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He cleared his throat and decided to start with the good news. “The machine itself is intact.”

McGovern visibly relaxed, looking almost ready to faint. Bennet’s eyes stayed sharp.

“And?” she prompted.

“I can’t get a reading on the cloak. Somehow, the landing coordinates were way the hell off too. We’re in a low-populated area. But I checked them myself this morning.”

“You should have triple checked them before departure,” Bennet snapped.

Doyle pressed his lips together, not wanting to let out what he had in mind. Things like ‘Navigation is not my job’ and ‘You should be asking how it happened’.

McGovern stepped between them. “It’s okay. The time machine is ok, so we just press the Go button and head back, right?”

“It’s a time destabilizer, and there’s no such thing as a Go button,” Bennet corrected.

Doyle sat back in shock and sudden appreciation.

The man who’d come in with them stood as the others left with a still unconscious Jones. He was dressed as a gentleman, the kind who’d own a bank and get robbed in the old west. When he put an arm around Bennet’s waist without being thrown over her shoulder, Doyle guessed it was her elusive boyfriend he’d heard whispers about, Dr. Jackson Meadows.

Meadows spoke. “We can’t leave here until we verify there are no other significant injuries among the passengers or crew and the timeline is intact. I’ve already had words with the Watcher on the way over here. It took all I had to convince them to let us handle this.”

McGovern swallowed, and his smile faded as Bennet nodded.

“Let’s hope it’s just a censor. Doyle, you’ll have to go out and check it physically. I’ll make an announcement to calm the masses. Luckily, as far as we know, Jones was the worst hit. Until we have more information, there will be no rumors about issues aboard. They are here to get the experience they paid for, and as far as the Watcher goes, the less they know, the better for everyone.” Without another word, Bennet swirled her large skirt around and swept from the room, Meadows in her wake.

McGovern looked at Doyle and shook his head. “You heard the boss. Get going, cowboy.”