Taking the Shot

It was a challenge to pick a target amongst the magic canopy molecules. The distance between my pulse cloud and the confinement zone halved quickly, increasing the strength of the tracking signal from the field of targets. I moved to the edge of my cloud and prepared to bow out of the pairing conundrum that kept me in the group.

Halving the distance to the targets again, I scanned an attractive cluster of Twenties that was highly attractive. I then plotted a slingshot trajectory around the Twenties that would cross the path of several of the canopies. After a quick double-check and a small adjustment to my aim, I halted my automatic response to the continuous stream of pairing requests.

Between the kick of the pulse and the pull of the Twenties, the spectral shift from the acceleration was disorienting. I applied corrections, using the tracking frequency as a guide, and was able to compensate for the continuous change that occurred as I approached the Twenties. On track and at maximum speed, my path bent in a clean arc in response to the pull of the nearest Twenty. Moving quickly enough to avoid capture, I began to slow after rounding the Twenties as the field of canopied molecules began to loom large in my scan.