Quinn started to close the door behind her, but the Doctor stopped her. "No no no, leave it open," he said. "I love doing this."
"What?"
He started cranking a large, squeaky dial on the console, and the central column started to move up and down. Outside the door, nothing much seemed to be happening. But suddenly there were wisps of smoke off in the distance, forming in the air and twisting downwards towards the buildings in the distance. Soon they became thicker and blacker, and the whole of the sky was filled with heavy, black, choking smoke that continued to be sucked down towards the ground. It looked as if massive fires out in the city were actually unburning, and as soon as the thought crossed her mind Quinn realized that in all likelihood, that was exactly what was happening.
As long as she lived she would never, ever get used to time travel. Some of the structures built themselves up out of the rubble, and the scene before started undoing itself faster and faster. More buildings sprouted from the devastation, glass unshattered itself, and suddenly there was a blinding flash and a shockwave, both of which collapsed down into a single point near the foot of the massive tower at the center of the city. A massively bright light lurched up from the ground, eating a smoke trail above it, until it became a pinprick in the sky and, finally, disappeared. People stopped staring at the spot in the sky, started walking backwards going about their daily business.
"Right, I'll take it back to, hm... three days before? No, four. Four days. Aaaaaaaaand, there we go!" He flipped a knob and everything outside the TARDIS stopped, stood completely still. And then at regular speed, they started to move forward again. Quinn had just watched an entire civilization rebuild itself out of the ashes.
"Did you just hit rewind on a planet?"
"Nah. I moved us backwards in the time stream while maintaining the same position relative to the planet."
"What's the difference?"
"Exactly," he said. "Now, that gives us four days until doomsday 2.0. We have to be back here when that happens," he said. "If you're outside the TARDIS, you won't fare any better than they did. Understand?"
"Got it."
"Good. Let's synchronize," he said, holding out the sonic screwdriver and pulling her left hand towards him to reset her watch.
"No!" she said, snatching it away and covering it with her right hand.
"What?"
"I haven't reset this watch since I took off with you, and I'm not going to. I want to keep track of time. Real time. My time."
"Whatever for?"
"Well," she said, "for starters I don't want my fortieth week to sneak up on me," she said, patting her stomach. "Time gets away from you in here. But it's more than that. I know I'm cut off but... I want to keep track of what's happening there. I want to think of them for Christmas and Regionals and Nationals, and..." she looked at him, smirking back down at her. "...and you think I'm being silly, don't you?"
"No," he said. "I think you're being human. So," he said, clapping his hands, "not that one. I think I have a fobwatch here somewhere..." He rummaged around for a moment and produced one on a gold chain, set it to match the TARDIS' chronometer, and hung it around her neck. "The inner dial counts down to doomsday," he said. "Be back here when it reaches zero."
"Aren't you coming with me?"
"I figured I'd check out the capitol, see what kind of government we're dealing with, and find out who destroys this planet from orbit. Now, you're welcome to hang around the Capitol with me for four days, but I thought you might be a bit more in your element having a look round the culture centers."
She smiled. "I think I can handle that," she said.
"Good. Just... not a word about what happens in four days. You can't say a thing to a soul."
"Okay. I understand. Don't worry. It was Finn that could never keep a secret, not me."
"Perfect. See you here in four days," he said.
"Wait! What if I need to get a hold of you?"
"Oh, don't worry. I'll find you."
The last time she'd lost sight of him, though, she'd ended up almost ritually sacrificed, tied to a giant stone god. "Meet me here for dinner?" she called after him.
"Wouldn't miss it." And with that he was off.
Morning of the First Day
Quinn was somewhat giddy with excitement. She didn't know where to go first, what to do first. She'd never been given free reign to just explore before, even back home. She had lived in more of a, 'where are you going, what are you going to do, who are you going to do it with, call me when you get there and when you leave' sort of household. This was a whole planet, and she wasn't sure what to do with the blank canvas laid out before her. So many options, so little time. What was the best way to get started?
Her stomach grumbled, and she smiled. "Food. Good idea." Breakfast had been three thousand years ago in another galaxy, so she figured she deserved a sandwich by now. They had landed in a plaza of some kind, so there was no shortage of shops and restaurants. The names were unfamiliar though, so finding one that actually made it clear what was being served was something of a challenge. She wondered idly if Breadstix had ever opened an intergalactic branch. Probably not.
She would have had an easier choice if her body weren't so out of whack lately. Even the smell of some foods would turn her stomach these days, which was especially annoying when they were the same foods she was craving. The Doctor was surprisingly patient about whisking them away from the wonders of the universe to make pit stops for chocolate and bacon. Only once had those two been combined into one salty sweet mass that had made the Time Lord grimace.
As she walked around a corner, she found a group of people sitting on benches and leaning against trees, watching a young man strum the futuristic equivalent of a guitar. It was certainly shaped like a guitar, but it was completely flat and, when she looked closely, she could see that the strings and the wood grain on the body were completely digital. The whole thing was a touch screen, but it sounded clearer and cleaner than any of the guitars Puck or Artie had played.
But what was more amazing was that she recognized the song that the man was playing. It was a folk song that had been among her favorites as a child. She used to sing it with her mother and father whenever it would come on the radio, each of them taking one of the three parts.
"Go on! Sing that one, Daniel," a girl said. "What are you waiting for?"
"I can strum up the melody," he said, "but it's a duet."
"Aww, too bad," said another young man. "It sounds beautiful."
She bit her bottom lip, considering. She shouldn't intervene, but then again this hardly seemed like a private party. She walked closer to the group, but stayed on the outskirts, considering whether to speak up or not.
Had she really hated everyone in the glee club a short five months ago? It seems like an eternity had passed since those days. And when she though back on home, the home she could no longer return to, she was surprised that they were the first people that came to mind, time and again.
And not only did she miss those people, but she missed performing. Whether it was with the Cheerios or with the New Directions, it had actually been fun to be in the spotlight, to have audiences cheering because they were enjoying what you were doing. It was fun, and she hadn't realized how much she missed that part of her day until it was gone.
"Yeah, can't you sing both parts?" the first girl said, interrupting her reminiscing.
"It's just not the same without the harmonizing," the guitarist replied. "Sorry."
He continued to strum the guitar, despite the disappointed faces of the rest of the group. Quinn took a deep breath to summon her courage. She'd sung in front of a massive audience at Sectionals, surely these seven or eight people were a manageable audience. She thought about broaching the subject, but there wasn't a way to do it without seeming like a gushing idiot. If she was going to do it, she was just going to have to dive in and do it.
She waited until he got to the top of the next verse, and then she just went for it.
The Cruel War is raging, Johnny has to fight
I want to be with him from morning to night.
The crowd was suddenly looking in her direction, surprised. He hadn't started singing, but he hadn't stopped playing either. She just hoped that he would join in, or she was going to feel like an idiot.
I want to be with him, it grieves my heart so,
Won't you let me go with you?
No, my love, no.
Still nothing from him. He hadn't sung a word. This might have been the worst idea she had ever had. She was close to just running away, going back to the TARDIS to hide for the four days until the Doctor came back and they could be on their way. But just about the moment she was going to give in and run, embarrassed, he started the second verse.
Tomorrow is Sunday, Monday is the day
That your Captain will call you and you must obey.
Your captain will call you it grieves my heart so,
Won't you let me go with you?
No, my love, no.
They sounded good together. He had a tenor voice, clear and strong, and together they harmonized well enough that the girl who had begged him to sing both parts had glistening eyes.
I'll tie back my hair, men's clothing I'll put on,
I'll pass as your comrade, as we march along.
I'll pass as your comrade, no one will ever know.
Won't you let me go with you?
No, my love, no.
Oh Johnny, oh Johnny, I fear you are unkind
I love you far better than all of mankind.
I love you far better than words can e're express
Won't you let me go with you?
Yes, my love, yes.
Yes, My Love, Yes.
By the time the last note faded away, the assembled crowd - which had grown by another five to ten people - was completely silent. Nobody had said a word since the song began, and nobody was speaking now. Then one of the boys began to applaud, and soon the whole makeshift audience had joined in. She smiled, started to blush, and then with a quick wave and a grin she melted back into the crowd and around a corner. She stood with her back to a brick wall. Her heart was hammering in her chest. That was fun... no, that was exhilarating. Okay, this was what the Doctor was all about. Jumping in with both feet, doing things you'd never done before, having brand new experiences. The more time she spent with him, the more she just got it.
There was a cafe near her and it seemed as good a place as any, so she wandered in and asked for a table for one.
