Tess stares at the machine before her, eyes gleaming. I, on the other hand, stand warily behind her, some distance away.
"What....what is it?"
"This, Ada, is a ColorChrome AutoDev-1500. And it looks to be in pretty good condition!"
Tess is already dancing around the unit, checking power cables, cleaning lenses, and opening maintenence panels.
"Hmmm, needs more chemicals, I wonder if...." she mutters to herself, jogging over to a nearby supply closet.
"So it's a camera?" I ask, taking a few careful footsteps closer.
"Oh it certainly is," she calls back from the other room, "but it's so much more than that too! These were popular in tourist traps before the war. They don't just take your picture but develop it too, then you get a natty little souvenir at the end of it! Aha! Perfect!"
Tess returns, carrying several old metal cannisters of various sizes and shapes. She sets to work filling up tanks and trays, clearly thrilled about the discovery.
"Do you think it'll still work?" I ask, tilting my head, jumping a little as Tess pulls a heavy switch and the machine sputters into life.
"Only one way to find out! Ok, I'll set the camera to maximum height. You stand on that white cross on the floor."
I follow her instructions, standing self-consciously in the light coming from the studio lights at the top of the cabinet.
"Ok so it's got a timer, I'll set it off and stand next to you,"
She glances over at me.
"Try to relax! Act natural. And don't forget to smile!"
I awkwardly bear my teeth and hold two fingers up in a V. Tess hits a button, sprints over to stand next to me, and we both wait. The machine ticks softly until with an almighty flash of light, it clicks. I blink repeatedly to clear the flash from my eyes. With the photo presumably taken, the rest of the cabinet whirrs and groans, reluctant to work after so much time in peace. However, despite my misgivings, eventually a small rectangle of cardboard drops out of an illuminated slot at the front of the machine. Tess immediately runs over and grabs it, scrutinising it closely.
"It's perfect! Look Ada, a souvenir of our travels!"
She holds up the photograph and I stoop to see it better. Tess is smiling brightly next to me.