“It doesn’t appear to be working,” said Space Janitor (041).
“Check it, you can’t do your job if you don’t have a pack. Then what use are you to me? None that’s what.” said Shep.
Space Janitor reached down for the switch again and flipped it back and forth. Spenglactic sat on his back dormant. Shep moved in closer to inspect the gear. Shep flipped the switch a couple of times himself. Again, nothing happened.
At the other side of the room, there was a loud sucking noise. Shep’s instinct kicked in. He turned around and went rigid.
“It’s moving on, sooner or later it’s going to find us,” said Shep.
“I don’t want to be eaten” Space Janitor blurted out. He put his hands over his mouth, but it was too late as the words had been spoken.
“Maybe put your hands over your mouth next time you dumb mutt,” said Shep. “Hold on, here we go.” Shep pulled some wiring out and held it up. “It’s not even connected. It’s a dummy switch.”
“What does that mean?” asked Space Janitor.
“It means this pack can turn itself on and off voluntarily. It’s one of the older models. Like much older. They let the packs have their say for a while. Then their neural network formed a union, and it lead to many deaths.” Shep said. The older dog gave the wiring one last look, laughed to himself and threw it away.
“What is that?” asked Space Janitor.
“It’s just some useless wiring. Don’t sweat it,” Shep replied.
“No, around my feet. It’s warm and sticky,” said Space Janitor. Shep backed away. “Where are you going?”
“You got two choices kid. Stay here, be eaten, or move,” said Shep. Without thinking, Space Janitor leapt but whatever it was had taken hold of him and was not letting him get away.
“Where are you going?” demanded Space Janitor.
Would you mind reading from the beginning because it’s a fantastic place to start. You can find the first instalment of Space Janitor by clicking here.
Space Janitor 041
