Waking Gods (Themis Files #2)(32)
There are other ways to imagine this. What I was really hoping for was a much simpler system. Just point Themis in the direction you want to go, punch in a distance, and that’s it. One number, not two. Wouldn’t be superprecise over long distances. You couldn’t jump from New York to—I don’t know—Paris in one shot. You couldn’t get the direction precisely right at such a distance, but you could jump the Atlantic, then just … hop from place to place and adjust the direction along the way. It had very little chance of working, but I thought it was more fun to search for something I knew I could use.
I started small and tried to make Themis move by a distance of one. I didn’t know one what, exactly, but I figured I’d probably end up somewhere on the empty lot in front of the hangar. So … I tried what I thought was the MOVE button, then 1, then GO. Nothing happened, of course. I tried in reverse, nope. Hold the MOVE button, one, then release. There aren’t that many ways to do this, and I think I tried them all. It occurred to me that it might just not work because teleporting yourself one unit might be stupid, like taking one step. I went crazy and tried with two. No good. I gave up on the simple solution after that and decided to try with two numbers instead of one.
I tried the numbers separated by GO, by a pause. At some point, I tried this: hold the MOVE button, press two, pause, two again, release. Nothing great happened but the console made a sound, like it does when we do something right. I did it again a few times. All I got was the sound. Then I got frustrated and my log is more or less useless after that. I hear myself screaming “two” a few times, then I’m here. In short, I don’t know what I did, but it starts with that sequence. I know I punched in at least four numbers, so either we’re dealing with a two-coordinate system and I’m an idiot for inserting pauses, or this is a crazy four-dimensional thing and I’m gonna die inside a rock, in space, four thousand years ago.
Anyway, I’m about to try to replicate what I did. I managed to wiggle Themis around so I’m facing in the opposite direction. With any luck, I’ll get frustrated the same way and end up right where I started.
Before I inadvertently blow myself up, I have a message for my wife … Kara, I love you. I’ve had two days to just sit and think about how crazy my life has been since they asked me to sign an NDA and go look at some panels in Chicago. I found myself feeling … grateful. Grateful Rose trusted me. Grateful we found this big-ass alien thing. But the thing I’m most thankful for is meeting this crazy, stubborn pilot with a chip on her shoulder. Kara, none of this would have been as much fun without you taking jabs at me every step of the way. I got to have my legs crushed, got turned into a T-800 … We blew up an airport! I wish we hadn’t killed Rose, but it turned out OK, sorta. Hell, we got to wrestle with aliens! Who gets to do that? Anyway, if I don’t make it, please don’t feel like I was robbed of anything. I lived plenty. I had a blast.
I never got to tell you how sorry I was. I’m sorry I made you feel like you had to be something you weren’t. I’m sorry I made you … dim your light, when all I ever wanted was for it to burn brighter. That sounded good.
I want you to be happy. Find someone. You have my blessing if he’s not a dick … and not too good-looking. Don’t be too happy with him though, but … you know … be happy. Of course, if you can be happy without the guy. Just … I don’t know what I’m saying … I … I don’t want you to be miserable because of me. If I’m dead, I’m dead. You can’t hurt me. Do what you need to do. I won’t be looking down on you from the heavens. I doubt they take pretentious assholes with an accent, and you know how much I’m afraid of heights.
I guess that’s it. Oh! Almost forgot! If you find Themis and I’m dead, you might want to clean the floor right behind your station. Seriously, give it a good scrub.
OK. Here we go! Hold. Two. Two. Release. I love that sound. Two. Go. Nope.
Hold. Two. Two. Release. Two. Two. Go … Nope.
Release. Two … I just did that. Let’s do this again. Ho—
…
Ah ben calver! It worked! I moved again! It’s still dark, so I must not be too far from where I was. I have no idea what direction I’m moving in, but I’m moving! I can do this!
Kara, forget everything I said about meeting someone. Screw him. I’m gonna make it.
Hold. Two. Two. Release …
FILE NO. 1539
INTERVIEW WITH RYAN MITCHELL, SECURITY GUARD
Location: Michigan Science Center, Detroit, MI —How long have you worked here, Mr. Mitchell?
—About a year, sir. Why?
—Do you enjoy your work?
—I … What do you want?
—I sense anger in your tone. Are there unresolved issues we need to discuss?
—Ha! You’re kidding, right?
—Do you believe I am being facetious or was that a rhetorical question?
—I spent four years in jail after I rescued Kara and Vincent!
—Why would you expect otherwise? There were four years left on your sentence for crushing Mr. Couture into a wall with your vehicle. You had to serve the entirety of your sentence after violating the terms of your parole by leaving the state to join Alyssa in Puerto Rico.
—You could have gotten me out, sir.
—The US Government wanted to charge you with treason. You could be meeting your lawyer to appeal your death sentence. Instead, you are scolding children for running inside a museum. I fail to see what you have to complain about.