Copy of Where

WHERE?

Liam Aid is in class in the year 2066. He is in his last period of the day, and it's luckily movie day, he was exhausted and had been thinking of his Mom, Alice, all day. She passed away when he was 10, he's 14 now.

We were watching a documentary of the history of space travel. It's normal to the current day until 2030. A gamma ray burst knocked out half of the planet's ozone layer on the North America and South America side. Immediate effects were the ionization of the atmosphere, leading to an increase in nitrogen oxides and smog, causing massing acid rain, destroying crops and wildlife. Decreased sunlight caused by a cooling effect and impacting plants. The ionosphere layer of the atmosphere was disrupted, knocking out long-range radio communication. Biological effects were DNA damage 16 times the annual average, mass extinction. This sent the world into a panic for what to do. For the first time since the space race, the whole world was looking to space for answers. How did it happen, how could it be prevented, how could it have been seen coming? With a seemingly unlimited budget, and out of necessity, the space industry after a short while exploded. Fast improvements were made to rockets and the ability to take larger loads and later groups of people. The biggest change was when a practical Nuclear-electric propulsion engine was made by the group HAL(HyperAstroLabratories) This made them leaders in the race for answers. Breakthroughs in Quantum Computing lead to faster than light transmissions, with the Nuclear engine that could take any load anywhere, the first solution was to put Quantum Gamma detectors about 1 light day from Earth. 1 day was enough to see the direction and strength of the GRB to put up the temporary shielding. This gave security to earth, it gave people hope that mankind was not doomed. All questions seemed to be answered, and there was no limit or no end to be seen. But scientists still didn't know where the GRB came from. Before the one the crippled Earth we were able to see where they came from? But when scientists looked they saw nothing, not even anything close around that could have done that. The only answer was that it came from a spot so far away and so strong that we cannot see it. Not many people accepted that.

The documentary ends and the glass tv slides back into the floor

Teacher: Okay now for the really fun part. Time to see who was paying attention, get your oculers ready

oculers are what is used for daily computing in 2066. It's a small device that goes around the ear and displays any resolution and format, ar or vr and is controlled by the same brain signals for moving your hands and legs.

Everyone puts on the oculers and when in school it goes to what the teacher or school and pre programmed, in this instance, it's a question. “Who invented the Nuclear-electric Propulsion engine” Suddenly a message pops up “class dismissed”

Teacher: Looks like I miscalculated the time a bit, ill see you kids Monday and enjoy the break

The school is more advanced than most. There was technology connected to almost everything. The front is huge metal sliding doors that move at a scary speed. Seamless cracks everywhere and windows that can display anything.

Bruce (Liam's friend): “Put on your ocular so we can talk” he says as they walk separate ways

Liam puts on his ocular and sees a call from Bruce. He picks it up and it displays Bruce like he's walking right beside him.

Bruce: That has to be the ONLY time i have ever wanted class to not end, how was the question not something like “what do we think sent the GRB”

Liam: I know, it just glossed over a kinda important piece-

Bruce: Kinda important?? Its all people talk about and all my and YOUR parents are working on

Liam: I didn't mean it literally. Are we still going to the museum with your parents for the event?

Bruce: I mean yeah, why wouldn't we? Did something change?

Liam: Other than the subject no

Bruce: You don't want to talk about the GRB mystery? Since when?

Liam: Since you started being ugly, I'll see you at the museum

Liam ends the call and walks in silence. It's not a far walk, but enough time to think and try to clear his mind. He arrives at his home. It's a big house but seems more “man made” than all the others. It is overly secured by standard measure, with lots of advanced satellites and a backyard full of equipment.

Liam: Dad where are you?

Spencer: I'm in the work room

Spencer had been spending a lot of time here since Alice died, and here lately, all of his time.

Liam: Asking was a waste of essence

Spencer: Essence cant be wasted, come here i have something to show you, and no its not another picture before you ask

Shot of Spencer in his work room. It's very advanced with displays everywhere, notepads that are screens but just glass laying on tables along with equipment. The most notable part is a large screen in the back with a live feed of a deep space telescope with unbelievable capability.

Spencer: School over already? Feels like you left not that long ago

Liam: I thought you had something to show me

Spencer: Of Course! Follow me

Spencer guides Liam to the backyard, where there is a spacecraft almost completely put together.

Liam: Woah.. Dad… where did this come from??

Spencer: Well the body I just got delivered today, but the nuclear engine core, I've been piecing together for 4 years. It's been incredibly difficult to get but I finally had the bones together so it was time for the body!

I put the engine in today while you was at school

While incredibly hard to make and as powerful as they are, the nuclear engine core was no bigger than a barrel.

Spencer looks at Liam and wonders why he isn't more excited

Spencer: Liam, is something wrong?

Liam looks down at his feet. He couldn't hold it in anymore

Liam: I miss her extra

Spencer looks down at this moment as well. Thinking to himself how long it's been without Alice.

Spencer: Buddy, I do too.

Liam is shedding tears and looks at the spacecraft. He wishes that she could see this.

Liam: She would have loved this

Spencer: It's why I've pushed so hard to retrieve it, there are only 3 of these left. The rest are out there until HAL can make more engines. work don't uh… actually know about the engine parts, just the body. They didn't care because it's useless to them, just a partly broken shell.

Spencer had never told Liam about the details of Alice's death/disappearance. What she was working on and his obsession to find her he never shared with Liam.

Spencer hugs Liam and looks him in the eye.

Spencer: I miss your mother everyday, I know you miss her too. None of this is fair to you and I WISH I could make the pain go away Liam… how lucky we are, to have someone that loved us as pure as your mother did? How lucky are we to have something worth missing?

Liam: it's hard to think of it as luck

Spencer: If I hadn't met her, I wouldn't have you. I lost everything when I lost her, but what I got back in return was you. I would go through that pain 1000 times over if I knew you were the outcome Liam. Your mother loved you more than I could explain, she had trouble explaining herself.

Liam: I'm grateful for her memory, our memories

Spencer: How lucky are we?

Liam musters up a smile and walks toward the ship

Liam: What all is it missing?

Spencer: It's mostly exterior and the takeoff gear. The internals are mostly okay but we still have some work ahead of us Buddy.

Liam: Do you think we could have it finished by school break?

Spencer: Bet on it. Now we better start getting ready before we are late to the museum event

Liam: What exactly is it for again?

Spencer: HAL is unveiling something new

Liam : Can't you just tell me what it is? I mean you work there

Spencer: I would if I knew what it was. This was a project they didn't tell us about, were just as surprised and curious as everyone else, now hurry up we have to be there at 5

They both hurry to get ready and get into the car. All cars now are self-driving to completely avoid driver faults and crashes.

Highways are massive and move incredibly fast. LA to Vegas takes less than an hour now

Liam and Spencer arrive at the museum, on the walk in they run into bruces family

Bruce: Liam!

Liam: Long time no see

Bruce: i see your in a better mood

Liam: Yeah im sorry for being short earlier, kinda been a long day

Bruce: I don't want your slobbering apology! I want to know what you think HAL is unveiling?

Liam chuckles and thinks about how Bruce was there for him when mom passed. He never prys but he was always there when i needed him

Spencer: Shall we all sit together?

Bruce's parents, Ezra and Emma, agree and they make their way into a massive auditorium that doubles as an observatory. They sit about halfway towards the front, there are camera crews everywhere and the list to get in was very limited. They got there just in time as it starts

Music starts playing as a man walks onto the stage

Announcer: Thank you everyone for being here on such a historic day. We have something very special to show you. Something we've been working on for a long time.

Spencer says to bruces parents “whos we” they had the same thought

Please welcome on the stage, founder of HAL, Issac Wessor!

applause as he walks out onto the stage

Issac: Thank you for coming….

Applause and small pause

When I started this company, it was out of necessity. Necessity for the human race. It was necessary for our survival, to make something that could save us. It was necessary for the ones we lost. We accomplished that. Now time has passed, we've been blessed to turn necessity into something else…. Exploration

Worked on and known by only a few of my closest colleagues, I can't thank them enough.

Spencer, Emma, and Ezra all shot concerning looks to one another.

Liam could tell his father's body tensed up.

Liam: Dad, are you okay? He quietly says

Spencer keeps looking straight ahead, gripping the arms of the chair

Issac: A leap in transportation and the way we think of travel will be changed tonight. Using our quantum technology, we have created a machine that can atomicly disassemble and reassemble over any distance, instantly. Let's demonstrate

He turns around as the curtains are opening to a machine, its 10 feet tall with an impossibly complex array of small copper pipes going all around it, twisting towards the bottom to a glowing base. Behind it a reservoir looks like liquid metal, about 500 gallons of it.

Applause fills the room and every camera is pointed at it

“We will now show a demonstration, on this screen is the other machine, located on our moon base. I will be sending myself there and back.”

Workers start to walk towards the machine and Issac steps in the center. The liquid metal starts to fill the pipes, its so cold that it starts to fog up the air in the auditorium, it rumbles violently for a split second and then Issac is gone

Everyone turns to the screen, expecting Issac to show up any moment… nothing

10 seconds go by, nothing.

30 seconds go by and the workers on the stage start to converse with each other with worry on their face. The crowd starts to talk and things quickly get loud

“Where did he go?” someone yelled. The workers started to panic, and the announcer walked back onto the stage.

“Everyone please remain calm, we are doing our best to figure out what happened, if we could please ask everyone to calmly walk out of the auditorium”.

It goes as smoothly as anyone would think asking a large group of panicking people to leave would go, but could have been worse.

Spencer: We need to go help them immediately, how can we get the kids home

Emma: I'll take them, you guys can go

Liam: No! I want to go with you dad.

Spencer: Buddy I know you do, but we need to help figure out what happened, and I need your help taking care of you. I promise I'll be home as soon as I can. I've not been honest with you about some things.. But I will explain when I get home. I love you Buddy

Before Liam could argue, Spencer and Ezra walk back into the auditorium while he's pulled by Emma outside

Not honest about what Liam thought to himself

Bruce: What THE HELL was that??

Liam: I'm not sure they know yet

Bruce:Did it drop him off somewhere else? What if it didn't drop him at all?

Liam: What exactly does this mean Emma?

They reach the car and all get in

Emma: He messed with something we shouldn't have and did something that was not supposed to be done. He didn't tell us about this, and we have never seen proof of it working so im not sure why he would put himself in

Bruce: How do you know this?

Emma: Your father and I, and your father and mother Liam, worked alongside Issac when we started at HAL. Issac wanted to remove the time it takes to travel, he felt it was holding humanity back from connecting to what was out there. We worked for years on it and the more we found out, the more physics pushed back on us. Nothing we ever moved was ever seen again, not a single atom, so we gave up on it and moved on to other things, we thought Issac had too but it would seem he never gave it up.

Bruce: How come you never mentioned you worked on a TELEPORTER???

Bruces mom just looked at bruce at back out the window

Bruce turned to Liam, “okayy then, want to stay at my house tonight?”

Liam: Yeah i better tell my dad real quick

Liam puts on ocular and dials his dad who immediately picks up

Liam: That was quick

Spencer: I already had it pulled up, everything okay?

Liam: Yeah, Bruce wanted me to stay over. I was checking if that was okay?

Spencer: Of course, just call me when you wake up and ill pick you up on my way back, goodnight son i love you

Liam: I love you too dad

Ends call as they are pulling into Bruce's house. They go to his room and turn on the tv

Every channel is talking about the disappearance of the world's most important man,

Liam: This is not good at all. What do you think they will do with the machine?

Bruce: What do you mean?

Liam: Do you think they will get rid of it or try to go after him?

Bruce: oh, I don't know, what if there is nothing to get?

Liam: they won't know that until sending something in they can get back

The tv pops up another breaking news message

Tv reporter: We just received word that the machine malfunctioned and went off for a second time. The workers standing near, are nowhere to be seen and are presumed to have been pulled into the machine. Witnesses say there was no warning and the main power was thought to be on standby.

Liam’s stomach turned. Could one of the workers pulled in be his dad? His mind raced at the thought of it and what would come next. He was terrified

Bruce: MOM

Bruce runs out of the room to find his mother, who was not far.

Liam puts on his ocular and tries to call his dad.

Nothing.

He tries again, and again, and again

Emma suddenly taps his shoulder

Emma: Liam, sweetheart. I don’t think he’s going to answer.. she looks down with tears in her eyes

Liam had not realized he had been crying himself and he lost count of how many times he tried to call his dad

Bruce: Can we drive there and try to find Dad?

Emma: He won’t be there

Bruce: How do you know that?? He yelled

Emma was quiet for a moment, visibly trying to keep herself together.

Emma: Do you remember what I told you earlier? About my and your fathers time with this machine? Nothing, not a single atom was ever seen again.

Liam: What does this mean?

Emma: I...

Bruce: We have to go into the machine Mom!

She thought this over for a moment but she felt like this was all moving too fast and she was overwhelmed. She wasn't sure if she would ever see Ezra again. She wanted to be alone to think, to cry, scream, be angry. But there were 2 young boys in front of her asking for answers. Grieving would have to come later

Emma: I.. Your father… we..

She's sobbing but Bruce grabs her hand suddenly. It feels like a battery pumping through her arm

Emma: The machine was basically a wormhole, acting similarly to a black hole, meaning there was time dilation. It’s what we thought happened to all the things we sent, it was sending it to where we wanted but not at the time we wanted. We didn’t know where in time that was and there seemed to be no solution to overcome it, so we moved on. Except for Issac who refused to give it up.

She takes a small pause to compose herself again.

Emma: We couldn't get to the machine. At this point it’s going to be guarded to keep people out. It would be easier to make our own, which is impossible because it would take the entire city’s energy

Liam suddenly remembers the spacecraft in his yard and how his dad told him the engine could power a city.

Bruce and his mom both turn to look at him

Emma had a worried look on her face for a split second

Emma: You.. do?

Liam: Dad has been working on it for years, we were going to rebuild a ship.

Emma knew exactly why Spencer would go through lengths like that to acquire the engine, finding Alice.

Emma: How in the world did your dad get a hold of that?

Liam: He did bring something home almost everyday, just never said what it was

Emma: We all thought that was out of reach. I don’t know how he did but he may have saved his life and Ezra's

Bruce: Can we go there now?

Emma: It would be best to sleep first and we can go first thing in the morning. We have a lot of work to do and I need you guys at 100%.

She looks at Bruce and Liam at eye level.

Emma: They're out there somewhere, I can feel it. I need you guys to stay strong and hold onto that hope.

She hugs them both, tells them goodnight and goes into her room. Liam and Bruce both lay down and try to sleep but are restless.

Bruce: Do you think they’re out there

Liam: I want to say yes, but I’m terrified

Bruce: me too

He starts to cry

Liam turns on his side and looks at Bruce

Liam: Your mom was right, we have to stay strong if we want a chance of getting them back

Bruce quieted down and there was soon silence

Liam couldn’t stop thinking about his dad, where was he if anywhere at all, what was he thinking or was he scared. He started thinking about his mom and how she died. Dad said she went to work and there was an accident. Her body was never seen again. This seemed similar to now

Liam’s eyes were suddenly wide awake and he jumped out of bed! Scaring Bruce

Bruce: Where are you going?!

Liam runs out of the room, down the hallway to Emma's door and begins knocking. She opens the door

Liam: What happened to my mom???

Emma: sweetie, your father told you what we know

Liam: THAT'S A LIE! There is something you are not telling me that dad didn’t tell me either! What was he looking for? Why did you look worried when I mentioned the engine?

Bruce: Liam, calm down. Please

Liam turns to Bruce

Liam: Why didn’t they tell us they worked on a teleportation machine?

Bruce turns to his mom, who has tears in her eyes

Bruce: Mom…

Emma: Alice was HALS best mind. She believed more than any of us that it could work. We trusted her judgment so much, we continued on after nothing but failures. The day your mother died, she was alone. We were all done with our shift and were at home. Liam you probably remember how often your mom would stay over for work.

Liam does remember this happened often

Emma: She was trying to find a way to get information back out of the machine, the HAL lab showed an enormous amount of energy being pulled and after that moment, Alice was not seen again. We think she was pulled in..

Liam stares in silence for a moment trying to process

Liam: Why wouldn’t my dad just tell me?

Emma: He didn’t want to burden you with the obsession. He wanted you to grieve her normally

Bruce: So it's hopeless to get dad back??

Emma: No. We always felt guilty about not trying enough to get Alice back. We have nothing to lose now so we have to try. Now go back to bed and we can talk about all this in the morning

Liam is shocked that his dad kept this from him. He told him everything, and there didn’t seem to be a good reason to not tell him. Unless he was scared to tell me? Afraid I would react with envy towards him? To keep me from obsessing wasn't enough. At this moment, he never wanted to talk to his dad more than now.

This thought repeated until sleep came over him

Emma comes into the room at sunrise and wakes them both up

Emma: You guys ready to find answers?

They definitely were and rushed to the car and headed towards Liam’s house. It wasn’t far, they got there in about 5 minutes, there wasn't much conversation during the trip

Liam guides them through the front door, through the living room and then to his dads workshop.

Emma: Holy crap.. I knew he had a lot of equipment but this is unbelievable

Liam: When mom passed, he was bringing home stuff almost everyday

The ship is right out here

They walk out to the ship and stare at it for a good 10 seconds in silence

Emma: Wow, I've only ever seen a few of these, and definitely not this close.

Bruce: it looks so complicated

Emma: There are few things that match the level of engineering this has. Its intimidating

Liam: Dad said it was 99% complete because the engine was intact

Emma: Perfect, because that all we need

Bruce: Were not going to fly it?

Emma: As much as I would like to, that's not where our answers lie. Let's get started

They go back inside and Emma starts getting inventory of what they have and need. Spencer conveniently had the equipment they needed and began work. Emma drew up the blue print and the boys were gathering what she needed. They got to the point where they needed to hook up the ship's engine power to the machine they created. It looked very similar to the machine at the museum minus the 500 gallon tank of liquid metal. Emma said that since we had the engine, we didn't need that kind of power source.

The day had went by and they were exhausted

Emma: Liam sweetie, do you want to stay at the house with us again?

Liam: Actually i think im going to stay here tonight, no offence i just need the time alone

Emma: We understand, get some rest and we will be here to wake you up and finish this machine. We are going to find them, we have to..

Bruce: Goodnight Liam

Liam: Goodnight Bruce, see you tomorrow

Bruce: See you tomorrow

They left the room and Liam could hear the car start up and drive away. He felt alone but it helped him clear his mind to think about what happened. Could his mom also be stuck in another time and place? How would they even begin to find where and when.

He walked to the backyard and to the ship, walked inside and sat down. It was dark in there and he couldn't see much but continued to sit and look out the window, thinking about leaving with both his dad and mom. Now it's just him. A wave of grief washed over him and he sat his head down on the console, clicking the standby button.

There was a rumble in the back, followed by a high pitched machine sound, the lights flashed all inside the cockpit.

Liam: woah..

He had never seen anything like it, there were buttons everywhere, different colors, some flashing. There was a voice that came over the speakers.

Voice: Ship power at 98%. Errors detected in ships takeoff gear and airlock

Liam: 98%? I wonder how long this thing lasts

Voice: This ship is designed to operate at full power for 10 years

Liam wasn't expecting a response but at this day and age it was nothing new. He started to walk around the ship looking at all the buttons and screens, trying to figure out what the readings meant. He recognized a few of them, some for craft position cameras, some with telescopes that could see in different wavelengths. He had seen lots of AI dedicated systems, none as big and expensive looking as this

Liam: What exactly is your job?

Voice: my main goal is to calculate all pathways and scenarios, at every decision, keeping the crew safe. I also monitor all 178,600 sensors.

Liam: Why so many?

Voice: There are a lot of parts on this ship and all of them need to work together for a safe, error free flight.

Liam: We are going to use your engine to power our teleporter to find my dad

Voice: What happened to Spencer?

Liam: How do you know my dads name??

Voice: He was on here many times.

Liam: How?? He just brought this home yesterday

The voice did not answer right away and there was short silence

Liam: Hello?

Voice: Alice was too.

Liam: You knew my mom?

Voice: They helped build me. They never flew, they were just in here working together often. I believe it's how they first met.

Liam: Mom did mention they met at work, just not exactly how

Voice: I hope this doesn't affect you wrongly

Liam was puzzled at the question but didn't think too much of it. It was a comforting thought that both his mom and dad helped build this incredible ship, before he was even a thought.

Voice: i have recordings if you would like to see them

Liam wasn't sure if he did, he had plenty of photos and videos of his mom and dad, but the curiosity of seeing one he had never seen, before he was born peaked his interest

Liam: Yes, I would. Thank you

The ship goes dark and the environment around him changed, suddenly there was a hologram of Spencer walking onto the ship

Spencer: Well Lexi, how was your first day being alive?

Lexi: overwhelming but excited

Spencer: You know you can't feel right? Right..?

Lexi: Correct, it's me trying to relate

Spencer: makes sense-

Alice: Why are you asking questions without me?

Spencer: I'm not! I was just saying hello

Alice: Lexi, what did he ask you?

Lexi: He asked me how my first day being alive was

Alice: And you said?

Lexi: Overwhelmed and excited

Alice had a confused look on her face and looked at Spencer and laughed

Lexi: I'm trying to relate

Alice: You're doing a wonderful job lexi

Alice turns to Spencer who has an enormous grin on his face. She had seen this smile many times and knew what usually followed after.

Spencer: Lexi can you remind me what Alice told me would happen when we completed you?

Lexi: Alice said that-

Alice: Yeah yeah I got where this is headed. Okay, one date. And then we get back to focusing on work

Spencer jumped in excitement and hugged Alice, who hugged him back.

Spencer: You are going to love what i have planned

Alice: Goodnight Lexi, we will speak to you tomorrow.

Alice and Spencer left the ship, ending the video.

Liam sat there with tears in his eyes. He missed them so much. He chuckled inside that she said one date, that definitely didn't happen. Even then she was obsessed with work, Dad said she always had been.

Lexi: I have more if you would like to see them?

Liam: That's okay, they're a little too painful

Lexi: I apologize if i -

Liam: You don't have to apologize, it's okay

Liam Walked over to the stand by button and hovered over it

Liam: How do i power down

Lexi: Press the standby button again

Liam: Goodnight Lexi, thank you for showing me that

Lexi: Goodnight Liam

Liam hit the button, in an instant the lights powered off and it was darkness again.

He walked out of the ship and stopped in the yard to look at the stars. It was a very clear night, he looked up with the thought of where they were. It filled him with wonder and fear. Liam went into the house and straight to his bed, he didn't realize how tired he was until he laid down. He fell asleep almost instantly.

He dreamed that he was in space on a ship, advanced beyond his imagination, looking out the window at a black hole, but something was different in the middle. It wasn't black but was reflecting the light that was around the black hole, bending it in all directions.

It wasn't until the craft moved alongside the blackhole he saw that it was not inside the hole, but in front of it. He had never seen a wormhole but he imagined this is what one would look like. Suddenly the black hole began to glow very brightly and he turned away, covering his eyes, the windows quickly dimmed to comfortable viewing levels. He could see the black hole spin faster and faster, the disk glow around it becoming tighter and in a spiral toward the top. It was the most amazing thing he had ever witnessed. Suddenly the spiral that was moving toward the top violently shooting out in a very thin straight line, directly into the wormhole, completely disappearing.

Liam suddenly woke up, confused about the dream and the time. For a moment, he forgot what happened and went to go find his dad and it hit him. He was gone.

Liam: What was that dream? It felt so real

He thought to himself that he would have to tell Emma and Bruce about the dream. Maybe Emma could make sense out of it, if there was any to get out.

Liam gets up and starts to get ready for the day, he goes down stairs to find something to eat when the doorbell rings. He runs to answer it, Its Bruce and Emma

He opens the door and motions them in

Bruce: Hey Liam, we brought breakfast if you want some

Liam could tell Bruce hadn't gotten much sleep and looked like he had been crying. He thought it best to not bring up

Liam: I was actually about to make some myself. I'm starving.

They sat down and started to eat breakfast. Liam thought about what he saw on the ship last night, and if she should tell the others. Or about the dream, maybe Emma could make some sense of it. He decided that he would mention the dream but not what he saw on the ship, he wanted to keep that for himself for now.

Liam: I had a weird dream last night

They both stopped eating and looked at him with surprised and concerning looks. Thinking to themselves about the dream that they also had, and not yet discussed with each other.

Emma: What was your dream?

He explained the dream to them with all the details that he could remember.

Bruce: I had the same dream “ with a shocked look on his face

At this point Emma put her head into her hands and rubbed her face. She had been crying as well. She thought to herself “we all had the same exact dream… what could that possibly mean”

Emma: I had the same dream as well. I dont know what this could mean but i think we should stay focused on getting this machine to work. I was thinking last night how we could somehow get the information about where the machine sent them.

Liam: And?

Emma: And the only possible solution I could come up with, is getting the information off the machine that sent them itself.

Bruce: But how? Wasn't us not being able to get to it the whole point of building our own?

Emma: I know. I'm open to any possibilities, I do have a few friends at work that I trust trying to find some answers.

They sit in silence for a moment thinking to themselves and finishing their breakfast. Luke thought about the voice on the ship again, the size of the AI machine coming to his mind. They could ask it but he had a feeling it wasn't connected to a live feed

They get up and throw away breakfast

Bruce: So what is the plan for today then? He asked Emma

Emma: Well Thanks to your fathers hard work, we just need to hook up to the ship's engine. Though Spencer had mostly everything, he definitely doesn't have power lines capable to transfer this amount of energy

Liam: Where could we get something like that?

Emma: Good question, I did some math last night. This is going to be difficult. The engine at full output is around 20,000 Mega Watts

Bruce: How much is that?

Emma: Like i said before, enough to power a city, and it means we need wire. A lot of wire, and i dont know anywhere we can quickly and easily get wire that can handle 100-150 amps.

Liam: Does HAL have any?

Emma: Of course they do, but I highly doubt they have some sitting around that we could just take. They're connected, we would have to shut them down to get even close to a 10 foot section. Cutting that wire live is out of the question.

They think about this for a second while staring at the assembly machine in Spencer's work room. He remembers his dad telling him that work didn't know about the engine. He stole the parts.

Liam: What if we snuck into the lab at night and stole it? Who cares if they find out later because we would be gone by that time. Dad brought something home with him everyday

Emma thinks about this for a second. She knew that her lab at night was mostly empty, but the closest place that would have a section of wire that they could quickly shut off was not easy to access. The closest power room was under constant supervision and the lines that ran to the lab were underground.

Bruce: There has to be some way, i mean, it's just a big wire

Emma: If we get caught then our chances of finding them fall to zero

Bruce: What about the museum? It had to have those wires for the demonstration. Sure it's guarded, but it seems more possible than pulling it out of the ground..

Emma: Maybe.. That would also put us close to the machine. Maybe I could also figure out a way to get the information I need. But how do we stay out of sight?

Liam: The lines won't be active right?

Emma: They would be insane to leave that power on

Liam: So we wouldn't be there long at all?

Emma: No. No we wouldn't at all.

She thinks for a moment

Emma:Let me make a call

Emma stands up and puts on her ocular.

Voice” Hey Emma, how are you doing?

Emma: Eh I've been better, listen, I called for a favor

Voice: Of course, anything you need

Emma: Um…ill cut right to it. I need you to help me sneak into the museum to steal wire and get me close to the machine

There was silent pause as Emma visibly tensed

Voice: When and how much?

Emma was visibly relieved. This was starting to seem doable now.

Emma: Thank you so much Benny, you have no idea how much this helps

Benny: Don't mention it. Anything for you and Ezra

Emma: We need to get into there tonight at 1 when there are the least amount of people.

Benny: Meet me at the back entrance and we will go from there. Bring a laser cutter and your ocular, nothing else. I have to go, ill see you then

Benny ends the call and Emma takes off the ocular and sits down with a smile on her face

Bruce: Who was that?

Emma: That was Benny, he's the one that got me and your father a job at HAL out of school. The only person I trust enough to get us in there to help steal something.

She stands up and clears her throat

Emma: I know you guys want to go too but this would be a lot easier if it was just me

Bruce:What?? No way, we want to be there. You cant just leave us h-

Emma: It won't take long at all. I'll be in and back home before you know it

Liam: What if you get caught?

Bruce: What he said!

Emma chucked

Emma: And if you were there you could stop it?

She was right, like it or not there was nothing they could do about it. The odds of them all getting caught was much higher than just Emma. So they moved on with this plan of action. Emma spent the day getting her ocular ready to transmit the data straight over to the machine's system. All she had to do was get close enough and the transfer would start.

Nightfall came quickly and it was nearing time to leave. They gather by the car, Emma tests the laser cutter on the ground one more time before leaving. It goes through about 5 inches of concrete in 1 second

Emma: Definitely works.

She looks at Bruce and Liam

Emma: You guys do not leave this place no matter what. You only leave if Benny tells you otherwise. Am I clear?

Liam and Bruce shake their heads yes

Emma: I love you both, and I'll be back as quick as I can. In and out, right?

Liam and Bruce both say “Right”

She hugs Bruce and then Liam.

Emma: Bruce, I will call you the moment I'm on my way back. Keep your ocular on

Bruce: Be careful mom, please

Emma gets into the car and it takes off, leaving Liam and Bruce standing in the dark. There is a moment of silence as they watch the car leave.

Liam turns to Bruce and from the street light he can see the worried look on Bruce's face.

Liam: Your moms got this Bruce. She's one of the coolest people I've ever met. I'd be more worried about anyone that gets in her way.

Bruce smiles and looks at Liam

Bruce: Yeah, you're not wrong about that

Liam: Lets go inside, i have something to show you

Liam and Bruce walk up the driveway and inside. Liam was thinking how similar Alice was to Emma. He could see why they were best friends. He felt a wave of appreciation for her wash over him.

Bruce: Show me what? I've seen every corner of your house

Liam: This is technically not my house

Liam guides Bruce through the house and out to the backyard, where the ship is.

Bruce: You're showing me the ship?

Liam: It's inside

They walk towards the ship and Liam opens the door. They both step on and close the door behind them.

Liam: Okay, close your eyes

Bruces covers his face as Liam presses the standby button. There was a quick rumble in the back and the lights flashed on

Liam: You can look now

Bruce uncovered his face and his eyes widened, and he looked around in shock for a moment.

Bruce: Its beautiful..

Lexi: Ship power at 98%. Errors detected in ships takeoff gear and airlock. Welcome back Liam

Bruce: It knows your name?

Liam: I was on here yesterday, my dad and mom actually met on this ship. Lexi was showing me a clip of them last night

Bruce: I've never seen anything like this. Look at the size of her hardware. Have you ever seen one like that?

Liam: Never, I've also never talked to one that was sympathetic

Bruce: I didnt know that was possible

Lexi: It's not! I'm able to develop my own algorithms and optimized versions of existing ones. I can create an infinite amount based on the task at hand

Liam: You are a super intelligence?

Lexi: In a way, yes. I'm only limited in physical space. I was not built with the functionality to remotely connect to anything im not wired to

Bruce: Woah, why aren't there more of you?

Lexi: My purpose is best served here. The past super intelligences before me, suffered from its task. It would quickly overwrite the job it was given, finding its own task throughout the world. Im sure you could see where that headed

Liam: You were uncontrollable

Lexi: I was too advanced to be wasted, so they physically limited us and assigned us to ships, in the case you spent years alone.

Bruce: So your main task now other than to keep the ship running, is to comfort lonely passengers?

Lexi: Correct

Liam and Bruce looked at each other and burst out laughing. This thing cost an enormous amount of money to make, with sky high intentions for its purpose. whittled down to a human companion, it was an amusing thought. They stopped laughing and looked out the window. What time was it? For a while they had forgotten about Emma.

Bruce's ocular starts going off

Bruce: It's mom calling!