ALLEN'S POINT [Editing]

[ 00:06:00 ]

-XIV-

-00:06:00-

The Prime Mover listened to Marvin.

He was and will always be—his father used to tell little Charlie. 

A deafening explosion accompanied by a strong vibration pulled Marvin back to his senses. Marvin opened his eyes. The place was in an alternating red (the Infra-red) light and violet (Ultra-violet) light that only theDockies could understand. There was a robotic voice speaking in an unknown—otherworldly—language. But his mind could understand it. It was announcing severe damage to the primary system. Marvin's head felt heavy but it was now working strangely. He tried to check if his thoughts were disoriented. The metal cuffs suddenly slid open with a click! click! First the ones on his wrist then the cuffs on his legs followed by the prolonged eeeennnkk! and then click! clunk! sound. He was alone but he heard a lot of voices clamoring:

—How did that one escape?

—Release the Xrevus!

—There was an internal error on the second spinner!

—Activate the tertiary spinner and the electromagnetic radiators!

—It was jammed with the propeller from the second spinner!

--The thermal stabilizers are malfunctioning!

—Start the emergency supersonic jet spinner!

At first, Marvin thought it was all in his head. The conversation was haphazard but he understood, at least, understood what they all might be talking about. Then he realized that he was listening to the voices not with his ears but with his mind. He was listening telepathically. He slowly pushed his back to be in a sitting position and realized that there was something on the back of his head that made it heavy. He raised his hand to touch it. He could feel a large metal bolt-head fastening a tube. He felt profoundly strange about it being attached to the scalp of the back of his head. The touch of the tube brought goosebumps all over his skin and sent a bolt of shiver down his spine and through every end of his nerves. He tried to unscrew the bolt by turning it clockwise. It took him six half turns before the tube loosened. He prepared himself for the pain of detaching the tube from his head but he was surprised when he felt nothing as he pulled it free. That part—the shaved part—of his head felt numb. The tube fell with a clank against the metal Dissecting Pan. He touched the part of his head as a reflex of his hands. There was a single dot-sized hole where some fresh blood gushed out briefly. He inspected his thighs and only saw a pair of pinholes on the skin. He turned his head to look at the tube and saw that it was the same tube he saw which was attached to Sharkboy's head. He helped himself to a stand and his legs felt stiff for a few seconds. The telepathic consciousness was there again hearing a raging scream that he could recognize:

—I'm gonna kill you, BASTARDS!

He could recognize it. It was a more human-like thought. Of course, because it was from Jarred. He closed his eyes to concentrate on the mental voices. Marvin tried to search for another remaining human-like thought but was disappointed to hear nothing except Jarred's. He opened his eyes as a THUD filled his ears, followed by the last sane scream, and another explosion came succeeded by squelching and bellowing sounds.