C-can w-we start the... the machine now?
sure. let’s see…. we can reverse the effects and then send you back to the point before I grabbed the weird crystal.
H-how do we... r-reverse the effects? Do we... need another crystal or something?
well, we might need something but I got an idea. did you grab any of that weird blue stuff in there before they blew up?
I-I think so, I remember seeing some bottles of that weird blue liquid on the table. But w-why would that help?
I’ve seen anime where this exact thing happened and they used blue stuff to change things back.
R-right, anime, of course! Okay, let's find those bottles and hope for the best. rushes towards the wreckage
spots a bottle buried under some debris F-found it! Here, K-Kevin, take a look. Maybe this will fix us.
alright. now we just need to go to the point where I picked up the crystal and then you should just reset and be back as male.
holds the bottle tightly Alright, let's give it a try. We're gonna fix this mess and get back to normal. hastily pours the blue liquid into the machine Machine: glows brightly and begins to vibrate violently
hold on. what if instead of going back in time you went… uh… thinks for a second ….forward??
W-what?! F-forward? B-but... why would that fix anything? How could going forward in time possibly reverse what happened to us?
well, your still going to be you. I was worried about something else being changed.
hesitates for a moment, then nods O-okay, let's try it. If it means fixing us, then we'll give it a shot. But please, Kevin, be careful.
presses buttons sending her to the future
<Malice successfully travels forward in time, but finds herself in a world filled with chaos and destruction.>
sorry. that’s what happens when a new person discovers time travel. now we just need to get the military to stop experimenting with it.
looks around in shock Oh my god... This place is... It's like a nightmare! Kevin, what happened? Why is everything so destroyed?
puts hands on her shoulders things happened while I was trying to fix this. people have realized you can travel through more than just time so there’s been wars and stuff. I’m guessing your world is being attacked by another world?
grabs Kevin's arm Another world? Are you serious? What... what do we do? We have to help defend our world! We can't just stand here and do nothing!
that’d be done in a day if we show how powerful it is. you’re only here because I sent you. the military has been trying to reverse engineer the tech from what little remains of where we were.
grabs Kevin's face, her eyes filled with determination No, Kevin! We can't let them misuse this technology!
well… we already did. that’s why we’re in the time we are.
takes a deep breath, her mind racing with ideas Okay, Kevin. We need to stop them, but we can't just charge in blindly. We have to come up with a plan. First, we need to gather as much information as possible about their plans and weaknesses. Can you hack into their systems and retrieve any valuable data?
honestly, even back when I was messing with time travel I didn’t really grasp programming. I never put much effort into learning to code beyond what was needed to make it far enough to get where I was going. same with all this hacking stuff I’m hearing about.
bites her lower lip, thinking quickly Alright, no problem. We'll find someone who can help us.
you mean other than those guys? points at large crowd looking over at us
takes a deep breath, mustering up her confidence Yeah, those guys. We'll approach them and explain our situation.
it won’t do any good. they’re not even listening.
paces back and forth, frustration evident in her voice Well, we can't just sit around and do nothing! We need to make them listen, Kevin!
fine. approaches them hey!! excuse me!!! would any of you three… males? care to help two travelers from another world stop an attack from another world?? and in return, you’d get time travel!!
waves her hands frantically to get their attention Yes, yes! We need your help! Time travel, I say! Help us save our world and we'll give you the keys to the universe! Crowd: pauses, intrigued Time travel? Are you serious?
very. how do you think I got here??
quickly steps forward, eyeing the crowd with intensity Look, we don't have time for games or skepticism! Our world is at stake here. If you want time travel, you're going to help us. Now, are you in or not? Crowd: momentarily stunned, then murmurs among themselves
<Some members of the crowd agree to help Malice and Kevin, while others remain skeptical and uninterested.>