Catalyst Through Time

Early 900s - India's Short Secret (Unfinished)

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Once the Tardis lands I pull out my pocket watch and read the date. "Interestin' choice." I mumble before I check the scanner. "Marlee welcome to Earth, June 6th, 1866 at-" Goes quickly and takes a peek outside, licking the air. "-6:06AM."

Steps out as I make sure the sonic feed back relay is working. "Looks to be Liverpool, if I'm correct."

"INCORRECT LOCATION
25°27′11″N 81°49′14″E"

Takes out my watch once it sends me a pulse of energy. "Never mind then, guess we are in India????"
Takes a look aroud and notices I'm in a large long hallway with may doors. "Where oh where have I stumbled now??" Starts to walk down the hall a bit looking at the decor as I slide my watch back into my pocket. Marlee closing her red phone box door.
As I walk I notice a door that's cracked open and I decide to peek into it.

"Mmm very official lookin', I wonder where this could be." Steps into the room quietly, being cautious as I start to snoop around.

Slides open a wooden drawer with beautiful carvings on it, the handle a fake golden colour. "Ooo~" Picks up a few pieces of paper, it looks be some reports and articles from the current year's events.

"Recent replacement of the Supreme Court judge.... High Court of the North-Western Provices..." I mumble to myself as I read the new found papers.

I continue to read the article and flip to the other side. "Jagdish Saran will be instated on June 8th in replacement of Tushar Rajan." Hums in thought at the names and I fumble with the papers to flip back to the front, a small folded note slips towards the ground.
The notes energy radiates hate and spite, the spike catching my attention quickly as I whip the note out if the air a few moments before it would have hit the ground.

I set the articles back down in the drawer and unfold a handwritten note on some old worn paper.

"05/30/1866
Greetings Abbas Pal,

You've written to me before trying to get the gab on Sir Tushar Rajan and I finally have proof of his insolence.
I have borrowed his only "family" photograph. As law states Supreme Court Judges cannot marry or conceive children during their career. Five years in prison for each child of course. He is a radicalist and shouldn't influence the public with his grandiose ideals on equality...

Well regards,
Secretary Drishti Seshadri"

"Looks like someone's in trouble." I joke a bit as I check the back side just in case.

Stands there trying to understand the situation for a moment. My watch wouldn't have just sent us here for no reason, "Okay so, Mr. Tushar has broken the law and Ms. Secretary wants to out him cause she's a petty bitch?" Hums in thought before I check my watch. "Why exactly am I here??" I ask as I refold the note and place it back into the draw, closing it.

"Tushar Rajan cannot go to prison. The news can come out after he steps down. There's only two more days to keep his secret."

"Okay, but why is he so important, who cares if he gets caught???"

"If Rajan goes to prison for ten years he will miss his daughters entire childhoods. In his tenth year he will die of pneumonia just five months shy of being released. In turn, his daughters' anger and sorrow will cause them to take out the entire High Court through a mass bombing and it will be during an innocent man's trial, who also happens to be an ancestor of Ghandi.-"

"The death toll would be
160 Parliament members
3 security personnel
The defendant and his lawyer
And a small family walking their dog

~171 lives lost"

"-Ghandi needs to exist."

Hums in thought for a few moments, foot steps can be heard walking down the hall towards us. "Fair enough I su- Shite someone's comin'" I say in a whispered panic as I quickly look around for a place to hide.

I open some lower cabinets, but they are filled with binders, files, and more. I shuffle around the room behind going and just hiding behind the thick blinds that frame each side of the large detailed window.

Loud angry footsteps stomp into the room.
"I still cannot bloody believe this!! How could he!? Where's that damned letter?"
The lady's voice mumbles something I couldn't hear afterwards. The sound of drawers opening earns a response from the angered lady.
"Ha there it is, - where's his notes?"
The Lady groans in frustration, her reflection looks misty and faded in the window I'm hiding next to. "I guess we found Drishti." I think to myself as I judge the angry secretary.

The woman angrily searches the large bougie office, a massive desk in the middle.
I take a peek around the curtains the best I can, soon noticing another folded note though much much smaller a meter or so away from the window underneath the over hang of the lower cabinets that line many of the walls.

The woman slowly makes her way around and turns her back to me looking around what seems to be a vase of lillies. Taking that as my que I quickly go and retrieve the letter, slipping back behind the curtains as quickly and quietly as possible.

I quietly unfold the note and read it.

"Deliver me the tintype yourself on the 7th of June.

- Abbas

Village Rajrai, Rajrai, Uttar Pradesh 282001, India."

"That must be the family photo she was talking about." I think to myself, this time pocketing the note.

(Story Plot By: @CritcalCroTo)