The Unbecoming of Darien Crane

5133 O.T. (Out of Time)

“Ladies and gentlemen, as we start our descent, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins. Please turn off all electronic devices until we are safely parked at the gate. Thank you,” the Captain's voice echoed through the cabin.

Darien gripped the edge of his seat as the plane descended. It rocked, sending small tremors through his body. The passenger next to him scolded as his arm rest was hogged but Darien didn't care. All that mattered was that he landed safely at Trinity Airport, his neighbor be damned.

As they descended, he chanced a look out his window. The darkness they had traveled through was growing brighter, tendrils of color streaking pass. Points in history, splayed out like a giant movie screen for their enjoyment. He saw the fall of Troy, the rise of Adolf Hitler, the first commercialized space flight, the creation of Tachyon Industries. He was so captivated by these images that he almost didn't notice the inside of the cabin shaking. Almost.

The Captain's voice appeared on the intercom. "Please buckle your seats, ladies and gentlemen. We're experiencing slight disruption from tachyon particles."

The cabin broke out in whispers. Interference in the time vortex was a rarity and surely a cause for concern. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the noise around him. Almost there...

"Sir?" He opened his eyes to see a pretty blonde stewardess standing over him. "Please fasten your seat belt," she reminded him.

He looked at his lap to see that the buckle had come undone. He swallowed hard, "Right." He fastened it with a snap and gave her a watery smile.

She turned to leave, but paused to give him a brief look. "We'll land safely, sir. Captain Mathers never fails." Darien spared another smile at her retreating form. Was his anxiety that obvious? A quick look at his agitated neighbor told him yes.

Before he could relax into his seat a giant jolt rocked the plane, sending it into a nose dive. "Fuck!" he screamed. All of the passengers screamed with him. Even the flight attendant's faces were washed with fear. They scrambled to their seats, realizing the danger they were in.

"Please, remain calm. We're experiencing a slight disruption. There's nothing to worry-" A loud explosion from the back of the plane cut him off.

Passengers wept. There was a one in thirty trillion chance of a time travel voyage going wrong, and they were the lucky one. Lovers held each others hands, parents crooned to their crying children. Even the agitated passenger next to him, was comforted by an elderly man.

Darien sat alone. He had made the trip on his own, his Dad thinking it was a good idea for him to experience the time vortex at least once.

"It'll toughen you up, at least," his father had said, before slapping him on the back with a joking smile. Darien had toppled over from the hit, triggering another panic attack.

He thought of how his father would react when he heard the news that his neurotic son had died in the vortex. Knowing his dad, the man would most likely drown his sorrows in shots of whiskey from the twenty-first century.

Another explosion rocked the plane, and all he saw was white.

The first thing he tasted was delirium. It was salty and left him seeing an array of color, none too pleasant either. They faded, and his mind started functioning again. Blinking, he sat up, shaking his head. His eyes burned and he reached to rub them, only to realize that his hands were coated in a thick layer of sand. "Sand?" he thought.