EarthFall

Chap 22 Test Drive

An hour of tiring conversation passed by. It was non-stop chatter. There were only 4 of them... 5 if Carson counted Abel which he didn't, but they still somehow all found a way to talk over each other.

Tucker had argued that it would be beneficial when dealing with Command, to have at least SOME basic knowledge of the systems involved when they teleported. He made some good points, Carson thought. They were tactically sound.

Gaia did not agree. Regarding the teleportation tech, everything seemed to be 'impertinent' to the conversation. He was under absolute lockdown.

Brianna had tried to find what it's range and capabilities were. Tried to figure out how many jumps it was capable of, or how much 'juice' it had, as she put it. She used some impressively roundabout ways of digging for information... But Gaia always seemed to see through it. He simply said it had enough juice to "Get the job done and return to Earth... Safely." And that was that. Apparently... they didn't need to know anything else about it.

Cornelius had volunteered to go for a test drive the following day. He wanted to go from one end of the field outside the cave, to the other. For some reason, his argument was the only one that held any water for the Ai.

He simply argued that they had never used any kind of teleportation tech before. That they didn't know how it worked. That from their perspective it was simply impossible. And if they were going to put their lives on the line, then it was only fair that they were given a test drive beforehand.

Just to "Make sure the damn thing works, at least." As Cornelius put it.

Gaia had agreed and they set a time. Tomorrow, shortly after Sunrise. Apparently satisfied with the meeting's conclusion, the Ai's both announced they were going to retire for the night.

Abel didn't move. The rest of the humans walked the Machines politely to the mouth of the cave and bid them farewell this time. As they rolled out of sight Cornelius suddenly piped up.

"Probably off to go recharge their batteries." Carson turned to his team mate.

"Good thinking Corn." But there was no sign of recognition on his face.

Tucker chimed in. "Yeah that was brilliant! We'll be able to actually see what it looks like from the outside when it teleports. What if the Air it used to occupy slams together like a thunderwave?! Oh my god... What if we see it turn red and phase out sight slowly?"

"What does it matter?" Cornelius asked.

"It matters, because if we witness any of the phenomena Tucker described, or something else entirely, it will most likely serve to help us deduce the means by which it teleports. Am I close, Tuck?"

"Spot on Chief! Yes... There are theories, currently about how one could achieve true teleportation. Obviously, they all remain unproven. However, most of the theories have these potential, theoretical side effects associated with them. And if we happen to witness something. Anything at all... it could help us to figure out how to build it ourselves! I mean, at the very least, it could be a massive push in the right direction."

"You did good Corn, real good." Carson clapped him on the shoulder. "Talson would have been proud."

Cornelius disagreed.

"Somehow I doubt that..."

Carson paused. Hadn't he said the exact same thing, only a few days ago?

"...Why?" Carson asked.

"If Chief had.. If Talson had been here, he would have shot that rolling ball the second he laid eyes on it. Just for target practice."

Carson looked at Cornelius. "Do you think that might have been the right thing to do?" He asked carefully, trying to judge his friend.

"What? Fuck no! I might not have been the first to make Earthfall in the last 300 years, apparently, but do you not realize that in less than 24 hours I, Cornelius Jade Satchel, will become the first man in history to have ever successfully teleported!? Do you not see how huge this is?"

Tucker pinched the bridge of his nose.

Cornelius grinned wider.

Carson narrowed his eyes.

"God damnit, Corn."

-----The Next Day-----

Carson sat in the Cave, sucking down his last protein packet, thinking about Gaia's ship.

They had finished the test drive an hour ago. Gaia was a minimalist, apparently.

The ship was a perfect half sphere, roughly 12 feet in diameter. A silver dome with a flat bottom, fashioned from some type of metal alloy none of them were familiar with. It had been extremely smooth, and slightly warm to the touch, but he didn't know if that was just the result of the sun shining on it or not.

There had been no visible means of propulsion, but it had come floating a few meters over and across the landscape. It followed Gaia as he rolled. They both moved at a painstakingly slow pace... It had taken almost 10 minutes to cross the 100 yard clearing.

When it had come time for Cornelius to get in, an invisible seam split, revealing a door that folded down into a ramp.

They all had taken a peek inside before Cornelius went aboard. A half dozen seats lined the walls, but there were no seatbelts. In the center was a semi-sphere shaped divot in the ground.

The interior looked like it was all crafted from one piece. Either printed or carved from a solid block of metal. There were no seams, corners, or hard angles. Just smooth, simple curves.

Brianna and Carson had decided to watch the show from a safe distance using the binoculars. Tucker had 'observed' it from less than 10 feet away. Carson had advised against it, but Tuck had been adamant.

It turned out he worried for nothing.

They watched as Cornelius walked up the ramp.

Maia followed after him, and rolled into the divot on the floor where she hunkered down and 'sat'. The door rolled up, and then it simply disappeared. A half-second later, it re-appeared 200 feet in another spot across the far end of the field.

Cornelius had predictably emerged from the ship, leapt off the ramp in excitement onto the grass, and shouted at the top of his lungs "One small step for man! One giant leap for humanity!"

It was terribly anti-climactic. And Tucker had been so hopeful too. There had been no sign of... anything. Not a flash of light, a loud noise, the smell of ozone... nothing. Just the slightest shimmer in the air, waving like a mirage. That's what Carson and Brianna had seen, anyways. Tucker had no such luck. Perhaps he had been standing too close...

Carson crumpled up his packet and threw it on the ground. This changed everything. The beginning of a real plan was starting to formulate in his head. Maybe not a feasible plan, but a simple one.

He turned and made his way back into the area of the Cave Abel had chosen to take up quarters. He found him, with a handful of the blue, glowing mushrooms that grew from the walls, chewing silently and sipping from a jug of water. He paused, taking in the sight.

"What." he demanded. "They taste like blueberries." He added a moment later around a full mouth.

"Let's take a walk." Carson said simply.

Abel spit a mouthful of incandescent juice onto the floor and eyeballed Carson. Then he sighed.

"Ok. Let's talk."