The screen flickered to life as Samuel and Alice connected through the video call. They were both eager to discuss their latest findings about Eleanor's mysterious device and disappearance.
"Hi Sam, did you receive the image I forwarded to your phone? That's the device Eleanor was seen with. I was able to get her colleague, Jake to make a sketch of it."
"Hey, Alice," Samuel greeted her with a smile. "Yeah, I did. And I think I've made some progress in understanding what this device really is."
Alice leaned forward, her eyes filled with curiosity. "Tell me about it then. Did you find out where it came from? If it had anything to do with her disappearance?"
Samuel nodded. "Yes, it's quite fascinating actually. I believe this device in question was created by my mentor, Professor Edward Morgan, before he passed away."
Alice's eyes widened. "Your own Professor Morgan? The renowned physicist? But why would he create such a device?"
"That's the mystery," Samuel replied. "Before his death, he was working on a top-secret project related to time travel. I think this device might be a part of that project."
Alice's mind raced with possibilities. "Do you think Morgan discovered the secret of time travel?"
"It's possible," Samuel said thoughtfully. "But there's more to it. I found some old notes of his that hinted at hiding something in the past."
"In the past?" Alice repeated, trying to grasp the enormity of what Samuel was suggesting.
"Yes, exactly," Samuel confirmed. "I think Morgan might have hidden the key to time travel, maybe to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands."
Alice's excitement grew. "So, if we can figure out where and when he hid it, we might be able to bring Eleanor back!"
"Exactly," Samuel agreed. "But we need to be cautious. If Morgan went to such lengths to hide it, there must be a reason."
"But Sam, are you sure it's the same device?" She asked, her voice crackling through the speakers.
Samuel's gaze remained fixed on the grainy image of Alice. "You sent me the sketch made by her partner Jake, right? Unless of course he got it wrong."
Alice nodded, leaning closer. The blue hue of her screen cast shadows on her face
"Well, I cross-referenced the schematics. It's an exact match to the prototype Professor Morgan was working on," Samuel confirmed, his fingers nervously fidgeting with a pen.
Alice's voice was a mix of skepticism and awe. "Okay. B…But how did Eleanor get a hold of it?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out. Remember how Morgan always used to say he'd change history if given the chance?" Samuel held up the sketch, his fingers tracing the strange symbols outlined on the device's surface.
Alice nodded slowly, "He was obsessed with the idea, but... to actually do it? And why leave the device behind? More importantly, how and why does this strange device date to the future 2075? It doesn't make any sense."
"Or maybe he didn't…it's possible," Samuel suggested, the gears in his mind turning.
Alice sighed, tapping her pen against the notebook filled with scribbles and equations. "If what you're saying is true, then the device must have a recall function. Morgan wouldn't have designed it without a fail-safe. We need to figure out how it's activated."
Samuel ran a hand through his hair, visibly frustrated. "Damn it! Morgan kept so much to himself. If only we had his research notes or something..."
A moment of silence hung between them before Alice's face lit up. "Wait, Samuel! The chess set in your study – didn't you say it once belonged to Morgan? The one you won at the International Invention and Innovation Championships."
He blinked, taken aback. "Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Morgan was not only a brilliant physicist but also an amazing chess player. What if he used the chess set to hide clues? It's the kind of stuff he would come up with."
Samuel's eyes sparkled with a glimmer of hope. "You're a genius, Alice. Stay on the line. I'm going to check it now."
The screen jostled as Samuel carried his laptop through the dark corridors of his house, the soft thud of his footsteps echoing. He entered the study and approached the old-fashioned chess set displayed on the mahogany table.
"Okay, I'm here," he whispered, gently moving the camera over the chess pieces. "What am I looking for?"
Alice directed him from her screen. "Check the pieces. See if any of them are different or can be opened."
He examined each piece with great care, his fingers checking for any irregularities. "I think they all seem normal, Alice. Nothing's standing out."
"Think harder, Samuel. Morgan was all about strategy and layers. Is there anything on the board that seems out of place or doesn't follow the rules of chess?"
Samuel scanned the board more keenly this time. His eyes narrowed as he focused on a lone pawn positioned on the edge of the board. "This pawn... it's on the wrong color square. It should be on a white square, but it's on a black one."
"Move it to the right square," Alice suggested, her voice steady.
Samuel did as instructed, and with a soft click, the square sank slightly into the board. A hidden drawer popped open on the side of the chess table. Samuel's breath hitched as he reached in and pulled out a small, leather-bound journal.
"Alice, I've found something," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"What is it?"
"It's a journal. Morgan's journal, I believe."
"Open it, Samuel. There might be something about the device or how to activate the recall function."
He flipped through the pages, the writings a mixture of equations, diagrams, and personal musings. "There's so much here, Alice. It's going to take time to decipher."
"We don't have time," Alice pressed, her words sharp with urgency. "Eleanor could be stranded, or worse, stuck in a loop. Skim for anything related to the device or time travel."
Samuel's eyes darted across the pages, skimming the text for any relevant information. His finger stopped on a page, and he squinted at the scrawled handwriting.
"Here! There's something about a code sequence for the device's recall. It looks like... like a string of chess moves."
Alice's mind reeled, trying to piece it together. "Chess moves... it's how he encrypted it. Samuel, read them to me."
With a trembling voice, Samuel read the sequence aloud as Alice jotted them down. "Pawn to E4, Knight to F3, Bishop to C4, Queen to H5... Wait, this is the Italian Game opening. It's a classic chess opening."
"Classic Morgan," Alice mumbled, her mind racing. "The device must be programmed to respond to that sequence. But how do we input it?"
"Maybe... maybe it's not about the chessboard at all," Samuel mused. "What if the device itself has a way to enter the sequence?"
Alice nodded, realization dawning. "The device! Jake said it had buttons with symbols. We assumed they were just for decoration, but what if they represent chess pieces?"
Samuel's eyes widened. "Of course! The symbols... we need to match them with the corresponding chess moves."
They scrambled to make the connections, translating the chess moves into the symbols on the device. "If we can get this right, we can send the recall signal to Eleanor's device," Alice said, her voice filled with a mix of excitement and fear.
"But how do we send it? We don't have the device with us," Samuel pointed out, his optimism waning.
Alice bit her lip, thinking hard. "We don't need the actual device. We just need to replicate the signal. If we can broadcast it... Samuel, can you set up a transmission from your lab?"
Samuel's lab was well-equipped, but this was uncharted territory. "I can try. It's going to be a makeshift setup, but... Wait. Alice, do you remember the frequency Morgan was obsessed with? The one he claimed was key to unlocking time travel?"
"Yes, the 7.83 Hz frequency, the Schumann resonance," she replied, her eyes lighting up. "It's worth a shot."
Samuel sprang into action, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he initiated the lab's equipment. "I'm configuring the transmitter now. Alice, I'm going to need you to guide me through the sequence in real-time."
Alice nodded, her hands trembling with anticipation. "Ready when you are."
Samuel gave her a determined nod. "Starting the broadcast... now."
Alice called out the sequence, her voice steady despite the pounding of her heart. "Pawn to E4... Knight to F3..."
As Samuel input each corresponding symbol, the lab began to hum with energy, the air vibrating with the power of the transmission.
"Bishop to C4... Queen to H5... That's it, Samuel!"
The transmission was sent, the signal beaming out into the unknown. They waited in silence, staring at their screens, hoping for a sign that it had worked.
Suddenly, the room around Samuel began to shimmer, the very fabric of space seeming to warp and distort. His face was a mask of awe and fear.
"Alice, it's working! The device is responding to the transmission. I can feel it!"
The screen flickered, static crackling as the connection wavered. Alice's voice came through, urgent and clear. "Samuel! What's happening over there?"
Samuel's voice was barely audible over the growing chaos. "I don't know, but it's like— up right here….in the lab—"
The screen went black, cutting off mid-sentence, leaving Alice staring at her own reflection in the darkened monitor. "Samuel? Samuel, can you hear me?"
There was no response, only the eerie silence that filled her room.