The peeping whistles of the cats were louder. Matti-Jay went to the edge of the gap where she’d climbed up. She crouched and looked out into the lower room.
Four or five cats there. Six. Some hiding in the shadows closer to the door. Lost in the contrast of daylight streaming through. Their odd fur and strange faces reminding her that they were alien. Not house cats. Not friendly
“Hah!” she shouted. “Get out of here!”
They looked up, startled. Ears flicking. They definitely moved back. Toward the door.
“Get out!” she shouted again, trying to be louder. “Leave me alone.”
Some of them lowered their heads. Two hurried away through the door.
How about that? It might actually be working.
Matti-Jay slipped around. She got her legs over the edge. This was going to be tricky. She needed to keep ahold of the chair. Actually, it would be dumb to slip and leave it lying on the second floor.
With her legs over, the edge kind of cutting into her waist, she pulled the chair around. Got it right on the edge.
One of the cats growled.
“One,” Matti-Jay whispered to herself. Then, faster, “Two, three, go.”
She pushed away from the edge. Dropped to the floor. The chair banged down with her. She only just kept a grip on it. The impact on the floor jarred through her.
She staggered.
“Hah!” she yelled.
She regained her footing. Swung the chair around.
The cats had all gone. She had the room to herself.
“Chickens,” she shouted. As much to boost her confidence as anything. “Lily-livered, yellow-bellied, chickens!”
Where had she gotten that phrase?
Didn’t matter. The cats had gone.
But now she had to go outside. Get herself back to whatever was left of the Blue Defender, if anything, and come up with a plan.
Hopefully, that didn’t involve walking across continents and building boats from logs to sail across oceans.
And hopefully she didn’t have to spend too much time avoiding giant robots. And whatever else this place had in store for her.
Fat chance.
Hopefully, though, in the meantime, that first big one had lost interest and wandered off elsewhere.
Matti-Jay took a step toward the door. Stopped. Turned and went to the corner where she’d left her tray of water.
It was empty. There were pawprints around it. Thirsty cats.
“Did you think that I might be thirsty too?” she yelled. “You’re definitely not my friends!”
She went to the door, squinting against the sunlight. From around the area came the quiet peeps of the cats. They sounded less threatening now.
Matti-Jay led with the chair. Holding it out ahead of her in her right hand. She shielded her eyes with her left.
Still it was bright. The sand on the floor crunched under her feet.
A cool breeze blew across at her. It rustled through the dune trees. There were no cats nearby. Not within the first fifteen or twenty meters of the building’s side.
Matti-Jay still had to blink. Not only had the storm cleared, but the sky was blue and the sun blazed in across the dune tops. Practically right into her eyes.
“Get out!” she shouted at whichever cats were still around. The ones she couldn’t see. Yet.
“Keep away!”
Her pupils had to be pinpricks, but still her retinas struggled with the light. Gradually, gradually she got used to it and she could look around.
No cats within sight at all.
The sandy ground was wet, and covered in hurried pawprints. Sprays of sand spread out behind as the animals had all run off.
And bigger prints too. Huge. From the giant robot. Blurred from the endless rain. Maybe it was long gone.
Something cooed up in the dune.
Matti-Jay looked. Blinking.
Esgee! Standing there among the trees.
A tingle ran through her, from her scalp right down through her shoulders. Settled in her tummy.
“Esgee. You made it.”
She started walking that way. And Esgee started down to her. Pushing through the low trees.
They met partway up the short slope. Esgee lowered itself and brought its spiky head close.
“You made it, you made it,” Matti-Jay said. She wanted to hug Esgee.
A robot! That couldn’t even talk.
How about that?
“Have you seen the–”
Esgee’s slot zipped open and two arms shot out to grab her. Padded hands. It pulled her in close. Kept its head clear.
Matti-Jay sniffed and found herself crying. The robot was hugging her! It felt so reassuring. Almost as if things were going to be all right. As if all this would work out.
Huh.
“Have you seen the big one?” she said.
Esgee didn’t reply. It stood up and carried her back up the dune.
At the top lay the remains of Dub. It was hard to look at. That robot had killed Dub. Without any regard at all.
Pieces strewn around. Panels and tubes, cables and some very strange looking things. Some seemed to be laid out in an orderly fashion. There were even some joins between parts.
Esgee set her down. It withdrew the two arms and two others came out. More like the ones on the big robot: spiky sharp fingers with pincers on the end. The hands picked up pieces of Dub’s body. Joined two together. Set the new piece down again.
Picked up another.
“This is going to take a while, isn’t it?” Matti-Jay said.
Esgee said nothing. Kept working. It had greeted her with such apparent excitement, but now it was all business. Back to work.
“I’m thirsty,” Matti-Jay said. She walked around the pieces of Dub, heading for the stream. It was a risk to drink stream water, but what was she going to do, die of thirst?
Dub’s head lay at the end. Pieces of its neck joint still attached.
Matti-Jay sniffed. Too sad. She kept walking down toward the stream. She didn’t have the chair anymore. She must have dropped it when Esgee had hugged her.
Didn’t matter, really. There was no sign of the cats. And she felt a whole lot safer with Esgee around.
She came to the stream, where Dub had brought her. The small, low beach where the stream swung around in a loop.
Matti-Jay crouched and scooped up some water with her cupped hand. It was cool and fresh and slightly tangy. Probably loaded with dissolved heavy minerals. Full of mercury and aluminum.
She drank a lot. It was great. It slipped down. So refreshing.
This was it, really. She was going to be marooned here. Eating grass and sipping water from the stream.
Maybe an expedition would come eventually. She should prepare for that. She should build a giant HELP out of driftwood on the beach. It would have to be huge if it was going to be visible from orbit.
She sniggered to herself. Impossible.
“At least I’ve got you, Esgee,” she said. “It’s good to have company. Don’t you go getting smashed up by the big robot or something. Like Dub and the Blue Defender.”
Matti-Jay jumped as something occurred to her.
Esgee was repairing Dub.
Could Esgee do some repairs on the Blue Defender? Could the microbots help with Dub?
Different systems, to be sure, but it was all just electricity and mechanics.
She stood and turned, startled by Esgee standing there.
“I was coming to find you,” Matti-Jay said.
Esgee said nothing.
“Is the Blue Defender still out there on the beach? I mean the pieces? Did the big robot go away? Can we get back out there?”
Esgee said nothing.
What a surprise.
“All right, buddy,” Matti-Jay said. “I’m going to need your help.”
Chapter Forty Five
The stream led back to the beach. A whole lot farther than Matti-Jay had expected. Mostly she was able to w
alk along the bank. In places she had to wade. The stream was shallow and cool. Small fish darted around her feet. Sometimes it was like they were nibbling on her boots.
It took a couple of hours to get back. Matti-Jay carried a thick branch from one of the trees. Esgee followed along.
On the beach, birds strutted along at the shore. The waves were heavy and dark, but the sky remained clear. As always, storm clouds hugged the horizon.
Matti-Jay walked right to the water’s edge. Foam blew around the the breeze. The birds still strutted, walking around her. A couple took to the air, wings hooking the wind.
She scanned around the dunescape. No sign of the big robot. “Where’s it gone?” she said.
Esgee stood with her. Said nothing.
“All right, buddy. Let’s go see what we got.” Matti-Jay headed along the beach.
The Blue Defender lay in thousands of pieces. The big robot had done a real job on it. Some parts had been disassembled properly, but mostly things had been smashed. The wings lay spread out, as if ready for reassembly. Like a kitset.
Parts of the cockpit consoles were still intact. She tried to activate the displays and raise Charlie, but got nowhere.
The food supply was mostly ruined. Some of the emergency bars were intact. And a water purifier. And there were other parts of the emergency kit still there.
The radio. The microbot starter kit. Damaged, but some tape would repair it. There were even some of the handhelds there. They would be useful.
She would have to figure out how to power them, but she had a feeling that would work out.
Matti-Jay found the satchel and loaded it with stuff. As much as she could manage. Spare clothing and the medical kit. A bedroll. A couple of water bulbs. Great for zero gravity. They would be great here as well.
She found a tool kit too. Spanners and screwdrivers. A prybar and a hammer.
She was going to have to base herself in the building back in the dunes. Esgee could keep busy rebuilding Dub–if that was possible. Matti-Jay would figure out how to get in radio contact with Charlie.
It was clear she wasn’t going to be flying there. Not anytime soon. Not ever.
She made a last scan around the remains of the Blue Defender, but didn’t see anything else she needed to bring.
“She was a good ship,” she told Esgee. “Glad I wasn’t inside when all this happened.”
Esgee said nothing.
“Yeah,” Matti-Jay said. “My thoughts exactly.”
She looked around again for the big robot. Nothing.
No.
Was that it far to the south? Away back in the dunes. Almost hidden in the haze.
“Company?” Matti-Jay said, pointing.
Esgee said nothing.
But it did turn and look. Esgee’s head jerked. Right away the robot headed away. Moving back toward the entry to the stream.
“Right you are,” Matti-Jay said, following along.
Back at the building, Matti-Jay set up her things. She put the bedroll on the table and got the microbot incubator set up.
She would try out the portable radio, but if she had microbots operating, she could build another antenna, improve the radio. Do any number of things.
The incubator was like a starter set. For exactly this situation. So much for repairing the wing strut. But at least she would be able to have a little production line of microbots working.
Eventually they might be able to rebuild the Blue Defender, but what she actually needed was to build a working jump tech buoy.
The others would have to fend for themselves for the meantime. She would get the radio working. Talk to them.
If anyone could build a buoy, it was her. She should have thought of that from the outset.
Once the incubator was set up, she could get that underway.
From below she heard Esgee cooing. Calling to her? She made her way down. Already it was nearly sunset.
Esgee stood part way into the open area. There were food packages lying around its feet.
“Oh, you’re a honey,” Matti-Jay said. “You get the gold star award for best robot friend.” She ran over and grabbed one of the packages. She’d forgotten how hungry she’d gotten. She hadn’t eaten since last night.
“Although Dub was pretty good too.” Matti-Jay looked up at Esgee as she pulled the cover off one of the package. Lasagna and vegetable and rice. That was going to be her diet for a while. “You were pretty standoffish before.”
Esgee said nothing. It had something in its hands. It held the thing out to Matti-Jay.
Dub’s head.
“What?” Matti-Jay shuddered. That was kind of strange. “I thought you were fixing it.”
Esgee pushed the head closer.
Matti-Jay rubbed her forehead. “You think I could fix it?”
Esgee kept holding it out.
“Big ask,” Matti-Jay said. “All right. Maybe the microbots can do something.”
Sitting there on the sand, with streaky sunset clouds overhead, Matti-Jay scarfed her meal, with her robot friend’s head lying next to her.
“Some days,” she said, “things get pretty strange.”
Chapter Forty Six
The sun set, throwing sharp reds through Ludelle’s atmosphere. Matti-Jay stood outside her building. She’d gathered up all the meals and Dub’s head and stored them inside. Esgee had vanished. Gone off on some task.
A cool, salty breeze blew in from the ocean. Nearby, birds twittered, settling in the trees for the night. From far off in the distance came the quiet hooting of the big robot.
It had maybe finished with them for now.
She’d used the food tray to scoop water into the bulbs she recovered from the ruin of the Blue Defender.
After dark, she set Dub’s head on the floor beside the first batch of microbots. They swarmed over it–all two hundred of them–like ants.
Maybe they would even be able to fix it.
Matti-Jay used the prybar from the toolkit she’d recovered to open some of the other doors. They didn’t give in easily. A couple of times she just about broke her arm straining.
There were more rooms like the one with the table and electrical equipment. More odd chairs.
A bed. Too hard and narrow, but she would try it. That room, though, smelled musty.
The last room had another stairway. A helix. That led right to the roof. Where the smaller structure stood.
No door. No way into that part.
The stars overhead were beautiful. A stunning and unfamiliar array. She was far enough away from Earth that the constellations were slightly skewed.
She thought she saw one of the satellites pass overhead. A tiny white point, riding along like it was on a rail, picking out the sunlight. The satellite faded out as it passed into Ludelle’s shadow.
“Tomorrow,” she said. “Or the next day. We’ll be talking.”
She had to believe that.
Matti-Jay slept on the narrow bed, and slept better than she had since crashing. Perhaps even since leaving Earth.
When she woke and went down and out from the building, a couple of surprises awaited her.
Firstly, there was a huge pile of food packages. Right by the doorway. All identical. There had to be over a hundred. A month’s worth of food.
“I’m grateful,” she shouted to Esgee, wherever it had gotten too. Grateful, but she was going to be sorely sick of lasagna, pumpkin and rice in very short order. Sick of it, but not hungry. That was the point.
The second thing was a whole bunch of things lay arrayed out on the wide area in front of her building. Pieces.
The Blue Defender.
Laid out. Just like a kitset.
“That’s a surprise,” she said. Esgee must have moved the whole thing over during the night. Piece by piece. Or lots of pieces in each trip. Some of those wing parts were pretty huge. How on Earth–Ludelle–had Esgee managed that?
It gave her the chance to check for a few other things. She got the
cockpit chair and brought it inside. It was getting too dark to check much more.
Matti-Jay ate and drank. She checked the microbot incubator. Another four hundred microbots built. Soon they would start reproducing themselves. That would be faster, eventually.
She was in this for the long haul.
Up on the roof, she inspected the extra structure. It was like a service building on the roof. Or maybe a dovecote.
She clambered onto the dovecote’s roof and looked around. She could just see over the dunes. Most of them.
No sign of the big robot.
She tested the lines and cables that draped around the roof. Metal. Copper, probably.
Very useful for making an antennas.
It was good to be busy. Good to have a purpose. Good to have a base.
She worked–standing–at the desk, trying to get power to the handhelds. It turned out to be straightforward. It did mean ruining one of the light panels, and one of the handhelds–too many amps–but she did did get a good system set up with bare wires and improvised string from insulation to be able to charge the handhelds. And the radio.
The day vanished.
That was a good thing. She’d stopped worrying so much. She had a purpose.
When she went down outside again it was almost sunset.
“Lost track of time there,” she said to Esgee, who was now hard at work. Apparently putting the Blue Defender back together.
The wings were in one piece already. Sparks flew from Esgee’s appendages as it worked on the tail.
“Well, look at you,” Matti-Jay said. “I wonder if you know what you’re doing.”
Maybe she would be able to fly out of here after all.
“Aren’t you worried about the big robot?”
Esgee said nothing. Just kept working.
“Good. Thanks for the meals,” Matti-Jay said.
Back inside, she was tired, but not sleepy. She worked on Dub’s head. The least she could do if Esgee was working on the Blue Defender.
The microbots had made some more antennas and some kind of a small, flat display on the head’s top. They continued to swarm, inside and out.
“Do you lot know what you’re doing?” Matti-Jay said.
No response.
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