Deep Blue - The Descent

3: Running Late

Nick didn't mind computers in a general sense, he appreciated their processing and computing power. He just had a problem whenever computers were put in control of something. He never engaged an 'auto-pilot' feature while driving or piloting. It made him extremely uncomfortable to ride in any automobile that didn't have a human sitting behind the wheel. It didn't matter that dozens of tests had 'proven' that the computers had a faster reaction time, in his mind they were missing one thing -- gut instinct. That was something you just couldn't program into a chip.

Nick slammed the car in reverse, screeching the tires as he pulled out of his parking spot. He had 7 minutes to get to Naval HQ which was a good 12 minutes away -- on a good day.

He hadn't lied to Mary, at least not about him being a test pilot and today being launch day for a new top secret submarine. Of course he probably should have left off the 'top secret' details. About the "Captain" thing -- well, he never actually said he was a Captain, just that he had his own ship. And that, was entirely true. Of course, he also failed to correct her misinterpretation.

He drove the car like he was in a street race, racing through the gears and weaving back and forth through traffic. The other cars, in auto-drive mode, kicked into their defensive driving subroutines, changing lanes when they could, in an effort to get out of the way.

While Nick didn't like riding in an auto-drive car, he didn't mind being on the road with them. They were incredibly easy to predict, and to a certain point control, if you knew how they reacted.

Speeding, and breaking numerous other traffic laws, it did appear, for a moment, that Nick was going to make it to the briefing just in time. That was, until traffic came to a complete standstill. Nick slammed on his breaks, rocking the car forward ahead of a pair of black skid marks.

Guam is a tiny island in the Pacific, approximately 5 miles wide by 25 miles long. It's home to just over 150,000 people. Following the Spanish-American war it was claimed as a territory of the United States, but in 2045 Guam declared its independence but allowed the US Air Force and Naval bases to remain on the island, primarily for the security they provided.

Traffic typically isn't a primary concern when trying to get to work. But today, of all days, some ox had managed to tip over the cart it was towing, scattering dozens of chickens all over the road and everywhere else in the immediate vicinity. All lanes were blocked and weren't going to be moving anytime soon, as the chicken farmer and a handful of officers were running around trying to wrangle the chickens. The ox, was standing in the center of the road, casually grazing on the nearby foliage like it had no better place to be.

A quick glance at his watch told Nick he had four minutes left to reach his destination. Sitting behind a pile of cars and chickens was not going to get the job done. At that point, Nick took advantage of another feature that auto-drive cars were unable to do -- improvise.

The smell of burnt rubber still hung in the air as Nick steered his car left down a side street. The street then doubled back toward his quarters, which wouldn't have helped his situation, except for the fact that the road ran parallel to the Navy golf course. The golf course's entrance just happened to be by the Officers Club which was only two blocks from HQ, and that -- was a straight enough line for Nick.

As the side street bent left, Nick veered right, off the road and onto the pristine green of the golf course. The car bucked like a wide horse as it left the smoothness of the pavement. It was clear the Mustang's suspension wasn't built for off-road terrain, but then, as a test pilot, Nick's job often relied on him to get vehicles to perform in a way they were not designed.

Nick swerved right to avoid a cluster of palm trees then flew past several sand traps. He tore a pair of tracks through the perfectly manicured fairway and past a foursome of golfers that looked both shocked and angry to watch the blue Mustang tear past in a blur of blue and flying mud and grass. They yelled a few choice words at him as he passed.

The Mustang leapt over a hill blindly and Nick prayed that the other side was clear. He landed safe, but hard, on the other side, leaving a huge gouge in the terrain just off to the side of one of the greens. Ironically, it was at this time that Nick recalled the Navy Admiral was a fairly avid golfer. He just hoped that today the Admiral had someplace better to be. Nick was well aware that his car wouldn't be hard to identify on the island.

There were just two minutes left as Nick and the Mustang exited the opposite side of the course near the main entrance passing a line of occupied golf carts on the way out.

Back on the road again the tires screeched, Nick sped past the Officers Club taking a sharp left toward Naval HQ, still speeding excessively. ~He pulled up to the guardhouse with a minute to spare and tried to look as casual as possible. Mud, grass and dirt covered the lower sides of the Mustang.

"Lieutenant Commander Sheppard. Here for the M.A.N.T.A. Project.", he said with a smile.

The guard at the front gate approached the driver's side door with his pad and ran a quick facial identification check.

"Mmm hmm.", the guard nodded as the identification came back positive. "Today must be a big day. There's a lot of brass inside."

"Yeah.", Nick nodded. "It's a big day."

The officer nodded, tapping the pad and opening the front gate. As the gate slowly opened the officer added, "Slow it down in there Lieutenant Commander -- and stay safe."

"Always.", Nick said returning a mischievous grin and casual salute.