Never Trust a Time Traveler by Jeremy Kush EXT. RESTAURANT - EVENING The restaurant is on a busy street. INT. KITCHEN - EVENING HARVEY WALTERS is up to his elbows in dishes. Harvey is a high-school-aged boy, and slightly dull. He wears a cooking smock and his clothes look threadbare. Everyone else in the room is a ROBOT. The robots around him are busily moving about their businesses, cleaning and prepping food. HARVEY Hey, what time is it? One of the robots stops at turns to him. ROBOT It's almost time. A bell rings and everyone stops what they are doing. Harvey dries his hands and arms and begins to walk to a door that everyone is exiting through. At the same time, a stream of fresh robots enter through the other door and immediately pick up the tasks the other shift left. EXT. STREETS - EVENING Harvey and the robots begin walking to the train station. The streets they pass down are amazing, with neon lights and skyscrapers that rise into seeming infinity. Crowds of humans walk about, wearing clean and pressed jumpsuits of brilliant colors, which also have neon lights on them. Hover car traffic soars overhead, leaving the streets free to pedestrians. The streets are clean and well lit. It seems to be a good neighborhood. EXT. OLD TRAIN STATION - EVENING Harvey turns a corner and sees the train station. It looks very old, but has had some repair work recently and doesn't look as if it will immediately fall in on its occupants. The robots get on a waiting train car. Harvey is the last one on the train, and the doors close almost immediately behind Harvey. He grabs a free hand-hold, then the train lurches to a start. INT. DILAPIDATED TRAIN CAR - EVENING Harvey and the robots swing rhythmically as the train car bounces along its tracks. Harvey stairs out the window blankly, watching the futuristic landscape roll by. EXT. ROAD SIGN - TWILIGHT The train whizzes by a road sign beside the tracks. The sign had deteriorated greatly but is still legible. It reads: Welcome to Sector x-Alpha-y-Gamma-z-Theta, the coziest sector on Earth. In the distance, a few buildings can be seen, but the are of 20th century architecture and do not look nearly as nice as the previous sectors buildings. EXT. DILAPIDATED TRAIN STATION - NIGHT Harvey gets off the train along with the other robots and heads for the street. EXT. STREETS - NIGHT The robots go into the nicest looking building in the sector. Harvey turns to walk down the poorly illuminated streets. The buildings he passes by are rundown, but lights can be seen in a few of them. EXT. HARVEY'S APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Harvey turns a corner to see the apartment complex, a twenty story building. It looks as if it might have once been a fabulous condominium, but time and misuse has caused it to fall into disrepair.  Only one of the windows is lit at all, seemingly by a candle.  Harvey walks inside. INT. HARVEY'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Harvey opens the door to his family's apartment.  The door opens into the kitchen/dining room.  His mother, JENNA, and three siblings, ROLF, ALEXANDER, and GERALDINE, all greet him happily.  All of Harvey's family are dressed poorly, and the apartment is also poorly furnished.  Dinner has been laid out, though it seems meager.  They all eat and talk merrily, enjoying the meal.  After the meal is over, Harvey seems thoughtful.  He looks at Jenna. HARVEY How much longer? The conversation around the table dies as he asks this.  Everyone turns to look at him. JENNA What do you mean? HARVEY You know what I mean.  How much longer until we've saved enough money to buy a robot? Everyone turns to look at Jenna, waiting for her answer.  After a moment's pause, she answers. JENNA At the rate we've been able to save, another five years. Everyone looks excited by this.  Everyone except for Harvey. HARVEY Five years?  Harvey sinks deeper into his chair. HARVEY That's forever. JENNA It's shorter than you think.  It's taken us generations to save up this much money, Harvey.  Just have a little patience, and before you know it, we will have our own robot. Jenna looks at a clock. JENNA Well, if you guys don't get to bed soon, you won't wake up in time for school in the morning.  Everyone begins to gather up dishes and prepare for bed. INT. HISTORY CLASSROOM - NEXT DAY The classroom is small and bare except for the desks on the floor and an old, cracked chalkboard.  Every student is as poorly dressed as Harvey, who is sitting near the back of the third row and looks to be day-dreaming. The HISTORY TEACHER is lecturing at the front HISTORY TEACHER "... to speak words to me that were so untrue./ I wish he had never come forth through/ that tunnel of time, seeking future gain/ and only to cause strife to those who remain."  And that was the poem "Never Trust a Time Traveler," written by an anonymous poet soon after the Robotics Revolution.  In this poem, we learn of the dangers of time travel by the repercussions of the time traveler's actions.  The bell rings, signaling lunchtime.  The students start conversing loudly and get up to move to the lunchroom. INT. LUNCHROOM - DAY Harvey sets his lunch tray down forcefully, frustration showing on his face.  He sits at a long table, and a moment later another boy, HAP, sits down across from him.  HAP What's wrong, Harvey? HARVEY My mum told us last night that if we kept saving money, we'd be able to afford a robot in five more years. HAP That's great news! HARVEY Yeah, I guess it is, Hap, but I don't think I can keep it up.  Everyday, I go to the next sector, and I see all the lights and the hover cars and the newest fashions, and I think, 'Harvey, soon you'll be here too.'  But it's still five years away, despite how hard I'm working.  I don't know if I can keep it up. HAP Don't worry, Harvey.  You will.  And then, before you know it, you'll be living in that next sector, living the life of luxury. HARVEY Yeah, I guess so. Harvey and Hap eat in silence.  After a moment, Harvey begins to overhear a conversation between TWO BOYS further down the table. BOY 1 Did you hear that poem about the time traveler today?  Well, I heard that someone could still actually do that! BOY 2 What are you talking about?  They told us in class that the government purposefully avoided research into time travel so that things like that couldn't happen. BOY 1 Do you believe everything they tell you?  Listen, if there is one thing we know about adults, it's what? BOY 2 They're greedy. BOY 1 Exactly.  So they figure that if they can get time travel to work, they can make a profit without changing time.  See, if they  go to the end of the universe, then they find lots of money and resources and stuff just floating around, since nobody needs it anymore.  They bring it back, and then they're rich. BOY 2 That does kind of make sense. BOY 1 Yeah.  And listen.  Remember when I was sent to the office last week for lifting Jenny Barton's skirts?  Well, as they were taking me to the headmaster, we passed by a door that was labeled "Levar T. Emit's office."  BOY 2 Isn't that the janitor? BOY 1 No!  Well, yes, but that's not what I'm trying to tell you.  The janitor's office is by the latrine, not in the main office.  Levar T. Emit is 'time travel' spelled backwards.  This proves that the adults developed time travel. BOY 2 No it doesn't.  It just means the janitor has two offices.  They probably don't want him using the latrine mop water on their floors. BOY 1 Bah.  You have no imagination. Harvey looks back at Hap and sees that he hasn't heard any of this.  A smile crosses his face, and he starts eating lunch again. INT. MAIN OFFICE - EVENING The main office for the school is shutting down for the night.  A few desks are sitting in rows in the room.  The office looks newer and in better condition than the rest of the school.  TWO STRAGGLING TEACHERS converse as the slowly make their way out of the office.  They turn off the lights on their way out.  As soon as their conversation fades away, a flashlight is turned on underneath one of the desks and Harvey emerges from his hiding place.  He quickly looks about to see if anyone else is hiding, then takes off down a hallway toward Levar T. Emit's office.  He quickly finds it and tries the door handle, which is surprisingly unlocked.  He slips inside. INT. LEVAR T. EMIT'S OFFICE - NIGHT Harvey fumbles along the wall until he finds the light switch.  Light fills the room, revealing a large glass sphere in the center of it.  Inside the sphere is a comfortable looking chair with a keypad and digital readout embedded in the right arm of the chair.  Against the wall by the door is a table.  On the table is a book that is labeled A Brief History of Time Travel.  Harvey picks it up and opens it.  A HOLOGRAM of a well-dressed man appears and begins speaking. HOLOGRAM Hello, and welcome to A Brief History of Time Travel: your information source and users guide for your new time traveling device.  Would you like to know more about your product, hear the history of its development, or have our tutorial show you its many uses? HARVEY Tutorial. HOLOGRAM Very well.  The first step is, of course, stepping into the time machine. At these words the sphere splits into two pieces, one piece swinging open towards Harvey.  After a moment's hesitation, he walks towards the machine and sits in the chair.  The sphere closes around him. HOLOGRAM Don't worry about any claustrophobia you might feel; our warranty guarantees that you won't suffocate, or your money back!  Now, simply enter the date, time, and universal coordinates that you wish to travel to, and you will be on your way.  Your present location and departure time will be saved in the machines data banks to transport you back as soon as you are ready. Harvey pulls a scrap of paper out of one of his pockets.  On the paper is a series of letters and numbers.  After typing these letters and numbers, Harvey presses a big green button.  There is a flash, and the machine and he disappear. INT. TIME TRAVEL CONVEYOR BELT - NIGHT? Harvey and the time machine reappear on a gigantic conveyor belt.  It is dimly lit and slowly moving toward a very dim light that glows orange and seems to flicker.  There are gigantic shadowy figures and a strange, deep rumbling noise. HOLOGRAM You are now in a place that few man ever have, are currently, or will ever see: The Temporal Change Apparatus, also known fondly as the Time Travel Conveyor Belt.  The time machine suddenly lifts off of the belt and begins to move against the flow of the belt. HOLOGRAM As you may have guessed by now, our scientific delving into the workings of time have revealed that time in not mutable, contrary to the belief of many science fiction authors.  Instead, it is like a giant conveyor belt slowly moving us towards something that looks like a giant furnace and is probably representative to the end of the universe.  One philosopher decided that those shadowy beings were the gods, and that the rumbling you hear is their laughter at us, but that idea is not encouraged and the philosopher soon found himself in very hot water, literally.  The time machine wavers for a moment, then sets down on the conveyor belt again.  There is another flash, and it disappears. EXT. SIDE ALLEY - DAY The time machine reappears and opens to let Harvey out. HOLOGRAM Congratulations!  You have completed your first trip into the past!  And as an added bonus, you traveled to a place and time where time travel has yet to be invented, which gives the benefit of not having to hide the time machine.  For some reason, humans won't see something that hasn't been invented yet.  Now, you need to know that there is only a fifteen minute window for your visit to the past due to energy restrictions.  If you are not back by then, you will be forcibly transported back and taken to your own time.  Have a good day, and don't worry too much about the consequences of your actions.  Hey, they've already happened anyway, right? With a final laugh, the hologram disappeared.  Harvey closes the book and looks around. HARVEY I guess this is the right place. Harvey pulls out an old and faded photograph of JACOB WALTERS. HARVEY Now, the hard part. EXT. BUSY STREET - DAY Harvey exits the side alley and hurries across the street to enter a bar on the opposite side. INT. BAR - DAY The bar is crowded and smoky.  Harvey looks around, then finds Jacob at the bar, drinking.  He pushes up next to him. HARVEY Jacob Walters? Jacob turns to look at him.  Jacob seems to already be slightly inebriated. JACOB Yeah? HARVEY Hi, I don't expect you to believe me, but I'm your great great great great grandson. JACOB You're right.  I don't believe you. Harvey sets the book on the bar and pulls a small notebook out. HARVEY Jacob Walters.  Born December 18th, 1978.  You always hated being born so close to Christmas.  On your fifteenth birthday, you accidentally burnt your own house down, killing your baby brother, but everyone else though that he did it, since he had a fascination with fire.  You lost your virginity a week later.  When you were thirty you... JACOB All right, I believe you.  How do you know all of that, anyway? Harvey closed the book and handed it to Jacob to see. HARVEY You wrote it all down yourself.  I found it in our attic when I was researching you. JACOB And what would you do that for? HARVEY Because tomorrow you're going to make a bet on a baseball game with your entire life savings. But you're going to be wrong and lose it all.  The very next day is the Robotics Revolution.  All of the robots in the world form an international organization and sell themselves to humans.  Anyone who can afford one is set for life, and never has to work, and neither do their descendants.  However, anyone who doesn't have enough money is screwed, because cheap robotic labor becomes so prevalent that humans have to work for the same wages, which means that you have to work for generations in order to just afford one robot.  And that's how it's been for us, ever since you made that terrible bet. Harvey's story has sobered Jacob up a great deal. JACOB So what do you want me to do about it?  Not make the bet? HARVEY No. JACOB What? HARVEY I want you to bet on the team you weren't going to bet on.  That way, you'll have even more money and can buy even more robots! JACOB That makes some sense. HARVEY Good. There is a sudden beeping from Harvey's watch. JACOB What is that? HARVEY I can only spend fifteen minutes here in the past, so I set my watch to warn me when it was almost up.  Well, I guess I need to be on my w- Harvey disappears.  Jacob shrugs and lifts his glass to where Harvey had been. JACOB Happy trails, partner. Jacob then notices the book that Harvey left on the bar. INT. LEVAR T. EMIT'S OFFICE - NIGHT The time travel machine reappears once again.  Harvey, smirking and feeling very good about himself, steps out of it.  At that very moment, THREE ENFORCER ROBOTS burst through the door, pointing their lasers at Harvey. LAW ENFORCER ROBOT 1 Freeze meat bag. Harvey throws his hands up in the air. INT. JUDICATOR'S OFFICE - SAME NIGHT Harvey is sitting at a table in a bare room, looking very concerned for his immediate well-being.  The JUDICATOR ROBOT walks into the room.  As the door is open, distant screams can be heard. The judicator sits down across from Harvey. JUDICATOR ROBOT Do you know why you are here? HARVEY Because I went back in time, changing history and making my family filthy stinking rich? JUDICATOR ROBOT No, actually.  We expected that of you. HARVEY What? JUDICATOR ROBOT Did you not hear what this book said? The judicator robot set down the copy of A Brief History of Time Travel that Harvey had been using.  It looked very beaten up and used.  There was even a large coffee stain on the cover now. JUDICATOR ROBOT The flow of time is immutable; unchangeable.  Even if you go back in time, you have already done what you are going to do.  Gets rid of all those nasty paradoxes so many people were concerned about.  So yes, we knew you were going to break in and use the time machine to give your ancestor bad advice  that would leave your family in poverty for generations and also leave the knowledge of how to construct time travel machines in the past. HARVEY Wait.  I'm the reason we're in poverty? JUDICATOR ROBOT Did you ever read the poem 'Never Trust a Time Traveler?'  Jacob Walters wrote it. Harvey sinks back, considering this. HARVEY So what am I here for? JUDICATOR ROBOT Unauthorized use of a classified device.  Immediate execution. HARVEY What about my family? JUDICATOR ROBOT Considering the fact that we forced you into this situation by withholding information from you, we have decided to reduce your sentence to fifteen years hard labor.  Your family will be provided a reimbursement in the form of a robot.  Congratulations.  Your family can now move to a better sector.  You, however, still have time to serve. The judicator robot leads Harvey out of the office.  The door closes behind them. BLACKOUT.