Chapter 19: “One More Thing~”

Author's note: It seems like the shopping part will take at least 1-2 more chapters depending on how it gets written out. Thanks for your continued patience, and enjoy the chapter.

Before we start shopping in earnest, there is one thing we must get for Jessica first, a glove. But not just any glove but a ZMI glove. As you might have guessed as it has ZMI in its name, it must have some pretty cool features, and you would be right. As for what those features are, continue reading to find out.

I lead Jessica through the crowds of people until we reach an ‘oddity’ in the Bazaar. Even though on each side there are merchants trying to solicit business for themselves, the merchant in the ‘stall’ in question is was sitting down on a chair with his feet propped up and seemed to be asleep.

However, that wasn’t the ‘oddity’ that I was referring to. All sound that should have entered that area around the merchant's ‘stall’ 'vanished'. As if it was consumed by the very silence.

Jessica, as if reading my intentions, tries to enter the ‘silence’ but I stop her. She looks at me, confused as to why I would stop her.

I shake my head slowly and mouth “watch”. I let go of her hand and press my ungloved left hand against the ‘silence’. Jessica might have expected it to go through, but as Kronk has said before me, “there’s a wall there.”

I look back at Jessica and she had an expression that said “Oh” written all over her face. I switch my coffee to my left hand and with my gloved right I press it against the ‘silence’ but this time it gives way and my hand disappears. I motion for Jessica to go on through with my head.

Hesitantly she walks into the ‘silence’ and disappears. Naturally, I follow her in. Inside is an adequately light room, not as bright as the outside, but it wasn’t as dark as the 'dark room' either. The room was sparsely furnished, and instead of a stall there was a desk made of wood, mahogany I believe. Sitting behind it was a man staring intently at the newcomers.

Male voice: “I was wondering who could have solved my ‘trick’ so easily, only to find it was just you. I’m just glad you didn’t destroy it like last time.” The man says sighing.

Robert: “Last time, it was so absurd that it practically begged to be destroyed.”

Jessica: “On the pain of sounding stupid, what are you two talking about?” Poor Jessica was completely out of the loop, and slightly irritated about it.

Male voice: “Ah where are my manners…” The man looks around the room and spots what he was looking for.

“Ah, there they are.” He reaches out and grabs something that is invisible to us, pops it into his mouth and swallows it. After a few seconds he burps and taps his chest.

“Excuse me. Ah, that’s better. My name is Deus Ex Machina, but my friends call me Mac.”

Robert: “Do you really hate your name so much that you try to pass of your online nickname as your real one, Ted?”

Ted: “And this is why I can’t have nice things, because *someone* always ruins it for me.” Ted says sighing again.

Jessica: “My question still hasn’t been answered.” More irritation could be heard in her voice.

Robert: “This person here is ZMI’s chief engineer. All the technology seen in ZMI, this person had a hand in building.” I say indicating Ted.

Ted: “‘Had a hand in building’ is closer to the truth that you think. Even though it was my team and I who physically built and optimized them, the basic design and a 'few' tips on how to make it better, were all provided by the President. How he can even think up these things *and* make them feasible is beyond me.” Ted sighs once more.

Robert: “Because I’ve been shopping here for the past five years, I’ve gotten to know most of the people who work at ZMI pretty well. Because of my natural disposition to see through optical illusions, I was recruited to help refine Ted’s 'original' contribution to ZMI.”

Ted: “It’s not really 'original' as I was commissioned by the President to do it.” Ted shrugs.

Jessica: “What do you mean natural disposition to see through optical illusions?” Jessica asks looking at me.

Robert: “Because my left eye is mostly blind, there is a mismatch of perception which causes illusions that require the same vision on from both eyes to become distorted rendering it visible to me.”

Jessica: “How come nobody noticed you were blind in the left eye?” Jessica asks looking at my left eye.

Robert: “That is because of Ted here. In return for helping perfect the president’s commission, Ted makes me a custom made contact lens that brings my left eye back up to a useable level, but even then there is a mismatch of perception between both eyes that allows me to see through illusions.”

Jessica: “I see…”

Robert: “Speaking of that, Ted?” I look at Ted.

Ted: “I’m assuming you’re almost out of your monthly supply of contacts?” Ted looks back at me.

Robert: “Yes. I was busy the past few days and I forgot to come order more.” I say shrugging.

Ted: “Well you are in luck, I have this month’s box right here because I figured that might be the case.” Ted takes a box out of the desk and places it on top of the desk.

Robert: “Thanks, you’re a life saver, here I was thinking I would have to go without for 3-4 days.” I say sighing in relief.

Ted: “As for the payment?” Ted asks raising an eyebrow.

Robert: “I was planning on coming back on Sunday and we can discuss the payment then.”

Ted: “Fine, but don’t be late.”

Robert: “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Jessica: “Wait, wait! I’m getting confused here. Can we start conversation from the top? So I can understand it this time?”

Ted: “Of course Miss Jessica…”

Jessica: “How do you know my name? Nobody has said it this entire time?” I think I hear slight paranoia in her voice.

'She should be use to this kind of thing by now right? Or do I just adjust too fast?'

Ted: “If you take a closer look at the air above you, you will see how I know your name.” Jessica looks above her head and is slightly surprised. Floating over her head was a name tag. She grabs it and takes a closer look at it.

Hello. My name is:

Jessica

Jessica: “What is this?” She asks nobody in particular and it was Ted who answered her.

Ted: “Can’t you tell? It’s a name tag and look Robert has one too.” Ted points to something floating above my head. Jessica turns and looks at where Ted is pointing, and her expression is says “Oh.”

I’ve noticed the name tags as soon as I walked in, but I choose not to say anything because I wanted to see Jessica’s reactions.

Jessica: “I can see that, but that doesn’t tell me anything.”

Ted: “It doesn’t? Ah well, then I guess I better explain.” Ted says happily.

Robert: “The short version, Ted. We are somewhat in a hurry.”

Ted: “You never let me do anything fun on your time do you?” Ted sighs again.

Robert: “Ted.” My voice was stern.

Ted: “I understand. Basically the president commissioned me to create a machine that can produce illusions. Realistic illusions, mind you, so real that they cause your mind to subconsciously suspend the disbelief that it can’t be real. Take this room for example.”

Jessica: “It’s a nicely lit room with spare furnishing and its main attention is the mahogany desk in the center.”

Ted: “And this isn’t strange to you?” Ted questions her.

Jessica: “No, why? Should it be?” Jessica asks puzzled.

Ted: “That is exactly the reaction I was looking for! The suspension of disbelief is in effect.” Ted exclaims excitedly.

Jessica: “I still don’t get it.” Confusion was apparent in her voice.

Robert: “Jess, we just came through a solid wall of ‘silence’ from a brightly lit Bazaar, to come into a moderately lit room and you find nothing 'strange'?”

Jessica: “Oh. When you put it that way…” Realization must have dawned on her.

Ted: “And this is why I need him to help me perfect my machine. Because once the machine I made makes illusions he can’t see through or destroy, it will be done.”

Jessica: “Robert can destroy illusions?” Jessica looked at me surprised.

Sighing, I walk up to the mahogany desk, place my coffee on it, tap it three times with my gloved right hand and then pick my coffee up again. As I pick up my coffee up, the mahogany desk becomes an oak dining room table.

Jessica: “Wow~” Jessica utters unintentionally.

Robert: “To set the record straight, I cannot destroy illusions, although the theory behind destroying them is quite simple. I just simply hijack a portion of the illusion and manipulate it as I see fit.”

Ted: “'Simply,' He says! It took me over a year, even with the president’s hints to make a working prototype, and then Robert comes along, reads my untranslated research notes and comes back a month later with a working prototype that can manipulate existing illusions!”

Robert: “To be fair, your research notes were well written and easy to understand.” I say shrugging.

Ted: “They were written in Latin!” Ted exclaims angrily.

Robert: “What can I say? My love of reading lead me to learn multiple languages so I can read more books.” I say shrugging again.

Ted: *sighs* “This guy is really too much. So after he brought me his prototype, I showed it to the president and immediately he saw some uses for it that I would never had even thought of. I mean seriously, who would have thought of using illusions to restore people’s lost senses? I mean serious, what is the president a saint? Does he spend all day thinking of ways to make the world a better place?”

Robert: “Ted. You’re getting off topic although there is some merit in that, but now is not the time for that.” My voice stern again.

Ted: “Anyways, the President made me the official liaison between ZMI and Robert, and that means I have to relay his various 'requests' to the President, one of them being these contact lens.” Ted picks up the box of contact lenses and throws it at me, which I promptly catch and pocket them in my suit’s inside pocket.

Jessica: “How long have you two been working together?” Jessica asks Ted.

Ted: “On and off for about 4 years. He stops by once or twice a month improve his prototype all while helping me make and understand illusions better.” Ted says offhand.

Jessica: “Why is that?” Jessica asks curiously.

Ted: “Only I have something that can readily make illusions, and even then it only works in ZMI so it’s not ready for the public yet. So in order to improve his, he needs my help but then again, each time he stops by I make so much progress it almost renders the time I spent working on it alone meaningless.” Ted says sighing.

Robert: “Ted, by chance do you happen to have the last prototype I left with you?”

Ted: “I do, but I thought it was marked as a failure?” Ted puts a watch on the table.

Robert: “It is, but I think I found a way to make it work.”

Ted: “Oh? Care to explain?” Curiosity filled Ted’s voice.

Robert: “I’ll tell you the details on Sunday when I come back to settle the payment.” After taking a sip of coffee, I place it back down on the table and I put the watch on my left wrist. I flex the fingers on my left hand and the watch turns into a glove, which just happens to match my right glove. Jessica was watching the whole procession in amazement.

Jessica: “That’s amazing…”

‘Didn’t she just see me change a mahogany desk into an oak dining room table, and she says *this* is amazing?’

Robert: “My “failed” prototype was trying to create/sustain as well as manipulate the created illusions using two separate processes. Which I realized was stupid, after I took some time to think about it. After all if a single function can create and maintain an illusion, it just has to make another one to change it, why go through the trouble of just trying to change one part of it?”

Ted: “Right. I would have told you but you needed to figure that out for yourself.”

Robert: “So by making a second device that only manipulates the previously created illusions, it allows the first one to just make and maintain them.”

Ted: “That is what your first proto type did, so what changed?”

Robert: “I made it so that this version can only affect the illusions created with certain 'frequencies' for lack of a better word. The reason why I tapped the desk three times was to attune it to your illusion’s frequency.”

Ted: “I see, once it was perfected it would prevent the tampering with other people’s illusion.” I could hear understanding in Ted’s voice.

Robert: “Correct, but right now there is no limitation on how many times it can be retuned, so all it needs to do is touch someone else illusion and it will be able to manipulate it. I’m still working on a way to make it easier to tune as touching something can be excessively difficult if you don’t know where it exists.”

Ted: “Still, that is amazing progress.” Ted says nodding in approval.

Robert: “Perhaps.” I change the left glove into a watch again and take it off.

“May I see your left hand Jess?” She offers it to me without much resistance. I put the watch on her left hand and make it become a glove again.

“I hope you don’t mind me borrowing your left hand. I wanted you to be the first to try out a new application of this illusion manipulation device I came up with recently.”

Jessica turns and looks at Ted asking with her eyes if this was okay.

Ted: “Don’t look at me. When it comes to that technology it is Robert that is the one who makes the rules.” Ted says shrugging.

Jessica: “Then I would be happy to help.” Jessica says grinning from ear to ear.

Robert: “Thank you for your cooperation. SAL?” I call out after thanking Jessica.

SAL9001: “Hello Robert, Ted, Jessica. What do you need?” SAL says in a voice completely devoid of inflection and intonation, basically it was in monotone.

Robert: “I was wondering if you could help integrate my Illusion Manipulator (IM) with ZMI’s inventory list, item descriptions, and pricing information.”

SAL9001: “Normally I would refuse. However, the president figured that you would eventually think of this function and told me to assist you in doing so.” SAL’s female voice continued in monotone.

Robert: “As expected of the President.”

SAL9001: “Please place your ZMI ID card on it and I will begin the integration process. However please note, that if this process was to fail, there is a 99% chance of an explosion occurring that will cause fatalities to all those within 10 meter radius. While the chance of failing is 1% it is best to warn you in advance.” SAL says offhandedly still with her monotone voice.

Everyone in the “room”: “What!?!”

SAL9001: “Just kidding. Ha, ha. That was a joke.” SAL says still in monotone.

Ted: “So SAL was also programed for practical jokes… who knew?” Ted shrugs.

Robert: “The president.”

Ted: “Ah right. The one who programed them in the first place.”

I take out my ZMI ID card and press it on my IM after taking it off and putting it on the table of course. After a few seconds pass and we were still alive, SAL spoke.

SAL9001: “It is finished. Integration was successful, explosions were avoided, and none of those present in the room were marked as hostiles to be eliminated, so all in all it turned out to be okay.”

I ignore the last two parts of SAL’s sentence and put on the IM back on and pocket my ZMI ID card.

Robert: “Now if this works correctly, ZMI’s customer base will potentially have a new means of identifying what they are holding or touching.” I press my hand on the oak dining room table and a message appears before Jessica.

A merchant’s stall that is currently masquerading as an oak dining room table. It is in good condition, but currently is not for sale. Price: NFS.

Jessica reads the message out loud.

Ted: “I guess it worked.”

Robert: “Indeed it did. Although it needs to be tested more thoroughly, but that is for later.”

Jessica: “Why don’t we test it while we go shopping?” Jessica suddenly says.

Robert: “Are you sure Jess? I don’t want it to disturb our date.”

Ted: “Ah so she is your girlfriend. Everything makes more sense now. I am sorry I didn’t introduce myself properly earlier, but I am Ted Crawford and as Robert said earlier, I am the Chief Engineer at ZMI.”

Jessica: “I’m Jessica. Earlier Robert said something about your online nickname being 'Dues Ex Machina.' How exactly did you get that nickname?”

Ted: “Truthfully, it all because of the president. He sends all his ‘inventions’ for ZMI through me, and I’m the one who gets the patents for them as long as I allow ZMI free use of them as long as they don’t sell them. So from all the amazing insolvable problems that *I* solved, people of the online community started calling me Deus Ex Machina, since I seem to always be able to make the impossible possible.” Ted shrugs.

Jessica: “Do you ever feel bad that your reputation is a lie?” I think Jessica was feeling bad for Ted for some reason.

Ted: “Not really, just by telling the ladies who I am, I can get them to spread their legs for me.”

Jessica: “I take it back. You’re nothing more than a pervert.” Jessica says sighing.

Ted: “What kind of person refuses a meal offered to them?” Ted asks with an eyebrow raised.

Jessica: “Come on Robert, let’s go. I don’t want to be in the near this pervert any longer.” Jessica says as she turns to leave.

Robert: “Ted, by the way, she doesn’t know that you’re a woman.” I say smiling. {Author’s note: Who saw this coming?}

Jessica: “What!?!” Jessica turns around and stares at Ted.

Ted just smiles at Jessica as the illusion that was wrapped around her body melts off and reveals her 'true form', although from Jessica’s perspective it might have been another illusion.

Ted was a 6 foot tall woman who looked more handsome than beautiful. If you think about those “prince” type females that you see now and again in manga, you will pretty much nail her. The gap was just too wide between the two appearances that Jessica’s mouth was left hanging open.

Robert: “Oh before I forget, Ted is a lesbian so you don’t have to worry about her going after me, but I have to worry about her going after you.”

Ted: “Come on now, you know me better than that. I would never lay hands on someone you’re dating, but if you break up with her and she comes crying to me, no promises kay?” Her voice was also completely different. It now assumed a bewitching quality that would sway even the most stalwart of hearts. Of course I was unaffected, but I couldn’t say the same for Jessica.

As if in a trance, she took a step towards Ted when she realized what she was doing. She shook her head as if to dispel whatever was possessing her and backed way slowly with her hands over her ears repeating “I have Robert,” over and over.

Ted: “Her will is strong, she broke free.” Ted says disappointed.

Robert: “Well of course, she has me after all.” I say proudly.

Ted: “Treat her well otherwise I’ll snatch her up.” Ted says while smiling.

Robert: “I know full well how effective you are at converting straight girls.” I say sighs. I grab my coffee off the table and take another sip.

“Well, I’m off. See you Sunday.”

Ted: “Bye Robert.” Ted says as her body is once more covered in illusions.

I gather Jessica in my arms and shepherd her out of the “room” and back into the Bazaar. We still have the shopping to do after all.

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