Journey of the Alacritous Regress Volume 1: The Dead Canary

Installment 1: It's What's on the Inside that Counts

Atoms make up everything in existence.

"Next!"

Atoms are arranged into molecules and held together by electron bonds, and these molecules are held in place by electromagnetic force.

"Next!"

If one was to somehow stretch these bonds without severing them, then the said object this was to happen to, would simply disintegrate.

"Next!"

Once whatever force was stretching these bonds stopped, the object would fly back together, or melt down into a nuclear explosion as the bonds snap apart.

"Next!"

I step forward and into the small phone booth like room. I envy those that don't know how these machines work, the door slides close in front of me, because I sure didn't like the idea of all that happening to me. A sharp jab of pain hits me as all of my atoms break apart and beam down to Terra where they all snap back to my original form.

The names Shooting Star, although all my buddies back at the academy just called me Shooting. I have just graduated from the Horus space academy commander training program, and am just now reporting in to Terra for ship assignment.

The door of the receiving station slides open to let in the bright light of a lobby full of people waiting for their loved ones and business associates. My watch beeps at me and I take a quick glance at it. Across the screen is an arrow pointing into the crowd like the arrow of a compass.

I follow it to a dark skinned Human wearing a NASA blue jumpsuit. Her watch pings at her. Checking its screen, she looks up and scans the surrounding crowd. A look of confusion grows on her face and she scans each of the different members of the crowd.

Eventually her gaze falls on me. "Shooting Star?" she says it with an iffy tone as if she can't even consider that I could possibly be the person she was looking for.

"The one and only."

Her eyes widen in shock and she raises her hands to her temples. "No, God, no! This can not be right!"

"Aw, but it is."

"Ugh!"

"Well, it seems you were waiting for me, do you want to let me in on why?"

Taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly she speaks up. "My names Teresa Jackson, I was assigned by NASA as your superior. I'm sorry for my outbreak, I was just not expecting someone...um...with your...um...well..."

"Handsome fur ruffs." I interpose.

"No...um...I was actually talking of your race, its just that, well, when I scanned the dossier I received on you I saw your test score and just assume you were Human without reading the rest. I just kinda, didn't think that an Engea could have possibly gotten that high of test scores."

"I had good test scores?"

"Uh, yeah, you did, up in the high 80th percentile. Quite amazing for someone of your heritage."

"Did they also show you the results of my personality and psychology test?"

"Uh"

"Ok, better that way." Teresa's eye brows pops up at this, but she doesn't speak, instead, she turns and starts towards the doors. I follow as we exit the beamer depot, and onto a sidewalk lining a massive covered roadway. The driverless cars that fill the roadway pull up to waiting people at random and open their doors to let the waiting person in. These cars are in constant motion down the roadway, but six meters away sits a gray car, unmoving.