Carefully looking through his star charts and scrutinizing every detail, the Doctor frowned. He had hoped that pinpointing this planet's exact location in the universe would shed some light on the phenomena that was occurring. This was proving to be nearly impossible, however.
Several times it appeared he had finally honed in on a set of coordinates, which he could then look up inside the TARDIS' memory bank. His ships' navigational instruments then decided not to cooperate, causing the numbers to fluctuate wildly and never settle back onto a final, static location.
Something was causing them to act up. Figuring out exactly what that something was created yet another problem on top of a set of already frustrating problems. "Oh, dear," he whimpered, pressing his open palms against the sides of his face as he leaned on top of the console.
"No, no, you are not giving up," he scolded himself as he quickly straightened up. "Jamie and Zoe are depending on you. I shall not rest until you figure out what's happened here.
"Mm, now, first order of business: What exactly is causing the navigation system to malfunction," he muttered to himself. "Well, where shall I even start with all the possibilities of—"
His eyes suddenly widened and he nearly leapt in the air. "Of course! The atmosphere! If I can gather some more fine-tuned readings of this planet's atmospheric properties, perhaps I can recalibrate the navigational instruments to get a more accurate reading of its coordinates. And with that I can figure out where exactly we are in the known universe …"
A hopeful little smile crept across his face. "And with that, I can get started on a way to find my friends."
His outlook a lot less pessimistic than just moments earlier, he hummed as he accessed his ship's first set of readings of the planet's atmosphere, obtained when they had first landed.
He frowned thoughtfully. At the time, he was merely looking to see whether it contained a breathable atmosphere, making it safe for them to leave the ship and explore. He uttered a humorless chuckle upon that notion. "'Safe', perhaps, but first impressions can certainly be deceiving, can't they."
Yes, what he really needed was a more in-depth analysis of its properties, especially in terms of the chemical makeup.
"Well, Old Girl, let's see what we can see, shall we?" he said, calling up a new round of analysis.
Zoe felt an uncomfortable surge of anxiety as she studied Leo Sillsbeck's face in anticipation of his reply to her proposition.
The man appeared tentative at first but then sighed and gave a slight nod. "Alright. We can set aside a small block of time each morning to study the displacement phenomena …"
Zoe's ears perked up and she gazed at him in curiosity. "Displacement or disappearance?"
"Disappearance," he automatically clarified, his face reddening slightly. "One of my colleagues did put forth a hypothesis that displacement could be involved, but I'll get into that later." His quick smile faded and he eyed her seriously. "If you're willing to get here half an hour earlier than usual each morning, we can work on it."
"Oh, yes, that sounds fine," Zoe replied without missing a beat, her expression one of sheer gratitude. "Thank you for allowing me the opportunity."
Leo seemed slightly taken aback by her effusiveness as she offered her hand to him, but he soon returned her smile and shook her hand. "Of course. I'm looking forward to having you on our team."
Zoe felt a glowing warmth radiating inside her as she nodded. She felt not only relieved by his acceptance, but a great sense of accomplishment as well as she grabbed her ledger and dove back into her work with an energy she hadn't experienced in quite some time.
She had come quite far in her sample analysis when her thoughts began to wander and her smile faded as she realized this new schedule would cut into the time she would normally spend having breakfast with Jamie. She paused and felt a slight tinge of regret at the thought. She realized she had come to enjoy that time they shared in the morning. On the TARDIS it was a few quick dehydrated cubes with the Doctor and Jamie, and then she was off to work on a personal project.
Zoe shrugged. What else could she do? It was important that they locate the Doctor and make sure he was unharmed.
Declaring that notion completely settled, she refused to let anything distract her from her work.
"Ah! That was rather quick," the Doctor remarked as a quiet 'ding!' signaled that the new analysis was done. "Hmm, now, what have we here …" His brow furrowed in concentration as he closely studied the newly updated data points for each of the planet's atmospheric properties, paying special attention to those of chemical composition.
"Ah, I see," he said at last as a satisfied smile spread across his face. Yes, further calibration of the navigation instruments was indeed necessary to reflect these new, additional values.
Humming happily as he performed the adjustments, he then tapped one final button with a flourish. "Now, then! Let's try again," he announced, patiently waiting for the instruments to return a final, static set of coordinates for the planet. The usual several minutes having lapsed, he bent to study the screen.
His hopeful smile quickly slid into a morose frown. The values for the coordinates were still fluctuating, although not to the extreme they had done earlier.
Folding his arms over the top of the console, the Doctor dropped his head to rest on top of them and sighed heavily. "Oh, crumbs," he muttered. After a beat, he straightened up once more, his expression pensive. "Something is still missing. But what could it …"
His voice faded as his gaze lifted to the scanner. He stared at the view before him, his eyes focusing on the endless, mostly barren, red landscape. His mouth dropped open as a stark realization smacked him upside the head.
"Wait a minute!" he exclaimed quietly. "Wait a minute! Yes, I concentrated the analysis on the chemical properties of the atmosphere, but surely that isn't the only set of parameters affecting the navigational controls!"
With a triumphant smile, he rushed out of the control room and returned several minutes later, clutching some small instruments and containers for collecting samples.
Zoe smiled in satisfaction as she jotted down the last of her notes on this particular sample collection. Leo had left her side and was now across the room, recording the latest results into the database. The petite scientist's gaze fell upon a new batch of rock samples that had been placed on the table and she reached for one.
Studying the contents with a keen eye, she opened her ledger and began to note the physical characteristics. This one was certainly impressive —a dark brown, fine-grained profile with thin veins of a milky-colored, glassy mineral that gave off an iridescent sheen whenever she rotated it …
"Mrs. Galliwup?" a male voice suddenly interrupted.
Straightening, Zoe put the sample back on the table and looked up in the direction of the voice.
Ah, Dr. Stuart Ainsley: height approximately six foot three, slim, clean-cut with dark hair, gray eyes and a chiseled jaw, about late twenties or so.
Zoe shook herself out of her impromptu analysis once she registered the slight impatience coloring his pleasant expression. She flushed to her ears and cleared her throat awkwardly. "Oh, um … Yes?"
"I was wondering if you had finished the analysis of sample collection Beta D-4."
Zoe quickly rummaged through her ledger until she located a copy of her notes. "There you are," she told him with a smile as she handed the several pages to him.
He nodded in thanks, his kind smile back. Zoe returned it and noticed he was about to walk away but suddenly stopped. The petite scientist eyed him expectantly.
"That's a lovely outfit, by the way," he told her, his smile broadening as his eyes swept over her figure. "It suits you quite well."
Zoe's mouth opened but no sound came out for several moments. "Oh, th-thank you," she finally blurted, an awkward smile on her face.
He nodded again, his smile remaining as he turned and finally walked away. Zoe pressed the backs of her hands to her cheeks in an attempt to cool them. She sat for another beat of time, a big, pleased smile on her face before attempting to get back to work.
"Dinnae look so pleased. Ye're supposed tae be married tae me, remember?"
Zoe startled, nearly jumping off her stool as she turned to find Jamie standing next to her, arms folded across his chest and a look of disapproval on his face. She hadn't heard him arrive initially —was she really that distracted?
"Got yer note," he continued. "So, ye skip breakfast tae dash off and work with him?" He nodded over toward Dr. Ainsley who was now discussing results with Leo on the opposite side of the room.
Zoe stared at him in surprise before her expression turned into one of apathy and she shrugged. "I had something important to work on."
"Oh, aye, something important," Jamie repeated, a sarcastic edge to his tone. "An' what might tha' be?" He stood, thumbs hooked into the belt of his kilt, eyeing her impatiently.
Zoe quickly looked about the room and then turned back to him. "I don't want anyone overhearing," she said quietly.
The Scot appeared even more suspicious. "Wha's the secret aboot, then?"
"Shush!" she hissed, nearly mortified by his loud tone. "I'll tell you later. When we get back to our quarters."
"Ye sure he's not invited ye for supper?" Jamie retorted.
"Jamie," Zoe warned, keeping her voice low. "We're merely working on an important project together. I will tell you all about it —later."
The Scot's stern expression softened and he gave a slight nod.
"Thank you." Zoe suddenly straightened, lifting her chin as she gazed up at him. "What bothered you so much about Dr. Ainsley's comment on my clothing? It's nice for a girl to be complimented like that once in a while. You and the Doctor, being men, wouldn't understand."
"Oh, aye. Of course," Jamie muttered tiredly.
Zoe ignored him. "I was never complimented on much of anything when I was on the Wheel, especially not on my looks."
Jamie rolled his eyes and scoffed quietly. "I cannae imagine anyone there bein' complimented on anythin' they were wearin'. They all looked the same."
Zoe gave him an unamused look.
The Highlander shrugged. "Weel, it's true." The smirk that nudged the corner of his mouth upward softened into a smile as he looked her over. "The laddie wasnae wrong. Ye do look … bonny today … I-I mean, pretty."
Zoe blinked in surprise then a smile lit up her face. "You've never actually said that before."
Jamie gave a slight shrug and fiddled with a piece of paper on the worktable. "I didnae think ye'd mich care fer a compliment from me," he intoned sullenly.
Zoe studied him for a moment. "Whatever gave you that impression?" she asked.
Jamie regarded her incredulously. "Well, fer one thing, ye've always been quite the uppity one wi' me —"
"Uppity?" Zoe repeated.
Jamie crossed his arms. "Och, ye know perfectly well wha' I mean."
Zoe lifted her chin. "Well … and you weren't exactly thrilled to have me on board the TARDIS."
Jamie merely blinked, then tilted his head to the side as his expression drew into a perplexed frown. "Wha'ever gave ye that idea?"
Nearly shocked by his question, Zoe fought the urge to outright scoff at him. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe this?" She suddenly stretched herself up on her toes, balled up her fists and dug them into her hips. "'Hey, I thought I told ye," she ground out in a deeper, slightly Scottish accented voice. She then dropped back into her usual posture. "'I want to go with you.' 'Weel, it's impossible!'"
Jamie leveled an indignant scowl at her. "I dinnae sound like tha'!"
"Oh, yes, you do!"
"No, I don't an' if ye hadn't started wi' yer, 'Oh, Jamie, everyone except you knows wha' an x-ray is,'" he returned, imitating her with a high-pitched voice, "I wouldn't've—"
"I don't sound like that!"
"Oh, yes, ye do!"
"I do not, James Robert McCrimmon!"
"Och, will ye jist—"
"Mrs. Galliwup?" another female voice suddenly interrupted.
"I, erm," Zoe cleared her throat, trying to ignore the heat rising in her cheeks, "Yes?" She smiled sweetly at the other scientist, thankful she hadn't seemed to hear Zoe utter Jamie's actual name.
"We just retrieved an analysis for the latest batch of samples. If you're not busy, could you have a look at it? Just to verify all the QA/QC protocols were followed, of course."
"Oh, yes. Certainly. Thank you, Claire."
She was about to follow the tall blonde over to her work area when Jamie suddenly laid a hand upon her arm.
"Eh? QA-QC? Wha's that?" he whispered, eyes narrowed in confusion.
"Quality assurance, quality control," Zoe replied softly, briefly looking around the room to make sure no one else could hear. "It must be followed to ensure the samples are accurate and that any defects are identified before they can become an issue."
Jamie was about to nod when the petite scientist simply walked away to join her colleague, leaving him to gaze after her in frustration. He then sighed, shaking his head wearily before pondering how he could make himself useful for the rest of the afternoon.
The hummed notes of "The Lincolnshire Poacher'' preceded the Doctor as he stepped back inside the TARDIS with an armload of various sized containers. He had collected a decent amount of rock and soil samples from the planet's surface and was eager to study them.
Setting them atop the console, he then picked up one of the cup-sized containers, double checking to make sure its lid was tightly fastened.
He eyeballed it closely. "Ah, yes. This should be more than enough," he muttered, smiling in satisfaction at the collection of tightly packed, fine-to-medium-grained soil inside.
He was about to set it back down when a peculiar glint off the material caught his eye. "Oh, my word." It had an iridescent sheen to it, one he wouldn't have expected to find in such a mineral or chemical composition …
At least none of the compositions he himself was familiar with. Something about it was nagging at the back of his mind, however. Almost as if he had once seen —or at least read about—rocks or minerals with such properties.
He stared several moments longer at the sample before the feeling faded and he sighed, giving a shrug. Perhaps it was his imagination.
"Well, you're certainly not going to get anywhere standing still and gawking at it, are you?" he scolded himself. His attention was back on the console and he gathered up the rest of the containers. "Now, then, let's get these to the laboratory."
"Ye were right."
Zoe deposited her ledger and other materials from the lab on the table and then turned to find Jamie regarding her shame-faced. "About?"
"About when ye first came aboard the TARDIS."
Her brow furrowed in confusion for a moment. It then smoothed but her frown remained. "That you weren't thrilled to have me there?" She sighed, her gaze dropping to the floor. "I suppose I can't blame you. It must have been a huge adjustment, having just said goodbye to someone you traveled with for some time … someone you were obviously close to …"
Jamie gazed at her contritely. "It took some gettin' used tae at first, aye, but … " He paused and shyly scratched the back of his ear before saying, "Now I couldnae imagine the TARDIS without ye."
Her gaze snapped back to him in surprise. "You mean it?"
Jamie lifted his eyes up from his boots to meet hers and, on seeing her smile, his lips spread into a fond one of his own. "Aye, of course. I wouldnae say it if I didnae mean it."
Zoe smiled brightly, a warm chuckle escaping her lips. "Yes, I know I can always expect that from you, Jamie. You say what you mean and you mean what you say. Usually."
Zoe watched him grin in spite of himself before the corner of her mouth twitched in a teasing smirk. Being complimented by Jamie was a new and pleasant experience and she was going to squeeze as many out of the Highlander as she could. "You still think this outfit makes me look pretty?"
The Scot regarded her blankly.
"I seem to recall you making your disapproval quite obvious shortly before the Doctor landed us on that Alpha Beacon." Jamie opened his mouth to protest but she kept going. "You mentioned that such an outfit was 'unbecoming of a lass' and revealed too much skin."
Jamie reddened, turning away from her. "Weel, tha' was jist ma first impression," he said lamely. "Ye know I'm nae used tae seein' lassies dressed in sich a way." He then remembered that that was not true. He recalled the shorter dresses Victoria wore, and how he once flirtingly suggested she wear the even shorter uniforms the lasses wore at that scientific base where they first tangled with the Ice Warriors.
It was then he realized that it wasn't so much that he personally disapproved of Zoe's more revealing clothes; he just didn't like the idea of other laddies ogling her.
His eyes were back on her and his blush faded as the corners of his mouth rose in a gentle smile. "But the more I saw ye in it, the more I thought it suited ye."
Zoe's smirk was instantly wiped from her face. Still not used to his compliments, she flushed a bit but then smiled shyly. "Thank you, Jamie. That's really sweet of you to say."
The Scot nodded, his expression becoming stern as he wagged a finger at her. "Jis' dinnae get used tae it, ye hear me?"
She frowned briefly but the way his mouth twitched upward on one side made it clear he was joking.
Zoe gave him a teasing smile of her own. "Don't worry. I don't think I ever will."
Jamie briefly rolled his eyes before his light expression grew more serious. "Now, what can ye tell me aboot that project ye're workin' on with …"
"Leo?"
Jamie regarded her blankly.
"Dr. Sillsbeck. That's his given name."
"Oh, aye?" The Highlander nodded, then frowned. "So it's Leo now, eh?"
"Oh, don't start that again, Jamie!"
"I didnae start anythin'," he retorted.
"Look, would you like me to explain to you or not?!" she ground out impatiently.
Jamie sighed. "Alreeight. Tell me."
"We're attempting to study the disappearance phenomena occurring on the planet," she began, suddenly stopping as she realized something. "One of Leo's colleagues put forth a hypothesis that displacement could very well be involved, but we haven't quite got there yet. Although the more I think on it, the more possible it seems …"
Her voice faded as she noticed the glazed-over look in Jamie's eyes. "An' jis' how is that important?" he deadpanned.
Zoe frowned, trying to figure out the best way to make him understand. "Remember when I told you I had seen a small rock formation disappear as I was collecting samples the other day?"
He blinked in surprise. "Nae, ye didnae."
The petite scientist flushed in embarrassment. "I didn't? Oh." She regarded him contritely. "Well, it did. Right in front of me, without a trace." She then gazed pointedly at him. "Does that ring a bell? Something just vanishing before you without any explanation?"
Jamie still appeared lost.
"Or someone?"
The Highlander's eyes widened as he finally seemed to catch on. "The Doctor," he breathed.
Zoe smiled, nearly in triumph. "Yes, exactly!"
Jamie nodded, his brow then furrowed slightly as he tried to follow her train of thought. "So, ye're thinkin' that wha'ever disappeared those stones made the Doctor disappear as well?"
"I'm not sure yet. That's why I was trying to see if the other scientists might know anything. I told them how fascinated I was over the forces driving the sand storms and curious about what else they could be capable of. I asked about the displacement or teleportation of particles, causing them to disappear without a trace. None of them took me seriously at all."
Her frown of frustration suddenly smoothed. "None except Leo, anyway. I asked if he ever noticed any strange, sudden disappearances of people or objects. He confirmed there are certain locations on the planet where such things exist and he's been quietly studying them. He and a small team of scientists are trying to identify exactly what causes it. I asked if I could help."
Jamie's annoyance with the other man and the fact Zoe had been meeting with him seemed to be forgotten in a hurry. He eyed her seriously. "Ye think he can help us figure oot what happened to the Doctor?"
"I think it's a start." Her hopeful smile faded, replaced by a stern frown. "Now do you understand why I've been meeting with him? I want to get the Doctor back as much as you do, Jamie."
"Aye, I understand now," Jamie replied after a beat. "Ye're right, Zoe. I'm sorry for doubtin' ye. I know ye're doing all ye can tae find oot what's happened tae him. I jist got used tae havin' breakfast taegether. It's … nice."
Zoe felt a slight pang of guilt as his usual warm, hazel eyes were now colored with disappointment. "I know," she said quietly.
It is.
The petite astrophysicist suppressed a shudder as Jamie neared her and softly cupped her shoulder. "Hey, d'ye think there's something more I ciud do tae help?" His full lips briefly flattened in a grim line. "I know they dinnae seem tae think I can do much in the lab, but mebbe I ciud help ye bring back those sample things?"
Zoe was about to scoff at the notion but her eyes suddenly widened as it fully hit her. Why not? Maybe Jamie would get to see some of this phenomena himself and could even offer a practical idea none of them had even thought of before. It certainly wouldn't be the first time he had done so.
She returned her gaze to the Highlander, her lips parted in a thoughtful smile. "Yes, you might, Jamie. I think I could pull some strings and get them to allow you to accompany me."
"Dinnae pull too hard, ye might unravel somethin'."
She stopped mid-eyeroll as she caught the faint, teasing smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Pushing up the pair of reading glasses that had slipped nearly halfway down his nose, the Doctor perched atop a metal stool across from his main lab bench, carefully reading a printout of results from the soil and rock analysis he'd just ordered.
He'd scrutinized the results backwards and forwards more times than he cared to count, until he was sure his eyes would cross.
The compositions were unusual, certainly …
He suddenly ripped off his glasses. "Yes, yes, that's all very well, but what does it mean?!" he exclaimed in frustration.
The TARDIS lights began blinking on and off in abrupt succession.
The Doctor automatically stood up. "Sorry!" he called out hastily, hands raised in surrender as he stared guiltily up at the ceiling.
He paused and then sighed heavily before sitting back down, slipping his glasses back on and returning his attention to the lab results. "Now, these soil samples indicate a remarkably high silconium ratio in proportion to magalon, which would mean—"
His voice abruptly died in his throat as his eyes widened and his jaw went slack.
"Of course! Why hadn't I thought of it to begin with?!"