Gavin Oliver Scott

 was a human from 20th century Earth who tried to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge into a pit of mud. His body was later retrieved from the mud and displayed, until it was discovered, in the 27th century, that he was still alive.

From the time he was a baby, Gavin had an imaginary friend. He couldn't hear her speak, but he could see her mouthing words. She showed up from time to time in his life.

At university, Gavin fell in love with a girl named Irene Gilbey. Because she was deaf, he learned lip-reading to communicate with her. They became friends, but Irene became involved with Gavin's friend, Toby Wilton.

Three years later, Gavin saw his imaginary friend again, and this time he could read her lips. She was speaking about how he would commit suicide at the age of twenty-one; then she realised that he could understand her.

They had a conversation, and he learned that her name was Bernice Summerfield and she was from the future. She was able to watch him through a Quantum Imager. She convinced him that it was vital to the future that he go through with his suicide.

However, after his suicide attempt, he woke up, learning that his body had been preserved for six centuries and that he was in the 27th century. He passed out for a week, but after he awoke he became used to life on the Braxiatel Collection. He became a visiting expert in the history of the 20th century. (PROSE: The Least Important Man)