Doctor Who: Untold

Plugged In: Chapter 1, Meravelle Market

"Here we are: Meravelle Market, Podrazia-9" said the Doctor to Rose.

He gently pushed the TARDIS door open and leaned against the railing, smirking as though he knew just how amazed she would be even though she had seen more of the universe now than most of humanity. She had been planning on sidling out of the door all cool and relaxed as he usually did – with the attitude of someone with all the time in the world – but as per usual, excitement got the better of her. That was one of the things he loved about Rose. The wonder never wore off for her. She hurried towards the door, a grin spreading across her face, and leapt out onto the street of a brand new planet.

The street was much emptier than she had expected – in fact there were no creatures, alien or otherwise, to be seen. The sky seemed dark and overcast, but light enough to be day. To her left and right stretched rows upon rows of empty, worn-down looking stalls and small, barren shops. She was about to question the Doctor when suddenly a bright purple ring of light formed around her feet, as though projected onto the floor. Surprised, she turned to look at the Doctor to check that this was normal, that she was safe. He stepped out of the TARDIS and stood next to her, and she watched as a ring of light formed around his feet as well.

"Doctor, what's happening?" She asked – more curious than worried now.

"They're scanning us to see if we're a threat. You know, looking up our records," He responded. "Don't you think there's something a little off about the street we're on?" He gave her a look that said he knew she had noticed.

"Yeah... looks a bit like London. Well, actually it looks exactly like a backstreet in London near the shop I used to work at before you came and whisked me away," Rose replied, smirking at the Doctor a little. "Why is that? Is it some sort of... disguise or something?"

"Exactly! Market security system. We're basically in the foyer of a hotel or the welcome desk to a theme park. We're being signed in."

Rose's purple circle disappeared as the Doctor finished speaking, and the words "Welcome, Rose" appeared in front of her feet. As they did, the world around her began to change.

Shards of reality started to flicker, starting from beneath her and working their way up around her body, replacing the muggy London street bit by bit as though switching worlds in a video game. The skeletal frames of old market stalls remained, but suddenly they were dressed in rich, colourful fabrics and bright signs. The shops were open now, piled high at their entrances with all sorts of alien wares, boxes of ship parts, fruits, baked goods, and clothing – from what Rose could tell. Even the sky changed from its gloomy British complexion to a glorious sky blue that tapered to a sunset yellow on the horizon, and two planets sat in the sky to accompany its burning blue-white sun. Rose took in the view, her smile growing wider, before looking back at the Doctor in disbelief. She was sure that this feeling would never get old. The Doctor grinned back as his own purple circle disappeared.

"So, how does this work then? Like, how did they manage to figure out I'm from London and then simulate it like that?" Rose asked.

"Well, it's basically just a big bunch of technology. They scan whoever arrives on the planet, research their history, and simulate somewhere they think that person will feel comfortable while they wait to get into the market."

"Right. So we were still on the planet, we just couldn't see the market?"

"Technically, yes. But- here," he gestured to a large pile of fruit in a basket at the front of a stall. They were green and knobbly and about the size of Rose's head. With an inquisitive look to the Doctor, she let go of him and reached out to pick up one of the fruit, but her hands went straight through it. The shop owner, an alien that looked like an amalgamation between a fish, a human, and a dinosaur, let out what Rose interpreted as a disgruntled pigeon sound, only louder.

"...Sorry" Rose said, stepping back and linking her arm again with the Doctor's.

"So... we can see the market, but not touch it."

The Doctor smiled.

"Basically. They keep everyone in their own little bubble. We can see and hear the people around us, and once we've paid for an item it'll be transported into our bubble, but we can only touch the structures right now – shop doors, chairs..." The Doctor bent down and picked up a single, dirty sock from the floor,

"random... sock, apparently." He threw the sock back to the floor and dusted off his hand on his jacket, making a face at Rose. She laughed as they wandered on, keeping to one side to let the hurried crowds by.

"And people of course. We still need to watch where we're walking. But there's a non-violence code here – if anyone gets into a fight they'll be automatically removed from the market. Anyways, the bubbles prevent stealing. Brilliant if you ask me."

"Yeah, that's amazing. Safest market in the galaxy!" Replied Rose. She thought for a moment before adding

"But then if we can't steal anything, why would they bother making sure we don't have a history of it? You know, by scanning us?"

"Well, there's a reason this market is so high security. You can sell pretty much anything here. That scanner at the start wasn't scanning us for violent histories, it was making sure we're not police."

A thought occurred to her then; if the welcome foyer or whatever it was had shown her London, her home, then might it have shown the Doctor his home? Might he have seen Galifrey for a split second? She allowed silence to settle between them as she mulled over the thought of asking him. She continued to take in the sights around her, and she let the thought drift from her mind. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the brilliant sky, she could see taller buildings in the distance of all shaped and sizes, some emitting pulsating light from their windows in varying colours, others seemingly built from shards of glass and metal, with pieces sticking out that she assumed were from old space ships. Each building had its own colony of signs boasting sales and prices, slogans and bargains, and some even advertising gambles and bets. She began to wonder how far the market stretched. Perhaps it covered the entire planet.

As she was admiring the view, Rose could've sworn that one of the planets in the sky had begun to laugh. She couldn't hear it, but out of the corner of her eye, a large spot on its surface seemed to contort into a gaping smile. She looked up to see it more directly but just as quickly, it had gone.