Chapter Text
For extra insurance, the Doctor and Olivia had a marvelous time chucking the once again inanimate objects out the belfry window into the courtyard below. The vicar then unceremoniously escorted the pair out of the church and slammed what was left of the church's doors behind them.
“He didn’t even say thank you. I mean after all I did save his life.”
“Well, you did make a rather large hole in his belfry.”
“That was necessary to get at the synchronous orasynchronous amplifier.”
“Yes, you still have not told me how that amplifier thing in your hand works.”
“And you still have not told me about how exactly you know about me and my TARDIS. So we are even.”
“I was about to when this whole ‘Auton’ thing started, and besides I still have no idea what is in that time capsule of yours. So you have two secrets up on me, there is no way we are even!” The Doctor looked at her quizzically.
“Are you upset?”
“Upset?! Well, let’s see; I met this insane man today, with a time capsule he buried both five minutes and three centuries ago, I was nearly killed by a large pink bear and shop window dummies, and I helped destroy a 500 year old belfry! I am… no, I’m not upset. I feel exhilarated!” The Doctor smiled and laughed a bit.
“I suppose staring at death via a large pink coloured bear, and surviving to yell at me about it later would do that.”
“Yes. Is your life always like this?” The Doctor stared up at the tree tops for a moment in thought.
“I would say that it is, yes. Anyways, as you said, I am up two secrets on you so here.” He handed her the now broken device. The thing was about the size of a shoe box but it resembled the innards of a computer and it looked like it had melted on the inside. The wires were burnt and pieces had joined together in the extreme heat. “A synchronous orasynchronous amplifier. It sends out signals on electromagnetic wave lengths to animate certain kinds of plastic. This type of device is actually quite weak because it can only function on radio waves.”
“But you said something about…what was it? Koronite?”
“Korosidian. It is a naturally occurring intensifier and is sometimes used in these types of devices. The rock was reduced into its compounds and then used in the construction of the amplifier. And since this can only work on radio waves, the Korosidian gives the signal it was transmitting, a little extra kick.”
“Is this thing 500 years old? It doesn’t look it.”
“Oh, I think that it is at least 500 years old. It was placed in the belfry during its construction.”
“But plastic? Plastic wasn’t around in the 16 th century.”
“Not on Earth it wasn’t. Plastic is one of those things that just about every intelligent species in the universe invents in some form or another. I would say that this device was forethought.”
“So those Autons, they weren’t from earth?”
“Oh, the objects that were shooting at us were most definitely from earth. The synchronous orasynchronus amplifier here certainly is not.”
“Are there more of these amplifier things?”
“I don’t believe so. I think that this thing is a prototype, and I think what happened here was a test, quite possibly for some later plans.”
“You’re not from Earth are you Doctor?” He grinned at her.
“No I am not my dear.”
“Of course you’re not.” She chuckled to herself. “What are you then if you’re not human?”
“I’m a Time Lord.”
“Okay, that’s not showy at all.”
“It is what it is.”
“How old are you?”
“I’m 749 years old. I have a birthday coming up now that I think about it.”
“Wow. Do you have another name besides ‘Doctor’?”
“Just Doctor.”
“Okay, you told me a secret, now I owe you one.” The Doctor motioned back towards his blue box and the two began to walk. “My ancestor, he was a cobbler for a living, met a man who called himself ‘the Doctor,’ he had a magical blue box that could travel anywhere without moving and this ‘Doctor’ saved his little girl from some illness. After the Doctor left, he was accused of talking with Satan; he was excommunicated and hanged not long after that. The story has been passed down in my family and probably embellished a bit. ‘The Doctor’ is now kind of the ‘family demon’ as it were.”
“Bernardo Moretti. I believe that he is your ancestor?” Olivia thought that she should not have been as aghast as she felt considering all she had been through in the last couple of hours.
“Yes, he was.”
“He was a good man. He actually saved my life twice.”
“I know that he first saw you fighting some sort of de…well now I guess it was an alien of some kind.”
“Yes, it was a Sontaran, a war loving race of beings. Somehow it ended up in the vortex with me while I was travelling and followed me to Italy, Sicily to be accurate. I believe the town was called Uncinano. He squabbled with me when we landed saying that I had dragged him there against his will, I told him, why would I wish to ruin my holiday by bringing a Sontaran with me to Sicily? Sontarans can’t stand Italian food; it’s a well known fact.
Anyways, somehow or other we were exchanging blows and he was winning the fight, luckily Bernardo came along and struck the Sontaran in the back of the neck. After we exchanged pleasantries he asked me if I could help his sick daughter. It was the least I could do since he saved my life and all. After we deposited the Sontaran back in his ship and I had rigged it so it would go back into the vortex after it took off, I piloted the TARDIS back to his village and had a look at his little girl. The girl had a rather severe case of stomach flu, but nothing terribly serious. I gave her some medicine that I sometimes use to calm my own stomach and she soon felt fine. Unfortunately, somebody saw me park the TARDIS nearby the village.”
“Who saw you?”
“I don’t know. But who ever it was, was frightened enough to go find a constable and tell him and many other people about the wizard or warlock or something at the Moretti’s home. A lynch mob started not long after that.”
“What?”
“Thankfully Bernardo, had stepped out of his home for a moment to go fetch water from the town well. He saw the mob coming towards his home and he raced back to tell me.”
“What happened?”
“He picked up his daughter, grabbed his wife and told me to run. We ran back towards the TARDIS, being chased by the mob, however we were quite slow. He gave his little girl to me, embraced his wife, told me he had family in the town of Entracque if he did not make it back and then ran off and diverted the mob away from us. We made it back to the TARDIS and we waited as long as we could, before the mob would soon appear, but he did not come. The people wanted blood, if they could not get mine, they would take the man who harboured me. They arrested him and not long afterwards hanged him. His wife had begged me to save her husband and I couldn’t; she never forgave me. I took his family to Entracque, and I had to move on. He is one of my biggest regrets.”
“That’s so sad. And I am so sorry.”
“For what? It wasn’t your fault.”
“No, it’s for thinking that you were a demon. All my life I imagined you were this horrible monster who would come and snatch me up and drag me to some horrific unimaginable place. Now that I have seen you, the things that you have done, I suppose that I feel guilty for those feelings now.” The Doctor smiled and offered up a hand which she gladly accepted as the two finished the walk towards the magical blue box.
“I have to wonder what your reaction will be when you go inside. For most people it’s a bit of a shock, but you already know what’s coming.” He explained as he unlocked the doors. “Go on.” He pushed the doors open, and stood aside for Olivia to step in. Yes she had some idea of what was coming, but it still took her breath away. It really was bigger on the inside. There was lovely dark wood panelling on the walls, some sort of console in the middle of the room with shiny brass railings, little decorations of stained glass and for some reason; a simple shaving mirror and a coat tree. All of this in a tiny blue police box.
“There are many, many other rooms here besides this one.”
“There’s more?”
“Oh yes. There are the cloisters, the conservatory, the library, the wardrobe, the swimming pool, the boot cupboard…”
“Boot cupboard?”
“Yes, every living space should have some kind of boot cupboard.”
“Yes of course, what was I thinking? I guess that this is the control room.” The Doctor stepped over to the console and petted it lovingly. “Yes this is the control room of my TARDIS. Time And Relative Dimension In Space, TARDIS. She will take you anywhere and anytime you wish to go.” Olivia then realized that she was grinning. She was standing in an object from her nightmares and she was grinning, in fact it was hard to try not to laugh. She gazed all around the control room and saw the Doctor’s time capsule on a nearby chair.
“You still have not opened your capsule Doctor.”
“Oh yes, well now is as good a time as any.” Picking up the box and setting it on the console, he then pulled out his sonic screwdriver and lifted up the lid.
“A pencil, Doctor?”
“Yes, it’s because I can never find one when I need one.”
“Then why bury it at all, if you just hold on to that one?”
“But I know where this one is if I am in need of a pencil for something.” Olivia just shook her head as she reached into the box and pulled out a ringing alarm clock.
“I wonder what the alarm was for.” The Doctor puzzled. They went through the box and pulled out another yo-yo, a deed for a piece of land on the planet of Krosh, a vial of some purplish liquid that the Doctor told her not to open because he was saving it for later, a schedule for a conference in Oslo on Quasars and Kirkwood gaps. Some ancient Chinese gold coins, a recipe for indigo dye, a mouse trap (the Doctor triggered it with the pencil and consequently broke it) and a handkerchief.
“S.J.S. Who was she, Doctor?”
“How do you know S.J.S. is a she?”
“Men don’t bother to have personalized handkerchiefs.” The Doctor smiled lightly as he followed the embroidered initials with his fingers.
“She must have been very dear to you.”
“She was my best friend. Still is actually.” Olivia smiled to see the Doctor like this, but she felt as if she was intruding on something intimate.
“Doctor, how about a jelly baby for the road?”
“What? You’re not leaving are you?”
“I just thought that you might want to go and find your friend.”
“Someday I will, but not now.” And he gently stuffed the handkerchief into his jacket breast pocket. “By the way, did you know you have cake on your trousers?” Olivia looked down; sure enough there was pink frosting on her jeans intermingled with wood splinters and dust from the belfry door. Christine would not be getting any cakes; oh no, Christine! She must be worried sick! Olivia scrambled to turn on her mobile. Sure enough 16 messages and missed calls in the last two hours, most of them from her aunt.
“She’s going to kill me.” The Doctor chuckled a bit, and Olivia smiled. “Doctor, come to my home, my aunt is guaranteed to cook a large supper after this whole fiasco; a classic Italian meal and secret family recipes.”
“I never could resist a secret. But how about I drive us there?” Olivia grinned again.
“Just don’t park this thing too close. My family might have a fit if they see me stepping out of a blue box that just appears out of nowhere.” He smiled his big toothy grin at her as he worked the controls of the consol.
“We’re off then.”