Billy did his best to escape from his attacker, but the behemoth shoved him down on the back seat with ease. With two lengths of rope and a rag, he soon had the young inventor bound and gagged.

What in the world's going on? Billy thought as he was shoved to the floor of the car. No one here could possibly know me or Kimmy--could they?

The car flew along for what Billy estimated to be about ten minutes. Then there was a lurch and Billy's stomach felt as if he were in a downward falling elevator. The low purr of the engine finally stopped.

The odd little man in the driver's seat said, "Come. We must take him to my master."

Billy's heart thudded. Master? Wait a sec -- am I going to be used for some Frankenstein experiment or something?

He drew a deep breath. Fear not, for I am with thee, be not dismayed, for I am thy God....

The driver's seat of the car opened, then shut. After a second, the large man in the back of the car with Billy got out. Billy felt a large hand grab the back of his shirt; he was dragged out onto the ground. Looking up as he was dragged along, he saw the side of a large, warehouse-type building to his right.

"For pity's sake," came the little man's voice. "Pick him up."

With a grunt, the large man pulled Billy up by his shirt collar. The next thing he knew, he was over his kidnapper's shoulder.

There was a creak and a bang, and the little bulbous-eyed man said, "Come."

Billy was jostled as the man whose shoulder he'd been slung over stepped forward. Billy saw a wooden threshold, then a stone floor. There was another creak and bang, as an old door being closed, and the light went dim. Soon after that, the young man was jostled even worse as he was taken down a flight of stone stairs, which he could just make out below him.

Finally, they stopped.

"Ah," said a voice. "You have arrived. Come, come, Colbert, we musn't be so rough with our guest. Have him take a seat."

Again, Billy was jostled roughly as the man called Colbert walked across the floor with him. At last he was set down in a chair.

For a moment the young man was dizzy after having been upside down. After closing his eyes a moment, the blood drained out of his head, and he opened them again.

Before him stood a man that looked as if he'd stepped out of the pages of a book about Victorian England.

"Mmm-mmmph."

"Ah, yes," the man before him said, his black eyes glittering. "Fenwick, do remove the gag from the mouth of our guest. The walls are quite thick -- no one will hear him down here."

The little deformed man stepped behind the chair in which Billy had been placed. He worked at the knot a bit, then pulled the gag out of the captive's mouth.

Billy swallowed a couple of times, then looked up at the man in the Victorian garb. "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

The oddly-dressed man before him gave an oily grin. "Ah, yes, of course -- how rude of me." He bowed slightly. "My name is Professor James Moriarty. You have, I believe, met my associate, Martin Fenwick."

Billy's jaw dropped. Did that guy in the car drug me or something?

Moriarty waved his hand, as if dismissing what his prisoner was thinking. "Yes, yes, I am the stuff of fiction, et cetera, et cetera. That is not the issue here."

The man leaned over and brought his face close to Billy's. "Young man, I know that you are from another time, as I am. Tell me how you came to be here, or I shall be forced to -- convince you to tell me."

Still in shock, the captive could only blink slowly at first. "What--how--?"

"Ah-ah." Moriarty stood up and shook his finger in mock scolding. "I am the one asking the questions, here. Now -- I have told you who I am. Let us start by your telling me who you are."

At first, Billy did not answer because he was still too stunned. Okay, I've stepped into some odd science fiction book -- but wait -- this is somehow feasible -- I did set my device to go to another dimension....

The man called Fenwick grabbed a lock of Billy's hair and pulled his head back. Billy felt something cold and metallic on his neck.

"My master asked you a question."

Moriarty chuckled, as if watching the antics of a child. "Now, Fenwick, that is not really necessary," he said. "Further, I will be asking the questions."

He added this, Billy noted, in a tone that was far more icy.

"Now, I will assume that you or someone else has made some sort of device to help you travel through time; is that right?" the professor questioned, taking the hand in which Fenwick held a switchblade and gently moving it away from Billy's neck.

The young man sitting bound in the chair brought his head back up as Fenwick was made to let go of his hair. "Professor, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that if I tell you how I got here, you would use it in a way that would be harmful to others," he said calmly.

Moriarty looked up at the ceiling and made little clicking noises with his tongue. "Dear, dear, that will never do." He glanced back at Fenwick. "Fenwick, get Colbert and bring him back here, will you? I'm afraid we shall have to move our guest into the other room."

Billy heard an almost excited tone in the voice behind him. "Oui, m'sieu Professor. Right away."

There were running footsteps, and the cellar door opened and shut above. Billy looked up at Moriarty, who was grinning rather wickedly.

Oh, Lord, please give me the strength to deal with whatever I'm in for....