5. The Second Day.
As Chloe enters the working environment, she meets one of the engineers who has been working on Tardises for a few years now.
"Simeon's the name," he says, brightening up as he sees Chloe. "My grand job title is a Senior Tardis Manufacturing Engineer, but we're all just engineers here. I'm to be your mentor." He hopes to make Chloe more relaxed as they must work together.
"Chloe's my name," Chloe replies. "Newly arrived. This all looks great!" Chloe feels a new warmth for Simeon. She smiles and Simeon smiles back. Chloe appreciates his making her feel relaxed.
"You keep this place very tidy," Chloe says to compliment him.
"Me and the many teams," Simeon has to admit - it's not just him keeping it tidy. "We need access to so many things at a moment's notice. I'm glad to have you on my team." Chloe looks the sort of person he can rely on. Chloe feels appreciated already.
Other team members and other new starters are nearby, busy with their assigned tasks. Simeon steals a glance at her, and she doesn't notice. He is pleased that Chloe appears to him to be much more attractive.
"Did you travel far to come in to work today?" Simeon asks. "Do you live far away?"
"I've come in from the small village called Surbiton," Chloe says. "How about you?" .
"I just live nearby," Simeon says.
"Doesn't the accommodation nearby cost a lot?" Chloe asks.
"Yes, but I'm earning," Simeon says, "so it's alright."
As Simeon has assigned Chloe a fairly simple task to start with, he busies himself with preparing a metallic interface to make a mirror surface. Chloe steals a glance at Simeon. She feels impressed with his looks and care of her. Simeon glances at Chloe in the reflection in his metallic mirror surface. Did she just look across at him? He turns and looks at her. She turns and laughs. Now she's sure Simeon was looking at her!
The Third day.
Simeon decides he must ask Chloe out. "Are you dateable?" he asks.
Asking this only on the second day they meet may be rather forward, but the shift patterns may mean they may not meet again for a while, even if he is supposed to be her mentor.
This feels sudden to Chloe, yet she is attracted to Simeon. "Yes," she says cautiously.
Her main intended mission here is to find out about Tardis registration and go. As she has seen even just a little of the Tardis building process, she realises that it's much more complex than she had thought. She certainly doesn't plan to stay here. It seems that decisions will have to be taken, and soon!
The Drop Test.
"Here's a board, I have to show you the drop test. We drop the circuit board on the floor, it shatters into grains like sand, we brush it up and recycle it. We learn from this the value in recycling the materials used in the board manufacture."
"But that's a landing circuit, they cost loads."
"How do you know it's a landing circuit?"
"It says on the board... just there." Chloe indicates the edge of the board near which the inscription shows.
"Yes, but it's duff. Yours to drop, then we'll sweep it up."
"I can repair it," Chloe says, taking the board from Simeon.
"What? Repair it? We've never done that here."
"Yes. They cost loads, so a repair is worth it. Have you got a piggy-back board?"
"Yes, but..."
Chloe reaches for a sample piggy-back board nearby. She carefully pulls a component off the landing circuit board and presses it onto the piggy-back board. Then she presses the piggy-back board onto the landing circuit board. It's all done in a minute.
"Now test it to check it works," Chloe challenges.
"I've worked here for five years, and no-one has ever repaired a board."
Chloe steps up to him and smiles sweetly. "Could you do it for me, please?"
"Alright, I'll check it." Simeon caves in. How can he resist?
He takes the board and places it on a test rig and presses some buttons. "Landing circuit board... Well, okay, it works now..." His verdict seems begrudgingly given. As he has never seen an instant repair done before he is perhaps overly cautious.
Simeon wonders what bright spark he has with him. "Where did you learn how to do that?" he asks.
Chloe recognises that she will have to either tell Simeon about travelling with the Doctor or tell him that she has read about it in the Gallifreyan Library. Initially, she chooses the latter.
"While all these other new starters were wasting their time, I was reading about all this in the Library."
Simeon looks at her oddly for a moment. "All this is classified secret," he says.
Apparently, even this isn't going to be so easily revealed.
"As I said I've not been wasting my time," Chloe says quickly. "Can I ask you to keep a secret?"
Simeon is used to secrets, but commercial secrets from projects, not from peers. "Alright," he says cautiously.
"Can we go somewhere more private?" Chloe asks. She needs to know that Simeon will definitely keep her secrets. She likes Simeon and feels she would value him as a friend.
What will Chloe choose to share with Simeon?
In a More Private Place.
Chloe knows she must tell Simeon something, at least to test his trustworthiness, and whatever she tells him must be kept secret.
First Chloe approaches Simeon. She observes his positive reaction as she looks into his eyes. She needs to build up trust so that she can know that he will keep her secrets and keep them well.
"I must know; are you interested in me?" Chloe asks. This is rather forwards, they only met a day ago, yet in this time-pressured environment, she must act fast.
"Yes," Simeon says. He is very interested. Chloe had caught his eye when she first walked in, then she had done things he'd never seen done before, and she had somehow gained access to secret documents in the Gallifreyan Library. Naturally he's interested!
"Will you promise never to share my secrets with anyone else?" Chloe asks, looking into his eyes, keenly.
"Absolutely," Simeon says. This girl intrigues him. Secrets?
"Have you heard of the Doctor?" Chloe asks intensely.
The Doctor had been the hero on Gallifrey, rescuing the residents from certain death at the hands of the Master (ref. 9). Since then, he has acquired legendary status (which doesn't cost them anything), and is sometimes seen living among them, though not very often.
"Yes, of course I've heard of the Doctor," Simeon says gushingly.
"I've travelled with him," Chloe says. "It was the Doctor who showed me how to repair a landing circuit."
"Wow!"
"But I have also read it up in the Library, too. So, I know the theory, too."
"Wow!" Simeon says. "If you've travelled with the Doctor, that means you're Elite. What are you doing here on the manufacturing floor? Engineers can never hope to travel in a Tardis."
"More secrets," Chloe says. She doesn't want to tell him all of her secrets in just one go - it would be far too much for him to cope with. "I'll tell you gradually, as we get to know each other better."
"Tonight, then?" Simeon asks. He is checking if Chloe is really open to a date. Although they've only met the day before, it may be the best moment for him to show interest. "The Surbiton Diner?"
Chloe thinks fast. This is likely to be near where her accommodation is. Is Simeon being thoughtful to her?
"Thank you, yes," Chloe says, grateful for the suggestion. She will have to look for it on the way home.
It's a shame that those building Tardises can't aspire to travel in them!
Tardis travelling usually involves an assigned mission with secrets, casual Tardis travel is unheard of.