Chapter 12

Jim Bob knew as soon as he regained consciousness that something was seriously wrong. At first, he couldn't quite put his finger on the root of the problem, and then he realized that WAS the problem. He had no fingers. No hands or arms either. In fact, all four of his limbs were missing. He didn't dare look to see if any other extremities were gone too.

He started hyperventilating at that point and quickly succumbed to the lower oxygen levels. His last conscious thought was 'what did I get myself into this time?'

He woke to the feeling of movement. Where he was going or how he was going to get there he had no idea; his eyes didn't seem to be working and everything was dark. For the first time in his life, Jim Bob didn't care about how people saw him. He screamed like a small child. 

The movement stopped and a crack of light shone into his eyes. So they were working. That was a relief, at least. Jim Bob stopped screaming and looked up toward the dazzling light. A single square eye peered in at him.

"Please stop making noise. You are drawing attention to us," a voice said.

"Who...who are you?"

"I am Vincent, a droid in the service of a creature of your species. I am taking you to him."

Jim Bob couldn't believe his good luck. "A creature of my species? You mean a human?" The word sounded both strange and comforting on his tongue. He had never referred to himself as a human before.

"Is that what you call yourselves? Oh dear!" The movement started up again and the light disappeared.

"Hey! What's going on here?"

The light reappeared and Vincent spoke. "I was searching for food for the master when my sensors detected you. You were lying in an alley outside one of the more questionable establishments on the station. It appears that your limbs have been removed. I am taking you back to the master for further instructions. I thought he would want to know about you."

So, his arms and legs were gone. That would make things a mite difficult. Jim Bob felt himself begin hyperventilating again and savagely crushed it down. Time to freak out later.

"This master of yours. What's his name?"

Vincent sounded a bit put off. "I am sure I do not know the name of my master. He has not seen fit to tell me and I am but a loyal servant and have not asked." Vincent stopped speaking for a moment. "Now, I must ask you to remain silent. Station Security is searching for all humans. If you are found out, that will put the master at risk."

Jim Bob went silent. The master was a he? Surely this Vincent character couldn't be talking about Zeke? Zeke was arguably human and definitely male but he was also dumb as a stump. He lay still and thought about what he'd been told and tried to stay patient. After all, it didn't much matter who the master was. The real questions were: where were Jim Bob's arms and legs and could he even get them back and working if he found them?

He didn't have long to wait to learn the master's identity. The movement suddenly stopped and he could hear two voices talking with each other.

In a single, stomach-churning move he was lifted and dropped. He thudded to a stop. A wash of light flooded down on him and, when his eyes had adjusted to the brightness, he saw Bobby John looking down at him.

"What in tarnation happened to you?" Bobby John asked. "You ain't got no arms or legs no more!"

"Bobby John? You're the master?" Jim Bob's mind went blank for a few seconds as he tried to understand. "Ah, uh, ran into some bad people and they did this."

The boy whistled. "What're them metal things where your arms and leg was?"

Jim Bob looked down at himself. Sure enough, metal cans covered the stubs where his limbs had been removed. They weren't smooth on the ends like a can though. They seemed to have sockets and plugs in the ends "Ah don't rightly know, Bobby John. Any chance you can get me my legs and arms back though?"

"Unlikely. When I found you I did not detect anything like your extremities. They are most likely long gone by now."

Jim Bob looked over and saw Vincent for the first time. "You're Vincent? Ah thought you were a fella like me. Not some floating contraption."

"I am a service droid as I told you before and happy to be one. If I were a 'fella' as you say, I might be laying in a box without limbs just like you." The robot's voice was slightly offended.

"Hang on now." If Jim Bob still had hands, he would have held them up in a warding gesture. "Ah didn't mean no disrespect. You just took me by surprise is all."

Bobby John looked at Vincent. "If we can't get his arms and legs back, what can we do for Jim Bob? A box ain't no place for a man and we need him to be able to move if Security is looking for us."

The robot hovered closer to look at Jim Bob. "The sockets installed in his body look like standard ones that can accept various devices. Perhaps we can find some mechanicals to plug into them?"

"Connections? Mechanicals? Ah don't wanna be no freak," Jim Bob said.

"If, by freak, you mean strange looking, you are already too late," Vincent said.

Bobby John was rubbing his chin. "That could work, Vincent. Do you think you could round up what we need?"

"Wait a minute," Jim Bob said. "Didn't you hear what ah just said? Ah don't want you to do this...." His voice faded as Vincent spun in the air ignoring him.

Bobby John looked down at Jim Bob. He looked older somehow. More mature. "We don't have much time. Betty Sue and Carol Anne  have both been taken by Security. We think Zeke has too. Ah can't help them if ah'm dragging you along. You have to move on your own. If you won't do that then ah'll have to leave you behind"

Jim Bob didn't have any reply to that. It had never occurred to him that he could be left behind. (A common belief with those people who think they are the centre of the universe.) He lay back in the box and waited for Vincent to return.

***

Bobby John finished affixing the mechanical pieces Vincent had brought for Jim Bob. The man was now an odd combination of mechanical and human haphazardly thrown together. His leg stubs and lower torso were now connected to the front of an old garbage collector bot, making him looking like nothing so much as a large mechanized centaur. Instead of legs, he had a pair of rubber caterpillar tracks. A bin was affixed above the tracks. A pair of whip-like segmented metal tentacles that each ended in three fingers had replaced his arms.

The expression on Jim Bob's face as he examined himself was one of disgust. "Ah told you ah didn't want to be a freak, Bobby John!"

Bobby John stood back and looked at Jim Bob, his arms crossed over his chest. "Ah don't know what you expect me to do. This is all Vincent could find for us."

"Ah don't think he tried hard enough," Jim Bob mumbled. He was about to say more when Bobby John held up his hand.

"Shah! Grokmar is talking to me again."

"Bobby John, have you been able to locate Jim Bob? I have not been able to contact him." Grokmar asked.

"Yes, Grokmar. My new friend, Vincent, found him."

"Vincent? Who or what is Vincent?" Grokmar asked.

Bobby John looked at his hovering friend. "Vincent is a service droid ah repaired. He's been helping me out with a few things like finding stuff to fix Jim Bob with."

There was a pregnant pause before Grokmar spoke again. "Bobby John, did you say you repaired a service droid?"

"Yes."

"Did you also say you repaired Jim Bob?"

"Yeah." Bobby John was starting to be confused by the questions.

The starship's voice was curious. "What kind of repairs could Jim Bob possibly require that you are qualified to do? And how did you fix a service droid?"

Bobby John shrugged and realized the Grokmar wouldn't be able to see the gesture. "Ah don't know what you mean by qualified, but we found Jim Bob without arms or legs. Ah had to do something so he could keep up with us. It wasn't too hard. Vincent brought me some pieces of various contraptions he found and ah put 'em on Jim Bob. He's got a couple metal tentacles for arms and some rubber tracks for legs."

"How did Jim Bob lose his arms and legs?" Grokmar asked.

"Don't know. He didn't say." Bobby John said. 

"Interesting. And what about the service droid?"

"Found Vincent broken up in an alley and put him back together. T'weren't all that hard neither."

"You did all that? How did you know what to do?"

"Ah don't know. Ah just did it."

"That is amazing! I was going to tell you to come back to the ship, but judging by what you just said, you might be able to help out."

"Bobby John, what is going on?" Jim Bob asked. He, of course, couldn't hear Grokmar without the earbud.

"Just a moment, Jim Bob." Bobby John waved the man off. "What do you want us to do, Grokmar?"

"Things have gotten really bad. Station Security is looking for all humans and it has traced you all back to me. There is a large group of them waiting outside of me. They have not tried to come on board me yet, but I think they will soon. I need you to find the others and bring them back here."

Bobby John furrowed his brow. "But didn't you tell me Betty Sue and Carol Anne were taken by Station Security? Ah don't even know where that is. And how the heck am ah supposed to get them out when ah find it?"

"Master, I believe I might be able to help you with that," Vincent said, having intercepted the transmission. "When I was still in active use I was required to travel to the security lockup several times to deliver food so I know where it is. I also still possess the access codes to enter the facility."

"You can get us into the facility?" Bobby John asked. "Grokmar, did you hear that? Vincent can get us into the Security thingamajiggy."

"Ah'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on!" Jim Bob said. He folded his tentacles across his chest and his mechanical body dropped to the ground.

Bobby John looked at him. "You always were selfish." He turned to Vincent. "Okay Vincent. Lead the way. Grokmar, can you help us avoid them there Security fellas?"

"I will monitor their positions in relation to you, and provide warning, Bobby John," Grokmar said.

"Hey!" Jim Bob said, alarmed. "Ah never said ah wouldn't help. Ah just want to know what's going on."

Bobby John stopped and turned to face the man-machine. "Betty Sue and Carol Anne are in jail. Don't know where Zeke is. Grokmar is about to be searched by Security and Station Security is looking for all humans. We're in a mess of trouble." With each word, Bobby John took a step toward Jim Bob, his small hands balled into fists.

Jim Bob backed away from the boy, treads slipping on the smooth ground. "Whoa! Easy there, boy. What's gotten into you?"

Bobby John gritted his teeth. "Ah ain't had no family since ah was seven years old. Y'all are the closest thing to that in as long as ah can remember and ah'm scared. Ah don't understand most of what's going on but ah won't let anything happen to Betty Sue and the others if ah can help it. That means ah ain't gonna let you git in my way."

Jim Bob looked at him in amazement. That was the longest speech the boy had ever made in his hearing and probably the most words he'd ever spoken. "All right then, boy. Ah'm with you. Ah'll help."

Bobby John nodded and turned to leave the alley.

"Master, wait," Vincent said, hovering in front of him. "Station Security will be watching for you. Before we go to Security, you must cover up both visually and scan-wise. Wait here and I will fetch what we need to keep you safe."

Bobby John nodded once and settled in to wait yet again.