OK, I was wrong. Kari's (indirect) connection to the czar probably bought them some time from scrutiny - the old man will not let his golden goose get cooked by anyone but him! Out of the frying pan...

"
"They say Hoffman worked at Mount Sinai for a while… unfortunately I think it was with Moses."
"
*snorts*
Well, crap. I'm lost. 15 chapters to go and our girl is screwed. No way the press isn't halfway up her colon by next afternoon at the latest. I'm list because i can't see how she had much of a life after that... especially once the czar gets ahold of her.

Marvelous chapter!
My 'must understander' is smoking a little, but she's done that before and I'll probably live.

"
he man slowly turned and reentered the store, his heart crumbling. The words of Sally reciting Shakespeare suddenly came into the man's mind: But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, all losses are restored and sorrows end. Ethan thought to add to the poem: yet without thee, friend, mine sorrows are only to begin.

Another phone was ringing.

"Howard here."

"Please hold for a call, doctor," said a familiar voice. Doctor Gladwin Howard recognized the man's timbre immediately. It was Bezuhov's muscled bodyguard.
"
ACK!
WTF! No line break, no scene shift, no simple line or asterisks or anything to show either of those, just *SPLAT IN YOUR FACE!*

"
The woman unconsciously pinched herself and the pain of it coincided with a honking horn outside. No… she thought disappointedly. It would seem that I'm still here; still working to fulfill God's greater, all be it inconvenient plan.
"
Hah! What a very specific - and admittedly pretty reasonable - way of looking at things.

Well, major scene change whiplash aside, things have certainly been interesting in this chapter. I can only think that Sally has undergone some sort of 'dementia purge' or the like.
I really like Kari's thought process. While it's nice to think of her and our dear professor Dodge (*laughs*) together, Ethan certainly seems way out of her league. His full decade-plus of age on her makes not just his intellect, but the sheer depth and breadth of his life-experience is seemingly beyond Kari's much simpler knowledge and background.

"
"You are a very fascinating woman, Ms. Carmichael."
"
Ms., not Mrs.
She does not correct him.
*smiles*

"
The man seated at the table had immediately changed his position in the rank and file of individuals important to her, and from that moment on Sally knew Ethan Dodge would be a person vital in what little time she had left in life.
"
*smiles bigger*

Hah! Kari put him off being modern and forward because, at heart, our Mr. Dodge is every bit the old-fashioned gentleman.

"
Kari closed her laptop. "Wow… handsome, rich, AND generous. Did he say he had a brother?"
"
Annnnd Kari has pegged it. She's not stepping in on her BFF's man :D

"
Where are you from, husker?"
"
Super cute, the 'husker' is good authentication, 'Husker' would make it great.
Anyone from 'the Good Life' will tell you that the Huskers are the State Religion of Nebraska ;)

Well, dang, that was incredible. I'm baffled at how she'll 'get away with'... regressing? De-aging? The publicity alone would make life unbearable.

Hmmm

I like Dr. Howards little bursts of insight and observation as he made his way into the dragon's den.

But, I am conflicted on the guards. The almost juvenile posturing with guns on the way in certainly rattled the doctor, but those that fled like roaches into their hidey holes felt wholly amateurish.
That he did not see any on the way out was a better use of that projection of power 'known, but not seen'.

All-in-all, we (maybe?) see how Sally is 'recovering', as I'm guessing that various 'human trials' are unwittingly taking place all around the world.

It's impossible not to like our MC's, I'm hoping we get to follow both of them.

Continues to be a compelling read.
What holds us, indeed.

Whoa, I am hooked. So many deaths, but man, what a prologue!

Tx

When I saw the update with your user id it immediately took me back many years. Left me breathless for a few moments.
I am happy to see that you continued.
Tx
G

You're a really great writer! It's just that this isn't a fanfiction. You should publish this on .

Andrew. Thank you again for your review. You're actually my very first review ever! I think you'll see "Time Expired" is not a time machine story at all, but it was the closest label I could come up when I uploaded it to FF. It should be clear that this story is my own and not my daughter's work. I have completed 18 chapters to date, but it remains an incomplete work. I only stopped writing it recently because I've returned to writing my daughter's second Anna Grayson book from the premise she left to us. Thanks again for reading. I will finish it and seek to have it published depending on my reviews here in FF. I guess I should update the chapters I put on line some time ago.

This story is very good. I have allways liked The Time Machine & stories based on it. This is a bit diffrent from 'Anna Grayson'... lol. You are quite a talented writer. Is the story complete with 15 chapters? or is there more to the story? or have you decided to not contenue it?