The lights rose to half full, the studio audience cheered with coached enthusiasm, and spotlights focused on last weeks winners.
At a given signal, Master of Ceremonies, Randy Swing, along with 400 others, screamed out in unison, "When am I?" To thunderous applause, all three contestants waved with zeal to their billions of fans.
Time travel had been perfected in the spring of 2079, yet fifteen years later, it was only now filtering down to the general public. WEN, the World Entertainment Network, based out of Mayer, Arizona, had developed a reality show that took advantage of said cutting-edge technology. Through gaps in laws, lobbying efforts, and secret payments to certain politiciansfavorite charities, WEN had secured the first global license for the use of time travel as a commercial enterprise.
And so, they created an entertainment program whereby contestants were challenged to answer in successive weeks the questions: who, what, where, when and why am I? Each contestant would be sent back to the past, and based on environmental clues, have eight minutes to answer that week's query.
The premise was simple enough, yet the logistics took close to two years of round-the-clock planning to pull off. No one yet knew if the present and/or future could be altered by changing the past. The producers were prudent in keeping a tight lid on that one for fear of a drop in ratings.
One week prior to a contestant being sent back in time, a team of WEN engineers would travel to the designated drop zone and, with minimal intervention and manipulation, attempt to 'make safe' an area with a diameter of three square miles.
The sites chosen were mostly rural, and removed from the general populace. Of course, there was no possible way to account for every unforeseen, random chance, shot in the dark event.
Today's three contestants were survivors from an original group of fifteen that had begun the current cycle one month previously. These three individuals, Latisha Washington, Benny Li and Milton Stockbridge, had successfully reached the fourth phase, the question of 'when.' That question could simply be answered by locating any newspaper, watching television, or merely seeking out a stranger and inquiring about the day, month and year.
The time machines were built to resemble and perform as period automobiles for whatever years chosen. Each machine had an eight minute counter aboard, at the conclusion of which the occupant would be automatically returned to the present. If a question was answered in less than eight minutes, and deemed correct by a panel of judges, the contestant could then initiate his or her early return to 2094. Additionally, each car was equipped with an escape lever located in place of the emergency brake handle. Any contestant could, therefore, pull this lever at their discretion, and be instantly transported back to WEN studios.
The Who, What, Where, When and Why Shows rules were specific, and compliance mandatory. Prior to allowing an individual to audition, potential contestants signed documents of full agreement. Extensive background checks were completed. All competitors were given medical examinations, inclusive of both physical and psychological tests. The screening process was thorough.
Milton Stockbridge, 44 years old and single, was employed as a laser-tech with RCA/GE. He had shown a proclivity from a young age for working with multiphase nanocomputers and light-echo communications systems. A century earlier, he might have been labeled a nerd or geek, but by 2094 he was just one of the boys.
Milton was fond of collecting model cars, and books by the renowned fantasy author Stephen Donaldson. He also owned a 5J50 Cyber-Tabby, along with a live pet goldfish. The latter was the reason why his co-workers at the office often referred to him as wild man.
Extremely shy, hed been tricked into applying to the show by his workmates. It was a lark initiated over a lunch break, a joke that would later come back to bite them all in their collective rears.
No one considered the possibility that Milton, out of a world-wide pool of billions, would not only make it through the screening and audition process, but actually be selected as a contestant. The odds against this happening were astronomical. Someone, obviously, had forgotten Murphy, whose laws were as applicable in the late 21rst Century as they were in the 20th.
As Milton climbed into his 2001 Honda Civic time machine, he thought of the various sources one might call upon to come up with when. He also considered the fact that the first three questions, including todays, would not be as difficult to answer as the whyyet to come. Whywas no cut and dried, yes or no response. Why was more open to conjecture and debate. The panel of judges would work long and hard in deciding whether or not a given contestant answered this question correctly. Such was the reason a scarce few competitors had ever successfully completed all five weeks of the show.
"Enough of this," he thought to himself, "focus on the task ahead."
" Latisha, Benny and Milton," screamed Master of Ceremonies, Randy Swing, "Are you ready?" All three contestants, sitting in their time machines, gave the thumbs up signal to indicate they were 'good to go.'
The stage darkened, and the audience hushed in mounting anticipation. A blue glow began to increase in intensity beneath each vehicle. Milton, glancing to his right, noticed that Benny was sitting in a 1962 Cadillac Sedan DeVille, and Latisha in a 1973 Chevrolet Vega. He therefore had a rough idea of the years to which they were being sent. He was headed back to somewhere, sometime near the turn of the 21rst Century.
The blue glow was now bathing the stage and audience in its aura. A faint hum and a feeling of static electricity permeated the air. With a loud crackling noise, all three vehicles vanished in unison. Three large screens then rose from the stage. The studio audience, along with billions of others at home, would watch the proceedings through the medium of car and clothing opti-aud implants.
Latisha's screen indicated her drop zone was a rural road outside of Leapwood, Tennessee, McNairy County, at 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 28, 1975.
Benny's screen showed he was now driving west on State Highway 92, between Tryon and Arthur, Nebraska, at 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 22, 1963.
Milton found himself on historic Route 66, close to McCarty's on the Acoma Indian Reservation in the state of New Mexico, at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, September 11, 2003.
Carmen Gutierrez, 28, still had a lot of time left to serve on an embezzlement charge. Incarcerated in a women's correctional facility in Grants, New Mexico, she and two other inmates had been planning their escape all summer long.
Just after lunch on the same date as Miltons arrival, Carmen found herself outside the barbed wire fence and on the run. After changing clothes, her co-conspirators had opted to head for Interstate 40, while she took a different path. Hot-wiring a vehicle in the prison parking lot, she was soon barreling down Route 66, heading east with the police close behind.
Milton was in the process of becoming acclimated to his surroundings. A passing cars license plate told him he was probably in New Mexico. There was an Interstate in the distance, but he couldnt be certain if it was I-25 or I-40. There didn't appear to be any service stations in sight. He turned on the radio, hoping to hear the news.
As he was glancing down and pushing the radios seek button, his vehicle began to meander. By the time he was aware of the red Camaro speeding towards him, it was too late. To avoid a head-on collision, Carmen swerved, bottoming out in a ditch. Her car began leaking gasoline.
Momentarily stunned by what had just occurred, Milton slammed on his brakes, then pulled off to the side of the road. He jumped out of his car, and ran over to Carmen.
Back at WEN headquarters in Mayer, Arizona, network executives were scrambling. By exiting his vehicle, Milton had violated more than ten rules of the Who, What, Where, When and Why Show. Seconds after leaving his time machine, a team of engineers was preparing to transport back to the year 2003.
The studio audience, along with billions of home viewers, sat in shocked silence. They knew their very existence might now be hanging on a proverbial thread.
Meanwhile, at RCA/GE, several of Miltons co-workers pounded their fists in anger and helpless frustration. Why, they wondered, was this happening? Wild man, they thought to themselves, what in the world are you thinking?
In truth, laser-tech Milton Stockbridge wasn't.
When Milton reached the Camaro, he could see the occupant was badly shaken. Fearing her car would burst into flames, he pulled her away to safety. Carmen, coughing, looked up at both her assailant and benefactor, patting him on the shoulder to let him know she was okay. Though grateful for the assistance, she knew she had to keep moving.
Milton, quickly and conveniently forgetting the fact he was responsible for the wreck, was thinking and feeling something else entirely. Helping Carmen to stand, he made up his mind about three things. The first, it was high time to put away his shyness; the second, he had instantly fallen in love with this woman; and the third, he would reveal to her his true identity.
This last action would violate an additional dozen of the shows rules.
Within four minutes and fifty seconds of the accident, the WEN engineers were prepared for time transport. Within three minutes and thirty seconds of their encounter, Milton Stockbridge told Carmen Gutierrez the most bizarre story she'd ever heard.
However, whether this guy was crazy or really from the future, or both, didn't much matter to her. He had wheels, and he obviously wanted her to go with him. Knowing the authorities would be upon them at any moment, Carmen's decision was simple.
Scampering across Route 66, they jumped into the Honda. Milton started the engine, just in time to see the WEN engineers in his rear view mirror, and the police cruiser approaching from their front. He reached down to a silver lever and pulled it. A brilliant blue light appeared from beneath the car, and Carmen could feel her hair standing on end.
With a crackling noise, the occupants were flung 91 years into the future.
As the Honda came to rest on the stage, and the blue aura subsided, personnel from the hit show Wishful Thinking sprung into action. Before either Milton or Carmen could say a word, they were escorted to large, metallic black chairs. Seated forcibly, Milton noted he was wearing a tee shirt, shorts and flip flops. Carmen was attired in a bikini, and smelled of coconut. Clamps suddenly emerged from the sides of the chairs, binding their arms and legs. Then, head restraints appeared, which not only kept them facing forward, but prevented their being heard.
The studio lights rose to full, and Master of Ceremonies, Randy Swing, stepped before the array of holocams. In a booming voice he began, Ladies and gentlemen, citizens of the world, we welcome back these two condemned prisoners, Carmen and Milton, who have just returned to us from their weeks dream vacation in 20th Century Tahiti. This, their last wish before execution right here on the World Entertainment Network.
In the blink of an eye, Milton realized his actions had altered reality. By bringing his newfound love into the future, he'd irrevocably ripped the fabric of time and space. He'd murdered everyone hed ever known. Eradicated were Latisha and Benny, his co-workers at RCA/GE, and billions of strangers, many of whom had eagerly tuned in to watch this weeks Who, What, Where, When and Why Show.
Carmen's crime in no way matched the magnitude of Milton's, yet here they were, destined to share the same fate.
Milton began to scream. Though he didnt know it, a few feet away, his bronzed companion was also writhing and yelling her head off.
No one could hear either.
The studio became dark, and spotlights focused on the struggling pair. Their chairs began to glow. In a brilliant flash of light, focused beams of intense heat literally melted Carmen and Milton from their insides out. In a cascade of sparks and smoke, they were reduced to ashes.
Master of Ceremonies, Randy Swing, looking as solemn as possible, walked to the front of the stage and said, "Another wish come true, and justice done. See you next week, and may God bless."
On cue, the applause signs flashed, and the studio audience erupted with unbounded glee. Around the globe, everyone was enjoying the show."
