Rewrite

The DeLorean appeared in the year 2010 with a triple sonic boom, skidding to a stop in the middle of the deserted street. Its frame was covered in rapidly-melting ice, steam billowing out of the two large vents on the back. Emmett stared at the street in complete bewilderment. Though the houses were clearly occupied, there were absolutely no cars to be seen. The road itself had fallen into a state of disrepair, cracked and overgrown with weeds, with large chunks missing completely.

He let the door hiss open, stepping out onto the uneven asphalt. Einstein whined worriedly from the passenger seat. "It's okay, Einie," Emmett assured him. "Stay."

A low rumble announced the passage of a train. "At least the trains are still operational," he muttered to himself, glancing in the direction of the tracks. "Why are all the vehicles missing?"

He hopped back into the driver's seat and put the time machine into gear. "I've got to find someplace to conceal the DeLorean temporarily," he thought out loud. He felt very conspicuous in the large, extremely loud vehicle as it rolled down the incredibly bumpy road.

At the end of the subdivision, the main road seemed to be in much better condition, although still not maintained. A group of trees grew on the corner of the block, large and dense enough to hide the DeLorean from any casual observer. Emmett covered it with branches, just in case someone got a little too curious.

"This is not how I imagined the future would be," he muttered to Einstein, who barked in agreement.

Movement caught his eye. A man in a dark suit was walking down the sidewalk, carrying a briefcase. There was nothing futuristic about his dress or manner, but Emmett could hear him muttering something about "Aschen" and "federation of planets." His eyes widened. Great Scott! The human race has advanced to the stars already? Extraordinary!

The man reached a strange looking pedestal on the corner of the block and stepped up onto a semi-circular pad. He punched in something on a keypad of some sort, and a shimmering column of light shot up around him. When it disappeared, he was gone.

Emmett gaped at the empty place where the man had been. "Teleportation! No wonder vehicles have become obsolete." He turned to Einstein. "Stay here, Einie. I'll be back." The dog whined in protest, but obediently sat down next to the hidden DeLorean, laying his head down on his paws.

Emmett curiously approached the teleporting platform. The keypad was labeled with letters of an alphabet he'd never seen, but the screen appeared to have a toggle for English. After touching the button, the screen displayed a long list of destinations. One that caught his eye was labeled Stargate Terminal, Washington D.C. Without thinking, he reached out to touch the label, and the shimmering column of light rose around him.

In the next instant, he found himself standing on an identical platform in the middle of the city. It looked vaguely like an airport, with multiple glass windows making up the walls of the massive building. A crystal-clear river looped around one end of the building, and beyond it he could see buildings rising up, interspersed with trees.

The interior of the glass building was even more airport-like, with seating and gift shops on the higher level. The ground floor was only accessible by elevator, and seemed to hold some kind of full-body security scanner and a large stone ring with a short stairway leading up to it. A man in uniform stood at the base of the stairs, standing guard over a device that reminded Emmett of a giant mushroom.

An overhead PA system clicked on. "Incoming travelers from Chulak. Please stand clear of the arrival area."

The stone ring suddenly lit up, the center flaring bright blue and roaring outward like a hungry beast. He flinched, but the flare receded into the center of the ring, settling into a vertical puddle and casting flickering light over the room. Two robed men, both carrying large staffs, emerged from the puddle.

Great Scott! A stable wormhole! How could humankind build such a device in such a short time? he wondered in amazement. Is this how man has finally reached the stars themselves? The power requirements must be enormous, I wonder how-

His thoughts were interrupted as the robed men began shooting fire from the end of their staffs. "Terrorist attack in progress," the PA system reported dutifully. "Please evacuate the building immediately." One of the robed men was pushing symbols on the mushroom, making the ring roar to life again.

Emmett froze, hardly able to understand what was going on. Earth was under attack by aliens? He ducked behind a couch and had to discard his alien theory when he spotted a silver-haired man launching a grappling hook of some kind at the stone ring, then sliding down. Hundreds of energy darts converged on his body, forcing him to fall. Still, he kept crawling on, finally collapsing halfway up the stairs to lie motionless.

A second man bolted out from the security scanning device, but he too was struck down before making it to the vertical puddle in the center of the ring. Both of the robed men were already dead, and Emmett's head spun. What is going on here? He heard screaming as a woman flew past him, leaping recklessly down the halted escalator and past the dead silver-haired man. She bent as he passed him, scooping something out of his hand, and straightened.

The energy bolts converged on her back, killing her almost instantly, but the object in her hand flew forward to disappear into the invisible depths of the puddle. Emmett stared at the horrific scene below. Whoever those people had been, he had a feeling they had accomplished their mission. I have to get back to the DeLorean, he decided. He stood, and the whole world wavered.