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Chapter 4: Tragedy and Discovery



"Big Guy!" Rusty dove down to assist him, trying to separate the two mammoth machines, "Big Guy, speak to me!"

"Lieutenant! Dwayne! Do you read?!" Jo called desperately into the microphone, "We've lost visual!"

"Man down! We've got a man down!" Garth shouted, "We need to get him out of there!"

"No..o..." Dwayne's weak voice came over the speakers, "Get... the kid..."

"Dwayne?! What happened? What's your status?!" Jo demanded.

"Kid... Don't... let him see... right?"

"What's he worrying about that for right now?" Mack grumbled as he headed out.

"Dwayne, open the hatch!" Jo snapped, "Oh hell..." The middle screen flashed to life, albeit with a great deal of static. She could see the wounded pilot, several of the metal shafts piercing his body, "Don't be stubborn! You need help!"

"No... Kid... Couldn't hurt... right?" He smiled weakly, "Besides... I think... I'm stuck..." A bead of sweat trickled down the side of his nose. Despite his attempt to hide it, it was obvious that he was in a great deal of pain.

"Geez... All right, all right!" Jo flipped a switch next the microphone, not wanting to waste any more time arguing, "General, he won't come out till you send the kid away!"

"What!?" General Thorton touched the communications headset he wore, "Damn fool..." Reluctantly he turned to Dr. Slate, "Did you hear?" She nodded, still shaken. He watched her stricken face for a moment before making a decision, "Someone's got to check out the bunker too..."

"I'll go..." Dr. Slate responded, "It might help to have someone familiar with robotics..."

Reluctantly, Thorton agreed, "I'll send several men with you... And you should take Rusty. No telling what's down there." //It'll keep the kid busy too...//

By now a large number of people on the ground were surrounding the Big Guy. Ignoring them, Rusty laid a small hand on his friend's shoulder, "Big Guy... You're gonna be okay... aren't you?"

"Don..'t worr..y a..bout me..." Dwayne spoke slowly into the microphone that allowed him to be the Big Guy's voice. He could hear static, making it sound as if the robot were stuttering, "Ju..st be c..are..f..ul."

"Rusty..." Dr. Slate knelt down next to him, "Let's go... Let these men do their jobs... They'll take care of Big Guy..."

"You sure...?" Rusty watched the humans skeptically.

"Of course we will," Mack groused as he crawled up on to Big Guy's back, "What do you think we get paid for?"

Reassured by the presence of the Pit Crew, the boy robot allowed himself to be led away. Dr. Slate cast a worried glance over her shoulder before leaving.

"Okay, Dwayne, the kid's gone. Pop the hatch, will ya?" Jo pleaded. She was rewarded with the hissing sound that signaled the release of the seals, "How're you doing in there?"

"Not... too bad, considering..." Dwayne managed another smile. The pain had begun to fade almost immediately into numbness. He knew it was the effect of the shock his body had taken, but it was welcome at the moment.

"Awe geez... Look at this mess," Mack scowled as he inspected the damage. He pulled up on the hatch until he could see inside before looking over at General Thorton who was waiting down below, "Think we might need to cut 'im out... This could take a while..."


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Dr. Slate inspected the mainframe computer that had been constructed in the heart of the bunker. Running the flashlight's beam across the panels, she found what she had been looking for. With a few keystrokes, she activated the emergency lighting. The vast room was bathed in an eerie red glow.

The soldiers General Thorton had sent with her all seemed on edge, not that she blamed them. Rusty, on the other hand, was intrigued by the new place, eager to explore. Several times she had needed to call him back to the group.

"Wow..." Rusty whispered, "Look at this!" He pointed to the skeletal frame of another large robot. It was surrounded by scaffolding, pieces of wiring and metal hanging off as if the construction had been hastily aborted.

"Hmm..." after considering the boy robot's discovery for a moment, Dr. Slate turned her attention back to the computer, nimble fingers working across the keypads. There had to be something here... Schematics, plans, anything... Even if Number Seven was destroyed, it didn't mean that the Legion was no longer a threat. It didn't take a great imagination to realize that they might have implemented plans that would proceed even without the Legion's direct intervention. Besides... it helped to focus on something other than Lieutenant Hunter's terrible condition... //He'll be all right... He's pulled through before...//

Totally absorbed in her work, Dr. Slate didn't notice when Rusty wandered away. His shout of surprise, however, quickly drew her attention, "Rusty?!"

"Dr. Slate! Dr. Slate!" he cried excitedly, "I found someone!"

"Some... ONE?" following the boy robot's voice, she found him in an adjoining room. She was followed closely by the soldiers, their thick boots drumming on the metallic floor.

Backed into a corner was a young man, perhaps no more than seventeen or eighteen. The dark haired youth looked thoroughly surprised and more than a little frightened.

"Don't worry. We won't hurt you," Rusty soothed. His programming dictated that he never harm humans, but his emotion grid made him prefer that humans not be terrified of him, "We're the good guys!"

The young man stared at Rusty for a moment and then looked to Dr. Slate. His eyes flicked briefly to the soldiers' and their readied weapons before returning to Erica.

She smiled reassuringly and put her hand on Rusty's shoulder, "Are you Matthew?"

Startled that a stranger would know his name, the young man nodded, "Yes... Who... Who are you?"

"I'm Dr. Slate, a... friend of Dr. Poindexter. And this is Rusty."

"Hi!" Rusty enthusiastically waved at him. Dr. Slate indicated that the guards should lower their weapons.

"Uh... Hi..." Matthew said uncertainly, though he was visibly beginning to relax.

"Are you hurt," Dr. Slate asked as she moved closer. Giving him a cursory examination for wounds, something caught her eye, "Wait... What's this?" Gently taking his arm, she noticed metal plates that had been grafted on to the skin. They sported various ports for connections and a similar one wrapped the right side of his neck. Studying them for a moment, she raised her head to look at the young man, "I think I'll need to have a talk with Dr. Poindexter..."


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Thorton paced anxiously as the crew worked with plasma torches to cut apart the metal spikes. They were loosing precious time with the effort, but he knew it was necessary. The Lieutenant remained conscious through most of the procedure, drifting in and out at times.

"Got it!" Garth declared as his torch sheared the last spike, "Okay, guys! Lift him out!" Having completely removed the cockpit hatch, they were able to pull Dwayne up without any obstruction. The lieutenant groaned, hanging limply.

"Sir! There are vehicles approaching!" A young private saluted the General.

"What?!" Thorton whirled around. Squinting, he could see a cloud of dust. "Media..." he muttered. //Like we need any MORE people to find out Big Guy's not so little secret...// "All right, people! Get the Lieutenant to a hospital ASAP." With a gesture to the now vacant cockpit, he ordered, "And cover up that hole!"


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