Time Warped

From behind the control panel, Joe stared in numb fascination. On
the platform in front of him, Professor Crawford sat in a customised
chair. Leather straps bound his wrists and ankles. A visor covered his
eyes. A mesh of wires extended from the helmet he wore, leading to twin
generators that sandwiched him on either side. Could it be? Was this
bizarre contraption about to send a man into the past?

"Start her up, Joe," the Professor instructed. "I'm ready."

Joe's finger's hovered over the lever for a second. "Professor, are you
sure..."

"I've never been more sure of anything. I've been working on this
project for three decades. The secrets I've unlocked, the secrets I've
shared with you over the past few weeks... it's taken years of private
funding, dedication... and ridicule from my peers." He paused suddenly,
and looked Joe in the eye. "Joe... surely you don't think I'm crazy?
You, of all people, must have faith in me."

"Of course I don't think you're crazy," Joe told him. "If this
invention works as you say it does, it makes you a genius. But this is
a prototype machine. Why do you feel the need to go so far back?
Wouldn't yesterday be safer... or maybe last week?"

A mild look of frustration appeared on the Professor's face. He pressed
a button on the arm of the chair, and straps automatically unbuckled,
the helmet lifted from his head. The Professor rose from his seat and
began pacing around the room, rubbing his beard as he spoke. "In a few
days from now, I'm going to make an announcement that will astound
scientists all over the world. But first, there is something I have to
do.

"Thirty years ago, in a lecture hall at Cambridge University, a young
physics student stood before a crowd he considered his friends. This
young man was explaining a theory of his... the very same theory that I
recently explained to you. And his friends laughed... all of them...
they said he was crazy. Well, history is about to repeat itself. But
this time, when that young man makes his speech, there will be one
person who doesn't laugh at him. A tall, bearded stranger will stand at
the back of that room, listening to every word he says. And while
everyone else laughs, that stranger will feel a warm glow of pride,
knowing that this boy will grow up to prove them all wrong. So... do
you understand why I have to do this?"

"Yeah, I guess," Joe replied.

"Besides, there's nothing to worry about," the Professor assured him.
"The retrieval circuit built into the machine will bring me back to
this exact spot... just minutes after I leave it! Now..." He returned
to his seat and strapped himself in once again. "Start her up!"

Joe flicked a few switches and thrust the lever forward. For a moment,
nothing happened. There was a slight crackling noise, followed by a
hesitant rumble, like a car engine coming to life on a cold day. Joe
held his breath as sparks began to fly from the generators. The
Professor sat there, in his moment of glory, as electricity flowed
through the cables and into his chair.

"More power!" the Professor cried. "We need more power!"

Joe slowly cranked the lever up further. The Professor threw his head
back as his seat vibrated beneath him. The lights were flickering, the
whole room was starting to shake. An intense orange glow started to
envelop him. Joe shielded his eyes and slammed the lever up as far as
it would go. A dazzling bolt of energy flared up, and then it was all
over.

The chair was empty. The Professor had vanished. Trails of smoke were
rising from the spot where he had sat, as the orange glow faded away.
Joe sat there for a few minutes, taking it all in. Then he reached for
his jacket and, whistling to himself, started switching off the
machines. He was now certain of two things. The Professor was a
genius... and the Professor was crazy. Why else would he have trusted
Joe with the combination to his safe? Everything was in there... the
files, the plans, the discoveries.

To play it safe, he decided to wait a few weeks before announcing to
the world that he, Joe Bennett, a humble lab assistant, had made this
amazing scientific breakthrough. By then, Professor Crawford would be
just a vague memory, some old eccentric who had finally cracked up and
disappeared, never to be seen again.

Before leaving the room, Joe made a quick note to replace the retrieval
circuit at some point. As he turned off the lights and locked up, he
spared a quick thought for the Professor. Somewhere in history, a tall,
bearded stranger was being chased by angry Viking warriors, or, if he
was really unlucky, knee-deep in a swamp, hiding from a hungry
Stegosaurus. Still, at least he could be proud of his time machine.