The Doctor arrives

[tardis-lord.livejournal.com]

Time: July 24, 2000
Place: Lobby
Status: Public - Complete
Summary: The TARDIS lands

The Doctor didn’t usually sit on the dusty floor of the TARDIS. Usually he would lean against the console, or the wall, or sit on one of the pieces of junk that made do as chairs.

Usually, Rose Tyler would be with him.

But she wasn’t now, and never would be. She was gone. It would have been a bit more bearable if she’d died; at least that had some kind of finality about it, some kind of ending. You couldn’t fight death. It was the end.

(Of course, if he’d been feeling really heroic he could always have done an Orpheus and tried to find the Underworld… he had a fairly good singing voice…)

But this way?

She was in a parallel universe. And if he visited her, he would destroy both worlds.

He hadn’t even gotten the chance to say he loved her…

The Doctor could feel the TARDIS worrying about him. Sentimental thing. She was hovering around the edge of his mind, soft and inquiring, ready with a mental cup of tea. Poor TARDIS. She’d always been there when his other companions left, for one reason or another, but this was quite beyond her. She didn’t quite understand what was going on.

The Doctor sighed. ‘Go away,’ he said softly.

He sounded like a petulant teenager. Ah well.

He kept thinking of the last time he’d seen her. Her fingers slipping on the lever, being dragged into the Vortex, that empty space between worlds (‘some call it Hell’), and him screaming her name… then Pete Tyler, her father, teleporting from his own world to grab her.

Rose, disappearing. Never to be seen again.

He leant his head back against the wall. What was he supposed to do now? Travel, he supposed, as he’d always done. Travel the universe, through time and space, in his little blue box.* Always alone.

He was just considering this when a light on the console began flashing. A screen lit up.

‘Not now,’ he said.

Yes, now, seemed to be the TARDIS’s answer. The light kept flashing incessantly. It seemed she wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Stubborn thing.

He stood up and didn’t even bother to wipe the dust off the back of his long brown trench-coat.** With a sigh, he went over to see what the old girl wanted.

Alone again. Just the Doctor and his box.

He looked at the screen. Then, ‘That’s a bit unusual.’

He might take another companion, but that was a very small likelihood. It would be hard to find someone like Rose.

‘Lower Tadfield? Where’s that? Oh, England. Very unusual.’

Did he even want to find someone like Rose? Would he even be able to stand another companion? Or would he be constantly comparing this new girl to the wonderful Miss Tyler?

‘What year is it? 2000. Turn of the millennium. End of the Spice Girls and rise of S Club. Hmm. What on Earth’s going on there?’

The readings were so strange. Definitely not Earthen, and they were quite unlike any alien thing he’d come across. It could be trouble.

He’d just lost Rose.

They really were very strange…

He stopped and looked at the central column of the TARDIS. It was trying to look innocent.

His face split into a sudden grin. It was one of his wide, worrying ones, that seemed to make his eyes light up with childish glee and made almost everyone in the vicinity back away slowly.

‘Oh, alright,’ he said. He pulled a lever.

And, with his usual tact, the TARDIS – a great big 1960s Police Box – landed in the lobby of Tadfield Manor.


*Which isn’t actually that little. It’s bigger on the inside than the outside. A lot bigger. The inside of the TARDIS was so big the Doctor hadn’t explored all of it. It was entirely likely he had evolving life forms in some of the rooms.

**No, not leather. He’s not that cool.

Comments

[bipolar-uriel.livejournal.com]

Uriel stopped eating an apple -- the third one in the last half an hour -- and looked up as she heard an odd sound. Then, she blinked. There was something in the lobby that definitely didn't belong there.

This was weird, weird enough to wake her curiosity. As she was in no condition (or at least not manic enough) to just hop over the desk like she had done when Delirium arrived, she simply made her way around the desk and to the odd thing. (She had no idea what it was. She'd never seen anything like it before.)

Her logic told her that something or someone had had to bring the strange thing into the middle of the lobby. And if that something was still there, the most logical place for it was inside the strange thing. Thus, she knocked on it, one hand instinctively covering her round stomach. Not all beings arriving to the Manor were necessarily friendly.

"May I ask who, or what, you exactly are?" she asked politely, hoping that whoever was possibly inside would hear her.

[tardis-lord.livejournal.com]

The Doctor heard the knocking and gave the TARDIS a Look. 'Where did we land?' he asked.

She didn't answer, just told him he might as well step outside and see.

He rolled his eyes but did so anyway. He was careful to compose his 'meet-new-people' face before opening the door; it wouldn't do to make a bad first impression, even if he was heartbroken.

When he opened the door, the first impression he got was one of space. There was a desk, a few chairs, and a potted plant. Oh, and some suitcases to one side. Okay. Perhaps a hotel of some sort.

Then he noticed the young woman in front of him. She looked curious, and also slightly worried. Maybe people here weren't used to blue police boxes landing in their lobby. He noticed her hand covering her stomach.

'Pregnant? Very nice,' he said mildly. 'Can I help you?'

[bipolar-uriel.livejournal.com]

"Actually, I was wondering if I could help you in any way," Uriel said, smiling a bit. She couldn't help it; something in the situation just seemed amusing. "Surely you had a reason for landing in the middle of our lobby? Not that your arrival is the one most spectacular this far, mind you, but people appearing out of thin air usually do gain some attention."

She nodded towards the front desk. "I work as a receptionist here and, well, I was wondering whether there was anything I could do for you."

The man didn't feel like a human, which confused her. He most certainly wasn't a god, at least not of any kind she was familiar with, and not an angel or a demon, either. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she added, "Might I also ask just what kind of a being you are?"

[tardis-lord.livejournal.com]

'Hmm?' This girl looked human, but the Doctor knew straight away she wasn't. Definitly alien. What kind, though? He asked the TARDIS.

She told him talking to a box couldn't be very good for his mental health, and should answer the nice lady's question.

He flashed her a smile. 'I'm the Doctor,' he answered. 'And I'm... well, I suppose you would...'

Why was he answering that? Why didn't he just say he was John Smith from Coventry, or one of his other aliases? It would be less shocking...

But she had seen him land in the TARDIS. No one would belive something that came out of thin air making that noise could belong to someone from Coventry.

'I'm the Doctor,' he said after a pause, 'and you would call me an alien. I'm a Time Lord. And this,' he said, patting the TARDIS's side fondly, 'is my spaceship.'

[bipolar-uriel.livejournal.com]

"An alien?" Uriel echoed. "Well, you're be the first of your kind here, that is for sure. Everybody else here is at least from within the borders of Earth." She looked at the box. "A spaceship? It does not really look like a ship, you know. Nor does it seem like it has a lot of space." She was not, one might notice, too familiar with all aspects of the human culture. Or alien culture, for that matter. She did not, however, doubt the ability of a not-too-spacey-and-not-too-ship-like spaceship to transfer people from one place to another. After all, she herself could fly.

"So. Are you going to stay here for a while, or just visiting? Or are you perhaps looking for work?"

[tardis-lord.livejournal.com]

His ears pricked up. "Work?"

He remembered advice he'd given to Rose, such a long time ago, it felt. "If you want to find anything out," he'd said, "be one of the staff."

Of course, then they'd been attacked by Cybermen. Still. It was a good enough philosophy.

"Yes," he said slowly. "I think I'll stay for a while." After all, what was the harm? Maybe he could do with a holiday. Another of his sudden smiles. "Yes. I'd like a job, and a room, if it's not too much trouble."

He decided to let the slur on the TARDIS go for now. He could show her later.

Hang on. Why would he do that? It didn't do to advertise. Maybe Rose's 'death' had affected him more than he thought.

[bipolar-uriel.livejournal.com]

"Well, I think I can arrange for a room," Uriel said. "For a job, though, you'll have to look for the manager. His name is Adam Young." She made her way to the desk and took one of the pictures she had drawn -- they did seem to have their use -- and gave it to the alien. "This is what Adam looks like. If you want to talk with him, just go looking for him. He should show up soon enough; he's like that. Talk to him and he'll surely find you something to do."

She glanced at the box. "You can leave your 'spaceship' here if you'd like to. I'll keep an eye on it."

[tardis-lord.livejournal.com]

"Thanks," the Doctor said. He studied the picture. Young blonde man. Rose would have adored him.

He frowned. "Why don't you believe it's a spaceship? Is it because it isn't big and silver? Look," he held out his hand, "I'll show you. Come inside, you'll see."

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

The stranger gestured invitingly towards his police box. That couldn't be good.

"Be careful!" Loki yelled out to Uriel. "He probably just wants to arrest you."

[bipolar-uriel.livejournal.com]

"Arrest?" Uriel blinked. "He is not a police or anything. He is just an alien."

Anybody else would have thought this sentence was completely senseless, or at the very least very strange. To Uriel, however, it was logical. It would have been quite strange not to believe in the existence of aliens when she talked with gods on a daily basis.

[tardis-lord.livejournal.com]

The Doctor gave the newcomer an inviting grin. "That's me," he said. "An alien. Like E.T., but better looking."

He winked at the recptionist.

[bipolar-uriel.livejournal.com]

Again, Uriel blinked. "Who is E.T.?" she asked. It was slightly embarrassing, she supposed, that an alien was better informed in human culture than she was.

[tardis-lord.livejournal.com]

"Never mind," the Doctor said. It hadn't been that good a film anyway. However, if she didn't know what the Lion King was, he would be forced to act.

"Listen, Loki," he said, "I'm not with the police. Not even the Men In Black. Your sister - I'm sorry, what's your name?"

[bipolar-uriel.livejournal.com]

As a matter of fact, Uriel did not know what the Lion King was. If she'd been forced to guess, she would have said it was the head of some African royal family.

"My name is Brenda," she replied. She may have been no good at lying, but this one she could say as though it was the truth. After all, it was not really lying, using a different name. "Brenda Green."

As an afterthought, she said, "Well, that's my human name, anyway. My actual name is Uriel." After all, if he could drop in a conscious box in the middle of the lobby, he could probably tell she wasn't exactly human. And besides, he didn't have a proper name himself, either, so he shouldn't have any right to complain about her alias.

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

"Not police?" Loki couldn't believe Uriel's naivety. "Then why would he be trying to lure you into a police box? If he told you he's an alien, he's obviously lying."

"And I'm not Ginger, I'm Loki," he informed the stranger. "Ginger's probably downstairs."

No, Loki didn't know anyone around here who was nicknamed Ginger, but the basement seemed like a good place to send annoying people at least until he found out Crowley's room number.

[bipolar-uriel.livejournal.com]

Uriel could have told Loki Crowley's room number if he'd just thought of asking. He didn't, though, so she had no idea he wanted to know it, and thus it stayed uncelar to him.

"Well, he's not a human," she said, shrugging. "No human could get something like this 'spaceship' drop out of thin air, anyway. And when will you believe that I can sense it when people lie?"

[tardis-lord.livejournal.com]

Involved in the making of the Bible...? Just how old were these people?

Maybe they were aliens who had influenced human history; you met them a lot. Maybe these two were the cause of the names in the stories: Uriel the angel and Loki the Norse god. Half-god. Whatever.

"Nope," the Doctor agreed. "Not human. Completely alien. Mad as a hatter, from the planet Gallifrey. I don't think we had police. Everyone was so law-abiding. Well," he added, "except for me, I suppose. They got very cross when I stole the TARDIS..."

He patted the side of the box lovingly. "But you're happier with me, aren't you, girl?"

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

"You stole a police box?" Now Loki was really worried. How were they going to cover up that? "Shit! At least put it out of sight!"

[bipolar-uriel.livejournal.com]

"What do you mean I don't believe?" asked Uriel, confused. "Of course I believe you if you say so. You have no reason to lie to me."

She frowned. "Are spaceships supposed to be big and silver? I've never seen one before. I've never even heard of one before, mind you. I just don't think the name suits it. It really doesn't look like a ship. Not that I've seen many ships, either."

The man's offer, however, was quite tempting. She was curious by nature, and this would have made anybody curious. "Inside that thing?" she thus said. "That might be interesting."

[tardis-lord.livejournal.com]

"She isn't just a spaceship," the Doctor replied, "she's a time machine too. She's not a thing, either. She's a TARDIS. TARDISes are conscious."

He grinned. "Come on," he said. He wiggled the fingers on his hand temptingly. "You know you want to."

[bipolar-uriel.livejournal.com]

Uriel blinked. "Oh," she said, "I apologize. I didn't sense anything from her so I thought she was just, well, a thing. I'm sorry," she then said to the TARDIS as well, just to be sure.

She did know, and she did want to. Very, very much.

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

"Uriel, no!" Loki stepped between her and the dangerous mad police box thief. "He just wants to lure you in there and do ... Who knows what! You can't just go off with strange men like that. Especially in your condition. You have to think of the safety of your baby!"

He'd fight the madman, if he had to. He wasn't quite sure how much good it'd do considering how weak he was, but he wasn't about to let Uriel be abducted or raped or murdered without at least trying to defend her.

[swords-love-me.livejournal.com]

War heard raised voices - Loki's in particular. Raised voices generally meant tension, and where there was tension, there was her.

She nimbly ran down the stairs, in stealth mode, and peaked through the bannisters into the lobby. She saw a 1960s Police box, with a strange man waving what looked like some sort of sonic weapon next to it and Loki confronting him trying to stop him getting to Uriel - a pregnant Uriel? - and drag her into the box...

Mind racing, she dropped down the rest of the stairs and crash-rolled into the crouching sniper position, rifle out and aimed at the situation, currently over people's heads.

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

Loki relaxed a little. He trusted War to defeat any madman easily. She was strong, tough and knew how to handle any weapon.

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

Loki heard voices coming from the lobby and remembering that Uriel was on shift decided to take a look. Cautiously of course. He did still remember what had happened the last time he'd tried to check up on Uriel and a newly arrived guest, though he wasn't quite sure how the strange teenage girl might be connected to his developing a fever. It wasn't rational, but something told him that it was all her fault.

At first glance everything seemed to be fine. Uriel was talking to a man he'd never seen before, but he didn't look threatening.

Then however he noticed the blue box behind the man. Loki might not be British, but he did occasionally watch TV. He knew what a police box looked like and he wanted no part of it. He took one hesitant step backwards. Leave or warn Uriel? The not-god was not as likely to be arrested as he was, but she did occasionally forge money, was too naive to understand the dangers of the police and couldn't lie her way out of a paper bag.