The Time Goggles Part III - Presented By: Jason Argon - Solar System News! 05.7.2375 (Part I & Part II)
My faithful readers will likely recall my adventures with Nick Arrow, the missing private detective from earth. Before he left, for somewhen, he entrusted his memoirs to me, with specific release dates for different sections. Today is one of those days. So, in keeping with my promise, I present to you the unexpurgated adventures of the Time Traveling Detective - Part III
* * *
“Come out come out where ever you are.” Nick said.
I stepped from behind a partition. Now I was NickPlus again.
“Hi Nick, everything is right on schedule.” I said from the shadows.
“Glad to hear it.” More sarcasm.
“You’ve really got an attitude problem. I’ve noticed that about you.”
“The feeling is mutual.” He said.
“It would have to be.” I said as I stepped into the light.
It was interesting to see how taken aback I was at the sight of me.
“I was right. You should see the look on your face.” I laughed.
“But…how….” He stammered.
“Take a few deep breadths.” I said. “I just found out that we don’t have much time. Like I said we are on a schedule. It’s a new kind of schedule. The kind where it doesn’t matter when you leave, only when you get there.”
“I’m relishing this moment.” He said.
“I know. So did I. But step over here while you are relishing.”
He followed. At least I know when to listen.
I revealed the time machine to him.
He stared at the apparatus.
“So the idea is to just walk through the doorway?” He asked sarcastically.
“That’s right me. Let’s get you some details.”
“I would appreciate that.”
“I am not much down the line from where you are now. You are at the beginning of a time loop and the only way out the other side is to trust yourself and don’t second guess any decision. It will be the correct one. If you test this out you will merely be wasting time, I know I’ve tried, but no matter what you do, in a time loop you always do what you must.”
“Well, thanks for the info. I’ll just be leaving now.” He stood.
I new that he was testing the theory. Where the time droid comes from is still a mystery.
He didn’t get out the door, because a metallic man blocked his way. He stopped and turned.
“I told you.” I said. “Trust me, me.”
“Okay…Why does this thing…what is it…who is it?”
“It’s a Time-Droid created by professor Ronin, manufactured by others like it, based on the prototype who’s likeness was me, or you if you prefer. One of us down the line. Or so I’ve been told.”
I gave me more without my asking. “These Droids are complete time machines, based on the same design as the one here in this lab, except that it has been refined using technology from the future. They follow their leader who is the renegade prototype. You’ll get more of the story from the professor himself soon enough. But first, I have some more items for you.”
I walked to the counter and unzipped a back pack. The first item that I grabbed was the small flashlight. I held it up. “This little baby is your new best friend.” I said and flicked the switch.
The beam shot up to the ceiling, and right through it, illuminating the ceiling of the floor above. As I focused the beam the field of vision moved as the light revealed varying depths from the light source.
I swept the light around the room, but the beam would not penetrate the eerie skin of the time droid as I played the light over its face.
I extracted the next item. It was shaped like a disc that fit into my hand. It was the first time that I used the disintegrator. My only lesson being this moment as I used it for the first time. It had a tube coming out of the side, a red button on top. I pointed it at a chair, and pushed the button.
“You have to press hard,” I said, trying to activate the thing. The chair dissolved into a heap of dust. “It’s a disintegrator gun” I said. “Might come in handy, but it’s hard on chairs.”
“That seems very dangerous. What if it goes off in my pocket?” I’ll say one thing for Nick, he is always there with the next cue.
I pointed the thing at him and pressed the button. Nothing happened. “The device scans the area first, and if it is creature larger than a cat, it will not function. It was designed for breaking and entering, cracking safes, finding things. All I know is that if I am going to need it, you will need it too.”
I reached into the back pack a third time and pulled out what looked like another flashlight, but this one had a sphere at one end. “I call this one the magic wand.” I said, and activated it while pointing directly at him. He was suddenly four feet above the ground. He was weightless! Orbiting the earth four feet above the floor.
“Wow.” He said. “I could sell these.”
“That is not allowed.” The Time-Droid said quietly.
He faced the droid. “What are you, the time police?”
“Some force must maintain the continuum.” It said.
He laughed, and I decided that I liked the sound of my own laughter. Normally, I wouldn’t laugh like I did at that moment. I guess that it was a way to release all the stress from all the shocks that I’ve had recently.
Tears were running down his cheeks as he said, “You’re not doing a very good job, officer, if you’ve got two of us in the same room at the same time.”
The Time-Droid was not amused. “The situation is contained.” Was all it said.
“Get a load of him?” He said aside to me.
“Forget about it for now.” I had returned all of the items to the back pack, but the goggles I held in my hand. “There are a few things that you haven’t discovered yet about these. First, notice these dials on the side of each lens.
If you adjust them up or down, the timescape will become more or less opaque. They can be adjusted so that you can see the past, or future, scene as well as your current location. That way you won’t bump into furniture or get hit by cars in your own time.”
“That will come in handy for trailing someone through the past into their future.”
“Correct. Also, they never need charging, they run off of the quantum energy of your brain, and are limited only by proximity. When used in conjunction with the Trans-light you can see through most any material at any point in time.”
“It’s a detectives dream come true.” He said.
“Okay.” I said. I was getting a little nervous all of a sudden, knowing that the droid was about to toss poor Nick into the distant future.
“Put this pack on to see how it fits.” I said to distract him, and give him the items before it was too late.
He put on the pack. I was working the dials on the mixing board. I looked at him just as the Time-Droid grabbed his arms from behind and pinned them to his sides.
“What the…” He managed to get out, as I opened the door, that I thought had been a joke, to reveal a shimmering black void.
I said, “Relax.” as the Time-Droid tossed him into oblivion.
So, there I was NickPlus without a clue as to what happens next. I felt free again, even though I new that whatever I did next, NickPlus had already done it, at least for the moment I felt freer.
The time droid must have left with the others, because I was alone. I had my instructions from the Professor. Go to the year 1835 and find the first of three time machines.
Not much to go on.
I turned off the time machine, set the goggles to May 18th 1835 to have a look around.