The Time Machine

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Episode 62 of The Trigan Empire

The Time Machine
aka Het tweede gezicht (Dutch title)
Second Sight (Dutch title, translated)

Written by Mike Butterworth
Illustrated by Oliver Frey

The Time Machine was originally published in 5 instalments in issues 777 (4 December 1976) to 781 (1 January 1977) of Look and Learn magazine.

It is reprinted in Volume 5 of The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire (Rebellion).

Plot summary

Janno flies with a squadron along the border with Cato. Over Cato, a squadron of aircraft also takes off. They fly very close to each other but do not attack. Trigan City and Cato are on the brink of war.

Back on the ground, Janno assists Peric with an experiment. He spins rapidly in a machine with which they hope to break through the time barrier. At a high speed, Janno’s cockpit disappears for fifty seconds. They stop the machine and the cockpit reappears, but from that moment on, Janno can see fifty seconds into the future. He foresees an accident and can predict the cards Peric turns over.

On the next flight with a squadron, Janno sees that the planes from Cato will not attack. To test his gift, they go to the casino. At the roulette table, he wins everything but returns the winnings to the casino. On the way back, Janno, Keren, and Roffa are ambushed. The attackers want to kidnap Janno because of his gift and kill Keren and Roffa, but thanks to Janno’s second sight, they overcome the attackers.

On a subsequent flight with a squadron, Janno sees that the planes from Cato will attack. Just before the first missile hits his own plane, he ejects with his seat. From his ejector seat, floating at sea, he gives instructions to the planes in his own squadron. Thanks to his gift, it is easy to drive the planes from Cato into the ground and secure victory.

Days after the victory, Janno asks Peric to undo his gift. With the machine, Peric brings him fifty seconds into the future. After this, Janno loses his gift and is content.