PARTURE’ date was set a double click would set the departure time ten minutes from the present time. That was just enough time to enter Pegasus, fasten the safety belt, sit back and enjoy the ride.
Forrest changed the departure date to 6 December 2012, grabbed his folder on President Johnson, and pressed the button twice. Running into the Launch room, he was just in time to hear the hissing sound of air escaping from the ‘flying saucer’ and watch the hatch beginning to open. By the time they had covered the distance from Mr. Watkins’s office to Pegasus the entrance hatch was open and wide – all they had left was to get inside and wait the allotted ten minutes.
As Forrest sat waiting for the final few minutes to pass before ‘blast off’, he thought of Grandpa, what would he think of him? He had always valued his opinion, and did not want him to be disappointed in his conduct. He certainly wasn’t too concerned about Olive Marie. She had always been a favorite of his Grandpa. He will not be too hard on her, but for Forrest that will be a different matter; however, he reasoned if he could find out some good solid damning information on President Johnson, Grandpa would forgive them both.
The minutes passed slowly, not knowing what to expect. He sat perfectly still, afraid to move. He had only watched from Mr. Watkins’s observation window during Launch Two and Three. He also knew he and Olive Marie could be living in the last couple of minutes of their lives. This time-travel stuff, he reasoned, wasn’t nearly as perfected, as he would like.
At T minus ten seconds, the "Go for Magnetic Rotor Start," was automatically issued by The Transport Launch Computer. All physical connections from the ‘flying saucer’ to the ‘launch’ facility should be severed. Pegasus ought to be good to go.
At T minus six seconds, the three main rotors energized at intervals of 110 milliseconds. Again, as happened with Captain Scarburg the rotors have three seconds to throttle up to 95 percent rotational speed. At T minus three seconds, if the main rotors are at the required 95 percent, the ‘Tachyon’ sequence starts.
He felt nothing... no movement... no noise... nothing; just a slight tingling sensation in his fingers and toes. Turning to Olive Marie he asked, “How are you doing?”
She did not respond, her hands were tightly gripping the armrests of the seat and her eyes seemed fixed and dilated. She stared blankly into the console to her front.
The four inch thick porthole located directly to their front was beginning to haze over. Seeing out was impossible. Forrest thought, surely this it not supposed to happen! Something must be going wrong. What have I done? I wish I had told Olive Marie I really didn’t mean all those bad things I have said to her in the past, but now I’m going to get her killed!!
The time was 4:35 a.m., Tuesday, December 6, 2012.