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The over-all trip to Chicago took them about 9 hours. The 'bots played some electronic games in the back seat that Joel had gotten for them, though it took some clever thinking to pull it off with Tom having non-functioning arms and Crow's not working tons better. In the end, Joel had just interfaced the little systems to the 'bots, and they played happily for hours, even if on occasion an argument erupted over what one or the other would consider unfair.
Mike watched the scenery go by, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling that it gave him. Most of their trip was through Wisconsin, and at one point he knew where he was and how to get home from there. It made him feel almost as though he were somehow wrong for not jumping off the highway and going to visit his parents, but he knew that there would be plenty of time for them to visit together as soon as the little mission was complete.
Joel did the driving, since Mike's license had expired during his time on the SOL. He had the course and time mapped out to when internet traffic would be at it's lowest, and when the people watching the government system were most likely not to notice the break in service. He had practiced for an entire day until he could cut the line, install the splitter, and have service back up within two and a half minutes. Hopefully it would go unnoticed, or if it didn't, they would think it a minor malfunction.
The internet router would be a lot easier, and Chicago was the nearest point where the two different high-speed systems passed each other. They were a mile or so apart at most, and if everything worked according to plan, it would be over and they would be on their way home within a half an hour. Mike was to connect the cable to the internet router, and Joel had the tricky task of splitting the government line. They had a pair of modified, hand held CB radios with a scrambler so they could coordinate their efforts and cut time, and so Mike (who was not a technical genius by any stretch of the imagination) could have some help if he got confused. Joel had put him through the paces of rerouting, and didn't let him quit until he could tie in the cable blindfolded, but under pressure anything could happen.
It was dark when they got to the outskirts of Chicago. In 5 hours, they would put into action a plan that could land the two humans in jail and the two robots in a scrap yard. It just made Mike and Joel more determined not to mess it up, and Mike even went so far as to take out a spare splitter and cable to continue practicing while they waited.
Joel wordlessly parked the Cavalier at a convenient store. Tom and Crow both looked up, and Tom asked, "You gonna get us some cookies?"
"Your beaks are going to rot off," Joel chided, though gently. "Anything healthier in mind?"
"Raisin cookies," Crow replied solemnly, bringing a laugh from Mike and getting a grin from Joel.
"Alright, alright." Joel shook his head, chuckling. "Raisin cookies it is. Anything, Mike?"
"Coffee," Mike answered, turning his attention back to the splitter and the cable in hand. "Black, since this is going to be a long night."
"Gotcha." Joel nodded, then made his way inside.
Tom and Crow bounced around the back-seat, now that they had turned their game off. There was so much they wanted to see and do, but neither Mike or Joel wanted to let them go exploring. It was probably for the better; if they could find trouble on a satellite in orbit, then they could cause all kinds of grief on Earth. Not that they would mean to, but despite their intelligence they had no clue about the real world and were quite a bit like kids in that sense. All they knew came from movies and stories, but as for actual experience, they were lacking.
Mike thought about that as he went over the practice rerouting almost without having to pay any attention to it. He hadn't failed to notice that his sense of protection had shifted slightly from that of a friend to more of a father or a brother. The real world wasn't always a nice place where there could be lots of adventures, and even though he himself didn't have much experience with the hurts and frustrations of it, he still knew it was possible and didn't want them to have to go through it.
Still, there was plenty of adventure they could have without having to face it. He smiled; maybe he'd take them home and cut them loose on the farm. His parents wouldn't know what to do about that, and it was an amusing thought at how they would react. His mother would probably sit there and tell him about how he would make a good father and how he was getting too old to be a bachelor, and mostly about how he should be settled down. In all honesty, Mike knew that he hadn't found the right girl yet, and that he wasn't about to jump into a hurried relationship. He wasn't in the position financially or emotionally to make that kind of commitment without a lot of thought and hard work, though he had every intention of getting married someday and getting a nice house out in the country.
With hard work, patience, and honesty. He got that from his father; a very quiet and hardworking man if there ever was one. He wasn't afraid to belt one of his sons if they misbehaved, and he was very fair in his judgments. Mike had never gotten his butt kicked by his father, but his brother had certainly earned his fair share. Instead the younger son had listened to what lessons he was taught, by words or by example, and tried his hardest to live up to that image. Mike admired his father. Most of the morals he had gotten had been from him, though his mother was a wonderful and churchgoing woman. But Mike learned better by watching, and his father had been one heck of a role model.
Joel got into the drivers seat, pulling Mike from his wandering thoughts and offering him the cup of coffee. "It was bottom of the barrel," he said, apologetically.
Mike took it, smirking. "That's okay. I like chewing on coffee grounds," he chuckled, setting the rerouter down and taking a sip.
"Got the goods?" Servo asked, hovering up and trying to take the bag in his beak.
"Yea, boss." Joel took the cookies out, opened the package and set them on the back-seat. Crow grabbed one and began munching away, and Tom managed to get one out to peck on.
Once everyone was settled with their munchies and caffeine fixes, Joel started the car and drove back out. There wasn't anything to do until the time came besides take a pass or two around the area. Joel drove over a set of railroad tracks and turned down a small road that ran parallel. "See that black box?"
Mike peered through the darkness, finally seeing what Joel was pointing at. There was a fairly small black box attached to a pole with several black, steel-wrapped wires running from the ground to it, not quite halfway up. An orange light lit the pole, and thankfully there were few houses around the area. "Yea," he said, after a short pause.
"That's the internet router. When we hit 3:30, I'm going to pick the lock and leave you here. You'll have to take the end and slip it under the railroad tracks... try to bury it or something to make it less conspicuous. I'll wait over there," Joel pointed to a road across the set of three tracks. "Bring the cable over, then I'll run it to the other point. After that, lay low and try not to let anyone see you; I'll call when I'm ready."
Mike nodded, going over the walk in his mind. "Where are you leaving the car?" he asked, once he was sure he had everything set right.
"I'll show you," Joel answered, turning around at the dead-end of the road and starting back. He pulled out and went back over the tracks, finally stopping at gap between two buildings. "I was going to park it in a driveway if I couldn't think of anything else, but I saw the perfect spot a few minutes ago." He pulled into a gap, which was barely wide enough for the car, and stopped.
"But we can't even open the doors," Mike protested, looking around. It was incredibly dark back there; near pitch black. It was a great place for concealment, but if they couldn't get out, it was sort of pointless.
"That's where you come in, Crow, Tom." Joel grinned. "You guys are gonna pull the car back here and when we come back, you're gonna pull out."
"You're letting us drive?!" Crow's voice went up half an octave from excitement.
"Very very very carefully." Joel nodded, adding, "As in, so slowly that Strom Thurman could beat you if it were a race and he were on his hands and knees."
"Awww." Servo kind of pouted.
"Guys," Mike sighed, "when this is over and I have a car, I'll teach you how to drive faster. But for now, it's very important you don't wreck this thing, or we're in deep crap."
"Bingo," Joel agreed. "I'll line you up. All you have to do is ride the brake and inch in, keep the wheel straight, and when we come back, back out the same way."
"I can do that," Crow said, liking the idea of driving, no matter how slowly he had to do it. He had watched enough movies that he had a basic grasp of the controls, and someday he hoped to own something fast.
"Me too," Tom affirmed, hovering up to look at the dash.
Mike nodded, and Joel backed the car back out of the space between the buildings. It promised to be a long night, and all either of them could think about was how much they wanted to get it done and get out of there. Neither Mike nor Joel had ever committed an act this criminal, but when it came to saving two of their own, they would go to any lengths.
Joel drove for a few more minutes, not slowing down when he passed the access road that lead to the government router. There was a guard house at the end with a gate, and the guard was sitting in there watching TV. Past the gate was another gate and a chain link fence. "That's where I'm going." Joel looked at the task ahead, swallowing, but not letting any of the fear slip into his voice.
"Holy..." Tom said, softly. "You think you can get in there and get out?"
"Yea." Joel took a deep breath, "I'm gonna try to come in from behind. If I can, I'll scale the fence, be in and out before they can even figure out I was there."
Mike blinked. "Dang... that's a pretty serious undertaking. Any way we can help?"
"Not that I know of," Joel replied. "Don't worry, I can do it. They aren't expecting any trouble, I have a couple of failsafes worked into the plan, and there's no way I'm going to let myself get caught if I can help it."
Mike nodded. "I'd hate to have to spring you," he grinned, wryly, "We're already in danger of being charged with treason and spending the rest of life fighting off Bubba."
Joel smiled in turn. "That's why we don't get caught."
The hour came all too soon. It was quiet enough out to hear a pin drop as Joel stopped at the internet router's point, his lights off. He and Mike got out as quietly as they could, and made their way over. Joel quickly climbed up the pole using the utility grips on the sides, and his mechanical-based mind had no trouble figuring out the locking mechanism; he had the box unlocked in a matter of less than a minute.
Mike waited at the bottom, somewhat spooked. He jumped at the slightest noise, glancing around anxiously. Joel was considerably more calm as he hopped down from a foot or two up, offering the end of the cable and nodding towards the other side where he would be waiting. Then he climbed into the car, leaving Mike to start his jaunt across the tracks.
The farmboy watched as his counterpart stopped and pulled the car up to the gap not far down the way, and as much as he would have enjoyed seeing the 'bots drive the car in, he set to work. Walk softly, thread it through between the railroad ties, under the rail, other rail, pull it along. He slipped down in the small incline between tracks and repeated, then the third time. After what seemed like an eternity, he got to Joel and handed him the wire.
Joel gave him a long look, signaling to keep an ear out and whispering, "Good luck."
Mike smiled. "You too."
With that, Joel took off at an easy jog, pulling the wire with him. It was longer than it needed to be in case there were obstacles to go around, and Mike returned to his post, turning the radio on to the lowest hearable volume, and waited.
Joel jogged without much effort. For being sort of wiry, he was stronger than most people thought he could possibly be, and very fast when put to it. Over and over he thought about how he could get in and get out without anyone noticing him, firmly pushing the possible implications aside. No, what they were doing wasn't right, but the reasons they were doing it were right, and he hoped that in the end, that meant something. Gypsy had been his first 'bot, and he loved her as much as the two in the car. Cambot hadn't been his creation, but over the years he might as well have been.
His feet hit the ground in a steady pace, though he would slow to a quiet walk when he got close enough for it to matter. In the back of his mind, he wondered if the two 'bots were doing alright in the car, and if Mike was okay down the road. If worse had come to worse, he would have gone alone. It made him feel a lot better, though, knowing that he wasn't by himself in this righteous crusade.
At the outside worse, he and Mike would be caught. Tom and Crow would probably be safe where he had left them as long as they didn't panic, but he had no idea what would become of them so he didn't allow himself to even contemplate failure. They were depending on him, and he wouldn't let them down.
He slowed as he got closer, walking carefully and as silently as possible. There was enough light to see where he intended to slip inside. Ready to run at a moment's notice, Joel inched his way forward. Nothing yet. A glance at his watch told him that he had plenty of time, so he took it and used it wisely.
It took a good five minutes to work his way to the fence. From there, Joel stood silent and regarded the task ahead. The fence was electric, the top was wired with constantine wire, and the box where the router was kept was undoubtedly full of mechanisms to prevent the very thing he intended to do. He took a pair of rubber gloves he had placed in his belt... the heavy-duty electrical kind. His shoes had rubber soles, and if he did it right, he could be able to get over and down the other side without having any unshielded part of his body touching the fence. The wire on top would be difficult to navigate, but he was prepared for it. Unsnapping the buttons with a wince at the sound, he took a rubber mat he had wrapped and snapped around his right leg, sticking it in his teeth.
3:42 AM.
Mike did his best to bury and hide the cable, then ducked low in the semi-ditch between a set of tracks. It was the only point low enough that he could remain hidden, and he tried not to work himself up too much with paranoia. But flat out, he was scared at the thought of going into the light, shimmying up the pole, and committing the first really and truly illegal act in his life.
He was ready to bolt at the least sign of trouble, and part of him wondered how he had gone from being a normal fellow to an unofficial covert ops agent that quickly. Mostly, though, he wondered if this was the right thing to do.
Then he remembered when he had first woken up on the SOL. His head had hurt something fierce, the metal decking was cold, and he had no clue where he was. All he could think about was some Tylenol and he didn't even want to consider where he was and how he had gotten there. It definitely didn't cross his mind that he was in orbit.
Tom and Crow were relatively uninterested in his well-being at that point, though it hadn't taken them long after that to grow fond of their new pet human. But Gypsy had been nothing but a saint from day one; she had tried to explain to the best of her abilities what had happened and why he was there. And had it not been for her reaching out and trying to break it gently that he was stranded, he might not have taken it half as well.
The fear slipped away, and was replaced by determination. No backing down now.
3:44 AM.
Joel carefully worked his way down the other side of the fence. There had been one too many close calls already; his chest had nearly brushed the electrically charged wire, and had he not had the rubber mat in his teeth, he would have been fried. Now he was in the home stretch... at least in this part of the plan.
It didn't take him long to scale down the other side, and he was surprised at how calm and detached he felt. Very very slowly he inched to the box where the router was held. As he had expected, it was filled with failsafes. There was a sensor rigged to trigger an alarm if the latch was opened without the keypad on the small door being coded right. But Joel was clever enough on his own, and he had literally taken notes from watching MacGyver, so he set to figuring out how to open it without alerting the guard in the house.
Some chewing gum ended up offering an answer. The alarm was rigged to the part of the door where the latch rested. If he opened it and exposed to sensor, he would be busted. So he did the only thing that came to mind... took out a piece of gum and chewed it impatiently until it was soft. Then, with movements so delicate that they were actually harder than manual labor ever could be, he worked the gum into the cracks, equally increasing pressure on the latch until the gum had taken the place and the latch swung open.
More failsafes. It only made sense. There were wires attached to the screws holding on the last panel. If they were removed, it would probably send out an alarm, but Joel had no intentions of removing them. Chewing on another piece of gum, he grinned slightly, loosening the four screws with the tip of a pocketknife he had. What good inventor didn't have a pocket knife?
It didn't take him long to loosen the screws, then he took pieces of the gum and fixed them over so that they wouldn't come off. Underneath that was the router.
3:52 AM
Mike didn't even twitch as a train came up; he was pressed to the ground like a rabbit trying to hide from a fox. He could hear it coming but he didn't leave the ditch between the tracks... if he did, he would be out in the open. No less than 4 feet from him the train roared past, and it took every ounce of common sense and willpower not to bolt in the opposite direction.
He looked at his watch, trying to distract himself from the fact that this several hundred ton metal monster was screaming so close he could feel molecules jumping between him and it. Coming up on zero hour, and Joel hadn't called in yet. He hoped the train would be long past before 4 AM hit, or he would be in some trouble and the whole plan could go.
Nothing to do but wait.
3:57 AM
Joel had everything ready. The splitter was in one hand, the radio in the other. In one minute his plan would begin, and hopefully in five he would be long gone. He heard the train himself, but assumed it wouldn't be a long one. Now he wasn't so sure, and as the watch ticked the minute, he whispered into the CB, "Mike, you there?" No answer. Not good. "Mike!" he hissed, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed, and was just about to panic when he heard the very soft sizzle of static.
3:58:35 AM
The train was there, then gone. Mike was just about to pick himself up when he heard Joel's second call. He hit the send button. "Yea?" he whispered, getting to his feet at the same time.
"Let's go," came the hurried answer.
Mike took a deep breath, steadying himself as well as he possibly could, and then lit out in a sprint. Trying to run and juggle the radio and the splitter at the same time wasn't an easy task, but he took the splitter in his teeth and shoved the radio in the nearest available pocket. It wasn't nearly so hard to climb as to run, and he scaled the pole easily. The door to the router swung open without protest. Mike held onto the grip with one hand, took the splitter in the other, and set to work.
3:59 AM
Cut, connect, loop. Joel tied in wires faster than he had even in practice, running on pure adrenaline. So far, no problems, and he thanked everything good that most fiber-optic cables were the same. Down the road a mile, he knew Mike was going through the same set of motions he was, and since the farmboy hadn't called, he could only assume it was going alright.
In the back of his mind, he thought about the fact that if he didn't get arrested, the covert ops business would be a neat field to get into. Even if he didn't do any of the actual running, it would have been neat to invent for some secret agency out there. Even further in the corner of his brain, he decided that he would call himself Agent J, but then tossed that aside. Too obvious.
4:01 AM
Mike closed the door on the router box, hands shaking slightly. He had gotten it, and now he was finished. Very carefully, he closed the box and re-locked it, then smiled slightly at the sight of the black wire they had added hidden behind the rest. If they made a clean getaway, he would have completed his first official spy bit.
He climbed down the pole slower than he had gone up, but he still didn't waste any time. When he finally reached the other side of the road, all he could think was that they had done it. He knew without actually knowing that Joel had succeeded in his plan.
Sure enough, several minutes later Joel came jogging back. His forehead had beads of sweat on it, but he wore a bright smile. "Let's get the heck outta here."
Mike grinned. "Went well, then?"
"Very." Joel went back and tapped the trunk of the Cavalier, then walked back out. A moment later, the little blue car backed out.
"I'm driving next time," Tom grumbled as the two humans opened their respective doors and Crow gave up the drivers seat. "He gets to have all the fun, and it sucks!"
"Just because I have feet doesn't mean you have to get jealous," Crow answered, smugly getting into the back. "I hear skirts are really in this time of year."
"Watch it, basket-brain," Servo growled, going to peck at the gold 'bot.
Mike shook his head, pushing the two of them apart. "C'mon, guys, there's no reason to insult each other."
"Who said anything about insulting?" Crow snickered, "I'm just stating the obvious."
"State the obvious more quietly," Joel said, starting off and intending to get as far away from Chicago as he could before he got too tired to drive. Thankfully he still was pretty high on adrenaline from their little intrusion into the government network, but he wasn't sure how long he would be.
The 'bots settled down slightly, though they kept insulting each other. Mike rubbed his eyes, yawning, "Once you get past the fact that it's a federal offense, the sneaky stuff's sort of fun."
"Here's hoping it gets us to Gypsy and Cambot." Joel nodded in agreement. "Once we find out what we need, we can just yank the wire and they'll be none the wiser."
"I think I'll call myself the Hawkman..." Mike grinned, settling back in the seat and closing his eyes. "Mike the Hawkman, super spy."
"More like pigeon," Crow offered from the back.
"Turkey," Tom giggled. "Chicken."
"Hey! Can't a guy dream?" Mike protested, good-naturedly. "I thought it was a cool name."
"Duck," Crow continued.
"Duck, goose!" Tom finished, yawning himself.
"Okay, okay." Mike grinned, eyes still closed and sleep starting to get it's claws into him. "Forget the secret agent stuff. But I still thought it was a neat codename."
"You just keep having your delusions of grandeur and we'll just keep shooting them down," Crow leaned forward, speaking solemnly.
Mike smiled. "You do that."
And with that, they settled in for the long drive home.