People with disabilities -- Fiction; Science fiction
Anti settled down grimly. "Then there's a geepee on the loose, intent
on wrecking us?"
"I'm afraid so."
"Then what are we standing around for? All we have to do is go back to
the controls and pick up the robot on the radio. We'll make it go in
there and repair the damage it's done."
She partly turned around and saw Docchi's face. "Don't tell me," she
said, "I should have thought of it. The radio doesn't work inside the
ship."
Docchi nodded reluctantly. "It doesn't. Robots are never used aboard
and so the emergency band is broadcast by the bow antenna. The hull of
the ship is a pretty good insulation."
"Ain't that nice?" said Anti happily. "We've got a robot hunt ahead of
us."
"And our bare hands to hunt it with."
"Oh come. It's not as hopeless as that. Look, the robot was back here
when the rockets stopped. It couldn't get by the control compartment
without our seeing it."
"That's right. There are two corridors leading through the compartment,
one on each side of the ship."
"That's what I mean. We came down one and there wasn't any geepee. So
it's got to be in the other. If it goes in a cabin a light will shine
outside. It can't hide from us."
"I don't doubt we'll find it. But what'll we do then?"
"I was thinking," said Anti. "Can you get past me when I'm standing
like this?"
"No."
"That's what I thought. Neither can a geepee. All I need is a toaster,
or something that looks like it. I'll drive the robot forward and
Jordan can burn it down." Determinedly she began to move toward the far
corridor. "Hurry back to Jordan and tell him. There ought to be another
weapon on the ship. Should be one for the pilot to use. Bring it back
to me."
Docchi bit his lip and stared at the back of the huge woman. He knew
Anti, and when it was useless to argue with her. "All right," he
answered. "Stay here though. Don't try anything until I get a toaster
for you."
The magnetics on his feet were no substitute for gravity. Docchi
couldn't move fast, no human could. He had time to think as he went
along but nothing better suggested itself. A toaster for Jordan and
another for Anti--if there was another.
And Anti would block the passageway. A geepee might go through her but
it could never squeeze past. The robot would try to get away. If it
came toward Anti she might disable it. But she would be firing directly
into the control compartment. And if she missed even partially--well,
the instruments were delicate.
But Jordan might get the chance to bring down the robot. Then Anti
would be in the line of fire. No matter how he looked at it, Docchi
was sure the plan was unworkable. They'd have to devise something else.
"Jordan," called Docchi as soon as he got there; but Jordan wasn't
in sight. Nona was, still gazing serenely at the gravity indicator.
Nothing seemed capable of breaking through the shell that surrounded
her.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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