"So, anywhere in Time and Space right?" Cara asked, glancing at the Doctor who was pacing around the console. "Anywhere and everywhere." he answered, pressing a few buttons on the TARDIS. 'That's so cool.'
The Doctor chuckled. "It is."
Cara smiled, getting up following his footsteps. "So you can hear, everything?"
"Anything and everything."
"So, can talk to me in here too; like before?" she asked, watching him swoop around the console, looking like a thin brown bat. "I can," the Doctor replied. "Just thought maybe, when you're more comfortable…"
"You can do it." Cara said suddenly, placing her hands on the TARDIS console. The Doctor looked up at her. "Cara, are you sure?" he asked, shooting her a worried look.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm sure." Cara said, nodding. "Do it, whenever you're ready," she said, shutting her eyes tightly. "Are you doing it? Do I have to concentrate?"
'You are sure about this, Cara?'
"Yeah. I'm sure."
The Doctor chuckled lightly. 'Cara.'
"Yeah?" Cara said, opening an eyelid, the Doctor was smiling, an amused look plastered onto his face. "What?" she asked, staring at him blankly. 'Cara,"
"Wh—Oh!" she cried, her eyes widening in realisation. The Doctor starting to laugh.
"Yeah that, that's makes sense.'
'These are brilliant, Cara.'
Cara snorted, tossing a few t-shirts into a bag. 'There useless.' she thought back.
Before they were going to wherever they were going. The Doctor refused to tell her, insisting it will be a surprise. They had come back to the Miss Hardy's home, to pack some things for her.
'Nonsenses, there gorgeous.' The Doctor replied, holding up on one of her machines. 'But they don't work.' Cara thought, throwing in two more jackets and another pair of sneakers.
'Maybe, but the idea is well beyond; normal human capability's in this current timeline. In fact, I think now you might just be able to finish these.' he mused, setting it down, his attention now drawn to her old pictures she'd draw.
Cara smirked, it was clear that the Doctor seemed extremely interested in her. It was so strange…no ever really was…
Once again the thought that he could possibly have heard all that filtered into her brain. But even if he did, he seemed to pretend like he didn't.
'These symbols.' The Doctor started after a few minutes of silence. Well it had technically been silent for the past half hour, but that didn't really matter.
'Yeah?'
'When did you start drawing them?' The Doctor asked, showing the picture, pointing to the corner. Cara paused, rubbing her back of her neck. 'Well…I—Not sure. Always, I guess...Why?'
The Doctor shrugged, packing in a few more books. Before discreetly tucking the picture into his coat pocket.
Three Days Later…
Inside the TARDIS; the Doctor began to 'prep' the TARDIS for take-off; Rose was ready to come aboard once again and they were blasting off to their new destination.
Cara had been staying with the Doctor the past three days. To say they were the most exciting three days of her life, seemed like an over exaggeration.
But they were.
Her time with the Doctor and the TARDIS had been filled with fun and craziness. The bond between her and the Doctor had started to become more noticeable to her, along with some other 'alien' qualities.
Like being able to hear insanely quiet things; and almost feel time itself.
It was safe to say, that she definitely didn't believe she was human anymore. Something while still daunting-was oddly enough slightly comforting, things that didn't make much sense, began to.
Plus her headaches becoming non-existent was brilliant.
Rose opened the door to the TARDIS; shooting a small smile at her as she pulled off her bag. The Doctor had been a little worried with Rose; even offering they go off for a little bit and pick her up a later on. But Cara denied that, she didn't want to be a bother then she already was or might be.
The Doctor made a little noise (almost like a tut), from the console. Rose and Cara looked up at him, Cara joining him on his right. The Doctor grinning at them, pulling down a lever with vigour. The TARDIS beginning to dematerialize.
Making its strange noise as it went. Cara liked the noise, it gave her chills down the spine. Happy, thrilling ones. Chills of adventure.
"So, where are we going?" Rose asked, holding onto the console.
"Further than we've ever gone before."
Stepping out onto a wide field of grass, Cara looked around; a breeze of windy making her hair fly everywhere. "Did we just?" she started, glancing at Rose and the Doctor; her eyes shining with wonder.
Rose nodded, smiling at her. "Yeah."
"It's the year five billion and twenty three. We're in the galaxy M87, and this...this is New Earth." The Doctor said, standing behind her, placing at hand on her shoulder.
The city looked like something out of a movie. With flying cars and shining tall strangely shaped buildings, while still holding the strange bit of nature tucked between the technology.
"That's—" Cara started, bursting out into laughter, unable to express her excitement any other way. "Wow." she breathed out. "Not bad. Not bad at all!" The Doctor said, watching the youngest twirl around, eager to take in every bit of the new world in front of her.
"That's amazing. I'll never get used to this. Never. Different ground beneath my feet!" Rose cried, jumping up and down. "Different sky!"
"What's that smell?" Cara asked, suddenly. The Doctor bending down, pulling up a few strands of grass. "Apple grass."
"Apple grass!" Rose cried, smiling. "Yeah, yeah." The Doctor agreed. "So grass made out of apples or apples made out of grass?" Cara asked, glancing back the two of them.
The Doctor and Rose shared a look, the Doctor taking a lick from one of the strands. "You know, I'm actually not sure." The Doctor said, smiling down at the grass. "Brilliant."
"That's beautiful." Rose said, gazing up at the Doctor. "Oh, I love this. Can I just say...travelling with you... I love it."
"Me too." The Doctor said, grinning at her, scooping up Cara his arms, making her laugh. "Come on!" he said, grabbing her hand, taking Roses in his other as they ran off.
"So, why is there a New Earth?" Cara asked, lying between the Doctor and Rose on his large coat. "So, the year five billion... the sun expands, the Earth gets roasted." The Doctor started.
"That was our first date." Rose added smiling at Cara; gently tucking some hair behind her ear. "We had chips."
"The world blew up and you had chips?" Cara asked, glancing between the two of them.
"Kinda…" the Doctor said, waving it off. "So anyway, planet gone, all rocks and dust, but the human race lives on, spread out across the stars. Soon as the Earth burns up... oh, yeah, they get all nostalgic... big revival movement...go find this place." he said sitting up, taking a look once again at the big city. "Same size as the Earth, same air, same orbit. Lovely. Call goes out, the humans move in."
"What's the city called?" Rose asked. "New New York."
"Oh, come on." Rose said sceptically. "That's not very creative." Cara said, looking up at the city.
"It is! It's the City of New New York!" he said, pausing. "Strictly speaking, it's the fifteenth New York since the original. So that makes it New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York." The Doctor said, making Cara giggle.
"What?" The Doctor asked, noticing Rose staring at him. "You're so different."
"New New Doctor."
"Whatch mean?" Cara asked, furrowing her eyebrows. 'New New?' The Doctor chuckled, ruffling her hair. 'Tell you later.'
"Can we go and visit New New York... so good they named it twice?" Rose asked, getting up. The Doctor nodded, pulling his coat off the ground. "Well... I thought we might go there first." he said, gesturing to a large building in the distance a little away from the city.
"What is it?" Cara asked, standing on the tippy toes to see the whole thing. "Some sort of hospital. Green moon on the side; that's the universal symbol for hospitals." he explained whipping out his wallet thing, which Cara now knew was psychic paper.
"I got this. A message on the psychic paper." The Doctor said, Cara reading it over his shoulder. "Ward 26." she mumbled.
"Someone wants to see me." The Doctor said, tucking it back into his pocket.
"Hmm! And I thought we were just sight-seeing." Rose said cheekily. "Come on then! Let's go and buy some grapes." she said linking arms with the Doctor, who quickly took Cara's hand pulling her between them as they made their way to the hospital.
"Bit rich coming from you." Rose said, as they walked in. The hospital while definitely futuristic seemed to have the same basic layout as any old hospital would. Except enlarged by like ten. (Pun intended)
"I can't help it, I don't like hospitals. They give me the creeps." The Doctor said, Cara nodding in agreement.
"Very smart." Rose commented looking around. "Not exactly NHS."
"No shop. I like the little shop." The Doctor said, looking around for a little shop. "Why, what would you do in it?" Cara said, looking around as well, but keeping closer to the Doctor. The Doctor shrugged. "You know…shop."
"I thought this far in the future, they'd have cured everything."
"The human race moves on, but so do the viruses. It's an ongoing war." The Doctor said, as a nurse walked by. A cat nurse. "Huh." Cara mused, nodding as she watched more of them appear. "Don't see that every day."
Rose's reaction was less subtle. "They're cats."
"Now, don't stare." The Doctor said, lightly. "Think what you look like to them, all-Pink and yellow. That's where I'd put the shop." he said, pointing over Rose's shoulder. "Right there! See?" he said, walking towards the lift, with Cara in tow. "Ward 26, thanks!" he called up to the lift.
"Hold on! Hold on!" Rose shouted, rushing towards the lift, the doors closing before she could make it. "Oh, too late," the Doctor called though the lift doors. "We're going up."
The lift began to make a strange humming noise; making Cara look around touching the odd little spouts. 'What do those do?'
"Ward 26. And watch out for the disinfectant."
Cara traced her fingers along the spouts. 'Does it eject something?'
"The disinfectant! The di... oh, you'll find out."
"Find out what?" Cara asked, just as a noise rang out in the lift.
Commence stage one: disinfection.
Came a voice from above them as bright green lights began to flash. "Doc, what's stage one di—Ah!" Cara screamed as a jet of liquid (which was some kind of futuristic disinfectant) rained down on them like a very powerful rain storm or very angry shower.
The Doctor laughed, smoothing his hands through his hair; thoroughly enjoying his mini shower. The same could not be said, for Cara who was ducking underneath his soaking coat; clinging on for dear sweet life.
After a few seconds the downpour stopped, allowing Cara a few seconds of air. "What was—"
"Oh! Close your mouth." The Doctor said. "What?!" Cara cried, shutting her mouth, just as a white cloud of smoke was jetted onto them, curtsy of the spouts. "So that what it does." Cara mumbled, rubbing her eyes.
Suddenly a blow-dryer started up; nearly shooting her backwards, before slowly getting the hang of it; as she attempted to fix her hair.
The disinfection process happened another three times, so by the time she and the Doctor arrived in Ward 26, she looked a little more put together.
Well besides her hair, which was sticking up like crazy; unlike the Doctors whose hair for once seemed perfectly tidy. 'Oi!' the Doctor said, grinning at her pulling out a comb from his pocket, giving Cara's hair a good long messed up ruffle, before handing it to her.
"Welcome to Ward 26."
"Nice place. No shop, downstairs. I'd have a shop. Not a big one…just a shop."
'So people can?'
"So people can shop." The Doctor said, Cara snorting. "The hospital is a place of healing." The nurse, Sister Jatt replied a tad miffed.
"A shop does some people the world of good. Not me. Other people..."
'Jackie Tyler.'
'Yeah.'
"The Sisters of Plentitude take a lifelong vow to help. And to mend." Sister Jatt said, as they past beds with their main patients seemed to have bizarre illness's she'd ever seen. One man looked like he was turning to stone.
"He is," the Doctor said. "What?" Cara whispered, just when a woman walked up to them.
"Excuse me," A woman in a tight bun said sharply. "Members of the public may only gaze upon the Duke of Manhattan with written permission from the Senate of New New York."
"That's Petrifold Regression, right?" The Doctor asked, inclining his head to the Duke.
"I'm dying, sir." The Duke answered, before his strange assistant person did. "A lifetime of charity and abstinence. And it ends like this."
"Any statements made by the Duke of Manhattan may not be made public without official clearance." the woman said instantly. Cara couldn't help, but feel bad for the Duke. The woman seemed to have as much empathy as a mosquito.
Frau Clovis!" the Duke cried out pain, returning her attention to him. "I'm so weak…"
"Sister Jatt!" Frau Clovis snapped, glaring at the Doctor and Cara. "A little privacy, please!"
The Doctor scowled at the woman, lightly steering Cara away. 'Are you alright?'
Cara paused, trying to remember how to talk in her head again. The room seemed to spin, this whole hospital giving a bad feel, twisting the insides of her gut.
"Shush, shush." The Doctor hummed, wrapping an arm around her rocking her gently as he spoke. It was oddly calming.
"It's rather unusual to visit without knowing the patient." Sister Jatt said, looking around. "No. I think I've found him." The Doctor said, Cara following his gaze.
There seemed to be a giant head, floating in a giant machine oddly enough reminding her of a jar, in the corner of the ward near the window.
"Novice Hame, if I can leave this gentleman and his child in your care?" Sister Jatt asked. Cara slipped out of the Doctors arm, bending down staring at the…head? Person? Alien? In the odd jar thing.
"Who are you?" Cara found herself whispered, sitting on her knees lightly touching the glass that separated the head from them. "That Cara, is the Face of Boe."
"Face of Boe." Cara repeated, tracing her fingers along the Face of Boe's glass.
"I'm afraid the Face of Boe's asleep. That's all he tends to do these days. Are you a friends, or...?" Novice Hame started. Cara liked her voice, it was soothing. Very nursly.
The Doctor smiled, glancing down at her, before back at Novice Hame. "We met just the once on Platform One."
"What happened to him?" Cara asked, trailing her fingers over the glass, waves of sadness seeming to roll off her. The Doctor staggered back slightly, not expected the wave of emotion her received.
"I'm so sorry. I thought you knew." Novice Hame said, sadly. "The Face of Boe is dying."
"Of what?" The Doctor asked, looking at the tank.
"Old age. The one thing we can't cure. He's thousands of years old. Some people say millions."
"That's impossible." Cara whispered. "Oh…no…I like impossible." he said, kneeling down next to Cara, placing one hand on her shoulder, his other like hers against the tank.
"I'm here. I look a bit different, but it's me. It's the Doctor."
Thank you to all my readers; you all are amazing!
Are you all enjoying/liking Cara (so far?)?
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Till next time...