MISTER HAPPY-GO-LUCKY

The sun was setting from the distance brandishing the sky with a dull red hue and buildings sinking in its shadows. A car was being hauled by an enormous truck full of assorted types of vehicles and the three watched by the window of the apartment as more and more cars vanished from their sight and the streets. Dozens of police officers and soldiers roam around and surveillance was on every post. The citizens were highly guarded now more than ever.

“This is impossible,” Sean sighed. “I don’t think we could pull this off now. I was assuming they’ll patrol the streets the usual way but not like this.”

“They look like ants,” Emma said, tiptoeing to see more clearly below.

“So we go with my plan, then?” Angelo said, walking away from the window then slumped on the sofa. “I mean they don’t patrol the sewers and I already got in touched with Jill, Drake, Rico, Marco, Shane and Ally. They’ll know what to do once we get going. They’re experts.”

Sean turned to him, arms crossed. “Your cousins? Experts in what? And what do you mean by ‘we’? Angelo, my plan about running away with Emma has nothing to do with you. It’s already risky with just the two of us. What makes you think that it would be more successful with you? The police are everywhere, which means they’ve calculated the possibilities of some people escaping before the transfer, I don’t think the sewers were left unchecked.”

Angelo stood up. “Whoa, whoa, man. You asked for my help and I’ve come to your aid and by aid I meant to be there all the way through. I ain’t missing out in this thrilling quest you’re about to take. Right, Emma?”

Emma just shrugged, mouth pouting.

“Even if we say we got out by the train tunnel or the sewer,” Sean explained. “And successfully arrived at Sector 17, they’ll eventually find out about us and hunt us down by Monday.”

“Oh! What fun,” Angelo replied, smiling mischievously.

“This isn’t a game. We might get caught and get locked up along the way,” Sean said then turned to Emma, who was now playing with her dinosaurs while munching on a sandwich, he continued muttering: “At the very worst, we might get killed.”

Angelo was nodding, his eyes contemplating. “We might, we might. But you’re seeing this in a bad light too much, man. Imagine, if we really did escape, reunite your fam and survive the asteroid. Wouldn’t that be something? A Gambit Crook-story worth telling!”

“You’re way too optimistic about this,” Sean said, shaking his head. Even if there really was an asteroid hitting the Earth that would end life for good, and if they really did survived, he hated the thought of him living his whole life stiffly around illogical rules.

“Your plan of escaping is the best you could ever think of in your existence,” Angelo remarked. “I actually never thought you’d ever break any rules but then you stole that peanut butter and now we’re suddenly breaking an ordinance. You are on fire, my fugitive friend. Fire!”

Sean rolled his eyes, sighed and walked to the kitchen to prepare dinner. He would be a real fugitive if this plan worked out. He and his sister would be running and hiding until they reunite with their parents and brother and then what? Live all his life, wanted from the authorities? He sliced an onion fiercely, the other half falling in the sink. He grabbed it, his mind still deep in thought.

His plan to escape on Friday morning was the most ideal one he could come up with. He planned on going to work while leaving Emma in school, bringing only what is necessary and leave Sector 18 to the safest route with Angelo’s navigational assistance – mapping the way for them. He was unprepared with him suddenly tagging along.

They already received their new IDs a while ago and Emma’s sector was still the same. His was on Sector 10, much closer to the sea and Angelo’s on Sector 45 located at the innermost part of the city, closer to the mountainside. He tried contacting his parents to know about their new numbers but communication was blocked out as per advised from the higher ups. So how was Angelo able to contact his cousins outside the Sector? Probably related to the underground alliance he was talking about. He did not push asking him about it, knowing Angelo, he would only get more obscure answers.

“Emma, what’s wrong?” Angelo said from the living room, his voice panicked. Sean strained his neck to look at them and saw Angelo beside Emma, who was bending down and coughing hard. He immediately washed his hands, ran to them as he dried his hands on his red apron.

Angelo knelt beside Emma, giving her back blows between her shoulder blades with the heel of his right hand. Emma kept choking, her face turning blue. Sean swiftly moved behind Emma, Angelo stepping away. He instantly put his arms around her, hands clenched together just below the middle of her chest and kept pushing inwardly until she coughed and spit out a tiny flat green thing on the carpet. Angelo picked it up while Sean knelt down and wiped his sister’s mouth with a clean towel, at the same time calming her down.

“What is it?” Sean asked turning to Angelo.

“I dunno,” Angelo said frowning. He wiped it with his sleeves. “It looks like some kind of chip.”

Emma turned coughing, “A chocolate chip?”

Angelo chuckled. “No, it’s a computer chip.” He handed it to Sean who reached out, a handkerchief on his palm.

“I think it’s a microchip,” Sean said taking a closer look as Emma touched it with her finger, curious. The microchip was green on the other side and black on the other, it was square and flat, with five metallic pins on each sides and a tiny silicon chip in the middle.

Sean and Angelo looked at the half- eaten peanut butter sandwich on the floor then looked at each other, their eyes widening and said simultaneously, “Peanut butter!”

“Peanut butter!” Emma said, giggling, her voice still hoarse.

“The robot,” Sean said, still examining the chip. “Whoever owns that robot must have planted this chip in the spread. It must have been in all the jars. How unhygienic.”

“Ha! I was right then!” Angelo said. “They were hiding something in it. Must’ve been real important if you’re not allowed to take one. But why would they put it in the store?”

“We’re not certain they’re going to put it there, the boxes was behind the convenience store and I saw no one around that time, only that robot.”

“The Sean robot,” Angelo pointed out.

“Don’t call it like that,” Sean said, irritated.

“You have a robot?” Emma asked, eyes widening.

“No, Em. It’s nothing. Ignore Angelo, you know how he likes tall tales. Come on, let’s go gurgle and brush. I hate thinking that thing got in your throat.”

Sean handed the chip back to Angelo, still on the hanky as he led Emma to the bathroom to wash.

“Where’s the peanut butter jar this li’l thing came from?” Angelo asked from the living room.

“It’s already in the trash bin in the kitchen,” Sean replied from the doorway of the bathroom.

Angelo walked to the kitchen and rummaged to the trash shortly after and took out the jar. He took a photo of it – the label and contents written around it then he held his phone over his head and took a selfie with it. He then walked back to the living room as Sean and Emma, who was now wearing a pink checkered pyjamas, emerges from the bedroom.

“So, what to do with this?” Angelo said as he held up the empty jar and chip.

“Leave it,” Sean said glancing at him as he picked up the half-eaten sandwich and toys from the floor. “I’ll dispose it somewhere far from here.”

Angelo looked incredulous. “What! I don’t think so, man. This is far too valuable to be thrown away. We might uncover something confidential here. I’ll take it home and give it to Gio to examine. He’s the techy one anyway, I’ll tell you the deets tomorrow as we journey out.” He put the items inside his sling bag and wore his sweater the color of mustard.

“I don’t it’s safe to keep that,” Sean said. “Activating it is not a good idea either. It’s better to throw it away.”

“I never live life in the safe zone, buddy. The Morales kin chose the dangerous path. Life should never be boring.” Angelo walked and sat by the doorway and grabbed his sneakers and wore it as Emma and Sean followed. 

“Bye, Jello!” Emma said, crouching down beside him. “Thanks for the Littlefoot stickers, bring me some Spike next time.”

“Sure, Emmasaur,” he replied smirking, and squeezed Emma’s chubby cheek. “See you tomorrow.”

“Be careful, Angelo.” Sean sighed. “Doubly careful.”

He saluted to Sean and opened the door as the curfew alarmed.

“Uh-oh,” Emma said, standing up. "You’re not allowed to go out now."

“Guess you’re staying the night,” Sean said. 

Angelo turned to them, winking. “Nope, I’ll go by the tunnels," he said and saluted once again. "Adiós, amigos!”

The siblings looked at each other as they watched Angelo skipped through the hallway, no worries whatsoever.