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Chasing Shadows
a Doctor Who story
Jothan smiled and told Drell, “I already thought of that. I pulled the Auto-Medic out of the closet and switched it on. You’ll be fine. Besides, the Doctor said I’d be back soon.”
Drell stepped in front of him, blocking his XO’s way. “And if you’re not? What in Jupiter do you expect me to tell Central Command?”
Jothan looked the captain straight in the eyes. “Tell them I’ve been missing since the crash, simple as that. That way, whenever I do come back, I can make up whatever excuse I want. Please don’t make this hard. This type of chance, traveling with an alien intelligence—wouldn’t you go if you could?”
Drell looked away, shuffling his feet a bit. “In a micro-blip.” He shook Jothan’s hand, and stepped out of the medic’s path. “Be careful out there. May Zeus go with you.”
“Also with you, sir. Jothan out.” He saluted the captain smartly and then went to join the Doctor in Storage.
********
The Doctor was leaning against the TARDIS when Jothan entered the room. “All set?” asked the Time Lord.
Jothan looked at the TARDIS doubtfully. “Seems rather small to me,” the medic remarked. “Are you sure there’s room for both of us?”
The Doctor just held the door open. “Take a look,” he invited.
Jothan put his foot over the threshold then stepped back quickly, looking at the Time Lord in astonishment. “This ship is alive, and not just alive!” he gasped.
The Doctor grinned. “Yeah! Fantastic, isn’t it?”
Jothan took a few steps forward into the TARDIS. Suddenly his face turned gray and he pitched forward, falling to his knees. The Doctor’s grin vanished; quick as a flash he was at Jothan’s side, steadying the young man. “Jothan, what’s wrong?”
The medic gasped, “I’ll be all right; I just need to adjust. The TARDIS, in my mind, my thoughts . . . it will take me a Time-Bit.” The Doctor waited by Jothan’s side until his color returned to normal and then helped him to his feet. “You’re sure you’re all right?”
Jothan gave the Doctor a weak smile. “Yes, I’ll be fine,” he reassured. The Doctor helped the medic to a chair, then stood back as Jothan looked around the Console Room. “This is an extraordinary ship, Doctor. How lucky you are that it wants to go with you.”
The Doctor did a double-take. “Wants to? What do you mean, wants to?” he challenged, face reddening.
“It’s a living ship,” Jothan retorted. “You never even asked it, did you? Never even thought—”
“Why should I? It’s my ship.”
Jothan was on his feet. “All he can say is, ‘It’s my ship’. Brilliant! And now, introducing the Doctor—intergalactic traveler, lord of Time and Space, enslaver of intelligent life. Write that up for your C.V., you arrogant git!”
The two were inches apart, yelling at the top of their voices. “And how do you expect me to ask the TARDIS in the first place?” the Doctor bellowed. “It’s not like I can speak to it telepathically, you idiot!”
“You don’t need telepathy, you just ask it! It’ll understand you just fine—it’s not the one with the communication problem!”
“I DO NOT HAVE—” the Doctor stepped away, flinging up his hands. “Fine. Fine! I’ll ask it—and how am I to ask? Where are we going, O mistreated vehicle of mine?”
Jothan dropped back into the chair. “Just ask. Ask it if there’s somewhere it wants to go, or something it thinks you should see.”
The Doctor went over to the main console. “What he said!” he roared, then yanked back on a lever. There was a whining, wheezing sound, the central column began to rise and fall and the TARDIS was in motion. The Doctor looked from the console to Jothan then back again. “It’s moving! The TARDIS is moving!”
“Yes, of course,” Jothan responded. “You asked it to, remember?”
“You can telepathically communicate with the TARDIS?” The Doctor was flabbergasted.
“No, not as such. It’s far too intelligent and powerful for me to try that—it would burn out my brain in a micro-blip. But as an empath, I can sense its feelings to some extent, at least simple things.” Jothan paused, and then said quietly, “I’m sorry I called you a slaver.”
The Doctor turned to face Jothan. “No, you were right. I never asked; didn’t know I should. Thank you for telling me.”
The TARDIS lurched, tossing both men to the floor. There was a heave, then a shudder and finally stillness. Both Jothan and the Doctor got to their feet.
“Where are we? Jothan asked. “And when?”
The Doctor looked at the console. “Go have a look,” he offered.
Jothan held his breath, and stepped out into a new world . . .
************ Three months later ************
Birdsong floated on the wind as the sun rose over the mountains. Jothan and the Doctor stood in the doorway of the TARDIS looking out at the dawn. Both were covered with soot and grime. Jothan said, “I always wondered how the vampire myth got started. Now that I know . . .”
The Doctor ran a hand through his hair, grinning. “Wasn’t it fantastic?”
“Not all of it,” the young man pointed out. “Think of what happened to poor Vlad. Wasn’t there anything we could have done to help him or bring him back to himself?”
The Time Lord replied, “Not without altering the course of history. But you’re right — it isn’t fair.”
Jothan sighed and said, “What a beautiful sunrise — and even better since we’re alive to see it. There were points where I was sure we were vacuum. Weren’t you scared?”
The Doctor was wrapped in his own thoughts. “What?” he responded absently.
“Weren’t you scared? Scared we would die?” the medic persisted.
At that, the Doctor straightened, saying, “Of course not! I’m the Doctor!”
“You say that like the world should bow down before you. Arrogant git.” Jothan was a bit annoyed. “Still, we are alive.”
“And it’s time we were off!” the Doctor told him. “Any requests?”
Jothan’s voice was firm as he answered, “So far, you've taken me to twenty planets, twelve moons, three space ships, seven space stations, and an intergalactic transport hub, and we've been in mortal or near-mortal danger each time. I want to go someplace where nothing will try to eat us, kill us, possess us, or otherwise inconvenience our lives. Think you can manage?”
“So you want a holiday? I know just the place.” The TARDIS doors closed.
********
When Jothan stepped out he almost turned around and went back into the TARDIS, but the Doctor was in his way. “A broom closet. Yes — a regular paradise,” Jothan said. “You have got to be joking!”
The Doctor said nothing, just opened the door of the closet and took a quick peek around while the medic grabbed at something stuck in a broom nearby. He turned it over in his hands. “A credit chip. That means there must be something to buy. What’s out there?”
“Come and see,” the Doctor invited.
Jothan stepped out of the closet into what seemed to be a casino. Slot machines and game tables were everywhere. He stared wide-eyed, until he saw something that caught his attention. “Look!” he exclaimed, dragging the Doctor by the arm. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Depends,” the Doctor replied. “What do you think it is?”
“It’s a pinball game! My parents had one when I was a kid. What’s it doing in a casino? And do you know where we are — planet-wise, I mean.”
The Doctor smiled. “I have brought you to the Prataxen Pleasure Palace, only the most luxurious resort in the Frakeo System. As for the pinball game, you can earn more credits with a high enough score.”
The young man grinned widely. “You don’t carry money, right?”
The Doctor nodded. “That’s right. Don’t worry, I’ll think of something. Always do.”
“No need,” the medic told him, holding up the credit chip. “I’ll win some credits on this thing. Why don’t you scout about to make sure it’s safe while I get to work.” He turned back to the pinball game.
The Doctor felt strangely hurt at having been dismissed. “You won’t wander off?” he asked doubtfully.
“I’ll stay right here, I promise.” Jothan turned around. “Check things out and I’ll get us a posh holiday! Please . . . I was really good at this.”
The Doctor grinned again. “All right, but remember — don’t leave here.”
“I won’t. I’ll probably still be playing when you get back.”
“You can certainly try.” He headed off.
********
The Doctor had never been to Pratax before, but the TARDIS computer said it was a small, uninhabited moon; the Pleasure Palace was the only structure on the surface. The Palace itself was a huge dome with shops, restaurants, movies, and other amenities. There was a virtual reality holo-suite, a spa, even excursions to the poles to look at the glaciers. Within an hour he had mapped out where everything was and what he and Jothan might want to do.
Suddenly he remembered that he had left Jothan in the casino with only one credit chip. His companion had probably run out of funds a while ago, and was waiting for the Time Lord to return. He turned around at the Intergalactic House of Pancakes, and hurried back to the casino. He heard quite a commotion from inside and went to where he had left Jothan, but couldn’t get near the machine his companion had been playing due to the huge crowd. The Time Lord could barely see his friend in the center of the crowd, still playing the pinball game. A cheer came up from the crowd, and he could see that Jothan had earned more than eight hundred million points.
The Doctor started elbowing through the mass of people, calling out, “Gaming Commission. Please make way.” He managed to make it to Jothan’s side with a bit of work. He noticed that the medic’s eyes were half-closed. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not and he reached out, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. Immediately the young man jumped, his concentration broken, and a loud wail came up from the crowd followed by clapping and congratulations from all.
An officious-looking creature with tentacles and red spots came up saying, “Congratulations, sir or madam. I’ll just get you a credit disk for your winnings.” The alien stepped up to the machine, inserted a blue disk into the game, then popped the disk out. It handed the disk to Jothan and said, “Enjoy your stay at the Pleasure Palace, and again, congratulations.”
Jothan looked up at the Doctor, smiling. “What did I tell you? You earn one credit per ten thousand points, so I just got us more than eighty thousand credits! Hang on, and we can split them — there must be a way.” The Doctor pointed at a sign saying ‘Cashier’, still unable to speak from astonishment. The medic approached the window with his credit disk. “I’d like this split onto two credit disks, please,” he asked the creature behind the counter. The being did so, and Jothan handed a credit disk to the Doctor. “That should be enough, don’t you think?”
The Doctor was still flabbergasted. “How did you do that?” he demanded.
Jothan grinned. “You see, by concentrating I can get ‘in tune’ with the machine. It’s not telekinesis per se, but functions in a similar manner. Now exactly how much do we have here?”
The Doctor responded, “Well, the Imperial Suite costs two thousand credits a night, so this is . . . quite a lot.”
Jothan started laughing. “See — I promised you a posh holiday! Let’s explore, unless you want to get us that Imperial Suite?”
The Doctor was laughing as well. “I’ll get the room; I’ve already explored a bit. See you later.” He walked toward the hotel section of the dome.
********
Jothan started exploring on his own. He found just what he was looking for — a shop that specialized in reproductions of antique Earth treasures. He picked up some black jeans, an Izod sweater, a white t-shirt for under the sweater, white socks, and a pair of sneakers. It was the same clothing he had seen in an old book on ancient Earth fashions. Then he saw something extraordinary — a plastic item sitting on a high shelf. He asked the shopkeeper, “Is this for sale?”
“Twenty credits. No one’s so much as looked at it in years. Do you know what it’s for?”
Jothan said, “I’ll give you twenty-five if you’ll gift-wrap it for me, and yes — I know exactly what it’s for.” He fairly skipped with glee back to the hotel, where the Doctor was still speaking to the concierge. As Jothan approached, the Doctor asked, “Will we be staying a week?”
“How long is that?” Jothan asked.
The Doctor thought a minute then said, “You would call it a Time-Section. There’s a discount on the room if we stay at least that long. Interested?”
The medic asked, “Will there be enough for you to do in that amount of time with no danger about and no need to run away from anything?”
The Doctor grinned. “My first real holiday in many centuries, and it’ll be fantastic! I wouldn’t stay longer than that, though — the TARDIS may get lonely.”
“We’ll have to check in,” Jothan replied. “Now, I saw something about glacier tours to the poles? Oh, and by the way, I got you a present.”
“For me?” The Doctor sounded pleased. “I’ll open it once we’re in the room.”
The Imperial Suite lived up to its reputation. It was large and opulent, but not ostentatious. The bathroom was the size of the Console Room in the TARDIS, and the two bedrooms and sitting rooms were gigantic as well. Since they had no luggage, the bellboy just showed them around their suite, then left.
Jothan was impressed. He gaped at the bathroom then said, “And this time, I’m first for the shower — though I don’t suppose they run out of hot water. Now, come and open your present. I can’t wait to see what you think!”
As Jothan handed the Doctor a small box, the Doctor handed Jothan a key. “It’s to the TARDIS. Figured that as long as you’ve been traveling with me, it’s about time you had one.”
Jothan was surprised, but tried to hide it. “Thank you. I’ll get a necklace so I don’t lose it. And your present?”
The Doctor opened the box and found himself staring at a small plastic cube marked with various stickers on all sides. “What is it?” he asked.
“I knew you wouldn’t know!” the young man crowed. “It’s a Rubik’s Cube — one of the most popular toys of the 1980’s back on Earth. The idea is to get the sides all one color.”
“Never heard of it; how do you know what it is?”
Jothan reached into his right breast pocket and pulled out an IPod. He replied, “I have a Master’s Degree in Ancient Peoples and Cultures and my special area of study was the First Technology Wave, from 1980 to 2020. I love that part of Earth history. This beauty cost me a ton of credits, but I have almost 600 old-time songs on it.”
The Doctor concentrated, twisting and turning this way and that, until one side was complete. “There,” he told the medic after a few minutes. “That side is all one color.”
“Not bad,” Jothan encouraged. “You only have five sides left to go.” He ignored the Doctor’s growl and chose a room. “All right if I take the private sitting room? I got so used to my quarters on Outpost 17 that I feel strange in a big room and that's the smallest they have.”
“That’s fine,” the Doctor answered absently, still working at the Rubik’s Cube.
“And no taking the stickers off! That’s cheating,” Jothan told the Time Lord.
“Do you think a genius like me would need to cheat?”
********
Three Time Portions later, the Doctor was still perplexed over the small plastic box. Jothan had finally given up and gone to take a nap, and was surprised to see his friend fighting with the cube when he woke up. He decided it would be better not to tell his friend that his teacher in school solved the puzzle in 15 Time-Bits. “How about some food?”
“What did you say?” the Doctor asked. “I’m still working on . . .”
The medic gently took the Rubik’s cube from the Doctor and laid it on the coffee table. “Enough for now; you’ll scramble your brain. The suite comes with one buffet meal a Time Part, so I suggest we go there.”
“All right,” the Doctor agreed.
The buffet was downstairs in a special part of the dome with a lovely view of the stars overhead. Jothan mentioned, “Guests are allowed to take the buffet food upstairs if they wish. Would you rather eat here or in the room?”
“Here is fine,” the Doctor answered. He then looked at Jothan's plate and remarked, “I wouldn't eat the orange things with purple spots if I were you.”
“I already had a handful,” the medic responded. “Is that bad?”
“On second thought, let's go back to the room.”
********
The Doctor was right; Jothan ended up being quite ill. The young man shivered under many blankets, and his head pounded like large drums playing in concert.
“I warned you about those Ratzen Grapes,” the Doctor said.
“Right. And it would have been much more helpful if you'd told me before I ate them rather than after.”
“I'm sorry!” the Doctor moaned contritely.
“It's not your fault. Tell you what, why don't you go take the glacier tour? It'll give you something to do other than mangle that Rubik's Cube.”
The Time Lord gritted his teeth. “I'll figure it out, you just wait. You say this is from Earth? If so, it's got to be much simpler than I'm making it. I'll get it eventually, I just need . . .”
Jothan broke in, saying, “If I have to lie here and watch you work on that thing I'll throw up . . . again. Please go do something fun elsewhere; there's no need for both of us to be wasting our time.”
Again, the Doctor felt a bit hurt, which was unusual for him. He put a smile on his face and said airily, “I think I'll check out the glacier.”
“I'm sorry I'm so churlish,” the medic told his friend. “Really, it would be a shame and there's nothing you can do to help. I'll feel better in a Time-Portion or two, I'm sure.” He smiled at the Doctor, telling him, “Go tour a crevasse for me.”
********
The Doctor decided to take Jothan’s advice. He reasoned that he could see the glaciers in the south on his own, and then he and Jothan could view the northern glaciers together. Though he had often traveled alone for years at a time, he felt guilty leaving Jothan, especially when his companion was under the weather. The guilt was strange to him, just like the hurt feelings from earlier that day, and he tried to understand what had changed. What was Jothan doing to his emotions, he asked himself. Then the shuttle arrived for the tour, and he tried to concentrate on enjoying the ride.
The glaciers were quite impressive. The high, icy spires cut into the sky, and the frozen caves and passages were worth exploring. The participants had suits and helmets for air and warmth. They were a bit cumbersome, but definitely necessary for surviving on the surface. It was quite the tour, but the Doctor found himself missing Jothan more than once during the four-hour excursion.
The shuttle was almost back to the dome when a falling star streaked through the sky extremely close to their position. Some of the passengers cried out in surprise, and the Doctor hurried to a window to track the meteor’s path. Something about the meteor seemed odd, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong. The stewardess came over the loudspeaker saying, “Please keep calm, ladies, gentlemen, androids, and other life forms. The meteor did not hit us, and missed the Pleasure Dome. Please return to your seats. Again, the meteor missed the Pleasure Dome, so there’s no need for worry. Everyone return to your seats, please. We will be docking in minutes.”
The Doctor sat back in his seat, but asked the stewardess as she came by, “How close was that meteor to the Dome?”
“I’m afraid I’m not sure,” she replied. “All I know is that the pilot radioed ahead to make sure the Dome wasn’t hit. It’s possible that it damaged Systems Operations or staff quarters, but the Dome itself is undamaged.”
The Doctor made up his mind to investigate the crash site as soon as the shuttle landed. He ran through his mind all the alien races he knew of that were close enough to crash on the moon. After reflection, he decided the Rutans would be the most likely culprits, but he couldn’t think of why they would want to be anywhere near the Pleasure Palace. Still, crashes happen, he told himself. The best thing to do would be to help repair the Rutan ship and send them on their way, preferably without getting killed by the hostile, ungrateful Brussel-Sprout-looking beings while he did it.
********
The Doctor returned to the Imperial Suite a little disappointed. No one had hindered his informal investigation, but there was nothing to find. The meteor hadn’t been a crash landing of any kind; it was just a piece of old space junk. He entered the room and called, “I’m back. The tour was quite interesting; we’ll have to check out the north glaciers together. Jothan? Where are you?” He heard no response, and his mind started thinking quickly through who might have kidnapped his companion and how much of a ransom they might have demanded. He rushed into the bathroom, looking for a communicator to summon help.
Jothan’s voice called out, “You back? I was underwater for a bit and didn’t hear you at first. How was the tour?”
The Doctor looked around wildly, but all he could see was the massive tub filled with bubbles. Then he noticed that one cloud of bubbles was moving closer. He then realized it was Jothan swimming up to the edge of the tub.
“I finally found a way to get warm,” the medic said. “I am feeling better. Maybe we can try out the holo-suite later? I’ve never used one before.”
“Good idea,” the Doctor replied absently. He was relieved to find Jothan unharmed, but there was a feeling behind the relief that he couldn’t quite name. He shook his head then told his companion, “I think I’ll work on that cube some more.”
********
The Doctor and Jothan made their way to the holo-suite slowly, stopping to look at various shops along the way. The medic got a necklace for his TARDIS key, and they checked out the times for the northern glacier tour. They passed by a sign, and Jothan stopped by it. “Look at this, Doctor! ‘Chocolate Extravaganza Buffet’. It’s two Time Parts from now and chocolate is my favorite — why don’t we get some tickets?”
“All right, but remember — chocolate’s overrated. I’ll have to take you to a planet with some real cuisine someday.”
Jothan stated flatly, “If this place is having a whole buffet dedicated to chocolate, the stuff can’t be that overrated. And here’s the holo-suite!”
Three hours later, Jothan left the holo-suite, followed by the Doctor. The Time Lord was saying, “I can’t believe you didn’t like the holo-suite!”
“It wasn’t that I didn’t like it — the virtual tours of natural and space scenes were good. It’s just that the things with people involved were . . . unnerving.”
The Doctor pricked up his ears. “Something unusual going on? Perhaps I should take another look.”
“It wasn’t anything like that,” Jothan protested. “I couldn’t feel anything from the holo-simulations. It would be like you going into a large room, but not hearing any echoes. If you’re used to feeling another’s emotions, it’s pretty weird when you can’t sense anything from someone right in front of you. I suppose I’d get used to it after a while and maybe even like the peace, but for a first time . . .”
The Doctor turned back around, a little deflated.
********
Two evenings later, the Doctor was putting on a tuxedo from the TARDIS and admitting to himself that he was stone bored. They had gone to the northern glaciers the day before, but the tour shuttle had had a malfunction on the way back that had left them stranded for a time. Ruefully, the Doctor remembered how he had fiddled with various parts of the ship, only to find that the fuel rods were depleted, nothing he could fix.
Jothan stepped out of his room dressed in a gray suit which set off his green eyes. His hair had grown long and was tied back, and he looked older than he really was. Though he couldn’t see it, the Doctor knew he was wearing the TARDIS key around his neck. Something fluttered in between the Time Lord’s hearts for a second, then was gone. “All set?” he asked.
Jothan stepped out of his room dressed in a grey suit which set off his green eyes. His hair had grown long and was tied back, and he looked older than he really was. Though he couldn’t see it, the Doctor knew he was wearing the TARDIS key around his neck. Something fluttered in between the Time Lord’s hearts for a second, then was gone. “All set?” he asked.
“Yes”, Jothan said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been to anything fancy dress. In fact, the last time . . .” he trailed off.
“Bad memories?” the Doctor asked.
“I wore this to a wedding on Moon Base Titan, about three Time-Circles ago. I was a junior medic at the time. The medical staff was really close; there were twelve of us and we kind of kept to ourselves. We were almost family. It was nice while it lasted.”
“What ended it?” the Doctor asked gently.
“One day, a shuttle arrived with a woman who was feeling unwell. She was taken to the Med Center after going through Security and Customs, like any other passenger. No one knew she had Marshem’s Virus. In eight Time-Portions, 50 people had died. By the end of the 7th Time-Part, I was the only med staff left alive to take care of the 1500 people on the base for the next 15 Time-Parts. It was . . . horrific. Have you ever seen the effects of Marshem’s Virus?”
The Doctor was silent a moment then said, “Can’t say that I have.”
Jothan sighed. “At the end stage, if the person lives that long, the bonds holding the skin and muscle cells together break down. The flesh literally melts off the poor victim’s bones. Quite messy.”
“I can’t imagine,” the Doctor whispered. “Did anyone survive?”
“Actually, when it was all over we had only 270 deaths, and 450 sick. Pure luck as it turned out, but the powers that be decided to give me the credit. So, I was promoted to Commander and given any post I wanted. I chose Outpost 17 as a permanent assignment. I was looking for a place where nothing ever happened. Look what I got instead . . . not that all of it was bad, mind you.” Jothan smiled at the Doctor. “What about you? Is fancy dress more your style?”
The Doctor smiled sadly, remembering the last time he had worn the tuxedo. “No, I usually don’t go for fancy dress myself. Shall we go?”
********
The buffet certainly lived up to its name. Everything seemed to be chocolate or chocolate-covered at the least. They had sculptures of carved chocolate, all the food was chocolate, and even some of the cups and bowls were made of chocolate. Most people were in fancy dress, but some of the more daring participants were wearing chocolate paint instead of clothes. All in all, it was quite a party — and quite uninteresting, the Doctor thought glumly. What he wouldn’t do for a planet to save, he sighed to himself.
He saw Jothan heading over to one of the robot butlers, saying, “I’m from the planet Earth. Will any of this food make me sick?”
“Accessing. Yes, sir — you should avoid the chocolate-covered Ratzen grapes, the Blenfield soufflé, anything with Uvara nuts, and the chocolate-covered sardines. I would be glad to assist you with any of the buffet items, should you so choose.”
Jothan told the robot, “Yes, I would like assistance; I don’t want to get sick again. Coming, Doctor?”
“In a moment,” the Doctor responded. It was just a fool’s hope, he thought, but just maybe . . . He walked up to a robot and said, “I’m from the planet Gallifrey. Any recommendations?”
“Accessing — one moment, accessing.” It took the machine much longer than a moment, but finally it said, “Yes, sir — and how privileged we are to have a Time Lord in attendance, sir. All of the buffet items are safe for your consumption. I highly recommend the Chocolate Imperial Torte, the Pipsqueaks, and the Ilsten truffles.”
“How did you know . . . did you say Pipsqueaks? I haven’t had any of those since I was a child! How do you know about Pipsqueaks?”
“One moment, accessing.” Again the computer took a long time before speaking. “Fifteen hundred years ago, we had a Gallifreyen chef for a short time. The chef’s name is lost, but some of the recipes were so exquisite we have kept them on file. Enjoy the buffet, sir, and have a lovely stay at the Pleasure Palace.”
The Doctor found the Pipsqueaks on a special table near the chocolate fountain and munched on one as he drowned in his memories. The party continued around him, but he was totally alone, lost in time.
********
“Doctor — are you coming? The spa opens soon, and I don’t want to miss my appointment — I’m getting a massage from an alien with fifty tentacles!”
“Half a moment!” the Time Lord tossed the Rubik’s Cube on the bed and sighed. He seemed to be all out of sorts, he decided. He couldn’t solve the dratted puzzle, the Pipsqueaks had brought back too many memories, and there hadn’t been any excitement since they landed. Sternly he reminded himself that Jothan was having a wonderful time, and they’d be leaving in three days. That was hardly a sacrifice, he told himself. Just three more days, and they would be traveling in the TARDIS again. “I’m coming,” he told his companion.
Jothan stuck his head around the door. He seemed almost ready to speak, then shut his mouth. The Doctor said, “Let’s go.”
All the way down to the spa Jothan talked excitedly about the last three days of their holiday. The Doctor nodded and commented at the right places, but his hearts just weren’t in it. It was a relief to be relaxing in the sauna while Jothan was getting his massage. No, he told himself, he wasn’t relaxing, he was fretting. Fretting at the whole Pleasure Palace scene. He decided he would have to break down and tell Jothan he had failed, that there wasn’t enough for him to do on one planet for a week, not even a moon like this with all its diversions. He got up from the bench and went to open the sauna door, but the door wouldn’t move. He tried the door controls again, but the door wouldn’t budge. He couldn’t get out of the sauna. He then rubbed his hands together, laughing. “I’m trapped in a sauna,” he said out loud. “And I’ll be baked to death unless I find a way out. Fantastic!”
********
As Jothan approached Sauna Room 3 he saw a crowd gathered around it. He suddenly realized that it was the room where he was supposed to meet the Doctor. A wave of fear gripped him, and he started pushing through the crowd. “Let me pass — my friend’s in there!” he shouted. As he got to the door, the door suddenly popped open, and the Doctor came out on his hands and knees with a bit of circuitry in his hand and a big grin on his face. “Got it open,” he panted. “Absolutely fantastic!” he said to the crowd.
Jothan helped the Time Lord to his feet. “You could have been barbecued in there! Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Never better!”
Jothan looked at the Time Lord for a moment or two, but had to admit his friend looked happier than he had for Time-Parts. “What were you doing in there?” he asked doubtfully.
“I was enjoying myself. It was fantastic!”
“What about the last few Time-Parts — weren’t they any good?”
“Well, for the last few days I’ve been chasing shadows, nothing more. Just chasing shadows.”
“I suppose it’s time we were off then,” the medic responded.
The Doctor was surprised. “Aren’t you having a good time?”
“Yes, I am,” Jothan sighed. “But if getting half-killed is what you need to be happy, we’d best get back to it.”
******** Sequel to follow: Play Dead ********