Chapter #5Smoggy London by: Hole   You take a breath. "Ah Londo-*cough-hac*!" Your attempt at a proud entrance is interrupted by a coughing fit. "What the hell?"
"The sun is literally blocked off by the smog in this city," Tess states. She's using her shirt to cover her mouth and nose. "What'd you think would happen when you inhaled it all in?"
"Whatever. We went to another timeline. Blacklung is nothing compared to that." Although part of you still wishes you achieved this in a time with fresh air.
Tess was currently in your pocket after you shoved her in there after forcing her with you into this steam punk world. Although now you had to worry about air quality instead of instantly seeing the sights like you wanted to.
"Hmm. Oh look! A gas mask shop. Let's head in there."
"Wait, a shop just for gas masks?"
"Mhm."
"Guess that would do well in a city like-Cuhac!" Tess started coughing too, her tiny lungs more vulnerable to the polluted air.
"Shallow breaths, Tess," you say in an uncharacteristically worried tone.
You enter the shop with a little chime from a bell as you turn the door. The interior is quite small, about the size of a large bedroom. Although the walls are filled with masks and the floors are crowded with display shelves. So despite the smallness of the shop, you're still overwhelmed with choices. There's small masks and big masks. Masks of all colors of the rainbow. Masks covered in tech and masks that look simple and humble. There's cheap cloth masks for 20 pounds, and beautiful ornate masks marked at above 5000 pounds. Wait, the price tags make you realize something. You don't have any money from this timeline.
"Good day customer." You turn to the voice. "Welcome to Tyndall and Churchill Box Respirators. How may I help you." The voice is coming from a woman made entirely out of bronze. Her hair made of copper wires is tied into a bun on top of a shiny angled face with eyes painted blue. She's clothed in a victorian blouse that reveals a generous amount of cleavage that you notice immediately. Her hands are placed on one another on the counter she is standing behind, completely still and mechanically.
"Hi! Oh I mean, 'Ello there. You can coll me... uh, the Doctah," you say in the most British accent you can muster.
Tess face palms in your pocket.
"Hello Docta. You else may I help you?"
You walk over the counter and lean your elbow on top of it. "Yeah, me and my assistant are..." You get slightly distracted when you notice the automaton has no legs and is instead attached to a pole in the floor. "Are... looking for a pair of gas masks so we can go outside safely."
"That is quite understandable, Docta. The weather has been quite drab today," the automaton understated. "But feel free to peruse the shop and make your purchase here once you are decided."
"Um actually. I'm a liiiittle short on cash. Is there anything I can get... without paying?"
The automaton stood idly as she processed what you said. "Make your purchase here once you are decided."
"But... I just said-"
"Make your purchase here once you are decided."
"Lady, I can't go out there without getting black lung. There's gotta be somethin-"
"Make your purchase here once you are decided."
"Give it up, 'doctaaaa,' this is an automaton, not a robot. It doesn't even have an AI. It's just gonna cycle through its responses."
Hm. That does track with its stiff speech tone. It didn't even react to Tess's voice coming from your pocket. "Hmm. I wonder..." You pull out your size ray.
"Uh, before you do anything, can I remind you what could happen if you damage a store's property? Like shooting a store clerk robot thing?" Tess said.
"What? Pfft. I wasn't going to do that..." you lied very believably. But then you got another idea. "Ooh, I got another idea." You turned and went outside the store, the chime signaling your exit.
"Have a blessed day, Docta," the automaton said as the door closed behind you.
A few minutes later, the door opened and made another chime, but no one entered. So the automaton stayed silent, patiently waiting for a customer to help.
Then two masks (a shiny golden mask and a purple rimed glass mask), just out of the automaton's line of sight, hopped off their their hooks and disappeared. Then the door opened and closed again.
In the same alcove you put it on, you flip off your invisibility cloak, this time wearing that nice gas mask you stole borrowed without asking. You take a deep breath. "Ah. Still smells terrible but at least I'm not dying now."
"Hey, what about me?" you hear Tess say.
"Oh right. Here, I'll shrink your mask-"
"Heck no! Grow me back to normal size!"
"Aw, but you're so-"
"Zip it! You already kidnapped me into this weird timeline, the least you can do is put me back to norma- HAC" she starts coughing again. "Especially with these... tiny lungs," she struggles to say.
You sigh, realizing that keeping her like this for too long in this timeline could actually be bad for her. "Alright fine."
Tess holds her breath as you set her on the ground before finally growing her to normal size again, just a few inches taller than you. With that done, you hand her the glass mask which she puts on immediately. Through its large visor you're able to see the relief wash over her. "Thank you, 'Doctahhh'."
"You're gonna keep calling me that from now on, huh?"
"It's apparently the alias you chose."
"Ooh, so are you gonna be Rose then?"
"I'll just stick with Tess. If any victorians asks, I'll just say it's short for Theresa."
"Wait, it isn't?"
"No," she says baffled at your ignorance. "Who names their kids 'Theresa' in the 21st century?"
"Those people, maybe," you point to the bustling street of people who are technically in their own 21st century.
With your protective equipment acquired and Tess's size restored, where do you go next?  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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