The Descent

Chapter 42 - On The Run

Denton slammed his fist into the back of the seat in front of him, an action he immediately regretted. He grit his teeth and shook his hand as pain radiated throughout his fist. That was stupid. He looked at Leah and shook his head.

"Every once in a while, I wish some people would gladly bend the rules, just a little."

"I thought you could fly aircraft?" Leah said, eyebrows raised.

"Well, yes, but we're in space. I've never operated spacecraft before. Flying in space is different than flying in the air."

"How about Tanner? Could he fly it remotely?"

"Tanner? He's not a pilot. It's not part of his...training."

"Did you ask him?"

Denton sighed and shook his head. "Fine. Tanner, can you fly this thing, The Panther?"

"I thought you'd never ask. Of course, I can."

Denton glanced over at Leah, eyebrows raised. "You can?"

"Like I said, of course. I've got the blueprints in front of me, I've read through all the relevant documentation. I have already established access to the mainframe of the ship. But, I don't think you'll actually need more. The ship has multiple levels of controls if you want to call it that. It was designed to accommodate the most basic pilot to best that we have. You can actually fly it without any prior flying experience."

"Why wouldn't Cato have told me?"

"He's just a mechanic. The ship actually has a voice-activated autopilot. Just tell it where you need to go, and it'll take you there. At least, that's what the instructions and associated schematics say."

"Ah, now we're getting somewhere," Denton said and climbed back into the pilot's seat as the screens and controls suddenly came to life. "Tanner, did you just turn this thing on?"

"Yes. I aim to please," Tanner said. "The voice interface is now active. Buckle up, tell it your destination and enjoy the ride."

"That's it? You make it sound like a vacation."

"Yes, it is that simple."

Denton looked at Leah and then back at the controls. The monitors in front of him show a camera view to the outside, a variety of information about fuel levels, speed and so on. "This thing flies on its own," he said for Leah's benefit. He kept forgetting that she couldn't hear Tanner's side of the conversation.

"Can't wait," she said and tightened her seatbelt.

"You ready?"

Leah nodded, and Denton gave the computer the location of Carter's apartment.

"Destination confirmed. Please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for departure. Please select the rate of travel to your destination," a soft female voice said from somewhere around them.

"As fast as possible," Denton said.

"Acknowledged. Initiating engine startup sequence."

Immediately, the ship vibrated just enough for them to notice as the engines started up. The outside door closed and the entry to the cockpit was also secured. A red light started flashing in the hangar itself as the craft pivoted 180-degrees. A faint siren from somewhere outside the ship accompanied the warning lights. Moments later, the platform The Panther was on descended into the floor while the whine of the engines increased behind them.

"Prepare for launch," the soft voice said.

The descending platform stopped, revealing a tunnel that stretched out in front of them. They felt a slight rocking as the ship rose from its landing gear and hovered over the landing pad.