In this chapter our three heroes (eventually) go off on another adventure. There's some timey-wimey stuff which shows how much Moffat has corrupted my brain, a bit of fluff and jealousy, then a bit of a cliffhanger at the end...
"So my choice of destination then. I've always fancied going to…"but before Ten could announce where they were going, Clara interrupted him.
"Sorry for butting in, but before we go somewhere exciting and dangerous and full of the usual mortal danger, there's something that's been bugging me with this multi Doctor scenario. What happens if it all goes horribly wrong and Junior here dies and regenerates? Will he still regenerate into you Chinboy? Will I have two Chinboys with me, god forbid? "
"That's a cheery thought" replied Ten, "discussing my demise like that, though to be fair, that's actually a good point Clara. As I'm not on my proper timeline, if I died and regenerated into Chinboy on this trip, would I then skip all the events and time that would have happened between us in the normal state of affairs along our regular timeline, and end up here, skipping them out, or would he live them, but as him rather than me? That would give Rose a shock, if I returned to her looking like that!"
"Indeed, if those events got skipped, would I have even been here to bump into you to have the adventure that led to you regenerating into me? As if I wasn't here, then would you have been here to be killed anyway! And I've no idea where Clara would be in all this."
"Hmm, I'm starting to regret asking this question" Clara replied scratching her head.
"It gets worse Clara" continued Eleven. "As the regeneration would take place at a different time, Junior here might regenerate into someone completely different than me. Imagine that Clara, instead of travelling with someone cool and stylish like me, you could find yourself with a completely different Doctor. God knows what this Doctor could look like, he might turn out grumpier and older looking, and with a strange accent, say Welsh or Scottish! "
"Might make a change, having a mature Doctor!" replied a smiling Clara. "But is he good looking though?"
"Academic, as I'm sure he'd probably dump you at the first opportunity anyway! I imagine he'd get on well with Pond though."
"All things being considered, it would be better if I didn't die then" considered Ten, "it's all too timey-wimey to take risks. Let's go to somewhere completely safe and fun. What about Space Vegas?"
"I keep hearing about Space Vegas" replied Clara "but surely there must be a Space Blackpool as well! After all, Blackpool is just as good as Las Vegas."
The two Doctors exchanged glances, trying not to laugh.
"Less of those looks Doctors! It's my home town, and I think it's brilliant. Everyone up north loves Blackpool, it's in our souls. The piers, the Pleasure Beach, the entertainment shows, fish and chips on the promenade. Ah, brings me back to my happy days of childhood, and teen years spent hanging around the Pleasure Beach."
"Well if that's you want Clara" replied Eleven "I'll have a look. It's not a planet I've ever heard of or sought out before, but I'll see what the TARDIS has in its database. Just entering the details, ah here we are. Space Blackpool, in the Lancastrian Galaxy, five clicks away from the Seas of Paddy."
"So what does it say?"
"Space Blackpool is a pleasure planet, designed for fun and entertainment. Popular with people from the nearby Scouse Belt, Space Blackpool was created by people exiled from planet Earth in the 22nd Century, who wished to recreate the holiday charms of Blackpool, formerly a seaside town in the north of England, which faded into obscurity when nearby Sellafield became more popular for holiday makers."
"So it has piers and roller coasters and nightclubs and so on?"
"Apparently, though probably more advanced than the ones you're used to."
"Sounds good! I'm off to change, sounds like I'll need my party gear."
45 minutes later, the two Doctors were getting increasingly bored waiting for Clara.
"Let's see what's taking her so long" moaned Eleven.
The two Doctors knocked on her door.
"Oh hello boys, it's really hard choosing what to wear. I mean this dress "exclaimed Clara holding up a slinky and short red number, which immediately caught the attention of both Doctors "would be great in the evening, as I'm sure there must be clubs there and I fancy a boogie, but would be a bit impractical on the theme park rides, anyone underneath me would get quite a view!"
"Really?" replied Eleven airily "I suppose that would be an issue."
"Perhaps we could come back and you could get changed before going out for the evening" suggested Ten.
"Maybe that's the answer, if that's ok with you two boys?"
"Fine by me." replied Ten. "Incidentally, I couldn't help noticing that your room is rather small. Is that all the TARDIS could spare you?"
"Yes, well there have been a few issues between Clara and the TARDIS" replied Eleven sheepishly.
"His stupid appliance doesn't like me! I'm lucky to have this room at all, indeed when I first moved in, it kept hiding it from me, I slept in the kitchen one night!"
"That's strange" replied Ten. "Rose has a lovely bedroom, massive size, beautiful décor, really comfy bed."
"Really comfy bed eh?" Clara smiled.
"I um tested it out before she moved in, to er make sure it was comfy enough. Oh yes."
"Of course" though Clara's smirk suggested she wasn't entirely convinced by the explanation. "When we get back Chinboy, I'll be expecting something similar as well, but it's time to go boys, Space Blackpool here we come!"
Eleven set the coordinates into the TARDIS, and after a few seconds of flying they landed.
"Well Clara, this is as much of a surprise to me as it is to you, so I'll be fascinated to see what this place is like myself."
Eleven opened the doors and they walked out.
"Wow!" exclaimed Clara, this is just like the original Blackpool, but bigger. I can see the piers, and Blackpool Tower – gosh it's gigantic, it reaches into the clouds. And there's the Pleasure Beach, that roller coaster is unbelievable, I used to love the ones at Blackpool, let's have a ride straight away."
Clara led the Doctors into the Pleasure Beach, and headed straight towards the giant roller coaster. Fortunately it wasn't very busy, so there was no wait to get on it. And somehow they had obtained passes for the day using Eleven's psychic paper.
Clara flashed their passes and they were beckoned on by the attendant.
"You two can go in this row, and you with the bow tie can go in the spare seat behind them."
From his seat Eleven watched as Ten explained the roller coaster to Clara.
"I know you're used to roller coasters Clara, but this is a bit different to earth ones, so you might find it scarier than you expect."
"I sure I'll be ok Junior" replied Clara, "but if it's too much I've got you to protect me."
Not jealous at all, Eleven thought to himself, no, not at all. And I've got company too, as he looked across to the two headed alien next to him.
The roller coaster took off. Literally, as it flew above the tracks. Yes it was scary, VERY scary. Ahead of him Eleven watched Clara screaming in sheer terror, and Ten putting his arm around her to comfort her. Not jealous at all. Definitely not. Especially when he had his two headed alien to comfort. Not that she (or was it he?) seemed to need much comfort.
At the end of the ride, they all got out and sat on the floor in a state of complete shock, completely silent for several minutes.
"T-that was something else" stammered Clara, "I don't think I could cope with another adrenaline ride if they're all like that. There must be something more sedate we can try next."
Eventually, they got up and wandered around past various rides that looked and sounded terrifying. Even the rides for young children looked petrifying. Then suddenly Clara saw the perfect ride.
"Look! The Tunnel of Love. That brings back childhood memories, I must have been 14 and with my first boyfriend of sorts, it was a weekday afternoon after school, and he insisted we tried the Tunnel of Love. It wasn't very romantic, as I didn't fancy him that much, but we did have a quick snog inside. I always remember his name, Steven Moffat. I wonder what ever happened to him?"
"Well I'm sure he never forgot about you" smiled Ten.
"Well I'm definitely having a ride. Come on Chin boy. I'm not going in by myself!"
"You want me to, er come with you, um me not the other" stammered Eleven.
"You sure know how to keep a girl waiting don't you! Sit down here at once."
"Ok, er sorry, er thanks."
"I've leave you two lovebirds to enjoy the ride" laughed Ten. "I'll get us some refreshments while I'm waiting, there's a café over here, and it sells space cola."
Clara and Eleven set off on their ride
"This is nice" commented Eleven. "I like the interior design of the tunnel, the craggy rock formations are very reminiscent of the limestone caves commonly found in Borneo, which have been carved out over millions of years by the slight acidity of the water, though I assume in this case that the rock formations aren't in fact natural one that evolved over millions of years, but were actually..."
"Doctor, shush"
"Sorry, I was rambling."
As they reached somewhere near the middle of the tunnel the boat suddenly ground to a halt.
"Doctor, is this supposed to happen?"
"I don't think so, there must be a fault. I'm sure they'll fix it soon, there's nothing to worry about."
After a couple of minutes the Doctor spoke again.
"There's something I need to talk to you about Clara, and now seems to be a good a time as any, seeing that we're not going anywhere fast."
"As long as it doesn't involve limestone caves in, where was it Vietnam?"
"Borneo actually, but actually what I want to talk about is, Trenzalore." And with that Eleven took Clara by the hands.
"Doctor?"
Meanwhile, as Clara and Eleven 'enjoyed' their ride, Ten entered the café to get some drinks, then thought he would pay a visit to the bathroom first. It was there that the four figures emerged from a cubicle, rendered him unconscious and carried him out.
Thanks for all the reviews so far, I appreciate them.
For those that don't know it, Blackpool is Jenna's home town. It's very much a holiday destination, famous for its beach, three piers, tower, ballroom and the Pleasure Beach, a large theme park, which has a massive roller coaster and lots of other adrenaline rides. Blackpool has probably seen better days, as foreign package tourism has taken its toll. Oh, and the real Sellafield is a nuclear waste reprocessing plant :-)
