I stepped out of the time machine into a void. There was a firmament beneath my feet, but complete darkness almost everywhere else…

…save one old man seated about ten feet away.

He looked up as I arrived and had a curious glint in his eye. Approaching, I extended my hand in greeting. “Hey there. Need some help? My name is…”

Before I could finish, he grabbed my hand with a strength I would not have guessed and pressed something cold to my neck, knocking me unconcious. When I came to, both the old man and my machine had disappeared. He at least had the decency to leave me with regenerative medical and food provisions, but it would be a long wait in this void.

Months became years, and the isolation wore on my mind. The thought of escape consumed my every thought.

When a young man who seemed strangely familiar appeared in a similar machine to my own, I didn’t hesitate in the slightest. I slapped a stun patch on his neck, emptied the vessel of supplies and regained my long-lost freedom.