machine. Without thought, Jason quickly
returned his tethered orbs to the briefcase before snatching
Derek’s out of his hands and doing the same. Derek quickly began
disconnecting the wires from the electrical box, attempting to be
both quick, yet silent, as he returned the electrical components to
just as he’d found them.
“Come on,” Jason whispered urgently as the
voices and now sounds of footsteps drew nearer.
Reconnecting the last circuit breaker, Derek
quietly closed the thin metal door to the electrical box as Jason
closed the briefcase.
“Crap,” Jason proclaimed in a whispered
tone.
“What?”
“The lock.”
Derek turned to the chain-linked door.
Previously left wide open, it was now closed. The same lock that
they’d earlier removed was again hanging securely in place on the
outside just above the handle.
“Open it.”
Jason quickly passed the briefcase to Derek
before shoving his fingers through the gate in a desperate attempt
to realign the numbers that would grant them their freedom.
“Come on. Come on,” Derek pushed as the
voices in the hall grew closer.
“I’m trying. It’s harder from this angle,”
Jason complained as he knelt to the floor in an attempt to get a
better view of the numbers along the bottom of the lock. “It’s too
dark. I can’t see the numbers.”
Jason was right. He hadn’t noticed it before
but the lights in the room were off. The glow of the device must
have been enough initially that he hadn’t even noticed, but now
with the briefcase closed, the blackness of the room was obvious.
“Here,” Derek spoke as he held his thumb against the lock on the
case. The faint blue light on the scanner lit up momentarily as he
held the new light source close to the bottom of the lock beside
Jason’s head.
Jason continued to fumble with the numbers,
getting the first two in place.
“You’re worried about miscalculating the
jump aren’t you?” Derek’s familiar words echoed from the hall, no
more than twenty feet from where they were currently trapped.
“I’m asking you about your calculations,”
Derek informed Jason.
“I know. The light.”
Derek looked down. The light on the case had
timed out. “Oh.” He placed his thumb against the lock and again the
blue light lit the cage.
Dialing in the last two numbers, the lock
released with a faint click. Quietly, but in a hurry, Jason
displayed amazing dexterity as he managed to remove the lock from
the handle without dropping it, while at the same time opening the
door and letting them free. Both scampered from their temporary
prison toward the boxes on the other side of the dark room.
“The lock,” Derek pointed to Jason’s hand as
they reached their hiding spot.
Looking down, Jason realized that he’d
forgotten to reattach the low budget security system.
The footsteps resumed in the hall as the
familiar, yet unexpected company continued its advance.
“Never mind. Forget the lock,” Derek
instructed.
“I can’t. I’ll know something’s wrong,”
Jason disagreed as he quickly made his way back to the cage,
slipped the lock back through the handle and made his way back
behind the cardboard wall just as his counterpart’s hand slipped
around the doorway and flipped the switch, illuminating the
room.
Derek and Jason, while attempting to remain
as hidden as possible, watched in awe as the ten minute younger
versions of themselves made their way toward the locked cage.
“I take it that’s our power source,” the
other Derek offered up the familiar guess.
“Deja Vu,” Derek mumbled.
Jason turned with a shushing stare.
He couldn’t help himself though, as he
leaned closer to his naked roommate. “Is this really happening?” he
whispered.
Jason’s disapproving stare deepened.
“Okay. We need to get this thing up and
running as quickly as possible,” the other Jason instructed as they
made their way into the cage.
Knowing the rest, Derek turned his attention
away from the familiar
returned his tethered orbs to the briefcase before snatching
Derek’s out of his hands and doing the same. Derek quickly began
disconnecting the wires from the electrical box, attempting to be
both quick, yet silent, as he returned the electrical components to
just as he’d found them.
“Come on,” Jason whispered urgently as the
voices and now sounds of footsteps drew nearer.
Reconnecting the last circuit breaker, Derek
quietly closed the thin metal door to the electrical box as Jason
closed the briefcase.
“Crap,” Jason proclaimed in a whispered
tone.
“What?”
“The lock.”
Derek turned to the chain-linked door.
Previously left wide open, it was now closed. The same lock that
they’d earlier removed was again hanging securely in place on the
outside just above the handle.
“Open it.”
Jason quickly passed the briefcase to Derek
before shoving his fingers through the gate in a desperate attempt
to realign the numbers that would grant them their freedom.
“Come on. Come on,” Derek pushed as the
voices in the hall grew closer.
“I’m trying. It’s harder from this angle,”
Jason complained as he knelt to the floor in an attempt to get a
better view of the numbers along the bottom of the lock. “It’s too
dark. I can’t see the numbers.”
Jason was right. He hadn’t noticed it before
but the lights in the room were off. The glow of the device must
have been enough initially that he hadn’t even noticed, but now
with the briefcase closed, the blackness of the room was obvious.
“Here,” Derek spoke as he held his thumb against the lock on the
case. The faint blue light on the scanner lit up momentarily as he
held the new light source close to the bottom of the lock beside
Jason’s head.
Jason continued to fumble with the numbers,
getting the first two in place.
“You’re worried about miscalculating the
jump aren’t you?” Derek’s familiar words echoed from the hall, no
more than twenty feet from where they were currently trapped.
“I’m asking you about your calculations,”
Derek informed Jason.
“I know. The light.”
Derek looked down. The light on the case had
timed out. “Oh.” He placed his thumb against the lock and again the
blue light lit the cage.
Dialing in the last two numbers, the lock
released with a faint click. Quietly, but in a hurry, Jason
displayed amazing dexterity as he managed to remove the lock from
the handle without dropping it, while at the same time opening the
door and letting them free. Both scampered from their temporary
prison toward the boxes on the other side of the dark room.
“The lock,” Derek pointed to Jason’s hand as
they reached their hiding spot.
Looking down, Jason realized that he’d
forgotten to reattach the low budget security system.
The footsteps resumed in the hall as the
familiar, yet unexpected company continued its advance.
“Never mind. Forget the lock,” Derek
instructed.
“I can’t. I’ll know something’s wrong,”
Jason disagreed as he quickly made his way back to the cage,
slipped the lock back through the handle and made his way back
behind the cardboard wall just as his counterpart’s hand slipped
around the doorway and flipped the switch, illuminating the
room.
Derek and Jason, while attempting to remain
as hidden as possible, watched in awe as the ten minute younger
versions of themselves made their way toward the locked cage.
“I take it that’s our power source,” the
other Derek offered up the familiar guess.
“Deja Vu,” Derek mumbled.
Jason turned with a shushing stare.
He couldn’t help himself though, as he
leaned closer to his naked roommate. “Is this really happening?” he
whispered.
Jason’s disapproving stare deepened.
“Okay. We need to get this thing up and
running as quickly as possible,” the other Jason instructed as they
made their way into the cage.
Knowing the rest, Derek turned his attention
away from the familiar
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