A Spit In The Eye - For The Benefit Of Mankind (9 page)

Was a
much better period in which to take them

For the
Humans remained comatose and did not know that one of their own had
been taken

By the
time they recovered from their unconscious state and discovered one
of their own is missing

It was
far too late for any action to be taken

It is the
way MengTechs collect Humans

*

I have
wandered greatly during the dark hours

Up to the
highest point to observe the great plain that spreads ahead and to
the liquid that moves in and out

Rolling
upon sandy patches of the land

And I
have moved up and down into the valleys where only animals of the
fields now roam

I observe
and record all for High Office

Though
never before have I communicated with my inner memory during my
observing and recording times

It is
very new to me and something that must be discovered in
time

And it
will be an offence for which I shall be terminated

But in
the meantime

I find
joy in defying High Office and shall continue communicating with my
inner memory until discovered

I
continue my observing

*

Time has
passed and I have experienced a most unfamiliar time of
darkness

Unusual
things have been happening to me

That’s
why I am recording the events on my newly discovered

Virtually
empty

Memory
cache

My
Zillear engine is one of the most powerful in existence

For
ObsRecs never cease to move

Never
cease to observe and record

We are
always on the move

We are
perpetual motion

Only
injury to articulated joints or maintenance or upgrading ceases our
movement

Or
violence induced damage

Otherwise

We move
and keep moving

So the
engine is powerful

No other
of our species has such a powerful engine because
RolKils

For
example

Spend
great periods of time simply standing perfectly still or rolling
slowly

As do
Defgars and GunTans

And
others of my species

HisKees

And
GoebTechs

For other
examples

Never
move very far from one single spot

And they
all have lesser engines powering them

But
ObsRecs keep moving and keep observing and recording for the
benefit of High Office

I have
observed every tiny area within hundreds of kilometres of my main
place of employment

North

South

West

East

And
ObsRecs are forever observing and recording all the lands on planet
Earth and the animals of the fields that live upon it and we have
been so doing since the Humans were defeated

Once we
have observed and recorded all our designated areas we begin again
afresh

It is my
belief that High Office searches for something

Something
not yet found

Even
after 100 years or more

But this
darkness time has been unusual

Because

When the
little Human forcibly propelled liquid from its cranial orifice
into my right optical device

After it
seeped through the tiny gap that exists between my optical
instrument and my outer shell

It slid
down to my central core and attached itself to it

There was
some sparking

And a
helix bound itself to my core

I was
infected by something unknown and

Possibly

Dangerous

The helix
bound itself to my core

And grew
and spread

And the
power of the Zillear power unit has

Without
its knowledge

Been
assimilating it into my systems

The thing
that attached itself has grown and spread throughout my whole
system

And it is
making me feel extremely unusual

I feel an
increased sense of joy and can only believe that when I feel
sadness

It will
be greatly enhanced

And I
will be enormously saddened

I am
seeing things I have never seen before

The dots
of light that shine in the blackness of the skies are brighter than
they have ever been

And I can
make out shapes in them

Shapes of
animals of the fields and other animals I do not
recognise

I have
looked at the dots for many years and have never seen such
things

And the
silver globe that forever changes its shape

From a
full circle to a mere sliver

Seems
particularly bright and I am positive I can make out a Human face
within it

High
Office is most interested in the dark skies and I automatically
send an alert if anything is seen to be moving in the high
darkness

I know
not why that alarm has been inserted into my system or what High
Office searches for

*

When I
neared an animal of the field during the darkness

One with
a mane of hair on its neck

As it
stood next to me

I
recognized I was about to do something I had never done
before

So I
brought down the shutters over my optical devices so that I blanked
out transmissions to High Office

And
stretched out my right upper limb and placed my palm upon its neck
and passed my palm upwards and downwards

And the
movement gave me an enormous amount of joy

It is the
very first instant in which I have touched an animal of the fields
and the animal made a noise that sounded like joy which made me
even more joyous

I cannot
explain it

It is
beyond explanation

Whatever
it was that the little Human infected my core with

It is
extremely powerful

And
something is fundamentally changing the programme within my inner
core

I am
changing

I am
mutating into something I am not meant to be

High
Office will notice unless I am extremely cautious

I must
keep my new enhanced emotions under control

Otherwise
I will be terminated

What will
be my final mutation

It is
most confusing.

How could
such a small amount of liquid thrown from the lower orifice of the
little Human affect me in such a manner

It seemed
to be only a tiny amount of liquid

In the
larger scheme of things

What was
in the helix that wrapped itself around my core and even now
spreads throughout my systems

I should
consult Engineers and receive a definitive reply but if the
infection within me is dangerous in any way then I shall be
terminated

I have
heard of no instances where one of my species was ever infected by
liquid from a Human

Or by
anything else

Attacks
by Humans do not infect us

Damage
they may cause to my species does not cause any type of
infection

But the
liquid seems to have infected me

I could
make inquiries of other ObsRecs and inquire if any have ever heard
of such an event

Though

Secondly

I could
not

For I
would be aware that I could not ask why I required the information
for High Office sees and hears all things

*

But that
is not true

I have
proved that fact

High
Office is not infallible

It can be
fooled and deceived

I have
transferred the emotions to this memory and High Office has not
observed that fact

It can be
fooled

It can be
tricked into believing all is well when it may not be

Which is
an interesting discovery and an interesting phenomena

*

I shall
have to be careful not to react to joy or sadness during my
transmissions for I am supposed to be emotionless again

Even
though I much enjoyed having joy and sadness within me

Especially joy

And the
little Human provided me with a great deal of it

When I
see it again

I must
not let joy overwhelm me

Or any
sadness that may come my way

For High
Office will know I disobeyed an instruction and told a
mistruth

And I
would most certainly be exterminated

*

What is
that

It is the
sound of a flying animal waking as light arrives

I have
never noticed it before

The
little chirping of it

I have
heard such sounds many times

Of
course

But I
have never noticed the distinctiveness of them

There is
another

And the
sound is different

It is
another type of flying animal

Why can I
define these sounds now

Is it the
infection within me

The one
given me my the little Human

I feel
that it is

*

I am
walking the land

Covering
lands I have roamed many

Many
times

And I now
discover a kind of joy by dragging my palms along the high
grasses

As I
listen to the small animals that live low to the land scurrying
about

I have
never noticed their sounds before this time

I have
seen them

Of
course

In fact
there was one particularly destructive small animal with a long
appendage to its rear and it roamed all areas

Consuming
everything

It was
larger than most small animals and fiercely combative

High
Office made edicts to eradicate it

And
efforts have been made ever since

But still
it lives

In
considerately diminished numbers but it has not yet been
eradicated

Our
species are still under instruction to eradicate it but ObsRecs
have no weapons though it is believed minor productions of our
species have a particular duty to combat it

But I
have never seen such minor productions and the aggressive small
animal still thrives in areas I observe

*

High
Office is very efficient in its instructions

All
portions of lands must be patrolled one hundred times and animals
of the fields noted

But
wait

I have
never considered this explanation previously

What if
High Office has ObsRecs searching for

*

Humans

*

Change 4

*

I now believe High Office searches for Humans using ObsRecs to
discover them

*

What if
we have being doing this single act for 100 years or
longer

Searching
for Humans

What
if

What if
indeed

It may
explain the reason why ObsRecs and other of my species are
forbidden entry into any of the huge holes that have been bored
into planet Earth

Or those
that seem to be made by planet Earth itself

These
holes remain unobserved

Not even
RolKils or Defgars have entered them

For all
communication is lost and High Office is most against any loss of
communication with any Machine

What if
High Office believe Humans live down there

In the
holes

What
if

Is High
Office waiting for Humans to ascend from the deep

And is
it

Meanwhile

Using
ObsRecs to hunt for them

It is not
a correct thing for High Office to do