A Hole in Time

The Hole - Chapter 16 - Break the bedheads

Liam is holding the book that we wrote to ourselves from the future when I come back through the hole. His smile warms me from my head to my toes. I walk over to where he is sitting and sink to the ground. "Michael says hello. We had a really good talk." Liam looks at my face and laughs. I think about what I just said and I laugh as well. I just spent a short time talking to my future son. "Okay, Lee, I see how funny that is. But Michael answered a couple of my questions. Number one, John and Scarlett are affected by twin bond with us. They do receive instructions and they are able to decide whether to obey or not. So, they might be able to help us, if we can convince them to disobey their microchip instructions. The only problem is the microchip might still download information into the computer from their thoughts and we would get caught."

Liam shakes his head and smiles. "I was looking in this book. We, in the other timeline, figured out how to disconnect the download. The microchip would still charge but the thoughts would not download. That way they would still be able to be tracked by the computer, but their thoughts would not get downloaded. I think they might still receive instructions. And this book shows exactly how to disconnect the download. I think we should try." I nod my head, but I still frown.

"Lee, will the computer not realise that there are two microchips that are not downloading? They might come and fix the problem." Liam shakes his head. "No, the book says that the computer will not register it. Our parents will download thoughts about us, the other kids in our school groups will download thoughts about us, and they will all download thoughts about John and Scarlett as well. With all of that, the computer will not notice the silence of two. What do you think? I really think we need to do this. We cannot do it alone. John and Scarlett can help us in lots of ways. They can be two extra sets of eyes and hands, and decoys. The computer has the eyes of every other person in the Dome and every camera. We need help."

"Okay, Lee. I think that is a good plan. The book also tells us where the cameras are, so we should be able to dodge them. I need you to have a look at something else too. In the schematic book, there are words that I just cannot understand. I am much better with numbers." I pull the book out of my backpack and flip to the pages I am talking about. I hand the book to Liam and watch him read the words. "I think I will study it a bit more later. We need to get home and disconnect John and Scarlett's downloads."

I smile as we walk home. Standing here next to Liam, having spent time in the future with our son, and on our way to both help our twins and get their help, I am happy. I feel like I am ready to take on anything. Liam makes me feel strong and brave. I am so pleased that I am able to be close to Liam. He makes me feel like flying. I remember reading in one of my history books about how people used to fly through the sky. Would not that feel amazing?

I am still smiling by the time we reach the tree. Liam pulls me behind the tree and pulls out the book. We said to ourselves that the cameras in our street were turned off one hour after school finishes, so we are safe to walk down the street together. They do not know that we go to the field and not straight home, so we are safe. I smile and think to myself that It is another benefit of NOT being microchipped.

The cameras in our houses are only on doorknobs. Our parents are still at the Healers centre, because it is not quite four o'clock yet. They do not finish until half past five. John and Scarlett are in the dining room in my house, so we decide to fix Scarlett's download first. We creep up to the door, grasp the handle, cover the camera and enter the house. The doors are all closed, as they normally are when a family is out, so the cameras cannot see us yet. We hang my backpack over the doorknob on the front door, so it cannot see us. Liam points down, so we get onto our knees and crawl past the closed doors. Being on the ground, we pass under the view of the cameras.

We get to the stairs and climb up. Liam has to go first. This is his house, so the computer will not think anything of him climbing his own stairs. Liam opens his door and his parents door so the cameras cannot see me and beckons me up. I stand behind Liam as he opens Scarlett's door, leaving his backpack over the door handle. We are now free to work on the bed-head. Liam pulls out the book and lays it on the bed. There are step by step instructions to follow, so It is easy. It takes no time at all. It is a simple wire that needs to be disconnected. The wires are coloured, so it is easier to find.

After we finish with Scarlett's bed-head, I hurry down the stairs. Liam closes all the doors and comes back down the stairs. We crawl back under the cameras and return to the door. Liam grasps the handle, covers both cameras, inside and Outside, and I grab my backpack. I scurry out of the door and hide from the camera as Liam closes the door. He closes the door, steps out of the cameras line of sight and removes his hand. We smile at each other, pleased with our accomplishment. The next step is John's download.

It is just as easy to fix John's download, only a little difficult to get to his room. I have to go first this time. I stand in the doorway of the dining room so John and Scarlett do not see Liam crawl past the cameras. I meet him up the stairs and check on the cameras. My door does not have a camera, unlike Liam's. My backpack is hung over my parent's door handle and Liam's is hung over John's. We work just as fast as we did with Scarlett's bed-head and so we have spare time to work on my room. There are microphones in my room, but no cameras. We find where they are with the help of the book and remove them from the wall. My room is now secure and we can speak about whatever we want. This is where we will have to tell John and Scarlett about everything and their part.