AL Clark - Jonathan G. Meyer (good books for high schoolers txt) 📗

until it came to Robot Nine. “I will not reveal your secret if no one asks. That is the best I can do, sir.”

They laughed and toasted the pact, then tried to act as if nothing had changed; although it had. None of them would ever look at Al in the same way again.

****

THE TRIAL WAS SLATED to begin in two weeks, and psychiatrist Emily Saxton was still trying to understand her patient. The girl claimed to know nothing of the disabling of the hiber-pod revival circuits. Unfortunately, she admitted to sabotaging the ship after her revival. Tammy believed she sacrificed everything to stop them from inhabiting Avalon. Doctor Saxton saw the hidden doubts; uncertainties Tammy could not recognize.

They sat at the table in Tammy’s makeshift jail. Emily was trying to get her to open up.

“Your foster parents were part of the Earth First group?”

“As long as I can remember they were. They were very proud of it.”

“How old are you?”

“I’ll be eighteen in December. Merry Christmas to me.”

“It must be nice to be born around Christmas.”

“My parents didn’t celebrate Christmas...or my birthday. They said Christmas was a pagan holiday, and I did not deserve a party to celebrate my birth.”

Emily frowned and answered, “That is entirely wrong. Everyone should be allowed to enjoy Christmas in their own way...you mean you’ve never had a birthday party?”

“I have them for myself. I give myself chocolate. Happy Birthday!”

“Would you like a birthday party?”

“I used to when I was little. It doesn’t matter anyway; I won’t live to see another birthday.

“And you won’t with that attitude. You should try to be more positive.”

“I can’t; it’s never worked for me before.”

“If we can win this trial, your life could be much better.”

“I would like to believe you. The more I think about it, the more I don’t want to die.”

Emily’s evaluation stopped when Al walked into the room. He closed the door and joined them at the table. Addressing Emily, he said, “Can we talk outside for a minute?”

She followed him outside where he asked, “Well, is she crazy?”

“Depends on your definition of crazy Mister Clark.”

“Is she sane enough to stand trial?”

“I think so if we can get her adoptive parents out of her head. They are the ghosts she lives with. Highly radicalized; she was to their beliefs.”

“Is there a chance she can change?”

“Maybe in time...if we can keep her alive,” stressed the psychiatrist.

Al frowned and confessed, “I have to admit, Emily, I think putting people to death is not the best way to start a colony on an alien world—it’s against our best interests.”

****

CHRIS’ MIND WAS NOT on the trial. He was working to complete his duties at the village power plant, hoping to make some excuse to get up to the ship and talk to the roboticist. Chris was intrigued, and contemplating the potential capabilities of Al Clark made him even more curious. A human mind in a robot’s body?

How fast can he go...really?

How strong are his legs? Can he jump like the Hulk, the angry comic book hero? The more he considered Al’s revelation, the more respect he had for his friend. Chris could not imagine the things that must have been going through Al’s mind since waking up in that box.

Are his eyes capable of infrared? Can he zoom in on distant objects? Can he bend steel with his bare hands?

The questions were driving him insane, and he didn’t want to bother the security chief. However, he knew Doctor Florida had the manual—the book of Al, and that the good doctor probably knew more about Al than Al did.

His mother noticed Chris acting oddly, as mothers do, and suspected he was up to something. She sat him down, and they talked. It didn’t take long before he was spilling his guts.

“So you want to talk to the roboticist? Hey...I happen to need someone to bring down some supplies from the ship. Would you like to volunteer?” Liz suggested.

Her son smiled and replied, “I would be happy to get your supplies for you, mother.”

“You can on one condition. You have to tell me everything Doctor Florida says. I want a full report.”

Mother and son, in league together, for the betterment of Al.

Chris caught a ride with the morning shuttle and arrived outside the robot shop just before lunch time. He opened the door and walked in to find the scientist sitting at a table looking thoughtful. Music was playing in the background that he recognized as an old song, recorded before his time. The doctor appeared to be just the way Al described; an older man, short, with wild hair and a relaxed attitude.

“Are you Doctor Florida?” Chris guessed.

“Hi, son. You must be Al’s friend Chris, am I right?”

“Yes sir, I’m Al’s friend. If you don’t mind, I have a couple questions for you.”

Edward smiled and said, “Only a couple?”

Chris looked a little guilty and continued, “Al told us his incredible secret. A human with a robotic body and I do have some questions. The first one is, what music are you listening to?”

Edward Florida reached over and turned the music down, “Oh...that. I have a fondness for Beatles music. They were a four man group from the nineteen sixties. I like other groups from that era, but they are my favorite. They made a song for every mood.”

“I thought they sounded familiar. Anyway, what do you think of our friend Al?”

Doctor Florida had considered this question. It would, in the future, be a question he expected to be asked again and again.

“Al Clark is a remarkable person with unique capabilities. He can do a lot to help protect us on this dangerous planet...and I like him.”

“Um...what is he exactly?”

This question involved the scientist’s field, and it was one he’d been contemplating since before he started his career, so his answer was simple.

“Our friend is a cybernetic construct. A human brain with complete control of a very sophisticated transport machine. He has a titanium chassis, made mobile by class five motors and actuators. His skin is a remarkable Tru-Skin covering that can heal itself, and his power pack will last for twenty years. I didn’t even know this was possible.”

“Who was he really...before the accident?”

“I don’t know. There is no mention of his name in the book, only references to a subject fourteen. According to the book, the volunteer was educated, intelligent, and active before the accident. The book does not give a name to that person.

Chris asked another question. “He told us he has a second mode, what’s that like?”

“Everything changes when he is in enhanced mode. I don’t yet understand all of what the notebook implies. However, the changes are substantial. Doctor Hawthorn, the man that designed his body, was a genius. He was way ahead of his time and the leading expert on integration between the human brain and highly adaptive robotics.”

“Do you know what Al is capable of?”

“That’s the thing. The book only makes estimates. There wasn’t time for many tests before they put him into hibernation for the trip. Nobody knows what he is ultimately capable of.”

An idea had been germinating in Chris’s head that might give them a chance to help Al find out what his enhanced mode offered. “Don’t you think we should run some tests?”

“That is an excellent idea Chris, but how? I don’t have the equipment to test him properly.”

“What does it take to change his mode?”

“He must be on board to change it permanently, although Doctor Hawthorn did not recommend changing from normal to enhanced mode until the colony fully accepted Al.” Edward hesitated, and continued, “There is an override, though. It’s a temporary override, triggered by a phrase, which I believe lasts about an hour.”

“Can we do the basic tests here, like hand and leg strength?”

“My tests would be limited. This place is not equipped to handle something like Al.”

It occurred to the scientist that he had just referred to Al as a thing and that he would have to be more careful in the future how he referred to his friend.

Chris suggested, maybe a little too eagerly, “We could run some monitored tests down on the planet, maybe time some runs, or break some branches. What do you think?”

“Once again, we have to remember the consequences of his powers being discovered. We will have to do all our testing in complete secrecy.”

“How about we take a shuttle to another part of the planet? I know just who can pilot it. It would be you, me, Al, and the captain. I’ll be the coach. What do you think?”

“Wait a minute son; we’ll have to talk this over with Captain Effinger and Mister Clark. I’ll tell you what, you talk to Al, and I’ll talk to the captain. Then we’ll all get together and discuss the possibilities. How about that?”

Edwards suggestion was close to what Chris was hoping. A field trip to put a Superman through his paces. His friend being the Superman.