Free The Mall by Bryant Delafosse Page A

over their bodies.   “It stars Michael J. Fox from the popular television show Family Ties and Christopher Lloyd from Taxi .”
    “That’s the one with the cool car in it,” Owen remarked.
    “I want to see Goonies ,” Cora cried, that whiny quality entering her voice.
    “Is there any policy against buying different movie tickets for my two children?” Lara asked the liaison.
    “No policy per se, although management does try to dissuade the practice, especially after hours,” the service Bot replied.   Then in a more official sounding voice, it said, “Management is not responsible for any injuries sustained on the premises due to a lack of parental supervision or disagreements between adult parties.”
    As the children continued to argue, Lara leaned closer to the Bot and discreetly asked.   “Is there… human security here?”
    “There are two Security Agents posted on the premises after hours.”
    Well, that assuaged her fears for the time being.
    “Mom, didn’t you say we could sneak-in to more than one.”
    Ignoring Owen, Lara nodded to the Bot and said, “Thank you for your help.”
    The Bot bowed slightly but didn’t seem to pick up her insinuation.   Guess they didn’t program the things with etiquette. “Um, excuse us, but…”
    “Go away,” Owen barked and with those words, the Bot started immediately away from them.   “You have to give them direct a command or they’re clueless.”
    “That was rude,” Cora barked.
    “What does it care?   It’s a machine.”
    “Yeah, well, it looks like the next showing of Back to the Future lets out in plenty of time to see a couple of others,” Lara said, swiping her card and retrieving the three tickets it dispensed.   “That is, if you guys can stay awake.”
    “I can,” Cora chirped.   “I might even watch Goonies twice.”
    One by one, the three of them fed their tickets into the automated turnstiles and pushed their way through the plexi-steel booths into the main lobby of the theater.
    One of the movies must have just ended as a group of ten or fifteen couples meandered through the lobby to the exits, talking excitedly amongst themselves.   The lobby of the Cine-verse at the Mall of the Nation might have doubled as a ballroom, even the crystal chandelier that hung directly above its center contributed to this illusion.   Multi-colored carpet covered the fifty yards leading to the enormous concession stand that split into two sections: one for automated service and the other for full “interactive” service (as it had been termed in the customer service industry).   The lighting had been slightly diminished on that side to give a gentle prompting that if you wanted live service, sir, you were out-of-luck.
    An elderly couple laughed as they fumbled through the procedures of purchasing their snacks at the concession stand.   The gentleman glanced over at Lara and the kids as they entered and flashed them a smile.
    “Would you be in need of assistance, sir?” one of the lobby robots asked the gentleman.
    He waved his hand at the Bot.   “No-no-no.   Mind your own business, Sparky!” he growled.  
    Lara snickered and felt instant affinity for the couple. She knew that there was the higher degree of distrust of the mechanized men among the generations born before the technological boom of the seventies.   Being an engineer, her father had been at home around Bots; her mother on the other hand had reacted to them in much the same way the elderly man just had.
    “Look, Mommy, popcorn!” Cora said in a loud whisper that, nonetheless, rivaled her normal speaking voice.   “Can we get some?   Pleeease?”
    “Hush, Cora,” Lara hissed.   “We have just enough for the movie.   That was the deal.”   Though she had eleven dollars left, Lara could not bare to part with it just yet.   After all, it was her life savings now.
    The elderly gentleman gently brushed his wife aside and tried to take control of the situation.