The weather has gone weird. Is it a natural phenomenon or is something more sinister at work ? Calling in the cavalry. Thanks to all my reviewers. It's great to know if people enjoy the stories. It's nearly over now.
"There's no way any human being is going to be able to get up that corridor," said Tom. Then he paused, with his mouth still open. He looked up at Aneisha. Aneisha smiled back at him. "Digby !" they both said, simultaneously.
"Who's Digby ?" asked Zoe.
"Nate's robot," said Aneisha. "You know the one that carried Dan out of Nate's old house after he kidnapped him ?"
"Oh yes. I remember !" said Zoe. "Do you think the robot could get in ?" she asked Tom.
"Well, it's our best chance," said Tom. "I can't think of anything else." He looked at Frank and Stella.
"Give Nate a call and ask," said Stella. "It sounds like our best option. The robot won't be affected by the weather field and I assume it's strong ?" she asked. Tom and Aneisha nodded hard. Tom pulled out his phone and dialled Nate's number.
"Nate ? It's Tom. I need a big favour mate. This is important OK ?" He went on to explain about Dan being trapped with a madman in a locked room and how nobody could get past the weather fields because they affected peoples' minds. "You will ? Thanks Nate, you're a star ! We'll send a lorry to bring Digby here. OK. Bye," he finished.
"Nate's agreed to lend us Digby," he said smiling.
Stella got on to her phone and arranged transport for the robot. Storm clouds were gathering over the house and it was starting to rain heavily when a lorry drove up the driveway towards them. An MI9 agent was driving the lorry. Sitting in the passenger seat was Nate. Tom ran over to the lorry and pulled the door open. "Nate ! I didn't think you'd come too," shouted Tom above the noise of the rain. Nate used a wheelchair to get around, but Tom guessed Digby had got him up into the lorry's passenger seat.
"I decided to come too," said Nate. "I need to tell Digby what to do," he explained. "It's raining. You're all wet," he added.
"It's the weather machine," explained Aneisha from behind Tom.
"Hi Aneisha," said Nate. He saw Zoe standing behind Aneisha. "You're Zoe aren't you ?" he asked her. She nodded. "Dan likes you doesn't he ?" he asked. Zoe smiled sheepishly and nodded. She remembered how Nate tended to ask embarrassing questions. It made her smile in spite of her concern for Dan's safety. She could imagine how Dan would behave if he were here now. He really hated being asked personal questions.
There was a whirring of motors and hissing of hydraulics as Digby stepped down from the back of the lorry. Everyone stood back so that the large robot could step his large rectangular feet round to Nate's position in the cab. "Digby, are you ready ?" asked Nate.
"Digby is ready," said the robot's voice.
"I want you to do what Tom tells you to do and then come back here," instructed Nate.
The robot turned to face Tom. "Digby is ready," said Digby.
"OK. This is what I want you to do Digby," began Tom. He instructed the robot to find its way through the house to the entrance to the control room, force its way in, turn off all of the weather machines and rescue Dan. "You have to be careful about Mr. Storm. He is the other person in the room and he is dangerous," warned Tom. "He might try to hurt Dan too," he added. "Do you understand all of that ?" he asked.
"Digby understands," said the robot.
Nate held out a control device with a screen that he had in his hand. "You can use this to answer questions and see what Digby sees. Digby asks questions if he doesn't know what to do," explained Nate. Tom thanked him and took the control device.
"Go now Digby," said Tom. "Good luck," he added.
The robot slowly climbed the steps into the building entrance. All of the SWAT team and rangers parted to let the large robot walk past. Nobody had ever seen anything like it. Tom pulled up a screen on the control device which allowed him to see what Digby could see through his camera eyes. "This is amazing Nate," said Tom. "He's got stereoscopic vision !"
"Yes. He needs to be able to judge distances," said Nate, matter of factly.
The robot found the right corridor, dodging lightning bolts shooting across the hallway. He trudged slowly along the corridor and turned the corner into the corridor with the gale. He walked into the gale without any apparent difficulty. As he neared the weather field at the end, Tom wondered if the robot would be affected by the field after all. Although the robot's vision blurred and fizzed as he crossed the field, he appeared to survive. "Digby's at the control room door," reported Tom. Zoe and Aneisha crowded up to his shoulders to see what was going on. The robot held out an arm and tried to turn the door handle. It wouldn't budge. "Open the door Digby," ordered Tom into the controller. He watched as the robot reached out both arms, grasped the door and pulled it off its hinges, as if it were a piece of light cardboard. The robot leaned the door against the wall and stepped through.
Tom gasped as the robot looked around the control room. He could see the smallish hole blasted in the wall at the other end of the room. Dan was lying on the floor, still tied to a chair. Worst of all, he could see swirls of the weather field sweeping around the room. Dan was going to be affected by the fields. A terrified Storm was running around the room, pushing levers up all over the place. "Turn on the audio !" shouted Nate from the lorry. Tom pushed a button and then they could all hear Storm's screams.
"Robots ! Spies ! Will you stop at nothing ?" he yelled. Suddenly the man ran past Digby. Digby turned in time to see the scientist slamming his hand against a large red button beside the door on to the courtyard. 'Emergency Door Override' read the sign next to the door. The door swished open and the crazy scientist pulled it open and ran out into the courtyard, seemingly oblivious to the dangers of the weather fields. "You can't stop me !" he screamed. "You can't, you can't !" and he started to dance around in the swirling wind outside. Tom noticed that some of the field was now sweeping in through the open door.
"Digby, you need to push down all of the red handles," instructed Tom. "Every one in the room." He watched as the robot started to search around the walls for the handles. His arm reached out and one at a time he pulled them down. Stella motioned for some of the SWAT team to go up to the entrance to monitor what was happening inside the house.
"The hallway is clear now !" shouted one of the SWAT team. "We can go in !"
Stella took a call over her earpiece. "The team at the back say that the field is down, but Storm is still dancing around like a lunatic shouting and laughing," she said.
"Well done Digby," said Tom. "You've turned off all the handles. Can you now free Dan from the chair and carry him out please ?" he asked.
The robot turned and they had a clear view of Dan lying on the floor. The robot reached out and assessed the ropes tying Dan. Then a small circular cutter came out of his hands and very carefully cut through all of the ropes so that Dan slid on to the floor. They watched the robot pick up Dan gently in his arms and start to carry him towards the door.
"He could go out of the back door," Zoe whispered in Tom's ear.
"Storm's out there," said Tom. "I think it's better this way," he added. The others nodded.
Shortly Digby appeared at the entrance door, cradling Dan's unconscious body in his arms. Everyone started applauding as the robot carried him carefully down the stairs. Two ambulances had arrived while they were waiting and paramedics rolled a stretcher out to meet the robot, who placed Dan unbelievably gently down. As they all craned to look, they could see a small trickle of blood running down Dan's forehead and there were the two red thumb prints on his throat. Otherwise, he looked relatively unharmed. Tom hoped that the weather fields hadn't messed with Dan's mind.
"Well done Digby ! You were great," said Tom. It felt strange talking to a robot like it was a real person, but the robot was so like a person, he couldn't help himself. "You've done everything now Digby. You can go back to Nate," instructed Tom. He and the robot walked over to the lorry and Tom handed the remote back to Nate. "He did it Nate," said Tom. "He was brilliant. Thankyou so much," he added.
"That's OK," said Nate. "Is Dan all right. Is he mad ?" he asked.
Tom stiffened at the insensitive question, then reminding himself that Nate didn't know any better. "I don't know yet Nate. We'll have to wait and see what the doctors say when he wakes up," said Tom.
The rain was slowly easing off now and the clouds in the sky were clearing. "Get in the lorry Digby. We're going home," said Nate. The robot turned and did as it was told, climbing carefully into the back of the lorry. The driver closed the door, got in the cab and drove the lorry away. Nate waved from the window.
"Oh Frank, all the students are still sitting in the minibus," said Aneisha, suddenly remembering.
"Good point. Right, you three with me !" ordered Frank. "We'll take everyone back to school. He held up his hands as the others started complaining. "We'll go and see Dan afterwards OK ? He needs medical attention first," he said. With that, they all started trooping off back to the farm buildings to collect the rest of their school group. The injured SWAT team members were loaded into the ambulances, along with Dan and were taken away. Stella and the rest of her team started the clear-up operation at the mansion.