magic, the tests the man had claimed to have run had been swiftly discredited. However, Julian now wanted to know if the author had been right. For everyone’s sake, he hoped that he was. Julian stepped up onto the platform. He had a handheld XRF spectrometer, which would tell him of what element the pedestal was composed.
It came back unknown, which could have been a flaw of the handheld system, or the pedestal could have been made of an unknown element and truly not be from this world. Either way, Julian swiftly jumped back off the platform. All the signs were saying that the claims made in the book, of being transported to another world, weren’t as ridiculous as everyone had believed. The last thing he wanted was to be taking an unexpected trip.
“Doc, Doc,” the captain who was the leader of his military escort yelled for him. Julian ignored him. The captain marched over and grabbed his shoulder, handing Julian the radio. “Doc, it’s Colonel Clark. He needs to speak with you.”
“Colonel, I’ve only just begun my investigation. When I have something for you, I will tell you. Until then, let me do my job,” Julian snapped into the radio. He thrust the radio back at the captain and strode off to prepare the robot probe.
A young corporal was kneeling in front of the probe, a tablet computer in hand. Julian took one look at what he was doing and growled in frustration. The man was calibrating it completely wrong, or at least not anything approaching the best way of doing it. They needed full sensitivity on the sensors, not the ham-fisted mess the corporal was programming.
“No, no, no, you idiot. Give that to me, you clearly can’t be trusted to follow the simplest of directions,” Julian Braden berated the corporal, grabbing the tablet computer and tapping intently. As always, he would have to do it himself.
Within minutes, Julian had the probe prepared to his satisfaction. He stepped back under the canopy and remotely controlled the robot probe over to the pedestal. He hadn’t gotten a detailed look; he’d been more concerned initially with the elemental analysis. However, he had seen that the carvings on the stone platform continued up the metal pedestal. They wrapped around it, making it almost look decorative.
It wasn’t the carvings that were the interesting part; it was the side of the pedestal. There were two straight grooves that were out of place among the intricate curves and swirls. He thought that there might be a compartment in the pedestal, perhaps access to its inner workings. If the platform was a transport device, then it had to have some kind of programming, even if the technology was beyond their comprehension.
The probe shuddered over on its track wheels. Julian raised the camera, getting a closer look at the lines. He manipulated the probe’s robot arm; there didn’t appear to be a catch, so maybe it was spring loaded and all he had to do was press.
The probe touched the pedestal, and a massive column of light engulfed the platform, shooting high into the sky. It was like thousands of individual beams of light, very bright and combined, but somehow still separate. It lasted for just a moment before the light was gone—and so was the robot probe. Julian heard some swearing behind him.
“Doc, any sensor readings?” the captain demanded.
“Nothing,” Julian spat in disgust, tapping on the tablet, but to no avail. “The probe was there and then it was gone. None of these readings tell me what happened to it.” Julian turned and looked at the captain. “Keyword being that the probe is gone. It went somewhere.”
“Colonel Clark,” the captain spoke into the radio. “Might want to prep a team.
*****
Battered and bruised, Leo led his squad through the hangar at McGuire. It was the dawn of another day, and he was sure that the fighting would begin again in earnest. The day before, after they had dropped off the dead alien, they had resupplied and headed back
It came back unknown, which could have been a flaw of the handheld system, or the pedestal could have been made of an unknown element and truly not be from this world. Either way, Julian swiftly jumped back off the platform. All the signs were saying that the claims made in the book, of being transported to another world, weren’t as ridiculous as everyone had believed. The last thing he wanted was to be taking an unexpected trip.
“Doc, Doc,” the captain who was the leader of his military escort yelled for him. Julian ignored him. The captain marched over and grabbed his shoulder, handing Julian the radio. “Doc, it’s Colonel Clark. He needs to speak with you.”
“Colonel, I’ve only just begun my investigation. When I have something for you, I will tell you. Until then, let me do my job,” Julian snapped into the radio. He thrust the radio back at the captain and strode off to prepare the robot probe.
A young corporal was kneeling in front of the probe, a tablet computer in hand. Julian took one look at what he was doing and growled in frustration. The man was calibrating it completely wrong, or at least not anything approaching the best way of doing it. They needed full sensitivity on the sensors, not the ham-fisted mess the corporal was programming.
“No, no, no, you idiot. Give that to me, you clearly can’t be trusted to follow the simplest of directions,” Julian Braden berated the corporal, grabbing the tablet computer and tapping intently. As always, he would have to do it himself.
Within minutes, Julian had the probe prepared to his satisfaction. He stepped back under the canopy and remotely controlled the robot probe over to the pedestal. He hadn’t gotten a detailed look; he’d been more concerned initially with the elemental analysis. However, he had seen that the carvings on the stone platform continued up the metal pedestal. They wrapped around it, making it almost look decorative.
It wasn’t the carvings that were the interesting part; it was the side of the pedestal. There were two straight grooves that were out of place among the intricate curves and swirls. He thought that there might be a compartment in the pedestal, perhaps access to its inner workings. If the platform was a transport device, then it had to have some kind of programming, even if the technology was beyond their comprehension.
The probe shuddered over on its track wheels. Julian raised the camera, getting a closer look at the lines. He manipulated the probe’s robot arm; there didn’t appear to be a catch, so maybe it was spring loaded and all he had to do was press.
The probe touched the pedestal, and a massive column of light engulfed the platform, shooting high into the sky. It was like thousands of individual beams of light, very bright and combined, but somehow still separate. It lasted for just a moment before the light was gone—and so was the robot probe. Julian heard some swearing behind him.
“Doc, any sensor readings?” the captain demanded.
“Nothing,” Julian spat in disgust, tapping on the tablet, but to no avail. “The probe was there and then it was gone. None of these readings tell me what happened to it.” Julian turned and looked at the captain. “Keyword being that the probe is gone. It went somewhere.”
“Colonel Clark,” the captain spoke into the radio. “Might want to prep a team.
*****
Battered and bruised, Leo led his squad through the hangar at McGuire. It was the dawn of another day, and he was sure that the fighting would begin again in earnest. The day before, after they had dropped off the dead alien, they had resupplied and headed back
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