The Apple Alder Tree: Part Six
`But there must be another way' Hermione said angrily `what horrors in the future can be so bad to warrant two billion deaths?'
`Just one thing' Harry said, a small tear in his eye as he looked out at the world through the mirror `The war to end all wars'
`What does that mean?' Hermione asked.
`Their right…' Harry said softly, Hermione saw that a grin had come onto Mr Bell's face `the world is heading for a fall, for a huge war...The economical problems mean that they will compete for land, for minerals, for the human workforce…neither side will use any weapons of mass destruction in fear of destroying anything valuable, and thus both sides will fight in a constant stalemate'
`What does that mean?' Hermione asked, she was in disbelief over every word that Harry spoke.
`Think of the trench warfare in World War Two…' Harry said sadly `it will be like that but this time it will last for a thousand years…people will be cloned to replenish the frontline, people will be born for generations purely for war…countless billions will lose their lives for nothing'
`And you think killing them all now will solve all of this?' Hermione said scornfully as she pointed out the window at the planet `that they would thank you for murdering them while they sleep, or work or played?'
`But we can bring them back' Claudia spoke up `when the world can cope again, when the damage we've inflicted can be put right…when we have a real future again'
`I cant stop them' Harry said speaking up, confidence back in his voice `I won't stop them…how can I let so many bad things happen in the future when I could stop it right here, right now'
`So you're going to kill every person in the world?' Hermione asked.
`No' Harry said seriously `I will let history unfold by itself, and then we will leave'
`That sounds perfect!' Mr Bell said clapping his hands in joy `and of course I wouldn't dream of involving you in all this'
`No, I want to be involved' Harry said turning his face to look at Mr Bell `I want to make sure everything goes right, I cant let there be any mistakes'
`And we'd be happy to let you help' Claudia said sternly to Mr Bell.
`Of course' Mr Bell said turning bright once more `If you'd like to follow me to the control room'
Hermione followed them as they left towards an elevator close by, Hermione tried to get next to Harry and try and find out what was happening, she couldn't believe that he would let this happen, however much he had seen in the future.
`That's a nice suit by the way' Harry said conversationally as the doors closed and the elevator sped upwards `makes you look like Mel Gibson'
`I don't know who he is, but thank you' Mr Bell said confused as he shook his head clear of the thoughts.
`My pleasure' Harry said with a little chuckle to himself. Hermione looked at him and his confidence, for the first time, made him creepy as he walked towards billions of death with a smile.
`Can I see your ipod?' Harry asked Claudia.
`Sure' she said confused as she handed it over. It was about as thick as a credit card and slightly smaller, and if they weren't about to kill everyone Hermione would want one herself.
`I love these things' Harry said brightly as he looked at it and pressed a few buttons `can I have this one?'
`Of course' Claudia said nicely making Harry pocket the ipod `I was going to get the new one anyway'
`Here we are' Mr Bell said as the doors opened and he led them through. Hermione was sure that the room would look like a Bond Villains lair, with security guards and flashing lights but found herself disappointed when she saw yet another cream coloured room with just a desk and computer positioned in the centre, with just another large window showing the world in all its glory.
`So this is where you created the electronical disease?' Harry said as he walked up to the laptop and sat down beside it and started to press buttons before asking in a distracted voice `can I have a look?'
`Fire away' Mr Bell said calmly `we have five more minutes till we must launch the virus'
`An electronical impulse is sent violently through the Bluetooth to every ipod in the world, transmitting the virus along with it that disturbs the electrical impulses in the brain but…that's how you do it!' Harry said amazed `you leave the virus in their system, activating the electrical impulses in the muscles but not to interact with the brain because it has been fried…clever, very clever'
`And just because of electricity they can still walk around?' Hermione asked curiously.
`Of course they can' Harry said looking at her `think of ambulances with those resuscitation pads that pump electricity into the body to bring people back? They activate electrical impulses in the flesh, that's why they convulse when fired, but the technology from 2006 is to low'
`Like in Frankenstein, right?' Hermione asked, remembering her GCSE English class.
`Mary Shelley also studied Science at Cambridge , and it shows in her writing' Harry explained `but the technology nowadays is much more advanced, pumping just enough at a cellular level so it allows them to operate the basic muscle functions'
`And as it's a electronical virus we can manipulate it and send more Bluetooth instructions to tell the cells what we want it to do' Mr Bell finished `but we must be carrying on with this as the satellites will be reaching the desired locations nay minute'
`Just one second' Harry said pressing yet more buttons on the laptop before standing up and letting Mr Bell sit down `everything looks perfect, you've designed it intensely well'
`Well this has been our fourth Aguillera Space Station so we've had the practice' Mr Bell said as he typed furiously at the buttons.
`Talk of a curse' Harry said brightly, slapping Mr Bell on the back in congratulations.
`But all that will be worth it soon' Claudia said, taking Harry's hand in her own.
`Have you got my real wand?' Harry said quickly, letting go of Claudia's hand who looked at him in shock.
`Yeah, Claudia get it for them' Mr Bell said, waving a hand over his back as he carried away typing.
Hermione watched as Claudia walked out of the room, throwing suspicious glances over her shoulder at Harry. Hermione turned and looked at Harry who was now staring directly at her with a smile on his face, and he slowly raised his hand to his lips, grinning to let her know he had a plan.
`How long left now?' Harry said brightly.
`About a minute' Mr Bell said.
`I have to say I think you may be wrong' Harry said, his voice low and serious `I think your going to make a big mistake'
Mr Bell stopped typing and turned his attention to Harry, throwing him an angry confused look.
`What do you mean?' Mr Bell said nastily `you haven't got the guts for the big decision?'
`I have got the strength' Harry said quietly `that's why I'm warning you not to do this'
`I don't need your warnings' Mr Bell said dismissively, pointedly holding his finger of the return button, ready to activate his disease `and you've already shown me that you won't interfere, you wont change human history through a whim of yours…your too noble for that'
`If you think so' Harry said shaking his head `but I warn you not to do this…please don't…'
`Harry, stop him!' Hermione said desperately as she saw his finger starting to lower.
`He can't and wont' Mr Bell said as he dropped his finger onto the button, the click of the button being pressed seemed unnaturally loud as she looked out over the planet, and wondered if the people would be dying yet, and how many of them were in pain `Don't worry, little girl, you're here to see me save the world'
`I don't think that's the case' Harry said, a little smile on his face.
`What do you… mean?' Mr Bell said but as he did he suddenly bent over his desk, shaking slightly in pain.
`What have you done!' Claudia screamed, Hermione spun round and saw she had entered the room, dropping Harry's wand to the floor.
`I've done nothing' Harry said as he wondered over to her and lazily picked up his own wand, a smile on his face as he pocketed his spare and clenched the original `Mr Bell seems to have bitten of more than he could chew'
`What have you done?' Claudia screamed, throwing her hands up to her ears in shock.
`I reformatted the Bluetooth pulse, like how they did their experiments on the crew of this Space Station' Harry said walking over slowly to Mr Bell and watching him as he convulsed violently `sent the pulse to only work on a specific ipod…your ipod'
`You planted it on him' Hermione said, watching as Mr Bell shook back and forth in pain.
`Then I tried to talk him out of it' Harry said, suddenly serious `I didn't want this to happen to him, but I couldn't allow him to kill anyone either…in the end I gave him a choice'
`You killed him!' Claudia said walking up to Mr Bell `you killed us all!'
`Don't touch him' Harry said grabbing her urgently `the disease is still active and it'll infect you'
`I have to try' Claudia said worried.
`You'll die' Harry said seriously.
`If it was Hermione, what would you do?' Claudia said, eyeing Harry nastily.
`I'd try anything I could' Harry said softly as he let go of her, looked into her eyes for a few moments before he turned and walked towards the door. Hermione looked over at the fear in Claudia's eyes for a second before following Harry to the elevator.
`Dr Potter' Claudia yelled as they were about to enter the elevator. Harry stopped and turned around to look at her `Death does follow…but I do hope it doesn't get Hermione'
`Thanks' Harry said after a moment before turning and following Hermione into the elevator, quickly pressing the button so the elevator shot downwards.
`Are they going to die?' Hermione asked.
`Yeah' Harry said sadly, shaking his head.
`And all the others in the hospital and upstairs?' Hermione asked hesitantly.
`Their already dead' Harry said looking at her.
`Can't you do anything?' Hermione asked cautiously. She knew Mr Bell was evil, but she couldn't bare the idea that someone would die if they could save them.
`You expect me to risk my life for everybody in the whole of existence, and I'm fine with that' Harry said shaking his head `but not even I can stop a man being evil, I cant save everyone…all I can do is try, and save as many of the innocent that I possibly can'
`And you do it wonderfully' Hermione said putting her hand onto his chest `more than anyone could dream for you to do…'
`Then why do I feel like I failed?' Harry asked seriously, sorrow lining every crease in his face.
`Because that's the curse of being a hero' Hermione said with as much of a friendly smile as she possibly could.
`Thank you, Hermione' Harry said kindly looking into her eyes as his hand moved up and held hers in his `Let's get back home'
Harry removed her hand and led her through the still empty street, not stopping to look at anything in their way. Hermione knew that Harry felt the same way as she did, that if they saw any more of this place it would be too much. All she wanted to do was to be somewhere else, anytime else.
Harry opened the door to the Anglia and stepped through, Hermione following him into the large room that should really have been a car.
`Feels good to be home' Harry said walking up to the cabinet and putting his spare wand away, before turning and smiling at her.
`I have a question' Hermione asked, the one thing playing on her mind needed to be answered.
`Shoot pretty girl' Harry said with a friendly shrug of his shoulders.
`You painted a picture of the future…' Hermione said, she didn't really want to hear the answer but needed to know `is it really as bad as you described it?'
`Not at all' Harry said brightly.
`But it sounded terrible?' Hermione asked.
`Of course bad things happen, they always do' Harry explained `but that picture of the future was simply something I made up'
`But why?' Hermione asked confused
`I needed to make them believe I was on their side, convince them I wasn't faking it, so I could find a way to stop them killing everyone that wasn't just killing the pair of them. As I said at the time, if theirs another way, I don't kill' Harry said with a smile `anyway, I knew a story of mass destruction and war would convince them I was sincere'
`How did you know it would work?' Hermione asked curiously.
`People are always the same, wherever and whenever you go' Harry said brightly `everyone believes that the world is going to end, that humanity will perish…Christians had the return of Jesus and the judgement, hippies fear nuclear weapons and the environment, while Hollywood tends to think in terms of asteroids and meteorites'
Hermione watched as Harry walked quickly around the pensieve, talking speedily, and Hermione knew that what he was saying was the truth, people were obsessed with the end.
`No one every think that maybe we'll just make it' Harry said, his deep green eyes flickering onto hers `that humanity is in this for the long haul, that we'll even outlive the planet and galaxy!'
`So you played on their fears?' Hermione said with a grin, remembering Harry's words of earlier that day.
`Exactly!' Harry said `and as I pointed out before, what you fear isn't what you really should be scared of'
`Like people always wanting what's wrong for them?' Hermione asked.
`Fantastic' Harry said with a grin `I know that one's definitely true for me'
Hermione watched closely as Harry ran his hands over the pensieve, his eyes watching the swirling silver steam.
`So what do you want that's wrong for you?' Hermione asked in her most casual offhanded voice.
`Well…' Harry said stopping and looking up at the ceiling for a few moments in thought before his eyes snapped back to her with a smile `I can think of a few things'
Hermione looked away slightly, and fiddled with the back of the chair in front of her. Her mind thought back, against her will, on the feeling of Harry's lips against her skin, her head resting against him as he helped her down the elevator shaft, on the many times she had rested her head against his chest as they embraced.
`I'm the same' Hermione said looking up at him.
`Really?' Harry said taking a step towards her and speaking quietly `What do you want that's bad for you?'
`I…' Hermione stuttered slightly as she her mind realized they were alone together `I…I want a burger'
`A burger?' Harry said, throwing his head back and laughing `Fantastic!'
`Yep!' Hermione said brightly, smiling at Harry's wonderful laugh `McDonalds…a Big Mac!'
`As always your wish is my command' Harry said turning sharply to the pensieve and lifting his wand up to his head. Hermione sat down quickly
`Lets pick a time when McDonalds won't try to kill us' Hermione said smirking `one major corporation trying to kill me is enough for one day'
*
So that's the conclusion, hope you liked it…next adventure is going to the past, to one of my favourite periods of time, and of course something will be trying to kill our duo!
Till then…
Jms Granger…
P.S I LOVE the ipod, and only chose it as I liked the idea…I own two, a 20 gig and 60 gig, and absolutely can't live without it, it's the centre of my little life really…thus the idea came about…
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