with wires and electrodes poking out of it. Another empty bed lay alongside his, with another headset already attached.
The big screen nearby was still showing the map of the earth, with the clock in the corner recording the current time. Cas stopped near the beds as Doctor Harrison finished preparing the headsets and turned to them.
‘There is no precedent for this,’ he said. ‘This technique has never been tested. Frankly I have no idea what the outcome will be, but what is for sure is that nobody outside of this room can ever know that this happened, understood?’
Cas nodded. Siren stood with her father nearby, watching closely as Doctor Harrison continued.
‘This is how it will happen,’ he said to Cas. ‘I have fitted a headset to your father. These sets detect the frequency of certain parts of the brains, which we can use to help us send your conscience back to the right place in time. That’s how this method of time-travel should work. Your body remains here, but your brain is re-tuned to the frequency of your brain in a previous life, and thus you see through the eyes of your previous life.’
The scientist gestured up to the screen above them.
‘As the earth moves through its passage and it detects the past, so you see it. But soon it will have moved on, and the time period you’re able to see will be left behind for another year. My best estimate is that you have about twenty-four hours to locate your father and bring him back.’
‘How?’ Cas asked. ‘How do I bring him back?’
Doctor Harrison sighed.
‘That will be the hard part,’ he said. ‘He will by now have started to lose touch with our present. He will forget things, become absorbed by the past until it becomes
his
present. You must bring him back to this very spot, where Hascomb Base is now, and be here at precisely the same time as you arrived yesterday. When the earth passes through the same moment in time, we can alter the electrical fields in your headsets that will re-tune both of your minds into the present.’
Cas looked at his father lying on the bed as though asleep. He looked almost normal but for the fact that he was ever so slightly transparent, like a ghost.
‘Can you put me back in the same place that we left, on Boston Common?’
‘I’ll do my best,’ Doctor Harrison replied, ‘but this isn’t something I’ve done before. Our original device was simply designed to
look
into the past, not
re-live
it. It’s been almost twenty-four hours since you returned, so if I match the frequencies correctly to those that your father is displaying then you should appear in 1776 at the very same place and moment that you left.’ He checked his watch. ‘We must hurry.’
General Winchester spoke from one side. ‘There is another reason to hurry. My superiors will be here at the base in the morning to supervise the shutting down of the remainder of the site. All of the equipment will be taken back. This is your only chance to succeed.’
Emily spoke up from one side.
‘I get how this time thing works now, but how come Joshua is vanishing but we’re not? He fell through the energy field just like we did.’
Doctor Harrison glanced at Cas before replying.
‘Joshua went into the energy field just before you did,’ he replied. ‘Although only a matter of moments in the present, he arrived in the past at least a day before you.’
Jude put the pieces together quickly and his face fell suddenly. ‘So we’re going to end up like that too?’
‘Let’s concentrate on one thing at a time,’ General Winchester cut in. ‘Are you prepared to do this, Cas?’
Cas nodded without hesitation. ‘I’m ready.’
Doctor Harrison gestured to the empty bed. ‘Then you had best lie down.’
Cas turned for the bed but was surprised to hear Jude’s voice. ‘You’re going to need some extra beds and headsets.’
Cas turned as Jude stepped up. ‘You don’t need to come too, Jude,’ he said. ‘There’s no point in
The big screen nearby was still showing the map of the earth, with the clock in the corner recording the current time. Cas stopped near the beds as Doctor Harrison finished preparing the headsets and turned to them.
‘There is no precedent for this,’ he said. ‘This technique has never been tested. Frankly I have no idea what the outcome will be, but what is for sure is that nobody outside of this room can ever know that this happened, understood?’
Cas nodded. Siren stood with her father nearby, watching closely as Doctor Harrison continued.
‘This is how it will happen,’ he said to Cas. ‘I have fitted a headset to your father. These sets detect the frequency of certain parts of the brains, which we can use to help us send your conscience back to the right place in time. That’s how this method of time-travel should work. Your body remains here, but your brain is re-tuned to the frequency of your brain in a previous life, and thus you see through the eyes of your previous life.’
The scientist gestured up to the screen above them.
‘As the earth moves through its passage and it detects the past, so you see it. But soon it will have moved on, and the time period you’re able to see will be left behind for another year. My best estimate is that you have about twenty-four hours to locate your father and bring him back.’
‘How?’ Cas asked. ‘How do I bring him back?’
Doctor Harrison sighed.
‘That will be the hard part,’ he said. ‘He will by now have started to lose touch with our present. He will forget things, become absorbed by the past until it becomes
his
present. You must bring him back to this very spot, where Hascomb Base is now, and be here at precisely the same time as you arrived yesterday. When the earth passes through the same moment in time, we can alter the electrical fields in your headsets that will re-tune both of your minds into the present.’
Cas looked at his father lying on the bed as though asleep. He looked almost normal but for the fact that he was ever so slightly transparent, like a ghost.
‘Can you put me back in the same place that we left, on Boston Common?’
‘I’ll do my best,’ Doctor Harrison replied, ‘but this isn’t something I’ve done before. Our original device was simply designed to
look
into the past, not
re-live
it. It’s been almost twenty-four hours since you returned, so if I match the frequencies correctly to those that your father is displaying then you should appear in 1776 at the very same place and moment that you left.’ He checked his watch. ‘We must hurry.’
General Winchester spoke from one side. ‘There is another reason to hurry. My superiors will be here at the base in the morning to supervise the shutting down of the remainder of the site. All of the equipment will be taken back. This is your only chance to succeed.’
Emily spoke up from one side.
‘I get how this time thing works now, but how come Joshua is vanishing but we’re not? He fell through the energy field just like we did.’
Doctor Harrison glanced at Cas before replying.
‘Joshua went into the energy field just before you did,’ he replied. ‘Although only a matter of moments in the present, he arrived in the past at least a day before you.’
Jude put the pieces together quickly and his face fell suddenly. ‘So we’re going to end up like that too?’
‘Let’s concentrate on one thing at a time,’ General Winchester cut in. ‘Are you prepared to do this, Cas?’
Cas nodded without hesitation. ‘I’m ready.’
Doctor Harrison gestured to the empty bed. ‘Then you had best lie down.’
Cas turned for the bed but was surprised to hear Jude’s voice. ‘You’re going to need some extra beds and headsets.’
Cas turned as Jude stepped up. ‘You don’t need to come too, Jude,’ he said. ‘There’s no point in
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