THE DOCTOR'S TRIPLE TROUBLE
Chapter Six The Doctor opened the door and stepped outside with Donna and Rose. They had landed in a field on the outskirts of a bustling futuristic city. Unlike New Earth where flying cars zoomed overhead at a rapid rate, they didn't see many flying cars in the sky above their heads even though it was a sizable city. When Rose asked about it, the Doctor chuckled. "They don't use them much here. The main means of transportation is teleportation," he told them as they walked towards the city. They have cars and lorries if they need them but most people get into a teleportation pod and, zap, you're where you need to be. If you notice, most of the traffic above us are lorries that are transporting goods but that's about it unless someone is bring home a lot of stuff then they have cars. They developed the teleportation system here in Angel City in order to cut down on pollution." "Angel City, I like that," Donna said. "Are we on Earth then?" "No. Earth is gone. This is the year seven billion and sixty six." "New Earth?" Rose asked him. "No, but similar. We're in another galaxy, far away from New Earth," he said as they walked. "This planet is called Bazevia. Unlike New Earth, the colonists kept the original name when they settled here. The Bazevians are friendly and peaceful and very intelligent. They are sort of like a cross between humans and raccoons. Humanoid shape and mainly human features with grey fur and a long back and grey striped tail and a black mask around their eyes. I'll point one out if we see one," he replied. "So why are we here?" Donna asked. "I thought we would start out just on a little sightseeing tour, Donna. Nothing dangerous, just a chance for you to become acclimated to other species. Angel City was built by the human colonists, hence the name, but it's a very cosmopolitan city and people from all over come to work and play here. When we last saw each other, you had only seen one Racnoss and a handful of robot drones." "And that was quite enough for one evening, thanks," Donna said as Rose laughed. "Yes, but if you're going to be traveling with me, you have to get used to other species. This is a great way to see other aliens up close without getting into too much danger." "So he says," Donna muttered to Rose as she snickered and nodded her head. "Now, pay close attention to Rose," the Doctor said, not hearing her comment, "she has been doing this for quite a long while and is an expert traveler." "Why, thank you, Doctor," Rose said, pleased. "Not at all, my dear, not at all, credit where credit is due and all that. So anyway, here is Angel City in all its glory," he said with arms outstretched. The city resembled an earth city with a wide variety of building materials from brick buildings to granite to glass. Except for the aliens mixed in with the human population, it looked like a typical Earth city. The cars and lorries looked like Earth cars except that there were hardened Perspex domes over the tops of the car and the drivers of the lorries that allowed them to see the different species that were driving them. Rose glanced at Donna as they walked down the pavement and noticed that she in awe of her surroundings. She smiled at that, remembering when she felt exactly the same way. The Doctor and his two companions did a bit of window shopping while they walked, looking at all the different items displayed in the huge glass windows, everything from clothes to electronics to toys and even prostitutes. The last window was at the very end of the street they were on but the building looked like an office building. Donna thought it was one of the strangest things she had ever seen. It was as if the office workers had decided to come downstairs on their tea break and whore themselves out to the public. Both women blushed when the Doctor waved cheerfully at the barely dressed women and even started a conversation with them before the mortified friends pulled him away, much to the disappointment of the women who shouted muffled curses at them when they did it. They turned the corner and kept on going, past more businesses and shop windows until they found a small pub nestled between a department store and an office building. It was called the Black Hole. All three of them checked it out and after deciding it didn't look too seedy, went inside. The interior was well lit and filled with smoke from what looked like several hookahs that patrons were smoking as they sat at round tables scattered around the bar. The bar keep was reptilian and resembled a half human/ half crocodile with a human head that had a short crocodilian snout on it, reptilian yellow eyes and forest green skin and scales. He was wearing a black t-shirt, black trousers and had an apron on. His hands were human except they were green, scaly and had claws on them. He was cleaning a shot glass when the three friends approached. He set it down and a wide smile spread over his snout. "Doctor, great to see ya again!" he said in a deep, gravely voice, "what'll it be?" Rose and Donna looked at each other and then looked at the Doctor and noticed he was in complete shock. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" the Doctor said. The barkeep burst out laughing at that and clapped him so hard on the back the Doctor grunted. "Very funny, mate. You want the usual?" he asked. "Uh…yeah…" the Doctor said warily. The barkeep nodded and walked several feet over to his liquor stash under the bar. "Who's that?" Rose asked. "I haven't the foggiest, Rose," the Doctor muttered. They watched as the barkeep put a tall glass on the table and filled it first with a purple liquid in it and then a green one that floated on top of it. He then reached under the bar and brought out a jar containing several small red berries. He opened it up, reached in, got a berry and put it in. the berry floated to the bottom as the barkeep put the lid back on and put the jar back under the bar. Smiling, he brought the drink over to the befuddled Doctor. "Cheers, mate," he said. The Doctor sidestepped just as the man was about to clap him on the back again. The barkeep chuckled at that and went back to cleaning the shot glasses while the Doctor and his companions stared at the drink. "So what is it?" Donna asked. "I don't know," the Doctor said. "Somehow I'm afraid if I drink it, I'll regret it later." "Well why don't you ask Scaly there, he seems to know ya," Donna said, hooking her thumb back at the barkeep. "Because sometimes that's not a good thing," the Doctor told her. "He seems to know me but I don't know him and I've very rarely visited this city and never at this exact time and place and I've certainly never been in here before so something's going on." Donna held up her finger and turned towards the barkeep. "Oi!" she said to him. The barkeep turned and Donna gave him her most charming smile. "Sorry to bother you. I'm visiting here with my friend and…" She trailed off when the barkeep started chuckling. "What's so funny?" Donna said, annoyed. "You don't have to lie to me, Miss. I know what's going on here," the barkeep said, touching his snout. The three friends glanced at each other. "And what is going on here?" Donna asked. "Don't play coy with me, Ducky, I know you're a whore, same as her." The Doctor winced when Donna gave him a look of death. "I'm a what?" she said, on the verge of punching him. The barkeep chuckled and walked over to the Doctor. "These ones got beauty and no brains, eh, mate?" he said, nudging him. The Doctor cleared his throat when he noticed both women were seconds away from knocking him through the back wall. "Look, we'll just sit at a table," the Doctor said, grabbing his companion's arms and pulling them away. "Suit yourself, mate. Get both drunk before you have a go at em, eh?" "Donna!" the Doctor said, jerking Donna's arm when he sensed she was going to leap over the bar and beat the shit out of the man who was now chuckling and winking at the Doctor. Not wanting to cause a scene and watch while Donna was hauled off to prison for assaulting a crocodilian barkeep, the Doctor grabbed his drink off the bar and urged them both towards a table in the back where they could sit and talk and try to figure out what was going on.
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