Hi everyone!
A big big thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! I've got some great ideas for this story, so watch this space. For now, here's part three. Enjoy xx
For Disclaimer see chapter 2.
Chapter 3: Tired Blondes and Abandoned Machines"When are you ever going to use this?"
Rose looked down at the little gadget, turning it over in her fingers carefully to avoid trapping her skin. It looked a little… lethal.
The Doctor took it from her and put it down on the table in front of them.
"You never know when you're going to need something like this, that's the whole point. And it's one less thing to worry about if you're ever stuck on a desert island."
Rose shook her head, and took a sip of her thick, fizzy drink, which was slowly turning her tongue an ever more vivid shade of turquoise.
The Doctor shifted in his chair as he played with the device, making it beep and flash. For such a little piece of metal it really was making a racket, and people at the other tables in the café turned to look at the disturbance with looks on their faces ranging from distain to anger.
Eventually the Doctor looked at her with a satisfied grin, and held up the gadget to show it off.
"This… this is gonna be brilliant. And such a timesaver."
He downed the last of his pink coloured beverage and held the device over the rim of the cup.
"Just think: any drink you want, anywhere you are, and it's there, at your fingertips. Well, technically, in the cup, 'cos if it was actually in your fingertips you'd be in trouble, especially if you'd asked for something hot."
Rose yawned. The Doctor frowned. Maybe he wasn't making his point. He turned to look at the device and asked for banana milkshake. Immediately and with illogical impossibility, the device filled the cup with thick banana milkshake, much to the Doctor's delight. He held it up to Rose so she could see the genius of the gadget for herself, but she turned her nose away: far to pungent an odour for her. The Doctor shrugged, and started downing the shake.
About half way through his miraculously produced drink, he noticed that Rose was being quieter than usual. He looked over at her, to find her looking at him with sleepy eyes. He shook the drinks device in her face to wake her up.
"Want another drink?"
Rose nodded, stifling another yawn. Why am I so tired? She smiled at the Doctor's efforts. "Yeah, some hot chocolate, Galaxy, not Cadbury's. Can it do that?"
The Doctor beamed, glad she was beginning to see it's usefulness. "Yep."
"With cream. And a marshmallow."
"As you wish."
She shuddered at his words. Is it just me, or has he been saying that a lot today? She tried to think logically: sometimes you hear something on TV or the radio and you hear it all day. Yes, that had to be it.
Suddenly her finished drink was pushed in front of her, mallow and all. She smiled gratefully at the grinning Doctor, and took a sip through the thick cream. It was perfect.
"How does it do that?"
The Doctor shrugged. "S'clever, definitely clever. And I never usually win anything at Re'lah."
Rose giggled. "Space Bingo!"
The Doctor chuckled, too.
They finished their drinks and the Doctor looked at his friend, who seemed to be mere moments from falling asleep right there in the café. He nudged her arm.
"You okay?"
Rose nodded, her eyes almost closed. "Yeah, I'll be fine."
"Want some coffee?"
"No! No more drinks, please."
The Doctor stood up, and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet.
"Come on, then. I know the perfect place to wake you up!"
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With all the amusements, shops, tourist attractions and exhibitions crowded into Gambit Junction, she couldn't believe he'd brought her here to make her wake up. Worse yet, he seemed to be enjoying himself, and was directing his rambling speeches at her, so she actually had to pay attention.
Rose looked down at the brochure in her hand.
GAMBIT JUNCTION'S MUSEUM OF SPACE TRAVEL.
The Milky Way's biggest collection of flight history under one roof.
Rose groaned silently. 'The Milky Way's biggest collection.' They had already been wandering around the dismal place for about two hours, and she had a feeling they were nowhere near the end yet. The Doctor was bounding from one display to another, reading notices over other people's shoulders and generally making a nuisance of himself. Rose smiled: if he got yelled at, at least it would give her something to laugh at. Poor Doctor. He really can't help himself…
"Rose! Look at this! The captain's log book from the first inter solar system space voyage from Foronian. That's the closest solar system to your own. And that's…"
She let him ramble on to himself, and started to walk away. She went to lean on the wall, but something caught her eye. Round the corner was a silvery shuttle of some sort, almost glistening. She noticed it through a slightly open door, on which was a sign that read RESTRICTED ACCESS. Rose looked back over at the Doctor, who had cornered a couple of alien teens and was lecturing them mercilessly about the importance of log-keeping on interplanetary journeys.
Deciding it was safe to wander off for a few minutes, she crept through the door, and over to the enchanting shuttle. It was obviously not on display for the public, with no special lighting, nor a plaque describing it. It seemed to glisten in a silver-blue sheen, which made Rose shiver. There was something strange about this ship. Something not quite right. It was like… she thought hard. She didn't really know what it was like.
After several minutes of contemplation she decided it was like this: the TARDIS was alive, and she knew it was, because it spoke to her, and she could feel the hum of life running through its walls. That's what made it so reassuring. This ship, though, with it's shimmery appearance, that seemed to change and swirl depending on which way she looked at it (kind of like Mother of Pearl, she thought later), looked like it ought to be alive. But it wasn't. It was too silent, too still. If it were possible, she would have said it was stiller than an inanimate object should be. It was like it was… dead.
She shuddered. She felt drawn to this intriguing machine, abandoned and obviously neglected by the museum staff. She found herself walking round it, her infamous curiosity getting the better of her like it usually did. She made her way to the opposite side, and could see some markings on the paintwork.
She couldn't make them out through the layer of dust and grime that had built up on the surface, so she wiped her sleeve over the markings, and gasped at what she saw. The name of the ship. And it's mantra.
DREAMCASTER.
Follow the Hidden Path.
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I know this story is a bit confusing but so is my mind, I just type what I see. It will all make sense in the end, I promise. Let me know how you like it so far: Reviews very welcome.
Thanks for reading xx