3. Delivery.
The Doctor fusses over what they should wear, but Chloe dismisses his advice. She likes to wear blue just now while the Doctor likes his black suit.
Viewing a plan for the Kerblam delivery installation, Chloe selects a corridor away from the bustle of the despatch area. Some large conference rooms and executive offices are labelled in the vicinity.
She holds the Doctor's hand, thinks of that location in their current timeframe and activates her transport...
They appear in the corridor, just behind two middle-aged gentlemen who are strolling slowly towards an open conference room door.
They can see into the circular conference room; it's half-full.
As they follow the two gentlemen into the room, the Doctor is ejected by security. "Cleaners are not allowed in here while a session's on!" .
His black suit must tell the security he's a cleaner today. . It hadn't been that way when he had last been in Kerblam! Blue had been the colour for a cleaner then and earlier today he'd been concerned for Chloe's safety!
Chloe is directed to a chair near the front with a name plaque in front of her. She's clearly expected to be a Missus Dover.
Chloe's neighbouring attendee turns to her and says, "We got your apologies but I'm glad you could make it Missus Dover."
"Thank you." Chloe wonders what the real Missus Dover would be expected to know or say! .
She retrieves her hand-held communicator and taps in her persona name ... Eileen Dover. .
Her returned information tells her that she's expected to be a health and safety inspector. Before she can glean much more her attention is required in the room.
"Good day, lifeforms," an obviously management person says. .
Chloe glances quickly around the room to see if there's anyone remotely non-humanoid, but there appears not to be. . Maybe he's used to addressing all sorts of conventions, or maybe he's just showing off that he might! .
The Manager breathes in deeply before delivering his brief welcome speech. His name badge tells Chloe he's called Ivor.
"Here at Kerblam, we pride ourselves on an impeccable workplace record for safety. We've plenty of local workforce from our planetary base on Kandoka, here on its moon. Bur recently, we don't know why, there have been several mysterious deaths here!"
Ivor looks nervously directly at Chloe.
She wonders if she's supposed to be a torrent of outrage at the carelessness of the site? She starts thinking of what she might say ... this is all too much? ... How can this have happened? She decides to wait until she's required to speak.
As a non-verbal response might be expected, she raise her eyebrows as if in surprise, and then narrows her eyes as if to say, You'd better have done something about it then!
Ivor looks away and continues, nervously, "We found guard rails had been loosened before they collapsed. We've tightened security, but it's continued to happen - but only where the security wasn't told to look!"
Another of the delegates, Mark, looks at Chloe and interrupts Ivor.
"As Health and Safety inspector, what do you suggest, Eileen?"
Suddenly Chloe's expected to come out with something. Do they expect a solution? How annoyed ought she to appear?
Chloe breathes in deeply to ground herself as she suddenly finds herself in the hot seat!
"It sounds as if you've taken reactive action. Just how long has this been going on for?" she demands to know.
"One incident per week for a few months," Ivor replies. "We've been resisting calling in the big guns like you, but whatever we've tried hasn't worked. It's got to be stopped! What do you suggest?"
Chloe's not sure. She's no expert! "You've ramped up security? By how much?"
"Erm, we've redeployed security staff to places where recent events occurred..."
"That's not good enough," Chloe hears herself saying. It all sounds rather Mickey Mouse. "You'll have to do more than just that. Increase your security staffing until someone is caught or it stops!"
"Costs!" Ivor parries. "We don't have unlimited budget!"
"People are dying here," Chloe says, suddenly passionate to stop this. "We must discover what's causing it!"
"I'll need some of your budget!" Ivor claims.
What can Chloe say? She can hardly drop her persona in it. .
"You have adequate budget to deal properly with this!" Chloe says to counter the claim.
Mark smiles and lowers his head so that Chloe can't see his face expression. What's happening there? she wonders. His name badge tells her he's in Quality Assurance.
Maybe that's not how the budgeting works here?
Another delegate offers a way forwards. She seems to be kindly and thoughtful. Chloe notes her name from her name plaque - Rosen Dawes.
"We should try to increase security a bit and see if we can at least do something."
"Alright," Ivor says. He can see he will need to do something more; he just doesn't want it to be massively expensive. "I'll recruit some more young people - they'll cost less but will still be another few pairs of eyes."
Chloe rolls her eyes. This is a poor response. Ought she to insist on something more? If so, what? People have died, and she's supposed to be the Health and Safety person here!
Chloe racks her brains. Surely her persona would know all this - maybe that's why they chose to send apologies while they think of a proper response.
"Alright, we have to start there. But more must be done. I'm not having more and more people dying!"
The tension in the room eases. The immediacy of expected required action has eased. Maybe she's been far too tolerant?
Everyone else stands up; it seems the meeting has concluded somehow. Chloe stands up to stay in line. Most of the people depart before Chloe turns around to see the doorway again. She walks towards the door and in the corridor Mark easily catches up with her. Chloe feels she's there to listen and help.
"My name's Mark!" he tells her. "But who are you? You're not Eileen Dover!"
What can Chloe say? She almost panics. She thinks quickly! "I'm her deputy," she says. "Eileen sent her own apologies."
Will it satisfy Mark? It isn't correct, though! It's tricky impersonating someone if something is required of you! She regrets having perpetuated the impersonation, yet she's still carrying it on! She ought to back out and admit ... but Mark has other ideas.
"I'm going to report your intrusion straight away!"
But this will spoil all of their plans to look for the information for the Doctor.
What would the Doctor do? Chloe's suddenly unsure. Most of all she wants to clear Mark out of the way!
Chloe reaches for his wrist, thinks of one day into the future, here in this corridor, and activates her wristwatch transport...
Nothing changes! The empty corridor's still there as is Mark!
Chloe lets go of Mark's wrist. "I'm sorry, I've so much to do!" she says as she backs away.
She can easily tell that it's no use running from Mark, he looks amply able to catch her. Instead, she thinks of one day in the past in that same corridor and activates her wristwatch transport, this time without Mark...
Mark disappears. Chloe breathes again. at least he's out of her hair for a day, whenever she is now.
Ivor steps out of the conference room. At least that tells her when she is!
"Thank you for giving us a bit of breathing space to sort this out," he says,
"I'm here to help," Chloe says, feeling that she might fit into a more relaxed role.
"We had feared you might close us down forthwith until the issues were resolved."
"That might be exactly what someone wants," Chloe says. "That would cost a lot more than a few more security staff."
"Only a few?" Ivor looks at her questioningly. It seems he's expecting to have to hire hundreds.
"However many it takes," Chloe bluffs. "Build the numbers up gradually but quickly." Maybe the manager will leave her alone and maybe she can go and find the Doctor.
A clanking sound attracts their attention and the Doctor steps out of a recess in the corridor.
"Clear the corridor, please; clear the corridor!" Carrying a full bucket of water, he steps between Choe and Ivor.
He turns to Ivor. "Please clear the corridor. I'm about to swoosh it!"
Ivor trots off leaving Chloe with the Doctor.
"What did you find out?" Chloe asks quietly.
What did the Doctor do?