Borrowed Time: Saving John Lennon - A Beatles Fanfic

Chapter 6 - ISOLATION

August 9, 2020

Holly sat down on the small, white couch. She was 24 hours into her 48 hour isolation and decontamination process at the lab, all in preparation for her initial time jump scheduled for tomorrow. She had her work tablet and cell phone, along with the items packed in a bag that she would be taking with her. The only other things in the isolation unit were a twin sized bed, a couch, and a small bathroom. Meals were brought to her, passed through a series of scanners with microbe sifting technology.

Holly used this alone time to mentally quiz herself. The dates, the locations, all her secret travel plans were all seared into her brain, possibly even more so than her own name at this point.

She knew she was risking everything - her career, her life, possibly even the safety of those close to her - and Tyler was as well. But the last time she and Tyler spoke he had told her that everything was done. His portion of the plan was complete, and it looked like things would work out exactly as they wanted.

The lights automatically dimmed in the isolation unit, and Holly looked at the time; 10:00 PM. She had a busy morning ahead of her, and sleep would be the smart thing to do, although she knew it wouldn't come easily.

••••

At 7:30 the next morning Holly awoke to an alarm. She showered and got dressed, taking inventory of her unfamiliar outfit. She was wearing a simple A-line dress, a pillbox hat, and white gloves which went halfway up her forearms; something that would fit in quite well in the 1950's.

By 9:00 AM she was donning the isolet uniform over her clothes which would keep away any contamination from her coworkers and the lab equipment. She placed her travel bag into a smaller isolet capsule and pressed the button to vacuum seal it. Moments later the door to the isolation unit gave a loud clank indicating it was now unlocked.

The next few hours were filled with enough medical pokes, prods, scans, and tests to last Holly a lifetime. When everything was completed Agent Holly DuPont was given the final approval for the start of This Project.

By 3:30, she was standing behind the sealed glass partition which separated T14-R19 from the rest of the equipment. Only then was she allowed to remove her isolet uniform and her bag from its isolet capsule, revealing her 1950's outfit. Holly was then directed onto the small standing pad of T14-R19. Her initial jump would be controlled by her coworkers, but after that all following jumps were controlled by her.

The first jump would send her to the year 1953. From there Holly was to gather a few items and continue on with the mission. She had no intention of spending much time there. Her true goal was to make it to Liverpool in 1958.

Holly looked directly in front of her as she stood on the small glass pad. Tyler was busily making adjustments, pausing at times to write something down or consult with the person next to him. Holly's chest felt tight with excitement and nervousness.

Voices came through the speakers on Holly's side of the glass, and she found herself responding to them automatically. Her heart was racing as she watched the people working in front of her. She caught Tyler's eye, and they exchanged smiles.

"Countdown begins in one minute," Agent Thomas' voice broke through the muffled chatter, making Holly jump.

Holly took a deep breath. She looked around the room one last time and closed her eyes as the numbers were counted down to zero. A blast of warmth filled her body, seeming to come from within herself, and an amazing light show formed on the inside of her eyelids.

And with that, the glass standing pad of T14-R19 was empty.