I'm having a good time, trying to do a chapter a day makes me feel like I'm uploading too fast but then again I don't really care for going slowly with something I'm passionate about. Anyways, this Charls is different in some aspects. New body, after all.
The TARDIS quickly raced through time, back to the day after Martha had left home. Sure, Martha was a bit annoyed that the Doctor had suggested she return home so quickly but maybe all good things had to end. The Doctor dashed around the console, pulling levers, spinning dials, and pushing buttons. As the TARDIS rumbled and Martha held on for her life, Charls was sitting on the floor - reading. In a rather strange place too, they'd managed to wiggle their way under the platform that the console sat on.
"Are you sure that's the best place for you to be reading?" Martha shouted at Charls.
Charls lowered the book they were reading, "I suppose it's a bit dusty."
"That's...not what I meant." Martha sighed.
Charls squirmed their way out and propped themselves by the elbows onto the platform. "Would it be possible for me to get a reading light?" They asked Doctor.
He didn't reply, for one the TARDIS had gotten louder and also he was also busy piloting.
Charls grunted as they hoisted themselves to their feet, closing the book and throwing it by the seats. "Fun read, that one. Learned all about the basics of time travel."
The Doctor halted, "I thought you were learning Circular Gallifreyan?"
Charls looked at him, "Oh, right, that. Yeah, learned that so I read some other things."
The Doctor gaped at Charls, "What have you done for the past hour?"
They recalled the last hour, "I ran to the library, learned Circular Gallifreyan, read some stuff about shapeshifters, I tried to read that funny disappearing book but it wasn't fun so I moved on and read some book about time travel and the TARDIS. You do know that you need six pilots for this right?" Charls grinned and jumped on the railing, swinging their feet back and forth.
"You can remember the past hour?" Martha asked, "I thought you had a terrible memory."
"Well, different body, different rules." The Doctor commented.
"Exactly!" Charls exclaimed, "It's like the box thing is no longer relevant I shouldn't have bothered explaining it. But I suppose at that time it was a good analogy...now I'll need to think of another one…" They quieted down for a moment then exclaimed, "Oh! I've got it! A maze! No wait! A library!"
"A library?" Martha raised an eyebrow, "What was that thing about a box anyways?"
The Doctor held out a hand, "They have analogies for how their memories work. It's complicated."
"Yes! A library!" Charls jumped up and down.
"Great! A library," The Doctor encouraged, "Tell us about this library."
Charls grinned, "It's like a library because I have knowledge kept in books on shelves and most times the books in libraries are kept in sections. In my library there's sections for books or memories about me, about my family, about stuff that I don't know about! Also, you can only check out a certain number of books! Let's say that the books or memories I check out of the library, I take home or in this case I remember and can recite. After a while these books need to be returned! And some sections can only be accessed on certain days or with a password or something."
"That certainly is more complicated than the box." The Doctor sighed, "For the box we only needed a flashlight."
"I'm still confused," Martha put up her hand, "Why is the library thing important?"
Charls hummed, "Think of it like a videogame! You want to unlock all the endings, right? For me, it's sort of a natural instinct to know everything. At least for this me it is."
Martha frowned, "But doesn't that go against the Gray? They developed instincts to go against needing to know everything. They forget on purpose."
The Doctor's eyes widened with realization, "Charls! You're 33.32% human! That's your human side - your curiosity about the unknown. It goes against the very instincts of your species."
"So I shouldn't read all the books in the library?" Charls asked.
The Doctor shook his head, "I don't know what'll happen if you do."
Charls frowned, "You don't think I'd be able to handle it?"
Martha stepped towards them, "That's not what he's saying."
"Then what is he saying?" Charls shouted, getting riled up for some unknown reason.
"Charls, calm down." Martha said softly, "The Gray learned how to forget because they needed to. There might be consequences for knowing everything and there might not be. We don't know. But until we do know, it's safer for you, and for everyone around you, to not know the entire library."
Charls growled, "I can handle it."
"You're stubborn." Martha sighed and backed away.
"They're just finding themselves again," the Doctor looked sympathetically at Charls, "It's a difficult process the first few times. Doesn't come natural."
Charls jumped onto the railing and swung their legs, "I don't like this, Doctor."
"Yeah, I know." He sighed and went to stand next to them.
"It's like there's nothing." Charls looked at him, practically begging for some ounce of advice.
The Doctor looked at them for a second then went back to piloting the TARDIS, "I know how you feel, really I do, but you have to accept that you're you. You're still Charlie Grey just you look different now. You might act differently, too. And that is fine. Just try some stuff out - see if it's you. Get angry, throw a book, hug a stranger. It takes time to find you. Take your time."
Charls smiled a tiny bit, "Thanks, Doctor."
He paused and went back to flying, "It's my pleasure."
The Doctor scrambled around a bit more then stood back, "There we go. Perfect landing. Which isn't easy in such a tight spot."
"You should be used to tight spots by now." Martha dusted off her hands. "Where are we?"
The Doctor watched as Martha jogged to the door, "The end of the line. No place like it."
Charls trailed after them, glancing back at the TARDIS console before stepping outside.
"Home." Martha said, "You took me home? I thought you were joking."
"In fact, the morning after we left, so you've only been gone about twelve hours. No time at all really." The Doctor surveyed around the room, looking at Martha's family photos.
"But all that stuff we've done. Shakespeare, New New York, old New York?" Martha questioned.
The Doctor faced her, "Yep, all in one night, relatively speaking. Everything should be just as it was. Books, CDs, laundry." He picked up one of the underwear that was hanging on a rack that Martha immediately snatched from him, "So, back were you, as promised."
Charls slipped behind them and played with the watch a bit. Standing next to Martha's alarm clock and reading it then looking back at the watch. Probably thinking of different planets and different cities to see if it really did show different times. They muttered tiny notes of amazement under their breath.
"This is it?" Martha asked with disbelief.
"Yeah, I should probably...um…" The Doctor rocked on his feet awkwardly.
The phone rang and Charls jumped in surprise, nearly shouted, too.
"I'm sorry," Martha apologized as the message played out, "It's Mum. It'll wait."
The person calling continued to talk so they listened, not knowing what else to do.
"I was only calling to say that your sister's on TV." The woman noted and Martha frowned, picking up the remote and switching on the TV, "Just thought you might be interested." And the phone beeped another time.
Charls straightened up, no longer distracted by the alarm clock but now by the television.
"The details are top secret…" A man's voice crackled out of the screen.
"How could Tish end up on the news?" Martha wondered.
"You have a sister?" Charls looked at her then back at the TV.
"Tonight, I will demonstrate a device which will redefine our world." An old man spoke in front of a crowd.
"That's her there," Martha pointed at the lady standing behind the man, "She's got a new job. PR for some research lab."
The man continued, "With the push of a single button, I will change what it means to be human."
Martha switched off the TV and faced Doctor again, "Sorry. You were saying we should?"
The Doctor kept his eyes on the screen for a few more seconds then took a deep breath, "Yes, yes, we should." He nodded, "One trip is what we said." He rested his hand on the TARDIS and looked at Martha.
Charls tapped the top of the television, "How does this thing work?"
"It's a television," Martha told them, "shows the news and stuff…"
"I suppose that trip that you said was just one turned into three, eh?" Charls smirked, "Is it completely confirmed that the one trip is over?" Charls mimed quotations while saying 'one trip.'
"Mmm." The Doctor hummed and thought about it, "Seems to happen to me a lot."
Martha smiled, "Thank you. For everything."
"It was my pleasure." The Doctor stepped back into the TARDIS and Charls scurried inside.
"What about the man on the television?" Martha managed to hear before the TARDIS door shut.
"What about him?" The Doctor asked, flipping switches and pushing buttons.
Charls sat on top of the railing, "If Martha's sister is going to be there then we should go! Protect her or something?"
"Is that a moral compass that you're getting?" The Doctor smirked and landed the TARDIS. Charls giggled and swung their feet, then nodded towards the door.
He dashed over to the door and poked his head out, "No, I'm sorry. Did he say he was going to change what it means to be human?"
Charls bounded over to the door and appeared behind Doctor, "I believe you are our ticket in, Martha Jones."