Reginald lead the procession down the hallway. Apparently word was out and everyone and their brother turned out to clap for us and wish us luck. My face burned with embarrassment the whole time. We finally reached LD-7, the dock our craft was leaving from. Even though Reginald ran the place, it took some convincing for the staff to let Marlon and Lynette board.
"Sir, they don't have clearance."
"I am their clearance."
"They're children! We don't have the data..."
"They're both full grown."
"But liability..."
"They're indentured."
"But..."
On and on in heated but hushed whispers until Reginald finally said, "I appreciate your devotion to your position. It's good we have such devoted people. If you plan on remaining my devoted people, I suggest you step aside and let us board before we miss our window!"
The staff let them board. Glared at them the whole time, but let them on nonetheless.
"What's the big deal?" I asked Ralph.
"No clearance."
"So?"
He shrugged, holding his arms up for the scanner. "So I don't think this craft is exactly past the experimental phase and they could end up being a huge problem."
I stepped up and held my hands up like Ralph had, waiting for the scanners to sweep up and down, checking for everything from weapons to potential contaminants. "Like if they blab?" The scanner beeped and I cleared the deck.
"No," said Marlon behind me. "Earth knows about these hoppers. They're worried that because we're kids we'll get killed and sue."
Lynette sighed. "We can't sue if we're dead, idiot."
He waved a hand, the scanner sounded a warning, and he held still while the process restarted. "You know what I mean. You die, I sue."
"Aw, you'd really sue on my behalf if I died?"
"Hell yeah. Easy livin' for life!"
"Gee. You're such a sweet brother."
Everyone was scanned in turn and the passage to the ship was automatically unlocked. "Passenger scan complete. Boarding approved. Please proceed cautiously." We followed the directions of the automated voice.
The process of space travel was so familiar I could have performed prep in my sleep. A space ship. True, it was vastly different from the Condor. But all in all, it bore many similarities in shape to the smaller transports we used while the Condor was in orbit to get to the surface. The main visual differences were the size and the quality. The small transports we used only carried five people, while this craft could easily seat twenty. And everything just looked expensive, just like the jeweled planet, like the crystal dinner, like Reginald's office. This was no commercial flight. It reeked of wealth and power. It was something only for the upper echelon of StarTech. I doubted even the governments had anything this nice.
A crew member ushered us to our seats. Before she explained how, I was strapped myself into the familiar harness. Some things didn't change in eighty years. I suppose some things didn't need to change in eighty years. A harness is a harness is a harness. I locked myself into mine, then noticed that Marlon and Lynette were struggling with theirs. I unclipped and leaned over Lynette, cinching her in. "You've never harnessed up?"
She shook her head. "No. The boat goes a lot slower. We've got the bar until we break orbit, then again at landing. Other than that, no reason to be harnessed."
I told her what I was doing for Marlon's benefit. The crew member was busy helping Jillian and I doubted Marlon would let me actually strap him in.
"Thanks, Jake," Lynette said. Her hands were clenched. She was nervous. "You ever traveled so fast? I hear it's rough..."
I snorted as I strapped myself in. "Sure, and it is. But don't fight it. Just...blitz out."
"Concentrate on the video screen," Christophe said, securing his own strapping. "It's a carefully programmed series of pictures designed to relax you. Eventually you will fall asleep and will wake up when we slow down."
She was still a ball of nerves. I could see her nails digging into the palms of her hands. I unstrapped and moved to the seat next to her. After I was strapped in, I took her hand. It was awkward, being strapped as tightly as we were, but I could feel her sag with relief.
"Thanks," she whispered.
"Are we going or what? My nuts are squished tighter than a hippo in a tutu!"
Christophe shot Marlon a withering look. "I do hope you fall asleep quickly."
The crew strapped in. I knew that meant we were about to lift off. The crew always waited until the last second, just in case something went wrong. I felt the engine fire. It wasn't loud, like the engines on our ships. Old tech equals loud tech. But it was more unnerving. Quieter, but more mechanical. It had the hum of high electricity that you can feel shooting through you, pulsing with your heart, making the hair on your neck stand on end. I felt Lynette tremble and squeezed her hand tighter.
"Watch the screen."
I knew they'd use some kind of gas mixture to help us fall asleep. The pictures on the screen were just a distraction so we wouldn't panic at the odd smell, the unusual feeling, the whirl. We used that on the Condor when we'd travel within a solar system. It was just easier. I don't think Lynette knew that, though. "Just watch the screen."
She clutched my hand so tight that her nail began to dig in. It hurt, but I didn't mind. I'd been traveling that way my whole life. If I hadn't, I bet I would have been as scared. Even Marlon was feeling the nerves. For all his smarts and bravado, he wasn't fooling anyone. He was terrified.
The hum increased under us. I knew we'd be lifting off soon. We'd clear orbit, and then the really terrifying part would begin, the rapid acceleration. On the screen were a series of pictures. Nature pictures. Pictures of little babies. Some kinds of animals couldn't identify. They were happy pictures. Silly pictures. They stayed on the screen just long enough to make you really begin to look, but changed before you wanted to stop looking. And again. And again. It is a smart system. I almost didn't notice we left the ground.
I glanced around the cabin. No windows. There was a sealed door towards the front, similar to the one we came in through the back. That must be the control room. A sealed door meant I was correct. I felt the turbulence of the change in air as we climbed.
On the screen was some sort of rock formation. "What's that, Lynette?"
She was nearing panic. "What?" she asked desperately.
"On the screen. The rock."
"I...uh..."
It changed. "Is that the Atlantic ocean?"
"No," she said, gulping. "It looks like the Pacific. That looks like Hawaii."
The screen changed. "What's that?"
"Polar bear."
"It looks cute," I said.
"Cute?" Marlon scoffed, getting into the conversation. "It'll eat your face for breakfast, space monkey."
"Yikes. I'll keep clear."
"That's a giraffe."
I smelled it in the air, the slightly sickly sweet gas mixture that would usher us into temporary oblivion. It was just a subtle change in the piped in ozone. I told myself to keep them talking just a few more minutes and then it would be all right. "Is that one dangerous?"
"No. Just tall."
"What's that smell?"
Shut up, Marlon, my mind screamed silently at him. If I could have turned in my seat, I would have given him a glare that could melt an iceberg. "What's that building?" I asked, trying to keep Lynette's focus on me and not her boneheaded brother.
"That's your...hey...what's...my eyes are going funny..."
I squeezed her hand, starting to feel it as well. "It's fine. Just...orbit. What's that?"
"Your house," she said.
What? My house? That huge...that... My eyes were blurring. I felt her hand slackening. I heard her sigh softly, slipping into terrorless sleep. I stopped concentrating, took a deep breath, and let myself follow her into oblivion.