A World Apart

by Loui Downing

  “Hey…what happened in the end?” said Neville, dejected that Zoom ended the clip when there were images still on the screen.

  “Neville…. I am not allowed to show you this again, or even talk about it. Right now I am being tracked and we need to reboot me” said Zoom, sounding authoritative and disturbed.

  “This clip is highly confidential. I may have risked your life for this Neville, so I need you to do exactly as I say” added Zoom, looking at Neville who was in no state to quibble. Zoom moved quickly over to the door they had both entered earlier.

  “Can’t you tell me more?” asked Neville as he hurried up behind Zoom.

  “I’m afraid I cannot Neville. I don’t have the access rights for any other files, or the capability to hack into them” replied Zoom, feeling sorry for Neville as he spoke, something he had never felt before. Neville slumped against the frame of the door, impatiently wanting to find his family and find out what happened here. Zoom carried on down the stairs carefully, planning his next move accurately according to his sensors. Neville thought he had better press on too and not lag behind so he headed for the stairs, realising that he had pressed his shoulder against a collection of cigarette ash on the wall.

  “Errr” said Neville as he wiped his sleeve clean.

  “I cannot actually believe humans used to eat that” said Zoom, looking back at Neville.

  “They…. Oh, never mind” replied Neville quietly.

  “WATCH OUT!” shouted Neville, watching Zoom tumble on a worm-ridden stair slat that wobbled as he moved. Zoom crashed to the floor, falling through the floorboards once again.

  “You really do have a habit for this, don’t you?” said Neville rhetorically, as Neville bent down and picked Zoom up from the rubble.

  “I used to be a human in my past life” replied Zoom, making Neville laugh so much that his grip on Zoom weakened. Zoom started talking again but his words were like a tiny birds voice in a never ending well. Neville managed to lift Zoom from the floorboards and head into the garden, Neville inhaling a gigantic load of air as they headed for the streets. The perfect summer day was now replaced by a moody bunch of clouds, waiting to vent their anger on the land below.

  “I can share with you only one thing” said Zoom quietly.

  “What is that?” questioned Neville as he stared back in a trance into Zoom’s eyes.

  “I can see the locations of humans and robots” replied Zoom quickly.

  “REALLY???” squeaked Neville.

  “It is possible yes, with your help of course” said Zoom, hoping not to dampen the excitement in Neville’s voice.

  “I need you to enter a few codes into my program on the back of me. I will read out the codes, so all you have to do is input them in” said Zoom patronisingly, Neville giving him a glare of dislike instantly. It wasn’t that Zoom didn’t trust Neville, or humans, it is based on the probability of a human achieving an accurate result or the correct procedure three times that hindered his belief in them. Neville just thought Zoom was being unkind and remained silent for a few moments after.

  “Right, just a few more moments and I should have downloaded all of the codes necessary for input” beamed Zoom, ecstatic at the news. Neville didn’t flinch at the news, looking purposely at the ground to seek attention.

  “Neville…are you ok?” asked Zoom politely.

  “I’m sure you can detect the reason why I’m upset Zoom, after all robots are perfect aren’t they!” snapped Neville, his voice getting higher and shakier as his temperature soared.

  “I’m detecting that you disliked a comment of mine made around one and thirteen seconds ago” replied Zoom, oblivious to the tone at which Neville had just spoken to him in.

  “Correct” said Neville, giving up at letting Zoom guess why he was angry.

  “The comment I made about humans Neville is based on the principle programming equation of probability, person type and other various factors. This was not meant to offend anyone. Please Neville I apologise” replied Zoom, deeply understanding and sympathetic. Neville nodded and felt a pinch of guilt hit his rib cage for making Zoom apologise.

  The two products made from one mind stood in the darkened pool of greenery as Neville fiddled continuously, adjusting his overhanging jeans and baggy t-shirt, before adjusting various components on Zoom’s screen. The look upon Zoom’s face was a cross between anxious and intrigue at what Neville was entering onto the built-in screen on Zoom’s back.

  “Have you done this before?” asked Zoom, trying to refrain from offending Neville again.

  “I did do some light programming whilst at university yes, but I always ended up making the software crash for some reason” replied Neville, as if his words were soothing.

  “Oh, please be careful” said Zoom, panicking about the condition he will be left in after Neville’s destructive service. Neville ignored the passing remark and carried on altering levers and buttons, whilst typing away on the small keyboard. Zoom began searching for another option internally in his help files, although the files were corrupt.

  “Maybe we should leave it” said Neville, enraged that his efforts were useless. Zoom closed the covering case that contained the screen and Neville started walking down the stairs. Zoom was still checking his files as Neville clicked and clacked down the stairs, his heals clipping the empty wood flooring as his made his way back down to the garden. Neville waited patiently for Zoom to appear at the bottom of the stairs before they headed through the broken fence and further into the city’s chaos.

  In the distance a disused train station stood lonesome, only the tops of the platforms and carriage heads were visible. Neville remembered the excited feeling of his youth when him and his friends would go to festivals around the country. Neville remembered the stale finish, the unusual smell and the crazy chatter of busy commuters accompanied by their boisterous behaviour, causing other traveller to move seats. Zoom and Neville walked further down the empty streets, gaining on the station that looked a million miles away. A musty coal smell blew over the houses, the smell that Neville used to despise now something he would treasurer forever. Tall wavy weeds have grown between the tracks showing how alone this place has been all this time. Neville remembers one particular train journey as the train turned elegantly and headed off speedily down the awaiting route. Looking out of the window was something Neville used to insist on, turning his head to idolise the scenery outside; new offices, houses, shops and roads and the typical English greenery, along with light drizzle to make it perfection. Neville’s parents Liona and [FILL] used to joke about leaving Neville on the train, for he was so pleasantly contented it was quite pleasing for them. Neville found it hard to leave the memory and return to reality, how so much has changed, Neville only just starting to come to terms with the way things are now.

  “In here!” whispered Zoom as he hurried down the alley, Neville still in his own memories carried on walking along.

  “No…Nevillle!!” screamed Zoom, seconds later triggering alarm bells, echoing through Neville’s ears, waking him from his daze as he placed his hands on his ears to cover the malicious noise. Neville examined where Zoom was standing earlier, advancing to the alley to rejoin Zoom.

  “You have alerted the surveillance team” instructed Zoom as the alarm bells gradually increase in noise.

  “We have around fourteen minutes to get out of this area. We need to find some mode of transportation” informed Zoom, Neville astonished by the high level of security, looking worryingly towards the skies.

  “I bet there’s a disused car or bike around here” said Neville enthusiastically as the idea rushed out of his mouth.

  “It’s a risk, I cannot access the file to locate such vehicles and use them” replied Zoom, as if they were extinct.

  “Well, there from my time so I can drive them” said Neville as though Zoom hadn’t already thought of that. Zoom ignored the comment and they both settled down for a while near a skip that contained potent fumes, Nev
ille covering his mouth and nose as he reached level with Zoom. Red and orange lights lit the road underneath them, something was approaching and it was making Neville’s insides do somersaults. Zoom began plotting a route by searching the location of the surveillance patrols. The screen that Zoom was operating informed Neville where the patrols were coming from, showing them heading right for them at all angles.

  “They’re getting closer aren’t they?” asked Neville, anxious, scared and unsure what the green and red dots were on the screen of Zoom.

  “Just a few more seconds” replied Zoom calmly and collected.

  “Follow me” squawked Zoom as he sped off out onto the streets, crossing the road and heading underneath a fence and heading further into the field, Neville struggling to keep up.

  “Come on, we don’t have time!” added Zoom, Neville closing his eyes as they crossed another field, Neville leaping of the fence this time. Neville fell as he caught his leg on a loose piece of barbed wire, catching and grazing his right knee.

  “Stay low” instructed Zoom, as there was deadly silence apart for Neville’s pounding heartbeat and occasional groan. The field they were in dipped in the centre, creating a trough, full of rubble, disused tyres, old clothing and litter scattered carelessly amid everything else. In the middle of the trough appeared to be a shack of some sort, rusty and torn from the outside and the look of danger on the inside. The scrap metal door blew freely with the breeze, slapping the window frame that looked ready for replacement decades ago. Gusts of cold wind surged up and around them both, only making Neville shiver as the hairs of his arms fluctuated.

  “Remain still” said Zoom softly. Neville attempted to hold his breath but this made his heart race sore and his cheeks turn violently purple. Neville managed around a minute before he let out an almighty gasp, accompanied by a few slurred words that Zoom found hard to decipher. It felt like an age to Neville as they both lay in the trough, avoiding making any sudden movements or noise. They listened intently for any indication of life around them, hearing thinks swoosh past them, just like sounds of a plane and a helicopter.

  “I think they have disappeared” said Neville after around five minutes of no overhead noise.

  “Just one more” replied Zoom after a short while.

  “It appears the object is stationary” added Zoom, puzzled by what it could be.

  “Hold on, I will retrace the imagery from the time we arrived” said Zoom, as Neville shuffled up the embankment of the trough to reach level height with the patrols.

  “It was here before we arrived” declared Zoom uncontrollably loud.

  “Well that means it cannot be a part of the surveillance team then” said Neville, working out what Zoom had implied. Neville carried on to the top of the trough so he was level with the rest of the field. Neville looked in the distance and noticed lights coming from a few houses. The green they were both on was very overgrown and morbid. Neville smiled outrageously as he went to observe the object found on Zoom surveillance screen.

  “Hey Zoom come up here, it’s ok, there’s no one around!” exclaimed Neville at the top of his voice. Zoom began moving, still vigilant to the surroundings, his head swirled and he went to meet Neville stood broad on the field.

  “Look, those houses over there and I’ve found this motorbike” deemed Neville, Zoom unable to comprehend with his rapid talking. Before Zoom could say or do anything, Neville started walking towards the motorbike that was crumpled on the field, tyre marks ran back to a desolated fence back towards the streets. Something bit Neville on the shin, making him scratch just above his knee without looking. The grass was a peculiar green, healthy but blotchy in place. The field edge contained tall oak and pine trees and a wire mesh surrounding the perimeter. A telecommunication pole leaned from the field over the years of erosion and subsidence. The stones and steel work of a railway track ran behind the field, heading towards the station in the distance. Neville tried to figure out what bike type it was as he moved parts around. A badge fell onto the long grass that bore the letter ‘H’ in silver slick writing, which had rusted over the years but still good in places. Neville cast his mind back and remembered the company, as well as one being parked on the same street as him as a boy.

  “My neighbour had one just like this. Different colours mind you, orange and white it was. It used to shoot past everyone” said Neville, sounding ever more child-like as the day progressed.

  “Don’t be silly Neville, these were before your time” spoke Zoom, not understanding what Neville meant. He started to place parts of the bike on the grass, repairing the damages areas and attaching the others. Once he was happy he propped the bike upright using the stand provided underneath the motorcycle. Neville noticed a piece of wire sticking out of his shoe so he bent down and yanked it out and placed it into the ignition and turned slightly until there was a jolt and a roar of the engine. The motorbike gave a silent chatter as it started and quietly chortled whilst Neville collected his things. Black smoke pilled out of the motorbike’s exhaust, clearing its throat.

  “Hey…Hey!! Who said that humans were obsolete now” cried Neville jokingly to Zoom. Zoom didn’t say anything and continued to look at the houses, searching for details such as life and any activity present, although Zoom’s screen started flashing with an error message.

  WARNING

  ‘Restricted Access’

  220-DPL1.4

  A soft woman’s voice came out of the speakers of Zoom’s side’s instructing the programmer to reset Zoom. Neville looked around him, unaware where it was coming from, the noise of the motorbike drowning out the sound of the voice. He quickly jumped onto the worn saddle on the motorbike and revved the engine, the sound was deafening but it was slowly improving.

  “Zoom, come on we can get away on this” shouted Neville over the top of the ragging engine noise. Zoom looked like he had frozen, the lights had dimmed and his eyes were red and flashing spontaneously.

  “Come on!” forced Neville, trying to get Zoom’s attention but he was not responding to any external stimuli. Neville worryingly kept urging Zoom to hurry up; Neville was still unaware of where the woman’s voice was coming from. In a burst of desperation, Neville revved his as hard as he could and wheel-spun forward, flicking mud spontaneously into the air. Zoom, completely transfixed on the houses in the distance was about to be left behind by Neville. Neville cast a look over to Zoom and sped off without looking back, as he headed towards the lit houses on the horizon. He felt so bad at leaving Zoom there, but he has no choice in the matter if he wants to survive. Neville patrolled up streets and side roads, passing abandoned cars on his way, searching for any sign of life. Neville started to slow as he approached some traffic lights, stopping in the central reservation and placing a foot down on the road. He thought of Zoom being captured and destroyed as soon as the surveillance team realise he is a defect machine, feeling deeply guilty and saddened for him, especially all the help he has given Neville, he probably wouldn’t have survived if it wasn’t for Zoom’s defective support.

  The wheel skidded as Neville turned the handlebars one hundred and eighty degrees, heading as fast as he could. He was returning to Zoom, he couldn’t leave him alone there. Neville’s cheeks tingle as they turned a harsh red, the breeze as he travelled on the motorcycle was very intense. There was no stopping Neville, his foot firmly on the accelerator, ploughing his way through the fence to the field with no remorse. Once he had dodged the bumps and dips in the field he looked around for Zoom. Neville scanned further in the distance and around the field edge but he was nowhere to be seen. He thought that Zoom might have decided to follow him and walk off. Neville disengaged the motorcycle and headed towards a glimmer in the undergrowth not far from where they were standing earlier. Stretching to reach, Neville picked up the shiny object which appeared to be a small rectangular glass object. He looked closely on the reverse of the object and noticed numbers flickering at random, stopping occasionally and then turning green. It
was extremely heavy for such as small object, very delicate also, as Neville placed it in a loose jean pocket. Neville walked back over to the motorcycle, completely intoxicated by the contents of the small object. Neville gazed around panicking to see Zoom, as he saw a piece of paper. The corners of the paper rocked with the thorn branches as the wind got behind them. Neville snatched it abruptly from its home and began reading.

  “Two glasses of life have distinct differences.

  It could be over a bridge, over a damn, in a pool next to a man.

  No life or death would empty the glass.

  01417788200346921

  Z”

  Neville stood and observed the text before him, making him feel paranoid at the thought of someone watching him or playing a prank on him.

  “What happened here?” mumbled Neville to himself rhetorically as his hand warmed in his pocket from the glass object. He wondered why he suddenly felt so cold and frightened, realising there was a heavy mean cloud approaching and a blistering wind. Neville felt so angry with himself for leaving Zoom alone, if hadn’t of sped off he could have saved him, thoughts rushed through his mind of him being slaughtered or used to find him. He took a minute to reflect on all the weird things that had happened since he had arrived, shaking his head at the thought of being in America fighting for a few cents for a warm drink and assessed the situation here in England as a surreal one. Neville pondered over where Zoom could be, placing a thumb and finger delicately on his chin and cheek, pausing for a plan. He was distracted by some bushes where he had found the note a few moments ago, so he walked up to it and lifted the bushes instantly, becoming more and more impatient as the night grew long. Underneath the bushes were small tracks that lead to the top of the embankment and died as they became faint. Neville was so desperate to see Zoom now, as it was gradually getting darker. Neville felt a few droplets of rain splatter on his cranium, gentle at first but then harder, making him place his jumper over his head to bloke the droplets. He had no choice but to leave Zoom wherever he was and find shelter for the night or keep on moving. It had only been around twenty minutes since Neville last saw Zoom, Neville’s departure made his guilt expand like a hot air balloon.