Spot 2: Sara_R_Stark

At this point, Peter was debating ignoring the hand roughly shaking his shoulder. He knew what it meant and he knew who it was, and he didn't want to deal with either of them. The museum had been crazy busy for the past few weeks, and another mission through time would drive him crazy. He deserved his sleep, and yet it was constantly being stolen from him.

"Come on, Peter," Heiron whispered. "They say it's important."

"I don't care what they say," Peter mumbled, rolling over in his cot so that his face was smashed into his pillow. "Let them leave without me."

"The agent assumed you would say that. He said I should use force."

"You couldn't hurt a fly. I know for a fact you would never-"

He was cut off as Heiron roughly jerked him upwards, flipping him over mid air to rest bridal style in his arms. Peter gasped in annoyance and pounded at Heiron's arms, though the Greek was too strong.

"Put me down, you oaf," he grumbled. "I don't want to go back. Let them solve their own problems."

"That is not an option," Heiron responded, his eyebrows furrowed at the anger Peter was displaying. "Please do not be mad."

"I'm not mad," Peter sighed. "I'm just tired."

"We're all tired."

They made it to the conference room without much more struggle from Peter. The dark circles underneath his eyes were enough to prove his lack of sleep lately, and the other instantly noticed. What happened to the soldier who always looked so pristine and perfect in his uniform? They were left with a half-asleep mess who would never admit to nodding off once or twice in Heiron's arms.

"Thanks, gentlemen, for joining us this morning," the agent said, forcing a smile. "This mission has much less urgency, as I assume you all require a break. I will send out another group on a more pressing matter, and I hope they can solve it with as much efficiency as you." Peter nodded from his chair, accepting the compliment, though it was clear he still despised this agent with every fiber of his being.

"Where will it be this time?" Eleanor asked.

"It's all in the folder," he said, sliding the manilla envelope towards the center of the table. Peter snatched before anyone else could, ignoring the agent as he began to leaf through its contents. His vision swam, though, and he struggled to remember the content he read. It was a task he gave up on quickly.

"Now, before you all ask, this is Celene," he said, pointing to a new girl at his side. "She's from Italy, and I assumed that with the recent loss of your teammate Freydis, you would need someone to take her place." The feeling in the room instantly shifted, and the air became choking. "Still a sensitive subject, huh? Alright, I won't discuss it. You can all go to the machine when you're ready, I guess."

They all filed out of the room in silence. Bringing up the death of Freydis was not an easy topic for any of them to bear. They had lost three people that day, and two of them were only boys trying help save the maiden stricken with fear. Peter felt especially guilty for her death. She had left the group because of him for reasons that he still could not identify. Anne tried to talk her out of running away, yet she wouldn't disclose to Peter the reasons for it.

"How about we actually take our time today?" Peter suggested. "Let's go pack bags with what we feel like we need. Then it won't be too much of a mad scramble once we arrive."

Everyone nodded and shrugged, regarding Peter as coldly as they did last mission. Peter sighed as he walk back to his wing of the museum. The dynamics of their group had completely changed. In the beginning, they all regarded Peter as their leader. They listened to what he had to say, took part in his plans, and didn't argue when he disagreed with a course of action. Freydis seemed to have flipped their opinions on him. He hated her. He had always held a dislike for her fiery personality, but turning the group against him was not something he could tolerate.

He was quietly mourning the loss of his superiority as he entered the back room of the Holocaust wing leading downstairs to their room in the massive museum basement. The room was small, but there were only a few of them in there so they didn't need much space. His corner had a cot, small nightstand, and a little dresser full of clothes. Occasionally, some of Kenneth's agents would bring them new leisure clothes, and over his many years residing at the museum, he had built up quite a collection. They noted his love for dulled colours and older fashion tastes from the 1980's, as he had seen quite a few interesting trends from the other exhibits in the 1900s hall of the museum. To reflect this, they have him plain t-shirts, black leather jackets, a jeans of varying shades. He always wore black high top shoes and usually went through a pair or two a year, so he always had to ask for more.

Peter began going through his drawers, pointedly ignoring the top drawer of the dresser that housed his uniforms. He knew how the war ended, and the sight of the uniforms only reminded him of the failure his side had suffered. The easy times of his youth haunted him. He remembered walking through town with his friends, flaunting their uniforms to the watchful eyes of their admirers. He would never get those days back, of course. Even if he managed to escape the museum and return home, he knew the war was a losing one. He would die in battle or get arrested like his peers. Those uniforms held nothing but loss for him.

He filled a knapsack with his essentials and exited the room, sighing deeply. Another mission would take a toll on him, no matter how supposedly 'easy' the agent had made it for them. All he had to look for upon his return was a single day to sleep in before he was set to their busy schedule. Sleepless nights were sure to follow, but none of the agents cared. He wondered if anyone truly cared anymore.

That haunting thought, he noted sadly, would never leave him as long as he was within the museum walls.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

"Something is truly wrong with this museum," Dion quipped, shoving his limited belongings into a small backpack.

"I agree," Seth grunted. "This museum is much unlike home."

"I know! I look out the windows and see the future, and it scares me." Dion smiled inwardly as he realized how good at English he had gotten. Some of the people at the museum had been helping him learn so that he could educate the guests correctly, and he had gone from barely speaking it to being nearly fluent in three weeks. Their new technology was impeccable, so learning a language was effortless.

"But it is cool, no?" Seth asked, smiling. "I had not heard of a holo until we arrived. To think we never would have discovered it had we not been brought here... that is a thought I do not enjoy."

"I agree. I miss my home. It is so much easier without a holo in front of your face at all times."

They both worked in companionable silence as they packed. The two were sharing a room in the basement for the time being due to the museum needing to prepare a permanent location for the both of them. It was a tiny portion of the basement and they had barely enough room to fit both of their beds, but it was secluded from the others and they enjoyed that.

They exited the room quickly, neither of them wanting to hold up the rest of the group. People would look down on the newcomers if they were the last to arrive. It would make them seem lazy, and they did not want that. As they arrived at the machine, only a few had already made it, so they allowed themselves to slow their pace. Those in attendance were Anne, the German boy, and Heiron. For some reason, neither of them could retain the name of the boy in the black leather jacket. Anne seemed to bite her lip as she checked them out, a rose colour filling her cheeks.

"Like what you see?" Dion asked quietly. The colour in Anne's cheeks only rose, and she turned away. Dion smirked and returned to Seth's side.

"Cut that out," Seth said, though he couldn't keep the smile off his face. "We're new, remember?"

"That does not matter. Making connections is good."

"Sure." Seth rolled his eyes, playfully punching Dion in the arm. "You do that. I will laugh when someone puts you back in your place."

"They would never," Dion scoffed. "I'm too dashing."

"You're an idiot, is what you are. Now hush up. The rest of them are coming and I don't want us to be seen as those men."

The others arrived at the machine looking worn out and carrying their own bags. They wore sombre looks and barely spoke as Peter inputted the code into the machine. Everyone piled in, situating themselves as far from the German as possible. Peter only sighed and closed the door, standing in silence as the machine whirred. Dion could barely contain his excitement. He was too freaked out the first time to marvel over the beauty of this time traveling technology, but now that he assessed each panel and ran his hand over each silver switch, he was truly impressed by the museum's feats. The machine was being used for evil purposes, though. He had seen the conditions of those that worked in the museum, and they were not good. Sadly, Dion sighed and absently ran his fingers over the leather bracelet on his left wrist, waiting as the machine did its thing.

Minutes passed and nothing seemed to happen.

"Peter, did you input the code right?" Eleanor asked, looking panicked. "It never takes this long to travel."

"Of course I did," Peter scoffed. "This is not on me. Something must be wrong with it."

He hovered his fingers over a data pad on the wall nearest him, scrolling through the shimmering blue images displayed. Suddenly, a bright red warning sign flashed across the screen, and he jumped back, panicked.

Anne let out a small scream and fell backwards into Dion's arms. He carefully helped her stand up, eyes widening as sparks danced across the screen. Everyone began to scream as a feeling of weightlessness overtook them, their bags and belongings flying into the air. Dion grabbed onto the nearest control panel for dear life, struggling to hold himself down on the floor as the machine shook

Suddenly it stopped.

Everyone fell back to the ground in a heap and Dion moaned in pain as someone landed on his arm. He carelessly shoved the person to the side and stood up. Everyone shakily rose to their feet, gathering their scattered belongings, and watched as Peter and Seth forced the doors open. A wave of salty air flowed into the machine, and Dion found himself coughing. The wind was much wetter and thicker than the air back home and it stung his lungs.

"Peter, where are we?" Anne demanded, glowering at the muddy mess of grass beyond the machine.

"I don't know," Peter admitted, stepping outside and fiddling with the machine's panel. "The entire thing seems to be fried." He punched the metal surface a few times, though there was nothing more than a dull flicker on the screen. Frowning, he returned inside.

"So are we stuck here?" Dion asked nervously.

"For the time being, it looks like we are. I suggest we find a place to sleep for the night. It's already getting dark." Cas looked like he was about to follow, but he hesitated.

"Should someone stay here to guard it?" he asked. Peter rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache, nodding slowly.

"Probably," he admitted. "Does anyone want to volunteer?"

Everyone was silent, so Peter sighed deeply.

"Whatever," he said, shrugging nonchalantly. "I guess I'll stay. Will you guys be able to find your way back?"

"I can mark the path with Freydis' old daggers," Anne said quietly. "We can cut a cross into trees every few feet so that we have a clear trail leading here."

"Alright. Will you return tomorrow?" Everyone seemed to nod, so Peter allowed them to leave. As they did, he pulled some tools out of his backpack and began to work on fixing the time machine.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Heiron found himself walking quietly at the back of the group. Everyone seemed fine with leaving him behind, as all he seemed good for was admiring the scenery and naming every plant and animal that crossed his path. Ammon and Seth seemed to have a good time talking together in Coptic. He sighed quietly. He hadn't talked to anyone in Greek in quite some time, but according to Peter, Dion was from the same place he was. It was possible he knew the language too, but he would never take the time to talk to someone like Heiron.

"You are Heiron, right?" someone asked to the left of Heiron. He jumped, spying Dion looking at him curiously.

"Yes," he responded.

"Amazing," Dion whispered. "Seth just told me that you are from Greece too. You speak Greek, yes?"

"Of course." Heiron scoffed at the mere thought of not speaking such a beautiful language. "It is the first language I knew. Peter taught me my English."

"You did not let the museum teach you? They have such brilliant technology."

"No," he sighed. "I do not trust the museum. I have been here for a long time and have seen their ways."

"Oh," Dion murmured, looking lost. "They taught me all I know and it has only been three weeks. I am grateful, but if they are as evil as you say, I may end the lessons."

It took Heiron a moment to realize that they had effortlessly switched to speaking in Greek. He was so used to voicing these thoughts to himself that his English gradually slipped. He almost smiled at the discovery. It had been a long time since he had used his language fully, and it was quite refreshing. People were so used to him sounding lost and confused that they assumed he was dull and unable to think for himself. As the conversation progressed, Dion found that wasn't the cast. He was brilliant, but his lack of formal English teaching had left him without words.

The group made slow progress as they approached rising smoke in the distance. It was obviously civilization, but of which era no one was sure. They were wary as they made it to the end of a small village, peering through thick bushes to get a sense of where they were at. It was a very small town with men and women scurrying by. The smell of roasting meat was on the air, mingling with the sea wind. The women wore dark coloured dresses with white aprons and bonnets while the men were dressed in black suits.

"What era is this?" Dion asked quietly in Greek.

"I don't know," Heiron responded. "I've never seen clothes like these before. If only Peter was here..."

"Why Peter? What's so important about him?"

"He's from the future," Heiron grinned. "He lived in the year 1924 and knows all about our times. He understands modern technology more than any of us."

"Obviously we cannot just barge in," Anne grumbled, cutting into their conversation. "But we do need a place to stay the night."

"We will need a cover story," Cassius suggested. "And some clothes."

"What's wrong with our clothes?" Eleanor asked, offended. "Sir, this is my best dress."

"She is right," Dion said quickly. "Our clothes do not fit the time. They will be confused and possibly frightened."

Everyone sat in silence as they attempted to come up with a plan. Dion found himself getting fed up with their lack of ideas. There was an obvious solution that none of them were seeing.

"You all are pathetic," he muttered. "There is clearly one way to do this." Everyone's heads perked up, and Dion sighed deeply.

"We need to steal some of their clothes."

There was a quiet outrage amongst the group. None of them even assumed that was a plausible option. Stealing was immoral and wrong, and they would not participate.

"Then I suppose I will have to enter the town myself," he growled. "I am not waiting outside all night for you to make up your minds. We need these clothes and a cover story so that we may gain ourselves shelter and food for the night. For this we will need to split up."

"You're mad!" Anne exclaimed. "Split up?"

"Of course. We will take clothes hanging on lines and travel to separate houses. With good enough stories, we can find our way into the homes of kind folks. It's the only way. In the morning we will meet here."

There were grumbles of annoyance throughout the group, though everyone quickly obliged. It was decided that Dion and Heiron, Anne and Cassius, Eleanor and Seth, and Ammon and the new girl would go together. Then they all set out, carefully scouring yards for suitable clothes.

Heiron and Dion hit the jackpot almost immediately. As they were searching, they came across a wicker basket filled with men's clothes. They fit Heiron perfectly though were a little small on Dion. He made due, though, and rolled up the sleeves and the hems of his pants. The two then shoved their old clothes into their backpacks and made their way onto the empty streets, their shadows lengthening as the sun continued to set. Most of the houses had dark windows, though a small cabin at the end of the street had a flickering candle in its windowsill.

"We'll try here," Dion murmured in Greek. Heiron nodded, and they composed themselves as they went up and knocked on the door.

A young man came and opened it up, smiling easily at the men.

"Evening, gentlemen," he greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"I am so sorry to bother you, sir," Dion said in flawless English, "but there was... there was a skunk in our backyard that spooked our younger brother. It sprayed our house and tore up one of our windows trying to escape. The house has a deathly chill and a terrible smell and no one can sleep there. Our brother already left for my father's house and told us to find residency somewhere else.

"So, sir, if I may be as bold as to ask, may we sleep under your roof for the night? I do fear it will rain and I would hate to be caught out in such a storm without snug walls around me." He finished his story, flustered and shaking from the effort of producing such exact English, but a small glimmer of triumph flashed in his eyes.

"Oh, dear," the man chuckled, grinning easily. "Of course I'll let you folks stay tonight. I've heard those creatures have been inching closer to town, so it was only a matter of time before kind folks like you were attacked. Please follow me. We have a guest bedroom, though there is only one bed. Do you mind?"

"Oh heavens no," Heiron smiled, attempting to copy Dion's accent. "Your hospitality is enough for us."

He lead them through her warm house, opening a small wooden door at the end of a long hallway for the boys. Ushering them inside, he bid them goodnight and closed the door behind them, leaving them in darkness. Both of them clambered to get off the annoying outer layer of clothes and settled in bed in their slacks and tank tops. The air was beginning to get chilly, so they pulled the blankets up to their chin and allowed themselves to fall asleep, individually praying that Peter wasn't freezing in the machine.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

The morning came quickly, though Cassius found that he hated mornings here. The air was deathly cold and men were already up and working, their loud voices ringing throughout the town. Cas sat up slowly from his spot on the floor. He had allowed Anne to sleep on the bed by herself so that she was covered in soft blankets and her face hidden from the door. He had seen not a single woman since he entered the town and he had a sneaking suspicion that there were barely any there. Due to that fact, he went into the house by himself and snuck Anne in through the bedroom window. They would have to sneak out the same way and run through the forest to avoid the eyes of the men working outside in the village.

Shaking his shoulders, he quickly went to change back into his clothes from before, though he slipped a heavy long-sleeve shirt underneath his vest. The air was frigid, so he would need the warmth. Then he went to shake Anne awake, helping her dress in her warmest furs before pushing her through the large window and onto the ground below. He carried both of their bags as they made a mad dash for the treeline, not stopping until they were far from prying eyes.

"We can walk now," he panted, his breaths misting in front of his face. "We need to get back to that machine. Hopefully Peter has it fixed so that we may return home and avoid this freezing weather."

"Yes," Anne murmured, her face turning red from the cold. "I do not enjoy freezing weather."

"I am sorry for the unfortunate circumstances. Here, let me lend you my scarf." Cassius reached into his bag and pulled out his green woolen scarf, tenderly wrapping it around Anne's neck. She smiled her thanks and they continued walking, finally seeing their group in the clearing directly ahead.

Anne ran forwards and crashed into Eleanor, both girls laughing excitedly. They huddled up together to retain warmth, and Anne took the scarf and wrapped it around both of their necks. Cas smiled. Everyone used to say his scarf was so long that it was ugly, but he enjoyed wearing it and its length was finally being put to good use. He met with Peter and the others by the machine, and the German didn't have a very good look on his face.

"I told you, I've been working on this thing all night," he said defensively. "Something's seriously wrong with it. I need your guys' help to take a deeper look."

"Peter, if we mess with this thing too much, we could damage it and never go home," Dion said, though his voice wavered. It was insanely cold out and his entire body seemed to be going numb.

"I get that, but if it isn't fixed, we aren't going home anyways. We aren't properly dressed for this weather and we don't even have a house."

"We could make one," the new girl suggested, her voice thick with an Italian accent. "Build it right by the machine so that we won't have to leave. It will be small, but it will be protection."

"Building a house will take too much time," Peter replied. "It could take months to get it up, and we don't even have the proper tools. Besides, it's gotta be fixed by then."

"You never know," Seth said, shrugging lazily. "It's worth a shot. While you are working on the machine, we could build the shelter. Even if we don't finish the house by the time it's fixed, at least we will have something to do."

Peter's shoulders slumped, but he finally nodded.

"If we're going to do this, we're going to need some things," he said, pulling a notepad out of his pocket. "I will need you guys to get the right tools. There are enough trees here to supply us with the lumber we need. You guys can do that part, as I don't suppose the ladies will want to participate?" The women all shook their heads meekly. "That's settled, then. You ladies can help us find more clothes so we don't freeze while we're out there. Try to find us some blankets or animal skin furs. I'm assuming we're back in the 1600's, so they won't have very warm coats. Can you do that for us?"

"Of course," Eleanor scoffed. "We'll go to the village and see if we can find some more clothes or blankets. If not, we'll have to steal cloth from houses. I do hope it does not come to that, but it is important for you to erect the shelter."

"Perfect, thanks," Peter said, nodding. "Alright, this just might work. You all head out into town and get what we need to begin. Be here before sundown so that we can at least build a decent structure. If worse comes to worst, we can all sleep in the machine tonight. It's big enough to fit us if we don't lay down. You could always try sleeping in the town again, but I wouldn't recommend it."

. . . . . . . . . .

The group quickly went out to finish that task, leaving Peter to work on the machine. The day flew by quickly as he opened every panel available, struggling to find the solution to the problem. Everything seemed to be in perfect shape, though, and he found himself getting frustrated. The day passed by with him fiddling with the wires and taking occasional breaks to warm his hands in his pockets. The day was frigid and the tips of his fingers were painfully numb.

The group returned at sunset with their arms full of cloth. Heiron was at the back of the group, whispering to Dion and carrying a large case of tools. None of them were the ones Peter was used to using, but they would have to suffice. They made quick work of setting up a small storage bin at the side of the machine, and the girls filled the inside with animal furs to keep the tools safe from the weather.

"How is it going?" Seth asked as Peter fiddled with a bright blue wire.

"Not well," Peter sighed. "I can't seem to figure out what's wrong with it. I'm fearing it'll take much longer than we assumed."

"Then the house might be necessary," Seth murmured. "We'll have to start tomorrow because it's getting late. Come eat dinner with us! Heiron helped us catch a wild turkey and is helping Anne cook it over the fire."

Peter followed Seth over to the fire pit, warming his hands over the flames. His muscles were all locking up from the cold and he could feel sickness beginning to blossom in his head and throat. He accepted the dinner passed to him and ate in silence, though his throat was beginning to hurt too much to swallow. There were bland conversations that night. Heiron and Dion went off to explore the surrounding woods and the girls all hung around the fire to keep warm. They were wrapped in extensive furs and coats and laughed merrily, though it was clear they were uncomfortable with the freezing weather.

The night passed slowly after that. Peter couldn't sleep as soon as his head began pounding. His breathing was raspy and he seemed to roll over every few seconds, so he eventually sat up and poked the embers of the fire with a long stick. The night gradually turned to morning, and the stars faded into a beautiful red sunrise. Peter didn't get a wink of sleep, and Heiron was the first to find him once he woke up.

"Are you alright?" he asked, sitting down next to Peter.

"No," Peter mumbled, coughing as his throat scratched uncomfortably. "I'm getting sick."

"Have you slept?"

"Not a wink."

Heiron furrowed his eyebrows, a frown reaching his face.

"You cannot work on the machine today," he said. "You need to heal."

"I'm fine," Peter began, but another round of coughs nearly sent him toppling off the log he was perched on. Heiron steadied him, determination in his eyes.

"You won't work on the machine today. I will not let you. I will have Anne fetch you some furs and we will raid the village for some food. You must rest today while we build our house."

"But-"

"No," Heiron shouted, placing a hand over Peter's mouth. "You are sick and we don't want you to be weakened. In order to fix the machine, you must be well. Come! Follow me to the machine so you can sleep."

Peter didn't protest as he was lead inside the metal structure. Everyone else was up and wandering about their campsite except for Anne. She has stayed behind to help clean up the blankets and furs and place them neatly in the corner.

"Anne?" Heiron called softly. "Peter is sick."

"Oh dear," Anne murmured, carefully helping Peter onto one of their makeshift beds. In reality, it was nothing more than a pile of blankets, but it was much more comfortable than the cold floor.

She flitted about, collecting blankets and furs and nearly burying Peter below all the warmth. Peter sniffed quietly, his head lolling onto the blankets. Within seconds, he was fast asleep.

. . . . . . . . . .

In the end, it took a week of nursing to get Peter back to full health. Every moment he thought he was better, he would go outside and spend the day working on the machine, though later that night he would be sick again. Anne had ended up confining him to the machine with strict orders to Eleanor not to let him out. During that time, Heiron had lead the group in beginning their house. He helped them chop down trees and fashion them into usable logs, getting everyone involved in the process. It didn't take long for them to build up a sizable stack of wood, and soon, they were beginning the walls of the house.

At the start of their eighth day, Peter rose with the sun and slipped on his coat. He put on the gloves Anne had helped him sew from the fabric of his stolen clothes and stepped outside, running his hand over the edge of the machine. Sighing, he reached down into his pouch of tools and began to work.

For Peter, it was easy to get lost in the moment. When he was fiddling with the wires or peeling open another metal panel of the machine, time passed without him knowing. It didn't take long for nightfall, but there was still no progress. He ate dinner with the others and went to bed early, wanting to get an early start on the project the next morning.

The next day, Peter woke up to continue his job when he suddenly heard a cry of pain from through the trees. Panicked, he shot up to investigate and discovered Heiron sprawled out on the ground, clutching his arm.

"What happened?" he gasped.

"Nothing," Heiron said, gritting his teeth. "I just dropped a log on my arm. I saw something through the trees and it distracted me."

"Jeez," Peter murmured, gingerly helping his friend stand up. "I'm taking you to Anne. She can help you fix that up."

The two walked off to the machine, and Anne went about helping Heiron set his arm in a sling. Peter, knowing he couldn't help in the slightest, went back and continued his work.

Days passed in the same routine without any more excitement. Peter would wake up, fiddle with the machine, eat dinner, and go to bed. He didn't know how long that schedule would last, but he still could not figure out a single thing wrong with the machine. Other than the broken metal plates on the sides of it that he had ripped off earlier, it looked perfectly fine.

"Still nothing?" Dion asked incredulously, setting down his tools to watch Peter work. "It has been a while."

"Yeah," Peter said, sighing deeply. "I've been counting the days. We've been here nearly a month."

"Wow. Have you seen our house yet?"

"No. Have you made much progress?"

"Actually, yeah we have." Dion smiled and lead Peter through a narrow stretch of trees, and Peter's eyes widened.

"This took you a month?" He gasped, admiring the view in front of him.

The cottage was small, of course, but it looked very well made. There were two windows in the front of the house, and Heiron had used his incredible knowledge of woodworking to help fasten shutters to the front to keep out the wind. Dion lead him inside, opening the large wooden door and ushering him in. Peter found his breath taken away for the second time at the cozy room they had created.

The entire floor was wood planks. Though they were uneven, they still seemed extremely sturdy. In the spaces of the walls where there were cracks in the logs, the group had placed layers of dried mud to insulate it. Anne had cut apart one of her beautiful dresses to make curtains for the windows, and the rest of the lengthy fabric went to a small rug on the floor. Heiron had helped the group carve out a stone fireplace in the floor where a cheery flame was burning. The group sat around the fire, then, laughing together and enjoying cooked pork from a pig Dion had stolen from town earlier that morning.

"This is incredible," Peter said.

"I know," Dion replied. "Heiron is very educated on building things like this. He says he studied architecture back home."

"It was valued by my family," Heiron responded. "I am glad it is of good use to the group."

"Like I said before, this is amazing," Peter praised, "but I must return to the machine so I may work on it more. It isn't dark yet so I have time. I'll be back in here later."

He left the house alone, still shaken about how quickly they had gotten the structure up. He had assumed it would take a long time for something like that to be erected, but with such a large group and Heiron's guidance, it was put up quickly. He found himself whistling as he worked on the machine that night, and didn't even realize it when the sun sank below the trees.

That's why he never heard the mountain lion coming.

Its feet were padded and silent as it crept through the trees, eyes set on the boy working in the dark. His joyous humming alerted the beast to his location, and it licked its lips as it stalked him from afar. Peter was oblivious and continued working, dancing around as he messed with more wires.

The mountain lion wasted no time as it charged him.

Peter didn't even have the time to scream as the beast's fangs were around his throat. In an instant he was dead, but the beast continued tearing into the flesh until his body was unrecognizable. Then, satisfied with its meal, it stalked back off into the trees.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Cassius was the one to conduct the funeral.

They all gathered around a shallow grave near the house as they dutifully buried the body of their friend. They found him the morning after, but by then, there was nothing left but a mangled body on the floor. Everyone spent a day to grieve and all work on the machine was briefly halted. Heiron cried as his body was wrapped in a sheet and lowered into the cold ground, but Dion wrapped a comforting hand around his shoulder and allowed him to cry into his jacket. It was clear that Heiron and Peter had a special relationship. They were such close friends that Dion assumed they were brothers. The passing must have been hard.

Two days later, the entire group made their way to the machine to inspect Peter's work. He had fixed most of the panels, only leaving three compartments open. They spent the day inspecting the damage but finding none. That's when Seth noticed a small hatch open on the inside of the machine. He pulled off a strip of metal, and watched as a disconnected pipe rattled to the floor.

A month of work on the machine had gotten Peter nowhere, but it took the group less than a day to find their way home after his passing. They decided to spent one final night in their small cabin before heading back to the museum, leaving the body of their close friend and leader in the cold ground of Jamestown.

Spot 3: ariel_paiement1

The morning dawned bright and clear outside the museum, but as the inhabitants stirred for another day of time travel, spirits were low. More people had been lost on the mission to the Middle Ages, and the group was beginning to question the chances of succeeding at their mission. Some were even beginning to wonder if perhaps they might not be better off remaining here and allowing people to forget. Of course, there was the fact that they could cease to exist, but then, who could say? While it was common knowledge in this time period that time travel screw-ups could result in erasing oneself from history, no one had actually done it, had they?

This was on the minds of many of the inhabitants as they gathered in front of the time machine hub to begin the day's team divisions and expeditions out into the vast world of history. History that, admittedly, looked different than it used to, but history nonetheless.

Manfred marched up and down the ranks of museum inhabitants, thinking that it would be very nice if this could all be over so he could get back to life as usual. Of course, he pondered, life as usual wasn't nearly as exciting as it had been, and he had been tiring of it anyway, so perhaps this was for the best.

"Alright! You nine go together. You nine..." He continued on in the same manner until everyone had been divided. When he'd divided everyone out as evenly as possible, which wasn't very even at all, he climbed the steps to the time machine hub with a weary sigh. "Well, then... Off we go. This time, it's to the Age of Exploration. For those of you who don't come from that time period or one after it, the Age of Exploration was a time when many of the countries in the known world were racing each other to explore the unknown, namely what they called the New World."

The groups looked at him, thinking that his explanation made little sense at all if one didn't already know what he was talking about. But then, when had any of this made any sense to anyone, really? Time travel wasn't exactly a normal thing, and even those of them from later time periods didn't know what they were dipping their toes into. Not really, at any rate.

Manfred clapped his hands together and rubbed them against each other with a sigh. "Well, first group into the machine then. You're going to go with John Smith to start Jamestown."

The assigning went on like this for some time with each group shuffling silently into the machine and the others watching as the machine vanished only to return a few minutes later without the former occupants. Finally, it was down to Manfred's group.

"Well, where to for us, Manfred?" Lucia flounced onto the machine with a smile.

The others wondered where she found the energy, but they shrugged and followed along. After all, smiles were contagious, and while it didn't seem to them that there was anything to smile about, smiling made them feel just a little bit better.

"To join Christopher Columbus on his voyage to the Caribbeans." Manfred slumped into a chair and clicked the buttons on the machine's panel to manually send them on their way. He hit the big red button to send the machine off, entirely unaware that in doing so, he was dooming them all to quite an extended stay in the old world. But, ignorance is bliss, as they say, and Manfred was blissfully unaware of the consequences of his action.

***

The machine jolted and bucked as it whirled through the vortex of time and space on its way to the Old World with its occupants. The short—which had been worsening since one of Kenneth's buffoon agents had spilled coffee into the wiring a few weeks before this fiasco began—buried deep inside the wiring and spit sparks, showering them over other wiring nearby. The turbulence of the machine smoothed out for a moment and then continued.

Most of those inside barely noticed the bucking and jarring motions, chalking it up to a bumpier ride than usual. Lucia, however, noted the bumps and jiggles with curiosity. It wasn't normal, she reflected, for the machine to make such odd motions while traveling through the vortex. But, there was nothing for it, which she realized even as she observed the oddity of the machine's movements. After all, it wasn't as though she could go climbing around in the machine's wiring while they were traveling through the vortex.

Still, she felt obligated to say something to Manfred since he was the leader of this expedition. "Manfred." She poked him, rousing him from his slumber.

He blinked, staring at her with bleary eyes and wondering why she'd disturbed him from his dream.

"Manfred, something's wrong with the machine." Lucia bit her lip.

Aetius wandered over to them as they were discussing it and flopped into the chair beside Manfred. "What's wrong with it?"

Manfred eyed him with a raised brow, wondering if the other man realized it was rude to butt in on other people's conversations. Most likely, he decided, he knew but didn't care. "Yes, what is wrong with it?"

"I don't know," Lucia confessed. "I wish I did."

"Can't you have a look?" Manfred groaned and rose from his chair, wondering if the ache in his chest was a side-effect of the surgery Kenneth had done to save his life.

"Not while it's in motion."

"Well..." He glanced at the machine's dashboard. "We'll touch down in just a minute or two, and then you can have a look." He returned to his chair, thinking to himself that whatever was the matter couldn't be too great an issue if they were still on course and flying through time as usual.

This was, sadly, the biggest misconception he was to have on this entire misadventure.

As the group sat there, waiting for the machine to land, the engine of the time machine sputtered and coughed. Smoke trailed from it as it whirled off course. Fortunately for the occupants, the machine was still headed for the correct time period. Unfortunately, it was no longer bound for the same location.

Manfred leapt up from his chair to look at the consul as it began flashing distress lights from every screen. "What's it doing?"

Lucia scratched her head, wondering if Manfred had finally lost it. "It's telling you there's a problem, obviously."

Manfred shot her a hard stare. Didn't she know sarcasm wasn't helpful in these situations? He blew out a breath and decided that the poor girl probably couldn't help herself. He ignored the statement and returned to poking at the warning screens in abject horror. "Well, are we going to crash land then?"

She looked over his shoulder at the screens and frowned. This wasn't right, she thought. The machine should be more clear in its warnings. "No idea." She plastered a smile onto her lips as the rest of the crew huddled in their seats with varying degrees of terror showing on their faces.

Lucia felt as panicked as the rest of them, but out of principle, she wouldn't let it show. After all, it wouldn't do for their mechanic to show how terrified she was. She was supposed to fix it not panic. "We're probably going to crash land, given our luck. But not to worry! The machine is equipped with wonderful shock absorbers. It'll be like landing on a mattress."

Life had a funny way of proving people wrong. Just as Lucia said this, the machine gave a final coughing splutter and plummeted. This time, everyone on the machine knew something was very, very wrong. Screaming erupted from a few of the women, and the men sat in tight-lipped silence. Everyone clung to something nearby and prayed they wouldn't die.

The impact was the first thing they felt. It was more like falling onto concrete from a hundred miles up than it was like landing on a mattress. The occupants of the cabin felt their teeth smash together and were thrown into heaps around the machine. The loud crunch was the second thing to follow the crash moments after they felt the impact.

The crunch, as it turned out, had come from the machine's impact with the deck of the Santa Maria, which wasn't supposed to crash until much later in the voyage. As it happened, the time machine punched through the deck and down through the bottom of the ship to the bottom of the harbor of Palos in Spain.

At that moment, it didn't seem as if there was much in the way of good news to the group on board the machine. Coincidentally, the crew aboard the Santa Maria was also having a miserable day as they scrambled to escape the sinking ship. There was always a bright spot, however. That bright spot in this instance was the fourth ship that had been provided to Columbus last minute, meaning that he still had three ships to sail with, so all was well with the world.

Inside the time machine, the group lay about the floor of the machine in stunned silence. No one moved a muscle, and most of them were still trying to come to terms with the fact that they were in fact very much alive.

"This is an oddly cold place for Hell." Arnold groaned and sat up, rubbing his head.

The rest of the group also began sitting up, staring at Arnold. She'd always known something was loose upstairs with that one, Lucia pondered. She clambered to her feet and stared at the time machine's door. "That's because it froze over."

In hindsight, she would realize there were many ways to be in hell without actually being there, and hell looked very different depending on what you'd gotten yourself into. This was one such example. She flicked the switch that worked the camera on the outside of the machine. The machine crackled and then refused to do anything.

Outside the machine, fish congregated around it, eyeing it with curiosity. They meandered around it and rammed into it, checking to see if the invader was hostile, and if not that, if it was edible. It proved to be neither, so they darted off to watch from a distance. The machine itself sputtered as the saltwater worked its way through the panels and into the circuitry. This answered the age-old question of whether or not time machines could be destroyed if dropped into an ocean. No one knew who had posed the question, but the team would, nonetheless, answer it.

Back inside, the team was discussing options.

"We can't stay in here. We'll run out of oxygen." Lucia put her hands on her hips and examined the door.

"But we don't know what's out there, and we went off course." Arnold scrambled to his feet and pointed to the door. "Who knows what we'll run into?"

Manfred shook his head, thinking that he'd never met anyone as annoying as Arnold. "Arnold, we're not staying in here. End of story." He strode to the door and took hold of the handle with a sigh. "Here it goes."

And indeed, it did go. The moment he opened the door, the ocean rushed in to claim the space, and the team found themselves swimming frantically for the door. They shot through the door and swam for the surface, lungs burning. The fish, which had begun to meander off as the novelty of the machine invading their homes wore off, darted in every direction as the new, flailing pink creatures swam for the surface. If they hadn't been so busy trying to remain alive, the group might have admired the flashes of colors and silvery scales as the fish blurred past.

Nine heads broke the water surface next to the Santa Maria, which was almost entirely sunk by now. They rubbed the saltwater from their stinging eyes and gasped for air, spluttering. Manfred stared at the ship and the name painted in bright white on the side. He blinked, his brain still processing what he was seeing. When he had, he almost quit treading water, and his jaw dropped open. "Everyone, we just sunk the Santa Maria."

***

The nine of them were dragged from the water by crew members of the Nina and the Pinta alongside the survivors of the other ship. The crew members took the group to the bridge where Columbus stood, surveying the disaster with a red face and clenched fists.

"Captain, sir, we brought you these nine. They were swimming in the harbor alongside our men." The man who had brought them on board shoved them toward Columbus, who rounded on them with narrowed eyes, thinking that if they were to blame for this disaster, he was going to have them strung up.

"Who are you?"

When Columbus spoke, the team heard nothing but a garbled mess of sounds, which Manfred thought might be an older form of Spanish but didn't understand. Still, he thought, the captain was likely demanding to know who they were as that was usually the first order of business in cases like these. Manfred cleared his throat and looked at the group. Then he opened his mouth and began speaking in English, praying it would work. The saltwater had shorted out their translation earpieces, not just their transportation home, and the team had discovered in short order that they could barely communicate.

The unfortunate bit for them was that the group surrounding them only spoke Spanish, though Columbus, surprisingly, also understood a bit of Greek and Latin. So, when Manfred tried to explain that they were travelers who had the unfortunate lot of falling from the sky—an explanation that wouldn't have been entirely without merit if it hadn't been for the time period they'd dropped into—all that the crew and Columbus heard was a jumbled mess of sounds that hardly sounded intelligent.

Of course, it wouldn't have sounded intelligent to Columbus even if he had understood because despite his rather high opinion of himself, the man was and always had been something of a failure despite the accomplishments he would be praised for. Accomplishments which, as it happened, were mostly made up by Spanish historian Bartolome de las Casas and popularized by Columbus's son Fernando. When Christian clergy began linking his supposed discovery of the Americas to divine prophesy in America during the 18th century, it was settled. Columbus discovered America and was a man of great importance.

In reality, the only noteworthy thing the man did was to decimate the native population of Tainos on the islands of the Carribbean, which was of the utmost importance to the natives and hardly made a stir amongst the Europeans when his other crimes against Spain were considered. Of course, that comes later in the story.

Columbus eyed the sodden travelers with a supercilious sneer and waved for his men to take them to the brig. "They can stay there. Perhaps we can find some use for them."

The team tried to make sense of what was being discussed but had little success in doing so. The mystery of the first order became clear when the men began hauling them away from the bridge and down into the belly of the ship, which smelled of fish and seawater, which wasn't an unusual scent on ships in those days.

Taking some lengths of rope, the men tied their hands and tossed them into the brig, which was little more than a bare room with an iron-bar door that locked on the outside. The door in question seemed a bit rusty, and if not for the bonds, the team might've been able to escape the shoddily made prison cell.

They sat there in sullen silence and confusion. Each of them pondered the situation from their own perspective, trying to decide how best to deal with the dreadful situation. The little English they all knew wasn't enough to afford them a full conversation, but Manfred and Lucia conversed softly in the back corner of the cell.

Lucia shrugged, deciding to make the best of a bad situation. "Well, we intended to go on the voyage with him anyway."

"Not like this." Manfred shook his head, thinking that this was the worst possible way to end up on Columbus's expedition.

"Well, from what we've seen, nothing seems wrong with his expedition."

"You mean aside from the fact that we sunk the Santa Maria?" Manfred was still busy figuring out what should be done to fix that disaster.

"They had four ships though." Lucia scratched her head. "Not sure why since they were only supposed to have three."

"Well, they've only got three now, thanks to us."

"They can just paint the other ship with the name Santa Maria. Problem solved." Lucia grinned.

"I'd prefer you didn't make light of a serious situation."

"Look, Manfred, they have three ships. That's all they were supposed to have. It doesn't matter what the name of the ship is."

"All the same, I'd feel better if the third was properly named." Manfred slumped back against the wall, wishing that he had aspirin at that moment.

"We'll fix it later."

"And what about our time machine? There's no way to fix that now."

Lucia cleared her throat. He was right about that, she thought. Even she couldn't fix something that was that badly beat up. "I suppose not. On the bright side—because there's always a bright side—we've proven that dropping a time machine in an ocean can ruin it."

Manfred stared at her in wide-eyed amazement. "Who the hell would want to prove that?"

She shrugged. "How should I know? All I know is that someone said it couldn't, and just like that, people have been wanting to prove it for ages. Problem is, no sane time traveler would ever crash such an expensive machine into the ocean just to prove it was true."

Arnold shot them a look and mumbled under his breath about people wasting time on foolishness when they should be planning. Lucia glared at him.

"He's been getting more sullen and aggressive lately." Manfred rubbed his temples, thinking that they'd be better off without Arnold.

"I hadn't noticed." Lucia rolled her eyes. "We should just dump him overboard and let him fend for himself."

"For now, there's no way for us to do that."

Above deck, the ships were preparing to sail. The paperwork process back then wasn't nearly as extensive, nor did it have to go through many, many different agencies to be looked at with an indifferent eye, stamped, and passed on to the next agent for more pointless stamping. And in this case, even if there had been paperwork to do, Columbus was in far too great a hurry to do it.

So, when he gave the order to weigh anchor, no one hesitated to do as asked. The crews bustled about aboard each ship, unfurling sails and hauling the anchors in. And then the ships were on their way with a groan and creak from their old boards.

The ships weren't the best that could be had, thanks to limited financing from the Spanish monarchs and Ferdinand's strong belief that Columbus was unlikely to return at all.

Besides, at that current moment, Isabella was saving every penny for the next pointless war for the Holy Land and had only spared money for Columbus's voyage because she and Ferdinand were very interested in beating Portugal with the quicker route to the West that Columbus claimed he'd found. It was rather a pity, then, that they didn't pour their limited resources into some other venture as Columbus was quite certainly the worst choice they could've made. But, they had poured the resources into Columbus while spending as little as possible, and at the moment that the Nina, the Pinta, and the unnamed fourth ship set sail, the two were sitting around at the lunch table drinking expensive wine and congratulating themselves on making an investment that, if successful, would reward them very richly. Neither had the slightest inkling that the investment was to return very little in the way of actual benefit. But, as it has been said for eons now, hindsight is twenty-twenty.

***

Three days passed before Columbus remembered the prisoners and went to see them. When he rattled down the rickety stairs into the brig and stormed up to the rusting iron door, he found the prisoners in heaps near the door, which had proved surprisingly stalwart when the group had taken turns trying to ram into it. Of course, the attempts had been half-hearted since everyone wanted to be on this voyage anyway just to ensure that everything went according to plan.

Everything in this instance involved a whole lot of nothing and then a whole lot of savage behavior that resulted in much death and bloodshed, much like most invasions of other people's homelands tend to do. This, of course, begged the question of why it came as any surprise to anyone when this is exactly what happened with the Tainos on Hispaniola. But, that could likely be attributed to five weeks of sailing and poor judgment of character on Columbus's part, which really shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone.

Upon seeing Columbus at the door, Manfred hurtled toward the bars, thinking that if he could only figure out a way to make the man understand him, they might be better off. This was to prove a great difficulty since none of the people in his group spoke Spanish, and none of the people in Columbus's group, as has already been established, spoke English.

"Where do you come from?" Columbus repeated his question from earlier, trying without success to make himself understood.

Manfred's shoulders slumped, and he dropped his forehead against the bars. "England." It seemed, after all, a plausible lie since he was speaking English.

Columbus understood the single word and scratched his head, eyeing the varied company he kept. "All of you?"

This question wasn't one Manfred understood at all, and he shrugged, searching for some way to communicate that he didn't understand. Finally, he settled on shaking his head and putting a confused look on his face.

Columbus rubbed his beard and chewed on his lower lip, exerting all the mental energy he had on figuring out what to do with these foreigners. The most obvious solution presented itself many minutes later, long after the other sailors had already decided what would be best. As they were already out to sea, they couldn't very well drop them anywhere, so the best thing to do was to put them to work.

Waving a hand at his men, Columbus barked at them, sending everyone scurrying to do his bidding. This pleased Columbus very much because among other things, the man was vain and felt that people should jump to do his bidding since he was such a wonderful leader. This was an unfortunate misconception that would lead to much grief later on both for himself and others, but for the moment, he was happy with the miscalculation.

The prisoners found themselves being escorted up to deck. With unceremonious grunts, the sailors shoved buckets and crudely made cloths into their hands and pointed to the decks, which weren't in the least bit in need of a wash but presented the sailors with something to occupy the prisoners. When nobody moved, the sailors took it upon themselves to give Arnold a kick to the backside, sending him to his knees on the deck.

This was not taken well as with so many things Arnold faced. He scrambled to his feet and turned about, looking for someone to clobber. Among the many ways he could've responded, taking a swing at the captain's first mate was likely not the best option, and Arnold found himself face down on the deck this time with the first mate's boot in his back.

The sailors bickered amongst themselves over what to do about this outrageous display of insubordination. Arnold lay there, realizing for the first time that this was in fact a serious situation. Despite his inability to understand Spanish, he could understand quite well that these men weren't happy with his previous actions. The whole lot were dastardly, he decided. But, on the whole, there wasn't much to be done about it now. Best to stay still and see if he could avoid worse punishment.

The first mate finished the argument between the sailors with a shouted command and a shaken fist, grinding his boot into Arnold's back. The rest of the group watched with wide eyes and pounding hearts as the sailors hauled Arnold to his feet. No one dared to move as the sailors dragged him to the Captain, who had come back above deck and gone to the aft of the ship to instruct a few of the sailors on which direction to put up the sails.

Following along when the sailors had past, the group listened to more senseless arguing in Spanish, wondering what might happen to Arnold now and if there was anything to be done about it. Manfred clenched his fists at his side. The lout deserved it, he thought. If he'd controlled himself, he wouldn't have ended up in the situation in the first place. But despite this rather harsh response, Manfred couldn't help feeling a twinge of guilt and a little bit of fear. He was certain they'd need everyone in the team to make it out of this time period alive if they were to do so at all, and losing Arnold would hardly help matters.

The shouting came to an end just as Manfred had made up his mind that he ought to say something. He approached the Captain at the same time as Lucia and Aetius grabbed his arms and held him back.

"What are you doing?" He thrashed against their hold, thinking that it was now or never if they were to save Arnold.

"Keeping you from getting involved in this too!" Lucia dug her fingers into his arm, feeling a bit happy that Arnold would get his comeuppance. "They don't understand anything we say, and you'll just land us in even more trouble."

The truth of her words sunk in, and Manfred quit struggling. They released him, and he straightened out his jacket with a deep breath. "Well, what's to be done then?"

Aetius shrugged. Without the earpiece, he only understood a third of what Manfred and Lucia were saying, but a third was better than none, so he figured he shouldn't complain.

"Nothing."

To their left, one of the men was tying a long length of rope to the yardarm and another was tying the other end to Arnold along with a lead weight. This, Manfred observed with a twinge of panic, wouldn't be good.

Lucia gasped. "They're going to keelhaul him!"

The ship's first mate did indeed intend to put Arnold through the ancient and rather unpleasant process of dunking him into the cold ocean water and dragging him along the bottom of the ship until he reached the other end. This, understandably, generally resulted in the death or, at the very least, severe injury of the victim. It was also a punishment that wasn't often employed, but then, Columbus and his men were creatures of habit, and they habitually employed methods of punishment that were slightly extreme in proportion to the offense.

The eight remaining individuals stared in appalled silence as the first mate and several other sailors hoisted a kicking, shouting Arnold up over the edge of the poop deck and dropped him. They rushed to the spot where he'd been dropped and watched as he hurtled toward the water, screaming the entire way.

"You've got to swim for it, Arnold. It'll go faster that way!" Lucia found herself shouting advice to the man because, although she very much disliked the loud, pugnacious man, she found she didn't much care for the thought of him dying this way.

He hit the water with a crash, sending up a splash. The last thought on Arnold's mind before he was dragged under the ship by the rope was that—if he survived this—he would never provoke the people in charge again.

The fortunate thing for him, as he would soon discover while bumping and battering into the bottom of the ship, was that the ship had no barnacles yet since it was relatively new. Sadly, this didn't negate the problem that Arnold was not a strong swimmer and being dragged along the bottom of a ship tends to leave one in a desperate state even if he is a good swimmer.

In this case, the question of whether or not he would drown was answered when his head struck the keel of the ship with a great deal of force as he fought to hold on just a few moments longer until he could take a breath. The blow knocked Arnold unconscious, and he floated beneath the ship with the peculiar limpness found only in those who are either dead or unconscious. The rope continued to pull him toward the other side of the ship, but the progress was much slower now that he was no longer swimming. The last of the oxygen in his lungs escaped him, and the sea water rushed into his mouth and nose, claiming the ground for its own in the battle for his life.

Above deck, the other eight waited in silence, their eyes trained on the crashing waves of the ocean before the bow of the ship. Still, Arnold didn't surface. Manfred and a few of the other more religious prisoners sent up prayers to their respective gods, and everyone continued to watch with bated breath. Tears filled the eyes of a few of the women while the rest watched with slumped shoulders and clenched jaws.

Lucia turned away with a sigh, her lower lip trembling. She hadn't liked him, she thought, but that hadn't meant she'd wanted him dead. Gone, certainly. But not dead. Aetius wrapped her in his arms, rubbing her back and murmuring to her in Latin, though he knew she wouldn't understand. He continued to watch the water.

Behind them, the sailors watched with low murmurs of anticipation. Money and chewing tobacco exchanged hands as bets were placed on whether or not the prisoner would survive. Most agreed it wasn't likely, and some even said they refused to waste their money or tobacco on such a foolish bet when it was clear to everyone that he wouldn't.

The first mate remained at the front of the crowd, waiting with crossed arms for the body to appear.

Deep beneath the ship, Arnold still floated, only a foot away from the bow's end. No more bubbles escaped him. If not for the fatal blow to the head, he might've made it even with his inability to swim. But there was no changing what had happened, and Benedict Arnold had met his untimely end. This, though largely his own fault, was something that no one on the team took lightly.

So, when he popped up on the other side of the ship and the first mate hauled him from the water, sharp cries and gasps of horror erupted among the tiny group. Manfred observed in tight-lipped silence for a moment before turning away and taking his bucket to an unoccupied corner, where he began to scrub at the deck. If this was any indication of what lay ahead, he decided, Arnold was likely better off as he was.

***

The five-week voyage to Hispaniola passed in a blur of scrubbing decks, eating hard biscuits, suffering from sea-sickness, and wishing to be anywhere but on board Columbus's ship. Added to their miseries was the fact that it appeared nothing was amiss with the time period, making their presence an entirely unnecessary addition to the voyage.

Manfred spent the time doing what he was told and picking up enough Spanish to understand what was required of him. When he wasn't doing that, he was reflecting upon his inability to save Arnold and wondering whether or not there was in fact something he could've done. This led to his withdrawal from the rest of the group, leaving them to sort out what to do about their difficult situation.

Lucia and Aetius ended up taking charge when it became apparent to everyone that Manfred would not. Lucia tried to speak with him numerous times over the course of the five weeks, desperate to rouse him from his stupor, but there was little improvement. It was clear to them all that he blamed himself for what had happened from the start when they'd crashed to the dreadful situation they were now in.

On the last day of the fifth week, October 12th, at two am, the stars shone down on the deck of the ship and found Manfred leaning on the ship rail, staring into the distance. Lucia, unable to sleep because she knew he and Aetius were both feeling the sting of losing people on the time journeys, ventured out onto the deck to find Aetius, but instead found him talking to Manfred.

"Manfred, it isn't your fault." Aetius gripped the railing beside Manfred and stared at the waves crashing below. "He made his choices, and it landed him where it did."

"But if I hadn't left without checking the machine, we never would've been in this situation." Manfred leaned his elbows on the railing and sighed, thinking that he'd done a fine job of botching this whole foray.

"You had no way of knowing there was something wrong, and we were pressed for time."

Lucia smiled at hearing Aetius using English to talk Manfred down. The Roman had become much more fluent in it since they'd been on this voyage, and the group in general had begun using it to communicate when they didn't want the rest of the crew to know what they were doing.

After the incident with Arnold, the group had buckled down and proven themselves to valuable members of the crew. The crew on the whole had accepted them into their ranks after some time at sea. The group still tended to stick together and avoid the companionship of the rest of the crew, but they did appreciate being included in all the important ways. Besides, it was nice not to stay in the brig anymore, Lucia thought.

"But what if—"

"Never took you for a quitter, Manfred." Aetius straightened and turned, spotting Lucia. "After all you've gone through, you should know that what ifs are useless."

Manfred grunted and also turned to face Lucia. "Lucia. How long have you been standing there?"

She shrugged, thinking that it was a good thing the group had each other. Even if Manfred was more withdrawn than ever, they needed everyone to band together, and this was a team that could do that when it counted, she decided. "Long enough to know you heard what you needed to."

He offered her a weak smile, but it was a shade of its former glory, and he couldn't help wondering if it would ever feel good to smile again. After what he'd seen and would see, he decided it probably wouldn't. He was about to tell Lucia that he would be off to bed and not to worry when the cry came from the lookout tower.

"Land ho!"

They all turned back to the rail and strained to catch a glimpse of whatever land the lookout had spotted. From where they stood, they couldn't yet see it, but they continued to watch and wait as the ship drew nearer to the island of Hispaniola, still hidden from view by the lack of light the early morning hours gave.

In another hour, the now quiet ship would burst into activity as the land mass became visible from the deck, but for now, the trio enjoyed the quiet and waited for the first view of the place that would shortly become their worst nightmare.

***

When the crew finally landed on the island, they found the beaches clean and clear with inviting white sand and gently swaying beach trees. They meandered about aimlessly, exploring while Columbus staked the flag of Spain into the sand of the island and declared it to belong to Spain. This was the first in a long string of actions that were inadvisable, but at the time, it seemed like the best option to Columbus.

The island, unknown to Columbus and his crew, was quite occupied despite the abandoned appearance, and Manfred and the rest of the band of travelers wandered down the beach, hoping to find a place to meet with the native inhabitants of the island. It was fortunate for them that the Tainos were a peaceful, loving people who at the time would welcome them with open arms.

"Where are we?" Manfred hacked at the undergrowth and marched off the beach into the forest, thinking that they would be lucky indeed if Columbus and his men didn't catch them.

The idea to leave Columbus and his crew had been Lucia's idea, and it was she who was leading the crew as she had the most knowledge of the truth about this time period. "We're on the island of Hispaniola."

"Not in America?" Manfred frowned, wondering how that could be since it was common knowledge that Columbus had discovered America.

"No, not America. You didn't really believe your historians when they told you that, did you?" Lucia laughed, wondering at the lunacy of believing historians who admitted that the Americas had been previously occupied in the same breath as they said Columbus discovered them.

"Well, what else should I have believed?"

The rest of the group listened to the conversation with varying degrees of amusement, thinking that it hardly mattered who did or did not discover the Americas since they had in fact been discovered eventually. But, they wisely held their tongues, knowing that getting between Manfred and Lucia in an argument was the equivalent to willingly placing yourself between a rock and a hard place.

"Not the historians. Idiots, all of them." Lucia waved a dismissive hand and forged ahead.

"Idiots?" Manfred gaped at her, wondering how she could say such a thing when they were clearly much more knowledgeable than she.

"Yes, idiots. Manfred, really..." She shook her head, deciding that this had to be explained to him much like one explained things to a small child. "Look, to their own admission, the Americas were already occupied long before Columbus came anywhere near them. Not only that, despite what the Americans like to tell their brainwashed children, Columbus never actually landed in America. He turned around to look for the fabled city of Zaiton, which was really the city of Quanzhou in China, and he missed Florida entirely."

This unfortunate mishap occurred because Columbus made the entirely understandable mistake of believing a few scientists that disagreed with all the others. These scientists claimed the earth was roughly three to four times smaller than the other scientists said it was, and Columbus thought this was a novel idea. He thought it was so novel that he did the math to prove the theory and came out with the same results, which led the king of Portugal to question the validity of his education in mathematics.

This was what had led to his claim that the western route to China would be shortest, and it was also the reason that, when he landed in Hispaniola, he believed he'd landed on an island somewhere off the coast of Japan. As was formerly mentioned, Columbus had an inordinately high opinion of himself, which led to the misguided belief that he was always right simply because he'd said it in much the same way as modern historians claim outrageous ages for artifacts simply because the actual dates do not match up with the ages they said such objects should be. But that is a debate for another time.

At the same time as the misplaced heroes of this story were trekking through the undergrowth of Hispaniola, two groups of natives were making their way toward the two groups of foreigners. One of the groups had spotted Columbus and were heading to greet the strangers with gifts and goodwill. The other group, a hunting party, hadn't the faintest idea that they would run into Manfred and the rest of the time travelers, but after mistaking them for game and shooting Hortensia in the leg, the misunderstandings would be cleared up and the group invited back to the Taino encampment.

For the moment, however, none of the four parties were aware of the coming meetings or the disasters they would preclude, and so, they all continued about their business with the utmost enthusiasm.

***

When the hunting crew came across the group, the light was finally making its way through the thick foliage. The group was exhausted and hungry, having eaten the little bit of hardtack they'd saved earlier for breakfast. Due to this, they'd hunkered down in place, slapping at mosquitoes and wishing for food or water.

It was in this state that the natives found them, and at first, the leader of the party mistook the flashes of movement in the undergrowth for a large animal of a variety which could, he hoped, be eaten. As large animals weren't often found on the island, he found it odd that one would be here now, but when dinner was in question, it hardly mattered to the hunters.

The group had yet to be informed that there were visitors on the island as they'd been out hunting when the first group spotted Columbus, and as such, the leader of the hunt raised his bow and loosed an arrow into the brush as soon as the movement came again.

The arrow struck Hortensia in the leg, eliciting a sharp screech of pain from her. The Tainos hunting party, realizing the grave error they'd made, crashed through the brush to where the party had camped. Manfred was attempting to pull the arrow from the wound and staunch the flow while Aetius and Lucia held her down and tried to keep her quiet. It was Neferiti and Medekhgui, who were guarding In-Sook from the sight, who first spotted the hunters.

Nefertiti let out a scream, holding In-Sook close to her and taking in the sight of the dark-skinned natives. As it happened, the scream was one more of shock than fear as the Tainos had stowed their weapons. The shock came from the fact that the men in the party were wearing only beaded necklaces. This was hardly decent attire—or lack of attire as the case stood—for a woman to see, even in a society such as the one she came from, where men often wore only loincloths.

The men, on their part, simply stared at her with wide eyes for a moment before shifting aside to let the hunt leader pass. He squinted at the ashen-faced woman on the ground, the three holding her still, and the other three huddled together nearby. Their clothing was, he thought, of the oddest and most inconvenient variety he'd ever beheld. "Who are you?"

This question went entirely uncomprehended by the group, and Nefertiti shrank back against Medekhgui, who wondered what had happened to the fearless queen who'd led them in the situation with Hatshepsut. It was In-Sook who wriggled out of Nefertiti's clutches and walked to the men. She had seen the look of men with ill-intent more than enough times, and these men didn't look threatening to her, only confused. She offered them a smile and pointed herself. "In-Sook."

The leader of the hunt crouched in front of her and cocked his head to the side. He pointed at her with a smile. "In-Sook?"

The pronunciation of her name came out garbled and sounding more like en-suck than it did her actual name, but she smiled and nodded anyway. Pointing to her companions, she named them as well, hoping he would understand they were friends.

He nodded and repeated each name. Then he pointed to himself with a broad smile. "Alonso."

She repeated it after him, thinking that he and his group seemed a little nice if nothing else. They were certainly the most backwards lot she'd ever laid eyes on, but nice was good enough for her in this instance. She pointed to Hortensia again and clutched at her leg, then made a wrapping motion to indicate the girl needed help.

Alonso straightened and pointed to the girl. "Give her to me."

In-Sook didn't understand the question, but she hoped he'd understood her request. She pointed at the girl, mimed picking someone up, and pointed to him. Then she mimicked wrapping someone's injuries again.

Alonso gave her a brief nod.

"What is he saying?" Manfred, who had remained silent while In-Sook negotiated, pressed harder on the wound in Hortensia's leg, wishing the bleeding would stop.

"He wants us to give him Hortensia. He will help." In-Sook stepped aside and let Alonso pass.

Manfred remained in a protective position over Hortensia, eyeing the Tainos and wondering if they were savages or if they would really help.

"Manfred, we don't have a choice. Without food, water, and proper medicine, she will die." In-Sook laid a hand on his arm, thinking that Manfred was sometimes a bit too protective. "Please."

He sighed and stepped away, motioning to Lucia and Aetius to back away. The group watched the Tainos leader closely as he scooped Hortensia up and cradled her to his chest, mindful of her injured leg, which still seeped and oozed blood. Alonso, for his part, examined the sleeping woman with curiosity, wondering how it was possible for anyone to be so pale. With a grunt, he jerked his head to the side, indicating that the group should follow him and his men. Then they were plunging through the underbrush again on the way to the Tainos village.

This incident, as it happened, would save their lives in the many days to come. If not for Hortensia's injury and the amicable behavior of young In-Sook, the group might have found themselves in the same predicament as Columbus's men later found themselves. As they walked, Lucia pondered their situation and the coming atrocities they would witness. In-Sook was much braver than she looked, Lucia thought.

"Thank you for that," she whispered to the younger girl, thinking that someone ought to tell her she'd done the right thing.

"I did not do much." The girl blushed, wishing that Lucia wouldn't make such a big deal out of such a small act.

"You acted when the rest of us froze up." Lucia smiled and squeezed In-Sook's shoulder, feeling a queer need to protect and reassure the girl. She pushed the feeling away, deciding that contemplation of the sudden sisterly feelings could be dealt with when they knew they weren't in any danger.

***

Back in the Tainos village, Columbus was much more interested in the gold nose ring his guide wore than he was in wondering where seven of his crew members had gotten off to. After all, what were a few lives on an adventure to bring wealth back to his patron country? The truth was that Columbus, being the rather forgetful sort he was, hadn't bothered to stop and think about his crew. The only things he was currently concerned with were the prospects of riches and the considerable damage his new Santa Maria had sustained when her captain had run it aground.

This left him in something of a quandary, as he now had only two ships and not enough supplies to feed everyone. This situation was met with the only solution that would seem feasible to such a man. There was nothing to do but to forge ahead and leave some of the men behind here to start a settlement. The excuse he gave for this was rather a decent one, all things considered, and it went something like this: someone had to civilize the poor brutes who had come down to the shore to meet him, didn't they? And who better to do it than his men, who were properly Spanish and exactly the sort of tough needed to bend these natives into shape. With this reasoning, he laid the matter to rest and resolved to set about determining who would stay as soon as he could.

The Tainos people gathered on the pathways and at the openings of their huts, watching the travelers pass and pointing with excited commentary as the white men went marching through. They thought the travelers were a novelty, which they were indeed to these gentle souls who hadn't seen explorers on their shores before. Unfortunately for them, the men who were now marching through their midst had only one thought on their minds: riches.

If they had been just a bit smarter, Columbus and his men might have realized that trading with the natives for their spices and food stuff would've been a lucrative business venture in itself. The spices and gold of the Orient were wanted largely for their rarity and novelty, and these natives had plenty of unseen wonders to share that didn't involve gold. But sadly for the natives and our time travelers, Columbus and his men were not just a bit smarter, and the gold was the only thing they noticed as being of any particular value.

This mindset, as it happened, is precisely what resulted in all the atrocities that came in the future. The Tainos themselves were a peace-loving people who were more than willing to share of their abundance. They were even now preparing a feast and many gifts for their unusual guests, and had Columbus responded decently, they would've been glad to provide him with all the things necessary to make a tidy sum of money and a name for himself. There was not, in fact, much gold to be had on any of the surrounding islands or on theirs, but there were a great deal of other valuable things, and the Tainos were a giving people.

The situation of Columbus and the Tainos was rather like that of a well-intentioned home owner inviting in a guest only to have the guest turn on them like a rabid dog. Even now, the seeds of this disastrous response were growing in Columbus and his men as they observed little gold trinkets adorning men and women here and there while following their guide through the town. Columbus could hardly hold in his excitement. From his point of view, he stood on the cusp of accomplishing all he'd set out to do. He'd found the Orient, and here he was about to find the gold that it boasted of.

His guide stopped before the largest home in the village, a rectangular house made of mud, straw, and palm leaves. From the entrance of the lodge, an ornately dressed man appeared, a benevolent smile on his lips as he approached Columbus. Had Columbus known that this man was the cacique—the Tainos version of a chief—he might have shown a bit more respect. But then, Columbus had a track record of lacking any sort of decency, and he hardly viewed these natives as human, so what was there to respect?

The cacique greeted him with a bow, his wives huddling in the door behind him to watch the exchange between them. Columbus gave the man a tight lipped smile, not at all certain what to make of the naked men and half-naked women. His men had a few ideas about the women, none of which were in the least appropriate or decent, but that was to be expected since they were after all sailors and men of the crudest variety.

"We come in peace." Columbus extended his hands palm up to show the man that he was empty-handed.

The cacique laughed and clapped him on the back, bringing him inside. His men followed, and everyone found themselves inside the large, spacious hut. Their gazes flew immediately to the luscious spread of fruits, nuts, and meat sitting on the mats in the center of the main room. The cacique motioned for them to sit and eat. The men, having been at sea for over five weeks, didn't have to be told twice and immediately sat down to tuck in.

***

The time travelers had a much different reception at the Tainos village owing to Hortensia's injury. Alonso led them through the outer village and past a large, flat court, upon which, had they been in better shape and better circumstances, the travelers might've enjoyed learning to play Tainos games. Instead, they were led beyond it to a small, round hut whose only distinctive feature was the wizened old man sitting out front smoking a pipe.

When Manfred saw this, he decided that despite the differences between them, these people really weren't so different after all, and that no matter where you went, people were wont to involve themselves in much the same vices as anyone else. This was an astute observation on his part, and, at least in this case, it held much truth.

"I brought you some visitors, Tiburon."

The man, Tiburon, looked up when his name was spoken and eyed the travelers with interest. They had to be hot in so many layers of clothing, he thought. But the issue of their strange dressing habits was not the reason for their visit, he surmised. The girl in Alonso's arms, he guessed, was. "What's wrong with her?"

"I shot her." Alonso shifted from foot to foot, eyeing the travelers at his side and wondering if they would eventually take revenge on him for doing so.

"How did that happen?" Tiburon hauled himself from his chair with a groan, his bones popping in protest and reminding him that he was too old for such activities.

"They were hunkering down in the brush, and we thought they were wild game. So, I shot. And I hit her." He shifted her weight to a more comfortable position. "Now, if you would please let us in, could you help with the injury?"

Tiburon was the village medicine man, and he prided himself in his ability to heal almost anything. Of course, some things were beyond even his power to heal, and as he eyed the blood-soaked form of the young woman in the warrior's arms, he wondered if that might not be the case here. But he had to try, so he ushered them past him and inside the hut. When the girl's strange companions tried to enter, he contemplated barring the way but eventually decided it could do no harm and let them through.

Inside the hut, he set about gathering his herbs and poultices. Setting everything on the table beside the mat for his patients, he waved for Alonso to set her down on the mat. Then he crouched beside her, grumbling under his breath about being too old to do this and needing to find a competent apprentice. Peeling the cloth away from her body, he shook his head in disgust. The cloth was unsalvageable and unpractical, so it would just have to go, he decided. "Your knife, Alonso."

Alonso handed him the crude knife, and the old man set about cutting the dress free of her body.

Lucia, unsure what they were doing, took a step forward. "They would strip her entirely?" She frowned, wondering at the backwards customs of the people here. Not only did they not dress, she thought, but they sought to make others just like them. "Stop them. That's not necessary."

Aetius took her hand and held her in place. "Lucia, love, we don't know what they're doing, but they're clearly trying to help." He averted his eyes as the old man stripped the cloth away and left Hortensia exposed to the humid air. "Let them be."

She squeezed his hand and buried her face in his shoulder as the medicine man poked at the wound and then set the knife into the coals of the small fire burning in a pit nearby. "What if they kill her with their native medicines?"

Aetius rubbed her back, wondering why Lucia was so distraught about this when she was usually so strong and calm. "They won't."

"If it's bad enough for him to instantly go to cauterizing the wound, maybe she's already too far gone." She trembled in his arms, thinking that this was all her fault for suggesting they go through the undergrowth instead of sticking to the open space on the beach. "What if we..."

Aetius glanced at Manfred, In-Sook, Medekhgui, and Nefertiti. The four were glued to the medicine man's every movement, terrified that if they looked away, they might lose yet another team member. This journey was turning out to be a nightmare, and all of them knew it was far from over. He sought out one of the warriors who had been with Alonso and pointed to the door, then to Lucia. "Air..." He mimicked a sick feeling, praying that the native understood.

The native glanced at Lucia then at Aetius, his dark eyes pondering the sickly tone of the woman's skin. The first thing that came to mind was that the young woman's face bore the same sickened look his wife's had with her first child, and he smiled. "Your wife is feeling ill?"

Aetius, not understanding the question, nodded.

This amused the native a great deal for reasons that Aetius couldn't understand, but the native let them leave, which was all that mattered. Outside the hut, Aetius took Lucia to the back where they could avoid the curious eyes of anyone passing by. He settled down on the ground and pulled her to sit beside him, holding her close and petting her hair. "Lucia, she'll be fine."

"And if she isn't?" She was crying now, the exhaustion and terror of their journey finally getting to her. "It'll be my fault, Aetius, because I was the one who suggested this stupid route."

"That's not true. We all knew there was risk involved, and we all agreed to try your way. Otherwise, we'd still be with Columbus." He ran his fingers through his hair, wondering if all was still going as it should with Columbus's group.

It was indeed, and perhaps the little group would've been better off staying with Columbus a little longer as he was being treated very well at that current moment. But, all the same, they had left, and now they were here, hoping Hortensia would pull through.

Aetius tipped Lucia's chin up and wiped her tears away, thinking that he would do anything to make her stop crying but feeling unable to do a thing to gain those results. She reached up and ran her fingers down the side of his face, a sad smile flitting over her lips as she realized that it was very likely she could lose him too. Searching his gaze, she let the love there dry away her tears and pondered the possibility that she could lose him. "Aetius, what if one of us doesn't make it?"

He stroked her cheek, shaking his head. "Don't think about that." Truth be told, it had occurred to him as well, but he didn't want to consider it. Not now when it was such a great possibility.

"But I think we need to at least consider it."

He stared down at her distraught face and pursed lips. If the likelihood that they wouldn't make it was that great, he thought, he would very much like to have one more kiss from her before they died. A real one that wasn't the result of an attempt to get back to her own time.

She, as it happened, was thinking the same thing but couldn't bring herself to do anything about it when Hortensia lay inside dying. Although she hardly knew the woman, it was the fact that her suggestion had led to this that weighed on her.

Aetius had no such reservations and thought only that it was important to capitalize on what little time they had to themselves since it was unlikely they'd have more any time soon. And what was the point of waiting around in tears for someone you could do nothing for? That settled it, he decided. Leaning in, he pressed his lips to hers, praying that she would respond and give some sort of happiness to the both of them before this ended in more tears.

Lucia remained still against him, unable to fully register what was happening. When it did finally register that he was kissing her, she was kissing him back, her fingers tangling in her hair the same way her thoughts were tangling as she tumbled into the kiss, her mind reeling with the passion.

On Aetius's end, he felt he couldn't have received a much better gift before his own possible demise. As he massaged her lips with his and tried to take away the guilt—if only for a moment—he found himself feeling less and less upset about the suffering that certainly lay ahead. There was only her. For this moment, he couldn't think of anything else besides the lily-soft touch of her lips on his and what was, to him, a taste of heaven in hell. The thought that they might die only served to increase the ardor with which he caressed her lips with his own. If this is the only kiss he would get from her before one of them died, he thought, he would make it count.

***

The night passed in revelry and drinking for Columbus and in nervous tension for the time travelers. Only Lucia and Aetius were not tense or concerned, but this had more to do with the fact that one of the villagers had noticed them kissing and had helpfully offered a private place for them to continue. Not one to turn down an offer like that when death was staring him in the face, Aetius took the offer. Lucia, for her part, was thankful for a distraction from the guilt and the horrible things she knew were to come and readily agreed to whatever he wanted to do so long as it succeeded in a continued distraction.

This resulted in separating from the group for the night to spend it engrossed in each other as young couples faced with impending doom often do. As for the rest of the group, they found themselves in similarly comfortable accommodations but without the ability to enjoy it. Manfred hardly slept as memories of all who had died flashed through his mind in a rapid succession of images, which were determined to chase sleep away. The others were simply too nervous about their current situation and what else they would face to sleep, and so they too passed a miserable night as they swung languidly in the hammocks they'd been given.

When the morning dawned, everyone was off to an early start except for Columbus, his men, Lucia, and Aetius. The former were still busy sleeping off everything they'd drunk, and Lucia and Aetius were too worn out from the trek and their night together to rouse themselves at any decent hour.

So it was that when Manfred, In-Sook, Nefertiti, and Medekhgui went to the medicine man's hut, they went without Lucia and Aetius. The news that greeted them wasn't the news they'd hoped for.

The medicine man let them in with a grim shake of his head.

No words were needed in moments like these. The look on his face was enough to tell them that the news wasn't good. They crept into the hut, eyes tearing up as they witnessed her still, pale frame on the mat where the medicine man had worked on her. The arrow wound was surrounded by red, raw skin from the attempts to cauterize it, and her skin was wan without its usual flush of life.

Nefertiti fled the tent, her stomach twisting and rebelling at the sight of yet another comrade fallen. Medekhgui followed her out to make sure she'd be alright, thinking that she'd been acting strange ever since Arnold's death. Manfred and In-Sook remained there, staring at Hortensia's stiff form.

In-Sook felt little over the death. She'd seen too much of it for it to truly shake her by now. Not when it wasn't someone she'd known well. Even then, the girl felt that she might be unable to shed tears even for a close friend. Death, she knew, was simply a part of life, and one was best off not trying to fight it. Still, when Manfred set a hand on her shoulder, she appreciated the small gesture of comfort and turned into him, burying her face in his chest.

He patted her back, his gaze still fixated on the corpse. How many more would they lose, he wondered. And would they make it back home at all? Anger flooded him, and he tamped it down, feeling that it would be best if he remained calm so he could comfort the others. But for the first time, he hated Kenneth for pulling them all from their time lines. For the first time, he wished that Kenneth had left him to die so that he wouldn't have to see this.

***

The news of Hortensia's passing hit Lucia hard, and for several days after Columbus departed, leaving a contingent of his men behind to begin a settlement, she wandered the Tainos village without a word. Sometimes, she would sit for hours at Hortensia's grave site, thinking of all the ways that she could've saved the girl from her fate.

The sight of her like this broke Aetius's heart, and he too hardly ate or spoke. Often, the two of them could be found walking the fields together or working in the hot sun alongside the natives to keep the crops growing well, though the system the Tainos had developed required little maintenance. The others watched the two with growing concern, wondering how long was reasonable to let them grieve.

Manfred recognized the signs of guilt and depression in Lucia because he himself felt much of the same things every time someone in the team died. Of course, he was used to it while Lucia was not. This, out of all the issues, worried him most. There was no way to know if she would pull of out of it or if she would punish herself for a death that wasn't truly her doing for the rest of her life.

A month after Hortensia's passing, he decided to speak with Aetius about his concerns. The Roman was also displaying signs of mild depression, though Manfred was certain that the problem was mainly to do with Lucia. This guess was an accurate one, as Aetius couldn't bear seeing her suffer and was neglecting his own needs to do what he could to see to hers.

"Aetius, a word." Manfred pulled his friend away from breakfast at the cacique's lodge, intending to do his best to fix this.

Aetius went along, but his gaze remained on Lucia, who was huddled in the corner with her food, staring at it but not eating.

"We can't let her keep doing this to herself," Manfred said, crossing his arms.

"What should I do?" Aetius shook his head and threw his hands up. "I've tried everything I can think of to cheer her up. She blames herself for all of it, and I can't convince her otherwise."

"Well, we have to make her see. If she keeps this up, she'll waste away, and I won't have another person's death on my conscience."

"Then tell me what you want from me." Aetius sighed, thinking that if it would help Lucia, he would do anything asked of him.

"We need to get her involved in things. Explain to her that Hortensia's death wasn't her fault as many times as you need to, but also do what you can to help her see that Hortensia wouldn't want her to suffer like this." Manfred ran a hand over his hair, which was becoming too long for his liking. "Whatever it takes, we've got to help her."

Aetius nodded.

"And Aetius?" Manfred turned to go back inside, his heart heavy. "Keep an eye on her. A close eye. In her state, who knows what she might try."

This statement chilled Aetius to the bone, and he muttered his asset before going back inside to sit with Lucia.

She barely made eye contact with him, but she did lean into his side. He could feel the bones in her shoulder more distinctly than usual, and he hated the hollow look on her face as she stared at the bowl she'd pushed away. He wrapped his arms around her and let her bury her face in his shoulders.

For her part, Lucia felt nothing but guilt and on occasion a blissful numbness. She longed for a way to release herself from the pain, but she hadn't found a good way to do it yet, and she couldn't stand the idea of hurting Aetius that way. If it weren't for him, she thought, she'd already be gone. He'd done too much to help her for her to hurt him like that. But some days, she found it was easy to forget that.

"Lucia, let's go for a walk..." Aetius held her close to him, supporting her weight and pulling her to her feet with him. She was dead weight in his grasp, not resisting but not consenting either. "Lucia, please."

That roused her, and she stared into his weary eyes, more guilt piling on top of the guilt she already bore as she thought of how she was making him suffer too. But she had no energy to put up a false front for him or anyone else. Still, she could manage a walk. The weariness that invaded her was a constant companion that she was used to now, and she forced herself to walk beside him despite the urge to lay down. The sun was warm, she thought, and it would provide warmth if she laid down under a tree to sleep.

Aetius kept her moving along, giving her no opportunity to sit down and lose herself in the void her mind was becoming. So, she kept pace with him, silent and waiting for life to either end or somehow become better.

"Lucia, this has to stop." Aetius halted then, taking her hands in his and praying for her to see sense.

She frowned, staring at him.

"You'll waste away if you do this, and we need you. What happened to Hortensia was an accident. She knew there were risks with your plan like all of us." He clutched her hands tighter, willing her to understand. "Seeing you suffer under guilt that shouldn't be yours to bear is killing the rest of us."

Her gaze dropped to the ground, and she considered his words. Of all people, he was the best choice to get through to her, and Manfred had done the wisest thing by leaving her in his hands. He tried one more time to rouse her from her silence. "It's killing me." This, though perhaps not literally true, was exactly how it felt to Aetius, and he hoped she would see reason because he was quite certain he couldn't take it much longer.

She looked up at him, her lips trembling. "I don't understand how I can just let go of what happened when it happened because of me. I murdered her."

No one should love her anymore, she thought, because she was—intentionally or not—a murderer.

In a manner of speaking, Lucia was correct. It had been her idea that resulted in Hortensia's injury and following death. But grief had a strange way of twisting the mind and causing one to think things were when they were not. This was the case with Lucia, and she could not quite wrap her mind around the idea that she was not, in fact, a murderer despite her involvement.

"Lucia, I don't know how it is where you come from, but where I come from, murder is something you do with your own hands with intent to kill." Aetius cupped her cheek in his hand. "You didn't do that, did you?"

She shook her head. "Of course not!"

"Then stop blaming yourself. What's done is done. She isn't coming back, and we did what we could to help her." Aetius's stomach clenched. "We all wish we could have saved her, but constantly making ourselves feel guilty about it won't help anyone."

She bowed her head, his words penetrating deep to the hurting part of her soul that only wanted to stop suffering. "So, I just let her go?"

"No. You hold her in your heart and cherish the little time you had with her. You remember the good heart she had and the lively spunk she always carried with her on that ship, but you let the guilt go." Aetius pressed a kiss to her forehead and then to her nose. "You live your life being happy because that's what she would've wanted."

Lucia wrapped her arms around his neck, her lower lip trembling. Hortensia wouldn't like seeing her like this, Lucia knew. This would break her heart more than anything, and Lucia squirmed at the thought of how hurt Hortensia would be if she could see Lucia's response to her death. "Okay."

Aetius tensed, thinking he must have misheard her. "Okay?"

She nodded. "Okay. I'll try."

He hadn't misheard, he realized. He'd succeeded in convincing her. He smiled and swung her up into his arms. This was much easier than it had been thanks to the weight she'd lost during the last month from lack of eating. She clung to him, wondering if it could really be as easy as he made it sound. Still, the very decision to try was liberating in itself, she thought. Perhaps it would be easier to let go than it had been to hold on. If nothing else, she thought it might provide her some relief from this misery.

***

If it hadn't been for the shadow of what was to come hanging over them, their time with the Tainos would have been a pleasurable one. They learned much of the people and their language while there, and for a time, things seemed peaceful. The struggle to get here and survive both at sea and then in the rain forest for a short time faded from their minds, though the deaths that had occurred as a result took longer to fade. The days were spent soaked in sun and helping with daily chores around the village. The men went hunting with the tribe's warriors, and the women remained in the village working to make food, care for the children, and make other things needed for everyday life.

The place where Columbus's men had chosen to build had grown into a decent sized encampment thanks to the Tainos' generous help, for all the thanks that they would receive in just a few short months. The encampment was filled with raucous laughter, angry squabbles, and drinking on most days, while at other times, the men were out searching the island for gold. They found none, which irritated them greatly, and they always returned in a foul mood after such hunts.

The Tainos tolerated their crude behavior and rude disturbance of their hunting grounds with more grace than the decrepit creatures deserved, but as with most things, at some point, enough would be enough. This point was not yet reached, and so, for the time, the two coexisted with an uneasy peace.

At this point, it might be speculated that if Spain had taken a moment to consider the fact that three countries had already turned Columbus down, the Caribbeans might have been in much better shape than it did. But instead, they did as any good contestant must and ignored what the opponents were doing in favor of the most deranged idea they could find.

Of course, one mustn't be too harsh on them. They were, after all, driven to it by their desperate need for fundings, for which the Moors were to blame because they were the recipients of an entirely unnecessary holy war to kick them out of Spain.

Columbus's men were spotted frequently where the women did the washing they had, leering and then disappearing into the underbrush to continue their futile hunts for gold that didn't exist. Lucia noticed this and dreaded their appearances, knowing that it was only a matter of time before they would make a move and end the peace with brutality and bloodshed. This act of war on the part of Columbus's men would result in many deaths, and later, it would bring Columbus's wrath down on the Tainos when he returned, sparking many years of brutality that would nearly wipe the Tainos out.

She waited with bated breath, praying that it wouldn't happen, but knowing that it must because otherwise, history would unravel here as well. Aetius took to spending his free time on the edges of the rain forest when he could, watching to be sure Lucia was safe while she worked with the other women. She knew he watched, and it made her feel safer, but at the same time, she also knew his watch would be futile when the time came.

The time came on a clear, humid day on the beach where the women had taken the children to play in the early evening hours. Lucia and Aetius had gone with them, romping through the water and enjoying the dying rays of sunshine on their skin. Both had, by now, adopted much of the native dress, though Aetius insisted upon wearing a loincloth in spite of the assurances from the locals that it was much more convenient to go without. This was, on his part, a rather conscientious decision, which Lucia, Nefertiti, and In-Sook greatly appreciated.

As for Lucia, she had been unable to reconcile herself to the idea of running about the rain forests of Hispaniola topless, and had chosen to instead wear only a breastband made of the strips of their old clothing and the skirts some of the other women wore. This seemed a suitable compromise to everyone as it allowed the travelers to retain some of their sense of decency while still avoiding the heatstroke that their previous style of dress would've rendered inevitable.

The two of them had gone a distance from the natives in their frolicking about the beach and so at first missed the cries and yells from the other side of the beach. When the faint noises reached their ears, the two of them ceased in their play, turning to see what the noise had been. The horror that greeted their eyes sent their stomachs into knots and their hearts plummeting in their chests.

The children were fleeing toward the woods, largely ignored by the men. The women were also trying to flee, but the men were grabbing them by their waists, arms, or hair depending on what was available and were dragging them up the beach in the direction of their encampment. Lucia's breath stuttered in her lungs, and she turned to Aetius with wide eyes.

He looked back at her, thinking that he should go after the women.

"We need to get back to the village and get the other Tainos men now!" Lucia grabbed his arm and tugged at him to come, panic suffusing her.

He stared down the beach, his jaw clenching. "By the time we get to them, those men will have already raped those women and most likely, they'll have killed them too."

Her fingers clenched on his upper arm. "Aetius, please. You can't fight them alone! We have to go back to the village."

That caught his attention, and he relented, realizing the danger of the situation.

Most of the women that Columbus's men had taken would not be killed as a party of hunters in the rain forest near the encampment noticed the commotion as the men grew nearer the encampment and were following the party, angered by what they'd seen. This and Lucia's quick reaction were the salvation of the majority of the unfortunate women that had been kidnapped.

When Lucia and Aetius reached the village out of breath and red-faced, the men still in the village raced to meet them with worried looks and frantic requests for information. The children had reached the village ahead of them and told the cacique what had happened. Even now, the cacique was preparing for battle, his face a mask of rage as he stormed to where Lucia and Aetius were regaining their breath.

"You saw them taking our women to their encampment?" He directed his question to Aetius, thinking that if what the children has said were true, he would slaughter every one of the white men that had dared transgress after all their kindness.

Aetius nodded, knowing that this wouldn't end well for any of them. In-Sook came rushing out of her hut, her eyes teary as she ran to where they stood. "Is it true? Were they taken?"

Lucia nodded, reaching out to touch the poor girl on the shoulder. In-Sook wailed and sunk to the ground. "Lucia, Tinima was with them."

Tinima was an older woman in her thirties who had taken In-Sook in when they'd arrived. She'd been a mother to the distraught girl, and in the two months of time she'd spent with Tinima, In-Sook had become extremely attached to her. The other woman had become her second mother, confidante, and best friend. It was she who was there to sing In-Sook back to sleep when she had nightmares, and she who had helped In-Sook to see that she could heal from the awful events of her childhood. The news that Tinima had been taken was the worst news that In-Sook could've heard, and she wept bitterly. She couldn't go on without Tinima, she thought, and the older woman just had to come back.

Lucia sat with her, cradling the weeping girl in her arms and wondering what she might do to fix the situation. Her heart clenched with the pain of seeing In-Sook hurt so much. The girl had been through enough, she thought, and she didn't need to go through this too. This made her wonder how the girl would fare when they went home because inevitably, someone had to notice they were missing and send a machine for them. Unless the other machine was broken too, she thought bitterly.

As it happened, this was exactly what had happened. The only fortunate thing about this was that the machine had broken on the way back to its own time, and the team that had been on it had returned to the museum more or less in one piece and was frantically working to fix it so that the other teams could return. This effort was going somewhat poorly without Lucia around as none of them had any particular idea what they were doing, but they were making an attempt at least, which is more than Lucia could do with the machine at the bottom of the harbor of Palos in Spain. The machine was, at this point, good for nothing but a home for the fish, which was exactly what it had become since the team had left it there.

The minutes ticked away as Lucia huddled there with In-Sook and Aetius. The three of them waited with bated breath for the party to return, knowing that there would be a great deal of bloodshed, and they would be lucky if Manfred and Medekhgui, who had gone with the hunting party upon hearing the news, returned in one piece. The encampment was close enough to them that the sounds of fighting rang through the jungle, and the children soon left their huts to join Aetius, Lucia, and In-Sook at the sounds of fighting. The group made for an odd sight as they sat in the court that was usually used for games or religious activities and waited for the rest of the tribe to return with pounding hearts.

The screaming died down, and In-Sook wore herself out with weeping. She settled for keeping her face buried in Lucia's chest and her arms firmly around the older woman's waist as they remained where they were. Aetius laid a hand on Lucia's shoulder. "I want you and the children to go hide just in case Columbus's men prevailed and come here to kill the children too."

Lucia, seeing the sense in his words, stood and pulled In-Sook to her feet before ushering the children toward the woods. In-Sook, senseless with fear for Tinima, refused to budge and inch, staying at Aetius's side even when Lucia pleaded with her to come away. Finally, when Lucia continued to plead, In-Sook shook her head and pushed the other woman away. "Lucia, I cannot. I will stay here and wait to see if Tinima returns."

Lucia shot Aetius a look fraught with warning, thinking that if Tinima didn't return, it was likely In-Sook would try to harm herself. He inclined his head, wordlessly reassuring her that he understood. With a quick peck to his lips, she herded the children toward the back of the village and the tree line, praying that Columbus's men had all died like the pigs they were.

Aetius watched her go and then turned his attention back to the tree line that obscured the beach from view. There were shouts of greeting from the trees, and his shoulders slumped as the familiar forms of Tainos friends came into view.

Some of the Tainos in the back did not smile, and this was because, although they were glad they had rescued most of the women, their women had not survived the brutal attack or the battle to follow. It was to this group that In-Sook ran when she couldn't find Tinima among the ranks of other friendly faces. She wriggled through the crowd to the bodies being laid on the edge of the rain forest and scanned them, her heart pounding. Tinima had to be safe, she thought. She could not be among these who had not survived, In-Sook told herself.

Fate was a cruel thing, and it was especially cruel to In-Sook both during her childhood and now as she found the beloved face she'd been searching for. That beloved face was twisted with the pain Tinima had undergone before her death, and her throat still wept blood, her esophagus white under the sun and blood. This was too much for In-Sook to bear, and she flung herself at the body, her high-pitched wail echoing around the clearing.

Tainos and time travelers alike stopped and turned to look. When they saw the girl screaming and sobbing over the corpse of one of their own, the Tainos averted their eyes in deference to her grief. The screams continued for nearly five minutes and would've continued on longer if In-Sook's voice hadn't given out. Still, she huddled there, clinging to the cold corpse, her skirt drenched in Tinima's drying blood as bitter, cold tears dripped down her cheeks. She didn't understand why, she thought. Why had such a kind-hearted woman had to go in such a brutal, cruel manner? She screamed these questions into the silence of her mind, but no answer came, and at last, she simply bent in two over the body and cried until she could cry no more.

It was in this moment that In-Sook remembered the true sting of death. She recalled the grief of losing someone and knowing that they would never again share time with you. In the silence that followed her tears, she remembered too well the empty feeling that came on the wings of the grief and the hole in one's heart that never really healed.

She remembered well. Yes, she knew these feelings far too intimately for one as young as she. And deep in her heart, those emotions welled to life again when she had believed they could not. She sat there under the millions of twinkling stars and stared into the face she loved so well. Her mind shied away from the idea that yet another person she loved so dearly was gone, and she ran her fingers over the cold face, her own contorting with emotional pain much the same way Timina's had contorted with physical pain. She pressed her cold lips to Tinima's worn forehead, her heart weary of life's agony. "Goodbye, Tinima."

The Tainos and the time travelers had withdrawn to their huts now, leaving the girl to her grief. This was to prove a most unwise decision as people in her state of grief were not best left to themselves. But, the blame for what happened next could not be laid on anyone's plate as no one had thought she would take such extreme measures as she did.

Pressing one last kiss to Tinima's forehead, In-Sook rose from her place and walked with measured, slow footsteps down the pathway to the beach, which she had trod many times before in the last two months with Tinima. Now, she decided, it was fitting for her to tread it one last time as she finished this endless agony. The others would fix the time problems, she knew. The truth was, In-Sook reflected, she had never been a necessary part of the team as much as they tried to make her feel wanted and included.

She walked to the end of the path and looked around for some stones. The beach had an abundance of them along the edge of the rain forest, and she searched until she found some heavier ones. Then she removed the skirt around her waist, tearing the cotton into strips and tying the pieces into knots. As she worked, she hummed the lullaby that Tinima used to sing to her when she woke from a nightmare, and the tears once again began pouring down her cheeks.

Making short work of the ropes, she picked up the heavy rocks she'd found and tied the cotton around them before knotting it securely to her ankles. For a moment, she stared at the surf and the moonlight on the calm waters of the ocean beyond the bay where she'd come to frolic with the other children. This place, she realized, had been both a blessing and a curse. It had been a blessing because it was the first place she felt at home, and it had been a curse because, with the sad passing of Tinima, it was the first place she had felt the loss of those things in quite some time.

Now, she felt, there was no place left for her anymore. The one person she'd come to love most was gone, and she had lost the desire to live. She was certain no one would miss her once she was gone. This was not true, but as was the case in Lucia's situation, grief also colored In-Sook's perception as she cradled the stones to her chest and walked to the sandy shoreline.

For a moment, she let the waves lap at her feet and wondered what it would've been like if she'd been born into a family that hadn't died and left her to fend for herself. She wondered if she might've been happier if she hadn't ended up on the streets of North Korea as a prostitute during the Korean War. But this was all speculation, and it had no bearing on what was. She had well and truly lost sight of herself in the years following her parents' deaths, and even in this moment, she still didn't realize the truth.

The truth was that others did care. Even now, Lucia and Aetius had gathered Manfred, Nefertiti, and Medekhgui to look for the missing girl. As soon as they'd realized she wasn't with Tinima's rigid corpse, they'd set about looking for her in the village. By the time they'd realized she wasn't there, they were already running too late to stop her, but they did run. They ran to the beach, praying she would be there where she and Tinima had loved to walk in the evenings.

And she was. She was there, and just as the other travelers burst onto the beach, screaming her name, she waded into the waves and dropped the stones, letting the water drag her down and out to sea. Her suffering was over much quicker than it would've been for another owing to the fact that she didn't fight. She let the current carry her and sucked in the water hungrily, refusing to let the survival instincts take over until it was too late.

Her strength was spent on that last effort to keep her natural will to live contained so that the ocean could take her away. In the last moments before she lost consciousness and her lungs gave out, she lost control over that will to live, and she spent her dying moments fighting against the water's pull.

The saddest thing was that, had she born the grief for just a few months more, she might've discovered that she truly did have a home. The only thing that was nearly as sad was the fact that she had directed her strength into the wrong pursuit, and in doing so, had stolen away her own chance to find that home.

Back on the beach, Lucia dropped to her knees, weeping bitterly. "Why would she do that?" She clung to Aetius, who sunk down onto the sand beside her.

"I don't know, Lucia... I really don't." He cradled her close to him and kissed the top of her head, rocking her back and forth like a child while praying she wouldn't fall into another bout of depression like she had after Hortensia's passing.

Manfred stood behind them at the entrance to the forest and stared at the waves where the tiny figure had been moments before. He stretched out a hand in a belated attempt to pull her back from the edge. He should've been faster, he thought, and maybe then she wouldn't have ended it that way. Beside him, Medekhgui and Nefertiti stood in stunned silence, unable to formulate any thoughts as shock set in.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and ducked his head, backing up a step with a little shake of his head. A trembling overtook his body, and in the torrent of grief that threatened to sweep him away, Manfred almost missed the buzzing in his pocket. The buzzing came from the small device that was used to communicate with the time machine and the time machine hub. When it buzzed again, Manfred shook himself from his grief with a frown and pulled it from his pocket.

The comm button was green, and he blinked, not quite believing his eyes. Nefertiti and Medekhgui snapped out of their dazed state when he waved the flashing green device in front of them with a half-manic laugh. "The saltwater didn't ruin it!"

The small device was something of a miracle considering what the group had been through. By all rights, it shouldn't have survived their swim back in Spain, and by now, he should've lost it somewhere along the way to Hispaniola. But he hadn't, and he said a silent prayer of thanks to God for the provision.

He looked back out over the ocean, his heart clenching. She should've waited, he thought, because if she'd held on just a bit longer, she could've gone home. He pressed the comm button and the staticky voice of another museum occupant came over the speaker. "Manfred? Manfred, come in."

The others gathered round, attracted by the sound.

"We're here," Manfred announced. "But the time machine is at the bottom of the harbor of Palos in Spain."

There was a choking laugh from the other side and then, "How did you manage that?"

"It broke in mid-flight. We'll tell you the whole story later, but can you please bring us home?"

"Of course. We just finished fixing the other machine." On the other side of the monitor, Naoki set the com device down beside the button that would send the machine to Manfred.

On the shores of the island, the machine blurred into view, solidifying on the sands. The team ran to it, relief temporarily overriding the pain they felt at witnessing In-Sook's death. They flung the door open and tumbled inside. "Alright, bring us home." Manfred spoke into the device with a sigh and flopped into the chair beside the hub.

His eyes shut, and he finally let the tension inside unfurl. As it did, the grief returned full force, slamming into him and stealing away his breath. The occupants of the machine remained silent as each tried to digest the events of the past few months on their own. Processing events of the magnitude they'd seen took time, and it wasn't something that anyone could rush. The healing process for such a thing took many months and, more often than not, years. It was unlikely they would ever be free of the burdens they carried in their hearts, but they were on their way home, and that counted for something.

Spot 4: MusicgirlXD

The cries of Indians resounded through the darkened sky. Inoia sat with his arms crossed across his chest. His daughters danced before the Chief. Inoia chuckled. Nothing could run this night for him. Fire danced with the daughters in the center of the tribal camp. Fire began leaving the center pit. Flames encircled the camp. Setting a blaze to whatever they came in contact with. Jumping from his seat, the chief rushed into a burning to tent, making sure that no one was inside.

Picking his head up, Inioa glanced around the cabin. The other adventures were too upset over the lost of their friend to notice his nap. A man set at the wheel. Alexander the Great had joined their team. Elletta had handed him the reigns of the ship due to the circumstances. Without a word, the machine came to holt in a forest.

Exiting single file, the group left the machine. Inoia took in their surroundings. Pine trees scattered across their vision. A whirling echoed behind them. The trope turned in time to watch the time machine vanish. A sigh escaped the adventures. They didn't feel like asking much questions. Alexander marched on without them. Hamon followed closely. Out of the seven, they were the only ones not broken up over Aldora.

"Lets move." Alexander huffed.

"And do what? So far we're stranded who knows where and we're missing a member!" Eletta huffed.

Inoia lifted his head up. "The warrior is correct, we can't morn over a fallen comrade just continue on with them...." Ending his words, Inoia turned his head sharply to the left. The sound of leaves rushing caught his attention. Feathers peaked out among the bushes. "Get down." He called. The Indian Chief pushed the pirate to the ground. Alexander crossed his arms as arrows hit the golden armor that served as a breast plate.

Smirking, Hamon held his hand out, catching an arrow in his hand. Closing his hand around it, he snapped the arrow in the half. Indians surrounded them ready for an attack. Eletta growled. Inoia sat up. Eletta grabbed her hat, that had fallen with the sudden motion. "DOn't do that again, please. I'm not some damsel in distress."

A scream permeated the air. Loud bangs echoed around them. Inoia jumped to his feet. Following suite, Eletta placed a hand on her hilt. Drawing her sword, the pirate kept jumping, trying to doge the bullets. Inoia along with several of the others crawled out of the way. Once they arrived at a safe spot, they noticed two of their members where missing. Eletta and Artemis were no where to be seen.

Inoia glanced back at the battle scene. Both girls laid on the ground. Inoia rushed forwards. Picked the girls up and brought them back to safety. "Pity." Alexander muttered. Inoia glared at him, Eletta had been hit by an arrow whereas Artemis a bullet. The Greecian wasn't responding. Inoia focused his energy on the pirate. Pulling the arrow out of her wound, Inoia realized the tip was covered in a save that would make her violently ill, if not worse. 

Spot 5: JesterheadJohnSnow

"Umm, this doesn't look like the Museum to me."

The nine time travelers looked on as the doors of the metallic gray machine slid open, revealing what appeared to be a beach before them. The bright blue waters glowed a bit in the hot sun that was at its zenith as the onlookers could only gape in unison at their new location.

"How perceptive of you," Thomas murmured in a sarcastic tone. He turned to face Paul. "You sure you entered the coordinates correctly? I wouldn't be surprised if you made a terrible blunder in accomplishing such a simple task."

Paul wrinkled his brow. "Excuse me? Weren't you the one who asked me to make haste and transport us out of our previous destination in a flash?"

Thomas huffed and removed his hat. "As a matter of matter of fact, it was quite necessary given the predicament. If you recall, we were in imminent danger, but that doesn't justify transporting us anywhere other than the Museum."

"Hey, accidents happen, especially when one is under pressure. Hey, where are you going?"

Thomas turned his attention to where Paul's eyes were fixated to see Tut walking among the golden sand of the beach, exploring their new environment. Akh, Tut's father, called out for him to return before exiting their means of transportation to join him. He could just make out palm trees in the distance.

Thomas just sighed as he glanced back at Paul. "Since you brought us out here into this tropical seaboard, I will task you with unriddling the mystery of our location. Hopefully, you didn't land us anywhere that could put our lives in peril."

"Can you explain in simple and proper English what you want me to do?" The American soldier rolled his eyes.

"Corpus Bones, boy! You sure know how to get under a man's skin."

---

Hammer of Thor, please don't let us be stranded here.

Starkad stared out at the sand-covered coastline where Akh was trying to get his son to return to their vehicle. Chenggong and his friend Xinyi had stepped out to explore their immediate vicinity while Kepler and Dragunov stayed inside the time machine to see if they could assist in remedying the issue. Starkad hoped they could repair it and soon since he wasn't too keen in spending time anywhere where there was sand. Words could not express how much it irritated his skin.

"I am sure I pressed this button. I swear it on my grandfather's grave!"

"Are you certain it wasn't the blue button?"

Paul sulked. "I'm positive! Gee whiz, you never believe a word that comes out of my mouth, don't you?"

Thomas just ran a hand through his shaggy chestnut hair and drew in a breath. 'You never provided me any reason to believe you."

"Can't you just presh zhe button you vhere shuppossed to and remedy zhis error at once?" Kepler suggested.

"What do you mean?" Paul frowned

"I mean just presh zhe blue button."

To punctuate his point, the mathematician leaned over the grid and pressed the button nestled between the red and green one. The lights in the time machine flickered before giving out.

"Rebooting in approximately 168 hours."

Starkad felt a chill go through his bones. He couldn't believe what the mechanical voice was saying. Was the time machine already burnt out?

Hammer of Thor, please let this all be a terrible nightmare.

"I guezz vee are not ging anywhere zoon." Viktor shrugged. He held up a large green glass. "Vodka anyone?"

---

Akh had finally convinced Tut to return with him to the time machine. They regrouped with the Chinese duo and entered the large rectangular object. Akh had noticed the others who had stayed behind hunch over the panels and puzzle over the electronic grid, glowing a variety of different colors, giving the man's face a different shade every second.

"I take it you haven't figured out how to get us out of this large oasis?" Akh anxiously asked.

Starkad whirled around to face him. "Is that how you see it? This looks like a massive beach, not a respite in the middle of nowhere."

"On the bright side,at least we are not in the middle of a hot desert searching for a refuge. Besides, no mirages to enchant us as well as provide false hope to the whole team."

Starkad playfully rolled his icy blue eyes and clapped his buddy on his shoulder. "Odin's balls, what am I going to do with you? Speaking of which, I have a gift for you."

"Oh?" The Pharaoh raised his eyes intrigued. "Do you now? I must say that I am thrilled."

"Oh, thrill would be mild term to use." The Viking warrior reached under his cloak and presented a longsword to his companion. "This was found in the time machine this morning. Now if you refuse this generous gift, perhaps your son would be more appreciative of it." Starkad's eyes flitted over to the young Pharaoh as he peered over Paul's shoulder at the controls.

"You know what? I may have some use for it in the future. " Akhenaten gladly accepted the gift. The sword felt heavy in his right arm. "Now I just pray it won't weigh me down in the midst of a skirmish. "

"I take it you haven't utilized one in the past?" Starkad stroked his honey-colored beard pensively.

"Well, unlike others, I was a pacifist."

---

Mon Dieu! Is that what I think it is?

Lanre, now donning the attire of a Spanish sailor, gazed out across the deck of the Spanish Galleon toward the other side of the bay. He blinked his eyes a few times, but once they cleared, the gray metallic object still remained perched in the middle of the sand, standing out like a sore thumb. The flash had lit up the beach in a bright white light as if lightning had struck and the former Knights Templar had assumed the Spanish sailors or African slaves on deck had witnessed the phenomenon as well. Turns out that he was wrong and they had carried on doing their duties. If they had seen it, perhaps they had more pressing concerns to attend to rather than trying to locate a celestial object.

"Let the captain know that I will return in a bit. I just need to check the coast for any straggling voyagers before we set off," he informed the lookout standing near the crow's nest of the ship in broken Spanish.

Not bothering to wait for a reply, the former Crusader rushed off the galleon in order to confirm his suspicions about the object. He adjusted his green and red doublet over his blue camisa as he sprinted toward the gray object. He had originally donned an arming sword, but he had hidden it among his former Knights Templar attire in a secret compartment inside the Caravel, Hernan Cortes's own flagship. He had regretted trading his signature weapon for a dull rapier, but he needed to blend in with the rest of the voyagers. He also didn't want to attract the attention of the Spanish Inquisition, which he was sure had members sprinkled among the sailors, in order to root out dissenters or heretics. He had served an order that didn't differ much in goals, but the Knights Templar had met their end being accused of the same things the Inquisition accused other Christians of. Soon, he came to a stop at the object's side.

Mon Dieu, it has to be another one of those time machines! Are they here for another attempt to abduct me?

Taking a breath, Lanre drew his rapier and searched for an entrance, his warily eyes darting around the metallic gray sides.

---

"Delat prival! Who are you?"

Thomas glanced up from the controls to see Viktor aiming his submachine gun at a gentleman armed with a rapier. The man's somewhat pompous attire reminded the colonist of Kepler's style of dressing. Could they be in the astronomer's time period?

"Johannes, I have an intuition that we are in your time period based on the way this man is dressed. Mayhaps he may speak German, but on the other hand, he could be a fan of Shakespeare like you."

"Ah yesh!" Kepler chuckled. "I'll try my luck vizh him zhen."

Thomas watched as Kepler, his hand on his newly acquired Persian scimitar, approach the stranger and attempt to converse with him in German. The dark-haired man cocked his head to the side and responded in a language Thomas didn't understand. The baffled expression on Kepler's face was the telltale sign that the men didn't speak the same tongue.

"Do any of you speak French?" the man asked, his hand still on his rapier.

Thomas felt relief as he registered the fact that he would be able to communicate well enough with the man.

"As a matter of fact, I do. " Thomas strolled to Kepler's side. "Although I am certain no one else shares the same tongue as us."

"I speak little English," The man explained in broken English.

"Well, that's a relief." Paul chuckled from where he was perched. "The last thing we need right now is a language barrier."

"May I ask you to enlighten us about our whereabouts in addition to your own identity?" Thomas inquired. "Judging by the location and your fluency in French, I would assume we would be in Haiti or anywhere else on Hispaniola."

"My name is Lanre Haliax," the man replied. "No, we are not in Hispaniola right now. We are settled in the coast of southern Cuba in the northern sector of the Carribbean. Judging by your attire, I'd assume neither of you are from this era." The man's dark brown eyes bore into each of them.

"No, we aren't," Thomas admitted. "Although I can't help but notice that you aren't the least bit surprised or intimidated by our time machine. May I ask why is that?"

Lanre just chuckled and lowered his rapier. "Well, I am no stranger to these outlandish machinations. I had traveled here in one not too long ago after I was nearly kidnapped by some freakishly dressed men. You wouldn't happen to know any one of them, would you?"

"Actually, we were captured by the original operators of these entities ourselves." Thomas explained their whole situation from being captured from their eras, forced into a twisted form of slavery for Kenneth, and their quest to restore history as a result of Kenneth's actions. Lanre's eyes narrowed at hearing this news.

"Well, I am fortunate enough to have escaped from my captors. In case you are wondering, the year is 1519. Judging by your perplexed expression, is it safe to assume that this era isn't the one you intended on appearing in?"

"Pardon my intrusion into your long-winded conversation, but in case it never occurred to you, nobody else understands what you guys are babbling about."

Thomas halted his conversation with the newcomer as he glanced over at an exasperated Akh. The Ancient Egyptian had a valid point. Turning back to Lanre, the former spy decided to enlist the man's assistance in hopes that he could alleviate their issues.

"Lanre, it's time for you to meet the squad."

---

"May I ask how a member of the Knights Templar ended up as a member of a sailing expedition to the New World?"

Lanre glanced toward his new friend Thomas as they trudged onward toward the port where Don Cortes's ship was docked. Lanre was sure the captain would be more than willing to accept new members to the crew. "It is a long story, but the most important detail is that I was able to miraculously blend in with the inhabitants of this period. I had the same problem with my time machine that you are having now, but once I settled with Captain Cortes's crew, the thought of returning to my period never occurred to me. Besides, we could use new crew members as we lose a handful each time to diseases or even have a couple drunk lads fall overboard. "

"Are you inviting us to join your crew?" Thomas blinked in confusion. To his left, Chenggong and his fellow Chinese companion bickered among themselves in their own language while the others seemed preoccupied with themselves. "I suppose we have little choice in the matter given our present situation."

"Trust me, you won't regret it, but I would advise you and your men to guard your tongue." The former knight's eyes narrowed. "There are members of the Inquisition scattered aboard and the last thing you and I need is for you to garner their attention. After all, the purpose of the expedition is to pacify the savages while claiming new land for the Castilian crown. "

"Yet you are known as Conquistadors to future generations,' Thomas murmured.

"I beg your pardon?" Lanre raised a brow.

"My apologies." Thomas chuckled. "It was just a slip of tongue. It occurs from time to time."

"We will discuss that later." They soon stopped in front of a massive brown ship, the afternoon sun casting its shadow over the group. "I will personally converse with Don Cortes himself. Despite being here on an encomienda as well as serving as an alcade, he and Governor Velazquez are involved in some sort of a quarrel so he is eager to leave for our destination as soon as possible so I don't expect persuading him to allow you on board to be much of a hassle."

"We are very grateful for your hospitality." The Englishman smiled.

---

"I...hate...the...sea."

Paul leaned over the railings to hurl over the side of the ship. The violent motion of the large vessel resulted in the American soldier's stomach causing a minor revolt against him. It wasn't the first time this had happened to him. On the ship that had transported him from Hawaii to the Japan for his training mission before being delivered to the front lines of the Korean War, he was sick for many hours and it was no picnic for him, especially being mocked by his fellow recruits. That humiliating incident seemed like it was a long time ago, it might as well be due to Paul losing track of time during his duration at the Museum, but the events felt fresh in mind yet again.

Darn it! How must longer must we stay at sea? We have been here a few days at least.

He glanced down at the now soiled set of clothes they had acquired in order to fit in with the crew as a low moan settled in his throat. The captain of the ship had accepted their presence on board, but there was a catch. In return for passage aboard the Caravel, the time travelers would have to assist the crew in their daily tasks.

If Joe or Wally saw me wearing these ridiculous clothes, I'd have to change my identity or I'll die of humiliation.

He clutched at his chest where he had hidden his dog tags. If there was anything he couldn't part with, it was his military dog tags which were essential for him to maintain his identity as Private Paul Walker of the United States Army.

"Are you alright?"

Paul glanced behind him to see Akh's son Tut gazing at him, a concerned expression plastered on his face. He was dressed in similar clothing as Paul and he shared the same uncomfortable look on his face as well. Despite their clothes not being as tight as the rest of the crew members, Paul felt like a python was squeezing his waist.

How do people like Kepler avoid passing out when dressed like circus clowns most of their time?

"I could be better." Paul returned the young Pharaoh's gaze.

"I understand that you don't take the motion of the seas well."

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious, kid," Paul muttered as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "What do you want from me?"

Tut put the translator to his mouth before speaking. "I saw that you were in need of a companion so I decided to make myself available if you need someone to talk to or play with."

Paul watched closely as the boy shuffled over to him. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt if you are willing to put up with my constant vomiting."

"It's quite alright."Tut smiled. "My father is the same way with boats. He is having the same reaction as you are."

Paul couldn't help but smile. "Oh, if anyone would have the same response to the constant motion of the waves, that would be him."

As the two boys shared a laugh, the boatswain appeared. The wind tossing his shaggy auburn hair around his face, the man snapped a command at them in Spanish. Tut's device beeped and a second later, the boatswain's remark was translated for them both.

"What are you two scallywags standing around for? Get busy! " The man then turned his attention to Tut. "You shouldn't take things for granted, you ungrateful savage."

---

"Can you believe it?" Starkad glanced over at Akh as the evening wind picked up, tossing his long brown hair into the hair. "I am not allowed to mention any of my gods around here lest I get placed under arrest."

Leaning over the railing, Akh finished throwing up his meal from earlier in the day and turned to face his friend. "Believe me, you are not the only one who wishes for the moment we make landfall. "

"I'd like to return to my own time where I am in charge,"Starkad grumbled. "I made sure to tolerate every religious belief in my earldom as long as they follow my rules. Why can't they follow my example here? It is ridiculous that I'll lose my head if I don't accept Catholicism."

"Hey, Aten would reign supreme if you ask me." Akh's caramel-colored face had toned down to a bit due to the strain his seasickness was taking on him. "If only we can get out of these clothes fit only for a fool-Ow! What as that for?"

Starkad had whacked his companion on the backside of his noggin. "Silence! If anyone hears you say that, we'd both find ourselves on the bottom of the ocean."

"Priviet, boys!"

The two nearly jumped when a third individual appeared behind them. Starkad felt his heartbeat, beating as hard as a war drum, slow down gradually once he saw it was only Viktor. He was surprised they hadn't encountered any Spanish sailors for a long time, but it could have been attributed to the size of the ship they were on. It was like a massive glossy wooden city.

"Vik!" Akh frowned. "Don't sneak up on us like that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" The Pharaoh took a few breaths to regulate his breathing. It seemed like he was going to hurl again only this time, he intended to not succumb to that urge.

"Apologies!" The Russian soldier chuckled. "I was going to ask who wanted to share this bottle of vodka with me?" The soldier held up a clear bottle.

---

"I assure you we will make landfall in no time."

Chenggong watched Xinyi pace around anxiously. The Qin soldier was clearly unhappy about being caged up in this massive galleon and forced to adopt a Western style of dress. He turned back to Chenggong and uttered a string of complaints at the Ming rebel.

"No, I would not let you jeopardize our lives with your immaturity." Chenggong glanced over at Thomas, who was busy chatting away with their new companion Lanre. "That gentleman over there warned us that secret police known as the Inquisition have members scattered aboard this ship. If you utter a single word-"

"Guten Morgen, friends!" The two Oriental soldiers of different eras turned to see a door burst open down the hall. Johannes Kepler strolled in, clasping a dark object. "You two ever sheen shomezhing like zhis before?"

Chenggong peered closer at the anchor-shaped object and frowned. "Eez zhat some sort of lookeeng glass?"

"Nein!" Kepler smiled like a schoolboy about to present an important project. "Zhis is known as a shextant. Eet's purposh vaz to ashisht een celeshtial navigation."

"Deed you peeck eet up from teh ship?"

"No, not at all." Kepler's glance went from Xinyi to Chenggong. " Zhis eesh from my period. Let me show you an amazing treeck."

---

"Land ho!"

Lanre watched from the deck of the Caravel as a green and brown strip of land appeared on the horizon. Within the hour, they made landfall. In a matter of minutes, several boats were deployed from the anchored ship amid the bright blue waters of the gulf. The Spanish had called this the Golfo de Nueva Espana although the Frenchman was unsure of what the inhabitants called it. This would be the third expedition he and Don Cortes would embark on together. The first voyage ended up in Hispaniola, the second in Cuba, and now this one in the heart of the Americas. He was grateful for the captain for giving him this opportunity to take part in a mission to set up a colony for Christians in the New World as it reminded him of his past endeavors in the Holy Land.

"As soon as the horses and soldiers are unloaded, make sure your new recruits are taken aboard the same boat. They will bulk up our forces even if just a bit. "

Lanre whirled around to face the man in charge of this whole voyage himself. Draping a long jacket over his chest to cover up his chainmail, Cortes looked like a regal figure as he donned a shiny gray helm.

"Oh, I intend to accomplish that." Lanre smiled at his captain. "It is hard to believe that you once attempted to become a lawyer. Someone of lesser noble birth like you should have grander ideals."

"Alas, my parents were not wealthy." Cortes stroked his graying beard. "I can't live any other life besides leading an expedition to claim land for my country. Besides, we wouldn't get our hands on the treasures the savages here hoard. "

I can't imagine you living like that either.

Lanre glanced out at the brilliant blue ocean under a bright sun as the ten other galleons started to unload their crew. His eyes fell upon Thomas and his squad waiting to be escorted to a boat off the ship.

Perhaps I can gain more of their trust by acting as a tour guide during our conquest.

---

"Here we are.The savages call this land the Yucatan."

Thomas glanced over at Lanre as they vacated from the boats that had brought them into this grassy yet sandy environment. In the distance, dark stony structures resembling pyramids rose above the tree line. Lanre noticed the colonist spot the structures and smile at him.

"Those are pyramids that the savages utilize for their satanic rituals based on what our sources tell us. Those mark our destination which is a city the locals call Tenochtitlan. "

I really don't appreciate him referring to them as savages as they are far from that. I learned as much with my interactions with the Iroquois during the war.

Beside them, the rest of the time travelers had assembled as they stared in awe at the foreign land. Soldiers as well as a few men dressed in the dirty tan robes of monks embarked on the few steeds that were available to them. Thomas watched as Lanre saddled himself upon one and motioned for them to do as well. Thomas obeyed at once, choosing a pure white horse. If he recalled correctly, these were Andalusian horses. He had heard rumors that they were bread for combat due to their agility and now was the time to put that rumor to the test.

"Are the rest of your companions adept enough to ride horses?"

Thomas glanced over at Lanre. "I believe so? Why do you ask?"

Their guide pointed to his side. "A couple of your friends are having a bit of a struggle."

Thomas's eyes followed Lanre's finger to notice Paul slip from his horse and fall to the ground.

"Oh, worry not. He isn't as foolish as he looks."

Right when he said that, Paul took a running leap toward his horse, slamming into its side, causing Thomas to cringe.

"Perhaps I was mistaken."

---

"What kind of dogs are those? They sure don't look like the greyhounds we have in Egypt."

Akh eyed the massive brown and tan dogs that mingled along with the Spanish. What intrigued him the most was that some of them had armor and spiked collars around their neck.

Their guide turned to face him. "Mastiffs. Use for shock and awe tactic on enemy."

Akh was able to understand Lanre's broken English enough to decipher that these dogs were used for war and wished that he was able to ride a horse. Instead, he was walking alongside his son, Paul, and the two Oriental men. Ahead, a man on horseback, who Akh assumed to be the commander of this whole force due to his stature and his clothing, chat with a few men ahead of them in the clearing. The Pharaoh perceived that one man was dressed similar to them while the other two were dressed as he had during his reign as a Pharaoh. What's more?They had the same caramel skin tone as he did.

"Who are they?" Akh glanced to Thomas on horseback.

The British man turned to ask Lanre the same query. Once their guide responded, Thomas turned back to relay the information to the rest of the group.

"That man is a Franciscan monk known as Geronimo de Aguilar. He was shipwrecked here previously and now he is here to serve as Hernando Cortes's translator.Those men behind him are the Chontal Maya who had accompanied him. It appears that Cortes intends to take a town known as Tabasco. We may be in for a battle so I would recommend you all brace yourselves."

Great,that's what we all just need. Another battle. Why can't we catch a break for once?

Suddenly, Cortes turned around and barked an order to his men. One of the men, whom Akh had assumed was drunk off of rum, just laughed in response. Cortes drew his sword and stabbed it through the man's chest, causing the Ancient Egyptian to flinch. In response, the men turned and drew burning arrows. They soon let them loose, landing on the ships. It wasn't long until all but one of the ships were burning masses of inferno.

"Dear Aten, has the world gone mad? How are we supposed to get out of here?"

Lanre turned to the Pharaoh. "No retreat. Only battle forward. "

Dear me, what have I gotten myself into?

---

Viktor once again felt the rush of battle as they ambushed the town at nightfall. The Soviet soldier used the methods he had learned at the Battle of Stalingrad to sneak up on the unsuspecting town's guards and take them out before they knew what was up. Soon, a minor battle had commenced and the Spaniards had taken the town with minimal losses. On the other hand, the losses for the town' s defenders had mounted significantly.

"It is wonderful to feel the rush a battle gives your body, eh?"

Viktor turned around to see Starkad appear beside him, bearing a bloody axe that seemed to be coated in copper due to the waning light of the setting sun. Starkad smirked as he wiped his axe with a loose bit of cloth.

"Eet eez eendeed. Alzough, I veesh eet vood have lasted a leetle longer."

"Fear not, my friend. " Starkad stepped over corpses claimed by the battle. Viktor noted that while most belonged to adult male native defenders, there were some women and children scattered about among them. "This is just the precursor to a much larger battle."

"And you know dees how?"

"I remember our guide say- Viktor, behind you!"

Startled, the Red Army captain whirled to see a Mayan spearman, who had stayed out of sight nestling among the corpses, pop up and raise his spear to throw it. Before any of them could react, their would-be attacker crumpled and fell to the ground in a heap. Behind him stood Kepler, bearing a devious grin.

"I knew zhis shimitar vould come in handy, ja?"

--

"What are you doing?"

One of the Spaniards, who was documenting something on a parchment of ruffled paper, glanced up at Tut as he entered the room that once belonged to the people they had conquered. It had been a day since they had taken this town for the Spanish crown and there were rumors that they would move on to claim more lands. Tut couldn't contain his excitement in being included in a conquest of land, although no one referred to it as such.

The man spoke to him while gesturing with his left hand. A second later, Tut's device translated for him. "I am documenting what is happening so I can explain it to others who are not present."

Tut looked enthralled. "Oh, like writing history then?"

"I guess you could say that." The man chuckled. "May I have the pleasure of knowing your name? I am Bernal Diaz del Castillo."

"I am Tutankhamun, but my friends refer to me as Tut."

"I can't say I have heard a name like that before. Are you by any chance related to the native Mexica?"

Tut looked amused. "No, do you say that because of my skin tone?"

Bernal laughed. "Well, it was worth a try." His eyes then landed on the device Tut held. "May I ask what you are holding there?"

Tut glanced around the gray adobe building before responding to the conquistador's query. "It helps me understand tongues other than my own."

"That is an ingenious invention." Bernal rubbed his hands together. "Care to explain to me the workings?"

Before Tut could open his mouth, he heard people talking in loud voices outside. Curious to see what was going on, he left the hut and noticed people gathering in the middle of the city down the street. He hobbled over to the edge of the crowd and saw the leader of the expedition with Lanre and a couple others beside him chat with a group of native women dressed in simple white clothing.

"Oi! I never imagined someone with a leg like yours to outrun me. How do you manage?"

The boy Pharaoh turned to see Bernal appear behind him, huffing and puffing. Dust was rising in the air, indicating that the man had run over to catch up to him. Tut trotted over to him.

"I have a question."

"I may have an answer." Bernal smiled, his gray eyes casting a benevolent expression on his bearded face. " Ask away."

"Who are those women?"

The Spaniard glanced over at where Tut was pointing and smiled. " Those are several Mayan women who have recently converted to our religion. The one standing in front of Cortes is the one called La Malinche. She will be the key in securing Tenochtitlan from Moctezuma."

---

"Here we are. This is what the natives refer to as Tenochtitlan."

Thomas slowed his mount to a stop as Lanre pointed out the city that lay in front of them after vast expanses of forests and sandy topography. Floating in the middle of an island of bright waters, a city made of large stones lay before them. People on canoes drifted across the canals and other waterways as Thomas looked on, feeling like a child who had just learned that dragons are real. His eyes lingered on the statues of what he assumed were the gods of the indigenous people. Despite knowing they were only statues, he felt that the animal-shaped carving was staring right at him.

"Spectacular, isn't it?" Lanre smirked. "Having a city the size of Paris or Cordoba floating in the middle of Lake Texcoco is hard to wrap around, isn't it? Lucky for us, Moctezuma is anticipating our arrival, but he doesn't believe our presence to be a threat. He actually thinks we are emissaries of their false god Quetzalcoatl. The Mexica won't realize the truth until it's too late."

As they made their way over a small bridge, led by some of Cortes's Nahuan and Totonac allies he had enlisted once he had established base at Veracruz, the turncoat noticed some of the Aztecs glance over at them with a look of shock and awe. If he had recalled from his readings correctly, then the Aztecs had seen the horses as dragons since none of these creatures existed in this part of the world.

"It looks like we will be spending the duration of our stay being treated no different than their gods." Lanre chuckled as he cast a glance at the gathering crowd of indigenous folks. "We might as well make the most of it as I doubt we can keep up the gig for so long until their suspicions are cast."

---

I can't believe my eyes! I have never seen so much treasure in my life, especially with my endeavors in the Holy Land.

Lanre watched in awe as Moctezuma's emissaries brought out hoards of gold and silver out in the bright sunlight. It was midday when the Aztec leader had peacefully received his visitors and had made sure their needs were attended to. His eyes glued to the glittering silver and gold pieces, the former Crusader was grateful that this day coincided with the day that these naive fools considered their god would return.

I am not complaining, he thought as he stood between two conquistadors while Cortes chatted with Moctezuma, his Tlaxcalan allies behind them. The day before their arrival, the Otomi tribes had thought to resist the Spanish invasion force only to be crushed. Their current allies joined out of fear that if they resisted the Spaniards, they'd meet a similar fate as the Otomi. Who in their right mind enjoy getting half of their city burned and their people massacred? He had seen that happen many times in Jerusalem. A few minutes later, the former Crusader felt a tap on his arm.

"Pardon me, but what are we to do in the meantime?"

Lanre glanced at Thomas before glancing over to Cortes, La Malinche, Geronimo de Aguilar, and Moctezuma. "Just sit tight and enjoy their gullible hospitality. This scheme wouldn't be possible if it weren't for Geronimo or our native allies. "

"I beg your pardon?" Thomas blinked his eyes until the realization dawned on him. Lanre smirked as he saw Thomas's eyes grew wide.

"No matter how you perceive it, this city is ours now."

---

"Lanre, make sure the guards keep a vigilant watch on Moctezuma and anyone trying to visit him. This temple is off limits to the people of Tenochtitlan. Is that understood?"

"Aye, Don Cortes." Lanre nodded.

The leader of the conquering army mounted his force as several conquistadors joined him. "Good, now I'll have to handle matters on the coast. I hear Velazquez has believed I caused a mutiny and is sending over a thousand men to come arrest me. Maybe they can be swayed into joining our cause once they see the gifts we have received."

"Won't you take some of the Tlaxcalans with you in your quest?" Lanre asked, blinking his eyes in the bright sun. "Moctezuma has already declared allegiance to the crown. Surely you could convince a few of his soldiers to tag along with you."

Cortes threw his head back and laughed. "I believe my current force would suffice. I trust you to keep everything in order while I am away."

"I won't let you down, my lord." Lanre placed his sword on the ground and knelt.

"Excellent. " Cortes set his horse to a trot. "Now get busy."

Lanre's eyes never left the man as he departed for the coast. Something about him seemed majestic as the man's silhouette disappeared in the horizon like a phantom.

Now where do I start?

Unsure of how to feel about being in charge of a whole city as well as its occupants, old and new, Lanre took a walk in the cities elaborate and ornamented streets. Life went on usual in the city, the difference being that conquistadores strolled about the city, looked on in awe by even the nobles. The Knights Templar stopped by the marketplace to see it thriving. During the duration of his stay, he had learned that the locals had a caste system they went by, among them the pipiltin and the macehualtin. The tecuhtli were also considered on the same class as the nobles, revealing how seriously these indigenous tribes took their religion.

They are not that different from us, I see. If only they hadn't followed the false pagan gods, then-

Hearing a commotion from down the street, Lanre drew his sword and hurried over to see what the commotion was about. He stopped in front of what was revealed to be a stone temple designed with various animalistic creatures to see a couple Spaniards standing guard outside. A crowd of locals had gathered around the temple, making demands the Crusader couldn't understand, but he judging by their tone, it was obvious that they weren't happy. That was when he noticed that the sabres of the Spaniards were coated a vermillion color.

"What happened here?" Lanre stepped forward.

One of the guards stepped forward. "The savages were going to sacrifice one of their own in a barbari ritual during one of their feasts so Don Pedro de Alvarado intervened, resulting in a bloodbath. The upperclassmen of these savages tend to be bloodthirsty demons, you know. Who sacrifices their own kind to false gods?"

That's true.

"You did a fine job. In the meantime, get these troublemakers in line." He motioned to the agitated indigenous population gathering en masse around the temple. "Tell them to go enjoy their celebrations. What do they call this feast?"

"I think they refer to it as the Toxcatl Feast." The other guard looked on edge as the crowd grew. "It honors one of their gods. I can't quite recall the name, but I think it's Tezcatlipoca or something along those lines. They have quite a barbaric language."

"I agree." Lanre nodded. He glanced back at the tribal citizens and then noted that he should leave before things escalated. He sure didn't want to be present if they decided to swarm the temple. "I trust you know how to defuse the situation?"

---

"It seems you are quite a competent swordsman, but you have room for improvement as well."

Xinyi huffed as he held his sword at the ready. Chenggong had his drawn as well and the two started to spar. Ever since they had arrived, the two would spar occasionally in order to keep their skills sharp. However, Chenggong would end up victorious each time they fought. The truth that the other Chinese man was the better swordsman stung Xinyi. After all, his incompetence was the reason that he had failed to keep the Qin Emperor in power.

"That's enough for now. Let's take a break and resume sometime later. "

Xinyi, his upper body bare and glistening with sweat in the sunlight, walked over to a flask and took a drink of water. The climate of this land was even hotter than his homeland during the summer time. What really irked him about this new world was not just the weather, but the flora and fauna. Strange insects and reptiles roamed the countryside while prickly plants he never seen before peppered the landscape.He believed that they were called cacti. To the Qin soldier, they were more interesting than the maize plants that the locals grew on stalks.

Sudden shouts drew Xinyi out of his thoughts. Glancing over to the where the palace was located, he noticed several of the people they had traveled with drag the ruler of this land outside of his palace amid the roaring crowd of locals. Curious, the Chinese warrior walked past the dirt road to get a better look. What happened next would be something he hadn't seen coming.

Stones flew through the air from all directions, landing on the ruler. Xinyi watched with a mix of shock and awe while the citizens of the exotic city pelted their emperor to death. It seemed that a mutiny was underway.

"Xinyi, care to inform me what is happening?"

Beside him, Chenggong and one of the Westerners dressed like a noble, a man whom they referred to as Kepler, stood by and watched the procession with a look of disbelief.

"I believe the locals are mounting an insurrection against their emperor and the conquerors." Xinyi drew his sword."I think we may be in for a battle."

As soon as the arrows and spears started to fly, Chenggong and Kepler drew their weapons. " You know what? You may be right."

---

"These natives don't seem too happy, you know?"

Paul was hunkered down between a few barrels of rum between two buildings as he took potshots at the Aztecs who had attempted to come in their direction. Beside him, Tut was gazing curiously at the Glock handgun that Paul had handed to him. This was among one of the few trophies that had collected back in England when they had erased all the evidence of the rogue agents. Without having much time to practice with the weapon, Paul had hastily thrust it in the boy king's arms and told him to provide cover fire.

"Well, I wouldn't be too happy if anyone occupied my land."

Paul cast Tut an irritated look as he reloaded his Browning semi-automatic and popped a few shots at the raging Aztecs. "Just do as I tell you and cover me while I take out these screamers."

"As you wish, friend." Tut pressed the hook-shaped silver section of the object and was awed to see a flash on the muzzle. In a matter of seconds, a booming sound was heard and one of their charging attackers crumpled to the ground in a bloody heap.

"Not bad, considering this is your first time using a firearm. Now keep up the stream and we should have them off of us in no time."

Buoyed by the soldier's praise, Tut fired whenever he saw a native warrior arise. It wasn't long until the dirt road and the surrounding grassland were piled with bloody bodies. Hearing a sound behind them, Tut whirled to see one warrior,who had his face covered with a golden owl mask, sneak up behind them and raise his spear to skewer them. Thinking quickly, Tut tried to fire, only to find he was out of ammunition. Paul glanced behind him.

"Tut, what is going-" The American's eyes grew wide as he saw their assailant prepare to strike.

Suddenly, a sword's tip erupted from the warrior's chest. As their assailant collapsed, the two time travelers were surprised to see Tut's father standing there, bearing a bloody sword.

"Well, it seems we were wrong about our assertions regarding your fighting prowess." Paul smirked.

Before any of them could reply, the sounds of footsteps echoed around the bloodstained ground and many Aztec warriors immediately surrounded them.

"We need to fall back now!" Paul shouted.

Before Tut or Akh could question him, the G.I. lobbed a grenade into a throng of warriors and started to flee.

"What are you waiting for? I said fall back!"

Tut broke from his reverie and grabbed his father's hand, pulling him after Paul to safety. That is only if they could reach it before they were completely flanked by their pursuers.

---

"I must inform you that this is no retreat! It is a mere tactical withdrawal."

Feeling the rain drops pelt his skin, Lanre stood by Cortes and de Alvarado as the Spaniards and their native allies made it to the waterway. Under the cover of a rainstorm, the Spanish had managed to creep out of the city when they had learned that Cuitlahuac, Moctezuma's successor, had orchestrated a large Aztec force whose sole purpose was to kill the intruders. With Moctezuma and his son Chimalpopoca dead, Cortes had decided that they should leave to fight another day. Canoes were brought over by their Tlaxacan allies and soon the Spanish survivors of the minor insurrection were piling into the small boats in order to flee their attackers before any alarms were raised.

"Wait! I don't see Akh or Tut anywhere!"

Hearing the voice speak French, Lanre glanced up to see Thomas run toward him, shoving past several Spaniards. The rain dripped down from his face as the Englishman's green eyes were wide with panic.

"If they haven't shown up, most likely they are dead or captured by the enemy." Lanre sighed as he glanced over to see Cortes, de Alvarado, La Malinche, and Maria Estrada board one of the canoes. He had never liked seeing women in the middle of a combat or danger zone, but that wasn't a decision that was his to make. He was ashamed that Cortes had returned only to be met with resistance from the natives under his watch. Once they make a push to retake Tenochtitlan, he would not be so forgiving to these savages.

"Surely, we can go back or barter for their release." Thomas was adamant on his position. "A couple days ago, Paul had seen them hold off a push by the Mexica, but they had separated after they were forced to pull back from their positions. I have faith that they are still alive and in dire need of our assistance."

"Perhaps I will inquire about their whereabouts from those who had left to hoard off whatever treasure they could. In the meantime, you need to get into one of these canoes. It's time we make our escape."

Before Thomas could open his mouth, a large horn had sounded. The wet streets and the stone buildings were soon occupied by warriors bearing Eagle helmets as well as shields and spears. Lanre's eyes grew wide as he recognized the eagle warriors.

"We need to leave right now! We must have been spotted."

Making haste, Lanre leapt into the nearest canoe with Thomas joining him. No sooner had they set off had spears, arrows, and stones rain down on them. The Crusader flinched as a stone the size of his fist made contact with his shoulder. He was sure it would bruise up later on, but now the only thing occupying his mind was getting out of range of the enemy's weapons. Hearing screams, the former knight gazed up to see several conquistadors tumble overboard into the dark waters of the canal. He couldn't tell if it was a result of the indigenous weapons or the burden of the treasures weighing them down, but his heart pounded heavily in his chest as he was anxious to avoid another close brush with death.

"Will we be able to make it to safety?"

Lanre stared back at Thomas and let out a shaky sigh to steady his breathing. "Now is the time to pray for a miracle."

---

"Excuse me."

Tut tried to get the attention of one of the guards. Despite being captured a couple days ago, his body still ached from being handled roughly by the guards. He and his father were going to rendezvous with Paul after pulling out of their position between the buildings in the alley, but Tut's leg and his father's heart condition made sure they didn't get far in the forest when the enemy caught up with them. They were in here as a result.

"My father is not feeling well. Do you have anyone to tend to him?"

The Aztec warrior glanced over and Tut and then his head craned over to look at Akh. The Pharaoh looked a shade paler and he was taking shallow breaths as to avoid throwing up. He hadn't eaten anything for a day. The warrior mumbled something and Tut's device translated for him.

"Sadly, there is nothing to be done about it. He may be ill, but he isn't the only one to fall sick. After the coyote-tongues had pulled out of our city, many of our citizens had been struck by a plague that was never seen or heard of here. It seems that the gods themselves are angry at us for letting in the false ones and now we are being punished by having our population decimated."

Tut just sighed. "I see. So no healer or doctor would be available?"

"Our healers were either killed by the occupiers or struck down by the plague itself. You must wish the best for your father."

"That's it?" Tut started to become angry. "You are just going to give up? You should make yourselves useful and find a cure for this rampant disease. Your people's lives are being ravaged by a strange pestilence and you are sitting here moping around. Dear Ra, how can you live with yourself?"

"If it were only that easy." The guard sighed. He looked like he was going to speak again only to be silenced by a loud booming sound. Soon, the sound was followed by several more, resulting in thundering echoes.

Is there a storm outside?

Suddenly, shouts were emitted and the sounds of battle reached the young Pharaoh's ears. The realization that a rescue squad was coming for them hit him hard in the chest like an arrow. The guard shouted an order to a couple of his companions, who took up positions near the entrance. It wasn't long before the battle made its way into the lavish temple they were inside of. The doors burst open, knocking the two guards back. Two snarling mastiffs pounced upon the screaming men, tearing into their flesh. Tut turned away to not view the grisly scene as he stood over his father.

"Deus vult!"

Turning back to the battle, Tut was surprised to see Lanre, now bearing a white cloak and mantle with a red t-shaped cross on it, engage the remaining guard. In a matter of minutes, Lanre struck across the Aztec warrior's throat, causing blood to splatter on the sand-colored walls. As the guard fell limp to the ground, the knight turned to Akh and Tut.

"Come with me, we need to get you to safety before Cortes's forces overrun the town. This time, we don't intend to capture it."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Tut frowned. Akh rise to his feet slowly, coughing violently.

"Tenochtitlan will be nothing but a smoldering pile once we are done with it. Make haste or the others will leave without us."

Tut and Lanre both went to support Akh as he shuffled toward the exit. "Others? As in Paul and Thomas?"

Lanre nodded. "Yes, it appears that my old time machine was discovered in one of the pyramids and we intend to travel out of this period."

"Wait, you are coming with us? What about your friends here?" Tut blinked his eyes in disbelief.

Lanre just chuckled. "Let's say I need adventure in my life and it seems that wherever you guys head, there is adventure present at every corner."

Tut gazed at the man in admiration as the two carried his father out of the building and into the blinding sunlight. "What will captain think?"

"He will think that I fell in battle and I made sure of that. Let's run along now. Your father needs to be treated if he is expected to live."

"Fair enough." Tut nodded as his eyes landed on the flashing lights of the time machine ahead.

---

Spot 6: RondaRayl

Astrid, Norman, Jackson, Richard, Allan, Catalina, Thomas, and Marcus were traveling in the time machine. Catalina and Thomas both sat in the back, talking quietly. Thomas was crying because of all of the pressure that was getting to him. He leaned upon Catalina's chest and she wrapped her arms around him and comforted him.

"I'm missin' my parents and my home. I wanna go home!" Thomas sniffled.

Catalina was gentle with him and stroked his blond hair. "It will soon be over. Hang in there."

Meanwhile, Richard and Marcus were in the middle of the machine discussing different wars and battle tactics. Norman and Allan both stood at the time machine's controls while Astrid and Jackson both trained in the corner.

Suddenly, the controls of the time machine started smoking. Everyone scrambled up.

Marcus said, "What's going on?"

Allan and Norman at the controls, yelled, "We don't know! We don't know!" They both coughed and gagged due to the smoke in their faces.

Jackson said, "Thomas, Catalina, this way. Hurry. Now." He led them to the doors of the time machine with Astrid following them. Electric wires fell from the ceiling just as Catalina and Thomas passed under them. One of the wires hit Thomas. It electrocuted him and he screamed and fell to the ground.

Catalina rushed to him and held his body but he didn't move or breathe. "Thomas? Thomas!" she shouted. "No! It can't be! Not Thomas!" She shook his body and when he still didn't move, she sobbed and sobbed and sobbed.

The time machine shook and trembled. Jackson grabbed her and said, "Come on, we have to get out now. You have to leave him."

She turned to him and started hitting him in the chest, saying, "No, no! I can't leave Thomas!"

Jackson picked her up and ran out of the time machine to safety. Astrid, Richard, Marcus, Norman, and Alan quickly followed him.

***

All seven of them fell out of the time machine, panting and coughing. Catalina cried, but Jackson hugged her. "Thomas is home now," she whispered.

"What we do now?" Astrid asked.

Alan looked at the communication device and got a hold of Kenneth and told him what happened and that they had lost Thomas. Kenneth told him that they would fix the time machine, but that they would have to stay out of the machine and survive until they were able to fix it.

Alan explained this to the others and they all began walking through the woods. While they're walking, they met a man and woman named Ananias and Eleanor.

"Where are we?" Marcus said. "What year is this?"

Eleanor said, "It's 1588 and we're in Roanoke."

Richard pulled the six others aside. "We're in big trouble. Roanoke was a colony in America that completely disappeared. No one knows what exactly happened here."

"We should leave! We don't want to lose anyone else," Catalina said with tears in her eyes.

Alan said, "We have nowhere else to go. We need to find food, water, and shelter. And we don't have much time because night is coming."

So Eleanor and Ananias took them back to the camp, where they ate left over wilderness stew and drank some water from canteens. They all slept good that night.

***

Early the next morning, the Spanish soldiers stormed the camp. The Spanish soldiers took everyone's weapons and said, "If you want to live, you will cooperate with us." After losing Thomas, they all decided to cooperate and the Roanoke settlers did the same.

They put everyone in chains and started walking them through the woods. The temperature was very hot and they had all been walking for several hours without water. Catalina asked them to stop so they could all rest. They walked a few more yards to the end of the treeline. There was a ship in the ocean in the distance.

Richard whispered to his six friends, "These are pirates, not soldiers. We need to figure out a way to escape before they get us on that ship." As Alan was trying to figure out a plan, they quietly followed the pirates onto the beach.

There was a series of loud shrieks coming from the trees behind them. The pirates turned around in shock as the Algonquian people attacked them. In the chaos of the battle, Richard, Astrid, Alan, Norman, Catalina, Marcus, and Jackson all escaped. They ran through the woods until they reached the time machine.

They ran inside the machine and Norman noticed it was fixed. "Kenneth fixed it," he said. "Let's get out of here." He and Alan managed to start up the machine even with their chains on. The time machine took them back to the Museum.  

Spot 9: Several7s

"He'll be back," Kaihime said, finishing the braid in Suki's hair. She let it drop and Suki brushed it back behind her ear.

"You keep saying that, but it's been months. Ujinao-kun said Naoki-san destroyed their gun supply and killed their blacksmith. I don't understand why you still believe in him," Suki huffed. "He destroyed our clan's one chance at escaping destruction."

"We have a new clan now," Kai murmured. "And he must have had a reason. He promised to explain everything to me and I believe him. Not once in my life has he broken a promise he made to me."

Suki frowned. "You know how I feel about this place."

"We'll make the best of it. At least we're together," Kai pointed out. "And Father is alive."

"I don't understand it. He let go of our clan so easily... just flipped sides. It isn't right. We're Hojo, not Hideyoshi's lapdogs."

Kai played with a hair tie and chewed her lower lip. "You aren't happy here. I can see it, Suki-san. As much as I hate to see you go, you should not stay if you can't stomach Hideyoshi-sama's rule. Father and I can manage without you."

With a sigh, Suki rubbed her temples. "I've nowhere to go, even if I could abandon you. But I can't just leave."

"You shouldn't have to stay if you don't want to. Father needs me far more than he needs you. And I... I will be alright." Kai laid a hand on Suki's shoulder. "I want you to be happy."

Suki smiled. "I know."

***

"What are we doing back here?" Ujarak asked. "We can't interfere in history here anymore, and we're needed elsewhere."

Naoki nodded. "I will be quick," he said. "But I must keep a promise."

He stepped out of the time machine and started down the hall of the castle he had stopped at. Khen stared out the door of the machine after him, a frown creasing her brow. He smiled reassuringly at her and turned his attention to the wooden door that should lead to Kaihime's room.

Lifting his hand, he knocked lightly on the door and waited. After a short moment, Kai pulled the door open. "Yes?" When her eyes landed on Naoki's face, she lit up. "You came back!"

"I promised to explain everything," he said. "I do not like to lie."

She opened the door further and gestured for him to enter. As he did so, he noticed another woman sitting in front of Kai's mirror. She turned to look at him and he noticed a striking resemblance between her and Kai.

"Who is this?" he asked.

The woman stood and smiled at him. "Hakuno Suki," she said. "And judging by my sister's reaction, you must be Naoki-san."

"Sister?" Naoki glanced at Kai, who nodded with a grin. "She looks older than you, Kai-san. How could you be sisters?"

"We only found out a couple of years ago. I would have told you, but you rushed off to Odawara so quickly." A cloud fell over Kai's face, and Suki bit her lip, her fingers winding around a scrap of cloth. "Father told me... what you did. Is it true?"

She looked at Naoki with such pleading eyes, practically begging him to deny it. But he couldn't. Guilt tore at him. He had told her he would save their clan, but instead he condemned it.

"It is."

Tears gathered in Kai's eyes, but she wiped them away and crossed her arms. "I want to know why."

Suki stood and put an arm around her sister's shoulders. She looked at Naoki. "Kai-chan believes you have a good explanation for it. Start talking."

He nodded. "I'll start at the beginning. The day I disappeared, I was attacked by men with strange weapons. The men I was with... most of them didn't make it. We didn't know how to fight the foreign attackers and their advanced weapons. Later, I found out why- they were from the future."

A laugh burst from Kai, but it was a bitter one. "You wish for me to believe that you traveled through time with these people? You may not look ten years older than you were when you left, but there are far better explanations for that. You promised, Naoki. When I was a kid, you swore you would never lie to me. I thought you had more honor."

Naoki stared at her, unsure of how to respond. He hadn't expected her to believe him- not really- but he hadn't expected to see such anger from her. Somehow, he had never associated such hatred with the Kai he had helped to raise.

To his surprise, Suki stepped in. "Wait, Kai. Listen to him. There... there may be truth in his words."

Kai pulled away from her sister. "How could you say that?"

"The reason I found you is because the people who adopted me were killed. The people that attacked our village also carried strange weapons, as well as advanced guns. I know it's hard to believe, but he might not be lying. You said yourself that he hasn't aged nearly as much as he should have."

"Fine." Kai's expression softened. "I'll listen. But you had better explain what this has to do with your betrayal."

"I'm getting there. The men who took me went around the world and the timeline kidnapping others. I wasn't the only one to fall prey to their attacks. But all this kidnapping did some damage. The timeline is broken, and because I and my companions are from the past, we are the only ones who can fix it. That's why I came back before, Kai-san. Because history was broken."

"The new guns," Suki realized. "I thought they looked familiar. The men from the future... they brought them here?"

Naoki nodded. "Nihon will one day unite, Kai-san. But if I had not betrayed the Hojo... if I had not betrayed my clan, that might never have happened."

"So that is how you justify murdering the gunsmith and destroying our weapons?" Kai wrapped a string around her finger and unwound it slowly, staring at the grooves it made in her finger. "My clan is gone because of you. Our clan is gone. I was forced to surrender when I heard Odawara had. To learn you caused it..." she trailed off.

"I am sorry," Naoki reached for her hand and gently took the string away. She looked up at him, tears dripping down her face. "I didn't want to, but... it had to be done."

She nodded. "And the timeline... it is safe?"

"No." Naoki forced a smile. "But yours is, and the rest will be."

Suki glanced at Kai and a knowing look passed between the two. "I want to go with you," she declared.

Naoki's eyes shot to her. "What?"

"These men who kidnapped you killed my adoptive parents. They were... good people. I loved them. I want a chance to avenge them. Plus, I cannot stomach Hideyoshi-sama any longer. I am a Hojo now, even if they are gone."

She moved to a nearby dresser and opened it, pulling out a satchel and shoving several outfits into it. Naoki watched, still trying to process what she was doing. "But... you have family here. What about them?"

"She is not happy here," Kai interceded. "Please, Naoki-kun. She needs somewhere to go and something to believe in. We can't give her that here."

Suki turned back toward them and slung the bag over her shoulder. A katana now hung at her side and she gave him a pleading look. "Take me with you. Please."

Reluctantly, Naoki nodded. He couldn't help thinking that maybe it wouldn't be so bad, having someone from his own clan traveling with him. Judging by the way she held herself, and the sword hanging at her side, she could handle herself in a fight anyway. Besides, they could always drop her back off again afterward.

"You can come."

***

Naoki stared at the castle halls as Suki entered the time machine. He had a strange feeling he would never see his home again. He wasn't sure he could even go back without breaking history. Ujinao would never forgive Naoki's betrayal, and neither would his other old friends. There was nothing left to return to here. By saving his country, Naoki had destroyed his chance to return.

Sadness crept over him as he processed the thought of never going home. He would never see the sun rise and set on the horizon in Nihon. He wouldn't get to see his country united, nor would he see Kaihime again. With a heavy heart, he looked toward a nearby window and whispered a quiet goodbye to his home.

***

When they returned to the museum, Suki wandered around with wide-eyed amazement. Akiko watched the newcomer with interest. Was it this Japanese woman who caused that look of sorrow in Naoki's eyes? Or was it simply because he had gone home and been forced to leave again?

Akiko walked up to where Naoki stood, eyes fixed on something unseen in the distance. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his stomach. That seemed to pull him out of his reverie, and he hugged her back.

"Is everything alright?" he asked quietly.

She nodded. "You seemed sad. I thought... maybe you needed a hug. It's what I wanted, back home."

He smiled at her. "Thank you, Akiko-chan."

Smiling back, she pointed at Khen, who sat alone near the time machine. "She looks lonely."

Naoki nodded. "Maybe she could use a hug too."

Akiko chewed her bottom lip, a smile forming on her lips. Naoki and Khen clearly needed each other. They just needed a nudge in the right direction. Gently, Akiko pushed him in Khen's direction. "You could hug her."

***

Khen looked up as Naoki approached her. Akiko stood expectantly behind him, a smile on her face. Every time she looked at the child, Khen got the strangest feeling. Akiko represented something that could have been, and it gave Khen an unexpected hope.

"You looked sad," Naoki said, sitting down next to her.

Although she didn't fully understand him, she nodded anyway. "I watch others," she said.

He frowned. "You do not understand much of what we say, do you?"

If it hadn't been for the sympathy in his eyes, Khen might have thought he was angry at her. But even if she wasn't entirely sure what he was saying, she felt she could trust him. He hadn't hurt her yet, and twice now he had rescued her. It was getting easier to believe that maybe he wasn't so bad.

You thought you could trust Tia too. Khen looked at the blonde warrior, who was talking to Felipe. They were laughing about something. The pair looked happy together.

"Lonely." The word slipped out, almost without her realizing it.

Naoki reached out, gently brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "You are not alone."

Not alone. It didn't feel that way, but she wasn't about to correct him.

"Everyone, we have a new destination!" Manfred announced.

***

According to the information on the tablets, something had supposedly gone wrong in the New World. There wasn't much information given, however, so the groups set out with almost nothing to go on. Mary didn't like it much, but they wouldn't always get the information they needed, so she didn't complain.

By the time they left, their team ended up with ten people, instead of nine, since Rhonda joined them. There wasn't much of an explanation for her joining, but she mentioned something about wanting to see John Smith and his colony. Since that was their destination, Naoki offered to take her along. Mary had tried to warn the girl that the colonists might not treat her well, but Rhonda wouldn't listen.

With her and Suki, the time machine was beginning to feel somewhat cramped. The trip to the New World was mostly silent, which only made things more awkward.

Mary flicked a switch on the time machine dashboard, illuminating a screen full of information about what was supposed to happen where they were going. Next to it, Mary pulled up an account of what did happen. As she read through, she noted that the two accounts were identical.

"Guys, are we sure that..."

She was interrupted by a terrible groaning noise, followed by a loud snap. Mary gripped the arms of the chair she was sitting in as the ship rocked violently. Akiko screamed, and Ujarak started yelling something about gods. Then they landed. The machine bounced and flipped. A strangled scream escaped Mary as the motion pulled her from her chair and sent her crashing into the dashboard. Her head hit it hard, and everything went dark.

***

When the time machine settled, all was still and quiet. Khen crawled to where Akiko lay, terrified of what she might find. To her relief, Khen could see Akiko's chest rising and falling in slow, even breaths. Nearby, Naoki stirred, pushing several pieces of broken machinery off his chest and sitting up.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked.

Ujarak stood from the other side of the ship and helped Suki up. Rhonda, Michel, Felipe, and Tia all subsequently crawled from where they had fallen. "Akiko hurt," Khen announced.

"It looks like Mary is too," Rhonda said. She attempted to drag Mary from the mess, but quickly gave up and looked at Ujarak. "A little help?"

He nodded and lifted Mary with ease. Khen grabbed some blankets and the first-aid kit in case that needed it. Then, Naoki picked up Akiko and the group exited the time machine.

Once outside, Khen laid the blankets on the ground and Naoki set Akiko down on one. Ujarak deposited Mary onto the other and Felipe started to clean the wound on her head. Khen was more worried about Akiko, who was bleeding from several cuts on her arms and another on her forehead.

She rifled through the first aid kit and pulled out a bottle. A quick sniff of the contents confirmed that it was some sort of alcohol, so Khen soaked a cloth in it and began to wipe the blood off Akiko's wounds.

"Mary will be fine," Felipe said. "I think it's just a bump."

"What about our ride home?" Michel demanded. "Our time machine is trashed! What are we supposed to do now?"

"I do not know," Naoki answered. He knelt beside Akiko. "But we need to make sure everyone is well before we can worry about that. Besides, we cannot go home until we fix the timeline."

"Someone else can come get us when we're done here," Ujarak said. "The only issue is making sure that none of this tech gets to the people here."

Khen frowned, wondering what the others were discussing. She didn't understand most of it, but the argument it caused was clearly about what they were to do next. Naoki suddenly stood and pointed at the crash.

"We have to burn it," he told them. "And make sure it's all destroyed."

At the word 'burn', Khen looked up from her task. That, she understood. "Burn?"

Naoki nodded. "Someone else can pick us up, but we can't fix this, and we can't lug it all back with us. The only solution is to completely destroy it."

Destroy it. Was he suggesting they burn their only way back to the museum? Khen tried to be disappointed by that, but she couldn't help thinking that if they were stranded here, no one could send her back to Cagan.

"He's right," Suki agreed. "I don't know much about this... mission, of yours, but I do know what this machinery could do. We should make sure no one can ever find it."

"This isn't the way to do that!" Michel gestured to the machine. "That could be our only way home. For all we know, the others will never even realize we're gone! Or if they do, they won't come for us either way."

"They'll come," Rhonda promised. "Nafanua won't abandon us, and neither would any of the others."

"We can still communicate with them." Naoki held up the tablet. "And we need to fix things here before we can leave, anyway."

***

Watching the time machine go up in flames was hard. Ujarak couldn't help wondering if he would ever see his family again. Somewhere out there, Kjell was with a group of near strangers. Sure, they would take care of him, but Ujarak still didn't like the idea of being away from his son for so long.

They moved everyone away from the burning rubble just as everything exploded. The sound destroyed the relatively quiet environment and woke both Mary and Akiko. The two of them stared at the fire in the distance, clearly confused.

"Was that..." Mary looked up at Ujarak for confirmation.

"Yeah. That was our way back."

***

It turned out, they were where they needed to be, which the group discovered when a bunch of Englishmen came running into the clearing they had camped out in, led by John Smith himself. Rhonda thought the entire situation was rather comical, until the Englishmen tied everyone up and began to drag them back to camp.

To further complicate things, the Englishmen recognized Mary from pictures and immediately concluded that the entire group was full of witches and warlocks, or some such nonsense. Before Naoki could argue otherwise, they were thrown into the colonists' jail and left there.

"You shouldn't have destroyed the time machine," Mary said. She sat up against the wall, a forlorn look on her face. "We might have fixed it and been back within a matter of days."

"You don't know how long it will take to fix whatever issues are present here." Naoki pulled out the tablet he'd hidden and began to look at the historical data on John Smith and his colony.

"That's just it! There isn't anything wrong here. I looked at all the historical records side by side, and they match up perfectly with Kenneth's notes. Whatever went wrong, they fixed it themselves. Either that, or nothing happened here in the first place. Regardless, you just torched our only way back to the museum." She leaned forward and plucked the tablet from his hands. "You're just wasting your time with this."

He took it back. "I can message the others to pick us up when they finish, then. It is not a big deal. Our machine was beyond repair, even if one of us did know what we were doing. We could not risk letting someone from this time find it."

She frowned and nodded. "Fine. Then what do we do while we wait? These people believe us to be witches and wizards. Believe me when I say that is not a good thing." She gestured to the translators everyone was wearing. "We may only be able to conceal those for so long before they find them and condemn us."

"You are right." Naoki looked at the others. "But we still need to blend in."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Rhonda said. "We're already traveling with a dead queen, and these people clearly don't like me. I bet they're just as worried about having a couple of Asian people wandering around their colony. We'd just as soon fit in without the translators than we would with."

Akiko slipped her hands into Naoki's and looked up at him, clearly scared. Naoki sighed. Rhonda had a point. Communication would still be annoying, and most of them would have to do so in broken English, but it would make more sense than claiming that they were all perfectly educated in English.

"We will ditch them, then," he decided. "But... that means you will all have to work on your English while we are here."

Solemnly, the group nodded. Even Akiko seemed to understand the gravity of their situation. She took off her translator and handed it to Naoki. The others followed suit, and he carefully tucked them away in his pocket. With any luck, everyone would get them back within a matter of days.

The tablet chimed, and Naoki picked it up to look at the message the others had sent.

Naoki,

It seems you are not the only ones who had issues this trip. We have also had a malfunction of sorts, and do not know how to fix it. Everyone else has reported a similar issue. Luckily, Manfred has someone who knows how to fix the machines, but it will take a considerable amount of time to get to everyone. We are assessing people's situations to figure out who needs help most immediately. If you are in no immediate danger, it may be some time before we can reach you.

Also, Kjell and Turgen asked me to tell you to inform Khen and Ujarak that they will be fine, and not to worry.

Nafanua

"Bad news?" Mary asked.

"Yes." Naoki handed her the tablet and she scanned the message.

Her eyes widened as she read, and a look of worry crossed her face. "We can get out of our mess," she decided. "Others may not be so fortunate. We should let them come to us later."

Nodding, Naoki took the tablet and wrote a quick reply, informing Nafanua that they weren't in so much trouble that they couldn't wait a bit for rescue. Right after he clicked send, footsteps approached. Naoki slipped the tablet back into his pocket and waited.

John Smith showed up, backed by several other men. He opened their cell door and stepped inside.

***

Without his translator, Ujarak finally understood how Khen must have felt when Gregory broke hers. It was hard, not understanding most of what Naoki and Smith were saying. He could see in the faces of the others that they felt equally baffled and distanced from the others.

It would be easier for most of the others, Ujarak reflected. Akiko and Tia could communicate just fine, and Suki could still get information from Naoki. Felipe and Tia could probably communicate just fine too, considering they spoke such similar languages. Mary, Naoki, Rhonda, and Michel could all speak English well enough, so they wouldn't have much of an issue either. Ujarak and Khen were the outliers. Neither of them could speak languages the others understood, besides limited English.

I should have learned more English before now, he reflected. At least then I might understand what Smith is saying to Naoki right now.

***

It took some time, but Naoki was eventually able to convince Smith that Mary was not, in fact, the missing queen of Scots, but someone who simply bore a striking resemblance to her. Furthermore, he had to explain their presence in the New World, which was somewhat harder. In the end, Naoki just told Smith that they were survivors of a crash, which was technically true. Luckily, Smith didn't ask for details about what had happened, and let them out of their cell.

It was obvious that Smith didn't like Rhonda, and Naoki sensed an undercurrent of disdain in the man's voice whenever they talked. So, he doesn't like black people and Asians. Mary had tried to warn them of that, but Naoki hadn't thought much of it. Now that they were stranded and had no time machine, he began to worry a bit more about what might happen to them if the colonists decided to act on that hatred.

Thankfully, for the time being, they didn't seem too interested in hurting them. In fact, since it was time to plant the fields, Smith and his men escorted the group to a field and instructed them to start working.

"He who does not work, does not eat," Smith said, gesturing to the field.

Suki went to work eagerly, and it was soon clear that she and Khen were the only two who had much of a clue what they were doing with the plants. Everyone else followed their lead and mostly just hoped they would get it right.

"You seem to be enjoying this," Naoki said to Suki.

She nodded. "I've always found gardening to be a soothing activity. If we are stranded here for a while, it doesn't seem like such a terrible place to be."

He glanced around and smiled. It was true. This place was not home, but it wasn't so bad either. The temperature was pleasant, and there were only a few puffy white clouds in the sky. Everywhere he looked, he saw nature. Only the colony, with their wooden huts and their wall infringed on that. It could be nice, living in a country like this.

"You're right," he agreed. "It is beautiful."

They spent hours pulling weeds and readying the fields for planting. Long after the others were exhausted and ready to quit, Khen and Akiko kept up their work. They didn't seem near stopping, so Naoki walked over to them. Old habits die hard, he knew, and they were likely working so hard because they feared what the colonists might do to them if they didn't.

"You two should take a break with us," he said, kneeling beside the two.

They looked up at him, confused. Frowning, he remembered that they couldn't wear their translators here. He reached out and lightly tugged on Khen's arm, pointing at the others. "Come and sit. Stop work for a minute."

She seemed to understand what he was trying to say but shook her head, eyes fixed on the colonists watching them nearby. "They get angry."

Naoki shook his head. "They won't hurt you. I promise."

Reluctantly, she stood and brushed the dirt off her clothes. Akiko followed them as they headed for the edge of the field near where the others sat. Somehow, Rhonda had gotten lunch, so they shared it amongst themselves while Mary attempted to teach people English.

Khen sat down next to Naoki as he watched Mary teach. She held up a kernel of the corn they were planting and said something in a language he didn't understand. He reached out and picked it up.

"Corn," he said, pinching it between two fingers. Then, he decided to give her the Japanese word for it too. "Kōn."

She cocked her head. "Corn?"

Naoki nodded. "Kōn. Corn."

Pointing to the corn, she repeated what she had said before. "Erdene shish. Corn." She paused. "Kōn."

***

Khen wasn't sure why she did it, but since everyone else was busy learning English, she couldn't help feeling as though it would be nice to have someone else to speak her own language. So, she told Naoki the Mongolian name for corn. He responded with the English word, then another word for it. She thought he must have told her the name for it in his native language. After trying out the new words, she dug her hand into the dirt and picked up a pile.

"Shoroo," she told him.

He smiled. "Dirt. Doro."

She let the dirt sift through her fingers and watched it fall to the ground. "Doro." She liked how the word rolled off her tongue. It felt... surprisingly natural. Not like English had when she first started learning some of it. "Dirt."

Grinning, Naoki leaned forward and plucked a flower from the ground behind her. Holding it up, he gave her the words for it. "Daisy. Deijī."

"Tsetseg."

They spent the next several hours exchanging words for different things or actions. Somehow, Khen lost track of the time she spent with him, teaching him her language and learning his. They ended up wandering the edge of the woods near the colony until sunset.

"We should go back," Naoki suggested, gesturing to the colony.

Khen nodded. Part of her was somewhat surprised to find that she had spent hours alone with a man she barely knew. Still, deep down, she knew he would never hurt her. He had already gone far above what most people would to keep her safe. If anything could prove that he cared about her, the fact that he came to her rescue twice already would.

***

Several weeks passed with no word from the rest of the time travelers. The group passed their time learning English, working within the colony, and getting to know each other better. As more time went by, many in the group began to wonder if the others would actually come get them, but Naoki continued to remind them that they weren't the only ones stranded.

Akiko liked the life, despite the considerable amount of work that went into keeping the colony alive. She enjoyed not being part of a minority of people working, but instead working alongside everyone else in the colony. Although the group kept to themselves for the most part, they slowly got to know some of the people within the colony, and even with their bias, the colonists soon accepted Rhonda and the others as members of the colony as well.

"It's been nearly a month," Mary said.

She addressed Naoki quietly, but Akiko still heard it. The adults kept doing that. They would whisper whenever she was around, as if trying to avoid worrying her. It was weird, if she was honest. She was used to being invisible until someone needed something, which usually meant that anyone and everyone would spill their secrets without even noticing her. Now that people actively noticed her, getting information meant honing her ability to listen in on conversations.

"They'll come for us eventually. Until they do, we just need to survive this place," Naoki murmured. "It isn't so bad. We have food, a roof over our heads, and for once, we aren't out fixing Kenneth's mistakes."

"I wanted to stop doing that when I went home." Mary held up the shirt she was attempting to mend. "Mending clothes wasn't what I had in mind. And things might seem alright now, but what about if there's a drought or food shortage? What about winter? These people barely know what they're doing, and we're relying on the Natives to feed us. If they run short on food, we could starve here. We need to be prepared for that."

"I don't know what to do about that, Mary." Naoki glanced at Akiko. "I don't know what to do about any of this."

Michel entered the room and sat down by the fire. "You both worry much about problem not yet here." Without the translator, his accent was far more distinct. Akiko had to admit, she liked it better that way.

"Isn't it better to be prepared?" Mary asked.

Akiko glanced at the jagged row of stitches Mary had attempted to mend the shirt with and giggled. The woman was most definitely royalty. She walked over to Mary and held her hands out for the mending. Recalling a few of the words Mary had taught her, Akiko tried to string together a few to communicate properly.

"I fix."

Mary looked down at the half- stitched tear and sighed. "You're better at it anyway," she admitted, handing the garment over.

Akiko shrugged, not entirely sure what Mary had even said. Still, now Akiko had something to do at least. She walked back to her seat and began re-stitching the hole in the shirt.

***

Two Months Later:

"You can't stay here, Rhonda. Naoki, Suki, and Khen... you three need to leave as well." Mary watched their reactions to the news carefully, hoping they would take it better than she guessed they would.

"You want to kick us out?" Rhonda stared at Mary, a look of disbelief on her face. "I thought we were supposed to stick together!"

"We can't, Rhonda. Don't you see how these people are treating you? Not to mention Khen! They make you do their work for them and pretend it's alright because 'everyone pitches in'. They're trying to turn you into their slaves!" Mary crossed her arms. "You must have noticed."

"Mary is right," Khen said, her words slow and careful. "We are not... like them. They do not see us as... normal."

Over the last couple of months, her English improved leaps and bounds above what it had been, and so had most of the others. Now, they didn't have nearly so much trouble communicating. But Mary couldn't take the credit for all the team's English skills. Akiko and Khen had been spending a lot of time with Naoki, and he seemed to be an excellent teacher.

"How will we stay in touch?" Naoki asked. "We only have one tablet."

"You keep the tablet. Find a good place to build a home and find us when you have word of our rescue. We'll be right here waiting. Oh... and... Akiko will want to go with you. You should take her too."

"Where?" Suki asked.

"I don't know," Naoki said. "But Mary has a point. If we're stuck here much longer, these people will turn on us. They just don't accept people who are different."

Mary relaxed a little, glad they'd taken the news better than expected. She had thought Rhonda would fight harder to stick together, but then again, the girl was already clearly disenchanted with the colonists. Their mistreatment of her, no matter how veiled it might be, wasn't making that any better. Mary would miss them, though. The small group made things far more interesting, and she didn't relish the idea of being stuck in an English colony with only Ujarak, Michel, Tia, and Felipe for company.

She just hoped that sending them out into the woods wouldn't doom them. Still, Naoki was strong and Rhonda was too stubborn to die.

***

"Khen, wait!" Tia ran out of her house and reached for Khen, who evaded her grasp and continued walking. "Khen!"

After a moment, Khen slowed and turned to face Tia. "What?" she asked, her voice quiet.

"You've been avoiding me for months. I just... I don't want you to leave like this. I don't even understand what I did! Please, tell me where I messed up." Tia just didn't understand why Khen didn't trust her anymore. As far as she could tell, she hadn't even done anything to merit this sudden distrust- it had just happened.

"You ask me... why?" Khen chewed her lower lip, then looked directly into Tia's eyes. "Why would you send me back there?"

Tia's brows furrowed in confusion. There was such a look of hurt and betrayal in Khen's eyes, but Tia didn't understand it. "Send you where?"

"Back... to Cagan," Khen said. She broke eye contact and stared down at her feet. "I thought you would protect me."

Suddenly, Tia realized what Khen was talking about. "Khen, when I said you could go home, I didn't mean I would send you back to them! I only meant you could go back to your own time, or where ever you decided your home would be. I would never make you go back to your old life. I swear."

"I just..." Khen's shoulders slumped. "I'm not used to people caring. I thought you were tired of... helping me."

"Khen, you're like a little sister to me. I'm not going to get tired of you." Tia stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Khen. "Take care of yourself out there, okay? Come back in one piece."

"I will," Khen whispered, relaxing. "Thank you, Tia. For caring."

***

Their new temporary home was to be a clearing. Naoki thought it was a step up from living in a basement, at any rate. Or, maybe it wasn't. Judging by the gray clouds in the sky, a storm was rolling in. Suki helped him gather materials to create a hut, but it wouldn't keep all the rain out. They needed oiled animal hides or a real roof over their heads for that. Not to mention the cold that could easily kill them.

"We need to get a fire started and make a shelter. Take Rhonda to find firewood. I'll work on the shelter part," Naoki told Suki, speaking in Japanese.

She nodded and gestured to Rhonda to follow. The pair went into the woods together to find suitable wood to make a fire with. Naoki looked around at what he had to work with. There wasn't much he could do about getting animal hides yet- he only had a small knife he'd taken from the camp. It wasn't exactly hunting material. There were natives in the woods, but he didn't know how to find them or if they would even help.

Thankfully, the forest was littered with broken branches, so Naoki carefully lashed them together with some of the rope he'd snuck out of the colony. When he was done, they had a large hut, but there were far too many cracks between the branches for it to work as a decent shelter. To his surprise, Khen and Akiko showed up with a strange mixture to fix that issue.

"What is that?" he asked, gesturing to the mud-like substance they carried.

"Dirt, sand, and water," Khen answered. "Makes..." she paused, frowning. Eventually she shrugged and gestured to the shelter. "To fill in the holes."

Naoki reached out and felt the grit. It wasn't made from dirt- it was made with clay- but Khen probably didn't know that word. Either way, it was a good idea. If they packed the holes in the shelter with that and forest vegetation, it would keep the wind out far better. Hopefully, it would keep out the rain too.

Rhonda and Suki returned with firewood soon after Naoki and Khen finished making the shelter, and the group huddled inside to start a fire. Fortunately, they got the fire started right before the rain came. The shelter began to leak after a while, but it was far better than getting soaked directly, and it kept the fire from being put out.

None of them could sleep, even after night fell. The sound of thunder booming in the distance and the feeling of the wet ground beneath them kept everyone on their toes. Even with the shelter, they were eventually all soaked through with rainwater, which only served to make everyone colder than they already were.

Beside him, Khen shivered uncontrollably. She must have been extremely cold, because she huddled against him and tucked herself under his arm, laying her head against his chest. He hugged her and Akiko close. Rhonda and Suki huddled by the fire next to each other near the entrance to their make-shift shelter.

Halfway through the night, a voice called out to them in an unknown language. Suki grabbed a knife out of her boot and faced the sound of the voice. With the fire illuminating the newcomer's face, Naoki realized this was probably one of the natives that the colonists kept talking about.

The native started saying something, but no one seemed to understand. Naoki fingered the translators he'd kept on him. These people probably wouldn't condemn them as witches and warlocks for using a bit of technology. For all the natives knew, it was par for the course with the Englishmen who had shown up.

He pulled one out for everyone and handed them out. With everyone wearing one, they could understand what the native was trying to say.

"You look cold. Come, join my hunting party and we will take you back to camp. You can rejoin your colony in the morning."

Naoki glanced at the others, who all nodded. With their clear approval, he accepted the native's offer gladly. It was a relief to be out of the cold, despite the cold trek back to the native camp. When they got there, the natives gave Naoki a tent with several of the other warriors and split the others up among several other tents. He was given new, dry clothing and left alone to change.

Once he was out of his wet clothes, he quickly found that there was even less room for hiding things in the natives' clothes than there had been in the outfits of the Englishmen. In the end, he shoved the tablet and remaining translators into his pack. The other natives came back in not long after and one of them pointed Naoki to his bedroll. Gratefully, he relaxed underneath the warm hides and let sleep drag him under.

***

"I'm tired of this place!" Ujarak shouted.

He slammed his fist into the table and slumped into a nearby chair. Listening to his own voice, he was more frustrated than ever by his inability to speak English properly. Mary had been teaching him more every day, but his progress was slow, and he hated it.

"Ujarak, calm down," Michel said, holding up his hands. "We're all stuck here until someone comes to get us, so just relax."

Mary frowned at Ujarak, giving him a look he didn't understand. "What's that look for?" he groused.

"You miss Kjell," she stated. "But you're a Viking. You must have been away from him for longer than three months before."

Ujarak scowled. "This isn't about Kjell."

Michel crossed his arms. "I think you might be right about this one, Mary."

"What, the others leave and you two gang up on me suddenly?" Ujarak glared at them both. They weren't improving his mood at all.

"This is definitely about Kjell. I know that look, Ujarak. I saw it on my face in the mirror every day after Kenneth took me away from my son." Mary laid a hand over his. "Just admit it. You miss him. It's not a crime."

After another moment of sullenness, he sighed. "It isn't that. You're right- I have been away from him for longer than this before. It's just... he was back home then. I knew he was safe, and if something happened, there would be warriors to protect my family. That knowledge let me sleep at night. But now he's probably still stranded out in time somewhere, and I have no idea if he's even still alive anymore."

"It's okay to worry about your son," Tia said from the doorway. She kicked the dust off her boots on the porch and stepped inside. "I worry about Khen and the others constantly. Humans tend to do that. It's what makes us so unique."

"Yes, Tia is correct." Felipe walked in from the other room and kissed Tia.

Ujarak watched the two interact with no small amount of jealousy. They'd grown close in the months they had been stranded, and though they usually weren't so public about it, everyone knew they loved each other. Seeing them together reminded Ujarak of his own wife, who was raising their remaining son alone. No doubt, she thought he and Kjell had died. The thought made him miss her even more. He imagined returning home and the look on her face when she finally saw him again.

"How are the crops?" Mary asked suddenly.

Tia shrugged. "Still don't know what I'm doing, but they seem to be doing well."

"I hope so. We can't keep relying on the natives for food," Mary said. She drummed her fingers on the table. "If things go south for us, they may end up in the same boat and be unable to help us."

"Let's hope that isn't the case," Tia said. "Because that's the only contingency plan Smith has made so far."

***

Naoki checked the date on the tablet. November, 1608. According to the tablet, this was around the time that supplies showed up in Jamestown, but it was also around the time that a fire broke out in the settlement. It would burn nearly everything, destroying all of the progress the settlers had made. After seeing how desperately they traded with the Indians, he knew that could destroy the colony, even without confirming it.

Still, he needed to know what would happen, so he kept reading. According to one document, the person in charge of the ships that landed in Jamestown made the settlers spend more time cutting wood to sell in England than they did rebuilding the mess they had made. This would eventually lead to the events that would start a year later in 1609- Starving Time. Jamestown would run out of food and the Indians would no longer supply them with the means to survive.

From what he'd read about how the Englishmen and Americans went on to treat the Indians, Naoki honestly couldn't blame them for deciding to let the invaders starve. Doing so might not have preserved their lands in the end, but it may have delayed the destruction of it.

"What are you reading?" Khen asked. She sat down next to him, crossing her legs and leaning over his shoulder to see. "Is it... okay to look at the future here? Could it ruin everything?"

With a sigh, Naoki nodded and closed the tablet. "I do not like not knowing," he said. "Or maybe I got too used to knowing. Either way, you are right."

She reached for the tablet. He handed it to her and watched as she scrolled through the most recent string of messages from the others. "They still cannot reach us."

Naoki shook his head. "Not yet. Soon, though." I hope. If they were stranded in this timeline during Starving Time, Smith's men might not be the only people who died.

"What's with the somber mood in here?" Rhonda asked, ducking under the tent flap. "You look like someone kicked your dog."

Khen frowned, but Rhonda didn't stop to explain. "Listen, the men of Jamestown are here. They want more supplies, and the Chief wants you to translate, Naoki."

Nodding, Naoki stood and followed her out of the tent. "It's happened, hasn't it? Jamestown burned."

Rhonda nodded. "None of ours got hurt, though. Only some of the colonists."

"That's good." Naoki's muscles relaxed some. He hadn't realized how worried he had been about the others until Rhonda said something. It was good to know they all made it out safely."

Powhatan welcomed Naoki warmly as he entered the clearing where the colonists stood, led by John Smith.

"Naoki, thank you for coming. These men seem to be asking for supplies. Would you ask them what they require, and what they will trade for it?"

"Of course."

Naoki did so, and relayed the information back to Powhatan, who agreed to trade the trinkets of the Englishmen for food and seeds to plant new crops. When the Englishmen left, Powhatan distributed the trinkets amongst the tribesmen, giving Naoki a gold ring.

He took it reluctantly. It took more self-restraint that he'd thought it would, just keeping quiet about how terrible the trade really was for the Indians. It wouldn't help their situation, and the last thing he wanted to do was make things worse.

***

Khen sat down on a log in the forest and watched a couple of squirrels chase each other. Sometimes she thought it strange, how peaceful this place felt. There were no battles and no overbearing men to hurt her. Just friends and the natives, who were very kind to them.

She rested her chin in her palms. Despite that, she couldn't help feeling that this could be the calm before the storm. Her mind drifted to Naoki. He would probably agree with her assessment. Then again, he knew what was coming. She hadn't asked for much detail. It wasn't a good idea to look at the future of the timeline they were currently stuck in- especially since there wasn't anything to fix. The only thing knowing could do was potentially mess up the future.

A hand rested on her shoulder, and she shrieked, leaping on the log and tripping over a root.

"Khen! I am sorry, I forgot how skittish you are." Naoki leaned down and offered her a hand.

She accepted it and he helped her up. They sat down on the log next to each other and for a moment, they sat in an awkward silence.

"I have been meaning to ask," Naoki said suddenly. "You... never told me about your past."

She shifted uncomfortably. It had been several months since she thought about that time. Even her nightmares had ceased. "It was not a... good time in my life."

"I guessed as much. You do not have to tell me if it is too painful. There are some things in my past that I would not want to relive either." He laid a hand over hers. "But sometimes it helps to tell someone."

"Mongols raised me," she told him, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "I was their slave, to do with as they wanted. One man... he acted as my father."

The word 'father' came out more bitter than Khen had thought it would. But, seeing how Naoki acted around Akiko and how Powhatan treated his daughter Matoaka, she knew what a father was. Cagan had never played that role in her life, no matter how often he claimed it.

"There were a lot of times when he... came close to killing me," Khen admitted. "The smallest..." she paused, searching for the right word. "The smallest mess would cause him to hurt me."

Naoki threaded his fingers through hers. "He will never hurt you again," he promised. "You will not have to go back there."

She smiled, his words stirring a strange warmth within her. "Thank you."

***

Ten Months Later:

The sickness spread through the native's camp like wildfire, leaving many confined to their beds. It wasn't long before Khen and Akiko caught it too, leaving Suki and Rhonda to care for them. Suki pressed a damp cloth to Akiko's head with the vague hope that it would help with the fever. Briefly, she wished they had saved more supplies from the time machine. Surely, something would have helped with this issue.

Khen sat up in her bed and reached for a nearby cup of water. Suki stood and went to Khen, handing her the cup. "Relax, Khen-san," she said, defaulting to Japanese.

"I cannot sit and do nothing," Khen answered. "It isn't..." She stopped, interrupted by a fit of coughing that shook her thin frame.

Suki propped up several extra hide blankets behind Khen and let her lay back against them. "I will get you something to eat," Suki offered, standing.

Akiko woke as Suki left, so she took a small meal for the little girl as well. Then, as she looked at the pitiful portions the natives had offered, she split her own meal between the two of them. Times were hard, and food was getting scarce. She could afford to give up a meal or two if it meant getting Khen and Akiko healthy again.

***

Over the next month, Suki and Naoki gave half of their meals to Akiko and Khen, each without the anyone knowing. After this redistribution, Khen always noted that their portions were still pitifully small and gave up much of her own food to Akiko. In this way, Akiko became the most well-fed child in the native camp, while the others grew steadily weaker.

Suki, who gave up nearly all her food on a regular basis, quickly became ill as well. Naoki understood that he couldn't help anyone if he was dead, so he always ate at least one full meal every day and gave away most of the rest. Because of this, he was better able to resist the sickness and stayed healthy on that count. Unfortunately, Khen didn't improve nearly as quickly as Akiko did, which left Naoki, Rhonda, and Akiko to take care of Suki and Khen.

Rhonda, who was probably the smartest of them all, realized that the portions were as big as they could be, and just ate her food. After all, the natives had split the portions evenly. It was fair that way. Sure, everyone might be thinner, but they wouldn't starve, and that was the important part. So, naturally, when she caught Suki giving away her food again, Rhonda called it out.

She took the bowl of soup from Suki's hands. "You think this will help anyone?" Rhonda huffed. "You'll only starve yourself until you die."

"They'll live," Suki mumbled.

Her head hurt, and her tongue felt so thick and dry. It was as if she was chewing on cotton, and it had sucked every bit of moisture from her mouth. Pain shot through her stomach again- a pain she was very familiar with. Hunger. Constantly, her stomach begged her to eat, and most of the time, she denied it.

She could see it in Naoki's eyes, how he felt about Khen, and Suki knew he didn't feel the same way about her. But that was okay. She only wanted him to be happy, and if loving Khen would bring him happiness, she was willing to sacrifice her stomach's happiness for that. A loud growl interrupted her thoughts, and Rhonda glared at Suki.

"Eat." Rhonda pushed the spoon into Suki's hands. "Now."

***

Back at the Jamestown, the Englishmen weren't faring much better. Mary had gone with Smith to see if they could negotiate for food from the natives, but after seeing their camp, she knew they couldn't afford to feed Jamestown. They were barely making it with what little they had.

Every time she thought about that visit to their camp, she saw Khen and Suki lying in bed, too sick to get up. Her eyes strayed to Michel, who suffered from a similar sickness. He'd been like that for two months, now, and they all knew he was unlikely to survive. He only grew weaker every day- more so since Angelica had died.

Over the past year, Michel had met and started hanging out with Angelica. Of course, with the community as it was, everyone encouraged the happy couple. It wasn't long before Michel proposed, swept up in the romance. The two married just eight months after meeting.

Mary, Tia, Felipe, even Tia, they all tried to warn him of what would happen when they were rescued. Michel didn't listen. It crushed him when the sickness took her. Mary feared for him. He had a dangerous look in his eye sometimes, as if the sickness and the loss of his wife was driving him crazy.

Shouting outside distracted Mary, and she rushed out to see what was happening. She found a gang of people rushing into a nearby house, carrying John Smith on a poorly constructed stretcher. There were burns all over his face and neck, and he looked to be unconscious.

She rushed through the crowd of people and addressed one of the people carrying him. "What happened?"

The man looked at her and shook his head. "He was trying to light his pipe, but a spark must have hit the gunpowder next to him, because the next thing we knew, there was an explosion!"

"Will he live?"

Mary wasn't sure the colony could survive without Smith leading it. He may have threatened the natives when they didn't trade food, attacking them until they were forced to flee, but he also kept the colony from descending into chaos. Without him, she doubted anyone would have even planted the fields for the harvest. By the time it came around, most of the colonists were forced to chop wood to sell in England so they could pay off the investors who had paid to send them there. The only reason anyone planted the fields was because Smith made them do it.

A gunshot sounded from the house, pulling her out of her thoughts. She ran back inside, yelling Michel's name. It did no good. She found him collapsed on the floor, blood pooling out from the hole in the back of his head.

Felipe and Tia rushed in as Mary was processing what had happened. They stopped and stared at the scene. "What... happened?" Tia asked.

A lump formed in Mary's throat, and she fought back tears. "H-he... he... k-killed himself."

***

Suki sank deeper beneath her blanket and squeezed her eyes shut. Why was it so hard to sleep? She hurt all over and couldn't seem to keep her food down. Things were getting worse. Somehow, she sensed she was dying.

Naoki shifted next to her, moving to stand. She reached for him, gripping his arm with more strength than she'd felt in weeks. "W-will you... stay with me... until I fall asleep?" she asked.

He settled down again and slipped his hand into hers. "Of course."

She smiled and relaxed, her eyes drifting closed. Several minutes, the darkness claimed her. Her hand slipped out of Naoki's, and her breathing stilled. Moments later, her heart made one last, futile attempt to keep going before slowing to a halt.

***

One month later, Suki's death still haunted him. He could still feel her warm hand slipping out of his as she died. He stayed by Khen, terrified that the same might happen to her. She'd been sleeping for the past two weeks. It worried him more than the food shortage ever had. She couldn't eat, so he spooned thin soups into her mouth and massaged her throat until she swallowed them. It wasn't much, but it was all he could do.

Akiko stayed nearby, constantly asking questions. Lately, those questions only made him feel worse about the whole situation. He checked the tablet almost hourly for correspondence from the other teams, but nothing came. No one replied to his pleas for help, and he was beginning to wonder if they ever would.

"Daddy, Mommy isn't breathing," Akiko said.

Her words jolted Naoki from his thoughts and he rushed to Khen's side. "Khen!" He held a hand over her nose and mouth, silently begging her to breathe. Nothing.

"Khen, wake up," he pleaded, pulling her into his lap. "Don't leave me like this."

Akiko reached for Khen's hand. "Daddy... what's wrong?" she asked.

Tears gathered in her eyes. Naoki tried to stop his own tears, but he couldn't. This was Khen. His Khen. The woman he had wanted to spend the rest of his life with. The woman he'd wanted to start a family with. "Please, Khen. I need you."

The only answer he got was Akiko's quiet sobs. A strangled cry escaped him, and he held Khen tighter. Why? Why does the world have to be so cruel to me? I've lost everything and everyone I love.

Akiko sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around his torso to cry on his shoulder. Everyone but Akiko.

***

Back at the museum, Leo was trying, with little success, to land his time machine near the time when Naoki and his group were lost. This was a task that proved oddly difficult for various reasons that won't be explained, mostly because Kenneth wasn't kind enough to provide a manual.

When he finally found a time to land in, it was a little over a year after Naoki and his team had been stranded. Still, it was the best he could do, and their last message had been positive, so what could possibly have gone wrong?

This was, thankfully, a month before Khen was to meet her untimely death. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Suki or Michel, both of whom were still dead. Leo didn't know this when he landed, however, which left him totally unprepared for the reactions of the people he was going to rescue.

***

"Leo!" Mary rushed to him, throwing her arms around him. "Thank God you're here!" She immediately pulled away again. "What took you so long?"

"I couldn't..." Leo's answer was interrupted by Tia, who marched up to him and slammed him against the side of the time machine.

"What the hell took you so long?" she demanded. "Michel and Suki are dead because of you!" She propelled him toward the door. "Get back in there and fix this!"

Mary almost helped her, but something told her that it wouldn't help things. Her suspicions were soon proved correct when Leo escaped Tia's grasp and explained.

"The time machine couldn't land any sooner than this time! I tried everything, but this was the soonest I could possibly land it. Any time between now and when you guys landed, the machine wouldn't even move."

The fight instantly drained out of Tia. "So, Michel and Suki..."

"You can't save them," Mary whispered.

Leo shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"We should... uh... get the others," she said, trying to ignore the ache of hunger and loss. "They'll be waiting for us."

~~~

"He'll be back," Kaihime said, finishing the braid in Suki's hair. She let it drop and Suki brushed it back behind her ear.

"You keep saying that, but it's been months. Ujinao-kun said Naoki-san destroyed their gun supply and killed their blacksmith. I don't understand why you still believe in him," Suki huffed. "He destroyed our clan's one chance at escaping destruction."

"We have a new clan now," Kai murmured. "And he must have had a reason. He promised to explain everything to me and I believe him. Not once in my life has he broken a promise he made to me."

Suki frowned. "You know how I feel about this place."

"We'll make the best of it. At least we're together," Kai pointed out. "And Father is alive."

"I don't understand it. He let go of our clan so easily... just flipped sides. It isn't right. We're Hojo, not Hideyoshi's lapdogs."

Kai played with a hair tie and chewed her lower lip. "You aren't happy here. I can see it, Suki-san. As much as I hate to see you go, you should not stay if you can't stomach Hideyoshi-sama's rule. Father and I can manage without you."

With a sigh, Suki rubbed her temples. "I've nowhere to go, even if I could abandon you. But I can't just leave."

"You shouldn't have to stay if you don't want to. Father needs me far more than he needs you. And I... I will be alright." Kai laid a hand on Suki's shoulder. "I want you to be happy."

Suki smiled. "I know."

***

"What are we doing back here?" Ujarak asked. "We can't interfere in history here anymore, and we're needed elsewhere."

Naoki nodded. "I will be quick," he said. "But I must keep a promise."

He stepped out of the time machine and started down the hall of the castle he had stopped at. Khen stared out the door of the machine after him, a frown creasing her brow. He smiled reassuringly at her and turned his attention to the wooden door that should lead to Kaihime's room.

Lifting his hand, he knocked lightly on the door and waited. After a short moment, Kai pulled the door open. "Yes?" When her eyes landed on Naoki's face, she lit up. "You came back!"

"I promised to explain everything," he said. "I do not like to lie."

She opened the door further and gestured for him to enter. As he did so, he noticed another woman sitting in front of Kai's mirror. She turned to look at him and he noticed a striking resemblance between her and Kai.

"Who is this?" he asked.

The woman stood and smiled at him. "Hakuno Suki," she said. "And judging by my sister's reaction, you must be Naoki-san."

"Sister?" Naoki glanced at Kai, who nodded with a grin. "She looks older than you, Kai-san. How could you be sisters?"

"We only found out a couple of years ago. I would have told you, but you rushed off to Odawara so quickly." A cloud fell over Kai's face, and Suki bit her lip, her fingers winding around a scrap of cloth. "Father told me... what you did. Is it true?"

She looked at Naoki with such pleading eyes, practically begging him to deny it. But he couldn't. Guilt tore at him. He had told her he would save their clan, but instead he condemned it.

"It is."

Tears gathered in Kai's eyes, but she wiped them away and crossed her arms. "I want to know why."

Suki stood and put an arm around her sister's shoulders. She looked at Naoki. "Kai-chan believes you have a good explanation for it. Start talking."

He nodded. "I'll start at the beginning. The day I disappeared, I was attacked by men with strange weapons. The men I was with... most of them didn't make it. We didn't know how to fight the foreign attackers and their advanced weapons. Later, I found out why- they were from the future."

A laugh burst from Kai, but it was a bitter one. "You wish for me to believe that you traveled through time with these people? You may not look ten years older than you were when you left, but there are far better explanations for that. You promised, Naoki. When I was a kid, you swore you would never lie to me. I thought you had more honor."

Naoki stared at her, unsure of how to respond. He hadn't expected her to believe him- not really- but he hadn't expected to see such anger from her. Somehow, he had never associated such hatred with the Kai he had helped to raise.

To his surprise, Suki stepped in. "Wait, Kai. Listen to him. There... there may be truth in his words."

Kai pulled away from her sister. "How could you say that?"

"The reason I found you is because the people who adopted me were killed. The people that attacked our village also carried strange weapons, as well as advanced guns. I know it's hard to believe, but he might not be lying. You said yourself that he hasn't aged nearly as much as he should have."

"Fine." Kai's expression softened. "I'll listen. But you had better explain what this has to do with your betrayal."

"I'm getting there. The men who took me went around the world and the timeline kidnapping others. I wasn't the only one to fall prey to their attacks. But all this kidnapping did some damage. The timeline is broken, and because I and my companions are from the past, we are the only ones who can fix it. That's why I came back before, Kai-san. Because history was broken."

"The new guns," Suki realized. "I thought they looked familiar. The men from the future... they brought them here?"

Naoki nodded. "Nihon will one day unite, Kai-san. But if I had not betrayed the Hojo... if I had not betrayed my clan, that might never have happened."

"So that is how you justify murdering the gunsmith and destroying our weapons?" Kai wrapped a string around her finger and unwound it slowly, staring at the grooves it made in her finger. "My clan is gone because of you. Our clan is gone. I was forced to surrender when I heard Odawara had. To learn you caused it..." she trailed off.

"I am sorry," Naoki reached for her hand and gently took the string away. She looked up at him, tears dripping down her face. "I didn't want to, but... it had to be done."

She nodded. "And the timeline... it is safe?"

"No." Naoki forced a smile. "But yours is, and the rest will be."

Suki glanced at Kai and a knowing look passed between the two. "I want to go with you," she declared.

Naoki's eyes shot to her. "What?"

"These men who kidnapped you killed my adoptive parents. They were... good people. I loved them. I want a chance to avenge them. Plus, I cannot stomach Hideyoshi-sama any longer. I am a Hojo now, even if they are gone."

She moved to a nearby dresser and opened it, pulling out a satchel and shoving several outfits into it. Naoki watched, still trying to process what she was doing. "But... you have family here. What about them?"

"She is not happy here," Kai interceded. "Please, Naoki-kun. She needs somewhere to go and something to believe in. We can't give her that here."

Suki turned back toward them and slung the bag over her shoulder. A katana now hung at her side and she gave him a pleading look. "Take me with you. Please."

Reluctantly, Naoki nodded. He couldn't help thinking that maybe it wouldn't be so bad, having someone from his own clan traveling with him. Judging by the way she held herself, and the sword hanging at her side, she could handle herself in a fight anyway. Besides, they could always drop her back off again afterward.

"You can come."

***

Naoki stared at the castle halls as Suki entered the time machine. He had a strange feeling he would never see his home again. He wasn't sure he could even go back without breaking history. Ujinao would never forgive Naoki's betrayal, and neither would his other old friends. There was nothing left to return to here. By saving his country, Naoki had destroyed his chance to return.

Sadness crept over him as he processed the thought of never going home. He would never see the sun rise and set on the horizon in Nihon. He wouldn't get to see his country united, nor would he see Kaihime again. With a heavy heart, he looked toward a nearby window and whispered a quiet goodbye to his home.

***

When they returned to the museum, Suki wandered around with wide-eyed amazement. Akiko watched the newcomer with interest. Was it this Japanese woman who caused that look of sorrow in Naoki's eyes? Or was it simply because he had gone home and been forced to leave again?

Akiko walked up to where Naoki stood, eyes fixed on something unseen in the distance. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his stomach. That seemed to pull him out of his reverie, and he hugged her back.

"Is everything alright?" he asked quietly.

She nodded. "You seemed sad. I thought... maybe you needed a hug. It's what I wanted, back home."

He smiled at her. "Thank you, Akiko-chan."

Smiling back, she pointed at Khen, who sat alone near the time machine. "She looks lonely."

Naoki nodded. "Maybe she could use a hug too."

Akiko chewed her bottom lip, a smile forming on her lips. Naoki and Khen clearly needed each other. They just needed a nudge in the right direction. Gently, Akiko pushed him in Khen's direction. "You could hug her."

***

Khen looked up as Naoki approached her. Akiko stood expectantly behind him, a smile on her face. Every time she looked at the child, Khen got the strangest feeling. Akiko represented something that could have been, and it gave Khen an unexpected hope.

"You looked sad," Naoki said, sitting down next to her.

Although she didn't fully understand him, she nodded anyway. "I watch others," she said.

He frowned. "You do not understand much of what we say, do you?"

If it hadn't been for the sympathy in his eyes, Khen might have thought he was angry at her. But even if she wasn't entirely sure what he was saying, she felt she could trust him. He hadn't hurt her yet, and twice now he had rescued her. It was getting easier to believe that maybe he wasn't so bad.

You thought you could trust Tia too. Khen looked at the blonde warrior, who was talking to Felipe. They were laughing about something. The pair looked happy together.

"Lonely." The word slipped out, almost without her realizing it.

Naoki reached out, gently brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "You are not alone."

Not alone. It didn't feel that way, but she wasn't about to correct him.

"Everyone, we have a new destination!" Manfred announced.

***

According to the information on the tablets, something had supposedly gone wrong in the New World. There wasn't much information given, however, so the groups set out with almost nothing to go on. Mary didn't like it much, but they wouldn't always get the information they needed, so she didn't complain.

By the time they left, their team ended up with ten people, instead of nine, since Rhonda joined them. There wasn't much of an explanation for her joining, but she mentioned something about wanting to see John Smith and his colony. Since that was their destination, Naoki offered to take her along. Mary had tried to warn the girl that the colonists might not treat her well, but Rhonda wouldn't listen.

With her and Suki, the time machine was beginning to feel somewhat cramped. The trip to the New World was mostly silent, which only made things more awkward.

Mary flicked a switch on the time machine dashboard, illuminating a screen full of information about what was supposed to happen where they were going. Next to it, Mary pulled up an account of what did happen. As she read through, she noted that the two accounts were identical.

"Guys, are we sure that..."

She was interrupted by a terrible groaning noise, followed by a loud snap. Mary gripped the arms of the chair she was sitting in as the ship rocked violently. Akiko screamed, and Ujarak started yelling something about gods. Then they landed. The machine bounced and flipped. A strangled scream escaped Mary as the motion pulled her from her chair and sent her crashing into the dashboard. Her head hit it hard, and everything went dark.

***

When the time machine settled, all was still and quiet. Khen crawled to where Akiko lay, terrified of what she might find. To her relief, Khen could see Akiko's chest rising and falling in slow, even breaths. Nearby, Naoki stirred, pushing several pieces of broken machinery off his chest and sitting up.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked.

Ujarak stood from the other side of the ship and helped Suki up. Rhonda, Michel, Felipe, and Tia all subsequently crawled from where they had fallen. "Akiko hurt," Khen announced.

"It looks like Mary is too," Rhonda said. She attempted to drag Mary from the mess, but quickly gave up and looked at Ujarak. "A little help?"

He nodded and lifted Mary with ease. Khen grabbed some blankets and the first-aid kit in case that needed it. Then, Naoki picked up Akiko and the group exited the time machine.

Once outside, Khen laid the blankets on the ground and Naoki set Akiko down on one. Ujarak deposited Mary onto the other and Felipe started to clean the wound on her head. Khen was more worried about Akiko, who was bleeding from several cuts on her arms and another on her forehead.

She rifled through the first aid kit and pulled out a bottle. A quick sniff of the contents confirmed that it was some sort of alcohol, so Khen soaked a cloth in it and began to wipe the blood off Akiko's wounds.

"Mary will be fine," Felipe said. "I think it's just a bump."

"What about our ride home?" Michel demanded. "Our time machine is trashed! What are we supposed to do now?"

"I do not know," Naoki answered. He knelt beside Akiko. "But we need to make sure everyone is well before we can worry about that. Besides, we cannot go home until we fix the timeline."

"Someone else can come get us when we're done here," Ujarak said. "The only issue is making sure that none of this tech gets to the people here."

Khen frowned, wondering what the others were discussing. She didn't understand most of it, but the argument it caused was clearly about what they were to do next. Naoki suddenly stood and pointed at the crash.

"We have to burn it," he told them. "And make sure it's all destroyed."

At the word 'burn', Khen looked up from her task. That, she understood. "Burn?"

Naoki nodded. "Someone else can pick us up, but we can't fix this, and we can't lug it all back with us. The only solution is to completely destroy it."

Destroy it. Was he suggesting they burn their only way back to the museum? Khen tried to be disappointed by that, but she couldn't help thinking that if they were stranded here, no one could send her back to Cagan.

"He's right," Suki agreed. "I don't know much about this... mission, of yours, but I do know what this machinery could do. We should make sure no one can ever find it."

"This isn't the way to do that!" Michel gestured to the machine. "That could be our only way home. For all we know, the others will never even realize we're gone! Or if they do, they won't come for us either way."

"They'll come," Rhonda promised. "Nafanua won't abandon us, and neither would any of the others."

"We can still communicate with them." Naoki held up the tablet. "And we need to fix things here before we can leave, anyway."

***

Watching the time machine go up in flames was hard. Ujarak couldn't help wondering if he would ever see his family again. Somewhere out there, Kjell was with a group of near strangers. Sure, they would take care of him, but Ujarak still didn't like the idea of being away from his son for so long.

They moved everyone away from the burning rubble just as everything exploded. The sound destroyed the relatively quiet environment and woke both Mary and Akiko. The two of them stared at the fire in the distance, clearly confused.

"Was that..." Mary looked up at Ujarak for confirmation.

"Yeah. That was our way back."

***

It turned out, they were where they needed to be, which the group discovered when a bunch of Englishmen came running into the clearing they had camped out in, led by John Smith himself. Rhonda thought the entire situation was rather comical, until the Englishmen tied everyone up and began to drag them back to camp.

To further complicate things, the Englishmen recognized Mary from pictures and immediately concluded that the entire group was full of witches and warlocks, or some such nonsense. Before Naoki could argue otherwise, they were thrown into the colonists' jail and left there.

"You shouldn't have destroyed the time machine," Mary said. She sat up against the wall, a forlorn look on her face. "We might have fixed it and been back within a matter of days."

"You don't know how long it will take to fix whatever issues are present here." Naoki pulled out the tablet he'd hidden and began to look at the historical data on John Smith and his colony.

"That's just it! There isn't anything wrong here. I looked at all the historical records side by side, and they match up perfectly with Kenneth's notes. Whatever went wrong, they fixed it themselves. Either that, or nothing happened here in the first place. Regardless, you just torched our only way back to the museum." She leaned forward and plucked the tablet from his hands. "You're just wasting your time with this."

He took it back. "I can message the others to pick us up when they finish, then. It is not a big deal. Our machine was beyond repair, even if one of us did know what we were doing. We could not risk letting someone from this time find it."

She frowned and nodded. "Fine. Then what do we do while we wait? These people believe us to be witches and wizards. Believe me when I say that is not a good thing." She gestured to the translators everyone was wearing. "We may only be able to conceal those for so long before they find them and condemn us."

"You are right." Naoki looked at the others. "But we still need to blend in."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Rhonda said. "We're already traveling with a dead queen, and these people clearly don't like me. I bet they're just as worried about having a couple of Asian people wandering around their colony. We'd just as soon fit in without the translators than we would with."

Akiko slipped her hands into Naoki's and looked up at him, clearly scared. Naoki sighed. Rhonda had a point. Communication would still be annoying, and most of them would have to do so in broken English, but it would make more sense than claiming that they were all perfectly educated in English.

"We will ditch them, then," he decided. "But... that means you will all have to work on your English while we are here."

Solemnly, the group nodded. Even Akiko seemed to understand the gravity of their situation. She took off her translator and handed it to Naoki. The others followed suit, and he carefully tucked them away in his pocket. With any luck, everyone would get them back within a matter of days.

The tablet chimed, and Naoki picked it up to look at the message the others had sent.

Naoki,

It seems you are not the only ones who had issues this trip. We have also had a malfunction of sorts, and do not know how to fix it. Everyone else has reported a similar issue. Luckily, Manfred has someone who knows how to fix the machines, but it will take a considerable amount of time to get to everyone. We are assessing people's situations to figure out who needs help most immediately. If you are in no immediate danger, it may be some time before we can reach you.

Also, Kjell and Turgen asked me to tell you to inform Khen and Ujarak that they will be fine, and not to worry.

Nafanua

"Bad news?" Mary asked.

"Yes." Naoki handed her the tablet and she scanned the message.

Her eyes widened as she read, and a look of worry crossed her face. "We can get out of our mess," she decided. "Others may not be so fortunate. We should let them come to us later."

Nodding, Naoki took the tablet and wrote a quick reply, informing Nafanua that they weren't in so much trouble that they couldn't wait a bit for rescue. Right after he clicked send, footsteps approached. Naoki slipped the tablet back into his pocket and waited.

John Smith showed up, backed by several other men. He opened their cell door and stepped inside.

***

Without his translator, Ujarak finally understood how Khen must have felt when Gregory broke hers. It was hard, not understanding most of what Naoki and Smith were saying. He could see in the faces of the others that they felt equally baffled and distanced from the others.

It would be easier for most of the others, Ujarak reflected. Akiko and Tia could communicate just fine, and Suki could still get information from Naoki. Felipe and Tia could probably communicate just fine too, considering they spoke such similar languages. Mary, Naoki, Rhonda, and Michel could all speak English well enough, so they wouldn't have much of an issue either. Ujarak and Khen were the outliers. Neither of them could speak languages the others understood, besides limited English.

I should have learned more English before now, he reflected. At least then I might understand what Smith is saying to Naoki right now.

***

It took some time, but Naoki was eventually able to convince Smith that Mary was not, in fact, the missing queen of Scots, but someone who simply bore a striking resemblance to her. Furthermore, he had to explain their presence in the New World, which was somewhat harder. In the end, Naoki just told Smith that they were survivors of a crash, which was technically true. Luckily, Smith didn't ask for details about what had happened, and let them out of their cell.

It was obvious that Smith didn't like Rhonda, and Naoki sensed an undercurrent of disdain in the man's voice whenever they talked. So, he doesn't like black people and Asians. Mary had tried to warn them of that, but Naoki hadn't thought much of it. Now that they were stranded and had no time machine, he began to worry a bit more about what might happen to them if the colonists decided to act on that hatred.

Thankfully, for the time being, they didn't seem too interested in hurting them. In fact, since it was time to plant the fields, Smith and his men escorted the group to a field and instructed them to start working.

"He who does not work, does not eat," Smith said, gesturing to the field.

Suki went to work eagerly, and it was soon clear that she and Khen were the only two who had much of a clue what they were doing with the plants. Everyone else followed their lead and mostly just hoped they would get it right.

"You seem to be enjoying this," Naoki said to Suki.

She nodded. "I've always found gardening to be a soothing activity. If we are stranded here for a while, it doesn't seem like such a terrible place to be."

He glanced around and smiled. It was true. This place was not home, but it wasn't so bad either. The temperature was pleasant, and there were only a few puffy white clouds in the sky. Everywhere he looked, he saw nature. Only the colony, with their wooden huts and their wall infringed on that. It could be nice, living in a country like this.

"You're right," he agreed. "It is beautiful."

They spent hours pulling weeds and readying the fields for planting. Long after the others were exhausted and ready to quit, Khen and Akiko kept up their work. They didn't seem near stopping, so Naoki walked over to them. Old habits die hard, he knew, and they were likely working so hard because they feared what the colonists might do to them if they didn't.

"You two should take a break with us," he said, kneeling beside the two.

They looked up at him, confused. Frowning, he remembered that they couldn't wear their translators here. He reached out and lightly tugged on Khen's arm, pointing at the others. "Come and sit. Stop work for a minute."

She seemed to understand what he was trying to say but shook her head, eyes fixed on the colonists watching them nearby. "They get angry."

Naoki shook his head. "They won't hurt you. I promise."

Reluctantly, she stood and brushed the dirt off her clothes. Akiko followed them as they headed for the edge of the field near where the others sat. Somehow, Rhonda had gotten lunch, so they shared it amongst themselves while Mary attempted to teach people English.

Khen sat down next to Naoki as he watched Mary teach. She held up a kernel of the corn they were planting and said something in a language he didn't understand. He reached out and picked it up.

"Corn," he said, pinching it between two fingers. Then, he decided to give her the Japanese word for it too. "Kōn."

She cocked her head. "Corn?"

Naoki nodded. "Kōn. Corn."

Pointing to the corn, she repeated what she had said before. "Erdene shish. Corn." She paused. "Kōn."

***

Khen wasn't sure why she did it, but since everyone else was busy learning English, she couldn't help feeling as though it would be nice to have someone else to speak her own language. So, she told Naoki the Mongolian name for corn. He responded with the English word, then another word for it. She thought he must have told her the name for it in his native language. After trying out the new words, she dug her hand into the dirt and picked up a pile.

"Shoroo," she told him.

He smiled. "Dirt. Doro."

She let the dirt sift through her fingers and watched it fall to the ground. "Doro." She liked how the word rolled off her tongue. It felt... surprisingly natural. Not like English had when she first started learning some of it. "Dirt."

Grinning, Naoki leaned forward and plucked a flower from the ground behind her. Holding it up, he gave her the words for it. "Daisy. Deijī."

"Tsetseg."

They spent the next several hours exchanging words for different things or actions. Somehow, Khen lost track of the time she spent with him, teaching him her language and learning his. They ended up wandering the edge of the woods near the colony until sunset.

"We should go back," Naoki suggested, gesturing to the colony.

Khen nodded. Part of her was somewhat surprised to find that she had spent hours alone with a man she barely knew. Still, deep down, she knew he would never hurt her. He had already gone far above what most people would to keep her safe. If anything could prove that he cared about her, the fact that he came to her rescue twice already would.

***

Several weeks passed with no word from the rest of the time travelers. The group passed their time learning English, working within the colony, and getting to know each other better. As more time went by, many in the group began to wonder if the others would actually come get them, but Naoki continued to remind them that they weren't the only ones stranded.

Akiko liked the life, despite the considerable amount of work that went into keeping the colony alive. She enjoyed not being part of a minority of people working, but instead working alongside everyone else in the colony. Although the group kept to themselves for the most part, they slowly got to know some of the people within the colony, and even with their bias, the colonists soon accepted Rhonda and the others as members of the colony as well.

"It's been nearly a month," Mary said.

She addressed Naoki quietly, but Akiko still heard it. The adults kept doing that. They would whisper whenever she was around, as if trying to avoid worrying her. It was weird, if she was honest. She was used to being invisible until someone needed something, which usually meant that anyone and everyone would spill their secrets without even noticing her. Now that people actively noticed her, getting information meant honing her ability to listen in on conversations.

"They'll come for us eventually. Until they do, we just need to survive this place," Naoki murmured. "It isn't so bad. We have food, a roof over our heads, and for once, we aren't out fixing Kenneth's mistakes."

"I wanted to stop doing that when I went home." Mary held up the shirt she was attempting to mend. "Mending clothes wasn't what I had in mind. And things might seem alright now, but what about if there's a drought or food shortage? What about winter? These people barely know what they're doing, and we're relying on the Natives to feed us. If they run short on food, we could starve here. We need to be prepared for that."

"I don't know what to do about that, Mary." Naoki glanced at Akiko. "I don't know what to do about any of this."

Michel entered the room and sat down by the fire. "You both worry much about problem not yet here." Without the translator, his accent was far more distinct. Akiko had to admit, she liked it better that way.

"Isn't it better to be prepared?" Mary asked.

Akiko glanced at the jagged row of stitches Mary had attempted to mend the shirt with and giggled. The woman was most definitely royalty. She walked over to Mary and held her hands out for the mending. Recalling a few of the words Mary had taught her, Akiko tried to string together a few to communicate properly.

"I fix."

Mary looked down at the half- stitched tear and sighed. "You're better at it anyway," she admitted, handing the garment over.

Akiko shrugged, not entirely sure what Mary had even said. Still, now Akiko had something to do at least. She walked back to her seat and began re-stitching the hole in the shirt.

***

Two Months Later:

"You can't stay here, Rhonda. Naoki, Suki, and Khen... you three need to leave as well." Mary watched their reactions to the news carefully, hoping they would take it better than she guessed they would.

"You want to kick us out?" Rhonda stared at Mary, a look of disbelief on her face. "I thought we were supposed to stick together!"

"We can't, Rhonda. Don't you see how these people are treating you? Not to mention Khen! They make you do their work for them and pretend it's alright because 'everyone pitches in'. They're trying to turn you into their slaves!" Mary crossed her arms. "You must have noticed."

"Mary is right," Khen said, her words slow and careful. "We are not... like them. They do not see us as... normal."

Over the last couple of months, her English improved leaps and bounds above what it had been, and so had most of the others. Now, they didn't have nearly so much trouble communicating. But Mary couldn't take the credit for all the team's English skills. Akiko and Khen had been spending a lot of time with Naoki, and he seemed to be an excellent teacher.

"How will we stay in touch?" Naoki asked. "We only have one tablet."

"You keep the tablet. Find a good place to build a home and find us when you have word of our rescue. We'll be right here waiting. Oh... and... Akiko will want to go with you. You should take her too."

"Where?" Suki asked.

"I don't know," Naoki said. "But Mary has a point. If we're stuck here much longer, these people will turn on us. They just don't accept people who are different."

Mary relaxed a little, glad they'd taken the news better than expected. She had thought Rhonda would fight harder to stick together, but then again, the girl was already clearly disenchanted with the colonists. Their mistreatment of her, no matter how veiled it might be, wasn't making that any better. Mary would miss them, though. The small group made things far more interesting, and she didn't relish the idea of being stuck in an English colony with only Ujarak, Michel, Tia, and Felipe for company.

She just hoped that sending them out into the woods wouldn't doom them. Still, Naoki was strong and Rhonda was too stubborn to die.

***

"Khen, wait!" Tia ran out of her house and reached for Khen, who evaded her grasp and continued walking. "Khen!"

After a moment, Khen slowed and turned to face Tia. "What?" she asked, her voice quiet.

"You've been avoiding me for months. I just... I don't want you to leave like this. I don't even understand what I did! Please, tell me where I messed up." Tia just didn't understand why Khen didn't trust her anymore. As far as she could tell, she hadn't even done anything to merit this sudden distrust- it had just happened.

"You ask me... why?" Khen chewed her lower lip, then looked directly into Tia's eyes. "Why would you send me back there?"

Tia's brows furrowed in confusion. There was such a look of hurt and betrayal in Khen's eyes, but Tia didn't understand it. "Send you where?"

"Back... to Cagan," Khen said. She broke eye contact and stared down at her feet. "I thought you would protect me."

Suddenly, Tia realized what Khen was talking about. "Khen, when I said you could go home, I didn't mean I would send you back to them! I only meant you could go back to your own time, or where ever you decided your home would be. I would never make you go back to your old life. I swear."

"I just..." Khen's shoulders slumped. "I'm not used to people caring. I thought you were tired of... helping me."

"Khen, you're like a little sister to me. I'm not going to get tired of you." Tia stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Khen. "Take care of yourself out there, okay? Come back in one piece."

"I will," Khen whispered, relaxing. "Thank you, Tia. For caring."

***

Their new temporary home was to be a clearing. Naoki thought it was a step up from living in a basement, at any rate. Or, maybe it wasn't. Judging by the gray clouds in the sky, a storm was rolling in. Suki helped him gather materials to create a hut, but it wouldn't keep all the rain out. They needed oiled animal hides or a real roof over their heads for that. Not to mention the cold that could easily kill them.

"We need to get a fire started and make a shelter. Take Rhonda to find firewood. I'll work on the shelter part," Naoki told Suki, speaking in Japanese.

She nodded and gestured to Rhonda to follow. The pair went into the woods together to find suitable wood to make a fire with. Naoki looked around at what he had to work with. There wasn't much he could do about getting animal hides yet- he only had a small knife he'd taken from the camp. It wasn't exactly hunting material. There were natives in the woods, but he didn't know how to find them or if they would even help.

Thankfully, the forest was littered with broken branches, so Naoki carefully lashed them together with some of the rope he'd snuck out of the colony. When he was done, they had a large hut, but there were far too many cracks between the branches for it to work as a decent shelter. To his surprise, Khen and Akiko showed up with a strange mixture to fix that issue.

"What is that?" he asked, gesturing to the mud-like substance they carried.

"Dirt, sand, and water," Khen answered. "Makes..." she paused, frowning. Eventually she shrugged and gestured to the shelter. "To fill in the holes."

Naoki reached out and felt the grit. It wasn't made from dirt- it was made with clay- but Khen probably didn't know that word. Either way, it was a good idea. If they packed the holes in the shelter with that and forest vegetation, it would keep the wind out far better. Hopefully, it would keep out the rain too.

Rhonda and Suki returned with firewood soon after Naoki and Khen finished making the shelter, and the group huddled inside to start a fire. Fortunately, they got the fire started right before the rain came. The shelter began to leak after a while, but it was far better than getting soaked directly, and it kept the fire from being put out.

None of them could sleep, even after night fell. The sound of thunder booming in the distance and the feeling of the wet ground beneath them kept everyone on their toes. Even with the shelter, they were eventually all soaked through with rainwater, which only served to make everyone colder than they already were.

Beside him, Khen shivered uncontrollably. She must have been extremely cold, because she huddled against him and tucked herself under his arm, laying her head against his chest. He hugged her and Akiko close. Rhonda and Suki huddled by the fire next to each other near the entrance to their make-shift shelter.

Halfway through the night, a voice called out to them in an unknown language. Suki grabbed a knife out of her boot and faced the sound of the voice. With the fire illuminating the newcomer's face, Naoki realized this was probably one of the natives that the colonists kept talking about.

The native started saying something, but no one seemed to understand. Naoki fingered the translators he'd kept on him. These people probably wouldn't condemn them as witches and warlocks for using a bit of technology. For all the natives knew, it was par for the course with the Englishmen who had shown up.

He pulled one out for everyone and handed them out. With everyone wearing one, they could understand what the native was trying to say.

"You look cold. Come, join my hunting party and we will take you back to camp. You can rejoin your colony in the morning."

Naoki glanced at the others, who all nodded. With their clear approval, he accepted the native's offer gladly. It was a relief to be out of the cold, despite the cold trek back to the native camp. When they got there, the natives gave Naoki a tent with several of the other warriors and split the others up among several other tents. He was given new, dry clothing and left alone to change.

Once he was out of his wet clothes, he quickly found that there was even less room for hiding things in the natives' clothes than there had been in the outfits of the Englishmen. In the end, he shoved the tablet and remaining translators into his pack. The other natives came back in not long after and one of them pointed Naoki to his bedroll. Gratefully, he relaxed underneath the warm hides and let sleep drag him under.

***

"I'm tired of this place!" Ujarak shouted.

He slammed his fist into the table and slumped into a nearby chair. Listening to his own voice, he was more frustrated than ever by his inability to speak English properly. Mary had been teaching him more every day, but his progress was slow, and he hated it.

"Ujarak, calm down," Michel said, holding up his hands. "We're all stuck here until someone comes to get us, so just relax."

Mary frowned at Ujarak, giving him a look he didn't understand. "What's that look for?" he groused.

"You miss Kjell," she stated. "But you're a Viking. You must have been away from him for longer than three months before."

Ujarak scowled. "This isn't about Kjell."

Michel crossed his arms. "I think you might be right about this one, Mary."

"What, the others leave and you two gang up on me suddenly?" Ujarak glared at them both. They weren't improving his mood at all.

"This is definitely about Kjell. I know that look, Ujarak. I saw it on my face in the mirror every day after Kenneth took me away from my son." Mary laid a hand over his. "Just admit it. You miss him. It's not a crime."

After another moment of sullenness, he sighed. "It isn't that. You're right- I have been away from him for longer than this before. It's just... he was back home then. I knew he was safe, and if something happened, there would be warriors to protect my family. That knowledge let me sleep at night. But now he's probably still stranded out in time somewhere, and I have no idea if he's even still alive anymore."

"It's okay to worry about your son," Tia said from the doorway. She kicked the dust off her boots on the porch and stepped inside. "I worry about Khen and the others constantly. Humans tend to do that. It's what makes us so unique."

"Yes, Tia is correct." Felipe walked in from the other room and kissed Tia.

Ujarak watched the two interact with no small amount of jealousy. They'd grown close in the months they had been stranded, and though they usually weren't so public about it, everyone knew they loved each other. Seeing them together reminded Ujarak of his own wife, who was raising their remaining son alone. No doubt, she thought he and Kjell had died. The thought made him miss her even more. He imagined returning home and the look on her face when she finally saw him again.

"How are the crops?" Mary asked suddenly.

Tia shrugged. "Still don't know what I'm doing, but they seem to be doing well."

"I hope so. We can't keep relying on the natives for food," Mary said. She drummed her fingers on the table. "If things go south for us, they may end up in the same boat and be unable to help us."

"Let's hope that isn't the case," Tia said. "Because that's the only contingency plan Smith has made so far."

***

Naoki checked the date on the tablet. November, 1608. According to the tablet, this was around the time that supplies showed up in Jamestown, but it was also around the time that a fire broke out in the settlement. It would burn nearly everything, destroying all of the progress the settlers had made. After seeing how desperately they traded with the Indians, he knew that could destroy the colony, even without confirming it.

Still, he needed to know what would happen, so he kept reading. According to one document, the person in charge of the ships that landed in Jamestown made the settlers spend more time cutting wood to sell in England than they did rebuilding the mess they had made. This would eventually lead to the events that would start a year later in 1609- Starving Time. Jamestown would run out of food and the Indians would no longer supply them with the means to survive.

From what he'd read about how the Englishmen and Americans went on to treat the Indians, Naoki honestly couldn't blame them for deciding to let the invaders starve. Doing so might not have preserved their lands in the end, but it may have delayed the destruction of it.

"What are you reading?" Khen asked. She sat down next to him, crossing her legs and leaning over his shoulder to see. "Is it... okay to look at the future here? Could it ruin everything?"

With a sigh, Naoki nodded and closed the tablet. "I do not like not knowing," he said. "Or maybe I got too used to knowing. Either way, you are right."

She reached for the tablet. He handed it to her and watched as she scrolled through the most recent string of messages from the others. "They still cannot reach us."

Naoki shook his head. "Not yet. Soon, though." I hope. If they were stranded in this timeline during Starving Time, Smith's men might not be the only people who died.

"What's with the somber mood in here?" Rhonda asked, ducking under the tent flap. "You look like someone kicked your dog."

Khen frowned, but Rhonda didn't stop to explain. "Listen, the men of Jamestown are here. They want more supplies, and the Chief wants you to translate, Naoki."

Nodding, Naoki stood and followed her out of the tent. "It's happened, hasn't it? Jamestown burned."

Rhonda nodded. "None of ours got hurt, though. Only some of the colonists."

"That's good." Naoki's muscles relaxed some. He hadn't realized how worried he had been about the others until Rhonda said something. It was good to know they all made it out safely."

Powhatan welcomed Naoki warmly as he entered the clearing where the colonists stood, led by John Smith.

"Naoki, thank you for coming. These men seem to be asking for supplies. Would you ask them what they require, and what they will trade for it?"

"Of course."

Naoki did so, and relayed the information back to Powhatan, who agreed to trade the trinkets of the Englishmen for food and seeds to plant new crops. When the Englishmen left, Powhatan distributed the trinkets amongst the tribesmen, giving Naoki a gold ring.

He took it reluctantly. It took more self-restraint that he'd thought it would, just keeping quiet about how terrible the trade really was for the Indians. It wouldn't help their situation, and the last thing he wanted to do was make things worse.

***

Khen sat down on a log in the forest and watched a couple of squirrels chase each other. Sometimes she thought it strange, how peaceful this place felt. There were no battles and no overbearing men to hurt her. Just friends and the natives, who were very kind to them.

She rested her chin in her palms. Despite that, she couldn't help feeling that this could be the calm before the storm. Her mind drifted to Naoki. He would probably agree with her assessment. Then again, he knew what was coming. She hadn't asked for much detail. It wasn't a good idea to look at the future of the timeline they were currently stuck in- especially since there wasn't anything to fix. The only thing knowing could do was potentially mess up the future.

A hand rested on her shoulder, and she shrieked, leaping on the log and tripping over a root.

"Khen! I am sorry, I forgot how skittish you are." Naoki leaned down and offered her a hand.

She accepted it and he helped her up. They sat down on the log next to each other and for a moment, they sat in an awkward silence.

"I have been meaning to ask," Naoki said suddenly. "You... never told me about your past."

She shifted uncomfortably. It had been several months since she thought about that time. Even her nightmares had ceased. "It was not a... good time in my life."

"I guessed as much. You do not have to tell me if it is too painful. There are some things in my past that I would not want to relive either." He laid a hand over hers. "But sometimes it helps to tell someone."

"Mongols raised me," she told him, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "I was their slave, to do with as they wanted. One man... he acted as my father."

The word 'father' came out more bitter than Khen had thought it would. But, seeing how Naoki acted around Akiko and how Powhatan treated his daughter Matoaka, she knew what a father was. Cagan had never played that role in her life, no matter how often he claimed it.

"There were a lot of times when he... came close to killing me," Khen admitted. "The smallest..." she paused, searching for the right word. "The smallest mess would cause him to hurt me."

Naoki threaded his fingers through hers. "He will never hurt you again," he promised. "You will not have to go back there."

She smiled, his words stirring a strange warmth within her. "Thank you."

***

Ten Months Later:

The sickness spread through the native's camp like wildfire, leaving many confined to their beds. It wasn't long before Khen and Akiko caught it too, leaving Suki and Rhonda to care for them. Suki pressed a damp cloth to Akiko's head with the vague hope that it would help with the fever. Briefly, she wished they had saved more supplies from the time machine. Surely, something would have helped with this issue.

Khen sat up in her bed and reached for a nearby cup of water. Suki stood and went to Khen, handing her the cup. "Relax, Khen-san," she said, defaulting to Japanese.

"I cannot sit and do nothing," Khen answered. "It isn't..." She stopped, interrupted by a fit of coughing that shook her thin frame.

Suki propped up several extra hide blankets behind Khen and let her lay back against them. "I will get you something to eat," Suki offered, standing.

Akiko woke as Suki left, so she took a small meal for the little girl as well. Then, as she looked at the pitiful portions the natives had offered, she split her own meal between the two of them. Times were hard, and food was getting scarce. She could afford to give up a meal or two if it meant getting Khen and Akiko healthy again.

***

Over the next month, Suki and Naoki gave half of their meals to Akiko and Khen, each without the anyone knowing. After this redistribution, Khen always noted that their portions were still pitifully small and gave up much of her own food to Akiko. In this way, Akiko became the most well-fed child in the native camp, while the others grew steadily weaker.

Suki, who gave up nearly all her food on a regular basis, quickly became ill as well. Naoki understood that he couldn't help anyone if he was dead, so he always ate at least one full meal every day and gave away most of the rest. Because of this, he was better able to resist the sickness and stayed healthy on that count. Unfortunately, Khen didn't improve nearly as quickly as Akiko did, which left Naoki, Rhonda, and Akiko to take care of Suki and Khen.

Rhonda, who was probably the smartest of them all, realized that the portions were as big as they could be, and just ate her food. After all, the natives had split the portions evenly. It was fair that way. Sure, everyone might be thinner, but they wouldn't starve, and that was the important part. So, naturally, when she caught Suki giving away her food again, Rhonda called it out.

She took the bowl of soup from Suki's hands. "You think this will help anyone?" Rhonda huffed. "You'll only starve yourself until you die."

"They'll live," Suki mumbled.

Her head hurt, and her tongue felt so thick and dry. It was as if she was chewing on cotton, and it had sucked every bit of moisture from her mouth. Pain shot through her stomach again- a pain she was very familiar with. Hunger. Constantly, her stomach begged her to eat, and most of the time, she denied it.

She could see it in Naoki's eyes, how he felt about Khen, and Suki knew he didn't feel the same way about her. But that was okay. She only wanted him to be happy, and if loving Khen would bring him happiness, she was willing to sacrifice her stomach's happiness for that. A loud growl interrupted her thoughts, and Rhonda glared at Suki.

"Eat." Rhonda pushed the spoon into Suki's hands. "Now."

***

Back at the Jamestown, the Englishmen weren't faring much better. Mary had gone with Smith to see if they could negotiate for food from the natives, but after seeing their camp, she knew they couldn't afford to feed Jamestown. They were barely making it with what little they had.

Every time she thought about that visit to their camp, she saw Khen and Suki lying in bed, too sick to get up. Her eyes strayed to Michel, who suffered from a similar sickness. He'd been like that for two months, now, and they all knew he was unlikely to survive. He only grew weaker every day- more so since Angelica had died.

Over the past year, Michel had met and started hanging out with Angelica. Of course, with the community as it was, everyone encouraged the happy couple. It wasn't long before Michel proposed, swept up in the romance. The two married just eight months after meeting.

Mary, Tia, Felipe, even Tia, they all tried to warn him of what would happen when they were rescued. Michel didn't listen. It crushed him when the sickness took her. Mary feared for him. He had a dangerous look in his eye sometimes, as if the sickness and the loss of his wife was driving him crazy.

Shouting outside distracted Mary, and she rushed out to see what was happening. She found a gang of people rushing into a nearby house, carrying John Smith on a poorly constructed stretcher. There were burns all over his face and neck, and he looked to be unconscious.

She rushed through the crowd of people and addressed one of the people carrying him. "What happened?"

The man looked at her and shook his head. "He was trying to light his pipe, but a spark must have hit the gunpowder next to him, because the next thing we knew, there was an explosion!"

"Will he live?"

Mary wasn't sure the colony could survive without Smith leading it. He may have threatened the natives when they didn't trade food, attacking them until they were forced to flee, but he also kept the colony from descending into chaos. Without him, she doubted anyone would have even planted the fields for the harvest. By the time it came around, most of the colonists were forced to chop wood to sell in England so they could pay off the investors who had paid to send them there. The only reason anyone planted the fields was because Smith made them do it.

A gunshot sounded from the house, pulling her out of her thoughts. She ran back inside, yelling Michel's name. It did no good. She found him collapsed on the floor, blood pooling out from the hole in the back of his head.

Felipe and Tia rushed in as Mary was processing what had happened. They stopped and stared at the scene. "What... happened?" Tia asked.

A lump formed in Mary's throat, and she fought back tears. "H-he... he... k-killed himself."

***

Suki sank deeper beneath her blanket and squeezed her eyes shut. Why was it so hard to sleep? She hurt all over and couldn't seem to keep her food down. Things were getting worse. Somehow, she sensed she was dying.

Naoki shifted next to her, moving to stand. She reached for him, gripping his arm with more strength than she'd felt in weeks. "W-will you... stay with me... until I fall asleep?" she asked.

He settled down again and slipped his hand into hers. "Of course."

She smiled and relaxed, her eyes drifting closed. Several minutes, the darkness claimed her. Her hand slipped out of Naoki's, and her breathing stilled. Moments later, her heart made one last, futile attempt to keep going before slowing to a halt.

***

One month later, Suki's death still haunted him. He could still feel her warm hand slipping out of his as she died. He stayed by Khen, terrified that the same might happen to her. She'd been sleeping for the past two weeks. It worried him more than the food shortage ever had. She couldn't eat, so he spooned thin soups into her mouth and massaged her throat until she swallowed them. It wasn't much, but it was all he could do.

Akiko stayed nearby, constantly asking questions. Lately, those questions only made him feel worse about the whole situation. He checked the tablet almost hourly for correspondence from the other teams, but nothing came. No one replied to his pleas for help, and he was beginning to wonder if they ever would.

"Daddy, Mommy isn't breathing," Akiko said.

Her words jolted Naoki from his thoughts and he rushed to Khen's side. "Khen!" He held a hand over her nose and mouth, silently begging her to breathe. Nothing.

"Khen, wake up," he pleaded, pulling her into his lap. "Don't leave me like this."

Akiko reached for Khen's hand. "Daddy... what's wrong?" she asked.

Tears gathered in her eyes. Naoki tried to stop his own tears, but he couldn't. This was Khen. His Khen. The woman he had wanted to spend the rest of his life with. The woman he'd wanted to start a family with. "Please, Khen. I need you."

The only answer he got was Akiko's quiet sobs. A strangled cry escaped him, and he held Khen tighter. Why? Why does the world have to be so cruel to me? I've lost everything and everyone I love.

Akiko sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around his torso to cry on his shoulder. Everyone but Akiko.

***

Back at the museum, Leo was trying, with little success, to land his time machine near the time when Naoki and his group were lost. This was a task that proved oddly difficult for various reasons that won't be explained, mostly because Kenneth wasn't kind enough to provide a manual.

When he finally found a time to land in, it was a little over a year after Naoki and his team had been stranded. Still, it was the best he could do, and their last message had been positive, so what could possibly have gone wrong?

This was, thankfully, a month before Khen was to meet her untimely death. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Suki or Michel, both of whom were still dead. Leo didn't know this when he landed, however, which left him totally unprepared for the reactions of the people he was going to rescue.

***

"Leo!" Mary rushed to him, throwing her arms around him. "Thank God you're here!" She immediately pulled away again. "What took you so long?"

"I couldn't..." Leo's answer was interrupted by Tia, who marched up to him and slammed him against the side of the time machine.

"What the hell took you so long?" she demanded. "Michel and Suki are dead because of you!" She propelled him toward the door. "Get back in there and fix this!"

Mary almost helped her, but something told her that it wouldn't help things. Her suspicions were soon proved correct when Leo escaped Tia's grasp and explained.

"The time machine couldn't land any sooner than this time! I tried everything, but this was the soonest I could possibly land it. Any time between now and when you guys landed, the machine wouldn't even move."

The fight instantly drained out of Tia. "So, Michel and Suki..."

"You can't save them," Mary whispered.

Leo shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"We should... uh... get the others," she said, trying to ignore the ache of hunger and loss. "They'll be waiting for us."

~~~

Spot 11: Shermanblook

"Hmm." Barbara was hunched over her comm. pad, obviously deep in thought. She was getting used to technology, and Carlson did not see her as someone who regretted being taken to the future.

"What is it?" inquired the American farmer.

"Well, the anomaly is gone, and the report has been erased. I haven't the faintest why that would happen. In theory, we should be good to go."

"Why, we just got here!"

Barbara shrugged. "I'm thinking we should take a look around anyways. I find this suspicious."

"I agree. Herr Shmuck, Maurice. You two go to the meeting that we discussed earlier. The rest of us will stay here and see what is going on. We'll keep in touch."

"Sounds fun," intoned Herr Shmuck blandly.

Carlson raised a judgmental brow. "Just the enthusiasm I was looking for."

The group's body exited the craft, leaving future Max and Maurice to their own in the time machine. The group followed Barbara and Carlson, who were using a comm. pad as a map. All were wearing clothing that the colonists would wear. The tights did not look unlike what Max usually wore.

"This sounds like a terrible idea," confided Barbara in Carlson. "Should we leave him and Maurice alone? He might do something... silly. I'm not sure if she can boss him around."

"I'm hoping he's enough of a sucker."

Max butt in, "If I know him well enough, which I should, he isn't."

Hunaphu chuckled. "Of course Max thinks he is not a sucker. Tell me, Max. If Herr Shmuck is... interested in Maurice, then are you not as well?"

"I... well that's not very fair is it? I hate that such an insolent man is me. I hope that you can trust that me and he differ greatly in ideals and personality."

"Yes. I do find that very interesting," mused Carlson. "How did such a thing come about? Say, what were the two of you arguing about during the last task?"

Max huffed. "Everything. We made some agreements, established some disagreements, got angry, or nostalgic. Sometimes it felt like the conversation was internal, sometimes it felt like he was an alien. Unfortunately, he knows more about me than I him. By a few hours."

"Those must have been some vital hours."

"It's terrible, because now I realize how weak of a person I am. If it were to happen again tome, would I shift in the same way?"

"It's hard to say," said Barbara.

"What does not happen does not matter," added Hunaphu. "He and you are separate now."

"But it did happen, and he is the outcome of it."

A soft voice spoke, Antoinette. "I understand, Max, that meeting your future self can be complicated." Her eyes were red from crying, and Carlson realized that perhaps the conversation was not an appropriate one to take place privy to her, whose future had died. Maria had a heavy accent, having not delved into English as prolifically as Max and some of the others had. She rubbed her eyes. "I didn't think I'd care so much about her. It's not like she was my mother."

Hunaphu bent down to comfort her. "She was you. This just proves that you have the sensibility to care about yourself."

"A bit too much, according to her. And besides, I couldn't compare a lady like her to me!"

Carlson supposed every member of the team had their issues, even if they were hidden away deep inside. Hunaphu had his complex feelings for his wife, the Maxes had their own interesting dilemma, Antoinette grieved for herself. Perhaps Maurice had some ill feelings tied to the Maxes. Carlson hadn't noticed much about Barbara, but that was one of the reasons why she had gotten a position of more responsibility than the others.

"I see the fort," stated Barbara.

Carlson swallowed, recalling stories he had heard of Jamestown. "Indeed."

.

Shmuck grumbled, "Shouldn't Barbara or Carlson be doing this?"

"I think Carlson wants to keep you out of the action for now. Just in case. You know."

He scoffed. "Well I'm glad he trusts me not to murder any of these people, or is that why he sent you? What am I, some beast tameable only by a select maiden?"

Maurice shrugged. "He did ask me to talk to you."

"And what did he want you to say? Thou shall not kill?"

Maurice shrugged. "Something along those lines, yes."

"Well I won't. Not if the guy's gonna yell at me for saving him the trouble. I'm not crazy, if that's what all of you think."

"Sensible maybe."

"Sensible but crazy?"

"Maybe. I am not a psychologist."

Max put a hand to his mouth. "What are you?"

"That's a loaded question."

"Loaded?" Ah, another idiom that he did not know.

"It's a question that..." Maurice paused for a second to gather her words. "Uh. It could have a lot of answers, I guess. Well, we should stop dallying and go to the meeting."

"You don't want to dally with me?"

Maurice moved the machine's cursor, configuring the location and time settings... Bang! And they were there.

Maurice frowned. "What was that loud noise?"

"I'm not sure. Perhaps something fell."

"It was probably that dinosaur bone from before."

"Or perhaps some of the gold that Barbara had been synthesizing," suggested Shmuck.

The door opened into the future, not too far from the museum. The thing wasn't supposed to exist, as they were on a floating piece of the timeline, but somehow they had kept the timeline alive by opening a rift and keeping it open. If the rift were to close, nature would erase the timeline, and it would be inaccessible until all anomalies were fixed. For now, it was an ideal meeting spot, away from plagues and pestilence. Some character had taken the liberty of booking a meeting room in the library, and handful of members were meeting there now.

As Max and Maurice entered the library, he noticed that the selection of books was not dismal or sad as Maurice had predicte, but rather prolific and colorful. The bindings were smooth and shiny, from what he could seem from the books on vertical displays.

"This place is amazing," decided Maurice. Some future citizen bumped into her, to which she turned around and frowned at the passerby for. "There are a lot of people, though. Who knew that books would retain popularity?"

Max himself had noticed the crowd, and he took the opportunity to snap up her hand. "Perhaps it is escapism."

"Pessimist."

They made their way to the glassed-off meeting room. Maurice had not shed his hand on the short walk there, much to his satisfaction, though she did remove it when they entered the room. Inside were a long table and grey chairs. The chairs turned when applied force, and if pushed they would roll away. Including the two of them, there were four people total in the room. One familiar, the other not. Shmuck and Maurice sat.

"This is all of us," greeted a women. Her skin was dark and she sported an afro.

"I thought there would be more," said Maurice.

"One of you is the more, since there are two from your group. My name is Rhonda. This is Musashi-san."

Maurice smiled nicely. "I've met him. It's nice to meet you again, Musashi-san. I have always had an interest in Eastern philosophy, so our conversation was very delightful. I don't remember, Herr Shmuck, have you two met?"

Shmuck sure wished they hadn't. "No, never had the pleasure."

"Oh," Maurice addressed Rhonda again, "And I am Maurice. If you didn't catch it, my comrade is Herr Shmuck. Now, to discuss future tasks..."

.

John Smith, it turned out, was very close to what one might call a narcissist. They talked to him in their investigation, and Barbara had been unimpressed with his inclination to tell tales about himself, unprompted. He found their accents quite curious, and insisted that they tell their own stories to him. No doubt to become part of his adventure. Carlson just told him that they came from various places in Europe, and that they had taken another vessel which shored far, far north. He confided in Barbara that Smith would discover their lie sooner or later. Perhaps the fellow would find the mystery curious, but it should not disrupt history too much. Smith gave them spaces to sleep, and they resolved to be unhelpful so as not to disrupt history.

There were no women, much to the annoyance, and paranoia, of Barbara. She would be sure to stay around Carlson, Max, or Hunaphu for the duration of their Jamestown visit, and she advised Antoinette to do the same. The girl enjoyed talking to Hunaphu, but when she suffered language exhaustion she would seek out Max. Either way, she was never alone. Barbara herself tended to stay by Carlson.

In the hot sun, Barbara and Carlson had escaped under the shade of tree. She had taken the comm. pad out of her bag, and was reading reports on it. Not all reports were of disasters, in fact, many of them were historical musings, featuring observations and analysis. Oh, there was something interesting! "Carlson, did you know th-" A rectangle briefly invaded the top of the screen. "Hold that thought, I just got a message from Maurice. She says there will be a delay."

"Oh? How long a delay?"

"Hmm. Let me ask her. It's already been a few days, so perhaps a few more." Barbara typed a message back.

Barbara: How long?

Maurice: ...

Maurice: 2 years

"Um. Carlson. This is really bad."

.

Max and Maurice entered the time machine. The other characters had gone their own ways, and it was time for them to join the others in Jamestown.

"This is strange," muttered Maurice.

"What?" asked Shmuck.

"It won't let me manually adjust the time period. I can only choose from the presets."

"What is the nearest preset?"

"Let's see. American history... Colonies... Virginia... Jamestown: starving time. It's from just a few years later, but still, that's a few years. I'll tell Carlson and Barbara. I would hate to go to the starving times, but I can't see any other way. The other groups left already, so they can't help us... I see no issues as long as we just pick them up and go."

"Years passing is a large enough issue by itself."

"Perhaps we should just go. If something bad happens we can go back in time, right?"

"If it is only the two of us, perhaps. Let's just take a look."

"Alright then."

Maurice clicked on the preset, sending them into the past.

.

Barbara was sick. Sick or weak, Carlson could not tell. She was bedridden, that he knew. He sat beside her bed on a wooden stool. Maria was also sick, and lie on another bed nearby. Hunaphu and Max were nearby in their own room, They had fallen to the level of the colonists in health, and resorted to the measures of Jamestown. Carlson learned of many things that could be eaten: snakes; insects, crunchy and juicy, sometimes dry; and even the leather on shoes, when boiled to become a slick powdery meat. These things were not healthy, and scurvy was endured by many of the colonists. It did not help that the water was salty.

There was not much to do in the small fort, so Carlson did not mind simply sitting by his ill second. He had more food for thought in his head than food in the entire colony. His mind wandered to the nature of death, and to his wife, and O God, was he dead, having been plucked from his farm and family?

He brushed the skin of Barbara's hand and, finding it cold, took it into his warmer hands. She was still breathing, that was good. He supposed he was not dead, for breath was the proof of life. This proof was very weak for Maria. She did not appear to be the strong and resistant type, and indeed, she wasn't.

Meat would be good for Barbara. Scurvy was a risk of diet, but he did not imagine that lemons or vegetables were available. He could perhaps risk a trip into the forest to search for roots. This would less tiresome and inauspicious than hunting for turkeys. The natives had driven away the deer out of spite for the colony, and the sturgeon in the river were made mostly of bones and salt, not to mention that he could not catch one if he wanted to. He did not think that hunting was a worthwhile activity, as many of the colonists had gotten themselves killed by the "savages."

His own stomach groaned, pulling him out of his mind. Hunger was not satisfied by thought, but by substance. Meat would be good for Barbara.

.

"This is an awful idea," Carlson declared plainly.

Hunaphu shrugged. "It's something that must be done."

"We're dressed like the colonists. We have lived here for two years with the colonists, and by now, we are practically colonists. Why would the so-called 'savages' not kill us?"

"It's a bet we are taking. We need food."

"I hear ya, I hear ya, but we don't have anything to trade, and they hate us."

"If we do nothing we will starve. We could at least ask for some fresh water," suggested Hunaphu. "Maria is not doing well. Perhaps if we exit the fort with-"

Suddenly feeling the need to retch, Carlson lifted a halting hand, as calmly as he could so that he could not betray his insides. So that he could not betray that Maria was inside him, and Barbara too. He had not told Barbara what meat he had found. He would keep the shame to himself. He swallowed, wincing for his throat was dry. He searched for the words to say to the young Mayan man. Behind Hunaphu, there! A light! "I see it! The machine!" A welcome distraction.

Hunaphu froze, and a grin grew on his face. "Where?"

"Behind you, outside the fort. We will be exiting after all. Grab Max, I'll get Barbara."

"And you will get Maria as well?"

"She is buried." Carlson remembered the sensation of carving into her flesh. It was a horror story for all five senses. Crimson, in the dim light of a lamp. Skin feels like velvet, or paper. Smell: copper and dysentery pervaded, his own sweat smelled salty, and he'd had to dry his hands and face multiple times on a blanket--he gave up drying his hands when it was blood. Cutting the meat was not quiet, not with a serrated knife. He had blocked the door so that no one would enter. In the cold night he buried what was not eaten or salted. And the taste... It tasted like guilt, desperation, and a betrayal of trust.

Hunaphu was silent. If he had questions, he did not ask. Carlson was grateful for this.

****

Spot 12: ZSB2000

Una gingerly ate beside Nafanua who watched her like a hawk. It put a strange unsettled feeling in her stomach. She didn't like being watched so closely. Often she found Falerius' eyes flickering toward her when she made any sudden movements. Was she a child? A part of her understood their suspicion, but another part wondered why they cared so much. She was just another slave of Kenneth and they had no reason to pay her any mind. Yet, when she thought of them, they were almost kin. Indeed, they were the closest thing to kin she had. Why was it so unfathomable they would think the same?

Doubt stirred in her. She hadn't been of much use until she took the initiative. At least, that's how she saw events. Nafanua and Falerius had become leaders of their group who came through and added valuable skill and knowledge. Everyone except Una had a role. Well, Rhonda didn't, but that was part of why she disliked Rhonda. She didn't seem to care that she was disruptive and incompetent. At least Una knew how to fight.

To get her mind off their stares, Una thought back to the moment she locked herself in that room with the butterfly bombs. She flinched at the memory of one falling out of the crate as she dragged it through the time machine. Her coming out unscathed behind the crate was a miracle. The time machine looked a little singed, but all functioned normally.

It was that moment she paused to cautiously glance at the bombs and take a deep breath of relief. And to think. Just a few minutes before she all but admitted she wished to be dead. But facing death was a little more than just feeling guilty. If she really believed it, she wouldn't have cared so much that she lived. Did she have no resolve? If anything, her survival meant the survival of her group. In the end, she was able to save them. It put a light in her heart where it once had been snuffed out.

...

Nafanua was finding some blankets and food to store in the time machine. After realizing the string of broken timelines demanded their every waking moment, it was important to take supplies with them so they may take short breaks for rest. The time in Scotland was much needed if not a little stressful. Groups around the museum basement were starting to receive their missions and there was a good chance Falerius had received one, too.

The other lesson they learned was they needed more people with holowatches. They had been careless to place all the responsibility of technology on Falerius. Nafanua hated the idea of strapping one of the ugly things to her wrist, but she was the leader and if the others had to, she had to.

Someone tapped on her shoulder and she spun around.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," a light young woman said with a soft voice. "My name is Barbara. I heard there was an explosion in your time machine. Is everyone alright?"

Nafanua was flustered for a moment at the sudden interest, but she appreciated the concern. "Yes. We were fortunate." She looked over her to see a nearby group. There was a woman who looked stately, yet sad, an Asian woman in clothing that almost reminded Nafanua of Rhonda, a man with a roughness about him and leathery tanned skin, a dark man with bold features and long hair, and two men identical to each other. Perhaps they were twins, but the resemblance was too strong.

"Where is your group headed?" Nafanua asked.

Barbara sighed, "South America. It sounds very dangerous, but Hunaphu may be able to help us. It may not be his time, but it is his land."

"May you fare well," Nafanua said as she nodded and hauled an armful of blankets back to her own group.

...

"... My condolences," Falerius whispered as Miyamoto Musashi gazed down in sorrow. Falerius couldn't help but feel responsible for Eletta's death. He may not have liked her very much, but he shouldn't have let her and William to join them. In the end, it was in vain.

The three woman behind the Japanese man stepped closer to each other in grief. There were two men behind them, however, who did not appear as distressed.

"I thank you for this news," Miyamoto said, "We appreciate your concern."

After the exchanging of bows, they separated and Falerius sought the solitude of a dark corner. He sat cross-legged on the floor and pressed the side of his fist against the cold wall. The air was stale yet metallic as he breathed deeply. Stress and worry seeped out of him with every breath. Erasing the memory of death and suffering, he pictured his desk; strewn with scrolls and papers. Each title was burned into his memory and he could even recite their contents.

A soft, melodious voice made him gasp, "My darling?"

A grateful smile spread across his face and Titia joined him on the floor. She took his fist from the wall and uncurled it so she could slip her fingers between his.

"You were focusing on your breathing. Close your eyes, love, and continue."

"I cannot," Falerius said as they pressed their foreheads together, "You steal my breath away."

Titia ran a thumb across his cheek. "Then let me give you mine."

Their lips met as they huddled together on the floor. Falerius' image of home was complete once she held his head to her chest and stroked his hair as he listened to her heart.

...

Clara helped Nafanua bring the supplies into the time machine. As she set down some canned food, she felt a tug at her side.

"Clara?" Turgen asked, "Where is Rhonda?"

"I believe she joined Naoki and his company, dear."

Turgen frowned. "Can I go with them, too?

"Would you mind staying with me this time? I am lonely when you go."

He thought about it for a minute before nodding and giving her a warm hug.

It was true that she missed him. She liked having someone to take care of. Each trip was a little more durable when there was a little one she could keep her attention on to distract herself from her own fears. It wasn't entirely selfish as she knew Naoki had his hands full with Rhonda and the new little girl they adopted.

"Are we ready to go?" Clara asked Kjell as he entered.

"Yeah, everyone but Falerius and Titia. I saw them sucking each other's faces off a minute ago." He rolled his eyes with a cringe and Clara laughed at him.

"A sweet couple, to be sure. I long for my own husband and I can only hope the time comes when we are returned to our rightful place in the scheme of time."

The boys had already stopped listening in favor of experimenting with Kjell's holowatch.

"This is about what is happening at the place we're going, Jamestown. And this is about what is supposed to happen." Kjell pointed to the screen that hovered above his hand.

"But they're the same?" Turgen bit his lip, wondering if he didn't understand.

Kjell squinted at the screen. "You're right..." He shrugged, "Maybe it's a glitch. Falerius knows more than I do."

When they arrived in Jamestown, the ride had been unusually bumpy. There was a small problem with getting the door open, as well. Despite the glances exchanged around the group, they marched into Jamestown, unaware of what was to come.

...

Una was the first to get sick. The fever started three weeks after they discovered the time machine was broken. Falerius still went back when he could to try anything to get it working again, but he knew too little.

Jamestown was worse than they expected. It wasn't because time was broken – in fact, the colonists had somehow mended it themselves. It was the conditions... and the people. They had sailed here expecting a new and independent life. Reality dug them a grave and sent them staggering into it. The natural resources were limitless, but they didn't know how to use it to survive illnesses, hostile natives, and starvation.

There were Native Americans who aided the colonists when it came to food, but the tension between them was always growing.

When the townsfolk saw a strange group of people with mixed nationalities, they had difficulties trusting them. It turned out there was no way back and the only way to survive was to join the colonists. They were treated poorly – much like the indentured servants of their own.

Una was used to fighting hard which gave her strength, but she was not used to working so hard for so long. She fell prey to the disease and it attacked her.

Still, she was forced to work until she could not stand. Clara was there between blurs and blackouts as she barely lived through it.

The only thing Una could remember when the fever left was Clara feeding her out of her own bowl – sacrificing what little food she had to heal Una.

"How long has it been?" Una croaked.

"At least a month, my dear, but I cannot say for sure."

Una rubbed her tired eyes and looked at Clara with clearer vision. "You're so thin," she gasped.

With a solemn nod, Clara patted her knee. "All of us are."

...

Clara was the next to get sick. It was no wonder why with all the time she spent nursing Una and several other colonists back to help. She was the only one whom the people of Jamestown fully trusted.

In this time the relationship between them and the colonists grew taught.

Falerius stopped trying to fix the time machine and tore every piece apart to use in any way shape or form to help the conditions in the town.

The summer was unbearably hot and humid; and the younger ones found it difficult to control their temper when overworked. At one point they were even more underfed than the others realized. Una and Kjell had been sharing their food portions with Clara. It was a hard thing to stop kindness, but it would be kindness to the point of death.

Vivid hallucinations cursed Clara's sickness. She saw her son instead of Kjell and she saw her brother instead of Falerius. Sometimes she relived the day she was stolen from her family. Fighting weakly against her own friends whom she only saw as enemies sent her back to raging fevers.

It was a tearful day when she came through and said, "Titia, are you well?"

...

There were more tears when the sickness reached Turgen. Out of pain and hunger he would cry helplessly every night until he slept or his tears ran out. In his screams there was despair mingled with rage. He constantly craved the touch of another human as if it would let him know he was still alive.

Almost no one could rest under the fear of losing him. It was stronger than the fear of catching the disease themselves as they held him in their arms day and night.

The colonists were getting sicker and working harder toward the coming harvest. The only thing anyone thought about was food. In the waning season, even the Native Americans ceased to share their stores, creating strife with Jamestown.

Every member of their group secretly sacrificed a bite of food for Turgen. Even when caught doing so, they were too tired and too guilty of the same act to make any sort of lecture.

...

Right after the harvest, Kjell came down with a fever. To everyone's relief, his case was never serious. Being sick already, he spent the most time with Turgen; making sure he was warm and comfortable until he pulled through.

Jamestown celebrated the harvest with a meal that wasn't a slice of stale bread.

The mention of winter turned the room cold. No one believed they were prepared for it.

And they weren't.

...

The first chill of the season was in their bones when Nafanua fell ill. Her empty silence was often violently interrupted by bouts of coughing. When she needed to speak, her voice was weak and dry.

Everyone felt morbid wishing for snow to bring a resource of water. The bare end of autumn left them desperate for fresh water.

As the colonists were forced to face their insufficient food stores, panic settled in and they turned to begging the natives. They refused, being short on their own supplies.

With the first snow came the first violence. Men from Jamestown stormed the natives' camp to steal the food. A dozen frozen corpses on both sides kept them from fighting for another two weeks.

Nafanua's cough grew worse as the nights grew colder. Frostbite teased their fingertips and they huddled together for warmth.

Hostility between Jamestown and the natives escalated once again with more casualties. Fewer bodies for feeding was the only silver lining, but it planted guilt in their hearts.

...

The moment Falerius felt his fever, something snapped in him. He cursed aggression and pride and walked all the way to the Native American camp. On his last legs he knelt and begged them for help – if not for him, then his family of strangers.

Through the snow he was carried by the natives to his dilapidated home with a few meager scraps – the little they could spare in a small act of kindness for a humble man.

While most of them saw it as a blessing, Titia was enraged. Not at the natives, but at Falerius who was willing to sacrifice himself just to beg. She lectured him constantly as he lay delirious on her thin lap, ignorant of her words, but comforted in his sickly slumber by her voice.

By the prayer on everyone's lips, he miraculously healed. A battle was won, but they were losing a war. No one could recognize each other anymore. They didn't have to be sick to see things that weren't there or feel fatigued just from standing.

...

Titia was last – and worst. As she did for her husband, Falerius cradled her in his arms every moment. He prayed to gods he didn't know if he believed in. He made promises to them.

"If only she lives."

He stopped eating. He couldn't stomach her death. If his sacrifice meant her life, he would continue to forfeit his own rations to her. No one could stop him. No one tried. They knew.

Frail and barely breathing, she was going to die. Falerius held her so gently, kissed her so tenderly, and savored the sound of her faint heart for as long as it beat. He had the tears to cry, but not the energy. Sobs came out as gasps and his voice chanted in a whisper as he desperately pleaded for hope, "Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please."

It was a lovely morning. The sun glistened off fresh-fallen snow. The air was filled with the nip of the cold and the scent of the sea. None of it cared about Jamestown. It carried on as it always had – harsh and beautiful.

The door opened and a healthy figure with big hair walked through.

"... Oh my god."