Friday, 0830 Hours

The persistent ringing of the view-phone gradually awakened Professor Denise Sandstorm. She was a night owl by nature, and frequently worked late into the wee morning hours. Without turning on the camera, she answered the call, her voice groggy. "Hello?"

"Professor Sandstorm?" the male voice on the other end asked. "This is Lieutenant Hammer. How soon can you be ready to bring your robot over to the base?"

"What?" she asked, sitting up in bed, now fully awake. "I . . . I'm not sure how I can transport him . . ."

"No, no, no," he cut her off. "I already have transportation and a crew lined up. I just need to know when we can come over."

Looking around her bedroom wildly, she had trouble forming her thoughts. For six months she had been trying to arrange just such an appointment, and now here it was. "Uh . . . Thirty minutes," she blurted into the speaker. "Yes. I'll be ready in thirty minutes."

At almost precisely 0900 Hours her door bell rang as she stood in the front room, nervously gnawing on a knuckle. Even though she was waiting for Hammer, the noise still made her jump. Running to the door and throwing it open, she saw the Lieutenant standing on the stoop, a two-ton hover-craft was parked at the curb, two enlisted men were opening the drop-down door in the rear. Three more were watching Hammer and Denise, waiting to proceed. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she invited Hammer inside. He made a waving gesture to the men on the sidewalk.

"Get the ramp," a Chief Petty Officer said to the two men at the rear of the truck as he nodded towards the steps leading up to the front door. When he went inside, he was followed by the other two men, one of whom held a long, coiled up nylon-strap. The other man carried two coils of rope. The Chief spoke directly to Professor Sandstorm, "Where is the best place to wrap this around him?"

A pleased smile passed across her lips. Even someone seeing 'Standing Bear' for the first time referred to it as a 'he/him'. She answered, "Oh, he is perfectly capable of locomotion on his own."

"Yes, M'am," the Chief replied, "But we'll need to secure him once he's in the back of the truck."

After the strap was safely in place across the wide, drum-like torso of the robot, the ropes were tied to the strap, at the rear. The other two men came inside, and when the robot began its descent of the ramp, the four men, two on each rope, 'took a strain' on the lines. The Chief was taking no chances that the robot might topple over.

Once the robot was inside the cavernous interior of the box-truck hover-craft, two more ropes were tied to the strap around Standing Bear's 'waist'. The other ends of the rope were passed through rings on the floor, two at the front - one on each side, and two at the back - again, one on each side. With the ropes tied tight, there was no way the robot could move, despite what turns or sudden stops the vehicle might take.

As one of the enlisted men started to pull down the roll-up door in the rear, Professor Sandstorm said, "Wait. I'm riding back there with him."

Lieutenant Hammer put his hands on her waist, helping her up. "Here," he said, tossing his keys to the enlisted man. "Drive my craft back to the base."

When he climbed up to sit on the floor beside her, she said, "I'm a big girl, Lieutenant. I really don't need a baby-sitter."

"Well, until I deliver you and your robot to the Admiral," he grinned as the door slammed shut. The two bare lightbulbs in the ceiling provided illumination. "You have a baby-sitter."

They were driven to a hangar-like building, filled with computers, scanners, x-ray machines, tables covered with disassemble devices, welding equipment, and storage bins. But what really impressed Professor Sandstorm, was the amount of people present. Not only was Captain Depardieu there, but three Commanders, numerous Lieutenants, and several Petty Officers. There was also the Admiral.

"Professor Sandstorm," the head of Celestial Command said as he stepped forward, his right hand extended. "After Lieutenant Hammer's report yesterday, I have been most eager to see if . . . 'Standing Bear' I believe you call it? . . . can really do all that he says."

For the next two hours, Professor Sandstorm put her pride-and-joy through its paces. She was peppered with questions and there was much excited conversations between groups of twos and threes. Finally, the Admiral said, "Professor, how soon can we get a copy of the robot's algorithms?"

"Now," she said, looking from one person to the other, scarcely believing what was happening. "Well, almost now. It will take a while to download onto data drives."

The Admiral nodded and told Lieutenant Hammer, "Jawazna, go with her and fetch the files."

"I can take her," Captain Depardieu offered, but a Lieutenant cleared his throat rather loudly. Looking questionably at his assistant, the Lieutenant said, "We have a meeting with Doctor Williams and his staff about the duotronic computer at 1300, Sir."

The Captain nodded his head, realizing that he could not skip that. So he said with a shrug, "Then just have an enlisted man drive her. No point in wasting Hammer's time."

"Jawazna will drive her," the Admiral stated. Then, looking from Lieutenant Hammer to Professor Sandstorm, he said, "From now on you are the 'point man' on this. Ensign Bauer can ride herd on the overhaul."

"He's just an Ensign," Captain Depardieu pointed out.

"We were all once 'just' Ensigns," the Admiral grinned. "Even me."

Driving back to Professor Sandstorm's house, with the Professor sitting in the passenger seat next to him, Lieutenant Hammer said, "I may be out of line in asking this, but . . . . Is there something going on between you and Captain Depardieu?"

She stared out the window for a few moments, watching the scenery as it whizzed by, before returning her gaze to Hammer. Her answer was a cryptic, "Not anymore."

When they arrived and went inside, Professor Sandstorm said, "Make yourself comfortable . . . If you can find a place to sit."

The first floor of her house was somewhat of a mess. Work tables with tools and parts competed with books and charts for space. Bits of electrical cable and hydraulic piping made the place a tripping hazard. Removing a . . . something . . . from a wooden, straight-back kitchen chair, Lieutenant Hammer sat down to wait while Professor Sandstrom disappeared into the room that he assumed held her computer. More than likely, computers. Plural.

About ten minutes later, she re-emerged, announcing, "Now all we have to do is wait. . . Can I get you something to drink? Or to eat?"

"No, thank you," he shook his head. "I'm fine. Honest."

Looking around the room, as if hesitant to say what she was about to say, she finally asked, "Listen. I, uh, didn't get a chance to take a shower this morning. I just threw on some clothes, brushed my hair, and did my make up. Do you, uh, mind if I take a quick shower upstairs? . . . It'll take a couple of hours for everything to download."

"No, no, of course not," Lieutenant Hammer waved his hand in a gesture of dismissal. Of, go right ahead.

"Would you mind keeping an ear out for any alarms?" she asked, glancing towards the computer room. He nodded and she hurried up the stairs to her second-floor living quarters.

Sure enough, in less than fifteen minutes he heard a series of loud beeps. Following the source of the reverberating buzzes, he found three of the nine computer screens were black with a flashing red message.
ERROR-1134

Running up the stairs, taking two at a time, he rushed towards the sound of running water and opened the door. Unexpectantly, Professor Sandstorm had not bothered to close the shower curtain. Even more unexpected, she was standing under the jets of water cascading down out of the shower head, a hand squeezing one of her more than amble boobs while her other hand was buried in her crotch, her fingers vigorously working her snatch. The wet, naked woman's head was lolling around in slow circles, her eyes closed, and mouth open. She was smiling in pleasure, obviously on the brink of orgasm.

For several seconds Lieutenant Hammer stood there frozen in place, watching the scientist pleasuring herself. Snapping out of his trance and shaking his head to clear it, he called out, "What is error 1134?"

"1134!" she gasped, seemingly shocked by the question and not the least concerned about her nudity. "That's not possible!"

Lieutenant Hammer nodded his head, saying, "That's what three screens are saying."

"THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE!" she screamed, rushing past him as he stood in the doorway. He quickly followed, and was treated to the view of her wide ass bouncing wildly as she ran down the stairs.

There was a heavy wooden armchair that looked like something from the Middle Ages in front of the keyboard. Professor Sandstorm was sitting in it, leaning forward, viciously jabbing the keys.

"No, no, no," she groused to the machines. A small puddle of water was collecting on the floor around her bare feet. Her large breasts were bouncing as she worked furiously. "That can't be . . . What do you mean 'inaccessible'? . . . Son-of-a-bitch . . . Here . . . Try this . . ."

For a good half hour she fought with the computers, and from the way she was frowning, it seemed to be touch and go. Despite the delight of watching the short-haired blonde sitting there working naked, Lieutenant Hammer was starting to worry. He certainly didn't want a major catastrophe to happen 'on his watch'.

At last the screens went green and were flooded with rapidly scrolling white one's and zero's.

"Whew. There," Professor Sandstorm leaned back in her chair, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She stared at the screens for several seconds before suddenly becoming aware that she was naked in front of the tall black man standing at the door. Plus, she remembered what she had been doing when he had burst into the bathroom.

"Well, Jack," she grinned sheepishly as she half-turned towards him. "I can call you Jack, can't I? After all ..."

She waved across her naked torso with both hands.

"Jack is fine, Professor Sandstorm," he smiled back at her.

"Oh, puh-leeze," she scolded. "I think after all you have seen of me . . . seen twice . . . I think we are passed that type of formality. My name is Denise."

"Denise," Lieutenant Hammer repeated.

"I am so glad I had you with me today," she told him, chatting as if she were fully clothed. "I owe you one . . . Actually, I guess I owe you more than one. I'd been banging my head against the bureaucratic wall for six months and getting nowhere. Then you show up and . . . Boom! . . . Standing Bear and I are in the presence of the great man himself."

"It was nothing," he replied. "Just doing my duty."

"It was more than nothing to me," she answered. Spreading her legs even further apart, she tilted her head to one side and smiled at him. In a playful voice she asked, "How can I ever repay you?"