Dear Santa

Sailing Off To See The Universe

bow-tied:

Admittedly, the Doctor was a bit surprised when the scan on them turned up empty. He briefly held up his hands to his chest to make sure he still had two hearts, and breathed a quick sigh of relief when he felt the familiar thump-thump-thump-thump— perhaps their technology just wasn’t equipped to scan for Time Lords. Or perhaps they had simply focussed their attentions too much on the one in the scanner that actually was human. 

Still, the Doctor was unamused as he reached into Amelia’s pocket and took out the sonic screwdriver, flipping it once in the air before catching it again, a curious frown stretching across his face as he looked at the guards. “It’s a screwdriver, by the way. Your ‘dangerous metal object’. It was her birthday present.” He shoved the object at one of the guards’ chests, probably with a bit more force than was needed, but every moment he was in this facility, the less and less he liked it. 

He looked down at Amelia, hesitated for a moment, and then put a hand on her shoulder, like he figured a protective uncle ought to do. “Now take us to the blue box you picked up.”

“That’s… an odd birthday present.” The guard commented, his gaze slipping down to the metal object the Doctor was pointing at him. “Mind putting it away?”

Amelia looked up at the Doctor, flashing him an apologetic look about what had just happened a few seconds earlier. Then, she reaches up, tiptoeing, and grabbed the screwdriver, figuring that they might as well stick to the story that it’s hers. Carefully, she shoves it in her coat pocket, so that the Doctor may reach for it again if needed.

With the screwdriver out of the way, the guard began walking towards the actual storage room, expecting them to follow. The hallway narrowed as they went farther, and Amelia was getting just a bit claustrophobic. Soon enough, though, they reached the door. 

It swung open as the guard pushed it, allowing them in. Amelia stepped inside first. The room was large, with objects just sitting about, covered in plastic sheets. Rats passed around them, but the flashlight made them run away and hide. Once she got a feel for the dark place, it wasn’t half that scary. She ran about, looking beneath the plastic sheets, until, finally, she found it.

“It’s here, it’s here!” She called cheerfully, clapping her hands together. Amelia was surprised how much joy the sight of the blue phone box filled her with. It was like reuniting with an old friend, and, finally, she felt even more safe. 

(Source: crack-in-my-wall)

Sailing Off To See The Universe

bow-tied:

The Doctor purses his lips, clearly unamused. “You can do a full body scan on me, but you are not allowed to preform one on my niece. Now let her out of here— now.” He wasn’t sure what would be considered a weapon to these people, but he had left the sonic screwdriver in her pocket so she could protect herself— and they may end up considering it a threat instead. He didn’t carry anything particularly dangerous on him, and even that shouldn’t cause alarm. “You are not allowed to give us full-body scans without asking our consent first, so this isn’t protocol at all.”

“We are acquaintanced with the existence of extraterrestrial life forms, sir. How do we know that she-” The guard’s eyes narrow as he gazes at little Amelia. “-isn’t just a child-like alien form?” He asks, though he expects no particular answers as he fiddles with the buttons. At the Doctor’s comment about consent, his head shoots up. Mockingly, he gives a slight grin as he leans on the control board. “You want to get out of there, isn’t that right? Well then, I won’t commence the scan. You’ll just stay in that bubble until you’ve agreed.” His attention is caught by a blinking green light on the board. “And, from what I see, you have several metal objects on you, too tiny to be weapons… But she has only one. And it’s large enough to be considered dangerous. Now, tell me, sir, are you sure that you are not travelling with a very intelligent alien life-form?”

Getting rather tired of the guard, Amelia rolls her eyes, her lips pressing into a thin line. “Oi! I’m not an intelligent life form, alright?!” She stops for a bit as she sees the guard holding back laughter. “I mean I am, but… I’m not an alien.”

“And would you subject yourself to the scan to prove it?”

“Well…” Amelia bites on her lip, glancing up at the Doctor. If she doesn’t, they could be stuck in the bubble for a long time. And she came to see lights. “Yes.”

“Good.” Having gotten a consent from both of them, he pulls a large lever down. Something bellow the Doctor and Amelia hums to life, and soon the bubble is being covered in all sorts of lights, detecting various things. It doesn’t hurt, but it is rather unpleasant.

“Clear.” The guard announces after another minute of beeping and humming of the machine, as he shuts it down entirely, and the bubble disappears. He approaches the two time-travelers. “All metal objects are to be handed in before entering. The technology and material we keep inside the storage is alien tech, and we do not know if it can be set off by the things that you’re wearing.”

(Source: crack-in-my-wall)

Sailing Off To See The Universe

bow-tied:

“You’d best be careful with picking up space junk,” the Doctor warns the foreman as he pats Amelia on the shoulder and leads her over to where the guard had stepped to the side. “You never know when it’s actually junk, or if it’s actually dangerous. Not that the blue box is, mind, but one false move and you could have a Chula ambulance ship filled with nanogenes bent on fixing your species because it hasn’t seen you before and thinks you’re sick.”

The Doctor paused, then smiled at them as though that wasn’t an actual possibility. “But what are the chances of that happening, right? Still,” as he turned to the guard and he and Amelia started following him into the nearest corridor, he called over his shoulder, “Better safe than sorry!”

As they’re being led away, the speaking guard mumbles something to the rest, and soon enough, two more of them are following after the Doctor and Amelia. The little girl feels their gazes burning the back of her neck as they walk, and she instinctively pulls close to her pretend-uncle.

Everything is terribly quiet, up until they step inside a circular room. Instead of following them in, the guards scatter around it. And soon it’s clear why. A shield-like glass membrane drops, cutting them off from the rest.

“Hey!” Amelia squeaks, tapping the glass. “What gives?”

“Protocol, ma’m. You will now undergo a full-body scan.” A guard answers as he fiddles with buttons on a control board. “Don’t worry. Shouldn’t hurt too bad.”

(Source: crack-in-my-wall)

Sailing Off To See The Universe

bow-tied:

“She knows about it for the same reason that she’s…. here with me, now, in this factory.” The Doctor straightened up as soon as their weapons were lower, instantly looking as though he owned the place— and for all he knew, that’s what the psychic paper had told them. “Because she’s important. Isn’t that right, Amelia?”

He had no idea what the L.I.G.H.T.S project was, but he was beginning to think it had to do with the smog covering the sky, and the reason his TARDIS was taken. “Say, I heard that earlier you found some interesting cargo out in the snow-ash. Where did you bring it?”

“That’s right.” Amelia confirms with an important nod of her tiny head, mimicking the way the Doctor holds himself. Straight, with dignity, because if the Doctor said she is important, then she must be. Or at least she must act that way.

“We find loads of things around here every day. Old, useless things fallen from the sky. Space junk.” The guard informs him. “We find at least half a dozen of those things a day, you’d have to tell us which one you’re interested in.”

“A blue phone box.” Amelia fires immediately, appearing impatient once more. “It says ‘police’ on it.”

“We might have picked something like that up.” The guard tells them. “If we found it, then it’s in the old storage. Please, let one of my men lead you there.” Turning to the others, he gazes at one solider in particular and just jerks his head in the direction of the door they came through. It’s a mutual understanding, and the man steps out of the line, ready to lead them away.

(Source: crack-in-my-wall)

Sailing Off To See The Universe

bow-tied:

“No funny business,” the Doctor promises, slowly lowering his free hand into his inside coat pocket. “As you’ll see, I’m sure everything will be right as rain as soon as I get my wallet out.”

He felt around in his pocket for a moment, frowning a bit as he muddled through the mass of objects he was definitely not searching for until his fingers brushed against the familiar leather fabric of the wallet that held his psychic paper, and he took it out a moment later, flashing it for them. “I’m sure this will solve our little misunderstanding.”

The guard takes a step forward, not lowering his weapon. His eyes suspiciously squint at the paper, remaining like that for several more heartbeats. Then, he lowers his weapon and straightens up, giving the Doctor a salute, as do the others. “Terribly sorry about that, sir. And you, little madam. What brings you to our modest factory?”

Amelia grins up at the Doctor, allowing him some personal space now that they’re out of trouble. Blinking at the guard, she claps her hands. “We came to see the lights!”

“Lights?” The guard exchanges serious looks with his colleagues. “L.I.G.H.T.S. is a top secret project. Sir, how did this information get to your niece, if I may ask?”

(Source: crack-in-my-wall)

Sailing Off To See The Universe

bow-tied:

“Stay close to me, Amelia,” the Doctor urges her, and he subtly sneaks his sonic screwdriver into the pocket of her coat as he acts as though he’s putting his protective arm across her body more, and he looks at the guards with a contemplative expression. “I have identification. If you would just let me reach into my pocket to take it out… you’ll see that we have every right to be here and that my niece here just got a little bit too curious. Family trait, curiousity, you see.”

Amelia blinks up at the Doctor. Niece? She is about to ask him what that’s all about, before she realizes that it’s just a clever lie. He’s lying, so they must really be in trouble, since he was very honest with her from the moment they met. Obediently, she keeps close to him, curiously eyeing the guards.

The guards exchange doubtful glances, but at last they gaze at the most aggressive one, the one who spoke up in the first place. Reluctantly, he spits, his weapon drawn. “Alright, but I’m warnin’ ya… Any funny business, and your niece there won’t be laughin’.” He says as he glares at Amelia, who gulps slightly, keeping close to her ‘uncle’.

(Source: crack-in-my-wall)

The Pond Dance

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