I Took a Walk Episode 3 Dematerialized

Earning this bonus could cost Jimmy his life

Griever helped him into the chamber. “Remember, you have to make sure you are in the center of this chamber before we can activate it and re-materialize you. If you are even touching one of the walls, it won’t work. Standing on the center spot and putting your hands on your belt is the best way of making sure we can get you back.”

He pointed down to a small black circle on the floor.

Jimmy touched the microphone switch with his chin as he had learned to do years ago and spoke. “You need better speakers and mics in this helmet for your documentation. You sound like crap on these.” In truth, he would have preferred a simple ear bud like Griever wore than the helmet set up.

“Noted.”

“How long will the process take?”

“That buzzing you hear, and vibration you feel, is the machine charging. By the time this door is closed, it will be fully charged, and in one pulse, you are immaterial. It can’t pulse again for three minutes; that is the minimum time you have to stay immaterial, but that rebreather has a 28-hour life on it using that battery since most of the equipment that the suit is designed to have, isn’t installed yet.”

“All set?” asked Eastland.

“I’m ready.”

“Closing door. We will hear you until the pulse happens. When you are ready to return, just walk inside the chamber. When the cameras show you centered, I will trigger your return.”

The massive door slowly closed.

He felt nothing, but suddenly his feet were sliding out from under him. He fell on his backside, his head and shoulders passing through the walls of the chamber and into the working of the machine.

“God damn it.”

Only silence and the sound of his own heavy breathing answered him.

He began trying to roll over.

It wasn’t easy. This might not have been quite as slick as an ice-coated rig, but came damn close. Learning to pick himself up in an emergency suit on that ice made this possible. But possible didn’t mean easy.

Getting rolled over brought his head and right shoulder out of the chamber and he crawled the rest of the way out.

Looking around, Griever and Eastland stood by, looking at him but talking to each other.

Griever motioned him to stand.

It was something only someone used to working on a wet, icy rig in the North Sea could have done. It took time, but he got to his feet.

Griever held up a card.

Are you OK?

Jimmy touched the green light button on his left wrist.

Griever thumbed through his cards, then held up another one.

Do you need to stop?

Jimmy hit the red button, then the yellow.

Griever and Eastland had a heated debate.

Griever held up another card.

Walk through the south wall. Wander that room, then come back.

He then pointed to that room.

The walls down here were high-security walls designed to contain minor explosions. Basically, they were two steel-reinforced concrete walls, with a meter of sand between them. This had possibilities. With careful steps, he made his way to that wall, then stopped to look back at the two men.

Both motioned him to go on.

Jimmy passed his hand through the wall. He felt nothing when his hand entered it. If his eyes had been closed, he would not have known his hand had moved through a solid object.

Taking a big breath, he stepped into the meter-thick wall.

Blackness.

No light.

None.

He took another step.

The darkness seemed deeper than anything he had ever experienced.

One more step.

Still nothing.

A step further.

His shoulder-mounted lights lit up the room.