Genesis

Pulling himself together, Russo beat a hasty retreat. To the bridge gang he said, 'Well, girls, we're all depending on you. So don't let us down!' The hatch closed behind him.

Gloval stared at the hatch. We aren't ready for combat. We just aren't ready!

Minmei joined Jason at the top-story window. They were gazing up at the immobile war machine from about the height of its waist. The titanic chest had been holed by enemy fire.

'Wow, look how big it is!' the boy squealed with delight.

'Be careful, Jason,' Minmei scolded, holding him back so he wouldn't climb out onto the ledge.

'I wonder where it came from?' Jason yelled happily.

As they watched, the cyclopean head tilted far forward as heavy servomechanisms hummed, leaving the torso uppermost.

Down in the street, people were exclaiming, 'Look! It moved its head!' 'It just fell out of the sky and wiped out those buildings!' 'It's as big as a building itself!'

'See? Its back opened up!' Jason cried, pointing. Minmei gasped. A co-pilot's seat rose on a support pillar, lifted into sight by some inner mechanism. It was empty.

Jason's brows came together. 'There's nobody running it!' Machinery whirred again, and the post moved higher, raising the first seat to reveal a second mounted below it. In that seat was Rick Hunter.

Getting out of his seat, looking down, Rick ignored the furor of the crowd below. 'What's going on here? What's happened to me?'

'The pilot looks confused,' Jason commented; he'd been hoping for someone a little more impressive.

'Maybe he was injured in the crash,' Minmei suggested. But something about the young man was familiar.

'I must be seeing things,' Rick muttered. 'This used to be a fighter plane.'

He spotted Minmei and Jason. He recalled the girl from somewhere but couldn't take time to try to place her just now.

'Excuse me, but, uh, what is this?' He indicated the Veritech. 'I mean, what does it look like to you?'

Minmei took a moment to absorb the question. 'Some kind of robot, I think.'

'Oh, great,' Rick sighed, relieved. 'When I got into this thing, it was an aircraft. I thought I'd gone nuts.'

'A convertible airplane?' Minmei and Jason both echoed. 'You must be joking,' Minmei added. She thought he wasn't bad-looking, however, and wondered how old he was. Not much older than she was, she judged.

'I'm as puzzled as anybody about it.'

'You're kidding!' she said. 'You're the pilot and you don't even know what it is?'

'No, I'm not a military pilot. I'm just-just an amateur!' Satisfied, Roy? 'It's all, um, a big mistake. I'm not supposed to have it.'

'An enemy spy!' Jason squawked.

Minmei gave him a little shake to quiet him. 'Jason!'

'Spy?' Rick yelped. 'Look, this was the army's idea, not mine!' He shook his head, looking down at the Battloid. 'Look at all the damage!'

Helicopters were approaching from the distance, and traffic was venturing forth again. 'Will you have to pay for it?' Minmei wondered.

Rick's stomach felt like it was doing somersaults. 'Me? I hope not.' A truck was insistently blowing its horn down by the Battloid's automobile-size feet. 'What?' he yelled angrily.

The driver hollered up, 'Get that thing off the road! I have a truckload of military supplies to deliver and I'm in a hurry, Mac! Now, move it!'

Rick stood up, surrendering to the inevitable. 'I don't know how it works, but I'll try.'

'Good luck!' Minmei called. She'd decided he was kind of cute.

'Thanks.' She has a real nice smile. He'd have to remember his way back here.

'And please be careful.'

He gave her a broad grin and a wave. 'Sure. I will.' He got back to his seat. As it lowered, he tried to think of something else to say but could only come up with, 'So long!'

'I hope I see you again sometime!' Minmei called.

Back in the cockpit, Rick told himself, 'Well, all I can do is throw a few switches and hope for the best, I guess.' The giant head swung back into place.

Taking the control grips, he panned the screen before him. 'At least I can see where I'm going. If I can just figure out how to get there.'

But as the Battloid stirred, preparing to walk, he felt a distinct lack of confidence, something he was unused to. The machine seemed to want more of him than the mere pushing of buttons.

The Battloid lifted its foot to step, lost balance when it brought it too high, and swayed, about to topple over backward. The crowd that had gathered to stare at the Battloid panicked and began to bolt, yelling and milling. Rick howled in dismay.

Just as the war machine was about to crash into the buildings behind it, back thrusters flared for a quick, intense burn. The Battloid was pushed back to a precarious balance. Then it went off kilter in the opposite direction, staggering toward the little balcony over the White Dragon from which Minmei and Jason watched, open-mouthed.

The two saw that it wasn't going to stop; with wails of fright, they turned and fled just as the Battloid crashed through the wall where they'd been standing, collapsing that whole portion of the building. It came to rest like a drunk who'd passed out across a bar.

Minmei coughed and spat out plaster, checking Jason, whom she'd shielded under her as she went down. 'Please tell me you're okay!'

'I am!' Jason said brightly.

Rick's voice came over the Battloid's PA system. 'Are you two all right in there?'

'Yes!' Minmei yelled.

In the cockpit, Rick tilted his helmet back to wipe his brow. 'Thank goodness!' He couldn't bear the thought of hurting an innocent bystander.

Besides, the girl was real cute.

CHAPTER NINE

Clearly, as Gloval said, SDF-1 was in part a booby trap. He was too busy to think of it, and I wasn't a trained military man, so it didn't occur to us until it was too late that that particular, sword might cut both ways.

Dr. Enid Lang, Notes on Launch Day

The moment came in a way no one had forseen even an hour before; SDF-1, all running lights flashing, prepared to launch for the first time.

'Gravity control systems through bulkhead forty-eight are green light,' Sammie relayed to engineering. 'Please confirm, over.'

From all over the ship the reports came in; the messages went to every corner of it. It was no longer a question of waiting for a perfect checklist; the dimensional fortress was going-now.

'Priority one transmission from HQ, Captain Gloval,' Vanessa announced. 'Armor One has completed recovery procedures and is departing now to join Armor Ten at Rendezvous Point Charlie.'

Gloval grunted acknowledgment and added, 'Thank you, Vanessa. Claudia, check the reflex furnace and see if we've recovered full power yet.'

Claudia studied her equipment, listened to a brief intercom message, and said, 'Ready condition on furnace