Galactiquest

"What's that smell?" Aiden set one foot on Apennine Boulevard, and already, he wanted to leave.

"The fish towers. I dunno why they put the shopping district so close to them." Jun looked toward two identical towers a few blocks away.

"We went there on a field trip once." Goggles' brother–Kyle?–pointed out the one with smoke coming from the top. "That's where fish dogs are made. They taste a lot better fresh."

Goggles sulked. "I wouldn't know. All I got was bun."

"Russell, this is why it's important to communicate. I thought I made sure you guys each got a piece."

"Mine was only this big," he pinched his fingers together, "and you and Aaron were already eating yours. Why didn't you just get your friends to buy two more? They could afford it."

"My friend Trey has issues overextending himself."

"You let him buy the first one."

Kyle shrunk into his shoulders. Aiden caught him muttering "I was hungry." Louder, he asked "Where is Aaron, anyway? He hasn't texted me back in a while."

Aiden decided he didn't care to keep up with the conversation, instead taking a moment to take in all the plastic-dressed weirdos with bright, gravity-defying hair. His reflection stared back at him from a store window, just the same as the rest. Back in LA, he'd barely belong on a street like this.

Something was missing here.

The crowd slowed their walk to a crawl between a skyscraper and a clothing store for goths. Punks? Whichever one had dark, spiky clothes. People called Aiden a punk, usually as an insult, sometimes with more meaning behind it, something to do with being counterculture. He never got a chance to look more into it, but any movement with stores dedicated to its dress code wasn't going against the grain that much. He wouldn't turn down the look, though.

"You think your brother might be in here?" asked Jun.

Kyle shook his head. "I don't think this is his style."

Russell squinted through his goggle-glasses. "What are you talking about? He said he wanted to look cool. Why wouldn't he be there?"

"He said he wanted to look cool and stand out. He can't stand out if he's dressed like you." His brother pointed to the next store down. "That one might be a good place to start."

"Okay, we'll head in there then." Jun decided.

Soon, the group wandered into some kind of athletic store. Aiden's glasses were the only thing shielding his eyes from its blinding white insides. Even the staff dressed in all white. Aiden's jaw locked up. Was this a clothing store or a doctor's office?

Two teenagers worked the register, but only one had customers. The other one, the girl with her braids bent at the ends, stared at the group with bug eyes, no doubt because of Jun. That's what Aiden thought before she opened her mouth. "Are you," her eyes fell to the boys, "looking for someone?"

"Yeah, our little brother." Russell stepped up to the counter. "He's like us, but shorter."

"Was he wearing yellow? The cops came in here looking for him." She pointed outside and down the road. "I just told one he went that way." Cops. That's what Apennine Boulevard was missing. For a second there, Aiden wondered if he made a mistake camping out elsewhere.

Someone tapped his arm from behind. It was Jun, hiding behind him in the most suspicious way possible. "Psst. Ask if he was with anyone."

"Why don't you?" Aiden whispered back.

"I'd do it myself, but this is, like, kinda time-sensitive, and I don't want us to get held up if she recognizes me."

He gave Jun a look over his shoulder.

"C'mon, I promise you won't have to talk to any police."

"That kid you saw, was he with anyone?" Aiden asked the cashier.

She stared up at him like he was going to eat her, and her eyes darted to the boys as if to say 'Is he with you?' Once they confirmed it, she finally told him, "He was helping someone with a sprained ankle or something."

Last Aiden knew, Summers hadn't busted his ankle. Though with the way he wobbled off… "Did the other one have glasses?"

"Yeah."

Jun leaned into his shoulder. "When?"

"When'd they leave?" repeated Aiden.

"Not too long ago." The cashier tilted her head to get a better look behind him. "Less than an hour?"

"Nice. Thanks." whispered Jun.

"You're welcome."

"I meant you should tell her that."

She leaned toward the twins. "Kyle, is there a reason your other friend is whispering?"

"He's shy." Aiden covered for Jun. "He says thanks."

"Uh. He's welcome?" She winced out a smile then focused back on the boys. "Sorry about you guys' brother. I hope you find him."

Kyle stepped forward. "Thank you, Chelle. You've helped us out so much already."

"You too. Those breathing techniques you showed me really help with busy shifts." Chelle didn't seem to notice Russell's eye ping-ponging between them. "I'm free on Wednesday if you wanna work more on our project."

Kyle did. "Yeeeah, I should be too. Glad I could help you relax." He moved away from the counter but couldn't lose his brother's stare. "Anyway, we need to go now. See you in class!"

Russell tailed him out of the store, followed by Jun and Aiden. "Weren't you and Trey working on a project?"

"We are. Separately."

"We had a deal! No girls!" He spun to face Jun, "You're fine." then back to Kyle. "I can't risk one of you screwing up and giving us another mouth to feed." It sounded like someone needed breathing techniques.

Kyle's face reddened as he glanced at the others. "C'mon, you don't have to worry about–about that. Look. I know you're stressed. Why don't we calm down and–?"

"How come I need to calm down when you blowing up about Mia is what got us into this mess?"

Aiden hadn't been paying much attention to the twins' looks before, but the resemblance dawned on him. He turned to Jun. "Are they–?"

But Jun sped ahead of them toward a herd of pigs surrounding a clothing store. "Yo, there's a ton of police over there. Maybe they know something." He called over his shoulder to Aiden. "You can hang back here. We shouldn't be gone long."

With his back against the athletic store window, Aiden watched them sink deeper into the crowd, closer to the cops, all while the sky started to turn purple. His jaw tightened. They were supposed to be heading back to the hotel, and now the Summers kid had gotten himself caught up with the police. Again. With a busted ankle. Was he meant to be a goner?

Chalking it up to the inevitable would be easier if he hadn't been called out. It sat wrong in his gut to grill Jun about throwing the boy to the pigs only to do the same. He could live with being a coward every now and again. Being a hypocrite, on the other hand, was harder to swallow.

He had his excuses. Years of his survival were a crime. The cops he saw during them did little to protect or serve anything more than their own interests, interests that included treating people with nothing like they're nothing. He'd sooner bathe naked in a tub of glass than stroll up to one the way Jun did.

As he caught glimpses of Jun's conversation through the crowd, a masked guy with hair the color and length of a tennis ball also took interest. He limped up to Aiden a little too close and a little too hastily.

Tennis Ball Head looked toward the pigs. "You know what's goin' on over there?"

"No." Aiden caught his T-shirt, which had 'Spacepunk is Dead' scrawled on it in marker. "What's up with your shirt?"

"You got a minute?"

"A minute."

"I was on the ground floor, you know. When spacepunk became a thing. I dunno how long you've been in the dome, but back when I was a teenager–" he didn't sound much older than Aiden, "–there was a lot of pressure to join the IF. Still kinda is; you gotta look like a model just to serve burgers here. But I didn't want to enlist." He stared off into the distance.

Aiden needed to keep this conversation rolling. "Why not?"

"And serve the same military that lied to us? This city was supposed to be a beacon of peace, and they had guys working on a death ray. Under their noses! No ma'am, no sir." Tennis Ball rested his weight on one leg. "I don't trust that the government took all their weapons."

Weird of him to complain like he was old enough to remember it, but Aiden had no problem with his reasons.

"So me and a couple guys started dying our hair bright colors–you can't get enlisted like that–and dressed up like aliens 'cause, well, they were up for grabs. Not many studios left to use them, you know." That explained his alien sunglasses. "People liked our style, asked questions, and we told 'em how we felt about the way things were."

"And no one had a problem with that?"

"Oh, you know they did! Most just called us punks and kept it movin'. Spacepunks, haha." He lifted a finger, clearly proud of himself. "Some got more heated, callin' us parasites on Lunaria, 'specially the star rangers. They built this city. Rumor has it a few ganged up on some spacepunks outside a bar and sent one to the hospital. The bar owner thought the cops might do something, and, well, they did." He rubbed his leg.

Aiden already knew how this story ended. "The spacepunks got arrested."

"So I heard." Tennis Head brushed a hand over the faded scars on his forehead. "They say an IF ID is like a get out of jail free card around here."

"Yeah."

"When more people started dressin' like us, I got my hopes up. I thought people were listening." Tennis Head shrugged. "It was just about the fashion. Now, with wigs and temp dyes, even star rangers are callin' themselves spacepunks. Ain't that something?" He laughed halfheartedly, and threw back a thumb. "Maybe that's one talking to the police."

Aiden looked at Jun. "Oh, totally."

"What a world we live in. The only star ranger I'd maybe let claim the title is Jun Kim."

"Ehhh. " He tilted his head back and forth. "Why do you care if everyone else dresses like you? You can still complain about all that stuff anyway."

"It's about the symbols, man." Tennis Ball Head grasped at the air, dragging his hands down. "I miss being able to look at people and know they have my back." How idealistic. "But who am I to talk? I'm a poser these days, too." He pointed at his head. "This is temp dye. I only color it on my days off."

"You in the IF now?"

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"No?"

"You a cop?"

"Not with this leg!"

"Then I don't see how you're a poser." Aiden folded his arms. "Just because you don't look like an alien 24/7 doesn't mean you believe in your cause less, geez."

Tennis Head stayed quiet for a moment. "You know what? You might be onto somethin'. Maybe spacepunk isn't dead. For a second there, I thought you might've been the last real spacepunk there is."

Aiden made a noise that didn't say anything one way or the other.

"Catch you around." Tennis waved a hand and merged back into the crowd.

As soon as he was alone, Aiden opened his wallet. His military ID stared back at him. He thought he knew he was a fraud, and yet it took Summers to make him realize that he had an advantage no real spacepunk did. Whatever happened next was on the kid, though it probably would've gone better had Aiden stepped in sooner. Nothing he could do about that now.

"Kelly." Jun came back alone, rubbing a hand on his neck. "I need to pick your brain for a sec."

"What's up?"

"Well, some witnesses saw them in there. At one point. No one knows where they went. They have someone checking security footage right now, but, like, if you were evading the police, where would you go?"

Aiden grit his teeth. Four officers hovered around the door, and there was no telling how many were inside. So long as he had his ID, he could go in there, as much as he didn't want to. "Depends on the layout. Want me to–?" As he pointed to the store, he came to his senses. "Wait a minute. This is easy. With that many pigs swarming the place? I wouldn't be in there."

Jun stared at him for a moment, shook himself out of whatever question he opened his mouth to ask, then tipped his hat. "I think we're on the same page, they're probably gone by now. The question is, where'd they go?"

"I dunno. With the way he panics," Aiden sucked air through his teeth, "he ain't makin' bright decisions. I mean, he's afraid of Galhardo for cryin' out loud."

"You did watch him do those pushups, yeah? That was gnarly. I don't know how he got through basic like that."

He couldn't help but shake his head at the thought of those wobbly toothpick arms. "Can't imagine what Galhardo'll do if he doesn't show up. The kid has to know someone's gonna find him eventually. If there's a half-decent thought left in that scrambled brain of his, he'd go back to the hotel."

"It won't make a difference if you're not with him, right? Galhardo wants each pair back."

"I said half-decent."

"And even if he does go back, his foot's gonna slow him down. That's on you, by the way." Not a second scolding him, Jun cracked a smile. "Hey, maybe he went back to where you were to see if you'd, like, carry him back."

"He can keep dreaming." Aiden wasn't that guilty.

Some of the goofiness left Jun's face. "That's a good place to start as any. It's not like we have other options."

"Might as well."

"I'll go get the–" he turned around just as the twins came back, "Oh, hey guys."

"Security caught them going out through the staff door." Kyle told them.

"I can't believe they didn't have the back exit covered the whole time!" Russell threw up his hands, echoing Aiden's thoughts.

"Guess our hunch was right. Let's hope our next one is." Jun looked from Aiden to the twins. "We have an idea of where they might've headed."

The cops had split up by the time Aiden's group rounded the corner. Trying–and failing–to ignore the one tailing them took him out of the others' chit-chat until the pig finally turned down the street before Prosperity.

He left just in time for another to bother them. "I see you found your friend!" The ponytail pig from earlier walked up to Jun. Aiden pretended not to notice her smiling at him. She then told the twins "I just got word that your little brother headed up this way about twenty or so minutes ago. We've sent out a coupla folks to check the area. He shouldn't be far."

"That helps a lot, Officer. Thanks." Jun gave her a nod and a smile.

After doing the same, she continued on her patrol–away from them, just the way Aiden liked it. He wasted no time getting to the laundromat; he'd rather find the boys and split before she circled back to Prosperity Street. Obviously, Summers wasn't standing outside this time, but when Aiden checked behind the recycling bin, he… didn't find him either.

Jun entered the alley in time to hear him curse under his breath. His face fell. He didn't need to be a detective to deduce the bad news. The twins showed up soon after. Kyle barely got the chance to open his mouth when Russell made a beeline for the recycling bin. Yet again, he put cardboard over his brother's disappearance.

His hand came up with a yellow disk instead. "Someone left their phone in here."

Kyle joined him. "It looks like Elliot's."

"What's it doing here then? He wouldn't throw it away, right?" Russell started to freak out. "Did something happen?"

"Shhh." Jun looked around. "Do you guys hear that??"

Aiden heard sounds from inside the laundromat. Not much else. Luckily, he didn't need to hear to see cardboard shuffling in the bin. Loud whispering came after. Jun, being nosy, leaned down to listen, but Aiden couldn't blame him, because he did the same.

"What are you doing? Give that back!" squeaked… Summers?

"Okay, okay, geez!"

"Elliot!" whispered Russell, who'd joined them.

Summers did most of the talking afterward. It sounded like he was on the phone with his brother.

Jun turned to Aiden. "I'd hate to interrupt, but…"

But now, in the privacy of a recycling bin, would be a great time for a doofus like Summers to say something incriminating about his age. Aiden knocked on the side. He knew he made the right move when chaos rocked the bin. These two were total amateurs at losing the pigs' scent. Just for the heck of it, he knocked a second time.

"Knock it off. They're already scared." Jun scolded, then stood up. "Angelo. It's okay, it's just me and Aiden."

The cardboard slowly lifted up to reveal lopsided glasses and a set of eyes that darted away from the twins.

Russell opened his mouth, but Kyle held out a hand to get his twin to shut up for a second. He stretched the other one out toward the recycling bin. "Here."

An orange glove slid out of the bin and into his hand. Out came a smaller, chubby-faced freckled redhead, who did most of the climbing out himself. Once his feet touched the ground, Jun held a hand towards Summers. He didn't take it. Instead, he darted back under the cardboard.

Jun gave Aiden a confused look, then stepped closer. "Hey little dude, I promise I won't–"

"Hands off the cardboard!"

Back straight and arms in the air, Jun slowly turned to face the ponytail pig.

She playfully wagged her finger. "C'mon, you know better than that!"

"Sorry, I dropped a dollar in there." In one slick motion, Jun swiped a dollar from his fanny pack and balled it in his hand before reaching into the recycling bin, pretending to fish it out. He held it up. "Got it."

The performance went unappreciated by everyone besides Aiden because Officer Ponytail saw the boys first. "Oh! You found your brother."

"Yeah, he was hiding in there." Kyle thumbed at the bin.

She shook her head, chuckling. "After today, if I see anyone look at that thing funny, I might have to cuff 'em on the spot." She tipped her hat to Elliot. "It's good you're safe and sound; your brothers were very worried for you."

"Oh wow, really?" Elliot did not sell that delivery.

"Yep! You know, it's strange. I got reports that you were seen with a teenager. Do you know anything about that?"

He hesitated. "I think he went home."

She turned to Aiden. "And the description reminded me of–" he placed a finger over his lips, "–no one in particular." She winked. "Since the missing boy is no longer missing, I'll call off the search. You all have a good one."

Giving the group one last wave, Officer Ponytail left. Jun and Aiden lounged against the laundromat's wall while the redheads stood up front like a picture-perfect family. The recycling bin stayed so quiet and still, Aiden wondered if Summers was still breathing.

He locked eyes with Russell. "Is she out of earshot?"

"She's halfway down the street." Russell kept staring for a few moments. "Okay, now she's at the last building."

Jun crouched by the bin. "The coast is clear."

Spindly fingers clawed up to the rim, and soon after, the rest of Summers sprang up with a gasp. He tried to throw one foot over the side, then the other, until he must have realized that no matter which one he led with, he'd have to put weight on both. His body hung halfway in, halfway out, stuck.

"Here," Elliot approached him faster than Jun, "grab onto my hand, and I'll–"

A loud snap sent Summers and the cardboard tumbling to the ground. Jun hoisted him up while the redheaded brothers scurried to put all the cardboard back in place. Aiden caught Russell pocketing some for himself. Without Summers to weigh its side down, the bin looked as good as new, ignoring the giant crack in the corner.

"I think this is our cue to leave." Jun herded the others out. "Angelo, you can grab onto my–What are you doing?"

Summers, who'd been making soft blubbering noises since he fell, was busy ripping off his glasses, hat, and T-shirt.

"Oh, I read about this!" Kyle stepped toward him. "Everybody stay calm. Don't move him." He spoke slowly to Angelo. "It's okay. We're all here for you."

"S-Sorry." Down to his striped shirt, Angelo began rambling closer and closer to a pitch only dogs could hear. "I was trying to bring him back, but you weren't there, and th-the police were after us, and I-I can't–I can't let them recognize me because I need to go to jail and–oh goooosh, I hung up on him! And Jun, I'm–I'm so sorry. I sh-shouldn't have left you on read!"

Jun visibly tried to cover up how lost he was. "It's fine, little dude. What was that about jail? You hung up on who?"

"We can't overload him with too much at once." Kyle waved a hand in front of Summers. "Look at me. Breathe in," he demonstrated, "and out." He did this until Summers remembered how to breathe. "That's it, you're doing great."

Russell turned to Elliot. Aiden barely heard him mumble "Who the heck were you hanging out with?"

"Someone who cares about me more than you guys!"

Kyle turned around. "Elliot, your feelings are important, they are valid, but I'm kind of in the middle of a delicate situation, okay? Can we talk about this later?"

"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" Elliot grew red in the face. "You're always in the middle of something. Both of you! Aaron, too!"

Russell placed a hand on his chest. "I'm in the middle of keeping you three alive! Get mad at Kyle. He's the one sneaking around with girls."

"We're working on a project." Kyle mumbled.

"Don't blame it on that!" Elliot pointed a finger at Russell. "You didn't have time for me even before then." Jun stared at the wall, but Aiden found this much more interesting. He could go for some popcorn. Even Kyle had his eye more on the argument than on Summers.

"Um." Summers poked him. "I-I'm alright. You should probably…" he tilted his head at Elliot.

Kyle walked up to his little brother. "I know you feel like you're not seen or heard," he placed a hand on Elliot's shoulder, "but I promise you, we still care, even if it doesn't always feel like we show it."

"No you don't." Elliot shook him off, tearing up. "No one's cared about me since Mia left!" He pointed at Summers. "Except him."

"I can't be her." Russell's mouth tightened.

"None of us can." Kyle stared at the ground. "I don't think she could be her. I guess that's what I was trying to say earlier."

"Does that mean you guys are gonna leave too?"

The other two went silent. Elliot's lip quivered, and one of his tears fell on the sidewalk. Russell's frustration died down to the point where he looked tired. Kyle just shook his head, though it didn't look like he was trying to answer the question. From where Aiden stood, being part of a family seemed exhausting. No wonder the sister left.

Now was a better time to ask about her. "So by Mia, are they talkin' about…?"

Either Jun ignored him or something really interesting happened on his tablet. It didn't matter because Kyle spoke up before Aiden could repeat himself. "I've heard doing chores together is a good bonding activity. Maybe me and Elliot can help around the house more."

"And then can we do something actually fun?" asked Elliot.

Russell's face became a little less sulky. "I'll have more time for it if you guys help." He yanked a tissue from Kyle's collar and gave it to Elliot. "You're leaking."

Elliot's mouth curled up slightly.

Kyle turned to Aiden and the others. "Sorry you had to see that. We can go now."

"Oh my gosh, Jun Kim just had to sit and listen to our family drama!" Russell's eye widened in terror. Aiden was there, too.

"It's cool." Jun reassured them. "I was on my tablet."

"Whaaat? That's Jun Kim?" Elliot's finger pointed from Jun to Summers. "Jello, you know Jun Kim?? Sorry you had to see me lose my cool." He posed. "I'm usually less of a crybaby than this."

Summers was just as confused as Aiden. "You just watched me forget how to breathe. I-I can't judge you."

The six inched their way out of the alley, including Summers, who hopped along the wall. Jun offered an arm, but Elliot came between them. "Let me handle it. We've kind of got a system going."

"You got it." Jun finger-gunned.

Elliot stared up at Aiden. "Are you the coworker who didn't show up?"

"Huh?"

"Jello said his coworker was supposed to be here." If he looked to his right, he'd see Summers's eyes screaming at him not to say any more.

"Yeah, that's me."

"It's kind of a jerk move not to show up when you've both got places to be."

"Elliot!" Russell scolded.

Aiden kept strolling, unbothered. "We were looking for you guys."

"S-Sorry." Summers spoke more to the curb than him. "You can tell th-the captain it's my fault we're late." The last time Aiden saw him, he was stomping off in tears with every right to be mad. Why offer to take the fall? Did Angelo normally give up so easily?

"Nah. It probably won't matter to him. 'Sides, I let you run off, and I left you to the pigs in the first place. It's my bad."

He and Jun gawked at Aiden like he was some kind of alien. Whatever. No one would have to take any blame if they made it back in time, though the purple sky wasn't making him hopeful.

"Turns out he might not have to know." Jun must've read his face. "I just checked the group chat. Captain Galhardo needed to bail and won't be there in time."

"Th-The group chat! Sorry, can we stop for a minute?" Angelo took off his phone, texting in one hand while holding his clothes in the other. "I promised t-to text something."

"No problem." Jun looked over at the brother brigade. "By the way, where are you guys headed? Don't let us hold you up."

Kyle checked his phone. "Our other brother still hasn't answered my texts."

"He probably snuck off to Main Street." Russell grumbled. "I can picture him now, back at his old job looking at cameras."

"Our stop's on the way there. In fact, a couple of our buddies are up that way. I can ask if they've seen him." Jun's tablet buzzed. He looked like it punched him when he read it. "Uh, scratch that." His eyes widened at Angelo. "They're in jail?"

"Blondie got arrested? For what?" The words sounded ridiculous as soon as they left Aiden's mouth. Emil would be alright. He had a premium get out of jail free card: his dad. Then again, if the cops knew about that, he probably wouldn't make it to the station. How did they see him?

All eyes locked on Angelo. "Sorry. I don't know. My brother was telling me about it when you knocked. All I know is that th-th–they need the captain to bail them out."

Jun sucked air through his teeth. "Does it need to be him? 'Cause he went alone, and Emil's, like, the only one who has his number."

"I-I don't know, I've never been to jail. Is th–Is there a way we can help?"

"I'd offer to pay bail, but my wallet's a little tight. Maybe me and Roxie can scrounge up enough and have the guys pay us back later." Once they reached Rockwell Street, the same street Aiden and Angelo first left Jun behind, Jun split off from them again. "I'll go get her. We'll catch you on the way to the station!"

"Can't you just text her? And who said we were goin' to the station?" Yet again, Aiden's questions went unheard. Why even bother?

"You can wait at the hotel." offered Angelo, hopping on his scrawny leg. "I-I'll go by myself."

"We can take him, can't we?" Elliot asked his brothers. "The police station's by Aaron's old job."

Aiden scratched his goatee, weighing the options. "I'll take you to the station, but I ain't goin' inside." He shrugged. "Not like I have anything better to do."

Though the offer tempted him, he'd rather not let the human trainwreck known as Angelo Summers go off on his own again. Besides, he wanted to see Emil. His side of the story should be entertaining, because if not–if any harm came to him–pigs will pay. As much as Aiden would love to wreak havoc, with a dad like Emil's, he might not have to lift a finger.