“AHHHHHHH!!!!” Sidney and Nathan scream at the same time as the force field they are in whizzes through the open air. They are in the front, pressed against the energy-popping surface of the force field.

Also in the force field is “Galchenyuk-in-Zadorov,” who is in the back, bracing himself.

Following the force field unwillingly is Jonathan. The force of the strength he used to throw the force field out of the headquarters tagged along with him, bringing him along in the ride.

“Jonny, do something!!!” Sidney yells. His eyes are as big as pucks as he stares at the blurred scenery passing by him.

“He can’t hear you!” Nathan shouts at his friend. “Just brace yourself!”

Nikita just stares ahead, hoping for the ride to end and to get back on track with his mission.

Meanwhile on the outside, Jonathan is scrambling for ways to get out of this predicament safely. He peers down below him, seeing the streaking, flat lands flying under him.

An idea then pops into his head. “I’m gonna start lowering the force field down!” he shouts over the blasting air, like as if anyone can hear him.

He focuses his energy on the force field, getting a strong connection on it while travelling at such a high speed. He then begins to lower his arms, but then immediately stops as he spots snow-capped mountains rushing below him.

“Whoa!” Jonathan yelps, eyeing the long mountain range passing by him. “That was close…!”

Once the mountains passed, the air is slammed with smothering heat. The terrain below flattens out into desert.

Sweat starts forming on Jonathan's forehead. “I've’ gotta put this down…”

With all of his strength, he refocuses his energy on the force field and lowers his arms. The force fields begins to gradually lower down as another mountain range pops out from the land.
“NO--!”

But it’s too late.

The force field crashes into a sky-penetrating mountain peak, shaking up and eventually losing Jonathan’s connection to it.

“AHHHHH!!!” Sidney and Nathan scream as they begin plummeting down in thin air. They hug each other with massive eyes peering down below.

Jonathan immediately rings another force field, this time around him and the two skaters and blasts off toward the west, getting away from the perilous mountain range.

Sidney peers behind his shoulder, spotting Jonathan right behind him in the force field. “Hah! Jonny,” he huffs out with a sigh of relief. “You’re here!”

“Yeah!” Nathan lets go of Sidney and high-five him. “We’re safe!”

Sidney high fives Nathan back. He then turns back to Jonathan. “Do you know where we are?”

“No,” Jonathan grunts out, not breaking his stare ahead as he concentrates on the force field flying rapidly. “First let me land this at a place that’s not hot nor has mountains then we can figure out where we’re at.”

“Okie-dokie!” Sidney turns back to the purple-tinted view of now the flat, farm land.

---

A few moments later, an industrial area appears below the three.

“Ugh, I’m hungry,” Nathan murmurs. “Can we land and grab something to eat?” He turns to face Jonathan.

Jonathan peers below him. “I guess.”

He lowers the force field in a small parking lot. Once it hits the asphalt, he dissolves it.

The three take in their surroundings: a small, two-lane street to the left, a cute, yellow building to their right, rusted warehouses on the other side, clear blue skies above, and a decent temperature around them.

“Where are we?” Sidney asks, squinting his eyes at the sky like as if that’ll give him an answer.

“I have no idea.” Jonathan turns to the yellow building. “We should ask someone around.”

Nathan looks to the right, then to the left. “I don’t see anyone.”

“Someone in the building.” Jonathan points his thumb at the building.

“Okay,” Nathan shrugs. “Hopefully they have food.”

Jonathan turns around and begins marching toward the building. Sidney and Nathan follow him as he rounds the corner, where the front door is located.

They enter, strolling into a foyer decked out with pictures showing off sceneries of a beautiful city.

“Whoa,” Sidney says as he stares up at the pictures. “These are pretty!”

Jonathan turns to the left, spotting the hostess’ desk; beyond the desk is the way to another open room filled with welcoming chattering.

“Welcome to Cali Comfort BBQ!” the hostess, who is wearing all black, greets in a friendly manner. “How many in your party?”

Jonathan freezes. “Oh, um--” He turns to face Nathan and Sidney, who are behind him, talking among themselves. He turns back to her. “Three.”

“Alright, right this way.” With a cordial smile, the hostess picks up three menus from the desk and leads the three deeper into the restaurant.

After grabbing their attention, Jonathan follows the hostess along with Sidney and Nathan, entering a space to the left with booths and tables.

The hostess then seats them in a corner booth and gives them their menus.

“Your waiter will be right with you,” the hostess tells them. She then strolls off.

Nathan happily opens up the menu and peers at it. “Just my luck! We’re at a restaurant!” His eyes widen with a huge smile as he reads through the menu. “Ooo, barbecue! These look good!”

“They sure do look good!” Sidney exclaims, flipping through it. “Hey, they even have a calendar with all the sports games!” He spreads the menu on the table, showing a calendar attached to it. He frowns at it as he reads it more. “But it has no Penguins’ games!”

Jonathan peers at the calendar. “‘Padres’ preseason game… Padres’ preseason game… Padres’ preseason game…’” He looks up at Sidney. “I have a feeling that we’re in--”

“Ummm…hi?” Nathan says randomly.

Sidney and Jonathan turn to Nathan, who is to Sidney’s right.

Sitting next to Nathan is a man with brown, poorly cut hair, soft gray eyes, some stubble, and a gray T-shirt hanging on his thin frame. He is gazing around his surroundings while holding a bag of sunflower seeds; he looks surprised with those wide eyes.

His eyes slowly turn to land on the other three. “Hi,” he says softly. He then jerks a bit; his hands immediately fly under his shirt then reappear, revealing a small brown and white scraggly hamster. He peers at the critter. “Oh, there you are, Mr. Ernie.” He pets it gently. “That’s good you’re safe.”

Sidney, Nathan, and Jonathan eye him and the hamster oddly.

The man looks back up at the three. “This is Mr. Ernie.” He holds out the hamster that is cupped in his hands toward them. “Mr. Ernie says hi.”

Mr. Ernie’s nose twitches as its beady eyes scan around the room.

Before any of the three can do anything, another person appears next to the man in a flash of yellow energy.

This new person looks much younger with sleek, brown hair brushed back, brown eyes, tan skin, and a blue T-shirt.

“Oh, Matt, there you are!” The younger man grabs onto the other man’s shoulders. “That’s good Cram didn’t shoot ya out of existence.” He quickly looks to his right, then back at Matt, but then takes another look at who else is at the table.

His eyes narrow. “Sidney Crosby…”

Sidney smiles sweetly with a wave. “Hi…!”

With a huff, the younger man turns back to Matt.

Matt holds up Mr. Ernie to him. “Mr. Ernie’s alright, too!”

“That’s good that your-your hamster is okay, too.” He mindlessly pets the hamster. “Now let’s see how we can get out of here before--”

Another flash of energy slices the air next to the younger man. In its place appears another man. The man has short, brown hair, a round face with some stubble, and big-built body; he is wearing a black sweatshirt.

With lazy eyes, he gazes around the area. “Ohhhh…,” he starts off in a low, sleepy voice, “we’re at Cali Comfort BBQ...my favourite place next to my bed.” He picks up Nathan’s menu and looks at it. “I want a full rack of ribs...and a hamburger…” He turns to the other two new visitors. “What do you guys want?”

“To get outta here.” The younger man shoots daggers at Sidney with his eyes.

“Well, I want the full rack of ribs and a hamburger…” He gazes back at the menu. “And a peach cobbler sounds good, too--”

Another streak of yellow energy sparks in the air. Once it’s gone, another man takes its place. This man has a friendly look with clear gray eyes, light facial hair, and tan skin; he is wearing an orange polo shirt along along with a white cap that is over his brown hair.

“Hey, look at that!” the man exclaims. “We’re at Cali Comfort! Who would’ve known Crammer’s gun would take us here!”

“Can it take us back?” the younger man hisses, looking awfully miffed.

“But I want to eat the full rack of ribs and a hamburger and a peach cobbler,” the sleepily man yammers, pointing to the menu.

“But is Matt fine?” The man leans over and spots Matt in between Nathan and the younger man. “Hey, Matty Hack!”

“Hi, Ryan.” Matt timidly waves at the man, Ryan.

Another flash of yellow energy blasts in the air. And yet another man appears. This man has the darkest look in human history: heavy eyelids, piercing mint-green eyes, thick facial hair surrounding his frown, tan skin, and black hair piled on top of his head. He is wearing a thin gray shirt.

At least the bench is long enough to fit so many people!

He looks at the other four guys. “Oh,” he forces out with a flat tone. “This is where you all went.” His sharp eyes then land on the other three. “MacKinnon. Crosby. Quick. What are you doing here in San Diego?”

Sidney cocks his head with a bewildered look. “San Diego?”

Matt reaches over to Sidney, plopping a paper and Sharpie in front of him. Sidney peers down at the items laid out in front of him.

“Can I have your autograph?” Matt asks him quietly. His sunflower seeds are on the table; behind him on the ground is Mr. Ernie now rolling around in its purple, transparent hamster ball.

The younger man elbows Matt. “Matt!” he hisses out. “He’s our enemy!”

Sidney uncaps the Sharpie marker. He perks up at the younger man with knitted eyebrows. “Enemy?”

“Monty’s a Red Wings fan,” the sleepy man says from behind the menu. “He doesn’t like you.”

“I get that all the time!” Sidney exclaims as he swiftly runs the tip of the marker over the paper. He then hands the paper back to Matt. “Here ya go!”

“Thank you.” Matt sweetly smiles and takes the paper back. He then hands it to Nathan.

Nathan begins signing it.

Jonathan eyes the five men with confusion. “But who are you guys?”

“I’m Ryan Faragher,” Ryan tells them with a smirk.

“Matt Hackett,” Matt says softly. He hands the paper from Nathan over to Jonathan; Jonathan takes it and signs it.

“Brandon Montour.” The young man has his eyes on Jonathan, trying not to look at Sidney.

“I’m Joseph Cramarossa--” The last man who appeared nods to the sleepy man, who is now clearly showing his personality by having his head on top of the table, snoring. “--and that’s Sleepy.”

“He’s Nick Ritchie,” Brandon corrects. “You guys should know him; he played for the Ducks a few times.”

Nick lifts his head from the table. “I played for the Ducks thirty-four times so far with two goals, two assists, and thirty-seven penalty minutes, in which twenty-four were earned in one game.”
He then puts his head back down and continues sleeping.

"Yikes," Sidney squeaks, grabbing onto Nathan's arm. Nathan scoots away from Nick's direction.

“Uh, nope…,” Jonathan says. “Never heard of him.” He hands Matt back his signed paper; Matt takes it happily and puts it away.

“Do you guys play for the Ducks?” Nathan asks them.

“We all play for the Gulls,” Brandon answers, pointing to the five of them. “Y’know, San Diego Gulls.”

The three give them blank stares.

“San Diego...Gulls...,” Brandon repeats with uncertainty, trying to get a confident answer from them.

“You guys never have heard of the Gulls?” Joseph growls, baring his teeth.

“Um, no, no…,” Sidney squeaks.

“San Diego Gulls, AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks,” Nick says after lifting his head back up. He then goes back to sleep.

“AHL affiliate…?” Jonathan halts in his talking. “Wait, I thought that was the Norfolk Admirals! There’s no such thing as the Gulls!”

Matt’s eyes widen with gasp.

“Yes, there is!” Joseph aggressively takes the menu away from underneath Nick’s head. “Our games are on here--” Just one look at the calendar makes him stop talking. “Wait, where…?”
His eyes scan up and down the calendar. “'March 2015'?” He looks back up; his voice rises. “March 2015?!”

“Yeah…” Sidney says. “What did you think it was?”

“It’s 2016, not fifteen!” Ryan exclaims with a hint of panic. He turns to Joseph. “Crammer, did the gun do more than just teleport us?”

“Um…” Joseph casts his eyes downward, scratching his hairy jawline.

Nick slowly raises his head to look at Joseph. “You made us time-travel a year behind.”

Silence takes over the table for a moment.

“I told you you should’ve never tried that gun out on Matt--”

“Shut up,” Joseph snaps at Brandon.

“I’ve time-travelled before,” Sidney starts off. “Except, I time-travelled to--” He immediately slaps his hands over his mouth with wide eyes.

“No one cares, Crosby,” Brandon snaps at him.

“Good, ‘cause you didn’t hear anything…” Sidney shifts uncomfortably in the booth.

“But how did you guys get hold of a time-travelling gun?” Jonathan inquires.

“Well,” Brandon starts off, “Joey is Joey and claims that he found the gun in the Checkers’ locker room. And being the guy he is, he decided to test it out on Matt.” He glares at Joseph.

Joseph returns a glare of his own.

“And so we’re here," Brandon finishes off. "Back in 2015, thanks to Joseph Cramarossa!”

“How was I supposed to know it time-travels!?” Joseph exclaims.

“Well if you would’ve held your curiosity back, we wouldn’t be back in the past where no one knows about the Gulls!” Brandon fights back.

“And have a cool-looking gun lying around and we don’t know what it does?!”

“Better than this! Better than being with Crosby--!”

“What are you guys doing in San Diego?” Nick asks the three, lifting his head and looking at them.

Joseph and Brandon quiet down.

“We, uh, flew from Ottawa and ended up here.” Jonathan shrugs.

“What were you doing in Ottawa?” Ryan asks, cocking a thick eyebrow with curiosity.

“Um…” Jonathan exchange looks with Sidney and Nathan.

“We were being chased by someone!” Nathan exclaims. “Nothing bad.” He shrugs.

“Does this have to do with powers?” Matt asks with raised eyebrows.

The three freeze.

“You guys know about powers?” Sidney’s eyes widen with joy.

“Yeah, I have powers,” Matt says, “And so does Ryan.” He points to Ryan, who has a big smile.

“So you guys are power players?” Jonathan asks.

“Yeah, I’m the power player of the Grizzlies and Matt’s the power player of the Gulls,” Ryan answers. “Grizzlies are the ECHL affiliate of the Ducks, if you guys are wondering.”

The three nod their head with understanding.

“Ooo!” Sidney claps his hands happily. “You might be able to help us!”

“With what?” Ryan tilts his head.

“The guy that was chasing us has powers as well, but he’s like a two-in-one person: Alex Galchenyuk with Nikita Zadorov,” Sidney explains. “We lost him right now, but he might come back. If we meet up with him again, can you help us battle him out?”

The Gulls all look at each other, except for Nick, of course. They turn back to the three.

“Sure!” Ryan exclaims. “We’ll love to!”

Matt reassures them with a smile.

“But first…” Nick raises his head, pointing his index finger up in the air. “We eat."

Notes