Jasper had beaten him there. He stood on the platform in shorts and a light shirt. The weather permitted it—already warm this early, it’d get even hotter by midday. Jasper winked at him from a distance and waited. He took a drag from his cigarette, eyeing the ladies nearby. Most of them had dressed up again in their finest, unlike Daniel and Jasper—clothes they’d soon swap out anyway.

  The train stood before them—an old-fashioned one, the kind that ran on steam, though Daniel wasn’t sure if that was real or just a trick to make it fit the era they were headed to. Sure, early epochs didn’t have trains, but he’d take this over riding a horse any day.

  “Yo, bro,” Jasper greeted him. “We gotta grab tickets.”

  “Tickets?”

  “Over there, two booths,” Jasper pointed. “I see people going in. Some weird guy’s checking everyone’s ticket.”

  Daniel spotted the odd character Jasper had mentioned. A short kid, no glasses this time, but wearing black gloves. He moved faster than the other robots Daniel had seen. His legs churned quickly as he walked, and he arrived at each person out of breath. He was amusing in his own way.

  They stepped into the booth. Jasper went first. When he was sleepy, he barely talked, his face frozen like a mask. Daniel knew better than to bug him in that state. Jasper entered the doorless booth, and Daniel queued up behind him. Jasper pressed something twice, and a white screen lit up, illuminating his face.

  He stood there for a while before turning to Daniel.

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  “Bro, we’ve gotta choose here. Tons of options, but most are locked. Only Middle Ages, Wild West, and Modern Era are left. I say we skip Modern Era—doubt it’ll be more interesting than now.”

  “Wild West?”

  “Indians, cowboys, women in skirts…”

  “Middle Ages would be kinda similar.”

  “Dunno. Swords and knights kinda fire me up more, bro.”

  “What about the others?”

  “Locked. Guess they’re still building them. Otherwise, it’s everything from the first humans to now. Like a buffet of eras—just need a wild imagination.”

  “Whatever you pick, Jasper. I’m fine either way.”

  Jasper pressed something, and seconds later, a slip slid out from a slot next to the screen. He yanked it out and flashed it to Daniel as he stepped aside. It read Wild West. Daniel went in and chose the same.

  “Well, gentlemen, where to?”

  The breathless voice had caught up to them. They turned, and Daniel saw the strange kid Jasper had pointed out earlier.

  “We’re off to the cowboys,” Jasper said, showing his ticket.

  “Great choice. Watch out for Iron Jake, though. Always scared me a bit. Good soul, but when he gets ticked off…”

  The odd kid took Daniel’s ticket too, scribbled something, then handed it back with a grin.

  “Second car’s yours. Your seats are on the tickets. Your clothes will be waiting there too.”

  “Hey, man,” Jasper said, turning to the kid, who flinched and slowly tilted his head toward the burly guy, “I’m a bit on the big side. What if the clothes don’t fit?”

  The kid smiled again and replied, “Mr. Lee, you’re among the first to step into one of the most magical places human hands have ever created. Do you really think clothes will be an issue?”

  Jasper laughed, and the kid nodded before heading to the next group. The train let out a whistle, and the first people started boarding.

  Daniel and Jasper were among them.