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The robot said, "We must take advantage of Fuzzy's temporary absence and investigate what’s inside the structure behind this building." X-9 made sure to hold onto the mini-blaster. "Of course, we need to take this along, even though Fuzzy is gone for the time being. We do not know what we will find in there. What if we encounter another Fuzzy inside the building?"

"Oh, I hope not!" Albert Zoeniga groaned at the thought.

X-9 spun the wheel in the center of the door, retracting the crossbar. As with the front door, he swung it inward, and without any electrical power, every movement which involved the door required more strength than when the hatch was powered up.

“Like not having power steering in your vehicle," remarked Nina McCleer.

The three of them left their shelter, trudging through the deep blizzard over to the other place. The cold wind and green snow did not relent. A heavy-duty gate with a security keypad in its middle blocked the entrance of that new building. What lay beyond could not be seen, not even with the flashlight, because of the way the hall went to the side and then turned behind a wall which hid from view whatever there was to see beyond.

Albert Zoeniga sized up the gate. He pushed on it, and it stayed in place. “X-9, maybe you want to do the honors, like when we got the truck?”

"This lock is built into the gate, and the gate is heavy duty. One moment, please," said the robot. He held in his hand a small, cube-like metal case with a tiny screen on it. X-9 took it over to the electronic lock mounted on the gate. “I want to try this gadget out.”

"What is that?" asked Nina McCleer.

"One of the many items I found at the Research and Development Lab. According to the description I read of this in the accompanying manual, this is supposed to be a password neutralizer unit. It can extract the code and open what is supposed to be locked and secured. If it works, perhaps we could even use it on the blasters we found in the cabinet"

Nina smiled appreciatively. "A handy gadget to have!"

Albert asked, “But if the power in the main building is knocked out, shouldn't the gate's power also be off, and the electronic lock not working? Why won't it open?"

Nina chuckled, watching X-9 work on it, as Albert pondering such a mystery. She reached over to the gate and pulled it outward and open, instead of trying to push it in to open.

Albert stared, open-mouthed. He slapped himself in the face gently. “Okay, now I see what I did wrong.”

X-9 stood there for a brief moment, surprised. "Okay. I had expected this building to have its own power supply, and so whatever Fuzzy did to the other one would not affect this unit. Perhaps I was wrong. But I am sure I will soon find another chance to try the cube.” He put away his new gadget and instead brought the mini-blaster up, keeping it at the ready. "Let's see what the scientists were working on in here. Keep behind me, in case of trouble."

Inside, it appeared to be a garage-type of workshop once they got past the turn in the wall that had earlier blocked their view. Their lights- They had picked up a few extra flashlights when they had explored the R and D Lab- roamed about the large, freezing cold chamber, revealing several strange types of ATV's, but only in half-constructed condition. However, they also found a door to another room, and in this one some large object hid under a tarp.

Albert Zoeniga pulled off the covering. "Wow, neat!"

"I hope it works," said Nina McCleer.

Right there, in the middle of the floor, sat a large aircar of some kind, twice as big as their monster truck that they left days ago in the drifts of snow. From the outside of this vehicle, if the exterior was any indication, it seemed to be a completed project, unlike the ATV’s

X-9 said, "I am not an expert of skycars, but that, I think, is a new model. A bit on the larger side, at least as large as those larger sizes the Security Agency uses. This is good, indeed, if it is ready to go. We can take those newly developed inventions which we have stacked in the foyer with us, and simply fly out of here."

"I didn't know you knew how to fly, X-9," said Nina.

"I don't know, yet, but how hard can it be?" asked the robot.

"Oh."

Albert walked around the vehicle, checking it over. "Looks like these ports could be some kind of weapons... No tires to kick, hmm." He walked all the way round it and came back to the front, where he pressed the OPEN button, beside the hatch and directly above a small, nine digit keypad, similar to the lock on the gate. Nothing. "I guess we could use your secret decoder box now, X-9."

X-9 agreed. "At your service, Mr. Zoeniga."

X-9 took out his password neutralizer again and set it over the keypad. The robot pressed a button and turned it on. The screen glowed red, the gadget beeped a few times, and then the screen went to green. "Okay, done," he announced. And the door slid open.

X-9 entered first, out of habit of being cautious since they got here. Interior lights immediately lit up upon entry.

The roomy cabin contained a number of passenger seats, and, before a view screen and console surrounded by banks of computers, sat a cushioned pilot's chair and a matching co-pilot's seat.

X-9 sat in the pilot's seat. He studied the console of computer switches and buttons and lights for a brief moment. Then he pressed a few of the buttons and the console came to life. A smaller console screen under the view screen turned itself on as well. Data raced across the lit panel. X-9 scanned it as it flashed by.

"What are you doing?" asked Albert.

"Reading the manual."

"What do you think? Can you fly it, X-9?" asked Nina.

"I think so. Allow me to absorb the instructions, Ma'm."

Albert told Nina, "While he does that, I'm going to bring in that stuff we piled in the foyer."

"I'll go with."

X-9 did not stop his reading, but, without looking at them, he held out the mini-blaster. "Be sure to take this with you, please."

The humans left the aircar prototype and went through the other room to the exit. Albert cautiously peered out the open gate. No sign yet of the hybrid killer, Fuzzy. Nevertheless, they dashed across the snow, back to the R and D Lab building. X-9 had left the exit door open just enough for them to fit through, but the narrow opening would be too tight for Fuzzy, should he come back and want to enter the R and D Lab. If he sneaked inside while they were next door, they would know by the hatch being pushed open further. Nina and Albert picked up a few boxes of doodads, then hurried back to the hangar, to load what they carried into the aircar. And, of course, Albert always made sure to hold the mini-blaster at the ready.

The two put their loads into the aircar.

"Okay, let's go back for more," said Albert.

After the second trip, they noticed X-9 now went with them back on the third trip for more packages. "You already finished reading the manual?" wondered Albert. "That was fast."

Nina reminded, "He is a robot, Al.”

As they entered the foyer, and X-9 took up a metal box full of circuits and cables, the robot added, "Yes, Mr. Zoeniga, and not only can we robots speed read, we can also download directly into our brains. Not only is that even faster, but it sinks in deeper, too, as the human expression goes."

"How could you download it?" asked Nina.

X-9, while still holding the box with one hand, showed her some alligator clips she did not realize he had carried with him, and then, with the hand holding the clips, he tapped his open port in his head where his missing tracking device was supposed to fit. "I linked up with the main computer, Mrs. McCleer."

Albert felt a bit envious. "Some days I almost wish I were a robot, X-9."

"So you have mentioned to me on more than one occasion," said X-9. "I believe we are all designed to fill our niches in society, Sir, whether by a Supreme Designer, or by a human designer. I doubt that it is wise to desire to be what you were not designed to be. However, I must admit, being a robot, serving humanity- It's a great thing, a wonderful existence. It doesn't get any better than that- Doing what you people regard as menial tasks, so humans can do nothing but relax. We robots also enjoy exerting all our energies for hard labor- We robots are so lucky!"

Albert frowned. "Eh, yeah... Forget it, X-9, you have convinced me that I should be content to be a human."

"Yes, Sir."

The team made a couple more trips, and after a while, Albert and Nina began to relax, not as concerned about Fuzzy showing up. After all, whenever he disappeared, he usually stayed away for several hours at a time. Not only that, but now they again had X-9 along, and he carried the blaster, since he had the sharpest reflexes.

And so, when they were halfway across the space between the work garage and the lab building, after having dropped off some more objects in the aircar, shivering in the cold- Suddenly a fierce snarl, blowing on the wind, sent a shiver down their spines and froze them in their tracks.

X-9, following behind the two, realized, "Uh oh, Fuzzy's back early! He must have finished his food supply, and now wants the two of you! Run!"

As X-9 shouted the warning, Albert and Nina had snapped out of their shock. They ran for the open R and D Lab door.

From out of the swirling snow, Fuzzy appeared, hissing and squealing, a blue blur bounding toward the humans.

The R and D was closer to them than the garage, and so that is where Albert and Nina headed, running as fast as they could through the snow which they had trampled down from their repeated trips back and forth. They ran very fast. Fuzzy ran much faster, and clearly he meant to cut them off before they could reach the open door. And clearly, he would do it, too! There was no way Albert and Nina could reach that open door in time!

A blast of energy hit Fuzzy in his side, knocking him down. His momentum carried him forward, rolling in the snow, almost careening into the humans. The mini-blaster had singed his side, searing off some flesh and muscle. No vitals were hit, but it threw him off-course and slowed down the creature enough for Albert and Nina to get inside the foyer in the nick of time.

X-9 tried to zap Fuzzy again, except Fuzzy, enraged, scampered to his feet and charged the robot, zig-zagging, making a hard target for the blaster fire. X-9 barely hit him a second time, and that one damaged the beast far less than had the first hit.

X-9 changed tactics. He also charged, straight at the charging bloodthirsty animal, and he shouted to his human friends, "Lock the door! Lock the door!"

X-9 and Fuzzy collided into each other. The blaster flew in the air, landing somewhere into a deep drift. Fuzzy let out a terrible howl of pain and wrath. Clenched in a bizarre wrestling hold, the combatants grappled and fought, neither giving mercy. The snow fell and the snow flew all about from the antagonists rolling in the green flakes.

Inside the foyer, Albert and Nina grunted and groaned, putting their combined weight behind their effort to push closed the heavy hatch speedily. X-9 had made it look so easy! Finally, they shut it!

But the hard work was not yet over. Together, Albert and Nina tugged at the lock wheel, slowly spinning it until the crossbar once more locked the door in place.

Gasping and huffing, Albert said, "I sure am going to hate having to do all that again in reverse, after X-9 takes out Fuzzy and we let in the hardy robot."

Nina peered out the door's peep window, staring at the violent fighting going on outside, concerned over the what might be the outcome. "Oh no! X-9!"

Albert gulped, staring through the same tiny window. He tensed up as he watched the action.

X-9 beat his metal fists on Fuzzy's shoulders and his bloody nose, trying to get free, but the determined lion/dog kept him pinned in the emerald snow sprinkled with splashes of Fuzzy's yellowish blood and X-9's grey robotic fluids. Fuzzy grabbed one of the assaulting fists in his powerful jaws. With a mighty yank, he pulled off X-9's whole right arm!

X-9 seemed to feel no pain. He continued to fight with his remaining arm and his two legs. He kicked and dug his knee in Fuzzy's singed side, infuriating the animal even more.

Fuzzy, for his part, smashed with his heavy paws and ripped and tore with his massive jaws full of strong teeth. He pummeled the robot's body. Oil and grease colored the snow more than the splotches of Fuzzy's blood. It all happened in less than a minute, and Fuzzy had managed to pull off one of X-9's legs, too, and nearly removed the other arm besides that. It hung on by some half-torn cables and wires.

Soon, X-9's mangled robot body stopped moving. His power fuel battery had been smashed in the battle and protruded from his gaping chest hole, from which also spilled ruined circuitry and more robot fluid.

"Nooo!" Albert Zoeniga cried out, unable to believe his own eyes.

Fuzzy turned his attention from the unmoving robot. He looked at the R and D Lab's door and sprang into a dash towards it. He threw himself at it with all his might like a guided missile.

Albert and Nina reflexively jumped back from the peep window as Fuzzy crashed into the hatch. The impact shook the door, but the door held.

Fuzzy attacked the door again and again. He growled in frustrated anger and hungry rage. Fuzzy tried to knock it down a few more times, and at last gave up- for the moment. He paced back and forth in front of the door, keeping his eyes on it, watching, waiting for an opportunity.

“Poor X-9," Nina softly cried, weeping for a fallen comrade.

Albert pounded his fist into his other hand. "Our blaster is lying somewhere out in that snow, and almost all the things we foraged from the labs here, which may have been weapons we could have used against Fuzzy, are over in the experimental aircar! If only we could activate those Security Agents' blasters in the cabinets, but X-9 has the gadget for that- I wish I could take care of that Fuzzy, give him what he deserves!"

Nina forced back her sobs. Now what? Poor X-9! And now how could they help George, if they were trapped here inside the R and D Lab?!

Albert Zoeniga assessed their situation. "At least we still have our heater in the main lab yet, and our supplies of food and blankets, too. We will be okay for awhile. And when Fuzzy leaves again, we can go back to the hangar, and try to fly that aircar ourselves."

Nina McCleer shook her head, not so optimistic. "We aren't pilots, Albert. Listen to that wild wind. How can we fly in that turbulence, when we have no training?" She wiped her tears. "Besides that, I don't expect Fuzzy to disappear like he did before. Why should he, if his food supply is gone? He came back early because he ran out of food, and he's still hungry. He won't risk our getting away, should he leave his spot that he's now taken up before the door."

Albert looked out the peep window, at the huge monster sitting between them and the garage with the much-needed aircar inside it. The creature's evil, menacing eyes stared and stared at the hatch. He watched. He waited.

Albert shook his head, amazed at the turn of events. “I think now is a good time for prayer. Again."

"Amen to that, Bro. Al," Nina agreed.

And the blizzard outside continued its insane fury, dumping snow on the sitting beast and the broken robot.

(c) drk 2012