Someday in the distant future…
Chapter 1: The Invention
The computer was counting down to zero.
“5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0″
There was a strong flash of light and then the computer voice said, “Process Complete. 5 minutes to return.”
The computer again started counting down.
“Four minutes to return.”
“Three minutes to return.”
“Two minutes to return.”
“60 seconds to return.”
“5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0″
There was a strong blinding flash again and then computer voice said, “Vehicle returned. Transferring images to screen.”
The images were all dark as if taken without light.
“Check the flashes”, said one of the scientists into the microphone. He was a tall man, looked in mid forties. He was standing on the upper platform which looked like the control deck. He had a hard look on his face as if something had terribly gone wrong. With him was standing a beautiful woman who looked to be in late thirties.
One of the technicians pressed some buttons on the console and the vehicle emitted strong blinding flashes of light.
“The flashes are working”, said the technician.
“I can see that. Transfer the images manually”, said the same scientist.
“Mike! Are you out of your mind. We cannot risk contamination”, said the woman standing at other end of the deck.
She continued, “from the images that we see it is quite clear that, something wrong happened. All previous tests have been successful, so, there is nothing wrong with the vehicle. You do not know what all things it could have brought back with it.”
“We cannot just sit idle,” said Mike.
After some seconds of silence, he started typing on a console.
“What are you doing?”
“I am sending it again.”
“At the same place?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“Sahara.”
“You will find nothing there.”
“I want to know if it is actually able to teleport or it gets stuck somewhere else.”
“Ok.”
The sirens started buzzing and the countdown started.
“What do you think is the problem Mike?”
“All we have tested it for short leaps. It may have problem in taking huge leaps.”
“But why black images?”
“I can only speculate. I think the vehicle assumes that it has completed the leap and triggers the camera. Since the vehicle is actually midway the camera takes black images.”
The computer had started the returning countdown.
“We will know it in short time”, said Mike.
The images was on screen. The camera on the vehicle was installed to take photographs at every angle above the surface. Once the image would be taken, the computer would process them to make a 3-D view.
The whole team looked surprised – in one of the angles of the 3d-view one could see an incomplete pyramid.
“Did you change something other than the coordinates?”, asked the woman. She went to the console where Mike was standing and looked into it.
“Why did you do it? You went against the rules. Is one accident not enough for you? How could you sent it again in the past?”
to be continued…