Traveller Probo
10. USA

It was the morning of another glorious day in Lexington, Massachusetts but Phil barely noticed as he parked his nondescript rental car into the employee’s car park and then passed through the automatic doors that led to his laboratory. His team’s research area inside the MIT Lincoln Laboratory meant there were all kinds of security arrangements to endure. As one of the most significant United States Department of Defense research and development centres, Phil needed a healthy security clearance, irrespective of the fact that the Lab had been almost a second home for him for the past year.

Ostensibly, he was a member of the staff at MIT’s Historical Research unit. Yet the Lab was to transition new concepts and technology for US military system development and deployment. To a casual observer, US government interests, particularly those of Defense, could be seen as a place Phil Walker should not be. As a senior manager of Helguard Security, which owned half of the rights to the Transporter, he was also a senior official for Transporter Corp, the organisation responsible for the allocation of the use of the Transporter. Any supposition that he could be working even casually with the US Department of Defense would be seen as a most significant conflict of interests.

Nodding a greeting to a human security specialist, Phil walked down the corridor and passed through multiple levels of passive security, systems he had designed and sold, systems installed by Helguard. He, with others of Woomera Technologies, had helped to simplify the once-complex task of security, though it had raised concerns for basic human rights and privacy from activists. But here, security was paramount. Phil knew the systems had already scanned his iris and retina to identify who he was and had cross-referenced with his facial features and other biometric data such as fingerprints, palm print, ear shape, and hand geometry, all completed as he walked briskly along the hallway. His gait was also analysed to confirm that it was indeed he was not an intruder. Like all who entered the building, he had never even detected that he was being examined, which was as it was designed. Some systems were so covert that security cameras were no longer even necessary. Any failure would immediately alert on-site security officers who patrolled the facility and prevent his access to the laboratory where he and his team worked. Naturally, the system also blocked any imposter’s escape.

Even Phil was not immune to the irony of his presence. He was not a member of the US military, yet the MIT Lincoln Laboratory was home for some of the very latest in cutting edge military technologies. It was also the US Government’s secret laboratory for research on the enigmatic Transporter.

Phil entered the nest of rooms that constituted his domain and nodded to Lee, one of the brilliant young minds who was part of his team. Phil suspected that only metres away, another team might be working on space propulsion systems, military laser weaponry, or even deeper, darker secrets. At the end of each day each researcher returned to their families and normal lives. Most knew better than to ask about the work in which anyone else might be engaged. All knew never to tell. After all, one could lose a prestigious, highly-paid job or even end up in prison if one talked too carelessly.

This was a place of friendly secrets, where none were under any illusions that they were not being monitored. It was just a case of keeping to the rules. When you did, no one got hurt, especially you.

Phil stopped at his office, a utilitarian space with a small desk and a couple of computers. When he first started his research here, the desk and layout of the laboratory had struck him with an almost overwhelming feeling of nostalgia. It looked too much like the area in which he and his fellow researchers had begun their original scanner project all those years ago. Their efforts had resulted in the development of the Transporter, yet their old area had been so lacking in security it was surprising they survived. Close to the beach in far off Maroochydore in Australia he, together with Mel, Allen, and Craig conducted research that changed the world. Financed by Mel’s uncle and director of Helguard Security, Peter Conti, they had discovered a tool that would launch mankind into the most audacious sphere of inquiry.

Yet, to his chagrin, none had any real idea how the Transporter worked. Some fancifully labelled it as a trans-dimensional gateway but to most it was simply known to be the Transporter. Only trashy media called it a time machine. In their initial testing of the device, Phil and the team had visited beachside Australia some 800 years before white men had even settled there. Somehow, the video of Phil returning to the present, completely naked, was still doing the YouTube rounds and had amassed over two and a half billion views.

But things had changed.

Phil ruthlessly pushed aside his dewy-eyed nostalgia and, donning a white lab-coat, headed to the main research area. His team was in discussion, grouped around a white-board as they mapped the construction of the Transporter. Others were in conference with eminent mathematicians. No matter how they tried, they did not seem to be making the expected progress. Backed with an almost limitless budget and access to some of the greatest minds in the world, how could they fail? He forced a smile as he joined the group at the white-board.

Their questions seemed simple; how does the Transporter work and more importantly, how can the device be duplicated?

While there was no secret that the United States had paid their fee for their own Traveller project, it was considered paltry when compared to the funds available to build a system of their own. Phil had been approached to do this and given an offer he could not refuse. With even more resources than Helguard, he wanted to prove once and for all that the Transporter could be copied and was not just a lucky break. He wasn’t looking for wealth or fame, for he had more than enough of both. His was the most ruthless taskmaster. Phil wanted to prove to himself that he could solve this dilemma. When he could prove the device was not purely an accident, he would finally be satisfied.

This quest kept him excited about life. He, more than anyone, looked forward to solving this most challenging conundrum. The fact that he worked in opposition to the owners of the Transporter; Helguard, his employer, and his old business partners of Woomera Technologies, was never considered an issue.