All of Space and Time

Chapter Eight: Great Minds

The Doctor opened her eyes as the light finally faded from her vision. "Uh, I'm getting 19th century?" She asked more so to herself as her time sense started coming into focus. "Early, with a touch of mid." As the seconds ticked on her time sense came back better and better. "Top notes, London. Steam? Why am I getting steam?"

"Nations will cower in fear as my steam gun fires 1,000 bearings per minute." A man called at one end of the room. As the Doctor gained focus she continued to listen.

"See the mouse survived! Inside our revolutionary diving bell!" As she finally came back to her senses she realized one thing. She sat up quickly and realized Ada had done the same.

"It worked!"
"It worked!" They both exclaimed at the same time.

"Miss Gordon," a man asked bending down to help her up. "Are you recovered?"

"I am, thank you." She replied as he help her to her feet. The Doctor on the other hand climbed to her feet herself.

"I am too, thanks for asking." The Doctor added.

"Madam, this gallery is full of the extraordinary, but your apparition just now was..." He paused taking in a breath thinking. "Impossible, how did you do it?"

She looked around the room as men and woman all stopped and stared at her. "Er.." an idea came to her head. "I'm bound never to reveal my secrets. Go about your day knowing you may tell people you were privileged to witness, the marvelous apparating man— Lady!" She corrected. "Apparating Lady!" The whole room erupted into applause. She walked up to the man who helped up Ada. "The year, right now, would be what?"

"The year, madam, remains 1834." He replied slightly confused.

"Yeah.." The Doctor took a few steps away to have a moment to herself. From the look and feel of this place she was still in her universe, but she was trapped here, you were presumably still with the others in the 21st century. Even if you had the Tardis, how would you be able to find her? "Marooned in the 19th century..." She looked off into the distance. "Hold on in there, fam." She muttered. A small smile came to her face as she pictured you standing there telling her off for using Fam again.

The Doctor turned and started walking around the room looking at all of the machines and inventions many of these people have created. Maybe one of these could help her send a message to you in the future, or be picked up on the Tardis's sensors to let you know where she was. She couldn't use her sonic, it was a short range dog whistle, meaning it was useless here. "Now that we are safe, Doctor." Ada began as she followed the Doctor. "Will you reveal a little more concerning how we came to meet in that place?" The Doctor touched one of the machines and it gave her a shock. It wasn't major, for her at least. In fact it reminded her of the Tardis when she got mad. "And indeed, who you are?"

The Doctor thought about giving a clever lie to cover her tracks and not tread to much on history, but decided against it. All she wanted was to get back to you, and stop the Master from doing whatever it was he was planning. "I'm a traveler in space and time. I was in the middle of dealing with a planet threatening conspiracy." She said as she walked along. Ada at her heels, and Ada's friend at hers. "Two centuries from now when I was attacked by an old enemy." The Doctor explained as she picked up and touched every piece of equipment she could get her hands on. "And exiled to the place where I found you."

"Im not a fool, Doctor." Ada said with a slight irritated tone in her voice.

"And I'm not treating you as one." The Doctor said matching her serious tone. Her face grew more stern as she looked Ada in the eyes. "This conspiracy involves those creatures you think are your guardians. They're in alliance with a renegade from my home planet and a 21st century tech inventor. 186 years from now, they're assassinating spies, and I'm stuck here!" She called growing more frustrated at the situation as time ticked on. "Without my Tardis, without my..." she paused, she was already revealing too much, last thing she needed was to create more obstacles for herself. She shook her head, wishing you were here with her. You could help her keep a level head, you were always good at that. She took in a calming breath. "I need to find my way back before—"