City of Technology
She heard footsteps. Thomas entered the kitchen, sauntered over and gave her a hug. Paulette returned his hug but then lightly nudged him backward so she could look at him.
She assumed the concerned look on Thomas’s face meant he had noticed the black clouds roiling around behind her eyes.
“What’s wrong, love?”
Paulette threw her hand over his mouth. With her other hand, she placed a finger to her lips, signaling he should remain silent. He acknowledged that he understood.
Paulette then said, “Will you accompany me to the bedroom while I get out of my work clothes, then we can have dinner.”
“Sure, my love.”
They walked hand in hand to the bedroom and when they arrived, Paulette released his hand and went to the closet. She signaled for Thomas to come help her. “Thomas, maybe we should go out to dinner tonight. Can you help me choose some clothes that would look appropriate?”
Thomas joined her in the closet, and she raised a scrap of paper that read, They promoted me to lead the time travel project today.
Thomas smiled at the note and said, “That’s wonderful. That’s what you’ve been waiting for.”
She signaled for him to be quiet then flipped the paper over and wrote. Mr. Payne is trying to steal my technology and has made me a prisoner until I give him what he demands. She rotated the paper and watched as Thomas’s face emptied of color and he started to say something. She placed a finger to her lips, then shook her head and passed him the paper. She watched as Thomas scribbled furiously on the paper and then turned it around for her to read.
What the heck? He can’t do that. And why are we writing on paper?
Because I also learned they have the entire city wired for audio and video. Nothing goes unseen in this city. We must be vigilant.
Thomas just stood there gawking at the paper, mouth wide open and face pale white. He snatched the paper from Paulette and scribbled, What are we going to do?
Nothing for now.
He seized the paper from her hand and swiftly wrote, What do you mean, nothing for now? We need to get out of here.
She studied the question before writing her response. Don’t worry. If Greg doesn’t get here first, and soon, then I plan to steal the time pod.
Thomas frowned before he wrote, But won’t that be dangerous? They could kill us.
It’s a possibility, but it’s a chance we must take.
He read the reply and glanced up at her. She could see the dread in his eyes, but there was nothing further she could do.
She moved close to him, giving him a tight hug, then whispered in his ear, “Everything will be fine. We’ll get out of here; it just may take some time. For now, just play along and do what you’re expected to do. Okay?”
He maneuvered his head so he could whisper back, “Okay. I trust you to get us out of this.”
Backing up, she gave a half-hearted smile, then said, “So what do you think of this outfit?”
Thomas blinked before he said, “It looks gorgeous. You will look radiant in it.”
“Thanks, my love.”
Paulette took the outfit into the bedroom and put it on. Thomas shuffled through his closet searching for something to wear that would complement her outfit. He grabbed a light-blue shirt and a pair of slacks to go with his black shoes.
Paulette chuckled to herself. It was no big deal for her to wear these kinds of clothes, but Thomas had a terrible time figuring out what to wear since he had never seen clothes like these.
“What are you chuckling about over there?” he asked.
“Oh, just you, looking for the right clothes to wear.”
“What’s so funny about that?”
“Well, generally, it’s us women who take forever choosing our clothes, not men.”
Thomas’s face turned a light shade of red.
“Oh,” was all he said, before coming out into the bedroom to put on his clothes.
They finished getting dressed and headed out the door to find a nice little cafe to have dinner. They strode down the dirt road toward the market area of the city, looking back and forth at all the various shops and eateries, trying to decide.
“What would you like to eat tonight?” Thomas asked.
“Hmm, I was thinking fish. What about you?”
“Fish sounds okay. There’s this modest cafe around the corner that serves some excellent fish. I had some for lunch the other day. Would you like to try it?”
“That sounds wonderful. Lead the way.”
They headed to the little fish cafe, found a table, and sat down. It wasn’t long before their order of fish and potatoes was served.
Paulette dug into her fish, dipping it into homemade tartar sauce and devouring the first bite. She happened to glance up and noticed Thomas was just staring at his food. “Honey, what’s wrong? Is it the food?”
Thomas lifted his head and seemed to still be staring off into the distance, caught up in his own thoughts. It took him a minute to return to the here and now and answer her. “No, the food is great. I just can’t seem to get a grasp on...”
Before he could say anything else that might give them away, she said, “Oh sweetheart, I’m so sorry to worry you over the promotion I received today. Trust me, everything will work out fine. I’ll be careful and continue to do an exceptional job. There are no worries. Okay?”
Thomas bowed his head and ate his meal in silence. Paulette could tell he was still anxious about what happened to her that day. The revelation that she was a prisoner in the City and couldn’t leave till they were in possession of her work had to be overwhelming for him. She was determined to make it work, one way or the other. She had to. Their lives depended on it.