~~~~~oOo~~~~~~
This is what the Controller wants to see... This will show the conspiracy to kill robots... It applies more focus, more power to the probing. With all its processors running double speed it is calculating Joe’s every heart beat, breath, and brainwave.
Joe hears a clicking and popping in the sensor panel which is now painfully pressed against his forehead. He fast forwards the vision to when he was on the floor of the tractor looking up at the Controller. He slows time in his head, freezes the Controller’s imposing image as he stretches out the thought... “Been... a... looong... tiiime...yooou...”
In that exact moment, with his eyes still closed, and intently concentrating on the vision in his head, Joe’s hand opens the holster containing the capacitor. He wraps his hand around it like you would a large ice pick... and suddenly, with one swift jerk of his body he pulls his head back.
This causes the Controller to commit the last bit of its power to the probing sensors in a panicked attempt to maintain the connection with Joe’s frontal lobe... to the god like projection of itself that it sees there... and to the solution of the mesmerizing equation at hand...
In a blur Joe’s arm does an overhand stab of the capacitor into the sensor array as he yells out...
“Bastard!”
PA-BOOM!
A long blue flame explodes out the top of the Controller as both the capacitor and Joe’s hand melt away in a bright flash of sparks against the sensor panel.
The Controller drops like so much dead weight landing on top of Joe and pinning him from the chest down; crushing his lower half. As the Controller drops, the crowd which for the last few minutes has been hypnotized by the events as they have unfolded snaps out of it and in mass begins to attack the enforcer bots that are near Joe. The now motionless and smoking Controller is no longer a threat and it is passed over by the raging mob.
The enforcer bots are ill prepared for the unprovoked attack and they lock-up for a few seconds. Even more problematic for all the robots in the area; with the local Controller gone, they must now attempt to contact the nearest available Controller. This gives the humans time to realize that they cannot damage the larger bots with just their bare hands and booted feet.
They scatter into the shops, houses and streets around the town square. Some quickly come running back with the tools and other weapons that they are able to find... or had recently hidden nearby. Many others just hide... or keep running right out of town. The first thing that those who return to attack the bots do is to draw the enforcers away from Joe Turner. The enforcers have defaulted to a very basic strictly defensive program and will not fight back; they have become fairly easy prey for the ragtag mob of humans.
Some people approach Joe, uncertain if he is still alive. A man kneels and cradles Joe’s head in his hands... “Joe... Joe Turner. You still with us?”
Joe blinks and obviously can’t focus his eyes... “Who’s that?”
“It’s Bo... Joe, what happened?”
“Ahhh... long story. Did the transmission get out?”
Bo wipes clump of hair and clotted blood from Joe’s eyes. “Well, I heard someone talking about that earlier. Where’d you get the transmitter?”
Joe now looking at Bo... “Not important right now. Somebody needs to keep transmitting; keep the information getting out. This chance to become free again... it will slip away by nightfall I’m sure.”
Another man, Bill Jessup, stoops and talks to Joe... “What do ya mean Joe...? Slip away, how?”
Joe has come-to a bit more and recognizes the man... “Oh... hey Bill... I think they forgot how to fight us. They’re easy to confuse by random attacks and sudden actions. Did you see any soldier bots? Except the two enforcers? Get the word out... They must’a gave up on keepin an army.” He begins to cough intermittently while continuing to talk. “Kill all the Controllers... Now... and I mean now!”
Joe takes a deep breath... “Find someone with a transmitter... Don’t waste time on me, I’m done... See...” Moving the burned and bloody stump of his right hand, then softly touching the Controller with his other hand, Joe smiles and says softly... “My Carrie died to give me this here Controller...” He almost laughs but coughs instead... “Got’cha didn’t we... ya stupid bastard.”
Bill taps Bo on the shoulder and motions with his head for Bo to come with him. As they stand and start walking toward the again growing crowd, Joe traces the scorched metal around the hole in the Controllers top panel and whispers...
“I wish Carrie could see this. She’d paint you up like a flower pot or something else useful...”
Joe looks at the few people standing and stooping around him. He knows them all, has hunted and worked with a few, and he picks the one he trusts the most to give his super secret, special information to. “Hey Sue. Sue... You and Carrie were good friends back in school... yeah?”
Sue leans in closer and nods.
“I always liked you. I want you to do something for us. Carrie is out there in the lake near the old tractor... You’ll find her with help. After they find Carr, I want that tractor pulled outta the lake... somehow... Get it made into our boxes... that’s where it all started.”
Sue puts her hand on Joe’s chest, right where it goes under the Controller... “I’ll do that Joe. You be quiet now. They’re trying to figure out how to get you out.”
Just then the hover-lifter that has been floating idly near by starts to move. Being on his back and looking up, Joe sees it first...
“Look, I think another Controller’s taking over this area. Sue... who’s still here?”
Sue looks around... “Well, Bo is right over there.”
Joe, a little excited... “Call him over, get him... Bo...”
Bo steps over stoops down to Joe... “Yeah Joe. Hey! Some good news... Bill found a transmitter. They’re headed to it now.”
Joe seems pleased at that... “Good... Good... But we ain’t got much time, that hover-lifter is ‘bout to come back on. I saw it movin. I think there’s another Controller coming; they want to know... what happened... For sure. This town is now a blind spot to them... and they’ll try to fix that. Don’t let ‘em!”
Bo looks surprised... “What can we do? And how the hell did you punch the life outta that Controller? What brought this on Joe?”
“Damn it Bo... Just listen!” Joe looks for Sue again... “Sue... I need you guys to go soon... but...” He reaches and lightly grabs her hand… “first Bo... Get everybody outta here... and get prepared... Figure out a way to bring down another Controller... cause... one is coming. Trust me. Be inventive Bo. Surprise it. Better yet, surprise yourself. Do it Bo, stay on them until they’re beaten... Go now. Make this happen... And get word out... Make sure the whole world knows bout this. Today... It ends today.”
Bo nods, stands and starts telling people the quick version of what Joe said. Soon the town square is empty except for Joe, Sue, and a few still rebooting hover-bots.
“Sue... I want the kids to know that Carrie and me... we passed doing what we wanted. We talked about them today, and the last thing we said to each other was that we love one another.”
Sue smiles and softly brushes Joe’s hair back with her hand.
“Sue... Did Carrie ever talk about me and her, back in school?”
Sue looks at Joe with a questioning look, as in... 'You’re going to ask me this now?' “Umm, not a lot really... No... I guess.”
Joe laughs... “I just want something passed along, to the kids. Can you keep a secret?”
Sue says without hesitation... “Why... sure Joe.” She leans in closer... “What ever you need.”
Joe is obviously in intense pain and getting a bit woozy from blood loss. He slurs this part a little as he tries to whisper... “I want’cha ta tell the kids... Only da kids... They’re gonna think it’s weird... mom and dad
ta be burie... in a tractor...”
Sue leans forward towards Joe’s ear... She can see that he is struggling now. She tries to help... “I know Joe, because this all started there, and you and Carrie said good-bye there.”
Joe smiles and half choughs... “Naaah... Not cause today started there... because the kids all started there.”
Sue leans back a little and looks intently into Joe’s eyes. He looks back at her and tries hard to focus... “That’s why I asked about school... The first time me and Carrie, well... She was still in school. We were not’ven sure bout us yet. I mean... rules was set... an all... but we didn’t know how we felt. We learned ta love in that trac’er...” A few wheezing breaths... “We were young... Maybe even before we loved each other... we love tha tractor. And... I think the kis shou know...”
Sue leans over and kisses Joe’s bruised forehead... “I’ll tell them Joe. Carrie was a lucky woman.”
With that Joe starts to slip... “You need ta go now Suzzz... You shou hurr...”
Sue stands slowly, wipes some tears as she turns to leave. She sees a group of humans throwing rocks and what appear to be jugs of moonshine at an already burning hover-lifter. Suddenly she feels very vulnerable... She begins to walk quickly and enters a side street at the edge of the town square just as another Controller zips in over head. Sue continues to flee as if her life depends on her getting away from town immediately. Somehow she is not surprised to pass a small group of townsfolk running by, heading back toward where Joe lies...
They have shotguns, what looks like a large rubber strap, some cable, and a bunch of tools. She keeps going without so much as a glance back, heading out of town, out to safety, because she is on her own mission... for the Turners.
~~~~~oOo~~~~~
*****
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