Free The Time Travel Chronicles by Robert J. Sawyer, Stefan Bolz, Ann Christy, Samuel Peralta, Rysa Walker, Lucas Bale, Anthony Vicino, Ernie Lindsey, Carol Davis, Tracy Banghart, Michael Holden, Daniel Arthur Smith, Ernie Luis, Erik Wecks Page A

the hallway to our chamber, two doors down from the sickroom. “We’re supposed to stick to the plan .” 
    She’s referring to the formal mission plan, submitted months in advance and cleared by Angelo and a half dozen other CHRONOS functionaries prior to each historical jump.  We provide them with the precise historical questions we’ll address, a list of events we’ll witness directly, individuals we intend to contact, lodging arrangements for overnight stays, and so forth.  According to the plan I submitted, I’m here to observe the impact of the legendary “dark day” on the Society of United Friends, an eighteenth-century millennialist sect.  I haven’t read the plan Katherine submitted, but knowing her mentors, I’d wager it’s some feminist garbage about how Quaker society and its offshoots empowered female leaders.  
    Supposedly, having a precise plan and adhering to it limits our impact on the timeline, on top of the host of pesky technical constraints they’ve built into the system.  The primary nuisance is locking down our travel with the key.  All historians must return to CHRONOS headquarters via the same stable point at which we arrive, with no side trips.  While there’s some degree of flexibility as to when we return, anything more than a few days outside your preordained window will be flagged during your post-jump med scan.  And, as my roommate Tate recently discovered, you’d better have a damned good explanation for your delay.
    These protocols help CHRONOS isolate accidental alterations to the timeline.  They’ve never been willing to discuss the specifics with a mere historian like myself—CHRONOS bureaucracy is a complex, multilayered ecosystem—but between my own experiences and what I’ve pieced together from others, no one worries about minor blips on the historical radar.  Minute, splinter-sized changes will happen in the course of any jump, but these rough edges are worn away within a few years.  In some cases, the reports don’t even pick up those anomalies, especially on jumps like this one to tiny burgs where the historical recordkeeping is scanty at best.  They’re looking for things that change history on a grand scale. The small tweak I’m working here with Friend Jemima—along with the dozen or so other miracles and prophecies I intend to add over the next few years—will never show up in their aggregated results. 
    Of course, little Kathy here is fresh out of training.  CHRONOS protocol has been pounded into her pretty head on a daily basis for the past eight years.  No doubt she believes the sky will come tumbling down if we deviate the slightest bit from the mission plan. 
    Another downside to having a wide-eyed child as my traveling companion.   Someone who’s been around a bit would be more relaxed.  All of the historians, with the possible exception of Delia Morrell and Abel Waters, sneak away for a joyride from time to time. 
    On the other hand, a more experienced partner would be more likely to pick up on any activities outside the norm.  And since I can’t do every jump solo…Katherine is probably the lesser of the various evils I could have at my side. 
    That doesn’t keep me from wanting to snap her neck right now.  Once we’re in our room with the door closed behind us, I take a deep breath and answer her question.  “It would have been impolite to refuse Jemima’s offer.  And this gives us a chance to observe their reactions up close.  To really understand what happens.”
    “I’m here to study Wilkinson and I haven’t even seen her yet!” 
    I put the lantern on the dresser. “You just sat around a table with a family of Quakers—“
    She opens her mouth to correct me, so I quickly amend. “I know it’s a variant.  The Society of United Friends.  What-the-hell-ever. The point remains.  This is an opportunity that fell into our laps and I took it.”
    “Chatting with a bunch of children won’t help me answer