A Timeless Journey (10 page)

I asked the Link to turn this machine on and the ‘bench’ moved slowly up to a height of five feet while a virtual touch screen lit up on the side. Link helped me select the program needed, the fragrance I fancied my clothes to smell, which was ocean breeze and the top of the wash machine automatically slid open for me to put my clothes in.

I waited for the machine to start but failed to hear any noise of water running. Link explained the machine operated without water. This wash machine functioned with wet vapour just like the steamer did and it also had some kind of mechanism that blew centrifugal pressurised hot air through the clothes.

Ten minutes later I had in my hands, washed, dried and ironed clothes with a lovely strong ocean breeze aroma which made me think I was already on the beach. I had another steamer wash experience before I changed into my old clothes and then made my way out of the apartment.

13

I walked in a slow pace along the Laguna city shores, as the warm sun overhead and the mild ocean breeze, battled endlessly on my skin. The presence of the tall skyscrapers to my right and the Emzes flying in between the buildings made the view in front surreal and pushed me into thinking about the underdeveloped world I had left behind where this view would have challenged everyone’s wildest fantasy.

Although there was no one watching my every move and I was free to go anywhere I desired, my mind was still trying to get used to the idea of freedom. I felt trapped in a world I didn’t know and a strange, unexplained feeling of insecurity, captured me. It is one those feelings when someone finds itself lost in a familiar and yet unrecognisable place, the feeling of forgetfulness and solitude.

There were a few people strolling on the beach and some others sitting on the benches around. I couldn’t help noticing that everyone I came across kept looking at me rather strangely, as if I had an unusual shape or form. At first, I didn’t understand why everyone was staring at me. This unwanted attention added to my fears that I wasn’t meant for the 26
th
century life.

After enjoying my freedom walk on the beach, I headed back towards the Dolphin Residence and decided to sit on a bench on the side of a walkway between the sand strip and the park in front of the buildings. People kept looking at me with curiosity and I was really interested to know why. As much as I wanted to ask, I wasn’t sure how people in 26
th
century would react to a stranger talking to them and there was always the possibility that I wouldn’t have liked what they had to say.

I remained seated on the bench shying away from the prying eyes of others, until the face of an angel pushed the chemicals in my brain to react unexpectedly in an uncontrolled manner. A tall, good looking girl had stopped in front of me. I noticed she couldn’t help smiling. The moment I made eye contact with her, was the moment I realised I had fallen in love with a total stranger, and not the kind of love I had experienced with Sophie but something stronger, magical, something that took my breath away.

My chest moved forward and my heart trembled by the presence of such beauty. My mind became fuzzy and my voice was lost somewhere between my vocal cords and my dry mouth. It took a while to gather my thoughts and with an involuntary smile on my face managed to greet her in a shaky voice.

“Hi!”

“Hi!” She replied waving her hand.

I took some courage from her friendliness. “I’m sorry to ask you this, but can you explain why everyone who has walked past keeps staring at me?”

She replied without trying to hide an amicable giggle that had taken over her beautiful face. “You are from the past in every way.”

“What do you mean? How could you possibly know I’m from the past?” I asked annoyed at the way she spoke at me.

“I mean no affront, my apology. Allow me to explain. Your strange attire and your accent are from a very distant past and this makes me smile. Also your legs and your arms have hair, which is unusual for this era. People look at you because you are a very recognised person around the planet, a historical asset.”

“And this is why people stare at me?”

“Mostly because you’re famous, but also because having a hairy body is unthinkable in this reality.”

“Yeah, you keep repeating this like I have some kind of disease.”

“Luna Sanchez is what I am called, and you are Scott Patterson.”

I smiled at the way she introduced herself and then replied.

“Yes this is my name, which I guess you knew because you have followed the news of my arrival. Luna, I do like your name. It means ‘the moon’ in Latin.”

“Thank you for knowing. I also know your name means someone from Scotland, a name unused in the last two centuries, at least.”

“This is true. Both my name and surname is of Scottish origin, same as my family roots.”

We fell silent for a few seconds. It was an awkward silence thanks to my fear of saying something inappropriate. Luna noticed the awkwardness, gave me a full body check with her eyes and smiled.

“I can’t believe you are from the 21
st
century and I am standing next to you.”

“Yes, I am old aren’t I? And now, after three months of being confined in IEF, I am free to enjoy this reality with all of you.”

“It is very poetic of you. An ancient man nonetheless, enjoying his time with us.”

“Do I hear a hint of sarcasm coming from you?”

“It was more of a theatrical answer to your poetic remark.”

“I see!”

“May I ask why are you sitting here, alone?”

“I am not sure if you’re aware, but I have no friends in the 26
th
century, not a single one. Now that I come to think of it, my family and friends have been dead for centuries.”

“You are an important individual here and you can make as many friends as you wish. Everyone in the planet wants to be your friend. Don’t you know?”

“In this case, I wonder if you fancy being my first friend. I really need some help understanding the way people think around here, if you have time to spare and room for one more friend in your life that is.”

“Your word choice it’s so amusing, I can’t stop giggling. So, you require my friendship and a room? I don’t understand!”

I smiled at her naivety. “I don’t need a room, I have my apartment. What I mean is if you have a place in your life for a new friend. I am in a desperate need of a friend and it would be nice if you agreed to my request. I believe we had a connection from the first moment we saw each other.”

“There is no reason to reject your request. You are funny! I like you and I will be happy to start a friendship with you. Thank you for liking me and the liking is mutual.”

The simple and yet the bizarre way she spoke, put an extra smile on my face.

“Thank you Luna and, for your information, you are funny too. I am amused by the way you speak, in a good way. Listening to you talking, somehow makes me happy.”

I invited Luna to sit next to me. Looking at her, the realisation that for the first time in more than three months I was finally having a real conversation with someone from the future, hit me. At that very moment, the memory of Sophie’s existence was buried deep in the chamber of forgetfulness inside my brain. The presence of the most alluring and enchanting person I had ever laid my eyes on, had created a state of selective amnesia. I felt aflame just by Luna’s presence next to me. The fact that such a beautiful creature was going to help me understand the mentality of the 26
th
century, made me feel extra special.

Luna started to explain that ‘the steam chamber’ or, ‘the steamer’ as it was randomly called, had a function that removed hair. This is why some people were staring at me with curiosity. In the 26
th
century everyone used the hair removal function in the steamer. Keeping hair on your body was considered unhygienic and unthinkable for a human born five centuries after me.

Luna offered to help me purchasing fashionable clothes and show me around the Laguna City.

“You don’t have to do this. Probably you had your own plans, before meeting me.” I replied to her offer, although I didn’t want her to go.

“I have this whole week off, my plans can wait. I chose to spend the day with you.”

At the time I guessed she was curious and wanted to know more about the ancient man that I was. However, as the time went by I learned this wasn’t the case. At this point of the story, I can only tell you that I couldn’t have been more mistaken than I was that day.

Luna lived not far from where I resided, in one of the residential buildings which made the sky-high coastal city ‘wall’. We stayed sat on that bench for a while talking, until she proposed to take me shopping in a GNP she liked inside her building. Each building in this future was in itself an independent small town with all the facilities inside. Someone could choose to live inside without the need to go out at all.

We entered the Pearl Residence where Luna had an apartment on the level 21. Luna directed the cube to one of the commercial floors in the building and in no time, I was standing inside the GNP amazed by the interior architecture of the future shop.

“This is my preferred GNP, please stand here Scott.”

Luna pointed to a small square on the floor and, as soon as I stood on it, a 3D virtual Holo room appeared around me.

The projection showed different types of clothing. Luna selected a top by simply mind-communicating through her Link device, pulled the 3D image of the long sleeved top out of the screen and placed it on me. She did the same with the other items of clothing. When she finished choosing everything I needed, turned the Holo projection into a mirror and I saw myself wearing virtual clothes which, incidentally, looked good on me.

Luna approved with a nod and placed the order. I tried to offer paying for these items, but Luna insisted that it was a gift from her, although not without suggesting that I was going to make up for it later when I stated my job.

“Talking about the job,” – I intervened abruptly – “I already have been given one in The Institute of World History in New York and should start as soon as I train on how to use an Emze.”

“My workplace is in New York too, not far from the IWH. We can travel together in my Emze if you wish.”

“This is a good idea Luna. I don’t have enough credit to buy an Emze anyway. We can commute together every day, if it isn’t too much trouble for you, of course.”

She gazed at me with her beautiful bright blue eyes, worried, as she had completely misunderstood what I said.

“Why would I be in trouble? I do not understand.”                                                                                                                                             

“It’s just a way of saying ‘I don’t want to impose on you travelling with me’. It is something we say in the 21
st
century in order to be polite.”

“Scott, we don’t complicate the conversation in this reality by hiding or insinuating the real meaning of what we say in ambiguous sentences. Everyone says what they think and this is what I think. I like you and my choice is made, we will travel together.”

I smiled at the way she spoke. She sounded like an educated child in one of those private expensive schools, simple and concise.

As Luna waited to collect her order, I sneaked a few lustful looks at her frame. She had a physique that would drop any jaw in our old reality regardless if you were male or female. Her slender and perfectly shaped towering body competed with a classic work of art. Being six feet tall, she would have easily found a modelling job, if she had to travel to the 21
st
century.

Her shiny black and very short hair was cut perfectly to fit her facial features and her head shape, in a very precise way that I find it difficult to describe with words. The hairstyle suited her perfectly. Her eyes had a bright blue colour that created a hypnotizing effect on me and I suspected she was probably wearing contact lenses. Her skin, although it had a slight shade of brown like most around in this future, it had a white glow that attracted every cell of my body. The glowing, healthy skin of hers looked so smooth, that sometimes I thought it had magnetic powers since I found it hard to resist putting my hands on her. Luna’s voice inviting me to her apartment broke the visual spell I was under.

It is funny how circumstances changed in a matter of hours on that day. In the morning I was worried if I was going to be released from the IEF and a couple of hours later, a complete stranger invited me in her apartment. The most important change of all had happen to my feelings. I wasn’t sure at the time if she felt the same way, but from my end, I was experiencing the most powerful feeling of love of my entire life.

14

I couldn’t wait to see how Luna’s apartment looked like. You can learn a lot about a person just by the way their living spaces are set up. A messy home means a careless person lives there, someone that you can hardly rely on. A simple home means a person with not too much ambition, a person that is happy with what he’s got and who doesn’t expect to exchange anything else with others but safe uncomplicated friendship. Finally, a clean home with a unique interior design means an intelligent, open-minded, independent person lives there. I expected Luna’s apartment had a unique design worthy of her intelligence and kindness.

The door slid open and what I saw exceeded my expectations. Not only her house was sterile like a lab, but also the different and unique themes of Holo display on the walls gave the apartment an incredible look. A live feed of the seashore from close by covered the whole of one wall in the living space giving the impression you could walk into the sea at any time. On the opposite wall had a live feed of some jungle which created a feeling you were trapped in a small strip of land between the big beautiful sea and the scary labyrinth of wild vegetation. The rest of the walls had virtual framed art, family photos and a virtual library, infused with a live feed of the blue sky that occupied the ceiling.

Luna offered to show me how to remove body hair using the steamer. I wasn’t sure if I wanted remove my hair, but thought I had no choice while I stayed in this reality. The only way to catch up with this advanced society was to follow the unspoken rules this society had created. She left me alone in her personal needs room to get on with the process of building a new me. A few minutes later, I was standing in front of Luna without a single hair on my body, wearing the new clothes she had bought for me.

Luna smiled, pleased at her good job on giving me a makeover.

“You are now ready for carnal pleasure.”

“Thank you, I guess. When you say carnal pleasure, you mean sexual pleasure, right?”

“Scotty, you are so primitive. There is carnal pleasure and mind pleasure. They can both generate sexual pleasure, but I clearly stated carnal, to point that you are ready to join the 26
th
century society.”

“I get it now, you meant I look nice, but still, I feel confused about mind pleasure…”

She interrupted me eager to explain what she meant.

“In this reality, we have a device that allows you to have virtual pleasure without getting physically involved. It is called a ‘mind scrambler’ and you can share an experience with someone no matter the distance in between. I will show you.”

Luna stood up and disappeared into her restroom. Returning with two rings in her hand, she ordered me to put one over my head. The ring fitted on my head like a tennis band, but as soon as it rested above my ears, automatically adjusted itself to fit my size. I observed with scepticism as Luna placed the other ring over her head. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. I thought this ring would somehow play some kind of virtual pornographic video once it connected with the Link. I was wrong. The ring on Luna’s head created a blue half-circle field that fitted like a hat on top of her hair.

“Can you hear me Scott?”

Although she wasn’t speaking to me, her voice sounded real inside my head. It caught me by surprise and I gave Luna a frightened look. She smiled and then explained what this device was and what was going to happen next.

“My mind will connect with your mind and we will communicate telepathically. This is a mind scrambler which will help us have mind pleasure by turning to virtual reality whatever we are thinking.”

“I understand now, mind pleasure is exchanging sexual thoughts, like talking dirty on the phone and carnal pleasure is the real thing.” I replied excited from the idea.

“Talking dirty, what is that?”

“You know when you call someone on the phone and start talking about sex?”

“It makes no sense to me, and Scotty, phones like you know it don’t exist anymore. We are going to exchange virtual sexual experience generated by our thoughts. It will be just like in a dream. Please don’t talk, think what you want to say and I will be able to listen! It will be the same way you communicate with the Link device.”

“You are not telling me that I am going to have virtual sex with you? We have just met. Is this a normal thing around here? Great, I’m starting to like 26
th
century already.”

“Your perception couldn’t be more erroneous. I will begin showing you how it works and you will soon see, but first you must close your eyes and stop talking, just think what you want to say.”

Concerned by the fact that Luna’s voice was already inside my head, I closed my eyes and my mind lit up in a way that is impossible to describe. I felt my physical self being transferred into a place inside my mind where Luna waited for me to interact. It wasn’t easy to adapt to such a weird experience, where all the feelings I had for her surfaced from my secret thoughts into a virtual visual reality. This experience, especially with the eyes closed, seemed a lot like being in a dream. It is impossible to explain in words the weird feelings at the time about everything that was happening inside my head.

We were standing in her living space sat on the sofa opposite each other. Luna stood up, came close to me and we kissed. Although the experience was a virtual one, I felt her soft warm lips on me as if we were really kissing. She gently whispered in my virtual ear to get undressed. I found myself obediently removing my clothes off in front of Luna, who was also doing the same thing as we kissed. A lustful shiver captured my whole body as I felt her undressed warm and smooth skin touching mine.

The way her body felt when it touched mine, made me doubt if this experience was virtual at all and my guilty conscience made
the virtual me
to take a step back, but Luna insisted. She took both of my hands in her hands, asked me to stay calm and we kissed again. After this last passionate kiss, I had no choice but to give in to the most explosive emotions I have ever had experienced. It is from this point that I find it inappropriate to disclose the remaining details about my experience with Luna, since it’s a matter of personal!

We had lost the track of time, when we both decided to end this mad experiment. Unexpectedly, I had gone through the most bizarre sexual experience of my life and I wasn’t sure if the guilt I felt afterwards was for emotionally betraying Sophie or something else entirely, something that I couldn’t explain. The virtual experience with Luna felt so real and I was unsure if she had experienced it the same way, or our fantasies being different had made us experience this in a different way.

Luna took the ring off my head and confirmed my doubts by commenting positively on what we had just experienced. Judging by her feedback, there was no doubt we’ve had the same experience. Through this amazing device we had simulated on what would have happened if we’d had decided to have carnal pleasure, as they called it in the 26
th
century. According to Luna, most people used this as the first stage of a new relationship to see how compatible two people were before getting together in a partnership. She couldn’t help stressing that she was pleased with the experience.

From the way she was expressing herself, it occurred to me that Luna was thinking of becoming my girlfriend. The idea excited me and then I remembered Sophie. Against my will, I was forced to be a mood killer and heartily explain to Luna that I had a girlfriend in my old reality.

A glimpse of guilt for crashing Luna’s dream overtook my conscience. She kindly assured me that she had no intention of interfering with my true feelings and in this case, she had only been curious to know how a man from the past behaved during a sexual act. There was an unexplained confidence and certainty in her voice, a certainty that one day we would become a couple. At the time I failed to understand why, but given to what I know now it all makes perfect sense.

In respect to my ambiguous and complicated situation, she promised to back off from her wish to have a relationship based on her feelings for me. My feelings for her were strong too and only the guilt for betraying Sophie made me push Luna away. I realised that my only chance of friendship in the 26
th
century could be in jeopardy. To save my only chance of friendship I had in this reality and also pushed by a strong attraction for her, I decided to invite Luna for a drink with the hope she would accept my offer regardless of the complicated situation we just had.

“I hope you understand the situation, Luna. I enjoyed this experience very much and I think we are a perfect match. The truth is that I have a girlfriend back in the 21
st
century despite feeling strongly about us. I am aware there is a good chance I might not see her again and also I need to seriously think about my future in this reality. However, she still exists somewhere in a different time and space and I don’t have it in me to betray her, no matter how strongly I feel for you.”

“I understand and respect the situation you find yourself involved Scott and I am prepared to give you all the time you need to figure out this paradox.”

“Thank you Luna! You have no idea how much I appreciate what you doing for me. One day I will be ready for more and not of the virtual kind. Until then, I like to offer you a drink as a thank you for putting up with me.”

“I have a better idea. First, I will invite you for lunch at this amazing underwater eatery and later you can offer me a drink.”

“Sounds like a plan. Since you appreciate the truth in this reality, may I say something true?”

“You may Scott!”

“You were brilliant earlier. It was the best experience I have ever had, even though it was only a virtual one.”

“I thank you for your honesty, now we eat.”

My compliment made her happy. I could see it in her smile and in the way she rolled her eyes. I wanted to tell her how I really felt and that Sophie had and never would be able to cause such an excitement in me as Luna did, but how could I? We had just met and for a guy like me with a 21
st
century mentality, this was a step to far on the first day.

Soon after, we left her apartment and headed towards the beachfront. Luna promised I would like the place where we were going. We walked along the beach towards the marina or the Aquatic Bay as it was called. Luna explained that the eatery we were going was twenty three miles away from the shore, on the ocean bed. Thrilled and also unsure if this was possible at the same time, I kept staring at her with my clueless wondering eyes.

Luna hired a vehicle that travelled under water, which looked as if it was made of glass. It had a shard shape, but flat at the bottom. This type of vehicle was called Subnav which stood for subaquatic navigator. Once we took our place inside, a protective shield came on around the vehicle and everything around us became transparent.

We set off from the Aquatic Bay always travelling just above the seabed at some considerable speed. A few minutes later, as the Subnav started to dive in the depth of the ocean, a gigantic dome appeared in front of us. It was an underwater leisure centre. The Subnav entered a transparent tunnel made by the same protective shield as the dome. The sea water gradually disappeared from around us as we travelled through the tunnel. Just before we reached our destination, the Subnav floated weightless just like an Emze until it reached the parking area.

A thin transparent mass fed by some kind of energy unknown to me, kept the ocean waters out of this huge area the size of a small town. I walked slowly through the alleys between the eateries, bars and GNPs and other leisure units, mostly keeping my head up as I admired the amazing and yet menacing view of the ocean waters and the various species swimming above the dome.

Luna and I entered this amazing eatery at the edge of the protective shield only a few yards from the ocean waters. She ordered for both of us her preferred fish dish, assuring me that I would like it. As we waited for food to arrive, I stared endlessly on the ocean bed admiring the breath-taking views around me. I couldn’t apprehend the fact that I was sitting on the ocean bed separated from the water only by a thin membrane of something I had no idea what it was.

Despite the different ways we communicated with each other, in the hours that followed, Luna and I became even friendlier and it felt like I had known her forever. From where I came from, it doesn’t happen very often that you meet a stranger who takes you shopping, then to her apartment to use her shower, then literally have mind-blowing virtual sex and finishing with the offer to take you to lunch! No wonder I was happy and confused all at the same time.

People in the 26
th
century seemed so friendly and genuine, that it’s beyond our understanding of what we consider ‘normal’. In the 21
st
century, they would be considered naïve or weird and probably an easy target if a conman decided to take advantage, but despite my old ways, I felt really good being amongst this perfect society. I wished the 21
st
century society had at least a fraction of this bright and wonderful future.

After the meal we walked around the underwater centre together, holding hands as if our conversation earlier about not getting into a relationship had never happened. The blue ambiance surrounding the centre, different species of fish lurking on the other side of the protective shield, the darkness of the ocean in the distance and the thought of having such a surreal experience, had left me speechless and distracted.