The silence in the Panopticon was broken by the loud wheezing, groaning,
clunking sound of a TARDIS materialising. It took shape. The shape was that
of a twentieth-century Metropolitan Police Box; not the kind of thing you
would expect to see amongst the grandeur of the Panopticon. The TARDIS
solidified and stood there looking as incongruous as it possibly could.
On a screen deep in the citadel the Castellan jumped to his feet when he
saw the Police Box shaped TARDIS in the Panopticon. He buzzed a couple of
his guards and they made their way to the Panopticon.
They arrived and circled the TARDIS taking readings from a small hand-held
device.
"It's an old type forty TARDIS," one of them said.
"A type forty," laughed another. "They went out of service years ago."
"It's the Doctor's," said the Castellan.
"Of course," said one of the guards.
The Castellan removed a key from his belt and opened the door of the
TARDIS. The guards followed him into the bright, whiteness of the console
room.
Lying in a heap on the floor was a figure, its face hidden within the
clothes, which were obviously too big for them. The Castellan gently pushed
the figure onto its back and its features were revealed.
They stared at the slight figure of a young woman in her late twenties,
with close cropped blonde hair.
"That's not the Doctor," said the Castellan.
"She's in a bad way," said one of the guards. "We must take her to the
medical unit."
The guard picked up the woman and put her over his shoulders and carried
her from the TARDIS.
The woman was laid out on a medical examination table and a medic was
bought in. Her clothes were removed and a medical robe was put on her. The
medic used a scanner to make a thorough analysis of the woman.
"She's a Time Lord," said the Medic. "Two hearts etc. Recently regenerated
I would say. In a couple of hours she will be fully recovered."
"When she wakes up," said the Castellan, "I want to know what she's doing
with the Doctor's TARDIS."
"Of course, Castellan," she said.
*** Later when the medical unit was deserted the woman's eyes flickered open and she sat up on the bed. A thought entered her head. TARDIS. Must find the TARDIS. An image of a large blue box also entered her head. That must be what she was looking for. She lowered her legs onto the floor and steadily got to her feet. When she was sure she could walk she gingerly made her way out of the medical unit and went searching for the TARDIS. A chancellery guard was walking back to his quarters after his duty shift, walked round a corner and bumped into the woman, knocking her to the ground. "I'm sorry," he said, helping her to her feet. "Where is my TARDIS?" she asked. "Your TARDIS," replied the guard. "Yes," she said. "I don't know," he said. "Lets get you back to the medical unit. You're not fully recovered yet." The guard went to take her arm when he felt himself fly through the air and crash into a wall knocking himself unconscious. The woman sighed and left the Guard where he fell.
*** Later, when the guard had woken up he pulled out his communicator. "The woman who was bought in has escaped, Castellan," he said. "She was asking about her TARDIS." "Thanks," said the Castellan. "That will be all. Go back to your quarters."
*** The woman reached the Panopticon and saw the familiar shape of the TARDIS. She ran up to it and placed her hands against the exterior and felt the gentle vibrations of the time machine. It seemed to rejuvenate her somehow. She found the spare key where she knew she would have left it, let herself in and then ran into the TARDIS through the double doors at the back of the console room, down the myriad corridors until she reached the TARDIS wardrobe. She walked past the large Victorian mirror that dominated one wall and saw the figure of a young woman with short, cropped blonde-hair and dark eyes, clad in a medical robe. She stopped short for a minute then walked back to the mirror and stared at her reflection. "I've regenerated again," she said to herself, "into a woman." She studied her new reflection intently for a while. "Oh well never mind," she said. "I think this rather suits me actually." She looked down at the medical gown she was still wearing. "Time to change," she thought as she began to rifle through the many clothes she had collected on her many journeys. Soon she had picked out an outfit she liked: a Chinese style shirt, a single-breasted velvet coat with a belt, a pair of black trousers and black boots. She checked out her new ensemble with an admiring eye. "Very chic," she thought. "Very me." She walked back to the console room and switched on the scanner. Outside were the Castellan and two armed Chancellery Guards. Opening the doors she exited and greeted the guards. "Thanks for looking after my TARDIS," she said. "I'll be on my way now." "Not just yet," said the Castellan. "How do we know you're really the Doctor?" She sighed. "If you don't believe me then I can't prove it. I will submit to a DNA test if that's what it takes. The Doctor was taken back to the medical unit where some DNA was taken from her and it was matched against the previous records of the Doctor. The match was exact. "I'm sorry, Doctor," he said. "That's quite alright," she said. "It will take a while for people to get used to me in this body and I need to get used to it myself." The Doctor bade farewell to the Castellan and went inside the TARDIS. The dematerialisation sound filled the Panopticon as the TARDIS disappeared to who knew where.
*** Later when the medical unit was deserted the woman's eyes flickered open and she sat up on the bed. A thought entered her head. TARDIS. Must find the TARDIS. An image of a large blue box also entered her head. That must be what she was looking for. She lowered her legs onto the floor and steadily got to her feet. When she was sure she could walk she gingerly made her way out of the medical unit and went searching for the TARDIS. A chancellery guard was walking back to his quarters after his duty shift, walked round a corner and bumped into the woman, knocking her to the ground. "I'm sorry," he said, helping her to her feet. "Where is my TARDIS?" she asked. "Your TARDIS," replied the guard. "Yes," she said. "I don't know," he said. "Lets get you back to the medical unit. You're not fully recovered yet." The guard went to take her arm when he felt himself fly through the air and crash into a wall knocking himself unconscious. The woman sighed and left the Guard where he fell.
*** Later, when the guard had woken up he pulled out his communicator. "The woman who was bought in has escaped, Castellan," he said. "She was asking about her TARDIS." "Thanks," said the Castellan. "That will be all. Go back to your quarters."
*** The woman reached the Panopticon and saw the familiar shape of the TARDIS. She ran up to it and placed her hands against the exterior and felt the gentle vibrations of the time machine. It seemed to rejuvenate her somehow. She found the spare key where she knew she would have left it, let herself in and then ran into the TARDIS through the double doors at the back of the console room, down the myriad corridors until she reached the TARDIS wardrobe. She walked past the large Victorian mirror that dominated one wall and saw the figure of a young woman with short, cropped blonde-hair and dark eyes, clad in a medical robe. She stopped short for a minute then walked back to the mirror and stared at her reflection. "I've regenerated again," she said to herself, "into a woman." She studied her new reflection intently for a while. "Oh well never mind," she said. "I think this rather suits me actually." She looked down at the medical gown she was still wearing. "Time to change," she thought as she began to rifle through the many clothes she had collected on her many journeys. Soon she had picked out an outfit she liked: a Chinese style shirt, a single-breasted velvet coat with a belt, a pair of black trousers and black boots. She checked out her new ensemble with an admiring eye. "Very chic," she thought. "Very me." She walked back to the console room and switched on the scanner. Outside were the Castellan and two armed Chancellery Guards. Opening the doors she exited and greeted the guards. "Thanks for looking after my TARDIS," she said. "I'll be on my way now." "Not just yet," said the Castellan. "How do we know you're really the Doctor?" She sighed. "If you don't believe me then I can't prove it. I will submit to a DNA test if that's what it takes. The Doctor was taken back to the medical unit where some DNA was taken from her and it was matched against the previous records of the Doctor. The match was exact. "I'm sorry, Doctor," he said. "That's quite alright," she said. "It will take a while for people to get used to me in this body and I need to get used to it myself." The Doctor bade farewell to the Castellan and went inside the TARDIS. The dematerialisation sound filled the Panopticon as the TARDIS disappeared to who knew where.