandit said, wagging his tail while standing in the doorway of Thomas's room. The blue heeler had truly come around to the human, and it was nice that he had been so welcoming to the point where he was now a member of the family.
"Awesome! I'll be right down!" Thomas said, standing up from his bed with a smile.
"Alright mate I'll see you down there." Bandit said while closing the door.
Thomas smirked as he teleported himself to the dining room table. A moment later Bandit came into the room and saw Thomas already at his spot. "You snooze, you lose." Thomas said as he grinned and helped himself to a pancake from the pile.
"Hey!" Bandit said as the girls started laughing. Chilli also laughed while her husband rolled his eyes but conceded to a small chuckle. Bandit then joined the table with his family.
"Dad, will you show Thomas around the city today? I bet he'd really like it!" Bluey asked her father.
"Sure! If he wants a tour." Bandit said, looking at Thomas.
"Yeah, that would be fun but, um… what do I say if someone asks about who I'm related to?" Thomas asked, looking at Bandit and Chilli. I mean, I'm supposed to be a relative, but we never exactly nailed down to whom.
"Well, um… Chilli?" Bandit said, looking at his wife, hoping she might have a good idea.
Chilli then looked at Thomas and smiled. "We tell the truth." Chilli said with a kind grin.
"The truth, babe?" Bandit asked nervously, glancing at the very human Thomas sitting at the dining room table.
"Yes… we say that we adopted him." Chilli said, looking at Thomas again and placing her paw on Thomas's hand. Thomas beamed and patted her hand back. Bandit also shared a smile along with the girls, who were nearly squealing at the display. After a moment Chilli turned to look at Bandit, "Bandit, do you want to take the girls to school?"
"Sure babe, no big deal. I'm not in my office today so I can handle it." Bandit said while picking up everything from breakfast.
"Can Thomas come with us? To drop us off?" Bluey asked, looking at her father.
"Sure, if he wants to." Bandit said while cleaning up.
"Sure I'll go." Thomas said with a smile. "It'll be a chance for me to get to learn more about you two. Plus, it'll be fun to be out of the house."
Thomas then helped Bandit with the dishes before turning into his blue heeler form, blue fur quickly rippling into place as he stood beside the counter. Bandit looked over at Thomas and slightly teared up, but had enough self control to wipe his tears away.
"You okay Bandit?" Thomas asked, looking at his adoptive father.
Bandit cleared his throat before he replied, "Yeah! Don't worry about me mate, let's get the girls to school." He grabbed his wife's car keys since the jeep was in the shop for repairs, then led the four out to the car. It was a normal enough drive to each of the schools, but with the recent attack both buildings had military police guarding them.
"Yikes…" Thomas said, seeing all the weaponry they had. Most of the dogs were wearing body armor and had at least two guns on them, but he was fairly certain that there were additional weapons present.
"Maybe you should stay in the car, mate." Bandit said, more than a bit nervous for his adoptive son's safety, just in case somehow he forgot to stay in his dog form.
"It's okay… I need to try and blend in, so I'll go with you." Thomas said, unbuckling himself and sliding out of the passenger seat.
"Okay, but stay close to me and the girls." Bandit said while getting out of the car. Thomas nodded and got out of the car.
Thomas stood beside the car a moment, unsure of what exactly he should do. Before he could think Bluey walked up beside him and took his hand. Bluey held Thomas's hand and looked up at him and smiled. Thomas smiled down at her and the two walked up to Bingo's school together.
"Hi Bingo!" Lila said as she went and hugged her best friend.
"Meet my new brother! This is Thomas!" Bingo said with excitement as she gestured to the newest Heeler family member. "He's awesome!"
Some soldiers raised their guns looking for Thomas "the alien". Bandit looked nervously at the armed guards after Bingo had said Thomas's name, but the soldiers quickly lowered down their guns after realizing she was talking about the blue heeler standing beside her.
"Oooh he's so tall!" Lila said, wagging her tail.
"Yeah! Isn't it cool? You should try climbing him, it's way harder than my dad, not nearly as much to grab onto…" Bingo said as she and Lila walked into their classroom.
"Bandit, I didn't know you and Chilli were adopting." Sheila said, looking over at Bandit.
"Oh! Yeah, we um, adopted him before he aged out." Bandit explained nervously. He looked over at Thomas, who was keeping Bluey entertained by having a frozen funny faces contest.
"Well, he does seem like a nice boy." Sheila said with a smile watching as Bluey giggled at Thomas' face-puffed out cheeks with crossed eyes and one ear sticking up.
"Thank you! He really is!" Bandit said with a smile. "He and the girls get along great, and it's been incredible having him around."
"Okay Bingo, we need to get Bluey to her school." Thomas said waving to his littlest adopted sister, who'd walked into the room with her friend. Bingo then looked over at Lila and ran back into the lobby, pausing a moment to look up at Thomas and then hug him. Thomas was surprised, but after a moment he hugged her back. He grinned as he felt the warmth of the embrace and couldn't help but feel happy, which made his tail wag, dusting the floor with its fluff.
"Aww, how sweet." Sheila said with a smile, placing a hand on her heart.
"Yeah, he's one excellent kid." Bandit said with a smile of his own. Seeing Thomas in his blue heeler form hugging Bingo tugged on Bandit's heartstrings, thinking of what could've been if Baxter had lived. But something still wasn't clear, why did Thomas choose this?
Since Thomas has never seen Baxter, how could he have known his fur pattern?
"Dad, we're ready to go!" Bluey said looking at her father as Thomas was done hugging Bingo, he patted her on the head, earning another giggle from her before she waved goodbye and returned to her friend in the classroom.
"Oh! Yeah! Come on mate." Bandit said as he started to make his way back to the car. Thomas and Bluey followed him. Bandit was still a little nervous with the soldiers eyeing them as they made their way back across the parking lot. Bluey got in her carseat as Thomas helped her buckle in, then got into the passenger side of the car up front.
"That was easier than expected." Bandit said while driving.
"Other than the fact that they're on high alert with everyone named Thomas." Thomas said while looking out the window.
"Yeah unfortunately they are… I guess we should've given you another name." Bandit said, relaxing while driving the familiar route.
"But it's okay, Bingo probably would've forgotten the new name or something." Thomas said, still looking out the window. He noticed that despite being a totally different reality, things still mostly looked the same. There were rows of tidy houses, trees, apartment buildings, shops, restaurants, and even parks and playgrounds. It looked almost like his old home, if home added a bunch more 'u's to words and everyone drove on the wrong side of the road.
As Thomas' thoughts drifted away from the world around him they arrived at Bluey's school. Here security was even tighter, likely since Jinx had attacked her class in particular. The parent group had agreed to continue classes, as it was likely the class wasn't targeted for any reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and had made sure that there was a councilor available to help out with some of the more traumatic memories from the attack.
"Okay since you name is really on high radar, I think at Bluey's school you need a new name-and probably whenever we aren't around people we trust." Bandit said looking at Thomas, Thomas nodded in agreement.
"But why?" Bluey asked, confused.
"Well, your teacher has already seen you go after me as a human, and already knows my name, so it would be weird if you suddenly adopted a new brother with the same name." Thomas explained.
"Oh, then what do I call you?" Bluey asked, looking at Thomas.
"Um… how about uh… Jason?" Thomas said with a shrug. "It's my middle name, so it's not really lying, just going by something different." He smiled, "And if the 'Thomas' thing fades away you can call me Thomas-Jason."
"Jason Heeler, I like it." Bandit said with a smile.
"Jason it is!" Bluey said, wagging her tail. "Oh! Could I call you TJ once Thomas is okay, y'know for Thomas-Jason?"
Thomas thought for a moment, "Sure, why not? But for now it's Jason, okay?"
"Got it!" Bluey nodded.
Bandit unbuckled and then got out of the car and walked with Bluey to the school. Thomas followed them as the soldiers eyed him closely while he followed the two up the footpath to the building.
"Hi Calypso!" Bluey said, hugging her teacher.
"Hi Bluey, how are you?" Calypso said softly.
"I'm okay, thanks." She smiled.
Calypso then looked at Thomas and smiled. "Who's this?" Calypso asked while looking at Thomas.
"Oh! This is my new brother Jason! Mum and Dad adopted him." Bluey said, wagging her tail.
"Oh how nice!" Calypso said as she then shook Thomas's paw. "I didn't know you were planning on adding any more to your family." She looked at Bandit.
"Well, we weren't at first, but he sort of just fell into our lives." Bandit admitted, "Now I couldn't imagine being without him."
Thomas smiled at the comment. He released the handshake and nodded to the teacher,
"Nice to meet you Calypso."
"You as well." She said, waving as Thomas and Bandit walked back to the car.
After they left Bluey at her school and drove away, Bandit drove through downtown. Unfortunately downtown was crowded with protesters. Some were calling for action to hunt him down, others were saying that he was a protector and they needed to leave him alone. It was clear there was a division on whether Thomas was friend or foe, and if he was with Jinx or not. Thomas sat with his ears flattened down as they drove past. Bandit noticed as they drove past everyone and placed his paw on Thomas' shoulder.
"Don't worry mate, someday… it won't be like this." Bandit said while they went into a parking garage.
Bandit then parked the car and looked at Thomas.
"What if they don't accept me? Even after I stop Jonas… what if I'm still not wanted here?" Thomas said with a sad look.
"It will change once they see the good in you, mate. I can't promise if everyone will feel the same but I can promise this… I see the good in you, and I always will." Bandit said with a smile.
"Thanks Bandit, that means a lot coming from you." Thomas said with a smile.
Bandit felt his eyes growing wet, but then shook himself out of his thoughts and unbuckled himself. "Come on mate let's take a walk around, get you a chance to see some of what Brisbane has to offer." Bandit said as he got out of the car. Thomas nodded and got out of the car and followed Bandit into the shopping district.
They walked out of the parking structure and onto a side street. It was a quiet weekday afternoon, which meant there wasn't too much foot traffic aside from a few retirees walking about and some parents with young children running errands. It was nice weather, and Thomas smiled a moment as he felt the warm sun on his fur. Bandit looked over and saw that his son was enjoying himself and couldn't help but smile along. "So, anything in particular you wanted to look at?"
"Um, no, not really. It's just nice to get a bit of exercise and see what it's like here." Thomas said, glancing at the stores as they walked past. Most of the stores seemed familiar enough to Thomas, at least in concept, there were places selling toys, clothes, and electronics along with a handful of restaurants. As they rounded a corner a shop caught Thomas' eye. "Oh, would you mind if we went in there?"
"Sure,"Bandit nodded.
Thomas pushed open the door on the music store and walked in. Up front there were crates with albums and racks with cassettes and CDs-it seemed like this store specialized in a wide array of music from all different eras.
"Welcome to Sergeant's Music, if you need help finding anything just let me know." An older looking chocolate lab said as he stowed a few packs of guitar strings in a box.
"I will, thanks." Thomas replied. Thomas leafed through some of the albums, seeing if he recognized any of the band names. There were a few that he knew-The Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Aerosmith-but there were plenty he didn't. He turned to Bandit, who was behind him rooting through to try and find something for Chilli. "It's funny, you guys have a lot of the same stuff that we do, but there's a fair bit that's different too."
"Well, I suppose that makes sense, with everything being, y'know…" Bandit waved his hand.
After about a half hour Bandit found a few albums he remembered Chilli mentioning she wanted and Thomas got one that he half-remembered his human father having. After Bandit paid they left the store, Thomas feeling a bit guilty about having Bandit purchase something for him that he didn't need.
That feeling only grew when Bandit led Thomas into an electronics store a few minutes later.
"What are we doing here?" Thomas asked, looking at the displays of cell phones, tablets, and computers on display.
"Getting you a phone." Bandit replied as he tried to flag down an employee in a green polo shirt.
"Woah, no." Thomas shook his head.
"I thought teenagers loved phones?" Bandit raised an eyebrow.
"Well, yeah, I did like my phone, but that isn't the point. A record is a couple of dollars, but a phone, that's way too much to spend on me. Especially considering it's something I don't need." Thomas fretted.
Bandit frowned, "Hey, it's my money and if I want to get my son something I should be able to." Bandit paused, "You're one of the family mate, okay?" He smirked, "Besides, now that Chilli and I have a built-in babysitter we might be able to actually get some time for just the two of us, and we'd need to be able to call and check in on you three if we're out somewhere."
Thomas sighed, "Okay, I guess it makes sense that I have one, but not one of the fancy ones. And I'm going to pay you back. I did that with my other parents when they got me my first phone, it's only fair I do it with you and Chilli."
"Okay, deal." Bandit smiled. "Now help me flag down one of these guys…"
After getting the phone activated and added to Chilli and Bandit's plan Thomas fiddled a bit with the device. It had cost a bit over 150, and it seemed fairly close to one of the android phones from his world-only with a large paw-print on the back and a slightly different operating system. He pocketed it as they left the store and turned to Bandit.
"You and Chilli already have done a lot for me, and I mean it, I want to pay you back for the phone, and any of the other costs of having me around." Thomas stated.
"Mate, you don't-"
"I know I don't have to, but I want to." Thomas stated. "I'm going to have to figure out how I can get a job, given I don't technically exist here."
Bandit sighed, "You certainly got the Heeler stubbornness." He ruffled Thomas' hair. Thomas swatted at his hand playfully and rolled his eyes. "I suppose I can admit that there was another reason we came here today. I have a friend nearby who can help with your problem; c'mon it's only a block over."
They arrived at a normal enough looking tax firm and Bandit went in first. Inside it was a bit stuffy and smelled like ink and copy paper. There were signs on the wall for different documents and services, and it generally appeared to be a well-kept, if very boring office. A tall German Shepherd was standing behind a half-wall that separated the waiting area from the back, he appeared to be busy faxing something when the two came in.
"Max Hund!" Bandit shouted.
The dog snapped around and a smile appeared on his face as he started wagging his tail, "Bandit Heeler! If it hasn't been a century it's been a day!" He came over and clasped Bandit's hand before the two quickly hugged. "I haven't seen you in forever, mate! How's Chilli?"
"Fantastic mate." Bandit grinned.
"My word, is this your boy?" Max asked, looking at Thomas. "I thought you only had the two girls."
"Sort of…" Bandit said, "I need a bit of a favor."
Max's expression shifted to a coy smirk. "And what kind of favor do you need?"
Thomas glanced at Bandit, hoping to be filled in on what exactly was going on. Bandit exhaled slowly, "This is Jason, Chilli and I want to adopt him, but we have a bit of a problem-he doesn't really exist here, and we need some paperwork taken care of…"
"How much?"
"The works, birth to now." Bandit replied.
Max appraised Thomas, then Bandit. "That's a big ask, even for an old friend."
"I know Max, and you know I've never asked for something if I didn't need it."
Max narrowed his eyes a moment before he spoke, "Your next shipment, it's from China, right?"
Bandit nodded. "Yup. Mostly fossils, a few bones, pretty standard fare."
"I want twenty percent."
Bandit growled, "Max, you know we have a deal for fifteen."
"Yes, but given the circumstances I think I want twenty for this one."
Bandit rolled his eyes, "Fine, but back to fifteen after that, right?"
"Of course." Max grinned.
Thomas glanced at Bandit, mentally putting together the pieces. "Wait, you're a smuggler?"
"Not exactly…" Bandit replied. "More like a broker. My museum is the one who arranges the purchases; I'm just sorta in the middle with Max."
"Well, I don't really care what you call it, but we're still on for that shipment from Argentina next month, right?" Max interjected. "I have a buyer who's getting itchy for a new specimen for her collection."
Bandit scowled, causing Max to roll his eyes. "Fine, I won't talk about business in front of the kid."
"Thank you." Bandit replied.
"Alright Jason, follow me, we've got some pictures to take before we get started with the paperwork." Max led Thomas to a back room of the office and pulled down a white screen from the ceiling. "Smile, this is gonna be on your license so make sure you're happy with it…"
Over the next hour Bandit and Thomas filled out paperwork while Max typed feverishly at a computer. By the end of it there was a stack of documents and a very pleased looking German Shepherd.
"Okay, so to be clear we kept your real name-Thomas Jason Gomez-you were born in Brisbane, moved to the states as a child with your parents, hence the accent. You graduated high school, then decided to come back to Australia to learn more about your roots. Your parents passed in an accident, so you were living on your own before Bandit and Chilli met you. You've got your birth certificate, license, passport, and American high school diploma. I've managed to add you to their insurance and get a TIN for you, so as far as anyone's concerned you're officially a Heeler."
"Wow, this is incredible work." Bandit smiled.
"Well, I pride myself on it, it'd better be. The TIN's real, but it's not officially cleared yet. Just don't do anything for a few days, it'll take a little for the TIN to clear all the way, but you'll be fine in about a week." Max commented.
"Thank you, Max." Thomas smiled.
"You're welcome kid, but as far as you're concerned I had nothing to do with this, got it?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Of course." Thomas nodded.
"Smart kid." Max smiled. "Now get going, I've got an appointment at three and I don't need any of my clients meeting each other."
"See ya Max." Bandit waved as he departed with a bag containing all of Thomas' new documents.
In the street Thomas glanced at Bandit.
"Thanks, I guess I'm officially a Heeler now, dad." He hugged Bandit.
"You're welcome Thomas."
Meanwhile at Stripe's
Stripe Heeler knew he wasn't as handsome as his oldest brother Rad. He knew he wasn't as athletic as his older brother Bandit. But what he did know was that he was smarter than either of his brothers, and he had the second largest comic collection in Brisbane-right behind Ted Mastiff, the smug jerk. So when he'd heard about Thomas' powers, his first thought was to consult his collection to see if there was any information that might be useful. Because while they were fictional in his universe, it was entirely plausible that some of the mechanics described in them could be useful to understanding Thomas' powers. After all, with Thomas' description of the Southern Lights and the warping through dimensions, it was likely that he'd had some sort of mutation to his genetics leading to his powers.
So Stripe sat in his office, rifling through one of his banker boxes to try and find back issues of X-Men to consult as his wife poked her head in. "Stripe, what are you up to? Trying to outdo Mastiff again?" Trixie said with her hands on her hips.
"Not quite, just doing some research…" He replied pulling out a late-issue comic before realizing it wasn't the one he was looking for and returning it to the bin.
"Research on what?" She asked, walking over.
"Um… genetic mutations and super powers." He replied, again rifling through the box.
"Weird topic to research, but okay." She shrugged, knowing her husband had a tendency to go on wild goose chases at times to try and prove a point. "Have you looked at any of the Spider-Man ones?"
"No, that's radiation, but not cosmic radiation. That wouldn't help Thomas." Stripe said absent-mindedly.
"Who's Thomas?"
Stripe's eyes grew as he bit his lip. Fuck. Trixie crossed her arms as Stripe grinned sheepishly. "I wasn't supposed to mention him."
She raised an eyebrow. "Stripe Theodore Heeler, you promised you wouldn't keep any secrets from me. Did you go out and get another storage
"No!" He waved his hands, "Look, it's kinda complicated. It's not really mine to tell…"
"Well, I don't care whose it is, talk."
"Trix, it's sorta a big deal, and I told Bandit I wouldn't, and…"
"Muffin! Come in here for a second!" Trixie called into the hall.
"You wouldn't dare…" Stripe hissed as he clutched the box he'd been looking through.
"Last chance." Trixie warned as they both heard the patter of Muffin's footsteps running down the hall.
"Hi mum!" Muffin shouted, holding a half-eaten vegemite sandwich.
"Hi sweetie, your dad wants you to see something." Trixie stepped aside, revealing their sticky-fingered four-year-old standing in the doorway.
"No! Okay, I'll tell you." Stripe conceded.
"He'll show you in a little bit." Trixie said, smiling.
"Okay. Oh, can Bingo and Bluey come over to play later?"
"Sure, I'm sure your dad would love to watch you three while I'm at field hockey with Aunt Chilli."
"Thanks mum!" Muffin said as she headed back to the dining room.
"You're heartless sometimes, you know?" Stripe said.
"I know, now talk." Trixie said.
Stripe explained everything he knew about Thomas and his powers.
"Wow, that is a lot." Trixie admitted.
"See why I didn't want to tell you?"
"Sorry, I thought you'd somehow gotten yourself into a bigger collection…" Trixie said, kissing Stripe on the forehead."I should've trusted you."
Stripe smiled, "No hard feelings, I suppose I should've come clean."
"No kidding, you wouldn't've wasted half your morning. You would've just started with the Fantastic Four." Trixie said, pulling out a box from Stripe's cabinet.
Stripe facepalmed.
Back with Thomas and Bandit
After getting back to the car Bandit pulled out and started back to the Heeler house. They had about an hour until the girls were done with school, which meant that they'd have enough time to drop off all of Thomas' documents before doubling back to get the sisters. It was a quiet enough ride, in the pleasant sort of way that often comes with a satisfied feeling after a successful day out, when Thomas noticed something in the distance.
"Bandit, pull over!"
Bandit did so, "What, did we get a flat?" He glanced at the dash to see if a sensor had gone off.
Thomas opened the door and stepped out of the car.
"Woah! Hey, where are you going?" Bandit shouted.
"There's a building on fire, I've got to help them!" He gestured to a shop down a side street with fire billowing out of it's lowest level.
"Holy shit!" Bandit gazed at the rising smoke. Before he could stop him Thomas had run off. "Wait! Jason!"
"I'll be back in a few minutes!" Thomas called behind him. "Call for a fire truck!"
"How is it that none of these kids listen?" Bandit grumbled as he did so.
A crowd had already started to form around the burning building when Thomas arrived. "Help!" A woman screamed from the second floor. "We're trapped in here!"
"Don't worry! I'm coming!" Thomas shouted, earning a look of incredulity from some of the others nearby. Before they could stop him he dashed into the first floor. As he navigated the smoky building he felt the fire licking at his fur, he was healing himself as it happened, but it still stung terribly. He looked behind him and was far enough out of sight of the other dogs that he put up a force field around himself. He sighed as he no longer was smoldering, then set to finding a way up to the second floor. After a minute he found a stairwell and quickly climbed up. He was greeted with a closed door that he pounded on.
"Hey! I'm here to get you out of here! Open up!" He shouted.
The door opened, showing the same bulldog woman from before along with two smaller bulldogs that Thomas assumed were her children. "Oh thank God, how are we getting out of here? The first floor's on fire."
Thomas blinked, he wasn't exactly sure. I've got to start thinking through things… he glanced around a minute before he sighed. "Hold onto me, there's a safe path downstairs. I'll lead the way."
She agreed and placed the two children on his back before grabbing onto his arm.
"Close your eyes, it's scary down there and I don't want you to have to see it, okay?" Thomas told the children. They complied and Thomas gritted his teeth as he tried to make a forcefield that was strong enough to keep all of them inside and hopefully not too noticeable that the woman would ask about it. It worked, and a minute later he collapsed on the ground outside of the building with the three bulldogs safely outside the inferno.
"Jason!" Bandit yelled as he ran up and picked up the teen.
"Hey dad…" Thomas coughed.
After a few minutes an ambulance and fire truck had arrived, along with a news van.
"…and this young man helped save their lives." The reporter stated, placing a microphone in front of Thomas' snout. "Any words for those out there calling you a hero?"
"Um… I wouldn't say I was a hero, I just did the right thing." Thomas replied with a shrug.
"And there we have it, back to you Jim…"
The paramedics looked at Thomas and tended to his burns. "Kid that was pretty stupid," one of the paramedics said now wrapping up Thomas's arm. "Yeah, I didn't really think it though, it works better in the movies," Thomas said with a chuckle. "This isn't the movies kid, it's real life," The paramedic said before moving on. Thomas quickly healed himself and walked over to Bandit who was worried for him. "Get it in the car," Bandit said strictly. Thomas nodded in the car as he started to go into the car until one of the little bulldog kids came up to Thomas and tugged on his tail. Thomas turned and looked at the small bulldog and smiled at him.
Thomas then kneeled down to his levels. "Hey kid how are you doing," Thomas said with a smile. "Your secret is safe with me," the bulldog said with a warm smile. Thomas's eyes widened as he knew what the little bulldog was talking about. "I won't tell, thank you for saving my mum and my sister," the bulldog said before giving Thomas a hug. Thomas was taken back by this and hugged him back before letting him go. Thomas then walked to Bandit's car while the kid was waving to Thomas. Thomas got into the car and Banfit started the car and drove off. "What were you thinking?!" Bandit shouted while driving. "They needed help and I just acted on it," Thomas said. Bandit opened his mouth to say something but remembered what he told the human just hours before the fire.
"Mate, I know I said they will someday see the good in you and I meant that, but I just… I was scared even if I had already seen the things you can do, as father it scared me to have you run into that building without a plan," Bandit explained. "I know and I'm sorry, I need to have a better strategy next time," Thomas said with his ears folding back. "Just be careful," Bandit said while driving. "I will, I promise," Thomas said looking out the window. Thomas thought about telling Bandit about that bulldog who saw him in use of his powers but decided not to. Suddenly Bandit's phone rang, it was Chilli. "Hey babe!" Bandit said as he answered the phone. "Hey sweetheart, Trixie and Stripe are here with all the girls and well… Trixie knows everything and she explained to Socks and Muffin about Thomas," Chilli explained. "Thanks Stripe," Bandit said, not amused.
"But it works out alright," Chilli said reassuring her husband. "I guess it does," Bandit said while driving. "Stripe needed to talk to you two anyways so Stripe is staying behind while Trixie and I are going to the field to play some field hockey," Chilli explained. "Oh goody nerdy little brother wants to talk," Bandit said before pulling into his parking spot at home. "Alright babe we're home, we'll see you in a bit," Bandit said. "Okay sweetheart," Chilli said as she then hung out the phone."Can we trust Stripe's wife and their kids with this secret?" Thomas asked, looking at Bandit. "Yes well mostly Trixie but she will keep Muffin line about this I promise," Bandit explained looking at Thomas, Thomas nodded before unbuckling himself. Bandit and Thomas both then went into the house.
"Watch out!" Bluey stated as a toy went flying. Thomas then made a force field blocking the toy from hitting them. "Wow!" Muffin said, looking at the pretty force field. Thomas quickly puts the force field. "You're getting pretty sharp with that sweetheart," Chilli said with a smile while getting a hockey stick. "T-thanks," Thomas said nervously, seeing Muffin, Socks and Trixie standing there. Bandit placed his hand on Thomas's shoulder. "It's okay mate," Bandit said with a soft smile. Thomas nodded and revealed himself to Stripe's family. "How come he doesn't have any fur!" Muffin asked. "Uh well…" Trixie said not knowing how to answer since she never met an alien before. "Because he's a distant cousin of monkeys!" Bingo,'' everyone chuckled, knowing Bingo was right.
"But he's our brother!" Bluey said, hugging Thomas. Thomas smiled and hugged her back. "Alright well, we're off! don't destroy the house while we're gone," Chilli said as she and Trixie left the house. "He's so tall," Trixie said to Chilli while walking out the door. "Alright! Let's talk about superheroes, mate!" Stripe said slamming his collection on the table "you own all of these?" Thomas asked, looking at the stack.
"Yep! And so many more!" Stripe said, wagging his tail. Bandit rolled his eyes and crossed his arm. "But! Your origin story is an alien on a mission and then gets stranded on a new planet who gains newly found powers along with your friend now turned super villain who you created in the process, you then make new friends on the planet who are now your allies!" Stripe said while laughing hysterically.
"You really have too much time on your hands mate," Bandit said, shaking his head. "Sounds clear enough and I already had my first save as a hero in disguise," Thomas said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ooh! Do tell me! No wait! Let me guess! The classic saving dogs from a building fire! That's hero saving 101!" Stripe said geeking out. Bandit again rolled his eyes and shook his head. Thomas chuckled at Stripe for being a huge nerd on the subject of being a superhero. "Your alright uncle Stripe," thomas said with a smile. "You… think of me as your uncle?" Stripe getting into a please face with his ears down tearing up. "Here we go…" Bandit said, getting ready for it. "I never thought you would think that about me!" Stripe as he hugged Thomas tightly and cried. "Oh geez!" Thomas said, trying to breathe. "Stripe," Bandit chuckling. "Let the kid breathe!" Bandit said, still chuckling. "Oh! Sorry about that mate, I just never had an alien nephew before!" Stripe said, wiping his tears. Bandit laughed and shook his head.
Later that night when it was time for bed Thomas laid down in his bed and smiled feeling all the love he got from Stripe. Maybe Stripe was going to be his favorite uncle since he liked all kinds of superhero stuff and movies. Thomas then turned off his lamp and laid on his side as he tried to fall asleep.
Thomas suddenly felt something in the room was in the room with him. Thomas opened his eyes and heard growling in the corner of the room. Thomas looked in the corner and saw two pair of red eyes and sharp teeth staring back at him. Thomas kept his eyes on it until he turned off the light. Whatever was in the corner was gone once the light was on. Thomas then turned off the light and it was back about ready to jump at thomas. Thomas then turned on the light again in fear of what shadow creature was in the room with him.
Suddenly he heard Bluey scream from her and Bingo's room. Thomas jumped up from his bed and rushed over to his adopted sister's room. "Bluey!" Thomas shouted, getting ready to fight whatever was in the same room as them. "It was chasing me! It tried to eat me!" Bluey said with tears running down her muzzle. "What tried to eat you?" Thomas asked, holding her close to him. "A big black dog with red glowing eyes!" Bluey said crying. "Bluey?" Bingo said waking up.
"It's okay Bingo, I got her, go back to sleep," Thomas said looking at Bingo. Bingo nodded and turned over to go back to sleep. "It felt so real Thomas," Bluey said with a sniff from crying. "I know, I know, but it was only a nightmare I promise it won't hurt you," Thomas said resting his head on Bluey's. Bluey cuddled Thomas, closing her eyes and going back to sleep. It was then Thomas stayed in the room with both of them just in case that thing came back. Whatever it was it had to be connected to Jonas and if that was the case, then Jonas had definitely mastered nightmare manifestation to make it as real as possible.
Kodiwolf321 A/N: Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! There's still more to come so stay tuned! Let us know how we're doing and we'll do our best to keep chapters coming for you!
The-Suburban-Guy A/N: A/N: Thanks for reading this chapter! I've had the head canon that Bandit isn't 100% squeaky clean in the archaeology business for a while, and I wanted to use that to help out Thomas. Hopefully you all enjoyed it! Please review and comment to let us know what you think.