"Stay down,” whispered Arthur. His voice was barely audible, but Redman and Rose heard him, as they were very close to each other. They crouched down and advanced towards the tall, shadowy tower, where a small group of guards and sentinels stood, surrounding the place, whose slightly dirty windows were ablaze with light. Everywhere around them, there were explosions and yells. “Now!” yelled Arthur, raising his gun. There were muffled screams and cries, then dozens of gunshots. Some of the windows were smashed, though the sound was inaudible over the chaos. A couple of people fell to the floor around the tower, and the survivors looked around, alert and alarmed. Then they saw them, and sent a hail of bullets and projectiles back. Arthur flung himself onto the ground, behind a broken tank, pulling Redman and Rose down with him. They could hear the shouts and commands, the sound growing louder and louder. But then, there was a resounding noise, which could be heard clearly, coming from behind Arthur, Rose, and Redman. Almost all the heads near to the thing making the noise turned. There were screams and exclamations of surprise, as five tanks, accompanied by three dozen people, smashed through three houses and advanced towards the tower. The people nearest to the throng backed away, though some only made it a few steps before falling to the ground. The people at the foot of the tower were scrambling sideways, backwards, or inside the tower itself, all shouting and yelling, all with a look of fear in their faces. More deafening explosions shook the ground, as the areas near to the tower were blasted and destroyed, and the crowd of people yelled their approval, though after a few moments they stopped. The tanks had stopped as well. “Keep going that way,” said Cherry, through the radio. “And what do you want me to say to these crazy people?” “We don’t need to worry about that yet,” whispered Redman. “We aren’t at that stage yet. I’ll tell you when the time comes.” “And how are you going to collect me?” “There should be a secret passageway somewhere. There’s a ladder there. Climb up it. Then we'll fly to you." They crept past dark shadows, though all of them did not look human. Rose, who was at the back of the group, was looking around. “You guys can look for them too, you know?” she said irritably, as Leo and another boy were looking at her. “Now if I remember correctly, we should be approaching it...ah yes! It’s right there!” He pointed at a large building that was around thirty metres away. “Now we need Cherry, as the garage is locked, as I thought. Cherry?” “Yes?” “I’d like you to say the following words.” As Cherry’s voice rang through the air, they could hear small movements, perhaps of feet shifting slightly. “Now!” said Redman. They made towards the garage, though nobody ran at them, and no gunshots could be heard. They reached the door to the garage, then Redman smashed the window, and Leo climbed inside, as he was the smallest. Redman handed over an identification card, and Leo bent down to swipe it. Nothing happened. "Are you sure that it will still recognise you?" "I'm positive." There was a beeping noise, then, after a few seconds, the door was open, and all of them went inside. Redman sighed in relief. Rose also looked relieved. "Great," said Cherry's voice, "And now-" "Wait. I can hear something-what?!" Suddenly, there was movement all around them, and they could see clearly, as the lights had been switched on. Emerging from the sides of tanks, planes and cars, were people. Their faces were bloodstained and feral-looking. They wore the same dirty shirts and trousers: it looked as though they had outgrown school uniforms. Each one of them was holding some sort of weapon, though none was as advanced as those that were gripped tightly by Redman and Rose. There were rips in some parts of their shirts, which exposed unhealthy-looking, pallid and scarred skin. Their eyes were fixed on Redman and Rose, hatred and resentment blazing in their stares. Then, with a grinding noise, their turrets turned towards the crowd. Everyone backed away, but it was too late. The explosive sounds of projectiles being fired filled the air again, but this time the cries of the people were louder, as groups of them were blasted into the air. Redman, Arthur and Rose ran away, occasionally looking back at the horrible scenes that were unfolding behind them. Then a few more buildings were crushed, and three tanks drove forwards, firing rapidly, though their accompaniment was much smaller and less armed. A few of them pulled out strange devices and set them on the ground. When the devices contacted the ground, large, reddish pink domes appeared, and when the five tanks at the other side fired, the projectiles exploded on the domes, leaving deep, dark-red cracks, but no visible damage to the tanks or people. But one of the tanks drove past the shield and was blasted and mutilated by the five explosions that erupted all around the hull. Then another explosion sent five people flying into the air. Redman, Rose, and Arthur watched with trepidation as five burnt and damaged turrets turned, in unison, to the shield and it’s inhabitants. The turrets looked like odd faces; each one angry and destructive. They fired. Everyone watched as a huge explosion overturned two of the tanks, and blasted a hole in the shield, which the others fired through. Bullets hit the tanks and the walls and buildings behind them, as well as the figures standing next to them. “Let’s get out of here,” said Arthur. But neither Redman or Rose moved, and after a few feeble pushes, Arthur slipped on a pool of blood that had mixed with the dirt and sand. They saw limping and clearly injured figures emerging from behind or inside tanks, all looking sad as they looked at the ruins of their great city, and tired, but also pleased with themselves. One of them re-entered the tank and clambered back out, holding something. “ We need to go now!” urged Arthur, and he started to walk away. Redman and Rose nodded, then followed him. They had been running for around two minutes, occasionally having to stop to let people pass, or to fight, when they stopped, amazed at the sight of several tanks, and a large crowd of people, standing before them. A dozen of the people recognised them and let out cries of relief and welcome. "Thank goodness," gasped Rose. What do you want?” asked Redman shakily. It was at this moment Redman noticed that Cherry was no longer speaking the words that he had instructed her to speak. “Who’s there? What is going on?” There was no response from any of the people who had just appeared. Many of them were holding knives, or twisted pieces of metal. “Typical, Redman. You didn’t care for us. You betrayed us, for money. For him. We lived like this. But you left us.” Redman jumped and took a step back. He stared at the man who had spoken. He had light brown hair and pale green eyes, as well as an insane smile. “What is going on? Hello? Who is talking?” “My dear fellow, I really experienced nothing of wealthiness,” replied Redman, as he clumsily tripped over his own foot, and his head bumped into the front of a car. Leo looked sideways at Rose, who was the closest. She looked as though she had understood something, though her expression was indistinct. Someone whispered confusedly: "What is he doing?" But before he could clarify, several guns were drawn, and he had to duck. There was gunfire, and almost everybody around them were shot, though some had managed to get out of the building. “Everyone, get in this plane NOW!” yelled Redman, at the top of his voice, pointing at a large but ( by usual standards ) also slightly insignificant-looking plane. Everyone scrambled into it. Luckily, there was still a space large enough to hold someone once everyone had gone inside. Redman prayed that it still worked. He flicked at buttons and pulled at levers. It worked. “Hang on!” “How are we going to get out?” yelped Rose. “We have to get through the wall.” “Through?!” shrieked Rose. “Are you insane?!” But her words were drowned out by a scream. Someone was smashing the windows. Glass flew through the air and those nearest to the windows scrambled out of the way. “Okay. One, two, three, GO!” The blackened and burning tanks lay docile against the bullet-perforated walls. They stared at the opponent’s shell. Metallic scrapings echoed hauntingly across the ghostly rubble, and the protective domes made the buildings reflect incarnadine, as though it was caked in blood. The charging line of tanks with burning and twisted turrets fired through the eerie light, able to see the remaining stragglers. Fire illuminated rusty alloys, their green colour slowly turning black, the fire bubbling sluggishly. Retaliatory projectiles exploded out of turning turrets, throwing up plumes and puffs of windswept dirt. The bangs continued to rocket the battlefield until only one blackened corpse of a tank stopped, exhausted. Smoke leaked out of the black crevices of the hull. With a burst of orange, blue, red, green, yellow and black, it exploded. But two survivors had already headed North. Pillars of smoke clouded the skyline, as the flag with the ouroboros inscriptions was sliced to pieces, as the original tankers finally re-claimed their land. They dropped their guns and sat down on the rough ground, and detached cloths and drink bottles from their bags. There was a general hum of talking. Wild, animated talking. Outcries of celebration and relief. The jubilation was palpable; though the grief and sadness marked it. The wounded knelt on the ground, nursing injuries, the bereaved were consoled by their friends, and all around the area, people were looking around, scouting the place, searching for signs of danger. The sky was darkening; it was a magnificent phosphorescent purplish colour. Had the visibility been better, the people would have noticed that the guards were disappearing, one by one. They were encompassed by the darkness, which seemed to be moving. Then, with an awful suddenness, the air was filled with the sound of screams, pleading, yells and shouts, as well as gunfire. Every single person who had celebrated now lay dead on the floor. Behind them, a crowd of utterly mortified people stood, each clutching a gun. Only two pale but flushed-with-happiness faces did not wear the horrified expression. Arthur gazed at the bodies beneath him contently, and beside him a man dressed remarkably well for someone who had just fought a battle wore a satisfied, smug expression as he surveyed the death and destruction. There was a thump, and the figure of Redman fell to the ground. He had fainted. They flew through the air, Redman and Rose yelling and shouting in relief; the recruits exclaiming and resting. “After the traumatic experience of last night, I suggest that we all take a moment to rest, and to appreciate everything that has happened." A smart-looking man stood at the top of a small hill, talking. Arthur stood beside him, glaring suspiciously at the crowd, and holding a sheet of paper crammed with writing on it. “Arthur has led us incredibly well, and this moment should be cherished and appreciated, not filled with guilt. You all knew that it would get violent. You all vowed to do whatever it took, and knew what that meant. You should be happy. We have achieved the thing our ancestors strived to do. We have brought Skyscrapers under our control." But most of the crowd still looked faint and horrified with what they had done. "We can start re-building society in here, and we can give a home to many of the people living in camps in all of your home cities. You will have the chance to celebrate our, your victory with them. Meanwhile," the man glanced sideways at Arthur, almost as if asking for approval, "We will begin a special therapy designed by our special laboratory workers, and offer it to the most affected. Our regime will not fail, like our predeceeding ones. Our theory has been double-checked, and with co-operation, full, undying, and never-ending co-operation, we will secure a good place in history. We will succeed." They were finally, finally free. They needed to escape, and to warn other cities. “Now now Redman,” said the same man who had spoken at the top of the hill. “Don’t worry. It’ll be okay.” He looked back at the man behind him. Arthur. He gave a curt nod, though the exchange was not noticed by Redman. “Arthur thinks that with a bit of therapy, you could recover and appreciate everything. I know that you are not ungrateful. These people were bad, horrible people, who enslaved some of our ancestors. Come with me." Redman looked reluctant. "At least try," the man said. As Redman was led away, Arthur glanced around the area. It was extremely dark. Surely nobody would see them. There were very few people in the vicinity. His sharp eyes swept across the landscape, which was littered with bricks, buckets of cement, broken metal, and wood. “Follow me,” he said. Redman looked back upon the city which he had just left. Left, and vacated, possibly forever. He felt a great sadness encompass him. He had made so many good memories there. Rose seemed to be thinking the same way, too. As she celebrated, her eyes reflected the loss Redman was feeling. She gave him a sad little smile. The recruits at the back were now discussing the collection of Cherry. “Redman, what is wrong with you?” asked a man with pale green eyes, and brown hair. He and Redman had been walking up a hill together, though now they had both stopped. The man with the brown hair turned to look at Redman, with concern and alarm in his eyes. "Nothing!" shouted Redman. "Then why do you keep going on about these 'mora-'" "Because you'e just ungrateful. You are selfish. You know nothing. You don't appreciate everything, anything. You don't love anything about it." The man took a step back from Redman. "You're joking, right?" "No I'm not," spat Redman. "I suggest that you go talk to Arthur, if you want to be corrected." And he swept away, leaving the man passed there, staring. The vast city was beautiful; towering Skyscrapers, which had given the city its name, titanic, gargantuan buildings, and small cottages nestled snuggly together, separated by large bushes of vivid green. From above, even the destruction and massive craters seemed less disturbing. The rainbow array of small lights ( that miraculously still worked ) sparkled in the night air, and looked like small, coloured beads. Redman blinked, then averted his eyes. “I think that those who don’t appreciate the work that Arthur has done should be taken to a little therapy session, don’t you?” asked a woman, who stood at the place that the man usually stood. "Clearly the grief and shock has not yet been obliterated." There were nods and murmurs of agreement. Redman nodded enthusiastically; his beard looked more ruffled afterwards. “So why doesn’t everyone undertake a survey, and we can monitor the results.” “Your job will be to regulate the facility and make sure nobody escapes. Do it at all costs, no matter what. For their own safety, of course,” added Arthur. Redman nodded. "And tell the scientists, from me, to get a move on. What they've been producing doesn't have a 100% efficacy rate. Some people seem to be resistant, which is, of course, the last thing that we would want. I mean, the people's mental welfare is what we care about. We wouldn't want them to still be consumed by guilt, not when they should be extremely happy. There is evidence that it could be a genetic reason or something like that. The chemicals used to create it are extremely effective, so it must be a very strong resistant. Also, I don't think that it would be a good idea to mention the products again. The media is starving for a story, and they could make a lot of innocent people reluctant to take it. You know how it is. I'm sure you remember the last time one of the products was leaked. The production centre is also restricted, so it looks more suspicious-not that there is anything wrong, though. It's all completely fine." "I'll have to start taking action if things get worse," he added in an undertone. "Clearly if they don't understand then they will need to be under full time care. You understand though, don't you?" "Of course, Redman, that's a good plan," said Arthur. He looked curiously at Redman, then turned away. He was smiling with satisfaction. "Let's take a quick stop," said Redman. Rose and the recruits looked alarmed. "They won't be able to catch up with us." “You’re my friend!” yelled the green-eyed person. Redman nodded. "And that is why I'm offering you for a trial at the centre. It's completely safe. It's just, your current mental condition is quite alarming. It's probably the baseless guilt. But that can be corrected and changed, with a bit of extra time. I'll come and visit you, if you like." “You can’t-no! Please! Tell them to get off me! Leave me alone! Do I look insane to you?! DO I, REDMAN?!” He was being pulled away. He appealed to someone else. “Grant! Please! Help me!” Grant merely turned away, as though irritated. "It is time you appreciated everything." They left the plane to walk onto fresh grass. Grass that was unaffected by explosions or bullet-ridden. Cool drafts of air seemed to whisper to them. The grass fluttered and swayed lazily. The light of the rising sun shone onto a group of buttercups; their petals glowed, and they looked like glittering golden coins. The familiar sound of the wind blew warm air towards them. The thick grass smelled fresh and sweet. "It's time to go," said Rose lightly. “It’s a mental health institution, thank you very much!” barked Arthur. “Tell the press to leave me alone, the tank usage and all the military operations has already been explained! And all these allegations! These conspiracies are completely untrue. ” Rose still looked slightly unconvinced. “Tell Redman to explain everything to you." As Rose walked away, Arthur pulled out a device from his pocket. "We've got a problem," he said. "We're nearly there," said Redman. "Ah, the radio won't work anymore! Cherry's still waiting." He looked at the building with wonder and happiness. It was a complete and necessary transformation, and of course, had to be concealed. The press was abolished, news was published from within the new governing body, which was completely impartial and true, as Arthur had told him many times. To publish any articles independently was a crime. It was to be lifted, though. The only change that was not, strictly speaking, beneficial to it's progress was that the signs that had previously said ‘restricted’ now read: ‘SPP.’ "Okay, this is the route. Torchlights out, okay? Make sure to look around." “I hate them,” he said, his voice cracking. “I trusted Redman. This is torture.” “Well, here’s something I heard. This is just a rumour, though. Apparently he was bribed by Arthur. He got the money then started sending me, you, and the others in. At least I’m a real friend, John.” John’s hands curled into fists, as he stared at the picture of Redman that lay on the table next to his true friend’s bed. Once again, their footsteps seemed to be magnified to a tremendous volume, that made each one of them flinch as they stepped. “Go!” he urged him. “No, John. I’m too weak. You go. Find him. Get the others. Get revenge. For me. For everyone.” John hesitated, then took a sharp piece of metal from the floor, and walked into the crowd that had gathered at the edge of what used to be a wall. There were many thunderous, resounding metal clanking and banging. The place looked like an underground cavern. Broken and split pipes the size of double-decker buses were protruding from walls, some of which were aflame. There was shouting and screaming. Above, explosions rocketed the ground, which shook and split as the mass of pipes opposite John's part of the facility which held the scientists who had opposed the therapy created more explosive reactions, which made the ground shudder as though it was in the grip of an earthquake. "It shouldn't be far now," breathed Redman. “He’ll still have the memories. I say we get an independently operative tank, rather than a human. They use all of the precautions, with humans. If a tank surgeon is injured, it’ll be on the news. He’ll know. That should confuse him. We’ll see. Then we can break open the rest. Also, tell them to track Simon Dough, he's travelling North. He'll remember them running North. If Arthur did the thing correctly, then he'll think that we're back, which we are. But it'll be much scarier. Make sure to start some rumours.” "Yeah, but there's a problem." "What?" "A group of people disobeyed orders and are trying to break in. We tried, but they seemed to have a very good craftsman, as they were all wielding weird bladey things. ( John looked at him, apparently amused ) I don't know? Blade things, sword things, whatever you want to call them. At least they were insane. They were talking about sabotaging the training ground, though I doubt they know where the place has been moved. I mean, none of us ever told them. Their sector was much further away." "Try and stop them, then. We can't have them ruining retribution. Just killing them won't be enough. I know that sounds a little, err...insane." "You're fine, really." John smiled for the first time in months. "The control room should be just-there!" "They're there!" "I know that! Distract Redman. The pipes should allow you to get there quicker. You know how to get there through the pipes, right? We didn't spend years carving passageways for nothing." "Yes, I know! But how should I distract him?" "Take this radio and camera, then I'll make it up as you go along. Also, take this. Quickly!" "Jump down, now! Retreat! Go!" John jumped down, hit Redman and smashed Bill's head with a metallic something, which seemed to melt into his skin. "That should protect him, and scare Redman. He'll be accusing him, which should stir some nice distrust. Some internal conflict. I hope he'll survive. I don't want to kill the innocent. Now GO!" John retreated, just as Redman started to fire. His figure had been obscured by water the entire time. "How do you think of these things?" he muttered. He heard a small chuckle. "Well, I guess I'm just good." "What the hell made you do that?" whispered Rose. "I-I don't know." "Now thanks to that blunder, they'll consider us murderers." "But-I saw some metal-" "That's probably from what Molly did to keep him alive!" "She executed surgery that quickly?!" "Yes, I mean there was blood everywhere. His chest, leg and arm. Anyway, those blade things aren't really blades. They're just things cut from pipes, though whoever made them did a very good job." "I think I saw it in the hea-" "Then you're crazy. Now what are we going to do?" "I don't know. Who even were they?" "I don't know. Nobody knows. Most of them escaped." "What are we going to do with him?" "Get rid of him, somehow. We can't kill him now, Molly's surgery was too good to allow for death. It would be suspicious." "Then we injure him, not fatally, but enough that he can't talk. Then he'll be killed in battle." "Are you sure about this?" Yes." “Oh, thank God,” whispered Cherry. “Though you’d never come.” Redman grinned, though he still looked pale. He turned, so was naturally unable to see the suspicious look that Cherry cast at him, that was mirrored by the rest of the recruits. “Right. Let’s get out of here.” Once they had all clambered back inside, they took flight. Redman and Rose were talking so loudly that Cherry was sure that they wouldn’t be overheard. “That was pretty weird,” she said. “There’s definitely something wrong about this place, and them,” replied Leo. There were a few nods. “This is scary. They could kill us right now.” “I don’t think this feels right,” piped up one of the recruits, who had glasses. “Yeah. There’s a connection. They’ve probably committed loads of murders. We can’t trust them.” Cherry though for a moment. “That guy that spoke, he didn’t sound insane to me.” “Yeah, but everyone else in that room did,” said Leo. Cherry heard Redman talking to Rose. “You know, we could do with a little less weight on this plane.” “We should report them once we-what?” Several scared faces were staring at Cherry. Terrified, she turned, to see Redman pointing a gun at her. She ducked as he fired, and then lunged forwards and knocked the gun out of his hand. Redman swung round, but then the plane gave a dangerous lurch, and he had to turn back again. Then he screamed. They were plummeting towards the ground. “Come on! Open the doors and get out!” shouted Cherry. There was frantic movement, then all of the doors opened, and the sound of whistling wind, which felt sharp on their skin, filled the air. A few people jumped, but then there was a gunshot. Leo screamed in pain and clutched his hand, then jumped out. Cherry followed, but Rose had grabbed her by the arm. Together, both of them fell towards the ground, towards a small group of trees. Rose attempted to hit Cherry with part of the broken window. They hit the ground with a crash. Groggily, both of them stood up, swaying. Cherry thought she was going to be sick. But then Rose had launched herself onto her. She raised her fist, but Cherry kicked her back, and a black object fell out of her pocket. They both scrambled for it, but Rose was closest. Cherry switched direction halfway through, and ran away, stumbling slightly on the leaf-strewn ground. She ran towards a building that she could see, that was not too far away. She screamed for help, but nobody answered. Then there were two gunshots, and she screamed again. She ran into the building, whose lights were off. She slammed the doors behind her and kept on running, but not before there were two more gunshots, that sent shards of glass flying into the air like small, glittering stars. She entered a larger room and felt around for a switch. Her fingers found one and she flicked it. A buzzing, humming noise filled the room. The lights flickered on. The room had large, spiralling stairs and the corners had large silver canisters. She looked at the stairs, trying to figure out what to do. But then two of the canisters exploded, and she was blasted off her feet and into the air. Fire spread across the floor, up the walls and onto the stairs. Cherry turned, and Rose lunged at her, sending both of them crashing to the floor. Cherry crawled away, wiping blood from her face, then turned, just as Rose raised her gun and fired. The bullet flew past Cherry's face, but it was a very close call. Cherry stood up, and threw herself onto Rose, whose hand released the gun, which fell to the floor with a clatter. Cherry reached for it, but her outstretched hand was knocked back by Rose, who grasped her other arm and swung her round. Rose grabbed the gun and turned back to face Cherry, but her shot missed by a substantial distance. Cherry grabbed Rose's arm and tried to bend it away, but she was too strong. The next shot was extremely close to her head. Cherry attempted to stand, but was knocked over and her face hit the hard, cold ground. Cherry rolled away and launched herself back onto Rose. The two of the were wrestling there on the floor, as the flames drew closer and closer, their hitting them in the face. Cherry was forced to run away, but Rose hit her with the gun, which spun out of her hand again. Cherry hesitated, then reached out and caught it. She pointed at Rose and fired, but the bullet hit another canister, which exploded and sent chunks of the wall and burning metal flying towards them. Cherry was smacked in the head and fell to her knees. But then Rose gave a terrible scream. Cherry crawled away a few metres then turned, terrified. She saw a flaming figure stumbling and limping towards her. Flames licked the floor around her twisted feet, and flew up her body. She looked like a rippling golden statue. She walked a few more steps, then fell to her knees and lay there. A thunderous smashing sound made Cherry look up. The ceiling was crumbling away. Parts crashed into the ground, propelling the flames, smoke and fumes. Cherry tried to stand, but could not. She could see the horrible flames advancing towards her, but she could only move agonisingly slowly. Then the doors burst open, and four pairs of hands grabbed Cherry. "HERE!" yelled the voice of Leo. "Wha-?" Then her head hit the ground again. She could smell the exotic and spiced smells of different, fresh foods. She sniffed the air hungrily, then crossed the road. She checked her watch. It was 6:00Pm. He should be in the restaurant now. She opened the door to the restaurant, and immediately the sweet aroma wafted towards her. Jazzy music was playing in the background. There was a hum of chatter and laughter. She could hear the clattering of knives and forks, as they scraped white plates. She could see the happy faces of people, as they talked and ate. “Hey!” She saw a man waving at her. “You are Cherry, aren’t you?” Cherry nodded and sat down at a table with the man. “Leo told me your name,” he said. Cherry nodded again. She consulted the brightly coloured menu, which showed all sorts of deals and foods. “Sorry, but Leo didn’t tell me yours. Thought it would ruin everything.” “Oh. My name’s Bill. I'm Bill Kinoni." Cherry, who had a glass of water in her hands, dropped it. Cold, icy cold water spilled onto the floor and the table. “Are you okay?” “No-I-It’s okay, I’m really sorry,” “That’s fine,” said Bill. “I-I’ll just go outside. For a breath of fresh air.” “Okay,” said Bill, who looked worried. “I’m really sorry,” repeated Cherry, as some people, including a disapproving waitress, were staring. She closed the door behind her, and took a deep breath. She opened her handbag and rumaged through it. She felt the map of Skyscrapers, which she had chosen to live in, despite Leo's advice. Then she stopped. She could see the burning buildings below. She wondered if anyone else had noticed. But there were no shouts of surprise, or fearful exclamations. She saw smoke billowing in the distance, aircraft hovering, broken buildings. She could hear shouts and screams, yells and cries. She could see the capital of Skyscrapers burning before her very eyes. If the plot is particularly unclear, or you spot something wrong, I'd be happy to hear it and correct. I haven't worked on it for a looong time.

Answer: my favourite country is China. Question: who is your favourite author?

Nice! ( I liked it! )

Congratulations Venerable!!!! ?

Chapter 16 The ringing silence that followed the deafening gunshots seemed to last for hours. The air was suddenly ice-cold, and the presence of a murderer behind the rustic door that they had closed seemed to slowly melt into the room. Leo opened his mouth, then closed it. “What are we going to do?” “Stay calm. Figure out a way to tell the others. Then we get out of here, and quickly.” A young brown-haired man burst into the room. “What is the meaning of this?” bellowed Arthur. “You are interrup-” “The gates are open, sir! They are allowing atra’s forces to arrive! Come, quickly!” Arthur shot a glance at Redman, who nodded. “Very well. Everyone, follow Redman whilst I prepare the tanks.” It was ear-splittingly loud near the gates. Different aircraft and helicopters circled around the now wide open gates. Some descended whilst others waited, watching the surrounding areas, where, unbeknown to them, hundreds of people, as well as dozens of tanks which had been painted over, watched intently. There were many shouts and siren-like noises as dozens of people climbed out of a large aircraft. Immediately, shadows moved on top of the gates, pointing guns below. “Not to worry,” came a deep voice. “It’s just a precaution.” One of the men standing closest to the man who had just spoken eyed the soldiers guarding the wall haughtily. “I wasn’t expecting such a warm welcome. I thought you trusted us." "We do. But in these times, it's hard to trust anyone. Anyway-" He broke off, staring at something. The man next to him, who was looking around cautiously, had not noticed the seemingly innocent red dot that danced above his forehead. Cherry opened the door tentatively, looking around the dark room. “I think that they are all asleep,” she said. Leo crept into the room with her. “So what now?” he asked quietly. Cherry carefully nudged everyone except Rose and Redman. A hard feat, considering that there were around a dozen of them now. Cherry led all of them into the room, closed the door behind her, and said: “Watch this.” There was an outbreak of shouting. Everyone around the man backed away, as a resounding gunshot rent the air. “Now!” shouted Arthur. It was chaos. Everywhere people were scrambling away; a crowd was forming near the entrance gate and people were pushing and trampling each other to get inside. A series of loud gunshots followed the first. Then there were retaliatory bangs as the guards on the wall fired back. Immediately a gargantuan wave of people advanced, all with their guns drawn and firing. The bangs of explosive projectiles joined the din made by those firing with guns, as the tanks followed, making up the rear of the crowd. There was an outbreak of screaming and shouting as the gates started to close. There were gigantic explosions which threw plumes of hot, thick dust into the air and caused stones to rain down upon all of them. Gunfire was the only thing louder than the yells and screams that riddled the night. “Go!” urged Arthur. Redman and Rose put on masks and advanced further through the crowd. “Someone stop the gates!” came a cry. There was another loud explosion, and a large portion of the gate was blown apart. Fire spread across the top, causing the guards to flee. Redman aimed his gun and shot down five of the running guards. Rose fired more bullets which rebounded on the hard metal surface of the gates and hit a few people behind her. Soon, half of the wall had collapsed. Arthur joined Redman and Rose and together they fought their way through the crowd, finally reaching the gates, where they could hear the rumbling of tanks. “This way!” Arthur yelled, pointing at a gap. They all sprinted towards the gap, firing at some guards as they did. Arthur pointed his gun at one of the tanks and fired. Confused, the turret turned and fired back. Arthur dived for cover. The projectile which had been shot hit another tank, which was blasted backward and into another part of the wall. As Rose and Redman ran, Arthur close behind, they could feel the ground shake as more explosions destroyed the ground behind them. “Head for Ray’s tower!” yelled Arthur, as he climbed onto a tank and fired repeatedly at others from the elevation which the tank provided. Cherry and the others crept back inside the room. All of them had agreed that once they were safely outside of Skyscrapers they would all report their concerns. To do anything now would be foolish. But Leo thought that he had seen something strange in Cherry’s face as she agreed. An emotion which he could not make out distinctly enough. They all lay down on the hard and slightly damp floor and pretended to sleep. Daytime came, and with it, the awakening of Rose and Redman. “Right, so the plan is to escape Skyscrapers,” said Redman, later that morning. “And we can do so by making a diversion. But that will mean someone will have to stay here, so we can broadcast their voice through Skyscrapers.” He looked around slightly sadly at everyone. “I’ll do it.” Redman looked surprised as he looked at Cherry, who felt more than eager to put some space between them. “Okay then. Well that makes things a lot simpler. After Cherry makes the diversion, we will all head into the SMG’s garage. There should be a selection of planes and tanks there. We can use the tanks in case of an emergency, as a second diversion. If we can get one of the planes working, then we can fly back here and get out of Skyscrapers. Does anybody have some objections?” “Yes,” said Cherry. “You will come and collect me, right?” “Of course!” said Redman, looking incredulous. “What else would I do, leave you here?” As Redman and Rose laughed, Cherry felt a sudden chill. “Okay, let’s do this.”

Happy New Year everyone!

You can see the unapproved articles? ( also I have edited my chapter 15 )

I have posted something onto the AWS that I do not want approved. Is there a way for me to delete it? I have already deleted the text but the title and stuff is still there. If there is a way, could you please tell me how to do it? Really sorry, but I have ironically posted TWO copies of this question. Please do not bother answering both. Thanks

Chapter 15 There was a shocked silence as everyone tried to digest the meaning of the words. Leo was the first to speak. “What does this mean?” he asked. Redman shook his head, looking dazed. Cherry’s cough brought him out of his reverie. “We need to leave Skyscrapers,” he said. “Justin!” barked Field Marshal Arthur Macleen. Major Justin Tyranniaca held up a hand to the person talking to him. “Yes?” he called. “I need a meeting with you, Redman, George, Rosemary and Molly,” Arthur said. Justin nodded and turned away. Arthur rubbed his hands together. “Good,” he muttered, seemingly to himself. Minutes later, Justin, Arthur, Rose, George and Redman were all behind two smooth locked doors. “So, when will the plan work?” asked Arthur. “They have not left. They are still patrolling the city perimeters.” “Well, sir. I have some good information about that matter. We have successfully isolated them in the SPP.” “Good,” mused Arthur. “But when will Atra’s reinforcements arrive? We need that crucial piece of information.” “We do not know, sir. But Atra’s forces have proposed a date. The ninteenth of November.” Arthur sneered. “The ninteenth! By then we would either be dead or we would have defeated them. That date is irrelevant for the time being. We should focus on their plans now. Now tell me,” said Arthur, turning to Justin. “Have you managed to take back control of the compound?” Justin shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Well, sir. We haven’t. And we can’t try.” “Why not?” asked Arthur. “They have already stationed their tanks and guns there. They think we might target the place first.” Arthur looked disatisfied with this information. “Why did you not tell me this earlier? We could have stopped them.” “We only got the information today, sir.” “Then we must act sooner. The plan we have been hatching must be changed. We will have to act on the sixteenth.” There was an outbreak of mutinous and incredulous muttering. “But sir! The sixteenth?! All of our troops have been-” “You misunderstand, Michael. Our plan will not work if we revert back to the old one. You will tell all the other troops the plan. We have two days.” Arthur raised a hand as Redman began to protest. “Silence, Redman. Now to Rosemary. I was under the impression that most of the forces are isolated in the SPP’s grounds.” “You would be right to assume so,” replied Rose. “Is the leader of the group there?” asked Arthur. Rose nodded. Arthur smiled. “Go and gather your troops.” “Why?” asked Leo. “I though the whole point of-” “We need to leave,” repeated Redman. “Why?” asked Cherry. “It’s too dangerous to stay here,” said Redman. “We will have to leave soon, maybe even today.” Rose nodded. “But first we all need some sleep,” said Redman. “Wait,” said Cherry. “Can I try and get the CCTVs working? I can check if any of the crazy people are approaching.” “Sure.” “Wait, can I join?” asked Leo. Redman looked at Rose. She nodded. Leo and Cherry exchanged excited but also fearful glances. Once the door had closed behind them, Cherry and Leo went around the room, connecting wires, trying to get the monitors to work. After many failed attempts, a reasonable amount of cursing, a few damaged cables, and a bruised fist, they had got the computer-like objects to work. Their screens flickered feebly, then all turned razor-sharp in detail. Cherry high-fived Leo. Both of them sat down on dusty chairs and observed the screens. There was nothing interesting about what they showed them. Disappointment swept over the duo, but then Cherry gasped. “Look! There’s a playback sign! You can play all the footage back!” Leo clicked on the option. There was a wide range of dates, spanning from 2492 to 2509. Leo played it all back. They made an agreement to always skip the daytime, and if there was nothing interesting in the first ten minutes of the night, they would skip the day. After three hours of staring, Leo and Cherry were feeling extremely tired. Yawning, Leo skipped another day. Cherry was rubbing her eyes. Cherry was about to drift to sleep when she saw Bill’s figure on camera 3. She stared longingly and intently at him. Bill was running. She saw him glancing backwards, and was about to shout a warning before he hit his head on a metal pole. The pole split, causing water to gush out. Spluttering and cursing madly, Bill stood up, waving his hands above his head and spitting. Then Cherry saw Redman running down the alleyway too. As he ran, he drew something black from the inside of his pocket. “Oh my-” gasped Cherry. There were five loud gunshots. With a loud splash, Bill staggered backwards and hit the floor. Blood was mingling with the water now.

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Chapter 14 Once they had explored the tunnels and the different intersecting pathways for a few hours, Redman called for silence and started handing out new water bottles filled with cool, clean water. The air was damp and stuffy; it seemed almost unbearable if breathed in excess. There were moans of relief and gratitude as everyone drank. After everyone had drunk their fill, Redman spoke. “We know that they want us. We don’t know why. But they have bombed our compound and killed our people. I don’t know about the city, but it’s probably destroyed. Our radios do not work, and we cannot contact anyone from any other city. But we can still escape.” Many heads looked up, the pain etched in their expressions lightening slightly with hope. Redman surveyed the scene with a fierce fire burning in his throat. “These pathways should lead, if I am correct, into the power plant. If we get there before they get there, we can use the cameras stationed at the place to spot the enemy. Remember, this is not training. This is real, with real consequences. If we can spot where the enemy is, we may be able to kill enough of them to escape through the hole in the crushed buildings.” Many people looked confused. “Remember the explosion? It created a hole in the buildings! The SPP leads directly into the left building, so if we travel sideways we can escape through the hole and get into the city, where we can have more space to hide and plan. After that, well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime, we ought to be planning about the escape. But right now, we should be following this path.” And with a flourish, he slammed his hand into a broken light switch. Nothing happened. Then there was a resounding roar, and light started to appear all around them. There was a narrow pathway in front of them now, illuminated by the lights. It was eerily quiet as they stepped gingerly over bloodstains, broken and twisted pieces of metal, and small shards of crystalline glass that sparkled in the shuddering light. The tension and fear was suspended and palpable in the atmosphere. The humming of the overhead lights was almost deafening in the silence. Flies buzzed in the air, adding to the din. Their footsteps echoed, almost metallic. Every small breath's noise was magnified, every gasp, shudder or trip, terrifying. As they passed the smashed windows of what looked like classrooms, they could see rotten food, cracked stone, and filthy clothes strewn everywhere. What looked suspiciously like a body lay slumped over a black-stained desk. Then, suddenly, all the lights turned off. The walls and floor started to tremble slightly. "What?!" "Ouch!" "What is going on?!" "Get off my foot!" "Why is it all gone dark?" "Leo!" There was now a loud rushing noise, then everyone tripped over a ledge. The blinding light hit them all like a ball to the face. There were many gasps of surprise as everyone saw the yellowish light strobing the tunnel-like area. Rose, who had cuts and lacerations over her arms from the fall, stood up, shaking the dust from her clothes. Then she realised what they were standing on. Rustic and metallic, the curved lines of a weathered train track was beneath their feet. "Run!" screamed Rose, as there was a horrible grinding of metal, and then a horn blasted the air. A train was speeding towards them. And driving it, looking surprised and scared, was a pallid Justin. "Justin!" exclaimed Redman. Everyone leapt out of the way as the train came hurtling towards them, and Leo was almost hit by a metal pole sticking out of the train window. "Where are we?" asked a freckly young girl. "Underneath the control tower," replied Redman. "The what?!" asked Rose. "The control tower. Built by Arthur Macleen in 2491. Arthur Macleen. Son of George Macleen. George Macleen!" Redman repeated. A look of comprehension swept across Rose's face. "Oh." "Who is Arthur Macleen?" asked Leo. "Arthur Macleen invented the Skyscrapers passages, which was meant to be a facility to hold insane people. After the Great War of Skyscrapers. You know. Some people went insane after all the killing. I've seen the pictures," said Redman, looking disturbed. "After the war, all of the mental people had to be locked up somewhere. And Arthur Macleen started to build the passageways, and after that, the control tower. CCTVs of every room of the place. It's probably not working, but it'll be good to go up there and see if we can get any other information." "Anyway, the tower is meant to be somewhere here, with a ladder, but that was ten years ago. Best chance we have now is find Justin and-" Redman's words were drowned by loud clanging noises coming from behind them. Rose turned a panicked face towards Redman. "We need to get out of here, now!" she said. Redman nodded. "But there's nowhere to go!" As everyone looked about, Cherry screamed. "A ladder! There! There!" She pointed at the wall, where, sure enough, there was a ladder. "Go! Go!" urged Redman. As everyone climbed up the ladder hurriedly, the clanging and echoing noises grew louder. Once everyone had climbed inside the room, Redman shut a small trapdoor. They heard what sounded like feral screaming, then running footsteps. Then the noises disappeared. Redman breathed a sigh of relief and mopped his brow. But Rose tapped him on the shoulder, her face turned away from him and the trapdoor. She was shaking. Chunks of wall had been clawed away so violently it left bloodstains mixed in with dust and wallpaper. Small letters had been etched on the remaining amount of wall. "Leave our city, filthy thieves."

Almost brought tears to my eyes: extremely well-written!

Thank you for approving and giving tips, I will try not to make comma errors in the next chapter. Thanks again, but I'm not quite sure what you mean. Do you mean the default one or just this one?

Now this will be very exciting!

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