s3.e16.seriesfinale_part1

Nostalgic Zenith

           “Thinking about it, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a sunrise over Royal Valley,” Wes said as the sun came over the distant mountains in the east and threw a cast of yellow onto the city. “Never really had a reason to, not being a morning person.”

           Warren, sitting on the car’s hood with one leg dangling off the side, replied with some snark, “So, what you’re saying is… you couldn’t even do the first item on the list.”

           “We were teenagers. You’d know something about that. Maybe we wanted to pull an all-nighter with our ‘perfect day’ and end it at dawn. You okay over there, bud?”

           Jace, eating some Burger King breakfast by the guardrails at the edge of the overlook cliffs, turned away from the view and answered, “I’m fine. I just have a few things on my mind, about our ‘nice weekend’ together finally ending…”

           “What is this nice weekend thing, anyway?” Warren said with a raised eyebrow.

           “Running time-related joke between us.” Wes yawned and tossed a crumpled-up food wrapper into the nearby garbage bin serving a very empty vista parking lot. “Look, um… Warren, I do wish I had known about our whole dad-son thing earlier. But I get the logic behind hiding it—and I did listen when you said all your runs where you let me in on that secret earlier didn’t end up so good. I think it worked, because now I do want to try and be a better dad. And I also know how it could end up between us further down the road. I guess what I’m trying to say is… Do I really seem… changed to you?”

           Warren looked at his dad thoughtfully, crossed his arms, and nodded. “By the time I was twelve, I just wanted the old you back. Me and Sally both. And Mom. When you were able to give up your toy thing for us, maybe even without a second thought…”

           “Me, with two kids.” Wes sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Still trying to wrap my mind around that one. Have you both met all my old friends?”

           “Uh-huh. Zach, too, I think at a house party. You were always afraid of change. Even when I was a kid, I could tell that any sort of news got you worked up. You felt like you had no control over whatever thing just happened. I don’t think you saw how lucky you were to hold onto everything you did. You live in the place you grew up, keep in touch with all your friends… Heck, you still get to do stuff at Desert Tree Elementary because Mom’s a teacher there. And you share the past through your games.”

           The kids giving him a needed quiet moment, Wes absorbed what had been said, and then suddenly snapped out of it. “Okay, enough real talk. We’re burning daylight.”

           The first real stop of the day was the Video Klub rental place, which Warren looked at with wide eyes as they pulled up, like he had never before seen the storefront lined with sun-bleached cardboard cutouts of pop culture characters and creatures.

           “Hold up, Video Klub was real?” he asked once they had left the car.

           “Uh, yeah,” Wes replied. “Why wouldn’t it be? Did you think I made it up?”

           “Whenever we watched an old movie, you’d usually say you first rented it from here. Obscure, weird movies, too. I thought it had to be a museum if it actually existed.”

           “Nah, it’s real, and not that special,” Jace said as Wes went to get something out of the back of the car. “We did only come here a few times, early on.”

           “Place is special, to my teenage self,” Wes assured them. “But the Blockbuster is closer to us, and we rented so often that I didn’t want to keep driving out here. Anyway, I just wanted to say goodbye to it, and… drop something off.”

           He held up the Super Nintendo that they had checked out long ago at the start of the trip, and Jace let out a laugh, replying, “Oh, crap. I forgot we only rented that!”

           “A ‘snez,’ huh?” Warren said. “You keep your original in a glass display at work.”

           They went inside, and Wes looked disappointed to see Scott still at work behind the counter, where he was reading an adult magazine in plain sight of the customers that he paid no attention to. Despite that, the boys watched Wes go up to make a return.

           “Yo,” the employee said without looking up. “What’s up?”

           “Hey. Scott. You probably don’t remember me, but… Nah, I don’t really want to chat. Here,” Wes said and handed over the console. “Got some good use out of it.”

           “Uh… ’kay.” Scott scanned its barcode and tapped at his keyboard. There was a tinge of surprise in his slacker eyes as they stared at his monitor. “Dude, like, this thing is way overdue. You’ll need to pay some mega late fees before you can rent anything else.”

           “Oh. Mega, huh? Oh well, I’ll just have to scrounge up the cash for later. See ya.”

           Wes turned around to leave, but was stopped by Jace’s glare, and worse, Warren simply looking away in teenage disappointment topped with a sprinkling of shame.

           Grumbling, Wes took out his wallet. “Okay, Scott. I’m trying to be a better guy, so I guess I’ll… pay for this before I ‘move’ far away. What’s the damage?”

           “Sweet. Nice payday first thing in the morning. That’ll be… a hundred-eighty.”

           “Great.” Clenching his teeth, Wes added in a mutter, “Thanks, kids.”

           “Wes, you were already burning leftover money, so let it go,” Jace said as they waited for the mall arcade roller shutters to go up, near a few other kids with bulging pockets full of quarters. “Getting us King Arcade for an hour must be expensive.”

           “It’s the principle,” Wes replied. “I didn’t need to return it at all. You guys guilt-tripped me into paying up. I could’ve just outright bought a Super Nintendo instead.”

           “It shows character, Dad,” Warren replied. “You always told me to be honest.”

           “Yeah, yeah…” Wes took out a heavy little bag as the mall arcade’s owner pulled up the shutters to open the beloved venue for another day. “Anyway, go spend all the remaining quarters I scooped up. Did you two ever do much, uh, arcading together?”

           “Some, at Galaxy Hub. When we were younger. But…” Warren looked at his big yet now younger cousin. “We didn’t get hooked. Some modern cabinets are cool, but we prefer our Switches and Xboxes in the comfort of our rooms. Sorry to disappoint.”

           “No need to apologize,” Wes said with a small chuckle. “Arcades are really about the social experience. The more friends you’re with, the better. And I bet you’re just as introverted as Jace. Go have fun with my generation’s ‘crappy old games’ and do some bonding anyway. And for lunch, I’ll take you guys to the best taco truck in town. The owner goes on to open the Corny Cantina in a few years. And then we’re getting the best ice cream in Royal Valley. Ya might be a little surprised just where we’ll go to find it.”

           This day probably meaning more to Wes than them, Jace and Warren both just shrugged and headed in to find a game to play—and likely make fun of—together. Wes watched the two kids from the future look around at CRT screens, the flashing colors reflected in their eyes. He tried to resist another nostalgic sigh, but one still slipped.

           Then he was taken by surprise as a gaggle of tweens and teens walked by. Vanni and Gavin, both with their full crews in tow to make a squad of twelve of Royal Valley’s youths, seemed to be having a going away day of sorts of their own that Wes never knew happened. Keeping his distance, he watched as they converged on a cabinet.

           “Let’s start with some classic Pac-Man,” Vanni told the others. She flipped a quarter in a cool way, slotted it, and proclaimed, “I can still show ya how it’s done.”

           “A nice surprise,” Wes said to himself, getting one last chance to see an older generation ‘big group’ hang out, just like his did. He then looked over to see Warren and Jace messily fighting in some violent Mortal Kombat together. “It’s so… heart-warming.”

           From the mall, they took a very short drive to one entrance of the mammoth-sized parking lot, where the taco truck had already attracted a line of hungry brunch-time customers. Wes assured the boys that it was worth the wait, and that in some regards, the food was even better than the anchored restaurant to come. He suggested the burritos above everything else, so that was what the three ended up ordering. Sodas in the car, the windows rolled down, and the radio playing pop at a moderate volume—this was the way a summer was meant to be remembered, whatever the year.

           The best ice cream in town that Wes had promised came out of nowhere. He pulled into the nearby lot at the end of “Strip Mall Road”, for an establishment that turned out to be the local skating rink, Roller pLace. Inside were more arcade machines, a rink full of teenage amateurs and veterans, and the smell of fresh rubber that lingered in the air. The thing was, none of the three actually partook in the activity.

           “Arthur tried to get me into skating in sixth grade,” Wes explained on the way to the snack counter. “But then we started just playing arcade games when we came by after school or on weekends. And eating snacks. Then it became the ‘p-lace’ for the gang to chill and get away from middle school. Anyway, here’s why we came here.”

           On Wes’ recommendation, they all got big sugary waffle cones with scoops of rocky road. The taste and texture were unexpected; smooth and creamy, like the stuff was almost soft serve. It wasn’t too cold, either, being closer to gelato. It melted faster, but that also reduced the risk of brain freeze as they lapped it up.

           “This was the coolest hangout for a tween,” Wes continued while they filled up on ice cream at the side of the rink, where they watched newbies fall on their butts and the naturals sail past them. “Heck, felt like only half the kids that came here actually did any skating. Yeah… it was our new Dump, where we could get away from the boot camp they called Cookton. Almost makes me wanna stick around another year. Almost. It only closed a few years ago, too, our time. Lots of Royal Valley’s best have breathed this air.”

           “Here’s another thing we have different opinions on, Dad,” Warren said. “See, I actually liked middle school. My Jace, not so much, but I managed to stand out there. I was excited about eighth grade, but then you made me go through time with you.”

           Doing everything to avoid any arguments, Wes replied, “We better get going in a bit. Our next stop is the dollar theater, for the first showing of something R-rated. Hehe.”

           That part of the list did pique the boys’ interest, and kept them rolling along without complaint. The dollar theater, just a few blocks from the skating rink, was a small four-screen joint across from the far end of the mall where parked cars were scarce. As a second-run theater, the projectors were poor and the popcorn was bargain brand. Most of the customers, what few filled the dull lobby with a stained red carpet, were of the older set. Wes only having to throw down three Washingtons on the concession counter to pay for that many tickets made it all worth it, however.

           “Dad, did you just buy tickets for Fargo?” Warren asked him as they headed to the short hallway that led to the screens. “We really are seeing an R movie…”

           “Well, kid, you’re almost seventeen. And your cousin has watched a few, with my supervision. Fargo isn’t a hard R. It’s a little violent in parts, and a bit sad, but it’s got a good story centered around greed and how it hurts others. Maybe there’s a lesson there for me. Who knows. Anyway, we’ve already seen everything else playing here today.”

           “Where I came from, me and Jace saw our first R-movie in 2021, when we got on your digital library and watched The Matrix late at night without you or Mom finding out. Tch… I don’t even know why I’m even telling you,” Warren sighed.

           But Wes didn’t look at all upset, instead smirking and replying, “That’s a good first one to sneak in when your parents aren’t watching.”

           Seeing Wes agreeable and understanding still seemed to be weirding out Warren a bit, and he kept quiet as they went into the sparse theater. Shoddily produced local ads started playing on the dirty silver screen while the boys tried to get comfortable in the old seats, their shoes nearly stuck on an impressively sticky floor.

           “This was one of our places in high school,” Wes quietly continued the epic saga of his adolescence. “Back when we got our first cars. Had freedom, but not much cash. It was still fun just to get together and hang out somewhere. Oh, and, uh… Zach and Jared would usually bring whatever girlfriends they had at the time and make out instead of watching the film. Heh. That was one of the reasons we didn’t invite them as much.”

           “Uh-huh. Getting a little gross now, Pops,” Warren muttered.

           “Yeah, it was for the rest of us, too. Okay, gonna shut up. Movie deserves that.”

           Wes contemplated whether or not to tell the boys the truth about the “based on real events” claim at the beginning, but knew they should experience it just like he had.

           “I still can’t believe all of that really happened,” Warren said from the passenger seat, once Wes was pulling into a parking lot at the edge of downtown a while later.

           “Yeah… That story was pretty messed up,” Jace added from the back.

           Wes snickered and finally capped off the post-film commentary by revealing, “So the whole ‘gimmick’ of Fargo is that the Coen brothers put that ‘true story’ stuff at the start because they wanted to make it more believable and engaging to the audience.”

           “Wha—seriously? You can lie about something like that? Man. Now I feel like I suddenly can’t believe adults when they tell you to trust them.”

           Wes parked and replied after turning off the engine, “Don’t get too cynical yet, Jace. There are still a lot of real, simple, and true things in the world. As you’ll see at this next stop. No time to dawdle—place closes at five. We only have an hour.”

           “Wait, is this…” Warren wondered, looking visibly worn out at this point. They turned the corner to see the front of the building, and he let out a disapproving groan. “Dang it. Really, Dad? The toy museum? You dragged us here all the time!”

           “Wait, he did?” Jace asked. “He only took me here once, maybe twice. And that was when I was little. I thought it was kind of cool, but it sounds like you’re tired of it.”

           “Hm.” Wes thought. “Maybe in a world where both of you exist, and I wasn’t… as down in the dumps earlier on, I was more inclined to take you two here. Hey, look, we don’t have to go in, Warren. I’ve just never seen the 1996 version of it, we have the time, it’s not too big, and I figured it’d be a good way to end the day before dinner.”

           Warren breathed in deeply. “No, it’s fine. I mean, it has been a while. Maybe it’ll be nice. Remind me of the old days. I’ll admit that I did like doing stuff with you, once.”

           Wes smiled, and they proceeded into the moderately-sized building. It was Royal Valley’s first bank before the branch moved to a bigger space—and it had the plaque on the outside wall to prove it—so there was a witty element present in the façade, as if the toys on display inside were treasures worthy of hardened protection. Of course, it also turned the venue into one big metaphor for Wes’ reverence of old plastic.

           Once Wes had the tickets, they headed into the former lobby of a fancy bank, its marble floor and art deco pillars kept pristine. In stark contrast, above the teller stations was an artistic mural of classic, famous toys painted on tile, depicting them as a mass of colors and shapes. The original bankers would’ve no doubt found it so very gauche.

           Opened in 1983, the toy museum had two floors and a basement, where the old vault remained open and appropriately held the collection’s rarest, most valuable items. The little institution also kept up to date on their toys, so almost any product that kids had made popular and was at least five years old could be put inside a climate-controlled glass case for preservation, as long as Royal Valley continued to exist.

           With objects dating back to the 1930s, most of them once owned by local kids across the generations, the museum represented an often undervalued part of history and culture: the little colorful things that might be the first to spark the joys of creation and imagination in small humans. Wes always found some solace in the temple.

           The rigid tin soldiers of the past stood among decades of posable Barbies and G.I. Joes. Frisbees and hula hoops, a Slinky and a Slinky Dog. Pull ducks made of wood shared a space with a classic red wagon and rolling ball poppers. A Jack-in-the-box was next to Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, and Troll Dolls shared a vintage Lego town with Fisher Price Little People. Stretch Armstrong fought Mr. Potato Head in a wrestling ring made of Tinker Toys. Lincoln Logs acted as a frame for a Lite Brite, its illuminated pegs forming glowing art of an Easy Bake Oven, with a real one nearby. Fuzzy Koosh balls sat with Rubik’s Cubes, and a growing electronics time capsule display featured a Simon memory toy, a Speak and Spell teaching tool, and an NES, Atari, and a Game Boy.

           “This case is so much bigger in the future,” Warren noted towards the end of the visit, with a few minutes left before closing. “It gets filled with all the major consoles, cartridges, legendary games. Tamagotchis… I guess I always liked this stuff the most.”

           “Not much for toys, are you?” Wes replied as Jace looked at other things nearby.

           Warren looked at his dad and shrugged. “I kept a few from childhood on a shelf in my room, but I always felt like I got much more entertainment out of games. I know you like both, but, yeah—I just never felt some spiritual connection to toys.”

           Staring at him, Wes managed another smile. “That’s okay, kid. Do what you like.”

           This time, Warren’s mouth dropped open a little and he looked perplexed. “Why are you suddenly like this? Is it an act? Are you just sucking up for some reason? You’re being way too agreeable. It doesn’t change the things I’m still angry about with you.”

           “We’ll talk at dinner,” Wes calmly promised, and went back to admiring a display of board games. “Let’s just enjoy this a little longer, no familial feuds attached.”

           The final planned big meal out within the Royal Valley of the past was had at a familiar locale. With a view of King Arcade outside the nearby window, which would be closing for the day shortly, the boys—plus Millie—were having their warm dinners at Captain Salty. Wes was the only one to actually order fish, while Jace and Millie both had kids menu chicken tenders with honey mustard and fries. Taking advantage of his dad’s generosity, Warren chose a big pricey plate of chicken fettuccini alfredo that was not much of a challenge for a growing and physically fit teenager.

           “Your dad just lets you kind of go wherever you want, doesn’t he?” Warren said to Millie once he was halfway done with his food. “Does he even really ask questions?”

           “Yeah, course he does! I just didn’t mention that we were going out to eat. He knows I can take care of myself. Also, I don’t show off, but I take self-defense classes. Besides,” she shrugged, “if I helped Jace in the future, I know I make it to adulthood without being, like, kidnapped by a bunch of time-travelers or something, right?”

           “Don’t let that confidence go to your head,” Wes said cautiously. “I feel like if you’re aware of your story, you do still have the power to break fate somehow. I’m just saying, keep looking both ways before crossing the street, Millie.”

           She dipped some fried chicken and remarked, “I still think about it a lot, Wes. And how I can see you as both a kid and an adult in the same day. You being from the future, and Warren’s dad just makes that even more of a crazy thing.”

           “It’s getting weird for me in another way. Even though I don’t have memories of actually having kids, yet, it’s like my parental instincts are already kicking in. Maybe it really is thanks to all the time I’ve spent with Jace. It wasn’t like the other version of me didn’t want children. He just… accidentally deleted them. I have a daughter, too, but I don’t even know what she looks like. Hey, wait. Warren—wouldn’t you have pictures of your sister on your phone? I’ve never seen your modern phone either, but—”

           “My dad took it,” Warren muttered angrily. “I was getting ‘too much screen time’ instead of paying attention to another visit to some random day. And then things got bad between us and he split before giving it back. So, no, I can’t show you Sally.”

           “I hate this guy more and more. Sorry about that… You doing all right?”

           Warren put an arm on the table and replied as he leaned on it, “No, not really. I wanted to feel better after you made the right choice, but I’m just mad… and confused.”

           “Well. That first one is probably you working through emotions, and I think it’ll just have to play out. Confusion, though—maybe I can help with that.”

           “It’s you, Dad! I don’t get it. I’m still not sure if this is pretend, or if you’re lying to yourself, or if somehow, you really did turn around this fast. You looked like you died inside when you gave up the Toy Run. And I didn’t expect your self-pity phase to pass before you went home. I mean… It’s been, what, not even two days? And suddenly you’re being considerate, and agreeable, and… Freaking hell, maybe even humble?”

           “I told you. Hearing the truth about you changed things. I’m just trying to be a good parent now, make up for lost time in some way, be okay with a few sacrifices for my kids. I don’t think I can explain it very well. These emotions are new to me.”

           “But… But what about you, Dad? Don’t you care about your past anymore, or being in the past? You didn’t even get to ‘fix’ or improve anything you wanted to!”

           “Kid, don’t forget about what we did for Ash. And Jace went on a journey of self-improvement. And I just fixed something huge that I didn’t even know was broken. Regardless if I’ll remember any of this, I did improve my life, by magnitudes. I just have to hope that something sticks this time, and I don’t go down the same path again.”

           “You don’t get it! You aren’t this selfless. You’re just not built that way!”

           “Um, Warren?” Millie timidly spoke up. “I can tell things about people. Reading them is what I do. I’m the only one here who grew up with your dad, know what he’s been like since kindergarten. Believe me when I say… something really has changed.”

           He still didn’t really buy it, but this time Warren didn’t retort, instead going back to eating broodily. Wes watched him for a few seconds and looked back at Millie.

           “By the way, Millie,” he said, “we have a decent computer that needs a home. I just wiped its drive last night, so it’s ready for a new owner.”

           “Oh, so… do you want me to suggest someone? I can find out who’d want it.”

           “That level of spying is actually called stalking, but, no. Jace told me about your old Mac at home. How’d you like something that can really do a good job at organizing your files, and play modern PC games, too? You’ve earned it. We even have plenty of blank floppy disks, so you can transfer all your files over.”

           “R-really?” She beamed. “Yeah, thanks! I’ll take good care of it.” Then her smile turned to a frown. “I didn’t really think about it ’til now, but I’ll miss you guys.”

           “That’s nice. But you’ll meet us again, and get to watch the other me slowly turn into this over the years. And it sounds like the gang is starting to accept you, too.”

           “I was never really that good at the whole friends thing. Being around them, though… It helps me feel some confidence. That word you like so much. There’s just one last thing I’m wondering.” She turned to Warren. “What about you?”

           “You mean what he’s going to do when we’re done here?” Wes was the one to reply. “I never really got around to asking. I was worried the answer would make me sad or try to do something impossible. Warren isn’t from this timeline. Even if he’ll be born now, it won’t be in the exact world he knew. So I’m concerned that he’ll disappear when we leave, because maybe he’ll never time travel to begin with? That, or… he’ll stay, stranded, without a universe of his own to return to.”

           Warren sighed deeply. “You’re not saying anything I haven’t already thought about every night in bed. If I didn’t think it was risky, I’d follow you two home, just to make sure you hold up your promise to not start trying to make the Toy Run and me work. But I figure the safer plan, is to just transport myself to 2026, when I’ll already be sixteen. Maybe I’ll replace my other self, with all these memories? Who knows. I never saw the rest of ’22 and the near future past then myself. So it’ll all be new either way.”

           “Huh…” Wes murmured. “So… one day in ’26, you might suddenly ‘wake up’ and realize you became a time-traveling ninja with a big sword. I guess we can just deal with that when the moment arrives. Maybe you’ll be more freaked out about trying to pass your driver’s test anyway,” Wes added, with a faint laugh.

           Millie looked at the two of them and commented, “I still can’t believe that you and Sadie get together. That’s just not… I never would’ve guessed. I didn’t see it.”

           “Yeah, same. I mean, even when we were teens… just thinking about so much as giving her a little kiss on the cheek was like, way out there on my list of possible things.”

           Jace gagged. “Yuck! Wes, we don’t want to hear about that kind of stuff!”

           “That’s my point! Without any memories of our ‘courtship’ days, I can’t even…”

           Warren said, uncomfortably, “It happened, end of story. Is our perfect day done?”

           Wes checked his watch. “Almost. There’s time for one last stop, after we take Millie home. And then… I guess we pack up our things and get ready to leave 1996.”

           “… So do I get a dessert first?” Millie asked over a clean plate.

           That last stop had brought them back to where the day began, over twelve hours ago. Sunsets at Castle Hill Overlook always attracted a crowd, so they didn’t have the place to themselves this time. But that didn’t stop Wes from concluding the nearly year-long journey with a few final observations and philosophical ramblings.

           “It lasted just ten years. Or eleven, if you don’t know how decades work. Really just a heartbeat to these mountains. Blink of an eye to the universe. But what a time to grow up, when time still moved so slow. And culturally, wow, did the 90s shake things up. Technology moves so fast that computers are obsolete before you buy them. The internet hits the mainstream. CGI starts to really integrate into movies, even if there are so many bombs and cringe-worthy plots and dialogue on the way. But that’s okay. I think creators took more risks in story-telling, and the formulas were still being developed.

           “The lexicon—the words we use and the ways we describe things—changes fast, too. Slang gets hot and fades away each year. Video game urban legends and rumors hit their peak before gradually dying off as online guides written by the players and message boards where fans share the facts take off. West coast music awakens people across the country to new narratives, anime gets big in the west. Clothing becomes less eccentric, ‘calming down’ into the forms we basically still see in 2020. And all of this was new and exciting to us, like every day had something magical over the horizon. Yeah. That was the decade. Our decade. Couldn’t have chosen a better couple years to visit, either.”

           Wes turned to Jace and Warren, listening intently on the hood of the car. It was refreshing that they didn’t seem to be quietly mocking him this time, but then again, he had demonstrated real maturity lately, and what he had just said seemed heartfelt. Maybe he had even gotten a real point across, giving them something to think about.

           “Heh. I just came up with all that on my own,” Wes said with a grin. “And all without mentioning anything specific… Maybe Pokémon is worth a mention, though. I mean, come 1998, that gaming universe goes supernova. You guys couldn’t respect just how huge it was right out of the gate. But I’ll stop before I go on another rant. Because on the subject of the 90s, that, as Forrest Gump says… is all I have to say about that. ”

           “Aw, Wes,” Jace said disappointedly. “You were doing so well, too.”

           “For the rest of 2020, no more references around us, ’kay?” Warren added.

           “No promises.” Wes took out the car keys. “All right. List… complete.”

           At just about 9:45 in the morning on July 3^rd, Wes pulled into the King Arcade parking lot and immediately saw just what he had hoped to: his entire fifth grade class, already there waiting for him at the front gate. Bailey was present as well, still handing out tickets, so their admittance was guaranteed regardless if Wes had shown up or not. It was his decision to arrive last, to build some kind of suspense.

           Recalling a movie watched at summer camp, Jace muttered from the front seat, “You probably got them worried, Wes, making them think they couldn’t get in without you. Are you trying to be Willy Wonka, showing up last minute at the gate?”

           Wes snickered and parked. “It’s nothing that complicated.” He waved back to Ms. Porter as she waved at him with a smile. “I just wanted the mental image of my class waiting eagerly to totally have their best summer day ever.” He then noticed Warren in the rear view and frowned a little. “But did you really have to put on the whole time ninja act one more time, bud? I don’t know if our old friend Bailey will let you in like that.”

           “I’m not walking through the entrance,” Warren said, and slid his mask down to cover his face. His digitized voice added, “I’m back on sneaky lookout and backup duty. This is the very end of the trip. If there’s anything, or any… one waiting for some last-ditch effort to screw everything up… It’s just a bad idea to let our guard down.”

           “Dang it, Warren, can’t we just, you know, have some pure fun today?” Wes replied with a groan once everyone had exited the car. “We already beat a time daemon!”

           “You go have that fun, and forget I’m watching from the shadows. But while you’re doing that…” He went to the hatchback, opened it up, and took out two pieces of hardware that he handed off to them: Wes’ gun in its holster, and Jace’s modified park laser rifle. But their owners showed hesitance. “Guys, take them. Seriously.”

           Wes huffed and got his pistol under his jacket. “I wanted to get rid of this thing.”

           “… At least it matches the park rifles,” Jace noted and slung his weapon over his shoulder. “But Bailey might ask me to return it. Especially if I… uh, accidentally fire it.”

           “Deflect if he notices, make stuff up,” Warren urged and closed the hatchback. “Say you won it in a game, or your dad owns the park. No matter what, just hold onto it.”

           “All right, fine, sure,” Jace said, and they headed towards the gate—where two other familiar faces poked out from the excited crowd. “H-hey, Wes? Are Celeste and my mom supposed to be here? I didn’t think you got them tickets, too.”

           “What? Lucy’s here? Again?” Wes exclaimed. “There has to be a real reason this time, not just because a found shoe butterfly’d her. Jace, ask Wessy what’s up, will ya?”

           “Oh! Mr. Deckard!” Bailey greeted Wes—who took a second to register that he was talking to him, seeing as how he hadn’t really needed to use his alias for a while now. “Right on time. And Jason! I remember you from camp! And the tournament! Boy, you Desert Tree kids get around, huh? Here you go,” he handed over two more park tickets printed on gold foil, “we had these made special for the event. So exciting! We might even do these special opening hour things for other lucky groups in the future.”

           “I think he means wealthy people,” Wes muttered to Jace, and looked around. “Did Warren take off already? Man, that kid really is a ninja.”

           “Hey, Jason’s dad!” Zach shouted out. “You rule, dude!”

           Keeping his shades over his eyes, Wes smiled awkwardly and waved a little as his classmates gave him similar thankful remarks.

           “Yes, yes, everyone,” Ms. Porter tried to calm them down, “Mr. Deckard has been very generous. And I’m sure he wants you all to have a lot of fun in there.”

           “By the way, sir,” Bailey got uncomfortably close to Wes, “those two girls over there with the green shirt and the pigtails had tickets of their own and sort of just showed up. I take it they’re not with your group? I can ask them to wait an hour if…”

           “Uh, no, it’s fine,” Wes assured him. “They know the others. What’s two more?”

           “Excellent!” Bailey then concluded his announcements, “Okay. We have staff throughout the park to help out like usual. Of course, the big difference right now—no lines! Don’t forget that once King Arcade does open for everyone, you’re still free to stay until closing. All right, kids, I just have to make sure all my friends are ready for ya.”

           He got on his walkie-talkie to speak with his co-workers, while Jace headed over towards the gang, where Lucy was as well. On the way, he passed by Wright and Willa, holding hands. She wore a big happy face, but he looked much less enthusiastic.

           “Hey, Jason!” Willa said, making Jace turn around and slow-walk backwards the rest of the way. “Thanks for playing matchmaker! These past few days have been so fun!”

           “Uh-huh… So fun.” Wright grumbled, “That money better be real, Jason.”

           “Hehe,” Willa snickered, “I hope so, too! We can use it for a mall shopping run!”

           Cringing, Jace tried to grin and replied, “You… make a very, um, cute couple.”

           “Man, Jason, you really created a monster with that one,” Jared was the first to remark once he had fallen in with the group. “If they actually continue like that through middle school, I don’t think we’ll ever forgive you. That’ll be your legacy, dude.”

           “Yeah, you played with fire,” Sadie added. “You really think it’ll do them good?”

           “Well… that’s the idea,” Jace sighed. “Anyway, it’s great to see everyone here.”

           “You kidding?” Wessy responded. “No one in their right mind would miss an epic hour of the park to themselves! I mean, look, even Celly and Lucy came with us.”

           “Yeah, how’d that end up happening, anyway? Did you just buy tickets, or…”

           Celeste explained, “Remember Marianne promising park tickets if the DTE kids won at summer camp? Well, she followed through. Both Lex and Lucy got one.”

           “But, um…” Lucy spoke up. After a moment, she continued with a little more confidence than usual, “Lex said the park is ‘totally not her scene,’ and gave her prize to Celeste. I guess she felt bad that Celly got hurt in that tug of war match.”

           “Yup. But I wasn’t about to blow my ticket on any ordinary park day. If the rest of you had a super special visit, you know I’d try to join in, too! And drag Luce with me.”

           “Wonder what Dad would think about these golden tickets…” Arthur said and stretched his in his hands to see if it would rip. “I’m definitely keeping mine to remember the day. We don’t know much about your dad, Jason, like at all… But this is cool.”

           “Do any of you know where December is?” Jace questioned. “She didn’t really stand out. I mean, I didn’t see her on the way in. I kinda wanted to ask her something.”

           “She was behind one of the pillars up front,” Colin answered. “I think she’s still feeling a little down about school ending. I hope today cheers her up…”

           “Looks like we’re about to head in,” Ash observed, as the rest of the class turned towards the entrance and park staff unlocked the gates. “I’m sure you’ll have time to chat. But if you’re trying to ‘help’ her… I mean, what could you even say?”

           “Don’t worry,” Millie replied. “Jason’s gotten good at this.”

           “Here we go!” Zach piped as the crowd began to march towards the entrance. “Filing in like there was an event in the cafeteria. Or a field trip. The best field trip ever.”

           After noticing that Wes and Ms. Porter were chatting while they guided the kids into the park, Jace spotted December and caught up, walking alongside her. She looked not at all in a festive mood, despite the amazing day everyone already knew they’d have.

           Jace asked her something he knew the answer to, “Hey, December, you okay?”

           “Trying to be. Honest. It’s real nice of your dad to do this for us, but… Okay, don’t pass this around, but I am mega stressed out about my first day at Everette. Even though there’s so much summer left. I feel like I should be cramming already. I think I actually had a panic attack last week. I’m worried those elite kids will try to humiliate me.”

           “That’s rough… But I learned about something, that might help you—over time. Maybe knowing about it will even make you feel a little better before school starts?”

           The class came to a stop in the central plaza, not far from the Mega Drop Tower. Wes, Ms. Porter, and Bailey all went to the front, looking like they were about to address the smaller than usual morning crowd. At the back of the group, December turned to Jace, seeing a moment to confide with him but still looking a little nervous about it.

           Passing by, Felicity noticed them and assured December, “Hey, Helvetica. Don’t  sweat it. Jason’s a pro. He started with me, and now people think I’m almost normal. At least when I pretend to be.” She smiled wryly. “Try to have fun today, okay?”

           “Anyway, December…” Jace thought about where to start. “Do you ever feel like you didn’t really… I dunno, earn the good things you have? I mean, too much pride can be bad, but do you, like… Do you ever feel happy about your accomplishments?”

           This already seemed to strike a chord with her, and after pondering for a second, she replied, “How do you know about… Yeah, maybe it is sort of like that. The first time I aced a test, I was happy, really. But a few dozen tests later, I kind of stopped feeling much at all. And then… Well, it’s hard to explain. I think we’re too young to get it.”

           “Did you start wondering if it was really you getting those good grades, even though at the same time, you knew you were putting in the hard work?”

           “Y-yeah. Yeah! Exactly. And I’ve felt that way pretty much all year. My family and teachers always dote on me, but it’s like I never feel it. And that just makes me feel worse! When I think about it too much, I get worried about what success really means. It means more responsibilities, more challenges, and being in the spotlight. It’s tough, and worst of all, who are you supposed to talk to? Everyone already thinks you’re a brainiac, or a teacher’s pet. I know they’ll just be like, ‘what do you have to complain about? You’re perfect, December.’ Ugh. It all just makes me want to give up, but if I did that…”

           Jace nodded understandingly. “You’ll feel guilty for wasting your talents.”

           “You get it, Jason. You really do… How? I bet everyone else’s problems had obvious fixes! Or were common, silly things. But I don’t even have a word for this!”

           “The truth is, December, I don’t think I can help you. Maybe the academy has really good guidance counselors? Or even a therapist? Because I think you should see a professional about these feelings. Don’t just try to bury them. That’s what I was doing for a while. That’s what my unc… er, dad has been doing for a really long time.” He looked over at Wes, seemingly happy as Ms. Porter continued to go over the rules for the class visit and a buddy system refresher. “And tell your parents how you feel, too. I’ve never met them, but I doubt they’d be disappointed in you. They’ll want to help.”

           December looked toward the ground. “You could be right. N-no… I know you’re right. This loop going around in my head isn’t healthy. But is there at least a word for it? Some term I can look up at the library, so I can get a jump on it before school begins?”

           “Look into something called imposter syndrome. It might not be what’s going on with you, but I bet if you spend a day digging into those big psycho-books, it’ll give you that good place to start. Whatever you do, don’t give up on your dreams. Really. Because, the hard truth is…” Jace’s eyes skimmed the class, “a lot of us aren’t going to reach our own. But if you do,” he smiled, “then at least you can represent us, and DTE.”

           She exhaled deeply. “Thank you, Jason. This means a lot to me. Earlier in the school year, I thought I had it all figured out. When I heard about you helping everyone, I didn’t think the two of us would have a talk. I might not see most of these kids again after summer. And you’re leaving town altogether tomorrow. So… I like that idea about being a rep for our school. It’s like I’ll carry these years with me wherever I go.”

           Without anything else to say, the two turned forward to hear Ms. Porter finishing her speech with, “And most importantly, make this a park visit to remember! This really will be the last time we’re all in the same place. So let’s give Mr. Deckard some applause for the generosity.” She paused for claps. “And thanks to the staff, too!”

           The claps were less enthusiastic for Bailey, but he still seemed pleased before telling the group, “All right, everyone. I’ll be walking the park if you need anything. All of my friends should be at their stations by now. Oh, and… sorry there aren’t any mascots around. They usually don’t come in until noon. But, still, do have fun!”

           He turned and left the plaza, and Wes, still in his shades, cleared his throat.

           “Hey, Ms. Porter’s class!” he exclaimed brightly. “It’s awesome that everyone showed up—and then some. Really… it’s great to see. So, Jason and I will be leaving town tomorrow, but he will never forget any of you. And neither will I. Uh, I mean, this moment right here. You all look so happy, it’s a nice day, so… Ahem, anyway. I wanted to announce one more surprise. I actually had a little money left over, so if it’s okay with your parents, I’d also like to take all of you to the four o’clock showing of that new movie, Independence Day, at the megaplex. How’s that sound?”

           There was another smattering of applause, with Wessy looking particularly excited. A few kids, like Tammy and Trudy, didn’t keep up on blockbusters as much as the others. Wes picked up on the looks on some faces and explained further.

           “Oh, if you didn’t know, it’s a big disaster movie. Really cool special effects. It’ll probably be the biggest flick of the year. You see, aliens invade Earth with these giant spaceships, and they have these big lasers, and we strike back with fighter jets, and—”

           He was abruptly stunned into silence the instant the strangest thing happened. From somewhere behind him, a dark pulse of energy erupted, expanding at the speed of sound. It swept across the entire class and throughout the park’s plaza, before coming to a sudden stop not far from the gate. Daylight remained, and yet shadows disappeared and the angle of the sun could no longer be discerned. The sky had become an abyssal black within the dome, but bizarrely, every structure remained in a morning light.

           “… Eh?” Wes squeaked out with an eye twitch, to his equally surprised class.

           Shaking, he turned around and saw a floating dark sphere, hovering just over the still-running fountain. A second later, three enormous ferrofluid tentacles shot out of it, and as fast as spears thrown by a professional athlete, they were launched and stuck themselves into the side of the Mega Drop Tower, bending its frame out of shape but keeping the obelisk intact. The oversized tendrils subsequently emitted a mighty electric hum, and bright arcs of blue lightning surged throughout the swirling nanites. Whatever they were doing, the tower’s power and lights remained active. But the scene was no less inexplicable—and immediately terrifying to some kids, yet exciting to others.

           “Whoa!” Zach shouted. “You all seeing this?!”

           “Is this… I-is this some new laser light show?” Park said over the rest of the chatter. “H-hey, Jason’s dad… Is this something you set up? But how’d the sky…”

           “It’s an alien invasion! A real invasion!” Robby yelled out.

           “Nick?” Ms. Porter piped, trying to remain the rational adult for her class. “Do you know what this is? It’s just… special effects or something, right?”

           “No… No, not now.” Wes muttered, stepping back from the tentacles while unable to take his eyes off of them. “What the hell. Just… what…”

           Nearby, Wessy had already gone into big brother mode, and was keeping a frightened Lucy tight in his grasp as his friends simply stared at the spectacle ahead of them. They hardly noticed Jace break off and run towards his “dad.”

           “Wes!” he gasped out. “What do we do? I thought we killed it!”

           “Y-yeah… we d-did,” Wes aimlessly stuttered back. “We did. Do you think…”

           A moving figure caught his eye, and Wes watched as Warren, clad in his dark ninja outfit, used his exo-arm to grip onto one of the drop tower’s rails. Sparks shot out as he did so, which were accompanied by an unpleasant grinding noise. When he hit the ground, he ran up to the two—and didn’t even really break his ninja routine, since none of the kids had noticed him, what with their gawking too devoted to the tendrils.

           Wes shook himself out of his shell shock and asked Warren in a panic, “Is this what you were afraid of? Is that… Is that the other daemon we saw, that got the cop?”

           “Shit, I don’t know!” he burst out, his real muffled voice louder than his digitized one. He summoned his sword from his side, its red edge already glowing. “Guys! Don’t worry about the whole class seeing it—we’ll reverse time later, after we deal with this.”

           “We still have to keep them safe!” Jace implored. “Warren, if that thing takes anyone, there might not be any way to rescue them!”

           “Jace is right,” Wes replied. “Their safety has to come first!”

           “Gah!” Warren exasperated from under his mask, before turning on his goggle’s glowing scanner. “And what is it doing to the drop tower? Draining energy?”

           “I don’t think you got the best view of it from up there, kid. That blue energy is coming from the rift. It’s doing something to… Aw, crap. The tower is what broadcasts André’s time bubble! It knows that it’s the thing letting us change the past!”

           “And now there’s a ninja!” Delilah burst out after she became the first to notice.

            Brian added, “T-this has to be a new show! And the n-ninja’s a… new mascot?”

           “There’s no way the park could afford something like this!” Arthur argued.

           “Everyone, stay back!” Ms. Porter urged the class with her arms up. “None of this is normal, at all! We need to get to a safe place, and wait for the staff to show up.”

           “Wes!” Millie shouted as she came running up to join the group. “What did you do this time? Is this that daemon thing you told me about? Did you make it angry?”

           “I thought we destroyed it!” Wes replied. “Jace, I don’t like seeing those things injecting… whatever into the drop tower. Use your laser gun—slice them apart!”

           “I’ll try,” he said and pulled it off his back. “But they’re pretty big…”

           He took aim, but before he could fire, the energy flowing through the nanite tentacles shut off. They went cold and dark, and then quickly lost their magnetism and broke apart. The plume looked light enough to be blown away like ash, if it wasn’t for the temporal dome around the plaza cutting the area off from the world and weather.

           The class fell quiet upon seeing this change—aside from Willa, who squeezed Wright’s arm tight and said, “Hold me, I’m scared.” She got a grunt in response.

           “Okay…” Wes murmured. “This really needs to start making sense.”

           “Hey, look!” Millie gasped, and pointed ahead at the spherical rift.

           Someone’s hand was poking through it, feeling the air. The faint whirring servos of the frame that surrounded the arm, similar to Warren’s, was just barely audible. The limb retreated back into the sphere, but just a moment later, an entire leg came through, its foot impacting the top tier of the ceramic fountain. The boot covering the foot was large and heavy, robotic in appearance with many moving parts. But the tapping that it did, to test the integrity of the basin, was purely human.

           “Wes!” Jace said harshly, just above a whisper. “Someone’s coming through!”

           “I can see that,” he replied, his eyes transfixed ahead. “Maybe it’s… Malcolm?”

           In one swift motion, the person on the other side of the sphere stepped through entirely. As the rift absorbed much of the light around it, the stranger was in darkness at first, aside from the small LEDs of various cybernetic augments—and the glass eyepiece casting a glow over their left eye, its holographic HUD visible at a distance.

           “That isn’t Malcolm,” Warren spat out and took a defensive sword stance.

           The visitor tapped at the glowing watch on his left wrist, and the rift behind him closed shut. Now in full light, what appeared was an old man with thinning gray hair, a gaunt but determined visage, and a very familiar look in his eye. There was no doubt.

           “Holy crap!” Jace exclaimed. “Wes! It’s you! It’s the old you!”

           After making a strong, ominous entrance, the Wes with a seemingly permanent frown painted on his face looked over at the drop tower, and then… cracked a smile.

           “Hey, kids!” he greeted them in a scratchy, but very familiar voice. “And Thirties Wes! Look at ya, man! Knocking on forty’s door, and still lookin’ sharp and spry! How’s it going, buddy? Big adventure finally coming to a close, right? But I hope you weren’t thinking of leaving before meeting me. I mean, we like full circles. Seeing the you from twenty-five years in the past, and now the you from the same count in the future. More or less. Kind of lost track myself, after all the places and times I’ve visited.”

           “W-what…” The 2020 Wes was at a loss for words. “Here… Now? Why…”

           “Very succinct,” Old Wes said mockingly. He turned his gaze to his kid and continued, “That Warren… isn’t exactly your Warren, you know. Hello, son.”

           “Eat shit, asshole!” Warren fired back, pointing his blade at his timeline’s dad.

           “That’s what you’re starting with?” Old Wes laughed. “Well, you are a teenager, and that isn’t far off from how I remember those years. See why I picked you up at age twelve, when you still liked me?” He looked at Jace next. “And, Jace. I wanted to take you with us on our first travel journey together. I did. But middle school was rough on you. You’ll trade those anger issues of yours for insecurity, and withdraw a bit.”

           “Don’t talk to him!” Warren spat. “You have no idea how much he’s changed!”

           “Wrong,” Old Wes sighed. “If you’d let me finish, I was going to add that your cousin gets much better and more self-assured by the time he’s your age, Warren. So he hasn’t ‘changed.’ If anything, maybe he’s just hit the maturity he’s always had in him sooner. I would’ve given him the tour next, when he was sixteen. Would have…”

           “Nick?” Ms. Porter quietly spoke from behind him after sneaking up. “Who… is that man? Why is he talking about time travel? Why does he sound so much like…”

           “Ms. Porter!” Old Wes beamed. “My favorite teacher of all time! I always wanted to ask—what the heck convinces you to teach high school later on? A free-spirited lady like yourself, dealing with ruffians? You could have taught my Warren in fifth!”

           “S-sir, I’ve never met you in my life, a-and I’d really appreciate it…” She shook her head and activated her bolder, scolding tone. “You need to stop all this, right now! I don’t know what kind of performance you’re putting on, but there are children here!”

           “Aw, I’m not trying to scare them. Besides, none of them are going to remember this anyway. But what a setup! I’ll never forget this, at least. You have met me, though. I wasn’t your best student. I probably didn’t even stand out as much as I thought I did. ‘Main character syndrome,’ am I right? But here’s the thing. If there was a main character to this strange series of events, it would be me. This ‘Nick’ guy—he’s just a second-rate copy. A product of causality wrapped in a tangled knot. To me, he popped into existence to mess with some carefully-put-together plans. Just because I made a mistake.”

           “Mistake!?” Warren bellowed. Having overworked himself and feeling smothered, he took off his sweaty mask and tossed it aside. “As if there was just one!”

           “… Nick?” Ms. Porter, as confused as could be expected, whispered and turned to him for answers. “Who… Who are you? Why did he call you Wes… and Jace?”

           Finally able to steel his nerves, Wes exhaled sharply, removed his shades with a trembling hand, and replied, “Cee, watch over the class. I’ll talk to him. And… the truth is, as unbelievable as it sounds…” He glanced at Lucy, and Wessy, trying to shield her but looking utterly bewildered himself, just like the others. “This is my nephew, Jace. Warren here is my son. And I really am Wes Colton. We’re time travelers, from 2020.”

           She let out a huff and covered her mouth, after which Millie added, “It’s all true, Ms. Porter. I’ve been helping them since New Year’s Day. It’s been a whole thing.”

           “Yes, it has,” Wes added. “Quick of it is, that guy is a different version of me. He time traveled first, manipulated events for his own gain, and screwed things up so badly for me that… I ended up starting a second loop. All I can try to do is reason with him.”

           Wes took a few brave steps out from the group, towards his elder. Some of his classmates were began to grasp the situation, and comments like, “Is that really Wes, grown up, from the future?” and, “He’s a time traveler?” drifted about. Some eyes also settled onto Wessy, who was still too confused, or shocked, to properly respond at all.

           Wes stopped, stared at himself, and asked, “What did you do to Malcolm?”

           “Dr. Corathine?” Old Wes replied. “That’s what you’re worried about? You think I kidnapped and forced him to help me? Uh. No? He willingly went to the ticking present with me! He got recruited into the Timeline Management Bureau, who run the policing agency. They’re always seeking ‘century reps,’ for help with knowledge on local history. He’s there, right now, never happier! I just got done working with him!”

           “Working with him? On… on what?”

           “Think, Colton! A fix for his grandson’s tower! André was a genius of our era, sure, but his method of time travel was dirty. Too many moving parts, gunking up the works. I’m sure you know already, but his signal was preventing us from meeting. Only one of us can exist at a time as a traveler when and where it’s active. That means you’ve been overwriting everything I’ve done… and was still working on! Tweaks and patches for reality—that sort of thing. You came along and messed up so much hard work. I mean, hell, I stole a daemon and reprogrammed it to scare you off, but you ended up destroying it. And those things aren’t easy to operate. I couldn’t even force it to devote its entire routine to you. That’s why the messages I sent through its arms were so intermittent.

           “You also pissed off the cops, and got them on my ass in the process. Those guys are so annoying. People are only supposed to use travel to see history, not change things; they take that seriously. I kept my scheming quiet, but then you started bumbling around. So I had Malcolm work on a solution to my problem in secret. He figured out a way to reprogram the signal and let both of us exist in the same time and place. As long as it’s in ‘null world,’ where the signal hasn’t propagated. The single-user problem is gone when there’s no past or future. You getting all this? Look, you can spout off all the time-travel rules and philosophy you want, but you don’t know the tech. And that’s why…”

           Old Wes abruptly shut off his monologue when something small and fast hit the invisible forcefield surrounding him, briefly illuminating its bubble-like surface. He sighed, and he and the others looked over at Celeste, holding up her slingshot fearlessly.

           “You talk too much. You really are Wes!” she fired out. “But you’re a huge jerk!”

           “I get that a lot. Tch. Celly, what did you ever see in me? Seriously.” He asked her. She scowled and kept her slingshot trained on him defiantly. “Rocks, bullets… whatever—no weaponry from this era can match 29^th century defensive hardware.”

           “I don’t want to fight,” the modern Wes said. “And I’m sure you could even beat up the military if I called them in for backup. Can we just have a conversation instead?”

           “… Nah.” Old Wes replied coldly, and raised his right arm so the spike that had popped out from a cyber-gauntlet was easily visible. “But don’t worry. I’ll put you back home once I turn you into a statue. So…” a compartment in his left gauntlet slid open, revealing a glowing blue quartz, “… let’s get this over with. I have work to do.”