"'Be 9:24... be 9:24... '... be 9:24... be 9... '" " Is Steel back yet?" " From where?" " He went outside." " Well, no." "The rain's stopped." "Storm must have passed." "Silver, nothing's supposed to change here." "It's still 9:24." " What shall I do?" " You'd better find him." " Oh, who is it?" " What?" "The person who's come here, who is it?" " It didn't happen." " We heard someone arrive." "'All irregularities will be handled 'by the forces controlling each dimension." "'Transuranic heavy elements may not be used where there is life." "'Medium atomic weights are available." "'Gold, Mercury," "'Copper," "'Jet, Diamond, Radium," "'Sapphire, Silver and Steel." "'Sapphire and Steel have been assigned. '" "Thank you." "It's one of my children." "There." "Got a kiss for Johnny Jack and all the children on his back?" "Oh, well." "Where did you come from?" "Where did I come from?" "How can I answer that?" " Just try." " I come from 250 different places." "These doors were locked." "Not when I come in." "Shop." " Shop!" " There's no one there, I'm afraid." " No one in the kitchen?" " No." " Where's the staff?" " There is no staff." " Yet it's open?" " Yes." "So what do you do?" "Help yourself?" "I'll help meself." "Got a kiss for Johnny Jack..." "and all the children on his back?" "Don't you touch her." "Like the coat." "What do you want here?" "I want service, that's what I want here." "In the meantime, this is mine." "My squat." "Are you the manager or something?" " How did you arrive here?" " How did I what?" "To this place, how did you get here?" "By minding me own business and not answering questions." "I've had nothing but questions since the minute I walked in." "First she started and now you..." "Has something happened here?" "Something wrong?" "Oi, something happened here?" "Did you walk?" "Drive?" "What?" "I walked, didn't I?" "Do you mind?" " Walked from where?" " I said do you mind?" "I'm sorry but that happens to be one of the tools of my trade." " I said, walked from where?" " I don't know where from." " You forget?" " I don't have to remember." " The others..." " The others?" "The others in the company." "They do all the thinking." " A company of performers?" " That's right." " Makes sense." " It doesn't." "How did he get here?" "I walked." "Whatever it is that's going on here, I had nothing to do with it." "I wasn't here, whatever it was." "You walked from where?" "They dropped me off by the turnpike." "They was going into town and I didn't want to go." "So they told me to meet 'em here." ""Wait by the service station,"" "that's what they said, so I walked." "Let go!" "I only wanted a tea." "What sort of people are you?" "Who are you?" "You've done nothing but throw your weight around." "Well, if this is the future, you can keep it." "Doesn't it worry you that you've been brought from the past and trapped?" "Of course that worries me." " What about him?" " He has every right..." "There's no time here." "What's he doing here?" " He's right." " No what?" "No, why should they be right?" "He just happened to be passing by." " Here, in the present." " Right." "He just came in." "He walked through the doors and came in." " For a cup of tea." " Ask him what the date is." " Ask him." " No." "Excuse me." "What day is it today?" " What, you mean the date?" " Yes." " The 15th or something." " 15th of what?" "July, of course." " And the year?" " The what?" " What year is it?" " How do you mean?" "What year?" "!" " This year." " You don't know?" "We forget." "It'd better be the same as it was when I woke up this morning - 1957." " It rang?" " Yes." " Then what?" " I answered it." "And?" " '... be 9:24... '" " I got what you're getting now." "'... be 9:24... '" "Two people from 1948..." "And an old man from 1925." "And this character from 1957." "It doesn't make sense." "The numbers don't compute to make any sense." "Is there anything special about those years?" "Nothing of great historical importance, no." "But..." "There's... there's something wrong." " For us?" " Yes." "I'm going to take another look round." "If it's any consolation, we've had one tiny victory." " That?" " Yes!" "I checked it." "It was made in 1957 and has no sinister elements." "But you and I are looking for different things." "How did you get it away from him?" "While you were keeping him busy, I made a quick reproduction." "He'll never know the difference." "Now then..." "'Show me more." "'I said show me." "'Show me more." "'I said show me. '" " What was that?" " Hm?" "Oh, that was me?" "Something wrong?" "Seeing as you're outside, give us a shout, will you?" " A shout?" " Yeah." "If you see a grey van, that'll be me mates only I'm busy, you see." "Right, I'll give you a shout." "Might put on a bit of a show later, if there's time." " Like that, would you?" " Possibly." " I bet you would." " Sorry?" "Bit of a show, knees-up on the table." "You'd love that, wouldn't you?" " No." " It's a chance to cheer up a bit." "Why don't you get on with whatever it is you're doing and leave us alone?" " No appreciation." " Shame." "It's a tragedy." "I'm the best tambourine player there, I'm the only musician amongst them." "Play something." " What, now?" " Now." "When the others come, eh?" "All right, I'll look forward to that." "I don't trust these - any of them." "And as Sapphire says, there's nothing really sinister about it." " Nothing that could harm us." " Then why don't you trust them?" "Well, it's as if... as a musical instrument, it's never been played." "Every instrument that ever was or is, is its own recording device." " Did you know that?" " No." "Ah." "Well, listen..." "Do you hear that?" "That's just a noise." "This instrument has only ever made a noise, never music." "Well, it's a drum." "You can't expect it to play a tune." "No, but we can expect it to make music." "Some sort of rhythm, properly handled of course." "You're saying a man who's part of travelling company made up of..." "Musicians and performers." " Should be able to play music on it." " Yes." "Especially when he's the only real musician amongst them." " What?" " His words." "If you can make a reproduction of a tambourine... could you make one of a car?" "A car?" "Well, a car would be more difficult." "With Sapphire's help we could probably make an image." " An illusion." " Would that be enough to allow you to remove the real one for a closer inspection?" " The image would fool them visually." " That should be enough." "Makes it a long day when there's no time." "When we've done this," "I'm going out there, to where the traffic sounds are." "I'd like to know what would happen if we tried to leave." "Under the circumstances, so would I." "Now, you want me to project an image of the car?" "Yes." "As you did the last time, only a fixed one this time." "So..." "You're telling me that I'm more than 20 years adrift?" " Yes." " And this is the future?" "Get away!" "Well, look about you." "Isn't this a little different to what you're used to?" "All places look the same to me." "I never need to look." "He's telling the truth." " What?" "We don't get any older?" " Apparently not." "So what's 20-odd years?" "!" "Now, you project the image the moment I drive this thing away." "But Silver, won't they hear it?" "For a fraction of a second, perhaps." "I shan't be driving in a conventional way." " Are you ready?" " Yes." "Right." "The future could be a lot of fun, providing the price of a pint hasn't changed." "A pint of what?" " What's that?" " What?" "Silver, it must be now." "That sounded like a motor." "Your friends, where are they?" "Somewhere." "I'm not sure." "All right?" "I'm not sure." "Hey..." "Are you going to leave me in there with that freak?" "Why?" "What's he done to you?" "Well, nothing." "It's what he might do." "Sorted it out, did you?" "Just a minute!" "I want to talk to you." "Go ahead." "Well, not here." "It's about him, you see." " Your man friend?" " Yes." "I want to tell you the truth about him." "Take me with you, will you?" "Please take me with you, it's important." "Where's Silver?" "He's gone to look for a way out." " Is it unlocked?" " It is now, yes." " Wait in there." " How did that get in here?" " I'll tell you later." " No." "Tell me now." "OK, I'll wait in here." "What's she doing here?" "She has something to tell us." "Why don't you find out what it is?" "I'm not talking to you." "Not just you." "I'm not saying anything to you." "You never once left that café, only now." "You hardly moved from the table." "You're afraid to leave your friend's side for more than a few moments and here you are now with me." " I've explained." " Not to me you haven't." "Who are you?" "Look..." "I've got things to say, all right?" " Things to tell you." " Then tell me." "No, not unless all three of you are here." "If you hurt me, I shan't help you." "I shan't help any of you." "You're gonna need me." "'Show me." "'Show me more." "'I said show me." "'More. '" "Your eyes..." "What's happened to your eyes?" "What did she say?" "Sapphire?" "Steel!" "It's our death." "Our destruction." " The danger I sensed in the yard." " A sensation of fear." "They're playing tricks with your mind." "No, I was sensing violence." "Our destruction, yours and mine." "So it wasn't an emotion from the past - from the future." "Yes." "Our future." "But why?" "Steel..." "They're like us, Steel." "But they're like us!" " The same as us?" " Well, almost." "How do they differ?" "I think they answer to a higher authority."