In perhaps a twisted sense of improvement, seeing Zoidberg well behind and virtually ignored had Mayfield quicken his feet towards him. Quite the contrary to when they first met, as he tapped a shoulder and turned the crab around.
"Mayfield, my friend!"
"Quiet, damn you! Listen, got a chance to come by my place? Perhaps for a little while?"
"It'd be an honour."
Making sure Planet Express had gone, Mayfield would keep eyeing his keys as the two enjoyed a good stroll and story-time, of wars and friendships before he turned the lock. His early morning rise hadn't been kind; a big yawn and stretch in contrast to Zoidberg, who squealed towards the buffet of sights before him.
"A floor? A couch?" Scuttled to the other side. "A stocked fridge? Is that a queen bed? A big-screen TV?" Mayfield had trouble eyeing him. "Oh my God, there's the balcony view—hey, that's Planet Express!"
"Yep, she certainly has it all, and she's been through a lot."
He bowed to one knee: "You live among kings & queens, my liege… To bring a peasant like me in, I—"
"Can the kiss-ass act, crab. Just make yourself at home. Get as comfortable as you like."
Didn't need to be told twice; Zoidberg had already bounded onto the couch, clicking the TV on to flick through the channels. A big smile as he marked his scent, given where he usually laid his head.
Meanwhile, Mayfield shut his bedroom door and paced about; little silence and less time to express how he'd break the news. Even if he had been feeling leagues better, the biggest slice of his New New York cheesecake had remained tainted.
Could've imagined all the scrunched papers and dry pens, trying to piece the lot together…
Instead, he had only whispers as he packed his things. A decent wad of drawer cash, his clothes all nice & folded, and all those hygienic goods that soon sat and dug into his shoulder. A final peek beyond the horizon, and a look backward to the lobster who gifted him life.
"Zoidberg, could you mute the box for a sec? I wanted a few words."
"Of course, what's on your mind?"
Hearing the click, Mayfield took a seat beside him. Only a bowed head, a couple breaths, to give.
"First of all, I wanted to apologise. After I got my memory screwed, it took seeing you again to remind me of how considerate, how genuine, you'd turn out to be. For starters, I never imagined you saving someone who led you into such strife, and abused you for the privilege."
"Abuse? Nuts to that!" A wave of his claw. "You never raised a hand to me, so I wouldn't worry."
"Nevertheless, we're not here solely for my saying sorry, Second reason is, since seeing Farnsworth, I've been laid off from Planet Express. Don't think I'll ever be hired there again, either.
"What? Why?"
"Aside from ending things on rather hostile terms, the crew revealed that he'd make me redundant upon Fry's rescue. Come to think of it, I wonder if he's made good on his threats since I started."
"Good on what threats?"
"Take a guess, now that I'm jobless."
"All the miracles you worked, and it ends with him sending the police after you? Unbelievable, let me have a word and I'll—"
"I wouldn't worry myself. Let's just say I'd have watched the bastard burn in his own lab, unable to escape."
"Not a wise move, friend… Don't forget all those doomsday devices he's got lying about."
"Yeah, guess that's a hell of a bargaining chip. Truth is, having lost my job, I've got nothing else here."
"Nothing else? That's not true, Thomas! You have us, you have me, Zoidberg! I'm not sure what else, but surely there's a—"
"John, stop. Look at me. Would you know anyone hiring a man with one arm, two months of package delivery, and a few millennium-old degrees? A man who always thought his home lied in the 21st-century, before it all got ripped away?"
"Awww… I'm sorry, I had no idea. How 'bout a squirt of my empathy bladder?"
A rush of refusal: "No no no, that won't be necessary. Instead, and here's reason number three, I shall plan to return home. Seeing that I won't need this place anymore, well…"
He handed his house keys and pressed them over the doctor's claw, his eyes soon facing Zoidberg's widening ones.
"Let's say I've got some ancient"—he chopped his ankle—"yay-high friends who brought me here, that for all I've apparently done, have offered to repay me. I asked their favour to transfer ownership and look after this place. So whaddya say, interested?"
Zoidberg didn't decline in that moment, but still shook his head out of confusion and perhaps denial.
"All my life I've tried to do unto others, whatever that meant. All I got were dumpster houses, wage cuts, and everybody's hatred in return. What did I do to deserve this generous gift? Are you pulling my claw?"
"Well, showing others your barnacle-infested arse won't get you far, and your careless methods when I first started did leave me in bad spots. But that day I got beat to death a few weeks in, you saved my life, and that's what I won't forget. You were my hero that day, and these are the dues I believe you deserve."
"Thank you, Thomas… I promise, decapod's honour, that I'll keep it safe."
"Tch, do that for yourself more than honour, mate. Just promise me that you'll learn and take your time to save more lives, as you did mine. Maybe those creatures could help, they're damn fine teachers that I can remember."
To the one alien who—however indirect—gave him his start, Mayfield offered a big hug, vomit-inducing stench and all, before he left out the door and parted ways. His last sight of New Jersey just a stare towards the balcony, after he hailed a bus going express to the city.
Another terminal and another taxicab, trying to ask for the nearest airport. A very quick and snarky correction to say that they hadn't existed for some 500 years, as the realms of space became the territories to conquer.
"Look Mac, haven't you ever heard of the TTS?"
"I'm sorry, what?"
"What kind of New New Yorker are you? The Tube Transport System, man!"
"Never was one. So THOSE were what they did; seen 'em but wasn't sure about them, I guess."
"Just go inside the tube, give a destination, and you'll go straight there. What are you after?"
"One-way flight to home, if it weren't obvious enough."
"Right, well you'll want the South Street Spaceport, and unless you're coming into the city, we don't bother."
"Alright thanks. Could you spare a minute?"
"Oh, what now?"
Pulled out two crisp Brainos and Blobs, a hundred bucks in hand: "Here, as thanks for the help. Treat yourself on me, huh?"
Doubling back to a tube as the driver waved in appreciation, Mayfield asked for the Spaceport and felt himself sucked up like human liquid. A scream to give as he swerved, stopped and shifted about in sharp turns & speed, never more grateful for his tight jeans than he was now.
Though his teeth wound up chewing on solid ground, he was nevertheless happy to find it. Bad news soon followed; only one trip to Australia was available, and it'd involve a wait of six hours minimum before he'd be allowed to take off.
"Oh, for the love of…"
"So you have any documents on you? Or a career chip we can scan?"
"Documents are centuries out of date, and you wouldn't believe my chip."
"Pick one, and quit wasting my time."
"Sure, you looked so busy. Fine, let's waste both our time, scan the chip."
She gave it the once-over, and pouted as predicted: "So it says you were born in the 20th century? Right, like anyone's gonna believe that… Whatever, that'll be $200 one-way."
Mayfield snatched his ticket and hurried for the terminal: "Well, you've been quite the bitch, huh?"
Dark, messy, empty, and covered in cobwebs, it looked like quite the unwelcome corner if nothing else. But no-one would suspect that he'd be hiding here, or anywhere in the city, before he'd fly off for good…
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In the after-hours of those court trials, Planet Express had continued to deliver, even despite the cheeky catch-up or two between its Captain and her 'new charge'. To toast to their first day back together, Bender had snuck off on a quick liquor store spree to help them celebrate.
Pulling bottles of Old Fortran and whiskeys from his compartment, they declared a cheers and clinked, savouring those cold ones as the late mail call landed in their laps. Reading materials for the crew, Hermes' stapler, and the usual utility bills to come in.
While Professor readied himself to chime the closing bell, Leela's taste of whiskey left her curious enough to check the bottle. Small murmurs and chin cradles for finding DOT'S MATRIX, she'd have recognised that sharp bite before...
"Crazy to think it, but did anyone happen to see Thomas since Zookeeper turned him?"
"Can't say I have, Leela. Though speaking of missing sorts, where did Zoidberg get to?"
"Fry, really? Of all beings, he's the one you're worried about?"
"Just seemed strange, that's all. Even for him tagging along, we didn't drop him back off at HQ."
As the bell rang and everyone stood to leave, Leela carefully bit her lip as she moved towards the hangar exit.
Ever since she found his abandoned hero outfit, she had noticed the questionable marks he left behind. Professor's broken hand, his odd absence from court, perhaps associating with Zoidberg… No-one in their right mind, her emphasis, would ever do that.
It had her sprint for both old and new crew, having just exited the lobby themselves.
"Say guys, you got any time to spare?"
"Got forever for you, babe. What up?"
"Before we put him behind bars, Zookeeper planted some horrid memories in the kid's head. I'm hoping a quick trip to New Jersey, a chance to toast to our success, can fix that."
Bender spat bottled coding all over the sidewalk: "New Jersey? What success would anyone find down there?"
"Spleh! I'd sooner sleep on the couch in HQ, than be caught dead across that water."
"Believe me you two, he's made the best of BAD situations before. If you remember that apartment we checked out, well—"
"If that's where we're going Leels, then I'm good. Besides, the gang and I thought of our first-ever Ass Groove Olympics, starting with Bender's couch."
An eye-roll, though she had to smile: "Oh Lord, you serious? Shame you know, I was thinking that we could create grooves on MY couch after, but if—"
"Wait, whoa, what? Those Olympics can wait, let's gooo!"
A renewed hope, as she rubbed her ring finger: "Heh heh heh, still got him wrapped like a burrito… Maybe more so, in due time."
Following a couple rubs of gifted Miracle Cream, it didn't take long for them all to arrive at the apartment's ground floor, Bender carted on their shoulders.
"Man, to think this was our best option after that mess of staircases and killer squid grottos."
"You know, it's a blessing to hear those memories from you again. I really did miss them."
A smile between Fry and Leela as they sped up the stairs, halted outside Mayfield's place, and began to knock. When Zoidberg answered, they could've fallen backwards.
"Zoidberg? What the hell are you doing here, this is Mayfield's place."
"It was, until he gifted it my way a few hours ago. His thank-you for keeping him alive, I'm sure you remember why."
"Is that so? Well, we've better things to do than hang out here and with you, so would you know where he's gotten to?"
"Said he'd be returning home; no point staying here now that he had no job."
"Oh crud, and I'm sure I'd seen The Professor dial some numbers… Thanks Zoidberg, and next time, get back to work!"
Thoughts racing to mind like them over rivers or throughout the city, she remembered how she first met her charge. He'd been a scared, smelly, bitter little boy, one to make her espressos taste like lemonade. Well before they understood each other or their burdens, she placed good bets on him not surviving beyond his first day in the city.
And yet, his efforts in part had helped re-track her train-wrecked life, helped him leave as a man of potential accolade. Certain things she hoped to let him know, before she gave final farewells.
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Having done shopping and eating to fight off sleep, Mayfield now sat in that terminal, counting ship after ship to take off for imagined picturesque worlds. A sight to see, watching all those backpackers, tourists, explorers and ambassadors try to cram inside, fearful for missing their flight.
Courtesy of inexplicable delays, a check of his watch informed that he still had another couple of hours before he could escape, before he could return to the Lucky Country. A once-plausible thought turned laughable; he'd felt luckier here than he'd ever been, for starters.
Might've once looked forward to being buried and forsaken, whiskey to corrode his corpse, but even for being 'dissed' in several ways; disfigured, dismembered, diseased and discarded, he knew he could at least 'distinguish' himself from the pitiable creature to once control him.
Course such silent, peaceful thoughts couldn't last.
"There he is! Now remember my orders, and stay calm."
Bounding out of his chair, he could've had a heart attack for who looked to see him off. The woman who caused and set off his very worst memories, followed by friends of hers it seemed.
"Hey hey hey, get the hell away from me! I'm leaving you all behind, isn't that enough?"
"For God's sake, relax! We've both had a common enemy, and we're just trying to set his messes right, okay?"
"After the gifts you've already given, you think I want more of them?"
"Gifts of a different kind. We will tell you the true story behind them, and damn our reputation either way."
One by one, they handed them across, and helped him come to terms. First, the hero outfit he left in her apartment. Had been about ready to bin it, until he heard of the recreation room, the battle to come, the 'coronation' he denied out of worthless pride. A grip of his skull, as memories started to scald.
Bender then started to play his recordings in the Nimbus. Of particular attention was his argument against Zapp; the way The General accused him, placed him under false arrest, beat him senseless… Could've sworn his eyes turned red, his teeth grinding against the sear that had come.
"ARRGGHH, I'll tear that fat bastard's guts out for this!"
"It's working, it's working, keep it up!"
Amy brought along the footage of his time in Zookeeper's torture chamber, as Fry ran through the events. All over 'Miracle Cream', he'd been bound by cables, ordered broken apart by the man to corrupt him. No worse betrayal he'd known; the memory kicked in to have him on his knees, cursing a streak.
The cans of Trotter-brand cola, the bottle of DOT'S MATRIX, a half-full tube of Miracle Cream, the photos and the Symphod… In addition, Leela never shied from discussing her beatings—valid reasons or no—of him at the time.
Watching him begin to writhe and kick about, they soon pinned him down, hoping their efforts had been enough. A promise to take him back, at which point his replacement career chip got stabbed out of his hand. After some minutes to calm and reboot his mind, he opened wide to find his old Captain.
"Leela? Oh aren't you a sight to wake up to… So what's new?"
A small giggle: "What's new, he asks… Kid, just sit up and look. I'm sure you'll figure the rest out."
Having done so, he saw the faces to stare his way; former Captain aside, there was her co-pilot, her smile lighting the room. Next to her stood that robot, as memories of cigar smoke drifted around his skull. But the man to help him stand really left him befuddled.
"Hey wait a sec, who's the ginger haired bloke?"
"Keep searching… Perhaps think about our New Jersey whiskey and colas, while you do so."
A few more moments of closed eyes to wrap his head around the entire journey, before the truest sense of realisation struck. Always thought he'd be the quiet stoic sort when, or if, this get-together came to pass, but such moments didn't last as he fell in hushed murmurs and clasped faces.
Heaves in his chest, for the ultimate promise he had fulfilled, first time he could remember. A welling up of his eyes, for the glory of sweet redemption at his feet. Finally a golden warmth in his heart; for the grandest pleasures of kindness & sacrifice that became his to savour.
Old attitude to shrivel and die, as Leela gripped his shoulder and flashed the biggest smile he'd seen.
"So even for all our questionable hours, choices and outfits… Are we not heroes now?"
The answers finally his, all he had were screaming laughs as she pulled him into her embrace. For the true friendships both forged and tempered from day dot, he knew he'd perhaps never cry happier tears again.
The crew soon moved in, a big group hug that could've warmed the terminal for the entire winter to follow. Several minutes of certain bliss, before they prised each other off and Amy gave a friendly push.
"You sly little shklit… You thought you'd just fly away without saying goodbye?"
"Thought it'd be easier. Didn't think I did enough to deserve such farewell."
"Well Thomas, let those last few minutes convince you otherwise. I just wished our Professor thought the same, but I can't ever imagine him changing his ways."
Grateful for the words, Mayfield gave a hug to Amy, before he turned to the Captain.
"Thought I'd have no future without seeing your spaceship each morning, but I guess family matters more. Couldn't become a part Leela, but can say I did my part."
"So what got you thinking of leaving? We've got through this, relative peace is ours now. You're not gonna search anymore, even wait for my word to mean anything?"
"No need to worry 'bout your word anymore. Just that, since I first delivered, I didn't think my mortality could come so close to FORmality. So many things I haven't seen or done, once promised myself time to reverse all that…"
"Well, not gonna get any better time than now. So, what's first on your agenda?"
"Home, I suspect. Always took for granted my family's death, never got a chance to pay proper tribute. Apart from that closure, I just need the change of scenery."
Leela closed her eye and nodded; if there were ever a time to craft some Build-A-Bot likenesses, it was certainly now. A full month of exotic locales, just Fry and herself… The thought had her smile, as the conversations soon came to an end, and the alarms began to ring.
All those hours of waiting, now just five minutes until he had to board. Never imagined the time would arrive, now Mayfield wished it never did.
"To think I've rang her all these years… Only now, the Great Southern Land calls back."
Aside from Bender trying to have carte blanche of his bag, which Leela shut him down over, Mayfield farewelled all around with handshakes and hugs, until he faced Leela for the final time.
"Been a hellish ride lass, but glad we had it. I wonder, we ever gonna fly together again?"
"For the how, when and where, I cannot say. But you know damn well that duty always calls."
"Well until that day, promise me this. For whatever lies beyond, meet it as you met me. As beacons, as givers, as educators… As heroes. Thank you, so much, for everything."
"Right back atcha kid. And I'll meet yours if you meet mine… Don't stop believing, and never quit fighting. Okay?"
Her peck on his cheek and a tight squeeze from both, to all but concrete their friendship. Perhaps more than realised; even Fry expressed concerns despite all his 'celebrations' the day prior.
"Hey come on Tom, ease up. It was already hard enough losing her all this time."
"If Admiral's words about her are the same ones you action, you've nothing to fear. C'mere you!"
The two had soon hugged as tight as they could, before Fry flashed his favourite salute.
"Live long and prosper, friend."
Could've squealed when the salute and call was returned, before Mayfield began to board the painted, outdated craft. Ancient markings that he faintly recognised, that made him quite uncomfortable.
"Who the hell was I, to compare my suffering to theirs? You talk of seeing the light…"
So much to think about, but as the escalator moved him, and as he grabbed a window seat, he soon heard Leela's voice clear through the glass.
"Stay out of trouble, you got it sport?"
"Why, Leela lass… D'ya think I'll ever do otherwise?"
A final fit of delighted laughing, his biggest salute, and then a blast-off towards another adventure, looking down as the crew smiled and waved him off. Well, save for a rebooting and cursing Bender.
And as she watched him vanish into the stars, as the crew said their goodbyes and made their leave, Leela couldn't help but rub a shoulder and grin to herself.
"Doubted you'd even last a day out here… Way to graduate with honours, kid."
In so saying, she motioned ripping open her chest as she followed, and soon led, her crew out of the Spaceport. For duty always rang, and it was her turn to pick up and answer.