Worlds of Probability
Chapter 5: First Explorations

Copyright© 2009 by Scorpionicus

The next day Jason got up early and started making preparations for a new exploration trip. Again he would be translating to the node 5 minutes away using the same program he had used the previous day. This time however he would be getting out of the pod and exploring the surroundings much more. He was especially curious to see if there were inhabitants of the node he would be visiting. Especially, if the town still existed and if there was any difference from the one where he lived. To make travel easier he strapped a mountain bike to the side of the pod.

Jason climbed inside the pod and checked the charge state of the batteries which had been put on charge the previous evening. As he had expected all the batteries were once again fully charged and a quick check showed all of the other supplies were present and stowed away. With everything ready he loaded the pod onto the truck and returned to his departure point of the previous day.

He unloaded the pod, locked and hid the truck once again in the brush, and then climbed inside the pod. He ran a quick set of checks and then powered up the pod systems. Jason activated the same program he had used the day before. In 5 minutes he was settled at the same destination node he had reached yesterday but this time he was planning to conduct a longer and more detailed exploration. He shut down the pod systems and climbed out to begin a detailed exploration of the surrounding area.

Jason was unsurprised to again find his truck missing from where he had hidden it as well as no trace of tacks to show that it had ever been to the clearing. However he did find his footprints from his visit the day before as well as a set of imprints from the support skids of the transfer pod from his visit the day before, confirming that he had returned successfully to the same node he had visited the day before. Further exploration revealed the dirt road leading to the small clearing where the pod was located and then the paved road which went back to town. Having verified the existence of the roads Jason returned to the pod and climbed back inside.

Jason quickly filled a small backpack with some items he might need during his explorations. A compass, water bottle, food for lunch and several other items went into the pack. Then he crawled out of the pod and locked the door with a heavy padlock. Then he unclipped a mountain bicycle which was attached to the side of the pod and rode away from the pod down the dirt road toward the paved road that led to town. When he reached the paved road he turned onto it and road toward the town from where he had come an hour before. Except he was becoming more certain all the time that it wasn't actually the same town that he lived in but instead some sort of double.

It was a leisurely half hour ride into town and Jason took his time, looking around as he rode along the road toward town. He was especially interested in anything which was different from what he had seen on the ride out. He was certain now that somehow he was in a different world than the one he knew though so far the magnitude of the difference seemed to be small and subtle. The few road signs he passed along the way were the same as the ones he had passed on the way out but he noticed they were in slightly different locations. But several of the cars which passed him as he rode along seemed to be entirely normal, identical to the models he knew in his home node.

After riding for half an hour Jason coasted into town. He immediately noticed several buildings which were not quite the same as those he was used to. The colors were slightly different and in one case there was a building had a significantly different architecture than the corresponding one in the same place in the town he was used to. Jason was now convinced that somehow he had traveled to some sort of alternative universe very similar to his own yet with some noticeable minor differences.

Jason rode into a small shopping center which seemed to be the same as the one he occasionally shopped at. He pulled up to a set of newspaper vending racks and looked at the newspaper which was on display in the front of the rack. The articles on the front page might give a little more information about what kind of world this was.

The first thing he learned was the president here was the one who had been the opposing candidate in the world from which he had come. There was still a war in the Middle East but in a different country than what was happening in Jason's own world. The local articles were similar to what he normally saw in the newspaper where he came from. Jason noticed several words were spelled slightly differently here from what he was used to but he was able to read and understand the articles easily. He browsed the other papers quickly but discovered they were mostly devoted to advertising, just as they were in Jason's world.

After learning what he could from the newspapers displayed at the shopping center Jason decided to see if there was a library where he could do further, more detailed research. If there was one at the same location here as there was where Jason lived it should be about 3 blocks away. Jason got back on his bicycle and headed toward where he thought the library might be, or at least the first place to look. If it wasn't there he could always check in a phone book to get the address if the library was in a different location in this node.

 
There is more of this chapter...

To read this story you need a Registration + Premier Membership
If you have an account, then please Log In or Register (Why register?)

Close
 

WARNING! ADULT CONTENT...

Storiesonline is for adult entertainment only. By accessing this site you declare that you are of legal age and that you agree with our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.