Part 48 (1/2)

'You can deal with the fine tuning later, Doctor! Just get the d.a.m.n thing working!'

The Doctor stabbed at a control and the wall began to ripple and soften before them. The Doctor caught hold of Rita's hand. 'Make a wish...'

'I guess it worked for Dorothy...'

Rita shut her eyes tight as the flickering wall of energy engulfed them.

The sudden blast of cold air made Rita gasp. She staggered and almost fell.

The Doctor caught her arm.

'Did it work?' she asked.

'There's no place like home...' said the Doctor.

Tentatively Rita opened her eyes. They were in a graveyard. Grey headstones jutted out from the snow; leafless trees were nothing more than spindly silhouettes against the night sky. Rita s.h.i.+vered.

'And this is no place like home. Why would Limb come here?'

'Because this is where his time machine finally broke down and catapulted him back to his own era. This is the day that he planted the evidence on Ace's body for me to find.' The Doctor's face was grim, 'Look.'

On the far side of the graveyard Rita could see a squat black shape, not unlike an upturned child's spinning top, steaming quietly in the snow.

'So let me see if I've got this straight.' Rita's head was reeling. 'That 237 thing... is a time machine.'

'Correct.'

'That George Limb has just used to come from the past.'

'Yes.'

'But it broke and sent him back to where he started.'

'Yes.'

'But Limb has always known the exact time and place when he would catch up with the machine that has been waiting for him in his future.'

'Exactly!' The Doctor beamed at her. 'You have an excellent grasp of temporal mechanics!'

'But lousy timing. Look...'

From the trees on the edge of the graveyard Limb and Jimmy were making their way towards the time machine.

'Come on. We've got to get to it before them!' The Doctor hared off across the graveyard. Rita stumbled after him, heels slipping on the wet gra.s.s.

Limb looked up in surprise as the Doctor dodged and weaved through the headstones. With a burst of speed that belied his age, he darted forward, pulling open the hatch on the top of the machine.

'George, wait! You don't have to do this,' the Doctor bellowed.

'Too late, Doctor. You can't stop me now,' said Limb.

With a lazy puff of his cigarette, Jimmy pulled a revolver from his pocket. The Doctor skidded to a halt, breathless and panting. He could see Limb connecting the dimensional stabiliser to the instruments in the time machine. In seconds the machine would be working again.

'George, please. Stop this now and I can help you. We can work something out.'

'I don't need your help, Doctor.' Limb didn't look up. 'With this machine operational again I can go back and make a few... tweaks, a few changes. I can avoid that dreadful reality and create a better one.'

He stared through the window of the machine. 'It's only a matter of time.'

The Doctor started forward but Jimmy stepped into his path, the gun pointed directly at the Doctor's head.

'Leave him alone, Doctor.'

'You have no idea what damage he is doing with his meddling, do you?'

Jimmy shrugged. 'It worked out OK for me. I coulda died in a car crash. This seems a d.a.m.n sight better to me' He took a long drag on his cigarette. 'Hey, if he creates another reality, I might even end up as president. How about that, eh? An actor as president of the United 238 States.'

'G.o.d forbid,' said Rita.

'Do you want to know another alternative that Mr Limb has denied you?' The Doctor's voice was low and dangerous. 'Fatherhood.'

'What?' Jimmy frowned. 'What are you talking about?'

'A father, with a healthy baby daughter.'

'I haven't got any daughter.'

'Jimmy, don't you listen to him.' Limb sounded snappy.

'Ace's baby.' The Doctor's voice didn't waver. 'Did you know that she was pregnant, Jimmy? Did you know that she was carrying your child when he shot her in the head?'

Jimmy shot an anguished look at Limb. 'I...'

The old man was fumbling with the controls, frantic and clumsy.

'Did you!' shouted the Doctor.

Jimmy let the gun drop. You're lying. She couldn't have..? Tears were rolling down his cheeks. 'You shouldn't have told me.'

Screaming with anger, he swung the gun towards Limb.

' You You should have told me!' should have told me!'

'Jimmy! No!'

The Doctor lunged forward as the gun went off. At the same moment Limb activated the time machine.