Two
The TARDIS materialized on a beach. The Doctor frowned as he noticed the space time coordinates. "Hmm," he said to no one in particular.
"What? What is it Doctor?" Clara questioned.
"We're a bit close for comfort," he thought out loud.
"Lleettss go!" he shouted. Clara was caught by surprise. "No time like the present," he said as he clapped his hands together and headed for the TARDIS door. "Don't forget the instructions!"
Clara picked up another copy of the instructions and followed the Doctor. She stopped immediately as she exited the TARDIS. The Doctor had parked his TARDIS right next to the TARDIS belonging to his other self. She thought he didn't want any long hikes this time.
"Wow! Getting better. You redecorated," as she crossed the threshold to Two's TARDIS.
"Get used to it," he said.
Like in the first TARDIS, the Doctor dove under the console and began work. He took the book from Clara, and installed it as before under an obscure panel. This console was a bit smaller, and he couldn't place the temporal timer properly. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a long pair of pliers. Like a surgeon, he began to carefully seat the temporal timer.
Clara noticed the long pliers and cautioned the Doctor. "Be careful with those. You don't want to poke your eye out." The Doctor began to rant about how he knows exactly what he's doing, and how he knows the TARDIS like the back of his hand, and how he knows how to use simple human hand tools.
He suddenly stopped his ranting. "Ooops," he said, followed by an "Ah" of realization.
"Doctor!" Clara said in a frustrated tone. She knew from that "oops" something bad was about to happen, and knew from the "ah" that he probably could of prevented whatever that bad thing was.
"Um, there's a small leak. Nothing to worry about, but we probably should leave. Quickly," he finished, and he ran towards the door.
"Doctor!" she said again, begging for an explanation.
He turned back to her. "Look, we need to leave. I accidentally made a tiny hole in a mercury line," he said calmly.
Clara was no scientist, but knew the poisonous effects of mercury. "Doctor!" she said as she stomped her feet in disbelief. She was worried.
"Look, it's no big deal. Well, not yet. It seems I make my own problems. Just after I dropped Zoe off, Jamie and I had just landed, when the TARDIS began showing us temptations on the scanner screen. The TARDIS wanted us to get out quickly. Very soon after, a major mercury line ruptured, and began to fill the console room with poisonous gas. Um," the embarrassed Doctor looked at the floor, "now I know how that rupture started. Let's go!"
They ran out of Two's TARDIS and into their own. As his TARDIS dematerialized, the Doctor said to Clara, "Awe, they'll be alright. I'm here, aren't I?"
Clara looked at him disapprovingly. "Seriously? Mercury? That explains a lot! Mad Hatter, Mad Doctor!"
The Doctor simply turned back to his console and smiled.
Three
The TARDIS materialized in a densely wooded area. The Doctor and Clara could see Three's TARDIS just a few yards away. It was out in the open.
"We should be fine here. I, I mean the third me, just regenerated and is in the hospital recovering," the Doctor started. Clara didn't believe the part about being fine. Things hadn't gone as planned so far. He continued, "We should have plenty of time to install the instruction book before the soldiers get here."
Clara was incredulous. "Solders!?" she cried!
The Doctor ignored her. They left his TARDIS, briskly walked over to Three's TARDIS, opened the door, and began their work. As before, the Doctor deposited the book beneath the TARDIS console. They went to exit Three's TARDIS, when the Doctor stopped abruptly at the door. He turned to Clara, put his finger to his lips to hush her, and feeling defeated, whispered, "Soldiers."
The soldiers were talking to a poacher. The solders had their backs to Three's TARDIS, but the poacher was staring right at the door. The Doctor had to think fast. He kept his finger to his lips as he slowly opened the door. Both the Doctor and Clara tiptoed as quietly as they could away from Three's TARDIS. The Doctor was pretty sure the poacher saw him, saw his finger at his lips in silence, and knew to keep quiet and to keep the soldiers talking.
"Well don't ask. Just push off," said the soldier. The poacher turned to walk away.
The Doctor and Clara were almost to the safety of wooded area and his own TARDIS when they heard the soldier yell "Stop! You there! Stop! This is a restricted area!" The soldier fired off a warning shot into the air.
They were discovered. There was no need to be quiet any longer. "Run!" the Doctor screamed.
In the nick of time, they reached the TARDIS. The Doctor pulled out his key, unlocked the door, and crossed the threshold in a single, fluid motion. They were safe now…until the next time.
The Doctor and Clara's adventures continued as they traveled through time and space, catching up to his other selves, and putting copies of the instruction book into each TARDIS.
Some went perfectly, like when the TARDIS was empty while the Fourth Doctor, Sara Jane, and Harry were stuck on Skaro. Four's TARDIS was unattended, so getting in and out was uneventful. Getting the instructions into Nine's TARDIS was just as simple as he often left his TARDIS parked in the yard outside Rose's apartment complex.
Others were downright terrifying, like when the Doctor materialized his TARDIS within Five's TARDIS shortly after Five regenerated. They had to get in and out during the very short interval when Five, Nissa, and Tegan were in the Zero Room in depths of Five's TARDIS, but before Five's TARDIS reached Event One.
After dropping off the last book, the Doctor breathed a sigh of relief. He was all proud of himself. Mission accomplished. "Well," he said triumphantly, "that's the last one." As he turned to walk away, something dropped out from under the console.
