note; This is from a Prompt on Tumblr by NerdySlytherin and I am forever grateful for this. It was an open-ended prompt that I initially wanted to write something dark for, and that was part of the request, but it turned itself into a comic relief kind of thing. But there are certainly dark possibilities with this idea that I might toy with later.
disclaim; I don't own Doctor Who.
"Doctor?" Amelia Pond questioned, leaning around the control panel of the TARDIS to get a better look at his fiddlings.
The Doctor didn't respond, his gaze fixed intently on the wiring in front of him. He reached out to touch the lever, thought better of it, and pulled his hand back to tap his chin. Amy moved closer, and he jumped suddenly, as if just realizing she were there.
"Doctor, what is it?" she asked again.
"Nothing," he replied, waving his hand in her face. He turned back to his mess of wires and switches and toggly-button-merjibbers, a frown creasing his brow.
"Nothing sounds like something," she pried, leaning to look at her Doctor's face. Her brilliant red hair fell in waves about her shoulders, and those bright eyes were asking, What have you got us into this time?
"Nothing!" the Doctor repeated, looking up. The screen hanging from the mobile arm displayed nonsensical information, scrolling down to infinity. It seemed to trouble the Doctor, because he made a distressed noise and looked back to his wires.
"What's going on?" Rory's voice was heavy with sleep, and he walked onto the platform rubbing his eyes. "What's all that?"
"For the last time!" the Doctor cried, exasperated. "It's nothing!"
"It's never nothing with you," Rory corrected, stopping beside the Doctor to peer down at the panel. He yawned widely, blinking the sleep from his eyes. "What's that?"
"What's what?" the Doctor asked defensively.
Amy rolled her eyes, turning away from the pair. Boys.
"That, that little... button thingy."
"There is no little button thingy."
"Yes, that one, right there."
"Oh, that little button thingy, yes, well, that's... I'm not sure," the Doctor admitted. When Rory reached out to touch it, the Doctor slapped his hand away. "Don't touch anything!" he ordered.
"What's wrong?" Amy asked, turning back to stare at the Doctor.
"Nothing."
"We're not stupid, Doctor," Amy said sternly. "Now, tell us what's wrong."
"Oh, okay," he said with a slight sulk to his voice. He pulled the screen down to face-level, hitting a button on the side. The lines of gibberish information flickered and vanished, replaced by a slowly spinning blueprint of the TARDIS – of what the TARDIS looked like without the chameleon circuit. It spanned more space than either Pond could comprehend, but the Doctor didn't give them time to marvel at his ship. He tapped the screen with a thin finger and harumphed. "We're stuck."
"Stuck?" Amy echoed.
"Stuck where?" Rory asked.
"Nowhere," the Doctor said. "Okay, we're stuck somewhere, but somewhere is the inside of the TARDIS. Somehow the ship went into safety mode, and I can't seem to get it out."
"Safety mode," Amy repeated.
"When the TARDIS is threatened, it locks up. You can't leave, but whatever is out there can't get in either. Really handy when there are weeping angels around. But there are no weeping angels outside, we're parked on a perfectly normal London street." The Doctor tapped the button on the screen, and it flickered to show the street. People passed by normally, not once looking at the big blue box. "Something set it off."
"And you can't override it?" Amy asked.
"Of course I can!" the Doctor said quickly. "I just need time."
"You've been staring at this same spot for three hours," Amy pointed out.
Rory leaned over the exposed panel, craning his neck to see more. "Doctor, what is that button?" he asked again.
"Rory, it's nothing," the Doctor said stiffly.
"No, there's no wires to it..."
"Well, there aren't any wires to your head but you don't see me asking what you are," the Doctor replied briskly, pushing a disgruntled Rory out of the way.
Amy moved to comfort Rory, patting him on the arm. "Doctor, have you tried the door?"
"Of course I've tried the door!"
"Have you used the key on the door?"
The Doctor looked at her quizzically, eyebrows furrowing. "Why would I use a key on the inside of a door?"
"You have to try everything," Amy replied. She pulled the key from the chain around her neck, lifting it out of her shirt. Walking to the door, she tried to look through the window, but the frosted glass didn't offer any sort of view. She peered at the lock, noticing – not for the fist time – that there was a keyhole on this side as well. She inserted the key, twisted, and was greeted with a click.
"No," the Doctor said, closing the panel.
"Well," Amy said proudly, grinning. "Look at that."
When she pushed the door, nothing happened.
"Ha!" the Doctor crowed, pointing to her. "What did I say?"
"You think you're so clever," Amy scoffed, tucking the key back into her shirt. "Why can't you get out of the TARDIS?"
"That button is odd," Rory said with a shrug.
"Alright!" the Doctor cried, throwing his hands up. "I'll mess with the button! Will that make you happy?"
Rory stepped closer to the Doctor, peering over his shoulder as he worked. "It might," he said.
Amy joined them, watching as the Doctor turned the button and plugged a purple wire into it. The lights in the TARDIS flickered out, and they were plunged into darkness.
"Great, now look what you've done, Rory. Are you happy?" the Doctor asked.
Rory defended himself in the dark. "It isn't my fault!"
"Boys."
"You said whats that button, and I said nothing! It is your fault!"
"No, you should know your ship better!"
"Boys!" Amy shouted.
"What?" they asked in unison.
"The door opened."