The Point of No Return

Thirty more feet and then the jump. No time to lose, have to get it right the first time. Likewise no chance for do overs.

*The Jump*

Done, and done well. Keep moving, push harder, and don’t let up. Seventy feet until the turn. Once there, switch to night vision for the last part.

*The Turn*

Very good. Now for the last part. Don’t let up, keep on keeping on, and push harder than before. Toggle night vision. Fifty feet and home free.

* * * * *

It was the same every time. Trying to adjust it or change it was pointless, Timberlen knew this, but didn’t care. Change is good. It would happen.

Fifty years ago none of this would have been possible. Hell, fifty years ago this wasn’t even a concept. With this in mind he begins clearing his mind.

The point of no return – The leap forward

The hatch opens and the clean up crew enters.

This was also the same every time, and this time, Timberlen leaves them to it. The walk to the upper levels, and then the surface, would be soothing. The sooner it started the better.

Dropping the gear off along the way would take too much time today. Therefore the armory could wait. Straight to the surface, no horsing around. Twenty minutes later and the outer doors are opening.

Leap

Air. Fresh and plentiful. There are no features in the barren landscape that surrounds. It is flat and empty as far as the eye can see. Timberlen begins walking away from the doors of the compound entrance, any direction will do.

Twenty minutes later and the doors of the compound are no longer visible in the distance behind. Then another ten minutes, and the effects of the eventure, are dimming. Now it’s okay to release the fear.

Tremors, and one choked off sob, is all that can be managed today. The changes are happening faster now, the fear isn’t as bad as it was in the beginning. It was no less real, for the adaptation, however.

The walk back is uneventful. The humor in this thought prompts a bark of laughter, as the blast doors of the compound come into view. Three more days, and the training would be complete. Three long days.

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