Dynamic Patrol: Gel-Squad (Remastering!)

Chapter 49: Sight Seeing

Before they continued the journey toward the main city, they dropped anchor. Literally, the Falcon was incredibly light, to be expected with a small craft; it could properly float on the surface of Omeocoon's ocean under the starlit sky. Kipp wanted to do some work on the hull- and had even gotten into uniform, with goggles and welding gloves. They were worn out a little but useful; he was a proper little professional.

The sound of the top hatch hissing open broke the peace of silence, and Kipp looked over his shoulder to see Tommy and Russell stepping out onto the roof of the ship and looking toward the horizon while discussing the next phase of their plan.

Kipp began to hyperventilate and made sure his face was far away from Tommy and Russell's line of sight. He couldn't get caught blushing off guard by his heroes. He always entered a state of emotional arousal whenever they were around. Since meeting them a few short days ago, he enjoyed being around them. He wanted to ask them many questions about shapeshifting, their adventures, and their relationship. But even after being alone in the woods for a decade, he knew that there was a point in a conversation where someone could ask too many questions. Not like they wanted to give him the time of day anyway. They were always busy doing something else; it was annoying at first, but they were heroes, and he didn't want to bother them, though he did wish that they could talk more often.

Eventually, Russell retreated to the lower decks again. He was still 'off balance' from the entire situation with his family, and that was understandable.

That just left Tommy lying down on the ship's roof. He used his hands as a makeshift pillow. He was stargazing, and he finally looked at peace.

It was then Kipp approached, pulling his goggles over his head. "Hi," Kipp greeted simply. He was still geeking out but tried to restrain himself while interacting with someone of massive importance, but he wasn't sure if he could help it.

"Hi!" Tommy responded enthusiastically, oblivious to Kipp's current emotional state; he sat up and then patted the spot directly next to him, encouraging Kipp to sit down; the smaller kitty took him up on that offer. Tommy sighed slowly as he felt the wind brush through his hair, a cool breeze that was common at night on Omeocoon. It was difficult to believe everyone was dead and they could be the only prime specimens left. Tommy looked at Kipp. He was quite possibly the last extrusion left. Tommy did not envy Kipp at all; he felt upset that he had to grow up without ever knowing the joys of the main city-- he'd never fall in love, never have a family of his own(unless he split.) "So... what's on your mind?"

Kipp's thumbs did a mini dance, like he was nervous to be prompting this question: "When are we going? I want to find who did this so we can bring them to justice... that's what you always say, right?" He was clearly a bit of an action seeker; he and Tommy had that in common.

"Eventually. But we did just beat a tyrant and then rebuild a government, so I think we deserve a break," Tommy said, continuing to look up at the stars.

"Where'd Russell go?" Kipp asked, looking up at the static sky. He never really saw the point of stargazing. The stars were... old... billions of years old. It was like looking at a picture. It was pointless. Why would he want to look at the past when he could look toward the future?

"He went to rest. He still feels weird about the village stuff." Tommy answered vaguely. It was none of his business to explain Russell's emotional turmoil. If Russell wanted to tell the story to Kipp, then he would tell it himself. "So you were just living in the woods all alone?" Tommy asked, altering the course of the conversation.

Kipp hesitated but nodded. "Yeah, pretty much. I knew some things... but other stuff I had to learn, like mechanics." He added. Then decided to try another approach. "So, you guys are proper shapeshifters, right? That's so cool! How did you learn to do that?" That was a topic that they both seemed interested in!

Tommy's eyes lit up like Kipp had asked the most important question of a century. Tommy opened his mouth to present Kipp with every single ounce of knowledge that he could. But their conversation was interrupted by the sound of someone shuffling near the top hatch.

It turned out Russell did not retreat to the lower decks after all. He was actually still poking his head up out of the open hatch, silently watching the two as they conversed; he was far enough away that Tommy and Kipp barely noticed him. But when they did, he ducked into the hatch a bit more.

"It isn't nice to spy on people," Tommy commented, looking at the Bunny as he emerged from the lower decks. "How could you even hear from all the way over there?"

Russell sighed in defeat. He revealed himself fully and approached the duo, pointing to one of his ears. "I happen to have excellent hearing. It's why I'm such a good tracker. Also, you both talk very loudly when you're excited. You didn't notice?" He asked bluntly, a hint of weariness in his voice, which was accompanied by bags under his eyes. He sat down, crisscrossed next to Tommy, and joined him on the stargazing venture.

"Don't be like that. Kipp seems interested, plus I'm sure you know a thing or two about shifting. You formed that mallet a while back." Tommy responded; he grabbed Russell's hand and traced his finger along the surface of the bunny's palm; he grinned as he did this.

Russell sighed but did not withdraw his hand... It actually felt nice. "Well, as you know, because of our gooey nature, our people are created with the ability to shift. But many of us don't always know how to control it. Some of us learn through trial and error, others attend private classes– but most of us are content with being just solid. Because unless you're a hero or need to lift a heavy box up onto a tall shelf or something. There really is no need to manipulate your form. Even with all that training, the gravity on this planet is higher than others, which means that we have to try harder to shift on our own planet. Isn't that ironic–?" Russell explained.

Tommy picked up the mantle, being the experienced shifter he was. "Sometimes mistakes are still made. And those mistakes can be very painful."

Kipp was fascinated by what he'd heard so far. "What kind of mistakes?"

Tommy hesitated before answering. He blushed in mild embarrassment before continuing. "Sometimes I lose control and could stretch too far or melt when I don't intend to. Once, I got so excited during my first physical to get into the Patrol... I, uh... hugged my doctor. But I didn't realize I was sticking to her until it was too late. The lab techs had to use a crowbar to separate us."

Kipp nodded, taking it all in. He was starting to feel more at ease with Russell and Tommy. They were just like him, in a way. Learning and growing, even if they were heroes. But Kipp didn't know how to do anything beyond melting. Most of his time was spent learning to build and maintain things, and his 'free time' was spent trying to survive the patrols from Russell's tribe and other dangers on the island.

"Could you show me? Y'know...? When we have free time? Please?" Kipp asked.

Tommy nodded eagerly. Tommy was actually quite fond of the Gel-Cat already. So when the opportunity to teach basic shifting skills came up, he was eager to accept, "I can show you some things too, Russell!" Tommy continued, and surprisingly, the bunny did not object.

Kipp felt a surge of excitement at the prospect of learning from two experienced members of his kind. He couldn't wait to see what he could accomplish with their guidance. Staring up at the stars, Kipp felt a sense of contentment wash over him. He'd found new friends in Russell and Tommy and was eager to learn from them and expand his abilities. The night sky above them seemed endless, and the possibilities of what he could achieve felt just as limitless. For the first time in a long while, Kipp felt like he had found a place where he belonged... maybe stargazing wasn't so bad after all.