A/N: Sorry for the delay folks. Thanks for the reviews though. And hold on to your heads, it's about to get confusing. This is the bit I've been dreading. Welcome to paradox city!

Chapter 11

"I don't understand," Connor said, his attention fully on Helen now. "What can I possibly do that you can't? Why do you need me?"

"I never was much good with technology," Helen drawled. "You, on the other hand, are the exact opposite. Quite the little genius."

"Helen, you're millions of years in the future and you're coming to me for technology advice? Forgive me for sounding cynical, but somehow that just doesn't make sense."

"This may be the future, Connor, and they may have a lot of technology that we don't, but that doesn't mean that they are capable of building the machine I need you to build," Helen paused, watching Connor closely before continuing. "Well, rebuild, actually."

Connor frowned. Something in Helen's tone told him there was a lot going on here that he didn't know about and it was making him nervous.

"What," he asked, choosing his words with care, "makes you think I'll be able to rebuild it?"

"Well you managed it first time around."

Connor sat down heavily. So Helen knew something of his own personal history. His future, as it was to him at present. How much did she know? And what did this have to do with Abby and the deadly virus that was killing off mankind?

"I need to know everything," he said after a moment.

"Ask your questions and I'll answer them," replied Helen, waving a hand to dismiss the guards.

"What happened here?" Connor asked once the door had closed behind the last guard, leaving him alone with Helen.

"A new, partially man-made, ice age took over the world and mankind decided to stop the spread of the ice with nuclear technology. The plan went wrong. Now it is held back at a particular line by an array of nuclear stations churning out enough heat to melt the ice and enough by-product radiation to fry a human in less than a day. All life within the radiation belt has been wiped out with the exception of these underground monitoring stations. Humanity is gone."

"Wait a minute," Connor interrupted. "You just said we survived. We didn't die out. Now you're telling me we did? And what about the guys that picked us up and brought us here? Or did you pick them out of time as well?"

"Cai and his men belong to this time, Connor," Helen replied, watching her words sink in. "Humanity is gone, as I said, but I didn't lie to you. You see we didn't die out, dear boy. We evolved."

XXXX

Kate groaned as she woke up to bright sunlight. For a moment she thought she was back in her brand new, featureless, character free, London flat, with sun streaming in a window, but her mattress was too hard and her pillow was a funny shape. She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings, then groaned again as it all came flooding back to her. A movement below her head made her pay more attention to her pillow. He was starting to wake up.

Carefully, she disentangled herself from the blanket covering Becker and herself and sat up. They hadn't meant to fall asleep outside the cave, it had just happened that way. She wasn't entirely sure she had a clear memory of how it had just happened, but it had. Kate cast her mind back over the events just a few hours previously. A smile crossed her face as she recollected the kiss, chewing her lip absent-mindedly, her eyebrows raised.

Kate's unfocussed gaze suddenly picked up something and she blinked a few times before she was able to focus clearly on the distraction. A light was shining down by the forest's edge. A bright, pulsing, golden light. Kate scrambled to her feet, grabbing the blanket and shaking Becker awake in a blur of movement. Seconds later he had a pair of binoculars from one of the guards' packs and was focussing them on the distant glow.

"You're right, it's an anomaly," he said. "Quick, get the others. No time for food or washing, we've got to go now, before the larger creatures have woken up."

"You mean before it closes. We haven't seen any larger creatures here."

"Either way..."

"I know."

Dashing around the cave waking up soldiers and packing up bags took little more than two minutes. Little John proved the hardest to wake, so Becker picked him up and carried him. Within five minutes they were out of the cave and on the march towards the anomaly.

"What if this anomaly thing closes by the time we get there?" Elizabeth asked, keeping pace with Kate and Becker at the head of the group.

"Then we turn and go back," Becker said simply.

"We don't even know where it goes," Kate whispered. "What if it goes back to our own time, or to somewhere worse than this?"

"Then we turn and go back," Becker repeated. "We don't necessarily have the time to stand and debate the matter, or to send an envoy first to check it out, so we all go. We see what's on the other side. If it seems safer or easier to live in than here, we stay, if not, we come back and keep waiting."

"You seem to have thought this through," said Elizabeth.

"I've been trained for it," Becker answered, keeping his eyes on the anomaly. "Making quick decisions in difficult situations. I was trained by the best."

"Do we get to know who or is that classified?"

Becker cast a glance sideways at Elizabeth.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Young man, I have been writing characters, observing human behaviour and researching histories for more years than I care to remember. I can spot someone who has something to hide at ten paces, and I can spot young lovers much sooner! In my extensive experience, the two don't mix particularly well so whatever story you're hiding, I suggest you take the time to tell it!"

XXXX

Nick Cutter shielded his eyes from the bright glare of the anomaly. At his side, he could hear Rex growling. The figure that came through the anomaly was tall, as tall as he was. It was clad in a white biohazard suit with a helmet covering its head. Cutter dropped his hand and frowned at the newcomer.

"Who are you?" Cutter asked.

"Quick, bring her through," the figure replied, ignoring his question.

"But..."

"She hasn't much time. If you want her to live, bring her through!"

That was enough for Cutter. He scooped Abby up into his arms and followed the white clad figure through the anomaly. Determined not to be parted from his beloved mistress, Rex swooped through behind them.

The other side of the anomaly was a hospital ward. Other than that, Cutter couldn't say, but he was sure it was some kind of ward. The walls, ceiling and floor glowed with white light. Complicated and unfamiliar instruments littered the workbench on the other side of a glass pane at the far end of the room. There was one couch, two chairs and two beds, along with various monitoring equipment. Cutter walked forward towards the nearest bed, but felt a hand on his shoulder. The white clad figure was holding him back. What for? Cutter saw a white gloved hand extend in front of him and touch a clear glass wall that blocked his way. Suddenly he understood: the ward was a separate room.

A buzzing sounded above Cutter's head and he heard Rex chirp nervously.

"Stay still," the figure ordered.

Cutter did as he was told and felt a ray of heat, focussed and sharp, pass down his body from head to foot then back up again. This was followed by a feeling of light-headedness, then a return to normal air pressure. Suddenly the glass wall in front of him slid back.

"Primary Decontamination Complete," announced an electronic voice.

The figure stepped forward first and led Cutter into the ward, signalling the bed with the most equipment surrounding it. Cutter placed Abby there and jumped as a door than had blended seamlessly with the wall on his left slid open to admit three more figures, each clad in similar clothes, which he took for hospital uniforms.

Two of the newcomers went straight to Abby and began hooking her up to the monitors and injecting her with clear liquids. The third came to Cutter.

"You have no need to fear us. We are here to save Miss Maitland's life," she said, her accent unfamiliar. "You too need our attention, but only while we monitor the progression of the virus through your bloodstream. Once your body is clear of infection you are free to leave. Please, make yourself comfortable in the other bed. You will find the necessary essentials in the cupboard beside the bed. A curtain will prevent itself at your request."

Before Cutter could say a word, the nurse, or doctor, hurried past him to help with Abby's care. Cutter looked from her to his bed and back again, confused.

"Come with me," said the white clad figure who had rescued them. "I'll help you settle in."

Cutter followed the figure over to the other bed. He could see no cupboard and no curtain, just a single monitor and the bed itself.

"Curtain," the figure stated.

To Cutter's surprise, a partition of the wall and ceiling slid away and a solid, opaque screen zipped around them, enclosing the bed and area nearby in its own small room. Cutter noted that the sound of the doctors and nurses around Abby had also vanished. The screen was soundproof too.

After that, it was less of a surprise when the stranger pressed an almost invisible panel by the side of the bed and it slid back to allow a cupboard to emerge.

"It's all very straightforward," said the figure. "You'll get used to it."

"Who are you?" Cutter repeated.

The figure removed its helmet and Cutter gasped.

"My name is doctor Nick Cutter," said the white clad man. "I am another you. Not you from earlier on in your lifetime: you would remember that. I'm you from a whole other lifetime altogether."