I saw "Time Tunnel, as a very young girl, and I like the show very much. A short while ago, I purchased the DVD collection and the inspiration struck me. So I try to write a story. And as I like the character of Dr. Ann MacGregor, who was in my opinion a little neglected, she will be my "hero". I must add that English isn't my native language and so I'm writing in German and try to translate correctly. If I failed in this attempt, please, please tell me so and I will try harder.

I hope you enjoy my writing attempt and feedback is greatly welcome.

I don't know how often I will be able to update, the real life comes sometimes across my creative life ;-).

Dr. Ann MacGregor awoke from a worried sleep. She had dreamt, like so often, of her colleagues and an uncertain feeling told her that they were in danger. She scolded herself a fool, certainly it was only the reaction to her dream and the fact that yesterday there was no success again to bring Doug and Tony back. Thoughtfully she sank back in her cushions.

Before Doug and Tony dived again into the time stream, the tunnel team had had great difficulties to maintain the view contact with them. Not for the first time, but the problems lately piled up. Only seldom the team succeeded in producing an audio-visual connection. Besides, Ann wished nothing more than to be able to speak with Doug. He would know a solution; nevertheless, he always knew what was to be done. Neither Dr. Swain nor General Kirk was ready to adopt her view of things. She had found out on account of her calculation that the effect of the ray bath, through which the time travellers automatically went by entry into the activated tunnel, decreased. Ann was of the opinion that, if they couldn't already fetch back her colleagues to them, they should try to send radio beacons, which could be placed under skin. Kirk hadn't reacted to her argumentation at all and Dr. Swain was of the opinion, that she is wrong, the effect of the ray bath can't decrease.

If, only Doug was here, the thought pursued her, since he was away, all the more, since she herself was kidnapped by an Alien to a distant future, where she had met Doug and Tony. So nightmarish this experience might have been she was so very happy to be again close to Doug at last. The feelings between her and the tall, dark-haired scientist were more than a working relationship. They had never spoken about it. It was there, simply, for both noticeably, but nothing they could or would talk about. In their everyday working routine, they were so close to each other that words seemed unnecessary. When Phillips followed his young friend and co-worker trough the time tunnel, something broke deep inside her. She didn't know whether Doug feels the same, but this wasn't important at the moment. She had to do something, not only because she longed to be united with Phillips again. The danger to loose both scientists was always a great possibility in her personnel view. And if Swain and Kirk refused to listen to her, then she just had to act on her own initiative. She remembered what Doug said when he said goodbye to Swain: Take not unnecessary risks, but if you must, than go for it.

About ten years ago the American government had decided to begin the project "Tic Toc". The scientist Dr. Douglas Phillips had known how to make his adventurous idea plausible. After the Okay by government and the military was given, he selected a group of qualified specialists round himself, who were sworn to the strictest secrecy. It takes five years to build the Complex, which applied kilometre far under the desert of Arizona. It was like an underground town, with lodgings, leisure facilities, labs and of course the heart of the enterprise, the Control-Centre that holds also the gigantic spirals of the time machine.

Everybody which worked and lived here, was put out to strict security check, nobody might lose a word about his activity. Meanwhile fifty years old Dr. Raymond Swain and the responsible military person, General Haywood Kirk, called "Woody" from his friends, belong to the team of the first hours. Shortly after the first attempts with the time tunnel were begun, Dr. Ann MacGregor joined the team, a computer specialist who turned out to be a great enrichment. Finally three years later, Dr. Anthony Newman, a young, promising scientist who brought new energy to the project with his temperament and his enthusiasm, joined the force.

Phillips and his people proved, that it was possible to travel in time, they sent only animals on the way, but till then, they failed to bring back one of their guinea pigs. The government became impatient. Now in view of the huge money which was necessary for the preservation of this experiment they wanted to see useful results. When Senator Clark appeared for a visit and announced that he shorten the budget, or maybe even the project would be closed, Newman went himself by the tunnel to prove that a person could travel in time and survive it. He landed on the "Titanic" shortly before the ship was sinking. To save him, Dr. Doug Phillips followed him. Since that time both men are prisoners in the streams of time, every attempt to bring them back failed so far.

The oval screen of the time tunnel was switched off and only the black / to white spiral bends of the device was visible when Dr. MacGregor took the place in her checkpoint.

„Jerry was there something important? "

The young scientist who had taken over the night shift smiled tiredly.

„No, Dr. MacGregor, everything was quiet. "

„Thank you Jerry, good night."

With an inaudible sigh, Ann went over to the computer, pressed a few keys and went with the printed out result again to her writing desk. Besides, she saw that Dr. Swain and General Kirk from the lift stepped and to her over here came.

„Good morning, Ann. could you sleep? "

„Good morning. Yes, I have slept even rather well. ", she held out the computer expression to both men.

„Yesterday I let once again go through a programme, while the conditions under which Doug and Tony stand were simulated. And the result is the same like a few days ago. It is possible that we lose the contact to them because the effect of the radiation decreases."

Swain looked doubtfully.

„It is possible! But it is not proved. "

Ann sighed audible.

„Want us to wait, until we have the proof? Until we receive no more life signs? You can't be serious! "

Now the general interfered.

„What do you suggest exactly, Ann? "

„We need these implants which can be pushed under the skin. In my report I already mentioned it. "

„I have read him, but they certainly know that this technology has been still tested very anew and also not yet extensively. Moreover, these things are quite costly. "

„Then what the life of both is worth? Less than a piece of a new, not extensively experienced technology? "Ann's voice was more than sarcastically.

Both men shared a look. They weren't used to it that the controlled quiet scientist took such an aggressive position.

Dr. Swain tried to mediate.

„We can talk about it. But even if we request for these implants, how could we get them to Phillips and Newman? "

„If we have contact to them again, we send them by the tunnel, with exact instructions what they should make with it."

Kirk shook his head.

„We have already sent something a few times by the tunnel, but mostly there were difficulties, as you remember certainly? "

„We must wait for a suitable time or somebody of us goes to the time stream. "

As from a mouth said Kirk and Swain:

„You can forget this immediately. I won't approve this. "

Before Ann could answer something it crackled and hissed from the tunnel spirals.

With one step all three were on the control desks and saw fascinated on the screen that had activated itself.