As it has been the case for most of the fifteen years my wife Kathleen and I have been married, planning and enjoying the perfect vacation was something we didn't exactly accomplish. After our two girls came along, vacation time meant two weeks of somebody being unhappy about something. This year both the girls and Kathleen wanted something special, and a planned to visit her sister Susan in suburban Chicago. Their plans were to visit the city, enjoy the big lake and see all the sights the city had to offer. Also a day at Great America and the museums were on their itinerary. Yeah it may have been fun, but I really wanted to just sit back and take it easy for two full weeks, with maybe a day or two fishing or playing some golf.

The alarm went off at 5:30, and before I could reach over and hit the snooze button, both Sarah and Jamie came running in our room. They were excited as hell for the vacation to start, especially since they were taking their first train ride to Chicago. Thirty minutes later we were heading to Peoria to catch the Amtrack to Chicago's grand central station. I gave the girls a big hug and kissed Kathleen good-bye and watched as they waved as the train pulled out of the station.

The ride home was peaceful until the buzzer on my pager went off. That meant only one thing, an alarm at the factory. Since I was the plant superintendent, I was always first on the call list, but I was sure I had Jim Peterson's name put at the top for the next two weeks. I figured that maybe it wouldn't be official until Monday, so I quickly headed in that direction. As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw Jim's car right away, and was confused as to why both of us were paged. Once inside, I yelled out for Jim and he came walking around the spray both on the east side. "No problem Bob, someone left the window opened a bit and a bird flew in setting off the motion alarm. I shagged him out and everything should be ok."

We walked towards the exit when I began to feel my stomach cramping up a bit, and I knew those White Castle's I had late last night were coming back to haunt me. I wasn't going to take the chance of driving another fifteen minutes, so I told Jim to leave and I would lock up. My first instinct was to head for the washroom in the office, but I figured maybe someone may be coming in to catch up on some work and I didn't want anyone to walk in to smell of passed White Castle's, so I turned around to use the factory john in the men's locker room. Past experience alerted me that this may be more than a dump and flush, so I grabbed yesterday's paper as I headed towards the stalls.

After reading the small sports section, I noticed a magazine on the floor in the stall next to me. I leaned down and after a few tries I was successful in grabbing the magazine. It was a copy of Woman's Confidential, and I wondered just why THAT magazine would be in the men's shithouse. I looked at he cover, which showed a picture of a girl crying, in the lower corner it gave a teaser of what was on the inside, which grabbed my attention for some reason. It was an article on how a woman could get even with a cheating man. Needles to say, I was more than curious and when I finished my business I folded up the magazine and shoved it into my back pocket and headed out the door.

Once home, I poured a large glass of ice tea and went out on the screen deck and began to flip though the magazine. Suddenly a strange noise got my attention. I couldn't quite make out what it was, but it came and went in a heartbeat. I opened the door and stepped out onto the deck and listened some more, but nothing could be heard. I thought that maybe my ears were just ringing or something when I again heard the noise. This time I knew it came from behind the barn, and went around the corner to investigate. I was stopped dead in my tracks at the sight before me. At first I thought it was a piece off an airplane or something, but when I saw some sort of door begin to open I ran back to the house. For some reason, my first reaction was some sort of space ship had landed, either from Russia, or if possible, outer space. Seconds later I had my double barreled twelve gauge pointed at what or who was going come out of there.

As the hatched finally was fully opened, I pulled back the twin hammers of the shotgun. Whoever was crawling out saw me pointing the shotgun and let out a yell. "Mister please don't shoot me. I do not mean you any harm what so ever. Please believe me."

If he was from outer space, he sure didn't look like the ones in the movies that was for sure. He actually looked like a normal person, except for that goofy skintight outfit he had on. He looked rather harmless, but I wasn't taking any chances. "Ok pal, put your hands up where I can see them and slowly climb out of that thing there."

When he was completely outside, I instructed him to move away from it and get over by the barn. "So just who the hell are you, and what are you doing here and what the fuck is that thing you were in?"

When he began to answer my question, I figured he was some sort of Looney tune standing before me, and my first instinct was to call the sheriff. I told him to move up to the deck, and if he made and wrong moves his ass would be full of double aught buck. All the way towards the house he pleaded with me not to call anyone, and to let him explain the whole story. Then if I was not convinced I could call. I figured another few minutes wasn't going to hurt things, especially with my shotgun pointing at his chest.

"Please mister, please turn your weapon away. It may accidentally go off. You can tie me up if you like, but please point the gun away."

I guessed if he was willing to be hog tied, he meant no harm so I sat the shotgun in the corner and told him to go ahead and tell me what the hell his story was.

"See first of all, I know you are going to have trouble believing what I am going to tell you, but it totally true and if need be, I can prove every thing I say is true. First of all, I am from the future. Four hundred years to be exact..."

That was all I had to hear, and once again I grabbed the shotgun and turned it towards him. "Ok asshole, were gonna cease with this future shit right now, and were going to sit here and wait for the sheriff to get here, got it?" As I began to dial the police department, he almost started to cry as he again begged me not to call. For some reason I decided to let him speak and again put the shotgun in the corner.

He then told me the strangest story, so strange that it sounded like it could be true, but I knew quite impossible. After all, there aint no such thing a time travel, right? He went on to say that he was part of a scientific team that worked on time travel, and finally it was a reality. A few trips were made, but since he was a junior scientist, he was not allowed such a reward. One night when everyone had went home, he broke the rules and took a time journey, a journey to the future. There he discovered that every living thing had somehow been destroyed, every last human, animal, tree, bush etc. Every living thing gone, and only dust remained. He was determined to find out what happened, as he only went six months into the future. He said he knew he and his family were doomed if he couldn't figure out what happened. He claimed he discovered the day that doomed the world, and it was an ultra deadly virus that did the world in. A virus, he claimed, that was to be used in the event of a foreign attack, but a virus that turned out to be far to deadly.

More journey's revealed exactly what had happened, a senior scientist had a massive heart attack and as he fell, he fell into the glass case that housed the deadly vile. When it hit the ground and shattered, it began its deadly effect on the world, and within one month the entire world was infected. Two months after that, everything was dead.

I don't why I tried to be rational with him since I didn't really believe a thing he said, but I had to ask just why he was here now. He said the person who developed this virus had to be destroyed, but really couldn't take a human life, so he had another plan. When I asked what that plan may be, he explained. "See, I figured if I could find his mother I would simply render her unable to bare children by making her sterile. My plan is to do this while she was a child, leaving no possible way for her to have a baby."

"And just how do you plan on doing this?"

"Many years from now, a new form of birth control was developed that didn't require any types of pills or operations. A massive dose of type twelve radiation destroys the reproductive organs with any pain or side effects. Someone could be made sterile without even knowing it. Place these pads just above the woman's vagina, or on each side of a mans testicles and bingo, no more babies."

"Let me guess his mother lives in this town, correct?"

"Well not exactly, see she actually lived right here in this house, only ten years ago. Today, she is fourteen, an age where she could have a baby, and also could be aware of what I came here to do. I need to do this when she is a lot younger. Right now I need your help in giving me the layout of the house. This way when I go back another ten years I can find her room without waking her parents. I can quickly get this done as she sleeps, and no one will ever know."

"Wait a second. I don't know if I believe you, no make that I don't believe you, and I am not going to let you know the layout of my house. You think I just fell off the turnip truck or something? The next thing I know you come back and rob me blind. That's your game now isn't?"

"No, not at all. I told you I could prove everything I say, and I will if you let me."

"Ok, prove it."

"We have to take a time journey. First I'll take you to the future and you can see for yourself the mass destruction."

"You mean we, the both of us are going to get inside that thing out there and travel through time?"

"That is absolutely what I am saying."

"Ok, here is the deal. If you are bullshitting me, I get to blast you with the double barrel, deal?"

"I have no problem with that, but when I prove it you have to agree to help me, deal?"

After I agreed with him we climbed into the strange looking craft and he began to punch a few buttons. Suddenly a little tremor was felt and he announced. "See, look out the observation glass. See any life form?"