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“Doctor,” said Steven, “I’ve just remembered. Why did the Commander on the Ark call the TARDIS a black box?”
“And why shouldn’t he, my boy?” The Doctor demanded, tossing his head. “A black box is exactly what it looks like, isn’t it?”
And he returned to whatever he was doing with the console.
Steven stared at him — wondering if he’d finally lost his wits, if the Doctor had, or if it was some sort of joke. He’d been traveling long enough in the ship to have the vivid blue of its exterior fixed clearly in his mind’s eye.
From one of the doorways leading further into the ship, Dodo beckoned.
Frowning, Steven went to her.
“He’s colour-blind,” Dodo whispered loudly into his ear. “He doesn’t see things in their true colours. You’ve been with him longer than me — didn’t you notice? Thinks everything is black or white or grey. The people on the Ark must have been the same.”
“But that’s not how colour-blindness works,” Steven protested. “You can still see some colours, just not all of them…”
“Well, it’s how it works with the Doctor,” Dodo returned. “That time I dyed my hair bright purple, he didn’t even notice.”