“All right.” She opened her notes. “The most recent studies by NASA’s Themis spacecraft and Europe’s Cluster Probe tell us that these magnetic portals may be opening and closing dozens of times every day. Typically, they’re located tens of thousands of miles above earth where the solar winds interact with the earth’s geomagnetic fields. It’s believed that most of the portals are small and short-lived. There are a few that are vast, yawning, long-lasting things. What I found unsettling was the fact that these portals are unstable, invisible, and elusive. They open and close without warning.”
“So, there’s no way of controlling what Reno and I would be going through.” Journey was beginning to get the picture.
“No. Many of the other planets have magnetospheres that interact with the sun’s solar winds to varying degrees. Who’s to say how many thousands of portals open and close across our solar system each day? Hell, who knows where someone could end up walking through one of these things. Or walking out? Reno, it’s a one in a million wonder that you ended up here. There’s a possibility you could’ve stepped out on the surface of the moon, for God’s sake.”
Reno was listening, but he said nothing. His eyes were eating Journey up. The thought of putting her into danger made his heart sink. But how could he turn his back on his responsibilities? People’s lives were at stake. He felt sick. Torn.
“So, what are you saying? What do I do? Just give up?”
Lou shook her head, chewing on the inside of her cheek. “No, I wouldn’t recommend stopping our research or our preparations. Despite the data I’ve accumulated, we'll keep looking at possibilities and study every aspect. Plus, I’ll integrate what I’ve learned into the process. We’ll also analyze what happened to you to determine if there’s anything about your specific situation that could give us hope that your journey through time could be repeated. Safely.”
“How are we going to do that?” Reno asked, feeling discouraged.
“I don’t know.” Lou picked up her pen and tapped the end on the table. “Somehow, we need to get back to basics. Focus more on you and the place where this happened. I just wish there was someone…” She brightened and snapped her fingers. “There is someone. I don’t know much about him. He’s an authority on local legend and lore.” Lou began searching for a note in one of her files, her voice a low mutter. “One of my students gave me a paper that quoted him…something about people vanishing from Enchanted Rock. I planned to speak with him to ascertain if he knows anything relevant. Only problem – I lost the second page of the damn article. So, I don’t have a phone number, just a name. To complicate matters, I can’t get another copy of the article because my student is doing an internship in the wilds of Borneo. She’ll be off-grid for weeks.” She searched some more.” Ah, here it is. His name is Kota Blue. Have you ever heard of him?”
Journey smiled at Reno. “We have. He happens to work for Aunt Myra.”
“Seriously?” Lou was shocked. “See? A good sign. This is encouraging.”
“Possibly.” Reno rubbed the scruff on his chin. “To make this more interesting, I think he knows something.”
“Yes? About time-travel? About the past?” Lou encouraged him to elaborate.
“About me. He made some comments that lead me to believe he knows I’m from the past.”
Lou didn’t dispute his conclusion. “Interesting. Can you set up a meeting?” she asked Journey.
“He may be here now.” Journey pushed away from the table and moved to the window. “Yea, his truck is outside. Do you want me to ask him to join us?”
Lou looked at Reno as she spoke. “No time like the present.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back.” Journey hurried away, grateful for a few moments to clear her mind.
Once she was gone, Lou rounded on Reno. “What are you thinking? Asking Journey to go back in time with you?”
Reno’s face grew stern. “I love her. She loves me.”
“If you love her like you say, you’d want to protect her. I cannot emphasize enough how dangerous this could be!”
Swallowing a sharp retort, Reno wheeled around and knocked one of the kitchen table chairs across the room. He watched it land, a little surprised it didn’t break into pieces. Lou was right. He knew she was right. “I’ll have to consider the best way to handle this. Just give me time.”
“Give you time?” Lou marched to the window. “Time is the most uncertain factor in this whole strange ordeal.” As she watched, she could see Journey returning. “Here she comes. You’d best pick up the evidence of your temper tantrum.”
Reno did as she suggested, willing himself to calm down. There was much to be done.
When Journey rejoined them, she sensed tension. “What’s going on?”
“Not a thing.” Reno came to her and kissed her on the cheek. “Just waiting for you. What did he say?”
“He’s almost through with his work. Kota doesn’t want to meet here, though. He’s asking that we meet him at his camp.”
“Where would that be?” Lou asked. “Should I change clothes?”
Journey eyed Lou’s suit. “Probably wouldn’t be a bad idea. He said his camp isn’t far, just about a mile from the park on Sandy Creek.” She looked at Reno. “We were close to his place where we picnicked earlier.”
“All right. Give me a minute.” Lou hurried from the room to change into something more casual.
When she left, silence pervaded the room. Long moments past before Journey spoke up. “What are you thinking?”
“I don’t know.” He dry-scrubbed his face with both
