Fringes: One of Those Days - Part 13

[melworks]

A car was waiting for them at the airport with a local UNIT soldier in plainclothes to act as driver. As they approached the CU-San Francisco campus the Doctor produced a slender silver tube from his coat. He fiddled with it for a few moments. The device released a teeth-grating whine.
“Well,” muttered the Doctor, squinting at the device, “we’re definitely in the right place. The area is flooded with quasitrons. There is definitely some sort of temporal-spatial leak around here somewhere.”
The car slid along the streets, finally stopping in front of a large, ugly building made of concrete and exposed steel. A sign out front identified it as the Masado Bonzai Physics Center.
Inside, guards at the reception desk informed them that Professor Arturo was in his lab, in the sub-basement. The men were hesitant to take them down until Olivia produced her credentials.
“We need to speak with Professor Arturo,” she told the men, smiling faintly. “It’s a matter of national security.”
The words ‘national security’ galvanized the guards into action. One stood and led the party toward a secure elevator, while the other contacted Professor Arturo to let him know that he had government visitors.
The elevator opened onto a dim corridor. Lights flickered overhead. The air smelt of ozone and had a strange, greasy feel to it.
“You guys forget to pay your electric bill?” asked Peter.
The guard shook his head. “Nah. Sub-basement has its own generator. Mad Max insisted when they built the place.”
“Mad Max?” asked the Doctor.
Realizing he might have misspoke, the guard sighed. “That’s what everybody calls Professor Arturo. Mad Max. He’s. . . .” The guard hesitated then drew tight circles with his index finger near his head.
“Ah,” said Peter. “Eccentric.”
“Crazier than a bag of assholes,” the guard countered, bluntly.
He nodded down the corridor.
“Straight ahead. You can’t miss him.”
Without another word, he turned and headed back to the elevator.