Meet the Robinsons: Stuck in the Past

Nine: Sea-Max

Wilbur's POV

It wasn't long before I found out the machine did more than just bring people to 1964. Somehow, someway, I had grown older by three years, and the only explanation I have is the fact that I was in the machine when it malfunctioned. None of it makes sense, and even though Hiro and I have been trying to fix the malfunction, we still haven't figured it out. With the technology we have at our disposal, though, it has been difficult, and we've had to build a lot of machines from scratch. Hiro has been building the most, though. After all, this is his area of expertise. I've literally just been the guy handing the wrenches.

In other news, though, as soon as we found out the sixties aren't as outdated as we thought, work sped up rather quickly and Hiro and I are almost done with the headquarters. Because of the fact that Hiro and I are... out of our time, we went ahead and designed bedrooms for the two of us, as well as a bedroom for Violet if she ever needed to stay, and a couple of guest bedrooms.  We never know who we might meet, or what kind of missions we might face.  We might end up teaming up with someone Violet knows, or taking in a big black cat like Violet almost did.  Anyway, the headquarters come with a meeting room, a kitchen, a training room, as well as a room Hiro calls his "garage," although I'm pretty sure it's just his science lab where he makes machines that will help us in the future.  When it's all complete, the two of us are going to be able to put all our time into the time machine so that we can stop Obake.

If I wanted to ask how we even got the machine from the clutches of the government, I have no idea.  That's all in Violet's department.  I have to assume she has friends on the other side and considering she won't tell me, they must be pretty important.  Of course, Violet doesn't tell me a lot, like the scars.  She won't tell me where she got them, or why she fainted during the last battle, but Hiro and I have our own theories.

To be fair, I don't really tell her much about me either, although it's for a different reason.  I have to protect the timeline somehow, and telling her about everything would ruin everything. 

Like it almost did with Dad.

"Hey, Hiro!" I call out, pulling my mind out of the past month, opening the door to his garage.  "What do you think about having a..." inside, Hiro shuts off his helmet and looks at me, almost startled by my presence.  "What's that?" I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.

Hiro sighs, turning the helmet back on.  "Hey guys, sorry for ending the video so early.  Meet Wilbur, someone who got stuck in the past with me."  He points the helmet towards me and I wave, a confused smile on my face.  "I've been making videos every day to update my team back in my time.  You know, just in case I don't go back."

"Dude, don't be such a downer," I start, walking over to the kid.  He may be sixteen, but the machine did technically make me older than him.  "We will make it back.  The real question is when. You're still the same age as you left, so to them, you'll be back in no time." Hiro raises an eyebrow at me as I clear my throat, realizing that I may have let something slip.

I look to the helmet, smirking and putting on a brave face. "You guys have a lucky guy on your team, I'm sure by the end of these videos this li'l dude will be right by your side!" I smile at the prodigy and he scoffs, attempting to hide the smile on his face. "Alright, back on topic! How do you feel about a recreational room, like a movie theater, or a gaming room? Ooh! How about a VR room!" I continue to talk to Hiro, practically chasing him out of the garage and as I look back, I see the helmet still recording.

Walking back to the helmet, I sit down and adjust the helmet to face me, my facade falling away. "Hey. I have no idea how Hiro is going to get this to you guys, but if any of us know him, he will. I have a favor to ask, but I also want to protect the timeline. If you can, please wait until 2037 to show my dad this. Tell him I love him, and that he's still my best friend. Tell him I'll be home soon, but it will probably take longer than he might think." I chuckle, looking down at my hands and thinking about how I aged three years. "After all, I'm the only one who can't go home right away. Not unless we can fix this." I stop the recording with a button on the underside of the helmet before walking away.

———

"Wilbur, Hiro, why do you guys need a recreational room?" Violet asks when she enters the meeting room, looking at the designs.

"That is an excellent question," I respond, smirking when I get her signature glare, she hates it when I answer like that, but I love it when I do.

"We may be superheroes, but everyone needs to have fun every now and then," Hiro gives her an actual answer. "And with Sea-Max, our jobs as superheroes becomes a lot easier." Hiro pulls out a remote, pressing a button and a big screen turns on, showing what looks like black squares connected with a black line. "Meet the Security Employment and Alert System. I call him Sea-Max."

"Hello," a male voice greets, the voice coming from the speakers around the room. "I am Sea-Max."

"Employment?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. Superheroing isn't really a job that pays. Technically.

"Security Alert and Deployment System, though more accurate, doesn't make the brightest acronym. Employment is the next best thing," Hiro shrugs, setting the remote on the table.

"What does he do?" Violet asks, sitting in her chair and looking up at the program.

"He monitors the city for any villain attacks, as well as whether or not any other heroes are on the case, and if the attack is out of control, alerts us so we can go help." Hiro smiles at his own accomplishment, but it only confuses her.

"Alerts us how?" Violet asks, making me smile. "We don't have any devices that Sea-Max can alert us with."

"Touché," I start, picking up a bag from underneath the table and dropping it on top. "That's where I come in."

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