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Once the thrill from seeing all of the privileged government information scrolling across the PowerBook screen wore off, life settled down quite a bit. Although Joel did go to work once or twice, for the most part he stayed at home. Truth be told, he had no real part in the management or running of his restaurant, serving more as a figurehead. It had been fun at first, but after a few months of taking a serious interest in it, his focus had shifted back to the thing he truly loved.
Inventing.
Nothing was safe from his tinkering; the toaster that sat on his kitchen counter was modified so that it could not only deliver perfectly tanned bread, but so that it could spread the butter and jam on as well. Down the hall in his master bedroom, his alarm clock buzzed him awake, gave him the forecast for the day, and a joke or two besides. It was like that with everything... from the massaging bath mat in the tub (Mike had screamed bloody murder when he had turned that on by accident while taking a shower), to the bunny slippers that talked when you touched the nose. Joel loved inventing, tinkering, improving, and it served to keep him from thinking too hard about life in general.
He was in the process of taking apart an old radio at his workbench when Mike and the 'bots came back from a short trip to get ice cream. Joel had even let Mike borrow the car under strict instructions to obey the speed limit and make sure everyone was buckled up, and the trip out had done them good.
"You will never convince me chocolate peanut butter is better than rocky road," Servo said, with quite a bit of authority.
"No, because double fudge beats both of 'em!" Crow answered, wandering over to see what Joel was up to before turning back to the argument at hand.
"Well I think you're both wrong!" Mike flopped down on the couch, picking up a book he had left on the light stand. "Chocolate peanut butter, and that's final."
Servo humphed in contempt, "Simpleton."
"Yea yea," Mike chuckled, opening the book to where he had left off.
Joel glanced up, smiling. "What if I were to tell you guys I think pistachio is the best?"
The other three looked at him, replying in unison, "No!"
"Okay, okay, sheesh." Joel grinned, going back to the task at hand. There was no way to win with all three of them ganging up on him, and he knew when to admit defeat.
A few minutes passed, then Tom sighed, "Isn't there anything to do in St. Paul, or are we gonna have to stay here today too?"
"State fair's on, I think," Joel replied, absently taking a few not-so-vital components out of the radio's casing.
Crow looked up from where he was sitting on the floor, playing with an electronic board game. "Fair? Never been to one of those before..."
"Ohhhh! Let's go!" Tom hovered around in a circle, excitedly. "We can see all the animals, and get some cotton candy, and maybe we can play some games and see the exhibits, and--"
"Slow down!" Joel laughed, setting the radio aside and turning around to look at them. "I don't see why we couldn't take a drive over there. Bound to be pretty busy though. Mike?"
Mike didn't even look up, and just mumbled something not quite coherent, off in whatever world he was in. After a moment, Crow walked over, taking the book out of his hands with some difficulty... heck, he had to wrestle it away from him. "C'mon, let's go to the fair."
Mike stopped himself in mid-protest of having his entertainment yanked from him. "Fair?"
Joel nodded. "Yea, the Minnesota State Fair's running right now. Feel up to going?"
"Really?" Mike asked, eyebrows raised. He loved fairs and carnivals, and it had been so long since he had actually been to one that he almost didn't believe what he was hearing. Space had denied him a lot of things, and elephant ears and ferris wheels were among those.
"Really," Joel affirmed, recognizing that look. He had felt the same way when he had gotten back; almost as though he couldn't contemplate having the freedom to go wherever he felt like.
Mike blinked, then a grin settled on his face. "I think I'm up to it." He stood, forgetting all about the book, and looked to the two 'bots. "You two gonna behave? 'Cause the last thing I want is to end up in jail or something."
Crow scoffed, "Like breaking into government files wasn't bad enough?"
"Got a point there." Mike sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. Sometimes that entire jaunt to Chicago seemed more dreamlike than real. His wild imagination even went so far as to put it in prose format, like reading a spy novel.
Joel got up and went to his laptop, checking to make sure no new files had come in. He had it set to search for keywords, but not much had turned up since he had initiated the connection. Still, it was worth trying. His desktop system in his room was looking for the right frequency to his ETRTV while his laptop worked on the other information.
It didn't take them long to get everything they would need for the day, and the four compadres piled into the car. The drive over was a little harrowing, as driving in the city often was, but it only took them a half an hour to make their way there. Parking, however, was another matter. As Joel had predicted, it was busy, and cars were parked for a good half a mile from the actual grounds. Still undaunted, they managed to find a spot and snap it up before any other fairgoers could.
"Okay, you guys are gonna have to keep absolutely quiet," Joel said, carrying Tom. "I don't know how these folks will react to sentient robots."
"Oh man!" Crow whined, "Are we gonna have to act dead the whole day?"
"Just past the gate," Joel assured, weaving his way between cars. "After that, I think we can probably get away with acting normal."
Tom looked around, taking it all in. "I can do dead."
"Atta 'bot," Mike chuckled. "Crow?"
"Yea yea," the gold 'bot muttered, "I'll play dead."
"Then we'll be in and we can see what sort of things are happening." Joel smiled, as Mike picked a rather reluctant Crow up.
True to their word, the two robots shut up. Joel had his wallet out and on hand when they got to the window, and the clerk looked up at them. "Two?"
Joel nodded, forking over the cash. "Yes ma'am."
"Part of the freelance exhibits?" She stamped their hands, looking at the two 'bots.
"Yea, they're our puppets." Mike grinned, but was rewarded with a discreet and sharp pinch in the side. He bit his lip to keep from yelping. Once they walked in the gate and were out of view of the ticket booth, he set Crow down. "What was that for?!"
"Puppets?!" Crow shot back, then fell into a spat of grumbling, "Puppets. Honestly, Mike, you could have come up with anything better than that..."
"I thought it was a good reply," Mike whined, rubbing his side. That robot had some claws on him and he had been in a good position to use them.
Joel chuckled, looking around the midway. There were a few people who stopped to look at Tom and Crow, but they figured it was just part of the fair. This was a relief -- the 'bots were kind of hard to explain. "Where to first?" he finally asked.
"I wanna go see the animals, and ride something fast, and maybe we can get some cotton candy," Tom began.
"Which first?" Mike grinned, having spotted a stand selling elephant ears. He knew where he wanted to go first, but they hadn't ever been to a fair, and he willingly allowed them to decide.
"Ummmm... animals!" Crow jumped in.
"Animals it is." Joel smiled, and started off towards the barns. Tom and Crow followed, still looking around in wonder, and Mike fell in behind them.
It was a bright and sunny day, a few white clouds drifting lazily across the sky. People milled around, each there for their own reasons, and for a moment, Mike saw himself as the outsider. On occasion he fell into that mindset, but it never lasted too long, and he came back to who he was and where he was.
But in that moment, he was the silent observer. His gaze never lingered for long on any particular thing, but each was like a photograph. Families meandering about, mothers holding children, gamers playing the games, and hundreds of people all moving around in a chaotic pattern. Well, it seemed like a chaotic pattern. Mike could see an order to it, though; a natural state of existence and progression that defined life itself.
He snapped back out of it a few seconds later, shook his head with a chuckle and followed the other three down the way.
"Bacon, pal. You're gonna be my porkchops. Sausage. Ham," Crow teased a big boar, though he kept a good foot away from the pen where it was being kept. "Bologna. Hot dogs. Ribs."
Mike laughed, "Geez! Dang, Crow, can you get anymore morbid if you tried?" He reached over the top and gave the massive pig a pat on the back. "He'll probably live a long and happy life making little pigs."
"Yea, right," Crow snickered, "Tell me that when you have bacon for breakfast." He picked up a stick and poked it through the bars.
"Now come on," Joel scolded, though there wasn't any real reprimand in his voice when he did it. "What did I tell you?"
Crow mimicked his creator, monotone, "Never play with your food, 'cause it wouldn't do that to you."
"Exactly." Joel nodded.
"I think it would," Crow muttered, but he put the stick down. "Heck, I know it would."
"It stinks in here," Tom complained, hovering up to get a good look at the boar. "How could you guys even think about eating something that smells so bad?"
"They clean it," Joel explained, tossing a glance at Mike, who shrugged, "At least, I think they do."
Tom hovered back down to a few feet off of the ground. "Let's go see something that doesn't reek, okay?"
"Horses?" Mike asked, "Cows? Goats?"
"We definitely wanna keep you away from the sheep, Mike," Crow said, wickedly, walking out of the barn.
Mike rolled his eyes. "Hey, that was totally wrong. We didn't even have sheep on the farm."
"Suuuuure, Mike," the red 'bot tormented, followed Crow out. "We all know about you and that little ewe you left back home."
Mike just shook his head, walking after them with Joel. The horse barn ended up being next, which was fine since there was no way they could possibly tease the horses. Well, Mike was sure of that until Crow looked up at the first one.
"Elmer's, baby. Dog food. Packaged for a third world country," the gold 'bot started.
Mike pulled him back. "Will you just stop that?!"
"It's true!" Crow replied, pulling free and going to tease another horse. Down the way, Tom was trying to hover high enough to look one in the face.
Joel grinned, walking to him and holding him up high enough. "There ya go."
"I wonder if it bites," Tom pondered, then snapped at the horse. The horse replied by snorting on him, and Servo whined, "Eeeeyuchk! It blew its nose on me!"
Joel chuckled, letting the little 'bot go and petting the horse on the nose. "Have you learned anything from this?"
"Horses are mean and nasty beasts that don't know when to use a hanky," Tom replied, trying to wipe himself off on a saddle blanket.
Mike cooed at a big quarter horse, "Oh no, they're terrific. Almost as good as dogs for pets." The horse gave him an inquisitive look, and he pet its nose, still cooing not quite coherently.
"Don't get sweet on the horse, Mike," Crow instructed. "I don't think they allow human-equine marriages here."
Mike sighed, and Joel chuckled, taking a certain amount of pity on him and coming to his rescue. "How 'bout we go ride something? Or get some food?"
"Oh! I want cotton candy!" Tom hovered over, waiting impatiently to try something new out.
"And I wanna ride something really fast," Crow added, leaving one of animals he tormented alone to join the rest of them.
"What are we waiting for?" Joel grinned, letting himself get caught up in the excitement for the first time in so many years. "Let's take this place by storm."
They did take the fair by storm. On occasion they split up, one human and one 'bot, but for the most part they stuck together. Tom had decided after his first ride on a Tilt-a-Whirl that he wasn't all that fond of spinning, fast rides, but it took some pulling and coaxing to get Mike and Crow to stop riding and to settle down somewhat. Joel finally lured Mike off with an elephant ear, doused in powdered sugar, and Crow followed reluctantly.
"Come on, Mike," Joel said, jokingly, walking backwards with the pastry. "Good boy, keep going..."
Mike watched the plate like a hawk, obediently following Joel's lead and not saying a word. Crow walked after them, still a bit unhappy at being taken away from the ride. As with the entire day so far, people stopped and looked, commenting on the two robots. Joel had fended off more than a few offers to buy them, and had to explain several times that they weren't bought at Radio Shack.
Now the inventor wasn't taking questions, and he set the flimsy paper plate on a picnic table, stepping back to avoid any feeding frenzy Mike might get into. Mike nearly rushed it, but pulled himself up short and went to trying to neatly nibble at it, though one could tell it was more of a barely restrained act.
Joel sat up on the table beside him and the 'bots actually settled down as well. It had been hours since they had gotten there, and everyone was tired. "Good?" he asked, looking over at Mike.
Mike nodded, wearing more of the powdered sugar than he actually had managed to eat, and offered part of it to the other human. "Yea, thanks."
Joel tore a piece off and chewed on it thoughtfully. "No problem." They sat in silence for a long moment, munching away in unison and reflecting on the day. It had been a really nice one. The 'bots had behaved for the most part, Mike had a chance to get out and do a few things he had dreamt of for years, and Joel had the feeling for the first time in a long time that he wasn't by himself. The inventor smiled, wiping his hands on his jeans and looking to the robots. "Ready to go home?"
"Awww, do we have to?" Tom asked, but he was already starting to hover lower to the ground, and he sounded more tired than he was trying to act.
"Might be a good idea." Mike tossed the empty plate in a nearby trash can. "I'm starting to get blisters on my feet."
"Well thanks for sharing that," Crow said, sarcasm seeping into his voice.
"Welcome." Mike grinned, standing. He stretched out, trying and failing to stifle a yawn.
Joel followed his example and stood as well, picking Tom up from where he was hovering barely six inches off of the ground. They began their walk back, and the tinkerer smiled slightly when he heard Crow mumble that he didn't ever get carried. He didn't need to look back to know that Mike had picked the gold 'bot up and was carrying him as well.
They were asleep when the humans made it back to the car and the sun had been down for some time. Mike was probably dangerously close to nodding off as well, even standing, but Joel was still alright. He was used to long days and late nights; he would spend hours at a time lost in a project and forget to sleep. It was the bane of having a mind that got lost easily in a mechanical device, or in making something new all together. His mind drifted to the radio he was in the process of disassembling now, in fact, as he made sure the 'bots were settled in and started the car.
"Long day," Mike commented, yawning again. He couldn't help it... that was the most walking he's done in quite awhile.
"Yea," Joel smiled, pulling out of the parking lot. "I can't remember the last time I've gone to a fair to have fun and not try to sell off an invention."
Mike chuckled, wryly, "I can barely remember the last time I went to a fair, period. Mom used to take us to the Wisconsin State Fair, but that was so long ago."
"Miss those days?" Joel asked, then was surprised he had brought forth the question. He normally wasn't the chatty type, but it had been quite some time since he had the undivided attention of someone. Particularly someone who listened.
Mike nodded, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. "Yea... I think I keep forgetting how old I am. You?"
Joel smiled a bit of a sad smile. "Sometimes."
"What happened to them?" Mike asked, out of the blue.
"Car crash," Joel answered, once he got over the mild surprise at the fairly straight
forward question. "I had just graduated high school a little before that, and they got
into a wreck on their way home from dinner." He looked out over the road, trying to
remember something that had happened over two decades before. "I never really spent
enough time with my parents, y'know? Always too busy doing something else, or trying
to keep up with my own projects and school. Then one night I get a call at home, and
it's the police." He could sense Mike pick his head up and look over at him, but he
kept his gaze forward. "They were in the hospital. I jumped in my car and drove over
there as fast as I could, but it was too late. Funeral was a few days later and
everything was kind of blurry, like it was all a dream. I was already eighteen by
that point, so I didn't need anyone else, and when the fall came, I packed up and went
to college.
"Didn't graduate, though. I dropped out at the end of my sophomore year and packed up
what I had," the inventor chuckled slightly, "I ended up out in California of all places.
Lived out of my car until I picked up a job cleaning out warehouses and saved up enough
to make my way back here to Minnesota. Then I got hired at Gizmonics and the rest is
history." He finally glanced over at Mike, surprised to find him attentive and even
more surprised to see the look of honest sympathy. He forced a slight smile. "What about
you, since I'm doing all the talking?" Joel asked, looking back at the road.
Mike grinned a little. "Me? Born in Wisconsin, grew up on a farm, moved to Milwaukee
when I turned nineteen and got a factory job there. Bounced around a little, became a
temp, moved over here to Minneapolis, and then I got sent to Eden Prairie after I made
the mistake of belting an accountant," he winced slightly at the memory. "I guess they
figured I needed to learn a lesson, and I got sent to Deep 13."
"Then they sent you to replace me," Joel observed, pulling onto the outer belt and
heading for home.
"Yup," Mike concurred. "Don't remember a whole lot about that. One minute I was doing
something or another and the next thing I can really remember is waking up in the cargo
bay."
"'Bots treat you okay?"
"Nope." Mike grinned, though it was more than obvious that he hadn't taken any of the
practical jokes or torments they came up with to heart. "I think they went out of their
way to try and drive me crazy that first few weeks, then we all kind of just settled
into routine and that was that."
Joel nodded. It hadn't taken him long to figure out that Mike was an incredibly tolerant
person, and he regretted being so arrogant towards him when he had gone back to the SOL.
"I missed being up there," he finally admitted. "Once I got past the fact that I was
trapped, it became more of a home than any place I've lived since I was a kid."
"I think that once I get settled in back here I might end up being a little nostalgic."
Mike looked out the window, over the glittering lights of St. Paul. "For now, I'm just
glad to be back," he paused a moment, trying to find the right words. He ran through the
dictionary in his head, but settled on the most simple and enjoyable things that came
to mind. "Traveling to the end of the universe, traveling through time, seeing
everything like that... it doesn't compare to sunrise or thunder in the summer, or the
way fog lays on the ground in the morning."
"Yea," Joel agreed, without hesitation. There were some things space couldn't replace, and some things that were so simple in their beauty that humankind could never drive out the need for them. People often forgot in their rat-race to look at those things, to take a moment and reflect on them, and usually spent all of their time trying to get ahead. Joel had been one of those people, and he hoped deep down that he wouldn't go back to that anytime soon. "Yea, I understand," he said again.
Mike smiled, opting for the only honest answer that came to mind. "I know."