"Doctors." McMurray began. "Everything will be explained if you'll please." He motioned them toward the STM.

  Nik froze. "Wait," he said. "Is this thing LIVE?" The captain nodded with a modest grin. Nik's hands trembled slightly, a mixture of the thrill of the unknown and an undercurrent of irritation knotting his stomach. He was glad that the STM was already being implemented, but on the other hand, he was annoyed that no one had bothered to tell him. How many units besides this one did they make? "Did you know?" He asked Ari.

  "Not at all." Ari's eyes stayed level, his lips thin, as unmoved as a placid lake.

  "Do you ever show any emotions?" Nik asked, an eyebrow raised in challenge.

  "Emotions? I've heard they're not part of a balanced diet," Ari deadpanned.

  A smirk played at the corner of Nik's mouth before he redirected his focus back to the task at hand. "Fine, where are we going? An Antarctic Pyramid? Perhaps a lava fortress on Ascension Island?" Nik asked, stepping up to the STM. Ari followed.

  "You'll be briefed when you both arrive," Captain McMurray reassured. Nik and Ari shuffled into the container, finding just enough room to stand shoulder to shoulder. Captain McMurray nodded to the tech standing at the STM computer terminal. Nik surveyed Ari out of the corner of his eye. Nik nearly soiled himself on his first jump, but that was only because it was the first jump ever.

  Being teleported wasn't, in actuality, a crazy experience. It felt as though you were hopping out of a daydream of some sort. You couldn't perceive the RCP disintegrate your body, nor when your body was recreated on the other side. The operations were too fast for the human senses to pick up. Nik could only guess what Ari was thinking.

  "Beam us up, Scotty!" Ari suddenly blurted out. Nik nearly snapped his neck to look at the idiot next to him. The computer tech smiled and began the countdown sequence.

  "I've been waiting years to be able to say that," Ari whispered over his shoulder. Ten seconds and a zap later, Nik and Ari found themselves facing a minimalistic lobby. A tight knot of suited figures stood at the far end. Leading the parade of stooges was Nik's favorite person, Colonel Parker.

  "Doctors, please join us. We need to bring you up to speed on many issues." Colonel Parker stepped forward. Nik and Ari glanced at each other again before shuffling out of the cramped pod. The Colonel turned and led them down a hallway lined with drab offices befitting a bureaucratic government facility. A wave of queasiness washed over Nik, and the dull decor stirred a sense of unease.

  The colonel stopped in front of a pair of guards carrying assault rifles. With a simple nod, they opened the mahogany double doors leading them into a large conference room. Monitors lined the walls, but most were off while only a couple were on standby. After being ushered in, Nik nestled himself in one of the high-backed chairs surrounding an enormous table at the room's center. Nik found a small touchpad built into the table. He tapped it, and a display sprung up from the table half a moment later.

  "You could totally have a LAN party here," Ari whispered while squishing himself into the chair next to Nik. After everyone found their seats, an officer handed Colonel Parker a manilla dossier.

  "Gentlemen." I am holding in front of me a signed presidential directive. It details orders to establish a clandestine STM network to strengthen US intelligence lines." Nik didn't like the sound of that. "This meeting today is to bring everyone up to speed on current developments for Operation Silent Echo."

  Ari leaned over to Nik. "That name makes no sense," he whispered.

  "Currently, we are constructing multiple STMs in strategic areas of operation. The mission is to utilize these locations to insert and withdraw special operations reconnaissance teams into select foreign territories."

  "And how do you plan on doing that?" Nik couldn't hold himself back anymore. "Aside from completely bastardizing the original intent of its creation, how do you plan on doing this? The STM needs to be connected to another STM to function, so you won't be able to get in or out unless you build a transmission line into the other nations." Nik continued to glare at the colonel.

  "According to the schematics your team has provided, we have determined that it's possible to set up STMs in austere environments. The only components required are a satellite connection for transmission and a power source to supply the STMs on opposing ends of the communication line.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  "So what? You're just going to waltz into a foreign country and jack their power grid?" Nik's anger continued to churn inside him, a relentless blaze refusing to be extinguished. "Hey, China, we need to borrow a few gigawatts. Is that cool? No disrespect, bro. We only need enough to get a few of our guys in to spy on you."

  The colonel remained unimpressed. "To sustain the STMs stationed in austere environments, they will be accompanied by a small reactor powered by disposable nuclear fuel cells. The materials and supplies will be transported through underground networks and night air ops." The general paused, waiting for another comment from Nik. The pause drew out awkwardly as Nik leaned forward menacingly.

  "Well? Go on then, what else were you planning? Don't keep us waiting," he snapped.

  "Very well," the colonel nodded curtly. "Currently, we have STM systems deployed in two undisclosed locations. They will serve as waypoints for special operations teams moving outside the wire. To ensure mission integrity, we need you, Doctor Krylov, and Doctor Sai to oversee their mission functions."

  "Are we being deployed, Colonel?" Ari piped up.

  "In a sense, yes and no," Colonel Parker continued. "You will have unlimited access to STM transport. We will also need you to return state-side to oversee the expansion of the United States classified STM network concurrently. Therefore, you will be permitted to return home at will. Think of it as a daily commute, if you will."

  "Stupendous," Nik growled.

  "I have your assignments here, Doctors. Unfortunately, due to the sensitive nature of this operation, you will not be permitted to disclose your assignments to each other. This also includes anyone outside this room." Colonel Parker pulled out two sheets of paper from the dossier, placing one under each hand. "Doctors," he beckoned. Ari stood up and filed around the conference table. Nik sulked behind reluctantly. Ari looked down at his assignment, and his face lit up.

  "Holy crap! I'm going to Hawaii!" He said in excitement. He quickly looked around the room for approval but was met with silence. "Sorry. It was just a joke." He quietly shuffled away with his tail between his legs.

  Nik looked at his own assignment. The frown on his face eased up slightly.

  ***Ari***

  It had only been a few days, but Ari was already noticing Nik's absence. Getting used to a new job was hard when your best friend was no longer around. Ari found his mind wandering, speculating about the unknown corners of the world where Nik might have been assigned. Maybe it was somewhere warm.

  At least they could go home every night. Ari would have probably been a divorcee by now if he had told his wife he had to leave without explanation. Even now, her absence hung around him like a void, an ache that pulled at him with each passing second.

  "Neorah," he whispered longingly. By now, she was probably getting their daughter ready for bed. He pictured them for another moment before unwillingly pulling himself back into the present. The hours dripped by in tedious monotony, indistinguishable from Ari's personal hell.

  Operations were still being set up, so the deep-cover teams had yet to come through, which gave Ari a lot of free time. He recalled when he and Nik had the first successful STM test.

  "I probably should have saved some data on myself." He thought. Given that he was in a remote location, it wasn't much of a logical leap to assume he wasn't as safe as the soldiers outside kept trying to assure him. With that thought in mind, he decided to pay the STM a little visit.

  Ari rose from his folding table, which doubled as a work desk, and stepped outside the tiny tent into the crisp night air. The STM was only about twenty steps away, housed inside the only reinforced building for miles.

  As Ari approached the two guards standing watch at the entrance, he pulled out his ID. Their confirming nod glanced off his shoulder. He was one of the VIPs here, so why should he need an ID anyway?

  Once inside, he plodded over to the far side of the little building where the STM terminal was set up. It didn't take long for him to reconfigure the STM to only perform a scan, just like he had done with Nik many times before. The hard part was working in a delay long enough for him to step inside.

  After a couple moments of tinkering, Ari had it figured out. He stood up from the chair with his finger on the initiate button and prepared himself. Ari mashed the button, triggering a five-second countdown. He rushed over to the pod in about half that time. When the countdown ended, the initialization began. Thankfully, the scan was uneventful. Just what Ari wanted. He didn't really feel like answering more questions from any government lackeys.

  After nestling himself back in the chair, Ari stared at the save-state representing his digitized self on the screen. A thought popped up in his mind. It was an interesting one, and Nik would probably hate it. Ari chuckled on the inside.

  He looked around the little building. No cameras anywhere and no one was permitted inside without proper credentials. Maybe the ID was a good idea after all, but he wanted to ensure his privacy. Ari marched back to the entrance.

  "Hey, I need to do some highly classified maintenance. I probably don't need to say it, but I think it should stay highly classified," he said to the two guards outside.

  "Understood, doctor, no one inside until you give us the all-clear," one of them replied.

  "Wow, that was easy," Ari thought to himself as he strutted back to the terminal. It only took a few moments to think of the proper command prompts, but Ari couldn't help but hold himself back for a few silent minutes before continuing. Nik would definitely disapprove of this. That was all the incentive he needed.

  "Let's get weird," he mused while pushing the initialize button for the second time. As the countdown ticked away, Ari stood up and strode to the front of the empty STM. With a snap, the STM initialized, and the pod door slid open. A rare smile played on Ari's lips as he broke the silence, "Been a while since we had a chat, hasn't it?"

  His mirror image stepped out of the STM and matched his grin in reply. "Indeed, a heart-to-heart is long overdue."