When Cliff awoke, it was to find himself in a side room, on a small, rather functional bunk. The situation inside his trousers seemed to have returned to normal. He half expected to be uncomfortably sticky down there, but everything felt fine. He realised that Suzanne was standing in the doorway, cleaning her hands on some wet wipes.
"How long was I out?" he demanded. "What's going on?"
"Just a few minutes," said Suzanne. "You're fine. Look, it wasn't my idea to kidnap you-"
Cliff swung his legs off the bed and stood up. "Where's Lola? I demand you take me to her."
"Yes, of course. Look, it's a lot to take in-"
"Now."
Suzanne sighed and led him down a short corridor, to where Lola was lying in an identical bunk room. The Professor was just standing up from adjusting her skirt as they came in. Cliff glared at him suspiciously, then went to Lola's side. "Lola? Are you okay?"
Lola stirred as he spoke, and opened her eyes. She adjusted her glasses back into place and looked up at him. She was beautiful, he reflected. "Cliff... where are we?"
Cliff turned to the Professor, "I insist you let us out, now."
Professor Wot just shrugged. All of the aggression seemed to have just leaked out of him. "Of course, whatever you like..." he muttered.
Back in the control room, the Professor flipped a switch, and the large double doors swung open. Cliff stepped through, expecting to find himself back in the junkyard, and yards from the safety of his car.
***
Instead, he stood, teetering, on the edge of a cliff looking down on an arboreal paradise. The sun blazed down from overhead, and strange birds flew across the sky. The valley below seemed to be a mixture of jungle and open plains, stretching up to purple mountain tops on the other side. Next to him, Lola clutched tightly onto his hand. It was the most intimate contact they had ever had, he reflected.
"Cliff... what is going on?" she asked. He just shook his head.
Professor Wot and Suzanne had followed them outside. "Curious..." he said, "Pisspot is still a portaloo, it should change..."
"What have you done to us?" demanded Cliff, "where are we?"
"Anywhere in time and space," said the Professor, "give you a clue? Should still be your planet, but it could be anywhere from your distant past... to your distant future."
"I demand you take us back home!"
The Professor just laughed. "I couldn't if I wanted to," he said.
"Gramps can't really steer the Pisspot," explained Suzanne. "We never know where we're going to end up."
Lola gave a tiny gasp. "Are you saying we can never get back home?"
"It's extremely unlikely," huffed the old man. "But then, I can't see why you would want to. You'll have a much more interesting time travelling with us."
"You... stupid old fool!" shouted Lola. Then, sobbing she ran down a dirt path and into the woods.
Cliff shook his head. "This has to be a dream... or a nightmare."
"I'd get after her, if I were you," said the Professor. "We have no idea what dangers we might run into."
"You really are a stupid old... git!" said Cliff. He ran down the path. Then he ran back. "Don't leave without us!"
"I wouldn't dream of it," smirked the old man.
"Don't worry," said Suzanne, "we won't leave you here."
Cliff nodded, and then went after Lola.
***
He caught up with her in a clearing in the jungle. Tall trees, vines and exotic plants surrounded them. They certainly weren't in London any more.
Lola was, if anything, slightly calmer than he had been expecting. She was sitting on the ground in the centre of the clearing, her head in her hands, staring down at her sensible shoes. "Lola," he said, softly.
She didn't look at him. "I just can't take it in. I can't. Half an hour ago, I was just thinking about getting home and what I was going to have for my supper. Now they're saying I'll never see any of that again. I stepped through that door and into.... craziness."
After some hesitation, he sat down next to her, and put his hand on her shoulder. She sank her head into his chest, and he accepted the physical contact with gratitude. Could this be an opportunity? He dismissed the thought for the moment. "Don't listen to them, Lola. We are getting home. Somehow, I'll force that old... man to take us back."
"But... how?"
"I don't know. We'll find a way."
She sighed into his chest, and it almost felt as if they were cuddling. Then she moved away, standing up and shuffling out of her coat. Cliff did the same -- it was incredibly hot now that they weren't in an English winter. Lola folded up her coat neatly and put it on the ground. Underneath, she was still wearing her thin cardigan over her formal white blouse. Somehow, a twig had got stuck in her hair bun during her run through the woods, and she pulled it out now, tugging some strands free with it. "I'm a mess," she said. Decisively, Lola removed some pins, and her surprisingly long hair came tumbling down over her shoulders in loose curls. She ran her fingers through it, shaking it free, then caught Cliff staring at her, open-mouthed. "What?" she asked.
Cliff cleared his throat. "Lola," he said eventually, "you are amazing." He pressed on, deciding that this was not the moment to be coy. "You know what you do to me, don't you?"