Chapter 11
Author's note: Sorry for the delay in the update. Writing has been hard for me lately.
Day 398
Aurora and Jim were in the pub.
They exchanged a few more words with Arthur and then went off.
"Shall we get some lunch now?" asked Jim.
"Where shall we go?" asked Aurora.
"What kind of food are you in the mood for?" asked Jim.
"I like all different kinds." said Aurora. "Chinese, Mexican, Thai food, but for right now I'm in the mood for just traditional American food."
"Follow me." said Jim.
Jim then led Aurora to a fancy-looking restaurant that apparently had just regular American food on the menu.
A robot on wheels with standard flexible mechanical arms then approach them.
"Good day passengers." said the robot in a dull mechanical voice. "May I take your order, or would you like drinks to start?"
"I'll have a ginger ale." said Jim.
"I'll have a club soda." said Aurora.
The robot waiter than wheeled away and then Jim and Aurora looked at the menu.
Their food has arrived. And they started eating.
Aurora had again opened up her holographic notepad and activated the voice typing function.
"So, Jim." said Aurora. "What other plans did you have for Homestead 2 when you arrived there?"
Jim paused to think for a moment.
"I like to think that I am a nature guy. I love to go for walks in the woods. I've always been a fan of the bike trails."
"A planet that's still being explored." said Aurora. "Granted after it was seeded with plant life after the planet was terraformed."
"But none the less," said Jim, "the human race created a world. But yet there are still millions of square miles of uncharted land on the continents of Homestead 2; lots of places to explore."
"I'm a big fan of nature too." said Aurora. "But at the same time I don't intend to really stay away from Earth forever. As I have actually purchased a round trip ticket."
"A round trip ticket?" said Jim in disbelief.
"Yep." said Aurora. "That's my plan. I was going to fly to Homestead 2, live there for one year, and then come straight back to Earth."
"I don't get it." said Jim with confusion. "I left Earth for a new life, but you will end up right back where you started?"
"No, I end up in the future." clarified Aurora. "250 years in the future. I will have a story that no one else can write."
"What story?" asked Jim.
"The ultimate story of the ultimate adventure. Mankind's flight to the Stars; it will be the ultimate story that no one else can write."
"But in that new era you won't know any of the people who will be reading it." said Jim.
"But they will be reading it." insisted Aurora adamantly.
She then paused with a face of disappointment. "Or at least they would have been. There's no point in me writing the book now. I won't be alive to witness the appropriate events in order to write the book. I don't know if I will ever write again."
She sighed, "Jim, I don't know what to do anymore? ...We can't get back into hibernation, and we cant break into the secure areas...I'm all out of ideas."
And then looked around the large room in wonder and curiosity.
"What is there to do around here?" asked Aurora.
"Well," said Jim. "We are on a luxury liner. The whole ship is about Recreation. Tell me Aurora, do you like to dance?"
"Occasionally I like to dance." said Aurora.
"Follow me."
Jim then took her to the Hologram dance room in the video arcade.
"It's a dance off with the computer." said Jim.
But suddenly Aurora didn't quite seem so enthusiastic about it. She enjoyed casual dancing at a party, but she was not a very competitive dancer.
"Come on Aurora." said Jim. "It will be fun. Partner mode." he commanded to the computer.
The holographic dancer then split into two and Jim then took his place in front of the male dancer.
"Stand right here." said Jim while he pointed to the spot beside him.
Aurora very tentatively walked up to the spot.
"Now, they are going to dance first, and we have to mimic the exact dance that they did."
The male dancer started to dance. Having a great deal of experience Jim mimicked the exact dance. The female dancer then did another fancy dance wear she then paused and waited for Aurora to do it. But Aurora did not respond.
Is there anything else that we could do?" said Aurora apparently not wanting to do this, but when she took too long to respond, the Hologram's artificial intelligence interpreted her lack of response as a bad duplicate of the dance that it did and then they gave her a thumbs-down telling her that she sucked.
"Hey!" said Aurora reprimanding the hologram. "I'll show you!"
Apparently the harsh criticism from the Holograms motivated her to prove them wrong.
She waited for the Hologram to dance again where she then attempted real hard to repeat the dance. The computer then gave her a score. It wasn't the highest score, but it was better than zero.
For a while they kept dancing with the Holograms, and they bumped into each other, they spun around on one foot and fell to the ground. Always resulting in laughing. Sometimes they beat the dancing Holograms, sometimes they fell short of a high score entirely.
After that they came out of the 'Dance Off' video arcade and they were laughing and sweating as well as exhausted.
"You know what Jim, that wasn't half bad." said Aurora with a smile.
"I'm glad that you enjoyed it Aurora." Said Jim.
He had enjoyed it more than he ever had as he now actually had a partner to dance with.
He took her to the Mexican restaurants where they indulge themselves in the some burritos.
Aurora went to bed with a smile after she bid him goodnight and left for her cabin.
Day 400
Aurora and Jim go to the movies.
Day 402
Aurora and Jim play one-on-one basketball.
Jim had had plenty of practice when playing by himself, but it seemed that Aurora had some skill with the game herself. They're about evenly matched the score usually remaining a tie or close to it.
Day 441
Aurora sat in her cabin in her bathrobe with fresh clean wet hair as she sipped a cup of coffee. She activated her holographic notepad and voice typing function.
"Journal Entry, Aurora Lane." she spoke aloud and the notepad started typing.
"It has been two months since I have woken up. And though it is seeming more and more likely that there is no way back into hibernation and I'm going to die of old age before we reach Homestead 2, ...I am having fun. I am enjoying myself. The ship's recreational facilities are top notch.
"Jim Preston is good company. And I am developing a romantic attraction to him. He's good looking. But I won't initiate anything because I want it to come from him.
"But I still keep hoping for a long-term solution for my situation. I still hold out hope I'll get to Homestead 2 at least before I'm 40.
"End entry."
It was then that the lights in the room began to flicker and then went out. It was about 20 seconds later when the lights came back on.
"There is an electrical malfunction in your area." said the computer. "Attempting to reboot. Please standby. We apologize for the inconvenience."
"What in the world?!" said Aurora out loud.
On the bridge at the diagnostic console a red holographic square appeared saying, 'Utopia Suite'. The word, 'repairing', flashed for a few moments before the diagnostic turned green and then disappeared. While there were several dozen other red Diagnostics over the console that continued to flash 'repairing', but never turned green.
Day 442
Jim and Aurora walked into the pub.
"Hello Arthur." said Jim. "Whiskey please, neat."
"Martini for me." said Aurora.
"Coming right up." said Arthur.
Arthur made the drinks. He served them with napkins and then as always started to polish a glass.
"It really has been fun." said Aurora. "I've been enjoying the ship's recreational facilities."
"And we from the Homestead Company always endeavor to please the customers." said Arthur with a smile.
"Are you just programed to say that?" asked Aurora.
"I will not deny it." said Arthur. "I am programmed to serve the passengers."
"So, tell me about Jim's first year?" said Aurora as she looked at Jim.
"Well," said Jim before Arthur could start, "I woke up from my hibernation pod. The holographic woman in front of me told me that we were nearing Homestead 2 and it was time for me to wake up. They checked my vitals that I was fine and directed me to my cabin. Asked me to check my luggage and gave me some pink electrolyte solution, and then I kinda went to sleep like right away. And I did not at any point realize that I was alone. I guess of course I knew that I was alone but it never really clicked in my head at the time that that would be wrong.
"So the next morning when I was awoken by the ship's alarm clock and then I got ready and went to the classroom for orientation, then I realized that I was alone.
"I ran up and down the hallways, checked the hibernation Bay and everything. When I realized that no one else was awake I realized that something was wrong. I checked the command ring, I checked the Grand Concourse, they directed me to the ship's Steward, everything, and then when I finally went to the ship's Observatory where it then told me that we would arrive at Homestead 2 in about 90 years, that's when I kind of flipped out. I went to the communication room where I sent a message to Earth but they told me that it's not going to arrive for another 19 years and earliest possible reply being 55 years from now, and then they charged my credit card $6,000.
"That was when I met Arthur." said Jim as he then looked at Arthur. "Arthur acted very casual as though there was absolutely nothing weird or unusual about a passenger being awake. At first I didn't immediately realize that he was an Android so I kind of treated him like a human, verbally, but he offered me a whiskey, I decided maybe I could use one and then I realize that he had no legs.
"I tried for months to put myself back in hibernation and break into the command ring but, there was nothing. I was stuck. It was absolutely no way out of this. By lack of imagination from the engineers and scientists that designed this ship and all its systems, they focused so hard on preventing a passenger from every waking up early in the first place that they created no protocol on what to do if one actually did wake up.
"And as I said, I tried for months and I couldn't figure anything out. That's when Arthur suggested that I enjoying myself.
"And then two months ago I randomly saw you walking around The Concourse which was totally a surprise. I immediately realized that your hibernation pod had to have malfunctioned as well."
"One hibernation malfunction would have been surprising enough, but two within a year and three weeks." said Aurora with curiosity. "That seems highly unusual."
Jim's face turn to a plain straight face of caution and attempted to remain composed.
"I'm surprised you didn't go crazy." said Aurora.
"Oh, make no mistake. I went crazy." said Jim. "I walked around the ship naked. I drank excessively. You know, I almost jettisoned myself into space out of an airlock one time. I just couldn't take it anymore but...I got over it.
"I think there was a time. Where I didn't wear pants for about a month."
"7 weeks and 4 days." clarified Arthur. "The man has no shame.
"Well you're a little lacking yourself in that area Arthur." said Aurora.
Both Aurora and Jim laughed at that one where Arthur then put on the confused face or than look down at the mechanical gears that made up his lower torso and below.
"I laugh at the man with no pants, until I realize that I have no legs." said Arthur who then started laughing himself.
Jim and Aurora then laughed even harder.
With a smile on her face from the laughter she then let out a breath.
"For a moment there I forgot that my life was in ruins." said Aurora.
"I'm sorry." said Jim.
"What for?" asked Aurora rhetorically.
"I think all this alcohol has made me a little tired. I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you both tomorrow."
Aurora then walked away.
Once Aurora was out of earshot Arthur then leaned in and whispered to Jim. "She is wonderful. Excellent choice."
Jim still feeling sorry that he had woken her up kept on a serious face of sorrow and regret.
"There has got to be something that I can do to make her life better. Sure, she and I have fun together, but that's not enough. She's a writer. She needs to write. She is trying to write for posterity. Maybe I can help out with that."
Before Jim went to bed he went to his makeshift workshop that he had set up for himself in the cargo hold. He would collect spare parts and bits of scrap metal to put together different kinds of gadgets and things as well as fix the broken robots.
He collected pieces of thin straight silver pieces of metal. He then used a welding torch and soldering iron to fit them together while shaping into them rectangular windows. He created a very tall rectangular prism form while molding it and shaping it to be just right fitting the thin Square pieces of metal together.
After a little while of hard work and mechanical art, he had created a mirror approximate scrap art model of the Chrysler Building in New York City.
In the past 2 months Jim had memorized Aurora's habits. She like to go to the viewing area to look out at the stars every morning.
Day 443
Jim went to the viewing area that he knew that Aurora would go to in the morning. He placed his model Chrysler Building there along with a hot cup of coffee and a holographic notepad and then he typed a message on to it.
A short while later Aurora walked in to look out at the stars where she then notice the little set up. She saw the metal model Chrysler Building along with the cup of coffee and then the message. The message read, "Enjoy the view and write for me."
Aurora had always said for her that if she had a view of the Chrysler Building and a cup of coffee she could write all day.
How did Jim know that? Thought Aurora. Obviously he must have been reading her work.
She was flattered of course but she didn't know if he had read her work or not.
Jim had put the finishing touches on the malfunctioned robot in front of him. It was a small vacuum cleaner robot that was supposed to just pick up little bits that it could find on the floor. He had disconnected its connection to the ship's computer which had already malfunctioned on it's own, and established its connection just to his makeshift remote control that he had created. Along with a live camera feed. He fit the robot with a robotic arm in a hidden compartment along with a note and a pen. He was going to do what he wanted all along. Jim felt that it was time and that there was little point to waiting any longer. At this point, she either likes him or she doesn't, she will either answer yes to his question now or she never will ever.
Watching the live camera feed on the screen in front of him he controlled the robot to go to the observation area.
When the robot got there, Aurora at the little robot with the camera that had been mounted on top of it.
"Hello." said Aurora with a smile.
Jim then touched the button that triggered the robots robotic arm to hold out the Note.
Aurora took the note and read it. The note read, "Dinner Tonight?"
"Is he asking me on a date?" Aurora asked the robot.
Jim then had the robot shake its camera up and down in the form of an odd.
"Need a pen?" asked Jim as he then touched another button to have the robot present a pen.
She wrote a reply on the piece of paper, and then handed it back to the robot. The robotic arm then pulled the piece of paper back into the small compartment on its front. She started to sip her coffee again and turned her attention back to the window looking out at the stars.
Jim remotely steered the robot all the way back to where he was, and then he took the piece of paper and read it.
The reply was, "Love to."
"She wrote, love to." said Jim in excitement towards the robot.
A guy was always excited when a girl says yes.
Jim then went to the clothing store on the Grand Concourse. There was of course no person behind the cash register, so he just started looking through the racks and shelves of different kinds of clothes. He found himself a fancy-looking suit. He tried it on and then looked in the mirror.
"I am looking snazzy." said Jim. "Yes, Aurora is going to love this."
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