Virtual Dispatch

Trapped like sardines in a tin can. 1courier wonders what a sardine is, and not for the first time. “Tightly packed”, was what one of his instructors had always said. However, that doesn’t describe a sardine.

Furthermore, it doesn’t do nearly enough to help the current dilemma. The tunnel hadn’t collapsed further ahead, so much as it became blocked. All at once. It had happened quickly and 1courier had only seconds to bring the ride to a stop.

Hence the sardines. Whatever they were. It looked as though this delivery was going to be delayed. 1courier steps from the ride to survey the blockage. On one side it was touching the walls of the tunnel. On the other side, there was a small amount of space between blockage and tunnel wall.

Tunnel

It appears as though it is a tunnel machine, somehow leveraged in place by velocity. From out of a speaker mounted to the side of the machine, and rather loudly, a voice sounds.

“Are you 1courier?”

1courier grins and offers a greeting, “Yes”.

A moment or two passes. 1courier wonders how many couriers the machine is waiting on down here. After a few more moments, during which there were strange clicking and whirring noises, a small cargo door slides open, at the rear of the machine.

“Put the cargo in the compartment.” the speaker voice pauses, then, “we don’t want any contact”.

1courier blinks, and takes a moment to contemplate the instructions. Then he moves to the ride. Time to transfer the cargo to the strange tunnel machine. Another voice greets him at the ride, “Is it a contactless delivery?”

1courier swears he can hear a hint of sarcasm and humor in the AI voice. As he gathers the cargo, he decides he likes this AI and its potential. He gathers the last of the cargo and returns to the tunnel machine.

After settling the cargo into the compartment, 1courier watches, as the cargo door closes. He waits a few moments, and then from the speaker, issues another question. “Is that all?” 1courier gives a thumbs up, and steps away from the boring company machine, as it restarts.

Of Love

He watches as the machine burrows its way across the opening, clearing the way forward. 1courier grins. That was easy. The m-com link flashes, another cargo delivery has been issued by HQ. It is another rendezvous with the returning galaxy class space ship. Time to go.

He turns and moves back to the ride, maybe he won’t need the swath chains* afterall. The ride starts, and is in gear so quickly, it’s almost a blur as it blows past 1courier. He watches the taillights dwindle as the ride sets a blistering pace out of the tunnel. Away from, and without 1courier.

He briefly wonders what it was like in the good old days of the combustion engine, and keys, before self-driving AI controlled rides. Then he starts walking.

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*swath chains – self winding all terrain hiker chains