August 18, 1672

“Wake up, Patrick,” echoed Skyva’s voice. I slowly opened my eyes, only to find that my vision was incredibly fuzzy. After blinking a few times my eyesight returned to normal, but I had no idea where I was. My head was spinning as I tried to remember what had happened last night. All I knew was that it wasn’t a dream.

I was lying down on a feather mattress covered up by a quilt in a small, old-timey house. The ceiling and the walls were made of rough oak planks. The only light in the room was the morning sun that streamed in through the window panes.

“W-Where am I?” I asked, sitting up in bed. I turned my head to see Freddie, Skyva, and Rys standing by my bedside.

“Last night we ended up traveling to England in the year 1672,” explained Skyva. “Once we arrived, you immediately passed out and Freddie carried you all the way to this house. No one was home, so we’ve settled here for now.”

“Also, your clothes didn’t travel with you,” added Freddie, “so you were completely naked upon arrival.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered. I hoped and prayed that Skyva hadn’t seen me without my clothes on.

“But I found these,” my friend continued, handing me a pair of breeches and a button-up beige shirt. “I also saved your iPhone.”

“Thanks,” I said, taking the clothes from Freddie. “By the way, who made that phone?”

“Oh, Apple made it in 2016,” he answered. “But I modified yours to be able to call me from anywhere in the timeline. I guess you can say the ‘i’ stands for ‘interdimensional.’”

“That would explain why it hasn’t caught on yet,” I replied. “Now could you all leave the room while I change?”

“Sure,” said Skyva. My friends left the room talking about making breakfast. Now that they were gone, I stood up and put on the clothes Freddie had given me. Then I looked out the window to see a town full of houses similar to the one we were in. Along the streets, villagers went about their day and didn’t seem suspicious of anything unusual happening in our house.

I stepped into the main room to find Freddie and Skyva making breakfast while Rys sat at the table and worked on his arm. He had taken off his Red Mune armor and was wearing a tank top and shorts.

“Good morning Patrick,” smiled Rys.

“What’s wrong with your arm?” I asked.

“We’ll only be safe from the Red Mune if I can find my tracker,” he answered, “otherwise they’ll keep on chasing us.” I watched as he took apart his arm until he found a red flashing piece. He carefully unscrewed it and placed it on the table. Then he tested his arm to make sure it was still fully functioning, and sure enough it was. Finally Rys held the tracker in his arm and crushed it like a dead leaf. A wave of relief rushed over the four of us.

“So what’s the plan, guys?” I asked Freddie and Skyva.

“The teleportation feature in Rys’ arm ran out of battery after we came here, so a few hours ago Skyva called her mom. She’s the leader of the Protectors,” explained Freddie as he flipped a fried egg with his bare (and hopefully sanitary) hand. “Skyva’s mom told us that she would send a few people to teleport us back to 2999.”

“How did she call her mom in the future if she doesn’t have a phone?” I asked.

“In the future, everybody has one of these,” said Skyva, taking a tray of bacon out of the oven. She tapped her left wrist, bringing up a holographic screen that showed several applications. “It’s an implant that works like a phone and allows us to call anyone at any time without the inconvenience of remembering to bring a cell phone. And for extra privacy, you can make the screen invisible to everyone but the user.”

“And I thought cell phones were already convenient,” I muttered.

“Every Protector and Red Mune agent has modified their implant to communicate across time,” she continued. “It allows us to hide from the timeline if we ever need to time travel and come back to our time whenever we want, thus preventing a paradox.”

“What do you mean?”

“Since you don’t have the implant, you and Emily will have to return at exactly 12:05 a.m. on December 18, 1999,” Freddie explained as he finished serving up four plates of bacon and eggs. “If you’re gone for more than a few seconds, you might risk causing a butterfly effect, or straight up ripping a hole in the space-time continuum. But our modified wrist implants allow us to return to our present whenever we want.”

“The laws of time travel are all very complex,” Rys added as Skyva and Freddie took a seat at the dinner table. I scarfed down my breakfast as my friends started talking about our plan.

“We’ve still got the Y3K, and we need to keep it away from Skavenge at all costs,” said Skyva. “If the Red Mune gets ahold of this USB within the next thirteen days, then Skavenge will have complete control over all technology from the year 2000 onward.”

“Do you mean anything that uses technology?” I asked. “Like banks or governments or just average people?” Everyone nodded.

“If Skavenge gets the Y3K, then every scientific breakthrough of the third century will belong to him,” said Freddie. “History as we know it will be rewritten by Cypus Skavenge and the Red Mune.”

“Why can’t we just pull out a hammer and smash this virus once and for all?” I asked. “How about we throw it down a garbage disposal? Or a hydraulic press? Maybe travel back to when the earth was a ball of molten rock and let it melt?”

“Because it’s virtually indestructible,” said Rys. “Skavenge coated the entire exterior with pacellium, a man-made metal that’s nigh indestructible. Skavenge’s electrostaffs are the only weapons with the ability to destroy pacellium.”

“Unfortunately our scientists can’t replicate those staffs,” said Skyva. “The only way to destroy the Y3K would be to go to Skavenge Tower on Mars and steal an electrostaff.”

“Let's just say breaking inside the most secure Red Mune fortress is easier said than done,” said Rys.

“Why don’t we just go into the future when flash drives are a thing and copy the virus onto another one?” I asked.

“Because the Y3K will automatically spread the moment it’s plugged into another computer,” said Skyva.

“This is nice and all, but I need to go home,” I said to my three companions. “I’m clearly not qualified to help save the world. After Skyva’s mom rescues us, Freddie and I are leaving.”

“But Patrick, I’m as close to the Protectors as I am to you,” argued Freddie.

“Do you not care about your sister enough to help save her?” Skyva asked. I suddenly froze. How could I have been so thoughtless to forget about Emily? The Red Mune was probably torturing her and all I could think about was going home and saving myself.

“Well, of course I’m gonna save my sister,” I said boldly, standing up from my seat at the table.

“That’s what I needed to hear,” Freddie smiled. Suddenly the front door of the cottage swung open. We all turned our attention to the threshold as a middle aged English couple walked inside their home. They stood in shock and stared at us, four strangers, sitting in their kitchen and eating their food.

“Uh, hi,” said Rys nervously, waving at our unexpected hosts.

“Jonathan,” gasped the woman, “doth thou know these hooligans who hath invaded our home?”

“No, Mary, I doth not,” answered Jonathan. The couple slowly approached us.

“This black-hair'd young sir seemeth ordinary enough with the gross exception of his abysmal posture,” said Jonathan, looking at me thoroughly, “but what do I maketh of this less white, utterly shirtless young sir with metal for arms and for legs?”

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“I’m not proud of these limbs,” Freddie grunted.

“What of the bald boy with the metal arm?” exclaimed Mary. “Is he a demon?”

“I’m not a demon,” yelled Rys.

“‘Tis exactly what a demon wouldst sayeth,” declared Jonathan.

“He’s not lying,” Skyva said, defending Rys.

“Oh, young girl,” said Mary, rubbing Skyva’s hair and trying to be sympathetic but instead just coming off as creepy, “hast this demon poisoned thy mind to the point in which thou hast become so tainted?”

“Back off,” spat Skyva, swatting Mary’s hand away.

“When does your mom get here?” I whispered.

“We’ve still got a good thirty minutes,” Skyva replied.

“Let’s get out of here before they burn us at the stake,” said Freddie.

“Actually the British stopped burning heretics at the stake in 1612,” Rys corrected. “The worst they can do is—”

“Shut up, Rys,” I yelled. Freddie then shot out his arms and grabbed Rys like a little kid. Jonathan and Mary almost fainted at the sight of Freddie extending his arm at will. The four of us took that opportunity to bolt out the door and run behind the house. Once we were safe, Freddie put Rys down and we made our way to the nearby woods.

“Are they after us?” asked Rys timidly. Freddie and I looked into the distance.

“I don’t see any mobs with torches and pitchforks, so I think we’re safe,” I answered annoyedly.

“That’s a relief,” said Skyva as we hiked through the trees. She and Freddie led the way while Rys and I trailed behind.

It was a nice day to go walking. A layer of thin clouds covered up the sun, but there seemed to be no chance of rain. There was a light breeze that flowed through our hair and made the bushes wave. Occasionally a small animal would go scurrying by and, depending on the creature, we would stop and look. The four of us stayed silent for a while before Rys tried to make small talk.

“Hey Patrick, what’s it like living in the past?” he asked.

“I guess it’s alright,” I answered. “USBs haven’t been mass produced yet because most everyone uses CDs or floppy disks. Cell phones are a luxury item, so you’ll find phone booths in every city. Emily, Freddie, and I spend most of our time building homemade computers and other small inventions. It’s a pretty niche hobby, but I'm able to sell most of my computers. Freddie and Emily are my only friends, but I’m okay with that. Back home there’s a scare about a hypothetical virus called the Y2K that’ll reset computers to the year 1900 and ruin everything. I didn’t really buy into it, but it looks like we’re fighting against that virus right now.”

“But I’m your friend,” said Rys with a big, dumb smile.

“Because I saved you and you owe me a life debt or something?” I asked.

“No,” said Rys, his expression unchanging. “I just think you’re a cool guy.”

“Cool?” I laughed. “Nobody’s ever said I’m cool. Everyone just sees me as the weird geeky kid.”

“That’s surprising. In my time you’re basically worshiped. I looked up to you when I was little, before the Red Mune abducted me.”

“What was your childhood like before you were abducted?”

“That’s a good question. I don’t remember much before 2994. That’s when they took my entire second grade class.”

“If you don’t remember anything from your childhood, then how do you know that you looked up to me?”

“When we went to capture Skyva and I saw you, some of my memories came back. I remember learning about you in school.”

“So you’re telling me that I’m famous in the future?”

“Pfft, famous? You’re a god among men! Everyone regards you as a great hero.”

“What do I do that makes people still remember me centuries after I’m dead?”

“You start a tech company which supplies electricity, personal computers, and cell phones to businesses and people of the third world. The ones who are helped by your company’s technology are able to make their lives and their countries better,” explained Rys. “Robinson Tech exists for most of the third millennium and makes incredible technological advancements that better the world as a whole. You and your entire bloodline are regarded as international heroes!”

“That’s pretty great,” I said, half-smiling. I couldn't believe it. All this time I thought I would never amount to anything. But now I was standing before a boy who idolized me, and there were no doubt many others who did, too.

“When I was little I wanted to be a Protector just so I could travel back to the 2000s and meet you,” continued Rys. “But during all of my training, brainwashing, really, they hammered in a lot of ‘Robinson bad’ propaganda. Who would’ve guessed that my childhood hero would be the one to save me? When you go back to your time period, can I stay with you?”

I was taken aback by his question. I wanted to say no, but he was just a little kid. He would be heartbroken if I refused. But back home I already had my hands full putting up with Jake. Having another little brother, especially one who saw me as his personal idol, would be too chaotic. I also couldn’t imagine the look on my parents’ faces when they learned that they had another mouth to feed.

“I’ll think about it,” I finally said.

“That’s good enough for me,” Rys cheered, continuing to follow me very closely. It was kinda nice that I had an admirer for once, but it was a shame that he happened to be a kid. I tried to catch up with Freddie and Skyva, but that didn’t stop Rys from being one step behind me.

“So what are we gonna do once your mom saves us?” I asked Skyva.

“Mother’s going to take us back to the city of Rolland, Missouri,” she answered.

“Where’s Rolland?” I asked.

“Geographically it’s where Bacon was in 1999,” answered Skyva. “The city of Rolland is considered the central city among the Protectors. Once we get there we’ll consult the council regarding the Y3K.”

“You guys have a council?” I asked.

“It’s made up of nine members from all nine Protector divisions around the world plus the moon,” said Freddie. “There are Canadian, Australian, Japanese, African, Moonite, South American, European, Antarctic, and American divisions.”

“Each division’s leader acts as a representative on the council, and Mother sits at the head," said Skyva. "She’ll probably arrange a meeting and they’ll figure out what to do with the virus.”

“Don’t let this whole council thing intimidate you,” Freddie said assuringly. “Each council member’s allowed to bring up to four guests, so that means all four of us can attend the meeting with the blessing of Skyva’s mother.”

“That's convenient,” I replied.

It took us about ten minutes to reach the edge of the woods. Thankfully the path didn’t deposit us into another town, but instead a large, wide open field. Nobody was around for miles, and it looked like we were genuinely safe.

“Mother said this is where she would pick us up,” said Skyva, looking at the clock on her implant. “But we’ve still got about two minutes.”

A few minutes later, purple sparks started flickering in the center of the field. The four of us approached the gathering sparks as they started swirling around, getting faster and faster every second. Then the sparks rose a few feet in the air and rotated 90 degrees. Before I knew it, all the sparks expanded and came together and formed what looked like a small spacecraft. It opened its doors and three people walked down the ramp.

The leader was a middle-aged woman with blonde hair and green eyes just like Skyva, no doubt her mother. She wore armor that was similar to Skyva’s, but it was much plainer in contrast to her daughter’s. She was six feet tall and appeared to be a very muscular woman. Her belt had two holsters, one containing a bubble gun and another for what I suspected was a lethal gun. She had a battle scar that ran from the left side of her forehead all the way down to her chin. Her expression appeared to be a mix between a scowl and a slight smile.

“I’m sorry about all this, Mother,” sighed Skyva, hanging her head.

“It’s alright,” said her mother assuringly. “My first solo mission went a whole lot worse. At least you got what you came for, right?”

“I’ve got it,” smiled Skyva, presenting the USB to her mother.

“I see you’ve brought company,” said Skyva’s mother, assessing me, Freddie, and Rys. “How in the solar system did Patrick Robinson and Freddie get here? And is this Red Mune agent a prisoner?”

“How does she know my name?” I muttered to my friends.

“Reminder: you’re a famous historical figure,” whispered Rys.

“Oh,” I said awkwardly.

“I first ended up in 1999 and Freddie found me,” Skyva explained. “We both thought Patrick would be the perfect person to guard the Y3K, but the Red Mune managed to track us down. One of them destroyed my teleporter before we could escape. Patrick wrestled this agent to the ground and knocked out his programming chip. Since Rys here is a former Red Mune agent, he used his arm to teleport us here. He’s not a prisoner, he’s our ally now.”

“Huh,” muttered Skyva’s mother, her eyes fixated on Rys’ right arm.

“With all due respect,” I said, “Rys removed his tracker and broke free of his programming. The Red Mune probably hates him now as much as they hate us.”

“I see,” she replied, making eye contact with me for the first time. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Director Pamela Ravenstone.”

“Pleased to meet you, Director,” I replied, shaking her hand.

“We need to get back to Rolland,” said Freddie with a sense of urgency in his voice. Director Ravenstone and her party walked back into the time machine and we followed them in a single file line. Once inside we took a seat while a member of Ravenstone’s party set the coordinates for the return.

“What’s the plan, Director?” I asked as our pod lifted off and flew through the vast loophole that was the space-time continuum.

“Once we’re back in Rolland, I’ll arrange for a council meeting and decide what to do with the Y3K,” she answered.

“Can Rys join the meeting as your secondary guest, Mother?” asked Skyva.

“Sure,” said Ravenstone. “I take it that Patrick plans on attending the meeting?”

“Yes Director,” I answered. “I plan on saving my sister, so I need to be a part of the plan.”

“Emily’s been kidnapped?” exclaimed one of Ravenstone’s assistants, a tall, muscular young adult with a slight Canadian accent.

“Yes,” I responded adamantly, “and I’m willing to fight Skavenge to the death if it means saving her!”

“I like you, Patrick,” he smiled. “You seem like a pretty determined guy. The name’s Brutuch.”

“Thanks,” I said shyly, slightly intimidated by Brutuch. “What do you do?”

“I’m a member of the Pynes clan,” he answered. “We’ve been crafting some of the greatest weapons in the solar system for six generations. If you plan to save your sister, you’re gonna need a weapon.”

“What kind of weapons do you make?” I asked.

“I’ve constructed hundreds of various weapons since I was old enough to hold a hammer,” Brutuch boasted, “so our weapons are pretty diverse. Meet me in Sector C-16 after the meeting.”

Suddenly the pod came to a halt and I jumped. The ramp opened and I followed the director and my friends into what looked like a giant hangar. Inside were several other time pods and a few discs of varying sizes scattered around. Many of the discs were held behind plexiglass vaults with vortexes spiraling over them. There were even a bunch of grenades sitting on a large desk.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“This is the Protector Time And Teleportation Lab, or PTATL for short,” said Skyva. “It’s where our best scientists experiment with time travel and teleportation as a whole.”

“Where do those vortexes lead to?” I asked, gazing around at the incredible items that surrounded me.

“Nobody knows,” said Ravenstone’s other companion. “I built most of the vortex conduits, the discs under the vortexes themselves, and not even I know where they lead to. At least one person has gone inside each vortex, but none of them have ever returned. By the way, you can call me Hyro.”

“Good to know, Hyro,” I nodded as we moved into the next hall.