Modern Technology

Modern Technology The crowd had been gathering around the Lulworth Cove harbour all day. At not quite a mile wide at the mouth of the river this harbour area could take a lot of people. An annual event, running for the last fifteen years, and everyone who was in it, and everyone who was watching it, knew that it was high stakes being played out today. The world leaders in this crazy sport were here, and many dozens more who fancied their chances at being famous, even if only for fifteen minutes of air time and fame. Karen Jacobson, the current world champion, looked out from the window of her trailer. She was tired, which she knew was a bad thing. It meant that she would have to be concentrating even more than she had been in the past competitions, or she was certain to fail. She’d been practicing for the last couple of days, but felt that her heart wasn’t in it. At 30 years old, she was acknowledged to be ‘old’, but still ‘world class’, and she knew it. Not with any false illusion, but with a fine sense of pride and reality. She was still world class, and she could still give an incredible performance today, if all the luck in the world went her way. She smiled. This sort of thing doesn’t go on forever – there has to be a time where you hang up your hat and retire, hopefully with an air of gracefulness. Until then, she owned today. She owned the performances that were scheduled for the afternoon. She knew it, the crowd knew it, and most importantly, the other contestants knew it. There was a knock at the door. “Half an hour, Miss Terry.” That was her stage name, a play on the word Mystery. She answered “Thanks, Frankie.” And then, before he could move away “Frankie?” “Miss Terry?” She was sat in the AntiGrav chair, and moved, with only a little difficulty, to the door. In this cramped space it wasn’t that easy to manoeuvre around, even though the chair itself was as small as they could go. Without opening it she asked “Are you alone?” “I am.” “Frankie.” And paused. Did she want to say this? He waited and after a few seconds “Miss Terry?” “Frankie, can I trust you?” While his brain worked out what had just been asked of him, he laughed and replied “After all this time, I would like to think that I, of all people, am someone that you can trust.” “Frankie, can you spare a minute? Can you come in?” There was a small pause as Frankie worked this through his brain. She is asking me in? That’s unheard of! “Um, Miss Terry, I have a few minutes, if you want me for something.” He turned the handle, and slowly opened the door. “I’m coming in.” As the door opened, she reached out and pulled him in for the last part. She didn’t want the whole world to see her, not like this. Not with nothing on. He was gobsmacked. Not only had she dragged him in for the last few feet but here she was with nothing on, starkers, nude, naked…he let that trail off, as she was clearly not in a small-talk mood. “How long have we known each other, Frankie?” She didn’t seem to register that he was fully clothed and she was as bare as the day that she was born. “Um, how long…? About 5 years, I guess. You turned up for the show…” She cut him off. There was so much to talk about, and so very little time to do the talking! “Frankie, what are my chances today? Can you be honest with me?” “I will always try to be honest with you, Miss Terry –“ “Make that Karen, will you? Cut the crap.” “Karen? That’s your real name?” “Frankie, don’t tell me that you didn’t know.” She smiled, and he smiled back. “Well, it was rumoured… but you are a secretive type of person, so no-one actually admitted that they knew – not properly. Your chances? Your chances are what you want to make them. You told me that two – no, three years ago. And may I say that I am not aware of anyone who has been admitted to your trailer, just before the games commence. In that, at least, I do thank you, and not because you are sitting before me with no clothes on, and the only time that I have seen you before has been armoured up for the games! This day is turning stranger and stranger.” She seemed to almost not notice what he had said. “Frankie, can I have a hug?” His confusion must have been a sight, if anyone had a camera to record it, but all he could say was “A hug? Of course you can have a hug!” He moved towards her, and he put his arms around her, and she put her one arm around him. She squeezed him tight, and he squeezed back, still not believing what was happening. She held it for a moment and then burst into tears. He didn’t really know what to do so he stayed there, and they continued to hug, all the time that she was crying her eyes out on his shoulder. It went on for a couple of minutes, and he knew that he had other things to do, other places to be, other people to get sorted out. In spite of the rare honour being offered to him today, he knew he had to go. Softly he said “Karen, I need to go, I need to be somewhere else.” He pulled away from her, and she acknowledged that their time was up. “Frankie, thanks, you’ve been an angel.” She smiled at him, and leant over and gave him a kiss on his cheek. She liked him. “No problems. Good luck today. Hey, whatever happens, when this is all finished, if you want to, come and find me. Maybe we can chill somewhere for an hour – you’ll need unwinding, I’m sure.” “Thanks, I might just do that.” She changed her tone “OK, now to business. Frankie, get out!” As she was saying it she was smiling so Frankie didn’t take it too personally. “I have to get dressed and ready!” He left her to it, making sure that the door was closed behind him. He checked his mobile phone and could see a handful of messages that had come through. Who’s a busy boy then? Karen looked at herself in the mirror, wondering whether there would be stories running around the place, since Frankie had seen her, literally in the flesh. No, of all the people, Frankie could be trusted. “OK, Miss Terry, make or break time.” She moved the AG chair over to the suit, and started to get dressed. The super-thin, super-lightweight under-suit went on first, followed by the legs. She had none herself and these were the latest fully-automated cyber-controlled legs, linked in to her helmet, which would go on last. The extensive surgery that she had undergone, after the car wreck, had left her with numerous cables throughout her body. She was now able to ‘plug in’ to various adapters, rather like when people had to recharge batteries. You couldn’t just call it a ‘crash’. It was much more than that. The car was in a thousand pieces and she was impossible to put back together again. She’d been ‘lucky’, if you could use that word. She had parents who were world authorities on spare part surgery and organ replacement. She was in a forced coma for six months but then started to slowly come round. Her parents had used the six months to ask and beg every expert that they knew for advice on what could be done. It took the next two years but she ended up being a twenty five million dollar woman. Fifteen million dollars of her was pure robotics. The rest was an assortment of repair surgery and odds and ends. She put the body armour on and cautiously stood up from the chair. There was no mobility yet, since the helmet contained all of the control circuitry, but she had to make sure that the under-suit was lying comfortably, and not creased up, pinching her in any parts. The suit frame was anchored, with stays that would remain attached until the helmet released them. Rather like a Saturn V launch, she thought. All those fuel feed cables attached, right up until that time that the space ship lifted off. She was happy that the under-suit and the legs and the body armour were all fitting correctly. She moved to slip on the arms. Since she only had her right arm she only had to lean into the arm mountings to get the suit to attach to the arms. It was all automated. She thought of Robert Downey Junior and Iron Man, when the suit basically dressed itself all over him. Once the arms were attached she let the mechanism slowly drop the helmet over her head. This had happened many times before and she got a buzz every time. Show’s up, people! It’s Show Time! Once the helmet was attached, all of the circuitry came online. The lights in the helmet displays all lit up like a Christmas tree. She knew all of them inside out, but it still took another five minutes to run through all of the checks. She was nothing if not thorough. When she was happy that the whole suit was showing green lights everywhere, she stood up, and walked away from the mounting. The power cables fell away, and it was all running on internal batteries. She knew that she was good for the next six hours, whatever she managed to do. The modern technology within the suit meant that she could almost walk normally. The first few times that she had done this she couldn’t believe it – she was normal for a while! She walked to the door and opened it, visor still open. Outside was a busy corridor, with people running up and down all the time. When she stepped out, they all stopped and looked at her. As she walked down the corridor towards the outside they all started clapping. They all knew that this may be her last appearance, as the rumours had been flying around for the last couple of months that she might retire. As she went through the external doors she stopped and took in the crowd. There were thousands of them, in all directions! As soon as they saw her, in her distinctive suits colours, they all stood up and applauded too. There was a lot of yelling and whistling, which for a few seconds took her breath away. She stood there, taking it all in, and then raised both arms and clasped her hands together, high over the helmet. The huge TV screens were all over the place, showing lots of different locations – here she was on one, the targets were shown on a few more. When a few seconds had passed she could see Frankie just off to one side. “Um, Miss Terry, it’s your time to get ready.” He smiled at her, and then whispered “The very best of luck.” “Thanks, Frankie. Thanks for all of your help today.” She dropped her arms down, and checked all of the systems. This took an additional 30 seconds. They were all green. This is it – do or die she said to herself - but let's go easy on the dying. Not today. She raised her arms one last time to the crowd, and turned in all directions. She knew quite clearly that without her followers, her fans, then she was nothing. Enjoy the show, folks. I aim to see that you do. The crowd went wild, with screams from every corner. They expected an exceptional show! She dropped her arms, gave a small salute to Frankie, and then flipped all of the power circuits to max. This is it – no sense in holding anything back. She didn’t want to think about going out in a blaze of glory, but that was there, at the back of her mind. She ran forward, straight towards the cliff edge. The crowd realised what was happening, and went even crazier than they already were. She’s going to do it! She’s going for the Devils Canyon! She reached the top of the cliff and just kept on running, soaring out into the air. The crowd couldn’t believe what they were seeing! She tilted herself down, head-first, and accelerated at an alarming speed. Within seconds she was over the water, aimed straight out into the ocean. She had achieved Mach 1 and was still accelerating! The internal structures of the suit meant that it absorbed all of the stresses and pressures that would have killed any normal person. Out across the bay she screamed, accelerating faster and faster. The initial shock wave had already blown the nearest thousand people backwards. She tilted, and flew out, across the sea. She could feel the sea rise up, due to the phenomenal vacuum that she had created. The heads-up displays within the helmet told her all the information that she needed. She was flying fast and true, on direct course for the targets, twenty miles away. She knew she would be on them in less time than people expected, and that was where the others all went wrong. Many competitors had been paying too much attention to what the displays were telling them and not enough attention on where they were. Over the years hundreds had literally flown straight past the targets, and had to spend valuable time recovering their flight path. That wasn’t going to happen to her, not today. She smiled as the miles fell away and she could see the targets now close, only two miles away. Then she was there, on them. She had prepared well for this, and the way she went through the ten targets showed that she was world class – a true leader in this crazy sport. She flew past each one, pulsing as she went, and finished in a new course record. The crowd back on the ground were still going crazy, delighted by what they had seen, what they had witnessed here today. She flew high, straight up, still at the speed of sound, turning as she went. She saw the results coming in to the helmet displays and smiled. She had done it! She had made an incredibly difficult set of manoeuvres seem so simple, so easy. OK, people, now follow that! She doubted that any of the competitors would come anywhere close to those times. She was now fifteen miles up, and loving it. She slowed and stopped. The AG suit was more than capable of handling the temperature controls at this altitude and she had oxygen for another three hours. She was safe. The view was stunning, and she was revelling in the moment. She made sure that the camera was still operating and slowly turned, taking it all in. This is something to show the grandchildren, she thought. If I ever have any grandchildren… She let that thought trail off, and focussed on getting back to the land. Checking all of the displays took a few seconds and then she dived. I came out in a rush, I think I’ll take the slow road back. She was travelling at three hundred miles an hour, and felt relaxed – all the tension that she had felt before the jump had gone, replaced by an elation of success. Smiling came easy when you knew you were that good. Because of the unpredictable flight patterns that some competitors had shown, the exclusion area had grown, over the years. From the coast there was a one hundred mile radius ‘bubble’ where no flights were authorised, so she knew she had the air to herself. She came down towards the sea, in the general direction of the games launch site. Flying easily she slowed on the approach so that she was going only around fifty miles an hour when she came into the launch area. She landed at the same place that she had launched herself from, only a few minutes ago. The crowd had held their breath when they saw her coming in, and once she was down they erupted again into cheers and screams. She stood atop the cliff and turned around, arms up again, letting herself take all of this in. The crowd loved her, and she loved them. This moment was never going to happen again, and she wanted to make sure the magic of today stayed with everyone. She had decided that she would be retiring – this was her last public appearance as Miss Terry – and she could look forward to a more quiet retirement. Frankie came forward, and whispered in here ear “Well done! That was exceptional.” Ever the busy organiser he then said “Do you want to make a speech? I think the crowd are looking out for one.” She wondered. A speech? I’m not one for speeches… Then she thought Why not? They deserve it. “Sure. Patch me in to the system.” He spoke into his communicator and then gave her the thumbs up sign. She had no idea what to say, so she went with honesty. “Thank you. Thank you all! I am delighted to be here today, and I am so very happy that all of you have turned out as well.” A pause, to work out what to say. “I have no idea how I just did that performance, but I am very happy that I made it back in one piece, and with what might be a new course record?” She looked across at Frankie, who checked with someone over the communicator and came back with another thumbs up sign, followed by a whispered “You took fifteen seconds off the course record, that you set last year!” To the crowd “Oh, wow. Apparently I have just broken my own world record – by fifteen seconds! Ladies and gentlemen, I do thank you all for all of your support over the years, but please understand that this today was my last public performance.” There was a long sigh from the crowd, as what she said settled into their brains. “After today I will be retiring, and trying to take things a little easier.” The crowd then started with their version of a salute “Miss-Te-REE-Miss-Te-REE-Miss-Te-REE” and it built up slowly, until they were all screaming it aloud, loving the performer, and the amazing performance of today. She just stood there, arms up, saluting the crowd as they in turn saluted her. She repeated her turns, facing all parts of the crowd. She let this run for a few seconds, and then voiced “Thank you, thank you all. It has been a blast!” She turned, intending to return to her trailer. She went to the main complex doors but Frankie stepped in front of her. “Karen, I have just had word that someone has made it to your trailer. We don’t know who this person is, and security is on their way. Delay for 30 seconds, if you can.” Delay? How am I supposed to delay…? “Frankie, are you with someone – do you have a partner?” “Er – no – why on earth do you ask me that?” She smiled. I’ll enjoy this delay, even if he doesn’t. She smiled at him. “Come here.” She flipped the visor up and reached across to grab Frankie and pull him in close. Here’s one for the crowd, she thought. She pulled him right up to her and their lips met. “Is this good enough for a short delay?” she whispered. He choked. “Hell yeah – this is brilliant. Try it again and I may get to like it.” He was light in his tone, so they both enjoyed the moment. A beep went on Frankie’s mobile and he pulled away from Karen and looked at it. “They have him.” His faced changed to concerned. “It’s one man, in a suit, no weapons of any sort, and no ID, except the one that got him through all of our security protocols. That’s weird.” “What’s weird?” “I’m one of the three people responsible for creating all the security protocols for access to this place – nobody is supposed to get in or out of here without flagging up alerts everywhere…” “I feel a ‘but’ coming here.” “But, he did just that – he walked in, walked through all of our security… There are only three of us that have that kind of access, that I know of, and he just made it a fourth! That simply should not be happening!” He looked at Karen. “That is not possible!” “OK, Frankie, you’re stressing too much. Number one – it has happened, so there. He did all of that, so we just have to deal with it. Is he saying anything? What’s he here for?” “Hang on.” He spoke into the communicator for at least a half minute, and then said “He wants to talk to you. He won’t say why or anything else, only that he wants to talk to Karen Jacobson.” He looked at her. “Is that really your real name?” She looked at him, and sighed. “Yes, Frankie, that is really my real name. Can we get back to this mystery man.” She stopped, noticing what she had just said. Mystery Man. It’s a play on my stage name. “Frankie, where is he – now?” “He’s still in your trailer. Nobody has worked out where to take him to.” “Frankie, let’s go and meet our Mystery Man.” She didn’t wait for him but marched off, going through the doors and then down the corridor until she got to the trailer. Should I knock? Why the hell would I knock? It’s my damned trailer! She put her hand on the door handle and opened it, and walked in. She could see the mystery man, and was shocked to see him sat in her AG chair – that’s a damned cheek! What hell are you doing sitting in my chair? He smiled at her when she walked in, which made her even more annoyed. She could also see the two security guards, one male and the other female. They were both physically intimidating, which was 80% of their job. Argue with them at your cost! She flipped the visor back down and set all the power back up to maximum. She was still good for at least an hour, even though she had spent an incredible amount of energy during the show. “Frankie, you stay outside for moment, until we have this sorted out.” She made it so that the external speakers were used and said, in loud voice “You, get the hell out of my chair!” Since it took him a few seconds to realise what had just been said she reached over and grabbed him and pulled him out of the chair. She pulled him close, so that his face was only inches from her visor, and said “I do not like it when strangers come into my trailer and SIT IN MY CHAIR!” She then – gently, considering the mood that she was in – threw him to the other side of the room. “You two, the security personnel. Thank you for what you have done so far. Can you stay over there, away from us, while I try to find out what this is all about? Stay weapons hot, but on my command only.” They both raised their eyebrows and looked at each other – how does this civilian know these phrases? She thought to add “Unless I don’t make it, in which case you may fry his ass, many times!” She looked at him, across the room, quite deliberately. Do not, ever, imagine that I am joking! The security pair duly moved over to the opposite end of the room. It didn’t do to cross swords with a world champion, especially when she was so pissed off with someone, and especially since she seemed to know what she was talking about! The crumpled heap at the other end of the room managed to say “Karen, stop!” That he used her real name brought her to a stop. Very few people knew that name. “Karen, I am not here to hurt you. Not at all, in any way. Just stop getting antsy and let me speak!” He lifted his head. “Please?” She duly stopped, and looked at this man, this Mystery Man in her trailer, who had sat in her chair – the damned cheek! “You’d better be quick, before I start to lose my patience, and get angry.” She came close to him and snarled “and you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.” He made to straighten himself out, and she said “Stay down. Until I know who you are and what you are doing here I am assuming that you are hostile, and I will put you down or in hospital if I have to. You invade my damned trailer, and sit in my damned chair! You’d better watch it, mister, or these two will fry you where you sit.” He sagged back onto the floor. “Karen, relax. Nobody needs to fry anybody today.” “And how is it that you know my name? Very few people know my name.” He sighed. This was harder than I thought it would be. “Karen, a lot of people know your name. They just choose not to publicise it, that’s all.” “What the heck does that mean?” “Think about it. Think about you, your smash, the work done to repair you, the hundreds of favours that your parents called in, the thousands of people that worked on you! Think about it! A lot of people know exactly who you are.” “Oh, shit. Are you military? Is that it?” “No, I’m not, but I do work with them, and for them at times. I’m civilian, but I have read up on you and your case, and it’s now time that you and I had a private conversation.” “Private? Why priv – oh shit. You’ve come to collect?” He was impressed. She has certainly got a sharp brain to see that at this stage. “Yes, Karen. You can call it that, I suppose.” Crap, she thought. Why now? Damn. Just when she thought she could take a break, go away somewhere, and be a normal person… ha! That’s rich. Normal? She hasn’t been normal for the last few years. She turned to the security team. “Thanks guys, I’ll be taking it from here. Something for you to think about – this here never happened.” She looked at them, hoping they would say the correct thing. All she got was “OK, if you’re sure.” Good! They cautiously went across to the door, opened it, and Frankie stumbled in. The guards continued out, leaving a flustered Frankie. “In or out, Frankie, but shut the door.” Frankie thought he knew what was going on, and then realised that he was outclassed. He looked at the people in the room, and wondered which was the best thing to do – in or out? “Karen, which would you like me to do?” “Frankie, right now, I think it’s best that you go and get a coffee, as my visitor and I have a lot to talk about, and I think it’s going to be best if it’s private.” Slowly, not really knowing if he was doing the right thing, he turned and walked out, closing the door behind him. She looked at the interloper. “Ok, whoever you are. Who are you?” “Can I get up yet, or am I going to be down here for a while?” “Oh, you really annoyed me, sitting in my chair like that. Nobody but me sits in that chair – ever!” “OK, I accept that, and I apologise! I won’t do it again, OK? Now can I get up?” “Hell yes, get up, but don’t assume that I am happy that you are here, because I am not.” He slowly stood, straightened his clothes, and then said “You may need to reduce the power in your suit. If you continue to run at that level you’ve only got another 20 minutes or so. Drop it down, and recharge – keep the thing on if you must, but get recharging. You never know when you may need the power.” “Are you ever going to tell me who you are?” “Sorry. We haven’t got off well, have we?” he smiled at her, and she began to relax. Just a little. She also dropped the power levels across all of the systems in the suit, and went to get recharging again. It was a relatively simple matter to get the connections plugged in again. She lifted the visor, but stayed in the suit. “Steven. With a ‘v’, Phillips. In case you were wondering, I am a native Brit, even though my accent may well be confusing. I’ve spent too many years over in the USA, and just picked up the accent.” “OK, Steven-with-a-‘v’, explain. What do you want?” “I would have thought that was fairly obvious. I want you. I need you to come with me to the States, as we have some projects that we’d like you to work on.” She was amazed. She’d never laid eyes on this person before, yet here he was telling her what to do. “I may not be ready to go. I have a lot on for the next few weeks, you know.” He smiled at her. “Karen, no you don’t. You’ve just announced that today is your last competition – oh, well done, by the way. Terrific performance, even though you nearly pushed the suit beyond its capabilities. That’s one of the projects that we will be looking at. There are a lot of projects we need you on board for.” How did he know how much she had pushed the suit…? “Did you look at the telemetry? Can you do that? That would explain a few things…” She went off into thought. She had noticed tiny delays in reaction. Almost too small to notice, but she knew this suit very well. "You've bloody well hacked my suit? You can see the telemetry?" She felt the anger rise, and he saw it. "Karen, stop it! You are better than that." He turned slightly away, and said "You need to watch this." With no obvious machinery being in the room, an image started to appear in the middle of the room, and she could clearly see both of her parents. To say that she was shocked was putting it mildly, since they had both died two years ago! Her father spoke first. "Karen, hi, it's dad. I think I realise that you are now watching this with a mixture of emotions. Number one is that I am not here anymore, and number two is that you are being approached by an agency that you have never heard of. Don't fight it, Karen. It's bigger than you and me." He was smiling while he was saying this. "Karen, we have watched you grow up over the last few years, and we have watched your successes, with a lot of personal pride. Karen, you are today your own boss, you are the person that makes the rules, that sets the pace. The person that we would like you to be dealing with, Steven, is a good man. Don't ignore him. He will not lie to you and I don't expect you to start lying to him, not when there is so much at stake. Be good, my baby. " He smiled, one last time, at the screen, and directly at her. "Live long and prosper!" She was surprised to find that she was crying. Her mother then started to speak. "Karen, Steven will walk you through what he is here for. Don't be too surprised that he is asking for some favours. Think back to what your father and I had to call in to get you sorted out, after that awful crash, and you'll begin to appreciate how much you actually owe us - us and the rest of the scientific world. As ever baby, live long and prosper!" She was now in floods of tears, and Steven left her to work through it. She took a couple of minutes and then she was suddenly back, all business-like. "OK, Steven, what's going on here?"   "I think that you can piece most of it together, but I'll fill in any gaps that I can. It's probably easier if I walk through the last twenty or so years, and then you take it on board and then ask me questions. That's about the best structure that I can come up with." Her mind was in turmoil and all she could manage was a confused nod. "You already know that you have had a lot of work done on you. You know that more than most, so I won't dwell on the details. What you don't fully understand is the sheer number of favours that your parents had to call in for you. By rights, you should have died in that crash. Anyone else would have. The technology and personnel that were required to keep you alive simply doesn't exist in the normal world. Only because your parents pulled a lot of people together, and everyone used everything that they had at their disposal, are you still breathing." Damn, damn, damn! "Yes, you were lucky, in a funny kind of way. When you were little your parents were already world leaders in robotics, and around the time you were ten they started on other projects that were connected with bionics. I'm sure you know that word. They had ten years of dealing with spare part surgeries, robotics, circuit designing, and many more sciences. Those two people changed everything in those ten years. They moved the sciences on by a century in just a decade. They all overlapped, but the main idea was always how to improve on what was already in place. I know, from your file, that you used to watch the old TV series, especially things like The Bionic Man. And then you had your crash. Your parents were in shock for days - that's something that you were never told about, by the way. There were some project co-workers that they knew who took over, until your parents came out of their state of shock. They all knew that you were a mess, and put you into a forced coma. They then started to try to work out what could be done with you. Your parents took over, eventually, but a lot of work was already in place. You were stable, you weren't going to die, but you were in a serious mess." "It took the first three months for a viable set of plans to be put in place. For this time you were kept under sedation. You did very well, and your body repaired what you could. Because you were sedated nobody knew what your state of mind was like. If you came out of the sedation would you be a vegetable? Would you even recognise anyone, your parents, that sort of thing?" "You were monitored 24/7. You were wired up like a Christmas tree for all of that time. You did die a few times, it seems, but you were brought back by the amazing teams on hand. After six months a firm set of plans were in place, but the rest of it meant that they had to have you conscious, so they brought you out of the coma. They didn't know what to expect, but they were pleasantly surprised when you came round. You looked at your parents and smiled, and said 'Hi.'" "They had to go through a lot of psychology with you. They wanted you to be level-headed about all of this, and it was important that you understand it all. That took another few months. It was a year before they could start the repairs. They had to put you under again and basically rewire you. You are now probably the most expensive personal project that has ever been undertaken. A conservative estimate puts it at twenty five million dollars, but it's probably higher than that. All of this has allowed you to use these suits - but you knew that. What you have to understand is that you are the best candidate that my Agency has had to deal with, and it's dealt with quite a few people, over the years. Many people can't handle it. They don't go mad, or anything crazy, but their head can't cope with the changes, or the demands. In most cases we have had to scale things back, and settle people into a more usual, normal life. You on the other hand - well, whatever we put your way you just use, and then come back to us with demands to make it smaller, or faster or more powerful. You thrive on the challenges, and that is what I am here for, today. You will remember, I'm sure, the Seven Million Dollar Man episode? That has happened for almost everyone - except you." He stopped telling his story, and smiled at her. "Karen, you are a rare person. I don't know if anyone has ever told you that, but I will, now. You are rare in that you survived the crash, and rare in that you have dealt with it in such an incredibly sophisticated way. It is that, the sophisticated way that you think, why I want you to come back to the States with me. There are a lot of people who want to talk to you. You will be busy - very busy - for the next couple of years, and after that - who knows?" "You can't expect me to come back for chats. We could do that over the telephone! There's more - there has to be more." "Well, along the way, I'm sure that you will be meeting a lot of robotics and bionics people. They will want your input for the next generations of suits. The one you have is good, but it's already three versions behind what we have been working on, in the States. We are up to three years ahead of you, Karen, and we'd like you to be part of our amazing journey." Her jaw dropped - three versions behind...? Seriously? Oh, wow...she was wasting time. She looked hard at him, and wondered how her life might yet turn out. Having given it some very hard thought for a full five seconds, she said "Steven, when can we leave?" He actually looked surprised, which pleased her. "Really? Well, there's a few things that you will have to sort out over here, but we'd like you to come over as soon as you can." "Where to? Where is this all based?" "In the Silicon Valley area. It's a distributed set of buildings, over a two square mile area. You'll be staying on campus initially and then we'll see where you fancy setting up a house. There are usually a few to choose from, which we will be funding, of course." "Steven, how much do I have to sort out over here? Very little. You know that. I have no ties, no family to speak of. My friends, as such, I can talk to over the phone. Where on the east coast can I recharge? I can then go on to Silicon Valley from there." "You want to fly there? You can't be serious. You'd have to clear flight paths and such - no-one will allow you to use existing plane flight paths. You'd be too much of a headache for any Flight Traffic Control system." She shrugged. "So we don't tell them? You know the suits capabilities. You know that I can be on the east coast in three hours. I'll need an overnight base and then I can be in California three hours later. This suit can do it, I know it can." "I'll have to ask my boss." There was a slight pause and he said "My boss says OK. She seems to think that it's actually a good idea, although I'm not sure that I agree, but what do I know?" "Hang on, your boss is listening? All of this time?" He nodded. "'Fraid so. I must have forgotten to tell you that." he smiled. "Well, I have little to keep me here, and I'm sure I can get my personal effects sent over, so when can I leave? No, you don't have to answer. I can be recharged in another hour, and then I can be off. I will have a word with Frankie and then leave everything up to him. He is someone here that I trust. I will probably expect him to come over for a couple of months, once I've settled down. He and I work well, and he is an excellent organiser. I value his input - do you understand that? And does your boss understand that?" After a slight pause he said "We do, although we will have to run checks on Frankie. Security and all that stuff." "To be honest, I doubt you'll find anything strange. He's a good man, and I trust him - more than I trust you at this moment. Whatever you find on him, it better be a damned good reason, if you end up prohibiting him from coming over." "Agreed. All of that can be sorted out later. I think I will arrange a drop-off for you, on the east coast, and I'll get the co-ordinates to your suit." With that he stood up. "It's been lovely to finally meet you. I will be catching a conventional flight back, so I won't see you for a few days. Oh, and at the moment all of this is hush-hush. Much of the work that we do is pretty conventional but the stuff you will be dabbling in is all new, and we like to keep our secrets close." "Agreed."

Evolution

Phillip Crowley was sound asleep, and it took a few seconds for the fact that the house phone was ringing to seep through his fuddled brain. All that he could manage was to reach out and pick it up with a "Hello?" "Mr Crowley, this is Chief Inspector Cheeseman, based in Bournemouth. I am connected with the Agency. I need you to be awake enough to have an important and sensible conversation with you." That caught him, and he suddenly felt the adrenaline rush in and perk up his brain. Did he just mention the Agency? He was quickly awake and said "Chief Inspector, talk to me." Now it was the time for the Chief Inspector to be caught out. "Um, Mr Crowley..." "Chief Inspector, get on with it. I realise, more than most, more than you may realise, that since you are cold-calling me at this ridiculous hour then things are happening, so stop dithering. Tell me, and tell me true. Now!" Shaken, but the professional Police Officer that he was, he managed to answer "Mr Crowley, all of your family is alive and well, but we have a ... situation." His hairs stood up on the back of his neck. He hadn't heard that for a few years. "Talk." "I will say that, at this time, I do not have all of the situation information available to me, but suffice it to say that your son and your daughter-in-law are well. They are being looked after in Southampton Hospital -" "What the hell are you talking about?" "Mr Crowley, I am trying to get there! Your granddaughter is also alive and well, but we can't get into the house so that we can actually speak to her, or collect her up." A stunned silence spoke volumes to the Chief Inspector. Finally "What do you mean - 'you can't get into the house'? What the hell are you talking about?" He heard the man at the other end sigh. He sounded very tired. "I wish I could answer that in some way that makes sense. I can't, so you will have to accept that what I tell you is the most accurate information that I have available to me at this time. Whatever, I need your presence at the hospital with your son and your daughter-in-law, as soon as you can. I am currently at the house that your son and daughter in law live in. We have a car waiting outside your house now. Please do not delay." Disbelief in his voice, he managed "You have a car? Outside? Now?" He moved from the bed and pulled the curtain to one side, where he saw the large executive saloon sat outside. He returned to the phone "I will be three minutes." and he hung up. He sped through the house, collecting a few items and getting dressed. He then ran downstairs and out of the front door, walking quickly to the car. He approached it and the driver leaned out with a "Mr Crowley?" "Yes, that's me." "Please get in the back, sir. I have my instructions to take you to your destination." "Oh, good." He stopped, before he got into the car. "And where might that be?" "The Southampton Hospital, sir. Where your -" "No, no. I don't know what your orders are but they are changed. Get me to my son's house now. The hospital can wait." The driver spoke into a microphone, and Phillip hung back from getting into the car. The driver had a few words into a microphone but eventually came back with "Your son's house it is, sir. Please get in." He did so, and sat down, automatically putting the belt across him. "How long before we get there?" he asked the driver. "Around fifteen minutes, sir. Please sit back and try to relax." What? Fifteen minutes? It's over a hundred miles away. In a tense voice, which the driver couldn't fail to pick up on "Driver, some questions, and answer what you can. Do you have a name, and are you just a driver, or do you have information on this situation?" Making some last minute adjustments to his controls, the driver replied "My name is David. My last name is not really necessary, but it is Anderson. I have very little information on the current status of the incident, so I would only confuse you. It seems that there are a lot of people who are confused at the moment - I'll go one further on that. I know of nobody who is NOT confused." "Thank you." He went pensive, and then "Oh, yes. How are you proposing to get over one hundred miles away in fifteen minutes? I don't care how good a driver you are, the road system won't allow it." "Who said we were going to use the roads?" The driver was smiling now, and Phillip could sense it in the voice. Not use the roads? Then how the hell...? Now what? "Please relax sir. Everything here is under my control." and then the car lifted, straight up. Phillip immediately tensed, but said nothing, while the world literally fell away from him. The car continued to climb, straight up, for a few moments, and then levelled off, and moved forwards, gaining speed as it went. "Ah...I think I see how we are going to arrive in record time." "Sorry, sir, but I have my instructions, and part of that is to get you to the destination as soon as possible, in one piece. That does not allow me much time to explain a great deal, such as this car." He eventually relaxed and shrugged. He chuckled. "David, you and I will have to have some drinks when I get this sorted out. You'll have to tell me a lot, I reckon. I've been away too long from the projects. I think this car was only someone's idea, on a drawing board, when I left, and that was only three years ago! David, this is amazing. To have come so far, in such a short time! Wow, I have a ton of stuff to get up to speed on." "Yes, sir. Let's get to that after tonight." He looked out and could see the ground speeding by. It was dark, but random lights flashed underneath him, and he knew that this technology was something to be impressed by. "David, let me know when we are arriving. I need to catch five minutes." "As you wish, sir." Phillip went quiet, and felt himself sag into the contours of the extremely comfortable seat. He needed to think, and he was very good at taking himself away, mentally, and working through issues and problems in minutes instead of hours. He had a 'knack' of shutting out the world. He let his mind wander, as he went over the current patterns. His son and daughter-in-law were both 'safe', in hospital. What did that mean, 'safe'? His granddaughter was at the house, alone, and for some reason nobody was able to get in? Had he heard that correctly? That made no sense. She was only three, for heaven's sake! What the hell was going on here? The Agency was involved. That, to him, spoke volumes. He knew that his son was somehow connected to the Agency, as he had been for over twenty years. With the tight security that was always invoked he knew nothing about the work that his son was doing, or had been doing for the last five years. He knew better than to ask, and his son was professional enough not to volunteer. Which left him with... nothing. He didn't have a thing to go on, so he had no option but to wait until he got to the house. "We are coming in to land sir. Don't release the seat belt until I have parked." The car came in fast and low, and stopped within an incredibly short distance. Have they got an artificial gravity, too? "Thank you, David. A nice ride." He opened the door and was met by the Chief Inspector. "Mr Crowley, welcome. I'm Cheeseman. Let's walk and I'll tell you what I can on the way." "Fair enough." They both strode in a determined fashion. "Little to update you with. The house is secure, with nobody able to get in, and I am presuming nobody can get out. We picked up your relatives an hour ago, from the front of the house. It was suggested by the officers first on the scene that they looked as if they had been thrown there, but we have no idea who by. We have tried calling to the inside of the house but nobody answers." They had arrived at the house, and Phillip just stood there, looking at the scene. When the Chief Inspector had said that nobody could get in, he had not been too accurate with his description. To Phillip, newly arrived, it looked as if a huge half-football had been dropped over the whole house. A bubble, or perhaps a dome, covered it all. He saw immediately that the front door was smashed in. Just what the hell had happened here...? What the hell is this...? "Mr Crowley, if you have any ideas, then please share them. We are stumped. We had four of our officers try to get through and it just bounced them back. They are slightly damaged, through impact, but they will be fine. We simply, at this stage, don't know what to do next." Phillip just stood there, nothing in particular going through his mind. He had no idea what this was, in front of him, and no idea of how to cope with it. "Chief Inspector, I have no idea. Who have you called?" "Everyone. I have some boffins from the Military on their way, but they are miles away. We are trying to secure the area, but there doesn't look to be much in the way of hostiles. This isn't anything that I have dealt with before. There are no phone calls, no terrorism, no threats from anyone." They both stood there, looking at it. Eventually Phillip had to say something. "Well, that's a first in my books. Nothing makes sense, so how do we react to it? You said that some of your people were hospitalised by approaching? What happened?" "We didn't know any more then to what we do know now. We had a couple of people try to approach it, but when they touched that screen, or 'field', whatever you want to call it, it was as if they had a massive electric shock, and it threw them back. After that, we gave up trying to get near it." "Let's get closer. I want to see that field up close." They both walked slowly up towards the dome, and stopped some ten feet from it. It had a range of colours running through it, rather like oils mixing. He looked at the dome, then looked at the Chief Inspector. "It's got me stumped. This is Science Fiction made real." He was about to continue when a soft voice popped into his head. Grandpa, is that you? He jumped. "What? What the - Jody, is that you?" Easy, Grandpa. I'll explain. First off, don't speak. The police man next to you will wonder what's going on. Secondly, just think things. You and I need to have a talk, and I don't want anyone else to be part of it. Thirdly, do you know how mum and dad are? I've been a bit busy here. "Jody -" Then he stopped, and recalled what was just said. Jody, what is this? Explain to your old Grandpa - please? The Chef Inspector caught him starting to speak and voiced "Mr Crowley? You were saying something?" "No, it was - it was me just running some things through my head. I may have some ideas, but nothing that I can share at the moment. I need to get a bit closer." Without waiting for an agreement he just walked right up to the dome, stopping just two feet from it. "Mr Crowley, please -" "Yes, yes, Chief Inspector. I will be careful. Tell me, do you know if this causes any radio interference? Do your people have any reception issues with their radio transmission?" "Not that I know of. I will ask - and please be careful!" He turned away, to call to a sergeant close by. Jody, I'm here by the dome. Talk to me, kiddo. What's happened, and why is this dome up? I need to know if you can come through the dome. I have some things here that I need to get sorted out, and I'm not sure that I can do them by myself. Would you be able to help me, Grandpa? Jody, I am here to help out in any way that I can, you should know that, beautiful, but you have to tell me what's going on. I can't guess all of this. There was silence for a few seconds and then OK, Grandpa. I'm going to open a door in the dome and I want you to walk through it. I need to close it after you, because I don't know who else out there can be trusted. Shocked, all he could manage was Jody, you are going to have to explain that. I will, but first of all, can you make sure that there is a 24x7 guard on my parents? They need to be secure. Taken aback by what this three year old was asking, he managed to turn to the Chief Inspector. "Mr Cheeseman, I need your assurances that my son and his wife will be guarded, 24x7. What this is part of I don't as yet know, but I need maximum security around all of the personnel involved - including me, starting now." Surprised by the request, Cheeseman could only say "I'll get some people on to it." "Thanks. I need confirmation from them that they are in place, and that they know what they are doing. Mr Cheeseman, there is a lot riding on this. This whole crazy thing today is not an accident. Something happened here, and I aim to find out what. You might want to set up perimeter blocks, perhaps a half-mile away. I don't want any surprises. And tell your people to be on the lookout for vehicles that are parked and observing. Don't intercept them, just tell me." Even more surprised, all that the Chief Inspector could answer was "I'll get it sorted now." With that he was talking to other officers, getting them to take messages. OK, Jody, if we are going to do this, it better be soon. I'm available but only for a few seconds. Good. When I say, just walk into the dome. It'll let you through, but I will need to close it afterwards. Jody, my little lovely, you have a lot of explaining to do. You are only three years old, and yet you are running this show. He smiled. Good girl! OK, Grandpa, here we go. The cloudy dome in front of him seemed to clear, and then there was a space, a door. Now, Grandpa. and he stepped through, continuing to walk towards the house. Behind him there were shouts and cries from various people, but he ignored them. He assumed that the dome was now closed again. Jody, I'm in, and just outside the house. What do you want me to do next? He saw the damage to the door to the house, and knew that something violent had happened here. He stepped over the splintered frame and walked in. We need to meet and then go over a few things. Fair enough. I'm on my way. Just where are you, sweetheart? I'm in the kitchen. Come on through. On my way, baby. He knew every part of the house, so he went through the hallway and turned into the kitchen. He was very surprised to see his granddaughter in the centre of the kitchen, and he was even more surprised to see that she was about five feet off the ground! Just floating there. He could see that her eyes were closed - she looked as if she was asleep. Jody, I'm here, and I'm right next to you. Good. Can you get ready to catch me? Just put your hands under me and don't let me fall. He did as he was asked, and felt his heart skip a beat when she dropped into his arms. He gently repositioned her so that her head was on his shoulder, and she was cradled like a baby. Jody, Jody, Jody, what are we into here? he asked, very gently. She didn't move or wake, but she did reply. I'm not too sure myself. Can we go into the lounge? There are some things there that you need to see. He walked through the house to the lounge, carrying her quietly all the time. He was shocked to walk in to the room and see six black-clad masked men - he assumed that they were men - also in the room, and also floating about five feet off the ground. Softly, as he didn't have a clue what this was all about, he asked Jody, explain, baby. I don't have all of the details, but I'm sure that it's connected to dad and his work. We three were all OK at home when they burst in and got a hold of mum and dad. I was upstairs in my room, playing so I didn't understand it at first. When they started attacking mum and dad I could feel the pain that they were in and came to see what was going on. I went into the kitchen so as not to disturb things. Grandpa, I don't know how to explain it but I could 'see' everything in the lounge - please believe me. Jody, I'm not about to doubt you. Tell me what happened next. I could see that these men had bags, and they were putting their hands in and pulling out stuff, which I think is explosive. He looked around and could see four bombs in the centre. Oh crap. Jody, are these live? Yes, they are, but I have a hold on them at the moment, but I can't keep them suppressed forever. I picked up mum and dad and had to throw them out of the house, to get them out of harm's way, while I tried to work out what to do with these creeps. I put the bubble up after that. I needed time to see what was happening. Jody, we need to leave, or we need to get these people out of here. This could blow at any time. I figure about five minutes. That's time enough. Time? For what? Go and have a word with that police officer. I need a large van - armoured if they have it - backed up against the shield. Tell them to open the back doors first. When it's in position I will extend the shield and then load this lot, and their explosives into it. Then I will retract the shield and they will have to close the doors and get the van somewhere safe. There's a car park just down the road. I would advise that it is driven into the middle of it and then the driver had better run, fast, away from it. Grandpa, I really can't hold this much longer than that, I'm afraid. He turned his head and gently kissed the cheek of his granddaughter. Holy shit. Sorry, beautiful. That's what we call a rude word. You'll get the hang of it while you grow up. Jody, we'd better get things moving then! He turned and walked back to the front door. When he got there he saw the people milling around. "Mr Cheeseman, please don't argue. We are running on a small time window here. I need a large armoured van reversed against this shield, and I need it now! Open the back doors first, as we have some dangerous things to go into it. Can you get on that now? I'll tell you the next bit after you have started that off." "Damn it, Crowley - alright!" He turned and yelled at some of his staff, and they ran off. "We have one - sixty seconds." "Good. I need a way cleared down to the car park just down the road, and I need that park to be cleared - nothing in it! This armoured van is to be driven into the middle of it and then abandoned. Whoever is driving it might have seconds to get clear, because it might well blow up on us, so don't delay this anywhere along the line. Understood?" "Understood, even though I don't understand. How is your granddaughter?" "She looks to be fine, but I need to clear this up first - we can talk later." "Understood." The van roared up towards the house and turned, and two people jumped out of the back, pushing the doors fully open. It then reversed until it was inches from the shield. The driver called out "Ready Mr Cheesemen!" "Crowley, what next?" Jody, it's up to you, now. The men from the lounge floated up and moved out into the hall and out of the front door, closely followed by all of the bags and bombs that they had brought into the house. Crowley looked as the shield seemed to grow outwards and form a seal with the rear of the van, and this was followed by six men and their belongings flowing into the van. The seal came away and reformed. Grandpa, close the doors and get that van far away from here. "Close those doors! Van driver - you know what to do?" he called out. "I do, sir." "Go, get away, then. And don't delay. Park it and get far away from the van. Now! Go!" He accelerated away and everyone watched him go. It took less than two minutes for the van to turn into the park and roar into the middle. The driver was good, and he slowed and pulled on the hand brake. The van stopped and the driver was out, running away as fast as he could. He got two hundred feet away, and started to slow down, and turned. The van was isolated, except for another small number of vehicles littered around the edges. With no notice it blew, creating a small mushroom cloud, and blowing the van driver some forty feet further away from where he had been standing. Down the road they could all see the cloud. Jody, that was close. I know. Too close. I will try to not let that happen again. Jody, what happened here? What happens when you wake up? Will you remember any of this? I don't know. I've never done it before. That's an interesting thought. I'm a good defender, so long as I'm asleep. Rather like having an invisible man who is only invisible just so long as nobody is looking at him. Can you get the police to look after everything? Secure the house and such? I think we need to get to see mum and dad. "Mr Cheeseman, can you get this area secure? We need to get to my son and his wife now." "We can. I don't suppose you'd like to explain anything?" He let it drift off, knowing that there would be no explanation. "Mr Cheeseman, can we get to the car, with you, and then move to my family? I fear I may need you to open some doors when we get to the other end. Please check that full security is in place around them." "Granted." he spoke briefly into a radio and received an acknowledgement that it was all in place. "It's all good, Mr Crowley." By then they were at the car, with the driver ready. "Mr Anderson. Good to see you. Ready for another trip?" He looked at the police officer, who nodded. "It seems, Mr Crowley, that you are calling a lot of the shots. Just don't give me too many surprises, please." They all got into the car, with Phillip still holding his granddaughter, fast asleep, on his shoulder. Ready for the trip, Jody? I'm ready. If this night shows anything, it seems that I was born ready. The car lifted and moved at great speed off towards the hospital housing Crowley's son and daughter-in-law. "Can I get a status update? Are they awake yet?" "No, not yet. No further information is available."

Magic is...magic.

You have to understand that the magic in my world is not the same as the magic in your world. In your world, magic means impressions, beauty, and more, but in my world magic is real. It exists. It isn't tangible - you can't hold it in your hand - but the effects of it are...well, real. It's always been there (according to our histories), even though not everyone can use it - or control it. There are people who just have no magic at all. They try, but nothing ever happens. We have young people, from the youngest at age seven, to the oldest at age seventy four, who start to use magic, with mixed results. We have experts (who usually get elected to the Guild) and we have people who can barely rub two sticks together. There are stories, spoken about quietly, of those who showed promise and then went..well, they went nuts. They lost the plot of magic, and became a threat, to their own safety and the safety of everyone around them. Everyone. The Council has been in place now for centuries and they look after magic, and the people who use it. You might call it a Guild, I suppose, but it is a very small group of people who look after the day to day effects of real magic, and try to stop anyone going mad and wrecking the town - or worse. There is a story - admittedly, it's very old, centuries - of one of the first people to try to 'own' magic. It didn't work out too well for anyone, and it is only because of the Guild that we are all here today to talk about it. Even if we do talk about it in hushed voices.

Where shall I begin...

to tell a story...? Well, the beginning, perhaps? In the beginning, there was chaos, century after century of it (hey, in Europe - the rest of the world...well, we'll get to that later; maybe...), and then we had two World Wars, and then a little bit of peace - a piece of peace. The world did what it had done countless times before (go on, count them, I dare you!) and picked up the pieces and tried its best to move on. We sort of managed. I have to admit that I wasn't around then, so I'm taking as read that you allow me to admit that I have 'education', which has allowed me to get to grips with some of this. Politics is, at best, a dark art to most of us, and we rely on the loonies that are able to take to the world of politics and get on with it. It is not for the faint-hearted. Which is why, in recent years, a lot of people have started to take an interest in politics, both in general and in many cases in specifics. This is good news! Yes, really, it is! Think about it. All that went before was the rather boring Blue/Red divide, with none of the others standing a snowball in hells chance of getting anywhere. Tory or Labour - that was it, and they kept taking it in turns - Blue for this period, they upset a lot of people, and then Red has a go, trying to undo what the Blues did, without upsetting a whole host of people. They eventually fail, and then - yippee! - its the Blues turn. Again. (boring...:() The short-lived (and by now notorious) Coalition between the Tories and the LibDems was a straight-jacket joke. The Tories had a lot of votes, but no overall majority. They went to bed with a minority party, the LibDems, and what did we get? An unelected Government, that's what. Certainly the LibDems could not have expected such a rollercoaster of a ride, since so few people actually voted for them. Oh, yes. Voting. Why is it that so few people, until very recently, have actually bothered to turn up and vote? Seriously, why? What is it about politics and voting that makes it such a turn-off? Well, if I didn't know better (and I don't) I would take a line out of the Josh Whedon film Serenity. The ruling classes try every experiment under the sun to generate a population that will follow orders, and they succeed in one case, where the entire population just lies down and dies. I would suggest that the last few decades has been an attempt to create a population who doesn't care, can't be bothered, and certainly can't be interested in politics. That leaves it up to the Eton snobs, the ones who are bred to go into this arena. And milk it for all that it's worth. Oh, yes they do. Which means that you and I, the plebs, the unwashed scum, actually subsidise these snobs, and encourage them to milk more and more. And that brings me around to the mid-1970's, when most of the population didn't understand politics (hey, most of us still don't) and we got roped into the European Union. No, actually we were roped into the EEC, which bred the EU. From this point on, it's all downhill, but we were blindfolded and didn't think to ask, or lift the blindfold! Except that recently, something was started that nobody really understood (I wonder if the people who started it up, back then, really understood...) and that is UKIP. Oh, wow. http://www.timesofisrael.com/british-boxing-champ-warns-of-zionist-jewish-brainwashing/ You may look at this and go 'Gosh!' or you might go 'WTF?', which tends to be my reaction. Brain-washing starts at a very early age (yes it does - come on, admit it!) For the first time in many a decade the public has woken up to the in-fighting of politics. We are interested, dammit! We want to know what goes on, how you manage to pull that off... The interesting thing (well, one of many) is that since the BrExit referendum, we have some astonishing details. The people who complain the most (about the result) are the ones who voted the least! https://www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/articles/news/brexit-referendum-voting-analysis Now is that not scary? We should at least be moving to accountability - if you don't vote, then why are you bleating? You couldn't be bothered, and yet you moan? Just what are you smoking...? This, on the face of it, makes F.A. sense...http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-32810887 Oh, 2016 has been a very interesting year, so far, usually for all of the wrong reasons. And we are only half way through the damned thing!

Man is going places

All the way through the written history of man – sorry, ‘Man’ - there were adventures to keep you interested. Everything from the use of the first tools to the discovery of managing fire through to the first flights of the Montgolfier brothers, people had wanted more. During the 20th century the people of planet Earth started to realise that they were running out of living space, and in the first few decades of the 21st century there was an endless number of skirmishes, resulting in the all-out war of the Middle East, which cost Israel half of its people, and wiped out seven countries in the surrounding area. It seems that Israel’s neighbours were stupid enough to think that they would go down without a fight. During 2185, with the planet seriously over crowded, and more and more battles going on all over the place, an unassuming student from South Africa discovered the missing pieces in quantum physics and ion propulsion. The result was the first ever Faster Than Light drive. He announced it to a few close friends, and then within two hours the whole planet knew about it. He was instantly wanted by every TV and radio station across the planet. Three days later he was assassinated by a right-wing Christian group in the United States of America who had decided that since Faster Than Light wasn’t written about in the Bible then it was Blasphemy to even mention it, and utter Heresy to think about making it possible! Of course, having discovered the missing parts of the maths and physics that were necessary, it was another matter entirely to build the device. That took another century, and a lot of heartaches and deaths along the way. Tests and trials had failed, one after the other, until an Israeli scientist realised what the problems were, and refined the formulas. Within a decade they had the first craft assembled in orbit, and the team of four on the craft were looking forward to a quick trip to Jupiter and back, in the same day. No-one was more surprised than they were that it went completely to plan! Millions of miles were covered in minutes. For the rest of the 23rd Century, and into the first 20 years of the 24th it meant that Man had started to conquer the Solar System. It took another two centuries to establish the Solar System Bases (SSBs), as initially all the supplies had to come from Earth. After the hydroponics had been sorted out, and most of the SSBs were semi-independent, Man began to look further out. Since the only identifiable stars that were close were still over four light-years away, this was a bit different to the activities within the Solar System. A few more adventurous types had already gone - they couldn't wait for things to be sorted out on Earth. Working spacecraft became cheap and easy to assemble – families got together and created their own ships, and went on their own exploring journeys. Thousands of families vanished from the planet over just a few years. It was the ultimate explore - even more so than those early pioneer settlers of the USA, all that time ago. None of those early explorers had yet made it back home, to tell of what they may have found, and since the communications signal still had to go at light speed, it would be some time before any messages were heard. But Man being Man, he went soon enough - huge ships, some over a kilometre in length, with 2,000 people on board. The journey to the neighbouring stars was to take a few weeks, instead of centuries, and before long a sphere of settlements had been established around the Solar System. Some of the ships were government funded, but some were private - the big Corporations had the money to create and staff some of the big ships. So too did the Religions. Not that they knew where they were going, or who they were going to find, but they went, with their Religious fervour, to convert anyone who would care to listen, each to spread their Word. For all of this time the push for this was from Earth - massively over-populated, the Governments of Earth used every excuse that they could to get people off-planet. And it worked - the subsidies were quite large, and it did allow for an easing of pressure for those left at home; the planet started to breathe again. And so it was for century after century - they went exploring, and making claims of planetary ownership along the way. In all that time, no intelligence was found - of a type that was akin to that of Earth (self-aware, building, using tools, exploring...). Not a one. There were basic creatures, on a par with the lower-end life forms of this planet, but nothing higher. And still Man persisted. After a while the only explorers that were left were the Religious ones; they had the idea that it would be in the next system, that it will have the planet we are looking for, the people to show the Word of their God to... And it never happened. For the next 4,000 years Man explored, everywhere that he could. And slowly came to the conclusion that Man is the only one. There is nothing else out there. Which is where it all started to fall apart - the Religious followers began to question, and doubt their leaders. Why have we wasted all of our lives doing this work, when we could have settled, and had a good life? So they started to fall apart, and splinter. And disintegrate. Over the next 500 years it all crumbled - having established the Earth territories of thousands of light-years in diameter, the conclusion was that they could not go on. We are alone - if we are alone in all of this space that we have now mapped, we are alone in all of the Universe. And so Man started to die out; Why should we bother...? Each of the planets slowly died out. They had literally lost the will to live. They gave up communicating with others of the group, they abandoned all plans of building any more churches or mosques or temples of all kinds. They stopped having families, and just died out. The last remnants of the Governments on Earth put things in place. They secured everything that they could and put the robotic controls in full command. Then each of them, separately, got into their own space craft and left Earth. They flew in random directions, and after the first few days lost contact with each other. Man was gone. In all of the huge expanse of the Universe he had made his presence felt, and achieved – nothing! Man as a race was extinct and over the next few centuries Nature, on every planet, took its course and removed all traces that Man had ever been there. The weather systems eroded all of the buildings, and the bacteria in the ground and the air attacked everything, reducing it all to dust. Had there been anyone left to see this, they might have remembered the line from one of the earliest Holy Books “Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust”. Adam was reported to have come from the ground, and Man had now returned to its origin. Nobody was to know that two thousand years later a lone space craft – huge, with over 10,000 people on board – appeared in Earth space. They were not at all Human, but had arrived from another universe, where the technology had been similar to that of this Earth, just bigger and slightly better. But there was no-one left in this Universe to meet them.

The GENESIS project

“Ladies and Gentlemen...we interrupt this program with a News Flash. It seems that the mysterious experimental designer, who goes by the name of Yahweh, a.k.a. 'God', is trying to do it again! He has announced that he will be having another try at creating, in his words “something from nothing”! We go now, live, to our reporter on the spot, Moloch. Over to you, Moloch.” “Thank you, Gabriel. As you say, the mysterious experimental designer, who no-one really knows the identity of, is having another go at his latest experiment. We know that he has tried, and failed, 12 times already, so we are not at all sure what will be happening here.” “We do know that his latest trial is to be called the General Energy Stimulation In Stasis. He has already shortened this, to Genesis, so we are here, waiting to see how today pans out. The cameras are ready, the experimental artist is ready, and so we are all just waiting to see what will happen next.” There was excitement everywhere, with no-one, not even the artist, actually knowing what might happen, such was the level of this experimentation art. The cameras were rolling, the crowds were hushed, and the artist was standing very still, in front of his apparatus. All of it was designed and built by him – he was a brilliant mind, able to handle many different sciences. There had been rumours that the military were interested in some aspects of his work but no-one would either deny or confirm this. He raised his arms upwards, fingers outstretched, pointing to the stars. There was a pause, and then instantly he dropped them and they flew over the many controls in front of him. Nothing happened for a few moments, and then the crowd could see the familiar cloud forming in the middle of the huge room. He looked up briefly, to check that it was working and then his hands flew back to the controls. On and on this went, the artist moving so fast across the controls that he almost vanished as the clouds got darker and darker. All of this was done in silence. No-one spoke, few dared to even breathe, such was the excitement, and then, suddenly, they could see the beginnings of sparks within the cloud. It was happening! Perhaps this time he would make it to the end? The cloud now filled the rest of the chamber – it was a huge chamber but this cloud had grown to fill it. There was little to see, it was all formless and empty, and very, very dark. The sparks now turned to proper lightning and the tiny crashes of weak thunder could definitely be heard. Within minutes it had reached the next phase. The crowd could see that something was forming within the cloud – something solid! Oh, this was so exciting! It took shape, vague at first and then more solid. It was round, like a ball! It was also absolutely plain with no markings on it all – it was black everywhere. The artist decided that it was time to announce his plan. “People, if you will bear with me for a moment I just need to check some things.” He moved from the consoles towards the cloud, and peered into it, trying to see what was there. At one point he prodded it with his finger, and was pleased to see that a watery ripple went out from the point of contact. He turned and went back to the consoles. “People, thank you for your patience. So far, so good.” He played a few more moments on the consoles and then the crowds could definitely see that the cloud was getting clearer – it was as if someone had put a bank of lights up on one side of the dark round thing. Suddenly half of it was clear, while the other half was still in darkness. The artist was totally focussed on what he was doing, and the crowd could see that there were changes within the cloud – some form of solid masses were showing, where before there was only a rippling liquid, like water. Ooh, this was exciting! The cameras zoomed in to the newly formed land and they could see changes taking place. The artist turned to the cameras and announced “Ladies and Gentlemen, this concludes the first part of my work. As it has gone so very well I anticipate that it may take a few more days, after which I will need a rest!” He smiled to the cameras, feeling very well rewarded. “If I am lucky it should be over in just less than a week.”

What can be achieved in a few days...

Experimental Designer “Ladies and Gentlemen...we interrupt this program with a News Flash. It seems that the mysterious experimental designer, who goes by the name of Yahweh, a.k.a. 'God', is trying to do it again! He has announced that he will be having another try at creating, in his words “something from nothing”! We go now, live, to our reporter on the spot, Moloch. Over to you, Moloch.” “Thank you, Gabriel. As you say, the mysterious experimental designer, who no-one really knows the identity of, is having another go at his latest experiment. We know that he has tried, and failed, 12 times already, so we are not at all sure what will be happening here.” “We do know that his latest trial is to be called the General Energy Stimulation In Stasis. He has already shortened this, to Genesis, so we are here, waiting to see how today pans out. The cameras are ready, the experimental artist is ready, and so we are all just waiting to see what will happen next.” There was excitement everywhere, with no-one, not even the artist, actually knowing what might happen, such was the level of this experimentation art. The cameras were rolling, the crowds were hushed, and the artist was standing very still, in front of his apparatus. All of it was designed and built by him – he was a brilliant mind, able to handle many different sciences. There had been rumours that the military were interested in some aspects of his work but no-one would either deny or confirm this. He raised his arms upwards, fingers outstretched, pointing to the stars. There was a pause, and then instantly he dropped them and they flew over the many controls in front of him. Nothing happened for a few moments, and then the crowd could see the familiar cloud forming in the middle of the huge room. He looked up briefly, to check that it was working and then his hands flew back to the controls. On and on this went, the artist moving so fast across the controls that he almost vanished as the clouds got darker and darker. All of this was done in silence. No-one spoke, few dared to even breathe, such was the excitement, and then, suddenly, they could see the beginnings of sparks within the cloud. It was happening! Perhaps this time he would make it to the end? The cloud now filled the rest of the chamber – it was a huge chamber but this cloud had grown to fill it. There was little to see, it was all formless and empty, and very, very dark. The sparks now turned to proper lightning and the tiny crashes of weak thunder could definitely be heard. Within minutes it had reached the next phase. The crowd could see that something was forming within the cloud – something solid! Oh, this was so exciting! It took shape, vague at first and then more solid. It was round, like a ball! It was also absolutely plain with no markings on it all – it was black everywhere. The artist decided that it was time to announce his plan. “People, if you will bear with me for a moment I just need to check some things.” He moved from the consoles towards the cloud, and peered into it, trying to see what was there. At one point he prodded it with his finger, and was pleased to see that a watery ripple went out from the point of contact. He turned and went back to the consoles. “People, thank you for your patience. So far, so good.” He played a few more moments on the consoles and then the crowds could definitely see that the cloud was getting clearer – it was as if someone had put a bank of lights up on one side of the dark round thing. Suddenly half of it was clear, while the other half was still in darkness. The artist was totally focussed on what he was doing, and the crowd could see that there were changes within the cloud – some form of solid masses were showing, where before there was only water. Ooh, this was exciting! The cameras zoomed in to the newly formed land and they could see changes taking place. The artist turned to the cameras and announced “Ladies and Gentlemen, this concludes the first part of my work. As it has gone so very well I anticipate that it may take a few more days, after which I will need a rest!” He smiled to the cameras, feeling very well rewarded. “If I am lucky it should be over in just less than a week.”

What a mess...

Does anyone actually understand this mess anymore? Who is fighting who, and for what?. The plot has now been developing for so long, and involving so many people, tat it seems that all they are interested in is fighting, with no real goals in sight. Look at the pictures - it is a war zone! Men (those that haven't fled to Europe), women and children are dying, and nobody is winning anything. I thought we'd seen enough in Bosnia, but now we have that Arab Spring coming home to die in Syria. Unfortunately it looks as if it might bring down most of the surrounding area, too. Ghastly! Ghastly! What a mess Deadly By all accounts, we in the West are as much to blame as anyone for this humanitarian disaster - the politicians, that is, not the people! They thought it would be a grand idea to back the rebels, which escalated nicely, and then ISIS, Russia...the USA is a sick joke, so we won't count them as REAL players... And then, you read this: Boutros So far 2016 is a real loser of a year - we have lost so many famous faces, and we haven't got past the starting post yet!!! Deaths in 2016 This is a disgrace, on the part of the current government Disgraceful! How much more screwed up does it have to get? Screwed up thinking - or a lack of it! This is just stupid on so many fronts...Jaw-droppingly stupid! As the man said - LLAP!

What is it all for...?

There seems to be a massive amount of 'religion' in the world today, all of it being shoved into everyone's face (including mine!). There is also a (seemingly) growing amount of atheism being portrayed as a better alternative, and it has come down to a war of words between all parties. The religious can't even agree among themselves, and come up with the most bizarre utterings, trying to prove themselves better than anyone else, all the while missing the point that they are not. All they are proving is that they are as raving and deluded as the next one. In America, they are all trying to prove that their God is better then anyone else's (Heidi Cruz) or a selection (Select). Whatever happens, and whoever wins, you just bet that God - somebody's God - will have had a part in it. Except for some people, that is, and you just never hear of them. Why not? Zoltan Istvan or any of the others. Why are they 'invisible' to the press and the world's media? So, Presidential competitions aside, what are we here for? Why has Humanity been created? How has Humanity been created? If you believe some people (who should know better, but can't, because they are lost in their little world, and these people insist that we should all follow them into their dark and ignorant world, too) then there is some Grand Designer who made it all. This is patent nonsense, but you just can't tell some people why the sky is blue, or why there are tides, without them saying it's God's will. A few Creationists (Creation Museum, Genesis Expo, and of course Ken Ham). Just google Creationist or similar. You'll either be pleasantly surprised or horrified. The Bible, and most of the stories in it have been shown to be false, fiction, conflicting or just plain weird/daft. Most other religions follow the same lines. Someone, centuries ago, managed to get a load of tales and put them together, and portrayed it as Gospel Truth. Even the Mormons are still buying in to the Smith 'wonder' (Joseph Smith) even though it has been shown to be utter junk (Mormon Disproved and many more - just type in 'Mormon fake'). So where does that leave all of the others? It leaves them with lies being piled on top of lies. If you shout a lie loud enough and long enough then people will believe it to be the truth. The latest one to be publically seen to be failing miserably is Islam. Given that there are a few million who follow this then why are they buying in to a tale written centuries ago? A description of Islam. If you follow these things, as I try to, then it is worrying. Islam cannot even agree with Islam - the different groups are at war with each other, never mind the fact that they are trying to convert or kill everyone else! Some articles on the why and how... American Thinker, Guardian and many, many more. Do your own research, please. Do not think what I tell you to think - work out how to think for yourself. That is what we are seeing so little of today, especially in the USA Electioneering and the Middle East. The madness of Syria is now spilling into most of Europe, and threatens to bring that down to a level not seen in centuries. How is it that the governments can be so clueless? Anti-Migration, check the date on this - Sep 2015, before Paris and California. Worried yet? Immigration or Invasion? Be concerned - it is no longer someone else's problem - it will be your problem all too soon, and you cannot say that you have not been warned. I love this one - Brigitte Gabriel, and then this lady: Pamela Geller, or Robert Spencer. There is more, lots more. So, what is it all for? It cannot be for the madness that we see today - the deluded thinking that God has played a part in our making. We are capable of so much more than we are currently achieving, if we could only remove the religious blindfolds that have been forced on us for so long. LLAP!

Now here's a thought. Although it's only a matter of time before the likes of Angela Merkel get nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize (yes, I know...but wait...) there are a lot of people who seem (still) oblivious to the notion that Europe has been invaded. Oh, and the USA, too. And Canada. And who know where else? I've lost count of the numbers here... Obviously we are now seeing a diaspora. There have been many before (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaspora) and probably more will happen down the line. Sad, but there you go... I was wondering what would happen if there were more 'ejections' around the world? Would Merkel accept people from Boko Haram if they got thrown out? If the likes of Hezbollah and Hamas were chucked out by Israel (or even their own countrymen, should they ever wake up from their slumber...) then who would be the first country to say "Come right in, make yourself feel at home!"? How long after that would the natives of that country feel that they were now the aliens...? This is what is going on, and we, the usual stupid public (go on, that's what the politicians want from us - dimness) have voted these oiks back in (I didn't vote for Blue in 2015, by the way, and I will be voting for BrExit and UKIP when next offered the chance!) How does it happen that a backward-mentality gets offered (encouraged!) seats on a trip to a 1st world status set of countries, when any half-wit could see that their intentions are not nice. Bring them in, at your peril. So, we have Germany about to go bankrupt - how is this even a choice? http://europe.newsweek.com/europe-refugee-crisis-germany-angela-merkel-424026 There goes the neighbourhood - http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/02/09/german-police-search-two-houses-in-anti-islamic-state-raids-following-television-tip-off/ Let's invite all those poor widows and orphans in...and this plank is in charge!!! http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/11/18/obama-syrian-refugees-widows-and-orphans/75983352/#and more. It is disgusting, on all fronts. That Merkel even agreed to it shows an incredible lack of understanding for anyone, never mind a world-leading country like Germany. She should resign immediately, and Donald Trump should be appointed in her place. More than likely this won't work...http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=11&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj066b4suvKAhUC8RQKHUpZCDA4ChAWCDMwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aljazeera.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2F02%2Fmerkel-visits-turkey-fleeing-syrians-wait-border-160208045039438.html&usg=AFQjCNE0UknyYiqoRmWlp_HNqfruUoXpKA&sig2=wyGJrh6YamcLJLV25NGWWg&bvm=bv.113943665,d.ZWU Until we see borders marshalled, people vetted, and only the genuine refugees allowed through, then this will get worse. And worse...

Chapter 01

He walked down the hot and dusty street. It must have been 35 degrees, but he didn't care. He didn't sweat at all. No-one else was visible, even though he knew that dozens of people were in their houses, all terrified by what was happening. He appreciated their fear, and knew where it was coming from. It had only been a few months ago when he was faced with the same situation. He walked to the end of the street and stopped, looking around. Without showing himself to the people in the town square he assessed the situation, who was where, who were the attackers and who were the victims. He knew that the thirty six people in the middle of the square were all women - half were girls, aged only twelve or thirteen, a few even younger. He felt the anger rising. Steady on - not yet... They had all been there for at least three hours, waiting for the arrival of the 'men'. He thought that although they were male, they were not men, not really. No man - no real man - puts anyone through what these women and girls had faced today and during the last few days. Whatever the reasoning was that was being used to validate these actions, he was having none of it. Since these people had been kidnapped from all over the area the local population were quite literally in fear for their lives. Stories were going around how angry fathers and mothers had fought back, only to find themselves shot and killed, and their children taken anyway. Steady on - not yet... Such is the situation in a large part of the Middle East, he thought. He knew quite clearly that there were other areas around the globe that encouraged this sort of behaviour. He knew that slavery was rife all over the place, and the kidnapping and killing of women was considered a 'spoil of war' by far too many people. Not today, he thought. Not today. Today I make a mark on the world. Today I start to take back some of humanity. He knew where everyone was. He 'saw' the men with the guns high up on the balconies. He saw the men on the ground, some with large automatic weapons and some with pistols and some with knives. All counted there were about fifty of them, and they all looked mean and nasty. Well, gentlemen, you are about to find out a new meaning to the term 'nasty'. He walked out into the town square, largely ignored by them all, as they were too busy shouting at the women and shouting obscenities between themselves about the women. He listened to it all, and ignored it. He had other things on his mind. He continued to walk towards the women, ignoring the men. One of them finally saw him and shouted "Hey who is this? Get out, you are not invited!" He ignored the shouts that rose up from all the other 'men'. He identified all of the men high around the square, and froze their actions. As much as they tried, they could not move. He then went through all of the men on the ground. They were all physically fit, and they looked to be between twenty five and forty. He froze them, too. He reached the terrified group of women and spoke to them in a loud voice, so that most of the men could hear as well. "My name is Abaddon. You women and girls are free to go, although I don't know what parts of this town are safe at the moment. Is there a large building that you can all hide in for a while until I have made this town safe for you and your families?" Many of the women were beyond conversation. They were all crying and screaming, not really appreciating why they were in this mess, and not able to have a sensible conversation. One women from among them came forward, and close to tears said "I am Ayshea. Who are you?" "I am called Abaddon. It is a name I have taken. I am here to try to stop this madness. To do that I need you all safe. I will also need someone who knows this town. Are you from around here?" She eyed him with some fear and some curiosity. Just who was this man, and what was he doing here? She answered "I am. I am a secretary in the local council. I have dealt with applications and maps and things. What do you want to know?" While this was going on he sensed that three of the men were fighting hard to move, and they had got hold of hand grenades. He let them take the pin out and then made them open their hands. The grenades fell and exploded. All three died, very painfully. He made all of the others line up their guns on the man next to themselves. Within seconds each man was positioned to shoot the person next to them. When this was set, their faces showed fear. He shouted to the men. "Gentlemen, I see that you are worried, perhaps even in fear for your lives. Good. Fear is good. You will come to know real fear very soon. Just before you die." He returned to Ayshea. "I do not know exactly what I want, but it should be a central building, large enough to take all of you and the others, when I find them." "How many?" "I have no idea. Right now I simply don't know how many I will find that are like you. I hope there will be others." "And what are you to do with these men, these..." she spat the words "these animals!" He looked at the men and then at Ayshea. "In truth, I do not know. Like you, I believe them to be animals. They are a disgrace to all decent men. Ayshea, I think I want you all away from here, and then I will dispose of these animals. It may be best if you were not here. It may be unpleasant." She laughed, a hard, bitter laugh. "Abaddon, if that is to be your name, I will be here. It is right that the rest should go away. The young girls have seen too much already this last few hours and days. I have seen these animals take turns with the girls - the youngest is perhaps nine years old! They raped everyone, including me. They hold everyone under their guns and four or five take it in turns to rape or perhaps just abuse us all. I have seen perhaps twenty of the town men taken out, by force, from their houses. They were all pushed against the nearest wall and shot. No judge, no jury - no case!" She stopped, and looked around the square. "Whatever you have planned, I want to see it. I want to be here, and I want them to know fear, and I want them to know that they will not live to do any more damage to anyone." She was close to screaming and finished with "You must let me be here! I need to be here." He liked her. She was like all of the others, wrapped head to foot in the black sacks that were called hijab, but there was a fire in her. This one is a survivor, he thought. "Ayshea, I will strike a deal with you. You help me out and I will help you, and all of the others, where I can. I cannot promise that I can help everyone - you should know this. You know nothing about me, but I am different. It is this difference that allows me to do the things that I am doing. I need someone to help me move around town, as I am a stranger here. I need to know where the others are or where they may be hiding. If you help me with this then you and I should have a very productive day." She nodded. "The deal is a good one. Abaddon. I know that name. It is not one I would entertain arguing with. It is clearly not your real name, but let us get past today, first." She smiled at him, the first smile she had felt in days. "Perhaps you and I could get to know each other better, if I live past today." He smiled back at her. "I promise that I will do everything that I can to keep you all safe, both here and for the next few days. There is much that I want to do. Most of it, I feel, will end up being unpleasant, but as you have already mentioned, you ladies are no strangers to unpleasantness. Now, where can all of these people go? I need to be able to walk them there, so it can't be too far." "Wait a minute." She turned and went to one of the women, and they spoke briefly to each other. She returned and said "Fatima works just around the corner, in the local bank. It is heavily reinforced and there is a basement, and a small vault. If we can get there she says we could all fit into the basement and vault." "Good. Which way?" She walked back to the street that he had walked down, and showed him the sign for the bank. He chuckled, as he had walked past it. Without moving from the spot he went into the bank and sensed that it was empty. He could 'see' that the vault had been emptied. "The bank is empty, and the vault has been raided. I must assumed that someone has taken everything from it." "How do you know this? You haven't moved from here, so how can you tell me what is in the bank?" "Ayshea, there is much that you do not know about me. I am preventing these men from doing anything, and I can 'sense' other things. I can 'see' around corners, through brick walls, that sort of thing. Does that worry you?" "No. I consider myself well educated, and a free thinker. Just because I live in this cesspit of a country doesn't mean that I have to be a blind follower. I wear this garb only because I have to, to survive!" "Ayshea, would you like to do an experiment, with these men?" She eyed him. "What sort of experiment?" "I assume that they are hard-right fundamentalists, those sorts who say that they have read their religious text books and then interpret them in such-and-such a way, often with no consideration for the real world. You say that you are a freethinker, as I am. Would you take the hijab garb off?" She grinned. "With the greatest of pleasure! What about the rest of us?" "Each is free to do what they like. Take it off or leave it on. Your choice. These men here have no say in your life from this point onwards." She threw the face mask off and removed the large plain black covering. That left her in a small skirt and slight top. He immediately thought that she looked very attractive. She threw the garb to the ground and stomped on it. He could feel that most of the men were furious but powerless to do anything about it. He saw that a small group kept their black sacks on, and he thought a little at a time. "OK, let's get to the bank. Do you know of - oh, hold on. I was going to ask if any of you knew where there were any guns, but I'll just take all of these." With that all of the guns from the men flew away from their hands and came gently together in a pile on the floor. "Do any of you know how to use these?" Hands went up and he said "Help yourselves, but be careful. I need a small group who will look after the young girls." "Now, for my next item... I can see that there are more guns around here." He pointed in a direction "That seems to be a stockpile of sorts. There are more guns and grenades, and a lot of ammunition. I wonder if it wouldn't be easier if you stayed in there?" "A fair point. How about we split the difference? There are enough of us to go halves. We can have the girls and a few of the ladies in the bank vault, in a strong location, and the rest of us can be here. We will keep a look out and if anyone comes towards us then we will be very sure to give them a really warm welcome." "That might work. Let's do it. I would like all of you out of the way so that I can deal with the men." It took only five minutes for the two parties to be sorted out. The bank vault proved to be empty but very secure. A mix of the guns and grenades were taken and placed around the bank floor, and the ladies lined up in watch details. The stockpile room was full from floor to ceiling with a wide array of deadly items, including land mines. He saw mini rocket launchers and knew that anyone approaching here was going to be in trouble, very quickly. "Can you get people on to the roof at both locations? They should be able to see anyone getting close." One of the ladies who was still wearing the hijab said "I am Aafreen. I will sort that out. I have some military training, before this country went to pieces. I will arrange the shifts and watches. We have found some short-range radios so we can talk to each other once we are settled in." She turned away and said "I think I will be better without this!" and tore the whole hijab off and threw it to the ground. She called out "Ladies, it is time to get ready for a fight!" and he was pleasantly surprised to see all of the other women rip their black sacks off and throw them to the ground. "Good. Thank you. I think that Ayshea and I should have a radio each, as well. If you have any problems then you will need to call me as soon as you can." Aafreen turned back to him. "You are a man, this Abaddon, yet you are different. You are not like these so-called men." She swept her arm around, taking in the whole square. "If we survive today, I pray that I will speak with you afterwards. Whatever happens I thank you for a chance to breathe a little longer." She bowed slightly and without waiting for an answer she turned and walked away, organising the other people. Within seconds they had split into two groups and gone their separate ways. That left Abaddon and Ayshea, standing alone in the square, with all of the other men around them, most of them desperately trying to say something or move an arm or a leg, but all failing. "Now, Ayshea," he said, softly. "Now we begin." He moved towards the nearest group of men, and made all of the others move in to the same direction. They seemed to almost float through the air as Abaddon forced them to change their positions. It took but a moment and they were all together, in the centre of the hot and dusty square. All she could do was stand next to him and watch as they all moved. "Ayshea, I was going to have some words with these men, but I wonder if you would like to say anything instead? They cannot move, so don't be afraid. You can walk around them if you wish to." She smiled at him. "They cannot move, but I can? Tell me, Abaddon, what is your plan for these men? I need to know." "Very well. I will be filming this. You do not need to know how I will be filming, but everything will be recorded. When I have finished here I intend that they should all perish. I haven't worked out how that will happen yet, but I am building up to send a set of messages to the world that this part of the Middle East is to be a freely operating set of countries. I am tired of reading that the maniacs in charge are all praising their version of some God that no-one has ever seen, or praising their prophet who has been shown to be a madman, a war-monger, a paedophile and a child-raper. I need it to become secular - that is, -" and she interrupted him. "I know what secular is." She looked at him. "You have set yourself a hard task, man. There are many in this country alone who will not accept that. Around the Middle East I cannot think of a single country that will accept that idea. Except Israel, perhaps. You have a long road to travel. And a dangerous one." He smiled at her. "I never said that it would be easy. I have few illusions on that point. Look at what is happening now. How can anyone accept that the behaviour of so many people in this part of the world should be considered 'normal'? Massive destruction of thousands of lives and whole towns ravaged, with no indication of anything improving." He sighed. "This road that I travel will not be easy - I accept that - but that does not mean that I should not travel down it. I cannot stand idly by and watch as my world is destroyed by its own inhabitants. I have taken it as my mission to put things right. You are free to stay with me - I cannot say 'follow me', as that makes me sound like a Jesus, and I am not that, nor do I wish to be called that. I am a friend to many but I will just as easily become an enemy to many more. So, Ayshea, are you to stay with me? You are free to leave whenever you wish. I have no hold over you, or any of these other women I have just rescued." She was truly a free thinker, even though she had suffered much in the last few days and weeks. She wasn't going to miss out on this! "Abaddon, I stay. As you say, not to follow you, but to be with you. There is a difference. Now, what of these pesky scum?" she said, referring to the frozen men. "Abaddon, are you filming? Now?" "I am." "Good. Can I speak to them?" He nodded. She turned to the assembled group, who by now had quite a few faces showing fear. "This is Abaddon. My name is Ayshea. Most of you have taken turns with me during the last few days. Each of you is scum. I have been raped, physically beaten many times, and you have all made it very clear that this is what you consider women are for - you consider that this is all that women are good for! And now here we are, where you are all held prisoner by Abaddon. He has not yet decided what to do with you. I think we will consider what your fate is to be, but first..." She walked over to one of the men. "Abaddon, this is one of the men that raped me." Without waiting she positioned herself and brought her leg up between his, crashing with her full force into his private parts. He went down to the ground, his face screwed up in a lot of pain. "That is for what you did to me! Abaddon, do you have anything to say? Would you like me to stop?" "Ayshea, you are free to say and do what you like. I am sure that these men are eager to hear what you have to tell them. Just take care that you don't hurt yourself." "Thank you." He could tell that she was now very angry. He could see the tension in all of her body. Without any more words she went around the group and did the same to another five men. Down they all went, all of them in great pain. "And now, the helpers. These are the ones who did not rape me but held me down. They also held down the others, including the young girls." "Hold on, we are having a visitor." At that moment Aafreen walked into the square. She had some form of automatic rifle across her shoulder. "Greetings to you. I have organised the others. I came tell you that we are safe, and to see what you are getting up to." Ayshea said "Well, it may be that you don't want to see. I am exacting my vengeance on these men." She walked over to Aafreen. "I make no apologies but I do not think I will be nice to them." The newcomer laughed. "Really? Can I join in? This group are responsible for atrocities and I would welcome the chance to pay some of them back." "Aafreen, Ayshea is just getting warmed up. I have heard some of what these men have done to her. I assume that you received the same?" She nodded. "Most unpleasant, all of it. Can I hit one of them? Please?" "Be my guest. The ones on the floor have been given a kick between their legs. They won't be raping anyone again." Without warning Afreen walked over to one of the men still standing and chopped him in his throat. He couldn't move and went down, struggling to breathe. "This animal...this one raped me, many times. And sodomised me and many others." As he was on his knees, struggling to find a breath she gave him a kick to the head and down he went, not moving. "He's out cold. When he comes around I'd like to do the same again. How many more can I hit?" "Afreen, it's as I told Ayshea. You are both free to do whatever you like. These men need to understand that their actions are now accountable. I am to be their judge, the jury, and in their cases I will be their executioner. They, and many like them, are not worth talking to. They are too depraved to be saved. I have not yet decided what to do with them but I intend that it will be most unpleasant - for them. You should know that I am filming this, and it will go out to the rest of the world at some point, soon." "I would save you the job. I believe that it is our job to give justice to this mob. Will you let me do that?" "What form of justice did you have in mind?" She patted the gun over her shoulder. "This." At this some of the men managed to squirm a little and tried to speak, but all they could manage was a set of weak shrieks. "You men have had your time. You have behaved as animals - worse than animals. As you held the lives of people from this town in your hands, then I now hold your lives in my hands. Afreen, do as you wish." He turned and walked away. The woman Afreem set her gun up and started to take aim at the crowd but found that she could not shoot. As hard as she tried, it proved to be impossible. He turned back and walked over to her, just when she screamed "I can't do it! I can't just shoot them!" She collapsed to the ground, in tears. He approached her and gently spoke to her. "Afreen, do not worry about this. It proves that unlike them, you have not lost your humanity. You are far more of a person than anyone in this crowd." He offered his hand to her and helped her stand. "Go back to the bank. Make sure that everything is secure. You may yet be called on to shoot. If that happens then I hope you will not hesitate, for your very life may depend on it. For now just accept that you are a better person than any of these men. Believe that." She turned and walked away, recovering as she went. "Ayshea, it is enough. We have played with these fools. Now we move on." Without any speech he looked at the men and just moved his hands. All of the men just flew into the air, straight up. "What - what have you done with them? Where have they gone?" "They will continue to climb, moving away from the ground." "But for how long? When will they stop rising up?" "They won't." She looked at him, and her mouth fell open as her eyes opened wide. "They - they won't?" She looked up and could just make out the crowd, now already at least a mile or more up. "Ayshea, if you don't like this, you and I should separate now. I cannot tell you what will happen over the next few days, but it is likely to be similar to this. Or worse." She changed to a serious face, and regarded this stranger. Then she smiled. "Abaddon, you worry too much about me. That will probably make you the first man in this country to ever have worried about me. For that, I thank you." She gave him a very slight bow. "For what will happen over the next few hours or days - well, we will just have to take each event as it happens, won't we! As to what has just happened here, if you interpreted my looks as shock or horror, then don't. It was surprise. I was surprised that you could actually do what you have just done. Amazing! That is just me learning a little more about you." "So you will stay?" "Yes, Abaddon, I will stay. This is one party that I don't want to miss. Now, to business. Where next?" "I don't know. I have so far just taken a walk and trouble seems to have found me. I can feel that this town has so much going on, like we have just seen here, that it's difficult to know where to start." She went close to him. "Abaddon, you can somehow sense these things? You don't have to be there, but you can 'see' things? Like when you looked into the bank?" "That's close enough to it, yes." "Then we need to scale it." "Excuse me?" "Put things in perspective, scale them. Look, what happened here was awful, but nobody was about to die - not immediately, anyway. Look around the town and see what is happening. Are there situations that are life and death? Are people dying now, while you and I are talking?" He went away in spirit and looked around the town. He could see three more squares where yet more women were made to feel useless, and at least another three groups of men that were busy raping and abusing more women and very young girls. Those are someone's daughters. Your time will come. He moved on and saw a crowd in another square, all looking up at a tall building. He looked up himself and saw a group of men forcing others who were tied up to climb the stairs. He looked down at the square and saw the bodies of two men, and knew that the others were to be thrown off the tower. "There is a group. They are throwing men off a tall tower. It's a few minutes run away - " he pointed "in that direction. Is there no level of depravity that these people will not descend to?" He stopped walking and looked at her. "Ayshea, there is a quicker way. If we walk then they are all dead. Will you trust me? I need to be there now." She gave a confused look. "Abaddon, stop doubting yourself, and stop doubting me. I trust that you will not deliberately harm me. Do what you must do, and do it now.! He came to her, and held her tight - and they vanished from the square.