The Spark (White Gates Adventures Book 4)

by Trevor Stubbs

  “Kakko, whatever you tell your parents, please play it down when you talk to mine.”

  “Course,” answered Kakko slightly piqued. “I’m not wacko.”

  “No. Of course not.” Tam chuckled to himself. How he loved this girl. He must be mad. “Thanks.”

  ***

  That same day, Ruth’s people flew in, too. Far from being held to blame, James was seen as the hero. If anyone was to blame it was them, they said. They should never have been persuaded to let her travel. Kakko wondered what authority parents had over a nineteen-year-old in Australia. “Not much,” said Zoe. “Here in India, young people do not do what we do in the West. They listen and honour – but then, Dev has parents who are worthy of it.”

  A nurse came with a message from the British consul. He had been made aware of the situation and wondered if Kakko needed assistance. They would like her to phone the consulate.

  “Time to make ourselves scarce,” said Tam. “Too many questions.”

  They were on their way to the hotel in a rickshaw to ask Dev how to get back to Agra when Tam spotted the white gate on the boundary of the Machodari Park. He didn’t notice it at first – they like their white gates in India – but when she saw it, Kakko knew at once that it was one of theirs.

  They took their leave with hugs and kisses all round. Zoe was sad to see them go. Every goodbye seemed so final.

  “I shall ask the Creator for a gate for you to come to the wedding,” she affirmed. “Anyway, whatever, have a great life… until next time.”

  The whole city seemed empty to Zoe after Kakko and Tam had gone. “It would be great for them if they are able to come to our wedding.” Then she added thoughtfully, “But I wish they could come without bringing a dramatic adventure.”

  Dev laughed. “We have a lifetime to give thanks for them. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have got back together.”

  Zoe sighed. “Yeah. And if it weren’t for them, we might have got it together the first time. Poor Tam.”

  “No. I asked Tam because I needed courage. I doubt I would ever have had the courage.”

  “The Lord works in mysterious ways.”

  “Of course. That is the way it is with God.”

  22

  Shaun had dispensed with the crutches; he was now walking with a stick and, without any support for short distances, things were improving for him. While Kakko was away, he found himself free to see Wennai without his sister rushing things. Kakko was, of course, right – he was more than just friends with Wennai. She wasn’t his girlfriend – they didn’t hold hands and regard themselves as an item – but Wennai walked alongside him in a way that no-one else did; she was naturally patient with him and listened. Somehow, his experiences of war had brought him even closer to her because she understood grief and heartache. Wennai was deep. Her own loss was not one she tried to bury but she couldn’t go around bringing it into everyday life with other people. With Shaun it was different – it didn’t have to be spoken of but it was understood. As Kakko had said, they were good for each other.

  Wennai knew Shaun believed God would heal him – that was where they differed. She would like Shaun’s God to heal him but She couldn’t – Wennai still believed God’s existence to be a figment of Shaun’s imagination. She had not changed her mind on that. But Shaun was not trying to persuade her to believe – he never had. All he required of her was that she give him space to relate to his Creator. She had learned to do that. She respected it, and even envied it if she were honest, and on that basis their friendship prospered. She had been aware that his faith had received a knock but she had also learned that it would take more than the psychological trauma he had received to convince him that God was not with him or that She had given up loving him. But Shaun was still not sure how such a fundamental faith difference would allow their relationship to grow into a committed partnership. One night before she got into bed, Wennai had challenged Shaun’s God for a sign. “Heal him,” she had said, “and I might believe in you.” But there had been no sudden miracle.

  That day, however, Wennai was to receive a challenge she hadn’t asked for. Shaun had told her, and her alone, that he had rejected the Creator’s last attempt to persuade him through a white gate. He had said that he had regretted not going through it and had resolved to accept the next invitation whatever he was feeling at the time. That morning the invitation came; his resolve was put to the test.

  Shaun turned to Wennai. He texted her that he had seen the dreaded gate. He was on his own in the cottage. His nan was visiting her friend, Ada, and had dropped Yeka off at her nursery on the way. His mother and father were at work, Bandi was on Earth One, and Kakko was still adventuring with Tam somewhere. He needed to tell someone where he was going and Wennai was the only one who knew the full implications of this new challenge. Having her there in person was going to make stepping through the hedge that little bit easier. The gate had appeared as soon as it had got light. If it had been for anyone else they were bound to have come across it because it was right next to the main gate they always used. He had to tell someone and he didn’t want to call his parents back. Wennai was the perfect person. She wouldn’t fuss him and she would explain things to his parents. Wennai agreed to come; it didn’t take her long.

  “So you can see one of your white gates. What are you going to do?” asked Wennai.

  “I have to trust Her.”

  “If you say so. Where is it?”

  “Over there to the left of the usual gate.”

  “Oh, Shaun,” she breathed a sigh of relief. “I can see that one – that new gate there.” Wennai pointed directly at it. “That’s not one of your special white gates.”

  “It is. That is no ordinary gate.”

  Wennai went up to it. It couldn’t be a special white gate because she could see it. She laid her hand on the cool, smooth paintwork… and then looked through into a new, beautiful world. Slowly, she turned and faced Shaun, an alarmed look on her face.

  “So it’s for you, too. I don’t know why but I had never expected you to get an invitation to another world.”

  “Neither did I… What are we going to do, Shaun?”

  “We have three choices.”

  “Go through it, stop here, or… what’s the third?”

  “Or I go through it and you don’t. You don’t have to say yes to it.”

  “If you go through it, I will. If you don’t, I won’t.”

  “It could turn out… nasty,” said Shaun, in a warning tone.

  “But not all places are horrible.”

  “They all have a challenge.”

  They looked at one another. They both knew Shaun wasn’t going to ignore the gate this time. He had regretted his decision on the previous occasion and he felt stronger now.

  “What about your family?” asked Shaun.

  “I’ll text Patia. That’ll be fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m an independent person. I don’t have a parent to say otherwise. And you need me, and I— actually I’m looking forward to an adventure. I like the idea of sharing one of your escapades – I don’t get to go anywhere, do I?”

  “OK. Let’s do it. I’m glad I’m not doing this on my own. The Creator knows what I need.”

  “Me, it seems.”

  Shaun rang his mother and Wennai texted her sister. There didn’t appear to be a change of clothes necessary. There was nothing beside the gate to equip themselves with. Shaun was wearing his usual T-shirt and jeans, Wennai a loose top with matching shorts and a floppy hat. She had a crocheted shoulder bag containing a small brush, mirror, tissues and other make-up items, and her mobile phone.

  Shaun said to turn off their phones. They wouldn’t be able to use them anywhere outside Joh and they might as well conserve their batteries.

  “You go first,” said Wennai, a quiver in her voice.

  ***

  The place beyond the white gate was beautiful. They stood on the edge of a wood o
verlooking a green and pleasant valley. One glance told them that this was no place on Planet Joh. The sunlight was different. There was a whiteness about it that reminded Wennai of the kind of light you get from an LED bulb. All the plants, from the smallest flower to the largest tree, were unrecognisable. They were trees but in every detail they were different. The grass they stood on was like grass, yet it looked alien.

  “Wow,” said Wennai. She was completely taken aback. “And I thought I was good at biology!”

  Shaun was already processing the experience. “It’s different but these things are bound to use photosynthesis. They’re green.”

  “It’s beautiful,” said Wennai firmly, “however it works.”

  “Joh-like oxygen levels, too,” added Shaun taking a deep breath of sweet-scented air. “This place smells deliciously fresh.”

  Just then, they were aware they were not alone. Someone or something was moving over to their left.

  “Locals?” wondered Shaun. “Let’s make contact… Something is eating this grass; it’s cropped. It could be a kind of cattle.”

  But before they saw any kind of animal, they had reached a hedgerow beyond which was a narrow road. A four-wheeled vehicle approached them. Apart from a low whir it was silent. It didn’t appear to have a windscreen, just a shining metallic front shaped to deflect the wind. Shaun looked for the driver or passenger but there was none to be seen. The vehicle slowed to a stop and scanned them from across the hedge with a threatening lens. Shaun was about to call out when the vehicle abruptly drove off.

  “Charming,” said Wennai.

  “Let’s follow the road,” suggested Shaun.

  “Which way?”

  “Follow the vehicle down the hill. We’re more likely to find someone at the bottom of a hill than at the top – well, that’s true on Joh.”

  After a couple of kilometres they came to what looked like a house. But it was clearly empty – either that or the owners had completely given up on maintaining their garden. Shaun tried to open the gate. It was seized up – bound by the entwining branches of the shrubs that surrounded it. The door to the house had clearly not been used for some time either. Shaun and Wennai moved on. They found house after house equally abandoned. It was quite sad but also alarming. What had happened to these people?

  At last they came to a driveway that was in frequent use. There were tyre tread track marks and also what looked like footprints made by strange rectangular shoes of exactly the same kind. They led to a yard in front of a very large barn with wide low doors that stood open.

  Shaun took Wennai’s hand. “Let’s go and say hello.”

  The barn was a hive of activity. Figures of several sizes were standing around what looked like a self-operated production line. It reminded Wennai of the construction conveyor she had seen on a school trip to a factory. They saw no human beings or anything that resembled flesh and blood. There were figures but they appeared to be robotic – mobile machines. Shaun and Wennai approached nearer.

  Suddenly a barrier fell in front of them. Another step and it would have struck them.

  “Woah,” squawked Shaun. “That was close!”

  “Sor-ry!” shouted Wennai in a disgusted tone. “They should take more care.”

  A lens emerged from the door post. It scanned them with several clicks and zips. Then it fell silent. Shaun spoke into the lens. Nothing stirred. Wennai called into the factory. Again nothing. The robots seemed intent on their own business.

  Then Wennai noticed what they were making: complete replicas of themselves. Every three minutes, completed middle-sized robots emerged from the production line, stood to attention, spent a few moments motionless as if waiting for something to boot up inside their brains, then turned left of their own will and disappeared through a low door to the right of the metal barn wall. From where they were standing, Shaun and Wennai couldn’t see where they went after that.

  “To enter or not?” wondered Shaun out loud.

  “Well, at least there’s life in there… of sorts. We’re bound to find someone in charge.”

  Shaun ducked beneath the newly descended barrier and began walking towards the robots. Wennai followed. Almost immediately four medium-sized robots rolled out from the mass of engineering and approached them with what looked like wands… or swords.

  Shaun began to speak. “We want… We would like,” he corrected as the bots looked rather menacing. He addressed them because there was no-one else around to speak to. They kept advancing, then extended a pair of arms as a stockhandler might to usher cattle or sheep. Shaun stood his ground. One of the bots stepped forward and jabbed him with his wand.

  “Ouch!” exclaimed Shaun.

  Another did the same to Wennai.

  “That hurts,” she complained. “Shaun, it’s time to leave.” She stepped smartly back under the barrier. Having been jabbed a second time, Shaun followed. This time the electric shock was stronger than the first. The barrier lifted and the bots moved behind them as Wennai and Shaun fled back onto the road. The bots kept following. Then, as if from nowhere, a vehicle arrived and barred their path. Shaun and Wennai looked back. They were trapped. But one of the pursuing bots opened a gate into a field and stepped back.

  “Better do as we’re told,” said Wennai breathless. This was quite scary.

  They obliged and stepped into the field. The bot closed the gate behind them and then he and his mates turned and made off back to the factory while the vehicle turned and retreated.

  Apparently safe in the field, the couple took stock.

  “They treated us as if we were escaped sheep,” complained Wennai.

  “Yes. They are robots that have concluded we’re flesh and blood that doesn’t fit into their world. They probably haven’t seen the like of us before and think we are a sort of animal that belongs in a field.”

  “They are acting as if they own the place,” worried Wennai.

  “I think they probably do. They are programmed to behave like a farmer would. They would always act logically and probably learn as they go.”

  “Artificial intelligence?”

  “I reckon so. But the question is: How advanced are they? Do they defer to organic beings?”

  “But someone must have made them. They would be in charge.”

  “You would hope so but artificial intelligence can get out of hand. Kakko was telling me that the Thenits reported on the dangers from their experience, and Bandi has read stuff from Planet Earth written by authors who could see the way things were going on that planet. A guy called Isaac Asimov has come up with three rules in the programming of any artificial intelligence to prevent it taking control over human beings. I heard him and Kakko talking about it recently. It’s a real threat. The prototype for these bots was probably made by some kind of people but they didn’t see the dangers. Did you see what they were making?”

  “More robots.”

  “Exactly. My guess is that they no longer need their organic creators.”

  “That’s scary. What will they do to us?”

  “I reckon as long as we continue to behave like sheep, we’re safe for now.”

  “Demeaning but wise.”

  “The question for us is, what does the Creator want us to do here…? Look, let’s head off across this field and check out those woods.”

  “What do you expect to find? Are you hoping to find people?”

  “If the bots don’t want them on the roads and in the houses they might get away with living off the beaten track…”

  “And out of sight.”

  Ten minutes later Wennai and Shaun had entered the woods and found a kind of path. Using Shaun’s former plan, they followed it downhill. Without warning, a creature leapt from the undergrowth in front of them. He had some sort of weapon but Shaun did not heed that in his surprise.

  “Sponron,” he uttered, as he took in the large flat face, skinny body, bright eyes…

  Wennai threw her hands in the air. “We’re unarmed!” sh
e shouted.

  The Sponron visibly relaxed and called out. Very quickly the path in front of them filled with the spindly creatures.

  “I am from Planet Joh,” explained Shaun hurriedly. “We gave shelter to some of your kind a year or so ago.” He desperately tried to think of a few Sponron words but they wouldn’t come. He had not spent as much time with the young Sponrons as Kakko and Tam had. They were completely new to Wennai – she had not met those who had spent a short time on Joh. She felt self-conscious in the stares of a gathering number of large, bright blue eyes. At least Shaun seemed to know what was going on and who these alien people were, which was enormously reassuring.

  “I remember it well,” said a smiling face. It was One – the young male Sponron who had linked up with Shaun and Tam and put in motion the release of the slaves aboard the space cruiser, Tal, several years before. “It seems that once again you people have come to rescue us.”

  “Yeah,” said Shaun diffidently. “Tell us about it.”

  “We will. But first we must make you properly welcome,” said an older Sponron who seemed to be the leader of the group.

  They led Shaun and Wennai into a village of houses made of wooden branches and leaves. Beneath the trees and among the undergrowth, they were so camouflaged that Wennai and Shaun didn’t see them until they were almost upon them. Some houses were in the branches of the trees themselves.

  “You blend in well,” observed Wennai.

  “We had to,” said One; “the ASI has developed a drone… but there’s little point these days as we’re pretty sure they have installed infrared sensors in them anyway – it would be amazing if they hadn’t.”