Time Heist: A Paradox of Time Prequel Novella
Page 7
She opened a drawer and checked several packages, lifting one out. She smiled slightly as she handed it to Eric.
It was around the size of a tissue box and wrapped in blue paper. Its value was nowhere near apparent at first glance.
Eric looked it over when he received it. “Thank you,” he said. “You have a good day, ma’am.”
He gave her a wink and walked back out onto the street.
As he walked out, he couldn’t resist a grin of triumph. He knew he should take the box somewhere safe. He’d spent most of his money on the contents, but he couldn’t resist. Eric found an isolated place further up the street where no one would disturb him, and tore open the box. Inside, he found what he’d ordered.
The item that stole his attention was the TSAI 40. It stood for Temporal Space Artificial Intelligence. 40 was the model number.
It looked much like a watch, though slightly larger, but it was not. It was rarer still to find these time-enabled. The technology was practically unheard of outside of military intelligence circles.
If it had the full capabilities its seller had claimed, Eric now had the ability to travel in time without the Equinox’s temporal drive. It had a limited range, of course, but it was one of the most powerful objects you could possess.
The small object remaining in the box would only enhance its capabilities. He carefully removed the soft packaging around it and clipped it into place on his TSAI 40. Then, he put the TSAI 40 on and examined how it looked on his wrist. It seemed secure; it wasn’t going to drop off on its own. He knew its AI should accept commands, and he looked forward to testing it out.
The object, a Holographic Matrix Projector, would let him alter his physical appearance, so he could appear as someone else. It used holographic technology, and didn’t actually change him, but it would allow him to disappear into a crowd or appear as anyone of a similar or larger build.
With these items together, he could practically become a ghost. A time-travelling ghost with the world at his fingertips. He’d take that over the money any day, and with his role aboard the Equinox, Eric knew he had some fun and interesting times ahead.
Mara Amberly is an author of time travel and space opera sci-fi, and epic and urban fantasy. She's a trained journalist, editor and web developer, and she has also written roleplaying game content for a popular tabletop RPG.
She works as an author and graphic designer, and lives in Ireland with her husband.
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