The AI Experiment Chapters 26-30

Chapter 26

“I told you to keep watch. Why don’t you ever listen to me?” entreated Carl.

“I thought we would hear the car or something,” countered Hilda, though feeling guilty all the same.

“From inside this aeroplane? How thick are you?” Carl was having none of it and baying for blood.

“Yeah, well, I wanted to see what you had found. It is your fault for shouting out.”

HIlda’s defense was highly suspect, but to her way of thinking, offense was always better than a defense.

Jake, in the meantime, was looking around the fuselage for a weapon of sorts.

“Shall we hit him over the head with something? With this?”, whispered Jake as he grabbed hold of a large fire extinguisher.

“No, for God’s sake. We are in enough trouble as it is,” replied Carl, while indicating to Jake to lay down his impromptu cudgel.

Both Carl and Hilda were on the same page with this conclusion. It was too late for any further bickering though, as the well-built, strange man was about to enter the open door.

Chapter 27

Frank, being preoccupied with his thoughts and on autopilot, didn’t see them lurking in the back of the plane, not at first. He might not have seen them at all if Hilda hadn’t backed up and tripped over a length of cable. On doing so, though, Frank’s demeanour changed to one of startled animosity, with his usual aggressive nature taking over. It was a frightening change that hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” shouted Frank, while throwing down his lunchbox and taking up a well-practiced fighting stance.

It was lucky Carl, being the closest, wasn’t within striking range as he would have felt the full force of a haymaker before he had time to utter a word in reply.

Frank, finding time to appraise the situation, relaxed a little as it was obvious the three posed little threat; though the tall, lanky guy holding a red fire extinguisher in his hands looked somewhat threatening. Jake promptly put down the fire extinguisher and wiped his hands on his jeans as if he had finished an inspection of sorts.

Frank asked them once again as neither seemed willing to answer.

“What the hell are you doing on this plane, and at this time? Are you thieves or something? How did you get in this airfield in the first place, come to think of it? Liam never said a word to me about any visitors?”

Carl had to say something, but not a lot came to his mind right there and then. Should he come clean, but what good would that do? This guy must be in on it, whatever ‘it’ was. Before he had time to conjure up a believable response, Hilda, who had now gathered herself up from the floor, took over proceedings. Carl was as astonished as the rest with her demonstrative and heartfelt, forceful reaction.

Hilda there and then proceeded to wipe the floor with this man, accusing him of spraying poison on people, murdering them in the worst possible way, and how dare he take up such an attitude when they were merely trying to help. People like him should be locked up behind bars and, when reported to the police, he would be. Finally, after what seemed an excruciating length of time to Carl and Jake alike, she quit her berating, taking up a defiant posture with her hands placed on her hips and with her head held high. It was Frank who was lost for words this time around, though Carl and Jake were in the same ballpark.

Thankfully, for all concerned, Hilda’s words had hit home and struck a chord, causing Frank’s innards to twist and his gut to clench. The word ‘poison’ was one he had unconsciously kept clear these last 10 days. Had he really been spraying poison on people after all? Even Frank’s innate antisocial tendencies drew a line with that one. But, even so, who were these people? Frank’s anger retreated somewhat. He needed answers.

“Poison, you say? You had better explain yourselves. Who the hell are you and what are you doing on this plane?”

Chapter 28 ...

TBC

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