Picnic at Asgard
Chapter Four
"No more." River gasped, collapsing in a seat by the table they were sitting at. "I can't go on like this!"
The Doctor laughed, flopping down in the chair beside her. "Come on, River! I want to dance the night away!" he said mockingly
"Well you aren't gonna be able to do that with me." she pointed to herself. "Human. One heart. Tired." she pointed to him. "Time Lord. Two hearts. Insane."
The Doctor laughed. "Why not grab something to eat? I made us reservations. Got us our own private room."
River's eyebrows raised in suprise. "Really?" she asked, intrigued.
"Yes. Come on."
The Doctor took her hand and pulled her from the chair, leading her to the upper decks. Couples were entering and exiting rooms all along the walls. The Doctor stopped at one numbered 117.
"Room reserved. Please state reservation name." an electronic voice came.
"The Doctor and River Song." he said.
There was a click and the door slid open. The room was dark. River couldn't make out what it was. "Accepted. Doctor and River Song. Time remaining: 24 hours. Enjoy."
"Thank you."
The Doctor put an arm around River and led her into the room. The door shut behind them and it was completely dark.
"Doctor?" River asked.
"Wait for it..." the Doctor whispered.
"Engaging desired surrounding." tge computer said.
The room was suddenly lit up. When the light faded, River found herself no longer on the ship, but in a field of red grass. The sky above was burnt orange. She could see twin suns and gorgeous rolling mountains in the distance that were the same red as the grass but capped with snow. There was a citadel invaded in a glass dome just beyond the lake they stood before. The leaves on the trees were silver and as the wind blew through them River swore she could hear a song. Her mouth hung open in amazement at the beauty of it all.
"This is beautiful!" she exclaimed, twirling around to take every bit of it in.
"This is virtual. Sort of. The ship can program a room to take you anywhere. It literally transforms into wherever you want it to be. It may be a sort of virtual reality but for the moment..." he paused, taking a deep breath, whispering, "It's real..."
River smiled, looking around. "Definetly. Real water, real wind...where is this place?"
The Doctor smiled. "Gallifrey."
River's eyes widened and she looked at him in astonishment. She looked around again, taking in every detail, memerizing it all.
"Your planet." she gasped. "It's breath-taking. How'd you get the room to do this?"
"Customized it. It was easy with the sonic screwdriver and a memory scan." he said, "I've always tried to figure out how to take you here. Now I finally have."
River smiled, looking out at the citadel "I've always wanted to see it...planet of the Time Lords." she turned to him "You sure know how to impress a girl eh?"
"I'm not even halfway done yet." he said, snapping his fingers.