Gray Panthers: Battle for Earth (4 page)

Surprise, Arizona

4 April 2126

Ten o'clock in the morning the girls simply left after exchanging phone numbers, making the guys promise to call them.  Dan looked at Abdul, wearing only a towel as he strode into the kitchen, his neck and chest covered in hickeys, even his thighs sporting the red marks.  Dan offered a soda, as Abdul dropped exhaustedly into a kitchen chair.  "I did not get any sleep at all," was all Abdul said as he took the soda.  Dan could only laugh as he admitted his own lack of sleep.  Moreover, there was equal amazement when neither had been charged for the night’s visit.

"It took a long time in our lives, but I guess, we're studs finally!" Dan quipped, "Seriously though, enjoy it while you can, we have a lot of work ahead of us.  The two of us have to figure a way to protect our world from aliens.  Before you try to get me locked up as a nut, remember where you were forty-eight hours ago.  How do you think we got like we are now?  There's not even a scar on your neck and even your love bites are fading away.  I wanted us to have a little R&R before we got started, and after last night we need a break from R&R or we'd probably drop dead from exertion"

  "Amen to that, I never had a night like last night in my life."  Abdul replied with a wide grin.

  "We'll take a little ride into the desert after we eat. You can see for yourself and let me know what you think."

The two ate in silence, until Dan grabbed a cooler, filled it with ice and drinks, and pulled the old M1 and a green bag lettered with US on it out of the closet.  Abdul grabbed the old rifle and quietly remarked he was surprised it was actually clean, and did not mention he could easily smell that it had been fired recently. Together they walked into the garage as Abdul stored the ancient weapon in its regular hiding spot in the cart as he had many times before.

The drive to the mine was quiet as both men reflected on the last couple of days.  Once again, it felt outstanding to be alive as they absorbed the day, the sun in their faces, the wind in their hair, and all was well in the world.  At the foot of the mountain, Dan slowed as Abdul hopped out as they had done thousands of times before.  Grabbing the fat old whiskbroom from the back, he followed behind the cart wiping their trail clear.  Dan was waiting at the open mine entrance with a liter bottle of water already perspiring in the desert heat.  Abdul graciously took the bottle and helped to cover the cart.  The coolness of the mine was invigorating as they headed to their small desert home inside.  Dan became alert immediately when he saw the old rusted machinery was gone and where the elevator shaft to the lower level had been was now just rock floor.  Abdul noticed as well immediately and began to ask what had happened, when the ground opened where the hole had been and then was replaced by a shiny metal square ten foot by ten foot. 

"Grub you've been busy I see" Dan hollered as he nervously got onto the platform and quickly dropped to the lower lever.  Abdul looked down from above speechless at first.  "I see you've made some improvements while I was gone," as the platform returned to the top and he gingerly stepped onto it.

The lower level was brilliantly lit as Dan saw the old shaft was wider and smoother.  There were also new well lit shafts going off into many directions.  The wall was blocked to the ceiling with assorted small crates made of some metal he could not identify.  Dan began to head to the crates as a pair of droids appeared from one of the side shafts with more of the crates to add to the pile.  Abdul started backing up until he noticed Dan was not bothered at all by their visitors.  "What's in the boxes there, Stretch?" Dan asked of the first droid. 

"Per your orders, we have been mining gold and precious metals.  This is all we have mined and processed" the droid replied in a metallic voice as it stacked the new crates with the rest.

Before the droids could leave, Dan inspected a crate and could not see how it opened.  "Please open this crate for me, Stretch," Dan asked.  The droid returned to the crate and brought out what looked like a pen, then drew a line around the top lip of the crate and then pulled the top off.  Inside perfectly stacked coins filled the entire inside.  He grabbed one and noticed the coin was a Liberty Head $20 dated 1861.  Shaking his head, he tossed it to Abdul as he instructed the droid to close the box.  The droid put the lid back on the box then used the pencil to draw a line where the two parts met connecting them and not even leaving any evidence of a seam. 

"What's the weight of those crates, Stretch?" Dan absently asked as he tried to count the total number of boxes, and gave up.

"The boxes were constructed to easily carry one hundred pounds metal." I do not know how many there are, do you wish me to ask Grub?" the droid replied.

"No that's fine, I'm going to see Grub now" was Dan’s reply as he grabbed back the gold coin from Abdul and signed him to follow.

"These big silver guys are controlled by the space ship.  Grub is the name of the ship and has an intelligent computer that can communicate to me through the silver guys or the ships public address system," Dan informed Abdul as he followed quietly intent on not missing anything.  Stepping into the cavern with the ship, everything was now well lit, as Dan was amazed at the sheer size of the ship as he headed for the hatch.  As he stepped in, Grubs voice immediately welcomed him and Abdul by name.  "Hello Grub, nice trick. How did you know Abdul’s name? Reading my mind?"  Dan asked.

"I have been monitoring your communications.  I launched a small satellite that allows me to interact with all the satellites in orbit even with their crude security systems.  After downloading your planet’s history from the internet, I felt it important to ensure you were safe, so I have been tracking you."  Grubs reply struck Dan silent for a minute, then quipped, "Grub you continue to amaze me. How have you been tracking me?"

"I started by using the devices in your house; phone, TV, the security devices in the city, but mainly I used a set of intelligence drones.  They have not been more than 5 feet from you since you left the mine." A small spot materialized directly in front of Dan, then disappeared again.  "The drones are able to bend light so it is very difficult to see, especially if you are not looking for them."

Dan smiled and turned to Abdul, "Abdul meet Grub our new partner, and Grub do you have video of the entire time you were monitoring me? If so I'd like a copy of last night from eleven o’clock local time until eight this morning." Before he could continue, in front of him in full life size he saw his room and himself on top of Maria, "END DISPLAY NOW!" Dan shouted as Abdul hit him in the side and broke out laughing.  "Is there also security footage of Abdul? Dan asked going from shocked to accepting the invasion of his privacy.

"When the importance of Abdul to you was apparent to me I, began dedicated monitoring of him also.  Do you need any replay of his actions?" Grub asked.

"Hell no! You damn pervert!" Abdul roared, then looked at Dan fighting back his tears and restarted laughing again. 

"Grub, if you were monitoring me when I left here and you saw my interaction with the Outsiders, why didn't you help me? Dan asked, once again serious.

"I was going to stall their engine when you turned around to engage them, so I did not want to interfere as I was not sure what was going on.  Your actions left me confused, especially when it appeared that you enjoyed the engagement.  Had one of them tried to use their firearms, the drone did have the ability to redirect the bullet in flight by hitting it with their body. But as it turned out you did not need any assistance against the nine men that attacked you."

  Abdul just looked at Dan as he listened to the conversation, respect growing for his old comrade.  "Boy you are nuts!  Good thing I'm back to give you adult supervision, and don't give me no crap about the best defense is a strong offense.  Sounds like you could have just kept running and avoided that stupidity! Enough said.  Now Grub I'm tired of talking to thin air, I want to see what you look like, now!"  As Dan was getting ready to explain Grub was the ships voice they were in, an apparition appeared before them.  Standing in front of them was a six-foot tall prairie dog, comical looking as it seemed to have a mouth full of something making the cheeks look fat, as it absently scratched its chest with both paws.

   "This is how I am represented to my builders when they wanted to talk with me.  This is also how the average Flem looks," Grub answered as his nose started to twitch slightly.

"Damn Grub, you got a fat ass," Dan quipped.

"How about we go sit down and start getting me up to date here," Abdul groaned as he rubbed his forehead as he felt a throbbing pain that was slowly getting stronger.

Grub nodded and they followed him down a wide hallway and into a conference room with a long table down the center and fat squat chairs all around it.  Dropping into the seat, Dan noticed how plush and wide it was on the bottom but yet perfectly comfortable. 

"OK Grub, Dan tells me your species is being hunted, by now probably extinct." You luckily escaped the destruction and will not do anything to save them.  So, you will stay hidden in this hole as they do the same thing to our people in 20 years.  Are you going to volunteer your services to them when they come, maybe in exchange they will repair you and use you to hunt humans." Abdul softly asked so coldly Dan shuddered, remembering when he had heard that tone used before during field interrogations in the war.  "Will your new masters appreciate the gold? So it's a safe bet start mining now to please them since they will just take it away from us.  Have you been able to contact them to let them know the place is ready for easy pickings?  Maybe spread your nanites in the water supply so they will have nice healthy slaves waiting for them? Save them the trouble, be a nice little traitor."

  Grub, slowly for emphasis, walked up to where Abdul was sitting, looked down on the human and simply said, "I am not a warrior or a death merchant, my laws and society demand this of me. I will..."

"You will sit here and hide as we die you bastard, you're here on earth now and you have a new set of rules, put up or shut up! Give us the weapons we need to defend ourselves.  We will fight and die with or without them, but we need a damn chance, and you are the only game in town!" Abdul angrily spat back as he stood nose to nose with what was beginning to look like an oversize rodent. "You have no laws, you have no culture, you are just a god damned thing to be used, like a toaster, as your owner sees fit and nothing else.  “

  "I am not as you are, but I am sentient, I am not, and I will not, be your slave.  I can destroy myself so I am of no use to you or the invaders.  Dan mentioned earlier gray areas.  I have thought long and deeply on this matter and agree there are many avenues I can assist.  I have already sent numerous space probes out so that we will not be surprised by the invaders.  My holds are loaded with engines that could be used for vehicles.  I have the ability to build anything you need.  My mining has already cleared out large areas that can be used for manufacturing space.  I have processed four tons of gold so that you can recruit an army.  I have coined them in the fashion your people carried them the last time our people visited your planet.  My people have never had a traitor and I will not be the first.  Tell me what you need of me!" Grub spat, looking severely unhappy and ready to strike out at Abdul.

  "OK kids, time to play nice, both of you sit...NOW!"  Dan said in his best command persona.  “Now Grub. Don't take it personal. Abdul was sizing you up, something I really hadn't done. You did a good job Abby.  Grub, during the war Abdul was an interrogator.  It was his job to evaluate those that came to us either as prisoners or those offering to help us. Part of his process was to rile you up to see how you would interact.  Now forget it.  Now Grub, what other types of treasures you have in your ships hold that can help us out here?"

  "My main mission was to support our fleet while we were en route to our new home.  I was responsible to repair any ships that sustained damage.  I have the ability to fabricate any parts needed.  I have a hold full of engines used for either ground or space. I also have a large supply of fuel for those engines and any additional engines that are to be built.  Upon landing on our new home, I would be one of the first ships to land.  I would assemble the machines to start tunneling the new warrens.  Each of the ships similar to mine would be responsible for starting a new warren and providing all the support so each warren was independent of each other in case of either discovery from an enemy or in the event of a pandemic on the new world.  I had the ability to support an initial warren of five hundred thousand colonists and their needs.  I have the ability to process any organic material into food, if it lacks the enzymes and proteins needed I can synthesize them.  The remainder of the cargo is a variety of AIs for different uses mainly to independently regulate different areas of the warren for water filtration, temperature controls, traffic controls, logistics and manufacturing.  Also there are numerous builder units that are used to manufacture vehicles, tools anything needed."

  "So you can assemble a builder for me with its own AI, independent of you that will build what I want, so you are not forced to go against your principles?" Abdul interrupted. 

"Yes Abdul and I can load the database of weapons technology that has been collected by my people.  I am scared what your people will do with such technology. I am afraid your people would use it against yourselves before the arrival," Grub surrendered apprehensively.