Static Crush {M/M} ✔

Chapter #43

They wait until late before making the short journey to Alder Close. Damo, Rayner, and Hale all pack into the back seat of the truck cab like sardines. On the off chance someone in the neighbourhood is awake at 3 AM, at least they're unlikely to be seen, or worse, recognized. The fresh snow has the eerie effect of dulling all sound except the growl of their truck's petrol engine, which seems deafening in the muted quiet of the idyllic street. Yet no lamps blink on in the windows, no light sleepers twitch at curtains, no signs of life are seen.

They all seem to hold their breath regardless.

Hale can monitor the vitals of everyone in the truck—human and android alike. The racing hearts of his companions don't quite compare to the thunder of his own when Melissa's house comes into view, its yellow shutters closed. He recalls with sharp clarity that harrowing moment before his critical shut down, when a siren scream was blaring out of him, and the light turned on. It stays dark now, but the windows of the houses seem like eyes that watch as their truck trundles up the drive of the home next door.

In Rayner's absence, his house hardly looks any different, except that the metal storm shutters have all been drawn over the windows and doors to protect it from any inclement weather. Rayner himself takes a shaky breath and squeezes Hale's hand.

"Right. Give me five minutes."

Laptop and a screwdriver under his arm, Rayner clambers over Hale to get out, opening and shutting the door behind him as quietly as he can. The crunch of his shoes in the snow as he climbs the steps cannot be muffled though.

"This is some squirrelly bullshit, you guys know that?" Damo says under his breath.

"Shh," Hale hisses.

On the steps, Rayner starts unscrewing the shell on the handprint ID locking interface. Given it tracks the print and access time of anyone who even attempts to unlock it, he doesn't bother attempting to use it on the off-chance no one erased his ID. Too high a risk. Instead, he pulls the casing off and plugs his laptop into the exposed outlets.

While they all watch Rayner typing away, Damo digs an elbow into Hale's ribs and says, "So, did you tell your lover boy you've bypassed those annoying protocols?"

"You what?" Theo squeals, loud enough that Rayner whips his head around on the porch to look at them. "Sorry," she adds in a hushed whisper, while Rayner raises a hand in silent question. Theo waves for him to carry on.

Damo wears a broad shit-eating grin. "I'll take that as a no."

"Congratulations!" Theo says in a whisper gone squeaky with delight.

Hale tries to maintain his annoyed glare at Damo but finds himself smiling a little anyway.

At that moment, a soft beeping noise issues from the front porch. They all look up to see the door open a crack. Rayner looks over his shoulder and gives them the thumbs up, then unplugs from the locking interface and disappears inside. A second later, the garage shutter rattles open, the garage door after it. Its metallic groans make Hale grit his teeth and watch the windows of the surrounding houses, hawk-like, praying the neighbourhood of Alder Close are all heavy sleepers.

Theo, having never turned off the engine, coaxes the truck slowly into drive. For a heart-stopping moment, the tires spin on the slippery snow, struggling for purchase, and she has to rev the engine a little to get the momentum going. But then they're moving up and into the sanctuary of the garage. As soon as they're inside, the door closes behind them at Rayner's command.

"We're in!" Theo whispers. "It worked!"

"You can unclench now," Damo says at normal volume.

They pile out of the truck. Hale feels like he's unfolding his spine like reverse-origami, all of the muscles he held taut for the journey loosening now that they're relatively safe. The door inside is unlocked and open, presumably left that way by Rayner. Walking through it into the hall, Hale finds the front door still ajar, with Rayner in the process of re-affixing the lock's casing. Footprints and tire tracks mar the thin layer of snow on the driveway and porch steps, and Rayner eyes them warily.