Acme Time Travel Incorporated - Volume 2

They had caught the bus back to Clacton, then made their way down to the old Victorian beach pavilion near to the pier. They needed to discuss what to do next, though the biggest decision seemed to have already been agreed.

Now they were into talking logistics.

“So,” said Gabriel, “if we are sleeping in a starship for one-hundred and sixty-three years, where would the starship be during that time? I mean, surely someone would find it ... certainly if it was just parked somewhere for that long.”

“I would suggest,” said Vicky, “that to prevent that happening, that we put it into an orbit around the Earth and ...”

“Wouldn’t it get picked up on some sort of tracking?” said Ginny. “After all, we have scientists searching the skies all the time, looking for ...”

“Our starship would have a cloaking facility,” explained Vicky. “The cloaking technology would prevent it from being seen by your current-age technologies.”

“Our starship,” said Ginny, chuckling.

“Sounds like a plan,” said Gabriel.

“Just a minute,” said Ginny. “If we had a starship, and we have 163 years to wait until the time of the data corruption, wouldn’t we have time to go and explore somewhere in space ... you know ... like another planet.”

“How long would that take, then?” Gabriel asked. “To go to another planet.”

“With the sort of starship that I could request, the journey to one of the closest planets ... the ones identified by SEG as mining planets, would take about five days,” said Vicky.

Ginny looked excitedly across at Gabriel.

“What do you think, Gabriel?” Ginny said. “Just think. To travel to another planet. That would be something to tell our kids.”

Gabriel looked quizzically at Ginny.

She realised what she had said.

“Er ... anyway, Vicky” Ginny said. “How big is a starship, anyway? Would it need any special runway or anything?”

“I could request a ship which would be about forty feet long,” said Vicky. “It would only need to have facilities for the two of you, by which I mean a bedroom, a washroom and somewhere to eat. There would be a flight-deck, some sort of storage facilities, plus the CrYO-PODS. That’s about it.”

“What about food?” said Gabriel.

“The ship would have the means of requesting food ready prepared,” explained Vicky. “You wouldn’t need to cook anything ... in fact it would be easier if you didn’t.”

“But what about ... well ... don’t you think we need to pack stuff?” said Gabriel.

“You wouldn’t need to pack anything,” said Vicky. “ACME-TOURS provides everything you need. That’s why the tours are expensive. Everything is provided.”

“What, like clothes and underwear and stuff?” said Gabriel.

“Everything,” confirmed Vicky.

“So, what would we need to do, if we wanted to set off soon?” Gabriel asked.

“Very soon ... like tonight,” clarified Ginny.

“If you don’t want to be observed,” said Vicky, “then I would suggest that you would need to find somewhere quiet ... somewhere out of the way; somewhere that I could request the necessary equipment without bringing it to anyone’s attention.”

“How much space would you need?” Ginny asked.

Gabriel chuckled.

“What’s up?” Ginny asked.

“Well ... can you hear us? Talking about how much space we need to get a spaceship parked? Don’t you think that’s funny?”

“I guess it is, at that,” chuckled Ginny.

“So, do you really want to go tonight, then?” asked Vicky.

“I think we do,” said Ginny, “unless there is something that we need to do before we go.”

“And you are both going?” checked Vicky.

“Yes, both of us,” confirmed Gabriel.

“Then if you are both ready,” said Vicky, “might I suggest that we find somewhere quiet, with a bit of space. Down along the seafront would probably be ok. We only need ten minutes. If there is no-one in the immediate vicinity, we should be ok.”

“I would need to leave Barney a message ... tell him I’m going to be away for a while,” Gabriel said.

“Well, why don’t you text him now, and I’ll text the care home,” Ginny said. “Let’s say something has come up ... something urgent. We are going to be away for a little while, and we are sorry for any inconvenience ... and for the short notice.”

Gabriel took out his phone. The one given him by Barney. He sat and looked at it. Its screen glowed gently in the darkness. Ginny watched him.

“Are you ok, Gabriel?” Ginny said.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Gabriel said.

“You don’t sound very fine,” Ginny said. “Do you think you need more time to think about all this?”

“No, I’m fine,” said Gabriel. “I guess it’s because ... well, it’s because this is a really monumental thing we are doing here.”

“Do you think we’re rushing into it?” Ginny said. “I know I said that I didn’t think that I could face watching John get worse and worse, but, maybe ...”

“No ... it’s ok,” Gabriel said. “I think you are right. Now is probably the best time to go. If there is any danger out there, then it will still be there whether we go today, tomorrow or next week.”

“Are you sure?” Ginny said.

“Yes ... yes, I’m sure ... let’s do it,” Gabriel said.

“Ok, then,” Ginny said. “Let’s get those texts sent, and then let’s get going.”

Gabriel looked at Ginny. She seemed to have a deep inner strength that he admired.

“Ok, then. Yeah, let’s do it,” he said.

He hoped that Barney wasn’t going to be too cross with him.