Oliver slumps against the wall next to her half-opened door. “That’s why I started.” His gaze lingers on her.
Her heart skips. “And now?”
Oliver hesitates. “I want to live. Maybe that is seeing as much of the world as I can or being there when history is made. But maybe it’s readingAlice’s Adventures in Wonderlandand eating birthday cake for breakfast and visiting a tiny village on the border of Wales that no one has ever heard of, too. I think… I lost sight of that.” He tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “If we had all the time in the world, would you still want to go to Lancaut?”
“Yes,” Beatrix admits.
He smiles, easy and bright, despite the weariness in his gaze. “Then I’ll see you in five years.”
She lays a hand on his cheek, just turning rough with stubble. Her stomach twists. She hopes this isn’t a mistake. “I’ll see you in a week.”
August 31, 2202Boston, Massachusetts
Oliver massages the back of his neck, tries to chase away the persistent throbbing in his head. Every clack of Lucy’s keyboard feels like she’s stabbing him in the base of his skull with one of her black stilettos.
“How did you hear about this place?” she asks as she enters the coordinates for Lancaut, England, August 6, 1965, into his chamber’s computer.
“A friend mentioned it. She thought I’d like to see it,” Oliver says.
Lucy shakes her head, but she keeps her eyes fixed on her screen and the writing scrolling past in a blur of green light. “Some friend. There’s nothing there.”
“Nothing?” Oliver slumps back into his chair.
“A forest. A river. Some ruins.” She pulls her glasses off and looks across her desk at him, like he’s a riddle she can’t figure out. “Are you sure you want to spend an excursion on this?” She saysspend; she meanswaste.
He straightens in his seat and lets his hand fall away from his neck. “I’m sure.”
Lucy sighs and puts her glasses on. “It’s your time…” She hits Confirm on her display, and the chamber door rotates open. Oliver steps inside the glass-and-metal tube, and Lucy secures the door with her palm print. A green light washes over him. He squints against the brightness.
A message flashes on Lucy’s display, glowing red, pulsing in time with the throbbing in Oliver’s skull.
ACCESS DENIED: SUBJECT UNSTABLE.
ACCESS DENIED: SUBJECT UNSTABLE.
ACCESS DENIED: SUBJECT UNSTABLE.
The chamber door releases with a quiet swish.
“No, no, no, come on!” His heart pounds against his ribs. This can’t be happening. “I have to get back!”
“Relax,” Lucy says, all professional calm. Her fingers fly over the chamber controls. “This happens sometimes. I’ll reset the system.”
Oliver sags against the glass wall, his heart racing, his mind reeling with grim what-ifs. This has to work. It has to.
Lucy secures the door, and Oliver straightens. The green light washes slowly over him. He counts in his head, his hope growing with each agonizing second.One. He’ll get to Lancaut.Two. He’ll get back to Bea.Three. He’ll tell her—
ACCESS DENIED: SUBJECT UNSTABLE.
The chamber door rotates open.
Fuck.
Lucy presses her crimson lips into a thin line. “Have a seat, Mr. Rhodes.”
He slumps into the chair across from her. She straightens and folds her hands together on the desktop. “The trans-temporal chamber has deemed you unfit for travel.”
“Yeah, I got that.”
