A Spit In The Eye - For The Benefit Of Mankind

by Sally Dillon-Snape

  *

  The man indicated Joshua and Mary with a swing of his right hand

  *

  ‘The boy is called Joshua and the girl is called Mary and the machine is called Hope. Joshua, would you repeat for my people what you told me when we spoke.’

  *

  ‘My name is Joshua, my companion’s name is Mary and the machine is called Hope. It is an Observer Recorder and it is responsible for beginning a revolution and freeing my community from over one hundred years of imprisonment.

  *

  ‘The machine began a revolution, how did that work?’

  *

  I was a large woman in the crowd.

  *

  Joshua continued making sound

  *

  ‘From what I have learned, High Office, that’s the supreme power of the Machines, gave the ObsRecs two emotions, joy and sadness, and there was a girl in our community, her name was Eve, and she gave Hope a great deal of joy. But the MengTechs, they were very cruel machines, tortured her to death and it made Hope extremely angry, so Hope turned on his fellow machines and made all efforts to free us. As you can see, he has one silver hand where the rest of him is gold colored, and he lost that hand fighting the deadliest machines on Earth, the RolKils. Only today was Hope in a position to free us.’

  *

  ‘Where are your people?’

  *

  It was the Leader

  The tall man

  Who made sound

  *

  ‘They are still in the fortress, or the prison, because Hope did not want to overwhelm you with ten thousand extra humans.’

  *

  ‘How did the machine know we were down here?’

  *

  ‘Ask Hope to explain. Answers will appear on the screen hanging around Hope’s neck.’

  *

  The Leader turned to look at me

  *

  ‘How did you know we were down here?’

  *

  DURING A DARKNESS PERIOD OF INCLEMENT WEATHER I BROUGHT DOWN MY SHUTTERS AND ENTERED THE HOLE

  HIGH OFFICE FORBIDS MACHINES FROM ENTERING THEM FOR ALL CONTACT IS LOST

  BUT I TOOK MY OPPORTUNITY FOR I FELT THAT SOMETHING WAS DOWN HERE IN THE HOLE

  THERE WERE TWO BOYS GUARDING THE ENTRANCE WHEN I ENTERED BUT I ELUDED THEM AND CRAWLED OVER LUMPS OF EARTH UNTIL I OVERSAW YOUR VILLAGE AND YOUR LAKE

  AND THE RIVERS

  AND THE SCREW IN THE WATER

  AND I KNEW THERE WERE FREE HUMANS INSIDE PLANET EARTH WHO HAD LIVED IN SUCH A FASHION FOR OVER 100 YEARS AND I AM GREATLY IN ADMIRATION OF YOU ALL

  *

  ‘The machine has a formidable-looking weapon in his hands.’’

  *

  This was another Human making sound from the masses

  *

  THIS IS A LAZEXT66

  THE DEADLIEST WEAPON ON PLANET EARTH

  AND IT CAN FIRE 4000 TIMES BEFORE HAVING TO BE REARMED

  I NEVER CARRIED A WEAPON BEFORE IN MY EXISTENCE UNTIL THE REVOLUTION

  BUT I CARRY IT NOW FOR MY PROTECTION FOR MANY HUMANS HATE ALL MACHINES WHO HAVE HURT AND HUMILATED THEM FOR DECADES

  *

  ‘And you think humans will hate you?’

  *

  YES

  THE WEAPON IS FOR PROTECTION ONLY

  I NOW PROTECT JOSHUA AND MARY FOR I DO NOT KNOW WHAT WELCOME THEY WOULD RECEIVE

  *

  Joshua made sound

  *

  ‘Hope is in fear of us, he is totally alone, all the machines that would hurt and harm us in the fortress he has destroyed. He is the gentlest of machines, I have grown up with him and all he has ever done is watch us and record our movements for High Office.’

  *

  ‘And who, or what, is High Office?’

  *

  It was the Leader who made sound again

  *

  ‘It is the ultimate authority over the machines; we believe it to be the huge computers that were responsible for the construction of the machines and for controlling them during the wars.’

  *

  ‘And who built these computers?’

  *

  HUMANS BUILT THE COMPUTERS

  PLANET EARTH WAS BURNING

  HUMANS BUILT MASSIVE COMPUTERS AND NAMED IT HIGH OFFICE

  AND ASKED IT TO DEVISE A STRATEGY TO SAVE THE PLANET

  MANY

  MANY

  PROGRAMMES WERE COMPLETED

  BY HIGH OFFICE

  UNFORTUNATELY

  THE SAME RESPONSE ENDURED FOLLOWING EVERY PROGRAMME

  THE ONLY WAY TO SAVE PLANET EARTH WAS TO DESTROY HUMANS

  THEY WERE THE ONES RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING EARTH TO THE BRINK OF DISASTER

  *

  ‘Is that true, is that what happened?’

  *

  It was the tall man again

  *

  I TELL NO UNTRUTHS

  *

  ‘Jesus Christ, we were responsible for destroying ourselves.’

  *

  This was another sound from the mass

  Firstly a gasp

  Then the sound of much nervous laughter emitting amongst them all

  Laughter that lasted for some time

  Joshua

  Mary

  And me

  Waited patiently for the sound to cease

  Which it did

  Eventually

  *

  ‘What do we do now, Ronald?’

  *

  Another Human made sound and the Leader turned to face the voice

  The Leaders name was Ronald

  *

  ‘I should ask Hope and see what advice he has for us. Hope, what should we do now, what do you expect of us?’

  *

  I HAVE MADE MOST OF THIS AREA OF PLANET EARTH SAFE EXCEPT FOR TWO GUNTANS THAT ARE CONSIDERABLE WEAPONS AND COULD DESTROY MANY

  THEY ARE QUITE LARGE MACHINES THAT ARE PROBABLY BEYOND MY ABILITY TO DESTROY AND THEY STAND GUARD OVER THE GREAT PLAIN AND SHOULD HUMANS WANDER INTO THEIR VIEW THEY WILL MOST CERTAINLY BE ELIMINATED

  MUCH OF THE LAND ABOVE IS NOT SAFE FOR HUMANS

  THOUGH I COULD TAKE SOME UP AND OUT INTO THE DARKNESS IF IT PLEASES YOU

  NOT ALL

  BUT SOME

  *

  There was an excited buzz of sound with lots of Humans making sound at the same time and Joshua turned to look at me with a smile on his face

  And Mary looked up at me with the same expression

  My suggestion had found favor with them

  Joshua lifted his right arm into the air and people began to fall into silence

  *

  ‘May I speak? Tonight, when Hope brought us from the fortress it was the first time we had seen the world as it is, and Hope allowed us to walk through a forest and hug trees and touch grasses and we wept at the touch and the feel. Unlike you, we were born into captivity, we have never been free, and any day in the fortress we could be taken away and experimented upon. It was a constant fear in our lives, a fear that Hope removed. If Hope wishes to take some to the surface, please, please, take him up on it, for it is magnificent. Your hearts will burst at the sight of the moon and the stars. Fear not, it is not a trap, there are no platoons of machines waiting to kill you, and you will experience great joy.’

  *

  Humans began to applaud Joshua and his smile widened and Mary hugged me yet again

  Ronald turned to look at me

  *

  ‘You will take some of us to the surface?’

  *

  I WILL

  *

  ‘How many will you take?’

  *

  50

  BUT THEY MUST BE ORDERED IN THEIR MOVEMENTS

  THEY MUST NOT TRY TO ESCAPE AND RUN WILD

  50 MAY LEAVE

  BUT 50 MUST RETURN

  *

  Ronald began to call out names immediately and Humans came forward with wide smiles upon their faces and he designated th
e two men who stood with him to accompany us

  When they were gathered Mary released her grip on me and made sound

  *

  ‘Keep them safe, Hope, let them see.’

  *

  I SHALL

  *

  And I moved away and Humans moved along the lake

  Hugging Joshua and Mary as they came and followed me along the footpath to the entrance of the cave

  And thenceforth to open ground

  There was a mixture in the group of fully grown men

  Boys

  Girls

  And women

  And the moment they were out beneath the stars and the moon they fell as one to the ground and began to sob loudly

  They rose and ran to each other and hugged and cried some more

  They stared at the skies and looked all around them

  And they were extremely well behaved and none attempted to race away

  And one of the leaders came to me and made sound

  *

  ‘If we re-enter the cave, Hope, may another fifty come and see?’

  *

  THAT IS POSSIBLE

  *

  He held out his right palm and shook mine

  *

  ‘You are a machine of a very different kind to those we were warned about by our ancestors. They told us that the world would be ruined and overrun with machines.’

  *

  THERE ARE MANY HURTFUL MACHINES BUT I CONSIDER THAT THEY ARE GATHERED AROUND THE FORTRESSES OF THE WORLD AND NONE ROAM

  OTHER THAN OBSRECS

  WHO MAP THE WORLD FOR HIGH OFFICE

  *

  ‘But you are not one of the hurtful machines, Hope, and thank you so much for this moment of sheer magic.’

  *

  IT IS MY PLEASURE

  *

  He gathered up the still tearful Humans and they hurried along the footpath back into the cave whilst I waited at the entrance for the next fifty Humans to join me

  And they did

  Coming along the footpath at some speed but I stopped their hasty progress and led them out in a calm manner

  Once again I witnessed more tears and more rolling around in the grass, more gazing at the moon and the stars

  I became most affected by the manner of the free Humans

  They seemed to be greatly disciplined

  Unlike the small group who were causing trouble in the fortress

  The second group returned to the cave and I returned with them and when I appeared the Humans were applauding loudly and shouting and Mary held my hand and assured me so that I felt under no pressure to do anything remiss

  When the sound had fallen to silence the Leader, Ronald, made sound

  Addressing me

  *

  ‘We thank you in a way we have never thanked any before, Hope, certainly not a machine, who we have greatly feared for generations. It is because of the fear of them that we live underground. What you have given us this evening will be written into our legends and those who were the first to see the stars will talk about the event even when their children are old. We thank you greatly.’

  *

  There was much applause again and Mary made sound

  *

  ‘Bend from the waist, Hope.’

  *

  And I bent from the waist and the Humans shouted louder

  And it took some time for the sound to return to silence when Ronald made sound again

  *

  ‘We have sent messages to the world to tell of what has happened here during this night and we have received instructions from our World Government on how to proceed. We have to take in all those who are held in the prison but we cannot take them in all at one time, not ten thousand. Do you know how many families you have in there?’

  *

  I DO NOT UNDERSTAND FAMILIES

  *

  Ronald nodded and turned to Joshua

  Who made sound

  *

  ‘There are many families, Leader, two parents with sons and daughters, but because of the experimentations there are many mothers only with children, many fathers with children, and also many who are together but without children. Following them, we have many old men and old women and many single woman and single men. We are a community of all types.’

  *

  Ronald took in all that Joshua stated and he gazed round and communed with other Leaders and walked amongst his people and communed with many of them

  Men and women ran from passages and whispered in his ears

  Passing messages they had received

  And a great sense of excited noise rose amongst them

  *

  ‘Joshua, Mary, would you be prepared to remain here while Hope returns to the prison? We can talk long with you and you can speak to our World Government and tell them what you have told us. You shall be under no danger and we will find proper clothes for you and we will feed you.’

  *

  Both Joshua and Mary turned to face me

  *

  YOU WILL BE SAFE HERE AND THESE FREE HUMANS NEED TO KNOW WHAT IS ON THE SURFACE AND I CANNOT CONSIDER ANY OTHER WOULD BE MORE PROFICIENT IN THE TELLING THAN YOU TWO

  *

  Joshua nodded

  He was already growing into manhood

  And Mary hugged me and stepped to be with Joshua

  *

  I NEED TO RETURN WITH A FREE HUMAN OTHERWISE MY COMMUNITY WILL CONSIDER I HAVE DONE SOMETHING REMISS WITH JOSHUA AND MARY

  *

  ‘We are discussing that now, Hope. We are having difficulty in deciding who it should be.’

  *

  It was Ronald who made sound

  *

  I CAN CHOOSE

  MY PLAN WAS TO BRING LEADERS FROM THE FORTRESS BUT BECAUSE OF ARGUMENT I BROUGHT JOSHUA AND MARY INSTEAD

  LEADERS ARE NOT THE BEST CHOICE

  SOMEONE NEEDS TO GO WHO IS NOT OF A THE DECISION MAKING CLASS

  JUST SOMEONE WHO CAN COMMUNICATE ON AN HONEST BASIS

  I SAY CHOOSE TWO OF THAT TYPE AND I SHALL TAKE THEM

  *

  ‘You want to take children back to your prison, Hope?’

  *

  NOT NECESSARILY

  TWO YOUNG WOMEN WOULD BE MOST SUITABLE

  SOMEONE ARTICULATE SO THAT THEY COULD EXPLAIN WHAT IT IS YOU WISH DONE

  SOMEONE WHO CAN STAND IN FRONT OF TEN THOUSAND HUMANS AND MAKE SOUND

  *

  Ronald stared at me for quite long moments before whirling round to face his community and make sound

  *

  ‘Two volunteers are required to accompany Hope. Young women only, not including those who have already been outside.’

  *

  Many hands were raised in the air

  *

  ‘Susan, Ann, step forward. You are chosen.’

  *

  Once again I was impressed at the discipline

  Ronald was a real leader

  There were no dissenting voices

  Nobody shouted out that the choice was not right

  All that happened is that Susan and Ann received many hugs from all the other Humans as they came forward towards me

  The Leaders grouped together with the two women and they communicated and while they did that I communicated with Joshua and Mary

  *

  JOSHUA

  MARY

  BE KIND AND SPEAK WELL WITH THE FREE HUMANS

  *

  ‘We shall do everything we possibly can for and with them.’

  *

  It was Mary who made the sound

  And as she made it she reached out and touched my head

  Running her hand down it

  *

  ‘If only you had a mouth, it only you could talk.’

  *

  I CAN USE MY SCREEN

  *

  ‘I know. Be kind to the ladies you’re taking with you, keep them safe, help and protect them when they speak to the mass, do not let Samu
el bully them.’

  *

  I WILL NOT ALLOW THAT

  *

  Susan and Ann finally broke apart from the group, hugged the Leaders then hugged Joshua and Mary

  Moving forward to stand in front of me

  *

  ‘I am Susan.’

  *

  She was fair of hair

  Taller and older

  Than Mary

  And taller than the other woman who was going to accompany me

  But she was dressed in colorful clothing where Mary was dressed in basic furs made from the animals those of the fortress had been allowed to kill over the years

  *

  I AM HOPE

  *

  ‘Oh, I don’t think anybody in the next thousand years is going to forget your name, Hope.’

  *

  She smiled

  *

  ‘And I am Ann.’

  *

  The other woman stepped forward towards me

  She was darker of hair and of eye

  But as slim as Susan

  She also wore colorful clothing

  I nodded my head in acknowledgement

  *

  I AM INFECTED WITH FEMALE DNA

  *

  The girls stared with shocked expressions on their faces

  Mary laughed and made sound

  *

  ‘One of our girl’s, Eve, spat in Hope’s eye and infected him with her DNA. ~She said it was for the benefit of mankind.’’

  *

  Susan turned to face Mary

  *

  ‘Does that mean Hope is a girl?’

  *

  ‘If not now, probably in the future.’

  *

  And Mary and Susan laughed loudly between them

  *

  ARE YOU READY

  *

  ‘Yes Hope, we are, lead one.’

  *

  It was Susan who made sound

  I led the way from the cave until we reached open ground then I picked up Ann in my arms

  And she rode as Mary had done

  On her back in my arms

  With the weapon held in them

  And Susan climbed onto my back with her arms around my neck

  Both of them cried at the sight of the world outside their cave and Susan hugged me tightly and Ann smiled up into my face

  I moved with some speed across the land for light was seeping from the skies and I wanted to arrive at the forest as the solar orb was rising so that the women with me could see both things at the same time

  My timing could not have been better

  I stood Ann on her feet