Signs of Light
There's infinity, at least it seems. Endless void, darkness and silence. Star dust and time being spun into moments past.
Millions upon millions of planets in countless galaxies, and yet, this story takes us to a funny little blue planet. Wildly insignificant turning around on its axis, continuously circling its one painfully average star.
Why? Because this is one of many days that a blue box is suspended in just above it's atmosphere. A clever thing, bigger on the inside. Housing forever a man, and whoever he needs to keep him well. And this, for the moment, is where I leave you...
Clara sat with her legs dangling off the edge of the TARDIS, and a mug of steaming tea in her hand.
she looked down at her giant marble of a planet, and it crossed her mind how funny it was that this sort of thing was common place now. Up there with grading essays and lunchtime.
"Hey, Doctor?"
He looked up from the book he was pretending to be reading (he had other thoughts on his mind, and just kept reading the same line for about an hour) and answered.
"Yes, Clara?"
"We're in a sort of bubble right? For gravity, oxygen and what-have-you?"
The Doctor popped up out of the chair he was in and walked over to Clara.
"In a sense, yes"
"So what would happen if I jumped? I wouldn't, but what if?"
He sat down next to her and swung his legs back and forth above the metals and ended missions circling not even close to touching the planet below.
"Well, we are in a bubble, but a rather thin one. You would fall right through, and that would be it."
"Then why do you have the gravity switched on? If it wasn't you could just float up and..."
"Away."
He looked at her when he said this, with eyes brimming with something that could only be described as...there.
"... I could never let that happen. Not too you, not ever."
Maneuvering herself closer to the Doctor, Clara let her head rest on his shoulder.
"I know that."
She smiled at nothing in particular, and asked: "So, I know where we we are, but when? When are we?"
"The eighth of March, 2027."
"That's not so far off. so what happens, then ? Or is that top secret Timelord information."
"I dunno...we could always go and find out."
She takes a sip of her tea, watching the curls and dips of the steam from her mug define the shape of the shield surrounding them before looking at the Doctor again.
"In a bit...I want to enjoy the view a bit longer."
"Your Choice, Clara."
He got up and walked over to the console, Clara watched him. She was wondering about some things, and trying to forget many others, knowing very well that he was doing the same as she sat in the glow of the Earth.
...
"Doctor Beyjor?"
Top of his class, knew astrophysics just about as well as the lyrics to Journey's "Don't Stop Believing"(he was very proud of the fact that he knew every word, and nobody had the heart to tell him that most people did.) was slumped over snoring, covered with a notebook's worth loose leaf paper and a large amount of drool.
Not the first time that one of his colleagues found him here when he probably should have gone to sleep about 8 hours beforehand, but it was the first time that one of them took the liberty of pouring some of their Luke-warm coffee on his head.
"I'M AWAKE! I've got it! Good morning, Louise, I mean Miss Carrera, I mean-"
She walked around him picking up the sheets of paper strewn about
"I just thought you'd want to know about th- wait, What were you working on this whole time?"
"Well…you know I've been put on project Medusa… And I was just working out some design flaws in…"
"hold up a second, What the hell is project Medusa?"
Dr. Beyjor pretended to neaten his desk.
"it's what I call the mars project. I just think 'project Medusa' will be good for PR. You know, build up hype, give people a name to call it by. Like Apollo. That's iconic, the Mars project is just too literal. The public wants to see thought, symbolism."
she smiled at him
"you just think it sounds cool, don't you?"
He looked as if he was about to argue, but instead just very dejectedly said: "I will neither confirm nor deny that accusation. Anyways, I was working out some design flaws in the space craft…"
"Just you?!"
He looked at his desk and sat up a bit straighter and scratched the back of his head before looking back up.
"No, but the others wanted to sleep."
Miss Carrera crossed her arms and looked at him in a slightly amused way.
"Well obviously you did too."
"Ah, want and need, there's a very distinct difference between the two."
He said mid yawn.
"So,"
Started Doctor Beyjor as he as pushed himself up out of his chair.
"Now that that's over with, what was it you wanted to tell me?"
…..