AN: Sorry about the delay. I've been having a hard time getting to a computer... Enjoy!
Chapter Four
Gasping, Amy faltered slightly, and she stumbled into Matt, who was equally as stunned.
"No way," she breathed. "It's a- it's a hologram of some sort, or- or,"
The Doctor snorted. "You're standing in the TARDIS- Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. Where else would she be?" He turned to Amy, who frowned.
Amy leaned forward cautiously, and then jerked back. "How are we breathing?" she suddenly demanded, a hand over her mouth.
A small switch flicked on his mind, and Matt recalled filming this episode. How could he forget? This was one of his favorite scenes. "Extended the air bubble, we're fine," he spouted suddenly.
The Doctor blinked. "Ah, yeah- what he said." Shaking his head, the Doctor filed that outburst for another day.
He turned his attention the ginger. "Get out there," he said, smiling.
"What?" Amy frowned.
The Doctor grabbed her arm and pushed her. "No, really- get out!"
Amy shrieked, scrambling desperately for the Doctor's hand. The Doctor just laughed.
Watching in silent amazement, Matt saw Amy slowly float above the TARDIS, her hair splaying outward like a fiery halo. Realizing she wasn't about to plunge to her death, Amy laughed.
Sure Matt had filmed this scene, but there was a difference between holding Karen's hand as she was suspended by ropes in front of a green screen, and actually seeing Amy Pond float among the stars, real stars.
The sight reminded him of a time he cut open a bunch of glow sticks when he was about nine and flung them around until he and his bedroom were covered in multicolored dots. In the dark, it was like standing in space, among the galaxies. Matt remembered flicking on and off the lights, creating a dramatic effect as all the droplets of mildly toxic glow stick juice zoomed into existence the moment the lights turned off.
The memory brought a warm feeling to the middle of his chest as he recalled his mother tip-toeing into the bedroom. He'd flicked on the lights before she could see what a mess he'd made. The stars in his room where his secret and he never told anyone about the incident.
"That's so cool!" Matt whisper-shouted, momentarily succumbing to his excitement.
The Doctor turned to smile at him. He wriggled his eyebrows, jumping up and down like a child. "I know, isn't it?"
Now Matt glanced downward. Below them floated a disk shaped conglomeration of scrap metal hastily melded into a ship. In the center of the vessel, tall buildings poked out like spikes on the spine of a dinosaur. A massive Union Jack was painted across the smoothed surface. Oh dear, Matt remembered that ship.
"Look at that!" the Doctor said, pulling Amy in and pointing at the liner. "That's England- right there, but in space!"
Amy looked in wonder at the ship before turning to Matt. "Explain?"
"When the radiation got too high on Earth because of solar flares, all the people built ships and took off into the stars." The actor laughed, shocked to be seeing the ship in real life, and surprised he remembered all those details. "That ship, the Starship UK," he said, pointing at it, "is all of England put in a metal, ah- space box." He gestured with his hands, hoping it was helpful.
Apparently it was. Amy nodded. "Cool!"
The Doctor agreed enthusiastically. "Shall we go, then?" Shutting the doors, the Doctor spun to the center console and pressed a few buttons.
"Wait," Amy spoke, "we can, like, actually go down there?" her Scottish accent bled through in her excitement.
The Doctor grinned, "Of course! What else would we do?"
Matt just shrugged, listening in contentment to the sound of the TARDIS landing. There was a resounding 'wumph', and the ground settled beneath three sets of traveling feet. Look at me, Matt thought, I'm seeing all of this for real! Not just filming on a set, for real!
Then he frowned, pushing away the giddiness in his chest. No need to get overly excited. Traveling with the Doctor was amazing, but it was also extremely dangerous. Matt knew that much.
Stumbling over to the TARDIS doors, the Doctor flung them open and stepped out into a hall full of people rushing here and there. "Amy, Matt, welcome to the Starship UK!" crowed the Doctor, spinning in a circle.
"Rule one: We never interfere in the lives of other individuals- we are observers only." Amy nodded gravely and Matt raised an eyebrow.
"Rule two," the Doctor continued, "Don't wander off." He pointed at Matt. "Especially you. I don't know what- what you might mess up."
"How come I mess stuff up and she doesn't?" Matt protested, gesturing at Amy.
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Well if you're anything like me- this me that is- then you probably will. Besides, you're not the sit-quiet and do-what-you're-told type."
Matt shrugged, supposing that wasn't a bad thing. "No, that's more like you're husband." He spoke to Amy without thought.
Amy frowned. "What did you-"
Realizing his mistake, Matt backpedaled. Crap. He really needed to be more careful. "Sorry- I meant fiancé. Shutting up now."
Nodding slowly, Amy frowned at the actor. "Right…"
Something caught the Doctor's eye, and he rushed away. Apparently, the alien hadn't heard Matt's comment. Amy and Matt watched the Doctor pick up a glass of water off a table and set it on the floor. They frowned in bafflement. Laying prostrate, the Doctor peered into the glass.
And he tells us not to wander off… Matt thought to himself as he peered out the door.
Amy opened her mouth and then closed it. She decided to let Matt's odd comment pass. "Isn't he sort of insulting himself, when he says you're like him and-"
"Yeah- I don't even know," Matt interrupted. "Sometimes the words in his head sound different when he says them out loud."
Amy snorted, exiting the TARDIS.
Grinning, in spite of his greatest efforts to seem uninterested, Matt tumbled out of the time machine after Amy. He looked up, tripped on the bottom of the door and nearly fell on his face. "It's- it's so big!" he exclaimed, arms extended. The set he filmed this scene on was much, much smaller with a great deal of green screen lining the edges. He spun in a circle, taking it all in.
The ceiling rested high above them, obscured from view by smog. There were multiple floors that lined the walls, some which were clearly front porches, and others that were shop fronts. The entire town square had a sort of grunge look, the metal walls stained with smoke and grime, and the cold floor smudged with boot grease and tar. People rushed about on foot or by bicycle, jostling the travelers and not paying either of them any mind. Matt thought the entire scene was brilliant.
Amy nodded slowly, equally awed. A smile began to form on her lips, but suddenly she froze. "I just had a sudden realization."
Matt tore his eyes from the view to look at the redhead. "Yeah? What?"
She bit her lip, leaning in and whispering, "Matt, I'm still in my nightly."
Matt's eyes widened, and then a small smirk grew on his lips. Chuckling, Matt covered his mouth.
"It's not funny!" she protested, swatting him. This only made Matt laugh harder.
"I- I'm sorry," he snorted, wiping his eyes, "I'll stop- see? Stopped." He smirked.
Amy just rolled her eyes.
Suddenly, they heard a voice, "Oi! You lot! What are you giggling about?" The Doctor skipped their way, frowning. He'd replaced the glass, making vague excuses about a runaway goldfish.
Amy stopped her jesting and frowned. "I'm in the future, right?" she asked, glancing at Matt, who nodded. "Like hundreds of years in the future," she continued, sadder by the second. "I've been dead for centuries."
"Oh... lovely. You're a cheery one." The Doctor rolled his eyes, scratching his neck. "Never mind dead. Look at this place. Isn't it wrong?"
Instantly the desire to laugh died away and dread, like stones, settled in Matt's stomach. How could he forget? How did he forget what was going on here? Of course something was wrong, something was always wrong…
Coughing, Matt nodded, running a hand through his hair. Should he tell them what he knew? What would happen if he did? What if it messes stuff up or something? I can't just blurt everything out…
Jeez. Was this what River had to deal with?
"Well come on, then," the Doctor urged Amy, "What's wrong? What's wrong?" Matt didn't notice, but the Doctor's eyes were trained on the actor even as he addressed Amy.
Amy frowned in concentration, rising to the challenge. Matt knew what they would find, and after a moment he found the "problem."
About half a second later, Amy's eyes zeroed in on a small girl of about ten or eleven years. Sitting on a red bench the same color as her sweater, she clung to it like she was afraid the floor would fall from under her feet any second. "Her?" Amy asked.
The Doctor nodded. "Good job, Pond!" He smiled sadly. "She's crying."
"One little girl crying. So?"
The Doctor pointed at Amy. "Crying silently. I mean, children cry because they want attention. 'Cause they're hurt or afraid. When they cry silently it's 'cause they just can't stop."
Matt had always liked that particular line. It sounded smooth and rolled off his tongue easily. If he had paid any attention, he would have seen the Doctor's curious eye on him. The alien watched, wondering. Matt was a mystery he intended to solve, but he couldn't right now. Right now the Doctor needed to figure out why the girl was crying.
"Right..." he murmured, "she's sobbing in plain view of everyone and no one stops to help. So... they already know what's wrong."
"It's something they accept in their society..." Matt interjected, feeling the Doctor's logic. "A-"
"Necessary evil," the Doctor finished. "Very good, Matt."
Amy watched the exchange between the two men with interest. There was an unusual dynamic in the way they spoke to each other, like two parts of a whole. They were completely separate, and, at the same time, totally intertwined. The best comparison Amy could come up with was the way twins spoke to each other. However, even that was at a much milder level than what she witnessed now.
"So what do we do?" Amy asked.
The Doctor didn't respond for a moment. "Wait here," he said, starting forward toward the girl. He snatched the sleeve of Matt's t-shirt and pulled him along. Amy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms but she didn't move.
"Oi!" the actor protested. "Let go of me!"
The Doctor glanced back at his mirror image for a moment. "Oh- yes. Of course." He released his hold, "But you stick by me, Matt. I can't risk you tangling everything up with this foreknowledge of yours."
Matt blinked. "How do you know-?"
Sighing, the Doctor, having almost reached the girl on the bench, stopped and turned to Matt. "It's obvious. You keep slipping up- nasty habit. You ought to curb it."
Matt snorted. So the Doctor had been paying attention. "Right. Don't say anything about the future. Got it."
They reached the girl and the Doctor leaned down rather suddenly, bumping into her a bit violently. "Oh sorry dearie, clumsy me."
Matt could see from several feet away what the Doctor was doing. He rolled his eyes.
The Doctor leaned down as if he'd dropped something, and as he came up, he bumped into the sorrowful girl once more. "Apologies," he murmured. Apparently, he dropped the non-existent item again and reached for it.
You've got to be joking... Matt thought. He couldn't just stand and let the Doctor make such a fool of himself.
Pushing forward, he pulled in front of the alien and patted his shoulder. "That's enough, John." Matt spoke like he was talking to an invalid. Turning his attention from the Doctor, Matt's eyes rested on the girl. Maddie, wasn't that her name? No... That wasn't right.
Mandy- that's it.
Smiling indulgently, Matt gestured to the spot on the bench next to her. "Do you mind?"
The girl look confused for a moment and shrugged.
Taking that as a yes, Matt sat down quickly, keeping the soft smile on his face. "Forgive my brother, he's a bit not right in the head." Matt glanced up, enjoying the indignant expression the Doctor wore.
The girl didn't say anything, still clinging to the bench.
After a moment of silence, Matt took a breath and said, "I'm Matt. What's your name?"
It took a moment, but the girl finally responded, her voice thick, "Mandy."
Matt appeared to think about that answer for a moment. "Why are you crying, Mandy?"
For the first time, the girl showed an expression besides sadness. "I'm not crying," she insisted, wiping her eyes. Her gaze lingered on Matt's face for a moment. "What do you care anyway?"
In that instant, Matt was reminded of a scene from one of his favorite books.
"No wonder you were crying!"
"I wasn't crying about that! I was crying because my shadow won't stick to me... and I WASN'T crying!"
Matt smiled sadly. "Alright, Mandy. That's okay. Would you like to see something cool?" The girl furrowed her brow, her interest caught.
Digging into his pocket, Matt's hand met with three rubber bands, an old movie ticket, a candy wrapper, a smooth stone he picked up a while back, and a shiny coin.
Taking the coin out, he rolled it over his knuckles, made it disappear and then appear again behind the girl's ear.
Mandy's lips tugged up slightly. "My da does that trick," she murmured, her eyes blurred with memory.
"Well you know what, Mandy?" Matt replied "Your da must be a pretty cool guy."
Mandy's smile got a bit larger. She nodded rapidly.
Matt paused for a moment, looking over the girl. "Don't you worry, Mandy. Me, the Do- my brother, and that woman with the red hair over there? We're going to fix everything."
Mandy blinked, slow and trusting. Suddenly a bell sounded in the distance. The girl straightened at the sound. "Oh!" she cried. "I've got to go!" She stood up, gathering her school bag. "It was nice meeting you, Matt." Mandy paused. "Thank you."
Then she was gone, swallowed by the living masses of people.
Matt stared after her for a moment, barely registering the Doctor's presence. Glancing up smugly, he expected to see the Doctor's miffed face, but instead he saw sad, almost angry eyes.
"That was cruel," murmured the Doctor, eyes roaming the actor's face.
Matt frowned. "What do you mean?"
Sighing, the Doctor turned away, forcing Matt to follow him back to where Amy stood. "Giving her hope like that. Don't ever make promises- not that sort of promise. You never know whether you can keep it."
"But I do know!"
The Doctor scrubbed his face. "How far in my future have you filmed?"
Matt thought for a moment, "Several hundred years, I should think. I know what happens in this episode."
"You don't understand!" the Doctor insisted. "Can't you see? Even if you do know the outcome, the fact that you're here changes everything! By having that conversation instead of me nicking her identification, which would have been much simpler, you've affected the outcome you remember filming."
Matt was silent, processing this information. It made sense, a horrible amount of sense. "Shoot," he muttered, "you're right."
The Doctor nodded. "Of course I'm right."
Reaching Amy, they dropped the subject for the moment. "Where'd she go?" she asked. Clearly, Amy had watched them interact with the girl.
"Deck 27. Apple Sesame Block. Building 54A. You're looking for Mandy Tanner," Matt volunteered, "if memory serves me well..."
Stepping forward, the Doctor took up a carefree attitude.
"I need you to follow her," he instructed Amy. Glancing about, he gestured at a strange booth with a plastic doll of some sort within a glass dome. "And ask her about those things- the smiling fellas in the booths. They're everywhere."
And they were. Matt noticed them now that the Doctor had pointed them out. Smilers. They were at practically every corner. Shivering, Matt turned away. Those things creeped him out more than he would admit.
Amy nodded excitedly. "And what will you two be doing?"
"Staying out of trouble," the Doctor responded. "Badly."
Smiling in amusement, Amy addressed the Doctor, "Let me get it straight- we never interfere with the lives of other individuals...unless there are children crying."
Matt nodded. "Now you're getting it, Kar- I mean, Amy."
Grinning, Amy raced off after the girl, nightie and all. What an interesting woman… Matt thought.
They stared after her for a moment, neither of the men breaking the silence.
"Well then..."Matt stated, "I suppose we should start staying out of trouble."
"I absolutely agree."
Matt grinned. If what the Doctor said about him affecting the future was true, then they had a serious issues to work through, but he didn't want to think about that right now. Right now Matt Smith was finally having an adventure, a real adventure. "Off we go then, Doctor?"
Locking eyes, the Doctor let an impish smirk slip past his lips. "Most definitely."
With that the two men took off, intent to stay out of trouble. Badly.
AN: Thanks goes to my beta-reader for editing theses chapters!