I don’t think we’ve gone past ten thousand. I smiled victoriously: I was truly a champion, because instead of bringing the scientists a set of photographs, I was going to bring them something tangible. McTroy tried to temper me, but I was unstoppable, especially when I learned that my temporal abilities were due to genetic traits, so I wasn’t going to deny myself anything that money and glory could give me. Sometimes I barely managed to stay in the time I wanted for a few seconds, because like a bungee jumping rope stretched really tight, time was pulling me back to where I belonged. Eliza was clutching my waist feverishly, and I think she was looking eagerly around, when suddenly I heard her squeaking like a mouse and pointing to a flower somewhere near us. As time strained its powers behind me to pull me back to the present, I raised my pistol and fired at the rock, an instant before I was jerked forcefully back to the present. I was just explaining to her that it’s not good to get more than fifty feet away from the chronomotocycle because it might get out of sync and yank us back to the present when she let out an exclamation of amazement:
“There’s another one closer,” she exclaimed delightedly and, before I could get
