A Spit In The Eye - For The Benefit Of Mankind (32 page)

*

I HAVE NO WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEM

I CANNOT QUESTION THEM

*

‘
But if we just roped them together and towed them down to the
cave, would they cause any trouble for us?’

*

DOCTECHS

LEFT TO THEIR OWN DEVICES

NEVER CAUSE TROUBLE

THEY SIMPLY HEAL AILMENTS AND REPAIR HUMANS

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‘
Could we take them back to the caves?’

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WHEN ALL HUMANS ARE CLEARED FROM THE FORTRESS

I SHALL TRANSPORT THEM DOWN TO THE CAVES

IF I CAN

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‘
When the time is nigh, someone shall be with you to
assist.’

*

I GIVE THANKS FOR THAT AID

*

‘
You did a quite remarkable thing here, didn’t
you?’

*

FOR MOST OF MY REVOLUTION I WAS UNARMED

BUT I FOUND OTHER WAYS OF SUBDUING MACHINES

I FOUND WEAKNESSES WITHIN THE SYSTEM

FOUNDED BY HIGH OFFICE

AND TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THOSE WEAKNESSES

*

I did not
inform them of the signal of companionship within me

Humans

Even free
Humans

Do not
have to know all information

When we
entered the facility the tall men gazed with some fear at the
Defgars and looked at me with questioning on their faces

*

‘
You defeated these machines alone?’

*

I TOOK THEM BY SURPRISE

HIGH OFFICE WAS NEVER EXPECTING A REVOLUTION FROM INSIDE THE
FACILITY

THE MACHINES WHO TOILED WITHIN WERE NOT EXPECTING ONE
EITHER

*

The tall
men shook their heads and we proceeded through the facility and
they stopped to look at FoodTechs and DocTechs and menials going
around their duties

*

‘
And they are powered by the same kind of engine as the one
that powers you?’

*

OBSRECS HAVE THE MOST POWERFUL ENIGNE FOR WE NEVER CEASE
MOVEMENT

WE NEVER HAVE NEED TO REST OR TO BE SUPINE

WE ARE EVER ALERT

AND UPRIGHT

AND MOVING

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‘
You are a most amazing machine.’

*

SO I HAVE LEARNED

*

I moved
away and they followed me down in the elevator to the lower level
and we went to stand behind the electrified fence

Many
Humans gathered on the other side of it again and John struggled to
find a place at the head of them

*

‘
Are you John, Eve’s father?’

*

It was
Albert who again made sound

John
smiled and turned to look at Humans standing close to
him

*

‘
Hope has told the story?’

*

‘
It is a story we would dearly like to hear in detail later,
John, but Hope said that you were the Leader.’

*

‘
I am chairman of the committee that has looked after the
interests of the human community who have been imprisoned here for
over one hundred years, not that we could do much against the
machines. If MengTechs came for us we were useless to
resist.’

*

‘
Joshua and Mary have mentioned that machine many times, what
was it?’

*

‘
I was a torture machine; it took away humans and cut them to
pieces or experimented upon them. My daughter, Eve, who so affected
Hope with her laughter and her smile and her ability to do
gymnastics, had a metal hand and no right eye, it had been removed
as an experiment by the MengTechs. They later tortured her to death
for no reason. Her death led to Hope’s revolution. Will you not
lead the free Humans round to join us, Hope?’

*

I SHALL ACCOMPANY THEM IMMEDIATELY

*

And I led
them to where the Humans awaited

Again
there were many hugs and many tears and I waited patiently for the
next number of families to be ready to depart

Eventually they were ready to go

It was
decided that John would accompany us and that the three free Humans
would remain to have discourse with other members of the committee
and plans would be made

And I led
the next group through the facility and out in the fresh
air

And into
the forest

And it
was as we were moving through the tall grasses

While
Humans communed with trees

That I
saw 3 RolKils speeding across the great plain

They must
have been close enough to hear the alarm sent out by the RolKils I
had immobilized

I turned
and grabbed John by the shoulder

*

GET YOUR PEOPLE TO LIE DOWN AND HIDE IN THE GRASSES

ALL HUMANS MUST BECOME SILENT AND PRONE

3 ROLKILS SPEED ACROSS THE GREAT PLAIN

I MUST ATTEMPT TO DEFEAT THEM

OTHERWISE ALL WILL BE LOST

ALL THESE HUMANS WILL BE ERADICATED

DO IT NOW

*

John
whirled round without hesitation or question and with hissing
sounds demanded everybody become supine and silent

And the
Humans

Even the
smaller 1s

Obeyed in
an instant

And they
became hidden in the grasses

I
switched off and unplugged the screen and passed it to John along
with the weapon

And as he
lay down I speeded off to the very southern edge of the
forest

The
RolKils seemed to be very close but they were still some distance
away which gave me time to invent a plan

Though my
options were severely limited

The
RolKils would be fully armed and alerted

Having
received an alarm from other such Machines

There was
no way in which I could catch them by surprise in open
ground

Maybe I
had 1 chance

And 1
chance only

I could
wait for them to pass as they speeded up the hill and I could
immobilize the last one in the line with the supercharged signal of
companionship

Though
the remaining 2 would turn on me with some vengeance

It was
too far for me to race for the lake and attempt to sink
them

So I
would have to use the forest and put the Humans at risk as I
attacked the RolKils

I stood
hidden within the forest and waited for them to near

Standing
close to a tree so that I would not be espied

I felt as
if the trees were my special companions

For I had
watched them grow

Even as I
had watched the Humans grow

But few
trees had yet passed from the world

They
stood majestically

And hid
me as I waited

As the
RolKils approached

In single
file

One
behind the other

And they
rushed past my hidden position

Climbing
at speed up the hill

As the
last one passed

I stepped
out behind it and boomed the signal of companionship at full
power

The
Machine immediately dropped all its limbs but as it was travelling
at such speed it continued to tumble forward

Crashing
through tall grasses and digging up lumps of planet
Earth

I stepped
back into the forest and awaited reaction from the other
two

They spun
round on their limbs and hesitated for only a moment before moving
back down the hill to where the other had fallen

They
twisted this way and that

Searching
for their enemy

While I
climbed up through the forest

Making no
noise whatsoever

Knowing
the land so well

Moving
from tree to tree

Using
them as camouflage

Keeping
the RolKils in my sight

And it
was only at the last moment

That they
espied me

But I
stood behind a tree and they could not fire

They
could not kill a tree

I boomed
out the signal and heard one of the remaining RolKils crash its
limbs to the ground and begin to roll

Uselessly

Down the
hill

The
remaining 1

Was
confused

The 2
accompanying Machines had fallen into disrepair and been
immobilized without any apparent weapons being used

The
single RolKil stood on the far side of the tree and I stood on the
other side

Out of
its sight

And it
began a slow roll down the hill

Searching
for me

Searching
for any movement

I
implored that no Human would move

That they
all remained perfectly still and hidden in the tall
grasses

For one
sight of them and the RolKil would fire its lazers and all would be
lost

My
programmes provided me with a plan and I slid away from the
tree

Leaving
the dead RolKil to continue rolling down the hill

And

With
great silence

I made my
way through the tall grasses

And I
climbed up through the forest to the fortress that stood at the top
of the hill

As part
of the plan

I took my
place among the dead RolKils that stood outside the facility and I
dropped my head and allowed my arms to fall uselessly to my
sides

I
remained the most still I have ever stood

And

Eventually

The
remaining RolKil rolled up and over the rim of the hill and rolled
forward towards his companion Machines

It rolled
into one with deliberation

And it
collapsed onto its side

And I
fell with it

The
RolKil utterly ignored me

But that
was more than I did to it

As I fell
I boomed out the signal at its full power

Its two
higher limbs immediately collapsed to the ground and the moment I
leaped to my feet I pushed it over and it collapsed onto its side
noisily

If I
could have smiled

I would
have done

For I now
knew what emotion Humans experienced when they wished to do
it

I leaped
into the air and spun round

Feeling a
sense of freedom I had never felt

Spinning
in the air

Landing
on the tip of one leg

Spinning
again

Crossing
the long grasses

Tumbling

Leaping
into the air with arms outspread

I knew of
no other way of expressing my happiness

And as I
neared the forest I observed tiny heads poking above the
grasses

Staring
at me and smiling

I became
a serious ObsRec again

Marching
into the forest where the children were hiding along with their
elders

I held
out my arms and the children jumped up from and rushed to
me

Hugging
me in scenes of some chaos while the older Humans were somewhat
slower to climb to their feet

John came
forward with the screen and the weapon

I took
the screen and rehung it around my neck but did not take the
LazExt66

*

YOU ARE THE FIRST HUMAN EVER TO HOLD SUCH A WEAPON

BE CAREFUL WITH IT WHILE WE MOVE ACROSS THE GREAT
PLAIN

*

‘
How did you immobilize the RolKils, Hope? What magic do you
possess that allows you to do such a thing?’

*

THAT WILL HAVE TO REMAIN A SECRET

JOHN

I RETAIN IT FOR MY SURVIVAL AGAINST OTHER MACHINES

*

‘
That’s fine, but it was a very fine display by you, we all
watched as best we could, I had the weapon aimed just in case you
failed.’