Tanks Versus Aliens

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The spy centre was not nearby so it took them several days to get there. Jabberwocky drove them from hiding place to hiding place, keeping to the trees and forgotten roads. The two Thunderlord jets, Joker and Hotshot, kept to their base, lying low until they were needed again.

They boys grew restless and bored, being cooped up in the tank all day, so at night Jabberwocky would stop and let them stretch their legs and even sleep out in the star light for a while.

They ate the ration bars from the tank's supplies and drank water or fizzy drinks. As things settled down a bit they began to get more and more homesick and to have doubts about what they were doing.

One night, while trying to sleep beside a lake, they were looking up at the stars and speaking.

'Do you think mum and dad are worried?' asked Haboy.

'They must be,' replied his brother.

'That's what I feel bad about the most. I want to defeat the Kragon, but it must be making mum and dad really sad.'

'I know...'

Jabberwocky spoke now, his voice coming quietly from a nearby PEB, 'If you are concerned about this mission I can take you home boys. It is part of my protocol to always protect civilians.'

'No,' said Haboy after some thought. 'We have come this far. We shouldn't turn back now. Agreed Fargo?'

'Agreed.'

They got some sleep after that.

In two more days they arrived at the spy centre. Or so Jabberwocky told them, as you might expect it was very well hidden. There had once been a city called Lodem. It was abandoned now but most of the buildings still stood. For reasons of their own the Kragon had not occupied it so they had not come across the Tratacorian spy centre that was hidden underneath an old dog food factory.

Jabberwocky knew how to get in though and by cover of night rolled into the factory, then down a ramp into a secret loading bay.

The tank stopped here though and said, 'I can go no further, but I will sent PEB A12 with you. He will help you and you can talk to me too.'

'What do we have to do?'

'Go down to the command centre. Make contact with the AI. Connect the PEB to any terminal you find and download as much intelligence as the AI will let you.'

The boys were nervous, but they packed a bag each with supplies and with A12 following behind them, headed for the elevators.

Jabberwocky, talking through A12, was able to guide them to the command centre and also arrange with the centre AI to open the doors and switch on the lights. Finally they arrived in a huge room full of screens, computer terminals, chairs and tables.

'Wow!' gasped Fargo as he took in all the technology.

'Welcome,' said a calm woman's voice from speakers on the wall, 'My name is Valerie and welcome to the Tratacorian Central Intelligence Headquarters.'

A picture of a young woman appeared on one of the monitors.

'Before I allow the download of intelligence data I must first take DNA samples from both of you and verify that you are properly human and not genetically modified Kragon spies.'

'Err... ok,' said Fargo.

This was not so bad though, all Valerie needed was swabs from their cheeks. Once these were provided they boys sat down and looked at a big map of the planet on one of the tables.

After an hour or so of sitting about they grew bored and restless and began to explore the room a bit more. They found a rest room that had video games in it and Valerie switched on some of the machines so they could entertain themselves.

Just as Haboy was about to beat Fargo's high score at 'Rarria Invaders' Jabberwocky suddenly announced, 'Boy's you must come back at once, our activity here has been spotted somehow and enemy forces are on their way!'

The boys picked up their bags and ran back down the corridors they had come along as fast as they could, following A12 as it lead the way back to the tanks.

When they got to the loading bay though Jabberwocky had already gone. His voice came from A12, 'Head to the town hall, meet me there. Once I've lead them away from here I will come back and collect you. Follow...'

There was a sudden bang and the connection to the tank was lost.

'Jabberwocky!' cried both the boys at once.

A12 stopped and beeped for a moment, then lead them across the loading bay to a door.

'Wait for us! Do you know the way by yourself A12?'

The little robot just beeped.

Soon they found themselves outside in the overgrown streets of Lodem. They followed A12 for a while but then as Giant Killer Robots began to fly over head they were too scared and hid in the nearest building they could find that hadn't been destroyed.

Peaking out of a window they saw one of them land, then a hatch open in its leg and a strange alien creature got out.

'Is that a Kragon?' gasped Haboy.

'I don't know,' replied Fargo has he looked over his brother's shoulder for a better look.

The alien looked like a giant brain on four long spidery legs. It seemed to walk as if it was nervous, sneaking along the street towards where the boys were.

'Do you think it knows we are here?' whispered Haboy.

'I just wish Jabberwocky would come back...'

Haboy was about to say something else, but then another Kragon they hadn't noticed burst through the door. Without thinking and as if they sword had a mind of its own, Haboy struck and plunged the weapon deep into the brain. It gurgled and screamed as it died, the boys running off with cries of terror.

Out in the street though, they were instantly spotted and another of the Kragons fired a weapon that seemed to be floating around its brain-body as if it could control it with its mind. The powerful weapon was not set to kill though and it froze the boys in place then picked them up. The force field from the weapon then carried them over to where the brain was standing, as if it wanted to get a better look at them.

It looked at them for a moment or two, or at least that's what it felt like to them since it had no eyes, then took them to the hatch and inside the Giant Killer Robot. A lift then took them up into a holding cell in the body of the robot. Using a force field the Kragon took their weapons away, then went further up to the head of the robot. The boys hugged each other in fear as the Kragon shut the door of the cell and left. They then felt the robot vibrate as it took off into the air.

'We've had it!' said Haboy as tears rolled down his cheeks.

'Yeah I think... oh look!' Fargo had noticed that somehow good old A12 had sneaked on board as well. A little multi-tool came out its side and zapped the lock, making the door come open. The plucky little robot then beeped happily and gestured for them to follow it up to the head of the robot.

'Ok then,' said Fargo, 'Lead on A12. Let's just hope that we've not flown too far away by now!'

'Err..look...' said Haboy looking out of a small window. Fargo looked and saw stars, space, then the surface of the planet far, far below them.

'Oh wow...' was all he could manage to say.