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.