Transmat World: Chapter 3, Episode 3
Banderas Bay, Mexico; November, 2137 A.D.
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“What a pile of crap,” said Sidney and everybody laughed.
“There you have it; it’s out in the open. We’re conniving little spies for my father. You know, he doesn’t even pay us for this. We just do it because he asks us to,” said David.
“Speak for yourself,” said Laura.
David gave her a sharp look, and she started laughing, “Gotcha.”
“She’s a real jokester, but Dad did promise us hedsets from TecHed for Christmas,” added David.
“What are hedsets?” asked Vince.
“It’s the nickname for Neurocaps, but that’s just company speak. Everybody else is calling them hedsets. They’re going to replace the omni. No more fishing in your pocket for a device to run your cloud apps, make calls or text, or do a credit transaction. It will be right there on your head controlled directly by your brain. They’re even talking about controlling little robots with them. You’ll still need an attachment to do lab work or tool morphing like the omni does. I guess they can build that into the robots. Cool, huh?” said David.
Vince looked at Maria, but she shook her head. Maria did not bring them here as a surprise, and this was suspiciously fortuitous. What if the people who broke into their house had located the Miller family in their Mexican hideaway? It did not seem plausible for these kids to be associated with bulletproof thugs, but one could not be too careful.
“Your dad must make good money,” Vince said. “So why are you guys staying at the Mismaloya? Not that it’s a crummy hotel; it’s just that there’s much better in the area.”
“My mother is a big fan of a Pre-Hit movie filmed at the ruins of the old Mismaloya near the water’s edge,” Laura said.
“Night of the Iguana,” David said.
“Oh, okay,” said Vince. He knew what they said about the movie was true, so it seemed an erudite and obscure enough reason for them to be here.
“Excuse me,” and he got up, fished in his pocket for his omni, flipped it open, and started talking as he walked away.
“Are we in trouble?” David asked Maria, “We didn’t mean to trespass.”
Maria let him squirm a little and said, “I don’t think you’re in trouble unless Vince comes back and says his father does not wish to speak with you. And even then, you won’t be in trouble unless your father ever finds out about this meeting and that you guys just walked away without making an offer.”
“That’s certainly cryptic enough,” said David.
“You can torture me but that’s all you’re getting out of me until Vince gets back,” Maria said.
They did not have time to consider whether they should torture Maria or not. Vince walked up to the group, snapped his omni shut, and pointed at Laura and David. “My dad wants to talk to you two.” He pointed to Sydney and Jenny. “You two will stay here with Maria. Maria, is that OK?”
“Yes, I will tell them ancient Mayan campfire stories,” said Maria.
“Go easy. They may want to sleep again some day. Laura, David, follow me,” said Vince.
“I don’t think I’m up to a climb like that yet,” said Laura.
“I’ll carry you,” said Vince.
Laura gave him an impressed look.
“We can’t be liable for any injuries arising from — ”
“Shut up, David,” said Laura.
They followed in silent curiosity. The beach was a sandy flat triangle with the ocean on one side bounded by two ridges ending in steep cliffs jutting into the water. Vince led them to the inland apex of the triangle and walked through a small, nondescript grove of banana trees. A brook cascaded down the steep hillside and meandered along the base of one ridge to the sea. Vince grabbed an anonymous-looking rock and twisted. Part of the hill slid back revealing a wood-paneled room with metal trim and a control panel on the wall. Vince stepped in and motioned for them to follow.
“Oh, an elevator,” said Laura, trying to sound only slightly disappointed.
They followed him inside and the camouflaged door slid shut.
“My Dad’s house is over a hundred yards up on top of this ridge and we’re going there,” Vince’s finger was punching numbers on the panel, and it hovered dramatically over the last digit, “now,” and his finger touched the button.
The hair on the back of their necks rose and a small movement of air made them blink. The door opened and Hank stood there to welcome them out. Nancy had coffee ready for everybody as introductions were made, and they sat down at the table in the kitchen.
“That is a fast elevator,” said Laura.
“There was no acceleration or deceleration,” said David.
“We’re talking really fast,” said Laura.
“No sensation of movement,” said David.
“Extremely fast,” said Laura.
“No movement. None,” said David.
Vince, Hank, and Nancy sat there grinning like possums.
“You’re not serious,” said David.
“This room is just on the other side of that elevator built into the hillside, isn’t it? We just walked in one side of the elevator and out the other. That other stuff was static electricity and a hidden air blower,” said Laura.
“Yeah, that’s fake sunshine and sky out there like the Grand Canal Shops at the Venetian in Vegas,” said David.
With that, he got up in huffy anticipation and walked out the door, Laura right behind him. When they shuffled back in four minutes later, Hank had his head on the table, tears of laughter squeezing out shut lids and falling to the shiny surface. Few had yet experienced the matter transmitter, and their reactions still amused him to no end. David and Laura sat back down at the table. They were not stupid. They did not see the world-changing entirety of the device but grasped at least some of its enormity.
“How far?” asked Laura.
“Limitless, as far as we know,” said Hank.
“How big a load?” asked David.
“Infinitely scalable, as far as we know,” said Vince.
“How fast?” asked Laura.
“Instantaneous,” said Hank.
“Doesn’t that violate several physical laws of the universe?” asked David.
“So far, we haven’t been arrested,” said Vince.
“How much?” asked Laura.
“A hundred million to start out,” said Hank.
David and Laura went outside to consult with each other. David took out his omni and started texting. Within thirty minutes there was a helicopter setting down on the beach. Everyone took the matter transmitter up to the house and the deal to found Transmat, Inc. was hammered out over coffee and cheesecake. The Age of Transmat had well and truly begun.
