Grailem by Gary L Beer (top 100 novels txt) 📖

beyond their thinking.
Not giving them the opportunity to test out his theory Grailem attacks; standing quickly he extends both arms and grasps each robot around the thick neck. With an almost effortless ease he flexes his fingers and pulls each of the robots heads off. Stepping out of the cell as their bodies fall to the floor he shuts the door quietly behind him.
The corridor is empty and wasting no time he runs along it and turns the corner at the end. A security robot raises its phaser rifle at him but Grailem is on it before it has time to activate the weapon. Knocking it aside with a swing of his arm the robot hits the wall so hard it breaks into pieces. A security alarm screams filling the corridor with high pitched sound, not slowing down Grailem makes his way to the exit and reaches it in a few seconds.
Ten security robots stand in front of the exit all with phaser rifles raised; seeing Grailem they all open fire. His automatic defensive screen instantly surrounds his body in an electrical field protecting his body from the phaser blasts. Continuing to fire their phasers, the energy blasts dissipated by the electrical field surrounding him, shows the robots that their weapons are ineffective, but it makes no impression on their neural circuits; and the security robots continue firing. Grailem feels it is time to test out one of his new defence designs.
Activating his re-designed repelling shield, a field of activated neutrons replaces the electrical field that surrounds his body. The activated neutron field repels the power from the phasers – directing it back to its original source causing each phaser rifle to explode. The rifles explode violently blasting apart the security robots holding them and Grailem hurries out of the main exit.
The parking area in front of the building teems with security robots alerted by the alarm. Not as prepared as the security robots inside, most have their phaser rifles hanging over their shoulders in the correct military fashion. Standing in formation in lines of forty or more they block the way out of the parking area.
Grailem breaks into a run; running so fast he appears a blur as he runs through the guarding robots. His movements are so fast the robots have no time to un-shoulder their weapons before he is out onto the roadway. Overtaking the vehicles travelling along the road Grailem runs as fast as he can. This part of the city is unknown to him but he can see in the distance, maybe five kilometres away a spired building he recognises.
Heading for the building is the only choice as it is close to the area of his workshops. He remembers that only a few kilometres from the workshops are the city's sewage treatment works, surrounded by a small woodland, it offers a good means of escape from the eyes in the sky. If Grailem is correct, satellites above him are following his every move and he needs to get underground. The treatment works have multiple pipes leading into it from the city and should provide the ideal hiding place.
Running at nearly two hundred kilometres an hour he soon reaches the sewage works and runs quickly over to the mass of shiny metal pipe work that is pouring out its unsavoury load. Hardly slowing down he runs over to the pipes and dives into one that is not disgorging so much waste material.
Finally having to slow down Grailem has to crouch on all fours as the pipe is only a metre in diameter. Running forward using his arms and legs until he estimates he is about eight kilometres from where he first entered and he finally stops.
Grailem had kept to one of the main metal discharge pipes as it was the easiest route. The pipe had no internal lighting and was in in total darkness, though this made no difference to his night vision adapted eyes. Many side channels lead into the main pipe work and crawling slowly forward he looks for one that is rarely used. A half a kilometre further on Grailem finds what he is looking for and crawls inside a pipe made of stone and concrete.
The excreta that lines the bottom of the pipe has the consistency of soft clay with the top few millimetres dry and cracked. Still on all fours he makes his way slowly along the sewage pipe, his hands and lower legs sinking into the excreta. Crawling along for about another one and a half kilometres he finally arrives at the inlet. A cluster of twenty pipes, fifteen centimetres in diameter, stand ready to pour their contents into the chamber he is standing in.
Confident he has avoided any surveillance Grailem climbs a small ladder that leads up to an alloy metal cover. Reaching the cover he listens to the sounds outside; apart from a gentle breeze all appears quiet. Gently raising the cover enough to see the surroundings Grailem finds himself in a small courtyard that is surrounded by large derelict buildings. The buildings look old and are made of large concrete bricks that are slowly crumbling away.
Replacing the sewage cover he climbs down the steps and crouches inside the concrete pipe work. Feeling secure under the concrete shielding he runs a systems check on his temperature control system. All is working perfectly, if the observations of him were made by optics or heat sensors he would be able to adjust his temperature to the surroundings; and remain unseen in the darkness.
Needing to get to the workshops, or more importantly the body of Alexander Finda, Grailem patiently waits for night to encompass this side of the planet.

Waiting an hour after darkness falls he climbs the ladder and removes the sewage cover. Adjusting his body temperature to the outside air Grailem crawls slowly out of the sewer pipe. Seeing a crumbling exit at the rear of the courtyard he walks over to it slowly and peers into the darkness beyond. The moon is just rising, held in partial eclipse by the planet as it rises, and he looks around as the moon becomes obscured by low cloud.
Beyond the crumbling buildings a large industrial estate made of modern metal clad buildings greets his gaze. Recognising the estate as one that is near to the estate that houses his workshops a mechanical smile appears on his face. Pleased with his navigating skills and keeping close to the buildings Grailem slowly makes his way to the workshops.
Approaching from the rear he can see a line of security robots surrounding the main buildings. The outbuilding where he had buried Alexander Finda remains unguarded and he circles around and approaches the outbuilding without being seen. The door is unlocked and Grailem steps inside quietly shutting the door behind him.
Lifting up several of the large slabs of stone that cover the floor he pulls Alexander Finda's body out of a deep hole. Using the electrical sensor that are fitted to the rear of his hands he scans the body for any electrical activity.
As expected, detection of any electrical charge is zero. Adjusting the sensors to detect any metal contained within the body Grailem carefully scans it again. Checking all the obvious places first; the back of the neck, the arms and legs and with no success he turns his attention to the main trunk of the body. This also proves negative and as a final check Grailem examines the skull with little hope. The skull is covered only by a thin covering of skin and nerves and head of hair and would prove uncomfortable to have some kind of device inserted.
Scanning the face, especially the cheeks he moves methodically over the skull, as he scans the top of the skull the sensors detect metal. The metal consists of a mixture of copper, platinum and traces of what would be considered on his home planet as rare earth metals.
Permitting himself another mechanical smile of satisfaction he can now see a way of travelling on this planet undetected. It would be a simple matter of once again adopting someone else‘s life; but now with a transceiver active and positioned on top of his head.

Needing no food or water and impervious to the germs and diseases that live in the sewage system Grailem explores his new 'home'. All of the newly formed alloy pipe work is exactly one metre in diameter. This forces him to explore the new surroundings crawling on all fours. He does not mind as any form of locomotion after the aeons drifting in space gives a certain amount of pleasure as he can now control his movements and go wherever he wants to.

For several months Grailem remains underground learning the maze of sewer pipe work. Locating nearly all of the security buildings that are situated around the city he had also located his next victim; a technician who worked in a computer assembly plant at an industrial estate on the other side of the city.
The technician, called Martin Maseeve, lived alone in an apartment block close to his place of work. Grailem had studied him carefully and felt confident he could be his replacement. Working in the computer assembly plant was vital to Grailem's needs; he had made many improvements to his systems at the industrial estates and needed the computer technology to improve them even more.
Using the sewer systems he was able to move freely around the industrial areas and using their equipment like before, he improved his armaments and protective shielding. Grailem had badly underestimated this planet's security and would need to employ more special equipment to avoid further detection; which is why he chose Martin Maseeve.

Lifting the sewage cover slowly Grailem peers around the darkened room; he had come up in the basement of the huge building Martin Maseeve lived in and all is quiet. Lifting himself out of the sewage pipe he replaces it quietly, reaching into a bag he is carrying he pulls out a pair of light blue overalls and puts them on over his naked smelly body.
Making his way up the service stairs he reaches the floor of his victim. Peering out of the emergency exit the hallway before him appears empty of people and robots. Stepping softly across the hall Grailem makes his way to Martin Maseeve's apartment. Hardly slowing down he turns the handle of the door and pushes it open; the door is unlocked - crime being non-existent here.
The apartment is empty, Martin is working at the factory and should arrive home in fifteen minutes time. Sitting down in a comfortable armchair Grailem patiently waits for him to return.
Fifteen minutes later the front door is noisily opened. Getting up out of the seat Grailem walks into the kitchen as the door is opened and Martin Maseeve walks in. Taking off his jacket he hangs it on a shiny metal hook. Looking tired Martin walks into the kitchen and hardly feels the blow to the back of his head Grailem gives him. The blow is hard but directed at the part of the head that will render him immediately unconscious.
Grabbing hold of his arms Grailem carries him out of the kitchen and places him in the armchair he was sitting in earlier.