3.

Robert set things up as well as he could and Jeff helped out as much as he could too, so when darkness set in just a single day after the successful teleportation of Dan across the length of a barn, it was time to do once again just what the three had done that one day earlier with the one difference being that it would be over a little longer of a distance, significantly further than first time round.

The land where the three live covers many acres so the second platform had been set up down the far end of a field which exists next to the barn at just over a quarter of a mile away.

Robert was still not comfortable with all this. It may be his invention, and he has been working on it for quite some time, though it is a life he is in a way experimenting with. The slightest thing to go wrong and ... well ... who knows what might happen?

Jeff had been with Robert for most of the day and Dan of course usually rests during daylight hours, that is when at such times he is able to rest. Humari, not that it can be known if there are others like Dan still out there in the universe, tend not to need quite as much rest as what a human would so it wouldn't be until enough darkness had set in for Dan to come join his two friends.

Dan knew the set up from the night before, but Robert went through it with him anyway and once again asked to if he was sure that he wanted to do this. Dan would point out that if this would ever move forward to a time where it could be used planet wide then what they were about to do and had done the previous day has and had to be done.

All was ready to go, Robert was as ready as he was ever going to be, and there would be nothing else that he could do to get things any more ready. Dan was ready; he knew the risks and trusted Robert wholeheartedly. Jeff was excited just to be there even though he had nothing directly to do with anything though he would dispute that, having aided Robert with moving things about and anything else that may have been requested of him, this was the part he played.

Dan had a hood with him to aid with his dislike or rather his intolerance for light, so there was nothing more to do other than go for it. Dan has gone through this once already, so it was a known that it works. All that is different this time is the distance which hasn't really increased dramatically, from the barn to one end of an adjoining field, should be a piece of cake, especially with the time Robert took to make some adjustments.

Jeff stood at the barn door ready to head off towards the second platform. He was fully equipped with whatever he thought could be useful. Despite the fact there was low level lighting out by the second platform more so to aid Robert and Jeff with moving about; Jeff had torches as well as flares for whatever good they might do, along with rope, gloves and tape. All this gave Robert reason to smile and smile he did however brief it may have been. Jeff's enthusiasm is contagious.

Robert began working the controls on his console as Dan readied himself, stepping up onto the first platform and placing his hood over his head. The same process as before worked with no difference from when the bale of hay was transported and when Dan had gone through the first time. Everything looked good and even felt good. The upper base under Dan's feet lit up bright and pretty soon Dan faded into nothingness, minus his previous shrieks, the hood seemingly doing the job it was intended for.

'Yes' called out Jeff, 'c'mon Robert ... lets go.'

Jeff left the barn first and Robert had to pick up speed to catch up with Jeff. Two things that neither of them saw was one, a power surge on Robert's console in the barn that occurred in the moments after they left the barn and two, the second platform worked completely with the exception that Dan did not reappear upon it. Perhaps Jeff should have taken up a position by that platform before the evening's efforts began, for all the good that might have done, he is not an engineer, nor is he technically gifted or minded.

It did not take long for both Robert and Dan to arrive at the second platform and it would be clear upon arrival that there was no sign of Dan. Doubt to the success of the experiment would be something that Robert and Jeff would soon come to realize. They both would call out for Dan without receiving any reply, fully expecting him to have come through. This search would continue for less than a minute. Jeff dropped what he had been carrying and began to shine a large torch around the grounds. Robert immediately moved over to Jeff, grabbed the torch and turned it off.

'Are you nuts? Or just plain stupid? Dan doesn't like the light, any light, remember.'

'Oh, crap sorry.'

Robert would soon hand the torch back to Jeff before moving over closer towards that second platform.

'Actually, come over here and shine some light on the platform here, will you?'

After a moment or two of working away on that platform, Robert was able to tell that it worked just as it supposed to. That is how it appeared anyway. There was no sign of a malfunction or of an incomplete transport.

'OK Dan, the time for fun and jokes is over now, where are you?' he called out loud enough so if Dan was nearby, he would be able to hear what Robert had just said but still there was no answer.

The uneasy feeling that Robert had felt prior to Dan's first transport had returned. Something was most definitely not right, and the lack of Dan's presence backed that up. Dan too did appear to be somewhat weakened. At least momentarily, after that first transport, and this may add further cause for concern.

'Gonna need to head back to the barn, see if I can get any more information.'

'Sure, I am right behind you.'

At the console back in the barn, Robert was able to determine two more things, one, that there was most definitely a power surge and two, that Dan has materialised so to speak, for the process reads as complete. As to where Dan materialised, well the only thing that Robert couldn't be sure about as with regards to that is that wherever Dan did materialise it was not on the second platform, where it should only have been. This in itself is most confusing.

When The Pathfinder, the starship which had brought Robert, Jeff and Dan together, travelled through space it would, at intervals, leave behind electronic buoys in space for the following starships to use for navigational and communicative purposes, to a degree. During the second experiment, one by one each such buoy briefly activated beginning with the buoy closest to the location of the world where Robert and Jeff now resided.

And this is something Robert had no way to detect, nor would he even consider that the buoys should or could have anything to do with what he was attempting to do. The buoys are beacons to guide a way, devices to extend communication range and little else more than that.

***

On a quiet dark and long stretch of road, a singular vehicle moves quickly moving through the bends and turns with ease. Music plays loudly. The driver sings along with the song currently playing while also tapping on the steering wheel. Both drivers' side and passenger side front windows are slightly lowered allowing a cool breeze to flow through the car on a warm dry evening.

The lone driver's attention is distracted from the road for a very slight moment though when his attention does return to the road, it is just in time to notice something rather large and unusual standing in the middle of the road thus causing the driver ... in a moment of panic ... to take action and swerve into a field, rumble around a little over uneven ground and come to a halt.

What the hell just happened? ... is something the vehicle's driver barely gets to consider.

With the car lights facing away from the road, the driver, shocked and dishevelled, caught by surprise, gets out of the car unscathed and looks back toward the very dark road unable to see what he was sure he did see a moment or so earlier, which was or is quite possibly a very large person with what appeared to be a hood over his or her head.

The darkness makes it far too difficult to see anything other than what was in the immediate vicinity. Unbeknown to that driver, the hood came off that figure with whom he had avoided, to reveal that whoever it was that had been in the middle of that road, it most definitely was or is not at all ... human.