**7th of June 2055, Dover, Southern Shore of UCN Stronghold 11**
The warm weekend weather had passed. Now the morning sky and sea were greying over the Dover Seawall. Clouds, concrete and water held the same military hue as Training Seargent Smith shouted over swishing unkempt waves. The seawall itself was something to marvel at, the white chalky cliffs already made for an incredible natural bastion, but the addition of the navy's armaments transformed the beautiful landscape into something more imposing. Black steel support beams bore through the white stone and into the sea to help support the uniform concrete barrier that levelled out the once-natural ridges to hold heavy coastal artillery batteries, RADARs and the occasional wind sock.
Sergeant Smith finished his rant about the construction of the wall and told his cadets to march with him to the next point so he could start shouting again. Johan, his head forward, led the march. He couldn't help but notice the dearth of Navy ships. While, the seawall was well defended; he found it unusual for it to be without patrol.
"Left!" He would quiet for four steps and repeat his chant until the command to halt was issued.
Johan kept his head straight, forward and upright but allowed his eyes to wander around the wall as he and the others marched towards the largest emplacement. The other guns on the wall were impressive. Some were the size of houses for obliterating things from a distance, and the more modest guns were the size of cars and would catch any stray swimmers. However, this gun was something else entirely; a sentinel of dense black metal crouched over the wall with a barrel so large Johan was sure it could easily fit a bus inside.
"Halt!" Spat Seargent Smith.
The cadets stamped to a halt in unison.
"Cadet Seargent Greenwood!" Yelled Smith
"Sir!" Replied Johan
"Where are we, Cadet Seargent?!"
"The Dover Leviathan Battery, Sir!"
"Cadet Corporal Rae!" Shouted Smith, diverting his attention to Rozza
"Sir!" he replied
"What is the Purpose of this weapon!?"
"To destroy at the largest of djins, Sir!"
Seargent Smith nodded in approval before continuing
"This cannon began construction in 2036 as a deterrent for large djins that might approach what was then the United Kingdom. The project finished construction shortly after the United Coalition of Nations treaty in 2038..."
Johan let his mind wander. He knew the history of the UCN inside-out, and the drab weather wasn't helping hold his attention. He looked at the titanic gun and found himself thinking of his brother's toy car. A weapon, he called it, but this emplacement was an actual weapon. How could a wind-up car possibly compare to something like this? Or any of Dover's shore guns? Hell, the only people who could even make use of it were the Navy's Recon Corps, and Johan would sooner die than let his brother get involved with them.
As Smith wrapped up his brief lecture, Johan returned his focus to the old bearded officer and, on his order, began another march to the gun's innards.
-----
Major Alec Harrison pinched his scowl and inhaled through his nose.
"The hell am I looking at Casper?"
"I haven't thought of a name yet."
Harrison, exasperated, sighed.
"That's not what I meant."
"Oh..." replied Casper, his green eyes found the Major's feet and stayed there. "It's um... well..." he stammered.
"Just show me how it works"
"Right okay" said Casper. He spun and rummaged through his bag to pull out a notebook and a pencil case full of different mini screwdrivers.
He opened his notebook to the most recent page, placed it on Harrison's desk next to his machine and spun the book so the Major could read it. Confused by the series of numbers, Harrison flicked his gaze upward to Casper. Raising his bushy eyebrows so that Casper would elaborate.
Casper glanced at the major and back to his notebook while rocking on his heels, sucking his lip with anticipation.
The Major stared at him.
"I don't understand what this is," He relented.
"Those are the numbers for the machine," Casper stated, assuming that would clear Harrison's confusion.
The Major waited for him to continue.
"They uh tell it where to go... like coordinates or instructions"
Harrison's blue eyes lit up with realisation, "So it can navigate on its own!"
Casper, unsure he was being asked or told, responded with a tentative, "Yes... well I have to tell it beforehand, but yes".
"Interesting... but we've had remote control vehicles for decades. I don't get it; what's the point of a remote control vehicle that you lose control of once you let it go?"
"Well... look at it..."
Harrison brought his face closer to the device and gave it a thorough inspection. The light from the ceiling reflected off his bald head.
He could make out the axles and drivetrain, then he got lost. He decided to start with the machine's motor and work from there, but he couldn't identify that either.
"Where is the motor?" he asked, frowning.
"That's the idea. There isn't one." Casper said, now leaning forward onto Harrison's desk.
-----
Johan and his comrades spun gazing around the loading room of the Leviathan Cannon taking in the awesome feat of engineering as best they could. Metal claws hung from the ceiling bridge crane. The cannon's stock of shells lay on one side, held by a curved elevating shelf that held three shells per level. In the middle, a large cylinder near parallel to the ground housing a screw breach that could have been the door of a submarine. On the other side of the room were two large conveyors that led to what looked like a large door. Besides a smattering of cameras, this room was far emptier than Johan had imagined.
"Sir?" asked Johan
Seargent Smith, himself staring at the mechanism in the ceiling, took a moment before registering Johan's voice.
"Uh... yes son?" he mumbled.
"Where do those belts go?"
"The rail yard."
"I didn't see a rail yard, Sir"
"The cannon blocks your view when you come from the north side, you'll get to see it once we've seen the rest of the gun." he replied, matter-of-factly.
"There's more?" Johan's mind raced from the magnitude of the cannon.
Smith chuckled, "Boy, a weapon like this has floors."
-----
Harrison and Casper poured over the notebook in a vacant classroom. The pair had moved all the tables to the periphery of the room and stacked the chairs on top of them. Except for one table. Casper was using it to adjust his machine and make his notes while Harrison peered over his shoulder, trying to make sense of the notes Casper would intermittently scribble. In the centre of the room, they laid out a makeshift obstacle course made of stationery and textbooks.
"Next measurement?" asked Casper.
"78 Centimeters and 32 degrees left of normal" replied Harrison.
Casper repeated his process of scribbling and screwing.
"How do you know how far to adjust the machine?" asked Harrison.
"Count the clicks"
"So it really is like winding a watch?"
"Basically"
Harrison listened carefully as Casper wound the machine further, but he couldn't make out any discernable sound.
"Next measurement?" said Casper
"150 centimetres straight ahead, and then terminate," replied Harrison
Casper nodded without taking his eyes off the device.
"Okay... It's ready," said Casper. He gently picked up the device and brought it to the rudimentary start line Harrison had made of masking tape.
"So now you press the button?" Harrison asked in anticipation.
"Uh-huh" mumbled Casper as he placed the vehicle on the ground. He stopped "Do uh.. do you want to do it?" he asked.
Harrison was taken aback by the offer, "Really?".
"Yeah, I mean, I've done it before"
Harrison grinned like a spoiled child, "Okay then. It's the little sliver button on the left, Right?"
"Mmhm, just push it down and it should stay in place. The car will move about a second or so after."
Harrison complied. The little machine whirred to life and scurried around the improvised obstacle course.
"What are those whiskers on the front for?"
"They're like sensors. If it runs into a wall or an obstacle that would alter its course, they trip the system into reverse and the car returns to its start point."
"Amazing. Have you thought of a name?", Harrison's laugh lines pinching as he listened to his student.
"I haven't settled on anything, but I was thinking about calling it the Autonomous Unpowered Payload Delivery System. AUPDS"
"Payload?" Asked Harrison, face fallen but hiding his disappointment.
"Yes, I thought, seeing as it's so cheap to produce, strap a bomb on the back and you could have a pretty effective indirect fire weapon. At least when you're on the ground"
"Mmm... I think you should call it the Lobster"
"What does that stand for?"
"Nothing," said Harrison wistfully. "It just makes me think of a lobster"