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The Doctor sat on the sofa in his living room, lamenting on what had happened that day. It was his quadricentennial, meaning his four-hundredth birthday. It had been quite a celebration, all his family showed up, and the high council had presented a special award to him. There were only a handful of Time Lords who had made it four hundred years without having to or wanting to regenerate. But, the rules of Time Lord Society dictated that a Time Lord could only remain in his first incarnation until his quadricentennial, and tomorrow The Doctor would have to undergo a forced regeneration.
"Oh, father," Kraden said, "Susan's on her way over from Tragonite's house. She says she has something for you."
The Doctor checked his watch. He had about -5±98CT minutes before he needed to put his plan into action. But he always had time for Susan.
/
The Doctor had moved to his armchair, and was smoking his pipe.
"Grandfather!" Susan called
"In here!" The Doctor called back
Susan walked into the living room. She was dressed in a grey and black robe, like all young Gallifreyans did. In her hand was a small red box.
"Hello, Grandfather," Susan smiled
"Hello, Susan," The Doctor replied, getting up, "Glad you could make it."
"Sorry I couldn't come earlier, but I had to speak with Tragonite about entering the Academy."
"Ah yes," The Doctor nodded grimly, "You start tomorrow, don't you?"
"That's right."
Susan extended her arm, and handed The Doctor the red box.
"Happy quadricentennial, Grandfather," she said
"Thank you," The Doctor said, taking it
"Are you going to open it?"
He opened the box, and picked up the small silver object inside.
"Oh!" a smile appeared on The Doctor's face, "This is one of those…what do they call it?"
"Um…The Salesman called it a 'multi-functional sound-utilizing omni-tool'," Susan said
"Well, we'll have to think up a better name for it," The Doctor decided, "Any suggestions?"
"Sonic screwdriver?" Susan recommended
"Very suitable."
"I thought it up in the cleanser this morning."
/
The Doctor attempted to switch the sonic screwdriver on.
"Is it working?" Susan asked
"I'm not sure," The Doctor replied, "It's…do you smell smoke?"
The two of them looked up, and realized that the screwdriver was burning a hole in the ceiling.
"You've got it set on lance!" Susan exclaimed
The Doctor took it down a notch, and a metallic humming started to sound. A love for gadgets was very uncommon among Time Lords, but then again, The Doctor was not just another Time Lord…
"This is perfect, Susan," The Doctor tucked the device away in his robe pocket, "Would you like some cake? There's a few slices left over."
"I'd love some."
/
The Doctor entered the kitchen, and returned to see Susan sitting on the sofa, listening to her music player. Susan seemed so happy, so innocent the way she swayed to the rhythm of the music, gently waving her hand. Tomorrow was also a big day for her; she would begin her Time-Lady training by looking into the un-tempered schism. The Doctor shuddered, thinking of what that had done to The Master. His little Susan would be gone. But he couldn't look back.
/
The Doctor got up, and began walking to the door. He was starting his plan, and would have to be quick about it. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his side; his hip had given out.
"No…" he grimaced, "Not now…"
"Grandfather?" Susan asked, getting up, "Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine," The Doctor sighed, "But I guess I won't be going anywhere tonight."
Susan was puzzled.
"Were you planning on going somewhere?" she asked
"Well…" The Doctor sat back down on the couch, "I guess there's no point in keeping it a secret anymore. You see…"
/
The Doctor told Susan of his plans to escape from Gallifrey, giving her all the details. She was enthralled by it; she loved her grandfather's stories.
"…but it's all for nothing, now," The Doctor sighed, "I guess I'll die…I mean, regenerate."
Susan hated seeing her grandfather like that; then an idea popped into her head.
"Grandfather, I think I might be able to help you."
/
Two hours later…
/
Susan and The Doctor arrived at the impound lot in The Doctor's car. It could hover up to three inches about the ground, and had limited flight capabilities.
"Susan, are you sure?" The Doctor asked, "I don't want to force this on you."
"Grandfather, I'd walk through the heart of the dark star for you," Susan replied
/
The Doctor and Susan got out of the car, and walked up to the chain-link fence, going in opposite directions. The Doctor went to where The Guard stood, and spoke some words in a foreign dialect.
"Gar su pikay matall?" The Doctor asked
"Pardon me?" The Guard asked, lowering his staser
"Gar…su…pikay…matall," The Doctor repeated
"I'm afraid I don't speak your language, old man…"
As The Doctor provided a distraction, Susan leapt over the fence. She planned on joining the temporal gymnastics when she entered The Academy. As soon as she was over the fence, Susan scouted around for what The Doctor told her about, a blue box of some kind. After a minute of searching she found it.
"Remember, Susan," The Doctor said, telepathically, "The key is hidden above the 'P'."
Susan walked to the box, where the earth lettering was. Feeling around on top, she picked out the key, and then stuck it in the door. To her horror, a loud alarm went off. It sounded like a gong submerged in water, and it came from inside.
"Oh no!" Susan exclaimed
She was ready to cry; she had let her grandfather down.
/
The Guard heard the alarm go off.
"Sorry, old man," The Guard cocked his staser, "But I've got to…"
The Doctor lifted up his sonic screwdriver, and blasted the supports holding up the fence. The entire structure went falling down on The Guard, knocking him out.
"Uhrr…" The Guard groaned
"Excuse me, little boy," The Doctor smiled, stepping over him
/
The Doctor made it to the blue box, where Susan sat in front of it, upset.
"Come on, Susan," The Doctor said, tapping her with his cane
"Grandfather! You made it!" Susan got up
"Yes," nodded The Doctor, holding up his sonic screwdriver, "Thanks for this, by the way."
/
The two of them entered the TARDIS. Oddly enough, when The Doctor stepped foot inside, the alarm stopped. It was as if the TARDIS trusted him.
"Where will you go, Grandfather?" Susan asked
"I'm going to travel to earth," The Doctor decided, "Get as far away from the Time Lords as I can."
"Sounds good."
The Doctor could sense what Susan was feeling; she wanted to get away from Gallifrey too. And then he remembered something that cemented him in his decision. He thought of the news report he had seen that morning, of The Master's latest exploit; he did not want his favorite granddaughter becoming like that. He could not let it happen.
"Susan, how would you like to come with me?" The Doctor offered, "I'm thinking of settling down until I regenerate naturally."
A large smile appeared on Susan's face.
"Really?" she asked, "I could go with you?"
"Of course. It would be my honor."
/
The Doctor flicked a switch on the console, and the doors slammed shut. He started to program in the coordinates.
"Which period on earth are we going to, Grandfather?" Susan asked
"A time the humans call the 20th century," The Doctor replied, "Time coordinates 4709/2746."
"What's there?"
"A place called London," The Doctor said, "Good clothes, good music, the people are nice…somewhat."
"Will we be staying there for long?"
"Oh no," The Doctor shook his head, "We'll probably just spend a few months on earth and then head right back to Gallifrey…"