Time Travel

Part One: Chapter Six

Star sat on a hotel bed, her knees drawn tightly to her chest, clutching Armistead's signature in one hand as the beginning of Pickett's Charge from the movie Gettysburg, began to play out across the screen of the TV in front of her. They hadn't left the battlefield, but it was there last night there and somehow she wasn't really sure what she thought of everything.

Beside her, Dana grinned at Star, then Nurf before turning her full attention back to the screen, and Nurf handed out a few snacks from the vending machine. "Next time we're staying with the 20th longer…"

Dana nodded and nibbled at some chocolate before glancing over at Star who had decided to completely ignore the food. "You okay, General? If this is about the mutiny…"

Nurf flopped on the bed, sending books flying everywhere as she stared at the ceiling. "Star…"

"Don't talk about it." Star shook her head.

While Dana stopped talking, Nurf gestured to the TV screen. "Not talking doesn't solve anything… we all know that."

"You're right." Dana nodded gravely.

"At least I've got the memories," Star said, staring sadly as the charge began on the TV, "If only I had my camera…"

"Do you not understand a time machine?" Nurf asked.

"I'm not sure I do, actually…" Dana replied, "I don't think I ever will. Better leave that to Calvin and Hobbes, I guess."

Star smirked ever so slightly. "Do you think they will ever forget us?"

"How could they?" Dana asked as the same time Nurf said, "I doubt it."

Once again, Star lapsed into silence as she watched the charge unfold. Dana bit her lip as they watched. They'd all seen the movie more times then they could count, enjoyed quoting all the lines, and knew exactly what was happening when just by listening to it.

Nurf, however, was still staring at the ceiling. "Traumatized I believe is the word…"

A small smirk crossed Dana's face. "Probably…"

Star glanced at Nurf. "Why?"

"Think." Nurf waved a hand vaguely. "In the middle of an important battle, three teenage girls show up out of nowhere… in uniforms… and talk to anyone, on either side."

"It's a wonder they didn't haul us off to an asylum actually…" Dana said.

Staring dreamingly at the signature in her hand, Star was silent for a moment before she spoke. "Maybe they liked us in the end, even though they never would admit it."

Dana grinned. "You haven't changed much, General. I believe that's a good thing."

"What would ever make me want to change?" Star grinned back at her.

Nurf still hadn't moved from where she was staring at the ceiling. "You did want to keep us all in the 1860's… that to me is a change."

"Well…" Dana nodded wryly, "What else can we expect?"

Star rolled her eyes and turned back to the TV as the soldiers neared the fence, and then continued towards the stone wall. But one thing had changed, Lo Armistead, who should have been leading the way, had disappeared. "HEY!" Star protested and leaped off the bed, staring wide-eyed at the screen.

"What?" Dana asked. "What is it?"

"The movie's broken!" Star pointed to the TV where the soldiers still continued towards the wall without Lo leading them.

Dana stared at it too. "That's not… It's... It can't be."

Quickly sitting up Nurf asked, "What?"

"Lo's not there!" Star told her, "He disappeared!"

"You don't suppose…" Dana started to work on connecting the dots in her head.

Star shook her head and grabbed another copy of the movie. "That's impossible." She put it in and clicked right to the same scene, where yet again Lo disappeared.

"What's happening?" Dana asked.

"I don't know," Star answered. "But somehow I don't like it. Is there a computer here somewhere?"

She grabbed at a laptop without waiting for an answer, turned it on and clicked into the internet, reading what she could find. "He… he… Look at this!" She said, pointing to the screen which read: General Lewis A. Armistead. 1817-1901.

"He- we- that's," Dana said, not really knowing what to say.

"Oh…" Nurf remarked simply.

"That's impossible!" Star said.

Dana shook her head. "Improbable."

"It goes back to the time travel question, obviously." Nurf looked at Star. "You saved 'im."

Leaning over towards her friend, Dana huggled Star and she returned the favor, shaking her head slightly. "I can't believe it… We changed history!"

"We really did!" Dana said.

To which Star replied, "We did indeed."