Chapter 2
The trio sat around Kari's dining room table sipping tea. She was still completely baffled and awed by the fact that she had the Doctor and Rose Tyler in her apartment, and they were REAL.
"Ok, so, let me see if I have this straight: a branch of the rift runs under this building, my apartment to be exact, and has been projecting my feelings out as some sort of, what, beacon?"
"Well, yeah, sort of." the Doctor answered over the rim of his cup.
"But, why now? This isn't the first time I've been extremely depressed, nor the first time I've had myself a Doctor Who marathon and it's certainly not the first time they've coincided."
"The rift has had two and a half years to adjust and accommodate to your brain waves. The longer you're here, the stronger the link is going to be. Combine that with how strong your feelings have been in general lately, and you've got yourself a big ole' distress beacon!"
"Distress beacon? You mean, like calling out for help?" Rose asked.
"Precisely. Kari here is depressed, lonely, and in emotional distress. She wants help, but doesn't know how to go about getting the kind she wants. So she does the only thing she can think of: immerses herself in something that will take her mind off the pain. Subconsciously, however, her feelings are calling out for help, and that call is being broadcast across time, space, and possibly universes', looking for the help she desperately wants."
Kari quietly moved to the couch and buried her head in her hands, sobbing. Rose rushed over to put an arm around her, pulling her in.
"It's ok. We're here now. We can help."
Kari sniffed, "I know you can. It's just that…" she trailed off.
"It's just what?"
"It's just that, the main reason why the show is such a comfort is because it gives me the sensation of running away. That's all I really want to do most days. Run away. Get far away from here." Kari finished with a sob.
The Doctor knelt in front of Kari, taking her hands in his, "That's only natural, you know. Not even entirely human. As I'm sure you are well aware, all I do is run away."
"Ah, yes, but at least you have a way to run away. I don't. Not right now, anyway. And I have no idea how to go about it. So I stay here, feeling trapped, stagnant." Kari stated with conviction. "I heard the TARDIS land tonight. Want to know what I felt when I heard it? Hope. Hope that someone was actually coming to take me away from all of this. Then my heart sank when I realized it wasn't real, but a dream. The hope came back briefly when I heard the sonic outside my bedroom window." Kari bowed her head again, feeling foolish and embarrassed.
The Doctor suddenly jumped up with a wide grin on his face. "Alright, that's it! You're coming with us, at least for one trip!" He held his hand out to Kari.
Kari looked up at him with an arched eyebrow, "Are you serious?"
"Yes I'm serious! You need to get away and I have a way to take you away. Put some proper clothes on and come with us." He shook his hand, indicating for her to take it.
She took his hand and cautiously stood up. "But, what about the complex? I can't just leave! What if there's an emergency? And I'm a terrible runner! And…" Kari was cut off before she could finish.
"I have a time machine, remember? I can make sure you're back a mere 10 minutes after you left. As for the running, we just won't get in trouble!"
Kari raised an eyebrow at him again. "Have you forgotten what brought you here in the first place? If what I've seen in the show is any indication to how you actually are, you're terrible at two things: getting people back on time and staying out of trouble."
"She's got you there, Doctor." Rose tried and failed to hide her laughter.
"Hey! I'm getting better at getting people back on time. And I don't always get into trouble! My guess is that the show only shows the good bits, not the boring stuff in between."
"Right, well, I'll just be sure to wear clothes that would be good for running, just in case." Kari gave a grin as she wandered into her bedroom to change.
"Doctor, are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Rose, the TARDIS brought us here for a reason. She needs our help. The pain and loneliness radiating off her is extraordinary! She needs something more than a TV show - no matter how brilliant it is - to take her mind off of it."
"But what about after the trip, when you bring her back? You know traveling with you, even just once, changes a person dramatically. You're a bit like a drug."
The Doctor sighed and put his arm around Rose. "I know, but I just can't handle seeing anyone like this. She feels so broken and lost. She needs hope, Rose."
"I suppose you're right." Rose sighed. "I wonder how much she actually knows about us; how accurate that show is."
"Weell, that's kind of another reason why I want to take her with us for a bit. I'm intrigued by this show and want to know just how real it is."
"But what if she knows stuff about our future. Things we really shouldn't know about." Rose asked, concern showing on her face.
The Doctor frowned down at her. "Rose, I'm not new at this. I'm sure she does know about future events and I'll avoid them."
The Doctor grinned as Kari came out in jeans and a t-shirt, hair pulled back in a ponytail.
"Alright! Time to go! Allons-y!"
Kari stood before the blue phone box, openly gaping.
"Holy shit, it's real!" She marveled as she ran her hand along the wood, walking around the box.
"And you haven't even seen the inside!" The Doctor beamed as he unlocked the door, opening it wide so she could step in.
She took one step in and stopped. She knew what to expect, but that didn't change the magnitude of the impact of ACTUALLY being in the TARDIS. It was amazing! She slowly started walking up the ramp, running her hand along the rail until she got to the console. Kari continued her walk around the console, marveling at the various lights, switches, and dials. Once she had done a full circle, she stopped and looked around the room, taking it all in. The TARDIS hummed her welcome.
The Doctor stepped up beside her, startling her as he spoke.
"Well, what do you think? Everything you imagined?"
"More. Much, much more!" Kari breathed as she continued to look around.
"Brilliant! Alright, what'll it be, backwards or forwards?"
Kari snapped out of her awe. "Forwards! Definitely forwards!"
"Forwards it is!" He grinned as he flipped the hand break, the TARDIS jerked, and the rotor went into motion.
Kari stumbled, barely catching herself on the railing.
"When will you start warning new people to hang on for dear life BEFORE you start this thing?" Rose shouted from across the room, pulling herself back up on the railing.
"Why does it have to be my job? You could do it just as easily." the Doctor shouted back while trying to keep standing himself.
"No, it's alright! I should've known. Gods know I've seen enough people get thrown around in here." Kari shouted, arms wrapped tight around a piece of coral.
After a couple of minutes, it all stopped with a jerk, throwing all of them wildly to the floor.
"Everyone alright?" the Doctor asked from about half way under the console.
"Yup, I'm good. Gonna be sore in the morning, but I'm good." Kari stated from her point at the bottom of the coral strut.
"How I don't get frequent concussions traveling with you is beyond me." Rose grumped as she pulled herself up.
"Aww, but you love it! OK, Kari, beyond those doors is a new world. Well, new to you. Well, new to you in person, I assume anyway. Go take a look!"
Kari made her way down the ramp and carefully opened the door. As she stepped out, she marveled at the site in front of her. They sat in a large field of grass; there was a large river with a bridge over it, and a sprawling metropolis on the other side. She took a deep breath and immediately knew where she was.
The Doctor and Rose stepped out behind her, looking around.
"So, any idea where we are?"
"New Earth?" Kari asked over her shoulder.
The Doctor grinned and raised an eyebrow. "Very good! What gave it away?"
"Apple grass." she said with a grin as she knelt down to pick some.
They all sat down in the grass, looking across the river at New New York, Kari in complete awe. She suddenly snapped her head around to look at The Doctor.
"You swear this isn't a dream?" she asked with a bit of severity.
"I swear! Though, would it be so bad if it were a dream?"
"Yes and no. It would be great to dream of such a fantastic place; to be taken away. But it would suck a lot to wake up and find out it wasn't real."
The Doctor cleared his throat and shifted slightly. "Kari, I'm not going to lie, I had other reasons for bringing you with us. First and foremost was to get you away from your mundane life. But I'm also intrigued by this Doctor Who show that connected us in the first place. I want to try to get an idea of how true it is without revealing anything we shouldn't know."
Kari sighed. "I figured as much. I'd be a little creeped out and intrigued, too, if I found out my life was on TV."
"As I'm sure you know, if there's any amount of truth to this show, we have to be very careful what information you give us, so as not to give away too much, if any, of our future. I'm going to ask you questions and you just answer them to the best of your ability, alright? If you think it's something we should avoid, just say so."
Kari nodded. "That sounds reasonable. Will be a good way to hear the stories first hand, too"
He looked around them. "How was New Earth introduced?"
"It was the first trip you two took after you regenerated to this form."
"Good so far. And what happened?"
"You encountered cat nurses, the Face of Boe, and Cassandra, the 'last' human. Rose got possessed by Cassandra."
The Doctor laughed. "Yeah, can't leave her alone for a minute."
"Oi! It wasn't my fault! I went into the lift and that minion of hers rerouted it! Not like I have a sonic screwdriver of my own to fix things like that." Rose stuck her tongue out at him and smacked him in the arm.
"Well, as I recall, you managed to get yourself possessed, too, Doctor." Kari said with a wry grin.
Rose stifled a laugh as the Doctor just frowned.