Disclaimer ~ I do not own any of these fictional characters or the Books, Films, Television Programmes or Comics because if I did most stories would be a lot different. Used extracts from Planet of the Dead Which I do not own.
A/N Hope you're enjoying it so far all comments and reviews are appreciated and any ideas on what you would like to see happen.
Chapter Two
Home Sweet Home
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On a Deserted Planet far, far away
While Barclay was fixing the engine, Nathan was digging the wheels out of the sand, Angela was trying to start the engine, and Lou was comforting Carmen, the Doctor and Hermione were trudging out to the dunes to take pictures if the approaching storm.
"Send this back to Earth." The Doctor told Hermione "See if Malcolm can analyse the storm."
"Look there's something in those clouds. Something shining. Look." Hermione said pointing to the pictures.
"Like metal. Why would there be metal in a storm?" The Doctor wondered.
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Bus
"So fast and strong. They ride the storm. They are the storm." Carmen said gazing off.
"But what are they?" Lou asked his wife.
"They devour."
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Desert
"Did you hear something?" Hermione asked the Doctor.
"Hold on. Busy." The Doctor replied.
"There was a noise, like a sort of." she said looking around "Doctor," she said as she turned around to see an Alien, a biped with an insect head, pointing it's weapon at them as they raise their hands.
"Wait. I shouted wait; people usually wait." The Doctor said.
"Yes, I know." Hermione said "What?" she said to the Doctor giving her a look "The TARDIS translation circuit," Hermione said.
"Uh," The Doctor says "I'm surprised it's working, sometimes it can be a bit hit and miss with us being 'out of range'," he says with air quotes and smiles unabashedly. "We mean no harm," The Doctor told the biped who gestures with its weapon.
"Guess were moving then." says Hermione "Do you think they are responsible for us being brought here." she asks
"No, no, no, no, no. Look at the ship. It's a wreck. They crashed, just like us" He tells her as they walk towards the wreck.
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The Spaceship
"This place is freezing!" Hermione complained rubbing her arms for warmth.
"Mmm. The hull's made of photafine steel. Turns cold when it's hot. Boiling desert outside, freezing ship inside." The Doctor said. "Oh, this is beautiful. Intact, it must have been magnificent. A proper streamlined deep spacer." He said admiring the ship.
"Great I'll make sure to remember that and call my interior designer." she said sarcastically.
Two aliens chitter between themselves as one of them touches a round purple device on their overall.
"Oh, right, good. Yes. Hello. That's a telepathic translator. He can understand us." The Doctor said.
"You will suffer for your crimes as you have committed an act of violence against the Tritovore race. You came here in the two hundred to destroy us." One of the Tritovores said.
"Sorry, what's the two hundred?" The Doctor asked.
"It's the bus. Number two hundred. They mean the bus." Hermione told him.
"Oh. No, look, I think you're making the same mistake Hermione did. I'm the Doctor, by the way, and this is Hermione. We got pulled through that wormhole. The two hundred doesn't look like that normally. It's broken the same as your ship." The Doctor informed the Tritovores who lowered their weapons.
"Just like that?." Hermione asked.
"Yeah well they believe me." The Doctor told her.
Hermione looks at him and shakes her head in reply.
"What? I've got a very honest face." He said smiling at her. Hermione just folds her arms and raises an eyebrow "And the translator says I'm telling the truth. Plus the face. Right. So, first things first. There's a very strange storm heading our way. Can you send out a probe?"
"No, we lost power," The other Tritovore says.
"Oh, lost power. Hmm" The Doctor says running towards the broken control panel with wires everywhere. "The crash knocked the mainline crystallography out of synch. But if I can jiggle it back". He kicks the machine, and it comes to life. "Okay doke, let's launch that probe," he says. The probe launches from the ship into the sky towards the storm.
Using the Sonic The Doctor brings up a hologram to show Hermione their current location while waiting for the probe to reach its destination "The Scorpion Nebula. We're on the other side of the universe," the image then zooms into the planet "The planet San Helios."
"It's beautiful." Hermione says staring at the image "Wonderful."
"The Tritovores were going to trade with San Helios. Population of one hundred billion. Plenty of waste matter for them to absorb." He informed her.
"By waste matter, you mean," Hermione said hoping it wasn't what she thought it was.
"They feed off what others leave behind from their behind if you see what I mean. It's perfectly natural. They are flies" He said. "That is the San Helios City," he said pointing to the image.
"So if that's San Helios, all we need to do is find that city. They can help us" Hermione said.
"I don't think it's that simple. We're in the city right now" He told her.
"But it's sand. That first image, the temples, and houses, what is it? Ancient history?" she asks.
"This image was taken last year," One Tritovore said.
"It became a desert in one year?" She asked astounded.
"I said there was something in the sand. The city, the oceans, the mountains, the wildlife, and a hundred billion people turned to sand. All those voices in Carmen's head. She's hearing them die" The Doctor said.
"Oh Merlin" Hermione gasped in horror.
"Something destroyed the whole of San Helios." He said wondering what could do such a thing. The phone rings.
"Malcolm, tell me the bad news." The Doctor said.
"Oh, you are clever. It is bad news. It's the wormhole, Doctor. It's getting bigger" Malcolm a scientific advisor who works for UNIT under Captain Erisa Magambo.
"How can it get bigger by itself?" the Doctor asked him.
"Well, that's why I'm phoning. You'll work it out, if I know you, sir" Malcolm said.
"Doctor, we estimate the circumference of your invisible wormhole is now four miles heading upwards. I've grounded all flights above can't risk anyone else falling through" Said Captain Erisa Magambo.
"Good work, both of you," The Doctor said.
"But I have to know. Does that wormhole constitute a danger to this planet?" she asked the Doctor.
"Oh, sorry. Call waiting. Got to go." He said cancelling the call.
"Yeah?" The Doctor asked,
"Doctor, it's Nathan. We got those duckboard things down, but…".
"It's my fault," Angela said interrupting him.
"No, it's not. Don't say that" Nathan told her.
"Why, what's happened?" The Doctor ask.
"We kept on turning the engine, but, we're out of petrol. Used it all up. Even if we can get those wheels out this bus is never going to move" He told the Doctor.
"What is it, what's wrong? Doctor, tell me" Hermione said.
"You promised you'd get us home. Doctor? Are you still there?" Nathan asked, but he had already hung up
"Doctor, tell me. What did they say?" Hermione asked "Wait…how come they can ring us I thought…" but before she could finish there was a loud beeping ringing throughout the ship, and one of the Tritovores butted in "It's the probe. It's reached the storm."
"And," The Doctor asks
"It's not a storm." An image of stingrays appears flying through the air.
"It's a swarm. Millions of them" Hermione said.
"Billions," The Doctor said then the screen goes blank "Oh, we've lost the probe. I think it got eaten. Everything on this planet gets eaten." The Doctor says.
"How far away is that swarm?" Hermione asked.
"A hundred miles. But at that speed, it'll be here in… twenty minutes. No, no, no, they're not just coming for us. They want the wormhole" He replied.
"They're heading for Earth," she said.
"Show the analysis," The Doctor asks one of the Tritovores and a hologram of a stingray appeared "Incredible. They swarm out of a wormhole, strip the planet bare, and then move on to the next world. Start the life cycle all over again".
"So, they make the wormholes?" She asked the Doctor.
"They must do" was all he said.
"But how? If the wormhole belongs to them, why are they a hundred miles away?" Hermione asks.
"Because they need to be? No, that's bonkers" He says walking off "Hang on. Yes." The Doctor says his eyes light up "Oh, do you see?" He says turning towards Hermione "Billions of them, flying in formation, all around the planet. Round and round and round, faster and faster and faster, till they generate a rupture in space. The speed of them, and the numbers, and the size, all of that rips the wormhole into existence" He explains.
"So the wormhole's getting bigger because they're getting closer." Hermione said "But how do they get through? Because that wormhole's a killer" she asked.
"See the exoskeleton," He said.
"Metal? They've got bones of metal?" She questioned.
"They eat metal and extrude it into the exoskeleton. So their speed makes the wormhole, then their body makes it safe. Perfect design" He said.
"Those things are going to turn the entire Earth into a desert; you're loving this aren't you."
"Of course," he said.
"Me too," she says smiling.
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Bus
"It sounds like a storm," Nathan said.
"If it rains, we've got water," Angela said trying to raise the mood.
"No water. All of it dust. But the girl." Carmen said.
"Don't, sweetheart. What girl?" Lou asked his wife.
"The girl. She will create sparks."
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Spaceship
"Wait. We came here through the wormhole, but our Tritovore didn't. They came here to trade with San Helios. So why did they crash?" Hermione wondered.
"Ah, good question. Like she said, why did you crash?" Doctor asked the Tritovores who took them to a large well inside the spaceship.
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Engine room
"Oh, yes. Gravity well. Look, goes all the way down to the engine. So what happened?" He asked the Tritovores.
"The drive system stalled." One Tritovore said.
"Ten miles up, you fell out of the sky. But what caused that?"
"No idea." The other one said.
"But wait a minute. That's a crystal nucleus down there, yes? And it looks like it survived the crash. If the crystal's intact? Oh, yes. That's better than diesel." He said a smile gracing hid features.
"What? You can use the crystal to move the bus?" Hermione said hopefully.
"I think so. The spaceship's a write-off, but the two hundred's small enough." He said pressing buttons on a screen near the hole.
"How does a crystal drive a bus?" Hermione asked.
"In a super clever outer-spacey way. Just trust me. There's the crystal!" He said pointing to a small screen. "It's fallen to the bottom of the well. Have you got access shafts?".
"All frozen," The Tritovore said.
"Well, maybe I can open them. Ah! Internal comms. Put that on." He says handing unit to Hermione.
"You stay here. Keep an eye on the shaft. Tell me if anything happens." he says as Hermione sits at the edge of the gravity well and looking down as the Doctor runs back through the spaceship.
Spaceship
"If I can use the sunlight to start the automatic maintenance…Hermione If you see a panel opening in that shaft, let me know" he said.
Engine room
"Nothing yet." She said standing up.
Spaceship
"Anything now?" he asked.
Engine room
"Afraid not." she said looking down the shaft.
Spaceship
The Doctor connects various cables together. "Any sign of movement?" He asks again.
Engine room
"Nope." she says pulling her wand out of her boot.
Spaceship
"How's that?" He asks.
Engine room
Not even looking down the shaft to check "Nothing."
Spaceship
"Any result?" he asked.
Engine room
"No, but let me get this right. You need that crystal. Then consider it done" she said getting her wand ready.
Spaceship
"Why, what do you mean? Hermione? Hermione!" he shouts running into the engine room.
Engine Room
Hermione levitates a broken piece of machinery down the shaft towards the security grid and hits the big red button with it deactivating the grid and then brings it back up in time for the Doctor to come running in.
"What? You didn't think I would be stupid enough to go down did you?" Hermione asked him hands on hips.
"No of course not," he said.
"Mmhmm," she said raising her eyebrow and pointed her wand down the shaft towards the crystal "Wingardium Leviosa" and the crystal started to float up.
"Make sure to get the whole thing not just the crystal the whole plate thing," He said.
Hermione huffs in annoyance causing the crystal to fall…"Roar".
"What was that?" she asked recasting the spell on the crystal and the plate.
"We never did find out why the ship crashed. Careful. Slowly. Have you got an open-vent system?" The Doctor asked the Tritovores.
"Yes," one replied.
"I thought so." he said.
"What does that mean?" Hermione asked carefully guiding the crystal and base up the shaft.
"It's like when birds fly into the engines of an aircraft." He explained.
"One of the creatures." she stated pausing as not to drop the crystal.
"It got trapped in the vents, caused the crash." He carried on explaining.
"It's not moving. Do you think it's injured," she said.
"No, it's dormant because it's so cold down there, but your spell raising the temperature." He said.
"I've got it!" she said lifting it up out of the well "BANG" and the well shook one of the creatures made its way up.
"It's going to eat its way up." He said panicking.
"Catch," Hermione said tossing the crystal and the base towards The Doctor and casting a spell to send a shock waved down the well to slow down the stingray before reactivating the security grid preventing it from getting through and being electrocuted before placing her wand back in her boot.
"Ooh, you're good." he says holding the crystal and base running back to the spaceship.
"Commander? Mission complete. Now, we've got to get back to the two hundred, all of us."
"A captain can't leave his ship," One Tritovore says.
"Oh, don't be so daft. A captain can leave his ship if there's a bus standing by." The Doctor said to the Tritovore when there was a resounding BANG throughout the crashed ship.
"What the hell was that? I thought the creature was dead!" Hermione shouted
"Maybe you didn't hit just one of them. If you hit a swarm?" The Doctor said his eyebrows raised.
"Do you mean if there's more on board?" Hermione said with dread.
"This ship's built inside a metal sleeve. They can move through the infrastructure, all around us. And those things wake up hungry." he said shaking his head "Commander, you've got to come with us right now" He said trying to convince them to come.
"Come back to Earth. We'll find you a home." Hermione said trying to persuade them
"And that's the word of the brightest witch of her age. Come on," he said trying to coax them. The Commander then starts to walk towards them while the other remains and walks towards the control panel, When a stingray then appears crashing through the ceiling of the ship, eating the Tritovore. The Commander turns to see this then raises his weapon in an act of revenge.
"No, don't" The Doctor shouts but it's too late The Commander gone.
"There's nothing we can do. Run!" he says pushing Hermione towards the exit.
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Bus
"What sort of storm is that?" Angela asks with panic in her voice.
"Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run." Carmen chants.
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Desert
The Phone rings.
"Doctor?" Malcolm asks.
"Not now, Malcolm!" he shouts ending the call running towards the bus.
"Fair do's. He's a busy man." Malcolm says to Magambo and himself.
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By the bus
The Doctor and Hermione run towards the bus across the dunes with the storm fast approaching.
"At last. Where've you been?" Nathan asks.
"Get inside. Get them sitting down. " He says to Nathan "Now then, let's have a look."
"So what does that crystal do?" Hermione asked.
"Oh, nothing. Don't need the crystal." He says throwing it away.
"What? Then what was the point," she says confused.
"The point was for these. The clamps," he says magnetically attaching them to the wheels.
"One there. One there. One there. And one there." He says getting on the bus.
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Bus
"But what are the clamps for? Do they turn the wheels?" she asked.
"Yeah, something like that. I just need to fix this. Have you got a hammer?" he asked.
"I'll see what I can do," she says rolling her eyes at him before heading upstairs to transfigure some spare pieces of metal into a hammer before running back downstairs careful to obscure it from view. "Best thing I could find I'm afraid," she said handing him the hammer.
"I'm sure I'll manage," he said passing her the phone.
"Press redial." He says as he fixes the rest of the crystal assembly to the steering wheel and Hermione hold the phone up to his ear.
"Malcolm, it's me." He says.
"I'm ready." he replies.
"Ready for what?" he asks.
"I don't know. You tell me," he asks getting excited.
"I'm going to try to get back. But listen, there might be something following us. You need to close the wormhole." He tells him.
"Would that be a compressed burst of feedback on Counter-oscillation, perchance?" He asks knowing it's right.
"Oh, Malcolm, you're Brilliant." The Doctor said.
"Coming from you, sir that means the world!" Malcolm said happy that the Doctor called him brilliant.
"Doctor what sort of something? That wormhole is now measuring ten miles and growing. I need to know the exact nature of the threat." Magambo asks.
"Sorry, got to go!" nods to Hermione, who ends the call.
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Earth, Mobile HQ
"All troops mobilise and stand ready. Possible Code Red. Unknown." She says into her ear com.
"Understood. Code Red. Repeat, Code Red unknown" says Calhoon. The soldiers take aim at the wormhole with everything they've got.
"Section two, armed, "said the Sergeant.
"Section three, armed," said the Corporal.
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Bus
"Oh, it's not compatible. Bus, spaceship, spaceship, bus. I need to weld the two systems together" The Doctor said.
"And how do you do that?" she asked.
"I need something non-corrosive, something malleable, something ductile, something…gold, silver, copper, or iron". He says looking at Hermione
"Hey, hey, use this," Barclay says coming down the aisle showing his wristwatch.
"I said gold." The Doctor said.
"It is gold," he said,
"Oh, they saw you coming," the Doctor said, and Barclay returns to his seat.
"Hermione" the Doctor he says.
"Doctor, I can't create them but maybe.…" Hermione said sighing and reached into her top and pulled out a solid silver and gold necklace chain. Looking at the Doctor, she removed the chain and 'dropped' it on the floor allowing her to slip her wand out of her boot enlarge it before handing it to the Doctor.
"Thank you" he said knowing how much it meant.
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Earth, Mobile HQ
"Done it. Transmit that, and the wormhole should close." Malcolm says please with himself.
"Then do it," Magambo says waiting.
"Well, after the Doctor's come through, obviously." He replies.
"I'm sorry. Believe me. That wormhole is a major threat, and I have a duty to every man, woman and child on this planet. It's got to be closed immediately. That's an order." she says.
"No, no, no, no. No, we can't just abandon him. He's the Doctor" He says standing up "How many times has he saved our lives? I won't let you, ma'am. I simply won't." he says standing up to her.
Captain Magambo points her pistol at Malcolm. "Right now, soldier." She said.
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Bus
"This is your driver speaking. Hold on tight." the Doctor says getting the bus ready.
"But what for? What's he doing?" Barclay asks holding on to the seat in front.
"Just do as he says," Hermione tells him.
The Doctor fires up the bus. "Come on. That's it. You can do it, you beauty. One last trip." The bus slowly rises out of the sand and into the air.
"Ah, you are so kidding me," Barclay says looking out if the window.
"We're flying. It's flying." Nathan said unbelievably
"He's flying the bus," Lou said with a smile on his face.
"It's a miracle," Angela said overcome with joy.
"Anti-gravity clamps. Didn't I say? Round we go." The Doctor says turning the bus towards the wormhole causing everyone to be knocked to the right.
"Doctor, they're coming" Carmen warns him looking through the back window of the bus to see the swarm closing in.
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Mobile HQ
"I will never surrender. Never." Malcolm said standing his ground using his keyboard as a shield.
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Bus
"Do you think this thing will survive the journey back?" Hermione asked The Doctor.
"Only one way to find out. Next stop."
"Planet Earth!" she shouts, and the bus drives full speed into the wormhole, with the swarm getting ever closer. As they pass through the wormhole, the bus starts to violently shake causing some of the passengers to start screaming as it suddenly becomes dark. After a few moments, the bus then reappears from the other side of the wormhole into the tunnel and flys up into the air.
"It's London!" Barclay exclaimed looking down.
"We're back home," Angela said with a warm smile on her face.
"He did it. He did it!" Nathan said jumping up and down in his seat in glee.
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Tunnel - North entrance
"Captain!" Calhoon shouts as the bus comes through and then calls her through the walkie-talkie. "Captain, they're back. It's the bus, ma'am, it's come back, and it's flying," he tells her, and she comes out of the mobile HQ and looking up at the flying bus only to have the first of the stingrays come through.
"Code Red. Fire at will." Magambo orders them.
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Mobile HQ
'Ring, Ring,' Malcolm quickly answers the phone.
"Malcolm, close that wormhole." The Doctor shouts while driving the bus.
"Yes, sir. My pleasure, sir," he says and hits F8 and sparks fly
"Oh, no, no. No." He said but then got thrown backwards off his chair by large sparks that cause a fire to break out and scrambles to gets an extinguisher to put it out.
"Malcolm, listen to me." The Doctor tells him
"It's not working." He says
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Bus
"I need that signal. We've got billions of those things about to fly through." The Doctors says trying to fly the bus.
"Well, what do I do?" he asks.
"Loop it back through the integrator, and keep the signal ramping up." he tells Malcolm.
"But by how much?" Malcolm asks.
"Five hundred Bernard's! Do it now!" The Doctor shouts ending the call.
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Mobile HQ
"Yes!" Malcolm shouts in victory as the wormhole collapses at both ends.
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Tunnel - North entrance
"Target at nine o'clock!" Magambo shouts and a rocket is launched and takes down a stingray.
"I don't believe it. Guns that work." Magambo said shocked.
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Bus
"Doctor, it's coming for us," Nathan warned him.
"Oh no, you don't." he said and turns the bus, hitting the stingray.
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Tunnel - North entrance
"Twelve o'clock. Take it out." Magambo orders and the last one gets blasted and crashes to the ground in pieces. "Cease fire," she shouts.
"Cease fire!" Calhoon repeats.
"Arms down," she says looking around seeing the bus hovering. The Doctor gently brings the bus down but lands with a thud to the sound cheering and applauds from both UNIT and the passengers on board. He opens the doors with his sonic, and the passengers disembark off the bus.
"Welcome back. If you could step away from the bus, just to be safe. As fast as you can, thank you. It's standard procedure. We need to screen you, and then you'll all be taken to debriefing." Calhoon tells them.
The Doctor flashes his psychic paper "We don't count." The Doctor says pointing to himself and Hermione.
"Doctor," Malcolm says as he comes out the mobile HQ walking towards the Doctor.
"You must be Malcolm." The Doctor says, and Malcolm hugs the Doctor.
"Oh. Oh. I love you. I love you. I love you." he says over and over as he hugs the Doctor.
"To your station, Doctor Taylor." said Magambo.
"Yes, ma'am." He says standing up and walking away. "I love you," Malcolm said pointing to the Doctor as he carries on walking.
"Doctor," Magambo said saluting him "I salute you whether you like it or not. Now, I take it we're safe from those things?" she asked as she lowered her hand
"They'll start again. Generate a new doorway. It's not their fault, it's their natural life cycle. But I'll see if I can nudge the wormholes on to uninhabited planets. Closer to home, Captain. Those two lads." he said pointing to Barclay and Nathan "Very good in a crisis. Nathan needs a job, Barclay's good with engines. You could do a lot worse. Privates Nathan and Barclay, UNIT's finest." he said.
"I'll see what I can do. And I've got something for you," she said nodding to his right and there was the TARDIS being unloaded from a truck.
"Better than a bus, any day. Hello," he said walking up to the TARDIS and giving her a tap.
"Found in the gardens of Buckingham Palace."
"Oh, she doesn't mind."
"Now, I've got three dead alien stingrays to clear up. I don't suppose you fancy helping with the paperwork?" she asked already knowing the answer.
"Not a chance." He replied with a smile.
"Till we meet again, Doctor," she said bidding him a farewell. "Miss Granger," she said nodding.
"I hope so" he says and walks toward the TARDIS with Hermione tow, wondering what adventure they will be going on next. The adventure she didn't expect however was to be taken home.
TARDIS
"So where are we?" she asked walking around the console.
"Home" he replied while flipping a few switched
"Home?" she asked puzzled.
"Yep your house 10th August 1995 at 3:00 pm," he said very flatly.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because you told your friend that you would be home tomorrow which is now today" he replied.
"Yeah but this is a time machine tomorrow could be a week or a month," Hermione said walking towards the Doctor.
"Yes but that wouldn't be fair on you or your friends" He protested fiddling with some buttons.
Hermione started opened her mouth to say something but opted against it. "Thank you," she said with a smile.
"No problem" he replied with one of his own. Hermione walked up to him and gave him a hug which he happily returned. She started heading towards the doors of the TARDIS before stopping and turning around.