Bubble Energy Taken by Force

Arrival

A balding man along with a blond woman stood outside the twin glass doors waiting for Stephen, an independent reporter, to step out of his rented Benjamin model coupe. Both stood on the same sandy spot since shortly after seeing his distant dust cloud 5 minutes ago. Awkwardly, they looked at each other, wondering what to do when their guest hadn't yet opened the car door. The man began shifting his weight from one leg to another.

"The two would have to wait a bit longer", Stephen grumbled while trying to remove the key from the ignition slot. Coming from a one-horse town, Stephen never enjoyed luxury beforehand, and felt pleasantly surprised by the comfortable ride despite the potholes plaguing him for the last five miles. Whoever organized the travel itinerary knew what to do. Unfortunately, the same person failed to take into consideration the possibility that the driver knew zilch in electronics. The car's controls seemed to require a degree in computer science to master.

Deciding that he had been standing still long enough under the blazing noontime sun, the man walked to the Benjamin and bent over the driver's side giving his introduction, "Welcome to Arden Mountain Estate! My name is Corin, President. The woman over there is Audrey, my wife and Vice President." Seeing Stephen still struggling with the keys, he asked, "You desire any help in removing the car keys?"

"Yes, that would be nice, thank you." Stephen immediately exited the car and watched the master intellectuals tackle the problem.

"Hmm, most unusual. I don't see any buttons near the key, which implies that the driver needn't press anything to release it. It appears to be jammed." He rattled the key some more without bearing fruit.

Audrey slid inside from the passenger side to assist. "Always read the manual."

"You may forget about the key; don't want to delay the project any more."

Corin ignored his suggestion and continued fiddling with the key. Audrey responded, "We are hard core programmers. Even the most tenacious computer bug wilt under our stubborn will. If a routine requires 401 revisions before perfection, then we'll do 401 revisions. We will not let a childish car key defeat us. Either the key comes out or we die from old age trying."

"That's peculiar-the headlights are operating throughout your ride." Corin flipped off the switch and easily pulled out the car keys. "Must be a recently incorporated feature to prevent an operator's forgetfulness from draining the batteries."

"Don't remember turning on the lights. How did that happened?"

Audrey answered, "No need to feel ashamed. The manual never mentioned anything about car keys and headlights. It has no index. It has no illustrations of the car controls. I never have seen such shoddy documentation. What kind of cheap labor did they hire to write this gibberish? They'd find better talents inside grade schools."

"Your manual isn't the only problem. The dashboard gives no feedback. It doesn't alert the driver any reasons why the key can't be removed. You're compelled to guess what's wrong-a frustrating experience."

Back and forth the two wizards debated on points needed for writing a quality manual. Stephen took advantage of the respite to study Arden Mountain Estate. The company apparently resides entirely inside the mountain-cave networks converted into office space. Rounded windows dotting its face along with well-kept hanging gardens are the only signs that the mountain is occupied. A simple glass door entrance is elegantly embedded into the rugged granite cliff wall. A granite overhang protects it from the elements. As the pair walked towards the entrance, Audrey gave a little wave for Stephen to follow along.

He started towards them. The instant he felt something soft under his feet, a death rattle erupted. "Let me at him," the two meter rattlesnake trapped under his shoes angrily buzzed. Its head chomped air, unable to reach his leg. Body squirmed, thrashing against the dusty ground.