Chapter 4: What the Doctor Ordered

Pen followed Nicole out into the patient pick-up lot, now wearing an oversized blue baseball team hoodie, the bottoms of an undersized black tracksuit and some old canvas kicks. The hoodie nearly covered his unusual collar, but the static still caused stares from the few passer-byes around so late at night. Nicole winced for her new friend. “They really couldn't take that thing off?”

Pen snapped out of a daze. “What thing?”

His companion gave a dull look. “That collar thingy of course!” The alien glanced down at it as if just remembering and then back at Nicole. “Oh. No, of course simple hospital staff couldn't take it off. It requires the proper key sequences.”

“Key sequences?” Nicole's heart sunk. “Like, multiple sequences?”

Pen watched a passing old road car with serious investment. “What is that? Some sort of primitive vehicle? I see people inside, but how do they control it?”

“Doesn't it get annoying?” Nicole insisted, ignoring Pen's unrelated questions. To her, it sounded like an old television or radio channel with no signal.

“It was annoying for a little while, I suppose, but now I'm used to it. I forgot it was even there.” He sat down on the bench and felt the old dented wood under his left hand. Nicole sat beside him and they kept in silence but for the collar crackling into the night.

Another, far more annoying racket disturbed the two exhausted individuals and Pen startled, eyes searching for the sound. Nicole put a hand on his shoulder carefully and smiled reassuringly. “I know it sounds bad, but I think that's just our ride. It's kind of an antique. Sort of.”

Pen's brows lowered as he looked at her with an air of disgust. “An antique? A curiosity at best, but from the sounds it's making I believe it should be considered a non-functioning curiosity.” She laughed at him and when his look turned perturbed, she was triggered to laugh even more. They followed the speck as it enlarged, and once it was within 10 feet of them, Charlie waved from the driver's seat emphatically.

The car was an old beat up 1980's red vehicle of no longer pure origin. The rear right door was white, as though from a different car. Professionally painted on the side in a cheesy 1960's style font was 'Charlie and Carlie's Rusty Franken-Bucket'. Charlie spent some effort manually rolling down his passenger's window before sticking out his freckled round head. Despite being parked 4 feet away, he still had to shout to be heard over the rumbling. “Hey guys! The Franken-Car has arrived! I was thinking pizza! My treat!”

Pen sneered as he kicked at the rear axle. “This is our ride?” Charlie snapped. “Hey! Don't kick it! Okay, so it's seen better days, but I promise it won't explode or anything. It will get us where we need to go.”

Nicole grabbed Pen's hood as though he were an impertinent child and lead him towards the rear door. “Pizza is exactly what the doctor ordered! Let's go to Tony's!” She opened the door and guided the wary spaceman into his seat before slamming it closed and heading for her own, which would barely open and took all of hers and Charlie's efforts. The engine rumbled so loud the collar no longer was audible, Pen noted inwardly. At least there's that. He tried to imagine exactly what Nicole and her strange friend were talking about and just how this nonsense little vehicle was supposed to get them anywhere. “Pizza? The doctor didn't say anything about that," he remarked, a little annoyed.

Charlie turned around, cupping a hand around his ear. “What? Did you say something?” Nicole shook her head and rolled her eyes before leaning up closer. “Don't worry about it!” Charlie nodded and shrugged apologetically. “Sorry about my car. Just needs a new muffler. They're hard to come by these days! I can't believe the government disallowed production of old car parts!” Nicole snorted. Here he goes again. “Yeah, it's almost like they care about the environment or something.”

This started a tirade from Charlie about human rights and how he does happen to meet legal standards for gasoline consumption for his particular model of car, etc.. Nicole wasn't paying attention and Pen wasn't following. She nudged his arm with a smirk. “Don't forget your seatbelt, Spaceman.” Pen looked around and then buckled up, following her example. “Wait, this car uses gasoline? I thought you said it wouldn't explode! Gasoline is a highly volatile concoction!” Charlie stopped mid rant and looked at Pen as if he were an idiot. “Gasoline may be flammable, but at least it doesn't have the capability of supplying terrorists with the power to make a bomb that can blow up New York City!”

Nicole rolled her eyes even more and crossed her arms, her presence threatening. “I thought we were going to Tony's! I'm starving!” Charlie flushed in embarrassment and turned, placing a hand on the wheel and another on the stick shift. "Sorry. You know how I get." He began to drive, but his mouth didn't remain shut for long. Once something came to mind, the lecture continued.

"New York City doesn't even want truck deliveries anymore! How ridiculous is that? As if it can stop local businesses from using cheaper methods! Investing the tax money into the new delivery service and yet not keeping your prices fair to small business owners is absolutely immoral!" Charlie started to drive erratically as he got sucked into his own anger, prompting Pen to cling to his seat in fear. “Is this alright?! Are you sure it's not going to explode?! It sounds like it's going to explode!” The redhead took a short moment from the near barren road to glare at the stranger in his backseat. “It just needs a muffler! Or would you rather walk, your majesty?!"

Nicole reached over and smacked Charlie upside his head, causing him to hit a curb as he turned. "God! Watch where you're going Charlie! You're gonna give him a heart attack!" She turned to Pen, her gaze softening. "It's not going to explode. I've been in this car plenty of times." Pen's right hand gripped the handle of the car door so tightly it was pasty white. Charlie slowed down, taking more care with his driving. "I'm sorry. I know you guys just went through a lot, and I shouldn't be adding to your nerves right now.” Pen closed his eyes and murmured to himself. “Frankly I'd rather take chances with my highly unstable PIT device.”

⚴

The Franken-Bucket arrived at Tony's Pizza Parlor in a dark but quaint old neighborhood of crowded three and four story buildings. Tony's itself was a two story building with decaying yet meticulously clean architecture, at least 100 years of age from the looks of it. A large old fashioned sign above the sagging front door was barely visible past its peeling paint. It read in red and white letters 'Tony's Pizza Parlor'. Nicole had to help Pen out of his seatbelt and then get out through his door; hers wouldn't budge. It seemed Franken-Bucket didn't want to let them leave.

Charlie slowed down to walk beside Nicole, which blocked Pen and forced him to walk behind. “Oh, by the way, the gang is here. They wanted to make sure you're okay.” Nicole raised a brow and stifled her mixed reaction. “Really? Everybody? I thought they'd all have to work in the morning.” Charlie raised his hands. “If your house blowing up doesn't count as an emergency, I don't know what does.” Pen bit his lip. “Sorry about that. I really thought it would implode, not explode.”

Charlie held open the door for Nicole. “Implode? What?” Nicole brushed her shoulder against his as she passed, a tired look on her face. “Long story. Don't ask.” At this, the redhead mouthed 'okay' very slowly and then turned his attention to the stranger. “Hey, what did you mean 'implode'?” Nicole shot a warning look at Pen, who simply blinked innocently as he passed Charlie while heading in. “Huh? Oh, nothing.”

All of their peers had already arrived and settled. They each got up and gave Nicole a huge hug before bading she and her new friend sit down. Pen was brought a chair and sat beside Nicole and everyone else returned to their respective seats. Charlie brought in his own chair and gathered votes for toppings, then went to order. A mousy, black haired and pale man in his early thirties fiddled with his soda straw, brewing up a sentence in his head. “So," he started, "this is that guy who was in your house when it blew up?" A blond with a kind face smiled pitifully at her friend and the stranger, her blond hair falling in front of her face as she looked down insecurely. "What happened?”

Pen opened his mouth to speak, but Nicole put a hand over his mouth. “Yes. Well, it was an accident, actually. So, uh... This is Pen, everybody. He inadvertently ended up in my home after hitting his head. He saved my life.” The blond smiled sweetly, tucking in her hair and nodding her head. “Thanks for looking out for Nicole. I'm Sarah. Friend since grade school.” A darker skinned man with thick short black hair and dark eyes looked Pen up and down, keeping tight lipped. “I'm Nick.” The mousy man adjusted his thin rimmed and small glasses. “I'm George. Is that short for Pendleton?” Pen looked at the ceiling before nodding surely. “Yes.”
Then Charlie rose his hand to speak, but Nicole shrugged him off. “Charlie, I think he already knows your name.” The redhead frowned, his mouth and unkempt eyebrows twisting in an ugly manner which always reminded Nicole of an angry leprechaun, ever since she was little. “No he doesn't! Well now he does. Whatever."

Nick and Charlie helped the pizza maker place two steaming, cheesy, proud New York style large pies onto the table. The heavily accented Brooklyn baker reiterated the order for them. "Half Hawaiian, half ham and broccoli, half spinach and half plain for my favorite customers." Charlie tipped him a tenner before digging in. Pen followed Charlie's lead, placing a slice on a paper plate before folding it and stuffing it in his mouth. “Mmm! Hot! Good! So good! Mmmm," he spoke between mouthfuls.

"I take it you like it?" Nicole hadn't noticed until then, but she was starving. She placed two slices of Hawaiian pizza on her plate and began to chow down. “This has got to be the most delicious pizza I've ever had.” George watched Pen reach for a second slice in nervous amusement before he reached for his first. “It's good, isn't it?” Pen looked up, cheeks full. “Mmm. It's gooey and salty and saucy and crunchy! It's the best thing I ever tasted!”

Nicole chuckled at the way her spaceman devoured the pie in front of him, but somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered when the last time he had a good meal was. When she'd cuffed him, he was already shackled, and he was swimming in a large white robe, so she hadn't initially noticed, but now his bandaged up but otherwise naked wrists seemed just a little too small. His legs were nearly as thin as snap peas. Or perhaps that's just how people where he was from looked. Maybe she looked super fat to him. This thought made her grimace disapprovingly at herself.

Charlie interjected again. "Anyway, just who is this guy?"

“I'm Pen. Weren't you paying attention?” Pen rubbed at his bandaged wrists in aggravation. Charlie returned his sentiment and then some. “No, I mean, who are you? Why were you in cuffs? What's that thing around your neck? Why is it buzzing? How did you know Nicole's place was gonna explode? She said it was your fault when she thought you were dead! And for some reason, despite you being a complete stranger who blew up her house, here we are, sitting at a table together sharing a midnight pizza!”

As Charlie continued his ranting questions, Nicole increasingly panicked, uncertain the truth would ever do. She could feel the alien's growing anger at her mouthy friend, and she didn't blame him one bit, but she also couldn't blame Charlie. She didn't believe Pen herself until she was nearly killed by an alien stow-away, the scourge of space, and now it was blown to smithereens along with all of her stuff! She didn't know what to say, so she just snapped, lunging out of her chair to meet his face with her own. “Why do you have to sound like you're interrogating him?! Seriously, can't we just eat pizza and go to bed? I'm exhausted! My house just blew up with my laptop, all of my favorite outfits, my father's gun, my big comfy bed, my wallet and ID and he just hit his head and survived an explosion that he saved me from, and for your information he can't get off that collar and it's really insensitive of you to ask, so do you mind laying off?!”

Pen watched with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, all evidence of anger wiped from his face, then shifted uncomfortably before looking down at the pizza. Sarah jumped from her seat to pull Nicole aside and give her a big comforting hug and Nicole accepted it, crying into her shoulder.

Nick and George watched Charlie accusingly as they slowly chewed on their meals.

Author's Note

More bonding.