The Planet Taldigan
The doctor sat at Elisabeth dead body. It was night and he had been sitting there for hours. In his 900 years he had seen lots of deaths, but he knew he would never get used to it. He had lost so many people, unknown as friends but the worst was always when he couldn't prevent it. The worst part was watching the life slip out of their eyes. He didn't know what to do, for once in his life he didn't know what to do. The TARDIS was dead and he was trapped here. He knew he had to get out of here, but he couldn't just leave Elisabeths body here. Not only because it felt like he was abandoning her, but this was a school and in a couple of hours this house would be filled with children. He had to do something, without himself being connected with her. He felt in his pockets, the only thing he had on him was his sonic screwdriver. He really had to go and get one of those cell phones. Elisabeth had a cell phone, he looked in her pockets until he found it. He could send a text, but then to who? The mother, no, she would feel so much sorrow anyway, she did not need to be the one who found her dead daughter. The police, took the police texts? He had no idea, what was the number to the police. Was it always this hard to get contact with the police? "God, how stupid I am!" He said to himself. He scanned the cell phone, altering its phone number and checking every number ever called and the most common numbers. The doctor altered the number because it would be weird if the help text came from the dead girls' phone when she had been dead for hours. He quickly found the police number, he typed it in and then stopped. He then wrote, "Help, dead girl in..." What school was this? He looked on the schedule on the door, it was school. "Help, dead girl in school, come quick." He wrote and pressed send. He looked at Elisabeth one more time, then he slowly walked out of the school. He sat in the bushes some meters away from the school, just checking so that the police would arrive. He wasn't really in a hurry. The police came after only a few minutes and then the doctor walked away from it all. The only place he could go where to his beloved dead TARDIS. He stood in front of it, opened the doors and looked into it. For the first time in hours he smiled.
"Is that light for me?, he said mostly to himself."
What he had seen was a light in the machine, a little lamp but it glowed of hope. The TARDIS wanted to live, so it lived. The doctor jumped into the TARDIS without thinking and he hit the wall with a big bang.
"AAAAAHHH!, he screamed when he hit the wall. Stupid, stupid, stupid!"
He hadn't broken anything but his feet where hurting. That was the last time he jumped without thinking. Nah, he would do it again and probably soon to. He ran to the engine and gave it a big hug and kissed it.
"Who's a good TARDIS? You are!, he said happily."
"Now what do you say about leaving this place and go somewhere new?, he said."
He pushed and pulled buttons and "spakar" and the TARDIS made that familiar, calming sound. When the TARDIS had took of, the doctor sank down on the floor. He was exhausted, tired, sleepy, so sleepy... He closed his eyes and fell asleep. He was woken minutes or hours later, because the TARDIS was giving out the red alert sound. Which was never good. The doctor quickly came up on his feet and ran around pushing buttons, trying to figure out what was wrong!
"What is wrong? Nothing is wrong, but how can something be wrong then?, he said."
Suddenly the TARDIS hit something, or at least he thought it did and the doctors body flew from one end of the TARDIS to the other. He hit the wall and fell unconscious to the floor. Hours, days, weeks, months or years later he woke up. Finding himself in a hospital. He sat up and felt a sticking pain in his left arm, he looked at it. It was wrapped in bandage and he couldn't move his fingers. A broken arm, that was the first time in this body, he thought. He was alone in the room, there were plenty of beds but there were no one in them. The doctor was not wearing his own clothes, he was wearing one of those white hospital "dresses". Where was he? Was he still on Earth, no, probably not, but then were where he? Where was the TARDIS and his sonic screwdriver, but most important, where was his clothes? He looked around and suddenly he heard a door open and he could hear footsteps against the floor. A woman came within sight. She smiled a big smile and she looked at the doctor. She had blond long wavy hair and she was dressed in a grey and white dress with black shoes. She stopped beside his bed.
"Hello, she said with a soft voice."
"Hello, the doctor said."
"It's nice to see that you are well again, she said."
"Yeah, I was lucky to only break an arm, the doctor said and smiled."
"Only and arm?, she said."
"Yeah, my left arm is broken, he said."
"I am well aware of that, but it was hardly the only thing, she said."
"What more then?, he said."
"Well, you broke practically every bone in your body and you had a pole going through your body and unfortunately one of your hearts stopped beating, she said."
"What!, he said. How long have I been sleeping?"
"Five days, she said."
"That is not possible!, he said. I'm feeling fine! Except for my left arm, my bones are whole, I don't have any pain from that pole you talk about and I am pretty sure both my hearts are working fine."
"Well, you are cured, except from your arm, you will have no scars from the accident, she said."
"What happened exactly? I only remember that the TARDIS went on red alert and then... Nothing, he said."
"Well, you crashed quite badly and if we hadn't found you, you would have been dead a long time ago, she said."
"I crashed? But why did the TARDIS crash, it was nothing wrong with it?, he said."
"We don't know either, yet, she said."
"Is she okay? The TARDIS?, the doctor said."
"It is quite alright, she said."
"Thank god, he said. Can I ask you a question?"
"Well, of course, she said."
"Where am I?, he asked."
"You are on the planet Taldigan, she said, she had not stopped smiling one time on the whole conversation."
"Sorry, what?, he said."
"The planet Taldigan, she said."
"Aha, okay, never heard of it, he said."
"Well, that is quite understandable, we don't have many visitors, she said."
"Why not?, he asked."
"They interrupt the order, she said. You see we have created the perfect world, an utopia."
"An utopia?, he said."
"Yes, we have eliminated all sickness, grief, sorrow and pain from this world, we are only happy here, she said."
"Is that why the hospital is empty?, he asked."
Yes, we haven't used it in years until your arrival. Our doctors where quite thrilled to exanimate and help you, she said."
"I see, he said."
"And it's quite an honour to have a living species from the destroyed planet Gallifrey, she said."
"How do you know I am from Gallifrey, he asked."
Doctor, don't be stupid. There is no other species like yours and we have read quite a lot about yours, it is quite remarkable, she said."
"Wait, what did you just say?, he said."
"Oh, I am sorry, didn't you hear me?, she said."
"Yes, I heard you, you called me Doctor, he said."
"Isn't that what people usually call you? We can call you something else if you wish it, she said."
"No, it is the doctor but how did you know that?, he said."
"You mumbled so in your sleep, she said. You were quite delusional."
"Did I say something else?, he said."
"Only one thing that made sense, she said."
"And what was that?, he asked."
"You said something about a girl named Elisabeth, does that tell you something?, she said."
"Yeah, it does, he said."
"I notice that you feel uncomfortable talking about this, she said."
"No, it's okay, he said."
"If you say so, she said."
"Do you know where my clothes are?, he asked."
"Your clothes?, she said."
"Yeah, I had a costume when I crashed and now I have this hospital "dress" on me, he said."
"Oh, you mean the rags, she said."
"The rags?, he said."
"Yes, "The clothes" you are referring to where rags, actually it wasn't much left if I should say so, she said."
"So are you fixing them, or what?, he said."
"No, we burned those days ago, she said."
"What! That was my favourite costume!, he said."
"Well, you couldn't wear them anyway, she said."
"Wait, by the way, in my inside pocket on my costume there was a metal stick, he said."
"Yes, we found that, she said."
"Oh, good, so it's not destroyed then?, he asked."
"No, and may I ask what it is?, she said."
"So you don't know?, he said."
"No, we have seen many things in our time but never anything like this, she said."
"Well, it's a sonic screwdriver, he said. It's not very dangerous."
"A sonic screwdriver, interesting, she said. We noticed that it wasn't especially dangerous, like you."
"Like me, he said."
"If you feel better, you are free to walk around and take a look in our town, just don't do anything bad, she said."
"Thank you for your friendly offer but I think I'll be off as quick as possible, he said."
"No, we can't allow that!, she said."
"Why not?, he said."
"Because you are still hurt, she said. At least stay one more day so that we know you are completely healthy."
"I don't think so, he said."
"I'm afraid that if you don't cooperate we much restrain you until you feel better, she said."
The doctor smiled.
"But then I will except your offer, he said. But can I at least have back my sonic screwdriver?"
"Of course, she said. It's in the laboratories."
"Thank you, he said. But because I'm going to go around a little bit can I have some new clothes?"
"I understand you, she said. You can borrow one of our standard uniforms."
"Standard, what?, he said."
"Here on Taldigan planet we all wear the same clothes, the women are wearing what I am wearing and the men are wearing a white shirt and grey pants, it's so much easier that way, she said."
"And you don't have any normal clothes?, he asked."
"No, we have no use of them, she said."
"But then I'll take a "standard" uniform, he said."
"Good choice, she said."
"Then where do I find this laboratories and clothes?, he said."
"The clothes are down the hall and the first to the left, she said. The laboratories are at the end of the hall."
"Thank you, he said."
"Nothing at all, she said. Is there something else you want to know?"
"No, it's good, he said."
"Then I'll leave you, she said and quickly walked out off the room."
The doctor saw the woman walk out of the room. Something was wrong, so very wrong. This planet, that woman and their utopia. This was one of the first times he was on a planet he didn't even knew existed, it was not to his advantage. He had been on many planets who claim to have a utopia and it always goes bad, sooner or later. But he couldn't find out what was wrong if he was restrained to bed, and they wouldn't let him go. The only little problem was that he was not allowed to change a planets history, by interfering. So if there was not threat here, he was not allowed to do anything, if nothing was wrong he could do nothing. Maybe there was nothing wrong, maybe this is the perfect world, a true utopia. Just because he was here didn't necessarily mean that something was wrong? He got up from bed and walked out of the room, he went down the hall and took the first left. The room was big, very big and its roof was high. All over the room he could see the standard uniforms, so dull and so boring. But at least he would blend in. He changed clothes, the uniform was uncomfortable and it itched and he missed his costume. Really much. He looked in the mirror, this was a catastrophe, the clothes where more awful on him then he had first thought. He just wanted his own clothes back, and his TARDIS. He would any way get his sonic screwdriver back, that cheered him up a bit. The doctor walked down the hall and entered the laboratory, he saw his TARDIS and a man beside it with what looked like a flamethrower.
"Hello! What do you think you are doing!, he screamed at the man."
The man looked at the doctor with a surprised face.
"Hello, you must be the doctor, he said."
"Who else, but what are you doing to my TARDIS?, he said."
"I'm just examining it, he said."
"With a flamethrower?, he said."
"A what?, he said."
"You know, one of those things that makes things burn, he said."
"This?, he said."
"Yeah, he said."
"This is a multiplier sonic device, he said. We are just trying to figure out how it works."
"So you are not destroying it?, he said."
"No, why would I do that?, he said."
"No idea, I must still be a little dizzy after my accident, he said."
"That is understandable, he said."
"So do you know where my sonic screwdriver is?, he said."
"Ahh, the other thing you brought, he said."
"Yeah, he said."
"I hope you don't need it now, he said."
"Why is that, the doctor said."
"Because we've picked it apart, he said."
"You have what?, he said."
"Well, we needed to know how it worked, he said."
"But... But! Can't you just fix it?, he said."
"Well, we are having some trouble there, because we still don't know how it works and we have no idea how to fix it, he said."
"You have just stripped me off the last dignity I had, the doctor said."
"Sorry?, he said."
"Nothing, the doctor said depressed."
"Well, you can borrow something from here as a compensation if you want to?, he said. Until we have fixed your screwdriver."
"Sonic screwdriver, he said. Yeah, I would like that."
"Just pick and choose, he said and started to do whatever he was doing to the TARDIS again."
The doctor smiled a childish smile and ran around in the big laboratory, there were new things everywhere, things even he never had seen before. He picked up a frying pan and looked at it, he twisted and turned it but saw nothing unusual, he just had to ask the man what it was for.
"Excuse me?, he said."
"Yes?, he said."
"What is this?, he said and showed him the frying pan."
"We call it a crontor, he said."
"Crontor?, he said."
"Yes, put that on the ground/floor and gravity will cease to exist within a radie of 20 meters, he said."
"You are kidding with me!, the doctor said happily. Perhaps I should not play with that, he whispered to himself."
The doctor put it down on the platform he had taken it from and picked up a new article. It looked like an ordinary pen, he wondered what it did.
"Sorry to bother you again, but what is this?, he asked the man."
"You don't know what it is?, he said."
"Well no, the doctor said."
The man walked toward him and then took the pen from him.
"We call it a pen; he said and drew a face on a paper. Look, we write things with it."
"A pen, I never, he said and smiled. Just an ordinary pen."
"But we have another thing, that looks like a pen but are far more dangerous, when you press the button you give the person you are aiming it at a little electric chock, he said and held a similar pen in front of the doctor."
"Can it kill a man?, he said."
"Well no, at most you can make them unconscious, he said."
"Interesting, the doctor said."
The man put down both the pens on the table and then walked over to the TARDIS again. The doctor looked around a bit more in the room, but he was almost sure of what he was going take. He walked back to the pen and picked it up and put it in his pocket.
"I'll take the pen, he said."
"Okay, he said."
The doctor walked out of the hospital, the sun blinded him at first. The first thing that struck him was that he was the only person out in the open. There was no other person on the street, if they were at work or inside he didn't know. He walked past some houses and inside he could see people. Everyone was inside and no one was outside, which was a bit weird. People where often inside rather than outside but not everybody, there were usually at least someone outside. He kept on walking down the street, and he saw more and more faces inside and none outside. He turned in to a side street, a little one, just to see if someone where there. There had to be someone! The little street was much darker then the big street and suddenly he heard something from behind him. He quickly turned around.
"So there is someone outside? You might think you're all vampires, he said and giggled. Don't hide, I know you are there!"
It was completely quiet; he then felt a sudden pain on the back of his head. It felt like someone had cracked his head open, he was unconscious before he hit the ground. When he woke up, he sat on a floor. He was so dizzy he barely could control his head and eyes; his left arm was nothing in comparison to his head. He felt he had droll in the right corner of his mouth. His right hand automatically went up to his back head, but he was stopped. His right hand was cuffed to the ground. What had happened? A strong light was directed to him and for a second or two he couldn't see anything. Then he saw a girl standing in front of him, she had a frying pan in her right hand. It was quite clear that she was the one who had hit him. She was young, quite young anyway. About 13 – 14 perhaps and she was wearing normal clothes.