Seastead, Tahiti
she could see a drone as it hummed into its docking port, purposeful, like a bee into a flower. Its four huge propellers came to a dead stop at the same time. A tingle of excitement overcame her, and she remembered the pills Dr. Robertson prescribed for the flight. She never intended to take the prescription, but before she took to the air today, she had to prove that she had medication to calm her nerves. Bella’s nerves were just fine, and she never understood why anybody would want to calm them, anyway. What good are life experiences if you miss living them? Nobody tried to convince her this would be a simple trip. In fact, the opposite was true. The disclaimer and hold harmless agreements suggested possibilities of discomfort, injury, or even death.
There was nobody to greet her at the drone-port, but the aisle built for people was easily distinguishable from the freight shipping drop-off points. The ticket on her device activated a gate into a narrow corridor which led into the heart of the operation. There were no workers anywhere to be seen, but conveyors and autonomous package movers scurried to and from unseen places. The short walk ended in a small room with a monitor wall showing the image of a genderless avatar. Bella walked up to the counter and the door shut behind her, leaving her focusing on the brilliant aquamarine eyes of the virtual agent.
“Hello, Bella. We are so glad you have chosen Quad Freight Transport. Our outstanding record of on-time freight deliveries is world class, and now we are pleased to extend our efforts into personal transportation. We will do everything in our power to ensure your trip will be smooth, fast, and comfortable. Your travel itinerary will take you to your destination of Blue Permaculture’s Aqua-farming Base Number One, which is currently located two hundred sixty-seven nautical miles southeast of Hawaii. There are seven scheduled stops for battery exchange. Number three and five are stations with personnel, so you may de-pod. You will find restroom facilities and room to stretch for the eight minutes it takes to inspect the systems and exchange the power source. Your comfort suit is easy to use. Simply follow the instructions in the pod, but I will show you now.”
The avatar stood before Bella, looking more like a two-dimensional doll than a human. Naked would not be accurate, but its asexual body stood covered in a skintight bodysuit of corporate colors. She wondered why any company would put forth such a disturbing humanoid image.
“Please, use the restroom to your left and then ensure your adult diaper is on first. You will find foot coverings in your size. Socks are not mandatory, but most people find them more comfortable. All other clothing is optional. Your comfort is monitored and adjustments in temperature are made through the jumpsuit.”
A perfectly folded package with a paper ribbon marked “sanitized,” slid out from a hidden recess onto the counter. The avatar, wearing only diaper and socks, demonstrated how to put on the red and yellow jumpsuit. “Please, notice that the zipper is in the front. The hood must be used in transit but is not needed until you plug into the comfort controls. There is a pouch for the replacement diaper on the right side of your jumpsuit and breast pockets for glasses and other small personal items on either side. You will find a tray for clothing and belongings. For your safety, no carry-on items are allowed within the pod. There is an onboard AI who will provide access to entertainment, news, and personal internet throughout the flight. Water and limited complimentary snacks are available in flight, and a meal will be provided at your third stop. We securely stowed your luggage and other belongings in external compartments. Your dog, Kumar, is sleeping comfortably and will be monitored during the flight. You will be reunited upon arriving at your destination. If you have questions, please ask. Now I will leave you to get ready for your travels. But please note the clock. You must be in the pod within ten minutes.”
Bella had watched the brief presentation about drone travel, acknowledged the requirements, and signed the waiver, so it did not surprise her to see the words EXPERIMENTAL written on the pod beneath the entry canopy. She was confident she could avoid needing the “nappy.” But when she gauged her nervousness, she felt the urge to pee. She didn’t know why she felt so uneasy. This looked way safer than many of the aircraft she had stepped in to during her life. Perhaps she was still coming down from the drugs. Giddy had been replaced with another feeling. Her excitement crashed and out of the ashes she could only feel dread. She put her hand over the pocket with the envelope, which contained three pills. A minute ago, she couldn’t believe anybody would take the medication to relax, and now she felt better knowing she had options. She just wanted to feel like her old self again in the worst way possible and it was clear she had a way to go. But there was nothing that was going to keep her from seeing her dad, so she slid right into the pod the way the avatar told her to and leaned back into the Zero-G recliner that was to be her home for the next fourteen hours.
“Welcome, Bella. Our drone will pick up your pod in three minutes. Once all systems are verified, and we get our clear-to-take-off certificate, we will be on our way. In the meantime, please pull your hood onto your head and plug the umbilical from your jumpsuit into the port that is blinking red.”
The attachment clicked into place as if drawn by a powerful magnet, and the blinking ring around the post turned a steady green. Bella felt a cool sensation surrounding her body. She looked around for the seatbelt but could not find one. Just as she was about to ask the AI about it, the canopy lowered and sealed with a sucking sound.
“Bella, you may wonder where your safety harness is. For your comfort, we now provide an integrated restraint system which only engages as needed. Also, your HRV, or heart rate variability, is in coherence already, so it is unnecessary for you to take anything for nerves. However, we recommend you place your pills in the holder to your right. We’ve been told that they are a bear to recover if they get away from you.” The basic AI laughed on cue at her pre-programed attempt at being lighthearted.
The vibration and sound filled her senses at the same time. It was a sudden and confident whirring that ended in a clank, echoing with a metallic ring and silence. Even though the propellers spun too fast to see more than a shimmer, it didn’t exert any lift on her pod. Bella caught herself holding her breath, waiting expectantly for liftoff. A smile formed on her face as she anticipated the thrill of speeding through the air.
“Our systems are certified, and our voyage has been bonded. All clear for takeoff. Would you like to provide the countdown from nine or do you want me to do it?” the AI said.
“Oh, yes, please. This is so exciting, I’d love to.”
“Bella, you have the countdown on, nine… eight… seven….”
Bella continued, “six… five… four… three… two… one… takeoff!”
A little disappointed, the drone lifted into a hover just a meter off the launch pad. No g-forces pressing her into her seat, just a steady increase in noise followed by a titrated levitation into the air. The pod changed from a reclined position to vertical, causing her feet to dangle and head to move up and forward. From the new position, she had an unobstructed view of the seastead. Suddenly, her stomach dropped as the rest of her body joined the intense vertical lift she had hoped for. “Wow! That was worth waiting for,” she exclaimed. The mosaic of the seastead rotated out of view, replaced by crystal clear water.
“Thank you for choosing Quad Freight Transport. Bella, you can stop this briefing anytime you like, but we value your input and want you to be part of our company's exciting future. Most people who fly with us are aware of QFT’s success with direct shipping. I’ve noticed that your family and associated businesses have been a frequent user of our services dating back eight years. Let me say thank you for your support and the many five-star ratings over the years. We are pleased to expand from cargo into personal transportation. Moving people safely has always been our ultimate goal, and for the last three years, we have made that dream come true. Laws are ever changing, and for now, they limit us to international waters. Currently, we are working with nations throughout the Pacific Rim to secure private drone ports in special economic zones.”
Bella tuned out the AI and wondered at the turmoil in her heart. She thought about the pain of the last week. It seemed to trump anything from her past. But isn’t that the way it always is? Don’t we forget pain from the past as new crises unfold? She didn’t want to dwell on the negative, and self-pity wasn’t allowed. That was a lesson from Mormor, her grandmother on her mother’s side, and Bella understood the wisdom in it. Self-pity lead to nothing good. But she craved the emotion… just for a little while. Her father’s mother, her abuela, would say, “Child, go with your heart.” Pragmatism versus passion seemed to be her never-ending struggle. She was torn without tears and knew there would be no resolution to the—in between—feeling that dominated her attention, so she focused on the pre-flight distractions.
“As I conclude my briefing, you may notice the flight readout in front of you. It can report any flight metric you are interested in, but its default is altitude, speed, and direction. If you would like to see your progress, simply ask me to show tracking and you will see a screen which looks like this.”
A brilliant satellite view of the course appeared with curved white lines plotted to a series of tiny circles. Bella knew the circles represented power resupply stations and while they were not directly following what she imagined as the great circle distance between two points on a curved earth, it was close. The white course lines from station to station created a scalloped look due to the two-dimensional representation of this real-world phenomenon. When her eyes tracked to the far northeast of the course, her heart leaped. When she zoomed in on the last circle, the label read Blue Permaculture’s Aqua-farming Base Number One, but to Bella, it meant the secure embrace of her father and would always be home.