The Time Machine.

Mary McLoughlin.


Chapter One.


“The rain hasn’t stopped since the machines took control,” said Liam,” how long ago did you set the machines to control the space weather satellite?” Asked Professor Jane White, who had been brought in to oversee the team currently looking to address this situation on behalf of the United Nations. “Four weeks ago, and it has not stopped raining since,” said Liam. “Who told you to do this?” she asked, Liam showed her the e-mail he had received from his boss telling him to do this with the authorisation of the metrological office attached to the e-mail, with an electronic signature of a Sir Henry Walters, the Chief Executive of the Metrological Office.

“I suppose you have tried to unset the task via all your computer systems? she asked. “Yes, several times” he replied then told her it did not work we had tried everything possible, and we could not undo the command, it looked like the machines had developed a mind of their own and would not respond to anything that had been sent to rectify this situation. "What are we going to do?” he asked.

“We will have to assess the situation and then report back to the higher authority on this, it needs world leaders to decide on how we can deal with it, is not our decision to make, we need to come up with some solutions to give to them” she replied.

Professor Jane White was an expert in the field of weather phenomenon, the current weather being experienced throughout the world was extraordinary, never had there been a month of non-stop torrential rain across the whole world, that had in most places caused major flooding, loss of life, complete disruption to everyday living, people being unable to leave their homes loss of industry which would affect the economy, buildings collapsing and all this because they had set machines to monitor the weather satellite, which was situated in the earths outer- space ring.

The team went into the meeting room and connected with the world leaders via satellite, Jane gave them the name of the signature from the metrological office and then informed them that her team was now looking to identify how, and if, there was anything that could be done, to find a way that would stop the machines being in control of the weather satellite.

 The one thing they wanted to avoid doing if possible was to send up a missile that would blow up the weather satellite, which some of the world leaders had already suggested, Jane White told them this could be dangerous and damage the earth when it exploded which may lead to loss of life and this should be the last resort, the world leaders then told her she had forty-eight hours to come up with an alternative or they would take this course of action.

The rest of the team agreed with Jane and agreed that this action could result in damaging the earth's outer atmosphere as well as the potential danger that an explosion could cause. The forty-eight hours were not long enough to get a spacecraft up to the weather satellite. They conceded if they could not get the computer system to undo the command by giving the machines full control, there was nothing that could be done, other than to blow up the weather satellite.

They split into three teams, to look at how, and if it were possible, that they could shut down the computers that operated the machines who had control of the weather satellite. Jane worked with Liam; he was an expert with computers and after six hours of looking at all the options to fix the computer system they had not produced any results or found a solution.

Liam then told Jane that I might have a way to fix it, he then told her he had been working on and had developed a machine that could go back in time for thirty days, but he had not tried it himself yet. Jane White looked at him and said, “You are joking, we have forty-eight hours to solve this crisis, and you produce this option are you mad?”

“I know it sounds incredible, but I have been working on it for five years now and I have now completed it this month, I have sent my cat back in time and she came back after thirty days she was unharmed, can we not give a try?, I would go back you do not need to, I think it is worth a try, let me do it please?” 

Professor Jane White, thought, “He is mad, but it is worth a try, but I am going with him just in case it works. I want to ensure we do not give the machines control of the weather.” “We will both go as there is nothing else, we can do to fix the computers,” she told him.

“Come and show me your time machine, it would be ironic if it works, a time machine, stopping other machines from having control, I am intrigued.”


Chapter Two.


Liam told her to follow him, they went along a narrow passage and at the end of this, there was a door, he took a key from his pocket and opened the door, it led into a circular room the only light came in from the ceiling through a window that led on to the roof of the building.

In the middle of the room stood the time machine, it looked very much like a glass lift except it had clocks all around the outside of the glass. They entered the time machine through the door at the front, inside was a dial and one seat and not much more room, just enough for one of them to stand. Jane asked him how it operated, and he told her and then asked if she were sure she wanted to come with him as there was no guarantee that it would work. “Yes, I want to come to ensure that those machines do not get control.” Said Jane.

Liam then set the dial to thirty days in the past, which would be the first of March, he then pressed the button that was alongside the dial and as quick as a flash it took off rising swiftly in the air and then came down with a jerk just like a lift does when you reach the floor you require.

The door opened and Jane looked at him and said, “It has not worked what went wrong?” “Nothing look at my watch it has the date on, and it is now the first of March, we have come back thirty days. “I cannot believe this, it felt like five minutes in here, you are a genius, come on let us make our way to the computer systems, this is the day you set the computers to give the machines control,” said Jane.

They let themselves out of the circular room and quickly made their way to the computer systems control room, it was strange for Liam to be standing reading the e-mail and he was also with Jane, it was a minute frozen in time when he was a double of himself. They both then looked at the e-mail and Jane took it and put it in her pocket. “All that remains now is that you do not set the system to give those machines control,” said Jane. They sat down, made themselves comfortable, and waited until the next morning to ensure nobody else came into the room. Nobody did, Liam told Jane that whilst we were here perhaps, we should try and find out where that e-mail came from, and she agreed.

They left the computer systems room and made their way up to the manager's Office, which was on the top floor of the building. As they went to enter through the door, they could hear a muffled sound coming from this room, they went in and Mr. Jordan who was Liam’s boss was tied up on his chair with a gag around his mouth. Liam quickly untied him and took the gag away, he said “You have not done it, have you? You have not given the machines control, please say you have not.”

Liam and Jane explained what had happened, to him, he was astounded by the time machine, however, he was so relieved that they had managed to reverse the operation and the machines had not got control, he told them about the terrorist who had set up this operation and thought he would get weapons for his cause, and how he had witnessed his demise by a robot who then after tying him up disintegrated, it was like something out of a horror movie.

Mr. Jordan then said, “Are we in the past now?” Liam told him they were, but the danger was now over and that he and Jane would now go back to the future, he could not go with them as he had not come back in time with them, Mr. Jordan laughed and said,” okay Liam I will see you in the future, goodbye for now.”

Jane and Liam made their way back to the time machine, before entering Liam told Jane that when they got back to the future, they would not be in the same place as she would not have been called to see why it had been raining for four weeks and why the machines had been given control of the weather satellite, they therefore would never have met. Jane thought this was incredible, she could not believe it, but he was right, and she told him that she understood this, and they might meet one day.

On the first of April Professor Jane White made her way to the coffee shop close to her Office, thinking what a beautiful spring sunny morning it was and how nobody in this world would believe what had happened to her yesterday, and she was glad they would not, she entered and ordered a cup of steaming hot coffee and sat thinking how good it was to be alive when a man walked in sat down next to her and said “Good morning Professor.”

” Hello, Liam have I met you before?”

 “You might have can I please have the e-mail you have in your pocket.”

“She handed it to him and said what have they done with the time machine?”

He replied, “What time Machine?”


The End.