Shoot for Earth: MedSci Missions 3

Scott relaxed as his autopilot lifted his pod away and displayed the route on the GPS. Since he wasn’t looking forward to meeting with Jinar, he let his mind wander to Savna. It was so easy to slip into a reverie of memory and imagined moments. Suddenly, he became aware that they had passed over the main city and were headed for the hilly, rocky bush.
“Hey!” he said out loud. “Where are we going?”
“Following the course you set,” a cockpit translator told him.
“No, you’re not!”
“I will land at a safe location for a reset,” the autopilot said.
“Turn around!” Scott said.
“Turning.”
Scott relaxed slightly, until Mr. Auto added, “Landing in a clearing.”
“No, just take us back to the city and land on a regular landing strip!” Scott could see why some people wanted the new Living Machine strand so badly, for the AI computers.
“Sorry, action already taking place. It would be unsafe to comply with your current request.”
Scott cursed, and sat back for the ride. He got out his own Pocod to see if he could figure out where he should go from the landing site. He recorded the surroundings as best he could, and tried to get a direction to hike if he should have to.
The landing was soft, he had to admit. The pod was skillfully set into a small clearing in a large forest. The door slid open invitingly, so Scott stepped out to have a look around. It was a mistake. The door slid shut behind him. He could discern the autopilot’s voice saying, “Reset complete.” In disbelief, Scott stared open-mouthed as his pod took off without him.