Generation Two - Chapter Twelve: Back Home

The portal was buzzing, and fizzing, reminding Shannon that eventually she'll have to return home and face life back in dreary old Dragon Valley. It was something she'd been putting off for ages now and she knew that her time was limited. The torch had officially been handed down to her daughter Sophie. But she wasn't prepared to let go quite so soon.

She's still a teen, I heard her grumble.

Yep, but the last time I looked, she and her twin Nessa, literally only had hours to go before they both transitioned.

I'm too young to get old.

Um, well, in Sim Fairy years, you still have a long way to go.

But I want to see William get married.

That'll be something I'll be looking forward to - IF it ever happens.

And be friends with Hannah.

That can be arranged once you get back home.

And get married myself, again.

That .... is a totally different matter. You do understand that any more children you have, have no say in the wishacy legacy?

Doesn't matter. I'm going to be an old maid for eternity.

Guess Shannon's on a bit of a downer here.

But what about J1NX1E and Sock Em?

Sock Em didn't like her name, she opted for Sonny Em.

O-kay. But what of them? Surely you are not taking back with you?

I am.

What will the neighbours think? And your family for that matter?

Don't care. Not leaving them behind that's for sure. Besides J1NX1E rolled a wish to visit the future. So this way, she visits the past then returns to the future and fulfils her wish.

Twisted logic, but I guess it could work.

And so they decided to return home, Shannon and the two Bots. But naturally, things didn't quite go as planned. Sonny Em was there, keen to go on more adventures.

J1NX1E however, arrived late and almost missed the launch deadline. She offered no explanation as to her tardiness, just said that there was a lot of traffic on the roads.

Um, riiiiiight.

Shannon checked with Emit to see if all metallic objects - including the Bots, would pass safely through the portal without pieces being missing, or a great rearranging of items, traits, personalities, nanites etc. He said it was ok, it had been tested on many many occasions and for her not to worry. His only concern, and it mirrored my own, was how the residents of medieval Dragon Valley would react to seeing all this futuristic technology suddenly thrust upon them.

In a nanosecond, they all arrived in Dragon Valley. Everybody was intact and happy - if a little bewildered - at the change in scenery. So used to seeing artificial plants and technically designed shrubbery, white and metal structures etc. it was a shock to the system to see natural greens and browns surrounding them.

Before we go any further, Shannon said quietly, there are a few things I have to point out, so please pay attention. Firstly, we have a Simbot called Blaine, although he is a little 'different' in more ways than one.

Before she had chance to explain, both J1NX1E and Sonny Em got all excited.

We want to meet him! they cried in unison.

Poor bugger didn't stand a chance as one, then the other accosted him as he tried to work on his invention skills quietly in the basement. His life up until then had been fairly quiet, with the occasional drama at work, but he wasn't prepared for this onslaught as both Bots regarded him with admiration. Virtually putting him on a pedestal!!!

Shannon entered the house to find the place littered with dirty plates and a rather sheepish looking Vanessa.

I'll do it, she promised, I was just a little ... um ... sidetracked, that's all.

Nothing new there.

Because of the portal's weird radio-wave system, it had made Shannon hungry. So she headed for the fridge. She wasn't expecting ready made meals in there - and wasn't disappointed when there weren't any - so she settled for a green salad.

Whilst she was eating, Sophie arrived home from work.

Crap, Mom's here, better sneak in before she sees me.
I can see you Sophie.

Damn.
Sophie, why do you still do that?

Do what Mom?
That sneaking action.
I dunno, habit I guess.
You do realise that you've been let off the hook.
Yeah, I know. I guess old habits die hard.

After their meal together Shannon retired to bed, time travel was exhausting. Sonny Em, however, discovered a whole new 'toy' to play with.

The water chute.

And then she found the TV and plonked her metal ass on the sofa, glued to the shopping channel of all things!

It was J1NX1E who was the one tidying up around the place. Laundry duties, entertaining her Holo Sprite and recycling the newspapers.

Vanessa conveniently forgot about doing the dishes as she suddenly decided she was really exhausted and went to bed. Poor Blaine retired too, but was awoken by Sonny Em trying to hack into the robot making machine. It was going to be a long night for him.

She also decided to be 'guard bot' to Shannon. Lurking around the bedroom making sure nobody was going to disturb her mistress!

Sophie, however, was having problems of her own. Pat, her IF doll suddenly started yelling accusations at her.

Why don't you play with me any more? We used to have so much fun.
You always got me into trouble Pat.

But it was fun, yes? Don't you like me any more?
Pat, I'm tired, cranky and I want to go to bed.
You are a mean spoilsport.

Look, will it make things better if I said sorry?
Meh, I guess so. You're still a meanie though.

And so life continues in Dragon Valley.

I kid you not about the Plumbots. The minute they arrived, they wanted to be friends with Blaine and tried all tactics to get his attention. It was so funny watching his reactions to J1NX1E though. And Sonny Em (formerly Sock Em) had a romantic option pop up in her pie chart!!

What took the biscuit here was the fact that out of the two Bots, J1NX1E, who was custom made and still pretty much a fragile Bot, was the one doing all the chores around the house, whilst Sonny Em, sat on her metal butt most of the time. And she was a mass produced ready made Bot!!!

Sophie STILL did that sneaking around stuff, as you all saw, and Pat DID have a bitching session with her, throwing accusations around.

Generation Two - Chapter Eleven: Sock Em and J1NX1E

If Shannon thought that Sock Em would be a valuable asset to her life, she was so wrong. The minute they all got home, Sock Em went to the recreation room, plonked her heavy metal ass onto the sofa and started watching TV.

 Um, o-kay.

Finally, after much coercion and nagging, J1NX1E convinced Sock Em to charge up, whilst Shannon had a lovely restful sleep without any weird dreams or nightmares.

You are useless you know.
Am not.
I saw what you did, sitting watching the TV.

I've been stuck in a warehouse all these months.
No excuse.
You don't know what it was like, in animated suspension, listening to everyone walking past talking about 'the game' so I was curious at what the fuss was all about. Besides, you were lovingly crafted, I was mass produced.

There was a long awkward silence as J1NX1E took stock of what Sock Em was saying.

Why can't you be entertaining, like that Bot in the Robotics Emporium?
Which one? There are so many of us.

The one that lives with the Landgrabbs.
Oh, that stuck up Bot. She is one snooty know it all.
Yeah, should have heard her, bragging about how tuned up she was. How advanced she had become, thanks to the family she was incorporated into.
I thought she was nice actually.
Well, because of their incredible wealth, she can pretty much have any trait and nanite she wants. No questions asked.
Interesting. ..... say, here's a question for you, what exactly DO you do?
I am a fully functioning repairbot.
Soo.... you can tune other Bots up?
To a degree.... if they'll let me. I can't just go poking a screwdriver into someone without knowing them first and knowing their delicate infrastructures.
Oh. I didn't know that.
Would you like me to tune you up?
Sure, mistress is probably going to sleep for a few more hours. She was really exhausted after today's adventures. Besides, I've a rusty shoulder joint that keeps coming loose, and I can't quite reach it.

Sure enough, this was how J1NX1E and Sock Em finally became friends, after clearing up the air about a few things whilst being charged up side by side.

Also, Sock Em proved to be quite adept at playing chess, although playing on ones lonesome WAS a bit odd.

J1NX1E tried, but got the time traveller Emit to play whilst Shannon continued her painting.

Sock Em also proved to be quite the dramatist, winning at least TWO beginner artificial drama contests, whilst J1NX1E struggled to get to third place!

Generation Two - Chapter Four: Welcome to Oasis Landing

Shannon's point of view.

I know I must be mad to do this, but this thing, this metal contraption has been sitting in our front yard for goodness knows how long. After witnessing Blaine breaking down consistently and not being able to find anything here in Dragon Valley (we are so far behind with technology here) I wondered if there was a silver lining of sorts. I mean really, this place is still so medieval in more ways than one.  We should move forward, but the majority of people here are just happy to live in the now.

Life's been lonely without Austin around. Sure I have the girls, but they're moving onwards now with their own independent lives. And then there's Blaine. Poor rusty little mechanical man. I only allow him to potter around the place simply because he was one of those little quirks that Austin introduced into our lives. So I am loath to let him go really.

But I digress. I was talking about the metal contraption. Not a clue where it came from but it is the talk of the town. I know there are whispers about the 'odd family of fairies' and honestly? I do not care. I'd rather be a curiosity for people to gawk at, because that leaves other poor folks alone.

As Austin used to remind me, hey baby don't worry about what people think. Be yourself. As long as you are happy doing that, who cares? Eh babes?

Anyways, after tapping the footplate a couple of times (and seriously hoping that nothing happens), the bugger started up! I was stunned, shocked. So much so that I had to step back otherwise I'd have landed on my butt! Then from the bright glow, the shape of a man appeared and stepped out.

He was very odd looking with blue hair and an outfit that seemed to have glowing seams inserted into the fabric.

Greetings benevolent one.
I wish.
Um hello?
This is the right address I presume? The Powers family? Yes?

He had me at a loss for words, this odd little man.

Um, yes?

Oh boy, have I got a wonderful surprise for you.
Oh really? (I wasn't falling for his charms - if ever he tried to apply them that is - besides he looked rather pompous and full of himself so I indulged him)
I have yes, hold this please.

He handed me a metal case with a clasp on it.

This .... is a time almanac. Take good care of it and it'll help you whenever you need it.

I couldn't resist. I really couldn't.

For ... what?
For your adventures into the future, that's what! Any time traveller will tell you that.

Time .... traveller? Is he on something or what? This is ludicrous, there's no such thing as time travel. Or at least there wasn't the last time I looked. Although as I said earlier, Dragon Valley is so behind with the times that we are positively archaic.

I looked at him with positive indulgence and wondered who on earth - or wherever - he was.

Oh forgive me, I didn't introduce myself. I am Emit Relevart - time traveller extraordinaire and your guide into the future.
You mean there really IS such a thing as time travel?
But of course. I have spent many an aeon perfecting this portal and travelling through time, space and many other vortices.
Is it ... safe?
Of course it is. Although some folks do tend to suffer from travel sickness a couple of times when they travel.
And should I go through this portal, the present won't be affected in any way? I won't find my family has vanished or whatever?
Nope, the only thing that will change ... is the future, simply because that's one area that isn't fixed and prone to many variables.
Can I travel to the past?
No. sadly that cannot happen.
Oh, so once I go there, I cannot return?
Oh, I never said that. Um, what actually happens is that everybody has a different signature DNA strand that the portal recognises. It also remembers whereabouts you were in the 'present' and is programmed to send you back without any time being lost whatsoever.
Sounds complicated.
Try it.
Um, I'm not so sure.
You can see your family in the future there.
We survive? Please, tell me we survive and we are successful.
Hop aboard and see for yourself.

So .... after nervously stepping into the portal, within a few nanoseconds, (as far as I know, it could have been hours, days,weeks even years in this thing), I finally stepped out into a wonderous, bright, clean looking place.

Emit was standing there waiting for me. How he managed to do that I really honestly don't know and I resisted the temptation to ask him.

Welcome to Oasis Landing and your home until you wish to return back to your original abode. Any questions?
This..... this is ..... marvellous! It is ..... gorgeous.... it is...... words fail me here!
It is a nice place isn't it?

What are they like for schools and education and all that?
They have geniuses by the dozen here. Nobody is overlooked.
Oh that's good. Technology is far in advance I presume?
More than you'll ever know.
You said I could see my family here.
All in good time ....
They are here.... aren't they?
You'll see.
Stop being vague, I want to know now.

I swear he smiled indulgently at me. I know I sounded like a kid demanding to know everything, but the prospects of seeing my family was just too much. It really was.

There are two branches of your descendants living here, and doing pretty well for themselves. They have a strong family bond because they live not far from one another.

I was so excited that I had a whole heap of wishes that I wanted to do whilst I was here. but I focused on just the one.

Sooo, how long can I stay here?
As long as you want, there's no time limit at all.
Oh good, then I've got loads of time to explore and do stuff like meet the family.
Yes.
Anything of interest here?
There's Legacy Park, that's always a popular choice.
Ohh I'd like to go there, if that's ok.
Of course, but here's something that you might find useful for getting around though.

He handed me a jet pack.

Try this on for size and see what it feels like.

I did and wow, it felt amazing, didn't crush my wings at all. Mind you, being a fairy myself, the whole concept of flying wasn't exactly new to me. At least I didn't fall head first into the ground! I even impressed Emit.

I must admit, you have adapted pretty well already. No travel sickness, and using a jet pack with relative ease. I'd say you were definitely destined to live your life here in Oasis Landing. I can see you are eager to explore, so I'll let you go a wandering and check out everything we have to offer here in Oasis Landing.

And so I did, I headed to Legacy Park where I met with a few locals, although I swear this poor man's wife wasn't too happy to see me chatting to her husband. She kept glaring daggers at me so I thought I'd better scarper before the claws came out.

There was one statue there that intrigued me. It was of a woman who had won the lottery .... and gave it all away to charity! Ohhh to be that woman and be immortalised here in Legacy Park.

It made me wonder if our numbers ever came up. I wanted to go check but wasn't quite sure where that would actually take place. Thankfully my jet pack also came with a map of the town as well as a route and venue locator.

I headed off to City Hall to check the records, but unfortunately they didn't have any for us. Oh never mind, it was worth a try anyways.

I tell you what though, I am really impressed with this town and what it had to offer. I look forward to exploring much more.

Generation Two Chapter Three - The 'Mystery Man'

Sophie's point of view:

I have discoverd who mom is seeing. And it is darned creepy, really. I mean it.
It all began when she suddenly took a great interest in that metal portal thingy out in the front garden.

I can't remember where I was when it happened, the flash of light, the humming and buzzing. She should never have touched it in the first place. But it's been there for ages now, and curiosity got the better of mom and she activated it.

How, I really do not know, but it started up. Out of all of us, I'd have expected say Hannah or Nessa.... or even Blaine to show a lot more interest, but nope. It just HAD to be mom.

According to some of our closest neighbours, you could see this beam of light practically from space, it was so bright!!

But then HE turned up.

Emit Relevart.
Claims he is from the future.
Yeah, riiiiight.

Says that he can take mom there and back in the blink of an eye.
Handed her a small metal box, said it was an 'almanac of time' and would help her on her travels

That he would wait for her at the 'other side'.
Methinks he is warping people's minds to believe what they want.

But...... mom being mom, she is totally smitten. Has discovered she can learn the robotics skill in ... what's that place called .....???? Oh yeah ... Oasis Landing ....

So apparently, that's what she did. She 'apparently' went into the future.

Great. Thanks for nothing. Leaving me here with my nutty sister and a species confused Simbot that STILL thinks it's a human sim.