Gary nodded and smiled and said, “Yes, I do,” then turned to face front.
"No sweat,” I said. “Just remember Bear won't appreciate aerobatics."
Ellen said in a flat tone, “And neither will I, Gary."
Gary sighed heavily and reached to the console for an egg-shaped device, then said something that sounded like 'elkor, ess'. A soft humming began below the deck and the vehicle lifted a couple of feet from the ground without disturbing the sandy soil beneath or around us as a hovercraft would have.
I watched Gary's piloting techniques carefully. He slightly tilted the egg to the right and the craft began sliding sideways. Once we were well-clear of the trailer, he turned the egg to the right a few degrees. The nose of the flitter followed the nose of the egg.
Gary said, “Light from outside can come in, but not hard radiations or more than the safest levels of ultraviolet and infrared. No light from within escapes the canopy. In close proximity to the surface, no side-tilting of the flitter is allowed by the safety monitor. The monitor will override the operator's commands if it decides that angles, speeds, and distances don't add up to a safe combination."
He pointed at a big pine tree. “If I headed us for that tree at full speed, the monitor would allow it only until we reached a point at which we were nearly out of safe flight parameters. It would then override the pilot and reduce speed proportionately until the nose of the craft softly touched the tree."
"Sounds good to me,” I said. “What happens if you drop the egg?"
"I can't drop it,” said Gary. “As long as the flitter is in operation, the egg is field-bonded to my hand. Watch this."
He let his hand drop quickly to dangle beside his seat and opened his fingers wide. The egg remained in the center of his hand as if glued there and the flitter gently rose into the air and stopped. Gary closed his hand around the egg and raised it again and the flitter gently began returning to its previous height of about two feet from the ground.
"If I fainted or died, the flitter would stop all forward motion and settle to within about twenty feet of any surface. It would remain there, motionless, until someone took the egg or came for us. It would then begin transmitting a distress call."
I said, “Time enough for a pilot to recover from something minor."
Gary nodded. “If the pilot is incapacitated, there's a manual override touchpoint on the egg's bottom. The new pilot would keep a finger on that touchpoint and transfer the egg to his or her hand. When the touchpoint is released, the egg field-bonds to the new pilot's hand."
I nodded and asked, “And if the egg is damaged or missing?"
Gary said, “Voice commands, but they're deliberately rather limited. I could tell the flitter to take us to the ship or to a number of other pre-programmed points and it would do so, but it flies itself like a little old lady. The ship would automatically take control to land us in one of the bays. One of the other destinations would also take over the landing when we got close enough."
"I think I may want one of these,” I said. “What about in-flight music?"
Gary grinned and said, “Coming right up."
He touched the console and a list appeared on the screen.
"Yeah. Number six,” he said, and touched a line of text.
The throbbing meringue beat of Gloria Estefan's "Go Away" filled the flitter at high volume. Ellen and I winced and Gary quickly tapped the console screen's 'down' icon. The music seemed to emanate from everywhere within the flitter.
"Sorry,” said Gary. “I like it like that sometimes."
"Where do I sign?” I asked. “I'll take this one. The mileage doesn't matter."
A double beep sounded from both watches.
Linda's voice said, “I do hate to interrupt your samba lessons, people, but weren't you supposed to be here by now?"
Gary held his wrists out as if to show me his chains and made a face of deep, vast sufferance, then he said, “On our way. Sorry for the delay."
"Ahead warp six, Ensign,” I said, “Engage."
Ellen grinned as I gestured in the general direction of the ship.
"We watch some of the same shows,” said Ellen. “I like the latest version best, though, I think."
"That's because the Captain is a woman, I'll bet. Actually, I like that series the best, too. They seem to have the best writers so far."
Ellen fingered a bit of her blonde hair in front of her face and asked, “Is that the only reason?"
"No, ma'am. That's one of three reasons. I like the way the lady Captain is portrayed, too."
"And...?"
"And every crew so far on those shows has had one member of some sort who was struggling to become—or avoid becoming—human. The current one is a very good-looking woman but a little too skinny for my taste, so I pay more attention to how she handles the role."
A certain kind of question was coming. I focused on Bear for a moment as I waited to see what form the question would take.
Ellen asked, “Then you prefer women who are constructed more like me?"
I pretended to be surprised. “Oh, hell, yes! I've never let the ad agencies con me into thinking that anorexia is attractive. That sort of thinking is for teenaged girls and brainwashed women who are self-conscious and insecure about their looks. They turn themselves into painted faces on stick figures."
I leaned to look over the side. We were only about thirty feet up and going about fifty miles per hour as we neared the shoreline and Gary didn't bother taking us any higher when we went 'feet wet', as the jet jockeys called crossing from land to water. He did, however, increase our speed a bit.
I felt a surge of acceleration and heard Bear's claws trying to dig into the plastic bottom of the carrier as he slid backward. It wasn't anywhere near being the same powerful slamming into the seat that I'd experienced when I'd hitched a ride back to base in an A6 jet from an aircraft carrier, but it was startlingly strong.
Gary said, “Would you prefer to ride with or without interior lighting?"
Ellen quickly said, “With. There's nothing to see out there but black water."
I said, “With is fine. Too many clouds to see the stars and I've already seen water at night. Besides, if you turn the lights off I won't be able to see Ellen."
She glanced across at me with a wry smile.
"With, it is,” said Gary.
I said, “Gary, I don't hear much from outside. How fast are we going?"
Gary turned with a smug grin and said, “At the moment we're going a little under seven hundred miles per hour, Ed. ETA is five minutes. Add another minute or so for docking without denting anything important."
A jolt of surprise coursed through me, but I wasn't going to let him see it.
"Cool,” I said. “Do these things come in any other colors?"
Gary kept his grin in place and asked, “How long would paint last on one of these? We're only staying barely subsonic to avoid undue local attention."
"Yeah. Two or three sonic booms a day might get noticed. What do you feed this thing?"
Ellen said, “We don't have to feed it. An engine will provide power for twenty years or more, depending on the amount of usage. When the engine monitor says that power has been nearly expended, a new engine is installed and what's left of the old engine's elements are recycled as inert materials."
"What keeps it off the ground and moves it forward? Another field effect like the one that keeps the egg in the pilot's hand?"
Ellen was surprised and didn't think to hide it. She said, “Yes, almost exactly the same effect, but reversed for levitation and directed for motion."
"That means it needs to be close to something with mass to repel. It's far more refined than our space shuttle, but it can't function in open space, can it?"
Gary's mouth dropped open. “Uh, no ... It can't."
I grinned at him and said, “Well, rats. I always wanted to visit space."
Linda's voice said, “I told you two he was smarter than h
e looked."
I said, “Gee, thanks, Linda. We're discussing weighty matters like antigravity, here, and you're taking cheap shots at me. I'm all depressed, now."
"You're very welcome, Ed. Um, I'm ... I'm ... sorry ... about being a hardass earlier. There's something you should know before you see me."
Ellen looked as if she was going to say something. I shook my head.
Linda continued, “I have to take a lot of pills these days and they don't always agree with each other. They can affect my moods."
"Yeah, I've heard that too many pills can do that."
Linda said, “I was in an accident some years ago. I was pretty banged up and I still hurt. How much do you need to know about it?"
"Whatever you want to tell me, Linda, but it can wait if you want. I already know you're in a wheelchair, so don't expect me to faint dead away with shock when I see you. They told me you might be fixable, too. Is that true?"
"By God, I'm hoping it is. The docs think so."
I laughed softly and said, “Well, they built that big-assed ship that's hanging there with no visible means of support and this nifty toy I'm in right now, so let's assume they know what they're talking about and expect good results."
Linda chuckled and said, “They do seem to know what they're doing most of the time."
"Linda, I'm bringing you something."
"What is it?"
"Can't tell you. It's about eight inches tall, though."
I heard her muted, "Oh, Jesus!", then, “This is an open line, Ed. Watch it."
"An open line? In your office? Hah. You have a dirty mind, ma'am, and now I'm fearing that you don't really trust me after all. Lots of things are eight inches tall, you know. Ellen saw it and wanted one just like it.” I paused for effect and added in a whisper, “So did Gary, but he said it was for someone else!"
Ellen couldn't hold it. She laughed out loud. So did Linda. Gary had an 'I'll get you for that' look on his face. I shrugged and grinned at him.
It wasn't long before the big ship became easily visible in the night sky. Lights blinked at intervals along its surface, presumably to make the ship more visible to aircraft, but that was about all. I'd expected more, I guess, based on some of the movies and my own imagination about such things, but other than the warning lights, the ship was a dark ball hanging in a darker sky.
A chime sounded from the console and we began decelerating quickly, still only a dozen yards or so above the surface of the gulf.
Gary put the egg on the console and said, “They have control of the flitter now. All we have to do is wait."
The flitter altered course slightly and rose toward the big ship, then seemed to drift further upward along the side of the sphere until we were perhaps halfway to the middle of it.
I was expecting my ears to pop from the abrupt change in altitude, but that didn't happen. I put the kitty-treats that would have made Bear chew enough to ease the pressure in his ears back into their pouch in my pocket.
Another chime sounded and a round panel opened on the side of the big ship, revealing a landing bay. Two rows of sequentially-flashing green lights formed a narrow runway to a marked touchdown point within the bay.
As we entered the opening, I saw a shimmering effect begin at the nose of our craft and travel along the surface of the canopy.
I asked, “What does this field do? Keep the inside air from escaping when the doors are open?"
Ellen said, “That's the most important thing, yes. But it also prevents the outside atmosphere from entering the ship."
I looked at her with a vacant expression and said in an exaggerated hick accent, “Duh ... Oh, Wow! Gee, ma'am, I'da never figgerd that out on muh own..."
Ellen giggled and said, “Sorry."
I grinned and said, “What the hell. I did ask about it, didn't I?"
As I watched the shimmer pass over me on the canopy surface, another chime sounded. It had a higher-pitched, sharper tone. Our forward motion continued, but Gary and Ellen were looking at me rather sharply.
I said, “I'll bet that doesn't mean they noticed Bear or his litter tray."
Ellen said, “It doesn't. You have a weapon, Ed."
"No apologies, ma'am. I was taking a trip through the woods at night with people who claim to be aliens. Just a precaution."
Linda's voice said, “Not a problem. Give it to Ellen for the time being so they'll let you in, then see me about getting it back when you leave."
I emptied the bullets from the gun and handed it to Ellen and said, “Done."
The flitter was touching down on a marked area as Linda said, “The monitor says you're still armed, Ed."
"I have the bullets. Ellen has the gun."
Gary said, “She has it. He kept the bullets."
After a moment's pause, Linda asked, “No other guns, Ed? No knives?"
"Just that belt knife I've always carried. A three-inch folder, remember?"
"Show it to one of them and put the bullets down."
I pulled out my pocket knife and handed it to Gary. As soon as it was in his hand, Linda said, “You show clear now. Okay. You can keep the knife, Ed."
Ellen looked at her watch in confused surprise.
"Why is he being allowed to keep a weapon?"
"If you need to know immediately, ask Ed. Then ask him why I told you to ask him. Otherwise, you can wait or figure it out for yourself."
The canopy disappeared as I took the knife back. Ellen was examining the gun. She looked up when I reached for my backpack and dropped the bullets in the side pocket. Her expression was one of disapproval.
Ellen said, “I think I'd rather ask you than him."
Linda said, “I'd have been very surprised if he'd arrived unarmed, Ellen. He'd have needed a gold-plated reason for it and I can't think of one at the moment that would have been good enough. I'll be in my office. See you shortly."
Ellen's expression didn't change as she rose from her seat. Gary was already standing up. He reached to take the gun from Ellen and examine it, then he handed it back to her without comment.
Chapter Seven
The flitter was parked in the center of a bay that looked as if it could comfortably contain four or five of them. A door about twelve feet wide and tall slid open in the direction of the center of the ship and we entered a corridor beyond. The corridor directly ahead was straight, appearing to lead to the core of the ship. The hallway to either side of us curved slightly with distance as it followed the same contour as the outer hull.
As I looked down that curving hallway I could see our flitter in the bay on the other side of the door. Both the door and the wall were transparent from this side. I took out my knife and rapped the butt of it on the wall. The sound it made was a muted ringing, a sort of 'tink, tink' sound similar to what you'd hear if you tapped an anvil mounted on a well-padded stand.
Ellen was eyeing me as I slipped the knife back in its belt pouch.
"Transparent metal?” I asked.
"Almost,” said Gary. “Metal, but not totally transparent."
I nodded. “Okay, guys, I now officially believe in aliens and starships."
"Wonderful,” said Ellen. “Let's go."
She strode ahead at a march step down the center corridor. I hefted my bags and Bear and followed at a much more comfortable pace. Gary reached for my backpacks and offered to carry something. I handed him the one with the cat litter and food.
"Thanks,” I said. “She's kind of pissed off at me, isn't she?"
"I'd say so. She probably thought you trusted her more."
I grinned. “If I'd trusted her more I wouldn't be here, Gary. Linda would have washed me out without a second thought. How come Ellen doesn't know that?"
Gary seemed to think a moment, then said, “Because observing isn't the same as spying, I think. We were trained to observe passively in conjunction with assistance from locals according to the interests of those who sent us here."
"That doesn't sound too diffe
rent from some of my past field work."
"It's our first time in the, uh ... ‘field', Ed. I think we're just experiencing the difference between training simulations and actual interactions."
"Ellen must realize that as well as you, Gary. She's too sharp not to, so why's she pissed at me for behaving as expected?"
Gary shrugged and said, “You'll have to ask her, I guess."
I pointed at his watch. “I just did. If she hasn't got a grip on this before we head back, I won't be working with her."
He looked sharply at me, but said nothing.
Ellen was waiting for us at a crossing of hallways. To one side there was a cylindrical alcove big enough for several people. She said nothing to us as she stepped inside and we joined her there.
Ellen pushed a button and the door slid shut, then she said, “You tell the system where you want to go according to this display."
The display was a partial layout of the ship. Ellen put her finger on the layout and a voice said, “One, one, three, sixteen."
"Yes,” said Ellen, and the walls around us appeared to begin to move.
I realized that we were seeing through the actual cylinder walls to the walls that contained the transport cylinder.
Ellen said, “You can also state the numbers as the ship's computer did. It will repeat them once and wait for your confirmation."
I said, “I haven't seen any signs or symbols that aren't alphanumeric or in English. This ship must have been built specifically for us."
When Ellen didn't answer immediately, Gary said, “All but the core of this ship was built for Earth. The shell will be dismantled and will remain on Earth when the core ship leaves. Another shell will be constructed around that core for use on another world."
"That explains the lack of personnel. I haven't seen anyone but us yet."
"About three hundred of us will remain to assist and instruct. Most of them are already off the ship. The materials left on Earth will be used to build the first factory and training center."
The door opened and the computer said, “One, one, three, sixteen."
We exited the alcove into another corridor, but the curving of the walls to the left and right was much more extreme, which meant that we were much closer to the center of the ship. I noted that neither the walls nor the doors were left in their transparent mode in this region.
Book 1: 3rd World Products, Inc. Page 8