the aliens had left, it was working quickly. It felt like a hole had opened beneath the circle where the black boxes had been. The hole was sucking sand and small rocks downward.
With the robotâs titanium arms, I lifted Dad as gently as I could.
I spun a tight circle, grateful that the robot had strength Iâd never hope to get in my own body.
The cable hung over the edge of the crater. Earlier, when Dad had gone into the crater to fix the robotâs computer drive, heâd climbed down alone, using the grippers. Now the robot would have to carry him.
I raced to the cable, fighting the moving rivers of sand that tried to pull me down into the hole.
Only then did I realize how much trouble this would be. I couldnât strap Dad to my back. In the practice runs, Rawling and I had assumed that any passengers would strap themselves into place.
Dad was unconscious.
And the sand began to suck at my robot wheels.
In my mind, I shouted Stop! to disengage myself from the robot controls.
I woke up in the platform buggy.
âRawling,â I said into the darkness and the silence. I was blindfolded and in the headset, so I had to trust heâd listen. âYouâve seen what happened on the monitors. I need to get Dad back up. But I canât without your help. Back the platform buggy away from the edge of the crater. Now!â
With time running out for Dad, I was glad Rawling had made me go on so many practice runs. I knew how to slip back into the virtual reality of the robot controls without his coaching.
Into the darkness, I began to fall. â¦
Light entered the robotâs video lenses.
Straight ahead were the red rock walls of the crater. The cable dangled in front. And in the robotâs arms was my dadâs quiet body.
I grabbed the cable with a gripper clamp in the robotâs right hand and held Dad firmly in the left arm. I braced myself, hoping Rawling understood what I needed.
Seconds later, sand disappeared from under me.
Because I was hanging on to the cable, I didnât roll backward with the sand.
Soon after that, the cable lurched upward as Rawling eased the platform buggy away from the crater.
I held on, letting him tow the robot body and Dad up the crater wall. The robot wheels rolled smoothly.
I kept a good grip on Dad and rode the cable all the way up the wall until the cable finally towed me over the edge and onto the safe, flat ground.
Instantly I released the cable and raced toward the platform buggy.
When I got there, Rawling was already in a space suit and climbing down to help me with Dad.
CHAPTER 20
âAll Iâve got is a doozy of a headache,â Dad said. His grin was weak, and Rawling had wiped the blood off his pale face. âNothing worse. Really. We probably donât even have to mention this to your mother.â
Dad woke up 10 minutes after Rawling and I had helped him out of his space suit within the safety of the platform buggyâs minidome. Rawling revived Dad with smelling salts from the first-aid kit.
Several hours passed while Dad recovered. During that time, the three of us watched the digital video scans over and over.
Now Rawling was at the controls of the platform buggy, driving us back in the direction of the main dome.
Dad and I sat facing the monitor. With the remote in his hand, Dad again clicked the digital video scan replay, and images flickered onto the screen. I saw on the monitor everything that the robot body had relayed up to the computer on the platform buggy.
The camera surveyed the first alien bodies up and down. It did the same with the other bodies in the other black boxes. Then the background blurred during the section where Iâd raced back to the first bodies, which then began to melt.
Dad clicked the slow-motion button. âItâs as if some kind of chemical reaction is taking place. Like the bodies were sealed until we opened the boxes.â
âAnd then,â Rawling added as he
With the robotâs titanium arms, I lifted Dad as gently as I could.
I spun a tight circle, grateful that the robot had strength Iâd never hope to get in my own body.
The cable hung over the edge of the crater. Earlier, when Dad had gone into the crater to fix the robotâs computer drive, heâd climbed down alone, using the grippers. Now the robot would have to carry him.
I raced to the cable, fighting the moving rivers of sand that tried to pull me down into the hole.
Only then did I realize how much trouble this would be. I couldnât strap Dad to my back. In the practice runs, Rawling and I had assumed that any passengers would strap themselves into place.
Dad was unconscious.
And the sand began to suck at my robot wheels.
In my mind, I shouted Stop! to disengage myself from the robot controls.
I woke up in the platform buggy.
âRawling,â I said into the darkness and the silence. I was blindfolded and in the headset, so I had to trust heâd listen. âYouâve seen what happened on the monitors. I need to get Dad back up. But I canât without your help. Back the platform buggy away from the edge of the crater. Now!â
With time running out for Dad, I was glad Rawling had made me go on so many practice runs. I knew how to slip back into the virtual reality of the robot controls without his coaching.
Into the darkness, I began to fall. â¦
Light entered the robotâs video lenses.
Straight ahead were the red rock walls of the crater. The cable dangled in front. And in the robotâs arms was my dadâs quiet body.
I grabbed the cable with a gripper clamp in the robotâs right hand and held Dad firmly in the left arm. I braced myself, hoping Rawling understood what I needed.
Seconds later, sand disappeared from under me.
Because I was hanging on to the cable, I didnât roll backward with the sand.
Soon after that, the cable lurched upward as Rawling eased the platform buggy away from the crater.
I held on, letting him tow the robot body and Dad up the crater wall. The robot wheels rolled smoothly.
I kept a good grip on Dad and rode the cable all the way up the wall until the cable finally towed me over the edge and onto the safe, flat ground.
Instantly I released the cable and raced toward the platform buggy.
When I got there, Rawling was already in a space suit and climbing down to help me with Dad.
CHAPTER 20
âAll Iâve got is a doozy of a headache,â Dad said. His grin was weak, and Rawling had wiped the blood off his pale face. âNothing worse. Really. We probably donât even have to mention this to your mother.â
Dad woke up 10 minutes after Rawling and I had helped him out of his space suit within the safety of the platform buggyâs minidome. Rawling revived Dad with smelling salts from the first-aid kit.
Several hours passed while Dad recovered. During that time, the three of us watched the digital video scans over and over.
Now Rawling was at the controls of the platform buggy, driving us back in the direction of the main dome.
Dad and I sat facing the monitor. With the remote in his hand, Dad again clicked the digital video scan replay, and images flickered onto the screen. I saw on the monitor everything that the robot body had relayed up to the computer on the platform buggy.
The camera surveyed the first alien bodies up and down. It did the same with the other bodies in the other black boxes. Then the background blurred during the section where Iâd raced back to the first bodies, which then began to melt.
Dad clicked the slow-motion button. âItâs as if some kind of chemical reaction is taking place. Like the bodies were sealed until we opened the boxes.â
âAnd then,â Rawling added as he
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