IT WAS 20,000 YEARS AGO TODAY

Chapter Seven

Once they were fully awake and aware that the Doctor was no longer with them, the humans tried to open the door. Bill and Rory pounded on it and screamed for someone to open it.

"HEY!" Rory screamed. "OPEN THE DOOR! YOU CAN'T KEEP US HERE! WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE DOCTOR?"

They pounded for a few minutes more and then backed away from the door.

"What's going on?" Nog asked.

"I think we're being held captive," Bill said to her.

"Are they going to kill us?" Nog said in alarm.

"Not if we can help it," Amy said with a determined look on her face. "Anyone here know how to pick a lock?" she added, pointing to the door lock.

"Um, I might be able to if we can find something," Paul said.

"Heh, why am I not surprised that you might have lock picking experience?" Amy said.

"Told ya before, Pond. There are lots of things you don't know about me," Paul said over his shoulder as he walked over to the cabinets.

"Tya followed him and Paul chuckled as she walked beside him while he searched the cabinets for something to pick the lock. Amy came up beside Jane.

"Tya is so cute,"she said softly to her while Paul searched.

"I know. I love how she's grown to trust him and follows him around," Jane whispered back.

"Are you gonna adopt her?" Amy asked softly.

Jane's eyes widened and then she stared at Tya while she thought that over.

"I mean, she has no one. They said that homo sapiens killed her clan and she's an orphan. She needs someone," Amy said softly.

Jane stared at Tya who was looking up at Paul with adoration in her eyes while he searched through a cabinet. Jane hadn't considered adopting the former Neanderthal but now, looking at her, she felt love swell in her heart and suddenly the thought of being Tya's mother filled her with excitement. She wondered if Paul felt the same way and she made a mental note to ask him about it when they were in a safe environment.

Paul finished searching the cabinets and drawers and shook his head as he closed the last one.

"Nothing. I can't find anything suitable," he said glumly. "S'pose we'll have till someone opens the door. Bollocks. Now the Doctor's in trouble and…"

He trailed off when he heard someone opening the door. Everyone prepared to rush the aliens but they were stopped when one came in with a blaster pointed at their heads. Bill took Nog's arm and backed her up along with everyone else while two other Andrakians brought someone into the room. He was tall and thin with brown tousled hair. He was unconscious and dressed in the white toga the male homo sapiens wore. Everyone watched while the aliens lowered him to the floor and walked back out. The one with the blaster backed out of the room while he kept the blaster aimed at the captives.

"Wait, what about the Doctor?" Rory asked.

The alien didn't answer, merely slammed the door and locked it after he was done. Everyone came forward and looked at the man who was lying prone at their feet.

"Who's this?" Amy said. "Someone else they brought in and changed?"

She leaned over and shook the man's shoulder. She did that for a minute and then leaned back up when the man groaned and slowly moved his head from side to side. They watched while he slowly opened his eyes and blinked twice before he looked at everyone.

"Hullo, I'm back then?" he said in a groggy voice.

Everyone frowned.

"Back from where?" Rory asked.

"Here? I'm in the lab, aren't I?" he said in the groggy voice.

"Um…you were never in the lab," Rory said. "We've never seen you before in our lives."

"Yes, you have, Rory. It's me!" the man said annoyed.

Everyone glanced at each other.

"Uh…me who?" Rory said.

The man sighed and got to his feet. He wobbled unsteadily for a moment and then waved everyone away when he grabbed the edge of the table and got his balance.

"Me who?" he said to Rory. "I'm the Doctor. Don't you know me when you see me?"

He looked around at all the faces of the adults who were staring at him in complete confusion. He looked at Paul who was giving him an odd look.

"Paul! It's me! Don't you recog…"

He trailed off when he finally noticed his voice had changed.

"Wait a tic," he murmured while everyone stared at him in silent confusion.

He spun around and looked down at the metal table, staring at his reflection. His mouth dropped open.

"No," he said in a hushed voice, "it can't be…"

"Are you alright?" Amy asked him.

He turned to face them and they gave him another odd look when he began to feel all over his face and run his hands through his hair.

"No, no, no, no…" he said.

"What? What's going on?" Amy asked.

The man pushed past them and ran over to a counter. He began opening and closing drawers and pulled out a small black flat disc. He put is against his chest and pushed a small black button while everyone else gathered around him and watched. There was a little beep and the man took the disc away from his chest and read the results of his scan on a tiny screen on top of it.

"One heart…oh no…"

"What do you mean?" Amy asked.

The man looked at her.

"I'm the Doctor, Amy."

"No, you're not, you look nothing like the Doctor," Amy said.

"That's because I've somehow been regressed back to my previous life," the Doctor said. "They did something to me to now only make me go back to my former body but also give me one heart like a human."

"I don't understand," Paul said. "What do you mean former body?"

The Doctor gave them a quick explanation and everyone listened in a stunned silence.

"You mean you can have more than one body?" Amy said when he finished.

"Yes, that's how I manage to keep myself young when I'm 907."

"907?" Bill said. "You're 907?"

"Yes, I am and I was a Time Lord, but now I'm human. He did something to me to make me human like he made Nog and Tya human and now if they kill me, I can't regenerate, I'll just die like you would."

"Then what do we do?" Amy asked.

"First, we need to get out of here," the Doctor said.

"We tried that. It's locked and we can't find anything to open the door with," Rory said.

"Then…we wait."

"Okay…Doctor, how long do you think we'll have to wait?" Rory asked him.

"For as long as it takes them to open the door," the Doctor replied.

Everyone looked at each other while the Doctor shrugged.

"I'm sorry, Rory, unfortunately they put me in a toga and I don't have any pockets so that means no screwdriver and…"

He trailed off when they heard the door opening. All of them got in front of it, tensing themselves for a fight. The alien with the blaster opened the door and pointed the blaster at them.

"You will come with me, Pepa wishes to speak with all of you. It's an emergency," he said.

Back                         Home                              Doctor Who Main Page                          Next