Ami's mind raced. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the images—the flickering, glitching figures that had appeared out of nowhere.
No. It's all in my head. She repeated it again. It's all in my head.
But the world around her refused to obey her reason. The figures blurred, twisted slightly, and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to make it stop.
When she opened them again, the area was empty.
Ami staggered back, heart hammering. Relief washed over her for a brief moment-until her gaze fell on the towering silhouette of the refinery in the distance.
Her legs moved before her mind could catch up. She ran.
EXT. REFINERY
The doors of the old, rusted refinery groaned as Ami pushed inside, pressing her back to the cold metal wall. Her breaths came in sharp, uneven bursts. The silence felt heavy, almost suffocating.
Then-a voice, faint, echoing through the cavernous space.
"…You see them too, don't you?"
Ami froze.
From the shadows, a figure emerged. Bernard. His smile was calm, unnerving.
"Who are you?" Ami asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
Bernard turned fully to her, and there was certainty in his gaze.
"I knew it," he said. "I'm not the only one."
Ami's pulse quickened.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, instinctively stepping back.
"The figures," Bernard said softly. "The people that aren't supposed to be here."
Ami clenched her fists. "You're crazy."
"Maybe," he admitted. Then his expression shifted, careful now. "But I don't think you'd be here if I was."
He gestured toward a massive metal door deeper in the refinery. "I don't know if this is ever going to work, but…" He paused, glancing back at her. "…I've created a machine."
Ami raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "Yeah. Okay."
"A time machine," he said simply, as if that explained everything.
Ami stared at him, disbelief and curiosity warring in her chest.
"You're insane. I just met you. I don't even know your name."
"Bernard," he replied, as if that one word settled something important.
"…Ami," she murmured in return.
He nodded. "This might sound insane."
Then, he opened the door.
"But I'll show you."
Ami hesitated. The weight of everything—the missing friends, the strange figures, the impossible promise-pressed down on her. But finally, she stepped forward.
"Come on," Bernard urged.
And she followed.
IN-FOREST:
The machine towered above her, wires and lights pulsating like a heartbeat. Ami's breath caught.
If this is what it takes to save my friends… a stupid time machine that probably doesn't even work… then so be it.
Her fingers brushed over the cold metal. Determination hardened in her chest.
"This is it," a voice murmured nearby.
Tio.
"Wow… so a person has discovered a time machine," another voice noted. "I suppose Stitchy was the one who built it…"
Tio's voice dropped, low and confident. "This will never work."
A grin crept into his tone. "And I will make sure of it... Won't I?"
A pause. Then a flicker of static and glitching noises filled the air.
"And who better to help me than you?" Tio said.