A Spit In The Eye - For The Benefit Of Mankind (12 page)

Like the
improved RolKils

Which I
now believe are complete killing Machines

I don’t
see how any could survive against them

But
Humans have survived the RolKils

And all
other of my species

They are
down here

In the
hole

Beneath
my lower limbs

Along
other passageways

Through
more rock

Down
there

Where I
hear more liquid flow

*

I do not
know what to do

Should I
proceed forward or should I return to the fields

My
intellectual processes seem to be confused

I know
not what the little Human infected me with or if I am beginning to
become similar to her

The
little Human must have been a most confused Human

As I am
confused

For the
very first time in my existence I am suffering from
indecision

I do
believe it is because of the infection the little Human placed
inside me

It must
have been most indecisive

It must
have lived an existence of confusion

I must be
stronger

More
determined

I cannot
be indecisive and confused

I am
OR33140

Chosen by
High Office to transmit live broadcasts to 100.000.00 of my species
and I must continue to make decisions

I make a
decision

I move
forward

Deeper
into the hole

*

The land
moves downward

Falling
quite steeply into deeper darkness

And I
must be aware

For
Humans are down there

I have
heard their sound

And they
have survived for longer than 100 years without being discovered by
High Office or by any ObsRecs so they must be protecting
themselves

They will
not leave their species open to discovery and further
elimination

They will
protect what they are

And who
they are

I move
with great caution

Though
another emotion has risen up in me and caused me to search my word
memory again

I feel a
sense of

Excitement

A rushing
emotion that seems to rise from my lowest point to the peak of my
cranium

Excitement

It is
most welcome to my world

*

I cease
all my movement

Light is
glowing in the low distance

And I
have no knowledge of how light could glow so far beneath the
surface of planet Earth

And the
sound of noises of Humans is more distinct

There are
more of them below the level at which I stand

Many more
of them

I do
something I have never attempted to do since my
production

I stare
around me at the rock that surrounds me and decide to clamber upon
it and ease my way downwards crawling over it

I step
up

Finding
my way with confidence

For I am
the best of my species

I can do
anything except kill

And I do
not wish to kill

Especially I do not wish to kill Humans for they bring me
joy

I begin
to slither across the rocks

My
cranium leading the way

My
optical devices search ahead in an enhanced state along with my
listening devices and my proboscis and I detect Human smells and
the sound grows

I cease
all movement

Ahead of
me

Between
the rocks across which I slither in silence

Stand 2
Humans

Of a type
with appendages between their lower limbs But I only discern this
only because of their size

And they
are clad in warm attire

Fully
clad

With
leather on their feet and warm furs over their upper
frames

And they
are making sound quietly between them

*

‘
How is your relationship with Rosie going, Jeff?’

‘
I think she likes me and her parents have no objections
towards me.’

‘
Well done, it’s looking good for you.’

‘
Have you got your eye on anyone, Johnny?’

‘
Oh, I’m not telling.’

*

The
Humans make sound and I record everything

But I
think I detect happiness in their noise and I feel joy at hearing
it

I creep
ever closer to them

Careful
not to dislodge any of the smaller rocks and be discovered for I
need to glimpse how Humans are living in this great hole

How they
have survived for so many periods of light and darkness

They must
be a remarkable species

And their
desire for survival must be strong indeed

I creep
along rocks above where the Humans stand

They are
still making sound between them that seems most amicable

And they
carry no weapons

But I
have slithered

Unnoticed

Past
them

Though
the rock now seems to be becoming covered in a light liquid and I
have to be at my very best not to slip and fall which would be
catastrophic for me

I would
almost certainly be exterminated by the Humans

A large
rock is ahead of me

The
Humans in the corridor now behind

And I
clamber up the large rock carefully for light is shining brightly
beyond it and the sound from Humans is extremely loud

I move
forward very very slowly

Very
slowly indeed

*

I can
barely believe what my optical devices are observing far below
me

There are
many Humans down there

A whole
conurbation has been constructed

Sited
around a large hole full of liquid

With
other liquid flowing into it from between various rocks

And the
Humans are moving unhindered though they are more pale than the
Humans in the fortress

But light
is shining down on them that is almost as bright as the solar orb
that rises in the darkness each break of light

It is
very bright

And the
light is artificial in nature and seems to be powered by a huge
screw device that rotates in the liquid which in turn is powered by
the flowing liquid that rises from the rocks

And
beneath the artificial light the Humans appear to be very
industrious in the constructions they have manufactured in the rock
that surrounds the large area of liquid

But I
also observe that the artificial light runs into the distance along
passages that lead in all directions

Many more
Humans are residing in those areas

The whole
is a most amazing sight

Thousands
of Humans living in a single hole beneath skin of planet
Earth

They are
here

They have
survived for over 100 years down here

And
will

Probably

Survive
for another 100 years

I am
thrilled to observe them

That is
another word I searched for

Thrilled

And that
is what I feel

I lie
quite still for some passing of time before spinning on my
gyroscope and moving slowly back towards the entrance to the
hole

I pass
the two Humans again

Who I
must assume are protecting the remainder of the Humans though they
need to be more efficient in the way they conduct their
duties

I slither
further and further back up the hole before I arrive at the exact
rock upon which I first ascended and I lower my limbs to stand upon
the land again

Quickly I
make my way towards the entrance and when I arrive the liquid still
teems from the skies and I step out through the veil of liquid and
bring down my shutters

And I am
back in my own world of Machines

Back in a
land with animals of the fields

None of
which I espied below

Though I
was not observing for very much time

But the
Humans seemed to be well fed and seemed to be without ailments so
they must gather what they consume from somewhere

Though
they were somewhat paler that those Humans in the fortress and
probably accounts for the fact that they reside beneath the surface
of the land

Where the
solar orb cannot reach out with its rays of warmth

I move
along the crack between the hills that leads to the hole and out
into the fields and I stand a moment

Turning
my cranium to stare back in the direction from which I have
travelled

And I
have the desire to lift both my upper limbs into the air and to
clench my palms

And I do
not resist this desire

I lift my
upper limbs as high into the air as I possibly can and I clench my
palms

And leap
into the air

Whilst
kicking out with my lower limbs

It gives
me a great feeling of satisfaction at having done such a
thing

I speed
out into a field

And joy
almost overwhelms me

I have
discovered wild Humans

I am the
only one of my species who has done so

It is the
greatest secret on planet Earth and I shall never give it
up

I will
not lead Machines to murder Humans again

*

What am I
saying

*

I am a
Machine

*

And
should I fall into the grasp of Humans they would exterminate me
immediately

I have no
way of communicating with them

There is
no way for me to tell them that I am not an enemy

They
would despatch me without hesitation though I would be a threat to
them

I have no
large cranial orifice with which to make sound

Even if I
could understand their sound

I could
not explain myself

I could
not tell any other Human about the joy the little Human brought to
me and how saddened and angry I was at her demise

How it
made me furious enough to want to kill machines of my own
species

I still
want to kill those machines

The
slaughter must cease

All
Humans must be wild and free

We are
not natural inhabitants of planet Earth

We are
interlopers

A
manufactured species

There is
nothing organic about us

We are
not as one with the planet

Though
the Humans

In their
stupidity

Tried
their very best to destroy it

That will
not happen again for many decades in the future for their numbers
have been severely reduced

The
resources they would require to survive would be minimal to what
they once required before the wars

It would
take further decades for their numbers to increase to what they
were before the wars began

When
there were billions of them

Now they
probably number only in 100s of 1000s

But they
deserve to be free

*

Change 5

I wish Humans to be free

*

I am
speeding across the plain as I return to my main place of
employment but suddenly I halt

Standing
totally still beneath the teeming liquid

I have
observed nothing that could have made me halt so
dramatically

Nothing
stands in my way

Nothing
threatens me

It is
just that another possibility of fact has seeped into my central
core

If High
Office is not infallible and does not see and hear all that
happens

As I have
proved

Does it
tell untruths