the Ghost of High Plains

Found living as a hermit on the edge of the brutal Badlands, 15-year-old Robert is recruited by a weary Sheriff whose posse has lost the trail of a dangerous outlaw gang. Having already survived a prehistoric jungle, Robert navigates the maze of canyons and salt flats with ease, identifying "thermal" signs-disturbed rocks and crushed sagebrush-that the exhausted deputies have overlooked. As they track the gang toward a narrow mountain pass, Robert uses his "mechanic's brain" to avoid a direct gunfight, opting instead for a tactical strike.Using a small cache of black powder and his knowledge of structural physics, Robert engineers a controlled rockslide that seals the pass, trapping the outlaws without a single shot being fired. This feat of non-violent engineering earns him the respect of the lawmen and a customized "Scout" badge, officially making him the youngest member of the posse. As the dust settles over the high plains, Robert locates the shimmering "glitch" within a nearby canyon, plunging through the anomaly to wake up safely in his own bed in 2020.