there are androids crawling all over the hangar!” James shouted. “You’re going to have to try catch a ride with us as we lift off!”
“Affirmative!” Rich shouted, gasping for air as he desperately fought off the thickening numbers of androids. “Commander! Hurry up! It’s raining men out here! Not hallelujah! Not hallelujah!”
26
“Are the doors holding, Thel?” James asked for confirmation before launching.
“The outer surface is torn to shreds but the release mechanism appears to be operational!” Thel responded.
“Okay, then we’ve got to go! Keep your fingers crossed!” James shouted as he activated the launch sequence.
The hangar doors began to slowly open, allowing the thousands of androids that had crowded on top of the door and that had been ripping the metal apart in their attempts to penetrate the hangar to leap down on top of the ship. The hydraulic launcher pressed into action and pointed the nose of the zeppelin-shaped ship up towards a sky that had been darkened by a rainstorm of androids.
Old-timer entered the cockpit, Governor Wong, Alejandra, and Lt. Patrick in tow. “Old-timer,” James said as he engaged the magnetic engines, “keep an eye on the hull. Those things are bound to breach it at some point.”
“On it.”
“Djanet, keep an eye on Rich,” James said.
“I’m already on it,” Djanet said while she watched Rich’s desperate flight toward the ship as hundreds of attackers quickly became thousands.
“Launching, now!” James shouted as he throttled the engines and the ship thrusted out of the hangar, shaking off thousands of android attackers as it did so. However, hundreds more managed to maintain their holds on the hull and they used their enormous strength to pound and claw at any ridges or weak spots in the structure that appeared exploitable.
As the ship picked up speed, hundreds more androids surged towards it, joining the fight and covering the ship like frenzied bees on a honeycomb.
Rich saw the ship too as it made its way toward him. He kept blasting magnetic energy at his attackers as he flew in kamikaze fashion, hoping to elude the androids by being completely erratic and unpredictable. “This was definitely a bad idea!”
27
As the ship neared, Rich had to negotiate a landing on the hull of the enormous structure as it rocketed upward without allowing any of the myriad of androids to get a hold of him. He was nearing exhaustion as he flew and blasted in self-defense.
“I cannot believe what I am seeing,” Djanet said as she watched Rich’s valiant one-man battle. She had witnessed Rich’s bravery once before, but this was a whole new level. She’d never seen anyone try anything like it. “I have to go out there,” she announced as she began to leave the cockpit.
“Djanet! No!” Old-timer shouted. “It’s suicide!”
“He’s right, Djanet,” James concurred as he gently grabbed her arm to stop her. She roughly pulled it away.
“I’d rather die out there with him than in here, watching.” She stormed out of the room and towards an exit.
“James,” Thel said with pleading eyes that urged him to do something to stop Djanet.
“ Let her go, James, ” the A.I. asserted in James’s head. “ You know you need her out there. It’s a dirty job but someone has to do it. ”
James was rattled as he listened to the A.I.’s words. He instinctively wanted to rush to save Djanet and to resist the A.I., but once again the electronic Satan appeared to be speaking the ugly truth. “She’s right, Thel. I couldn’t possibly order any of you outside, but we need help to get out of here alive. We need someone to clear the hull of the ship and that’s exactly what Rich and Djanet will be doing.”
“But they’ll die!” Thel protested.
“ Make the hard decisions, James, ” the A.I. urged in an unusually sincere tone, suggesting that it had its own survival in mind—if it thought Djanet’s exit increased its chance of survival,
“Affirmative!” Rich shouted, gasping for air as he desperately fought off the thickening numbers of androids. “Commander! Hurry up! It’s raining men out here! Not hallelujah! Not hallelujah!”
26
“Are the doors holding, Thel?” James asked for confirmation before launching.
“The outer surface is torn to shreds but the release mechanism appears to be operational!” Thel responded.
“Okay, then we’ve got to go! Keep your fingers crossed!” James shouted as he activated the launch sequence.
The hangar doors began to slowly open, allowing the thousands of androids that had crowded on top of the door and that had been ripping the metal apart in their attempts to penetrate the hangar to leap down on top of the ship. The hydraulic launcher pressed into action and pointed the nose of the zeppelin-shaped ship up towards a sky that had been darkened by a rainstorm of androids.
Old-timer entered the cockpit, Governor Wong, Alejandra, and Lt. Patrick in tow. “Old-timer,” James said as he engaged the magnetic engines, “keep an eye on the hull. Those things are bound to breach it at some point.”
“On it.”
“Djanet, keep an eye on Rich,” James said.
“I’m already on it,” Djanet said while she watched Rich’s desperate flight toward the ship as hundreds of attackers quickly became thousands.
“Launching, now!” James shouted as he throttled the engines and the ship thrusted out of the hangar, shaking off thousands of android attackers as it did so. However, hundreds more managed to maintain their holds on the hull and they used their enormous strength to pound and claw at any ridges or weak spots in the structure that appeared exploitable.
As the ship picked up speed, hundreds more androids surged towards it, joining the fight and covering the ship like frenzied bees on a honeycomb.
Rich saw the ship too as it made its way toward him. He kept blasting magnetic energy at his attackers as he flew in kamikaze fashion, hoping to elude the androids by being completely erratic and unpredictable. “This was definitely a bad idea!”
27
As the ship neared, Rich had to negotiate a landing on the hull of the enormous structure as it rocketed upward without allowing any of the myriad of androids to get a hold of him. He was nearing exhaustion as he flew and blasted in self-defense.
“I cannot believe what I am seeing,” Djanet said as she watched Rich’s valiant one-man battle. She had witnessed Rich’s bravery once before, but this was a whole new level. She’d never seen anyone try anything like it. “I have to go out there,” she announced as she began to leave the cockpit.
“Djanet! No!” Old-timer shouted. “It’s suicide!”
“He’s right, Djanet,” James concurred as he gently grabbed her arm to stop her. She roughly pulled it away.
“I’d rather die out there with him than in here, watching.” She stormed out of the room and towards an exit.
“James,” Thel said with pleading eyes that urged him to do something to stop Djanet.
“ Let her go, James, ” the A.I. asserted in James’s head. “ You know you need her out there. It’s a dirty job but someone has to do it. ”
James was rattled as he listened to the A.I.’s words. He instinctively wanted to rush to save Djanet and to resist the A.I., but once again the electronic Satan appeared to be speaking the ugly truth. “She’s right, Thel. I couldn’t possibly order any of you outside, but we need help to get out of here alive. We need someone to clear the hull of the ship and that’s exactly what Rich and Djanet will be doing.”
“But they’ll die!” Thel protested.
“ Make the hard decisions, James, ” the A.I. urged in an unusually sincere tone, suggesting that it had its own survival in mind—if it thought Djanet’s exit increased its chance of survival,
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