00091

Tretl Clyden the miner heard the footsteps drawing closer. Heaving the inert George over his back as he continued to hold the pickaxe also, he carried him behind the pile of boulders which half-buried the felled robot. Carelessly dropping George's miner’s body to the ground, he crouched beside him in the shadows, out of view.

The hard impact of landing jolted George's mind slightly. He let out a quiet groan.

One of the approaching miners jabbered, "I can honestly say, I really did dig twice as much ore for the governor today than you did, 204."

"Ha ha," the other voice scoffed, "you know very well that no miner can dig more than me, especially when it's for the Governor! You know it, 87, and I know it, and I know you know it-"

Suddenly, the two miners gasped. They halted directly in front of the stone pile with the robot underneath it.

"Look!"

"A cave-in must've gotten that robot- Funny, we didn't hear anything about it."

The talking voices must have stirred George's groggy mind even more. He mumbled, "A robot...?"

Clyden clamped his hand over George's mouth. The other two miners, meanwhile, eagerly discussed the situation, and what to do about it, and most especially the blaster lying there with the robot. Miners weren't allowed to touch blasters, so they eventually decided it best to dash off and warn the proper people, so that the whole matter, including the unguarded blaster, could be taken care of.

"You stay here while I go alert someone in authority," said 204.

"No, no," said 87, "I am faster than you. You stay here."

"Ha, you know you lie. Now you stay here while I get someone. Don't come with, you'll just slow me down.”

“We'll see who slows who down!"

"Wait-"

And both dashed off, racing one against the other.

Behind the rock pile, Clyden leaned over George and watched George McCleer's head loll about. George groaned, "Must dig out ore...", but remained mostly unconscious.

Clyden slapped his companion's face, whispering loudly, "Hey, McCleer! Wake up! Come on, man, get up before those dopes get back here." He slapped the other cheek. "Hey, George, did the pill work? Do you remember who you are now?”

George's hand flashed out and wrapped around Clyden's throat. His eyes suddenly blazed brightly. "Yeah, I remember, and I remember who you are, too, you stinking, lousy-"

Clyden gagged. George pushed over Clyden and pinned him down. He began to throttle him with both hands in a grip of rage.

Bringing up his pickaxe, Clyden bopped George's head hard with the handle, momentarily stunning him. "I came prepared, McCleer. You don't suppose I brought the pick just for show, do you? No, in case I needed to knock some sense into you. And I take it that your miner's stomach has already shaken off the terrible cramps from my pill, the way you are so full of energy in attacking me."

George got off of Clyden. He glared at Clyden, who stood up as George angrily accused him. "You- you and Xavier imprisoned me here at the mines all these months! You put me through that awful process of morphing into- into this hulk of a man!" He made some fists, ready to go at it again after once more recalling all that he had suffered in his imprisonment.

"Hey, didn't I tell you as much, that I did it, before I gave you the pill? But at least now you know who you are. And who I am. But don't look for a fight. Now's not the time. You'll get your chance. However, at the moment, we should be moving along, before those two miners come back with some guards."

Clyden turned his back on George and started walking down the shaft.

“Hey, I'm not done yet-” George called after him.

Clyden kept going. He didn't even turn around to argue.

Annoyed, humiliated at being ignored,and not having a clue what to do next, George reluctantly quickly followed and caught up with him. "Hey, you can't just walk away- You have no idea how much I want to smash you to pieces-"

Clyden kept his stride while he told him, "I am sure you hate me, McCleer, and I can't say you don't have good reason. If we are going to escape this place, though, we must work together.”

George grabbed Clyden's shoulders and turned him face-to-face. "Where's Nina? How is she handling my disappearance? She must think I am dead!"

Clyden advised, "We have enough of our own problems, McCleer. Let's concentrate on getting out of here first." He resumed walking, and again George McCleer had to run to catch up with him.

George demanded, "And how did my problem become your problem, too? Why are you stuck here?”

Clyden shrugged. "The emperor thought I was becoming a problem, and got rid of me, I guess. The usual story. So here I am."

George laughed long and hard at Clyden's come uppance. Clyden had expected that, but when George continued for such a long time, it became annoying. "Okay, funny-boy, you had your laugh. Pipe down before you attract unwanted attention."

George obliged. "Where's a communications station? If we can bust in, I can call Earth to let them know what's happened to me-”

Clyden answered, "I think Earth knows. I don't think they care, as long as they get their much-needed fuel ore. It's only when we present the undeniable truth in their face that they will have to act on the fact."

"I find that hard to believe, but even if that is so, get me to a communications room. I think the Earth Leaders will be very interested to learn their suspicions had been correct. I found the hidden ore processor, which means Xavier can break off with Earth, if he wants to ever make Hope an independent world.”

Clyden said, "So, Gov. Xavier had you pegged right for why you really came here, eh? But he also knows declaring independence would be war. Earth knows he knows it, as well. Neither wants to do that, so no one disturbs the status quo too much. I think that's another reason why Earth pretends they really believe you were lost in that imaginary cave-in that Gov. Xavier said you were lost in. Lately, however, at least before I got here at the mines, I believe the Governor developed a more confrontational attitude, and the Council realizes that it’s pushed him a little too hard, and now he is starting to push back a bit himself. Now Earth is the one being somewhat careful, so that their fuel ore supply flow is not interrupted. Pretty much a stalemate.

“By the way, if we did get to a communications center, most of the unauthorized transmissions going through the wormhole are monitored anyway, and either time-delayed and censored, or just jammed if possible." He chuckled at an inside joke. "Of course, there are ways around that, to at least sneak out some unapproved messages, heh, heh.”

“You bet there are," George stated. "In fact, I have a secret comm device with which I can contact Earth any time I want to do it. The whole transmission slips right past the monitors."

"Really? Can I see it?" Clyden asked cockily.

"Well, um, I left it with my things at the Governor’s House."

Suddenly it dawned on George that he did not, in fact, have such a device anymore. "It's probably with my wife, and she doesn't even know it. I suppose she took my things with her, and returned to Earth. I am sure whatever story Xavier told her, she knows it was all a lie. She no doubt confronted him, but he also no doubt denied the whole thing. She sure wouldn't stay at the mansion, then, so where else would she go, but to Earth? There's nothing much she could do about me, so all she would be able to do is just wait on Earth for the truth to come out."

"Mrs. McCleer? You think she would be so quick to just give up?"

"Well, not give up... but what other option does she have? Do you know something I should know?"

"Well, I do know she left the mansion, but who knows where she could be now? I have been here at the mines and so, ahm, I am not up on current events." Actually, Clyden had an idea, but he neglected to tell George how she must have been hiding with the illegal church in the old miners' building when it blasted to smithereens. Some news was best left unsaid- At least he knew of no good reason to mention it to his partner before they made their escape. And once they did, he’d need to get McCleer in touch with Earth in a way that the transmission could not be jammed, so that the Earth Leaders had verifiable evidence what Gov. Xavier had done to their representative.

They continued trotting on in silence. George then asked, "Where are we going?"

"Back to your Work Team, so nobody suspects anything until we make our move. You realize, it's up to us, we ourselves, to break out. We can't count on anybody else. We get free and then we get that dirty rat Xavier Bright! Um, we get irrefutable news of your ordeal to Earth; that'll put a stop to Gov. Xavier! All we gotta do is escape."

"Yup, that's all," said George. " Now I have another question: Why did the ID Wipe not work on you? Just how does that pill work that you gave me, and that I guess you also took."

"I expected trouble, so I took the experimental antidote before I even got to the mines. Just like you, my mind shattered from the transformation process, but the pill kept my mind from being lost permanently, just like it restored yours."

"Mm, good planning, I guess. You did say that my trouble escaping had been I had no plan. So how do you plan to escape, then?"

Clyden smirked. "Nice try. I still ain't talking. I'll tell you, one step at a time."

"Mmmf. Okay. Fair enough. Okay, I'm in on your plan. But I want to bring along No. 248- Billy Boy, I believe you called him. I want to take him with us on our escape."

"What?!" squawked the other. "Do you know how impossible that is??"

George halted in his tracks, crossing his arms and signaling his obstinacy about it. "You mean to tell me, a planner as clever as you can't even think of something so that we can escape with him? I thought you knew what you were doing, but if you can't even figure out how to do that, why should I trust you that your plan is any good? I am trying to avoid ending up as a snack for the Eaters, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, I get your point. Okay, so I will have to amend the plan a little, that's all. It won't wreck my plan. I will figure out something. Satisfied? Now, take me to where your team had been at work. I will tell them about the cave-in, and that the robot was smashed, but I made sure to bring you back to them, so you couldn't get into any mischief. I will tell them how I kept you in line with my pickaxe. Then, I will give you a crack because of all the trouble you've caused me. We can stage a little fight scene. I know you won't have any difficulty making it look real. After that, I'll demand a gladiator match with you. That's part of the plan. Most miners, if they have deep problems with each another, settle them in the gladiator pit. But let's face it, there aren't very many miners who are enemies with each other. Maybe competitive, but they are all on the same team. Gov. Xavier wouldn't like them to be enemies with each other, after all.”

“And what about Billy Boy? Where does he come in?"

"He'll be very hard to reach, since you two are so well-watched. I'll do what I can. Once I set up a match between us, I think I can get him squeezed into the fight with us. I will challenge him, too, to such a match. The only trouble is, if I am unable to get alone with him, and if you cannot, either, then he will think my challenge to him is serious and genuine. Ha ha, won't he be surprised, then, if that is the case, and I don't have a chance to explain the truth to him. At the gladiator pit he will think I actually mean him harm and that he must fight this sleek fighting machine. Hahaha, pretty funny."

"Oh, yes, that sure is a riot. I presume there is a reason why you want a gladiator match with us, but I don't know what."

"Yup."

And so... Tretl Clyden marched George McCleer back to his Work Team. He told the Team Leader about the cave-in. He and George scuffled. The miners, watching the scuffle, enjoyed the entertainment and cheered on No. 360 (Clyden). Some human and robot guards separated them.

Breathing as if enraged, Clyden pointed to George and demanded, "I'll show you, if you won't enjoy digging for the Governor- I challenge you to a gladiator match!"

George's crew mates cheered and whistled, loving the idea.

George's Team Leader congratulated Clyden. "A great idea. I wish I'd've thought of it myself! I will talk to the Warden, so he can arrange something for you. It's been a long time since we had us a good old-fashioned no-rules gladiator fight.”

However, one of the human guards who had separated the fighting miners shook his head. "I doubt you will get very far with that request,” he told the Team Leader. “Ever since there was some question on whether No. 317 belonged here, the Warden won't risk 317 being hurt unnecessarily. So while he lets him dig out the pure fuel, he also knows that by this time No. 317 is an expert, and has yet to blow himself up. The Governor has since then said he checked into the situation, and 317 is no one special, but the Warden also knows there are rumors how the records left by Security Leader Cly- ahem, the former Security Leader's records that were left behind are not so accurate. So the Warden won't be taking any chances."

This news made Clyden truly angry. Seething, Clyden gave George one final shove and turned back to rejoin his own workmates in another tunnel. Along the way, he pondered. Now what? I guess I must keep making a nuisance of myself. I must keep picking fights with George McCleer, demanding a match with him. Either the Warden'll give in to me sooner or later, or he will be so annoyed with me, he will toss ME to the Eaters. Either way, I'll be getting out of this dump, and I win. I won't let the Governor get the better of me!!”

(c) drk 2012