Chapter 9

The car, driven by old Susan, drove up towards the Jones garage.

"Oi, oi, oi, oi, watch where you're going old woman! If you break this car I'm gonna kill you! This cost me 300 bucks!"

The car entered the garage and old Susan stopped it.

"Would you shut up about the car?"

"Ay, and another thing, how do you know where I live?"

"Let's just say we're related, Susan, and that being the case I got a little present for you. Something that'll make you rich. You wanna be rich, don't ya?"

Nita peered up from the back of the car to see what was going on, unseen by the two Susans.

"Oh yeah, sure, right, that's rich, ha ha, you're gonna make me rich!"

"You see this book? This book tells the future. It tells the events of every major sports event til the end of the century. Football, cricket, horse races, boxing…the information in here is worth millions, and I'm giving it to you."

She passed the book to young Susan. Young Susan though this a load of crap.

"Well, that's very nice, thank you very much. Now why don't you go have a cup of tea, a Bex and a sleep?"

Old Susan gave young Susan a slap across the head. "It's a good lie down, you idiot! 'have a cup of tea, a Bex and a good lie down'. You sound like a damn fool when you say it wrong!"

"Alright then, have a lie down!" She threw the book in the back of the car. Old Susan caught it. "And take your book with you!"

"Don't you get it? You could make a fortune with this book, let me show you." Old Susan turned on the radio.

"Essendon trail Carlton by one point with only 18 seconds left of this game. I'd say it's all over for Essendon!"

"Bet you a million bucks Essendon win by three points."

"What, are you deaf old woman? He just said it was over! You lost!"

"Oh yeah?" She turned the volume up.

"Here comes Chandler with the kick, it's up, it looks good folks, it looks very good, right between the posts! Essendon wins 8.5 (53) to 7.16 (56)!"

As the announcer kept talking, young Susan looked at her future self in amazement. "Alright, granny, what's the story? How did you know what the score was gonna be?"

"I told you, it's in this book! All you gotta do is bet on the winner, and you'll never lose." She handed the book to young Susan.

"Alright, I'll take a look at it."

She threw it in the back, and it landed near Nita. Nita was about to grab it when old Susan grabbed the book without seeing Nita.

"You damned fool!" The two got out of the car. "Never, never leave this book lying around! Don't you have a safe? No, you don't have a safe. Get a safe! Keep it locked up, and until then keep it on you like this." She put the book in young Susan's handbag.

"Hey, what're ya doing?"

"And don't tell anyone about it either. Oh, and there's one more thing." Young Susan closed the garage door, and the Susans left the garage. "One day, a kid, or a Scottish scientist with a question mark jumper is gonna come around asking about that book…"

They walked off, continuing their conversation. Nita tried to open the door, but it was locked! Nita looked up at the windows, but they were far too small for her to climb out of.

"I'm trapped!" She called the Doctor on the mobile.

The Doctor answered. "Nita, what's the report?"

"Susan's gone! She's got the book, the old woman's gone too. I'm locked in Susan's garage. You've gotta fly the TARDIS over here and get me the hell out of here. The address is 18 Macdevitt Street."

"I can't take the TARDIS out in the daylight, but don't worry, Nita, somehow I'll get over there.

"Whoa Doctor, wait a minute Doctor. Hey Doctor!" The Doctor had ended the call. Nita put away the phone and sighed. "Perfect!"

That evening Susan left the house and headed for the garage. Her grandfather yelled at her, "Susan! Susan, where're you going now?"

"I told you Grandad, I'm going to the drive-in!"

Nita was still in the garage, listening.

"When are you coming home?" yelled Susan's grandad.

"The drive-in!" thought Nita.

"I'll get home when I get home!" Susan entered the garage. Nita hid in the back of the car.

"Don't forget to turn off the garage lights!"

Susan got in her car and drove off. As she left the house, the Doctor rode past on a bicycle. The Doctor rode up the driveway to the empty garage and rang the bell. "Nita, Nita! Nita!" The Doctor left the garage. "Nita, Nita? Damn! Where is that girl?" He rode off towards the shops.

In the back of Susan's car, Nita pulled out her mobile phone and called the Doctor. He answered.

"Doctor!"

"Nita! Oh my…" The Doctor suddenly noticed the TARDIS owned by his second incarnation in the bushes. The Doctor went over to it. "Hello, Old Girl!" He stroked its exterior.

"Doctor?" came Nita's voice over the phone.

"Nita, what happened to you? I went to Susan's house and you weren't there."

"You must have just missed me. I'm in the back of Susan's car. She's on her way to the drive-in."

"Nita, listen, we're going to have to abort this entire plan, it's getting much too dangerous!"

"Don't worry, the book is on Susan's dashboard. I'll grab it as soon as we get to the drive-in."

"Nita! You must be extremely careful not to run into your other self."

The Seventh Doctor had his back to the TARDIS. The Second Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS. He was making some adjustments to a device he had constructed. Neither Doctor saw the other.

"My other self?" asked Nita.

"Yes! Remember, your father is at that exact same drive-in with you!"

"Yeah, this could get dodgy, Doctor."

The Doctor muttered to himself, "Dodgy, dodgy?" "Whatever happens, you must not let your other self see you. The consequences could be disastrous."

The Second Doctor suddenly noticed the Seventh Doctor standing there. "Excuse me, sir. Yes, you with the question marks."

"Who me?"

"Yes, what is that device you are speaking into?"

"It is just a communications device."

"Isn't the year 1968?"

"Er…yes."

"Devices like that are not invented until at least the 1990s."

"Oh, I happen to be a bit of an inventer."

"Well, you shouldn't have that kind of technology."

"Er…well, I need to go."

"Hmm…well all right. Nice talking to you. Maybe we'll bump into each other some time again in the future."

"Or in the past." The Seventh Doctor got on his bike and rode off, ringing his bell. The Second Doctor watched him go. That man must have been a time traveler!"