Chapter 1

I consider myself a man of relatively simple pleasures, all things considered. Where many of my people revel in the luxe of modern marvel, I have spent many a day wrapped up in a single project that seems to directly contrast the desires of my peers. I would be lying if I did not admit to receiving my share of derisive laughter. Living in the third millennium, as measured by earth standard time, is no small thing of wonder. However, as cliché as this line seems, I’m not like others of my kind. I have more… refined interests than other men my age. I’m... more interested in matters of the past, I suppose you could say. A self-proclaimed scientist in a world where anyone worth their weight in plutonium is in the science field. Though, as you may have guessed, most modern scientists focus on forging a path forward. I can see the appeal, but, well…

In any case, now is certainly not the time to get wrapped up in idle thought. My right eye twitches as I brush a hand through my shaggy hair. I exhale through my nose as I consider the console of my beloved pet project. Beloved certainly isn’t an understatement, by any means. Another… peculiarity of mine is my love life. The lack thereof, specifically. Heh. I am rather well versed with my hands, however. A well placed flick of my wrist and the wire I’m focused on snaps into place. “Whoa!” I exclaim, jolting back as my machine gives a brief shudder. I knew I was talented with my hands, but honestly… wait a moment. “No way…”

I find myself whispering, leaning over the console of the machine and taking in the sight before me. It seems impossible. The lights that indicate the operation of my machine are, for the first time in my lifetime, all alight. The shade of green that shimmers and reflects in the steel surface is perhaps the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I feel my face contorting in a mix of confusion and elation, and I am briefly grateful that I live alone. Even if the status lights don’t indicate what they’re intended, even if this is some fluke… the three shining steadily in a row is nothing short of a miracle. I slowly raise a brow, a bewildered laugh spilling past my lips. I can’t help staring at the very feature that has been mocking me for what seems an eternity. By no exaggeration, I have been waiting for this moment for nearly the entirety of my lifetime.

“Certainly it was not that simple…,” I murmur to myself, tapping my finger against the reflective steel of the console. The face that stares back at me is somehow more ridiculous than I might have imagined, and my blue-toned skin takes on a vaguely violet hue. I grab my ear self-consciously, drawing my eyes away from my own expression to consider the lights once more. “Certainly…” I repeat, and again I am thankful to be alone. Though I try to maintain a level of decorum even in the privacy of my home, my mind is racing faster than I can truly process right now. The sheer impossibility of this situation seems a colossus looming above me, but I can’t help but wonder… what if? The only true way to know is to try. With shaking hands, I reach out to open the inner chamber. I can’t help but fidget as I slip inside the belly of the beast, as worst case scenarios run through my mind. The thing could very well explode with me inside it! I mean, sure, that’s a possibility I’ve dealt with before. Never before, however, had my hopes been so elevated. It seemed that only bad things could follow, especially with my track record.

Tapping on the inner controls, I flick the dials back nearly as far as they’ll go. If it works, there would be no question, considering I had set the dial to prehistoric times. The dinosaurs that roamed this planet long before it was originally colonized always struck a fascinating chord with me. Much information that the previous dominant species had gathered had gone up in smoke when the human species self-destructed. Namely, many of the fossils collected by particularly intrepid humans had gone missing. You would think my people would have some interest in it, if only for the sake of science. Ever forward, however. Ever forward.

I realize I’ve let my mind wander for too long, and my hand shakes as I rest it on the lever that should effectively send my machine hurtling through the space time continuum. That, or blow the entire thing up with me inside. I swallow the lump in my throat and close my eyes, bracing myself before flipping the lever. I can’t help but cry out as the machine lurches, and I am thrown against the back wall. It seems to settle down after a moment, and the screen I’ve installed on the inner console says, simply enough, ‘Processing’. I can’t help staring at the screen as I brace myself against the wall. Abruptly, the machine makes a dinging sound, and everything seems impossibly still. I swallow again, unable to stop my trembling as the doors begin to slide open. I can’t see much from my place at the back of the machine, but the steady thrum of the city I live in is noticeably absent, replaced with the loud calls of some sort of insect. It’s now or never, I suppose, and as I push away from the back wall of the time machine, I’m startled by a scaly head poking into the machine. I won’t lie, the squeal that erupted from my lips was nothing short of girlish, and I am grateful that there is no one to hear me. No one except… well, this scaly nuisance. I step towards it, and it makes an odd trilling sound, tilting its head and leveling a clearly uncertain stare in my direction. It trills again, and I can’t help the warm bubble of laughter that rises up from within me.

“This is impossible,” I murmur to the creature, though it certainly has no means of recognizing what I’m saying. It considers me through its reptilian eyes, jerking away as if offended as the laughter pours from me. Seeming to lose interest in me, it draws away from the machine entirely, and I edge towards the door just in time to see it running into the massive forest. I step out, crying out as my foot gracelessly skids forward. I try to catch my balance, but it is obviously a lost cause. I find myself hitting the ground with a dull thud, and a vaguely squishing sound. Looking down at myself, I realize I am completely covered in mud. At least, I really hope it’s mud. As much as I love the idea of dinosaurs, being covered in their waste is the last thing I would want to experience on my mini trip. However, taking the muck at face value, it feels strange and cool against my skin. In my time, the odds of finding a proper mudhole are essentially null. Every inch of the planet has been paved, colonized, optimized. Looking at what wonders the planet held so many years ago, I can’t help but feel it is a shame-- the extent that my people have gone to in colonizing this planet. Granted, most of the work was done by the previous dominant species.

The simple sensation of mud against skin should not be as wondrous as it is. I can’t help but dip my fingers in the muck, tracing a path in the dirt. It’s unlikely that my clothes will come clean at any rate, so I may as well enjoy the bit of dirty fun while I can. A smile all but splits my face as I throw myself back in the mud entirely, and my eyes are drawn to just how blue the sky seems. I’m aware of another presence, and quickly jolt up, only to find that the same dinosaur from before had returned. With it there are several smaller versions of itself, and I can’t help but coo as I realize she’s brought her young ones to see this oddity. Seems that she didn’t deem me much of a danger. I reach my hand out, and one of the smaller dinosaurs steps forward, examining my hand before abruptly snapping its teeth down upon it.

“Ow, cripes!” I curse, trying to pry my hand from its grip. It holds fast, considering me with a stubborn expression. The other young ones are beginning to gather around us, considering me with what seems an almost… hungry… expression. They’re not here to marvel at my machine! They think I seem a good snack! Screeching in fear, I managed to pry the hatchling’s teeth free of my hand. Before it can zero in on me again, I’m scrambling backwards, not trusting myself to get to my feet quickly enough. As I feel the steel of the machine beneath me, I lurch towards the inner console, closing the doors. The dinosaurs bang around the outside of the machine, and my heart feels like it’s going to burst from my chest.

I manage to drag myself into a standing position, and set the dials back to my own time. I pull the lever, wincing at the blood dribbling from my hand. The machine lurches, and I can only pray that it had thrown the creatures away from it as it begins to rip through space and time once more. I brace myself against the back of the time machine, holding my injured hand to my chest. It hurts, there’s no question there. However, in spite of the pain I’m in, an excited shudder quakes my body and ecstatic laughter spills past my lips. I had done it. I had done the impossible. I had made a working time machine. As I arrived in my own time and stepped out into my workshop, the possibilities washed over me more than ever. The wound on my hand the last thing on my mind, and I realize what I have to do.