From Beyond the Blue Planet

by Trevor Palmer

  “That is how you dealt with impacts from the enemy’s weapons,” nodded Seth. “Like rocket re-entry you simply dissipated all the heat and impact energy they generated.”

  “Next, control of the skin material. My previous master-friend was one of our scientists who you would under-rate if you called him a genius. He stole enough material, which we call creeto, to make enough skin for a small ReeRee unit. I sense your puzzlement when I say ‘skin’, master-friend. ‘Skin’ I use as outer covering whether in humanoid or robot form. You puzzle also over ‘small’ … my master-friend, Keelon, was a small gern. The Chasers or bearded ones are a large people. To them I am small; here on Earth I am considered quite large.”

  “Control?” prompted Seth, though this was unnecessary.

  “Keelon developed electronic and thought-wave devices, combining the two, to control the plasticity state of the skin. He later achieved conversion of creeto molecules into different pseudo-organic devices similar to eyes or mouth. The clothing you mentioned was simple. The hardest thing to achieve was the programming into information and controls and commands which could be placed into … well, you would call it, computerised format.”

  Seth sighed gently. “He just about created a brain,” he said. “I can see that I’m not going to understand your alien technology any further than you have already explained it. Let’s get to simple things, Kee. What can you do that may be of use to me?”

  “Your wife Ginny or your son has explained about his leg?”

  “That you can improve his prosthetic limb, yes. They seemed at the time to be rambling on about growing his leg back to be a normal leg again. After what you have just been telling me, maybe that is possible too … is it?”

  “Of course, though the more detail required, the longer it will take. I think we can get a complete if toeless foot in about a year. Shall I start today?”

  “We-ll, of course. Having agreed to that, what is involved and will it hurt Kev? He’s suffered enough already.”

  “What I do is think the tissue growth … think the dormant cells of his skin and bone back into reproductive and growth mode. A food additive which I will prepare will be required also.”

  “What will that taste like?”

  “Like banana milk-shake.”

  Seth almost expected Kee to chuckle.

  ………. The afternoon of the next day, Ginny approached Seth after he had taken a telephone call …

  “Hon, what was that about? You seem to be mighty popular at the moment. Anything I should know about?”

  Seth frowned. “That’s the third call I’ve had from a Colonel Regis in the last twenty-four hours. I know the guy slightly … he’s a desk jockey in our office but he doesn’t usually get involved in our ops. Doesn’t usually have the time of day for me. I can only guess they’re short staffed at the moment or the general is behind it.”

  “What did he want then?”

  “First time it was if I could let him have a copy of our attack plan for getting Kev back. I noted that he wanted to know … without waiting for the plan … if Kee’s role in that had been worked out in advance.”

  “Do you have to let him have your plan? I didn’t know you’d put anything on paper.”

  “I didn’t and ‘no’ he doesn’t have to see the plan. But if Ceri-Baker’s behind this I thought it might keep him quiet if he saw something official-looking.”

  “Mmmmh.”

  “The next call he made was to …”

  “Did you take the plan yourself?”

  “No, hon, I got no time for that. I sent it with one of the grunts who’re keeping guard outside. Anyway, the second call … wanted me to take my Glock in. Said that with a guard squad outside I wasn’t really authorised to carry a firearm. I rang Dave on that one and he seemed surprised.”

  “Did you send a grunt with that too?”

  “Nah, I ran it in myself … it had to be signed in anyway. No sweat; didn’t take long. Gave me the chance to buy a little somethin’ for Kev.”

  “Kee didn’t go with you, did he?”

  “Kee? No.”

  “Would you have taken him along if you had gone in the first time with the plan?”

  Seth looked carefully at his wife. “No. Why do you ask?”

  “Just a vague feeling … I dunno …Would it be better if he did go with you? Dave’s still away and you’d certainly be safe if Kee was riding along.”

  “Like a guard dog,” Seth smiled. “Actually, when he and I were discussing his functions, I got to thinking that I needed to signal him … if he had to defend me … whether to make a full-blooded wipe-out like at the hacienda … or just sorta show a little muscle if it was someone, say, like the McMorris’s. I’d hate to see him splatter someone who’d just accidently elbowed me in the mall.”

  “Yeah,” agreed Ginny. “Just as well you thought of that. Hope he knows our uniformed protectors outside are safe.”

  “He does, hon: he does. Anyway, this latest call … Regis wants me to drop over to consider something I could do at Cambridge … if we decide to go. What’re your latest vibes on that, hon? You seemed to be softening last time we talked. Or was that because of what we did afterwards?”

  Ginny stuck her tongue out at him. “You going over? I’ll come along if you like.”

  “Nah. I like one of us to stay with Kev … but I’ll do what you suggested … I’ll take Kee along.”

  When Seth approached the guard house he had his ID dangling on his chest and he held it up so that it was clearly visible but the stop was mandatory anyway. This time, instead of waving him through – and the young guard was one he knew – he was asked to put the car in park and step into the small guard room. He had half expected some hiccup because of his passenger. A robot isn’t issued with any ID! He knew a quick call in to this Colonel Regis would sort it out.

  “My passenger?” he grinned. The young guard stayed serious. “I’m sorry, sir, but the robot will have to wait in the car.”

  “Cumm-on. Colonel Regis knows about this thing. I’m sure he’ll want Keelotron up there to show him off to guys in the office … the hero of the hacienda dustup.”

  “Colonel Regis specifically gave me orders regarding this matter, sir. He said your visit wouldn’t take long at all and that robots don’t mind waiting around. He’s to remain in the car here.”

  Seth frowned and turned away from the young guard. He felt a subtle feeling of unease but what could he do? Kee would be safe enough where he was … safe enough anywhere … and, as the young uniform had said, he’d soon be back out again. He made up his mind …

  “Okay. Not a prob. Does he know I’m here?” “I’ll ring through right away, sir. You know your way in … don’t need an escort?”

  “No. I’m good. If my robot gets thirsty, just give him a glass of water, okay?” For a short moment the guard bit, then he realised the joke but still didn’t smile, which Seth thought odd. He’d seemed loose enough the last time they had met up at the guardhouse but perhaps he’d had a roasting for something. With the army you never knew. He strode out for the main entrance with a quick glance over at Kee. As well as the glance, he thought hard.

  Inside he took the stairway up one floor. The big main office was at the end of quite a long corridor but just a few strides and two military police closed in on him from nowhere. One was a captain, the other a tough-looking sergeant.

  “Excuse me, sir.” It was the officer. Your ID it was noted at the gatehouse is out of date. We’ve had some changes to these since you were last here. Necessary, I’m afraid, the way the food mafia are infiltrating our teams. Would you step into my office and I’ll fix you up with the latest badge.”

  Seth halted. “And it takes two of you … one a senior officer, I note … to get this done?”

  The officer’s face tightened and the other MP had somehow slipped behind Seth.

  “Yeah. That’s the way it’s goin’ to be done, Mr Hellman. If you have a complaint you know the drill �
� put it in writing to General Ceri-Baker within one week. Now … if you please,” and he waved his arm at a nearby door. Seth felt strong fingers grip his arm and his short fuse blew …

  He tried to twist away and to jerk his arm free but he may as well have been held by a steel manacle. With his reddening face close to the sergeant’s he spat out, “No need to hold me, sergeant; I’m not resisting. That’s against 57-O and could get you into a court-martial.”

  The designation of an offence was imaginary but, as Seth had guessed, the sergeant wasn’t to know that. The grip loosened. However, the captain had noticed and he was also pretty sure that Seth had tried a bluff. He was an older, experienced man and had been around the block a few times and come up against a few smart-asses in his time. “Hold him,” he commanded and the steel vice tightened again.

  From behind a low building near to the guardhouse two APCs trundled out and neatly lined themselves up, one on each side of Seth’s old car. Their mission, to deal with the robot inside, had never been tried before. No precedence for this existed. These were very old models not intended to do any serious fighting but their 50 calibre M2s could be pretty useful in most minor engagements. Now, each APC’s turret swung to point its weapon directly at the still, swarthy giant on the back seat of Seth’s Mustang. Colonel Regis, complete with helmet and headphones stood uncertainly inside one turret. “Out of that car,” he ordered.

  The ‘hard thought’ that Seth had sent to his personal robot had programmed it for several eventualities. He had previously warned it not to use excessive force against humans wearing US military uniforms … with certain provisos. Now, Kee did exactly as ordered, smoothly sliding out and standing quite still with no obvious offensive intent. Colonel Regis relaxed a little. He had strict orders from the general himself not to damage the robot creature. But then it all went wrong … Kee moved so rapidly that neither gunner, given that thinking time was involved, released a shot before Kee had rounded the APC on his side of the car and, using some incredible resources of strength, was tipping the APC on its side. Regis and the gunner spilled out. Another officer, a lieutenant, appeared from nowhere and pointed his side-arm at Kee. Then he squealed with shock and dropped it before he could squeeze the trigger. The officer and the gunner in the other APC could not see what was happening and hesitated to fire … with Seth’s car in the way and no clear target, they could just as easily hit their CO who was now scrambling, a very scared man, to his feet.

  Now Kee shimmered and vanished completely from view. While puzzled soldiers of all ranks debated how to right an APC back onto its tracks and how to find a robot that had suddenly vanished from the face of the earth, Kee reappeared inside the main entrance door of the office block.

  He was sensing Seth’s thought waves and, as he had at the hacienda, he took the stairs two at a time. Again there was some similarity with that situation in that he had to deal with two antagonists, one clearly the ‘toughie’ who would be first to have a go at him.

  As for the two MPs, the captain began to release his 9mm SIG when the big, dark-skinned figure suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs but the sergeant held up one hand. “He doesn’t seem to be armed, Cap’n Rodgers. D’yu wanna leave him to me.” It wasn’t really a question and the captain knew his sergeant could handle almost anything.

  “Affirmative, sergeant. Just make sure he doesn’t butt in.”

  Both MPs thought he must have been hired muscle to protect Seth. They had no idea they were facing a robot. Seth, now freed and standing motionless by the door to the captain’s office, watched with interest. He couldn’t resist making an observation however …

  “Assist, Protect, Defend …” he was referring to the sergeant’s insignia. “I don’t think I received much assistance. Now, I wonder, who are you going to protect and defend?”

  “Quiet, Hellman,” hissed the captain.

  Almost as the abductor guard Jose had done in a similar narrow corridor at the hacienda, the sergeant moved easily towards Kee.

  “And what would you be wanting here, stranger?” his voice was soft but full of menace. “I don’t see your ID either. I think you better come along with me. You start any trouble an’ you’ll get more than you ever dreamed possible.” He was moving carefully but purposefully forward as he spoke. As before, Kee stood motionless, arms down by his side. He had no weapon drawn and the sergeant’s experienced visual examination could see nothing under the loose fitting tee-shirt. If the stranger was going to use something other than his fists then it would be in his belt at his back.

  When he was within arm’s length and with Kee still not moving or reacting in any way, the sergeant suddenly reached out for a bunch of black tee-shirt. He didn’t see a movement from his opponent but his hand was suddenly held in an enormous, knotted fist. The pain was excruciating as his finger bones, the phalanges, were balled into the other bones of the metacarpus and crushed into a single bloody ball. But his pain suddenly vanished for his mind clicked off like a light.

  Kee’s head turned to the stunned captain and he went down too, his eyes rolling up, completely unconscious.

  Seth looked at Kee. “Well done. You let them off lightly as per our new system. I think we’ll go before everyone starts buzzin’ around like bees.”

  They hurried down the stairs but Seth held his hand up. “What am I thinking.” Although he did not know about the attempt to close in on Kee at the guardhouse, he realised that there was almost bound to be someone covering his car and any attempt to leave by the main gate. “Follow me; I know a back way out. We’ll have to go through a steel mesh fence but that should be no problem for you, Buddy.”

  With all the attention and spare men now centred on the guardhouse, main gate and the overturned APC, Seth and his robot friend strolled across a narrow concrete roadway at the rear of the military buildings and, as Seth had visualised, Kee had no trouble pushing a section of wire fence down so they could walk out. Never-the-less, Seth was relieved when they heard no cries of alarm, no warning challenge and had walked behind the cover of some neighbouring factories.

  Seth coolly waved down a passing taxi, they both piled in and were soon back home with Ginny and Kevin.

  ………. It was a worrying time for the two older Hellmans. Now they would be pitted not only against the food mafia but against General Ceri-Baker and his regiment. Both would make formidable opponents. Ironically it was boiling down to one thing, a robot called Keelotron but from differing objectives … the mafia would want Kee destroyed; the general wanted to use it either as a willing armed unit in his private army or to analyse its technology, copy it, and jump up a star or two in his ranking when he became responsible for equipping the FedStates with a super-weapon.

  Just before they got to sleep Ginny asked the million-credits question …

  “I wasn’t sure about going to England but, d’you think it’s a must now, Seth?”

  He looked into her eyes carefully, searching among the worry there, both for him and for Kevin; searching for the degree of commitment; for any hesitation. He made a decision …

  “I do, hon; I do. We got two lots of enemies now. Over there we might just get some breathing space. With luck, maybe even a new start. Problem is … how will Kev …”

  “You may be surprised there. We’ve talked it round and around and there are quite a few things he’s looking to do over there. No, you getting the right job is the main concern. How are you going to tackle that item, babe?”

  “I trust Dave so, I’ll let him know what we’ve decided and see if he can put us onto his contacts at Cambridge … or wherever. Ceri-Baker’s influence might be a little bit too strong in the food control sector so I might be better giving that a miss. I’d like to get back into astronomy. Lot going on there despite the squeeze on funding.”

  “Is EuroFed any better off than the Americas federation, AmStatesFed?”

  “Well, we heard they are doing something big with Mars. Anyway, I’ll ring or mail Dave. You go
to bed, hon. I’ll be up shortly.”

  Seth was unable to get in direct touch with his former bodyguard so he left his message, joined Ginny and they were soon asleep. Seth’s sleep was very unsettled for about an hour, however, dreaming crazy dreams about the red planet.

  It was early in the morning when Dave rang. Had he forgotten that Britain was well ahead of the US or was this an urgent call, Seth wondered? Why had he gone back over the pond, anyway? Did it mean he had stopped working for the general and the World Food Protection Agency? He would soon find out.

  “Hi there, buddy. It’s kinda early over here. Had you forgotten that? …”

  “No, Seth. Did I wake Ginny as well? Sorry if I did but I have got some important news for you, pal. Cambridge have got a group … ever heard of MARGO…?”

  “It rings a bell.”

  “Another of these ubiquitous acronyms … from Mars and go. We Brits don’t just sit on our backsides watching and admiring your space shots, you know. Since we got tied up with Europe in the field of science…”

  “Trust you lot to work in a field. We use proper buildings for our labs.”

  “Okay, smartass. Anyway, to cut out all the crap … We had colonists set up on Mars … yes, I know your lot did the same and other countries too. But whereas they all gradually gave up … insufficient rewards for all those bucks … we concentrated on producing food … y’know, the big, big topic down here on Earth. Will it run out, etcetera, etcetera? Who will have control over what we have, etcetera, etcetera? Our Martians … they like to call themselves that … have employed some different techniques using the underground water supplies that were found trapped there.”

  “But it’s the costs on the side … having a fully automated dome and …”