Key Inheritance

Jon Smith was born on Jan 1st, 2020. His father, Hans Smith and mother, Sarah were brilliant inventors and green energy activists in their prime. They were among many who pushed the then laughable notion that the Earth was slowly dying. Jon watched as the two worked tirelessly on questionable plans, started by their own parents, to fix the Earth. Jon would not see them for several years after their untimely death upon reaching the age of twenty. The plans were impossibly complex but Jon could read them, thanks to his parents insisting upon him becoming a man of many talents.

Hans and Sarah had created plans to construct a massive time machine unlike any other in past fiction. For one to go into the past, one needed more than just the time but the location of the Earth in its rotation around the Milky Way. Otherwise, the traveler would find himself in empty space. It was one aspect of time travel Jon had never even considered. The position in space was done with six star constellations that the machine automatically selected depending upon the time and place on Earth. The only detail that eluded his parents until near the end of their lives was the power supply. The machine would require a massive energy source to open a portal for any length of time. Be it of fate or pure chance, they had discovered strange crystals within the ruins of ancient temples in isolated parts of the world such as the Amazon Rain forest, the deserts of Saudi Arabia and so on.

The machine had to be kept secret at all costs due to the potential disaster it could have on the world should it be used for political or personal gain. Hence the plans were drawn to to fit inside the family mansion. The real twist of his parent's plans was the fact he was the key that activated the machine. As fantastic as it all sounded, Jon began construction of the machine; not only as to his parents final request but the fact the Earth was indeed slowly dying.

After ten years, the machine had finally been completed and, as his parents feared, the Earth had indeed died. There were only small pockets here and there where the planet was still livable. Jon stepped into the machine and set the coordinates to begin his quest...