Chapter Text
Time.
What does it truly mean? Is it just a way to measure the past, present, and future, or is there more to it than we can understand?
Imagine time as an endless rope, stretching infinitely in both directions. The far end represents the past, the middle is our fleeting present, and the rest extends forward into the unknown future.
But this rope isn't straight. It twists and coils, forming knots and branches in unexpected ways. Threads split off in every direction, and from each of those, even more lines emerge… It’s a bit like a spider web.
Each of these threads represents a possibility, a path not taken, a life that could have unfolded differently. They are the "what ifs," the alternate outcomes of every choice we make, forming parallel realities where even the smallest decisions lead to entirely different stories…
Time is indeed a puzzle, so complex it can make a person feel small…
Now, imagine a time traveler—someone who can see these alternate paths. What if, by a simple mistake, he finds himself face to face with another version of himself? Not his present self, but a past version… or perhaps an alternate version of his past self? What then?
.
.
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The Doctor moved around the TARDIS, sliding his hands over buttons, pulling levers, and watching as the ship emitted peculiar, almost scratchy beeping sounds. He was in a rush—almost too much of a rush, even for him.
Clara clung tightly to a conveniently placed pole, her knuckles white as the TARDIS lurched through the turbulent time vortex. Her eyes, wide with confusion, were fixed on her travel companion. Why was he frantically pressing random buttons? She was certain he had already set their new destination. Yet here he was, fiddling impatiently with the controls, as if provoking the TARDIS on purpose. Annoyance bubbled up inside her. Did he not trust his own settings, or was there something she was missing?
“What are you doing?” Clara finally asked, raising an eyebrow and staring inquisitively at the man in front of her. He didn’t respond immediately, too engrossed in his frenetic button pressing and lever pulling.
Clara frowned, her frustration growing, and repeated her question, this time louder. “Doctor! What are you doing?” Now, he heard her.
Snapping out of his trance, the Doctor halted his frantic activity and turned to face the voice that had called out his name. His eyes met Clara's, who stood gripping the pole with a mix of frustration and displeasure, clearly unimpressed with both him and the bumpy, erratic journey they were on.
He waved his hand at her sympathetically and walked toward her with an excited smile. “Clara!” he exclaimed, his voice brimming with childlike enthusiasm. Clara could have sworn he would have jumped up with glee if the TARDIS's tumultuous shaking hadn't already made the entire room shift and sway.
He leaned against another pole, positioning himself closer to his assistant. Clara's eyes followed him, her confusion deepening. "I know that look," she said. "It means you're up to something dangerous." Her hands gripped the pole she was holding onto even tighter. It was as if she were bracing herself for the TARDIS to abruptly lurch, sending her hurtling into the roof or crashing to the floor.
The Doctor's smile widened at the sight of Clara's skeptical expression and her cautious words. "Well, it isn't necessarily dangerous…" he reassured her, his tone light yet tinged with excitement. "Just something I'm experimenting with!"
Clara narrowed her eyes, concern and wariness flickering across her features. She knew all too well that when the Doctor mentioned "experiment," it usually led to unforeseen adventures and perilous situations. "I hope you're not planning on landing us on some abandoned ship infested with human-eating aliens or a planet teeming with unknown dangers!"
"No, no, we're still headed to Kepler-186f, as you humans like to call it." the Doctor corrected with a playful grin. He turned to face Clara directly, his expression earnest. "There are no 'human-eating aliens' there." His words reassured Clara, easing her anxiety somewhat.
"But," he continued, his tone taking on a more serious note. "do refrain from categorising all aliens from every planet in such a manner. It can be quite offensive to some species. No wonder Earth keeps attracting unwanted attention." he quipped, adjusting his bowtie with a hint of self-satisfaction, as if he had just enlightened his companion with unforeseen knowledge.
Clara tried to ignore it and probed further. "Well then, Doctor, why are you pacing around the control panel like that?"
"That, Clara!" the Doctor exclaimed, pivoting on his heel and bouncing back to the control panel. "Is me attempting to take a shortcut!"
The girl arched an eyebrow, puzzled. "A shortcut?" she questioned. "But doesn't traveling with the TARDIS typically only take a few seconds to a few minutes? Why on earth would we need a shortcut?"
The Doctor casually waved away his companion's agreement, a flicker of impatience evident in his gesture. "Sure, sure, it does... but five minutes? That's an eternity! Just think of the endless possibilities within those fleeting moments!" With a sweeping motion, he lifted both hands in front of his face, as though presenting the boundless expanse of the universe. "Imagine the sights you could behold, the adventures you could embark on, in just a fraction of that time!"
"Or," Clara interjected cautiously. "maybe you could just walk around for a little bit. Five minutes isn't exactly a lot of time..." She hesitated, realizing too late that contradicting The Doctor was rarely wise. He had a knack for bending his words to affirm his own perspective, to demonstrate his infallibility. And true to form, he deftly maneuvered to assert his viewpoint once more.
"Five minutes is an eternity, Clara!" The Doctor spun around, nearly appearing to teleport beside her. "In a universe I once traversed, time unfolded at a drastically different pace. What seemed like five minutes to them equated to five hours in your realm! Every moment lost in the time vortex is a wealth of exploration squandered!"
Clara felt the urge to retort, to point out the disparity between their current reality and the Doctor's past adventures. Yet, the sparkle of excitement and anticipation in his eyes stayed her tongue. Contradicting the Doctor was one matter, but extinguishing the flame of his enthusiasm was another entirely. In that moment, Clara chose silence, unwilling to dampen his spirit, even amidst such a debate.
With a soft exhale of resignation, which swiftly morphed into a smile brimming with anticipation, Clara met the Doctor's gaze. "Well then, let's not waste another moment!" she declared, lifting one hand triumphantly to mirror the Doctor's infectious energy.
The Doctor beamed, his joy evident in the wide grin that adorned his face. "That's the spirit!" he exclaimed, his enthusiasm propelling him into a hug with his companion. With a quick sidestep, he made his way back to the control panel, his hand hovering over a particular lever he had yet to pull.
"If my calculations are correct, and they always are," he proclaimed with unwavering pride. "we'll touch down on that big old planet a mere 2 milliseconds after diving into the shortcut!"
Clara raised an eyebrow. "Is this shortcut within the time vortex?" she inquired.
"Well, yes and no." the Doctor replied cryptically, his penchant for ambiguity on full display. He launched into an explanation, as he often did, eager to elucidate the intricacies to Clara.
"In the time vortex, there exist these tiny fissures, like minuscule cracks," he elaborated, his words tumbling out at the rapid pace Clara had come to expect, yet still managing to catch her off guard with their velocity. "These are the shortcuts, Clara! The TARDIS can slip through them, traversing vast distances in mere milliseconds!"
"It's similar to a pocket, Clara, like the one in a coat!" The Doctor pointed to his own pockets for emphasis. "This pocket, it holds time and space, keeping everything within it perfectly still, as if time itself has paused!" Clara nodded, feigning comprehension, but the Doctor could sense her confusion. Determined to simplify his explanation, he tried a different approach.
"In essence, if anyone—be it a person, creature, or entity—from any corner of the cosmos, whether from the past, present, or future, were to venture through that shortcut pocket, we could encounter them inside, regardless of when they entered it." the Doctor elucidated. "Even if they stepped into it, say, 200 years ago, from their perspective, we'd witness them traversing through it just as they'd perceive us. Within that pocket, time and space remain frozen, allowing for such encounters to occur!”
Clara gently inclined her head, absorbing the details shared by The Doctor. As she lifted her gaze to meet his, she noticed the eager anticipation etched across his face, his hopeful eyes silently urging her comprehension. A small smile tugged at her lips as she found his expression amusing, prompting a soft chuckle to escape her mouth. The Doctor, momentarily puzzled by her reaction, awaited her reply. "I believe I understand it now, Doctor." she finally offered.
The Doctor's face lit up with a radiant smile, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he dashed towards the lever he had been eager to activate. "Alrighty then, brace yourself, Clara! This will only take a second, but it'll be shaky!"
In response, Clara's exclamation burst forth. "Wait, what?!"
However, her protest was swiftly drowned out by The Doctor's enthusiastic shout. "GERONIMO!"
With his exclamation still echoing in the air, The Doctor swiftly yanked the ominous lever, setting off a chain reaction within the TARDIS. Suddenly, the entire control room was engulfed in violent tremors, rattling and shaking with unprecedented intensity. The force was so overwhelming that Clara and The Doctor felt as though they were trapped inside a gigantic blender, subjected to immense pressure from all sides.
Suddenly, the TARDIS lurched with such speed that Clara felt as if she might be propelled straight through the roof. She clung desperately to the pole, but her grip, though strong at first, faltered under the constant force. Abruptly, the TARDIS collided with an unseen obstacle, the impact so jarring that Clara was flung violently in the opposite direction. She hit the ground hard, a painful jolt coursing through her body, leaving her certain she would be covered in bruises after this wild ride.
The Doctor, momentarily unsteady himself, quickly regained his balance and rushed to Clara's side. His eyes were wide with concern as he extended his hand to help her up. "Clara! Are you alright?" he exclaimed, his voice laced with worry.
“Could’ve been better… my back is killing me…” she replied, wincing as she took his hand and used his arm for support to steady herself. However, their ordeal was far from over.
The TARDIS suddenly emitted a strange, ominous noise, and the lights inside began to blink hysterically. A piercing alarm blared, the continuous beeping growing louder and more urgent, signaling that something was seriously wrong.
Clara covered her ears against the deafening noise and looked to The Doctor for answers. To her dismay, his face mirrored her confusion, his usual confident demeanor replaced with uncertainty as he stared at the chaotic console, clearly unsure of what had triggered the sudden alarm.
Then, without warning, the TARDIS flipped upside down. The floor became the ceiling, and the ceiling became the floor. The Doctor was hurled upwards, landing on the ceiling with a painful thud. A groan escaped his lips, the impact sending waves of pain through his back. The chaos didn’t stop there; Clara was flung towards him, crashing into his body and cushioning her fall with his. Another wince escaped The Doctor as he looked up at Clara, who stared back at him with wide eyes, both hands covering her mouth in shock.
“I’m so sorry!” she blurted out, her voice filled with guilt and worry. She felt a pang of fear, imagining she might be to blame if The Doctor couldn't stand on two legs anymore.
With a small smile, relieved that she was unharmed, he retorted. “It’s alright. At least it’s over now—” But he had spoken too soon. The TARDIS flipped upside down again, returning to her regular position. Clara was thrown onto her back on the TARDIS floor, the violent motion leaving her feeling nauseous from the persistent commotion.
"Ouch..." she gasped, a sharp pain coursing through her body. Barely a heartbeat later, The Doctor came crashing down, though he managed to brace himself with his hands, preventing her from being completely squashed beneath him.
His eyes widened in surprise, locking onto Clara's, which mirrored his shock. "I'm so..." he started to apologize, but she cut him off with a wry smile, despite the situation.
"Sorry?" she finished for him, a hint of irony in her voice, finding a bit of humor in how they had both fallen on top of each other.
Seeing the smile on Clara's lips, The Doctor couldn't help but smile as well. He felt as though he could read her mind, understanding the irony that amused her.
However, their brief respite was shattered as the TARDIS began to convulse once more, the tremors intensifying with each passing moment. It was as if the time machine had become a fragile crystal ball, violently shaken by an unseen force, causing Clara and The Doctor to tumble about like flakes of snow within.
Thrown in the opposite direction of his companion, The Doctor crashed to the floor of the TARDIS. With swift reflexes, he grasped onto a nearby pole, desperately clinging to it to anchor himself and prevent further injury. The fear of another collision circled in his mond, the prospect of regeneration looming ominously should he sustain any more damage.
"Clara!" The Doctor's voice cut through the chaos, his concern palpable. But there was no response from his companion amidst the cacophony. Rationalizing to quell his worry, he reasoned that she likely couldn't reply over the deafening noises...
Unbeknownst to him, Clara was far from alright. The force of being thrown had caused her head to collide sharply with a railing, leaving her dizzy and disoriented. As if that weren't enough, a sudden, deafening noise filled the air, accompanied by an intense coldness that seeped into her bones. With her head spinning, body aching, and senses overwhelmed, Clara's human form succumbed to the onslaught, plunging her into unconsciousness. In that moment, all sensation faded to black, enveloping her in a silent, solitary darkness.
——————————————————————
The Doctor wandered through the TARDIS… wait a moment. No, not the present Doctor, but rather, the Doctor from the past. Yes, that's right. The past Doctor moved about the TARDIS, drifting from one spot to another. He kept circling the control panel, gliding his hand over the various settings and buttons. Each time he completed a circuit, he would begin another. It was obvious that he was impatient, and perhaps a bit bored as well.
Rose watched him from her seat, her eyes tracking his every move as he circled the console yet again. Each time he passed by, she could sense his restlessness more acutely. It was clear he had no intention of simply waiting.
"Doctor," Rose called out, her voice gentle but insistent. "Don’t you want to sit down?" She tapped the seat next to her, offering him a moment's respite.
The Doctor paused mid-step, his eyes meeting hers. With a quick, almost reluctant movement, he slid into the chair beside her. "I suppose..." he muttered, folding one leg over the other in an attempt to find some semblance of comfort.
The girl looked at him with a half-smile, resting her chin in one hand. "Are you that impatient?" she asked, finding his eagerness amusing. She could read him like an open book, and his expression was undeniably one of impatience.
"Well... yes." the Doctor admitted, raising his eyebrows and widening his eyes in that familiar, comical way. He then leaned back into his seat, trying to get comfortable. "I think this trip is taking too long."
"Too long?" His companion repeated, breaking into laughter. "Five minutes is too long?"
The Doctor almost immediately retorted. "Yes! Of course!" He sprang back to his feet and spun around to face Rose. "You can do so much in just five minutes! But no, we're here wasting them!" With that fervent explanation, he strode back to the control panel and began tapping it thoughtfully, his mind already racing with possibilities.
Rose giggled at how silly the Doctor was, but her amusement quickly faded when she noticed the stern expression on his face. It was the look he wore when he was concocting something—a plan, or perhaps something even grander. She knew that look all too well.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
He didn't answer right away, lost in thoughts that were far beyond the grasp of any ordinary human. Suddenly, he stopped tapping the TARDIS control panel, and his face lit up with that familiar, electrifying spark. It was the look that meant he had either come up with something utterly genius or completely bonkers.
Rose could read him effortlessly, yet even with this talent, she was unsure what kind of madness was currently swirling in The Doctor's mind.
"Should I secure myself to my seat?" she quipped with a nervous laugh, gripping the chair's arms tightly. Despite her attempt at humor, genuine worry showed in her eyes. What had transpired in The Doctor’s mind? She couldn't shake the apprehension that his latest plan might catapult them into an uncharted solar system or maroon them in Earth's distant past. The possibilities were as exhilarating as they were terrifying.
"Rose..." The Doctor's voice carried a fiery intensity, his eyes alight with a flame of excitement. "I've got a brilliant idea!" he exclaimed, closing the distance between them.
"A brilliant idea, you say?" Rose replied, a gentle smile playing on her lips as she leaned in, captivated by his enthusiasm. "What's this idea about?"
"I'm glad you asked!" he dashed across the TARDIS, mirroring Rose's path to convey his idea. "I've stumbled upon a fissure in the time vortex," he started gesturing with his hands to illustrate. "It's minuscule, really, tiny, tiny, tiny...! And there are others, but this one, in particular, is advantageous for us, want to know why?" he turned back to Rose, his face alive with exhilaration.
Smiling, Rose inquired. “Why?”
“Well, we can use it as a shortcut!”
“A shortcut?”
"Yes! A shortcut! The vectors within this... what should I call it..." he paused, his eyes falling on one of his coat's pockets. "...pocket! Yes! A pocket! The vectors remain still! It's like time has frozen within it! It's brilliant! And if we traverse it, we can reach one place from another even quicker than through the boring old time vortex." He appeared overly fanatical, and Rose couldn't help but smile.
"Well, okay then, let's take that shortcut!" she said enthusiastically, not fully considering the fact that what they were about to do was entirely new, which meant they should expect all sorts of unpredictable events.
"Excellent attitude!" exclaimed the Doctor, gliding towards the control panel. He proceeded to manipulate levers and press buttons, pausing just before one particular lever. "This is new to me, but I trust it'll all go smoothly…" he said, turning to Rose. "Ready?"
Rose nodded eagerly. "Absolutely!"
Therefore, with fervent determination, The Doctor pulled the lever. Initially, there was no response, leading The Doctor to briefly question whether a miscalculation had occurred, a rare occurrence for someone of his precision.
“Well this is weird-“ he opened his mouth to speak, but his words were abruptly cut off by a sudden event. The TARDIS convulsed violently, its interior resembling a chaotic storm tearing through its confines. Despite the Doctor's attempts to steady himself, he found himself tumbling helplessly, crashing onto the floor with a sharp gasp of pain.
Yet, amidst his own agony, his thoughts were consumed by a singular concern. If he had been thrown off his feet, what had become of Rose? Panic seized him as he called out her name. “Rose! Rose! You alright?”
Rose, having tumbled from her chair, clung to the TARDIS’s railing to steady herself, feeling as if she were enduring a dreadful rollercoaster ride. She remained silent.
"ROSE!" The Doctor's voice echoed, now with even greater urgency.
Under the heightened pressure, Rose knew she had to respond. "Yeah, everything's fine!" she called back.
However, her premature assurance was soon shattered as the TARDIS abruptly collided, jolting as though hitting a solid object of comparable scale. The impact exacerbated the situation, triggering the TARDIS's blaring alarm system, the deafening sound assaulting her ears. Its lights flickered chaotically, illuminating the interior with an array of colors. Meanwhile, the TARDIS began to spin and twist, leaving Rose apprehensive about maintaining her grip on the railing.
"Doctor!" she exclaimed, calling out to her companion. Instead of a reply, the Doctor was hurled beside her, thrown by the TARDIS's chaotic movements. He collided with the railing, his upper body sprawled across the floor while his legs dangled upwards.
"Uh… hi...!" he said, attempting to maintain composure despite the chaos unfolding around them.
"Hi…" Rose echoed, her breath coming in heavy gasps as she tried to steady herself.
Yet, the calamity didn't halt there. Suddenly, the TARDIS lurched, flipping upside down, hurling Rose and the Doctor in a chaotic hurricane. Rose crashed against the TARDIS's door, her stomach churning with nausea.
Despite her efforts to move, her body ached and weakened, leaving her powerless. As her head spun, Rose squeezed her eyes shut, grasping desperately at the door, her movements sluggish. A frigid chill swept over her, accompanied by an overwhelming sense of drowsiness. Unaware of when she succumbed, Rose slipped into unconsciousness, lost in the cold embrace of oblivion…
Thrown near the control panel, The Doctor clung to it, bracing against the ruckus to avoid colliding with the TARDIS’s walls.
"Rose!" he called out, the urgency evident in his voice, yet met with silence. Louder this time, he called her name again, “ROSE!” but still, no response. He reasoned she might be unable to hear him amidst the racket of the TARDIS's distressing sounds. Reassuring himself, he convinced his mind that everything would be alright…
Suddenly, the TARDIS ceased its chaotic shaking, replaced by a blinding brilliance engulfing everything. The Doctor's vision was consumed by the whiteness, rendering him sightless. Right there and then, he could only hope for Rose's safety.