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"Absolute rubbish."
This was Xavier's verdict on the official version of events relating to
the battered woman and dead android in the park. Talking again to his security
people, he ordered the retrieval of all viddisks from cameras in the vicinity
of the park, and when they arrived in a sack he disappeared for the rest
of the day into one of the communications rooms to examine them. At supper
he had still not found anything, but went back to his investigations as
soon as he had eaten, saying he did not want any help. The following morning
he took Noel aside and showed him what his patient research had yielded
up: a flying figure like the previous one on a short sequence, and a rapidly
descending blob that was barely visible on another, but suddenly lit by
an electrical discharge. A third sequence showed the figure in flight, but
this time close enough to make out the man's face. Xavier replayed the last
sequence, freezing the picture on the best shot: the twisted and arrogant
features of Zebulun March.
"In a few days we'll know who this is, and God help us, perhaps we
can track down the rest of them from him."
Noel nodded thoughtfully, the face of Zebulun staring past him with a cold
exultation. They made copies of the image and passed it on to a small group
of droids to track the man down, but the next day Roger came in to see Noel,
holding a copy.
"I know who this is," he said unemotionally.
"Really!" exclaimed Noel, rising from his seat.
"Its Zebulun March, the psychologist. He's the one who treated me."
Xavier was given all the information that Roger had, and he passed it on
to contacts in the Capital in order to organise surveillance of the doctor.
As the months passed, Xavier and Prunella seemed to regain their former
equilibrium, which pleased Noel. Xavier finally fixed a day for their expedition
into the Fusodrome. A second group of droids would make a roundabout excursion
through the tundra outside the Fusodrome, bringing a number of Nu2s which
they had specially modified for the sandy terrain. Under the cover of darkness
they would bring these through the concrete discharge tunnel and into the
Complex. When Xavier and his droids were ready to leave the Fusodrome they
would make their way to the beginning of the tunnel via a service hatch,
meet up with the others and then ride out into the sands.
Xavier was reluctant at first to allow Noel to join them after his bad state
of health, but Noel was absolutely set on it. When Xavier finally gave his
consent Noel was so pleased that he gave him a hug.
"Whatever happens don't forget the parrot shit," Noel said, grinning.
Xavier laughed and slapped him on the back.
"You're nuts," he said affectionately.
Xavier was really in his element now, directing the operation and going
through last minute combat training. When the day finally came they set
off in the dark, in two groups. Steven was in charge of the group mounted
on bikes heading for the desert and the entrance of the discharge tunnel.
The other group - consisting of Xavier, Noel, and four other droids - set
off on foot for the perimeter fence. They arrived at the agreed time and
almost immediately the lights on the nearest buildings inside the fence
went out. This was their signal that the power to the fence was down. Wasting
no time, Xavier and one of the droids cut through the heavy wire of the
fence with large cutters and soon they had made a gap big enough for them
all to slip through. Once they were through Xavier and Noel repaired the
cuts in the wire with self-welding strips that they had prepared themselves
with. Bending low, they then scurried for the shelter of the nearest building,
a concrete structure with small high windows. Lights suddenly appeared in
the windows and power returned to the floodlights near the fence. A low
pitched siren started. They had been told that this signified a black alert
which would automatically follow any temporary loss of power. No guards
would be mobilised as long as the electronic checks showed no breaches in
the fence, or other disturbances. If their welding had been unsuccessful
and the breach were detected, the siren would change to indicate a yellow
alert and they would have to make an immediate retreat back through the
fence. They listened anxiously while the siren continued its metallic wailing.
It stopped suddenly. Xavier and Noel found each other's hands in the dark
and gripped them. They grinned at each other, then a low whistle sounded
twice; it was a signal from their power worker friends. A droid came over
to them through the gloom and handed them thin oversuits and badges.
"With these you won't be challenged anywhere in the green security
levels. Watch your thoughts carefully though, there are some telepaths around."
Noel's interest was aroused by the droid's reference to telepaths. They
had heard rumours of new droid developments in the Fusodrome, but to Noel
this was of special interest. There was no time to question the droid however,
as they were being led towards one of the droid hostels where they would
be able to meet and talk to the power workers. It would be a delicate matter
to convince the traditionally-minded droids about the need for organisation
and combat training. Some of them had visited the Poets Quarter and had
met Xavier, and these would be his allies in the task ahead. All of the
droids knew about him of course: his success in the Games in the last few
years made sure of that; but for many, like Noel when he first came to the
Quarter, the human deaths at his hands were an obstacle.
Xavier's friends had found a secluded part of a warehouse to gather the
droids to hear him speak; they showed a mixture of curious respect and faint
condemnation. Xavier spoke to them for some time about the weakness of the
Complex's defences, and the disorganisation of the Government forces. His
audience was sympathetic, but had mainly no conception of the nature of
the League. They were well protected in the Complex from the kinds of attack
that had become commonplace in the cities and country areas, and did not
have free access to the media. Xavier told them his own story and that of
poor Shorty. Shorty's tale seemed to affect them more than anything; there
was a silence for a while as the audience digested the cruelties that had
reduced Shorty to his pitiful condition.
"Wait a minute," one of them said suddenly, "wasn't there
a droid found electrocuted on the perimeter fence a while back?"
"Yes," said another. "I seem to remember the number forty
on his neck. We never understood how it happened."
"I think I do," said Noel, only just realising it himself, and
pausing a while before he continued. "I think he must have committed
suicide."
There was a hubbub as the droids discussed this amongst themselves. Xavier
made some progress now that they were a little more aware of what the League
was capable, but after a while Xavier realised that he was coming up against
a resistance he could not argue his way round.
The droids accepted that the League were aiming to capture the Complex,
and that quite possibly the Government was not well-prepared enough to stop
them. They refused however to find any way round the basic obstacle: they
could not engage in any kind of violence against humans unless it were a
question of the survival of a major section of the human population. Xavier
tried to explain that in his and Noel's opinion the League would destroy
the reactors if they could not take control of them.
"There's no way the it can be done," one of them said. "Hundreds
of years ago they designed the generators so no conceivable accident or
attack could cause a chain reaction. You would need a nuclear explosion
from something the size of a small breeder reactor to trigger of the Complex.
There's nothing like that on the whole Continent, never mind in the hands
of the League."
Xavier shook his head.
"I know it sounds impossible, but I am sure that they will try their
damndest. You don't know to what lengths the League will go to. You don't
know how many people really want the end of the droids."
The audience was silent for a while.
"We still find it hard to consider fighting," said one of them.
The others agreed.
Xavier looked in despair at Noel. Noel looked down thoughtfully. Then he
got up and spoke, shaking his head:
"I don't know how the League could destroy the Complex."
He looked round at them all for a long time without speaking and the silence
grew oppressive. Noel grappled with his feelings: in his heart he wanted
to tell them that fighting would be useless anyway, because of how he understood
the unfolding of events, but for Xavier's sake he had to try and convince
them.
"I am absolutely certain that they can do it though," he said.
Noel paused again. As the droids looked at each other, Noel felt for the
first time, but unmistakeably, the sensation of direct contact with another
droid mind. Cautiously he allowed the contact a certain way in. The other
droid was at the back of the hall. Noel could feel the antagonism of a traditional
mind, one that was quite dedicated to serving the human masters of the Complex:
it was cold and hostile. Unintentionally almost, Noel guided the other presence
towards his visions. He allowed the vivid 'memories' of the future conflagration
and subsequent immersion to unfold. In the silence of the gathering the
droids looked curiously at Noel. From the back of the hall came a groaning,
which gradually gathered in strength. They turned one by one to see the
telepath bend in pain and fall to the ground, crying quietly at first, and
then with greater force:
"No, no, no."
Noel regretted the contact as he saw its effect and tried to guide the trespassing
droid to any memories that might comfort him. Strangely enough the memories
of the holiday with George came back, with the tranquil countryside and
the growing affection between them. The fallen droid calmed down, but the
memories turned to Noel's early dreams of the sea that he had at the time.
Noel carefully closed himself to the other's mind.
The droid gathered himself together and sat down in a chair. They all looked
at him. Finally he pointed to Noel and said in a faint voice:
"Listen, you must listen to him. They speak the truth." He paused,
and then continued:
"He is the Prophet Droid."
With that the telepath collapsed again, and the meeting broke up in pandemonium
as his colleagues carried him out.
Later on Xavier's friends came to him and told him that there might well
be a change of heart now. The droid telepath had been very hostile to Xavier
and his cause; he had slipped in unnoticed to the assembly, and most likely
would have reported Xavier to the authorities, if it had not been for his
experience.
"There's no telling how he'll feel tomorrow. If he is still in your
favour then you will have no trouble. Support coming from a traditionalist
like him will convince even the most sceptical."
To be on the safe side they insisted that Xavier and his company spend the
night within easy reach of their escape route, the submersion plant with
its access to the discharge tunnel. The six of them were provided with simple
bed-rolls for the night, after being shown their escape route in case of
emergencies. Noel could sense an uneasy atmosphere between them as he settled
down to sleep, or was it just his imagination? Xavier and the other four
had long known about Noel's visions and the periods of exhaustion following
them, but it was the first time that anyone had called him the 'Prophet
Droid'. It made him heavy-hearted: he felt that his burden was greater now.
As Noel woke in the morning the scene with the droid telepath was the first
occupation of his conscious mind, and he felt downcast again. The others
made no mention of it, and Xavier's good humour cheered him up: Xavier was
always cheerful in an active role. After a light breakfast Seventy-seven,
as the telepath's name turned out to be, was ushered in to see them. Noel
could see that he was still reeling from the contact that had been made
the previous evening. Seventy-seven made it clear that it was not just the
visions of the future, but also the memories of Noel and George that had
affected him.
"You've shattered everything I have known and stood for," he told
Noel. "It's not just that I see now that the League will destroy, or
try to destroy us. It's the experience that I have never dreamed of, some
real friendship with a human. I always thought that it was a romantic fiction."
He beat his fists on the table.
"If only to know what that is really like, I want to do anything I
can to stop the League. There must be a way. There must be a kind of life
where we can live together."
He was thoughtful for a moment.
"This is all happening so fast. But I can see in a way that it is also
the fault of the droids. We shouldn't have been so patient and good-natured.
Perhaps if we can fight off the League in an organised way, people will
come to respect us more."
Noel was taken aback by the transition in the droid. He could see that it
was very painful to be presented with a whole new view of life in such a
devastatingly rapid and realistic way. Noel shook his head.
"I've thought a lot about these things too," he said. "I
just don't know if we can learn to show the kind of behaviour that would
earn us respect from our creators. It's not just a question of a single
successful engagement. We are different deep down.
"I don't even know if I want to learn the things they never wanted
us to learn," he added.
Seventy-seven nodded. He had angular intelligent features, and had obviously
thought things through from the new stand-point that Noel had brought to
him.
Xavier was getting impatient; he could see that Seventy-seven could be a
very useful ally.
"Will you support us then? We will need to act fast. Every droid here
will have to be trained somehow without arousing suspicion, and they'll
need arms."
Seventy-seven nodded.
"I agree. I leave the planning to you, and I will make sure that you
get all the support you need."
They shook hands.
"Great," said Xavier.
They made some preliminary plans, and for the rest of the day Xavier studied
the layout of the Complex. Noel and Seventy-Seven talked a lot and it was
well into the afternoon by the time they were ready to leave. Xavier and
his team reached the waste tunnel hatch a little later than scheduled. The
said brief but heartfelt farewells to their new friends and slid down the
iron rungs of the ladders into the tunnels.
Only when the hatch was banged shut above them did they dare use their lights.
They had an hour's walk ahead of them according to the plans of the tunnel
they had seen; they would meet Steven and the second team with their bikes
at a junction in the tunnel. Noel enjoyed the steady walk and the chance
it gave him to think over what he had seen and heard in the last twelve
hours: above all to come to terms with his role as the 'Prophet Droid'.
They walked on for some time in silence when a distant sound of hammering
made itself heard. As they went on the noise became louder and then died
away. The radiation level grew. It would have been fatal to a human, but
the droids just experienced it as an uncomfortable tickling sensation. The
noise returned again, but now it sounded like the firing of automatic weapons.
It died away again and in the silence that gradually returned they could
make out the faint roar of the bikes.
"They've run into some kind of trouble," muttered Xavier, unslinging
his gun. The rest followed suit and carried on cautiously. The oncoming
cycles became gradually louder, with no further sounds of gunfire. As the
tunnel rounded a bend and straightened out, they finally saw the lights
on the machines as dim specks bobbing about at the far end of the tunnel.
The riders were soon upon them. Steven jumped off his machine.
"It's the League. We surprised them in the desert and though we lost
most of them a few managed to follow us to the mouth of the tunnel. We had
no choice but to come on in; we couldn't leave you here."
Xavier nodded.
"There's nothing for it but to fight our way out," he said.
Xavier took Steven's machine and Steven mounted behind him. The rest of
Xavier's team took their places as pillions, for they were not such skilled
pilots. Xavier waited for them to ready themselves and dropped his arm as
a signal. They rode off together along the snaking tunnel, the pillion riders
with weapons at the ready, their lights illuminating a ring of brightness
ahead of them. They rode thus for some time until Xavier suddenly signalled,
for he had spotted a light ahead of him. It was a pair of riders similarly
equipped with weapons coming straight at them. Xavier's face set hard for
the riders had to be droids; no human could have ventured that far. They
knew of droids used by the League, but had never come up against them in
a combat situation. Noel let his mind loosen and expand out ahead of him.
He felt the sickening sensation of the drugged and badly reprogrammed droid's
minds, and as his mind briefly made contact with theirs, they opened fire.
Steven responded in the same instant and the tunnel was filled with the
deafening thunder of firing and ricochets. The two League droids went down
almost immediately, and at the same time Noel's driver was hit. Noel's machine
headed up the side wall of the tunnel and overturned as Noel was thrown
against the wall and slid down towards the bottom. The riders following
him only just missed him, by climbing up the wall. They all stopped and
rushed back to the overturned machine. Noel picked himself up. He was only
a little shaken and bruised, but his driver was hit. Xavier and the others
ran to the body of the stricken droid, but after careful examination group
realised that he was dead. They looked at each other with the understanding
that this was the first fatality in the coming war. After a long silence
Xavier pointed to the one of the enemy machines which was left almost unscathed
by the crash.
"I'll use that," he said. "Noel, do you think you can pilot
mine?"
"I'll do my best."
"Help me get his body onto the back of this one. Steven, you take the
crashed unit. We can't afford to leave anything of ours behind."
They carefully laid the body of the dead droid over the pillion seat on
Xavier's new machine, tying his hands and feet around Xavier's waist. Xavier
set off slowly with his sad burden, while the rest remounted in sombre mood,
with Noel alone on Xavier's machine. They also started off slowly, for Noel
was a little unsteady in using the power delivered from the miniature nuclear
engine to the almost spherical wheels. He gained confidence rapidly, however,
and soon they regained their original momentum. Noel, riding just behind
Xavier, caught sight of the next enemy riders at the same time as Xavier.
Weapons firing straight ahead, the little group rode head-first towards
their opponents. This time they picked off the riders before they could
return fire, leaving them only with the problem of navigating the stricken
machines that were sliding out of control around the bottom half of the
circular tunnel. One machine cut directly across Noel's path. He turned
to avoid it but found himself riding up the side wall of the tunnel. He
felt a split-second of panic as the tunnel began to spin round him. In the
next moment his reflexes were taken over and the bike was directed up in
a tight arc over the roof of the tunnel and down the other side. The machine
just straightened out in time to take a straight course again behind the
group. Xavier had felt Noel's panic and had in the extreme need of the situation
linked his mind directly to Noel's motor control centres. Noel was in control
again after the brief surrender to Xavier's superior skill, but felt himself
reeling under the depth of the contact made with his friend's mind. He had
no time to dwell on it however, as a small spot of light appeared again,
but this time it was the tunnel mouth. The group tensed themselves for the
inevitable fight with the League forces as they shot out into the desert,
weapons blazing, but no one was there. After a few seconds of disbelief,
Xavier let out a yell of triumph. There was nothing in sight for miles around.
He pulled up in a cloud of dust and questioned one of the droid drivers
who pulled up behind him.
"I don't understand," the droid replied. "There were dozens
of vehicles following those riders. You can see the tracks all around. But
they are nowhere to be seen now."
They did not waste time in puzzling over their good luck, but set off on
a semicircular course that would bring them back to Poet's Quarter without
raising suspicion.
Prunella greeted the group in her usual fashion. The news of the death of
one of their party shocked her and she became rather subdued.
"It's war then," she said.
She kept looking at Xavier. Despite the loss of their friend he rightly
felt that the mission had been a success, both in terms of the operation,
and in terms of what they had achieved inside the Fusodrome. He wore the
tangible air of triumph that had followed his success in the last Games,
and with a new authority. He went to her side and hugged her gently, and
she lay her head on his shoulder.
As they sat round and discussed their expedition during that evening, it
seemed that some of the fragile intimacy between Xavier and Prunella that
had been so shaken by George's visit returned. Noel saw it and felt happy
for them. He had received some slight injuries himself from his fall, and
retired early.
The following day news spread around Poet's Quarter concerning the A.D.
League. Apparently they had been engaged in manoeuvres in the desert not
far from the Fusodrome when Government forces had spotted them and had escorted
them to the main highway some miles away. An A.D. League commander had been
kept for questioning. There was no mention of Xavier's droids however.
Noel received some attention in a droid medical unit. He noticed that Xavier
was rather distant and made no mention of the incident in the tunnel or
of the droid telepath's remark in the warehouse meeting. Noel could not
thank him for his help in the tunnel without referring to the contact their
minds had made; he could see that Xavier had reacted in the extremity of
the situation out of his friendship for Noel. To think of that contact or
in any way renewing it seemed to threaten Xavier, however, and Noel dropped
the idea.
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