Ready to Go
"Sir, it's been calculated 16 times by your asking, in fact! I can't help but feel you should learn a lesson by all this. You've almost been caught about 3 times in a row. Your status is compromised..Stop horsing around and—"
"Jeeves, you were made to obey orders, not to be the backseat driver of my life."
"That is not the point. I am built for the sake of logistics and I am going to speak up if your actions do not coincide with any of my sets of logic. These last three times you've ventured out, you left me at home, trusting "friends" who left a nice stab wound in your back. Where were your tools of the trade? Here, because you were too busy hoping to make a quick buck. Each time you've been utterly betrayed by them. "
Hobert looked back very quickly, with a look that truly showed how he hated being nagged by someone who was correct.
" Anyway, I know you've been sleeping and relaxing, laying low awhile, but I've been grinding serious gears. Look behind you, Hobert"
And so Hobert did. His brown eyes were like tiger eye gems, but when they met those of that cynical, flesh covered android, something changed. They held stares for a while, maybe too long. Jeeves's hand retracted and was replaced with blue sparks. Hobert broke contact and spun around a little ways. Behind him on his fifth hotel bed this week was an unlocked suitcase. He'd seen this before and he knew Jeeve's was onto something, even amidst his laziness.
"Gimme a sec." Jeeves acknowledged and stood for a good half hour while Hobert went over the case in the 'reading room'. When he finally came out, Jeeves was upset.
"What?" he asked, ready for something sarcastic.
"You just interrupted the Pong game I was playing!" and pouted.
" I updated and cracked you about 9 times...You would think a pause button would exist at some point. Anyway, I'm getting off track. I always knew you were a genius, Jeeves," The android contorted his wiry steel face into a recognizable smile. "but I didn't know you were a goldmine!"
"Aw, thank you sir," two red circles appeared on either cheek which Hobert made a note to fix "but part of the credit goes to you!"
"Oh?"
"I went through your black book, cross referenced, set up some handy lie-down spots...We're ready to roll."
"You what? I told—" Hobert's hand shot out; he felt a vibration in his pants pocket,
"Hey, my beeper's goin' off. You gettin' pinged?"
"Yes, sir. I'm afraid someone is tapping into me to hear this conversation, but we should get supplies. I'll retrieve the car, and we'll make way to "the store". For the meantime, do your 2 minute pack drill, I've set away another reservation. I can't say where. I've checked the car and we should be clear to move. Oh, and Hobert, don't think I'm done teaching you, not by a long shot."
A few heavily metallic footsteps and Jeeves, with "his" tall, rigid frame, slammed the door.
"That's the last time I use the Deep Web to give me reliable operating systems..." Hobert started packing, feeling funny about his lack of words.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
The store, which Jeeves had previously mentioned, was the black market. Right now, cozy little Aiken, South Carolina was housing them, but even in the calmest of places resides a little danger.
Jeeves was steering, but even for an android who he had programmed himself, it was scary for Hobert to keep him behind the wheel. Jeeves parked at an abandoned building and warned him to stay in the car...or suffer an unbearable death. Something had changed in the android's normally sheepish attitude, but Hobert did like 'em personal and adaptable.
Hobert needed someone that would wrap around his own warped, thieving style, exactly what nobody would do for him when he was young. Come on, nobody can love a little old robber? Hobert thought girls loved that bad-boy stuff. Maybe he was too bad for them and stopped paying attention to 'em. Even when they came to him.
Maybe that's why Hobert got an android. Before Jeeves , his frequency of dropping at new hotels was freaking him out, with him being by himself and all. He wouldn't have to run off so much if he didn't piss of some of his biggest competition.
Ironically, Hobert had got Jeeves on the job, of smuggling and thievery on a grand scale in fact. It was on that one trip to Jamaica. There was something really funny about that place. Hobert stopped himself. It was business time. He pulled out the case, let the windows tint themselves, stroked his terrific moustache, and began reading.
Meanwhile, Jeeves had other business to attend to.
