The Time Bubble Box Set 2, стр. 19
“Let’s get on with it,” said Henry, “before I change mymind.”
“OK, for the record, we are all set to go, and I am ready toactivate now,” said Alice. “Are you ready, Henry?”
“Go for it,” he replied.
Alice pressed the button on the tachyometer to begin theprocess. The method for copying the mind had been significantly refined sincethey had first witnessed it in Canberra. Now it took barely a second to makethe copy and it could also be operated remotely from a distance. There was nolonger any need for the brain to be positioned directly beneath a scanner.
The machine extracted a copy of Henry’s brain, absorbed itinto the tachyometer and then sought out his brain signature at the time theyhad set in the past. This signature, something previously discovered by Henryand Vanessa, was as unique as DNA and could be sought out in any location.
The tachyometer then created the duplicate universe andpasted his consciousness into that brain. It took less than two seconds. Thewhole process seemed like the stuff of fantasy, but the four of them had madeit a reality.
From Henry’s perspective, he was instantly transported fromthe lab to The Kings Arms at the bottom of Broad Street where he was sitting ata rectangular wooden table with the others as they waited for their lunchorders.
“It works!” he exclaimed, revelling in the curious andslightly exhilarating sensation that the transfer had left him with.
“What works?” asked Josh.
“Oh, nothing,” replied Henry, hurriedly, remembering that hewasn’t supposed to reveal anything and casting his eyes around for a reason toexplain his outburst.
“This salt cellar,” he added, grabbing the glass containerfrom the table and upending it, spilling a few grains of salt onto the table.“It works perfectly. You know what these things are like – always gumming up.”
“Henry doesn’t add salt to his food anymore, do you, dear?” saidVanessa. “It’s bad for his blood pressure.”
“Sadly not,” said Henry, who had a constant craving forsalty snacks which his doctor had forbidden him to have. “It’s Burger Rings Imiss the most.”
“Oh, yeah, I had a packet of those in Melbourne,” said Josh.“They’re gorgeous.”
Henry was still marvelling at hissurroundings and the thrill of knowing that the experiment had succeeded.The discussion about not being able to eat crisps and snacks anymore had openedhis mind to all sorts of possibilities.
He had been on pills for years due to his excess weightbrought on by overindulgence, but he wasn’t going to have to worry about suchthings anymore if he could just go back to a time when he was young and fit.Then he could eat or drink whatever he wanted. In the here and now that meantthe roast beef and horseradish sandwich that the waiter was now bringing overfor him to enjoy for the second time that day.
He also ate more slowly than before, taking extra care notto spill anything on his shirt as the four of them talked about their plans forthe experiment that afternoon. Little did they know, it was already takingplace which he was secretly thrilled about. He was worried that he might givehimself away, but he managed to suppress his excitement sufficiently to avoidsuspicion.
Then, as swiftly and as suddenly as he departed, he was backon the couch.
“Well?” asked Josh, eagerly, as Henry sat up, just fiveseconds after Alice had activated the equipment from their perspective. “Howwas it?”
“A complete success!” replied Henry. “I just relived my ownlunchtime and I didn’t make a mess with the horseradish sauce this time.”
“Maybe not in that universe but it’s still here in ours,”remarked Vanessa.
“Which is proof in itself that our universe remains unaltered,”replied Henry.
“What next, then?” asked Vanessa.
“Tomorrow, I’ll attempt a longer stint and go further backin time,” said Josh. “I haven’t quite worked out where yet, but I’ll think ofsomething.”
“We can talk about it tonight,” said Alice. “Charlie andKaylee are coming over for dinner, remember?”
“Of course,” said Josh. “Charlie’s full of ideas – he’ll beable to think of something good.”
That evening, over dinner and the inevitable heavy wineconsumption that went with it, Josh excitedly told his friends about thesuccess of the trial with an enthusiasm they eagerly shared.
“I must say, as someone whose body is seriously starting tofeel the ravages of middle age, this is seriously appealing,” remarked Charlie.“It takes me about three days to recover from a heavy evening’s drinking thesedays.”
“I keep telling him he needs to cut down,” said Kaylee, whohad always led a considerably cleaner lifestyle than her husband.
“It’s not like I drink every night,” protested Charlie. “AndI only drink this much when we’re in company.”
“Not like back in the day, eh?” said Josh. “We used to knockit back then, didn’t we?”
“We certainly did. But it was easy in those days. We wereyoung and fit and we had no responsibilities. Eight pints on a Saturday nightwasn’t a problem when you didn’t have to get up until lunchtime on Sunday. Thatall went out the window when the kids came along.”
“The good old days,” said Josh.
“Listen to you two,” said Alice. “You sound like two oldmen.”
“I feel like an old man,” said Josh. “My back’s really beenplaying me up today.”
“He’s right, they were the good old days,” said Charlie byway of support. “Everything’s changed since then – music, TV, fashions. It wasso much better in our day.”
“In our day!” said Kaylee. “That’s another old personsaying. My dad used to talk like that all the time when Liv and I were growingup. He was adamant that 80s music was the best and used to make us watch old Topof the Pops episodes on BBC4 to show us how much better the music was inhis era.”
“And doubtless your grandparents banged on about the 50s,”said Alice. “It’s the same for every generation – each has nostalgic memoriesof the particular era in which they grew up.”
“The great thing now is that they don’t have to be justmemories anymore,” said Josh. “We really can go back and relive any time in ourlife over again