Crossing the Rubicon - The Journey
SYNOPSIS:
Seven teenager friends: TRINITY, KIM, KEARA, ANDY, TOM, ROBERT, and JACOB, set out for a trip to explore a series of caves near their home in Calgary, Canada. They reach the Chungo Caves and lower themselves down into the darkness using rope. Once inside the caves they experience a weird sensation as loud noises and bright light fill the area. They decide to call it a day early and head back up top only to discover that things have changed. The tree they tied the rope to is gone. As is their vehicle, and the campsite they used earlier. Jacob quickly surmises that they must have traveled back in time and now they have to come up with a new plan and why to survive. They decide to travel east for the time being, hope to find something. However the clock is ticking because Robert is a diabetic and only has a few days’ worth of insulin with him. They march and march but unfortunately the supplies run out and Robert does get sick, goes into a coma, and then die. The friends bury him, heartbroken. Trinity decides they can’t just leave their grieving families in the future never knowing what happened. She starts keeping a journal to explain all that happened and then hopes that somehow she will get it to their families in the future.
The group continues west and eventually reaches the ocean. They then meet a tribe of natives named the Salish. The Natives take them in, give them a place to stay, food to eat. The teens ride out the winter with their new friends and when spring arrives they come up with a new plan. They will travel by boat south to Mexico, enjoy the warm weather and settle in. They say goodbye to their new native friends and climb aboard two boats. It takes a little while to sail south but eventually they reach Mexico (future Mexico anyway). They seek refuge in a Catholic Church and FRIAR BERNARDO takes them in and treats them right. He then introduces them to a rich local named DON CARLOS. Jacob decides to sell Don Carlos some of their future belongings in order to raise money to travel to Europe (another part of their quest to settle and arrange to leave word for their families in the future). Don Carlos is impressed with the group and takes them in for a while. They then decide to go to South Africa and beat the DeBeers company to the punch, discover their diamonds first. They head east to catch a boat to Spain and book three cabins. The boat sets out with one stop in Havana before heading further east.
Unfortunately British ships intercept the Spanish boat at a time of war and the teens have to help defend the Spanish ship for fear of what will happen to them if the British take them as prisoners. A bloody battle rages on and countless people are hurt or killed before the Spanish successfully fend off the British. Trinity is hurt, as is Jacob, but Kim is killed, shot through the heart. The teens bury their friend at sea before reaching Cuba and moving on to the next stage of their plan. They still have a long way to go.