by Cour M.
“Um… do we know each other?” The Doctor asked her.
“I don’t think so,” she replied, folding her arms, “sorry about that, really. I just saw a TARDIS here, and I thought you were someone else.”
The Doctor started when she mentioned his ship.
“You know my ship is called a TARDIS?”
“Yes, I do. Sorry, I was just coming out of the shop to return my laptop—some funny things happened on the laptop a little while ago, you see, and I can’t help but be a little paranoid about it. And as I came out of the shop, I saw your TARDIS right there and it wasn’t there before.”
“What sort of shop is this?” The Doctor boomed, then he opened his doors, looked out and saw that it was a plain computer shop, nothing about it to be amiss. But he was not sure, so he removed his sonic screwdriver.
“Oh, and he had one of those!” She blurted out, pointing to it, “It’s a sonic thing, right?”
When she said this, the Doctor faltered, then raised up his screwdriver.
“He had one of these?”
“Yes, but his had a green light, so he must be a colleague of yours.”
The Doctor sighed out in ease, for he had never really had a green light sonic screwdriver, so this was someone else… another man with a screwdriver—with a TARDIS.
Could it have been… another Timelord?! At the thought of this, the Doctor turned to this woman who had just waltzed into his TARDIS as if she owned the place. “Miss, whatever your name is—”
“Miss Whatever Your Name Is?” She grinned, annoyed, “well, how not very clever of you.”
“This is very important. The man who you met, he had a box, and did he tell you what planet he came from?”
“No, he did not tell me that. But he did mention that he had two hearts.”
The Doctor perked up.
“Two hearts?”
“I admit that he could have been lying.”
“He wasn’t,” The Doctor sounded quite excited.
“And he said that he was a Timelord.”
“A Timelord! Really!”
“And he also mentioned that he had twenty-seven brains.”
This took the Doctor aback and he scoffed at that.
“Twenty-seven brains?!”
“He then said that it was a slight exaggeration.”
“There’s a difference between exaggeration and a downright lie.”
“Then you do know him. You’re a Timelord too?”
“I am a Timelord, but I don’t know if I know him yet.” Then he began to talk to himself more than her, “after all, I could not know him, for he could not exist. But could he perhaps?” He began to walk back and forth, trying to figure out the possibilities of this all, having an argument all by himself, “No, but yes! After all, another Timelord could have easily left the universe and remained out there during the Time War, but no, it could not be that! No, no, no, but yes! Oh yes, that is brilliant. They could have hidden in the Medusa Cascade! It’s the best place to hide if they want to! Or there could have been something else! They could have hidden themselves… turned themselves into another species. No one could detect a Timelord if they’re not a Timelord anymore. No, why am I entertaining this, for it’s so not possible, but then maybe it is—”
“Oi!” The woman cried, still her hands folded, “I’m still here, or is it easier for you to continue to have a conversation with yourself?”
“Right, sorry, but not really, you know. No offense.”
“Offense taken,” she came forward and leaned against the consul unit.
“Don’t lean against the consul unit,” The Doctor cried pulling her away from it.
“He used to lean on it.”
“Well, that’s his TARDIS. Different TARDIS, different rules. But then again, if there was another universe, even in a parallel universe, or on the outside of this universe, in N-Space 2, then I still would have been able to detect it.”
“Are you talking to me now, or are you talking to yourself?” She asked him patiently.
“I’m talking to myself again. If it is someone else, perhaps it’s the Corsair, or the Wanderer, for he loved adventure. Or it could be the Diplomat, because when I was thinking of flying away, she encouraged me, or it could be the Captain, or the Caretaker, or—”
“Are you going to start talking to me again any time soon? I just wish to know if I can get a word in edgewise, because the sooner you listen, the sooner I can find the Doctor.”
When she mentioned the name, he stopped in his tracks and turned cold.
“What? What was his name?”
In seeing his stern look, the woman clearly wondered if she had spoken too much, or if she had been in error for mentioning it, in case the two men were enemies.
“Is he a friend of yours?” She asked.
“What was his name?!”
“He told me that his name was the Doctor.”
In hearing the naming of this ‘unidentified’ Timelord, the Doctor immediately grew sullen, looking thoroughly disappointed.
“Right,” the woman said, “judging by that expression, he is not a friend of yours.”
“No, he is not really,” the Doctor replied, in a tone of self-loathing.
The woman looked on him with emptiness. She was bitterly disappointed, for as she had rushed through the doors, she had so much hope, and now it had gotten dashed to the ground. This man was not the Doctor, nor was he even friends with him. Therefore, she was still far away from the man who together they had just fought and defeated a system that was uploading people into the wifi on the internet.
“And judging by that, you cannot help me find him, can you?” She asked the Timelord.
“No,” he replied, his voice harsh, “no I cannot help you.”
“Right. And I don’t believe you.”
“You don’t?” The Doctor asked.
“No, I don’t. But since you refuse to help me, then fine, I shall look for him on my own. I’m used to that.”
“I can imagine you are.”
“Was that an insult?” She asked, walking past him.
“I can’t really tell anymore.”
The woman turned back to him as she opened one of the TARDIS doors.
“Has anyone ever told you that you are a massive jerk?”
The Doctor turned to her.
“They never stop really,” was his simple reply.
“Please, I need to find the Doctor. Can’t you help me?”
“No, I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
“And why not?”
“Because—you shall never understand.”
“What, are you both enemies?”
“You could say that.”
“But what does that have to do with me?”
“Much, clearly,” he declared with strength, “if you want to find the Doctor, then I can’t help you. And by not helping you, I am helping you.”
“That makes no sense.”
They were both knocked off their feet as the TARDIS’s doors closed suddenly and they were being rocketed into the Time Vortex, and being hurled through time and space.
Due to the sudden departure and the Doctor’s terrible driving skills, they both fell to the ground, pulling at anything and everything to steady themselves as the TARDIS rocked around them, shaking everywhere.
“Yup, this clearly is not the same TARDIS!” She cried, “for it was smooth driving last time.”
“Oh come on, I’m not that terrible of a driver, am I?” The Doctor wailed, crawling up to the consul unit to find out what was occurring with his beloved ship.
“Do you really want an answer to that?”
“No, I don’t.” He made it to the woman and offered her his hand. She looked down at it with surprise.
“Trust me,” he stated simply. At first, the woman was hesitant. “No really, you can trust me.”
“Can I?”
“Yes, you very much can.”
/> The woman ground her teeth and then took his hand.
“Fantastic,” he smiled widely, and then he began to help her to the unit, where he helped her get a grip on it as he pulled himself up. “Stay there so that nothing will fall on you. Believe me, you are quite safe.”
“Yeah, I always love a good bumpy ride.”
“Good, because so do I. Wait, was that sarcasm?”
“I thought you would be expert for being able to recognize it when you heard it.”
“Eh, no one out-sasses me in my TARDIS!” He stated, pulling a lever.
“I think I just did,” she smirked.
Despite himself, the Doctor could not help but fail at suppressing his smile.
She was sassy.
He admired sassy.
“But truly,” she said, when she got a secure hold and felt that she was not going to fall over, “Where are you taking me? And I didn’t ever say that I gave you permission to take me away, now did I?”
“I’m not the one doing it, though,” the Doctor refuted, “it’s the TARDIS. Something has gotten ahold of her, and she’s flying away herself.”
“Did you just call the TARDIS ‘herself’? You sound like one of those boys who talks to his cars.”
“This is so much more than a car.”
“A car through time and space.”
“Do cars have lives and souls?”
“Depends on the man who you’re speaking to.”
The Doctor grunted, amused.
“Well, this is different. The TARDIS is a ship, but she is unlike any other ship in the universe. She has a consciousness, a spirit, a heart, soul and everything.”
“Is that you being poetic, or are you actually being honest?”
“Oh stop being so sarcastic,” He said while he pressed a few buttons, “or I shall be forced to like you.”
“Oh, you’re one of those types.”
“Yes, very much am.”
He looked at the computer and looked for their destination.
“No way!”
“No way what?”
“We’re going to Uxarieus.”
“What is Uxarieus?”
“It’s a planet… that was abandoned because it was riding on the edge of a black hole.”
“What? But that’s not possible. How can a planet ride on the edge of a black hole?”
“Precisely! Fantastic, for I have always wanted to find out why this is!”
“Could we die because of this?”
“Possibly,” he said, and then he smiled at her, “don’t worry, I promise I’m better at this stuff than you think. Scared yet?”
She did not reply, because she was only staring at him in wonder.
“What?” He asked, confused.
“Nothing, it is just that you remind me of him now. The Doctor. When he had to save an airplane from crashing into my street, he had that same look on his face.”
“Did he?” The Doctor asked, looking away from her and at the computer again.
“Yes. He did.”
“Yes, well… what can you do, eh? Disappointed yet?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you disappointed… that I am not him?”
The woman looked away, still holding on as the ride got even bumpier.
“It’s a simple question.”
“Yes, and I don’t want to hurt your feelings.”
“What’s your name?” He asked suddenly.
“Oh, I thought you liked calling me Miss Whatever Your Name Is.”
“We’re being hurled through time and space toward a planet that has a black hole around it. I would feel immensely more comfortable if I knew the name of the companion I’m having for this one.”
“Companion?” She chuckled, “well, how classical sounding of you.”
“I can never think of a better word for it, you know.”
“Very well, I’m Clara. Clara Oswald.”
“Very good.”
“And how about you? If I’m going to be hurled through time and space, kidnapped by a faulty machine that has a soul to it, then I had better know the name of the driver—well, the driver who is really being driven by his machine.”
“Don’t listen to her, my girl,” the Doctor whispered to his machine, “she didn’t mean that.”
“Right. Now you’re creeping me out.”
“It’s Smith,” The Doctor voiced, “My name. It’s John Smith.”
He did not know why, but he wasn’t ready to tell her that the man she was looking for was himself. He could not tell if it was because he wasn’t sure of her yet, or because he wanted to see how she would react. Or to learn more about the Doctor she had met, for she was not from his past, or if it was because he himself simply was not ready… for some reason.
Therefore, he offered his hand for her to shake.
“Welcome aboard, Miss Oswald,” he smiled happily.
Knowing there was nothing for it but to hop aboard, and because she was curious, or because she wished to be in a TARDIS again, she simply smiled and shook his hand in turn.
“It’s my pleasure, Mr. Smith.”
Chapter 6
The Doctor & The Nobles
Twelve backed away from Mickey, wondering at the man who stood before him. Not only did he leave his wife, and his life behind, but Donna Noble was involved.
“Mickey?” Twelve asked slowly, “What is Donna…”
“No, she’s not dead, Doctor,” Mickey reported, to which the Doctor sighed in relief.
“Then that means that…”
“Yes, from what I was told, she still doesn’t remember you.”
Twelve closed his eyes, and the feelings of his previous regeneration was stirring within him and he recalled that fateful day when Donna became part Timelord and he had to erase her memory so that she would not die. As was the way it was with all memories, it came flashing toward him.
“Doctor?” Mickey said at last, when the silence became too deafening. “Are you all right?”
Twelve wiped his eyes and then stood up.
“Mickey, do I look all right?” He scoffed.
“How should I know, this is the first time that I’ve seen this face on you, remember?” Mickey replied calmly, “and also, in my defense, that face of yours now, no offense, but it looks angry all the time. And quite frankly, this face is not really to my liking. Don’t you have any say in what you look like when you regenerate?”
“I can if need be, but quite frankly, I’m not that picky.”
“Perhaps you should be.”
“Oh shut it, I’m a total catch,” he turned away and then he breathed in, both hopeful and saddened. “Mickey, you really come about Donna?”
“Yes, I do.”
In a burst of emotion, the Doctor hugged Mickey. Mickey laughed and so did the Doctor, until he remembered that Mickey almost never came with good news.
“No wait, you could be about to tell me something bad, so get off,” the Doctor said, pushing Mickey away soon after he had embraced him.
“Wow, this regeneration is even grumpier than the first one,” Mickey noted.
“It comes with the gray hair.”
“More like white hair.”
“Fair point, but still. Mickey, what has happened to Donna?”
“Come,” Mickey said with finality. “It’s best we talk about this inside the TARDIS. Besides, the sooner I get done bringing you back to Earth, the sooner that I can get back home.”
“Wilfred was able to send a message through Torchwood,” Mickey began once they were safely away in the TARDIS, “And he requested that we look for you. Donna was away, on holiday in Greece when she disappeared.”
“And he wants me to find her? While I am willing to go back, this seems to be a matter for the police. After all, I’m no detective.”
This made Mickey laugh.
“Doctor, as much as I hate to compliment you, that’s ALL that you ever do. Lit
erally, you’re like an intergalactic Sherlock Holmes.”
“Well, that explains my inclination to dress up like Sherlock Holmes that one Christmas.”
“Don’t people usually dress up on Halloween?”
“It was a special occasion,” the Doctor answered simply, recalling when he first met Clara and they fought the Great Intelligence. He shuddered, dismissing Clara from his mind as soon as she had entered it.
“Still this is different.”
The Doctor pulled the lever on his TARDIS so that it would begin to travel back toward Earth.
“How so?”
“Because she was with her friends in Greece. She was said to be in an ancient ruin—Delphi to be exact. And she was the first.”
“The first?”
“The first of quite a few tourists to disappear. When last I checked, the number had gone up to fifty.”
“An alien haunting ruins,” the Doctor smirked, “forgive me, but I cannot help but be excited about that side of things. Except for the whole Donna business. Setting coordinates for Delphi, then.”
“No, Doctor,” Mickey declared, “I was specifically ordered to take you back to Chezwick. Wilfred specifically wished for you to go and see him first.”
“Why would he want that?”
“I don’t know. But he just demanded it.”
“How heartbroken did he look?” Twelve asked, sympathetic.
“Normally he is a happy looking older man.”
“Yeah.”
“And then I saw truly how sadness can make your age look twenty years older.”
The Doctor breathed in heavily.
“Yeah.”
When he had returned to Earth, the first thing that he did was drop Mickey off at UNIT, for he requested to be left off there, where he had one last mission before he was going to join Martha on Marinus.
Before he left in full, the Doctor turned to him.
“Mickey?”
“Yes?”
“Why you? Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to see you again, but of all the people they could have asked for help from, why did they ask you? What do you mean to them?”