Chrono Proof

Evan blinked, disoriented, as he found himself standing in the middle of a busy street. The noise, the smell, the sheer chaos of it all overwhelmed his senses. Cars honked angrily as they swerved around him, and pedestrians hurried by, shooting him irritated glances.

This wasn’t right. He was supposed to be in the year 3024, not… wherever this was. He looked around, trying to get his bearings. The buildings were old, at least by his standards, and the people dressed in strange, outdated clothing.

"August 18, 2024," he read aloud, his voice barely above a whisper. He had missed his target by a thousand years.

A wave of panic washed over him. He needed to get back, but his time device had malfunctioned, and he was stranded in the past. He reached into his pocket, hoping the device had at least survived the jump. It was there, but when he pressed the button, nothing happened.

Evan felt a lump in his throat. The only person who could help him now was Ava, his partner. She was the tech genius behind their time-traveling exploits, but convincing her he was who he claimed to be would be a challenge.

He made his way to a nearby coffee shop, figuring it was as good a place as any to try to get his bearings. As he entered, his eyes landed on a woman sitting alone at a table, engrossed in a book.

"Excuse me," he said, and she looked up, frowning at the interruption.

"Yes?" she replied, her tone polite but guarded.

"My name is Evan," he began, taking a deep breath. "I know this is going to sound insane, but I’m from the future. I’m a time traveler, and I need your help to get back."

The woman stared at him, then let out a short, incredulous laugh. "Is this some kind of prank? Because if it is, it’s not very funny."

"I know it sounds crazy," Evan said quickly, "but I’m telling the truth. You’re Ava, right? Or at least, you’re an ancestor of Ava Daniels, the woman who’ll perfect time travel in the 31st century. I can prove it!"

She narrowed her eyes. "Okay, I’ll bite. How exactly do you plan to prove you’re from the future?"

Evan racked his brain. He needed something that would convince her, something she couldn’t dismiss as coincidence. Then it hit him. "Ava Daniels is your future self, and her greatest achievement is the creation of the ChronoStream, a device that manipulates quantum fields to navigate the time continuum. You’re working on the initial theories of it now, aren’t you?"

Her expression shifted from skepticism to something closer to fear. "How do you know about the ChronoStream? That’s classified research, and only a handful of people know it even exists."

Evan leaned forward, his voice earnest. "Because you’re going to finish it. You’re going to change the world with it. And right now, I need you to believe me so I can get back to my time."

She stared at him, the wheels turning in her mind. "If you’re telling the truth… I can’t just ignore that. But if you’re lying—"

"I’m not lying," Evan said, desperation creeping into his voice. "Please, I’m running out of time."

Ava hesitated, then nodded slowly. "Alright. Let’s see if we can fix your device. But if this is a trick, you’re going to regret it."

Evan exhaled in relief, handing her the time device. "I promise, it’s not. Thank you."

As she examined the device, Evan couldn’t shake the feeling that his life—and his future—depended on her believing him.