Impossible Journey, A Tale of Times and Truth

It is decided that only three of them should make the journey back in time.  That's about as many as can fit comfortably into the cylinder with the equipment and supplies.  Of course, each one of them wants the opportunity, despite the danger involved.  They decide to send the only three who have a working knowledge of Hebrew, the first language.  These are Daniel, Kerry, and Walter.

Soon, under the direction of David Sung, the time machine begins to take shape.  The whole site covers about the area of a city block, but the time cylinder itself is a bit smaller.  The platform covers the entire diameter of the cylinder which is 400 square feet.  This allows space for all necessary equipment and supplies, including food, a limited supply of purified water for drinking, and the fuel, which is mostly in concentrated form to conserve weight, although a few jars of liquid fuel are included to allow for the possibility of not finding water in a particular local.  In no time, all of the concrete, steel, electric generators, and magnets are put in place.  At last, the time has come.  The world, already on tiptoe, is now holding its breath.  If everything goes according to plan, when the room-cylinder revolves at the speed of one thousand revolutions per minute, and the magnetic flux lines are applied at one thousand ergs, along with the electrical energy field at 10,000 volt-ampere, both for a period of one minute at the same resonant frequency, the cylinder, with its occupants, will be retrojected back in time 200 years, more or less.

Now, the equipment and supplies are carefully placed in the cylinder, leaving space for the men.  Dan, Walt, and Kerry are jubilant as they enter the cylinder.  Having entered and taken their places, they strap themselves in place and wait expectantly.

Mark Lewis, as honorary chairman of the group, gives the order to apply power to the equipment.  As soon as the power is applied, the electrical generators begin to turn.

Meanwhile, inside the cylinder, Daniel is standing ready with his hand on the lever.

"Isn’t this exciting?"

"It sure is!  I can’t wait to see where we land first.

"Hey!  That’s Mark's signal!  Pull that lever, Dan!"

Daniel gives the lever a long hard pull.  There is a blast of light and energy and the cylinder rises to midair and hangs suspended there, just above the heads of the excited spectators.

Nothing happens for two seconds.  Three seconds, and still nothing.  Four seconds, five seconds, still nothing.  Six seconds pass. Now, suddenly a bright flash of light appears on the instrument panel.   From outside, the revolving room into which the three men have entered suddenly disappears from the sight of the amazed spectators.  The project has begun!

"Wow!  Did you see that?  All of a sudden it just disappeared--like that!"

"Yeah!  Isn’t it great?  They’re on their way now, to who knows where."

"This is truly a momentous occasion!"  observes John.

"Indeed!  Shall we celebrate it inside with a drink?"

************

Inside the capsule, lights continue to flash on the instrument panel, showing that the cylinder is still traveling--traveling not only through space but through time as well.  The numbers on the time indicator are moving backward at a rate too fast to read.

Suddenly, there is a loud grinding noise coming from the indicator, which, just as suddenly stops, showing 00000.  There is a loud beep, and then silence.  The cylinder has landed.  They are there, wherever and whenever they are.