Once the boat the Doctor and Beatrice had borrowed reached the naval base they jumped out and began examining the lifeboat on the beach. There were a series of linear scorch marks on the bottom.
"What do you think?" asked the Doctor taking out a magnifying glass.
"Well, that isn't the normal pattern for scorch marks," said Beatrice. Pushing back a stray strand of hair. She had put it up before leaving the prison. If things were going to get adventurous she wanted it out of the way.
"Hey! You can't be here!" called a soldier running up.
"Ah, yes. I wonder if you could take us to your commanding officer?" asked the Doctor politely. Surprisingly the soldier agreed.
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"But why didn't you make an official appointment?" asked Captain Hart the man in charge of the base.
"Oh we were just passing through and decided to pop in," the Doctor told him.
"Why?"
"We wanted to investigate the disappearing ships," said Beatrice.
"You've inspected the lifeboat yourself I presume," the Doctor said to Hart.
"Yes of course," replied Hart.
"How do you account for the linear shape of the scorch marks?" asked the Doctor.
"Freak result of the fire," suggested Hart.
"But the boat clearly didn't catch fire," Beatrice interjected.
"How do you explain it?" asked Hart.
" A concentrated beam of heat, applied from underneath the boat whilst it was still in the water. To deliberately sink the boat and make sure there are no survivors. " explained the Doctor.
Beatrice was slightly impressed by how quickly the Doctor deduced the case of the marks.
"What are these markers on the wall?" asked Beatrice pointing to a large map with little red markers.
"Those are the points of all the disappearing vessels," Hart told her. Captain Hart's secretary poked her head into the room.
"There is a young lady with passes from UNIT asking for the Doctor."
"Ah, my assistant," said the Doctor.
"Let her up," said Hart. Soon Jo joined them.
"Here are the passes sir," she told Hart handing them over.
"Well, this all looks in order. You can go now. I suggest you take your suspicions to UNIT and get this on an official level." He told them.
"You know if Horatio Nelson were still in charge of this base he wouldn't wait for official instructions." said the Doctor angrily.
"Yes, quite an impulsive fellow if the history books can be believed," said Hart.
"History books! I'll have you know Horatio Nelson was a personal friend of mine!" Beatrice winced at the Doctor's words.
"Wrong time period AGAIN," she hissed.
"Doctor, I think the nice man wants us to leave," said Jo guiding the Doctor out with Beatrice following. Once they left the building they headed towards the boat they had come in.
"We aren't really going to leave are we?" asked Beatrice.
"No I intend to visit the base where all these ships have been disappearing," said the Doctor as they got in the boat and road off.
YOU ARE READING
Starcrossed (A Doctor Who Fanfiction) Book Two
RomanceBeatrice and the Master have finally confessed their feelings for each other. However, their troubles are far from over. Soon they will realize the consequences of their actions, good and bad, and the difficulty that comes with making a relationship...
