Chapter 25: Capture

Michael awoke to find his arms and legs removed, and suspended by two rubber straps in a large and emtpy room with high ceilings. His entire chest had been removed, and looking down he could see a myriad of wires connected to various components which all fed into a terminal on a mobile cart which was in front of him.

Across the room, he could see Chip and Becky lying on two tables.

"Help!" he cried out. He wasn't sure how, but he was relieved that his old voice was now back. "Help!" he called out, again.

No one responded.

Servos in his shoulders and hips whirred at his futile attempts to try to move.

Michael lowered his head and closed his eyes.

He must have drifted off to sleep because he didn't hear the footsteps of a lone female Air Force Sargeant entering the room.

Quietly, she walked up to him and carefully peeked inside his chest at the lights and switches inside him. She stepped to his side and knelt down looking at his long shaft and balls which hung several inches below.

"You out did yourself this time, Jonas," she said softly, as she gently grasped his penis and lifted it up. This startled Michael who quickly opened his eyes and lifted up his head.

"What the..." he said as he looked at her.

"Oh my God!" the Sargeant replied quickly coming to her feet. "You're awake!"

"Who are you?" Michael asked.

"Sargeant Roth," she said. "Claire Roth."

"What are you going to do to me?" he asked.

"General Hammond is flying down here from Washington." she said, gently stroking his face. "He's going to be here in two hours. I'm going to break you out."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because I've read your file, and I'm the only one you've got."

She went on to explain that even after his project was scrubbed, there were some in Washington who were itching to revive it. He was destined to be shipped back to Washington, where he'd be systematically disassembled and used as a blue-print for making more.

Washington scientists were also eager at the discovery of Chip and Becky to have two additional prototypes to work from as well.

"Where are we?" he asked her.

"You're at Dobbins."

Dobbins Air Force Base was located in north-west Atlanta not too far from where he was hiding out in Marietta.

"And how do you plan to get me out of here?"

"You're going to fly out."

"There's only one problem," he replied. "I don't know how to fly."

Walking over to the terminal, Sargeant Roth keyed in some commands on the keyboard. "Your original programming is in here, it was flown in when we discovered where you were." she said. "You know how to fly now."

He felt no different, but Sargeant Roth had transferred to him complete knowledge on how to fly a plane.

"I'll be right back, we don't have much time." she said.

"Wait!" he exclaimed. "Please reactivate Chip and Becky before you go."

"How do I do that? They're different from you."

"Press their temples to release the top of their skull." he instructed. "There should be a reset switch which you can depress."

She quickly walked over to the other two androids and did as he instructed, and ran out of the room.

Several minutes later Chip and Becky rebooted and both sat upright on the table and looked around.

"Michael!" Becky cried out as she ran over to him.

Elsewhere in the city, Danny and Matthew came over to Shane's house only to find that the three droids had been abducted.

Sitting on Shane's couch crying, Julie listened as everyone around her tried to come up with a plan to save them.

"We need to bust them out," David said, to no one in particular.

"You moron, we don't even know where they are." replied John.

"What we need is a lawyer." said Shane.

"Why don't we go back to CNN and offer them an exclusive if they'll help us." asked Matthew.

"What are you talking about, Matt?" asked Danny.

"You know, they can put us on the air, we can plead to everyone!"

"How do we know they weren't the one's who sent the feds after him to begin with?"

"Because my next-door neighbor is a cameraman for them, and I never got the impression they work like that."

Meanwhile, back at the Air Force base, Sargeant Roth returned wearing a flight-suit, and carrying three more. "Put these on," she said as she set them down on a table.

"Excuse me, but I think that's going to be a problem." Michael said, looking down at his dismembered body.

"Here," Chip replied, picking up one of his limbs which were set on a table behind him. He placed Michael's left arm into its socket and turned it until it latched in place.

Flexing his hand, Michael grabbed his other arm from Chip and inserted it into its other socket while Chip attached both of his legs.

Michael stood up and pulled himself up and out of the rubber suspension and quickly got into the suit.

Completely dressed, the three androids ran out and followed Sgt. Roth out the door and found themselves on the base's tarmac. Several feet away was an Air Force C-21 transport jet.

The four remained unnoticed as they casually walked across the tarmac until an observant Air Force SP called out to the unrecognized individuals.

"Stop!" he yelled to them. "What are you doing?"

Sgt. Roth began to run, and called out for everyone to follow her. "Hurry!"

As everyone ran towards the plane, Michael could hear the SP call out on his radio, "Signal 21! East tarmac! Need backup!"

Sgt. Roth quickly opened the door to the plane and extended the stairs as everyone quickly boarded. Michael got into the cockpit and began running through the plane's checklist as Sgt. Roth secure the plane and closed the door.