Cavendish had been so worried about the pistachions and what they were supposed to do about them, but the solution that Dakota and Professor Time, or, well, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, came up with was so simple. It just seemed way too easy, to destroy the entire pistachion species by just hooking some soda up to the sprinkler system at Lard World. The pistachions would be killed, the humans would be unharmed, and everything would go back to normal. It was simple. Easy.
Perfect.
Cavendish was reluctant to completely trust the plan or fully believe it would work. He wanted to believe it though, and Dakota was so confident about it, same as Dr. Doofenshmirtz. Both of them were so smart, if unconventional. With all the information at their disposal, surely any plan they came up with would have to be a decent one. So even though Cavendish didn't completely believe in it, he didn't have a better idea, so he tried his best to be cautiously optimistic about it. Cavendish would do what Dakota and Dr. Doofenshmirtz sent him to do, he would help in any way that he could, and he would hope for the best.
Though Cavendish had hoped for the best, he hadn't really thought that it would work. Every step of the way he worried about what could go wrong. He had thought that he and Orton would run into trouble on their way to get the soda from his apartment that he'd kept without really understanding why. Of course, he'd been pleased, but still shocked, when they got back safe.
Cavendish had thought that the pistachions would find their warehouse. They were almost discovered, when one of the children started live-streaming the work they were doing, but Dakota put a stop to that before anything could happen. Ultimately, they weren't discovered. They were all just fine, and they were able to finish their preparations and get to Lard World.
Cavendish had been concerned about a lot of things. He'd worried that they wouldn't be to make a soda with their limited resources, but Dr. Doofenshmirtz was able to manage it, and he even tested it on some small plants outside. They had, indeed, made Wyatt Burp Orange Soda.
Cavendish had stressed about them getting ambushed on their way to Lard World, but nothing happened. He worried about the children going head-on against the pistachions, keeping them occupied so the adults could get the soda set up in the sprinkler system. Somehow though, the children seemed to hold their own. Not even Murphy's Law seemed to be able to stop them. The children were all quite extraordinary. It may be dangerous, but they all seemed more than capable of holding their own.
When they got the sprinkler system set up, Dakota finally reconnected his systems with Milo to warn the boy to find his way to shelter. They didn't want to take any chances that Milo would ingest any of the soda and accidentally turn off his Squip. Once Milo and Cavendish were both safe and completely out of the way, Dakota spent a couple of moments looking through the video feeds of Lard World. He was just making sure that no pistachions were coming their way. It was just a precaution.
Cavendish was finally starting to think that things were going their way when Dakota flinched and stopped looking at the feeds. He seemed alarmed. "Brick and Savannah are here,"
At first Cavendish didn't understand, but Dakota's connection to him helped him to understand fairly quickly. "Brick's Squip,"
Dr. Doofenshmirtz looked at them in confusion. "What's Brick?"
"A jerk," Dakota said.
"Another time traveler," Cavendish said over him. "He has a super computer as well, just like me,"
"So the soda is just as dangerous to him as it is to Cav and Milo," Dakota said. "I doubt that Brick actually cares about Savannah, or that Savannah would care either way," Dakota said. "She's a different Squip than I am. She doesn't get complicated feelings. She does what she's told, and that's basically all, but…"
"But she's a Squip, and you're a Squip," Dr. Doofenshmirtz said. Dakota nodded. Cavendish didn't entirely understand it. He could feel exactly what Dakota could feel right now, he just didn't get it. Why would Savannah being a Squip be enough reason for Dakota to want to save her? They may both be Squips, but they were nothing alike.
Still, if it was important to Dakota, Cavendish would do what he could to help.
"Where are they?" Cavendish asked. They would have to hurry, so they could get rid of the pistachions. A moment later the information seemed to come straight into Cavendish's head. He instinctively knew where he was supposed to go. Cavendish wasn't used to the kinds of things that a Squip could do to his head. He tried not to think too deeply about it.
"I'll take care of it," Cavendish said. He knew Dakota couldn't go, because Brick and Savannah thought that he was destroyed. It could cause a lot of complications if they saw he was still around.
"Take Orton with you," Dakota suggested. He grabbed a bottle of Wyatt Burp Orange Soda and handed it to Cavendish. "Use this to get through the pistachions' holding cells. I'll be watching the cameras and guiding you. Please just do what I say," Cavendish nodded. Now wasn't the time to question Dakota. He was a supercomputer, he had access to a lot of information.
Cavendish and Orton went on their way, sticking to the shadows and going into restricted areas to avoid any wandering pistachions. Because Dakota knew exactly what he was doing, it only took them a few minutes to get to Brick and Savannah.
There was a bit of a quiet commotion as the prisoners crowded towards him and Orton. It was shocking for them to see someone who hadn't been captured by the pistachions, especially when they didn't know what they were doing.
Orton put a finger to his lips, gesturing for the others to be quiet. "We have an idea on how to save everyone, but we need to not let the pistachions know we're up to something yet."
"Brick, Savannah, I need to speak with you," Cavendish whispered harshly.
"Cavendish?" Brick pushed his way through the crowd with Savannah just behind him. He looked far too annoyed to see Cavendish. "What are you doing here?" Brick crossed his arms. "And why do I get the feeling that you have something to do with this?"
"We don't have time to explain," Cavendish said. He held up the bottle of soda. "We have this stuff hooked up to the sprinkler system all over the park. It should get rid of the pistachions, but it could also get rid of Savannah."
"Soda?" Brick raised an eyebrow. "That's your big plan?"
Savannah didn't look as doubtful. Brick may not know what Wyatt Burp Orange Soda could do to plants, but she did. "Where did you get enough of the soda."
"A couple of friends were able to figure out how to make it," Cavendish said. Orton glanced anxiously behind them, keeping an eye out for pistachions.
"We need to go," Orton said. Cavendish agreed.
"We don't have time to waste." Cavendish looked at Brick urgently. "We need to get you under cover before turning on the sprinkler system."
"And why should I listen to you?" Brick glared at him. Cavendish stared at him in disbelief. He had just barely told Brick why he should listen to him. Why was that good enough for him?
'He won't listen to you,' Dakota's voice rang in his head. 'Permission to take more drastic measures?'
Permission granted,' Cavendish didn't know just what Dakota had in mind, but if he knew how to get Brick to listen, he might as well listen. A moment later Savannah stiffened and her eyes sparked orange, the same color as Dakota's eye. Immediately afterwards Brick flinched.
"He'll move without complaint now," Savannah said, though the tone didn't sound like her. "Use the soda and get these two out of here."
"...Dakota?" Cavendish blinked in shock. Savannah gave him a small smirk that confirmed his suspicion. "Alright, let's go," Cavendish opened the bottle of soda and poured it on the vine wall of the cages.
"Please, everybody, stay here for just a few more minutes," Orton said to the other prisoners even as Cavendish and Savannah made their way out. "If people get out, the pistachions will know we're up to something." The crowd reluctantly agreed.
Brick's movements were stiff and unnatural, but he was moving quickly, making his way right to where Cavendish had been planning on leading them. Cavendish looked at Savannah. The fact that her eye was still oranged showed him that it was still Dakota in control. "Are you controlling Brick?"
"I don't like doing this," Dakota said in Savannah's voice. "But Brick wasn't going to cooperate."
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Cavendish said. Savannah still looked really conflicted, which meant that something was really bothering Dakota. "What's wrong?"
"...There's something I need to talk to you about," Dakota said. "When you get back," Cavendish nodded. He was worried about what Dakota would say. It had to be important, or else he would just communicate with him via his mind.
Once Brick was safely in an area that the sprinklers couldn't reach, Dakota and Orton made their way back to where Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Dakota were waiting for them.
"Are we ready to go?" Dr. Doofenshmirtz asked when he saw them. Cavendish nodded, and the scientist immediately activated the sprinkler system. It was actually happening. If their plan worked, the pistachions wouldn't be a problem anymore. It just sounded too good to be true.
Dakota's eyes were sparking and Cavendish could feel him looking for information. A moment later he grinned. "It's working. The pistachions are being destroyed. We just have to leave these sprinklers going and hope that it takes out most of the pistachions. It'll be a lot easier to deal with these nutjobbers when there's not an army of them."
Cavendish moved closer to Dakota. "You said you needed to talk to me?"
Dakota grimaced and pulled Cavendish slightly to the side, giving them at least the illusion of privacy. "I know you joined the B.o.T.T. because you wanted to save the world, and that's great, but do you have your heart set on doing it with time travel?"
Cavendish frowned slightly. "Well, no, I suppose not," Cavendish had originally aimed for the B.o.T.T. because it was an organization that could give him the opportunities that he was looking for, but it wasn't the only group. And Cavendish didn't even need to be part of an organization to save the world, it just made it easier, as well as made it more likely for him to get the acknowledgement that he wanted. "Why do you ask?"
Dakota sighed and slouched slightly. "I think that Brick felt that I was there controlling him. I don't really have the same pattern of control that Savannah has. She does things differently than I do. Last time I took control of Savannah, I was able to figure out how she does things and was able to mimic her pattern. This time though, I didn't have the time to do that."
Cavendish raised an eyebrow. "You think that Brick could tell the difference?"
Dakota scoffed. "Savannah takes control of Brick all the time. He's so familiar with her, there's no way he wouldn't know that something's going on,"
"Do you think he'll know it's you?" Cavendish asked.
"Maybe not," Dakota said. "But he'll think it has something to do with you, and he'll definitely tell Mr. Block about it,"
"And if Mr. Block investigates for himself, he may discover that you're back online," Cavendish paled. He hadn't got into too much trouble when Mr. Block thought that he'd shut off Dakota's systems, as he'd used his best judgement, and Mr. Block didn't care about the wellbeing of the Squips. As far as the head of B.o.T.T. was concerned, Squips were tools. If they couldn't do their job right, there was no reason to keep them.
But Cavendish reconnecting with Dakota, a Squip that he had previously reported as flawed, Mr. Block wouldn't be pleased. And if he found out that Dakota was also connected to Milo, an unauthorized child, they would all be in trouble.
"What are we supposed to do?" Cavendish asked.
"Well, if you're not working for the B.o.T.T, Mr. Block won't have any reason to look more into it," Dakota said. Cavendish looked at him in shock.
"Not working for the...what are you talking about?" Cavendish didn't understand where Dakota was going with this. "I can't just quit my job."
"Not quit," Dakota assured him. "Just...transfer, I guess."
"Transfer to where?" Cavendish asked, trying his best to keep calm. Dakota seemed to have a plan, he just had to trust him.
"P.I.G.," Dakota said. "Paranormal Investigation Group. They're based in this time period."
"Paranormal investigation," The concern that Cavendish had felt seemed to evaporate. "There's...that sounds like a chance to save the world,"
Dakota brightened. "Loads of chances to save the world," Cavendish didn't know if Dakota was actually excited about P.I.G. itself, or if he was happy that Cavendish seemed on board with this idea. "The head of P.I.G. is Bob Block, the great-great-great-grandfather of Mr. Block. He's from this time period, but he knows all about the future, and he's always trying to get his hands on tech from the future, and, well, that includes Squips."
Cavendish suddenly found himself much less enthusiastic about this idea. "You want to work for someone who will probably want to figure out how to use you?" It didn't seem fair.
"He's not that bad," Dakota waved off Cavendish's concern. "Bob Block treats all his assets, whether they be employees, weapons, or something in between, with...well, not with respect, but he treats them well.
Cavendish frowned. "And you're sure he won't hurt you?"
"Positive," Dakota said. Cavendish wasn't completely convinced, but working for someone who could potentially be a threat to Dakota seemed more appealing than working for someone who was almost definitely a threat.
Besides, Cavendish knew that he was considered a joke at B.o.T.T, and he was sick of being treated as such. Maybe a change in careers was just what they both needed.
"Alright," Cavendish sighed. "We'll give it a try."
Dakota grinned broadly at him. "I'll contact Bob Block and see if he's interested in hiring a time traveler and a supercomputer," Dakota seemed fairly confident that Bob Block wouldn't just be interested, he would be ecstatic. Cavendish knew that Dakota was excited, he just wasn't sure about this plan himself. He'd been feeling all day like something was going to go horribly wrong, and he couldn't shake the thought that this was what that feeling was about.
Dakota seemed so sure though, and fairly excited. Cavendish didn't want to let him down, so he agreed. He just hoped that this didn't turn out to be a mistake.
A/N: It feels good to finish up the pistachion arc. I feel a little weird about just finishing up the arc without having a single pistachion in the chapter, but it just feels so natural to do this way. And I've finally come up with an explanation as to why Bob Block would be so eager to hire Cavendish and Dakota even though he doesn't respect them and gives them the lowest position in P.I.G.
Soon we're going to be getting into the beautiful mess that season 2 gave us, and I'm excited.
