As I walked into the gun range, the sound of shots firing echoed through the cavernous space. The smell of gunpowder and the sharp crack of bullets hitting targets filled my nose and ears. The lighting was dim, with the only source being the dull light bulbs dangling from the ceiling, providing just enough illumination to see the targets ahead.
As I looked around, I spotted Jamie a few lanes down, her eyes locked on her target as she expertly handled her firearm. I approached her, shouting over the noise of the guns, and we quickly found a quiet corner to talk.
“So, what do you think?”, I started. “Have you had a chance to review Blue Hole?”
“I did Jack and I’ve got to say – Blue Hole seems truly amazing. You’ve really been working on this on your own?” I nodded, feeling a little self-conscious about my secret project.
“But you’re right. The main problem is improving energy concentration as the current version of Blue Hole is not able to reach 5% of what you need to open a time-space tunnel”, she agreed with me as to what was the main problem the Blue Hole was facing.
“But, if we modify the Gravity Gun by tweaking the power source and then adjust the magnetic field, we could increase the concentration to at least 50%,” she explained. “And I happen to know how to do that”, she added winking at me.
“Tweak the Gravity Gun?”, I asked, “Using this facility to improve Blue Hole is one thing, but playing with Rashmoor’s favourite toy is a whole other thing!”
My eyebrows arched upwards and knit together, forming delicate crescents that mirrored my growing concern.
“Jack, this is the only way I know how to solve your problem,” Jamie said firmly. “We need to take a risk if we want to create your time-space tunnel.”
I was hesitant, but I couldn’t deny that Jamie had a point. I had to act quickly. “Alright, let’s do it”, I decided.
We both knew that if we were caught tweaking the Gravity Gun for our own purposes, it would mean the end of our careers. And possibly our lives too. But I was determined to finish Blue Hole no matter what it took.
“Leave it with me”, Jamie continued, “I’ll make necessary adjustments this weekend when Rashmoor meets the commander”.
