Chapter 35. The Time Machine.

In a barely lit lab he bent over his work, thinking about nothing except the part he was working on.

He then got on his back and lay under the blanket covered machine and began to fix some loose bolts.

He carelessly wiped the sweat from his brow as he began tightning a bolt.

The wires which he had just fixed fit nicely in their spot as he fit the piece of metal over them and began sealing it.

He was almost done, just this and a few more adjustments and it'd be ready.

He was so close.

"DAD!"

"AHHHH!"

He jumped up and banged his head on the top of the machine, the wrench in his hand hit the middle and sent a bunch of uncovered wires to hang down and spark. He quickly pushed himself out from under the sparking machine and shot a look at the black cowlick haired boy grinning from ear to ear before him.

"I've told you so many times not to do that!" Lewis cried, grabbing his heart.

Wilbur smiled even bigger and pointed at his father. "Aha! I scared you! I scared you! You told me I'd never be able to scare you but I did!" He laughed.

Lewis lunged for his son but the skinny boy jumped out of his reach and out of the lab.

"That boy." Lewis muttered, shaking his head and going back under the machine.

12 year old Wilbur raced out of the lab, looking behind him laughing in short gasps.

He turned his head when he suddenly ran into his mother. They both hit the ground with a small thud.

Franny picked herself quickly and looked at her son as he lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling, eagle-spread.

"Young man, what are you doing running through the house?" Franny asked, hands on her hips.

"Scared...Dad...Can't...Be...Caught." Wilbur said between sharp breaths.

Franny rolled her eyes and heaved her son up by the shirt and lead him to the lab.

"Hey wait. What the heck?" Wilbur cried. "I don't want to go back there!"

"You have to." Franny said. "Your father said he was almost done with his invention and wanted to show us it."

"Not anymore." Wilbur coughed.

"What?"

"I uh...Kind of snuck up on him and ah-um...He-broke-some-wires-which-lead-to-sparks-and-I-don't-know-if-its-going-to-be-fixed-soon." Wilbur said the last in one breath.

"Wilbur!" Franny said in a dangereous tone. "How many times have I told you not to-"

"Not to sneak up and scare your father while he's working in the lab." Wilbur finished with a sigh. "Loads mom. But he told me I'd never be able to scare him. I had to prove him wrong!"

Franny sighed and pushed open the lab doors. She and Wilbur climbed the steps silently.

When they reached the top they stopped short, the machine which had just been covered in a blanket was uncovered.

"Whoa." Wilbur breathed.

"Cornelius..This is wonderful!" Franny said, awed.

The redish time machine sat in the middle of the lab, its long wing about seven feet and the short wing about 5 feet. The whole machine couldn't have been taller then nine feet and longer then 15 feet.

"Yes!" Lewis said, waving a hand at the machine. "The first working time machine!"

"You only made one?" Wilbur asked, going to touch the bulbed top.

Lewis quickly smacked his sons hand away, ignoring the small "ouch!".

"No, I did not make only one," Lewis said. "I have another, its greenish blue and in the garage. I've been working on it for almost as long as this one. Except that machine isn't quite finished yet. I still have to fix some wires. And maybe I'll get it done, if somebody doesn't disturb me."

Lewis added, glancing at Wilbur, who smiled toothily at his dad.

"Don't worry dad," Wilbur said, waving a hand. "I won't bother you. Now, how do you turn this on?

"Well, its easy. Just punch in the exact day, month and year you want then press this red button and your all set. You steer with the steering wheel, like a hover car." Lewis said, showing him the buttons.

Wilbur nodded, intrigued. "Thats awesome. Now, could you take it back in time to see, say, pharohs?" He looked up at his father with a sly smile.

Lewis raised an eyebrow. "You probably could."

"Could I?"

"No, not you. If you think I'm going to let you touch this machine you are crazy." Lewis said, ruffling his sons hair, which caused Wilbur to groan and begin to refix it.

"I think its wonderful." Franny piped up. "Does it work?"

"Yes. I'm sure of it." Lewis said. "Want to give it a try with me?"

"Oh, well..I'm not so sure-" Franny began.

"I'll do it with you, dad!" Wilbur cried out. "Please?"

"Heh, sure. Why not?" Lewis said, smiling at Franny.

They pushed the machine, which was amazenly lightweight, through the garage and out to the back.

While in the garage they caught a glimpse of the green time machine.

"Time machine number 2." Lewis said, pointing.

Wilbur smiled slyly at it. "Dad? Can I-"

"No."

Wilbur shut up and helped push the time machine, annoyed with his father.

Outside the house, Lewis and Wilbur hopped into the time machine, Lewis went to go press a button.

"Can I request?" Wilbur asked suddenly.

"Sure. When?"

"December 17th, 1903." Wilbur said.

"Why?"

"Thats the day the Wright Brothers flew their first 'plane'." Wilbur said.

Lewis raised an eyebrow. "Good job. Why the sudden love of the Wright brothers?"

Wilbur shrugged his shoulders then began to buckle up in the back. "I guess its all the excitment of flying and stuff."

"Be carefull!" Franny cried from the ground. "I love you!"

"Love you to, sweetie!" Lewis said, blowing her a kiss. "Good-bye!"

Wilbur waved to his mother as the time machine floated in the air, then zoomed into the sky.

Soon everything was purple, then a white flashing light.

Franny stood in the same spot, wringing her hands, looking into the sky.

"Something tells me that showing Wilbur that time machine wasen't such a good idea." She muttered to herself.

It couldn't have been maybe twenty minutes later when a bright light flashed in the sky and the time machine began soaring down to the ground.

The top opened and Lewis looked out and shouted: "Is anything wrong with the future?"

"No!" Franny cried, worried. "At least I don't think so. What happened?"

Lewis sighed and pulled himself out of the time machine, followed by his pouting son.

Wilbur folded his arms and quickly marched away from his dad and over to Franny.

"Well, we get to Kitty Hawke and we're watching the brothers right. Keeping our distance, just watching history been made when Wilbur here," He said with a glare to his son. "decided to send a chargeball at them. He smuggled the danged thing into the time machine in his pocket."

Franny looked at her son. "What happened?"

"It hit their feet before take off, and I took out of there. I'm just glad that historys not messed up." Lewis replied.

"What did you do with Wilbur?" Franny asked, jerking her thumb at the boy who stood next to her.

"Didn't have time to do anything." Lewis replied. "Just took the glove away."

Franny quickly gave Wilbur a quick smack on the arm.

"OWooh!" Wilbur cried, reeling and rubbing his arm.

"Give me the chargeball glove." Franny said to Lewis.

He handed the glove to her and she turned to Wilbur. "This," she said pointing to the glove. "You will not see for two weeks. Got that?"

Wilbur nodded.

The three pushed the time machine into the garage in slience. Once the machine was put in its place Franny turned to Wilbur and said:

"Off to your room now, Wilbur. We'll call you at dinner."

Wilbur rolled his eyes and recieved a light slap, then left the garage in silent anger.

"Cornelius," Franny began. "Something tells me you shouldn't have shown him how to use this machine."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one having that feeling." Lewis said. "Thank goodness I told him the second one doesn't work yet."

Franny looked at the green machine behind her. "You mean it does work?"

"Yeah." Lewis said. "I just need to connect the start-up wire."

"Well, lets keep this working machine secret, okay?" Franny said, giving her husband a tight hug.

"Agreed." Lewis replied, hugging her back.