F
U T U R E B A R R I E R
( The
4th Novel )
Secret Technology,
Unrequited Love, Absolute Vengeance
© February
2020
- Written by David
Wicker
Please do
not reprint without permission
 CHAPTER 36 -
"Shopping Spree"
[
CHOOSE A
DIFFERENT
CHAPTER TO
READ ]
* * *
This chapter is
Rated: TEEN
No sooner had I entered I realized that I was the only customer in the store.
A pert woman behind the checkout counter spoke to me, "Yes ? Can I help you with something ?"
"Captain Circumference ?" I asked.
She stepped from behind the counter to regard me.
I think she was sizing me up to determine if I was too old to be playing with Captain Circumference action figures and related merchandise.
"Birthday." I said simply, lying. Hating to lie but not sure how else to wiggle my way around it.
"Certainly." she said, sounding relieved. And for a moment I wondered just how many lies a person would say in a day - just to get through the day. This was a landmark achievement for me to lie at all - and for what - toys ?
I shook my head. Maybe Darceon was rubbing off on me. I hoped not. He stated that he was from the Spectral universe. It certainly didn't sound welcome there, perhaps even similar to hell ?
"Sir !" I heard her raising her voice. I was lost in my thoughts and not paying attention.
"Wha ? Sorry." I stated giving her now my undivided attention.
She smiled curtly and motioned with her hand, "You are here for the sale ?"
I nodded. She pointed, "We have these toys here - and bedding and blankets with his likeness found on the shelf HERE."
She leaned over to point at the bedsheets. Then she stood suddenly to regard me, "I'm Janet. Call if you need help with something." then left.
I looked around. Aside from her I really was the only one here. And I had $1,000 dollars in pocket change. What could possibly go wrong ?
I went back to the front. At first I think Janet thought I was leaving without buying anything and was getting ready to say, "Come again." but stopped short when I got one of the shopping carts. She smiled at me and I rolled it back to the display.
And from here, well, I guess I grabbed what I wanted. And it was a lot ! I took nearly one of everything they had. I told myself that if I didn't want it I could give it to my younger nephew Tommy who also liked Captain Circumference almost as much as I did.
As I was on my shopping spree once again my fancy car was approached by ne'er-do-wellers. In this case they were dressed in ragged leather jackets with fingerless gloves on.
"Hey Buff ... you see that ?" he said pointing to the futuristic car in the parking lot of the toy store.
"I sure do, Boink. I'd say that there is one of them new high-tech futuristic cars - really expensive."
"I like the way you think, Buff. 'specially that last word you mentioned, 'spensive.' Let's see if we can get in to hotwire that rod and make some cutter for that copper."
Buff the taller of the two went around to the passenger side door to check it to see Melody still asleep in the passenger seat.
"Hey, Boink. Come check this out !"
Boink went around the side to see what he was seeing.
Inside you could clearly see the beautiful form of Melody sprawled out in the seat, snoring soundly.
"Cor' there's a beaut ! Smart as pocket lint she is. Mebbe we can gets her like to opens it for us ?"
"Nooboonie's that stupid, mate."
"Never know." he said. Then tapped on the glass.
In an instant Melody was up. She saw the two disheveled gentlemen outside. One was motioning for her to roll down the window.
"Now as soon as that window's down we grab 'er, got it ?" Boink was whispering to Biff.
Melody inside looked at the controls by the door and tried them, but none seemed to do anything.
"Unauthorized." EVE said suddenly. Then a panel started to pull over the window. Indeed this black sheathe of sturdy metal surrounded the whole vehicle, tires and all, even over the two-circled hood ornament up front. In less than a minute the whole car looked like it had been dipped in metallic chocolate and there were no windows or anything else to see at this point.
"Wha - what's happened here ?" said Biff who wide-eyed stood back to look. There was no futuristic car now, just this metallic shell that went all the way to the ground. Buff looked at the ground beneath but couldn't see underneath the metal.
"Couldn't even tow it if we wanted." Boink said to himself looking around for anything to hitch the vehicle to. There was nothing.
He reached over to touch the metal and got a nasty electric shock. He pulled back his hand which smoked slightly from the incredible electric current.
"Let's get outta here !" he told Biff and the two receded in the shadows. "Let's wait for the owner to arrive, then we'll jack this hot ride." With that they ducked behind some bushes to wait.
As with me though I was rapidly filling up my shopping cart. I had action figures, all of his sidekicks. A limited edition release paperweight, ten sets of collector trading cards, one big box of single release trading cards and a rare plaque, one of the twin-size bed comforters and two sets of bedsheets. My shopping cart was full up.
I figured that was enough.
I started to the front and Janet had wild eyes, frightened really. I think maybe she thought I was robbing her or something. Her eyes met my eyes. She spoke, "You're really buying all this ?"
* * *
I nodded pulling out my wad of $100 bills. "Yeah, if that's okay."
"Certainly, sir. We accept cash." she proffered.
I went to her checkout lane whereupon she got out from behind the register to place all the items on the checkout table. "Quite the birthday." she stated. I just nodded.
"Let's see now ... this comes to a total of $273.45 with tax."
I handed her three of the $100 bills. She held them up to the light and streaked a yellow marker across their middle. I guess to confirm they were legitimate dollars. For a moment I worried that maybe EVE gave me counterfeit money.
But no, she smiled, put the bills in the register and printed out a receipt. She offered me change but I just smiled, "No, I'm good. I appreciate your help."
She grinned widely to that, "Yessir ! Maybe I can help you with your purchases to your car ?"
I nodded, "Yes, please."
She then spoke in a microphone, "Dorian, I'm helping a customer outside, watch the shop."
I heard his tired voice echo back, "Yeah, okay."
So she wasn't alone as I suspected incorrectly earlier.
She wheeled the carriage out the door and hesitated by the entrance.
"Where is your car ... oh !" and she saw my car in full protection mode, the metal covering it completely.
"What happened here ?" I asked, puzzled. I went over to touch the metal but unlike the would-be crooks I didn't receive a shock. Instead I heard a quiet voice inside speak, "Recognize owner."
The protective metal canopy quickly receded back into the sides and the driver's side door opened.
Janet was wide-eyed with amazement. "Quite the vehicle you have here !"
"A gift from my uncle." I told her. She nodded.
Then we went to the back of my car and I tapped on the metal there hoping it had a trunk. It did. The trunk door popped open and there was ample space for all my purchases.
"You drive safe now." she offered.
But a moment later the two would-be crooks leapt out of their hiding space to grab and hold a knife to her neck.
"Oh don't worry, WE will !" Boink said in a menacing tone.
"Keys !" Biff said, his hand out to me.
"I don't have the keys." I told him truthfully.
Biff closed his fingers around air and pointed, "Look, mate, you give me those keys or your shopping mart sweetheart here gets a new breathing hole, get it ? Now give 'em !"
"It doesn't use keys." I told him.
He looked to the inside of the car now that it was open, the door raised vertically in the air. Suddenly Melody saw a chance to escape and jumped out of the passenger side door to run away.
"Don't worry about her." Boink said, still on point with his knife to the woman's neck.
"No keys, huh ?" Biff snarled. Then looked inside the car. There was a steering wheel but not like he was used to. It was a solid metal disc with spaces for fingers but it certainly didn't look like it could turn at all.
"This is some freaky car you have here." he stated. Then got inside.
Boink seeing his mate had entered the car got inside the passenger side. He closed the door and still holding the knife spoke to me, "Pleasure doing business with you, mate."
Then Biff closed his door. I stood back. Surely EVE wasn't going to allow these ruffians to get away as easily as all that.
Inside I could see Biff was shouting, "Where are the blooming keys ? How do you start this stupid thing ?"
"Start." Eve said quietly but no engine sound was heard.
"Did you say something, Boink ?"
"Not me."
They then slowly looked to the console where a single doleful blue light shined out at them.
"Hello, boys." Eve said in a serenely sweet tone. Then the top of the vehicle suddenly popped up on a hinge with compressed air. The two would-be thieves stared at me wide-eyed, hoping I would tell them something. Anything. About what was happening now.
But this was something I had never seen before. A second later both Biff and Boink were ejected from their seats in a high-powered spring, shooting them nearly 100 feet in the air !
Both me and the saleswoman looked to see their screaming forms disappear to dots in the sky, seeming to hover for a second, then to come straight down. A moment later I thought I heard a splash as it sounded like they fell into someone's swimming pool.
The saleswoman looked at me and smiled, "This sort of thing happen pretty often ?"
I shrugged, "It's a new car. Everybody wants a piece apparently."
Eve retracted the seats and a strong engine pulled back down the top of the car covering it again. She motioned to the empty seat, "Looks like that little show scared off your friend."
I shrugged again, "Ah, it was just Melody. She's alright I'm sure."
"I see ..." Janet offered quietly. "Well, I need to report this parking lot incident. You drive safe now."
And with that she dashed back in the store.
I stepped in the vehicle and for a moment could scent Melody's perfume. I sniffed again, it wasn't bad.
Then EVE spoke, "Apologies for the stench." and then sprayed a very neutral, "New Car" smell on top of it.
I smirked, I had to know. "Eve, you're not ah, jealous of other girls are you ?"
"Destination ?" Eve asked ignoring the question but her tone seemed to have a bit of anger to it.
"Tyr's, I guess." then verbally spoke the address to her.
"Confirmed." Eve said, closing the driver's side and passenger's side door. In seconds we re-entered traffic and were off again.
END OF CHAPTER 36
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