Testing the Limits of Time

Chapter 5: into the revolution

"Can you feel that?" Skylar exclaimed, her eyes wide with anticipation as they huddled together in their headquarters' dimly lit hallway.
"Feel what? This isn't the first time we're visiting 1776," said Jamie, adjusting her bonnet nervously.
"No, Jamie, more like the weight of history itself," Kody smiled, buttoning up his jacket. He pressed her hand, "Are we ready?"
Tyler smirked, holding the door open. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Revolutionary War."
Adjusting the laces of her bodice, Skylar signaled her team with a nod. With a collective deep breath, they stepped through the portal, undergoing an instant and breathtaking transformation.
Gone were the familiar sounds of their modern world, replaced by the bustling cacophony of 1776 Philadelphia. The air was thick with the scent of baked bread, horse manure, and the sharp tang of wood smoke.
Around them, the murmur of heated political debate filled the air, vendors hawked their wares, children darted through the crowd, and the clip-clop of horse-drawn carriages reverberated against cobblestones.
Leading the way, Skylar turned her head at the back and smiled with pride at her friends, who had remarkably blended in with the masses.
They couldn't help but marvel at their surroundings. As they maneuvered through the crowd, the buildings, the people, and the sheer vibrancy of the city were all so real and so alive.
"It feels like we walked straight into a painting," Tyler remarked, fiddling with a tricorne hat in his colonial coat and breeches, his eyes wide with amazement.
"It's surreal," Skylar nodded, "But we need to stay focused. Stay close and remember our mission."
Gripping a satchel filled with replica pamphlets, Kody grinned. "You mean we'd rather stick together than stick out, ha-ha," he said, shifting his focus on Jamie, who did not seem very amused by his attempt at humor.
Once again, her attention was diverted somewhere else.
A heated conversation about the growing tensions with Britain was going on at a square, so they could only overhear snippets of it. They headed towards the square, where a gathering of men and women speaking passionately about freedom, taxes, and colonies' rights had formed around a charismatic young man standing on a wooden crate.
His words were fiery and assertive, his presence commanding. "We must not rebel! The king offers protection and stability. To fight against Britain is to invite chaos and destruction!"
Skylar's eyebrows narrowed. "That's not right. Who is he?"
Tyler, always quick on the uptake, leaned in. "He's a pamphleteer. And judging by his speech, I'd bet he's one of the Revisionists."
"Oh yes! That's him! " Jamie muttered, recognizing the pamphleteer from their research. "He is definitely an agent of The Revisionists. Just look at his delivery skills! He knows his way with words."
Kody nodded towards a nearby stack of pamphlets. "Look, he's distributing those."
The young man, dressed in plain but tidy clothes, orated, "We must not let these radicals drag us into a war we cannot win! Rebellion against the Crown will bring nothing but ruin!"
Skylar's heart pounded. "We need to counteract his influence. Now."
Without further ado, the group split up, creeping through the crowd. Skylar pulled out a bundle of Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" from her bag.
"Start handing these out. We need to remind people why the revolution matters," she ordered Tyler and Kody, handing the pamphlets over to them.
The duo moved swiftly, discreetly slipping the copies of Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" into the hands of the crowd from Kody's satchel.
Jamie initiated conversations with small groups, subtly steering them away from the pamphleteer's message.
The atmosphere shifted as Paine's powerful words began to circulate, igniting the spark of rebellion in those who read them.
"Here, read this," Skylar whispered to a woman clutching her young son's hand. "It might give you another perspective."
The woman took the pamphlet, glancing around nervously before tucking it into her apron.
As Skylar passed out pamphlets, she caught snippets of the pamphleteer's speech, filled with passionate pleas for loyalty to the Crown. She felt a surge of anger. History wasn't meant to be rewritten by those with ulterior motives.

Skylar felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Tyler; his expression frowned with urgency. "British soldiers are coming. We need to get out of here."
However, it was too late because their efforts had not gone unnoticed. The pamphleteer's eyes narrowed as he realized what was happening. "You there!" he shouted, pointing at Skylar. "What are you doing?"
Skylar held her ground, meeting his gaze with steely determination. "Just spreading the truth."
Before the confrontation could escalate, the sound of marching boots grew louder, and the crowd began to disperse in panic. Drawn by the growing unrest, the stern-faced, armed soldiers pushed through, intent on quelling any hint of rebellion.
"Time to go," Tyler hissed, grabbing Skylar's arm. "We can't afford to get caught."
"Let's go," Skylar hissed, gathering her friends. They moved quickly but carefully, blending into the mass of people retreating into side streets and alleys, the soldiers hot on their heels.
Heart pounding, Skylar glanced back, relief flooding through her as they neared the safety of the house.
As they approached the door, Skylar couldn't shake the feeling of eyes on them. She glanced back to see the pamphleteer staring directly at her; suspicion etched on his face.
"Quick, inside!" Kody urged, holding the door open as the last of them scrambled through.
They ducked inside just as the soldiers began rounding up people for questioning. Skylar slammed the door shut, heart racing. The room was silent, which was in contrast to the noisy street jarring.
Tyler leaned against the wall, panting. "Whoa! That was close."
"Too...too close. But we did it. We countered his influence," said Jamie, clutching her bonnet to her heavily breathing chest.
Kody peered through a crack in the door. "We made a difference today. But this is just the beginning."
Jamie nodded, still catching her breath. "And we will. One mission at a time."
Skylar looked at her friends, her face laced with a mix of exhilaration and dread. They had tasted the danger of their mission firsthand. "We have to be more careful. The Revisionists won't stop, and neither can we."
As they began to relax, thinking the danger had passed, a sudden loud knock on the door jolted them back to alertness. They exchanged tense glances, fear creeping into their eyes. Was it the British soldiers or something worse?
Skylar held up a hand, signaling for silence. She moved cautiously towards the door. When she finally opened it a crack, the sight on the other side made her gasp.
A figure with a stern face and intense eyes stood there, cloaked in shadows. "You're meddling in things you don't understand," the figure said, voice low and threatening. "And now, you're on our radar."
Skylar swallowed hard, realizing their mission had just taken a dangerous turn.