Anyway...
“Who and what the hell are you?” Bob asked in amazement, while the cig fell out of an astonished Fred’s mouth.
“I am a Biotech 5000 series android with a genetically engineered organic CPU, my designation is XP-97324439-FIF-2423#23, but you can call me Biotech for short.” The robot explained.
“Where did you come from?” Fred asked in awe.
“Originally, from a manufacturing moon on the other side of the galaxy, but more recently, from a spaceship orbiting this planet.” Biotech replied.
“How are you speaking English?” Bob asked in wonder.
“On my way down from the stratosphere I accessed the internet and downloaded it.” Biotech responded.
“Downloaded what, the English language?” Fred asked.
“No, the entire internet, and let me tell you, there’s a lot of porn on there!”
“You must have one hell of a connection speed!” Fred said in amazement.
“Hang on, does this mean you have seen the last episode of Lost?” Bob asked tentatively.
Biotech angled his head towards Bob curiously.
“So I come from the other side of the galaxy, I’ve been on a spaceship orbiting your planet, I burned through this atmosphere specifically to meet you, and the first thing you want to know is how the season ends on a TV show?” The robot asked incredulously.
“Well, in my defence this has been quite an unusual day up to now, and I am just trying to hold onto my slender grip of reality.” Bob countered.
“Hang on, did you say you came specifically to see Bob?” Fred asked puzzled.
“Yes, and this is where it gets a bit complicated. My body shell should have cooled down now, perhaps we can discuss this inside?” Biotech replied, pointing towards the kitchen.
“Sure, why not.” Bob said dryly, then they all headed inside, Biotech having to duck to get his head under the door frame.
Passing through the kitchen where a 7 foot robot would still be visible through the windows, the three of them ended back in the living room, where Bob and Fred both sat on the same couch, while Biotech remained standing in the centre of the living room.
“So, why did you come looking for me?” Bob asked.
“I was programmed to seek you out when the time was right, and this was the right time” Biotech explained.
“Programmed by who?” Bob asked curiously.
“You.” Biotech replied simply.
“What? When? How?” Bob stuttered.
“This is where it gets a bit complicated, although I don’t have access to all the memories of how this happened, I know I was programmed by you, to meet you at this point, but the version of you that programmed me was younger than you are now, and had already known me for many years by that point.” Biotech explained.
“You know, you would think I would remember something like that.” Bob said dryly.
“Best I can figure out, is that we have been something similar to the events today, but many years earlier, in a different timeline that branched off a parallel universe, the one we are in now.” Biotech theorised.
“Yeah, that’s what I was going to say.” Fred said, rolling his eyes.
“Wait, so in another universe I have been having adventures in space and time for years, while here in this universe I have vegging out alone and stagnating in offices?” Bob asked incredulously.
“Apparently, but if its any consolation, that kind of life is waiting for you right now.” Biotech said enticingly.
“Just Bob?” Fred asked in anticipation.
“You are integral to this too Fred, although you seem to be a little different in this universe than the last.”
“So we’re both going to go with you and have adventures in space?” Bob asked wondering what the catch was.
“Well you did in the other universe, from what little fractured memories I have of those events, you both experienced a lot, there is however one thing we need to overcome first.” Biotech explained ominously.
Bob and Fred looked at each other in alarm.
“Ok, what’s the catch?” Bob asked.
“The spaceship I was on wasn’t mine, I was able to scramble the sensors while I escaped, and I have set up a program that will do the same to cover our arrival back up there, but there’s still a crew on there, and they are planning and rehearsing for an attack on earth.”
Bob and Fred both gulped.
“More robots?” Fred asked anxiously.
“Aliens, Jugjhools to be precise.”
“Jugjhools? What kind of shitty name is that for an alien race?” Bob asked incredulously.
“What kind of shitty name is Klingons for an alien race?” Biotech countered.
“Touché.” Bob admitted.
“This is a Jugjhool.” Biotech explained, as a holographic form appeared in the room.
The alien was reptilian, looking like an upright lizard, seven feet tall, green scaly skin, powerful looking limbs, a large tail and lots and lots of teeth.
Bob and Fred looked at each other with “oh oh” looks on their faces.
“And how many of those things are on the ship?” Bob asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
“103.” Biotech replied calmly.
“Oh is that all, piece of piss!” Bob said sarcastically.
“Well it could have been worse, when the captain left port he had a crew of a thousand, but he has been whittling them down since then.”
“Any chance he’ll kill a few more before we get there?” Fred asked hopefully.
“Doubtful, he’s finally got them down to just the ones he trusts.”
“So just the three of us have to take down 103 of those things?” Bob asked sighing.
“The universes might have gone in different directions when you were 22, but until then they were the same, and I know you have killed more than that before.”
“Humans yeah! But humans die easy, sometimes its hard not to kill them, but those things… If you can mess with the sensors, cant you just open all the airlocks?” Bob asked hopefully.
“The ship’s too big, it would take too long for all the air to be sucked out, and the crew would have too much time to find a way to close them again.” Biotech countered.
“Anyway we can just blow up the ship?” Fred suggested.
“Yes, but if the history of this universe is anything like the history of the other one, we are going to need that ship, and very quickly to fight off more invaders.”
“More aliens?” Bob asked wearily.
“No, these are robots.” Biotech replied.
“Like you?” Fred asked hopefully.
“No, these are called the Batarg, they kill everything that’s not a Batarg.”
“If we just leave the Jugjhools alone wont they take out the Batargs for us?” Bob asked.
“No, if we leave things as is, the Batargs will take out the Jugjhools, then earth.”
“But if the people who know how that ship works cant beat off the Batargs, how are we meant to?” Bob complained.
“Timing is everything, when the Batargs arrive their scanners will be just set to Jugjhool life forms, if they find none on the ship their defences will be down, with their defences down we will have a small window of opportunity to destroy their ships.” Biotech explained.
“What sort of timeframe are we looking at here?” Fred asked.
“We need to have taken over the Jugjhool ship in the next 51 minutes or there’s no point even going.” Said Biotech ominously.
“No pressure then.” Bob said dryly.
He walked over to the mirror on the wall, and reached behind it.
When he pulled his hand out, there was a Beretta model 92 in it.
He pulled back the slide and popped the first round into place.
“That wont do much good up there, but don’t worry, I have some laser weapons for us when we get to the ship” Biotech explained.
“That’s not for up there.” Bob said smiling, then handing the gun to Fred.
“What we are going to do sounds strenuous, and you shouldn’t really do a lot of exercise without having a warm-up first.” He added, heading for the front door.
“Bob!” Fred said in alarm.
“We don’t have time for this!” Biotech added.
Bob opened his front door.
The gang that had gathered across the road had already downed a few beers each by now, and Mr Gobby had got back some of his courage that had failed him earlier in the day.
He was approaching Fred’s car with a spray can of black paint in his hand.
“Got another speech for me?” He asked, looking at Bob with renewed contempt.
“Nah, actions speak louder than words.” Bob replied, sprinting forwards, leaping up on the car bonnet, then launching himself feet first at the annoying man.
Both feet ploughed into the man’s chest, sending him flying back to the other side of the street, the spray can flying out of his hand, up into the air.
Bob twisted in mid air, landing back on his feet, the pain in his groin was his hernias way of letting him know this wasn’t a good idea, but the gang rapidly approaching him weren’t about to let what he did to their friend go unpunished.
Bob straightened up, and the can of paint landed in his hand.
With a rapid arm movement he sprayed a fine mist of black paint towards the faces of the men, catching one of them full in the face, as that one staggered backwards, one of the others who had avoided the paint launched a fist towards Bob’s face.
Bob swerved away from the punch, grabbed the arm, then simultaneously twisted it, then using the back of the paint guy who was doubled over, he stepped up and jumped, still holding onto the guys arm, there was a snapping noise from that guy, and then two of the others got kicked in the head, before Bob landed back on his feet again behind the gang, who now numbered just two still on their feet.
Before either of them could turn around, Bob delivered a pair of karate chops to the nerve bundles just above their hips on the sides.
The two of them slumped to their knees, suddenly unable to stand, and as they went down Bob banged their heads together.
Big gob started to struggle to his feet, only to find all his friends on the floor and either unconscious, or moaning in pain.
He himself was finding it hard to breath, and when he spat out what was in his mouth, a good amount of blood landed on the pavement.
Bob looked at him and smiled.
“Looks like its your lucky day, I am so out of shape you are all still alive. You want to stay that way, then the police don’t here about this, that car stays in immaculate condition, and nothing happens to my house.” Bob said coldly.
Big gob nodded painfully.
“One of your friends has a broken arm, and it looks like you have broken ribs and possibly a punctured lung, I wouldn’t leave it long before you get those seen too, your other friends shouldn’t have anything that needs more than a handful of painkillers.”
The man nodded again.
Bob strode back into his house and closed the door.
“Now where were we?” He said dryly.