or so. The hollow was the size of a small room, about three times Damien’s height. It showed plenty of signs of non-human habitation. Spider webs hung from above in tangled strands, and the mossy floor was scattered with bird and animal droppings. On one side was a rough bed covered with more skins. There was also a dusty wooden shelf that held a few tins of Syn-food, a rusty hammer, a jar of bent nails, a bow, and a buckskin sheath of arrows. A metal-tipped spear leant against the wall.
‘We’ll probably have to hunt if we stay here much longer,’ Alli said.
‘There’s plenty of game in this part of the forest,’ Hanna agreed. ‘There’s deer and elk and possum.’
‘Don’t worry, I went back and fetched the bread and some of the fruit,’ Damien said, tossing his bag on the bed. ‘We can eat that. We won’t have to hunt for a few days.’
He got up, walked to the entrance and looked out at the rain. ‘I’m worried about Danice and that boy she’s with.’
‘Simon,’ Alli said.
‘Yeah, him.’
Damien didn’t trust people he didn’t know. Living hand-to-mouth and day-to-day, with the threat of slave raids and their precarious situation as the Chieftain’s gold hunters, made him think like that. He only trusted the people he knew.
Damien was worried that Simon was in league with the people who had abducted Danice. Although Simon had brought his sister back, he was now leading her into dangerous situations without explaining why.
‘Where’s he from?’ Damien asked. ‘The past? The future? Who’s he working for, and why won’t he say why he’s here?’
‘Danice trusts him,’ Alli replied, ‘and she seems to know what she’s doing.’
‘Maybe she does. But whatever it is they’re up to, I don’t like it,’ Damien said. ‘I’m going to look for them.’
‘Look for them?’ Hanna protested. ‘Where? You don’t know what’s happened to them or where they’ve gone!’
‘Mama, you probably don’t want to know this, but when I went back to get the food, someone told me they saw Danice and Simon climbing up into one of the airships.’
‘That’s stupid!’ Alli cried. ‘Why would they do that?’
Damien shrugged. ‘To get into Old City, I suppose. That’s what I have to find out.’
Hanna waved her hand irritably. ‘Then go! Find her and bring her back. I want all my children here, with me. Safe.’
‘Don’t forget to block up the entrance,’ Damien said, pointing to the sturdy wooden grate that his family would have to nail into place before dark. It was the only way to keep out the wildlings. ‘Don’t worry, Mama, I’ll be all right.’
He stepped into the chilly afternoon and was gone.
‘We’re picking up a new timeline from 2321,’ Harry reported to Captain Cutler.
‘Is it anything to do with Simon and Danice’s mission?’ Cutler asked, leaning forward to examine the red line on the Operations Screen.
‘This is totally new, sir. Sent by our mysterious Chieftain friend, I’d say.’
‘An exploration satellite? Before they send out temponauts?’
‘That’s my calculation, sir.’ Harry pointed to the other red timelines on the screen. ‘In the past, they’ve sent one, two, or sometimes three TP Satellites to reconnoitre new locations.’
‘Rather like we do,’ Cutler said.
‘We’re usually more thorough than they are, sir.’
‘To where does the timeline link?’ Cutler asked.
‘Indonesia, sir. 1515. The northern coast of Sumatra, to be exact. A fairly uninhabited area, by the looks of it.’
‘Any intelligence on the area?’
‘From around 1513, the Portuguese were very active in this region. They were after spices, sir, and …’
‘Gold, yes, I know,’ Cutler cut in. ‘Do we have a TPS on standby?’
‘Not at the moment,’ Harry replied. ‘But I can have one moving pretty soon.’
‘Activate it, then. Investigate the location as soon as the satellite’s operational.’ Cutler frowned. ‘What’s that chieftain up
‘We’ll probably have to hunt if we stay here much longer,’ Alli said.
‘There’s plenty of game in this part of the forest,’ Hanna agreed. ‘There’s deer and elk and possum.’
‘Don’t worry, I went back and fetched the bread and some of the fruit,’ Damien said, tossing his bag on the bed. ‘We can eat that. We won’t have to hunt for a few days.’
He got up, walked to the entrance and looked out at the rain. ‘I’m worried about Danice and that boy she’s with.’
‘Simon,’ Alli said.
‘Yeah, him.’
Damien didn’t trust people he didn’t know. Living hand-to-mouth and day-to-day, with the threat of slave raids and their precarious situation as the Chieftain’s gold hunters, made him think like that. He only trusted the people he knew.
Damien was worried that Simon was in league with the people who had abducted Danice. Although Simon had brought his sister back, he was now leading her into dangerous situations without explaining why.
‘Where’s he from?’ Damien asked. ‘The past? The future? Who’s he working for, and why won’t he say why he’s here?’
‘Danice trusts him,’ Alli replied, ‘and she seems to know what she’s doing.’
‘Maybe she does. But whatever it is they’re up to, I don’t like it,’ Damien said. ‘I’m going to look for them.’
‘Look for them?’ Hanna protested. ‘Where? You don’t know what’s happened to them or where they’ve gone!’
‘Mama, you probably don’t want to know this, but when I went back to get the food, someone told me they saw Danice and Simon climbing up into one of the airships.’
‘That’s stupid!’ Alli cried. ‘Why would they do that?’
Damien shrugged. ‘To get into Old City, I suppose. That’s what I have to find out.’
Hanna waved her hand irritably. ‘Then go! Find her and bring her back. I want all my children here, with me. Safe.’
‘Don’t forget to block up the entrance,’ Damien said, pointing to the sturdy wooden grate that his family would have to nail into place before dark. It was the only way to keep out the wildlings. ‘Don’t worry, Mama, I’ll be all right.’
He stepped into the chilly afternoon and was gone.
‘We’re picking up a new timeline from 2321,’ Harry reported to Captain Cutler.
‘Is it anything to do with Simon and Danice’s mission?’ Cutler asked, leaning forward to examine the red line on the Operations Screen.
‘This is totally new, sir. Sent by our mysterious Chieftain friend, I’d say.’
‘An exploration satellite? Before they send out temponauts?’
‘That’s my calculation, sir.’ Harry pointed to the other red timelines on the screen. ‘In the past, they’ve sent one, two, or sometimes three TP Satellites to reconnoitre new locations.’
‘Rather like we do,’ Cutler said.
‘We’re usually more thorough than they are, sir.’
‘To where does the timeline link?’ Cutler asked.
‘Indonesia, sir. 1515. The northern coast of Sumatra, to be exact. A fairly uninhabited area, by the looks of it.’
‘Any intelligence on the area?’
‘From around 1513, the Portuguese were very active in this region. They were after spices, sir, and …’
‘Gold, yes, I know,’ Cutler cut in. ‘Do we have a TPS on standby?’
‘Not at the moment,’ Harry replied. ‘But I can have one moving pretty soon.’
‘Activate it, then. Investigate the location as soon as the satellite’s operational.’ Cutler frowned. ‘What’s that chieftain up
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