Trent took in a deep and calming breath and was quiet for a moment or two, then said, “Let’s just get it over with.”
Genghis touched his computer, “And in . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1. . .”
Interstellar Police Prison Transfer vehicle 964 was immediately encased in a round electromagnetic field of orange and red. The aura started to brighten and grow in size. The silhouette of the 1948 Divco within started to pulsate and slowly change with the expanding ball.
Trent glanced into his rear view mirror as they traveled farther down the road. He could see the electromagnetic field grow larger in size and brilliance. What he could not hear was the electric crackling sound and snapping coming from within the field.
Engulfing the small tree, the field grew, and as it did the silhouette of the Divco changed ever more. The electromagnetic field was now sixty-five feet in circumference and the Divco had morphed back into the silhouette of the transfer ship.
The electric crackling grew louder, and bright flashes started to erupt and jump around within the field. The orange red glow of the field changed to a glowing, pulsating white. The crackling increased in volume. Then, in the center of the field a black dot appeared, known to astrophysicists as a gravitational singularity, the area where the spacetime curvature becomes infinite. It started as the size of a golf ball, but slowly grew to the size of a softball.
The electromagnetic field began to rotate around the singularity. The outer section of the field started to bend and curve into it. The field started to grow smaller as it was pulled into the black void. Smaller and smaller. The bright flashes popped off faster, the crackling now a steady buzz. And when the electromagnetic field was almost completely drawn into the black dot itself, there was a bright flash and a loud bang!
And then, nothing.
The only thing remaining was the burned stump of the tree that Interstellar Police Prison Transfer vehicle 964 had been leaning against.
Chapter Fourteen
They drove for over thirty minutes without a word. Jeff Trent admired the landscape that was changing as they proceeded down the road. There were more trees and greener grass. He saw wildlife, some large, some small and wondered what they were called. Genghis Khan spent his time on the computer in front of him. It was automatically gathering information on the surroundings, constantly updating itself.
“There’s a large city about an hour and a half from here,” he announced. “Well, not large to our standards. But a pretty good size.”
“A logical destination for the inmates. Good as any place to start our investigation.” Trent theorized that the inmates had to have commandeered a vehicle. It was the only way they could have gotten so far from the transfer ship. And what happened to the occupant of said vehicle was something neither one wanted to think about.
As they drove down the deserted roadway following the signs to the interstate, the hum of the traffic grew louder the closer they got to the raised expressway. The on-ramp two miles ahead slowly emerged on their left. Trent used his turn signal, slowed and turned onto it. He watched the oncoming traffic over his shoulder for a break between cars. He found it, accelerated to match their speed and merged into the traffic on the interstate. Just as he was taught to do in the simulator.
Jeff Trent and Genghis Khan drove at the posted speed limit. The three-lane expressway was congested with cars and trucks, some of which passed them by, others they were able to pass. It was overwhelming, and needless to say they were nervous. Would their replicated 1959 Ford Thunderbird attract undue attention? Would they be able to achieve the goal of illusion, and coexist among the human race without detection? Would they be able to pull off the greatest mission of their lives?
They drove with the eyes fixed straight ahead, afraid of making eye contact with the other occupants of the passing cars. After about fifteen minutes of driving like this, Genghis started to get a little curious. He started slowly rolling his eyes to his right. Using his peripheral vision he tried to see what the occupants of the other cars were doing. Were they staring at them? Were they pointing and talking? And to his surprise, no one seemed to be concerned. He then turned his head and started to look directly at the other cars and he was right. Not one of the humans in any of the other vehicles was paying any attention to them.
“You know,” Genghis said, while watching a small red sports car go quickly by, “I don’t think anybody is paying much attention to us.”
“You're not looking at them are you?” Trent said, not taking his eyes off the road.
“Well, yes. But I guess these old auto-mo-biles aren’t as unusual as we first thought.” Genghis started again to look at the passing cars. He fixed on one particular car. It was green with a white top. The young female was concentrating on the road ahead. Genghis watched her. He noted the little nuances, the way she brushed her hair from her eyes. The way she changed the stations on the radio. The way she adjusted her rear view mirror. Which drew Genghis’s attention to the back seat of the green car, where a small boy sat, strapped into an odd looking chair. Most likely he was an unruly child that needed restraining. Then Genghis’s eyes grew wide when he realized that the small boy was looking directly at him. Their eyes met and Genghis’s heart stopped as the two of them looked at each other. He was transfixed and could not turn his eyes away from the child. The small boy had a blank expression on his face and stared at Genghis for what felt like thirty minutes. The small boy started to grin at Genghis,
