The gift of the time traveler

Dr. Ethan Carter was a scientist by day, a dreamer by night. Under the fluorescent lights of a laboratory, surrounded by glasses and plates, he designed devices that most would call impossible. He worked for a secret government agency, funded to discover, exploit and sometimes hide what the world was not ready to see. But his latest invention was not designed for the agency, nor for the world. It was, secretly, for himself. 

 Ethan had built a time machine. 

This wasn't some makeshift contraption with flashing lights and clicking gears. Instead, it looked like a thin glass capsule, no more magnificent than a large hourglass. However, inside pulsated the power to rewrite history itself. Every detail had been perfected, every equation checked and revised, every paradox accounted for. And tonight, he had chosen his destination with the same precision. 

It could end a national tragedy.  

Years ago, a disaster devastated his country like a fire. No one saw it coming; no one could have, they said. But Ethan knew that wasn't the case. He had survived that day, he was on the front lines, he watched helplessly as his life changed forever. Now, thanks to the time machine, he could go back in time. You can stop the process. 

Fate is not invincible, he thought as he entered the capsule. But as the world spun and swirled  around him, he heard a whisper in the back of his mind—a warning, perhaps, or just a premonition. "Fate is full of resources." 

He put the thought aside as the time machine spun into life, and in an instant, he was there, at the intersection of the past and the future.  

Ethan stumbled a bit, disoriented by the change, and took in his surroundings. It was the morning of  disaster. The city skyline shimmered in the morning light, each skyscraper a shining pinnacle, oblivious to the impending tragedy. He had replayed this moment a thousand times in his head, but now, seeing her so alive and intact, his heart was beating fast. 

He looked at his watch and calculated his maneuver limit: thirty minutes. It was more than enough, he told himself, and  he went to the nerve center where the tragedy would soon unfold. Each step seemed monumental to him, as if he were passing the  fabric of destiny itself. 

He reached the base of the building  as he heard it: a low, high-pitched whistle coming from  above. Instinctively, he looked up and saw a metallic glint. His purpose. 

Ethan rushed to the control box in the basement of the building. Right there, buried deep in the concrete, was the heart of the whole operation. It would be  simple  to disable the central mechanism, redirect the flow and mitigate the imminent threat. Yet as his fingers danced over the keys, his vision blurred, as if the world resisted him. The keys were frozen, wrapped despite their efforts. He hit them in frustration, only to hear footsteps behind him. 

"Doctor Carter." » 

The voice was cold, calm - the hiss of a snake before it strikes. Ethan turned to see a figure he recognized from the agency photos. Agent Matheson, the man said to be the shadow and sword of the agency's darkest order. 

"What are you doing here?" Matheson's smile was tight, his eyes glittering with suspicion. "And more importantly, what are you doing to my building?" » 

Ethan's heart was pounding, but he tried to keep his voice calm. "I came to stop the disaster. There is still time." 

Matheson's smile widened. "Oh, there is time. More time than you can imagine. But fate, he said, his voice dropping to a whisper, is full of resources." 

Ethan froze. The words echoed, a cold reflection of his  thoughts. In that moment, he saw something behind Matheson's look - a look that suggested he knew more about Ethan's mission than he should, that maybe... he always did. “Think about it…the fortune insurance policy,” Matheson said, snapping his fingers. Suddenly, two guards appeared from the shadows, grabbed Etan by the arms and pulled him back. 

"You can't do that!" Ethan shouted, struggling. "You sacrifice life!" » 

"Sacrifice," thought Matheson, in a quiet, maddened tone, "is still the only language fate speaks." » 

But even as he said it, Ethan saw a glint in Matheson's eyes, a flicker of hesitation. Matheson wanted something, personal security, a secret that only Ethan knew.  Taking a deep breath, Ethan caught that glimmer of doubt. “Listen to me, Matheson. The path you’ve taken will lead to ruin, for you and for everyone here. But if you let me stop this, we can save you.” 

Matheson paused, his jaw clenched. But his grip on Ethan loosened, ever so slightly. That's what, Ethan thinks, desperation gives him strength. "Let me in." Give me five minutes and I promise you will see results you never imagined. » 

Matheson hesitated for a moment, then motioned for the guards to release him. "Five minutes," he said coldly. "And remember, Carter, fate is fickle." 

As he ran towards the controls, Ethan felt a strange sensation - a sense of  freedom and tightness, as if every movement was  his own and orchestrated by an invisible hand. He reached the panel and began his intervention. For a  moment, nothing happened. Then, slowly, the mechanisms came back to life and a hum of energy ran through the system. 

As he completed the final circuit, he felt the building shake. He grinned, his heart pounding as he realized the extent of his intrusion. It had changed the course of the disaster, but it had not completely prevented it. However, he had done something unexpected: he had redirected it, forcing it to follow a controlled trajectory, one that had saved hundreds more lives than the original timeline. 

 When the dust settled, he coughed and saw Matheson's face pale with disbelief. 

"You… you did it," Matheson stammered, looking at the destruction. "But this result ... is better than we  could have predicted." 

Ethan looked around, a smile slowly spreading across his face. The heart of the city beat strong, resilient, its inhabitants alive and safe despite the chaos. Somehow, his desperate intervention had set in motion a series of events that led to a surprisingly favorable conclusion. He turned to Matheson, his voice loud. "Live, fate has a way of making the best  of  our darkest choices. Fate is full of resources." 

In the days that followed, Ethan returned to his time with a new respect for the tides of fate. He realized  that his journey had not only averted disaster, but had also given him something unexpected: a deeper understanding of the mysterious design of life. He had no power to change the past, but to walk the fine line between fate and freedom, accepting with humility and hope the unfolding of events. 

The time machine has been unused in his laboratory ever since, gathering dust. Because Ethan Carter, scientist and dreamer, had learned that sometimes the greatest gift was not to change the weather, but to accept it.

By Taun17