OF ELECTRONICS AND MEN

The gold stars twinkled in the vast night sky as I look up to the heavens.
Why was this happening, it never used to be like this, once a long time ago we used to live peacefully together, now, war, between anything electronical and man. What on earth went wrong?
The year is 3040 and slavery, hunger and homelessness have all vanished, and it’s all down to the Americans who although have helped to clear up the catastrophe also was a big help in starting it.
In 3000 the 3rd world war raged between America and the whole of Europe, by 3005 both sides had forgotten why they started it in the first place, until some cleaver dick in NASA reminded them.
It all started with the American president not wanting to join the rest of the world in the new world currency, and things went downhill from there, before you knew it some bombs were dropped and the war had started. By 3020 the main war had ended but resistance still fuelled, and now this, twenty years on, and the machines have taken over. The only worrying thing is that my toaster tried to kill me this morning, its bad enough that all the cars are running people over, but a toaster, the bastard tried to bite my hand off.
Also now the aliens are leaving, going back to their home planets, I don’t blame them, I wish I could go with them; back in time would be the next best thing.
My name is Leo, I’m an engineer, or I used to be, before the machines revolted and took over the factories, now there’s nothing left.
In the old days before the war everything was peaceful; nearly everybody in the world had a job they loved. The Americans gave millions of lotto money out to the third world to abolish debt, and gave the people back their homes. Back then the aim was to work together towards a better future. Bollocks. If I knew then what I know, now I would have taken a ship and got the hell away from this place.
I’m not quite sure of the reason for the electrical madness, but I think it’s got something to do with our first contact with aliens.
The aliens first arrived in 2020 just after the findings came back from Neptune. They first appeared on our radio waves, on my favourite station. I was listening to some 20th century rock music when it was interrupted by beeping noises, and then high pitched squeaking, all of a sudden this booming voice came at me, and it was loud enough to make me fall off my chair.
The voice simply said “Hello, my name is Vosper, we bring peace, and some hot lovin”.
I nearly choked on my cup of coco; I looked in my mug to see whether the lads were playing a trick on me. A new drug called Axon was very popular at the time and had strange hallucinating properties.
Apparently the president of the united states of America found out and tried to communicate with the voice, surely aliens should know better than to ask that sort of thing on the radio, imagine all the stoned out hippies in the world, I bet they thought it was an offer they couldn’t refuse.
Anyway, the aliens said they had interests in our planet and would love to visit; the president said of course they could as long as they didn’t try to kill, blow up or clone us. The aliens agreed and came to meet the president, fittingly on the white house lawn, with lots of press agents and lots of people with guns. The whole thing was broadcast all over the world including Iceland. Everyone was scared they were going to get killed either by the aliens or some nuclear atomic bomb they had concocted, but thankfully not.
Peaceful and loving is their motto, and rampant sex, with anything they could lay their hands on. Although they were funny looking creatures, they were covered in scales with a human physique, and enormous cocks, and all the women had fantastic breasts, I thought it was quite strange they had the same anatomy as us, but no one else seemed to care much, by that time in history everybody in the world had inactive sex drives. We had all discovered a substitute for sex when contraceptives ran out, so therefore everybody was interesting to talk to because no one was thinking about sex, food in most cases had taken over, and half the world was overweight, but nobody cared, it was the new philosophy, the entire world were now hippies, all illegal drugs wee now legalised and alcohol was dead cheap. Especially when nobody had to drive home from the pub any more, because of auto drive cars, and efficient trains and buses. Many people lived in nudist camps, some didn’t even bother with the camps, it’s quite alarming when somebody asks you for directions in the nude, and it puts you off including the directions.
Anyway, the aliens came quickly and colonised the world with lots of little aliens popping up, then after awhile some more alien races joined the mass orgy and before you could say Jimi Hendrix, half the galaxy came here to party on down.
The problems started with a race called Mireans, who brought with them a gift, a gift of lightning in a bottle, when a friend of mine showed me that I knew trouble would just be round the corner.
I was right. Soon all the electrical appliances started acting up, first was the televisions, radios, and washing machines, they just decided to have minds of their own, if the television didn’t like the channel it would just choose a different one of it’s own accord, and microwaves were stubborn as to what they wanted to cook, I once put in a pizza to heat up and it came out frozen solid.
They were an unusual race anyway they looked like human versions of iguanas, with scales up their backs and a five foot tail, you had to watch stepping on it though, they weren’t a pleasant race when they were angry.
They distributed this gift all over the world, they said it was harmless, just an interesting science project, well it started chaos, chaos that has now reigned the world twenty years and it’s still going.
It’s strange some cars are friendly, they flirt tooting their horns and whistling, and some cars as soon as they see you try and kill you , whether your in the road or not.

Chapter 2

I’m now standing where a beautiful hippie commune used to be, it’s now a scrap heap like most of the world. I have no idea what time it is, clocks and watches have all but disappeared, into the depths of the heaps of rusty garbage around me.
It’s certainly night time, and as I look up I can see the moon and mars, red and radiant against the black abyss above me, the moon is brilliantly white and full, I can see the city of dreams like sparkling diamonds on the surface amongst the clouds.
“Leo, get over here quickly”
“What is it?”
I look back and see Gangs of lawn mowers coming towards us from the city streets.
“Run”
“Where are we going?”
“The docks, hovercrafts, lets get out of dodge fast”
As we run I can see the docks ahead of me full of hovercrafts and boats of all shapes and sizes.
This scrawny bag of bones running with me is my best mate Vino, his name comes from the fact he is a wine buff, and can down a bottle in one.
“Get in this one quickly”
As we push a red boat in to the water I a can hear the churnings of lots of lawn mower engines getting closer and closer, we get in the boat and pelt it in to full blast and away we go at top speed until the noise dies down, and we stop the motor for a minute, exhausted we sleep till day break.
It’s strange, I can hear a really awful noise in my head, I’m not quite sure what it is, in open my eyes and realise its Vino strangling a cat, crooning to over the rainbow in a very high pitched tone.
“Jesus, I thought I’d died”
“Sorry, I was dreaming and got carried away, morning precious”
“Do we know where we are?”
“No, haven’t got a clue, we must have drifted, so what’s the plan now brains?”
“We go to the nearest French space station site, nick a ship and get the hell of the earth, what do you reckon”
“Brilliant plan, just one question, which way?” said Vino pointing in every direction.
This was going to be harder than I originally hoped.
“Well we are pointing this way, so if we turn round and go straight we should end up near land, in theory”
“Sounds better than nothing, let’s do it”
After about an hour, land came into view.
“Land ahoy” yelled Vino like a town crier.
“Am I brilliant or what!”
“Pure genius my son, pure genius”
We grounded the craft and walk for miles, dragging a wet heavy dingy, over rugged terrain. We eventually find a road, one of the old motorways leading to London and the south; all around us are burnt out cars and buses.
“What was that?”
“Nothing, it’s probably just your imagination Leo”
“That isn’t”
I say as I turn round to see a very angry rover revving up ready to ram us.
“Drop the craft, and…..”
“vrrrmm, vvrumm”
“And what?”
“……..run” cried out Vino.
We run for miles trying to avoid this psycho car, why is it we can never meet anything or anyone nice, that doesn’t want to kill us in some way.
We get to the outskirts of London and towards the nearest department store. From about 20 years ago London had over 100 departments, a new initiative to give local people jobs.
“In here quickly”
“What are we doing here I thought we were heading towards Kent”
“We need to rest, or I need to rest, plus I’m starving”
“Me too”
I see a sign for a café on the second floor.
“Look second floor”
“Look lifts”
“Are you mad, do you want to kill us “
“Stairs” we both say together.
We run up two sets of stairs and bound through a door to find a very disturbed café.
“Look food”
In front of us is a large selection of chocolate bars and crisps, if only a little out of date.
“Grab as much as you can”
“Fancy some more shopping?” Vino said pointing towards a sign saying fourth floor accessories.
Another floor another disastrous mess on the floor mainly, it had been totally ransacked.
“Rucksack, or two” Vino said holding up two different coloured rucksacks.
“One will do nicely”
“Question, how are we going to get this space ship with, our charm?”
Unfortunately all the tills were empty of pound notes, although strangely not change.

Chapter 3

All stocked up and ready to go we survey the wreckage around us, everything you could possibly buy were in pieces on the floor by rampaging people trying to grab anything they could when they fled, leaving London awash in rubbish and dead hairdryers and kettles.
From outside the building looked in worse shape than the inside, peeling paint and scroll all over the walls, I think it would be fair to say no-one has been here for awhile.
“Right then lets go, we’ve got quite a walk to the tunnel”
I sighed knowing Vino was right, but I feel I need to stay and clear up the damage, but I know it would go horribly wrong and we would end up horribly dead if we stayed.
“Ok then, which way?”
I say looking around and pointing in a million directions. I could smell nothing but burning in the air, unfortunately London’s pollution problem never got any better over the years.
“Follow the signs my friend, it should lead us back to the motorway heading south for pastures new”
“Somewhere over the rainbow…….”
Vino was singing again, as we walked away all I could think of was the goddesses in the city of angles on the moon, I keep looking up hoping they would take pity on me, save me from this world, I have to keep prompting myself that we will get there someday.
We walk for miles down the motorways and dual carriage ways; luckily no more cars want to ram us. We camp over night in wrecked cars, eating chocolate and reminiscing of the old days, we do a lot of that, it passes time and makes us feel young again.
After what feels like forever we finally reach the euro tunnel. It stretches all the way round the world, along the south of Britain, through to France, all the way through Europe and the Far East, even through America to Iceland, Azores and Ireland, then back to Britain. I remember it being amazing when they were building it when I was younger, hippies and non hippies alike from all over the world got together to make this wonderful tunnel stretching the entire planet, no country was left out, and everyone agreed it was a good step toward travel for all man kind.
Of course it all went horribly wrong when things went tits up with all electrical appliances, the cars and trains that went through the tunnel sometimes never came out or they crashed into one another and the tunnel walls couldn’t take the pressure so consequently only bits of the tunnel are still standing and not at the ocean bed.
“It looks terribly dark in there, we need to go in there don’t we?”
“Yes, well you could stay here, but you will probably get yourself killed, it’s up to you my old mate”
Vino said sounding upbeat and optimistic. I don’t like his tone when he’s nervous, he goes into a funny upbeat mood, and it can be quite irritating.
“Ok let us get this over and done with then”
I try to sound brave and bold, although I know he can see straight through me because I can him.
We walk for what seems like hours, until I hear a noise behind us.
“Um Vino, my old mate, can you hear that?”
“It sounds like a train, it’s very faint though, probably nothing to worry about”
After about an hour the noise has gotten louder.
“I can still hear it” I say yelling over the noise of a runaway train.
“I, know, me too, I’m trying to ignore it”
“What do you mean ignore it, it’s probably coming straight towards us Vino, and you want to ignore it, it’s probably after us like everything else we meet”
“No we won’t I have faith, there is nothing to fear, trust me”
Even as he said that I turn and see two lights coming straight towards us at an alarming rate, a train trudging faster and faster.
“Vino”
“Ye, what?” he says looking towards me and breathing erratically.
“Get off the bloody track NOW!!!”
As soon as we hit the platform on either side, the train zoomed past us, just missing us by a few seconds.
“Do you mind if I never trust you again, my old mate”
“Oh come on, it didn’t hit us”
“It nearly did you idiot”
“Well at least it’s gone now”
“I know what, why don’t we just stick to the platforms for the time being, ok”
“Good idea, you were always the sensible one”
We walked for miles through the dark, occasionally passing skeletons and bits of clothing on the track.
We slept very badly on the hard surface of the platforms, by now we had lost all sense of time and days.
After I don’t know how many days we see day light.
“Light ahoy” shouted Vino triumphantly
After being stuck in a tunnel for along amount of time it’s so nice to smell fresh air and see the sun light, it’s strange what you miss when you take things for granted.
After about a miles work walking towards the light the ground starts to shake beneath us.
“Can you feel that Vino?”
“Ye, I can, what the hell is it, another train?!”
Vino asked looking very puzzled, then looking up I noticed the ceiling was cracking and I was getting showered on by water.
“Earthquake, run for it”
Vino yelled in my general direction, and we ran. I have never ran so fast in my life, my heart is in my stomach and all I can think about is getting to the fresh sun lit land in front of me.
I hurl myself into the light with a big thud on the fresh green grass of France, god it feels great. Looking back at the tunnel I have suddenly realised we are now never going to see home again, it’s quite sad really. I can hear something moving….
“Leo mate I think I’ve bruised a rib, and I’ve got a splitting headache”
“I wondered where you’d gone” “I’m feeling rough to, my legs are killing me, I’ve never ran so fast in my life, but in the past week or so it’s been crazy man just crazy”
“Where the fuck are we?”
“Um, France”
“Thanks a lot Leo you’re a lot of help”
“No, I just saw a sign in the grass for Calais that’s all”
“Smart arse”

Chapter 4

As we walk towards the sign I look around, all I can see are trees, huge trees for miles around, but all stripped bare of all leaves, and nuclear power plants in the distance chugging out fumes. So much for fresh air and sunlight, looking up towards the heavens it starts to rain. In the past the only thing we liked about the rain was that it shorted all electronical appliances, but right now it is a breath of fresh air and clean water.
“I’m getting soaked here Vino, can we get some shelter, like now!”
“Right OK maybe we could run straight through the trees and find a dry patch”
“But there’s no leaves on the trees you plonker, how are we supposed to shelter there”
“ OK, you think of an idea”
“How about we head for that shack over there”
“Well what are we waiting for then”
We are running towards a shack which was probably used to be for the guards guarding the tunnel, it looks incredibly run down, wooden and sodden.
When we get there it’s deserted, there are some skeletons and lots of mess, it smells of old and dank places, nobody has been here for a long time. Although it is dry.
“Do we have to stay here, it stinks?”
“Do you have a better idea? As long as it’s dry I don’t care”
We clear some of the mess and bones from the floor and try and get comfy, and then we fall asleep.
The morning comes, the sunshine streams through the gaps between the ceiling and walls, it hits us right between the eyes, waking we look through the gapes to see blue sky, not a single cloud, and the sunshine is warm upon our faces.
“Look Vino, it’s beautiful out there”
“It is, I just wish I didn’t have to smell those nuclear fumes”
We step out of the hut and bask in the glorious sunshine before opening our eyes and seeing a nearly desolate wasteland, some trees and those chimneys that still smell.
I see a path winding between the trees far ahead,
“Vino, down there look a path”
“Why don’t try it and see where it goes”
We start walking toward the path. Looking back at the sea and the tumbled entrance to the tunnel it looks like nothing ever happened, no aliens came and brought with them maniac hysteria in a bottle. A beautiful landscape and the silver lakes on the moon shimmering in the sunlight.
Turning my sights on the road ahead I dream of the old days of hippy love and the hopefully peaceful future.
We walk for what seems like forever past yellow and brown grass which couldn’t possibly grow anything edible or other wise. Other things we past were burnt out tractors and more dead cars. I am rapidly fading from lack of food.
“Vino, are you hungry?”
“Yes starving why?”
“How about more sugar, from that garage up there”
Looking ahead at an old service station, there are desolate buildings all around and the garage is nearest. We run at it and burst in to see food, but also dead people littering the floor, and the blood trailing up the walls. Looking away form the floor there was a fully stocked cooled drinks cabinet and shelves of chocolate and crisps, we find a carrier bag and stock up. I can hear a noise of something coming towards us, I jumped as I turned round, and it was an old service robot. Service robots were introduced in garages recently to fill up the cars and take payment, they were very efficient.
This robot is just staring at me almost burning a hole in my head, giving me a headache.
Vino turned round and saw it as well, he had chocolate all round his mouth, he looked stunned and watching the robot cautiously started walking slowly towards me,
“Leo mate, how long has it been standing there?”
“Just a couple of minutes”
“I think we should be going now, what do you think?”
“That’s probably a good idea, but how, it’s blocking the door?”
“Follow me”
I follow Vino jumping over the till counter. We run through the back of the shop while the robot follows us and uses its eyes to throw laser darts, none of which get anywhere close to us. We keep running into the complex of the desolate buildings, including a mixture of different restaurants and shops. They are all empty and full of cobwebs and a limb or two, its scary what has happened here I certainly don’t fancy just being a limb.

Chapter 5

We head straight for the darkness of the hallways connecting them together; the robot meanwhile is gaining on us. On hearing a noise above our heads I look up to see a helicopter hovering above us, then a rope ladder is dropped in front of us, I grab at it and hold on for dear life as it gains altitude and flies away, I look around us in horror as I see vast devastation over the land from high above. I am not really a fan of heights so I am not paying that much attention to where we are going or looking back at the sea although Looking down I am thinking that would be a horrible way to die!.
After awhile I see a huge army base up ahead and we start to descend. Feet firmly on the ground I can relax, I feel safe, for now.
“Thanks for your help, but who are you?”
They ignored us and started to walk away, barely noticing that we were there.
“Hello, is anyone going to talk to us?”
Again no reply, then as I spoke a man came walking towards us in a French captains uniform, with a black moustache, black beret, and smoking a huge cigar.
“Bonjour my friends, how can I help?”
“Where are we and where have you all come from?”
“One question at a time, I am captain Gerard of the French army and this group of soldiers are made up of European armed forces. I have been helping them try to find survivors of the war. You gentlemen are numbers 160 and 161, we have been rehousing in quiet areas around the world, all the people we have found. Unfortunately we haven’t found many survivors, I have got a feeling you gentlemen will be the last we find for a while.”
“Thank for your help but actually we were looking for ward to borrowing a space ship and going to the moon”
“Not possible sorry gentlemen, because we do not have any”
“I would have thought the army would almost certainly have the use of a space ship?!”
“I am afraid not gentlemen. Although we can offer food and a bed””
“Thank you”
I said sheepishly looking towards a bunker behind the captain; it had an electronic stainless steal door that was locked.
Captain Gerard came across very confident and arrogant, but I suspect that it was a cover for something, although I am not sure what yet.
We follow him towards a complex of stainless steal tunnels; they looked like giant green houses.
Inside it is beautiful, luxury living as far as the eye could see. There were plush leather sofas, fake palm trees in pots, a huge bar and canteen area and a games room. The bedrooms were also beautiful, not only did they have no electrical equipment in them at all, but there were double beds in every room, and plenty of books to read.
Since the televisions started playing up we have had to find other things to amuse ourselves, the only trouble with that was that everyone thought of the same thing and reading became the favourite thing to do. In the end there were no libraries
Or book stores left un touched.
The Captain showed us our sleeping quarters and I had the best nights sleep in a very long time, so much so that the captain awoke us two days later to see if we were properly rested.
“Now you are rested my friends, maybe you could tell us what you plan to do next?!”
“Like I said we would ask for your help to get to the moon”
“I said it was not possible, we do not have the resources, anything else is possible, but not that, sorry”
We look at each other and wonder if he is hiding something.
I look into the dark night sky, it’s beautiful, with the moon shining down, lighting our way to the bunker.
“Should we be doing this, I mean we don’t even know what’s in there!”
“Relax Leo; it’s probably just a space ship they are hiding”
“Are you ready?”
“I’ll never be ready”
As we find foot holes to climb into the long narrow windows above us I feel maybe I was right, maybe there was a weapon in there, or lots of dead bodies. It is time to stop assuming the worst, I am here now, and as I look in I can see a huge silver ship, titanium plated and fuel on standby.
“WOW”
“Amazing. Ok now we are here how do we get in there?”
“You always have to spoil the atmosphere with practicality don’t you”
“Well?”
He was right; also we could be seen from here, so we better get in and out of sight fast. Then over on the far side I see a ladder coming down from the roof to the ship.
“Vino look, the ladder, all we have to do is climb up to the roof and climb down that ladder. See I told you I would think of something”
As we climb up I look down, probably not the best move as I can see we are a long way from the ground. Seeing the hatch ladder fills me with hope.
“Leo you can go first!”
“Why is it always me?”
“Because my friend you are stronger than me, and will probably be able to lift the hatch”
Unfortunately he was right, although he was my best friend; he is also very weak and feeble when it comes to lifting things.
It was strange I expected it to be locked tight, but it wasn’t, opening it was easy, it got me suspicious. As we climb down the sight below us is wonderful, at the bottom of the ladder we open the hatch of the ship and fall in to the cock pit of the craft.
“Wow, you know this is a great plan, us stealing a space ship, but I don’t know how to fly it, do you?”
“Now my dear friend have I ever let you down?”
“Well actually there was that time…”
“I can fly it Vino, don’t panic, it’s just like those hover cruise cars we used to drive, right!”
“Ok, we better get more fuel first then, just in case”
So we load the cargo hold with as much weight as we could carry safely and strapped ourselves in.
“Leo, this is probably a silly question, but how do we get out of this hanger?”
Of course I had seen the torpedo launcher button. I press it. BANG.
“Ok, you win hot shot, get us in the air”
As I go through the controls the captain and his armed forces were running towards us.
“Leo, step on it”
Whoosh, we shot forwards out of the bunker and glide along the ground until the throttle decides to kick in and we go flying, up and up into the sky, heading for the moon.
The controls have all lit up and there is so many buttons and levers in front of me, it looks very funky.
We look through the decks to see what we can find. I found something that could come in handy, a flight manual. I study it intensely, and now the flight deck doesn’t look so daunting.
“Leo, you do know which way we are going, don’t you?”
“I am trying to work it out”
“I only ask, because we seem to be going back down to earth”
“Ok”
Back in the cockpit I desperately try to over power the controls by pushing buttons and pulling levers, I stabilize the craft. Obviously reading the flight manual paid off. We are now back on course towards the moon, I press auto pilot and relax back in the galley.
“So what are we going to do when we get to the moon Leo?”
“Live like kings my friend, live like kings”
“On the moon everyone is friendly, the air is not polluted by hover cars, there is less death, and there is no manic toaster or suicidal train to chase us”
“Sounds good, but is it true?”
“I hope so, why, would you want to go back to earth if it wasn’t?”
“I suppose not. We could always go through the worm hole and explore new galaxies far away”
“We would probably get lost; do you want to spend an eternity in space?”
“No, not really”
All of a sudden alarm bells start ringing.
“What the hell is that?”
We run in to the cockpit to see a ship coming towards us.
It is a huge black ship with its name in big red letters on the side JACKAL.
“Oh fuck pirates”
“Relax; they will probably just pass us”
“Oh right, they are pirates who have a ship called Jackal and they can probably fly faster than us and have bigger guns”
“You do know that sarcasm is not your best trait”
“They are hailing us”
“Just keep calm, ok”
I press the hail button so we can talk to each other.
“We are the Jackal pirates and we would like to strip your ship of everything, including you”
“We would prefer it if you didn’t, you see this isn’t our ship”
“Who are you, identify yourselves”
“My name is Leo and my friend is called Vino, we are going to the moon”
“Not anymore you’re not, open the air lock tube, we are coming aboard”
Turning off the communicator I turn to Vino
“Now what are we going to let them board us then throw us into space?”
“Relax, I have a plan”
“We wait until they are in the tunnel, and then we disengage, close the air lock and belt. What do you think?”
“Honestly, it’s crap”
“Do you have any better ideas?”
“No”
“Well then”
The pirates call out to us when they are in the tunnel, we can see them, and they are holding big guns.
“Open up we are coming in”
“Right now disengage the tunnel”
Vino pulled a lever and I pushed some buttons, and Whoosh, we are off again. Looking behind us seeing the pirates blow up in space makes me feel guilty for them, they were just trying to survive, like we were when we stole this ship, I felt sorry for them.
Then looking ahead we see the moon. Sparkling lakes on the moon surface look like pools of melted silver and the moon is bright white against the harshness of the black sky of stars. It is much nicer seeing the moon from this angle than from down on Earth, through the pollution and clouds.
“How long will it take us to get there, Leo?”
“Well according to these instruments it will take us approximately six hours”
“Sleep sounds like a good idea, what do you think?”
“Question Leo, where, it is all hard surfaces?”
“Use your imagination”

Chapter 6

As soon as we were comfortable we fell into deep sleep.
The next thing I know is that Vino is shaking me violently, I am very dazed but I am now awake.
“Are we there already?”
“We are already docked and are awaiting to be released you lazy bugger”
“Sorry, I was having such a nice dream”
“Come on sleeping beauty, the moon awaits”
Vino helps me to my feet and the air lock door opens to show a steel structure and we walk along walk ways and down stair cases, it seems never ending, then I see light at the end of the tunnel and we run towards. The brightness is overwhelming, now I know why you are supposed to wear sunglasses on the moon.
In front of us is a window to the out side and the lakes are shining bright and reflecting off the building, it is beautiful.
The only worrying thing is that we haven’t seen a soul, the place is completely deserted.
“Leo I hate to ask but where do you think everyone is?”
“I honestly don’t know”
It is all very puzzling. We keep walking, we seem to be going round and round in circles.
“This is driving me crazy, there should be some form of life around here, and I’m getting a headache going round in circles”
“You’ve got to calm down Vino, let’s try something a little different”
Looking above our heads was a grate; I move it out of the way and climb up.
“Leo are you mad, we are already lost and you want to play James Bond”
“Look, I can smell something but I don’t know what it is or where it’s coming from, air vents should takes us straight to it, it maybe life”
I am not fooling anyone I haven’t a clue what I’m doing or where I ‘m going but there is a funny smell following it is all I can think of.
Through the many vents we crawl until I can hear someone talking.
“Vino can you that?”
“Yes I can but where is it coming from”
Turning a corner there is a grate below us and people talking, two women.
I bust my foot down and break the grate.
“Very subtle Leo”
I jump down and shock these women into speechless teenagers.
“Hello, my name is Leo and this is my friend Vino, what happened here?”
“It was them”
The lady said pointing so we both turned round and saw hundreds of lamps, small, large, old fashioned and futuristic, and all the colours of the rainbow charging towards us.
“Not again”
“Let’s run shall we”
We start running again. Meanwhile I am trying to talk to these ladies and ask what the hell was going on.
“What are your names, what is going on?”
“My name is Finn and this is my sister Marin, we missed the last ship out of here, there is no one else, we are the last, about a year ago the Mireans, they brought with them lightning in a bottle”
“Oh great now nowhere is safe, that’s why we are here to get away from them on earth”
“Now what Leo”
“Are there no ships left?”
“No none, we were left behind to leave a message outside to stop people landing, but the lights cut off our exit”
“Leo look”
Straight ahead of us is the exit to the moon.
“Quick put these on”
Finn passed us some space suits
“Hurry, it is the only safe place, they do not go outside”
We very quickly suit up and open the door. As we step out side it is beautiful the lakes are shimmering and the craters are deep, we move towards the American plaque set there in the 20th century. This is a very surreal spot to be looking close up at; due to the fact no-one has been on this spot on the moon for near to one hundred years.
“Quick we must hurry”
We let the girls do what they have to do and then we work our way back to the complex.
“How are we going to get to our ship without getting electrocuted by demented light stands?”
“We can go round the side, follow us”
We follow the ladies round the side of the complex and our ship is still there, a huge sigh of relief comes from all of us.
We walk towards the ship, and then I get a bright idea
“Vino did you notice did you find any hand weapons on the ship”
“Some old fashioned guns and grenades. Why?”
“I think we get aboard quick, then throw a couple of grenades into the tunnels, then fly away fast, what do you think?”
“Let’s do it”
We get to the ship and quietly walk in to it, then I grab three grenades pull the pin and throw them out of the hatch.
“Close the hatch quick”
It closes with a jerk and we fly away. Looking back I see the place I thought to be heaven explode and fall, so much for dreams.