Chrono Voyage

Chapter 16: Ancient Times

     The machine appeared out of nowhere and pushed the air particles away causing a sound like an explosion and somebody screaming as if a bomb had exploded. Except the problem was where they went there were no bombs or explosions it was far too early for all of that stuff. Elizabeth and Benjamin came out of the machine and breathed in the low carbon air, it was cold and the sky was grey the air seemed wet it had just rained, the grass was also wet and slippery it spread itself along the horizon. They enjoyed themselves for a while and the screams started again.

     “What?” Elizabeth was really confused, she turned back and the machine was there it`s not like it landed again, but the screams still persisted. Benjamin followed the sound as it led him to the back of the machine and saw somebody as he was laying on the ground screaming. Benjamin was amazed and frightened he saw the golden armor and the red cape, the golden helmet with a red mohawk on top, he also had sandals and a Gladius sword. “No way…” he thought. “It`s an ancient Roman soldier.”

     “Elizabeth help me!” he called at her as she ran back. Benjamin grabbed the soldier and turned him on his back, he had a wound on his stomach, and blood was coming everywhere from the armor, the machine`s shockwave may have seemed like a bomb going off next to him and pushed him back falling flat on his face.

     “What do we do?” Elizabeth's voice trembled. Benjamin removed his armor and a cape and revealed all the bruises and cuts that the soldier had across his body, Benjamin touched one of the bruises and the soldier screamed, Benjamin knew that some of his ribs were broken.

     “He may be bleeding internally,” Benjamin looked at Elizabeth. “He needs to be treated properly and immediately,” Elizabeth knew that they can do “immediately,” but “properly,” was a long shot for everybody given the time period they were in. The soldier kept screaming as Benjamin kept cleaning his cuts with a piece of fabric that he tore off from his shirt, Elizabeth couldn`t take it anymore, it was taking too long and strayed them away from their mission.

     “Move away,” she said as she stood up and pulled a gun from the belt pointing it at the soldier.

     “What!? NO!” Benjamin stood up and stood between Elizabeth`s gun and the soldier.

     “It`s too late for him, get out of my way,” she warned.

     “No I won`t let you do that, I won`t let you take his life.”

     “We`ve done far worse things.”

     “Is that what you want to do? Play God? Look at him,” Benjamin turned at the soldier who was fighting for breath. “Wouldn`t you want our help if that was you?” There was no way Elizabeth was going to argue about this one, simply she knew that if he shot him Benjamin would get angry and not talk to her for a while, then she would have to make up a speech that would make him forgive her, it was too much. She put the gun in the belt and walked away, opening the door of the machine, she pulled out a first aid briefcase and tossed it to Benjamin.

     “There`s alcohol inside, wash your hands.”

     “Wash my hands? Why?” he looked at her strangely. “Wait a minute…” he took two steps towards her. “You… don’t believe in germ theory do you?” 

     “Wash your hands…” she said again crossing her hands.

     “You are one of those fools believing in germ theory?” Benjamin could not believe it, he thought that she was actually smart but believing in germ theory? That is unheard of.

     “We are wasting time!!!” Elizabeth was really pissed off so much that she now pulled the gun on Benjamin. “Bloody hell just wash your hands!” Benjamin still could not believe it, but he had to do it, now that his life was on the line, he washed his hands and gave the soldier a stick to bite on while he cleaned his wounds. The soldier’s screams were as loud as ever, Elizabeth walked a few meters away and saw a small grassy incline that she scaled, she looked back and she wasn’t far from the machine nor Benjamin, she looked out front and saw the magnificent city of ancient Rome. It was Rome that they needed the translator for, it was Rome that they have been preparing for all this time. But Latin language shouldn’t be a problem for Elizabeth since she traveled so much she must have remembered to learn it? Or Benjamin since he is a doctor and he is automatically required to learn it if he wants to call himself a doctor. No, they were here for something else, something that Benjamin would never guess and something that Elizabeth has never seen or experienced in her travels. She walked back and stood beside Benjamin, he managed to clean all the wounds and started stitching them up rather professionally if I might add, he was no fraud after all he was a doctor indeed a hell of a good one, in fact, he did his best work, well he always did. Benjamin was one of those annoying people that don`t give up until something is perfect, not good but perfect and he wasn`t going to give up on him now. But the circumstances were not on his side to neither of them. This was ancient Rome and even in ancient Rome the soldier scouts had to report back to their posts, this one in fact did not, rather it couldn`t, what with all of the cuts and broken ribs had something to do with it, therefore a searching party is dispatched ‘No one left behind.’  Makes sense and it`s simple as to why they would do that, however it is something that Benjamin and Elizabeth completely forgot was going to happen.

     “Uire prohibere non!!!” yelled somebody, by the time Elizabeth turned back she saw Benjamin throwing away his tools and stepping away from the soldier with his hands high in the air, she turned to the right and saw a group of Roman soldiers with their spears and swords drawn in their eyes Benjamin and Elizabeth were the enemy since they hurt the soldier.

     “Quis es!?” one of the soldiers spoke.

     “I`m sorry…” Elizabeth walked towards the machine.

     “Prohibere!!!” the soldier yelled again. 

     “I am not going to harm you!” Elizabeth raised her hands in the air. “I am just going to bring out a device that will help us understand each other…”

     “Yeah I don’t think a lot of good that will do to you, they didn’t understand a word of it,” Benjamin looked at her.

     “I am going for it either way,” she looked back at him. “Take this,” she threw him the gun. “If any of them makes a move, fire a warning shot…”

     “But I’ve never used a gun.”

     “Well… You better hope it stays that way,” she kept pacing slowly to the machine as Benjamin pointed the gun towards the soldiers who took a step back, they were frightened by the black contraption as Elizabeth still held one of her arms in the air and with the other she pulled out the device from the machine, she pressed a button and the lights shone green, it was active.

     “H…Hello, is this thing working?”

     “Salve, hoc est opus?” the device repeated as the soldiers widened their eyes.

     “Quid est!?” asked a soldier.

     “What is that?” the device activated again.

     “Interesting…” Elizabeth turned off the device and tinkered with it for a second so that she could put it in sync and it won’t speak after they do, but rather when they are speaking at the moment.

     “Is this better?” she asked and the device followed instantly after her. “Yes it is…” she looked towards the soldiers who were slowly backing away. I mean a talking box? Now, this was too much even for the great Roman empire. “Calm down, we are not here to hurt you, we are here to help you…” she looked toward the bleeding soldier. “Your friend can agree with you,” the soldiers were starting to ease off a little bit, some of them holstered their weapons and some of them still had them drawn out. “Take us to your emperor and we shall help you,” she spoke to them.

     “To the… The Emperor?” Benjamin looked at her with disbelief as if they would take two strangers who might pose all kinds of dangers straight to the emperor. “What emperor is that?” he asked as Elizabeth just looked at him and looked away towards the soldiers, he looked at the wounded soldier's uniform again and then looked at the other soldiers and their uniforms and suddenly the light bulb came to life inside his head. “No way!!!” he looked at her. “Caesar!!!” 

     “Quomodo scis hoc nomen alieni?” asked the general, which the talking box translated it to: “How do you know that name stranger?” the Roman soldiers were startled again, every time the machine spoke they were startled.

     “We offer gifts, for the emperor, his heir and his wife…” said Elizabeth, which translated to: “Munera imperatori, heredi et uxori eius…”

     “Gifts? What gifts?” asked Benjamin knowing they were broke to the last dime, Elizabeth reached in her pocket and pulled off a piece of parchment as soon as she did that the soldiers assumed positions with a firm stance and pointed their spears toward her. “It’s alright… This is a weapon…” she unfolded the parchment and showed its face to the soldiers. It was the drawing she took from Da Vinci’s blueprints for the golden armor.