Chapter 10

The Doctor pushed a cart out of the TARDIS, the surface of it brimming with electronic equipment. He stopped only briefly to notice where the time ship had landed - the back yard in the rose garden before continuing to push the cart towards the house, meeting Harry on the way. "Aww, brilliant! A helping hand. We need to set these up in the cellar quick as we can." He looked around the back yard expectantly. "Where's S... Rose?"

Harry went to help. "She went up to her room. She's a smart lass. She deduced some things about our visitor, with which I agree wholeheartedly. She believes it to be an upright reptile that has left the footprints." He looked around. "Excuse me, Doctor, but where's my car?'

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Your car. Well... I sort of had to leave it behind. I mean, can't really get it through the TARDIS' doors now, can I? No worries, though. We'll retrieve it later."

"The TARDIS is dimensionally transcendental. You could have easily readjusted the width of the doors to allow... You forgot it completely, didn't you," Harry accused.

"Are you going anywhere in particular in the next couple of days?" the Time Lord questioned, not answering directly.

"Not that I know of but..."

"Then, no worries," came the cheery reply to which Harry groaned.

"May I at least have my keys back?" the innkeeper asked. He extended his hand, obviously understanding that the logical explanation that he might need his car would go unaccepted.

The Doctor frowned, patting himself down quickly. "Umm... I seemed to have misplaced them."

"You lost my car keys? Doctor..."

"Oh, don't fret so much, Harry. I'm sure they'll pop up sometime." Before Harry could say anything further, he abruptly changed the subject. "An upright reptile?" He seemed to think about Sam's deduction for a moment. "Well, based on the casting that you made, it can't be Silurian. That gives us some thirty-five thousand one hundred twenty... um, three… other species in the galaxy to choose from. Assuming, of course, that our visitor is from the Mutter's Spiral." He finished pushing the cart into the inn. "Anyone else staying here other than me and Rose?" he questioned. Getting a negative answer, he smiled. "Perfect. We can do this without worrying the neighbors, then."

Harry sighed, already making a mental list of what he would need to do the next day, namely calling a tow company to have his car taken to the dealership to be rekeyed. Never let it be said that life with the Doctor around was simple. He was just grateful that he'd removed his house keys before handing the vehicle keys to the Doctor.

Sam and Sally had reached the door to the backyard right as the Doctor wheeled the cart in. "Anything we can help you with?" Sam offered.

The Doctor looked about for a moment. "Umm..." He patted himself down again, this time looking around as if trying to find something. "Umm... actually... start setting up the equipment in the cellar." He turned to Harry. "You do have an outlet in the cellar. Of course, you don't. And this is the United States so the voltage will be all wrong with this equipment." He turned and headed back towards the TARDIS without a word of what he was going to do.

Sam followed the Doctor, chasing after him. He wanted to talk with the Time Lord and let him know the strange predictions that Ziggy had given. "Doctor? I need to speak with you."

"You can talk to me while I find the generator," the Gallifreyan replied, not missing a step as he pulled out his key and again entered the TARDIS. "Now, where did I put that blasted thing?"

"Fine," Sam said as he followed the Doctor back into the time machine. "Al visited me again while you were gone."

"Oh, and how is the obnoxious little man with the heart of a lion?" the alien questioned as he walked into one of the many storage rooms. "Never can seem to find anything in here," he derided himself.

"Maybe you should try to organize it or something." When the Doctor looked at him, he shrugged. "Just a suggestion." He then paused and rubbed the back of his head. "About Al... he isn't obnoxious. He's just... cautious."

"Obnoxious people are usually cautious as well. Nothing wrong with that, unless you are too cautious, which would mean you wouldn't have any fun." He gave Sam a teasing smile. "I never said it was a bad thing, being obnoxious."

"Well, when people say it, they usually don't mean it in a good way." He took a breath. "Anyway, he said that right now he can't give us any information on what's happening here."

"Really? How so?" the Doctor asked, searching through a box that apparently was full of rubber ducks.

"Um, yeah," the physicist answered, looking askance at the box of strange toys. What the hell could he do with that many? And why was the alien searching through it? "According to Al, Ziggy can't pull up anything for 1987 and, whatever is going on, it's started to affect 1988. That's crazy, I know, but..."

"Sounds like a software or hardware problem to me."

"Al's checking on that but if it is, it's the first time something like this has happened. It's not usually like this. Ziggy usually puts out some very reliable predictions. Right now, though, the data seems to be lacking so she doesn't have anything to provide a stable probability matrix that would allow her to predict what needs to be addressed."

"Ah! There it is!" the Time Lord exclaimed with delight, pulling out a 3x9x13 metallic box, much to Sam's surprise. Standing up again, he looked at Sam. "Your computer's been working constantly since you leapt the first time, right?" When Sam nodded his agreement, he continued with his thought. "Perhaps a rogue element such as extraterrestrial intervention from an uncategorized life form - namely me - may have caused her circuit boards to overload, thus preventing her from finding the information she needs to make said predictions."

Sam's forehead crinkled. "I don't know. Ziggy's pretty good with at least finding something. Even if it's the list of winners at a county fair. But right now..." He stopped, trying to figure a way to tell the Doctor what he saw. Frowning as he found the path to use, he finished, "It's like the year itself was totally erased or something. Nothing but white space where data should be."

The Gallifreyan frowned. "But that's impossible. Time and history just don't vanish. Unless..." He paused, thinking as he paced, a rubber duck and the converter box in either hand. Suddenly, and without a word, he thrust said items into Sam's hands and started marching away at a rapid pace, forcing the physicist to follow.

Looking that the items in his hands, perplexed as to what use they would have at the moment, the human complained, "What do you want me to do with these? You're not planning on taking a bath right now, are you?"

"What?" the Gallifreyan responded, not really hearing the query as they hurried into the console room. He moved to the monitor and keyboard, typing away quickly before standing erect, scratching the back of his head. "But that's impossible!"

Stopping as they reached the main operations center, Sam continued to look between the objects in his hands and the furiously typing Doctor. The alien seemed on a roll and he didn't want to interrupt. Finally, at the pronouncement, he asked, "What's impossible?"

"The year 1987, starting about twenty-five hours - well, twenty-four hours and fifty-three minutes from now to be precise - and January, February, March and April of 1988 are gone from Earth's history," the Time Lord stated, his tone indicating that the missing time was beyond anything he had encountered before. He watched as the creeping loss of time entered the month of May 1988. "And the phenomenae is growing. That is quite literally impossible. Time can't just vanish from Earth's history."

"Is this happening everywhere or only Earth?"

"Just Earth. Which only makes it all that more impossible. I mean, if the Great Hanzalonian Migration vanished from history, at least there might be a possible explanation - not a nice one, mind you, but a possibility - but this..."

A shiver went up Sam's spine as he realized one possibility. "What if there's no one to write it twenty-four hours and fifty-three minutes from now?"

"Unless your planet decides to use nuclear weapons on itself in the next day, I seriously doubt that is the case. Besides which, we have history disappearing in a slow and nearly steady pace, which to me indicates that the Earth isn't about to go belly up in a big blast of radioactive fallout."

"True," Sam stated. "Nuclear war would be a near instantaneous event and there wouldn't be any future at all. So... what if this isn't instantaneous?"

"I would hope not. I mean, the Earth does continue quite well until about five billion years from now so the chances of a nuclear war happening in the next twenty-four hours is highly unlikely. What's more likely is that something somehow interferes with Earth's history and I would make a wager that it probably has something to do with whatever is in Harry's basement. And given that, I'm also fairly sure that it's extraterrestrial in nature."

"Yeah. That makes sense. Something that starts in about a day but isn't fully realized. Sort of a probability creep." He suddenly was hit by the meaning of the Doctor's words. "You really think this is extraterrestrial? I mean, it could be something... terrestrial, right?"

"Does it matter if it's terrestrial or extraterrestrial?" the Gallifreyan asked, feeling this line of thinking wasn't really necessary. There was obviously a threat encroaching on Earth and it needed to be dealt with before it irrevocably altered history.

"Well, we know whatever's in the basement is reptilian. Maybe it's some kind of dinosaur remnant... or... maybe even a new species that we've never seen before..." Sam produced a lopsided smile. "Okay, I admit, they're pretty lame ideas. I guess it's just hard to accept that something from out there is trying to get to Earth." He quickly amended, "Present company excepted."

The Doctor looked at him with surprise. "With all that happened with the Sycorax, the Daleks, the Cybermen, you don't believe in aliens on Earth, myself excluded?"

"What are you talking about? You're the first extraterrestrial I've ever encountered. At least face to face. There was the time when I leapt into Max Stoddard, but I leapt out before I was pulled into the ship." Sam closed his eyes for a moment. "It was beautiful, though. The lights, the feeling that I would actually meet someone not of Earth…"

Realizing that Sam truly had no idea what he was talking about, the Time Lord queried, "How long have you been traveling in time, out of the loop?"

Blowing out a breath, Sam shrugged. "I don't know exactly how long. It's been awhile. I first stepped into the Accelerator in 1995. I was home for a short time in..." He tried to concentrate and finally pushed out. "Um... 1999... I... think."

A sad look crossed the Doctor's face, considering that the man in front of him hadn't been in his own time for at least four years - and probably longer considering the crow's feet that played at the physicist's eyes - having only one visit home and only Al as his companion. And he couldn't even touch him. "I'm so sorry," he replied with genuine sympathy. He himself dared not think about how long it had been since he had seen another Time Lord or even think on the reality that he would never see another again. As for Sam's friend, the Doctor suddenly had a renewed respect for the man. It couldn't be easy being separated from someone you cared about. Perhaps Al's attitude towards everything, being 'obnoxious' as the Doctor had stated, was his way of coping with the situation.

Sam looked down. "Well, I stepped into the Accelerator before I knew for sure it was ready. I'd thought that my team would be able to bring me back. I don't think I considered they would need me to make that step."

"Having faith in your friends is an honorable trait to have, Sam. Don't ever forget that," the Doctor instructed him. He gave him a slight smile. "And you wouldn't be the first person, human or not, to go stumbling into something for which they were not prepared." He looked him in the eyes. "I'll find a way to get you home. I promise."

Sam nodded, the corners of his mouth tracing upwards. "Thank you." This was the most he'd allowed himself to hope in years. Al had stopped even bringing up the possibility of him making it home again sometime before, although Sam knew his friend had never truly given up. He just didn't want to give the time traveler stuck in his life loop a false sense that something would change.

The Doctor returned the faint smile. "Now... we have some investigating to do." He retrieved the metallic box from Sam's hand with a flourish before striding confidently towards the door of the TARDIS.

"Um... Doctor?"

The Time Lord stopped abruptly at Sam's beckon, looking at him with querulous eyes.

Sam held up the rubber duck. "What do you want me to do with this?"

"What are you doing with a rubber duck?"

"You gave it to me at the same time you gave me that thing in your hand. I still don't know why."

"I needed you to hold the converter box while I checked with the TARDIS regarding Albert's pronouncement about the vanishing years of Earth history. Still need this to convert the voltage from British to American." He indicated the metallic box in his hand.

Sam blinked, following the logic of the alien's words that didn't come close to answering his actual question. "No. I get that. What I don't understand is why you gave me the fricking duck."

The Doctor blinked for a moment. "Come to think of it... neither do I. Why would I give you a rubber duck? You didn't ask for it, did you?"

Sam's face fell into a look that clearly stated he thought the alien was out of his mind. Slowly, he said, "No. I didn't ask for the duck. I wondered why you had so many of them and why you kept a converter in a box of them but I certainly didn't ask for one."

"Too bad. They're great to have in a tub with you." The Time Lord turned to start out the door again.

Sam's mouth opened and closed a few times without a word coming out. Finally, he took a breath. "Okay, then." He turned to the console and placed the duck on one of the dividers. Then turning back in the direction of the TARDIS door, he noticed the Doctor's back exiting the time ship. He looked up at the ceiling, his focus on the almighty creator he believed in. "Of all the time ships in all the universe, you had to leap me into his." He then rushed to catch up with the man who was so thoroughly and completely... alien.

Quickly jogging down the steps into the cellar, with Sam at his heels, the Doctor found Harry and Sally already setting up camcorders in choice locations. "Good!" he complimented, placing the metallic box on the floor. He turned towards Sam. "Now, Harry said you made some deductions from some footprints?"

"Yeah, I did." Sam walked over to where the latest footprints were found. "We saw several areas in the cellar where there was evidence of something big but the ones here are especially telling. All evidence points to these being made by an upright reptile. From the depth of the print, I'd say it was definitely huge."

Following Sam's lead, the Doctor lowered himself, pulling out his glasses and slipping them on. "I'd say so," he commented. "You're enormous! What are you?" He fingered the print for a moment before standing up and looking about. Seeing an odd blue substance on the wall, he quickly went over and wiped a small amount with his index finger. "And this must be the blue ooze. It tickles!" He smelled it for a moment before putting the substance in his mouth to taste it. He grimaced sharply and spat it out away from the wall and the footprints. "BLECCCH!" he exclaimed, scraping his tongue with his teeth before spitting the last of it out. He looked at the ooze with disconcertion. "Something about this is familiar. What is it?" He paused, grimacing as he ran his teeth over his tongue again. "Can't say I ever want to taste that again. It burned!"

Sam watched as the Doctor had a distinct reaction to the slimy material. He looked at the man, concerned. "We haven't even tested that!" he complained. "It might be toxic!"

"Oh, it probably is," the Doctor commented in aside. Stronger, he continued. "You'd be amazed what you can find out with your taste buds." Seeing the stunned look on all his friends' faces, he assured, "I'll be fine. Eventually."

Harry raised an eyebrow, seeing the Doctor's actions and hearing his response. "I can honestly say that my Doctor never did anything like that."

Sam gave the Time Lord a chastising look. "Yeah, and what your taste buds tell you could be 'oops, that poison's going to kill me.' If we're going to figure this out, we need you alive."

"My immune system is far more complicated than yours," the Doctor replied. "Time Lords are unaffected by most of the universe's poisons."

"And what if the one you run into here is the one that does affect you? I think based on the potential scenarios we've considered, we can't afford that."

The Gallifreyan looked into his eyes. "Well, since I've already tasted it, this discussion is rather moot, isn't it?"

"I'm just saying for the future..."

"I'm a doctor of medicine... Well, more like a doctor of everything but that's beside the point," the Time Lord interrupted in a low tone. "I know what I'm doing." A manic smile appeared on his face. "Now, are we all set? Good! Let's let technology do the work for us for a while, eh?" Making sure that all the recording equipment was functioning and that he had plugged them into the small generator, he turned it on and went up the stairs two at a time while the three humans watched him with befuddled expressions.

Harry gave Sam a knowing look. "Still as stubborn as ever, no matter how many years or how different he seems."

"Yeah, well, I guess we have that in common. Mom said I could out stubborn a mule, just like Dad."

Harry chuckled slightly, leading Sally to go up the steps before following her. "In that case, the Doctor has his hands full again. And good luck to your Mum." He paused in his steps, turning towards Sam with a slight frown. "Funny that... how long have you been in the States? The way you speak, it sounds like you've been here a while."

Sally nodded as well. "Yes. You almost sound Midwestern."

"I... um... had an American cousin that I like to imitate. It just comes out like that sometimes," Sam explained hastily.

"Is your cousin still here in the States?" Sally asked, resuming her ascent. "If he or she is near Chicago, you're always welcome to come by for a visit in the future."

"Indiana, around Terra Haute. Little place called Elk Ridge."

"Bit far from Chicago then." Harry stepped out and followed the Doctor into the foyer. "Nevertheless, if you're ever in the area..."

"Thank you. I appreciate the invitation and, if I'm ever close, I'll stop by," answered Sam, fairly certain that after he leapt he'd never see the couple again or, if he did, it was likely he wouldn't remember them. It brought his mind back to the realities of leaping: short visits into people's lives, seldom revisiting them.

The Doctor turned towards his friends coming into the foyer. "Now... about analyzing that blue ooze..."

Sam knew that, based on what he had seen of the man so far, the Doctor was the better man to address chemical analysis. "While the two of you talk, I'm going to go pick up a change of clothes in the TARDIS."

Sally spoke up also. "And, my field of expertise is administrative, not scientific so... if you don't mind, I'm going to perform my own experiments in the kitchen."

Harry smiled broadly at his wife's pun. "Sounds like good ideas, both of you. The Doctor and I will do our best to figure this mystery out."

"Well, hopefully you'll get to the bottom of it all soon," Sam responded as he turned to go to the TARDIS while Sally gave her husband a kiss.

"Now, Harry Sullivan. I know how you are. You're to stop whatever you're doing at 7:00 sharp to clean up for dinner." She looked to the Doctor as well. "And that goes for you too."

The Time Lord gave her a one-fingered salute. "Yes, ma'am," he replied, knowing exactly how irked Sally would become if he kept her husband late.

"Of course, darling," Harry responded to her warning with a smile. After gaining a pointed finger from her to reinforce her orders, he watched her walk back into the kitchen. He then turned to the Doctor. "Now what do we do next?"

"Well, first I think it would be good to do a qualitative analysis study. That should give us some idea of the types of compounds in the gel. Then I'd like to do a full run of tests. I have a complete range of modern instruments in my lab aboard the TARDIS: mass Spec, HPLC, et cetera." He gestured for Harry for follow him. It took several minutes to find the lab in question. However, once found, the Doctor opened the door with a wide grin. "There we are! Now... where are our samples?"