This
story began as a dream. In the dream, I
was walking along the sidewalk and I saw the Tenth Doctor carrying bags of
groceries or something, and he stopped at a beat up old vending machine. He soniced it, and it opened up to be a
TARDIS, slowly decaying in plain view. The
image stuck with me, and since I had been kicking around the idea of doing some
fan fiction stories at some point, I started working on a story based on that.
But
after a few months, I hadn’t started anything.
Then a site I wrote on had a Doctor Who Fan-Fiction contest. I guess a new season was starting, so I got
around and wrote this story. It didn’t
win, and then a couple years later the site went belly-up.
I
have a few ideas for fan fiction stories, but I haven’t really written any
because I have too many of my own stories I need to work on. But I was reminded of this story recently and
I decided to repost it. In case you’re
wondering, my only other fan fiction story is “Jedi ER,” which is more parody.
“Rest
in Peace”
“Where
are we?” Martha asked.
Opening
the TARDIS door, the Doctor replied, “In the middle of nowhere, in what will
one day be Nebraska.”
They
stepped outside to a small clearing surrounded by pine trees. The trees right in front of them were back
lit by a rosy sky.
Walking
forward, Martha asked, “Is that a sunrise, or a sunset?”
“Sunset. It’s late on the evening of the Twelfth of
November, 1833.” Waving at the clear sky, the Doctor added, “Right now, far out
in space, untold thousands of dust particles and pebbles and other debris of
Comet Tempel-Tuttle – which humans won’t discover for another thirty-three
years – are heading for Earth. In a few
hours they’ll hit the atmosphere and burn up in The Great Leonid Meteor
Storm. It’s estimated that at its
height, people could see 100,000 meteors an hour. The number of meteors was so great, some
people even thought the next night would be completely black because all the
stars had to have fallen.”
“And
let me guess,” Martha said. “Hidden
amongst all those meteors are alien spaceships here to conquer the world.”
The
Doctor stopped and frowned. “Why would
you think that?”
“I
don’t know. But that’s the sort of thing
that happens around you.”
After
a few seconds, the Doctor continued walking.
“Those were just coincidences.”
“So
why are we really here?”
“Because
it will be pretty.”
The
clearing widened into a small meadow filled with drying weeds. The Doctor turned and said, “Martha, you
really should-”
Martha
took a few more steps before she stopped and looked at the Doctor. The blood had drained from his face. “Doctor, what is it?” She followed his gaze
to see – at the edge of the meadow – an old, wooden shed that looked like one
strong wind would blow it over. “What is
that?”
Without
replying, the Doctor took off running towards the shed.
Martha
ran after him. “Doctor. What is it?”
The
Doctor reached the shed and slowly reached out to pat the rough wood.
When
Martha arrived, she heard him whisper, “Oh you poor girl.” Martha took a closer
look at the shed. It was made from old,
weather beaten planks, several of which had fallen off. Patches of moss grew on some that remained. Piles of dead weeds and pine needles were
around the base, and a few small trees had taken root in them.
Looking
back at the Doctor, Martha said, “I don’t understand. It’s just an old shed.”
“No,
it’s not.” The Doctor took his sonic screwdriver from inside his coat and aimed
it at the door. It buzzed a few seconds,
and then the door – despite the rusty hinges – swung open. Inside was a much, much larger space. It was very dim inside, but Martha could make
out what appeared to be a rustic cabin.
But in the center, surrounded in pale light, was a TARDIS console.
It
took a few seconds for Martha to voice her thoughts. “It’s the TARDIS.”
“It’s
a TARDIS,” the Doctor corrected her. “A
Type 60.”
Before
Martha could ask, the Doctor walked in.
After a few seconds she followed him.
The
Doctor stopped by the console. He
reached out, but hesitated before resting his hand on it. In response, the room filled with a low,
mournful sound.
Martha
walked around the Doctor, but had only gone a few steps before she
stopped. “Doctor.” On the other side of
the console was a comfortable chair filled with remains. All that was left inside the tattered
clothing was a skeleton, but it looked as if a third of the bones had been
turned to dust.
The
Doctor looked at the body and sighed.
“Janithid.”
“You
… knew him?”
“Only
in passing. He disappeared during The
War.”
“What
did that to him?”
“The
Nightmare Child.”
“Who’s
that?”
“You
don’t want to know.”
They
were silent for a few seconds, then the room again filled with a mournful
sound.
Martha
looked up the ceiling and asked, “What’s wrong with this TARDIS?”
“She’s
dying.”
“Is
there anything we can do?”
The
Doctor shook his head. “No, she’s too
far gone. They’ve been here for
centuries. Slowly gathering dust, fading
away, being buried by time.” He patted the console and added, “These are her
final moments. Of course, the final
moments of a TARDIS can last for decades.”
Martha
placed her hand on the console next to his.
“Rest in peace,” she said.
The
Doctor smiled and took her arm. “Come
on.”
Back
outside, the Doctor soniced the door closed.
He then patted the worn wood and said, “Rest in peace.”
He turned around and
said, “Now then, it’s getting dark.
Let’s find a good spot to watch the Great Leonid Meteor Storm.”
