A Spit In The Eye - For The Benefit Of Mankind (26 page)

*

‘
Where have you been?’

*

I have no
awareness why he made such sound for he knew I could not
reply

So I
simply stood holding the weapon in my arms

He made
more sound

*

‘
Come round and I shall return the screen to you. We have been
watching all the night and the day long but we have seen only
recordings. Come round and tell us what you have been
doing.’

*

I held up
my left hand and he stared at it

*

‘
You have been in a fight? You lost your left
hand?’

*

I stood
erect and wondered why I was bothering with these beings

Their
sounds were so ridiculous

I turned
away from him and made my way towards the area between where they
enjoyed leisure and where they slept and Eves papa was waiting for
me

The
screen held in his arms

He was
not alone

Joshua
and Mary were standing alongside him

John made
sound

*

‘
They wanted to accompany me, they insisted.’

*

I reached
out and he handed the screen to me and I hung it around my neck and
plugged it in

Letting
the recordings transmit to High Office I began communication with
him

*

WHAT DID YOU DO DURING THE DARKNESS BEFORE LAST

*

He stared
at me for long moments before he made sound again

*

‘
Nothing, what do you think we did?’

*

Mary made
sound

*

‘
We sang hymns.’

*

HYMNS

*

‘
Sacred songs handed down to us by our ancestors.’

*

It was
Mary who made sound again

*

ALL HUMANS MADE THESE SOUNDS

ALL HUMANS SANG

*

Joshua
made sound

*

‘
It was wonderful, Hope. Ten thousand voices raised to the
heavens as we sang for hours, making a lot of noise.’

*

YOU ALERTED THE ROLKILS THAT SOMETHING WAS NOT
CORRECT

WHEN I RETURNED FROM SHOWING YOU THE LIGHTS IN THE SKIES AND
OTHER THINGS

THE ROLKILS WERE PRIMED AND ARMED AND READY TO OBLITERATE
ME

I HAD BATTLE WITH THEM THAT LASTED ALL THE LIGHT HOURS AND
MOST OF THE DARK 1s

*

John took
on an expression of shock

*

‘
You fought all the day and throughout most of the
night?’

*

ALL PLANS I CONCEIVED WERE FOR NOTHING BECAUSE THE ROLKILS
WERE ALREADY ALERTED BY YOUR SINGING

*

I held up
my left hand again for the three of them to see

*

I LOST MY LEFT HAND AND ALMOST MY EXISTENCE BECAUSE OF YOUR
SINGING FOR YOU TOOK AWAY ANY ELEMENT OF SURPRISE I MAY HAVE HAD
AGAINST THE MOST FEARED MACHINES ON PLANET EARTH

*

Mary made
sound

*

‘
But you defeated them?’

*

YES

MARY

I DEFEATED THEM AFTER A VERY LONG WAR BETWEEN US

*

She ran
forward and clasped me around my waist and pulled herself tightly
into me before staring up and making more sound

*

‘
You are a most wonderful machine.’

*

YOU ARE A MOST WONDERFUL LITTLE GIRL

*

Mary made
a sound like soft laughter and Joshua joined her in wrapping his
hands around my waist and I felt most foolish standing with them
while I held a deadly weapon in my hands

John made
sound again

*

‘
You are by far the bravest machine it has ever been my
privilege to meet Hope, and are we safe now to go and meet the
Humans’ in the caves?’

*

WHEN DARKNESS SETTLES UPON US AGAIN I SHALL TAKE ONE HUMAN TO
THE CAVE AND WE SHALL SEE IF THE UNDERGROUND HUMANS WISH TO AID
YOU

*

‘
Will you enter the area and allow me to explain what you have
achieved and what the plan is?’

*

I SHALL ACCOMPANY YOU

HAVE YOU MADE DECISION WHICH OF YOU IS TO ACCOMPANY
ME

*

‘
Yes, it was thought I would be the best choice.’

*

It was
John who made sound

*

YOU

*

‘
It was thought that I would be the best choice for I have led
my people as best I could during some years of our incarceration.
My people trust me and I am proud to be chosen.’

*

ANY HUMAN CAN ACCOMPLISH THE TASK OF ACCOMPANYING ME AND YOU
SHALL BE NEEDED HERE TO CONTROL THOSE WHO WILL NOT BE HAPPY AT NOT
BEING CHOSEN

*

‘
You think badly of us.’

*

I HAVE SEEN YOU AND I KNOW THAT SOME ARE UNHAPPY WITH ALL
MACHINES AND DO NOT CONSIDER THAT I AM TRYING TO FREE
YOU

*

‘
Let us enter and begin a discussion.’

*

Joshua
moved to one side as Mary took grip of my new silver left
hand

And John
moved ahead as we entered the area where 10.000 Humans
waited

John
moved to stand central to the mass but Joshua remained by my side
and Mary continued to hold my hand and they did not move forward
and John began to make sound to the gathered Humans

*

‘
Hope has made us very proud again. He has conquered the
RolKils that protected this prison from marauding
Humans…’

*

There was
laughter at this and I did not understand

*

‘…
but we made a great error when we sang our hymns for we
alerted the RolKils that something was not quite right in the
prison and when Hope arrived back from showing us the stars and the
sun rising, the machines were waiting for him, primed and armed. He
fought all day and most of the night to defeat them.’

*

‘
How do we know?’

*

It was
large Samuel who made sound

*

‘
What are you implying, Samuel?’

*

‘
How do we know he defeated these machines, these RolKils,
these ultimate killing machines, how do you know? It may be that as
soon as we step out of the door the damned things will be waiting
to shoot us down. Why should we believe a word this damned machine
says with his fancy screen, he could be leading us into a massacre
of his own making.’

*

I had
trusted this Human

Samuel

To make
trouble

He was
most large

Almost as
tall and aggressive as the RolKils

And such
a Human would soon have many followers

After he
made sound there was much chatter and noise amongst the Humans as
they argued about what the big man had said

John held
up his arms

*

‘
I cannot believe anyone here would think that. This machine,
Hope, is a hero and has put us in a position where we could soon be
free from this prison. Why are you trying to put doubt in the minds
of the many, Samuel?’

*

‘
Because I don’t believe he is a hero, I believe he is leading
us to our deaths. He’s a bloody machine and doesn’t know anything
else but death to Humans. He has overseen us for over one hundred
years and he’s done nothing for us before. Why not, and don’t give
me any of that bollocks about him having feelings for Eve, or
seeing her as something special. I’m not the only one who thinks
that’s complete bollocks. So what’s his game? The only answer to
that question is that he’s leading us to our death. It’s all a plan
he has in what counts for his head.’

*

There was
a great deal of noise from chattering Humans and I ran programmes
to advise me on a course of action to take

Regarding
the situation

The
answer came almost immediately

The large
Human had left me with only 1 option if I was to free
them

I scooped
up Joshua and Mary in my arms

And
holding the weapon with difficulty

I speeded
from the Humans area

Securing
all egresses as I moved into the main body of the
facility

Joshua
and Mary making not a sound as they clung to me

Making no
attempt to struggle free or make loud distressed sounds

I speeded
to the corridor that separated Humans by only the fence

John was
already standing there when we arrived

As were a
number of other Humans

I placed
the boy and the girl on the ground and both remained close to me
turning so that they could read the screen that hung around my
neck

*

‘
What the hell are you doing, Hope?’

*

I CANNOT DEAL WITH THE HATRED AND RAGE FELT BY
SAMUEL

HE WILL RUIN ALL PLANS IF HE DOES NOT CEASE AND CALM HIS
ATTITUDE AND HIS MANNER

I CAN NEVER FREE YOU FROM THIS FORTRESS UNLESS HE CALMS FOR HE
IS LIABLE TO DO SOMETHING STUPID

HE WILL CHARGE THE GUNTANS OR RACE DOWN THE HILL

HE WILL EXPOSE HIS PRESENCE TO OTHER MACHINES

HE WILL DESTROY FOODTECHS AND MENIALS THAT HAVE DONE HIM NO
WRONG

AND HE GATHERS OTHERS TO HIM

HE IS A MOST DANGEROUS HUMAN

I GO TO THE CAVE WITH JOSHUA AND MARY

NO HARM WILL COME TO THEM BY MY HAND

THOUGH I CANNOT STATE HOW THEY WILL BE WELCOMED BY THE FREE
HUMANS

I WILL HAVE THE WEAPON

I WILL PROTECT THEM AS BEST I MUST

GIVE THEM INSTRUCTION FOR COMMUNICATING WITH THE FREE HUMANS
SO THAT THEY MAY BE UNDERSTOOD

WHEN THE DARK PERIOD BEGINS WE WILL BE PROCEEDING

I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO LEAVE THE SCREEN WITH YOU FOR I WILL
NEED IT TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE FREE HUMANST

*

‘
Can you not furnish us with another screen, something we can
view as you proceed on your way with the children?’

*

I WILL CONSIDER YOUR REQUEST

*

‘
Please, Hope, this is no time to become angry with us. You
have brought us along to this point, to the point of freedom,
please don’t abandon us now. Samuel will be calmed, he shall have
no followers.’

*

I CANNOT TRUST YOUR SOUNDS JOHN

I SEE THAT HE GATHERS MORE HUMANS TO HIM AS TIME
PASSES

HE BELIEVES HIS OWN UNTRUTHS

HE WILL DO ANYTHING TO FREE HIMSELF FROM THIS PRISON AND ONCE
FREE HE WILL DESTROY EVERY MACHINE HE ENCOUNTERS

I CANNOT ALLOW THAT

*

‘
I cannot kill him or imprison him further.’

*

I
CAN

*

‘
Oh, Hope, what is happening to you?’

*

I HAVE FOUGHT TOO MANY DEADLY MACHINES TO FREE YOU AND I WANT
TO NOT FIGHT ANY MORE

I WANT PEACE

*

‘
We all want peace, Hope.’

*

SAMUEL DOES NOT

HE WISHES ONLY FOR HIS OWN DESIRES TO BE SATISFIED

HE WISHES TO DESTROY MACHINES

AS MANY AS HE CAN

EVEN THOSE THAT HAVE DONE HIM NO HARM

THOSE THAT HAVE FED HIM THROUGHOUT HIS EXISTENCE

THOSE THAT HAVE CLEANED UP AFTER HIM

HE WANTS A REVOLUTION ALL OF HIS OWN

BUT HIS SREVOLUTION REQUIRES MORE WAR

MORE DESTRUCTION

IT IS WITH REGRET THAT HIS WIFE AND CHILD WERE TORTURED BUT IT
WAS NOT MY FAULT

IT WAS NOT THE FAULT OF ANY MACHINE STILL WORKING IN THE
FACILTY

BUT HIS HATRED OF US OVERCOMES ALL REASON

HE WANTS ONLY CONFKICT

*

John
listened and eventually turned his face towards the children and
made sound