Alcantaran 1: Alien Abduction (39 page)

After they finished eating, the five of them were walking outside to head to the vehicle.
 
It was parked at the far end of the parking lot because it was so large.
 
They were about half way to the vehicle when three young men jumped from behind another vehicle in the parking lot.
 
All three had stingerray guns like the Bugs carried.
 
This was strange because the shape of the men put them from Europaische.
 
They were thinner than Fu but had the same build.
 
They gruffly ordered them to hand over all of their valuables and to be quick about it.
 
Gus and Ron quietly stepped in front of Fu and the driver.
 
Tik dropped to all four legs, her tail went straight up in the air with a small curl on the end and her ears were plastered flat against her skull.

Gus groaned, "Oh Lord, help us.
 
Somebody over there is going to get hurt."

Ron asked, "What do you mean?"

"When she looks like that, with her tail straight up and her ears laid back, she is in full fight mode.
 
Those chumps over there won't even have a chance to move before she'll have pieces of them flying.
 
Remember the Bug arms she had in her bag?
 
She looked just like that and she was so sick she could hardly move and the Bug had a stingerray in his hand."

The thugs had just started to swagger forward and Tik was set to launch an attack, when out of nowhere, Dolores came flying with a broom in one hand and a mop in the other.
 
The handles on both were telescoped to full length and she was holding them close to the broom and mop head.
 
She was moving so swiftly and silently that the thugs had no idea anybody was even close.
 
She whacked both handles right across both sides of the middle ones head.
 
He dropped like a rock, screaming in pain.
 
In almost the same motion, she whacked the thugs' arms that were holding the guns.
 
They screamed in pain and surprise as they dropped the weapons.
 
She started whacking them across the back with the handles and the thugs shrieked in agony and started running.
 
The middle one that had hit the ground stirred and started to get up.
 
She lit into him with both handles and he started shrieking as he was trying to crawl away.
 
It was more than Tik could handle to stand back and just watch.
 
She rushed in and bit the thug right on the rear while grabbing him with open claws.
 
She bit hard enough to draw blood and tear his trousers, while her claws had left bloody gouges and more slashes.
 
It was amazing!
 
The thug had been struggling to get up under Dolores's whacks but now leaped to his feet and quickly overtook the other two as they ran away.
 
Dolores and Tik were right on his heels.
 
Tik's claws took small bloody chunks out of the backside of the other two thugs as she ran behind them.
 
All of the thugs were shrieking like teeny-boppers on a scary roller coaster ride.
 
Tik slowed after she mangled all of them a bit more but Dolores kept after them.
 
She switched to just the broom with the broom head to the outside.
 
She was pounding away on all three of them.
 
Ron thought it looked like the farmer's wife chasing three rats out of the house.
 
He and Gus hurried the driver and Fu to the vehicle and got it started.
 
Tik stopped to grab the weapons and leaped into the vehicle as it was heading out of the parking lot to follow Dolores.
 
The driver sped down the street in the direction Dolores and the thugs had taken.
 
They spotted her about six blocks ahead with the thugs still running at top speed as they were shrieking at the top of their lungs.
 
One of the thugs tried to duck down an alley but Dolores turned her full fury on him and he quickly decided to pass his companions.

They had run three more blocks when Fu shouted, "There's a police station three blocks to the right."
 
They didn't know if Dolores heard or already knew of the police station but she turned the thugs down the street and kept them moving at high speed.
 
People were leaping off the sidewalk to get out of their way as they ran shrieking and screaming.
 
The driver kept just a little behind them and everyone inside had a good view of the happenings.
 
The police station was in the middle of the block and Dolores herded the thugs into it just like a cutting horse herding cattle.
 
Her broom was flailing with every step the thugs took.
 
They ran up the steps and crashed through the door.
 
Dolores didn't even slow down.
 
Her broom didn't stop until they were inside and several policemen came around to see what the ruckus was.
 
The thugs were so out of breath that they couldn't even talk.

Dolores calmly announced, "These young thugs threatened to use stingerrays on my owners and their friends.
 
I have escorted them here for appropriate official action.
 
I simply can not tolerate such rude behavior."

The thug who had been hit first was wheezing, "She tried to kill us.
 
We wusn't doin' nothin'!"

Fu, Ron, Tik, Gus and the driver rushed in just at that moment.
 
Tik held up the stingerrays and handed them to one of the policemen.
 
She declared loudly, "These gentlemen dropped these when Dolores kept them from using them on us."
 
The policeman took the weapons and handled them like they were snakes.
 
The weapons were banned because of the atrocities the Bugs had committed with them.
 
The other thugs were starting to whine now about being attacked for no reason and those things didn't belong to them.
 
Ron and Tik started to disagree and bedlam broke out.
 
Dolores rolled forward and raised her broom.
 
The thugs fell silent and one of the policemen who had recognized Fu asked what had happened.

Fu conveyed the answer in a very official voice, "My friends and I have been shopping all day and had stopped for a bite to eat.
 
As we were leaving, these young thugs leaped from behind a parked vehicle and demanded all of our valuables.
 
They were carrying those weapons and I feel they were just about to use them on us.
 
My friends, Ron and Gus, stepped between them and the two of us.
 
Their new robot chef came flying to their rescue.
 
She disarmed all three of them and then proceeded to chase them down the street right here to your station.
 
I must say that I have never heard such shrieking and screaming in all my life.
 
When the tables are turned, those three showed their true, very cowardly character."

The policemen all laughed at the story and the thugs hung their head in embarrassment.
 
The policeman turned to the thugs and told them to tell their side of the story.
 
They maintained their innocence.
 
They claimed that they had never seen the weapons and the crazy robot attacked for no reason.
 
The policeman believed Fu but still hesitated to arrest the three.

Ron suddenly suggested, "If they are so innocent, you should turn them loose.
 
Dolores would be happy to escort them home to make sure they get there safely."

Dolores piped right up, "Oh yes.
 
It would be my delight to escort these gentlemen
all
the way home."

The thugs turned pale and their eyes got very big.
 
They looked from Ron, to Dolores, to the policemen.
 
Suddenly they confessed to the attempted robbery, carrying the weapons and even started confessing other crimes.
 
Three of the policemen led them away and took their confessions.
 
The policeman who knew Fu exclaimed with a big grin, "Would you like to sell that robot?
 
We could use her to get a few more confessions and make the crime rate drop considerably around here."

Ron declined the offer and said they needed her around the space ship too much.
 
He said rats and other vermin were afraid to even come close to their space ship now.
 
Everybody laughed and the policeman said they were free to go.
 
If they had any questions, he would get in touch with Fu.
 
Fu continued to talk as the others started out the door.
 
Fu quietly said, "I think those thugs are very lucky.
 
The three star travelers were getting ready to go into action when that robot attacked.
 
I overheard the biggest one saying that the little one was ready to fight and he had seen her tear arms off of someone.
 
I know Ron and Gus stood between me and those thugs.
 
They were protecting us but they were also reaching for weapons.
 
I think you would have been picking up body parts if they had defended themselves."
 
The policeman had a thoughtful look in his eye as Fu turned to catch up with the rest of the group.

Fu and the driver were very thoughtful on the way back to the space port.
 
They both realized there was a lot more to these space travelers than met the eye.
 
Honest citizens like themselves were very safe with them but law breakers accosted them at their own risk.

The next morning the trio woke to rain.
 
Everything outside was wet and when they looked at the view screens in the living room, they saw the clouds looked like they would continue to rain all day.

Ron was muttering about rain and goods being delivered when Gus piped up, "This might not be so bad after all.
 
We haven't wanted to show anyone here that we can open all the doors on Auntie.
 
Why don't we activate the shield and extend it out the back a little.
 
We could put all of the goods coming in under it and if it was opaque, we could open any doors we want."

"That's right.
 
That would be a great idea.
 
We'll just have to watch and make sure the doors are closed when the goods arrive," Ron brightened.

Tik came strolling in and glanced at the view screens.
 
She said, "It looks a little damp out there.
 
I'm glad I bit those thugs last night instead of today.
 
They tasted bad enough dry; but if they were wet, they would've been terrible.
 
I washed my mouth out twice last night and again this morning and I can still taste them."

Gus chuckled as he said, "Maybe that'll teach you to hold your temper and control your killer instincts.
 
If you feel bad, what do you think those thugs are feeling right now with all of the parts and pieces they're missing?"

They all laughed and went to see what Dolores had cooked up for breakfast.
 
When they walked in, they could smell the delicious aroma.
 
Dolores rolled out holding her broom and mop.
 
Both of the handles were bent and twisted to uselessness.

"Boss, I seem to have wrecked my broom and mop last night.
 
I'm sorry…" Dolores started to say.

Tik jumped right in, "Wrecked your broom and mop!
 
After saving us last night, we'll buy you 10 more if you use them like that.
 
We can keep a supply in your kitchen and when you wreck one, just toss it in the recycler and grab a new one."

Ron and Gus laughed and agreed with Tik.
 
They both assured Dolores that they weren't upset.
 
Dolores seemed very happy and her gibberish was less that day but she picked up another habit.
 
As she worked, she was humming a tuneless ditty that soon grated on your nerves.
 
Ron told Tik to find some music and program her to hum the music.
 
Tik programmed enough music in her that it took several days to repeat.
 
Tik told Auntie to order a supply of brooms and mop handles, which she did that afternoon.

Right after breakfast, the trio practiced with the weapons for a while and then got the shield set up.
 
Tik set the Ag workers to work, cleaning a spot to set the plants and seeds that were coming.
 
She had them carefully take samples of the dead plants in the conservatory into a sealable storage room.
 
Ron had checked with Auntie and went to get the chipper that she said was on the lower level.
 
He brought it back for the Ag workers to use on the rest of the material in the conservatory.
 
Ron looked at the damaged catwalk and made a note of what they needed.
 
He knew they were going to be very busy the next two or three days just stowing what they had bought.
 
He would send Fu to get what he needed for repairs.

Gus was getting things ready when Auntie alerted him to the fact that the first set of robots had arrived.
 
Gus went outside and directed the truck to the edge of the shield to unload.
 
They could only haul five robots at a time, so they would be making several trips throughout the day.
 
Once the robots were unloaded, Gus took them inside to refuel.
 
Tik had the Ag workers going, so she came up to help check out the robots and to reprogram them to whatever they needed.
 
One of the first five robots was the one Gus wanted for refueling and stowing goods, so Tik programmed it first to be able to help with all of the supplies being delivered.
 
Since this was to be his primary helper, Gus decided to call it Tamu.
 
He said it reminded him of a boyhood friend.
 
As Tik was finishing with Tamu, the next load of five robots rolled in.
 
Gus took Tamu and the two of them started bringing the others into Auntie to be refueled.