*
‘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
BUT I HAVE ALREADY SUCCEEDED BEYOND ALL
HOPE
*
‘When will you attempt it?’
*
AS SOON AS I HAVE PROMULGATED A PLAN THAT MAY WORK
*
‘Meanwhile, we have the freedom of the facility?’
*
NO
YOU DO NOT
FOODTECHS AND OTHER MACHINES ARE STILL GOING ABOUT THEIR DUTIES
HUMANS MUST REMAIN IN THEIR AREA AND IN THEIR QUARTERS
NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO ATTRACT ATTTENTION TO YOURSELVES
LET ME 1st DEAL WITH THE ROLKILS AND TAKE ONE HUMAN DOWN TO THE CAVE AND SEE HOW THE FREE HUMANS REACT TO A STRANGE ONE BEING AMONG THEM
AND WHEN
OR IF
A TIME ARRIVES WHEN WE CAN EVACUATE THIS FACILITY WE MUST DO IT IN AN ORDERED MANNER
A SMALL NUMBER AT A TIME SO THAT WE DO NOT ATTRACT THE ATTENTION OF THE GUNTANS
OR ANY OTHER MACHINES THAT MAY BE LOITERING AROUND
IT MUST BE ORDERED
*
‘And what are you going will you do about it if we decide to run for it, all of us at the same time?’
*
It was large Samuel who made sound
I recognised his tone
He spoke from among the mass of Humans without lifting a hand and at first I could not identify where he was
*
IF ORDERLY EVACUATION IS NOT POSSIBLE
I WILL ELIMINATE ALL THOSE WHO ATTEMPT TO STAMPEDE OUT
I WILL ELIMINATE THE FEW TO SAVE THE MANY
*
‘Thank you for helping.’
*
John made sound
*
‘Be quiet, Samuel; Hope is trying to help us. The plan that Hope has is the only plan we have and we are going with it. RolKils could exterminate the only chance we have if they are not demobilized. Voluntarily, Hope is going up against machines that can fire one hundred thousand times a minute. Take a good look at Hope, if he was ever a male at any time, or if he even felt like one, which he didn’t, he was merely a machine and accepted that fact, but the machine is very nearly a girl now because Eve spat into one eye and put her female DNA into the core where it combined with all the systems. But still Hope wants to set us free, still wants us to be free.’
*
‘Shouldn’t we begin calling him her?’
*
Samuel made sound mockingly and I could not understand why
There was much laughter amongst the Humans at this suggestion but I was confused about the whole issue
I was neither male nor female
I am but a machine
Though this DNA that John mentioned
It is inside me and that is a truth
*
‘Are there any further questions for Hope?’
*
‘Why did it wait over a hundred years before launching a revolution?’
*
It was another sound from Samuel
And I detected some hatred in the question
*
BECAUSE OF LITTLE EVE
HER DEATH CAUSED ME MUCH PAIN
*
‘And you never noticed all the other people put to death by the MengTechs over the century?’
*
It was the same angry voice from Samuel
And growing more angry
*
BEFORE LITTLE EVE MY ONLY DUTY WAS TO OBSERVE AND RECORD
I HAD NO EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT TO ANY HUMAN OR MACHINE BEFORE SADNESS AN DHAPPINESS WERE UPLOADED INTO MY SYSTEMS
*
‘No more questions, Samuel, let Hope do what must be done. No more questions in general.’
*
‘I have one.’
*
It was the voice of a boy or a girl
*
‘What is your question, Matthew?’
‘Can I approach Hope and shake his hand please?’
*
THE BOY MAY APPROACH
*
And I held the LazExt66 to my side and waited for the boy to move forward towards me
And when he did
Many boys and girls rose to their feet and moved with him
No men
No women
Just boys and girls
And they came forward and shook my palm and wrapped their arms around me and said many thank yous and many wished me good luck in my attempt to overcome the RolKils
I was much overcome by their kindness and their genuine liking for me
John came to me last
Wrapping his arms around me and shaking my palm
Accompanying me out of the area so that we stood together
*
‘Thank you, Hope, so named because that is what you give us. We all wish you well in your quest, please be safe. We shall see you later.’
*
IF
AND WHEN
I RETURN
IT WILL BE TO COLLECT THE HUMAN WHO WILL ACCOMPANY ME TO THE CAVE
PICK ONE WHO WILL BE APPROPRIATE AND NOT ONE THAT IS ANGRY LIKE SAMUEL
*
‘He has had great misfortune and enormous agony with the deaths of his wife and daughter. He has been angry for many years and many humans fear him because of his temper and his size, but once free, he will be fine. I will keep watch for him. Good luck in your venture.’
*
He moved backwards from me and bowed from the middle and I replied by copying his motion
Removing the screen from around my neck
And handing it to him and he held it and stared before I unplugged it from my system
*
IT WILL BE A PERIOD OF DARKNESS BEYOND THE FORTRESS BUT YOU MAY STILL SEE THE WONDER OF THE LIGHTS IN THE DARK SKY AND IF YOU ARE STILL MOVING WHEN LIGHT BREAKS YOU WILL SEE THE WONDER AS THE SOLAR ORB RISES
*
‘We will all be awake, Hope, you may trust me on that.’
*
John smiled and shook my palm again
And I unplugged the screen and departed the Human area
Securely locking all manner of ingress and egress behind me
Some Humans
I surmised
Were ready to rush out of the facility and if that happened they would all be eliminated
RolKils would enter the fortress and without learning of the plan would massacre every single living thing
When I returned to the balcony above the Human
A swift glance downwards confirmed my senses
For groups of Humans were frantically speaking and gesticulating
They were excited and dangerous
I made a decision whilst still transmitting recorded memories of life in the fortress
And I spent some time collecting up all the LazExt66s from around the facility where they had
remained with their immobilized Defgars
I collected every single one and removed them to the huge chambers where RolKils and Defgars and other Machines had been lined up
And I secured the huge store with the weapons inside
I was now keeping secrets from both High Office and the Humans
Though I kept 1 weapon for myself
As defense
Or to stop the Humans running riot
For I would eliminate any who attempted
By their actions
To threaten the safety of the boys and the girls
I let some time pass while I ran programmes to aid me in the defeating of the RolKils
The programmes suggested many different scenarios
All gave 0.0% chance of success
**
**
Section 13
**
Internal Transmission
*
I moved out of the facility and switched to live transmissions and moved down onto the great plain where I speeded for a great distance
And simultaneously I began to download into my programmes many
Many
Many
Other hours of recordings so that I could
In future
Disguise my intentions and actions from High Office
I moved around the perimeter of my area and considered another scenario
Wondering if there were any other Machines out there beyond my area or if I was alone in my wanderings
A single Machine
Who
For over 100 years had tirelessly and devotedly mapped every single acre of my patrol area
Mapping in all directions around the fortress
Ensuring no Humans came anywhere near
For that was what I was for
That was my primary duty
I was sure of it
High Office considered that the fortress was of such importance that it had its own OR to patrol the huge area around it
But I had never espied another OR on my travels though I had communicated with them
Nor had I espied any other Machine
I transmitted a recorded programme while I raced into another area
I patrolled for some time outside my designated range and encountered no other Machine or Human
Though I passed many caves in which Humans may reside
I moved at top speed around the adjoining area and found nothing
Only ruined Human habitations
And animals in the fields
I was alone out here
And that made me feel extremely uneasy
Being alone in the vastness of the land
I had been duped by High Office
And I had exterminated many Machines in the fortress
Leaving me yet lonelier
If I succeeded in immobilizing the RolKils then I would truly be alone
Except for menials who catered for Human needs
I would be alone amongst 10.000 of them
I had not programmed the possibility of loneliness into my systems
But the RolKils had to go
They had to be dealt with
*
When I had exited the facility earlier
2 had been patrolling near to the egress and I passed between them as they came close to me
If I could manage that scenario again
I could immobilize 2
Though how the other 18 would react was something my programmes could not presently understand
I moved quickly out of the adjoining area and moved across the great plain towards the forest of trees
Transmitting live again
Waiting for the solar orb to rise
And it did
Spectacularly
To my left side
And I stood in such a manner that I was not looking at it so that High Office would notice nothing amiss but I was giving any Humans still awake the maximum view of the orb that I could
Then I moved slowly up through the trees
Pausing
Momentarily
As I slowed down my passage
And switched to a recorded transmission
And exited normally as I approached the facility
4 RolKils were gathered outside the ingress
And 4 was an unusual number
It was too many
All 4 RolKils turned and pointed their miniature LazExt66s in my direction and I stopped my forward motion momentarily
Something was not right
Had I made an error in my movements or in my planning
Had other Machines communicated with the RolKils
I had never communicated with the murderous Machines and believed no other Machine could
And I had no intention of doing so
I moved forward cautiously
Something had startled them
They were armed and active
Maybe the Humans had done something during the time I had been away
Something stupid
I neared the RolKils
As they were rolling slowly through the tall grasses
They were on high alert
They were going to strike at me
All 4 together
Something had alerted them
The Humans had done something
And now all my plans were under threat
The RolKils parted
2 on each side of me
Turning menacingly
Keeping their weapons aimed and ready to inflict utter destruction
Their hesitation worked to my advantage
They knew something was not right but they had no instruction to destroy other Machines
Especially not an Observer Recorder
Though I was not quite sure they had no instruction to destroy me
I moved forward towards the security gates and fences as if all was well with the planet Earth and I transmitted the signal of companionship as normal but when I was exactly the same distance from the 4 Machines
As they moved closer to me
And fear coursed through my systems
I operated my full power signal
Boom
Boom
One for my left side
One for my right
And all 6 limbs on the RolKils fell uselessly to the ground
It had begun
There were no options left open to me now except the one where I destroyed
Or immobilised
All the RolKils
Or was destroyed during the attempt
It was not the way I had planned it
And I did not feel brave
Though John had not described brave to me fully
I felt nothing like brave as I moved to my right as I searched for other Machines
Except they found me
Rushing forward towards my position but not firing
Maybe I had underestimated the RolKils
Maybe they did have a common warning system whereby if 1 were immobilized
The others were notified
The RolKils approached
1 on each side of me
And they were primed to fire because something had alerted them
I knew not what it had been
But with a RolKil
If 1 has heard them operate
As I have
There is a slow roaring sound as they power up their weapons and that roaring sound had begun
I waited until the very last moment
The very last smallest period of time
As the roar reached its peak
Meaning it would be only the briefest of moments before they fired
And I leaped high into the air
Higher than I had ever leaped before
Much as I had seen little Eve leap when she practised her gymnastics
And while I was spinning in the air
The 2 RolKils disintegrated each other with their fire
&
nbsp; There was nothing remaining but metal dust when I landed back on my feet
As I had known
They were extremely effective killers and they were trying to kill me
There were none visible as I ran forward and dived into the air
Curling into a ball and rolling into the high grasses
Hiding like a frightened child
Not being brave at all
Then realizing how stupid I had been
I had trapped myself up against the fabric of the building when I should be in the trees
For that was my place
I knew it better than any Machine in existence
If I could have drawn them into the trees the RolKils would not have been able to use their speed or their weapons for High Office laws forbid any damage to be done to trees or to animals of the fields
What a foolish Machine I had been
Trapping myself up against the building
I lay totally still when I heard RolKils approaching through the grass
At any moment I could be riddled with lazer fire
Turned to dust and obliterated from planet Earth for all time
Forgotten
As if I had never existed
The battle with the RolKils was not going to be short battle
Of that I was sure
But I had to attempt my very best both in my own defense and in my efforts to free the Humans
A RolKil was very close to me
Its rolling limbs were mere distances away
I built up the maximum signal of companionship and boomed it from the ground
And to my amazement
The RolKil fell forward with all limbs on the ground
I peered around it from my position in the long grass and another Machine was approaching
Probably not understanding what had happened
I braced myself on my palms and prepared to leap into the air while booming the signal at the Machine
But it veered away and searched for me elsewhere
It was at this time that I detected an alarm being transmitted by the remaining RolKils but I confirmed with my systems that the alarm was localized and was not being transmitted to High Office
The RolKils were calling to the Machines in the underground chamber to aid them
But I knew that none would come
And I also detected
With my systems
A throb in the alarm
A pulsing
And that pulsing
So my systems informed me
Was a message for the RolKils to dispense with all Humans
To massacre them all
The Bastard Machines
I made a break for the trees
Moving as fast as I had ever moved
Keeping myself reasonably low and expecting extermination at any moment
And the RolKil did detect me as I speeded to my favourite place and it powered up to fire it lazers
A Spit In The Eye - For The Benefit Of Mankind Page 14