Pop Travel Read online

  As Hasan continued, he emphasized each point with dramatic hand motions.

  “Here is a crash course in pop travel. First, the subject is given a diazepam injection to knock him out, relaxing the body’s systems and preparing it for cell separation. Next, the unconscious subject is scanned to make a map of the cells which is sent to the destination. Third, the biogen laser snakes around the subject, attracting every cell into it, and is then transmitted with the cells to the destination, making that lovely pop. Last, the destination platform receives the scan and laser transmissions and re-forms the subject according to the map, all in a matter of seconds.”

  “That’s all?” Geri asked. It sounded so simple.

  “Oh, there’s much more to it than that. But, yeah, that’s all. It is such a relief to talk to someone about it!” He plunked into the chair and sighed from his exertion.

  “I am so proud of you, Hasan. Thank you for sharing that with me. I look forward to hearing the details. But what is the problem? I have never heard of any malfunctions. What is the company asking of you?” Dr. Rastogi asked.

  “The biggest problem is they won’t tell me what to work on!” Hasan shouted his frustration. “They make me work night and day and give me hints and suggestions. They tell me to try experimenting on one subject many times, but the poor lab rats don’t make it very far. Their little systems aren’t strong enough to endure more than fifteen pops in a day. Some pass out and some, I don’t want to tell you about,” he said, waving his hand. Then his eyes widened. “No one does that, right? Fifteen pops in one day is way over the predetermined limit! People aren’t going over the limit, are they? Did someone die? That would be horrible!”

  Geri felt sorry for Hasan. She feared what might be on Cooper’s stick drive and suspected the worst.

  “Not that I know of,” Dr. Rastogi said.

  “Hasan, I think it’s time for you to see this,” Cooper said. He removed his QV and slid a tiny cylinder from one of the links in the band.

  So that’s where he put it! Hidden in the silver band, my reader couldn’t detect it. Clever!

  Cooper handed the stick drive to Hasan.

  “What’s on it?” he asked.

  “Just watch. And I warn you, it’s not pretty.”

  Hasan considered it, then shrugged and plugged it in.

  All eyes locked onto the imager to watch an almost life-sized, 3D account of the terrible scene.

  When the man turned to dust, Geri gasped. Afterward, no one spoke. They all stared at the blank imager, digesting the horrific revelation and what it meant.

  Geri put her hand to her mouth. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Did Ed know about this? How long had it been going on? She thought back to her initial assignment. It was supposed to be a simple snare-n-snatch. Get close to the mark and retrieve the evidence, protecting Hasan as needed. She now knew the truth of the matter. She was perpetuating a cover-up. Ed had her aiding murderers! She would have to wait and get the whole truth before determining her next move. I may never pop again.

  ooper’s face sank, watching their reactions to the video. He knew how they felt.

  Dr. Rastogi shook himself out of his shock before the others did.

  “We need copies of that,” he whispered and opened a drawer searching for blank stick drives. He pulled out two and transferred the data to them.

  Cooper nodded. Good idea.

  When the Doc finished, he handed Cooper the two copies and the original. His face scrunched in disgust, as if he was getting rid of contaminated waste. As Geri and the Doc sobered from their initial reactions, Hasan sat immobile, his face frozen in shock.

  Changing from shades of light brown to a red magma, his face scrunched with each deeper hue. His breathing accelerated to near hyperventilation. He looked like a teapot ready to break into a whistle. Finally, he could hold it in no longer and let loose an explosive lament.

  “O my God! O my God! How is that possible! What have I done? O my God!” Hasan raised his arms to the ceiling, then dropped them and grabbed his head. Curling his whole body downward, he rocked himself in the chair.

  Dr. Rastogi went over and put his hand on Hasan’s shoulders.

  “Calm down, Hasan. Get hold of yourself.” He lifted Hasan’s face and forced his nephew to look at him.

  Tears threatened to spill.

  “That is not your responsibility!” His uncle pointed at the imager.

  “No wonder they didn’t tell him,” Cooper said to Geri. The kid was a minefield of emotions.

  “I still don’t understand why they didn’t shut it all down and fix it,” Geri said.

  The Doc took them through his logical thought process.

  “The company was wrong to hide this information, especially from Hasan. They were also negligent not to conduct a thorough investigation after the very first instance. We don’t need to know their reasoning, though I hope it would be because they didn’t want to disrupt the globe’s travel, which could cause a worldwide panic. We must deal with what we have, now that we know.”

  “Right. Those selfish bastards aren’t worried about the people. They didn’t want lawsuits and loss of cash flow,” Cooper said.

  Hasan slowly sat up, put his elbows on the desk, and rubbed his temples. Cooper could see him trying to get a grasp on this distressing situation. After a minute, Hasan jolted upright and spouted again.

  “That’s why they pushed me so hard. And why they didn’t like it when I watched the news. I remember all those ‘disappearances’. It all makes sense now!” He raised his hands and spread them, emphasizing his point.

  He pounded a fist on the desk.

  “Oh, my God! This is terrible! They wanted a quick fix. I told them from the start, they went into production too soon! I told them we hadn’t done enough testing. But they were already approved and had a jillion orders. ‘It works just fine,’ they said.” Hasan shook his head and focused on a foot in the lab to stare at, as he rambled on. “I have to fix this. How many have died? Why didn’t they tell me? What can I do? We have to stop them. We have to put an end to this and fix it!”

  “Of course, Hasan,” his uncle agreed. “We will help you.”

  “The first thing we need to do is expose the problem,” Cooper said. “Whoever is in control of this cover-up wants this evidence destroyed, along with anyone who knows about it. They’ve already killed others for nosing around. They even sent a hit man after me.”

  Hasan shook his head and came back to reality at Cooper’s admission.

  “What? Oh, no! No wonder you came directly to me. How did you know I could help you?”

  “I didn’t. But I’m glad I didn’t have to convince you. You aren’t like those greedy tycoons. You are more of a deer in headlights, with the instant fame and fortune. I had hoped to play on your naiveté as a young, impressionable science geek, thinking I could convince you to tell everyone the truth. No offense.” Cooper shrugged.

  “None taken. I am innocent!” Hasan pounded his chest. “And I will prove it by giving the people hope. I don’t want to let those money-hungry jerks ruin this indispensable technology. The world depends on pop travel. They trust it. They trusted me! I have to find a way to ease the blow. To let them know this deception wasn’t my fault and, as soon as I found out, I wanted to make it right. I will need to restore their faith when we tell them the horrifying news.”

  “You don’t have that kind of time,” Geri said.

  “I know, I know. It will take months to research and study why this is happening and more time to experiment with possible solutions. And even longer to implement!” With one hand on his hip, Hasan held his head again with the other. “I just want a ray of hope. I don’t want people to give up on pop travel and think I’m a terrible person. This is horrible!”

  With pursuers who could catch up to them at any moment, Cooper understood the urgency. But he also wanted to help Hasan ease his conscience so he would agree to help with the exposure.

  “Hasan, yo
u have already done some research without knowing it. Excessive pops must be part of the problem, right? And when I interviewed people close to the missing persons, I found several similarities that could be clues. The missing travelers had been experiencing severe headaches and nose bleeds. Many visited doctors because of the symptoms.”

  “Those sound like side effects from allergies or drugs,” said Geri.

  “More like brain damage, considering the process,” Dr. Rastogi suggested.

  Hasan absorbed the information, tapping his chin in thought.

  “So excessive popping, headaches, and nose bleeds, brain damage.”

  The group watched as he stood up and paced, processing the data like a compucenter.

  Cooper mentally rooted for Hasan. Come on, kid. We need an answer.

  Hasan snapped his fingers and spouted, “It could be the synchronization is off.”

  “What?” Geri asked.

  He walked back over to the desk and typed in a formula while he explained.

  “Like my first attempts. When I figured out a transmission code to receive the cells, they came together in a blob because I hadn’t made a map for the laser to follow when it released them. I solved that problem with the pre-scan. But there could be a slight mismatch in the re-entry that has gone undetected.” His fingers flew on the desk pad as he spoke.

  The imager filled with complex calculations. “If the synchronization is off only by a tiny fraction, the reconstruction would still take place, but not as precisely as it should. The body would make the minute corrections, like healing a small cut.”

  Hasan’s uncle spoke up.

  “I see where you are headed, Hasan. Popping over and over again would be like continuously ripping open a wound. Many tiny scars that never heal. After too many times without complete healing, the body rejects the reconstruction. It’s the brain that is affected first, giving the warning signs. The travelers do not wait long enough to recover between pops.”

  Hasan grinned at his uncle.

  “Exactly. And with so much scarring, the cells can’t connect and a chain reaction occurs with the laser. The cells come through as confetti. I saw that with the rats, too.”

  “There will have to be a safer limit on pops once there is time to test it,” Geri said. “And stricter enforcement.”

  “No wonder only first class travelers have been affected. The rich and powerful think they can get away with anything.” Cooper shook his head.

  “I should be able to extend the significant digits to give a more precise transmission. But there could be more. The reconstruction is based on the scan. What if the scan itself is flawed?” Hasan asked, staring at the imager, still processing.

  “How could that be?” Geri asked.

  Cooper didn’t like the sound of that either. His stomach churned as he listened to all the potential problems. This was too much information. If the public knew all the details, they’d definitely be opposed to ever using pop travel again.

  “The diazepam relaxes the body because you have to be perfectly still to get a good scan,” Hasan said and started typing again.

  The Doc explained further.

  “Yes, it is similar to an MRI. If you move, the image is fuzzy.”

  “But people are awake for an MRI. With my scan, if the subject isn’t completely still, the pop is halted and the scan is redone. We avoid movement by administering the anesthetic,” Hasan said while he went over his notes on the imager.

  “And you have considered the blood flow? The digestive system? Breathing? Brain activity?” his uncle asked.

  “Of course. My program accounts for all that.” Hasan shooed away the question with his hand. Then he brightened and shared another inspiration. “But maybe there is a way we could do better.”

  He looked at his uncle with hope in his eyes.

  “Another drug that relaxes the brain and body to dead still?” He waited for his uncle’s response.

  Dr. Rastogi smiled and they both exclaimed at the same time.

  “Propofol!” They nodded at each other.

  “What is propofol?” asked Cooper.

  “It’s so simple! I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.” Hasan slapped his forehead.

  “Hasan. What is propofol?” Geri asked, getting his attention this time.

  “Oh. It is a drug used to induce a temporary coma. It’s an older drug that has been replaced by cheaper substitutes, but the original propofol is the best,” Hasan said, beaming. He raised a finger and pointed to the ceiling. “We need to test it immediately! A good set of test results would show the world I am serious about fixing this for them and I care about their safety. I’ll even test it myself!”

  “Hold on. A coma?” Geri asked and put a hand to her chest. “Comas are certainly serious! Isn’t that a little extreme?”

  “Yeah, putting someone to sleep with anesthesia isn’t enough?” Cooper didn’t like the thought of being put into a coma either.

  Hasan shook his head and swept his hand, brushing off their concerns.

  “The anesthetic is fine, but it is merely a sedative. The brain is still semi-conscious. With propofol, we can put the body in a deeper state of unconsciousness, relaxing the brain completely. And it’s really no big deal. They induce comas all the time in hospitals. It’s a good way to relieve intracranial pressure—to lessen swelling of the brain, like after a car accident. And it has a quicker recovery time.” Hasan sounded like a mad scientist, rambling on with wild eyes and casually throwing around drastic medical jargon.

  “How exactly do you wake someone from a coma?” Cooper asked.

  “There is no need. When the transmission reconstructs the body, all the body’s functions are given a jumpstart. Like a warm boot of a compucenter. The effect of any drug is gone when you restart.” Hasan spoke as if everyone should know that, lost in his thoughts as he read something from the Qnet.

  “Now that you have some theories, where can you test it? We can’t just stroll down to the local public transport to try it out,” Geri said. “And do you keep propalafel just lyin’ around?”

  “Propofol? No. We would need to get it from a hospital.” Hasan turned to his uncle with the unspoken question in his pleading eyes.

  Dr. Rastogi frowned.

  “Well, I suppose that is where I am expected to help, hmm? I believe I could get some from the pharmacy at the hospital without much trouble. Even though I don’t approve of lying, it is a justified cause. I will accept any consequences,” he said.

  Cooper saw the creases deepen in his face as he struggled with the dilemma. He was a decent, honest man. Nice to know there were some left in the world.

  “Thank you, Uncle. You are contributing to saving lives. A most worthy cause, indeed.” Hasan clapped his uncle on the back. He looked back at the imager with a smile and rubbed his hands together, the young genius on the brink of yet another important breakthrough. “Now we just need a location for the test. I have private transport platforms in my lab, but there’s no way I’m going back there. They’d be all over me, even if they believed I had a solution. My confinement would be worse than before. I’m not going near my lab without a plan to fix everything.”

  He broke into another set of pacing. It seemed to help him think.

  “There are also a few of the big bosses at the company who have private platforms. I bet if one of them disappeared, they would have shut it down. Then again, maybe not.”

  “Dr. Rastogi, do you know anyone with a private platform? Someone you could trust?” Cooper asked.

  “I hesitate to offer, but I do know one of my wealthier clients has transport platforms in his home. Though I’m not sure how I would approach him.” The Doc averted his eyes, again not wanting to be deceitful.

  “Can you trust him?”

  “Without doubt. I just wouldn’t want to impose on him. It’s a lot to ask,” Dr. Rastogi said. “It feels illegal and I wouldn’t want to put my friend in that position.”

  “Un
cle, it is our only option. He would have no liability. Please.” Hasan implored with begging hands and puppy dog eyes.

  Dr. Rastogi looked at his desperate nephew and caved, dropping his shoulders.

  “All right, Hasan. I will get your drugs and meet you there.”

  “Lucid!” Hasan shouted and bear-hugged him. “Thank you, Uncle!”

  “Yes. Thank you, Dr. Rastogi. This means so much,” Geri said.

  Cooper scooped up the original stick drive, along with the two copies and put them in his front pants pocket. When he caught Geri watching him, he gave her a weak smile. He still didn’t know where she fit into all this.

  “We should get moving. When should we meet you, Doc?” Cooper asked.

  “Yes, of course. I would like to have a chance to sit down and prepare him before you arrive. Give me about two hours. His name is Mitesh Dhruba. Should I send you the address?” He opened his QV.

  “No. No linking or Qnet. We might be telling our followers where to find us,” Cooper said.

  “Oh. I see.” Dr. Rastogi typed in the address on Cooper’s QV noteframe.

  “We’ll see you in two hours.” They shook on it.

  Crawford Market, Mumbai, India

  9:15 a.m., Saturday, July 27 (11:45 p.m., Friday, Atlanta, GA)

  An impressive clock tower reached high above the undulating mob of the shopping district, reminding Cooper to keep track of their time. As they approached the market’s radius, the cab slowed to a crawl, stuck in the congested mess of traffic around it. At Hasan’s suggestion, the three companions exited the cab and snaked through the bumper-to-bumper, bicycle-to-rickshaw jam. Hordes of people crowded every crevice. Atlanta may be overpopulated, but this place made Cooper claustrophobic.

  “This is perfect, Hasan. I am dyin’ to change out of this ratty ol’ dress,” Geri said.

  She still looked great to Cooper; he liked the mussed look of her wearing the same dress she went out in the night before. When his stomach rumbled, the noise helped take his thoughts away from her.

  “Well, I’m starving. Is there anything safe to eat around here? How ‘bout a McDonald’s Moonburger?” Cooper said and his foot slipped into a puddle. Nice. He lifted it and shook it a bit. Hasan had mentioned the July rainy season soaked the city. Though the streets were slick and muddy, it didn’t deter the masses from congregating at this marketplace.