The Sleeping Army Awakes

Part 57 Trucking Rights

Pawel and Michal had made their way back down the hill again. This time they went all the way to the building site. They were surprised to find that most of the work was being done by machines and that there were really very few human beings about.

"They are asking for trouble with so few guards!" Pawel said, and spat as if the word guards had somehow stuck in his mouth.

They approached the nearest truck complete with a train of trailers and regarded it closely.

"You Strumpet! It's one of Zeli Corporation's finest auto trucks!" Michal said. "Just think how many people we could take from our village!"

Pawel opened the cab door and poked his head into it. And then he reached inside and opened a panel.

"Pawel!" Michal shouted in exasperation, "Put those wire cutters down! I don't even know where Fred you got them for Fred's sake you strumpet. I cannot take you anywhere. You know nothing about these things!"

"I managed to reassemble guns and one of them fired!" Pawel retorted, "why are you always on my case? You strumpet. Ever since we were kids you've been the same."

"And look what you chose to use for target practise you idiot?" Michal snapped.

Pawel thought that it was better to ignore that last question.

"With every day that passes I become more convinced that someone dropped you on head when you were young!" Michal added.

"Just you wait! I will get this baby started!" Pawel said euphorically.

"But why are you trying to hot wire truck you strumpet?" Michal shouted, "just say start in English and engine will start you idiot. Start."

Just after he had said the magic word "Start" the engine started and the robotic vehicle gently revved until the thermostat hit the optimum and then the revs dies down.

"How did you do that?" Pawel asked.

"Simply I used to help maintenance engineers when you were drinking and gambling and chasing those strumpets!" Michal said.

"Simply hop in and we drive first to mine," Pawel said, "simply we have meal and then we take food to village and then if possible simply we bring people to mine."

"If you say simply one more time," Michal said, holding his fist up to his brother, "then I will simply have to kill you!"

"So you know so much! You drive then strumpet!" Pawel said, being careful to keep out of range of his brother's swing.

"Oh at least I managed to talk you out of taking tank." Michal said, relieved to be doing the driving. "They will be missing this one a bit less."

They climbed into the cab and the engine revved and the truck started to steer towards the exit.

"State destination required!" An automated voice asked.

"Halite mine!" Michal said in English, more in hope than expectation of a positive result.

"Confirmed destination Kopce Milosti Halite mine!" The truck confirmed in English.

"You speak English? You Bullock. I never knew and you're my brother!" Pawel asked, "How does it know what mine is called?"

"I use power of my mind." Michal lied, miming that he had antennae growing out of his head.

"Fakt?" Pawel asked.

"Fakt!" Michal affirmed.

"I never knew that neither!" Pawel exclaimed.

Unbeknownst to the two brothers, Michal had absolutely no control over the auto-truck at all. It was simply a coincidence that Karlov had chosen the first truck in line and the exact same destination in mind for it, at the precise instant that Michal had tried to start it. The announcements in the cabin were relayed for safety reasons and were being duplicated in the cab so that the controls could be overridden in case of emergency.