CHAPTER FIVE

LONDON

Challanger storms out of the Society, the doors bang shut only to be opened again by Simon who runs after the angry professor.

SIMON: Please if you would just try to understand…

He turns and faces the younger man.

CHALLANGER: I understand perfectly well, that sitting inside there is a group of small minded ignorant idiots!

SIMON: We should talk later then.

Simon quickly retreats back inside the building, Challanger grins to himself , Roxton, Malone and Marguerite join him outside.

MALONE: That was a brilliant performance Professor.

MARGUERITE: They soaked it up like a sponge.

As they turn to walk down the steps a woman walks over to them.

JESSE: Why did you have to loose your temper like that?

Challanger smiles at Jesse.

CHALLANGER: Jesse my dear…I had every right to.

JESSE: Come home until you calm down George, you can come back here later.

CHALLANGER: How could I ever refuse you?

* * * * * *

A R LONDON

VERONICA: Do you know Lord Bradly in your London?

MARGUERITE: Not really…I only know him by reputation, and he isn't a Lord.

VERONICA: What about James?

They stop outside a large oak door.

MARGUERITE: We're here.

The door opens and Bradly stands before them, he grabs Marguerite by the arm and pulls her inside.

BRADLY: What took you so long? Who've you been talking to?

MARGUERITE: Get your hands off me!

He suddenly notices Veronica standing beside Marguerite.

BRADLY: My dear, why didn't you tell me we had guests? (To Veronica) who are you?

VERONICA: A friend.

He looks at her impatiently.

BRADLY: What is your name?

VERONICA: Veronica, you must be Lord Bradly, I've heard so much about you.

BRADLY: What have you heard exactly?

VERONICA: This and that.

BARDLY: Excuse us for a minute.

He and Marguerite walk into the study, he closes the door.

BRADLY: I own this house Marguerite! If I make you leave you'll have nowhere to go.

MARGUERITE: But you won't do that, because if you did they'd be nothing to stop me from telling everyone who you really are.

BRADLY: They'd also be nothing stopping Pedro from killing you.

MARGUERITE: I can handle Pedro.

BRADLY: Like you handled him last time?

She walks to the door and he stands in front of it blocking her exit.

BRADLY: You have no power anymore, there's nothing you can do to stop me.

She puts her gun to his chest.

MARGUERITE: Don't make me shoot you.

BRADLY: You've been talking to Roxton again, haven't you?

Veronica knocks on the door, she tries the handle but the door won't open.

VERONICA: Marguerite!

MARGUERITE: I'll be right there…

BRADLY: You won't shoot me.

MARGUERITE: I shot you once I will again.

He looks at her confused, she smirks as she pushes past him.

VERONICA: What happened in there?

MARGUERITE: Nothing, we just had a little disagreement…Lets get out of here for a while, I don't want to be in this place any longer than I need to be.

* * * * * *

Challanger and Roxton walk out of the study and make their way down the hall, two security guards and a professor run towards them.

PROFESSOR: Challanger! Surely you don't know this man?

CHALLANGER: Roxton.

SECURTIY GUARD #1: Don't move! Stay where you are.

SECURTIY GUARD #2: (To Challanger) are you friends with this man?

CHALLANGER: I…

ROXTON: He's with me against his will.

CHALLANGER: (To Roxton) what are you doing?

ROXTON: If they think we know each other they'll arrest you too.

The security guards walk towards Roxton one of them with handcuffs. Roxton turns to run to the main door when three police officers run into the building.

ROXTON: (To Challanger) find a way out of this place.

One of the police officers handcuffs Roxton, Challanger steps back towards the study. The professor stands by Challenger and they watch as Roxton is led away.

PROFESSOR: Are you all right?

CHALLANGER: Perfectly fine.

The officers drag Roxton outside, a group of men run towards them, they knock the police officers to the ground and the men pull Roxton away from the scene.

* * * * * *

MARGUERITE: They did what!

CHALLANGER: He was arrested.

JAMES: They think he's the Roxton from this world.

MARGUERITE: Couldn't you have helped him escape?

CHALLANGER: It wouldn't have done us much good Roxton and I being arrested…

A knock on the door distracts them from their conversation.

CHALLANGER: Come in.

The door opens and the man they had seen die on the plateau stood before them, Applegate walks into the study and stands before them.

APPLEGATE: I believe you're story professor, I can be of some service to you.

LONDON

Malone, Roxton and Marguerite walk into one of the hotel rooms they'd slept in the night before, Malone walks to the window and looks outside, Roxton closes and locks the door behind them..

MALONE: This'd make one hell of a story for the paper…Everything looks the same as in our world.

ROXTON: You know what one of the main differences is though?

MALONE: What's that?

Roxton creeps up behind him and knocks him to the ground.

ROXTON: Me.

Marguerite backs away towards the door, Roxton turns around to face her.

ROXTON: Where do you think you're going?

He takes his gun from the top drawer of an oak cabinet.

ROXTON: Aww come on, I won't hurt you.

MARGUERITE: Who the hell are you?

ROXTON: Does the name Pedro ring any bells?

She steps back against the door and tries to open it.

ROXTON: Oh I locked the door behind us, safety and all.

MARGUERITE: Don't come any closer.

ROXTON: I won't kill you…Yet.

She pulls on the door handle and bangs on the door, Roxton grabs her from behind and puts his hand over her mouth.

ROXTON: Sssh, you don't want to cause a scene.

A force bangs into his side and he falls to the floor, he aims the gun but can't see anything in front of him, a green scaly hand grabs hold of the barrel from the side and Tribune knocks him unconscious.

TRIBUNE: I can't leave you alone for five minutes.

He hands the gun to Marguerite, she walks over to Malone, she looks at the bruise forming on his head.

MARGUERITE: That'll leave a mark.

He slowly starts to wake up, he sits up.

MALONE: Who hit me?

TRIBUNE: Roxton.

MALONE: Why the hell did he do that?

TRIBUNE: Probably so you wouldn't be a witness to Marguerite's kidnapping.

MALONE: Did I miss something?

MARGUERITE: Even in another reality I still can't escape my demons.

MALONE: What do we do with him?

TRIBUNE: Tie him up, unless of course you want him to knock you out again.

Someone knocks on the door.

MARGUERITE: Who is it?

SIMON: It's Simon and Professor Fitzgerald.

MARGUERITE: Just a minute.

Tribune drags Roxton out of view, while Malone opens the door.

MALONE: We should talk outside.

The Professor walks into the room.

PROFESSOR: We're in a...Dear God!

He see's Tribune.

PROFESSOR: It's true! This is amazing.

MALONE: We have to keep this quiet.

PROFESSOR: Nonsense.

He hurries out of the room, the others follow him out into the corridor.

PROFESSOR: We need to take it to the Society, we must study it.

TRIBUNE: You're not taking me anywhere.

PROFESSOR: It speaks!

TRIBUNE: And stop referring to me as it.

They hear a crash in the room while they investigate Professor Fitzgerald and Simon sneak out, in the room the window has been smashed.

MALONE: This is bad!

MARGUERITE: He's gone.

* * * * * *

A R LONDON

CHALLANGER: And what story might that be?

Applegate closes the door.

APPLEGATE: I over heard you talking about an alternate London.

CHALLANGER: That's ridiculous. We said nothing of the sort.

APPLEGATE: Well just in case you change you're mind, I know someone who could help you with you're predicament.

He writes down a name and address then walks out.

MARGUERITE: He just keeps popping up all over the place.

JAMES: Who is he?

MARGUERITE: Someone who can't be trusted.

JAMES: Maybe he's different in this...Reality.

MARGUERITE: People like Applegate never change.

Challanger looks at the name on the paper.

CHALLANGER: I know this man, I think he will be able to help us.

MARGUERITE: He might different here.

MALONE: If it means we can leave here I think we should take that chance.

* * * * * *

Roxton is led down a wet underground tunnel then pushed into a cold, bare room. In the middle a man is sat at a table.

JOSE: Pedro, he's back.

Pedro looks up then motions for Jose to leave.

PEDRO: Come stai mio l'amico?

Roxton thinks for a moment trying to remember things from the not so many Italian lessons he used to take as a young boy.

ROXTON: I'm...Fine.

PEDRO: I am not, I won't be fine until you bring me signorina Krux.

Jose steps back into the room, Pedro looks at him angry.

PEDRO: Va a quel paese!

Jose hurries out and shuts the door, Pedro turns to Roxton calmly.

PEDRO: If I don't have her by tomorrow night...I'll send another man after her.

* * * * * *

The middle aged man looks at Challanger confused.

ALEC: But I only talked to you a week ago.

CHALLANGER: It wasn't me it was my double, the Challanger from this London.

He sits down letting the information sink in.

ALEC: This is unbelievable! I will try and help you of course.

CHALLANGER: You know where to find me.

As Challanger leaves the room, Applegate walks in through a back door.

ALEC: When will it be printed?

APPLEGATE: By tomorrow the whole of London will know their secret.

* * * * * *

Malone hurries down the long corridor, James whose been falling asleep at the desk wakes up.

JAMES: What's wrong?

MALONE: Roxton never made it to the police station.

Marguerite looks up from the book she's rwading, concern written all over her face.

MARGUERITE: What happened!

MALONE: Someone saw him escape with some foreign men.

JAMES: It had to be Pedro's men, he'll want to know where you are.

He looks at Marguerite.

VERONICA: Where will he be?

JAMES: I don't know.

VERONICA: He'll try and find us.

MARGUERITE: He won't, it'll be too dangerous for him to come back here.

VERONICA: Then he'll let us know he's safe some other way.

MARGUERITE: If he is safe...

Challanger walks in.

MARGUERITE: (To Challanger) Roxton's gone.

* * * * * *

The next morning Challanger wakes up to a knock at the door, he looks out of the window to see a little boy run off down the street, he opens the front door and see's a newspaper on his doorstep. He looks at the front page headline:

PROFESSOR CHALLANGER CLAIMS "DINOSAURS ARE ALIVE".

He turns the page to see another headline.

OUT OF THIS WORLD!

He throws the newspaper on the floor.

CHALLANGER: Damn!

* * * * * *

Marguerite walks downstairs into the living room, Bradly creeps up behind her.

BRADLY: Who are you?

She turns around.

MARGUERITE: Excuse me?

He holds out the newspaper in front of her, she reads the first headline.

MARGUERITE: It's all lies of course.

BRADLY: You've been keeping secrets from me.

MARGUERITE: Your delirious.

BRADLY: And you're going to make me very rich.

He gets hold of her arm.

BRADLY: Lets go.

MARGUERITE: Where?

BRADLY: You're trying to hide form Pedro, what better place to go to than you're plateau?

MARGUERITE: I'm not going anywhere with you.

BRADLY: You don't have a choice.

* * * * * *

LONDON

Aiden Bradly watches as Marguerite leaves the Zoological Society, he walks silently behind her, concentrating on the woman in front of he doesn't hear the footsteps behind him. He grabs hold of her.

AIDEN: I'm back!

MARGUERITE: Who are you?

He turns her face towards him.

AIDEN: Don't you recognise you're fiance?

Someone throws him into the road.

ROXTON: Obviously not.

He aims his gun at Aiden.

ROXTON: So, are you feeling lucky tonight?

To be continued...

Please R & R.