“I was kind of serious about having breakfast, just you and me. I like you Al—as a person. I would like to get to know that person better.”
“You’re going to make me blush.”
“Can you…blush I mean.”
“I don’t think so, but it sure feels like I’m blushing.”
They sat for a while not knowing what to say, until Al volunteered, “I like you too Liz, and I would love to know you better.”
Before things got too uncomfortable, Al stood up and said, “Umm…I need to get going. Got to get up early.” A little embarrassed, he gave her a peck on the cheek and made his way out the door.
****
The crafty beasts had dislodged a large boulder and sent it careening down a hill outside the camp until it rolled over one of the fence posts and opened the electronic fence for their invasion. It took almost a week to accomplish the repairs brought about by the rampaging Riktors. To bury the Riktor carcasses alone required two days and the replacement of the fence added to that total. Then there were the two funerals for the unlucky colonists that hadn’t made it to safety.
Seven days after the attack of the Riktors, the villagers finally gathered and brought the long anticipated trial to a conclusion, with a somewhat anti-climactic ending. Tammy Shoemaker was found guilty.
It was determined she had willfully sabotaged their ship, threatening all their lives and had to be made accountable. However, the testimony given by the defense had given the jury pause about recommending capital punishment, and after much discussion, she was sentenced to live a life of community service. Which ironically is what all the colonists agreed to when they joined the expedition. In her case, though, she would wear an ankle bracelet to record her movements, and would assist anyone that had need of her skills. She was free; with restrictions.
Even after Tammy was escorted out, to be fitted for her anklet, the settlers continued to sit on the bleachers. There seemed to be a reluctance to leave until their leaders addressed their fear and questions. Chris stayed behind, feeling something serious was about to happen.
Al could hear the whispers and muted discussions of the crowd as they worked up the nerve to speak aloud. Finally, one gentleman stood up, raised his voice, and verbalized his question.
“Mister Clark, are you human?”
Al had been considering that question a lot lately, and he was glad to finally be able to bare his soul, “Yes sir, I am a human being—fitted with a robotic body.”
“Isn’t that another way of saying cyborg?” a woman yelled.
Cyborgs had a bad reputation stemming from science fiction dramas depicting them as killers and destroyers. The combination of man and machine are almost always portrayed as experiments gone wrong; which created man-made monsters.
“I don’t think of myself as a cyborg. I guess, by some definitions, I might be considered one. I really don’t know. I think of myself as a human with a prosthetic body.”
“Have you ever hurt anybody, even accidentally?” she continued.
Al decided it was time. He needed to make them understand somehow that he had their best interests at heart. He simplified it for everyone by telling them his life’s story (the parts he knew). Starting with his rude awakening, and ending with his dispatching the dinosaur they all witnessed. He explained his strengths as somewhat better than normal, his limitations to a point, and his reasons for keeping his abilities a secret. For his own safety, he made no mention of his dual-mode system or the fact that his power-pack was limited.
When he finished and stopped speaking, the building was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. It was a lot of information to process, and the silence lasted for a good minute or two.
Chris picked this opportunity to defend his friend, “Chief Al Clark is one of my closest friends, and I would trust my life to him. As a matter of fact, I have put my life in his hands, and he has always come through for me. If I were ever in trouble, he would be the first person I would turn to.”
One by one his friends stood up and expressed their feelings for Al. Trusting him to know the right thing to do, and the fact that he was a good man, with extraordinary abilities. Chris, Ana, Kayla, Liz, Doctor Cody, Doctor Florida, and a few others each had their share of good things to say. If a robot could be allowed to testify, Robot Nine would have.
When they completed their statements, the captain took his turn.
“Mister Clark was an experiment that went right. I’m sure if Doctor Hawthorne, his creator, were alive; he would consider Al’s transformation a complete success. As an officer, I have never worked with better. As a person, I consider him a trusted friend. The people lucky enough to call him a friend—are fortunate indeed.”
Captain Effinger thought for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and then added, “We all come from a world full of prejudice that has probably stunted human growth for thousands of years. Here, I believed we had gotten past all that, and treated each other with respect and equality. He is here, he is one-of-a-kind, and we should thank our lucky stars that Al is the man he is. If not for him, there is a good chance we would all be dead. Keep that in mind as you pass judgment on him.”
Al Clark felt pretty good as he left that crowded meetinghouse, surrounded by his friends. They shielded him from the many questions and protected him from the few that were still openly hostile. A man is also judged by the strength of his friends.
Things got slowly better after that. He felt at home. He had no secrets, and he had the added benefit of friends he could trust to stand by him. How much more can a man ask for?
****
Camelot became a village as the months passed, changing from the camp it was. The Sansi brought Kira as a sacrifice to the Kuthra. They wanted to repay the Kuthra for saving them from the Riktors—which the gods graciously declined. This mercy made Kira and her clan relieved and happy.
The natives confirmed that the Riktors in the immediate area had been wiped out, and until more moved their way, they were safe. For the first time in their lives, the Sansi could go outside at night, and need no longer fear the wrath of their ancient nemesis.
With the help of Rahul and Cindy, the indigenous people were finally convinced that the people they thought of as gods; were not omnipotent, but mortal, with a lifespan two to three times their own; but they were not gods. Never the less, they could not help but marvel at their new friend’s intelligence, kindness, and mysterious technology. The Kuthra had begun teaching them and assisting with a limited number of improvements to their lives. A steel knife that could slice and cut almost without resistance was, to them, a miracle.
The Earthlings could not dissuade the natives of Avalon from their belief that their ancient prophecy, foretold generations before, had come true. The Kuthra came from the stars to save them from the Riktors. This fact was one truth they would write into their journals for future generations.
Seeds from the seed bank on-board the Excalibur were brought down and planted, and crops begun. Frozen embryos of farm stock, in special hibernation pods of their own, were revived and in time, raised into cows, chickens, pigs, and sheep. While they waited for the livestock to get old enough to be useful, they hunted the local game.
The hunting was good, and the captain began to experiment with Avalonian wild game in an attempt to simulate a good old-fashioned hamburger. The laser rifles made it almost too easy, but the taste of a traditional burger had so far eluded him.
At times, the winter was harsh, but the colony was prepared, and they made it through without too much difficulty.
Doc Cody met an agricultural engineer, and she proved to be a lovely woman with many of the same interests as he. They could be seen walking the perimeter late at night holding hands. He was black, and she was white. It bothered no one.
They threw a birthday party for Tammy with a little help from Chris and his friends; that left her in tears. When Christmas day rolled around, they gave her so many presents she needed two people to help ca
rry them home. Chris said she cried for an hour.
Chris and Tammy got married. It was a foregone conclusion when one observed how they looked at each other, and because, in this day and age, it didn’t take a full nine months to have a healthy baby, were expecting a child before long.
Ana and Kayla were spending a lot of time together and were the best of friends. Some even considered them a couple. Very few found it odd.
Robot Nine was laboriously repaired by Doctor Florida and even equipped with some enhancements. He now had three legs (to match his three arms) that he could deploy for navigating soft ground. Mud was no longer a problem. He might be a little slower, but the little kamikaze was still pretty fast. He also sported a painted on security uniform, complete with a deputy badge.
Elizabeth and Al moved in together, and although it was awkward in the beginning, they learned quickly to allow for each other’s unique needs. It was a good relationship, and they were both quite happy.
A Thanksgiving celebration was organized shortly after Tammy’s trial that the captain insisted on having. Long tables covered with the fruits and vegetables from the shipboard farm and the results from the first harvest were set up. Fresh filtered water was available within arm’s reach, along with a good selection of wine from Earth and a small sampling of Avalonian wine. Everyone was invited, and all had a good time.
The day turned into a beautiful starlit evening that most of the natives had never been able to experience or appreciate. Lanterns lit the outside of the community center and contributed to the atmosphere of celebration while a small group of colonial musicians played softly on the porch.
During the party, the natives were introduced to all kinds of Kuthra foods, and for the first time—the relaxing effects of wine. It turned out to be a very nice party, and it went much better than anyone could have hoped.
At midnight, the humans introduced the Sansi to the age-old human tradition of The Toast, and the captain initiated a mass salute that everyone took part in.
As a single group, the Sansi and Kuthra clinked and raised their glasses, loudly proclaiming,—“To Avalon!”
Chapter Twenty-One
Standing at the top of a grass covered hill, with a sweet smelling breeze at his back, Al Clark reveled in the bright morning sunshine of a perfect spring day. Jagged heights filled the horizon as the sun hoisted itself up and kissed the mountain tops.
In the valley below, a small idyllic village called Camelot was shaking off the night and was well into the process of beginning a new day. The faraway villagers appeared to be enjoying the day as much as he.
Someone was running up the hill towards him yelling something—a couple of words, over and over, maybe a name, maybe a warning? He cupped his ears with his hands to better hear what the person was saying, but the sounds came muffled and distorted; carried away by the wind.
The person got closer and closer, arms and legs pumping, and the words got clearer and clearer until there could be no mistake—It was Liz, and she was yelling, “It’s a boy! It’s a boy! We are grandparents!”
Proud grandparents of the first human child born on Avalon. Al finally understood why the dream always made him feel—happy.
The success of an independently published author is, in large part, due to the reviews generated by the readers. The feedback provided by a thoughtful review improves the authors craft and provides exposure in a crowded market.
My mission is to instill in my readers the same feelings of wonder I feel when I finish reading a really good book. The smile on my face helping to etch it into memory.
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Jonathan G. Meyer
AL CLARK (A Sci-Fi Adventure)(Book One) Page 18