Rio was led to what looked like a warehouse, unguarded and nondescript from the outside. As they entered, Rio noticed the interior was packed with boxes of medicine and medical equipment, stacked haphazardly along the walls. This looked nothing like a time-travel lab.
Rio's alertness heightened as he was led further inside by Hyllos and Haydon. The air was musty, and the dim lighting added to the eerie atmosphere.
As if to answer Rio's doubts, Hyllos continued to walk through the boxes of medical supplies and reached a trapdoor, which he lifted with great strength. Rio eyed the trapdoor suspiciously, contemplating whether he should follow them into whatever lay below. He remembered how Huette had been confined in the company and hesitated for a moment.
"The lab is below," said Haydon, seemingly able to see through what was on Rio's mind. Then, Haydon's body disappeared from Rio's view as he followed behind Hyllos and descended through the trapdoor.
Rio descended through dimly lit stairs, his heart pounding with uncertainty. The grasp of the scalpel grew tighter as trepidation grew stronger with each step. The darkness seemed to swallow him whole, and Rio's mind raced with thoughts of what awaited him below.
As Rio reached the bottom of the stairs, he found himself in a large, dimly lit chamber. The air was thick with the smell of machinery and something else he couldn't quite place. In the center of the room, there was a large, metallic contraption that looked like a futuristic version of a time machine.
Haydon and Hyllos stood near the machine, watching Rio intently as he approached. Rio's heart raced as he realized the gravity of the situation. He was about to witness something that could change everything he knew about the world.
"Through this machine," Haydon's eyes landed on the machine with a hint of pride, "we can travel to the spot where all the passengers and aircraft were transported."
"I don't understand," Rio asked, "this is not the machine that could travel back in time?"
Haydon chuckled, "No, we can't travel back in time yet. But if you want to see how the passengers were transported to the present day, then get into this machine and key in the coordinates that you found from the Magnetar Core of mine." Then, his eyes darted from the machine to the bulge in his pocket from the metallic device that Rio had claimed back from Professor Landon.
Haydon's gaze lingered on the metallic device in his pocket for a moment before he looked back at Rio. "You're not planning anything foolish, are you?" he asked, his tone laced with a warning.
Rio shook his head, his expression determined. "I just want to understand what happened, Mr. Haydon. I want to know the truth."
Haydon studied him for a moment before nodding. "Very well. Step into the machine and enter the coordinates."
Haydon and Hyllos entered the machine, leaving the rest of the men outside. Rio followed suit, placing Batho inside before entering himself. The interior of the machine was like a high-tech transport pod, with sleek, metallic surfaces and a futuristic control panel. Rio immediately identified the console where he could key in the coordinates he had obtained from the Magnetar Core.
Rio took out the Magnetar Core from his pocket, twisting it as Professor Landon had taught him. A set of coordinates appeared on the device, confirming that he had correctly accessed the information he needed.
He entered the coordinates and waited as the machine hummed to life around him.
To his surprise, the machine seemed to detach itself from the shell that Rio had seen earlier. Underneath their feet, Rio felt an opening open up, and the pod they were in began to descend. It was like free fall, with the pod sinking deeper and deeper. Rio's stomach churned as he felt the sensation of weightlessness, his heart pounding in his chest.
But Haydon and Hyllos seemed composed, as if they had experienced this numerous times before. Their calm demeanor only added to Rio's unease, making him wonder what he had gotten himself into.
Even without looking at the surroundings, Rio was almost certain they were now deep in the sea. The coordinates on the monitor kept changing, indicating they were traveling at a surreal speed, despite not feeling any movement at all.
As Rio was about to ask about the machine, Haydon was attacked by another bout of coughing. This bout was more severe than the first one Rio had witnessed. Haydon coughed until he was almost out of breath, his body wracked with the force of it. Again, he coughed out more blood, this time staining his handkerchief even more. The sight sent a shiver down Rio's spine, and he couldn't help but wonder what was happening to Haydon.
This reminded Rio of what the butler had told him about Haydon's father and grandfather, who had died miraculously when they were still in their forties. Though Haydon looked younger than that age, Rio could believe that Haydon might die from this severe cough.
"Is this the illness that runs in your family?" asked Rio, his voice steady despite the tension in the air.
Haydon raised an eyebrow at the question, seemingly surprised that Rio knew about his family history. Hyllos, too, cast a suspicious glance at Rio, clearly curious about his knowledge.
Rio pressed his lips together, his gaze unwavering. "I not only know about your family illness, but also how you murdered your own sister."
Haydon remained silent for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, he curled his lips into a cruel smile. "She was out of her mind. Keeping her alive would only have ruined my plans."
Rio couldn't believe the callousness in Haydon's actions. "What grand plan could possibly justify killing your own sister?" he asked, his disbelief evident.
Haydon's smile held a hint of sadness as he spoke. "That's none of your business," he replied. "You said you wanted the truth, and I'll show it to you. But as for how time travel works, that's all you need to know."
Just as Rio was about to delve further into questioning Haydon about his motives, the marine vehicle shuddered to a halt, the engine falling silent.
Rio's surroundings were obscured, with only the monitor providing any illumination. The coordinates on the screen indicated that they had come to a stop.
As the vehicle's door opened, revealing a series of doors Rio hadn't noticed before, a young man's face appeared. With a gesture, he lowered a ladder into the vehicle, inviting them to climb out.
The atmosphere was charged with an air of secrecy and anticipation, adding to the intrigue of their surroundings. The young man's expression was inscrutable, hinting at a deeper layer of the mystery they were about to uncover.
As Rio stepped out, he shielded his eyes from the blinding light, cradling Batho protectively. Gradually, his vision adjusted, revealing a sight that left him stunned. The marine vehicle had emerged into a vast underground chamber, illuminated by artificial sunlight streaming in through an intricately designed glass dome above.
The facility was a marvel of modern technology, bustling with activity and filled with futuristic machines. Rio saw people, most of whom appeared to be SynthHumans, sitting in front of huge monitors, their faces illuminated by the glow of the screens. Some were huddled together, engaged in intense discussions and making calculations that were projected onto the monitors in front of them.
The machines in the facility were like nothing Rio had ever seen before. They hummed softly as they worked, their sleek surfaces reflecting the light from the dome above. Some machines appeared to be scanning devices, while others seemed to be manufacturing or processing equipment. Everywhere he looked, there was evidence of advanced technology far beyond anything he had encountered in his own time.
His gaze then shifted to a section of the facility that appeared to be a medical area. Rows of beds filled the space, each occupied by a person dressed in white scrubs, all of whom appeared to be unconscious. Medical equipment surrounded them, monitoring their vital signs and administering treatments. Rio couldn't help but wonder what had brought these people here and what purpose they served in this strange, futuristic world.
"What is this place?" Rio asked, taking in the sight before him. The vast facility was unlike anything he had ever seen. He was so engrossed in his surroundings that he almost forgot Batho was still on his back, the boy's steady breathing a comforting presence amidst the unfamiliarity.
"This is the Temporal Research Facility," said Haydon, his voice tinged with a hint of smugness. "They study temporal anomalies that occur throughout the time line." He pointed to the multiple monitors, each displaying complex data and images.
Then Rio's attention was caught by an intricate box containing multiple metallic devices that he had found in the ruins of the aircraft and had asked Professor Landon to help decipher.
"And that," Haydon's eyes followed Rio's, "is the most important piece that transports all these passengers from three hundred years ago to the present day.
Rio was drawn to the Magnetar Core, its metallic allure captivating his gaze.
Haydon followed behind him, explaining, "The Magnetar Core, a marvel of technology, contains not only the ability to store precise coordinates but also a vast magnetic power. When activated, this power can interact with the magnetic field of a specific location, causing a distortion in the fabric of space-time. As the magnetic field of the Magnetar Core aligns with that of the target location, it creates a temporary rift, a doorway through time.
This rift allows for the passage of matter, including the passengers and the aircraft from three hundred years ago, into the present day. The process is delicate and requires precise calculations to ensure the safe arrival of the transported objects. Once the passage is complete, the rift closes, leaving no trace of its existence."
Haydon explained that the Magnetar Core was not only used to transport objects through time but also to stabilize the temporal anomalies that occurred throughout the time-line. Its magnetic power could counteract these anomalies, restoring the natural flow of time in affected areas. The device was a key component of the Temporal Research Facility's efforts to understand and control temporal phenomena.
"How do you know how to do all this?" Rio asked, his voice filled with awe. "The scientists in the government couldn't even do this." Rio knew this from his time working in AHC and understood the limitations of science. Despite knowing the government had been hiding something from the public, Rio understood their limitations.
"I have recruited the most brilliant minds into this lab," said Haydon, "They calculated the location with the most suitable magnetic field for this to happen. And we built the facility on this island, away from the eyes of the government and the world."
"You mean the time-travel happened in this very location?" Rio had thought that he had been brought to just where the facility was but not where the time-travel happened.
Haydon nodded, "Yes, we have to be close to the location to monitor the time-travel. We are still fixing the errors that happened few days ago." His expression was grim as he said this.
"Errors?" asked Rio.
"Yes, errors," said Haydon, "that was why the aircraft appeared out of thin air and crashed into roads and buildings. There were miscalculations. The aircrafts were supposed to be sent back to three hundred years ago, but they ended up appearing in the middle of modern infrastructure." As he said this, Rio noticed a more serious expression on the faces of the people around Haydon.
"Why do you need to send the aircrafts back?" asked Rio. "Wouldn't it be easier to keep them hidden away from the world? Now that this has happened, it's bound to alarm the government."
Haydon replied with a tired smile, "We have to send them back. The presence of these aircrafts would continue to create temporal anomalies, affecting the stability of the time-space continuum. If left unchecked, these anomalies could lead to catastrophic consequences, altering the very fabric of time itself."
Rio listened intently but then shook his head. "I don't understand. If that is the case, why don't you send everything back, including the passengers? Now that you have proved and made time-travel happen, why risk the stability of the time-space continuum?"
The tired smile on Haydon's face faded into a sad one. "I have to. It's not something you can understand."