Dirk dropped his backpack at the door once entering his apartment. Seated in front of his computer, he did a quick scan of his email, news sites, and conspiracy homepages, checking for anything new, hoping to find something to garner his attention. Dirk was disappointed to discover a lack of any new updates on the websites he frequented. Nor did he have any new email. Leaning back in his desk chair, Dirk surveyed the room, searching for any uncompleted homework, unread book, or unfinished project. Nothing on Dirk's desk or shelves or in the whole of his apartment was left unaccomplished. He had made sure of that a week earlier when he took a static time siesta.
With silver bands reflecting the ambient light of the room, Dirk's wristwatch was the only item he found mildly interesting. It wasn't the time-keeping capacity of the watch that interested him, however. It was the pure scientific majesty that it represented. The tick-tock monotony was only a shell masking a far greater device known as the "Chronoton Dynamo". For Dirk, the Chronoton Dynamo represented more than a personal time machine. It was the key he used to open doors to other eras. It was the tool he utilized to repair broken epochs. Most importantly, it was the ship that rescued him from a timeless purgatory while running from childhood monsters.
To the naked eye, the sapphire face of Dirk's watch was resplendently azure. Behind the shaded lenses of his ever worn sunglasses, Dirk saw something far more majestic. The second of three items in Dirk's possession that teetered on the edge of high tech and high magic, his shades allowed him to see beyond the limitations of the naked eye. With but a thought, Dirk could shift between viewing the world in visual sonar representations, making accurate medical diagnosis on strangers in the street, or witnessing the cross between second, third, and fourth dimensions. The vast catalogue of options in these optical wonders had yet to be fully realized by Dirk. Yet, he had his favorite tricks. Looking upon the Chronoton Dynamo, for example, revealed a visual orchestra of spinning, stretching, snapping light, or the inner workings of the Dynamo itself, whereas a combination of manipulating the spectral range and infrared intensity granted Dirk the ability to see everything as clearly and colorful in the dark as in the day.
Dirk sighed. He crooked his head and looked at the black bag left at the door. "Early bird gets the worm," said Dirk. Combining an x-ray spectrum with a data retrieval option, Dirk collected the necessary coordinates for his mission without opening the mission statement or backpack. Twisting the dial that encircled the watch face, Dirk entered the information into the Chronoton Dynamo. The Dynamo then flashed and spun its own dial. A turquoise sphere surrounded Dirk, who witnessed again the acceleration of time around himself while standing anchored in the glowing aura of the wrist mounted Dynamo. The passage of time slowed down outside of Dirk's bubble. Once it finally stopped, Dirk stood amidst tall, writhing trees, and luminescent spores. A thick mist crawled the forest floor like sea jelly. The wind both carried and caused the only sound within the woods. Dirk stood in the Forest of Solitude.
With his shades, Dirk scanned for potentially dangerous life forms. His lenses showed a lack of life outside of the flora and fungi. "Peaceful," Dirk said. Dirk then scanned the data his shades collected from the mission dossier, searching for goals and prerogatives. Unfortunately, in the haste to occupy his impatient mind, Dirk did not allow his shades the time necessary to collect all the dossier's data. "Ah man," said Dirk. Raising his left wrist, Dirk's right hand spun the dial again. This time, however, nothing happened.
Dirk’s mind raced through numerous possible explanations. He ran a quick diagnostic to determine what caused the malfunction. To his dismay, Dirk discovered it was not a malfunction at all. The Chronoton Dynamo was empty. Its natural collection of ambient chronotons was inhibited by the lack of any chronotons in the environment. "No," said Dirk. Running a quick time scan, Dirk had hoped to disprove what he feared was the case. Unfortunately, the evidence only cemented his suspicions. Dirk was trapped at the end of time.
***
The Forest of Solitude 07
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