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Derek ran along the Phobos ruins until he came to what looked like another cave opening. But it didn’t dead end because he could see sunlight on the other end of the long tunnel. Before he entered the tunnel, the sunlight shone upon the Phobos ruins. The former moon was pocked with craters where meteors had struck it in its space orbit around Mars, which gave the rock an interesting texture.
Because of the low density of Phobos, most of the moon had shattered almost like an egg upon its impact with Mars. The inside of the porous body had contained a vast cavern system, and even though Grayson’s space engineers had attempted to land the moon safely on Mars’ surface, the exterior of the moon could not sustain the pressure beneath its own weight.
Derek entered the fifty-yard tunnel, followed by Bradbury and Isaac. Bradbury remained at the entrance. Isaac stayed close behind Derek. Derek rounded a slight curve in the tunnel and light spilled through the porous ceiling, enough where he could see the floor clearly. At the far opening, he hesitated. The sun shone overhead.
“Are the Chinese robots following us?” Derek asked Bradbury via transmitter.
Bradbury scanned the horizon from the left to the right and back again.
“They are still in sight, but presently not following.”
At least they hadn’t returned to stealth mode. Eventually, they would begin to pursue him again. Killing humans seemed to be what they were programmed to do and their sole purpose for being on Mars. They were sent to destroy everything Grayson held dear. It made Derek wonder if the Chinese were also sending militant humans in route to Mars, and whether they’d land upon the planet within the next few months.
Derek crouched slightly, getting ready to sprint from the tunnel opening, when a robotic hand came into view. His heart and body jolted. He almost screamed. But when the rest of the robot stepped in front of him, it was Olivia. Somewhat relieved, he exhaled a long sigh.
“Derek,” she said. “What troubles you? I thought you’d be happy to see us.”
Olivia and Ursula stood in front of him. Olivia’s front panel was burnt from a laser blast, but she seemed fully functional.
“Do you see any of the robots?” he asked.
She and Ursula shook their heads. In unison, they said, “Negative.”
The evaluation didn’t reassure Derek completely because the robots could be using their stealth cloaking mechanisms. About fifty yards away, parked in a fault trench, was his Mack flatbed truck. The truck was in full sunlight, which should have charged the solar batteries enough to head back to Olympus Mons. If they could reach the truck without getting shot, they had a good chance to put some distance between themselves and the Chinese robots.
Isaac stepped behind Derek. Bradbury was running through the tunnel to catch them. Once Bradbury reached them, Derek stood before them like a commander getting ready to give his team instructions. They were robots. Machines. But they stood with loyalty, awaiting his direction. With Kurt absent, they didn’t seem quite complete, but in reality, Kurt had been flawed, even though Derek didn’t want to accept the robot’s obvious computerized mental glitch. Their biggest handicap was that none of them had any weapons.
Derek looked at his robots with grave concern. “Listen, I have to get back to the truck so I can go back to Olympus Mons to warn them of the invasion. If I fail and die, most likely every human on Mars will be killed by those robots.”
“We will not fail you,” Isaac replied.
Derek smiled. Moving forward jeopardized his life but it also made him risk his creations as well. While he doubted the Chinese robots were swift runners, he didn’t have any idea how accurately or to what extend the range of their blasters and rifles were where they could still effectively cause lethal damage. At a far distance, he was more vulnerable than his robots since he was covered by the thin Smart-suit and not a deflective metal surface. But he understood the more distance they put between themselves and the laser weapons, the less damage a laser inflicted.
He peered toward the ridge where the Chinese robots stood. He counted four robots, so where were the other four?
The longer he stood and waited, the better opportunity the stealthed robots had to advance closer. For all he knew, they might already be within firing range. He couldn’t wait any longer.
Derek gave each robot a slight nod before he turned and ran toward the trench line where the parked truck waited. Due to his shoulder injury, he found it impossible to run fast without hugging his arm against his abdominals as he hobbled. The tight blisters still ached. The more he tried to run the more the surrounding flesh tugged at the scorched tender wound.
His boots kicked up a small trail of dust as he trod toward the beginning of the gulley. He glanced over his shoulder. Lasers shot behind him, kicking up grit and small pebbles. Bradbury and Isaac followed Derek closely, running side by side in such a way as to shield Derek from the incoming direct hits.
The laser blasts weren’t coming from where the four visible robots were standing. Instead, these sliced through the air from near the line of the short radio towers. These Chinese robots turned off their stealth mode and came into view. Without any hesitation they tore into sprints, kicking sand and debris into the air as their heavy bodies increased momentum.
“Run!” Ursula said.
Olivia joined Ursula. The two female robots rushed toward the first Chinese robot in what appeared to be an attempt to cut it off. Each of them grabbed one of its arms and tried to stop its swift advance. Blasts of searing light seared through Olivia’s back panel in an unrelenting assault until the heat melted the protective panel that shielded her circuit boards. Smoke rose. She pivoted to the side, and her hands released the robot. Her body dropped into the thick sand.
Ursula refused to let go of the robot. She pulled, yanked, and twisted, but the robot kept going, carrying her without being deterred or slowed by her additional weight. The strength of the Chinese robot was unbelievable. While she continued to try to deter his pursuit of Derek, the robot tired of her feebleness. Instead of engaging a fight with her, it raised its plasma pistol and fired multiple shots pointblank into her head. Sparks flickered. Her robot body jerked with fiery spasms as she released her hold. Black smoke drifted off her melting wires and circuits.
Derek ignored his shoulder pain and ran faster. His chest felt heavy. Hot tears filled his eyes and meandered down his cheeks. To everyone else, they were robots. Machines composed of electrical components and circuits. To him, they were his family. The loss was heavy, painful. He ached inside. Besides his immediate remorse, anger welled inside of him. Even though he wasn’t a violent person, he wanted vengeance.
He ran faster. The heavy footsteps of Isaac and Bradbury thudded behind him. He wanted to reach the truck, not only to save himself, but also to ensure that his last two robotic friends weren’t destroyed. But what if the truck wouldn’t start?
Derek’s right foot skidded upon a small pile of loose gravel. He lost his footing, stumbled and fell to his hands and knees on the coarse rocky gully. Chips of red pebbles imbedded into his gloves but didn’t cut through its protective material. He winced and muttered words under his breath. Liquid oozed and pain radiated down his injured shoulder. His blisters had ruptured, but he couldn’t inspect it until he reached a medic at Olympus Mons.
While he shook his head, both robots looped their arms around Derek’s elbows and lifted him to his feet. They didn’t allow him the chance to try to run along beside them. Instead, they carried him the final ten yards to the truck.
Lasers glanced off the truck’s windshield.
Derek ducked near the truck’s grill and crept around to the driver side door. More lasers struck the truck. Other than melting spots of paint, the thick metal withstood the assault.
He grabbed the door handle and swung open the door. The robots were approaching fast. He turned the ignition key.
Nothing.
Again, he tried.
The engine belts turned once, then stopped.
Bradbury and Isaac climbed onto the flatbed and brushed away more silt and dust from the solar panels.
Derek watched the robots running from the other side of the gully. He closed his eyes. They’d be upon them in less than a minute.
Bradbury hammered his fist against the roof of the cab. “Try again.”
Derek took a deep breath and turned the key. The engine started.
“What did you do?” he shouted.
“I connected the solar charger to my adapter.”
He shook his head. That wasn’t something he’d have thought to do. He revved the engine and made a wide turn in the rocky channel. A barrage of laser fire assailed the truck. Once he turned the truck and straightened out, he pressed down on the accelerator while Isaac and Bradbury clung to the railing across the truck cab.
Thick rolling sheets of dirt billowed behind the truck. Looking into the side view mirror, Derek watched the four robots disappear into the wall of dust. He was partly relieved. He had survived the first encounter with them, but he had left a trail for the robots to follow. Releasing a sigh, he held hope of seeing his grandfather again, and he had managed to keep two of his robots operational.
The top of the roof hammered twice.
“Yes?” Derek asked.
“Isaac is no longer active.”
Derek looked over his shoulder through the rear glass. Isaac’s left hand clung to the cab rail, which kept his limp upper body from dropping onto the bed of the truck. The lower half of his body lay on the flatbed. Oil and hydraulic fluid pooled beneath him.
He grieved. Only Bradbury remained intact.
Derek could revive Isaac after reconstructing him in the engineering garage, but it would take quite a bit of time to do so. That is, if they were able to prevent the Chinese robots from invading their encampment. They needed to find a way to permanently destroy the robots before the robots killed them.