by Saxon Andrew
“You know I said the robots might be the best thing we brought with us?” Abby nodded. Taffy smiled, “I might have been wrong about that. Let’s go.”
Chapter Seventeen
They got in the transport and Taffy turned to Abby, “How well do you know this city?”
“Like the back of my hand!”
“How many major food distributors are there on Melbourne?”
Abby thought a moment and said, “I know of about thirty or more, but ninety-percent of the business is controlled by three of them.”
“Which of the three would you choose to buy your food from?”
“That’s easy,” Abby replied. “The two largest distributors have been sued for distributing foods that made people sick. They’ve also been charged by the government for price gouging. The smallest of the three has never been sued for the quality of their food and their prices are lower than the other two.”
“Where is the owner of that business located?” Taffy inquired.
“All three are located here. This is the capital of the planet and most major businesses have their headquarters here.”
“Take me to the smallest distributor’s location.”
“What are you doing, Taffy?”
Taffy shrugged, “I am my father’s daughter. Take me there!”
Abby sighed and lifted the transport. She flew across the city to Springhill Foods and parked out front. Taffy picked up the bag with the balls and exited the transport, “Wait for me here.”
Abby saw her walk to the entrance where two guards stopped her. She spoke to them and Abby could clearly see the guards were agitated. After a few minutes, Taffy turned to leave and one of the guards stopped her. He lifted his shoulder communicator and a few minutes later a man walked up. He glared at Taffy and, she smiled, and began talking. After a few minutes, she turned to leave, and the man stopped her. He said something to the guards and Taffy followed him away from the entrance.
Two hours later, Taffy returned without the bag of colored balls. She got in the transport and Abby commented, “I thought you were going to be forced to leave.”
“I told them I’d go directly to their competitors and that got their attention.”
“Do they know who you are?”
“No, I thought that was something best kept secret.”
“What are you doing, Taffy?”
Taffy turned to her, “Trying to find a way to pay my bills. Is there somewhere you think I might find interesting?”
Abby saw Taffy wasn’t going to tell her what she was up to, so she lifted the transport and smiled, “I’ve not shown you the party area of town. The restaurants are extraordinary, and I think you’ll fit right in.”
“Why do you say that?”
Abby smiled, “You’ll see.”
Taffy took her communicator out of the sundress’s pocket and pressed it, “Grady, do you have a minute?”
“You were right, love. This meeting is far from over and I’ve been asked to come back tomorrow. Do I need to call a halt and join you?”
“No, what you’re doing is important. I’m going out to eat with my tour guide. Her name is Abby and we’re going to get something to eat. I’ll meet you back at the hotel later.”
“Doctor Goldman has ordered a meal in, so it might be late.”
“I’ll be waiting.” Taffy turned to Abby, “I’ll go with you, but you are going home and dress up.”
“What?”
“I’m not doing this alone. You will dress up and we’re going out to amaze and strut.”
Abby laughed and turned the transport toward her building. It was the first time she ever parked directly in front of the building. It was, of course, in a no-parking zone.
• • •
Grady finally arrived at the hotel and entered his room and sighed. Taffy stood up from the sofa wearing a red lacy top and black bottom. Grady’s eyes flew wide open and said as she stood up and moved toward him, “WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?”
Taffy smiled, “I went shopping, and don’t worry. The government paid for it.”
“I’m not worried about anything but seeing you like this!”
Taffy went into his arms, “I know you had a long day and must be tired. Come to bed and I’ll rub your back.”
Grady shook his head, “I’m not that tired!” Taffy laughed and kissed him.
• • •
Nine days later, Taffy and Abby were sitting in a park having a light meal. Taffy laughed at a mother and daughter arguing about getting a pet for her. Abby’s communicator rang, and she lifted it to her ear. She heard, “May I speak with Mrs. Henricks?”
Abby’s eyes narrowed, and she held out the communicator to Taffy. Taffy took it and smiled, “I gave your contact number to someone.” She lifted it and said brightly, “I didn’t expect you to call me this soon.”
Abby listened to Taffy say, “Umm-hum…umm-hum, yes, really...are you sure? Have you gone over the agreement? When do you want me…that soon? Where do you want it?” Taffy entered information in Abby’s communicator and said, “How about around three this afternoon? I’ll see you then.”
Taffy handed the phone back to Abby and said, “Do you have access to a large truck?”
“I can rent one. What’s going on?”
“It appears my bait has been taken. Let’s go get a truck.” Taffy stood up and Abby followed her. What was going on?!
Abby made a call and they arrived at a truck rental facility. Abby landed the transport and a man drove a truck up and stepped out with a clipboard. Taffy stepped out and said, “That truck is too small. Do you have anything larger.”
The man’s head went slightly back, and then he shrugged, “I have one with a ten-foot-tall bed.”
Taffy nodded, “That should do it.” The man left with the first truck and appeared a few minutes later with a huge truck. He handed the clipboard to Abby and she signed. Taffy smiled, “May we leave our transport here until we come back.”
The mam pointed at an empty parking spot in front of the building, “Park it there.”
Abby moved the transport and went to the cab of the truck. The man asked, “Are you capable of operating this vehicle?”
“I can drive most anything.” Abby cranked the truck and ground the gears, “OOPS!” She pushed the lever slowly forward and lifted the truck. She turned to Taffy, “Where are we going.”
“To my ship, Abby.”
Abby’s eyes flew wide open, “ARE YOU CRAZY. THIS IS NOT A MILITARY VEHICLE!!”
“Will you relax! Just move in slow and keep your window open.”
“TAFFY…”
“Just do it!” Abby turned the truck and tried to talk Taffy out of it but failed. She moved the truck toward the top of the tall government tower and two warships flashed in close above them. Taffy waved at them and saw Abby’s head was lowered inside her shoulders. She flew in close to the Rabbit and landed. The same two soldiers rushed up with drawn blasters. Taffy turned to the ranking soldier and smiled. The major dropped his blaster and shouted, “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW CLOSE YOU JUST CAME TO YOUR BEING BLASTED?!”
Taffy waved a hand at him, “Get real, Major. My husband tells me that your scanners are light-years ahead of ours. Those warships knew who we were long before we arrived close to the building; they should have told you.”
Abby interjected, “They were probably too busy trying to see her legs.”
The Major’s frown turned ugly and he raised an arm and waved the warships away. “Why have you brought this unauthorized vehicle here?!”
Taffy’s smile was pure innocence, “I need to pick up a couple of friends.”
The other soldier commented, “They must be some friends!”
Taffy laughed and exited the truck. She turned to Abby and said, “Wait for me here.” Taffy went to the port and shouted, “Open the port, Bob!” The port began lowering and Taffy ran up the ramp. “Wait for me here, Bob.” The robot flashed, and Taffy ran to the bridge. She undressed
and folded her clothes carefully. She put them in her chair and went to the flight suit on the mattress. She dressed quickly and said, “Robbie, activate and follow me.” The robot came off his charging unit and followed her off the bridge. They arrived at the open port and Taffy ordered, “Both of you come with me and, Bob, close the port behind us.” Bob flashed, and the two robots rolled down the ramp behind her. The port closed as the two robots followed Taffy to the truck. The Major stared at the two huge robots with his mouth open. “Abby, open the doors.”
Abby opened the doors at the rear of the truck and shook her head, “How are you going to get them in the truck?”
Taffy turned to the robots, “Are you capable of getting in the truck?” Both robots flashed, and Taffy smiled, “Then get moving!” The two robots went to the rear of the truck, extended two of their arms, and lifted themselves into the body. The shocks on the truck sagged as the robots rolled forward, extended their arms, and anchored themselves to the walls. Taffy smiled as she closed the doors, “Try not to fall down!” Both robots flashed as Taffy closed the doors and locked them with a metal bar. She turned to the Major whose mouth was still open, “We’ll be bringing them back this evening. You might want to let everyone know.”
The Major nodded and shook his head, “That’s some friends you have?”
Taffy smiled, “I’ll introduce you when we come back.” Taffy saw the first smile on the major’s face. She looked at Abby and said, “Let’s get out of here.”
Abby ground the gears again and the soldiers winced. She lifted the truck and Taffy quickly asked, “I need an electronics store; the bigger the better.”
Abby’s eyes narrowed, and she changed direction, “I know a distributor that’s the largest in the city.”
Taffy looked at her, “What is the name of this city?”
Abby laughed, “Billabong.”
“Say what?”
“It’s an ancient Australian term that means a pool formed by the runoff from a river or stream. It could also describe a small pond or other small bodies of freshwater,” Abby responded. “In the outback of Australia, billabongs were what allowed people to survive in the dry season.”
Taffy shrugged, “There are quite a few large lakes around the city.”
Abby nodded and started the truck moving off the top of the tower down toward the city, “Finding Melbourne out among the stars was like finding a billabong in a desert, it allowed our ancestors to survive.”
Taffy smiled, “It’s a good name.”
• • •
Abby landed the truck outside a huge building and Taffy read, ‘Bowen’s Electrical Parts’ on a sign above the building. Taffy turned to Abby, “I need to borrow your communicator.” Abby handed it to her and Taffy said, “Go ahead and open the rear doors.” Abby watched Taffy enter the building and start talking to the man behind the front counter. She dialed a number on the communicator and handed it to the man. He talked on the communicator for a few minutes and handed it back to Taffy. Abby decided to hear what was going on and she walked in as the man said, “Ok, you can take whatever you need. Do you have a list?”
“No, do you have a couple of large carts?” The man shrugged and nodded to the man standing behind him. The man disappeared and, a few moments later, two men appeared pulling two large carts. Taffy turned to the man, “I am going to allow some of my associates to look for the items on the shelves we need. Is that ok?” The man nodded, and Taffy left the store and went to the truck. She walked back and the man behind the counter said, ‘WHAT IN THE HELL ARE THOSE?”
Abby smiled, “They’re discriminating shoppers!”
The man watched the two robots come through the front entrance and their bodies seemed to move in on themselves as they shrunk to make it through the doors. Taffy turned and asked, “Do you know what you need?” Both Robots flashed a white light. “Take a cart and gather the needed items.” The robots each grabbed a cart and headed out into the aisles. Taffy turned to the manager, “They won’t cause any damage.” The manager could only shake his head in wonder at what he was seeing.
Ninety-minutes later the robots rolled up to the front of the store and Taffy asked, “Did you find everything you need?” Both flashed. Taffy turned to the manager, “I think that about does it.” The manager stared at the boxes piled high above the carts and noticed they were stacked in such a way that they supported each other like a jigsaw puzzle. He picked up his scanner and Taffy quickly said, “Include the price of the carts; they won’t be coming back.” The manager made an adjustment to the scanner and stepped out from behind the scanner. He scanned one cart and the printer on the counter activated. He scanned the second cart and it took twenty-minutes for the printer to stop.
He took the last page and held out a writing instrument to Taffy, “Please sign the bottom line. I know you aren’t guaranteeing the payment, but I need proof you picked up the order.”
Taffy signed and turned to the Robots, “Take the carts to the truck and lift them on the truck. You will enter after they’re in the body.”
The manager and several employees followed them out to the truck and were astounded that each robot lifted one of the carts into the truck without one box falling off. An instant later, the robots were back in the truck. They anchored their bodies against the carts and Taffy closed the doors. She smiled at the manager, “Thank you for your excellent service.” The manager nodded with a dumbfounded expression and Abby managed to lift the truck without grinding the gears.
Abby turned to Taffy, “Where to now?”
“I put an address in your communicator. That’s where we’re going.”
Abby pulled up the address and shook her head, “I’m not familiar with this location.” Abby punched it into the trucks guidance system and she saw a track appear on the screen. It’s on the opposite side of the city from the spaceport. It appears to be outside the city.” Taffy nodded as Abby followed the track. Abby looked out of the windshield and said, “We appear to be headed toward a large building just outside Billabong.” Abby began flying lower and said, “Did I say large building; I meant to say huge.” Taffy smiled as they moved closer to the structure and Abby shook her head, “Did I say huge building, this thing is gigantic!”
Taffy laughed aloud and said, “Land on the side of the building with the freight doors.”
Abby landed and one of the huge doors rolled up. She drove the truck inside and saw a man in business attire waiting for them; she recognized him as the man that met Taffy at the food distributor. Taffy got out and Abby followed her. The man smiled slightly and said, “You ran up quite a bill at the electronics store.”
Taffy raised her shoulders, “It’s not too late to change your mind; we can take it all back.”
The man held up his hands shaking his head, “No, no, that won’t be necessary. My wife will divorce me if I even thought about backing out.”
Taffy raised an eyebrow, “How much?”
The man smiled, “About thirty.”
Taffy smiled, “That’s incredible!”
“You have no idea!”
Taffy turned to Abby, “This is Mr. Larson and he’s the owner of Springhill Foods. This is my close friend Abby…” Taffy paused and asked, “What is your last name Abby?”
Abby said, “I’d rather not say.”
“Why not?”
Abby shrugged, “Just call me Abby.”
The man looked at them and smiled, “I was going to comment on just how close you could be not knowing her last name, but it appears she doesn’t want it known. Call me Eddie.”
“Did you go over the agreement?” Taffy asked.
Edward nodded, “Whoever wrote that agreement made it airtight and iron clad. However, it’s fair and I’ve already signed it.”
Eddie handed a large folder to Taffy and she took out the large stack of papers. She shuffled through them and after a few moments, she looked up, “They appear to be in order.”
Eddie’s eyebrows came toge
ther, “You determined that in such a short time?”
Taffy chuckled, “I’ve had a lot of practice. Where do you want them installed?”
Edward shook his head and pointed at a wall in the center of the giant building, “That wall is the best place for them.”
Taffy turned to Abby, “Back the truck up to that wall but leave some space behind it.” Abby went in the truck and backed it up to the wall. She left ten-feet behind it and got out of the truck. Taffy opened the rear doors and said, “Install them on this wall.”
The two robots came out of the truck and Edward was shocked by what he saw. The robots removed the two huge carts and went to the wall. They hesitated, and Taffy asked, “Are you sure about the height of the chutes?”
“Yes. They’ll be level with the bed of my trucks.”
Taffy turned to the robots and said, “Go with the plan.” The robots turned and tore into the wall. Eddie’s crew pulled up three-large carts of structural materials and the robots were pulling items off them quickly. Abby watched the robots working and they were moving almost too fast to follow. Four large chutes were installed almost immediately, and Abby saw that they were separated by the width of the trucks parked inside the building. She looked back at the robots from the trucks and the progress made in the short time she looked away was incredible.