Searching Far and Wide

[intricate_engineer]

Glen was creating a prototype for a new gate design. It was meant to be affordable and provide quick transport between individual homes. She tests several objects and a rat and everything seems to be working.

She steps through. Instead of finding herself in the room next door, she finds herself standing on a sidewalk in an empty city. The buildings are tall and perfect, colorless with doorways far too tall for any human. The roads have no straight lines and twist in on themselves. There is no life or sound.
Glen tries to stay calm. She begins to walk along the road, randomly opening doors and exploring buildings that are as silent as the rest of the world.

She opens a door that she hopes will lead onto a roof and is instead met with warmth, and soft noise, and color.

Comments

[intricate_engineer]

"Wow! Good job, that's impressive. How far can you go? Can you go to the field where I found you and come back?"

[the_very_best]

Headtilt. Apparently not.

[intricate_engineer]

"Can you take anything with you?"
Glen digs in her pockets and produces a small, metallic sphere.
"Can you try to take this?"

[the_very_best]

Blink accepts it. ...Tries to bite it.

[intricate_engineer]

Glen tries not to laugh.
"That's not food. Don't hurt yourself. Uh, Bella, do you have any more treats?"

[the_very_best]

"Yeah, sure!" Bella tosses her a packet of six.

[intricate_engineer]

Glen tosses a treat.
"Go get it, and I'll give you another one."
She holds out another one, and points to the first.

[the_very_best]

Blink goes to the tossed treat and catches it before it lands. She nibbles it.

[intricate_engineer]

"Come back," Glen says.

[the_very_best]

Blink walks back over to her.

[intricate_engineer]

"Okay, that was my fault."
Glen leans down and hands over another treat.
"Good job."
Once both treats are gone, Glen says, "Teleport to this one."
She throws another treat.

[the_very_best]

Port-catch! Nibble.

"You don't really wanna overdo those," Bella says.

[intricate_engineer]

"Almost done," Glen tells Bella.
"Blink, teleport back please."

[the_very_best]

...Blink pauses, shoves the entire rest of the treat into her mouth, and then teleports back.

[intricate_engineer]

Glen sighs.
"Thank you."

[the_very_best]

Blink headtilts.

[intricate_engineer]

"Can you grab this?"
Glen hold the metal sphere up in the air, out of Blink's reach.

[the_very_best]

Blink pops up to the sphere, grabs it, and then dangles from Glen's hand.

[intricate_engineer]

Glen gently lowers her down and enthusiastically says, "Good job!"
"How much should she be able to understand?" Glen asks Bella. "That was quite a lot more than I was expecting."

[the_very_best]

"Maybe you got a really smart one! She's not off the charts what you've got her doing, though, she can follow your tone and gaze and stuff."

[intricate_engineer]

"Hmm. She's already past what a lot of well trained earth animals can do."
"Can you jump please Blink?"

[the_very_best]

That Blink doesn't seem to understand. She is inspecting the metal sphere. She tries biting it again.

[intricate_engineer]

Glen holds out her hand for the sphere.

[the_very_best]

Blink looks at her hand, and then gives the sphere back.

[intricate_engineer]

"Thank you," Glen says. She tucks the sphere away.
She jumps.
"Now you."