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Ch 58: COMPULSION
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Day 63; 105th DOP (122.5ED); WK 18
Another couple of weeks passed for Jack and Sam as they continued the four-day cycle where they spent one day exploring the 'Gate connections and then three days working and resting around camp. Their shelter was progressing nicely and they estimated that they would have the basic shell completed in the next month or so.
Today, they were back at the 'Gate and the two morning sessions had yielded 2 wormhole connections for the first session and 1 wormhole connection for the second session. After lunch, and with everything set up for another attempt, Sam gave him a small smile as he counted down to their third session of the day.
"..one, mark," he intoned and she placed her palm on the stone panel and closed her eyes. The stone warmed and rumbled as the inner ring began moving. The two planes and the wormhole appeared and she got her bearings and then began a preliminary scan of the view of stars visible today.
Moments later, she felt that gentle electrical-fizzing as he joined her. She waited as he got his bearings and then scanned the configuration of stars in the distance.
'Ready when you are,' he sent clearly and she sent back a mental smile and then began widening their field of view as they searched for those ephemeral light blue ribbons while scanning the star configurations.
Time passed fluidly for them as they panned and scanned the field of stars between the two planes.
And then they panned across a thread of blue.
She pulled out and away until they could see both ends.
He quickly picked an end and they zoomed in on their objective.
When they were close enough, they waited.
Scanning and watching the stars around for anything familiar.
And then it winked out and they easily connected their white orange ribbon.
The count to 40 passed uneventfully and then they disconnected their wormhole.
The pattern had become routine and they moved through the steps confidently.
Pulling back from their close-in view, they began methodically panning and scanning the stars again. Idly he wondered how many stars there were…and just how much space they had to search…
'Do you really want to know?' she sent back and he could feel her amusement.
But before he could form an answer, they both felt something… almost magnetic… pulling on them… He felt her turn her full concentration on the new feeling. He felt her openness to the new experience and her willingness to explore what was happening. As before, he was wary and cautious and watched suspiciously as events unfolded.
They rapidly picked up speed as they seemed to fly along with the tip of their glowing white wormhole. Their two planes flexing and stretching gracefully above and below them.
'Sam?' he tried to get her attention, but she was too focused as they were pulled along whatever path they were following. He could feel her exhilaration and excitement. 'Something' was happening.
And then a familiar light blue ribbon appeared across their view of stars.
But they didn't pull back for a larger view.
Instead, they sped towards that glowing blue thread of light.
Straight for it.
'Sam?' he tried again and received no response. He could tell that she wasn't consciously ignoring him… she simply wasn't hearing him.
'Sam!' he tried to accomplish the mental equivalent of shouting… but she still didn't hear him.
And then they slowed to a stop.
Right next to the glowing blue tunnel.
He looked down one direction and then the other.
It stretched out of sight in both directions.
'Sam?' he tried again, but was then distracted as a distant pulse of light appeared in the blue ribbon.
Transfixed, he watched the pulse of light travel down the ribbon towards them.
And then he felt the end of their glowing white wormhole as it moved towards the glowing blue strand…
…And then the stars spun crazily.
He couldn't focus on anything as the images in his mind rippled erratically.
Intense waves of nausea and vertigo passed through him.
'Sam!' he tried futilely to get through to her.
And then he was ripped away from her.
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TBC
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