DOCTOR WHO
THE BEST DEFENSE
WRITTEN BY ZARIUS
(Contains spoilers for "Resolution")
As the winter holidays wound down, The Doctor and her friends were looking towards the year to come, only to come to the swift realisation that there were whole years beyond just the one that they were leaving behind awaiting them across tomorrow.
Where could they go? What would they see?
The Doctor was keen to learn more of the universe's wisdom, and she knew her friends were too, so she took the lead as always, pounded her fists on the controls of her trusty TARDIS, and made preparations.
Watching her work her magic at the console were her loyal crew, one of whom had a look of real concern that was picked up by another of the team.
"Having a proper think to yourself Yaz?" said Graham.
"I'm worried a bit. About The Doctor" said Yaz.
"It's like we were born to worry about her" said Graham.
"I wonder what she meant?" said Yaz.
"Meant what?" asked Graham.
"She said she had learned a long time ago to think like a Dalek, like an inhuman killing machine who would take any risk it could to carry out its objectives"
"And we got a taste of that didn't we? When the Doc was willing to toss us all out into the vacuum of space, right into the heart of a burning sun, just to kill that thing before it could take us back to its fleet"
"I don't know why I feel so grateful about that, we could have died as prisoners of the fleet, or we'd have been burned to cinders. There was little choice, and both outcomes were hell"
"Such is war" said Graham.
"I've only ever dealt with minor wars on the street as part of the Sheffield met. Minor turf scrapes, the rise of knife crime, it all seems so tame compared to what the Doctor's been through with these Daleks" Yaz continued.
Graham noticed something was laid out on the floor, a bright multi-coloured rainbow scarf. The one he'd given the Doctor on Christmas Day. He picked it up and approached the TARDIs' playful pilot with it.
Yaz watched on whimsically as Graham wrapped the scarf around The Doctor's neck, The Doctor playfully clutching at his hands as he tightened it snugly.
Ryan came back from his trip to the TARDIS washroom and approached Yaz.
"Hey, anything happen?" he said.
"Just look at them" Yaz said, pointing to Graham and The Doctor.
"There's so little we know of her, just being involved with her has cost us lives like your Nan, and your dad nearly died because of her madness, yet we never raise a voice in protest, we never tell her when it's time to put the weapons away, to put the most dangerous plans to bed so we can all sleep soundly...and then you have people like your granddad, with just the kindest gestures he shows us the best defence against madness is tolerance, and understanding. We're all victims of war, but we don't have to be changed by it. We can remain true to who we are, there's no shame in standing still when the tide washes over you, not if others around you are anchoring you to the spot"
"You sound an awful lot like the Doctor, maybe this constant travelling is bringing out some needed character in you?" Ryan joked.
Yaz shoved him aside and continued to observe the pair in front of her, the faith and compassion of others eroding her doubt.
Graham tickled The Doctor at the side, sending her into a flurry of giggles, causing her to accidentally hit the activation signal on the sound speakers, sending her charmed hysterics echoing through the storms of the time/space vortex and informing every possible tomorrow that team TARDIS had arrived.