2016 – Day 30

Start writing a story that...

Step 1: has a character who: takes a journey through time

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Devon shifted the time unit into third gear and let it slide into the tunnel that would connect them to the docking station. As soon as he was able to take his left hand off the controls, he scratched under the collar of his uniform. The machines got terribly hot, and the few allowable cooling units were always pointed toward the customers.

"You been doing this long?" The passenger holding the whiskey glass in the backseat looked at him in the rearview mirror. The unit didn't have to be shaped like a car inside, with the operator in the front and the paying customer in back, but company research had shown that the wealthy elite who could afford the trip liked the traditional separation of "driver" and "passenger."

"Five years," Devon said.

"This is my first trip. Any advice?"

"It's pretty straightforward," Devon said, shifting into second gear as they got closer to the dock. "Stay along the marked paths. The viewing stations are totally soundproof and visualproof. No one from the chosen time will know you're there."

"Anybody ever ruin anything? You know, those old stories about changing something in the past and affecting the future?"

"Nah. They've got it all figured out now. Used to be a lot crazier, and I guess there were incidents, but they have a system now."

"What kinds of incidents?" the passenger said, sitting forward in his seat.

The unit shook as Devon slid it into the locking mechanism and set the controls for disembarking.

"It's all just rumor," Devon said. "They used to let people pick any time and location they wanted. So people picked all sorts of crazy things. Like, some guy wanted to see Marilyn Monroe naked, in person. So they went to her apartment, but the system for keeping travelers hidden wasn't fully setup, so she saw them and freaked out."

"Wow," the passenger said. "That would've been awesome."

"I guess," Devon said. "Now it's all marked trails and public events."

"Bummer."

Devon handed the passenger his entry papers and began reading the prepared instructions for what to do once he entered his chosen destination time. He had given the instructions so many times, he hardly needed to look at the prepared card in front of him.

"Wait," the passenger interrupted him. "Is there really no way to go off the path?"

"No," Devon said, reading the prepared answer to the often-asked question. "You must stay on the path at all times and observe your selected destination through the specialized sound- and audio-proof glass."

"What if..." the passenger said, leaning close to Devon and lowering his voice. "What if there was something in it for you?"

Devon looked up from his script and watched the man drain the last of his whiskey. Only the ultra wealthy could afford the time trips, and they often offered to pay extra to get to go off the path. He was pretty good at judging which ones just wanted a cheap thrill and which ones might cause real damage. He was careful about who he took through the secret portals that only a few knew about.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked.

"Just to see a girl," the man said smiling. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope, thick with hundred dollar bills. Devon expected to be handed several of the bills, but the man held out the entire envelope.

Devon stared at the man and then at the envelope. He wasn't sure why he was hesitating, some gut instinct he couldn't define, but he knew he had to decide. He looked at the envelope again, then reached out and took it.

"Here's what you have to do," he said.