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The Gateway

  Steve Simons

  Copyright 2008 Steve Simons

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  INDEX

  Chapter 1 - From One Game to Another?

  Chapter 2 - Painful Troubles

  Chapter 3 - Where Does That Leave Us

  Chapter 4  Give And Take

  Chapter 5  Wake Up And Smell The War

  Chapter 6  From the floor the ceiling is a long way

  Chapter 7  I Can See Right Through You

  Chapter 8 - Needs & Purpose

  Chapter 9  Nannybot

  Chapter 10  I Don't Want To Be Scanned

  Chapter 11  Stop Messing About

  Chapter 12  Don't Ask

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  Chapter 1 - From One Game to Another?

  Tom and Barry were playing around the old wrecked buildings, the ones that Tom's grandpa said had been reduced to rubble during the second world war. There just hadn't been the money to rebuild on the land, but Tom and Barry didn't mind that, it made a great play place for them. They played hid and seek, soldiers, demolition men and many more games here. Today was just like any other day, Tom and Barry were deeply involved in a game, this time it was a rescue. Tom had disappeared into what had once been a cellar, Barry had seen him enter it, so he knew where his target was. He heard the call on his walkie talkie, the call for "International Rescue"

  Tom said he was trapped in a deep cave and needed urgent medical treatment.

  Barry radioed back that the rescue team were on their way. He headed off to the entrance that he'd seen Tom go through.

  The room was quite small but dark, there was just enough light to make out the corners of the room,

  but there was no sign of Tom. Barry thought that Tom was really good at hiding, he reached into his jeans back pocket and pulled out his rather battered torch. It flickered as he turned it on and quickly died, it had never been the same since he dropped it when last playing hide and seek. Barry smacked the torch on the bottom and the light came on quite bright this time. He shined it everywhere, but Tom was nowhere to be seen.

  Barry reached for his walkie talkie and pressed the transmit key, he asked Tom to let him know where he was. All that came back was silence and when he turned the squelch nob down, there was just a loud "Shhhhh" noise. Barry called again, with the same result.

  Barry thought that maybe he'd been wrong and Tom hadn't come in this room after all, also the reception could be bad. As he headed towards the entrance, he thought he heard Toms voice, it was quite faint, but unmistakeably Tom's voice, it was coming from the walkie talkie.

  Barry raised the walkie talkie to his ear and sure enough through the shhhhh noise, he could hear Tom describing some place that sounded nothing like the area round the wrecked buildings.

  Tom said that there was a wooden stockade ahead of him, there appeared to be smoke coming from within it.

  Barry wondered if Tom had hit his head on something and had become quite delirious.

  No matter how much Barry tried to radio Tom back, he was either ignoring the calls or could not hear Barry.

  Suddenly Barry tripped on some rubble on the floor, he found himself falling forward. Expecting to land on the hard rubble, instead he found himself in some tall grass. There was a strong smell of smoke and what sounded like crickets.

  Barry picked himself up being somewhat taller than Tom, he could see over the tall grass. He could see what looked like a wooden stockade in the distance. He could also make out the outline of someone walking towards it. Then he heard Tom's voice coming clearly over the walkie talkie. He was saying that he had heard some rustling in the grass behind him. Then Tom said that he could see someone standing in the grass. Barry raised the walkie talkie and said, "Its me you Berk!"

  Tom asked how Barry got there.

  Barry suggested that it was probably the same way that Tom.....he added that he wondered where there actually was. Barry walked towards Tom and soon the two boys were side by side, looking at the wooden stockade.

  Tom said that there must be sort of of entrance, but there was no sign of one.

  Barry suggested that they move to the other side of the stockade, but use the shrubs and tall grass as cover. They are soon looking at the large impressive entrance, with towers and flags flying from them.

  Sudden;y there is a lot of noise as something disturbs the shrubs and grass clumps to the right of the boys. There is the sound of a horn and the ground trembles.

  Both boys hiding in the shrubs are astounded as something resembling a giant caterpillar covered in some sort of armoured covering that flapped up and down as the creature moved at incredible speed towards the stockade.

  As the boys looked closer they could see that there appeared to be individuals perched on top of this giant caterpillar . They seemed to be spaced at regular intervals. They were carrying some form of weapon, it looked like a medieval lance, like those carried by knights of old.

  A second horn could be heard, but this time coming from within the stockade and the entrance seemed to be dropping open. The flags were waving as if sending a message or being waved to celebrate the victory of the returning soldiers, if that was what they were.

  Tom wanted to run out and introduce himself to the returning soldiers, but Barry advised caution, after all they didn't know if these were the "good guys or the bad guys." as Barry put it.

  Tom headed Barry's advice and the two boys watched as the caterpillar creature approached the stockade entrance. As the creature got closer the boys could see their caution was wise as they copuld see the caterpillar was towing behind it a large ball made of branches. Inside which the boys could make out some other sort of creatures, that if they weren't dead when captured, certainly would be travelling by this means. The creatures were tumbling over and over, like a hamster in a ball kicked by a small child, or like washing tumbling in a drier.

  As the caterpillar made its final approach to the gateway, it slowed up and the creature nearest its head was exchanging grunting and other similar noises with what must have been the gatekeeper.

  The caterpillar went on relentlessly, into the stockade, not pausing or stopping, even when creatures from inside the stockade stepped into its path waving their weapons in celebration. It was amazing that they didn't get crushed, but they seemed to have amazing sense of timing. As the tail end was disappearing into the entrance way; Tom caught a glimpse of more of the riding creatures under the caterpillar's armour plating. It seemed as if they were riding in little cabins, which flapped up and down as the armour plates themselves flapped about.

  There seemed to be no signs of life from the creatures in the large trailing ball.

  The gate was quickly closed behind the ball as it crossed the entrance way.

  Barry was first to ask, as peace settled down again, what Tom had made of all of that commotion.

  Tom said it seemed to be some sort of returning war or hunting party.

  Barry suggested that nothing could survive a ride in that ball like thing. Tom agreed and said he wouldn't want to travel in it to be sure!

  It was Barry w
ho first noticed that the light seemed to be rapidly fading. He said it was lucky. He said it was lucky he had his torch with him.

  The boys decided that it might be too dangerous to try and get back to the grass area where they had first arrived, so they would settle down for the night. Tom said he had a hunk of cheese and some bread that he'd grabbed from his kitchen before coming out to play. The boys settled down for their meal, listening all the while to the sounds coming from within the stockade. There was the smell of meat being cooked over an open fire.

  Barry held off turning on his torch until it got so dark that the boys could barely see each other. Soon after he did turn it on, there was a very powerful beam of light shining straight at them,

  coming from the stockade. It swung in a narrow arc, as if it was hunting them down. This was followed by the familiar sounds of the horns and the gateway opening. Then in due course the ground started to rumble again as the giant caterpillar creature emerged from the gateway of the stockade and it headed straight for the boys.

  Barry exclaimed, "I think its time we head for home!"

  The two boys got to their feet quickly. Barry shone the torch at the ground and they started to run in the direction that they had originally come from.

  The caterpillar creature was fast, very fast and was gaining on them.

  Barry was first to trip on the root of a shrub that was quite exposed above the ground.

  Tom overtook him, not daring to stop to help Barry. He could see that the caterpillar creature was nearly on top of them. As it was pitch black , apart from the occasional flash of the very strong light, coming from the top of the pursuing caterpillar itself; Tom didn't see the shrub root that brought him down. He saw Barry's torch flickering as he ran towards Tom. Before he knew it, he could feel Barry's hand reach out and grab his, as Barry said quick get up!

  Pain seared through Tom's ankle as he tried to stand. Yet he knew he couldn't give in to the pain,

  it was a case of suffer the pain or be caught by whatever these creatures in close pursuit were.

  Tom kind of hopped, following Barry as closely as he could. He was painfully aware that he was slowing Barry down and that the caterpillar was gaining on them.

  Almost sobbing, he barked at Barry, "Leave me, I'm holding you back we won't both make it..... go go !"

  Barry paused for a moment as he decided what to do.

  It was too late, there was a huge flash and both boys suddenly found themselves on the ground unable to move .... unable to feel a thing.... in Tom's case it was a bit of relief from the painful ankle, but it was very frightening. They could breathe and could see what was going on around them, but they were paralysed and unable to move.

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