Lost Time (#Wattys2016)

Full Circle

I woke up, I was lying on the ground, I felt grass and It was night, or it seems it was night, maybe it's morning before daybreak, I stood up and looked at my surroundings, I look for signs of Keith but there was no signs of him being here, now that I looked carefully at my surroundings, I'm actually at my old house!

So if I'm correct, today is my Tenth Birthday, the day where everything went wrong, maybe I could stop Keith but also stop the Machine from Malfunctioning, I try to enter through the front door but It was locked, I also tried the back door but It was locked as well, then I saw an open window upstairs, So I climbed up and got in

"Who's there?!" My dad got startled and opened the lights

The emotions just started to overflow, I was in the verge of tears, I rushed to hug my father who I haven't seen in 13 years and is dead in the present time, He was confused but he just proceeded to hug me too, After awhile, I eventually released my clasp on him then I wiped my tears

"Mark? Is that you?" He asked

"Yes Dad, It is me" I said then I smiled

"Why are you old? Are you from the future or something?" He said

"Yes, I came back to the past to stop someone" I said

"Well, come with me" He said

He brought me downstairs to the dining room, he made me sit down the table then he brewed coffee then he gave me a cup

"Explain everything but be a little bit quiet, Present Mark and Keith, or should I say Past Mark and Keith, they may wake up" He said

"I came back here from 2110 to stop someone from doing something dangerous, I wouldn't name this certain person or what he is going to do but it's dangerous" I said

"2110? So I'd be 48 by then, How am I doing in the future?" He said with a smile

I decided to hide the truth from him as I will make sure that the Implosion at the mall won't happen and If I said the truth, there would be confusion later on

"Oh you're fine, still kicking, You still work at the bank though"I said then I fake a laugh

"Same position? I was hoping I would be like: Mr. Clint Wells, the CEO of this corporate, or something like that?" He said while acting like a CEO

"Nope, If I can remember you had a promotion" I said

"Wow, finally, a promotion after ten years of working there" He said

"I know right!" I said while faking another laugh because I know, If I don't change what happened, he'll never achieve that

"So what are you going to do here" He said

"Well, first thing, I'm going to find the guy, I don't know where he is, but he's definitely here in the past" I said

"We'll it's going to be a exhausting day, Here have a bottle of water and you should probably go, the kids will wake up anytime now" He said while giving me a bottle of water

We hug each other one last time, then he opens the front door for me then I leave. I put the water bottle on my bag then I walk around the neighborhood until the sun rose but I still have no idea where Keith could be, I don't think that the XIL Facility already existed at this time. Their office is still occupied by a restaurant owned by an old couple and the Apartment that we used to live in together is still being built

But I know one place that existed long ago, The Old Library. If I am correct, the Library was abandoned about just five years ago in this timeline. But that library is about 30 minutes away from here and that is when you're driving, But I don't have another way of transportation, The bus doesn't arrive until 9 AM and besides, I don't have money with me right now so I decided to just walk

I spent about an Hour and a half walking to the library, I got in but there was nobody there, but obviously there was something that was in here, something big, I can see dust marks meaning that It was just there for a long time. I hear an engine in the back room, I rush towards it and I see that a truck just left. That's when I realized that I shouldn't have come here, I just gave them some time

The T&F Mall is about one hour away from here, so I assume I'd take about two hours walking, I ran as fast as I could to the Mall and yes, It did take me two hours before I could arrive at the Mall. I was just right on time, the Contestants are preparing their "innovations". I walked to Keith's workplace and I see him and his cousin preparing the machine

"Keith please just stop, Just think about this carefully" I pleaded

"I've thought about this already! I've thought about it ever since I was fourteen, ever since I got to read my last message from my Parents" He said

Keith ran to me and punched me. We had a fight, we punched each other in the face the stomach, It was a rumble like in those old Wrestling videos

"Keith! We only have one minute, they want everyone to unveil at the same time" Keith's cousin said

"Give me a minute!" He said

He eventually pinned me down, He kept punching me in the face and in the stomach

"I told you, You should've left us alone" He said

"Come on Keith!" Keith's cousin said

"Stay here" He said while he pushed me to the corner

Keith left, I was left in the backroom, My face was bloody. I failed, Keith is going to do his plan. It's all over, I just gave up, there was nothing else that I could do. I hear Keith speaking enthusiastically outside, I reached for my Bag, I looked at it's contents, I see the Picture I took is still here, Dad's water is still here and the broken Camera and Wrist Projector

I moved more to the corner, there was a small opening there, and I see Dad. We look at each other, He was nodding and he was yelling something, If I can read his lips right, he said

"GO! YOU CAN STILL DO SOMETHING"

He smiled at me, then I saw him started talking to the little me, I remember that, He was telling me how much he loves me just out of the blue, then I realized, He knew he was going to die, He's giving me permission right now, He accepts it. I can hear outside that Keith is about to demonstrate the Machine and I know that this is my last chance, before everything changes

If I know correctly from my electronics classes, the first types of digital machines like this one is weak against water and right now, I have water! I crawl towards the back of the machine which is in the front side of this room, I open the back shield with a pointy shard from the remains of my Wrist Projector, then just in time, before I hear Keith going back in time, I douse the machine's internals with water

The machine malfunctions and it implodes, but I stop time just in time, so I can go away from the blast. It took awhile before I could get out of the Mall because I was injured but on the way out I gave my little self a small portion of my abilities to protect myself

Then I resumed time, It was fast, the Mall got destroyed so quickly, It was gone in a blink of an eye, I went back to the mall to check on me and Keith, I was fine, Unscathed as I remember, Keith survived but he got a lot of injuries

In the ashes, I see a little girl calling out for survivors, It was Mary. I approached her and I told her that she needs to help someone someday, I held her forehead and I just thought of the Alternate Future and I shown it to her, then she asked who would she help, then I ripped my last picture with Keith and gave it to her, just like how Mary told me the other day

Then I see my time on the time band on my wrist expire, I got lightheaded and I saw a colorless light