Vworp, vworp, vworp. The familiar sound of the TARDIS touching downsurrounded the two travelers who had, until then, been tossed about the control room like dolls by a young child. One of these time-hoppers was, of course, the bow-tied, floppy-haired Doctor. The other was a girl in her twenties, with reddish hair and a shrewd, almost serious demeanor. In other words, Anora Grove evened out the Doctor's usually carefree attitude. She had come aboard the ship only a few months ago -at least it seemed a few months in the timeless time vortex- and so her uptight manner was slowly fading with each trip in the TARDIS. She honestly couldn't imagine why the Doctor had chosen her considering her demeanor was the opposite of the Time Lord. However, she never took this fact for granted, and thanked the Doctor on a regular basis for his pick. to which he always replied, "I only choose the very best to travel with me."
As the TARDIS settled, the pair leaned up against the control panel, grinning at each other and panting from the particularly battering ride. Anora looked up at the high ceiling and sighed, "You know, we could try steering the TARDIS a little better next time. I'm sure she hates being jostled around whenever we travel." She tried to keep a straight face, but when the Doctor raised an eyebrow questioningly, his companion broke down her act and grinned.
"Heeey!" the Doctor sounded, pointing at Anora with a matching smile. He was about to suggest they go explore their latest landing site, but suddenly the lights on the TARDIS console went dim and the cloister bells began to chime. The deep ringing sent vibrations through their feet and the Doctor looked up at the glass of the console, red light setting an uneasy mood against his face. His expression had instantly changed from one of elation to one of panicked confusion.
"No," he muttered,"No, no, no, no, no!" He stumbled around the circular room to another control panel, flipping one switch here and pushing another button there with no reply from the TARDIS but a shower of bright sparks and a sputtering sound.
"Doctor?" Anora asked, but the Time Lord was too busy examining his ship; he has whipped out his sonic screwdriver and was waving it about like a torch.
"Doctor?" Anora asked again. "What's wrong with her? I thought we landed?"
"Yes," he answered, "But the TARDIS doesn't like it. We shouldn't be here. She's shut herself down and I don't know how to get her to respond." He hit the console with a thump but Anora thought she heard him whisper an apology to his old ship. A silence separated only by their breath ensued as they both realized what the TARDIS shutting down meant. They were stuck there, wherever 'there' was. "Well then," Anora said, grabbing her jacket and throwing it on, "Let's go find out where we are."
"Yes, let's…" the Doctor replied, his mind still somewhere else. He straightened his bow tie, rearranged his suitcoat and pushed open the door of the TARDIS. A bright, white light seeped through the open doorway, making them both squint in their own darkened room. They both stepped through and examined their surroundings. The TARDIS had landed in a hallway of some kind, a sleek, clean futuristic one that almost reminded Anora of a Star Wars scene. The walls were round and white, with panels lining the sides. Along the ceiling, the source of their moment of blindness shone with harsh light. Looking down, she could almost she herself in the polished black floor.
"Where do you think we are, Doctor? Some type of ship I suppose?" she asked him. He glanced around the area quickly, taking in the setting with analytical eyes.
"I'd say 2665 A.D or somewhere close," he hypothesized, turning about in a circle. "But something seems off. Wrong, tainted, incorrect. No wonder the TARDIS didn't want to land here."
He was intrigued, there was no doubt, and even smiled a bit like his usual self, rubbing his hands together in anticipation, despite them being stuck in this wrong, tainted, incorrect place. He started off in no particular direction, making Anora jog to keep up with his fast, gangly pace. Then, she ran right into him as he stopped suddenly in front of her.
"Oomph!" he sounded, stumbling forward. "What was that for?"
"Sorry, Doctor, but you just can't bloody stop in-" She halted her scolding when she realized that there was another person (well, when she said person…) with them, watching the pair with non-judging brown eyes. He was wearing a dark blue uniform shirt and black pants, but it was the pin attached to his shirt that made her stomach drop. It was the Star Trek logo; Anora remembered the symbol from rainy days with Dad when they ate popcorn and watched the original series, laughing together over the cheesiness. This place wasn't cheesy or blocky like the show had been, however. It was sleek and smooth with the look of a real place, not a movie set. She looked up at the black haired man wide-eyed; unable to speak even to tell the Doctor she knew exactly where they were and who they had just run into.
"Hello," the man spoke in a calm, even tone, "I'm Commander Spock of the USS Enterprise. Is it possible you two could elaborate on as to why…or how you've come aboard this ship in the most fascinating manner?"