#uncrewedmeteor

~~~~~

August 24,1892.

  The cool air of Britain whisked across the land. The air was crisp and the sun  the only thing that mattered to the people was that it was not snowing or raining. People went to and fro from work or school, except for one person; Gavin free. He was always late to work for one reason: the girl with blonde hair.  He stopped every day at the local shop where she worked in, hoping that that day will be different than the other days when as soon as he looks at her he turns all dumb and unable to talk. Today, however, he knew it would be different.

  ---

  Gavin entered the shop grabbing the items he always did, a bag of crisps and a can of soda.  Gavin then walked toward the counter and placed his items onto it. His heart raced as soon as he looked. The blonde girl's eyes made Gavin melt, only to reform when she spoke.

  “How are you today, friend?” asked the blonde.

  Gavin glanced down at her name tag. “I’m doing fantastic... Barbara. How about you?” Gavin asked with a frog in his throat.

  “I’m doing great, although I got some good news and some bad news,” responded Barbara.

  “What’s the news, then?” He asked.

  “Well...” Barbara took a deep breath. But before she could continue to talk, the intercom blared.

  “BARBARA COULD YOU PLEASE GO TO THE BACK---”

  She looked at Gavin apologetically and sighed. “I’ll save the story for another time, I guess. I’ll see you around then… Gavin?” Barbara spoke as she took off her smock and folded it to a bundle.

  “Yes… Yes, Gavin. Gavin Free!” He responded, tripping over his own words to Barbara who have let off a small smile before turning around and heading to the back. Meanwhile, Gavin left the store with a smile on his face and with his heart thumping in his chest as he walked down the street. He made his way back to his friend’s flat,in which they  they shared, happily running up the stairs to the door.

  ---

  Gavin knocks on the door “Dan!” shouts Gavin banging on the door

Dan opens the  the obviously just woken up by the racket from gavins banging on the door

“ What is it Gavin ” asked Dan rubbing his eyes

Gavin walks into Dans flat “Dan something amazing happen today” said Gavin with excitement.

“yeah, come on in” said Dan closing the door behind his friend

Dan grabs a beer from the fridge and sits next to the giddy brit. Dan takes a drink “so, what happened” asked Dan taking another drink of his beer.

  Gavin leaned forward his face looking as if he just won a million dollars  “ well, you know that blonde hair girl down at the shop” asked Gavin smiling

Dan raised an eyebrow “yeah, i do, why do you ask” questioned Dan.

“Well, i think i like her, i mean like a lot” said Gavin letting out a chuckle then looking up at the ceiling with a face of joy.

“have you even really spoke to her” asked Dan in a harsh tone taking another drink from his almost empty beer.

“yes, i have Dan” responded Gavin slightly raising his voice.his brow furrowed. “Ok, whatever you say” Dan said as he finished his beer. “what are you going to do” Dan’s raised his eyebrow. “ i think i’m going to ask her out” said Gavin running his hand through his own hair. “Really,Gav” Dan mouth smiled a little at what Gavin told him “well, i wish you luck with that” added Dan as he raised his empty bottle at Gavin. “Thanks Dan” responded Gavin who stood up out of the chair.Gavin finished off his beer and threw it out. “ well Dan, i’m going to head to bed, big day tomorrow and all” said Gavin slowly trudging up the stairs to his empty room. Gavin fell on to his bed, falling asleep with a smile on his face.

                      The next morning...

Gavin woke, his mouth dry. Gavin licked his lip. Gavin sits up in bed and stretches.” what time is it” asked Gavin to himself releasing his tired groan.Gavin tiredly looked at the clock “7AM” muttered Gavin as he sat up out of his bed and placed his feet on the cold  hardwood floor. Gavin stumbled downstairs and into the kitchen. Dan was already gone, likely on his morning jog or run. Gavin glanced at the counter and saw a note that Dan left for him. It read..Gavin we are out of milk and cereal and Bevs. Go get some also......Good luck with that girl, with thanks  Dan. Gavin read over the note again “today's the day” said Gavin under his breath. Gavin slipped on his jacket then slipped out of his flat. His mind racing with what he was going to say, Rehearsing the words over and over. “ yes hello, my name is Gavin and i was wondering if you would like go out for drink or just hang out”. His palms were damp even if the weather was colder than dry the mojave. His heart raced as he tuned the corner. The store was a few blocks down the road. his head raced. “ what will she say. how will she act. what happens if she says no. what happens if she already has a boyfriend” thought Gavin to himself as his pace quickened. “ one more block” said Gavin. His pace quickened to a jog. Soon he was there. The threshold of his future. This one even could change his life forever. Gavin’s breath sped up. He lean against the wall. “ come on Gavin, You can do it”. He sits the wall lightly with his fist. “ Come on” said Gavin catching his breath. He shut his eye. He exhaled lightly. “Lets do this” said Gavin as he entered the store. Gavin did what he always did when he went there. He walked to the back grabbed a can of tea. Every step  he took,he felt like he was walking on the moon. His heart started to beat slower as he approached the front. “where is she” asked Gavin to himself. He gripped the can tighter. HIs eye darted from side to side look for the girl in blonde hair with angelic hair and voice.Her fair skin. Her beautiful yet piercing light blue eyes. Gavin was next in line. He placed his items on to the counter.

  “Hello , sir” said the fair skinned man who took the place of the girl

But what the man said fell on deaf ears. Gavin could not pay attention until he found his dream girl but once again the man said “Sir?, will this be all”. This broke Gavin from his fogged mind.

  Gavin shook his head “yes ...yes it will be sir” answered Gavin

  “how are you sir” asked the man as took care of Gavin's things

  “ i’m..good i guess but i have a question”  asked Gavin taking a deep breath. Glancing at the mans name tag Ryan it said.

  “yes sir, what is the question” asked Ryan

  “ where was the girl who was the other day. The blonde girl” asked Gavin

  “oh, she’s not here anymore, she quit answered Ryan

  “ what do you mean..  she quit” asked Gavin hiding his glazed over eyes

  “She quit and that’s all i know” responded Ryan

  “Uh...Thanks” said Gavin as he walked away from the counter

  “don’t you want these” asked Ryan

  Gavin did not respond, His eyes swelling from hold back his tears “Why...Why did i not tell her” said Gavin near sobbing as he walked down the street. “now there is no way in hell i will ever see her again” said Gavin  wiping his eyes with his sleeve “No way” Gavin looks up and staggers his way back to his flat. His mind dead. He gets home, Dan is still gone. Gavin made his way back up to his room. His emotions ablaze with regret and hopelessness “GOD DAMMIT” yells Gavin at the top of his lungs. Gavin's starts punching his walls. His knuckles turning white and bloody. Gavin knocks over his dresser causing glass to shatter along the floor. Gavin looks over to his mirror. His face is bright red and his eye swollen from his tears. Gavin take a deep breath. He lurches forward and punch the mirror. The glass shard break as he pulls his fist back. He clenches his fist  as he looks around his destroyed room. Gavin fall onto his bed and shuts his eyes. As he shut his eyes he whispers “i won’t give up on finding you”  shortly passing out afterwards....

  40 years later....

  December 24,2013

    Austin....Austin,Texas, Where the girls are hotter then the sun on a good day. The days drew on for hours and hours until the night. The night were different, they felt more alive. The people who came out, have this amtopahre glow around them where it was from the alcohol or another substance was left to the imagination. But this night it was different for one guy and a girl. There paths and pasts intertwined. It starts in Gavin Free, living day to day barely with his lack of income. He just recently moved to the states on a wim. He found odd jobs in austin but one of the best was homeslice. He made good money there, even made a friend. Ray narvaez Jr.

  “GAVIN” shouted Ray

*RAY” Gavin shouted back

“What are you going” asked Ray

“making plans for tonight” responded Gavin as repositioned his phone on his shoulder as he places a pizza in the oven.

“what are you planing” asked Ray

“ to get drunk” proclaimed Gavin's shutting the door of the oven

Ray let out a chuckle “ let me guess, 6th street?”

“you are right” laughed Gavin

“anybody you are meeting up with?” questioned Ray

“no but that’s the adventure of the night” said Gavin

 smiling

  Ray shook his head knowing Gavin would not come to work tomorrow. Being hungover at work was not on Gavin's list of things to do. Ray would cover for him when the boss would ask where he was, he always would be there for him as a friend. Gavin threw of his smock on to the rack into the back and walked to the front

  “I’m going to head out, Ray” said Gavin throwing on his jacket

“Okay dude, stay safe” said Ray joking

“No promises” laughed Gavin as he exited the store and walked down the street.

  Gavin walked down the street, the buildings blending together and the warm air blowing against his face. He felt that this day was going to be good. This feeling continued as he entered his apartment. He threw his jacket onto the couch and walked to the kitchen. His cell phone rang as he grab a beer from the fridge, Gavin reached inside his pocket and pulled out his cell. The screen read Kara. Kara was his friend and at times, she was more than a friend. Gavin pushed the button and answered

  “Hello Kara” said Gavin opening his bear and plopping into his chair

“Gav, what’s up, any plans tonight” asked Kara

“Well, yes, I’m going to 6th street” responded Gavin

“Oh great, me and a friend is going also, maybe we can meet up?” questioned Kara

“Of course, i would love to meet with your friend” responded Gavin quickly

“Great, Gav can’t wait” said Kara as she hung up her cell

  Gavin looked at his phone and let out a low sigh. “guess i should get some sleep before tonight” thought Gavin to himself as he laid himself down onto the couch and shut his eyes.

                                          8 hours later

   Gavin woke up to the sound of his alarm going off “guess it time to get up and go” said Gavin as he got off the couch tiredly stumbled into the bathroom. His mouth was dry, his lips cracked. He splashed water in his face and ran water through his hair. He shook his letting the excess water to drop out. He checked the on his phone 11:00 pm it read. He had an hour or so before Kara would come and get him. He used that time he trimmed his facial hair and a quick shower. He dressed quickly and dialed Kara

   “Hello Kara, I’m ready” said Gavin shutting and locking the door

 “Okay Gav, we’re on our way there. Five minutes” responded Kara

 “Okay Kara” said Gavin hanging up his cell and sitting on the curb throwing stones into the street. He started to juggle them when he heard a car pull and someone shout his name “Gavin?” said the unfamiliar voice out the window. Gavin looked over and saw a blonde haired girl lean out the window of Kara’s Car. Gavin awestruck by the beauty of her fails to answer before he say it again “Gavin” she yells again. Gavin shake his head and answers "yes, sorry I thinking about something". Gavin hid smile has he entered the cars back seat.

"Barbara you ready to party" asked Kara looking over to the Blonde                    

"I'm ready to partake in partying" laughed Barbara looking back at Gavin chuckling

“So Gavin, This is my friend Barbara. She just moved here, so I thought I would show her the night life we have” said Kara looking at Gavin through the mirror

“That’s nice of you Barbara” responded Gavin leaning his head back

    Gavin knew that tonight was going to be a good night out. The friends first hit a bar on 6th street called “chain drive” where they took a few shot of jack and dance with each other. But Gavin and Barbara dance together, whether it is the liquor in both of their system or maybe the night took control of their souls because for the rest of the night they could not take eyes off each other. They all along 6th clubs and bars and by the end of the Gavin felt at peace with himself, He and Barbara end the night at the last club “tough love” They saw at the bar talking while Kara danced and taking to get on the dance floor, But Gavin and Barbara talked all night when I was time to leave Barbara looked at Gavin and pecked his cheek

   “Have a nice morning Gavin” Barbara winked

 “I will Barbara. Trust me I will”

----

Spring had sprung, and the warm Austin weather had returned. The trees begun to grow little leaves and the squirrels were digging the ground for their lost acorns. It was convention season, and the Rooster Teeth employees were travelling the country for various events, leaving the ones who couldn’t travel alone in their office.

Ryan Haywood was among them, bounded by his job, he worked at his desk fixing broken consoles and editing footage. It was a slow day, and he found himself finishing editing a lot more than expected and with the building half empty, he had nothing left to fix or make. His co-worker Lindsay was working next to him on his right. The music blared from her headphones as he bobbed her head to the beat as she worked on her assignment. He sighed and he pulled on his headphones and clicked open his own music player. He found one of his favourite songs and double-clicked on it. He smiled as the familiar tune filled his ears.

He scrolled through Reddit, looking at comments and trending conversations. Among the pages he looked through, he found a particular post that caught his inventor’s eye. He straightened his back and read on. He downloaded a file of blueprints with the dimensions of parts and the extra materials needed. He hoped that the file wasn’t corrupted or a virus. The green bar finished and he clicked on the downloaded file. What he got was a multi-slide file of instructions, materials, dimensions, and notes.

What he read contained technical language he had never heard about before and searching the terms were no help at all. Luckily it had diagrams next to the text and he grasped a general consensus of what it was asking for. Many of the parts weren’t real pieces he could pick up at the closest hardware store. He looked up from his computer to glance at his 3D printer and the brown plastic object it was creating to fix a broken controller. He looked back to the file and the pieces and concluded he can probably make them and then reinforce them with melted metal.  

He needed to make his own notes and sketches and rummaged through the mess of parts on his desk for his notebook and a writing instrument of any kind. He found a dulled sketching pencil and and used his limited knowledge of drawing to sketch the pieces and the dimensions himself to grasp a more visual idea of what they would look like. He then sketched the electrical parts and what he could recycle to give the same effect. He looked at the various broken parts on his desk and he put some together and hoped to solder them together and buff them to replicate the pieces in the diagram.

He read through the notes and the dangers of the instrument. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was reading the passages correctly and the physics that it bent. He put down his pencil to relax his mind and overexcited heart. He found it entirely absurd and thought that there was no way in hell that it was going to work. He would dedicate days or perhaps weeks to perfect the instructions and designs to have it fail in his hands and he would be left would a piece of scrap plastic and metal. It would be entirely a waste of time in which he could’ve spent doing more productive and worth-while assignments.

Although, the idea intrigued him so much that his hands begged for him to build it. The whole idea needed a second person to make it work. Probably for safety and security reasons, he thought but also for the fact that nobody would want to really go at it on their own. His only decision that when it was done, who would he take with him? He had countless choices but only a selective few that would take the idea seriously and would be a reliable companion on the adventure.

“What are you up to, Ryan?” he heard a female voice say through his music. He jumped, banging his knee on his desk. The familiar artificial dark red hair came into view and could only believe it was Lindsay.  “Oh shit, you okay? I didn’t mean to scare you! You seemed stressed out about something,” she apologized. He pulled off his headphones to rub his aching knee cap.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he reassured her. He saw her stare at the files open on his computer screen and the sketches that he had done in his notebook. She lifted the notebook to inspect closer, running her fingers over the dark pencil lines and then glancing over the blueprints he had open and back to his notes. His heart dropped into his stomach and he prayed that she didn’t think he was crazy and had some weird fantasy going around in his mind. He already had a reputation for thinking about crazy things and he didn’t want to make it worse.

“Do you think it would really work?” she asked. She seemed interested in it as she leaned forward to scroll through the file. He was genuinely surprised that she didn’t laugh or immediately question his sanity and instead brought her chair closer to his to study it.

“I don’t know, but, I really want to try it out,” he replied. He ran his hand through his hair as he looked away from her and back to his computer screen at the multiple files open at once. It seemed like a lot of gibberish and countless pages of instructions. He sighed. “I need another person to make this all happen. I wouldn’t be able to do it alone.”

After a minute of silence; both staring at the mess on Ryan’s desk, Lindsay lifted her head and spoke up. “I’ll help!” Ryan turned to face her and smiled, relieved to find someone as reliable and close as Lindsay to help him on the project.

“That’s awesome. Want to stay after work to start it?” He suggested. Lindsay was almost bouncing in her seat as she nodded with a big smile on her face. They separated to get back to their computers to finish their assignments for the day. Ryan could barely concentrate properly on his editing and he tried hiding the plans so he wouldn’t be distracted by them. He could tell that Lindsay wasn’t exactly paying attention to her own work either. He noticed her staring at the clock numerous times, waiting for the five o’clock tick to signal that their day shift was over.

The hours passed by painfully slow, but once the time had come, they had jumped out of their seats to look at the plans that Ryan had sprawled over his desk. Lindsay would listen to Ryan carefully as he read out notes and put in her input when he was unsure of the wording.  

“Are you going to make the pieces with the printer?” she asked as she outlined some sketches with a red pencil crayon. The 3D printer was close to finishing what he entered earlier in the morning.

“Yeah, probably, there are a few parts that I can order online,” he answered. She nodded. Her dark red hair framing her excited face that made Ryan even more excited for their project. Their excitement got the best of them and they stayed at the office quite late planning things and where they would start. They also had to compromise that this project was second to their day jobs and they promised each other that every night, they would spend a few hours on their project. Lindsay would be the organizer and re-writing notes. She would help with simpler building tasks like gluing pieces together and leave all the more complicated engineering work to Ryan.

It had happened sometimes that their co-workers would be suspicious of their project. It’s just a prop that we’ve been commissioned to do, they lied together. Miles would try to sneak a peek at the plans but Lindsay was quick and would shoo him away.

The first week was the most frustrating for Ryan. He had to digitalize the plans onto his computer to send to the 3D printer to make. As knowledgable he was in the subject of making objects, it was frustrating when some parts didn’t have dimensions and he would have to use some math or have Lindsay sketch out the pieces to give an estimate. He ordered more plastic for it. He also custom ordered special polymers to use for thinner pieces.

“This is going to be like putting a thousand piece puzzle together,” Lindsay commented as she went through her long list of pieces by number.

“Except there is barely a reference picture to go by but terrible sketches,” he said as he wiped the sweat away from his forehead as focused on the program in front of him.He would drag layers and type in numbers that he hoped were correct. The amount of math for this project was astounding for him and he just hoped his mind didn’t blank any time soon.

He also enjoyed his newfound company with Lindsay. She would be by his side for up to twelve hours a day and never had he once wanted to walk away. He found her a joy to work with and her expanding knowledge on the subject made him extremely proud to call her his partner in crime. He might’ve felt something for her, but he didn’t want to pinpoint anything quite yet. He was almost a decade older than her and he thought he would feel guilty if he were to take her away from someone closer to her age.

It was almost ten o’clock at night when Lindsay was first to start yawning. The sound of her yawning behind him was enough to turn his brain to mush and call it a day. Monty and his team still lingered around the office and they had to hide their notes quite carefully so they wouldn’t be found and disorganized.

“Lindsay, let’s go home for the night,” he whispered calmly as he put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him with heavy lidded eyes and yawned again. She nodded and pulled her oversized sweater over her shoulders and grabbed her car keys. He wasn’t far behind her, wishing his co-workers a good night and went to his car. The night was fresh and the sky was clear. The roads were empty and the drive was calming. The radio played his favourite smooth jazz radio station. Nothing could ever go possibly wrong.

The final sketches were done and organized. Lindsay had begun gluing some of the smaller pieces together while Ryan continued to print more pieces and solder some together. Lindsay had resorted to tying her hair up in a bun while she worked. It was a change from her long face framing red hair. He loved to watch her work. Small womanly fingers carefully gluing pieces together like a puzzle. Her blue eyes going from the blueprints to the object in her hands. Once in a while, her tongue would stick out a little as she tried to line them up together as precisely as she could.

They had a busy week of editing ahead of them, with a new game coming out that they would surely play, the contraption would be left until all was edited and published. Ryan decided it would be best to bring pieces home, to screw them in in his garage and to bring out the torch for metallic pieces. Lindsay also agreed to bring pieces home to work on.

It wasn’t long until the main frame was built and all Ryan had to do was work on the electrical center and to give it a metal casing. According to the plans and blueprints, there were to be two separate pieces to be connected only when they were ready to travel. Lindsay was inexperienced with electrical wires and usually just sat on a stool as Ryan did his work. She watched him carefully as he tied wires together and tested for a current. Little boxes of buttons and lights began to flicker and she saw the smile spread across his face that what he was doing was actually working well.

Lindsay felt helpless in the upcoming week. The casing for the electrical wiring and buttons was now complete and she had finished spray painting the customized metal casing to a rusted out gold colour. She found it only appropriate to make it look like such.

“Can I help?” she asked as she stayed after work on a Wednesday. She didn’t necessarily needed to be there but felt like she should stick around to keep Ryan company on their project. Ryan was wearing a pair of reading glasses as he held electrical tweezers to connect wires together. He looked up from his work at Lindsay. She felt her heart jump in her chest from how his blue eyes looked in the frames.

“I’m almost done connecting these wires together and then you can help me put it in the case,” he sighed before he chuckled. “Then, you can help me test it out.” He grinned and she bounced in her seat. They had been working on it for many weeks now and the time for it to finally come alive was drawing near and the purple hues under their eyes showed their excited but exhausted hearts.

It was almost ten o’clock at night when Ryan was done. The mess of cables, computer parts and unknown objects was slowly placed in the casing. Lindsay tried her best to steady her shaking hands as she slipped wires and parts in their respected place with the supervision and helping hands of her partner in crime. The two separate parts were ready, to only to be connected to commence.

“Let’s do this now!” Lindsay exclaimed. Her excited face turned into a yawn. Ryan chuckled before petting her red hair.

“Let’s sleep on it, don’t worry, I’m excited too,” he comforted.

The next day was a Wednesday, and probably the busiest day at the office. Lindsay had footage to edit by mid-day and Ryan had recording and editing too. Their hearts raced since they arrived, seeing the completed device sitting on their desk with the chain in the middle of the two pieces. The red and green lights flashed and the buttons begged to be pushed to the desired date. Both tried to blast out their thoughts with music or the sound coming from the footage.

“Lindsay,” Ryan started. It was five minutes away until the end of their shift. Lindsay slowly pulled off her headphones and turned her head towards him. She looked like she was going to burst. She covered her emerging grin with her oversized sweater sleeves. Ryan grinned as he gave her his hand so he could slip on her brace. She gave him her small hand and he gently pushed up the sleeve to her mid-elbow, taking into thought how soft and small her wrist was. He slipped it on and the device seemed to form onto her skin. Ryan let her go and she moved her fingers through their proper holes. Ryan took the time to slip on his own, feeling the spray painted plastic scratch a little at his skin. The electrical pieces gave a weight to it and he could’ve sworn it became softer when it touched his skin. The lights began to flicker on their own. He had to connect the remaining piece that linked an electrical current through their braces. He secured one end of the electrical chain to Lindsay’s device.

Ryan’s hand carefully clipped the other end to his own and the metal began to heat up slightly. Lindsay got up from her seat and it tugged on Ryan’s. He got up to her and watched the devices come to life, flickering their lights until the small screen he had to make and install lit up.

Insert the desired date, it said. Ryan looked at Lindsay who looked back.

“What date should we try out?” she asked. Ryan could’ve picked twenty dates off the hatch. To see dinosaurs, to see spaceships, to see the President, to go to 1975 for some reason he didn’t know. Though, he didn’t want to risk taking a wrong step and changing time for the worse. They might get caught, or if the braces broke, they would be stuck in a time they were unfamiliar with and never be born.

“Let’s go back to tomorrow, to be safe, because there are risks to all this power,” he explained. She nodded. She looked more anxious than excited. He pressed the buttons to get to the desired date and then flicked a switch. Lindsay took hold of Ryan’s hand as she could feel every nerve in her body tickle and twitch violently. Ryan held her hand tightly and pulled her close, afraid to lose her in the teleportation. His muscles burned as he closed his eyes. Lindsay was hidden in his chest and he was lucky to still feel her.

There was no weight to them, their fears and thoughts were spread out into nothing. All they felt was darkness until they felt a sudden jerk and their feet were on the ground. Lindsay pulled apart to tap her body, glad that she was intact.

“That was, something special,” she said. She looked around herself. They were at the office, it was around midday and there were their co-workers walking around and greeting them.

“Weren’t you two just at your desk?” Burnie asked as he passed. Ryan’s heart began to beat violently in his chest, they were manipulating time and that wasn’t a good thing. Their physical beings were in a different time.

“Just getting some coffee,” he replied. Lindsay nodded with a smile on her face. Pulling on Ryan’s arm to hide their braces behind her back.

“Alright, remember you both have to submit the final footage by five,” he reminded. They both nodded in reassurance that they will be done. And that they remembered that they were in the middle of editing it right then. They quickly peaked through the studio walls to their desks.

It was a whole new experience, they saw themselves tapping away at their computers without a problem. The unfinished braces were on their desks. Ryan couldn’t believe how old he looked. He knew he was only in his early-thirties but he saw how tired he looked and he mentally promised himself that he should sleep more. Lindsay on the other hand was quite, intrigued by herself.

“You never told me that my hair was doing that curly thing in the back?” She said as she violently tapped his arm.

“Does it really matter now?” he replied, rubbing his arm. She had a lot of strength in her. “We should try another date, this is really weird.”

“I want to do one thing,” she tugged on his brace and she guided him to the Achievement Hunter office. She pulled something out of her pocket and placed it on Gavin’s empty desk. It was a USB. “Let’s go.”

He let her pick the date and she picked a date in the future. Same day, just, ten years later. It was risky but, he believed it was worth it.

The future held answers to their lives. Where they will be in ten years, will they still be there at Rooster Teeth? Will they make a mistake? Can they change the future? Only pressing the button would change. Ryan would pull Lindsay into his chest, afraid of losing her in the void travelling. They landed in the early work hours when people had only started to arrive.

They had to be stealthy. They couldn’t risk being seen by their co-workers. If they still worked there. The first thing they noticed was that the building was entirely renovated and it looked expanded. They crept around the hallways, sneaking looks at the offices. They recognized a few familiar faces. Barbara was there, with shorter hair but still as glamourous as they knew her. Monty had begun to grow gray hair and was working on another season of his animation. Chris, Kerry and Miles hadn’t changed much other the speckles of gray hair and wrinkles. Miles’ ring finger flashed a gold bang and Lindsay bounced a little.

“He finally proposed, you go Miles.” she whispered as they snuck away. Ryan chuckled but seem worried that they hadn’t found his or her desk. Did they still work there? Where they dead? He gulped and Lindsay tugged as she found his desk. It was officially joined with the Achievement Hunter office. It was next to Ray’s desk. He smiled at how his desk was still cluttered with parts and objects for fixing controllers. It seemed like he hadn’t changed much at all. Ray’s desk was still full of fanart and plushies he had gotten in the mail. Ray would be thirty-four at this time. Ryan remembered he would be forty-two. Lindsay would be thirty-four also.

Ryan looked at their computers, they were beautifully new and looked much more high-tech than what they had in the present time.

“Where’s my desk?” she whispered. The building began to fill up with people and they were running out of time. They looked around the room. Geoff, Jack, and Michael’s desk was still there. “Where’s Gavin’s?” Ryan shrugged. While glancing around his desk once again, he found a picture that made him grin so hard that his cheeks hurt. On the computer screen, a yellow post-it note with his handwriting was stuck.

September 25th, 2016. Take this picture for safe-keeping when you go back to the present. I remembered.

He quickly took the picture and shoved it in his pocket. They crept back into the hallway, passing by new and familiar names.

“Hey Lindsay!” they heard a familiar voice say. They stopped in their tracks to turn around. Ryan felt his jaw drop. It was Gavin Free, someone they had seen only half an hour before they began their journey through time. His hair was still the same old messy shape but it was a few shades darker. He was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, like they remembered him but his face was well shaved and he was wearing a suit jacket.

“Hey Gavin, how have you been?” She smiled and greeted.

“Pretty good, you seem to be growing your hair out again, and dying it red, like when you were younger,” he said as he touched her hair sensually. Ryan clenched his fist. He didn’t want Gavin touching her like that. He cursed that he couldn’t do anything about it because it would seem off and probably break time. He caught Gavin’s eyes and he could’ve sworn that he smirked.

“Uhm, yeah, well, it was retro,” she joked. He gave out a low chuckle. Ryan checked for any rings on his left hand but it was tucked away in his pocket.

“We should be going, we have a few things to finish,” Ryan spoke up. He tugged on Lindsay’s brace and they walked down the hall. They were always checking for new people. Suddenly, Lindsay’s arm was pulled into a room along with Ryan. The door shut behind them. Whom was standing in front of them made Lindsay’s mouth drop.

“I know, I look great at this age, huh?” It was thirty-four year old Lindsay. Her hair was in a short bob and her hair was a dark brown shade instead of the bright dark red.. Ryan smiled as she looked just as beautiful as the present Lindsay. “Now, let’s get to business, I’ve already fucked over time by doing this so bare with me. When you go into the past, do not move the stapler. It’s a stupid thing but, just, don’t. For our future and your present time. Initially, whatever you do in the past is worse than the mistakes you make in the future,” she warned. Ryan noticed that her eyes would linger on him more than Lindsay and he could only blush and try to look away. “No, change time here, it would be safer than hidden in Burnie’s office.”

“But I have so many questions to ask you,” Lindsay spoke up. “Like, is Gavin still part of Achievement Hunter? Am I missing something important in my life?” she asked. Older Lindsay backed away and bit her lip. Her arms were tightly across her chest. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a button up shirt. Her eyes were lined with black eyeliner. The gold band flickered on her finger.

“I wish I can tell you but it would mess up the future more than I already have right now, go!” she pushed. “Everything will be alright. You have Ryan, Lindsay, life is going to go alright, don’t worry so much,” she comforted. She walked over to them and pressed the buttons to a date of her choice.

She pressed the button and they were transported to the year 2010. Not too far in the past but both of them had only started to work there. Lindsay was still an intern and he was working on RVB. They knew each other but not as personally as they did now. Lindsay walked first, dragging him behind her.

“Don’t move the stapler. What does she mean?” Lindsay asked.

“Lindsay! Ryan!” He heard Burnie shout out their names. They quickly turned around. “Do any of you have a stapler?” he asked. That was quick.

“I should have one on my desk,” Ryan responded. Burnie took a sip of the coffee in his mug.

“Alright, cool, drop it off in my office. I have to go see Shannon,” he said and pushed aside them. Ryan and Lindsay casually walked to the studio and looked inside.

“Crap! I’m at my desk,” Ryan said as he shut the door.

“Let’s rush inside and get the stapler. You’re probably too busy to notice yourself getting a stapler,” she pointed it out. It still made Ryan uneasy to twist time but it was a chance he would have to take. Maybe he would understand something that he never knew. Changing the past would mean that he might not be standing there with Lindsay, in a different time and time machines attached to their wrists. He thought of the photograph in his pocket.

“Okay, run with me,” he replied and he opened the door to quickly run inside, tugging hard on the chain that hooked them together. He quickly grabbed the stapler on his desk and ran out.

“Hey! Wait!” he heard himself yell. They quickly made their way to Burnie’s desk and placed it violently on Burnie’s desk, with a loud clack. It rolled onto the desk and was just about to fall over the other side. Ryan was tugging at her chain so they can move as quickly as they can.

Lindsay reached out to move it but then pulled back, remembering what he future self had told them. Don’t move the stapler. That’s when Ryan smelled smoke. He looked down at the brace and saw that he must’ve pulled too hard on the chain and it had cracked the plastic on Lindsay’s end. He was panicking and he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the hallway and into the bathroom. She saw the smoke once they got settled she was panicking also. Looking up at Ryan for answers. He pulled out electrical tape from his jean pockets, hoping it would do the trick. It sparked and he blew the smoke away so he can have a clearer view of what he was trying to fix.

“Ryan, you’re getting a little blurry,” she informed him. He shot up to look at her, she was indeed fading. She leaned against the sink as Ryan went on one knee to inspect it easier. They were losing the connection between their braces; indicated by the flickering lights and the screen going on and off. He tried to fix it faster, looking up at her arm to see it become transparent and then go back to being tangible again. She was moving her fingers in fear. “I don’t want to get lost in the void,” she stammered. She sounded like she was going to cry in terror. He got the current going again and immediately shot up to cup her face.

“I would never lose you, trust me okay?” He comforted. He quickly licked his lips and kissed her. He was afraid to fail, to fail her, to fail the project they had spent countless weeks building together. It was a risky project and he had pulled her into it. He had pulled her into a project that he believed to be a risk to one’s own being. He placed an arm around her waist to bring her closer. She had kissed back the second his lips started to move. He could feel the current come at go at random intervals by the way her clothes would suddenly cave in and return to their form. He wanted that if she was to disappear, so would he. He couldn’t imagine going back to the future and not seeing her sitting next to him. The more he felt her disappear in his arms, the more his brain would tell him to pull away and fix the damn chain. He pulled apart and looked at her for a moment before going back doing to add more tape. He pulled out all the little parts he carried with him out of his pockets and laid them on the ground. He need to help push the current; to form an electrical charge so it can run smoothly again. He found a piece of wire that hooked the chain back onto it’s position. “I need metal, any kind of metal,” he emptied his pockets and he had none. Lindsay, still half-dazed from the kiss managed to go through her jean pockets to find what might help.

“I have some aluminum foil in my pocket, from lunch, use it,” she ordered. Ryan happily took it from her hand and wrapped the broken cables with it. She was close to disappearing when the current was strong enough again to be stable. He added the rest of his electrical tape to close it firmly. He sighed with relief as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. He looked up to see Lindsay looking down at him.

“That was some awesome kissing skills there,” she giggled. He stood back up to give her one more, feeling his heart swell and rush blood to his head. “Let’s go back home, I think we played with it enough for now.” She said. Ryan nodded, he was exhausted from the adrenaline rushes and the running around. He pulled away from Lindsay to press the button on their braces and hoped that it worked. It sparked a little but Ryan could feel himself warm up once again and become light as a feather. Lindsay gripped onto Ryan’s shirt as they traveled through the void and to the time they left.

The arrived standing at their desks, where they were when they departed. All was intact and things hadn’t changed. Everything seemed in its proper place. It seemed like they never left to begin with. Lindsay smiled as she checked the date and time to make sure they arrived correctly. She looked at Ryan who was removing the braces from their arms. They were warm to the touch and he was sure it wasn’t due to them wearing it.

“Hey Lindsay, you left this on my d-” Gavin announced as he pushed the door. He stopped in his tracks as he saw the two kiss. Lindsay pulled away to see what he wanted. “Uh, it’s a corrupted file, couldn’t open it,” he continued as he quickly put the stick on her desk.

“Probably nothing special anyways,” she replied. Ryan was looking at him, mouthing to shoo away. Gavin nodded and winked before he walked out of the studio.

The braces weren’t to be put away in boxes and never be touched again. No. They were put to good use, and their desks became cluttered with objects from different times and places. Ryan has continued to expand on it, to include different coordinates in the world, giving them an advantage in their explorations. They become time travelers, or historians, whatever they preferred that day.

When it was time to go back to present time, Ryan would gently pull out the photo out of his pocket. He never travelled to that date to save himself the surprise. His fingers ran over the lines of her white dress and his tuxedo. It made him patient for something. Lindsay was placing her belongings in his apartment when she came up to kiss his head.

"Barbara, my name’s Barbara." The blonde said with a smile, one so bright it caused Gavin’s heart to flutter. He grinned back, chewing his lip as his fingers toyed with the glass he was holding.

"Pretty name for a pretty girl." Gavin thought aloud, immediately blushing and mentally kicking himself as the words left his mouth. To her credit, Barbara giggled and shook her head.

"Cheesy line." She murmured and Gavin swallowed, he’d gone and screwed it up again. Like always.

Barbara sensed his unease and giggled, using her freehand to grab at his fingers. Gavin looked in confusion as one of his hands was pulled from his glass, held in the air by Barbara’s delicate ones. He looked from their hands to her face, his churning stomach settled by her easy smile. He felt her tug, starting to walk and pull Gavin away.

"Where are we going?" He asked dumbly, being dragged through the crowds of what was left of the party. Barbara giggled, stopping for a moment to look Gavin in the eye.