Machine Gone Haywire

• Xavier Duffy, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2017

A few hours ago I was resting peacefully in my bed and look at me now, running through the forest being chased by an evil robot.

I’m Shaun Reed and this is how it started. I was lying in my bed until I knew I could procrastinate no longer. I had a very important job to do. I was working on the last Heavy Defence Robots (HDR) for the British Army. They had two mini guns, a GPR mounted on their arms along with two titanium shields on the front.
“Here we go again,” I thought tiredly.

Ten minutes later I was about to finish when I heard a big bang! further down the hallway and to my enormous surprise found a HDR lumbering towards me! I sat in shock just staring at the giant robot, it’s normally green but now red lenses glaring at me, it slowly raised its arm at which it was then that I realised this robot had gone haywire. I jumped out of my chair and leapt through the door behind me just as the guns started firing. I sprinted out the door into the forest. As the person who had programmed the HDR I knew its speed capabilities and was relieved it would still be far behind me when I reached my destination. This meant I would have a lot of time to plan my move.

Finally after an hour of steady jogging I reached the abandoned warehouse. I pushed the oak doors open and looked for options for how I might trap the robot. Then I saw it…the answer to all my problems, a crane with a steel box dangling off the edge of the rope. I clambered up and positioned the steel box just over the door then I waited, and waited, and waited. Finally, I heard the heavy clunking of the HDR’s feet. I had to time this perfectly. First the gun barrels stuck through the door then the body then SMASH! I dropped the box with perfect precision right on top of the robot. It couldn't shoot or else it would destroy itself. I radioed the army and informed them of the situation and sat down and relaxed happy that it was over.

The army arrived a while later and came with a decoder I know named Kyle Heathrow. He took one look at the robot then set up his laptop and started working. The army started the interrogation.
“When and where did it happen?” Can you describe the scene? How far did you go?”
I answered truthfully still shocked after the ordeal all while watching Kyle work on his screen until a loud beeping came from his direction.
“Uh sir.” Kyle called to the general.
“What?” he yelled back.
“I just found a nuke in the machine’s body, so I think someone has sabotaged Shaun's machine. This nuke is capable of wiping out all of London!”
When I heard that I was amazed and shocked while a gasp arose from the room. I was astounded that someone was able to attach a bomb to my robot! We dismantled it and took the nuke out to store in a nuclear arsenal. With all that over I travelled home.