Dynamic Patrol: Gel-Squad (Remastering!)

Chapter 12: The Plan

 Now that it was Tommy, D1, and Russell. The cave was slightly crowded, but Russell took it upon himself to make a small shelter. Away from the cave, near the makeshift communication tower, while Tommy and D1 continued to share the cave, he used some of the sheet metal from the escape pod to craft rudimentary walls. He welled in his own self-pitty at the news of Omeocoon's destruction. While they lived in separate housing, D1 and Russell grew accustomed to working with one another in terms of trying to find a way off the island, but Tommy, on the other hand, Russell continued to fight him for dominance. D1, of course, had already given her vote and allied with Tommy, again putting Russell at the bottom of the chain of command, which he did not like. Tommy kept calling him 'Sock' on and off, adding more fuel to the fire.

Tommy learned very quickly the 'mechanic' did not know how to take a joke. D1 was observing a grieving process, and both Omeocoons seemed to adapt to the change in their own way. Tommy was determined to change fate, and Russell accepted it almost too quickly. But maybe that was an act, a shield. Either way, they had to be fully functional to take the ship, which was rumored to be somewhere on the island. Contacting the mainland was no longer an option; the battery was depleted, and if they even got a signal out at all, it would still take days for someone to reach them if anyone was still alive. They planned to do it quickly, using their powers and D1's mechanical knowledge to acquire the vessel.

The mission was easier said than done because they would need to take out every crew member simultaneously and then release whatever security measures were in place on the ship. Finally, they would contact the Council to determine the next steps(That was Tommy's contribution; Russell just wanted to take the ship and book without a trace.) Russell could not remember the ship's layout, but D1 theorized it was likely a light craft; poachers liked to be discreet, and some captured their targets in space. D1 knew this because of the safety protocols she was programmed with, which carried specific instructions on how to deal with such threats—well... not poachers specifically, but hijackers, looters, and things along those lines. The principles were similar, but she had yet to use them in space or on the surface of a planet, and she didn't expect to use those protocols in reverse, with herself being the aggressor. They would need another distraction, but the idea of fire most certainly wouldn't have worked for a distraction in this situation, so Tommy was quite sure they would need a more elegant solution.

The suns began to set on the third day of planning, and by that time, Tommy was due for another rest. Russell spent the last week in suspended animation, so he was energetic, doing pushups on alternating arms, sit-ups, and other exercises, forming weighted balls with his hands, and using them as tools for workouts. That was better than resting in a gooey blob. Russell and D1 were to keep watch for the next two days. Then, he would take his turn resting while Tommy took over the watch. Russell mentioned multiple times that he did not like to stretch as much as Tommy did, which explained the muscles and workouts. He preferred to remain solid, which was not uncommon for some citizens on Omeocoon; after all, other than taking boxes off of high shelves and squeezing into tight places, the power of being a gooey being was seemingly useless in the everyday lives of most people unless they were a SuperHero.

They waited for Tommy to be well rested in those two days. D1 and Russell were hard at work on the plan. Russell assisted D1 in constructing a water generator, using what was left of the comms array, once again proving its versatility. That generator charged D1's battery, but that was about all the usefulness left in the escape pod components, and their emergency resources were dwindling. They continued to plan without Tommy, figuring they'd fill him in whenever he returned. "So now that Tommy is out of action. That makes you my primary specimen. I do have a few questions." D1 commented early in the morning, just as the suns began rising after about a day and a half without their Commander in Chief. "I don't care." He responded gruffly as he continued to work on his map of the ship. He didn't know what class of starship it was, but the suggestion of it being a small craft was not far-fetched because such an undetectable ship would have to be small. "Very well," D1 continued without paying much attention to the makeshift map Russell sketched in the sand with a stick. "What is the purpose of your tail?" She pointed at the appendage with a claw. "Your ears and teeth mimic the appearance of a rabbit. However, the tail is that of a feline. What is the purpose."

"All Omeocoon have them. It's a part of our biology." He responded without looking away from the map, and D1 whirred mechanically, taking in the information, "I see, and your appearance modifiers? I believed that all Omeocoons were 'naked' until I met you; your form is very unique." The droid commented, causing an involuntary tail wiggle from the bunny. Which was likely a signal that he enjoyed the compliment..? D1 took that as a sign that perhaps Omeocoon enjoyed compliments. He eyed her again and hissed in a felineish manner, putting his hands up in preparation to pounce at the droid, which caused D1 to tread in the other direction. He was only hurting himself, and she was the only one who had the holo-pictures of some of the men. He would ask for her help later, but for now, she had ventured back into the safety of the cave.

A few minutes later, when Russell returned to his exercises, she moved around the beach, collecting samples and taking pictures of the planet because she was crafting her own database with information about Omeocoon and its inhabitants. Unfortunately, she had only two specimens, one of which was unwilling. D1 itched to get off this patch of land and into the main city. If the Omeocoon even lived in cities. In the meantime, D1 liked collecting sticks for the fire. She suspected both Tommy and Russell were hypersensitive to the cold. It made sense, as they were both malleable, which made them prone to freezing, but Tommy seemed to enjoy it more. D1 had yet to see Russell perform stretching or gelatinous behaviors beyond the weights he crafted with his hands.

As for socialization, Russell was a bit lacking in that department, something that was remedied hours later when Tommy regained his physical form, and the trio once again went over the plan, but this time, Tommy was there to protect D1 from Russell's close-mindedness. While he had yet to trust D1, he was softening up around his fellow Omeocoon. "That ship will be protected by some of the galaxy's most wanted and dangerous bounty hunters. And you're saying you want to get off this patch of sand tomorrow?" Russell began; he'd completed his rudimentary ship map, including the likely positioning of the objects on board. "We," Tommy emphasized, "We're getting off this island tomorrow." Tommy looked at the map, rubbing his chin. Russell's artistic skill was nothing to write home about, but it would have to do; D1 added her own details to the map, a count of the men represented by pebbles. "My chronometer estimates we've been here at least two weeks, and now that their primary base has been destroyed. They will probably depart in a few days, likely hours. We must locate the ship and capture it as soon as possible."

That made Tommy squirm. He did not like being away from his people for too long, especially if they were in danger. Russell did not particularly enjoy it either, but he suppressed his feelings, represented by a twitch of his eye. It only made them plan more quickly. They spent the rest of the day huddled together in a circle, developing a plan.