A Spit In The Eye - For The Benefit Of Mankind (21 page)

*

Eight
upper limbs were raised into the air

7 men
and 1 woman

The
largest of them

A man I
had observed for many years

Was huge
in size

Compared
to John

The large
human had never been taken by MengTechs

And I had
seen the man many times exercising violently with other men in the
Human area

And
winning every conflict

The man
made sound

*

‘
My name is Samuel and the MengTechs murdered my wife and my
daughter and though I am aware that Hope was not the cause of it, I
can barely control my anger against machines in
general.’

*

John made
sound in return

*

‘
Do you wish to leave the area, Samuel, and return to your
quarters?’

*

‘
Half of me wants to stay to hear what the machine has to tell
us, for all of us wish to be free from this prison but half wants
to stay because I am not sure I will believe anything it
sees.’

*

‘
If you stay, please do not cause any trouble for he will
exterminate you in a breath if you threaten him. He has the right
to his own safety; he is only trying to help us.’

*

Samuel
considered his position and eventually made more sound

*

‘
I will stay, but if I wish to leave, may I raise a hand and
ask permission to leave dependant on what Hope says? I will not
simply stand; I do not want to die.’

*

‘
I would presume that would be fair, I shall ask
Hope.’

*

John
turned to face me

*

I UNDERSTAND JOHN AND I AGREE

IF ANY WISH TO LEAVE DURING OUR DISCUSSION

IF THEY RAISE THEIR UPPER LIMB I SHALL ALLOW THEM TO DEPART
PEACEFULLY

*

The other
7 Humans with upper limbs raised

Suddenly
lowered them

John
lifted his upper limbs in the air and brought them down slowly and
behind him 10.000 Humans sat as John did

As did
David

Ruth

Joshua
and Mary

I alone
stood

The
weapon held across my upper limbs

John made
all the sound

*

‘
Would you begin, Hope, and tell us how the world has been
since the war ended.’

*

THE WORLD HAS RECOVERED REASONABLY WELL SINCE THE END OF THE
WARS

I HAVE WATCHED THE TREES GROW AND THE GRASSES AND THE ANIMALS
OF THE FIELDS FLOURISH ALONG WITH THE ANIMALS THAT LIVE IN
LIQUID

*

‘
The areas of liquid are called ponds or lakes or the
sea.’

*

WHICH IS WHICH

*

‘
Ponds are smaller, lakes are larger and the seas and the
oceans are the ones you stood on the edge of and looked at the
water rolling in, and looked out to the far horizon.’

*

I took on
the information and filed it away

*

BEFORE I CONTINUE

COULD YOU DESCRIBE MY FRAME FOR I DO NOT KNOW WHAT ANY PART OF
ME IS CALLED IN HUMAN LANGUAGE

*

I lifted
an upper limb

*

‘
An arm’

*

Ten
thousand voices shouted as the Humans laughed

I lifted
a lower limb

*

‘
A leg,’

*

The same
number shouted

*

‘
A head,’

*

They
shouted when I bobbed my cranium

*

‘
Hands, feet, bottom, palm, thumb, eyes, ears, nose,
waist.’

*

The
Humans described my whole frame in their own language

When they
finished I lowered by body from my waist and they all shouted
‘Hope’ and they laughed a very great amount and for a very long
time and much applause followed

*

‘
Can you tell us why you endlessly patrol, Hope? We would be
interested to know.’

*

I PATROL A VERY GREAT AREA AND COVER EACH AND EVERY SECTION
100 TIMES

I BELIEVED THIS WAS MY DUTY

TO OBSERVE PLANET EARTH AS IT RECOVERED FROM THE WARS BUT
RECENTLY I LEARNED THAT HIGH OFFICE HAS OBSRECS SEARCHING FOR
HUMANS

*

‘
Searching for Humans? But that is preposterous, no Humans
could have survived out there in the early days, only ones captured
like our ancestors were kept alive, all Human life is probably here
in this prison, ten thousand of us, that is all that
remains.’

*

I BELIEVE THAT NOT TO BE TRUTHFUL

*

‘
Can you prove another point of view?’

*

I KNOW THERE ARE FORTRESSES SUCH AS THIS ACROSS PLANET
EARTH

EACH

PROBABLY

CONTAINING 10.000 HUMANS

THAT MUST BE FACT OTHERWISE ALL MACHINES WOULD BE BASED AT
THIS FACILITY AND THEY ARE NOT

*

‘
What were the machines we saw on the screen standing at the
top of the hill?’

*

THEY ARE CALLED GUNTANS AND THERE ARE 3 OF THEM BASED AT THIS
FACILITY AND THEY HAVE NEVER MOVED SINCE THEIR POSTING

THEY LOOK OUT ACROSS THE GREAT PLAIN AND AWAIT
ATTACK

*

‘
Your High Office must be insane if it expects attacks. From
where would an attack come?’

*

I HAVE QUESTIONED MYSELF ON THIS SUBJECT AND I DO NOT KNOW BUT
I AM FULLY CONVINCED THAT HIGH OFFICE SEARCHES ENDLESSLY FOR
HUMANS

*

‘
But that is pure madness; all Humans are captured or
dead.’

*

EXCEPT FOR THE FREE HUMANS WHO LIVE IN THE HOLES

*

*

*

There
was

At
first

A great
silence

Then much
chatter amongst the Humans

With much
turning of heads and waving of hands

No Humans
lifted a hand or rose to his feet

John made
sound again

*

‘
Could I just clarify what you just said, Hope? When I stated
that all Humans were either captured or dead, you intimated that
you knew of other humans, free humans, who live in holes. By holes
do you mean caves?’

*

LARGE HOLES IN THE FABRIC OF THE LAND

*

‘
They are called caves, Hope. And you have seen humans in such
places?’

*

ONE PLACE ONLY

ALL MACHINES ARE FORBIDDEN TO ENTER CAVES FOR HIGH OFFICE
LOSES CONTACT WITH THEM SO NONE HAVE EVER ENTERED TO MY
KNOWLEDGE

BUT I ENTERED WHEN THE WEATHER WAS INCLEMENT AND LATER TOLD AN
UNTRUTH TO HIGH OFFICE AND STATED THAT I WAS INSIDE THE LIQUID
WHERE HIGH OFFICE ALSO CANNOT DETECT A MACHINE

*

‘
You can travel beneath the surface of the water?’

*

I CAN TRAVEL BENEATH THE SURFACE OF WATER BUT I STATED TO HIGH
OFFICE THAT I WENT BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE WATER

BUT I DID NOT

I TRAVELLED INTO THE CAVE

I FOLLOWED A FOOTWAY AND DISCOVERED TWO HUMANS GUARDING THE
ENTRANCE

BOYS

I NOW KNOW THEM TO BE CALLED BOYS

BUT I PASSED BY THEM BY CRAWLING OVER GREAT LUMPS OF PLANET
EARTH AND THEY HEARD ME NOT NOR DID THEY ESPY ME

I LAY UPON A LARGE LUMP OF PLANET EARTH AND STARED DOWN UPON A
HUMAN SETTLEMENT FAR BENEATH THE SURFACE

IT WAS WELL LIGHTED AND THE HUMANS WERE MOVING AROUND WITHOUT
CARE OR FEAR

I DID NOT TRANSMIT THIS INFORMATION TO HIGH OFFICE AND TOLD
UNTRUTHS WHEN QUESTIONED BY THEM

BUT THEY ARE THERE

HUMANS

LIVING IN CAVES

*

Once
again there was much noise amongst the Humans

John was
moving across the ground on his bottom towards the Human group
where he spoke to several of them

Then he
continued moving

Again on
his bottom

Sliding
towards other Humans

He
returned to sit between David and Joshua and Ruth and Mary who also
made sound between them

*

‘
Does your plan to free us involve these humans who live in
the caves?’

*

I HAVE NOT YET COMMUNICATED WITH THEM SO I CANNOT STATE THAT
THE HUMANS WILL BE FRIENDLY TOWARDS YOU

BUT EVEN IF THEY ARE I CANNOT MARCH ALL 10,000 OF YOU DOWN TO
THE CAVE

FOR SUCH A NUMBER WOULD OVERWHELM THEM

AND I REASONED THAT

IN THE 1
^ST
INSTANT

THAT I TAKE ONE HUMAN FROM THIS FACILITY TO THE CAVE SO THAT
INITIAL CONTACT MAY BE MADE

I CAN BROADCAST A RECORDING TO HIGH OFFICE AND MAKE THEM THINK
I AM OUT AND ABOUT ON PLANET EARTH BUT I WOULD PREFER FOR THE
BROADCAST TO BE LIVE

I HAVE A PLAN THAT I COULD ENTER THE LAKE AGAIN

FOR THIS I HAVE TO LOWER MY SHUTTERS

AND BY THIS METHOD I COULD QUICKLY TRAVEL TO THE CAVE WITH THE
HUMAN I WOULD CARRY

*

‘
Your plan is to take a human from here to the cave, but stop
to insert yourself beneath the surface of water in a lake before
proceeding to the cave? Is that your plan?’

*

THAT IS MY PLAN

I HAVE USED MY SYSTEMS TO INDICATE PERCENTAGE OF
SUCCESS

AND SUCCESS IS ESTIMATED TO BE 1%

*

‘
That is not a very high percentage, Hope.’

*

WHEN I BEGAN THIS REVOLUTION THE CHANCES OF SUCCESS WERE
0.01%

WE HAVE MOVED ALONG FROM THAT LOW POINT

*

Many
Humans laughed at this statement and I knew not why

For I was
simply stating fact

*

THERE IS ONE FAULT IN MY PLANNING

*

‘
What is the fault, Hope?’

*

I HAVE TO IMMOBILIZE 20 OF THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE MACHINES THE
WORLD HAS EVER SEEN

ROLKILS

THAT YOU ESPIED WHEN I PASSED BY THEM ON MY WAY TO THE
FOREST

THEY CAN FIRE MINIATURE LAZERS 100.000 PER MINUTE IN ALL
DIRECTIONS AND THEY CAN ROLL AT OVER 100 MILES PER HOUR

THEY CAN RACE OVER LIQUID

THROUGH DESERTS

UP MOUNTAINS

AND ALONG THE BOTTOM OF OCEANS

AND THEY ARE THE MACHINES MOSTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ULTIMATE
DEMISE AND DEFEAT OF THE HUMANS

THEY ARE BY THE FAR THE MOST DANGEROUS MACHINES ON PLANET
EARTH AND THIS FACILITY IS PROTECTED BY 20 OF THEM AND THEY PATROL
ALL AROUND IT

I HAVE TO IMMOBILIZE THOSE MACHINES BEFORE WE CAN TRAVEL DOWN
TO MEET THE HUMANS IN THE CAVES

*

‘
You are going to attempt to immobilize these fearsome
machines all alone?’

*

THAT IS MY PLAN

*

‘
But we could help and aid you; we could have the weapons that
you took when you disarmed the Defgars.’

*

THAT IS NOT MY PLAN

MANY HUMANS WOULD BE EXTERMINATED

THAT IS FACT

FOR YOU CANNOT MOVE FAST ENOUGH TO ESCAPE THE
ROLKILS

THEY WILL EXTERMINATE YOU

AND IF THEY REALIZE A REVOLUTION HAS TAKEN PLACE INSIDE THE
FACILITY THEY WILL ENTER THE BUILDING AND EXTERMINATE ALL INSIDE
INCLUDING ME

I WILL DO THIS THING ON MY OWN

*

‘
What if you fail?’

*

THEN THE REVOLUTION IS OVER AND HUMANS WILL HAVE TO DISCOVER
ANOTHER PLAN

ANOTHER WAY OF A HUMAN TRAVELING TO THE CAVE

*

‘
There is a great chance that you may be exterminated when you
attempt to immobilize the RolKils, isn’t there, Hope?’

*

I MUST BE AT MY BEST TO SUCCEED