Junkyard Speedball - Chapter eight

Junkyard Speedball - Chapter eight

This is the eighth part of an updated version of the novella, Junkyard Speedball — a symbiot story, which was first written a couple of years ago and introduces a couple of characters that subsequently play major roles in Van Hallam’s Hellsborough Chronicles, as well as providing some insight into the region of The Dark Peak known as the netherlands.

Curator

The second bolt pinned Mold through the shoulder to the rear wing of a gruizer, generating a mental expletive that Lomas picked up readily.

How are you alive synth?!

Mold, his mind open, didn't reply, just twisted away, ripping the bolt from the soft flesh of the gruizer and then pulling it out of his own body with a grimace.

Lomas concentrated on Kibble, telepathically summoned him, aiming to use him as before, but this time, Kibble was with Mold and it was Mold who did the summoning, gradually rolling Kibble, dazed as he was towards himself and then levitating him to head height. The gutterball posed in mid air, waiting. Mold and Kibble both could feel Lomas pushing the gutterball towards Mold and the confusion on his face when Kibble didn't move as commanded. Suddenly, Lomas began to laugh and released his thoughts from Kibble, who remained where he was, only for a moment as Mold dropped him to the ground, but the hoax had been discovered and Lomas was now reloading his crossbow and moments later had in trained on Mold.

So who are you then synth?! Said Lomas with a leer, been sent here to get me have you?

Mold still kept silent, but Lomas had already read Kibble, A cop eh? A synth cop. Now why would they send a synth cop after a lowly pest controller, heh?!

You know why, Lomas, Mold spoke at last, you're insane yourself, you've been cognitising, you can't be allowed to run amok doing things like that! You terrorised Totley and Dore and I nearly had you then, but you slipped away. Took me a while to find you again, but I knew I would. Drop the crossbow, Lomas, it's over.

Ha! Drop the crossbow. Now why should I do that, why don't I just kill you -- again -- right now, who'd know? You guys never work with backup, so you're alone and your synth corpse will be gone by tomorrow.

What make you thinks I'm alone?

If you mean that gutterball, the one who killed your symbiot?!

No me, said Willow, who had approached Lomas from behind, unseen and her mind in closure. She gave him the full force of her longbone weapon to his left temple, and that's for Mafu, you animal! She bludgeoned him some more, his face becoming a welt of blood.

Jason, had fainted.

Don't kill him, said Mold, I need him alive.

After what he's done to mother?! She screamed.

It can be reversed! Mold struggled to make himself heard over the effort Willow was focusing on Lomas.

What can? She said, finally holding the longbone aloft and not bringing it down again, Look at her!

I know, consoled Mold, I've seen her, and the others, but those that are alive, we can get their memories back.

Their memories, she echoed, what's he done to them?!

Cognitised them, he's taken their memories as his own and left them with none, but those memories are still there, in his head, we can get them back.

But he's insane!

He's been cognitising out here, bios and synths both, and you know the sanity of this junkyard, he's taken on multiple personalities maybe a thousand fold.

But how will we get the right memories back into Mafu, what if we make her insane too?

Willow saw movement out of the corner of her eye and swung around raising her bone again. The face that met her from the shadows showed no fear, only subordination. Willow could see that the young woman was heavily pregnant.

Hello darling, what's your name then? Cooed Willow, all anger seemingly dissipated. The creature didn't answer, nor could she as Lomas had done the same to her as to the others and, although she didn't resemble a Firthwood forester, her external features matching those of a Ley, inwardly, she was the same, sucked of all memory and personality -- an empty shell. Willow tried several languages and attempted to read her mind before Mold said:

You'll not get through to her, Lomas has cognitised her too. Another exhibit for this macabre museum to humanity, I assume. We'll take her with us, all of them, back to your township and those that are still alive we'll rebuild; those that didn't make it you can say your prayers for before we put them to rest. Bind him, quickly before he wakes up.

Nursing his wounded shoulder, he returned to the sickening museum and began to free the living ones.

We'll need to walk back those that have survived, he said to Willow, there's too many to take in the sportster, how far back to Firthwood?

Three clicks or so, indicated Kibble, get Willow to fly her Mafu, the pregnant girl and Lomas, we can shepherd the rest of the living back, I know the way. The dead can be collected by the Firthwood foresters.

Willow nodded her ascent and wordlessly went to collect the sportster, returning a short while later. In the meantime, Mold had completed untying the living and covered the dead for their later collection. Together they guided Willow's Mafu and the pregnant girl into the sportster and roughly manhandled the prostrate Lomas into the same, Willow adding a swift kick to his stomach for good measure, he didn't wince or even stir, just laid in his state of unconsciousness.

It was highmurk when Mold, Kibble and the surviving Firthwood forester revenants arrived at the township.

If you know anyone else that you think might find this interesting, then please forward this email to them :)

I have launched a new series of diary entries that I call “Pip Rippon — Stranger in a Strange Land”, in which I describe my struggle to survive as an immigrant in Hellsborough and The Dark Peak, and how I make ¢hits, and how you can use my knowledge to make money in the off-world. I think you’ll enjoy it, check it out here: Stranger in a Strange Land.

In other news, Hellsborough Chronicles book one “Dark Peak” is now available on Kindle and paperback.

If you can leave a review of Dark Peak on Amazon, I'd be more than grateful.

Hellsborough Chronicles book two “Darker Peak” is now being worked on — look out for early releases.

Cheers, until next time,

Pip :)