Note: As I don't really know what the computer terms are for time, whether
it's nanoseconds or microseconds, I'm going to do a simpler time scale in
this story- the one we use. I'm not going to get too exact about it since
it just confuses me, so bear with me people.
Also I'm going to try to be factual here, even though I don't even know if I'm correct. This story first takes place just before turn of the millennium during the year 1999. Now if I'm correct, the medieval period took place during the year 1000. (For those who don't know, the medieval period is that time where there are castles, lords, knights, peasants, etc. etc.) If I'm wrong in some of the time periods, I'm sorry! I think I'm right though, I don't know. Also, even though I'm TRYING to be factual, there is plenty of fiction to overlap the stuff I don't know for sure. Also to make things more interesting. Oh well, sue me. ;-)
Now on with the story---
Bob was beginning to feel a bit strange knowing that the New Year was rolling just around the corner. People were hanging up decorations and going out to buy streamers and hats. Dot had even decorated her diner to look festive. The year 2000 was just a couple of minutes away. Enzo was especially excited. He and Frisket were jumping around, impatiently waiting for the midnight hour to come.
AndrAIa and Mouse were busy trying to cook something special for the millennium dinner while Dot tried to finish up on last minute things at the PO. Cecil was given the day off so he left for home without even saying good-bye. There were several binomes waiting around to start the countdown, eager to begin. More binomes were streaming in for the party.
"Okay, now you add a pint of chips---" AndrAIa was saying.
Mouse looked up from the huge pot she was stirring. "A pint? Sugah, it can't be a pint! Let me see that!" She snatched the recipe away. "Honey, it says a quart!"
"Okay then---" AndrAIa started rummaging through the cabinets for a measuring bowl. "How big is a quart?"
"No bigger than a pint." Mouse returned to her stirring. "I think."
"But which is bigger? A pint or a quart?"
"Ah don't know. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"
AndrAIa didn't even bother to remind Mouse they weren't talking about chickens or eggs. Instead she leaned against the counter and said thoughtfully, "I don't know, the chicken I guess, because who would lay the egg?"
"But where did the chicken come from?"
"An egg?"
"So which came first?"
"Uh---I don't know! Why are we talking about this anyway? We're talking about pints and quarts! Which is bigger?"
"Ah don't know. Guess."
Bob looked over at Matrix, who was sitting at the bar.
"I'm not sure I want to eat New Year's dinner," the renegade said. Bob chuckled but immediately stopped when both AndrAIa and Mouse glared at him.
"Where's Ray?" Bob asked, trying to change the subject.
"Right here, mate," a voice spoke up, and they all turned to see Ray walk into the diner, bags of groceries in his arms. "I finished the shopping, ladies. What else do you want me to do?" He set the bags on the counter.
"Oh, thank you sweetie!" Mouse said, kissing him on the cheek and swiping the bags up.
"You're such a girly-man," Matrix told Ray.
AndrAIa slapped him gently on the shoulder. "Hey," she said, "I wish you would help me out a little bit you know."
"It's good to be prepared for the New Year," Ray said, "we all need a good meal and our girls are cooking it up just perfectly. I just passed out fliers too, several binomes are coming to the party."
AndrAIa beamed. "Perfect! That reminds me, which is bigger? A pint or a quart?"
"Speaking of being prepared," Bob said, "what about the Y2K bug?"
They all turned to look at him. He smiled sheepishly. "I don't know, I just received word of it yesterday from the academy. They're getting people prepared so it doesn't happen to them."
"Relax, Bob," Matrix said. "The world's not going to end just because the 1 turns to a 2."
"No, but the timer might," Bob urged. "If we're not ready, the clock might go from 1999 straight to 1000, or worst, to 0."
Mouse laughed. "Hey! We'll get to witness Phong's birth!"
AndrAIa put a comforting hand on Bob's shoulder. "Don't worry Bob," she said, "nothing will happen, don't worry."
Bob nodded, but he still didn't feel better. Standing up he announced, "I'll go see when Dot'll be ready to come over here." He turned and left, walking out the doors. Behind him he could hear the three still talking.
"By the way Ray," Mouse spoke up, "which came first, the chicken or the egg?"
Bob shook his head and was about to grab his zip-board when he saw Dot flying just in the distance. He smiled and waved, waiting for her to reach him. She did and jumped off the zip-board, smiling.
"Hi Bob," she greeted him. "Is everyone ready for the countdown? It starts in about." she checked her watch. "A minute."
"Yeah, but can I talk to you for a quick second?"
She was about to walk inside, but the urgent tone in his voice stopped her. She turned toward him, frowning. "What's wrong?"
I---it's---"he trailed off when he heard AndrAIa, Matrix, and Ray laughing over something Mouse was saying. No one else was worrying, why should he? "It's nothing," he finally said. "Nothing at all. Let's go inside, shall we?"
Still worried, she nodded. "Okay, whatever you say." Together they walked inside, where AndrAIa had flipped on the TV. On it they could see the Super Computer where the big ball was getting ready to drop.
"Everybody ready?" Mouse cried out when she saw them walk in.
"Yeah!" Enzo yelled, "Yeah, let's go!" Frisket barked an agreement.
The countdown on the TV had already begun. "10!" Everyone shouted. Bob put an arm around Dot and squeezed lovingly. She smiled at him. "9,8!"
Mouse leaned against Ray and already started kissing him. AndrAIa held onto Matrix's hand.
"7,6,5,4,3,2,1! Happy New Year!"
Everyone started yelling and throwing streamers. Bob turned and was about to kiss Dot when a bottle flew into his head. He cried out in pain and was about to shout about it when all the lights start flashing.
"WARNING!" The system voice rang out. Every single light in the city was flashing, then blinking, then slowly running down. "WARNING, SYSTEM ERROR. WARNING, SYSTEM ERROR, WARNING, SYSTEM ER-"
No one heard the rest as everything was enveloped in darkness.
*****
Bob wasn't sure what woke him up but when he did, he found himself sprawled over a wooden table, the back of his head still aching from the bottle. Around him he could hear people talking, but no one sounded frightened or concerned.
Groaning he slowly lifted his head. A scene of shock greeted him.
He was dressed in old-fashioned peasant rags, his silver hair pulled back in a ponytail. People were sitting at various tables in the diner, but they were also dressed in old-fashioned clothing and talking with an accent he didn't recognize. And the diner wasn't a diner at all, but a tavern!
"Oh User." he whispered. He looked around and saw several binomes look at him weird. They didn't seem to notice anything was wrong as they sipped their cups.
Horror-stricken, he got to his feet and shakily walked over to the counter where a rough looking binome stood, serving drinks.
"C-can you help me?" Bob asked.
The binome gave him one look, then continued serving. "What do ya want?" he asked.
"Uh, no, I don't want to order something, I just want some information." Bob leaned against the counter, grimacing as his headache started to get worst. He had a horrible feeling that his worst nightmares had come true. "Can you tell me what year this is?"
The binome stared blankly at him. "What year?"
"Yes, what year is it?"
"That's a very wide sort of question Mr. But if you want to know how long this city has lived, I'd say about 1000 years."
Bob's eyes widened. It had happened. The Y2K bug problem. He had been sucked into the past.
"Oh no," he whispered.
The binome continued to look at him strangely. "You look surprise. What, you drank too much or something? What me to get you something to sober you up?"
"Uh no thanks." Bob turned away from him, and that's when he realized how stinky the place smelled. And remembered that people rarely washed themselves during this time period. He had to find the others. He turned back to the bartender but another binome had gotten to him first.
"Like to order a strong chip ale, Al's Waiter or whatever your name is." he said, his speech slurred.
Al's Waiter didn't reply. He just got him the drink, handed it to him, and said, "That'll be three Megabytes."
"Megabytes?" Bob spoke up.
Al's Waiter chuckled and shook his head. "You've been out for quite some time, huh? Megabytes, remember?" He sounded like he was talking to a child not quite understanding what something meant. "The currency is always named after the King here. King Megabyte? Remember now?"
Bob couldn't believe his ears. King Megabyte. Things were even worst than he could imagine.
Also I'm going to try to be factual here, even though I don't even know if I'm correct. This story first takes place just before turn of the millennium during the year 1999. Now if I'm correct, the medieval period took place during the year 1000. (For those who don't know, the medieval period is that time where there are castles, lords, knights, peasants, etc. etc.) If I'm wrong in some of the time periods, I'm sorry! I think I'm right though, I don't know. Also, even though I'm TRYING to be factual, there is plenty of fiction to overlap the stuff I don't know for sure. Also to make things more interesting. Oh well, sue me. ;-)
Now on with the story---
Bob was beginning to feel a bit strange knowing that the New Year was rolling just around the corner. People were hanging up decorations and going out to buy streamers and hats. Dot had even decorated her diner to look festive. The year 2000 was just a couple of minutes away. Enzo was especially excited. He and Frisket were jumping around, impatiently waiting for the midnight hour to come.
AndrAIa and Mouse were busy trying to cook something special for the millennium dinner while Dot tried to finish up on last minute things at the PO. Cecil was given the day off so he left for home without even saying good-bye. There were several binomes waiting around to start the countdown, eager to begin. More binomes were streaming in for the party.
"Okay, now you add a pint of chips---" AndrAIa was saying.
Mouse looked up from the huge pot she was stirring. "A pint? Sugah, it can't be a pint! Let me see that!" She snatched the recipe away. "Honey, it says a quart!"
"Okay then---" AndrAIa started rummaging through the cabinets for a measuring bowl. "How big is a quart?"
"No bigger than a pint." Mouse returned to her stirring. "I think."
"But which is bigger? A pint or a quart?"
"Ah don't know. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"
AndrAIa didn't even bother to remind Mouse they weren't talking about chickens or eggs. Instead she leaned against the counter and said thoughtfully, "I don't know, the chicken I guess, because who would lay the egg?"
"But where did the chicken come from?"
"An egg?"
"So which came first?"
"Uh---I don't know! Why are we talking about this anyway? We're talking about pints and quarts! Which is bigger?"
"Ah don't know. Guess."
Bob looked over at Matrix, who was sitting at the bar.
"I'm not sure I want to eat New Year's dinner," the renegade said. Bob chuckled but immediately stopped when both AndrAIa and Mouse glared at him.
"Where's Ray?" Bob asked, trying to change the subject.
"Right here, mate," a voice spoke up, and they all turned to see Ray walk into the diner, bags of groceries in his arms. "I finished the shopping, ladies. What else do you want me to do?" He set the bags on the counter.
"Oh, thank you sweetie!" Mouse said, kissing him on the cheek and swiping the bags up.
"You're such a girly-man," Matrix told Ray.
AndrAIa slapped him gently on the shoulder. "Hey," she said, "I wish you would help me out a little bit you know."
"It's good to be prepared for the New Year," Ray said, "we all need a good meal and our girls are cooking it up just perfectly. I just passed out fliers too, several binomes are coming to the party."
AndrAIa beamed. "Perfect! That reminds me, which is bigger? A pint or a quart?"
"Speaking of being prepared," Bob said, "what about the Y2K bug?"
They all turned to look at him. He smiled sheepishly. "I don't know, I just received word of it yesterday from the academy. They're getting people prepared so it doesn't happen to them."
"Relax, Bob," Matrix said. "The world's not going to end just because the 1 turns to a 2."
"No, but the timer might," Bob urged. "If we're not ready, the clock might go from 1999 straight to 1000, or worst, to 0."
Mouse laughed. "Hey! We'll get to witness Phong's birth!"
AndrAIa put a comforting hand on Bob's shoulder. "Don't worry Bob," she said, "nothing will happen, don't worry."
Bob nodded, but he still didn't feel better. Standing up he announced, "I'll go see when Dot'll be ready to come over here." He turned and left, walking out the doors. Behind him he could hear the three still talking.
"By the way Ray," Mouse spoke up, "which came first, the chicken or the egg?"
Bob shook his head and was about to grab his zip-board when he saw Dot flying just in the distance. He smiled and waved, waiting for her to reach him. She did and jumped off the zip-board, smiling.
"Hi Bob," she greeted him. "Is everyone ready for the countdown? It starts in about." she checked her watch. "A minute."
"Yeah, but can I talk to you for a quick second?"
She was about to walk inside, but the urgent tone in his voice stopped her. She turned toward him, frowning. "What's wrong?"
I---it's---"he trailed off when he heard AndrAIa, Matrix, and Ray laughing over something Mouse was saying. No one else was worrying, why should he? "It's nothing," he finally said. "Nothing at all. Let's go inside, shall we?"
Still worried, she nodded. "Okay, whatever you say." Together they walked inside, where AndrAIa had flipped on the TV. On it they could see the Super Computer where the big ball was getting ready to drop.
"Everybody ready?" Mouse cried out when she saw them walk in.
"Yeah!" Enzo yelled, "Yeah, let's go!" Frisket barked an agreement.
The countdown on the TV had already begun. "10!" Everyone shouted. Bob put an arm around Dot and squeezed lovingly. She smiled at him. "9,8!"
Mouse leaned against Ray and already started kissing him. AndrAIa held onto Matrix's hand.
"7,6,5,4,3,2,1! Happy New Year!"
Everyone started yelling and throwing streamers. Bob turned and was about to kiss Dot when a bottle flew into his head. He cried out in pain and was about to shout about it when all the lights start flashing.
"WARNING!" The system voice rang out. Every single light in the city was flashing, then blinking, then slowly running down. "WARNING, SYSTEM ERROR. WARNING, SYSTEM ERROR, WARNING, SYSTEM ER-"
No one heard the rest as everything was enveloped in darkness.
*****
Bob wasn't sure what woke him up but when he did, he found himself sprawled over a wooden table, the back of his head still aching from the bottle. Around him he could hear people talking, but no one sounded frightened or concerned.
Groaning he slowly lifted his head. A scene of shock greeted him.
He was dressed in old-fashioned peasant rags, his silver hair pulled back in a ponytail. People were sitting at various tables in the diner, but they were also dressed in old-fashioned clothing and talking with an accent he didn't recognize. And the diner wasn't a diner at all, but a tavern!
"Oh User." he whispered. He looked around and saw several binomes look at him weird. They didn't seem to notice anything was wrong as they sipped their cups.
Horror-stricken, he got to his feet and shakily walked over to the counter where a rough looking binome stood, serving drinks.
"C-can you help me?" Bob asked.
The binome gave him one look, then continued serving. "What do ya want?" he asked.
"Uh, no, I don't want to order something, I just want some information." Bob leaned against the counter, grimacing as his headache started to get worst. He had a horrible feeling that his worst nightmares had come true. "Can you tell me what year this is?"
The binome stared blankly at him. "What year?"
"Yes, what year is it?"
"That's a very wide sort of question Mr. But if you want to know how long this city has lived, I'd say about 1000 years."
Bob's eyes widened. It had happened. The Y2K bug problem. He had been sucked into the past.
"Oh no," he whispered.
The binome continued to look at him strangely. "You look surprise. What, you drank too much or something? What me to get you something to sober you up?"
"Uh no thanks." Bob turned away from him, and that's when he realized how stinky the place smelled. And remembered that people rarely washed themselves during this time period. He had to find the others. He turned back to the bartender but another binome had gotten to him first.
"Like to order a strong chip ale, Al's Waiter or whatever your name is." he said, his speech slurred.
Al's Waiter didn't reply. He just got him the drink, handed it to him, and said, "That'll be three Megabytes."
"Megabytes?" Bob spoke up.
Al's Waiter chuckled and shook his head. "You've been out for quite some time, huh? Megabytes, remember?" He sounded like he was talking to a child not quite understanding what something meant. "The currency is always named after the King here. King Megabyte? Remember now?"
Bob couldn't believe his ears. King Megabyte. Things were even worst than he could imagine.
