Intro-ish Post (With Options)

[not_the_question]

This Doctor had been getting settled in on board the Enterprise - well as much as he can. He still baulks at the jabs he had to be given, but since they didn't contain anything that was harmful to him, he allowed for them.

Now, he has an agenda. He knows the TARDIS is somewhere on board and now that he has a map and listings, he's going to go there to find it.


The Doctor is making his way down to the cargo hold, but going about it the long way around. May as well investigate the ship on his way. If he can get to the TARDIS, he won't be staying long anyway, so he might as well explore something new as he goes along.

It's all terribly human. Basic, really. And they think it's the best thing. About the only thing he's really interested in is this Q character. He doesn't mind humans most of the time. He just doesn't like being 'stuck' with them. And there's so much humanity here - with nothing to escape it.

B: TARDIS Cargo hold Plot: Open To All
After his adventure with Trever and his cat, the Doctor finally arrives at the cargo hold that is marked as containing the TARDIS. He sonics his way in (whether or not that was necessary) and looks around. Some of the items look familiar and others seem alien - even to him - which is saying something. It isn't long before he sees the TARDIS, standing there in all her glory. He confidently strides towards her. When he gets there, he gives a loving stroke to her. "Hello, Old Girl. Now, let's see about getting out of here."


The Doctor needed to vent his anger and frustration at not being able to get back to his own universe. So he made his way to the training room. He had told Clara he had cheated against Robin Hood with his archery skills. But that doesn't mean he's positively rubbish at it. He just wasn't sure of his aim at a ship with rotating bits. If he were to be perfectly honest, which he rarely is, he just needs a bit of practice. He was disappointed that he couldn't get into the Armoury, so he would have to make-do with one of the holodecks. Pity. It's never quite as good as the real thing. Now, if only someone else with archery skills were around. Nothing like a little bit of friendly competition when it comes to brushing up on skills.



{{OOC: I'm happy to backtag however long people are interested in playing with these plots.}}

Comments

[super_seal]

"Except they don't usually get stuck."

With a raised eyebrow at the Doctor's assumption of his lack of understanding, Steve listens. He'll admit he's never heard of the planet Gallifrey or the constellation of Kasterborous, but he does understand the implication. Had he met the man prior to his experience here on the Enterprise he would have thought the man crazy, but now... Well now it just makes sense.

"What was so hard about any of that to understand?" Steve asks, but doesn't really expect an answer back. "The Doctor? Is that your name or your professional title? In which case, the doctor of what?"

"Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, US Navy SEAL. Human. Planet Earth in the Milky Way Galaxy where the year is 2012. And no where near as old as you, although you do look remarkably well for your age! Is that Time Lord thing?"

[not_the_question]

The Doctor quirks his lips at the observation about the TARDIS. "I can never seem to get around to fixing it."

Except there was that one time in his Sixth body... and he was very glad when she went back to the box. He skips the question that was clearly rhetorical. But at the question about his name, "Both. And I'm a doctor of everything."

He means it literally. When Steve introduces himself, the Doctor is clearly conflicted. "Soldier. I don't like soldiers."

On principle. But the way Steve introduced himself reminds the Doctor of Donna. "The body? Sort of. But this body is fairly new. Only about a year or two on it."

[super_seal]

"You must like it the way it is then." Steve pauses and tilts his head, curious. "Or is it that she likes it that way?"

Steve accepts the answer of Doctor of everything. Being a bit of a science geek himself, if he lived to be over two thousand years old he can easily imagine how much knowledge he'd have built up in that time. Not that he claims himself to a doctor of anything but he's definitely useful in most situations.

"I'm not a soldier, I'm a SEAL." Some might argue that's just semantics but to Steve there's a huge difference. "What don't you like about soldiers?"

"So you're like a lizard too." It's not a question or insult, simply an observation.

[not_the_question]

"Probably a bit of both. I've grown quite fond of it."

Yes, he's secretly still trying to stroke her a bit from behind his back. But, probably best not to bring attention to that. His next set of questions are rapid-fire, he doesn't give Steve a change to answer because he already knows the answers.

"Does SEAL still stand for Sea, Air, and Land teams? Is the Navy still Military? Do you carry and use weapons? You're close enough to being a soldier for me."

Funny, he never really called Danny a Soldier - always P.E., but that was probably more for Clara's sake than his own.

"And I don't like them because I've seen more war than you can ever dare to think about. I will not have it brought to my doorstep again."

Mostly it's because his generated Daughter, Jenny, was right. He's a proper general, when he has to be. Soldiers just bring that facet to the front and he hates himself for it.

"I'm more like a caterpillar, only without needing a cocoon."

Not quite true, but really, close enough for humans.

[super_seal]

To Steve the TARDIS just looks like a dressed-up phone booth, but he figures to each his own. It's clear to see that the Doctor thinks she's something pretty special, even if he can't get the door open.

"If she's a living creature," Steve asks with curiosity, "Why can't she open the door for you?"

Thinking on that for a moment, Steve eventually shrugs. "I guess I don't look at it that way. As a SEAL my job is to protect and to neutralize threats, preferably without combat. Not that combat doesn't happen but we generally shut it down as quickly as it starts up. Nobody likes the idea of war, but someone has to stop the terrorists."

With a tilt of his head, a smirk crosses Steve's face. "So you're saying you turn into a butterfly?" He might not have quite caught the correct implication of the metaphor used.

[not_the_question]

"That is the question of the hour. Something - or someone is preventing her from having control over herself. That's a massively strong creature. I can only guess it has to do with this 'Q' people have been talking about."

And he sounds like he really dislikes Q without having to meet him. He chuckles drily at the mention of terrorists. "You make horror movies called Alien you think each other are the greatest terrorist around... and then you wonder why everyone keeps invading you. It'd be nice if just once you all could work together and make my job a little easier."

He rolls his eyes at the mention of turning into a butterfly. "No. Like a caterpillar, I change entirely. This is my Twelfth Body. Apparently there are a few of my earlier selves running around, because these TARDISes are not from my time."

[super_seal]

"That would be my guess too." Steve shrugged. "Q sounds like a petulant toddler who's not interested in giving up any of his toys." And if what the Doctor says is true and the TARDIS would be able to leave this place, it makes sense to Steve that Q cut off that avenue.

"Uh..." Steve's not even sure where to start with that, but one word does stand out against the rest. "Did you say invaded?" That hasn't happened where he's from. At least not to his knowledge and he'd think that'd be a fairly widely known thing.

"Oh. I see. Twelve? And earlier you's are here?" Steve has to frown at that as he tries to imagine running into an younger version of himself.

[not_the_question]

"Yes. Invaded. Oh, well. You might not know about it in your time. Humans have a funny way of forgetting things. Except the fear. You always remember the fear."

He sighs. "Yes. Earlier mes... and in this case they do look younger than me. But that's not always the case."

[super_seal]

Frowning, Steve is fairly certain that if his world had been invaded, he'd have known something about it.

"The fear...? Uh..." He shakes his head. "I think maybe we're from different... realities...? Is that the right word? Or dimension... Or whatever."

"Younger than you but not look like you, right? There are younger you's that look older?"

[not_the_question]

The Doctor chuckles softly. "We might be from different universes. Doesn't mean that your Earth has never been invaded. I've spent a majority of my lives protecting that little planet. It would be difficult to convince me of a place where Earth hasn't been a least visited."

Doesn't matter. Other than no one ever knows the amount of work he does. That's good, it makes his work easier when no one knows...

"One or two. This is nearly the oldest I've ever appeared."

[super_seal]

That is a very scary thought. The last thing Steve thinks his planet needs is an outside threat. They have enough issues trying to keep the ones currently living there in order.

"So you don't age?" Steve can do the math, twelve bodies over two thousand years means the Doctor can live in a body much longer than a human but if he's only been this old once or twice... He's not trying to be nosey, but simply understand. Steve is nothing if not very, very curious.

Steve's curiosity brings him to another question. "So beside the body swapping and how old you live, is there anything else that makes you different from humans? I assume for the time and space travel you need the TARDIS, or is that not the case?"

[not_the_question]

"Oh I age. I should've been clearer. This is the oldest I've been when 'starting out.' I'll only get older until I regenerate."

He grimaces. He hadn't thought of it like that. And it's not a comforting thought. He considers the last set of questions.

"Not the question. The question is: What makes you different from Time Lords. We came first."

It's tough being the last of the Oldest and Most Mighty Race in the universe.

"Well she's not necessary. I mean, there are other ways. But the TARDIS is like a sports car and most other methods are like space hoppers."

Having travelled in ways other than by TARDIS, he's developed very strong opinions on the matter.

[super_seal]

"That makes this time a rather short turn around doesn't it?" If he's only regenerated twelve times it can't be that much fun.

Steve shrugs at that. Details. "Okay, how am I different from you?"

"But still you can't do it on your own." Steve tilts his head and looks at the TARDIS. He'd really like to get a look inside.

[not_the_question]

Have a glare from the Doctor. "If I take care of it properly, I can easily live for over 400 years in one body."

He always had run through his bodies rather quickly. But on to science. "You only have one heart, for starters. You can't see time or how it fluctuates. Most of your species has lost telepathic abilities. I could go on, but I think that gives you a good enough idea."

And he's just not even going to acknowledge that last one. Because, he proved that he doesn't have access to the TARDIS - against both of their wills. And that just hurts.