by Steve Simons
Chapter 10 I Don't Want To Be Scanned
The narrator on the cube video finished the recording by saying, We are making this record in-case there are no survivors and so that anyone who comes along after us is warned about the danger of this type of energy production. On a personal level I am already showing symptoms of the illness and doubt if I will be around much longer.
Barry looks at Tom and says, Crikey they killed themselves by simply making the wrong choice about how to produce their power.
27 82 16 takes the boys by surprise as it says, I do not understand what killed means and what happened to the Cree Ators.
Tom Replies, The Cree Ators must have been similar to us he points to himself and Barry, then continues, The had living cells and these were poisoned by the stuff that they were making their energy from.
27 82 16 asks, What is poisoned?
Barry replies, Their structure was destroyed by the material that they were getting their energy from.
27 82 16 says, I see what you mean, but surely they being the Cree Ators and all powerful makers of the Realbots could have predicted that this material was so destructive.
Barry replies, Obviously not, it probably only became destructive when they started making energy from it. We have something similar where we come from. In small amounts uranium and similar materials is reasonably harmless, but as soon as you start to make energy from it, it becomes deadly.... er .... destructive.
27 82 16 asks, Could they not have repaired themselves?
Tom replies, No, the destruction must have been so bad that there was nothing left worth repairing.
27 82 16 remarks, How absolutely terrible. No way to avoid the destruction. Even though all of the energy production places were shut down it was too late. We could not understand why the Cree Ators had left us, now I see that they had no choice in the matter, they just ceased to exist.
Tom replies, Absolutely right.
27 82 16 goes silent for a while, although Tom notices that its lights are flashing quite rapidly, nothing comes out of the communicator in Tom's hand. Then suddenly 27 82 16 says, We are ready to scan you now.
Both boys are completely taken by surprise at this revelation, Tom says, But we don't want to be..... scanned.... for what purpose is this... scanning?
27 82 16 says, After what you have just discovered I would have thought it was even more important than ever to be scanned, to make sure you have not suffered from any damage.
Tom asks, But the very process of scanning us could cause damage and it might hurt us.
Again 27 82 16 goes silent for a while, its lights flashing quite rapidly. Then it replies, The Realbots can assure you that there will be no .... what did you call it?...... pain... as for damage, there should be none.
Barry says to Tom, I don't like the sound of There should be no damage.
Me neither replies Tom, then he asks 27 82 16, What if we refused to be scanned?
27 82 16 says, I do not understand, why would you want to refuse? The Realbots want to ensure your safety.
Barry utters, More like satisfy your curiosity about the fact that we aren't transparent and you'd like to know what our insides are like.
27 82 16 replies, I do not understand.
Tom turns to Barry and suggests that they contact Aseer Alc and Dar Reg to see what they advise. Barry agrees. Tom contacts Aseer Alc and tells her what has happened.
There is a pause as Aseer Alc considers the matter. Then she replies, I understand where the Realbots are coming from regards checking that you have not been damaged by the energy source, but they have no baseline information about your physiological structure to compare their scan with, so it would be a bit pointless.
Tom simply replies, I didn't understand a word of that.
Aseer Alc apologises for confusing him and simply says, Apart from satisfying their own curiosity about your insides, there's no point in the scan, so you have the right to refuse.
Tom asks, But what if they get nasty about it
Aseer Alc replies, They have shown no signs of aggression so far have they?
Tom hesitantly says, No..... but they could turn nasty.
Aseer Alc says, I somehow doubt from what you have told us so far, that they will, they seem to be peaceful in nature. You have seen no evidence of any form of weapons so far
have you?
Tom replies, No but they can move things without touching them, one of these things accidentally lifted me into the air.
Aseer Alc says, If you just do not want to be scanned, refuse and if necessary make a run for the gateway. You are still near it aren't you?
Tom replies, Well sort of, within running distance anyway, we are actually in a building away from the gateway at the moment.
Aseer Alc says, Just tell them you don't want to be scanned. If they insist, tell them it is pointless as they have no baseline information to compare the scan against. Got that?
Tom repeated the phrase back and Aseer Alc confirmed he had it right.
Tom then spoke to 27 82 16, putting the argument to it.
27 82 16 does not reply for a while, but the usual flashing of lights takes place and even those cease for a considerable time.
Tom turns to Barry and asks, What do you suppose is going on?
Barry replies, Either they are considering the matter carefully, or we've upset them.
Tom says, What's to consider, our argument is quite logical, if Aseer Alc has got her baseline thing right?
There are noises by the entrance, another Realbot enters the library and moves rapidly towards Barry, Tom and 27 82 16, as it gets closer, suddenly without any warning Barry and Tom find themselves being lifted off of the ground, presumably by the two Realbots' movement fields. The Realbots set off at quite a decent speed, heading out of the library and back over to the collection of buildings that they had passed by on their way out to the library.
Barry and Tom struggle to release themselves, but without effect. They protest at the tops of their voices, but the Realbots seem to be ignoring their protests. They pass by the entrance to the factory area that the seat had emerged from, they change direction and head further along the exterior of the building complex. Barry and Tom are still protesting and struggling, but it has no effect on the determination of the Realbots.
They are now approaching a different style of building and head straight for the impressive looking entrance. The doors open as they approach and the Realbots head off down a corridor, again the door at the end of this corridor opens before they reach it. Inside there is a large machine, with lots of coils and coloured wires going in all directions. One Realbot heads off to a corner, the other heads straight for the machine. It carefully aligns Tom with some sort of standing platform. Tom feels himself released from the Realbot's movement field and microseconds afterwards grabbed by some sort of physical restraints. Tom doesn't even have time to think about taking advantage of being released from the Realbot's field. He feels the radio that Aseer Alc had given him was being snatched out of his hand. Tom protests and suddenly finds yet another strap under his chin, preventing him from speaking any further.
The Realbot retreats to the same corner as Barry and the other Realbot are occupying. The machine suddenly starts to move, some of the coils rotating by the side of Tom. There is a low hum being emitted from the machine, then there are a series of clicks and other coils start to move around Tom. This presumably was the scanner device that the 27 82 16 had referred to. Tom expected to have strange feelings, but instead felt nothing out of the usual, apart that is from the restraining straps, which were quite tight and made any form of movement impossible. Tom thought he'd try to mess up the scan by wriggling, but he found he just could not move. So after a considerable struggle he resigned himself to the fact that the scan was happening and there was nothing he could do about it. He became fascinated by the
scanning mechanism, Watching the coils as they changed direction.
The scan seemed to take an eternity and it didn't take Tom long to get bored watching the spinning coils. Tom found his mind wandering back to the first place that they had visited and that giant caterpillar. He found himself wondering how those creatures had first captured and tamed the caterpillar, or was it tame from the off and didn't mind all that armour and the carriers that the creatures travelled in?
Tom breathed a sigh of relief when the machinery came to a standstill and he felt himself being release from the restraining straps , the Realbot that had carried him to this place, was back in front of him, poised ready to recapture Tom.
Barry finds himself replacing Tom, Tom manages to reassure Barry that he wouldn't feel anything apart from the restraining straps. The machine soon resumes it's spinning motions.
When Barry's scan has finished, both boys are released from the fields restraining them. Tom's radio is suspended just before him, and is within easy grasp. He reaches out and grabs it. Momentarily, he is unable to move the radio, then it moves easily.
27 82 16 says, We can confirm that you appear not to have suffered any damage. We are confused at the fact that you appear to contain many other creatures within your frame.
Tom looks confused and asks Barry, What do you think it means?
Barry thinks for a while, then suggests, Maybe it is because they think of things like out heart and stomach, as being separate creatures rather than a part of us.
Tom holds out his radio and asks, Can you explain it to them?
Barry sets about explaining how the human body works and just manages to confuse the Realbots even further.
Tom surprises Barry as he says to 27 82 16, As you have found no damage has happened to us, can we go back to our home?
27 82 16 replies, You can go if you wish to, we do not want to keep you here any longer than necessary. Can you travel from this point or do you need to return to the point where you first appeared?
Tom replies, We need to get back to the gateway, where we first appeared.
27 82 16 says, Follow me. and it leads the boys back to the gateway.
Tom tests that the gateway is still working by contacting Aseer Alc and puts her in the picture about the scanning. Aseer Alc sounds quite annoyed that the boys were force ably scanned against their wishes, but she knows that there is nothing that she or Dar Reg could have done. Tom tells her that they are leaving this place and hope that their next destination will be their home. Aseer Alc and Dar Reg wish them well.
Whilst Tom was talking the haze could just about be seen around the gateway.
Tom says good by to 27 82 16. Then reaches for his walkie talkie and indicates that Barry does the same. Tom switches on the walkie talkie and presses transmit. The gateway is a bit clearer now. Tom steps into it and disappears. Tom follows shortly afterwards.
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