00088

X-9 drove the truck through the entire morning. By afternoon, emerald flurries signaled they had reached the border of the polar region.

Nina McCleer turned on the truck's heater.

"Oh, are you cold?" asked X-9. Then, the robot noticed Nina McCleer and Albert Zoeniga had already donned some jackets.

"Aren't you?" she returned the question.

"No, I'm a robot. I fear there are times when I may overlook some of the more basic needs you have as flesh and blood creatures. But I try to be aware of them."

Albert affectionately patted X-9's robot shoulder. "Don't worry about it. You do okay, X-9, for a robot. Don't sell yourself short."

"Thank you, Mr. Zoeniga." X-9 appreciated being appreciated, and told them so. Then, he added, "That's odd. Before, it made no difference to me, whether or not anyone appreciated my efforts. As long as I knew that I gave my best in serving humans, that alone was all I needed to be pleased. Why, now, does it make a difference to me, to be appreciated? What kind of a robot am I, anyway?"

Nina McCleer smiled. "You shouldn't let it bother you, X-9. I think it's your personality growing to a new, higher, fuller level. I like it."

While steering over the rugged land, X-9 theorized, "Perhaps, Mrs. McCleer, because you have mostly treated me with courtesy, as if I mattered, as if I was important- Could that have triggered something in my synthetic brain? I mean, the typical robot brain matrix is modeled on the brain of a rat. But much better, of course. And more fluid. The brain is so made as to give us the ability to adapt and change and grow with the situations. Perhaps inherent in the design itself is a flaw, the potential for developing Seymour's Syndrome."

"I guess," said Albert Zoeniga. "But I don't know if the word flaw is correct. But say, let's pull over so I can get out and stretch. We haven't stopped since we left the forest." Still crammed in the back with their supplies, he tried to rub the cramp out of his leg. "And we can take a quick snack again, as well."

"Yes, Sir." X-9 parked behind a small boulder, to sheild them from the gusty winds. Many boulders cluttered the area- big rocks coated with light snow.

When they returned to the road again, Albert, to pass the time, tried to teach X-9 how to sing, but his attempts came up flat. He made X-9 sing "Row Row Your Boat" with him several times in a row.

Finally, Nina begged, "Oh, please! Can you stop that, before the noise gives me an exploded aneurism?"

"Yes, Ma'm," X-9 said.

"I didn't mean you, X-9."

"Hey! What?!" Albert felt insulted.

As they progressed, the snow on the ground became more than a dusting. The further north they went, the higher the snow level climbed. When the snow reached to heights of two and three feet, the truck's ability to zoom through the snow showed signs of losing the battle, since the drifts here and there sometimes were as high as six or seven feet. Naturally, the situation slowed them down tremendously.

An erroneous turn to avoid a boulder caused the truck to swerve and slide uncontrollably, and then the truck ended up in a deep pile of the green snow. X-9 realized the snow this way was too deep to drive  in any further. He had to backtrack and find another way around the drift.

Albert Zoeniga told X-9, "You're a superb driver ordinarily, but when it comes to snow, deep snow such as this- Well, it takes an experienced driver to get through it decently. It so happens that I am an expert. I had much practice on Earth."

X-9 stopped the truck and gladly gave up the driver's seat to Albert. X-9, in turn, took the tight place in the backseat amidst the supplies.

Nina McCleer had done her share of dirt track driving and snow driving when growing up with several brothers. She should be used to this stuff, but she stayed knotted up inside since the snowfall picked up. At least driving in this mess wasn't as scary as when X-9 had first started from the hiding spot among the boulders back at Abyss Gorge.

Despite the adverse conditions, Albert managed to cover much distance. Finally, however, there came a point where the snow became too much, and even he could not budge the trapped truck through the mess anymore...

"C'mon, X-9, let's get out and push it free of the snow bank," he said. "Nina, you take the wheel and accelerate when I tell you."

X-9 jumped out and observed the depth of the snow.

Nina joined the mechanical being and Albert outside the truck, to get a look at and to confirm what she suspected. "I know you enjoy driving in the challenging weather, Al, and you are quite good at it, too, but you are in denial if you think pushing the truck free will be of any help. Let's face it, pushing the truck out of another drift can't work this time. The snow's too deep, Brother Al. Even for you."

Albert stood almost hip deep in the snowdrift and surveyed the scene. Even where the snow had not blown so high, still, the snow was piled deep enough. At its lowest points, it came up to Albert Zoeniga’s knees. A lot of snow for the truck to drive through. Resignedly, he had to agree with Nina.

Nina McCleer looked down at where she stood. "I wish I had put on my boots before stepping out the cab. That was dumb of me. So, X-9, what is our next move? We can walk from here the rest of the way to the R and D Lab, can't we? Is it much farther? We aren't going back to Sparkle City, are we?"

"No, Ma'm. I expected we might get stuck in the snow. I have a plan."

Albert remarked, "As we expected you would.”

Without warning, X-9 seized a corner of the truck's roof and yanked it off the top.

Albert's eyes widened. "Hey-"

X-9 flipped the roof over and set it atop the surface of the deep snow. It didn’t sink into the green snow. "Watch, Mr. Zoeniga."

Albert gaped, puzzled, saying nothing.

X-9 took a package from among the many packages stuffed into the truck. He opened the package and took something made of neon-orange colored fabric out of the box. Clearly, the box was too big to only hold the object which X-9 had taken out. What else did the package contain? And, what was this which the robot had removed and now held?

X-9 set down the package beside the truck atop the snow. He concentrated on the orange contraption in his hands. The robot tugged at it until it snapped open. A dome tent popped into shape. Fierce wind rushed at it, trying to drag it away before X-9 could securely tie its four corners with cable to the inverted truck roof.

The robot informed them, "I had made some extra strong support frames to reinforce the tent. I hope it is enough. The tent label claims the tent blocks out the elements in the severest of conditions. I hope so. I also have securely anchored the tent via the cables you see, holding the corners in place. And I had bolted small attachment rings onto the roof days ago, before we left Sparkle City. You perhaps noticed them?"

"I admit that I did not," said Albert.

"Impressive," Nina shivered out between chattering teeth. "I see you intend for the truck roof to be a sled. But, what about when we need the truck to get back, whether Dr. Kitchen can help us or not? Surely, we will have to use the truck to return to the city. Won't we need the roof back on the truck for when we hopefully get help and then go back?"

X-9 ignored the snow and took some more packages from the truck. He carried them over to the tent and put them inside. He went for more, carefully arranging everything. He organized them into a consolidated pile. "Yes, Mrs. McCleer, we shall indeed need the truck roof when we are ready to return. We shall simply put the roof top back onto where it belongs. I also have some special attachments for that very purpose built inside the truck frame."

Albert nodded. "Okay, good."

Albert and Nina helped the robot load the supplies into the tent.

X-9 said, "When the time comes for us to use the truck again, I think it will be fine, once we dig it out and sweep the snow from the seats. I do not think this snow will seriously harm it. There should be no problems- that is, if the roof is still in good enough shape to be used as a roof again after we use it as a sled.”

Albert gave X-9 an approving thumb's up. "Very good, X-9. You're well prepared, like a Boy Scout. Is there anything you did not plan for?"

"I hope not.

The robot now pulled from the package which had contained the tent a small electrical space heater. This he placed inside the tent on the sleigh. "This will keep you two warm while you rest inside the tent. In just a moment, I shall have this heater operating.”

X-9 lifted the hood of the truck. He took out the power fuel battery and effortlessly carried the heavy battery over to the makeshift sled and inside the tent. X-9 hooked it up to the heater, which then started to hum to life.

"Oh, I like that!" Nina clapped her cold hands to applaud X-9's actions, and to keep her hands warm. "How long will the battery last?"

"A long time. These fuel power based batteries contain much energy. There will also be enough to spare, for me to recharge my own battery from time to time, if I should need to do so on our way, which I strongly doubt, even though I think this worsening storm will be very draining for me as I pull you along on this sled."

As he said this, X-9 tied one end of a thick cable to the sled, and the other end he tied about his robot body. "Okay, you two, get in and let's go."

While they obeyed, Albert Zoeniga peeked out the small flap of the tent and saw X-9 putting on snow shoes of his own devising. "Now I've seen everything!”

But when X-9 tried out the shoes, they broke apart when he stepped over the snow wearing them. He took them off and tossed them to the side. "I miscalculated the strength of the materials which I used to make the shoes."

"Is it possible for you to miscalculate?" asked Albert. "You seem to have everything down to a science so far."

"It happens. Even robots can misjudge sometimes."

X-9 had to trot in the snow as best he could, dragging the heavy sled behind him over the emerald winter wonderland. "This will take longer than I planned, I see, because of the failure of the snow shoes."

A bit concerned, Nina McCleer, who was also poking her head out the tent flap, asked, "Will you be okay, X-9? Will you be able to pull us the whole distance? Will we have enough food?"

"We shall see," replied X-9, maintaining his speed while pulling along the sled through the blizzard which grew more extreme the farther north they went. He had to speak louder than usual over the wind. "As you both know, I had previously overheard Gov. Bright and former Security Leader Clyden discuss many things, including things that went on at the Research and Development Lab. Once, Mr. Clyden had commented on how the lab's location helped keep its secrets safe. He had alluded to it being on the North Uprising, or, as he also called it, the Lumpy Pancake. It will not be difficult to find the Uprising, but it is a big area, and it may take us awhile to find the Lab's precise location."

"Oh." Nina hoped that the food lasted long enough, and that X-9 also could withstand the harsh task ahead. And there may not be too many wild creatures to hunt in the snow, if what she had already seen on their way here this far was any indication.

And when they reached the lab, what kind of help could she expect from her old college professor? That Dr. Kitchen would help, she had no doubt. But of what kind of help could she be? It all seemed like such a daunting task ahead of them... Well, one step at a time...

They passed along a thirty-foot snow-covered high ridge and soon passed beyond it. None of them noticed a huge aircar lying on the other side of the ridge, the ridge having hid it from view in this storm as they passed by on the other side, oblivious to the downed sky vehicle which had made a bad landing. The amount of snow covering it buried any clues as to how recently the tragedy had occurred. It seemed intact, but its odd silence gave the fallen craft an eerie feel...

The aircar lay there, mute and apparently lifeless, snow layering over it. Its large size made it hard for the snow, even as it covered it, to mask its outline. Lights could be seen burning behind the viewports, still shining, but nothing inside seemed to stir, as if no one was left alive. The impact, while doing little damage to the sturdy aircar, had caused enough trauma to kill everyone aboard.

And this crash had happened while the aircar had still been a long way from its destination- the R and D Lab. A quiet testimony to the obvious futility of anyone's attempt to reach the Research and Development Lab under these worsening conditions.

A quarter mile away, and still pressing forward through the blizzard, X-9 kept going, his keen robot senses completely missing the lost skycar on the other side of the ridge that blocked off the recurring SOS signals.”

(c) drk 2012