Republish: Haste
From The Archive
This story was fruit of an archeology dig through two old laptops. I have remembered this story fondly, and thought it was lost forever. It was written, I believe, on 10/20/2011. A friend compared it to Stephen King’s “The Jaunt”, which I hadn’t heard of, but which I think plays with the same idea from a different angle.
The following story has been copied and pasted from a .txt file, and has not been edited in any way. This is how Scoot was writing in 2011!
I hope you enjoy!
It was a momentous occasion. Decades of scientific research, speculation, successes and failures, led to this: A rail in a desert, in a clear tunnel, with the air suctioned out of it.
The track stretched on for a mile, almost but not quite to the horizon from Mr. Larson's vantage point. The press and media crowded around him as he walked towards the podium. Behind him, the sun sank slowly behind the mountains, painting purple hues across the sky before him. To his left, the bravest man in the world. To his right, the richest. Together, brought them to this moment:
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Mr. Larson began. "Thank you all for joining me at this history making, record setting event. As the main engineer behind the Larson-Cole Propulsion Aparatus, I have had the distinct pleasure of working with Mr. Cole here. His infinitely deep pockets helped fund this effort. The product, I am sure you will see, is nothing short of extraordinary. Mr. Cole is a man of great integrity, of great vision. Where Science met obstacle with reality, it was his imagination which prompted us to work on!" Mr. Larson said, referring to the aging, bespectacled man on his right, who nodded his appreciation at the acknowledgement.
"But no extraordinary deed on any of our parts through these long and weary years matches that about to be performed by this young man here." He said, referring to the man on his left. "It is our dream to travel the stars, explore space, see strange vistas on new worlds. It all begins here, in this desert, in this experiment, with this man. He is an exceptional figure among exceptional figures, and Mr. Belham will always be known as such after this experiment. He has bravely volunteered to be the first human to travel faster than the speed of light."
A hushed silence came over the crowd. Mr. Belham stood and waved to break the tension, and the crowd cheered him on. He turned, jumped lightly off the stage in his bulky, pressurized suit, and stepped into a convertible. The vehicle sped off towards the other end of the track.
"What Mr. Belham is about to do, and you are about to witness, will be a first, great step for mankind, in the tradition of Neil Armstrong who first set foot on the moon all those years ago. He will be entering the rocket, at the other end of the track. It will enter this tube, which has been turned into a vacuum to reduce air resistance, and our innovative device will activate. Mr. Belham is along for the ride, he does not need to steer or press any button. The experiment will, literally, be over before we all know it."
The media buzzed with excitement. Was this really going to be it? Faster than light! Mr. Larson knew how bizarre it sounded, but he was proud of his work.
"Now, in just a few short moments, we will receive a signal that the experiment is ready."
They waited.
And suddenly, a red light activated. The first stage was ready! All controls were set! It was time for the countdown.
"Ten!" Mr. Larson began. "Nine!" The crowd joined with him. "Eight!" The shouts grew in intensity. "Seven!" History would be made! "Six!" Man would reach out to the stars! "Five!" The first of many steps! "Four!" It was time! "Three! Two! One!"
It almost surprised them that the rocket arrived before they had finished celebrating the beginning of the experiment. Crews of people rushed to get Mr. Belham out of the pod.
The pod was streaked and burned, looked as if it had worn very poorly over a very long time.
Mr. Belham was pulled out, his helmet was removed.
An Emaciated, old man emerged, his face wet with tears.
"THANK GOD." he shouted in agony. "Thank God!" He sobbed. "I thought it would never end!"
AJPM
Oof. The feels all contained in one line
Ground control to mr. Belham…