The Journey of Time
by Pedro Esqueda
“Almost there… just need a few more adjustments,” Dave Powell reaches for the screwdriver as he gets ready to make possibly the greatest achievement in human history. Years and years working on time travel and he’s now closer than he’s ever been.
It’s been a long road which has taken a toll on Dave. Some call him psychotic, some say he’s just plain weird. He doesn’t mind though, he’ll take these opinions as compliments for all his hard work and most notably his determination.
“Alright, let’s see if this piece of junk finally works.” He presses the cliché big red button as the lights begin to dim. Eventually all his power is solely focused on the machine as his warehouse becomes pitch black for a couple seconds. Nothing was visible but everything could be heard as the machine was extremely loud. A large multicolored portal appears out of nowhere leaving Dave stunned in disbelief.
“Flippin’ hell it’s actually working!”
He stands still, shocked, not knowing what to do as he just gazes in admiration. As he snaps out of it, he takes a glance at the date and time set on the machine.
March 9, 2023 // 9:42 PM
“About two hours behind. I don't even know even know if this piece of junk works. Who knows, this thing can kill me in a split second.”
As it continues to run, he questions everything and goes over all his study and work to give him some stress relief over the situation.
“You know what, screw it. I’ve spent too much of my life working for this moment and if this is the way I go then so be it.”
He built a reset watch as his only way to come back to the present. He figured if all goes well and he survives the portal then he’ll only be two hours behind leaving failure on the watch minimal and not drastic. He steps up to the machine, takes one last breath and lunges in.
He wakes up in his warehouse, feeling like he’s been knocked out. He glances over and sees the machine. Unfinished though.
“I didn’t actually do it… did I?”
He sprints to his phone lying on a table to check the time and there it was, vivid and clear.
7:50 PM
“Okay, okay let’s not freak out here, I still need to test the damn watch.”
It was very simple watch, it not only displayed time but also the date. Only trick was it displayed the date and time you wanted to return to. There was one button and Dave simply clicked it. Next second he awoke again in the warehouse and he proceeded with the same routine. It was astonishing, everything was working to perfection. Dave couldn’t wait, he was ready to go back to some of his most desired times in history.
“So much to see and so much to explore. Surely I have to witness the death of Kennedy, or even witness the signing of the Declaration of Independence.”
“Flippin’ hell it’s actually working!”
He stands still, shocked, not knowing what to do as he just gazes in admiration. As he snaps out of it, he takes a glance at the date and time set on the machine.
March 9, 2023 // 9:42 PM
“About two hours behind. I don't even know even know if this piece of junk works. Who knows, this thing can kill me in a split second.”
As it continues to run, he questions everything and goes over all his study and work to give him some stress relief over the situation.
“You know what, screw it. I’ve spent too much of my life working for this moment and if this is the way I go then so be it.”
He built a reset watch as his only way to come back to the present. He figured if all goes well and he survives the portal then he’ll only be two hours behind leaving failure on the watch minimal and not drastic. He steps up to the machine, takes one last breath and lunges in.
He wakes up in his warehouse, feeling like he’s been knocked out. He glances over and sees the machine. Unfinished though.
“I didn’t actually do it… did I?”
He sprints to his phone lying on a table to check the time and there it was, vivid and clear.
7:50 PM
“Okay, okay let’s not freak out here, I still need to test the damn watch.”
It was very simple watch, it not only displayed time but also the date. Only trick was it displayed the date and time you wanted to return to. There was one button and Dave simply clicked it. Next second he awoke again in the warehouse and he proceeded with the same routine. It was astonishing, everything was working to perfection. Dave couldn’t wait, he was ready to go back to some of his most desired times in history.
“So much to see and so much to explore. Surely I have to witness the death of Kennedy, or even witness the signing of the Declaration of Independence.”
And Dave did exactly that. He traveled to many historical points in time ranging to the era of dinosaurs, to the Renaissance in Italy, and even just observing life in the U.S. throughout each decade. He was mesmerized by all of it. Yet he had one rule, he never wanted to travel into the future. Dave didn’t want to know about his future. He wanted to live it without worry, and rightly so. Anyways, he loved every single second of the ability to time travel, until he started turning heads by large organizations.
One afternoon he decided to go back to the 60’s and see a Beatles concert in person. He awoke in an alley in Manhattan, then proceeded to walk down the street to just look around as he usually does. He noticed a large black truck driving quite slow in back of him. Feeling freaked out he walked into a gas station to see if the truck would pass by. Dave stood by the door as the truck eventually did.
One afternoon he decided to go back to the 60’s and see a Beatles concert in person. He awoke in an alley in Manhattan, then proceeded to walk down the street to just look around as he usually does. He noticed a large black truck driving quite slow in back of him. Feeling freaked out he walked into a gas station to see if the truck would pass by. Dave stood by the door as the truck eventually did.
“Hey sir, you gonna’ buy anything?” The man said with an irritated tone.
“Um no sorry I just realized I forgot my wallet.” Dave explains.
He proceeded to walk out and continue his journey, but also looking in all directions as he still felt like he was being watched. He reaches an intersection where a man dressed in a suit approaches him.
“Sorry for asking, but do you happen to know the time?” he asks.
“Nope, sorry I don’t have my phone on me.” Dave replies.
“Phone?”
“Umm, I meant watch sorry.”
“Okay… but then what’s that on your wrist…,” he asks extremely confused.
“Oh this is broken.”
The intersection clears as they stand alone and that’s when the man proceeds to ask one more question.
“Okay Dave, are we doing this the easy way, or the hard way? Your choice.”
“Wait what? How you do you know my name?”
“Answer the question now,” he says firmly.
“The easy way I guess.”
The black truck pulls up extremely fast as the back doors open.
“Get in the truck. Now.”
Dave enters the truck and last thing he saw was a sack going over his head and the last thing he felt was a pinch by his arm.
He wakes up in a room, handcuffed. The smell of cigarettes lingers and all he could look at was a window with no other side. He noticed his watch was gone.
The black truck pulls up extremely fast as the back doors open.
“Get in the truck. Now.”
Dave enters the truck and last thing he saw was a sack going over his head and the last thing he felt was a pinch by his arm.
He wakes up in a room, handcuffed. The smell of cigarettes lingers and all he could look at was a window with no other side. He noticed his watch was gone.
“Where the hell did they take my watch.”
As he wonders what will happen next he hears the door open. Two gentlemen come through the door one of them being the man at the intersection.
“What the hell do you want from me?” Dave yells.
“Whoa whoa relax a little my friend,” the man says calmly. “We know who you are and what you’ve been doing. You my friend have been really catching our interest and considering we’ve been able to see and identify you in so many historical photos, well that’s just been turning a lot of heads here at the Agency.”
“You’re CIA?” Dave asks.
“Yes we are and we are also the guys keeping this type of stuff in the dark from the public,” he explains.“Time travel has been around for awhile now. You really think me and my partner here are really from the 60’s?”
“I don’t know, I just assumed I was the only one who had this ability.”
“Nope. Not to go into too much detail but a couple years before your discovery, the CIA achieved this ability. Knowing we were successful we realized other might be too. So it was our job to silence any noise created from those who were successful.”
“What do you mean silence?” Dave asks worried.
“You can guess what it means my friend,” he says as he reaches for his gun. “I don’t like killing anyone Dave and I never did technically. You’re technically not born yet so this again does not count.”
As he panics in his last moments, Dave notices his watch on the man’s wrist. He realizes he’s got nothing to lose as his partner leaves the room to rid the situation of witnesses. The man points his gun at Dave. Dave springs up and throws himself across the table catching the man off-guard and leaving the pistol on the floor. Dave picks it up fires a bullet into the man’s head. He then proceeds to put a chair on the door to keep it closed as his partner tries to force his way in. Dave puts on the watch and presses the button but quickly realizes he never set the time in that split second.
As he wonders what will happen next he hears the door open. Two gentlemen come through the door one of them being the man at the intersection.
“What the hell do you want from me?” Dave yells.
“Whoa whoa relax a little my friend,” the man says calmly. “We know who you are and what you’ve been doing. You my friend have been really catching our interest and considering we’ve been able to see and identify you in so many historical photos, well that’s just been turning a lot of heads here at the Agency.”
“You’re CIA?” Dave asks.
“Yes we are and we are also the guys keeping this type of stuff in the dark from the public,” he explains.“Time travel has been around for awhile now. You really think me and my partner here are really from the 60’s?”
“I don’t know, I just assumed I was the only one who had this ability.”
“Nope. Not to go into too much detail but a couple years before your discovery, the CIA achieved this ability. Knowing we were successful we realized other might be too. So it was our job to silence any noise created from those who were successful.”
“What do you mean silence?” Dave asks worried.
“You can guess what it means my friend,” he says as he reaches for his gun. “I don’t like killing anyone Dave and I never did technically. You’re technically not born yet so this again does not count.”
As he panics in his last moments, Dave notices his watch on the man’s wrist. He realizes he’s got nothing to lose as his partner leaves the room to rid the situation of witnesses. The man points his gun at Dave. Dave springs up and throws himself across the table catching the man off-guard and leaving the pistol on the floor. Dave picks it up fires a bullet into the man’s head. He then proceeds to put a chair on the door to keep it closed as his partner tries to force his way in. Dave puts on the watch and presses the button but quickly realizes he never set the time in that split second.
He wakes up on a bed strapped down, yet still dazed and confused. Two men walk in dressed in white.
“Where the hell am I?” Dave mumbles. He looks up as he tries to fully regain consciousness.
“Every damn day he asks this,” one man explains.
“You never heard about his story?” the other man asks.
“No.. why?”
“Where the hell am I?” Dave mumbles. He looks up as he tries to fully regain consciousness.
“Every damn day he asks this,” one man explains.
“You never heard about his story?” the other man asks.
“No.. why?”
“This guy thinks he can travel through time.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
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