One week beforeā¦
"Clara, I may have made a mistake."
Clara clung to the Tardis railing as the ship rocked violently through the vortex. Burning sparks flew through the air like confetti and landed on her hands, threatening her to lose her grip. "Ya think!?" she shouted back.
The Doctor clambered up the stairs and ledges until he reached the railings surrounding the console. The Tardis listed steeply to the side, dropping books from its shelves and scattering papers from its desks. He dodged the falling objects as best he could, wincing when a particularly heavy tome rapped against his shoulder.
Bracing his feet against the metal posts, he stretched and managed to reach the console edge with the ends of his fingers. He gripped a random lever and hauled himself up. His biceps stung with the effort. He really should do more pull-ups. His feet skipped uselessly against the sleek metal floors and he cursed not having textured flooring put in.
He gripped the console with all his worth, his legs dangling beneath him. His long fingers flushed stark white with all his weight hanging from them. Like climbing monkey-bars, he swung from edge to edge and lever to lever until he finally reached the lever he needed. He gripped it firmly and yanked, forcing the ship to land.
The Tardis heaved and whirred laboredly. With a great thud, it finally landed. The ship righted itself roughly, nearly flinging its occupants into the opposite wall. Steam rose from the vents beneath the console floor. The Doctor scrambled to his feet, rubbing at the fresh bruise purpling his shoulder. "Are you okay?" he coughed.
Clara dusted herself off and nodded. "Yep, I think so." She looked around the ship, taking in the chaos. Wires swayed from the ceiling, smoke filled the air, and books were scattered everywhere. At first she was grateful for stable ground, but now her face contorted into a frown. She placed her hands on her hips and caught his gaze. "Doctor, what the hell did you do?"
The Doctor jumped down the stairs to the understory and flung open the hood where he had been working previously. White fumes billowed from the circuits and he coughed into his wrist, waving the air to clear it with his other. His eyes widened. In horror, he realized what had happened. "Clara," he called across the room, "do you remember those two-dimensional creatures that sapped dimensional energy from the Tardis and made it tiny?"
She furrowed her manicured eyebrows at the random topic. "Er, yes? That time I made a good Doctor?"
"Yeah, yeah that time," he gesticulated with his hands, still hyper with adrenaline. "Well, it seems that we did not come out of that little adventure unscathed." He carefully picked up a particularly burnt circuit board and blew on it to clear the soot from the transistors. "I was soldering some loose connections and accidentally shorted a circuit." He trailed off, becoming distracted by the extent of the damage. This was bad.
"And then?" Clara asked, making her way down the stairs to see what he was talking about.
"Well, Clara, the short of it is that we have broken our dimensional energy generator. The run-in with those flat creatures apparently destabilized the crystalline core, and my tinkering finally fractured it."
He pulled out a large columnar crystal from the depths and rubbed it against his shirt to clean it. It was aquamarine in color sporting a particularly flashy cut. A large series of cracks trickled up its length like veins. It glowed weakly in pulses. "You see, Clara," he explained, "this special crystal, Kapponite, has a four-dimensional atomic structure. It splits the third dimension we live in and allows access into other ones. This is how the Tardis is bigger on the inside. Without this, the Tardis is no bigger than, well, a phone box."
He glanced around, taking note of the room they currently occupied. Seeing as he and Clara were not cramped together, the crystal was still working in some fashion. He returned it to its place and flew up the stairs, pouncing on the console. He yanked the video screen towards himself and pulled up a damage report. "86% deleted," it read.
He licked his lips nervously and scratched his head. "Well, Clara. Looks like we've shed some rooms. That must be why the ship was so unbalanced. If your bedroom is gone, I'm sorry," he quirked his lip ruefully, hoping that the Tardis had prioritized the more important rooms to keep.
Clara huffed, swiping a lock of disheveled hair from her face. She quite liked that bedroom. "How do we fix it?"
"Ah!" He clapped his hands together, grinning broadly. "It's not a big deal. We just go to Kappon and buy another crystal."
He turned back to the video screen and studied the sprawling Gallifreyan readouts for a moment. "I believe we have enough dimensional energy for one more trip. After that, kaput until we get a new crystal." He regarded her sheepishly. "We may lose some more rooms, though."
Clara shrugged. They could probably restore them afterwards anyways. "Let's go then."
The Doctor led Clara to a bolted chair at the perimeter of the console and pulled a strap around her torso, snapping it into place. "Just in case we have a rough flight again," he explained. Clara nodded and gripped the edges of the seat.
He took his position in front of the console and tethered himself to it with another strap he dug out of a drawer. He made eye contact with Clara. "Ready?"
She nodded. "Ready."
He punched in coordinates into the colorful keyboard and placed his hand over the take-off lever. He hesitated a moment, tightening his grip out of fear. Gently, he pulled it back, hoping for the best.
The Tardis shuddered and heaved into life. The rotors above spun without their usual smoothness, like a skipping CD. A loud bang sounded from deep within the ship's underbelly. The Cloister Bells tolled ominously, their pangs echoing through the shrinking halls. Smoke spilled into the room again, coating their lungs and tongue with its acrid soot. The ship began to rumble, like a dog shaking water from its fur. The Doctor and Clara locked eyes, fear apparent on their faces. They were at the mercy of the wounded Tardis.
With a sharp lurch, the ship landed. The Doctor felt his shoulder almost pull out from the force of it. He hissed in pain. Today was a bad day for shoulders. He passed a glance over Clara and thankfully she seemed okay. Scared, but okay. He retched, choking on the thick smoke which stung his eyes. He threw the lever for the exhaust vents and listened to them hum to life. Soon, the room began to clear.
He untethered himself and swung the video screen back around. They had successfully landed on Kappon, somewhere in its southernmost continent near the coast. They appeared to be within a couple miles of a small city. He allowed himself a small prideful smile. That was some impressive piloting. He pulled up a fresh damage report. "97% deleted," it read in flashing crimson letters.
"Well, Clara, we probably aren't much bigger than a supermarket now," he turned to her, "but at least it seems the important rooms are still here. A few bedrooms, bathrooms, and the kitchen. It's bare bones, but we'll get by for now." He rubbed his hands together nervously, quirking an eyebrow. "At least we're not squished."
"Wait, that was a possibility?" Clara worried aloud, her eyes going wide in that way he could never comprehend.
"Yeah, well it didn't happen," he grinned like an idiot. "We're alive."
"Daft old man," she muttered, rolling her eyes. Always flying by the seat of his pants.
The Doctor procured some papers that looked like currency from a little chest on one of the shelves. Luckily it had not fallen and scattered its contents during the flight. "I hope the price hasn't gone up too much from when I was last here. I am not sure if we traveled forwards or backwards in time relative to my last visit. Couldn't control it that well," he regretted.
He handed Clara a small stack of the colorful bills. "This planet is famous for its sprawling marketplaces, Clara." He smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "Find yourself something you like."
Clara narrowed her eyes. She knew he was just trying to appease her after his stupid mistake. She raised an eyebrow and accepted the gift. "Very well," she hummed. "I could do with a new pair of shoes."
The Doctor made his way to the doors and offered an elbow to her. "Shall we?"
Clara linked her arm with his and smiled. "Let's go."
They opened the doors and were met with the sight of a sprawling jungle. Alien looking plants rose several stories into the air, which was as hot and sticky as a Mideonian sauna. The Doctor stuck a finger into his mouth and held it into the air. "Hmm, past. Definitely past," he mused. He dried off his finger with the holey jumper he wore. "Last time I was here, these forests had all been cut down."
A trail crept from the edge of the treeline. At its entrance stood a wooden sign pointing to a city named "Kalobraxia." According to the Tardis, they did not have far to walk. The double suns seemed most of the way over the horizon. The Doctor did not know how long the days on this planet were, but those suns seemed like they would set soon, leaving them with no time to waste. "Stay close to me, Clara. There could be animals in these woods."
"I can take care of myself, thanks," she dismissed, crossing her arms. Without another word, she walked towards the trail. He huffed, watching her go off on her own. He decided not to start a battle he could not win. Moodily, he stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets and followed her.
Within half an hour, they arrived at the outer perimeter of the city. It consisted of mostly sandstone buildings and cobblestone streets. It almost appeared Roman but had a definite alien flair. Hover vehicles lined the streets, so they had some level of technology despite the ancient-looking city. Soon, a sprawling bazaar appeared on the horizon, accentuated by colorful canopies and various stands adorned with all kinds of commodities.
"I'm going to go check out the mineral shops," the Doctor explained, pointing to the north side of the marketplace. "I believe you'll find shoes that way," he pointed to the south side where colorful fabrics swayed from the awnings. "I'll meet you back here in about an hour. Well, an earth hour I mean."
Clara nodded and set off to the south. Only an hour wasn't much time to explore the famous markets. The Doctor watched her leave for a moment before turning around and heading in the opposite direction. He pocketed the money, trying his best to ignore the tempting array of trinkets and gadgets laid out on the counters. For some reason, people seemed to be staring at him. He figured it was just because he looked so different from them.
Kapponians were a semi-reptilian race not far unlike Earth's Silurians. They were only scaly in patches along the spine, face, back of the arms, front of the legs, and chest. Their ears pointed upwards and they liked to tattoo black stripes and swirls on their bodies to indicate which clan they hailed from. Their skin was slate gray with bluish undertones and the scales were a brilliant azure color, similar to the mineral he sought. They donned robes of various designs and colors which fluttered in the wind. If he did not know any better, some of them appeared to be scowling.
He finally found the shop he wanted. This one was more like a store, housed in a proper building fashioned out of dusty sandstone. He opened the door and stepped inside. Crystals of all colors, shapes, and sizes lined the shelves and counters. He was greeted by an older Kapponian woman, who raised an eyebrow at his appearance.
"Er, hello," he waved, trying to appear friendly even though the atmosphere inside the shop felt tense. A ceiling fan whirred lazily overhead. A fly buzzed near his ear. He shooed it away and cleared his throat. "I was hoping you had some Kapponite to sell." He approached the counter, flashing her the money. "I need it to repair my ship."
The woman blinked her slitted eyes slowly, considering his offer. She narrowed them almost accusingly. Was everyone on this planet rude? What was with all the looks? It had not been like that the last time he was here.
"I will not sell to you, Time Lord."
The Doctor felt his jaw drop. How could she possibly know? He squirmed uncomfortably. Nevermind that, why didn't she want his money? He pulled more bills from his pockets and waved them enticingly, fanning them out on the counter. She turned her nose up at them. Stumped, the Doctor stuffed the money back into his trouser pockets. "May I ask why?"
The woman reached for a broom in the corner behind her. "I do not sell to Time Lords," she hissed like a snake. "You and your ilk have been exploiting us and our Kapponite for centuries." She jabbed the broom at him threateningly. "Get out of my shop."
Suddenly, the world blacked out.
