Chapter One:
"Why do you have to ask such strange questions?" The doctor asked clearly irritated
"Its not strange to ask how the TARDIS works, I want to to know. Because I mean like what makes it go?" Clara argued
"It's a weird question, besides it's all sciencey whiencey and it would take all the fun out of everything. It just does okay. " The doctor answered straightening his bowtie
Clara rolled her soft brown eyes, it was like after all this he still didn't trust her enough to answer her questions. That, or he honestly had no idea, and he was just to stubborn to admit it—yep that sounded like him to her.
"You know, you can't trust me. Have I not proven that I'm loyal?"
"No, Clara it has nothing to do with loyalty. But I had this same argument with another of my companions once before, she just accepted that I wasn't going to tell her and she moved on."
"Well then she was mad, and so are you for thinking that I would do that."
"Mad mad Martha…" he mumbled to himself
Clara could never understand why the doctor kept his past so secretive. The Great Intelligence had said that the doctor had a dark past, which Clara could understand, he went around the world saving people and planets, losing people along the way surely. But what could he have possibly done to make himself like this?
"What?" she asked, hoping for the millionth time that maybe he might open up on his somewhat insane ramblings.
He looked up, with a glassy look in his eye, "No on-" he caught himself "Nothing," he corrected.
"So where to then doctor? Back out to see the stars or are we on a planned course?"
he smiled, sauntering over back to his control panel.
"Some where special," he said mysteriously "I got a note, a special note saying to go and see an old friend." He said holding out his brown booklet of psychic paper.
The words 'come quickly doctor.' Were scribed out on the paper, but disappeared again just as fast as they had come. It was signed with the name 'brigadier lethbridge-stewart'.
"Who is brigadier?" Clara asked, but she regretted it the moment she said it. The look on the doctor's face was heart crushing. His eyes were struggling to stay dry, and his lower lip quivered.
"A friend," was all he said "but that's not who this note is from,"
Clara stopped… "but that's who signed it," she stated
He nodded "Indeed, but there is more than one brigadier lethbridg-stewart," he said
"So it's a name?"
"yes and no."
"What does that even mean?!"
"Brigadier is a title, but lethbridge stewart, it a name."
"Why was it signed with both then?"
"Because the person that sent this, is the brigadier's daughter, and she knows that I will always come when called with that name."
Now Clara was getting suspicious, who was this person?
He trotted around the panel, pressing buttons and pulling levers, typing on the keyboard and watching and calculating the results on the monitor.
"I'm following the coordinates from the note,"
he told her
"What coordinates? I didn't see any?"
"Psychic paper, you get better at reading it with time. Don't worry about Clara."
He continued to type and press,, mumbling to himself words in a tongue she couldn't decipher.
"Here. !" he said as he flipped the final switch
There was a rumble beneath their feet, and the floor panels began to vibrate. But the motion crescendo-d became increasingly violent.
"Doctor, what's happening?" Clara yelled in a panic
He looked flabbergasted. "I haven't the faintest he said."
"The TARDIS seems to be reacting to the command, quite poorly it would appear,"
"Really?! Now what might have given that away!" she snapped
The console exploded into a mass of sparks, and the TARDIS veered to one side, nocking them all off of their feet. It finally stopped, with a massive quake.
"What happened?"
Clara asked, knowing she wasn't going to like the answer
"I don't know, " he got up and sprinted to the panels again, slapping on of the monitors when it wouldn't display the usual control screen.
"What do you suppose is out side that door Doctor?" she asked gesturing to the exit of the TARDIS
"We could be any where, swallowed by a back hole, stranded in E space, Pete's dimensions…" he said his final words almost a whisper
"Where?"
He walked over to the doors, and wrapped his hand around the handle.
"Well," he said "You coming?"
She smiled, and got up from the floor. Her legs felt week, and still nauseous from the trip. But mad it to the door without worry.
The doctor pulled the Handle and the doors opened. In that second, Clara would usually feel exited and pumped to see a new world, and visit a different time. But who knew what was beyond that door…all she felt was fear…
The sound of ringing bells and loud rustle filled her ears.
"Cut," a voice yelled "and print!"
Another alarm sounded as they stepped out of the TARDIS, and into an unfamiliar setting.
She scanned the room, and saw people in chairs waiting and watching them exit the TARDIS, large high tech cameras pointed in their direction.
"Doctor what is this?" she asked
"It looks like a sound stage…"
"Like in the TV shows,"
"Well…yea seems to be…"
a woman walked over to them both. She took the doctor's hand and led him away from the TARDIS.
"Great job Matt," she said, "That scene gives me shivers ever time. You too Jenna, fantastic job, glad you got that last line right, I know that you were struggling to get that one just right."
