The System

Chapter 17

                 

Recap: I sigh in relief. I hope we can get the entire lab, but this is a step.

A small step, but still, a step.

"Thank you so much." M says. He's as relieved as I am.

"But first," says Herman, getting up. "We need to tell someone. Someone who will know exactly how to help us out."

I'm confused. "Who is it?"

We get up too and follow him.

"Coincidentally, Gyro. Come on."

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M and I had to wait outside the office Gyro was working in. We peeped in through the glass window and saw Herman asking him something. Gyro frowned, but he also looked intrigued. He set a coffee mug down on his desk and the pair walked toward us.

"So I hear you two wanted to talk to me about something?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He seemed warm and welcoming. As we walked to the main presentation hall, we explained the deal about Kinate and the rebellion. Of course, we skipped the part about the memories, but we did tell him that M and I were victims of one of his schemes.

Making Gyro remember was easy. He was a bit annoyed that we used an invention he worked on against him, but after telling him my story, he calmed down. He sprang up when I mentioned the secret passage.

"I knew there was something wrong about that wall! I had been to his office once and I immediately saw the chipped paint near the painting. It could have only meant the expansion and contraction, most likely done by a simple piston! When I asked him about it, he just blamed it on the poor quality of paint. I knew I was right!"

"Ookay, then." I said, hastily continuing the story. He listened attentively, occasionally giving scientific explanations as to why things happened the way they did. That was actually pretty reassuring, to know that there were reasons why I thought some things were odd. I was actually impressed. Gyro not only knew about physics, but also biology and chemistry. He was quite interesting, although he spoke too quickly at times and I lost track.

"So, um, Gyro, could you uh..." M trailed off. "Could you help us unite the lab against a guy who could potentially destroy the world?" he asks, hopefully.

Gyro beams at us. "That sounds like an idea for a perfect afternoon. Let's do it now!" he says, rather enthusiastically.

"You see, we don't want to hurt anyone," M says hastily. "We just want to make sure that this stupid dictatorship plan is stopped."

Gyro nods. "I get what you mean. The word 'rebellion' would suggest an angry uprising against something oppressive. But when there is nothing oppressing us, you want to prevent even the smallest outcome of war or tyranny."

I shrugged. "Pretty much."

We reached the main hall. It was empty, so we occupied a few seats at the end.

Gyro pressed his palms together. "You see, I have no problem with helping you. What I intended was to bring about a less drastic change. No doubt what you are suggesting is incredibly dangerous, and we have to be strong. We have to overcome Kinate and his plans; and the only way we can do that is to stick together, yeah?"

We nodded.

"Alright. I agree. Don't even worry about convincing the others. I'll handle it."

I couldn't believe my ears. "Really? And do you want anything?"

Gyro looked at me gravely. "Selena, I have a family. I have a wife and two children. They mean more than anything to me, and if there is a way I can keep them happy, I will do anything."