In 500... (or less)

The Theory of Cynicism

The strange blue light gleamed and shimmered against the windows of the lab. Within it, there was a silhouette of a man who seemed to be materializing out of thin air.

"I'm back!" the man exclaimed. Credibility, at long last.

Dr. Emil Erlenmeyer set the device in his hand on the table, and fished into his pocket for his cell phone. On it was proof. Proof that he had actually traveled through time.

For years, he was told he was wasting his talents.

"Your understanding of quantum physics is second to none," his mentor, Dr. Wilson, would tell him. "It's a shame such a quality scientist would waste his talents on something so, so...relatively meaningless."

Erlenmeyer would nod, but he would never give up on his dream. Wilson had always wanted him to apply his knowledge toward space travel, toward faster-than-light spacecraft, but Erlenmeyer always found excuses to avoid working on such a project.

He anxiously awaited the morning when he could call Dr. Wilson and the others to show them his cell phone video. 

His planning was meticulous. Dr. Erlenmeyer appeared to be a simple patron enjoying a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford's Theater on April 15, 1865. From his seat, he had a perfect view of the events of that night, and he had it all on video.

"Dr. Wilson?" Erlenmeyer said. "Sorry to disturb you so early. I have something extremely important to show you and the others."

"Emil?" she answered. "What time is it?"

"Seven a.m." he said. "It simply cannot wait any longer."

"Well, why can't you just tell me?"

"You have to see it for yourself," he replied. "I've got to demonstrate everything in person."

Dr. Wilson was annoyed, but complied and made her way to the lab. Erlenmeyer phoned his colleagues and soon had a room filled with bleary-eyed scientists, chattering about what this was all about.

"I know some of you have thought I have wasted my time in the pursuit of developing a means of time travel," Erlenmeyer started. "But I never gave up on my dream. And now I have made it a reality."

A few shook their heads. Even though Erlenmeyer was a respected scientist, none wanted to humor his passionate pursuit. His equations confounded them or seemed like flat-out nonsense, and some piped up to say so.

"I thought as much," the exasperated scientist responded. "But I have proof. I have already traveled through time and documented the trip."

With that, he proudly tapped his phone to cast the video to the screen in the room.

"What's this supposed to be?" Erlenmeyer already hated Hughes, a man clearly jealous of the former's superior talent, and this only added fuel to those flames.

"Just watch," he snapped.

"So you hired actors that look like Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln to re-enact the assassination?" Wilson asked. "This is disappointing, even for you."

This clearly wasn't going the way he had planned. The cell phone video zoomed in to capture one of history's most famous moments.

Before the sequence could play out, Hughes piped up.

"God, the video quality on this is awful. Can't your phone shoot in 4K?"