Xom MacTavish paid the
space taxi driver and quickly ran on into
The Mall of the Milky Way. After about a half-hour trek through the mall's 24
decks filled with
thousands of
shops, he finally reached the
headquarters of
Spatial-Temporal Relocations, Ltd.
"When and where may I help you?" a clerk greeted him.
Xom knew exactly what he needed. "I need to go to Austin, Texas, USA, Earth, early January, 1996."
The clerk punched some buttons on a computer, and after a moment, responded, "Yes, we can send you there. How should we arrange the return trip?"
Xom answered, "One way, please."
"And when are you leaving?"
"As soon as possible."
"All right, we'll be able to get you going in about 30 minutes. That'll be 236872 zorkmids."
Xom paid the clerk and headed back to the waiting room.
Xom checked his bags. Towel, check. Electronic edition of Everything 5, check. Contemporary money, map, clothing, check, check, check. . . .
Now I've just got to make sure those guys start Ackanomic and I'll have guaranteed my own birth, Xom thought as he waited.
-- Part of The Nodeshell World Fiction Project