Acme Time Travel Incorporated - Volume 2

The old Victorian shelter - Clacton sea front

The rain had settled into a steady downpour, with thick clouds hiding any light from the moon. Waves could be heard, tumbling sand and small pebbles back and forth.

Ginny and Gabriel sat quietly in the darkness.

“Hug me tighter, please, Gabriel,” Ginny said. “I’m getting cold, and it’s too wet to set off home. I’d be soaked in no time.”

“Back to your fancy flat on the sea-front?” said Gabriel, wrapping his arms around Ginny, hugging her against his chest.

He smiled quietly in the darkness.

“Can I provide you with a warm and waterproof coat, Ginny?” Vicky asked.

“What ... really?” said Ginny, snuggling into Gabriel’s warmth. “I know you said you could do that sort of stuff, but I didn’t really think ...”

“It is what I do,” Vicky said. “I provide for my client’s needs.”

“Well I guess so, then,” Ginny replied, “but what sort have you got?”

Instantly a glowing panel of light appeared in the darkness in front of them. On it could be seen jackets and other items of clothing. The images slowly scrolled upwards.

“You can point and drag to control the display,” Vicky advised.

“What ... like Smart TVs ?” Ginny said.

“Possibly,” said Vicky, unsurely.

Ginny tried various hand gestures. The display scrolled up and down.

“I think that you have got the idea,” said Vicky. “I remember that it took a long time for John to get the idea of how to control my visual interface ... but then he had never seen or experienced the technologies that you probably use every day.”

“I guess so,” Ginny said.

“Anyway, please point to anything that you like,” said Vicky.

“Wow ... there’s some pretty cool stuff,” said Ginny. “I really like the steam punk styles.”

“It was a style which became very popular at the time of my manufacture,” said Vicky. “My client, the one before John ...”

“You mean the one who died?” interrupted Gabriel.

“Yes, that one,” continued Vicky. “Anyway, he bought shares in the company that developed the steam punk couture. It made him very wealthy. Wealthy enough to buy an ACME INC tour.”

“Didn’t do him much good though, did it?” remarked Gabriel.

“Hey. How about that jacket? That one there,” Ginny said, pointing, “but could I get it in green?”

“The colour can be changed as and when you wish,” Vicky advised. “It is one of the CHAMELO range.”

“Well, if that’s possible, I would love one of those,” said Ginny excitedly.

“Ok, I will request one,” said Vicky, and instantly a soft glow appeared on the bench to the side of where Ginny was sitting. As the glow dissipated, Ginny and Gabriel could see that something had appeared on the bench. Whatever it was, it appeared to be enclosed in a transparent compression bag.

Ginny lifted the bag and tugged at the seal. There was a faint hiss, and the bag opened to reveal the jacket that Ginny had requested. Ginny pulled it out and slipped the jacket on. Instantly it moulded itself to her form.

“Feel under the left lapel,” said Vicky. “That’s where the Chameleon controls are.”

Ginny felt under the lapel, finding a small button. She pressed it gingerly. A panel on the right sleeve lit up on which was a colour selection facility. It offered a colour palette, plus an option to select some standard patterns. She tried out several, and the jacket responded instantly: a seascape, a cloudy sky, a field of corn swaying in the breeze.

“Some of those things hurt your eyes,” Gabriel suggested.

Ginny pressed an option shown as a small image of a lizard. Instantly the jacket adopted the colouration of where she was sitting. Anyone walking past her would have been hard pressed to see her ... well, her upper body wearing the jacket, anyway.

Ginny laughed and picked a pale green from the standard colour palette, and the jacket adopted the colour that she had had in mind from the start.

“I think that will do nicely, thanks Vicky,” she said.

“I don’t suppose that you want a hug, now you have a nice warm jacket?” Gabriel said.

Ginny leaned back into his arms, snuggling up to him, nuzzling her face against his.

“A warm jacket isn’t everything, you know,” she said. “A fancy spaceship would be better right now. Something we could use to fly us back home in this rain,” she said.

“I could see if there is one available, if you like,” said Vicky.

“Could you really do that?” said Gabriel. He wasn’t laughing.

“As I said, ACME INC imposed no limits on its clients. They obviously paid for all items requested, so it was not a problem,” explained Vicky.

“But we don’t have any money ... not even the money to pay for a jacket,” Gabriel said.

“I think that the account that would be billed would be that of my last ‘official client’,” Vicky explained.

“But he’s dead,” Ginny said.

“But ACME INC don’t know that, do they?” Vicky said.

“I suppose not,” Ginny said.

“Vicky?” Gabriel said.

“Yes, Gabriel.”

“A spaceship ... a spaceship would be huge, wouldn’t it? said Gabriel.

“Yes, they are quite big. And as I said, they can be requested in a modular format. They sort of ... sort of bolt together. So, a client could request one to suit their requirements.”

“What, like furniture from IKEA, do you mean?” Ginny said, laughing.

“I am not sure Ginny.”

“Wouldn’t it need a launch pad and everything?” queried Gabriel.

“No,” said Vicky. “A launch pad would not be necessary.”

“So, does that mean that we could get a spaceship ... and use it to fly to another planet?” asked Gabriel.

“Yes, that would be possible, Gabriel.”

“Wow,” said Gabriel, “but wouldn’t it take years to get to another planet?”

“The journey time would only be days or weeks,” explained Vicky, “but even if did take a long time, the spacecraft are equipped with CrYO-PODS. You could be in a CrYO-POD for years and awaken feeling refreshed, as if you have just had a good night’s sleep.”

. . . . . . . .

“What’s on your mind?” Ginny said.

“How do you mean?” said Gabriel.

“You look ... you look troubled.”

“I am worried about John,” Gabriel admitted. “As Vicky said, without her continued medical assistance, he is very likely to lapse back to his previous state in a very short while.”

“And?” said Ginny.

“Maybe if we could get to the future ... to see the people at ACME, well, maybe they would give us a STU for John. I couldn’t bear to think of John lapsing back, unable to speak or move, whilst we were just ... well, you know?” said Gabriel.

“Gabriel,” Vicky said. “I think that I have explained that ACME are incredibly unlikely to grant you another STU. Experience would suggest that ...”

“Yes ... I know that Vicky, but I still think that it would be worth a try,” Gabriel said.

Ginny sat quietly, thinking about what Gabriel had said. She felt awful that she had been so pleased when Vicky had got her the new jacket, and the real cost that was being exacted on John to give her that opportunity.

“I’m really sorry Gabriel,” Ginny said. “I think I’d forgotten the consequence of John making this gift to you.”

“To us,” Gabriel interjected.

“Ok, to us,” said Ginny. “Well, I think that I’d forgotten that whilst we sit here requesting coats from Vicky to keep us warm and dry, John’s health is getting worse.”

“Ok,” said Gabriel. “No worries. We have remembered now, and I would like to try to do something for John. Something before it’s too late.”

“But Gabriel,” Ginny said. “Even if ACME were willing to give us another STU, if the database of coordinates has been corrupted, I can’t see how we could remotely get to the future. It seems more likely that we would die trying. Are you really willing to take that chance?”

“Gabriel?” Vicky said.

“Yes, Vicky.”

“If it’s ok with you, I would like to shut down for a little while. I think that I need time to process some things.”

“Oh, sure Vicky ... I didn’t know you went off-line,” said Gabriel.

“Well, it’s a feature that you can request as well. You might not always want me to be aware of all that you do ... you know ... in every minute of your waking day.”

“Sure Vicky. I understand,” Gabriel replied. He could feel his cheeks burning in the darkness.

“If you need me urgently, you can just tap me lightly.”

“Ok Vicky.”

“Or I could register if your pulse rate escalates dramatically ... but you might not want me to pick up on that one.”

Ginny chuckled and squeezed Gabriel’s hand.

“No ... maybe you’re right, Vicky,” Gabriel said. “Ok, catch you in the morning.”

“Goodnight,” Vicky said.

Gabriel and Ginny sat quietly for a moment.

“Come on Ginny. I will walk you home,” Gabriel said.

“You don’t even know where I live.”

“Time to find out, then.”