Dynamic Patrol: Gel-Squad (Remastering!)

Chapter 9: Not Allowed

Tommy once again made his way down to the boat house after two days of scheming with D1. Armed with a half-baked plan and the flare gun, the duo returned during nighttime, perfect for a break-in. It seemed like waiting a few days was the right approach because the patrols once again returned to four guards on each corner of the building and five guards on each door, except for the sizeable garage-like door on the end facing outward to the ocean, from which boats were expected to exit. It was a bit silly of them to leave that part unguarded, but maybe they thought that no one would be crazy enough to try and go in through that way. "Perhaps that is the most obvious point of entry. The only section that is unguarded. You could swim in from there." D1 commented as Tommy laid down on his 'tummy' and watched from in the bushes. "Well. I'm not sure. What's not to say they haven't got a bunch of guards watching inside on the other side of that door? This is technically my second assignment as a DP Hero... I'd rather not die to gunfire three seconds into a break-in entry."

"I agree. I was programmed to be discreet when performing my cleaning duties. Although it certainly is not stealth-combat experience. This plan is merely for observation. I would not recommend fighting any men. You are still outnumbered and outgunned. However, the water will be your only option. Unless you wish to begin a direct conflict with one of the five men guarding the doors." D1 calculated coldly. Tommy sighed as the solution was obvious. D1 could not accompany Tommy past the bush. She was told to stand watch and return to camp if Tommy was not out in two hours. She would then have to assume he was captured and then, from that point on, cook up some kind of rescue plan. Assuming Tommy was still alive. The droid was left alone as Tommy slipped away on a mission. D1 started her internal clock, which was set for two hours. She watched the building like a hawk. She could no longer recognize Tommy, even seated at a higher elevation. He'd vanished into the dead of night and vegetation.

Tommy traveled down to the shoreline and wasted no time entering the water... which was freezing cold without the sun to warm it up. He swam the small distance and arrived in front of the large doors, running his hand up the surface of the doors and finding a seam to squeeze through, with the combined temperature of the water and the high gravity of his planet. He was still somehow able to ooze in. Inside, there were two docks for boats. And a ladder that led out of the lake and onto one of those docks, for something that seemed to be guarded by so many guys. Only two people were in this area, strategically placed in front of what looked like the only light source in the building; the rest were probably offsite. Tommy let his eyes wander a bit before they drifted to yet another light source; it was in another part of the building-maybe some kind of office for the leader in charge.

Since the door guarded by the two men was likely the more dangerous course of action, he silently headed for the office with lax security, shuffling toward the area quietly. Since he had no weapon or help, it would've been unwise to arouse suspicion of the guys with the guns. Even with superpowers, he could still get shot and die. He arrived at the office door... assuming it was an office, and looked left to right before trying to open it. Locked, of course. The other door, then... 'But what about those men..?' His inner monologue talked back. His response was a complicated scowl as he analyzed the situation. He would have to look for something to use as a distraction, oh right..! He was a distraction! Tommy held his palm out toward the ground and forced a piece of his goo out of his hand; the resulting blob bounced on the ground and giggled a little like jello before taking the solid, simple shape of a square. "Nice," Tommy whispered to himself.

It was a wonder they hadn't spotted him yet, but there was no time to think about that. He lifted his cube and shut one eye as he aimed to chuck it into a corner, its hardened but smooth surface smacking up against the weathered wood of the boat house, but it didn't stop there. It ricocheted off the wall and blew through an interior window, causing the window to explode into a million pieces. Tommy gritted his teeth and ducked into the dark as the noise echoed through the building. Whoops. Both men raised their weapons, and after a brief moment of communication between them, only one walked off to investigate. Tommy dropped to his non-existent 'stomach,' as close to the ground as he could get, watching as his plan was executed with half success. That other guy was not going to move willingly. So, he would have to make him move unwillingly. He could've easily knocked that guy out. But not without a reaction from the other 39 men that were left, if his count was even accurate. He would probably need to make another distraction, but if he had to form a distraction cube for every guy he came across, there would be no more Tommy left to complete the mission, so he decided to return to D1 for council.

After another swim, he consulted D1 again at the bush; D1 didn't seem surprised by his sudden arrival, "Were you able to infiltrate the structure?" D1 inquired as she saw Tommy slinking up again to the recon point. "Well, I got inside, but I couldn't get past the other guard." He hissed; he was frustrated but quiet. They had to do this before the sun came up, and according to D1, Tommy was only gone about 34 minutes... it was going to be a long night. D1 could pinpoint the rest of the men; it turned out there were only 15 guys in the boat house, not 40. They'd severely miscounted, a massive relief for Tommy, who was getting ready to get back inside and finish his plan. That was in his favor, but the situation could swiftly change should they decide to summon back up. They could only guess how many more men were roaming around the island. Tommy rubbed his hands through his hair, annoyed. "Ugh! I need a decent distraction that doesn't involve me separating pieces of my body."

"Fire." D1 stated simply, "Perhaps we should ignite a large fire; the combustion would be enough to rally the men." Tommy's initial reaction was an eye twitch and a slow head turn toward D1 as he made eye contact with her. "We can't start a fire. Are you insane? We'd kill them. Plus, for all we know, they could be good guys." He countered. "The intention is not to kill them but to make them move away. Correct me if I am wrong. But you are the one who wished to enter the structure to begin with, I am simply offering you a solution to your problem. Which I might add has a 49.8% chance of success with the fire." D1 added with somewhat of an attitude, which was the first time she had indicated any form of irritation since the crash. He'd sometimes forgotten about the emotion chip, but it seemed like D1 was getting comfortable with using it against him.

"Okay... the fire is probably the best option, even though I don't like it." Tommy said hesitantly, "Under the circumstances, I suggest you change your mind." D1 pointed with a grasper and that attitude again; her head followed him as he sat up. He already did... but he was uncomfortable with that change, and D1 continued with that attitude, "This is no time to be thinking about morals. There is a high probability their intentions are malicious, their gear unmarked, and the location of their base was likely selected for the purpose of being discreet. I do not like what they are doing. If they are attacking this planet, we are the only line of defense for what is left of the Omeocoon." Subtlety was not one of D1's strengths, that's for sure.