The production staff had been gathered in the Brooklyn conference room for about twenty minutes before Rolex finally barged in, twenty minutes late.
“Sorry, but I don’t wanna hear it,” Rolex barked, grabbing a bottle of Diet Slay from the conference table and taking a seat at the head of it next to Jono.
Rolex’s new girlfriend, this one named Cassidy, was an expert at bringing out the worst in him. Every day was some new drama. As the Executive Producer of Future React, LLC, it was Jono’s job to make sure Rolex’s personal assistant Keith kept Rolex stable and focused, and to make sure that the channel was constantly pumping out new, quality content that was promoted and seen by as many people as possible. So, since Cassidy made his job and life more difficult, Jono wasn’t a big fan.
“No worries, Ro,” Jono said. “Let’s get going, everyone. Let’s go over the upcoming—”
“How come the Marilyn Monroe piece is still sitting below five hundred million views?” Rolex interrupted. “She was popular back in the day, sexy as fuck. What the hell?”
“Yeah, I don’t know,” Jono replied. “Our research said that she would be a huge draw. But—”
“But she came across as too serious,” Leslie, one of the Junior Producers, butted in. Leslie was gunning for Jono’s job and took every opportunity to make him look bad in front of Rolex. “People expected to see the sexy, ditzy bombshell she was in her movies. But you saw the piece. She was too serious and overwhelmed with being here and now. She came across like a worried, age-inappropriate Aunt on downers.”
“Talent and temporal prep needed to do a better job at syncing her with our narrative,” Jono said, taking back control of the meeting. “We’ll work on that for future guests. But right now, we need to go over the Q3 talent plan.”
Leslie gave a sigh, and the rest of the room looked at Rolex, who was looking down at his holo.
“We just confirmed Babe Ruth for the next sports feature,” Jono said. “We’ve targeted February of 1919, the off-season after his World Series win with the Red Sox. Our scouts say that he can be a bit of a handful. But if we keep him mostly at Fenway, focused on what he’s done and tease him with the Yankee years, it should be pretty compelling.”
“We just confirmed Babe Ruth for the next sports feature,” Jono said. “We’ve targeted February of 1919, the off-season after his World Series win with the Red Sox. Our scouts say that he can be a bit of a handful. But if we keep him mostly at Fenway, focused on what he’s done and tease him with the Yankee years, it should be pretty compelling.”
“Cool,” Rolex looked up from his holo. “Who else? Did we get Elvis yet?”
“Not yet,” Jono replied. “It's complicated.”
“We’re still researching the best time to get him,” Nate, the Narrative Director chimed in. “There are pros and cons to every time period. All of them are compelling and volatile. It's a priority to figure it out and make it happen.”
“Make it a series?” Kelly, one of the junior Narrative staff suggested. “Start with young Elvis, then do three or four more in the future at different points in his career?”
“I like it. Hunka hunka burning love,” Rolex sang off-key. “Make that shit happen. Next?”
Kelly shot an ‘I told you so’ look at Nate, whose barely-perceptible shake of his head and expression hinted at some behind the scenes conflict.
“Make it a series?” Kelly, one of the junior Narrative staff suggested. “Start with young Elvis, then do three or four more in the future at different points in his career?”
“I like it. Hunka hunka burning love,” Rolex sang off-key. “Make that shit happen. Next?”
Kelly shot an ‘I told you so’ look at Nate, whose barely-perceptible shake of his head and expression hinted at some behind the scenes conflict.
“We have first-contact sign-off with narrative and scouting for Miles Davis, Paul Revere, Cecil B. DeMille and Nicola Tesla,” Jono said. “So I’ll report back when there’s an update on them.”
“It’s critical for us that Miles Davis perform, obviously,” Nate said. “So, scouting needs to confirm that he’s willing to do that before we move forward.”
“Good,” Rolex said, looking up and putting his holo down on the conference table. “Anything else, J?”
“Before we move on,” Jono replied, “just an exciting update for the Goats series. We’ve made significant progress toward securing, wait for it—Steve Jobs, and George Washington.”
There were smiles, excited looks and murmurs all around the conference table.
“Fuck yes!” Rolex exclaimed. “Oh my god, I can’t wait to see Jobs’ face when he sees the watch and the AR headset and iHolo. He’s going to cry like a friggin’ baby.”
Jono smiled, enjoying the scowl on Leslie’s face, which happened whenever Jono had good news that got a positive reaction from Rolex.
“Alright,” Jono said. “This week is Orville Wright.”
“Yawn,” Rolex said, sitting back in his chair with his arms crossed.
“I know,” Jono said, “but our story research tells us there’s a lot of interest in this one.”
“The first Wright Brothers’ planes were made out of wood and fabric and wire,” Nate said. “This fucking guy was basically laying flat on a piece of flying plywood. Imagine his reaction when he walks through JFK and onto a 787 Dreamliner. I mean, it's going to be an amazing reaction.”
“Okay, that is dope,” Rolex said.
“So, after he transports, we’ll pick him up, brief him and bring him to JFK,” Nate continued. “You’ll walk in with him. Just his reaction to seeing a modern airport will be compelling. We’ve got authorization to take him down to the tarmac and look at a plane from the outside. He’ll probably have some pretty technical questions, so we’ll have an aeronautical engineer with you to answer them. We’ll likely leave a bit of that in for flavor, and edit the boring, overly-technical parts out in post.”
“Then we get on the plane?” Rolex asked.
Nate nodded. “We’ll have access to the plane early, and we’ll record as he walks down the jetway and boards the plane. He’ll have a chance to see the cockpit and talk to the pilot. Then you’ll fly down to Dulles, have a short layover and fly back.”
Nate nodded. “We’ll have access to the plane early, and we’ll record as he walks down the jetway and boards the plane. He’ll have a chance to see the cockpit and talk to the pilot. Then you’ll fly down to Dulles, have a short layover and fly back.”
“First class?” Rolex asked, looking at Jono.
“First class, front row,” Jono replied. “The two of you will be on one side, camera and a Field Producer, probably Gail Knox, across the aisle.”
“Down to Dulles and back, with a layover, is kind of a long time,” Rolex said.
“It’ll give him some time to ask you things about modern life,” Leslie responded. “You can answer his questions, do some of your normal bits with him, get some of the surrounding passengers engaged. We’ve arranged a dinner meal for lunch, so he’ll be amazed at that. There might be some downtime. But we’ll get a lot of content so editing has choices.”
“Here’s your brief for him,” Jono followed up, handing Rolex a tablet.
“Didn’t this guy have a brother?” Rolex asked.
“Wilber, yeah,” Nate replied. “Orville will be coming from 1915, three years after his brother died. So, we’ll likely get some drama from him as he remembers his brother, wishes that he could be here to see what modern flight looks like, yada yada—”
Just then, Rolex’s girlfriend Cassidy barged into the conference room and threw a Venti Starbucks iced coffee at him, which splashed all over the front of his colorful suit, Jono and those sitting near them.
“That’s for this morning!” Cassidy yelled, then turned around and stormed out of the conference room.
Rolex and Jono exchanged a glance, as Keith appeared in the doorway.
“Go,” Jono said to Rolex. “We’ll all go over a few more things and circle back with you later.”
“Thanks. Sorry,” Rolex replied as he stood up and left the conference room.
Everyone else around the table sat in silence.
“Negative three,” Leslie said as she scooped ice from the table onto the floor, her words referring to the one-to-ten, worst-to-best scale the group had for rating Rolex’s girlfriends.
.
Ten minutes later, Jono stood in Keith’s office.
“I know you’re his personal assistant,” said Jono, “But if there’s anything you can do to keep her crazy out of the office, please do us all a favor.”
“I didn’t know she was in the building until I saw her headed toward the conference room,” Keith replied. “Plus, you know Rolex. Sometimes he doesn’t listen to me, and she sure doesn’t.”
“I know. Just do your best,” Jono said, stepping toward Keith. He put his hand on the back of Keith’s neck and pulled him in for a kiss. “Order in from the good Chinese place tonight?”
“Sure,” Keith replied.
.
Four days later, Jono stood with Rolex, Keith, Nate, Leslie, an EMT crew and the camera crew at the portal, which was located in a secure warehouse in a New Jersey industrial park about an hour outside the city.
Four days later, Jono stood with Rolex, Keith, Nate, Leslie, an EMT crew and the camera crew at the portal, which was located in a secure warehouse in a New Jersey industrial park about an hour outside the city.
A team of technicians gathered off to the side in front of the control center which had an impressive collection of holo-displays, gauges, buttons and touch-pads.
“Mr. Wright is incoming,” the lead technician said.
Energy swirled around the central platform and the warehouse was filled with a buzzing rumble. A moment later, the blinding light of the transfer energy faded, and next to the transfer host stood flight pioneer Orville Wright.
Dressed all in black, wearing a suit, tie and hat, Orvlle stepped off the platform and looked around him, a dazed expression on his face.
Rolex stepped forward and extended his hand which Orville shook.
“Mr. Wright, my name is Rolex,” he said. “Welcome to the year 2091. Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Just a little woozy,” Orville said. “Where are we?”
“We’re in New Jersey,” Rolex replied. “We’ll be headed back into Manhattan in a few minutes.”
Orville looked around him at all the people and technology. “How is this possible?”
.
On the ride back into the city, after Orville finished marveling at modern automobile technology—including the Escalade they were riding in—Jono explained about time travel.
“We can have someone much smarter than me tell you how it actually works,” Jono said. “But time travel was made possible a couple decades ago by a scientist and entrepreneur named Jahntae Vast. His Vast Temporal division figured out how to travel through time and make it safe. It's mostly used by the US government and law enforcement for confidential purposes. But since we have the money, they allow us to use the technology to make videos, uh, motion pictures, where we bring famous people like you to see and react to the future.”
“How much did it cost to bring me here?” Orville asked.
“About three million dollars,” Jono replied.
Orville’s reaction to that amount was cut short as the first view of the Manhattan skyline came into view. The camera zoomed in slowly on his face as he looked out the window at a skyline that must have seemed unreal and futuristic to him.
“I am speechless,” Orville said quietly.
.
The rest of the day went smoothly and as planned.
Rolex walked with Orville into the terminal of John F. Kennedy International Airport, after explaining who JFK was. Orville had great, usable reactions to how large the airport was and the number of people flying. He stood in wonder at the Departures/Arrivals board, marveling at how many flights there were and their destinations all over the world.
The camera crew walked in front of him and got his epic reaction as he approached the massive windows and saw dozens of massive airplanes, some parked at their gates, some taxiing and a few taking off and landing.
The camera crew walked in front of him and got his epic reaction as he approached the massive windows and saw dozens of massive airplanes, some parked at their gates, some taxiing and a few taking off and landing.
“This truly surpasses what I imagined the future could be,” Orville said, tears in his eyes.
They then proceeded down escalators, through hallways and out onto the tarmac.
Orville and Rolex stood under the engine of the aircraft, surrounded by the camera crew. Orville had a few moments and expressions that they could use in the final edit before he started asking very specific and technical questions about the landing gear, propulsion, stabilization, weight and materials of the aircraft. An aeronautical engineer stepped forward and answered all of his questions. Orville shook his head in disbelief as he soaked in the information.
When the group returned to the departure gate they would be leaving from, Jono ran up to Rolex.
“Sorry,” said Jono, short of breath. “Gail had a family emergency. I’ll be flying with you and Mr. Wright. You ready for this?” he asked, noting that Rolex was wearing his sunglasses inside and looked a little tired.
“Claro, bruh,” Rolex replied.
By the time Orville, Rolex, Jono and the cameraman got on the plane, many of the passengers around them were aware of the presence of Orville Wright onboard. They got some good footage of Orville talking with the pilot, who answered all of his questions. Then they took their seats in first class. Orville sitting in the large seat and taking in all the details around him—the window, the overhead bin, the TV screen, the seatbelts, the stewardesses—made for some compelling B-roll.
Before the plane took off, Rolex asked Orville to stand up beside him, and made his pre-arranged speech as the camera captured it all.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Rolex said. “I’m Rolex Redux from Future React. And it's my pleasure to inform you that we have a special guest onboard with us today. Thanks to modern time travel technology, please help me welcome the father and pioneer of modern flight—Mr. Orville Wright!”
A round of applause filled the cabin.
“Well, Rolex,” Orville said. “It is certainly my pleasure to be here. It is nothing short of a miracle, both being able to travel forward in time, and seeing what modern flight looks like. I am overwhelmed, and also a bit sad. I wish more than anything that my brother Wilbur could be here with me today to see all of this. He would have loved every second of it,” he concluded, breaking down in tears.
The passengers gave Orville another round of applause as Rolex helped him back into his seat.
“Got all of that?” Jono said to the cameraman.
“Affirmative,” the cameraman replied.
Rolex talked with Orville about many different topics on the flight down to Washington, DC. They did some interactions with some of the passengers, ate the first class meal—tender beef tips with grilled vegetables, rice, a dinner roll and warm chocolate brownie—which Orville couldn’t stop talking about.
After the short layover, they were headed back to New York. Rolex was exhausted and took the seat across the aisle next to the cameraman. Jono sat next to Orville.
They talked about a lot of things, some basic things about modern life and some personal things. When Orville asked Jono if he had a family, Jono replied that he was single. It wasn’t since he was a teenager that Jono felt the need to hide his sexuality. But since he didn’t know Orville’s opinion on the topic, and since his relationship with Rolex’s personal assistant Keith was currently on the down-low, he decided it was easiest just to lie and deflect the conversation to another topic. Jono did recall from research that both Orville and his brother were lifelong bachelors and never married. That brought up many thoughts and questions that Jono thought best not to ask about.
After a chat about modern aircraft and their uses, Orville gave a sigh.
“My brother and I always hoped that our invention would lead to positive advancements in the world,” Orville said. “Did we succeed? Are airplanes used solely to transport people? My critical mind and understanding of human nature, human greed for money and power, make me concerned that airplanes might be used for evil and ethically questionable purposes.”
Jono sat silent for a moment, unsure how he should respond. He thought over what he knew about fighter planes, jets and ships in World War 1, 2 and 3, the bombs dropped by planes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and more recently Bordeaux and Mexico City. What was he supposed to say?
“I think it’s best that we don’t talk about that,” Jono responded. “I don’t want to lie to you. But if I tell you the truth, it will upset you and make you miserable for the last hours you’re here with us. Instead, let me show you this—”
Jono took out his holo, made a few taps and swipes, and held it up for Orville to see.
“Way back in 1959, humans built a rocket,” Jono continued. It blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with humans aboard. And we successfully landed on the moon.”
Orville looked at the pictures emanating from the holo in disbelief, his reaction and expressions caught in closeup by the cameraman sitting across the aisle next to a sleeping Rolex.
“And just a couple years ago, the first lunar colony was established,” Jono said with a smile, “in a joint Allied effort to live and learn on the moon, the first steps to forge a future for humanity beyond Earth. How about that?”
Orville put his face in his hands and wept. He would bring it up several times, asking various questions about rockets, the original landing and the more recent lunar colony, in his last hours in the modern time.
.
When they arrived back at JFK, Rolex said goodbye to Orville and excused himself to go deal with some new drama with Cassidy. Normally, Jono would have also left the visitor with Leslie or a junior Producer to bring them back to the portal in New Jersey for transport back to their own time. But Jono holo-ed Keith to let him know that he was seeing Orville off and would be late for dinner.
At the portal, surrounded by the transport host, one EMT, and the tech staff at the control panel, Jono and Orville stood next to the transport platform.
“The return transport process has a built-in memory protocol,” Jono said, “that will erase your memories of this experience. We can’t have you going back to the past and messing up the future, you know.”
Orville chuckled. “That is very unfortunate, but I understand. I want to thank you, and Rolex, for this experience, even if I won’t remember it. Not only did I get to fly through the air in a modern aircraft, I got to fly through time. As an inventor, I know it is all science and ingenuity. But the experience is one of mesmerizing and bewildering magic. Thank you, Jono.”
“You’re very welcome,” Jono replied. “It was a true pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wright.”
“Orville,” Orville replied, leaning close to Jono. “Oh, and, uh, I saw and overheard you typing and talking on your device. Whoever this Keith fellow is to you, I hope it goes well for you.”
“Thank you,” Jono replied. “I appreciate that very much.”
Orville stepped onto the transport platform with the transfer host next to him.
“Mr. Wright is outgoing,” the lead technician said.
Swirling light and the buzzing rumble surrounded Orville and the transport host. The last thing Jono saw was Orville smiling back at him, as the flight pioneer and legend disappeared into the past.
.
Years later, as Orville sat on the front porch of his Dayton, Ohio home, looking out at the rising moon, his sister Katherine stepped out onto the porch and stood next to him.
“Are you okay out here?” Katherine said.
Orville paused, and embraced a notion that suddenly came from both the deep corners of his mind, and the distant echoes of the future, across time and space.
“I would love nothing more,” Orville replied, “than a chocolate brownie.”
