CHAPTER 3

CHECKING IN AND EXPLORING

Once the initial shock had worn off, Jason said firmly, "That's it. Now we have to stay."

"I'm not sure that's wise, Jason," the Time Lord replied warningly. "I wanted you to see your past, but I didn't intend you seeing it this closely."

"I know. You wanted me to see it in a more pedestrian sense but this is much more interesting. I've never heard my father speak. He stopped after my—" Jason broke off, a ghost passing across his face. Drawing a deep breath, he said, "He stopped after my mother died."

"And you never accompanied him on these tours?"

Clearly appalled, Jason exclaimed, "Good Lord, no!" He received a startled look in reply and blushed slightly, clearing his throat. "We can't transmute until after age four or five. And maintaining stability is a problem until puberty."

"Ah, point taken."

"Anyway, we don't even know if I've been born yet."

The Time Lord gave a satisfied grunt. "Alright, we'll stay. But on one condition. You do not make contact with your father. It could be highly dangerous, not to mention a breach of several of the Laws of Time."

"Oh…alright." Giving the Time Lord a sideways glance, Jason asked playfully, "What if I accidentally bump into him in the halls?"

The Doctor did not miss a beat. "You say excuse me, and keep going."

Jason laughed. "I am allowed to attend his lectures, aren't I? I've always wanted to. I promise I'll sit in the back and won't open my mouth to ask a single question."

The Doctor scowled, reiterating his feeling that this would be unwise. After several minutes he relented, agreeing to his companion's pleas. Later he wondered if he should have even bothered to curb Jason's enthusiasm and instead thrown caution to the wind, letting the boy run ram pant.


The ever-worried George Hargrove strode into the Dome's administrative section and made straight for Bryce Miller's office. The secretary was not at her desk. He knocked and then walked in, not waiting for an answer. "Bryce, there's been another—" He broke off when he saw the CEO was not alone. The stranger in the room was a large, muscular individual dressed in coveralls. He was of above average height, and had snow-white hair, but the feature that struck and then re pulsed the unprepared George was his face, half of which was badly scarred. Obviously this man had been badly burned at one time and George found himself wondering almost abstractly why he hadn't had the damaged repaired with plastic surgery. There were certainly enough experts in that field passing in and out of the facility.

"I'm sorry," George heard himself saying, "I didn't know you were busy. Your secretary wasn't at her desk."

"That's alright, George," Bryce said amiably. "Come in. You haven't met Captain Talbot yet."

Talbot shot Bryce a disapproving look but was prevented from saying anything by George, who gasped, "Captain?"

Waving a hand in the air, Bryce said, "A nickname. Talbot's head of the technical section; power, computers, that sort of thing. His men call him Captain. I must've picked it up from them."

"They say I like to stay at the helm," Talbot said with a wry smile.

George chose to ignore what was obviously a private joke. "Then you're the man I should be talking to," he said quickly. "We've had another power fluctuation in the newer sections. They seem to be coming every day, now. It's a harbinger of disaster, Bryce, you mark my words."

Bryce rolled his eyes. "Really, George, you're going to give yourself an ulcer."

"Somebody around here has to worry about this!"

Rising to his feet, the Captain said, "I'll do the worrying about the power supply, Mr. Hargrove." Glancing back at Bryce, he said, "It's probably that glitch I was telling you we were tracing. I'd best see to it, then."


Since they were going to stay on, the Doctor decided it might as well be properly and booked a suite for his companion and himself. Jason suggested using the name Altrose for himself (taken from one of his lesser titles) since his real surname would raise far too many embarrassing questions.

The fact that all the rooms were supposed to be booked in advanced did not stop the Doctor from acquiring one anyway. He soon learned that the Dome had only been open a short time and there were several glitches in the systems that were still being brought on line. Lost reservations were not uncommon, and he was given a suite and schedule of events without undue fuss.

While the Doctor was dealing with their accommodations, Jason was checking the schedule and discovered his father was giving a presentation that very morning. He received yet another firm warning to avoid direct contact from the Time Lord before he was allowed to attend.

Then it was Jason's turn to take the Doctor to task and managed to convince him to abandon (at least temporarily) his long coat, scarf and hat. His argument was two fold; they would be significantly out of place in an underwater structure: and instantly recognizable by Aaron in the future should the Time Lord himself happen to bump into the Elder Healer.

With this minor victory won, Jason happily went to his father's lecture.

While his companion was enjoying his look in at the past, the Doctor chose to explore the building. He could not get the jolt of psychic energy he had felt on arrival out of his mind. He was certain there was a more tangible cause than a simple seminar. Was someone or something trying to get his attention?

No one took any notice as the Time Lord strolled from room to room, level to level. The Dome was a fascination, its corridors spreading out like spokes on a wheel. In a short time the Doctor managed to find a large cafeteria, twelve lecture halls, four auditoriums, several hundred guest suites, a recreation center, several dozen meeting rooms and waiting rooms, an infirmary, three docking bays and a large service elevator that apparently went to the surface. By the time he found the areas still under construction he was clearly impressed. The building's interior was a masterpiece in functionality.

"May I help you, sir?" a flat, almost toneless voice asked suddenly.

Startled, the Doctor spun around, seeing a slender, blond female staff member standing be hind him. "No, no, just poking about," he replied breezily.

The woman looked blankly at him. "May I assist you in any way, sir?" she then asked.

The Doctor scowled, wondering why she had asked him the same question only worded differently. He studied her a moment. She was wearing the same light blue shirt, dark blue blazer and matching slacks that seemed to be the staff uniform. Like all the other staff members, her skin was slightly bluish in tint and he wondered if it were a stylized makeup. The woman also wore an ornate neckpiece containing the interconnecting dolphin design that seemed to be the Center's logo. It was similar to the ones Jason had found, but had enough variations for the Doctor to wonder at its purpose. Was it possible the staff were actually androids? Could the collars be a way of keeping track of them? It would explain their unusual coloring.

"No, thank-you," he said at last. "I'm merely killing time until my next session is scheduled."

"Very good, sir," the woman said dully. She then turned and moved away.

As soon as she was gone, the Doctor ducked into the nearest empty room. It was along one of the exterior walls and he was delighted to see the outer hull had not been covered. It appeared to be of a different material than the rest of the building—and considerably older. Upon closer scrutiny, he noticed fractures in the surface that had been expertly repaired. "Well, you didn't just spring from the ocean floor all ready to renovate, did you?" he said to the wall. "Which begs the next question. Were you abandoned by the builders…or taken from them?"


Even though he would've liked to have been closer to the front, Jason did as promised and sat as far back as possible in the lecture hall. He was spellbound by the presentation, having forgotten how captivating his father could be when he put his mind to it.

During the question and answer period, Jason wanted to laugh out loud at some of the preposterous points being thrown out by the others. He had to remind himself that some of the theories being discussed, which had already been proven by his time, were still just theories. Suddenly a man made a remark that touched at the very heart of the presentation, and Jason wanted to stand up and cheer when his father, in full glory, put him soundly in his place.


The Doctor checked along the bulkhead in several other exterior rooms, finding the same damage as the first. A very old building being made to look as if it were new. Why? he wondered. Who or what were they hiding it from?

As he headed back to the main lobby, the Doctor passed yet another set of rooms in the process of renovation, only these contained actual workers. He watched as they prepared the walls to be painted, the paint itself waiting in the hall a few feet from where he stood. After a few minutes he suddenly realized the crew was working in absolute silence. At one point a worker looked up and could not help seeing the Doctor at the door, but made no remark, going on with his work. A few minutes later two others walked straight passed him, collected the paint and then returned to the room.

Although struck by this extraordinary behavior, the Doctor observed three things. The workman all had the same blank stare and bluish skin as the staff woman, and they were all wearing the dolphin collar. It was this latter point that most intrigued him. As another worker came by, he stepped in front of him. The man stopped, saying nothing, his eyes still fixed in front of him.

"I say, old chap, can you direct me to the lobby?" the Time Lord said affable.

No response.

Trying a different tack, the Doctor said, "I must say, I like your jeweler. Where might one find one of these neckpieces?" He touched the dolphin chain, and the man closed his eyes, still saying nothing. "Not programmed to respond," he muttered, now certain the workers are robots. Turning from the door, he continued toward the lobby to find his companion. Surely the lecture was over by now.