His physics teacher had just started explaining relations in temporal space that morning in third period. During class, Allen had suddenly remembered what his grandfather had told him. So he went exploring.

The laboratory wasn't much to look at. It was full of mostly old junk and notebooks filled with equations and computations that were meaningless to Allen. But something in the corner caught his eye. It was a platform made out of corrugated metal. There was some sort of wire in the shape of an ellipse mounted on top. It looks almost like the hoops that dogs in the circus jump through, Allen thought with a smile. The whole contraption was hooked up to several PCs.

Allen walked over and flipped on one of the computers. After booting up, the screen displayed, "Welcome. Please finish starting the system." Allen took this to mean "turn on the other computers," so that's what he did. Soon, the entire room was filled with the sounds of boot up processes. Then one of the stations beeped. He turned around and saw "Welome, Dr. Hutchins." printed on the screen. As he approached it, it finished whatever it was doing and displayed "Please enter a date in history."

Puzzled but curious, Allen typed, "April 4, 1968." He wasn't sure why this date popped in his mind, but he typed it anyway. Then the screen changed to a chart showing a list of places where famous things happened. Included on the list were Vietnam, the White House, Memphis and Atlanta. The only thing on the list that interested him was Vietnam, so he highlighted it with the mouse. The computer to his right showed, "Have a pleasant trip, Dr. Hutchins."

Allen, of course, had no idea what this meant, so he looked around on the desk. In front of one of the computers was what looked like a TV remote. Allen grabbed this and tried the power button. Suddenly, the contraption behind him lit up like a light bulb. As soon as his eyes adjusted, he could see that there was something light blue in the wire ring. He stepped toward it to investigate, and tripped on a cord in the intense light. As he tried to steady his fall, his hand fell on the mouse and highlighted "Memphis, TN" accidentally. He reached out to touch the shimmering blue object. As his hand passed through it, he noted that it rippled like water, but felt like a gas. He stood admiring it for a second, until he was pulled quite suddenly and forcefully through it.

He was blinded momentarily, but he regained his senses fairly easily. He was standing on the balcony of what appeared to be a hotel. It was warm out, and the sun was shining. A voice behind him sputtered a "What the-?" Allen whirled around to find himself staring into the face that he had seen in a million posters, textbooks, and documentaries. He was staring into the face of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Suddenly, it all fit. His grandfather had single-handedly invented a device that can carry molecules through time and space. The date he entered - April 4, 1968 - he now remembered as the day Dr. King was assasinated. He must have highlighted Memphis when he tripped! But wait a minute, he thought to himself. If it's April 4th, and I'm on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, and I'm standing in front of Dr. King, that means-

That was as far as he got. A single shot rang out through the still morning air. Allen was hit in the back of the head, and staggered to the ground. He was conscious long enough to see Dr. King crouch over him, and another black man step out of the doorway. Then there was darkness...

An exerpt from the Hadley-Baker Encyclopedia:
King, Dr. Martin Luther, Jr.: (1929-71) American minister, Nobel Peace Prize winner and 37th President of the United States, one of the principle leaders in the nonviolent civil rights movement and an advocate of peaceful resistance of racial oppresion. Dr. King is best known for his quick, peaceful end to the Vietnam War, the banishment of all nuclear arms, and the addition of the 26th Amendment (which grants everyone over the age of 18 the right to vote) and the 27th Amendment (which gives equal rights to all minorities). Because Dr. King was the first black President, waves of riots began in the cities, some praising him, others denouncing him. King was assasinated by James Earl Ray before completing his term in the Oval Office, and Vice President Jesse Jackson took over for the remainder of the four years. Dr. King was born on January 15, 1929. His early childhood was spent at his father's side, watching as...