Two days later, Professor Tompkins brought the robot to Benson’s office. Zoe was there too.
“It’s beautiful,” she said, as she gazed upon the professor’s handiwork.
“It’s certainly not what I expected,” laughed Benson.
On the table, right in front of them, stood a perfect model of a blackbird. It was complete with glossy black feathers and a bright yellow beak.
“Where’s the camera?” asked Zoe.
The professor gently lifted the breast and neck feathers to reveal several miniature lenses, all tilted at different angles.
“That’s brilliant,” said Benson, “and it looks so real too.”
“Yes,” said Tompkins, still smiling. “It used to be a metal owl, but I adjusted the shape a bit, added a new head and beak, updated the camera equipment, replaced the electrical circuit and finally stuck on the feathers. I copied the shape and appearance of the ‘new’ bird from one of my son’s bird books. I have to say I’m rather pleased with the end result. Blackbirds are quite common in the safari park, so I don’t suppose that anyone will pay undue attention to one more.”
“Well done,” said Benson. “It sure looks good. Now, I suggest we go tomorrow. The safari park is never very busy on Wednesday according to the local entertainment guide, so there might not be too many people about, which reduces our chances of being spotted. Although we don’t want to be the only car in there, as that may just put us in the spotlight a bit.”
“Have you got a map, or plan, of the location of the CCTV cameras in the park?” asked the professor.
“Yes,” said Benson, rolling out a paper on his desk. “Although, having watched all of those tapes several times, I don’t really need this map. I have every one of the locations firmly imprinted on my brain.”
“Good,” said the professor. “We need to let the bird fly out of the car window when we are out of sight of the cameras, but we also need to be in the right position so that the copse is in the direct line of flight of the bird. I have managed to rig up some kind of remote control that doesn’t rely on rays, waves, or Wi-Fi. It’s fairly primitive, but it works… as long as I get the bearings right.”
He saw Benson and Zoe looking puzzled.
“The controls and directions are quite simply based on the good old-fashioned compass,” he smiled. “With a little bit of luck and the wind in the right direction, we’ll be all right.”
Benson and Zoe stared at him, alarmed at the thought of such random and haphazard chance being the controlling factor in their master plan.
“Just joking,” Tompkins laughed. “Everything will be fine.”
*
Next morning, Benson drove his car to the safari park. Zoe sat in the passenger seat with Professor Tompkins in the rear seats, accompanied by a few bits and pieces of electrical equipment, a fishing net and the blackbird.
“What’s the net for?” asked Zoe.
“You’ll see, if the need arises,” replied the professor, tapping his nose with his forefinger and smiling.
“You’d better cover that lot up with something until we get inside,” said Benson, as they approached the park entrance. “We don’t want to arouse suspicion and get asked awkward questions by the people staffing the entrance.”
The professor took off his jacket and spread it across the items in a way that not only successfully hid them, but looked as if he’d casually thrown it down on the seat, as anyone might if they were feeling warm enough to discard their coat.
Benson was wearing a hat and sunglasses. He’d decided to do so as a precaution because he was known to some of the staff at the park from the time he’d spent in getting the CCTV tapes. He didn’t want anyone recognising him now and risk jeopardising the plan.
Zoe had laughed when she first saw Benson that morning. “I didn’t realise it was fancy dress,” she’d said, grinning widely. “You look as if you’ve joined the mafia – either that or you’re auditioning for the part of an all-too-obvious secret agent.”
However, now all the frivolity and laughter had ceased, there was an element of tension in the air as they neared the entrance. It cleared a little as they paid their money and the vehicle was waved through, joining the small line of cars that were starting the journey around the circuit of the park.
As he drove onto the vehicle track, Benson hoped that the policeman he’d sent to see Araz would get his timing right and would be there at this moment – with enough questions to occupy Araz for the required time span. He didn’t want Zak showing up here and ruining the day.
As they approached the monkey compound, Benson slowed the car to a crawl and Professor Tompkins opened the rear window about halfway down. Checking his compass and the sketchy drawing that Benson had made of the CCTV camera positions, he picked up the model blackbird in his right hand. As they neared the point where the copse was directly northeast to their position, he held his hand to the open window and with a flick of his wrist the bird was gone and flying just like a real blackbird – straight into the thick greenery of the woodland copse.
As soon as the bird disappeared into the clump of trees, Professor Tompkins uncovered the equipment that lay on the seat beside him. He then carefully aligned the outline drawings on the small TV monitor he’d brought with him, with a roughly sketched paper map that showed an aerial view of the copse.
“I drew this diagram from an aerial photo we’ve got in the university,” he explained as he caught sight of the curious and puzzled glances being exchanged between Benson and Zoe. “I need it so that I can have as accurate an assessment of where the robot is in order that I can track it on the screen. Then I can steer it and control its movements remotely with this battery powered control box. The robot is fitted with a microchip that registers its whereabouts on this screen as a white blip… a bit like radar.”
Right on cue, the machine beeped and a dot appeared between the outlines of the trees. “See,” said the professor smiling. “It works.”
“Why do you need to steer it?” asked Benson.
“I need to be sure that when it flies, it covers every bit of space within that spinney,” replied the professor. “I also need to make sure that the camera it carries takes pictures of all of those areas and from as many different angles as possible.”
“How long will it take?” asked Zoe.
“About forty-five minutes should do it,” was Professor Tompkins’ response.
“So, what do we do in the meantime?” This time it was Benson who asked the question. “We can’t just wait here. For a start, we’ll be picked up on the CCTV cameras and the park rangers will come to see why we aren’t moving. We’ll also hold up the vehicles behind us, which could cause arguments and draw unnecessary attention to us. In either case, we risk our cover being blown and our activities being exposed.”
“Just drive on,” said Tompkins. “There’s a bit of a dirt track round the next bend in the road, behind that building over there.” He pointed to a half brick, half wood construction a little way ahead. “That’s where they house a couple of tractors and their grass cutting machines.
“If we speed up so that there’s a bit of distance between us and that car behind us,” he jerked his thumb back over his shoulder as he spoke, “we can nip down the track and pull in alongside the building so we can’t be seen from the road. We’ll also be out of the CCTV camera vision. We can wait there and I can still control the robot, as we are within easy reach of the trees. Then, when it’s ready to return, I can guide it in from there.”
Benson pressed his foot down on the accelerator and the car shot forward. “Sorry,” he said as the professor made a grab at the screen and control box to stop them from hurtling to the car floor, “I was a bit too quick then.”
Benson depressed the pedal less harshly this time, adjusting the car’s speed to a more acceptable and more even level. In no time, a suitable gap opened between them and the vehicle behind. He guided the car around the bend without changing gear and, in the few seconds available while the other cars were out of sight, drove it quickly onto the dirt track before executing a swift right turn. He then gently braked, before bringing the vehicle to a halt in the shadow of the tractor depot.
“Well done,” said Tompkins. “I don’t think anyone saw us.” He opened the window.
“Now I can get on with my work.”
For the next forty-five minutes, Professor Tompkins pushed buttons and twisted knobs, all the time keeping his eye on the blip on the monitor which moved back and forth, up and down, side to side and any which way in time with the professor’s deft manoeuvring. Then it was time to bring the bird home.
Benson and Zoe stared out of the car window, searching for a sign of the avian robot returning. Professor Tompkins kept one eye watching through the window and the other on the monitor screen as he twiddled with various bits of his machinery.
“Here it comes!” It was Zoe who saw the blackbird first. “I think,” she added, hesitating as she couldn’t be sure if the bird heading towards them was their robotic blackbird or a real one.
“That’s ours alright,” said the professor gleefully, as he checked that the movement on his screen matched that of the bird flying in their direction.
There were sighs of relief all round and all three occupants of the car broke into smiles. Suddenly, when the bird was only 50 metres or so from the safety of the car, Zoe, Benson and the professor became aware of something flying at high speed behind it. Whatever it was, the pursuer was closing pretty fast.
“What is it?” asked Zoe, concerned at this unexpected intrusion.
“It’s a hawk,” said Benson. “A sparrow hawk I’d say, judging by its low flying trajectory, and the way it came swooping low out of the trees.”
“Oh my gosh!” Zoe exclaimed. “What will happen if it catches the blackbird?”
“It will get a bit of a shock if it tries to eat it,” said Tompkins, his jovial comment masking his real concern. “But seriously, if the hawk takes our bird, we will lose all of the film in that camera.”
The trio watched the chase that was taking place outside of the car. The hawk was closer than ever now and there were still 20 or 30 metres until the blackbird reached the safety of the car.
“GET ALL OF THE WINDOWS OPEN,” yelled Zoe, her voice firm and clear despite the panic she felt inside.
Benson, taking his cue from Zoe and recognising the need for a quick getaway too, started the car and revved up the engine in readiness, simultaneously operating the electric window controls. All of the windows, rear and front, silently and swiftly slid downwards and the occupants of the vehicle could feel the sudden rush of air on their faces.
The blackbird was now so close to the car it seemed it would be safe, but the hawk had other ideas. It wasn’t put off by the close proximity of the vehicle or the noise from its occupants – two of whom were now shouting and waving their arms about. The third member of the triumvirate was bending down, struggling to free something from the jumble of objects on the rear seat of the car.
The hawk was now right above the robot bird. Only a few inches separated the two. The bird of prey swooped, and extending its formidable talons, it grabbed at the blackbird. Zoe gasped and closed her eyes, cupping her hands to her face as she did so. She opened them again in time to see the fishing net complete its aerial arc, expertly scooping up the speeding blackbird within its mesh, and continue its parabola to re-enter the car window with its target held firmly inside. When she looked outside, the hawk had disappeared.
“Drive!” ordered Professor Tompkins. “Let’s get out of here.”
The car engine, already idling, burst into life. Within seconds, they were off the side track and back into the mainstream of vehicles meandering slowly around the safari park.
Benson had to be patient as he drove in the queue, but as soon as he came to a crossroads where the signpost pointed to the way out, he guided the vehicle onto the exit route and soon they were out of the park and speeding towards the university.
Once they were back in Professor Tompkins’ room, he carefully took the camera from inside the robot bird and quickly connected the picture memory card to a nearby computer, bringing its captured secrets to life on one of the large screens he used for lectures.
The camera had taken over one hundred images, moving and still, and the trio scrutinised them intently. There were lots of cries of ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ and ‘look at that’, accompanied by a great amount of finger pointing and head scratching, as the screen revealed the hidden secrets that had been uncovered by the camera.
There were quite a few images of trees and monkeys, but what really caught their attention were the pictures showing a large monkey, which was much bigger than any of the others and seemingly in charge of the troupe – to the point that it continually barked what appeared to be orders that were instantly carried out by the smaller primates.
The biggest gasps and cries came, however, as the final footage was revealed on screen. It was from right inside the copse and it showed a huge arc, which had been made from bits and pieces of metal that had clearly been taken from vehicles. The upright metal crescent stood majestically in a clearing and the soundtrack of the film transmitted a low continuous hum that throbbed from the construction. The behaviour of the monkeys around this structure seemed very subdued compared to their wild antics in the safari park. It was almost as if they were scared of the arc as they seemed to cower and shrink away from it.
The big monkey had no such qualms. He could be seen standing before it as if supervising its operation and function. The ape was also observed nipping in and out of nearby bushes and fiddling with something as if making adjustments. The audio levels of the barely discernible hum on screen rose and fell in conjunction with these movements.
“Can I get a copy of that film?” asked Benson. “So I can take it back to the station and study it.”
“Yes, of course,” said Professor Tompkins.
“What do you think that arch is?” asked Zoe.
“I don’t know yet,” replied the professor. “I need more time to study it, and to enlarge the images and zoom in on certain bits. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it had something to do with the force field.”
“And the big monkey?” asked Benson. “I’ve seen him before, when I was looking at the CCTV footage from the monkey compound. He seemed to be in charge of the other monkeys. What do you make of that?”
“That’s Zak Araz,” said Zoe, emphatically. “I’d bet money on it… and I’d swear he was the hawk too.”
“No,” said Benson, shaking his head. “It couldn’t be him. I sent my constable to question him and keep him occupied while we were in the park.”
“Well,” said Zoe, defiantly, “if it isn’t him, then we’ve got an even bigger problem than we thought. It would mean that Zak Araz isn’t responsible for what’s happening and we’d have to start all over again to find out who is. But I’m convinced it is him, which leaves us with another problem as from what we’ve seen on that film, he appears to have control over animals as well as the humans he has hypnotised. So, we’ll see what your constable has to say… and, by the way, if he says he did spend the time with Araz, then I’d bet my life he’s played ‘Being There’ and is now one of Araz’s slaves.”