course of human history, as
Dr. Kinimoto liked to say.
“Thank you, miss—”
“Helaine.” She held out her free hand. “Helaine Knowles.
Please—I can’t be letting you go with just a thank you. Not after you saved
Jane Eyre.”
Kane smiled, regretting that he would have to say no.
Helaine was a lovely girl, and a dog named Jane Eyre—he found the pair of them
intriguing.
“I wish I could. But I have an appointment. One I can’t be
missing.”
If Mac could find him. He held out little hope of that, but
he intended to stay put.
Just in case.
Six
Mac held out his hand. “I need you to punch in
your ID code. I’ve got it right here.” She looked down at his hand, saw the
piece of paper between two fingers. “It’s easier after the first time.”
“Promise?”
“No—I just wanted to take the frightened rabbit look off
your face.” She let out a shaky laugh. “Now give me your wrist. You’ll have to
let go of your other hand, sweetheart.”
“Right.” She pulled them apart, held out her left hand.
“This is the transport for Kane.” Mac strapped it on her
wrist, forced to use the last hole in the band to keep it from sliding off. “He
can use it to send you home. I already have the coordinates in the transport’s
memory. This baby can do more than you think. It even has a translation chip.”
“Translation?”
“Yeah.” He tapped his finger on the transport. “The chip
emits some kind of field—I don’t know how, and I don’t want to. But it lets you
understand anyone standing within a few feet, and they can understand you. Just
in case you end up talking to a Neanderthal, or a Roman.”
“Oh, God—” She didn’t want to think of the possibility that
she may actually end up somewhere else—
“I was kidding. Breathe, Elizabeth. I send agents out there
every day. All of them have landed exactly where they were supposed to, and
returned in one piece.”
“Okay.” She took his advice. There was no panic, yet. She
was—nervous, seeing Kane again after that mind melting kiss. It would have been
easier to keep the memory of him, go home with that. More contact would just
give her more time to become attached. “I’m ready for the number.”
She tapped it in carefully, watched the screen under her
hand flash a countdown.
“That’s for you, sweetheart. Let’s head over.”
Mac led her to the steps next to the platform, one hand
under her elbow. Sparks danced around the perimeter, sparks she knew would
explode up into a transparent wall. A wall she had to step through,
voluntarily.
“Mac—”
“Kane is in Dover. I have the transport set for his entry
coordinates.” His voice was brisk, but the hand on her elbow was gentle, supportive.
“He should be nearby. Tell him I said not to lose this one.”
Elizabeth smiled. “I’ll do that.”
“Take this.” He slipped a folding knife in her hand. Her
fingers trembled as she slid it in the pocket of her trousers. She hoped she
wouldn’t have to use it. “When the wall comes up, all you have to do is stick
your hand in. The portal will do the rest. Take care of yourself, Elizabeth.”
He leaned down, kissed her cheek. “I look forward to reading your new bio.”
With a wink he let her go and moved back to the console. She
knew that was her cue.
She skipped step one, since she was already standing still.
No way to get any slower than that. She closed her fingers over the heart
locket. “Step two,” she whispered.
After taking in a few slow, deep breaths, she climbed the
stairs. The gold wall shot up as she reached the platform. A last glance over
her shoulder had Mac smiling at her, giving her a double thumbs up. For some
crazy reason she couldn’t fathom, she trusted him. She studied him for a few
seconds, drew his handsome, rawboned face in her mind, with the sun streaked
brown hair and laughing blue eyes. Another memory to take with her.
She closed her eyes briefly and faced the wall, her hand
inching
Dr. Kinimoto liked to say.
“Thank you, miss—”
“Helaine.” She held out her free hand. “Helaine Knowles.
Please—I can’t be letting you go with just a thank you. Not after you saved
Jane Eyre.”
Kane smiled, regretting that he would have to say no.
Helaine was a lovely girl, and a dog named Jane Eyre—he found the pair of them
intriguing.
“I wish I could. But I have an appointment. One I can’t be
missing.”
If Mac could find him. He held out little hope of that, but
he intended to stay put.
Just in case.
Six
Mac held out his hand. “I need you to punch in
your ID code. I’ve got it right here.” She looked down at his hand, saw the
piece of paper between two fingers. “It’s easier after the first time.”
“Promise?”
“No—I just wanted to take the frightened rabbit look off
your face.” She let out a shaky laugh. “Now give me your wrist. You’ll have to
let go of your other hand, sweetheart.”
“Right.” She pulled them apart, held out her left hand.
“This is the transport for Kane.” Mac strapped it on her
wrist, forced to use the last hole in the band to keep it from sliding off. “He
can use it to send you home. I already have the coordinates in the transport’s
memory. This baby can do more than you think. It even has a translation chip.”
“Translation?”
“Yeah.” He tapped his finger on the transport. “The chip
emits some kind of field—I don’t know how, and I don’t want to. But it lets you
understand anyone standing within a few feet, and they can understand you. Just
in case you end up talking to a Neanderthal, or a Roman.”
“Oh, God—” She didn’t want to think of the possibility that
she may actually end up somewhere else—
“I was kidding. Breathe, Elizabeth. I send agents out there
every day. All of them have landed exactly where they were supposed to, and
returned in one piece.”
“Okay.” She took his advice. There was no panic, yet. She
was—nervous, seeing Kane again after that mind melting kiss. It would have been
easier to keep the memory of him, go home with that. More contact would just
give her more time to become attached. “I’m ready for the number.”
She tapped it in carefully, watched the screen under her
hand flash a countdown.
“That’s for you, sweetheart. Let’s head over.”
Mac led her to the steps next to the platform, one hand
under her elbow. Sparks danced around the perimeter, sparks she knew would
explode up into a transparent wall. A wall she had to step through,
voluntarily.
“Mac—”
“Kane is in Dover. I have the transport set for his entry
coordinates.” His voice was brisk, but the hand on her elbow was gentle, supportive.
“He should be nearby. Tell him I said not to lose this one.”
Elizabeth smiled. “I’ll do that.”
“Take this.” He slipped a folding knife in her hand. Her
fingers trembled as she slid it in the pocket of her trousers. She hoped she
wouldn’t have to use it. “When the wall comes up, all you have to do is stick
your hand in. The portal will do the rest. Take care of yourself, Elizabeth.”
He leaned down, kissed her cheek. “I look forward to reading your new bio.”
With a wink he let her go and moved back to the console. She
knew that was her cue.
She skipped step one, since she was already standing still.
No way to get any slower than that. She closed her fingers over the heart
locket. “Step two,” she whispered.
After taking in a few slow, deep breaths, she climbed the
stairs. The gold wall shot up as she reached the platform. A last glance over
her shoulder had Mac smiling at her, giving her a double thumbs up. For some
crazy reason she couldn’t fathom, she trusted him. She studied him for a few
seconds, drew his handsome, rawboned face in her mind, with the sun streaked
brown hair and laughing blue eyes. Another memory to take with her.
She closed her eyes briefly and faced the wall, her hand
inching
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