"Oh. You've been doing the TARDIS up a bit." There was a look of disapproval on the second Doctor's face as he looked about the room. "Hmm. I don't like it."
No one said a word. Jamie continued to stare at him, slack-jawed in complete shock. Here, right in front of him was 'his' Doctor. The one he hadn't seen since he'd been forced to say goodbye to him by the Time Lords. How was this possible? Could the Time Lords have had something to do with it? The present Doctor had 'called' them just moments ago. Could this have been their answer to his appeal for help?
Jamie felt a crazy jumble of emotions coursing through him. He wasn't sure whether he should run screaming out of the TARDIS (no, that certainly wouldn't be a good idea – not with that organism thing lurking outside), or rush up to 'his' Doctor and crush him in a hug (given the circumstances, perhaps not such a good idea either). More than anything, the sight unnerved him. It was almost as if he were seeing a ghost. There had to be some explanation for this. Jamie hoped one of them could provide that.
He vaguely noticed everyone gazing up at the scanner. From what he could tell, that organism thing was wreaking havoc in the lab.
"Oh, my word," his Doctor remarked. "We are in trouble, aren't we. Just as well I turned up."
Jamie felt his mouth moving, but no words had come forth. He tried hard to shake himself out of this state of shock to no avail. Even after all the bizarre adventures he'd experienced with the Doctor (both of them now), this all seemed too unbelievable. Eyeing his Doctor, he felt almost embarrassed that he was unable to say a word to him. Not that it mattered; the Doctor didn't even seem to notice Jamie's presence. Jamie couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed by this, even despite his shock.
"Doctor, who on Earth --" Jo had started.
"Doctor! Where did you spring from?" Sergeant Benton suddenly interrupted with a smile.
The former Doctor seemed delighted to see him again. "Ah, yes. Corporal Benton, isn't it?"
"Sergeant Benton now."
Still in a bit of a daze, Jamie watched the two of them exchange pleasantries, his Doctor remarking how he hadn't seen Benton since their 'nasty business' with the Cybermen invasion.
"It happened all those years ago," Benton replied.
'Aye, all those years ago,' Jamie thought to himself. 'Didnae seem that long ago tae me.'
"Doctor, who is he and how did he get in here?" Jo asked the current Doctor. Jamie noticed she'd seemed a bit frustrated in her desire for an answer. Jamie himself wouldn't have minded one either.
"Well, it's a bit difficult to explain, Jo," the Doctor replied.
"Oh, allow me," the second Doctor cut in, much to the current Doctor's quite visible annoyance. Jamie didn't mind as long as they got some sort of explanation. "You see, Jo ... I may call you Jo, mayn't I?" He'd turned on the charm, flashing a grin at Jo.
Annoyed by both the Doctor's flirting with Jo and his inability to get to the point, Jamie felt his lips draw into a frown and he cleared his throat. "Doctor," he uttered in a warning tone.
The second Doctor finally turned around and casually regarded him. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Jamie. I'll get back to you in a moment. I would just like to explain to this dear girl all that's been happening ..." He'd turned back to Jo but then suddenly whipped his head back around to Jamie in a double take, dropping his recorder onto the TARDIS console. His shocked expression almost perfectly mirrored Jamie's earlier one.
"Jamie??? How ....?" he said quietly. "What are you doing here? I-I'd just left you and Zoe back in my own time stream. How did you get ... " His voice trailed off again and he appeared utterly perplexed. Seemingly at a loss for words, he'd turned back to Jo, who still looked confused. Finally he regained the ability to speak. "I'm terribly sorry. Well, er ... Well, you see, he is one of me," he said awkwardly, pointing to the current Doctor.
"Oh, I see," Jo replied after a beat. "You're both Time Lords."
"Well, not quite," the second Doctor told her, looking back at Jamie once again with some leftover shock in his expression. "You see, we're not just Time Lords. We're the same Time Lord."
Jamie gazed sympathetically at Jo. He himself had understood, but he could only imagine how puzzling this was to her.
"Please, you're only confusing my assistant," the current Doctor told his former self. He then turned to Jo. "It's quite simple, Jo. I am he and he is me."
"And we are all together, goo goo g'joob?"
Jamie felt his brow furrow in confusion. Turning back to the Doctors, he noticed them looking confused as well.
"It's a song by the Beatles," Jo explained.
"Oh? How does it go?" the second Doctor asked, grabbing his recorder off the console and putting it to his lips.
"Oh, please be quiet," the current Doctor retorted.
This only amounted in setting off the second Doctor and the two of them instantly began bickering. Finally having had enough, Jamie approached them and Jo.
"Look, Doctors, I ..." he started, trying to talk over them but they hadn't noticed and kept at it. Rolling his eyes in frustration, he walked away. His gaze flew back to Jo and Sergeant Benton, both of whom regarded him in sympathy. Nodding, Jamie managed an awkward smile and then gazed down at the floor, at a loss on what to do next.
Suddenly hearing footsteps, he lifted his gaze and found Jo in front of him. "Look, is he really him?" she asked quietly, hooking her thumb back towards the two Doctors.
Jamie had opened his mouth to answer but the Doctors had suddenly stopped, apparently having heard her.
"Yes, I'm afraid so," the current Doctor replied.
Jamie felt the corner of his mouth twitch into a little grin as he noticed 'his' Doctor appearing a bit insulted by the answer. "Aye," he said, turning back to Jo. "When I first met the Doctor an' traveled with him, he looked just like him."
Jo still appeared dubious. "You're joking."
"I'm afraid not, Miss Grant," Benton added. "He looked just like him when the Brig and I first met the Doctor as well."
"But how?"
"Yes, that's what I'd like to know," the current Doctor cut in, addressing his predecessor. "You've got no right to be here. What about the First Law of Time?"
"Perhaps I could explain?"
"Perhaps you could," the current Doctor returned in a challenging tone.
Jamie turned, looking expectantly at the second Doctor. He wished they'd arrived at this point a lot sooner instead of wasting time bickering.
"Well," the second Doctor began. "Our fellow Time Lords out there are just as much under siege as we are."
Jamie's eyes widened slightly. In some sick way, he felt a twinge of satisfaction upon learning the Time Lords were in trouble. Perhaps that wasn't in his best interest given the fact they might be able to help them here and now. Still, it would serve them right after what they had done to 'his' Doctor, not to mention to Zoe and himself.
Shaking himself out of his reverie, his gaze returned to the current Doctor who was eyeing the second Doctor incredulously. "What?"
"Yes, and they couldn't send anyone to help you. But they did summon up enough temporal energy to lift me out of my bit of our time stream and pop me down here, into my own future, so to speak."
Jamie nodded thoughtfully, although there was still one question burning in his mind.
"Why?" the current Doctor asked, echoing Jamie's thoughts.
"Oh, my dear fellow, you are being a bit dim, aren't you?" the second Doctor replied condescendingly. "Your effectiveness is now doubled!"
"Halved, more like," the current Doctor deadpanned.
Jamie snorted softly and rolled his eyes. Their behavior was more and more starting to resemble some comedy double act, filled with insults and put-downs.
"Now, now, there's no need to be ungracious," 'his' Doctor continued. "Suppose we have a look at our problem, shall we?"
The current Doctor held his hand out expectantly and the second Doctor nodded, making his way towards the scanner. From there they could see the space outside the laboratory. The Brigadier and one of the UNIT soldiers were fighting the red and black organism thing. Just as the soldier opened fire, a flash lit up the space and the water dispenser in the corridor vanished.
"Fall back!" the Brigadier shouted.
"Dear old Lethbridge-Stewart," the second Doctor sighed with a shake of his head. "Still blazing away as usual."
"Can't we do something tae help them, Doctor?" Jamie asked, directing his question to ... whichever one would answer him.
"They'll be all right as long as they keep out of its way," the current Doctor replied before turning to address his former self. "Now you can see our problem, can't you?"
The second Doctor nodded. "Yes. They are very worried, you know." They? Jamie wondered. He must have been talking about the Time Lords.
"Yes, and so am I. I think perhaps I ought to put you in the picture."
Jamie regarded them in confusion as he saw them stand side by side, closing their eyes.
"Contact," they both said in unison. They stood perfectly still for a few minutes before opening their eyes again.
"Hm, I see," the second Doctor said thoughtfully. "So it's after you, or should I say us?"
"That's right. And as they can't help us, we'll just have to help ourselves."
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star," the second Doctor suddenly muttered. He then picked up his recorder and played the tune.
Jamie had watched the whole thing, his brow furrowed in confusion before he simply shook his head, failing to make heads or tails out of the whole thing. Looking back at Jo and Benton, he found them looking as confused as he was.
"Now what was that all about?" Benton asked.
Jo shrugged slightly. "A sort of telepathic conference, I think."
Whatever it was, Jamie hoped it would get them closer to a solution. No such luck, as it seemed they were bickering once again, this time regarding the second Doctor's music. Jamie sighed. It was going to be a long day.
The President ceased his nervous pacing, having been called over to the screen by the Time Lord.
"We've achieved a transference, Sir."
"Splendid," the President told him, breathing a sigh of relief. Hopefully now progress could be made in trying to resolve this threat.
"But I don't think it's going to work."
"Why, what's wrong?"
"Well, they refuse to cooperate," the Time Lord replied, gesturing to the two bickering Doctors on the screen.
The President snorted. Given how very different their personalities were, he should have known something like this might happen. There had to be some way to settle this ...
An idea suddenly struck him and he felt his eyes widen. Could this really work? Why not? They'd expounded a small amount of energy to drop the Doctor's most recent predecessor into his time stream to assist him. Surely this wouldn't require that much more.
"Show me the earliest Doctor," he instructed the Time Lord.
"Him too, Sir? But surely -"
"Show me," the President insisted.
The Time Lord regarded him for a quick moment and then turned back around, moving several controls. An image of the first incarnation of the Doctor suddenly appeared on screen, showing him in a garden-like environment.
The President smiled knowingly. "He'll keep them in order."
"Oh, dear. You've been fiddling with it, haven't you?" the second Doctor said accusingly.
"It was perfectly all right until you touched it," the current Doctor retorted. "Now if only you'd leave things to me ..."
"If we were to leave things to you, my dear fellow, we'd be in a fine pickle, wouldn't we?"
"Look, you lost the image, not me."
"I did not lose the image!"
Watching them go at it, Jamie sighed wearily. He was surprised his head hadn't started to ache from all the times he'd rolled his eyes.
"There they go again," Benton said as Jo nodded grimly.
"Aye," Jamie grumbled softly. "Surely ye'd think they'd grow tired of all this." Suddenly the flickering of the scanner caught his eye. Lifting his gaze to the screen, he found an image of a little old man with long, white hair stuck in some sort of pyramid. He studied it for a split second and then tapped Jo on the shoulder.
"Look," he told her, his voice nearly above a whisper as he gestured to the scanner. Sergeant Benton had noticed it as well, apparently, his gaze fixed on the screen.
"Look, both of you!" Jo exclaimed to the Doctors who were still arguing.
She'd finally succeeded in getting their attention. "What?" the current Doctor asked rather hotly.
"Up there," Jamie told them, pointing to the scanner again. He nodded as they approached him, standing closer to the scanner and looking at its image in surprise.
"Ah, there you are!" the old man said, apparently getting a glimpse of the two of them. "I seem to be stuck up here. Hm? Hm? So, you're my replacements. Huh. A dandy and a clown."
Jamie turned to find his Doctor scowling and couldn't help feeling insulted on his behalf. "That was you?" he asked quietly, leaning in towards both of them.
The current Doctor nodded while the second Doctor grumbled in the affirmative.
"He's no' a very nice man," Jamie told them.
The Doctor on screen then seemed to take notice of him. "And who's that there?" he asked, pointing at the screen. "A boy wearing a skirt, hm?"
"What?!" Jamie exclaimed, his voice rising in offense. "I'll have ye know this is a kilt!" He angrily balled up his fist. "Och, if only ye weren't on that wee screen up there, I'd take ye and --"
The current Doctor suddenly grabbed him and he found 'his' Doctor shaking his head. "Jamie, no. Just --"
The first Doctor clucked his tongue. "Oh, dear. Temper, temper!" He then stopped, appearing to study Jamie closer. "Ah, I see you're from up north. I can tell by that mongrel dialect of yours."
"Oh, dear," the second Doctor muttered quietly.
"'Mongrel dialect'??" Jamie cried incredulously. "And ye think yer so high an' mighty with that constant 'HM' of yers?!"
"Oh, goodness me," the first Doctor muttered. "Either one of you – or perhaps both. Please restrain this dear boy or he's liable to hurt himself."
Jamie huffed angrily, fixing the man on the scanner with a glare.
"Never mind that," the current Doctor told him. "Let's get to the problem at hand. We've already wasted enough time."
"Very well. Have you done anything?"
"Er, well, we've assessed the situation," the second Doctor started.
"Just as I thought. Nothing."
Jamie couldn't help glowering at this version of the Doctor, chastising them for not having done anything. True, their bickering hadn't helped matters, but this version of them was a fine one to talk, not having done anything himself to help.
"Well, it's not easy, you know," the current Doctor shot back defensively.
"It's not as if we know what that stuff is," the second Doctor added.
"Then I'll tell you. It's a time bridge."
"Eh?" Momentarily forgetting his irritation with the Time Lord, Jamie stared quizzically at him. Turning to his Doctor, he saw him appearing just as puzzled.
"It's a what?"
"I see," the current Doctor mused, apparently the only one who seemed to understand.
"Now, what's a bridge for, eh?" the first Doctor asked them.
"Crossing?"
"Right. So stop dilly-dallying. And cross it!" the first Doctor ordered gruffly. Before any of them could react, the image of him faded from the screen.
"No! No, wait!" the second Doctor cried.
The current Doctor turned to him, glaring accusingly. "You faded him again."
"I did not fade him! You saw – "
"Yes, you certainly did!"
Having had enough, Jamie smacked his hand on the TARDIS console to get their attention. "Look, would ye quit arguing an' put yer heads taegether to fix this?!"
It seemed to have worked as the two of them stopped and whirled around, regarding him in surprise.
"I hate to ask, but who was that?" Jo piped up, hooking her thumb towards the scanner.
"Me!" the two Doctors replied in unison. "Me!" The second utterance was made as they glared at one another angrily. As frustrating as their behavior was, Jamie couldn't help finding this amusing.
He then caught the second Doctor removing a coin from his pocket. "Call it, will you?" he said to his successor.
"Heads."
Although the second Doctor wouldn't let him see the result, he acted as though he had won. The current Doctor needless to say was not amused, judging from his weary sigh.
"All right. Stand by to disconnect the force field," the current Doctor directed him. Jamie's Doctor nodded as he readied his hand on one of the controls.
"Wait, is that such a good idea?" Jamie asked uneasily. Failing an answer, he sighed. He just hoped they wouldn't get into even more trouble. He'd trusted the Doctor thus far ...
"What are you going to do?" Benton asked. His question went unanswered as well.
"Now!" the current Doctor shouted as he made to run out of the TARDIS.
"Doctor, no!" Jo cried.
Jamie had barely caught his Doctor setting the controls as he watched the current Doctor run out of the TARDIS, Jo right behind him.
It suddenly hit him. He was now running right out into a trap. That red and black thing was still causing trouble in the UNIT lab. What was the current Doctor trying to do, use himself as bait? Giving a quick shrug, Jamie realized it's what he himself would have done.
But the Doctor could very well put himself in danger. Not only that, but Jo had run out there as well. He didn't want this thing zapping her away either. Realizing he had only a split second to act, Jamie rushed out of the TARDIS himself.
"Jamie!" his Doctor exclaimed in alarm. Ignoring him, Jamie joined Jo and the current Doctor outside the TARDIS, grabbing them and attempting to pull them back inside to safety.
"Jamie, what are you doing?! Get back inside the TARDIS!" the current Doctor snapped.
"I'm not lettin' ye put yerself in danger, Doctor!"
"Do as I say, now!"
Jamie reeled back in surprise. Recovering, he regarded the Doctor in frustration. He reached forward to grab Jo's arm, but she didn't seem intent on leaving either.
"Jo, get back!" the Doctor shouted at her.
Jamie reached out to grab Jo's arm anyway and attempted to pull her backwards. He noticed the familiar crackling sound growing louder.
"Doctor! Jo!" he'd shouted just before another bright flash of light overtook the room. Instinctively, Jamie squeezed his eyes shut.
As the light subsided, he tentatively opened one eye, gazing down at the hand which moments ago had clutched Jo's arm, attempting to remove her from harm's way.
There was no longer an arm for him to clutch. In fact, he was the only one left in the room.
Again.
He barely noticed Sergeant Benton rushing outside the TARDIS as he eyed the empty space in defeat.