TURN ME ON, DEAD MAN

(September 9th, 1966...)

Chapter Two

"Alright, boys, have a rest."

Paul McCartney breathed a sigh of relief. For six hours now they had been in the studio recording new tracks for their next album which had the working title of Smile for the moment. They had recently been to America and performed a concert at Shea Stadium in August and that combined with the hectic schedule of working on their new album, interviews and photo shoots had left him drained. He set his Hofner bass down in its stand and stretched while his friends and fellow band mates stretched and milled about.

John Lennon walked over to the plate glass that looked out on the studio and rapped on the glass with his knuckles. George Martin, the producer, looked at him and turned on the intercom.

"Yeah?" he said.

"Can we take a break, George? I'm hungry and I could use a cuppa."

The other three murmured in agreement. George checked his schedule and nodded.

"Go ahead. But be back here in two hours, we have a lot to do," George said.

John snorted.

"Why am I not surprised?" he muttered as he walked back to the others. "Come on, lads, let's go get some Chinese and try to relax for a couple of hours."

They told George where they were heading before they left the studio. Once they were gone, George stood up, stretched and lit up a cigarette.

Meanwhile, the Doctor landed the TARDIS near the Abbey Road recording studio. The TARDIS powered down and he smiled at Amy and Rory while he extended his hand towards the door.

"Here we are, September 9th, 1966, two days before Paul meets his untimely end. I figure that will give us enough time to meet them and figure out what happens before we save him," the Doctor said. "So everyone out! It's time to embark on our own Magical Mystery Tour."

"Wait a tic," Amy said, holding up her finger, "maybe I should change. I mean I'm not exactly dressed for 1960's London."

"Never stopped me before," the Doctor said with a shrug.

"Yeah, well, that's because you're weird," Amy said.

"Thank you," the Doctor said cheerfully. "But if you're going to change into different clothes, do it now so we can go look for the Beatles."

Amy and Rory hurried out of the console room while the Doctor sat down on the seat near his computer screen and waited. Both of them hurried to the wardrobe room. Rory climbed up to the first level where the men's outfits were located and Amy went one level above him where women's clothes were kept. She looked at the assortment of clothes, trying to find something suitable for the '60's. She finally found a purple frilly blouse, brown skirt that came down mid-thigh and some brown leather go-go boots. She picked out a small brown leather purse and transferred some of the things she had in her jean pockets into it. She hesitated a moment while she was transferring items and pulled out a postcard. She had spied it among the Doctor's Beatles memorabilia when she returned the magazine. The front of the postcard had the Sergeant Pepper album cover on it and she reasoned that if she took it she might be able to show it to Paul and convince him of the danger he was in. She stared at it for a moment, her eyes shifting back and forth from the waxwork of Paul to the man wearing the bright blue military uniform. She thought for a moment and then decided to slip the postcard into the pocket on the left side of her skirt.

"If all this is true and someone did kill you and replace you, Paul, I'm not about to let it happen," Amy murmured as she patted the pocket.

She put the purse strap over her right shoulder, checked her reflection in a nearby full length mirror and satisfied that she looked alright, headed back downstairs. On the way down, she saw her husband. He had on dark brown corduroy pants, brown leather boots and a paisley shirt with frilly sleeves. Rory shot her a look when Amy giggled at him.

"Groovy, man," Amy said, flashing him the peace sign.

"Yeah, whatever," Rory said, rolling his eyes.

Amy gave him a kiss on the cheek, took his hand and both of them headed downstairs. The Doctor jumped up and smiled when he saw their outfits.

"Very good. You chose well," he said. "I like your outfits. So...are we ready to go?"

His companions nodded and all of them walked towards the front door. The Doctor opened the door, peeked out and nodded to Amy and Rory. They went outside and Amy nearly froze when she saw Abbey Road studios nearby. It finally hit her that they were going to meet the Beatles and excitement flooded her body.

"So...do we try to go inside there?" Rory asked, pointing to the front door of the recording studio.

"Come on, surely they have some kind of security there," Amy said. "If the Beatles are making an album they must have someone who keeps an eye out for fans."

"Yeah, but maybe we can pose as journalists and tell them we've come for an interview," Rory said.

"Hmm, not a bad idea, I've used that very ruse before when meeting famous people," the Doctor said.

"So...is that what we're going to do, pose as journalists?" Amy said.

The Doctor was about to reply when the recording studio's front door opened. The three of them jumped behind a tree while they watched the four Beatles walk down the steps towards a black car.

"So, Ming's alright then?" John was saying to the others as they walked towards the car.

"Yeah, I like their food," Ringo replied.

"Well, I better drive then," John said, looking back over his shoulder with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "We all know what happened the last time Paulie drove a vehicle."

Paul flipped him off as they reached the car. The Doctor, Amy and Rory watched them get in. They waited till the car started and drove off.

"Right," the Doctor said, coming out from behind the tree, "do you lot have any cab fare so we can follow them to Ming's?"

"I do," Amy said.

"Brilliant," the Doctor said, "because I have none. And I promise I'll pay you back...sometime."

Amy gave him a dubious look before she searched inside her purse for some money for cab fare. In the meantime, the Doctor walked up to the curb and began to scan the road in search of a cab.

"Wonder what John meant about we all know what happened the last time Paul drove a vehicle," Rory mused as he stood between the Doctor and Amy.

"In December of last year, Paul crashed a moped and chipped his tooth and scarred his upper lip," the Doctor said absentmindedly while he searched for a cab.

Rory and Amy made a face.

"Ouch, I didn't know he did that," Amy said.

"Well, now you do," the Doctor said without looking at her.

He spotted a black cab coming their way and held up his arm to signal it to stop. The cab pulled up alongside them and the Doctor asked if he knew where Ming's Chinese Restaurant was. To his relief, the cabbie nodded and they settled back in the seat while he drove off.

Twenty minutes later, the cabbie stopped beside a rectangular restaurant that looked relatively modern. Amy paid the fare and they got out. They stood on the pavement across from the restaurant. It was a drab concrete building with a white sign above the front door that said Ming's Chinese Restaurant in huge block letters. There was a large plate window on the left side of the door and they could see booths and tables inside. Along the left side of the building was another plate glass window and one was on the right side. Through the front window, they could see the four Beatles sitting at a booth beside the left hand side window. A young Chinese woman dressed in a red cheongsam was taking their order while the four of them smoked cigarettes.

"So, now what do we do?" Rory asked while they watched the waitress walk away. "Do we go up and introduce ourselves?"

"And say what?" the Doctor asked him. "Got any ideas on how to strike up a conversation without them thinking we're a bunch of star struck fans? Because I have a feeling "Paul, you're in danger and you'll die in two days time," will go over like a lead balloon."

Amy stared at Paul through the window. He took a drag on his cigarette and then laughed at something someone said. She smiled thinking how cute he looked and how she would like to meet him without him thinking she was a nutty fan. Then suddenly, she had a thought.

"Leave it to me, boys!" she said to the Doctor and Rory.

Both men looked at her, confused.

"You have a way we can get close to the Beatles?" Rory asked.

"I do. I'll use the fact that I'm a beautiful, young woman to my advantage. The Beatles fancy the girls, yeah? All I have to do is sit by myself and look attractive and perhaps one of them will come over and try to chat me up."

"Excuse me?" Rory said while the Doctor put his hand over his face, trying to cover up his laughter. "Chat you up? I believe you're a married woman, Amy."

"I know that, Rory, but we need to get close to the Beatles and I'm sure if they see an attractive, young woman they'll wanna talk to her."

"And what do we do in the meantime? Stand out here and watch?" Rory said angrily.

"No. Follow me in but sit at another table and order something to eat. I'll sit by myself near the Beatles and see if I can get one of them to come over and say hello."

Rory looked at the Doctor.

"Are you okay with this?" he asked him.

"Sounds like a good plan to me, but then again, I'm not married to her," the Doctor said. "She's right. The Beatles do have an eye for the ladies and one of them might come over and say hello. I can't think of any other way to get close to them, can you?"

Rory shook his head.

"But no funny business, you hear?" Rory said to Amy.

Amy's mouth dropped open.

"What do you think I'm gonna do, Rory? Throw Paul McCartney across the table and shag him on top of the won tons?" she said while the Doctor sniggered. "I do know I'm a married woman. Christ, give me some credit. I won't cheat on you, alright?"

Rory nodded. The Doctor patted him on the shoulder and gestured to the front door of the restaurant.

"After you, Pond, good luck and good hunting," he said.

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