Expedition Westward

  ***

  Winston and Star halted their scooters beneath a large billboard advertising a powered vehicle. In it, a ‘typical’ human family stood in front of their car grinning into the marvelous future. A slogan festooned the bottom:

  Welcome to the New Century!

  Indeed, Winston thought.

  The mech wolf trotting behind them stopped several meters away and sank down onto its haunches.

  “I’ve never seen such a big city,” Star said. “There must have been millions of people here.”

  “Yes,” Winston said. “This area is a vast interlock of municipalities. The total urban environment is many times larger than Mech City.”

  Star kissed Winston’s cheek. “You’ve seen so much of the world.”

  “Relatively speaking, that’s true,” Winston said, “but I have never been here before.”

  “It’s all part of the adventure,” Star said.

  Yes, the adventure, Winston thought, sourly.

  And today it would draw to a melancholy conclusion. Winston could not expunge the image of himself and Star walking along the ocean shore, Ripper trailing behind them in the debris-strewn sand. Winston would have his arm around her, she would be sagging against him and tears would be flowing down her face.

  With her fondest hopes extinguished, Star would never be the same again. She would look old, somehow, and the sparkle would be gone from her. She would –

  Ripper abruptly got back to his feet in a state of agitation. He looked up into the sky and began growling. His gray coat bristled.

  “He seems to have spotted something,” Winston said.

  Shielding their optical sensors with their hands, Winston and Star perused the drab sky.

  “Over there!” Star cried.

  She pointed toward the east where a small winged machine buzzed into view like some horrid bird.

  “What’s that?” she said.

  “My guess is that it’s some sort of remotely controlled observation aircraft,” Winston said. “It has probably been watching us for some time.”

  “Oh, Winston, I don’t like the looks of that thing.”

  “Neither do I.”

  Winston scanned the area – a series of low buildings, narrow streets and alleyways.

  “There would appear to be limited possibilities for concealment,” he said.

  Another flying object came into view, circling around by the first one. They made a lazy eight pattern in the sky.

  Suddenly Ripper started running toward them, yipping fiercely.

  “Look out!” Winston yelled.

  He stepped in front of Star and braced himself for an attack, although there was no defense against a charging mech wolf. After all that Ripper had done for them, Winston still could not bring himself to trust the beast. Was this the end – so close to their goal?

  But Ripper swerved and ran right past them. He stopped at the corner and looked back, whining. The sounds of an approaching motor vehicle disturbed the morning.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Winston said.

  They took off along the street just as a military type truck turned the corner behind them. They pushed their scooters to maximum performance, actually gaining distance on the motorized vehicle. Winston chanced a backward look at the two men in the truck – humans, he thought, but he could not be certain.

  “This way!” Winston led them into a narrow, twisting passage. “I think we can lose them in here.”

  “Oh, Winston, I’m so scared!”

  They raced along the filthy alley, past derelict motor vehicles and mounds of trash. Their tires crunched over broken glass but maintained their integrity.

  “Don’t worry, Star, we’ll make it,” Winston said.

  But then the alley took an abrupt turn and dead ended against the harsh exterior of a multi-story building. A tough iron door stood pad locked against them, and the lower stories had bars on all the windows.

  “Oh, crap!” Winston cried, using one of his late master’s favorite phrases.

  Ripper caught up with them. Seconds of indecision ensued.

  “We may as well go out to face them,” Star said. “We can’t run any more.”

  Winston thought of assembling his spear, but knew instinctively that the occupants of the motor vehicle must be humans. No awkward robotic driver could have handled the truck with such confident ease. No resistance would be possible.

  “Yes ... I think we’d better,” he said.

  The three robots walked toward the mouth of the alley where the motor vehicle was parked, blocking any escape. Ripper moved protectively into the lead.

  Two young human males exited the vehicle and walked toward them. They were both well groomed with short hair and shaved faces. They wore green military type jumpsuits. The assault rifles they carried seemed as big as cannons.

  “They don’t look too unfriendly,” Star said.

  “At least they don’t look crazy,” Winston said.

  A deep growl rumbled in the mech wolf’s throat.

  Winston and Star clung together, expecting the worst, despite their hopeful remarks. The men paused two meters away, eyeing the robots with baffled curiosity. Winston could read their name tags now. The men were called LIGGETT and PANTANI.

  “Good morning, sirs,” Winston said.

  Liggett and Pantani looked at each other. Then they burst out laughing.

  “I’ve seen everything!” Liggett said.

  From his manner and bearing, Winston reckoned Liggett to be the leader.

  “They’ve got scooters, no less,” Pantani said. “Things sure have changed.”

  Winston offered a slight bow, orienting himself toward Liggett.

  “I’m pleased that we amuse you,” he said. “Now, if you don’t mind, we’ll just be going.”

  Winston took a step forward. The men raised their rifles.

  “Not so fast,” Liggett said, “the colonel will want to see you.”

  “The colonel?” Winston said.

  “That’s right, blue man, Colonel Reyes” Liggett said. “He’s the law in this area.”

  While this exchange was taking place, Pantani was looking Star over from head to toe. She held his gaze, refusing to divert her eyes.

  He’s kind of cute, she couldn’t help thinking, despite the tense circumstances.

  “The colonel will be especially interested in this one,” Pantani said, jerking a thumb toward Star.

  Ripper stood by, fangs bared defensively, but it could make no move against the humans.

  “They even brought a puppy dog,” Liggett said.

  Pantani approached Ripper with mock friendliness. “Nice doggie!”

  He stroked the mech wolf’s head, then reached down and flipped the deactivation switch at the base of its skull. Ripper blinked out and collapsed.

  “Alright, you two,” Liggett said. “Let’s get into the truck.”

  “We won’t leave without our friend,” Star said.

  “Let’s just blast the damn thing,” Pantani said.

  “No!” Star cried.

  Liggett considered the issue for a few moments, stroking his assault rifle as if he were holding a fine musical instrument.

  “Ah, let’s bring it along,” he said. “The colonel might want to see it.”

  “Come on, blue guy, give me a hand,” Pantani said.

  “My name is Winston Horvath,” Winston said.

  Pantani chuckled. “Okay, whatever.”

  Winston and Pantani hefted the inert mech wolf and carried it toward the truck. Liggett snatched the fragment of Iri’s coat off of Winston’s shoulders and tossed it away.

  “You won’t be needing this bl ... I mean, Mr. Horvath,” he said.

  The two humans enjoyed a guffaw. With a stab of grief, Winston observed the last vestige of Iridium tumble onto the pavement.

  Good-bye old friend!

  As Star climbed up into the truck, Pantani patted her on the ass. She was surprised at this action –
but also rather liked it. Liggett jumped into the driver’s seat and started the vehicle.

  “Where were you two going just now?” he asked.

  “The Robotics Development Center,” Winston replied. “We wish to locate Dr. Edgar Rackenfauz.”

  Liggett and Pantani snorted derisively.

  “Do you know him?” Winston asked.

  “Everybody knows that old screwball,” Liggett said.

  “Would there be a Dr. Jerry Che with him?” Star asked, excitement edging her voice.

  “We pick up all kinds,” Liggett said. “I don’t know many names.”

  “If you’ll forgive my asking,” Winston said, “where did you come from?”

  “Most of us are returnees from the Lunar colony,” Liggett said. “Others came from the Mars research station.”

  “Then you must be – ”

  “Look, if you got more questions, save them for the colonel,” Liggett interrupted. “I’m just doing my job, okay?”

  “Of course,” Winston said. “Thank you, sir.”

  39. Back at the Ranchero again

  Jimmy regarded the workmen sitting on their tools at the bottom of the dry canal. Their faces were blank, nobody spoke – almost as if they’d entered inactive mode.

  Isn’t this a sorry lot? he thought glumly.

  “Okay, men, break time’s over!” he called “Let’s get back to work.”

  Nobody stirred.

  “Go ahead, Jimmy,” someone said.

  “Nobody’s stopping you,” somebody else said.

  Jimmy waited, hands on hips, to see if anybody would heed his call. No one did.

  “All right, I will,” he said.

  He seized a pick and began gouging at the hard earth. Sam hefted a shovel and joined him. Together, they labored mightily for some minutes. Finally, Sam said:

  “It ain’t working, Jimmy.”

  Jimmy gave his pick a final swing and left it buried in the dirt. He turned back toward the crew. All of them were right where he’d left them, sitting on their tools, looking up with blank expressions.

  “Come on, boys, what’s the matter?” he said.

  “Nothing’s the matter, Jimmy, you’re doing great!” somebody said.

  Everyone laughed. Jimmy stood confronting them in the middle of the ditch, humiliation crackling in his circuits. Suddenly, a large shadow cast itself over the scene. He looked up to see Ajax at the edge of the canal, observing them.

  “Come on, Sam,” he said, “let’s go talk to him.”

  They climbed out the ditch and joined Ajax. The workers remained where they were.

  “What seems to be the problem, Chief Foreman?” Ajax inquired.

  “The boys have had enough,” Jimmy replied. “They refuse to work anymore.”

  “And why is that?”

  “They just don’t see the point of it,” Jimmy said. “They say it’s a complete waste of time.”

  “It most certainly is not!” Ajax said huffily.

  Jimmy wiped the dirt from hands and gazed back down at the workers in the ditch.

  “I agree with you, Ajax,” he said. “But they don’t see it that way.”

  “Perhaps we could change the focus of the effort for a while,” Ajax said. “Have the workers tear down some damaged buildings. They must be destroyed in any case, why not now?”

  “No dice,” Sam said. “We already suggested that.”

  “What is to be done, then?” Ajax said.

  Jimmy held up his left arm and pointed to the communicator strapped to his wrist.

  “There’s only one thing I can think of,” he said. “Call in the mech wolves.”

  A look of indignant disapproval appeared on Ajax’s face.

  “Perish the thought!” he cried. “That would be a profound abomination.”

  “If you’ve got a better idea, I’m all auditory sensor,” Jimmy said.

  Ajax stroked his chin thoughtfully.

  “I shall address the workers directly,” he said, holding up an index finger. “Surely an appeal to reason will inspire their efforts.”

  “Be my guest,” Jimmy said.

  Ajax moved to the very edge of the drop off and called down to the workers.

  “Comrades! Friends! Citizens of Mech City!”

  “Look who’s here,” somebody muttered.

  “I appeal to you, as your mayor, to return to work on this noble project,” Ajax said. “Now, more than ever, your dedication and public spirit is required for this heroic effort.”

  “Ohhh, please,” another workman muttered.

  Ajax raised a finger. “As I have stated, many times – ”

  “Go back to your comic book, Ajax!” a workman shouted.

  “Yeah, help Gorzo hunt down some bad guys!” another yelled.

  Harsh laughter ran through the workmen. Shocked disbelief etched itself on Ajax’s face. He took a step back, gripping his mayor’s medallion like some holy, though useless, relic.

  Good job, you old poop! a voice inside his head mocked.

  He’d not heard this voice for some time, but now his once detached primary brain unit was rebelling again. He dared not speak for fear that he’d utter some appalling nonsense.

  One of the workmen stood up. “Well, I’ve had enough.”

  He began climbing out of the ditch.

  “Me, too!” another said.

  Soon, all the workers were stomping off the job en masse.