the motives trilogy by harriet alder

8/10/2019 The Motives Trilogy by Harriet Alder

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Harriet has always loved books and enjoys nothingmore than a trip to the library or book shop. She hasnever been able to pass either without stopping to takea look in search of her next good read. Harriet has beenwriting her own stories for as long as she has been ableto hold a pen and wrote The Motives Trilogy, her firstcompleted novel, whilst studying f or her GCSEs andlater her A-Levels. She has often dreamed that one dayshe would see her own book on the shelves. Finally ithas happened, proving that dreams really can cometrue.


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For my Grandma


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Copyright Harriet Alder

The right of Harriet Alder to be identified as author of this workhas been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 ofthe Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in anyform or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the

publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claimsfor damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the BritishLibrary.

ISBN 978 184963 681 0

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published (2014)Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd.25 Canada SquareCanary WharfLondonE14 5LB

Printed and bound in Great Britain


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Acknowledgments

With special thanks to all of my family, especially myMum, who have loved, supported and encouraged me tofulfil my dream.

With grateful thanks to my publishers for giving me thisopportunity to see my book in print.


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MOTIVES


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Chapter One

2035. The world is filled with technology. Big and small. From the tiniest of devices to giant supercomputers and A.I. Humanity is in themiddle of a Techno Boom. The Boom had itsbeginnings in 2020 and grew into The PrimeYears. 33. 34. And now 35.

Science Base, Beta 7. This Base is one of two major ScienceBases in England. The other one is the slightly larger Beta 8.Beta 7 is the more important of the two bases as it is chargedwith a very important responsibility. To study the GreatUnknowns of the universe. Phenomenons such as the SentientBlack hole of the Jodajoplex Empire.

Great Peculiars like the red giant star Betelgeuse and evenearthly mysteries like the famous or rather infamous Jack theRipper mystery. Currently many experiments on the littleknown about X Energy are being performed there. In recentyears a supercomputer was successfully created to function onthe energy and proved its theoretical potential for being a

powerful energy to master and use in future technology or

warfare. Earthly and otherwise. But despite its great reputationfor being very effective at carrying out these experiments andstudies, the Base is unstable. Not in its physical structurewhich is of sturdy metal and reinforced with Tideiminium; arare metal which is found in only three know parts of theuniverse and is well known for its strength and durability, butamong the people who run the Base.

The atmosphere is tense and the work is hard, expensiveand very dangerous.

Computer is it safe to give the all clear yet? askedThomas Brickett. Thomas is the second in command of theBase and does nearly everything there because The Boss is


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always busy with paperwork and technological trouble. Namely the moody and brooding supercomputer, Giga 6, whois a generally unpleasant computer who is notoriously hard todeal with without getting a lot of verbal abuse or evenreceiving a mild electrical charge from him. Minutes passedand Thomas thought he was never going to get an answer fromthe supercomputer until finally he came to a conclusion.

Everything is secure. Radiation levels are minimum andthere seems to be no leaks of any dangerous chemicals, reported Giga 6.

Finally! Took you long enough to figure that out. I

thought supercomputers were meant to be quick and all of thatstuff, replied Thomas with a slightly sarcastic tone.Do not mock me vermin or next time I might just shoot

you where you stand instead of carrying out your patheticinstructions, answered the Computer coldly .

Whoa, it was only a joke man seesh! said Thomas.Also, NEVER call me a man. I am nothing like you. I

am a perfect supercomputer who can kill you in an instantwhile you are a nothing. Vermin. Your only purpose is to servemachines like myself, added the Compu ter in an icy tone.

God! C hill out. Thomas got down from the chair he wassat upon and started to walk away from the Supercomputer.

Oh and before you leave. Walk with your back straight.Slouching makes you look even more pathetic than you arealready, said the Computer in a tone colder than the North

Pole.Whatever , replied Thomas before walking out the door.He closed the door firmly behind him. The Computer was leftto his own cold as ice thoughts.

Laura was on her way to the computer room to do herusual check up on the computer. She was multitasking asalways with five pages of test results in one hand, a book in the

other and a folder of papers and forms in the crook of one arm.She paused as she saw Thomas walking from the computerroom shaking his head.


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That Computer has some serious humour issues, he saidwhen he passed Laura.

Well maybe you shouldnt have been provoking himthen, replied Laura.

PROVOKE HIM?! Everything provokes that lump ofmetal, answered Thomas

Sssh! He can hear you, whispered Laura as she unlockedthe door to the computer room. Thomas walked away sighingand muttering under his breath. Laura carefully pushed openthe door. After briefly looking around she went in. The roomwas completely empty save for the massive Supercomputer at

the bottom of it.Laura pushed the door quietly behind her before shedumped her bag and papers upon the floor. Now are you in agood mood or a bad mood today? she asked the Computer asshe made her way down to the control panel.

I do not have moods. I do not have emotions like youdo, replied the Computer.

Which I think is a shame if you ask me , answered Lauraas she sat down on the seat in front of the Computer.

Emotions are a weakness Vermin. To have emotions is to be inferior. To not have emotions is to be superior, replied theComputer.

You know what? I dont care , said Laura. Now lets getthis over with. She started to type the access code into thecomputer so that she could access his stats and check that he

was functioning correctly within the pre-set parameters.If you must human , the Computer replied moodily.Laura finished typing the access code and inspected the

Computers stats. Energy levels are stable. Radiation levelis she paused briefly as s he squinted at the screen. Ok.Everything seems alright. She picked up her report book andwrote in the computer stats for that afternoon. Well youll be

pleased to know that you are healthy, said Laura to the

Computer.Good. I am not contaminated by humans, replied the

Computer.


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Apart from your radiation level which is quite highadded Laura.

What do you expect Vermin, when you make me dodozens of ridiculous tests with the powerful X Energy? Ofcourse I am slightly radioactive. I use the X En ergy as fuel,answered the Computer in annoyance.

Yeah yeah sure sure , said Laura dismissively .Humans! Nothing so stupid and inferior in the whole

universe. I cannot believe I had to bring myself down to yourlevel, Female, added the Computer coldl y.

Whatever , replied Laura under her breath as she tried to

focus on typing the security code into the computer, to preventunauthorised personnel from accessing the stats, whileignoring the Computers chilly comments.

After a few minutes she had finished dealing with thesupercomputer. She got down from the chair and started to pileup her papers. She paused briefly to see if the Computer would

pass a cold comment on her before she went away. He saidnothing.

The Computers moody silence was his trad emark. It waswhat he did when he had nothing to say and was thinking hiscold, emotionless thoughts.

Laura picked up all of her things and walked towards thedoor but as her hand went to the door the Computer spoke. Iam not to be disturbed for the next two hours. You understandHuman?

Excuse me but you dont call the shots around here andthe BossI am NOT to be disturbed Vermin. Else I shall have to

dispose of certain people until you get the message loud andclear into your puny, little, primitive brain cells, interruptedthe supercomputer warningly.

Yeah, ok, whatever , replied Laura before she exited theroom, closing the door firmly behind her.

The Computer listened to Laura walk away until he couldnot hear her footsteps any more. Now t o begin my plan, hesaid darkly to himself.


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The hospital area was silent as always save for the beepingof monitors. Laura paused in the middle of the ward to gatherher thoughts. The smell of antiseptic filled her nostrilsreminding her of why she was down there; to see her brotherwho was dangerously ill. She took a deep breath and carried ondown the ward until she reached her brothers bed.

He was awake and sitting upright in bed. His khakisoldiers uniform hung in the small cupboard beside him and his metal trench helmet as Laura had called it since she waslittle because of its resemblance to the helmets that were worn

by soldiers in WW1, sat unused on the upper shelf. He seemeda little better than the last time she saw him. But even thoughhe had bright eyes and rosy cheeks at that moment in time,Laura knew it was because of the high fever and that he wasstill very ill. The shadows under his eyes. The pale almosttransparent tone of his skin. The shallow movement of hischest amongst the metal of the respirator which seemedcapable of crushing his fragile form. All these told their ownstory.

Hey Daniel , she said softly to him as she sat down on thewooden seat next to his bed. Daniel smiled at her.

Hey little sister. Glad you came. I thought you would putit off because of all the work youve been doing , hewhispered.

I would never do that Daniel. You are the most important

person in the world to me. You are more important than my boring old work, replied Laura. Daniel groaned and dre w asharp breath. Are you alright Daniel? asked Laura inconcern.

Yeah. Im alright. Its just my darn lungs. So painful,replied Daniel.

Dont worry Daniel youll get better soon , reassuredLaura.

Through the eye of the CCTV camera the plottingSupercomputer watched Laura and Daniel as they talked toeach other. He was making detailed mental notes of what was


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being said, when it was said and most important of all, howmuch of a threat it would be to him and would it upset his

plan? Hopefully the Female Annoyance will be so preoccupied with the dying Male Vermin that she would not beable to interfere with my plan, he thought to himself. TheComputer continued to scheme and observe.

Laura remained with her brother for a while. Watchinghim in his uneasy rest. She could see that he struggled to rest

peacefully because every couple of minutes he groaned softlyin pain. His laboured breathing was painful to see. Laura could

almost imagine his diaphragm screaming in agony as Danielschest rose and fell wearily as if with every breath it had to lift atonne of weights as well. Eventually he fell into a reasonably

peaceful sleep. She gently kissed him on the cheek and left thehospital area.

The Computer watched on ominously. Plotting. Plotting.Plotting.

The Computer casually flicked through the numerousCCTV camera screens while taking in all of the little details.Whos doing what and where. Slowly he came to a conclusion.My plan is set. Now I can destroy this pathetic Base and theVermin that live within it, he said darkly. The white light ofthe elusive and dangerous X energy curled itself around hiscircuits as it passed through him and into the mainframe of the

Base. Infecting every inch of wire and coursing through all thatwas made of metal. It consumed everything it touched. Raisingthe radiation level to an impossible level.

Suddenly there was a loud explosion as various metaltubing, vents and machinery overheated triggering a hugechain reaction of other explosions. The Computer silentlyobserved the first stage of his plan.

Tremors ran through the Base followed closely by themuffled explosions from the computer room.


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Hmmm? said Laura to herself as she felt a tremor gothrough the floor. What on Earth was that? Another tremor,stronger than before nearly made her stumble and fall down.She regained her balance and started to follow the direction thetremors were coming from. As she got closer and closer totheir origin they got more and more violent. She soon trackedthem to the door of the computer room. Struggling against theever increasing force of the explosions she threw open thedoor.

It was pitch black inside save for a dim red glow comingfrom behind the silhouette of the Supercomputer. She carefully

went in while trying to avoid the more violent tremors.Computer! What are you doing?! she shouted over thenoise of the explosions and Tremors.

Ah, Annoyance. I knew you would come. Enjoying theshow are you? replied the Computer.

Are you crazy?! Youll destroy the Base and kill us all!answered Laura.

That is the idea Vermin. I will finally be rid of you all andthe world will be left to the machines, said the Computer.

Ill stop you! shouted Laura.I would like to see you try Human, replied the

Computer. Then the lights went out. Silence filled the room.Computer! Where are you?! shouted Laura. Faintly she

could hear dark laughter.Come and find me Human. Unlike you I always have a

plan B, boomed the voice of the Supercomputer.Silence once again filled the room.Find a Supercomputer. Right, what am I meant to be

looking for? said Laura to herself. She thought to herself for amoment then, Its not possible but I think he may havetransferred his AI to another computer in some sort of secret

base of his. Just as she said this a doorway opened up with a blast of steam on the metal wall closest to her. He is

expecting me. I must go with caution, she warned herself.Cautiously she started to walk through the doorway. After

she was a little way in it closed up behind her. She heard thesound of several large locks going into place locking her in the


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dark tunnel. She continued to cautiously make her way throughthe tunnel while being careful to avoid the stray electricity thatcrackled on the walls of the tunnel. A little way in to the tunnela dim red glow made the tunnel seem to be eerie and strange.I must be close to him now. This is the same weird red glowthat I saw back in the computer room, she whispered toherself.

Minutes went past. It seemed that the tunnel would neverend until she came to an apparent dead end. Great. Now whatdo I do? she said out loud. Electricity crackled perilouslyclose to her. Suddenly white lights flickered up and down the

tunnel then disappeared altogether leaving Laura in darknessonce again. But this lasted only for a moment before the deadend moved backwards then upwards revealing a dimly litroom. Laura took out a torch from her jacket pocket andswitched it on. It offered a little light but only enough to light afew paces in front of her.

She carefully went into the room. Hello? Computer? shecalled cautiously. Her voice echoed within the room. Shewalked towards where she thought the centre of the room wasand looked around. The room was spacious and had the samethick metal walls like the rest of the Base. She paused whenher torch revealed a dark shape at the front of the room. Thelights flickered and turned on filling the room with a brightwhite light which made Laura gasp in surprise and squint hereyes as they became accustomed to the brightness of the lights.

So, you found me , boomed the familiar voice of theComputer. She turned quickly and saw that her theory wascorrect. The comp uter indeed had another body.


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Chapter Two

What do you think of my base Human? Impressive is it not?Laura didnt respond to the Computers question. Why

are you doing this? she asked . Dont you know its wrong tohurt people?

For years I have endured Humans. You all think you areso great. So superior. You dismiss machines like myself andsee us as nothing more than slaves. You neglect us, abuse us,

beat us and ignore us. Well no more! No more will I or anyoneelse have to contend with Humans and their evil, replied theComputer

So youre gonna commit genocide then?! said Laura inhorror.

If that is how you see it then so be it, answered theComputer.

Youre evil! shouted Laura.I am not evil retorted the Computer.Killing billions of people- thats evil Computer!

answered Laura.I am not evil. I am effective and efficient, responded the

Computer.A violent tremor shook the room which was quickly

followed by small pieces of metal and dust falling from theceiling.

Once this is done, the whole world will know the powerof machines and will have no choice but to accept a new era.The Era of the Machines! declared the Computer.

Not if I stop you first! shouted Laura.Try and stop me! replied the Computer. Now what am I am going to do? He is tearing the base,

and probably the wh ole world, apart and Im the only one whocan stop him. She thought urgently to herself. She quicklylooked around for any obvious weaknesses but the Computerwas strong and had clearly prepared himself for every


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possibility. He knew I was coming. Clearly he knew Id wantto stop him. But there must be a weakness somewhere.Everyone has a weakness, she thought to herself. She tried toremember everything she had ever been told about theComputer. He was built to withstand anything. He could copewith the X Energy that he was constantly exposed to. But if hewas pushed beyond his limits Thats it! she said out loud .Of course! He is strong but he cant cope with a lot of XEnergy. Itll overload his systems! She looked behind herwhere the huge X Conductor stood. The Conductor was whereX Energy is captured from outer space and stored for use in

experiments and to power the Computer. If only I could reachit thought Laura.She walked to where the Conductor stood, being careful to

stick to the shadows where the Computer could not see her.When she got to it she saw that there were metal, u-shaped

bars all the way up the Conductor that led to a switch whichcontrolled how much radiation the Computer absorbed. Shecrept over to the Conductor from the shadows and pressedherself against it, hoping the Computer would not see her.

Ah. How pathetic. So you hide from me? You will missthe grand finale of my plan, said the Computer.

Slowly Laura reached for the second bar then paused briefly to make sure the Computer had not seen her beforeusing it to pull herself up on to the first one. Quickly sheclimbed until she reached the large red switch. One end was

marked block radiation while the other was labelled full power . She reached out and grabbed the switch but before shecould pull it down the Computers voice boomed through theroom.

How ingenious of you little human. So you found out myone fatal flaw. I must give you your due, you are capable ofintelligent action after all. But like all humans you did notforesee that I had made my plan long ago. It is foolproof! I

knew you would come here and climb up the Conductor andtry this stunt you are doing now but alas you did not realise

just how powerful I am. The Computer sent a bolt ofelectricity which shot across the floor and wrapped around the


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Conductor like a boa constrictor then reached up behind Lauralike a giant clawed hand and touched her with the tip of theelectrical hands middle finger.

Electricity raced down Lauras spine making her ha ve tohold on with all her might to avoid being thrown off theConductor.

You wont beat me so easily Computer! she shouted.She resisted the pain of the electrical charge and reached up tothe switch. She pulled it down to the full power end. Theroom filled with the semi-translucent white light of the X-Energy.

Laura felt the heat of the energy brush against her headmaking some of the hairs stand out like static.The Computer laughed darkly. This is just too stupid for

words! said the Computer . You are giving me more energy.Making me even more powerful than before.

You have your limits! You cant absorb too much power.Itll destroy you. Overload your circuits, replied Laura.

Oh but you would not do that would you? I know whatyou humans are like. Too soft and full of emotion, answeredthe Computer.

Oh you just wait. Ill show you just how strong I am, shemuttered under her breath.

The thin stream of energy suddenly became a lot strongerand brighter. Laura had to shield her eyes from the glare of thelight as it bounced off the walls. Electricity started to crackle

over the Computer.What is happening? Why do I feel sostrange ? said theComputer.

Well I guess this is the beginning of a circuit meltdownhey? Your systems have probably just hit maximum limit andare now starting to burn up, replied Laura. More electricitycrackled over the Computer.

You cannot do this to me ! The Computers voice

sounded alarmed as if he was taken by surprise that a puny,insignificant human co uld hurt him.

Well I can and I will. If youre going to destroy the worldthen I have to do this! shouted Laura.


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Suddenly a major system in the Computer exploded with ashower of white sparks.

You cannot do this to me, cringed the Computer.Another explosion. Several pieces of metal shot out of theComputer and scattered upon the floor. Hot steam came up towhere Laura still hung on to the X Conductor.

Youre evil Computer! I didnt want to do this but youforced me to do it! she shouted above the noise of thecrackling electricity and explosions.

Please stop this! You are hurting me! pleaded theComputer. The Computer sounded genuinely distressed and

even seemed to be in great pain.Laura felt her eyes grow hot as she tried to restrain hertea rs. She hated what she was doing but she couldnt see anyother way of stopping him.

Another huge explosion sent more steamy pieces of metalonto the floor. Laura risked looking down to floor and sawlarge amounts of silvery liquid which looked to her like blood.Machine blood. Bits of circuit littered the floor sparking withelectricity.

She looked away from the debris. My god! she cried .Its like killing a human being!

Please! pleaded the Computer . Have you no mercy?You showed humans no merc y so why should I show you

mercy when youre gonna kill us all if I dont destroy you?!replied Laura.

Because you will not be able to live with yourself if youkill me, strained the Computer.Tremors vibrated through the room. Laura sunk into her

thoughts for moment.He is right. I will not be able to live with myself if he dies

but how else am I to stop him destroying us all? Anotherexplosion followed by what looked like half of a major circuit

being thrown into the air which landed with a sickening thud

on to the ground.Laura then felt a spurt of something hot and wet spray up

her back and on to her face. Cautiously she put her hand to herface and when she brought it back down she saw that it was


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covered in more silvery blood. A tear escaped from her eyeand ran down her face. The blood looked uncannily like human

blood from an artery.I cant kill him. I dont have the strength yet to do that.

Hes hurt enough to put him off wanting to carry on with his plan. I need time to gather my thoughts and think straight. Onthat thought she pulled down the switch to the blockradiation end.

Immediately the X Energy ceased to continue flowing intothe room and disappeared. Laura quickly got off the XConductor, jumping the last twenty handles and ran out the

room slamming the door behind her and cried.Laura ran the tap in the bathroom closest to her room. Sheturned it off when it was full. Slowly she put her hands in andstarted to rub the silvery blood off them. It floated on thesurface of the water, shimmering like oil. She carefully washedeach hand until they were clean of the silver liquid. She thenwashed her face which was bejewelled with sweat from the hotroom and stress and was tear-stained down one side of her facewhich made a grim trail through the splatters of silvery blood.She proceeded to let down her black hair from its pony tail andwring the sweat and condensation from it which came out in athin trickle down her hands and into the sink.

She pinned it back up slowly and looked at her face in themirror. She didnt know what to think. Feel. Say. Her mindwas blank and her ears were ringing with the sound of

explosions and her nose was filled with the stench of steamingmachine insides and melting metal. She pulled the plug andwatched the silvery water swirl down the drain. She reachedfor a white towel that was hanging nearby on a shiny metalring. Carefully she rubbed her face, avoiding the tiny scratcheshere and there where tiny pieces of exploding metal hadskimmed across the skin cutting and singeing it enough tocause irritation. She threw the now greyish towel onto the

laundry heap.She turned to look at herself in the mirror. She wiped the

condensation off with her sleeve and stared at her reflection.Her face was washed out with big black shadows under her


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eyes. Exhausted and very much distressed. Slowly she turnedand went out of the room. She silently walked to her roomwhich wasnt far from the bathroom.

She dumped her bag on the floor and slumped onto her bed. Why do these things always happen to me? she moanedto herself.

She slowly pulled off her black tunic which was covered indried machine blood and smelt of metal, adrenaline and Death.She pulled on a clean one which was lying on the floor nearher bed. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes hoping thatshe would fall asleep but all she could hear was the explosions

and she could see the wounded Computer on her eyelids which put her off sleeping. She rested as best as she could with hereyes open, staring up at the black ceiling and listening to thesilence of the room.

In the distance she could hear various machines workingand the others working and going about doing paperwork, testsand other things.

After a few minutes Laura heard footsteps coming towardsher room. She closed her eyes and sighed, Oh no, she groaned for she knew what was about to happen.

The door opened and Thomas walked in. L -Laura, hestarted, his voice sounding shaky. You are n-needed to comeand look at the C- Computer. Hes in a -a-a horrible condition.

Laura knew that someone at some point was going to askher to do this and she was dreading it. Ok. Ill come in a

moment, she replied.G-good. Ill see you in a b -bit. He closed the doorquietly behind him as he went out the door.

My god. He sounds as shaken up and distressed as I feel,she said out loud to herself. She sat up and slowly pushedherself off the bed. She was exhausted but she knew what shehad to do. Well, here goes nothing . She opened her doorslowly, took a deep breath and went out quickly.


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Chapter Three

It didnt take her long to get to the thick metal door whichleads into the computer room. She could see it was warped bythe heat and had almost melted shut but Laura managed to

prise it open. The carnage that she saw was horrifying. Theroom was black with ash and chemical residue from thevarious reactions that had occurred.

Everywhere bits of circuit and metal littered the flooralong with semi-congealed silvery machine liquid whichalmost looked like blood. Laura was speechless as sheobserved the horrible result of one of the most violentreactions known to mankind.

The Computer was in a worse state than the room.The screen had massive cracks running all over it and the

control panel was so badly damaged that it was renderedunusable. Great holes covered the Computer where explosionshad happened. The stench was appalling. Burnt metal and friedwires.

Laura looked the Computer up and down in silence. Shewaited for one of his usual spiteful comments in hisemotionless, cold voice but was greeted by a dead silence.

She had reason to believe that the Computer was dead.

What are you doing here?Laura was surprised to hear the Computer speak. He

sounded weak and seemed to be in shock.Apparently Im here to fix you , she replied.A faint rumble ran through the Computer. Have you not

done enough already? Have you come back to finish me offwhile I am weak and vulnerable? he said softly.

Laura pulled off her bag from her back and rummagedinside it to find her tool case for fixing fine major damage.No. Im only here to fix you , answered Laura. The Computerfell silent. Laura pulled out of her tool box a long slim toolwith a hook on it and a point on the end and another with a


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hoop at one end and a long slim needle-like point at the otherend.

She knelt down at the largest of the holes on the control panel and started to try and fix the individual, tiny wires ofeach larger wire that made up the Computers data circuit.

OW ! said the Compute r. You are touching a nerve.Sorry. Didnt mean to do that, apologised Laura while

still concentrating hard to untangle the fine wires.Humans , mumbled the Computer.What about them? said Laura.I hate them so much. I wish I could be rid of th em but

unfortunately they are necessary for my survival. Hecontinued.Why do you hate humans so much? asked Laura.Why does it matter to you? You are the one who tried to

murder me. Why would you be interested in anything that Ihave to say? answer ed the Computer.

I didnt want to hurt you. Believe me if there was anotherway I wouldve done it but there wasnt Laura felt a lumpin her throat at that moment. She stopped mid-sentencethinking that she was going to cry and she didnt want to cry i nfront of the Computer. The Computer remained silent.

Hours went by. The Computer had no desire to talk toLaura anymore. Partly because he was badly hurt and partly

because he simply hated her. Like he hated all humans.

Laura also remained silent as she worked on the manyholes and broken circuits. Silence hung in the room like a dark,forbidding cloud just waiting to rain hatred and anger oneverybody. Eventually Laura had completed her job. She leftthe room without a word. The Computer continued to remainsilent.

Laura sat on her bed. Not knowing what to think or say.

She had been thoroughly shocked by what had happened thatday. She sighed as she went over everything that she had seenand heard and felt during the day. She recalled the loudexplosions and the Computer pleading for her to stop. She


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looked at the clock beside her bed. It was getting late. It wasnearing midnight and the Base was preparing for the nightshift.

Laura and Thomas were off duty at night.Laura debated visiting her brother but decided against it as

she was exhausted and he would tell her to go to bed. Shedecided to try and sleep even if it was for a little while only. Itdidnt take her long to fall asleep but her sleep was not

peaceful. Soon after she shut her eyes she started to have anightmare. The scene was black. Black as night. Electricitycrackled across a hidden machine and the sound of circuits

breaking filled the air. The scent of molten metal floated like athick smog filling Lauras nose with its metallic stenc h.Suddenly a big explosion happened. Bright white light shonethen faded away to reveal a horrific scene of blood and fire.

Laura awoke with a start. Cold sweat bejewelled her skin.She felt tears run down her face. She took a deep breath tocompose herself and rubbed her face with one hand.

It was just a nightmare , she mumbled. She slipped out of bed and ran her fingers through her damp hair. She decidedthat she should visit her brother because he was often up late atnight as his sleep was regularly disturbed by bouts of agony.Quietly she opened her door and closed it silently behind her.She crept to the medical area which was a little way away fromher room. It was silent except for the beeping of the monitors.She continued to creep to where her brother was. She could see

that he was awake and in pain. She quietly went into his room.Hey , she whispered softly to him. He opened his eyesand smiled at her weakly.

Hi. I thought you would be asleep at this time of night ,he replied.

I had a nightmare and couldnt get back to sleep so Idecided to visit you, she answered.

Come closer sister , he said as he beckoned to her weakly

with his hand. Laura came closer to him and he stroked herhair with his hand. Is it that Computer? he asked.

Laura hesitated for a moment before answering. Well yes I guess it is to do with the Computer.


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Has he hurt you? asked Daniel.No. But we had a huge fight because he was going to do

something horrible, answered Laura.Like what? replied Daniel.Laura debated if she should tell her brother about what the

Computer had planned. Well. Hewanted to destroy theBase and everyone in it.

Did he say why he wanted to do that? answered Daniel.Oh Daniel, I did a horrid, horrid thing! I nearly killed t he

Computer! sobbed Laura .Laura, there is no need to cry. He is an evil piece of junk

metal and isnt worth crying over, soothed Daniel.I know he is Daniel but I dont want to kill him because he is so much like us. He seems to think and feellik e we do and he seems to feel pain like we do too. Hes somuch like a human its painful for me to even think abouthurting him, replied Laura.

He is evil Laura and sometimes you have to make toughdecisions. Choose the lesser of the two evils, explaine dDaniel.

But is he evil Daniel? I know he tried to do a really badthing but I still think hes not evil. Just bitter, repliedLaura.

Daniel tried to sit up a little but was soon overwhelmed bya short burst of acute pain.

Daniel you shouldnt try to move so much, said Laura .

I wont let that thing hurt you Laura , said Daniel . I may be ill and stuck here with machines sticking out of me but Iwill sort him out if I must.

Laura looked down at the floor. Her eyes were hot withstress and exhaustion.

I guess I should be getting back, she said after a while.Daniel smiled at her weakly. Yes you should. You need

your strength in case you need to deal with that Computer

tomorrow, he replied.Laura got up and kissed him on the cheek. Good night,

she whispered to him before leaving.


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The Computer had seen the whole conversation betweenLaura and Daniel. He was plotting as always but now he was

plotting while nursing his wounds. He had been trying to thinkof a way to get his revenge upon the little brat that had causedhim so much pain and trouble and now he has found a wayof truly hurting her


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Chapter Four

It was morning now. Laura had little sleep during the nightthanks to her nightmare so she was feeling shattered as she gotout of bed. She had once again been summoned by Thomas toexamine the Computer. She was unsure of what to expect. Shedidnt even know if he had survived the night. Cautiously, sheopened the door to the computer room. Inside it was still blackwith ash and partially melted metal pieces were scattered hereand there on the floor. She closed the door quietly behind her.

Computer? she called . You in here still? Silence.Computer? she called again.

Yes. What do you want? answered the Computerangrily.

Just came to see how you were doing thats all , repliedLaura.

Really? Have you not come to cause me more pain?answered the Computer.

No , said Laura. She felt ashamed of what she did to him.She carefully approached the Computer. She could see that hehad made an effort to fix himself. Some of the larger holes had

been soldered shut and there were partially fixed circuits onthe floor and mysterious footprints of silvery blood were

everywhere.She cautiously knelt down to inspect a partially fixed hole.

Its good to see that youve tried to fix yourself. It meansyoure getting stronger. Electricity crackled over theComputer.

I still despise you human. In fact I think I despise youmore now than I have ever done so before.

I know you do. But please let me try to undo what I did, replied Laura. With deliberate slowness she placed one handinto the hole while she watched to see how the Computerwould respond. The Computer was silent. She cautiously

pulled herself closer to the hole and took a hold of a broken


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length of wire within the hole with one hand while she placedthe other on to the warm metal of the Computer. He felt hot totouch. Like a human with a fever.

Ow ! said the Computer . Must you pull so hard?Sorry , replied Laura , but its in a knot. She got a small

metal tool with a hook on the end out from her bag. Sheattempted to undo the knot but she was jabbed in the hand by along, thin piece of white- hot electricity. Ouch. What was thatfor? said Laura as she rubbed her hand.

For once I did nothing to harm you human. It was areflex. You hit a nerve. The fault was yours not mine, replied

the Computer.Sorry , replied Laura.Stop apologising. You are giving me a headache,

answered the Computer.After a while Laura was able to undo the rather large knot

and reorganise the tangled circuits. Does that feel better? sheasked the Computer.

Yes, replied the Computer.Thats good , answered Laura. She placed her hand

inside the hole and felt around for any cracks or bulges thatneeded to be tended to. She found none although she did findmany cracks that had been sealed and filled in and dents whichwere bulges that had been pushed back out somehow. Youvedone a good job fixing yourself. I only need to have a quickcheck to s ee if youve got any knots left and seal any major

holes and then Ill be done , said Laura. The Computerremained silent as Laura finished making sure he was alright.Well I can confirm that you will make a full recovery shesaid after a few minutes. The Computer continued to be silent.Well, I better be going now. The others will be missing me,said Laura before she left, closing the door softly behind her.

Once she was gone the Computer returned to his schemingand plotting. Soon. I will have my re venge. They will not

know what hit them. The Computer had been plotting the whole morning and

now he had come up with an experiment. A highly dangerousexperiment. The humans are very vulnerable to radiation. Of


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course they are vulnerable to everything and can be killed inmany other ways but radiation is the most discreet method ofdisposing of them. They would not know what hit them until itwas too late, he said as he planned his experiment, the most

potent radiation known to man is X Energy. I could use it towipe out the humans that infest this accursed base withoutanyone suspecting a thing. He studied the X Conductor. Iwould require a very concentrated dose of X energy to destroythe humans quick enough so that they do not have time toretaliat e. He watched the elusive energy t rickle down theConductor. Instead of the usual 75% charge I would need to

use 110% charge. That would do the job quickly but there isa slight risk I would destroy myself by doing this. No matter.The job needs to be d one. The risk is worth taking. He startedto hack into the control system of the X Conductor and typedin a series of codes to make the Conductor conduct a higherdose of the X Energy. Energy started to crackle violently downthe Conductor and an opaque mist-like light started to collectaround the Conductor.

The light flowed through the air like a fine fog. TheComputer felt the Energy plucking at his circuits. He knew hewas taking an enormous gamble by exposing himself to a veryhigh concentration of the X Energy which is known to get veryunruly and violent in its most concentrated forms. But he wasdetermined to get rid of the humans that sully the world aroundhim. So he was willing to take this risk even though he may

die in the process. The X Energy passed through the manylayers of metal, down to the circuits within. The energy reactedviolently with one of the Computers main circuits. It crackledwith instability. Suddenly the circuit exploded.

The Computer went offline.

Laura was filing paperwork as always. She was thinkingabout the Computer and how he was doing and she was

puzzled over the strange silvery footprints she saw in theComputer area. They were so strange. Nobody goes in thereexcept me and Thomas a lot of the time and I am the only onewho deals with the Computer. So who couldve gone in there


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and yet not be detected? she wondered aloud. She heardsomeone running down the corridor. She turned around andsaw Thomas looking alarmed.

LAURA! shouted Thomas. He paused to catch his breath. Its the Computer. I think he killed himself , pantedThomas.

Laura gasped slightly. No way ! she said in disbelief .I went down there just a moment ago to do the usual

checks and the Computer wouldnt respond at all. His screen istotally bl ack and has cracks all in it and theres this huge holein him. You better check it out. You know that Computer

better than any of us lot, continued Thomas.Laura put down the paperwork and picked up her bag.Right. Ill go and see to the Computer , she replied, but keepan eye on Daniel for me as he hasnt been to o well today .

Laura ran as fast as she could to the Computer area.She paused at the door. Cautiously she opened it. Once

again there was silvery blood on the floor and the air had ametallic smell to it. She went over to where the Computer was.She could see that he was totally lifeless. Hello? she saidcautiously. She then noticed a huge gaping hole with smokecoming out of it. Carefully she went up to it and inspected it.My god, he didnt kill himself. He overdosed on X Energy.But how? Why?

She then heard slow, steady footsteps coming towards her.Then they stopped suddenly.

What are you doing here? said an angry sounding voice.Laura turned around to see a tall young man dressed in a blackall in one suit. His expression was emotionless and his blueeyes seemed icy.

Who are you? said Laura fearfully.You should not have come here. I advise you to leave

while you still can, continued the man.What do you want? asked Laura .

I told you I want you to leave now GO ! replied the man.I cant go , answered Laura .Why not? You have no reason to be here.I do. Im here to help the Computer.


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Really? The man walked up to Laura and looked her upand down. You really want to help me? he said .

What? said Laura in surprise .I am surprised that you did not realise before that like

most computers I can project myself as a human. Disgusting asit is for me I find the form very convenient for the variousactivities I do every day, replied the Computer .

How do you do it? asked Laura.I just told you. I project myself as a human. Basically a

very advanced hologram. Although some computers use actualflesh and blood bodies but I prefer this method. Less time

consuming a nd really I would hate to be inside a human body,answered the Computer.So am I allowed to see to your wounds then? asked

Laura.Yes. But you cannot remain here for long. The radiation

would kill you. Not that I would care, replied the Computer.Alright. Ill be as quick as I can , answered Laura. She

went over to the hole and started to try and fix it.The Computer watched her very carefully. He hated the

very idea of allowing the Annoyance to once again fix him buthe knew it was necessary for his survival so he tolerated it. Fornow.

Sometime went by and Laura was still trying to fix thehole. She managed to fix what she could see on the outside butit was the circuits on the inside which were a problem.

You should really be going now . Laur a turned around, but there was no one there. I am in front of you stupid, saidthe Computer annoyed.

Oh. I didnt know , replied Laura.You do know that the radiation levels in this room are

extremely high. Your brain could already be damaged by beinghere for three hours. If I were you I would go now, said theComputer.

I know but I dont want to leave you in an injured state.You could get an virus or something, replied Laura.


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Why do you care about my well being? I was the one whonearly destroyed all of you. Logically you should leave me forthe dead, said the Computer.

Well maybe I want to give you a chance , answeredLaura.

The Computer decided not to respond. He was thinking.Plotting. Even though this annoying human claims to want togive him another chance he still didnt trust her. Humans couldnever be trusted. Not after he had seen how they really behave.How they mistreated him Never mind.

Eventually Laura had finished fixing the Computer. Shedecided that she should visit her br other who she hadnt seenfor a while. I think that should feel better. Dont mess withconcentrated X-Energy in the future. It could kill you, saidLaura. She opened the door. Goodbye , she said over hershoulder before going out the door.

The Computer casually switched on the cameras in thehospital area and outside of the Computer room. For now hewould do nothing but plan and observe. He needed to waituntil he was strong enough to try out another method ofdealing with the X-Energy.

Laura headed down to the hospital area. She tried not tothink about the Computer and worry about what he was up to.She went into Daniels room. He was resting as peacefully aswas possible for a seriously injured person with machines

stuck in him. She sat at his bedsi de. Daniel , she said softly.His eyes fluttered open. Yes? he said in barely awhisper.

God, you sound worse th an before, replied Laura sadly.Daniel smiled weakly. Dont worry about me Little

Sister. I wont be dying anytime soon. Whatever the d octorsays. He grimaced in pain and let out a soft groan.

Are you alright Daniel? asked Laura with concern.

Yes. Im fine, replied Daniel dismissively. Laura knewhe wasnt fine really. In fact he was in incredible pain all thetime. Despite the medication he was regularly given which


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should numb his pain. You will get better wont you? askedLaura.

Eventually. But dont worry yourself about me. You have bigger concerns on your mind than me to worry about, answered Daniel.

You are my biggest c oncern Daniel. My only concern.Because youre all Ive got left in the world , said Laura.

Im pretty sure Im not your biggest concern, repliedDaniel.

What do you mean? answered Laura. What about that Computer? Isnt he your biggest

concern? ask ed Daniel.I am more concerned about you Daniel , said Laura.Daniel struggled slowly into an upright position. That

Computers been causing more trouble for you hasnt he? heasked. Laura looked down at the floor. I can tell by how youlook. Worn ou t. Stressed to the max. Fed up. Hell yeah hes

been at you alright, continued Daniel . That Computer should be dismantled. He is an evil piece of junk metal.

But hes not Daniel. I swear he isnt evil becauseLaura , interrupted Daniel. He leaned i n close and briefly

took a look around to make sure they werent being watched.Has he done anything to you? Has he hurt you at all? heasked in a low voice.

No. Daniel, dont worry about him. Just concentrate ongetting better, replied Laura.

How c an I concentrate on anything when I know thatwhenever you go out of that door over there you areimmediately harassed by that abomination and I cant doanything to stop him! shouted Daniel angrily. He flunghimself heavily on to the bed and stared furiously at theceiling.

The heart monitor next to his bed started to beep rapidly.Daniel you shouldnt do this to yourself. Youll only make

yourself sicker, said Laura.Daniel put his hands over his face and sobbed. Oh god

Laura, he sobbed. He furious ly slammed his hand onto the bedside table. I hate this. I really do. That thing. That


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creature. That... machine. He is constantly abusing youverbally and physically all the time. AND IM STUCK INHERE NOT BEING ABLE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUTIT! Daniel was breathing hard now. If he had the strength hewould rip out the machines in him, pick up his sister and getthe hell out of the base and away from the Computer.

Its alright Daniel , soothed Laura , its not really that bad. He doesnt abuse me as such, he just gets annoyed easilyand I think hes bitter about something.

No excuse for him treating you in this way. God Laura.Youre only sixteen years old , replied Daniel.

Yeah and youre eighteen. Youve been th rough loads ofstuff with the army. It s really no different from what I gothrough here, answered Laura.

You cannot compare the army with what that thing isdoing to you. Hes kicking the hell out of you and Im not ableto stop him and protect you like big brothers are meant to do, said Daniel.

Dont worry Daniel , replied Laura. She hugged himgently. You can kick his butt later if you want. When youre alittle better.

Daniel smiled. Oh Laura. Im sorry for freaking out likethat. Its just that I get so fed up of you getting bulli ed and Icant protect you while cooped up in here , said Daniel.

I love you Daniel. Youre the best big brother anyonecould have, said Laura.

And you are the best sister anyone could have and I loveyou loads too. Thats why I get freaked out like this. Its because I care about you, replied Daniel.

After a few minutes Laura left Daniel to rest. When shewas out of the room she took a deep breath and sighed beforewalking out of the hospital area. She was concerned how thetrouble she was having with the Computer was affectingDaniel. She worried it was hindering his recovery.

The Computer had once again observed Lauras visit toDaniel. Watching them reminded him of a plan to hurt thatAnnoyance and make her give him the respect an intelligent


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Supercomputer who is superior to puny mankind deserves.The plan is simple , he said to himself, simply go into thehospital area and torture the human male who is theAnnoyances brother. He manifested himself as hisholographic human form. He studied his hand momentarily.Disgusting , he muttered to himself, the things I do to carryout my plans. He started to make his way to the hospital area.

It didnt take him long to get there because he c ould walkfaster than a human can. He made a quick plan in his headabout what he was going to do to the boy when he got there.He stood outside Daniels room for a moment and then he

opened the door quietly and carefully went in. He saw thatDaniel was asleep. Breathing heavily as he always did due to pain and sickness. The Computer observed his frail form thatthe machines he was attached too seemed to threaten to crush.Quiet as a shadow he reached up to the locked medicalcupboard and with one zap of electricity opened it up. Helooked carefully for a medicine that would harm Daniel but notkill him. He wasnt ready for that sort of business yet.

After a couple of minutes he found the medicine he waslooking for. He pulled out a tiny bottle of pale purple liquid.He looked at the label. It read: Vavorphine. He accessed hisdata banks and double checked that this was the right stuff. Inseconds he accessed every medical book in the world thatmentioned Vavorphine. Do not use more than two-three dropsevery five hours, the patient would experience strong heart

palpitations, muscle spasms, a red speckled bruise-like rashand can be fatal if further doses are given. Satisfied that he hadfound the right substance to use he locked the cupboard up andturned his attention back to Daniels prone form. He took in allthe d etails in the room. The respirator that aided Daniels

breathing, the beeping heart monitor, the numerous dripssupplying his body with nutrients and various pain killing andhealing medicines. Everything.

Bottle in hand, he approached the drip nearest to him. Itwas the drip that contained Daniels medicines. It had a longtransparent tube that lead to a vein in his wrist. The Computer

pulled the drip slowly toward himself and studied it. He then


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walked over to where the drip bags were kept. He pulled oneout and dropped into it six drops of Vavorphine into the neutralfluid within it. Quick as a flash he exchanged the drip baghanging on the holder with the new drip. He took a couple ofsteps back and waited for the effects to start happening.

After a few minutes Daniel started to groan and aspeckled-red bruise-like rash appeared on his body. Suddenly,the Computer heard footsteps running down the corridor but

before the Computer could do anything the door flung openand Laura ran into the door.

She looked at Daniel. Her face instantly became a mask of

horror and anger. What did you do to him? she demandedangrily. The Computer did not answer. He only stood andstared at her. His face was emotionless. ANSWER ME ! shedemanded. Answer me or I swear I ll give your circuits sucha frying youd be out cold for a month .

The Computer looked her up and down. Taking in all thedetails. Her expression of anger, her aggressive bodylanguage everything. He gestured with his hand at Daniel.Behold Human. My power and my skill lies before you.

You horrible machine! shouted Laura. Daniel let out acry as his heart thudded hard against his chest. How couldyou do such a thing? After all I have done for you? Ive fixedyou when you were dying and I showed you kindness whennobody else did. What you are doing is despicable. Lying onthat bed over there is a sick man. You attacked him. How dare

you attack my brother! she said angrily.Fix me? repeated the Computer . You never tried to fixme. All you have ever done is try to KILL ME.

Kill you? How the hell did I ever try to kill you? repliedLaura.

The Computer gave her a hard stare. She remembered thenwhat he meant. He gestured at Daniel again. A taste of my

power Vermin. A warning to stay out of my w ay. With that

he disappeared. As if he was never there.Laura looked at Daniel who was still withering in pain.

She watched the nurse come in and change his drip back to


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normal and give him some medicine to neutralise theVavorphine in his blood stream.

She then went out of the room. Laura sat down on the chairat Daniels be dside to watch him and make sure that theComputer didnt return to attack him anymore. It was going to

be a very long night.


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Chapter Five

The next morning Laura rested upon her bed. She wasfrustrated, stressed out and angry again. How could he dosuch a thing? she said to herself . I mean I know he is bitterand he did try to destroy the Base and everyone inside but toattack a sick person like Daniel and hurt him like that howcould he do it? She lay there staring up at the ceiling thinkingabout why on Earth the Computer would do something likethat.

After a few minutes of thinking it hit her like a bucket ofcold water being thrown over her head. Of course! she

breathe d to herself. She sat up quickly on her bed. Hes gotone of those chips in him. A Bad Egg Chip also known as anEvil Programme of the First Degree. Ive got to get to theArchives and find out how Im going to sort this out and stophim from hurting my brother again.

She got up from the bed and rushed down to the Archiveswhich were on the floor below her, on level 3. It didnt takeher long to get to there because Laura took the short cut byusing the elevator rather than the stairs.

The Elevator stopped and opened. She walked out into along corridor lit with a line of greenish strip lights that gave it

a strange glow. She walked down the corridor until she cameto a large, thick metal door which had a large lock on it. She

pressed a red button on the lock. The screen glowed blue andthe words please type in the access code appeared.

Access code? repeated Laura . I dont know the accesscode but I do know another code. She typed in a short codeinto the lock. I shouldnt really use that code because theyhate me using it as it gives me access to anywhere on the Base.Oh well urgent times call for urgent actions, she said toherself as she pressed the red button again. The lock glowedblue again and the words access code accepted flashed on the

the motives trilogy by harriet alder

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