Chapter Four
Before Tony knew it, the shuttle bus was pulling into the parking lot of the same Gambler Mart, and he and Caroline had filed out with the handful of other passengers. After they had been allowed a brief restroom and refreshment break, Mr. Marinos herded them into line in front of the sleek rocket-bus.
“This’ll never work,” Tony hissed at Caroline.
The passenger in front of them held out a card as she boarded. A green cone of light shone out from a panel by the door and played over the card.
“Pass accepted for Jump 588,” the disembodied female voice said.
“We’ve got to stop, now!” insisted Tony.
Caroline turned and looked at him, an annoyed glare in her eyes.
“Do you have the pass?”
Tony pulled it out of his shirt pocket. He had kept it close in the two weeks since Alexandre had given it to him for no rational reason he could express, save for possibly reassuring himself that he had not imagined the whole incident.
Before he could react, Caroline snatched it out of his hands and stepped up to the doorway of the rocket-bus. The cone of light shot out.
“Pass accepted for Jump 588.”
“Caroline!” yelled Tony as she stepped forward. The green cone of light flashed again as he took a running step after Caroline. He felt a tingling sensation as it seemed to simultaneously scan him inside and out. Tony felt numbed and somewhat violated.
“Passenger L Anthony Marco recognized. Step forward, please.”
Caroline seized Tony by the hand and hauled him forward through the doors of the bus. Still dragging Tony along, she led them to a pair of unoccupied seats.
“Please fasten your restraints and deactivate all electronic devices. The probability of a water landing is statistically nil, but in the extremely unlikely event this occurs, an inflatable seaworthy raft with a ten day supply of nutrients, universal positioning system, homing beacon, vid-phone, fishing implements, water desalinization system, and hybrid solar/electric battery engine is in the pouch in front of you. Jump to TS Khronos-Solarin in 2 minutes, 33 seconds.”
Tony leaned over and whispered in Caroline’s ear.
“There’s no driver,” he said.
“Yeah. Wild.”
The bus had started moving of its own accord into the car wash stall.
“Are you kids alright?” asked an elderly lady sitting across from Tony and Caroline. She spoke in what Tony recognized as an Indian accent.
“This really helps for time sickness,” she said, proffering a plastic bottle filled blue-green liquid.
Tony and Caroline looked at each other.
“No thanks!” they said in unison.
“Did she say time sickness?” whispered Tony.
YOU ARE READING
The Foster Children of Time
Science FictionTEMPORAL AFFAIRS Tony Marco doesn’t have his driver’s license yet but he has a ticket to ride a bus – a Time Bus. Soon after the start of his sophomore year at Diaz High School, he and his irrepressible friend Caroline Montano catch a free ride to...
