Vanessa and her security team take Herbert to her townhouse and she tends to his wound. Doug brings in all of the laptops and cellphones from Jane's apartment, as well as Herbert's things. He figures that John will try to make contact with Herbert through one of them. There was no sign of the key, and Herbert tells Vanessa that it's in his possession and will stay there. He explains how the safety lock works, and Doug confirms that the time machine is being guarded at the museum.
Vanessa explains that she can't find a genetic connection between her and Herbert. They met when she was on campus, and Herbert approached her and said that he was her great great grandfather. He told her about the time machine, Jack the Ripper, and the key. Herbert gave her a letter to himself and told her to find the time machine. Vanessa shows Herbert the letter, which tells Herbert to believe everything. There's a symbol at the bottom, and Vanessa and Herbert don't recognize it.
Jane wakes up in the apartment and John sits her back down. He asks for her telephone number so that he can call Herbert, and Jane refuses to help him. Unsurprised, John drags out the bound and gagged apartment owner, Jules Milton, and makes it clear he'll kill her if Jane doesn't give him her number.
At Vanessa's townhouse, the phone rings. Vanessa tells Herbert not to mention them. Herbert takes the call and John has Jane say hello. He then tells Herbert to meet him at the bridge in Central Park the next day at noon, and to come alone. Jane empties out a bowl and hits John with it when he hangs up. She takes the phone from him and then runs to get Jules. Jane unties the woman and then pulls John's unconscious body out of the way of the door out. They get out and run to the elevator, but it takes too long and they go to the stairs. John wakes up and grabs Jules, and Jane falls down the stairs. He warns her that if she walks out the door then Jules is dead. After a moment, Jane goes back up the stairs.
The next morning at the townhouse, Herbert wakes up and looks around. The library contains copies of all of his books. Doug comes in and points out that Herbert hasn't written them yet, and might affect what Herbert writes in his future. The security chief says that John used a burner phone and it will make him harder to trace, and goes to get Vanessa. Griffin Monroe arrives and introduces himself, and Vanessa comes in and kisses Griffin. She has Doug lead Herbert out, and Doug warns that not everyone knows who Herbert is. Meanwhile, Vanessa claims that Herbert is a descendant of H.G. Wells, and says that he's in town for the exhibit. Griffin reminds her that they have a lunch date for his Senatorial campaign, and Vanessa takes a rain check.
John ties up Jules on her bed and then goes to the next room where Jane is missing. Jane tells him to leave Jules go, but John says that he has her to keep Jane in mind. He tells Jane that she'll be dead soon enough, but she tells him that if he wanted her dead then he'd have done it by now. Jane also figures that he needs her as leverage to get to the time machine once he has the key. John takes out a first aid kit to treat the scape on her arms from her fall down the stairs, and Jane asks him why he kills prostitutes. He warns her to watch her tongue as he reties her, and Jane says that everyone knows him because he's the most famous killer in the world. Intrigued, John asks for details and Jane offers to show him on the Internet.
Herbert tells Vanessa that he'll need to take John to the time machine. Doug wonders why Herbert can't travel back and reverse the entire series of events, and Herbert warns that they can't disrupt the fabric of time. He figures that if someone goes to a similar point in time repeatedly then it can cause a hole in time and destroy the world. Herbert refuses to let Doug and his men surround the area, and warns that his primary concern is saving Jane. Doug figures that they can deal with a man from 1893, and Vanessa agrees with Herbert.
Jane shows John the history of Jack the Ripper, and he insists that he only kills prostitutes because of the opportunity. He's irritated that he doesn't get credit for being a killer, and Jane says that he's a faceless dark cloud on history. John tells her that the only thing more fulfilling then saving a life is taking one, and it slakes his thirst. He chokes Jane for a moment and then lets her go.
Doug and his security team take Herbert to Central Park. Herbert says that it's not his intention to give John the key, and all he cares about is saving Jane. In the park, Herbert stops to listen to a doomsday prophet warning that the end is near. He continues on to the bridge and John approaches him. John refuses to hand over Jane until he has the key, and talks about how everyone is so loud and angry in the world. Herbert insists that John must pay for his crimes, and John tells him to look it up that he's never caught. When Herbert points out that he might die, John doesn't believe he can do it. Herbert spots Doug's security guards and John offers to tell Jane where he is in return for the key. John notices that Herbert is looking around, and Herbert takes out the key to distract him. When John takes the key, one of the security guards, Carl, grabs John. John knocks the man over the railing and runs off, cutting Doug's hand with his knife. Furious, Herbert tells Doug that he killed Jane.
Back at the townhouse, Herbert complains that Vanessa lied to him. Doug says that they should have something on the phone trace soon, and Herbert warns that Jane's death is on his hands. He figures that John might kill Jane just to get back at him, and starts to leave. Carl stops him, and Vanessa points out that Herbert came to him a long time ago to ask for her help. Hebert asks if he's a prisoner there, and Vanessa says that he isn't. Carl steps out of the way and Vanessa says that she won't follow him. Once Herbert leaves, Doug asks Vanessa if she's serious.
On the street, Herbert bumps into a tall man, and apologizes. He asks the man for directions, and the man points. Herbert goes but realizes that the tall man is following him. he ducks behind a car and when the tall man comes over, Herbert approaches him and asks if he's following him. The tall man claims that he doesn't know Herbert, calls him a freak, and moves on.
At Jules' apartment, John flies into a rage and demands to know who is helping Herbert. Jane doesn't know, and tells him to disappear if he wants to leave. John figures that even without the key, he can disappear into another time. He draws his knife and prepares to kill Jules, and Jane tells him that she saw that he hates being Jack the Ripper. John dismisses her as idealistic and says that he's exactly who he wants to be, goes into the bedroom, and brutally stabs the mattress next to Jules.
A half hour later, Doug and his team break into the apartment. They find Jules' corpse but no sign of John or Jane. Doug calls Vanessa and tells her what happened.
John takes Jane to the museum and Jane talks her way past the guard. She realizes that John is going to take her with her, and Herbert steps out and tells John to let her go. Herbert says that there's no one else there, and he has the key. He slides the key halfway across the room, and John moves over to get it. He shoves Jane away, grabs the key, and gets into the machine. Herbert begs him to stop, and then yaks out the exterior power cables. A burst of energy blasts Jane and Herbert back. When Herbert opens the door, John leaps out and attacks him. A guard arrives and tasers him unconscious, and Herbert assures Jane that he's fine. John revives and stabs the guard, and grabs his gun. However, more guards arrive outside and John has no choice but to run.
As the EMTs take the guard to the hospital, Doug and Vanessa arrive. Doug tells her that the incident is being reported to the police as vandalism. Meanwhile, Herbert checks the machine and asks if Jane is okay. John calls on Jane's machine and tells Herbert that he's going to kill one person every day until he gets the time machine with the key. After John hangs up, Vanessa comes over and confirms that John called. She tells Jane that Julies is alive and they're monitoring her, and Jane says that John said that he killed Jules.
John goes to a bar and returns the phone to the woman he borrowed it from. He tells her that he was bested, and she offers to cheer him up with a drink.
Vanessa and Herbert return to the townhouse, and she apologizes for lying to him. She says that it won't happen again, and offers to help Herbert repair the machine. Herbert wonders where she gets her resources, and Vanessa explains that Anders enterprises is a biotech company founded by her parents. He talks about how he thought technology would be the path to utopia, and admits that he was wrong. Vanessa says that her parents died when she was young and they were all that they had, and she did a genealogy test on blood from Herbert's short. They show that the two of them are related. Vanessa explains that she found the time machine per the future Herbert's instructions and had it restored, and she's happy that Herbert is there now.
Herbert goes to the study and finds Griffin there. Griffin asks how Herbert is related to H.G. Wells, and Herbert dismisses it as a complicated lineage. When Griffin asks how long Herbert is staying, Herbert says that he doesn't know and wonders if there's a problem. Griffin says that there isn't and Herbert leaves.
Jane is staying at the townhouse per Vanessa's invitation. Herbert visits her and says that it's safe for Jane to stay there. He explains that she and Vanessa are related, and shows Jane the letter. Jane asks about the symbol, and Herbert figures that it's something from his future. They figure that his future self was afraid that he might do something to alter the future, and Herbert promises that he'll find John and make him pay for what he did to Jane. She assures him that she can protect herself, and Herbert apologizes for bring mayhem into her life. Jane says that she has a good life and Herbert being there is a big deal, and tells him not to be sorry.
At the bar, John asks the woman, Bella, if people truly have the power to change. She thinks people have the ability to change but hate it because it's too hard. As they talk, the tall man takes photos of John. John suggests that they go somewhere private for a proper drink and Bella agrees. Once they leave, the tall man finishes his drink and goes to his apartment. He takes out his gun and then checks his wall, which has photos of Herbert and John, and articles about Herbert's books.
Written by Gadfly on Mar 6, 2017