Martha was clinging on the console of the Tardis along with Astro as the ship buckled and the Doctor and Galaxy were busy working away around the console, neither of them losing their balance.
"But how do you travel in time? What makes it go?" Martha asked the pair. "Oh, let's take the fun and mystery out of everything. Martha, you don't want to know. It just does. Hold on tight." The Doctor said as the Tardis came to a stop and Martha ended up falling to the ground. "Bimey. Do you have to pass a test to fly this thing?"
"You do, the Doctor though failed his." Astro said as Galaxy helped Martha up. "Now, make the most of it. We promised you one trip, and one trip only. Outside this door, brave new world." The Doctor said as they walked to the doors. "Where are we?" Martha asked. "Why don't you take a look?" Galaxy suggested and Martha did and opened the doors.
They were in the middle of a city that had no sign of modernisation, instead there was washing hanging on lines between the buildings, people going about their evenings and scruffy urchins running around.
"Oh, you are kidding me. You are so kidding me. Oh, my God, we did it. We travelled in time." Martha gasped as she looked around, "Where are we? No, sorry. I got to get used to this whole new language. When are we?" She asked. "Mind out." The Doctor said and Astro pulled Martha back just in time to avoid getting hit by whatever the man emptied from his slop bucket. "Gardez l'eau!"
"Somewhere between the invention of the toilet. Sorry about that." Galaxy said. "I've seen worse. I've worked the late night shift A&E. But are we safe? I mean, can we move around and stuff?" Martha asked them. "Of course we can. Why do you ask?" The Doctor asked. "It's like in the films. You step on a butterfly, you change the future of the human race."
"Then I think you shouldn't step on any butterflies." Astro remarked with a smirk. "What if, I don't know, what if I kill my grandfather?" Martha asked them. "Are you planning to?" Galaxy asked her. "No." She said. "There you go then." She said, smirking slightly. "And this is London?" Martha asked. "I think so. Round about 1599." The Doctor said.
"Oh, but hold on. Am I, all right? I'm not going to get carted off as a slave, am I?" Martha asked worried that could happen. "Why would they do that?" The Doctor asked and she and Galaxy looked at him, even she understood Martha's worry. "Not exactly white, in case you haven't noticed."
"Do what I do and walk like you own the place." Galaxy told her, grinning, "Elizabethan England isn't so different to your time. There's recycling for one thing." She carried on, nodding to a man shovelling horse manure into a bucket. "Water cooler moment." The Doctor added, pointing to two men talking at a water barrel.
"And the world will be consumed by fire." A preacher said as they passed. "Global warming. Oh yes, and entertainment. Popular entertainment for the masses. If I'm right, we're just down the river by Southwark, right next to..." The Doctor said before running off which had the others follow.
They ran along the south end of old London Bridge, past St Mary Overie, Southwark Cathedral and soon came into the view of...
"Oh, yes, the Globe Theatre! Brand new. Just opened. Though, strictly speaking, it's not a globe, it's a tetradecagon. Fourteen sides. Containing the man himself." The Doctor said. "Whoa, you don't mean. Is Shakespeare in there?" Martha asked. "Yep. Miss Jones, will you accompany us to the theatre?" Galaxy asked her.
"I will." She said and with a smile. "When you get home, you can tell everyone you've seen Shakespeare." The Doctor told her. "Then I could get sectioned." She said and they walked toward the Globe Theatre.
-9-
The theatre had about three thousand people and they were all cheering after a performance had finished and the Doctor, Galaxy and Martha had been watching the show in the pit with the other ordinary folk.
"That's amazing! Just amazing. It's worth putting up with the smell. And those are men dressed as women, right?" Matha said to the Time Lords. "London never changes." The Doctor said. "Where's Shakespeare? I want to see Shakespeare. Author! Author! Do people shout that? Do they shout 'Author'?" She asked. "Author! Author!" A man started chanting and soon the rest of the crowd joined in.
"Now they do." Galaxy said, smiling as Shakespeare came out onto the stage. "He's a bit different from his portraits." Martha pointed out.
"They usually are, but he's a genius, the most human, human being there ever was. And we're gonna hear him speak. Always chooses the best words, new beautiful words." Galaxy gushed and the Doctor frowned slightly when he saw a sparkle in her eyes.
She couldn't help it though, Galaxy liked fellow artists, painters, actors, writers, basically anyone that had a talent of creating things, things that could inspire people.
'He's not that much of a genius.' Galaxy heard the Doctor mumble in her head and she glanced and smirked when she saw the pout on his face. 'Are you jealous, Theta?' She asked him. 'I don't get jealous.' He told her and she chuckled mentally. 'Shame, because if you did I'd find it sweet. And your pouty face is cute.' She told him and chuckled again when she caught him blushing a bit.
"Ah, shut your big fat mouths!" Shakespear said, making the crowd laugh and Galaxy sigh sadly. "Never mind." She said only slightly sulking. "You should never meet your heroes." Martha said as she patted Galaxy on the shoulder and the Time Lady nodded.
"You've got excellent taste, I'll give you that. Oh, that's a wig. I know what you're all saying. Love Labour's Lost, that's a funny ending, isn't it? It just stops. Will the boys get the girls? Well, don't get your hose in a tangle, you'll find out soon. Yeah, yeah. All in good time. You don't rush a genius."
Galaxy frowned slightly when she noticed Shakespeare suddenly go rigid and saw a blank look on his face.
"When? Tomorrow night. The premier of my brand new play. A sequel, no less, and I call it Love Labour's Won." Shakespeare decided and the crowd started cheering.
"I'm not an expert, but I've never heard of Love Labour's Won." Martha said as they were all leaving the theatre. "Because it's the lost play. It's only a rumour and has been mentioned in lists of his plays but hasn't turned up. No one knows why." Galaxy explained. "Have you got a mini-disc or something? We can tape it. We can flog it. Sell it when we get home and make a mint."
"No." The Doctor shot Martha down. "That would be bad?" She asked. "Yep." Galaxy nodded. "Well, how come it disappeared in the first place?" She asked them. "Well, we were just going to give you a quick little trip in the Tardis, but I suppose we could stay a bit longer."
-9-
The three went to a tavern to look for Shakespeare and they walked upstairs to see the man in a room with two other men.
"Hello! Excuse me, not interrupting, am I? Mister Shakespear, isn't it?" The Doctor asked as he went over to them. "Oh, no. No, no, no. Who let you in? No autographs. No, you can't have yourself sketched with me. And please don't ask where I get my ideas from. Thanks for the interest. Now be a good boy and shove." Shakespeare said and then noticed Martha, "Hey. Sit right down here next to me. You two get sewing on them costumes. Off you go." He said and waved the people he was sitting with away.
"Come on, lads. I think our William has found his new muse." The waitress said and the men chuckled as they walked off. "Sweet lady." Shakespeare said as he looked at Martha and she and the Time Lords sat at the table, "Such unusual clothes. So fitted." Shakespeare said.
"Er, verily, forsooth, egards." Martha said and Galaxy placed a hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to do that." She told her as the Doctor pulled out the psychic paper and showed it to the play writer. "I'm Sir Doctor of TARDIS and these are my companions, Miss Martha Jones and Miss Galaxy."
"Interesting, that bit of paper. It's blank." Shakespeare said and Galaxy grinned. "That proves he's a genius." She said. "No, it says so right there. Sir Doctor, Martha Jones and Galaxy. It says so." Martha said as she looked at the paper. "And I say it's blank." Shakespeare argued. "Psychic paper. Er, long story. Oh, I hate starting from scratch." The Doctor said and Galaxy patted his shoulder.
"Psychic? Never heard that before and words are my trade. Who are you exactly? More's the point, who is your delicious blackamoor lady?" Shakespeare asked and the Doctor nearly choked air as he and Galaxy looked between Martha and Shakespeare and Galaxy had a small amused smirk on her face. "What did you say?"
"Oops. Isn't that a word we use nowadays? An Ethiop girl? A swarth? A Queen of Afric?" Shakespeare asked. "I can't believe I'm hearing this." Marathon said, shaking her head. "Erm, Martha's from a far off land called Freedonia." Galaxy said as she placed a hand on Martha's shoulder.
"Excuse me! Hold hard a moment. This is abominable behaviour. A new play with no warning? I demand to see a script, Mr Shakespeare. As Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me before it can be performed." A man said as he walked into the room. "Tomorrow morning, first thing, I'll send it round."
"I don't work to your schedule, you work to mine. The script, now!" The man demanded. "I can't." Shakespeare told him. "Then tomorrow's performance is cancelled." The man said. "It's all go around here, isn't it?" Martha asked.
"I'm returning to my office for a banning order. If it's the last thing I do, Love's Labour's Won will never be played." The man said before leaving.