A Flight of Broken Wings: Aeriel Trilogy #1

Chapter 46

"No, no. The amplifier just enhances the immediate intensity of the shot but it's the booster at the back that really adds to the overall velocity," the bright-eyed young researcher explained enthusiastically as Ashwin nodded along with a look of attentive fascination on his face, stopping his companion here and there to ask another question about the strange semi-circular gadget they were cooing over.

"Ah yes," murmured the Zainian after a particularly convoluted piece of techno-babble from the researcher. "My sister had been working on something like this a few years ago. She told me the motherboard would require a platinum base before she could expand the storage capacity–"

One of the other researchers, a slightly older woman in her early thirties, tapped Ashwin's shoulder to draw his attention to another contraption that looked vaguely like the first one, but with some sort of antennae attached to one end. "This is a more advanced version of the drive. But what it gains in speed, it loses in storage capacity, particularly when working with older interfaces. Of course that wouldn't matter much in an emergency situation but when we consider long-term commercial use..."

Ruban tuned them out. It all sounded like gibberish to him anyway. Hiya would enjoy being here. It was not that he was particularly bad with technology. He managed the basic stuff he needed for his job without much trouble, but he had never felt a fascination for technology for its own sake. Apparently, Ashwin felt differently – his eyes were wide and his mouth hung slightly open as he listened with rapt attention to the pair of researchers explaining the relative pros and cons of the two gadgets in what seemed to Ruban like excruciating detail. Well, he supposed that even a nincompoop of Ashwin's calibre had to have something he was interested in. Besides, it couldn't hurt to make friends with the staff at SifCo, since they would inevitably need their cooperation at some point during the investigation.

Turning away, he surveyed the interiors of the facility. The place felt oddly sterile to him, almost like a hospital, but with machines for patients. The walls were all painted white and the furniture was modern and uncomfortable. Tall, metal cabinets lined the walls and bizarre-looking contraptions in various stages of dismantlement littered almost every available surface.

He was just about to turn around and join Ashwin in his enthusiastic explorations of the wonders of science, to try and see if he could get any information out of the junior researchers, when a metal door to the back of the room, marked 'RESTRICTED', flew open. A slender, harried-looking man in his early sixties, wearing thick glasses and a long white lab coat, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, stood at the doorway. His eyes darted around the room for a few seconds before landing finally on Ruban.

"Ah,you must be Mr. Kinoh," he said, rushing forward to grab Ruban's hand and giveit a hearty shake. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Got caught up with something; sostupid of me. I was told you would be coming today. But you know how timeflies...and when you're so close to the end. Hard to keep track, you know." Hecontinued to babble, turning to walk back towards the room he had just come outof. He was still holding on to Ruban's hand, never having let go of it after therather extensive handshake they had shared, and the Hunter found himself beingpulled along behind the newcomer to the chamber with the 'Restricted' sign. Hishead snapped back to look at Ashwin, but the Zainian seemed to have caught onto what was happening and made to follow Ruban into the room, bidding aperfunctory goodbye to his new friends before breaking out into a semi jog tocatch up with the other two.