Sim_Spiration 03/06/10
Ok, my long drabble for today's prompt Donna Doran is under the cut. It's a work in progress and will more than likely appear in some form in my legacy.
Donna Doran.
"DONNA! WHAT IS TAKING YOU SO LONG?" Shouted the man with the brown floppy hair at the little blue box parked, rather untidily in the alleyway.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" Shouted a voice from inside it. The door opened and a woman wearing a pink dress, got out. "I had to make sure I would blend in in the Victorian Era. Dressing for Rio could land me in prison, or at least an asylum." She said, smoothing her hair. "What do you think?" She did a little twirl and waited for his response.
"You look lovely." He replied, leaning against the alley wall.
"Really? Good." She put her hands on her hips. "I don't like this corset much though. How on earth did everyone breathe?"
"I think they got used to it. You will too if you wear it long enough."
"No fear. So, you told me we were visiting the Victorian era, but where are we?" She asked.
"Haha you are going to love this." He said, pushing himself away from the wall and and bouncing towards the mouth of the alley. He led her out onto the street and flung his arms wide to encompass it all. "We are in a different mini-verse! Specifically Dicreasy dash N004 dash Regalton. In fact we are standing in Dicreasy dash N004 dash Regalton dash Downtown 2 dash Simdon. It is a completely new, completely different mini-verse to your home one! Isn't it great?"
Donna looked around and smiled. "It's wonderful. I'm in a parallel universe!"
"Different mini-verse, not parallel universe." Corrected the Doctor, holding up his finger.
"Is there a difference?"
"Is there a...? Yes there is a difference, a very important difference." The Doctor walked up to her and started explaining, gesturing with his hands as he did so. "As I explained. the multi-verse is made up of thousands of different mini-verses. A parallel universe is a type of mini-verse, but not all mini-verses are parallel universes, and that is very important. In parallel universes things are basically the same: the same places exist, often the same people, but different decisions lead to fundamental differences.
"For ex-ample, in two parallel universes you may have a town, let's call it Pleasantview. In one parallel universe, it is a very pleasant and green town, but in another it is an industrial wasteland where the old established families have been evicted from their homes. Or everyone could be the opposite gender. The same but different. Understand?"
Donna nodded.
"But, mini-verses can also be totally unique." He gestured to the street again. "This one is just like that. No other Regalton exists anywhere else in the multi-verse. Not only that, this mini-verse also exists only in the mid to late Victorian Era. Time ticks on, people age, but the calendar never, ever advances past the death of Victoria. In fact it doesn't advance past the mid 1880s."
Donna nodded slowly. "So, my family could exist in a parallel universe to my home universe?"
The Doctor nodded and clenched his fist, "yes!"
"But, they might not exist here?"
"Exactly! But to confuse things, people can exist as different characters in different universes and that can cause problems if the two ever meet, but to get back to your family, they don't, I checked."
"So, I am the only Doran here? Mom, dad, Jack, David and Rose, they don't exist here? And they never will?" Donna wanted to make sure she understood exactly what the Doctor was saying. It had never occurred to her that there were places her family didn't exist at some point.
"Your mother is a special case, but yes, Sebastian, Jack, David and Rose Doran do not, and never will, exist here."
"What do you mean Mom is a special case?"
The Doctor scratched his head and started pacing. He hadn't banked on having to explain this to his erstwhile companion just yet. "Marla Briggs is what the TimeLords call a Maxis-Sim. She exists, not only in parallel universes, but also in unique mini-verses where her university exists, so there are thousands of versions of her all over the multi-verse." He whirled round and walked back up to Donna, "But, and this is very important so listen carefully, the Marla Briggses living in other mini-verses are not your mother!"
Donna looked at him sceptically. What was he talking about? Marla Briggs was her mother wherever she was surely?
He looked at her intently, turning his head slightly as he did so. "The Marlas living in other mini-verses have their own unique lives, and won't have your mother's memories. If you ever meet one, and I caution against it, do not make the mistake of thinking she will know you. Only the Marla Briggs living in your home mini-verse is your mother."
His head snapped up suddenly "Now what is wrong with the Tardis? It was making the most peculiar noises through out that little speech, nearly ruined it. I need to go and look, stay here."
He bounded back into the alleyway, leaving Donna on the street. She still didn't really understand what the Doctor had been saying about her mother, but, and she felt herself smiling, she was standing in a different mini-verse. And it was the Victorian Era. It was amazing and she wanted to explore. She looked back towards the alleyway where she could hear the muffled sound of shouting. If she went to help the Doctor, they would be able to explore quicker.
She walked back into the alley, and the shouting became clearer. "Vox? Vauxia? Tegenaria? Why are you spewing out random words?" She heard a bang like a hammer hitting the centre console.
"Doctor, do you need a hand?"
"No, no it's fine. Just gone a little bit mental. I'll have it sorted in a jiffy." Came the reply.
"Ok." Donna headed back to the mouth of the alley and looked out at the street again, and stood watching a horse and carriage trundle past as the shouting continued behind her.
"You are Vox? What does that even mean? How am I Vox?" As he asked the question, the door to the Tardis slammed shut.
"Doctor?"
She heard him say "Oh, this bad. This is extremely, very not good." Just as the familiar sound of the Tardis starting to leave rent the air.
"DOCTOR!" Donna ran up the Tardis and starred at it as it started to de-materialise. "DOCTOR!"
"I will come back for you Donna!" She heard him shout as the noise of the Tardis got fainter and fainter.
***
She waited four hours, until it started to get dark, but there was no sign of the Doctor or the Tardis coming back. She had no doubt he would try to come back for her at some point: she had never known him knowingly break a promise on all the adventures they had been on, but she couldn't stay in that alleyway forever.
Hugging her arms around herself, she walked back to the street and looked around. A sad smile tugged at her lips as she watched the lamp lighter lean his ladder against the arm of the lamp post, climb up it and light the gas. If she had been with the Doctor, she would have been gushing about it, but now... she had no idea where she was, or where she was going to go. She had eight hundred guineas in her reticule. It sounded like a lot, but she had no idea if that was enough for a sandwich or a small cottage. A voice cut rhough her thoughts and caused her to pull herself togther.
"Excuse miss, are you well?"
She turned to find a well built, if short man looking at her, his green eyes full of concern.
"Oh, yes thank you. I'm just a bit lost."
"Ah. I take it from your accent you are from Simamerica?" She nodded. "Are you just arrived on our shores?"
"Hah. Yes, you could say that. I have no idea where I am, or where to go." She admitted.
"You are travelling alone?"
"I wasn't, but my...travelling companion had to leave suddenly."
"I am sorry to hear that, it must be very disconcerting to find your self alone in a strange place."
"You have no idea."
"I am a Simdoner born and bred. Perhaps I can assist you?" He said smiling
She found herself returning his smile. "Thank you, I'd appreciate it."
"You are most welcome But you must think me rude, since I have not introduced myself." He took her hand. "I am Christopher Smith."
""Nice to meet you. My name is Donna Doran."
"Miss Doran, it is an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Donna Doran.
"DONNA! WHAT IS TAKING YOU SO LONG?" Shouted the man with the brown floppy hair at the little blue box parked, rather untidily in the alleyway.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" Shouted a voice from inside it. The door opened and a woman wearing a pink dress, got out. "I had to make sure I would blend in in the Victorian Era. Dressing for Rio could land me in prison, or at least an asylum." She said, smoothing her hair. "What do you think?" She did a little twirl and waited for his response.
"You look lovely." He replied, leaning against the alley wall.
"Really? Good." She put her hands on her hips. "I don't like this corset much though. How on earth did everyone breathe?"
"I think they got used to it. You will too if you wear it long enough."
"No fear. So, you told me we were visiting the Victorian era, but where are we?" She asked.
"Haha you are going to love this." He said, pushing himself away from the wall and and bouncing towards the mouth of the alley. He led her out onto the street and flung his arms wide to encompass it all. "We are in a different mini-verse! Specifically Dicreasy dash N004 dash Regalton. In fact we are standing in Dicreasy dash N004 dash Regalton dash Downtown 2 dash Simdon. It is a completely new, completely different mini-verse to your home one! Isn't it great?"
Donna looked around and smiled. "It's wonderful. I'm in a parallel universe!"
"Different mini-verse, not parallel universe." Corrected the Doctor, holding up his finger.
"Is there a difference?"
"Is there a...? Yes there is a difference, a very important difference." The Doctor walked up to her and started explaining, gesturing with his hands as he did so. "As I explained. the multi-verse is made up of thousands of different mini-verses. A parallel universe is a type of mini-verse, but not all mini-verses are parallel universes, and that is very important. In parallel universes things are basically the same: the same places exist, often the same people, but different decisions lead to fundamental differences.
"For ex-ample, in two parallel universes you may have a town, let's call it Pleasantview. In one parallel universe, it is a very pleasant and green town, but in another it is an industrial wasteland where the old established families have been evicted from their homes. Or everyone could be the opposite gender. The same but different. Understand?"
Donna nodded.
"But, mini-verses can also be totally unique." He gestured to the street again. "This one is just like that. No other Regalton exists anywhere else in the multi-verse. Not only that, this mini-verse also exists only in the mid to late Victorian Era. Time ticks on, people age, but the calendar never, ever advances past the death of Victoria. In fact it doesn't advance past the mid 1880s."
Donna nodded slowly. "So, my family could exist in a parallel universe to my home universe?"
The Doctor nodded and clenched his fist, "yes!"
"But, they might not exist here?"
"Exactly! But to confuse things, people can exist as different characters in different universes and that can cause problems if the two ever meet, but to get back to your family, they don't, I checked."
"So, I am the only Doran here? Mom, dad, Jack, David and Rose, they don't exist here? And they never will?" Donna wanted to make sure she understood exactly what the Doctor was saying. It had never occurred to her that there were places her family didn't exist at some point.
"Your mother is a special case, but yes, Sebastian, Jack, David and Rose Doran do not, and never will, exist here."
"What do you mean Mom is a special case?"
The Doctor scratched his head and started pacing. He hadn't banked on having to explain this to his erstwhile companion just yet. "Marla Briggs is what the TimeLords call a Maxis-Sim. She exists, not only in parallel universes, but also in unique mini-verses where her university exists, so there are thousands of versions of her all over the multi-verse." He whirled round and walked back up to Donna, "But, and this is very important so listen carefully, the Marla Briggses living in other mini-verses are not your mother!"
Donna looked at him sceptically. What was he talking about? Marla Briggs was her mother wherever she was surely?
He looked at her intently, turning his head slightly as he did so. "The Marlas living in other mini-verses have their own unique lives, and won't have your mother's memories. If you ever meet one, and I caution against it, do not make the mistake of thinking she will know you. Only the Marla Briggs living in your home mini-verse is your mother."
His head snapped up suddenly "Now what is wrong with the Tardis? It was making the most peculiar noises through out that little speech, nearly ruined it. I need to go and look, stay here."
He bounded back into the alleyway, leaving Donna on the street. She still didn't really understand what the Doctor had been saying about her mother, but, and she felt herself smiling, she was standing in a different mini-verse. And it was the Victorian Era. It was amazing and she wanted to explore. She looked back towards the alleyway where she could hear the muffled sound of shouting. If she went to help the Doctor, they would be able to explore quicker.
She walked back into the alley, and the shouting became clearer. "Vox? Vauxia? Tegenaria? Why are you spewing out random words?" She heard a bang like a hammer hitting the centre console.
"Doctor, do you need a hand?"
"No, no it's fine. Just gone a little bit mental. I'll have it sorted in a jiffy." Came the reply.
"Ok." Donna headed back to the mouth of the alley and looked out at the street again, and stood watching a horse and carriage trundle past as the shouting continued behind her.
"You are Vox? What does that even mean? How am I Vox?" As he asked the question, the door to the Tardis slammed shut.
"Doctor?"
She heard him say "Oh, this bad. This is extremely, very not good." Just as the familiar sound of the Tardis starting to leave rent the air.
"DOCTOR!" Donna ran up the Tardis and starred at it as it started to de-materialise. "DOCTOR!"
"I will come back for you Donna!" She heard him shout as the noise of the Tardis got fainter and fainter.
***
She waited four hours, until it started to get dark, but there was no sign of the Doctor or the Tardis coming back. She had no doubt he would try to come back for her at some point: she had never known him knowingly break a promise on all the adventures they had been on, but she couldn't stay in that alleyway forever.
Hugging her arms around herself, she walked back to the street and looked around. A sad smile tugged at her lips as she watched the lamp lighter lean his ladder against the arm of the lamp post, climb up it and light the gas. If she had been with the Doctor, she would have been gushing about it, but now... she had no idea where she was, or where she was going to go. She had eight hundred guineas in her reticule. It sounded like a lot, but she had no idea if that was enough for a sandwich or a small cottage. A voice cut rhough her thoughts and caused her to pull herself togther.
"Excuse miss, are you well?"
She turned to find a well built, if short man looking at her, his green eyes full of concern.
"Oh, yes thank you. I'm just a bit lost."
"Ah. I take it from your accent you are from Simamerica?" She nodded. "Are you just arrived on our shores?"
"Hah. Yes, you could say that. I have no idea where I am, or where to go." She admitted.
"You are travelling alone?"
"I wasn't, but my...travelling companion had to leave suddenly."
"I am sorry to hear that, it must be very disconcerting to find your self alone in a strange place."
"You have no idea."
"I am a Simdoner born and bred. Perhaps I can assist you?" He said smiling
She found herself returning his smile. "Thank you, I'd appreciate it."
"You are most welcome But you must think me rude, since I have not introduced myself." He took her hand. "I am Christopher Smith."
""Nice to meet you. My name is Donna Doran."
"Miss Doran, it is an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance."