Aphrodite gulped as she watched Locke slowly walk towards the fire they were all sitting around.
He looked like like him. The Locke in the Sanctuary. A carbon copy. She was having trouble holding back tears. The features that'd she'd missed so much were staring her right in the face. She couldn't help but yearn for her uncle Locke's warmth and sincerity again.
This is why she was here, why she was putting her life in danger. This is why she was travelling across the solar system, an environment not meant for man. She wanted Locke back. By any means necessary.
With his short blonde hair, black and white suit, and rather emotionless and blank expression, it was clear that he wasn't the same Locke though. Aphrodite's Locke was more natural, more warm and approachable.
This one, he was quite static.
He seemed to be holding some sort of suitcase too, Aphrodite couldn't help but wonder what was inside. Was it something dangerous?
Eventually, the new Locke managed to walk up to the fire and face Ava and Aphrodite face to face.
For a while, no-one spoke, Ava and Locke simply looked at each other, Ava's eyes were stern and piercing, Protective of the friends he had made. Locke's were emotionless.
Ava pulled out a baton,
"Well?" he asked, "you said you wanted to help us. How exactly?"
"I will lead you all to Mother," he looked at Sylvie and The Major, "if you wish."
"Are you really on our side? The Locke units have independent thought and make alliances based on their own judgment, don't they?" asked Aphrodite,
"Mother is my ally, I've come here on her behalf. But that doesn't mean I'm not here to help." Locke replied, "I will take you to her."
Aphrodite could see that the cogs were turning in Ava's head. It was a pretty bad situation, stopping Locke now would be unwise, because he was the only lead they had on how to find Mother on this huge planet, on the other hand, he could be leading the group into a trap.
Maybe it was a gamble worth taking,
"Ava, we've got the Major with us. She's unstoppable. Even if we do get caught in a trap. It won't be successful."
Ava frowned, he walked up to the Major and Sylvie, who were both in hibernation, sitting lazily against a large pile of debris. It didn't look comfortable at all.
Ava shook the Major's shoulder. He then lightly patted Sylvie's face.
"Guys. Wake up!" not really the most elegant way to take someone out of hibernation, but the only way he could at the moment. "I said wake up!"
The two groaned as they got left their hibernation state. Neither of the two were very good at waking up, they seemed quite dizzy and flustered for quite a while.
Meanwhile, as all that kerfuffle was happening, Aphrodite's eyes met Locke's, he stared at her emotionlessly and chilled her to the bone.
***
Eventually, the Major had taken control of the situation, as expected. She was now standing at the head of the group, facing the new version of Locke.
"How far is she exactly? Are you taking us there by ship?" she asked,
"No," Locke replied, "teleportation." he lifted the suitcase and tapped it with his other hand,"This teleportation device has access to every single portal on the planet, and it's the one and only teleporter that can reach mother."
Aphrodite looked at the Major could easily tell what was going on in the Major's mind, she had only known her for a short time, but it was obvious...
"And no," said Locke, "you cannot kill me and steal the device. Even if you hack it, you will not be able to find the one among millions of teleporters around the world where Mother lives."
Damn.
"Well, I guess we don't have much of a choice then," said the Major, she turned to the group, "even if he's lying about that being the only teleporter that can reach her, this planet is still massive. We'll never be able to find her without taking this chance. If it's a trap, I'll protect you all. Are we in agreement?"
Everyone nodded.
The Major turned back to Locke,
"Fine, take us there. But remember, try anything funny and I'll kill you on the spot."
"But aren't you here to kill Mother and me anyway?" said Locke as he placed the suitcase on the floor, "you will surely try to kill me eventually."
"Right, well then, depending on how you behave will determine how long you live then." the Major didn't seem happy with Locke's snark.
"Mother simply wants to talk to you, after that, I don't know what her plans are." he opened up the suitcase and unfolded a sturdy metal frame that was attached to it. The frame was a circular platform, the platform itself made of some sort of see-through plastic material with complex hexagon patterns on it. At most, it'd fit two people. Not the whole group. "I'm afraid I'll have to escort every single one of you individually though," said Locke.
"In that case, I'm going first. And then you'll bring me back to the others to report that it's safe." said the Major.
"Very well," Locke replied,
"After that, Aphrodite, Sylvie and then Ava." the Major continued.
Aphrodite could see what was happening. The Major was making sure Aphrodite would remain protected at all times. She'd either be with two Serv units, or with the Major herself. She was ensuring her safety. Not only that, but Ava was still strong enough to hold his own if he were to be left stranded, so leaving him to last made sense.
Sylvie. Well... no-one really knew much about her capabilities. Or why she was going on this journey with them. But it was nice to have her around.
Locke stood on the platform and then waited for the Major to join him. No gestures, no ?words. He just waited. In a huff, the Major walked up and stood next to him. Was it really going to be safe? What if the machine would just disintegrate her, or teleport her into space? It could lead anywhere. She was taking a huge risk...
Locke raised his hand, a transparent panel appeared in front of him and he punched in some coordinates. Although it looked like he was poking the air. Yup, human tech really was far ahead of what Servs were used to.
The machine beeped for a few seconds, the beeping raised in frequency and pitch and then finally reached a peak upon which time the Major and Locke instantly dissolved into a beam of light that shot out of the panel and then was somehow sucked back into itself. It was an odd phenomenon to watch, no-one was really able to get a handle on what they'd seen. The beam of light seemed to have bent somewhat before it disappeared. Visibly.
Not even a few seconds later, the beam of light re-appeared in an explosion that was hard to place. Somewhere on the panel. Once the light had dissipated. The Major and Locke were back with the group.
They'd made the return journey.
The Major's hair was frazzled and she had a look of surprise on her face. After a few moments, she managed to settle down.
"I-It works." she said to everyone, still trying to compose herself, "but-." she really looked confused, "how?" she asked out loud.
"Human technology is on a level far beyond your understanding," said Locke. "Teleportation is only the tip of the iceberg of what the race managed to invent during the final days of its existence. From what I've heard."
"So it's safe on the other side, right?" Sylvie asked,
"Yes. It's safe. There's nothing but a field and a car on the other side." the Major replied,
"Even with the device. You will have to drive for several hours to get to her." said Locke, "she is very hard to find."
And so, with that, everyone trusted Locke's offer to use the device. And it indeed was safe, for the time being. It really did feel bizarre going through the teleporter. From the perspective of the person traveling, there was no song and dance during the teleportation at all. No bright light, no noise, no nothing, just scenery change in the blink of an eye. It was hard to register and explained why the Major was quite surprised the first time she went through.
Eventually, the entire group made it to the other side. Onto a similarly discrete panel hidden among the grass in the middle of a field. It was a field that went on forever. Unlike where they just were, it was bright and sunny, it felt like early morning. The group must have teleported to the other side of the planet.
After waiting for the teleporting suitcase to teleport itself onto the panel, Locke picked it up and directed the group to a nearby vehicle. A dirty off-road jeep that was large enough to easily able to hold four people.
It was weird to see such a basic vehicle near such advanced technology.
***
Indeed, looks were deceiving, the vehicle was quite incredible. It sped across the field at breakneck speed. There was no noise, no bumpiness, no feeling of acceleration. It felt like the car hadn't even started to move yet, instead the world itself was moving quickly past them, smoothly rolling under the car's wheels.
"This field is very hard to find. And it is composed of nothing but a flat plain of grass and flowers for miles. There are no milestones. It's easy to get lost here forever." said Locke,
So. Mother was hidden on an impossible to find planet. On an impossible to find region on said planet, in an impossible to find field. And in that field, she was still impossible to find?
She really did want to be left alone, didn't she?
The vehicle drove for hours and hours. By the time it started slowing down the sun was already setting and casting an orange glow on the ocean of grass.
Eventually, it came to a stop. A nice and a smooth stop that the passengers couldn't even feel. And where did they stop?
In front of a house, a small brick house with a moss growing over it. A traditional looking cottage. And there she sat.
A woman in the front garden. A human woman. She was in a chair next to a small and ornate garden table, sipping what looked like the lost ancient drink known as milk tea. Black hair and a round, pale face. This was without a doubt a human. Smooth skin, a naturally emotive face, minute facial flaws that would never be seen on a Serv. She smiled at the group as she took another sip of her tea. The human.
"It's great to finally meet you all in person," she said.
This was Mother. This random human in the middle of nowhere.
And she looked much too similar to Aphrodite for it to be a coincidence.