Tonya
You’re in the future?
Jeff
I don’t know for sure. Something feels…off.
Tonya
What’s wrong? The time machine worked, right?
Jeff
We set it for one million years **ahead** right?
Tonya
Yeah…why? What do you see?
Tonya
Is it a gleaming mega-city with flying space cars and robots?
Jeff
There’s jungle everywhere.
Tonya
I don’t get it — I really didn’t expect that.
Jeff
Me neither. There’s no city here…
Jeff
No CIVILIZATION at all.
Jeff
It’s also really, REALLY hot, Tonya — so hot for January.
Jeff
The air is heavy and dense.
Tonya
What if you accidentally went backward in time?
Jeff
Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about…
Jeff
It would make more sense, given what I'm seeing.
Tonya
I’m so sorry — I didn’t mean to send you into the past!
Tonya
Does this mean you’re a million years back?
Jeff
Idk. But it’s not your fault—
Jeff
We calibrated the machine together.
Jeff
And it's not a perfect science yet.
Tonya
What're you doing now?
Jeff
I’m making my way down to the ocean.
Jeff
There are no people AT ALL. It feels really weird…
Tonya
Yeah, well, that’s how it was one million years ago 🙁
Jeff
I just saw a…DINOSAUR.
Tonya
OMG! Well, that confirms it — you definitely are in the past.
Jeff
It came out of the jungle about 100 yards up the beach.
Tonya
What kind of dinosaur is it?!
Jeff
I’m not sure. It looks like a giant lizard — it’s gotta be the size of a small car.
Tonya
That doesn’t sound good…
Tonya
I’m bringing you back here, Jeff — now!
Jeff
No, wait. I have my gun with me. Remember?
Tonya
Isn’t it only a .38 pistol?
Tonya
Will that be able to stop a DINOSAUR!?
Jeff
Woah…wait, there ARE people here!
Jeff
Yeah. The dinosaur stuck its head in this cave. Then PEOPLE came running out!
Jeff
The dinosaur is chasing the people!
Jeff
It’s trying to kill them but they only have spears and rocks.
Jeff
Oh god — it just caught a woman with its tongue!
Jeff
Tonya, the woman had a baby in her arms, but it flew out—
Jeff
Now it’s crawling away on the beach…
Tonya
Shoot the dinosaur, Jeff! Kill it!!
Jeff
I don’t know if I can…
Jeff
I’m in the past, right? So if I interfere and kill something…
Jeff
Won’t that alter the future?
Jeff
Could it affect you?
Tonya
God, I don’t know! But what about the baby?!
Jeff
I’m running closer to help it.
Jeff
Oh, gross— the dinosaur has officially eaten the woman. It’s disgusting…
Tonya
Jeff, focus. Where’s the baby?
Jeff
Still on the beach. Oh wait—
Jeff
Shoot! The dinosaur is moving towards it!
Tonya
Kill it, Jeff! You have to save the baby!!
Jeff
I don’t know! I can’t interfere…
Tonya
It’s a HUMAN baby, Jeff!
Tonya
Jeff…what’s happening?
Jeff
I shot it five times in the head and killed it.
Jeff
I can’t believe I killed a DINOSAUR.
Tonya
What about the baby?
Jeff
It’s safe — one of the women picked it up.
Jeff
All the people are retreating back to their cave…
Jeff
I feel more like a traitor to science.
Jeff
Has anything changed in your present?
Tonya
I’m looking out the window now. Same buildings and same cars and same people.
Jeff
Uh-oh…a man just came out of the cave. A BIG MAN.
Tonya
You still have bullets?
Jeff
He’s looking at the dead dinosaur. He’s looking at me…
Jeff
Tonya, this guy is HUGE…
Tonya
Jeff…this whole thing is weird…
Tonya
Because dinosaurs and humans never existed together in the past, right?
Tonya
Dinosaurs went extinct 65 MILLION YEARS ago.
Tonya
And humans didn’t appear until 250,000 YEARS ago…
Tonya
So WHAT is going on over there??
Jeff
Now the caveman is kneeling in the sand…
Jeff
He’s like 10 feet away from me…
Jeff
And he’s holding something out to me…
Jeff
I can’t tell from over here…but I think he wants me to take it?
Tonya
Maybe he’s giving you a gift for saving his people!
Jeff
Okay, I took it. And he ran back to his cave.
Jeff
It’s a small leather pouch. There’s something inside…
Jeff
Woah…it’s made out of pure DIAMOND.
Jeff
The coin has an eagle on one side that says USA MINT.
Jeff
Could I seriously be in America??
Tonya
OMG, maybe…is there anything on the other side of the coin?
Jeff
Yeah. There's a date.
Tonya
What?! What does it say?
Tonya
OMG!! Then you DID go into the future.
Jeff
Yeah. I must’ve gone…one million years…into the…future.
Jeff
The machine DID work!
Jeff
Civilization is all…gone.
Jeff
And the dinosaurs are back. And cavemen, too?
Jeff
Why would you want to do that?
Jeff
I almost died out here—
Jeff
Tonya, there are DINOSAURS.
Tonya
So? I'll bring another pistol and two rifles.
Tonya
And lots of ammunition…
Jeff
You know the time machine is only good for two trips—
Jeff
And I’ve already used one!
Jeff
You’ve got to bring me home with the last one.
Tonya
No way. Don’t you see?
Tonya
We can help these people!
Tonya
We can help them fight the dinosaurs!
Tonya
Humans might go extinct without us.
Jeff
I don’t think that’s the best way to do it.
Tonya
But we don’t like our life in the present—
Tonya
That’s why we built the time machine in the first place.
Jeff
Tonya, I’m not kidding. Bring me home.
Jeff
We’ll fix the time machine together—
Jeff
We can set it for more trips next time.
Jeff
Oh God…please Tonya, you have to listen to me—
Jeff
The ground is shaking.
Jeff
OMG, the ground is shaking and I don’t know what it is.
Tonya
Are you even telling me the truth right now?
Jeff
Yes — Tonya, I see it!
Jeff
The reason the ground was shaking — there’s a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex!
Jeff
OH GOD! It’s coming up right toward me—
Jeff
Please — please bring me back!
Tonya
Okay, I got you. Just a second…
Tonya
I’m plugging in the code…
Jeff
He’s gaining on me. Hurry!
As the T Rex tears at the hood of Jeff’s jacket with his sharp claws…
Jeff hears a humming noise in his ears — followed by a loud pop, like a suction.
In the next moment, he finds himself back in the lab, sitting next to Tonya.
She smiles at him and reaches out to rub his back.
Tonya
You weren’t kidding. Your jacket’s all torn.
Jeff
Tonya, I’d never lie to you.
Jeff
Next time, you’re gonna be the one to see it.
Tonya
Then I better load my guns.
Tonya
The future’s a dangerous frontier.
