A little less than two hours later, there was a hot wind across the savannah. It was an hour before midnight again. The air had cooled. A log had been added to the fire. The hot wind blew across the grass. There was a sound that was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike a siren.
A police box materialized in the grass. It was not smoking this time.
Nobody was there to see it, except a few tigers, who seldom bother people most of the time.
The Doctor thought, right on time, but he didn't turn to look. He felt the eyes of Belladonna and Thomas on him. And John Riddell.
"And they cook with these invisible micro-waves?" said Riddell.
"That's not all they do with them. They communicate too. Imagine a telegraph but sort of… electric."
"Telegraphs are electric."
"Digital then," said the Doctor.
"Digital?"
The Doctor sighed deeply. "I suppose we'll have to go to the eighties first."
"I don't know," said the game hunter. "It all sounds frightfully dangerous."
"Only if you do it wrong," said the Doctor. "That almost never happens. This called a royal flush right?"
"It's beginner's luck, I say."
"It's my turn to deal," said the Doctor.
The Doctor's arms were getting tired. He switched hands.
Around them, time went on.
#
Dawn surprised them. The sun was already bright when it edged under the tent flap. The Doctor's voice was tired. Riddell was eating a can of fragrant sardines. They'd done Earth history up to Amy, Rory, and River, played six games of poker and one card game of the Doctor's own invention. Now Riddell was teaching the Doctor to blow smoke rings, which mostly involved Riddell smoking and the Doctor drawing smoke rings and smoke planets and smoke TARDISes with the sonic screwdriver.
"The moon though?" said Riddell.
"Oh yes."
"But… the actual moon?"
"That's just the beginning," said the Doctor. "There's loads more."
That was when they both saw the line of bright light under the tent.
"Well, that's morning, then," said the Doctor.
"Yes," said Riddell.
"Whole new year. Guess your quarry went to ground."
"I suppose it did," said Riddell.
"Let's go see what's out there." The Doctor untied the flaps and crawled out, blinking. He took a slow turn around the tent. "See? Hardly singed. Oy!" He went bounding across the field to check on the TARDIS. "Terrific. A short loop got her sorted right away. Time fixes everything, I've always said." He stuck the key in the lock, turned it, and threw open the doors.
He checked once to make sure nothing had happened inside, then beckoned to Riddell, who was packing a bag. "Come on, then. If we leave now we'll be just in time."
"For what?" said Riddell, stepping aboard.
"Everything," the Doctor said, and shut the door.
