“Both of you go stand in the center of the platform,” Superintendent Pearl urged them. 

As Xendo and Blinda stepped onto the massive structure, they passed various multi-colored rings on the floor. They entered the smallest center ring as Superintendent Pearl’s steel bracelet beeped, turning neon blue. She unplugged the bracelet and tossed it over to Xendo. He caught it and was shocked it was almost too hot to hold. He glanced down at the four-inch band in his hands. There was a timer at the base that read 2:00:00. 

“I only had enough time to charge the Return-Ring for two hours. Once you arrive in 2019, it’ll start draining energy. I entered the coordinates from where the boy’s video was recorded. You should land within a mile of his location. If you can’t find Mr. Nockby and convince him to return within two hours, you’ll need to abort, no matter what. I can’t afford to have two untrained civilians stranded in the early digital era. You have my only Return-Ring,” Superintendent Pearl informed the anxious pair. “Here we go!” 

Pearl flipped a small switch and the heavy, metallic rings below them began to glow and rise up from the platform. The colored rings dragged a 360-degree holoscreen with them as they floated above Xendo and Blinda. Over their heads, four large numbers became visible, 3451, indicating the current year. The holoscreen all around them flickered with bright rays of rainbow light. Xendo felt like a kid again. He was certainly impressed now. 

“Hey,” Blinda whispered to Xendo, “put this on.” 

Xendo snapped out of his glee as his mother gestured down to the black knit hat from Superintendent Pearl’s office. Xendo hated wearing hats. 

“Why? I don’t want to,” Xendo asserted. 

“Diokas in the 2000s didn’t have silver hair, Xendo,” Blinda reasoned. 

“Oh… right.” He took the hat and sadly pulled it over his shiny silver locks. 

“I need you to focus,” she said. “This is important.” 

“I know,” Xendo replied, squaring his shoulders. 

“Remember, the boy needs to trust you,” Superintendent Pearl gave her final warning, “You can’t tell him everything. Not yet.” 

Superintendent Pearl pressed a yellow button and a soft bell signaled the portal was activating. Both Superintendent Pearl and the observatory outside their holoscreen vanished. Xendo’s body felt like it was floating in mid-air even though he knew the platform was beneath his feet. Blinda glanced up at the 3451 number as it started counting down. The holoscreen landscape outside began to morph like a time-lapse movie being rewound with increasing speed. The pair stood stunned as history’s most dazzling moments of beauty and tragedy flashed past their eyes. As they reached 2019, Xendo felt a hot sensation on his leg. He reached into his front pocket and grasped the Return-Ring. He pulled the glowing steel bracelet out into the dark of midnight to show his mother. 

The clock read 1:59:59.