EXCERPTS
The Adventures of KAD
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Somebody is shaking my shoulder. Lena is whispering in my ear. “John, please wake up. There’s something outside knocking at the window!”
Still groggy, I listen to the soft irregular banging. It sounds as though something is trying to get in. Jumping out of bed and I move back the curtain slightly, to see what is making the noise. I see a black glistening disk hovering outside the window. KAD! I have to save KAD! The disk is slowly losing altitude, so I’ll have to act fast. “Lena, please trust me. Will you promise not to scream?” I can’t wait for Lena’s response. Moving the curtain aside, I open the window to grab KAD. The disk is sticky, which helps me to get a grip. I hear Lena gasp softly when she sees me bring KAD into the room. |
I move him above my computer, and I try to contact him. “KAD, can you hear me?”
No response.
Lena whispers, “Is that the same UFO we saw?”
“Yes Lena, but it’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it later, but now I have to help him. Something is seriously wrong.”
KAD drops a glowing rope to the computer.
“Oh, good,” I reach my left hand out towards the bed and say, “Lena will you touch my hand?”
With a trembling hand, Lena tentatively touches my hand. I lay my other hand on the computer, and I say and think at the same time, “KAD, can you hear me now?”
A deformed voice echoes in my head, “Yes John, I can hear you now.”
Lena gasps softly again. I’m pleased that Lena can hear KAD as well. That will save me a lot of explaining later.
“What is wrong with you, KAD?”
“I don’t know. My systems are failing one by one.”
“When did your systems start to fail?”
“I don’t know. The system that keeps time failed first.”
Lena whispers, “Sounds like a computer virus.” That gets me thinking. A virus! But how could a computer virus infect KAD? His system must be totally different from our computers…unless he integrated some parts when he updated my computer.
No response.
Lena whispers, “Is that the same UFO we saw?”
“Yes Lena, but it’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it later, but now I have to help him. Something is seriously wrong.”
KAD drops a glowing rope to the computer.
“Oh, good,” I reach my left hand out towards the bed and say, “Lena will you touch my hand?”
With a trembling hand, Lena tentatively touches my hand. I lay my other hand on the computer, and I say and think at the same time, “KAD, can you hear me now?”
A deformed voice echoes in my head, “Yes John, I can hear you now.”
Lena gasps softly again. I’m pleased that Lena can hear KAD as well. That will save me a lot of explaining later.
“What is wrong with you, KAD?”
“I don’t know. My systems are failing one by one.”
“When did your systems start to fail?”
“I don’t know. The system that keeps time failed first.”
Lena whispers, “Sounds like a computer virus.” That gets me thinking. A virus! But how could a computer virus infect KAD? His system must be totally different from our computers…unless he integrated some parts when he updated my computer.
The Origin of KAD
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The hall is even darker than I thought it would be. There's just enough light to see where I’m walking.
In the spot where the elevator opening once was, there is now just a metal panel with the button, and I fight the urge to push it. Wondering how deep under the surface I am I aim to KAD, “KAD, can you locate me?” I wait for KAD to respond, looking around trying to decide where to go. The elevator bay is located at the end of a long hallway. I start to feel nervous when KAD doesn't respond, and I aim to him again, “KAD, do you hear me?” I look up to try to determine if the ceiling is blocking the signal or if the rock, from which this hallway was carved, is the reason I can't reach KAD. |
I suddenly realize that I'm on my own. I’ll have to be very careful not to get caught.
The sneakers I'm wearing make squeaky noises when I walk, suggesting that the floor is smooth and wet. I stop to feel the floor and to my surprise it isn’t wet at all but extremely clean.
Squeaky clean.
Unfortunately, the floor is too cold to walk on barefoot, so I try to roll my feet from heel to toe with every step trying to minimize the noise. Suddenly I see a few faint red lights mounted on the wall, and I stop. The fuzzy glow seems to indicate that the lights are infrared. Indeed, I locate small black round dishes at the same height on the opposite end of the hallway. I'm certain it's a light trap to provide a warning when people arrive with the elevator.
The only way to pass the trap is to get under the lights, and I decide to slide over the floor on my back.
The sneakers I'm wearing make squeaky noises when I walk, suggesting that the floor is smooth and wet. I stop to feel the floor and to my surprise it isn’t wet at all but extremely clean.
Squeaky clean.
Unfortunately, the floor is too cold to walk on barefoot, so I try to roll my feet from heel to toe with every step trying to minimize the noise. Suddenly I see a few faint red lights mounted on the wall, and I stop. The fuzzy glow seems to indicate that the lights are infrared. Indeed, I locate small black round dishes at the same height on the opposite end of the hallway. I'm certain it's a light trap to provide a warning when people arrive with the elevator.
The only way to pass the trap is to get under the lights, and I decide to slide over the floor on my back.