Regeneration of Fate - The Next Doctor - Chapter 2 - A Cyber-Murder Mystery
As if things never changed in society, a Victorian funeral was always rather moody. In this elegant part of London with tons of workhouses, the snow had settled whilst the hearse, the horses and the mourners made their solemn march across to the nearest graveyard.
It was Victorian grief at its finest, displayed all in black with tears and a posh carriage to haul the coffin of the deceased to its final resting place. Most onlookers were going about their Christmas business, too indulged in their own matters to show any sign of sympathy to the mourners.
But four individuals hid out of plain sight, observing the funeral procession analytically like spies on a mission. Both pairs were waiting, yet only two of them had the clearest objective; to sneak into the home of the poor dead man and investigate.
The Other Doctor, still looking swashbuckling as ever in his Victorian Frockcoat, peered calmly over the metal fence. His companion Rosita eyed the procession similarly with many thoughts channelling into her brain. Just why had this unfortunate individual been killed? What purpose did it serve to the dastardly Cybermen?
"The late Reverend Fairchild. Leaving his place of residence for the last time, God rest his soul." The Victorian Doctor murmured quietly, trying not to draw attention to himself.
Unbeknownst to either of them, the two spying individuals were being spied on by the other duo they had encountered on this strange day; the Eleventh Doctor and Donna Noble! They kept in the shadows, observing the amusing banter between the possible Twelfth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth… Whatever…Next Doctor and his non-modern day companion.
"Now! With the house empty, I'll effect an entrance at the rear, while you go back to the Tardis. This is hardly work for a woman." The Other Doctor commandeered the operation, cautious of potential dangers that could emerge should he enter the house. If whatever had killed him was still inside the house, he would not want Rosita to be caught off guard.
"Oh don't mind me saving your life, that's work for a woman, isn't it?" Rosita snapped, with hints of a feminist attitude.
In an almost patronising manner, the Other Doctor replied; "The Doctor's companion does what the Doctor says, now off you."
From behind another metal fence, Donna whispered to her Doctor very firmly; "I hope you're never going to be that blunt, right?"
"Oh….." The current Doctor shook his head very quickly. "I would never dream of it!"
Meanwhile, as Rosita stomped away from the funeral procession in a huff, the Other Doctor quietly manoeuvred across the road once the last of the mourners had passed. One other thing he hadn't noticed, aside from the Doctor and Donna tailing out of hiding to follow him, was another Cybershade. It had been lurking about and reporting intruders back to its masters…
Like a thief, the Victorian adventurer kneeled down and picked at the door's lock with his not so Sonic Screwdriver, only for it open up without warning!
Raising the screwdriver slightly in case in defence, he quickly lowered it when he was surprised to see 'John Smith' and Miss Donna Noble were already inside.
"Ah, hello there!" The Eleventh Doctor twiddled his fingers in a very odd sort of greeting.
"But... how did you get in?" Stammered the Other Doctor, who could've sworn this door was the easiest way in.
"Well…The front door of course! I know a thing or two about doors…" The scruffy-haired Doctor answered vaguely.
As the Victorian adventurer peered around to check that nobody had spotted them, Donna drew attention to the same thing her Doctor had noticed; "Hang on, erm…'Doctor', is that your Sonic Screwdriver?"
Presenting what was merely a typical 1850's workman's tool, the Other Doctor said; "Why yes Madam, I'd be lost without it."
The Eleventh Doctor frowned; "Curious…Isn't it just a Screwdriver? What makes it sonic?"
Tapping the tool on the wall as a rather unimpressive demonstration, the Victorian Doctor explained; "Well, it makes a noise. That's sonic, isn't it? Now since we're acting like common burglars, I suggest we three get out of plain view!"
The interior of the townhouse was fairly spooky, littered with the aura of a now-deceased elderly man and his many books. The Other Doctor frantically got to work, creeping about to investigate everything he could spot that seemed like it was out of place or would present clues.
He rummaged through drawers, picked up books to see if anything interesting was slotted inside and examining what was lying under abandoned picture frames. His two associates, however, were purely fixated on uncovering the mystery surrounding him. Of course, that wasn't to say they weren't curious about what he was hoping to discover in this house.
"What are you actually searching for in here?" Donna asked politely.
"Signs of alien infiltration." Explained the Other Doctor, busy checking the bookshelf in the dusty austere room they'd just entered. "I'm certain there's something here that could prove it…"
"And your investigation, what's it all about?" The Eleventh Doctor questioned his presumed counterpart.
"It started with a murder." Said the Other Doctor, not taking his eyes off any areas where potential clues could lie.
"I can already tell this isn't going to be pleasant…" Murmured the Eleventh Doctor, placing his hands in frockcoat pockets. "Go on."
The Other Doctor elaborated; "Mr Jackson Lake. A teacher of Mathematics, from Sussex. He came to London three weeks ago and died a terrible death."
"Cybermen?" Donna guessed helpfully. She had heard the Doctor mention them before back in his previous incarnation, but not once had they ever encountered one together.
"Hard to say, his body was never found. But then it started. More secret murders. Then abductions. Children, stolen away in silence." Muttered the Other Doctor, with a hint of strain and slight confusion in his voice. It was as if he talking about something he knew more about than he believed…
"So who lived here then?" The Doctor replied.
"The latest murder. The Reverend Aubrey Fairchild. Found with burns to his forehead, like some advanced form of electrocution."
The current Doctor's eyebrows raised; that definitely sounded like Cybermen!
"So this Jackson Lake, was he important for some reason?" Donna pressed on, causing the Other Doctor to pause in slight irritation at being interrupted in his search for evidence.
He frowned; "You two ask a lot of questions."
"Well then…" The Eleventh Doctor rubbed his chin awkwardly as he removed his hat to think. "You can consider us…"
His eyes darted over to Donna's direction, prompting a quick reaction from the Chiswick girl to finish her friend's statement. "….Your companions! I mean, surely Rosita insists on helping on you all the time."
The Other Doctor chuckled briefly before resuming his recap; "Quite right Madam, she does indeed. Alright then - The Reverend was a pillar of the community. A member of many Parish Boards. A keen advocate of children's charity."
"Children seems to be the link here…" Observed the Eleventh Doctor, already starting to join some of the dots together in the mystery.
"Oh, he was famously good to them." The Other Doctor expanded on 'John Smith's' comment. "He'd discipline them, birch them, send them to the Workhouse."
Before Donna could reply with something akin to disbelief and disgust at what she considered outdated Victorian values, the Eleventh Doctor raised his hand and said; "Erm yes. Well, a kind gentleman I'm sure, but why would the Cybermen kill him? And what does he have to do with the first man murdered, Mr Jackson Lake..?"
The Other Doctor had frozen still; disturbed and apparently unsure of himself for a moment, he admitted; "It's funny, I seem to be telling you everything. As though you engender some sort of... trust. And…I don't even recognise your face and yet you still seem familiar."
The Eleventh Doctor and Donna exchanged looks, realising they'd uncovered one vital clue towards the identity of this man. But quickly another clue presented itself almost naturally to the Time Lord's eyes; a fob watch. Could this Victorian adventurer be his future incarnation, just turned into a human via the chameleon arch?
No, something just didn't seem right about that idea. Yes, a Time Lord's timestream could work in strange ways. But a meeting between two incarnations where one of them has only just recently regenerated seemed too fanciful to be a simple coincidence.
Only one way to find out, decided the Doctor. Pointing out the fob watch and asking for permission to open it, the Time Lord held the golden timepiece and quietly explained; "Legend has it that the memories of a Time Lord can be contained. Perhaps, if it's opened…"
He clicked the fob watch open and tipped it up. Nothing. Just a couple of cogs sprung out and onto the floor – a false alarm to say the least.
Both men were disappointed; "Ah."
"It's more for decoration." Admitted the Other Doctor, closing the fob watch.
Donna shook her head with a slight sigh; "Well boys, if we're here to do a job, we might as well focus on alien infiltration?"
"My thoughts exactly!"
"I-erm-Absolutely!"
Returning to rummaging through a desk, the Other Doctor gave instructions to his two 'companions'. "Just look for anything different, possibly metal, anything that doesn't seem to belong, perhaps a mechanical device that would fit no earthly engine, it could even seem to be organic, though unlike any organism of the natural world..."
Knowing very well that her Doctor could sort this out much quicker, Donna nudged him and whispered something into his ear. Perking up, the Time Lord obliged with a grin as he sneakily pulled out his Screwdriver and scanned across.
Detecting that something was inside the chest, he immediately pocketed the device and rushed over with Donna. Together they opened it, just as the Other Doctor turned around in confusion.
"Wait, what's that noise?" He put his hand to his ear to listen carefully.
"Nevermind that, look at this…Erm, Doctor!" Snapped the Eleventh Doctor, pulling out two metal objects. "Presto! Different and metal indeed. Now, let's see how they work…"
Switching the device on, the three were presented with a series of circular projections on a nearby mirror. It was an ever-changing display of writing, charts, maps going so endlessly fast that nobody could read them.
"Ah, of course – compressed information! I remember now, this is an info-stamp!" Mouthed the Doctor, as his presumed counterpart stared up at the strange flickering images.
Donna understood at once. "You mean, it's like a mini-data bank? Something the Cybermen are using to store information?"
"Yeah. Apparently more than those tin-heads can store – I reckon this one's got the history of London, 1066 to the present day. But why an info-stamp? Surely they could-" He fiddled with his hat for a few seconds before hurriedly flinging it back on when he had an epiphany. "No, hold on. They're in the nineteenth century, so they wouldn't have enough power. So these little gizmos would-"
While the Time Lord had been rattling on at break-neck speed, Donna had noticed that the Other Doctor was lowering himself down, clutching his info-stamp in an almost pained-like manner.
"Are you alright?" She bent down, placing her hand on his shoulder.
"I-I'm fine Madam." Stuttered the Victorian adventurer, sounding so vulnerable again. "Thank you for asking."
Donna was not convinced – her first Doctor had shown somewhat similar traits whenever he was concerned. "No come on, I can tell you're not, Doctor. Well, alright as in not-so-okay-at-all."
Blinking in confusion at the familiarity of the way Donna was treating him, he admitted; "I've seen one of these before..."
Just as the projections faded out, the Eleventh Doctor's focus suddenly switched back to his presumed counterpart. Donna gave him a slight frown, indicating a need for him to demonstrate more empathy. While his predecessor could be cold at times, most of the time he never shied away from taking into account others' concerns. This incarnation so far seemed to occasionally get far too wrapped up in the mysteries surrounding him, so it was her ambition to make sure he kept on track.
The Other Doctor breathed hard, his hands almost trembling as he held the info-stamp and sparked back into flashbacks of frightening proportions. Again he witnessed Cybermen marching terrifyingly into his midst, but this time he could picture himself backing away in terror, holding a familiar metal object…
"I was holding... this device... It was the night I lost my mind. The night I..." He trailed off slightly. "…regenerated."
That sealed the deal for the Doctor. This truly was far too coincidental in his mind; he had regenerated recently, and he had been at the centre of a biological meta-crisis. As friendly and as charming as this supposed 'next Doctor' seemed, the evidence so far had proved the current Doctor's initial suspicions correct.
"Regenerated…Impossible…" The current Doctor muttered under his breath, but the Other Doctor didn't seem to hear him.
"...the Cybermen. They made me change. My face. My mind. My whole self..." He continued on, now lifting his head up in fear as he stared dead into the Eleventh Doctor's eyes. "And there was this other man…All spiky-haired…You remind me of him. Who are you?"
"We're here to help, Doctor. Trust me." The Eleventh Doctor grinned. Despite his scepticism at this man truly being the Doctor, he nevertheless saw how disturbed and perhaps traumatised he was and was willing to offer his services.
"I…Alright John…I will – I think I'll need all the help I can get." The Other Doctor came close to tears, Donna only just succeeding in comforting him while she sat beside.
Leaping up and dashing with energy within the room, the Time Lord searched through doors with a nasty thought in mind. "Still! Plenty of time on our hands to worry about that later. I hope I'm wrong, but if this room's got Infostamps, then maybe, just maybe, it's got something that needs infostamping..."
Flinging open an interior door, he was 'greeted' by exactly with what he didn't want to find; a hidden Cyberman!
"Out, out!" He yelled at once to his companion and the Other Doctor, making sure to slam the door shut before the Cyberman could make its move.
Whilst Donna had got to her feet, the Other Doctor didn't move a muscle. SLAM! The Cyberman thrashed the door down as if it were nothing, marching forwards with its rock-hard mechanical arms and a spectral gaze from its metal face.
"Delete!" It droned, about to go on the offensive.
Though he was frozen in fear from resurfacing memories, the Other Doctor was hurriedly yanked up by Donna and the Eleventh Doctor to snap him out of his state and start their escape.
Retreating into the hall, the three adventurers were shocked to see a second Cyberman stomping into their midst. At that very moment, the first Cyberman advanced dramatically from the drawing room, forcing everyone to run towards some nearby stairs.
"Now our predicament couldn't be worse!" Mumbled the dark-coated Time Lord, scratching his head as he brainstormed the remainder of his stratagem.
"Don't just stand there Spaceman, grab something and hold em off!" Donna suggested with a great sense of urgency.
Immediately obliging to his companion's advice, the Doctor reached for a cutlass hanging on the wall and then slashed hard at the nearest Cyberman's arm. It reacted with immense force, parrying the Time Lord's swing every step it marched up the stairs.
This was a duel that was clearly going nowhere, but the Doctor's instincts told him to try and reason with the Cybermen; "Listen up tin-soldier! Whatever you're doing, stuck in 1851, I'm the only one, really, the only one who can help you-"
The soulless cyborgs ignored his attempts at diplomacy, with the first one launching into more karate-chops in an attempt to dispose of the Doctor quickly and effortlessly. This humanoid was insignificant as far as their motivational circuits were concerned; their real concern was the Victorian swashbuckler of a man behind him whom they were 100% convinced was their nemesis.
In a crushing steel swing, the first Cyberman remorselessly knocked the cutlass away and almost out of the Doctor's hand as it advanced even closer. Though he was normally an ace at sword-fighting, his new body was out of practice and the odds were far more against him here with a tougher opponent than the likes of a formidable but relatively fair challenge of the Sycorax Leader.
"Check your memory banks, it's not him you want, it's me!" Protested the Time Lord, desperately trying to protect both Donna and The Other Doctor. If he was to be defeated then he was determined to go down fighting.
"My name is the Doctor! Leave this man alone. I'm telling you, the Doctor is me!" He panted, running out of breath as they all reached the landing. He would not be able to keep up this much strength for much longer.
Since the Other Doctor seemed too frightened out of his wits and pre-occupied by the info-stamp he still grasped onto firmly, Donna took it upon herself to assist her friend. She suddenly rushed forwards and then bravely crashed a chair over the Cyberman's head, causing it to flinch.
"Take that, tin-head!" She yelled, impressed at her handiwork.
Before she could go on the offensive again, the protective as ever Time Lord dragged her back by the arm and used this opportunity to kick the Cyberman backwards by the chest. It stumbled slightly and almost fell onto a previous step with only its associate to catch it.
Regaining its footing, it retaliated more berserk than before and clashed its arm like a rapier onto the Doctor's cutlass, freezing them into a brief deadlock.
"Delete. The humanoids and the Doctor will be deleted." The metallic menace thrashed at its opponent again, now definitely emerging as the victor when the Doctor helplessly landed on his back.
Horrified and befuddled by the words that 'John Smith' had uttered in front of the monstrosities that he thought were his enemies, the Other Doctor backed into a corner and looked again at the info-stamp.
With an unexpected flash of his burdened mind, he was plopped back into the middle of a terrifying skirmish, with more of the same Cybermen approaching like rapid-fire.
For some reason there were also flashes of soaring light exploding on the wall behind him, just as he reaching down for an info-stamp lying on the floor as his only item of defence. And then he had pressed the round button…
As if he were reliving those same moments in the present, his brain automatically directed him like a practiced film-star to perform the same piece of improvisation. Like magic the info-stamp beamed out a ray of information encased in a light-blue cylinder of energy right onto the head-piece of the first Cyberman. It reacted with a screech of electronic pain, and the light re-bounded on its colleague behind it, mirroring the same agonising gurgle of digitised screaming.
Though they both flinched, Donna soon raced to help the Eleventh Doctor up as they gaped in amazement at the writhing and twisting cyborgs collapsing to their knees. Now their whole cold-metal faces looked as if they were being electrocuted!
Inside the Cybermen's heads, there was for the first time in an extremely long 'life-cycle', an actual emotion of some manner. No, it wasn't regret, nor anger at their defeat, nor shock at the ease with which they had been overwhelmed, but rather a sense of claustrophobia that emanated pain. The information was too much, too big, and too distracting from their current objective to comprehend all at once. Naturally, the only solution their confused minds had to end it all was to self-destruct…
KKZZT! One last spark of the info-stamp's data energy finally fluttered in preparation for the violent detonation that followed. Wires snapped and sizzled, chunks of small metal cracked and burned whilst the only remnants of the human that had once been within disintegrated or scattered apart into bits of tiny bone particles.
The after-images of the cyber-converted people who had originated from another dimension entirely had finally worn themselves out.
Slumping themselves against the wall and taking in hard breaths, the trio gave each other the sort of looks of satisfaction only ever possible in the aftermaths of near-death situations.
Tightening his black fedora back onto his scruffy-haired head, the Eleventh Doctor marvelled at his presumed counterpart's ingenuity; "Infostamp. With a cyclo-Steinham core - you ripped open the core, broke the safety…Kazoom! Truly Doctor, only you could think of that!"
"He reads a lot of science-fiction." Donna patted the Other Doctor on the shoulder as she tried to fill in the discrepancy of how a supposed Victorian citizen like 'John Smith' knew of such futuristic machines.
Instead of elaborating on this with reference to such relevant Victorian science-fiction authors as Edgar Allan Poe or Jules Verne, the Eleventh Doctor now watched with wonder as the Other Doctor stared back at the broken info-stamp.
He sounded distressed; "I did that... The last time..."
Now realising this was the perfect opportunity to try again, he retrieved his predecessor's stethoscope from his dark frock-coat and assured the Victorian adventurer; "Come here, you'll be all right, let me just check..."
Since he was often guilty of jumping to conclusions in certain situations, the Doctor was ambitious enough to gather more evidence when necessary to satisfy his curiousity, even when the truth seemed pretty clear. So he carefully checked for his presumed counterpart's hearts on both sides.
His face slightly colder and more suspicious of 'John Smith', the Other Doctor demanded; "But you told them you were the Doctor, why did you do that?"
"Well…Just to divert their attention – I was protecting you!" He lied in a humble manner.
The Other Doctor's eyes now darted on Donna for a moment; "And you Madam, you defended me alongside him. It's as if you've done this before. You two seem so inseparable…"
The Eleventh Doctor and Donna glanced at each other with mischievous grins; that was no doubt a long-lasting truth.
His confusion and terror building up and up like a tree growing at thirty times its natural speed, the Victorian adventurer murmured solemnly; You're both taking away the only thing I've got. Just like they did. They stole something... something so precious."
He started to cry with great helplessness. "But I can't remember. What happened to me? What did they do?"
"Doctor." The scruffy-haired Time Lord together with Donna placed his hand on the Victorian adventurer's hand. "We'll all help you find out, I assure you."
"Yeah. We'll be with you every step of the way." Donna beamed at the Victorian Doctor, displaying a familiar sympathy that only ever Rosita had shown to him before.
Now he felt slightly more at ease. Troubled, yes. But more rip-roaring to go on with his mission as his whole life and purpose depended on it. Whoever these two strangers were, they were not against him or trying to leave him as a meaningless husk.
"I think it's time we made a swift departure." Suggested the Time Lord as he pocketed the stethoscope, not quite feeling safe anymore as an uneasy sense enveloped in his midst. "I don't think we're al-"
Donna was the first to react; she gasped in horror and instantly bent down to pull the two Doctors to the floor. The impact of a flashing sizzle of destruction burst into the nearby wall a small scurry of flames that nearly scorched a portrait!
The noise of the blast had a significant pounding sensation to it, and the attacker who had unleashed it clearly had pretty decent aim. Had it not been for Donna's watchful eyes, the trio might've easily met a nasty demise face-first.
"Inseparable indeed, Doctor. Thank you Donna!" The Eleventh Doctor leaped his feet as he tightened his grip on his friends' arms and fled down the stairs, making sure not to trip over the destroyed Cybermen.
Re-adjusting the aim of its Cyber-weapon, the attacker grunted a synthesised tone of dissatisfaction at its failure to destroy its opponents quickly. It intended to dash after them but found itself being so near but so far once it had got down the stairs.
The humanoids' retreat had been swift and precise enough to evade further blasts from the Cyber-weapon. Realising it had failed in its task, the attacker returned to its previous objective and took a different route out of the house.
Stealth was required for the time being, as the rise of the Cyber-King as scheduled by the Cyber-Leader was still far away. But at least a short offensive had been planned for in a few short half-hours. It was time the attacker attended a funeral…
"Doctor! I thought you were dead!"
A small run-down street in Victorian London walled by Victorian factories was certainly not the most welcoming of places to have a reunion. The air was smelly, the condition of the street quite decrepit and the settled snow in the area was quite wet and perhaps a little slippery.
So it was a bit of surprise how Rosita, running in her Victorian gown, did not slip as she trundled up to her Doctor and launched into a humungous hug of hugs.
"Now then, Rosita. A little decorum." Panted the Other Doctor, still a little overwhelmed.
"You've been gone for so long!" She turned to the Eleventh Doctor, who still felt very proud of his presumed counterpart for having such good company. "He's always doing this! Leaving me behind! Going frantic!"
"My Doct…John's exactly the same!" Donna acknowledged, folding her arms as she eyed her Doctor. Or at least his predecessor had been like that, and so far his current incarnation hadn't strayed too far from similar vibes.
"Donna, wasn't it?"
The Chiswick girl nodded, shaking hands with Rosita again.
"You've probably been watching over these two idiots I expect, having their backs when things get rough."
"Ha. What else can I do? That's our job!" Donna agreed solidly.
A little embarrassed at the girls' admittedly truthful comments, the Other Doctor changed the subject; "But what about the Tardis?"
"Oh, she's ready, come on!"
Rubbing his hands with great anticipation, the Eleventh Doctor looked at Donna and remarked quietly; "This ought to be very interesting…"
The trio were led into a once abandoned brick-building. It was filled with barrels, crates and a few layers of junk added on top. It was like a ramshackle home tossed together other several weeks by a beggar or thief who'd pickpocketed or swiped away anything of value for living. A series of luggage and slightly used furniture lay about, including a wooden bed and a table laid out for typical Victorian tea. Yes, it was quite a home Rosita and the Other Doctor had made. Though you wouldn't think it at first, it was surprisingly comfortable.
The Other Doctor manoeuvred over to a sink, splashing water on his face before scrubbing it with a very dry but cold towel. "You were right though, Rosita. The Reverend Fairchild's death was the work of the Cybermen!"
"Is this really where you live?" Asked Donna, a little surprised.
"A temporary base, till we rout the enemy. The Tardis is magnificent, but it's hardly a home." Explained the Other Doctor, exhibiting the idea that their investigations and battles against the Cybermen were like a crusade dominated by a long and tiring siege.
"Hardly home?" Repeated Donna, slightly taken aback. She'd never though she'd hear any Doctor, even someone claiming to hold that title, say that the TARDIS was not homely in the slightest. What about all the multiple rooms and corridors? Even the Console Room was quite comfortable and full of fun little gizmos to take everyone's spare time.
The Doctor pressed on this matter briefly; "So, where is this magnificent TARDIS? I've only heard a little about it from all the hub-bub that goes around in the city."
"Hub-bub?" Frowned Rosita.
"Erm…Gossip, talk, chatter. Think of a game of Chinese Whispers!" Elaborated the Doctor.
"Interesting…" The Other Doctor cleared his throat. "The TARDIS is in the yard! But the chill of Christmas demands a better coat..."
He began busying himself by ransacking piles of clothes within the luggage, hoping to discard his current frockcoat for a far warmer one. And quite right too – after the scuffle with the Cybermen his brown frockcoat seemed a little worn and time.
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but this isn't your luggage, is it?" The Eleventh Doctor questioned him.
"Ooh no." The Other Doctor shook his head. "It's evidence! The property of Jackson Lake, the first man to be murdered."
As Donna whispered her thoughts into the Eleventh Doctor's ear, prompting a silent nod of agreement from him, the Other Doctor complimented his earlier bravery to Rosita; "Oh, but my new friend is a fighter, Rosita, much like myself! He faced the Cybermen with a cutlass! I'm not ashamed to say, he was braver than I, he was quite brilliant."
"Oi!" Donna quickly reminded him. "Don't forget about me – if I hadn't stepped in that Cyberman would've got to him long before you used that info-thingy!"
"Oh yes of course! I am, and I'm sure Mr Smith is, eternally grateful for your efforts, Madam Noble." The Other Doctor hurriedly corrected himself. "And you hold quite an sense of authority over him – Rosita seems very impressed."
Just as the Other Doctor finally found a new coat and was putting his old one away, the Eleventh Doctor sneakily unlocked another trunk with his Sonic Screwdriver.
"It's that wretched sound again, listen!" The Victorian Adventurer paused, not noticing Donna signalling for Rosita to keep quiet about it whilst the Eleventh Doctor searched for clues.
"Noise? What noise?" Donna humorously pretended not to hear the buzz of the screwdriver. "Maybe you're just thinking about that strange blast that nearly hit us back there, Doctor."
The Other Doctor raised his eyebrows, not totally convinced by her 'hypothesis'. "Maybe."
The Eleventh Doctor was going through yet another pile of clothes in a different trunk, confused at why they seemed to be different sizes to those being handled by his Victorian counterpart.
"That's another man's property." The Victorian companion folded her arms, not wanting the valuable evidence to be tarnished or disrespected.
"True. But a dead man's property to be fair." Admitted the Eleventh Doctor, rummaging through a trunk. "So, how did you two meet exactly?"
Sincerely and truthfully, Rosita looked back and forth between her Doctor and 'John Smith' as she told her story, sensing how weary and confused the former was.
"He saved my life. Late one night, by the Osterman's Wharf, this creature came out of the shadows. A man made of metal. I thought I was going to die. And then... There he was. The Doctor."
Her tone and voice became softer, quieter. She felt sorry for her Doctor, despite all the frustrations and flaws he had. "Can you help him, sir? He has such terrible dreams. Wakes at night. In such a state of terror."
From all this, Donna instantly knew how Rosita felt. Throughout her first adventure with the new incarnation of her Doctor, she couldn't help but notice a sense of loss within his behaviour. The death of his predecessor had not just been shock to his companions but the Time Lord himself; it had affected his personality and behaviour in more ways than just the regeneration's traditional changes.
Especially during the moment he was leaving Rose and his Meta-Crisis counterpart behind, it never seemed as if the Doctor felt like he was letting go of a huge burden. Instead, the situation appeared to place a new one on his shoulders.
Ever since that moment he'd seemed to revel in Donna's place on the TARDIS more than ever, but had also become slightly resigned and a little scatter-brained. Had his near-genocide of the New Dalek Empire done more to affect him than usual? Or was there something bigger on his mind? Either way, the way in which the Other Doctor was suffering from his memory loss and 'bad dreams' was almost a mirror image of how her Doctor was theoretically feeling internally.
As if to prove this was the case, the two Doctors came into a slight exchange.
"Come now, Rosita, is it any wonder? With all the things a Time Lord has seen. Everything he's lost. He must surely have bad dreams." The Other Doctor smiled weakly.
"Indeed Doctor…" The current Time Lord agreed, before fishing something interesting out of a jacket. "Bingo! This presents a new picture – our late friend Mr Jackson Lake was carrying an info-stamp!"
The Victorian Doctor was the most confused. "But how? Is that significant..?"
"Doctor. The answer to all this is in your Tardis. Can I see it?"
"Mr Smith. It would be my honour!" Beamed the Other Doctor, motioning for Rosita to come along.
As they departed the temporary hideout, Donna whispered to the Doctor; "What about that laser blast in the Reverend's house? I mean, those other Cybermen weren't shooting at us, and that one could've just crept up and killed us like they killed Fairchild."
"A fair point Donna." The Eleventh Doctor bemused, feeling that there was something else at play. Something far more dangerous than just the Cybermen and Cybershades they'd seen so far. "But one mystery at a time, eh?"
Making sure to keep up with the 'Other TARDIS Crew', they followed them out of the hideout, and towards an enclosed Factory Yard…