Bad Behavior (The Last Time Traveler Book 3) Read online

  Bad Behavior

  The Last Time Traveler – Book 3

  By Aaron J. Ethridge

  Additional info can be found at:

  TheLastTimeTraveler.com

  Copyright © 2016 by Aaron J. Ethridge

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  First Printing, 2016

  ISBN ?

  Kindle Edition

  Ethridge Publishing

  2311 Lake Drive

  Williston, SC 29853

  Aaronjethridge.com

  Before You Begin…

  Bad Behavior is the third volume in The Last Time Traveler series. Although you can certainly enjoy the books out of sequence, you may find it even more enjoyable to read them in the correct order. The previous volumes (starting with: The Last Time Traveler) are currently available on Amazon.com. If you’re interested, you can purchase the previous books using these links:

  The Last Time Traveler

  No Rest for The Weary

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1: Back in the Saddle

  Chapter 2: Auxiliary Power

  Chapter 3: Take Two

  Chapter 4: One More Time

  Chapter 5: A Second Date

  Chapter 6: Memories Are Made of This

  Chapter 7: The Renaissance Festival

  Chapter 8: Shocking Developments

  Chapter 9: Serious Repercussions

  Chapter 10: A Minor Modification

  Chapter 11: Stop Right There

  Chapter 12: Close, But No Cigar

  Chapter 13: On the Hunt

  Chapter 14: Long Time, No See

  Chapter 15: There You Are

  Chapter 16: Taking Care of Business

  Thank You!

  Chapter 1: Back in the Saddle

  “Help get her off me, would you?” Robert asked, gazing at his unconscious love's face with a smile.

  “More than happy to,” Morgan nodded, slipping his tranq-gun back in its holster before bending down to lift Cleo from atop her fiancé. “Where do you want me to put her?”

  “We should take her to Doc,” the traveler replied. “She'll be fine, but those things tend to leave a bruise and he'll want to take a look at her, either way. Azure, would you please remove the dart?”

  “Sure thing,” the blue maiden replied before gently, but firmly, pulling the projectile from her friend's derrière.

  Moments later, the trio marched into the medi-bay, Morgan carrying the green maiden and Robert gazing at her through his un-swollen-shut eye.

  “Lay her on the bed, Morgan,” Doc said, glancing up from the future e-book he was currently engrossed in. “Rob, take a seat in the chair.”

  “Don't you want to know what happened, Doc?” the young man asked as he obeyed the request.

  “I know what happened,” Doc chuckled, rising from his seat and opening a nearby drawer. “At least, I can only think of a single scenario that would result in Robert getting a black eye, Cleo ending up unconscious, and the three of you remaining perfectly calm.”

  “I had to shoot her,” Morgan explained, in spite of the fact that Doc had just explained that he didn't need an explanation. “I also had to knock Rob on his tail. They had both totally lost it!”

  “So much, I'd gathered,” Doc chuckled again, before examining the traveler's eye with a medi-scanner. “Next time, Morgan – if there is a next time – don't hit Robert quite so hard. You nearly cracked his eye socket.”

  “He did?” Robert asked, turning his partial gaze to the young man.

  “He did,” Doc assured him.

  “Wow. The working out is really paying off. It's too bad you don't know how to fight.”

  “It seems I know enough,” Morgan smiled.

  “Enough to sucker punch me when I'm completely and totally distracted, yes. But, you need to know a lot more than that.”

  “I agree,” the young man nodded. “So, you, or better yet, Azure, need to teach me.”

  “I can,” she smiled, “but it'll take time.”

  “It's time I'm more than willing to take.”

  “I think we can take a shortcut,” Robert said as Doc repaired the damage Morgan had done to his face. “We should have Sister give you some basic martial arts programming before we head out. If we end up in a fistfight again, which doesn't seem likely, I want you to know what you're doing.”

  “We'll still have to practice though, right?” Morgan asked hopefully.

  “Yes,” the traveler chuckled, “we will.”

  “Awesome!”

  Once the medical non-emergencies had been taken care of, Robert, Morgan, and Azure headed for the bridge. For close to half-an-hour, they sat discussing how long it might be before the council decided to let them continue their work and what they should do until then. While they were in the middle of this, Chairman Ross hailed the vessel.

  “How's it going, Joe?” Robert asked as soon as the comm was open.

  “Very well,” the chairman replied with a wide smile. “In fact, the council's already come to the decision that the work should continue.”

  “Perfect,” the traveler replied. “How'd Sturm take it?”

  “Obviously, he's furious,” Joe chuckled, “but, amazingly, he doesn't seem to be all that angry at you personally. His current wrath seems directed at the bunch of fools who don't seem to see things his way. In fact, he's threatened to resign from the council.”

  “Has he?”

  “He has,” the chairman nodded. “To be honest, more than a few of us are hoping that he actually does it. Still, he seems determined to express his gratitude to you. This morning, he formally made a motion to have you and your crew given commendations for your efforts.”

  “He's probably hoping to butter me up so he can try to persuade me to stop on my own again,” Robert speculated. “He's convinced that I'm a slave to my ego.”

  “You may be right,” Joe laughed. “Either way, we want you and your crew to come to the council chambers this afternoon. Wear something nice, would you, Rob?”

  “Sure thing, Joe,” the traveler said, giving him a rather lazy salute. “We'll see you then.”

  As soon as the comm was closed, Robert pressed a number of buttons, navigating the ship to the VIP section of the island. Since it looked as if they would likely be underway again soon, he wanted to order a uniform for Celeste from Ramón's. She had decided to become an official member of the crew and Robert felt that she needed an outfit to match those of the girls; with a few minor modifications. Vox had requested that it have a slightly longer skirt, for instance. After all, his wife was a married woman.

  Morgan also wanted to go to the island, but he had reasons of his own and asked Azure to accompany him. Under the circumstances, she felt it was an offer she could safely accept. For one thing, they were dating. For another, she could always beat him up if she decided she needed to.

  Minutes later, the three of them were in two different space cabs heading in two different directions. Morgan's first stop was to a rather posh comestibles boutique (again, that's a grocery store depending on where you were raised) to order a few things he felt were missing from the ship's stores. Up to this point, he had only mastered pancakes but, if he were ever going to progress beyond that, he was going to need the right ingredients. This done, they caught a ride to Hope, the massive star-ship that floated above Never Never Land, and made their way to induction.

  “Good morning, sock-sandals,” Sister said the moment Morgan walked thro
ugh the door.

  “Good morning, hot-hips,” he replied with a smile.

  “Hot-hips?” both she and Azure replied.

  “If I have to be sock-sandals for the rest of time,” he explained, gazing into Sister's eyes, “then, you'll henceforth be known as hot-hips. At least, by me, you will.”

  “Alright, Morgan,” she laughed, “you win. No more sock-sandals.”

  “Thanks, Sis!”

  “What can I do for you?”

  “Make me a ninja!”

  “You mean; you want me to program you with some basic martial arts?” she asked with a smile.

  “No,” he replied, shaking his head. “I mean; I want you to make me a ninja. That's why I said: make me a ninja!”

  “Well, I can't really do that,” she pointed out. “All I can do is give you the knowledge of a ninja... I guess...”

  “Do that, then,” he replied, taking a seat as he spoke.

  “Do you want ninjutsu specifically?”

  “What have you got?”

  “Almost everything,” she replied. “Ninjutsu, jiu-jitsu, tae kwon do, kung fu, tang soo do...”

  “Hit me with it all!” he interrupted. “I want to be a grand master of all of them.”

  “It doesn't really work that way,” she laughed, “but, I'll do what I can. Have you solved the first formula yet?”

  “Not yet,” he admitted. “I still need to buy a Rubik’s cube.”

  “Alright,” she said, pressing a number of buttons on a nearby panel. “That should be enough to get you started.”

  “Get me started!” he exclaimed, quickly considering everything he now understood about unarmed combat. “I'm already a ninja!”

  “No, you're not,” she assured him. “So, be sure to go easy when you start. Your brain knows what it's doing now, but your body doesn't.”

  “A lot of martial arts,” Azure interjected, “is getting your mind and body to work as one.”

  “Exactly,” Sister agreed.

  “I'll keep it in mind,” Morgan replied, leaping to his feet. “Do you want anything while we're here, Azure?”

  “Actually, I do,” she smiled, taking a seat herself. “I think I'm ready to learn a little more about ship repair and mechanics. It turns out, I really like it.”

  “That shouldn't be a problem,” Sister said, punching a few more buttons. “It looks like you've perfectly assimilated everything I programmed you with last time. So, we can give you a bit more.”

  “Thanks!” the blue maiden replied with a smile.

  Shortly after this, the pair made their way back to the ship and then back to the bridge. They found Robert waiting there, already wearing his uniform. He ordered them to go put theirs on, which they immediately did. They returned to find Doc, also in his uniform (which looked much like his normal black tunic, but in gray), in conversation with the traveler.

  “Doctor Sturm made the motion himself?” Doc asked as they stepped into the room.

  “That's what Joe said,” Robert pointed out.

  “I find that hard to believe,” Doc replied. “I mean; since it included you, as well. I have little doubt that he'd have done that much for the rest of us.”

  “He probably just couldn't figure a way to leave me out.”

  “I have to admit,” Doc laughed, “I see that as a sincere possibility.”

  “Where's Cleo?” Morgan asked, taking up his usual seat and watching Azure as she took up hers.

  “She should be here any minute,” Robert replied.

  Morgan didn't hear this response, however. His mind had become trapped in something like another dimension. He was honestly beginning to believe that the girl's uniforms were made out of magic. There was just something about the perfectly fitted gray shirts, black mini-skirts, leather jackets, high-heeled boots, and stockings. He found himself wondering what other formal occasions he might be able to persuade Robert that they should probably attend. He was going to have to spend some serious time thinking about how to get the girls in uniform. Then, after he'd somehow managed to convince Azure to marry him, he'd be able to help her get...

  “How are you feeling?” Robert asked, interrupting Morgan's train of thought as Cleo stepped into the room.

  “I'm fine,” she replied with a slight bluish blush before taking up her normal seat. “That stuff Doc mixed up doesn't even leave you with any kind of hangover.”

  “I designed it for a very specific purpose,” Doc explained.

  “Well, I appreciate it,” she said, blushing slightly more. “Morgan, I really appreciate you having the presence of mind to shoot me.”

  “No problem!” he replied with a wide smile. “It was obvious you were completely out of control. I mean; if I hadn't...”

  “Yes, Morgan,” the traveler interrupted, “thank you. We all know what happened.”

  This statement caused Cleo to blush still more deeply.

  “When are we supposed to be there?” the green maiden asked, hoping to change the subject.

  “Not quite an hour from now,” Robert replied, glancing at the ship's chronometer. “We probably need to leave in about twenty minutes.”

  “Where are Vox and Celeste?” she asked.

  “Yeah... Ummm...” the traveler replied, scratching the back of his head. “They should be here before too long. Vox has been... kinda busy... this morning.”

  This assertion caused both maidens to blush. By this time, Cleo had turned almost completely blue but, fortunately, as Azure had begun to turn purple, it was still easy to tell them apart. During the silent seconds that followed, Morgan noticed something wrong with Science Officer Zelbizarre's attire.

  “Cleo,” Morgan said, “where's your beeper?”

  “My what?” she asked.

  “That thing that notifies you about events.”

  “Oh... that...” she replied, not being able to blush any more than she already had. “We don't need it at the moment. All things considered, I felt it would be a good idea to pause the program for a while.”

  “What?” he asked with a rising inflection. “That's no way to react to a situation like this. Cleo, honey, when you fall off a horse – or in this case, Rob – you can't just lay there in the dirt. You have to get up, brush yourself off, hop back in the saddle, and really ride that horse – or in this case...”

  “Thank you, Morgan,” the traveler interrupted. “I'm sure she sees what you mean. However, this is her experiment and she has to handle this... we'll say unexpected development... in her own way.”

  “I guess,” the young man replied, shaking his head, “but, I think it's a real mistake.”

  “What's a mistake?” Vox asked, stepping onto the bridge, followed by his bride.

  “Nothing, bro,” Robert asserted. “Are you ready to go?”

  “I am,” Vox nodded, “but, Celeste's uniform hasn't arrived yet.”

  “It probably won't be ready until tomorrow,” the traveler pointed out. “She doesn't need one tonight, though. It's just an awards ceremony followed by a dinner, or two, or three. She won't be getting a commendation this time. Sorry mama, but I'm sure...”

  “Don't call me that anymore,” Celeste interrupted with a giggle.

  “What?” he asked with a somewhat shocked look on his face. “Why not?”

  “First, you're like a thousand years older than me,” she smiled. “Second, I'm twenty now.”

  “What difference does that make?” he asked, raising his hands. “You still love me like a son, don't you?”

  “No,” she laughed. “I love you like a great-great grandfather or something.”

  “It's up to you, I guess,” he shrugged, “but, you were born a long time before I was. If I were to call you all what you really are to me, even Doc would be young whippersnapper.”

  “Well,” she said with a smile, “I'll do my best to love you like a brother then and you can call me 'Sis'.”

  “I already call Sister 'Sis',” he pointed out, “but, I've got room in my heart fo
r more than one, I guess. Either way, Sis, you're not getting a commendation this time. I'm sure that will change eventually, but, for tonight at least, you can go without the uniform.”

  Having made this declaration, Robert led the band out of the ship and into the stretched future limo the council had sent for them. They were escorted into the council chambers as soon as they arrived by a force of forty soldiers attired in dress uniforms, complete with swords. The moment they entered the room, all of the counselors stood up and began applauding, including Doctor Sturm himself.

  Celeste was led to a section of the chambers that was reserved for the general public, while the rest of the party made its way to the front of the room where the Chairman's Bench was normally placed. They turned to face their ample audience, Robert flashing his best smile with the knowledge that the ceremony was doubtlessly being broadcast across the entire island at that very moment and wanting to offer as many single young ladies as he could an object for their heart's desires while he had the chance.

  The ceremony began with Cleo, Azure, Doc, and Morgan each being presented with a medal for going above and beyond the call of duty when they refused to abandon ship during the self-destruct virus episode. Then, all six of the current crew were awarded a commendation for having saved Never Never Land itself. As soon as the ceremony was complete, which included a protracted speech made by Doctor Sturm that thanked the heroes for their bravery and underlined the incredible dangers associated with time travel, the crew was ushered into the first of what proved to be four different dinners hosted by various groups of influential counselors.

  In the early of hours of the morning, the crew stumbled back to the ship, exhausted from talking, laughing, and dancing all night long. Morgan stared at Vox with a combination of admiration and envy as he picked Celeste up and carried her into the ship with an I'm-not-that-tired look in his eyes. Morgan didn't have any trouble at all understanding why Vox had been in the best mood he'd ever seen him in during the entire celebration. He hoped, one day – or night – to be in that good of a mood himself.

  This wasn't destined to be that night, however. In fact, it turned out to be not even close. Azure explained, as she stood in her doorway not kissing him, that, although they had kind of gone out on a date, it wouldn't be fair to Robert and Cleo to be left out. (Not to mention the fact that they had done some rather serious kissing less than twenty-four hours before.) For the time being, she explained, the two of them were going to have to forgo that activity until Cleo had completely recovered. Morgan tried to interject Vox and Celeste into his argument but was completely shut down with yeah, but, they're married. It crossed his mind to ask her to marry him then and there. However, they had only been going out for a few weeks and he was positive she'd say no.