Space Dreams

Chapter 8: The Great Escape

“Go away. I am not coming out until you have disconnected the intercom. ”

“That doesn’t disconnect the video cam.”

“Whatever. I’ll find a way to make you pay if you so much as steal a glance.” I threatened him.

“How would you know?” he asked amused.

“GO AWAY!” I yelled.

He laughed and disconnected the audio.

What a creep. And just when I started to warm up to him after our talk yesterday.

I quickly got dressed, trying desperately to keep as much wobbly parts covered as possible.

The second I was done the intercom cracked.

“Finally! Okay, let’s do the tour. Go left at the door of your cabin and follow the corridor down to the elevators. Take those to deck 5, where the machine rooms are.”

I nodded and walked out of my cabin down the corridor.

“Hey Zach? All the other mentors show their people around personally, why don’t you?” I asked him curiously.

“I am…well it is kind of hard to explain. You’ll understand when I’ll show you around the helm.”

“Okay…”

I entered the elevator and pushed the button for deck 5.

“Your ID, please.” A computer voice asked.

“Uhm, Zach? What is my ID?”

“I’ll overwrite it. But in future, just place your hand on the console on your left.”

I nodded.

The elevator moved through the ship and because of its glass doors I could see the different decks that we passed. There was a medical bay, something that resembled a mall, numerous floors of living quarters and a floor with all sorts of restaurants.

The elevator came to a stop and I got out and walked to the first room on the left. About fifty people in uniforms were working on different consoles.

One man was busy with a board of connections under one of them, using interesting devices that I never had seen before. I walked over to one of the consoles and looked at the interface.

The intercom cracked.

“Dr. Powalski? Would you be so kind to give Dr. Fowler a tour of the machine rooms? And show her the things she will be working with. I think she will be very excited when she sees our engines from up close.”

A tall man, dark hair and beautiful grey eyes came walking up to me, extending his hand.

“Hi, I am David. Let me show you around.”

“Kira Fowler. Nice to meet you.”

David first introduced me to the others and then left me with the group that I would be working with everyday.

They were busy running a simulation of forcing different kinds of gas mixes through the supersonic de Laval nozzle to find out which one would end up with the most efficient propulsion. I had never seen any such sophisticated simulating software and was fascinated by it. We spend a good few hours discussing its possibilities and I proposed some alterations to the program that would result in a better efficiency estimate.

After a while, Zach contacted David to ask why we were taking so long and then ordered him to send me up to the helm. David walked me to the elevators, told me that the helm was the top floor. The doors opened and I got in, looking at the buttons for the top level.