Chapter Text
How do you miss someone you barely know?
Snatcher would sure love the answer to that question, it’d probably help him sort out his weird feelings.
Sitting in his tree, the ghost was on his 9th reread of a relatively new book in his collection - “The History of the Law of Child Protective Services: InterGalactic Edition” - something he’d gotten as a gag gift of sorts, shipped to him from one of the Hat Kid’s many “friends”
“She said you liked law and books” the groovy looking penguin wrote on glittery paper “She said you needed more books, and frankly, I can’t deny my little star her simple requests!”
He hated that he liked the book and its language.
He shut the book in frustration and looked out into the forest.
No one had heard from the kid in almost 2 months.
During the first month, at least, they got intergalactic “letters” from the kid. All of them. Even that strange mustache girl that nearly broke Space-Time got letters.
The child’s writing was crude, but legible, and it recounted her last stop on her way home - a little galactic rest point with a quaint diner and 3 eyed owners. She’d stayed there for about a week and a half, and she said everyone was nice.
“They had me sign a book that had all the customer’s names in it. Made me think of you”
He wasn’t sure why that made him feel fuzzy, all past interactions with the kid considered.
She also wrote about how excited she was to go home. How she couldn’t wait to see her uncle, who worked for the “Time Builder’s Authority” - whatever that was.
He didn’t even linger on the fact she didn’t mention her parents.
But that letter had been the last, and no one had heard from her since.
Not that he should care. The kid probably got home, hugged their uncle, and forgot all about their adventures on the planet - his forest included.
He kind of hated that it bothered him.
“Ugh, that kid mushed me up” he grumbled, rubbing his head slightly as he felt a mild headache come on.
“Boss?”
He turned his head to the subconite at the entrance
“We got a message from the Cooking Cat. She says that they got a package”
“... From the kid?”
“Yeah. Apparently it was shipped out like, a month ago and just got here” The subconite relayed, leading Snatcher to furrow his brow. The kid’s mail usually came in days, not weeks - what little they’d received.
“Alright. Where is it?”
“Oh, uh, she says you have to come to her, she’s at that bird place”
The ghost groaned “Ugh, fine, whatever. You and the other’s watch yourselves, okay?”
“‘Course, sir!” The being gave him a salute and bounced off, leaving the ghostly man to his thoughts.
The ghoul “stood” himself up and stretched, feeling his body elongate and twist as he did so with a yawn.
“Well, time to catch up with the Kid”
--
It was a quick trip to Dead Bird Studios, where the Conductor was standing outside, talking on what looked like a rather antiquated cell phone
“Tell th’ kids I’ll be home f’r dinner. 'A course I wouldn’t miss their birthdays, what kinda grandpa ya take me for?!”
Snatcher couldn’t help but snort, and floated himself into the lobby, where DJ Grooves, Cooking Cat, and that little "Mu" gremlin were standing, a modest sized box between them
“Oh, there you are, spooky darling! Took you long enough” Grooves greeted
“I got here in 5 minutes, shut up” Snatcher snipped at the penguin. “Are we having to wait for Mr. Accent out there or are we opening this thing”
“It says to open when we’re all here, so that's what we’re gonna do!” Mu aggressed “You’ll just have to be patient, ya ink blot”
Snatcher felt his eye twitch.
Once the conductor came back, he approached the box with his taloned finger, and opened the box, which contained what seemed to be a tablet with a red button. “Oh, a toy?”
“That’s not a toy, maybe its a video message for us!” Grooves suggested
“Oh, how sweet” Cooking Cat cooed “She’s so thoughtful”
Before anyone could even lift it out of the box, Mu grabbed it and pressed the button. The screen turned on with what seemed like a pre-recorded message, with Hat Kid front and center, holding a paper between her hands. They were sitting in a metal chair, with a white wall behind them. She looked like she hadn’t slept, her hair no longer in its ponytail, and frizzed this way and that. A voice from outside the frame spoke.
“You have two minutes. Read the message first before any personal comments”
The child - who wasn’t even wearing her hat, and was dressed in a pale, blue shirt nodded to the off screen voice, and looked back down at the paper, her eyes glassy and her form trembling.
Snatcher wasn’t liking any of this one bit.
The little girl cleared her throat, and started reading “Hello to my friends on a different planet. I am Solice - 3 of Primus Prime, and you met me” She sniffed, her voice hoarse “2 months ago when I endangered your solar system with my - my mistake of dropping the time pieces on your world and endangering you. For that I am- I am sorry, and my p-planet will be sending two officers to collect any time pieces I missed and I will be appropriately punished”
There was a pause of about 3 seconds before she continued
“M-my punishment will be swift and-and severe” her voice trembled “and, and I will be barred.. From traveling ever again” The tears in her eyes finally made their way down her cheeks “So-so this is goodbye. I am sorry that I caused you so much trouble”
There was another pause as she sniffed and collected herself
“I… I cannot receive any mail or communication of any kind, and- and will be in partial sol-solit-”
“Solitary” the off screen voice corrected
“Solitary confinement for the duration of the f-first part of my trial before initial punishment is set. I hope that-that my punishment is sufficient to the crime”
“You have 20 seconds” The voice announced
The kid - Solice -3? - looked into the camera with her wet, tearing eyes “I-i’m gonna miss you guys.” She admitted, her voice somehow worse than when she started. Snatcher was certain he’d never heard her talk this much in the time he’d known her “G-goodbye” She managed a watery smile, and her signature peace sign at the camera before looking off-screen.
“That’s all?”
Hat kid nodded, and the feed stopped- with a written warning in several alien languages stating that the officers coming for any remaining time pieces would be arriving roughly 2 months after the tape was delivered.
All five of the recipients were left speechless for a time, letting what was recorded and sent to them sink in.
“..... What kinda peckin -!!” The Conductor couldn’t even find it in him to scream. “.. She’s jus’ a kid, a wee lassie, ain’t even as tall as me and-”
“The time pieces weren’t even her fault!” Mu shouted. Snatcher noticed that she looked to be on the verge of crying “The stupid Mafia broke her ship and made her loose the pieces! And they’re punishing her for that??”
“Now now, surely they wouldn’t do that to a child, perhaps it was just… humiliation? … No that’s just as bad” DJ Grooves tried to organize.
“Did anyone notice her eyes, the poor girl looks like she hasn’t slept!” Cooking Cat nearly shouted
Snatcher, for his part, was floating with his arms crossed, his mind running with the fact that a child - some kid who he was reasonably sure wasn’t even in the double digits yet- was being put in something as nasty as solitary confinement.
He remembered in chapter 2, page 7, paragraph for of the law book. That was considered torture
And boy, it was a torture he was very, very familiar with.
As the group (sans Snatcher, who wasn’t even moving) erupted in panic, the Conductor basically yelled out
“I dunno about you lily-livered fools, but i’m going straight to that Prrrrimus Prime an’ tellin’ ‘em what for!”
“Uh, you got a spaceship I don’t know about?” Grooves raised a brow
“No, but I do!”
The group all looked at Mu
“... You what?” Cooking Cat asked.
“The Mafia retrofitted their old ship ages ago to travel into space! I bet you using this-” She took out the Timepiece that Hat kid had gifted to her before she left “We can get it easily! Plus, if we bring this there we can tell them what really happened!”
“Well, you’re eager to help her now after being not so great” the cat mused.
“.... They don’t deserve to be punished for somethin’ they didn’t do”
“... Then let’s go” Snatcher finally spoke
“... Aw, why the heck not. Let's help our star!” Grooves announced with fervor. “I just gotta get some stuff straightened out. Gotta keep filmin’ while I’m not here!”
“Aye… gotta keep the locomotives movin’ while we’re gone. An’ see m’grandkids”
“Let’s meet back here in say… 3 hours? Then we’ll head to Mafia Town” Cooking cat recommended
“3 hours” Snatcher nodded.
“3 hours” Grooves repeated “Let's get things set, and hurry on up! I don’t want that star locked up any longer than she has to be!!”
The 5 nodded and went their separate ways. But before Mu could leave, Snatcher grabbed her arm.
“.... You know anything about Primus Prime?”
“... Only rumors from other aliens. They got lots of power, but they don’t get around very much” Mu explained “I think i got somethin’ on ‘em back at the library. I’ll try grabbing it”
“... Thanks” Snatcher let her go “... We’ll get her back”
“... Yeah”
The two parted ways.
3 hours… Snatcher admitted that it wasn’t a whole lot of time. But, lucky for him, the subjects of Subcon were far more capable than they seemed, and had run autonomously before due to… reasons.
He’d get them set up, he’d bring a few books, he’d go make sure that poor kid didn’t suffer for something they didn’t do.
But first, he needed to shake the familiarity off. He couldn’t take this personally
…. Right?
---
Once everyone had their affairs in order, met up at the Studio, and then rather hilariously simply stealing the mafia’s ship, they were already off in space.
“Okay, dolls” Grooves started “The coordinates are on the box. So we just punch them in and off we go!”
“Sounds simple enough” Mu agreed, holding up the box.
As Grooves punched in the coordinates for Primus Prime, Cooking Cat was sitting towards the back, leaning back and sighing deeply. Her eyes wandered to Snatcher, who was seemingly deep into a book on intergalactic cultures.
“... Anythin’ interesting, yet?”
“... Primus Prime is a police state” Snatcher didn’t look up “Despite physical and Mental maturity for their species not occurring until they are much older than most species, training for trades and specialties starts young, and juveniles are known to travel solo intergalactically”
“... So, the kid was on an actual mission? Not a test or something?” the Cat wasn’t liking what she was hearing.
“Seems so”
She noticed that he seemed bristled. “... What are you reading?”
“.... ‘juveniles are punished the same as adults, due to various unknown cultural factors’” he read aloud.
The cat let out a sigh “We’re going to get her out”
“Sure”
The cat looked at him for a moment before continuing
“... You happen to know if she has a favorite food? I have a feeling she’ll be needed a good meal when she gets out”
Snatcher looked back at her for a moment before focusing on her book “As if i’d know anything about that”
The cat simply shrugged “Didn’t hurt to ask”
“Here’s a question we gotta ask” The conductor chimed in “What’ll we do if somethin’ goes south?”
“Make a break for it!” Mu shouted from the control panel “They can’t catch us! From the rumors I've heard, Primus Prime is full of a whole lotta lame-os with a whole lotta procedures and junk”
“They do rely heavily on procedure and dedicated laws.” Snatcher added as he kept reading “Says here that everything is practically predetermined and it’s all ritual. Recommendation: Do not visit” The spectre finished before putting the book down.
There was an unsettling quiet, after that, followed by the sound of the coordinates PINGing, and the thrusters of the rag-tag ship engaging.
Snatcher watched the galaxy move past them at hyper speed
And he couldn’t help but wonder if they were already too late.