Time Riders

CHAPTER 70

2001, New York

Maddy and Sal stared at the space in the archway where a moment ago the very airhad been thrumming vibrantly, a pocket of space that shimmered like the heat veil above abarbecue or the hot tarmac of a sun-baked highway.

Foster had deactivated the time-displacement machine.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said. He leaned wearily against the computer desk, tiredand finally looking like someone with no more answers left to give. ‘I thought we hadenough of a charge to get Liam through. I was wrong.’

Sal looked up from where the small ball of hot air had shimmered three feet above the ground.It had bobbed and undulated for less than a minute, and she was almost certain that throughthe flickering haze she’d seen Liam’s and Bob’s faces staring back ather.

‘So, that’s it?’ she said quietly.

Foster nodded.

‘Hang on! We’ve still got some charge left,’ said Maddy, pointing at therow of little green lights on the machine. There were three green LEDs and an orange one; therest were now red.

‘Yes,’ he replied.

‘So… why couldn’t you have used that power to widen the window?’ sheasked, a sharp edge of desperation creeping into her voice.

He took a deep breath. ‘It was as wide as I could make it. There justwasn’t enough to work with. I’m sorry.’

‘Couldn’t we have…’ Maddy was looking for possibilities.‘Couldn’t we have kept the window open longer? Maybe we could have communicatedwith them somehow?’

‘We were just wasting energy, Madelaine. Just wasting it. It was obvious theycouldn’t come through.’

‘So you closed it off?’

He nodded. ‘At least we still have some charge left.’

She shook her head, a shrill, desperate laugh escaped her lips. ‘For what, Foster? Forwhat?’

He said nothing.

‘Maybe…’ cut in Sal, ‘maybe there’s enough diesel left in thegenerator to — ’

Maddy snorted. ‘To what? Charge it up again so we can open up another midget-sizedwindow?’

The muted chugging from the back room filled the long silence between them.

Foster finally nodded towards the small line of lights on the machine. ‘We have alittle stored power left. I suggest we should be thinking how best to save ourselves nowthat…’

‘Now that it’s too late to save history?’ said Maddy.

Foster’s smile was pinched and weak. ‘Yes. What power’s left will provideus with light for a while at least.’

‘And coffee,’ said Sal.

He laughed softly. ‘And coffee… until it runs out.’

Maddy looked up at the ceiling light. ‘And then eventually that will flickerout.’ She looked at the other two. ‘And then we’ll be like those things outthere… in the city, foraging in the dark for scraps.’

She immediately wished she hadn’t said that. They all realized they’d run out of options. It hadn’t needed spelling out quite so bluntly.

Sal slumped down on one of the armchairs around the breakfast table. ‘I guessthat’s it.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ replied Foster. ‘It does seem like that’sit.’