Time Flies 1944

Tommy's pitch on tour

Bill and Susie Barton are on tour when Tommy shows up, soliciting funds for a new scheme called Time Ferry Services Limited. He frames it as a way to monetize time travel, and Bill has already loaned him $10,000 to help Professor Stewart McAndrew develop the Time Ball. The encounter sets the stage for intrigue, deception, and a dangerous temptation to chase a scam.

Susie confronts the loan repayment

Susie travels to the lavish apartment of Tommy and the Professor to demand the money back. She confronts them about the risky investment and the missing loan, insisting on repayment. The confrontation reveals that Tommy's wealth is borrowed and not real.

Discovery of Tommy's ruse and hiding in the Time Ball

The group discovers that Tommy is actually a valet who has been borrowing his employer's clothes and apartment to pose as a wealthy man. His boss calls the police, forcing them to flee. They scramble inside the Time Ball, hoping to evade capture.

Time Ball activated; travel to Elizabethan London

Tommy closes the hatch, accidentally activating the Time Ball. The device whirs and catapults the group back in time to Elizabethan London. They arrive disoriented, realizing they are far from home and trapped in a new era.

Arrival in Elizabethan London and a growing swindle

In Elizabethan London, Tommy befriends Sir Walter Raleigh and the Queen Elizabeth I, seizing on their presence to launch a new swindle by claiming to own America and selling pieces of land to courtiers. The audacity of the scheme underscores the danger of power and currency in a distant era. The others become entangled in the plan, fearing for their safety and future.

Professor McAndrew imprisoned in the Tower

Professor Stewart McAndrew is arrested and jailed in the Tower of London for alleged Scottish espionage, effectively trapping the group in the past. The situation becomes more dire as they realize there may be no easy way back. The political climate of the era tightens around them.

Susie meets Shakespeare

Susie encounters William Shakespeare and feeds him some of his own lines, which he eagerly writes down. The encounter reveals the cultural vibrancy of the era and gives Susie a taste of the period's literary world. The exchange is playful but also shows how time travel can influence art.

Assuming identities to plead for the Professor

Susie and Bill meet Captain John Smith and Pocahontas in a tavern and steal their identities to gain an audience with Queen Elizabeth I to pardon the Professor. The ruse relies on convincing the monarch of their supposed connections and importance. The deception is risky and exposes them to immediate danger if uncovered.

Unmasked and condemned to execution

Their deception is revealed, and they are unmasked and sentenced to be executed along with the Professor and Tommy. The weight of court politics and the danger of misrepresentation tighten around the group. The looming execution underscores how precarious their situation has become.

Escape by Time Ball and return to the present

The queen's soldiers attempt to burn them alive in a dramatic use of the Time Ball, but the Professor manages to repair the device and send them back to the modern day. The operatic tension of the moment highlights the fragile line between progress and peril. They barely escape the past just as their window to return closes.

Return to present day, weeks too early

They arrive back in the present, but several weeks too early, creating confusion and disrupting their sense of time. The premature arrival throws their lives into disarray as they try to readjust to a world that has moved on without them. The experience leaves them unsettled and wary of future adventures.