For professorsong: An adventure in time and space

[rude_not_ginger]

The Doctor stepped from the TARDIS.

This was the best bit. The best part was the not knowing. The best part was when his foot stepped down on the ground and it was a foreign place and his foot touched new ground and it was new. Never touched by him before.

The Doctor's first love was the universe. This was that sort of moment.

The acrid smell of burning filled his nose and his foot landed on cold metal. A spaceship, burning somewhere in space. Wires hung from the ceiling, and panels fell from the walls. A person sat hunched over a panel and the Doctor raced over to her. No, dead.

"What happened here?" he asked aloud.

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[professorsong]

She chuckled. "Now now, you know I can't answer that, sweetie. But I can tell you this..." she held up the tie. "Put this one on, but the other in your inner jacket pocket. Trust me."

When in doubt, sound mysterious. Sound like you know more than you do. Lesson 57.

[rude_not_ginger]

He took the tie, but looked down at it dubiously, as though it might bite him. He defiantly tucked it into his pocket.

"Shall we, then?"

He considered offering her his hand. It felt right to. But he decided against it.

[professorsong]

She frowned when he put it in her pocket and shook her head. As though disappointed with him. "fine but if that is how you are handling the tie, I'll walk behind you till we're fully out."

As though changing the tie might have kept him safer perhaps? So long as he was wondering about the tie he'd be less focused on picking her identity apart, after all.

[rude_not_ginger]

"For someone who can't tell a lot of spoilers, you do play a lot of games," he said.

With that, he stepped over and pulled open the TARDIS door.

The TARDIS was situation slightly crookedly on the edge of a beach. The beach was far from normal, every sand grain was glowing with warm, golden light that glimmered across the black waves. In the distance, a silver forest could be seen, its leaves glimmering.

The sky was possibly the most impressive. A huge, ringed planet sat in the night sky, along with a nebula, glowing brightly for all to see.

"We're six thousand years in the past," he said. "No one has come to colonize this moon yet."

[professorsong]

"I somehow doubt she brought us here for a romantic stroll on the beach," she said, dryly. Yes she did play games. Three guesses where she learned to do that?

[rude_not_ginger]

"No," the Doctor said, stepping out onto the beach. The grains of sand were warm, almost hot through his trainers. "No. And I'm not certain she was just taking us here. She could have been running from something."

The Doctor thought of Jack, of the TARDIS fleeing to the end of the universe to get away from him.

[professorsong]

She considered that. "If you really think she was... there is one way to find out." It would mean admitting that she had the vortex manipulator. But if there was something out there that was a danger to the Tardis she wanted to know about it. And take care of it. Once and for all if need be. "Without forcing her to go back."

[rude_not_ginger]

The Doctor glanced back at River, one eyebrow raised. "How?"

What trick did River have up her sleeve this time?

[professorsong]

Up her sleeve was exactly right, Doctor. She grinned and offered him her arm. "Shall we, Doctor?"

[rude_not_ginger]

"A vortex manipulator?" the Doctor said, taking a step forward. "Where did you get one of these?" A pause. "And...you know, why?"

Was she a time agent, like Jack had been? Did she steal it from Jack? Did all archeologists have them in the 51st century?

[professorsong]

"Of course I know why I have it, Doctor. And by your own rules I can't and won't answer the rest. But hold on tight. It might be a bumpy ride..."

[rude_not_ginger]

"What do you mean my rules----" he starts. There are too many mysteries. Too many things he doesn't know.

All the same, he reaches out to take her wrist.

[professorsong]

She shook her head and looped her arm around his and then hit the recall to last coordinates button, popping them back to the hall where she had appeared.

[rude_not_ginger]

A burst of electricity shoots from one of the open panels. Everything on the ship is, as far as the Doctor can tell, dying or already dead. Why would the TARDIS be afraid of this? He steps over to a panel and gives it a wave with the sonic screwdriver, buzzing it quickly to life.

"The spaceship Teraria, planning to land on Alta Meta 5," the Doctor says.

[professorsong]

She pulled out her own sonic to study another panel. She was looking for crew manifest, cargo, and alert history log.

[rude_not_ginger]

The Doctor glanced at the sonic. Her sonic. This was near the end, then. Some point when he gave her the sonic screwdriver.

"So...when is this for you, then?" he asked, trying to sound casual. "Where...are we this time?"

[professorsong]

She lowered her sonic and turned to face him with a grin. "Want to compare journals, Doctor? Alright you first."

[rude_not_ginger]

What's her game? What was she playing at?

"Early for us," he said. "Very early. What about you?"

[professorsong]

"Oh, a little past early, I'd say. We done Jim the fish yet?" she asked, eyes twinkling with amusement. She knew the answer already, of course. She had chosen her coordinates carefully.

[rude_not_ginger]

"Jim the Fish?" the Doctor asked, incredulously. "What kind of fish?"

It sounded like they had quite the life.

"Picnic at Asguard," he said. "You told me once we did that."

[professorsong]

"But you haven't been there yet," she said as though it was a guess.

[rude_not_ginger]

"But you have," he replied. "So, definitely not time for that part of my life, then."

When would he start...living with River instead of wondering with her?

He pressed a button and a series of lights went out down the hallway.

[professorsong]

"Alright then," she said. Then grinned. It was tempting to play this game for a while yet, but they did have a mystery to solve. So...

"What about the Library, have we done that yet?"

[rude_not_ginger]

He turned back to face her, surprise on his face.

"Have you done the Library?"

How was that possible? River died in the Library.

[professorsong]

"How would I know about it if I haven't done that yet, Doctor?" Oh this was just too much fun.