Acme Time Travel Incorporated - Volume 1

The STU had listened to the conversations between the two women, one obviously John’s mother (Margaret) and the other John’s friend (Mary). Both obviously cared greatly for John’s well-being, and both could foresee a time when they would not be able to look after John. If it requested the medication, that would probably help John, and if it worked to the expected degree, then the women’s worries would quite possibly be over. John would be able to look after himself. It would probably take a little while, but he would probably be able to look after himself within a matter of a few days.

The STU’s understanding of the condition was that, although John appeared to be completely unaware of what was happening all around him, in fact his brain was registering both visual and audible events. It was quite possible that he would be able to speak, but initially it might be difficult for people to understand him (at least until he had practised actually using his vocal cords).

The STU determined to request and administer the medication after John went to sleep. In that way, the effect of the medication would have several hours to take effect before he woke up again. Sometimes that assisted the healing process. However, as John’s mother got John ready for bed, she took the ‘wristwatch’ off John’s wrist. John was sleepy and didn’t really notice her doing this. She walked across the room and pulled open a small drawer on the bedside cupboard. She placed the STU in the cupboard and closed the drawer. The ceiling light was still on in John’s bedroom, but the cupboard drawer had a tight fit; there was no light filtering into the drawer. The STU felt a sense of panic. It hadn’t been aware that it could even register such emotions. It knew that its operating system had been designed with the capacity to learn, enabling it to ‘evolve’ as conditions changed around it. Nevertheless, it had not been aware that it could develop what were effectively human emotions. It knew that if it was cut off from solar radiation, ie natural sun-light, then it could continue to operate for roughly three Earth-months. But if it became forgotten in this cupboard drawer, then it would cease to function. It would not be able to assist its client, John; it would not be able to get back to the ACME centre. It would not be able to ... the STU recognised that a system override had just kicked in. It had effectively carried out a system re-start. Something must have detected the sense of fear and hopelessness and restarted the STU. It would need to try to keep control over itself. It couldn’t afford to allow what appeared to be raw human emotions undermine its primary purpose. But that primary purpose was to look after (ie maintain the safety and security) of its assigned client, and since that client (of sorts), John, was now separated from the STU, and since there was no guarantee that contact would be re-established, at least not before the STU’s power cells depleted, then ... It felt a return of the feelings it now recognised as fear returning, and it tried to find a mode in which it could resume a sense of calm.