John Premium aided us in getting out of the dining room unnoticed, as the tension between him and Roby's guards attracted the attention of the colonists. He was still complaining by the time we made it to the exit. Along the way, Anthony got some information out of Big Donny. My father joined us as we left the area.
- How did Donny know who we are? - I had to ask this question.
- Being such an idolised figure allowed him to get in touch with Roby. He gets a marketable hero that can be shown in the news to solidify his position and Donny gets the exposure he craves. It's a win-win and Big Donny also gets some exclusive info along the way - Anthony explained.
- Does Big Donny know anything about the robbery? - Arika asked.
- Kind of. He mainly told me about the flavours of the ice cream. The only interesting piece of info is that the goods were still in the crate by the time the workers entered Mars Base Beta, which means that the thief was and probably is in the base - Anthony replied.
- Did Roby initiate a lockdown of the outpost? It would make catching the theif much easier - Claudius made a good point.
- I don't know, but it would be the logical thing to do - Anthony shrugged.
- So, what do we do? - Dawn was puzzled.
- I can hack into the security system to see if it picked up anything fishy - Arika suggested.
- I can beat the robber up - Amber added.
- Maybe I could check the electronics to see if the criminals left any damage? - Claudius proposed.
Einstein agreed to all of those ideas, wanting to get the investigation started as quickly as possible.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDLJYwvlLL
- Hey, Dawn! Did the Martians plan something related to Ice Cream Day? - Sebastian questioned.
- I never heard about such a plot - Dawn muttered.
- You know, when I think about it, it's pretty disgusting to give the hard-working people of Mars a bad name by calling your organization "The Martians" - I noticed.
- I didn't pick that name - was Dawn's response.
- One more thing before I leave. Dawn, please keep an eye on Big Donny. You're working with the tunnels, so it's the perfect opportunity and I want to see what he's up to - Einstein said.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOmfVdrUs7
I wondered how Dawn will respond to this request. She's stuck with us, but I doubt that she's willing to thwart evil schemes like us. She is a criminal, after all. To my surprise, her reply was a simple:
- Okay.
With that settled, it was time to pick up speed. The thief, whoever they are, likely wants to leave the base, so we had to act fast. However, I wasn't sure what to do.
- What am I supposed to do? - I asked, puzzled.
- You're coming with me - dad informed me.
We had to split up so that everyone can do their thing. Arika made her way to the communication centre to gain access to a computer, Claudius went to get a look at the vital systems that keep everything up and running. Dawn wanted to go to the tunnel digging site, but she had no idea where that is, so Sebastian came along to assist her. Amber wasn't in a hurry, so she decided to go on a casual walk around the base and hopefully find a clue of some kind. Einstein came back to the dining room to check the current situation. Anthony and I followed him for a bit, but we were quick to go our own way.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLF2ZNGnaa
- What's our plan? - I whispered to my dad.
- I want to get a look at Roby. Let's see how he's reacting to the heist - Anthony briefed me.
It was my time to shine. Using my sharp hearing, I located Roby, as I recognised his voice among many others. He was on his way to leave the dining room for unknown reasons. We had to find out why.
We were pretty swift, but still slow enough for Roby's guards to not notice us. We then started quietly following the supreme authority of Mars Base Beta.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwdbQqPcpuH
Along the way, we stopped every now and then so that Roby won't get the impression that we're tracking him. By our third stop, Anthony decided that we need to switch up our strategy or else Roby may suspect something.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtQStumCD1
- Let's hide behind the vertical farm. You can see through the plants, but it's unlikely for Roby to look in this direction - I proposed.
- Good idea - Anthony accepted.
While we couldn't watch Robert all the time, we could still hear him.
- ...yes, a lockdown. Why? Well, because the most important food of the day was stolen and our reputation is at risk! I need to make sure that the robber stays in here, now get to it! I want to see the doors shut in five seconds or I'm replacing you! GO! - Roby was certainly fuming, but he initiated a lockdown of the base, just as we had hoped.
Anthony informed the others about this through his walkie-talkie.
- I got into the system, now I'm looking through the recordings. Wow, there's a lot of them... - Arika informed us.
- I heard something rolling by, but I'm not sure what it is - Amber told us.
- Where? - Anthony wanted to know more. I kept an eye on Roby while he exchanged information with the others.
- Near the lung - Amber responded.
The lung is a large greenhouse located to the left of the main hall. The plants grown there act as a filter, absorbing carbon dioxide and emmitting oxygen. Additionally, scientists use the clear air to experiment with aeroponics, which is growing plants suspended in the air, with nutrients being sprayed onto them.
- Should we go there? - I asked.
- I think so. I thought that Roby may be suspicious, but it doesn't seem like that's the case. He's just really angry with his men - Anthony confirmed.
The lung was luckily nearby, so we made it there in to time. On our way, we maintained connection with the others. Arika told us something interesting.
- There's footage of a masked guy snooping around the lung before getting into a corridor and dissapearing from the camera's sight. Can you check where he went? - this message was sent to both us and Amber and it definitely mobilized us.
We met up with Amber in the entrance to the lung. Plants were everywhere, even above us. However, they're not what we came for. Arika explained where exactly the camera was. Amber waved at it and Arika then confirmed it was the right one.
We made our way down the corridor just like the masked guy.
- Where does the hallway lead? - Arika questioned.
- There's a lift, but it requires a special clearence that we don't have - I sighed upon arriving.
- What a pity - Arika also sighed.
- Can you check if anybody went down there in the last fifteen minutes? - Anthony entreated.
- Sure - we heard Arika type - Yes, someone did. Legally.
- It's the masked guy - I noted.
- I thought that was obvious - Arika replied.
- Maybe we can approach Roby and ask him for permission to go down there? - I turned to dad.
- I guess we have no other options - Anthony responded.
Amber followed us along as we searched for Roby. Unfortunately, we couldn't find him.95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6CuZpHoU9L
- What is down there anyway? Why do you need a clearence? - I asked along the way.
- There's a prison. With some pretty bad people. I guess that's why - Arika did the research - Before you ask, no, I cannot hack this open. Those Martians use a weird coding language. It will take me forever to convert this into something readable - she meant the colonists, NOT the criminals.
Since we couldn't get in there legally, we had to turn to a pretty risky option:95Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9wanI0U2b
Get arrested ourselves.
ns216.73.216.64da2
and then Add to home screen.