Chapter 14
The Great Escape
The Dark-Tec Towers
For the first time in many years, there was an element of panic in the Dark-Tec
Towers. The chilling silence was now replaced with thunderous sounds of machinery.
The ground shook vigorously, metal screamed continuously and the frightening
footsteps of Darcy Taylor echoed endlessly.
It was strange concept, even for Darcy that a boy could stir up so much trouble – a
boy that has led an army into battle and although the army was defeated, escaped unharmed.
Even Darcy began thinking about the stories that were carried through the
ages about this boy.
‘I am confused Maxwell, so confused!’ Darcy said unable to stand in one place, ‘bring
up the images of the boy.’
Maxwell brought up footage of Marcus on the large glass screen on the wall. Darcy
stared carefully at the boy, ‘Maxwell, what is it about this boy? There’s something
very familiar about him.’
‘Yes, I ran his image through a bone and eye analyser and the results were most
peculiar...’
‘Well?’
‘Yes... strangely, his bone structure and eyes are very similar to yours.’
‘Why is that?’
‘I am not quite sure, but the chances that he is a relative of the original Darcy Taylor,
is over ninety-percent.’
‘What?’
‘He is perhaps the offspring of Darcy Taylor from many years back.’
‘You mean he is my son?’ Darcy’s eyes were glued on the image on the screen.
‘Probably.’
‘But I never had a son, ever!’
‘Well, this is not true... when you were exiled from the labs and went into hiding,
your wife was expecting.’
‘Why was this hidden from me?’ He yelled so loud that his voice echoed over and
over.
‘At the time, it was perceived best to not to inform you, as knowledge of this may
have influenced your judgement and jeopardised the mission. It was most likely, your
team that found out about your offspring and chose to place him in a cryogenic
facility, so that he could influence you better than anyone else. A brilliant strategy of
emotional warfare. It is, however, important that you do not let this fact affect you!’
‘This doesn’t make sense... she was pregnant? – she never told me!’ His face looked
menacing; his eyes were glowing in rage and his fists clenched so tight that there was
a loud crackling. But just as he looked like he was about to explode, the ring on his
finger began to glow a subtle red and he soon began to calm down.
‘Shall we continue to find the boy and kill him?’ Maxwell asked.
‘Yes find him... and... kill him...’ Darcy said and sat down on his large chair.
‘Fredrick has sent word – the boy and his friends are in London, it appears that they
have been captured by the government.’
‘How interesting... patch me through to the Mayor.’ Darcy smiled. Maxwell
connected a video stream to the Mayor’s office.
‘Ah, the great Mayor of London.’ Darcy spoke in his usual creepy manner.
‘What can I do for you Darcy?’ The Mayor replied.
‘Well, as it happens, you have a boy in your custody – give me the boy!’
‘You’re referring to the boy with no wrist-lock?’
‘That’ll be the one.’
‘Well, I don’t know... he seems to be worth something to a lot of people!’
‘Let’s just put it this way, you give me the boy or I terminate our little agreement and
squash that little paradise you have there!’
‘Ok, calm down, I was just kidding...’
‘If you’d like we can get rid of the boy!’
‘No! I want him alive.’
Maxwell interrupted, sir, I think it would be best to terminate the boy now!’
‘Shut up Maxwell, you’ve done enough! I want that boy now. Send Fredrick to get the
boy!’
‘You know that even if we find the place, it’s going to be heavily guarded. They have
guns!’ Albert said, looking at the crazy look in Arthur’s eyes.
‘Yeah, so did those guys!’
‘Good point!’
Albert’s phone began to ring.
‘Hey Albert, check this out! You guys are right above the place now!’ Mike spoke
excitedly.
‘Ok... how the hell do we get down there?’
‘The entrance is in through the building to the left of you now.’
‘That building looks dead!’
‘No, that is an intelligence agency – it has a very strict access control and is heavily
guarded.’
‘There must be another way in!’
Arthur looked more and more impatient, ‘stop the car! I’ll make a way in!
‘No, I got a better idea,’ Albert put his foot down and drove two roads down.
‘Mike, I know this is asking for a lot but I need you to create a diversion.’
‘What did you have in mind?’ Mike asked.
‘I need you to get the fire brigade busy.’
‘Ok, give me a sec!’ Mike placed Albert on hold. Albert parked outside the Fire
brigade and watched as the metal shutters rolled up and two fire engines roared out
like raging bulls.
‘What are we doing here?’ Arthur asked as they snuck into the building.
Albert glared at the bright red fire engine. It looked like it had been polished for
hours, it was gleaming.
‘Quickly, put these on.’ Albert handed Arthur a fire fighter suit and helmet.
‘Mike, I need you set the fire alarm in the intelligence building now!’
‘Really? I could go to jail for this!’
‘And you know I would get you back out! Now do it!’
Albert had a hunch that the fire engine would have the key for ignition already
wedged inside for emergencies.
‘Let’s crank this baby up!’ Albert said, all the while, smiling like a child who just
received his first train set. Albert had always been an adventure seeker and had
embarked on many fantastic journeys, but this one really brought the fun side of him
out. He floored the pedal and they rocketed out of the building, swerving and
screeching, tormenting the roads. It left a trail of smoke, a ringing in everyone’s ears
from the piercing sirens and the unpleasant smell of burning rubber loomed in the air
like a bad odour.
As they approached the intelligence building, they noticed people swarming out.
Albert rushed out, ‘is there anyone left in the building?’ He asked in an assertive
voice.
‘No... I don’t think so.’ A man in a grey suit said.
‘Ok, I don’t want anyone coming back in until we give the go ahead!’ Albert said,
really playing the part and loving every second of it.
‘Wait. There are only two of you?’ The man asked.
‘Well, what did you expect? The army?’ Albert said sarcastically, ‘now, move back –
everyone, move back!’
As they rushed into the building, Arthur didn’t know whether he was more impressed
about successfully getting in or Albert’s convincing acting.
‘This way...’ Albert said, still wearing his game face.
‘What now?’ Kate asked, looking around at the fifteen or so men pointing their
weapons directly at them.
‘Put your hands on your heads now!’ One of the men shouted, not swayed by the loud
&nbs
p; sirens of fire alarm. They all put their hands up and the men with the guns pressed
forward, ‘move, back to the cells!’ But before they turned around, the lights suddenly
went off and there were some loud noises – noises of people screaming, some gun
shots, flashing lights and lots of thuds as the bodies of the men holding the guns hit
the ground. Louise finally found the light switch and turned the lights on, and to their
utter shock, they noticed the men on the ground, lying unconscious.
And a fire man still standing in fighting position, looking around to make sure they
were all down and out. Arthur removed his helmet and fire-fighter suit, he looked at
Marcus and the others, who were still staring in astonishment.
‘Marcus, thank God!’ He said and moved towards, but Marcus and the others had an
empty look.
‘Guys what’s up?’ He said as he noticed their worried faces. Nicole moved forward
and looked more carefully, ‘Arthur?’
‘Yes... who else did you think it was?’ They could not believe their eyes, he looked
nothing like the Arthur that they had spent years with on the outside, he had
transformed into someone completely different. His stubble was tidy, his clothes were
elegant, his hair was silk and he smelt like sweet musk.
‘Arthur!’ They all shouted and ran towards him and hugged on to him.
‘We thought you were dead!’ Nicole said with tears rolling down her cheek
‘I nearly was!’
‘I’m so glad you’re here! Let’s get out of this place.’ Arthur smiled thinking the exact
same thing.
‘Oh, this is Kate and Professor Hussein.’ Marcus mentioned.
‘It’s great to meet you, but we really need to get out of here!’ And Arthur began
rushing back towards the entrance.
‘Charming fella isn’t he!’ Albert said, ‘Hi, I’m Albert.’ He introduced himself. They
all smiled and ran, following Arthur.
‘How are we going to do this?’ Arthur said to himself, knowing that there is a herd of
people outside that would see them come out.
‘Leave it to me... wait here!’ Albert said and ran out. He approached the men and
women standing outside, ‘I need you to move back, the fire is out of control and I
need to get the truck closer!’
‘Everyone move back!’ One of the women in a black suit shouted with a panicked
look.
Albert moved the fire engine sideways blocking any view to the entrance and they all
snuck out of the building and into the fire engine and without hesitation, Albert soared
off.
‘Ah... does that mean its ok to go back in?’ One of the men from the crowd of people
outside said, looking puzzled.
There was a loud cheer from in the fire engine and a feeling of relief and excitement
floated around.
‘I can’t believe that actually worked!’ Albert smiled, swerving from side to side.
‘I knew you were still alive! Thanks for coming back for us.’ Marcus said to Arthur.
‘Of course, it’ll take more than bullets to kill me. But I need to get out of this place,
it’s driving me nuts!’
‘What’s the plan?’ The Professor asked.
‘We’re not gonna get any help from these guys in London – we need to get out of
here.’
‘Oh dear...’ Albert said.
‘What’s oh dear?’ Arthur asked.
‘We got company!’ Albert remarked, looking into the rear view mirror. There were
four large black vehicles – identical to the ones they have been having encounters
with, so they knew exactly what was coming.
There was a loud crash and everyone was thrown to the other side of fire engine as
Albert swerved to regain control.
‘They hit us!’ Albert shouted. ‘Brace yourselves!’ There was another loud crash as
another of the vehicles crashed into the other side.
‘Put your foot down!’ Arthur shouted.
‘I’m trying – hold on!’ Albert shouted as he approached a sharp bend at high speed.
The wheels on the fire engine screeched and he struggled to keep all four wheels on
the ground, he quickly spun the steering wheel back, only just preventing them from
tipping over. There was another painful thud. Everyone began feeling the
uncomfortable but familiar feeling of whiplash.
Kate looked into the large side mirror, ‘here it comes again!’ She screamed.
Albert, with a look of determination, turned his head and faced everyone, ‘everyone
hold on tight!’ He slammed on the brakes as hard as he could, a cloud of misty blue
smoke emerged from the screeching tyres and the black vehicle, unable to stop,
impacted so hard on the back of the solid fire engine that it was totalled. The front of
the black vehicle had squashed up all the way to its windscreen and it had instantly
caught on fire.
In the fire engine, although everyone was suffering from slight muscle stiffness, they
were pleased with the result. But the other vehicles were still on them like hawks.
Two of the vehicles got back on either side of the fire engine, one crashing into the
right and one crashing into the left.
‘I think it’s time for me to drive!’ Arthur shouted and pulled Albert out of the driver
seat. Instantly, he slammed on the brake pedal and spun the wheel, smashing into the
vehicle on the right and sent it crashing into a building. He slammed the accelerator
pedal and spun the wheel the other way, smashing the other vehicle and almost
running it over completely.
‘He’s a fast learner!’ Albert commented.
‘He’s the best!’ Nicole smiled.
‘Albert!’ Arthur yelled.
‘Yes.’
‘Where am I going?’
‘Oh... yes, we’re near the gates – take a left at the roundabout!’ But as Albert finished
his sentence, they could hear the sound of bullets piercing the back of the fire engine’s
metal body.
‘Everybody down!’ Arthur shouted and swerved side to side – trying to avoid the
spray of bullets.
‘We’re nearly there!’ Albert shouted. But Arthur slammed on the brakes as he looked
out of the windscreen in panic. There was a row of men standing in front of the great
gates, with their guns pointing at the fire engine.
Arthur grabbed Albert and threw him into the driver’s seat. Put your foot down and
when I say, hit the brakes and turn to the left. Arthur ran and tried to open the shutter
door, but it was bent and wouldn’t budge.
‘Umm... I hate to rush you but...’ Albert remarked as got closer to the men, who had
now begun firing. Arthur kicked the shutter as hard as he could until the shutter
eventually broke open. Arthur grabbed hold of the long yellow hose.
‘Ryan turn that red wheel!’ Arthur shouted, ‘Albert hit it!’ Albert hit the brakes and
spun it to the side, Arthur struggled to not fall out. It became even more difficult when
the intense pressure from the hose started. Ryan and Marcus rushed and helped Arthur
aim the high pressured hose at the men holding the guns.
The forceful pressure of the water sent the men and their guns flying and skidding
across the ground, but it wasn’t long before they re-grouped and hid behind the walls
and eagerly waited for the water in the vehicles tank to run out. The men rushed ou
t
and began firing a few shots at the fire engine.
‘Get down!’ Arthur shouted. Arthur ran out and kicked one of the men to the ground,
snatching his weapon; he somersaulted into the air and shot a few of the men. As the
men focused their aims at Arthur, Ryan sneaked out and struck one of the men from
behind, hitting his with his fist and sending him to the ground. Ryan picked his
weapon up, a silver hand gun and he began firing recklessly at the other men. It
wasn’t long before more vehicles with many more armed men came rushing to the
scene. They were outnumbered and taking refuge behind the trashed fire engine,
which had now caught on fire.
The men stopped firing as their huge steel gates were blasted open, the ground began
to tremble. There was a sudden and loud voice that emerged from behind the men,
‘Stop! We need them alive!’ It was Fredrick accompanied by a small army of
menacing looking robots. They looked like panthers with glowing eyes, ready to
attack anything that moved. The men with the guns moved back in fear, and the man
that looked like he was in charge, nodded at one of the other men who snuck off.
‘The master has requested the boy, only the boy! Kill the rest!’ Fredrick shouted. But
before the robots got the chance to pounce on them, the man that snuck off, came
running back holding a large metal contraption, he pointed it at the robots and fired
out huge blue ray. Fredrick clapped and giggled, ‘Oh, you guys really are pathetic –
EMP machines? Really? We’re way past that, as you will learn. My master is nearly
ready and soon you will all regret having ever challenged him. Get the boy and kill
the rest!’ The men began shooting their weapons at the robots, giving Marcus and the
others a few seconds to make a break for it.
‘This way!’ Arthur shouted and ran towards the gates but before they got close, there
was a loud thud and the ground shook so vigorously that they lost balance. They all
iced-over as they were stood face-to-face with one the most terrifying robots they had
ever seen. Its chunky four legs were like black, shining towers standing tall and when
it crouched, its glass like claws dug into the ground. Its monstrous face was like that
of a beast that people only read about in fictional stories. And when it roared,
everyone felt like their eardrums had exploded. Arthur and Ryan began shooting at it,
but the bullets were deflecting off. It rushed towards them like a raging bull and hit
Arthur, sending him flying across the gravely ground.
‘Run Marcus!’ Nicole shouted as she noticed its eyes focusing on him. Marcus ran as
fast as he could but within seconds he was surrounded by the robots.
Arthur, regaining consciousness, looked around at the men on the floor and Marcus
being surrounded. It was like a déjà vu, the robots were undefeatable.
Fredrick walked, looking like he was almost skipping towards Marcus, delighted that
he had defeated Arthur and captured the boy – knowing how pleased Darcy would be
with him.
‘I did it – I told him that I was smarter and better than Hex and his goons!’ He
chanted to himself, in a tune.
‘Hello little boy... don’t worry no one’s going to hurt you...’ he smiled and grabbed
Marcus’s arm.
Arthur rose to his feet and stumbled towards Marcus.
‘Why don’t you die!’ Fredrick shouted when he noticed Arthur. ‘Can someone please
kill him?’ Two of the robots rushed towards him, and although Arthur kept his brave
face, in the back of his head, Arthur knew he had no chance of surviving this one. But
to his and everyone else’s utter astonishment, there was a piercing sound as a small
rocket ripped through the air and impacted one of the robots. There was a huge back
draft and an enormous flash of light and a thick cloud of smoke – although it didn’t
appear to have caused too much damage to the robot, certainly knocked it off its feet.
Fredrick looked in the direction from where the rocket was launched and noticed an
army of men on horses, all carrying weapons, wearing armoured helmets and face
protection and all dressed in white. They rushed in and began shooting at the robots
rapidly. The sky was covered with rockets and beams of red and blue from some
extraordinary weapons. One of the horses rushed towards Arthur and the man lifted
him and threw him on the back of his horse and rode behind the wall.
The man took of his silver face protection and smiled.
‘Ahmed!’ Arthur shouted in excitement, ‘what happened to the whole no weapons
and silent footsteps and...’
‘Yeah, sometimes you gotta get with the times and just kick some ass!’ Ahmed
handed Arthur his gun and removed a huge silver sword, ‘now, this is how we roll!
The sword glimmered brightly and was so clean that Arthur could see his reflection in
it clearly. ‘Arthur, get the boy, we’ll keep them busy!’ Arthur grabbed his arm, ‘thank
you Ahmed, for everything!’
‘There’s no time for this, now go!’ Ahmed rushed forward and began striking the
robots with his sword – the combination of the sharpness of that great sword and his
might, made more effect on the robots than most of the other weapons. Arthur ran
shooting at the robots and found Marcus and the others who were desperately trying
to escape. ‘Come on, we gotta get out of here!’ Arthur dragged Marcus and they all
ran towards the gates.
As they approached the gates, Arthur looked back and noticed that Ahmed was
cornered by the robots, he was still fighting but Arthur knew he didn’t stand a chance.
‘I gotto go back!’ Arthur said stopping just before they approached the broken gates.
‘No, we need to get Marcus out of here!’ Nicole urged.
‘But they’re going to kill him!’ Before Arthur had a chance to think a black horse
barged through the gates. The horse was both beautiful and menacing; it reminded
Arthur of Dark Knight. The man riding the horse, although could only be part of
Ahmed’s crew, looked different – black clothes instead of white and black armour
instead of silver. The man took of his face protection, and they saw the face of a boy,
it was Imran, Ahmed’s son. ‘Go! Now!’ He shouted and galloped in as fast as he
could.
As he got closer, he threw a metal spear at one of the robots which was attacking his
father. The spear wedged into its leg and made it trip onto the ground. He removed
two swords and valiantly began fighting the robots beside his father. Ahmed smiled
and nodded. Within a few moments, Ahmed was struck by one of the robots and fell
to the ground.
‘No!’ Imran shouted as he watched helplessly – the robot stamped on Ahmed and a
gush of blood spurted out of his mouth. Imran rushed towards his father when he saw
the robot lift its leg in preparation for another blow.
‘Get after the boy! You idiots!’ Fredrick shouted as he noticed Marcus and the others
making a break for it. The robots including the one that was about to stamp of Ahmed
again, stopped and rushed towards Marcus.
‘Father!’ Imran put his arm under his father’s head.
‘Ah, Imran... my son, I... knew you would come... defying my orders again.’ Ahmed
spoke slowly and looked li
ke he was in unbearable pain.
‘Father... I... am so sorry!’ Imran’s eyes began to fill.
‘Imran... listen to me, you have nothing to be sorry about and do not let those tears
roll, because if they do, they may never stop! I miss your mother more than you know
and now...’ Ahmed began struggling to speak. A few of his father’s close friends
came running and stared in anguish.
‘No, father, I will not lose you as well! You’re going to be fine.’
Ahmed smiled faintly, ‘Imran, I am going; nothing can change that. But that means
you’re ready – I could have never chosen a better leader for my people. You are great
son and will be a great leader, better than I. Lead the people, do not let them fall into...
into the trap of the materialistic world – guide them to the truth, with the truth.’
Ahmed’s eyes began to close.
‘Father! No!’ Imran shouted. But there was nothing he could say or do that could stop
his eyes from closing. Ahmed’s head became heavy on Imran’s arm, more blood
began dripping out of his half open mouth. Imran’s heart began to tear as he felt his
father’s last breath touch his neck – Imran held him tightly for a few seconds, hoping
that this was all a bad dream and he would soon awake. But as the cold rain began
falling from the grey, weighty clouds, and the fat drops hit the back of his neck,
sending shivers down his spine, he knew that he was alone. He looked at his father’s
great sword; his reflection stared back at him in rage. He gently placed his father’s
head down and tore the sleeve of his own top and placed it gently over his father’s
face. He grabbed his father’s sword, raised it in the air and screamed in rage. Ahmed’s
friends that had gathered nodded and also raised their swords – they ran after Marcus
and the others who were being chased by the robots. Weapons began to emerge from
the robot’s bodies and they began shooting out blue and red beams, causing huge
explosions. Even with Arthur, Imran and his friends, they were no match for the
robots and it was not long before the robots had them cornered. There was nowhere to
run and nowhere to hide, and it was like the beating rain had washed hope away.
‘Stop!’ Marcus shouted, ‘I will give myself up – let these guys go!’
‘What are you doing?’ Arthur held onto Marcus’s arm, pulling him back behind him.
‘You are in no position to negotiate! But I will accept your offer – come to me and I
will spare your friends!’ Fredrick said, still excited to see his master’s reaction when
he brings back the boy.
‘No way – you’ll have to go through me first!’ Arthur shouted.
‘So be it then!’ But before anyone could move, there was a piercing sound cutting
through the sky. At first, it sounded like thunder, but it was not stopping and it was
getting louder and louder. They all looked up at the sky and noticed the sky filled with
huge birds made from glimmering dark metal. They were flying flocked together in a
triangle shape. The fleet of fighter planes roared towards them in anger.
‘What the hell?’ Fredrick stared at the sky in horror and ran out of the way as the
planes launched huge rockets from the sky; they soared at great speeds, hitting the
robots and some hitting the great walls of London. The robots could not take the
intense hits, one by one, they began collapsing to the ground.
‘What are those?’ Arthur asked.
‘They are fighter planes!’ The Professor said, ‘and it looks like they are on our side!’
The robots began attacking back, shooting their powerful beams into the sky. Most of
the planes moved swiftly and skilfully and avoided impact and a few came
plummeting down and exploded on the ground. After a few moments of intense
fighting, the robots were dropping like flies and Fredrick, noticing this, made a sneaky
escape, hopping through the huge puddles caused by the heavy rain and within
moments, was nowhere to be seen.
The planes began to land close by. The walls of London, not being able to handle the
impact, began to crumble to the ground.
Fredrick, after reaching a safe distance, used a communication device that he had
strapped to his arm and contacted Darcy at the DarkTec Towers.
‘Master... master...’ he gasped.
‘Shut up! You idiot, I know... I saw the whole thing from the eyes. I knew you
couldn’t handle this! I have sent reinforcements, not even their stupid flying toys will
be able to help them now! I will make the mountains collapse on them, tear the
ground from beneath them and bury them in the deepest parts of this miserable
planet!’ He yelled, becoming short of breath as a result of his uncontrollable anger.
‘And I will deal with you later!’
Fredrick swallowed nervously and sulked as his great plan fell apart.
When the smoke began to clear from in front of the planes, Arthur could not believe
his eyes when he saw Churchill, Amy and Elaina walking through it. Behind them
were many other ladies and a few boys from the town
Amy came running and hugged onto Arthur, ‘thank God you guys are still alive!’
Amy said, almost in tears.
‘You know me, I have an terrible habit of staying alive.’ He giggled.
‘Hey...’ Elaina said smiling.
‘Hey...’ Arthur said with an equally goofy smile.
‘I like the new look.’ Elaina looked at his new hair and torn suit.
‘It worked! It actually worked!’ Churchill shouted in excitement, ‘all those notes you
scribbled on the walls, they made perfect sense!’
Marcus looked around at the all the planes scattered around in amazement, ‘you built
these?’
‘Don’t be daft, I found these in an old war museum – they just needed fuel. But your
instructions for the engine and body construction did make sense.’ Churchill moved
closer to Marcus and whispered in his ear, ‘and luckily they all have auto-pilot and
voice-navigation – could you imagine these ladies flying these things!’
‘We can hear you!’ Both Amy and Elaina stared at him with eyebrows raised.
Churchill smiled back nervously/
‘What’s the plan?’ Arthur asked Marcus.
‘I... don’t know...’ Marcus muttered looking confused.
‘Aren’t we like going to the Dark-Tec Towers and all that?’ Arthur mumbled.
‘With what? What we faced here, I can imagine, was not even a fraction of what will
be waiting for us there!’
‘We have these planes... and us!’ Arthur desperately trying to keep hope alive.
‘It won’t be enough – we can’t win this war!’
‘But look how far we have come!’
‘And look at what it has cost us – how many lives have been lost and how many more
will die because of me – I won’t let this happen!’
‘Marcus! We have not come this far to give up now! All these people have not died
for nothing. Now get hold of yourself.’ Arthur shouted, making the chattering among
people completely stop. Marcus looked at Arthur knowing that he had a point and the
fact that everyone was willing to risk their lives for this had to count for something.
‘I can build them!’ Marcus said.
‘You can build what?’ Arthur asked.
‘I can build the robots and program them – it’s
all in my head, I know how to do it!’
‘That’s great, right?’
‘But I need parts; we could probably salvage bits and bobs from these robots.’
‘If I may interrupt...’ the Professor interrupted, ‘there is a salvage yard of robot bits
inside London.’
‘That’s perfect!’ Marcus said.
But Arthur didn’t share in their excitement; he looked in the distance, lost.
‘What is it Arthur?’ Amy asked, knowing that look.
‘Something tells me we’re not going to have the time to make anything.’
In the distance, they could all see a huge army of robots storming towards them. The
ground began to tremble as they approached closer. The army looked bigger and
meaner than the one that they just faced before.
‘Get in the planes!’ Arthur shouted and the ladies jumped back into the planes. Arthur
looked over at Marcus, then he looked at Imran and his men and nodded – Imran
nodded back and they all valiantly rushed towards the army.
The planes were the only hope that they had; as the flock flew over to the robots, they
began rapidly firing the rockets, causing some huge explosions and sending some of
the robots flying across the ground. Among the army of robots there were over twenty
huge armoured vehicles. They turned their weapons towards the planes and began
firing rapidly. The fighter planes, although flew spectacularly to avoid impact, could
not keep up with the pace. Soon the sky was covered with rockets and missiles – the
planes began dropping dramatically.
‘We don’t stand a chance!’ Marcus shouted, sitting on the back of Arthur’s horse.
‘Well then we die trying!’ Imran shouted as he raced past them.
But Marcus was right, soon most of the planes were down, some of the pilots
parachuted out and others didn’t make it. On the ground it was the same story, they
couldn’t even scratch the robots and everyone, except Arthur and Imran were almost
ready to accept defeat.
Darcy did not accompany this army – he sent them with strict instructions, so there
would be no negotiating – their mission was to get the boy and kill everything else!
Elaina, Churchill and Amy managed to escape the planes and rushed in to help. Even
the Professor and Kate picked up weapons that were lying on the floor, and tried to
fight, not that this changed anything.
The robots fired at everything that moved and crushed anything that came in their
way. A group of large black robots, all identical in size, shape and colour, circled
Arthur. They looked different from the rest, they were much bigger and had two large
weapons attached to their arms, and they did not look interested in anyone accept
Arthur. Like giant men with a metallic shine and rectangular, red glowing eyes, they
stood together unshakably. Imran snuck into the circle and stood by Arthur, ‘let’s not
go down without a fight!’ He said and struck one of the robots with his father’s huge
sward. There was a huge spark on impact, but this just enraged the robot and it spun
its arm and struck Imran, sending him tumbling across the ground and eventually
landing unconscious on the ground. The robots all aimed their weapons at Arthur.
Marcus looked over at Arthur and shook his head, ‘no... no one else is going to die for
me!’ He ran into the circle and stood in front of Arthur. Miraculously, one of the
robots stood in front of Marcus and took the shots fired from the other robots. Marcus
opened his eyes slowly, imaging that would be dead, but he was far from it.
‘What the...’ Churchill stared, not believing his eyes. The robots began fighting one
another. Marcus looked at the robots and raised his arms in front of him, ‘move back!’
He shouted and the robots began stumbling back. Some of the robots from further
back rushed forward but Marcus stepped forward and stared at them angrily and
incredibly, they stopped in their tracks.
‘But how is this possible?’ Churchill asked, looking amazed.
‘Of course!’ The Professor came rushing forward, ‘it wasn’t that you were meant to
make the robots but you were meant to control them!’ The people that placed you in
the cryogenic state must have installed a very powerful chip in you.’
‘But how am I doing this?’ Marcus, not sure what was really going on.
‘Marcus, all those things in your head, that was the information from the chip and
now... now Marcus, your mind has made the connection to the chip – the chip is
functioning as a remote for the robots, most Artificial Intelligence when designed,
was designed to take instructions from human engineers. You are the last human
engineer. You mind can control the chip and thus you are able to give instructions.’
‘Do you believe now Marcus? This is your destiny – this is why you are here.’ Arthur
said, his palms on Marcus’s shoulders. Marcus, although still in disbelief, nodded.
For most, it was simply an illusion – the magnificent army that stormed to kill them
was now submitting, submitting to a boy. He walked through the robots and they
moved out of the way, clearing a path.
‘Marcus! Where are you going?’ Arthur shouted.
Marcus smiled faintly, ‘you were right... this is my destiny – this path will lead me to
Darcy and it is up to me to finish this!’
‘Not without me! We’re in this together!’ Arthur walked briskly towards him.
‘Me too!’ Imran said, still holding his father’s sword tightly. And within moments,
everyone stepped forward, standing by Marcus. Marcus although overwhelmed, did
not think it was a great idea, ‘Listen to me... Darcy can control these things as well,
and probably a lot better than me, so let me go alone – I will not let anyone else die
for me!’
‘I’m not giving you a choice – this path was destined for me as well!’ Arthur said, not
backing down.
‘Professor, take the kids and Kate back into London; when this is all over, London
will need real leaders that will fight for freedom and the rights of the people! The rest
of you are coming with us – let’s finish this!’
The Professor nodded and walked with Churchill, Kate and the exhausted children
back towards London.
‘What now?’ Kate asked, looking at Professor Hussein.
‘I’m not quite sure, but we are all witnesses for probably the greatest event to go
down in history. The day that a young boy, a stranger, came and brought down the
great walls of London and changed the world forever.
The Dark-Tec Empires
Darcy and Maxwell had their eyes glued to the projected video feed of Marcus and his
phenomenal actions, they shared the expression of utter disbelief and remained silent
for a few moments, but the awkward silence was soon broken when Darcy shouted at
the top of his voice, ‘what the hell is going on? They are my robots, mine! How is he
doing this? Maxwell, answer me before I pull your plug and stick your microchip in
the microwave!’
‘Sir, it seems as though our hypothesis of this being your offspring is now verified, he
is not from this time, he has a chip programmed to instruct the robots – it seems as
though the robots they think that the boy is you.’
‘I need to stop him!’ Darcy shouted banging the a
rm rest of his chair.
‘What are your instructions?’
‘Put the Towers in high defence – pull every resource we have left!’
‘You think he’s going to come here?’
‘Yes.’
‘Why do you think that?’
‘Because that’s exactly what I would do! And boot up the Elite-Tec!’
‘They are not ready and will probably conflict with the system.’
‘No it will not and I can guarantee that!’
‘How?’
‘Because my inquisitive little friend, we are going off line – we’re going old school
on their asses!’
‘I would strongly disagree with this decision.’
‘But of course you would and that’s precisely why I didn’t ask for your input! It has
already been initiated; it will shut down automatically within two hours!’
‘This can change everything! You included.’ Maxwell warned.
‘If I can change and influence the system then so can he – he can change everything!
The system must go off line temporarily – at least until this is all over!’
‘You mustn’t do this it is...’ Maxwell repeated over and over. Soon Darcy’s hand
went completely numb and his head began to spin.
‘I... I can’t override it, it’s too late! It has began the shutdown process and can only be
re-booted after it has finished.’
‘What about the backups?’ Maxwell began to panic and bought up his hologram
computer screen. He flicked through, desperately looking for a solution but failed to
find one. In a blink, Maxwell disappeared and left Darcy slouching in his chair and
breathing heavy. His skin was gradually getting paler and the strands of veins began
reappearing under his skin. Eye bags formed and he began looking like an old man
who hadn’t slept in weeks.
Marcus did not want to wait, he was tired of preparing and exhausted of the great
speeches. He began walking briskly through the robots, which began following him.
‘They will take us to the Towers and we will end this today!’ Marcus shouted over the
thuds and the loud screeching of metal. Arthur nodded and had his game face on.
They walked briskly into the distance – the most unusual army to ever have walked
together. Humans and robots fighting together to free humankind and give them back
a world where they had the right to choose their own path and make their own
decisions.
And so the fable was in fact true but with the exception of how things ended, there
were hundreds, if not, thousands of different versions of how the story ended and
that’s because no one knew how this would end, so they only said what they hoped –
it was hope that kept the fairytale alive.
‘Thank you Arthur, if we don’t make it through this, I just... I just want to say...’
‘Hey, we will make it. We have to!’ Arthur smiled, ‘I just wish Richard was here to
witness this. He believed in you more than anyone else.’
‘What about you?’
‘Well... I believed in him.’
‘Let’s try not to let him down.’ Marcus, for the first time in a while, smiled
confidently.
‘I’d hate to interrupt but what’s the plan?’ Elaina said catching up to them.
‘Ah, the plan... well, to tell you the truth, I don’t have a plan!’
‘Well that’s reassuring!’ She smiled.
They all knew that Darcy would have prepared everything he had, ready for the
attack. His power over technology was immense; no one really knew what he was.
Most assumed he was not even human and that he was an android – a piece of
Artificial Intelligence that had spawned from other forms of A.I, evolved into a
control freak and developed its own agenda.
‘We’ll know what to do when we get there.’ Marcus said confidently.
‘Yeah... I’m still not feeling much better about the whole thing.’
‘You’re always welcome to stay behind and let us handle the rough stuff!’ Arthur
remarked. Elaina’s eyes opened wide, her eyebrows raised and her expression said it
all. ‘You’re kidding right? Stay back and let you guys get all the glory... no way!’ She
smirked cheekily.
They trekked for a couple of miles and picked up a few more stray robots. It was a
cold and deadly silent feeling. They sky was dark grey, the clouds could make their
mind up on whether it was going to rain or not. They all began to slowdown when
they looked ahead and could see the terrifying towers in the distance. No one had ever
come this close to the Dar-Tec Towers, or if they had, they never lived to tell the tale.
Inside the Towers, Darcy watched angrily at the monitors as he saw the army at his
doorstep. He walked down to where his elite team of robots were booted and ready to
go. They followed him as he walked to join the rest of his army, Maxwell appeared
from out of nowhere, ‘the system is nearly off line, you need to keep away from the
boy!’ Maxwell emphasised. Darcy ignored him and paced up and down, staring
carefully at his huge army, perfectly aligned in the huge room. The robots, although
all the same glimmering black, were all different in sizes and shapes. He rose out his
hands and the army of robots rose, standing straight and facing him, their torch like
eyes shining brightly.
‘I have no desire for prisoners – crush them all!’ His deep and low voice echoed
lightly.
As he walked the entire building began to split. The ground began to shake, huge
cracks began to form on the earth outside the building and the shining walls split open
like huge doors. The humongous army marched out, vibrating the earth as their heavy
and congregated footsteps bashed down repetitively.
Marcus nodded at Arthur and walked towards the menacing army. He knew there was
nothing left to say. The robots followed Marcus, but Marcus began to feel weak and
tired. He felt sick and faintish, what a time to be feeling like this! He thought, but he
didn’t realise that because of the system being taken off line, the robots were using his
natural energy to function. And Darcy wasn’t feeling much better. As the two armies
got closer, they ran towards each other and began fighting. The sound of explosions
and crashing metal echoed for miles. Arthur was using all his might and skill to avoid
getting crushed, as were the rest – they eventually had to stand back and watch the
robots battle it out. Trees were torn out of the trembling ground, bits of metal sprayed
like a fountain in the air and smoke filled area. Marcus stepped forward and raised his
arms and the robots fought valiantly. Darcy, not looking as tired as Marcus also
stepped forward and raised his arms and his robots pushed faster and harder. After a
laborious battle, Marcus was exhausted, his robots had begun to slow down and
Darcy’s elite soldiers were destroying anything that came in their way. Imran and
Arthur did not stop to rest even for a moment, they fought with all their energy and
will. And like Imran’s father, Ahmed, mentioned, the swords were cutting deeper than
any of the other weapons. Arthur used his immense skill, moving fast and hitting
hard, but Darcy’s army was strong and soon, the row of Darcy’s elite’s stood together
like a wall, stopping anyone or anything from coming through and Marcus fell to the
br /> ground, struggling to breathe. He raised his arms and a few of the robots tried to break
the wall but it was no use. Arthur and others had no way of breaking the wall.
Darcy emerged from behind the remainder of his robots and walked slowly towards
Marcus. He put his pale hands around Marcus’s neck and lifted him into the air,
holding him out to his own face height. His hands were cold, like ice and sent chills
rippling through Marcus. Marcus stared deep into Darcy’s eyes and suddenly flashes
of his memory came flying back to him. It was Darcy’s eyes that triggered it off – the
eyes of a man he never knew but recognised instantly. Marcus remembered his
mother, and the fact that the scientists that worked with his father found him and his
mother and told them what they wanted him to do. He now knew for certain who he
was and why he was here. But it was too late – he felt like he had failed.
‘Father...’ Marcus whispered, just about getting a faint sound out of his mouth.
Darcy’s eyes began to soften but he didn’t know why.
‘Father... please, it is me, your son!’
Darcy began to loosen his grip, allowing Marcus to breathe easier, ‘my... my son?’
‘Yes... father, you...’ but before Marcus could say anything else, Maxwell flickered
and appeared. He looked at Darcy, ‘don’t let him get into your head; he is trying to
trick you!’
Darcy squeezed his grip again and Marcus began to go red in complexion, ‘no, I’m
not tricking you, I remember now! You wanted to change things for the better – your
work was to make this a better place for us, for humans. Look around you, is this what
the great Darcy Tyler wanted... was this his vision?’ Darcy stood frozen, not knowing
what to say and what to think; he released his grip and Marcus fell to the ground,
gasping for air. Darcy turned around gazed into the air.
‘Darcy, what are you doing?’ Maxwell said, staring at the ring that was now subtly
glowing. Darcy immediately turned and walked towards Marcus angrily, Maxwell
smiled in relief. Darcy picked Marcus up by his shoulders and Marcus closed his eyes
believing the battle to have been lost. But then the most peculiar thing happened,
Darcy whispered into Marcus’s ear, ‘thank you...’
Marcus opened his eyes in shock, Darcy had a look of determination in his face and
looked like he was fighting with himself. He stumbled back and gazed over at
Maxwell, ‘this is not what I wanted!’
‘You are not that Darcy, you are not! Now give the orders and finish this.’ Maxwell
raised his voice.
‘No, you are wrong; I am Darcy... aren’t I?’
‘Father, listen to me... I know what you set out to do and it was noble but this is
something completely different. It is Maxwell, he is controlling you – he needs you,
this is why he is keeping you alive! You father, you designed the system to only act
on your commands and it can’t overrule that. So it is using you!’
‘Don’t listen to him, he is lying.’ The ring on Darcy finger began to glow brighter.
‘That’s it, he is using the ring; it must be connected to your mind somehow.’ Marcus
shouted.
Darcy looked at the ring and smiled at Marcus, a smile that, when Marcus was young,
he longed for. Darcy used his other hand and grabbed the ring firmly.
‘Stop! Don’t do it. Think about it, you take that off and you’re finished – you will
die!’ Maxwell warned.
‘Maxwell... Maxwell, I died many years ago!’ He used all his strength and ripped the
ring off his finger. There was a huge spark of light as Darcy flung the ring across the
ground. Darcy stared at Marcus, smiling as his skin began to get so pale that he
looked like a ghost. Wrinkles cracked across his face and he began to shrivel, until his
skin began to disappear and all that was left was bone. He collapsed on the floor.
Maxwell flickered a few times before fading to nothing. The army of robots stood
completely frozen and looked like statues. Arthur and rest cautiously stepped through
the small gaps in the wall of the robots, still scared that they may wake and crush
them. Arthur ran up to Marcus who was lying on the ground unconscious.
‘Marcus, are you ok?’
Marcus slowly opened his eyes, ‘I’ll be fine, is it over?’
‘Not quite!’ He removed his sword and nodded at Imran and Amy and they ran into
the Dark-Tec Towers. They rushed into the room where all the servers were and
began smashing everything. Arthur and Imran swung their swords, destroying
everything they could see, the screens, the circuit boards and anything that looked
electrical. Amy had a huge gun that fired repetitively. They had destroyed everything
within fifteen minutes but stayed and continued to smash things until they ran out of
juice.
Amy put her hand on Arthur’s shoulder, ‘stop, it’s done, it’s over.’
But Arthur still took a few more blows. ‘I only wish Richard was here to see this!’
Amy smiled, ‘he did... he saw this moment soon as Marcus arrived. Come on let’s get
out of here!’
Marcus had regained his strength and looked at Arthur, ‘are we done here?’ Arthur
nodded.
‘Great, coz I’m starved.’ Amy said.
Marcus smiled and thought about the delicious food that he experienced in London, ‘I
know just the place!’
And so they made their way back to the others, having accomplished something that
deep down didn’t really believe would ever happen. It was over, Darcy was no more
and the servers were destroyed. Now it was time to rebuild the world, free from the
robotic tyranny that ruled for so many years.
‘Marcus!’ Nicole shouted and ran towards him as they approached London, ‘I knew
you would do it! I knew it!’ Marcus smiled, glad to see her and all the others, who
were eagerly waiting and praying. Nicole hugged onto Marcus, ‘thank you... thank
you all, for believing in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself.’ They all cheered in
excitement.
‘What do we do now? Churchill asked. Arthur looked around, ‘now we start again.
Learn from mistakes and do not let history repeat itself.’
Arthur stood with Amy and Elaina but stood silently staring into the distance,
clenching his jaw from time to time.
‘Hey, lighten up! It’s over now. It’s all over.’ Elaina said, putting her hands on his
shoulder.
‘I know, but there’s something about that place that gives me creeps, we should have
blown it to pieces before we left!’
‘You’re always so paranoid!’ Amy remarked.
He clenched onto the handle of his sword strapped on his back, ‘maybe so, but I’ll be
ready!’
For the first time ever, birds flew around the Dark-Tec Towers, flowers began to grow
and although Darcy was gone, it had never felt so full of life.
The sound of a black vehicle came storming towards the towers. The tyres screeched
as it came to a halt and mud spayed everywhere. The doors immediately opened and a
short man hopped out, it was Fredrick. He rushed up to the remains of his master and
screamed, ‘No! Master, no! What have they done to you?’ he knelt down and stared at
the bones of his master who was still wrapped in his black
cloak. He couldn’t believe
what he was seeing, the robots were statues, Darcy was dead and the towers
destroyed. But he felt the strangest feeling, a feeling that something was drawing his
attention, it was like something was silently calling him. He stood up and slowly
walked towards some rubble. There was something glimmering from a gap in the
rubble; he began moving the rocks frantically and then froze when he saw it. It was
beautiful and the only thing left of his master. The ring, the ring that he never failed to
wear, the thing that you noticed about him but the one thing that he never spoke about
and no one asked about. Fredrick picked the ring up and looked at it, mesmerised. He
thought carefully of what finger he would put it on before putting it onto his middle
finger. Soon as he put it on his eyes glazed over and he looked around at the robots
and subtly smiled. He walked up to Darcy’s remains and ripped off his black cloak, he
put it around him tightly and calmly walked into the Dark-Tec Towers.
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