Doctor Who fic (you have been warned)
Nothing special, really. I blame it all on maverick0324.
Title: Time And Relative Dimensions In Space
Author: Melisus the Wee (melisus)
Rating: G
Word Count: 7, 971 words
Summary: With Rose off at an Abba concert, the Doctor picks up a new companion to help him save Christmas from an invading force of alien changelings.
Notes: Quite obviously based on the Attack of the Graske game. Done all in good fun.
Disclaimer: Because it's all necessary, I don't own any part of Doctor Who. Sad, isn't it?
“After playing that game [Attack of the Graske], I’ve decided that my implausible dream in life is to be the Doctor’s companion. We’d have a kick ass time.”
Part One: The Blue Box
There are many people throughout the world who lead more than one life. On the one hand they appear in their day-to-day life as humble, hard-working, average individuals, but lead a life of intrigue, crime, or scandal unbeknownst to anyone. Melissa (or Melis as she was often called) was not one such person. Sure it could be said that she did indeed have two lives - a real life and an internet one, but neither were the sort to welcome dirty deeds and dark secrets. In one life she led a sage albeit extremely geeky existence, knee-deep in meta and chuckling at wank. In the real world she led a rather mundane existence as a jaded university student, wrapped up in her own little bubble of reality, and trudging day after day through the same routine.
This was not the sort of person exceptional things happened to. Well, they might, but the chance of this individual noticing them was quite slim. So when something exceptional did indeed happen to Melis, she was quite unaware of what was occurring.
It was a Thursday - a dull, dreary, mundane Thursday when Melis was making her way home through the nearby park. The park was a nice green place with a nice little creek, and normally Melis delighted in crossing the bridge. But the day was wet, the ground was muddy, and the snowless winter had turned the grass an ugly brown. There was no picturesque scene to be held. As such, Melis was far too busy thinking of the evils of the weather and the cold with no snow to notice the sound of the universe moving.
The rhythmic whirring and groaning didn’t puzzle her, and she was far too busy fussing over how wet and muddy the hems of her jeans were becoming to notice the appearance of a strange blue box. Indeed if she hadn’t suddenly looked up to adjust her scarf, she probably would have walked straight into it.
As such she paused, puzzled. She’d never heard of telephone police boxes, or really telephone boxes for that matter. Well, they did have them in England but not here. And why blue? Furthermore, where had it come from? She’d walked this path hundreds of times and there had never been this standing there. Curious, Melis did a small lap around the box. There was nothing… odd about it. It seemed perfectly normal (for a box that had suddenly appeared from nowhere anyway). Perhaps it was a strange storage shed? Carefully, Melis reached up to push on what looked like the front door.
Before her hand made contact with the wood, however, the door was pulled back and from around the corner popped a man’s head. He cast around, seeming to not have noticed the girl in front of him, squinting and frowning. “Well… this isn’t right.”
A strange British man in a strange British box, thought Melis. No, that isn’t right at all. Most people would have waved to catch his attention. But Melis was not one for outward social interaction with strangers, and decided it was probably best if she just let him be and hurried home. But as she made to step around the box, the man noticed her.
“Oh! Um, hello there.”
Melis turned. “Hi…?”
“Do you know where this is?”
Melis was rather taken aback by this question. Why shouldn’t he know where they were? “This is a park.”
“No, really, I can see that,” replied the man, leaning against the door’s frame. “I meant the city… district... you know! Westminster… Soho… Cardiff…” He paused, frowning slightly. “This isn’t Cardiff, is it?”
“No… Toronto…”
The man looked relieved. “Thank goodness!” Another pause. “Wait, what? Toron… that’s… oh no. Hold on!” He disappeared back into the box, closing the door behind him. Melis decided now would be the time to leave. For all she knew, this man was off his rocker. Who knew what he was doing inside that box of his? But before she could make a break for it, the man reappeared looking rather put out. “Usually I’m not this far off and all... strange...” He sighed. “Oh well!”
The man stepped out from the box, closing the door behind him and took in a deep breath. He seemed to be savouring the air then turned, as if seeing Melis for the first time. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Um… since you got here,” replied Melis.
“Oh. OH.” The man leaned in close, almost conspiratorially. “So you, uh, saw this whole thing.”
“Sort of just pop out of thin air?” Melis nodded. “Pretty much, I guess. What is this, anyway? Maintenance shed? What’s it doing in the middle of the path?”
The man straightened up, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. “Right then! I’m the Doctor; pleasure to meet you; and since you seem to be the only one around, you’ll have to do. So come on then! In we go!” He pushed open the door of the box and beckoned for her to enter.
Melis stepped back. “If you’re a doctor, what are you a doctor of? And I’m warning you, I know self defence.”
The Doctor tapped his chin pensively. “Ah yes… humans and their strange trust habits. You’re so open and gullible when you should be suspicious, and sceptical when there’s no need!”
“My question?”
“Hmmm? Doctor of what? Nothing. That’s my name: Doctor. Just the Doctor.”
“That’s an odd name.”
“And what might yours be?”
Melis crossed her arms. “And why should I tell you?”
The Doctor smiled wickedly. “Ah, there’s a spark in you! I like it! Perhaps this machine knew what it was doing dropping me here after all. Well come on then, Sparky; can I call you Sparky?”
“No.”
“Well you’re Sparky until you decide to share your name.” He motioned inside the box. “Come on then! The universe isn’t going to wait, you know!”
“What the hell are you on about, sir?” The more Melis listened to this man, the nuttier he seemed. Yet for some reason she was reluctant to leave.
“Have a look inside. I’ll show you.”
The Doctor stepped aside and motioned for Melis to have a look. Casting a suspicious look at the Doctor, Melis stepped up to the door and looked inside the blue box. What she saw broke every law of physics she had ever tried to understand. The inside of the box wasn’t a box. The interior was vast, with hallways branching off from the main room and stairs running up and down to different levels. The box seemed to be made of wood, but the inside was copper or steel or something. And in the center of the room was a strange green glowing pedestal.
Melis stepped back, stunned and speechless, gaping at the Doctor.
“Like my decorating?” he asked.
It was a moment before Melis found her voice. “I’m not very good with math or physics,” she began slowly, “but how is something this small on the outside that big on the inside?”
The Doctor grinned wickedly. “Seems alien, doesn’t it?”
“What are you?”
“I told you I’m the Doctor! Traveller through time and space. I can visit anyone anywhere at any time. And I’ve… well… the TARDIS decided I should pop on by and pick up you.”
“TARDIS…?”
“This thing.” He rapped on the side of the box. “Time and relative dimensions in space. TARDIS. She’s my ship. Takes me anywhere I want to go… and sometimes places I don’t intend to visit but apparently need to. So here we are, there you are, and now we can go!”
“Go where…?”
“Hmmm…” The Doctor paused, thinking. “Theoretically, anywhere. Though I have to be sure you’re one of the best first. So it’s off for a test then.”
“I’m sorry… uh… Doctor,” replied Melis, adjusting the bag on her shoulder. “But I try not to make travelling with complete strangers a habit. Especially when it concerns ‘doctors’ in ‘boxes’.” With that, Melis turned and moved past the Doctor and his box.
“Of course I can’t make you come along,” called the Doctor after her. “But you’ve had a look inside the TARDIS and I know you’re curious. So you have two options, Sparky. You can go home and continue your mindless human routine, never truly questioning or discovering things around you… or you can follow that nagging curiosity at the back of your mind, go with what your gut says, and find out just what sort of adventure is beckoning to you.”
Melis paused mid-step and stood still, mulling over the Doctor’s words. He could very well be a murderous lunatic and Melis still did believe she had her whole life ahead of her. But she had seen the inside of this TARDIS thing and there was certainly something unnatural and strange about it. She really couldn’t help being curious. And the Doctor had been right: she could either play it safe and go home to fall back into routine, or be adventurous for once and find something out.
Melis turned back around to face the Doctor. “Melis.”
“Excuse me?”
“That’s my name.”
The Doctor grinned. “That’s the spirit. Now come! Adventure, peril, and all sorts of good things await!” He disappeared inside the TARDIS and, with one last look around her, Melis followed.
Part Two: The Attack of the Graske
Melis stood still as the Doctor ran up the walkway towards the glowing pedestal. She gazed around, tapping the railing thoughtfully.
“How does this thing work?” she asked.
“Flies through the time vortex,” replied the Doctor. “But to everyone else it just seems to disappear and reappear.” He looked up and saw the unsure look on Melis’ face. “You’re more of a bus person, aren’t you?” She nodded. “Ah well… Hurry up! Close the door! We need to be off!”
Melis obeyed and cautiously walked up to the center of the TARDIS where the Doctor was busying himself pulling levers and smashing buttons. It was odd the way he went about his business, looking more like a boy with a brand new tinker toy than a grown man working a machine. Melis said nothing for a long time. As much as it did look like some sort of fancy dance, the Doctor did look busy and she thought it best not to disturb the captain of the ship.
Eventually, he spoke, but he still seemed to be concentrating on working the TARDIS. “So… the challenge, then!” He looked up briefly. “Reckon you can make it as my companion?”
“Companion?” echoed Melis.
“Yes, companion. My partner in time.” He looked suddenly serious. “I only take the best, you know.” He paused. “Like Rose. I don’t expect you’ll know her. I dropped her off for a bit.”
“So I’m a replacement?”
“At the moment, yeah. She’s in Nineteen Seventy-Nine… Abba at Wembley.” He made a face. Melis laughed in spite of her nervousness. “So it’s all going to be down to you then.”
“Me?”
The Doctor nodded. “Right?”
Melis shuffled her feet in agitation. “Yeah… alright then.”
“Good.” The Doctor padded around in the pocket of his overcoat, searching for something. After a brief search he pulled out a small silver rod, no bigger than a pen with a little blue tip. “Have you got a mobile?”
Melis looked confused. “Mobile… phone, yes! Why?” The Doctor held out his hand. Melis hesitantly placed her phone in his hand. “What do you need it for?”
The Doctor took his rod and pressed it against the phone. There was a buzzing sound and the blue tip lit up. “I’m linking you to the TARDIS with the sonic screwdriver.”
“That’s a screwdriver?” Melis asked, pointing to the rod.
“Yep. Does just about anything I need it to. Ah! Here we are!” He handed the phone back to Melis. “Now you can use it to communicate if you need it. Just… be careful with that. Try not to sit on it. You really wouldn’t want that.”
The Doctor moved around the pedestal one last time before settling on one final lever. He pulled it and grinned. “Let’s go!”
Melis watched as the glowing center began to pump up and down. It was an engine, she determined. And sure enough she could hear a rhythmic whirring coming from the center of the TARDIS. That was it then. They were off and there was no turning back now. No sooner had Melis determined this then the engine had stopped and all was quiet and still.
“Have we landed somewhere?” she asked.
The Doctor nodded and motioned for Melis to come over. He was standing in front of a small television screen. “Come have a look,” he said. “This is the TARDIS screen.” Melis followed and took up a spot next to the Doctor.
She was looking into someone’s house. It was a living room, she thought, and by the look of all the decorations about it was either Christmas or the New Year. The family seemed to be bustling about, with the adults doing their own thing, and two children going through brand new toys. In the corner of the screen she could see the edge of a Christmas tree.
“Looks like any old Christmas,” explained the Doctor, “and it is.” He paused. “No! Joking! It isn’t.”
“It’s not?” asked Melis.
“Nope. One of these people isn’t human but an alien impostor,” continued the Doctor. “There are two cameras in the room: the girl’s got a camcorder for Christmas, plus I’m looking out through their TV. Why? Because I’m clever. With this button here you can switch between the two views.” He pointed to a button on the bottom corner of the screen. “Look closely at each person. One of them is the alien. But which one?” He stood back. “And you can’t say me, so don’t be clever.”
“Are you trying to tell me you’re an alien?” asked Melis sceptically.
The Doctor waved his hand. “I’m not the one you’re supposed to be watching. Look at the screen!”
Melis sighed and turned back to television screen. The Doctor’s vision was rather stationary and probably wouldn’t do much good, whereas the girl and her camcorder were wandering around and walking up to everyone. And I bet it’s the grandmother, she thought to herself. It’s always the grandmother. She snickered, causing the Doctor to tilt his head curiously. Obviously this new companion was not taking things as seriously as she should. In due time though, she’d realize the reality of the situation.
But then it happened. The little girl called over to her mother who looked up and… Melis jumped back, startled. She whirled around to face the Doctor. “What was that?!”
“What was what?” he asked.
“That woman! Her eyes! They just suddenly… lit up! Glowed! All yellow! That’s not normal!”
The Doctor smiled as Melis gaped. “Well done! It’s Mum! You noticed the eyes. Dead give away, I know.”
“Why were they glowing?!” asked Melis rather shrilly.
“That’s what I’m here to find out,” replied the Doctor, leaning back pensively. Suddenly, there was a sound like a siren. It seemed to be coming from the TARDIS engine, almost like an alarm. The Doctor frowned and sat forward. “What’s that?”
“It’s your box; shouldn’t you know?!”
“Look over at the TARDIS screen. What’s going on?”
“Camera or-”
“Television!”
Melis switched over to the Doctor’s view and stepped aside to give the Doctor a better look. The mother had pulled the father over into the background. Muttering, the Doctor fiddled with a nearby crank, zooming the picture in.
Then it happened. Suddenly a small gremlin creature, pink and goblinish appeared on the nearby table. From his pocket he produced some strange glowing device. From it shot a beam of light which held the father in place. As the mother stood calmly by, the father went still and the gremlin retreated, disappearing once again. Nothing had seemed to change. But then, there was a brief flash of light in the father’s eyes - the same yellow glow Melis had spotted in the mother only moments before.
“What the hell was that?!” demanded Melis. “What’s going on here?!”
The Doctor seemed agitated and rushed, throwing off his coat and busying himself at the TARDIS engine. He spoke quickly - hurriedly - and Melis found it quite the task to try and keep up with what he was saying.
“That creature was a Graske,” he explained, flipping switches and turning knobs. “They take over a planet by replacing its population. I can follow the trail of that one but can you drive the TARDIS?”
“We’re under an alien invasion?” asked Melis in disbelief.
“It’s not the first time it’s happened,” replied the Doctor. “Now can you drive the TARDIS?”
“Hold on, what do you mean?” Melis was horribly lost and confused by this point. “Just what’s happening? Why are there aliens? That’s just… impossible!” She crossed her arms. “And I’m not doing anything more until you give me a proper explanation as to who you are and what the hell all of this is!”
“I’ll explain later,” came the reply.
“NO.”
The Doctor stopped and sighed. He crossed the floor to Melis and placed his hands on her shoulders. “We may be in a time machine but I haven’t got enough time to tell you everything. You just have to trust me right now and do as I say. If you can do that then I promise I’ll explain everything to you once we’re not in the middle of a global crisis.” He let go. “Now I need you to fly the TARDIS.” He frowned, seeming to try and work something in his mouth. When he spoke it seemed to take a great deal of effort. “Please.”
Melis thought things over carefully. This could be and probably was an elaborate hoax and the more she played along, the more ridiculous she looked. But on the other hand, if on the odd chance this wasn’t a joke then her unwillingness to help this man was putting her entire species in serious jeopardy. As such, if it was a joke, she could always just go with it and take her revenge on the idiots who pulled this afterwards. Besides, this Doctor man was amusing in his own strange way.
So she nodded. “I’ll do it. But I’m holding you to your promise.”
“Fair enough,” replied the Doctor. “Now come over here.”
Melis followed as the Doctor pointed out three trinkets on the pedestal. The first looked like a lever - the Dimensional Stabilizer, as the Doctor called it. To its right was a pair of dials referred to as the Vector Tracker. Melis didn’t like the sound of that device; any mention of vectors brought back unpleasant math class memories. The third and final device was some sort of rod like the launcher in a pinball machine. The Doctor called that one the Vortex Loop.
“Got that all?” asked the Doctor. Melis ran over the names once more in her head and nodded. “Just use the device when and only when I tell you to. Okay?” Another nod. “Right! Let’s go!” The Doctor gave a nearby lever a pull and ran over to the other side of the engine, busying himself with something.
The TARDIS engine sprang to life and the rhythmic whirring could be heard again. Melis watched the engine pump up and down until the Doctor’s voice snapped her back to reality. “Switch on the Vortex Loop!”
“Oh! Right!” Melis pulled the launcher up. There was a shudder and a groan, and Melis winced, fearing she’d done the wrong thing. But the Doctor said nothing and just continued to give out orders.
Dimensional Stabilizer. Vector Tracker. Melis flipped switches, pushed buttons, and pulled levers as the Doctor gave order after order. Then the TARDIS engine slowed to a halt. The Doctor poked his head around the engine and grinned at Melis.
“Good job! I haven’t had many companions fly this thing! But you did all right!”
“It was a bit bumpy,” admitted Melis.
“Oh don’t worry about it,” the Doctor said dismissively. “It’s usually like that. And we’ve arrived ahead of that Graske.” He moved over to the TARDIS screen. “Now… when is this…”
“When?” asked Melis.
“We’ve gone back in time,” explained the Doctor. “Time machine, remember?” he added upon seeing the sceptical look on Melis’ face. “We’ve gone back about a hundred and twenty years. The Graske will be here any minute and if we don’t spot him we’ll lose the trail.” He pointed to the monitor where a view of the British Isles could be seen from space. “I’ve tracked the Graske so when he appears the monitor should pick up his DNA signal. Watch carefully as it’ll only be a blip for a second. And we can’t lose him.”
“I have good eyes,” assured Melis. “You’re in good hands.”
The Doctor smiled coyly. “Warming up to the role, are we?”
She shrugged. “May as well. Hold it! Right there! It was right there!” Melis pointed to the screen at the south-east corner of the isle. The blip had been brief and was now gone, but she was sure it had been there.
The Doctor didn’t even question her as he zoomed the view in to the south-east. The screen now showed an aerial view of what Melis recognized as London (the river and bridge seemed to be a giveaway for her). Without needing instruction, Melis looked carefully at the city. Sure enough, there was the blip.
“North, north-west.”
“Good eyes!” complimented the Doctor, zooming in the screen. They were now looking down at a snow-covered street. Horse carriages were trotting by as people in strange, almost Victorian dress mingled.
“That’s… interesting,” was all Melis said.
“It’s Christmas in Eighteen Eighty-Three,” concluded the Doctor. “We’re right on top of that Graske. He must be hiding out there somewhere.”
“So what do we do now?” asked Melis.
“We go looking for him!” exclaimed the Doctor. He grabbed his jacket. “Better bundle up; it’s going to be a bit nippy out!”
Melis assumed this was where the joke would be revealed. It was almost a pity, really. She had really begun to enjoy herself and this TARDIS thing was rather neat. But while video screens could be fixed with elaborate movies, stepping outside to discover she hadn’t really left the park would bring it all to an end.
She sighed, picking up her bag and walking to the door. But before she could open the door, the Doctor called her back.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Outside,” she replied. “You just said we needed to uh… find that Graske.”
“Well you can’t go out looking like that,” replied the Doctor. “This is Eighteen Eighty-Three! People didn’t dress all in jeans, overly long scarves and…” He poked her arm. “…poly-blend jackets. You’ll cause a scene going out like that.”
Melis pulled her arm away. “Well I don’t carry around an historic wardrobe in my bag. I don’t usually decide to pop into the Eighteen-Hundreds, Doctor.”
“There’s a wardrobe on board,” explained the Doctor. “Down the hall, third left, fifth right, eighth door on your left. But be quick - we haven’t got a lot of time.”
“And you’re going to go out looking like that?” asked Melis.
The Doctor looked down at himself. “What’s wrong with this?”
Melis pointed. “Chucks didn’t come around until the latter half of the Twentieth Century.”
The Doctor pouted. “Just go change.”
Melis shrugged and set down her bag. Trying to remember the Doctor’s odd directions, she made her way down a hallway in search of his wardrobe room.
Part Three: The Victorian Adventure
Melis only got lost once on her way to the Doctor’s wardrobe. She was really surprised that all of the rooms and hallways could fit into such a small box, especially when she saw the size of the Doctor’s wardrobe. It was like its own little shop, with rack after rack of assorted pieces of clothing for just about anything. Unfortunately, most of the clothes were for men which wouldn’t do at all if Melis was to look the proper part. Still, she was quite content to rifle through coat after coat and shirt after shirt at her own leisure.
She didn’t know how long she’d been in there, trying on piece after piece and none of them really being intended for the outing, when the Doctor came in, looking impatient. She turned, adjusting a hat on top of her head. “What do you think?”
“I think you’re wearing my favourite scarf,” replied the Doctor. “I also think that you’ve been playing dress up long enough as we have things to do.” He sighed. “Honestly… women and their clothing…”
“If it’s your favourite scarf why don’t you wear it?” she asked, playing with the coloured knitting.
“I used to a long time ago,” he said, “but I like to change my look every once in a while. Now come on then! We dawdle any longer and you won’t have a planet left!” He walked swiftly past Melis over to one of the far racks. After a few minutes of searching, he threw a navy-coloured dress over to Melis. Melis looked at it apprehensively. There was far too much fabric - layers of it!
“You’re kidding,” she said, holding up the dress. “This?”
“Yes,” nodded the Doctor. He tossed her a pair of black boots. “And these. Oh and… do something with your hair.”
Melis brought her hand up to her hair. “What’s wrong with it? Don’t like redheads?”
“Admittedly, I’m jealous,” said the Doctor. “I’ve always wanted to be ginger and never have. But you don’t look very historic like that.” He crossed his arms. “Now if you’re not out in ten minutes I’m dropping you off back home.”
So that’s the gimmick, Melis thought as the Doctor left. He wanted her to take long enough to get ready so he could say he was bringing her home. That way, when she left the box and was still in the park it wouldn’t seem so much like a hoax. Well she’d show him. He’d be caught with egg on his face when she didn’t earn a one-way ticket out of the TARDIS.
Melis hated the dress. It was itchy and stifling and there were way too many layers of woollen fabric. The shoes were horribly uncomfortable as well. The size was all right but she didn’t like the heels at all. She much preferred her trainers but there wasn’t much she could do about it. And so, seven minutes and thirteen bobby pins later, Melis emerged back into the main room of the TARDIS, tugging awkwardly at her dress and hoping against all hope that her hair would stay up as she had put it.
“Very nice,” whistled the Doctor. “Quite Dickensian if I may say so.”
Melis looked him up and down. “And what exactly did you change?”
He lifted a foot. “My shoes since you insisted oh so very much. Ready then?” Melis nodded. Here was where the whole thing came to end.
The Doctor pulled open the TARDIS door and stepped out first. Melis followed and froze before her foot hit the ground. She wasn’t in the park anymore. This really was the image she had seen on the TARDIS screen. Outside of the blue box was London England on December 24th, 1883. She had gone back in time.
“You didn’t believe me, did you?” The Doctor’s voice cut into her amazement. “Well, you wouldn’t be the first.”
“How… how did we..?” Melis barely managed to whisper.
“Time machine, remember?” chimed in the Doctor.
“But where did you…?”
“I’ll explain later,” replied the Doctor. He held out his hand. “Now… shall we have a look for that Graske?”
Weakly, Melis took the Doctor’s hand and let him lead her into the street. Both travellers looked all about them as they made their way into the populated street, but while the Doctor was looking for any sign of the little alien, Melis was mesmerized by the surroundings.
Nearby must have been a soup kitchen or something, as an elderly gentleman was going around handing out warm malt wine to everyone he met. He had a small fire and table set up near the sidewalk, and seemed to be in the brightest of spirits, wishing everyone who passed a Merry Christmas and praising…
“Queen Victoria…?” Melis squeezed the Doctor’s hand excitedly. “This really is the Nineteenth Century…! And I’m… I’m…” She looked down at the tracks the two of them had made in the snow. “I’m leaving my mark! These are my footprints! In Victorian England!”
The Doctor grinned broadly. “Having a good time then?”
“Oh yes!”
“Well I’m glad.” His tone suddenly turned serious. “Just don’t forget why we’re here.” He paused, peering into a nearby mailbox. “No… doesn’t seem to be anything in there…”
“Excuse me, miss!” Melis felt something tugging at the hem of her dress. She looked down and saw a small boy looking up at her, a tin cup outstretched. “Spare a penny, miss? I’ve had nothing since the orphanage fell down.” He smiled hopefully. “I’m trying to save up for a Satsuma!”
“Um… I don’t-”
“A Satsuma?” The Doctor looked over, frowning. “Bloody Satsumas…” He padded his pockets, searching for something. “Here you go then.” He dropped a coin into the boy’s cup.
“Thank you, sir! You and your missus have a happy Christmas!” The boy then scampered off.
The Doctor pouted. “That was my last penny too…”
“You don’t carry a lot of money, do you?” asked Melis.
The Doctor shrugged. “I don’t need it all that much.”
They were interrupted by a sudden scream. A woman in a pink dress had dropped whatever pamphlets she’d been handing out and was backing away from a pile of grain sacks. Something had startled her and sure enough that something darted out from its hiding place.
The Graske had appeared.
Everyone in the street had turned at the woman’s scream. The Doctor let go of Melis’ hand and darted towards the Graske. But before he had crossed the street, the Graske had pulled out its little black box. The Doctor skidded to a halt in the snow and dashed behind a Christmas tree for protection. But the Graske hadn’t been targeting him. Its gaze was fixed on the orphan boy who had approached Melis only moments earlier. The boy struggled briefly but to no avail. In only a moment, the boy’s mind had been replaced by another Graske, and the attacker had disappeared.
Melis hiked up her dress and ran over to the Doctor. “Doctor, he’s gone!”
“With another victim,” the Doctor muttered darkly.
“So much for that then,” sighed Melis.
“Not quite…” breathed the Doctor. “He got away… but I bet we’ve still got his signal.” He grabbed her hand. “Come on. Back to the TARDIS!”
The Doctor and Melis hurried inside the TARDIS, the Doctor practically leaping up the walkway. Melis sat down to remove her boots and find her normal clothes, but the Doctor was busying himself revving up the TARDIS’ engines.
“This is no time to be gearing up for another wardrobe change!” scolded the Doctor, kicking the TARDIS into life. “We’ve got a Graske to catch!”
“I’m not going to be of much use catching anything if I can’t walk,” retorted Melis. “So you can chase the alien while I change.” With that, she disappeared down the hall to the Doctor’s wardrobe once again.
Part Four: The Two Buttons
Melis emerged back into the main room as the TARDIS reached its destination. The Doctor looked up as she perched herself on one of the railings.
“I’m glad I didn’t have to go get you this time,” he said.
“Ha ha,” she replied. “Where did you land us now?”
The Doctor glanced up at the engine and then back at Melis. “Griffoth: the legendary planet of the Graske. There’s an entrance but it’s shielded. We’re as close as I could get us, but you’ll have to do some work to get through.”
Melis sat up straight. “You mean I’m going?” The Doctor nodded. “Without you?”
“Well this is your adventure, not mine.”
Melis frowned. “You’re the one who picked me up in the first place!”
The Doctor looked unphased. “You’re the one who chose to come along. Now get moving then! There’s a universe that needs to be saved!”
“How will I know what to do?” asked Melis.
The Doctor held up his sonic screwdriver. “I patched you in through your mobile earlier, remember? I’ll guide you through that.” He sat back in a nearby chair. “I could shout but that’d give you away. And I don’t want to get you eaten. Not at Christmas.”
Melis froze at the entrance to the TARDIS. “Eaten? Those gremlins eat people?”
The Doctor shrugged. “I doubt it. But you never know what else could be out there.”
Melis swallowed and tentatively stepped out onto the planet’s surface. She realized she had never asked about a space suit or anything. But after a couple deep breaths, she discovered there was an oxygen atmosphere and she’d probably be okay after all. Well, at least she wouldn’t die because she wasn’t able to breathe.
Slowly and carefully so as to make as little sound as possible, Melis stepped forward across the ground. She was in some sort of long dark tunnel. There were lights along the ceiling but they were dim and few. But at least there seemed to be no signs of life. She really wasn’t ready to face any sort of alien on her own.
Melis made her way through the tunnel until she came to a gate. She pushed against it, but it appeared to be locked. Pulling out her phone, she brought it up to her ear to contact the Doctor. “Doctor? There’s a gate. I can’t get through.”
“Yes, I can see it on the TARDIS screen,” came the voice of the Doctor. “It seems to be an airlock protected by code. Do you see those symbols on that panel?” Melis told him she did. “Look closely at them. You have to work out the next shape in the sequence. Find the right shape, press it, and the airlock should open for you.”
“What if I get it wrong?” asked Melis.
“I imagine some sort of alarm might go off,” replied the Doctor nonchalantly. “Or nothing at all.”
“You’re wonderful at reassuring people, really,” sighed Melis, looking at the shapes in front of her. She was glad they were shapes and not numbers. She had always been terrible at numbers, number sequences, and numerical patterns. But shapes and images were something she could work with. Settling on a shape, Melis held her breath and pushed a button. There was a creaking sound and the gate slid open.
“I’m through,” Melis whispered into her phone and stepped forwards to continue on her way. This hallway was just as dark as the first, and Melis had to keep low and walk carefully in order to avoid what seemed to be wires and cables dangling from the ceiling. However, she hadn’t been walking long when she came to a second airlock.
Melis looked at this second lock and felt the bottom of her stomach drop. “Doctor,” she choked into her phone, “it’s a number code.”
“So?”
“I’m horrible with numbers.”
There was nothing but silence between them for what seemed like forever to Melis. Finally, the Doctor’s voice crackled into life. “I have faith in you.”
“You do?”
“I told you I only take the best. And I picked you, didn’t I? Therefore you’re the best; and, what’s more, you’ve managed to make it this far. I’m confident you can do it.”
Melis said nothing but smiled. She’d had pep talks before, but no one had ever singled her out as an individual like that. She did feel special - like she really was one of the best. And, looking hard at the numbers in front of her, Melis - for the first time in her life - ceased to feel intimidated by them.
Then the code came to her. Obviously the Graske were as useless when it came to numerical codes as she was, as the code was simply a basic increase of numbers by one. Five and six… six and seven… seven and eight… eight and nine! Melis pushed the corresponding button and watched with glee as the airlock slid open and she could pass through.
Sure enough, however, she was soon greeted by a third obstacle. It wasn’t an airlock this time, but a door, and next to it were three keys.
“Blimey, this place has got as many doors as Jim Morrison,” said the Doctor when Melis told him what lay in front of her. “One of those keys must open it. But the question is: which one?”
“Well the lock is pretty unique,” replied Melis, examining the three keys.
And she was right. The lock was some sort of a cross with four round points. One of the keys had only two prongs, and a second key only three. Therefore, concluded Melis, it could only be the key with the four prongs. Melis picked it up and tried it in the lock. There was a click and the door slid open revealing what could only be the inside of the base.
There were pods and containers as far as the eye could see, each one with some sort of person or being within them. Several Graske were wandering around, checking on the chambers.
“Are you through the door?” The Doctor’s voice came through the phone. Melis assured him she was. “Where are you then?” She explained to him the room she saw. There was a pause and then the Doctor spoke. “Those pods must contain the originals of all the changelings from around the universe.” Sure enough, Melis spotted the mother from the family the Doctor had shown her. And next to a pod with a green alien was the orphan from Victorian England.
“They need them alive to sustain the copies,” explained the Doctor. “Earth will be doomed if we don’t stop them. Soon every man, woman, and child will be stolen by the Graske.”
“What do I do?” asked Melis quietly. Not quietly enough, however, as the Graske at what could only be the control panel turned around and looked right at Melis. She froze, unsure of what to do until she saw the Graske pull out what could only be a gun. “Doctor!” she shouted into the phone, hitting the floor as some sort of laser shot over her head. “It’s spotted me!”
The gunfire ricocheted off the wall behind her and bounced around the room until it impacted one of the pods containing some sort of strange green alien. With the lock disengaged, the alien was free to move, shattering its glass door and breaking free with a screeching cry.
“Doctor!” Melis was panicking now. “Doctor, some sort of thing just broke out of a pod and it doesn’t look friendly at all!!!” There was no answer. “Doctor? Doctor?!” Still nothing. “DOCTOR!!!”
“Funny place to save the universe from!” Melis felt two hands on her shoulders as she was lifted to her feet. There was the Doctor, grinning despite the current situation. “You didn’t think I’d just sit back while you were in trouble, did you?”
Melis hugged him, glad he was there to - hopefully - get her out of here as quickly as possible. But the reunion was short-lived. Telling her to stay put, the Doctor ran out into the middle of the room, catching the attention of both the confused Graske and the green alien - a Slitheen.
“Hello there, lovelies! Fancy a chase?” With that, the Doctor took off amongst the pods, the aliens in pursuit. Melis stood where she was, stunned and confused. What could she possibly do now? What was to be done? But then the Doctor’s voice came to life over her phone again. “Now’s your chance, Melis, but I can only give you enough time to do one of two things. You can reverse the settings. That’ll destroy the duplicates, free the prisoners, and teleport them to wherever in the universe they were snatched from. Or you can use the Graske’s stasis control against them. That will freeze - apart from you - everybody and everything here.”
“Including you?” asked Melis.
There was a pause before the Doctor replied. Melis heard the Slitheen give out a terrible screech and saw sparks fly in a far corner of the room. “Yes.” He sounded out of breath. “Including me.”
“Well I can’t do that,” murmured Melis, as she approached the control panel the Graske had vacated.
There were several buttons, dials, and keypads with Melis having no idea what any of them did. But two buttons were lit up with yellow lights. They looked rather obvious so Melis decided one of them must reverse the technology. But if it was the wrong button, she could end up freezing everyone in the room - including the Doctor. So which one was the right one?
“Hurry up!” She could hear the Doctor’s yell come both from her phone and somewhere in the room. “Time’s running out! You have to push a button!”
This was it then. She had to push a button. What happened after that was all up to chance. Covering her eyes, Melis pushed the bright yellow button on the left side of the panel. Silence followed. There were no more alien screeches, no more cables snapping. Just silence.
Melis looked around. Nothing was moving. Everything must have been frozen. She’d pushed the wrong button.
But then the Doctor’s voice came to her, not from the phone but from somewhere in the room nearby. Sure enough he appeared, emerging from between two pods and smiling. “So you’ve opted for teleportation! Good girl!”
It was then that Melis noticed the pods emptying one by one, with the Graske scrambling around trying to figure out what was going on. Amongst the confusion, the Doctor was able to pass through their midst unhindered.
“Everyone’s heading back to where they belong,” he said, stopping next to her.
“So I did it!” exclaimed Melis.
The Doctor nodded, his smile wide. “Yes you did!” He held out his hand once more. “Now let’s get out of here before they get their bearings and notice us.” He paused only to use his sonic screwdriver, shorting out the Graske control panel, and then the two travellers made their way quickly through the airlock and back into the TARDIS.
Part Five: The TARDIS Key
Melis was grinning alongside the Doctor by the time they found their way back into the TARDIS. After what she’d just experienced and with the thrill of adrenaline running through her, all the thoughts of a probable hoax were gone from her mind. Yes, the aliens were still hard to believe, and the fact that she’d just travelled through time and space were rather overwhelming. But now that the danger was over, she was thrilled and was of the mindset that this was the most fun she’d ever had.
“Come have a look at this!” the Doctor said suddenly, looking at the TARDIS screen. Melis followed.
They were once again looking into the family’s living room where the mother and father appeared to be back to normal. And sure enough, to the Doctor’s amusement, they were quite eager to get their Christmas party geared up and into full swing.
The Doctor looked at Melis. “It looks to me like you just saved Christmas.”
Melis shook her head. “I think we did, actually.”
The Doctor laughed and hugged her briefly before righting himself. “I think it’s time we got you back home now.” Melis watched as he kicked the TARDIS into life.
“Home…?” repeated Melis, her mood dropping. “After all of this… you’re sending me home?”
The Doctor looked up vaguely. “You don’t want to go back?”
Melis thought carefully before answering. Home was home, and she had friends and family who she loved very much. There was also school and she knew she really couldn’t just up and leave. But she’d travelled back in time with this Doctor, and saved not just Christmas but the entire universe! How could anyone be expected to go back to the mundane life they had before? “No, Doctor, I don’t.”
The Doctor leaned against the engine. “Oh dear then. I suppose that’s a bit of a problem. Hold out your mobile.”
“Can I stay then?” she asked, holding out her phone. “Please?”
The Doctor shook his head as he pressed his sonic screwdriver against the phone. “There we go. All back to normal. Though I wouldn’t go calling any One Eight-Hundred numbers for the next week. It could cause the galaxy to implode. And we wouldn’t want that.”
“Why can’t I stay?” demanded Melis. “You picked me up and showed me all of this! You can’t just leave me!”
“I’ve already got a companion and she’s due to be picked up from Wembley,” replied the Doctor, trying to be apologetic. He gestured to the front doors. “There you go. Home.”
Melis sighed. The Doctor didn’t seem willing to discuss her staying. And sure enough, upon opening the door, Melis found herself standing once again in the park by her house. It looked more dull and dreary than ever. No one would ever find any sort of exciting adventures here.
“Now, I did say I only take the best.” Melis turned. The Doctor was standing coolly in the doorway. “And you…” He nodded. “You were amazing!” Melis beamed, hopeful that maybe he would change his mind. “I might just pick you up one day.”
Melis perked up instantly. “Really?”
The Doctor nodded, smiling. “Why certainly! Tell you what; take this.” He reached into his pocket and held out a key.
Melis took the key and looked at it. “What is it?” she asked.
“It’s a TARDIS key,” explained the Doctor. “Now I don’t give very many of these out, but if you have one you’ll know when I’m back.”
“How will I know…?”
“It warms up and glows when the TARDIS is nearby.” The Doctor smiled. “And when it does…”
“You’ll be back for me.” Melis pocketed the key, and slung her bag over her shoulder. “How long will it be before I see you again?”
The doctor paused, scratching his head in thought. “Well… time machine and all… could be any time.” He grinned. “And that’s half the fun, isn’t it?”
Melis smiled. “Good luck then!” The Doctor returned her farewell and turned to disappear back inside the TARDIS. But then Melis remembered something he had promised to tell her. “Wait! Doctor?”
The Doctor turned, his hand on the door. “Yes?”
“You never did tell me about what you are… and what everything was.” She paused. “Are you… an alien…?”
He grinned mischievously. “I am.”
“Weird…” whispered Melis as the Doctor closed the door.
She heard the engine of the TARDIS spring to life with the rhythmic whirring and groaning echoing from everywhere. And slowly the blue box vanished, leaving Melis alone on the park path. She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the key the Doctor had given her. One day he’d come back. Maybe it’d be a few seconds, maybe a few years. But he’d be back. He’d have to come back if she had one of his keys. That, she decided, was enough to keep a little extra something in her life. And so, smiling and humming to herself, Melis continued on her way towards home, eagerly anticipating the day when she’d once again hear the sound of the universe signalling the return of the Doctor.
Title: Time And Relative Dimensions In Space
Author: Melisus the Wee (melisus)
Rating: G
Word Count: 7, 971 words
Summary: With Rose off at an Abba concert, the Doctor picks up a new companion to help him save Christmas from an invading force of alien changelings.
Notes: Quite obviously based on the Attack of the Graske game. Done all in good fun.
Disclaimer: Because it's all necessary, I don't own any part of Doctor Who. Sad, isn't it?
“After playing that game [Attack of the Graske], I’ve decided that my implausible dream in life is to be the Doctor’s companion. We’d have a kick ass time.”
Part One: The Blue Box
There are many people throughout the world who lead more than one life. On the one hand they appear in their day-to-day life as humble, hard-working, average individuals, but lead a life of intrigue, crime, or scandal unbeknownst to anyone. Melissa (or Melis as she was often called) was not one such person. Sure it could be said that she did indeed have two lives - a real life and an internet one, but neither were the sort to welcome dirty deeds and dark secrets. In one life she led a sage albeit extremely geeky existence, knee-deep in meta and chuckling at wank. In the real world she led a rather mundane existence as a jaded university student, wrapped up in her own little bubble of reality, and trudging day after day through the same routine.
This was not the sort of person exceptional things happened to. Well, they might, but the chance of this individual noticing them was quite slim. So when something exceptional did indeed happen to Melis, she was quite unaware of what was occurring.
It was a Thursday - a dull, dreary, mundane Thursday when Melis was making her way home through the nearby park. The park was a nice green place with a nice little creek, and normally Melis delighted in crossing the bridge. But the day was wet, the ground was muddy, and the snowless winter had turned the grass an ugly brown. There was no picturesque scene to be held. As such, Melis was far too busy thinking of the evils of the weather and the cold with no snow to notice the sound of the universe moving.
The rhythmic whirring and groaning didn’t puzzle her, and she was far too busy fussing over how wet and muddy the hems of her jeans were becoming to notice the appearance of a strange blue box. Indeed if she hadn’t suddenly looked up to adjust her scarf, she probably would have walked straight into it.
As such she paused, puzzled. She’d never heard of telephone police boxes, or really telephone boxes for that matter. Well, they did have them in England but not here. And why blue? Furthermore, where had it come from? She’d walked this path hundreds of times and there had never been this standing there. Curious, Melis did a small lap around the box. There was nothing… odd about it. It seemed perfectly normal (for a box that had suddenly appeared from nowhere anyway). Perhaps it was a strange storage shed? Carefully, Melis reached up to push on what looked like the front door.
Before her hand made contact with the wood, however, the door was pulled back and from around the corner popped a man’s head. He cast around, seeming to not have noticed the girl in front of him, squinting and frowning. “Well… this isn’t right.”
A strange British man in a strange British box, thought Melis. No, that isn’t right at all. Most people would have waved to catch his attention. But Melis was not one for outward social interaction with strangers, and decided it was probably best if she just let him be and hurried home. But as she made to step around the box, the man noticed her.
“Oh! Um, hello there.”
Melis turned. “Hi…?”
“Do you know where this is?”
Melis was rather taken aback by this question. Why shouldn’t he know where they were? “This is a park.”
“No, really, I can see that,” replied the man, leaning against the door’s frame. “I meant the city… district... you know! Westminster… Soho… Cardiff…” He paused, frowning slightly. “This isn’t Cardiff, is it?”
“No… Toronto…”
The man looked relieved. “Thank goodness!” Another pause. “Wait, what? Toron… that’s… oh no. Hold on!” He disappeared back into the box, closing the door behind him. Melis decided now would be the time to leave. For all she knew, this man was off his rocker. Who knew what he was doing inside that box of his? But before she could make a break for it, the man reappeared looking rather put out. “Usually I’m not this far off and all... strange...” He sighed. “Oh well!”
The man stepped out from the box, closing the door behind him and took in a deep breath. He seemed to be savouring the air then turned, as if seeing Melis for the first time. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Um… since you got here,” replied Melis.
“Oh. OH.” The man leaned in close, almost conspiratorially. “So you, uh, saw this whole thing.”
“Sort of just pop out of thin air?” Melis nodded. “Pretty much, I guess. What is this, anyway? Maintenance shed? What’s it doing in the middle of the path?”
The man straightened up, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. “Right then! I’m the Doctor; pleasure to meet you; and since you seem to be the only one around, you’ll have to do. So come on then! In we go!” He pushed open the door of the box and beckoned for her to enter.
Melis stepped back. “If you’re a doctor, what are you a doctor of? And I’m warning you, I know self defence.”
The Doctor tapped his chin pensively. “Ah yes… humans and their strange trust habits. You’re so open and gullible when you should be suspicious, and sceptical when there’s no need!”
“My question?”
“Hmmm? Doctor of what? Nothing. That’s my name: Doctor. Just the Doctor.”
“That’s an odd name.”
“And what might yours be?”
Melis crossed her arms. “And why should I tell you?”
The Doctor smiled wickedly. “Ah, there’s a spark in you! I like it! Perhaps this machine knew what it was doing dropping me here after all. Well come on then, Sparky; can I call you Sparky?”
“No.”
“Well you’re Sparky until you decide to share your name.” He motioned inside the box. “Come on then! The universe isn’t going to wait, you know!”
“What the hell are you on about, sir?” The more Melis listened to this man, the nuttier he seemed. Yet for some reason she was reluctant to leave.
“Have a look inside. I’ll show you.”
The Doctor stepped aside and motioned for Melis to have a look. Casting a suspicious look at the Doctor, Melis stepped up to the door and looked inside the blue box. What she saw broke every law of physics she had ever tried to understand. The inside of the box wasn’t a box. The interior was vast, with hallways branching off from the main room and stairs running up and down to different levels. The box seemed to be made of wood, but the inside was copper or steel or something. And in the center of the room was a strange green glowing pedestal.
Melis stepped back, stunned and speechless, gaping at the Doctor.
“Like my decorating?” he asked.
It was a moment before Melis found her voice. “I’m not very good with math or physics,” she began slowly, “but how is something this small on the outside that big on the inside?”
The Doctor grinned wickedly. “Seems alien, doesn’t it?”
“What are you?”
“I told you I’m the Doctor! Traveller through time and space. I can visit anyone anywhere at any time. And I’ve… well… the TARDIS decided I should pop on by and pick up you.”
“TARDIS…?”
“This thing.” He rapped on the side of the box. “Time and relative dimensions in space. TARDIS. She’s my ship. Takes me anywhere I want to go… and sometimes places I don’t intend to visit but apparently need to. So here we are, there you are, and now we can go!”
“Go where…?”
“Hmmm…” The Doctor paused, thinking. “Theoretically, anywhere. Though I have to be sure you’re one of the best first. So it’s off for a test then.”
“I’m sorry… uh… Doctor,” replied Melis, adjusting the bag on her shoulder. “But I try not to make travelling with complete strangers a habit. Especially when it concerns ‘doctors’ in ‘boxes’.” With that, Melis turned and moved past the Doctor and his box.
“Of course I can’t make you come along,” called the Doctor after her. “But you’ve had a look inside the TARDIS and I know you’re curious. So you have two options, Sparky. You can go home and continue your mindless human routine, never truly questioning or discovering things around you… or you can follow that nagging curiosity at the back of your mind, go with what your gut says, and find out just what sort of adventure is beckoning to you.”
Melis paused mid-step and stood still, mulling over the Doctor’s words. He could very well be a murderous lunatic and Melis still did believe she had her whole life ahead of her. But she had seen the inside of this TARDIS thing and there was certainly something unnatural and strange about it. She really couldn’t help being curious. And the Doctor had been right: she could either play it safe and go home to fall back into routine, or be adventurous for once and find something out.
Melis turned back around to face the Doctor. “Melis.”
“Excuse me?”
“That’s my name.”
The Doctor grinned. “That’s the spirit. Now come! Adventure, peril, and all sorts of good things await!” He disappeared inside the TARDIS and, with one last look around her, Melis followed.
Part Two: The Attack of the Graske
Melis stood still as the Doctor ran up the walkway towards the glowing pedestal. She gazed around, tapping the railing thoughtfully.
“How does this thing work?” she asked.
“Flies through the time vortex,” replied the Doctor. “But to everyone else it just seems to disappear and reappear.” He looked up and saw the unsure look on Melis’ face. “You’re more of a bus person, aren’t you?” She nodded. “Ah well… Hurry up! Close the door! We need to be off!”
Melis obeyed and cautiously walked up to the center of the TARDIS where the Doctor was busying himself pulling levers and smashing buttons. It was odd the way he went about his business, looking more like a boy with a brand new tinker toy than a grown man working a machine. Melis said nothing for a long time. As much as it did look like some sort of fancy dance, the Doctor did look busy and she thought it best not to disturb the captain of the ship.
Eventually, he spoke, but he still seemed to be concentrating on working the TARDIS. “So… the challenge, then!” He looked up briefly. “Reckon you can make it as my companion?”
“Companion?” echoed Melis.
“Yes, companion. My partner in time.” He looked suddenly serious. “I only take the best, you know.” He paused. “Like Rose. I don’t expect you’ll know her. I dropped her off for a bit.”
“So I’m a replacement?”
“At the moment, yeah. She’s in Nineteen Seventy-Nine… Abba at Wembley.” He made a face. Melis laughed in spite of her nervousness. “So it’s all going to be down to you then.”
“Me?”
The Doctor nodded. “Right?”
Melis shuffled her feet in agitation. “Yeah… alright then.”
“Good.” The Doctor padded around in the pocket of his overcoat, searching for something. After a brief search he pulled out a small silver rod, no bigger than a pen with a little blue tip. “Have you got a mobile?”
Melis looked confused. “Mobile… phone, yes! Why?” The Doctor held out his hand. Melis hesitantly placed her phone in his hand. “What do you need it for?”
The Doctor took his rod and pressed it against the phone. There was a buzzing sound and the blue tip lit up. “I’m linking you to the TARDIS with the sonic screwdriver.”
“That’s a screwdriver?” Melis asked, pointing to the rod.
“Yep. Does just about anything I need it to. Ah! Here we are!” He handed the phone back to Melis. “Now you can use it to communicate if you need it. Just… be careful with that. Try not to sit on it. You really wouldn’t want that.”
The Doctor moved around the pedestal one last time before settling on one final lever. He pulled it and grinned. “Let’s go!”
Melis watched as the glowing center began to pump up and down. It was an engine, she determined. And sure enough she could hear a rhythmic whirring coming from the center of the TARDIS. That was it then. They were off and there was no turning back now. No sooner had Melis determined this then the engine had stopped and all was quiet and still.
“Have we landed somewhere?” she asked.
The Doctor nodded and motioned for Melis to come over. He was standing in front of a small television screen. “Come have a look,” he said. “This is the TARDIS screen.” Melis followed and took up a spot next to the Doctor.
She was looking into someone’s house. It was a living room, she thought, and by the look of all the decorations about it was either Christmas or the New Year. The family seemed to be bustling about, with the adults doing their own thing, and two children going through brand new toys. In the corner of the screen she could see the edge of a Christmas tree.
“Looks like any old Christmas,” explained the Doctor, “and it is.” He paused. “No! Joking! It isn’t.”
“It’s not?” asked Melis.
“Nope. One of these people isn’t human but an alien impostor,” continued the Doctor. “There are two cameras in the room: the girl’s got a camcorder for Christmas, plus I’m looking out through their TV. Why? Because I’m clever. With this button here you can switch between the two views.” He pointed to a button on the bottom corner of the screen. “Look closely at each person. One of them is the alien. But which one?” He stood back. “And you can’t say me, so don’t be clever.”
“Are you trying to tell me you’re an alien?” asked Melis sceptically.
The Doctor waved his hand. “I’m not the one you’re supposed to be watching. Look at the screen!”
Melis sighed and turned back to television screen. The Doctor’s vision was rather stationary and probably wouldn’t do much good, whereas the girl and her camcorder were wandering around and walking up to everyone. And I bet it’s the grandmother, she thought to herself. It’s always the grandmother. She snickered, causing the Doctor to tilt his head curiously. Obviously this new companion was not taking things as seriously as she should. In due time though, she’d realize the reality of the situation.
But then it happened. The little girl called over to her mother who looked up and… Melis jumped back, startled. She whirled around to face the Doctor. “What was that?!”
“What was what?” he asked.
“That woman! Her eyes! They just suddenly… lit up! Glowed! All yellow! That’s not normal!”
The Doctor smiled as Melis gaped. “Well done! It’s Mum! You noticed the eyes. Dead give away, I know.”
“Why were they glowing?!” asked Melis rather shrilly.
“That’s what I’m here to find out,” replied the Doctor, leaning back pensively. Suddenly, there was a sound like a siren. It seemed to be coming from the TARDIS engine, almost like an alarm. The Doctor frowned and sat forward. “What’s that?”
“It’s your box; shouldn’t you know?!”
“Look over at the TARDIS screen. What’s going on?”
“Camera or-”
“Television!”
Melis switched over to the Doctor’s view and stepped aside to give the Doctor a better look. The mother had pulled the father over into the background. Muttering, the Doctor fiddled with a nearby crank, zooming the picture in.
Then it happened. Suddenly a small gremlin creature, pink and goblinish appeared on the nearby table. From his pocket he produced some strange glowing device. From it shot a beam of light which held the father in place. As the mother stood calmly by, the father went still and the gremlin retreated, disappearing once again. Nothing had seemed to change. But then, there was a brief flash of light in the father’s eyes - the same yellow glow Melis had spotted in the mother only moments before.
“What the hell was that?!” demanded Melis. “What’s going on here?!”
The Doctor seemed agitated and rushed, throwing off his coat and busying himself at the TARDIS engine. He spoke quickly - hurriedly - and Melis found it quite the task to try and keep up with what he was saying.
“That creature was a Graske,” he explained, flipping switches and turning knobs. “They take over a planet by replacing its population. I can follow the trail of that one but can you drive the TARDIS?”
“We’re under an alien invasion?” asked Melis in disbelief.
“It’s not the first time it’s happened,” replied the Doctor. “Now can you drive the TARDIS?”
“Hold on, what do you mean?” Melis was horribly lost and confused by this point. “Just what’s happening? Why are there aliens? That’s just… impossible!” She crossed her arms. “And I’m not doing anything more until you give me a proper explanation as to who you are and what the hell all of this is!”
“I’ll explain later,” came the reply.
“NO.”
The Doctor stopped and sighed. He crossed the floor to Melis and placed his hands on her shoulders. “We may be in a time machine but I haven’t got enough time to tell you everything. You just have to trust me right now and do as I say. If you can do that then I promise I’ll explain everything to you once we’re not in the middle of a global crisis.” He let go. “Now I need you to fly the TARDIS.” He frowned, seeming to try and work something in his mouth. When he spoke it seemed to take a great deal of effort. “Please.”
Melis thought things over carefully. This could be and probably was an elaborate hoax and the more she played along, the more ridiculous she looked. But on the other hand, if on the odd chance this wasn’t a joke then her unwillingness to help this man was putting her entire species in serious jeopardy. As such, if it was a joke, she could always just go with it and take her revenge on the idiots who pulled this afterwards. Besides, this Doctor man was amusing in his own strange way.
So she nodded. “I’ll do it. But I’m holding you to your promise.”
“Fair enough,” replied the Doctor. “Now come over here.”
Melis followed as the Doctor pointed out three trinkets on the pedestal. The first looked like a lever - the Dimensional Stabilizer, as the Doctor called it. To its right was a pair of dials referred to as the Vector Tracker. Melis didn’t like the sound of that device; any mention of vectors brought back unpleasant math class memories. The third and final device was some sort of rod like the launcher in a pinball machine. The Doctor called that one the Vortex Loop.
“Got that all?” asked the Doctor. Melis ran over the names once more in her head and nodded. “Just use the device when and only when I tell you to. Okay?” Another nod. “Right! Let’s go!” The Doctor gave a nearby lever a pull and ran over to the other side of the engine, busying himself with something.
The TARDIS engine sprang to life and the rhythmic whirring could be heard again. Melis watched the engine pump up and down until the Doctor’s voice snapped her back to reality. “Switch on the Vortex Loop!”
“Oh! Right!” Melis pulled the launcher up. There was a shudder and a groan, and Melis winced, fearing she’d done the wrong thing. But the Doctor said nothing and just continued to give out orders.
Dimensional Stabilizer. Vector Tracker. Melis flipped switches, pushed buttons, and pulled levers as the Doctor gave order after order. Then the TARDIS engine slowed to a halt. The Doctor poked his head around the engine and grinned at Melis.
“Good job! I haven’t had many companions fly this thing! But you did all right!”
“It was a bit bumpy,” admitted Melis.
“Oh don’t worry about it,” the Doctor said dismissively. “It’s usually like that. And we’ve arrived ahead of that Graske.” He moved over to the TARDIS screen. “Now… when is this…”
“When?” asked Melis.
“We’ve gone back in time,” explained the Doctor. “Time machine, remember?” he added upon seeing the sceptical look on Melis’ face. “We’ve gone back about a hundred and twenty years. The Graske will be here any minute and if we don’t spot him we’ll lose the trail.” He pointed to the monitor where a view of the British Isles could be seen from space. “I’ve tracked the Graske so when he appears the monitor should pick up his DNA signal. Watch carefully as it’ll only be a blip for a second. And we can’t lose him.”
“I have good eyes,” assured Melis. “You’re in good hands.”
The Doctor smiled coyly. “Warming up to the role, are we?”
She shrugged. “May as well. Hold it! Right there! It was right there!” Melis pointed to the screen at the south-east corner of the isle. The blip had been brief and was now gone, but she was sure it had been there.
The Doctor didn’t even question her as he zoomed the view in to the south-east. The screen now showed an aerial view of what Melis recognized as London (the river and bridge seemed to be a giveaway for her). Without needing instruction, Melis looked carefully at the city. Sure enough, there was the blip.
“North, north-west.”
“Good eyes!” complimented the Doctor, zooming in the screen. They were now looking down at a snow-covered street. Horse carriages were trotting by as people in strange, almost Victorian dress mingled.
“That’s… interesting,” was all Melis said.
“It’s Christmas in Eighteen Eighty-Three,” concluded the Doctor. “We’re right on top of that Graske. He must be hiding out there somewhere.”
“So what do we do now?” asked Melis.
“We go looking for him!” exclaimed the Doctor. He grabbed his jacket. “Better bundle up; it’s going to be a bit nippy out!”
Melis assumed this was where the joke would be revealed. It was almost a pity, really. She had really begun to enjoy herself and this TARDIS thing was rather neat. But while video screens could be fixed with elaborate movies, stepping outside to discover she hadn’t really left the park would bring it all to an end.
She sighed, picking up her bag and walking to the door. But before she could open the door, the Doctor called her back.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Outside,” she replied. “You just said we needed to uh… find that Graske.”
“Well you can’t go out looking like that,” replied the Doctor. “This is Eighteen Eighty-Three! People didn’t dress all in jeans, overly long scarves and…” He poked her arm. “…poly-blend jackets. You’ll cause a scene going out like that.”
Melis pulled her arm away. “Well I don’t carry around an historic wardrobe in my bag. I don’t usually decide to pop into the Eighteen-Hundreds, Doctor.”
“There’s a wardrobe on board,” explained the Doctor. “Down the hall, third left, fifth right, eighth door on your left. But be quick - we haven’t got a lot of time.”
“And you’re going to go out looking like that?” asked Melis.
The Doctor looked down at himself. “What’s wrong with this?”
Melis pointed. “Chucks didn’t come around until the latter half of the Twentieth Century.”
The Doctor pouted. “Just go change.”
Melis shrugged and set down her bag. Trying to remember the Doctor’s odd directions, she made her way down a hallway in search of his wardrobe room.
Part Three: The Victorian Adventure
Melis only got lost once on her way to the Doctor’s wardrobe. She was really surprised that all of the rooms and hallways could fit into such a small box, especially when she saw the size of the Doctor’s wardrobe. It was like its own little shop, with rack after rack of assorted pieces of clothing for just about anything. Unfortunately, most of the clothes were for men which wouldn’t do at all if Melis was to look the proper part. Still, she was quite content to rifle through coat after coat and shirt after shirt at her own leisure.
She didn’t know how long she’d been in there, trying on piece after piece and none of them really being intended for the outing, when the Doctor came in, looking impatient. She turned, adjusting a hat on top of her head. “What do you think?”
“I think you’re wearing my favourite scarf,” replied the Doctor. “I also think that you’ve been playing dress up long enough as we have things to do.” He sighed. “Honestly… women and their clothing…”
“If it’s your favourite scarf why don’t you wear it?” she asked, playing with the coloured knitting.
“I used to a long time ago,” he said, “but I like to change my look every once in a while. Now come on then! We dawdle any longer and you won’t have a planet left!” He walked swiftly past Melis over to one of the far racks. After a few minutes of searching, he threw a navy-coloured dress over to Melis. Melis looked at it apprehensively. There was far too much fabric - layers of it!
“You’re kidding,” she said, holding up the dress. “This?”
“Yes,” nodded the Doctor. He tossed her a pair of black boots. “And these. Oh and… do something with your hair.”
Melis brought her hand up to her hair. “What’s wrong with it? Don’t like redheads?”
“Admittedly, I’m jealous,” said the Doctor. “I’ve always wanted to be ginger and never have. But you don’t look very historic like that.” He crossed his arms. “Now if you’re not out in ten minutes I’m dropping you off back home.”
So that’s the gimmick, Melis thought as the Doctor left. He wanted her to take long enough to get ready so he could say he was bringing her home. That way, when she left the box and was still in the park it wouldn’t seem so much like a hoax. Well she’d show him. He’d be caught with egg on his face when she didn’t earn a one-way ticket out of the TARDIS.
Melis hated the dress. It was itchy and stifling and there were way too many layers of woollen fabric. The shoes were horribly uncomfortable as well. The size was all right but she didn’t like the heels at all. She much preferred her trainers but there wasn’t much she could do about it. And so, seven minutes and thirteen bobby pins later, Melis emerged back into the main room of the TARDIS, tugging awkwardly at her dress and hoping against all hope that her hair would stay up as she had put it.
“Very nice,” whistled the Doctor. “Quite Dickensian if I may say so.”
Melis looked him up and down. “And what exactly did you change?”
He lifted a foot. “My shoes since you insisted oh so very much. Ready then?” Melis nodded. Here was where the whole thing came to end.
The Doctor pulled open the TARDIS door and stepped out first. Melis followed and froze before her foot hit the ground. She wasn’t in the park anymore. This really was the image she had seen on the TARDIS screen. Outside of the blue box was London England on December 24th, 1883. She had gone back in time.
“You didn’t believe me, did you?” The Doctor’s voice cut into her amazement. “Well, you wouldn’t be the first.”
“How… how did we..?” Melis barely managed to whisper.
“Time machine, remember?” chimed in the Doctor.
“But where did you…?”
“I’ll explain later,” replied the Doctor. He held out his hand. “Now… shall we have a look for that Graske?”
Weakly, Melis took the Doctor’s hand and let him lead her into the street. Both travellers looked all about them as they made their way into the populated street, but while the Doctor was looking for any sign of the little alien, Melis was mesmerized by the surroundings.
Nearby must have been a soup kitchen or something, as an elderly gentleman was going around handing out warm malt wine to everyone he met. He had a small fire and table set up near the sidewalk, and seemed to be in the brightest of spirits, wishing everyone who passed a Merry Christmas and praising…
“Queen Victoria…?” Melis squeezed the Doctor’s hand excitedly. “This really is the Nineteenth Century…! And I’m… I’m…” She looked down at the tracks the two of them had made in the snow. “I’m leaving my mark! These are my footprints! In Victorian England!”
The Doctor grinned broadly. “Having a good time then?”
“Oh yes!”
“Well I’m glad.” His tone suddenly turned serious. “Just don’t forget why we’re here.” He paused, peering into a nearby mailbox. “No… doesn’t seem to be anything in there…”
“Excuse me, miss!” Melis felt something tugging at the hem of her dress. She looked down and saw a small boy looking up at her, a tin cup outstretched. “Spare a penny, miss? I’ve had nothing since the orphanage fell down.” He smiled hopefully. “I’m trying to save up for a Satsuma!”
“Um… I don’t-”
“A Satsuma?” The Doctor looked over, frowning. “Bloody Satsumas…” He padded his pockets, searching for something. “Here you go then.” He dropped a coin into the boy’s cup.
“Thank you, sir! You and your missus have a happy Christmas!” The boy then scampered off.
The Doctor pouted. “That was my last penny too…”
“You don’t carry a lot of money, do you?” asked Melis.
The Doctor shrugged. “I don’t need it all that much.”
They were interrupted by a sudden scream. A woman in a pink dress had dropped whatever pamphlets she’d been handing out and was backing away from a pile of grain sacks. Something had startled her and sure enough that something darted out from its hiding place.
The Graske had appeared.
Everyone in the street had turned at the woman’s scream. The Doctor let go of Melis’ hand and darted towards the Graske. But before he had crossed the street, the Graske had pulled out its little black box. The Doctor skidded to a halt in the snow and dashed behind a Christmas tree for protection. But the Graske hadn’t been targeting him. Its gaze was fixed on the orphan boy who had approached Melis only moments earlier. The boy struggled briefly but to no avail. In only a moment, the boy’s mind had been replaced by another Graske, and the attacker had disappeared.
Melis hiked up her dress and ran over to the Doctor. “Doctor, he’s gone!”
“With another victim,” the Doctor muttered darkly.
“So much for that then,” sighed Melis.
“Not quite…” breathed the Doctor. “He got away… but I bet we’ve still got his signal.” He grabbed her hand. “Come on. Back to the TARDIS!”
The Doctor and Melis hurried inside the TARDIS, the Doctor practically leaping up the walkway. Melis sat down to remove her boots and find her normal clothes, but the Doctor was busying himself revving up the TARDIS’ engines.
“This is no time to be gearing up for another wardrobe change!” scolded the Doctor, kicking the TARDIS into life. “We’ve got a Graske to catch!”
“I’m not going to be of much use catching anything if I can’t walk,” retorted Melis. “So you can chase the alien while I change.” With that, she disappeared down the hall to the Doctor’s wardrobe once again.
Part Four: The Two Buttons
Melis emerged back into the main room as the TARDIS reached its destination. The Doctor looked up as she perched herself on one of the railings.
“I’m glad I didn’t have to go get you this time,” he said.
“Ha ha,” she replied. “Where did you land us now?”
The Doctor glanced up at the engine and then back at Melis. “Griffoth: the legendary planet of the Graske. There’s an entrance but it’s shielded. We’re as close as I could get us, but you’ll have to do some work to get through.”
Melis sat up straight. “You mean I’m going?” The Doctor nodded. “Without you?”
“Well this is your adventure, not mine.”
Melis frowned. “You’re the one who picked me up in the first place!”
The Doctor looked unphased. “You’re the one who chose to come along. Now get moving then! There’s a universe that needs to be saved!”
“How will I know what to do?” asked Melis.
The Doctor held up his sonic screwdriver. “I patched you in through your mobile earlier, remember? I’ll guide you through that.” He sat back in a nearby chair. “I could shout but that’d give you away. And I don’t want to get you eaten. Not at Christmas.”
Melis froze at the entrance to the TARDIS. “Eaten? Those gremlins eat people?”
The Doctor shrugged. “I doubt it. But you never know what else could be out there.”
Melis swallowed and tentatively stepped out onto the planet’s surface. She realized she had never asked about a space suit or anything. But after a couple deep breaths, she discovered there was an oxygen atmosphere and she’d probably be okay after all. Well, at least she wouldn’t die because she wasn’t able to breathe.
Slowly and carefully so as to make as little sound as possible, Melis stepped forward across the ground. She was in some sort of long dark tunnel. There were lights along the ceiling but they were dim and few. But at least there seemed to be no signs of life. She really wasn’t ready to face any sort of alien on her own.
Melis made her way through the tunnel until she came to a gate. She pushed against it, but it appeared to be locked. Pulling out her phone, she brought it up to her ear to contact the Doctor. “Doctor? There’s a gate. I can’t get through.”
“Yes, I can see it on the TARDIS screen,” came the voice of the Doctor. “It seems to be an airlock protected by code. Do you see those symbols on that panel?” Melis told him she did. “Look closely at them. You have to work out the next shape in the sequence. Find the right shape, press it, and the airlock should open for you.”
“What if I get it wrong?” asked Melis.
“I imagine some sort of alarm might go off,” replied the Doctor nonchalantly. “Or nothing at all.”
“You’re wonderful at reassuring people, really,” sighed Melis, looking at the shapes in front of her. She was glad they were shapes and not numbers. She had always been terrible at numbers, number sequences, and numerical patterns. But shapes and images were something she could work with. Settling on a shape, Melis held her breath and pushed a button. There was a creaking sound and the gate slid open.
“I’m through,” Melis whispered into her phone and stepped forwards to continue on her way. This hallway was just as dark as the first, and Melis had to keep low and walk carefully in order to avoid what seemed to be wires and cables dangling from the ceiling. However, she hadn’t been walking long when she came to a second airlock.
Melis looked at this second lock and felt the bottom of her stomach drop. “Doctor,” she choked into her phone, “it’s a number code.”
“So?”
“I’m horrible with numbers.”
There was nothing but silence between them for what seemed like forever to Melis. Finally, the Doctor’s voice crackled into life. “I have faith in you.”
“You do?”
“I told you I only take the best. And I picked you, didn’t I? Therefore you’re the best; and, what’s more, you’ve managed to make it this far. I’m confident you can do it.”
Melis said nothing but smiled. She’d had pep talks before, but no one had ever singled her out as an individual like that. She did feel special - like she really was one of the best. And, looking hard at the numbers in front of her, Melis - for the first time in her life - ceased to feel intimidated by them.
Then the code came to her. Obviously the Graske were as useless when it came to numerical codes as she was, as the code was simply a basic increase of numbers by one. Five and six… six and seven… seven and eight… eight and nine! Melis pushed the corresponding button and watched with glee as the airlock slid open and she could pass through.
Sure enough, however, she was soon greeted by a third obstacle. It wasn’t an airlock this time, but a door, and next to it were three keys.
“Blimey, this place has got as many doors as Jim Morrison,” said the Doctor when Melis told him what lay in front of her. “One of those keys must open it. But the question is: which one?”
“Well the lock is pretty unique,” replied Melis, examining the three keys.
And she was right. The lock was some sort of a cross with four round points. One of the keys had only two prongs, and a second key only three. Therefore, concluded Melis, it could only be the key with the four prongs. Melis picked it up and tried it in the lock. There was a click and the door slid open revealing what could only be the inside of the base.
There were pods and containers as far as the eye could see, each one with some sort of person or being within them. Several Graske were wandering around, checking on the chambers.
“Are you through the door?” The Doctor’s voice came through the phone. Melis assured him she was. “Where are you then?” She explained to him the room she saw. There was a pause and then the Doctor spoke. “Those pods must contain the originals of all the changelings from around the universe.” Sure enough, Melis spotted the mother from the family the Doctor had shown her. And next to a pod with a green alien was the orphan from Victorian England.
“They need them alive to sustain the copies,” explained the Doctor. “Earth will be doomed if we don’t stop them. Soon every man, woman, and child will be stolen by the Graske.”
“What do I do?” asked Melis quietly. Not quietly enough, however, as the Graske at what could only be the control panel turned around and looked right at Melis. She froze, unsure of what to do until she saw the Graske pull out what could only be a gun. “Doctor!” she shouted into the phone, hitting the floor as some sort of laser shot over her head. “It’s spotted me!”
The gunfire ricocheted off the wall behind her and bounced around the room until it impacted one of the pods containing some sort of strange green alien. With the lock disengaged, the alien was free to move, shattering its glass door and breaking free with a screeching cry.
“Doctor!” Melis was panicking now. “Doctor, some sort of thing just broke out of a pod and it doesn’t look friendly at all!!!” There was no answer. “Doctor? Doctor?!” Still nothing. “DOCTOR!!!”
“Funny place to save the universe from!” Melis felt two hands on her shoulders as she was lifted to her feet. There was the Doctor, grinning despite the current situation. “You didn’t think I’d just sit back while you were in trouble, did you?”
Melis hugged him, glad he was there to - hopefully - get her out of here as quickly as possible. But the reunion was short-lived. Telling her to stay put, the Doctor ran out into the middle of the room, catching the attention of both the confused Graske and the green alien - a Slitheen.
“Hello there, lovelies! Fancy a chase?” With that, the Doctor took off amongst the pods, the aliens in pursuit. Melis stood where she was, stunned and confused. What could she possibly do now? What was to be done? But then the Doctor’s voice came to life over her phone again. “Now’s your chance, Melis, but I can only give you enough time to do one of two things. You can reverse the settings. That’ll destroy the duplicates, free the prisoners, and teleport them to wherever in the universe they were snatched from. Or you can use the Graske’s stasis control against them. That will freeze - apart from you - everybody and everything here.”
“Including you?” asked Melis.
There was a pause before the Doctor replied. Melis heard the Slitheen give out a terrible screech and saw sparks fly in a far corner of the room. “Yes.” He sounded out of breath. “Including me.”
“Well I can’t do that,” murmured Melis, as she approached the control panel the Graske had vacated.
There were several buttons, dials, and keypads with Melis having no idea what any of them did. But two buttons were lit up with yellow lights. They looked rather obvious so Melis decided one of them must reverse the technology. But if it was the wrong button, she could end up freezing everyone in the room - including the Doctor. So which one was the right one?
“Hurry up!” She could hear the Doctor’s yell come both from her phone and somewhere in the room. “Time’s running out! You have to push a button!”
This was it then. She had to push a button. What happened after that was all up to chance. Covering her eyes, Melis pushed the bright yellow button on the left side of the panel. Silence followed. There were no more alien screeches, no more cables snapping. Just silence.
Melis looked around. Nothing was moving. Everything must have been frozen. She’d pushed the wrong button.
But then the Doctor’s voice came to her, not from the phone but from somewhere in the room nearby. Sure enough he appeared, emerging from between two pods and smiling. “So you’ve opted for teleportation! Good girl!”
It was then that Melis noticed the pods emptying one by one, with the Graske scrambling around trying to figure out what was going on. Amongst the confusion, the Doctor was able to pass through their midst unhindered.
“Everyone’s heading back to where they belong,” he said, stopping next to her.
“So I did it!” exclaimed Melis.
The Doctor nodded, his smile wide. “Yes you did!” He held out his hand once more. “Now let’s get out of here before they get their bearings and notice us.” He paused only to use his sonic screwdriver, shorting out the Graske control panel, and then the two travellers made their way quickly through the airlock and back into the TARDIS.
Part Five: The TARDIS Key
Melis was grinning alongside the Doctor by the time they found their way back into the TARDIS. After what she’d just experienced and with the thrill of adrenaline running through her, all the thoughts of a probable hoax were gone from her mind. Yes, the aliens were still hard to believe, and the fact that she’d just travelled through time and space were rather overwhelming. But now that the danger was over, she was thrilled and was of the mindset that this was the most fun she’d ever had.
“Come have a look at this!” the Doctor said suddenly, looking at the TARDIS screen. Melis followed.
They were once again looking into the family’s living room where the mother and father appeared to be back to normal. And sure enough, to the Doctor’s amusement, they were quite eager to get their Christmas party geared up and into full swing.
The Doctor looked at Melis. “It looks to me like you just saved Christmas.”
Melis shook her head. “I think we did, actually.”
The Doctor laughed and hugged her briefly before righting himself. “I think it’s time we got you back home now.” Melis watched as he kicked the TARDIS into life.
“Home…?” repeated Melis, her mood dropping. “After all of this… you’re sending me home?”
The Doctor looked up vaguely. “You don’t want to go back?”
Melis thought carefully before answering. Home was home, and she had friends and family who she loved very much. There was also school and she knew she really couldn’t just up and leave. But she’d travelled back in time with this Doctor, and saved not just Christmas but the entire universe! How could anyone be expected to go back to the mundane life they had before? “No, Doctor, I don’t.”
The Doctor leaned against the engine. “Oh dear then. I suppose that’s a bit of a problem. Hold out your mobile.”
“Can I stay then?” she asked, holding out her phone. “Please?”
The Doctor shook his head as he pressed his sonic screwdriver against the phone. “There we go. All back to normal. Though I wouldn’t go calling any One Eight-Hundred numbers for the next week. It could cause the galaxy to implode. And we wouldn’t want that.”
“Why can’t I stay?” demanded Melis. “You picked me up and showed me all of this! You can’t just leave me!”
“I’ve already got a companion and she’s due to be picked up from Wembley,” replied the Doctor, trying to be apologetic. He gestured to the front doors. “There you go. Home.”
Melis sighed. The Doctor didn’t seem willing to discuss her staying. And sure enough, upon opening the door, Melis found herself standing once again in the park by her house. It looked more dull and dreary than ever. No one would ever find any sort of exciting adventures here.
“Now, I did say I only take the best.” Melis turned. The Doctor was standing coolly in the doorway. “And you…” He nodded. “You were amazing!” Melis beamed, hopeful that maybe he would change his mind. “I might just pick you up one day.”
Melis perked up instantly. “Really?”
The Doctor nodded, smiling. “Why certainly! Tell you what; take this.” He reached into his pocket and held out a key.
Melis took the key and looked at it. “What is it?” she asked.
“It’s a TARDIS key,” explained the Doctor. “Now I don’t give very many of these out, but if you have one you’ll know when I’m back.”
“How will I know…?”
“It warms up and glows when the TARDIS is nearby.” The Doctor smiled. “And when it does…”
“You’ll be back for me.” Melis pocketed the key, and slung her bag over her shoulder. “How long will it be before I see you again?”
The doctor paused, scratching his head in thought. “Well… time machine and all… could be any time.” He grinned. “And that’s half the fun, isn’t it?”
Melis smiled. “Good luck then!” The Doctor returned her farewell and turned to disappear back inside the TARDIS. But then Melis remembered something he had promised to tell her. “Wait! Doctor?”
The Doctor turned, his hand on the door. “Yes?”
“You never did tell me about what you are… and what everything was.” She paused. “Are you… an alien…?”
He grinned mischievously. “I am.”
“Weird…” whispered Melis as the Doctor closed the door.
She heard the engine of the TARDIS spring to life with the rhythmic whirring and groaning echoing from everywhere. And slowly the blue box vanished, leaving Melis alone on the park path. She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the key the Doctor had given her. One day he’d come back. Maybe it’d be a few seconds, maybe a few years. But he’d be back. He’d have to come back if she had one of his keys. That, she decided, was enough to keep a little extra something in her life. And so, smiling and humming to herself, Melis continued on her way towards home, eagerly anticipating the day when she’d once again hear the sound of the universe signalling the return of the Doctor.