Time Travelling

She remembered it clearly, the dream/vision was vivid .....

There was a blinding light, so bright that she had to close her eyes briefly.

And then, when her vision finally cleared up, Barnacle Bay had gone!

Before her stood a clean, sanitised city with jagged skyscraper structures, astroturf and chemically clean ornamental pools.

And a strangely dressed man, standing waiting for her as she stepped out of the portal.

Greetings Prairie Prune. Welcome to Oasis Landing. And welcome to the future .... YOUR future.

Prairie had to blink. This place was so bright

A few questions for you.
Fire away.
Who are you, why are you here and how the hell did you know my name?
All in good time Prairie.
Time .... is something I don't have. And you haven't answered any of my questions.
Okay, first things first, my name is Emit Revelart .... I'm the 'Time Traveller'.
Oh really? And what does that entail?
That, my dear, is irrelevant. As for 'time', I'll show you how to utilise that on your journeys.
Journeys? Where?
Why here of course. Welcome to Oasis Landing!
Don't you mean Barnacle Bay?
Nope, this .... is the future.

She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.
It's .... very bright here. Do I need a visor like yours?
Only if you really need to, your eyes will adjust accordingly.
Has anything happened here in the future that we need to worry about?
Not that I am aware of, but that is entirely up to you. What you are seeing at this future time, is what will possibly happen or continue to happen if you follow the path you and your family will tread along.

And if it doesn't?
Time has a very sensitive string running through it. The slightest deviation, that will affect the future minimally, or dramatically.
What about my family? What happened to them?
I can't tell you that, but you can find out for yourself.
You mean they are here? In.....
Oasis Landing, yes.
Then they didn't end up on the colony at Lunar Lakes.
I've already told you too much as it is.
Am I ever going to get a straight answer here?
Perhaps.

CHIRRUPPPP!!!!
The agitated sound of her purple dragon cut through her consciousness, throwing her completely out of her brain charging exercises.
Funny how she never had these visions before, but now they were becoming more and more frequent. A bit like a waking dream....
.... or was it?
It certainly seemed real to her.
And if anything could be gleaned from this 'dream', it is that her family.... or at least her future decendants were safe and sound. Even if they were living on what looked like a utopia of sorts.

Oh, if only she could meet them, but meh. This, was just her imagination running riot as always. Besides, this little crittur this dragon/pet/experiment/whatever was only agitated because it had been locked indoors. It needed some exercise.

And yes, it was definitely a dream. Since the condensation on the windows of her rented house told her that campus was caught in yet another icy grip. Whereas this .... 'Oasis Landing' place was sunny and bright and ...... surreal.

Most definitely surreal.

Come on you.... she said, letting it hop onto her arm.
 
She hadn't officially named it/him/her. She wasn't sure what gender - if any - it was, nor how any of the other students would react to seeing a miniature dragon in her possession.

But, it needed exercise, and since she had a free day before graduation, she also needed a little fresh air, so she stepped out.

Oh man, that's so cool!

The man's voice stopped her short.

Oh great, she muttered, all I need, some snap happy photographer on my tail.

Can I take some pics? I've never seen anything like that before, what's it called, what is it? Is it some kind of new reptile?

Prairie turned her head slowly and focused on the exuberant snapper.

Are you paparazzi?
Hell no, I'm working on my college paper, studying visual arts and photography.. That pet of yours sure is a cutie.

Although it was tempting to use mind control over this guy, Prairie chose not to. It was bad enough being spotted. Any further publicity and it would put her and her current family in serious danger.

Maybe it was common sense, maybe not. But something niggled at the back of her mind that dream or not.... she'd be bumping into Emit Ravelert in the not so distant future........

Strange Ingredients

 The phone call lasted a lot longer than Prairie had reckoned and she was starving. She was too hyped up to go back home, so she settled for a snack from the vending machine.

However, it took her money, and stressed out as she was, she did the one thing she never ever dreamed about. She took a flying shoulder tackle into it, causing it to wobble slightly. But at least she got a result.

Scarfing down the sweet treat, she realised what a HUGE mistake that was, and ran straight to the toilet to heave the whole lot up. Goodness knows how long they'd been left in there. It certainly taught her a lesson though. Never attempt to eat ANYTHING out of a vending machine!!

Whilst she sat there, her head resting against the hard porcelain, she recalled the phone conversation she'd had with her mother, trying to fit together all the pieces that had fallen apart. Anything to make sense of what was going on back home.

Mom, calm down, please!

Prairie pleaded as she listened to her mother having a fully fledged breakdown on the other end of the line. She heard a hitching sob and a long drawn out breath as Shau tried to compose herself.

Now. Tell me what happened. And please slow down so that I can understand you. Once you get all excited, you switch to your native tongue and it is hard enough keeping up with you.

Shau laughed.

I'm sorry, it's just that this is so out of the blue, you know?
I understand Mom.
No, I don't think you do. This .... is bordering on the catastrophic..

She started to babble, but stopped herself. Getting herself all worked up, wasn't solving anything. The wheels had been set in motion now, there was nothing she could do. It was the law of her peoples, her pod siblings.

You remember the story of how I threw away everything, the minute I met your father?
Vaguely, but yes.
I thought, by cutting my ties with the pod, I'd be rid of them completely. However, that hasn't been the case. They tracked me down - us down, she corrected, and my superior arrived at the house, demanding that I hand over my first born!
What? That's insane ... and a little biblical if you ask me.
Nevertheless, I told him that my 'first born' wasn't a son.
What's that got to do with things?
Let me get a few words in here Prairie. Please. I'm having trouble as it is, dealing with this fallout.
Um, okay. Continue.
It has always been orchestrated that whenever a sibling clone breeds with a human Sim, that their first born child would be a male. Genetics have made sure of this for many millennia. It has always been that way for as long as I can remember.
Why?
To train them as pollination technicians. The next generation of breeders to continue the pollination program.
But why? Why not females?

Apparently, male hybrid spawn are much more compliant and detached. They cannot truly form a 'bond' with their laboratory experiments and have a critical, analytical view of their subject. Females however, have been known to emanate sympathetical views and are much more likely to release their laboratory experiments far too soon. Thus failing to complete the pollination/insemination process. That is why we are always placed in other sections, away from the laboratories.
And I can't do that?
Are you kidding me Prairie? Are you wanting to join the collective and continue their barbaric work?
Is this what it is all about?
Yes! They wanted the first born. However, for some reason, there's a glitch in the genetic process and you were born.
So, I am a 'glitch'?
No, you are blessed, you are an exceptional case. But they still want a male. So they targeted ..... Marlin instead.
And you are letting them take him?

No, I stood my ground. However, there is no backing out of this. We have been targeted and they will return again and again until they get what they want.
And if you still refuse?
Then they'll destroy us all, take out the house ... everything. We, according to them, are a liability.

There was a long long silence as Prairie weighed up the situation.

Do you want me to come home? Maybe a diplomatic solution can be met?
No, their choice is final. If we don't want to continue helping with 'the cause', then we may as well not exist. Simple as that. Besides, I want you to continue your studies and get your degree. It's what you've been striving towards. Maybe, just maybe, they won't find you, and you can continue on without us.
Oh mom, don't say that, please.
I'm sorry, but it is true.

There was a long pause as both women thought about the sheer gravity of their situation.

Prairie?
Yeah, still here.
I need you to do something for me.
Anything Mom, you know I'd always be happy to help.
Should things .... um .... 'happen'.
MOM!
Listen, listen, please. I need you to collect some raw materials for me.
Sure, what like?

Prairie took pause to rinse her mouth out and reflect on her mother's strange list. It was weird beyond measure, the ingredients just didn't add up. But she decided that whilst she was in college, she'd do her damnedest to get these ingredients.

She just needed some time to jot down all the ingredients that her mother had requested .... and recoup her brain power. What she would do after that ..... she wasn't certain. With her Loner trait, she always found it difficult to meet people and crowds always made her nervous.

Thank goodness it was Thursday, group session day. Even with her feet ankle deep in snow, she was still distracted at her mother's revelations.  She was so glad to be rid of that class.

A fish.
Any kind?
Nope, as long as it is alive. Oh and make sure to anaylse it thoroughly.

She remembered that she'd bought a fish from the store, since they weren't biting at this time of year. She actually needed it for a Science project she was working on at college. She was told to look after it and scan it on a regular basis.

A dragon's egg? I hear they are quite rare though.
Excuse me?
A dragon egg. 
You are kidding me right?
Prairie, I know you have one in your possession.
Excuse me?
Don't play coy with me, I'm your mother. I also know what you are like with your innate curiosity. Which is why I've tasked you with this list of ingredients. If anybody can collect whatever is on it, it'll be you.

Yeah, sure enough, Prairie, through some 'shady' contacts, had managed to acquire a dragon egg.

Apparently it was one smuggled from a fabled land called Dragon Valley. Although the origins of that story were never unfounded, since DV never actually showed up on any satellite search engine. However, the minute it was placed in her rented accommodation where it was warm, it had begun to hatch. So a dragon egg would be pointless.

Mom, how about a dragon instead?
Are you attached to it?
Um.

Truth was, the minute this little purple winged creature flopped ungainly out of it's broken shell, Prairie was enamoured. It flapped its fragile wings around, trying to get its balance and hiccuped a few bubbles. BUBBLES????

Prairie was surprised at this, simply because in all the fairytale books that she was embarrassed to admit that she'd sneakily read.... dragons always spewed fire!
Never mind about her college sweetheart Miles. She hadn't seen him all this semester. Either their gruelling class schedule prevented any trysts. Or they just drifted apart somewhat. Now this little creature, was all hers to dote upon 24/7 - or whenever her class schedule allowed it. She took it upon herself to raise this helpless little winged creature as her own.

 Is it pregnant or liable to lay some eggs of its own?
Um not to my knowledge, it is still only a baby.
Then the answer would be no.  But never mind, we will find a way anyways.

Now, she needed to find some folks and gather the ingredients.

Yeah riiiight, how was she to get that? The Student Union building would be her best bet, so, after perusing her list of ingredients, she made her way in there. There were a few people hanging around. Hopefully the right ones.

Um, lemme see. Er .... fairy dust for one.
Right.

Fumbling and fussing, she approached a rather handsome fairy who had just happened to wander into the study room.

Um, hi.
Hello.
I've ... er..... got a survey I need help with.
Sorry, don't do surveys, total waste of time. Besides, where's your clipboard?

Oh why was this so hard for her? She took a deep breath.

Listen, I need some fairy dust. Any chance of letting me have some?

He gaped openmouthed at her, then chuckled.
Sure you can. I've got plenty to go around.
And you aren't bothered by my request?
It's the first time anybody's asked me, without wanting to get into my pants first.

Um, more seeds and herbs.
Yep, got that.

Prairie pondered at that one. She had a friend here on campus who was a PlantSim ...
a PlantSim..... hmm.... maybe????
Can I ask a favour?
Of course, anything for you.



 Do you have any spare seeds lying around? I seem to have run out of mine and I can't cultivate any more during this Wintry season.

Oh and one more thing. Please don't take this the wrong way okay?
O-kay.
I want you to collect some DNA. Not just any DNA, but that of a PlantSim.
MOM!
No, no no no. It's not what you are thinking. You'll understand the minute you get home okay?

There is just one more favour. I know this is seriously pushing things.
Sure go ahead. Besides, it'll distract me from this really dumb mascot costume I've been forced to wear. Cheers for the Llamas! RAH! Why oh why did I sign up for mascot duty? Sorry, fire away.



I need some of your DNA.
Um, okay. I hope you aren't doing anything sinister with it, like clone me or something. Or create a CowPlant or something.
I hope so too Prairie mused but kept that to herself. So, any chance of having some?
I guess so. It won't hurt will it, I'm nervous of needles.
With the technology we have nowadays, you don't have to do anything. Now stand still whilst I point this gadget at you.



Within seconds, the transaction was complete.


Thank you! I'm so grateful, thank you.
Any time. Now to get out of this damned stinky flea ridden costume and back into my own clothes!

Prairie had managed to collect together virtually everything on her mother's shopping list. With the exception of the dragon egg. She needed to store everything carefully away until she graduated - which wasn't too far away thankfully. And hope that her dragon - curious little thing it was - didn't sniff everything out and eat it.

Oh and to solve the puzzle that her mother had put before her.
What had seeds, fish, fairy dust PlantSim DNA and a dragon egg all have in common?

Her biggest worry however, was what was happening back home. And just how long did they have before the family split apart?

Prairie's Premonition

"I'm sorry, I ... I need to go." Prairie said suddenly.

"You okay?" Miles asked her outright, "it's snowing up a blizzard out there. There's plenty of room here to crash."

"No, sorry," came her short reply, "I dunno, I've just got to get back home. See you in class... okay?"

Miles frowned. Prairie had always been a strange one, putting her alien ancestry to one side. She was always happy to accept invitations, but left pretty early once she got there. Her Loner trait kicking in. He understood that crowds made her uncomfortable.

She reached the front door and realised that Miles had been right, the skies were thick and woolly from the lowering clouds overhead. But for some odd reason, she couldn't quite place it, she had a sudden urge to return home. Or at least back to the rented accommodation she'd acquired for this college semester. Yeah, the dorm was cool, it was free, but she never truly felt comfortable there. Now, this place, yes it was HUGE and she could have advertised for roomies, but she was happiest there. She had her own space. Not students suddenly butting in at inconvenient times, stealing her bed and rumpling the sheets.

Taking a deep breath, she decided her best course of action, was to make a run for it. The roads, although they'd been treated, were still too dangerous for her to jump onto her borrowed bicycle for the mad dash home.

As she ran, she mused at how fate had led her here, back to college. She was so certain that she'd passed her Science degree with flying colours. But a glitch in the computer, and sloppy administration meant that she had to take it all over again.

Which was fine by her. She was always happy to challenge and rechallenge her optimal alien brain power to it's limits. So this time, to make sure, she packed in a gruelling schedule. Just to make sure.

Today, her first day back, had been it's hardest slog. Three classes in one day, one after the other, and Miles' invitation to a get together was sweet and enticing. She wasn't a party person, but she just wanted to see him one more time.

But whilst she was there, that old familiar and uncomfortable sensation hit her full on. The place was crowded and she felt her palms go clammy and a distinct shortness of breath. There was another sensation, quite new, but she dismissed it as just being a little over-reactive.

She arrived back to the house where she instantly took her snow sodden shoes off . It was also a good time to have a long soak in the bath, since the chilly night air had managed to drill itself into her very bones, making her shiver involuntarily. She hoped that she wasn't coming down with something. The last thing she wanted was to be bed ridden when there was so much studying to do. There had been a rumour that there was an influenza outbreak around campus. Thank goodness for this semester, many students had either graduated, or they'd stayed back home until the holiday season had ended and this severe weather front had abated. Only a fool - or a truly dedicated student - would venture out to class.

Whilst she daydreamed in the bath, her stomach growled meancingly, making her realise just how long it had been since she'd last eaten. When was that? She couldn't remember. And that strange feeling had returned. Drying herself off, she sauntered into the kitchen, where she distractedly reached into the fridge and pulled out a load of ingredients.

And stared at them for a whole minute.

What?? Pancake mix? She never made pancakes. It was supposed to be granola, or bacon and eggs or something ..... not pancake mix. What the hell was wrong with her? Once again, her stomach protested, forcing her to do something about it. Shrugging her shoulders she pulled out the chopping board and started mixing up the ingredients without making any references from recipe books. That was the beauty of being a Genius with a photographic memory. A simple glance. Just one observation, and she knew exactly what to do.

But just before she put the frying pan onto the stove, she paused, thinking. Was this really what she wanted? This starchy food was bad for her studies. Or so she'd been led to believe, by a few health freaks she'd studied online.

Sighing, she continued cooking, making an adequate amount of fairly tasty apple pancakes. However, she barely had time to taste them.

Glancing up at the clock, she noted that class was about to start and if she didn't make a move, she'd be late. Regretfully, she put the pancakes away in the fridge to munch on later, before slipping on her backpack and making a dash for the lecture hall.

Luckily for Prairie, it was an easy day today. Just the one lecture. She noted that the place was virtually empty, with just her and an elderly werewolf to keep her company. Even the professor was notably absent. She'd attended a seminar out of town when the snow storm hit. That meant that she couldn't get back in time and was holed up in a hotel until the roads were cleared. She'd had the foresight to email instructions and notes for this weeks'  classes, so students wouldn't miss out.

Together, this unlikely duo scribbled their notes, barely acknowledging one another in the process.

And then the unthinkable happened. How, she did not know. But Prairie fell fast asleep. In class. It was wholly unthinkable, since aliens NEVER sleep. Instead, they use a regime of meditation and self hypnosis to restore their brain power.

It just couldn't be the flu. Couldn't. Besides, after utilizing the college's DNA profiler, she had no other symptoms to work on. She was energised, her core temperature was normal. What was wrong with her?

Whipping out her phone, she decided to call her family back home. Something was up, but she couldn't quite place what it was. Perhaps her mother would have some answers.

It was her dad who answered the phone.

"Hi dad, how's it going?"
"Oh hey there trouble," came the jovial reply, "how's college? Still studying hard?"
"Oh, it's good. Is mom there?"
"She's just resting at the moment, but I'll get her for you."
"Oh, there's no need, let her rest, it's hard work looking after us lot, especially those twins of ours."

Norris chuckled, but Prairie couldn't help noticing that his voice sounded tired.

"You okay dad?"
"I'm fine sweetie, I'll go get your mom."

Prairie wasn't one for conspiracy theories and other such hokum. She was too practical, living in the now, but a ripple of apprehension ran up her spine. Since she'd returned to college, something had shifted back home. Whilst she waited for her mother to come to the phone, she heard students arriving for their next lecture. Some student was leading a presentation on economic growth or something and needed his audience to help him through his pre speech nerves.

"Hi Prairie, you wanted to talk to me?"
"Is everything alright back home?"
"As well as it should be, why? Why do you ask? What's happened?"

The urgency in her mother's voice alerted Prairie immediately. There was no good hiding what she'd felt. They'd always been truthful with one another. That's what made their bond all the stronger.

"I've had some strange feelings lately. I thought it was just me, being me, you know. Not being able to deal with large crowds etc. But these are different."

She paused, waiting for her mother's input, but the other end of the line was silent. That meant that Shau was wisely waiting for Prairie to continue.

"Um, I've been getting a strange ripple, a feeling, a bad one at that. It started last night. I keep forgetting things and I fell asleep in class today."

Once again, a short silence.

"I'm not going mad am I? Losing my mind?"
"No dearie, you are most certainly are not. But let me enlighten you on something I failed to tell you. Since you were only half alien, I didn't think it mattered."
"Go on. You know nothing you tell me will shock me at any point."

Shau sighed.

"It's a long explanation, but it'll hopefully become clear to you. You know I told you about my 'brothers and sisters' in the whole pod/hive community?"
"Yes."
"You know how with the technology we have, how we can easily clone one another, and with a simple flick of a switch, we can change genders. Unlike the imaginary friends dolls that we hear about, where a child can choose the gender of their friend to suit their needs. Ours is a little more technical and scientific from that."
"Yeah, I know mom, you've already told me that one."

"We also have a common thread running through us. It is like an early warning system. A trigger when one of our kind gets too stressed out or is in immediate danger. It doesn't work, however, unless it happens to anybody who is quite close to us. Has a very strong realtionship. Be it family or close friends. Because we are normally a calm species, and this event is particularly rare, it befuddles us though. Basically upturns our mental capabilities and makes us do some irrational stuff. Not dangerous stuff, but enough to drag us out of our comfort zones."
"And this has happened to me because..........?"

Shau closed her eyes. This was news that she was unwilling to share with anybody, but she knew that Prairie would also see past HER facade.

"They found us."
"Who .......... oh!"

That simple statement was enough.