Disclaimer: All non-OC characters and concepts belong to the brilliant minds who created Doctor Who and the BBC.

Author's note: This is the 3rd in a series of stories, therefore, I would recommend reading The Highlander and the sea monster and the Curse of the Crying Boy first.

The Schrödinger effect

Chapter 1

The TARDIS central column bobbed up and down while a strapping youth with thick-set brown umber hair stood with his back to the console on which the column was embedded. The youth was wearing a typical Jacobite-style black shirt with lace up collar and sleeves and a kilt both of which would have screamed 18th century Scotland were it not for the 20th century walking boots and 60s mod-style hair cut which the youth also happened to sport.

Opposite the youth (and therefore facing the console directly) stood a gentleman in a bow tie and a tweed jacket who would have looked no more than 30 had he been human.

Had anyone else been present in the room at the time it would have been evident that the two men in question were almost locked in a heated discussion.

'I'm telling ye, Doctor, there's nowhere else wi' heather like Scotland,' Jamie remarked.

'And I'm telling you there is,' the Doctor replied.

'Aye, well I believe it when I see it.'

'Right, you asked for this McCrimmon!' the Doctor cried as he raced over the TARDIS console and began punching in co-ordinates.

'Asked for what? Where are we awa' tae now?'

'The Purple Nebula so called because of its planets filled with heather, we're going to go to Efeoth, a lovely little planet on the edge of the galaxy. Inhabited by a primitive but friendly species and then I'll show you, McCrimmon!'

'Aye, well as I said afore, I believe it when I see it,' Jamie retorted, as the TARDIS began to take off.

Once outside the TARDIS doors the Doctor and Jamie found themselves in a small plaza. Around them were several buildings including a library, student's union and several buildings marked "schools."

'I wonder where we are?' the Doctor asked, half to himself.

'I dinnae ken but I cannae see any heather, Doctor,' Jamie remarked.

'Yes, alright,' the Doctor reported, huffily, 'but where are we.'

'Efeoth University,' Jamie supplied.

'How do you know that?'

'It says so on that sign,' the Highlander stated, matter-of-factly and pointing to a sign.

His features creased in confusion. 'What's a university?' he asked.

'A place of learning,' the Doctor replied. 'Students come here to broaden their minds with study. It would appear that the Efeothians have considerably evolved since the last time I was here. Oh well, come on, Jamie, you may learn something.'

'Aye, still nae heather though,' Jamie remarked, just loud enough for the Doctor to hear.

DWDWDW

In one of the university laboratories Professor Camus and his assistant, Xylophia, were clearly in heated debate.

'I'm telling you, Camus, it's simply too dangerous to test the Schrödinger Portal on subjects from outside of the university yet.'

'Nonsense, how will we ever learn the true effects of the machine if we don't test it on the general populace!' cried Camus, getting a little too excitable. 'We will use willing volunteers, of course,' he hastened to add.

'Please, Camus, be reasonable,' Xylophia pleaded, 'we can't test the machine on the public, even volunteers-'

'Why not?' Camus demanded, breaking Xylophia off, mid-sentence. 'We've tested it on student volunteers and it worked alright, didn't it?'

'Yes, Camus, but you know that all students in this facility have been trained to use the technology. A member of the general populace has not had such training; therefore, we have no idea what the impact upon their mental well-being will be.'

'And we won't know until we try!' Camus spat.

'No,' Xylophia shook her head, 'we can't. It's unethical for one thing.'

'Look, Xylophia, you're either with me or not. Think carefully, for you forget I could have you removed from this department before you could blink. You'd never work in this institution or any in the Purple Nebula again, understand?'

Xylophia sighed. She hated that she was about to go against every code of ethics she knew but she needed her job and the money it brought.

'Yes, I understand,' she muttered meekly, 'I won't undermine your authority again, Professor Camus.'

'Good, now let's get back to those readings.'

DWDWDW

The Doctor and Jamie were still wondering around the university campus and becoming aimlessly lost.

'Och, Doctor, where are we? We seem tae be going round and round in circles,' Jamie moaned.

Before the Doctor could reply, however, two gentlemen in white coats started down the corridor. They were entirely humanoid in appearance except for their purple skin.

'What ye look at that, Doctor!' Jamie cried in awe.

'Yes, it is fascinating, now come on before we are caught!'

They ducked back down the corridor and entered the first door them came to. Unfortunately, they did not realise it led into a lecture theatre. Both the students and the lecturer turned their head towards the door at the sound of it being opened.

'What do you mean by this?' the lecturer barked, 'turning up late for a lecture and disturbing your fellow students.'

The Doctor quickly realised that the lecturer thought that he and Jamie were two of the students. In an attempt to keep up the pretence he merely replied:

'Sorry, we got a little lost. It won't happen again, I promise.'

'Yes, well take your seats before we waste any more time,' the lecturer drawled.

The Doctor hastily led the bemused Jamie towards two chairs in the front row. When they were suitably seated the lecturer continued:

'As I was saying before we were interrupted after our own Professor Campus worked out the building blocks of quantum physics he began work on his latest experiment, the Schrödinger portal – named after the famous earth physicist, Erwin Schrödinger. In the earth year 1935, Schrödinger proposed a thought experiment which would come to be known as "Schrödinger's Cat." For his experiment, Schrödinger imagined a cat completely sealed in a box. Inside the box is a bottle of poisonous gas, connected to a hammer which, in turn, is connected to a Geiger counter attached to a piece of radioactive uranium. If the uranium decays, it will set of the Geiger counter which will set of the hammer, which will break the glass of the bottle containing the poisonous gas, thus killing the cat. Do we agree?'

Everyone in the room nodded, bar poor Jamie who was already completely confused. Having decided that this was most definitely one of those things that only 'clever wee chappies' like the Doctor could understand, his attention began to wander and he, absent-mindedly, began playing with the edges of his kilt, feeling the rough tartan through his fingertips.

The Doctor for his part was completely engaged with what the lecturer was saying. Secretly, he hoped that he would have the opportunity to have a chat with this Professor Camus before he and Jamie left Efeoth, he sounded a fascinating man.

The lecturer continued:

'However, before you open the sealed box it is impossible to know whether the cat is alive or dead thus the cat is neither alive nor dead, only by opening the box can we determine the true fate of the cat. This thought experiment was the start of the "Many World theories" which have fascinated quantum physicists from across the known galaxies. With his new Schrödinger Portal Professor Camus can allow the entire universe to see all possibilities, what would have happened if universes had evolved differently or, even, how the lives of individuals may have panned out differently if only a certain event had or hadn't happened.'

The Doctor sat bolt upright. Even the Time Lords had never had such power at their fingertips. Indeed, no one person or species should ever have such power at their disposal for the mental effects that it could have on those that tested such power would surely drive them to an emotional breakdown not to mention the temptations it could bring. Imagine being able to change the world so that Hitler never took power of Germany, tempting but what other consequences would it bring?

'Isn't this all a little dangerous?' the Doctor asked.

The lecturer looked a little puzzled at his question. Surely he knew that everyone who had tested the Schrödinger Portal had had sufficient mental training to be able to distinguish between the outcomes experienced in the Portal and reality.

'No,' the purple being smiled, 'all those who use the Portal have been trained to a strict mental regime to ensure that they can still distinguish between reality and what they witness in the Portal.'

'I see,' the Doctor replied.

Before he could say anymore, however, a bell sounded which signalled the end of the lecture.

'I'm afraid that's all we have time for today if you care to move along to your next lecture please.'

The students filed out with the Doctor and Jamie following them.

DWDWDW

Professor Tymas watched as the class filed out of the lecture hall paying particular attention to the two latecomers. There was something unusual about them. Obliviously they were humans; their skin tone had given that away as soon as they walked in the room. That in itself was not unusual, they had been human students at Efeoth University before but these two seemed somehow out of place, particularly the boy with his skirt! His companion, in his tweed jacket and bow-tie which made him look like an eccentric professor, looked more like a member of the staff rather than a student.

Still, Tymas thought, he had not seen these two around here before. It was suspicious that they would turn up out-of-the-blue and attend a lecture on the Schrödinger Portal. Could they be a part of one of the many protest groups that seemed to descend on the university these days, demanding that the experiments be shut down? Either way I'd best report their presence on campus to Professor Camus.

DWDWDW

'What was that all aboot?' Jamie asked when they were out of earshot.

'What was what all about?' the Doctor enquired.

'Och, what that daft wee scientist was on aboot, that Schrö-what'sit?'

'The Schrödinger Portal?'

'Aye, that's it. What's it all aboot, Doctor.'

'Well, like the professor said, Jamie, it is a machine that has been developed to allow the user to see how things in their life may have played out differently if only a certain event had or hadn't happened.'

'Och, but surely that's dangerous, Doctor, I ken ye can dae some amazing things with the TARDIS but surely this Schrö-thingy is jist playing God an' that's ne'er a good thing!'

'Yes, Jamie, you're right which is why, now we are here, he must find this Professor Camus and put a stop to his experiments before it's too late!'

DWDWDW

At that particular moment Professor Camus was with Professor Tymas discussing the two mysterious students that made an appearance in Tymas lecture that morning.

'And you're sure that you have seen neither of them before?'

'Yes, quite certain, Professor Camus, I pride myself on knowing all my students but those two were complete strangers.'

'I see,' Camus reflected. Outsiders, how did they get in here? No matter, this may be my chance to test the effects of the Schrödinger Portal on civilians.

'We cannot have unauthorised guests roaming around the university as they please, Tymas, call Security; Captain Minsk can deal with them!'

DWDWDW

Captain Minsk was a formidable sight. A heavy set fellow with perhaps (as some in the university said rather unkindly) more muscles than brains. His face was a mess of scars and cuts, most noticeably of which was a large scar running across his left eye down to his lip. He also had a sizeable chunk of his right ear missing, which meant he sometimes had to turn his head to the left to hear what people were saying to him.

His reputation amongst the staff and students of Efeoth was almost as fearsome as his appearance. He had served in Efeothian army during the great purges of the Purple Nebula, when an entire fleet of Sontarans had arrived in the galaxy and (upon seeing it's as a vital tactical position in their own going war with the Rutans) had attempted to wipe out the Efeothians and their neighbours, where it was said he had had killed whole battalions of Sontarans (some claimed single-handily) and was one of the few to survive the Sontarans destruction of Efeothia (the Efeothian capital) which had killed millions including Captain Minsk's own wife and children. Some even claimed that he had vowed revenge upon the Sontaran race for the deaths of his family.

After the war, like many others who had witnessed the atrocities caused by the Sontarans, Captain Minsk struggled to settle down into civilian life and drifted between jobs sometimes working for only weeks at a time before a chance encounter with Camus (an old school friend and now a professor) saw him been recommended for the post of head of security at the newly established Efeoth University. Once in the role Minsk became dedicated to his job throwing all of his passion into his work, there was nothing that went unnoticed on his watch. He had once coolly, some would say coldly, managed to have a whole class of students excluded for failing to produce the relevant ID when questioned.

Nevertheless, as he sat at his desk typing up the annual security report, his mind was troubled. There had been a spate of hassle recently with activists protesting outside the university against, what they claimed to be, unethical experiments carried out on students by Camus when testing the limitations and abilities of his Schrödinger Portal. The politicians in Efeothia were keen to see the results of the tests and were at pains to ensure that nothing should stop the experiments from being carried out, which meant extra pressure on Minsk and his team to deal with the activists and protesters.

In his mind, Captain Minsk was running through some of these appropriate ways to deal with them when he heard the intercom buzz. He pressed a button and Professor Tymus face appeared on the screen.

'Yes, professor,' he barked, 'what is it?'

'I have reason to believe that I have had a couple of the protesters invade one of my lectures, captain,' Tymus replied. 'Camus is aware of the situation.'

Not again!

'Do you have a description of the two perpetrators professor?'

'Yes, they were both wearing very distinctive clothing,' Tymus supplied and proceeded to give Captain Minsk an accurate description of both the Doctor and Jamie. 'I would appreciate it, captain, if you could send a team of men to deal with these two intruders before Camus returns from the lab.'

'I shall handle this personally, professor, and you can be sure that these two intruders will be gone with the hour and that Camus will find everything ship shape when he returns from his experiments,' Minsk was quick to reassure him.

'Thank you, captain,' said Tymus as his face disappeared from the screen.