***
A half dozen desperado robots of various types loitered about the high rocks. Their battered vehicle was parked nearby on the secondary dirt road. One of the scrappers sprawled on a top boulder gazing through binoculars at the terrain below.
“Over there, Chief!” he cried. “Looks like easy pickings.”
Bert joined the lookout, moving adeptly up the rock pile despite the fact that he was missing one arm. He brought his own binoculars up to his optical sensors. The view below him froze his circuits.
“It’s them again!” he snarled.
“Who?” the lookout said.
Bert’s growing rage did not permit him to answer.
He wanted nothing more than to charge down the slope and settle matters with the blue robot and his strange, female-like companion. But there were others with them – a large flock of birds flying above, and coming behind ...
“Easy pickings, eh?” Bert said “Take a look back there.”
He indicated the wolf trio following the two-legged robots. The lookout moved his binoculars over.
“Wow! I didn’t see them before, Chief,” he said.
“Moron,” Bert said. “I don’t know why I waste time with you bunch.”
“Sorry, Chief,” the lookout said.
Bert stabbed a finger toward Iridium.
“That rainbow creature down there took off my arm and destroyed our whole crew – by himself,” he said. “Now he’s got two buddies with him!”
“I see what you mean,” the lookout said.
Bert stroked his ravaged shoulder where Iridium had torn off his arm months before.
“Without my arm, at least I was narrow enough to hide in an old burrow while that monster killed off the others,” he said.
He perused the sky.
“Let’s get down from here before those birds spot us.”
They jumped back down to the dirt road. The rest of the scrappers gathered around, they’d already heard Bert’s angry remarks and did not want to come in for more verbal abuse.
“What are we gonna do, Chief?” one of them asked.
“We’ll just keep an eye on them for now,” Bert said. “Everybody pile in.”
The scrappers returned to their truck. Bert got in the driver’s seat and drove the vehicle under a rock overhang where it could not be seen from above.
Then he got out again and moved to open ground, scanning the air for mech birds.
“We’ll get them, sooner or later.” He stroked his maimed shoulder again. “You’ve got my word on that.”
14. The Castle Arrives
Finally, after days of grueling effort, the travelers arrived at the mountainous environs of their midpoint destination and the promise of a tune up in Dr. Rackenfauz’s vacated workshop.
They stood in the parking area by the trailhead enjoying a brief period of rest. Before them rose a concrete stairway, then a dirt footpath rising up a hillside of dead forest. At their feet lay a metal sign riddled with bullet holes:
Trail to Pickle Lake Castle
“We made it in precisely thirteen days,” Winston said, “just as predicted. The time we made up at the bridge allowed us to proceed at a somewhat more relaxed pace.”
Star kissed his cheek. “You’re always right about everything, Winston!”
Iridium looked on sourly. “Gee, it doesn’t seem like a minute over twelve and three quarter days,” he said.
Star stroked the great canine’s chin. As always, he softened at her touch.
“You’re such a cutie, Iridium,” she said. “Are we ready to visit the castle?”
“Sure thing, Star,” Iridium replied.
He gestured to the mech birds swirling overhead. They began to form themselves into lifting teams for the earth-bound robots. Some of them tried to pick up Fang and Ripper, but the cowering mech wolves would have none of it. They rushed to Iridium’s side, whining with fear.
“Looks like they don’t want to travel air express,” Winston said.
“Can’t say as I blame them,” Star said. “They must have terrible memories about these birds.”
“It’s not worth fighting with them again,” Iridium said. “I’ll just walk up with them.”
“Okay, meet you at the castle, then,” Winston said.
The birds had secure hold of him now, and he began to lift off his feet. Star rose up beside him.
“Bye-ee!” she called, blowing a kiss. “Have a nice hike, Iri.”
“Happy landings,” Iridium said.