Doctor Who_ Time Zero Part 36

'So what's the problem?' Anji asked.

'The problem is, that the coins the man gave us...'

'The nice new shiny coins you promised I could have?' Fitz put in.

'Yes, those coins, had the head of King Edward VIII on them.'

'So?'

'And were dated 1938.'

Anji considered this. 'So?' she said again.

'So Edward VIII abdicated,' Fitz said slowly. 'In 1937, wasn't it?'

'December 1936, very good Fitz.'

'But that isn't possible,' Anji said. She was beginning to have a bad feeling about this. A Very Bad Feeling.

'Nor is the fact that he'd never heard of George VI, a.s.suming that George VI is now on the throne. Which means '

'That Edward VIII hasn't abdicated.'

'Not in this universe.'

'Which means?' Anji said. 'Can we have subt.i.tles for the hard*of*thinking here please?'

'It means the universe was split by what happened in 1894. And we're in the wrong one.' The Doctor threw his hands up in despair. The journal sailed through the air and Fitz had to jump to catch it.

'Curtis going back in time to 1894 and his death should have created a separate Quantum Universe,' the Doctor said. 'Rather than the events cascading backwards in our own. But it didn't. It hasn't. And now the different Quantum Universes are all messed up.'

'Isn't that what Sabbath wanted?' Anji asked.

'No. Not at all. He wanted them all to coalesce and form a single coherent time line. But they aren't collapsed, they're vying for reality.'

Fitz was struggling with this too. 'You mean, like, they're all overlapping and somehow the wrong one's in charge right now?'

'Something like that.'

'So what do we do?'

The Doctor puffed out his cheeks and considered. He paced round the console twice before he answered Anji's question. 'We have to ensure that the right universe wins the battle for reality,' he said at last. 'And while we do that, we have to get this book...' He stopped pacing and blinked, staring down at his empty hands before frantically patting at his pockets.

'This book?' Fitz waved it at him.

'That book, yes.' The Doctor ran both his hands through his long hair as he continued. 'We have to ensure that it gets back to the right bookshop at the right time in the right reality or else everything and I do mean everything everything will unravel. Reality will fall apart, and all the universes will try to coexist together in the same part of the eleventh dimension. We have to do it soon.'

'Er, is that "soon" as in "before you take me back to 2003 London"?' Anji asked. She had a suspicion she already knew the answer.

'Anji I can't.'

'Right.'

'Really, I can't. What if it's the wrong London? What if it's a different reality where you never left, or died or never existed even? It might seem just the same, until one day you find it's different in some small way. Which would mean the you that should be in the real universe isn't in the right place and isn't doing something that will ultimately hold the universe together.'

'Right,' she said again.

'That could be more catastrophic than not returning the book. It could mean that the very web and structure of '

'Yes, thank you, I think I get the picture actually.'

'Sorry.'

'Me too.'

'I'm not,' Fitz said. Then he caught her expression. 'I mean, about you sticking around. If that helps.'

'Not much,' she lied.

And he smiled, to show he knew she was lying.

'So we have to put things right,' Anji summed up. 'How do we do that exactly?'

'Well.' The Doctor took a deep breath. 'I haven't a clue. Any suggestions?'

'You mean from us?' Fitz asked. 'The Brains Trust here?'

'Sabbath has a plan,' Anji pointed out. 'That MacMillan woman said so.'

'Mmmm.' The Doctor nodded. 'Good point.'

'And you're much cleverer than Sabbath,' Fitz said.

'Another good point.'

'So,' Anji clapped her hands together, 'we adapt his plan.'

'Excellent!' The Doctor beamed, his fists clenched triumphantly in front of him. He leaped at the console and started to work the controls, running from panel to panel like a man possessed.

Fitz and Anji grinned at each other, relieved yet anxious at the same time.

'Sabbath has a plan,' the Doctor said again. 'Yes.' He nodded excitedly. Then paused and rubbed his chin as his eyes misted over. 'I wonder what it is.' His forefinger beat a steady rhythm against his lips as he considered. 'Can either of you add anything. Anything at all that may be useful.'

'Count me out,' Fitz said 'Anji?'

Anji was on the other side of the console, staring down at it. 'What's this boat doing here?' she asked.

Acknowledgements

I am indebted to various people who have offered help, advice and information. I thank them all.

In particular, I'm grateful to Steve Cole and Jacqueline Rayner for their editorial help; to Lawrence Miles for commenting helpfully on the storyline; and to Mags Halliday, Lloyd Rose, Simon Messingham, David Bishop, Nick Walters and Paul Leonard for helping weave Time Zero Time Zero into the ongoing narrative thread. Also Martin Day and Keith Topping for the use of Control. into the ongoing narrative thread. Also Martin Day and Keith Topping for the use of Control.

Thanks also to Erwin Schrodinger, to whom I may or may not indebted.

About the Author.

JUSTIN RICHARDS has no cat. He might (or might not) have had a cat when he was child, but if he did he never ever put it in a box. He does have two children, but that's not the same thing at all. Believe me, if you have a cat and you're thinking of trading up for kids, there is a big difference.

When he isn't busy with the children, Justin acts as Creative Consultant to BBC Worldwide's various Doctor Who Doctor Who book ranges as well as doing some writing of his own novels, audio, television, non fiction and other 'stuff'. Presumably this is done during the time he would have had to spend with the cat, so given that Justin never has enough time for writing, he's thinking of not getting another one. book ranges as well as doing some writing of his own novels, audio, television, non fiction and other 'stuff'. Presumably this is done during the time he would have had to spend with the cat, so given that Justin never has enough time for writing, he's thinking of not getting another one.

Doctor Who: Time Zero Commissioning Editor: Ben Dunn Ben Dunn Creative Consultant: Justin Richards Justin Richards Editor: Stephen Cole Stephen Cole Project Editor: Jacqueline Rayner Jacqueline Rayner Published by BBC Worldwide Ltd Woodlands, 80 Wood Lane London W12 0TT First published 2002 Copyright Justin Richards 2002 The moral right of the author has been a.s.serted Original series broadcast on the BBC Format BBC 1963 Doctor Who and TARDIS are trademarks of the BBC ISBN 056353866 X.

Cover imaging by Black*Sheep, copyright BBC 2002 Printed and bound in Great Britain by Mackays of Chatham Cover printed by Belmont Press Ltd, Northampton