Time Travel (Avid Second Chances Bundle)

San Jose, Roxanne - Avid Second Chances Bundle: Time Travel [Avid Book, Mainstream MF, Sci-Fi, Young Adult/New Adult Romance] Chapter One “Crack” The sound of metal in the time machine groaned as Angelie Thompson turned it to the left with her ratchet. “All done,” she murmured to herself. Standing up, she typed in the places and years in the time machine remote control to test it. The six foot black octagon shaped time machine lit up and opened its doors. Angelie smiled and said to herself, “Someday, I’ll use it again.” Then she headed to the table where her “Best in Science” award and her twelfth-grade last-semester report card was to study her notes. Time Machine Notes: Make sure the red wires are connected to the blue wires. Buttons for the dates and places in the time machine remote control must be connected to the time machine so it can transport in the correct time. Time machine remote control must have batteries. No injury Angelie reviewed the notes and stretched her arm to ease the muscle cramps there. “Well, everything seems fine.” As she looked back at the time machine, she heard a knock and turned to the door. John Salvador, her boyfriend, stood before her and he held up a steaming cup towards her. “Honey, here’s your cappuccino to keep you functional.” He kissed her on the lips. She replied, “Thanks, honey,” as she took the drink and sat. He grabbed a chair and sat next to her then glanced at her time machine notes. “Did you finally finish your work?” Angelie gulped, and then replied, “I think so. All the wires seem to be in place and transportation to the dates and places are working properly.” He looked at the notes then stood up, walking toward the time machine. With a look of seriousness, he said, “I guess you’re ready.” He glanced over his shoulder to smile back at her. “Do you want to catch a movie to relax for a while? is the 2015 movie of the year.” Angelie shook her head in response. “I don’t think so. Do you want to try it now?” With a pause, she added, “Do you think it’ll work?” He walked over to the time machine and stood beside her. She asked, “So, do you want to go to the year 3050 to see what the future looks like?” He grinned. “Definitely.” Angelie typed “3050” under the “year” in the time machine remote control and the door opened. John’s eyes widened. “Wow.” They entered the time machine nervously, stood still and held the handle on the side. The machine cast a white smoke inside, blinding them temporarily, a signal that it had transported them to the year 3050. Inside, the time machine, they remained nervous as they did not know what lay ahead of them. After ten minutes, the time machine’s automatic slide door opened behind a tree, allowing them to see cars that could fly. The people were dressed in odd suits, there were also robots, robotic animals talking to each other and no pollution in the air. The water was crystal-clear, the roads made of metal, and buildings built with glass. Angelie’s eyes widened as she and John both stepped out of the time machine. They felt exhilarated and speechless, staring with their mouths open. Angelie whispered, “You better not close your eyes, because you will not see this again.” John regretted not bringing his camera along. Some people looked at them, brows raised, probably because they were clad in jeans and T-shirts. A woman approached them and said, “What are you wearing?” Angelie looked down at her clothes. “Oh, these are jeans—” John nudged her with his shoulder, evidently warning her to watch her words. Shooting him a look, she replied, “This is actually vintage.” She touched her clothing. “Neat isn’t it?” The woman smiled, her forehead still creased. Maybe she thought they were in costume. Finally, she walked away. John whispered, letting out a breath, “That was a close one.” since the woman did not know they were from 2015. Angelie and John snuck into an empty storage building. “Goodness!” Angelie exclaimed, clapping a hand to her heart. “This warehouse is amazing!” Her eyes drank in the beautiful furniture and fireplace, and she was surprised when the building spoke. After hearing footsteps, Max, a mental square monitor, flew and approached them, “Welcome! My name is Max. Is there anything you need?” John slowly waved his hand around. “What is this?” Max replied, “My name is Max. I am a highly advanced system monitor that can search and provide any information based on my capacity.” John grinned and then teased Angelie. “I’m starting to like the future.” Angelie raised her eyebrows. “Me too” John turned to Max, “We need two beds and some food because this warehouse has no beds.” “What kind of food do you like?” Max asked. “Anything will do.” “Steak and water then.” Max said then released the meal to them. “Impressive!” Angelie said, as she begin to eat the steak, taking a sip of water. “Thank you,” Max said. “I am here to do my best to comfort you.” He released the beds for them from his monitor. Angelie and John exchanged glances, and then John asked, “How much do we owe you?” “On the house.” Angelie shook her head in disbelief. “Is there anyone in this storage building?” With a sad hint to his voice, Max replied, “No, I am all alone because the family I serve went on a vacation trip.” Then, as he headed in a different direction, he added, “Is there anything else you need?” “No, we are good.” “Goodnight and sweet dreams,” Max said sweetly. Angelie and John smiled. As they lay in their beds, John said. “Isn’t it beautiful in 3050 so far? So advanced? If only our time was like this.” Angelie nodded. “If only. What’s our plan for tomorrow?” Uncertain, John replied, “We’ll see. Now, let’s sleep.” He kissed Angelie, and then they fell asleep. The following morning, Angelie and John woke up to a breakfast prepared for them by Max. As she ate her eggs and pancake, Angelie asked, “Do you have a map of this place?” “Yes,” Max replied, “Look at my screen to see your map. Memorize it, or I can just send it to your cellphone.” Angelie knew she couldn’t give him her cellphone since she was from 2015. Angelie replied, “No, thank you. I will just memorize it.” She looked closely at Max’s screen while John finished his meal. “Oh,” she said, “we can see the whole of Nevada.” Moving over to her, John looked at the screen as well, pressing the areas he liked. “We can go to the places that interest us.” Looking concerned, Max gave their attire a once-over. “Be careful with the people outside. They might be suspicious with your attires.” At once, he released suits with customized electronic voices for directions. “I do not want people to be curious about your attire. Here’s what we wear.” John nodded. “I know. A woman asked us about our attire earlier.” Max replied, “That’s okay though. I don’t want you guys to be teased.” “Thank you,” Angelie said. They took the suits and changed in the bathroom. After few minutes, Max said, “You guys look amazing! Good luck outside, and be prudent since it is your first time here.” Both Angelie and John smiled at Max. John replying, “We will be back,” and they walked out the building. “I will be waiting. Food and drinks will be ready when you return.” Max happily replied. When John and Angelie left, curiosity got the better of Max and he began a search of John and Angelie based on their clothes. Max searched the phrase “Jacket” and found out the trend was from 2015. Max sighed. He was not happy to meet his new friends, since they had not told him those clothes were from 2015. John held Angelie’s hand and they walked together on Santos Avenue. They had never seen anything like it. Flying cars and robotic machines! A pet owner told his dog, “Sit,” and then the dog actually spoke! “Yes, Master.” The smartphones people held were a touchscreen and made of glass with a 3D video call facility. They saw airplanes flying. “This is amazing!” Angelie’s eyes widened. “Let’s keep exploring,” John said excitedly, and they both ran off in excitement. “Chase me!” Angelie ran after him. “I will.” They came across a beautiful female fountain and a park full of trees and people. “Got you,” Angelie said as she caught up with him. Angelie marveled at the lack of pollution and how clear the sea was as she saw fishes and corals. They arrived at the nearest airport and looked at the destinations. One of the destinations on the list read “Mercury.” John asked, “Mercury? As in the first planet in our solar system?” Angelie read the description properly and replied, “Yes, Mercury, the first planet in our solar system.” Wide-eyed and smiling, John replied, “Should we go to Mercury, then!” A staff member approached them and said, “Tickets, please!” John replied, “Where can we buy tickets?” The staff member pointed to the left. “In that booth.” John said to Angelie, “Wait here while I buy our tickets.” John reached the booth and inserted the money into the slot. He was surprised it still accepted money from 2015. The booth gave him their tickets. He grabbed them and looked around as passengers—both robot and human—walked past him, and then he went back to Angelie with their tickets. He gave them to the staff member. The worker took the tickets and said, “Get inside the jet and have a safe flight to Mercury.” Everyone was settled in their seats when Angelie and John got inside. They looked around, and John said, “Honey, here are our seats.” Sitting down, John asked, “A little nervous?” Angelie looked at him and replied, “Definitely.” He put his arm around her shoulder pulling her closer and kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry, I got you.” Angelie leaned back on his chest. The flight attendant announced, “Fasten your seatbelts. With turbo engines, we will arrive on Mercury in two hours.” The pilot then started the engine, and the jet took off. Angelie and John held hands while they sat, looking out at the beautiful stars and the view of Earth from space. Both were speechless, mesmerized by the view, and unable to believe they were in space. One of the flight attendants asked, “Do you want anything to eat or drink?” John asked, “What is on the cart?” The flight attendant replied, “We have water, wine, and soda.” John replied, “We’ll both have water,” and the flight attendant gave them their drinks. Angelie continued to look at the beautiful stars while John handed over her water. She took the drink and drank a big gulp. “Just what I needed.” Angelie felt tired from traveling from 2015 so she slept throughout the flight as John looked at the view. Around them, some people watched movies on the flat glass screens in front of them. Two hours later, they arrived on Mercury. Angelie and John nervously stood up in their seats, as they did not know what to expect next. They exited the jet bridge, following in the other passengers’ wake. A green two eyed male alien at the airport arrival hall warmly said, “Welcome to Mercury. Due to our technology, we are able to decrease the heat of the sun. As a tourist, please eat in our famous Rock Restaurant where you can drink water rich in vitamins.” Angelie held John’s hand as she nearly fainted. John leaned over to her, “Everything will be fine. I’ve got you.” Angelie and John went to the nearest store in the airport and bought water. When they tasted it, Angelie exclaimed, “Incredible!” John smiled and then replied, “I cannot wait for future generations to experience this!” Angelie frowned. “Too bad we will not experience this again since we are already dead.” John comforted her, “We can always go back because we have a time machine.” Angelie smiled. They walked around Mercury, looking around curiously. They saw aliens with different shape and sizes, robots, and people walked in the streets As they stared at Earth from the streets in Mercury, Angelie’s eyes became glassy with tears. “So beautiful and round.” John replied, “I agree with you.” Afterward, they entered the famous Rock Restaurant to have coffee. A red male seven eyed alien approached them. “What are you guys going to have?” Angelie could not speak at the sight of this alien. It was the first time she’d set eyes upon a seven eyed creature. John laughed at Angelie and apologized to the alien, “Excuse my girlfriend. She must be tired from the trip. We will have two coffees.” “I’d better serve the coffee fast, then!” Angelie smiled, and John replied to the alien, “Thank you.” The alien rushed away. John said to Angelie, “Relax,” and patted her on the back. Angelie replied, “I am relaxed . . . Just fascinated to see so many aliens for the first time.” The alien came back with their orders and handed them their coffees. “I hope you feel better, ma’am, and if you need anything, please let me know.” Angelie finally replied, “I will,” and then drank her coffee quickly. She inhaled and exhaled. John said, “Okay, relax now.” Angelie and John looked around, seeing more aliens than people. After they ate at the café, they went to a zoo. They paid their entrance fees and were spellbound by the animals they saw. One tall long neck animal had three heads compared to giraffe, and another could turn invisible. Angelie approached the petting zoo and touched the baby animal bearing a horn and four eyes. Tears fell down her cheeks. John approached her and said, “Isn’t it beautiful?” Angelie replied, “Yes, it is.” To the animals, she said, “Here you go,” and gave them food. One ate the food and looked at her as a sign of thank you, and then returned to its mother. Angelie smiled warmly. “So adorable.” Then she added to John, “Come, let us go back to Earth, to 2015. This place is making me cry more to the incredible things I seen from flying cars to animals” John smiled at her and said, “Of course. Let’s go.” They walked to the ticket voucher at the airport. Again, John picked up the tickets, and they went to the terminal. They took their seats on the jet, and Angelie saw the view of Mercury for the last time, smiling. John whispered, “Amazing, isn’t it?” “Breathtaking,” Angelie replied. “I cannot believe 3050 looks this way.” John held her hand tightly. The flight attendant asked them, “Would you like something to drink or eat?” Angelie, still amazed by the view of space and Mercury, did not answer John quickly answered, “Some water, please.” The flight attendant gave them water. John replied, “Thank you.” Angelie relaxed as she drank it, and said, “I’m feeling much better now.” John smiled and replied, “Good, compared to how you were earlier.” A few hours later, they arrived on Earth and went back to the storage room where Max was. Max said upon their arrival, “Welcome back. How was everything?” Angelie replied, “Everything went well.” Max replied, “Good. Here’s some food I prepared.” Angelie and John ate it. When they finished, Max continued, “Do you need anything else?” Angelie politely said, “No, but thank you.” “Okay.” Max looked back at them and said, “I did a little research about your attire.” Angelie looked at John nervously and then said to Max, “Can you keep a secret?” Max replied, “Of course.” John said, “We are from 2015. Angelie invented a time machine, and we came here to see the future.” Max slowly said, “Okay . . . That’s amazing. I will keep your secret as many things are possible in this world.” Angelie replied, “Good. We have to go back to the past now.” Max said, “Too bad. I know to know when I will see you guys again and thank you for coming to 3050!” Angelie replied, “We will never know!” and she winked at him. As John and Angelie headed out of the storage building, John said, “Well, let’s get us back home.” Max watched them leave. Angelie replied, “You’re right.” They went back to where the time machine was behind a tree and typed the year “2015” in the time machine remote control making the trip back to Angelie’s attic.