BACK AND FORTH-I

CHAPTER 5

                                                                      Chapter Five

                                                            MAKING THINGS WORK

   Peter, Bill and I set to work on gathering the equipment to rebuild the time machine, and we spent the next few days dismantling, under Bill's instruction, the vehicle's archaic electronics parts. We wired Bill's graphene loaded super-computer to the various paraphernalia that Bill had brought with him. All the work seemed to be going well, except for finding a suitable means of generating enough power, without overloading Britain's national electric grid.

  Peter took some time out to walk the grounds and get some fresh air, while Bill and I worked on the hook-ups we need to power the circuits for the time machine, when I noticed Peter reenter the laboratory. Excitedly, Peter  asked Bill and I to follow him outside.

 Bill and exchange a look, and, shrugging, we put down out tools and followed Peter into the grounds. In the rear of the grounds , between three very large White Oak trees lay and old looking shed that had been left to the elements to weather, but otherwise looked structurally sound.

        "I was being nosy, Anton. I took a look inside the shed. And I think you ought see for yourself what I have found," said Peter, sporting a grin as wide as Tesco parking lot, he ushered us both inside.

   I entered the building and saw that there is a light switch. I turned on the light and gazed about. I'm used to electric sub-stations, but this is something I did not expect to see inside an old shed. Inside, the structure looked well maintained. I returned to the outside and looked across the field to see the where the line of the underground 11: Kilo-volt electric power lines going to the house, via a step-down transformer on a pole. I re-entered the building, and could hear, clearly, the gentle hum of the substation, proving that there is, indeed, a power feed to this unit.

  I spoke in a low tone, more because I felt that what I am about to say might sound silly, childish, even. I looked over my shoulder to see Peter and Bill peering over the transformer labeling.

       "This is a government owned and paid for, sub-station." I said, coldly.

      "It fits," said Bill, nodding in agreement. "It is the source of power," he continued.

      "It would explain Doctor Sprig's frequent absences from the college, and why he was never fired, despite calls for his impeachment by the faculty." Bill began tracing a path to the house. "Well, come on? There is a power outlet feeding the laboratory from that pole's transformer underground somewhere. All we have to do is to find that electrical termination." Peter and I followed Bill apace back to the house.

   I began wondering about the electric bill, but heck, I thought. I am not paying for the juice, so do I care? Then I pondered on why, if the government had paid for all this, had they not taken any of the equipment away, and, come to that, why had not the sub-station, along with its transformer not been removed, long ago? Could it be that Doctor Sprig is still alive, in another time, or another dimension? I wondered if there is more to this story than initially met the eye.

   Searching for a circuit-breaker box was not too hard. In fact, Peter saw it first, hidden behind a smart mahogany panel. I could see that both men were delighted we now had a source of power.

   We broke for lunch, and, collectively, gathered our thoughts. I understood that the task that Bill had set before us is not going to be easy, but for some reason, the prospect of the adventure we were about to embark upon did not seem to daunt Bill. Bill seemed confident, well, to me he did. As for Peter, I'm sure he is still dubious. Knowing Peter as I did, I knew that he would see the task before us come to fruition, or at least enjoy the technical challenge, whatever the outcome. My thoughts were with my forbearing wife, Maria, when I started; as Bill announced, abruptly his next project. I listened intently as Bill rambled on about voltage, current, inductance and induced containment of the plasma flux. Peter leaned over and asked if Bill had told him about the find. I replied that he hadn't.