TIMESCAPE

4

 The next few days passed slowly. Dante often thought back on his experiences with the professor. The time machine. The night he saw himself in the past. The mission he was to complete. It still seemed like a dream. Like it wasn't really happening. But it was, he had to remind himself, it was happening, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Work seemed to take forever. The professor had given Dante instructions before he left that night. He was to meet back at the professor's house on Saturday, ten am sharp. The rest of his team would be there and they would receive further instructions and set out to retrieve the first box.

In the days leading up to Saturday, the mission was never far from his mind. Where would they go? He wondered. What would the past be like? Who were his team members? And most of all, would they like him? He worried about that a lot. Were the others similar to him? Everyday people with everyday, boring jobs? Or were they exciting, adventurers who would make him feel like a sore thumb?

Finally, Saturday came. That night, Dante couldn't sleep. He ended up waking up early and opening an old history textbook of his. He read about the revolutionary war for what seemed like hours. He'd learned about this stuff in school, but somehow now it was as if he were learning it for the first time. Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington...they were real. And soon he might be meeting them.

It was time to leave. Dante locked the door behind him and headed out to his car. He was told he didn't need to bring anything, only himself. On the drive to the house, he rode in silence. Usually he had the radio on, or plugged in his phone, but this time he didn't need it. He had his thoughts. And there was plenty to think about.

By the time Dante arrived at Professor Campbell's house there were already several cars in the driveway. There was plenty of room, the driveway was long and wide. Dante pulled up behind four other cars and got out to knock on the door. As he was reaching for the door, it opened as if it knew he was there.

A black man was standing there, smiling at him. He was tall, well built, and had a trimmed beard. The man held out his hand for Dante to shake. "I see you found the place," he said, still smiling "Will Knapp, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Dante...Howard." The man had a strong grip, and by the time he let go of Dante's hand, it was throbbing.

"Come on in." Will stepped aside, allowing Dante to enter the house. To his left was an open parlour with a group of people sitting around, waiting. Dante recognized Professor Campbell. There were three others he didn't know. A thin man, with shaggy brown hair and a t-shirt. A woman who had a head of shocking orange hair, wore a sun dress, and glasses. She was a little round. Dante was glad to see he wasn't the only one who wasn't in peak physical condition. And finally a pretty, short woman who had dark skin, though Dante couldn't decide what race she was. Racially ambiguous, he decided.

"Dante!" The professor had seen him. "Thank you for coming. We're only waiting on one more. While we're waiting let's introduce everyone"

Will, Dante learned, was an ex marine. The small girl's name was Katrina, she was an archaeologist. The shaggy haired man's name was Lincoln, he was British, and had worked for their equivalent of NASA. Dante couldn't remember what he did, something technical. Something with machines. And the red haired girl was Evelyn, she was a professor of history. It suited her, Dante thought. Sometimes you can look at people and you instantly know who they are. She was one of those people.

As soon as the professor was done introducing everyone, the doorbell rang. "Ah, perfect timing," he declared as he opened the door. A gorgeous woman walked in. She looked like a movie star, with a fashionable wool coat, and big sunglasses on. She took them off as she entered. She was Asian. "Everyone, this is Paige," the professor announced "She's an actress."