Minutemen

Solid.

Scorch.

First day of high school, Virg. We made the big time.

Football games, free periods... the chicks.

- Derek? You have a bat in the cave. - Huh?

Boogie fever.

And that was just a test. Had it been an actual emergency...

- Oh, hey, hey. - Aww...

Their first high school fight! My boys are growing up so fast.

- Where does the time go? - Who cares about the past?

- I'm thinking about my social future. - Well, I don't want anything to change.

I've got my two best guys right here, right now.

I'm your favorite though? You can admit it. He's man enough to take it.

I still can't believe you talked me into trying out for cheerleading.

You'll do fine. It's him I'm worried about.

He's in full freak mode about football tryouts.

Don't worry, I'll be there for moral support.

- You mean to goof around? - Exactly.

This is serious. You better not embarrass me.

D-rock, I never try to embarrass you. It just works out that way.

But first, a little boom-bah.

Relax, Beaugard. Be the ball, be the ball.

What's up with that?

I'll see you guys later.

- OK, that's enough for today. - No! Wait! I can do this.

Bro, maybe you ought to rest your arm.

What is that?

Coming through! Whoa!

Coming through! I can't control it!

I'm really sorry! Look out!

Whoa!

I'm sorry! Excuse me!

He's chewing up my field!

- Isn't that your neighbor? - Charlie Tuttle.

This kid in our class who's nine years old.

He skipped a bunch of grades because he's a genius.

Oh, yeah. A real Einstein.

Get off my field right now!

Stupid dork's going down.

What are you doing? He's going away. Just ignore him.

Oh!

Now that's some accuracy.

Little baby.

Come on, give him a break.

Whoa, whoa! Hey, hey!

Hey, come on! Hey, Derek?

Derek, if you wanna jump in, that's cool.

Derek?

Put me down! Put me down!

- Good throw! All right, Derek! - Nice shot!

Thanks for sticking up for me. I'm sorry about how it turned out.

Please tell me I don't look as ridiculous as you do.

It's not that bad, really. That's a... that's a nice red on you.

- I'm Charlie Tuttle. - Virgil Fox.

Nice to meet you.

So, what's the story with that rocket cart thing?

I always get a hard time on the bus and I hypothesized

a rocket-propulsion all-terrain cart would help avoid embarrassment.

Uh-huh. And how's that working out for you?

It's working great!

My emotion modulator actually allows me to understand

what Albert Felinestein is trying to communicate with his various meows!

Isn't that amazing?

Virgil? Hey! Earth to Virgil.

Virg! Don't you think, Virgil?

Virgil? Aren't you excited?

Yes, Charlie, I'm thrilled that you talk to your cat.

Um, I'm not entirely certain, but I believe you may be employing sarcasm.

Charlie, what do you want from me? Your inventions always work.

I can only act so surprised every time you figure out

how to power your house with tartar sauce.

It's cocktail sauce.

You know what would make me happy? If you built something useful.

By useful, I mean something that would make me rich and popular. Or both.

Hey, you can't ride that thing on the...

Hey, great bike. Lots of shiny, chrome, gear-y things.

Did you know that the contents of pudding actually makes you grow taller?

- It does. - That's why you're so tall.

It's the electrolytes and everything.

Thumbs down... and go!

Yes! I win!

Senior year and I'm still eating at the dork table.

No offense, guys. I do enjoy the stimulating conversation.

Hey, none taken.

But seriously, how did it come to this?

Let's see, maybe your plight has something to do with

being stripped, dressed in mini skirts, and hung from the school mascot.

A picture made the cover of the yearbook. Three years in a row.

- And on all the local news stations. - And the Spanish Channel.

Ah yes, the incident I will one day be explaining

to a very expensive therapist.

Hey, Hummingbird.

That's Charlie speak for 'hello.'

Um, excuse me, miss. Why did you call him 'Hummingbird?'

Oh, I love birds. All kinds of birds.

Big birds, little birds. I'm even the official secretary

for the local chapter of the Junior Bird Buddies of America. Such an honor!

Anyway, gotta run.

Fix that.

Well, that explains it.

Jeanette has been sweating you for two years. What's your deal?

Forget it. I'm married to science.

Hey, congratulations, buddy.

Pardon me, gents.

Ah, soda.

I hear if you leave a penny in that stuff for a week it comes out shiny?

I was actually planning on drinking it.

Well, never mind then.

So, um, how are you, Virg?

I didn't see you much this summer.

Oh, you know, I was doing a lot of mountain climbing, jet skiing...

- Video games? - I didn't leave the couch. You?

The usual, pool parties, cheerleading camp.

But I did take this awesome architecture class.

Oh, that's cool.

I remember you made a gingerbread house that had ten rooms...

- And walk-in closets. - Took us six months to eat it.

Oh, well...

Well, I have calculus. Hate it. Need it. Can't be an architect without it.

I got Public Speaking.

Hate it. Need it. Can't be a game show host without it.

There's a good reason Tesla's biographer

There's a good reason Tesla's biographer

named his book A Man Out of Time.

Tesla was so far advanced over his contemporaries,

that they often derided...

...they often derided him as...

Miss...

Jocelyn, is it too much to ask that you not do your nails while I lecture?

Sorry. When are you done?

- Excuse me. - Ah, Mr. Tuttle.

I believe you're here for your booster chair.

I'll get it later. AV Club emergency.

I need Virgil Fox right away!

- Virgil Fox? - He's out sick.

- I heard he might not make it. - Very funny, Mr. Fox.

You can pick up your hall pass on your way out.

That's it. I'm moving to Paraguay.

- Ever really looked at our mascot? - Forget the hall pass.

Remember that rocket-propulsion all terrain cart the day of the incident?

Thanks for mentioning it again.

It's been ten minutes since someone brought it up.

Listen, it ties together. That invention may have not been a success,

but one element of the design was proven viable. The quantum accelerator.

Remember that physics, new reality, many worlds theory kick?

Oh, yeah, that was fun.

I started building my own theory based on all of that work,

incorporating my proven hypothesis of quantum acceleration.

I put one of the school's computers on permanent reserve.

The DSL has been doing all the work.

And moments ago, I uploaded the last piece of the puzzle.

Commander Tuttle on the bridge!

Dude, no way I'm saluting you.

Fine. At ease.

What I'm about to show you is very,

very, very top secret.

We have to keep this just between us.

Check it out.

Yeah?

What you're looking at

is a successful simulation of practical time travel.

What are you doing?

I'm trying to stop any more of your brain from leaking out your ears.

What?

Come on, yesterday you said I should build something useful.

Well, time travel is useful.

Charlie, you're 14 years old.

You're two years away from your driver's license,

you still call your underwear 'underpants'.

I should believe you built a time machine?

Yes! And based on my specifications a person could travel up to 48 hours

- into the past! - That's weak.

Pardon me, how's your time travel formula coming along?

It's all about light, right? Nothing moves faster.

Well, my hypothesis suggests that you can time travel on a beam of light.

From any light source. Even light from a slide projector.

A slide projector? Like a regular slide projector?

Did I say regular? No, I didn't.

What we're talking about is a complex amalgamation

of electronic components and internal combustion mechanics.

Which you know nothing about, by the way.

We'll have to find a hardware guy. I don't see this as a problem.

Hey, Chickadee! What's shakin'?

You have to excuse Charlie. He's nervous around girls.

- No, I'm not! - Oh, it's cool, I like shy boys.

- Um, what's in the bowl? - Meringue. The assignment.

Here, take mine. I'll make a new one.

- Did you see that? - What?

Dude, she gave you meringue. That's huge.

I just need to know, are you going to help me with this or not?

Are you gonna be part of something, make history,

or sit on the sidelines and be a passive observer?

OK, look, I'll make you a deal.

I'll help with your machine and find a hardware guy.

But when we try it out for the first time,

we use it for whatever I want to do.

- All right. - Right.

But Virgil, this hardware person we need is tricky.

Why?

Because he not only needs to be gifted mechanically,