After the group ate and Jane paid the bill, they were back in the car. But the car wasn’t going anywhere. For a brief moment they sat in silence. Thinking of what to do next. Io clapped her hands together.

“Alright gang. Here’s the plan” Io said with enthusiasm. The group turned their attention to her. “We go in there, steal the time machine and then time travel out of there and go to some place like France or Paris.” Io said with a confident smile. The group was stunned and looked at Io with bewildered looks.

“Okay...So there's an option. Any ideas in that red headed brain of yours, Parker?” Evelyn asked.

The anxiety that Jane held back was starting to creep up through her fingers. She was late for work. She was late for work. Numbers started to run through her head of the minutes, hours that have passed since waking up. She started to mumble to herself incoherently until she finally was able to speak clearly.

“Work! Yes. I do believe I..we should head to my place of business. I need to arrange a holiday and gather some papers.” Jane said hesitantly. Her fingers danced ever so slightly on the wheel of her car invigoratingly.

“I think Red had too much coffee.” Io commented as she looked at Jane’s fingers dancing on the wheel.

“Yeah...good plan. Lets go.” Evelyn said as she placed a toothpick in her mouth.

By the time they got on the highway and over the bridge, the traffic had lightened up significantly. Normally the traffic would be backed up and it would take awhile for Jane to get to work. Seeing the barren streets and going at sixty miles an hour was surreal for Jane.

Samantha was captivated by the sights of the city she once lived in. Seeing the tall buildings shine from the sunlight suddenly made her feel so small in the world. To her so much has changed in a single night, despite her enthusiasm it was still overwhelming. She pondered if she could ever have a life out here or if she can go back to 1865. But then the thought came to her, that this is exactly what she wanted and now she has it. Endless possibilities suddenly filled her head.

Io kept adjusting her injured arm as the pain stung. The adrenaline had finally ran out and now the pain was starting to bother her. Truth be told the pain settled in a while ago but Io would never admit that. If you asked her about it she'd just laugh in your face with a smirk. Now the pain was starting to become more unbearable. She was taking deep silent slow breaths.

Evelyn was still pondering over the nightmare she had not too long ago. Shadows and voices all swirling around her. She shouted into the void, demanding to know what it wanted from her. But she didn’t get an answer. Suddenly something started to crawl over her. A familiar feeling crept all around her. She was terrified. Thoughts of the endless wave of faceless voices calling her chilled her to the bone. So she sat in silence, ignoring the sights and sounds, as the car drove over the bridge. As long as the sun was still out the darkness was at bay and she would be safe.

Jane worked at a research facility in the heart of the city. Surrounded by luscious green vegetation sat a brick building in the center. It was a large two story building with underground parking and a security booth in the front, surrounded by an aging iron gate. As Jane pulled up and showed the security guard her badge he gave her a weird look.

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“Doctor Parker. You’re late.”

Jane let out a sigh. “Yes. I am. Thank you.” She said in a cold tone. Her icy emotionless words gave the guard chills.

“I’m sorry, Doctor. It’s just….” He paused for a moment. Jane slowly turned her head and glared at him.

“Just what, Barnaby?”

“Nothing, Mam.” Barnaby shifted nervously and looked at the others. “Visitors?”

“Extended family.” Jane said.

“Ah. Right.”

“Gate. Up. Please.” Jane said in a deep authoritarian tone that could make happy singing birds in a kids movie cry.

“Right!” Barnaby said as he scrambled away and pushed a big red button that opened the gate.

“Damn, Red. I think he pissed his pants.” Io said as she looked back at Barnaby.

“I don’t work well with incompetence.” Jane said in her authoritarian tone.

“Certainly moved up in the world, Parker. Didn’t think your high horse could get any higher” Evelyn commented. “Isn’t this the one place that has that homemade nuclear reactor somewhere in the basement?”

Jane let out a sigh. “Yes, it is in the basement. Dr. Bronson is the head of the department of nuclear physics and he personally oversees the project. He says he is trying to create a large amount of energy from smaller matter than is normally used in a nuclear power plant.”

“Oh lovely, he's got a bomb in the basement.” Evelyn sarcastically said. Jane didn’t respond to that comment. Dr Bronson’s research was a bit out of the ordinary but that was only because Jane’s focus was mainly on biology rather than nuclear physics and it was at this moment that she refused to acknowledge Evelyn's comment mainly because she didn’t know too much on the subject of nuclear physics to dispute that.

“Nuclear?” Samantha asked. She turned back to Io for answers. Io looked at her and put her hands up.

“Hey I ain’t the body of all knowledge and wisdom here. Probably can find a book on it in the library.” Io said as she placed her hands on the seat. Samantha’s eyes lit up and her mind suddenly filled with images of books and shelves. The thought of going to a library excited her and she had a soft smile on her face.

Jane drove the car down into the underground parking lot and pulled into her reserved spot. It was a fairly large garage. Wall to wall solid concrete with a large drain that led right into the sewers. The sound of a fan from within can be heard coming from a large grate that led to the air vents. Expensive cars lined up perfectly in each spot. Each spot had a small sign in the front that designated whose parking space it was.

“Oh fancy that, love. You got a reserved spot n everything.” Evelyn said in a crude british accent as she got out of the car.

Jane quickly got out of the car and turned to Evelyn.

“What are you doing?” Jane asked sternly. Evelyn looked at her and shifted her eyes to the door.

“Adventure…? Ya?” Evelyn said as she slowly raised her fist up in the air. Jane closed her eyes and held them tight for a solid five seconds before opening them again. Evelyn could see Jane’s face twitch as if she was trying to blink with her eyes closed.

“Do remember that you are not an official employee here. Do also consider that I am an official employee here and I do not need to babysit anyone else while I am here. I do that enough with my day to day job. So please find it in you to restrain any impulsivity that may creep into your head, all of you, and wait here as I go and discover what exactly is going on. Thank you.” Jane said. Evelyn dropped her arm down in disappointment.

“Leave the keys?” Evelyn said as she put her hands in her pocket. Jane let out a sigh and walked around her car and handed Evelyn her keys.

“Fine. But no loud music and no riding off.” Jane said as she gathered herself and walked towards the door.

“Scouts honor, Parker.” Evelyn said as she smiled and held up two fingers.

Jane walked towards the door. The sound of her heels against the concrete echoed throughout the quiet underground parking lot. The door opened and closed. Io stepped out of the car and looked at Evelyn.

“You were never a scout.” Io said as she looked at the keys and then back at Evelyn. Io was wearing a mischievous grin on her face. She already figured out Evelyn’s plan before the keys were placed in her hand.

“Nope.” Evelyn replied with a smile as she put the keys in her pocket. Io slammed her hand on the hood of the car a few times.

“Blondie, time for you to get out. We’re going on a quest.” Io said as she without looking at the car or Samantha.

“A what?” Samantha called out in a timid voice.