Sydney to the Max Season 5: Episode 10 - Just a Little More Time Part 2
Written By: "Fun But Shy Girl", With Input From: JoshFics, Based on Characters Created by: Mark Reisman
2078:
Maya and Judy were concerned. They were losing time. Sometimes the siblings failed to recall what they were doing for a few minutes; other times an hour or two. There were even a few times when others failed to see them. To top it all off: the possessions in their house were disappearing and reappearing, the reappearance taking longer each time. Their parents had also vanished. They weren't sure where but wherever they were was beyond reception. Also, when they went to school, they saw many students walking into the building they didn't know, only for them to vanish. As they noticed this, Maya said, "What's going on? Are ghosts coming to our school now?" An angry Judy then said, "You are far too old to be believing in ghosts Maya." Then an angry Maya said, "Well it's better than your theory of time travel!" Then Judy said, "It's just simple science. You threw something into the past. You changed the past. Now the future is changing before us. But it's fluctuating because whatever change caused by our time travel mishap must've resulted in someone else causing another time travel mishap; thus time is still in flux. I think we are seeping in and out of time. That's why we have memory gaps as we technically exist in this time for a couple of seconds or minutes, and then we don't because of the changes taking place, but then come back as the changes aren't permanent yet. But they may be soon. In fact mom and dad might no longer exist which is why we haven't heard back from them." Maya was pale as she said, "I hope you are wrong Judy." Judy nodded her head and said, "Me too. Lets go back to the lab and see what we can do about this."
About an hour later, Judy was sitting in front of her computer as Maya looked around the room. Judy then said, "It definitely seems like someone picked up our time travel device you threw into the past, and then changed the timeline further. But if I can't pinpoint who did it, it'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack." Then Maya held up several framed photos and said, "Judy. You keep pictures of our family around here in the lab, right?" Judy then said, "Yeah. Why?" Then as Maya held up several photos she said, "Well... some of them feature nobody. Look. Mom and dad are missing from these pictures now, but the backgrounds are still there. Also, Andy and our cousins are gone." Then as Judy looked at the photos she said, "But some people are still here. Grandma Sydney, Grandma Olive, Grandma Emmy, Great-Aunt Sophia, Great-Grandpa Max... but where is Great-Aunt Lauren and her family? And Great-Grandma Angela has been replaced with those other lady. Who is she?" Maya starred at the photo for a moment, but then said, "It's Great-Grandma Alisha. Judy. I know what happened. The time travel device was found by Grandma Sydney. Probably when she was really young." A surprised Judy then said, "You sure?" Maya then said, "Dead sure." Judy then looked at her computer and said, "Okay. Focused on Portland Oregon when Grandma Sydney was young. That be like the 2010's and 2020's and... Got it! I picked up on where our time travel device landed." Then suddenly Maya looked at her legs and saw they were starting to fade away slightly. A panicked Maya said, "Judy, we need to get out of here now!" Then Judy grabbed a small time travel device and said, "Okay. Got our time travel coordinates set. Oh, put this mask on." Judy then handed Maya a face mask as she said, "Why wear this?" Then Judy said, "Because we can't have people in the past see our entire faces or it might screw up history. Now lets go!" Then Judy pushed a button on her time travel device causing a blue vortex to appear. Then Judy and Maya jumped into the blue vortex and disappeared into it.
Present Day:
Sydney sat in front of her mother's tombstone as she said, "I just want you back so much mom." Then Sydney saw a blue light from the corner of her eye. Then suddenly dropping near Sydney's feet was a rectangle shaped green device with buttons on it. A curious Sydney then picked up the device and said, "What is this?" Then just before Sydney could press the button on the device, another blue light appeared. Sydney turned her head and saw stepping out of a vortex was Maya and Judy with their face masks on as they yelled, "WAIT!" Sydney stood up looking confused as she said, "Huh? What's going on?" Then an amazed looking Maya said, "Oh my gosh. It's her. It's Grandm..." Then Judy nudged Maya and said, "Careful what you call her. But yes, it's her." Then Judy stepped towards Sydney and said, "Please drop that device. Now I know this is gonna sound crazy. But we're time travelers from the future. That device there is our first time travel device we made. We've come back in time because if we didn't, you were gonna use that time travel device to change your past; and that means bad changes for our future." A surprised looking Sydney then said, "Time travel? Are you serious? You mean I can use this thing to see dinosaurs?" Then an excited looking Maya said, "Ooo. Why didn't we think of seeing dinosaurs first?" Judy sighed and said, "First, no dinosaurs. We could really screw up the timeline if we go back that far. And second... yes, I'm being serious. That is a real deal time travel device you have right there."
Then Sydney said, "Then... then you have to let me use it. Just to do one thing." Then Maya said, "Sydney... you can't go back in time and save your mother." A confused looking Sydney said, "How did you know I was thinking about doing that? Do you have mind reading powers in the future?" Maya then said, "No, but... look... we know you... somehow... in the future. And right before we headed back in time, we saw history changing around us, and we saw an image of your step-mother Angela being replaced by... an image of your biological mother Alisha." Then Sydney said, "Then it'll work. Please don't stop me. Look, I know your future will change, but at least my present will be better." Then Judy said, "Are you so sure of that? Look Sydney... time is still in flux. Your future self... the you that is very soon from now going to go back in time and change the past... she's already changing time. In fact, those changes may already be starting to take affect from your perspective right now. If you just walk back into town right now, it'll feel like you're walking into an alternate timeline, and I know you won't like the changes. So please... give us back that time travel device and everything will go back to normal." Sydney then backed away as she said, "No. You're lying. The world will be better off with my mother alive. I know it!" Then Sydney ran away from Judy and Maya, and then towards town.
Sydney rushed into town and saw her father's bike shop was open. Sydney rushed in and saw her father Max behind the counter. Sydney went over to Max and said, "Dad, is mom here?" Then Max said, "No. She's still doing her missionary work in Haiti right now, which sadly means she's out of cell service." A confused looking Sydney then said, "When you say mom do you mean Angela?" Max looking confused said, "Sophia's mom? Um, the only mom you have is one Alisha Reynolds." Sydney looked happy as she said, "She's alive." Then Olive walked into the bike shop. An excited Sydney then said, "Olive. Guess what? My mom is alive." Then Olive looking confused said, "Yeah. And she was last week when she headed to the airport." Then Sydney said, "I know. We need to celebrate. Where are the other Amigas?" A confused Olive then said, "Who?" Then Sydney said, "The Amigas. You know? The Four Amigas? You, me, Emmy, and Sophia." Then Olive said, "You talking about Sophia, the girl we did the science project with that one time?" Then Sydney said, "Yeah. And Emmy. The girl you met in fifth grade and had a secret crush on for a long time and..." Then an angry Olive pulled Sydney into the bathroom and pushed her against the wall and said, "How did you know about that!? No one at school knew that. Did you read my diary!? That was private Sydney!" Sydney looking confused and scared said, "No. Olive, I swear I wouldn't read your diary. I just know you like girls, and Emmy in particular. It was confusing when I was first found out, but I learned to still care for you as my friend." Then Olive stepped away from Sydney and said, "Well I don't like girls Sydney. It was just a faze. Me and Emmy stopped hanging out, and... my feelings for her went away. I'm straight now." Then as Olive stepped away, a concerned looking Sydney said, "But Olive, you like Emmy. You can't deny how you feel for her and..." An angry Olive the pointed at Sydney and said, "Don't you dare tell a single person what you feel like is true. Because it's not. Now just... leave me alone." Then Olive walked away. As Sydney stepped out of the bathroom, and then out of the shop as she said, "I need to call Emmy and Sophia and see if they remember about... Wait. Why are Emmy and Sophia not on my contacts list? And Harry is gone too! And so are Ned, Roxanne, and Callie. What's going on?"
Then suddenly Sydney turned her head and saw Maya and Judy walking towards her still wearing their face masks. Judy then said, "This is the new world that will become permanent for you if go back in time and save your mother Sydney." Then a confused looking Sydney said, "I don't get it. How does saving my mom's life screw up my relationships with all my friends?" Maya then said, "Well... you... my grandmother once told me we're all defined by our memories, including our tragic ones. Losing your mother was hard for you Sydney. It be hard for anyone. But losing one important relationship in your life must've made you learn to grab a hold of and really appreciate all relationships in your life. Losing your mother was terrible, but it caused you to want to love your friends and peers even more. And that love that brought them closer to you... it also brought them closer to others too. But if you didn't lose your mother... well... it looks like you would've grown up taking things for granted more, and wouldn't have felt as compelled to make closer ties with others." Sydney then said, "But... all I was gonna do was go back in time to when my mom was a teenager and tell her to get a heart check up. That was the whole plan. I didn't mean to destroy the Four Amigas or ruin Olive and Emmy's relationship, or... oh God. If Angela doesn't marry my dad, she'd have no one to help her or..." Judy put a hand on Sydney's shoulder and said, "There's a natural order to the universe Sydney. And we have to restore it." Sydney then backed away and said, "No. What if on top of telling my mom to get a heart check up, I tell her to raise her future child to really value friendships and stuff like that. I can still fix everything." Maya then said, "Sydney, we're from the future. There's a lot more you'd be sacrificing if you changed history." Sydney then backed away more as she said, "I... I'm sorry but... I want my mom back!" Then Sydney pressed a button on the time travel device she had. A blue vortex appeared behind Sydney and then she jumped into it. Judy began to panic as she said, "Oh no!"
1998:
A blue vortex appeared in the park, and Sydney appeared from it. The blue vortex disappeared as Sydney looked around and said, "Okay. Now where is mom?" Then Sydney heard the sound of two familiar voices talking. Sydney then walked quietly and saw from a distance was a teenage Max Reynolds and Alisha Webb sitting on a bench talking. Tears appeared in Sydney's eyes as she slowly crept towards the bench, and began to position her body behind the two. As Sydney approached Max and Alisha talking, she heard Alisha say, "It's only been a few weeks since she died Max, but... I miss my sister every day so much." Then Max said, "Well... it's okay to cry if you want. You know I'll never stop you from doing that." Alisha took a deep breath and said, "The thing is... I'm done with crying... at least for now. My sister may have passed away young, but she lived a fuller life in two decades than others do in eight. There are days where I wish I could go back in time and save her, but I know that's not possible." As Sydney got closer to Max and Alisha, she took a deep breath looking as if she was prepared to speak. Then Alisha looked at Max and said, "But there is something I learned from sister's life. It's that every person is born with gifts and talents they give to the world, and they're put on this Earth for the time they're on it for a reason. All of us will find those gifts and talents eventually with the time God has given us. But even though the world seems tough at times, we have to remember that the world that gave us all these hardships, is also the same world that gave us all of it's beauty, wonder, and people that love us as well."
Tears then appeared in Sydney's eyes as she heard Alisha speak, while Max looked into Alisha's eyes and said, "You know, I love you Alisha." Alisha looked into Max's eyes and said, "I love you too Max." Alisha then leaned her head on Max's shoulder smiling as Max put his hand around Alisha's shoulder smiling as well. Sydney then reached out towards Alisha, her mouth wide open, like she was about to speak loudly. But then more tears appeared in Sydney's eyes... and suddenly she quickly ran way. Sydney then fell to the ground behind a nearby large tree and began to cry. She covered her face as she tried to hide the sobbing sounds she made. Then another blue vortex appeared. Judy and Maya immediately emerged from the vortex still wearing their face masks as Maya said, "We made it. Oh God. Did you do it already? Did you..." As Sydney looked at the two, she wiped away tears from her eyes as she said, "No. I couldn't." Judy sighed in relief as she said, "Okay. Well then. Just give us the time travel device and we'll take you back home." Then Sydney backed away as she said, "No. I... I'm sorry but... I still need to do something." Then Sydney pressed a button on her time travel device. A blue vortex appeared behind Sydney and then she jumped into it.
2014:
Alisha Reynolds was walking down the sidewalk in the late afternoon, when suddenly she felt a pain in her chest. Alisha's eyes widened as she said, "Oh my." Then Alisha suddenly fell to the ground. A young Asian woman approached Alisha as she said, "M'am, are you okay?" Then from far away, a blue light appeared. Then a teenage Sydney appeared and ran over to Alisha as she looked at the young Asian woman as she said, "She's having a heart attack! Quick! Call 911!" The woman stepped away, as Sydney got on her knees and looked at Alisha as she said, "It's okay. I'm here." Then as Alisha looked up at Sydney she said, "I... I need to find my daughter. I... oh God, the pain inside..." Then Sydney grabbed Alisha's right hand with her left hand as she said, "Don't worry. Your daughter is okay." Alisha then began to shake while tears filled her eyes as she said, "I know, but... oh God, this can't be the end. I can't leave my daughter now. Not now. I can't leave her." Then Sydney put a hand on her mother's cheek with her left hand as she said, "Listen. I know she's going to be okay, because... I am her. It's me mom. I'm Sydney from the future." As Alisha looked into Sydney's eyes she said, "Sydney. Oh my gosh. How can this be?" Tears then appeared in Sydney's eyes as she said, "I just wanted you to know that... I turned out okay. Me and dad... we're both okay... and we never forget how much you loved us." Alisha then reached out with her left hand and gently touched Sydney's right cheek as she said, "My pretty little girl... you're now such a beautiful young woman. I... I love you Sydney." Tears began to stream out of Sydney's eyes as she said, "I love you too mom... now and forever..." Then Alisha's eyes closed as her left hand fell to the ground. Sydney then stood up, and saw from far away: her father Max running towards the scene. Sydney then ran away from the scene as she began to cry.
Present Day:
A blue vortex appeared in front of a tombstone that said Alisha Reynolds. From the vortex, Sydney appeared. Sydney then threw her time travel device to the ground and stepped on it, causing it to be destroyed. Sydney sighed as she looked at Alisha's tombstone, and then walked away. Then suddenly Sydney heard her cell phone ring. Sydney answered it and said, "Hello?" Sydney then heard Harry's voice say, "Sydney! Where have you been!? We've been trying to get a hold of you since your dad went to the hospital." A startled Sydney then said, "What!?"
2078:
Judy and Maya stepped out of the science lab as Judy said, "Well it looks like the timeline is back to normal, and all temporal disturbances seem to have gone away." A confused looking Maya then said, "Yeah but... what did Grandma Sydney do when she time traveled again?" Then the two heard a familiar voice say, "Just made sure everything was back to the way it was supposed to." Then the two teenagers turned their heads and saw an elderly Sydney standing near the car waiting for them. A surprised looking Judy then said, "Grandma Sydney. Did you know all this time that..." Sydney smirked and said, "That it was my time traveling grandchildren that I met all those years ago? No. But as you two hit puberty and were talking through your scarves during a snowy day once, I pieced it all together." Then Maya said, "Wait. But that still means you at least knew for a short time what we were about to do today." Sydney nodded her head and said, "Yes. But I couldn't stop it because... it was meant to be." Judy then said, "Grandma Sydney... we're so sorry that we had to stop you from..." A few tears appeared in Sydney's eyes as she said, "I know." Then Judy and Maya ran forward and both gave Sydney a big hug. Sydney smiled as she hugged the two back. Then Sydney took a deep breath and said, "Well... lets go home and have dinner with your parents. And while I drive, I'll tell you all about what happened after you two last saw young me."
Present Day:
Sydney rushed down a hospital hallway as fast as she could. Sydney then ran to an open door and yelled, "Dad!?" Then Sydney saw in the room before her was Max sitting near a bed with Angela who was laying down with a little baby girl in her arms. Also standing near the bed were Olive, Emmy, and Sophia. Max smiled as he said, "Sydney, you made it." Sydney looking a bit stunned said, "I missed the birth. Dad, Angela... I'm so sorry." Angela then said, "It's okay Sydney. You're here now. Allow me to introduce you to... Lauren Reynolds." Sophia then slowly picked up the little baby girl and held her in her arms. As Sophia held baby Lauren near Sydney she said, "This is our little baby sister Sydney." Olive smiled as she said, "She's so adorable." With a happy face Emmy said, "She's the fifth Amiga." Sophia then looked at Sydney as she said, "Would you like to hold her?" Sydney nodded her head and said, "Yes I would." Sophia then handed baby Lauren to Sydney. Sydney then looked at her new baby sister in her arms as she said, "Hey Lauren. I'm your big sister Sydney. Welcome to the world. You... you have such a big amazing life ahead of you. Now... sometimes it'll feel like you don't fit in or that you don't matter. But trust me when I say... every person is born with gifts and talents they give to the world, and they're put on this Earth for the time they're on it for a reason. You'll find those gifts and talents eventually with the time God has given you. Now... the world is going to seem tough at times for you Lauren. But always remember that the world that gave you all those hardships... is also the same world that gave you all of it's beauty, wonder, and people that love you as well." Sydney then saw baby Lauren make a little smile. Then tears appeared in Sydney's eyes as she smiled and said, "Happy birthday little sis."
THE END
NEXT TIME: A NEW ERA BEGINS...