The Millennium Rebel
“Labourers in workhouses
3-4, please make your way to the dining warehouses.” The sharp, metallic voice
resounded out from the speakers around the workhouse walls. Alyssa gritted her
teeth, removed her work gloves and joined the long line leading out of
workhouse #4. The line moved very slowly but, eventually, Alyssa exited the
workhouse and moved towards the dining warehouses. She walked in, picked up a
tray and moved steadily along the serving hatches. Slimy, grey meat; small,
grizzly, overcooked potatoes with wrinkled skins; strips of carrots and a
shrivelled-up, old lettuce leaf. For dessert there was rock-hard rock cakes and
the choice of beverage was water or gravy. Alyssa stood and stared at her meal.
She pulled a disgusted face. The metallic voice boomed out again.
“Alyssa Natalya Morgan,
please keep moving. Do not hold up the line.” Alyssa muttered something
indistinguishable under her breath and moved on. She found an empty seat and
sat down. At least they weren’t fussy on seating arrangements. Her friend,
Noelle Slater, came and sat next to her. So did her fiancé, Declan Miles. It
was against the law to unite in holy matrimony but that wasn’t going to stop
Alyssa and Declan. Alyssa took one look at her plate and pushed it away. She
couldn’t bring herself to eat it. Declan and Noelle were having trouble as it
was. The meat was refusing to be cut and the potatoes self-destructed when
picked up.
Half an hour later, a
klaxon sounded and everyone stood up. They turned towards the doors and began
to file out. Declan leant over to Alyssa and whispered,
“How are you getting
on?” Before Alyssa could answer, sirens sounded and two one-wheeled robots
moved up on either side of Declan and grabbed his arms. Another robot, taller
and broader than the others, approached the prisoner.
“Declan Nathan Miles.”
It said in a deep, dangerous voice, “You are charged with disrupting the peace.
Do you have anything to say in your defence?” Declan didn’t answer, he couldn’t
answer.
“Very well” the robot
said, “I hereby sentence you to the penalty 50 lashes.” A fourth robot
approached Declan with a cruel, leather whip in its metal claws. The robot that
had spoken to Declan took the whip and stood over him, bending and flexing the
leather torment, menacingly.
“Remove your shirt!” it
ordered. Declan removed his red, sleeveless top and stood still, waiting for
further instructions.
“Half-turn!” it yelled.
Declan obediently turned his back on the bully. The robot lifted the whip and
delivered a painful lash to Declan’s back. Declan winced in pain. Another
stroke. And then another. And another.
Alyssa couldn’t bear it
any longer. They could treat her badly, they could half-starve her but she
wasn’t going to let them inflict pain on her or her comrades. She let out a
shrill shriek and darted forward, snatching the whip out of the torturer’s
claws. She then leapt up to the roof beams of the warehouse and, hanging by one
hand, thrashed the whip at the tall offender. The blow knocked off its fierce
head and down it went. Circuits shorting out all over. The soldier robots
looked up at the culprit. They loaded their stun cannons and aimed them at
Alyssa. Another of Alyssa’s friends, Faith Heron, called up to her,
“Look out Alyssa!”
Alyssa looked down and swung out of the way just in time. She swung up on top
of one of the beams, fixed the whip to her work belt and crouched there,
waiting for the next bit of action. However, the stun shots had rebounded off
the warehouse roof and struck the robots in their circuit boards. Alyssa swung
down and was congratulated by hundreds of workers. Suddenly, silence fell again
as one of the chief robots, aroused by the noise, entered the warehouse.
Everyone got back into line, except Alyssa. She stood there – legs slightly
apart, arms hanging by her sides, ready at any moment to grab her whip or make
some move of defence. The chief robot shot out a thick restraining rope towards
Alyssa but Alyssa was too quick for it. She back-flipped away out of danger and
stood waiting. The robot stood surveying her for a while before turning to the
others.
“Head back to your
departments and continue your work. Silence at all times.” Declan hooked his
arm around Noelle’s neck and hobbled out with the others. The robot turned to
cast one final glance at Alyssa before turning away, moving out of the
warehouse and shutting the door. Alyssa hurried over towards the quickly
disappearing exit, but this time it was too late. The door slammed shut,
trapping Alyssa inside. She hammered on the door before turning back to survey
her prison.
Chief robot #1927 moved
off towards the biggest building, which housed the cause for all the trouble.
The Genie Super Computer 2000. The robot typed in an entrance code on the
numbered keypad outside the two massive doors. There was a whirr, a bleep, a
click and the two doors slid apart. The robot moved cautiously inwards. The
doors slid shut behind it. The computer immediately identified its presence.
“ID number?” it said,
crisply and curtly, with no sense of emotion in its voice.
“#1927.”
“Problem?”
“A labourer from
warehouse #4.”
“Name?”
“Alyssa Natalya Morgan.”
The computer whirred away before displaying a batch of information on its
gigantic screen, accompanied by an up-to-date photograph.
Name: Alyssa Natalya Morgan
Age: 21
D/O/B: 12th August 2043
Place of Birth: Alder City General Hospital - Maternity Ward 6
Hair Colour: Brown
Eye Colour: Green
Mother: Siobhan Madeline Morgan
Father: Harrison Aristotle Morgan
(deceased)
Siblings: 1 – Brett Anthony Morgan
(brother)
ID No: #62389141
Former Occupation: Secretary to Commissioner Henry Aegis
Known Associates: Noelle Brittany Slater
Declan Nathan Miles
No. Of Years service: 3.25
Previous Convictions: None
Likes: Family (see above)
Justice
Peace
Dislikes: Pain
Suffering
Daily Issued Attire: Blue Top (sleeveless)
Dark green leggings
Grey socks (standard army issue)
Brown Combat Boots
Green Jumper (winter wear)
Possession(s) Of Value: 14kt Gold Locket (Parents)
7kt Silver Ring
Condition of Health: A1 Pass
Genie
Super Computer 2000. Ó February 2020. All Rights Reserved. GSC
Company est. 1993.
While all this was
happening, Alyssa had got a black, plastic bin liner from a cupboard in the
kitchens and was busy filling it with the good food which was left for
transformation into fuel for the robots. She stuffed in as much as she could
and then went to inspect the door. A heavy job. 12-inch thick, solid alloy. No
way of getting through it. She turned around and headed for the back wall.
6-inches thick. A tough job but easier than the door. She dropped her package
on the ground and began to search for the strongest piece of flat metal she
could find. Settling on a heavy ashtray, she bound it to her foot with the whip
and moved towards the door. She lifted her foot and gave a hefty kick to the
metal wall. It buckled but didn’t break. The second kick didn’t get through
either. The fifth heavy and powerful kick broke through and allowed sunlight
and fresh air to enter the warehouse. She wasted no time in making the hole big
enough to get through and, slinging the bag over her shoulder, ran off back to
the dormitory block.
At 8 o’ clock her
friends and companions made their way back to the dormitory. They were amazed
to see the feast that was spread out on the floor. They hurriedly began to eat,
stuffing delicious, mouth-watering nourishment down their throats. When the
food was gone, Alyssa rallied them to her support. Having got some food in
their bellies they had some energy at last. Energy that they were going to use
against their captors. Alyssa quickly explained her plan to the others, who
added suggestions and ideas from time to time. Darkness was to be on their side
and their main attack would be at night - tonight. First, they would raid the
ammunitions store then advance towards the main super computer building. If
they could destroy this then the robots would go out of control and quickly
malfunction. Then they would have the freedom they deserved and longed for.
While the prisoners gathered what weapons they had, Alyssa carefully dabbed
antiseptic onto Declan’s wounds with a smidgen of cotton wool. Feeling Alyssa’s
gentle touch on his damaged skin made Declan feel much better and he was raring
to go.
Carefully, they made a
small hole in the door of the dormitory just above the robot guard’s head. They
enlarged it so that Alyssa could fit her hand through it holding her whip. She
spun it around and around before striking the robot and wrapping the whip
around its neck. She gave a short, sharp tug and yanked off its head. The robot
went down. Next, Alyssa hooked the whip round the bar and jerked it up while
the others pushed at the door. Slowly, it creaked open. They ran out and huddled
together to confirm Stage 2.
They spread out and
moved towards the Ammunition Store. The robot guards weren't alert and only
spotted the approaching persons at the last minute when it was too late. The
attackers leapt and brought them crashing down. They waited to see if there
would be any response to the noise. When nothing happened they pulled the
heavy, metal lever up and pulled the door open. They raided the warehouse and
emerged with guns, bombs, rifles, bazookas and all sorts of other armoury and
munitions. They crept over towards the super computer building, destroying any
defence. They pushed the door open and crept in. They stood and stared at the
sheer size of the monstrous piece of technology that had ruined their lives.
Unfortunately, the computer sensed them and aimed a laser at one of the party -
a young man called Juan. The movement was caught out of the corner of his eye
and he leapt out of the way just before the beam was fired and it only caused a
burn mark in the highly polished floor. Alyssa immediately realised what she
was up against and yelled out to the others.
“SPLIT!” They spread out
and prepared for another laser shot.
“COVER!” Alyssa yelled
and they drew their weapons to defend Alyssa in her charge up to the computer
itself. Alyssa took one step forward. A laser cannon aimed at her. Noelle
stepped in front of it and loaded her weapon. The shot was fired. It missed
Alyssa but caught Noelle on her arm. As she went down, Declan ran up to attend
to her. The cannon targeted them. Declan spotted it and pushed Noelle out of
the way before diving after her as the shot was fired. This time the laser
didn’t hit anybody. Declan gave the thumbs up signal to Alyssa who turned back
to face the enemy. Her anger was boiling up inside her and she let it out in a
sudden, skilled movement. She dropped the end of her Gigantico gun on the floor
and used it as a pole to swing round. The cannon couldn’t fix a location on her
and she landed right in front of the keyboard. On the screen was a virtual reality
scene of travelling through space. It had the planets as well and the traveller
kept stopping off at various planets to discover more about them. Alyssa was
fascinated. Another laser cannon focused on her. Faith fired at it. She damaged
it slightly. She fired again and the cannon came crashing down, breaking into
pieces as it crashed onto the floor. Alyssa pressed a key and the screen saver
vanished. She found herself facing the information about her.
Name: Alyssa Natalya Morgan
Age: 21
D/O/B: 12th August 2043
Alyssa shook her head to
clear it. Her secretarial skills would come in handy here. She pushed at the
red, plastic lever in the middle of the keyboard and discovered it was the
mouse. She guided it up to `File` and hit the top. A list streamed down. Alyssa
moved the cursor down to `Exit`. All the while gunshots and laser beams were
firing all around her. She wasn’t going to be put off. She hit the top again.
The Information Bank closed. She pulled the mouse down to the small ‘Start’
box, hit the top and glanced at the new menu. She selected `Shut Down`. Another
list appeared:
Are you sure you want to:
Ø
Shut
down the computer?
Ø
Restart
the computer?
Ø
Restart
the computer in Super-Control mode?
Ø
Close
all programs and increase power?
Yes No Cancel
Alyssa clicked on `Shut
down the computer` and `Yes`. There were several whirrs and clicks as the
computer’s software began its `Shut Down` process. The Computer struggled to
stay online but it was like trying to keep your eyes open when you’re very tired.
The computer gave one last sigh and closed. The screen went blank. A cheer rang
up from her companions. Suddenly, the cannons started to go haywire, shooting
all over the place.
“Well, our plan’s
working.” Alyssa said, “But it looks like we’re in the firing line and I don’t
want to be around here when a stray shot hits the controls. Let’s get out of
here!” They charged out and watched from a safe distance as the building
incinerated and then exploded with a loud `BOOM!`
“Now to watch the fun.”
Alyssa whispered. They stood and watched as every one of the hundreds of robots
began spinning around wildly or running around before blowing up in a series of
mini explosions. `BANG! BANG! BANG! B-B-BANG!’
As the last robot burst,
a huge cheer rang out for the heroine, Alyssa Morgan.
The Detention Camps were
all destroyed in less than a week and people built themselves new houses from
the debris and settled down to quiet, peaceful lives. The next big event was
when Miss Alyssa Morgan became Mrs. Declan Miles. Everyone was invited to the
wedding, which occurred on a beautiful day out in a field so that they could
all fit in. Alyssa’s brother, Brett, gave her away and Declan’s brother,
Jordan, was his best man. The bridesmaids were Noelle, Faith and Declan’s sister,
Emily. The cheer at the end would have lifted the roof off, had they been
inside. Later, the happy couple were blessed with a daughter, whom they named
Liberty to remind them of the struggle they had faced to earn their freedom and
how the whole experience of it had brought them closer together.
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