The hum of the time machine's core reverberated through your bones as the glowing control panel cast eerie blue shadows across your face. You adjusted the leather straps securing you to the worn pilot's chair, its cracked upholstery evidence of countless jumps through the temporal stream. Outside the reinforced glass dome, the swirling vortex of time stretched infinitely in all directions, its kaleidoscopic energy making your stomach lurch.

A sudden alarm blared as the chrono-compass spun wildly. The display screen flickered with red warnings: TEMPORAL ANOMALY DETECTED. Your gloved fingers flew across the brass dials, attempting to stabilize the trajectory. Through the distortion, you caught glimpses of possible destinations - a medieval battlefield shrouded in smoke, a glittering futuristic cityscape, and something that looked suspiciously like prehistoric jungle.

Before you could react, the machine lurched violently. Metal groaned as the entire chamber tilted sideways. Your head slammed against the headrest as the machine ejected you through time like a cork from a champagne bottle. The last thing you saw before losing consciousness was the date display spinning uncontrollably... before settling on a year that made your blood run cold.