Chapter 39: Move, goddamnit!
After what felt like countless minutes of trying so hard to push the Rover away from its initial position, Lucien had finally figured out something he was quite embarrassed to admit he hadn’t realized earlier.
A better way to move the damn vehicle.
What had he even been thinking, desperately pushing a vehicle and hoping it would bulge? Had he thought he was some kind of superhuman or something?
He sighed.
Honestly, in his defense, the Rover hadn’t seemed that heavy. At least not as heavy as the average car back on Jacob’s Earth.
The Rover had a trunk at the back and four doors on either side. A four-seater vehicle.
Lucien quickly pulled open the door to the driver’s seat.
’Oh,’ he thought. ’It’s open.’
Chuckling, he found the black, retractable steering wheel currently resting inside a plain board in front of the driver’s seat. A small white button lay next to the wheel on the board. And, after a moment of quiet contemplation, he tapped the button, and the steering wheel slowly rose in a mechanical motion.
’Delicious technology.’
Once the steering wheel was properly fixed, Lucien gazed at the other set of control buttons on the board. And right there, in the midst of the controls, he noted three white buttons with signs that he thought he recognized. They were ’D,’ ’N,’ and ’R.’
’Drive. Neutral. Reverse.’
And... the one at the other end, labeled ’H.’ Lucien guessed what it was. Probably hover.
That was the reason he loved Rovers in the first place. They could hover when activated. Hover Rover.
Shaking his head, he tapped on the D button. And the entire vehicle let out an almost faint hum sound.
Smiling to himself, Lucien began pushing the Rover forward. And it moved this time!
The four wheels of the vehicle rolled on the tattered grounds of the warehouse as he steered it the right way with the steering wheel.
And like that, after a short while, Lucien rolled the Rover on top of the fallen steel gate, momentarily causing a displeasing crushing sound as he completely rolled it out of the warehouse.
Mikky and Amira stood there patiently, glaring at Lucien, who wore a shameless, almost oblivious smile.
Amira had her arms crossed, and a small pout puffed on her cheeks as she regarded Lucien with a very, very narrowed pair of amethyst eyes.
Lucien’s smile wavered a bit as he evaded her gaze, staring at Mikky.
The boy wasn’t any easier.
His brows were creased, and he scrunched them further as he glared at Lucien with his cute, round blue eyes.
Lucien took that back. Mikky was easier.
His glare was always a funny sight to Lucien because the kid always thought he looked really angered or annoyed, while in reality, he looked just like a cute little puppy with those wide eyes of his.
"’Oh, I’m coming, just give me a second,’" Mikky said, mimicking Lucien. "Well, it’s been more than a second, Luci!"
Lucien chuckled softly, still rolling the Rover out.
Amira remained silent. It seemed like she was the first to see the vehicle. Her bright eyes widened subtly as she stared at the Rover, but she remained quiet, watching.
While Lucien spoke to Mikky:
"Calm down," he said. "In the first place, why are you even in a hurry when you don’t know where we’re going? Can’t you just relax and enjoy the peacefulness of..." Lucien looked around at the greenery-filled ground. These weren’t really pleasing to the eyes. "Nature?"
Mikky gasped dramatically, prompting an eye roll from Lucien.
"Of course, I’m in a hurry to get out of here. It’s eerie. And nature? How is this place natu– what is THAT?"
Lucien smirked.
"It seems that brain of yours has finally registered it."
The sun shone down on the world. And the magnificent rays fell on the Rover, whose steel-like plating reflected the light.
Lucien gazed at the vehicle. On the roof of it, various intricate lines that only became visible under sunlight rested. These lines were unique and unidentifiable, kind of like the lines on a solar panel.
They absorbed the sunlight, though, and they were the things responsible for channeling the energy from the sun to the engine.
"This..." Lucien gestured grandly at the vehicle, looking smug. "Is a Hover Rover. Solar-powered model. It is our ticket to travel." He looked directly at Mikky. "That’s right. No more walking long distances." He smiled. "I told you I had a plan."
Michael didn’t even register Lucien’s words. His eyes were widened to the max, his mouth almost wide open as he walked closer to the Rover, hands outstretched to touch the body of it, feel it.
This was a child seeing a vehicle for the first time.
And Amira, she unfolded her arms, regarding the Rover with appropriate awe, but she didn’t come close to it. She maintained her distance.
Lucien smiled, shaking his head.
"You can touch it if you want, Mira," he said. "The vehicle doesn’t bite."
Hearing his words, a slight blush painted her cheeks. And she scratched the back of her neck. Then, hesitantly, she made her way to the Rover.
And there, guided by Mikky, the duo began to... touch the car, giggling.
’Ah, the joy of youth,’ said the twenty-two-year-old.
Shaking his head, Lucien left the playing kids and the Rover to absorb energy suitable enough for them to start moving. His next hurdle would be driving the damn thing. Back on Earth as Jacob, he had learned how to drive, even gotten a license and everything, but without a car to actually practice that learned skill of his, the license had been practically useless.
And now, he wasn’t really confident in that regard, seeing that this wasn’t even like the typical cars he was familiar with.
But he wasn’t exactly worried. This was a hurdle that would easily be crossed.
All he had to do was take the Rover on a few test runs on his own for about thirty minutes to recall his lost skills and get the hang of driving the thing before the kids could be boarded. Their safety was his priority.
And so, knowing this, Lucien searched his pocket, taking out that one pistol of his. And, without the children noticing, he placed it on the roof of the Rover.