A/N: Another update and on time! So proud of myself :D
Maybe you'd like to reward me with reviews...? The last couple of chapters barely got any at all :(
"Earth's the planet with all the oceans, isn't it?" she heard Adric ask the Doctor as she came back to the room, dressed in a simple jeans and t-shirt.
"That's the chap," the Doctor confirmed.
"Wet," Adric commented.
"Britain is," Eva said, joining the conversation. "Nothing's better than a cup of hot cocoa on a rainy day."
"That's the one place where we can find these blue boxes," the Doctor added.
"TARDISes?" Adric asked.
"Yes, but they're not," the Doctor told him. "The space is a combination of things that don't even time travel, just elementary Earth communications devices. And more or less obsolete by the time we'll be arriving there. There's some in the North that are still in use."
"But we've got communications devices," Adric said, not understanding.
"But not a police box," Eva said as if it were obvious.
"A police box?" Adric questioned.
"Yes," the Doctor said. "What the mathematical model of a TARDIS exterior is based upon."
At that, Adric frowned. "I'd like to see Earth," he said. "But why go all that way... just to look at something that looks like the TARDIS?"
"Because I want to measure it," the Doctor explained.
"Whatever for?"
"Block transfer computation."
"Never heard of that."
"I'm not surprised," the Doctor muttered. "Logopolis is a quiet planet."
"Logopolis?" Adric asked. "But I thought we were going to Earth."
"That, too," Eva said. "We go to Logopolis afterwards."
"You mean we're going to measure Logopolis, too?" Adric asked, confused.
"No, no, no," the Doctor said. "It's all to do with the chameleon circuit problem. One I blame you for, by the way," he added, pointing at Eva.
"Me?" Eva asked. "Why is it my fault?"
"Well, considering you were the one to break it in the first place –"
"I did that?" Eva asked, a smile building on her face. "But you never let me fly the TARDIS!"
"And now you know why," the Doctor muttered. "We measure the police box on Earth then take the measurements to Logopolis," he told Adric, leading him to the door. "Come on, I'll show you –"
A bell was heard, and all three people in the room paused. The Doctor walked to the centre of the room before stopping to listen.
"What is it?" Adric asked.
"The Cloister Bell," the Doctor told him, walking out of the room with the other two in tow.
EMH
The Doctor, Adric and Eva walked in the corridors, trying to reach the Console Room when the ringing suddenly stopped.
"It's stopped," Adric said.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Eva muttered.
"What does it mean?" Adric asked the Doctor, ignoring her.
"Well, nothing when it's not ringing," the Doctor said.
"But it did ring," Adric said. "Is there a wild catastrophe?"
"Apparently not," Eva shrugged.
"Well, something must have made it ring," Adric rationalized.
"Yes," the Doctor agreed, taking them through a new corridor. "Unless it's our old friend, entropy, nibbling away at the system circuitry. Let's take a look."
"But you were saying about the chameleon circuit..." Adric called after him.
"Well, the exterior of a TARDIS still exists as a real space-time event," Eva told him as they moved to catch up with the Doctor's pace.
"But mapped onto one of the interior continua," Adric completed.
"Precisely," the Doctor said, impressed with their knowledge. "That's very good."
"So you can change it into anything you like," Adric said.
"Theoretically," Eva snickered.
"Again, you fault," he said, pointing at her.
"That's a sore point," Eva told Adric knowingly.
"According to the handbook, yeah," the Doctor said. "Because the outer plasmic shell of a TARDIS is driven by the chameleon circuit, or so theory runs."
"In practice..." Eva said in a singsong voice.
"I always meant to ask Romana to help me to fix it one day," the Doctor shrugged.
"Why?" Eva asked. "I like it the way it is."
"Really?" the Doctor asked sceptically.
"Really," Eva said. "The mad man and his blue box."
"Our blue box," the Doctor corrected.
"No," Eva shook her head. "The TARDIS was always yours."
"You were there right from the start," the Doctor said. "It's yours as much as it is mine, if not more."
"Is this argument really important right now?" Adric asked.
"I suppose not," Eva shrugged, moving forwards.
"It is," she heard the Doctor mutter behind her, but paid it no mind.
"So, the chameleon circuit's stuck?" Adric asked.
"Yes," Eva said.
"In Totter's Yard."
"In a totter's yard," the Doctor corrected, walking into the Console Room. "Anyway, it was ages ago, it doesn't matter. Eva broke it right after I borrowed her."
"Borrowed," Eva snorted. "Right."
"Do you have a retort for everything I say?" the Doctor questioned as he leaned down under the console.
"Yes," Eva retorted.
"Wait," Adric said. "I thought the TARDIS was yours."
"Well, on a sort of finders-keepers basis, yes," the Doctor said. "Anything happening up there?"
"No," Adric said. The Doctor pulled a string and a keyboard came out of the console. "Yes."
"Good," the Doctor said, standing up again.
"What do these numbers and letters mean?" Adric asked, looking at the keyboard.
"Well, it's an early version," the Doctor said. "The instructions have to be punched in by machine code."
"Oh, how boring," Adric muttered.
"Boring?" the Doctor called out, typing. "In theory, we should be able to do things like this." A pyramid appeared on screen. "There. You have a door there."
"Yes, I suppose that's useful," Adric said.
"We've gotta be able to get in and out," the Doctor said as if it was obvious.
"He meant being able to change like that," Eva said with an eye roll. "And say what you want, but even a space station won't compare to this one beautiful police box."
"Someone's got attached, don't you think?" the Doctor questioned. "But the change can be useful. That's how the Master hid from us on Traken... Anyway, if this worked, I'd just have to punch a few buttons like this, and we'd be a pyramid," the Doctor said as he hit the buttons.
The pyramid on screen disappeared and a blue police box appeared in its stead.
"Told you," Eva said victoriously.
"It's very distinctive," Adric commented.
"Yes," the Doctor said. "I'm not sure we should be distinctive."
"Why?" Adric asked. "Who's looking for us now? You've disposed of the Master."
"Yes," the Doctor said. "But since we left Traken, and Eva appeared, and then the Cloister Bell..."
"Wild catastrophe?" Adric asked, and the Doctor hummed in agreement. "Man the battle stations?"
"Yes," the Doctor said sombrely, though he was shaken out of it moments later when a sound came out of the console.
"Earth," Eva declared with a smile. "Nearly there."
EMH
"Were you really born on Earth?" Adric asked as the Doctor did whatever he was doing to land the TARDIS.
"Born and raised," Eva confirmed. "Though it happened in two different time-eras."
"How's it like?" Adric questioned.
"Amazing," Eva replied. "I had friends who lived in the west, by the beach. We used to watch the sunset together... all of those colours on the water." She shook her head. "But that was before I met the Doctor."
"Aren't you in touch with them any longer?" Adric asked.
"They're quite unreachable," Eva said sadly. "They'd never believe me if I told them everything I've been through."
Adric opened his mouth to ask something more when the sound of the TARDIS landing was heard. The Doctor stepped towards an empty spot, looking around it and touching the air.
"We've missed," he declared.
"What's supposed to happen?" Adric asked, checking the air where the Doctor was moments ago.
"Well, it isn't supposed to be a miss, but I thought just for once we might materialise on the right coordinates," the Doctor said.
"You never materialise on the right coordinates," Eva said. "And if you do, you miss on the year. Occasionally, you miss on both."
"2.6 meters off target, what a landing," the Doctor sighed as he opened the scanner.
"It's not bad for the TARDIS," Adric said.
"That's what he just said," Eva told him with a smile. "What a landing."
Adric reached out towards the console and the Doctor pushed his hand aside.
"No, don't open the door," he scolded.
"Aren't we going out there to measure it?" Adric asked.
"There's no need to draw attention to ourselves," the Doctor said. "There's a simpler way, if I can just organise it. The TARDIS and I are getting rather better at these short hops."
"The TARDIS was always good at it," Eva laughed. "It's you who got a problem driving it."
"Quiet, you," the Doctor said, though there was no real anger in his voice. He pushed a couple of buttons and the TARDIS moved, making a blue police box appear inside of it.
"It's just like the TARDIS!" Adric called moving forwards to look at it.
"I hope not," the Doctor said. "That could produce some unpleasant dimensional anomalies. No, it's just an ordinary police box, around which we've materialised with considerable finesse, I hope you've noticed."
"Yeah, right," Eva laughed as Adric started reading from the box.
"Police Telephone," he said, taking the phone in his hand. "Free for use of –"
"No, no, no, leave it alone," the Doctor scolded. "It's a communications device. Adric, take down these dimensions. I've been meaning to do this for centuries."
"Why?" Eva asked. "What's wrong with the TARDIS as it is?"
"It's a police box," the Doctor said.
"I know!" Eva called, frowning as she saw the Doctor measure it out. "You won't change your mind, will you?"
"No."
Eva frowned, turning on her heel and walking towards the corridor. "Spoilsport!" she called out behind her.
All the Doctor did was chuckle in response.
EMH
About an hour later, Eva walked back into the Console Room to see the Doctor and Adric still standing there.
"Honestly!" she called. "I ate, showered, changed my clothes, had a smoke and the two of you are still here?"
"I was just explaining Adric what will we be doing on Logopolis," the Doctor told her. "Still smoking, I see?"
"Got a problem with that?" she asked, daring him to reply with a positive.
"Not at all," the Doctor said.
"Why do we have to go to Logopolis if the theory is as simple as you say?" Adric asked, hardly bothered by Eva's return to the room as he laid on top of the police box.
"Because the actual working out's incredibly tedious," Eva said. "And he's lazy."
"Much better to leave it to the Logopolitans," the Doctor defended. "They do it standing on their heads."
"Not with a computer?" Adric asked, causing Eva to laugh.
"'Standing on their heads' is an expression," she said.
"Oh," Adric said, slightly ashamed.
"As a matter of fact, they don't use computers," the Doctor told the duo. "They use word of mouth."
"Is that another expression?" Adric asked.
"No," the Doctor replied.
"They speak it?" Adric asked.
"Mutter," the Doctor said. "Intone."
"Intone the computations?" Adric asked, shocked.
"Yes," the Doctor said.
"Why?"
"I've wondered that myself," the Doctor mused. "Never quite had the nerve to ask them."
That line of thought was cut off by sounds coming from the console. Eva, the Doctor and Adric neared it, the Doctor pressing buttons before looking at one of the screens.
"Another instrumentation failure," he said.
"A gravity bubble?" Adric asked.
"No," the Doctor said.
A series of beeping noises played and Eva rolled her eyes. "Definitely a gravity bubble," she said.
"Yes," the Doctor said. "Pretty local, too, by the look of it."
"Is that dangerous?" Adric asked.
"Well, we better not dematerialise till I've investigated," the Doctor told him. "I have a feeling I'm overlooking the obvious again."
"That's because you are," Eva retorted.
"Are you going to help me out?" the Doctor asked her.
"Nope," she said, smiling.
"Then stay quiet," he ordered, heading towards the door. "Back in two shakes."
Adric rolled his eyes, heading towards the police box that stood in the middle of the TARDIS and trying to open the door. When he failed, he started picking the lock, Eva coming to stand closer to him.
"What are you doing?" the Doctor asked from behind them and Adric turned to look at him.
"I thought it might have something to do with the gravity bubble," Adric said.
"What?" the Doctor asked, pulling him back.
"I'm afraid you're right," Eva said as the police box's door opened. She and Adric made a move to enter it, but the Doctor pulled them back.
"No," he said. "Better leave this to me."
"You wish," Eva muttered, following him inside with Adric right behind her.
They walked into a Console Room, and the Doctor swallowed hard.
"Get back to the TARDIS," he ordered.
"But this is the TARDIS," Adric said.
"A TARDIS, perhaps," the Doctor replied.
"It looks just like yours," Adric said.
"Down to the last detail," Eva muttered.
Adric turned to do as the Doctor told him but was stopped when the Doctor called out.
"No, wait, wait," he said. "This could be terribly dangerous. You'd better stay with me."
"Never planned otherwise," Eva said with a nervous smile, taking the Doctor's hand in hers.
"So it is another TARDIS?" Adric asked.
"It's too early to tell," the Doctor replied. "There are other things that can cause this sort of dimensional anomaly."
"See if you can do that again," Eva told him, marking at the door of the police box inside the TARDIS.
Adric picked the lock and the trio walked inside, only to find themselves in yet another TARDIS.
"How many more of these are there?" Adric asked. "It couldn't be an infinite regression, could it?"
"I hope not," the Doctor said. "Because if it is, we'll never get out of it."
"Adric, could you?" Eva asked, marking at the police box in the middle of the room.
Adric sighed, taking out his lock pick kit when a bell started ringing. "Listen," he said.
"Someone's trying to get in touch with us," Eva muttered.
"We can't go back now," the Doctor said.
Adric hesitated before picking the lock. "Done it," he muttered.
"We must be getting near to the nucleus of the bubble," the Doctor commented.
"What's causing it?" Adric asked.
"Another TARDIS," Eva replied.
"What?" Adric asked. "Materialising around the police box just as we plan to do?"
"Yes," the Doctor said. "And someone's been here before us. Stay here, Adric, Eva."
"What part of I'm staying with you isn't clear?" Eva muttered, not letting go of his hand as she walked into the police box with him.
The Doctor blinked as they found themselves outside.
"Ah, good morning," a detective said, coming closer to them.
"Good morning," Eva said, and the Doctor nodded in acknowledgement.
"This your vehicle?" the detective asked.
The Doctor looked around, confused. "Which vehicle?" he asked.
"The sports car," the detective said.
"No," the Doctor said.
"Ah," the detective said thoughtfully. "I just wondered how you come to be here. There is only the road, after all."
"It isn't easy to explain," the Doctor told him.
"Well, while you're trying to work that one out, perhaps you'd like to explain this," the detective told the duo, marking them to come closer to the car.
The Doctor looked inside and his grasp on Eva's hand tightened as they saw two miniature dolls, one of an officer and one of a woman Eva knew to be Tegan's aunt.
"So he did escape from Traken," he muttered.
"I think you'd better come along with us," the detective said, noticing the Doctor knew something they didn't.
"But he's still about somewhere," the Doctor said.
"He, sir?"
"The Master," Eva replied.
"Now, just a minute, Officer," the Doctor said. "You don't realise what's going on here."
"No, sir," the detective agreed. "And I don't want to have to go into detail. You want to think yourself lucky that I don't have to be the judge."
"Me, lucky?" the Doctor asked. "You don't think that I... You do think," the Doctor said, shocked.
"I'm not paid to have opinions, sir," the detective said. "I'm paid to do my duty."
"Well, we do have opinions," Eva said.
"This is the calling card of the most evil genius in the universe, and I have to tell you gentlemen I've got to get after him," the Doctor said.
"Now if you'll just help me to create a diversion?" Eva asked, loud enough so that Adric, who had in the meanwhile walked out of the TARDIS, could hear.
"I think you just better come along to the station with us, sir," the detective said. "Miss."
"We'd love to," the Doctor said.
"Just to assist us in our enquiries," the detective told them, leading them towards the car.
"Would you mind awfully if I stopped and telephoned our solicitor?" the Doctor asked, marking at his TARDIS.
"You can do that back at the station," the detective said.
"It seems we're going to be awfully busy at the station," Eva noted. "Isn't that a telephone box?"
"That's a police box, miss, not for –"
"That would do fine, don't you agree?" the Doctor asked.
"Look, sir," the detective said sharply. "If you want a formal arrest –"
"No," the Doctor quickly said, letting Eva into the car before entering as well, the detective right behind them.