Sunday, 28 October 2012
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
"Rise of an Angel" available at Gramedia bookstores
After all the hard work and many, many hours of fantastic writing now my debut Novel "Rise of an Angel" is available at your nearest Gramedia bookstores!
Please check it out and prepare for an amazing adventure!... :)
Please check it out and prepare for an amazing adventure!... :)
Monday, 8 November 2010
Rise of an Angel on World SF Blog
Thanks for the World SF Blog for their article on my debut novel!
http://worldsf.wordpress.com/2010/11/07/rise-of-an-angel-sf-novel-set-in-future-indonesia/
The Author's interview should be posted soon.
Again thanks,
Oscar Simanjuntak
http://worldsf.wordpress.com/2010/11/07/rise-of-an-angel-sf-novel-set-in-future-indonesia/
The Author's interview should be posted soon.
Again thanks,
Oscar Simanjuntak
Monday, 1 November 2010
My first novel is now available on Amazon eBook store
Finally after 2 years in the making, my very first book is now available online on Amazon.com!
Link to my novel on Amazon.com
Feel free to have a look & I hope you'll enjoy the story that I have made :)
Cheers!
Oscar Simanjuntak
Link to my novel on Amazon.com
Feel free to have a look & I hope you'll enjoy the story that I have made :)
Cheers!
Oscar Simanjuntak
Friday, 23 April 2010
Other possible book covers by me
I've designed some books covers for my book, just in case...
Whew I haven't done graphic artwork in quite a while... This is fun.
Cheers,
Whew I haven't done graphic artwork in quite a while... This is fun.
Cheers,
Thursday, 22 April 2010
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Sneak peek: The Tales of Jonathan Iveron - Book One: The Rise of an Angel.
- Chapter One -
Unexpected Visitor
Adam Jones stared out of the window from his 47th floor office at the Central Tower building. He saw the hundreds of hover cars flying along the invisible highways that criss-crossed the city underneath him. It was an ordinary day for the millions of city dwellers beneath. But it might just be the last day on Earth for him, if they caught him.
I won’t let you get away with this... he thought.
Not even if it costs me my life...
*
The house at the corner of Waterloo Street was like any other house in the sleepy suburbia. Its white painted walls and maroon colored rooftops were like any other in the neighborhood. The family living inside was also a normal family of three. The father worked at the Defense ministry, while the wife stayed at home and care for their six-year old son, Ben.
The father, Adam Jones, was a senior staff in the Ministry. He was a tall, slender man with brown hair and a trimmed brown moustache. He had a stern and strong countenance, and a pair of the most dazzling grey eyes, which strangely, gave him the look of both a stern disciplinarian and yet also a kindly man. He was a brilliant manager and he had been advancing faster than anyone in his career. Some had even hinted that he might be the next minister come the next term of office.
He had been a calm, controlled manager ever since he took the senior positions in the ministry. His staff and colleagues had known him to be a cold and assertive person. Yet there was something strangely odd about him today.
Wearing his brown suit, -made out of a fine combination of tweed and silken threads that gave it both a classic and a sophisticated glowing shine - his staff had noticed him to be rather edgy and tense in his office. It was as if he was worried of something, and he kept blanking out in the middle of conversations as if he had something else in his mind. His staffs noticed that he kept looking out of the window during their meeting, and as he paced about in his office.
Then at four o’clock in the afternoon Adam Jones received a message on his cell phone. It made him promptly excused himself to go home.
He put on his brown colored bowler hat, took the hover bus to the station near his home and walked the rest of the way. He was nervous during his walk, but he didn’t let it show and acted as if everything was normal. He didn’t want them to notice something was different.
They have found out, he thought.
Somehow they have been alerted about me, I must have dug too deep.
Adam arrived at his home, the afternoon sun was still shinning above the rows of well-designed houses, the automatic water sprayer were spinning around and watered the neatly trimmed green grass that covered his picturesque front lawn. Adam swung open a low wooden fence door that gave way to a maroon tinted flat stone walkway. He closed it again behind him before walking towards his house.
In front of a couple of houses opposite his own, a black hover fan came to a stop. Its dark glass windows concealed the people lurking inside it.
Adam arrived at front door of his house, he opened the door and something small from inside came running fast towards him.
‘Daddy!’
His small son came rushing towards him and hugged his leg. Adam lifted him high up and gave him a kiss on both cheeks. Ben giggled and squirmed happily as his father tickled him playfully with his moustache. Unlike his father, Ben had a blonde hair, which was odd since neither him nor his wife had blonde hair.He must have gotten from my mother, Adam had thought the first time he held Ben, eyes brimming with happy tears.
‘How was school today Ben?’ he asked his son as he carried him inside, and closed the door behind him.
‘It was fun Daddy! We learned how to draw a giraffe… It had long neck … and, and yellow spots…’ his cute son said.
‘That’s nice love.’ Adam said.
‘You also drew an elephant didn’t you sweet heart?’ A soft female voice came from the kitchen. It was his wife, Sophia. From the living room he could smell the delicious stew that she was cooking inside the kitchen. Then she stepped out of the kitchen holding a steaming bowl of lamb stew between her mitten-gloved hands. Her wavy brown hair was tied in a loose knot behind her face.
He was glad to have finally met his wife, he had something urgent to tell her, but it didn’t stop him to take a moment to appreciate her effortless beauty. Even after twelve years of marriage, her graceful beauty still sometimes stunned him. Her exotic, dark-brown eyes looked briefly into his dark grey ones with a tender and loving gaze as she walked towards him. Her soft Eastern complexion shone softly in the light and melted his heart.
‘Hi honey, how was work?’ she asked him with a casual air as she approached and gave him a kiss.
‘Was fine...’ he said briefly then said to his son, ‘Listen Ben, why don’t you go to your room and show daddy you picture. Okay?’ he lowered his son unto the wood covered floor.
‘Owkay daddy...’ Ben replied as he ran with his small feet into his room.
Then he turned to his wife and spoke in an urgent and serious manner.
‘Honey they are on to me, you and Ben must leave to where I had told you before.’
‘What?’ she asked in a worried tone.
‘But how?’
‘I don’t know, but we have no time now. You and Ben must go immediately. They will come here soon. I need to stay and transmit the data.’ he said.
‘What? Can’t you come with us?’ she asked feeling worried.
‘I can’t risked it as long as I have the data, they will come after me, you must go with Ben, I cannot risk your safety by coming along with you. I will transfer the data and then I will come after you.’
‘I will find you.’ He held her hands close to his chest.
Then they both kissed with a passion as if they were not going to see each other any more.
Releasing her he said, ‘Now you must go with Ben, follow the instructions that I have told you before… I will find you… Go!’
More dark coloured vehicles were now parked across his house.
Sophia came out of Ben’s room with a backpack in one hand and her son in the other.
‘Where we going mommy?’ he asked her.
‘We are going away for a while honey, we are visiting our family in Sumatra. Now say goodbye to daddy ok.’ She comforted him.
‘Aren’t you coming with us daddy...?’ he turned to Adam and asked him innocently.
Adam ruffled his son hair, and said,
‘Not now son, but I will come for you later. You need to go with mommy for now ok. You be brave and take care of mommy okay?’
‘Okay…’ he said sadly. ‘I’ll miss you daddy.’
‘I’ll miss you too’ Adam said and gave him a hug and a kiss.
He then stood up and gazed into the lovely brown eyes of his wife, he kissed her on the forehead and then held her face close to his. He whispered…
‘Honey, there’s a chance that I might not make it here… I just want you to know that whatever happens, I will always be there with you. Even if it is only in my hopes and in my prayers…When you think of me, remember when we first met under the Oak tree in the house of your father’s.’
‘… Remember how we first kissed under the moon when the hills were green and the wind blew gently around us.’
‘… Remember us when the world was innocent and there was nothing but the love between us.’
He held her and looked deep into her eyes, before they kissed tenderly and lovingly.
Releasing her, Adam walked towards the closet underneath the stair. He opened it and pulled out a rug off the floor from the inside. Then he tapped and made strange gesture with his hand above the wooden floorboard. His fingers danced and slid as if drawing invisible signs in mid air with his fingers.
A square piece of the board then shimmered and moved down, before sliding sideways to reveal an underground secret tunnel. It was dimly lit and went far towards the back of their house.
Sophia and Ben walked inside the tunnel and continued onwards. They gazed back at Adam for the last time, exchanging sorrowful glances. Adam mustered the strength to give them one last smile of hope before they parted. They then turned back and walked further into the tunnel.
Adam then closed the entrance and the closet under the stair and stood up.
He spoke, ‘Computer…’
‘Yes Mr. Jones..’ a male computer voice answered him out of nowhere.
‘Red Alert… We have unwanted visitors coming…’ he answered.
‘Activate the house defenses and boot up the security droids…’
‘Very well Sir.’ The computer replied.
*
Behind the house at the corner of Waterloo Street were a few tall trees in their backyard. Its leafy canopy casted a shadow across the well kept grass and hid the view of the house behind their backyard. The complex were dotted with houses of similar built and design, as it was made around 15 years ago.
The house behind the Jones’s was as sleepy and quiet as most other houses in the community. It stood silent as the Jones’s house were surrounded with even more black cars.
The garage of this house slowly opened its door, a single maroon hover sedan moved out of it and continued at a leisurely speed down the road; unnoticed and oblivious to the commotion of Empire soldiers around the house behind theirs.
*
Hundreds of dark spots started to blot out the sky above the Jones’s house - black parachutes -. They tainted the clear sky with their gloomy translucent chutes. Anywhere in the empire, the blotting of the sky would only mean one thing - the Empire enforcing its iron will -. They were effective at creating fear, terror… They were the Empire’s notoriously fearsome crack team of Special Forces.
The citizens of the Empire have learnt after many years; run, hide and take cover whenever they see the sky blotted by black spots
The first paratroopers – with their rugged, trained posture and completely black suit armor - were now close to level with the tall trees in the neighborhood. Their parachutes billowed and flapped against the winds. The first ones expertly landed on the pavement with a firm thud; some rolled over the ground to safely dissipate the force of their landing. Then they quickly released themselves from the chute and look for a cover behind the vehicles that were now surrounding the Jones’s house. Some landed behind the house, and hid and peered from behind tree trunks.
The black paratroopers now surrounded the white washed house. They hid behind the vehicles and trained their weapons towards the quiet house. They joined the Empire’s police force, the Order handlers, in their grey suits who were already there training their drawn pistols towards the house.
Large armored military personnel carrier soon came, bringing heavily armed soldiers with them.
A man’s voice spoke loudly through a megaphone.
‘Adam Jones! You are hereby arrested for treason against the Empire. Come out with your hands behind your head!’
Silence.
Neither movement nor response to the ultimatum came from the quiet house. The doors remained shut and the windows unmoved.
A pair of heavily armored boots came out from one of the hovering vehicles. It was armored with thick metal plating that shook as it hit the ground. The owner stood up and walked out of the vehicle. He was a giant of a man – with broad shoulders and above average height. But what was odd about him was that he wore a rugged black cloak that concealed every bits of his body. A hood of the same material also concealed his face inside a shadowed cavity.
From inside the darkness were two glinting blue eyes that dimly shone with cold, calculating intelligence and inhuman cruelty.
Underneath his cloak he wore a full metal armor with the same thick, black colored metal that protected his feet. It was a heavy gear to put on but he didn’t seem to be burdened by the weight. He walked lightly as if he wore no heavy armor. This was noted by the soldiers, who looked up in awe at him, as the towering figure walked pass by them.
‘Lord Gabel’, someone called behind him.
‘It is an honor to meet you my liege.’ A man dressed in an officer’s suit addressed him, with reverence.
‘Spare me your pleasantries lieutenant.’ A chilling cruel voice came out from the darkness underneath the hood.
‘Have you stormed the house?’ he asked
‘We’re about to Sir. We have called out him out to surrender. We have not received an answer yet.’ the lieutenant hurriedly replied.
‘Then what are you waiting for you fool!’ he hissed viciously
‘Send your men inside!’ he bellowed with his cruel, chilling voice.
‘Ye, yes Sir…’ the lieutenant stammered nervously, he then gave the orders for his men to charge inside.
Following the order, the soldiers slowly walked towards the house. One of them swung open the wooden picket fence and stepped unto the well-kept lawn.
As soon as his feet stepped unto the grass, a hole opened on the grass in front of him, from it came flying several sharp silver needles that immediately struck him in several places of his body where his armor didn’t conceal. He fell backwards and shook as if having a seizure; his eyes rolled up and white saliva bubbled out from his quivering mouth.
Shock darts, the cloaked figure thought.
So he was prepared for us.
*
‘The trespassers have entered the lawn Mr. Jones, shock darts operational.’
The computer voice spoke to him.
Adam Jones was hunched in front of a computer terminal in one of the room on the second floor of his house. He was typing furiously, entering a pass code to access a secret, encrypted communication link.
A beep came from his computer.
‘Adam, is that you?’ A man’s face appeared on the monitor.
‘Simon! I have crucial information regarding a secret weapon that the Empire is creating. It is extremely crucial that we send a team to investigate and destroy this new weapon of theirs.’ He spoke hurriedly.
‘I will send you every information I have on the weapon and the location of the base.’
‘Roger that Adam.’ The man on the screen answered.
*
‘Use the shields…’ the cloaked figure said to the lieutenant, who promptly passed the order to his men.
The soldiers took out large rectangular shield - which was made out of a thick, semi-transparent material - from their vehicles and distributed them. Then they continued to push on towards the house. The darts shot out again but was unable to pierce through the shield. They were deflected or bounced off the shields.
When the soldiers were halfway across the lawn the computer spoke to Adam.
‘Sir it appears they have crossed the lawn.’
‘Release the droids.’ He replied.
‘Very well Sir.’ Said the computer.
Immediately a cabinet from within the house slid open, from inside rolled out many wheel shaped metallic objects, which seemed to move on its own. It rolled over towards the main door and burst out of it unto the lawn after it swung open for them. Their silver metallic skin gleamed under the sunlight as they rolled over the lawn towards the unsuspecting soldiers. There were many of them, around thirty, strewn across the lawn. The soldiers aimed their weapons at them, unsure of what they were.
They fell on the grass and for about a few seconds nothing happened as they lay motionless. Then each one of them started to move up. Thin metallic limbs started to swing out from inside, the object rolled over and took on humanoid shape. Metallic whirling sound came out of them as they stood up as high as the soldiers. What looked like their heads were silvery tubular in shape.
Then from inside the tubular shaped head shone two pairs of electronic eyes, whose light passed through the semi translucent metal. And from their hands popped out what looked like weapons. A few of them aimed theirs towards the soldiers, and then suddenly shot out a noisy barrage of bullets out of their hands. The barrages were interspaced with blasts of blinding electrical discharge with shot out from another aperture in their hand. The electrical discharge blew the soldiers away crashing on the blockade of cars, with their armours singed and smoldering from the blast.
But the droids didn’t stop there; they pushed the element of surprise further by running forward and physically attacking the trespassers. Their thin metal limbs carrying a surprising amount of power as they leapt, side swept and struck the surprised soldiers. They were agile and skillful with their technique as they pushed the soldiers back.
However there were more of the Empire soldiers there and they started to fight back. Many of them started to fire back at the droids and some used their electrically charged batons. The batons’ electrical charge was so great that their blue colored electrical discharge was visible to the human eye.
The bullets fired by the soldiers mostly bounced safely off the droid’s thick metal armor, but some made a dent or found a weak spot where the armor was thinner. These shots damaged the droids and some were so badly damaged that they were soon lying across the lawn with their severed limbs and electrical innards exposed.
The battle continued for a few more minutes as casualties fell from both sides, machine guns blaring and electrical charge shot through the air. The droids fought valiantly, they skillfully struck the soldiers whilst facing the charged batons. Their thin, yet sturdy metal limbs moved nimbly and precisely as they fought the soldiers like expert martial artists. Delivering hard blows and effective attacks with masterful precision. On the other hand, a hit from the soldier’s electrically charged batons would electrocute the droids’ circuits and caused malfunctions – which would sometimes render some of their limbs immobile - but even then the droids would continue fighting.
But there where simply just too many of the enemy.
One by one the droids fell, some whilst taking down an enemy with them. Their broken bodies lay across the lawn, among the unconscious bodies of the soldiers, until there were only eight of them left.
The leader of the droids saw the other droids lying around him - some were charred and others broken beyond recognition - he then gave the signal for the remaining eight to retreat and fell back into the house. They rushed back in under a hail of bullets. The barrage shattered the glass windows into pieces and splintered the wooden door; some struck the backs of the retreating droids and was deflected by their shimmering metal armor.
One by one the droids ran, rolled and lunged inside and took cover in whatever hard object that they could find inside the house. Some of them sported missing limbs or exposed innards where a bullet has pierced. One even had a bullet stuck halfway within his left robotic eye.
They waited behind their cover, preparing for their last stand.
*
The computer spoke to Adam, with a slightly higher, worried tone.
‘Sir the droids have been pushed back, only eight remains. They are now hiding inside the house.’
‘Well there’s only one thing we can do, besides waiting for the inevitable.’ He spoke to it.
‘Computer seal the house…’
‘Yes Sir.’
A few second later, a low ambient humming sound could be heard from all over the house. Every part of the house shook and vibrated as if an engine was coming to live. Then from the sides of every windows and doors come sliding out large panels of thick metal slabs. In a few seconds they have completely sealed all the windows and the doors with their thick dark metal.
No sunlight could even penetrate inside the house, leaving the guarding droids to be lighted with the internal lamps inside the house. Their yellow robotic eyes shone in the darkness.
In response, the soldiers outside released a barrage of bullets raining down unto the thick metal shield. However they only made hot dents and scratches on the metal surface.
‘Shall we use missiles my Lord?’ the lieutenant asked the cloaked figure.
‘No.’ his chilling voice answered.
‘We want to catch this spy alive. He has more value when I can choke out classified information out of him.’
‘Stand down your men, I will handle things from here on out.’ He said as he walked briskly towards the house.
*
Inside the house, the droids waited in silence. They waited for any sign of movement from beyond the dark metal walls around them, the lamp that hung above them swayed a little from the movement of the metal panels and the barrage of bullets that followed it. Its light casted a shadow of the security droids that moved backwards and forwards as the lamp swung on its cable.
A few minutes passed in silence, as no movement was heard from outside the barriers.
Then suddenly, from one of the metal plate where the main door used to be, a quick, high-pitched sound could be heard several times in repetition. It was the sound of metal slicing against metal. The droids all turned towards the noise.
Five indistinct lines appeared on the metal panel, thin films of sun light peered through it, it made the shape of a door way.
Someone had sliced through the thick metal!
BOOM!
Came a loud noise from the piece of cut metal, before it fell down with a resounding crash. Sunlight burst into the dim lighted room through the gaping hole. A tall, large figure was standing in the threshold. His features were unclear besides the black cloak that covered his whole physique.
The droids reacted swiftly and released a barrage of bullets and electrical shocks. The sound was deafening inside the living room.
The blinding flashes of light from the gunfire and the discharges filled the dim room as the droids gave it everything they have to stop the inscrutable trespasser.
*
‘Ok Adam I have the information that you’ve sent me. We will immediately send a team to investigate and deal with the weapon.’ Simon said through the monitor.
‘Good…’ replied Adam; he had something on his mind.
Crashing sounds of gunfire and electrical shocks from downstairs that were so loud for a few moments ago had gone away completely. To be replaced by a telling silence.
The droids… Adam thought.
A beep.
‘Sir...’ The computer voice started.
Adam cut him of gently.
‘Yes, I know computer… Thank you.’ He spoke to it.
‘My pleasure Mr. Jones.’ the computer replied.
He turned towards the computer screen.
‘Simon… It looks like that I won’t make it out of here after all.’ His face was heavy.
‘Please take care of my wife and my son… They’re on their way to our associates…’ he paused.
‘Please tell them that I love them and that I will always be with them…’
‘I will sir’ Simon replied.
‘It has been an honor serving with you sir. I pray you the best of luck.’ he comforted Adam. It was the only thing he could do.
‘Thank you Simon… It was a pleasure to work with you as well.’ Adam replied.
‘Goodbye soldier.’ Adam said as he gave a salute.
‘Goodbye sir.’ Simon saluted back through the monitor.
Then Adam turned off the communication, and started an automatic sequence that would destroy the digital files in his computer system as well as destroy his computer’s hardware.
He picked up a pistol that was lying on the desk beside his computer monitor and cocked it. The heavy metal handle felt cool and snug in his hand.
Looks like this is the end for me… he thought.
*
The sound of muffled heavy footsteps reverberated across the carpeted living room. The remains of the eight security droids were scattered across the floor, some had their limbs, torsos, and cylindrical head completely sliced off. Others had marks were it seem a blade had cleanly pierced through their metal armor and severed their inner electronics. The leader of the droids laid there against a wall with his head sliced in two, with the top piece of lying on the floor.
The armored feet continued its way up towards the second level of the house.
Adam could hear the muffled boom of heavy feet walking up the stairs. He stood up in the middle of his room with the pistol in his hand.
The footsteps arrived at the door to his room and paused.
With crackling boom, something large and black crashed through the wooden door, shredding it to splinters. The tall figure walked through the mess of wood.
Adam shot the mysterious foe with his pistol. Every time he pulled the trigger a flash of light and a resounding bang filled the room. However the cloaked figure was not at all affected by the shots from his pistol. He walked briskly towards Adam and grabbed him by the throat.
With one hand - that was large and fully armored with thick black metal – he lifted Adam off his feet.
Adam couldn’t see clearly the face inside the hood, but he could swear that he saw a glint of a chilling, maniacal smile from within the darkness that was the man’s face.
Adam struggled against the strangulation and shot the remaining bullets into the man’s chest, but still the man didn’t even flinch nor move from the gunfire. He tightened the hold on Adam’s neck.
It’s him! Adam thought desperately.
There’s no other way....
With his last bullet, Adam lifted the gun and placed it on the side of his head. Adam’s thought went back to his family.
I’m sorry...
BANG!
Adam’s head was pushed to the side from the force of the gun.
Yet he was still alive.
‘You didn’t think I would release you that easily did you?’
Adam opened his eyes and saw that the cloaked man was holding that last bullet in his hand. He then tightened the hold on Adam's neck.
Adam dropped the weapon, and struggled with both his hands to loosen the grip on his neck with no avail. He kicked and squirmed against the dark cloaked man in vain, until after a few moments when his strength had finally left him and he hung there limply, choking.
*
I have done all that I can, Adam thought to himself, his vision blurring.
His breath was leaving him - the firm grip on his throat constricted the passage of air - his lungs felt hot, protesting from the lack of oxygen.
His consciousness began to slip away.
My only regret is that I may never see you again…
Ben… Sophia…
Everything then turned into oblivion as he fell into darkness.
Unexpected Visitor
Adam Jones stared out of the window from his 47th floor office at the Central Tower building. He saw the hundreds of hover cars flying along the invisible highways that criss-crossed the city underneath him. It was an ordinary day for the millions of city dwellers beneath. But it might just be the last day on Earth for him, if they caught him.
I won’t let you get away with this... he thought.
Not even if it costs me my life...
*
The house at the corner of Waterloo Street was like any other house in the sleepy suburbia. Its white painted walls and maroon colored rooftops were like any other in the neighborhood. The family living inside was also a normal family of three. The father worked at the Defense ministry, while the wife stayed at home and care for their six-year old son, Ben.
The father, Adam Jones, was a senior staff in the Ministry. He was a tall, slender man with brown hair and a trimmed brown moustache. He had a stern and strong countenance, and a pair of the most dazzling grey eyes, which strangely, gave him the look of both a stern disciplinarian and yet also a kindly man. He was a brilliant manager and he had been advancing faster than anyone in his career. Some had even hinted that he might be the next minister come the next term of office.
He had been a calm, controlled manager ever since he took the senior positions in the ministry. His staff and colleagues had known him to be a cold and assertive person. Yet there was something strangely odd about him today.
Wearing his brown suit, -made out of a fine combination of tweed and silken threads that gave it both a classic and a sophisticated glowing shine - his staff had noticed him to be rather edgy and tense in his office. It was as if he was worried of something, and he kept blanking out in the middle of conversations as if he had something else in his mind. His staffs noticed that he kept looking out of the window during their meeting, and as he paced about in his office.
Then at four o’clock in the afternoon Adam Jones received a message on his cell phone. It made him promptly excused himself to go home.
He put on his brown colored bowler hat, took the hover bus to the station near his home and walked the rest of the way. He was nervous during his walk, but he didn’t let it show and acted as if everything was normal. He didn’t want them to notice something was different.
They have found out, he thought.
Somehow they have been alerted about me, I must have dug too deep.
Adam arrived at his home, the afternoon sun was still shinning above the rows of well-designed houses, the automatic water sprayer were spinning around and watered the neatly trimmed green grass that covered his picturesque front lawn. Adam swung open a low wooden fence door that gave way to a maroon tinted flat stone walkway. He closed it again behind him before walking towards his house.
In front of a couple of houses opposite his own, a black hover fan came to a stop. Its dark glass windows concealed the people lurking inside it.
Adam arrived at front door of his house, he opened the door and something small from inside came running fast towards him.
‘Daddy!’
His small son came rushing towards him and hugged his leg. Adam lifted him high up and gave him a kiss on both cheeks. Ben giggled and squirmed happily as his father tickled him playfully with his moustache. Unlike his father, Ben had a blonde hair, which was odd since neither him nor his wife had blonde hair.He must have gotten from my mother, Adam had thought the first time he held Ben, eyes brimming with happy tears.
‘How was school today Ben?’ he asked his son as he carried him inside, and closed the door behind him.
‘It was fun Daddy! We learned how to draw a giraffe… It had long neck … and, and yellow spots…’ his cute son said.
‘That’s nice love.’ Adam said.
‘You also drew an elephant didn’t you sweet heart?’ A soft female voice came from the kitchen. It was his wife, Sophia. From the living room he could smell the delicious stew that she was cooking inside the kitchen. Then she stepped out of the kitchen holding a steaming bowl of lamb stew between her mitten-gloved hands. Her wavy brown hair was tied in a loose knot behind her face.
He was glad to have finally met his wife, he had something urgent to tell her, but it didn’t stop him to take a moment to appreciate her effortless beauty. Even after twelve years of marriage, her graceful beauty still sometimes stunned him. Her exotic, dark-brown eyes looked briefly into his dark grey ones with a tender and loving gaze as she walked towards him. Her soft Eastern complexion shone softly in the light and melted his heart.
‘Hi honey, how was work?’ she asked him with a casual air as she approached and gave him a kiss.
‘Was fine...’ he said briefly then said to his son, ‘Listen Ben, why don’t you go to your room and show daddy you picture. Okay?’ he lowered his son unto the wood covered floor.
‘Owkay daddy...’ Ben replied as he ran with his small feet into his room.
Then he turned to his wife and spoke in an urgent and serious manner.
‘Honey they are on to me, you and Ben must leave to where I had told you before.’
‘What?’ she asked in a worried tone.
‘But how?’
‘I don’t know, but we have no time now. You and Ben must go immediately. They will come here soon. I need to stay and transmit the data.’ he said.
‘What? Can’t you come with us?’ she asked feeling worried.
‘I can’t risked it as long as I have the data, they will come after me, you must go with Ben, I cannot risk your safety by coming along with you. I will transfer the data and then I will come after you.’
‘I will find you.’ He held her hands close to his chest.
Then they both kissed with a passion as if they were not going to see each other any more.
Releasing her he said, ‘Now you must go with Ben, follow the instructions that I have told you before… I will find you… Go!’
More dark coloured vehicles were now parked across his house.
Sophia came out of Ben’s room with a backpack in one hand and her son in the other.
‘Where we going mommy?’ he asked her.
‘We are going away for a while honey, we are visiting our family in Sumatra. Now say goodbye to daddy ok.’ She comforted him.
‘Aren’t you coming with us daddy...?’ he turned to Adam and asked him innocently.
Adam ruffled his son hair, and said,
‘Not now son, but I will come for you later. You need to go with mommy for now ok. You be brave and take care of mommy okay?’
‘Okay…’ he said sadly. ‘I’ll miss you daddy.’
‘I’ll miss you too’ Adam said and gave him a hug and a kiss.
He then stood up and gazed into the lovely brown eyes of his wife, he kissed her on the forehead and then held her face close to his. He whispered…
‘Honey, there’s a chance that I might not make it here… I just want you to know that whatever happens, I will always be there with you. Even if it is only in my hopes and in my prayers…When you think of me, remember when we first met under the Oak tree in the house of your father’s.’
‘… Remember how we first kissed under the moon when the hills were green and the wind blew gently around us.’
‘… Remember us when the world was innocent and there was nothing but the love between us.’
He held her and looked deep into her eyes, before they kissed tenderly and lovingly.
Releasing her, Adam walked towards the closet underneath the stair. He opened it and pulled out a rug off the floor from the inside. Then he tapped and made strange gesture with his hand above the wooden floorboard. His fingers danced and slid as if drawing invisible signs in mid air with his fingers.
A square piece of the board then shimmered and moved down, before sliding sideways to reveal an underground secret tunnel. It was dimly lit and went far towards the back of their house.
Sophia and Ben walked inside the tunnel and continued onwards. They gazed back at Adam for the last time, exchanging sorrowful glances. Adam mustered the strength to give them one last smile of hope before they parted. They then turned back and walked further into the tunnel.
Adam then closed the entrance and the closet under the stair and stood up.
He spoke, ‘Computer…’
‘Yes Mr. Jones..’ a male computer voice answered him out of nowhere.
‘Red Alert… We have unwanted visitors coming…’ he answered.
‘Activate the house defenses and boot up the security droids…’
‘Very well Sir.’ The computer replied.
*
Behind the house at the corner of Waterloo Street were a few tall trees in their backyard. Its leafy canopy casted a shadow across the well kept grass and hid the view of the house behind their backyard. The complex were dotted with houses of similar built and design, as it was made around 15 years ago.
The house behind the Jones’s was as sleepy and quiet as most other houses in the community. It stood silent as the Jones’s house were surrounded with even more black cars.
The garage of this house slowly opened its door, a single maroon hover sedan moved out of it and continued at a leisurely speed down the road; unnoticed and oblivious to the commotion of Empire soldiers around the house behind theirs.
*
Hundreds of dark spots started to blot out the sky above the Jones’s house - black parachutes -. They tainted the clear sky with their gloomy translucent chutes. Anywhere in the empire, the blotting of the sky would only mean one thing - the Empire enforcing its iron will -. They were effective at creating fear, terror… They were the Empire’s notoriously fearsome crack team of Special Forces.
The citizens of the Empire have learnt after many years; run, hide and take cover whenever they see the sky blotted by black spots
The first paratroopers – with their rugged, trained posture and completely black suit armor - were now close to level with the tall trees in the neighborhood. Their parachutes billowed and flapped against the winds. The first ones expertly landed on the pavement with a firm thud; some rolled over the ground to safely dissipate the force of their landing. Then they quickly released themselves from the chute and look for a cover behind the vehicles that were now surrounding the Jones’s house. Some landed behind the house, and hid and peered from behind tree trunks.
The black paratroopers now surrounded the white washed house. They hid behind the vehicles and trained their weapons towards the quiet house. They joined the Empire’s police force, the Order handlers, in their grey suits who were already there training their drawn pistols towards the house.
Large armored military personnel carrier soon came, bringing heavily armed soldiers with them.
A man’s voice spoke loudly through a megaphone.
‘Adam Jones! You are hereby arrested for treason against the Empire. Come out with your hands behind your head!’
Silence.
Neither movement nor response to the ultimatum came from the quiet house. The doors remained shut and the windows unmoved.
A pair of heavily armored boots came out from one of the hovering vehicles. It was armored with thick metal plating that shook as it hit the ground. The owner stood up and walked out of the vehicle. He was a giant of a man – with broad shoulders and above average height. But what was odd about him was that he wore a rugged black cloak that concealed every bits of his body. A hood of the same material also concealed his face inside a shadowed cavity.
From inside the darkness were two glinting blue eyes that dimly shone with cold, calculating intelligence and inhuman cruelty.
Underneath his cloak he wore a full metal armor with the same thick, black colored metal that protected his feet. It was a heavy gear to put on but he didn’t seem to be burdened by the weight. He walked lightly as if he wore no heavy armor. This was noted by the soldiers, who looked up in awe at him, as the towering figure walked pass by them.
‘Lord Gabel’, someone called behind him.
‘It is an honor to meet you my liege.’ A man dressed in an officer’s suit addressed him, with reverence.
‘Spare me your pleasantries lieutenant.’ A chilling cruel voice came out from the darkness underneath the hood.
‘Have you stormed the house?’ he asked
‘We’re about to Sir. We have called out him out to surrender. We have not received an answer yet.’ the lieutenant hurriedly replied.
‘Then what are you waiting for you fool!’ he hissed viciously
‘Send your men inside!’ he bellowed with his cruel, chilling voice.
‘Ye, yes Sir…’ the lieutenant stammered nervously, he then gave the orders for his men to charge inside.
Following the order, the soldiers slowly walked towards the house. One of them swung open the wooden picket fence and stepped unto the well-kept lawn.
As soon as his feet stepped unto the grass, a hole opened on the grass in front of him, from it came flying several sharp silver needles that immediately struck him in several places of his body where his armor didn’t conceal. He fell backwards and shook as if having a seizure; his eyes rolled up and white saliva bubbled out from his quivering mouth.
Shock darts, the cloaked figure thought.
So he was prepared for us.
*
‘The trespassers have entered the lawn Mr. Jones, shock darts operational.’
The computer voice spoke to him.
Adam Jones was hunched in front of a computer terminal in one of the room on the second floor of his house. He was typing furiously, entering a pass code to access a secret, encrypted communication link.
A beep came from his computer.
‘Adam, is that you?’ A man’s face appeared on the monitor.
‘Simon! I have crucial information regarding a secret weapon that the Empire is creating. It is extremely crucial that we send a team to investigate and destroy this new weapon of theirs.’ He spoke hurriedly.
‘I will send you every information I have on the weapon and the location of the base.’
‘Roger that Adam.’ The man on the screen answered.
*
‘Use the shields…’ the cloaked figure said to the lieutenant, who promptly passed the order to his men.
The soldiers took out large rectangular shield - which was made out of a thick, semi-transparent material - from their vehicles and distributed them. Then they continued to push on towards the house. The darts shot out again but was unable to pierce through the shield. They were deflected or bounced off the shields.
When the soldiers were halfway across the lawn the computer spoke to Adam.
‘Sir it appears they have crossed the lawn.’
‘Release the droids.’ He replied.
‘Very well Sir.’ Said the computer.
Immediately a cabinet from within the house slid open, from inside rolled out many wheel shaped metallic objects, which seemed to move on its own. It rolled over towards the main door and burst out of it unto the lawn after it swung open for them. Their silver metallic skin gleamed under the sunlight as they rolled over the lawn towards the unsuspecting soldiers. There were many of them, around thirty, strewn across the lawn. The soldiers aimed their weapons at them, unsure of what they were.
They fell on the grass and for about a few seconds nothing happened as they lay motionless. Then each one of them started to move up. Thin metallic limbs started to swing out from inside, the object rolled over and took on humanoid shape. Metallic whirling sound came out of them as they stood up as high as the soldiers. What looked like their heads were silvery tubular in shape.
Then from inside the tubular shaped head shone two pairs of electronic eyes, whose light passed through the semi translucent metal. And from their hands popped out what looked like weapons. A few of them aimed theirs towards the soldiers, and then suddenly shot out a noisy barrage of bullets out of their hands. The barrages were interspaced with blasts of blinding electrical discharge with shot out from another aperture in their hand. The electrical discharge blew the soldiers away crashing on the blockade of cars, with their armours singed and smoldering from the blast.
But the droids didn’t stop there; they pushed the element of surprise further by running forward and physically attacking the trespassers. Their thin metal limbs carrying a surprising amount of power as they leapt, side swept and struck the surprised soldiers. They were agile and skillful with their technique as they pushed the soldiers back.
However there were more of the Empire soldiers there and they started to fight back. Many of them started to fire back at the droids and some used their electrically charged batons. The batons’ electrical charge was so great that their blue colored electrical discharge was visible to the human eye.
The bullets fired by the soldiers mostly bounced safely off the droid’s thick metal armor, but some made a dent or found a weak spot where the armor was thinner. These shots damaged the droids and some were so badly damaged that they were soon lying across the lawn with their severed limbs and electrical innards exposed.
The battle continued for a few more minutes as casualties fell from both sides, machine guns blaring and electrical charge shot through the air. The droids fought valiantly, they skillfully struck the soldiers whilst facing the charged batons. Their thin, yet sturdy metal limbs moved nimbly and precisely as they fought the soldiers like expert martial artists. Delivering hard blows and effective attacks with masterful precision. On the other hand, a hit from the soldier’s electrically charged batons would electrocute the droids’ circuits and caused malfunctions – which would sometimes render some of their limbs immobile - but even then the droids would continue fighting.
But there where simply just too many of the enemy.
One by one the droids fell, some whilst taking down an enemy with them. Their broken bodies lay across the lawn, among the unconscious bodies of the soldiers, until there were only eight of them left.
The leader of the droids saw the other droids lying around him - some were charred and others broken beyond recognition - he then gave the signal for the remaining eight to retreat and fell back into the house. They rushed back in under a hail of bullets. The barrage shattered the glass windows into pieces and splintered the wooden door; some struck the backs of the retreating droids and was deflected by their shimmering metal armor.
One by one the droids ran, rolled and lunged inside and took cover in whatever hard object that they could find inside the house. Some of them sported missing limbs or exposed innards where a bullet has pierced. One even had a bullet stuck halfway within his left robotic eye.
They waited behind their cover, preparing for their last stand.
*
The computer spoke to Adam, with a slightly higher, worried tone.
‘Sir the droids have been pushed back, only eight remains. They are now hiding inside the house.’
‘Well there’s only one thing we can do, besides waiting for the inevitable.’ He spoke to it.
‘Computer seal the house…’
‘Yes Sir.’
A few second later, a low ambient humming sound could be heard from all over the house. Every part of the house shook and vibrated as if an engine was coming to live. Then from the sides of every windows and doors come sliding out large panels of thick metal slabs. In a few seconds they have completely sealed all the windows and the doors with their thick dark metal.
No sunlight could even penetrate inside the house, leaving the guarding droids to be lighted with the internal lamps inside the house. Their yellow robotic eyes shone in the darkness.
In response, the soldiers outside released a barrage of bullets raining down unto the thick metal shield. However they only made hot dents and scratches on the metal surface.
‘Shall we use missiles my Lord?’ the lieutenant asked the cloaked figure.
‘No.’ his chilling voice answered.
‘We want to catch this spy alive. He has more value when I can choke out classified information out of him.’
‘Stand down your men, I will handle things from here on out.’ He said as he walked briskly towards the house.
*
Inside the house, the droids waited in silence. They waited for any sign of movement from beyond the dark metal walls around them, the lamp that hung above them swayed a little from the movement of the metal panels and the barrage of bullets that followed it. Its light casted a shadow of the security droids that moved backwards and forwards as the lamp swung on its cable.
A few minutes passed in silence, as no movement was heard from outside the barriers.
Then suddenly, from one of the metal plate where the main door used to be, a quick, high-pitched sound could be heard several times in repetition. It was the sound of metal slicing against metal. The droids all turned towards the noise.
Five indistinct lines appeared on the metal panel, thin films of sun light peered through it, it made the shape of a door way.
Someone had sliced through the thick metal!
BOOM!
Came a loud noise from the piece of cut metal, before it fell down with a resounding crash. Sunlight burst into the dim lighted room through the gaping hole. A tall, large figure was standing in the threshold. His features were unclear besides the black cloak that covered his whole physique.
The droids reacted swiftly and released a barrage of bullets and electrical shocks. The sound was deafening inside the living room.
The blinding flashes of light from the gunfire and the discharges filled the dim room as the droids gave it everything they have to stop the inscrutable trespasser.
*
‘Ok Adam I have the information that you’ve sent me. We will immediately send a team to investigate and deal with the weapon.’ Simon said through the monitor.
‘Good…’ replied Adam; he had something on his mind.
Crashing sounds of gunfire and electrical shocks from downstairs that were so loud for a few moments ago had gone away completely. To be replaced by a telling silence.
The droids… Adam thought.
A beep.
‘Sir...’ The computer voice started.
Adam cut him of gently.
‘Yes, I know computer… Thank you.’ He spoke to it.
‘My pleasure Mr. Jones.’ the computer replied.
He turned towards the computer screen.
‘Simon… It looks like that I won’t make it out of here after all.’ His face was heavy.
‘Please take care of my wife and my son… They’re on their way to our associates…’ he paused.
‘Please tell them that I love them and that I will always be with them…’
‘I will sir’ Simon replied.
‘It has been an honor serving with you sir. I pray you the best of luck.’ he comforted Adam. It was the only thing he could do.
‘Thank you Simon… It was a pleasure to work with you as well.’ Adam replied.
‘Goodbye soldier.’ Adam said as he gave a salute.
‘Goodbye sir.’ Simon saluted back through the monitor.
Then Adam turned off the communication, and started an automatic sequence that would destroy the digital files in his computer system as well as destroy his computer’s hardware.
He picked up a pistol that was lying on the desk beside his computer monitor and cocked it. The heavy metal handle felt cool and snug in his hand.
Looks like this is the end for me… he thought.
*
The sound of muffled heavy footsteps reverberated across the carpeted living room. The remains of the eight security droids were scattered across the floor, some had their limbs, torsos, and cylindrical head completely sliced off. Others had marks were it seem a blade had cleanly pierced through their metal armor and severed their inner electronics. The leader of the droids laid there against a wall with his head sliced in two, with the top piece of lying on the floor.
The armored feet continued its way up towards the second level of the house.
Adam could hear the muffled boom of heavy feet walking up the stairs. He stood up in the middle of his room with the pistol in his hand.
The footsteps arrived at the door to his room and paused.
With crackling boom, something large and black crashed through the wooden door, shredding it to splinters. The tall figure walked through the mess of wood.
Adam shot the mysterious foe with his pistol. Every time he pulled the trigger a flash of light and a resounding bang filled the room. However the cloaked figure was not at all affected by the shots from his pistol. He walked briskly towards Adam and grabbed him by the throat.
With one hand - that was large and fully armored with thick black metal – he lifted Adam off his feet.
Adam couldn’t see clearly the face inside the hood, but he could swear that he saw a glint of a chilling, maniacal smile from within the darkness that was the man’s face.
Adam struggled against the strangulation and shot the remaining bullets into the man’s chest, but still the man didn’t even flinch nor move from the gunfire. He tightened the hold on Adam’s neck.
It’s him! Adam thought desperately.
There’s no other way....
With his last bullet, Adam lifted the gun and placed it on the side of his head. Adam’s thought went back to his family.
I’m sorry...
BANG!
Adam’s head was pushed to the side from the force of the gun.
Yet he was still alive.
‘You didn’t think I would release you that easily did you?’
Adam opened his eyes and saw that the cloaked man was holding that last bullet in his hand. He then tightened the hold on Adam's neck.
Adam dropped the weapon, and struggled with both his hands to loosen the grip on his neck with no avail. He kicked and squirmed against the dark cloaked man in vain, until after a few moments when his strength had finally left him and he hung there limply, choking.
*
I have done all that I can, Adam thought to himself, his vision blurring.
His breath was leaving him - the firm grip on his throat constricted the passage of air - his lungs felt hot, protesting from the lack of oxygen.
His consciousness began to slip away.
My only regret is that I may never see you again…
Ben… Sophia…
Everything then turned into oblivion as he fell into darkness.
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