Acme Time Travel Incorporated - Volume 2

SEG002

This was the third day of exploring SEG002, and Gabriel and Ginny had had an incredible time. They had walked through river-valleys strewn with small blooms, each incandescent with vibrant colour; sadly, their suits prevented them from being able to smell any perfumes emanating from the blooms. They had flown over the forest canopy and joined the flights of the small bird-like forms erupting from the leaves; they had watched a multiplicity of small life-forms, crawling and scurrying amongst the plant debris. They had seen nothing remotely similar to Earth creatures, nor had they seen anything that looked to be dangerous in any way. Vicky had told them, several times now, that there was no real medical back-up in the case of an emergency. The starship did have basic medical equipment, but there was no possibility of teleporting to ACME’s MEDI-CARE CENTRE in the event of a real emergency.

“Vicky?” Gabriel said.

“What, Gabriel?”

“I suppose that you are really concerned because you don’t have any information ... you know, ACME or SEG information, about this planet’s plant and animal life.”

“That is true, Gabriel,” Vicky said. “As you know, no such information was compiled from the early mining outposts. It wasn’t felt to be necessary.”

“Well, luckily, we haven’t seen anything remotely dangerous,” Ginny noted.

“That is true, Ginny, and I am grateful that you have refrained from touching the plants and animals, but even so ...”

“I think there is a storm coming,” said Gabriel. “Look ... over there.”

Gabriel pointed in the direction of some very black clouds, perhaps a couple of miles away.

“The Ship has kept me aware of the storm, guys,” said Vicky, “and it would seem to be increasing in its intensity ... and it is definitely coming in this direction. It may be wise to make our way back to the starship. Storms in this area can be quite violent.”

“It would be nice to see a good storm,” said Ginny. “I’ve always enjoyed watching storms. I love the noise and the violence in the sky. I used to watch storms on YouTube ... with the sound turned up. Just amazing.”

Ginny looked across at Gabriel, giving him a look that he couldn’t quite understand, but he could see her excitement at the prospect of watching the storm first-hand.

“Vicky?” Gabriel asked.

“Yes, Gabriel.”

“Can these suits withstand storm conditions?”

“They will protect you from heavy rain, if that is what you mean. In point of fact, you could be completely immersed in liquid and still survive; as long as the liquid wasn’t corrosive,” Vicky qualified.

“So, we could just sit here and watch the storm roll over us,” Ginny said excitedly, grasping Gabriel’s hand.

“Ok, Ginny ... let’s watch the storm, shall we?” Gabriel said.

Ginny noted the slight tension in Gabriel’s voice, but she knew that he would do this for her. He loved her, she knew, and he was prepared to push outside of his own boundaries for her. In turn, she wouldn’t dream of doing anything that she didn’t think she could deal with. Also, she had noticed that every time Gabriel had pushed himself past his personal level of safety and comfort, she saw that it had made him stronger and more confident.

They sat together on the forest floor, hand in hand, watching the dark clouds getting closer.

“It’s probably too late to safely get back to the starship now,” Vicky noted.

“Ok, thanks Vicky,” Gabriel said, feeling his heart sink a little.

They could feel the first currents of warm air prefacing the storm front. Small gusts whipped at the foliage around them, raising up miniature tornados amongst the plant debris.

Ginny gripped Gabriel’s hand tighter. “Here it comes,” she whispered.