Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible or Doctor Who. Disney owns Kim Possible, and Doctor Who is owned by the BBC.
EDIT: 31/08/20: Here's my re-edit of this chapter; in particular, the first 1/3 of it. I wanted to make sure it was all written from the Doctor's perspective. Also, I wanted to delete the use of the lines I'd taken directly from Doctor Who series 4, and write-up my own little thing instead.
I think my next re-edit will be for chapter 13! For now, I hope everyone enjoys this re-edited chapter, and the rest of the crossover!
Time Sitch
A Kim Possible/Doctor Who crossover
Chapter 6
"This is very fancy!" the Doctor overly exclaimed.
Kim rolled her eyes, assuming that the Doctor hadn't noticed as he looked around his surroundings.
Except he had noticed. And he could understand why.
The Doctor was on an elite passenger jet aircraft on the way to the scientific research centre, sitting opposite Kim and Ron. Both of them had been mostly silent. Ron was preoccupied with completing his history work; the Doctor had noticed that his teaching was having a positive influence on the young man. At least there was some good he was doing while stranded in this reality.
But Kim didn't seem to be so comfortable with the Doctor tagging along on this trip. In fact, she seemed a little annoyed that he had managed to wangle his way into joining them.
It wasn't the first time people had reacted that way to the Doctor like Kim did. In fact, in some ways, Kim reminded him of Donna Noble, one of his old companions. Not so much the sass; although the Doctor hadn't pushed all of Kim's buttons yet, so maybe that would surface later on. Both Kim and Donna definitely had the same head-strongness about them; perhaps it was something to do with the red hair. Which was one of the few things the Doctor was jealous about: people with red hair.
As he was thinking about Donna, the Doctor drifted back to past memories; to the good times he had with her, when he still had hope, but with his life still just as fragile…
The first time the Doctor met Donna was certainly a shock… He didn't often get visitors suddenly appearing in his TARDIS while mid-flight. Donna was a fiery one, and had a sharp tongue, but even on their first adventure the Doctor saw moments of level-headedness and compassion from her.
When she began travelling with the Doctor regularly, she quickly grew as a person. She increasingly displayed more of her compassionate, caring side, and eventually became someone who was selfless, putting others first before herself. It had been wonderful for the Doctor to witness Donna's growth as an individual.
Their bond grew stronger as they continued to travel to many worlds and different time periods. Their friendship had no romantic ties whatsoever (which was something that had perhaps burdened the Doctor with his previous companions). They simply treated each other as mates. In fact, the Doctor could honestly say that Donna had been his best friend.
Which made it all the more heartbreaking when he lost Donna…
She was now safe and alive, back on his Earth. But all of her memories with the Doctor were gone, and she would never know who he was. The Doctor blamed himself for not protecting her, and having to wipe her memories to make sure she lived. And now she could never be allowed to remember him or the adventures they had.
The Doctor had grieved after leaving Donna. And once more, he had grieved on his own. It always ended up with him being alone. Such was the curse of the Time Lords.
But this time, the Doctor had been travelling for so long without a companion. It seemed fate had ultimately decreed for the Doctor to travel alone for the rest of his days…
"Earth to Doctor!" yelled a young female voice.
"Actually, KP, we're in the air", her blond-haired friend interjected.
The Doctor was brought back to reality, to see Kim trying to gain his attention.
"I'm just about to hit up Wade, our computer guy. You might want to stop daydreaming", Kim said.
The Doctor was having more of these 'daydreams' recently, because of his growing guilt for losing the people that he loved and cared for in his life. Whether through death or by other means. The recent prophecies of his own time running out also weighed heavy on his heart.
Now's not the time for brooding, the Doctor thought to himself. He pushed all his memories and introspections to one side so he could focus.
A video feed of a pre-adolescent boy appeared on Kim's communication device. The Doctor figured this was Wade, their 'computer guy'. He would have been more surprised with this tech guru being so young, if it weren't for the fact that he was currently sat with two high school teens who regularly galivanted around the world on missions.
"Hey, what's up Kim?" the young boy greeted.
"I just wanted to check if there's any more info about this scientist we're meeting", Kim said. "Also, we've got a tag-along", she added more lukewarmly.
"Who's the new 'accomplice'?" Wade asked, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.
Before Kim could answer, the Doctor moved into view of the device, so that Wade could see him.
"Hi, I'm the Doctor", he greeted cheerfully. Kim was just on the edge of Wade's screen, looking less than best pleased.
Wade was caught out a little, probably not expecting a complete stranger to be accompanying Kim and Ron on one of their trips. But surprisingly he seemed to shrug-off this fact quickly. "Good to meet you, Doctor…?"
"Just the Doctor."
"Fair enough, Doctor", Wade replied, remaining unfazed, content enough with the Doctor's response. "How do you know Kim and Ron?"
"I'm their new history teacher… Which I realise probably seems a little odd that I'm with them", the Doctor admitted.
"A little bit. Although Kim and Ron did switch brains once", Wade stated.
"Wow… that's definitely different", the Doctor acknowledged. It did remind him of an encounter with Lady Cassandra and her psychograft device; although that was almost 5,000,000,000 years into his universe's future, and the device didn't so much switch but more replace minds.
"Yep. Trust me when I say it totally broke the weird factor..."
Kim contrived a cough, indicating for the Doctor and Wade to cut their chat and focus on the task at hand.
"Anyway", Wade addressed back to Kim. "I'll send you the scientist's full résumé, but her name is Doctor Magister. She's done a load of research in the astrophysics field."
A new image appeared on Kim's communication device, displaying the document relating to this 'Doctor Magister'. According to it, she was born in Glasgow, and had studied at the University of Oxford, gaining a first class honours degree and a Masters, both in Astrophysics, with a couple of PhDs to go along with them. Apparently she most recently taught at Harvard University, alongside working on her various research projects.
"Not bad", Ron remarked, but looking rather straight-faced. "Still not as impressive as the Doctor's credentials."
Wade gave a curious glance, most likely at Kim.
"The Doctor's a bit of a brainbox himself", Kim stated.
"So you're trying to replace me then?" Wade gasped as if offended, which the Doctor could easily tell was put on in jest. Although Kim didn't seem to catch that vibe, and responded very defensively…
"No, of course not, Wade! I would never…"
"Kim, I was just playin' with ya", Wade interrupted with a mischievous grin.
Kim frowned back at Wade. The Doctor, on the other hand, couldn't help but smile at Wade's quick-witted cheekiness. "I take it Wade's a bit of a clever one too?" the Doctor asked.
"He completely aced high school and college, in like 8 months", Kim replied, almost boastingly on Wade's behalf.
The Doctor's eyes widened in astonishment. "And how old are you now?" he asked Wade.
"11… 12 in just over a month" Wade replied unostentatiously, not wanting to make a fuss over himself.
The Doctor whistled in amazement, and then said to Kim and Ron, "I'd keep him. Good long-term investment."
Wade smiled appreciatively at the Doctor's comment. "I'd be curious to see your own credentials, Doctor", he then said. "If that's no trouble, of course."
"Not at all! Let me get my wallet…"
The Doctor took out his psychic paper from the inside of his suit jacket. The psychic paper was a handy go-to for many little situations, like masquerading identities; having security clearances; it could even act as a bus pass. Having already used it once on Kim, Ron and Monique, he would just need to conjure the same list of qualifications on the card as before. He opened up the wallet, and held it in front of the communication device.
Wade stared at the card for a moment, and then he displayed a visible expression of mild confusion, which the Doctor hadn't expected. "Errr, Doctor, there isn't anything on your card", Wade said.
The Doctor was caught out for a split second, but then quickly glanced at his psychic paper, proceeding to act as if he had lost something. "Ah… I'm really sorry, I seem to have misplaced it somewhere…" He chucked his hands into his pockets, pretending to frantically find his 'actual card'.
"Don't worry. If Kim and Ron have seen them, it's all good with me", Wade intervened assuredly.
If only you knew… The Doctor thought to himself. Wade was only the second person he'd encountered who could 'see through' his psychic paper (even if unknowingly in this instance)… It definitely proved Wade's genius to the Doctor. The only other person to 'outsmart' his psychic paper was William Shakespeare himself.
"Anyway, that's all the info I have on Dr Magister", Wade said to Kim.
"Thanks Wade", the red-head replied, before cutting-off communication.
Just then, two people walked into the passenger's cabin. One was a young, attractive, black-haired lady. The other person was a short and stout gentleman, wearing a dark suit. Both of them were Japanese.
As they walked over to their guests, Kim stood up to greet them. "Thank you so much for giving us a lift to the scientific research centre, Mr Nakasumi", she said gratefully.
The shorter gentleman, known as Mr Nakasumi, whispered into his assistant's ear. She was his translator, for any of his English-speaking guests.
When he had finished whispering into her ear, the translator said, "Mr Nakasumi says it is no problem at all. It is the least he could do after you stopped DNAmy from stealing all the Cuddle Buddies from the major Nakasumi Toys store in Tokyo."
"Ahh, stopping DNAmy from turning those Cuddle Buddy stuffed toys into living versions of themselves was no big", said Kim. "How long do we have until we arrive?"
Mr Nakasumi whispered into the translator's ears again. "About 10 minutes", she said.
"Good", said Ron. "Because I desperately need the little boys room when we get off."
"Ron, there are restrooms on this plane", Kim pointed out.
"My… aim… goes a bit off when using the facilities mid-flight…" Ron started detailing.
"Whoooaaaa, okay, tooooo much info", Kim exclaimed, waving her hands to emphasise her point.
"As a fellow male, I completely understand where you're coming from", said the Doctor.
"No, really, you don't need to talk about it…", Kim tried to interject.
"Is that why you've been crossing your legs for a while?" the Doctor asked Ron, ignoring Kim's protesting.
"…Might be", Ron replied.
"YOU TWO, could you not talk about your men-related toilet 'problems'?!" Kim exclaimed.
"I'll have you know this is a serious worldwide issue for the male community, Kim", Ron proclaimed.
Kim's only response was a groan and an exasperated facepalm.
The group of three entered the building of the scientific research centre. Kim and the Doctor were led ahead by one of the receptionists to the meeting room where they would talk to Dr Magister, while Ron went to relieve himself.
As they walked down the clean, pristine corridors, the Doctor took a side-look at Kim. He noticed that she had her 'game-face' on. Kim was focused on the task ahead, even without the prospect of fighting or sneaking around.
The Doctor was more relaxed, having his hands in his pockets, and taking long strides to match Kim's fast-paced walking. The Doctor knew that if anyone ever saw his true game-face, their only chance was to run away. Because it wouldn't be pretty. Such was the brutality of the Last Great Time War that this Time Lord had been through; he'd seen some dark days, and had suffered so much trials and tribulations.
They arrived at a big oak door, with a sign on it saying, 'Lounge Room'. The receptionist went ahead first to open the door, and held it for Kim and the Doctor as they walked through.
Inside the room, the carpet floor was a sea-blue colour, while the walls were light blue with large, expansive windows spread across them. Two long, semi-circular couches were placed in the middle of the room, facing each other. A large coffee table separated the two couches, with a bowl filled with an assortment of fruits sitting on top of it.
On one of the couches sat two people. One of them was fairly short in height; he sported grey hair, complete with a full beard, and had quite protruding ears. The other person was presumably Dr Magister herself.
"Thank you so much for coming, Kim Possible", the grey-haired scientist said gratefully. "May I introduce you to Dr Magister. She can tell you everything you need to know about the stolen black cube."
"Thank you, Dr Bortel", Kim said, as she and the Doctor sat on the opposite couch to the two scientists.
Dr Bortel stood up from the couch he had been sitting on, and walked over to the door, leaving the room along with the receptionist.
Dr Magister's fashion sense was certainly very 'quaint'. Perhaps one could say a little old-fashioned. Not that the Doctor could really comment, having to remind himself of his own track-record; he'd been through many peculiar and often wonderfully wacky clothes styles over his various incarnations.
Dr Magister wore a plum-shaded jacket, a long skirt, and a blouse with a brooch under her throat. All of it rather 19th century influenced. To complete the look, she was wearing a black boater hat, which had an assortment of black and red berries on it with a black veil on top. The hat was worn at a rakish angle.
"So, I hear you're quite the adventurer, Miss Possible", Dr Magister began talking to Kim.
"I guess you could say that", Kim said.
"Even on school nights?" asked Dr Magister.
"Yep. Keeping to the curfew, of course."
"And your parents let you go on these missions?! They must be very supportive of what you do", Dr Magister said, sounding surprised, but also almost patronising.
Kim took a moment to pause, as if figuring out Dr Magister's tone in voice, before replying "Yeah, they're pretty chill about it."
Dr Magister shifted her gaze to the Doctor, sitting next to Kim. "And is this your sidekick?" she asked. "Seems a bit older than I expected."
"Oh no, my friend took a… diversion", Kim answered, deciding to not get too specific. "This is…"
"The Doctor. Kim's history teacher. And a bit of a science buff", the Time Lord interjected, before the red-head teen could finish her sentence. The Doctor glanced to his left, and could see the typical teenaged-type awkwardness radiating from Kim and her body language. Probably because he mentioned the teacher part.
Dr Magister's eyes noticeably widened, and then a broad smile spread across her face. "The Doctor! I think I might have heard of you from somewhere before", she exclaimed gaily, and somewhat enigmatically.
How is that possible?! the Doctor questioned to himself. This wasn't even a parallel universe in his own reality. How could anyone in this reality – one which wasn't his own – know who he was?
However, he couldn't just ask Dr Magister about any of that. Instead, the Doctor compelled himself to keep his cool, and simply responded with, "Oh really?", vocalising with the most natural sounding surprised expression that he could.
"Oh yes. Don't think your reputation has gone unnoticed, Doctor", said Dr Magister, with a more ominous resonance.
A cold chill crawled down the back of the Doctor's neck. There was something unsettling about the way Dr Magister had just spoken. Something almost 'all-knowing' in her tone of voice. And somehow, she knew of 'his reputation'… Something that shouldn't exist outside his own universe, and certainly not outside of his reality.
Silence filled the room, with the Doctor trying to figure out how to respond to Dr Magister. The quaintly-dressed scientist simply kept her full attention on the Doctor. Kim kept looking between the two of them quizzingly, perplexed with this unexpected tension between them.
Suddenly, the door swung open, with Ron striding nonchalantly into the room, having returned from his toilet break.
"Man, it's so refreshing to let it out of my system…" Ron began prattling. But before he could talk any further, Kim gave him a 'Don't-Start' stare, which promptly shut him up. "Sorry", Ron apologised in a very audible, overly-hushed voice, and quickly sat down next to Kim.
"Ah, this must be your loyal sidekick", Dr Magister discerned impassively.
"Ron Stoppable's the name", the blond-haired teenager said, introducing himself.
"I'll try my best to remember", Dr Magister said, with a narrow and somewhat frigid smile.
"So, getting straight to the point", Kim interposed. "What is this black cube?"
"I'll explain it as simply as possible", Dr Magister responded rather patronisingly. "I wouldn't want you children to get confused with the deep science-y stuff…"
"It's honestly no big, Dr Magister", Kim insisted. "Being a straight-A student, plus having a rocket scientist and a neurosurgeon for parents, I think I can handle the deets."
"Of course. I shouldn't really doubt you to be a smart girl", Dr Magister stated, almost condescendingly.
The Doctor could see Kim tensing and looking a little galled at Dr Magister's remarks. If someone were to be that patronising to him, he would get irritated very quickly too. He decided to intervene with a question, wanting to swiftly cut the tension that'd been built-up.
"May I ask how you found this black cube?"
Dr Magister sat up straight on her couch, before talking. "Well, I was working one evening, when I received reports of an unknown object 'falling out of the sky'… I know, sounds so clichéd", Dr Magister said, chuckling in a forced and almost pretentious manner. "Anyway, I took it in, completed some studies on it, and then one day, it was suddenly gone, nowhere to be found."
"Do you know how it disappeared? Did someone steal it?" the Doctor probed further.
"I honestly do not have any idea", Dr Magister answered matter-of-factly. "It simply vanished into thin air… Anyway, it obviously turned up at this place, before the theft; and now here we are."
The details of the black cube's appearance (and its disappearance/reappearance) were really vague. But there wasn't anything the Doctor could prove or disprove about Dr Magister's account without overly-interrogating her, which probably wouldn't bear fruit anyway.
The Doctor moved on to his next question. "And about the cube itself…?"
"When I first found it, I felt some sort of powerful force attracting me to it", Dr Magister started explaining. "And when I started analysing this object, I discovered that there was a lot of atoms and energy radiating from it. So much, that I believe there is a possibility that this cube could be holding something as powerful as a black hole."
"Whoa", Ron uttered in astonishment. Even though Kim didn't vocalise any response, her face gave away the surprise she also felt hearing Dr Magister's explanation.
The Doctor was less convinced. "I'm sorry. Maybe I'm mistaken - I mean, I am just a history teacher - but shouldn't that cause everything around us to collapse towards it?"
"Well, yes, absolutely", Dr Magister answered. "It's amazing how we're all still here in one piece."
The Doctor pondered to himself for a moment, before beginning to query Dr Magister once more. "What is the material of the cube's outer shell?"
"I haven't the foggiest", answered the scientist. "It's possible that it's made of something not known to this world." And then she chuckled to herself again. "Which would fit the bill, considering it came crashing down from space."
"And how did you go about studying it?" the Doctor continued interrogating. "If there is that much energy and atoms contained inside that cube, surely it would put everyone at risk."
"We did all the health and safety stuff, you know, like containing it in sealed capsules; not standing within 4 metres of it; all that sort of thing", Dr Magister replied rather hazily.
That last answer seemed worryingly vague to the Doctor. He wondered why Dr Magister wasn't any reassuring about the safety of her work and with how she kept the cube under controlled conditions.
Before he could question her further, Kim interrupted to make her own enquiry. "So what could this 'energy' in the cube be used for?" she asked.
"Well, think about it", Dr Magister responded, as if the answer was meant to be obvious. "It could prove to be a great source of power for the world."
"Do you mean the 'I'm-going-to-take-over-the-world' power, or the electricity-type of power?" Ron asked edgily.
"The latter one, darling", Dr Magister responded.
"Well that's good", said Ron in relief.
"And now Dr Drakken has it…" Kim reminded Ron.
"Ok, not so good", Ron said, rubbing his face in worry.
"Even if it wasn't in the hands of a megalomaniac, it could still prove very risky", said the Doctor. "There would be a lot of factors to consider if this sort of power source was going to be implemented for the whole world."
"Of course it's not going to be an overnight thing", replied Dr Magister. "But I'm convinced all the world leaders would jump at the chance to use the cleanest source of energy the world would ever know. No more burning fossil fuels, and no more nuclear power stations to power everyone's little homes."
The Doctor kept his poker face on. He still thought Dr Magister was being too vague with her answers. And he had a hunch that she wasn't going to reveal more than she wanted. Having come to this conclusion, the Doctor stood up abruptly and said to Dr Magister, "I think this meeting is beginning to run its course. We'll just be going."
Kim and Ron were a little surprised at how abruptly the Doctor had cut the meeting. They decided not to argue, and also stood up.
"Thank you for your time, Dr Magister", Kim said. "Ron and I will retrieve this black cube asap."
"I wish you every luck in your endeavours", Dr Magister said composedly, looking rather straight-faced.
Kim, Ron and the Doctor all walked to the oak door, and one by one left the room. Just as the Doctor was leaving, he took one final look back at Dr Magister. He was sure there was a small smirk on her face, as if aimed at him.
The Doctor had a small inkling that there was more to Dr Magister than met the eye… with who she was, and her exact involvement with this stolen black cube. But right now, there was nothing the Doctor could pinpoint on her yet. He could only remain suspicious of Dr Magister.
Without a word, the Doctor closed the door behind him, and swiftly strode down the corridor after Kim and Ron.
Kim, Ron and the Doctor were on another flight, going back to Middleton. This time curtesy of some pop star sensation called 'Britina', who Kim had assisted a number of times on her previous assignments. Both of them seemed to be quite good friends; certainly close enough for Britina to lend the teen heroine one of her planes.
Kim was concentrating on her homework, as was Ron. In fact, he had a whole pile of history books next to him, and was cramming in as much work as he could. This was despite the Doctor having stated that he wasn't in the business of handing students homework for the sake of it.
While the two of them were busy, the Doctor had been contemplating to himself about the meeting they'd just had. He knew he had a number of suspicions about Dr Magister, but he hated it when he couldn't share his thoughts to other people, like he did with his companions on his time travelling escapades. Or at least when he once had companions…
The Doctor eventually decided to break the silence. "Do you two feel there's something about Dr Magister that leaves you uneasy?" he asked the two teens.
Both teenagers looked up from their books and pondered for a moment. And then Kim replied, "She's like patronising, but her ideas about the cube's energy thing were sound."
"I don't know. She was too vague for my liking", the Doctor said.
"Probably didn't help that you cut the conversation short", Kim pointed out.
"We weren't going to get anything else out of her", the Doctor stated. "She was already skimming round with her answers. Aren't you questioning why Dr Magister didn't go into more detail about how she exactly conducted her research on the cube?"
"Nit-picking much?" Kim simply responded.
"And then her surname irks me", the Doctor added, blanking Kim's comment.
"Wait, what's wrong with her name?" Kim questioned, completely baffled.
" 'Magister' is a title with Latin origins, relating to someone with 'superiority', or for one to have 'authority'."
"…And?" Kim asked.
"Well, who goes around with a name like 'Magister'?"
"Probably someone who was born with that family name", Kim answered irritably.
"It's a title to display control over something. Who calls themselves 'magister' otherwise?" the Doctor continued to mull over, once more ignoring what Kim had just said.
Kim closed her book with a small thump, and asked the Doctor, "Do you really think every name has that much significance to a person's character?"
"You'd be surprised", the Doctor responded. "I mean, have you ever questioned the surname you've inherited?"
Kim looked slightly exasperated at the Doctor's question. "So you're going to pick apart my name, now?" she insinuated.
"Well, come on, have you never heard of a film series called 'Mission Impossible'…? At all…?"
Kim's face scrunched up in confusion. "No… Have I missed something?
"I'm also a little confused with where you're going with this", Ron said, with a somewhat rigid stare at the Doctor.
"Don't get me started with 'Ron Stoppable'…", the Doctor added, glancing briefly at Ron. "Anyway, my point is that I think this particular scientist's surname gives a clue as to who she really is."
After another pause, Kim asked rhetorically, "So are you suggesting she's up to some no-good scheme?"
"It's not impossible", said the Doctor. "I've met many people who have completely hidden their true intentions; who've withheld their pasts and their darkest secrets."
"Like that kid, Billy, in our English class", Ron interjected, turning to Kim. "He seemed nice. But then I saw him pick at the chewing gum underneath his desk and sniff each one. It creeped me out."
Kim rolled her eyes and diverted her attention back to the Doctor. "How about you tell us who you really are, 'Doctor'."
The Doctor paused with a perplexed look on his face. "Well, you know exactly who I am… the Doctor."
"Doctor who?" Kim said.
"Yes, exactly."
"Your name is 'Doctor Who'?"
"Well, no. I mean, yes... Sort of. In the past sometimes. But most people just call me the Doctor. And I would prefer it that way."
Kim leaned forwards slightly, while continuing to stare straight at the Doctor. "What are you hiding?" she asked.
"Me? Nothing! Why, you suspicious I'm also up to no good?"
"Like you said, 'it's not impossible'."
"My, you're catching on quick", the Doctor said banteringly.
"Come on, you haven't even give us a proper name! How did you manage to get the substitute teacher's job anyway?"
"A smile, a good CV… and one very desperate Mr Barkin trying to find someone", the Doctor answered.
"I'll give you that last one. Def sounds like Mr Barkin", Kim acknowledged.
Ron had now stopped working, and decided to speak up. "I feel like there's something else you're hiding", he said.
"Oh come on, Ron. You're suspicious of me too?", the Doctor asked, still in a joking manner.
"No, Doc. Far from it. I just feel like you're holding back from others because of somethin'. Maybe you have a secret, but one that you're too afraid to share? Something in your past? Or is it a fear of your future…?"
Ron let his last sentence sink in, as he noticed the Doctor's expression change. His face morphed from being bright and energetic, to a look that hadn't been visibly displayed to anyone in this universe yet.
He looked solemn. Stern. Melancholy. Sad. Bitter. All these feelings mixed into one. And perhaps heartbroken.
The Doctor wished he could just confess how he felt. How he shouldn't be here in this reality. Why he had been running. How he felt he had failed so many people. How he feared his oncoming death.
But he decided that that it wasn't the right time, and certainly not the right place... And that Kim and Ron weren't the right people to talk to.
"It's nothing", the Doctor finally said, forcing a smile. "It's all good. Sorry… I shouldn't have stopped you both from working."
Kim and Ron continued their work in silence, while the Doctor looked out of the window. He wondered to himself how long he had left… How long until his time was up…