Time Shift

Time Shift Part 4

The following day, the day before the test, Jason stayed back after O'Brien had gone home. He opened the device and carefully removed a computer chip. This would prevent the machine from activating the delta particle stream in the final phase of the test. He dropped the chip into a bin, and went home hoping O'Brien would not discover what he had done, at least not until after the test failed on the following day. As he arrived home he wondered why he had not heard from Tracy all day. He called her but the call went straight to voicemail.

The next afternoon shortly after four o'clock O'Brien and the two other scientists gathered outside the test room at Development Lab Number Two, exactly as they had the first time. Jason was sweating as he paced nervously.

Professor O'Brien approached him, "Jason," he said frowning, "While you were at lunch I checked the ESRU thoroughly and found chip missing in circuit twenty. Luckily I had a replacement. Did you remove that chip for some reason?"

Jason gaped at him. His plan had failed. In a matter of minutes the explosion would happen again. People would die.

"Well?" O'Brien demanded.

Jason couldn't think what to say, but then the door opened and Tracy stepped in.

"Oh, Dr Hammond, did you want to watch the ESRU test?" O'Brien asked.

"Yes, but first I need a word with Jason here," Tracy said.

"Of course. I'll get the preliminary test sequence underway in the meantime."

Tracy pulled Jason out of the lab into the adjoining office.

Tracy, what are you doing here?" Jason asked her in a rising panic, "When he turns on the ESRU it's going to explode."

"I know," she answered quickly, "I've been thinking about what you said, and I've done some research on the dangers of using delta particle streams. Now Jason, tell me the truth, all of it. I don't care how fantastic it is, just tell me."

"Okay, but you won't believe it." Jason quickly filled her in on his time travel back two months and his efforts to stop the destruction and death which was about to happen.

"Right, I believe you," Tracy said, "Now this is what you must do."

"You believe me?"

"Yes. You know how I'm always looking into your eyes. It's not just because I love you, which I do by the way, it's because I have a gift. I can read people's minds under the right conditions. I knew you had come here to do a vital job, something to do with the ESRU, time travel and saving lives, and I had to help you. I just wish you had told me sooner."

"I didn't think you would believe me, but thank goodness you do," Jason said with a sigh of relief, "We've got to stop the test before the machine overloads."

"No," Tracy said, much to Jason's surprise, "The test has to go ahead, then you can return to where you should be."

Jason stared at his girlfriend in astonishment. "What do you mean? Return where?"

"Jason, you're out of sync. This may sound unbelievable, but I believe you not only went back in time, but also travelled into a parallel dimension. Is this O'Brien's computer here?"

"Yes. What are you going to do?" 

Tracy sat down at the keyboard and started typing. "I'm instructing the computer to intervene at the final stage of the test and alter the delta particle stream. Jason, you must stand exactly where you were the last time this happened. The machine won't explode, no one will die, and you'll go back."