Robert was a global humanitarian aid worker who recently retired after decades of traveling.

He had seen the best of what humankind had to offer to one another and the environment, but mostly the worst.

"Where do you plan on going with that contraption?" asked his younger sister, Rebecca.

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"Time chamber ..."

"Right. Even if it works, how do you know the future is inhabitable?"

"The future? Inhabitable?"

"Yes, is your hearing loss getting worse?"

"I've no plan on going to the future, Rebecca."

"Where then?"

"Billions of years."

"Before humans?"

"Maybe," he triggered a 'zapper device,' "maybe not ..."