Soulless Logic (eBook)

Alan Pitt (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2017 | 1. Auflage
100 Seiten
First Edition Design Publishing (Verlag)
978-1-5069-0339-2 (ISBN)

Infos

When an accident catapults Joshua and his new girlfriend into the future, they arrive to a failed, apocalyptic world over-run by monsters and millions of Droids who control the minds of what few humans remain. Can they together, defeat the hordes of heavily armed Droids hunting them, free the people and get back home?

Textauszug

Chapter 1: Dr Snoot's Mystery Box

Joshua first met Denise, late one night, outside of Wicklepeck Town-hall. He was adding Hitler moustaches to the posters of some politicians with a black felt marker when a couple of brawny lads in the small crowd that gathered to watch, began heckling him. ' Oi didn't yer mum give yer any colouring-in books em? '

A small voice called out from behind, ' He's making a political statement about them being Nazi's, dingbats!' An argument quickly erupted but this thin wisp of a girl was too sharp for the lads and soon shut them up.

Joshua had never seen her before. She had braces, freckles and long brown wavy hair and he went over to thank her and they got talking. She was only sixteen and half his weight but had twice the guts of him at eighteen. It was great to meet someone who got what he was on about and even had a few ideas to add. They just made sense to one another. Over the following weeks Joshua surprised himself by falling in love and soon, whenever they met he'd softly whisper in her ear, 'I love you.'

She'd whisper the same back but never said it first. And sometimes, there was a second of hesitation before she said it. That hesitation killed him. Didn't she know how she felt. Why did she need to think about it?

Perhaps if she knew him better she would be more certain of her feelings. He decided to invite her to his eccentric uncle Snoot's, so she could get to know his family. Denise agreed and brought a plate of home-made cookies topped with chocolate and a slice of walnut. They met outside uncle Snoot's home, a plain brick house that looked like every other except one of its windows was boarded- over.

'Today's his Birthday,' said Joshua banging the lion-faced knocker. ' Not that he likes Birthdays.'

'So he's a Doctor then, a Doctor of what? '

'Er... Cosmology. Did a ten week course on-line for his Doctorate. '

'I thought Doctorates took five to seven years? So what exactly is it he studied?'

'Not sure but he says it taught him just enough to fully appreciate how ignorant he is.'

'Really!'

'Really.' Joshua was hoping Dr Snoot's many mechanical inventions would appeal to Denise as she was a bit of a geek like him. He went to knock again but the door opened, revealing Mrs Grimsby, Dr Snoot's housekeeper.

'Heard you well enough the first time.' She had a hard face and was wearing a red striped apron. Her thick arms clasped a broom. 'Well, what d'yer want? Haven't all day.' Her sharp eyes studied them.

'We're here to see Dr Snoot.' Mrs Grimsby and Dr Snoot must have had another of their 'divergence of views,' as the Doctor liked to call them.

'He's expecting you is he?'

'Invited us actually , thank you!' Was it too late to leave and save Denise from the Doctor's and Mrs Grimsby's arguing?

Mrs Grimsby moved aside and gave a nod towards the stairs. 'Locked in his den as usual. Straight up and first on right.'

They went up and Joshua knocked.

'Enter,' boomed a voice.

Joshua led the way into what had once been a lounge but was now over-run with tools, equipment and electrical gadgets. His uncle was tall with swept back frizzy white hair and a long droopy moustache.

'Hello you must be Denise, I'm Dr Stan Snoot. You may have heard of me?'

' No sorry. Cookies.' Denise held out her plate.

'Oh I say.' Dr Snoot beamed. 'What scrumptious looking tooth rotters! And with delectable chocolate toppings too. They're my favourites !'

'I know,' Denise murmured.

'Come see my newly framed 'Certificate of Cosmology'' The Doctor waved to a wall filled with Qualifications, Awards and newspaper clippings. 'Oh and I've got a fresh batch of I.Q. Tests for after. Or if you'd prefer, we can do a quick general knowledge quizz instead?'

'Actually, could we make this a friendly get together without any competitions to see who's best?' Joshua gave weak smile.

'Perhaps another time then.' Dr Snoot sighed as he polished his Mensa Certificate. 'By the way, my Birthday's postponed.'

'Until when?' Denise raised her eyebrows.

'Until further notice.'

'Postponing birthdays doesn't stop you aging?' said Joshua. An uncomfortable silence followed as the Doctor walked off. Did the Doctor think he could cheat time? Or did he simply avoid things he couldn't beat?

As Joshua and Denise explored the room she muttered, ' You never really know someone until you've visited their home.' One of the more puzzling objects they found was a vertical bronze tube bolted to the floor. The tube had an eye piece on top and two brass taps attached to its side.

'It's a periscope.' Dr Snoot grinned. 'It allows me to view who's knocking at my front door.'

'And the taps?' Denise asked.

'This tap turns on the shower hidden in the ivy over the front door. It's useful for getting rid of salesmen and other bothersome folk.'

'Ingenious. ' Joshua leaned forward. 'But what about the other tap?'

'Oh that tap... it's for those with umbrellas.'

'But how?'

'That tap feeds three vertical water jets in the front door-step. It's particularly effective on ladies in dresses. And a Scotsman in a kilt I tried it on once!'

'So this Scotsman had an umbrella?'

'No. But I felt I couldn't let such a rare opportunity pass.' Dr Snoot grinned with a hint of embarrassment.' Purely to study a male's reaction you understand.'

Denise was frowning. So to distract her, Joshua turned and pointed to the little tin box with a red button on top and an over-sized blue tinted bulb sticking out its side. ' What on earth's that?'

'That strange little curiosity, whatever it is, was fixed inside this mirrored booth.' Dr Snoot pulled open the door of a tall black booth. ' See it's large enough for a single adult to stand in. Odd thing is, even the floor, ceiling and door are mirrored. But what is it I wonder?'

'Perhaps it's some kind of tanning booth?'

'Yes that's definitely one possibility.' Dr Snoot nodded. ' Dash it- now where's my biscuit gone?'

'You've just eaten it.' Denise laughed.

'When!?'

'When you were showing us your mirrored booth , you ate it then.'

'I think I would've noticed eating a whole biscuit!' Dr Snoot grabbed another three from the plate. ' Really! Stealing a man's biscuit when his back's turned. It's just not on!'

'We didn't!' Denise snapped.

Seeing the sneer on the Doctor's face, Joshua jumped in, 'How 'd you come by his device?'

'It arrived unexpectedly at my front door, wrapped in brown paper and addressed to me. But without a single stamp or postage mark anywhere on it. So that's another mystery.'

'So it could be anything from anyone?' Denise looked warily at it.

'Hardly think so. Look at it, it's obviously some kind of light.'

'What about instructions? Or manual or something?' Joshua asked.

'No nothing. Probably so foolproof and straight forward the manufacturers never bothered. I'm rather parched after all these damned delicious biscuits you're feeding me. Time for a pot of tea.' Dr Snoot stepped over to the intercom and hollered, ' Bring us up a pot of tea and be prompt about it!'

'The tea will be arriving when it's good and ready,' crackled back Mrs Grimsby's voice over the intercom.

Dr Snoot returned to his mystery box. ' That's the problem with imbeciles. Only know one way and that's theirs.'

'Everyone's entitled to an opinion.' Denise frowned at the Doctor.

'Opinions based on solid facts and sound reasoning is all anyone's entitled to.' Dr Snoot's face twitched.

Joshua clasped Denise's hand as he debated saying something, anything. But nothing clever or suitable came to mind. Why? Was he so spineless he couldn't even defend his girl friend?

Dr Snoot muttered to himself as he unscrewed the box's side panel. This revealed some very odd looking electrical components inside. The Doctor then plugged the box in, causing the components to glow like coloured glass you can easily see through. Joshua had never seen anything like it before.

'If you don't know what it is, is it safe to be playing with it?' Denise's asked.

'While I'm not formally trained, I keep well abreast of developments. So I think I ought to be able to solve this little electrical puzzle don't you? Besides, it probably only looks bizarre because it's a cheap third-world rip-off.'

'Our little lying vanities.' Denise held Dr Snoot's angry glare. 'Didn't Cosmology teach you any humility?'

'I'll put your rudeness down to your obvious immaturity and basic lack of scientific knowledge!'

Denise blushed leaving Joshua wishing he could say something. A joke even. But he knew the Doctor never backed down so any disagreement would be explosive. Fortunately Mrs Grimsby arrived, bustling in the doorway...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 15.1.2017
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Science Fiction
• ISBN-10: 1-5069-0339-8 / 1506903398
• ISBN-13: 978-1-5069-0339-2 / 9781506903392