Slowly Shining (Book Two of The Creators Saga)

School Reunion

The Doctor grinned, poking his head into his new physics classroom. "Good morning, class!" he beamed at the kids. "Are we sitting comfortably?" He didn't wait for an answer and instead started writing on the board. "So. Physics! Physics, eh?" He beamed. "Physics, physics, physics! Physics, physics, physics, physics - "

"You could have stopped after the first physics," the Alchemist's voice popped into his head.

He cut off his repetition and smiled. "How's the library?"

"Why couldn't I have been a gym teacher?"

He just grinned and looked over his shoulder at the kids. "I hope one of you is getting all this down," he told them. "OK! Let's see what you know. Two identical strips of nylon are charged with static electricity and hung from a string so they can swing freely. What would happen if they were brought near each other?" He nodded when a young boy put his hand up. "Yes, er . . . what's your name?"

"Milo," he answered.

"Milo!" the Doctor smiled. "Off you go."

"They'd repel each other because they have the same charge."

"Correctamundo!" the Doctor beamed before making a face. "A word I have never used before and hopefully never will again. Question two: I coil up a thin piece of microwire and place it in a glass of water. Then I turn on the electricity and measure to see if the water's temperature is affected. My question is this: how do I measure the electrical power going into the coil?" Milo raised his hand again, but no one else did. "Someone else? No?" He nodded. "OK, Milo, go for it."

"Measure the current and PDs in an ammeter and a voltmeter."

"Two for Milo," the Doctor said, surprised and impressed . . . and a bit suspicious. "Right, then, Milo, tell me this. True or false: the greater the dampening of the system, the quicker it loses energy to its surroundings."

"False."

He sped up. "What is non-coding DNA?"

"DNA that doesn't code for a protein."

"Sixty five thousand nine hundred and eight three times five?"

"Three hundred and twenty nine thousand nine hundred and fifteen."

"How do you travel faster than light?"

"By opening a quantum tunnel with an FTL factor of thirty six point seven recurring."

The Doctor's jaw fell open.

***

The Doctor smirked as an annoyed blonde woman slapped food onto his tray, and he snickered as he walked over to his table. "Morning, Miss Morrow," he greeted.

"Mr. Smith," the Alchemist teased, her hair in a twisted bun at the back of her head, dressed in a tight navy blue dress with short sleeves and a knee-length skirt, wearing dressy black boots instead of her usual combat boots. "How goes the day?"

"Very well," he beamed. "How's the library?"

"A whole bunch of kids interested in calculus and quantum physics and avoiding the fun sections everywhere."

The Doctor hummed thoughtfully as Rose stormed up, slapping a rag onto the table and scrubbing. "Two days," she hissed.

"Sorry, could you just?" The Doctor pointed, the Alchemist nearly choking on the drink of water she was taking. "There's a bit of gravy." Rose glared at him and scrubbed half-heartedly. "No, no, just . . . just there."

"Two days we've been here," Rose emphasized.

"Blame your boyfriend," the Doctor rolled his eyes. "He's the one who put us onto this. And he was right. Boy in class this morning, got a knowledge way beyond planet Earth."