What remained of Tanisport City Hall was rubble. The aftermath of a Planetary Bombardment Cannon strike does that.
It didn’t stop the crowds.
They’d set up a stage in front of the remains of the hall. Eleven chairs, some guy in a suit making a speech, a few more suited men standing around and - most important - seven ultrahumans on the stage.
Mahotsukoi and Indradhanush sat in the first two chairs, holding hands. Mahotsukoi was smiling. Indradhanush wore a goofy grin, as if he still couldn’t believe his luck.
On reflection, that wasn’t surprising.
Chequers, Unity, Jetstream, Aspenthorn and Hifara sat in the next few chairs. Each of them nodded to me as I walked up.
I acknowledged the nods and walked up to the happy couple. “Mahotsukoi. Indradhanush. Congratulations to you again.”
“Thanks, Belessar,” Mahotsukoi smiled.
“We’re going to be the first couple to be selected together for Skyguard,” Indradhanush said. “Something for the history books.” He glanced at Mahotsukoi. “Not that it matters, really, as long as we’re together.”
“Nice save,” the girl grinned. “Belessar. We heard about what happened. Are you okay?”
“I wasn’t injured.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
… That girl was perceptive for a teenager. “It’s never easy to kill another human being.”
“It shouldn’t be,” Aspenthorn remarked. “The day we make that choice easily is one I hope never to see.”
“Speak for yourself,” Unity chimed in. “Bel did what he had to. Those traitors… they deserved what was coming to them.”
“I think we should desist from this line of enquiry,” Chequers chimed in. “Belessar did what he needed to. And he deserves our support.”
“He has mine,” replied Unity.
Aspenthorn nodded slowly. “And mine. There was no excuse for Lumina’s actions. Especially… ” She paused. “Mr. Drake. I’m sorry you had to reveal your identity.”
I sighed. “Call me Andrew. Where we’re going, we won’t have space for masks.”
“Maybe not all of us,” said Chequers. “The top three are shoo-ins, but Aspenthorn, Unity, Jetstream and I are fairly closely tied. With six spots, at least one of us won’t make it.”
“Whoever it is follows when the next slot opens up,” added Hifara. “Though I personally would hope to not be chosen. It is difficult to imagine an application for my power in the depths of space.”
“Skyguard finds ways to use everyone’s skills,” Jetstreamsaid. “If you’re chosen, you’ll contribute. Don’t worry about it.”
I turned to the last person on stage - a suited man I couldn’t recognize. “Are you with DURABLE?”
The suited man swallowed. “Er - I’m Walter Bennet-Lange, Commissioner of Education.”
“... Nice to meet you? This doesn’t seem your normal remit, though…”
“It was deemed that I should be the one to see the ultrahumans of Tanisport off.” For some reason, the man seemed really nervous … afraid? Why?
“Mr. Bennet-Lange has been explaining how he’s part of the state cabinet,” Chequers said. “And conveying the best wishes of the state and city as we… depart.”
<Nanocloud>: Oh, I get it now.
<Belessar>: Enlighten me?
<Nanocloud>: Traditionally, departing ultras get a send-off from the mayor of the city. But you, erm, removed him as an option. The next suitable person to give the departure speeches is the state governor.
<Belessar>: Any reason why he’s not here?
<Nanocloud>: Because you have a habit of decapitating politicians. So he sent a deputy - a member of the state cabinet - to stand in for him.
<Belessar>: It’s not a habit.
<Nanocloud>: Tell that to the politician.
I chuckled. “Mr. Bennett-Lange? Can I ask you a question?”
“... Sure?”
“Did you volunteer to give the speech, or did the governor force you to do it?”
“The, er, Governor is indisposed,” Bennett-Lange stuttered. “He, um, asked me to stand in for him.”
I cast a quick Observe.
WALTER BENNETT-LANGE
LEVEL 4
CLASS: POLITICIAN
… probably not a Gellatoid.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Lange,” Unity snarked, “he’s not going to execute you today.”
The comment didn’t seem to help.
How to be diplomatic about this ... “Mr. Lange. Several dedicated teachers and young students were killed in the attack on Everard. Might I ask you to say a few words for them?”
“... Happy to, Belessar. And, er, may I wish you the best for your service on Skyguard?”
And with those parting words, the politician scurried away to do what politicians do best - deliver speeches and stay out of the way.
One of the suited men stepped forward. “Mr. Belessar. Geoffrey Benthick from DURABLE - I’m the current liaison for Sled pickups.”
“Do you know when it’ll arrive?”
“Fifteen minutes, give or take. Are you familiar with the Sled embarkation protocol?”
“... not really?”
“I’ll make it quick. The Sled usually slows down as it gets closer to the surface and parks itself in front of its targets. Chosen candidates have to embark in the Sled’s order. Please note, this may not be the same order as the leaderboard rankings, though they usually are. If you attempt to board the Sled out of sequence, it will move away from you and towards the next target in the sequence.”
“Noted. How do I know when to board?”
“It’ll drift towards you and lower a ramp. The ramp is an energy construct, which is capable of supporting multi-ton vehicles, so don’t hesitate to climb on. Once a chosen candidate has boarded, the Sled moves towards the next candidate; once all the selected candidates from a location have boarded, the Sled seals itself and travels upwards. The acceleration is fairly strong, but passengers do not feel it inside.”
“Inertial compensation of some sort?”
Benthick’s expression was unreadable. “That is one of the more common questions inventors ask. We don’t actually know, but perhaps you can answer it on Skyguard. On a separate note, have you recorded a will and testament?”
A morbid - but valid - question. “My lawyers have it.”
“Very well. During the initial trip, it is suggested you pack light. Once you reach Skyguard and have a chance to settle in, any equipment, tools or personal effects that you want can be shipped to you. The Sled does frequent supply runs to various parts of Earth. You can order any supplies or components you require - except, um, living beings.”
“Skyguard gets one-day shipping?” Unity quipped.
“Depending on the circumstances, ma’am, but mostly yes. Travellers are always on standby to bring any urgent components over to the Sled, cutting transit time. This covers the key points. Do you have any questions?”
“Yeah,” Indradhanush asked, “when will it get here again?”
As if on cue, a sonic boom cut through the air.
“It’s early,” Benthick grumbled. “Everyone, please line up…”
I glanced upwards as the Sled came into view.
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Picture a featureless white cube. Now slice it in half, horizontally, and keep the bottom half.
That was my first impression of the Sled.
The second impression was that if it didn’t slow down, I’d need to figure out a way to quickly Levitate everybody. Or put a portal in its path.
Fortunately, the intelligence guiding the Sled seemed to have enough self-awareness to obey normal concepts like acceleration and deceleration, even if it did give gravity the middle finger. The hovering object slowed down as it headed towards us in a straight line, slowing to a stop mere feet from the stage.
Then it unfolded.
Like a delivery carton, the sides of the Sled opened outwards, glimmering white walls turning into floor space. The wall facing us bent outwards, thinning into a six-foot-wide ramp.
The edge of the ramp extended forward, coming to a halt in front of… Mahotsukoi.
“Belessar?” she asked. “Shouldn’t you go first?”
“Ms. Mahotsukoi,” Benthick spoke up, “the Sled extends its ramp towards the ultra that has to board first according to its priorities. This isn’t unusual - you have go first, and Belessar can try next.”
The girl grinned. “Cool, then. One small step for mankind…” She stepped forward boldly and climbed up the ramp.
Seconds later, she was in the centre of the Sled, frowning. “There’s no chairs?”
“It’s standing only,” Benthick called. “Mr. Belessar?”
Obediently, I moved towards the ramp.
The Sled moved backwards.
I frowned. “Should I levitate?”
“It doesn’t work that way. … Mr. Indradhanush? You’re next.”
Huh. So I was number three according to the Sled, not first.
Intellectually, I knew it didn’t matter - we’d all end up in the same place anyway. That didn’t stop the competitive part of me from being a wee bit annoyed.
Indradhanush reached the centre of the Sled without incident, and clasped hands with Mahotsukoi. Who didn’t seem to mind at all.
Maybe the Sled was secretly a big romantic.
I stepped forward again - and the ramp retreated for a second time.
“Mr. Belessar, please stand back. Mr. Chequers?”
Sure enough, the ramp stayed firm as Chequers stepped on board.
Once again, I stepped forward.
Once again, the ramp retreated.
“Ms. Unity, if you would?”
<Nanocloud>: This is getting ridiculous. Second - or even third - I can understand, but how’s Unity ahead of you?
<Belessar>: I don’t get it either. Let’s see if I rank fifth, at least?
Again, I stepped forward. Again, the ramp retreated.
“Oi, Belessar,” Unity called out, “did you invent a Sled-repellent?”
“Funny, very funny,” I grumbled, as Aspenthorn was called forward. “Good luck up there, Aspenthorn.”
“Thanks, Belessar. I….” She paused. “It doesn’t make sense, me getting called before you.”
“The Sled makes its own choices,” I shrugged. “Stay alive.”
Aspenthorn smiled bitterly. “You too - Andrew.”
When the Sled retreated for the fifth time, I wasn’t surprised.
Jetstream stared at me, wide-eyed. “That makes no sense. I … I’m supposed to be the backup. I’ve done less than you!”
“Looks like the Sled thinks otherwise,” I sighed. “Good luck up there, Jetstream.”
The inventor nodded sombrely. Then, steeling himself, he stepped on to the ramp.
It held firm.
“That’s six,” Benthick said. “Mahotsukoi, Indradhanush, Chequers, Unity, Aspenthorn and Jetstream - the hopes and prayers of the world go with you. Good luck and thank you for your service.”
“All the best, everyone,” I smiled.
“We’ll probably see you soon,” Indradhanush called back.
I smiled at the thought for a minute - before it struck me what that would mean. “Stay safe, Indradhanush, and I hope I don’t join you for a long time.”
“Likewise, Belessar,” Mahotsukoi smiled back. “Look after Earth for us, will you?”
And with that, the walls of the Sled folded inwards. In seconds, all that we could see was the original half-cube of featureless white light.
The Sled began to move upwards. First slowly, then with ever-increasing speed, it rose into the atmosphere. In seconds, it had risen hundreds of feet into the air, and continued to rise.
We watched as the Sled - with its precious cargo of six heroes - vanished in the distance.