M.A.I.D.S. [season 1]

Episode 11: You Can't Get Here From There

M.A.I.D.S. Episode 11 – You Can’t Get Here From There

The barricade loomed before the strange vehicle racing toward it, a hasty fortification to intercept the fugitive and his illegal “combat drone.”  Local authorities were very much like a private military corporation in their own right, although perhaps not as lethal.  The ability to intercept Adam and his companions, not lethality, was the purpose of the roadblock.

“Ben, don’t slow down.  We’ll punch through,” Adam ordered, strapping in to the seat that Pandora had vacated.  Monroe laid a hand of caution on the reporter’s shoulder.

“Dude, even somethin’ this big ain’t gonna get through that,” he said.  Ben shook his head.

“Oh please.  We’ve been planning for this, remember?  OK, in three, two, one…NOW!” Adam said, and Ben threw a switch on his control panel.  Suddenly the vehicle was airborne.  The mobile home was graceful, elegant…like a swan in a barrel of tar.

“OH SHIT!” yelled Monroe as they sailed clumsily over the heads of disbelieving police.

Adam’s maneuver had the desired effect of avoiding the roadblock and setting the group back on course to the Snowy Range mountains.  Behind them, their pursuers were forced to slow down and circumnavigate the authorities.

“What the fuck?!” swore Monroe as the vehicle was violently reintroduced to the road.

“Remember the renovations I made?  Everything was part of the plan,” Adam reassured his big friend.  “OK, Ben, take us to the Batcave,” commanded Adam.  They rounded a bend and Ben brought the vehicle screeching to a halt.  Before Pandora or Monroe could question the driver the ground beneath gave way, lowering them into an underground garage similar to the ones found throughout the civilized world.  The road slid back into place above them, and Ben followed a long, circuitous tunnel under the mountain range.  Several safety measures locked into place behind them, sealing them in; clearly, this underground lair was designed to be accessed only once from this entrance.  The cave they entered was enormous and obviously man-made, large enough to accommodate Adam’s house in triplicate with room to spare for a small garden if so desired.  Before the introduction of Adam’s mobile home, however, the vast space was very nearly empty.

“I always feared they’d turn on me,” growled Adam.  “That’s why I planned for it.  Being the first son of humanity has many perks, not the least of which are unlimited funding and access to restricted equipment.  Of course, I always chafed at the larger cost to myself.  Ah, here we are.  Welcome to the Batcave.”

“The whatnow?” asked Monroe.

“Batcave.  A reference to the 20th-century DC comic books involving Batman, a superhero,” defined Pandora mechanically, having just downloaded and read every single Batman comic over the past several minutes as a way to keep calm (Adam’s use of the term had prompted her to learn more).

“Right! I forgot my boy’s a nerd,” Monroe teased his friend.  Ben brought the vehicle to a halt in a large cavern.

“OK, everyone out.  This thing’s gonna turn back into a house,” said Ben.

“It is a remarkable home.  I had no idea that Adam’s lodgings could transform in such a manner, nor did I expect it to perform the way it did,” Pandora said with admiration, her eyes on the vehicle as it changed back into its more recognizable form.

“Let’s eat, and I’ll explain everything,” Adam suggested.  The others agreed.  They reentered the structure after the transformation was complete, and Pandora first went to check on her unfinished Synthia in its homemade finishing station.  Seeing that it was undisturbed, Pandora doffed her armor in the bedroom and slipped into something a little more comfortable.  Eager to please, Pandora hastened to the kitchen, where she found Monroe.