The Fable of Marcus Page 13

  Chapter 13

  Army of the Peaceful Warriors

  Outside the great walls of London, there were, robots, rubble, scavengers, criminals,

  but among all of this, there were a few towns with people and among them there was

  a particular town with a small group of people that were both loved and feared.

  ‘Where did you find him?’ A short, dark-skinned man asked. His shoulder hair was as

  black as coal and looked like it had been pressed straight.

  ‘He was lying on the ground a short distance from here. He’s badly injured, but still

  alive, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have bought him here, but he was dying!’ A strong

  looking boy said, appearing around sixteen years old and the same colour and length

  hair as the man.

  ‘You did well, my son. Get Afzal and let’s see to these wounds, he’s lost a lot of

  blood.’ The boy began walking away, ‘Oh Imran...’

  ‘Yes father...’ he peered back.

  The man’s wrinkles increased as he smiled and his dark brown eyes sparkled, ‘you

  have grown to be an amazing young man, caring and courageous – your mother

  would have been so proud of you. I certainly am.’ The boy smiled, a genuine smile

  but one that had an ocean of tears hidden behind it. But he could never cry, knowing

  that the moment that he does, will be the moment that everything comes crashing

  down. The huge solid walls that he spent months building to forcefully imprison his

  emotions would tumble down and unbound the beast of sadness that would chew him

  up and spit him out. He hid his face and tried to rush off.

  ‘Imran... I miss her as well, but we need to stick together...’ Imran paused but didn’t

  look back and after a few seconds, he walked out of the small building.

  His father, with a look of sadness began looking down at the man lying on the woodframed

  bed, his blood soaking the sheets, and began imaging what his story was.

  Little did he imagine that this was Arthur, a man on a mission to change the world and

  who had a habit of surviving.

  ‘What is Ahmed?’ A tall man barged in carrying a black bag.

  ‘Afzal, this man is badly injured, I think I’ve managed to stop the bleeding but I need

  your help.’ Afzal crouched over Arthur and checked his pulse, ‘ok, open my bag and

  scatter the contents on that table!’ Ahmed did as he instructed.

  ‘Get me the scissors!’ Afzal cut through his clothing and saw the deep wounds,

  ‘wounds from swords, bullets, fragments of explosives – this guys been through a

  warzone and not all of them are fresh, some are years old! This guys could be

  dangerous.’ Afzal looked at Ahmed with eyebrows raised.

  ‘What do you suppose? We leave him to die!’ Ahmed looked back piercingly. There

  was a short pause, ‘course not... can you hand me that cloth please.’

  After about an hour, Afzal had removed four bullets, one fresh and three that were

  inside him from before, bits of an arrow and about a dozen fragments from a grenade.

  Afzal was surprised that his body had survived after being subjected to all this torture

  and was even more baffled at why he wasn’t poisoned by all these bits and bots

  floating around inside him.

  ‘How is he doing?’ Ahmed asked walking back into the room.

  ‘He, amazingly, is going to be okay.’

  ‘Yes, it seems as though he has a surviving spirit.’ Ahmed said glad to see that he was

  going to pull through.

  ‘We need to leave him to rest and awake in his own time.’

  The muttering silenced as Ahmed entered a large room with a crowd of men gathered,

  including Imran and Afzal.

  ‘You guys have probably already heard about our new guest and I hope we all remain

  hospitable and welcome him. I know that some of you are sceptical because he is not

  from around here and yes, he looks like a soldier but nevertheless, we will help him.

  Everyone in the room nodded their heads in agreement. I have arranged for food for

  everyone here today, so please remain here and eat and take food back for your

  families.’

  Everyone trusted Ahmed with their lives, his heart was an unshakable mountain of

  humbleness and his generosity was overwhelming. He was renowned for his righteous

  character and notorious for his courageousness.

  Ahmed was not feeling hungry and decided to revisit his new guest. He knew that

  there was something special about the stranger and knew that there was a reason that

  he arrived here. When he got inside, Arthur was still knocked-out-cold. As he turned

  to walk back out, he froze as he felt a strong grip around his neck and the cold feeling

  of sharp metal pressed against his neck.

  ‘Where am I?’ Arthur had awoken and felt threatened; he had picked the scissors up

  and used them as a weapon.

  ‘Ah, you have awoken and seem to have a fast recovery.’ Afzal remarked.

  ‘Don’t play games with me! Or I will kill you!’

  ‘No you won’t. Killing me from behind, would definitely suit your style and although

  you are very fast, very fast, but your feet are heavy!’ Arthur looked down and noticed

  the dagger in Ahmed’s hand, pointing at his thigh.

  ‘You would slit my throat, I would have a fast death, spending my last few moments

  is shock as opposed to pain; but being stabbed in the thigh, this long sharp dagger

  cutting through your artery – well, that would be slow and painful, but judging by

  your condition, you already know all about pain and nearly bleeding to death! Look

  my friend, if I wanted to harm you I would have left you to die!’

  Arthur released his grip and stumbled back onto the bed, holding his ribs in pain.

  ‘You need to rest, but when you’re ready, there are some fresh, clean clothes on that

  table and enough water at the back to freshen up. When you feel strong enough, you

  can leave. When you walk out of this door, you can either walk left follow the path to

  the end where you will find a horse, saddled and enough food and drink for your

  journey. If, however, you would like to talk to us, meet the people of this town, or

  need any help, then step outside walk right and follow the path to a large brown

  building and we will be there.’ Ahmed walked out calmly.

  Arthur sat and began thinking about Marcus and the kids and began to freak out. He

  leapt up and quickly put on the new clothes. He splashed the cold water on his face

  but didn’t wait for the water to dry and dashed for the door. On getting out and feeling

  the painful and freezing cold wind hit his aching bones mercilessly, he turned left,

  thinking about the horse and galloping to find Marcus, but something stopped him, he

  didn’t know what, but he turned back and began walking and looking for the brown

  building. When he walked inside the room, a sudden silence overcame the men

  crowded in the room. Although their silence was like death, their smiles were

  welcoming and warm. One of the men stood up and took a plate full of bread and fruit

  and handed it to Arthur. Arthur accepted the plate and nodded in gratitude.

  ‘Please come and sit.’ Ahmed insisted, sitting in the front with his son, Imran.

  Arthur went and sat down next to him and the talking among the men gradually began

  again.

  ‘I am glad you stayed, I know you have something urgent to do – I can see it
in your

  eyes. But the question is are you ready?’

  ‘I... thank you for saving my life.’ Arthur said looking at the food.

  Ahmed smiled, ‘eat, and build up your energy.’ Arthur ate the all the food on the plate

  to the crumb. Ahmed, when noticing his empty plate, pushed his own plate forward.

  ‘No, thank you, you are very kind but you have done enough... I am sorry but I must

  go.’

  ‘Where are you going? Stranger.’

  ‘I’m sorry, my name is Arthur.’ Ahmed moved his head back in shock.

  ‘You are the Arthur?’

  ‘I guess so!’

  ‘That’s funny I always imagined you a lot...’

  ‘Yeah, yeah I get that a lot!’ Arthur interrupted and they laughed together.

  ‘My name is Ahmed, this is my son Imran.’ Imran nodded and smiled lightly and

  Arthur nodded back. ‘So, tell me Arthur, what is going on?’

  Ahmed’s back straightened in excitement when he heard about the existence of

  Marcus and the mission Arthur was on.

  ‘I could really do with your help!’ Arthur said. Ahmed stood up and told the people

  what was going on and they all stood up, ready to fight. Arthur found it strange that

  although they all looked different, different colours and sizes, most of them like

  muscular barbarians, they all behaved like gentlemen. They all smiled at one another

  and were like loving, caring gentle giants to their young ones. They all wore white

  clothing and seemed huge on personal hygiene.

  ‘Don’t be fooled by their calm and patient traits, for on the battlefield, they are like

  unstoppable lions – they fight as one. Tell us what you want us to do?’ Ahmed asked

  as they walked out of the building.

  ‘I have led many battles and lost many people, but I have never lost as many people,

  good people, as I did in the last encounter with that evil army.’

  ‘It’s okay, war does not scare us, nor does death.’ Arthur nodded.

  ‘Marcus and the others would have probably been taken into London and sold by the

  scavenger that robbed you!’

  ‘I need to get into London and get him, will you help me?’

  ‘We will help you, but London is not that simple to invade. It is heavily guarded and

  the walls are unbreakable.’

  ‘Nothing is unbreakable!’ Arthur’s eyes began to glow.

  ‘Ahmed smiled, ‘I like you already! But I am afraid the only way this is going to

  work, is to sneak in.’

  ‘Can you get me in!’

  ‘Only you can get yourself in, but I can show you how. It’s going to be hard, you have

  heavy feet!’

  Arthur’s ego began to kick in, ‘just show me how and I’ll do it!’ By this point, Afzal

  came rushing in with a metal cup, holding it carefully, trying not to let its contents

  spill.

  ‘Drink this!’ Afzal handed the cup to Arthur, who held it tightly and was

  overwhelmed by its strange smell. The cup was warm and the liquid inside looked

  like murky water found in a swamp and it had steam waving out of it like fast floating

  fog.

  ‘Thank you.’ Arthur said.

  ‘This is Afzal, he pulled out your collection of souvenirs floating inside you! And this

  is a natural remedy; it will help your body heal!’

  ‘Thank you Afzal.’ Afzal smiled and walked away.

  The warm drink was really sweet, but not in a good way. Arthur would have preferred

  to fight someone for hours than to finish drinking it, but knew it had to be done. He

  sipped it slowly, trying not to screw his face up in disgust each time, and then he

  couldn’t bear it anymore, closing his eyes; he gulped it all down but couldn’t help but

  to make a face.

  ‘That is definitely the best way to drink that stuff – my mistake... I should have told

  you that!’

  Arthur swiftly forgot about the lingering taste of the repulsive drink, especially when

  he looked around at the people in this town. They were simple people, there was no

  hustle and bustle, no arguing, no fighting and they shared what little they had with

  everyone. Ahmed walked around with Arthur for almost an hour, allowing him to

  observe the environment and importantly, their way of life. He had never seen people

  be so nice to children, even when they were being little terrors, nor did he ever

  witness people treating animals and even plants with such dignity. Yet when he saw

  the men and the young boys training and learning how to fight, he had never seen

  people try so hard. But Arthur’s patience had grown thin and anxiety took over him, ‘I

  need to get to London! I need to get to Marcus. That’s if he’s still alive!’

  ‘Do you feel that you are ready?’ Ahmed asked.

  ‘I was born ready!’

  ‘Maybe so, but let us see.’ Ahmed stopped walking.

  Arthur removed his sword, ‘I really appreciate what you have done for me, but I don’t

  have time for games! I must go!’

  ‘You’re not scared of an old man are you?’

  ‘What! You’re crazy!’

  Ahmed rushed and got in front of him. Arthur was startled at the speed of Ahmed’s

  movement. ‘Look, I don’t want to hurt you, so move out of my way!’

  ‘I dare you!’ Ahmed did not break eye contact for even a split-second.

  The men that were training outside stopped and stared at what was going on. Arthur

  raised his sword, ‘get your weapon and don’t say I didn’t warn you!’

  ‘I don’t think that will be necessary.’ Ahmed stayed calm and unarmed. Arthur swung

  his sword as fast as he could at Ahmed’s head but Ahmed moved out of the way so

  fast that it was almost like vanished and like a blur, he was already behind him.

  ‘Your strength and speed is remarkable, maybe the fastest I’ve seen, but your too

  aggressive and that goes against you. Arthur swung the sword again, although this

  time from a different angle and trying much harder, the results were similar. He failed

  a few times and Ahmed stopped him.

  ‘You are amazing at being at one with your weapon and your strength, but you need

  to control the environment around you. The wind must carry you as part of it, the light

  should expose only your enemy, while the shadows hide your next move and

  importantly, the ground must not have known that you stepped on it!’

  Arthur, did not understand a word he just said but he knew that if he wanted a chance

  to get in London and get Marcus then he would have to pay attention.

  ‘You will get your chance to go, but you will leave when the blanket of night will veil

  you from your enemy. And by then, you will be able to see what they can see not.’

  Ahmed spent the next few hours teaching Arthur to discover how to use his senses in

  a way that he never thought possible. Arthur was shown ancient skills of fighting

  blindfolded, relying on his other senses to guide him. Fighting under water, to help

  control his breathing and being subjected to some painful smacks from a solid

  wooden stick, helping him to control his rage.

  ‘You really are something!’ Ahmed said to Arthur, ‘your body is healing faster than

  anyone’s I’ve ever seen and you are not even giving it a chance to rest! And your

  persistency in learning is remarkable. It is obvious now why you were chosen for this

  way before you knew it.’

  ‘Were you ch
osen to lead?’ Arthur asked.

  ‘I don’t believe so. I believe I was chosen to mould a leader – my son, Imran. He is a

  leader – he was born to do it. He is young and has much to learn but his heart is

  bigger than mine, his courageousness excels mine. He will be the leader when he is

  ready.’

  ‘And when will he be ready?’

  ‘Only he will know that, as will you, when you are ready!’

  Arthur looked up at the sky, noticing that night was slowly extinguishing daylight and

  the winds began moving faster.

  ‘You have the same look in your eyes as him, he lost someone close to him and feels

  lost – and there’s nothing I can say or do to change that.’ Arthur didn’t think that,

  finding it hard to cope without Richard, would be so obvious.

  ‘You need to believe in yourself, if you weren’t meant to do this then you would have

  never got this far! This is your destiny, this is why you are still alive, when you

  should have been dead so many times!’

  ‘What about Richard? Was he not meant for this, is that why he’s dead! He was ten

  times the man I am!’

  ‘He did what he was meant to do and he left when you were ready for him to leave.

  Now, it’s getting dark, you need to move.’

  Arthur paused and thought deeply and although everything this strange man said was

  like philosophical jargon, in a peculiar way, it all made perfect sense.

  ‘You guys have some serious weapons, but yet you all fight with swords, daggers and

  fists. Why not use the weapons? I am going into London with a sword and a small

  dagger!’

  ‘A sword, used correctly, can cut deeper than any other weapon just the way a tongue

  used incorrectly can be shaper and cut deeper than any sword.’

  There he goes again! Arthur thought as he put out his hand, ‘Thank you, for

  everything.’ Ahmed smiled

  ‘Your horse is ready and awaiting!’

  ‘And you’re sure that I can’t take one of the vehicles?’ Arthur looked around at few

  sparkling cars parked nearby. Ahmed raised his eyebrows.

  ‘I’m kidding – move like the wind – I get it.’ Arthur smiled and ran towards the

  beautiful brown horse. Arthur was still baffled at how effective that drink was, he felt

  as good as new, and the stitch job wasn’t bad either.

  Arthur climbed on to the horse and giving a quick glance and a nod, he rode into the

  distance as fast as he could.

  ‘Hey guys, there’s one spare bed and the rest of you lot are gonna have to crash on the

  sofas!’ Kate said while yawning and feeling bloated from all the food. Louise quickly

  stood up and walked to the spare room with the bed, smiling, ‘thank you!’

  The rest were too full to do anything and stayed sitting.

  ‘Get some sleep, it’s gonna be an early one!’ Kate walked into her bedroom and

  closed the door behind her.

  ‘You ok?’ Nicole asked Marcus who had been gazing into space, motionless for a few

  minutes.

  ‘I am just amazed at this place; I can see how everyone could get so distracted and

  forget about the bigger picture. And forget about the people outside of this surreal

  place.’ Nicole nodded in agreement and had felt a little carried away with it all

  herself. Marcus noticed a notepad and a pen on the coffee table. He grabbed it and

  began scribbling all over it, with his usual symbols and formulas that made no sense

  to anyone.

  ‘What is all this stuff?’ Nicole asked, trying to ignore Ryan’s snoring..

  ‘I’m still not sure. But this all must mean something!’

  ‘I’m sure you’ll figure it out.’ Nicole’s eyes were gradually closing and fought a

  losing battle to stay awake. And after a few seconds, she was gone. But Marcus could

  not close his eyes. He stayed up most of the night thinking and writing. And when he

  finally managed to close his eyes and begun to drift away, Kate opened her door, her

  hair was like a mop and she stumbled in like a zombie – her eyes were not focusing

  on anything in particular when she mumbled, ‘time to get up,’ and walked into the

  wash room. Nicole sprung out of bed looking bright as day, ‘morning.’

  ‘Morning,’ Marcus said, his eyes red and soar. Within moments, Kate barged back out

  of the wash room, miraculously transforming back into cheerful Kate – Hair tied

  beautifully, make up on perfectly and the bounce back in her step. ‘Come on guys!

  We’re burning daylight.’

  ‘Does someone wanna wake the sleeping beauty up?’ Kate said, referring to Louise.

  They all looked at Ryan as he stretched and got to his feet, ‘what?’ he said noticing all

  their heads turning in his direction. ‘No way! No!’ He shook his head vigorously,

  knowing what she’s like at this time in the morning, ‘she is a monster!’ He quickly

  ran into the rest room and locked the door!’

  Nicole huffed, ‘wimps!’ She walked to the door and banged on it, ‘Louise, get up, it’s

  time to go!’ She shouted from behind the door. She received no response, but dared

  not barge in. After a few moments, the door flung open, making Nicole jump. Louise

  walked out, looking cheerful and wide awake, ‘what? Why are you guys staring at

  me?’

  ‘No... no reason. It’s just that you’re not normally a morning person!’

  ‘I know, I’m normally a fire breathing dragon at this time, but I have to tell you, that

  was the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in and it was so warm that I was out

  like a baby.’ She walked up to the wash room door and banged on it. When Ryan got

  out, he dared not look her in the eyes, ‘get out the way weasel!’ She barged past him

  and shut the door behind her.

  Kate prepared some toast and tea for breakfast; they all munched fast and shot out and

  into the car. The agonizingly cold wind had retreated and the sun had regained

  control, spreading its warm and beautiful rays across the city, melting the faint layer

  of frost on the grass and the rooftops.

  ‘Keep your heads down, they’re probably looking for you; it’s a bit of a drive. And

  she wasn’t exaggerating, they drove for so long and there was so much traffic, that

  they all couldn’t wait to get out and stretch their stiff bodies.

  ‘There it is... the University!’ Kate smiled and looked for somewhere to park. They all

  marvelled at the tall and beautiful looking building, they could not believe that a

  building that done nothing, it just sat there and people used it to put things in, could

  look so appealing to the eye. It looked like it was all made out of glass, gleaming

  dark-blue glass that reflected the light from the sun magnificently. The doors opened

  and closed, sliding fast as people walked in and out.

  ‘Come on I’ll distract the security guard, you guys sneak in! They won’t let kids in

  here.’ Kate walked in first and began asking for directions to the Professor’s room

  while they snuck in and ran to the elevator. The building was as striking on the inside

  as much as it was on the outside. The floor was a cream marble and the walls tiled

  with metallic slabs. There was a huge water feature – some sort of abstract design that

  made no sense but nevertheless, looked amazing and clear water gushed out of it like

  a waterfall.

  Kate ran into the
elevator that they were all stood in just before it closed.

  ‘He’s on the fifth floor, room twelve.’ Kate said. Nicole held onto the side, losing

  balance as the evaluator began speeding up to the fifth floor. And as they stepped out,

  Nicole was completely off balance and feeling dizzy.

  ‘You ok?’ Marcus asked.

  ‘Yeah, I’m fine thanks.’ She smiled and they hurried to door twelve.

  ‘There it is!’ Kate shouted and they barged in, not realising that there was a lecture

  theatre full of students, who all turned their heads.

  ‘Sorry...’ Kate whispered nervously and turned to walk back out.

  ‘Maybe our guests would care join in and answer the problem on screen?’ The

  Professor at the front of the room said loudly. He was a tall thin man wearing a

  brown, shabby suit jacket, a white shirt and denim jeans. His head looked polished

  and thin framed specs balanced perfectly on the tip of his nose.

  ‘Sorry... we were...’ Kate muttered now red in the face.

  ‘Don’t be silly, these guys needed to be woken up! Now come in and sit down.’ They

  walked in, everyone noticing that there were a bunch of kids looking completely out

  of place.

  ‘Now, where were we... oh yes, robotics and Artificial Intelligence in the late

  twentieth century made a real breakthrough with nano-tec. The clever little cells that

  were originally used to help the immune system eventually began thinking for

  themselves and took over the human body, now my question is how?’ The Professor

  looked around eagerly, hoping that someone may have prepared for today’s lecture.

  But for Marcus, listening to this triggered something off and he began shaking his

  head at the screen. The Professor noticed this, ‘it seems as though you have something

  to say...’ Most of the students sitting in the room began to giggle at the young boy

  being put in the spot light. Marcus knew it would probably be better to stay quite but

  he couldn’t, ‘the Artificial Neurons did not lose focus of their mission, which was to

  fight infections. Besides, if they did then they would not have worked together for one

  goal. Rather the main system, which controls all the subsystems simply changed

  direction, like when a person changes his or her mind and thus used the neurons like

  an army.’

  ‘Interesting theory, but why can the system not control the neurons which are still

  within us now, and have the ability to reproduce almost organically?’ The Professor

  asked intrigued at what this boy was suggesting.

  ‘The system crashed and became corrupted when someone created a virus and hacked

  the system.’ Marcus stood up and walked to the front; he took to the keyboard and

  began typing away. Everyone has become complacent in the fact that the threat is

  over, it is not! The system can be repaired and restored, and although the connection

  between the mind and the wrist-lock has weakened, does not mean that everyone will

  be able to keep control of their own minds!’

  ‘Well, this is an interesting theory but even with the system online, it could probably

  control twenty percent of the population.’

  ‘That would be enough to launch an attack!’

  ‘Yes. But why would it launch an attack if it wants to control us?’

  ‘This is just the thing; the system has changed direction again, after the impact of the

  virus, it no longer wants to control us.’

  ‘Well, what does it want from us then...’ the Professor paused and stared into thin air

  with a look of astonishment, ‘extinction!’ The professor whispered loudly.

  ‘Exactly!’

  A loud buzzer went off and the uninterested students got up, most with perplexed

  expressions, and swarmed out of the lecture theatre.

  ‘Who are you?’ The Professor asked.

  ‘My name is Marcus and these are my friends. We really need your help!’

  ‘Hi, Professor, I used to study here a few years back, my name’s Louise.’

  ‘Hello... but how do you know all of this?’

  ‘I think it would be better if I show you.’ Marcus said, slowly lifting up his sleeves.

  The Professor’s mouth fell to the ground and he took off his glasses and moved

  closer. ‘Impossible! But how?’

  Marcus spent the next ten minutes explaining everything to him. The Professor had

  thousands of questions but knew he didn’t have the time.

  ‘What to do? What to do?’ He began asking himself. ‘Marcus, you existing and being

  here can change everything and this is precisely why I need to keep you a secret until

  I get you to the right place. Come on we have got to get out of here!’ As they walked

  to the door, herds of students rolled in, ‘sorry lesson’s cancelled,’ he shouted and

  received a cheer back from the students.

  ‘What’s the plan?’ Marcus asked as they sat into the Professor’s car and began

  speeding out of the car park.

  ‘I know a man in office that I can trust. I need to get him on board and we need to

  speak to the government and take action now. I can’t believe it, after all these years, it

  was all actually true!’

  As they turned to the main road they saw a huge flash of bright light as a large black

  vehicle crashed into the side of them, sending them skidding across to the other side

  of the road.

  None of them knew what happened and regained consciousness in a dark room, sat in

  front of men dressed in black suits.

  ‘Well Professor, I always knew you were going to be a real pest and I really

  petitioned when they told me that they were going to release you. But let’s not dwell

  on the past. I see you’ve made some interesting friends.’ One of the men, a short, bald

  chap with a gravelly voice, said.

  ‘Hey, you’re the Mayor!’ The Professor said, trying to get a good look at his face. The

  Mayor smiled.

  ‘Listen, it’s true, this is the boy, look for yourself, he doesn’t have the wrist-lock –

  that means it was true – we can stop the Dark-Tec Empire!’

  ‘Now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The boy really is fascinating and we did have

  to pay hell of a lot of gold to get the information leading to you guys.’ The Mayor

  whispered something to the man sitting next him and then faced them again, ‘I think it

  would be in our city’s interest to keep all of this quiet.’

  ‘But...’

  ‘But nothing!’ The man raised his voice, ‘please don’t tell me that you actually

  believe in the fairytale! Now, we are a strong city and have survived for many

  years...’

  Marcus interrupted the man, ‘well that is all about to change.’

  ‘How so?’ The man asked smiling.

  ‘The Dark-Tec Empire will come online and it will attack at full force!’

  ‘I don’t think the Empire will bother us, and even if they do we have our ways to tame

  them!’

  ‘What, you mean the EMP machines?’

  ‘They’ve got the technology to get around that.’

  ‘Really? And how do you know that and why have they not used it already smarty?’

  ‘Because even I know how to get around your machines. They are waiting for the

  system to come back online!’

  ‘I think I’ve heard enough! Get rid of them.’ But the man standing next to the Mayor

  whispered into his ear and th
e Mayor nodded. ‘Ok, lock them up and I don’t want

  anyone knowing that they are here. We’ll keep them just in case.

  As Arthur rode closer to the great walls of London, he noticed a small gathering of

  scruffy men, instantly recognising that they were the men that shot him and kidnapped

  the kids. He couldn’t believe the coincidence, if there were such a thing.

  He leapt off his horse and removed his sword; like a crook on tip-topes, he crept

  forward, using the darkness of night as a cloak. The men were sat around a huge fire,

  half of them falling asleep from eating and drinking more than they have in a few

  years and the others gazing at the stars, not having a clue about what was about to

  happen next.

  Arthur snuck around them removing their weapons from under their noses before he

  kicked one of them in face, forcing his nose to explode a huge gush of red. He then

  quickly punched another man who hit the ground hard and lay unconscious with a

  possible broken jaw. He pointed his sword at the leader of the group, Rick and stared

  at him angrily. ‘Where are the kids?’ Arthur shouted. The man didn’t reply, still a

  little bedazzled.

  ‘Tell me where they are and I promise that I won’t kill you!’ Arthur swung his sword,

  slicing the tatty belt that was holding his trousers and making them fall to his ankles,

  exposing his stripy boxer-shorts.

  ‘Ok, I’ll tell you, but you’re too late, I have already sold them at the gates – their

  probably deep within London as slaves or in some factory by now!’ The man smiled.

  Arthur growled and kicked him in the stomach as hard as he could, sending him

  tumbling over the large box filled with gold. The box turned over and its contents

  were exposed. The moon’s glimmer reflected off the solid bricks of gold. He looked

  around at the men and threw his sword, ‘well, ladies, the last time we met I wasn’t

  wearing my dancing shoes, let’s start over!’ The man ran towards him but Arthur

  moved fast and hit him even harder. He beat the greedy men, who would rather take

  the beating than leave their loot, to the ground. He approached Rick who was on the

  ground bleeding from all over his face.

  ‘But you promised you wouldn’t kill me! You promised!’ The man pleaded.

  ‘Yeah I know. But you’ll be surprised at what you can live through!’ Arthur kicked

  him again and he fell unconscious.

  Arthur tied the box to the saddle of his horse and dragged it to the gate, completely

  ignoring everything Ahmed said to him about sneaking in like a ninja, and just hoped

  that he could buy his away in instead. As he approached the tall gates, he noticed a

  small red beam pointing at his chest and then another and then several more. A huge

  light then shone at his face, forcing him to cover his eyes.

  ‘What do you want stranger?’ A loud voice shouted. At this point, Arthur began

  thinking he probably should have taken Ahmed’s advice.

  ‘I am here to buy! I have gold... I need some supplies and then I’ll on my way!’

  Arthur yelled back.

  ‘There’s nothing for you here, now get lost or these guys will decorate you nicely!’

  ‘Please, I have gold, let me show you.’ Arthur leapt off his horse and opened the box,

  showing its contents. There was a deadly silence and the bright light turned off, the

  silence continued for another few seconds and Arthur began imagining that he would

  be shot a few hundred times. But the loud sound of the gate emerged, the metal began

  to grind as the gate slammed onto the ground in front of him.

  Arthur got off the horse and dragged the box in.

  ‘Leave your weapons outside,’ the loud voice echoed. Arthur unstrapped his sword

  and put it into the saddle of the horse. And began walking across the bridge, not

  having a clue at what his next move was going to be. Most of his actions were

  spontaneous and they’ve generally paid off, but he really wasn’t sure about himself

  today. As he walked into the dark entrance, without seeing them, he could already feel

  the presence of the heavily armed guards.

  ‘Ok stranger, what do you want?’ Martin, the man in charge of the gates said.

  ‘Hey, I am looking for some kids, they were sold here and I want to buy them back!’

  Martin laughed, ‘I am afraid that’s not possible, they are long gone!’ He began

  walking away.

  ‘Wait! How can I get in and find them?’

  ‘You can’t!’

  ‘I will give you the box of gold if you let me through!’

  The man stopped and walked back, he looked into the box and checked the gold was

  real. He ordered his guards back to their posts and turned to Arthur, ‘ok, I’ll let you

  in, but if you get caught I will deny everything and if you try screwing me, I’ll have

  your guts!’ Arthur looked at the man and smiled, ‘you won’t get a peep out of me, I

  just want the kids and I’m out of here.’

  ‘I’ll take your gold, but you’re wasting your time, the boy is being hunted by some

  big cats. They found about him and snooped around for hours trying to figure out

  where he is. London may seem like a big place but they got it on lock down, they’ve

  probably found him by now!’

  ‘Well thanks, but I’ll take my chances!’

  ‘Suit yourself!’

  Arthur began walking past the huge and dark reception until he saw a glass door, and

  the men that were guarding it moved out of the way.

  ‘And get changed if you want to blend in, you look like you’re from the circus!’

  Martin shouted from a distance.

  Arthur walked for over twenty minutes before he got into a populated area, he

  couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the clean and calm city, full of people who

  were oblivious to what is going on outside. Trying hard to not lose focus, he began

  wondering how on earth he was going to find them. He walked past a shop that had

  clothes displayed in the window and thought it be a good idea to get some new

  clothes, so he didn’t stand out like a sore thumb. When he stepped inside, he made

  heads turn, as it so happened, he just strolled into one of the most expensive designer

  clothes stores in London. Almost instantly, a man approached him, looking at him up

  and down with eyebrows raised, ‘can I help you sir?’ He asked in a very posh accent.

  ‘Yeah... I’m looking for some clothes.’ Arthur replied, looking at the man’s posh suit.

  ‘Ok... sir, I must mention that this is a very expensive store, maybe you would like to

  try a store down the street?’

  Arthur, who had kept a few gold bars from the box, emptied his bag onto the floor.

  ‘What can I get for this?’

  The man’s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when he saw the gold. ‘Martha!’

  He shouted to his assistant, smiling nervously.

  ‘Come this way sir,’ the man said, putting the gold bars back into Arthur’s bag and

  handing it back to him. ‘You’re not from around here are you? You could probably

  buy the entire store with that. And I suggest you don’t flash it around either.’ He

  whispered into Arthur’s ear. ‘Now, let’s get you dressed.’ The man and his assistant

  Martha, a charming old lady, measured him and dressed him with the most expensive

  suit they had and still had to run to a bank to get him the right a
mount change in gold

  coins for a single bar. ‘Now, take a look.’ The man said, feeling proud of himself.

  Arthur looked in the mirror and smiled, never imagining himself to ever wear

  anything like this. ‘I could get used to this!’ He said checking his collars and stroking

  his beautiful cream tie. The fitted black suit went perfectly with him but Martha kept

  looking at his hair. ‘If you don’t mind, I would suggest a hair cut!’ She said with a

  precious smile.

  ‘There is a lovely hair dressers two buildings down from here. It’s run by a man

  named Brian, he will know exactly what to do!’ The man said, ‘Martha, if you don’t

  mind you could take him there.’ Martha smiled, ‘of course not, right this way.’

  ‘Thank you, you are very kind.’ Arthur said, getting carried away with everything.

  The hair dresser took one look at Arthur and nearly had a heart attack, ‘no, no... no!’

  he said in a strange accent, he touched arthur’s hair in disgust and shook his head

  saying, ‘no, no...no!’ again.

  ‘Come on Jeano, if anyone can do it, it’s you!’ Martha said.

  ‘You’re right my darling but look at this! Just look at it!’

  ‘Please!’ Martha fluttered her eyelids.

  ‘Ok! Ok! But just for you my darling.’

  ‘Thank you Jeano.’ She smiled and waved at Arthur and left.

  ‘Thanks! I think!’ Arthur said, looking at Jeano’s determined face. Jeano clapped

  twice and two young ladies came rushing out, one wheeling a shinning black chair,

  and the other lady carrying a leather bag. ‘Sit down!’ He pushed Arthur into the chair

  and hit the button on the stereo and an epic orchestra tune began playing in the

  background. His face changed and he began looking like mad man ready to bring

  Frankenstein to life. He moved like a bird floating beautifully in the air, rolling out

  the leather bag with his finest tools for this kind of job, his fore head was creased and

  his eyebrows almost stuck together as his eyes visualised how they were going to

  tackle this mess.

  ‘Oh dear, this scalp, these ends, this smell – this mess!’ He clapped again, ‘get me the

  stuff!’ The young lady came rushing with an unlabelled bottle of shampoo. He rinsed

  his hair chucked on lots of the shampoo. After emptying half the bottle, he tilted his

  head, ‘what the heck.’ Then tipped the rest of the bottle, he washed Arthur’s hair

  intensely and then worked his talent. Not giving Arthur any say, he chopped and

  sprayed and chopped until a huge smile formed on Jeano’s face and he stopped.

  ‘I have to say I didn’t think I could do it, but I did it and boy did I do it well, Jeano

  style!’

  Arthur looked in the mirror and noticed his hair short and spiked at the top, short from

  the sides and a little longer at the back. And, his hair was now a dark brown.

  Complimenting his eyes and complexion perfectly. He looked at Jeano, who had

  exactly the same style and colour and said, ‘I like it!’

  ‘Well of course you do! And you look great, now just as a suggestion, maybe a

  shower and a shave! There’s a shower upstairs.’

  ‘Hey Kate, where are we?’ Nicole asked, all of them being blindfolded and taken

  somewhere strange. But Kate seemed confused and turned to the Professor, who

  looked around the grey, windowless room.

  ‘It’s some kind of cell, and I’m guessing underground.’ He looked at the little screen

  near the door. ‘Security locked!’

  ‘What are they going to do with us?’ Kate asked.

  ‘They’re planning on locking us up and throwing away the key!’

  ‘But how can they get away with this?’ Kate panicked.

  ‘My dear, no one knows that. We’re here and that’s that. And I don’t know about you,

  but no one will be looking for me!’

  ‘This is crazy!’ Kate began shouting and banging on the steel door, ‘hey, you can’t do

  this! We haven’t done anything and we have rights!’ But as expected there was no

  response.

  ‘It’s no use, there’s no one out there! We’re probably in a maximum security cell

  way... way underground, where no one can see us rot!’ The Professor said in a

  pessimistic tone.

  ‘Charming!’ Marcus said, ‘there must be a way out of here. Are you sure that there’s

  no one out there?’

  ‘It’s unlikely, looking at this square on the door; you can see the wired link to the

  computer, which means its all computer operated! It will open three times a day and

  give us food. They really didn’t want to take any chances with us!’

  ‘So we wait for it open and... break it?’ Ryan asked.

  ‘It won’t work. They have double doors and normally have sensors and if anything

  tries to get through or tamper with it they snap shut! I’ve read about these type of cells

  before, in history books, they used them when detaining serious criminals and

  interrogating suspected terrorists, and all of this was kept underground because it was

  a grey area in the legal system.’

  Marcus looked at the computer screen, ‘this security system is using old exploitable

  software and I can hack this!’

  ‘How do you know what software it is using?’ The Professor asked, intrigued.

  ‘I am not sure, but for some reason I can tell just by looking at it and how to function

  it – it’s all in my head!’

  ‘Astonishing!’ The Professor marvelled as Marcus began using the touch screen panel

  next to the door.

  ‘Careful they normally have tamper security!’

  ‘Yeah, TS Intrusion Detection, I found it and it is now... disabled! They rigged this

  baby well, but this... should do it...’

  Arthur cleaned himself but as he stared carefully in the large sparkling mirror, he

  noticed the faint scars running down his neck and some of the stitches from his

  wounds were coming away. What the hell am I doing? He thought as he noticed how

  distracted he had become. He quickly got dressed and ran down the spirally stairs,

  ‘hey, looking good!’ Jeano remarked as caught sight of a completely transformed

  Arthur.

  ‘Listen to me! I need to find some kids that came here not so long ago. It is very

  important that I find the boy...’

  ‘Ok, just calm down... listen, I know a guy, he’s not cheap but he does that kind of

  stuff, you know, he finds people. His office is just down the road from here – he’s

  really good.’ Jeano directed Arthur to the man’s office.

  The entrance to the office was as gloomy as the lonely, worn mat that sat outside the

  door. The place looked more like a shed and had a strong smell of damp wood. The

  unmanned desk had a broken leg, balancing with a small pile of books wedged under

  it, and the light shining from the cucumber coloured lamp was exposing the

  weightless particles of dust floating meaninglessly throughout the room. There was a

  large map tacked on the wall behind the wooden desk. It was so big that almost

  covered the entire width of the back wall – London, detailed with road names,

  building names, some buildings marked with ‘X’ and every alley way and possible

  alley way labelled. There were large bright red coloured drawing pins pierced all

  around the map.

  ‘Can I help you?’ A gentle and calm voice emerged from beh
ind him.

  ‘Yes, I’m looking for a man who... can find people.’

  ‘Ok... please take a seat.’ The short man with receding black hair said. He walked

  inside the office with a brown paper bag with patches of grease seeping out and two

  plastic cups wedged in brown a cup holder. The man’s brown suit camouflaged him in

  his wooden office well. The only thing that looked completely out of the ordinary was

  his bright white socks that stood out because of his slightly short trousers, not that his

  legs were particularly long. He sat snug into his large leather chair and opened the

  paper bag, removing two greasy ring donuts.

  He put one of the cups in front of Arthur who sat on the chair opposite side of the

  desk, ‘I had a strange feeling that I would get a visit from someone today. My name is

  Albert. So tell me, what can I do for you Mr...’

  ‘Arthur, my name is Arthur and I am looking for some kids that...’

  ‘Wait, I don’t find kids, they normally don’t want to be found.’

  ‘No, they didn’t runaway, they were... kidnapped!’

  ‘Umm... interesting...’ Albert put the half eaten donut down and wiped his hand with a

  napkin. He removed a thick brown cigar and put it in his mouth; he stood up staring

  out of the window.

  ‘Now, what would someone want with kids? Unless, they weren’t from London!’

  ‘They’re not from London.’

  ‘Umm, I can’t do it, I’m sorry.’ The man placed the cigar back into his pocket and sat

  back down and finished his donut. Arthur opened his bag and emptied the gold coins

  that he got as change from the clothes shop, onto the desk.

  ‘Maybe this might help.’

  ‘Maybe it will!’ Albert looked carefully, examining the gold coins. He stood up and

  placed the cigar back in his mouth, ‘I need to know everything... I mean everything!’

  He said speaking out of the side of his mouth.

  ‘Ok, I will tell you everything,’ Arthur waited for a few brief moments before asking,

  ‘are you going to light that?’

  ‘What this?’ He took the cigar out of his mouth and stared at it, ‘no... I don’t smoke!

  It’s a disgusting habit! Now, drink your coffee before it gets cold and let’s get

  talking.’

  Arthur sipped the strong and strange tasting coffee and explained everything about

  Marcus and why they came here and what they had been through. In was difficult for

  Arthur to determine whether Albert really believed him or not, nevertheless, the gold

  was real and so the incentive to find Marcus and the others was strong.

  ‘From the sounds of things, your friends could be anywhere by now. But I have a

  friend who may be able to get us started.’ Albert picked up the black phone sitting on

  his desk and rang a number. After a few rings some one answered, Albert put the

  phone back down and pressed the speaker phone button.

  ‘Hello Mike.’ Albert said.

  ‘Hello Albert, long time.’ The man on the phone replied.

  ‘Yes it has been, listen, I need a favour...’

  ‘I’m listening...’

  ‘A group of kids were brought in through the back doors a couple of days ago... can

  you get into the main CCTV system and figure out where they went?’

  ‘You mean you want me to hack the system?’ The man whispered.

  ‘Yes, it’s important.’

  ‘Albert, I could time for this, it’d better be bloody important.’

  ‘Please, anything you can do.’

  ‘Ok, I’ll see what I can do.’

  ‘Thanks, bye.’

  Albert hung up the phone, ‘Ok, Mr. Arthur, let’s take a walk.’ They walked out of the

  office and approached a fairly battered brown vehicle. It didn’t look very modern, nor

  did the paintwork shine but it did have a charm. The shape was more boxy than the

  other cars on the road and the lights looked more like an old man’s eyes, drooping and

  tired. It wore a patchy coat of rust and when Albert started the old engine, it screamed

  in pain.

  ‘Ok, we are going to the gates.’

  ‘It’s no use, I have already tried and they don’t know anything.’

  ‘Well, they knew that you might be trouble!’ Albert said as he pulled off leaving a

  cloud of grey smoke behind him.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I mean that, although they let you in, they reported that you broke in and are a

  fugitive.’

  ‘They did what?’ Arthur shocked thinking about the gold that he paid for his

  admission.

  ‘They called you through; your pictures have already been uploaded on all the digital

  newspapers, Police cars and even on digital adverts in windows.’

  ‘So, you knew that before we spoke?’

  ‘Yeah, when I came into my office I noticed the scar just peeing out of the side of

  your collar and linked it to the scar from the image I saw. I mean I love the

  transformation but when paying attention to detail, you’re not fooling anyone.’

  ‘So, why are you helping me?’

  ‘Because I don’t trust them and on the plus side, you’re paying me!’

  ‘Let me try to see what I can get out of them.’ Albert got out of the car and rushed

  inside. Arthur sat in the car, anxiously waiting.

  After a few moments, Albert came rushing back and hopped back into the car – silent.

  ‘Well?’

  ‘Well you were right. They weren’t very helpful.’ Arthur shook his head and began to

  get frustrated.

  ‘I did, however, notice something very unusual... the chap that I spoke to was wearing

  a wedding ring on his left hand.’

  ‘So...’

  ‘So, why did he have a patch of un-tanned skin on his other hand, the same size as a

  ring!’

  ‘Maybe he swopped hands.’

  ‘Maybe... or maybe it was from another ring.’

  ‘I don’t follow.’

  ‘The man didn’t seem familiar to me, he didn’t seem to fit in and the fact that his suit

  had a few tiny threads of white implies to me that he was wearing something white

  over his clothes. This and that fact that he normally wears a ring on the other hand,

  like all the members of the secret government people can only mean...’

  ‘Mean what?’

  ‘That they are worried about something. That’s why they’ve got one of their own at

  the gates and just as I expected, we are being followed.’

  Arthur turned to look back. ‘No! Don’t look, let them follow...’

  Albert’s mobile phone began to ring, ‘hello,’ he put his phone on loud speaker.

  ‘Albert... this is Mike, listen to me very carefully, the group of kids that you are

  looking for were here yesterday. They were being chased down by, you’re not going

  to believe this, but the car was government.’

  ‘Oh, I believe you alright, we’re being followed by them now!’

  ‘Wait, I am tracing your phone signal,’ there was a loud tapping sound as Mike

  bashed on his computer’s keyboard aggressively.

  ‘Ok, I hacked into the main CCTV system, I can see you now. You got one on your

  tail and it looks like there’s a few more coming!’

  ‘Mike, get us out of here!’ Albert said looking into the rear view mirror.

  ‘Just a minute... ok, you’re coming up to a busy junction – speed up, and jump the

  amber lights!’

  Albert put h
is foot down but the car didn’t pick up much more speed that it was

  already doing. Arthur looked at Albert with one eyebrow raised.

  ‘What? It’s a classic!’ The large black vehicle following them noticed them speed up

  and picked up pace. As they approached the lights, they turned to amber and Albert

  pushed his rusted old car through as fast as he could; only just evading a collision

  from cars rushing from the left. The large vehicle that was following was not so

  lucky, and because the driver tried to get through and failed, the cars from the left

  collided into it and sent it tumbling over and sliding across the road.

  ‘Yes, we did it.’ Albert smiled and gently stroked the steering wheel of his beloved

  car.

  ‘Hey, I’d hate to burst your bubble, but the other two will catch up pretty quick if you

  don’t get a move on!’ Mike said, noticing that the other two similar vehicles were

  catching up.

  ‘This is the fastest that this thing will go.’ Albert said in panic. Arthur had lost his

  patience, ‘I am tired of these games! Stop the car!’

  Albert looked at him in shock, ‘what do you mean?’

  ‘I said stop the damn car now!’ He shouted so loud that Albert missed a few heart

  beats and stopped the car. Arthur leapt out of the car and removed his suit jacket and

  threw it in the car’s back seat. He leant back towards the window and said, ‘stay

  here!’ He walked on the road towards the two identical vehicles that were screeching

  to a halt in front of him. Three men rushed out of each vehicle and one shouted, ‘get

  down on the floor now!’ They were all pointing black, strange looking pistols at him

  as he walked towards them.

  ‘I said get down before we make a mess out of you!’ The man repeated.

  ‘Tell me where the boy is and I promise you I will let you all live!’ Arthur shouted.

  Albert, ducking behind the car seat, shook his head thinking, the guy’s obviously a

  nutcase! Why do I always get the nutcases?

  ‘I will not tell you again! Get down on the ground now!’

  Arthur ran so fast towards them that before anyone could take a shot he had already

  kicked the man that was telling him to get down, in the chest, sending flying and

  knocking the man behind him down to the ground. Arthur then rolled over the car’s

  roof and using both his legs, he kicked the man on the other side of the car, the man’s

  gun fell out of his hand and he was sent flying into the windscreen of the other car.

  The three men from the other car began firing rapidly at Arthur, who rolled on the

  ground and picked up the gun from the floor and began firing back, instantly shooting

  one of the men in the leg and another in the arm. He rolled further and hid behind the

  car, and silently waited, he could hear the man’s footsteps and looked underneath the

  car and shot the gun, shooting the man in the leg. Arthur stood up and grabbed one of

  the men and pointed the gun at his head. ‘Now, I’m going to ask you once, you know

  who I’m talking about – where is he?’

  ‘Ok, don’t shoot, I’ll tell you... they locked him up in the old Anti-terror unit!’ The

  man moaned in pain from the bullet wound to the leg.

  ‘Where is it?’

  ‘It’s underground somewhere... I don’t know exactly where, I swear!’

  ‘You tell whoever it was that sent you that I will get the boy and I will kill anyone

  that gets in my way!’ Arthur stormed back to the car and noticed Albert was pale as a

  ghost, ‘shall we drive?’ Arthur said calmly. Albert nodded and swallowed nervously

  as he pulled off.

  ‘We need to get to the old Anti-terror unit – do you know where it is?’

  ‘There was rumour that unit was still functioning but there was no proof because no

  one knew where it was! Mike?’

  ‘I’m on it! Drive towards Central, call it a hunch. Meanwhile, I will see if I can get

  you an exact location!’

  ‘Thanks Mike, I owe you one!’

  ‘That’s ok, and for the record, you owe me loads but I will cash up later.’ Albert hung

  up and drove as fast as he could towards Central London.

  ‘I got it!’ Marcus smiled as the door slid open.

  ‘Absolutely remarkable!’ The Professor marvelled.

  ‘Wait!’ Ryan said and held everyone back as he peeped his head out of the door first,

  ‘come on it’s clear.’ To everyone’s surprise, there was no one outside. They stared

  down the long and well-lit corridors.

  ‘Which way?’ Ryan looked puzzled.

  ‘This way...’ Marcus began walking right towards the large double doors. He didn’t

  know whether this was the right way to get out but decided they definitely needed to

  move from where they were. The fear of being captured and killed played on all of

  their minds, except Louise who was just glad to get out of that room. She was

  claustrophobic but suffered silently, trying not to let on that the walls felt like they

  were caving in or that her chest was so tight that when she breathed it felt like a knife

  was digging into her lungs.

  ‘It’s so quiet and this seems too easy!’ Marcus remarked.

  ‘Let’s just move!’ Kate said. They crept down the long corridor and approached the

  double doors.

  ‘One sec...’ Marcus began fiddling with the screen on the side of the door, ‘Ok... this

  should do it,’ the doors flung open and they entered a large room. The walls were a

  light blue, there were a few tables and chairs scattered all over.

  ‘What now?’ Ryan asked, looking puzzled. The Professor walked to the back of the

  room, where he could see metal stairs, ‘this way!’ They ran up the stairs where they

  were faced with another door, although there was no security on this one. Ryan

  pushed the door open and they walked into complete darkness.

  ‘Anyone know where the light switch is?’ Louise remarked.

  ‘Allow me...’ A strange voice echoed. Everyone froze as the lights blinked a few

  times and then turned on and they all stepped back in horror.