Chapter One UNDERGROUND Luis Sanchez stood in the middle of his room wondering What were the most important things a time traveler should take with him He had decided he wasnʼt going through time unprepared this time It wasnʼt like a trip to Disney World or going to visit family in Puerto Rico He and his two best friends were about to travel through time for the third time He grabbed a small backpack from his closet and threw it on the bed What do you pack when you have no idea where and when you are going he asked His friends were waiting downstairs Casey Jenson was always ready for anything Her
seemingly magical coat had zippered and buttoned pockets full of tools and just about everything imaginable Luis had asked her brother Tyler to fill a small backpack with bottles of water He had no idea how long they would be gone Luisʼs father had come home late the night before He was tired after spending all day with Casey and Tylerʼs dad working at the college lab and library His father wouldnʼt tell him what they were doing but Luis knew it had to do with his dadʼs great-great-great-great-uncle Cyrus and the time machine that he and the scientist Nikola Tesla had built more than 130 years before Luis and his friends had their own secrets They had unlocked the big shed in his backyard found the machine and gone on two adventures Tylerʼs robot cat Steel had gone along and they met Uncle Cyrus who was trapped in time
If it wasnʼt already weird his uncle had discovered how to communicate with them through the cat And now Luis had promised Uncle Cyrus that they would help him find the keys Tesla was leaving behind to help Cyrus find his way home to his own time Hey are you ready up there yet Casey yelled from downstairs Itʼs almost time to meet your uncle at the Time Twister Luis shoved three flashlights a compass and matches into the backpack and zipped it He looked at the table beside his bed Uncle Cyrusʼs pocket watch sat next to his lamp The watch had been left by Tesla at the haunted house Tesla thought it would help Cyrus break free of the time machineʼs pull on him It was the first thing Tesla tried He said he would try again Luis grabbed it and put it in his back pocket He ran downstairs as Tyler came out of the
kitchen his small backpack with a picture of the solar system on it hanging over his shoulder Tyler leaned on his forearm crutches Weʼre ready to go well wherever weʼre going this time Casey tied the belt on her long coat Luis thought she looked like a girl Sherlock Holmes But when she walked she clanked like a rusty robot Whereʼs Steel Luis asked Heʼs coming I think I fixed his meowing Tyler said He gave three whistles The robot cat rolled out of the kitchen It turned its head toward Luis Meow Meow Luis grinned Hey thatʼs great He sounds like a real BONG BONG BONG Casey giggled Tyler said Well Iʼm getting closer
