Tara Across Time--NaNoWriMo

Chapter Five

Tara was accepted as a historic resource assistant to The United Planets Antiquities Agency where she was expected to lecture on North American Culture in the 21st Century. She found that it was necessary to study long to answer the many questions citizens in the Solar System would ask. It wasn't enough to have lived twenty to twenty-five years in her century.

Even two thousand years into the future had not replaced the necessity of reading. Research and writing were made easier. The museum officials seemed perplexed when she asked for a laptop with printer and paper.  They brought her Egyptian papyrus. After referring her problem again up the chain of communication, some energetic soul found a number of boxes of printer paper in ruins previously declared a historical site.

Tara thanked them. World languages had become fewer: English, Chinese, Hindi, Russian, Arabic, and a few minor languages embraced by certain religions. All spoke Esperanto.

"They'll have to allow me to speak as I want. Neither will I agree to an implant to download instant information." Tara picked up a book that had taken a few days to re-create. "I thought my generation was lazy. We walked around with i-phone and our thumbs busy."

Weeks later, Tara was invited to speak to Mars Colony's Historical Society. Some attendees were images but with substance. They actually had not left their homes among the many asteroids they occupied. Nevertheless, about one-third were not images but real people.

"Hello, everyone. I am a child of the twenty-first century where we in part live on our smart phones and in part live lives devoted to hedonism. I may have taken a husband, but we thought it a good idea to try many live-in partners first. I've been in love half a dozen times."

The "audience," present and images, laughed.

"I have told doctors many times that somehow I was back in Ancient Egypt. Somehow doctors quickened my body like Frankenstein of old."

Tara finished her lecture when approached  by an admiring fan, an executive  from the platinum  mine. "I have permission  from Antiquities  for your company before  returning  to Earth."

"You mean you paid for the unique  experience  of sex with a woman from the 21st Century ?"

The next morning Tara rose earlier than her host. "Sorry, sir." She held up her pinky. "I hope it didn't  get lost inside  me."

He made no objection  as she stormed out.  "I didn't  know this would be more than  an educational  experience rather than futuristic  escorting!"

Tara's protest to Antiquities fell on deaf ears. Her agency was in the business of selling sex as well as ancient history.  Tara had to sleep with someone on the so-called lecture circuit in Earth's nearby planets and asteroids. Some men raved over her "primitive sexual techniques," but Tara saw nothing unusual. All she was trying to do was to survive. 

When she lectured at the university on Mars's moon Demos, an official was quite rough with her. She broke his hold on her. Somehow she managed to pick up something resembling a gun. It must have been. For pointing it at her assailant worked.

"Let me out of here, you creep!"

He complied. Tara made her way to the airlock and took a hostage along the way. "A false move will be your last," she said to a well-built young man much her apparent age. "Take me to the space port. I need to get away from this crazy moon."

"Yes, lady."  The brown- haired, blue- eyed man went along. "You're one of those women from the past whom Antiquities uses for sex, aren't you?"

"There's no Justice in this horrible future world."

"Get behind me," he said as uniformed police passed with weapons drawn in the direction they had come from. They didn't recognize Tara or see her weapon.

"Have you seen a desperate, armed woman?"

He paused. "She was headed in the direction of the university library!"

"Thanks." The police hurried away.

"Come with me to my apartment. I don't know why their scanners didn't detect your presence . They must have left them behind." He turned to Tara. "I have the means to safely remove any implants you  may have under your skin."

"Let's go," Tara said.

Back in his apartment, he took out an electronic  extractor.  "These are black market, but the cannot trace them." He laid one  next to  her  skin. "You'll feel a sharp pain."

"Couldn't  be worse  than  a dentist's needle."

"What's  a dentist?"

Tara laughed, "Things  have sure changed here," she said.