Eleanor was tired but curious. She wanted to examine the device she had found and see if she could figure out what it was. She had taken it out of her backpack and placed it on her desk. She turned on her computer and connected the device to it with a cable.
She opened a program she thought could analyze the device, she scanned the device, and waited for the result, but was stunned by what she saw.
The device was from the year 2075.
She couldn't believe it. How was that possible? How could a device from the future end up in the past? How was that possible? and why would they bury it in the past? She had to find out more. She looked at the device and noticed that it had a dial with different symbols and a button. She wondered what they meant.
Eleanor's finger trembled as she hovered over the button of the mysterious device, a flicker of apprehension dancing in her eyes. With a hesitant exhale, she pressed down, half expecting nothing to happen. But the device had other plans.
A brilliant flash of light exploded before her, accompanied by a deafening beep that echoed through the air. Eleanor recoiled, her heart hammering against her chest as a surge of electricity coursed through her veins.
With a startled gasp, she stumbled backward, her fingers slipped from the device's smooth surface, falling from her grasp and clattering to the ground.
When the light finally dissipated, Eleanor found herself standing in a room unlike any she had ever seen. The air smelled of damp stone, and the sound of horses' hooves echoed in the distance. She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the dim lighting, and her breath caught in her throat. With a furrowed brow, she approached the window, her gaze sweeping over the scene beyond.
Outside the window stood people dressed in elaborate costumes, like characters from a bygone era, precisely those from history books. They rode horses with grace and elegance, as if they were straight out of a history book. Eleanor's mind whirred with confusion. Where was she? How had she ended up here?
And then, her gaze fell upon the iconic landmarks that stretched before her—a towering fortress, a winding river, and a stone bridge that spanned its breadth—she felt a chill run down her spine.
"The Tower of London," she whispered, her voice barely audible above the din of the bustling city below.
"What was that, my lady?" came a voice from behind her, causing Eleanor to startle in surprise.
Open-mouthed, Eleanor turned to find herself face to face with a young servant girl, her eyes wide with curiosity as she regarded Eleanor with a mixture of awe and confusion.
"I-I was just…admiring the view," Eleanor stammered, her mind racing to find an explanation for her sudden appearance in this strange place.
The servant girl nodded, her expression softening with understanding. "It is quite a sight, is it not? Especially on a day like today."
Eleanor forced a weak smile, her mind racing with a million questions and no answers in sight. She glanced down at the device still on the floor, the sight of it making her skeletons jump in fear.
******
Back at the Lab, Samuel successfully managed to connect with Chronos and teleport back to his time using his watch, but the portal that opened every time he activated Chronos was still open, and he stared at the portal in horror.
Something had gone terribly wrong this time. The portal had opened, but it had not closed after a few seconds as usual. Instead, it remained open, flickering and crackling with energy. Samuel could see the other side of the portal through the screen of his monitor, which showed a busy street in London.
He reached for the remote control that was supposed to shut down the device, but it did not work. He cursed and ran to the device, hoping to manually override it. He thought about the implications of this, and with a heavy sigh, he turned and picked up the remote control again hoping for some miracle this time.
The monitor displayed "Chronos malfunction detected.
Portal unstable. Closing attempt initiated. Please stand by."
He felt a glimmer of hope as he waited for the message to change, and for the portal to close.
But nothing happened. He looked at the screen again and saw another message.
"Closing attempt failed. Portal unstable. Chronos error."
*******
With trembling hands, Eleanor reached for the device and checked the display, her heart pounding in her chest.
And there it was, plain as day—a date etched in digital letters that sent a jolt of fear coursing through her veins.
May 1536.
A strangled cry tore from Eleanor's lips, she had traveled back in time.
The significance of the date her like a ton of bricks, her mind racing with the implications of what it meant. And then, as if to punctuate the moment with a cruel twist of fate, Eleanor made a startling discovery.
Her hand instinctively reached up to touch her hair, but she froze when her fingers came into contact with something unfamiliar. She studied herself in the reflection of the window, her heart pounding in disbelief. It couldn't be true, but the evidence was irrefutable.
She wasn't just a witness to history—she was a participant.
She was no longer Eleanor Caldwell, the archaeologist, but trapped within the body of Anne Boleyn, the ill-fated queen of England. Panic surged through her veins, threatening to drown her in its grip. She stumbled backward, a scream escaping her lips as the weight of the situation crashed over her like a tidal wave.
The sound of her own voice startled her, it was different, more regal. Her scream reverberated through the old stone walls, and she wondered if anyone would come to her aid. Did they know what was happening?
With a deep breath, Eleanor forced herself to calm down. She had to think. How did she end up here? What is this device and is it just messing with her mind? How can she get back to her own time? Could all this be in her head?