= = = = = = =
The front visor was certainly glass, slightly tinted. It was
attached to the helmet at the temples, and appeared to be able to be moved up
or down, as needed, but the visor was down, and with the tinted glass and the
darkness of the room, he couldn’t see inside it. The helmet was eerie,
disturbing. It seemed out of place, like a decapitated head, staring at him. He
didn’t know if it was the darkness, or being alone, but the helmet, old and
dirty looking in its box, was creeping him out.
He moved on, looking at display after display. Some items
were fairly obvious as to what they were supposed to be, some were complete
mysteries. He left the area of the tent with the pedestals to enter a new room.
This one had only one ‘artifact’, which sat roped off on a dais in the center
of the room, with the walkway encircling it. This was the unexplainable thing
from the painting, but even seeing it in person didn’t do it justice. The
footprint on the dais was an extended oval. It stood about three & ½ feet high. It had two giant scoop like wings
of the same tinted glass as on the helmet, each raised wing exposing an open
seating spot. Is that what it could be? Devon examined one side under the wing.
It looked like a padded bench, designed to be laid on face down and straddled,
where it would hold you up in a slight incline, like the seated massage chairs
Devon had seen in the infirmary tent, but more of an angle. There was padding
on the bottom where your knees would sit, and levers where your feet would
naturally rest. There was another of the helmet things, this one without a
glass visor, but it had strips of flexible tubing running from the helmet to a
panel in the front, underlined in buttons. There were large tubes near the
panel, the use of which Devon couldn’t imagine. Curious beyond measure, Devon
set the lamp down and straddled the seat. It was somewhat awkward, but that
lessoned as he slid his legs into position. He rested his chest against the
padded seat. The panel was easily within reach, and from this vantage point it
became clear that the tubes were designed as places for him to put his arms. He
reached out, and touched a button.
The panel lit up, a soft glow of light. Devon was afraid he
had caused a spark somehow, but the light was in lines and patterns. Words
appeared, saying things he didn’t understand. “Initiating Startup Protocol” “Battery
power critical levels” He could hear noises coming from the helmet. Without
thinking, he slid the helmet on his head.
A quiet, monotone voice whispered in his ear. “Welcome,
gunner, to your hovercraft.” It waited, as though for a response.
“Hello?”
“Battery power is at critical level. UEF link severed.
Please re-initialize link.”
Devon had no idea what the voice was talking about, but UEF
sounded familiar. “How do I re whatever the link?”
“UEF accessed through living conduit. Please re-establish
link through hand controls.”
“Hand controls, huh?” Devon looked at the tubes. He decided
that he couldn’t turn back now, and slid his left hand into the left tube. At
first it felt like sliding his hand into a cold, tight metal tube, but after a
few inches he felt some kind of fabric, which in turn had holes, and became a
glove. “Ok, it’s just a glove. I can handle a glove.” Feeling around with the
glove, he realized he could feel buttons, a bar to grab onto that could rotate,
and some kind of trigger mechanism.
“Both hands are required to complete circuit.”
“Ok, ok, hold your horses.”
Devon slid his right hand into the tube/glove, feeling the
slight differences in the items that hand could interact with.
The gloves began to feel warmer. The panel in front of him
increased in brightness. “Initiating startup protocol.”
Devon nearly lept, though with how his body was on the seat,
he couldn’t have moved far. The wing above him lowered, until it incased him
within the device. A shift of his hand shifted the chair, and he realized he
could be situated to see out of the giant, encompassing window, or the control
panel, though it seemed looking out the window was the best option. There was
an odd whirring sound, and a padded chin rest extended, becoming a perfect
resting spot for his head. Several tabs appeared, taking his weight off of his
knees, helping to hold his feet in place.
“Initiating diagnostic.”
The machine made fascinating whirring sounds. Devon was
excited beyond understanding. Lines and grids appeared as if floating in the
air, but more likely etched in the glass. He could see a topography of the
inside of the room, then the tent, then the neighboring tents.
The machine made an unpleasant beeping noise.
“UEF Link inferior. Searching database for suitable
replacement”
Devon screamed in pain as sound and light shot through his
head, ripping at his mind. His hands, burning hot in their gloves, convulsed,
but accomplished nothing. He tried to buck, to pull his arms out of the tubes,
but the machine would not let him go. What had seemed like gentle guides before
became effective restraints, keeping him from accomplishing anything. He couldn’t
even move his head.
“No replacements in database. Beginning manual search.”
The machine jolted, like it had been hit from the side. Then
slowly it rose, till it floated about a foot off of the dais. Devon felt his
energy draining, much faster than he thought possible. The pain in his head
subsided, as inescapable exhaustion took its place. He began laboring for the
energy to breathe as the ‘hovercraft’ opened fire on the tent wall, gliding out
of its prison, and sliding into the Midway at night, hunting for a suitable
replacement battery.
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