Chronology

– Hey I came what’s up?
— Thanks for coming.
– No problem.
pause
– You going to tell me why we’re here?
— I don’t know why, we just have to be here.
pause
– Right.
pause
– You been to the windows lately?
— No but I can guess what you’re going to say.
– What am I going to say?
— Strange goings on.
– Indeed.
pause
– Hey is there someone in that tree?
pause
– There’s someone in that tree.
pause
– You don’t see someone in that tree?
pause
— I do now.
– Glad to be of service, maybe that’s why I’m here.
— Maybe.
– One other thing, it’s been daylight for way too long, you know what’s up with that?
— No.
pause
– You want to go eat something?
— One second. Just one second.
pause
– What are we looking for?
— I don’t know. Maybe the tree. Just wait a minute.
– You said one second.
pause
– It’s a girl.
— What?
– Up the tree, it’s a… Jesus!
inhale
exhale
— That’s why we’re here.
quick steps
– Holy shit.
pause
– It’s Access.
— Ah.
– Yeah I bet. Are you um… are you all-right?
— … Ah.
— Access?
pause
— Access?
– You think she’s… broken something?
— The way she hit that branch? I think yes.
— … What happened?
– You don’t know what happened?
— … No. Ah.
– You don’t know what happened…
— No.
pause
– Access, you just fell out of a tree.
pause
— A what?
pause
— You were up in this tree here – and you leant back and fell.
— I fell?
– Probably about thirty feet or so.
pause
— Is anything broken? Bones?
— What? I don’t know, it hurts.
— You want to try moving?
– Hey I don’t think we should do that.
— Where does it hurt?
— My ribs… my back.
— OK I’m going to try touching you. Is that all-right?
— Yes.
pause
— Does that hurt?
— Actually it doesn’t.
– You what?
— No it doesn’t hurt.
— Here?
pause
— No.
pause
— A second ago you were hurting and now you’re not?
pause
— Yes.
pause
– You fell out of a tree, bashing your ribs on a branch and smacking into the ground and you don’t hurt?
pause
— I guess not.
— Can you get up?
— I think so.
— Help me with her will you?
– Yeah OK, if you say so…
pause
— Can you stand?
— Yes. Yes, I’m fine.
pause
— Why are you looking at each-other like that? What were you doing here?
– He asked me to come, was here when I got here.
pause
silence
— Why were you here?
pause
— External trigger.
silence
— Does that mean you don’t know how you got here?
slow, single nod
— Then how did you get here?
shrug
– Transit, same as always.
— Do you know where we are then?
– Actually… no. It might have been the Summons.
— You sent the Summons?
— I did.
pause
– Um, good point. Where the fuck are we?
pause
— I don’t know.
– That means I can’t Transit.
— Yes.
— Try it. Try Transiting to somewhere you know.
– What like the market? OK…
pause
– Fuck.
pause
– Fuck. Can’t be done.
— What does this mean?
pause
— It means we walk.
– We don’t even know where the hell we are, or where to go.
— Um…
pause
— What is it?
pause
— I don’t know, but I think I’m leaving.
– What?
pause
silence
– Did she just disappear?
— Yes.
– She falls out of a tree, gets up unscathed, then Transits out when we can’t Transit?
— I don’t think it was a Transit.
– … There really aren’t that many conditions under which travel can be achieved without a Transit.
— Indeed.
pause
— What are you looking at me for?
– Well, don’t you know what it is?
— Why do you expect me to know?
– It’s your kind of thing, your kind of event to be plugged into.
— Your guess is as good as mine.
– No, my guess is as good as everyone else’s, which combined wouldn’t be half as good as yours.
pause
— My guess – Zero Cycle.
pause
– Right.
pause
– Right.
pause
– So I guess we’ll be walking then.
— There’s no other way.
pause
– Fuck.