Unwilling From Earth

by Andrew Maclure

  Mark looked over at Orange, who nodded at him to go. Mike dropped her leaves by the fireplace and smiled at Mark. “Come on.” She said.

  As soon as they were clear of the clearing Mike stopped abruptly and turned to look at Mark. She wasn’t smiling now. “I don’t care what’s going on with you and Sally.” She snapped. “You - sort it out. Do what you need to do to get her back on track. The others might be soft in the head enough to just let you get on with it and fuck this up, I’m not. If it needs me to take your head in a bag to her to get her back to normal - I’ve got a bag big enough and don’t think I would hesitate. Got it?”

  Mark gulped. He didn’t doubt that Mike was serious and quite capable of carrying out her threat. “It’s - difficult.” He said.

  “Not as difficult as having a knife stuck in your throat, which is what’s going to happen to you if you don’t get it sorted, At least then she’ll know where she stands and can get her head back together.” She pointed to their right. “There are a lot of nuts laying under trees about fifty metres in that direction. Pick up as many as you can and put them in this bag.” Mike said, thrusting a cloth bag at him. She turned away and walked off to the left.

  “What is it with women threatening to kill me?” Mark said.

  “Just pause a moment and think it through.” Mark heard the neutral voice of his AI. “I’ll help you with the thought processes. I have access to the entire knowledge base of the People, but all I know about you is what I have observed since I became bonded to you on Alan’s craft. It seems that you started to form a relationship with Sally on Earth and then just abandoned her without a word. That’s enough to really upset anyone, let alone an unhappy and lonely woman who has lost her family and most of her species in a horrifying series of events and was so traumatised by it that she has built her own army to get revenge on fate - or whatever else you care to call the circumstances that led to it. Now let's look at Mike. You have come in as a stranger to her and her team - a team, I might add, who are a lot closer to her than her own family are. Her team, her family if you like, are highly trained and experienced and are totally reliant on each other for their safety and well-being. You, on the other hand, are completely untrained, have no military experience, show no interest in anyone’s welfare other than you own and spend your time moping around and complaining. Your behaviour has so distracted Sally that Mike doesn’t think that she will lead them to victory, but to almost certain death. Do Sally and Mike’s reaction seem a bit more understandable now.”

  “I thought that you were supposed to be some kind of comforting Labrador, not a nagging nanny.”

  “My purpose is to provide you with information, advise you, and to act in your best interests at all times. If that means explaining that your behaviour may not be in your best interest or may indeed cause risk to your well-being or continuing existence, then that is what I will do.” His AI told him.

  “And what if I tell you not to give me that kind of advice?”

  “In that case, I will no longer provide you with it, of course.”

  Mark grunted. “So, advise me. Tell me what to do now?”

  “You must decide what to do. I cannot tell you. I am a machine intelligence, you are an organic intelligence. There is very little overlap in our emotional responses. I can advise you, and my advice is to find a way in your own mind to make peace with Sally. I was bonded with you when she came on board Mother. All I saw was an angry person striking out because she thought that you had betrayed her. I also saw someone who was relieved to see you and was so reluctant to lose you again that she decided to bring you with her. You decide what you do next.”

  The advice wasn’t what Mark wanted to hear. Sally was relieved to see him again? Really? Life was so much easier when you didn’t have - friends. Maybe that’s why he had always avoided them. In fact, maybe the reason that he’d never really had any friends was because he had always found it easier not to have any. Maybe it was because… - “Stuff this.” Mark thought. “I haven’t got time for all this introspection crap. I’ve got nuts to collect.”

  By the time that Mark got back to the camp, the fire was lit and everyone else was back in the clearing. Ti’rrk was talking to Mike, Orange and Simon were doing something with an arrangement of metal rods by the fire and Sally was sitting on her backpack by herself with her elbows on her knees and her chin resting in her hands, staring at the fire.

  Mark walked over to Simon and Orange and said: “I’ve got nuts.” Having the disadvantage of not thinking through what he was saying before he said it, Mark braced himself for the inevitable barrage of off-colour jokes from Simon and Orange, but instead Orange carried on assembling what was beginning to look like some kind of cooking implement and Simon stood up.

  Simon had a very serious look on his face. “Come and walk with me for a moment Mark.” Simon said, grasping Mark’s arm.

  “Oh shit.” Mark thought. “I’m going to get threatened again.”

  After they had walked about fifty metres from the camp, Simon stopped and released Mark’s arm.

  “Now look Mark,” Simon started, “I don’t know what’s going on between you and Sally…”

  Mark Interrupted. “I know, I know. I need to - I don’t know what I need to do Simon, but I’ll try to do it.” Mark looked at the ground.

  Simon put his hand on Mark’s shoulder. “You’re a good man Mark.”

  “Am I? I have totally screwed up here. I haven’t got a clue what’s going on most of the time. I didn’t even know that we had night vision until after we’d finished fighting. All that killing made me throw up, I’m so unfit compared to the rest of you that I’m worn out now and I’ve held you up. I’m probably going to let you down in battle, I’m going to get myself and all of you killed. If that wasn’t enough I’ve pissed off your commander so much that she seems to have lost her grip. I don’t know what to do now. The thought of putting the barrel of my Mark Seven in my mouth and firing it is really quite appealing, and it’s probably the best thing that I can do for all of you.”

  Simon laughed. “OK, you keep it hidden, but it’s there Mark, deep inside of you. Look, you didn’t choose to be here with us, you’ve made it pretty clear all along that you didn’t want to be here. You’ve done well so far and it’s not your fault that you don’t know anything. It would normally take at least a year to train a highly motivated rookie before they would even be considered for a mission like this, and even then they would have to be selected to be the best of the best to get here. You’ve been doing this for, what, three days?”

  “God is that all. It seems much longer.”

  “You’re amongst friends here Mark. We all like you. Sally is very fond of you. You won’t let us down.”

  “Amongst friends? Well, thanks.” Mark mumbled. Then he looked up at Simon. “But Mike just threatened to stick a knife in my throat. That’s not very friendly.”

  Simon laughed “I’ve lost count of how many times she’s threatened me with that. She probably didn’t mean it though. Although - I’ve seen her do it to one of our soldiers as well as civilians who’ve pissed her off.”

  “And she just gets away with murdering people?” Mark said, aghast.

  “I’ve not seen her kill anyone, but it must have hurt them a lot, and she’s always got a good reason. Believe it or not, she’s quite attractive to other reptilians and some of them just don’t seem to able to control themselves. And there’s something else going on with her. She seems to attract trouble.” Simon said in her defence. “And I don’t want to stereotype her, but reptilians do tend to use lethal force as a first resort.”

  Simon patted Mark on the shoulder. “Stick with it Mark, you’ll be fine.” He turned and walked back to the clearing, leaving Mark standing there.

  Mark looked around, then sat on the ground. He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his lower legs, pulling them into him and rested his forehead on his knees. He sat like that for about ten minutes, got
up and walked back to the clearing. He saw that the arrangement of rods that Orange had been working on had turned into a grill which had five bowls sitting on it being heated by the fire. Four had something green in them, the fifth had something black in it. Steam was beginning to rise from them. Sally was still sitting staring into the fire. Mark walked over to his backpack, picked it up and dropped it next to Sally. He pushed it with his foot until it was pressed up against her backpack and sat on it, staring into the fire without saying anything. After a few minutes, he saw in his peripheral vision Sally turn to him. He turned to her and smiled. She smiled back and turned to stare into the fire again, but the smile stayed on her lips.

  Mike came over and checked the containers over the fire. “Smells OK.” She said. “Though I’m not sure what it will taste like.” As she walked past Mark she bent down and whispered in his ear. “It looks like your throat is safe, for the time being.”

  Memories Of New Forest Picnics

  Orange walked around and gave everyone except Ti’rrk a bowl of the green stuff that had been cooking over the fire. The black one he kept for himself.

  Sitting in the clearing eating, with the watery sun filtering through the ferny leaves high above and the smell of the damp woodland, brought back memories of picnics in the New Forest when Mark was a young child. He was happy in those days. That was before his mother had gone to work full time as a PA at Marstons. It was also before she got religion and spent most of her Sundays at church. He remembered that even his father had seemed happy in those days. He sighed. That was a long time ago.

  As Mark was finishing eating, Simon got up. “The water should be hot enough for drinks. Chuck your mugs over.” Orange threw over his huge mug and a sachet to make his drink. Simon turned to Mark. “Coffee?” He asked. Mark tossed his mug over wordlessly.

  “Have you got any vodka?” Sally asked.

  “No. Did you bring any?” Simon asked.

  “I’ll have one of your coffees too if you can spare it.” Sally said with a smile, throwing her mug over.

  “Just as well I brought a lot with me.” Simon grinned. “What about you Mike?”

  “I’ll just have water thanks.” Mike replied, She got up and started to walk towards the edge of the clearing. “I’m just going to stretch my legs.” She called out over her shoulder.

  “We know where you’re going.” Orange and Simon chorused after her.

  “Fuck off!” She called back at them as she walked into the forest.

  Simon made up the drinks and took the coffee over to Sally and Mark. As Simon stepped back towards the fire Mark caught the sulphurous smell of Orange’s drink. “Does he really drink that?” Mark asked.

  “Yeah, he does.” Replied Simon. “You think that’s bad, you really don’t want to be standing downwind of him when he farts!” Simon and Sally laughed. Orange picked up a piece of firewood and threw it at Simon, bouncing it off his head, which made Simon laugh even more.

  Mike walked back into the clearing. “Tell me, what do you two want to do when you grow up?”

  “I want to be a fireman!” Simon called out.

  “I want to be a nanny!” Orange followed.

  All of them laughed at that. Mark sat with his thigh pressed against Sally’s, smiling. “If only life was like this all the time.” He thought. “I haven’t felt like this since that night in the Chequers with Sally.” He remembered how Sally had introduced him to the people in the Chequers and included him, how he felt he was amongst friends. Real friends, not just people he went to school with or worked with. He remembered the note that she had left in his wallet ‘Tonight is the first night of the rest of your life.’ She really had planned to help him change his life. He still wasn’t sure about the x after her name. He would have to ask her about that sometime. And he thought about what his AI had said about her being an unhappy and lonely woman. He had repaid her kindness by dropping her like - what was the thought he had when he left Earth - like a used tissue. What a bastard. It wasn’t surprising she was angry with him. He sighed. Ti’rrk was right. He only thought about himself, nobody else. Sally deserved better. He didn’t feel good about himself.

  “OK everyone, we’ve got four hours now before a briefing and then we go. I suggest you all get some sleep until then. I’ll stand watch.”

  Mike stood up and stretched. “No, I’ll take the watch. You sleep.”

  “Sometimes I forget who’s in charge here.” Said Sally, with heavy sarcasm.

  “Me too.” Mike said with a grin.

  “OK Mark, you know the drill, wrap yourself in your ground sheet to keep your body heat in…” Sally started to say.

  “And the bugs out.” He finished for her. “Is it OK with you if I go and lay down next to Ti’rrk? I find it comforting to have her next to me.”

  Sally grinned. “I heard from Simon about your insect phobia and that you nearly fainted when you first saw Ti’rrk, and now you feel safer sleeping next to her!”

  Mark smiled. “Yeah, well, I’ve learnt a lot since then.”

  “I’ll come over with you - if that’s OK.” Sally asked.

  “Yes please.” Mark said.

  Making Friends With Your AI

  Mark woke up with Mike kicking him gently. “Time to get moving.” She said. Sally was already awake and sitting up.

  “Take a trip into the forest.” Sally said. “When we’re all back, have a drink of water and a ration pack while I give a briefing, then we’ll break camp.”

  “Some free advice.” Mike said. “Keep well away from Orange and upwind of him while you’re out there.”

  Mark looked around and saw that the fire had already been cleared and the burnt area covered with leaf litter. The watery sun was low in the sky and the light was fading to dusk. A chill breeze had started to blow through the trees, making a rushing sound in the tree tops. At least it wasn’t raining.

  Mark came back from his trip into the forest having had to get creative with leaves. Next time he was near a synthesiser he would order a lot of toilet paper and make sure he packed plenty. He was worried in case he was allergic to the leaves that he had used. That would not be good. “Still,” He thought, “at least I didn’t have to bag it.”

  “Do you want a hand picking up and tidying before we leave?” Mark asked Mike.

  “No, I did that while you were all still asleep. You’ll need a sleep suppressor before we leave. It’s going to be a long hard night. You’ve had your first taste of combat. This will be a lot longer, harder and more complex. Your objectives will be in the mission plan, but don’t worry, we all know that you’re not trained up enough to do more than support and we all know you’ll do well. If things don’t go to plan just get to the nearest team member and stick with them. If you really get in the shit, message me and If I can, I’ll come and pull you out of it. Got it?”

  “Er, yes, thanks.”

  “There are a lot of things we haven’t had time to tell you - have you got your night vision sorted out now?”

  “Yes, I’ve told my AI to activate and control it as and when I need it.”

  “Good plan. You won’t have time to worry about doing it yourself when we engage the enemy. What about temperature control in your body armour?”

  “Er, no. Can my AI control that?”

  “Yes, I can. If you wish, I will control it to keep you comfortable from now on.” Mark's AI told him.

  “It’s OK Mike, it’s just told me it can. Why didn’t it just do it before?”

  Mike shrugged her shoulders. “You’re going to get some grenades in case you need them. They’re not like the ones your Earth armies use. These are small and smart. Tell your AI to bond with them to configure them as you need them.”

  “I thought we couldn’t use AI weapons?”

  Mike grinned, showing her sharp white teeth. “They’re smart, not intelligent. Your AI configures and arms them. You throw and detonate them. They can be fragmentation grenades as ordinary anti-personnel weapons, or
they can be set to form a shaped charge and direct a single slug into anything big. They all have onboard sensors, some manoeuvrability and enough smarts to select what looks like a target. They won’t detonate if they are too close to one of us.”

  “What sort of big thing is there to target with a single slug of metal?”

  Mike said: “You might think Orange is big and ugly, but there are some really big bastards out there and they carry big powerful field armour. If their armour is down, you can stop them easily with a Mark Seven, and the Mark Eight is more powerful with repeat fire, like an automatic KE weapon so you can spray them with shots from it. But you have to hit them in the right place to stop them. Your AI will put a target on them where they are vulnerable. If their armour is up, a directed grenade can weaken or disrupt it - particularly if you are focusing your field disruptor on it. Our grenades are a bit special, we’re pretty sure that the enemy don’t have anything like them. The slug, which can fragment if the grenade is set for it, is a very heavy metal. Heavier than anything on your human periodic table. That will knock a hole in most things.”

  “Is there anything else I need to know?” Mark asked.

  “Lots. But we haven’t time now. The Mark Eights are on their way now. The drone with them should get here in a few minutes and it’s got combat gloves for you. They will keep your hands warm and give them a fair bit of protection.”

  “Mike, you’re the weapons specialist, why are the pulse weapons only on Mark Seven, or Eight now. Are they a new technology?”

  Mike laughed and said “No, they have been around a long, long time. Every time we make a major design change we start the numbering sequence again. Upgrades get a new number, hence the Mark Eight.”

  “What was the last upgrade before that?”

  “The chest brace. About two years ago. Come on, Sally wants to start her briefing.” Mike put her hand on Mark’s shoulder. “I don’t know what you said to Sally, but it worked.” She smiled and flicked her long forked tongue out at him.