Crank Tech One: Destruction

By Colin Parsons

Robots and aliens rampage through the center of Cardiff so often that no one bats an eyelid. That’s what happens to a city when Doctor Who is filmed there. But this time, it wasn’t a Doctor Who shoot. This time the robot running amok was real!

And dangerous...

Sci-fi author Tim Bailey feels responsible, and so he should: he accidentally set the robot loose. Aided by his younger brother, can he stop the robot before it causes devastation?

There is one thing Tim is absolutely clear about:

SOME ROBOTS SHOULD BE LEFT WELL ALONE

• Language: English
• Publisher: Greyhart Press
• Release date: Jul 22, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301464579

Colin Parsons

Colin R. Parsons is the author of mythical fantasy, modern fantasy, sci-fi and steampunk novels. His books are for anybody 8 years to 80 years, who enjoys exciting adventures with that special bit of magic.Colin has written the Wizards’ Kingdom Trilogy, and the Curious World series. Crank Tech One: Destruction is his first science fiction novel, but it won’t be his last. It is also available in a UK paperback edition, published by Tallyberry Publishing.

Book preview

Crank tech one

Copyright © 2012 Colin R. Parsons

Published at Smashwords by The Repository of Imagination (an imprint of Greyhart Press).

Crank Tech One: Destruction

Copyright © 2012 Colin R. Parsons

www.colinrparsons.com

Artwork by Derek Jones

International Edition

Published by The Repository of Imagination (an imprint of Greyhart Press)

Crank tech one

All rights reserved

Paperback edition first published in the UK Sept. 2012 by Tallyberry Publishing (ISBN 9780957027824)

www.ataleforatale.com

Beta Reader Team

The author and publisher wish to thank our beta reader team for the North American edition of Crank Tech One: Destruction. We had invaluable comments and suggestions from:

Melissa Bryan

Paul Campbell

Edwin D. Ferretti

Sandy Giden

Elliot Halberg

Catherine Trieu

Thank you, all!

If you’re interested in joining our beta reader teams, drop us a line at [e-mail] or tweet @GreyhartPress

Chapter 1: A Robotic Tale

‘S MA-SH! The explosive echo shattered the happy peace of busy shoppers and brought everyone to a dead stop. Screams from shaken and disorientated customers dulled over the next few seconds. Then there was a pause that could only be described as deadly serious. Opposite the bookshop, customers shakily put down their Lattes and milkshakes and stared in open disbelief at the damage.

‘Don’t worry, people,’ the coffee stall owner chirped nonchalantly, ‘this happens all the time. They’re always filming something here,’ he added with a grin. In that last few seconds, not a sound was uttered.

The summer sun shone brilliantly, unconcerned by the sudden commotion, and reflected from the silver tabletops and chairs. A cool breeze played with hair and toyed with sun hats. A discarded beer can rolled merrily across the open pavement. The glittering remains of the window spread over the newly laid paving slabs like diamonds. Was it a film stunt? Where were all the cameras and crew? Cardiff was often used as a location for the Dr Who series, so people weren’t sure what had just happened. The shop window pane had blasted out splinters across a four-meter radius.

Luckily there was only one person in the firing line at the time, a council worker, and he had been safely concealed inside his mini road-sweeper. He was, in fact, still sitting inside his vehicle, trembling like a jelly! Was he an actor?

But the initial smashing of the window was only the beginning. Literally seconds later came an aftershock in the shape of Crank Tech One — a six-foot tall metal man! The first glance at the robotic figure brought a bewildered smile to the faces of the people who were gathering in ragged groups outside the bookshop. It was a film stunt after all, they thought, but where was the director? Adults knelt down by their children’s sides and pointed in curiosity. Camera phones were brought out and directed at the creation that stood before them. The robot had emerged from the shop and stood just inside the window frame. More people appeared in the square and joined the already growing crowd. Crank stood facing a hundred cameras and phones as they clicked away in a flashing frenzy.

One person — a teenage boy — was more than just curious. He needed to touch the actor at point blank range, so he walked toward him. There were a few excited gasps from the gathering crowd as he approached.

‘Wow – cool! You are amazing!’ he gushed. ‘They didn’t mention this in Sci-Fi Weekly.’ He stood for a moment, transfixed, and then eased forward. When he was within three meters of the figure, he raised his phone and focused. There was what seemed to everyone like a flash of light, but it wasn’t from the phone… it came from the end of the robot’s finger. In a defensive move, the robot raised his arm and the boy fell to the ground in two parts!

There was no blood only the diagonal cut from shoulder to waist, exposing the laser-sealed innards of the boy’s once-functioning organs. The blunt sound he made as he hit the ground brought retching from the onlookers. This was no actor and the boy wasn’t moving. The gory act of violence brought chaos to the Cardiff City shopping center.

First there were screams and the sound of people being physically sick on the shiny new pavement. Then the realization that this wasn’t a film stunt after all: it was, in fact, real! Terrified pedestrians stampeded in panic in all directions. Shopping bags were wildly discarded as the mass of panic-stricken office workers, shoppers and the like ran for cover. Crank Tech One emerged through the jagged framework of the shattered window and crunched his way over the debris. There was a momentary pause, as if the robot was taking in the sun’s rays. He looked magnificent, almost like a superhero. His pure white outer skin reflected like a gleaming beacon in the brilliance of the day. The only non-white section was a mirrored strip on the upper section of his head. Whoever had created this being had done a fantastic job. His outer skeleton was perfectly smooth, with no hint of joints or moving parts. Inside Crank’s brain, a million computerized adjustments were taking place.

He focused his line of vision and stepped forward with purpose. Each footfall pulverized the glassy shards beneath his feet into fine powder. Crank Tech One made his way along the wide, paved area of the new shopping precinct. He marched along the newly built parade and past a huge, looped structure of modern art that stood in the square. The android’s GPS system eventually led him to the main shopping area. More people scattered when the robot exploded through the huge glass entrance. There were more screams a little further inside when people realized just what was heading their way.

Standing at the cross-section of St David’s Centre, Crank Tech One was a formidable sight to see. Most of the shoppers had disappeared by now. Shop assistants were cowering behind their counters as supervisors frantically called for help on their security radios. Crank rotated his head in a slow, camera-like movement and stopped. Then, suddenly…!’ Tim Bailey snapped the book shut. There was a gasp from his audience of ten-year-olds.

‘What happened next? What happened next, Mr. Bailey?’ the pupils cried excitedly, getting more disappointed by the second.

‘You’re going to have to wait for another time, I’m afraid, or buy the book,’ Tim Bailey said sympathetically, with a quizzical smile.

‘Oh,’ the collective heavy sighs of the pupils overwhelmed the author. He looked at his eager audience and began to melt like a chocolate bar in the sun.

‘All right — a couple more paragraphs and that will have to do.’ Mrs. Simpkins, the teacher, gave a warm smile, nodded encouragingly, and mouthed a thank you.

‘I would like to hear more, too, Mr. Bailey,’ she said with fascinated eyes, and rested her chin on her fist.

‘OK — where was I?’ Tim reopened the book and cast his eyes over the page. ‘Ah, here we are.’ He ran his index finger over to the part he had almost ended. He pushed his spectacles back up the bridge of his nose and continued with the story.

‘Then, suddenly, the reflective visor on the upper section of his face lifted like an electric window in a car to reveal a black metallic strip that emitted an orange-red beam of light, the size of a garden pea. It began moving from left to right, scanning with a sweeping shaft of light across the surface of the floor. The immediate area around the robot remained still and empty, except for a few drink cartons and leaflets that had been hastily strewn over the fresh tiling. Then the silence was shattered! Security officers burst onto the scene, their radios crackling out instructions on what to do once they got there.

‘Stand back, please. This will all be dealt with in a moment,’ one rather weedy-looking security guard announced with authority to the onlookers who were peering from above. He stepped onto the escalator with his partner and descended to the lower floor. Filled with confidence, he stepped off, and ground to a halt as he realized what he was up against. He gulped nervously, deep in his throat, and began to tremble.

‘What’s happening, Rob?’ The voice of his superior seared through the airwaves. It was hot in the heavily glassed shopping mall and beads of sweat trickled down the poor guard’s face. His partner said nothing and stood rooted to the spot. The formidable sight of a huge robot standing inside the new St David’s Shopping Centre was enough to shake anyone’s confidence.

‘Dave… Dave — y-ou go-tta see thi-s,’ he stuttered into his mouthpiece.

‘What are you on about? What is it?’ The fuzzy reply blasted through his earpiece.

‘It’s a bloody Stormtrooper’, he gushed back, ‘I’m not kidding — it is a bloody Stormtrooper.’

‘Wha… I’m coming over, you nutter. They aren’t filming Dr Who today, Rob. It’s not in the diary, you header!’ came the cynical reply. But while all this was going on, Crank had already continued with his mission!’

The author snapped the book shut once again and looked into the children’s disappointed eyes.

‘OK, children — I think Mr. Bailey has read enough for today. Have you all enjoyed his story? I know I did!’ Mrs. Simpkins said softly, with a sweep of her eyes from the children to the author standing next to her. There was a huge cheer and loud applause.

‘I’m very pleased that you liked my new book, and maybe if you read it,’ he paused, ‘I can come back again and read the next in the series to you once I’ve written it. What do you think of that?’ There were more cheers and clapping as Mrs. Simpkins encouraged the children to thank their guest.

‘The book is called Crank Tech One: The Siege of Cardiff,’ Tim announced proudly.

‘Where is Cardiff, Mr. Bailey? I would like to go and see Crank Tech One there one day,’ one little boy called out with his arm held aloft. Tim was just about to answer when the teacher cut in.

‘It’s the capital of Wales,’ Mrs. Simpkins interrupted. ‘Robert — don’t you remember, we were doing city capitals a couple of weeks ago?’ she added scornfully. ‘Are you from Cardiff, Mr. Bailey?’ Tim looked into Mrs. Simpkins’ blue eyes, still smiling at the children’s interest, and nodded.

‘My parents live there, but I moved when I was in my twenties, although I often visit them,’ he answered.

‘Maybe, Mr. Bailey,’ Mrs. Simpkins continued, ‘if you had some sort of gimmick like a cut-out figure or some kind of visual aid that the children could see while you talked, that would give them a real picture of Crank Tech One,’ she urged positively.

‘Hmmm…yeah, maybe. I hadn’t thought of that. Thanks, Mrs. Simpkins. I’ll certainly look into it,’ the author replied as he began packing away his equipment. The bell went a moment or so later and the children began to file out of the classroom. Still filled with the adventure, they made their way out to the dining hall. Tim shook hands with their form teacher and she thanked him again before he made his way to the parking lot. He heaved the box of books and various bits and bobs into his car and drove away from the din of the playground. Driving along in the traffic, Tim began thinking about what the teacher had said and racked his brain for where to find it. Something will turn up, he thought.

Chapter 2: The Advert

Tim’s brain worked overtime in the weeks that followed. His books were selling moderately well in book signings, but with the advice of Mrs. Simpkins, he knew he could sell a lot more. He picked up his local paper as usual on Wednesday and read it in his favourite coffee shop. Inside was an advert that had him glued. It read:

ANDY’S Sci-fi Planet… Closing down sale.

Prices are out of this world.

If science fiction is your thing, then visit Andy’s Planet.

Pick up that gadget you always wanted from your favourite sci-fi show.

Everything must go… so beam over and have a blast.

‘Oh my God — these puns are terrible,’ he winced, and continued reading.

Sale starts Saturday. Find us at Unit 7, Groget Road, Hants at 9.00 am sharp.

Even though the advert was rubbish, Tim bubbled over with excitement. ‘This is just what I’m looking for,’ he said, staring at the newspaper wide-eyed. People were suddenly looking at him strangely for talking to a newspaper.

It wasn’t long before the weekend approached and Tim got up early on the Saturday. After eating breakfast and planning his journey, he jumped into his car and sped off. He eventually found the turn-off, drove down the slip road and headed for the industrial estate. It was one of the hottest summers for years. He had the window down and a lush stream of cool air blasted his face. KT Tunstall rocked through his crackly old speaker system and echoed across the open land.

‘Suddenly I see, sud-den-ly I see, if that’s the way that it’s supposed to be,’ he wailed the chorus. He peeled off the smooth, newly laid surface of the city road and rumbled over speed ramps onto an old piece of tarmac. As he entered the industrial area, the surface became uneven and bumpy.

‘Good grief — my car will fall to bits if it’s much further,’ he complained. Ahead of him was a wide, straight road, which broke off left to right at intermittent junctions. It was a vast industrial city that stretched as far as he could see. He pulled up in front of a weathered advertising sign. His old Vauxhall Cavalier station wagon shuddered as he slowed and squeaked to a halt when he braked. It was a depressing place, well off the beaten track, in a dingy part of the town. It didn’t much appeal to the author, but if it meant a bargain and finding what he was looking for, so be it. The board displayed a list of units below, and a map above depicting the different businesses. It was difficult to see some of the companies because of the poor state of the sign. The paint was peeling and blistering from the hard life it had endured. Tim turned down the radio to concentrate more and systematically ran his index finger down the inside of the windscreen, eliminating everything on the list except the unit he was looking for.

‘Where is it? Come on — where is it?’ he muttered impatiently, peering at every title. ‘Ah! There you are, my beauty!’ He came to a full stop at Andy’s Sci-fi Planet, Unit 7. A smile filled his sun-reddened face and he pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his sweaty nose. The traffic was pretty quiet for that time of morning. That was, until he turned a corner and joined the vast queue of people waiting to get into the sci-fi sale. He

Reviews for Crank Tech One

[53bryanm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed the romp thru this book…you start out in a classroom with an up-tight teacher telling the author in the book how to make his presentation better and how to write. The next thing you know you have a robot running rapid that thinks it is the robot from the author book and the author is trying to stop it before it kills too many people.I think this is a great young adult book to even an adult book. It has a strong, fresh storyline. The only thing I didn’t like was it ended rather abruptly. I would have liked a little more at the end.I rate this book high, it has everything you want in a Sci-Fi adventure…robot gone crazy, bad guys, family, romance and a great car chase. What else do you need? A must read from great writer.