The Enfolded Time (short story)

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The Enfolded Time was a story which was original to the anthology The HAVOC Files. It asserted that due to the Doctor's frequent visits to the 1970s and 1980s in his faulty TARDIS, the two decades were merged into one and 20 years of Earth history took place over the course of 10 — thus providing an in-universe justification for the UNIT dating controversy.

Summary

After a New Year's gathering in his home on the grounds of Brendon School, Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart is visited by a young man called Albert Wilson. Just as the two men are about to meet, Lethbridge-Stewart finds himself in an odd place where he encounters various versions of him, from the last twenty years. Including Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart of the Fifth Operational Corps and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart of UNIT. They attempt to explain to him what is happening, but he finds it hard to follow.

Eventually he meets the Accord, a transdimensional being who is trying to repair the damage caused to Earth, to strengthen it before a forthcoming war that is going to spread all across time and space. The Accord explains that, due to the Doctor's regular visits to Earth from 1969 to 1989 in his damaged TARDIS, the timeline of Earth was disrupted, enfolding time in on itself so that twenty years occurred over a ten-year period. Nobody on Earth was aware of the problem, as they were an intricate part of it. The Accord explains that once Lethbridge-Stewart is returned home, an awareness will occur across the globe. For a brief moment everybody will recognise the discontinuities of the last twenty years.

Lethbridge-Stewart is returned to Earth, and for a short time forgets where he has been. He meets Albert Wilson and learns that Albert is his son, a result of his tryst with Doris back in Brighton in 1968. It is only recently that Albert learned of Lethbridge-Stewart, and now that he has his own child on the way, Albert wishes Lethbridge-Stewart to be part of their lives.

A phone call from the United Nations reminds Lethbridge-Stewart of his recent trip to the domain of the Accord. Discrepancies have been discovered in various UNIT reports. Lethbridge-Stewart arranges a meeting to discuss the development of new dating protocols.

Characters

Worldbuilding

Notes

  • This is the first appearance of Albert Wilson, the illegitimate son of Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart and Doris Wilson, following their brief encounter in Brighton in 1968. He grew up believing George Wilson was his father until Doris revealed the truth shortly before the events of this story.

Continuity