Sci-Fi Short Story - Business Trip

Written by SeungU Lyu, Edited by Audrey Lee

“Tired of those 30-day trips to Mars in slow and energy inefficient spaceships? Introducing the faster, cleaner, and better solution: Teleport^TM! With our new and improved warp technology, you can be anywhere at any time in less than one second. Sign up for your tele-mileage card today, and you can save for the next trip!”

The loud advertisement echoed around Jack as he stood in line to get on the Teleport^TM. However, the long line in front of him did not seem to move at all. “One second”, Jack scoffed, “If you have to wait in line for two hours to even use the teleport machine, is it actually a one second trip?” He turned to his co-worker Max to relieve his boredom.

“I heard more and more people are using Teleport^TM these days. It replaced spaceships completely in just 5 years,” said Max, who was patiently waiting in the line with him.

“I’m just a bit annoyed that I might not have time to visit my favorite restaurant before the company meeting!”

“You’re talking about the first-ever Martian restaurant, right? How is it?”

“The food is the best I’ve ever tasted; even better than Earth’s. I go on business trips to Mars every other month, and I always make sure I stop at this restaurant. How have you not gone? Everyone in the company has tasted their food at least once.”

“Actually, this is my first time using a teleporter,” Max said sheepishly.

“This is your first time? How have you not used the best thing mankind has created since airplanes? They really are a miracle of technology; I don’t know how we would have progressed without them.”

Jack recalled when the teleport was introduced. Initially, he did not believe in this technology because it sounded too good to be true. He thought it was beyond the scope of the established current technology, however, the teleportation machines soon became an essential part of society. The colonization of different planets sped up, and problems that bothered the human race since the 20th century started to resolve. Overpopulation, lack of resources, famine, water shortages, and war – essentially everything that drove humans to near extinction – was fixed due to these teleportation machines.

As an ambassador for the Starport Trading Company, using the teleportation machines to travel between planets has made his life easier. He would occasionally complain about the one or two-day business trips to Venus or Mars using Teleport^TM, but it was still better than being stuck in the corner of a spaceship for at least a month.

In a shaky voice, Max broke his train of thought, “I…I am actually a little worried. I’ve been hearing some unsavory things about teleportation…”

“What ‘s wrong with the teleport machines?” Jack apprehensively asked; knowing that he will not like what he’ll hear next.

“I’m sure you’ve heard about it – the disintegration theory – It’s been all over the Net. I saw people rioting outside of the station today as we entered”

“Don’t tell me that you believe in that conspiracy theory. Do you really think that you’ll get broken down into pieces and a copy of yourself is assembled back together like Legos? Oh come on! That’s far beyond our technology! You should know how to figure out the difference between what’s right and wrong!”

“But if this is true, then that means you will be destroyed … killed by these teleport machines over and over, and what’s left in the universe is only your copy. They might act like you and think like you, but is it really you?”

“Are you trying to say I’m a copy of myself and the real me is dead a long time ago? Do you really think the government would let billions of teleport users be killed?”

Jack noticed his co-worker’s worried expression, and he also realized that he was drawing other people’s attention.

Jack took a deep breath and tried to rationally explain, “The theory has been proven wrong several times already. I’m really sorry for shouting. I understand your worries, as I was also worried when I first used the teleport machines. But trust me, it is one of the safest transportation methods out there. Ever since this technology was released, there have been no casualties at all. Sure there were some injuries in the early stages of research and development, but now it’s completely perfect.”

“I…I’m really sorry for what I said too. I didn’t mean to offend you or anyone else, but…yes, I think I’m just worried. Thank you for telling me that.”

“No worries. If you have some extra time, try to look into how warp technology actually works; hopefully your anxieties will calm down.”

Jack and Max started to get closer to the front of the line and an announcement made by the Teleport Security Administration (TSA) was projected in front of them:

“Hello, and thank you for choosing Teleport^TM. We will want to check everything you have before we get you into the teleportation machine and on your way to your destination. Please remember to take off your shoes and present any flora and fauna to the TSA officers.”

Jack and Max diverged as they went to different lines for their security check-ins and both went through the agonizingly boring process. Afterwards, Jack waited shortly for Max to finish his check-in, but he knew that it was almost time to say goodbye to his co-worker. Max’s trip was to Venus instead of Mars where the conditions are much harsher and there was less breathable air. Most of the people on Venus worked in the mines that send resources back to the Earth whereas Mars was more of a capitalistic colony.

Jack and Max approached the looming machines and they were able to see a bright blue flashing light every time someone was teleported.

“Hello, and thank you for choosing Teleport^TM. What is your destination?” The teleport attendant smiled and kindly reached out to them.

Jack replied, “I’m going to Mars, but my co-worker here is going to Venus. It’s also his first time, so could you please reassure him that these teleport machines are 100% safe?”

“Of course! You have nothing to worry about. It is seamless; you close your eyes, feel the warm bright blue light, and then you are at your destination. I go through these teleport machines all the time; trust me, it’s safe. Just make sure that you don’t open your eyes because the light is intense.”

Max was then ushered to one of the teleport machines and Jack waved goodbye, genuinely hoping for Max to have a good experience. Jack looked at the back of his co-worker as he nervously followed the teleport attendant. The teleport machine to Venus was not far away from his view, so he was able to see the bright blue light flashing as Max was sent to Venus. After the light dimmed, there was nothing left inside the machine.

Soon after, he was also guided to a teleport machine. Unlike his co-worker, he had to line up again and wait for some time before he was able to enter the machine since Mars was a popular destination. With more than a billion people, millions of running businesses, and amazing tourist attractions, Mars was a great place for either working or taking a vacation.

“Can I check your destination sir?” one of the teleport attendants asked him with a smile.

Jack did not realize it was already his turn to teleport. He quickly scanned his wrist where there was an implanted portable communications device. With a simple beep sound and a “Thank you, have a nice trip” greeting from the scanner, he entered the machine to get ready for teleportation.

Jack closed his eyes, waiting for the bright blue light. He briefly reminded himself of the plan for today. He will have a meeting with another company at Mars in two hours, and after completing the contract he will come back to Earth later today. This was a bit of an overwhelming schedule for him, but he had to do this to celebrate his wife Eva’s birthday the next day.

After ruminating for a while, he realized that he hadn’t felt like he teleported anywhere. He’s been closing his eyes for more than a minute, but it usually only takes a couple of seconds. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at what was happening around him. He found teleport attendants panicking around his teleport machine as though they didn’t know what to do.

This was the first time Jack saw the teleport attendants with panicked expressions. Their faces deviated from the pleasant and accommodating smiles they donned on before, which started to worry him. He knows for a fact that the teleport machines never had any lethal accidents, but his concern slowly grew inside his mind.

Jack tried to get an attendant’s attention, “Excuse me, are there any probl….”

But before he finished his inquiry, a giant screech pierced his ears and a bright red light almost blinded him.

Once his vision cleared, he recognized his surroundings to be the peaceful view of the Martian teleport station. The station was silent, as though everything he saw and heard was just his imagination. Similar to all of his previous trips, the teleportation process itself was completely seamless. Jack was baffled by what just happened back at Earth. The confused workers, the blaring sound, and the bright red light were disorienting. He knew for a fact that the light was supposed to be blue instead of red.

“Welcome to Mars!” one of the teleport attendants said as Jack exited the machine.

Jack could not see the attendant’s face since the attendant was wearing a typical Martian bodysuit which covered his whole face and body to prevent harsh UV rays. With the familiarity of these very peculiar clothes, Jack was relieved that he was not sent to a random planet, and that he was where he was supposed to be: Mars.

Jack, still anxious, spat out “Did you see that red light?”

“What red light sir? The color was blue as usual. Have a great trip!”

Without so much as a ‘thank you’, Jack disorientedly walked away. He was skeptical that everything was fine, but he was at Mars as planned, so nothing bad could have happened.

He walked through the teleport station, and past a window. The station was on the edge of the Mars colony, and he was able to behold the magnificent view of Mars. The horizon was divided in half by the sparkling, see-through dome. On his left, he was able to see the barren, red-colored sand of Mars, but on his right, he saw endless spikes of skyscrapers composing the whole city. It was considered the Utopian City as it was the biggest colony of Mars that was built on a basin previously called the Utopian Planitia. Jack thought the name was a little overstated. Even though this city became the center of all business transactions, the social issues and awful public policies were not something he would call a utopian society.

Before Jack could exit the station, he had to wait about 40 minutes in line and go through the Teleportation Customs. The only consolation was that this line took less time than when he waited on Earth. However, he knew that he only had a miniscule amount of time to eat before his meeting, so he thought he should probably go to the nearby Chinatown for lunch. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have time to visit his favorite restaurant this trip, but he can always easily come back later because of teleportation. At least, that’s how he tried to rationalize the situation. However, Jack was met with an unpleasant surprise: his baggage did not arrive from Earth.

Jack shouted at the teleport attendant, “So are you saying you cannot help me with this issue right now?”

The attendant coldly replied, “I’m sorry for the inconvenience. The record says your baggage was collected by the owner due to the cancelation of the ticket. This is an unusual error in the system, and we will contact you as soon as we discover the error. Have a nice day, sir.”

“What do you mean by ‘cancel my ticket’! I am physically here, on Mars, so the ticket was definitely not canceled! How can someone take my baggage if I have to scan my identification chip before I can even pick it up?”

“We know sir. That is the reason why I’m saying that this is an unusual error. Please wait patiently until we resolve this issue.”

Jack felt like this whole situation was mocking him. How dare they treat him badly as though he is not even a customer. Now, he only has his clothes on his back and his portable communication device in his pocket. He attributed his misfortune to the red light and blaring sound from earlier. Yes, that is definitely the reason why he’s having a terrible day. Stewing in his anger, he kept thinking about filing a bunch of complaints to the Teleport^TM Company once his business trip was over. Jack left his contact info with the unhelpful attendant. He quickly called the company he was planning on meeting with since he knew he was going to be slightly late.

A holographic automated message picked up, “Hello, this is the Martian Trading Company. Thank you for calling, if you have an appointment please tell me your name.”

Jack quickly said, “I’m so sorry, my name is Jack Green and I’ll be slightly late due to errors in the teleportation services.”

“I’m sorry, I cannot find a meeting with the name Jack Green. Planned meeting for today was cancelled by your company’s request. Goodbye and have a nice day.”

The system automatically hung up, and Jack realized that something wrong was happening. Baffled, Jack sent a message to his company back on Earth questioning why they cancelled the meeting even though he was on Mars. He wanted an immediate response, but during this time of the year, a message took roughly 10 minutes to send to Earth, and another 10 minutes to come back to Mars. He did not understand how sending messages could be so slow given that warp technology could transfer a person in one second, but messages have to rely on the speed of light, so this was how the world worked.

After waiting for a while, Jack decided to move on when he heard “the customer you are trying to message is temporarily out of service”. What is happening? Did his company suddenly shut down in the last two or three hours? He doubted that, and now just wanted to go home. He walked back to the teleport station so he can get back to Earth. If his meeting was actually canceled, then there was no reason for him to stay at Mars.

However, when he asked for a ticket back to Earth, the attendant told him that he could not get a new one since his was actually cancelled on Earth. He started panicking as he didn’t know how to get home. He realized the seriousness of the situation and could feel the dread in the pit of his stomach. He only had 34 Martian dollars in his hands which was not enough for a hotel let alone a teleportation ticket back home. He was now stuck on Mars.

Jack started thinking of wild solutions such as sneaking onto a spaceship or a cargo ship to take him back to Earth. However, there he was overwhelmed with stress, and decided that his wife back on Earth can help him with this problem since she was rational and always there for him.

Jack moved his wrist towards his face so the hologram screen could pop up and he could send his message. After a tiny “beep”, he started talking:

“Hey, Eva. I’m currently on Mars and I’ve been having a rough day. I don’t know exactly what happened, but my baggage was stolen and my ticket got cancelled, so I’m stuck on Mars without any necessities and money. I tried to contact my company, but they are not responding. Eva, honey, I know it doesn’t really make sense, but can you try to book a ticket back to Earth for me? Thank you so much and see you soon; I love you.” Jack finished his message with a smile. He did not want to worry her too much, even though he was filled with anxiety.

He gently pressed the “Send” button on the hologram screen, and the message was successfully on its way to Earth. He now has to wait at 20 minutes for the response or even a little longer if Eva responds a bit later. Jack’s stomach growled and he grew restless as the stress and hunger were overwhelming for him. Jack realized he did not eat anything today and decided to grab a meal. Believing that there’s no way his day can get worse, he left the teleport station to find food.

Since Jack had 34 Martian dollars in his hand, he knew he had enough for a cab ride and a meal at a restaurant. He would have no money left, but he believed that everything will go well and he will soon be contacted by his company or his wife, so that he will be able to rest in his cozy bed later tonight.

Usually, it takes some time to get a hover-cab since Mars is such a crowded place, but he had one cab that just stopped in front of him. He thought that finally luck was coming his way and entered the cab.

Jack exasperatedly said, “Viking 2 Street please”

“Viking 2 Street? You goin to Weinbaum? That’s a great place to eat and chill. I’d also choose that restaurant for my last meal” grunted the driver.

“Last meal?” Jack asked with a hesitant glance.

“Ah, just saying it’s that great” laughing out loud, the driver slowly increased the speed.

What a strange cab driver, Jack thought. He hated people who mumbled words without thinking. He was already having a bad day, so he decided to keep silent in the cab so that the driver would stop bothering him. The scenery around him passed by in a blur. Without saying a word, the driver abruptly halted the cab in the middle of the tall skyscrapers. The driver motioned to the screen for the amount Jack had to pay, and he saw it was 5 dollars which was a bit less than it usually cost.

“Rest easy” whispered the driver with a solemn smile as Jack exited the cab.

“What?” Jack shouted, but the cab sped off into the night. When the wind settled, he looked around and found this was not the place he wanted. There was literally nothing around here as he was in the middle of a very small road, surrounded by giant buildings where the only way out was several alleyways. He couldn’t believe that he got scammed by this cab driver. Even though he complained about the bad public safety in the city, this was not something he expected to happen.

Jack suddenly felt a chill down his back. This place was bizarre. The buildings, roads, and even signs around him were perfectly normal. However, there was no one around; there was only an eerie silence that filled the alleyways.

Jack sensed foreboding ominous tension. His fight or flight response was on high alert. He wanted to get out of this place as quickly as possible. However, as he was starting to leave, the sound of synchronized footsteps filled the alleyway. Fear seized him, and Jack started running, his lungs almost bursting into an explosion. He was nearing exhaustion, but he couldn’t stop running.

He was just a few dozen yards away from the end of the alleyway when he tripped over. He managed to avoid hitting his head on the hard cement ground, but his hands got badly scraped. Acute pain stabbed Jack’s hand as blood started flowing out of his wounds. He tried to stand up right away, but then he saw something at the end of the alleyway.

Three black suited men.

Jack didn’t know what was happening, but he knew that this was his source of fear. He stood up with trembling legs and tried to run the other way. The men with black suits walked slowly towards him.

The one in the middle had a gun.

Jack turned his body and dashed. He did not hear any sound of gunfire coming from behind him. When he looked behind, the men in black were just walking slowly towards him. As his vision started getting blurry, he realized there were people in front of him as well.

Blocking the other end of the alleyway, the other group started walking towards him too. Jack was a rat in a trap. Desperately looking for his way to escape, he walked in between the alleyway, shouting madly for help, trying to find any narrow gap that can exist between the buildings, but to no avail.

His shouting came to an end when he was fully surrounded by the men in black.

“What do you want?” Jack yelled, almost like a lunatic, his throat almost tearing apart from his own shouting. The men remained silent, but the one in the middle slowly raised his gun.

“I do not have money right now, but I can give you everything if you let me go. I promise!” His voice spiked, as he started bawling. The alleyway was still silent.

“Why is all of this happening to me? I have a wife and a son. Please don’t kill me” Jack’s voice was now filled with sorrow. He could feel his eyes overflow with water and warm tears streamed down his face. Today was the worst day, and he knew in fact that this is his last day too.

In a last ditch effort, Jack charged toward the man with the gun as the trigger was pulled.

“I’m really sorry,” the man whispered.

Jack felt a sharp pain in his stomach as soon as he heard the loud gunshot and he tumbled to the ground. As his head hit the ground, his surroundings grew blurry and he started to lose consciousness. He twisted his body in extreme agony. Warm blood poured out of his stomach. He could not breathe air in nor out. He felt as though his soul was being drained out of his body by the hand of God.

“Reporting to base, duplicate successfully eliminated. Mission successful.” a low voice filled the alleyway. It was one of the men in the black suits. He kneeled down, looked at Jack for several seconds, and murmured,

“Rest in peace, for the greater good of the society.”

As the men slowly walked away from Jack, he felt a little vibration in his wrist. It was a message from his wife, Eva. It came just in time, a minute away from the expected 20 minutes, and probably a minute away from his end. Blood started to pour out of his mouth as he choked, and he knew he did not have a long time left. With the little energy he had left, he brought his arm near his eyes so that he could see the screen. The message started playing automatically:

“Eva, you can just ignore those messages. They are just scams” said a person who looked and talked exactly like himself.

“But it’s creepy! This dude looks like you, copied your ID, and even has your device number when he sent the message” complained Eva, with her usual voice.

“Eva, just remember that you can really do anything with hacking. This guy clearly requested money from you while acting like me! Please don’t waste your money on buying a ticket to some random criminal. Anyways, I’m gonna check the TV again because I cannot believe there is no news about how there was a malfunction in the teleport machines.” The other Jack, looking a bit frustrated, moved away from the screen as he finished his sentence.

Eva carefully watched the look-alike move away from the screen, and turned her head back to the screen. She took a deep breath in and closed her eyes for three seconds before she started talking.

“Okay. You did a really great job of scamming me just until my husband came back from the teleport station. You did not realize that there was an accident in the teleport machine and they stopped working for a while. My husband got really mad and had to cancel his meetings and his tickets!” Eva took a deep breath again as she continued her message.

“It is really scary how you got the exact ID and device number of my husband, but let me tell you this. I have already reported your call to the police, and I will sue you if you call me once more! Understand?” The call ended as Eva pointed her finger toward the screen.

When the screen turned off, there was not a single sound in the alleyway. Now, Jack understood everything.

“So, I was the unlucky one indeed”, he smiled as he whispered. “At least Eva will not be alone for her birthday.”

His mind was as calm as still water. He slowly closed his eyes. He was now looking at a ray of light that was getting dimmer and dimmer. At the moment when the last bit of light faded, Jack thought:

‘When did I really die?’

And then came complete darkness.