The Next Doctor, part 2 -
The Other threw his coat over his suit and turned towards the yard. The Doctor looked back at his family excitedly before following. They made their way into the yard behind the stables and the Other announced his vessel.
"The she is. My transport through time and space. The Tardis."
"A hot air balloon", Astrid observed, "Your Tardis is a hot air balloon but- But how does she travel through time and space?"
"Tardis. T A R D I S. It stands for Tethered Aerial Release Developed In Style. Do you see?", the Other told them proudly and walked up to the balloon.
"Well, I do now. I like it. Do you like it?", the Doctor turned to the Oracle.
"Yeah, good Tardis, I suppose, brilliant. It's inflated by gas, it runs on gas, yeah?", she continued.
"We're adjacent to the Mutton Street Gasworks. I pay them a modest fee", he turned to a young man and handed him some money, "Good work, Jed."
"Glad to be of service, sir", Jed replied.
"You've got quite a bit of money", the Doctor commented on the interaction.
"Oh, you get nothing for nothing", he smiled, "How's that ripped panel, Jed?"
"All repaired. Should work a treat. You never know, maybe tonight's the night, Doctor. Imagine it, seeing Christmas from above", Jed looked up at the balloon.
"Not just yet, I think", he looked up dreamily, "One day, I will ascend. One day soon."
"You've never actually been up?", the Oracle asked sympathetically.
"I can depart in the Tardis once London is safe. And finally, when I'm up there. Think of it, Jane. The time and the space."
"The perfect escape", the Doctor held his hand back, silently asking his wife to hold it, "Do you ever wonder what you're escaping from?"
The Oracle squeezed his hand, her other arm around Astrid.
"With every moment", the Other looked back at the Doctor.
"Then do you want me to tell you? Because I think I've worked it out now. How you became The Doctor. What do you think? Do you want to know?"
They sat back down in the stables, Rosita and the Other on some crates, the family on the floor with Astrid and the Oracle leaning against the wall as they all listened to the Doctor.
"The story begins with the Cybermen. A long time away, and not so far from here, the Cybermen were fought, and they were beaten. And they were sent into a howling wilderness called The Void, locked inside forever more. But then a greater battle rose up, so great that everything inside the Void perished. But, as the walls of the world weakened, the last of the Cybermen must have fallen through the dimensions, back in time, to land here. And they found you."
"I fought them. I know that. But then what happened?", the Other brought up.
"At the same time, another man came to London. Mister Jackson Lake. Plenty of luggage, money in his pocket. Maybe coming to town for the winter season, I don't know. But he found the Cybermen too. And just like you, exactly like you, he took hold of an infostamp."
"But he's dead. Jackson Lake is dead. The Cybermen murdered him."
"You said no body was ever found. And you kept all his suitcases, but you could never bring yourself to open them. I told you the answer was in the fob watch. Can I see?", he held his hand out.
With hesitation the Other picked his fob watch out of his vest pocket and handed it to the Doctor. He turned it over to find the initials-
"J.L. The watch is Jackson Lake's", the Doctor told him.
YOU ARE READING
To Be Loved
FanfictionThe Oracle and the Doctor found each other after years apart. While they're rebuilding their love mysteries unravel around them as they're trying to connect the dots around themselves. [Part 2 in the To Be Series]
