Gracious Professionalism

Part 4

I step away from the night scenery and run to the first floor, deciding that the stairs would be faster. It's nearly midnight, and everyone else is already asleep. Curious looks target me as I barge out the front door. The rain ceased twenty minutes ago, but it's starting again now. The pitter patter of the rain creates a shield around me. I love the rain, I always have. The silver puddles create an obstacle course that only the bravest of us battle. The world is grey today; I mean everything is some form of grey, it always has been on days like this. Rain floats in gentle waves, as if gravity is a soft music from the Earth, a sweet beckoning serenade. Each drop bequeathed itself unto the cooling air - wet lifeboats in a dry sea. Together they paint a new picture around a glowing street lamp.

The sidewalk leading to the convention center is mostly sheltered by the cement canopy over store windows. As I continue walking, however, I leave the ceilings behind and realize that it isn't just rain, it was a heavy downpour. Walking through a waterfall couldn't be different from this. The icy grey sky restlessly grumbles. Thick blackened clouds are dragged down by the heavy rain which it holds in its delicate frame. Clouds which struggled to withstand the burden of the weight which the rain held soon give in. Rain pours down over the city with a roar. The sound of emptiness is disrupted by the loud gregarious boom of thunder. There is no harm in it; Indianapolis will be just the same after the storm passes. But by then, it would be too late to save the robot. I scowled in the dark, increasing my pace to a jog.

Soon, I'm standing in front of a massive white building. LED signs and advertisements cover it, depicting entertainers and showtimes. Luckily, the doors are unlocked. The event center will be open all night. I walk into the stadium. It's completely empty of people, and everything is quiet and still. I bolt to the team's pit and take off the clear plastic bag surrounding it. Gathering several tools, I start to disassemble the parts of the machine. We'll need to replace everything except for the drivetrain. My team is going to freak out. Making a CAD model will take too long. I'm working off of improvisation.

Nobody has any idea that I've been here. We're not supposed to work on the robot until tomorrow morning during competitions.

This is totally illegal.

An hour before sunrise, the robot is completely remodeled. I quickly scan over the robot requirements once more to make sure nothing about it is off limits for the inspection today. Then, I put the plastic cover back over it and get my things. The tools are neatly back in their drawers. When I walk outside, the sky is still mostly dark. I walk quickly back to my hotel and go to my room. A few minutes later, I get a notification from my team's communication app. We're supposed to go down to a conference room for breakfast.

When I find the room, only a few people have already gotten there. Suitcases and bags of supplies for the competition today are spread out in every corner. There's a table with blue tablecloth in a corner with dozens of bagels piled in the center. I take one and chat with people around me. In twenty minutes, everyone is in the room. We joke about this season's game and wait for people to finish. When it's time to leave, we crowd into an elevator and return to the first floor.

Before I'm aware of it, we're already entering the convention center. The drive team walks to the pits, and everyone else goes to the stands to get the best seats for watching the matches. Gripping my things, I set them down in the pit and wait for my team's reaction to the new changes. People are surprised, terrified, and intrigued all at the same time. Nobody knows what will happen, and nobody knows that it was me who did this. But it's too late for opinions. All they can do is learn the new controls until our first match. I decide to follow along until I "learn" to drive the newly installed mechanisms. Out of interest, I move towards the match area to see the other robots compete. They're wheeling around the floor, picking up different objects and launching them into different areas. Returning to my team's stand in the pit, I can tell that everyone's reactions have changed. After a few more minutes for close inspection, everyone has realized the advantages our team has. We stand in silence and stare at the machine, now anticipating the upcoming match.