Bad Behavior (The Last Time Traveler Book 3)

by Aaron J. Ethridge

  “Was it?”

  “It was,” he nodded. “I'm going to have to tell you a truth you won't like, so I thought I'd better start off by telling you one you would.”

  “And what is this truth I won't like?” she asked, her voice making it clear that she already didn't like it.

  “The truth is that Rob... No, in fact, all of us, didn't want you girls on the ship when we did it.”

  “Why not?” she asked with a definite tone of accusation.

  “Because, we don't want you asking questions.”

  “Why is that?”

  “If you ask us questions, our only two choices are to lie to you or tell you the truth. Neither of which, we felt was a good idea.”

  “If you're afraid of us asking questions, then you must be up to something we don't approve of,” the green maiden asserted.

  “Untrue,” Morgan replied. “If we were planning a surprise party for you, we wouldn't want you asking questions, but you would certainly approve of what we were doing.”

  “You weren't searching the ship in order to throw us a surprise party, Morgan.”

  “Not my point,” he replied, shaking his head. “We did what we did when we did it so that you wouldn't know because we didn't want you asking questions. Now that you do know, you're going to have to be content with not asking any questions because, we can't give you any answers. In fact, I'm sure I've already told you more than Rob would have wanted me to.

  “So, now, you can reward me by trusting me, or throw my honesty in my face by storming over there and demanding an explanation from Rob. There are a few things you should consider before you decide to do that, however. First, Rob will lie about it. Second, I'm not going to tell you anything more than I already have. Third, Doc knows all about it, including not letting you know, so you can be sure you do approve of it; even if you don't know what it is. So, are you going to trust me or not?”

  “Does this have anything to do with that blonde?” she asked quietly.

  “That's a question, Cleo.”

  “I didn't think about it at the time...” she began, a thoughtful expression on her face.

  “Don't think about it now,” Morgan suggested.

  “But, how did you three know that she sabotaged the ship?” she continued, ignoring the young man's advice. “Vox said that you knew and he wouldn't have said that unless he was sure.”

  “This is the opposite of what you're supposed to be doing,” the young man pointed out.

  “I wasn't sure that I hadn't just dreamed that the next morning,” she said. “Obviously, though, I hadn't.”

  “You should probably stop there.”

  “The only way you could have known,” she smiled, “is if you saw her do it back when you and Rob were doing something you really shouldn't have done, so that you could make that video for us.”

  As she made this observation, her smile vanished and she shot an angry glance at Robert.

  “Meaning, of course,” she continued, lowering her voice and filling it once again with venom, “that his motivation for breaking one of the laws wasn't about proving anything to me or Azure. It was about what it's always about with him! Saving the universe and outsmarting his adversaries.”

  “I want you to know that I cared for you right up until the end, Cleo,” Morgan sighed. “Because, when Rob finds out that I told you any of this, he's going to kill me.”

  “Oh, he's not going to find out!” she snapped as loudly as she dared. “This time, I'm not going to let him know that I know. One more question.”

  “Go ahead,” he said. “I'm a dead man anyway.”

  “What excuse was Rob going to give us about being late?”

  “I honestly don't know.”

  “That's good enough!” she replied. “It's obvious he was going to lie. The only thing he could have done was lie!”

  “Can I ask a few questions now?”

  “I guess so,” she replied, her glaring gaze locked on Robert and Azure.

  Morgan's own eyes happened to be directed at the dancing couple at that same moment. Azure really did look incredible. Of course, her face was distorted by apparent rage and she seemed to be reading Robert the riot act pretty good. In response, he just kept nodding, apparently agreeing with whatever inaudible assertions she was making.

  “Are you and Robert still engaged?” Morgan asked.

  “Of course,” she almost snarled. “I mean; he was an hour late to dinner, Morgan. And, he happens to be a habitual liar. That's no reason to throw away the love of your life. Even if making that video for me was an afterthought rather than his motivation, at least it proves that, on some level, he was thinking about me. You can't dump a man who goes to those kinds of lengths for you, just because he's constantly infuriating you. What kind of psychopath do you take me for?”

  “I may answer that question later tonight,” he replied, shaking his head. “For the moment, I have another one of my own: are Azure and I still together?”

  “Don't be stupid,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “You showed up late for one date with a slightly-less-than-perfect excuse. That's not a reason to break up. In fact, she's not even really angry about that.”

  “Then, what is she angry about?”

  “She's upset because, although you have many fine qualities, it seems as if you have absolutely no will of your own.”

  “I have my own will,” he asserted.

  “Oh, really?” she replied, locking her eyes on his. “Where did you want to be just over an hour ago?”

  “Sitting at the table with you three girls!”

  “Then, why weren't you?”

  “Because, Rob...”

  “Exactly, Morgan!” she nodded excitedly. “Because, Rob. Because, Rob. Because, Rob. That gets really old, really quick. Unless, of course, you happen to be engaged to him. I'm the one that should have to deal with Because, Rob, not Azure. She got mad because you don't act like your own man. You're like Rob's shadow.”

  “That is a total exaggeration,” he replied. “For one thing, I mop up half of Rob's relationship messes without any help from him. In fact, sometimes, he's a hindrance...”

  “Alright, that is true,” she agreed. “But, she's angry at you right now. You can't expect her to be completely objective at the moment. Plus, she really does have a point. Every time you and she have a problem, Robert seems to be in the middle of it; one way or another.”

  “I suppose I do see that,” he sighed. “And, I'll work on it. So, will you put in a good word for me?”

  “I will.”

  “Are you done being mad at Rob?”

  “Not yet,” she replied, shaking her head. “I've got to break this pattern before we get married.”

  “What pattern?”

  “Don't pretend you haven't noticed,” she said with a forced laughed. “Rob does or says something that he obviously shouldn't, I get mad at him, he talks around in circles – staring into my soul with those bright green eyes of his – completely melts my will, and I end up not just willing but, longing to forgive him. It has got to stop.”

  “You two are really weird sometimes,” Morgan observed, slowly shaking his head.

  “He has to learn that he can't just push me around and expect me to beg for more,” she replied, laying her head on Morgan's chest.

  “What are you doing?” the young man asked.

  “Making him jealous,” she replied.

  “That doesn't seem like a good idea.”

  “He won't actually hurt you, Morgan,” Cleo assured him. “That is to say: he'd never break you into so many pieces that Doc couldn't put you back together again.”

  “I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about Azure.”

  “She'll know why I'm doing it.”

  “You may be right about that, but Rob is shorter than she is.”

  “So what?”

  “What if he decides to make you jealous by putting his head on her chest?” he asked.

  “You're right!�
�� she replied, jerking her head back up. “I went too far.”

  After close to two hours of dancing, the girls finally decided that they were hungry enough to eat again. They had not, however, decided to let their male companions off the hook. Cleo talked and laughed with Morgan, while completely refusing to acknowledge Robert's existence. Azure seemed to find everything Robert said far more fascinating than usual and, whenever possible, only replied to Morgan using single syllables.

  At first, this caused the young man to want to break Robert's jaw – at least figuratively. After a bit of reflection, however, he came to the conclusion that his suffering was, in all actually, totally his own fault. He could have called. In point of fact, he could have ditched the rest of his companions and caught a cab. Robert had started giving him funny-money – which he would never admit was counterfeit – once a week. Not to mention the fact that he could probably have just sent the bill for anything he wanted on the island, including cab fare, to Robert without anyone asking any questions. After all, he was one of the saviors of the universe.

  No, the simple truth was that Azure was right. Robert did have too much influence over him. At least, Morgan thought he might. It was really hard to say because Robert was so persuasive that, once he was done telling you what he wanted you to do, you usually believed that you had always wanted to do it. On the other hand, maybe Robert wasn't all that persuasive. Maybe he was just that observant. It could be that he was only good at convincing people to do things that he realized they actually wanted to do; whether they knew it or not. Morgan, for instance, really did want to do almost everything Robert had ever asked him to.

  Of course, he hadn't wanted to be late to dinner tonight. Still, when he considered it, he had to admit that Robert hadn't tried to stop him from going. He felt fairly confident that he could have left whenever he wanted. Instead, he had stayed by Robert's side like a dog that couldn't go for a walk without his master. Once this realization hit him, he was glad that Azure had gotten mad at him. Her anger was helping make him a better man. Of course, he found himself wondering if explaining this realization to her would get her to kiss him once the date was over.

  He also wondered if Celeste's anger was helping make Vox a better man. Whether or not it was, she was still very clearly mad at him. Morgan thought she seemed even more angry after the four of them returned to the table than she had been when they had left it. Whatever their topics of conversation had been during those two hours, it had obviously agitated both of them.

  Doc did his best to pour oil on all the troubled waters but, all he could manage was to keep Celeste and Vox from actually yelling at each other. None of the three girls showed the slightest signs of relenting, and it was also obvious that Vox had gotten so worked up that he was actually mad at Celeste. Robert wasn't making his particular situation any better, as his apparent indifference to Cleo's wrath seemed to make her ever angrier. Also, as he was monopolizing Azure's conversation, Morgan wasn't able to make a proper apology and explain that he would never again allow Robert lead him into accidentally neglecting her.

  As soon as they had eaten, they all climbed into the limo and headed back to the ship. Each of the girls said goodnight to everyone who wasn't their significant other before storming off to bed. Azure even took the extra step of warning Morgan not to follow her to her room as she departed. The moment the ladies were gone, the men all sat down in silence.

  “We shouldn't have been late, Rob,” Vox said after more than a minute, his voice filled with more obvious annoyance than Morgan had ever heard from him.

  “I noticed that, Bro,” Robert nodded, his own voice not what it usually was when speaking with Vox.

  “You were supposed to talk us out of it,” Vox continued.

  “He didn't exactly get the chance,” Doc pointed out.

  “No, he didn't,” Vox agreed. “Because he lies to Cleo so much that she won't believe him when it really matters.”

  “I'm afraid you're being just a little hypocritical there,” the traveler said with a frustrated smile.

  “Am I?” Vox asked, glaring at his friend.

  “Well,” Robert replied, “I can only suppose that you are. You don't want Celeste to find out that we broke one of the laws because, if she did and we were caught, she could go to prison. Am I right in saying that?”

  “Obviously, man,” Vox said, shaking his head. “Don't be a jackass. I'm not in the mood.”

  This caused the traveler to chuckle.

  “That being the case,” he replied, “I can only assume that you wanted me to talk us out of it by lying to the girls.”

  Vox did his best to continue glaring at Robert. However, after several seconds, a slight smile forced its way onto his face.

  “Okay,” he chuckled, “you're right. I did want you to lie.”

  “Either way,” Robert replied, “we shouldn't have been late. Then, I wouldn't have needed to lie.”

  “Agreed,” Morgan nodded.

  “Although I have to admit,” the traveler observed, “they got way angrier about it than I thought they would.”

  “I believe they're getting a little tired of all your shenanigans,” Doc asserted.

  “Shenanigans?” Robert laughed.

  “It describes your behavior perfectly, Robert,” Doc pointed out.

  “Probably,” the traveler ceded. “But, it doesn't describe Vox's at all.”

  “Well, no,” Doc admitted. “However, Vox not thinking to call didn't do anything more than annoy Celeste. She didn't truly get angry until later in the evening.”

  “What did she get mad about?” Morgan asked.

  “The kids,” Vox sighed, “the grand-kids, the great-grand-kids; you name it.”

  “What about them?” the young man asked.

  “They're all dead, Morgan,” Doc explained.

  “They have been for a long time,” Vox added, shaking his head.

  “Wow...” Morgan replied. “I hadn't thought about that.”

  “We had,” Vox said. “We thought about it a long time before we decided to let Rob come get us. We've already lived our lives out, man.”

  “So, I guess this is kind of like heaven for you?” Morgan asked.

  “It was before tonight,” Vox laughed.

  “I noticed that,” Robert replied, shooting Vox a sly grin. “It seems to me that you've been trying to make up for lost time.”

  “I have a lot to make up for,” Vox chuckled. “Like that year we were trapped on the ship.”

  “I don't blame you,” the traveler nodded. “When the time comes, I promise you, I'm planning to do the same thing.”

  “Me, too,” Morgan assured them, his eyes going momentarily glassy.

  “She's just having a hard time dealing with the fact that we'll never see them again,” Vox explained.

  “You won't see them in this life,” Doc replied. “That's certainly not to say that you'll never see them again.”

  “That's what I mean, Doc,” Vox replied. “It's just a lot harder to wait for the afterlife when you may live for the next million years.”

  “I completely understand,” Doc nodded.

  “Which is why she wanted me to ask you to take us to see them occasionally,” Vox said, turning his eyes to Robert.

  “I can't do that,” Robert replied.

  “I know,” Vox nodded. “I explained that to her. So, she asked me to ask you to rescue them all just before they died, just like you did us.”

  “You know I can't do that, either,” the traveler said, slowly shaking his head.

  “I do,” Vox assured him. “Which is what led to the fight.”

  “I suppose I can see that,” Robert replied. “It'll probably be difficult for her to deal with for a while but, she'll come to accept it in time. For one thing, her memories will begin to fade as the centuries pass.”

  “Whatever you do,” Vox said emphatically, “do not tell her that.”

  “I won't,” the traveler nodded. “Either way,
as it seems we have nothing but time at the moment, we may as well find out what our next job is. We can use finishing it as an excuse to invite the girls out again. And, next time, we won't mess it up.”

  “Agreed,” all three of his companions replied in unison.

  Robert fired up the comm and got in touch with Brother, who seemed somewhat annoyed at first, suggesting that it was rather late to start working on something that would certainly have waited until morning. His mood improved, however, when he pulled up their next job. With a wide smile, he informed Robert that the current task seemed like the opportunity they had been waiting for.

  With a sudden jerk, Morgan awoke. For several seconds, he lay perfectly still doing his best to remember exactly how he'd gotten to bed. He couldn't. The last thing he remembered was Brother being excited about what they had to do next. After that, nothing at all. He did notice that his Rubik’s cube was laying on the floor beside his bed, rather than sitting in its rack on his dresser. This didn't shock him, however, as he had started playing with it every night as he fell asleep. So, it was entirely possible that he had been the one to leave it there.

  He did his best to run through the possibilities as he brushed his teeth and got dressed. Although he drank a great deal of champagne the preceding evening, it had all been non-alcoholic, as Robert would never order anything else. Also, he didn't think they had any fruit juice on-board and, even if they did, he couldn't have brewed enough jail-house-wine in just a few hours to get him so blitzed out of his mind that he wouldn't have remembered going to sleep. Not that he was much of a drinker, anyway. On top of which, as upset as he was about not kissing Azure, he wasn't that upset about it.

  All this led him to the conclusion that he had better talk to Doc. He felt it was possible, at least in theory, that all the programming he had been subjected to lately had begun to fry his brain or something. With this thought in mind, he headed for the medi-bay. Doc wasn't there. This gave him pause.

  Checking the ship time revealed that it had been ten hours from the last thing he remembered to the current moment. Ten hours was a long time when you had no idea what had happened during them. It was completely possible that Sturm had managed to take control of the ship and that all his companions were already prisoners.