Doctor Who fic: Plausible Deniability (1/1)
Title: Plausible Deniability (1/1)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,475
Characters: Zoe, Jamie
Timeline: Post-"The Invasion"
Summary: The real reason the Doctor's recorder never appeared again after "The Web of Fear".
Disclaimer: Doctor Who has belonged to the BBC for 50 glorious years.
A/N: One last entry for dw_50ficathon's 50th anniversary ficathon. Year claimed: 1969. Obviously Two's recorder was replaced with the sonic screwdriver, but it's fun to think there were other reasons why it disappeared.
The library aboard the Wheel had consisted solely of digital copies. Who needed traditionally bound books when every piece of information you could ever want was just a short computer search away? Maybe that was why the library aboard the TARDIS appealed so much to Zoe. It was unfamiliar.
It was also unorganized. The first time she had entered and saw the state it was in, the librarian in her was immediately galled. The whole point of a library was to keep a neat catalogue. From that moment on, she had vowed to organize everything whenever she had the time. The Doctor supported the effort and he even changed the structure of the room and shelves whenever Zoe had a new idea for a filing system. What had started as a space no bigger than the shuttle bay aboard the Wheel was now gradually transforming into something much larger and grander.
Zoe had worked her way into the history section by now. For whatever reason, many of the books here were hastily arranged. Out of order, upside down, and some were even piled atop the shelves. She knew the Doctor had a fondness for Earth history, but that enthusiasm didn't have to mean he could leave everything so haphazard.
She reached for a stack of books on the very top of the shelf, but with her short stature she struggled to get a good grip. She started to slide the books towards her when something tumbled down from the shelf and struck her upon the head. Caught off guard, Zoe stumbled backwards and she brought the stack of books down with her.
The heavy tomes fell around her and one clipped her on the right shoulder. She gasped out in pain. In the back of her mind, she reflected that this would never have happened aboard the Wheel.
"Zoe?" Jamie's voice called out and a few moments later he appeared at the entrance to the aisle. "Are ye all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine." She rubbed her sore shoulder. There would be a bruise, but nothing more.
Jamie looked her over and he seemed to share in her assessment. "What happened?"
"Nothing spectacular. Just a lack of foresight." Has she used a step stool, none of this would have happened. "Something did hit me in the head, though." It had been too light to be a book and even if it had been a slim text, it lacked the usual pointed edges. Zoe looked around at the floor for her mystery object.
"I'm sure it was nothing." Jamie bent down and started to pick up the fallen books. He had them back on the shelf in no time, though in the wrong place. "Dinnae stay in here too long. The Doctor mentioned he wanted to land soon."
"Let me straighten up here and I'll join you in the console room."
Jamie quickly strode out of the aisle. He turned the corner and was out of sight, but not before Zoe saw him transfer something from one hand to the other. From the way he had been facing her, his left hand had been out of view. He must have picked up her mystery object off the floor while he had gathered the books. She didn't associate Jamie with secrets. He was much too open and honest for that. With her curiosity piqued, she made a mental note to look into the matter later.
Zoe slipped off her boots with a sigh. Had she known they would be climbing a mountain all day she would have worn more comfortable footwear. Her heels were horribly blistered now. She wanted to spend the next few hours lying down, but she had a greater desire to head over to the TARDIS infirmary. Making a quick escape made up a large portion of their adventures. She wanted something to heal these blisters before their next escapade.
She limped out of her room, trying not to put too much pressure on her heels. Had the Doctor or Jamie seen her, they might have thought she was gravely injured. The infirmary was down the corridor, two rights, and a left from Zoe's room, and she had just started in that direction when she heard Jamie leave his room. He didn't look back as he hurried down the corridor.
Zoe hadn't forgotten about her mystery object from the library. It appeared that Jamie was off to hide it. She couldn't think of any other reason for him to be in such a hurry.
As much as her feet ached, the need to sate her curiosity was harder to ignore. Without her boots, her footfalls were barely noticeable and she followed Jamie at the fastest pace she could manage. After a right, a left, one very lengthy hallway, and then one final right, Jamie finally reached his destination. Zoe peeked out from the nearby corner as she watched him enter the room.
It was the small garden aboard the TARDIS. She had been inside only once, during her first few days wandering around the ship, but the opportunity to return had never presented itself. There was a chance Jamie had an interest in horticulture that she didn't know about, but he was most certainly hiding the mystery object.
Zoe dashed over and she pushed the door open. Only a few seconds had passed, which hopefully meant that Jamie hadn't found a hiding place yet.
"Ye need to work on yer snooping."
She had wanted to catch Jamie off guard. It never occurred to her that he could do the same to her. He stood in front of the door with his arms crossed over his chest. It only took Zoe a second to find her voice. "How did you know I was following you?"
"I've spent most of my life tracking animals. They're much quieter than ye."
Zoe couldn't decide if she should be offended or impressed. "I wouldn't have to follow you if you had just told me what you had hidden in the library."
"That's what this is about?"
It did seem childish, now that she had said the words aloud, but it was too late to back down now. "It hit me on the head. You can't fault me for being a little bit curious."
Jamie sighed. "All right, but dinnae tell the Doctor."
From the inner pocket of his jacket, Jamie pulled out a stripped wooden pipe. It was tapered at the top with holes going down the length of it. It looked like a musical instrument, but Zoe's education had emphasised mathematics over music and as such she wasn't completely sure. "I thought you were a piper. Why are you hiding this from the Doctor?"
"It's his. And if ye had heard him play, ye'd understand why I'm hiding it."
Zoe couldn't help herself. She started laughing. "Is he really that bad?"
Jamie was less amused. "Ye've never had to listen to him honk on this cursed thing for hours."
She could see how that would be annoying. She preferred silence while she was trying to concentrate. "I appreciate the effort, Jamie, but can't the Doctor simply get another one?"
"Aye, I suppose he could, but he hasn't. I think he likes looking for this one."
A challenge. Zoe could understand that. "So he knows it's you who has hidden it away?"
"Who else could it be? Victoria was too polite to say anything."
As a form of protest, this was, by far, the strangest Zoe had seen. She might have been inclined to tell the Doctor, but she didn’t see the need. Jamie never uttered a single complaint when she and the Doctor had a major technical problem to solve. This was his chance to steer the outcome of a situation. She could turn a blind eye.
Or perhaps she could do one better. "Let me take it." She held out her hand.
Jamie pulled the instrument back. "Why?"
"Plausible deniability. The next time the Doctor asks you where the instrument is, you can legitimately say you don't know because you won't know."
"Ah. You dinnae mind being involved in something so daft?"
Had this conversation taken place a few months ago on the Wheel, Zoe would have dismissed Jamie and then she would have gone back to doing calculations. But she wasn’t on the Wheel anymore. Logic had a comforting structure but illogic was definitely more fun. "Of course not. I also won't have to worry about it falling down and hitting me in the head again."
The comment got a smile from Jamie. "I'm sorry about that," he said as he handed the instrument over. "I'm running out of hiding places."
"Don't worry. I'll take care of it." She had seen the Doctor reconfigure the rooms. Perhaps it was time to add another wing to the library...
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,475
Characters: Zoe, Jamie
Timeline: Post-"The Invasion"
Summary: The real reason the Doctor's recorder never appeared again after "The Web of Fear".
Disclaimer: Doctor Who has belonged to the BBC for 50 glorious years.
A/N: One last entry for dw_50ficathon's 50th anniversary ficathon. Year claimed: 1969. Obviously Two's recorder was replaced with the sonic screwdriver, but it's fun to think there were other reasons why it disappeared.
The library aboard the Wheel had consisted solely of digital copies. Who needed traditionally bound books when every piece of information you could ever want was just a short computer search away? Maybe that was why the library aboard the TARDIS appealed so much to Zoe. It was unfamiliar.
It was also unorganized. The first time she had entered and saw the state it was in, the librarian in her was immediately galled. The whole point of a library was to keep a neat catalogue. From that moment on, she had vowed to organize everything whenever she had the time. The Doctor supported the effort and he even changed the structure of the room and shelves whenever Zoe had a new idea for a filing system. What had started as a space no bigger than the shuttle bay aboard the Wheel was now gradually transforming into something much larger and grander.
Zoe had worked her way into the history section by now. For whatever reason, many of the books here were hastily arranged. Out of order, upside down, and some were even piled atop the shelves. She knew the Doctor had a fondness for Earth history, but that enthusiasm didn't have to mean he could leave everything so haphazard.
She reached for a stack of books on the very top of the shelf, but with her short stature she struggled to get a good grip. She started to slide the books towards her when something tumbled down from the shelf and struck her upon the head. Caught off guard, Zoe stumbled backwards and she brought the stack of books down with her.
The heavy tomes fell around her and one clipped her on the right shoulder. She gasped out in pain. In the back of her mind, she reflected that this would never have happened aboard the Wheel.
"Zoe?" Jamie's voice called out and a few moments later he appeared at the entrance to the aisle. "Are ye all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine." She rubbed her sore shoulder. There would be a bruise, but nothing more.
Jamie looked her over and he seemed to share in her assessment. "What happened?"
"Nothing spectacular. Just a lack of foresight." Has she used a step stool, none of this would have happened. "Something did hit me in the head, though." It had been too light to be a book and even if it had been a slim text, it lacked the usual pointed edges. Zoe looked around at the floor for her mystery object.
"I'm sure it was nothing." Jamie bent down and started to pick up the fallen books. He had them back on the shelf in no time, though in the wrong place. "Dinnae stay in here too long. The Doctor mentioned he wanted to land soon."
"Let me straighten up here and I'll join you in the console room."
Jamie quickly strode out of the aisle. He turned the corner and was out of sight, but not before Zoe saw him transfer something from one hand to the other. From the way he had been facing her, his left hand had been out of view. He must have picked up her mystery object off the floor while he had gathered the books. She didn't associate Jamie with secrets. He was much too open and honest for that. With her curiosity piqued, she made a mental note to look into the matter later.
Zoe slipped off her boots with a sigh. Had she known they would be climbing a mountain all day she would have worn more comfortable footwear. Her heels were horribly blistered now. She wanted to spend the next few hours lying down, but she had a greater desire to head over to the TARDIS infirmary. Making a quick escape made up a large portion of their adventures. She wanted something to heal these blisters before their next escapade.
She limped out of her room, trying not to put too much pressure on her heels. Had the Doctor or Jamie seen her, they might have thought she was gravely injured. The infirmary was down the corridor, two rights, and a left from Zoe's room, and she had just started in that direction when she heard Jamie leave his room. He didn't look back as he hurried down the corridor.
Zoe hadn't forgotten about her mystery object from the library. It appeared that Jamie was off to hide it. She couldn't think of any other reason for him to be in such a hurry.
As much as her feet ached, the need to sate her curiosity was harder to ignore. Without her boots, her footfalls were barely noticeable and she followed Jamie at the fastest pace she could manage. After a right, a left, one very lengthy hallway, and then one final right, Jamie finally reached his destination. Zoe peeked out from the nearby corner as she watched him enter the room.
It was the small garden aboard the TARDIS. She had been inside only once, during her first few days wandering around the ship, but the opportunity to return had never presented itself. There was a chance Jamie had an interest in horticulture that she didn't know about, but he was most certainly hiding the mystery object.
Zoe dashed over and she pushed the door open. Only a few seconds had passed, which hopefully meant that Jamie hadn't found a hiding place yet.
"Ye need to work on yer snooping."
She had wanted to catch Jamie off guard. It never occurred to her that he could do the same to her. He stood in front of the door with his arms crossed over his chest. It only took Zoe a second to find her voice. "How did you know I was following you?"
"I've spent most of my life tracking animals. They're much quieter than ye."
Zoe couldn't decide if she should be offended or impressed. "I wouldn't have to follow you if you had just told me what you had hidden in the library."
"That's what this is about?"
It did seem childish, now that she had said the words aloud, but it was too late to back down now. "It hit me on the head. You can't fault me for being a little bit curious."
Jamie sighed. "All right, but dinnae tell the Doctor."
From the inner pocket of his jacket, Jamie pulled out a stripped wooden pipe. It was tapered at the top with holes going down the length of it. It looked like a musical instrument, but Zoe's education had emphasised mathematics over music and as such she wasn't completely sure. "I thought you were a piper. Why are you hiding this from the Doctor?"
"It's his. And if ye had heard him play, ye'd understand why I'm hiding it."
Zoe couldn't help herself. She started laughing. "Is he really that bad?"
Jamie was less amused. "Ye've never had to listen to him honk on this cursed thing for hours."
She could see how that would be annoying. She preferred silence while she was trying to concentrate. "I appreciate the effort, Jamie, but can't the Doctor simply get another one?"
"Aye, I suppose he could, but he hasn't. I think he likes looking for this one."
A challenge. Zoe could understand that. "So he knows it's you who has hidden it away?"
"Who else could it be? Victoria was too polite to say anything."
As a form of protest, this was, by far, the strangest Zoe had seen. She might have been inclined to tell the Doctor, but she didn’t see the need. Jamie never uttered a single complaint when she and the Doctor had a major technical problem to solve. This was his chance to steer the outcome of a situation. She could turn a blind eye.
Or perhaps she could do one better. "Let me take it." She held out her hand.
Jamie pulled the instrument back. "Why?"
"Plausible deniability. The next time the Doctor asks you where the instrument is, you can legitimately say you don't know because you won't know."
"Ah. You dinnae mind being involved in something so daft?"
Had this conversation taken place a few months ago on the Wheel, Zoe would have dismissed Jamie and then she would have gone back to doing calculations. But she wasn’t on the Wheel anymore. Logic had a comforting structure but illogic was definitely more fun. "Of course not. I also won't have to worry about it falling down and hitting me in the head again."
The comment got a smile from Jamie. "I'm sorry about that," he said as he handed the instrument over. "I'm running out of hiding places."
"Don't worry. I'll take care of it." She had seen the Doctor reconfigure the rooms. Perhaps it was time to add another wing to the library...