Tumultuous Translocation: Day 14

Worldbuilding? (14,296 / 1,000,000)

Power tools whirred and whined in the cramped space. A flickering bulb dangled from the center of the ceiling; it’s dull yellow glow accompanied by occasional coughs of orange sparks from a workbench to one side. A slight figure stood before the workbench, hunched over a mess of wires, metal strips, and circuit boards. Their hands navigated through the clutter with familiarity - swapping parts, connecting wires, and soldering joints. They reached up and slapped down a heavy mask which had been pushed up on their head, and the orange sparks returned in bursts. The chaotic tinkering continued, the figure all the while muttering unintelligibly under their breath. Eventually, quiet took the room. The figure doffed the mask, and reverently lifted their work from the benchtop: a metal brace, adorned with a multitude of buttons, knobs, and dials, along with many errant wires jutting from it’s insides. The figure took a moment to appreciate their creation, before shoving their arm in the brace, and securing a series of clasps. They leaned in close to a wrinkled piece of paper stapled to the wall, and adjusted the knobs on the arm brace according to some calculation. Their hand paused, hovering over a red button, then pressed it.

In that instant the floor disappeared, and a dense white fog obscured all vision. The figure tumbled out of the bottom of a cloud. Disoriented, they desperately squinted through gusts of icy wind and caught a glimpse of the landscape below them. The glittering blue of the ocean met brown hills, among which spread the sprawling grey shape of the coastal city. “Shitshitshitshitshit,” new muttering began, louder. The gangly figure tumbled head over heels through the sky, accelerating rapidly downwards. The device was shoved close in front of their face, and they were again adjusting various knobs and dials. “ShitshitSHITSHIIIIIIT,” the muttering progressed to a panicked shout and then to a full scream before they smashed the red button once more.

The pale backdrop of the sky was instantly replaced by a deep blue - almost black. The figure’s ongoing scream was muffled, and a fountain of bubbles erupted from their mouth instead. A startled school of silver fish darted off into the murky darkness. The figure winced and clutched at their ears before they resumed the panicked tinkering of their device. They thumbed the red button one more time, and their feet made contact with solid earth. The sudden return of their weight pulled them to their hands and knees, where they spluttered and coughed up gouts of salty water. They took a moment to recover before standing and inspecting their surroundings.

Their eyes widened into bright brown saucers. Before them from their vantage point atop a hill, two brilliant red towers jutted from the sapphire blue of the ocean. The grey spires of the city could be seen far behind the towers, poking up from the distant horizon. Peaks of mountains could be seen behind the cityscape. The figure sat back in the dirt and reminisced on the stories that Gramps used to tell them of the proud landmark that was once a bridge. They had always wondered what the big deal was about a bridge, but seeing it here, even mostly submerged, they understood the majesty of the construction. They missed their Gramps, he had been the one to spark their love of tinkering and building; showing them how to take a bunch of non-cool stuff, and combine it together into really cool stuff. They crossed their hands behind their head and leaned back, enjoying the cool ocean breeze and the warm rays of sun.

The distant hum of a passing aircraft met their ears, along with intermittent caws from ocean gulls. A new sound interrupted their musings. A few yards from their position on the hilltop, the air began to hiss and squeal like a punctured balloon. The figure jumped to their feet, alert. The hissing sound was replaced by the noise of a single sigh, like a sharply exhaled breath, and a motionless ovoid materialized in front of them. The looming shape hovered a few inches off the ground, it’s silvery surface reflected sunrays in many directions. The stilted voice of a woman emanated from somewhere inside of it, “We apologize, it appears you have violated a law. Charge: unauthorized instantaneous conveyance. Verdict: Guilty. Sentence: four years supervised existence. For your own safety, please comply”. A seam bisected the shape vertically, and it yawned open, revealing a padded, person-sized capsule inside.

When the figure made no move to comply, the pod advanced, still agape like snapping jaws. The figure, finally recovering from their shock, turned and dashed down the hill. As they frantically scrambled away, sometimes sliding painfully on their backside, they returned their attention to their device. They twisted the same dials this way and that. The ovoid was silent in it’s floating pursuit, and it was unhindered by the rough terrain - the distance between them was shrinking rapidly. The figure finished their adjustments, and glanced up into the sky briefly - maybe in prayer, or maybe in defeat - and pressed the red button.

No crushing pressure of ocean water greeted them on the other side. Nor did they experience a gut-wrenching lurch of sudden freefall. What did greet them was the startled yowl of a stray cat. The figure was now crouched in the shade of an alley, a narrow slit between the towering sides of two buildings. The orange tabby which had been digging through bits of trash scampered away in a huff. Light spilled in from the mouth of the alley in front of them, flickering now and then from passing shapes. The figure pulled the device off their arm and dismantled a few pieces, before stuffing it deep into one of the cargo pockets of their coveralls. They started towards the bustling street. Almost at the mouth of the alley, the figure froze. A squealing hiss was echoing from deep in the shadows of the alley. The figure didn’t look back, and dashed out into the light of the street beyond.