Author's note: I don't own any of the doctors. Takes place right before the Five Doctors for Doctor Five and before Rose for Nine.
Yes. If he fixed that interface, and hotwired the other one or was it the reverse? - the TARDIS navigational system would be fully, or at least almost, functional. Then, he could finally get Tegan home and then...he'd think about the then later...Now, where was that...
"Lookin' for this, chum?" a Northern accented male voice asked.
Sliding out from under the panel, the Doctor looked up to see his sonic screwdriver being dangled over his head by a total stranger. It was, in fact, what he was looking for, but something about the sardonic newcomer made him want to say "no." That would not be productive, so he nodded, taking the tool.
"Thanks," he said in a slightly surly voice. "Do I know you?"
"Well," the stranger grinned, "You could say that, though we haven't and won't ever actually meet. You can't meet yourself, y'know."
Himself! Good Heavens! There must be some kind of terrible crisis that threatened all of space, time, and anything else there was due to happen later in his own timeline to cause there to be more than one of himself in the same place at the same time. Checking his memory, the current Doctor tried to recall if either of his four prior selves looked like that.
"I'm the ninth model," the other Doctor said, as if reading his mind, or their mind? Sometimes, time travel was too confounding.
Ninth? He was only the fifth. That meant he was going to - essentially die several times between now and that point in the future. He liked himself. He did'nt particularly want to be this other chap, much less six, seven and eight.
Composing himself, the Fifth Doctor asked, "What brings you here?"
"Oh, I'm not saving the universe, directly that is, this time. I'm saving your hide, and mine." His future self grinned broadly.
Okaaaay. "Oh? How so?"
"Well, you're about to be in a situation in which you will be offered a great honor, but don't take it. Whatever you do, don't take it."
"Yes?" This really wasn't much information to go on, after all.
"That's all. Just don't do it, you'll know what I'm talking about when it happens."
It looked like the stranger, well not a stranger, but certainly not someone he knew either, was going to leave, so the Doctor stopped him. "Hey! Don't you think you should tell me what not to do? That is not overly specific, you know?"
Favoring his past self with a look that one would give a slow witted individual or a human, the Ninth Doctor replied, "That's the point, isn't it? If I tell you too much, it'll be interfering in the future, and as much as I'd like to, I can't."
Returning the look, the Fifth Doctor snapped, "Might I point out that you just DID interfere?"
The Other was unphased. "Not really. As I recall, it was seeing me warn myself not to do what I might have done that kept me from doing it, even though I didn't want to do what I might have done."
"I see I don't gain any clarity as time goes on," Number Five sighed. "Fine, if I think of doing something that I don't really want to do that might be considered an honor in the near future, I won't do it."
"Thanks. I did want to get to exist. I'll be off then. Say hi to our past."
And the leather clad other Doctor was gone as abruptly as he'd arrived.
The Doctor who remained grimaced.
Really, he should have asked for help fixing the blasted navigational device.