"Yeah, well, your dad made clockwork droids," the Doctor said. "I know if mine did, I'd have done the same. Instead, I spent a good deal of time taking apart things from the Academy, which they did not appreciate at all, might I add."

He pulled a safety pin out of his pocket and twisted it to connect two wires. He grinned. "There we go. Now, this should amplify the wave frequencies so we could communicate with the creature down there or---"

He sniffed. "Or, if necessary, defend ourselves."