Chapter 2: Vanished

Barbara Diffy rushed upstairs to find Phil passed out on the floor. She attempted to help him to his feet while Pim looked on with glee.

"Did he hit his head?" Pim asked over her shoulder.

"Honey can you hear me?" Barb asked as Lloyd appeared at the door.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Phil fainted," Pim said with a laugh.

Phil started to come around and mumbled the name, "Keely."

"Still on about that?" Pim said in an annoyed voice.

Phil started to push himself off the ground as he said, "She's in trouble."

"Honey what are you talking about?" Barb asked.

"On the Giggle…I saw a news report about Keely going missing!" Phil said and pointed at the helmet lying on the ground.

Pim perked up at the mention of the Giggle and walked over to pick it up. Phil's parents looked concerned at their son as he sat down on his bed and recounted what he had experienced with the Giggle.

"Son…I know you are worried about her, but there is nothing you can do. I'm sorry," Lloyd said with a hand on Phil's shoulder.

Phil shrugged his Dad's hand off his shoulder and stood up to say, "I'm not going to just sit here knowing that she's in danger! Dad there's no mention of her past that one video. That means no one ever found her! How am I supposed to just sit here knowing that?"

Lloyd and Barbara just looked at each other at a loss for what to say. In the background Pim was watching the videos that Phil had watched.

"I have to go back in time and save her!" Phil said.

"Honey you know that is against the law. Besides Lloyd destroyed the time machine…right?" Barb said.

"Umm…yeah I destroyed it right after our hearing ended," Lloyd said.

Phil threw himself back down onto the bed and buried his face in his hands.

"I'm so sorry honey. Try and get some sleep. Maybe in the morning you can check the Giggle again and there will be an update," Barb said, but she wasn't sure she believed what she said.

Even Pim was restrained as she handed back the Giggle and left the room with her parents. For awhile Phil just stared off into the corner and wondered how he was going to save Keely. He laid down and stared up at the ceiling for awhile and before he knew it he drifted off. A few hours passed and suddenly Phil found himself awaken by a noise in his room. Before he could look to see what had made the noise a hand touched his shoulder.

"What…," Phil started to say, but a hand covered his mouth and he heard the man say, "Shhhhhhh"

When the man finally moved his hand Phil said, "Dad?"

"Come with me son there's something you need to see," he said and led Phil down the stairs and out of the house. The walked over to the storage building behind the house and Lloyd pressed his nose to the sensor on the wall. Phil had seen this technology used by his Dad before when he locked away their gadgets back in the 21st century. The sensor recognized his father and a door opened to let them in.

"Dad what are we doing?" Phil asked.

"What I'm about to show you could get us both in a lot of trouble, but right now it's a chance we have to take," Lloyd said and before Phil could ask what he meant Lloyd hit a button on a small remote and a large Winnebago appeared in front of them out of nowhere.

"The time machine!!" Phil exclaimed.

"Shhhhh. Not so loud Phil!" Lloyd said.

"But you told Mom that you destroyed it! How have you hidden it all this time?" Phil asked.

"I invented a cloaking device for it. I just couldn't bear to destroy it," Lloyd said.

"Mom comes in here all the time though. Wouldn't she have run into an invisible time machine?" Phil asked his dad.

"This device does more than make it invisible. It actually phase-shifts the time machine into another dimension. It has its bugs, but for the most part it works great," he said with pride.

"You're brilliant Dad! Now I can go back to the past and save Keely," Phil said and rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"Yes! I've already programmed the coordinates in for you, but you have to leave now in the dead of night to avoid being caught. Time cops will be on you before you can blink if they find out. I will explain everything to your Mom and Pim in the morning," Lloyd said and Phil hugged his Dad.

"Thank you Dad. Let me just go change and I'll be ready," Phil said and started to leave, but his Dad stopped him.

"I put a Dress-Me-Hoop in the time machine for you. You have to go now," Lloyd said and directed Phil towards the door to the machine.

"Okay. Better open up the doors for me then," Phil said as his Dad walked over to the garage door and opened it by waving his hand in front of a sensor.

Lloyd walked over to the driver's side window and leaned in to say, "I've made some adjustments to the engines so it won't be so loud. You should be able to go into flux without drawing too much attention."

"Thank you again," Phil said and Lloyd smiled.

"You just be careful. Also if you have plans on bringing Keely back to the future with you I would advise against it. The punishments for doing so are pretty harsh. Just make sure she is safe," he said and then added, "Good luck son."

Lloyd stepped away from the machine and out the door as Phil began the process of going into flux. Just as his dad had said the engines were whisper quiet and if it weren't for the lurch of the machine he might not have even known that he was about to move. Suddenly Phil found himself hurled through time and space in a flash of light.

Lloyd headed back for the house after closing up the garage. As he reached the side door of the house he was distracted by yet another flash of light from down the street. He turned quickly, but he did not see anything. "That was odd," he said, but turned to enter the house.

To be continued…