Alpha Class: A Kurtherian Universe Series (The Etheric Academy Book 1)

by TS Paul

  “Or a self-destruct device. Be careful.”

  Ron put his hand over his heart, “OK. I promise not to blow us up.” Yana snorted and moved to examine another piece of equipment.

  Suddenly a three-dimensional image appeared in the center of the room. It showed a hallway and then changed to a different one.

  “Ron? Is that the security system?” Maxim stared at the flashing images.

  “It might be. This panel is broken up into five sections. These might be floors or different base divisions. Without signs or descriptions, I can’t tell. It sort of looks like the holo-pad from the Battle Stars movie series. Remember when the Darth is talking to the Emperor?”

  “I’ve never seen that show before. Wait, stop! Go back.” Maxim stared intently at the flickering screen.

  “You’ve never seen Battle Stars? Have you been living under a rock? What are we searching for here?” Ron’s fingers flashed on the control panel as he worked his way back through the buttons.

  “There! Freeze it right there.”

  “What is it?” Ron stopped and stepped over to the center of the room. He and the others gasped at what they saw.

  Team BMW was standing in a hallway battling the big black robots the kids were running from. As they watched, William bashed away at them with a robot arm.

  Nestor stared down at his own makeshift club and smiled. “How did they get here?”

  “The same as us, I bet. They must have come looking for us.” Tina leaned in closer to the image.

  Marcus and Bobcat were each battling robots, catching those that got away from William.

  “That is the room we escaped from!” Yana pointed out the smashed robot heads.

  “We should go back and find them.”

  “Tina, I don’t think that is a good idea.” Yana looked at her smaller friend.

  “I don’t see why not Yana. There haven’t been any more robots in the halls.”

  “Did you mean like those?” Ron pointed at a couple of the larger ones watching the adult men enter the parts room. The robots glided to a stop outside of the room, appeared to look in, then went off in a different direction.

  “Can you track where they went?” Nestor pointed at the control board in front of the boy.

  “I can try.” Ron started pressing buttons again as he searched for the robots.

  Multiple images flashed on the screen from what appeared to be the same floor. As Ron pressed the last button in the sequence, the group could see their quarry enter one of the elevators and go somewhere else.

  “Does the elevator have a camera in it?” Maxim stared at the images.

  “You’re asking me? I have no idea.” Ron scanned the panel trying to understand the patterns and symbols.

  “Guys, check this out,” Tina called the others over.

  Yana peered over her shoulder and gasped. “Where is that?”

  “What is that you mean?” Maxim stared at an image of a room filled with what looked like sleeping aliens.

  The aliens looked like they were shorter than humans. It was hard to tell from the screen.

  “Are they dead, or just sleeping?” Nestor looked at Tina.

  “I think this monitors them. See here on the panel? That looks like some sort of biofeedback.” Tina ran her hand down a blinking panel showing the older boy.

  “We need to stay away from there. Robots are one thing, but actual aliens could be worse. They think different. Look for a way out that doesn’t involve waking them up.” Yana snapped out the last bit like an order. Maxim started at her tone but nodded.

  Live aliens were an unknown element.

  “I think I see a possible way out. There is another one of those elevators on this level. Or at least I think it’s this level. The wall patterns match this one.” Ron pointed.

  “Someone leave a message for Marcus. If they are following us, they should know where we went.”

  “But Yana, shouldn’t we just stay here and wait for them?” Tina protested.

  “They may be attacked by robots again. We have nowhere to run to if they chase them here to us. We need someplace defensible or to escape to. I agree with Yana. We must think defensively.” Maxim turned toward Tina.

  “But… He’s my friend. I want to help them.”

  “We are your friends too Tina. Marcus and the guys would want you to survive. We need to stick together in this.” Maxim studied the smaller girl.

  Tina bit her lip, then nodded, “OK. Let’s go then.”

  —

  “Well, that sucked.” Bobcat stared at the blank wall and frowned. “You would think there would be a door or a stairwell right here. It only makes sense.”

  “Alien minds are alien. You have to remember that Bobcat.” Marcus looked away from him and stared back the way they came.

  “Did you read that on the back of a cereal box or something?” Bobcat asked.

  The three adults had followed the sloping floor down two levels. Similar in design to an Earth parking garage they had discovered that all levels were connected until now.

  “Are we sure there is even another level down? We tried going up, and that was blocked too. Maybe the elevator is all there is to get out.” William pointed up.

  “William, how many levels down did you count in the tube?” Marcus tried one of the door controls again. So far he had been able to open several using an arithmetico-geometric sequence.

  Cocking his head to one side, William thought for a moment, “I remember four for sure. Maybe five if you count the very bottom.”

  “That’s what I thought. We have come down only two. Not knowing what level the kids are on is maddening, but if we find the way out one of us can search for them.”

  “One of us? You might as well just say William will look for them. Neither one of us is strong enough to take on a bunch of robots alone. William over there has a double boost.” Bobcat flicked his wrist and thumb at his tall friend.

  “A double boost? I’m afraid to ask, but what does that mean?” William glared at his friend.

  “You have some of The Queen’s blood in you as well as Akio’s. They both gave you some.” Bobcat smiled, but he wiggled his eyebrows like one of the Marx brothers while doing it.

  “That does not count, and you know it! He only gave me his blood to save my life!” William paused and cocked his head before looking back at Bobcat, “He’s like my blood brother now.”

  “Is that all he is to you?” Bobcat smiled, he really loved getting this man all riled up.

  “Stop it you two or I’ll stop the car! I swear if you are going to act like children I’ll start treating you like it.” Marcus threw up his hands in exasperation. Bobcat looked over at William and stuck out his tongue.

  Shaking his head, Marcus tried another door. He looked back over his shoulder. “Start thinking about which way you wish to try. One level or two as we backtrack.”

  The door opened while he was still talking and he was pulled suddenly into the room!

  The lights came up as Marcus tried to fight the very large robot arm that had grabbed his hand. It was at least twice the size of the smaller units William had been smashing.

  He felt himself being thrown down to the floor and hit with some sort of immobilizing ray. He could only watch as his friends, his brothers from other mothers that he both loved and respected battle the monster.

  —

  Bobcat and William watched as their friend fell or was pulled into the room he was opening.

  “Marcus!” Bobcat yelled after him.

  William was closer and made it to the door before it closed. The sight of his friend lying dead or dying on the floor threw him into a rage. All he could see was red as he began pounding on the giant robot.

  Bobcat, trying to stay out of range of the robot, dodged to the right and tried to drag Marcus out of the fight. William was pounding on the robot like a man possessed.

  “Marcus? Can you hear me? Tell me a stupid math joke if you can!” Bobcat shook Marc
us and tried to see if he was still breathing.

  “If you kiss me, I’ll punch you,” Marcus looked up into Bobcat’s eyes.

  “Oh, thank the stars! I can’t bear to lose another friend.”

  William ducked as the robot went on the offensive. Its large arms came at him in pincer movements as well as some sort of ray that slowed his movements.

  “Uh, guys if you’re finished making out,” he slammed his machete into the robot, “can you give me a hand please?” The ray made his legs heavy, and he was about to slam into the floor when Bobcat lit into the robot from behind.

  “Stop hurting my friend!” Bobcat’s blows were aimed at the control panels on the outside of the robot as well as its eyes and sensors.

  Landing on his knee, William grimaced but regained his balance. He swung at his opponent's head and landed a heavy blow that made a loud Clang!

  The robot turned back toward William bringing its arms around again as Bobcat scored a hit on its controls causing it to spin out of control onto the floor. Using his machete as well as the improvised club William finished it off.

  “Bigger they are…”

  “The harder they fall.” Bobcat finished William’s sentence for him. They smiled at each other like little kids.

  “I bet this guy’s head would look good on the wall at All Guns Blazing.”

  Bobcat looked down at the robot and thought about it a moment before asking, “How would we get it there? It’s pretty big.”

  “I could cut it off.” William made a swinging motion with his machete.

  Marcus lay on the floor wondering if he should get better friends.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  “These robots might be aliens, but they have some really cool stuff.” Bobcat let the strange computer module drop to the floor with a loud bang!

  “Bobcat be careful with that!”

  “You mean this thing, Marcus?” He dropped another of the modules on top of the other one.

  Marcus winced as each one hit the floor, “Yes, that! What we can learn from that, can advance some of our technology by hundreds of years.”

  “It won't do us any good when we’re all dead! That is exactly where we will be if we don’t get out of this place!” Bobcat tossed yet another piece of hardware into the pile.

  Marcus stared at his friend and shook his head. “Knowledge is always important, and you’re wrong.” He answered.

  “Wrong about what?” Bobcat looked up at him from his growing pile of stuff.

  “That the robots are the aliens. A robot didn’t build this.” Marcus held up a handheld control unit. “Why would they? There are aliens here somewhere.”

  “He’s right. Why would a mechanical being create locks that require buttons? There have to have been aliens with hands here at one point.” William held up one of the locking mechanisms.

  Bobcat looked around, “Wait, there are aliens in here? With us?”

  Marcus looked over at William. “Why does the Queen keep him?”

  “He has his uses. Just excuse him today, Marcus. Ever since the kids went missing, he’s had a case of the dumbs.”

  “Hey! I’m right here. Stop talking like I’m not.” Bobcat glared at his two supposed friends.

  “Are you with us and ready to get out of here now Bill?” William looked at his old friend.

  “That is not my name anymore, and you know it. Bill was a guy just barely making it on his own. I’m not him. I’m the guy who helped build the first pod, who supervised the construction of the Meredith Reynolds and built the best bar this side of Alpha Centauri. Bill is just Bill. I’m Bobcat, the helicopter pilot tapped by Bethany Anne to help her save people from a bank attack.” He squared his shoulders, “Let’s go kick some alien ass!” He marched out of the room and took a right to go down the hall.

  “Wait for it,” William said to Marcus.

  “Uh, huh.”

  Bobcat’s head reappeared in the doorway a moment later. “Which way is out, do you think?”

  His friends busted out laughing.

  —

  “What if there is no opening to the outside?” Yana stared up at Maxim’s feet.

  “Then we try something else. We were looking for something we could defend. Why not take the high ground? Besides, why build a ladder if there is no opening.” Maxim paused to take a breath. He wasn’t too tired, but the climb was pretty long.

  The kids were climbing single-file up the incinerator tube ladder. They knew that the lower floors held more robots as well as aliens and had decided to go up.

  “Can…” Pant. “We…” pant. “Stop…For… a moment.” Ron all but gasped his sentence out. He wasn’t in as good of a shape as the larger boys. Computers and inside activities, preferably ones where he sat down, were more his speed.

  Tina looked up at Ron and seconded the motion to the others.

  “Cousin, we need to slow down again for the others.” Nestor relayed the message.

  “OK. Everyone lock your boots to the wall.” He reached down and pressed the magnetize button at his waist.

  Everyone hung there inside the metallic tube for several minutes. They had already passed the first subterranean floor and were about halfway to the summit.

  “Remember when we get there to be careful not to smash anything that looks important. Finding the way out is the most important thing we have to do.”

  Maxim could see the top of the shaft from where he stood. To him, it looked a bit like a shower head, only upside down. The ceiling was curved and perforated by several holes. Ron and Tina had already speculated that they might be there to release gasses to space. That was something he didn’t care in the least about. His entire focus was on the tiny ledge at the very top of the ladder built into the wall. There was a door inset into the wall, and he could just barely see the edge of it.

  “Ron, do you want to try to pick it first?”

  “That would be a lot quieter Maxim. I can see if the same code works twice.”

  “Good. Can you get up here?”

  “I can try.” Ron stepped off the tiny ladder and engaged his boots to hold him steady as he climbed. Like an old fashioned free climber, he slid past Nestor and Yana, only occasionally touching his friends.

  “You do that like you were born to it. When we get to ship’s maintenance class, you’re going to smoke all of us. You watch.” Maxim took Ron’s hand and pulled him closer, steadying him as he stepped back onto the ladder.

  “It’s easy. You should try it.” Ron’s cheeks warmed with the praise of his friend.

  “You can teach me. But not here. Save it for school when we get home. Now, see if you can open the door.”

  The younger boy slipped past Maxim and pulled himself onto the tiny ledge. The door looked exactly like those below down in the lower levels. Ron used the combination of lights and finger movements that enabled him to escape the robots. The lock blinked like a strobe for a moment, and the door hissed open.

  “Got it!”

  “Ron, wait for me to go first.” Maxim watched as he opened the door wider and stuck his head inside.

  “I don’t see anything. No robots or aliens.” Ron looked into Maxim’s eyes. “Uh, oops?”

  “Death wish much Ron? Go on in, I will bring up the rear.” He pointed toward the door.

  “Great!” He pushed the door open the rest of the way and crawled into the darkened room.

  Ron stood and peered into the gloom. Small lights blinked across the room casting shadows that danced on the rounded walls of the room.

  “Oof! I hate these low doors. Do you see anything?” Maxim half crawled, half stood up in the room.

  “Not yet.” Ron tapped his helmet, engaging the lights. The visor lights lit up turning Ron’s head into a flashlight. He swung his head left then right half blinding Maxim in the process.

  “Hey! Stop!” Maxim covered his eyes until Ron settled down. “Slowly, look around.”

  “Sorry.” Ron stepped up to the panel containing the li
ghts and examined it.

  “Everyone alive in here?” Yana peered into the room.

  “So far. I think we’re alone. Come on in.” Maxim urged the others out of the tube.

  Tina was the last to enter and as she crawled inside she could have sworn she heard her name. She froze and looked around. “Maxim, did you just call me?”

  Puzzled Maxim looked at her. “No, why?”