Outcasts Of The Midlands

Chapter 1, The New Kid

Lewis stumbled through the overgrown forest, his breaths coming in short gasps as he pushed aside tangled branches and ducked under low-hanging vines. He had been wandering for what felt like hours, lost in this wild and untamed place.

His clothes were torn and his skin was scratched from the thorns and brambles, but he couldn't stop now. He had to find his way to the base by nightfall, or else The Hunting will take him.

Just as he thought he couldn't go on any longer, his foot caught on something buried under the thick undergrowth. He stumbled and fell to his knees, letting out a frustrated groan.

But as he looked down at the ground, he noticed something strange. A faint blue glow was emanating from the object he had tripped over. Curiosity overtook his exhaustion and he reached out to touch it.

As his fingers brushed against the smooth surface, the glow intensified, lighting up the surrounding area. Lewis couldn't believe his eyes as he picked up the object and held it up to get a better look.

It was a small, glowing blue orb, pulsating with an otherworldly energy. He had never seen anything like it before.

With a sense of wonder and excitement, Lewis tucked the orb into his pocket and continued on his journey. Whatever this object was, he knew it was something special and he couldn't wait to uncover its secrets.

The hunting was about to commence and he had to get to the bunker, it couldn't be that far away.

He ran into pine forest, unaware of the foxes hiding in the shadows. He saw a small glimpse of metal which must have been the bunker. He dashed to the door, but then heard the sound of the horn. The electric shaked the ground, he knocked the door hastily.

He peeked into the glass, this was the correct place. He knocked on the door.
"Hello? Are you the new kid?"
"Err.. yes"
The scarf covered her face entirely, she had brown curly hair. Her blue-buttoned shirt was hand-made
"My name is Maisie, I am a graphic designer and I like programming."
"Don't we all?" The boy in the black hood stated.
"I'm James, I create software which brings computers off the Smart Grid."
He had much darker hair and wore an odd-white mask with Wolf-like properties.
"He is in charge around here," stated Maisie "he is the best at hacking."
"So.. what is the mission?" said Lewis.
"We are attempting to power up the Space Mac" James had been interrupted by a siren
"Power has been fully transferred, machine is ready to be used."
"So is that a Time Machine?"
"No, that's the Space Machine." stated James
"What does that do?"
"It can bring anyone anywhere but not back in time"
"And what's a smart grid!"
"No time to explain! Let's go!"
Maisie had already jumped into the Space Machine. They shortly followed into the machine, the first destination was New York. The concrete jungle where the other team was located.

The rusty-orange covered the outside with the metallic inside being a faded blue. Maisie inputted the co-ordinates and clicked, but nothing happened. Lewis stated
"Why don't you just turn it on and off?"
Maisie proceeded to do so, the blue light inside beeped and they were ready to go.

A eerie sight filled their eyes, they were not meant to be here.

The towering buildings were now covered in vines and moss, with trees growing out of the windows. The streets were cracked and overrun with weeds, and the only sound was that of nature.

As they entered the city, they were amazed by the sight before them. They could hardly believe that this was once the thriving New York City they had seen in pictures. Maisie gasped as they passed by the iconic Statue of Liberty, which was now barely visible under layers of greenery.

Their first stop was Times Square, which was now unrecognizable. The bright neon lights were no longer shining, and the famous billboards were now covered in leaves. They had been graffitied and cracked beyond belief. They walked through the deserted streets, marveling at the eerie yet beautiful sight.

Next, they made their way to Central Park, which was now a lush forest. They walked through the overgrown paths, feeling like they were in a different world. They even stumbled upon a hidden waterfall, which they would have never found in the old New York.

As they continued their exploration, they came across the remains of the Empire State Building. It was now a crumbling structure, with plants growing out of every crevice. Lewis couldn't resist climbing to the top, and from there, they could see the entire city spread out before them. It was a breathtaking view, and they couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness for what the city had become.

As the day went on, they visited other notable places such as the Brooklyn Bridge, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the High Line. Each place had its own unique beauty, and the they were in awe of the new New York.

As the sun began to set, they knew it was time to get to work. They said their goodbyes to the city and made their way to the base. As they left, they couldn't help but wonder what had caused this large city to be destroyed by the robots. As they neared the bunker, they saw a hooded figure.
"Hello.. what's the date?"
"Err.. 21st January 2073" stated Lewis
"Did I time travel?"
"Yep" confusedly said Maisie
"I'm Magnet, I used to live in Birmingham 50 years ago."
The new team of 4 pressed on until they finally saw it.
A metal bunker was in front of them, they knocked on the door.
And they knocked again.
No response at all. They saw a small metal rod on the floor and used it to barge the door open.
"LEWIS!" Maisie shouted
"Err.. you kinda can't do that legally" stated Lewis
The door burst open and they saw a note on the floor.
"The Time Machine will be able to time travel 50 years back but once you get there, it will take twenty-four hours to recharge and will only be able to move 10 years back. But it can go forward as far as needed."
"This should help with the robot problem." Stated Maisie
"Wow.. what do we even need to do to stop the robots?"
"There is an old computer made by IBM from 1973 that is able to decode a message from the Artificial Intellige-"
"Wait, slow down and let's get on with it."
"So.. do we go in the machine."
"Yeah, we will go to 2023, 2013, 2003, 1993, 1983 and 1973."
"Well.. what's that catch?" Stated Maisie
"Err... what do you mean catch? This Time Machine is perfectly stable."
"WAIT! It's not here! It must be in Birmingham!"
"What's a Birmingham?" Stated Magnet
"It dosent matter! We gotta get to Birmingham before sundown!"
So they went to the space machine and started rabbiting on about their shared love for programming. Until they saw something concerning, really concerning.

A horrifying note.
"Dear James, I left the time machine in digbeth. Take it and do whatevs with it."
"NO! This can't be!"
"Relax, oh wait digbeth? AHH"
"Well... we gotta go there I guess, turn the machine to Birmingham then."
Below it read a string of numbers
"52.4752767, -1.8856234"
Digbeth used to be a nice place for tourism where a lot of income was made, in 2073 it was a run-down bombed place where land mines still remained hidden.
"Why don't we input the co-ordinates?" Stated Lewis
"Good point" The others stated

As they arrived in Digbeth via the space machine, they were immediately struck by the desolate ruins that were the buildings that surrounded them. The streets were empty.
As they trekked through the rough environment, they had to be careful to avoid any landmines that may be hidden beneath the ground.
After what felt like hours of walking, they stumbled upon a peculiar phone booth. It seemed out of place in the run-down town, but they were intrigued. Magnet went to inspect the phone booth.

"Hey, guys, come check this out!" he called out excitedly.

But before anyone could respond, James quickly interrupted.
"Shut up Magnet! We need to be careful here. Who knows what could be lurking around."

Magnet rolled his eyes but obeyed. The group cautiously entered the phone booth, unsure of what they would find inside. To their surprise, the booth was actually the Time Machine
"Err.. here goes nothing!"
They put in the year 2023, they were ready to save the world.
They all inhaled a deep breath. It was time to hack that IBM computer.