2020- The Future | Teen Ink

2020- The Future

May 16, 2014
By Anonymous

So there I was sitting on a park bench in Central Park. It was a beautiful time of the year in the big apple except for the fact that most of the buildings have crumbled and deteriorated. All that remained was concrete waiting to be swallowed up by nature. The leaves were turning gold and bright orange and the weather was beautiful. A slight breeze and the sun shining was the perfect autumn weather. I was doing my “homework” alone, but I soon realized I wasn’t the only one there. Somebody was watching me.

They can’t catch me, I had to get out of there as soon as possible without being noticed. I stood up slowly and immediately started speed walking in the opposite direction. As I do, I jolted my head back to see a killbot that was designed to look like a gray ironman suit stepping out from around the corner, assault rifle in hand and trailing not to far behind me picking up speed with each step. My heart skipped, they were on to me. I bolted as fast as I have ever ran before. When I did the killbot exploded into a full out sprint charging after me. There was no escaping this time. I could hear the metal thumping right behind me on the concrete growing louder and louder. Then when I turned a sharp corner, a cold hand grabbed me and pulled me down to the ground hard. Before I’m able to cry out a hand swiftly covered my mouth. Then the figure dragged me into the bushes and whipped me around to face him. Surprisingly it wasn’t the killbot but my partner in crime, Steve Jackson. I was so relieved I could have kissed him, killbots are very dangerous and not something you would ever want to be around. You can’t blame them though, they are robots that are controlled by the Capital and trained to kill. But, right now Steven was signaling for me to stay quiet for the time being and pointed in the direction where I came bolting from around the corner. I glanced back just in time to see the killbot rounding the corner. The robot stood in the middle of the path looking back and forth in confusion then takes off down the path into the distance. That was a close one! After the killbot was long gone I turned back to my friend.

“Thank you so much, I would have never gotten out of that mess if it wasn’t for you.” I exhale as I'm trying to catch my breath.

“No need to thank me, I’m just doing my job.” Steve says.

“Did you find out anything Jack?” Steve questions excitedly.

“I did but, we shouldn’t talk about it around here, lets get back to base before that killbot shows up again.” I say sternly.

“No kidding.” Steve grunts.

My name is Jack Gate, I am 16 and part of a group called KRA, a.k.a Kids Rebel Association. We are group that consists of highly trained fourteen year olds and up who specialize in hacking, hand-to-hand combat, marksmanship, etc. We are trained to fight the Capitol and to gain the freedom back that the Chinese took from us in 2014.

It was a horrible day. Bombings, gun shots, chaos, and war were taking place in the U.S. on the day the Chinese invaded us. We had no clue what hit us and our army was useless. Millions died in an instant and the Chinese took over the White House, naming it the Capital. The Capital is scared of us, trying to eliminate us with their fancy technology every chance they have.

When Steve and I safely reached 207 West 109th Street we entered the white brick complex, swiping our KRA cards which revealed lines and lines of complex computer setups. Each computer setup was occupied by a kid mesmerized with their computer screen. When we reached my office, located in the back of the building, I told Steve every detail about my breakthrough with the system. Apparently the Capitol caught me doing my “homework” in Central Park. I guess you could say my homework was normal for a practical kid but, it wasn’t. I was cracking a code that could lead us through the firewalls of the Capital, gaining us access to all of their technology, from phones to massive robots. This discovery could actually stop this madness once and for all. When I finally finished explaining this to Steve he looked at me with shock. He didn’t for one second actually believe me, but once I showed him the codes on my Apple computer he burst into joy.
“Well what are you waiting for, finish hacking it already!” Steve burst out.

“I would if I could but, it’s not that simple.”

“How so?” Steve questions.

“Well in order for me to finish hacking I will need a chip from a killbot that is located in its brain…”

That was the hard part of all of this, being able to hunt down the hunter. We would need to come up with a plan. An amazing plan.
One by one each kid made their way upstairs into the living quarters of the compound. By the time the last kid left we were only done with one fourth of our plan and it was eleven o'clock. This was going to take a while. Staying up all night was not easy. At all! And especially not while concentrating. When the sun finally started to rise and the birds were chirping we were finished with our master plan.

I was the bait. I wasn't pleased with this job but in order to execute this plan I had to. It started with me on the park bench in Central Park. The same spot I was in the other day. I was waiting for the killbot to appear in my sight. This time I had a dirtbike with me, ready to jump on at any moment. I knew the killbot was moving closer when I detected him on my radar, and I would have to take off any second. Then out of nowhere the killbot was in my view. I immediately sprung off the bench, my heart pumping 1,000 mph and jumped onto the bike. After I quickly started the engine and put the bike into full throttle, I checked to see if the killbot was following me through my rearview window and surly enough the robot was. Speeding through a winding path that seemed to never end with a massive robot out to kill you is much harder than it looks. The killbot was moving faster than I expected. I knew I had to find my way out of Central Park as soon as possible or else I would be toast. Then, through my visor I could see the clearance of trees revealing the black tar road. Finally my escape was here. I gunned it, skidding onto the road until my entire body faced leftward. I headed to the gas station outlined in our plan. Steve was waiting on the rooftop of a building across the street from the gas station with a sniper rifle. The plan was to explode the station sky high along with the killbot.

It didn’t take long before the bright red and yellow sign that read “Shell” was in my sight. When the next upcoming sign said TURN HERE ? in bold lettering, I yanked my handlebars to the right, skidding in the process. When I was lined up towards the gas station I caught a glimpse of Steve laid prone on top of the crumbled building. Looking back through the rearview mirror I saw that the killbot had miraculously gained a tremendous amount of speed and was right on my tail! This was NOT part the designed plan. If Steve shot I would be blown to bits along with the killbot. I had no time to think because I was already passing through the station. “BOOOOOOOOOM.” A wave of heat hit me hard and fast, sending me airborn. When I slammed into the ground with a thud, all went black.

I woke up to the sound of a steady beeping noise. I opened my eyes to reveal needles and tubing swarming my whole body. I was alive! But how? The gas explosion surely should have taken care of me. Could this be what death is really like? Slowly, as I gained consciousness, my eyes started to fixate on Steve and his right hand waving slowly in front of me. It took me a few minutes to realize what I was seeing...and there, in front of my sore and tired eyes was the one item that made our mission all worth it. The unmistakable bright blue chip from the killbot’s head was now in our possession. The grin from ear to ear on my partner’s face was all I needed to make this day all worth it.
Mission accomplished.



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