‘It won’t take long. Please, D … Dad?’
Jack gave a start of surprise. He looked at me, a smile spreading across his face.
‘I like the sound of that,’ he said softly.
‘So do I,’ Mum grinned.
‘So do I,’ I said. ‘So can I talk to Mum?’
‘Go on then,’ Jack said reluctantly.
I regarded him and Pops. ‘Can I talk to Mum alone?’
That really threw them. Jack opened his mouth only to snap it shut a moment later. He wanted to ask me what I was going to talk about. He left the question unasked but floating in the air between us. I wasn’t going to say anything else – at least, not until Mum and I were alone.
‘Don’t upset your mum, OK?’ Jack said at last.
I nodded.
‘What’re you up to, Dominic?’ Pops said suspiciously.
I just smiled at him.
Finally they left the room.
‘What’s the matter?’ Mum asked me the moment the door was closed.
‘Mum, I saw Rayner today.’
‘So did I,’ said Mum. ‘He bought me those flowers.’
‘Yes! Yes!’ I dismissed impatiently. ‘The thing is, Julie’s talking about dismantling VIMS …’
‘What? She can’t.’ Mum struggled to sit up, only to groan heavily and lie back down again.
‘Mum, are you all right?’
‘I think so.’
I didn’t. Her face had gone ashen. She was obviously in a great deal of pain.
‘Mum, don’t be so silly. Lie down,’ I told her sternly.
‘They can’t dismantle VIMS. I won’t let them,’ Mum fumed.
‘I thought you might feel that way about it, so I … I …’
Mum’s eyes narrowed. ‘Keep going!’
‘I used the remote control system in our house to hide VIMS in the sea at Bailey’s Point.’ I closed my eyes and lowered my head as I waited for the storm to descend around me.
Silence. I opened first one eye, then the other.
‘Not a bad idea!’ Mum said.
My eyes popped out then. ‘You mean it? I thought you were going to go ballistic.’
‘Well, you only hid it to stop Julie from wrecking years of my hard work.’ Mum gave a slight shrug. ‘I probably would’ve done the same thing myself.’
‘Phew!’ I breathed. ‘The trouble is, Julie is threatening to phone the police and Jack says I have to tell VIMS to go back to the testing area at Desica.’
‘Hhmm!’
‘That’s not all,’ I admitted.
‘I’m listening.’
‘I saw Rayner earlier when he was on his way here to see you. I thought that if we could use VIMS to sort out the pipe problems at the power plant then we could prove that VIMS is useful and not dangerous. I know it knocked you over and …’
‘Forget that.’ Mum waved that aside. ‘That wasn’t his fault. I obviously didn’t find all the sabotaged code in his system.’
‘So what should I do about VIMS and Rayner? If there’s still bad code in VIMS’ system then I can’t send it over to BFC. It might hurt someone else.’
‘VIMS needs to go back to Desica but we need some way of locking everyone else out of his system until I’m on my feet again.’
‘Well, I’ve given VIMS a password and told him that he’s not to accept any commands at all without being given the password first.’
Mum grinned at me. ‘Dominic, you’re a genius!’
‘I take after my mum then,’ I said modestly.
Mum took hold of my hand, which was really soppy. And even soppier, I didn’t pull away or tell her to let go. There aren’t many times when it’s just Mum and me and no one else.
‘Oh, and thanks for calling Jack “Dad”,’ Mum said. ‘He’d never say anything, but it means a lot to him.’
‘It means a lot to me too. I like him very much.’
‘Which is just as well!’ we both said in unison.
‘Right then. Here’s what you do,’ Mum said, her tone suddenly brisk and business-like. ‘Send VIMS back to Desica, but make sure that no one can do a thing to him without the password. No downloading or uploading of code, no commands, no nothing. Understood?’
I nodded. ‘And what about Jack? Should I tell him …?’
‘No. Jack is a “play it safe and by the book” man and this is not one of those times. Besides …’
The door opened.
‘Dominic, that’s enough. I don’t want Carol to get over-tired,’ Jack insisted.
‘I’ve finished anyway,’ I told him.
‘Jack, you stay here with Carol. I’ll take Dominic home,’ said Pops.
‘Are you driving or are we taking a bus?’
‘We’re driving.’ Pops frowned.
My face fell.
‘And what’s the matter with my driving, young man?’ Pops said with indignation.
‘You drive at two miles an hour and like you’re the only one on the road,’ I told him straight. ‘You always manage to cheese off everyone around you.’
‘Cheesing people off – it’s what I live for!’ Pops winked.
I shook my head. So much for grown-ups behaving in a grown-up manner. Pops was terrible!
‘Come on. Out with it, you two. What’s the decision? Is Dominic going to send VIMS back to the testing centre or not?’ Jack asked.
‘How did you know …?’ Mum began. Then she smiled. ‘Jack, my love, you are too smart for your own good!’
I left them making lovey-dovey goo-goo eyes at each other. Pops and I headed home.
‘I’ll see you later, Dad?’
Jack turned to me with a smile. ‘Yes. I’ll see you later, son.’
Chapter Sixteen
New Orders
I WAS RIGHT about Pops’ driving. I kept my eyes closed for most of the journey to avoid the dirty looks and the expressive hand gestures of the other drivers on the road. At last the car stopped.
‘We’re home now. You can open your eyes,’ Pops said.
I looked around gingerly, just in case Pops was winding me up. But he wasn’t. We were home at last.
‘Pops, no offence, but next time can we take the bus?’
‘Humph! Now d’you see why I prefer to drive with no one else in the car?’
‘I think everyone else would prefer it if you drove that way as well,’ I told him.
I hopped out of the car, expecting Pops to come out too but he stayed behind the wheel.
‘Aren’t you coming in?’ I asked.
‘It’s my bingo night tonight. You’ll be all right by yourself for a couple of hours, won’t you?’
‘’Course I will. Go and enjoy yourself. I know how you old people love bingo!’
‘I am not old,’ Pops sniffed. ‘And I’ll have you know we have all sorts of people at bingo – young and old.’
‘And sad and boring!’
‘Watch it!’
I slammed the door shut and watched as Pops took off down the road like a snail in a hurry. It would take a good half an hour before he got that annoyed look off his face. I’d barely set foot through the front door when the phone started ringing. It’d been all go today and no mistake. And it wasn’t over yet.
‘Hello?’
‘Dominic, this is Ja— I mean, Dad. Your mum told me what the two of you were talking about.’
‘I thought she might.’
‘I want you to send VIMS directly back to Desica. He is not to go to the power plant first – d’you understand?’
‘Yes, Dad.’
‘I mean it. I’m working on a plan to flush out the saboteur, so I want VIMS back in the testing area as soon as possible. Do not send him to BFC. Do not send him anywhere else either.’
‘Do not pass Go! Do not collect two hundred pounds! I hear you!’
‘Good. Send him back to Desica then switch off the remote control system. OK?’
‘OK.’
‘See you later, Dominic.’
Fr
owning, I put the phone down. Jack was adamant about what I had to do. I wondered what his plan was. He wasn’t going to have much luck doing anything with VIMS while I was the only one who knew the password. Should I phone him up and tell him so? No, he’d phone back if he needed it and I didn’t want to interrupt his time with Mum. I made my way upstairs to Mum’s work room. My leg was beginning to hurt quite badly and I suddenly felt so tired. I guess it was a reaction to everything that had happened in the last few days. After VIMS was safely back at Desica, I’d have an early night.
After switching on the remote system, I put on the gloves and the visor and began.
‘VIMS, have you heard the one about the painter, the decorator and the window cleaner?’
VIMS’ viewer switched on. I only knew that because the quality of the blackness on the screen changed. It went from a solid black to a wavy, inky blackness.
‘VIMS, head back to Desica, low mode, maximum stealth, silent running.’
A minute later, VIMS emerged from the sea. It was dark now, but there was a full moon so I could make out the cliffs and the parts of the beach. I took off the VR glove but left on the visor. VIMS didn’t need my help until he got back to Desica and even then I was sure he could now work out how to open door handles without my help. After all, he was an artificial intelligence system who was meant to learn about his environment and the things around him as he used them – or so Mum had said.
I closed my eyes and tried to drift away from the pain in my leg. Once in a while it really started to play up and then I’d be in agony for about half a day before it would ease off again. I could tell I was in for one of those bouts. My ankle joint was hurting and there were shooting pains running up and down my calf.
I must have nodded off for a while, because when I opened my eyes I was shocked to find myself in the middle of our town. Eyes like dinner plates, I stared at the scene around me. Had I been sleepwalking? And only then did I remember that I still had the visor on and I was seeing images relayed back by VIMS, not images of what was actually around me.
I took off the visor to look up at the clock on the wall. I couldn’t believe it. I’d been asleep for almost an hour. I must’ve been more tired than I thought. I put the visor back on before rubbing my sore calf. Then I remembered something. In giving VIMS the password, I’d put him back into normal mode where anyone from Desica could give him a command.
‘VIMS, have you received any commands over the last forty minutes?’
‘Yes,’ came the monotone reply. ‘Two.’
For a moment, even my blood froze in my body. Someone had given VIMS two commands whilst I’d nodded off. ‘VIMS, the password is “Have you heard the one about the painter, the decorator and the window cleaner?” You’re not to accept any more commands until you hear that password. VIMS, do you understand?’
‘Yes.’
‘What commands were you just given?’
‘Proceed to Desica at new co-ordinates. Secure the area. Defcon 1.’
From the look of it, VIMS was still heading back to Desica, so I was OK.
‘VIMS, who gave you those orders?’
‘The orders were typed in from the command console at Desica,’ VIMS replied.
Which meant it could’ve been anyone.
‘VIMS, do you know who input the commands?’
‘The commands were input from the Resnick account.’
Resnick … Julie Resnick! I couldn’t believe it. Julie … She was the one responsible for sabotaging Mum’s project? But why? It didn’t make any sense. What could she possibly hope to gain by doing such a thing? I couldn’t get my head around it.
I put the visor down and limped downstairs for a painkiller for my leg, still pondering on what VIMS had told me. My leg was still playing up but at least the pains in my calf had settled down and, while they weren’t getting any better, they weren’t getting any worse either. I went into the kitchen. My thoughts slid back to VIMS and Julie. There was only one thing to do. I’d make sure that VIMS had proof of what Julie had done before I started hurling accusations around. There was something else that was troubling me.
Secure the area … Defcon 1 … What did that mean? Maybe it meant that when VIMS got back to Desica he had to go down to the testing area and make sure everything was secure? It didn’t sound right. I poured myself half a glass of water and dropped a soluble painkilling tablet into it. Whilst I was waiting for it to dissolve, I decided that I’d think better with a Southern Fried chicken leg in my mouth and I started rummaging through the fridge. Eureka! I was in luck. There was one left. I took out the chicken leg and, after drinking down the painkiller, I made my way back upstairs to the work room. VIMS should’ve reached Desica by now. I put on the visor.
CRRAAASSSSHHH!
Glass exploded into the room and showered me like rain. I shook my head frantically to get the shards out of my hair. I took off my visor to see what on earth had happened. And then I saw him – VIMS. And he was heading straight towards me, his arms outstretched. I stared, frozen. His hands got closer and closer, his fingers like the ends of a Swiss Army knife revolving on the disc-like mounting. That was the only sound in the room – the whirring of the disc and the tools that were his fingers clicking as they stretched out towards me. And only when I could smell the metal beneath my nostrils did my mind start working again. I turned and ran – at least I tried to. My leg chose that moment to try and seize up altogether. I tried to head for the stairs, but the pain in my leg told me there was no way I could go down them fast enough – not without VIMS catching up with me first. At the last moment, I turned and scrambled for my bedroom. My leg was a dead weight I had to drag behind me but for each one step that I took, VIMS took two, clunking his way towards me, his arms outstretched. I clambered onto my bed underneath my window. I searched for a place in my room to hide, but I was too late. VIMS was in the doorway. With a whimper of fear, I shoved my bedroom window open and tried to make it out onto the conservatory roof, but now my legs weren’t working at all. And at last it fell into place. Too late I understood VIMS’ new commands. Too late I realized what ‘new co-ordinates’ and ‘secure the area’ meant. VIMS was going to ‘deal’ with me – and I wasn’t going to survive.
Chapter Seventeen
Rescue
‘VIMS, OVER HERE. Behind you,’ Jack screamed out from the landing. I was too petrified to even turn my head to look at him. Out of the corner of one eye I could see him waving his hands above his head to attract VIMS’ attention.
VIMS took another step towards me. One of his feet was now on my bed. The mattress groaned under his weight. One more step and he would reach me. I sat back even further, trying to push my back through the wall behind me.
‘VIMS, come and get me,’ Jack shouted.
VIMS halted in his tracks. The dome that was his head spun round. I couldn’t see Jack now. I could see nothing but VIMS, standing before me, just a heartbeat away from ripping me apart. Something hit VIMS on the back of the head. VIMS backed away from me and stepped off the bed before rolling over the object that had hit him. I glanced down without moving my head. It was a towel.
VIMS carried on rolling out of the door. He was after Jack now. He’d obviously assessed him as the bigger threat. And once he had dealt with Jack, he would be back for me …
‘Dominic, what’s the password?’ Jack shouted frantically.
I opened my mouth, but the words wouldn’t come.
‘Dominic! Quick! The password,’ Jack called.
If I didn’t do something – and fast – Jack would be killed. I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t. I sprang off the bed and ran after VIMS and Jack.
‘VIMS, have you heard the one about the painter, the decorator and the window cleaner? VIMS, stop!’
I cursed myself for inventing such a stupid password. At the time I’d thought I was being so clever. Jack ran into Mum’s bedroom. He tried to slam the door shut behind him but VIMS shoved it open. Jack fell to the floor an
d immediately started scrambling backwards. VIMS drew himself up to his full height, totally overwhelming and overpowering. He took a step forwards. He raised his other foot, ready to bring it down on Jack’s chest. Jack was against the wall. There was nowhere else to run.
‘VIMS, HAVE YOU HEARD THE ONE ABOUT THE PAINTER, THE DECORATOR AND THE WINDOW CLEANER? VIMS, STOP!’
Please don’t let anything happen to Dad, I prayed. Please let him be all right.
‘VIMS, STOP NOW. STOP!’
VIMS’ leg moved downwards. He was going to crush Jack. But then the leg slowed and stopped, freezing just a few centimetres above Jack’s chest. Jack immediately rolled out from beneath VIMS’ foot.
‘Dad, are you OK?’
I ran into the room. Jack was breathing heavily, a horror-stricken look on his face. His eyes were wide open and it was as if they’d been welded that way. Neither of us said a word for several moments.
‘Dominic, are you OK?’ Jack whispered at last.
I found that I couldn’t speak, so I shook my head instead. It’d be a long time before I was OK again.
Jack came over to me and hugged me. ‘I never want to go through that again,’ he said. ‘I thought we’d both had it!’
‘Thanks for saving my life, Dad.’ The words came out in a cough. I pulled away from Jack, embarrassed.
‘Thank you for saving my life,’ Jack returned. He turned to VIMS. ‘VIMS, security override A-4-27R. VIMS, shut down.’
VIMS’ leg moved downwards to touch the ground. Then he folded in on himself until he was no more than a box on the ground. But I didn’t even have to close my eyes to remember how he’d looked when he was coming for me. Relentless and terrifying.
‘Are you sure you’re OK?’ Jack asked again.
I nodded.
‘If anything had happened to you …’ Jack actually shuddered. ‘Why on earth did you re-activate the password on VIMS?’
‘I … I thought it would be safer until he got back to Desica,’ I whispered.
‘I had to drive like a bat out of hell to get here,’ Jack said grimly. ‘I thought I’d be too late …’
‘Why did she do it?’
‘Pardon?’
‘Julie Resnick. Why did she reprogram VIMS to come here? Why did she want to hurt me?’