Attack of the Zombies (9 page)

Corporal Henckman
: Be quiet soldier.
You do not talk to the commander unless he first address's you.

Headmaster:
Thank you Corporal, but
let the lad speak. Jeb is it?

Jeb:
Yes Sir, Steve sir.

Headmaster:
So Jeb, what do you mean,
and call me Steve.

Jeb:
Well Steve, as far as I can
gather the Survival Room is linked to the Overworld by the locked
open portal. That creates the gravity that allows us to do amazing
things.

Headmaster:
Correct Jeb.

Jeb:
BUT, the cheat codes that you use
to control the Survival Room are controlled by a mainframe computer
in the School.

Headmaster:
Correct again Jeb, but the
control centre has been destroyed so how does that help us.

Jeb:
You have another control centre
in the school, why not just use that one?

Headmaster:
Because the Captain was
the logged user and only he can issue commands and alas he is
dead.

Jeb:
So reboot it

Headmaster:
Sorry?

Jeb:
Reboot the computer. When it
recognizes that the Captain is dead it will initiate its log
program. Who is logged to give commands in the original
program?

Headmaster:
I was.

Jeb:
There you go then. Reboot the
computer and you will once again be in charge of the Survival
Room.

Headmaster:
Genius. Colonel Mayer, why
did you not think of this idea?

Colonel:
Uh, I don't even know what
he's talking about sir. Sorry.

Headmaster:
Corporal, do you
understand how to reboot a computer.

Corporal Henckman:
Sorry sir, no
idea.

Headmaster:
Well I guess I will have
to do it myself.

Colonel:
Steve, you can't leave now.
The only chance we have of holding out until the troops arrive is
with you by our sides.

Headmaster:
But we have no choice
Colonel, if I stay we are more than likely doomed, if I leave and
regain control of the Survival Room it may be all too late.

Jeb:
I could do it for you.

Headmaster:
You Jeb. You know how to
reboot a computer?

Jeb:
Uh yeah, every eleven year old
knows how to do that!

Headmaster:
Eleven! What the heck are
you even doing here?

Jeb:
You see I won the choosing
ceremony and ..

Colonel:
Steve, we don't have time for
this now. Jeb, can you really do this?

Jeb:
Sure, no problem.

Colonel:
Steve, I suggest Corporal
Henckman takes a platoon of soldiers and escorts Jeb back to the
school where he can reboot the computer and give us back control of
the Survival Room.

Headmaster:
Yes Colonel, but we can't
spare a platoon. Corporal Henckman, take a cavalry squad and escort
Corporal Jeb back to the computer room in the school.

Corporal Henckman:
Uh, yes Steve, but
that's Private Jeb sir, and he is just a noob.

Headmaster:
Not anymore Corporal. No
one below Corporal can gain access to the computer room. Corporal
Henckman, you are hereby promoted to Sergeant and Jeb is promoted
to your Corporal. Gather your troops and make haste.

Sergeant Henckman:
Steve, thank you
sir, we will not let you down.

Headmaster:
I know you wont Sergeant.
Corporal Jeb, how will we know that you have succeeded in your
mission.

Jeb:
When all hell breaks loose and
nothing makes sense then you know we have succeeded.

Headmaster:
Quiet a scary though Jeb.
If what you say is true then how do we take control.

Jeb:
I'm not entirely certain Steve,
but if it's anything like a normal computer you will just have to
state your name and the computer will lock onto your voice, once it
has verified that you are the logged user you should be able to
issue commands and take control of the Survival Room.

Headmaster:
Very good Corporal Jeb.
Make haste and bring us salvation.

And that it how I just got a battle field
promotion to Corporal. Can you believe it, just days ago I was a
noob at the School of Minecraft and now I have met Steve and
received a battle field promotion to Corporal,

Emerging from the command centre I am totally
star struck. We were immediately approached by two soldiers who
informed Sergeant Henckman that the squadron of cavalry would
arrive shortly.

"Err Sergeant?"

"Wow, that sounds cool, say it again
Jeb."

"Uh, sure thing Sergeant."

"Man, I sure like that sound of that. What
can I do for you Corporal Jeb?"

"Corporal Jeb, I guess I like the sound of
that too," I reply raising my hand for a high five.

The Sergeant just looks at me and I'm about
to lower my hand when he smacks it and replies, "Corporal Jeb. We
do not high five in the army, we salute, but I guess under the
circumstances we can make an exception today."

Cool, I can live with that! "So Sergeant, was
that really Steve?"

"Do I really need to answer that?"

I look at him for a few seconds before I
realize what he means. There was an aura around Steve that was
totally unmistakable. "No, I bet I would have known it was him even
if I was deaf and blind."

"Exactly, so why do you ask?"

"It's just that I have seen the headmaster
loads of times so how come I never recognized him before,"

"Have you Jeb, have you ever met the
headmaster?"

"Of course, he's always in the atrium giving
speeches and ...." I stop in mid sentence as the Sergeant shakes
his head. Then it hits me, I've never actually met him before, only
seen him from a distance.

"Ah, and so it dawns on the noob. He's never
actually met the headmaster, but don't worry, no one ever figures
it out. The only people who ever actually meet him are the
Minecraftia Guard."

"So you knew that Steve was the commander,
the headmaster?"

"Of course, everyone in the guard knows the
true story of Steve and meet him when they graduate."

"So how come everyone does not know?"

"Do I look like a blabber mouth to you? Think
very carefully before you answer that Jeb," he replies with a
slight smile on his lips.

"Uh, of course not sir," I reply.

"Well, years ago when Steve returned to
Minecraftia and informed the local councils of how the Overworld
worked no one wanted to believe him. Oh, don't get me wrong, they
were thrilled that someone had returned but they did not want to
believe that the Overworld was a death sentence for all that
ventured there, it was supposed to be an honor not a curse. So
anyway, after convincing the councils that the chosen would perform
so much better for Notch if they were trained, Steve opened the
School of Minecraft. Realizing early on that the whole of
Minecraftia was under threat but not having the support of the
world councils he took it on himself to form the Minecraftia Guard,
and sold it to the council that it was only a social club of sorts
for all returning avatars."

"Wow, does that mean that everyone in the
Guard have journeyed to the Overworld and returned?"

"Until this invasion started, yes. Everyone
in the Guard were returning Avatars."

"Awesome, so you've been to the Overworld
too?"

"Yes Jeb, I have been to the Overworld, but
let us not digress. Steve formed the Guard to protect Minecraftia
after the Zombie wars left the Overworld in ruins. Steve swore that
the mobs would never do the same here, even if the council did not
believe him."

"Wow, so the Zombie wars were real,
awesome."

"You know of the Zombie wars?"

"Uh yeah, me and Numbers found Steve's diary
in a hidden room in the school."

"Impossible, that book was destroyed years
ago."

"Nuh, it's still there, look, here's a page
from it," I replied handing him the page I had copied.

"This is unbelievable, we thought this book
was lost forever. Do you have more?"

"No sorry, that's all I was able to copy
before Darth broke in on us and tried to beat me up," I replied,
feeling a little silly talking about being bullied when we were in
the middle of a war.

"Do you realize what this could mean?"

"Uh no!"

"This could be the answer to beating the
mobs. The information in this book could be the difference between
winning and loosing the war."

"Ok, but wouldn't it just be easier to just
ask Steve?"

"After the Zombie wars his memories were
erased. He knew he had written an account of all that happened but
he does not know what happened to it."

"Why were his memories erased?"

"Seriously?"

"Uh yeah!"

"He can't remember. No one remembers. A lot
of Avatars, including myself, were with him during the Zombie wars
and all our memories stop at a certain point. We remember looking
for and finding the weapon, but no one can remember what it was.
All we know is that we used it and we won!"

"You were there too?"

"Yes, I was there too."

"Man, I knew I should have copied more of the
book!"

"Think very carefully Jeb, do you know where
the book is?"

"Of course, it's hidden behind a painting in
an old storage room in the school."

"Think Jeb, do you know of its location?"

"Uh yeah. I just told you, it's behind a
painting in ..."

"Yes or no Jeb, do you know its
location?"

"Uh Sergeant, I just told you twice where it
is?"

"What?"

"I just told you ..."

"So it's true, anyone that was involved in
the war can not know of its true meaning."

"Wow, mine blow. What are you talking
about?"

"It has been said that the true meaning
behind the Zombie wars was so unbelievable that a spell was cast on
all who were there, erasing their memories forever."

"Yeah, that makes sense seeing as you don't
remember what happened!"

"Yes Jeb, but the legend also states that no
one who was there can ever know why the war took place."

"Wow! So even when I tell you the where the
book is hidden you can't remember it? Freaky!"

"Yes, freaky indeed. It seems that you may be
a lot more valuable to this venture than I first realized. Wait
here for our new squad, I need to inform Steve of this new
information."

Right, so you are now up to date. I'm sat
here, writing my journal, waiting for Sergeant Henckman to return
and the new squad to arrive. It's been an eventful few days and I
feel that the next few will be even more memorable. Hopefully I
will get a chance to write again but if you are reading this and
there are no further entries then I guess I never made it back to
the School of Minecraft to reboot the computer and we never found
the Diary of Steve and unlocked the mysteries of the Zombie
wars.