Mission Twenty: The Painful Past

John rides all the way out of town and into an old house. His cycle transforms back into Nick and the two arrive at the fence. "So John why are we here?" Nick asks. "Well, I have some things to pick up from here. I haven't been here since their deaths. Come on let's go," John responds as he opens the gate and enters the front yard of the house. He then looks under the welcome mat and picks up a spare key. He unlocks the door and goes inside the house. The house is untouched as everything is neatly organized and all the family photos line the walls, the hall and the living room. He looks at old pictures of himself and thinks about the times he had with his mom.

He starts to have flashbacks of his time with his family and all the good times they had. He snaps out of his trance when Nick accidentally drops a vase.

"Oops, sorry," Nick says as he tries to clean the mess. "No, it's okay, I haven't been in this house for years. You see Nick, my dad used to work as a cybersecurity specialist in one of the major producers of Entetron. My mom worked as an analyst for Omega Defense. They met and fell in love. They had me and they spent a lot of time with me. Even when they were busy they always made sure I was taken care of. I never felt abandoned and I loved them. But they got into a crash. It wasn't their fault. He didn't survive but my mom barely did. She had such guilt over what happened. She kept saying that it was her fault even when I reassured her. Ultimately she killed herself and I felt like I lost everything."

Nick walks close to John and hugs him. "John I'm sorry." John hugs Nick back and says with tears in his eyes "it's okay. After their deaths I was forced into foster care. I hated it. I ran away because no one would give me the love I wanted. So when I was old enough I ran away and decided to go on my own. Well, like I told the others, I hacked into Omega Defense and Banks almost arrested me until he didn't. Thankfully he brought me in."

Nick looks at John sideways and says "Well, I'm glad they chose you so show me around the house."

John walks Nick to the rest of the rooms. He shows him the kitchen, the bathroom, the living room, his parents' room and his own room. When they head to his room, he shows him all his old toys and some of his comics. Nick picks up a comic and starts reading it. "So John were you the only child?" John responds with "yeah, I was. But hey at least I didn't have to worry about sharing my toys. Nick you're like my younger brother. I wish I had someone like you growing up."

Nick then responds with "Well, I'm here now. And I will always help you with whatever you need. I may not be human but I care. Spending time with you has taught me a lot."

John smiles and the two hug. John picks up some of his old hacking tools he used as a kid and they head out. "So John why did you get that stuff?" a confused Nick asks. John smiles and says "Well, I want to see if I can upgrade these tools. So, let's get outta here. I have something to show you."

John and Nick ride to an unknown part of town and stop by the woods. John leads Nick to a secret area and uncovers a small tin he had buried. He opens the tin and reveals a small robot he had built as a kid.

"See Nick? I tried to build my own Buddyloid but I failed. I couldn't get it right. I wanted to show you this because I always wanted my own friend. But I never got the chance. And now I have you Nick," John says as he puts away his old tin. As they head back Andrew calls John.

Andrew: "Hey!"

John: "What's up?"

Andrew: "I haven't heard from you. Everything okay?"

John: "Yeah, I'm fine. I needed time to myself."

Andrew: "I'm guessing you went to your old house huh?"

John: "Yeah I'm with Nick now."

Suddenly Perry joins the call.

Perry: "Hey how are you?"

John: "I'm okay. Was at my folks place."

Perry: "I'm glad you went. I don't like talking about my parents. You already know."

John: "Yeah, I'm sorry that happened. And I know you can't fix that but you're stronger than they are. You are a Ranger now. I can't relate to your pain but I know that you have overcome so much. I know you haven't seen your folks in so long but you don't have to. You can leave them behind where they belong."

Perry: "Thank you John. So Andrew what about your folks."

Andrew: "Meh, my parents were always busy and I rarely see them at all. But at least they do call me on occasion. I'm hoping they'll at least call me again soon."

John: "They will. Look I will head back to base now. I'm done with everything here."

Andrew: "See ya."

Perry: "Bye."

"Nick, let's go back to base. We have a lot to do," John says and they ride back into the city as the sun sets in front of them.