novelxo Chapter 24: Superfast Teleport
Telik checked himself in the mirror. It wasn’t as if you had to these days. But like a hung over ritual of years past, the once over was just to check everything was where it should be. The Human eye was still critical of any alteration. After the mechanisms had declared you an exact facsimile of the discarded you, on the other end of the pair of teleporters, and so had legally disposed of the unwanted detritus. Converting the terawatts of energy produced, to keep the balance of power in the system. For no one wanted to get their signal cut mid transmission, due to a tele-powerout.
“Always moving forward.” Telik’s eyes flicked up to the legend written on top of the mirror. And he thought how in the past, it took about ten years to replace all the atoms in your body. Now you could do it several times a day. He fancied a change of fashion today after all it wasn’t an office day. And he was visiting his grandkids on the other side of the country to where he lived, and usually worked. Not that he was in the office too often. As an architect these days spent more time with the clients. Finding out what they really wanted to be built. After the initial design work, the programs kicked in and did the logistics, tested the structures in virtual simulators. It even sourced the materials and construction engineers. Telik essentially sold his clients the dream. The reality like a faithful dog, would follow on behind.
Perhaps he would go for a floral design this time, with plenty of room. He pondered his stomach; yes something to hide that. Telik stepped in to the dressing room, and the wrap around mirror showed his reflection. Now appearing to be wrapped in a neutral coverall. As the projected starter clothes gave him the first step in his, “adventure in attire” as the auto tailor always reminded you. Telik reached out and touched the Hepplewhite symbol, floating with all the other designers available in front of him. Telik liked their designs, and he followed the sub menus down to an outfit he really liked the look of on him. Then he stared in to the retinal scanner in the center of the Visa express symbol. He intoned the well-worn phrase, uttered a billion times a day the world over. “I’ll buy it.” The automatic response “your credit is sufficient, have a nice day.” Made Telik sigh with relief of validation. Then naked once more, he began to dress in the newly created garments. The light construction didn’t bother him, after all they would be discarded on the next teleport. The door slid open, and a younger version of him stood facing Telik.
“Hello dad”, his son hugged Telik. “What took you so long?” Telik glanced over at the clock; it said a quarter past twelve. “I didn’t take that long dressing did I Kaldron?” Beaming back Kaldron laughed, “No I saw the incoming signal. Your pattern took five whole minutes. If you transmitted with Globo-telecom you could do it in three.” Telik patted him on the back as they went through to the dinning room. “Always on the sell son, lets se if you can route me out a parental deal.” Shaking his head Kaldron sighed. “Not since they introduced the anti nepotism laws. But I’ll see whose quota is down in the office. Velasquez will probably be able to cut you a good deal.”
“Martha.” Telik embraced his daughter in law, as she came flush faced from the kitchen. “I like your top Telik” she complimented, as they broke apart. Suddenly there was a blur like rockets crashing in to Telik, as Jake and Elwood grabbed his legs shouting their welcome to grandpa. “How are my two favorite grand children? And did you get the toys I sent through to you?” Jake held up a wooden duck with bright paint on it. While Elwood zoomed around with his model of a fly, making the buzzing noises for it. “Better go wash your hands for lunch you two”, Martha chided the two boys. And off they scampered, shouting their thanks for grandpa’s gifts over their shoulders. “They’ve been playing with them all morning. How did you know the retro-toys were all the rage now?” she asked Telik. He just shrugged, “Those things never really go out of fashion.” And they went over to the dinning table.
The sumptuous spread was a feature of any table, where steaks from Argentina didn’t cost the extra to transport it all the way to the supermarket. And freshly picked fruit really always was these days. “Pass the salt dear”, Telik leaned in to get the condiment off Martha, as she shot a glance at Kaldron. He took the hint, and interjected. “How’s your heart pop? No problems.” Telik passed the comment off, like all enquiries about his health. “My new stem cell heart is doing just fine. And I’m sure I will out live that duffer who refused to get his artificial one replaced. What do they call him, the last cyborg? I’d like to see him try and teleport with that.” Then Telik quoted the legend written on every port of entry, on ever teleport booth across the globe. “On no account should any matter but yourself should proceed beyond this point, especially none organic matter including implants.” He eyeballed his son as if to make the point.
Thankfully Marta broke the silence; who sensing the tension cut in. “Did you hear about the latest news on the Moon teleport program?” “Are we going to the Moon?” Elwood looked up excited from the carrot sticks. He was busy demolishing them, as he pretended to be a beaver. His carrot dam was keeping the broccoli forests safe, from the cheese sauce lake. “No son” his father informed him. “Anyway, I though you were all excited to be going to the ruins at Pompeii.” Telik frowned, “You never said you’d got tickets for Pompeii.” Too late Kaldron realized his mistake. For Telik had been hinting that he would like to go there for his birthday. Tickets for popular sites or events were like gold, when anyone could go anywhere.
“We got some last minute, going spare in the work’s ticket pool. And I didn’t know if you’d be free with the McGinley project you’re working on.” He lied skillfully, but Martha sensing a possible outburst from her father in law cut in. “Like I was saying, they’re still having problems synchronizing the satellites, for a good signal between the Earth and the Moon. Perhaps if they can boost the signal.” Telik cut in almost out of instinct. “You know the Wasabi field has never allowed more than a thirty terabyte spread per cubic centimeter. And I think they never will.” “So Mars is off the cards then” Kaldron added. Telik snorted his disgust at science’s shortfalls.
“Who wants some trifle?” Martha announced, as she rose to gather the empty plates. “We do, we do”, Elwood and Jake tried to outbid each other. And then in contrast to their out burst, they ate the trifle in silence, intent on the treat. “We were thinking of visiting the pyramids this year.” Kaldron broke the silent consumption of the pudding. “Your not worried about long distance teleportation for the boys then?” Telik indicated his two grand children. Martha came to Kaldron’s defense, almost as if they had expected this response off Telik. “We always read the latest research on signal loss. And there’s still no evidence that it’s harmful, even in developing bodies.” She glanced over at the two boys. The awkward moment passed as Jake looked up. “I’ve finished first. Can I have some more?” “No you cannot young man. But you may leave the table.” Elwood who had finished too, now took this as a general order. And the two boys skipped off to find their new toys.
Telik turned once more to Kaldron. “So are you commuting there, or staying in a hotel?” “A hotel” Kaldron replied with conviction. “I think it’s so important to help the local economies of these resort areas. So many have gone down hill, with people just teleporting in for just the sights. Plus it’s not fair on Martha, to have to come home to make the dinner at the end of the day.” Martha was just coming back from loading the dishwasher, and she smiled at Kaldron who continued. “Did you hear the latest extradition figures? They’re twenty percent up on last year.” Telik shrugged, “You’d think people were just teleporting through customs wouldn’t you.” “Well they only have to get over the border. And then they can teleport halfway across the country in a public booth.” Telik nodded, “I think they should ban all but private booths.” “And stop free movement of transient workers?” Martha cut in. “You know a lot of low paid people rely on being able to live on the east coast, and work on the west.” “Well I suppose it keeps house prices up in the right areas.” Telik winked at Kaldron, as they went over to the snug. To join Jake and Elwood, who were busy with their new toys.
Jake looked up. “What’s a paraplegic?” His mother leaned down and asked the boy, “where did you hear that word Jake?” Still rolling his duck across the floor Jake answered. “Kathrin Calloway was telling me about long john Silver the paraplegic pirate, at school. He had a leg made of wood. Why would anyone want a leg made of wood?” Martha laughed, “no one silly. Back in the olden days people couldn’t just grow new limbs, like we can now with stem cell technology. They had to make spare parts; like that man your grandpa was saying about who had a plastic heart, remember. But I don’t think the pirate was a paraplegic, because those people couldn’t walk at all. I think they just put it in the story to rhyme.”
“He wouldn’t have been much good in a teleporter, your pirate.” Telik settled down on the sofa. “How about using both your legs, for a run around the park?” Elwood pointed out of the window. “It’s getting dark grandpa.” Telik frowned, “That wouldn’t have bothered me in my day. Besides it’s only morning on the other side of the globe.” Kaldron gave a snort, which a look from Telik became a stifled cough. But Martha cut in, “I think we should all let our meal go down. And then some little boys should remember what a long day they’ve had, and when they need an after noon nap. And perhaps some older ones too.”
Kaldron held up a newspaper. “Did you hear about those poor people in China, with the earth quake. They teleported as many out of the area as they could, but with so little warning time, there were still thousands stuck there when the quake happened. And then what was left of the public booths had to be split, between aid workers and medical supplies. Of course the response was good.” “After those commies let them in I suppose” Telik cut in. “Oh dad, relation’s between China and the rest of the world is very good now. But most of the response teams did come from within the country. I think about a hundred people died.” “Well when I go I want to be added to the teleport pool; I want no fuss, no grave, and definitely no pollution. Just a bit of my energy going round for ever thanks.” Telik sat back with a drink Martha had just brought him. “Oh don’t let’s talk about that now” She sighed. But Kaldron added, “I’m surprised they’ve not made it law yet. Every other way is so wasteful don’t you think?” Telik leaned in. “Why stop there. I always said we could get the prison population down, by feeding them in to a booth with out a receiving end. “Really Telik” Martha chided him. “Do you really have to bring such a topic in to the home?”
Telik sensed he had crossed a boundary. “I’m sorry Martha.” Then searching round for a change of subject. “I like what you’ve done with this room. Where did you get that lamp from?” He indicated a statue of a giraffe, with a light coming from its open mouth. Absentmindedly Martha said “Nigeria, before the trouble started. We had a day trip there last summer, but it took some time to get the electrics added.” Telik put his empty glass down. “I can’t see why the civilized countries of the world don’t put a stop to war.” Neither Kaldron nor Martha had an answer to that question, and the boys were busy with their wooden toys. “Narr”, Elwood was zooming round with his fly, while Jake hopped his duck over the back of the sofa.
Kaldron ruffled the paper, and asked Telik “Did you hear that case of alibi-ing?” “Alibi-ing?” Telik though he had misheard his son. “Yes this criminal had somehow managed to disrupt the verification signal, from his receiving booth. So he had time to rob a bank in Denver, while he paraded round in plain sight in Orlando. Then after he hid the loot, the criminal walked in to the booth and disintegrated.” “So how did they find it out?” Telik leaned in. “Well the time signature on the two booths didn’t match up, when the engineers examined them. He got ten years.” Telik snorted, “Ten tears at our expense, should have fed him to the booth. He wouldn’t have robbed any more banks after that.” “Well its good to see you Telik, you must come again soon.” Martha was rising, and sensing his welcome was worn out, Telik rose too.
“Come say goodbye to grandpa” she commanded the boys, but they were busy with the new toys. “It’s alright Martha”, Telik waved her down as he walked towards the booth. And tapping in the security code, he smiled at Kaldron as the door slid back. Jake dashed in with his new toy in hand, while Telik turned to give his son a final hug good bye. “Well see you next week then.” Jake was back out, and in his mother’s arms to wave goodbye next to Elwood. Telik turned and stepped through.
Once in the privacy of the booth, he disrobed and placed the clothes in the disposal unit. Then he passed the stern warning on the wall. “On no account should any matter but yourself should proceed beyond this point, especially none organic matter including implants.” Telik keyed in his home number, and the retinal scan confirmed his access code. The familiar blue light took his reading, and the code was sent to the receiver back in his house, before checking the process had been successful. And then back at his son’s house, the last copy of Telik would be no more than a surge of energy, added to the collection.
Telik looked at himself in the mirror. But for some reason the mirror wasn’t where it normally was. He turned his head, and realized he could see both the mirror and the door behind him at the same time. But that wasn’t the half of it. For staring back at Telik in the mirror, was a brightly painted wooden duck head. The eye blinked, and then a blue flash removed this half man half wooden duck toy from the gene pool.
Back at his son’s house, all Telik knew was that he had failed to teleport. He looked down and smiled. “The little tyke should learn to keep things tidy.” Telik reached down, and picked up the wooden toy. The robe that Telik chose was a simple smock. More for speed of dressing rather than style. And he was soon back out, returning the errant toy to a very red faced boy, who had been suitably told off. When his parents had discovered the crime. This time Telik took a good look around the booth, before he set off.