A Rift Between [Closed]

[Lucyfer]

There were many things the man known as the Doctor had been prepared for. Living had not been one of them, but when he stumbled into the TARDIS and fell on a lever, that’s what happened. Safe within the confines of the traveling box, the regeneration energy wrapped around him. “But—but how?”


A thought occurred that perhaps his forced regeneration into the not-Doctor hadn’t counted, but he didn’t buy it.


There was no arguing with biology, though. The energy exploded out from him as the TARDIS settled, and the Doctor rolled over onto his back, “Wasn’t…wasn’t expecting that,” he spoke to the air, frowned. “Is this my voice now? Hello, hello! Testing, 1, 2, 3! Yep. Well.” He wasn’t sure he liked it. “It doesn’t quite have that boom.”


Though, it did when he tried to emphasize the word, it wasn’t the same. He couldn’t see giving the Pandorica speech in this voice. It was a bit too high pitched—not feminine, but, “I’m not female, right?” This time, rather than check his hair, he ran his hands down his chest, “Nope, still male,” he did not want to have to figure out bras. All he understood from River was that shopping for them was a nightmare.


‘River….’


Would he see her, like this, he wondered. She had said before that her Doctor was one who made the TARDIS open with a snap, and he had been that man. Did that mean his time with her was now over?


He wasn’t sure he ever wanted a definitive answer on that. He ignored it, shoved it back into his mind, and jumped to his feet. His hands moved to the suspenders. “I look like a grandfather,” he complained as he pulled on them. “Or Jack. Oh, do I look like Jack?” He sought a mirror, but of course, there wasn’t one anywhere near. “If I look like Jack, I should not find Jack. He’ll never buy me a drink.” He still owed the Doctor a drink.


His fingers fiddled with the bowtie at his neck as he walked back to the TARDIS and tapped a few buttons, giving him a view outside. Cardiff. He sighed, “No, no, I don’t want to be here,” he appreciated the thought. He pulled the lever again, and the TARDIS jolted forward once again, nearly throwing the Doctor across the machine. He managed to grip the central console as the TARDIS once again settled.


Outside it now appeared to be evening, bit in the future from where he last stopped, with hologram ghosts dancing outside someone’s yard. “Halloween!” The Doctor exclaimed excitedly. “Oh, oh I’ll be able to find something to wear, here!” He thought aloud, and all but ran out of the TARDIS to join the mischief of the night.


He didn’t get too far. He came to a pause as he stood outside one of those elegant Greek homes, and saw a familiar entity. He clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. ‘Now what are you doing here?’


The clockwork droid he saw stood outside the home in a gaudy costume, greeting all those who came forward. A similar cat wove around its legs, beautifully black with an aesthetic gracefulness only metal could provide. The Doctor narrowed his eyes. They never meant anything good, those droids.


He was going to need a costume if he wanted to get into the party, he suspected. ‘Do I even look young enough?’ He had no idea. He took off running to go locate some shop that would have costumes, making a note to come back to this house as he ran.

 

[FancyPenguin]

It was still early in the evening when Michelle was slightly lost in the cluster of frat houses, trying to find the right one. She was supposed to be meeting up with her friends at one of the frats, but since she had never been there she had no clue whether she was even going the right direction. She would have gone with her friends when the left, except there was a project she wanted to finish and she still needed to get into her gypsy costume. So, Michelle told them she would catch up with them later.


Right before heading out, Michelle took a look out the window and thought about if she really wanted to go to this party. She loved her friends, but she has never really been someone who enjoyed parties. In all reality she would rather stay in and watch old Halloween themed movies. While she was looking out the window, onto the beautiful campus, Michelle saw so many people dressed up and seeming to be having great fun.


"I guess it couldn't be too bad."


No matter how how many different turns she made it felt as though she just kept going in circles. Michelle sighed heavily, pushing her breath upwards, lightly pushing the few stray hairs that escaped the bandanna out of her face. "Where the frick is this place?!" She was almost to the point where she was about to turn around and go back to her dorm.


Right before she was was about to turn around a familiar voice called her name from behind her. Swiftly turning around she spots her friend.


"Finally!"


She jogged over to her friend. As she was jogging she noticed that there was an ..odd.. looking man across the street, also running. She wasn't sure what to make of him, but he quickly left her mind once she reached her friend. The two chatted for a moment, and then headed inside.


The party was being held in one of the more extravagant frats, so it was sure to be one of the best of the night. For being Michelle's first frat party she was having a fantastic time. She was actually pretty happy that she wasn't back in her dorm watching movies; although she wouldn't be opposed to having one on in the background.


There was one thing though that had Michelle a little put off, the droids. She was used to droids because they were so common in today's world, but these ones were different. They didn't look like the normal droids, and they were everywhere in the house. She tried not to look into it too much because maybe the boys decided to go all out and get as many of them as they could, including expensive costumes for them. Even if that were the case she still blatantly avoided them at all costs.

 

[Lucyfer]

The department stores were still open and full of costumes, although the selection was scarce. The Doctor found his way into one not far from campus town, and found himself looking between a terrible cowboy outfit, and a surgeon outfit. ‘If I go in the doctor costume, no one will believe I’m the Doctor.’


That decided it. That, and the cheesy cowboy hat, which he donned even before he had purchased the outfit. He paid for it, and managed to get permission to change into the outfit before he left the store.


He was delighted when he stepped into the changing room and saw the mirror. “GINGER!” He couldn’t help but shout. He started to run his hands through his hair excessively, before mourning the fact he was going to have to wear a hat. Still, his hair had red tones to it! Finally!


‘It only took the impossible regeneration.’


He started to change, then, a smile plastered to his lips. ‘Better than a bowtie, I suppose.’ He thought as he adjusted the black bandana. Apparently, he was not a good cowboy. There was no sheriff star or anything.


Still, he did like how the blue shirt and black vest looked. Vest, he thought, would have to be next. And maybe a bandana or a neckerchief. Something. Scarf? ‘No.’ No scarf. He walked out of the store with the chaps over the black slacks he’d been wearing, but got rid of the suspenders. The cowboy boots replaced his dress shoes, and out he walked into the world. ‘The Cowboy.’


That was less sanctimonious, wasn’t it?


‘Now why would I think that?’ He shook the thought from his head.


He strolled his way back towards the party, playing with the fake gun all the while, pointing it at random teenagers that hollered at him and ‘shooting’ them. Some further played along, a few had fake weapons of their own. He made his way merrily back to the party and had a huge grin on his face before he remembered why he was there.


Right.


Clockwork Droids.


The last time he’d seen them had been with Madame Pompadour, and they’d been after her brain. He thought that would be the last of them on Earth, but it seemed there were more. He hoped that they weren’t after another brain, but seeing them in another party environment like this didn’t bode well.


The one at the entrance let him in with no fuss, “Enjoy your time,” it chimed and the Doctor found himself amidst the many bodies of many young and drunk humans. Music was playing. There was a horror movie on in the background. The Doctor squinted his blue eyes and tried to assess who was in charge of the party, but it was difficult. ‘Find out who’s house this is.’


So, he moved towards the drinks, only to have someone stumble into him. A cheeky grin flushed the man’s cheeks, “Good’un, Marshall!” He said as the Doctor reached out to steady the man, “Eey, we have Chem together, right?”


“Quite right,” the Doctor agreed, “Say, who is it that’s running this party?” He asked, “I need to give my thanks for it!”


He sounded too proper, didn’t he? Oh well. The drunk laughed, “Dude, its Sigma house! Just thank any of the Sigma guys.”


“Er…who’s one of them?” The Doctor asked.


The drunkard used the Doctor to stand upright, and he put an arm around the Doctor’s shoulders and pointed towards a group, “They all, uh, they’re all dressed up as Greek deities. Like uh, there,” he swayed a bit into the Doctor, but the Doctor managed not to lean or sway with the movement, “dude with the sun. ‘Pollo.”


Gotta love the frats and their originality. “Thank you!” The Doctor smiled glibly, and let go of the drunk.


On to business, then! Chat up Apollo, who looked to be trying to catch the interest of a gypsy girl.

 

[FancyPenguin]

So far the party hasn't been as bad as Michelle was expecting it to be, but some of the costumes were kind of tacky. First of all there were the frat boys in their Greek outfits, a Doctor who was taking it far to seriously, and even some oddly dressed cowboy.


In the midst of talking with her friends she feels a hand on her shoulder. In an instant she turned around and saw it was one of the frat boys, who she could tell was slightly tipsy. 'Lovely.' She immediately thought to herself.


"What's a fine..gypsy? Like you doing here tonight?" He tried to smoothly say, but the alcohol was definitely in affect.


Michelle wasn't buying into it, but it wasn't like her to be overly rude so she did the best she could to get him away. "Just trying to have a good time with my friends tonight."


"Mind if I join you? I'm a fun time, I promise." A bit of a sly smile creeped up on his face.


Taking a quick glance back at her friends she came up with a quick lie. "We actually already have enough people, maybe next time." She really didn't feel like dealing with an almost drunk guy, who could want who knows what. "Well then how about you and I go somewhere else then? Your friends shouldn't mind." He gently grabbed her waist.


She didn't have time to think of a response when out of the corner of her eye she saw one of the droids watching her. Immediately she turned her head to look over at said droid. The moment she locked eyes with it, it began to walk into another room.


'What the hell is going on around here?'


Michelle knew that she needed to see what these "things" were up to. She turned back to the guy to say, "I actually have to run to the bathroom, I'll be back." The grin got a little wider, "Alright, hurry back." She flashed a small, pity, smile at him, and turned to work her way through the crowd. With her back mostly to him, he grabs her butt. She freezes, turns around, and looks him dead in the eye,


"No."


With that, she pushes her way through the people, toward the droid, passing that weird cowboy again, who looked oddly familiar.

 

[Lucyfer]

The gypsy woman escaped before the Doctor reached Apollo, though it was clear she was not happy. The Doctor could guess way too easily from the lustful gaze that the frat boy allowed to follow her.


“’Ello there,” he spoke up, louder than he normally would, to catch the man’s attention.


He had to shake himself from his thoughts before he looked to the Doctor, evidently annoyed that he’d been taken from them. Still, he tried to play the role of decent frat boy, “Sup, bro? Sweet hat,” he reached up and flicked it.


The Doctor managed not to glare as he reached up to readjust it, “Yes, well, thank you,” he managed to say, “I was wondering, actually, where did you get all of these droids? I’ve never seen any like them before,” he managed to fake excitement about the strange droids.


“Oh dude!” The eyes lit up with something of sober understanding, “There was this deal down at Dole’s shop. Ol’ Dole just let us borrow’em for the night for like, the cost of a 30-pack! I don’t know what he’s selling them for to keep or anything, but Dole’ll have them all again after tonight.” The frat boy was just so happy about Dole letting them use the droids for the night. “Really add atmosphere, don’t they? I think they’re some art major’s invention.”


The Doctor was probably supposed to know Dole from the sound of this conversation. The problem was, he didn’t. “Who’s Dole?”


“How can you not know Dole?”


“Er, freshman,” the Doctor laughed a bit, and the nervousness came naturally since a few one of the droids was now eying him. “You know what, I’ll just look it up tomorrow!” He patted the frat boy on the back, and walked off without a proper farewell.


He’d just have to talk one of these droids. Apparently they’d let themselves be sold, for one night, which meant there was some malicious plot in the works. He was sure of it. ‘But why here? Why now?’

 

[FancyPenguin]

Pushing her way through the crowded hallway of drunken people, Michelle looks in every room that she passes trying to see exactly where the droid could have gone. Without fail she wasn't able to find where it disappeared off to. 'Course, just like every monster movie, the monster miraculously disappears...'


Michelle walked back down the hallway and into the main room in which she just left. She looked back over to where her friends were. Not wanting to go back over there because frat boy was still over there. Instead she leaned against the wall so she could watch the movie being projected on the wall. The movie was classic Dracula.


'They did a great job designing his castle, better than most villains lairs.'


It took her a few seconds to connect the dots, but eventually she realized where it had to of gone. 'A lair! The only hidden place in a house is a basement!'


She was about to take off to find the basement but one thought stopped her, 'What if there is something down there I don't want to find?' Michelle stood there frozen for a few moments before shaking her head, 'It couldn't be that bad, it's not like monster are real.'


Instead of going up to the same frat guy from earlier she found one that was a bit more drunk to ask about the basement. Without question he pointed her the way, and asked to come with her. "I'm..uh..already meeting someone there." Not allowing him to continue to pester she made her way toward the basement. On her way she grabbed a drink so she wouldn't look too out of place.


Upon reaching the door Michelle looked around to make sure no one and no droid was around to see her go down. When she felt safe she slowly opened the door, and creeping down the stairs, shutting the door behind her. A few steps down she realized that there was something down there, so she knelt down, still continuing her slow decent down the stairs. About halfway down she stopped to be able to more clearly make out what was going on.


From what Michelle could tell there were several droids surrounding some kind of machine that she had no idea what it could be. There were lights going off every where, one was typing on some kind of keyboard, maybe a table of some sort, and a few other machines hidden away by the shadows with the angle she was at.


A few moments pass and they haven't noticed her so she decides to try to go down a step or two so that maybe she could see what was down there better. The next step she takes makes a loud squeak. She freezes. The droid that was typing suddenly looks up, and turns toward Michelle. Not wanting to give it much time to act she immediately moves back up toward to stairs.


Right at the top of the stairs is the last thing she wants to see at the moment, a droid. 'Lovely.' Not stopping her sprint toward the door she has to come up with a quick idea. Having the drink still in her hand she decides to try something a few steps from the droid.


"Thirsty?" In a flash she throws the drink on the machine, praying.


The drink lands on the droid and a few sparks begin to fly. Seeing that as a good sign she rushes past the machine, not stopping till she reaches the end of the hallway. A few people eye her with confusion once she comes to a stop at the entrance to the main room. "Just getting really into the party!" She makes out between the pants.


"What in the world is going on around here!?"

 

[Lucyfer]

The Doctor let his eyes fall upon one of the droids he was sure had been watching his interactions with the frat boy Apollo. He smiled at it and watched it cant its masked face to the left. He made a bee-line right to it, pushing by a few of the other party-goers on his way. It remained where it was, and before the Doctor could speak, it did.


“Do you require refreshment of some sort, sir?”


“Oh, don’t ‘sir’ me,” he told it, listening to the whirs and clicks of gears with its every movement. To humanity, this sort of droid must have looked out of date in today’s era. Little did they know how truly advanced this thing was, able to build itself up from nearly any part it came across—including biological parts. “What are you doing here?” He asked in a hushed hiss.


“We were employed to serve a multiplicity of functions at this party. If it is not refreshments you require, perhaps you would be interested in our other services. We—” it was trying to speak as if it were programmed, but the Doctor wasn’t having it.


“No! No, why did you let yourselves be employed? What are you looking for?” Organs of some sort, no doubt. A way back home.


The droid couldn’t feign confusion, but it could say, “I’m sorry, that function does not register.”


The Doctor frowned. “We’ll see about that,” he muttered and took from the pocket of his vest his sonic screwdriver. He waved it under the nose of the droid, “Do you know what this is?” He asked it, and with a press of a button he extended it so the green tip bopped the droid’s nose. The droid chose not to answer, “Well, you’ll know soon enough.”


He pressed down on the button and held it, letting the sonic screwdriver hum to the gears. It picked up their wavelength, and with a second press changed its frequency. The droid went still, all gears ceasing to move for a moment, before they started to move in reverse. “There, now—”


Another of the frat boys, who the Doctor dubbed ‘Zeus’, shoved him away from the droid. “What are you doing?” The frat demanded in a booming voice that put the Doctor’s to shame. Even so, when the Doctor caught his balance before falling, he straightened his back and pointed at the droid with the screwdriver.


“These things,” the Doctor emphasized, “are not benign!” His tone was protesting, “I’ve seen them before, and they exist to harvest organs! Now I’m here to find out if they have a target, or if—”


The frat boy started to laugh. Others joined in, and the Doctor scowled as the less-drunk man approached and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Good one,” he said, “a good bit of horror for Halloween, but that story’s old. Ever seen the Repair Man?”


“No…,” he assumed it was some D-rated horror movie.


“Same plot,” he said, “Just with people, taking organs from people, to repair themselves so they can be immortal. Good flick. Look mate, these droids only do as they’re programmed—”


“That’s the problem, that’s how they’re programmed!”


“—they were programmed when we bought them, to serve drinks.”


“By who?”


“Dole.”


“And Dole’s human?” The Doctor was starting to doubt it.


“Yeah, of course,” ‘Zeus’ looked confused.


Meanwhile, the cogs and gears of the droid continued to run in reverse, which was upsetting its programming to act. It was, indeed, letting its more natural pursuits start to take over.

 

[FancyPenguin]

'Okay, this has got to be some kind of sick joke!' She thought to herself as she nervously sipped on some kind of drink one of the guys made for her. All she knew was that it had alcohol, and that is what she needed right at that moment.


Michelle's eyes flied all over the room trying to keep an eye out for any droid that might come her way. She kept her back against the wall so that they couldn't sneak up on her. 'They have to be a prank by the boys. Yeah! That's it! At the end of the party they are going to try and scare everyone! Yeah..!' Not even she believed herself. In the back of her head she kept thinking that she should leave the party, it wasn't safe. But she didn't want to be the scardy cat she sometimes could be, she was in college now and she needed to buck up!


'Maybe I'm not the only one that has noticed something weird...' Michelle decided to see if her friends were still here and to see if maybe she wasn't so crazy.


Pushing her way though the crowd she was eventually able to find her friends. "Hey! There you are Michelle! We thought you went with that one frat guy, he seemed hot!"


"No..I uh..decided to explore the house a bit, see what I could find..." Awkwardly she fumbles with her hands. "So quick question, what do you guys think about he droids the boys brought in?"


"They are so cool! We really need to get them for our next party! Why?" Her friends tilt their heads a smidge, looking a bit concerned for their friend who suddenly seems very nervous. "I was just wondering. They..interest me, that's all....I, uh, gotta go!" she tries to quickly walk away, but one of her friends grabs her before she gets out of reach.


"What's going on with you Michelle? You seem really out of it? Did one of the guys slip something into your drink? Do you want us to take you back?" They were genuinely concerned for what was going on with Michelle, they didn't want her to get hurt.


"Don't worry guys, I'm just fine. Just got a little suspicious that the guys were going to try and pull a massive prank on us. That's all." She tried to put on the best smile she could. Her friends weren't entirely convinced, but they knew she was smart enough not to get into trouble. "Alright, but if you need anything, come and find us." She let go of Michelle's wrist. "I will, I promise."


With that she disappeared again into the crowd.


To her right she could hear a bit of shouting. She couldn't make out exactly what they were saying but she could tell it was over one of the droids because that weird cowboy was pointing something at it. She wasn't sure why, but they droid by them looked as though something was happening to it. The urge to find out what made her get slightly closer. Not wanting to give herself away she stayed a safe distance away.


Not much was happening, except the cowboy and frat boy talking, the droid stayed stagnant. Right before she was about to look away she saw a slight glimmer come from the hand of the droid, it was either a needle or knife, and it was pointed right at the cowboy.


In an instant Michelle began to force her way though the crowd.


"Hey!! Cowbo..."


Her sentence was cut off by a sudden sharp pinch in her back, and then everything going black.


"Oh my, someone has had too much to drink. Let me take you somewhere safe."


One of the droids had come up behind her while she was distracted with watching the commotion, and stuck her with its needle, making her go unconscious. The droid caught her as she fainted to make it seem as though it was just there at the right time. No one questioned it as it began to carry her toward the basement.

 

[Lucyfer]

The Doctor wasn’t given the opportunity to press the point about how long Dole had been there, or anything else. Someone called out to him, or he assumed it was him. He was the only one around in a cowboy hat. His eyes fell upon a brunette woman just as she started to fall. ‘The gypsy with Apollo.’


The droid caught her, stating she’d had too much to drink, but the Doctor saw the sheen of silver metal sliding out of sight. His blue eyes hardened on the droid, though everyone else carried on as if that was expected.


He stepped forward to give pursuit, but Zeus put out a hand, “That’s not cool, dude,” said Zeus. When the Doctor gave him a strange look, he said, “She’s passed out, that’s not cool.”


It sunk in then, and the Doctor looked horribly offended. “No! I wasn’t thinking that!” He cried out, arms flailing as he denied it with a step away from Zeus. “Where are those droids programmed to take people passed out?”


“Uh….”


“Exactly. And they’ve never been in this house before, have they?”


Something clicked in the mind of Zeus then. “You’re right.”


“Thank you,” a bit of sarcasm dripped from the syllable, “Now come on then, yeah?” He might need the frat boy’s muscle, if nothing else. “Before it gets out of sight.”


The two trailed after it, and Zeus didn’t bother with subtlety so the Doctor ended up not doing so, either. Fortunately, it seemed the droid didn’t care, or didn’t notice, intent on its mission. When it reached a door and opened it, Zeus went dead still. “What is it?” The Doctor had to ask.


“That…that wasn’t there before.”


The Doctor arched an eyebrow. With the droid through already, he looked to the closed the door and realized that without something drawing his attention to it, it was, in fact, difficult to see. ‘Chameleon circuit.’ So this had been here a while, then. The Doctor sprinted to the door and opened it, motioned for the frat boy, and started down in a crouched position, feet light on the steps.


Of course, he fell upon the same one that the gypsy had earlier. A step squeaked.


Droids turned towards the steps.


It was Zeus who straightened up to bellow, “What is going on down here?” with all the indignant fury a soon-to-be graduating college student could muster—which was actually quite a bit.

 

[FancyPenguin]

All the droids just stared at the boy for a moment, attempting to process a response.


"Do not worry sir, we are just keeping this young woman here safe until she wakes." One of them motions to Michelle who is already strapped down to the table with a few wires attached to her. "We are monitoring her vitals so she does not expire."


As the boy stayed silent the droids could comprehend that he was not buying into their story any longer.


"Very well. We could always find some use for you."


That same droid teleported behind the now frightened boy, injecting the needle into the side of his neck. It immediately caught the boy so he would not be damaged by falling down the stairs. It carried him over to their next open table and strapped him down, wiring him up. "We can use him for spares since his brain is not compatible."


The droids began to go back to work on their machines. One of them began to roll a cart of different instruments that looked like they could be used for torture over to the girl, still out cold.


"Do not touch the girl now. We have already been interrupted once. Wait until the rest of the collection is complete to extract her brain. If we are not careful we could lose the only decedent we can locate."


"Do you wish for me to take them to the ship?"


"Yes, that would be the safest location."


With that one of the droids began to roll the two tables to the transporter. But, before they reached the pad Michelle began coming to. At first she was slightly groggy, although it didn't take her long to realized she could move.


"What the hell?! What's going on!?" She turned her head towards the droid that was pushing her. "Where are you taking me?!! What do you want from me!?" The droid did not answer and kept rolling her forward until they were on the pad.


"I hate college!!" Were the last words she muttered before the pad took her and the boy away.

 

[Lucyfer]

The Doctor was able to go unnoticed, moving all the way down the steps and keeping to the darkness as the droids all looked at Zeus instead. Zeus wasn’t buying anything, and the droids were able to register that. Rather than intervene, the Doctor allowed events to occur around him, watching, and feeling quite pleased that despite the ridiculous costume and the cowboy hat, they weren’t noticing him.


‘Looking for a brain again?’ The Doctor’s nose wrinkled. Was it that girl’s brain that was compatible? If so, why weren’t they taking it now? The Doctor assumed instead it wasn’t here they were looking for. They had been prepared to take Madame De Pompadour’s head right on the ballroom floor, after all.


Then the droids confirmed she was compatible. ‘Drat.’ But they were ‘collecting’. More than one person was targeted, which hopefully meant the Doctor had time while the droids collected. They didn’t seem willing to act out openly.


The droids intended to take the two away, so the Doctor followed, moving along the wall but staying close. Each step was quiet, careful, as he saw them go to a pad. The woman woke and started to speak, started to move, but the droids didn’t bother with quieting her. ‘Zeus will be up soon then, too.’ Good. Carrying them or dealing with immobile bodies would have been quite troubling.


Her last words before disappearing through the transporter were almost chuckle-worthy.


The Doctor stepped onto the transporter himself, and took the sonic up and out into sight again. It hummed along with the melody of the transporter, and he felt his body start to tear itself apart to teleport. If he weren’t so used to this feeling from experiences with vortex manipulators and teleportation in the future, he’d likely find it painful. Fortunately, he was used to these things, and so he wasn’t even phased as he appeared on the other side, on this ‘ship’.


The droids couldn’t ignore him this time. They weren’t far enough from the transporter and the noise that came from the Doctor materializing among them was quite noticeable. The droids with the humans turned towards him, and he lifted up a hand. “’Ello there,” he greeted with a smile, “I’m going to have to ask you to release those humans, please. I’m only going to ask nicely once.”


He didn’t step off the transporter. His intention was to have the droids come for him, and then he’d step off it quickly, and send them right back to the house. He’d jam the signal so they couldn’t immediately follow.


That ought to give him time to get his bearings, and help Zeus and the gypsy out. At least, he hoped so. It was quite possible the droids wouldn’t do as he liked and then he’d have to make numerous other alternative plans to save the humans—and not just the humans here. There were all those poor compatible souls at the party to save. ‘Could I just fix the ship?’ The Doctor considered it, though from where he was, he couldn’t see at all what was wrong with the vehicle. Certainly, though, if he could keep his TARDIS in working condition without access to Gallifrey, he could fix this ship.


That could be a win-win. The droids didn’t need to kill anyone, and they would get to leave to continue on their mission to do…whatever it is they were planning to do in the first place.

 

[FancyPenguin]

While the Doctor was trying to be sneaky and board the ship, believing that he was going unnoticed, the droids, in reality, were letting him slip by. When the droid went to gather the boy on the stairs it did, in fact, notice the Doctor not far behind the boy, it just did not acknowledge him.


Hearing the teleporter go off as the Doctor went to the ship, the droids in the basement immediately shut down all the systems involved with it, trapping all of them up there until they got the okay to resume.


Up on the ship Michelle was letting out a few screams of pain from going through the teleporter. Having her skin ripped and then replaced was not her idea of a good party. The boy was still out cold, and the droids only got a few feet away from the pad before they heard the sound of it going of once again.


Once the Doctor said his piece Michelle was able to talk again because the pain had gone as quickly as it came. "Cowboy!? Why are you even here, are you insane?!"


The droids ignored the girl. "We cannot release them, for they are needed. The girl holds an important instrument. And you Doctor, you are also necessary."


The pair of droids moved just in front of the tables, preparing to seize the Doctor at any moment if he is to refuse.


"As you know our ship is in constant need of repair. We are programmed to repair the ship under any means necessary, but constantly harvesting humans has become inconvenient. We need something to better repair our ship, something that you contain, your regenerations. They will repair our ship when it is in critical condition. We have evolved since our last encounter, and our ship must do the same. You will be aiding in the evolution of our species, it is a great honor. Now, come with us."


All while this is going down, Michelle has gone back to trying to escape her bondage. But, with her wrists and ankles being strapped down by pure metal makes it quite difficult to wriggle free. Even though she didn't like it, she was going to have to rely on this mysterious cowboy to somehow get her free.


'I'm doomed.'

 

[Lucyfer]

The Doctor was insane, of course, but at the moment he did not answer her. His eyes were on the droids. They didn’t answer first, but moved. They explained their programming to the Doctor, “Yes, yes, I know.” They were on the teleporter by then, so he clicked the button on his sonic to send them back, while he stepped backwards off of it.


Nothing.


He barely caught the mention of his regenerations at first, clicking the sonic again in frustration as the droids came over the teleporter. Seeing his fate with the droids in front of him and the wall behind, he knew he had to think fast. They spoke of evolving since the last encounter, so did that mean this was the Madame de Pompadour? “Wait, wait, wait!” The Doctor took a few sprint steps to the side, effectively removing the wall as an obstacle. Now he just had long hallways to traverse if he actually needed to run.


“I don’t have any more regenerations. I already shouldn’t be here—you understand Time Lords, yes? This is regeneration 14. I shouldn’t exist,” he emphasized that, with no true understanding himself of how any of it worked or why he was still here. “But since we’re talking of impossible things,” he pointed the screwdriver at the beds on which Zeus and the Gypsy were strapped. A buzz ought to release the latches, grabbing hold of them like magnets and pulling them apart. “I could help. If you won’t harm any of these humans, I can fix your ship myself. I keep the TARDIS in ship-shape,” he joked.


He wasn’t opposed to helping. Never had been, never would be, and he understood their programming. They weren’t out to harm, they just had a job to do, and their creators had unfortunately programmed in a way that made them dangerous whenever the ship broke down. “I’ve centuries worth of knowledge here,” he tapped his own head with the sonic, “I know all kinds of ships. At least let me try, and if I fail, you can use every piece of me!”


Yeah, he’d never let that happen, but he’d have thought of something by then.


Maybe.

 

[FancyPenguin]

The droids sat for a moment in silence, running the idea through their gears.


In the mean time Michelle climbed off the table, ending up behind this odd man. She peaked over at the droids over his shoulder. "Yeah! You should listen to him!" She glanced up at him and in a hushed tone said, "So, who are you exactly?"


He wasn't given ample time to respond as the droids piped in. "Alright, we have decided let you have one attempt to fix the ship. If you fail, we continue the harvest."


"Harvest...I really don't like the sounds of that. You better be able to fix this ship cowboy..."


The boy on the other table was beginning to wake up. He lifted his head and looked around through small slits in his eyes.


"Where am I?" He said as he rubbed his forehead.


Michelle stepped over and helped him off the table since he was still a bit out of it. She didn't want him getting hurt by falling off the table. "I'm not entirely sure, but cowboy here is going to get us back."


All the while the droids were compiling a list of everything that was wrong with the ship on one of there monitors. The list was not short by any means.


"Here Doctor. This is everything that must be repaired for us to continue travel. But, before you begin the repairs we demand to keep those humans so you will keep your word. If you do not wish for them to die, repair our ship. This is the only way we will accept your terms. No harm will come to them unless the deal is broken."


While holding the boy steady Michelle looked over at the strange cowboy, that she now really had to invest all of her faith in. The look on her face was one of worry and the last bit of hope that she had, that was represented in the tiny smile she was able to muster. "Looks like it's your time to shine cowboy."

 

[Lucyfer]

The Doctor held his breath as the droids thought, watching their faces and listening to the turning gears. When the girl asked who he was, exactly, he was too busy making up a thousand other plans to answer her. The droids also interrupted him. His breath came out in a long, relieved sigh that ended with a laugh, “Thank you.”


His eyes shot to the girl with a glimmer of amusement to them as she mentioned not liking the idea of the harvest. No, she really shouldn’t like that idea.


Zeus woke, and the girl ran over to help him. He smiled as he was called Cowboy. “It’s Doctor, actually. Like Doc Holliday,” good man, that one. Well, maybe not good, but someone the Doctor had a good time with. He was a bit too trigger-happy to be good, but he was an interesting man.


“Who?”


The Doctor sighed, “Never mind,” of course he didn’t know who Doc Holliday was. If he recommended the movie Tombstone, would he know? Did he know who Val Kilmer was anymore?


Before he could, a paper was handed to the Doctor and he accepted it, eyes running over the list which, fortunately for him, also contained what was wrong. The droids knew their ship inside and out, “This shouldn’t be too hard,” except for one, but he was at a frat party, right? There had to be some anatomy majors here who knew how to steal from the lab. Or someone willing to break into a mortuary for their lives.'Or maybe I'll just handle that one.'


The droids set their terms, and the Doctor gave a hand gesture that was dismissive of it. He expected it. “I need to go back to the party to get some of these supplies,” he said, and he looked up. “Would it be all right to station these two at the party and not your ship? I think both of them can help me to, ah, convince the other students to grab up the supplies I need. Otherwise it’s going to take a very long time for me to get the supplies on my own.”


He lifted up his arms, “I only have two arms this time around,” he joked.


Zeus arched an eyebrow as if he wasn’t sure that was a joke, or something that could feasibly happen. He started to wonder if he really had drunk way too much, or if someone had spiked his drink with a hallucinogen.

 

[FancyPenguin]

Upon hearing the terms the Doctor set forth the droids took another moment to themselves.


"We agree. But, they must be monitored at all times and may not leave the grounds. If you do not repair our ship they will be taken once again."


Michelle felt chills run down her spine. She didn't know where fate was going to take her tonight but, she was going to hope for the best. If all else fails, maybe she can out run them. The thought of that made her look down and smile to herself. Not wanting to get too distracted Michelle took a deep breath and looked back up at this Doctor person she just put her faith in.


"Well, you heard them. Let's get to work, I would rather not end up like the Halloween decorations at the party." She tried to hide the shakiness in her voice because maybe if she look calm she could convince herself she was calm.


The boy was finally able to stop using the girl for support and was back as much normal that the situation would allow. He was able to seem more calm than Michelle although, he his eyes showed fear. He swallowed heavily, and cleared his throat before he spoke up. "I'll help out with whatever you need. I trust you man, and I don't want my boys getting torn to pieces."


Michelle looked over at the boy with the corners of her lips trying to form some sort of smile as to seem optimistic. But, she couldn't help the fearful look in her eyes, combined with subtly raised eyebrows.


"Alright, I guess we are all going to fix this spaceship! Wow...that was something I was never expecting to say...Oh well, the sooner we start the sooner we are free. So, let's go!"

 

[Lucyfer]

Their minds ticked away at the details, and agreed. The Doctor didn’t like the idea that these two would be monitored, but he gave them a confident smile, “Seems you two are my generals,” he said to them conversationally.


They were both on board, and the Doctor’s smile softened so he could say, “No one is getting torn to pieces.”


‘Not this time.’ He kept that thought to himself. The two looked scared, even as Zeus laughed at the girl's declaration of fixing the ship. The Doctor had to remain confident, for their sake if not his own. The Doctor clapped his hands together, “Yes!” He agreed, and then motioned them back to the teleporting device. Zeus followed him back onto it, and the Doctor asked, “So, I don’t have your names,” he noted. That, or he’d forgotten in the chaos.


He figured if they were going to work this closely together, it would be good to know. He’d like to know the names of everyone at the party, honestly, if only because the thought of someone near him dying, and him not knowing their name, was one of his fears, one of his immense dislikes.


He still remembered the Hostess from Midnight…no name.


“I’m Zach,” Zeus said, and the Doctor couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment that he wasn’t Zeus anymore, just as the teleporter turned on with a few of the clockwork droids on it, as well.


Zach crumpled in pain when they arrived on the other side, back in the frat house. The Doctor just shook off the sensation of his entire person being deconstructed and constructed again easily. He’d done this far too many times.

 

[FancyPenguin]

Feeling the pain of the teleporter once again was still just as bad as the first time. But, since Michelle was expecting it this time she was able to contain herself a bit better. She still fell to her knees, and let out a few grunts. On the other side the pain ceased just as quickly as it came. This allowed her to re-gain her footing.


"No more of that, okay?" Zach quickly composed himself and nodded in agreement.


"I'm Michelle by the way. I wasn't able to get that in before the teleporter rudely interrupted."


Not giving anytime to respond the droids pushed the three of them forward, toward the stairs. Michelle stumbled forward at the unexpected aggression of the droids. They were much stronger than their exterior showed.


"Do not waste anytime. You must get to work immediately. We will be stationed around the house continually watching over you two. If you attempt to escape you will once again be neutralized."


She knew they weren't kidding around. They had no sense of empathy or feelings whatsoever. To them, we are all just parts that can be taken at will. She had faith they could find what was needed, after all it was just a ship, how difficult could it really be.


"Okay, okay, jeez. Let's get this going." Michelle walked over to the Doctor and snatched the list out of this hand so she could see exactly what was required for her to keep her head. Just glancing at the list she could already tell this might actually be her final night. 'Stay positive, there is always a way.'


"Well..uh...I guess the guys here should have some tools laying around they could spare, so you could find what you need there...One of my friends I came with might be able to get into the lab and grab one or two things. But, I don't think it's going to have everything. Someone here has to have some spare metal laying around, or know where to get some. That's about all I got..."


The boy glanced over at the list to see what else they needed.


"Well I know we have some broken game systems in the attic that you could maybe find some things in, but probably not much. But, that doesn't cover everything. You know this stuff better, uh, Doctor? What else do you need from us?"


"Why don't we leave him to think and we can go start gathering what we already know we need." Michelle piped in with a bit of confidence. She was beginning to feel a bit calmer once she realized that maybe this wasn't so impossible.


"Good idea, the faster we get the stuff the faster we can be done." He handed the list back to the Doctor, and lightly slapped his shoulder. "I have faith you'll get us out of this."


The two of them then swiftly climbed the stairs to begin the hunt. Michelle went of the search for her friend. She didn't know how to convince her to break into a lab, but she was going to have to try. Hopefully she would be drunk enough to just go along with it. On the other hand, Zach went around asking the guys for spare tools. He convinced them the droids needed repairing and he was the only one who knew how. All the while the droids kept close watch.

 

[Lucyfer]

Michelle and Zach, no longer Gypsy and Zeus. There was a disappointment that came with that knowledge, but the Doctor was also pleased to know their true names. They were pushed forward rudely, and the Doctor did shoot a look back at the droids to show his distaste. The droids threatened, and the Doctor rolled his eyes.


“Yeah, yeah, everyone gets it,” he said in exasperation. As his eyes were up, the list was snatched from him. He reached for it, but Michelle had pulled it too close by then. He scowled and watched her go over it, tapping his foot in expectation of it being returned.


He hadn’t made any notes about what they’d actually be able to acquire here that would fix the ship, yet Michelle and Zach discussed anyway. Not all of their ideas were off the mark, really, and the Doctor did smile a bit as they stumbled their way into ideas and ways of getting things done.


“Uh huh, thank you,” he took the list when he was offered time to think over what he actually needed. He heard their steps as they left him alone, and he sought out a pen in the basement, walking about and seeking. It did not take long—this hadn’t always been a base of droids, after all. He stumbled upon one on a forgotten bookshelf, and started to jot his notes to get them out into the open.


‘Lab. Is it an anatomy lab?’ The Doctor wondered if Michelle had figured out that was what he needed, body parts. He was going to need a brain, human preferably, though he imagined he could make do with pig or monkey if forced. He tapped the pen against his head, then moved up to rejoin the party.


He could see that Zach was having an influence on his boys, and the parts were being directed to be laid out on a couch, now cleared of people. There were some protests, but Zach wore authority well. He must have been a president of the Frat or something, or at least that’s what the Doctor assumed.


He bit the inside of his cheek and sought out Michelle, wondering if she had as much luck with her friend, and when his eyes fell on her, he considered approaching.


Then, he decided better on it, and lifted himself up on his tiptoes to wave to Michelle to get her attention. Likely best to discuss stealing a brain without an audience, no matter how drunk the friend.

 

[FancyPenguin]

It took a few minutes for Michelle to find her friend in the mix of everyone. Upon finding them she could tell they had a bit too much to drink. At first she felt a little defeated since she knew her friend wouldn't comprehend why she needed her break into her lab, and possibly cost her academic reputation. Just as she was about to "commandeer" her purse with the keys an idea popped into her head.


"Hey Liz!" She shouted trying to get her friends attention over the loud music. "Want to pull the best prank ever?!" Michelle put on the best smile she could considering the situation.


"Omg yes! What is it?!" All of her friends around her suddenly got interested in what Michelle had planned. This was an out of character thing for her to want to do so to them, this had to be good.


Michelle waved for them all to form a small circle together so that no one else could hear.


"Alright, this may sound a little gross but it will be hilarious. Liz, I want you to steal a brain from the lab, we put it in the cooler, tell everyone that it is just a decoration, and we watch them all drink brain juice!"


"Gross!" was Liz's initial reaction. "But, I love it! Teach all these frat boys not to be so rude!"


Now the smile Michelle was faking earlier became real. She felt that everything was coming together and that she was going to be spared. At least as long as the girls didn't get caught. She knew Liz would be smart enough, even drunk, not to get caught. And once the brain got back here putting it on the ice would keep it as fresh as possible.


The girls began discussing how they were going to get in so Michelle decided she would see how Zach was doing. Right when she turned around she saw parts strewn all over the couch, and Zach heading it all. She breathed a sigh of relief knowing that he was able to keep up his end.


'Guess not all frat guys are that bad.'


Out of the corner of her eye she could see someone waving at her; it was the Doctor. She figured she would go over and tell him about all the progress so they could hopefully be done with this sooner rather than later. Since most everyone had stopped dancing to check out what Zach was up to the dance floor was much more maneuverable. She swiftly made her way to the Doctor to let him in on the good news.


"Alright! So the brain is a go and if you haven't already noticed Zach is getting most of the parts together! What else is there for us to get?" Michelle was eager to help so the nightmare would end.

 

[Lucyfer]

The Doctor smiled as Michelle approached, and that smiled turned to a relieved sigh and a laugh that carried through the room. He couldn’t believe it! He wanted to hug her, even reached to do so, but something in his gut made him pause.


His extended arms fell back to his side. Perhaps when all of this was done. As it was, the situation was still dire. Somewhat. “You knew! Oh you brilliant, brilliant, human!” He declared when it was apparent she had figured out the brain thing before he made so much as a note on it. He offered her the note with his new scribbles on it, “You can share that with Zach, and I’ll start taking the parts he’s gathered and get to work on fixing it all up.”


That seemed the sane idea. These two humans had it all under control here. His worries that they wouldn’t know what to do, or that panic would break out, had been for naught.


On the list would be from the mundane to the odd, though the brain had been the Doctor’s main worry. Discs might be another difficulty, since time had seen the end of the CD and disc games, but they were likely still around somewhere, the way VHSes had hung around for a while after they were made useless. “If you have any questions, I’ll be in the basement,” which meant the ship, but he didn’t want to say as much aloud, “I have some ideas where a few things could be found if you struggle,” and with that, he jogged off to the couch, and gave Zach a smile. “I’ll just get these on down to the basement for you.”


“All right,” he said, and watched as the Doctor picked through the items on the couch, seeking out the things that would be most useful for him. Controllers with their wires were slung over his shoulders, game systems and, he smiled at the discs among them, their games were also gathered up, as much as he could carry so he didn’t have to make as many trips.


With many things in hand, he made his way for the basement and would go on back to the ship to start on the fixing if he wasn’t stopped.

 

[FancyPenguin]

Hearing the Doctor all excited made Michelle completely calm down. He knew what he was doing, so if he was excited that must mean things are heading in the right direction. The praise may have also helped a bit, along with the hug attempt. But, it was slightly awkward considering she went in for the hug when his arms fell.


"Uh..thanks! I figured since they were wanting organs and one of the things on the list sounded like it was a head piece in running the ship the first thing I thought of was the brain." She felt a little proud of herself for solving the apparent head scratcher.


In the midst of talking with the Doctor, Michelle's friends call out to her and inform her that they will be back shortly. She is hoping with a brain in hand, and not hands in cuffs.


Once the Doctor handed her the list and told her what to do, she nodded her head, then swiftly making her way to Zach. The two of them looked over the list, crossing off what they already had. For the most part they were able to decipher the remaining parts. There were a few more that could probably be found scattered around the house, but they are going to have to send some more people out on errands.


Zach commenced talking to different people around the party while Michelle stood back on the sidelines. She knew she had no leeway with anyone here since no one knew her. But, practically everyone here knew Zach and would be more than willing to listen to him.


In the meantime she wandered throughout the house looking for some of the remaining parts. Following not far behind her was one of the droids. Knowing that it was there at all times, watching her every move felt slightly eerie, as though they were going to jump out from some corner at any moment. She tried to not let it bother while she hunted. Luckily, she was able to find a few strewn items around the house before returning to the living room, laying them on the couch.


At this point there were several people missing from the party. Michelle knew that it was because Zach had sent them out on a mission. Although, upon setting down the items she heard the front door open and the sounds of squealing girls. She knew that must be her friends back with the brain. In an attempt of carefulness Michelle hurriedly made her way to them to snatch the brain so that it wouldn't be lost or damaged.


"Hey girls! Did you get what I asked?"


"Course! We didn't know where to put it though so we just carried it all the way here. We didn't even drop it!" Michelle was confused for a minute because she figured they would keep it in the container all the way here, maybe hiding it under a coat. But, then again they were all drunk, so anything was to be expected.


"Alright, well just hand it over. We need to get it in the cooler soon before anyone notices!" She held out her hands, ready to accept what came next. Liz brought out her hand from under her jacket, presenting the brain to Michelle without any casing.


"Liz! Where is the case?! You should know it's best to keep them in there, it's your major!"


"I know, but it was too bulky, we would have never gotten it out of there."


"Whatever, it's fine. I'll put this in the cooler right away." Michelle moved the fastest she had all night. Holding a brain just felt wrong and absolutely disgusting that she needed to get it to the Doctor right away. On her way to the basement she snagged a bowl and filled it with some ice to do her best to salvage the brain. 'Heh, brain freeze.' Hopefully the Doctor could work with it.

 

[Lucyfer]

People call back, and the Doctor felt a twinge of regret at dropping his arms too quick. He did forget some mortals weren’t opposed to sudden affection like his most recent companion. She’d been very strict on that, and the memory seemed to linger over into this form. To attempt, and then to hesitate.


The Doctor, however, soon forgot that small moment as he moved down the stairs. ‘This will take forever,’ he glanced to the droids still downstairs as he stepped on the teleporter with his current load. “You know, if you could bring some of this stuff onto the ship, that would speed things up immensely. As I said, I only—” teleporter buzzed. He was sent across, “—have two arms, jeeze!” His organs felt pinched. He let the pain out in a frustrated sigh, and then darted off from the teleporter.


He knew these sorts of ships, had explored them often enough throughout his lives, and so he required no directions to the first broken thing. This was the thing he had wanted the disks for, the warp engine. That also required the lighter, to melt the disks a bit so the Doctor could maneuver them appropriately around the engine. ‘It’ll hold long enough for them to warp back home, and get the ship truly fixed up.’


He heard the sound of the droids and falling items, and he smiled as he glanced back and saw more of the gathered pile had been brought down for him. This would make things much easier. “OW!” He had glanced away from the fire.


He shook out his hand, sighed, laughed, and went right back to work on the engine.


In a way, it was soothing. Whenever he was alone, he found himself constantly working on the TARDIS. Even when he wasn’t alone, but just lonely—his companion usually asleep. Ah, humans, eight hours to his one. ‘But they’re us. Us evolved.’ He wondered what that meant, as he finished with the engine.


Usually, as Rani had pointed out time and again, evolution meant improvement. She hadn’t been able to see how humans were improvements on Time Lords. One of their many arguments at the Academy, with the Master, the Monk, and the rest of the crew he used to run with. Obviously, she’d been reminded that the Time Lords had evolved. After all, “Time Lord” itself was an evolution of Gallifreyan, but even that was older than humans. Humans were just so young...still so young, the Doctor remembered, even in this time.


Rani had been obsessed with this kind of stuff, though. The fixing, the experiments—she just always took it a step too far, never caring for how her work affected others, so long as she got results. ‘She would have liked the Clockwork Droids.’ He wondered, briefly, if they ever met.


They never would now.


His thoughts lingered there, on the home he could never see, and the geniuses who had all perished, those who lost themselves to madness and ambition—the fate of his people—when he finally realized that most of his work was done. The things he still needed to complete, parts hadn’t been brought down for. ‘Let’s see what’s up, then.’ The Doctor moved his way back towards the teleporter, unaware of how dead his expression was at first.


It livened immediately on seeing Michelle in the basement with the brain. “AH!” He sprinted across the room to it, “What happened?” Why wasn’t the brain in a casing? How long had it been out of a casing? His hands reached to take it, even before she was done putting it on ice.

 

[FancyPenguin]

Prior to handing the brain off she carefully placed the brain onto the ice and hastily handed the bowl to the Doctor. She knew he wanted it right that second, but she needed to make sure it was preserved now.


"My friends drunk logic was to bring it without the case because they wouldn't have been able to hid it! In retrospect though not a bad idea...." Michelle trailed off for a second contemplating if her friend's decision. Before she let it consume her thoughts she shook her head, getting herself back into the moment.


"It'll work right? I mean, it couldn't have taken too much damage....right? Even if it did you seem pretty smart, you can figure out how to make it work!"


Her words may have been trying to seem strong, but her smile was meek. Everything was going so well and now it might all be ruined. Michelle was trying to remain as hopeful as possible, even though she knew she was slightly grasping at straws. She was praying that the Doctor would be able to get the brain to work. Not knowing entirely what the fluid the brain was in did, she knew it was something important. Hopefully it could survive outside of it for a little while.


Michelle didn't really want to wait around too long since if the brain seemed to be in a critical state. "Listen, let go to the ship! You can plug it in and fix 'er right up!" She made her way to the pad, while motioning for the Doctor to follow. Just before she stepped onto the pad she stopped, remembering the painful process. She raised her eyebrows and put on a fake smile, about to try and sell her 'idea' to him. "Ya know! How about you just go in ahead and I'll make sure Zach has the party under control. You can report back to us once you have it worked out!" She stepped out of the way so that he could have room to step on.

 

[Lucyfer]

She was quicker than he was. The brain was handed to him in the cold bowl, and he accepted it, tucking it under his arm. He was a step away just as she started to tell her story of how she acquired it, and the brilliant thing known as drunk logic.


‘The important thing is that it is here, and hasn’t been out too long, then.’ At least, the Doctor didn’t think it had been outside the casing too long. His sense of time was always questionable, though.


Michelle called him smart, and he beamed like a lit-up Christmas tree. “Yes, I’m very smart. Clever, too.” This would work. He would make sure that it would work. He was the Doctor, and this day—this day!—no one was going to die. His smile compensated for hers, “This is good enough, Michelle,” he said, “More than enough,” he added for emphasis.


He started to walk with her towards the pad, as it seemed she wished to go along with him. Then, just as quick, she changed her mind. The Doctor looked confused, not at all certain why, but he kept the blithe smile plastered to his lips anyway, “All right!” He agreed, and once she was off the pad, he sent himself back to the ship.


He was taken back to the ship, and once he felt himself all there, he made a mad dash for the control center, where the brain was needed. ‘Come on, come on!’ He kept the brain close under his arm, but of course, nothing was ever that easy for him. He skidded on the slippery floor so he wouldn’t pass the room, and fell backwards. Naturally, up went the brain and the ice. The glass bowl broke besides him.


The ice peppered his face and body, but he lifted his hands and managed to catch the brain without squeezing it. “Useful,” he grumbled and sat up, shaking off the ice as he did so, before getting to his feet and walking the rest of the way to the control center.


He saw the wires that he’d already caused to stop sparking, and he looked at the other bits of work he’d done in the room. “All right now,” he pulled on a cord, and the rectangular motherboard descended down, bits of it already repaired, but what remained was the heart—or brain—of it.


When he first saw it, it had reminded him of what the Master made of plant matter, when he was the "Professor". He had been a genius, but so was the Doctor. If the Master could manipulate plant matter, the Doctor could easily manipulate a brain, even if a human brain wasn’t meant to fit there. The Doctor knew how to make it work.


“This is going to be messy,” he muttered as he flooded the motherboard with a coolant, before he began to manipulate the nervous tissue and nerves themselves to fit along the entirety of the motherboard, giving the brain access to it all through the nerves, letting them hook up with each part of the ship so that it would be able to control it when the droids sent commands to it.


It was a tedious process, and the room was freezing before the Doctor was done with it, but he did finish, shivering and with numb fingers.