Shopping (For Fun)
This references the events of Time Reaver, the Big Finish audio-play.
A look of sheer disgust fell over Donna's face. "Calibris?! What are we doin' here again!?"
The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets, beaming at the chaos before him, complete with the wonderful smell of diesel. He took a deep breath. "Isn't it fantastic?! I bet Vagabond's Reach is still around, and just as amazing as ever."
Donna's arms crossed over her, her own memories of this place far from pleasant. "Did you forget about what happened the last time we were here?" she asked.
He turned, and seeing the concern under her disdain, he frowned. "Oh…I haven't forgotten."
She gulped. "What if…that lot are still around?"
"We're here two hundred years later if that helps," he answered and then took her hand. "The TARDIS needs compressors for the internal gravity compensators, and well, I forgot to get them the last time we were here."
"You mean when that giant octopus tied a bomb to my back?"
The Doctor squeezed her hand. "No Gully now," he said and then beamed. "It'll be fun! A proper visit to Calibris this time!"
With him smiling so stupidly like that, Donna could hardly remain irked. She shrugged. "All right, but I want to go somewhere really fun after this. And at least I'm dressed better this time."
The Doctor's mouth dipped to reply but thought the better of it as they walked down the street, careful to step out of the way of people in a hurry to get wherever. He kept his hand firmly clamped around hers and glared at anyone getting too close. He might have been light in his response, but his own memories of their last trip to the planet were raw, in particular the fear he'd felt at seeing the Time Reaver bomb strapped to Donna, and her terrified voice whispering in his ears. No, this visit would be far less eventful, he would make sure of it.
They arrived at what once had been a familiar shop.
"Uh, guess this isn't Soren's place any longer," the Doctor mused.
Donna's eyebrow rose. "Yeah, two hundred years later? I know humans advance in medicine and all, but livin' for two hundred years sounds like pushin' it."
"I was still in diapers," the Doctor mused and pushed open the door. The ownership might have changed, but it was still a garage that offered what he needed.
"Hello!" he called.
The mechanic's head shot up. Or rather, his two heads looked up. After all this time traveling with the Doctor, Donna thought she would have been prepared for anything, especially on a planet filled with all sorts of alien life. But she couldn't help but do a double take, no pun intended.
The left head smiled. "Hello! What can I help you with?"
The right head didn't seem as genial. "Don't be thinking you can pinch anything. We can see everything."
Donna smirked as the Doctor rocked on his feet. "Oh, no need to be alarmed. We're just here to buy some compressors for gravity compensators. And maybe throw in some booster switches too while we're at it."
The alien walked over to the far wall. "You're in luck! I have one box left of compressors. Last one" the left head was saying. "Hard to find, too."
Donna's eyebrow shot up, and she inhaled to say something, but the Doctor gave her a brief glance, and she remained quiet.
He walked toward the counter. "That's good luck then, isn't it?" he said and rummaged through his pocket.
The mechanic placed the box onto the table. "Fifty credits."
Donna had no idea how much the box was actually worth, but she could tell by the expressions on both heads that it wasn't fifty credits.
The Doctor produced his wallet, and Donna knew he was showing the psychic paper. "Now I completely support the idea of enterprise and making a fair profit, but I happen to have worked for the manufacturer of those compressors some years back, and they were only worth two credits each, back then, and inflation has only gone up by point three percent in the last –"
"Fifty credits," the right head said as the alien's arms grabbed at the box.
Donna really didn't like this planet. Aside from its less-than-ideal memories, it smelled foul, appeared to be covered in grime, and everywhere she looked, she felt like she was being sized up for robbery. All she wanted was to get those stupid whats-its and leave.
She stepped forward, her eyes holding the left head's gaze. "Look here, Hydra, we saw that exact same box next door for twenty-five credits."
The Doctor froze, and she knew he was inwardly cringing, but she was too annoyed to care. He owed her for dragging her back to this planet.
The left head's eyes blinked, but the right one's glared. "Those are of poor quality."
Donna snorted. "Same box, loves, and they weren't shifty either."
"We…"
The Doctor inhaled. "Donna…"
"That's what I saw. Red box, blue lettering. Twenty five credits," Donna continued. "But I think box was bigger. They were probably selling more for less."
The right head's eyes winded. "No one is selling for less than thirty."
The left head sighed.
Donna smirked. "That's pushing it. We'll take that box for thirty and those…"
"Boosters," the Doctor supplied.
"Boosters," Donna repeated. "Free of charge."
Both heads were glaring at her now as the mechanic practically slammed a bag of boosters onto the counter. "Fine."
Donna nodded at the Doctor. "Pay 'em."
Too alarmed to do anything else, he immediately shoved some sort of currency onto the counter.
Donna grabbed their purchases and smiled sweetly. "Pleasure doing business with you," she said and turned on her heel. She heard the Doctor stammer something and scramble after her. Once outside, she turned to him. "Crooks in any century."
The Doctor beamed. "That was brilliant!" he exclaimed.
Donna exhaled. "Thanks. Mum was a master haggler. Could work a salesman down to ten quid for a hat marked up at thirty."
The Doctor rubbed his chin, impressed.
Holding her chin higher, Donna felt rather empowered. "I'm not in the mood for this place."
"I can see," the Doctor said and then frowned. "And we probably shouldn't stay. They might not be happy."
"Good," Donna said and marched back toward the TARDIS, the beaming Doctor at her side. "And can we go someplace nice now?"
Seizing her hand, the Doctor laughed. "You name the time and place."