Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Perce is a small village. So, I quickly found the house with the sign that showed 'La Machine a Rajeunir'.

"I will land on the road" said the pilot "I don't have a choice. So, tightly hold the babies in your arms." There were vibrations and shocks. Despite everything, the plane landed without any problems. Our friend, Superhero, deserves his name well. We were just exiting the plane when already unwanted curiosity surrounded us.

“Do not worry about them” said the pilot “I’ll distract them.” La machine à rajeunir now in front of us, even more miserable than I had imagined. This building was an old garage which had been repainted outside. There were displays glued and one could read: <You feel old? You want to find the good old days? Enter here and relive your youth!>. We saw a big man out of the museum and approach us.

"What’s the idea of ​​land in the village!" he yells. "And I told you that parking is prohibited on the road!"

"You're Leo Lapitre?" 'I asked.

“That’s me!”

A police car appeared suddenly, giving me a shock. Even if the arrival of the police was normal after the plane landed on the road, they disturbed my plans. Soon after, a white caravan arrived all of a sudden.

“Marc-Andre!” cried Luce as she left the vehicle “We were looking for you but we couldn’t find you.”

“The electronic brain” whispered Josee.

Superhero addresses the police now, during Henri-Francois hunting curiosity.

“After yesterday” said the scientific genius “I did not stop thinking about your case. When I understood, I told papa to leave to look for you.”

“What do you know, you fat head” said Josee “Listen to you, you didn’t do it!”

“Marc-Andre, the babies are your parents, aren’t they?” responded Luce “Your friends’ clothes were too big and those adults we saw earlier were your parents? They are the same people that are rejuvenating without stopping?”

I didn’t speak in surprise. She continued:

“The cause of this phenomenon will be found here. Logically, the machine should provide us with a solution.” How, with such little information, did she discover the truth? Her intelligence blew me away. After recovering from my astonishment, I turned to Leo Lapitre.

“Do you recognize these babies? When they came here, a few days ago, they were offered tickets. They were given those because they were the 100 and 101 clients. At that moment, they were 40! What did you do? Explain to me why I shouldn’t send you to prison for life!”

His big eyes looked at Hugo then Sophie and then back at Hugo. Then he looked to the police discussing with Superhero. In the end he said:

“I am an honest citizen, I am! I didn’t know I was going to cause trouble! I simply pressed the red button and did as I was told.”

“What red button?”

“The button under my ticket counter. They told me I had to press it on the 100^th client.”

“Who told you to do that?”

“The representatives of the company. That is all I know! I swear!”

“If I understand correctly, you are in charge in the up keeping of a device you don’t know what it does.”

“Absolutely! I just follow instructions. That’s everything!”

Luce approached me.

“Come quickly to check out the interior of la machine a rajeunir.” she said.

After giving my father to Josee, I entered with Luce into La Machine a Rajeunir.

The main corridor had three rooms. In the first room, there were clothes from the 60’s. Miniskirts, flower shirts and striped dresses. In the second room we found psychedelic drawings and photos of the stars of the day: Beatles, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones, and Doors...

The third room was divided into two parts. After crossing the first part and founding discs, we arrive at a metal door. This door led to a production room. The walls, the ceiling and the floor of the room were covered in metal. About a dozen armchairs were facing a screen.

“When the door is closed” Luce said “This piece is completely sealed.”

She examined the armchairs. Then, she approached a wall and touched it with the palm of her hands.

“Look! There is a bolt, but it is a microwave visor. The apparel that provokes the rejuvenation is found in this room. It is found behind the layers of metal that cover the walls. But for the first experiment, they need a guinea pig sitting in the armchairs.”

“Experiment, guinea pig.... is this what you think, too?”

“It is evident the enterprise has a museum of biotechnological specialists. Their employees create a machine to permit rejuvenation. Instead of using volunteers to test their machine, the people responsible use people haphazardly. You see, they do the experiments without telling them.”

 “Such as Lepitre said, the experiment repeats every 100^th customer.”

“Exactly. But I am sure there is similar apparel elsewhere. For valid tests, they surely realized they need a large number of people.”

“Why would they invent such a diabolical machine?”

“When this technology had been controlled, Marc-Andre, many people will make a fortune because of the profits. Selling eternal youth! Can you imagine the best way to become rich?”

Towards the outlet, we stop at the ticket counter. I immediately note the cables in the walls. A small box with a red button was hidden under the counter. They connected the box to a computer.

Luce started the computer, and then quickly typed on the keyboard. Bizarre signed appeared on the screen.

“This is as good as I thought” she said “The controls of the apparel of rejuvenation are found here. The language of the programming is complex but I won’t have difficulty decoding it. Give me a few minutes alone.”

I left and Josee gave my father to me in my hands. Hugo was so light he almost felt like nothing.

After what felt like an eternity, I heard Luce’s voice.

“It’s done! Place the babies in the projection room.”

“What happens after?” I asked worried.

“I modified the programming of the device. When everyone is ready, I will press the red button and your parents will get older. They will be their normal age in a few seconds.”

“What! You are capable of...?”

“And if you were wrong?” Jo asked her “if you press the button, you kill the babies?”

Despite having hair in her face, I could see she was worried. But there is no other way, we don’t have a choice. I ran through the museum quickly and Josee followed me. We arrived at the projection room and we left them there.

All of a sudden, there was a lot of noise.

“The helicopter!” cried Josee” it is on the roof! The bandits are coming for the small ones.”

They will still try to take us. Bandits appeared. The woman glued a small box on the door, and then they are directed to infants. When I took the man by the arm, I was projected at the end of the room. The woman pushes Jo on the floor of an elbow. Suddenly a man's voice covered the noise of the helicopter.

“Out! Hands in the air!”

The police! The bandits jumped and disappeared through the hole in the ceiling. The helicopter lifts through the air. The screen showed numbers decreasing: 5:17... 5:16... 5:15...

“A time bomb! Its been programmed to self destruct in a little more than five minutes. The machine a rajeunir will have a short circuit! There’s a risk of explosion! Hurry up!”

“Place my parents in the seats. Luce said that it was necessary for the device to work.”

Hugo and Sophie no longer had any hair on their head. Their cheeks were rosy and wrinkly. Their fists were no bigger than the tip of my finger.


Suddenly, I thought Luce was wrong! the rejuvenation continued, and my parents disappeared! 


I reasoned with myself, then we left the room without forgetting to close the door. Seeing us, Luce has pressed the red button.


When we returned to the projection room, there were less than three minutes before the destruction. 


My parents got up slowly. They had the expression of people who drank too much alcohol. 
"what is it?" asked Mom. 


I quickly tore a curtain to cover my parents. We help them walk  outside because they were weak. Out, I cry very loudly: 
Superhero and Henri-Francois d'Estragon helped us transport my parents into the white caravan and they stayed there. The police, they observed us with distrust. Before leaving, i told them: "Hide yourselves!"


There was a terrible noise. I jumped to the floor and covered my face for protection. After a few seconds, there was silence and I opened my eyes. The short circuit triggers a fire in the machine. The flames destruct it in some minutes. Despite the fumes, I was checking to see if anyone was hurt.


At my side, Luce was on her stomach, also.
She looked at me, without moving, her face covered by her hair. Then, unable to stop myself, I move her hair from her face. The table was turned over and I was surprised by what I saw.


"But you are pretty! You are very pretty!" 


"I am a scientific genius" she said. "so far, this is what I was. But in reality, I am a shy girl incapable of making friends.


"You just made yourself a friend forever, Luce!" 
Half of the rejuvenation machine was ashes. The secrets of the technology that almost killed my parents went up in flames. Nobody will be able to retrieve them.
When Hugo and Sophie approached me, a blanket wrapped my body, my eyes started to water. They looked at me with a tender smile.


"Everybody stop!" ordered an officer. "The young, the old, everyone! One has to unravel the puzzle over your heads."


I entered the police car with joy. Finally, from my real parents, i felt happy like a fish in water. About the agents, they wanted explanations. In fact, they deserved to be given that.

Hugo had his belly and thinning hair. Sophie had her small wrinkles, and her silhouette was thickened. She hid her breasts behind her crossed arms.


"Ma .. Marc-andre?" my father has narrowed his myopic eyes. 


"The rejuvenation machine will haywire! It may skip a few seconds!"

"How will I ever repay you? Without you, my parents would not exist anymore!"

She had a delicate face, a snubbed nose, thin lips. The most magnificent, was her eyes: Blue and clear like the cloudless sky, seriously as the wise child's heart. Her smile dazzled me.


"I was not mistaken about you, Marc-Andre. You really are an interesting specimen!"