Rescue Robots

Jabbing at the keypad of a cell phone, a red nail polished finger dialled 777, the number of the Robot Rescue Emergency Service.

“Hello, Rescue Robots. How can we assist you?”, said the voice of Telly, the Rescue Robots computerized phone operator.

“Please”, said a frantic female voice, “You have to help me. I had a car accident, my car swerved off of the road and it’s balanced right on the edge of a cliff”.

“Do you know where you are?”, asked Telly, before adding, “Never mind, I can use your mobile signal to pinpoint your location. Don’t worry madam, Rescue Robot 1 is on his way”.

Then, not more than half an hour later, the woman on her mobile heard a whooshing noise from overhead like the sound of jet engines and, looking up out of her car window she saw what appeared to be a heavily muscular, flying man zooming towards her across the steel grey evening sky at incredible speed and then, in the next instant, the robot had landed next to the car and, bending the jointed knees of its hi-visibilty yellow mechanical body like a weightlifter and grasping hold of the underside of her car with firm robot hands like the claws of a digger, suddenly the robot heaved the car up 15 feet into the air and carried it safely away from the edge of the cliff before gently lowering it back onto the ground.

“Are you okay, Madam?”, asked the Robot, softly, smiling warmly as he opened the door to the driver’s seat and looked in at the woman.

“Yes, I’m Alright”, said the woman, coldly, reaching into her glove compartment and pulling out a revolver that, aiming, she fired into the Robots chest, “But you’re not”.

Suddenly, a change came over the robot, its smile turning into an angry scowl and the green light that usually emanated from its eyes becoming a dark crimson colour.

“That was a computer hacking bullet”, said the woman, “Now, Robot, you will do as I say. You will fly to Number 10 Downing Street in London and you will kill the Prime Minister of Great Britain”.

“I will kill the Prime Minister”, the robot repeated, now in an angry monotone growl, “Kill the Prime Minister”.

But then from a speaker in the chest plate of the Robot, the woman heard another voice, the voice of the Rescue Robots phone operator Telly.

“Rescue Robot 1, where are you? What’s wrong? I lost contact with you. Have you rescued that human who was in danger?”, asked the computer.

“I will kill the Prime Minister”, replied Rescue Robot 1 rising up into the air, lifted by jets in the soles of its mechanical feet.

“The Prime Minister?”, asked Telly, confused before adding, “Wait a minute, Number 1, I think I know just what to do… Activating Repairbot”.

A compartment in the robots head flipped open and, out of it, a miniature version of the robot rose, propelled by jets as small as birthday candle flames and then, swooping down towards the chest of the larger robot, it fired a magnetic grappling hook into the hole made by the woman’s hacking bullet then, latching magnetically onto the bullet, a winch within the tiny robot turning, it started to pull upon the bullet.

“Have you got it, Repairbot 1?”, asked Telly.

“Nearly”, said the miniature robot as it saw the bullet cartridge sliding out of the hole it had made.

Then, finally, the bullet becoming dislodged from its chest, the eyes of the larger Robot turned back from vivid red into emerald green.

“Drat that repairbot”, said the Woman, looking up and, raising her gun, firing at the Robot again, this time with armour piercing anti-robot rounds.

Rescue Robot 1 looked down at the woman from where he was hovering and, reaching out his right hand towards her, said, “Activate rescue net”.

Then a net, one that was normally used to catch people falling from burning buildings flew from the robots right, gauntlet like hand, falling like a fishermans net over the head and shoulders of the woman holding the gun and tightening around her then, suddenly accelerating upwards as fast as a racing car, the robot yanked her off of her feet making the startled woman drop the gun, screaming.

“Put me down this instant”, protested the woman.

“Don’t worry, Miss”, said the Robot, “I will, as soon as I get you to the police station”.