"So, we've done one trip in the past," the Doctor recounted as he started up the TARDIS flight sequence again, "so how about a trip to the future?"
"Works for me!" Molly agreed easily.
It was the day after their venture into Elizabethan London. Well, a sleep after. Molly wasn't quite sure how time worked on the TARDIS, since they spent most of their time hurtling through the Time Vortex.
The Doctor was winding up some sort of lever, dashing around to flip a switch. The dance to fly the TARDIS still baffled her, but she found it amusing regardless. The Time Lord grinned at her over the console and proposed, "How about a different planet?"
"Can we go to yours?" Molly asked curiously. She wanted to know more about the Doctor, and returning to his home planet would offer the best way to do that.
The Doctor froze, his eyes suddenly looking far older than Molly had ever seen them before. His expression switched quickly back to his customary grin, but it didn't seem to hold the same warmth. "Ah, there's plenty of other places."
That had clearly hit some kind of nerve. Molly didn't want to upset him, but she wanted to know more so she could help, so she asked, "What's it like though? I mean, we don't have to go there if you don't want, obviously, but what's it like there?"
The Time Lord's expression grew wistful as he thought. Several moments of silence passed before he finally began his description. In a low voice, he told her, "The sky's a burnt orange, with the Citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shining under the twin suns. Beyond that, the mountains go on forever. Slopes of deep red grass, capped with snow."
Molly listened with awe, trying to imagine it in her head but knowing she could never come close to what the Doctor was seeing in his. "It sounds beautiful," she said a little wistfully.
"Yeah," the Doctor replied quietly. "Yeah, it is." There was something so heartbreakingly sad in his expression for a few moments. Molly didn't dare ask what had happened; maybe he had been exiled, maybe the planet had been captured in war, but whatever it was, it was clear the Doctor held no hope of ever seeing that burnt orange sky again.
She couldn't ask him about it again, not if it hurt him that much, but if she at least had a name, she could find out what she could from other sources. "What's it called?" She asked quietly.
The Doctor was quiet for several moments, leaving Molly afraid he wouldn't answer at all. "Gallifrey," he finally said. There was a certain reverence in the way he said it that left Molly almost certain of her theory.
After a few more moments of silence, Molly decided to change the subject. "So, you said something about other planets?"
The Doctor snapped out of his solemn mood, the goofy grin returning. "Right! Other planets, way better than going home. Let's see… year five billion and fifty-three, planet New Earth. Second hope of mankind. Fifty thousand light years from your old world, and we're slap bang in the middle of New New York." He tilted his head thoughtfully for a moment before adding, "Although, technically it's the fifteenth New York from the original, so it's New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York. One of the most dazzling cities ever built."
Molly couldn't help but be awed just at the idea. "Five billion years in the future?" The idea seemed so absurd. Visiting a few hundred years in the future, or even a thousand was somewhat easier to imagine what it might be like. But five billion years? The human race could have evolved into beach balls for all she could guess. The difference between 1599 and 2012 had been odd enough; she had no idea what to expect from this vastly distant future. "What's it like? I mean, what are humans like now? Do we look any different or anything?"
The Time Lord chuckled at her obvious awe. "Nah, you lot always look about the same. Earth's gone, sun burned it up a few years ago, so no humans left there, but the human race has spread itself out to every star at this point. Now what are you asking me for?" Without warning, he threw down the final lever, and the TARDIS began shaking and shuddering its way through time again. With a slight squeak of surprise, Molly's torso was thrown down onto the console. She managed to grab hold for dear life as the TARDIS bumped its way through the rest of the trip. When the ship finally stilled, the Doctor hurried over to the door and turned back to face Molly. "Come see for yourself!
More excited than she'd admitted to even herself, the pathologist hurried past the console and to the front door. She pulled it open, eager to see the glorious sights the Doctor had been talking about, only to be greeted by a dank, narrow alley and a face full of rain. She raised her hands over her head, turning to look at the Doctor. He had locked the TARDIS door and didn't even seem to notice the rain. "Bad morning?" she inquired, hoping this wasn't the norm for the great planet he'd described.
"Nah, bit of rain never hurt anyone," the Doctor said dismissively. "Come on, let's get under cover!" A hand on Molly's shoulder, he started hurrying towards an overhanging roof.
They kept going until they found themselves in a slightly larger alley, where several large green metal bins, almost like dumpsters, were lined up. The Doctor led her over to a screen on the wall. "Hang on." He shined his sonic screwdriver at it for a moment until it turned on. A blond woman appeared on screen with a little icon of the statue of liberty in the back. Molly was surprised at the familiarity of it; it seemed just like a news report back home. The blond woman was saying, "...and the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New New Jersey expressway."
The screen cut to a clip of a wide, grassy cliff overlooking a vast stretch of water. In the distance Molly could see a city far larger than any she'd seen before, and some sort of spaceship hovered in the foreground. It looked beautiful, far better than the alley they'd found themselves in.
"Oh, that's more like it," the Doctor said appreciatively, tapping at the screen to make his point. "That's the view we had last time." He turned back to look assessingly at the alley. "This must be the lower levels, down in the base of the tower. Some sort of under-city."
"I suppose there's not a chance we could re-park the TARDIS?" Molly asked without much hope.
The Doctor shook his head with the cheeky grin Molly had been expecting. "Nah, where's the fun in that? You can't get the amazing stuff all the time. Besides, this is much more interesting. It's all cocktails and glitter up there. This is the real city."
Molly fought the urge to roll her eyes. That man would enjoy anything, she thought fondly. Aloud, she asked, "Alright, so if this is the 'real city,' then where is everyone?"
"Hmm... that is a good question." The Doctor looked around more critically now, frowning slightly. "This time of day, should at least be someone out."
"Maybe it's one of those bad parts of town no one wants to go through," Molly suggested. The Doctor just shrugged distractedly in response. As the silence continued, the pathologist thought of something. "Doctor, you said 'we' came here earlier. Who'd you mean?"
The Doctor's smile faded a bit. "Rose. It was me and Rose." He shook his head, then turned to Molly with a goofy grin, as though to turn his bad mood into a joke. "Had a bit of a run-in with some cats," he joked lightly.
Molly felt a pang of sympathy for the Doctor. He was taking her to the same places he'd taken Rose; clearly he was trying to hang on to the memory of her. She wanted to say something to comfort him, but she had no idea what to say, and besides, he had changed the subject.
Before she could respond, a flap on the front of one of the green bins pushed outward. She realized what she'd earlier thought were dumpsters were shop fronts; the flap was held up by a thin green stick, and behind was a shop stall, with a smiling shopkeeper behind the counter. He looked surprised to see the Doctor and Molly standing there. "Oh! You should have said. How long you been there?" Without waiting for an answer, he dinged the bell that sat on the counter, pointing at the wares behind him. "Happy! You want Happy?"
Before either of them could say anything, a call went out from one of the other stalls. "We've got customers!" Suddenly, all around them shops were opening their flaps, the shopkeepers yelling out their wares at the baffled travelers.
"Happy! Lovely, lovely Happy!"
"Anger! Buy some Anger!"
"Get some Mellow!"
"No thanks," the Doctor told them with evident distaste.
Molly looked at the display with disgust. "Are they selling drugs?" She was a pathologist – she'd seen first-hand what drugs could do to people. But in the future they were being sold at cheap street stalls?
"I think they're selling moods," the Doctor corrected.
"Isn't that basically the same thing?"
The Doctor didn't reply. Molly followed his gaze to see a young woman swathed in dark rags shuffling towards one of the stalls. The shopkeeper greeted her with a cheerful, "What can I get ya?"
"I want to buy Forget," she said in a dead tone, completely at odds with the over-cheerful shopkeeper. She had an air of heaviness to her.
"I've got Forget, my darling," the shopkeeper told her agreeably. "What strength? How much do you want forgetting?"
The Doctor started to head closer, Molly following closely. They paused nearby as the woman hesitated before admitting, "It's my mother and father. They went on the motorway."
"Oh, that's a swine," the shopkeeper said sympathetically. She turned to her stores, grabbed something off a lower shelf, then turned back to the girl. "Try this," she said as she handed her a thin, circular patch. "Forget Forty three. That's two credits." The woman handed her the money, then started to put the patch to her skin.
The Doctor cut in before she could. "Sorry, but hold on a minute. What happened to your parents?"
"They drove off," the young woman told him mournfully.
"Yeah, but they might drive back," the Doctor said with confusion.
She shook her head. "Everyone goes to the motorway in the end," she told him gloomily. "I've lost them."
"But they can't have gone far. You could find them," the Doctor insisted. Ignoring him, the woman went back to put the patch on her neck. "No. No, no, don't!" the Time Lord tried to stop her, but it was too late. With dazed, dreamy smile at odds with her earlier gloom, the girl turned back to the Doctor.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" she asked pleasantly.
"Your parents," he reminded her firmly. "Your mother and father. They're on the motorway."
"Are they?" she asked dreamily. "That's nice. I'm sorry, I won't keep you." With that, she turned and left.
Molly shook her head with disgust. "So, five billion years in the future, and drugs are being sold in street shops and people can forget anything they want for a few quid." She was a bit worked up about it, but as a doctor, it kind of sickened her.
Before the Doctor could reply, a hand wrapped roughly over her mouth, an arm pulling around her waist. A man was pulling her back while a woman pointed a gun at the Doctor. The Time Lord was looking at them in surprise and horror. Molly struggled, crying out, but the sound was muffled by the man's hand. His grip was too strong to escape. "I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry," the man apologized frantically as he pulled her back. "We just need three, that's all."
"No, let her go!" The Doctor tried to step forward, but the woman raised the gun, so all he could do was glare at them with frustration. "I'm warning you, let her go!" he growled. "Whatever you want, I can help. Both of us, we can help. But first you've got to let her go."
"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry," the woman apologized. She and the man seemed more scared than her victims. The woman's gun hand shook as she pointed it at the Time Lord. "Sorry."
Before Molly knew it, they'd disappeared behind a door and were heading towards what looked like some kind of hovercar. Molly started struggling more violently now. She knew if they took her away in that, it'd be much harder to get back to the Doctor. She couldn't break free entirely, but she managed to shake free of the hand on her mouth. "Let me go! The Doctor can help you, he really can, just let me go first!"
The man struggled to keep a hold on the struggled pathologist. "Give her some Sleep," he told the woman.
Molly stiffened when she saw the woman when she saw the woman holding one of those patches. "Oh no, keep that thing the hell away from me!" She began struggling violently, but the woman managed to press the patch to her neck. The energy began to drain from her, and only moments later she slumped unconscious against the man.
SCENEBREAK
The pathologist couldn't tell how long had passed when she woke again, but the steady rumble of an engine told her she'd been brought on the hovercar. She wasn't exactly scared; the couple who'd taken her had seemed more desperate than dangerous. But she was worried about how she was going to get back to the Doctor.
Molly opened her eyes to see the small interior of the hovercar. The man and woman from before were up front by the controls, sitting in the front seats. She appeared to have been laid out on some sort of bed in the back. There was an assortment of clutter on the bed beside her, including the gun the woman had threatened the Doctor with. She looked at it for a moment, considering, but in the end she decided against it. It was probably her best chance at getting them to take her back to the Doctor, but she just couldn't use it, not even to threaten.
Besides, the couple that had taken her had seemed pretty apologetic about the whole thing. They didn't seem to want to hurt her, at any rate. Maybe talking to them would help.
Molly got cautiously off the bed, making sure that patch hadn't had any side effects other than instantaneous sleep. Satisfied that she felt fine now, the pathologist headed towards the front of the car.
The woman turned to look at her when she approached. "Oh, you're up," she said with a forced grin.
"Yeah," Molly replied uncertainly. "No thanks to that bloody patch."
Guilt flashed in the woman's eyes. "It was just a bit of Sleep 4.7. We didn't want you hurting yourself struggling."
The pathologist crossed her arms to feel more comfortable. "Maybe a better idea would have been to not kidnap me?" she suggested.
"I swear we're sorry. We're really, really sorry," the woman insisted earnestly. "We just needed access to the fast line, but I promise, as soon as we arrive, we'll drop you off and you can go back and find your friend."
Molly was surprised. Just like that, they were letting her go? "Really?"
The woman nodded eagerly. "I swear. Look," she pointed at a patch on her neck, "honesty patch.
The man turned to face her now. "I'm Milo, and this is Cheen. What's your name?"
She hesitated a few moments before revealing, "Molly Hooper." Curiosity began to win out over caution. Coming to stand behind their seats, she tried to see out the front window, but some sort of fog was blocking the view. "Y'know, if you'd needed help, you should have just asked."
Milo shook his head sadly. "No one comes to the motorway without bringing family and friends along. There's no one left to ask."
"Is that where we are? The motorway? I heard it mentioned before."
Cheen nodded. "Yeah. You need three adults on board to get access to the fast lane, which is where we're trying to go."
"We're going out to Brooklyn," Milo explained. "Everyone says the air's so much cleaner, and we couldn't stay in Pharmacy Town, because…" he trailed off with a smile at Cheen.
The woman blushed. "Well, because of me. I'm pregnant," she explained gleefully to Molly. "We only discovered it last week. Scan says it's going to be a boy."
Molly gave her a genuine smile. "Congratulations." Against her better judgment, she'd already forgiven the two for kidnapping her. She'd be back to the Doctor soon anyway, and there was no harm done. Besides, they seemed so sweet.
Cheen smiled back. "Thanks."
Milo turned back to the controls, looking up at the foggy window. "This'll be as fast as we can. We'll take the motorway to the Brooklyn flyover, and then after that it's going to take awhile, because then there's no fast lane, just ordinary roads, but at least it's direct."
"It's only ten miles," Milo added.
That isn't much at all, Molly thought with surprise. "How long will that take then?"
"About six years," Cheen said dreamily.
Molly couldn't help but gape at them in shock. She was sure she'd heard them wrong. "How long again?"
"Six years," Cheen repeated, rubbing her stomach fondly. "Just in time for him to start school."
The pathologist was trying to get the idea through her head. Six years. Six years to drive ten miles. She could drive that distance in ten minutes. Either technology had devolved over time instead of getting better, or something was really, really wrong. The type of wrong the Doctor specializied in fixing.
So, Gridlock begins. Hopefully this one will be only two/three parts, since I'm sticking to Molly's POV throughout.