TIME LORDS DON'T CRY
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN The Doctor led the way to the Tardis, amid billowing dried up leaves and a few hesitant flakes of snow. The wind snatched at their clothing to send chilling fingers creeping up their spines. He unlocked the door and led Marie inside. Dashing up to the console, the Doctor consulted the Tardis’ computer screen. Marie stared about the room, silently looking the place over from roof to floor. He looked up at her. “What do you think of her, Marie?” She was wonderstruck. “It’s cool–really awesome. And you fly around in this all the time? That’s…wow.” “It materializes, actually….appears and reappears in different places, different times. Anywhere, any time period in the universe and the Tardis can go there.” He patted her affectionately. “Can’t you old girl?” Marie stared at him, “It really is a time machine? That’s just so cool!” Looking at her feet she added shyly, “You’re such a neat guy…even if you did blow up my house.” The Doctor laughed. “And you are rather cool yourself, Marie” He bounded down from the console deck and went up to her. “Tell you what? Why don’t you have a seat and make yourself at home while I go and change? Oh yes, nearly forgot. I’d found something of yours and left it in the truck. Be back in a flash.” Popping out of the Tardis door, the Doctor trotted off to the old pick up truck. Marie sat in a chair by the console and waited. Suddenly, she stiffened. A moment later Marie relaxed. She tilted her head as if listening to something, then smiled. Moments later, the doors burst open and the Doctor reappeared, holding something wrapped around a sooty rag. He held it out to her. “Here, I believe this belongs to you.” Marie took it and unwrapped the object. It was one of her mother’s teacups. The Doctor sat down beside her. “I’m sorry.” he said consolingly, “It’s the only one I could find.” Marie stared at the cup in her hands, rubbing it with her fingers as if it were a genie’s lamp that could make her mother magically appear. Then, throwing her arms around the Doctor, she cried. He patted her back awkwardly. “I’m sorry, Marie. I’m so, so sorry all this had to happen to you.” “Doctor, why does your ship sing?” Marie asked. “Ey?” the Doctor drew back, his face scrunched up in puzzlement. “What do you mean?” “When you left me, a moment ago, I could hear the ship humming…but then it seemed like it heard me listening, and it changed. To a lady’s voice. She sounded as if she was singing a lullaby…so low I could hardly hear it. But, Doctor, it was so beautiful.” Then, Marie looked worried. “Did I hear it? Or am I going insane or something?” Once again, the Doctor scooped Marie into his arms, this time, the look of wonder was on his face. “So that’s why the Tardis brought me here. She must have sensed your presence. You’ve just enough Galifreyan physic ability in you, for you to hear the Tardis.” he frowned, and said a little petuantly. “She hardly ever sings to me, anymore.” He sat Marie down and went off to change. Once again standing at the console, the Doctor was looking—and feeling, more like his old self than ever. Dressed in his favourite clobber of a brown pinstripe suit and tie, with dingy white trainers, the Doctor silently hovered around the console, pushing buttons and studying readouts. Marie was drinking a bottle of soda the Doctor had found in the Tardis’ kitchen. “Ah-ha!” he shouted at last, “Now I have you. I thought as much. The Fumerick system..that explains the suit of armor, then.” Donning his glasses, the Doctor bent over the console and studied a particularly interesting readout. Taking the glasses off, he tapped his hand with them and started pacing back and forth, deep in thought. “Doctor? What is it? Can you stop them?” Marie asked. “Yes, Marie. I think so, if I can get the right components together quickly enough. But it will take some bit of time–and I’m not sure how much of that we have, before the sovereign shows up with his little friends.” Marie frowned, puzzled at the strange name. “Sovereign? Oh, you mean Uncle. Why does he–it, wear that armor, anyway?” The Doctor in the meantime, had pulled off the decking and was working underneath. “The Exogen come from the Fumerick system. That’s in one of the darkest parts of the galaxy. The sun is so distant from the planet, it’s in near total darkness all the time. The Exogen are light-sensitive creatures. Any kind of bright light causes them pain. UV rays are especially dangerous to them. Too much exposure and they disintegrate. So, over the course of millions of years, the species developed ways to protect themselves. Very much like you humans.” Marie grimaced, not sure what the Doctor meant by that. The Doctor’s hand shot out and searched around for the sonic screwdriver. It was just out of reach. Marie got up and retreived it for him, sitting herself down at his feet. The Doctor thanked her and continued, “Anyway, they developed a tough but lightweight armor that shields them completely from any harmful UV rays. It’s implanted into them when the eggs are fertilized. They grow into the armor as they develop. It’s a part of them. They can make it appear or disappear at will. The human hosts–your cafeteria lady and the others, don’t need it yet, because the eggs haven’t hatched. They are technically dead, but still retain many human characteristics, because in a way, they’re still human. They are like robots, sort of. And they’re being controlled by the sovereign.” Marie cocked her head, her young mind ingesting all she just heard. “So–you mean, the armor is sort of like sunscreen, and the others don’t need it because they’re not Exogen yet?” “That’s right.” The Doctor said. He emerged and dashed over the other side of the console, to continue hitting some buttons. Suddenly, there was a big bang against the Tardis. The Doctor looked at the view screen. Uncle Tobias had arrived, and he wasn’t alone. There were now about a hundred humans with him.
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