Eventually, we found a museum. But I didn't quite understand the point for these people to have one.
"Doc, why do they even need a museum?" I asked.
"Why do they need a museum?" the Doctor sounded insulted that I should ask.
"What I mean is..." I elaborated, "... if these people were so far ahead of us, wouldn't they have some form of the internet? And if yes, couldn't they just look up what they want to know? In fact, since they pretty much live on the internet, that shouldn't be a problem."
The Doctor nodded, seemingly understanding what I meant: "Quite true. But people just love to see things with their own eyes, rather than just looking at the pictures. Surely, you should understand that."
"Er..." there was one hole in that theory, "... these people didn't have eyes of their own. Anymore."
The Doctor smiled: "Quite a perceptive one, aren't you."
"Compliments don't answer questions." I reminded him.
"Why do you think people take pictures when they travel?" the Doctor asked.
I shrugged: "I never took any pictures myself, but if I'm to believe some other people, it's to tell others that they were there."
"Well then." the Doctor continued, "These people didn't have real eyes anymore, they had to use cameras to see. It's the perfect combination of seeing things with their own eyes, and taking pictures to tell others 'I was there'. Is it clear now?"
To me, this made humans seem weirder than I already thought them to be. But that tone that the Doctor was using made it seem like he compliments them for being weird. I blinked my eyes a few times, just to get back on why we got there: "So, what do you hope to find?"
"As you can imagine, there was a time that everyone was just a brain inside a machine." the Doctor explained, "So when they had invented the means to download their souls, they used it on everyone. Until there was nobody left, so such a machine would be a museum piece now."
"And it's that machine that we're looking for?" I asked.
"Yes." the Doctor replied, "I'll use it to download you onto the computer, and see if I can undo the memory that's been modified."
The idea of becoming a ghost in a machine was terrifying, yet the Doctor made it sound like it's the most natural thing in all of space and time.
The Doctor noticed the alarmed look on my face, he laughed reassuringly: "Don't worry. It won't hurt. At least, I should think not."
The idea that it may hurt hadn't even crossed my mind until then: "Not... helping!"
The Doctor looked around. I wasn't sure if he heard my objections, but when he talked, it was clear he didn't care: "That way, there's ancient history. So if this museum works like any other, then recent history should be... that way."
He pointed to a direction, which he himself followed. Just as he disappeared from view around a corner, I heard another metallic thud. But this time, it wasn't the only sound I heard. It was followed by heavy stomps. If I didn't know any better, I'd say those were footsteps. Given the pattern at which I heard them, I'd almost say there was an entire army of... whatever it is that's walking. I ran as I followed the Doctor's path.
"Doc!" I called for him, "There's something out there!"
The Doctor didn't look at me. He was using that star-topped stick again, with which he (somehow) managed to unscrew this glass vitrine, behind which there was some kind of machine I had never seen before. I assumed that was the thing that the Doctor was looking for, but I was sure there were more pressing matters.
"Doc, did you hear me?" I pressed on.
"Yes, I heard you." he replied, "It can't be the original inhabitants of this planet, they have lost interest in their own planet. If they're friendly visitors they wouldn't mind us doing what we're doing. But if they're hostile... did you let them know we're here?"
That was a good question, I thought. I did show myself to that army, but it's possible they heard me call for the Doctor, so in all honesty: "I'm not sure."
The Doctor listened himself. Wherever it was that we were in the building, I couldn't hear these... visitors marching on. It was possible they didn't hear me after all.
"Doesn't look like they know we're here." the Doctor said, "So for as long as they don't, we should be alright."
"Doc, you're taking this situation a little too lightly." I told him.
"And you're taking it too seriously." he rebutted.
"All this, just because you want to know something that may or may not be in my head?" I was starting to think there was something else going on.
Again, the Doctor didn't reply. Instead, he was doing something with that stick of his. I wasn't sure of what it was, but it seemed similar to what he tried on my cell-phone before. Only this time, he was pointing it at the machine, and later at the wall behind it. All the while, that stick made some kind of buzzing sound, which started to go on and off once he used it on the walls.
"Oh dear. I think I used it too many times in the Time Wars." he mumbled, as he started tapping it.
Again, too many thoughts came to mind. This was a serious situation, yet he seemed to take it so lightly. Then there's that buzzing stick he was using, which appeared to be some kind of Swiss knife, or a jack-of-all-trades, but he never explained what it is or what it does. And Time Wars? I'm sure he was referring to that war he deserted, but what am I supposed to understand under Time Wars? I know World Wars and Galaxy Wars, but Time Wars?
Somehow, tapping that... buzzer, just to give it a name, the Doctor could use it. With it, he somehow found something behind that wall. He got up, walked towards the nearest fire-extinguisher (I seriously began wondering how this species could be so advanced if it still needed fire-extinguishers), used it to smash a hole in the wall, and from that wall, he could pull out what looked like electric wires. Again, the Doctor did his thing with that buzzer, upon which he connected these wires to some other wires from the machine. After some time, he was finished. When he was, he noticed I was just staring, as I had no idea what he had just done.
"I don't know how long you've been working..." I said, "... but we could have been caught while you were... doing all that."
"Ah! But we weren't." the Doctor reminded me, "I told you, we'd be fine for so long as they don't know we're here."
"Yes, well you didn't boost me with any more confidence if you're using that... thing." I pointed to his buzzer."
"This?" the Doctor replied, "It's my sonic screwdriver."
On the one hand, I was happy to know what it is. On the other, I wondered whose bright idea it was to make a screwdriver that uses sonics.
"But I'm afraid I used it one too many times." the Doctor added, "I'll have to see if I can replace it."
"And you just made all this... with a malfunctioning..." I couldn't bring myself to say screwdriver, because of how ridiculous that sounded, "Anyway, with bad equipment?"
"I would love to get a better screwdriver." the Doctor said, "But if there really are others out there, the odds are against us. So we either search your memory now, or we'll never get another chance to."
I sighed, hoping he knows what he's doing: "So what do I do?"
"Just sit down." the Doctor said.
I didn't see any chairs nearby, so I sat on the ground. There were these pads attached to the machine, which the Doctor placed on my head. Once that was done, he immediately used his sonic screwdriver on the machine.
"Er... isn't there a more manual way of doing that?" I asked.
The Doctor paused, seeming surprised: "There is. But that will take a little longer."
This brought me to a dilemma. I either let him use that used screwdriver and risk suffering brain-damage, or have him use a slower approach, and risk being found. But as the Doctor himself put it, they don't know we're here.
"I'd just prefer if you don't use that thing." I said.
The Doctor started tapping the machine's keys: "Suit yourself."