Meeting Bob

This is understandable, but when I saw Bob Simmons, it tricked my mind into thinking he looked like my dad. Of course, I've seen my father's dead body, and besides, it doesn't take more than a few seconds to see the evil difference in his face.

He seemed only mildly surprised by our presence, "ah, I see you have found me."
"It would appear so." The Mad Scientist replied matter-of-factly. Wait.....The mad scientist?!?
"I suppose you used an anti-matter detector?"
"It would appear they did."
"And you?"
"A spy."
"Well that's interesting. You must be an older Ludwig Einstein."
"Also correct. One hundred forty, to be exact."
"You don't look a day over sixty. Quite interesting."
"How...?" Vander's jaw dropped.
"Later," Ludwig brushed his questions aside, "for now, we have to make up for you breaking my cover."
Aleck was aiming his gun (yeah, a real one) directly at Bob. Only three other people were in the room.
"I only accept appointments." Bob said casually. He had set down his tools from the strange machine he was working on, and was standing quite vulnerably in the open. He needed to be stopped.
"We need some information." Vanderdecken said, "Otherwise we wouldn't have interrupted your work."
"Yes?"
"Where is the bomb going to explode.?"
"I'm afraid I haven't decided that yet."
Aleck nodded, "he's telling the truth."
VD12 thought for a moment, "When?"
"On thanksgiving, of course."
"Why?"
"Naturally, to implicate America."
"Then why are you telling us. Surely you know we have credibility."
"On the contrary," he flipped a switch, and a projector flashed on the wall. It showed an arrest order for implications in the bombing of Beijing, all of our names on it, "You see, you're to be a scape goat for the US government, when China blames them for setting off the bomb. How does that make you feel?"
"Betrayed," I said before Vander could make some retort.
"Of course, I'll insert plenty of evidence proving you helped, but you know the government's loony enough to turn against you, in spite of all you did for it."
"Is it from the future?" I asked.
"No, it's what I plan on publishing the second the bomb goes off."
"Not if we can stop you!" VD12 said confidently.
Bob paused to consider for a moment, "No, hmm, I think you're right. Yes, quite right. It won't happen if you stop me. That's quite a logical statement. If only you could stop me." and with that, he snapped his fingers. His time machine started whirring. He grabbed on to his anti-matter device, and Aleck fired at him, but he had already dematerialized. It happened so fast, you can't blame Aleck. I never would. He's too smart.

"Hmmm," Einstein pulled out a square, encyclopedia-sized box.
"What's that?" VD12 asked.
"I call it a triquarter."
"What are you doing here?"
"Well, I was spying on Bob, waiting until the right time to stop him, until you came."
"What have you been doing for the past...eighty years?"
"Touring history."
"And how's that been?" VD12 apparently forgot we had to stop a bomb.
"Quite educational. I have, of course, discovered the 'fountain of youth', and I know all sorts of remedies that history has forgotten. Everything I know is from before this date, with only three exceptions. And yet, I know more than you." he pointed to Oleck, and then sighed, "it's amazing how much we've forgotten."
"So what's your triquarter for?"
"Detecting time travel signatures."
"Signatures?"
"You know how you trade places with the particles from the place you're going?
"Yes," Oleck nodded.
"Well, if you can detect the air, or better yet, rubble, you can calculate where he went. In this case, seventeenth century Antarctica. I suppose he wanted some alone time."
"So what are we going to do?" I asked.
"Well, knowing him, he's not going to stay there, and it'll take a while to track him, so I'd best be going alone. You four keep trying to stop him."
"How??" I asked.
"I dunno, find some clues. You're smart people."
"When will we see you again?" VD12 asked.
"I'm hardly abandoning you." he smiled, "but since time is connected, I may not be able to get back for a while. But definitely before the bomb goes off; it'd be pointless to chase after him when I knew he'd have to be in modern time." and then he was gone. Our only lead, off chasing shadows.

Four days left.