To the Lab

FLASH! The air-conditioned splendor of the lab greets your eyes. Amelia squeaks and puts her hand to her mouth to cover her surprise.

"Am I dreaming or did we just walk ten thousand miles in one step?" she asks incredulously. She stares around the lab intently. Suddenly, she releases your hand and strides over to the wall near the Professor's desk. A wall calendar shows the current month, June 2006. "Is this real or are you messing with me?"

"Please be patient. I'll tell you everything, but we should get out of here." You put the PDA back on the desk, and take Amelia's hand, walking toward the door. You walk to the nearest coffee shop, sit your visitor from another time down, and get you both a mocha. The aviator is staring at most everything around her, especially the co-eds in short-shorts and halter-tops.

"First of all, this is the year 2006, just like the calendar said. I came back in a time machine, kind of like H.G. Wells," you start.

"I've heard of him. So why did you come back to me?" she asks, a quizzical look on her face. She sips her coffee and looks curiously at it. ?This tastes like coffee sort of, but it has chocolate in it.?

?Oh, it?s the latest craze. Anyway, I came back to you, because you have become one of the great, unsolved mysteries of the Twentieth Century. You left New Guinea for Howland Island and vanished without a trace.?

?Yeah, we ran into some fierce weather and ended up running out of gas, of all things. We had drifted off course for a while, since our direction finder failed again, even after they repaired it in Lae. We finally had to glide, since we were over open water, until we saw that island. I was lucky to get out of it alive. Fred wasn?t so lucky.? Amelia looks down to hide her tears. ?The radio was smashed as well. I don?t even know where we were.?

?I wonder how the Professor found you,? you say thoughtfully. You make a mental note to ask him. ?Well, now. I don?t think flying is that much different than in 1937, so you?ll just need to take flight training again to get back to flying. I think you?ll find the modern world rather different from yours, so there will be some catching up to do.?

Amelia sits with her face shrouded in thought. Suddenly, she brightens up and looks at you. She leans over and kisses you hard. She sits back and says, ?Thank you for saving me. Dying on that island was not my first idea. And, thank you for having sex with me. You were a passionate and considerate lover.?

?It was my pleasure! Now, one thing you?ll need is a new name and identity. You can?t be Amelia Earhart any more.?