If a bird had been soaring slowly through the muggy, thick, warm air, its small eyes would have been flooded with the sight of the summer as it laid itself down upon the land, painting it in rich shades of green and yellow. The beeps and rumbling of cars would have drifted up on the breeze to meet the bird's ears from the great stone paths that crisscrossed the mainly suburban community below. In the center of the community, a long strip of flat concrete dominated, dividing the northern half of the city from the south. A river of cars surged steadily down the highway, the concrete surface hidden beneath their gleaming metal forms. And if this particular bird had been paying any very close attention to any situations taking place below, it may have caught sight of three large metal beings slowly picking their way toward the highway's edge, traveling in a tight defensive formation around a both surprised and excited, yet at the same time plain exhausted human boy.
Eddie gazed thoughtfully up at Frederick as they traveled towards the busy Highway 401. The ATI's attention was fixed on some unseen point in front of them, and he'd hardly spoken since they'd left Beachfront Park. They were making good progress; they were currently weaving their way through a plot of businesses that crowded in close to the grassy rise that gave way at its edge to the hard concrete of the highway. Radon, meanwhile, was amusing himself by rambling on about the most random subjects ever, and Eddie could tell that Radon could make a very entertaining companion once Eddie got to know him better. Flint listened intently to Radon, nodding curtly as Radon went the extra mile to tell Flint everything there was to know about lollipops, kitty cats, marshmallows, and unicorns. A black squirrel darted out onto the concrete in front of them. It paused and sat down, its fluffy tail flicking curiously as it regarded the ATIs and Eddie with shiny black eyes. At this, Radon paused in his rambling and let out a cry of delight before launching himself forward towards the squirrel, which leaped up in surprise, scattering twigs and pebbles around it. It twisted in midair and streaked off towards a maple tree that stabbed up from the ground at the edge of the Swiss Chalet restaurant parking lot that the ATIs had decided to cut across. People gaped up at the ATIs from where they sat in their cars or gathered just outside the windows of the restaurant, but strangely enough none of them seemed too surprised. Maybe they knew about the ATIs somehow.
The squirrel, meanwhile, was a sharp streak of black as it hurtled across the parking lot and sprang at the trunk of the tree. There was a brief scrabbling as the squirrel clawed its way up the tree and stopped a moment later atop a branch, staring out in shock at Radon. Little did it know, however, it was no match for the ATI- Radon hobbled quickly up to the tree and reached towards the squirrel with his antenna. A moment later, Radon pulled back, the squirrel clutching the base of his antenna and scrabbling helplessly at his pole with its hind legs, squeaking fearfully. Radon glowered at it, his eye glinting mockingly.
"Radon!" Frederick stormed forward, the sudden movement startling the squirrel, which loosened its grip on Radon's antenna and raced quickly down his pole as easily as if it were a tree before scampering off in the opposite direction the ATIs and Eddie were going before disappearing from view.
Frederick didn't say anything more to Radon, just sighed, shook his head, and continued to lead Flint, Radon, and Eddie towards the side of the highway.
There was a rustling as something large brushed against leaves and branches, and Eddie stepped back in surprise as another ATI slid out from behind a maple tree to his left. The ATI nodded courteously to Frederick, Flint, and Radon, then his gaze slid to the human that stood just beyond them.
"Eddie! What a surprise to see you again so soon after the protest," The ATI barged excitably past Frederick to loom over Eddie and stare down at him in awe. "So, then, Eddie. Where are you headed to? Did the Great One send you?"
YOU ARE READING
City of Pickering
General FictionWhen a young boy discovers that his beloved town is not what it seems, he is bewildered. But when it falls into his hands to prevent certain disaster from a group of terrorist hippies, his endurance and courage is tested, and he can't help but wonde...
