New Arizona – June 15, 2500
Larna Fox lent against the side of a pillar, just under the cover of a hotel porch. She was wearing a tight, figure hugging red, plastic kind of material, dress that was very short. On her feet she wore red stiletto heels to match the dress. Her long auburn hair, with its white streak down the middle, lung loosely down her back. She looked the perfect picture of elegance. Her face, which held a close resemblance to the actress Hudson Leick, meant that she would stand out in any given situation as one of the most gorgeous women on the planet. She was watching a woman walking towards a speeder across the other side of the street. The rain was beating down like a stream from a shower. Larna’s hair, dripped droplets of water down on to her leather jacket. Water ran down her bare legs. A man came and stood beside her and asked.
“Are you up for some business?”
Larna turned and found Tom Aspel standing in front of her. He had an old Panama hat on his head, which partly covered his face. The rain had made his old beige raincoat look like a mucky brown colour. Larna shook her head and said.
“I think you’ve got me on this assignment on purpose.”
“Why would I do that sugar lumps?”
“To get me back for not sleeping with you.”
“Now, really. Do you think I’d do something like that?”
Larna stared at him and Tom said.
“I don’t think I want to know the answer to that. Listen, what’s happening?”
Larna looked across at the woman, who was walking back from the car now, and said.
“She has been standing there all morning and hasn’t picked up anyone. The ones she has picked up, have brought her back.”
Tom shrugged his shoulders and said.
“Perhaps she isn’t the killer then. Is there somewhere we can talk?”
“We can go back to my apartment if you like.”
Tom looked down at Larna’s long tanned legs and said.
“Is this an offer?”
Larna shook her head and said.
“Just because I look like a pleasure nymph, it don’t mean to say that I am one. The sooner I get out of this short dress the better.”
Larna turned and started to walk towards the entrance of the hotel she was standing outside of. Tom watched her hips swaying sexily and said.
“I think I prefer you with that skirt on.”
“Don’t get fresh with me Aspel.”
Tom laughed and followed Larna inside the hotel.
The pair of them walked across to the transportation platform and transported across to Larna’s apartment block. Larna started to walk across to the lift. Tom followed her across. The doors immediately withdrew and Larna walked inside. Tom followed her in. Larna turned to the floor panel.
“Floor thirty six please.”
Tom watched as the lift started to whiz up the building. Larna turned to her police liaison and asked.
“So what’s the problem?”
Tom looked around the lift and shook his head.
“Not here.”
Larna giggled. She could not help herself. Tom could be so security minded sometimes. The lift stopped at Larna’s floor and the doors opened. Larna walked out of the lift and went down the corridor towards her apartment. She pushed her palm on to the lock and the door lifted up. She waited while Tom went inside. Larna lifted her hand from the door lock and went through the door. Instantly the door slammed down behind her. Tom pulled his hat from his head and threw it down on the sofa. Larna walked passed Tom and went straight to the bedroom. Tom watched her closing the door. Larna went across to the wardrobe and pulled the doors open.
“So what’s the new job that you’ve come to me about?”
Tom looked towards the bedroom. He slowly walked towards the closed door. Through the frosted glass window he could see Larna’s silhouette starting to undress. He watched as her lifted the dress up over her head. He gulped and stuttered.
“It may be nothing, but then again, there may be some connection.”
Larna glanced towards the door and said.
“Make yourself at home, you know how to get a drink from the food replicator.”
Tom looked towards the kitchen and sighed as he walked off towards it.
Larna pulled out her old favourites. She went across to the dressing machine and placed the clothes in to the machine. The dressing machine was like the old x-ray machines used in airports to detect any metal on your person. Larna moved around and stepped under the arch. A bright light surrounded her for a split second. When the light switched itself off Larna was fully clothed in her new outfit. Over her fine figure of 36B-24-35, Larna now wore a pair of black fish-net stockings, with a very close tight pattern, making her legs look even sexier than they were without them. On the top of them going around her waist was a small, tight figure hugging black leather mini-skirt, which just covered her buttocks. On her main torso she was wearing a black leather shirt over a black lace bra. The shirt was tucked into the mini-skirt. On her feet was now a pair of black motorbikers boots with a numbers of buckles on the side. They came right up to about half way up her shinbone. Larna walked out from the dressing machine and went to a little mirror. She reached up for the make-up tray and started to paint her face. She put just the right amount on. Around her eyes she put a dark eyeshade and she painted her lips with a bright red lipstick, which she surrounded with a black outline. After adjusting the chain that hung around her neck, fixing the handcuff manacle on her right wrist and checking on the tattoo of the Chinese for Eternal Devotion on the right side of her neck, she was ready. She turned to the door and walked out into the living area.
Tom appeared from the kitchen and smiled as he saw Larna standing in the bedroom door.
“That’s more like the girl I know.”
Larna shrugged her shoulders and said.
“I’m just glad to get out of that dress and high heels. They were killing me.”
“Well, I don’t think you’ll have to go back to them for a while.”
“What’s the problem then?”
Tom handed Larna a little portable computer. It was about the size of a pocket calculator. Larna flipped up the lid, doubling the size of the machine in one go. The difference between this computer and a 1990’s calculator was that it was so thin, it was like about the thickness of a computer disc. The screen flashed the name of a file for a brief second, then started to list out a number of names. Larna looked up from the screen to look at Tom.
“What’s this?”
“Read the names.” Tom prompted.
Larna shrugged her shoulders and started to read out the names.
“Samantha Adams, disappeared May 26, 2500. Thomas Aitchison. Jamie Delve. Paula Duffield. Willy Entwistle. Martin Gardener. Patrica Guthrie. Simon Holden. Michelle Holmes. Tony Langdan. Laura Lawrence. Davina Lowe. Diana McAughtrie. Chris Meacham. Sharon Scott. Declan Shearer. Richard Wakenshaw. Amanda Watson. Jesus, I went to school with all of these people.”
Tom smiled and nodded his head. Larna turned to him and said.
“But there’s one name missing.”
Larna sat down and started think. Tom took the computer back and said.
“Of course there is one missing. Yours.”
Larna looked up at him sharply and said.
“Apart from mine. It’ll come to me in the moment.”
Tom took a sip of his drink. He spat in out and placed the glass down on a little table. Larna jumped to her feet and shouted.
“Colin Thompson. That was his name. Christ how could I forget that name?”
“Who the hell is Colin Thompson?”
“He was the brains of the whole class. He was miles better than the rest of us. Top of the class in everything. I should think he’s working in the Science Laboratories now.”
Tom shook his head. Larna saw him and said.
“Research labs.”
Again Tom shook his head.
“He isn’t at the Time Laboratories.” Larna said certainly.
“I know he isn’t. He’s not at any of the Labs.”
“Then where is he working?”
“You wouldn’t know would you?”
“Know what?”
“Colin Thompson never got the GEC.”
“What? What happened?” Larna exclaimed with surprise.
“So the story goes, on the night before the last exam the rest of the guys in the class arranged for Colin to go out with a Melissa Maxwell.”
“Melissa Maxwell was the best looking girl in the whole school.”
“Really, anyway, on the date Colin thought he was drinking lemonade or ice water, in fact he was drinking vodka. He was so drunk that he never made it to the last exam and therefore failed the whole course. Not being able to resit it, and the college not believing his reasons for not being at the exam, he dropped out and vanished. No one knows where he is.”
“What about his transportation priority clearance? That’s got to be registered to some address.”
Tom shook his head and turned to walk to the window.
“Checked on that. No Priority Clearance for Colin Thompson.”
Larna shook her head.
“Then what do you want me to do?”
“These people have disappeared over the past couple of weeks, plus a few days. What my investigations turned up was that you and this Colin Thompson are the only people from that class who haven’t gone missing.”
“It’d be impossible for me to go missing.” Larna said under her breath.
“What did you say?” Tom asked, thinking the comment was meant for listening ears.
Larna shook her head.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Tom paced around the flat like a caged lion. Suddenly there was a beep from the communication system on the table beside the sofa. Larna slid across the seats and flipped the lid of the communication system up. The system was like a video telephone. On the screen a voice, hidden by shadows, appeared.
“Larna Fox, you haven’t changed a bit.”
“Who is this? How did you get my number?”
“My names CD Thomas. I work at a place called Sammie’s Television Dream.”
“What has this got to do with me?”
“Someone by the name of Colin Thompson wants to see you.”
Tom, who at first was interested by the conversation, now changed his view and turned to look at Larna talking. Larna did not let on that there was anyone else in the room.
“When does he want to see me?”
“As soon as you can make it. He’s waiting for you right now.”
“Fine, I’ll be down as soon as I can.”
Larna closed the lid of the system and turned to Tom. Tom brushed her aside and flipped the lid back up. He typed in a number and paused. A few seconds later a police officer’s face appeared on the screen.
“Private, this is Commander Tom Aspel. I want you to send a crack team down to Sammie’s Television Dream. I have reason to believe that the person, linked with the disappearances of the sixteen class mates, is waiting there.”
Larna grabbed hold of Tom’s arm and pulled him away from the screen. She shouted at the private.
“Forget that order.” before she slammed the lid down on the system.
Tom pulled his arm away and asked.
“What the hell do you think you are doing? We have got to get this madman before he starts kidnapping more people.”
“Are you even sure that Colin is doing all this? He may just want to get in touch with me so we can sort this thing out together.”
“Why are you protecting him?”
“I’m not protecting him. The guy I remember wears metal rimmed glasses and was a total and complete egghead. He did have guts though.”
“People can change in a very short period of time.”
Larna sighed and walked away. Tom watched her walking towards the door.
“If you’re thinking of leaving, let me tell you something, I’ll arrest you before you get one foot out that door.”
Larna paused and looking at the door frowned. She then smiled. She turned and winked at Tom sexily.
“I wasn’t going to leave, I was going to the bedroom.”
“The bedroom?” Tom asked suspiciously.
“I thought you wanted to have a little bit of fun.”
Larna rubbed her hand up her leg and started to stroke her own breasts through the lining of the shirt. Tom smiled and walked across to her.
“Why the sudden change of heart?”
“I just thought, what better way for you to stop me going to the Television shop than if we were making hot, steamy, passionate love for the next five hours.”
Tom smiled and placed his arm around Larna’s shoulder.
“Sounds heavenly.”
The pair of them walked to the bedroom quickly. Larna paused to close the door letting Tom walk across to the bed. Larna closed the door and pretended to lock it. Instead she pulled the key from the lock and placed it in the palm of her hand. Keeping the key hidden from Tom she turned and said.
“I thought you’d have been getting undressed by now.”
Tom quickly started to undo the buttons of his shirt. Larna stood, her left knee bent slightly, and watched the Commander of Police hurrying to get undressed. Tom noticed that Larna was not undressing.
“Aren’t you getting undressed?” he said while continuing to pull the items of clothing off his body.
“There’s plenty of time for that.”
Larna could not help but giggle at Tom’s out of shape body. Tom stopped when he got down to his underpants. Larna let out a smile and raised her hands as if to take hold of the buttons of the leather shirt. She paused as she saw Tom watching impatiently.
“I’m undressing in front of prying eyes. Turn around.”
“Oh come on.”
“There’ll be plenty of time to see my naked body. Don’t you worry.”
Tom turned around and started to rub his hands.
“I never thought this would happen you know. There have been numerous times I wished it would. But you always said that because I was married, you would never even think about it.”
Larna turned slowly as Tom continued to talk. She pulled the door open quietly and slipped through the tiny crack. She slammed the door shut, making Tom jump. Tom span around and found Larna missing. He ran to the door, but by the time he had got there, Larna had already locked it. Tom smashed his fists into the door and shouted.
“Larna Fox, get back here this instant and open this door.”
“Sorry Tom, but I think you’d better cool off for a while. While you are, I think I’ll go down and see what’s on the television.”
“Don’t you dare set a foot out of this apartment Fox. I’ll have you arrested on sight, you hear me.” Tom paused just in time to here the apartment door slam shut. He smashed his hands into the door and turned around, “I knew that to get to fuck the Fox was too good to be true.”
Larna darted across to the lift and within seconds she was walking out on to the street. She asked the Thala for the STC number of Sammie’s Television Dream to be entered into the display. The Thala, or Time History And Location Analyser searched through the Factual Historical Implants implanted inside Larna’s skull. The Thala was Larna’s lifeline when she was time travelling. It told her about every place that she visited. It could tell her about any person that lived between 1980 and the present day. The Thala also had a function that allowed Larna to find any person on the surface of the planet. And of course it could transport her to any place and time that she wanted via the STC, or Space and Time Co-ordinates, number. The STC number for the television shop was entered into the display on the top of the machine. Larna activated the transportation process with a single thought. She instantly disappeared from outside her apartment block and appeared outside the old television store.
Larna looked at the front display of the shop and saw the pictures flickering on the sets. The sign on the door said closed. Larna looked around the streets, but did not see anything. She had arrived in the New Orleans section of New Arizona. Larna walked across to the door of the shop and took hold of the handle. She pushed it forward and was surprised when the door swung open. Larna peered inside the shop. The only light in the shop came from the flickering light of the television sets. They were all left on. Larna moved through into the shop and made sure that the door was closed behind her. The bell rang when the door had shut. Larna started to watch one of the sets. Suddenly a voice came from the back of the shop.
“I didn’t think you’d come so quickly, not after what happened last time I asked you out.”
Larna looked in the direction the voice came from and replied.
“Well the invitation was very, well, inviting. Colin.”
“My names CD Thomas now.”
“Sorry, Thomas.”
“You’ve done quite well seen as you didn’t get the GEC. What happened to you anyway? I asked you out on the Friday and you never came back.”
“They didn’t tell you anything.”
“No. Nobody knew anything.”
“It all started when we started year 10. You remember, when the girls had to start wearing those very small skirts.”
“Oh yeah, that was a great year.”
“That’s what my foster father thought too. My body was going through a lot of changes at that time. I was fourteen and just starting to develop. He started to make unwanted passes at me. You know the sort of thing, watching me undress, taking my underwear, touching my leg and, er, other places. It all came to a head the weekend after you asked me out. When I got home I told my foster sister about it, my father obviously over heard, because he cornered me in my bedroom the following night. That was Saturday night. He got really mad and started ripped at my clothes. The bastard raped me that night. He locked my bedroom door for the whole of Sunday. Sunday night he came back and tried to start where he had left off the previous night. I pulled away from him after kneeing him in the groin and ran to a wooden chair that I kept my uniform on. I picked the chair up and smacked it over the guy’s head. He slumped to the ground. Apparently the blow to the head had killed the bastard. I had to run because his wife came in and saw what I had done. What about you? The last thing I remember is you being top of the class. Now you’re working in an old television shop.”
“Those bastards tricked me. Got me a date with Melissa Maxwell, remember, the best looking babe in the whole school. They spiked my drink with alcohol of some sort. When I woke up the next morning I found that it was well passed the time for the exam. That was four Erayears ago. Ever since then I’ve been working up to my revenge. Now it has finally come.”
“Where are they?”
CD turned to look at the television sets all around him. Larna saw him looking at the sets. She was hoping that they were not inside them. CD smiled.
“I’ve been working on a device that transports people into television programmes for the past four Erayears. I call it a PTD. Programme Teleportation Device. That’s where they all are. In the television sets, trapped for all time. Everyone seems their face, body, hair ect. only their clothes are simulated to match the programme they are trapped inside. Their world is now the television programme. That’s the only reality for them now.”
“I can’t let you get away with this Thomas.”
“You’ve got no choice. They’re all trapped. You’ll soon be joining them if you want to.”
“There must be a way of getting them out of the sets?”
CD shook his head with a grin. He pulled out what looked like a remote control device for a television set in the 1990’s. He entered a code into the display. Larna watched as the device moved up towards her.
Before CD got the chance to activate the teleporter, Larna did a three hundred and sixty degree spin kick, knocking the teleporter from his hand. The next spin kick hit CD across the face with her left foot. CD crashed into a television set headfirst. Larna turned away as sparks and electricity started to make his body jerk all ways. After a few seconds Thomas slumped to the floor of the shop. Larna checked his pulse quickly. It was no good. He was dead. Larna stayed crouched down beside Thomas.
“Well done Fox, now they are trapped inside the programmes for good.”
The Thala suddenly beeped. Larna activated its operations mode with a quick thought. The Thala then gave Larna a message through her subconscious telepathically.
*** The classmates can still be rescued. Thomas was lying about bringing them out. ***
Larna took hold of the PTD. One of the buttons on it did say home. The Thala continued to explain.
*** You will have to enter the programmes yourself. To return the trapped classmate, the PTD has to be pointed at them and the home button pressed. ***
‘How do I know which programmes they are trapped inside?’ Larna asked.
*** Thomas kept the information on the programme, and the teleporter trapped in a device called a Fact-A-File. This machine will give you all the information that you require on both the programme, the character that you will be, and who the teleporter is. ***
Larna checked Thomas’ pockets. Sure enough, in his right jacket pocket a machine, only about the size of a computer disc in the 1990’s, was situated.
Larna stood up. She looked down at Thomas, then at the television sets, then outside. The longer she waited, the more chance of something-fatal happening to her ex-classmates. She lifted the top of the Fact-A-File and asked for the code number for the first teleporter. A series of numbers was given on the screen. Larna started to tap the number into the remote control. When the whole number had been entered into the display at the top of the remote control Larna pushed the button marked teleport. Suddenly the television shop started to morph away in a whirlpool effect. This was going to be a lot different to time travel.
Larna, on investigating the disappearance of the rest of her old classmates from school, has to teleport inside a television set to rescue them from the revenge plan of CD Thomas.