Chapter 12: The Beginning

The Master sat in the guest chair of a University office, waiting patiently. A lot of preparation had led up to this meeting.

His appointment had been scheduled for three minutes ago. She was late.

Humans.

He looked up as the door opened and the office's owner breezed in. "Sorry about the wait, always some emergency, you know... Professor Helen Clay."

The Master, of course, was well aware of her name. He had done a lot of research before he'd chosen her. She was professional, organized, detail-oriented... Respectable, ambitious but not yet very well-known...

She was perfect.

The Master smiled, shaking her outstretched hand. "Not a problem, I completely understand. You're a very busy woman... Dr. Emil Keller," he introduced himself. "I appreciate you seeing me on such short notice."

Professor Clay pulled up some notes on the appointment. "It's actually very unusual for me to have an opening... I'm generally booked for months in advance but someone cancelled at the last minute."

"Well, I guess it's just my lucky day then, isn't it?" the Master chuckled.

Luck, of course, had had nothing to do with it.

"So I understand, doctor, that you have a proposal you'd like us to look at," she said.

Straight to business, good.

"Yes! I think you'll find it very interesting." He handed her his proposal. He'd worked hard on it. He knew it was flawless. And he knew she would be intrigued.

She opened the file, taking a moment to glance through the outline. "This is... A little outside our normal sphere of operations. We are primarily a research institute, you know."

"Yes, I'm aware," the Master replied coolly. "The purpose of this project would be research."

She was hesitant. "But time travel, doctor... That can be a very delicate business. And we at the University of New Earth have very little experience in that particular field. Maybe you would be better suited taking your project someplace else?" Her eyes begged for him to convince her, as all the best marks did.

He knew it wouldn't be difficult.

"No, I don't think so," he contradicted her. "And I do have a little experience in the field of time travel myself," he smirked. "I'd be happy to contribute where I can."

She glanced down again at his proposal. "The costs involved in this will be astronomical. Time travel research projects are notoriously difficult to get approved. The licensing alone would be -"

He held up a hand, cutting her off. "I can take care of all of that. I have... Connections." He didn't yet. But he would. "And let me assure you, professor, money is no object. I'm prepared to fund this entire project myself if need be."

Professor Clay's eyebrows shot up but her voice remained calm. She folded her hands and looked directly at the Master. "I've never heard of you, Dr. Keller. Where have you come from?"

Another question he had been expecting. He gestured to the file on her desk. "You'll see I've included my professional history." She started scrolling through the file as he continued. "I have a policy of never going into a situation without knowing who I'm dealing with, if I can help it. It only seems fair to afford you the same courtesy."

Her eyes widened ever so slightly as she read through the Master's falsified CV. He had chosen every credential, every project with meticulous care. All fabricated specifically to not only communicate his qualifications but also to pique Helen Clay's interest. She would certainly verify all of his information later through another source but would find that everything matched up as it should. The Master was nothing if not thorough.

Eventually she looked up, trying to conceal how swayed she was. "This is... A very impressive resume, Dr. Keller. Tell me: you certainly have the credentials. You've said you are willing and able to provide the funding yourself. So why come to us? What could we possibly provide?"

There were multiple things they could provide, of course. A base of operations, a smoke screen of legitimacy, employees, experts, people to do the work so the Master could come and go as he pleased...

But above all, there was one thing the Master needed.

"A face," he told her. "Specifically, your face, Professor Clay. I'd like you to be the face of this project."

He saw the spark in her eyes, suppressed a triumphant smile.

Gotcha.

He'd known how this conversation would go, had run it through in his mind over and over. He knew his mark, had chosen her with care. But still, there was nothing quite as satisfying as that moment when the quarry took the bait.

"But why not you?" she queried. "This is going to be an enormous undertaking. And what we discover through this project could potentially change our understanding of history forever. Why would you want someone else to take all the credit?"

He shrugged, feigning humility. "I've never been one for the limelight, Professor. I prefer to remain in the background as more of a... Silent partner. I'm interested purely in the research itself." It was a lot of half-truths. Easier to maintain, more convincing.

And after all, even if he had wanted her to know the whole story, it would only confuse her.

He could see that she was puzzled, that she knew there was something she was missing.

Smart woman. I chose well.

But the offer was far too tempting.

Very well.

"We'll have to go through the necessary steps of course, background checks and verification..." she began.

"Of course," he acquiesced.

"But..." She paused again.

"But?" the Master pushed. They both already knew her answer but he needed to hear her say it. Needed her to commit.

"Assuming the board approves..." she qualified, then looked up, decided. "You have yourself a deal, Dr. Keller."

"Wonderful!" the Master grinned, jumping up to seal the deal with another handshake. "I'm very much looking forward to our partnership, Professor."

"Please, call me Helen," she said, smiling warmly. "We will be seeing a lot of each other, after all."

Indeed they would. All the work it had taken to get here and this was merely the first step. There was so much more still to be done...

Helen was looking through the proposal again, already planning ahead, eager to begin. The Master smiled. Helen Clay was a woman after his own hearts.

"What was the name of this project?" she asked. "Had you chosen a name?"

"Ah, yes... I have." The Master leaned over the desk, scrolled down, pointed it out in the file. "It's called Testimony."

"Excellent," Helen said, nodding her approval. "A perfect choice."

She had no way of knowing how correct she was in that assessment. What, or rather whom , it would be a Testimony to.

Professor Clay moved across the room and pulled out a bottle of blue liquor and two glasses from a cabinet. "Do you drink, Dr. Keller?" she asked politely.

"When the situation merits it," he replied.

Helen nodded and poured out a small amount of alcohol into the glasses, handing one to the Master. "It may be a bit premature but I feel this new partnership calls for a toast. To the future," Helen smiled.

The Master returned her smile. "To Testimony," he said.

To Be Continued...

[STING!]
[CLIFFHANGER!]

Stay tuned for the sequel! :D Currently a massive 22 of 24 chapters completed... But we'll be taking a few detours first. You'll all be meeting Time War Team next. Time War Team is truly my masterpiece - and I don't say that lightly. ;)

In the meantime, many, many thanks to...

... My sister, IncomingAlbatross, who had to listen to me talk cryptically about the Plan for months when she hadn't even watched The Doctor Falls yet. :) Thank you, sister!

... TardisGhost for the positive reviews when I was very concerned about the Missy Reveal. You understood IMMEDIATELY what I was talking about and that was honestly the best feeling. :) :)

... Chrissie's Chakoteya Doctor Who Transcripts. This is an invaluable resource and I'm honestly not sure I could have written this story without this website.

... And to all my other readers... 3 3 you all. :)