Timeshock - I Want My Life Back Read Online Free PDF Page A

a building with Omnicrox written above the door.   Several people were coming out.   Nigel needed to think of a way of getting inside.  
    “Excuse me - I am here from your auditors - I’m sorry we want to do a spot check on your machines as someone has queried our audit.”
    “We are just closing up - can you come back tomorrow?” said one of the employees leaving the building.
    “It really has to be tonight I’m afraid.   I could lose my job if we don’t check.   It will only take five minutes.”
    “Oh, OK then,” said the employee.  

    He took Nigel inside and directed him to a large warehouse full of hundreds of machines.   Nigel looked frantically for the time machine and then he spotted it right over the other side of the warehouse in an area clearly for returns and faulty machines.

    The staff member with Nigel was getting progressively more suspicious of Nigel’s motives and the way that Nigel was walking towards this one machine.
    “Look, I don’t think you should be here now,” said the Omnicrox employee to Nigel.   “You’ve seen the warehouse - I can’t do more than that now.”

    At that point Nigel had already reached the time machine.   Thankfully it wasn’t damaged.   He ignored the increasingly aggressive calls of the Omnicrox employee.   He set the machine to go forward five years, hit the travel button and time began to speed up again.   The astonished Omnicrox employee was faced with a disappearing intruder.  

Chapter 7
    As time began to slow to normal speeds again, Nigel noticed that the warehouse had changed.   As his machine materialised he found himself surrounded by boxes.   Omnicrox didn’t seem to be the company using this warehouse any more.
    Nigel opened one of the boxes and found that it contained what appeared to be sex toys.   Rather embarrassed Nigel closed the box and attempted to shift boxes to provide himself with a way out.   Thankfully the warehouse was deserted so Nigel was free to move boxes noisily around without arousing suspicion.

    Fairly ungracefully he managed to fight his way out - splitting several boxes open in the process - causing a mass of sex toys to fall on the floor.   Nigel saw a fire exit, lifted up the time machine and ran out quickly to it.   As he opened the door a loud alarm went off and outside he saw some security guards rushing towards the warehouse.

    Running as fast as he could, he managed to get away.   He was lucky that the security guards were not at all fit.   In a hot and sweaty mess he looked for somewhere to stay.   Eventually he discovered a fairly bland chain hotel.   The reception staff barely looked at him as he checked in.   Most people would have been offended but to Nigel it was perfect.   He stowed the time machine in a large cupboard in his hotel room and pulled out his betting slip.   He left the hotel and walked towards where he thought the betting shop was.   It wasn’t there.

    Frantically he used his phone to search for another shop in the same betting chain.   Sadly, he discovered that it had closed in 2012.   Nigel was heart-broken.   He would have to go back again.   He had almost run out of money and was beginning to feel desperate.

    He went back to his hotel room and sat dejectedly on the bed.   He turned on the TV and saw highlights of a Formula 1 race.   He realised there was a much easier way of getting rich.   Rather than going back five years, just go back a few hours. Wait for the result of an event and then go back and bet on it.  
    He didn’t even need to go forward again in time. He could just let time pass and pick up his winnings.   Nigel noted the result of the Grand Prix race and set the time machine to go back to an hour before it started.

    This time Nigel chose a major chain of bookmakers and sat watching the race at the betting shop.   He celebrated when the driver, who he knew would win, crossed the line.   He had only made enough money to survive a few more