[ WP ] A time traveler tries to warn of impending disaster . No one listens .

A blue glow ignites in one of New York City's many shady alleys. When it fades, it reveals Zachri Middles, a thin, scruffy teen with dirty hair and nervous eyes. He wears faded green cargo pants a mud-caked grey hoodie. On his back is a backpack so full it looks like he's strapped five pillows to his back. It's full of papers, and so are his pockets. Each paper is printed with the same alien rune, the one hope of humanity. 
 
 Zachri glances around, then swiftly shuffles out of the alley and joins the flow of the morning foot traffic. On his way he glances the date on a discarded newspaper. He breaks into a run. Finally he arrives at Times Square. He allows himself a moment to adore the lights, because he wo n't see these again if he does n't fufill his duty. 
 
 Eventually he hoists himself up ontop of a mailbox. He clears his throat and shouts `` Attention!'' A few people stop and look up at him. `` I am a time traveler from the future!'' he announces. The crowd immediately goes back to milling around. `` Wait wait listen!'' he yells. `` Aliens are going to invade tomorrow! The only way they wo n't kill you is if you show them this, hold on...'' He hoists the backpack off his shoulders and unzips it. `` I have plenty right here can everyone just take one?'' Everyone hurries past him. 
 
 He jumps down from the mailbox with a handful of papers. He grabs a passing woman by the arm. `` You, ma'am, take one of these.'' The woman screams and starts running. He turns around and shoves a paper into the hands of a random man. `` Here sir, just hold onto this.'' The man walks twenty feet and then tosses the paper in a garbage can. 
 
 Zachri looks around, devastated. `` Please, will someone listen to me, you're all gon na die!'' People continue to hurry to wherever they're going. Except one man. He has on a dirty army jacket and is sitting in a torn cardboard box on the sidewalk. His face is adorned with a magnificent white beard and crooked yellow teeth. He rises at the sound of Zachri's words. `` Oh dear Lord!'' he exclaims, and runs to Zachri. `` Wuz gon na happen?'' he asks. 
 
 `` Oh, finally someone listens to me!'' Zachri says. He explains the situation to the man, who listens dutifully. At the end, Zachri holds out a paper. `` Okay, so just take one of these and show it to the aliens tomorrow. Actually,'' he takes a few handfulls out of his backpack. `` Can you pass these out? No one's listening to me.'' 
 
 `` Alright.'' the man says. `` You got dis area covered, I'm gon na go down der.'' He runs down the street, holding an armful of papers, screaming `` Erryone, please, take a paper'er de ALIENS'ill getcha!'' 
 
 Just then, Zachri hears a woman say `` That's him'' and he turns around. The woman who said it was the one he had tried to give a paper to earlier. She's standing next to a police officer, who says `` You're under arrest for disturbing the peace.'' 
 
 `` Okay, hold on,'' he says as the police officer attemps to lead him to the police cruiser. Zachri starts pulling the papers out of his backpack and shoving them at the police officer. `` Just pass these out, alright? Just make sure everyone gets one, and make sure they have it tomorrow.'' The police officer nods. `` Thank you!'' Zachri exclaims. He starts pulling papers out of his pockets as well, adding them to the pile in the officer's arms. 
 
 A second police officer starts shoving him in the car, while the first one promises `` I'll stay here and pass them out. Do n't you worry.'' Zachri beams. `` Thank you! THANK YOU! Just make sure everyone gets one, and-'' The door slams shut on him. 
 
 As the police car speeds away, the officer turns and dumps all the papers in a garbage can.
