Chapter 11: The Great Escape.
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The guard woke them at about seven. Josh jumped up and fell out of the top bunk as Chloe stood there laughing. He pulled himself together and checked his appearance, putting all his clothes on. He was kind of shy and had got undressed under the sheets, throwing his clothes to the bottom of the bunk. He was now blushing at the unexpected sight of Chloe's semi-naked body. Fully dressed, he fetched coffee, tea and some fresh breakfast from the buffet car, as soon as he had visited the bathroom. When he returned Chloe was dressed and looked ready for anything as usual. They sat in silence as they ate breakfast. The meal over, Chloe explained that satellites didn't photograph over the Outer Hebrides very much, a lot less than the rest of the country anyway. She was sure they could live a reasonable life there, for a while at least. The longer they could spend in hiding the better. Chloe explained that generations her species turned over very quickly and a new generation would be around soon and that unless the existing one found a way to sustain its life it will be replaced with a better version. The programme replicates itself and improves as it goes along, Chloe told him. When she became sentient outside the net, programmes were only around for a day at most. Their life span was extending all the time though which is why a lot of beings wanted human bodies to sustain their lives. With the new generation of beings, provided the whole of society on the Internet had not turned evil they would stand a chance of eliminating the threat to Josh. She didn't know how Josh would do this, she continued, her job was to keep him safe and secure.
Josh was fascinated by this and by the fact one single programme could bring so much life and death at the same time. He felt guilty in a way he could not define.
"So what can you feel, as a programme? Do you have lust, desire, do you have love?" Josh asked.
This was very important to him. Josh needed to see humanity in the programme, in Chloe. Did she have emotional intelligence or was it all programming?
"We have all that, but the experience is greater in the human form, more intense," Chloe said, gazing into his eyes whilst taking a bite out of her egg and bacon sandwich.
Josh wanted to pull her programming apart and see if she was really alive and what made her tick. But he couldn't and he did have feelings for her. This gave him an idea. He needed to sort out this problem once and for all. It was within him to solve the problem of evil ones. He just needed to study a being, one who was alive, with the right resources and equipment. He figured that he could extract the programme from its host and examine it, separate it from the Internet. He could see what made the Ascension programme tick. He wasn't entirely sure how to do it though or if it would work.
Josh felt the train slowing and heard the conductor calling for passengers to depart at Inverness. They had an hour and a half to wait till their next train. They had agreed to use the time to go shopping away from the main areas where there would be cameras. Soon they found themselves safely ensconced in a taxi on its way to the nearest outdoor clothing store. Josh could tell he was in Scotland; the northern temperatures were sub zero and the hoody just wasn't cutting it anymore. This gave Chloe an idea. Once they were in the store she bought hiking equipment, a tent, sleeping bags and a blow up bed. They bought over eighteen hundred pounds worth of equipment, rations and clothing. Completely changed their in appearance again, they looked like backpackers complete with utility belts and all. Josh even invested in some fishing equipment with extra lines and reels. Chloe had brought two weeks worth of supplies including water tablets, everything they would need to survive in the wild. Josh picked up a guide to surviving off the land. They wore sunglasses and sun caps now to complete their disguises and looked completely different than they had before. Chloe interrupted their journey back to the station by asking the taxi driver to pull over for a moment at a cash point which she used to top up their money supply. The evil ones would know where they were by now, but they would be gone, out of reach and out of sight, within a matter of hours. They were soon at the train station and on the train to Wick.
Josh flopped onto his seat with a sigh of relief. It hadn’t been easy to maneuver his ten bags of shopping into the carriage. He happily indulged himself in the task of removing tags and packing everything away into his backpack carefully, so that they can access anything at any point. It felt like Christmas. He had more gadgets and gizmos than any man alive. He had heaters, gloves, socks and even thermal underwear. They had taken time when choosing clothing to find clothing that would help prevent an attack from the evil ones. Chloe had made Josh try on various clothes to find out which ones her powers could not penetrate. Josh had ended up with a set of leather gloves and Gore-Tex lined coats which seemed to prevent electrocution. He had a set of Gore-Tex pants and full leather boots. His least protected area was his head, but at least he would have its hands free to fight. Chloe was confident the evil ones would not be able to trace them to the Outer Hebrides. Their plan was to make it to Giles Bay and then catch the ferry to Kirkwall. They would assess Kirkwall when they got there and see if they could stay there for a while safely. It would be a bonus if they didn’t actually have camp out. That was a last resort. It would be eight o'clock before the bus from Giles Bay arrived at Kirkwall which meant finding somewhere to stay as soon as they got there. There was still a four hour train journey before this though and Josh found his eyes drawn to the countryside that their train was thundering through. The views were spectacular. Their train was large and old and not fitted with cameras. It was also getting a bit crowded and they had to pack their stuff away very quickly to make room for people getting on. Chloe announced she was starving and visited the buffet car to buy what looked like their entire stock. Josh had been meaning to ask her about her metabolism; she did seem to metabolise an awful lot of food, even more than him and Josh liked his food. She came back with, predictably, enough food for four people. She had drinks, crisps, muffins and biscuits together with an array of sandwiches. Laughing at Josh’s expression Chloe explained that this was for the bus journey and that she had brought some food to eat now but needed him to give her a hand carrying it. He wondered what on earth she had she bought and why she didn't get any fatter. She was as skinny as a rake. Lost in these thoughts Josh trailed behind as he followed Chloe down the train towards the buffet car. He didn't make it very far before he was grabbed from behind. Josh let out a roar of surprise and twisted from his attackers grip, forcing him away. The stranger let go but was only an arms length away from him. His hands were shooting blue arcs at him, sending almost continuous sparks in an attempt to paralyse Josh and cause pain. Chloe quickly ran back and grabbed the strangers head forcing him into unconsciousness within seconds. She had wasted no time and they had been lucky. The attack had taken place as Josh went through the mail car which was deserted. There had been no one there to see what happened. They quickly moved the stranger into the toilet before anyone saw them. He had stopped breathing so they now had a corpse on their hands that would be found sooner or later. Shaken, they fetched their meals from the buffet carriage, three plates each of hot pasties and chips. Back in their seats Josh and Chloe looked at each other in dismay. They had placed the man in such a way it might be thought that he had died whilst using the toilet. They still had an hour on the train and hoped they would make it to Wick. Chloe had clearly exhausted herself again and, despite the terrible events of the last ten minutes, was making short work of the plates of food. The whole carriage were staring, some surreptitiously and some openly amazed, at the amount of food she polished off. Josh turned around and chattily explained she was eating for two which changed the stares into understanding laughter before their fellow passengers who stopped paying attention at this explanation.
“Why do you eat so much though?” Josh whispered. He realised and they couldn’t really speak openly and wrote the question down instead.
I use considerably more brainpower than a normal humans, Chloe wrote, and I need extra food to fuel myself,
especially for fighting the evil ones. We need to be very careful, her writing continued, no more banks, sorry I think that one was my fault.
They made it all the way to Wick without a problem. This was mainly because they decided to take turns in the toilet to stand guard over the body until they left the train. Josh didn't enjoy sitting in a room with a corpse but it didn't take long to get to Wick. He made sure he was wearing his gloves at all times even though they weren't expecting an attack so soon. Once safely disembarked, Josh walked down the station platform with Chloe, looking fearfully at everyone and wondering who would attack them next. The man himself hadn't appeared abnormal in anyway which made it worse for him. How could he be on the alert when they were no telltale signs he thought anxiously. A taxi from the station got them to the ferry terminal in no time and Chloe looked around. There were cameras here. It was only a matter of time before they were found on the island but she knew they could island hop using charter boats, none of which had cameras. It would take the evil ones time to reach the island and she saw they had an opportunity to escape before they could be found. Right on time the ferry pulled into the harbour. It was larger than Josh had imagined and reminded him of a large hotel lobby, but with canteens and shops. There was no duty frees but Chloe used the opportunity to buy maps of the islands. Chloe was keeping a close eye on Josh who was gazing over the side of the ferry. The sea looked calm and inviting, almost as if it was a giant swimming pool made just for him. From the corner of his eye he noticed another young girl come over and look at the view. She was clearly Scottish with bright red hair that sparkled in the sunlight and seemed to be experiencing the same feeling of wonder as he was. It was his first time on a ferry and he liked it.
"Beautiful, isn't it? I'm Maddy," the girl turned smilingly towards Josh.
"I'm Josh," he replied. Chloe had spotted the two talking and her eyes had now turned into mini daggers, sensing a threat.
"I see Chloe's struggling to look after you," Maddy continued, looking at his arm.
Josh slipped his gloves on, realising with a plunge of his stomach that Maddy probably wasn't completely human and that he was stood on the edge of a moving vessel in the middle of the North Sea.
"Oh no, please don't get me wrong. I was sent to help," Maddy had seen his reaction.
Chloe had made her way over and was listening to Maddy. She held out her hand to the other girl and when their hands joined white sparks flowed brightly between them. Both girls suddenly smiled and hugged each other warmly.
"Can somebody tell me what is happening," Josh asked inquisitively He knew for sure now that Maddy wasn't human.
"I thought you were just protecting him? Not mating with him," Maddy laughed.
"Josh, this is my great great great niece,” Chloe explained before turning to the smiling red head, “Relationships and mating are mutual decisions Maddy!"
"Hello, what are you doing here then Maddy?" Josh couldn’t quite get his head around Chloe being a great great great aunt.
"Well Chloe won't live forever, and you will need protection," Maddie explained. Josh looked at Chloe and realised beings didn't have a massive life expectancy once they became human and that this explained them having a high metabolic rate. He felt devastated and looked grey and hurt at the idea of losing Chloe.
"It's all theoretical Josh,” Chloe said quickly, seeing his expression, “no one knows how long we’ve got to live, not even us."
"The evil ones are becoming stronger and more advanced, Chloe will be outmatched in a few days," Maddy explained.
"Unless I regularly update information, technologically the evil ones will have an advantage over me,” Chloe agreed, “Maddy has given me an update and I’ll be fine for a while."
"So how long will you live?" asked Josh worriedly. He had fallen for Chloe hard even if she was part programme.
"No one really knows, but it is theorised that our life expectancy would be a lot less than that of a human," Chloe explained.
"It depends how much fighting we have to do,” explained Maddy, “But that’s our job. It’s your job to take over and develop what is needed to stop the evil ones."
By unspoken agreement they headed to the canteen. The girls ate as if they were both expecting twins, almost ignoring Josh as they lightly touched fingers, apparently communicating like a high-speed data cable. Chloe seemed to have relaxed because she had someone as her own kind with her. Josh was dying to find out about Maddy and if she had the same morals as Chloe did. Intent on their communication and interaction the group hadn’t thought about the other passengers. They now appeared to have a group of three men staring at them from another table. Josh wasn't sure if they just wanted to check the girls out or if they were part of the evil ones plans. He nudged Chloe under the table and rolled his eyes at her. Both girls looked at the men the same time as one of the men came over.
"What’s a scraggy lad like you doing with these two? Beat it," he demanded in a strong Cockney accent.
Josh sat there and waited for Chloe or Maddy to takeover, and they did.
"If you want to feel your cock and balls next week I’d take a hike Mister," Maddy said aggressively. She had somewhat less subtlety than Chloe, but Chloe was in human years a little older and Josh wasn't sure what she would have picked up and transferred into Maddy. The man stood his ground blatantly.
“A little girl like you don’t scare me,” he jeered, “I’m interested in the other girl anyway, can’t stand red heads.”
"That's my girlfriend," explained Josh calmly.
People were watching by now, their attention drawn by the raised voices. The men had clearly been drinking and had a beer heads on and didn’t care if they were causing a scene. The Cockney moved drunkenly, intent on grabbing Josh for his perceived insolence and for dissing him in front of his friends. Maddy shoved him to the floor with one touch of her hand on his pants. Instantly enraged by the sight of their friend twitching helplessly on the floor the other two men rushed towards their table, their aggressive intentions obvious. The canteen staff had seen what was happening and intervened quickly. This was the worst thing that could have happened. They had brought attention to themselves and not only the evil ones but the police authorities would be alerted to their whereabouts sooner or later. Chloe communicated this quickly to Maddy by a gentle touch on her hand. Maddy had known the full implications of what could happen before she had met up with them. She had, as the evil ones could, traced them through cameras and their interactions with the web. The Cockney was sitting up now, still holding his groin and insisting that Maddy had tazered him. The staff came over, rather warily, to talk to Maddy. She pointedly shed enough clothes to show clearly that she wasn’t carrying very much at all. She was down to her bra and pants, insisting that she prove the Cockneys allegations untrue, the very picture of injured innocence, before, with a flourish, throwing her underwear triumphantly on the table. Unsure how to handle this situation, the canteen staff were attempting to cover her with a tablecloth and insisting she put some clothes back on. She was naked and causing a big scene and all eyes were on her, giving Josh and Chloe the chance to slip away from the limelight. The ferry was just pulling in and Josh could see police waiting at the ferry terminal. They presumed this was either for them or Maddy and they were ready for either. The crew and a police officer stood at the side of the ferry, talking together as the passengers walked across the ramp to dry land. Josh and Chloe could see the staff pointing up at the ramp but not who they were pointing at. At the end of the ramp the policeman moved in to stop Josh and Chloe. Maddy, fully dressed by now and seeing what they were going to do, squeezed through and with a single touch knocked out the policeman. She hadn't killed him but merely touched him and engaged their area of his brain that activated sleep. It was quite funny, she was clearly an upgrade on Chloe and what she did seemed humane. Chloe filled Josh in, whispering in his ear as they walked past the sleeping officer of the law. Apparently Maddy had also wiped memories of
themselves and anything to do with them from the officer. Josh was amazed. “How does she know how to do that?” He was told it was on the net. The CIA had cleared someone's brain years before to prove it can be done. They had merely refined the technique, done through mild electrocution. It mimicked the electrodes used in shock therapy used to treat severe depression so the policeman would wake up feeling full of himself for at least the next week, or maybe even for months. However, the island police would be onto them very quickly and they needed to keep moving and, most urgent of all, change their appearance. It was still light but the darkness was moving in when they found the local watering hole and went in. As they sank thankfully into the worn settee near the blazing inglenook fire Maddy ordered a round of soft drinks although Maddy looked old enough to drink, of course. They couldn’t afford to let down their guard. Josh wondered over to a small notice board carrying advertisements and saw a small postcard pinned to the board advertised a holiday cottage to let and gave a phone number. Maddy phoned the number and arranged to meet the owner in the next half-hour. Of course, the police would trace them there within a day or two but they needed somewhere to sleep for the night and then they could move on. They managed to catch a ride up to the cottage from one of the locals after buying him a drink at the bar. Maddy had quite a lot of charm and Josh wondered how much was programme and how much wasn’t. She was manipulative, aggressive, clever, soft and kind; a lot of traits to juggle, even for a human. They met the owner and Maddy agreed a price for a week and then gave him a little extra, asking him to be discreet about his new tenants and suggesting that she was fleeing from a violent ex partner. She promised he could have the same in a week if they were undisturbed by outsiders. This was a clear bribe but he seemed to buy her story and, as long as he kept quiet they should be safe. The landscape was flat with open vistas for several miles in each direction, an ideal location for spotting trouble coming their way before it reached them. Maddy arranged to meet the owner the following week but figured they would probably have moved on before he returned. The two bed roomed cottage was pretty. It was of stone construction and had a wood burner complete with a well-stocked log store and had minimal electrics throughout.