A Meeting With Dr. Simms

Dr. Simms leaves his office quietly. Joaquin and Robin, the two commanders, are in their daily meeting with heads bowed over timelines and progress reports. He remembers the early days, when he and the other four did the same, painstakingly documenting experiment results on the precious paper that had been transported through.

The four staff units assembling pre-fabricated housing units are making quick work of it – doubtless fueled by the promised bonuses. They take care to fit the pieces together snugly, lovingly checking the alignment and angles. After all, they are building the homes they and their families will be living in for the rest of their lives.

In theory.

He and the original crew did the same with the command building; their offices would double as living quarters until materials for their home units arrived. After all, not many synthetic materials could withstand the transport process, and large-scale production was expensive. They were scientists and engineers; perhaps they could find something suitable in the colony to use?

Though it looked like Earth and felt like a very temperate region of Earth…it wasn’t Earth. Or at least it wasn’t Earth Prime.

He’d never made up his mind exactly what this place was – or rather, when. Geology and biology were his core specializations, and they had helped him survive. However, survival didn’t leave much time for exploration. And that’s where his new friends on scouting detail could help.

Even before he sees the two scouts approaching the outskirts of the settlement, he hears them. Boots crushing the dry grass, the gentle clunk of an empty canteen swinging from the strap of a backpack. He doesn’t fault them; they haven’t been properly trained as scouts.

But they will be, soon.

As much as Joaquin likes to think he’s a natural commander, Dr. Simms can recognize an overconfident lackey when he sees one. Joaquin has never had to bow to anything to survive, and he’s inherited his father’s hubris. Thus, it will be easy to steal these two scouts away from him. As long as Dr. Simms dangles the potential for profit in front of Joaquin, the young man will take the bait.

Caught up in the drama playing out in his imagination, Dr. Simms makes an uncharacteristically grand entrance, stepping onto the path as the scouts come into view. “Ah. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Dave punches his fist in the air. “I told you so!” he shouts at Irene.

Mortified, Dr. Simms puts a finger to his lips to indicate silence, and points in the direction of the settlement. As they approach, he murmurs, “We are going to my house. I shall ask if you found anything interesting, and you will discreetly tell me some meaningless nonsense while we walk through the settlement.”

Irene elbows Dave, and he carefully walks on the outer edge of the group, shielding the cat carrier.

“Did you find the map generally accurate?” Dr. Simms asks. “At least in terms of relevant landmarks?”

“We did,” Irene says, giving Dave a silencing look. “The land appears to be pretty flat – at least where we scouted, and with generally short grasses. Basically, it’s ideal for building more of the pre-fabricated structures, and the older colonists won’t have to mow their lawns very often.”

“Good,” Dr. Simms said, noticing the builders were still deep in concentration, not paying a bit of attention to the three. “If you two are interested, I’d like to ask Joaquin to lend me your services for the next few months. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to map much of the surrounding area. Much of the pre-colonization work focused on validating the climate, water, air, and soil viability from the initial robotic probes, then constructing our command center.”

“Didn’t this colony get a solar-powered micro-rover?” Irene asked. “I heard about those in the news and was excited to see one in action.”

“Ah, but that’s part of the story to be told shortly,” Dr. Simms says, reaching into his pocket for a key. “Dave, if you can trust me with the cat, I’ll take her in through my personal entrance, get her some water, and meet you in my office.”

Stunned, Dave hands over the carrier, once again whispering, “I totally knew it.”

He and Irene head toward the front entrance of the command center. “Let me do the talking if Joaquin asks questions,” Irene suggests.

Dave gives her a wan salute, still gobsmacked Dr. Simms knows about the cat. “Maybe it was a lucky guess,” he murmurs.

Irene rolls her eyes and opens the door. Joaquin and Robin appear to be having a spirited discussion in their office about should be reported back to Earth Prime on a weekly basis; neither Irene nor Dave feels the need to interrupt.

Five offices comprise the rear third of the building, rather in the shape of a giant staple. Only one door is closed; the rest gape open and dimly empty – the four scientists that did not survive. Dr. Simms opens his door at their approach; his office is cozy and uncluttered. Shadow lounges on a blue futon, with a gold stripe on its back matching the late afternoon sun.

He retreats to his desk and sits down, motioning expansively for them to take any available seating. Dave promptly sits by Shadow, and the animal snuggles up by his leg, taking on a tan stripe to match his pants.

“Can I assume you found the barn?” Dr. Simms asks, looking pleased.

Dave nods. “We didn’t stay long though. Kind creeped us out. Was it here when you arrived?”

“It was,” Dr. Simms confirmed. “And to anticipate your question, Irene, the micro-rover did not find it. Ironically, the inability of the rover to travel in certain areas led us to the barn.”

Irene, having settled into a basic wooden chair, leans forward. “What do you mean the micro-rover couldn’t travel in certain areas. Did it just stop, or turn around like one of those robot vacuums?”

“It simply stopped – with all available charge depleted. We spent more time than I’d like to admit trying to understand why.”

“Maybe parts of the colony are haunted by whoever built that barn. You know how batteries are always draining on those ghost hunter shows,” Dave volunteers.

Dr. Simms nods. “I originally thought it might be ley lines, or some magnetic interference, and was looking forward to analyzing the topography. However…I have since revised that hypothesis. Here’s what happened.”

***

I was late to the party – a last-minute substitute when Dr. Emerson broke his leg badly in a bizarre accident. He deferred assignment, and I was next on the waiting list. The rest of the team had been planning together for the better part of three months, and I barely met Jack and Edward before their transport to the colony.

Though I spent a few weeks around Lucia and Danielle, much of my pre-transport month was spent reviewing core objectives and discussing the work plans Emerson had already made. He was frantic we wouldn’t be able to deliver on the number of pre-sold colonist housing units, and corporations would pull their funding. I told him that was ridiculous, because as you both noted – there is a great deal of flat, viable land. What he didn’t tell me outright – but I discovered later – was corporate sponsors offered the scientists bonuses for finding viable resources or other ways to boost the profitability of the colonies.

When I arrived, I had little time for exploration. Again, due to the promised bonuses for accelerated colony viability, the rest of the crew pushed to spend five days building, one day for rest, and one for our scientific assignments. I needed to ensure we could grow crops, so I kept my walks short and focused on planting and soil measurements. Whenever I suggested a longer exploration, the others refused.

On the third week in, Edward agreed to take an extended hike, as he wanted my help to diagnose the micro-rover’s issues. Though the device stopped at the treeline, we’d already grown too curious. Edward picked it up and carried it until we found the clearing with the barn. Then its wheels started turning, which startled Edward, and scraped up his arm. He dropped it, and the micro-rover headed straight for the door – which was open.

Nervously, we approached, following the lights on the micro-rover. I barely remembered I had a flashlight in my pack, and shone it around before we went in. Rusted tools, dirt and dust…and that micro-rover using its retractable claws to shred the brown paper wrapping of a box sitting in the middle of the barn.

Before we could fully retreat, a silvery glow peeked through the paper, and expanded just enough to envelop the micro-rover like an electric fog. And then, they were gone.

***

“The micro-rover just disappeared? With the box?” Dave asks, incredulous.

Dr. Simms shrugs. “I believe it was a transport system – more sophisticated than the one we have here. Neither Edward and I felt it would be…prudent to explore the barn on our own, so we ran back to camp like characters in the first half of a slasher film.”

“What did the rest of the team think?” Irene asked.

“Well, everyone agreed to go back with us in the morning, with additional equipment and preparation. I didn’t sleep well, and woke up a few times thinking I heard someone walking around outside. Everyone was on edge the next morning – especially Edward. He started knocking on our doors at first light, insisting we had to get going.”

“Was he worried about the micro-rover? Like, were they going to bill him for a replacement?” Dave joked.

Dr. Simms sighed. “Funny you say ‘replacement.’ When we got to the barn, Lucia got into a bit of an argument with Edward about taking time to walk around the perimeter to see if there were any wires, traps, and so forth on the outside. He convinced her to go in first, and as everyone else walked inside, I noticed him rolling up his sleeves as he ushered them forward. Where there should have been scrapes from the micro-rover…there weren’t.”

“Are you sure he wasn’t just a werewolf or maybe a really fast healer?” Dave broke in.

“Interesting theory, but unlikely.” Dr. Simms said. “The sight froze me for a moment, and by the time I ran into the barn, everyone was clustered around something that looked like a giant picture frame. Edward looked me in the eye, shrugged, and activated a switch on the back. Everyone else disappeared into a silvery fog, and I was out of range. For better or worse.”

“So that’s the mysterious accident,” Irene says. “Why didn’t they come back for you?”

“Because I need to protect the colony. When I returned to the command center after a dazed shamble back, I found a note from Edward. He asked me to forgive him for taking the team, but their expertise was desperately needed in another dimension – and mine was desperately needed here, to get the colony up and running. He said he would come back in a few years, and left me a companion, in good faith.”

Shadow blinked, crawled over Dave’s lap, and leapt up into Dr. Simms’ arms, immediately blending into the pastel yellow of his shirt.