Testing

He began the tests yesterday afternoon, right before sunset, with the town barely visible from the foresty hill we were on. He slowly and methodically took out a series of gadgets from his carpet bag, analyzing each one. Then he handed me a large monitor device, and flicked it on. "What is this?" I asked, breaking my angered silence.

"This screen is watching a series of 100 newspapers, each displaying famous headlines from our history, which I lined up in front of a camera before we left. In theory, if something we do changes the future, it should change these headlines, or at least change the print a little, and it will show up between the new picture and the original, which is already on the hardrive. The computer will sense the change, and alert us."
"How do you plan on changing it?"

"Watch me." He pulled out his gun and, aiming it high in the air, fired twice. The shots echoed through the forest. We both looked around at the forest, expecting something to happen, but then all was quiet, "any changes?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

"Absolutely nothing?"

I nodded. He shot two more rounds, and then two more right after. He took out the empty cartridge of the gun and popped in another as the echoes quieted. "How 'bout now?"

I shook my head.

He ran over to me and stared at the screen in disbelief. Then he threw it onto the ground. "I will make it change!" he screamed angrily, and he fired all six shots wildly through the air, wounding a couple of trees and maybe a lone squirrel. "How about now!?!" he yelled, but he didn't seem to want an answer. He loaded the gun again and started wandering through the forest, shooting randomly as he went. I picked up the computer screen and followed him cautiously. After he had fired a good three rounds, he threw the gun down in disgust and asked, "any changes?"

"Not one."

"Argh!!!" he pulled at his hair. But then he stopped, and reached into his pocket. He smiled at me mischievously and pulled out something.

"What's that?"

"Nitroglycerin was invented in 1847, never used before then," he laughed, "until now." He lit the fuse, threw it, and dove like every hero in every action movie you've ever seen, and a second later, I was diving next to him, as dirt and rocks filled the air, "any changes?" he coughed, wiping the dust from his eyes. We both studied the monitor for a few seconds, but not even the print style had been altered even the tiniest bit.

"Novikov's theory is looking pretty good right now. That would be sad."

"So you're done testing?" I asked hopefully.

"Well, I don't have anymore nitro." he considered.

"Then we can go home?" I asked.

"Ha! Of course....not! Our tests have only just begun! We could be here months before we finished all the tests I have in mind. Done testing? Hardly! And you'd better turn that frown upside down, mister, because I do not allow bad attitudes during time travel." We gathered his tools, put them away, and then, appearing from the bottom of the hill were about a hundred villagers, with various weapons such as pitchforks, shovels, and a musket or too. Ludwig pulled a flashlight out of his carpet bag, and held it in the off position "Listen, all of you foolish, mindless villagers!" he yelled out of the darkness, "you have experienced the eerie monster of wokenchewgum, I only hope you will live to remember the experience!" and he did that thing with the flashlight were you turn it on pointing at your chin, so your entire face is illuminated. But the villagers simply charged at us.

"Bad idea," I shook my head.

"Bad is a point of view. Is your watch on?"

I nodded, staring as the torches and pitchforks got closer to us.

"Any changes?"

I looked at the monitor, then shook my head.

"Then time for part two. Off to 1775!" The night sky disappeared, and we were once again travelling through time. This time, however, the heavy gravity feeling was gone, and in it's place, was a strong wind, or something of that sort, since there is no air in space. I've been typing this since we left, and we still aren't wherever we ought to be. It's almost morning now, though...