Stuck In Time

December 30 1916

Weeks turned into months and months turned into years, until finally, the day before New Year's Eve, Daedalus was finished. The Time Machine stood three metres tall and five metres wide. It had an elliptical shape, with a glass windscreen and sides. The rest of it was a beige, yellow colour. The metal gleamed in the sunlight that entered through the windows. Even though they were short on time, Daedalus he hadn't been able to resist polishing it. The machine was so shiny, he could count the individual hairs on his reflected arm.

Daedalus' admiration of his handiwork was cut short by a scream. Perdix ran over to him and held up her hands. Or she would have, if they were there.

"What happened?"

"Are you blind? My hands just disappeared! I was reading today's paper, and just as I was about to finish, it fell out of my hands. What do I do? What's happening to me?"

"Don't worry-"

'Don't worry?! My hands just vanished!"

"Don't worry, it's just like what Herbert said what would happen. The longer you stay in the past without a regulator, the more you change."

"Then just give me the stupid regulator!"

"It doesn't work like that. You need to get back to the future to reverse the effects."

"Then let's go! You've finished it, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well I'm going first." Perdix clambered into the Machine and sank into the leather seat. And then the penny dropped.

"Wait. There's only one seat. Do you have another machine hidden somewhere?"

"I'm not going."

"What? Don't be stupid. Look, there's some space here. It'll be a tight squeeze, but we can put up with it for a few seconds, right?"

Daedalus smiled sadly. "I'm not going. There is something I didn't tell you. The regulator has to be operated from the outside. If you put it inside, the tachyons react with it and the whole thing explodes. That's why Herbert forgot to turn it on."

"Then just call Herbert and tell him to turn it on!"

"He's out. He didn't expect me to finish so early. If we wait for him to come back, you'll fade all together."

"No! You need to come back! It's not right! You don't deserve it!"

Daedalus muttered something under his breath.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. Perdix, relax. I knew that I wouldn't be able to go back as soon as I saw the blueprints. You just go. I might find another way."

Reluctantly, Perdix nodded. " Alright then. There are two things I don't understand though. Like, how did you build the Time Machine?"

"I'm a technopath, like Herbert. That's how I can control lightning and could kill that monster."

"What are you talking about? What monster?"

"Oh, right, you weren't there. Sorry."

"Now the last thing.How are you not affected by time?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that. Everyone has a secret that they will not divulge. This is mine. It will do more harm than good." Daedalus' gut twisted as he said that; he knew he was breaking his promise to Herbert.

"But if I go back, won't I forget all this?" Perdix asked.

"With the help of the regulator, you won't. Now enough talk. You'll fade even more."

It was true. Perdix's arms were slowly disappearing.

"Get ready. I'll enter the time and date you want to go to, and then turn on the regulator."

In one fluid motion, Daedalus grabbed the handles on either side of the door and hoisted himself into the Time Machine. He stepped forward and typed something in the control panel. Then he jumped out, and pushed a red button on the side of the machine. The machine turned on with a hiss, and a white portal appeared a few metres away. It pulsed, like it had a heartbeat.

Perdix pushed a lever and the Time Machine inched forward, slowly at first, then faster and faster. Just before she vanished, she turned around. The last thing she saw was his smile and spread his arms. A second later, he faded away.

Then the front of the machine entered the portal.

Suddenly, she was enveloped in colour. Splashes and streak of different colours swirled around her. She felt like she was inside a kaleidoscope. Perdix looked at the speedometer. She was going 1250 million kilometres per hour. Faster than the speed of light.

"That's not too fast," she thought.

Perdix didn't get to see what happened at the end of the tunnel, because, as might be expected of someone who had just travelled through time, she glanced at the camera, and passed out. 

"Aaaaaaaandd cut!" the director clapped his hands and smiled. Perdix stretched and got up, sighing. Finally, she thought. It's finally freaking over. The director came over to her. "Congradulations on your first amateur film, Sophie. It's sure to be a hit." .

Yay, She thought.