Attacking Aggressively

Journal.txt(15)

Suddenly, I can hear a distant scream. "Pee-Dee!" It is Ayaan. I can then hear the firing of a bullet, and footsteps. These are muted by the buzzing noise of a drone. Military class. Oh no, at least twenty civil defenders... or soldiers, it is hard to identify the uniforms behind their black shields, march up the hill. Five big drones with focused cameras fly around the temple, and another buzzing sound follows. A heavy, chopping one rather than a quick buzzing. A helicopter then reveals itself above us. "P-D, the Watrine Terrorist, put your hands in the air. Tell your team to surrender, or else force may be used." I then see that one of the soldiers without a shield holds Ayaan, who wears handcuffs. I search for answers from Eve, she stands quiet. Sam and Adam stay still as well, completely silent. Even the old monk and the whole army in front of us are silent. Am I expected to say something? That must be the case.

- At least that is something else than "you are hereby under arrest, you have have the right to remain silent, everything you say can and will be used against you in court", Sam says. I have a hard time to read the purpose of this commentary, whether it was a joke or just the statement of a difference with previous events. However, Eve starts to grin, Adam does the same, probably because Eve does so. I smile a little myself. The monk giggles, stops instantly at an instant when someone in the army shoots at the air. One of the guys in front without shields tells Adam to drop Cee, but he refuses. The same soldier then walks over to him and grabs her. Adam resists, but is hit in the stomach because of this. The robot falls to the ground, Eve is tempted to go help him up, but then someone yells at her to stay back. It is hopeless, they got us. Just when we were so close, we would not even have been seen if we had just gone into the temple soon as we came here.

- How did you find us? I ask the general as he walks over to us.

- We got an anonymous tip from an anonymous well-doer, he says.

- It is obvious that a tip from an anonymous person is anonymous, Sam tells the general. I whisper very quietly at Sam that he should cut down, but then he contradicts. The general looks at me, and takes his sunglasses off. Two tired, fearless eyes stare at me. I begin to worry when these focus on my forehead.

- Holy gods... he's a robot. The Watrine terrorist is a robot! he yells to his men, to his kind.

- He's a human, the general is a human! Sam then shouts. I shake my head soon as he looks at my direction, even though some soldiers found his statement as amusing. The general asks undisturbed, and does a pretty good job with that. Though I can tell from twitches in his cheeks that he is nervous. He then shows us Cee, and asks us what it is.

- What do you keep in this? Secret information, future terrorist deeds?! Answer me! he screams at the four of us, even Adam who sits on his knees in front of the rest of us. Eve and I walk forward in order to talk sense into the general.

- That is... our friend. Eve tells the general, and reaches out to grab the drive. The general pulls away Cee and says that technicians will open her anyway.

I take a look at Ayaan, whom seems at least as frightened as I am. I try to exchange some comforting words with him, but soon as I open my mouth the general tells me to shut it.

- Can we not talk about this like polite people? Eve suggests, but the general does not appear very willing to listen. One of the soldiers in the front scare Sam and Adam away from me, and comes closer with a pair of handcuffs. He is going to arrest me, a step closer to my doom. He scares me away as well, and arrests the old monk instead.

- Now, what have I done? The monk asks the soldier, with no anger but with muted fear. In many ways, he and the general resemble one another.

- You are under arrest for... for... The monk takes the freedom to laugh a little, but this does not change the soldier's intentions. Under arrest for... assisting enemies of the world peace.