Outdated Style

"Tomorrow will still be our past…"

It's a good saying for time travelers who are now stuck in the past. They are twenty-one years behind from the present. The year 2000 is the start of a new Millennium. But the new year celebration for this year is already in the past. Maybe next time they do time travel, they should go before the new year countdown begins.

"Where are you going?" Celine asked.

She just saw Drake entering the bathroom earlier. But now, he's already dressed up and prepared. She wakes up earlier than him and just lazes around. After all, they have a lot of time before the rainy season starts.

"Just to remind you, we don't have spare clothes. Get yourself ready. We're going to do some shopping!"Drake suggested.

"I'll just go take a quick shower. Wait for me!" She replied and went to the bathroom right away.

Drake was right, they only came here without anything but his backpack. Good thing he bought a lot of cash they can use for this year. If he doesn't, they will not be able to survive around here. But he doesn't have any clothes for himself either.

Celine noted it to herself so that next time, she can pack an overnight bag at the very least. She never thought that they would get stuck in time. If they have to wait until the lightning storm, it means that they need to settle down around here. They can't stay in a hotel room for three months.

"I'm ready. Let's go shopping!" Celine announced herself.

"Wow, that was fast!" Drake was surprised that it only takes her ten minutes.

"I'm planning to have a proper bath when we get back. It's better with some fresh clothes." She explained.

"Whatever! Let's go. We don't have all day." Drake replied.

That's not exactly true because they have all day today and more to come until the rainy season. But she chose not to get smart with the doctor. He's bringing him to shop for new clothes. Although it will already be outdated once they go back to the present. Still, she's excited to go to the mall.

They were able to finish their shopping in two hours. It seems that Drake takes more time to choose his clothes. She was done shopping for just one hour. The style doesn't matter anyway since everything around them is outdated. But Drake still takes his time to choose the clothes he prefers.

Celine smiled while Drake was paying for his clothes from the counter. At least something good comes out of this incident. If they didn't get stuck in this timeline, they will never get to know each other more. In just one day, she already noticed Drake's habits.

"Let's grab something to eat!" Drake suggested.

"We can just go to the food court," Celine replied.

"Fine," Drake agreed.

They choose to eat some grilled pork and pork sinigang (tamarind soup) with rice. She didn't notice earlier that she's already hungry. They didn't have breakfast since they were in a rush. It's their brunch now and they eat in silence. It looks like Drake is also hungry.

"If we are to stay here for a few months, I think it's cheaper to rent a small apartment," Celine suggested in between bites.

Drake looked at him and continued to chew his food. He seems to be well-mannered to talk while his mouth is full. She waited for his reply until Drake nodded his head and continued to eat. That looks like a sign that they should finish their meals first.

"That's a good suggestion. We need a bigger space for building the device charger." Drake finally said once they were done eating.

"We should go inside the Balanga area. That's where the residential areas are located." She suggested.

"Alright, but we need to drop the shopping bags at the hotel first. Then we can browse the area." Drake replied.

Celine agreed with his suggestion. It's better if their shopping bags are already in their hotel. That way, it's alright for them to take all day looking for an apartment or a house they can rent. But maybe Drake prefers to rent a house so that they can build a temporary lab.

They need to make the time travel device work. It's the only way they can contact Chad. But right now, it's impossible to do it with a regular cell phone. They need to have that charger that can have enough power to turn on the devices once again. Then they can wait for Chad's call.

Chad was able to successfully get his automatic rollerblades and a bag filled with old banknotes. Now, he's already in front of the Time Travel Agency and hiding from the giant mushrooms surrounding it. He needs to wait when the nighttime falls. That will give him a chance to enter the premises without getting arrested by the agents.

He decided that he needs to update the doctor with his plans. If he can successfully get into the time machine, he can create a new wormhole. Then he can find them and they can all go back to the future using the time machine. He takes his communicator and dialed the time travel device number for Drake.

The number you dialed is turned off. Please try your call later…

Chad felt like he was splashed with cold water on his face. The time travel device is off which only means one thing. It runs out of battery charge. That means that Celine and Drake are both stuck in the past! He needs to get to that time machine tonight.

If they stayed in the year 2000, time will come and they will no longer exist in the present. They will turn into ghostly apparitions since they should not also be around in the past. It only takes six months for that to happen. He has to find a way to create the new portal before it happens.