“Crap.” Shauna pulled back on the stick and pressed a button. The skycar shot out of the line of descent and flew up at an alarming rate. Mike was slammed back into his seat, his head hitting the headrest. Horns and sirens blared at the abrupt maneuver and other skycars slipped sideways and moved up and down to get out of her way. “Guardians. They honed in on our GPS. I thought I’d put the invisi shield on to hide us. Crappy old car,” she complained.
“Pull your vehicle over. Now,” a voice ordered over a hidden speaker inside the skycar.
Mike jumped, not expecting to hear voices inside the skycar.
“Not on your life, buddy,” Shauna muttered. “Hold on, Mike, we’re leaving Chicago.” She pressed a series of buttons and the skycar flew up like a rocket. The Global Guardians followed but Shauna flew like she’d had aerobatic lessons.
Mike’s stomach lurched into his throat. Goddamnit, he thought. Not again. What’s with these supersonic maneuvers? First elevators, now flying cars. He felt the bile rising and ordered himself not to throw up. He choked back the sour taste and held his breath. His face felt as if it’d been stretched flat. When Shauna leveled out she punched more buttons and the vehicle raced through the gray sky.
“Skycar 43,000, you are under arrest for disobeying a direct order to pull over,” the Global Guardians pursuing them said over the internal speaker. “Land your vehicle now or we will have to take direct action.”
Mike choked back the bile and wished for some cool water. He released his breath slowly. Too fast and he just might toss his cookies again. Shauna glanced at him, flipped a switch and a glove compartment type of storage area opened. An old-fashioned plastic bottle of water lay on its side and Mike gratefully grabbed it. He gulped a few swallows and felt better. “Thank you.” After wiping his mouth with a napkin made of some strange material that whisked away the moisture, dried and went back to its original shape, he looked at Shauna. A muscle jumped in her jaw, her mouth was set in a firm line and her eyes were narrowed to slits. “What happens if we pull over?”
“We’re shot with modern-day tasers, which hurt like hell, beaten to a bloody pulp, taken to some dark cell deep in the bowels of a nonexistent jail and left to die.”
“Oh. I vote for running for our lives.”
Shauna laughed. “Most men wouldn’t find humor in a tough situation.”
“I’m not most men,” Mike said. “Although I feel pretty average right now with my stomach threatening to erupt at any second like Mount Vesuvius.”
Shauna glanced at her rearview mirror. “The Guardians are gaining. There’s a barf bag in the glove box. Better grab it. We’re in for a bumpy ride.” She flew the skycar into open space and pushed the throttles all the way forward. “Sorry for this.”
“For what?”
“This.” She pushed a button and a clanging sounded inside the vehicle. The skycar shot forward and upward at supersonic speed.
“Warning. Warning. Excess speed. Slow the vehicle,” a mechanical voice droned.
The car thrust forward with such alarming speed that Mike was pinned to the back of his seat again. “Oh, God.” Mike buried his face in the bag and lost the contents of his stomach. Some of the vomit missed and sprayed onto his shirt. He was surprised he had anything left to throw up.
Shauna flew erratically. She dodged and ducked, slowed and sped up. “Thank goodness I took that high-speed racing course last year. That was a kick.”
“Yeah, sure.” Mike closed his eyes and prayed for deliverance.
After a few minutes to settle his stomach, Mike took the funny napkin, poured water from the bottle on it and cleaned himself up the best he could. When he finished, the napkin wobbled and shifted in his hand then was clean and dry.
“We’re losing them!” Shauna used her side, rear and internal mirrors and watched her instruments. She made a sharp U-turn and sped by the astonished Global Guardians. Then she dived the skycar and flew it just above the ground. “It’s slower down here but safer. Even today radar can’t track us because of the high volume of traffic.”
“Great,” Mike said. He held on to the bars placed at the top of the window.
“We still have the GPS to worry about.” Shauna abruptly landed the skycar. She pulled into a decrepit parking garage and parked. “Let’s get out of here.” They grabbed their belongings and lost themselves among the people wandering the streets. She spotted an unused hover scooter and hopped on. “Come on, Forrester get behind me.”
“This is the second time you’ve taken a scooter. Isn’t this stealing?” Mike asked.
“No. Every hover scooter is up for grabs, literally. They’re provided by the four Corporations free to the masses so we can get around. Anyone can take them and leave them at another hover scooter drop-off point.”
“Oh. Where are we going?”
“I know someone who’ll let us use his apartment for a short while. He’s out of town right now.” She drove to a beige skyscraper and parked the hover scooter at the drop-off point in front of the building. They took the elevator to the fiftieth floor.
As they rode up Mike said, “Thank goodness. A normal elevator. I’m not sure I’m ready for the pace of this time.”
Shauna studied his appearance. Mike was embarrassed. His clothes were dirty and he smelled. He’d always prided himself on his cleanliness and twice he’d thrown up in the space of a few hours.
“Another shower is in store for you. George is about your size. We’ll borrow some clothes, leave a pre-paid card and a note. He’ll be fine with it.”
“Whose clothes did I ruin?”
“My father’s.”
Mike stopped in his tracks. “The same one who was dead but now isn’t?”
“The very same.” A pinched look crossed Shauna’s face. “God, I hope they’re really alive, I don’t think I can grieve for them again.”
They reached the apartment. Shauna said, “Door open, 5406.” The door silently slid open and Mike whistled.
“Wow, neat trick.”
“Most doors are automatic or voice-activated. We have codes to lock them.” She threw a duffle bag on an entry table and said, “Heat on, temp seventy-five degrees.”
A whoosh sounded and Mike felt warmth surround him. “This is amazing. Is it central heat?”
“It’s a combination of central heating and radiant heat. Don’t ask, I’m not really sure how it works. I grew up with it and it’s just there. The shower’s in the back, through that door.” Shauna pointed behind her. “I’ll get you some more clothes.”
Mike stepped into the bathroom but this one was vastly different from the one in Shauna’s apartment. When he entered the bathroom a light automatically blinked on. Silver sinks of some new metal were sunken in an opaque cream-colored cabinet of some plastic material. At least he thought it was plastic. He saw no showerhead sticking out of the wall, no knobs to turn on water but a square space was set apart from the toilet and sinks and riddled with holes on the ceiling and three walls. A window over the possible shower area let in fresh air but was closed at the moment. Baffled, Mike turned in circles trying to figure out how to turn on the shower.
He stripped off the dirty shirt and pants and left them in a pile on the floor. That was some strange material too. It looked slippery, had veins of cream and blue color running through it. But with his bare feet he could feel that it was some kind of material that gripped so a person wouldn’t slip on a wet floor.
He rummaged through the medicine cabinet and found what looked like a wrapped toothbrush. He didn’t know how to open the package at first but soon figured it out. The toothbrush had toothpaste on it. He brought it to his lips and it began to hum and vibrate. He couldn’t help grinning at the device. It pulsed and hummed until he moved his hand away to look at it more closely. It stopped humming and quit moving. He brought it back to his mouth and it started moving again. Well, I’ll be. He scrubbed his teeth to get rid of the bad taste in his mouth. Since there were no knobs for the sink he
placed his hands under the faucet and warm water poured out of it. He rinsed his mouth and felt like a new man.
“Here are some—” Shauna stopped dead in her tracks. “Why aren’t you in the shower?”
Mike felt her eyes rake his body. He wore only his boxers. Once again he reacted powerfully to her desire-filled eyes and hardened instantly. “Quit looking at me like that,” he croaked. “You look like you want to devour me—not that I mind.”
“I…I… Why aren’t you wet?” Shauna’s hand flew to her mouth.
Mike laughed and moved toward her. When they were eye to eye he placed both of his hands on her neck and slid them up to cup her face. Her eyes widened, then she looked down. He chuckled and her eyes flew back to his face. “Do you want to shower with me?” He’d lowered his voice to a whisper. Shauna tried to step away but he pulled her closer. He watched her lick her lips and knew he could drown in that sexy tongue. Wrapping one arm around her he pulled her close. Their bodies fit perfectly. Mike felt as if they were suctioned together where they touched.
He ran a hand down her neck and over her shoulder to her small waist. At first she stared into his eyes but then she watched his hand caress down her arm. Mike shifted his hips so he could fit his hardness between her jeans-clad legs. They both moaned. “God, Shauna. You excite me like no woman has ever done before.” He caressed her waist and moved slowly up to her breast. Mike felt her heart thudding and little breaths puffed out of her mouth.
“It doesn’t take much to arouse you, it seems.” The sharp words belied her body’s reaction. She moved closer to him and her arms circled his neck. “I’m not one to ignore an invitation.”
Mike lowered his head. Mouth to mouth, lips almost touching, he smelled the earthy scent that aroused him. “Kiss me,” he demanded. Before she could answer he lowered his head and kissed her full, luscious lips. Need pulsed through him. He pulled her even closer and wrapped both of his arms around her. But that still wasn’t enough. He thrust his tongue inside her mouth and their tongues danced erotically.
Shauna’s body softened against his as she molded herself to him. He rubbed her backside, his hands roaming around her tight bottom. Desire raged through him and all he could think about was getting her undressed. He pulled her closer stepping backward. He needed her naked, fused to his hot skin. “Take a shower with me,” he murmured next to her ear. “I want to see you naked.” He licked the shell and lightly blew in the center.
“Okay. Shower on.”
A blast of cold water sluiced down on them. Water poured from holes all around the square enclosure. Mike jumped away from Shauna sputtering, “What the hell? Why’d you do that?”
Shauna laughed a lilting, deep throated sound of delight. “Because, you asked me to.”
Water poured on them from three walls and the ceiling but it began to warm. Mike hadn’t noticed a clear, plastic-type barrier come up from the floor to enclose them on the fourth side. It kept the water from spraying into the rest of the bathroom. He rubbed his hair off his face and looked at their sorry appearances. “Well, you’re dripping wet and fully clothed and I’m soaked and almost naked. I’d say we’ve had one hell of a first meeting.”
Shauna burst into laughter. “Forrester, you’re great. Quick to catch on, not quick to panic in an emergency but too quick to throw up at the first sign of speed. I’ll have to cure you of that little problem.”
Mike threw back his head and laughed. “I like you, Wentworth. You’re a no-nonsense, fast thinking fugitive and you look like a drowned beauty queen right now. Nothing I’d like more than to dry you off with some good old-fashioned body heat. Wanna give it a try?”
“No.” Shauna stepped out of the shower. “You clean up, I’ll dry off by myself,” she raised her eyebrows at him, “and then we can regroup. We have some time. No one will expect us to come here.”
“Where are we, anyway?”
“At my brother’s apartment. He’s in Australia on assignment for the global newspaper, Worldwide. He’s a reporter.”
“But what state are we in?”
“Besides being in a state of confusion, we’re actually in California. Didn’t you see the sun when we landed?”
“No. All these cities look the same. Tall, gray, brown and tan buildings that block out any bit of sunshine. How does a person breathe here?”
“Oh, we have no emissions, our air is pure. Has been for over sixty years.” Shauna tweaked Mike’s cheek. “You just have to learn to look up. That’s where the sunshine is.”
* * * * *
The black and white plastic chairs creaked when Mike sat down. He placed his Venti double-shot cappuccino on the bistro table. The table leaned toward him, rocking the cup and causing some of the precious liquid to slop over the side. Mike wiped it up with one of the funny napkins that he was beginning to like. As soon as the spill was mopped up the napkin became dry again. Nice. “Starbucks. At least something survived.”
“Not just Starbucks. World Starbucks. They’re the only coffee shop allowed anywhere in the world. I wonder why they even have signs up. Nowadays we only need to see the word coffee and know it’s a Starbucks. Oh well.” Shauna shook her head.
They’d come downstairs after their showers and grabbed a couple of coffees and a digital newspaper. “Newspapers as you know them don’t exist anymore,” Shauna told him. Trees aren’t cut down to make them. Buildings are brick and an industrial plastic, chemically fortified to survive natural disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes.” Shauna placed a one-inch disk inside her tiny portable device and scanned the news.
“Anything interesting?” Mike asked. He really didn’t care. He sat at a Starbucks table in Los Angeles, California and for all he knew he could still be in New York. If it weren’t for the warmer weather, he’d not know the difference. This century fascinated him and he wanted to see and learn all he could about it.
“Nothing we can’t handle. There’s a front page article and picture about two fugitives from New York. A man and a woman. Here, read it for yourself.” She handed him the device.
“How does this gadget work?” Mike had always liked electronics.
Shauna took a gulp of coffee and a bite of some pastry. She leaned across the table and pushed a spot on the black box. A holographic screen emerged above the box. Mike gasped. The four by six picture was clear and crisp and he stared at Shauna and himself sitting next to each other in her skycar. “How’d the Global Guardians get a picture like that?”
“Oh, every skycar has cameras in it, for our protection you know,” Shauna snorted. “All they had to do was push a remote button and voilà. We do look good together, don’t we?”
“How can you say there’s nothing we can’t handle with so little concern? For God’s sake, Shauna, we’re front page news!” Mike glanced around, fearful that people were already looking at them. No one paid them any attention.
Shauna leaned across the table. She shook Mike’s hand to get his full attention. “I know we can handle this because no one is going to call the Global Guardians if they see us. Everyone hates them. If anything, they’ll come to our aid. Hide us, feed us, give us anything we need. Now relax. Enjoy your coffee. How is it, by the way?”
Mike frowned at his cup. The style was the same, even if it wasn’t made out of paper. The logo was the same except for the addition of the world behind the familiar green name. “The coffee’s the same as I remember. Thankfully. But where do we get real food? I’m starving, now that my stomach has settled from Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.”
“Huh?”
“It was a children’s ride at an amusement park when I grew up. Disneyland.” At Shauna’s quizzical expression Mike added, “Never mind.”
“Well, drink up. Then we’ll go to the supermarket.” Mike gulped his coffee and was about to put the cup in the recycle bin when he heard Shauna say, “Uh-oh.”
He glanced behind him and saw two men in bright green uniforms come around the corner. “Global Guardians. Let’s
go.” He casually got up and took Shauna by her arm. They started to leave when the Guardians looked at them. Before they could get a good look at their faces, Mike pulled Shauna to him and kissed her. He heard a few people mutter about indecency but no one said anything outright.
The kiss started out as a ruse but soon became passionate. Mike never noticed when the Guardians passed them going into the coffee shop. He pulled Shauna closer but a man coughed right next to them. “Better get moving, buddy. Don’t want the Guardians to see you.”
Mike ended the kiss and looked at the man. Early forties, he had the look of a computer nerd. “Thank you for the heads-up.” Linking their fingers together, Mike pulled Shauna down the street, walking like young lovers on holiday would.
They rounded a corner and began to run. People stared at them and a few whispered, “You go, we’re with you.”
No one tried to stop them.
* * * * *
Shauna stepped into the supermarket. Ralphs. The name had survived for over two hundred years.
“Amazing,” Mike said as he glanced around the huge interior. “But nothing looks like twenty-first century supermarkets.”
Shauna walked through a metal detector-type machine. It blew out of puff of air, beeped and said in a mechanical voice, “You may proceed.”
Mike followed with the same result. “What’s that machine checking?”
“For anything that can be used to carry out stolen groceries. There’s a food shortage. The United States has over five hundred million people alone. Farmers are ordered to grow what they’re told by the Fearsome Foursome and if they grow something not on their approved list, they’re jailed and fined.”
“Jesus. What a world. I think I like mine better.”
“I know I like yours better. That’s why I was there. I wanted to test my latest software and chose my favorite time period. Although, things are a little slow there. And the smog from your combustion engines irritates me.”
“Yeah. Me too.” Shauna grabbed some frozen vegetables, dried beans, whole wheat bread and coffee. She looked at the fresh vegetables but found them picked over and spoiled. She gasped with delight at a fully intact cantaloupe and hugged it to her chest.
No Future Christmas Page 3
