Robots of Avery Five.

Chapter 17

Alex dropped a fork inside an aluminum tray full of colorless food and placed it nicely over the mattress.

"Found you some food." He coughed and walked back to the door without making eye contact.

Sadie didn't give him a chance to escape. She held his wrist, but he still dragged her a few feet into a narrow hallway before he rotated his body toward her.

"Go back to your doll, Sadie," he almost yelled. His eyes were pure black—the color of his soul as he wished to go back into the room and rip Cam's face off.

"No, you're angry. I won't let you go if you're angry."

"I'll get over it. Now, let go of my arm."

"He kissed me because I am stressed out. It's in his programming and I was about to stop him."

"I don't care." He removed her hands. "Why would I care? You're supposed to be my grandmother. You shouldn't have to explain yourself."

Sadie contracted the muscles in her face and planted her feet. Her opened palms hit his chest enough for his back to hit the wall.

"Don't you ever call me that," she spoke without moving her teeth.

"That's what you are and it's never gonna change," he attempted to leave again when she flung her palm onto his cheek.

He tensed his jaw from the burn while his eyebrows met the top of his nose. He shoved her against the opposite wall. Tears cascading down her face. His fingers digging harder into her skin. Then, he prised her body onto his chest and robbed her of her breath.

As he softened his grip and caressed her lower back, she was able to raise her arms over his shoulders and let herself feel the warmth of his body.

He left her lips to smell the linen scent of her neck. His arms and chest encompassing all of her torso. Whatever happened before didn't matter because to both of them that moment was perfect. She was the only woman he had ever wanted. She was the mother of his child.

"You are sleeping, recharging your batteries, or doing whatever you robots do, up here." Alex tapped the top mattress of the bunk bed. "There will be no more touching or fondling or touching or kissing or touching of Sadie, you got it?"

Cam didn't move, but his eyeballs rotated toward Sadie.

"What Alex is trying to say is that it's time to set some boundaries, so from now on you can't check my hormone levels," said his master.

"If that's what you wish..." The robot smiled and climbed on the bunk bed. "But if you ever want to play sexy trivia—"

"Okay, good night," Sadie was quick to say.

Alex jerked the door, making sure it was locked, while Sadie laid down on the bottom mattress. She scooted her back toward the wall. Then, he nudged her hair off the pillow and rested his head beside hers.

The clone woman and the Earthian man peeked into each other's souls. All the hairs in both of their bodies gradually danced together through the caressing of their skins. Each smile was longer as he lowered his palm over her hand and moved his fingers between hers.

Then, he felt the need to be sincere and lay out all the crosses he carried.

"I'm terrified of being a bad father."

"You?" Sadie raised her head momentarily. "The only reason we're safe is because you've protected our baby from the moment we knew of him."

"I don't think I would make him proud," he brought her hand to his chest.

"Why would you say that?"

He rolled on his back, preparing for her judgement. "I shot Kimiora and Red Beard and I'm pretty sure they're dead."

"Were they trying to hurt you?"

Her response surprised him. He thought she'd, at least, gasp.

"No, but they were insane. They were trying to make Earth disappear."

She cupped his jaw and turned his face for a small kiss.

"I, a clone, fell in love with a human and became his accomplice. Now I'm carrying his baby. Not to mention, old me might have cheated on her husband with Carter Monk."

"That's crazy." He chuckled, raised his arm and let her rest on his chest.

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Alex rolled over his side and half opened his eyes. He blinked slowly, then his eyelids hid under his eyebrows. His nostrils widened at the robot staring at them.

"Alexander, you are awake," said Cam.

"Were you planning on killing me in my sleep?" frowned Alex.

"I am incapable of ending your life, Alexander. I was waiting for you to wake up to inform you that we are in the Aver stratosphere."

"What!?" Alex jumped off the bunk bed and reached for his pants under it.

Sadie, who cocooned herself inside of a blanket, sat up and scratched her eyes.

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Alex ran down the hallway and into the captain's cabin: a small room with nothing more than a holographic panel and an unused manual wheel in case the spaceship went out of control. 

"How the hell did you get past the Federation scan?" Alex put on his boots as he spoke to Danielle.

"Good Aver morning," replied Danielle. Half of her face was full of patches and her black eye had changed to a purple color. The swelling was already gone.

"Have I introduced you, guys?" She waved her finger back and forth between him and the rest of her small team.

"Poochie, this is Alexander of Singapore. Alexander, my fiancé, Pablo, a.k.a Poochie," she turned to Poochie. "Alexander has the magical weapon I told you about. The one that doesn't require a human print to be wielded."

"It's not magic." Alexander shook Poochie's hand as he stared at the heavy Aver traffic through large windows. "And how is the police not on our asses right now?"

"That'll be my fault," replied Poochie. "To their scanner, we're just a lilalic acid cargo from Rembrandt. Trust me, they won't wanna stop us."

"How big is that armament?" Asked Danielle. "Do you think it'll fit in the loading deck?"

"I don't know," replied Alex, "but I imagine it's got to be inside some kind of gigantic hatch under the ground."

"Don't worry." Poochie slapped the wall. "If the armament doesn't fit inside, this baby can haul a small planet."

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The arrow was parked at construction site, where similar ships were being unloaded for delivery and maintenance. The crew could see large machines cutting down trees and robots pulling thick rows of cable. As a small elevator came down from the front of the ship, Danielle and Poochie began jumping down at a reasonable height and running into the Spongos forest. Sadie, Alex, and Cam were last.

They all walked until the sound of machinery was heard far away. Poochie kneeled down and moved a few rocks and leaves out of the way. He grabbed a small cube from the pocket of his faded brown pants and set it down in front of him. Danielle did the same thing, then they pulled out small cylinders, poked the cubes with them, and set them on fire.

The burning cubes rolled into lines and the earth beneath them gathered and hardened, creating metal spears.

"We're ready," Danielle stood up with the hunters' weapon of choice.

After walking into the darkening forest for some good miles, they all reached the empty ruins of igloos. Most of them were covered in yellow resin, dirt, and a white gunk. Their feet disturbed the tranquil centennial sleep of spongo leaves.

A beeping on Danielle's spear made them stop.

"This is the place," she positioned the sharp end of her spear over the ground.

"Is it? That went smoothly," said Sadie.

Everyone nodded at the spot on the ground.

"Let's dig up small holes for the metal tracker," said Poochie.

They scattered around the area and began digging up wet dirt. Sadie figured the hole had to be a few inches deep and used a rock to aid in the process. She continued digging, not realizing that everyone was done, when the tip of her rock made a ping sound. She stopped, but then continued to dig toward the sides.

"You know, you can stop now," said Alex.

"Come look at this," she waved at him and he crawled toward her.

The sight of metal made him just as curious and he began to dig with her. As the dirt was being taken out, a message in English was revealed over the rusted plaque.

"What does it say?" Asked Alex.

"Only the father will yield. Only me," she read.

They glanced at each other then back at Cam, Danielle, and Poochie. Then everyone got on their knees and removed the earth around it. It didn't take long for them to reach the end of the metallic object, which was now apparent that it was a simple, but perfectly sized cube.

Alexander lifted it out of the hole and onto his lap. They all remained there looking at it in a confused state. He turned the box around, tapping its sides. He passed it to Sadie and she did the same thing. They were both surprised at how light the material felt on their hands as if it was hollow inside.

"Only me," she read the last two words of the message in English. "Why would Carter Monk create something that only he can open?"

"Maybe the man's still alive somewhere," said Alex.

"Father is not alive. He committed suicide 32 Aver years ago," replied Cam.

"We don't have to open the thing to make millions of bitcoins in the Martian black market," Danielle glanced at Poochie and he snatched the box out of Sadie's hands.

The hunter couple stood up and pointed their spears at them.

"Do you know why we're called The Hunters?" Asked Poochie.

Alex, Sadie, and Cam looked up at them in silence. The Earthian boiled. He had trusted The Hunters and he had been crossed again.

"Because we're very good at hunting down pieces like these," the fiancé bounced the hand sized box on his palm.

"Not ancient weapons, but it will be enough to get us a better aircraft and new winter clothes," smiled Danielle.

Alex began reaching back behind his hip, when Danielle pulled the old handgun out of her fiancé's jacket.

"Oh, wait," she laughed, "but we do have an ancient weapon. How much do you think I can get for this one? 50 million?"

"Nice." Poochie began to move back. "You, yabnucks, stay right where you are while me and my queen go celebr—"

Danielle's smile dissipated as Poochie had to carry the artifact with both hands. He took another step and his face turned pure red from straining. When he was about drop the suddenly heavy object, its weight increased once more and he plunged onto the ground.

"Dani, Dani, Dani," Poochie extended his hand toward Danielle's legs.

The box had began to crush his ribcage. Danielle dropped the gun and the spear and tried to lift the object off her fiancé.

"Help me!" He screamed.

There was now an apparent dent on the man's body. His hands and feet shook in fear and agony. Although Sadie and Alex had been angry them, the scene was one worthy of horror. Cam, as usual, kept a neutral expression.

Alex got up and picked up the gun.

"What did you do to it? Take it off!" Danielle gripped the fabric of Alex's pants.

"I didn't do anything to it," said Alex.

Sadie walked toward them and kicked Danielle's arm away. Then, the sponge trees began to curve and shake, and soldiers dressed in black gear surrounded them. They carried electric weapons that fully covered their right forearms.

"We are the Human Federation. Earthian, Alexander of Singapore, clone, Sadie of Raleigh, and associates, you are under arrest."

As Poochie's eyes were left opened and his heart stopped, Danielle yanked Alexander's gun and pressed the trigger toward the soldiers. She continued pulling her finger back, but no bullet came out of the barrel.

"Why is it not working?" Her feet marched in place.

"There's no more ammunition inside the magazine," said Cam.

"What does that mean?"

Alex and Sadie raised their hands and they both stood beside the robot.

"It means you're fucked."

One of the soldiers pulled back his elbow and an electric ray shot through his weapon into Danielle's body. The woman convulsed and plummeted.

"Hey, Cam," whispered Sadie. "I'm scared because these people are trying to hurt me. Don't you think it might be time for you to do your thing?"

"Yes," Cam looked up at the moving the foliage, "but I think our friends might do a better job."

The moment he spoke, the lizard-like creatures of the Spongos forest began to rain down on the soldiers. Sadie made a muffled scream, watching a beast rip two heads at the same time with its double jaw. The other men screamed and began shooting fire and electric currents at random.

The clone girl pushed Alex's head down, dodging a ray that pulverized a tree. Then, she hauled the Earthian's collar toward her as a beast attempted to vomit its yellow resin all over him. Alex cupped Sadie's jaw and smiled in the middle of chaos.

"Time to go," Cam pushed both humans between screaming soldiers and chirping beasts and snatched the box from the crushed body.