"Give us some light" muttered Ace through a bunch of wires.

"It isn't that dark yet" the Doctor answered, rummaging in his coat pockets.

"Can't even tell the colour of this... thanks. Okay, done here."

Standing up, she wiped her hands on her trousers, then hoisted her rucksack up to hang it on one shoulder and asked "Where to?"

The Doctor handed her the torch while he unfolded a scrap of paper taken from his hat band and stared at it, squinting. He pulled the note closer to his eyes, then back, until Ace snorted with laughter.

"This way" the tip of the Doctor's umbrella drew a small arch to point into one of the several alleys.

"Shall we?"

Biting back the giggles, she followed him among the stone houses.

"Hmm. That would be... here."

They went into a gateway. In a single movement Ace dropped her rucksack and sat down on the cobblestones, just beside a storm drain.

"Light" she demanded. "Weird, us not running into a patrol."

"Ye, we have had exceptional luck. That's the last charge, and with no hindrance."

"Mhm. Don't jinx it."

"Ace" he said in a mock-resentful tone "'jinxing', as you call it-"

"You're the one who started talking about luck. I'd be calmer, though, if they caught us and made us explain. Daft, aren't I?"

She looked up at the darkened sky before continuing "When the tower falls, there's gonna be a pandemonium, right?"

"Hair-curling scenes."

"Yeah. So I've been thinking, is it gonna be the right guys who get the makeover?"

"Makeover?"

"Oh, you know. Ugh, dumb wire... Guess I'm paranoid..."

"On the contrary, this is a very appropriate question. You'll ruin your teeth."

"I lost the wire stripper."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Had no time" Ace stared at the wire before biting into it and spitting the bits of plastic down the drain.

"Time, some philosophers on your planet claim, is nothing but a way of organisation of mind."

"Really."

"Mhm."

"Get me crocodile clips from my rucksack. How can we travel in it, then?"

The Doctor gave her a handful of crocodile clips from his pocket.

"Another good question. Perhaps everything is simultaneous in the deeper reality?"

"Sure, Professor. What about causality?"

"Right. It appears, Ace-"

She tilted her head for a critical look at her work.

"And what does that have to do with my question?"

"Would you, by any chance, like to see Königsberg?"

"Want to introduce me to Kant?" She stood up, propping herself on one hand.

"Thanks, Professor, but I've read the Prolegomena and that was enough of the guy to last me a lifetime."

The Doctor frowned, pleasantly surprised.

"Maybe you should learn more about his ethics."

"Maybe. What was his view on blowing up dictatorships?"

"True" the Doctor smiled a little. "He might not see the worth of our hard work."

She glanced at him. He sobered up.

"You've asked a good question, Ace, but not one I know how to answer."

"Hah! One thing you don't know."

"Nobody knows everything."

"All we can do is act and hope, yes?"

He tapped her nose. "Exactly."

Hand in hand they vanished in a dark alley.