Bad Behavior (The Last Time Traveler Book 3)

by Aaron J. Ethridge

  Robert had issued this order in the nick of time, as the invisible vessel had already gotten nearly out of the tractor-beam's range.

  “Morgan! Get us some help down here!” Robert yelled, as more and more laser blasts rocked the ship. “Don't lose 'em Vox.”

  “I'm trying not to,” he replied, as Morgan fired up the comm to let security know what was going on. “But, that ship has got some serious power.”

  The red ship dropped its cloak – obviously redirecting that energy into the cannons which were slowly beating their way through their enemy's shields – turned and flew directly at Cleo (the ship, not the girl). Just before the two crafts collided, it redirected its course – running just beneath its foe. In point of fact, if either ship had had another coat of paint they would have touched each other. They were, like, molecules apart. This maneuver put a great deal of strain on the tractor-beam – as well as the inertial-dampeners – as Robert's ship was rotated one-hundred-and-eighty degrees and dragged close to thirty miles behind the red ship in fractions of a second. The tractor-beam held, however.

  By this time, small security ships were beginning to descend over the edge of the island. The red craft – its captain no doubt realizing that he would soon be surrounded – turned and fired four very quick blasts directly at the tractor-beam-emitter. A fifth blast – somewhat different from the others – then struck the emitter, causing it to fail.

  Instantly, the red ship vanished from sight and was gone.

  “That's rather disappointing,” Morgan observed. “I told you we should have returned fire.”

  “Maybe we should...” Robert began, before noticing that someone was hailing them.

  He answered it immediately.

  “Good afternoon, Robert,” Doctor Sturm said the moment the channel was opened. “As I'm relatively certain that you can't help but realize the truth before much longer, I wanted to let you know – before you managed to figure it out for yourself – that it was, in fact, me from the very beginning.”

  “Yes!” Morgan yelled. “Gimme my money, Rob!”

  “In spite of my best efforts, you've been able to continue your idiotic romp through time – due to a combination of unbelievable luck and the slavish devotion you somehow inspire in those you surround yourself with. However, I want you to know that you won't succeed, Robert. Your luck is about to run out. When that happens – which will be very soon – you're going to spend the next few decades trying to figure out just how I did what I did to you. That thought fills my soul with satisfaction.”

  “You know, Alex...” Robert began.

  “No, no, Mister Hood,” Sturm said, shaking his head, “not this time. This time, I'm having the last word.”

  Having said this, he closed the comm.

  “Man!” Robert cried. “I'm out five-hundred bucks!”

  “Don't worry about that,” Morgan laughed. “You can always print more.”

  Chapter 16: Taking Care of Business

  “It appears that the mighty Robert Nathaniel Hood,” Morgan began, doing his best imitation of a sports caster, “was wrong yet again, ladies and gentlemen. There's no question that Robert's game has been off recently, as his batting average has continued to plunge this season.”

  “I know you think you're witty,” Robert replied, “but, you don't realize that I have the ultimate comeback for you.”

  “Oh, yeah,” the young man scoffed, “what's that?”

  “Shut up, Morgan.”

  This caused Doc and Vox to laugh and even got a smile from the ladies.

  “Wow,” Morgan chuckled. “I never even saw it coming. Either way, what do we do now?”

  “Try to figure out what Sturm plans to do next,” Robert replied. “And, carry on with our grand work.”

  “Can we do that with him out there?” Celeste asked.

  “We certainly can,” Robert assured her. “Now that we've flushed him out of hiding, he can't use the resources of Never Never Land against us. He'll have no idea where we are, when we are, or why we're there.”

  “What about him saying your luck was going to run out and all that?” Morgan asked.

  “Pure bluff,” Robert replied. “Take it from a master of the art.”

  “I don't know, man. You were wrong about that the last time.”

  “When was Rob ever wrong about a bluff?” Cleo chuckled.

  “Your clone beat him at poker once,” Morgan basically lied – although what he said was technically true.

  “We can be sure Sturm won't give up,” Robert said. “However, we can also be fairly certain that he hasn't got much to work with at the moment. Now that we know he was behind the conspiracy to derail our work, it should be fairly easy to track down his accomplices – assuming any of them stayed in Never Never Land, that is. That being the case, Joe and the rest of the council can handle it. They may end up wanting us to capture him – after all, who knows what he may decide to do to the time-lines – but, until they ask us to interfere, we've got our own work to do.”

  “So, date night, then?” Morgan suggested.

  “Soon,” Robert replied. “Very soon. However, before we get to that, there are a few things I want us to take care of.”

  “Such as?” Cleo asked.

  “First,” he said, “we're going to grab an off-the-shelf tractor-beam to replace the one that just got blasted. Then, we're going to go finish the Galfin job. As the clones failed to record the video I wanted, I'm just going to try the standard procedure of making one myself. If that doesn't work, we can try getting her to make one for us. Under the circumstances, we don't even have to do it – at least, technically speaking. I just hate leaving things not-quite-finished.”

  “Sturm might realize we plan to go back there,” Doc pointed out.

  “He might,” Robert admitted. “So, we'll have to stay on our toes. Once we have the video in place, we're going to take Celeste to see her mother.”

  “Thank you, Rob,” she interjected.

  “Glad to do it. We just need to make sure that we do it right – including asking for permission before we go. Also, I want to get a number of cameras in place. As this is going to be the last time you see her in this life, I'm sure you're going to want to capture the moment.”

  “That would be incredible,” she nodded.

  “Once we've taken care of that,” Robert continued, “we'll head back here, fire off the video, and grab our next job.”

  “And go out on a date,” Morgan asserted.

  “We'll see what the job is,” the traveler replied. “Depending on how complex it is, we'll either do it and then go out, or go out and then take care of it. I mean; we practically go on dates on the ship, now.”

  Vox agreed with this assertion. Morgan and the girls did not. As this had nothing to do with their immediate plans, however, it didn't matter in the slightest.

  Robert got in touch with Chairman Ross and requested the required permission. This done, he ordered the aforementioned tractor-beam, which arrived just minutes before Robert was given the permission he had asked for.

  He and Vox used the trip time between Never Never Land and picking up the video equipment from James Morgan the first – where they had forgotten it in all the excitement – to install the new tractor-beam. Robert pointed out that he and Vox were going to have to develop some kind of auto-retrieval method for the video delivery system as they were wasting precious man hours picking it up themselves again and again.

  Once they had it back on board, Robert recorded his standard don't go back in time video message. They then went forward in time and sent the video system to track down Miss Sharp – which it did. Having accomplished this much, they sent the ship hurtling toward Duck à l'orange so they would arrive just minutes after they had left the last time. During the trip, Doc used the regenerator to return Celeste to the appropriate age for her impending visit with her mother.

  The car was loaded up with video equipment and crew – along with the large scale holo-emitt
er – and pointed toward Celeste's mother's house.

  “I don't know, Vox,” Celeste whispered, involuntarily wringing her hands at she stared at her mother's door. “I'm not sure about this. I haven't seen her in so many years that I'd finally come to accept the fact that she was gone. I'm just not sure I can do this.”

  “It's up to you, baby,” he said, taking her hands in his own and gazing into her eyes. “You don't have to do it now if you don't want to. We've got hours and hours. We can go and come back later if you’d like.”

  “No,” she replied, shaking her head, “if I don't do it now, I'll never be able to do it. I know this is the last time I'm ever going to see her. Which means that I can make the most of it. I just... I just have to force myself to face it. It's now or never.”

  Vox leaned down and kissed his bride gently on the cheek before releasing her hands. She almost stumbled up the steps, made her way to the door, and knocked.

  “It's me, Mama,” she said, her voice almost cracking as she spoke.

  “Come in, love,” her mother yelled loudly enough for the entire crew to hear her. “I thought you said you weren't going to be able to make it today.”

  “I did,” Celeste replied, opening the door and wiping her eyes, “but, my plans changed.”

  “Remember, Morgan,” Robert said, looking at the small screen on the control he was using to guide his cloaked camera, “we can't miss a second of this. I don't want to have to come back here and try again. It would be too risky.”

  “Could we even do that?” Morgan asked, cautiously moving his camera through the door which Celeste had purposely left slightly ajar.

  “Sure,” Robert replied. “That's why I haven't let us look in the back yard. For all we know, we might be back there right now trying to sneak recording equipment in through the bathroom window or something.”

  “So, we could be in the backyard right now?”

  “Well, not right now, now, obviously; but, right now, in the future.”

  “Wouldn't our past selves think that?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then, how do you know we're not back there?”

  “Because we won't need to be if you do your job. Now, pay attention to what you're doing.”

  “Right.”

  Celeste's visit lasted until almost nightfall. This was hardly surprising, considering the fact that she hadn't seen her mother in decades and that this would be the last time they would speak to one another on this side of eternity. As one can imagine, shortly after she managed to tear herself away, she was overcome by emotion.

  “Thank you, Robert,” she said, wrapping her arms tightly around him before sobbing on his neck. “Thank you so much!”

  “Think nothing of it, Ma... I mean, sis.”

  “Oh, call me whatever you want, Rob,” she laughed through her tears. “I do love you like a son. And, like a brother, and a father, and even a grandfather.”

  “That's good,” he replied, gently stroking her hair, “because – to you, at least – I'm basically all four.”

  “You are,” she nodded, tears till streaming down her face. “You really, truly are.”

  “We need to go, baby,” Vox said, stepping up to his wife and rubbing her back.

  “I know,” she said, wiping her eyes, and doing her best to get herself back under control. “I'm ready.”

  Minutes later, the entire crew was safely back on the ship and the ship was making its way toward Never Never Land. Celeste carefully watched the clock until the moment her mother died – at least, that's how she thought of it – and then had a good cry, while Vox held her in his arms. The video footage they got was excellent. In fact, the quality was so high that Robert felt confident that he could use it to create an interactive 3D model of the scene. For Celeste, however, it was enough to be able to see – and hear – her mother happily chatting away one last time.

  Shortly after the Qwells had decided to call it a night, Morgan and Robert ended up alone on the bridge.

  “So,” Morgan said, turning to face his friend, “I'm glad we were able to do that for her.”

  “You and me both,” Robert replied.

  “Now that's it done, maybe we can do a little something for ourselves.”

  “Such as?”

  “Modify the program,” Morgan asserted.

  “She just turned it back on a few hours ago.”

  “Exactly. It's been on for hours and we haven't gotten any action yet.”

  “Don't call it action,” Robert chuckled.

  “Call it whatever you want. Whatever it is, we haven't gotten any of it yet.”

  “No, we haven't. But, we will in time.”

  “Time is precious. Let's not waste it.”

  “We have all the time, Morgan.”

  “We've been making poor use of it lately.”

  “Look,” Robert laughed, “we have to give it a couple of days. She still thinks it malfunctioned last time. She's liable to go over the code a few more times before she's completely satisfied. The last thing we want is to change it, only to have her catch us.”

  “She won't care. You'll be able to talk our way out of it.”

  “Even if you're right, it'll put her on her guard,” Robert explained. “Do you want her constantly checking to see if I've tinkered with it? Personally, I think it's better to wait a little bit longer in order to make sure that we get away with it – and get what we want.”

  “You're right about that,” Morgan admitted.

  “What is he right about?” Cleo asked, stepping onto the bridge, followed by Azure.

  “Me wanting my money,” the young man instantly lied. “That's a hundred – in cash – Rob.”

  “Alright,” Robert sighed, drawing a wad of bills from his pocket and handing each of them a single note.

  “I don't know, man,” Morgan said, holding his up toward the light. “I mean; they look real, but I know you're a master of your art.”

  “I never said it was counterfeit,” Robert pointed out.

  “You never said it wasn't,” Morgan counter-pointed-out. “Even if you did, I wouldn't believe you.”

  “Do you think the video is going to work?” Azure asked.

  “I hope so,” Robert sighed. “I'm sick of the simplest jobs giving us the run around. If we don't get things running a little more smoothly, we really are going to be at this for a million years.”

  “I can think of worse fates,” Azure laughed.

  “You're right about...” Cleo began, before being interrupted by the small beeper-like device on her hip. “Morgan, do you have a tranq-pistol on you?”

  “No, why?”

  “Go get one,” she smiled.

  “Gladly!” he replied, flying from the room.

  In less time than Robert believed was possible, Morgan returned with a pistol loaded with darts filled with stop-Rob-or-Cleo-juice.

  “What's the occasion?” he asked between panted breaths the moment he got back.

  “It looks like you two just got really lucky,” she said, showing him the device. “The program just randomly selected a thirty second kissing event.”

  “That's not just getting lucky,” Azure added, shooting Morgan a coy smile, “for them, that's hitting the jackpot.”

  “It's about time, too,” Morgan nodded.

  “I hope you feel it's worth the wait,” Azure replied.

  “More than worth it.”

  “Considering what happened last time,” Cleo said, rising from her seat, “I think Rob and I will go first. Azure, you're in charge of the timer. Come here, Robert.”

  “Gladly,” he replied, leaping from his seat, taking her in his arms, and lowering his mouth to hers.

  The couple exchanged a very passionate, but very controlled, kiss; each of them doing their best to please the other and enjoy themselves without driving one another out of their minds with desire. The moment Azure called Time, they separated; shaking hands and congratulating one another as soon as they were done.
r />   With their situation taken care of, Cleo took charge of the timer and told Morgan and Azure to begin. Morgan jumped in with far more careless enthusiasm, focusing on pleasing his lady and pleasing himself without any regard at all for whether or not he threw either of them – or both of them – over the edge of a cliff of passion. With all the practice he had gotten since he first start kissing, he was actually very good at this.

  “Time,” Cleo said with absolutely no results. “Morgan, time.”

  “One!” Robert said, a wide smile on his face and a maniacal look in his eyes.

  “You're not supposed to do that to them,” she pointed out.

  “Two!” Robert cried, as Morgan paid him no respect.

  “He doesn't think you're serious,” Cleo explained.

  “Good! Three!”

  “You can't just...”

  “Four!”

  “Rob, I'm serious, you’d better not...”

  “Bingo!” Robert said, jerking Morgan's head back and decking him onto the floor.

  “Rob...” Morgan began with an almost angry tone in his voice.

  “No need to thank me, Morgan!” Robert replied with a wide smile. “I was glad to do it!”

  “I wasn't going to say; thank you,” he explained, reaching up to gently touch his eye, “I was actually going to say; next time, mind your business!”

  The Pause III: The Search for Volume IV

  (Need something to do with I’m searching for Volume IV? Check out my rather hilarious fantasy series: The Tales of Zanoth on Amazon. The first volume is: The Tower of Daelfaun. Seriously. It’s a riot. Trust me.)

  Thank You!

  Dear reader, I'm Aaron J. Ethridge, the author of Bad Behavior. I want to thank you for taking the time to read the book. I sincerely hope you enjoyed it. I put a great deal of time and effort (as well as love and soul) into it. I also want you to know that this is the third volume in what I plan to be a lengthy series. If you're interested in reading the further adventures of the last time traveler and his companions, you can do something to help me make that happen.