As Devon cried, Alonzo said, "Well, I think Mazatl's idea of using the horses is our best bet, even if we have to open every canister."

"No!" Devon loudly choked out between her tears, and turned to the Doctor. "No. We have something much better than that. Your spaceship, Doctor. It must have surveillance and tracking equipment of some kind. We've got to use it to find my son!"

The Doctor looked thoughtful. "No."

"No?" Devon shouted. "How dare-"

"I think I know of an even better way, Devon," the Doctor said, silencing her gently. "The Terrians tried to warn me when I first arrived that their planet was in danger. I think this was what they were talking about. To a certain extent, they do know what's going on, here. And I think we should ask them."

"Ask the Terrians for help?" Devon asked.

"Of course!" Julia exclaimed. "The Terrians would want to protect Uly, probably much more than they would be interested in protecting any of us. If Uly is in danger – well, who knows? They might even attack the ZED with force, using the lightning in their staffs, to get Uly back!"

"At the very least, they might be able to tell us where the ZED is, and where she's headed," the Doctor continued. "Theoretically, on a planet which is alive all over," he smiled, "there should be nowhere a ZED can hide."

Devon looked doubtful. "And if it doesn't work? If they won't help us?"

"Then we'll go straight to my spacecraft," the Doctor said.

Alonzo sat at the table on which they'd repaired Zero. "I guess this is where I come in," he said.

"And I'm coming in, too," the Doctor said. "If I can."

"I'd be glad to have the company," Alonzo said with a smile.

They sat across from each other. Alonzo laid his head on the table. The Doctor sat upright, his arms at his sides, and quickly entered into an ancient Tibetan trance he'd learned many years before.

Immediately, the Doctor felt the planet, felt its life force flow over and through him, its texture full of the wisdom and knowledge it had gained over a million years. He almost felt he could hear a billion voices whispering on the edge of sleep, but could never quite hear them no matter how hard he tried to listen, and could never quite reach them no matter how far he traveled.

Then he was face to face with a Terrian. Alonzo was next to him, and they were spinning around and around, standing on a rolling plain, the stars sweeping around above them.

We need your help, Alonzo said. Uly is in danger. Your link with us has been taken. Can you tell us where he is?

The Terrian did not move, but the Doctor could tell the alien understood. The stars and the land continued to whirl around them. He had the unusual sensation that he should have been getting dizzy, but wasn't.

The Terrian stretched out the hand holding his staff, gesturing to the mountains, which grew closer. In a second they were there, standing on a ledge far up a steep mountainside. On the ledge was the remains of a campfire, as well as a sleeping roll and two locked crates.

Are they coming here? Alonzo asked.

The Terrian showed them the hills below. The Doctor couldn't see anyone, but he got the distinct sensation Uly and the ZED were out there, approaching quickly. He examined the ledge to memorize it as well as he could, and noticed parallel marks on the ground. Then he realized that he somehow knew beyond a shadow of a doubt where this ledge was, so well he could point it out on a map if he had to.

Then he was awake, looking at Alonzo. "We know where they are," they said in unison.

Alonzo continued. "We know where they're headed. It's about 20 klicks northeast." He turned to indicate the direction, pointing wearily at the mountains they had left a few days before. "And the ZED is moving so fast, and has such a head start, there's no way we can catch her."

"Then will the Terrians attack the ZED to save Uly?" Magus asked.

Alonzo shook his head. "I got the impression they consider this a human conflict. They don't want to get involved, any more than we would get involved in a conflict of theirs."

"But Uly is their link with us!" Yale said. "He's part Terrian now!"

"Yes, but they only understand our ways a little bit. They'll react to save Uly if he's in danger, but they don't feel he's in danger yet, because so far he's unharmed."

Devon was stunned. "Not in danger yet?"

"They still think all humans have one mind," Alonzo said. "You, me, Reilly, a ZED – the Terrians don't know the difference. As long as Uly is with another human who isn't hurting him – which, at the moment, he is – they're satisfied. They don't fully comprehend what's going on."

"But they must know that these particular humans intend to harm him in the very near future!" Devon said.

Alonzo sighed. "Past and future are really weird things to Terrians. It's hard to describe."

"They also contacted the Doctor to warn him about all this," Yale said. "They knew there was danger then. Are they concerned or aren't they?"

"Yes," Alonzo said. "Something about this situation is resonating through the whole planet, and they're very alarmed. But they contacted the Doctor instead of doing something themselves precisely because it's an alien conflict! They don't know what to do, so they're leaving it to the aliens to sort it out.

"Remember how Gaal kept them from harming him? He wore Terrian bones around his neck, and the Terrians refused to touch him because they won't attack their own kind. It didn't matter that they were just bones, they still wouldn't do it. For all their intelligence, they have a funny way of looking at things, sometimes. Like now."

"Then we have to go after them," Devon said. "This ZED can't run forever. I don't care what cybernetic enhancements it has. It can't outrun me."

"You can't catch them in time, Devon," Alonzo said.

"Why not?" Devon asked. "Where's she running to?"

"Her drop-off point," the Doctor said. "Next to her campfire are the markings of a small shuttle, probably used to ferry her down from Reilly's satellite. As soon as she reaches her camp, she'll be picked up again. And as Alonzo said, that will happen before any of you could get there."

Devon just looked at him in desperation. "But you have a faster way, don't you?" she whispered pleadingly.

"Yes." The Doctor nodded. "Yes, I do."

 

Danziger gently kissed True on the forehead. "Now you be good for Bess, all right, sweetheart?" he said, even though she couldn't answer, as she was sound asleep.

"She'll be fine," Bess said, looking in from the doorway. "I'm only going to be watching her for the night."

"Bess," Danziger said as he stood up. "If I don't come back-"

"You will come back, John Danziger. Don't you dare say anything otherwise."

Danziger just looked at her for a moment, then nodded, conceding that Bess was going to outstubborn him on this one. He didn't have to tell anyone to look after True if he didn't make it. He knew she would.

He didn't think it appropriate to tell Bess he would try his best to come back alive simply because the thought of Morgan Martin adopting his daughter gave him the screaming fits.

He just smiled and squeezed Bess's arm, and went to get his canteen.

"Now, if we're not back in 24 hours," Devon told Yale as they approached the rail, "I want you to pull up stakes and move west as fast as possible. You've got to be there for the colony ship when it arrives, Yale."

"Don't worry!" Yale said. "Everything will be fine, Devon. We defeated the first ZED, we can defeat this one, too. Besides – I have a feeling about the Doctor. I think he's going to be a great help." He looked at the five people climbing into the vehicle: Devon, Danziger, Julia, Alonzo, and the Doctor. "You go get Ulysses. We'll stay here. And we'll say a long prayer – for all of us."

Devon, sitting in the front passenger seat, just squeezed his hand, holding back tears, then let go as the rail pulled away. She still held Uly's staff, as if clutching it as tightly as possible would somehow bring him back.

Danziger, at the wheel, said, "You'll have to give me directions."

"You're doing fine," the Doctor said. "Just follow the stream. At this speed we should be there in about ten minutes."

Ten minutes passed in silence. Alonzo finally asked, "Wouldn't you think we could see it by now? What does your ship look like?"

"Like that." The Doctor pointed.

Danziger hit the brakes. They all stared.

In the headlights was a blue police telephone box, large enough for maybe three people to stand upright in.

Julia shook her head. "I don't understand."

"That's my spacecraft," the Doctor said simply as he got out. From beneath the seat, he gently pulled out a satchel.

Devon was stunned, and the tears started flowing. "Is this a joke?" she barely whispered. "My son is going to die, and you're making practical jokes?"

The Doctor looked at her in amazement, then at the TARDIS. "Trust me, Devon," he said. "Trust me."

Gingerly carrying the satchel, he walked to the door. The others traded confused looks, then slowly got out and followed him.

The Doctor unlocked the door and pushed his way inside. "Come on," he called after them. "No time to lose!"

Devon approached the box, feeling like she was in a dream, wishing this was a dream.

When she saw what was inside, she was almost certain it was a dream.

The others followed her in, amazement engulfing them one by one. It was huge! The ceiling was high above them. The far-off walls were filled with bookshelves, clocks, and workbenches. Yet the low light, the Victorian-era wood paneling, the dust on the books, and the four steel beams in the center of the room, towering up and over to look down on the central console, somehow made the huge space seem very closed in.

"How in the world..." Julia breathed.

"It's bigger on the inside than on the outside," the Doctor said. "Much bigger. Please accept that, don't ask why, and get ready for transference."

The door shut. The Doctor pulled a lever, and the entire ceiling suddenly displayed an aerial view of G889. Devon, who had scanned the survey maps more than anyone except Yale, instantly recognized where they were on the overhead view. Before she could react, a blinking light appeared on that spot. Another appeared on the edge of the mountains to the northeast.

She looked at the Doctor, working at the console. She realized he was plotting their course.

"Can this thing really fly?" she asked.

"In a manner of speaking," the Doctor said softly. He wasn't paying her full attention. Instead, he was leaning over the console slightly, with his eyes closed, as if listening to the machine. She barely heard him whisper, "Come on, old girl. Don't let me down. A little boy's life is at stake." Then he seemed to relax a little.

He stood up and activated another lever. There was a slight groaning sound, and white crystals which resembled icicles inside the central column – some pointing up from the console, some pointing down from the ceiling – came together, yet none of them touched each other, each fitting into a space between two others. The crystals moved up and down, and Devon got the distinct impression the column was somehow powering the ship along.

"How...how is all this possible?" Julia finally managed to ask.

"Dimensional transcendentalism," the Doctor replied.

Julia blinked for a moment, working her way through that phrase, then realized it hadn't answered her question at all. "But how is it done?"

"Oh, Dr. Heller." The Doctor looked at her reprovingly. "I can't tell you that, now can I?" He turned back to the console and made a few more adjustments.

Alonzo and Danziger were still looking around in awe, almost afraid to move or touch anything. Alonzo edged over to the bookshelf, and slowly reached for a dusty tome with alien writing he couldn't understand. But as his hand approached the shelf, several books a few inches over skittered back. He recoiled, frightened.

The central column ground to a halt.

"How long until we get there?" Devon asked.

The Doctor flicked a few switches and closed down the view on the ceiling, then looked at her. "Hmm?"

"When will we arrive?" she repeated.

The Doctor opened the doors. "See for yourself."

Devon, Danziger, and Julia turned to look, and slowly walked outside. Alonzo grabbed the Doctor's arm as he passed by, and pointed at the bookshelf. "The...the...books..." was all he could say.

The Doctor just smiled when he saw the moved books. "Oh, that's all right. They're not used to strangers. They'd probably let you read them after they knew you for a while. Don't take it personally. Come on!" He strode outside.

Alonzo just nodded to himself, trying to take it all in, and followed him.

Through the doors, he found himself on the mountainside ledge the Terrians had shown him on the dream plane. They had traversed about 20 klicks in less than a minute, beating the ZED to her own campsite!

Now that he could see it more clearly, he saw it was about 40 feet wide. Both above and below, for about half a mile in either direction, thin trees and light shrubbery covered the mountainside, which was pretty steep, but not so steep that a person couldn't walk on it, if only just.

The ZED's camp was on the inside of the shelf, the fire carefully hidden from view. Closer to the edge, Alonzo saw the tracks left by the drop-off shuttle, which the Doctor had noticed before.

"This is incredible," Julia said, shaking her head. "Absolutely incredible."

Danziger pointed at the police box. "Just what is that thing?"

"That is my ship, the TARDIS. It stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. The outside is a plasma shell, capable of changing shape to blend in with its surroundings – when it's working properly. But the old girl's chameleon circuit burnt out in London many centuries ago, so it's forever frozen into the shape of a police box, and I've never been inclined to repair it. I think it's rather quaint!"

Alonzo turned to look at the battered old police box. He slowly traced the lettering on the front door.

FREE

FOR USE OF

PUBLIC

ADVICE AND ASSISTANCE

OBTAINABLE IMMEDIATELY

He shook his head in wonder, and smiled. Somehow, it seemed so right!

"Why is it called Time And Relative Dimension In Space?" Julia asked.

"Because it's also a time machine," the Doctor said. He walked back inside, leaving the four humans staring at each other in disbelief.

He stuck his head back out. "Well? Are you coming? We can't be waiting here all day, you know. The ZED might detect the TARDIS if she gets close enough."

Julia sighed and nodded, her face tight with apprehension.

The plan was for her to stay with a sedaderm, and once again fake being a Council agent. What had worked against one ZED might work against another.

Julia took off the diaglove and handed it to Alonzo, and they hugged briefly. Danziger gave her an encouraging look, then he and Alonzo walked back inside.

Devon didn't move. Danziger turned in the doorway to look.

"I'm not leaving this place," Devon said.

Danziger sighed, and came back to her. "Adair, listen. I know you're worried about Uly. But Julia's story will work better if she's alone."

"I'll hide somewhere in the bushes," Devon said, shaking her head. "I don't care. But I can't leave, John, please..." She broke down again, unable to hold back any longer all the fear and confusion of the last two hours.

Danziger held her close, comfortingly. "You're in shock, Adair. Between Uly's capture and the Doctor's...time machine, or whatever it is, I think you've been hit too hard. You have to trust us. Trust Julia. If the ZED picks up your heat signature in the bushes because you had to stay and watch, Uly might die." He pulled away to look her in the eyes. "And I know you don't want that on your conscience."

Devon cried softly for a moment. Then, as if it took all her effort, she just barely managed to nod her head. She allowed John to escort her back into the TARDIS. At the door, she paused and turned to look at Julia.

Julia was about to cry also, looking at her with concern and heartache. Then Julia managed a faint smile and nodded her head, ever so slightly. In that moment, Devon knew that if anyone could knock out a ZED with a sedaderm twice in their lifetime, it was Dr. Julia Heller.

"We'll keep in contact, Doc," Danziger said. "Start a fire, and hide your gear right up against it. The heat from the blaze might help to mask its energy field so the ZED won't know we're listening in."

Julia nodded. Devon and Danziger entered the TARDIS and shut the doors. Then, wheezing and groaning with the effort, the Doctor's strange ship faded away.

Leaving Julia alone to face the ZED.