Whatever Happened to Kristine Kochanski? Part 2
"Where did you come from?" Kristine said in surprise.
"Oh, here, there and everywhere." He beamed. "I'm very well-travelled, you see."
Kristine dropped the Phaser. The Doctor looked at her inquisitively.
"Is something the matter?" he asked.
Kochanski sat on the ledge and the Doctor kneeled beside her.
"I thought I was all alone."
He put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, I'm here."
She looked at him. "How did you get here, anyway?"
The Doctor scratched his chin. "Well, I was just cruising through this region of space when I received a distress call. I decided to go down to investigate, see if I could lend a helping hand, that sort of thing."
Kochanski stared at him. "You have a ship?"
The Doctor grinned. "Not just any ship. It's the best ship in the Universe." He stood up. "It's just this way." He took a few steps forward, then stopped. "Or is it that way?"
Kochanski did a perfect facepalm.
The Doctor pulled a small metal device from his pocket and extended an antenna. There was a steady beeping sound.
The Doctor grinned. "Ah. That way."
In the distance, something growled. Kochanski grabbed the gun.
"We should hurry."
As they continued through the jungle, the beeping got steadily faster.
"Just out of curiosity," asked the Doctor, "how did you come to be in this situation?"
Kochanski shrugged. "There's not much to tell. I joined the Space Corps at _, and from there I lost my ship, my crew, and wound up three million years in deep space in the wrong dimension with the crew from 'Star Wreck'."
Through the thickets and reeds, Kochanski could faintly see something blue and thought for a moment that they had gone round in circles and were heading back to Blue Midget. Then they came out of the brush and Kochanski saw, to her total surprise, a bright blue box standing, quite out of sync with its surroundings, beneath a large tree. Overhead, the words "Police Public Call Box" were illuminated by backlighting, and on the roof was a small lamp.
The Doctor brushed a trailing branch and unlocked the door.
"What's that?" Asked Kochanski.
The Doctor turned round, brushing away the branch. "This? This is the TARDIS. It's my home."
"But it's just a box!"
The Doctor chuckled at her naivety. "Don't judge a book by its cover. Are you coming?"
"Where?"
"Inside."
Kochanski looked at him as if he had two heads. "But it's tiny!"
The Doctor shook his head and opened the door. Kochanski was drawn to the brilliant light radiated from within.
Suddenly, something burst through the dense woods behind them. Kochanski screamed.
"Run!" The Doctor shouted. Kochanski ran towards the TARDIS whilst the Doctor pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and kept the beast at bay with a burst of high-frequency vibrations.
When she passed through the doors, she felt an odd sensation. She stopped. Suddenly, she was standing in a large six-sided room dominated by a six-sided control console. The walls were covered in faintly glowing roundels, and at the centre of the control panels a transparent column gently turned.
The Doctor came in from behind her and walked over to the control panel. He pulled a lever and the doors slid shut.
"It's alright, you're safe now. Nothing can enter the TARDIS."
Kochanski appeared completely shocked. The Doctor frowned, and then he realized the problem.
"Yes, it's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. You'll get used to it in the end. It's called Dimensional Transcendentalism. Does it frighten you?"
Kochanski drew breath. The Doctor nodded understandingly.
"What was that thing?" Asked Kochanski between breaths.
The Doctor shrugged. "It didn't say, and it didn't leave its card either."
He led her over to a chair on the other side of the room and gestured for her to sit on it.
"Now, I don't believe I've had the pleasure. Miss…"
"Kristine Kochanski."
"Ah. Welcome aboard, Kristine." He rubbed his hands together. "Hold on tight!"
He pulled the Dematerialization Lever and there was a wheezing, groaning sound as the TARDIS disappeared and lurched through the Space-Time Continuum, sending the Doctor and Kristine spinning off to another exciting adventure!