**This moment is from "The Green Death", one of the few episodes of the Third Doctor's era that's available on Netflix.**
Clara picked her nails as the Doctor moved around the TARDIS console in front of her. Hope we can get Theta this time, she thought. This game isn't as exciting as it used to be.
Finally the Time Lord stopped and read what appeared on the monitor. Clara wasn't surprised when he lightly banged his head against the screen. It seemed the universe was just itching for a laugh at their expense today.
"No good?" She asked.
"Not even close," the Doctor answered without raising his head. "He's in the middle of an open field, no cover for miles. We can't even land."
Of course that's where he is. "Do you at least know where he is?"
He glanced at the monitor again. "Lainfairfach, a county in Glamorgan on Earth. Post-industrial era, it looks like." He frowned. "My third self is down there right now."
Clara raised an eyebrow. "What made you want to go to South Wales?"
"It was for Jo, really. I'd wanted to go to the blue planet of Metebelis III, but there was a factory spewing huge amounts of pollution and she is the environmentalist for those sorts of things. No saying no to her." The Doctor breathed out a wheeze as he sat down on the metal steps again. His eyes had taken on that dull, grey quality, an expression Clara knew meant that he was remembering something tragic. More often than not, it was something he now regretted.
Knowing that they wouldn't be going anywhere for a while, Clara sat on his left side, replicating the position they'd been in only minutes prior. "How many selves do you have?"
"Hmm? Oh, regenerations?" The Doctor rubbed his fingers together before answering, "I've regenerated into fourteen different bodies. But I most often refer to this one as my twelfth."
"Why?"
He scrunched up his nose and shook his head. "Bad blood, I say. Nothing you need to hear or dwell over."
He made to stand, but Clara put a hand on the Doctor's knee. "Hey," she said. "Tell me about Jo."
The Doctor gave her an odd look, but he continued sitting. What had Clara done to him? It seemed the more he talked about his past, the easier it was to remember and retell. Old guilt somehow felt lighter, and his words cleared his mind like a refreshing wind. "She was…Jo, I suppose. A bright girl, blond and bubbly and excited." His eyes became distant again as they stared at a spot behind her left shoulder. "I didn't take her to nearly enough places, times, and planets. But it was her time, I suppose, as it always must be."
Clara already felt her eyes starting to droop (a woman could only handle so much "story time" in a day), but she plowed ahead, knowing that if she stopped the Doctor would become more closed off than ever. "What's happening down there? Right now?"
He smiled, but it was sad rather than nostalgic. "A mine shaft full of green slime and giant maggots, a corporate empire run by a machine…and a wedding…"
This time, Theta was able to emerge from the TARDIS' mini time vortex without colliding with the nearest object. As soon as he felt the wind dance across his feathers he flipped over until his claws were gripping something solid and opened his eyes. He was in…a car, the backseat of one. The tough leather seats made gripping it for longer than a few moments painful, and it had a yellow paint job that offended Theta and his (frankly magnificent) golden plumage. The sky was nearly black, the sun slowly retreating under the horizon. A few feet away was a stone cottage, the only building Theta could see for miles. With his sensitive ears he could hear the sound of music and general human cheer coming from the house. There were a couple sheep milling about the dirt walkway, and a dog shepherding them, but fortunately neither animals paid Theta any mind. He had to resist the urge to eat the lamb, though. It'd been so long since that meal on the TARDIS, and time hopping was tiring on the stomach.
But what interested the griffin most was the man who just emerged from the house without a backwards glance. He adjusted his dark red plaid coat and kept his head lowered as he walked, the last light of the sun making his white hair glow. The man was so lost in his own musings that he climbed into the driver's seat without noticing Theta. There he paused, gave the house one last, longing look, and drove away.
Theta crouched low in his seat and nibbled his tongue in thought. Now what? This must be another one of the Doctor's forms. Something was on his mind, certainly, and Theta was determined to talk it out of him. But when to make himself known? While the car was in motion, potentially giving the poor old man a hearts attack?
The car jumped and jostled its way through a pile of pebbles, and Theta decided to go for it. He didn't have long for this time period, especially if the Doctor continued to drive this car as poorly as he did the TARDIS. Hello, he croaked.
The effect was instantaneous. The man gave a shout of surprise and quickly spun the wheel, as if the sound had come from somewhere in front of him. Just as quickly he slammed his foot on the brakes, and the star griffin was launched into the back of his chair.
Ow, Theta grumbled, groaning as he climbed back onto the backseat. When he turned again the Doctor was glaring at him. The griffin flinched. This was the first time he'd seen an early incarnation of the Doctor greet him with such a look.
"You again! Confound it all, why do you keep popping up all the time?" He snapped, one hand still on the wheel despite his body being turned around in the chair.
This is the third time you've seen me! Theta growled.
"Yes, well, that's three times too many. Go bother someone else." He looked the griffin up and down. If it was possible, he became more agitated. "And get your claws out of the seat, you nitwit! You'll damage the leather."
Theta rolled his eyes and made a show of releasing the chair, but the material was so tough he'd hardly made a dent in it. You're very pompous in this form, you know. Like a noble, arrogant and self-centered.
The Doctor's mouth dropped open. "How dare you?" He sputtered.
How dare you! More ear wax than brain, I say. Or is that all your nose?
"I say, get out of the car this instant! I demand that you leave at once!" When Theta made no move to budge, he added, "Leave me alone!"
Despite the slight darkness, the flash of grief that passed over his eyes was unmistakable. Immediately Theta willed his hackles to lower and flicked his ears down into a non-aggressive position. What happened back there? Theta croaked. In the cottage?
The Doctor looked to be on the verge of making another demand, but he finally sagged into his seat and hung his head. "How can you know anything about that?"
The griffin allowed a small smile to creep through. Every form of the Doctor ran from big emotions, decisions, and even memories; every form needed an out in any conversation. It's not hard to miss, Doctor.
He looked Theta in the eye, hard. Then, "My assistant, Jo, got married."
That doesn't sound too bad. Sounds pretty good, actually.
"Yes, I suppose it is." He looked away and into the distance, where the sun was sinking.
Theta cocked his head. There's more, isn't there?
The Doctor chuckled. "You don't miss a tick, do you?" The griffin chortled in response, and after a while the Time Lord asked, "Are you alone?"
An odd question. In a sense, not at all, thanks to the Doctor, his TARDIS, and the female human, Clara Oswald. But in another, yes, he was the only griffin in that time-and-space ship. He might not be the last of his kind, but there weren't any other members of his species to talk to. And he couldn't say anything about that last part, lest the Doctor learn too early of New Gallifrey. Yes, and no, he finally replied. It's a difficult question to answer.
"Then you and I are quite similar." The Doctor turned back to Theta and smiled sadly. "I have the TARDIS, yes, I'll always have Her. Even when I've been exiled to Earth. But…that's not enough. None of the other Time Lords will follow me. Humans always leave, either by choice or necessity, sometimes even through death. Do you know what I mean, my little gryphes de stellis friend?"
Oh, am I a friend now? The Doctor's smile widened ever so slightly, but Theta sobered his own grin up right away. I'm sorry, Doctor, but no. I have no idea what you mean. But I suppose, given time, I will.
The Doctor pondered on his words for a moment. "You are from the future, correct?" He abruptly asked. "Do you travel with me?"
Theta flicked his tail in amusement, the glint coming to his eyes without prompting. I can't tell you that! That'd be cheating. You'll have to find that out on your own.
"Will I, now?" He chuckled heartily. Even Theta could sense the lightness that had been lifted from the man's shoulders. "Will you at least tell me your name?"
Maybe next time, Theta answered, clicking his beak together in mirth. He could feel the vortex in the back of his mind, coaxing him away. I have to go now. Good-bye.
"Oh, yes. Good-bye." The Doctor smiled and waved, but there was that sadness again. He was probably thinking about all the other times he's said those words, and how many more times he'd say them again.
That wouldn't do at all. It'll get better, Doctor, Theta quickly added. You'll find someone else. Could be anyone…human or alien or robot, any age, any profession. You'll see.
The Doctor nodded and raised a hand again in farewell. "Thank you, griffin of the stars. Till next time?"
Till then! And he was gone.
The Doctor stared at the place the griffin had sat for a time, before sighing and starting the car again. As he drove towards the TARDIS, and all the universe beyond, he grieved for his lost companion and wondered at what he would do now…but his musings were not without a little hope.
A little ding from the TARDIS console interrupted the Doctor as he'd begun his next tale.
"He's left!" Quicker than was normally possible for a gray-haired man he jumped to standing and flicked his eyes over the monitor. "Sarah Jane Smith will have to wait. Theta's on the move!"
Clara stood up, too, albeit a little slower, and frowned. "Doctor," she said, "you're saying that as Theta's living a moment out there…" She gestured vaguely towards the TARDIS doors. "You remember it as if it's happening right now?"
He grudgingly turned away from the monitor to roll his eyes at her. "Way to put it in simple terms, Clara, but yes, that is the general idea. Though technically speaking it is happening right now."
"Yeah, yeah, course." Clara furrowed her brow. "So, Theta crawled into the time vortex through the TARDIS. That means She's his only connection to us. Right?"
"Yes…" He answered, his questioning glance only intensifying.
She snapped her fingers in the air repeatedly, the movement and noise combination helping her think. "Then, tell me, who is deciding where Theta goes? Is it Theta? Or the TARDIS?"
The Doctor blinked and looked upwards in thought. "Well…Theta would be, to a degree. To put it in simple terms you can understand, it's like the TARDIS is laying out an array of time-and-space brochures with my name on them, and Theta gets to point at one and say, 'I want to go there'."
Clara rolled her eyes and ignored the Doctor's blatant and exaggerated rudeness, intent on making the daft alien in front of her understand her point. "In that case," she concluded, "what if we hook up the TARDIS navigation things to that selection process?"
He blinked at her like a startled owl. "Sorry?"
He wasn't getting it! "Theta can, and will, make a selection at any time. If we connect the TARDIS controls to that, in theory we should be able to, in essence, follow his finger to wherever he's pointing. We could know where he's heading before he gets there. I don't know if we'll beat him, but we don't have to. If a paradox is an issue we'll have more time to avoid it." She narrowed her eyebrows as the weight of her epiphany started to hit her. "This is possible, right? Doctor?"
Through her speech the Time Lord had remained silent, his mouth hung open slightly. Then he broke out into a grin.
