Persistence of Vision

  Chapter 23: Neural Pathways to Light

  The next morning, Maggie climbed into what everyone referred to simply as the “cart.” It looked like a technological covered wagon. Made of a metallic material, it was large inside with comfortable seats, but the roof was rounded like a covered truck, and the wheels on the outside were large enough to be wagon wheels. They climbed up into it and all sat facing each other in a circle, except for the driver, who faced forward. The windows were spacious and had no glass in them.

  Karl explained as they piled in that the propulsion system was neurologically powered. It took only a miniscule amount of energy to make the thing go, and the driver could put it on the equivalent of autopilot but hook himself up to the system so that it would alert them to any problems along the way.

  Maggie noted that Nat was coming. She supposed it was understandable, but Doc had said that only the team was coming; Maggie couldn’t imagine David would be too happy about that.

  They would travel all day then stop for the night to sleep somewhere. They would then travel for the entire second day and then all night too, arriving at the coast in the morning. From there, they would sleep away the third day on the watercraft, as it would take about ten hours to arrive at the island. Doc said they’d arrive at the island at nightfall. This would work well, as Doc didn’t want to try to infiltrate until dark when most people would be asleep and only a few guards would be on patrol.

  There wasn’t much talking during the first day. The problem was that they couldn’t plan anything about the island until they got there and had some idea of the landscape and set up of the place.

  For the most part they rode silently, staring out the window at the passing landscape. The silence was companionable though, not unpleasant. The cart moved fast. Maggie couldn’t be sure, but by the speed the landscape rushed by, she would have guessed at least a hundred miles an hour, yet it was much smoother and calmer than a car ride at that speed. Despite the open windows, the rush of air past the cart wasn’t loud or disagreeable, and the atmosphere inside remained comfortable.

  Maggie leaned her head against Marcus’s shoulder and rested her eyes. After a few minutes, he lifted his arm and put it around her so her head rested on his chest. Definitely not an unpleasant ride.