The last bell of the day rang at West Haven High School, signaling the start of the weekend. Students streamed out of classrooms, their chatter and laughter echoing through the wide hallways. The chaos slowly faded as the school emptied, leaving only the faint hum of custodial vacuums and the distant shuffle of paperwork from the main office.
In Room 205, Mr. Wilson, the towering 6’4 science teacher, lingered at his desk. He was a well-known figure in the school—not just because of his height but also for his broad shoulders, thick arms, and seemingly endless energy. Mr. Wilson had the type of commanding presence that made it nearly impossible for students to misbehave in his classroom. Despite his intimidating frame, he had a calm and approachable demeanor, and students genuinely liked him.
At the front of the classroom stood a sophomore named Evan Parker, clutching a strange-looking contraption. Evan was one of Mr. Wilson’s brightest students, though he had a reputation for being a bit of an eccentric inventor. His projects were always ambitious—hovering paper airplanes, soda-can steam engines, and a solar-powered pencil sharpener that somehow worked on cloudy days.
But today, Evan had brought in something completely different.
“Mr. Wilson, I know it’s not part of the regular curriculum, but I really think you’ll like this,” Evan said, carefully setting the device on a lab table near the front of the room.
The device was about the size of a microwave, cobbled together from what appeared to be old computer parts, copper wiring, and a mess of gears and LED lights. The centerpiece of the machine was a gleaming, dome-shaped lens that reflected the fluorescent lights above.
Mr. Wilson leaned forward, his muscular arms crossing over his broad chest as he examined the strange creation. “Alright, I’ll bite. What exactly am I looking at here?”
“It’s a time device,” Evan said proudly, grinning ear to ear.
“A time device?” Mr. Wilson raised an eyebrow, his tone both amused and skeptical.
“Yes! I’ve been working on it for months. Theoretically, it can warp localized time.”
Mr. Wilson chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Evan I appreciate the creativity, but time devices aren’t real. It’s a fun concept for movies and books, but it’s not something we can actually do.”
Evan face didn’t falter. If anything, his grin grew wider. “That’s what they said about flying before the Wright brothers. And about computers before Alan Turing. Just because it hasn’t been done yet doesn’t mean it’s impossible.”
Mr. Wilson nodded, impressed by the young man’s conviction. “Fair point. Alright, why don’t you walk me through how this… time device works?”
Evan launched into a detailed explanation, his enthusiasm evident in the way he gestured to each part of the machine. He spoke about tachyon particles, hypothetical energy fields, and something called a “quantum flux capacitor,” though Mr. Wilson suspected he might’ve borrowed that term from a popular movie.
When Evan finished his explanation, Mr. Wilson rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I’ll give you credit for originality. Even if it doesn’t actually work, this is an impressive piece of engineering. It’s not every day a student builds something like this for extra credit.”
“Thanks, Mr. Wilson!” Evan beamed.
“So… does it actually do anything, or is it more of a theoretical demonstration?”
Evan hesitated for a moment. “Well, I haven’t exactly tested it yet. It requires a ton of energy to run, and I’ve only been able to power it up for a few seconds at a time. But in theory, yes—it should work.”
Mr. Wilson smiled, leaning back against his desk. “I like your confidence. But Evan, you know as well as I do that time warping isn’t possible. There are laws of physics for a reason.”
Evan shrugged. “Laws are meant to be tested.”
Mr. Wilson chuckled again. “Alright, alright. Let’s see what you’ve got. You said it needs a lot of energy to run—how are you powering it?”
Evan reached into his backpack and pulled out a portable battery pack that looked like it had been modified well beyond its original design. He plugged it into the machine, and the device hummed to life.
The LEDs flickered, the gears began to spin, and a faint vibration ran through the table. A low, almost imperceptible hum filled the room, like the sound of distant machinery.
Mr. Wilson tilted his head, intrigued despite his skepticism. “That’s… actually pretty cool. Did you program it to do that?”
“Nope,” Evan said, his voice tinged with excitement. “That’s the real deal. It’s building up energy for the time warp.”
Mr. Wilson raised an eyebrow, still unconvinced. “Uh-huh. And what happens if I just…” He stepped forward and placed his hand on the machine, his fingers brushing against the smooth dome of the lens.
“Careful!” Evan exclaimed.
“It’s fine,” Mr. Wilson said with a grin. “It’s not like this thing is actually going to—”
Before he could finish his sentence, his hand accidentally brushed a switch on the side of the machine. There was a sudden, sharp click, followed by a blinding flash of light.
The entire room was bathed in a brilliant white glow, and the hum of the machine rose to a deafening pitch. Mr. Wilson instinctively shielded his eyes, stepping back as the light intensified.
“What the—” he began, but his words were drowned out by the noise.
Then, just as quickly as it had started, the light vanished. The room fell silent, save for the faint whir of the machine as it powered down.
Mr. Wilson blinked, his vision slowly adjusting to the normal fluorescent lighting. He glanced at Evan, who was staring at the machine with wide eyes.
“Did… did that just happen?” Mr. Wilson asked, his voice a mix of confusion and disbelief.
“Yeah,” Evan said, his voice barely above a whisper. “It happened.”
Mr. Wilson turned to the machine, frowning. “How did you do that? Was it some kind of trick? A special effect?”
Evan shook his head. “No trick. I didn’t even know it could do that.”
Mr. Wilson let out a slow breath, his skepticism wavering. “Okay, I’ll admit—that was unexpected. The light show is impressive. But there’s no way this thing actually…” He trailed off, glancing at the machine again.
Evan stepped forward, his hands trembling slightly as he examined the device. “It worked,” he muttered under his breath. “I don’t know how, but it worked.”
Mr. Wilson crossed his arms, watching Evan with a mix of amusement and unease. “Alright. I’ll give you credit for creativity—and for surprising me. But whatever just happened, I’m sure there’s a logical explanation. Probably some kind of electrical overload or—”
Before he could finish, a faint blue glow flickered across the dome of the machine, catching his attention.
“Is it supposed to be doing that?” he asked.
A sudden jolt of energy burst from the device, and before Evan could finish his sentence, a blinding white light engulfed the room.
“Whoa!” Mr. Wilson shouted, shielding his eyes. The beam hit him square in the chest, and he staggered back, his broad frame seeming to absorb the energy. For a moment, he stood frozen in place, his eyes wide with shock. Then, his whole body began to tingle, as though a thousand tiny needles were pricking his skin.
“Evan!” Mr. Wilson shouted, his deep, commanding voice tinged with panic. “What the heck is happening?!”