Alex The Inventor-Chapter 5 (Pt.2)

Read Chapters 1 - 5 at: Deep Sky Stories & Illustrations

Chapter 5 (Part 2) - The Giant Resurrected and a Daydream

Several hours were spent uncovering the large robot from the remaining clutter of trash that he had become buried in. All during that time, Alex kept checking for any signs of activity but Big Ben appeared completely lifeless. His once powerful arms hung limp at his sides; several of the high pressure hydraulic hoses were severed and empty of the vital fluid that was needed for Ben's arms to operate.

His heavy-lift crane had been brutally ripped from its rear mounting bracket and there was a deep dent in the back of the robot's round bullet-head where the crane must have struck him when it was blown away. Alex could only surmise that Ben had been far enough away from the main explosion to escape the worst effects of it when Miss Vee's Biosphere Ship lifted off. But he was still close enough that he was thrown nearly a hundred feet by the force of the blast.

Ben's mighty vice-hands had ratcheted closed and squeezed tightly shut. In one of them was the remains of a hideous robotic Fly that had been attacking him. It was flattened, stiff and still within his terrible grip as a bleak reminder of the awful battle that Ben had waged against them the week before. Black, powdery soot coated every inch of the giant as further testament of the punishment the robot endured from the enemy and then from the explosive lift-off of the Biosphere Ship.

Surprisingly though, Ben's main diesel engine had escaped being badly damaged. There were some minor oil leaks but nothing that couldn't be repaired with time. And so, after adding a spare can of diesel fuel that his mom helped bring from the workshop, Alex was at least able to start the heart of the old construction-bot. Then, with Big Ben in his lowest gear, to prevent further possible damage, Alex chugged and sputtered his way back toward the barn.

Seeing that her little man would be occupied for the rest of the morning with his chore, Elizabeth decided to head back to the house to prepare a hardy lunch for Alex after he arrived.

Now, sitting inside the cramped driver's compartment, located in the powerful robot's belly section, Alex nursed the limping robot through the maze of large scrap-piles as carefully as was possible. Legs, the ever dutiful scavenger-bot brought up the rear to make certain that no more of Ben's pieces were lost if they happened to jarr loose.

One of Ben's six massive truck tires had also been punctured by flying debris from the explosion so that the now humbled construction-bot tilted slightly back and to one side on his five remaining tires. Big Ben was indeed broken, if not beyond hope. Alex gritted his teeth with every bounce and rattle. He feared that old Ben could easily start falling apart around him, so terribly did he shake and jangle about. Even his large arms had to be chained up against his chest in order to prevent them from dragging along the ground as Alex drove.

"Come on, old boy," he coaxed, "just a little further."

Next: Chapter 6 (Part 1) - Luss Song and a Weird Souvenir

Alex discovers the origin of the strange laughter, but the true mystery only deepens further. For Alex Faraway uncovers a strange artifact from the soil of the scrapyard that has bewildering properties most uncanny.But the clock is ticking and the enemy - the Others - are on the move. The ghoulish Professor Strikt moves restlessly through the night. And the HIVE is hatching a cunning trap...As of 2017-09-30, Chapter 5 (Part 2) can be read at: Deepskystories.com