Disclamer: I don't own Doctor Who and no money is made off of this; it's just for fun. I also don't own Red Dwarf or Star Trek.
Characters/Pairing: Sally/Larry, 10th Doctor
Genres: General
Rating: K
A/N: Sort of a filler chapter, not a lot of action, just Sally and Larry in the TARDIS while the Doctor works out a solution. :P Reviews and Constructive Criticism are greatly appreciated, I'm not really comfortable with this sort of story; look at my others and you'll see I mainly do one-shots of fluff, so it's a bit of a stretch!
"Oh it's beautiful!" Sally breathed as the stepped into the TARDIS. " I didn't really get a chance to appreciate it last time. The gold light and those coral columns, all these wobbly bits on the, er, console?"
Larry furrowed his eyebrows, asking, "But how's it work? Bigger on the inside?"
"Dimensionally transcendental," was the Doctor's curt reply. Larry frowned for a moment, but seemed to accept the explanation. "Think," the Doctor continued, "Sirens. How do we talk to Sirens?"
Sally's face brightened, "I remember the story, I think. Odysseus strapped himself to the mast of the ship so he couldn't do anything when he heard the song. Then, he told his men they should fill their ears with beeswax so they wouldn't hear the Siren's song, and they wouldn't be affected. So, wouldn't we just fill our ears with beeswax, so to speak? You must have earplugs or something."
The Doctor looked impressed, but shook his head, "The story got twisted over time. They can get inside your head, transmit the song psychically, they don't need literal music. We'd have to...hold on...we'd have to...yes! That's it!" Without another word, the Doctor set himself to work, gathering up bits and pieces from around the console room, digging stuff out of his pockets, even opening up the floor grating to grab—a bicycle helmet?
"Sorry," Sally interjected, "But what exactly are you doing?"
"I'm making a psychic damper. Like, beeswax, for a psychic song."
Sally and Larry sat on the worn leather bench as they watched him work. "Can we help?" Sally asked, but the Doctor waved her off. She wondered how long he had been on his own; he didn't seem to know what to do with them. She looked at Larry, who shrugged and got up to poke around the console. Sally followed his lead and decided to do some exploring herself. She peeked through the far doorway, and was taken aback at how far the corridors stretched beyond the console room. She didn't want to go too far; in case the Doctor needed help, but decided to look at the first room to the right. It was a lavish library, books stacked on every free surface, plush leather arm chairs, and floor-to-ceiling bookcases packed with books. She took it all in, and quickly decided that she would very much like to spend more time in here. Once the alien brain-wave eating killers were taken care of.
Reluctantly, she closed the door behind her and stepped back into the corridor. She opened the door opposite, and found it was a kitchen, littered with random food and what she supposed were various cooking utensils, though she wasn't sure what most of them did. It was messy, but an organized sort of mess.
"Sally!" she heard the Doctor calling for her, so she quickly shut the door and rejoined the two men in the console room. The Doctor was holding his finished psychic damper. It was essentially a bicycle helmet, with a few wires and lights sticking out here and there. The Doctor looked proud of himself. "All set. I need you two to stay here, just in case It doesn't work."
"What happens if it doesn't work?"
The Doctor looked serious, "Emergency Programme Seven will take you two to Cardiff. You'll need to go to Torchwood, find a man named Captain Jack Harkness. Tell him everything that's happened, and they'll do their best to succeed where I failed."
"What's Torchwood?"
The Doctor shook his head, suddenly smiling. "Doesn't matter. Because I am brilliant, and this will definitely work." He nodded, for emphasis, then placed the helmet on his head and marched out of the TARDIS doors.