A/N: This is an interactive story. Write the next few lines in the comments and if they strike my fancy I will use them to continue. Hoping for three to five 'guests.'

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The eunuch turned out to be a bonus.

All travel, particularly time travel, terrified Bronwan, but the experiment was too perfect not to execute. She wouldn't even have to leave the neighborhood, except to set up the Time Catcher. That went poorly. She picked the outskirts of Rome, midnight 54 AD. She chose AD, not because she was religious (she was an atheist, well maybe agnostic), but she knew she didn't want to actually accidentally meet Jesus. 

Ancient maps revealed an expanse of farmland which should have been empty. She arrived, slamming into the hard stomach of a large dirty man swinging a sword above his head, sweat beading on his forehead. At their feet lay Marcus, his head on a stump bound and gagged, his brown eyes frozen with fear. The executioner screamed and ran away, disappearing into the dark field. Bronwan knew that she should leave the time machine, a simple cup engraved with code, and go. But Marcus' helplessness and the single tear that ran down the cheek of the giant tugged at her heartstrings. Reluctantly she released him from his bondage, only to have the massive man grab her legs and wail with gratitude. Across the field, a light appeared in a small shack. Panicked, Bronwan refilled the cup from her water bottle, turned it three times and drank. Despite the problems it might cause, Marcus returned home with her. 

His devotion was admirable. Her shower had never been so clean. He learned quickly and never questioned her. He slept guarding her front door, refusing a pillow or a blanket. As a single woman with a crappy professor's salary, the only house she could afford wasn't in the best neighborhood. His large, calm presence eased her neurotic fears. She even stopped setting her alarm system. It took her a week to get Marcus to put on jeans and a t-shirt and he still refused to put on shoes, but in Seattle, no one cared. In preparation for her experiment, she bought Marcus a sword, a sheath, and a belt and he wore it proudly. Nobody questioned his attire in a town full of weirdos.

Marcus needed work while she was teaching, so she got him a job at her brother's bar. It wasn't a craft cocktail type of establishment and Marcus liked pouring beers. He stood now behind the bar drying pint glasses. It was three am, and they were alone. The plan was simple. She could turn on and off the cups from her iPhone. Once the catching cup was used it would remain inactive for 100 years and move to a new location. 

Only intelligent and curious minds would figure out how to use the time machine. Next to her own pint of Rainier beer, sat a pitcher laced with enough ketamine to safely assure the amnesia of her guests after they drank the cup that would return them. Nervously, she touched her phone and swiped the activate switch to green. Time to meet her guests. 

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intro word count = 500