CHAPTER NINE

The crew stands up, gathers their things and heads out of the ready room in silence. This is something Grey asks for and more honestly, requires; feeling this helps set the tone and focuses his crew. He requires this for every mission launch: ‘trip walk’ as it is known to them.

James Grey is the type of leader who asks his team to do things for him, and they do, not because it’s their job or chain of command. They do it because they want to. He is the kind of leader you want to please, want to do the right thing for. The worst thing ever would be letting him down. After all, he would die before letting you down.

This is of those reasons Rosa has a tendency to call Grey ‘Gunny.’ He reminds her of her gunnery sergeants back in the corps. It was their job to make sure all get home. They have a tendency to take it personally when one of their own is lost, almost like they were losing one of their own kids. When in all reality, it really is like that, maybe even worse.

Seven figures strut their way down the hall in total silence, total focus on their faces, all knowing full well the gravity of their situation. Grey’s double check that they had not one, but two pocket AEDs removed all doubt of what could happen to at least one person on each launch. All Trippers will have to be resuscitated at least once in their inaugural year. It’s a hard thing to accept indeed.

All team members wear the same base uniform for the launch. Each is adorned in a high tech jumpsuit, enduringly called the “tripper suit.” Made out of an almost bombproof fabric, it is nearly indestructible. Having basic morphing abilities, it is a prime tool for the job. Nothing is better than an item of clothing that manages to switch to time-and location-appropriate styles while you are still trying to figure out if you tripped to the right place or not. The shoes are included in the same high tech arena as the suit. They too can morph initially and only by direct command later. Basically, they have a computer brain that chooses a look, usually morphing during the end of the travel period. The Trippers simply arrive in their new zone with the appropriate looks for that time period and mission, “simply” being the key word here. Upon close inspection, the locals, as we’ll call them, would notice the missing details.

The more senior members have tailored their tripper suit to their needs over time, more or less pockets and places to hang things to keep handy. Grey, at one point, had to directly tell Rosa to stop adding plac