Immorternity - Chapter 17: Time to Go
Created | Updated Mar 12, 2023
Chapter 17: Time to Go
Looking at her smart watch, Ava concluded that it had just turned quarter past eleven in the night. She stifled a yawn which made her ears pop and then looked around, considering what to do next. Eddy had found some leftover cookies and had gone to full bouncy mode on the sugar boost. He was currently trying to beat the speed record across the lab on one of the office chairs, leaving crunchy trails every time he passed through the glassy puddle from earlier that night. A massive hiss from the direction of the electron microscope startled Ava.
'That must be Baer, venting the helium before leaving.' A low voice said from the doorway. 'Are you coming? Your transport is waiting outside.'
Together with Wolfgang, Ava eventually managed to prise Eddy from his beloved racing chair. Before leaving, Ava shut down the computer that went with the microscope, so as not to alert her father if he would ever come back in here again.
Walking on tiptoe through the marble corridors, they would have managed to pass the snoring guard unnoticed, if not for Eddy's attempt to check out the echoes from the vaulted ceilings one last time. Luckily, Ava managed to bodily haul him out through the front door before the guard fully recovered to hit the panic button, which he did, judging by the loud ringing alarm bell.
Slamming the door shut, Ava, Eddy and Wolfgang were suddenly enveloped in silence. The street was deserted and judging from the shiny tarmac, it had rained earlier.
'Our transport,' said Wolfgang while walking towards a bright yellow sports car that was rather randomly parked in the middle of the road.
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'Do you want to drive?' he asked Ava. 'I don't think it is going to matter a lot whether it is you or me driving, if the Police manage to stop us.'
Opening the doors in an interesting upward, outward and forward motion, Ava slid into the central driver's seat while Eddy and Wolfgang inserted themselves in the cramped back seats that were separated by the apparently massive engine. Closing the doors, Ava investigated the controls of the car. Instead of a regular steering wheel, there was a shiny joystick in front of her. It was covered in buttons. 'It is advisable to not press the red button with the protective cover over it just yet,' she heard Wolfgang mutter in her ear. 'That would definitely put the Police on high alert. Speaking of which. You may want to get moving. Remember the alarm?'
Ava gave the joystick an experimental nudge forward. This produced a squealing sound.
'Parking brake is the third switch on your left side.'
Pressing the switch and giving another nudge there was still a squealing sound, but this time it was accompanied by a kick in the back caused by the massive burst of acceleration.
'Maybe it is better to start with the DrAIve™ function enabled. Just give it a destination and press CONFIRM on the display on your right, but please make haste, I think I can hear the sirens closing in.'
Given that their parents weren't expecting them home until tomorrow after school, she typed London' and confirmed.
'Thank you.' The AI driver said in a smooth voice 'Estimated time of arrival in 45 minutes.'
'It speaks!' Ava exclaimed.
Once on the motorway, the G-forces had reduced to a level low enough for Ava to fall asleep.
Meanwhile, two police cars arrived at the scene with the full audio-visual package activated, just to observe an undulating set of smoking black lines on the tarmac. This was accompanied by an overstressed College security guard who was feverishly working through his rulebook.
