Edward Malone watched in disbelief as the dirty, blood-thirsty Vikings advanced. He'd used every weapon he had, all of his bullets were spent. Several of the Norsemen had fallen, but the rest were not underestimating him. All that was left in his rucksack were his journals. In another moment he might be reduced to throwing them.

"What is going on?" Malone asked himself. The time ripples had whisked him here, but he had no idea what the ripples were, or indeed, where 'here' was.

Only a smattering of boulders stood between the writer and his pursuers.

He resorted to pelting them with rocks, but it did little good. These burley fighters were not easily dissuaded. Backing up as he continued pitching any rock close at hand, he suddenly froze. One of the foremost Vikings looked familiar; all too familiar. He felt as though he was looking into a mirror. He stumbled backward in disbelief and ran out of ground. Plunging nearly one hundred feet down a steep incline, he landed unconscious in a shallow stream.

********

He'd been running for what felt like hours, but time no longer seemed to have any meaning. Lord John Roxton had only one intent: find Marguerite. He had no starting point. Shed been pulled from his side by the time distortions leaving no clue to her present whereabouts, so the hunter followed his instincts.

Three possibilities immediately: the tree-house, the cave where Challenger had built his time travel machine, and the cave where he and Marguerite had been trapped. He ruled out the tree-house. Besides, if she was there, she'd be with Challenger and safe -- at least as safe as possible under present conditions. If, as the professor had theorised, his time machine was the cause of their current dilemma Marguerite would stay far from it. That left the cave.

In his heart, he knew she was there and he knew time was running out.

********

Professor Challenger stopped short. He'd been running toward Icarus, but the white room and it's occupants were gone. The replacement wasn't much of an improvement. He was standing on cracked concrete and looking up at the ruined, crumbling towers of New Amazonia.

********