there. I reckon it has to be in the past.’
The Doctor thought about this. ‘Earth isn’t exactly free from meteor showers over its history – most go unrecorded.’
Bernice nodded. ‘Can’t be Tunguska – you and I both know what that was about.’
‘Possibly Qingyang,’ the Doctor said. He clicked his fingers. ‘Murchison, that was in Australia!’
‘Too recent,’ Keri reported over the phone. ‘We know what came from that, it’s well reported. Oh, hang on, yeah.’
‘Well?’
‘Patience. Grumpy and impatient. I liked the other one with a Scots accent far better,’ Keri said.
‘I still do,’ said Bernice. ‘In fact, just the other week I said to h—’ And she stopped. ‘No, never mind.’
The Doctor took another one of those deep breaths he was taking a lot of recently and tried to get everyone back on topic.
‘You said it’s known as the Glamour, right?’ asked Keri.
‘Yeah,’ said Bernice, before getting a stern look from the Doctor.
‘Why?’ he asked.
‘Explorer in Australia, about a hundred years back, found something he referred to as the Glamour.’
‘We could go back in time and grab it before he does,’ Bernice suggested, but the Doctor shook his head.
‘No, that’ll just cause another temporal echo. We have to know where to find it here.’
‘We don’t actually know what we’re looking for,’ Bernice reminded him. ‘I mean I have a chip of it and saw it in a blurry time eddy kind of thing, but put me in a room of moon rocks and I can’t guarantee I could pick it out.’
‘There’s another problem,’ Keri said quietly. ‘The reference just vanished from GalWiki.’
‘What does that mean?’ Bernice asked.
‘It means,’ the Doctor said seriously, ‘that time has already started changing.’ He leaned in closer to the hone. ‘Keri, I need you to tell me whatever you can find about this explorer, who he was and what connections he has to 2015. Benny and I will have to nip back and make sure he does what history needs him to, if you can recall what GalWiki said before it changed.’
‘And if we don’t?’
The Doctor grimaced. ‘Then the destruction of the universe will take a massive step closer to now because time is already unravelling. That Pyramid is going to take the universe out like you blowing out a candle. Very, very soon.’
—
Peter Summerfield was looking for his mother, trying not to draw Jaanson or Globb’s attention whilst he did so, hoping that they were still swept up by the sight of the Pyramid Eternia standing exactly where it shouldn’t be.There was also the possibility they were taken in a bit by just how nice Sydney looked in the sunshine. He was, and wished he could get his hoodie off, but suspected the humans of 2015 weren’t quite ready for his appearance.
‘Where is she?’
Peter swung around.
Kik the Assassin was standing there, ignoring the looks of the locals who really weren’t that used to turquoise humans. Maybe they thought she was part of whatever exhibition / film premiere most people were putting this event down to.
‘Who? Ruth – probably inside, trying to stop Jack accidentally breaking things. He does that a lot.’
‘Your mother, puplet. Where is she and her leader, Doc?’
Resisting the urge to point out how much his mum would not have appreciated that delineation, he just shrugged. ‘She was here a second ago. Maybe they went to the back of the building for a better look?’
Kik the Assassin smiled. ‘You are a good liar, Peter. A good soldier, too. In another life, we could be coupled, mate and have amazing offspring. We should do that when this is over.’
Peter smiled. ‘You’re not my type, lady – and I think I’d be pretty disappointing as a result.’
Kik the Assassin nodded. ‘How parochial and typically human.’ She turned and walked away.
Which troubled Peter. Why was she no longer wondering where his mum and the Doctor had got to? It meant either she was playing some
The Doctor thought about this. ‘Earth isn’t exactly free from meteor showers over its history – most go unrecorded.’
Bernice nodded. ‘Can’t be Tunguska – you and I both know what that was about.’
‘Possibly Qingyang,’ the Doctor said. He clicked his fingers. ‘Murchison, that was in Australia!’
‘Too recent,’ Keri reported over the phone. ‘We know what came from that, it’s well reported. Oh, hang on, yeah.’
‘Well?’
‘Patience. Grumpy and impatient. I liked the other one with a Scots accent far better,’ Keri said.
‘I still do,’ said Bernice. ‘In fact, just the other week I said to h—’ And she stopped. ‘No, never mind.’
The Doctor took another one of those deep breaths he was taking a lot of recently and tried to get everyone back on topic.
‘You said it’s known as the Glamour, right?’ asked Keri.
‘Yeah,’ said Bernice, before getting a stern look from the Doctor.
‘Why?’ he asked.
‘Explorer in Australia, about a hundred years back, found something he referred to as the Glamour.’
‘We could go back in time and grab it before he does,’ Bernice suggested, but the Doctor shook his head.
‘No, that’ll just cause another temporal echo. We have to know where to find it here.’
‘We don’t actually know what we’re looking for,’ Bernice reminded him. ‘I mean I have a chip of it and saw it in a blurry time eddy kind of thing, but put me in a room of moon rocks and I can’t guarantee I could pick it out.’
‘There’s another problem,’ Keri said quietly. ‘The reference just vanished from GalWiki.’
‘What does that mean?’ Bernice asked.
‘It means,’ the Doctor said seriously, ‘that time has already started changing.’ He leaned in closer to the hone. ‘Keri, I need you to tell me whatever you can find about this explorer, who he was and what connections he has to 2015. Benny and I will have to nip back and make sure he does what history needs him to, if you can recall what GalWiki said before it changed.’
‘And if we don’t?’
The Doctor grimaced. ‘Then the destruction of the universe will take a massive step closer to now because time is already unravelling. That Pyramid is going to take the universe out like you blowing out a candle. Very, very soon.’
—
Peter Summerfield was looking for his mother, trying not to draw Jaanson or Globb’s attention whilst he did so, hoping that they were still swept up by the sight of the Pyramid Eternia standing exactly where it shouldn’t be.There was also the possibility they were taken in a bit by just how nice Sydney looked in the sunshine. He was, and wished he could get his hoodie off, but suspected the humans of 2015 weren’t quite ready for his appearance.
‘Where is she?’
Peter swung around.
Kik the Assassin was standing there, ignoring the looks of the locals who really weren’t that used to turquoise humans. Maybe they thought she was part of whatever exhibition / film premiere most people were putting this event down to.
‘Who? Ruth – probably inside, trying to stop Jack accidentally breaking things. He does that a lot.’
‘Your mother, puplet. Where is she and her leader, Doc?’
Resisting the urge to point out how much his mum would not have appreciated that delineation, he just shrugged. ‘She was here a second ago. Maybe they went to the back of the building for a better look?’
Kik the Assassin smiled. ‘You are a good liar, Peter. A good soldier, too. In another life, we could be coupled, mate and have amazing offspring. We should do that when this is over.’
Peter smiled. ‘You’re not my type, lady – and I think I’d be pretty disappointing as a result.’
Kik the Assassin nodded. ‘How parochial and typically human.’ She turned and walked away.
Which troubled Peter. Why was she no longer wondering where his mum and the Doctor had got to? It meant either she was playing some
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