Scanning for lifeforms - Ian (42)

Okay, so the perp was weird. Really weird. Too weird, I think for me to be able to describe to someone who's never seen one before. So I'm going to tell you about the training.
So I go into the room, with Gillian and Marcus. And Marcus handed each of us one of the little round silvery things. They look kind of like a cross between a Star Wars thermal detonator and a sexton, with the little measuring ring around it. There were three green lights on the top.
"This," said Marcus, in his usual completely emotionless way, "Is an interplanar scanner. As the name suggests, it is capable of scanning between planes, that is locating something even if it's in another dimension. It also serves as a sort of dimensional compass, telling you where you are in the multiverse and how to find a portal home.
Now, you see those three green lights on top?"
"Yes," said Gillian. I nodded.
"If all three of those are green, you're home. If not, you might be in a very similar universe, but it is not your own, and staying there too long may destabilize the fabric of existence,"
"How does staying in a different universe destabilize the fabric of existence?" I asked. I didn't know much about quantum mechanics (being more into the normal kind), but what I did know this didn't give with.
"Not important," said Marcus, "Anyway, if the light on the left is red, but the other two are green,you're in even worse trouble. That means you've traveled through time, and you're in either the past or the future of your own timeline. Press the button above the left light,"
I could have sworn there wasn't a button there before. It just appeared when I looked for it. I pressed it. A beam of light came out of the sphere and formed itself into numbers which scrolled around it:

00.00.00.00.00:00.00

"You're 0 centuries,0 years, 0 weeks, 0 days, 0 hours, and 0 minutes from our own time," said Marcus, "Be warned - it calibrates itself to the user. If activated by a native of the time in which you're trapped, it will read just like this, no matter when you are. This goes for the green lights too. Any questions?"
Gillian raised her hand timidly. She looked somewhat overwhelmed. I understood that.
"Yes?" said Marcus.
"Where did that button come from?" she asked. "I know there weren't any buttons on this thing before you told me to press that one,"
"If the scanner had as many buttons as it has functions, it would be too large to carry around conveniently. The device reads your mind and produces buttons on an as-needed basis,"
We both took a moment to absorb this information.
"Anything else?" asked Marcus, almost impatiently (but without enough inflection to actually be impatiently.) We shook our heads.
"Ok," said Marcus, "Now press the button above the central green button,"
The button materialized. I pressed it. Words scrolled around the sphere in the same way as the numbers had before.

Origin (A-Alpha 0.0*[infinity] Repeat)

"There are infinite universes, so of course actually classifying them all would be impossible. Think of this more like coordinance. Very few people, of course, are familiar enough with the system for those numbers to mean anything. So touch a word,"
I touched Alpha. The entry expanded.

Origin (A-Alpha)[This world is dominated by homosapien sapiens with minimal extra terrestrial contact] 0.0*[infinity] Repeat)

I looked over see what Gillian was looking up, and was surprised to see no letters floating around her.
"Is yours not working?" I asked.
"No," she answered, "It's working fine, see?" She pointed, but I couldn't see anything.
"No one else can see your readout unless you want them to," said Marcus, "The bottom button activates spectator mode,"
The button appeared. I pressed it. Gillian did to - I saw the words began floating around her head.
"Almost done," said Marcus, "You don't need to know about the light on the right, so it's classified until you do. Just one more feature you need to know about. There should be a knob on the side opposite the slider. Turn it,"
As I turned the knob, a round screen appeared in front of me. It read:

No input.

"The locator feature is keyed to every member of your group. Think about one of your team members, and focus on them,"
immediatly my mind went to Scarlett. I focused on her face - the beautiful smile framed by long red hair and perfect cheeks - but I was startled out of this thought by her appearance on the screen in front of me.
"Good, Ian," said Marcus, "Your image of her was so clear you didn't even need to focus it,"
I blushed. Gillian snickered. I looked over at her screen, which was displaying an incredibly blurry image of what I thought was Greg.
"Turn the knob and focus on a specific detail of his appearance or personality," said Marcus.
Gillian screwed up her face in concentration and turned the knob. Greg came into focus.
"Good," said Marcus, "Now press the knob in and turn it again,"
I did. Scarlett's face, smiling and laughing, was replaced with a triangle full of colored dots and an arrow.
"Spacial locator," said Marcus, "Very straight forward. Turn it again,"
I turned it again. The map was replaced with the same dimensional coordinates as before.
"Dimensional locator," said Marcus, "Tells you where they are, if it knows. The dimensional map has been disabled since one recruit had a stroke trying to deal with the scope of it. One more thing - use of the locators camera mode for snooping or any invasion of privacy will result in the confiscation of your locator,"
I hadn't actually thought of that yet. Now that I did... I pictured Scarlett getting ready to go into the shower, her pulling up her tank top - 'No!' I told myself, 'Get a grip, you perv!' Besides, I thought, nothing would be worth giving up a piece of equipment like this.
"Beyond that," Marcus concluded, "It functions just like a normal scanner. Feel free to explore it's other functions - just think about one and if it has it, a button will appear. Any questions"
"How does it -" I began.
"Not Important!" said Marcus, cutting me off. I glanced over at Gillian, who looked at me as if to say - "So why did he ask for questions?"
We turned and headed back down the corridor.

perp 231776pp#I -Virgil (41)

We were all doomed, unless I could do something about it. Perp 231776pp#I is certain death, and the only reason the agency hasn't glimped it is because it is certain death. Ellen and Greg were good, but not that good. So this is what it was, they must have known I was watching. All these kids were chosen simply to lure me into a bloody trap. We'll see about that.
I watched Ellen tell Greg where we were headed, and he quite obviously already knew. He knew the perp's reputation, and no recruiter could have hidden surprise if they hadn't already known about this route. So, they both know where they're going, but they don't know why. They don't know that they we're assigned to this perp simply because of their relationship to me, because the Agency knew they wouldn't trust me. Then there was Marcus, accompanying us just in case they weren't as dumb as the Agency thought they were. Well, I've always been good at catching things the Agency's missed, so let them throw at me what they will.
The door at the foot of the miniature pyramid slid open, and Ellen led everyone in, with Marcus coming in last, after me. The tension was so thick, you probably couldn't even cut it with one of the Agency's sonic razors. Even the kids could feel the fear between Ellen and Greg. Marcus seemed to be an empty space in the feel of the room. Ellen took a barely noticable breath and motioned to another door.
"This is the entrance to the main cabin. What we're standing in right now is a sort of air-lock, only its more for keeping our personal reality in than oxygen. Like just about all of the other technology you've seen, don't ask me how it works," this last bit was added with an exasperated look toward Scarlet, as she was clearly about to ask. "The main cabin is connected to each of the personal quarters, the supply room, and the bridge. Marcus and I have our own personal quarters; no whining out of you Greg, you'll be rooming with Ian. Gillian, you are obviously with Scarlet. Each bunk is equipped with a computer terminal, the functions of which I am sure you will be able to work out on your own time, and various supplies which we will explain to you when the need for each one arises. You all can sort out bunks amongst yourselves."
"And me, Ellen?" I asked, as we filed in to the main cabin. "Where am I quartered?"
"You," she said, with as much contempt as she wasn't able to hide,"are quartered alone, with no computer access and limited supplies. You will not be allowed on the bridge of this vessel. And I don't think I need to tell you that you'll be under constant surveilance."
I chuckled. "Of course. And I don't think I need to tell you that all of us are under constant surveilance, no matter what the circumstances." I looked around to make sure everyone had already entered the main cabin. Greg was watching us from the corner of the next room, but that didn't matter at this point. "I know that you do not trust me, but there are things about this perp, and your crew "-I motioned slightly to Marcus-"that you don't understand." Ellen showed no interest in an elaboration of this warning. Telling her anything before departure may have been a bad idea, she might take the opportunity to do something stupid. One thing was certain: I had to get to the bridge before the portal opened. Perp 231776pp#I may not be beyond my ability to pilot, but I didn't want to find out.