Disclaimer: I do not own Meet the Robinsons...or Dimetapp.
AN: Thank you to my three reviewers, REBD, Sakura Scout, and The CookieMonster77! And to Yukio who rounded the favorites stat to 50. XD It's good to know that there were still some readers out there and I'm glad to deliver to you guys! Better late than never, right? I'm working to give you guys some closure : D
Chapter 8: Life-Wrecker
Wilbur felt his heart hammer in his chest.
"He...stole the time machine?" Cornelius repeated.
"And he hurt Carl!"
Wilbur watched his father's face darken further at the additional news and seriously wondered if he'd done the right thing. His first instinct had been to give chase (while dialing Tallulah to wake up and help Carl) but...considering the last time machine fiasco…
He had to prove he'd learned something from the misadventure by opting for a different approach.
And his dad had said earlier that he wanted Wil to tell him about any and all trouble he ran into but now...now…
He was definitely having second thoughts as he watched Mom grab Dad's glasses and deliver them. Both of their expressions were so...
Wilbur hastily turned on his heel and led the way down to the garage.
It wasn't his fault.
He hadn't asked for this.
All he'd done was dare to want a drink of water!
Wil sighed and turned over, staring at the solar system display in his room—enjoying the glow it gave off.
His dad had insisted it stay on as a feature of the room once he installed the second level of the bedroom. Cornelius had always been a little nervous about the stairs and had wanted to insert light-up rails but Wilbur had argued against it—liking the way the free floating stair panels had looked.
The compromise had been the solar system display staying on, the stair panels glowing in the dark, and an artificial sponge carpet similar to the outside lawns to cover the floor of his room. It had also been implied that if he did fall, even once, Cornelius would redesign the whole thing according to his super smothering paternal instincts.
His dad could be such a big worry wart.
And he always overreacted whenever Wilbur got sick. If he didn't humor his dad or complained about his methods, he'd then be treated to a long tirade about how Wil had gotten sick when he was a baby and blah blah blah hospital.
To think he'd doubted his dad being...well, his dad...made him feel pretty silly now.
Earlier, after Wil gave one yawn too many, Cornelius had announced that it was time for them all to turn in. The man gave him a bear hug and kissed the top of his head. But then he pulled back to look Wilbur in the eye.
"If you feel worse at any time, you come and tell me. Promise?'"
Mom had tucked him in after that and it was testament to how crummy he was feeling that it felt nice to be fussed over. Heck, part of him was a little disappointed Dad hadn't accompanied her.
How lame was that?
And then, despite being tired and achy, he found himself unable to drift off. He'd probably napped too much during the day. He decided to stretch his legs and get some good ol' H20. So, he'd headed down to the kitchen and poured himself a glass by the light of the open refrigerator.
He was taking a good, refreshing, hydrating gulp when he'd heard something unsettling...
Almost like a door creaking.
He immediately shut the fridge door as quietly as he could, plunging himself into darkness.
His pulse sped up. Was there an intruder? Should he duck down behind the kitchen's island counter? Did he dare try and comm anyone? The police? His parents?
The sound came again.
From the direction of...the garage!
He barely managed to set his glass on the counter before scurrying over...all caution thrown to the wind.
Because there was a sudden blast of knowing that went through him.
Or maybe it was because he finally thought over what Mikey had said earlier:
"Well, yeah. I mean,
what else are you gonna do with a time machine
but go through time!"
OMG. Mikey knew! He knew!
He knew and Wil was only realizing that NOW?
Ugh! He had to be the dumbest member of the Robinson household!
He was drawing near to the garage when he tripped over something hard and metal.
"Little buddy, is-is-is that y-y-you?"
He gasped. "Carl?"
If his voice was glitching, he had to be damaged.
"Y-y-yeah, I'm down here. But shhhhhhhh! He's c-c-c-c-razy and I don't want y-y-you getting hurrrrt-"
Wilbur turned on the night vision feature of his glasses and realized the robot's eye sockets were damaged and he probably had no visibility out of his optic sensors now.
"I can't believe he did this to you." Emotion made Wilbur's throat close up. Carl had always been a mix of friend, playmate, advisor, and nanny since Wilbur was born. Seeing him like this…
He shuddered as he remembered how Doris the Bowler Hat of Doom had clawed him through the chest.
He growled, "I'll make him pay for-"
"Nononono. You've got to stay s-s-s-safe. Get your d-d-dad. Get your d-d-d-"
"But Carl, the time machines are in there. If I go now, I might be able to stop-"
"Wilbur, look at m-m-me."
It was hard not to. His eyes were totally busted. It looked an awful lot like damage done by a…
Chargeball glove?!
Either Wil had left his lying around and Mikey had commandeered it or the kid at least had the smarts to get at least some Chargeball equipment to back up his cover story that he was interested in the sport.
"My p-p-p-arts can be swapped out in an afternoon game of O-o-peration. Can y-y-y-yours?"
"Touché."
"MWAHAHAHAHAHAAA!"
Boy and bot flinched.
"That's never a good sound," Wilbur muttered, cautiously reaching for the door leading to the garage and edging it a little wider with his hand. "Oh no!"
He was just in time to watch the second time machine lift up into the sky, close its dome over Mikey, and then plunge into the time stream and out of sight.
"Wil? W-w-wilbur? Little buddy?"
"I gotta get Dad."
"G-good answer."
Wilbur heard his parents gasp as they saw Carl. Earlier, he'd pulled his buddy to the foot of the stairs and turned the lights on so no one else would trip on him and risk damaging him further.
Wilbur rushed into the garage, pulled the tarp off the red time machine and began running it through its preflight warm up. Dad had worked to sync the two machines up more. So he ran a search to find the other one. It looked like the other one had arrived…in 2007...William Joyce Elementary School.
Weird.
That was the same day aaaand the same school as his dad's science fair.
Was it an old setting that Mikey had hit by mistake?
No...no...it couldn't be. He and Dad had used it for a very boring trip to the past to return Tiny to his appropriate time in the Cretaceous Period. And ruin Wil's hopes to have the most awesome pet ever.
But…
No…
No, it had to be a coincidence.
A super weird, freaky coincidence...that he couldn't afford to dwell on.
He began adjusting levers and switches to dial in the destination.
Alright, he didn't want their machine to arrive at the exact same moment as Mikey's because two time portals opening the fabric of space and time could be...dangerous and he had to make sure they were far enough away that they didn't crash together or-or-or, God forbid, fuse by scrambling their molecules.
Yeah, that could suck.
He confirmed the coordinates.
Now, for the time.
So...five minutes? Right? If he made them arrive five minutes earlier than Mikey's scheduled trip then they'd have plenty of time to catch him and foil...whatever malevolent scheme he planned to do and-and-and...they'd all return to the future, er, the present, er, uh, now...happily ever after-ish? Maybe?
Except his parents were going to find a way to blame this on him and he was probably gonna be grounded for life...and death.
He briefly imagined his tombstone reading: Still Grounded. And that being both a metaphorical and literal pun by that point.
He shook his head and called over his shoulder. "Look, I'm really sorry, Dad...Mom, I...my brain's just...I should've realized earlier what he was really after. I mean, he actually said...and I just didn't register it! I just...I dunno how he knew. Unless, unless…" He felt a void of anxiety open up. Only once. He'd only said his dad was trying to invent a time machine once. "-But nobody believed me. Or nobody should've believed me. I was, like, nine! And trying to...Geez, I'm sorry, Dad. Uh, Dad?"
He was...alone in the garage.
An evening breeze filtered in through the garage's open sky port and Wilbur shivered.
He watched clouds drift over the moon—darkening the sky. A rumble of thunder sounded in the distance signaling another storm was approaching.
He hoisted himself into the time machine and exercised herculean restraint by going for the backseat instead of the driver's seat.
His father appeared several minutes later, cinching a belt through his pants and pulling a shirt on.
It went to show how, even when they were pressed for time, his dad remembered practical stuff like that.
Wilbur looked down at his overlarge t-shirt and clashing pajama shorts.
Oh well.
Too late to angst about that.
Franny was on her husband's heels. "Honey, should I-"
It looked like his mom was dressed too, and she'd opted for tennis shoes over her usual heels.
It meant she was ready for some combat-adventure-business.
"Franny, we have to act fast while we're still aware, otherwise a time ripple could come over and distort the present and we'd be none the wiser."
She nodded. "Is there anything I should pack? Can the prototype search out DNA like the other-"
"No," Cornelius sounded frustrated. "Though I should have thought to install that feature in this—Ugh, I'm an idiot, why didn't I-"
"Neil, we'll figure this out-"
Cornelius climbed into the machine and began reviewing the dash's schematics and scopes. "But this is the same day as…?"
"I know, freaky, right?" Wilbur pitched in as he leaned forward. "Now, I dunno the whole backstory but he's obsessed about his dad's future, er, present."
Blue eyes caught his.
"His...dad?"
"Yeah." Wilbur nodded emphatically. "It's been crazy scary talking to him. His parents are famous and it's like he blames his dad's baseball career for them being so checked out of his life and stuff. They never pay attention to him and because his dad's super athletic, they have nothing in common, so Mikey's always letting him down. And when we were talking, he said something about time traveling earlier and 'righting the failures of our fathers!'...stuff like that. I was, ya know...kinda freaked so it took me a while to realize that he knew we had a time machine and wasn't just fantasizing! I-I didn't even figure it all out til I came down for some water and then it was all...happening already and I couldn't stop it!"
He saw palpable concern filter through the hard expression his dad had been wearing. He swallowed and said in a very strained voice, "Willie, sweetie, these are the sort of things you need to let your mommy and I know the attosecond that you know them."
Wow. He always knew his dad was super stressed when he forgot all of Wilbur's rules for Teen & Parent Relations and went back to talking to him like he was eight years old again.
Aw well, maybe he could use it to his advantage?
"Sorry, Daddy."
The blonde nodded distractedly.
Franny sighed and ran a hand along her cowlick. "Baby, there are resources we can direct your agemates to when they have...problems at home. But we have to know they're having them to-"
"His name's Mikey...Yagoobian, isn't it?" Cornelius waited for confirmation.
Wilbur's jaw dropped. Dude...his dad knew all the names of Todayland's citizens?! DUDE! "Y-yeah! He's been trying to join our Chargeball team. But I think he was really just trying to get close to me the whole time-"
Cornelius frowned.
"Cuz he heard a rumor that we...anyway...S-so the plan is: we'll nab him before he does...something-something bad like….uh..."
"Ruin his father's Little League game," his father supplied.
"O-okay then!" Wilbur listed with his fingers. "We got a destination, we got a motive, now it's time for the TCTF to-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, there's no 'we' in this adventure for you, baby," Franny interrupted. "You're still sick. That means bedrest not time travel. You get out of that machine, right now!"
"But Mom, Dad needs me to-"
"No."
"But-"
"No."
"But-"
"Mister! That is Daddy's machine, he will drive it without your assistance."
"Dad?"
"Listen to your mother."
"But!"
"She's right."
Wilbur heaved a sigh and unfastened his seat restraints and slowly began edging past his father.
"Here." His mom offered a hand. "I don't want you to trip. Now, hopefully we won't be too long. I want you to wake up Gaston and Art and tell them, okay? Then take another dose of Dimetapp and get yourself to bed."
Wilbur took a deep breath, looked his mom in the eye, and declared "shotgun" while slamming one hand on the ignition button switch and the other one on the hatch lever.
The vehicle raised off the ground and time space began bending into a blur of color and light as they shot forward.
Wilbur gripped the pilot's seat and tried not to think about the shocked expression his mom had given him.
"You're grounded," Cornelius gritted through his teeth, one hand on the wheel steering and the other holding onto Wilbur so the force of the vehicle hurtling through time and space didn't knock him against the glass and metal.
"..."
"You're so grounded. You know that, don't you? Doing that to your mother?" Disapproval dripped from every word. "If we weren't running low on fuel, I'd return you right now."
"..."
"...Pulling that just now...you're lucky you didn't give yourself a concussion!"
Wilbur murmured in a very small voice, "…T-time travel now...grounding later."
Cornelius didn't look at him but slowly eased his grip to let Wilbur sidle back towards the second seat. "Buckle up."
"...Right."
The blue time machine touched down with a hard thump, and Mikey breathed a sigh of relief—hands still shaking from adrenaline.
While part of him had hoped against hope to find a time machine, the other half expected a lot more snooping to have been necessary, maybe even multiple visits to the Robinson estate.
He managed to dodge the annoying gold robot the first time because it was down at the end of the hallway bidding the train woman, "goodnight." Which was kind of a shame because he'd read in a chatroom that a high enough Chargeball glove charge could short-circuit most androids and effectively tazer human opponents. After all the video games he'd played, where stealth gradually gave way to a need to commit violence, the ease of his mission was anticlimactic.
He'd crept around the house in search of rooms large enough to contain a time machine and struck out several times, instead finding a large bakery room, a concert hall, and a cannon gallery.
They were a weird family.
After searching Dr. Robinson's observatory laboratory by moonlight and a pocket penlight he'd brought (just in case), he found a framed picture of the house's blueprints as rendered by a very young Wilbur via crayon. There were doodles and labels of where each family member liked to be and Mikey realized with the misspelled "bassmint," that there was an entire sublevel laboratory under the house.
Only…
He didn't have access.
After two failed attempts, he was trying to come up with some reason for Wilbur to take him on a tour down there the next day, because it would make sense for a time machine to be kept in a super secure spot.
Then he wondered.
If Dr. Robinson was the clever sort...he might just do the opposite…because one would expect such an invention to be under lock and key.
It could be wise to keep it somewhere it could be in plain sight and not arouse suspicion.
Only then he ran into that stupid bot again and the thing wouldn't leave him alone—kept asking if there was anything it could do: backrub, shiatsu, acupuncture? So he dialed up the Chargeball glove and let him have it.
Then Mikey entered the garage and searched each vehicle until he found it.
It looked almost exactly like some ordinary hover car. Except it had some strange mechanical striping along its right wing and the dashboard was ever so slightly different. Intuition told him to turn it on and once it lit up, he knew. He knew it was the time machine and elation flooded him!
He was going to do it! This was it! He'd fix his life in one fell swoop.
Its controls weren't nearly as difficult as he thought they would be, which explained why Wilbur had been able to use it to visit Vikings.
There weren't too many buttons and no floor pedals. The plush seats and sleek design were nice touches and it had a vanilla air freshener clipped onto one side of its AC vents.
He pressed the ignition button and watched the dashboard communicate with the garage's control panel. Several lights turned on and the bubble dome of the garage opened to the night sky.
The vehicle closed its glass hatch and began to rise and then the world exploded in streaks of color.
Mikey took a deep breath. This was it!
He left the vehicle and carefully followed the chain link fence while an announcer boomed out commentary for the baseball game.
He already knew the lineup, the score, the EVERYTHING! Because he'd heard this story over and over and over. How Dad had this crazy roommate whose projects made sleeping impossible and he'd fallen asleep in the outfield and would've been doomed if said roommate hadn't been passing by and woken him up.
"Alright, Lewis," Mikey growled. "Where are you...you life-wrecker?"
Cornelius gripped the steering wheel tightly as he watched the colors of the time stream speed by. He was so angry and worried and disappointed. "This is why it's imperative that you don't tell anyone about-"
"I didn't-"
Cornelius scoffed, "so he just intuitively deduced that we had-"
"...I...I...only said it once..."
"Wilbur!"
"It was before! It was before you said not to! It was before I even met him. It was before you told me I couldn't-"
"Wilbur Amyntas Robinson, I don't know what I'm going to have to do for you to understand the seriousness of what you've don-"
"I was nine and-and I-I-They all laughed! It became a joke—I'm sorry. I'm...I'm really sorry."
"Why did you tell them?" Cornelius demanded.
"..."
"Wilbur!"
"...They asked how you got hurt."
Cornelius's jaw dropped in realization.
It hadn't crossed a nine-year old Wil's mind to lie about that "dark day."
"They all laughed."
Cornelius remembered being wheeled out by medical staff to his family, his arm broken in several places and his shoulder reset. He'd cracked several ribs and both ankles had been twisted and breathing felt like murder. But he was alive.
The doors swished open and he got to overhear his wife telling their son, "Daddy's going to be all better, soon. But you have to hug him extra, extra gentle for a while. He-oh-" She looked over her shoulder and forced a smile. "Hey, honey."
The rest of the family followed suit with brave smiles and he knew all the bandages covering him weren't flattering.
Wilbur took one look at him and buried his face in Ribby, the plush toy frog that Wilbur had announced himself too old to sleep with two summers ago, and cried.
Cornelius swallowed, opened his mouth, closed it.
"They all laughed."
"It's alright." He tried to catch Wilbur's eye in the rear-view mirror.
"Hmm."
But Wilbur looked far from reassured...more like he was regretting the whole thing.
Desperate to nip that feeling in the bud, Cornelius reached a hand behind him to give an awkward pat to Wilbur's shin. "It's very good that you let me know about Mikey and...and this."
"...Right…"
"...I'm sorry they didn't understand." Or empathize...and just make the logical assumption that Wil meant a hover car crash. And that the design his father was working on was sleek and looked like a time machine. He'd been nine years old. Practically a baby! He was supposed think in fanciful, nonlinear ways.
And they "laughed" at his Wilbur who'd still been small and shy then and who was already hurting because his father wasn't as invincible as he'd thought.
Wil shrugged and chewed at his lip.
The tunnel of the time stream opened up into a bright blue sky and Cornelius felt the force of the acceleration lift off of them.
Cornelius made sure the cloaking device was on as he looked for a safe place to land.
Somewhere away…
Somewhere no one would run across it.
"Ugh! You're doing that thing!" Wilbur complained. "Where you park way out in the boonies! Cuz you think somebody's gonna key our car if we park near the entrance. Don't do that-"
"I don't want anyone-"
"It's gonna take us forever to get to the field-"
"Don't you use that tone with me, young ma-"
"Dad, pick a spot! I only put us five minutes ahead. We can't be too far away!"
That was actually a fair point.
And this time machine was already low on fuel from a previous trip (being a prototype, it just wasn't designed to hold very much); he'd likely need the second time machine to tow it back home.
He set the machine down and parked it.
He turned in his seat to look at his passenger. "You stay here."
"Huh?"
"You. Stay. Here."
"No way! I'm coming with you!"
Neil opened the hatch. "Out of the question. I don't want anything to happen to you. And...you're...in your pajamas, Son." He stepped out of the vehicle. "Not exactly incognito-"
"Um, Dad?"
"Hopefully, I'll only take a little-"
"Dad?"
"Keep it cloaked and locked until I get back. See if you can comm your Mom and tell her we made it. And apologize. And don't talk to strangers-"
"Dad?"
"Oh no. Please, tell me you went to the bathroom before we came here."
"You...you know the field's the other way?" Wilbur pointed. "Right?"
Cornelius faltered.
It appeared that thirty years was more than enough to disorient him. Because William Joyce Elementary School had been remodeled several times since he'd been a student and became Todayland K-8. He was remembering the 2030s layout instead of this one...from when the school had asked him to be a visiting speaker.
In which case, between the two of them...the one with more knowledge about the surrounding area was actually...
"Change of plans, sport, you're the tour guide."
"R-really?"
"Quick, Wil!"
Wilbur scrambled to get out. He rushed across campus and it was something…
That even literally ill aaaand ill-equipped (no running shoes, no track clothes) dashing across campus in socks and PJs…Wilbur was very fast.
Cornelius had a stitch in his side from just trying to keep Wilbur in sight and Wilbur kept getting further and further away.
In the distance, Neil could see a younger Lewis rushing out to the fence near the outfield.
And…
They were too late, Neil realized as he saw Mikey spring out of the bushes.
Wilbur put on a powerful burst of speed. It was the sprint that usually won him track and field trophies but…
They were just too late.
Mikey tackled Lewis to the ground.
The baseball landed in the grass.
Mikey disappeared in a flash of light and smoke.
Wilbur skidded to a stop and after staring for a beat, chest heaving, helped Lewis up.
Lewis then gestured frantically to Wilbur who reacted with wild arm waving and then sinking to his knees and shaking his head melodramatically.
When Cornelius finally made it over, Lewis was pacing.
"W-what happened?" his younger self demanded. "I-I thought the time travel adventure was over and we fixed everything?!"
"Dad! Dad, we were-"
"I know," Neil huffed. "We've got to think of something."
"So was he from the future, too?!" Lewis's jaw dropped. "Cuz he just went POOF! But why would he...stop me?"
"He's got reasons," Wil answered vaguely. "Uh...had reasons."
"But it got him erased!"
"We have to reverse it," Cornelius stated, fighting back the urge to step in when he noticed a young Goob being surrounded by angry teammates. He'd change the future even more if he intervened.
"But how?" Lewis asked.
Neil released a heavy breath through his nose. "Some manner of time loop needs to be applied-"
"Dad?"
Lewis's eyebrows shot up and he nodded. "Otherwise, the future could be altered even more."
"Precisely. It's paramount that we-"
"DAD!"
Both blonds turned to the teen with identical looks of annoyance.
"Wilbur! We're trying to figure out how to fix-"
"Son, it's important that we-"
"Yeah, I know, but I didn't wanna go without saying 'goodbye.'"
Two pairs of blue eyes bulged.
"No!" Cornelius lurched forward to hold onto his son who was rapidly turning transparent. "No, just hold on. Hold on. It'll be okay."
He scooped him up and began rushing back in the direction of the time machine.
Maybe if he got him back to 2037, he'd restabilize!
"Hold on, champ," he rasped as his lungs burned from exertion.
"I think it's because you're the inventor of the time machine. You get some sort of extra bubble," Wil theorized quietly, "of resistance."
"Willie, you're gonna be fine."
"It's so lame." Wil smiled sadly. "I really wanted to be the hero this time."
"I'm going to fix this," Neil vowed.
Wil rested his head against Cornelius's shoulder. "Yeah, I know you will."
Neil's arms tightened even though he knew it wouldn't be enough to anchor him.
"Dad?"
"Yes?"
The wind blew at Neil's collar.
"Yes?" he repeated. "Yes?" Even though his arms were empty and he'd been left to watch particles of light speed away.
"Son?"
Gone.
Walking back alone was soul crushing.
He numbly uncloaked the time machine. The dome hatch lifted and he climbed in and slumped over the wheel. He slammed his hand on the button and the hatch settled back over.
His child.
If losing him to the time stream at twelve had been terrifying to witness, losing him as a parent was…
It was hard to breathe.
He needed to comm Franny and somehow talk around the lump of grief in his throat. He'd know in seconds if Wil had materialized there or-or…
God, he could barely even entertain the notion...
There was a tentative knock on the glass.
And even though he knew better...his heart lifted-
But it was Lewis...Lewis and not...
And his heart fell again.
He opened the hatch and the child stumbled back.
"You're supposed to be at the Science Fair," Cornelius pointed out; he was trying his best to keep his tone level but...
"I-I know, but Wilbur...is he...is he...okay...where is…?"
"Time ripple…"
Lewis's eyes widened in horror.
"He's...he's probably just been relocated by the time stream. He was only here because Mikey...and then when Mikey...there wasn't any reason for him to…"
He hoped. His stomach churned. He hoped so much that his son would be there.
And even then...even if Wilbur was back home safe and sound and oblivious to the fact that Mikey Yagoobian Jr. ever existed…
As a father...could he really just write off someone else's son? Let alone Goob's?
There had to be a way to save Mikey.
And then there was the fact of how hard Goob took losing that baseball game—warping him into-into…
"Have you been approached by a tall man in a bowler hat?!"
Except without the hat…
Without the hat...where would he end up then?
A shiver ran down his spine.
What manner of revenge would Goob exact on him this go-around?
Unless...
"You have to make DOR-15," he murmured.
Lewis choked. "What?! No way! She's evil! She tried to-"
"-To save Wilbur...and Mikey and... preserve the future..."
"Huh?"
"You have to create a time loop," he murmured. "Lewis, you have to-"
"But-but-but-"
"Lewis," he started, aware of how much pressure he was putting on a child but just not seeing any other way. "Wilbur and-"
"-Is depending on me…" His twelve year old self swallowed nervously. "O-okay, when...when I grow up, I'll...make her?"
He looked around as if expecting her to rematerialize.
It was a big risk but…
Wilbur was worth it. Even to a young Lewis, his son's safety was a priority.
Cornelius nodded. "Good, good, good, and don't worry...if this pans out right. The next you, er, me, er, us won't need to."
"...Huh?"
"It'll work." he told his younger self because Lewis was a child and he needed the sound of parental certainty...and Cornelius was older and established and experienced...so it was easy to come across as confident and full of reassurance.
He'd been a father for thirteen years.
And Lewis, despite being an incredibly bright child, full of curiosity about the world around him, never challenged authority figures the way his son would.
So, it was much, much, easier reining him in.
Sure enough, Lewis's blue eyes began to brighten and he nodded determinedly. "Alright."
Cornelius smiled. "Now, get back to that science fair, young man! Your future awaits!"
Lewis smiled shyly back. "Yes, sir!"
Neil's pleasant expression fell the minute Lewis was out of view.
"Your future awaits…"
And if they were lucky, it would still be the present Cornelius remembered.
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