The Sound Of The TARDIS

Red Horizons

A small black bag hit the ground beside Catrina, swiftly followed by another blunt object which sailed through the TARDIS doors to land at her feet.

“Unfortunately,” The Doctor called from his little blue box “I haven’t any clothes that’d fit someone as short as you, so what you’re wearing will have to do.”

“I’m almost certain you were short once too!” Catrina called back, tearing her eyes away from the beautiful scene that stood before her to stand in the doorway of the TARDIS, facing inwards. “Unless Timelords just pop out of the womb fully grown.” She suddenly frowned. “You don’t, do you?” she added as an afterthought.

“No...” The Doctor replied, drawing out the word and giving Catrina a look that strongly suggested he wasn’t willing to have a discussion about Timelord reproduction.

“You look very human.” Catrina remarked.

“To me, you look very Timelord.”

“Well, that’ll come in handy…” Catrina trailed off, deciding it was best not to tell the Doctor about exactly what she had in plan, since it was unlikely he’d approve. “What are the oxygen levels here?”

“Not enough for most humans. But enough for you. There is oxygen here though- loosely speaking, Timelords are relatively similar to humans. ”

“Relatively?”

“That is the best way to put it. Gallifreyans all have two hearts, and a nice little trick we use to cheat death.”

“Cheat death? You can’t cheat death.” Catrina said. The Doctor chuckled, mumbling something that sounded like “You should meet my friend Captain Jack Harkness.”

“When a timelord is killed we get a new body, and with that a new personality. We keep our memories, but our old personalities are gone forever, so in a manner of speaking, that old version of us is dead. We call it regeneration.”

“Have you regenerated yet?”

“Yes. Twelve times, actually.” He replied, “Though most timelords don’t get that many.”

Catrina was slightly taken aback at this, though she tried her best not to show it. Instead she nodded and walked out, calling over her shoulder when she realised The Doctor wasn’t following.

“Aren’t you coming?!”

“Um, no.” He said, and Catrina could detect a twinge of something in his voice, though she wasn’t quite sure what. “No. I haven’t been to Gallifrey for years.”

“Why not?” Catrina questioned curiously. “You have a time machine. Surely you can just go whenever you like?”

“Well, yes I can.” The twinge of something Catrina had detected was stronger now, but still indistinguishable. The Doctor wasn’t looking at Catrina anymore, or what lay beyond her, but was back to pressing buttons and pulling levers methodically. “But I don’t. Lots of… bad memories. Too many.”

“So you’re just going to leave me on a distant planet to look after myself?” Catrina asked, quite disappointed she wasn’t going to get a tour guide, or at least someone to get her somewhere to live. Though she could manage by herself, that would’ve been very useful.

“Sorry.” He muttered.

Catrina picked up her own bag, and the bag The Doctor has given her. “I suppose I’ll be leaving now.” She said, still lingering in the doorway.

“Yes. I suppose you shall.”

“Will I see you again?” She asked. The Doctor paused for a moment, clearly deliberating how much he was prepared to reveal about the future.

“Yes. Someday. When you’re older and sadder. So much sadder.” He looked up at Catrina again, and his eyes were a morbid mixture of pain, grief, regret and remorse. Catrina wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.

“Goodbye, Doctor.” She said after a few moments of silence.

“Goodbye, Catrina Swan.” He said, and with that, Catrina stepped out into the world of orange and red, and the sound of the TARDIS filled the sky once more.