Dynamic Patrol: Gel-Squad (Remastering!)

Chapter 16: Freedom

Jason struggled against his prison until they arrived at their destination. Then the bunny's tail made an audible squelching sound as it opened up and released its load like a little scout ship unloading cargo out of its bay. Jason's entire body flopped out of the bunny's tail disgustingly and landed on the ship's deck; he was quickly and firmly taken by the forearm and pulled against his will by the creature, "Hey? What the heck? When my uncle finds you, he's gonna--!" The bunny had dragged him to a utility closet with a condescending grin. "Gonna what?" The bunny cut him off, "It's already enough that I had to keep you with me this entire time; now, if you know what's good for you, you'll stay in here and keep your mouth shut until I decide just what punishment I'm gonna give to you." Of course, there would be no actual punishment, but Jason did not need to know that. It was undoubtedly worth it in Russell's mind to see the color drain from Jason's skin, the bravery in his eyes replaced with fear. Russell could not help but snicker as he opened the door; it hissed open as a dim light flickered on automatically, "Try not to have too much fun here. Okay, buddy?" The bunny said smugly. His grin had reshaped itself into a smile as big as all outdoors. Then he tossed the kid into the closet with the rest of the brooms, cleaning equipment, and other miscellaneous things the crew had accumulated in their journey. He sealed the door and established a lock by ripping the control panel out of the wall, duplicating Tommy's earlier method to secure the cargo bay.

Russell grunted in victory as he brushed nonexistent dirt off his hands. He was now footloose and fancy-free, with the weight in his tail now lifted. He turned back to head for the bridge before running into Tommy, who was hugging the walls as if he was going to phase through the ship. Russell approached with arms crossed in silent judgment, "I heard you were on the roof. It was pretty brave of you to be up there, knowing full well the ship could've easily shaken itself apart with someone performing manual helm calculations." Tommy's eyes widened, "That can happen?" He asked, but before Russell could respond, the sharp banging of their only prisoner began. It sounded as if he were trying to kick the door in, but with it being made out of solid titanium, he most certainly was going to hurt himself. It looks like there would be punishment after all, but it would be inflicted on him by his own person. "What--?" Tommy inquired, separating himself from the wall, "Is that?" Russell finished his sentence, "Yep, it's one of those guys from the island. I had to get him into my tail to stop him from wandering too far and sabotaging the ship. He's pretty scrawny, so I wouldn't expect too much of a fight from him." Tommy took Russell by the arm and started his lecture; luckily, they were about the same height, so it was easy to be at eye level with his fellow Omeocoon. "Remember, I'm the leader in situations like this. It would've been nice to know that you took a prisoner before we launched into the sky. Prisoners weren't part of the plan. They were all supposed to stay behind." Russell yanked his arm free of Tommy's grip before his frown deepened. "If I recall correctly, you were fighting those guys on the top deck while me and your little droid pal were actually trying to do useful things. Like, oh-- I don't know? Stop stowaways?"

Tommy grabbed Russell's wrist again, not tightly but enough to make a statement. He continued, "Don't capture anyone else without my authorization. Do you understand?" Again, Russell pulled away with an eye roll before shoulder-checking Tommy and entering a room labeled 'Armory.' Tommy scoffed and moved toward the bridge to talk with D1 again. "We have a prisoner, so don't open the broom closet." He said, sighing as he slumped into one of the bridge chairs. D1 continued to operate the ship. "The result of our newest member? Perhaps we should keep a better eye on him. His impulsivity could cause trouble. He still can not be trusted." Tommy was the one who was now crossing his arms, and he responded, "No, we can trust him; he's a member of our crew and a member of my people. For all we know, he could be the last survivor. I want to trust him... he's just... hardheaded. Omeocoons raised in tribes tend to be like that. Maybe I should spend more time with him. Get him to see things my way." D1 chirped, "Or perhaps allow him to adapt at his own pace. He was working on orbital stations and held in containment for an extended duration. Perhaps he needs more time. Or we can dismiss him and allow him to pursue his own interests." She reiterated, Tommy opened his mouth and glared at the suggestion, but D1 changed the subject just as quickly as she changed the ship's direction, stopping Tommy's response. "I have triangulated a surface object, which I believe may be your Capital City. I have laid in a course. We will be there in approximately 28 hours."

"28 hours? And here I thought ship travel was supposed to be fast... at least it has been whenever I've been on board." Tommy emphasized dramatically with a huff. D1 responded, "We are currently traveling at the maximum safe speed. I will not be able to regulate engine temperature and energy emissions any faster. If the engines get too hot, this vessel will explode. Do you know how difficult it is to operate a ship manually without a co-pilot?" She responded with a hint of annoyance. Tommy nearly forgot that the main computer was offline and that she had to run the entire ship alone. Tommy would've helped, but he'd already crashed one ship, and Russell was probably more trained to handle operations like this, but he was inside his den and showed no signs of emerging any time soon.

He asked D1 if she'd come up with a name for the ship now that she was the helmsman... or... helmswoman. She named the ship 'Freedom' in honor of the fallen droids at the caves. Had there been more time to go back, she would have. She just hoped there were at least some survivors. Tommy strapped in and drifted into a state of slumber, resting quietly to pass the time.