The Investigator (TV21 short story)

The Investigator was a short story which acted as a prequel to the comic series of the same name. Printed in TV Century 21 in 1966, it contained elements from the Doctor Who universe.

	Bob Develin
	2066
	City Magazines
	Alan Fennell
	TV21 73
	11 June 1966

You may be looking for The Blogs of Doom short story.

Notably, Unity City, a location introduced in The Daleks comic story Duel of the Daleks, was mentioned again here.

Summary

Bob Develin is born in Sydney in 2022 to father Professor James Develin. He is educated at Geelong Grammar School and wins a scholarship to Cambridge where he graduates with degrees in space engineering, computer mechanics and physics. Following a further period at Harvard University during which he studies astrophysics, Develin takes up a post at Istanbul University as the Head of Science Research.

In 2047, he joins Universal Engineering Incorporated as Deputy Scientific Controller. His dynamic and ruthless application of a scientific approach to business sees him quickly rise through the ranks, eventually earning the title of the Investigator, as well as the positions of company director and experimental overlord. Around this time, Develin meets scientific genius Marc Carter while investigating the Mediterranean Tunnel disaster. Forgoing the great future expected for him in the scientific branch of the World Government, Carter decides to join Universal Engineering Incorporated to work with Develin.

In 2066, Inspector Talbot of the Australian Security Police is sent to the U.E.I. to investigate the mysterious disappearance of one-hundred-and-six men from their experimental plant X9. Talbot questions Develin and Carter but inadvertently thrusts them and himself into one of the most dangerous investigations of Develin's career.

Characters

• Bob Develin
• Marc Carter
• Inspector Talbot

Worldbuilding

• James Develin was chief technical officer at the Australian Spaceport research unit at the Woomera Spaceport.
• The Investigator's primary duty is to iron out problems which arise on any U.E.I. products, such as the crashing of a Fireflash airliner or the installing of atomic power stations on Saturn.
• Carter was a child prodigy and was personally educated by the top professors of the World Academy at Unity City.
• Universal Engineering Incorporated is the biggest engineering organisation in the world and it is said that if it collapsed then Earth's space empire would collapse too.

Story notes

• Although this prequel instalment of The Investigator alludes to beginning of its first comic story, there were no Doctor Who universe elements featured in that or any further stories. As such, this is the only part of the series covered on this Wiki.

Continuity

• Universal Engineering Incorporated is responsible for "every major technological break-through for the past twenty years", building such machines as the Fireflash, (PROSE: Superjet Shot Down, TV: The Man from MI.5 et al.) the Wombat, (PROSE: Admiral Beatty Arrest Sensation, Crown Jewels Stolen) the Andromeda Probe, (COMIC: Andromeda Or Die) and co-building Fireball XL5 and its its fleet for the World Space Patrol (COMIC: The Batmen, PROSE: Fireball Surrenders! et al.) as well as the World Aquanaut Security Patrol's ocean-faring vessels. (PROSE: Stingray Attacked!, COMIC: Curse of the Crustavons et al.)