Bab 80: Chapter 80: The Clock Struck One, Part 1

Elgin National, Clock Tower Room, March 27, 2037, Present Day

Centehua walked into the room after lunch. As it usually did, Louie's face lit up. She smiled at him and came over to his workbench. Putting her hand on his shoulder, she bent over to see what he was working on. Her soft touch brought cascading tingles down his spine.

She looked at the AI circuit and the holographic oscilloscope image which displayed a complex, double helix sign wave.

"What is that circuit board going into?" she asked.

"It's for a prototype of a larger version of our time preserver. Katya inspired this one. If we can get it to work safely, a pet can be kept in there, and it won't even know that time had passed outside the box."

"Radgie Gadgie!" she said. "Where's Howie this afternoon?"

"He had to make a run to Menards for some extra hardware."

She looked around before continuing. "You know, he keeps it a big secret, but I found out that his birthday is next week. He'll be twenty-four on Monday."