Episode Four: Wayward Son
"Carry On, Wayward Son" by Kansas
The howl of wind and pelting hail echoed dully inside the inky darkness; only the breath of those trapped within its embrace rose above the muffled din. Maurice was the first to awaken from his shock-educed slumber; in his arms laid a resting Vernon, or so he could feel.
"Maeter?" he whispered, "Linck?"
"Mo-Maurice?" replied his brother.
"Where's Maeter?" he inquired softly.
"I'm here," she called, "Where's Vernon?"
"I got him," assured Maurice.
"Maurice, where are we?" asked Linck.
"I-I think we're in that black L.F.O.," he recounted.
"My head hurts," complained Maeter.
"Mine, too," Linck pouted.
"We need to get out of here," proposed Maurice, "Before that guy wakes up."
"Even blind Freddy knows I have a name, sport," remarked a voice from above them.
This startled the three and tried to scoot away from it, only to bump into each other.
"Crikey, it's dark in 'ere," noted the voice, "Hey, big bloke, you awake?"
There was no direct response, though several visual systems upon which the children huddled slowly flickered on, lighting the interior. Above them hung Marcus, apparently fused with the K.L.F. interface via scub coral scabs that graphed pilot and L.F.O. as one; resembling a smashed insect plastered above. The children gasped in shock at the horrid sight of their rescuer. Adding to their revulsion was the blood stains from his eyes and ears. Tears ran down Linck's face as he clung to his siblings; fear etched into their mask-covered faces.
"Bloody 'ell; stone the crows!?" moaned Marcus.
"Ar-are you okay?" stuttered Maurice, looking up.
"From the gobsmacked fear on ya faces, I reckon not," he replied.
He noted his limited mobility and soon discovered his inability to disengage from the interface. TheEND then displayed a feed of himself.
"What the-?" Marcus cringed, "Heh, ugh as a box of Blowflies. Bob's ya uncle! But what is it?"
"It's so-some t-type of scab Coralians use to-to heal themselves," stuttered Maurice.
"Bloody oath?" he gawked, "Ha! That'd be right; keep forgittin' I'm not me ol' self."
"Mama had the same thing happen to her," added Maeter, "It was really scary."
"Dinkum?" chuckled Marcus, "Well, that can't be ace. So, ya ankle biters apples- I mean, okay?"
"I think so," answered Maurice, "Vernon is still sleeping."
"Sounds corker," he smiled, "Now, just where beyond the black stump we are? END, you wanna take a gander for a tick?"
Slowly, TheEND began to stir. From a knelt position, the damaged K.L.F. stood up and surveyed the forest surrounding it. The monitors also displayed damage data and repair progress, which appeared to be already underway. A strangle red glow tinted the external feeds. Behind the K.L.F. was a large swathe of broken trees and an impact skid. Torrential rains and occasional hail still pummeled the area as radiological abnormalities began appearing in the environmental data feed.
"Spin me out; appears Big Bloke took a daggy job," remarked Marcus, "Queer weather, too. By n' by, ya don't need those masks."
Realizing this, the children took off their oxygen masks, which were already empty.
"What are we gonna do now?" asked Linck, looking to his brother, who shrugged.
"We're gonna get you lil' ones back to your mums and pops," answered Marcus, "Once TheEND is back to specs, that is. Last thing I need's a couple spewin' berko mothers."
"How do we do that?" asked Maeter.
"Bloody croker question, love," he sighed, "I-I- Ahhhhhhrg!"
Suddenly, a piercing pain rushed throughout his body as red lines streaked across the interior of the cockpit from his body. The children screamed in terror, waking Vernon. Tears streamed down his face as large luminous green oval orbs emerged about his body. They intersected with the red lines, which appeared to emanate from the orbs. After a painful moment, the event ceased.
"Jesus H. Bloody Christ!" Marcus winced, desperately gasping for breath, "Son of a-"
The fear that gripped the children soon turned to curiosity as they recognized the phenomena.
"Wow," gasped Linck, turning to the others, "Is-Is he gonna turn into a butterfly like mama?"
"Butterfly!?" asked Marcus, looking at the new additions, "What's this, bush week?"
"Before mama got her wings, this is what happened to her," explained Maurice, "Though she did not have them all over her body like you."
"Grouse, now I'm gonna be a bloody flamin' faerie," he snorted, "Damn Coralian Dingoes!"
"Why do you hate our mama so much?" asked Maeter abruptly, "What'd she ever do to you!?"
"It-It ain't ya mum," Marcus sighed, "It's those crims what made 'er. They're rat-bastards!"
"Then why are you trying to hurt her?" challenged Linck.
"I'm not!" he rebuffed, "Despite the propaganda ya've been fed, I don't give a stuff 'bout any of ya! Not that I'm ungrateful to Boss, but my mission's against these shit-house ratbag Coralians for what they did to me family and me and all the others they butchered back yonks ago!"
"So you want revenge?" deduced Maurice, "Why? Can't you find another way? Or accept it?"
Marcus growled defiantly, "Don't come the raw prawn, lil' Joey; just what would ya do if some crim-dingo came 'round and murdered all ya rellies, and hundreds more? What then!?"
"Our-Our mama d-did," he sniffled, holding back tears, "Eureka… she k-killed our real parents!"
Marcus tried responding but was dumbfounded and only stuttered nonsense.
"It's true," insisted Maeter, "Our mama and Holland killed everyone in our hometown."
Linck just nodded.
"You see, we were born Vodarac," explained Maurice, "And mama was part of the invaders who destroyed our home; but when she found us, she took us in and raised us as her own. Our mama killed our real parents, but we still love her because she takes care of us and gives us a good life. She's not perfect, she's not even human, but that doesn't matter; she took responsibility for her actions. There's too much hate in this world, that's why Gekkostate tried to make things better. If we do nothing but hate, we end up killing until no one is left. So please, try to find another way."
Marcus was speechless for several minutes, "I-I'm gobsmacked. You preach the good oil, well beyond your years; had no idea about ya mum and Holland. Squizz, all I want are answers, not blood; 'cause your spot on, hate leads to hate. Well, two things I fancy: answers and me family. I don't understand it all but I do know we deserved better. If those coral blokes give us the deadest drum, maybe I could-, but all I really want is me family and mates back. For them, I'd forgive."
"Why then do you need mama?" inquired Maeter.
"I-I don't bloody know," he sighed, "Never have, to be dinkum; just doin' what I was told."
"By who?" Maurice inquired.
"Would ya think voices in me lolly- err, head?" Marcus smirked nervously, "Hmm, crikey! Wish I could remember that dream. Things made so much more sense then. Still up a gum tree…"
"Why do you talk so funny?" asked Linck.
"Just the way I yabber," he shrugged, "True Blue Strine; it's how some of us Aussies speak."
Vernon, who had remained quiet since waking up, now squirmed about and giggled. Meanwhile, the red glow around TheEND had shifted to a warm gold while the orbs inside the cockpit had lost their glow. A chime then sounded, accompanied by improved K.F.L. spec data.
"Well, looks like big bloke got his wires uncrossed," smiled Marcus, "Now, to get ya lil'-"
Suddenly, a violent jolt rocked TheEND from behind, forcing it to slide across the forest floor.
"Bloody 'ell was that!?" he exclaimed as TheEND balanced itself, "END, what gives?"
A visual tactical display appeared; on screen was a damaged prototypeT303.
"It's Holland!" exclaimed Maurice as Vernon began to cry.
"Ya think?" scoffed Marcus, "END, open a channel: Hey, Boss, hang on a tick! We got innocents onboard! No need to square off! They're alright, mate!"
"What!?" yelled Holland over the intercom as the prototypeT303 charged TheEND.
The L.F.O.s slammed into each other and locked hands. TheEND struggled for the advantage.
"I got ya ankle bitters, Boss!" explained Marcus, "Including your firstborn! They're good-oh!"
"Show me!" demanded Holland.
A visual transmission was established.
"Holland!" smiled the three as Vernon continued to fuss.
"You four alright?" he asked, relieved.
"We are, thanks to Marcus," assured Maurice, "Even Vernon!"
The baby quickly settled down and cooed once he heard his father's voice.
"Good," smiled Holland, before looking to Marcus, "Looks like I misjudged you; I own ya one."
"No worries, Boss, least I could do," he nodded, "You up to specs?"
"Better than you, apparently," he replied, unnerved by scabs, "So, how we wanna do this?"
"Somewhere with less daggy weather," answered Marcus, "Not to mention the other queer things out 'ere; check ya sensors for the drum. Best we move to sunnier skies."
"All my sensors are out," informed Holland, "Communications and weapons are all I got."
"We'll stream the data over," he acknowledged, "END? It's the radiological readings I fear."
"That explains the lack of colonization," he deduced, reading the data, "Damn; can you travel?"
"Yeah, we're up for it," smiled Marcus, "If the END don't kill me first! Ha-ha!"
"I don't follow," noted Holland.
"He's gonna grow wings, just like mama!" grinned Linck.
"Oh really?" he chuckled, "So this is how Eureka looked; heh. Guess you really are Coralian."
"That'd be right, at least in body," Marcus sighed, "So, which way outta 'ere?"
"Good question," admitted Holland, "Didn't see the horizon comin' down and my nav. is shot."
"Total bullocks," he snorted, "Musta landed close to find us quick… or we were out for a tick."
"TheEND was glowing like a bonfire," he answered, "I'm surprised you didn't notice."
"Says who?" smirked Marcus, "Been everything from Ouija board to capacitor by now, Boss."
Holland chuckled.
"Holland! Get down!" yelled a female voice suddenly, "Marcus! Disengage and surrender!"
"What the-?" he huffed as the two found themselves surrounded by L.F.O.s, weapons drawn.
"Hold your fire!" instructed Holland, "The children are safe! Stand down! Stand down!"
"Show me!" demanded Talho.
TheEND established visuals with her L.F.O.
"Talho!" smiled the children as her image appeared.
Relief poured over her, "Is everyone alright?"
"Yep, even Vernon!" smiled Linck, "He was very brave."
"Mama! Papa!" the three cried in unison as Eureka and Renton next appeared on screen.
"Maurice; Maeter; Linck!" smiled Eureka jovially, "I thought I had lost you forever."
"Thank you, Marcus," nodded Renton, "We owe ya big time."
"No worries; was my bad after all," he shrugged, "Been Rafferty's rules for too yonks."
"We need a safe transfer point to exchange the children," explained Holland, "Conditions are just too dangerous here. Most of my systems are offline; I'll let you guys lead the way."
"Radiological levels are nominal back at the drop point," informed Hilda.
"Everyone: take point around TheEND," instructed Talho, "And follow my lead."
Marcus sighed as TheEND took control as the group moved out. The march was taciturn.
"Marcus? Do you- hate me?" asked Eureka shyly after contemplating things for a while.
"No, love," he assured somberly, "Just doin' what I thought was right; so much for their plans…"
"Oh, I see," acknowledged Eureka, "But who are 'they'?"
"Voices in me lolly," laughed Marcus forcefully, "Strewth, can't say who they are or what they really want, besides revenge. Guess just vengeful bunyips who wanna have a blue- err, fight."
"What do they want with her?" inquired Renton, "Why is she so important?"
"Don't rightly know," he admitted, "They say as a command cluster replacement, we'd use her to flush the sentient Coralians out. How, I don't bloody know. Heh; for a Figjam, I know jack."
"So much for that Aussie spirit?" questioned Matthieu.
"Had a fair crack of the whip," recalled Marcus, "The kids helped me see the good oil- truth."
"So, what will you do now?" asked Hilda.
"Tell the voices what helped me this far to bugger off?" he shrugged, "Heh; as if they'd listen. It depends in part on Boss, I recken. Still feel like a bloody pawn… in a sea of queens."
"Even pawns can kill queens," reminded Anemone, "If you're serious, then stop taking orders."
Marcus did not respond. The rest of the trip remained quiet. When they reached the landing zone, the storm had moved on. The rescue team formed a perimeter around TheEND as Holland met with Marcus. Both L.F.O.s knelt down in the center and opened their cockpits.
"Holland!" waved Maeter with a smile before she and her siblings climbed onto the shoulders.
TheEND held up its left hand to them. Once on, they were shuttled to the prototypeT303.
"I'm very proud of all of you," smiled Holland as he helped them over, "You were all brave."
"Vernon was bravest!" smiled Linck as Holland took his son in his arms, "Only cried twice."
"You cried like four times!" teased Maeter.
"Nuh-uh!" he protested, "And besides, you cried, too!"
The siblings stuck their tongues out while Holland nodded to Marcus, who returned the favor before closing his canopy. TheEND stood up and backed away as Renton and Eureka reached Holland in vehicle mode, escorted by Matthieu, who carried Dr. Mischa with him. The Thurston family reunited with tear-filled embraces.
"Shelias and Blokes, if I can have a moment," asked Marcus over his intercom, "I've been a mug nong- a foolish idiot. I've done too much to merit forgiveness. I only ask you keep me girls safe. I know they'll not understand. I'm through bein' a puppet, but I have unfinished bizzo- business. For what it's not worth to ya, I'm sorry for all this. From now on, I'll fight for me family on my term. I won't be a bother no more. Until we meet again; g'day and hooroo."
Suddenly, a large pillar of scub coral sprung from the ground, carrying TheEND skyward. It then launched into the sky, streaked above the tree line, and doubled back towards the storm.
"Should we go after him?" inquired Hilda.
"No, he's earned his freedom," replied Holland as Talho jumped from her L.F.O. and embraced her son, "For now, let him be. If he's true to his word, then I hope he finds closure."
Red flares were launched to signal the approaching recovery ship that arrived shortly thereafter. Repairs to the Gekko at Tresor took several weeks to complete. All was quiet but for a short time.