AAOOOSC! Future!

Streaks of light flash past Sidney’s sight as he is tumbling through the familiar tunnel of darkness. He is flying in the direction of the force that is pushing him down while causing him to toss and turn. Spinning, flailing, spiralling, twirling, his eyesight is getting jumbled around.

Suddenly, he senses the force being replaced by gravity, as a hole is forming below him. The hole is showing the view of John’s laboratory from the ceiling’s point of view.

Sidney is turned to face the hole and begins to plummet towards it.

Oh no…! Sidney thinks to himself with fear, not liking the assumption of him slamming against the tile flooring.

A sharp, snappy breeze flies by Sidney as he plunges through the hole and immediately throws him against the floor on his stomach.

“Ugh…” Sidney groans, lolling his head from side to side to try to adjust to the pain. He slowly lifts himself to his feet and dusts his shirt off. He then raises his head up, gazing around the empty laboratory. There is no evidence that a fight took place in the room recently. Everything is organized, well organized to the best of its ability.

With a relieved smile, Sidney climbs onto his feet and exits the laboratory. He ambles down the hallway and into the living room, which looks exactly like how it is in 2014. He then turns to the right and spots the backs of John and Toews facing the room through sliding glass door. John is sitting on a chair with his head turned to the right to face Toews; Toews is standing up on John’s right, leaning over and conversing with him.

Sidney tries to hear what they are saying, but their voices sound like a mixture of muffles. He cautiously steps forward, beginning to comprehend their conversation with each step closer.
“...Crosby’s not present--you used Remote Time Travel on him,” he heard John tell Toews.

Sidney presses his ear against the smooth, sliding door’s surface to hear them clearly.

“You sent him into...the future,” John finishes off with a hint of shock under his sophisticated matter.

Sidney’s eyes widen. They must be talking about me! He then knocks on the sliding door with a growing smile.

John and Toews immediately jump at the sound and sharply turn around to see who made that noise. Their eyes widen when they catch sight of Sidney.

“SID!” Toews hastily zooms over to the edge of the sliding glass window and pushes it open. He pokes his head into the living room, facing Sidney, who is on the other side. “Sid, what are you doing here?!” he cries out with crazy eyes. “I thought-I thought I sent you to the future!”

“You did,” Sidney replies, clasping his hands behind his back as he strolls over to him. “I just came back!” He throws his hands out from his sides.

“Really?” Toews leans back toward the patio to let Sidney enter as well.

“Oh, yes!” Sidney saunters into the patio with a huge grin on his face. “I’m back...!”

Toews rushes back to John. “John, he’s back!” His eyes dart back and forth from Sidney to John.

“Yes, I can see that,” John replies, keeping a tranquil state. He then faces Sidney with inquiring eyes. “How did you return back so posthaste?”

“Your future self must’ve sent me back to this time!” Sidney stomps his foot and places his hands on his hips. “He did make the time machine, y’--”

“SHHH!!!” John places his pointer finger on his lips. “If you apprised me how you came back to the past, it could distort the space-time continuum, which could cause the annihilation of the universe!”

Sidney gapes at him. “That is exactly what your future self told me when I was telling him what I found out in the future--”

“Stop. Speaking!” John snaps, making the hand motion for him zip his mouth. “New injunction: You must not apprise those of the past about the future! Encompassing me--” He points to himself with his thumb. “--Tazer boy--” He points to Toews. “--the GHP--” He redirects his pointer finger to his backyard. “--even your stuffed gorillas!” He moves his pointer finger to point at Sidney. “Capisce?”

Sidney nods his head slowly. “Caposce…” He sighs, dipping his head down. “This is going to be so hard!” He lifted his head back up. “I learned so much stuff from the future that could help with the--”

“Don’t,” John cuts in sternly. “Don’t allude to anything about the future. It is going to play out the way it is supposed to play out and no one is permitted to trifle with it. The ramifications would be devastating.”

“But I can fix it since I’m the ruler of the NHL--”

“You don’t even attain the knowledge of half of what you’re capable of, smalls,” John interrupts, gazing at Toews with an un impressed look.

Toews sighs. “Right. Gotta work on that.” He snaps his eyes at Sid and shrugs. “Well, welcome back!”

“Thank you veeerrryyyyy much!” Sidney smiles with a nod of his head. “So, are we going to use robots for our training?” He turns to John.

“Ummm…” John looks extremely tentative while scratching his neck, mulling over how to answer the question. “Not yet. I surmise I fashioned them a tid bit too astute. For now, we’ll proceed availing ourselves of the training routine the GHP utilizes.”

“Good! I didn’t like that robot! Whew!” Sidney wipes his forehead with the back of his hand. He then gazes around his surroundings. “Hey, what happened to the robot anyways?”

“I didn’t like it either, so I gave it what it deserved: destruction.” Toews nods his head with crossed arms and a smirk. He then looks at John, dropping his mouth into a frown. “Sorry.”

“Apology accepted,” John mumbles. He then gets up with a groan. “Well, now that’s terminated, who is yearning for some almondade?” He walks over to the entrance of the living room and steps into it.

“Oh!” Sidney cries out as he hops into the living room after him. “Your future self was making almonade because--”

“Crosby…!” John warns him with a rising voice.

“Oh, whoops,” Sidney replies with a embarrassed tone.

Toews just laughs behind him. “Oh, Sid, you’re just like a kid.”

“They don’t call me 'Sid the Kid' for nothing!”

“True.” There is a pause in Toews’s talk. “Very true.”

Notes