Dynamic Patrol: Gel Squad! Episode II

Chapter 30: Howie Whisperer

Kipp and Bodi rang Howie's doorbell repeatedly; they took turns pressing the chime a thousand times because Howie wouldn't answer. They kept it going. Press after press, and finally, the door slid open. "Who is ringing my doorbell at this time of the night?" Howie asked with pure rage-filled annoyance; his fur was a mess; he looked like he'd just woken up. Right, he needed to sleep in solid form because he was a criminal and had shifting inhibitors. So, he had to sleep in solid form. Which made him toss and turn, which made him look like... this. Kipp eagerly held up his tablet tube close to his chest, and Bodi stood nearby with a frown. Howie squinted at them. "The warden's son and his playmate's cousin. No dice." Howie pressed the button on the panel nearby, and the door was about mid-way to closing when Kipp stuck his foot in the frame; the safety sensors triggered and forced the door open again. "How dare you? I have half a mind to grab a bat and chase you out of here. Look! Get out of my sight before I tell your father you're acting like a fool. It's been four days. I'm sure he's done with his mate and that disgusting reproduction cycle. Why don't you go bother him instead."

"But I don't need him. I need you, Howie. You're the only one who knows about Kieran's plan besides Kieran and Tommy, and Dad won't let me go down there alone. I need you." Howie smiled deviously and rubbed his chin. "Hmm.. I do like to be needed. What's in it for me?"

"Uh? Nothing? My dad is your boss. Don't you think that your being free is your payment?" Kipp answered snarkily; Bodi spoke, too, "Yeah, my cousin says that you should be locked up in a room made of pillows and foam. He thinks you're a danger to yourself and others." Howie shrugged and tried to close the door again; this time, Kipp stopped it with his arm. "Fine, fine! If you help us, my friend and I will work your shift as my dad's yeomen... for... a day."

"Two days and the afternoon of the final day," Howie countered; Kipp growled impatiently, "What? I like to sleep in on weekends." Howie shrugged... for a person who was supposed to be suffering for the purposes of improvement and acceptance, he certainly had a lot of free time on his hands. Kipp looked at Bodi, who nodded, "Very well, my associate and I accept your terms." Kipp and Bodi forced their way into the room, and Howie yelped as they did. "Hurry up, three is a crowd." Howie snipped as Kipp and Bodi invaded his personal space. Kipp quickly ordered his tablet to mirror to the display panel in Howie's room. Thankfully, no one wanted to be bunked with the psychotic convict, so he lived alone. "Bodi and I were observing the surface of Omeocoon, and we've made a troubling discovery. We think that Omeocoon's atmosphere might be... unraveling itself, like yarn. But we need you to fill in the blanks."

"I'm not surprised. Kieran's plan was quite absolute... until you and your 'Gel-Squad' disrupted it. The charges were designed to systematically dismantle an Omeocoon's genetic code; the idea was to destroy the current population and rebuild with a newer, stronger race that wasn't bound to be complacent with the Dynamic Patrol." Kipp nodded, and he knew, "So let's just say it's working a little too well. By this time, the charges would've dissipated enough for us to return to the surface, but this doesn't seem right. It's just... destroying the planet."

Kipp pointed to his simulation, which said that by next year, Omeocoon would be unable to support life. "Okay? And what am I supposed to do with this information?"

Bodi spoke up now, entirely shocked by the reaction presented by Howie, "Uh? How about help us? This station isn't going to be able to support 60,000 people. We need a place for them, for everyone, including you. You were Kieran's computer guy, you had access to all of his data... and stuff. There's something that you know, and you can help stop this. Can't you just open your mind a little and pretend like you care? These are your people, too, and whether you like it or not, you're stuck with them." Howie crossed his arms and looked down toward the ground. "I'm not sure what you want me to do; I worked on computers if you want to know about the bombs. I suggest you find someone who worked on the bombs. I didn't do ground support. That was more Cam's realm."

Kipp scoffed and turned to leave, "You were right, Bode. We should've just asked Cam. Let's get out of here." Bodi stayed behind a little and looked at Howie. "Thanks for your help." Bodi bowed sincerely before he turned to leave. He moved toward the door where Kipp was waiting. "Wait a second." Howie sighed deeply, rolled his eyes, and moved toward a drawer. Rummaging through it, he cursed in his odd language a few times and then returned to Kipp with a hard drive with several dents and a bright yellow sticker that read, 'Classif--' It was half-peeled off. "There. This is one of the oldest drives I've got. I... smuggled it when your friends raided my space station, but it's been banged up, so I'm not sure how much of the data has been lost; it might even be bricked. But if you can fix it, whatever is on there is yours. That's the best I've got."

Kipp and Bodi made eye contact with each other, happy that they could get through to Howie. "Wow, I must say... I wasn't expecting that from you. I think that's the first good thing you've done without being directly told to do so. My father would be impressed." Kipp had been in earshot of Russell whenever he'd expressed annoyance about Howie's hardheadedness. "I'll try not to take offense to that."

"We can use the auxiliary computer on the Destiny." Bodi proposed. Kipp nodded, slightly impressed. Bodi was paying attention during those sessions of constant tinkering, after all.