Tales of the Courier – Off the Beaten Path
It’s sunny and hot, but there’s a breeze blowing, so the heat isn’t the withering kind. It’s the little things. 1courier walks along the side of the highway, waiting for the ride to show. The heat and sunshine are a welcome change from the damp, purple world he has just left behind. He shifts the oddly shaped and slightly heavy package to the other shoulder, as he walks along the highway.
Strange images have been crossing his mind for the last hour. Images that do not belong in his thoughts, or memories. That’s the worst of it, his memories aren’t all his anymore. They contain scenes from another civilization, another type of universe all together. Foreign and unlike anything he can relate to.
The road is a long stretch that goes as far as the eye can see into the horizon. The asphalt is hot and smells of creosote as he walks along. The ride will be here soon, it was confirmed by the m-com link. He focuses on the road, trying to shake the bizarre images in his thoughts. They carry emotions as they glide through his mind, the feeling is quite disconcerting.
The Ride
Twenty minutes later and the still desert air is disturbed by the far off sound of a motor. By the sound of the engine, he can tell the dispatch has spared no expense on this ride. A few moments later and the ride pulls alongside him, as the windows lower and doors unlock. “Hello 1courier, you are late”, cheeky’s voice, still with all that steel timbre.
1courier opens the door and gets behind the wheel. “Did HQ know this thing’s purpose? Or is that just you?” he floors the accelerator, as cheeky thinks about things, and the ride screams forward. They are a blur in a matter of moments, the ride handling the speed with ease.
“All details concerning package origins, are classified” the AI’s response is the standard. So much for the direct approach. The ride blazes along the highway, with the midday sun blazing along as well. 1courier analyzes, and remembers bygone eras that are not his. Some of the visions, include such intense emotions, he is barely able to focus.
Visions
The AI had been saying something, as he was experiencing another round of visions, he doesn’t like the idea of having visions, but for the want of a better word, that’s what he was dealing with. Except, they were more than that. His mind is unable to grasp what he is feeling, but he is aware that the visions are leading to something, or somewhere.
He urges more power from the ride, and checks the mapping systems. At this rate they would be arriving in three hours. The timing was everything on this one. As the ride leaves more miles behind, 1courier decides to try the direct approach once more. “It’s some form of key, and it doesn’t belong here.” he listens to the small audible clicks, as the AI remains silent. “it’s also counting down to something…” now the audible clicks cease, and there is complete silence.
He wonders how many ‘top secret’ protocols he has just crossed, as the miles unfold in silence. The AI has undoubtedly, already alerted HQ that 1courier was now in the loop. He had been counting on this. He quickly maneuvers around much slower traffic and pushes the ride for all it’s worth.
“It’s possible the hit you took to the head, has left you with lingering side effects, perhaps a rest stop will help clear things up” He grins at the predictable response from the AI, a rest stop. Now the humor has returned. And HQ is planning an intercept.
The Tell
Cheeky knowing about the hit to the head, is an unexpected tell. One he files away for later consideration. The intercept is a given, a necessary step for the next part to unfold. It was important to keep the AI focused on the givens for the time being, later they could have the heart to heart.
Knowing an area is a bonus at all times, especially when the stakes are high. If one route can’t serve, it’s much easier to detour in a known area, making things like intercepts more difficult. Difficult but not impossible, he thinks, as he banks the ride hard to the left, and floors the accelerator. The AI questions his choice of route, he ignores, it’s a familiar song and dance. The road is blocked ahead, HQ has the welcome wagon ready.
Time slows, or stops, but definitely changes, as he accelerates towards the roadblock ahead. Everything takes on an ethereal glimmer as the speed increases. The AI begins to say something, and is muted by the light as it carries across all things. He blinks, and arrives careening down a deserted highway in the night. He knows it’s 2universe from the highway sign that reads, ‘slower traffic keep left’.
The night is dark, it’s just him and the AI now, and that heart to heart talk is fresh on his mind. He is startled to find he is no longer alone in the ride, it’s still just him and the AI, and she is sitting in the seat next to him, quite human and much less artificial. She is staring at him, with eyes that are both surprised and pissed off, as the ride stalls, and the package hums. -to be continued-
