AUTHOR'S NOTE
Big scary things are happening in the world today. Wherever you are, I hope you are safe and well. Here is this week's chapter. Your reviews light up my world and keep me writing!
Chapter 25
Sagacity, The Universal Collaborative for Temporal Insight, The TARDIS
While only minutes passed for Peter back at Coal Hill, the Doctor was exhausted from his handful of trips using Beckman's device. He wanted to get through as many corrections as possible before he was unable to continue, but now he had the mystery of Beckman visiting London 2014 and Clara's grandmother.
The nanocam feed showed Peter in Danny Pink's classroom as Pink called the roll. That told the Doctor he needed to wrap up and get back to the other TARDIS at Coal Hill in 2014.
Before he did, though, he looked through the data log from Beckman's time travel device. He saw no visit to Vivian Oswald at all.
"That can't be," he said aloud.
But a second look confirmed that there was no such trip. The Doctor didn't want to think about what that might mean, but knowing his time was short, decided to instead focus on the trips Beckman did take with the device.
It looked like the focus of several trips was shifting the result of the Brexit vote from Leave to Remain. The Doctor compared Beckman's visits to that section of the timeline audit and identified three micro-events that represented the critical path to a Remain vote instead of a Leave vote. At least one correction would require a visit to Number 10.
"That should be interesting," He said aloud again. The TARDIS didn't answer. He sensed her disapproval of his activities and surmised she wanted him to stay with her and rest. As much he would like to have a nice long lie-down, say about five years ought to do it, he needed to keep moving, or he might find himself unable to continue.
"Besides, I will be lying down for good soon enough."
He saw that Beckman also played a role in getting UNIT defunded on the alternate timeline. That alteration had a major impact on several macro events and had a direct line to the nuclear war in 2025. While a visit to Downing Street to straighten out the Brexit outcome would be interesting and educational for Peter, the Doctor thought they would see more significant results from correcting the UNIT timeline.
He checked the nanocam and saw Peter sitting behind the boy who was supposed to ask a question that would unsettle PE right before his first meeting with Clara. The boy raised his hand. The Doctor took that as his cue to return to the TARDIS that was parked outside of Coal Hill on 1 September 2014.
Earth, London, England, Coal Hill School, 1 September 2014
"Can you get this thing out of my ear already? It's giving me a headache."
Those were Peter's first words as he entered the TARDIS. The Doctor removed the nanocam and placed it in the sanitizing station so it would be ready for the next trip.
"So, how did it go?"
Peter gave him an irritated look.
"Weren't you watching? Why did you make me wear that thing if you weren't going to watch?"
"I was watching. It looked like it went well, but you were the boots on the ground, so you tell me. How do you think it went?"
"It went fine, only the fish and chips for lunch were a bad idea. Super greasy. They were way better in my time."
"I noticed you ate them all, though, so they must not have been too bad." Peter shrugged noncommittally as he scrolled through the list of intersection points on Pink's timeline.
"So how do we confirm that we fixed the timeline?"
The Doctor joined Peter at the monitor.
"Now we hop ahead a few hours to the end of the school day. If Mr. Pink leaves with Miss Oswald, then it's fixed. If not, then we need to have another go."
Instead of plotting the coordinates himself he stood by and instructed Peter how to do it. In the process Peter had another opportunity to show off his considerable math skills. Admittedly, the Doctor could have shown him the automatic function, which was much faster and usually more accurate, but he wanted to see the boy work it out for himself.
They arrived just as the closing bell sounded. Students streamed out of the building shortly thereafter. The Doctor and Peter watched on the monitor as the stream slowed to a trickle. Busses filled and departed. Things got quiet.
"Well, where are they? Does this mean I goofed it up?"
The Doctor considered the implications.
"No, I don't think so. Teachers often stay to do marking or plan the next day."
He collected the nanocam from the sanitizing station and inserted it into his ear.
"I will have a look. You stay here."
That was an unpopular answer.
"Why not? I just showed you I can handle myself. What more do you want? Geez!"
"It's not that, Peter. You did superbly. I just think you would draw more attention since it's after school and any self-respecting student would not linger on the first day back."
"But -"
"No buts. Watch on the nanocam or read more Treasure Island. I will be back shortly."
The Doctor was wrong about the building being devoid of students. As he strolled down the main corridor, he heard some kind of team sport going on the gymnasium and a supremely unsatisfactory band practice in the music room.
When he passed the teacher's lounge, he heard Clara discussing something with Armitage and smiled a little. Hopefully Armitage would put in a plug for Danny if he hadn't already done so.
And then a hand was pressed firmly over his mouth, and he was roughly hauled into the janitorial storage area and flung violently across the room. He tried to keep his feet, but inertia and gravity were not his friends in this matter. He knocked over an assortment of cleaning products from a nearby shelf on his way down.
Beckman.
Beckman closed the door. When he turned back to the Doctor, he held a sharp looking military-style knife.
"Oh, Beckman! Nice to see you. How was your time in Afghanistan?" The Doctor tried for a light tone, but his breathlessness betrayed his surprise.
"Long. Hot. But I made my way here to London because I saw you on the timeline, Doctor. You got my means of travel, but not my datalink."
"So, you went long way round, then."
"Yes. Two years back here in the stone age. I did meet a nice gal in Dubai. She's due with our firstborn in four weeks. Imagine what that will do to the timeline."
Beckman sat on the edge of a student desk that had apparently been retired, perhaps due to the overwhelming amount of provocative graffiti covering the surface.
The Doctor slowly rose and found a nearby stool to perch on. He was dizzy upon standing but hoped Beckman didn't notice.
"I suppose congratulations are in order. It seems that things are going well for you here in the early 2000s. You'll like it here. The stock market's about to get exciting. And in a few more years you will be able to say you lived through a global pandemic."
Beckman grinned. "Stay here? Well, I'd love to, but I have quite a bit of work to do in the future to fix the timeline."
"Is that what you think you're doing? No, you're actually creating a corrupt timeline."
"Why are you so sure my timeline is the corrupt one, Doctor?"
"I'm two thousand years old, and I've been around the block a few times, Beckman. I'm a Time Lord. I know the difference between the true timeline and a corrupt one."
"Oh, I don't know about that, Doctor. I mean, how can you really be sure?"
"Lots of ways. The reapers, for one. Time doubling for another. And a time audit by the Collaborative. All of those things show that you are the source of the corrupt timeline."
"Well, it appears we see things differently, then. Give me the device, Doctor."
"Device? What device? Oh, do you mean that wristwatch thing? I got rid of that ages ago. Traded it for a set of bocce balls -"
The Doctor was tackled and pinned to the floor before he could finish his cheeky response. The back of his head connected with the concrete and he saw stars. Beckman leaned in so close the Doctor could smell his last meal, which involved a lot of garlic.
"That's what you get for being a smart ass."
Beckman yanked up the Doctor's sleeve and removed the time travel device. Once he had it safely on his own wrist, he plunged the knife into the Doctor's chest.
"That's for interfering with my mission."
The Doctor was too preoccupied with the searing pain to watch Beckman's departure.