oo1 | video

[neverginger]

[A device clicks on, and a face appears on the network: a thin one with a large nose and brown messy hair. And glasses. Needs the glasses to see, you know. He grins, all teeth.]

Alright, then, this is neat, isn't it!

[He's not really saying that to anyone in particular. Don't worry, happens all the time. You'll know if he's speaking to you directly. Most likely.]

Never seen this before. Well, seen things like it, but nothing's ever quite the same in two places, yeah? Bit rubbish that everything in here's made of wood, makes my screwdriver a bit obsolete, but still...

[He laughs, and steps back from the device, standing with his hands on his hips. He's in his suite in the Wood Sector. Pretty nice place, if you ignore the lack of sonic-ing abilities.]

Right. So. I'm the Doctor, just the Doctor, thank you, and I suppose I was brought here, same as all of you. Now who's got something interesting to tell me about their time here?

[A pause, and time to ruminate over a question that's been in his mind since he got here.]

And does anyone know what this planet's base is? Doesn't seem like most other ones. A bit harder, strange in places. What's it made from?

Comments

[neverginger]

What?

[A Manhattan invasion? Robots on backs?? What's he on about?]

Not from the past, no. From all over the place.

What d'you mean, space whales?

[Has he asked that already? He can't remember.]

[hammer]

All over the place like Earth? Or everywhere? Because around here, it could really be either.

[ As for the space whales, Justin just waves an impatient hand. Figuring this guy out's starting to become more interesting than talking about his life. ]

Aliens. Giant portals. Who knows. It's not my bag.

[neverginger]

As in all of time and space.

[Which isn't technically true, because he does have a home planet, but he doesn't want to talk about it.]

Giant portals? Space whales came through giant portals to invade Manhattan? I'm sorry I missed that!

[hammer]

So what, that means you're another guy with powers?

[ Being someone without powers sucks. At least to Justin's way of looking at the world. ]

You know people died when that happened, right? It's not really something to be sorry you missed.

[neverginger]

Not really, no, not so much my powers. Just the screwdriver and the TARDIS.

[Really, he can only see all of time and space in his head. All time lords can do that, it's nothing special.]

I suppose people die every day, but we can't save them all, now can we?

[It doesn't mean he can't try.]

[hammer]

No. We can't. Most people aren't that practical though.

[ There is it again. Screwdriver. And what the hell's a TARDIS? ]

What's a TARDIS?

[neverginger]

Most people aren't me.

[He grins.]

Time and Relative Dimension in Space.

[A beat.]

Space ship. Bigger on the inside.

[hammer]

[ He thinks about that for a moment, mulling it over until he thinks he has it. ]

So basically you fly around in outer space in Mary Poppin's bag?

[neverginger]

Wh--

[He stops a moment, considering. Well...]

Well, I suppose i that sort of crude interpretation helps, then yeah.

[hammer]

[ And he thought living on a turtle was weird. ]

Why do you do that?

[neverginger]

[And a frown.]

What d'you mean, why do I do that? It's-- it's my job, my purpose! That's like asking fire why it burns or Russia why it's cold!

You can't just ask my why I do that, please.

[hammer]

How am I ever going to learn anything if I don't ask questions?

We don't have that kind of technology where I come from. Far as I know, we don't have anyone who travels through space for the hell of it. How could I not ask?

[neverginger]

Oh.

[Well, he's happy to answer any specific questions.]

I'm a Time Lord. We explore the universe and visit other worlds and.... learn about them.

[hammer]

What's a Time Lord? Is that a colloquial title or a literal one? Can you manipulate time?

[neverginger]

Ah, Time Lords are an alien race. Who travel through time. I can only travel through the time-stream and visit other places. I can't change major points.

See, there are certain points in time that are locked-- a set point, set events that must happen because the whole of the universe relies on their existence. Everything else I see in my head is pretty malleable otherwise I suppose, yeah.

[hammer]

How do you know what's a set point and what isn't?

[ And why are the aliens always cooler than humans? Sure, the bug things that attacked New York weren't cool, but they had cool tech and they came with flying whales. This guy doesn't look like the flying whale type, but he's talking about spaceships and time machines and manipulating time. Humans can't do that. ]

Have you ever changed anything? How do you know if you do? Doesn't that create a paradox?

[neverginger]

[He shrugs.]

All in my head. Can tell what's a fixed point and what isn't. You met Jack Harkness, yet? He's a fixed point. Means he can't die. Can't be changed.

[Sorry, Jack, giving away your secrets...]

Some things can create a paradox yeah, but mostly I stop others from trying to change history and things. It's easier if you don't think of time as linear.

[hammer]

I don't. I think of it as all happening now. A big eternal now that we just perceive as linear because our brains can't deal with everything at once.

[ Which doesn't explain how time can be changed. But there have been so many warnings about it, like there are about AI, that Justin just assumes that it can be and that the results are always overwhelmingly bad. ]

Is that what the superheroes are, then? The ones that can't die. Fixed points in time?

[neverginger]

Good then, cause that's mostly what it is. A big mess of timelines that all intersect and go off different places. Doesn't make much sense, really.

[And time can be changed! It's not cyclical either, it's just-- it's very hard to explain. Justin seems very smart, but the Doctor doesn't know how to make it intelligibile. For anyone. He hardly understands it, really.]

Mmm, depends on the hero, I'd think. But I'd say no-- Fixed point is more...wrong when it's a person. Aren't supposed to be many of them. Things like Pompeii, that's a fixed point. Necessary for the evolution of human life, and the like. People being fixed points....isn't.

[hammer]

So you're like the gardener. Of time.

[ It's a little simplistic, maybe, but suggesting that he's like a janitor seems like it will fall too short of the mark. ]

You inspect the timeline. Keep the pests out and stop them from destroying the place. Keep everything in working order, that kind of thing. Right?

[neverginger]

[He mouths the word 'gardener', looking and feeling very confused.]

Never heard it put quite like that, but ... sure.

[He shrugs. Whatever gets you through the day, Justin.]

And what is it that you do?

[hammer]

I'm a weapons designer. Or I was before I came here. Now I do bookkeeping.

[ Not quite the same field, but it pays the bills and he's good at math. ]

[neverginger]

Weapons, eh?

[He's not going to ask what type. He's just glad they're not being made any longer.]

Bookkeeping for what?

[hammer]

Another foreigner here. She started up a business and needed a hand. I figured I'd lend a hand. I'm good with numbers.

[ He's so not going to try to explain a Companion to someone. ]

[neverginger]

Numbers, right. You'd have to be, to design weapons, I imagine.

[He could understand the basic principle, thanks.]