Chan knew he was near, and he was telling this to everyone else present at the farm during the time the Agent began his narrow down search. It had been six weeks since John and Tobias had left, and something had alerted all those who had known them for the past eight years and more, that something was wrong. And now, with the sense of the Agent so near, the situation became one of heightened alert.
“We are once again to be confronted. Our senses are bombarded at present with no news from John and Tobias, and now, I feel the Agent is close.”
“Similar to when the dark sect came visiting us in Australia?”
“Yes Jenna, it is very similar, if not the same feeling. As I said long ago, co-incidents are prevalent, and consider that our rescue by John, has led to the Agent seeking him and Carmel out, so strong as his hatred is.”
“He is drawn to me. John and I could sense something as he chased us east through California.”
“Yes, his senses are strong, though weak – weak where they seek control, but strong where they seek the instrument for this.”
“He must have something to detect the Torus. The dark sect used their amplifier.”
“But John destroyed it Jake.”
“He did Raynie, but he has probably built another. John told me he could construct the horned Torus with sufficient ease if he knew the precise algorithms.”
“Accept he does know those algorithms and that he has a new amplifier. It is in his way of determination to seek out any means he finds to re-establish his grip, as loose as it may be.”
“So do you have any ideas then Chan? We really don’t want to see the Agent here, but we are not so keen to send you on your way. There would be nowhere for you to go.”
“Yes, I understand your concerns Juan, and I agree, it would not be right for us to bring a threat upon your lives.”
“We cannot just let him take the Torus though Chan. We will have gone nowhere if he is able to use it again. Maybe if I go with him.”
“That is both correct and incorrect Carmel, if I may be so bold as to make such an assertion. You are right – he cannot be allowed to possess the Torus again, otherwise the Earth will descend even further.”
“Especially given the way the authorities have been acting everywhere. The reports of indiscriminate destruction on their part are disturbing and indicate they are ready to also do what they can.”
“Yes, their lack of patience has run out. Also, it would not be wise for you to go with the Agent. He will kill you, of that there is no doubt. Then he will continue to look for the Torus.”
“Can we play cat and mouse with him? Jake and I have a little experience with this when he chased us to northern California to have our chips removed.”
“A worthy idea Raynie, but it would involve us travelling always on the move, and across many inhospitable places, for who knows how long.”
“Is there any way we can use the Torus against him? What about in some weapon or something?”
“Now Steve, that is perhaps the best idea yet! Why did I not think of it?”
“Probably because you are not the type to think much of weapons Chan.”
“Perhaps, but…we must work on this idea. The Torus is powerful in that it can harness and focus energies. It could not destroy the Agent, for it is simply not of such an intention, but it might prove valuable to our cause and give us more time to consider other options by stalling the Agent.”
“Then let us help you. I am sure my knowledge of machines could be of use.”
“I think it would Juan. In fact, I think if I may say so, it would be best if we all make an effort to devise and construct a defence against the Agent.”
Everyone present agreed this was as good a way to proceed as any, with Chan then remarking how graceful their hosts at the farm were to take on assistance for them, in a battle they were not obliged to be a part of.
“You are our friends and have given very much to us in return, so it is only natural that we be there by your side.”
“Thanks Ricardo. Thank you to each of you. We are so very grateful.”
As Juan fed the firebox to the grain cutter steam engine, he considered how the use of such an old machine would fare against the might of the Agent’s spaceship. As if Chan was responding to his thoughts, he appeared with Jenna and Lyle, to explain how the engine would be used.
“Jenna and Lyle are going to build a housing to draw energy from the Torus and attach it to your engine Juan.”
“I see. And how will it work?”
“Can you disconnect the main drive shaft so we can attach the housing?”
“Um, yes Jenna. I can detach it here,” he showed them where a join in the shaft went from a vertical rod, to a horizontal rod at ninety degrees.
“That’s ideal. Lyle we need to attach the pulse generation cells from the rifles here, see?”
“Yeah, Ok.”
“Then we will have to reconfigure the output muzzle from each rifle to take the enhanced beam we will generate and combine as one beam…but I’ll do that when I attach these wires from the outside of the Torus housing.”
“Oh, now I see. You will use the drive to spin the Torus and amplify the power of the laser rifles.”
“You catch on quickly Juan. That is precisely what we will do.”
“But will it be enough?”
“We hope so.”
“We can add to this power if we focus our intentional energy into the Torus. As you know, it has activated through this in the past, and it can easily detect this again from us…but we must remain focused and avoid negativity, otherwise it will not align properly and will fail to give us any extra boost in power.”
“Really! That will work?”
“We must try it Juan. All of us together. The Agent is very strong, but he is also weak and susceptible. His manic hold on his worth is his weakness, but it also gives him the strength through its need for success. It is like a hungry animal that reacts when it is not fed. For now, I suggest Jenna and Lyle get to work quickly, while you take the drive apart at the connection there.”
Frieda had been secured away from harm with the other horses to avoid the indiscriminate destruction the Agent may bring with him if he came, which Chan and Carmel were sure he would do. Everyone had taken to the barn where the recently made weapon now stood with them, awaiting an appearance from the Agent. It was a marvel they were sure John and Tobias would have admired – a steam driven laser pulse canon with Torus amplification.
Four hours of waiting were passed with Chan helping all on how to focus their energy at the Torus, before the Agent arrived. His amplifier screamed at him as he hovered three hundred feet over the farm, and decided what he would do next. His on-board detectors showed him there was a group of people inside the barn, huddled beside a running steam engine. He could not understand the situation. ‘What is that machine?’ he thought. The Agent had never encountered a steam engine previously, and had never taken to researching anything similar. His thoughts were always of the progression of the machines when he was an Agent of the authorities, and so to examine machines of historical nature, just never occurred to him. When the holographic readouts showed him it was a steam engine from the nineteenth century, he did not bother to consider any of the dynamics of operation also showing in the projection.
“This will be easy,” he said aloud. The Agent knew he could not fire upon the building below, for fear of killing the man who possessed the Torus, and who he wanted to give him the information required to build a complete and stable vortex amplifier. And…he dared not risk killing his former superior, for then he would not be able to watch her suffer as he dealt out his hatred upon her.
As it so often was the case for those stricken with mania, their assertions could often be quite inaccurate, and so it was to be in this instance, where obtaining the Torus and those whom he sought as captives, would prove to be far more difficult than he had imagined. Amidst the outer buildings of the farm, the spaceship that was desi
gned to reflect space appeared menacing in contrast to the ramshackle old wooden and stone buildings. It was near dusk with a soft light, yet nothing about the craft’s presence was soft or welcoming to any degree. It had landed almost silently, aside from the sound its thrusters had made throwing leaves about as the jets of exhaust pushed against the ground. For a few minutes it just stood there, silent and foreboding with no sign of the Agent within. When he did emerge, the access ramp lowered with a faint whirring sound, followed by his footsteps clanging towards them. At ground level he stopped, facing directly towards the barn, levelled his weapon, and then fired twice to shatter the door.
Steve held the laser weapon, and Juan, Diego, Ricardo, and Manuel each held a laser pulse rifle. They stood their ground in front of the steam engine, which was the only source of sound on the scene after the wooden fragments from the shattered doors had fallen away. Chan and the others were out of sight at the rear, focusing their thoughts and intentions towards the spinning Torus.
“What have you done to my Torus?” the Agent demanded as soon as he saw it spinning.
“It is not your Torus. It belongs to nobody,” Steve replied.
“That is what you think, and forgive me please if I do sound ungrateful, but what you think is insignificant.”
“Only you think that…if think is what that brain of yours actually does. We thought it was just an outlet for the insanity within.”
“Don’t get wise with me. I have the capability to destroy you and this entire farm.”
“But then you will not get what you came for. And…please forgive my sounding ungrateful, but without it, you will become nothing yourself. The authorities will overcome your transient viruses fired from your laser canons.”
“You have no idea of what I can do.”
“I think we do. It is quite the reverse actually. You have no idea what we can do.”
“That pathetic old machine. You expect me to be afraid of that…even for an instant.”
“Yes.”
“Then it is you who are the fools. I can go on without the Torus.”
“I am sure you could, but only for a short time. Soon enough, they will overcome you and then you will be their prisoner again. I am surprised you do not remember me.”
“Of course I do. I watched you all the way to Mars, and then I bettered you by escaping and stealing my spaceship. You failed.”
“Did I? I have survived until now and have never been afflicted with any of your viruses. I would hardly call that a failure.”
“Oh but you will, for in this rifle there are more than just laser bolt generators. It mirrors my spaceship. I can shoot viruses…”
“What? Into nano implants? Nobody here has any.” The Agent had not considered there would be no instance of the implants amongst the group, and this brought on the sudden realisation that this component of his weapon was useless. As it is with maniacs, anything sudden can trigger an episode of mania…and it did as he began to lose his composure.
“Then I’ll just kill you all.”
“I would not do that,” Juan said as he and the three other men pointed their laser rifle straight at the Agent. For a minute, he went into a state of confusion as his eyes darted back and forth in reflection of the erratic thoughts behind them.
“I can destroy you all if I take to my ship. There is a chance the Torus might survive an attack. It is a diamond and I can configure my laser canons to a specific power.”
“You could try, but it would not work. Do not underestimate the power of this old machine…this steam driven weapon. It might surprise you.”
“What that? Why is the Torus there anyway?”
“Your brain is certainly lacking today isn’t it!” Steve was continuing to antagonise the Agent and it was working as he was losing more and more of his composure with each exchange.
“My brain is working fine. It is you who is lacking.”
“Don’t bet on it George. George Smyth.” When Steve said the Agent’s name, he caused the man to lose more composure than he had previously. Nobody had spoken his name to him since his transit as a prisoner to Mars over eight years ago, and now, it seemed to stir something deep inside. The other men looked at Steve, surprised at hearing the real name of a tyrant who had become known only as The Agent these past years. Steve was amongst a very few people who knew his real name - Carmel was another.
“So what is it going to be Georgie?” Steve asked this question with a laugh as if he was poking fun at the Agent. “Come on Georgie porgy pudding and pie, took his spaceship to the sky. But in his head, he could not deny. He was a maniac, who would often cry.”
“Careful Steve,” Juan said.
The Agent lost control and fired his weapon, not at any of the men, but at the steam engine behind them. To his utter surprise, the laser bolt ricocheted off the engine and disappeared.
“How was that for you George? A nice little surprise, yes? What are you going to do next?”
The Agent did not answer – he could not answer. His throat had swollen up from the manic anger inside, so he coughed a few times as he looked around the barn assessing the scene.
“Well?”
He looked Steve in the eyes, “I will kill you first, and then the others.”
“No you won’t. These men here will drop you like a stone before you have the chance to pull the trigger.”
“Where’s that bitch?”
“Oh surely you should show a bit more grace George. Carmel is here, but she does not want to see you. She does not like having a bad taste in her mouth.”
“I’ll get her.”
“Will you George? She doesn’t get you, and neither do any of the rest of us. In-fact, I think most people around this planet do not get you, and are quite sick of you. I’ll bet it is you they want to see become immersed in your sickening afflictions. You are very sick George.”
“Where is she, and that other one John…and that little Chinese man. I especially want him.”
“Why George? None of them want you. Again, I think nobody on the entire Earth wants you. How do you feel about that George?”
“I don’t care. Everyone can go to hell as far as I am concerned.”
“What? Your sickening version of hell? Your pathetic viruses you send out to make people suffer. You just don’t get it George do you? People will overcome you.”
“Oh don’t be too sure on that. Do you know what my viruses are doing? Do you know the holes between the space and time fabric, they are creating? Haven’t you seen where people go? Don’t be so sure.”
“They will not last.”
“They might.”
Steve became a little concerned with this as Chan had explained to them about the unstable vortexes creating significant disruption to the continuum that could go on to last many years and take substantial resources to repair, if indeed they ever could be repaired.
“I can see you are thinking about it, so you must know. And I am quite capable of creating more viruses even without the Torus, to continue this unfolding and tearing of the fabric. What do you think of that?”
“Hmm, in reply, I would think that it is time we rid the Earth of you George.” Steve yelled fire as he fired with the canon to blast the Agent, and the other men did likewise with their rifles.
But they were the ones to be surprised, for the Agent merely flickered in and out of existence as the lasers hit him – he had sent a holographic projection of himself. The Agent was still inside his spaceship. The entire episode, the coming down the ramp, the firing and destruction of the barn doors, and then the subsequent discussion, was all holographic.
“Hmm, the Agent knows a little more about technology than we expected.”
“Ha, ha, ha. Now see who is surprised. Watch as I take my ship just a little above you and make good on my promise to destroy your pathetic existences.” He took the craft to one hundred feet above the barn, where he stopped and hovered for a moment as he lined up the laser canon sights on the targ
et below. After he had configured the energy pulses to destroy only the wooden and stone structures, along with any life forms inside, leaving the much harder Torus undamaged, he fired.
Bolt after bolt reigned down upon the barn. As the tables turned once again, the Agent was surprised to see bolt after bolt ricochet and disappear. He kept firing and firing, until the laser canon muzzles glowed red. He simply could not understand why his weapons had no effect. He tried inserting viruses into the bolts, but they too did nothing.
“Take a few shots at him Steve,” Juan yelled through the noisy din of ricocheting laser bolts. “We’ll provide a spread of cover fire.”
Steve took ten steps forward, a measurement that had been carefully detailed prior to the Agent arriving. At the eleventh step he stopped, just outside the energy field Jenna had built by reconfiguring the output algorithm from a laser rifle controller, and using the scanner John had built, to shield off all the laser fire around the group and the steam engine. She had configured it to draw on the energies from the spinning Torus for a shield against laser fire, and so the Agent’s hologram had passed though unstopped. Steve aimed the three-pronged laser rifle weapon directly at the Agent’s ship and fired. It would not destroy the craft, but it would certainly give him something to think about. Each bolt jolted the spaceship sending a few of the laser bolts the Agent had continued to fire, into two of the buildings nearby. Each one instantly erupted into a fireball and was destroyed. Steve kept firing until the Agent had re-directed his own weapons to aim at just in front of the barn below, where he stood. The second Steve saw this, he leapt backwards a few yards and then laughed at the Agent, who was staring down at him as his laser bolts bounced off the invisible shield.
“Screw you! Screw you!” the Agent yelled from the cockpit upon realising he was not going to be able to destroy them. “I’ll destroy this place!” He rotated his ship around to cast a spread of laser fire at all of the remaining buildings and infrastructure in sight, but within a few moments and after only a few bolts that missed their targets, Steve was once again firing at his ship, causing it to jolt erratically.
Höllenbadt: Book two of the Torus Saga Page 30
