Here's the second installment of The Doctor and the Goddess. Hope you like it. Read and Review please!
~2~ Doctor and Time Traveler
"Is your mission clear, Agent Asahina?" the voice on the phone asked.
"Yes, I understand. I will seek the source of the distortion. Agent Asahina out." Mikuru said, closing her phone. She wore a serious expression, which didn't seem to fit her cute face very well at all. She pulled out a pair of glasses and put them on. "Seeking Mode," she whispered. Although there was no outward change, this turned the glasses into temporal-distortion-revealing glasses. Mikuru could see all signatures of temporal distortion in the area. Unfortunately, there usually weren't any signatures of temporal distortion in any area; but not this evening. This evening, there was a huge signature of temporal distortion. And it was nearby, too.
In the light of the red setting sun, Mikuru followed the signature to the other end of the city park, back about twenty feet into the forest, and in a small clearing. There it was. The source of the temporal distortion that she'd been assigned to investigate was right here. It took a moment, but Mikuru smiled. She'd completed her mission without much trouble. And it hadn't even taken ten minutes. She read the lettering on the top of the blue box. "Police Box…" She studied the words for a moment. Then she got rather flustered. "Fuuuueeeeeh~~~ but that's so outdated! That's not much of a disguise for a time machine!"
"It was the perfect disguise in the streets of Europe, back in the day," a voice from inside the trees said. The Doctor stepped out into the clearing.
Mikuru yelped, then covered her mouth, eyes watering. "Sorry, you scared me a bit."
"Oh, sorry about that. It's also like that because, one, the Chameleon Circuit is broken, two, I rather like it, and three, if someone sees something out of place in the ordinary world, they just walk right on past."
"This is your time machine? Sorry for intruding, but I had to investigate. Part of the job," Mikuru said.
"Yeah, she's mine. This here is the TARDIS. Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. I assume you're a time traveler as well?"
"Y-yes. I think it's okay to share that with you even though you're not involved, because you're a fellow time traveler," Mikuru said sheepishly. She continued, bowing, "I'm Mikuru Asahina. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister…"
"Doctor. I'm the Doctor," he said, smiling.
It took a moment to register in Mikuru's mind. Then it clicked. She saluted, her face extremely serious again. "It's an honor to meet you, sir!"
"Oh, please, don't salute me. I've had quite enough of being saluted, thank you very much."
"But, Doctor, you're a hero!" Mikuru exclaimed. "I'm just a trainee but even I have heard of your exploits!"
"I just hope all the stories you heard were good," the Doctor said, grinning.
"Oh, absolutely, Doctor. So this is really the TARDIS? Su~go~i~!" Mikuru looked at the TARDIS in complete awe, eyes sparkling brightly.
"You want to take a look inside?" the Doctor said, cheerily.
"Wha-! Ah, n-no! That's too much of an honor for a rookie like me!" Mikuru said, absolutely flustered.
"Ah, no, it's not too much at all! In fact, I insist," the Doctor said.
"R-really? Thank you so much!" Mikuru lunged at the Doctor, embracing him tightly. She quickly let go, thoroughly flushed in the face. "Uwaaaa~! I'm so sorry!" She bowed deeply.
"It's absolutely alright. I don't mind at all. Now," the Doctor snapped his fingers, and the doors of the TARDIS swung open, "let me present… the TARDIS."
"Omigod! It's amazing!" Mikuru cried in glee. "It's so much more expansive on the inside! How did you do that? Is the interior on a separate dimension than the exterior?"
The Doctor laughed. "Yes, that's exactly right. However, I didn't do that. TARDISes are grown, not built. They're living things, and that's the way they grow."
"Oh, wow, that's amazing! There's so much technology in here that I've only heard about in rumors, like Classified Information, and Classified Information!"
"Are you alright?" the Doctor asked. "I think your brain is forcibly censoring your speech."
"Oh, yeah, it does that. Sorry, Doctor…" Mikuru laughed sheepishly.
"Part of your agency, is it?"
"Yep. Time Agency. It's a pain, but I can't be allowed to say anything that could compromise the future. I don't mind, though."
"How interesting. So you would know how to work a time machine, yes?"
"That is correct."
"That would be handy. You see, the TARDIS is meant to be flown with six people, not just one, and I'm currently lacking any companions," the Doctor said, grinning.
"I'm sorry, but I can't assist you in your travels, Doctor. I'm here in this time plane to observe a certain individual."
"And just why is she under observation?" the Doctor queried, suddenly less jovial.
Mikuru sighed. "She was the center of a time quake. 3 years back is as far as our technology can take us, and we have reason to believe she was the cause of it, from what happened just over six months ago."
"Funny, a boy called Koizumi was talking about something very similar," the Doctor said quietly.
"You know Itsuki-kun?"
"Huh? W-well yeah, I met him earlier today. Nice bloke, bit cryptic, smiles like an idiot a lot."
Mikuru giggled quietly. "That sounds like our Itsuki-kun."
"Yeah, but what were you saying about what happened over six months ago? Koizumi didn't go into very much detail, just that this person, assuming it's the same person, is something akin to a God. She might've unconsciously unlocked the Skasis Paradigm, but that's just speculation, not really something I want to go into right now. Tell me about her."
"If Itsuki-kun mentioned someone like that, it could only have been Haruhi Suzumiya," Mikuru started. "Suzumiya-san is a very eccentric individual who believes in the existence of aliens, time-travelers, and espers. She also exhibits extraordinary powers in the ability to control this universe. Things seem to bend to her will, is what Itsuki-kun might have said.
"As I said, three years ago, Suzumiya-san was the center of a time quake. Just over six months ago, Suzumiya-san and a friend of ours, Kyon-kun, disappeared from this world, only to reappear a few hours later. They were completely gone, and then they just came back from nowhere. Itsuki-kun may think that it's possible that this universe is not the same one as before that incident, but we all have our doubts."
"That is absolutely brilliant," the Doctor mused. "The ability to distort time and space unconsciously, that's just brilliant!"
"You seem quite enthusiastic over such a serious matter," Mikuru said, looking slightly angry, which was no small task for her cute face.
"Sorry, but I can't help thinking that it's absolutely remarkable. Not an entirely new form of life, but such a development in natural abilities…"
Mikuru's phone suddenly rang. She reached for it, but it slipped out of her hands, clattering to the floor, and slipping into a gap in the metal grating. There was a series of consequently quieter clangs as the phone bounced down into the insides of the TARDIS, then a soft splash.
"Oh, that can't be good," the Doctor said quietly.
Mikuru was on the verge of tears. "Th-that phone was g-given to me by the T-time Agency. It can't b-be replaced. I m-messed up again," she sobbed.
The Doctor opened up the entrance to the inner depths of the TARDIS. "Don't worry," he said. "I should be able to fix it. It should just be water damage, nothing too serious. Just stay right there and you'll get it back in no time." He beamed brightly as he dropped down to the lower levels.
About ten minutes later, the Doctor came back up, thoroughly drenched and dripping, holding Mikuru's phone. "Ah, that was refreshing. Should've taken old Doug's advice, though. I can't find a bloody towel anywhere in here." He set the phone on a surface of the TARDIS' main console, took out his sonic screwdriver, and waved it over the soaked device. "It should be all better now. You go ahead and call your people. I should go dry off and get into something a bit… dryer. I could take a while, so you run along, Miss Asahina." With that, the Doctor dropped back into the depths of his ship.
Mikuru was left speechless. She walked forward, grabbed her phone, and walked out of the TARDIS, still unable to comprehend the mind of the Doctor.
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