To the Moon and Back

EARTH: 6078, September second: Cameron

I can't believe it. When Aaron asked me if I was okay with sleeping in the deer paddock, I thought he was joking. So, like an idiot, I agreed. I didn't realized he actually meant I was going to sleep with the deers! These people are ridiculous!
So when I met Aaron and Aadolf in the morning and he said 'how did you sleep?' I almost killed him.
Fortunately (for me) I restrained myself and avoided being punched in the face.
"Why,' I asked through gritted teeth, "why did you make me sleep with the deers?"
"Because I thought it would be funny to have you sleep with barn animals." He smiled.
I again used great restraint and did not attack Aaron.
"Next time, I would like a real bed please."
"If we're lucky, there won't have to be a next time." Aaron's mom appeared out of nowhere, and I stifled a gasp of surprise.
"I've spoken to Carter," (Aaron snorted at his name), "and he has agreed to help Cameron return home."
"That's great! How does he plan to get me back?"
"Well, he said that if you and him could work together, you could remove the radio from the pod and fix it up. It seems to be damaged."
I stopped listening.
The communication device!!!
How could have I forgotten? I helped invent them for goodness sakes! I had them installed myself and I still forgot about them!
I repeatedly hit myself in the face and cursed silently.
"What?" Their mom looked at me.
"Sorry mrs..."
"Call me Momma G."
"Sorry Momma G, I just remembered the communication device."
Momma G? That sounds like one of those old rapper names.
"Anyway, he says as long as you know how to fix it, you're set. You do know how, right?"
Know how to fix it? These people crack me up.
"Yes, I can fix it."
"I'm afraid we might not have the tools you need." She warned me.
"Don't worry, I can manage." I smiled cockily.
She nodded satisfactorily. "Well then, I'll take you to see Carter."
We walked down the main street until we came to the place where they were keeping my pod.
It was an old hover car garage, so the pod fit in nicely.
The pod was banged up, and had a few burns and scratches on it, but it was otherwise fine, if you don't count the fact that the battery was used up, and there was no way to charge it. It used an energy called blastoids, and you could only find that on Great Moon.
A man in a lab coat and glasses stepped out from behind the pod.
"Are you Carter?"
The man laughed. "No, I'm David. This is Carter."
He pointed to a man wearing combat clothes and had a shaved head.
Carter was leaning over the battery to the pod.
"You found the battery."
I was a little surprised, it was hidden under the controls, most people wouldn't have found it.
"Yeah, it wasn't too hard."  He looked up, and he looked so familiar it startled me.
"Have we met before?" I asked.
"No, don't think so. Unless you saw me in the shop before."
He was lying, I was sure of it. But that didn't matter right now, what mattered was that I talk to my dad and ask him why he didn't come get me.
"Where's the communication device?"
Carter gestured to the control panel. "Don't know how to get it out without damaging it."
I walked over to it and climbed in. After examine some of Carters tools, I selected a few and went to work. Soon, it was removed. I must have slammed into it during the crash, but it seemed like something much more powerful than I had hit it. Perhaps when it was brought here, it was damaged further?
Still trying to figure out what had happened to it, I noted all that was wrong. The speaker was damaged slightly, and the holoprojector was cracked. The inner workings were also mashed up. In a few hours I had removed part of the windshield from an old hovercar, used basic parts to repair the speakers, and fixing the inside was a breeze.
Aaron, Aadolf, and Marcy came to see me when I was almost finished, sporting a drink of water.
"You thirsty?" She asked.
"To busy..must focus..on device..."
She shook her head. "Weirdo."
David hovered over me as I put the last wire into place. "Fascinating! Tell me, is it common practice to know how to do this on Great Moon?"
Marcy tensed and clenched her knife. "You know about that?"
"Oh, yes." He looked at her knife wearily. "Genevieve told me herself. Now, if you would kindly let go of the knife.."
"And...done!" I held up the round orb triumphantly.
"Great! Call your dad, I wanna see what he looks like." Marcy let go of her weapon and stood beside me.
I laughed and placed the transmitter on the table.
I put my thumb on the thumbprint scanner, and a female voice asked me,
"Who would you like to call?"
"Steven Wilson, Lead Scientist  of the Kinetik Labs."
"One moment please."
I waited, and it started to ring.
"Why is it making that noise?" Marcy scowled.
"I'm not really sure, but it's always been like that."
"Hello? Who is this?"
The holographic face of a bearded man appeared above the transmitter.
"Dad!"
"Great kazoots! Cameron, is that you?"
"Ya, it's me!"
He ripped his glasses off and got in real close to the camera, so that all I could see were his dark brown eyes.
"Hello Mr.Steven Wilson!" Maarie waved.
"Hello!" Marcy nodded.
"Is it a custom to say hello twice on earth now?" My father asked. "Hello, hello! I'm glad to see that you proved m'boy wrong."
For a second I was confused, then I remembered that Marcy and Maarie shared a body, and the bet we had made.
"Dad, these are my friends Aaron, Aadolf, and Maarie."
"Really, you used her name?" She never stopped smiling, but she whispered at me through the side of her mouth.
I mouthed sorry and turned to my father.
"So, when can you come get me?"
"Well, we've come across a few minor delays, but I am 80% sure I can be there in five days."
"Great! Now, I wanted to talk to you about...."
"Oh sorry kiddo, but I've gotta go, bye!"
We all waved, and then he hung up.
There was silence for a few seconds, then...
"Did anyone else just have their mind blown up into tiny pieces? I mean, we just talked to a moving picture of some guy's head!"
I laughed at her amazement, then thought about how she would react if she ever went to visit Great Moon.
The idea made me laugh so hard Aadolf had to carry me out of the shop.