just_the_doctor

The Doctor isn't sure what's stranger when he wakes up -- the fact that he's been asleep, or that he was sleeping in an actual bed. And not just any bed, but the bed in his actual room. Then the events of the previous evening manage to filter back in, and he remembers having been a bit tipsy from the Atlantean and having Remy help him back to the TARDIS.

Ah, well, no harm done there, at least. He climbs out of bed, smooths down the wrinkles in his clothes, and puts his trainers on before heading out to the console room. He's alone when he gets there, but decides not to bother Thirteen until they've arrived. He fires up the TARDIS and heads out of Milliways before setting temporal course for Bethel, New York, August 14, 1969. He aims for the day before so as to get good seats. Crowds had already begun to gather by that time, so they wouldn't look out of place.

They're only in transit for a few minutes when the mauve alert sounds, screeching through the entire ship. "Always something," the Doctor mutters, killing the alarm and bringing up the scanner.

The light show last night had been just as brilliant as he'd remembered. All the divers -- as many as twenty at once -- weaving in and out of each other, their suits flickering through pre-programmed patterns to create images of flowers or animals as they descended lazily to the water below. He and Thirteen had even stayed through both shows just to see it again. They'd caught the last shuttle back and didn't get back to the TARDIS until well after midnight.

The results of the scan were waiting for him when they returned, and while Thirteen shuffled off to bed, the Doctor sat in the medical bay and began going through the data. He'd been right about the object being from the Time War. The construction methods and materials were perfect matches for that time period. The purpose of the thing still eluded him -- most of the circuitry was too badly degraded to ascertain its design. That was likely also why the thing had reacted as it had before, a malfunction as the last of the wiring burned itself out. He'd lain back in the diagnostic chair to think about his next move.

Which explains why, the next morning, he's still there, eyes closed, the papers draped across his chest, breathing softly in a not-quite-snore.

The TARDIS materializes on a side street, well out of the main flow of foot traffic. Still, when the Doctor opens the doors, he and Thirteen are assailed with the familiar smells and sounds of a bustling open-air market, even if the sights are still a few dozen yards farther down. It's a short walk to join the bustling crowds, a cross-section of lifeforms from the entire quadrant of the galaxy.

"So, what do you think?" he asks.

It wasn't the smoothest of rides, but that often happens just after a recharge. Or just before one. Or whenever the TARDIS got into one of her moods.

At last, they land. The Doctor secures everything down and unlocks the door seal. "All right, Remy Hadley, Doctor Thirteen. Just like I promised you. Brave new world."