AUTHOR'S NOTES: I must admit, this is one of my favorite chapters. I fell in love with Frobisher when I heard the Big Finish Audio Dramas and just had to include him. For those unfamiliar with Frobisher, he speaks with a New York City accent-well, he is a private detective.
CHAPTER 32
COMPANION EXCHANGE
"Doc, you mind tellin' me what's goin' on?" Frobisher said in bewilderment, looking from one to the other. As far as he was concerned, Jason was the oddity. "First the TARDIS decides to do a headstand, and now we're takin' on passengers."
The Alterran was completely taken aback, giving the Doctor a surprised and inquiring look.
"As I said before, I'm not entirely sure myself. And I'm even less sure now," the Time Lord replied, ignoring the amused expression that was blossoming on Jason's face. He made a hurried introduction and then returned his attention to the console.
"You traveled with a talking penguin?" Jason said at last, trying very hard not to burst out laughing.
"Hey, don't knock it till you've tried it," Frobisher said defensively. "The avian form can be very relaxing."
"I've always preferred an eagle myself. Better eyesight," Jason replied offhandedly.
The Doctor gave a theatrical groan before vanishing beneath the console. Whether this was to inspect its workings or escape the present conversation, his friends could not tell. "I always hoped you two would never meet," he muttered as he pulled off an inspection hatch.
"Why's that?" Jason and Frobisher asked in unison.
The Doctor's head popped up for a moment. "Because you're both shape shifters."
"I hate that designation," Jason muttered under his breath.
"Having one of you about is bad enough, but now to have two!" The Time Lord shook his head, vanishing from sight once again.
Jason blinked and turned to the equally stunned Frobisher. They stood silently studying each other. The Doctor abruptly reappeared again. "Incidentally, Alterran and Wifferdill." He held out a hand to indicate which was which, incorrectly, before he vanished again.
"But not necessarily in that ord—" Jason broke off as he looked past Frobisher, his voice going from playful to serious. "Doctor, the exercise equipment is gone." He turned back to the corner beside the exterior doors. "And so is the cart with my stuff on it." The Doctor was immediately on his feet, looking from one corner of the room to the other. The two had the same thought at the same time and exchanged a horrified look. "Kay and l'X'el!" they cried in unison. Without another word Jason dashed through the inner door.
Frobisher gave the Doctor a steady look. "You wanna let me in on what's goin' on?" he said at last. "Just who is this Jason character? Why is he here in the TARDIS? Who are Kay and l'X'el? And why are you lookin' at me like that?"
The Doctor cleared his throat nervously. "You're not supposed to be here," he said calmly and then frowned. "At least, I think it's you who shouldn't be here." He looked at the console to verify that he was still in the same time zone and on course for the Heladin system. Seeing this was indeed the case, he gave a satisfied grunt and looked up. "I was right. It's you."
"You feelin' okay, Doc? That loop-the-loop didn't rattle your brain or anything, did it?"
"No, no, it's the TARDIS that's had her brain rattled, so to speak." The Doctor paused, listening to the ship. He knew every nuance of the time machine's workings; every hum, click and occasional clang. The time rotor was still rising and falling as it always did, the engines humming with power. The ever present hum of the time machine seemed unchanged.
Jason returned at that moment, a relieved look on his face. "l'X'el and K'ell'k are okay, but the architectural configuration's changed back to what it was before," he announced breathlessly. "The sickbay is a very long way away now."
"I'll fix that once I'm certain the TARDIS is undamaged," the Doctor replied. "Wouldn't do for Lix to get himself lost if he comes looking for us."
"He and Kay are still dead to the world, if you'll pardon the expression. But there's no sign of Mel," Jason said in a worried tone. "Not just her, everything connected with her. It's like she never existed."
The Doctor stood thoughtfully a moment. "I don't think it's a matter of never existed as much as hasn't existed yet," he said unhelpfully. "I think we may've jumped a time track. When the TARDIS bounced against that temporal rift, everyone inside seems to've shifted back in time."
"Everyone but Mel," Jason observed soberly, throwing a meaningful glance in Frobisher's direction. "Nothing like a companion exchange to make an already complicated situation all the more confusing."
The Time Lord did not reply, his thoughtful expression creased with worry.
Frobisher cleared his throat. "If anybody's interested, I have a suggestion."
"I'm glad someone does," Jason remarked, glancing in the Doctor's direction. "I'm stymied."
"Well, maybe if you go over the chain of events leading up to the TARDIS's case of the jitters, you might find a common denominator."
Jason broke into an enormous smile. "And give you a better idea of what the hell is going on, right?" To his surprise, the penguin actually smiled back, something he did not think possible.
"Hey, I'm a trained investigator," Frobisher replied in a proud yet playful tone, waving a flipper in the air.
"With a unique perspective on events," the Doctor remarked.
"How's that?"
"You weren't involved in any of them." The Doctor's face cleared as a sudden thought struck him. "But you did experience the distortion. I've no idea why it happened, but it would explain why you're here and Mel, and everything connected with her, has vanished."
"Not to mention my stu—" Jason had turned back to the corner, expecting to see it empty. Instead, he saw the misshapen container of documents still on the floor where he'd left it. He crossed to the box and looked down at it in blank astonishment. "Um, so why is this still here?" he asked, glancing over at the Doctor, who was holding up the smaller box that he had placed on the console.
"And this," the Time Lord replied.
The Alterran looked at the box in the Doctor's hands and then the one at his feet. He crouched down and touched it, scanning it at the same time. He then compared that to what he had in his memory, a puzzled look passing over his face. He went over to the console, scanning the box the Doctor had in his hand.
Frobisher watched this display in bewilderment, but could tell by the look on the Doctor's face that something important was happening. He decided to hold off on the questions that were currently in the process of colliding into each other in a futile attempt to escape through his mouth.
Without a word, Jason gave the Doctor a steady look and held out a hand. The Time Lord offered his own and Jason scanned him and then himself as he had done with Mel on Earth. When at last he released his grip and stepped back, his puzzled expression having deepened further.
"Well?" the Doctor asked. "What's the verdict?"
Jason held up a hand. "One more scan and I may have an answer." He crossed to Frobisher and asked to touch him, explaining about his scanning at the same time.
Frobisher shot a questioning look in the Doctor's direction, receiving a nod of encouragement in reply. "You're quite safe, Frobisher," the Doctor assured.
"Eh…sure, go ahead. Scan me," Frobisher said, holding out a flipper. Had he not just witnessed the Time Lord allowing the procedure himself, he might not have been so willing.
With this scan finished, Jason drew a deep breath and straightened, turning back to the Doctor. "I'm not sure what this means," he began slowly, "but there is one distinct difference from before. Chronons. You and I are saturated with them, and my two boxes have very heavy traces. But Frobisher is completely free of any chronon particles whatsoever." He glanced back at the avian and smiled reassuringly. "Not that I have anything to compare that scan to."
"Go check l'X'el and K'ell'k," the Doctor instructed, giving Frobisher a reassuring sideways glance.
Frobisher looked up at the Alterran. "The Doc's got a theory."
Jason laughed. "Yeah, I know that look too." So saying, he vanished through the inner door.
As soon as he was alone with the Doctor, Frobisher went over to the console. "So, Doctor, you gonna tell me how you know this Jason character?"
"This Jason character, as you put it, is a former traveling companion and very dear friend of mine," came the astringent reply. He saw the stricken look on his friend's face and drew a deep breath. "How would you like to hear a story?" he then asked, going on to give a quick rundown of events as he knew them, beginning with the sighting of the temporal distortion and ending with Frobisher's bewildering appearance in the console room.
Jason returned from the sickbay with l'X'el in tow. He had found the same abundance of chronons in both Wieonol and was at a complete loss as to how they had all become saturated with them. As Frobisher suspected, the Doctor had a theory and it centered on the temporal manipulator.
"The manipulator?" l'X'el gave the Doctor a stunned look, thinking he was about to be blamed for the present situation.
"This is just a theory, l'X'el," the Time Lord stated firmly before going on. His theory was that when the manipulator exploded it flooded the room with chronons, which everyone entering had absorbed. Because Mel had remained in the TARDIS, she was prevented from being exposed, and when Jason handled the two boxes, he passed the chronons on to them.
"So when the TARDIS dematerialized, it got bounced around by all those free floating bubbles of temporal energy," Jason concluded, running a hand through his hair.
"That's the basic theory, yes."
"And the companion exchange?"
"Ah, yes well…" The Doctor cleared his throat in embarrassment. "I'm not exactly sure why that happened."
"Great. So what happens when we materialize on Heladin Alpha?" The question was no sooner out of Jason's mouth than the unmistakable sound of a materialization filled the room and he exchanged an uncertain look with the others.
"I think we're about to find out," the Doctor replied.
Everyone held their breath as the time rotor slowed to a stop. There was a collective sigh of relief a split second before the console room distorted as before. When the world returned to normal, the time travelers took stock of the situation, discovering that Frobisher had vanished.
Jason glanced over to the corner beside him. "No exercise equipment," he observed sadly. He turned sharply to the inner door, his head cocked as though listening. "Well, any guesses?"
"Guesses?" the Doctor replied.
"Someone's coming down the corridor at a run. As a shot in the dark, I'd say male." With a small smile, Jason added, "That should narrow it down."
l'X'el turned to the inner door just as a young man who looked about the same age as him burst into the room. He was slightly built, with sandy blond hair and wore metal frame eyeglasses. He skidded to a halt, almost colliding with Jason who was nearest to the door. His mouth dropped open as he took in the occupants of the room and turned a questioning look in the Doctor's direction.
The Time Lord held out a hand and said grandly, "Everyone. Meet Grant Markham."