"Would I have the time? I can't go dressed like this!" I lamented to most of the Programmable Darling Patrol members.
They were in the front lobby room and just returned to the headquarters this evening. They were dressed formally and looked to be ready for a party I nearly forgot about. Here they were, wearing gowns and suits that were elegant with a space age flair to them while I was just wearing a T-shirt and jeans. "Besides, would I be allowed to?" I asked.
It was the evening before Valencia's debut party. I knew it was coming up quickly over the past few days. Valencia was eager to remind me, but I spent much of my time training and resting from it while trying to learn more about this world that inevitably some things just got pushed to the back of my mind.
"As a new OS, you shouldn't be public about it until you completed your basic training to keep you from being an easy target for destructive malware." Piper warned me. "However, we could get you in as a VIP guest and you can join us." Piper cheerfully said, almost looking like she was scheming something. She was wearing a sky blue, pale blue and light yellow gown; the bodice of her gown was light yellow with blue trim down the middle with white buttons, and white trim with blue polka dots along the top and bottom.
The sleeves of her gown were spherical with cuffs in a shade of sky blue that matched her hair color and had white lace. She wore short white gloves that had blue bows on them, and wore her hair tied in a ponytail, and had a white and blue polka-dotted bow on the top of her head. She had round light yellow earrings.
Her skirt had two layers; the top layer was round and projected out like the sleeves. It looked to be made of the same shiny reflective material as the sleeves. The shape of it was like a miniature hoop skirt. It had white trim with blue polka dots at the bottom, and along the bottom were a sky blue flower and white polka dot pattern. The skirt layer underneath was white with blue trim, and she wore blue boots.
"What if someone asks me about my skillset?" I asked, knowing that I would stand out if I was seen with them. "Would they assume I'm an OS?"
Piper thought over her answer for a few moments before she eagerly answered "More of the team will also be coming with, and you could blend in with them. Other people at the event won't know if you're an OS, an Engineer, Developer, Maintainer or anything else and they shouldn't even be thinking about that, you know? Valencia will be the star of the show!"
"Well, that takes some of the pressure off, but I still need something formal if I'm going to go to this. I nearly forgot, and I feel like a bad teammate." I said with guilt in my voice.
"I'm sure Valencia will be glad to see you make it to her debut, or know that you wanted to show up." Polyxena assured me. She was wearing a three layered sleeveless slate blue gown with dark gray lace on each layer with dark gray boots and long dark gray gloves that had slate blue cuffs. Light blue vertical pinstripes ran along the bodice of her gown, which also had dark gray buttons, and dark gray lace along the collar and hem. It had light blue shoulder straps.
The top skirt layer was also round and projected out a bit, and it was light blue with a row of slate blue 10-pointed star motifs along the bottom of it. The lower skirt layer was also slate blue with dark gray trim. She wore round orange earrings, and wore a necklace that had a metal flower pendant with orange jewels.
"You've had to go through a lot more since you used to be human and she knows that." She said.
I smiled, but yawned. "I'll need to rest again, but could we easily get something for me before we leave for her debut?" I asked, sounding half-awake. Piper looked like she was scheming another thing after my question. She chuckled.
"Hey Juna, could we call Merete and ask her to slow down time around us to go shopping?" She asked. Piper sounded like she was half-joking but Juna looked like she was seriously thinking over the question, the logistics, the feasibility of it.
"This would usually be a frivolous use of her power, but this time it would help us for a good reason." Juna told her. She was wearing a simple, single-layered sleeveless gray gown that had black trim. She wore black gloves that reached just past her elbows, and she wore a simple slate blue shawl over her gown and the shawl had her seashell brooch pinned to it. Her hair was tied in a bun and on the sides of her hair she had metal hair clips that resembled seashells and had red ribbons trailing them, and she wore simple white pearl earrings, and wore black dress shoes.
"Thanks for asking." I said.
Juna nodded to me, and headed to the kitchen to make a video call. After about 10 minutes, she returned to the front lobby room where Piper, Polyxena and I still were, and explained to us what Merete told her.
"Merete agreed to it but how long she can use it is based on the distance she'd need to slow down time around us. The further away, the less time she can use it for. She can reach this area for about 30 minutes real time." She explained.
"That should be enough time but I wonder how far away she is." I said. The map I saw of Techlandia was still on the table.
I curiously looked at it again to see where The Bell Tower was in relation to The Ship Deck. On the map they are neighboring sectors with the Bell Tower to the southwest of The Ship Deck, but the distance between the Programmable Darling Patrol headquarters and The Awks’ headquarters still looked to be far away.
If Merete can slow down time over that distance for even a few minutes I could only imagine how much longer she could use that ability in real-time in combat! With that power could she be unstoppable but just choose to use her power for the greater good?
Merete seemed pretty humble though, and not someone who’d misuse her power. If she’s not much of a combatant, she might use that power to extend the time she has for research when she or her team are up against deadlines. Dang… I could’ve used a power like that when I was in college! That could’ve spared me sleepless nights of studying!
"Are you ready?" Juna asked me. It took a few moments for me to respond.
"Yes... I was just thinking about something but I'm ready."
"Very well." She smiled. "She told me she's going to use it in a few minutes. You'll know when it happens."
Just a few moments after she said it, I felt like everything around me was slowing down. I moved my hands around to see and feel if my own movements were also slowing down.
"Do you feel any different?" Phuong asked. She was wearing a red sleeveless gown with black straps, and a metallic light red belt with white circular rivets on it. It had black trim along the neckline, and on the edges of the bodice and skirt, and a few light red buttons down the middle that each had black bows. The black trim on her dress and gloves had a white polka-dotted pattern on it, and the white headband she wore had a black polka-dotted pattern on it. She wore a white beaded necklace with dangling white flower-shaped earrings, long white gloves with black cuffs and yellow buttons, and she wore black tights with red dress shoes.
"I do." I said.
"It'll take some getting used to." She said. She was right. I needed to sit down, but I knew I couldn't for long. I stumbled my way to one of the couches and nearly fell over, but slumped down and propped my arms along one of the arms of the couch.
After what may have been a couple of minutes, I felt ready to stand up again. Juna approached me, and picked up a card that was part of a keychain from the front lobby table.
"Are you ready?" She asked.
"Ready enough." I said and stood up. I followed her to the garage.
The garage also looked quite rustic but it was large and well-maintained, presumably with enough space for the OSes' cars, and the cars of the Developers and Engineers that also lived here. Juna turned on the lights and I saw several cars that looked not unlike the cars I've seen though more rounded. There looked to be an area for the Developers' and Engineers' cars, and there was another section with just three cars.
I looked at the smaller section. One of the cars was two-toned blue and white, with blue on the top and white on the bottom with metallic trim. It reminded me of my former family's 1955 Bel Air, but if it was a bit rounder and didn’t have wheels yet was in better shape. It looked to be spotless.
It's not like I'm going to see them again but I had some good memories riding in that car on family trips before our estrangement, and more recent memories of my dad being sure that he could fix it up and it'd be a collector's car years into the future.
"That’s Piper's." Juna said, noticing that I was glancing at it.
I glanced at the other two; another of the cars had a two-tone red and orange sunburst paint job and had a larger build that was similar to 1960's cars. "Let me guess. Is this one Etta's and Piroska's?" I chuckled and asked.
"Yes. Piroska wanted it red, Etta wanted it orange so they went for both."
Juna's car had to be the last one. It was more compact and had a glossy black paint job with metallic trim. Before I could ask how we could take any of these cars to go shopping when they were missing their wheels, she put the card which I realized was a key card along the driver’s door and it opened.
She entered the driver's seat, and after a few more moments, the headlights turned on. I was still confused but after a few more moments, the car started to levitate about a foot off the ground.
"Get in." She said. She looked confused towards me while my mouth was agape over what I was seeing.
"A real life hover car?!" I spat out, astonished. Piper only said there weren't any flying cars, not that there aren't hover cars.
"Yes. They’re normal here but it seems they still haven’t caught on in the Human World."
"Not in real life, but this is amazing! This is like what I could only see on TV!" I said, and I carefully but excitedly opened the passenger door and climbed into the seat. The interior was gray with black trim, and the controls looked somewhat familiar; there was a control stick and a wheel, slots and dials on the control panel, but there was an embedded screen that took up a large portion of the control panel.
I was excited at getting the chance to drive a hover car with high-tech controls, but dreaded the thought of having to re-take driver's education classes.
Some things are still the same as in the Human World; it was difficult to find an open space in the parking lot in front of the mall. We found one along the far end of the lot, but fortunately we weren’t rushing for time
I didn't have much time to look at everything around me in the mall, but that was because Juna was quickly walking ahead and I needed to catch up. The mall was spacious and well-lit, and I saw neon lights in different colors near the store fronts and in the glimpses I could catch of some stores through their open doors and display windows.
Juna seemed to know this place like it was the back of her hand; she was making a beeline towards a clothing store that had a couple of suits in one display window, and a couple of gowns in the other display window on the other side of the door.
She didn't miss a step when she was walking in that gown and those dress shoes, but she was still dressed somewhat practically to run an errand under a strict time limit; the hem of her skirt was just above the tops of her feet and she wasn't wearing high-heels or platform boots!
"Do you need help finding something?" A shopkeeper asked, who was clearly looking at me in my jeans, T-shirt and sneakers.
"Yes. I'm looking for a suit that'll fit me, but I'm in a hurry." I told the shopkeeper.
She nodded and picked up a device, walked up to me and pointed it at me. It reminded me of a Tricorder from Star Trek, and it shone a green light. "What is this?" I asked.
"I'm taking your measurements." The shopkeeper said. So, that device was scanning me! She brought the device in front of herself and looked at something on it. "There are several color and pattern options already in stock that fit your measurements." She helpfully said, and projected a holographic screen that showed each of the options. This was a large store, so seeing everything in stock that fit like a catalogue in front of me was very convenient.
There was a black and white suit, which looked not unlike a tuxedo. I considered immediately choosing that one, but the next one I saw was gray with had red criss-crossing stripes on it with black buttons, black shoulder straps, a black shirt and a red tie. The stripes on the suit were a shade of red that's noticeable from a distance but not too much. It felt just right to me.
Before I was going to choose it, I curiously looked through the other options and was taken aback by some of them. I didn't mind color or patterns on my suit; the suit that I was considering now had them, but some of these other options were just too bold and I didn't feel like they suited me, no pun intended. Several of them were just as over-the-top here as in the human world, in some ways that were familiar and others in new ways!
The pastel options like the mint green suit with a forest green shirt, a light red suit with a purple tie, and a sky blue suit with a white shirt and blue tie were restrained in comparison to others that I saw. They were solid colors or had subtle patterns on the suit, shirt or tie. One of the most in-your-face solid-colored suits was a bright chartreuse with an orange shirt and red checkered tie, and the suit had reflective stripes down the sleeves and pant legs.
Metallic reflective stripes were quite common, but some jackets and trousers were entirely metallic too. I may have considered a metallic suit in silver or gray, but I didn't see those options in stock. However, I saw a metallic mustard yellow suit with an orange shirt. There were also one-piece suits in a pattern, were two-toned or in a solid color. Many of those colors were bright. The one-piece suits also had metallic belts around them.
I looked at my first choice again and decided to buy it. "I'd like this one, please." I said, pointing to that suit on the screen.
The shopkeeper helpfully brought it out for me to see for myself. It looked just right. She told me the total, and Juna brought out a card to pay for it. The shopkeeper scanned the card and entered some details on a screen which I assumed were just to process the payment.
"It disappeared! Is this a glitch?!" I loudly asked. The suit that I bought though with Juna's money, disappeared in front of me!
The shopkeeper and any other shoppers within earshot looked confused. "Are you new to Techlandia?" She asked.
"Yes. I arrived from the human world very recently but chose to stay here." I explained. The shopkeeper looked excited.
"So cool! You might've been the first person I met from the Human World!" She said. "The suit was added to your inventory."
I remembered now. When I was given the outfit I'm wearing now, it was added to my inventory. I brought up my status screen though it still took a few moments to focus enough for it to appear. When I saw it, I thought about how it was another thing that felt like it was right out of a sci-fi movie or show that predicted the future but here it was right in front of me.
The default screen listed the date and time, and as I looked at the "Outfits" option I saw a description of one that matched what I bought. That answered my question but raised me another one, but I waited to ask until Juna and I were back at her hover car.
We had some time to look around other parts of the mall before we left. We weren't in that much of a rush, though it was still on our minds to not take too long because Merete slowed down time for us.
"Do you have something on your mind?" Juna glanced at me while she was driving; she could see my expression in the front view mirror.
"Yeah... I was too embarrassed to ask it when we were still in the mall, but can we still use tools and clothes that aren’t... you know... listed in our inventories?: I asked.
"Yes. Registering items lets you immediately access them." She explained, fortunately without judgment. It reminded me that when I began training as a Mage, I'll register my weapon in my inventory. Destructive malware don't fight fair, so any delay in being prepared against them would just make us easy targets.
We were quickly greeted when we returned home, and I showed off the suit that we bought. During the conversation, I briefly felt disoriented again and it was noticeable.
"Is time back to normal?" I asked. The others confirmed it and I looked at a clock on the wall. Although I still couldn't convert the time on the clocks to Earth time, it was clear from the numbers that very little time actually passed. Time was slowed down for just as long as Juna and I needed for that shopping trip.
"Was this an overuse of Merete's powers or what she uses to slow down time?" I asked.
"Perhaps, but wasn't it fun?" Piper cheerfully asked.
"It was nice not needing to stress over shopping." I said.
The others were impressed by the suit that I picked, and when I was ready to retire for the night, I went to my room and switched to pajamas that were in the dresser.
During the next morning, I immediately switched to my new suit when I got out of bed and headed to the front lobby where everyone else was ready. It was earlier than I was usually getting up since we needed to get there early.
The Developers already left; their hover cars were absent from the garage as was Piroska's and Etta's hover car. Valencia, Piroska and Olympia might've left with them earlier since I didn't see her this morning.
Piper, Piritta, Phuong and Etta went to Piper's car. Polyxena, Juna and I went to Juna's car.
After several blocks, we arrived into a large parking lot that was shaded on the sides by several trees. The sign at the front of the parking lot listed that the building was a hotel. Ahead past the parking lot was a walkway leading to the hotel; a large brick building with large metal sculptures to the side, and a fountain in front of it. When we walked along the walkway, I looked down at it and noticed that it was lined with lights to light up the path, but they weren't on at this time.
Piritta opened the double front doors for us and we entered the building.
"Thank you." I thanked her. We immediately arrived in the front lobby. I went to look at the signs, but Etta approached me and told me that the rest of the group was heading to the conference area.
"We've been here before for other events." She said, and walked towards the rest of the group, catching up with them. I quickly followed along, and it was easy to catch up with the rest of the group. There weren't many other guests yet.
