Could you change history and save hundreds of lives by warning the captain that the “unsinkable” Titanic is destined for the bottom of the Atlantic? You see some stairs leading to a higher deck, and you run up them.

A steward is standing near the top. “You can’t come up here,” he cries. But you dart past him and run toward the forward part of the ship. You dash up another set of stairs, where you find yourself at the starboard wing of the bridge. The graybearded captain is standing only a few feet away, looking out to sea through his binoculars at a ship on the horizon.

“Captain,” you call out. “You may not realize it, but this ship will sink in only two or three hours.

He turns and looks at you gravely. “I know,” he says softly. “But we are going to fire distress rockets. That ship out there-the Califomian—should respond to help us.”

“They will not respond, Captain,” you tell him. “They can’t believe the Titanic could be in trouble, even though they see your rockets. Your only hope is to put your strongest men in a lifeboat and have them row toward the Califomian at top speed-firing rockets as they approach.”

“Great heavens, you have bold ideas,” the captain replies, “but I need every man I have to lower our lifeboats and keep order among the passengers. I can’t believe the Califomian will not come when they see our rockets.

“Now go to the deck below. Mr. Lightoller will see that you have a place in a lifeboat.”

With that the captain turns and strides away, giving orders to an officer nearby. You sadly return down the stairs and wait in line for one of the places in a lifeboat.

Two hours later, you sit huddled in the crowded boat, shivering in the cold breeze, and watch the great Titanic slip beneath the waves-with 1,500 people still aboard-together with your only hope of finding your way back to the Cave of Time.