City of Pickering

City of Pickering Part 8: An Unexpected Rescue

Fiery amber mid evening sunlight slanted between the thick leaf-laden branches of the trees, outlining Flint's metal body in blazing orange and dappling the pine-needle strewn dirt ground with frosted gold. The ATI was standing just beneath the mixed deciduous and coniferous trees, his robotic eye blazing a piercing bright blue in the sharp jet-black shadows that arced in all possible directions. As Eddie watched from the opposite end of the clearing in the copse of coniferous and deciduous trees, Flint raised his head and let out a short censor bleep noise to get the attention of the small group of ATIs that was milling around the clearing. Immediately, they all snapped into focus, staring intently at Flint and more than ready to hear Frederick's highest lieutenant's orders.

"As you all know very well already, Frederick has been captured by an air patrol of anti-nuclear activists, and according to a paper found by Eddie at the site of the capture..." Flint paused for a moment to nod towards Eddie. "They most likely have him imprisoned somewhere in downtown Toronto, on Front Street, apparently."

Murmurs of unease and fear for their leader rippled along the group of assembled ATIs. As soon as Eddie had run back to Flint in the Pickering GO Station parking lot to give him the horrible news, all the ATIs in Pickering had instantly been alerted of the situation at hand, which would not only make everyone aware, but would give them a slight advantage- it was unlikely for the anti-nuclear activists to want to try and take down a huge, furious, rampaging army of ATIs, but Eddie wouldn't put it past them. The anti-nuclear activists had performed so many dangerous and unusual stunts in the past few days, so it would be no surprise if they did perhaps try. So here they were, Flint, Eddie, and a few other ATIs, standing in a clearing in this copse of trees near Pickering's western city limit, discussing the previous event and how they were going to take action.

"As it stands right now," Flint went on as the noise began to calm down, "The best thing we can possibly do is organize a rescue mission. However, I cannot guarantee a fully satisfactory result- any defence or prison building owned by the anti-nuclear activists would be very heavily guarded."

Flare, who had been observing quietly from the back of the crowd until now, raised her antenna. "Flint," she began, and the other ATI's gaze shifted in her direction. "How exactly do we plan on rescuing Frederick, anyway? We can't just go rushing in there. We may all be very powerful ATIs, but the anti-nuclear activists' attack methods are outrageous. It would be suicide."

"I will lead a force of some of the strongest ATIs to their department," Flint explained confidently. "You need not worry, Flare- we will have this all under control. The sooner we get Frederick back, the better." Raising his voice once again, so all the ATIs and Eddie could clearly hear, he added, "I will now choose the ATIs that I wish to bring with me on this mission. Flare, you may come. Casper, Candu, Axle, and Gretchen, you will also accompany me. Eddie, you can come along too, of course." Flint finished his speech with a beckoning flick of his antenna to summon the ATIs who he'd called. As they moved briskly out from the crowd to join Flint, Eddie scrambling across the hard dirt ground to keep up, the remaining ATIs let out loud whoops and cheers of enthusiasm and encouragement.

"Good luck!"

"Bring Frederick home safely!"

"Give those anti-nuclear activists a scare for me!"

"Right." Flint let out a low grumble as he led Flare, Casper, Candu, Axle, Gretchen, and Eddie out of the copse through a wide gap between the thick trunks of two large oak trees and veered left, leading them along a path that traced along the edge of the copse and cut through a thick swath of long, rich grass turned a deep, dark green color by the mid evening sunlight. To their right, about sixty feet away, the many lanes of Highway 401 wound together through the rows of businesses that lined its sides. Eddie and the ATIs were only separated by this from a moderately steep, grass-covered slant that swept down towards the back walls of the businesses. On the opposite side of the copse of trees, a single row of transmission towers led away across a flat, hazy, seemingly endless golden field to the city of Pickering's not currently visible southern regions, and loomed almost unnaturally tall over the ATIs and Eddie as they hurried towards the gleaming white, brand-new ATI Car parked in the field just ahead of them. It had turned out that the ATIs had more than one of these giant, futuristic vehicles in storage, which was great news. Eddie had been absolutely sure that the ATI Car that he and Frederick had been driving in when the anti-nuclear activists bombed it had been their only one.