Read Online Fugitives of Time: Sequel to Emperors of Time by James Wilson Penn - Free Book Online
Authors: James Wilson Penn
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said this, Julie
mouthed the word “oh”, as if she had just found a missing puzzle-piece that
helped everything else fall into place. Tim caught himself rolling his
eyes, though. First time-travel, and now this? It was starting to
sound like maybe the future’s inventors should just have contented themselves
by making weird kitchen appliances, because they had certainly outdone
themselves in the area of dangerous and unethical weapons.
Billy seemed to be thinking something along the same lines,
because he threw his hands up and said, “Well that’s just absurd. Were
you involved in that project, too?”
Hopkins frowned patiently and shook his head. “No, I
was not responsible for that particular debacle.”
“We don’t mean to be offensive to you, personally, of
course, Dr. Hopkins,” Rose clarified hurriedly.
Billy looked at Rose for a moment and then looked back at
Hopkins. “No, yeah, I do think I mean offense to you. I
mean, how could you do something so irresponsible and stupid as trying to
invent time-travel?”
Of course, they had all known since they met Hopkins that he
had been one of the scientists responsible for time-travel, but Billy’s
repressed anger about the issue must have just boiled over.
“Billy!” Rose whispered. “You can’t say something like
that!”
Paul was chuckling, the only one in the room who seemed at
all amused. “Ah well, it took longer for you to say it than it did
me. I told him off ten minutes after I met him.”
Hopkins’ expression remained impassive. “Well, I know I
made a mistake and am doing my best to fix it. If it is any consolation,
it would have happened with or without me, but I would not be able to stop it
if I had not been in on it.”
Paul chimed in again. “He messed up, he knows it, and
he’s still the best option humanity’s got to save the world from the mess he’s
created. So unless you’ve got a better plan, we should let him get on
with telling us his because, let’s face it, he’s a little wordy and he’s going
to take enough time to get on with it without us getting off topic.”
Billy raised his hands in and said, “Okay, I get it. I
know I was Monday morning quarterbacking anyway, just… it gets
frustrating.”
Paul nodded, but gestured toward Hopkins so that he would
continue. “At any rate, I believe that the Emperors have perfected a
mind-control machine and are using it to control a select group of people from
1854 to alter the timeline.”
The four teens thought about this for a moment. It was
a lot to take in. Rose spoke up first. “If they can control people’s
minds, why do they need to go back in time at all? Couldn’t they just use
the machine to make everyone do what they’re told in their own time?”
At this question, Hopkins actually laughed. “No, it is
not quite that simple. Each machine must be painstakingly
programmed. I cannot claim to be an expert on mind-control technology,
but from the articles I have read, they also need to have a special
understanding of the psychology of each subject to be manipulated in order for
it to be most effective. I do not understand quite yet how they would be
able to do that to even a handful of people in 1854, but I can guarantee that
they will not be able to do it to the whole world in my own time period.”
Rose shrugged. “Just seemed like it’d be easier.
Not that we want things to be easier for them.” She shook her head
slowly, as if dazed.
“Sorry, Dr. Hopkins. You weren’t here when we
discussed how Rose takes a long time to wake up,” Julie teased, with a smile at
Rose.
Hopkins did not seem to get the joke, but continued.
“The key to fixing the past this time will be finding the people who are being
influenced and destroying the machines that are doing the controlling, which I
am confident must be somehow hidden in the victims’ homes. The machines
require close proximity to work as
mouthed the word “oh”, as if she had just found a missing puzzle-piece that
helped everything else fall into place. Tim caught himself rolling his
eyes, though. First time-travel, and now this? It was starting to
sound like maybe the future’s inventors should just have contented themselves
by making weird kitchen appliances, because they had certainly outdone
themselves in the area of dangerous and unethical weapons.
Billy seemed to be thinking something along the same lines,
because he threw his hands up and said, “Well that’s just absurd. Were
you involved in that project, too?”
Hopkins frowned patiently and shook his head. “No, I
was not responsible for that particular debacle.”
“We don’t mean to be offensive to you, personally, of
course, Dr. Hopkins,” Rose clarified hurriedly.
Billy looked at Rose for a moment and then looked back at
Hopkins. “No, yeah, I do think I mean offense to you. I
mean, how could you do something so irresponsible and stupid as trying to
invent time-travel?”
Of course, they had all known since they met Hopkins that he
had been one of the scientists responsible for time-travel, but Billy’s
repressed anger about the issue must have just boiled over.
“Billy!” Rose whispered. “You can’t say something like
that!”
Paul was chuckling, the only one in the room who seemed at
all amused. “Ah well, it took longer for you to say it than it did
me. I told him off ten minutes after I met him.”
Hopkins’ expression remained impassive. “Well, I know I
made a mistake and am doing my best to fix it. If it is any consolation,
it would have happened with or without me, but I would not be able to stop it
if I had not been in on it.”
Paul chimed in again. “He messed up, he knows it, and
he’s still the best option humanity’s got to save the world from the mess he’s
created. So unless you’ve got a better plan, we should let him get on
with telling us his because, let’s face it, he’s a little wordy and he’s going
to take enough time to get on with it without us getting off topic.”
Billy raised his hands in and said, “Okay, I get it. I
know I was Monday morning quarterbacking anyway, just… it gets
frustrating.”
Paul nodded, but gestured toward Hopkins so that he would
continue. “At any rate, I believe that the Emperors have perfected a
mind-control machine and are using it to control a select group of people from
1854 to alter the timeline.”
The four teens thought about this for a moment. It was
a lot to take in. Rose spoke up first. “If they can control people’s
minds, why do they need to go back in time at all? Couldn’t they just use
the machine to make everyone do what they’re told in their own time?”
At this question, Hopkins actually laughed. “No, it is
not quite that simple. Each machine must be painstakingly
programmed. I cannot claim to be an expert on mind-control technology,
but from the articles I have read, they also need to have a special
understanding of the psychology of each subject to be manipulated in order for
it to be most effective. I do not understand quite yet how they would be
able to do that to even a handful of people in 1854, but I can guarantee that
they will not be able to do it to the whole world in my own time period.”
Rose shrugged. “Just seemed like it’d be easier.
Not that we want things to be easier for them.” She shook her head
slowly, as if dazed.
“Sorry, Dr. Hopkins. You weren’t here when we
discussed how Rose takes a long time to wake up,” Julie teased, with a smile at
Rose.
Hopkins did not seem to get the joke, but continued.
“The key to fixing the past this time will be finding the people who are being
influenced and destroying the machines that are doing the controlling, which I
am confident must be somehow hidden in the victims’ homes. The machines
require close proximity to work as
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