'Wake up. Get up.'

Someone had flicked the light on in the room. Harsh white light glared through Marty's eyelids and he groaned, burying his head into the covers.

'Get up. Now.'

Painfully, he squinted upwards. The black-haired woman's face swam into view. He struggled to remember her name – Marisa, wasn't it? She was frowning down at him. 'Get out of bed. We're leaving.'

He raised his head slightly. Marisa was standing beside the cot; Doc was stirring from where he'd been sleeping on the floor. The door lay open, and faint voices echoed distantly from the corridor.

'Where – where're we goin'?' he mumbled.

'We're leaving,' she repeated. 'I'll be back in five minutes, and you had better be out of that bed by then.'

She swung on her heel and the door slammed closed behind her. Marty stared at it for a moment, then pushed himself into a sitting position. 'Doc,' he said, slightly panicked. 'Doc, wake up!'

Doc opened his eyes and blinked, wincing a little. 'Great Scott, that floor hasn't done my back any favours.'

'You were the one who said I could have the bed, because you'd be awake thinking of a plan,' Marty retorted. 'And I hope you thought of a good one, because they're taking us out of here now.'

Doc was on his feet in a flash. 'Right this instant?'

'In five minutes. Doc, what're we gonna do?' Marty pushed the covers off him and climbed off the cot.

The scientist shook his head helplessly. 'I haven't quite figured that out yet. But that's no reason to panic,' he added, holding up his hands. 'Just stay calm, all right?'

Marty folded his arms and nodded tightly, chewing on one fingernail. Doc gave his shoulder a pat. 'You okay?'

'Yeah…no…I dunno. Doc, they're gonna kill us.'

'I'm not going to let that happen, Marty,' Doc said at once. He seemed to think for a moment. 'It does seem like we're not going to be presented with any real opportunity to get away, though, so we're probably just going to have to make a run for it.' He paused again. 'That means that you have follow any instruction I give you. Do you understand?'

'Sure.'

'It means you have to be alert at all times, ready to do whatever I say without hesitating or stopping or even thinking it through. That could prove fatal. Okay?'

Marty looked up into his friend's eyes. 'Well, you're the doc, Doc…'

00000000000000000000

Marisa returned as promised and led them down the hallway. Daylight was filtering in through the grimy window, and the place was a lot noisier than it had been yesterday – voices and footsteps echoed up and down the corridor.

They were led to Commander Johnson's study once more. The space felt a lot more confined now, as it was packed with people. Doc and Marty's counterparts were standing at the head of the room. Marty tensed slightly next to Doc, but otherwise remained in control of himself.

About ten people dressed in combat gear milled around the room. Their faces were worn and battle weary, but they registered shock and surprise as they saw another Doc and Marty, and Doc saw their eyes flit between them and their doubles. He and Marty were not spoken to, however.

Commander Johnson tapped his desk and immediate silence fell. 'Is everyone present?'

'I believe so, sir.' Marisa stepped up to him.

'Good.' He glanced down at several papers in front of him. 'The plan is as follows: this group shall escort Doctor Brown and Martin McFly – their counterparts, that is, as I'm sure you've noticed – ' He grinned wryly and eyes again flicked to Doc and Marty, ' – to the bridge. You will be on foot, so the journey will take a day or two. The Opposition will be waiting on the other side of the bridge. At the same time as they release their five prisoners, Doc and Marty will walk towards them. The exchange will be quick and simple.'

'Quick and simple?' Marty suddenly said angrily. 'What the hell is that supposed to mean? Don't Doc and I have a choice in this?'

The commander's eyes were cold as he looked at the teen. 'I'm sorry,' he said. 'But there are always casualties in war.'

'This isn't our war!' Marty yelled. The room had gone very quiet. Doc tried to shush him, but it was no good. 'This isn't even our world, for cryin' out loud! You have no right to drag us into this!'

Commander Johnson glanced away. 'Be quiet, or I'll have you sedated.'

'Sedated? What, now you can't even look me in the eye?' Marty's cheeks were flushed. 'Gonna shut me up because I don't want to die over something I'm not even part of?'

Commander Johnson sighed. 'Terry, if you would…'

The soldier nearest them silently drew his rifle and raised it in the air. Marty's eyes widened. The butt of the rifle whooshed down through the air towards his head.

Doc's hand shot up, stopping the rifle an inch from Marty's forehead. The impact jarred his hand painfully. 'Enough!' he said quickly, before anyone could react. 'That's enough.'

There was a long, drawn-out pause, in which everyone held their breath as Doc and the soldier held each other's eye. Then, finally, Commander Johnson said quietly, 'All right then.'

The soldier slowly lowered the rifle and turned away. Commander Johnson beckoned the group of soldiers closer to him and spoke to them in low tones. Doc grimaced and gave his hand a quick rub.

'Are you all right?' he muttered to Marty.

The teen looked shaken, but spoke in a hushed, angry tone. 'Aren't you gonna say anything, Doc?'

'Marty, you can see as well as I do that these people can't be reasoned with. They're ruthless, and they'll obviously go to any lengths to get what they want. It's best if we wait things out and see how they go.'

'But what if – ' Marty started to hiss, but then Commander Johnson was speaking in loud tones again.

'Go, then, and good luck. Move with haste and secrecy. Remember, the lives of five others rest in your hands. Also, Doctor Brown and Marty will be accompanying their counterparts, so you must make sure that the fact there are two of them isn't revealed to any spies.'

Doc frowned, surprised. He hadn't known that his and Marty's counterparts would be coming with them. This could cause complications.

A moment later, he and Marty were pushed towards the door and marched down the corridor.