Bad Wolf's Return (Doctor who)

Gunslinger

Chapter 17

Bad Wolf's Return

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[The Old West of the USA] 

(The Doctor stands just outside the entrance to Main Street, in front of a wooden frame with a cattle skull on it, a Keep Out sign and the residents count recently changed from 80 to 81.) 

DOCTOR: Mercy. Eighty one residents. 

AMY: Look at this. It's a load of stones and lumps of wood. What is it? 

DOCTOR: A load of stones and lumps of wood. 

(The Gunslinger is watching from a distance.) 

RORY: The sign does say Keep Out. 

DOCTOR: I see Keep Out signs as suggestions more than actual orders, like Dry Clean only. 

A Town Called Mercy 

Season 7; Episode 3

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ROSE

"Oh come on, Mels! The old west! Isn't that exciting?" I called behind her as she bounded through the desert towards what looked like a town.

Mels came grumbling behind me. "I want to see planets, Cali! Not boring old Earth..." she complained, kicking a tumbleweed viciously.

I snorted. "Earth is anything but boring," i countered. "Mercy..." i murmured as they finally drew close enough to the town to read the sign. The TARDIS had parked herself a bit further out in the desert, though i had no clue why, but Mels had been complaining about it for a while.

"Why'd they change the population number for one person?" Mels asked with a bitter sort of curiosity as she came up next to me.

"No idea! Let's go find out, shall we?" I said cheerfully, crossing over the odd line of sticks and stones that marked the town's borders, completely ignoring the keep out signs. Mels of course didn't bother to mention them either; we'd both come to decide that "Keep out" was more of a suggestion than an actual command.

The residents of Mercy watched me and Mels silently, and it was sort of giving me the creeps. Though, one small part of my brain felt excited because this felt like one of the western movies my mother used to watch.

A street lamp sparked, and i paused to look at it. I frowned, spinning slowly to take in the wires and what not that went from street lamp to street lamp, and house to house. "Well that's interesting..." I murmured.

"What?" Mels asked. Her bad mood seemed to be dissipating as the familiar feeling of an adventure came over her.

"These street lamps, they run off electricity. They shouldn't have these for another ten years, at least," i explained, glaring at the lamp for not being in its proper place in time. "Come on then!" I called, turning away from the light and walking towards what appeared to be a saloon.

Right in theme with the old western movie that was the setting in my head, the conversation and piano music stopped as me and Mels stepped inside. I grinned and waved before walking over to the bar. "I'll have a beer and she'll have water," i said, gesturing to Mels who glared at me.