Doctor Who: Mind and Body

Chapter 1: The Turning Point

"You need a holiday!"

Bouncing around the central console of the TARDIS, the Doctor addressed his companion Amy - and her partner, Rory - through an ear-wide smile of unrestrained glee. His enthusiasm was obvious, born not so much from the gesture of giving the betrothed pair some quality couple time - as genuine as that gesture was - but from the wonder they'd share when those blue doors would next open. Years of travel across time and space had quickly revealed him as one who lived for the journey, but seeing amazement and awe in the eyes of those who lived for the destination? That was what he truly lived for.

Rory eyes darted to and fro, barely keeping up with the Doctor's rapid movements but trying to meet them regardless. "You, uh, just gave us one," he reminded him. "Venice?"

"I mean a real holiday," the Doctor replied. "Fish from space? Not that romantic. Forget fish from space - in fact, forget Venice! What about a planet made entirely of canals? All canals, pole to pole! Or a world that's set under the eternal light of three moons - great nightlife, save for the werewolves. Oh - oh! - what about a place where the flowers actually talk to you? Like one of those electronic greeting cards, except alive and conscious and with feelings and..." He stopped to bite his lip in realisation. "No, let's not do that. Not unless you want to get arrested for planticide and sentenced by a daffodil."

Amy approached the TARDIS console and casually draped her fingers over its intricate array of controls. "Doesn't this thing do 'normal', Doctor? What about somewhere that keeps the plants quiet, the moons singular, and the canals to a minimum?"

The Doctor looked at her. "You mean somewhere boring."

"I mean somewhere nice! Somewhere simple!" Amy wandered over to Rory and draped herself on his shoulder. "Being with this lug won't count for much if the natives of Planet Crazy Caves have our heads on a pike."

"Oh, come on!" the Doctor urged. "Where's your sense of adventure? You're young, able-bodied, relatively sound of mind, and - need I remind you - in a time machine that can take you anywhere and anywhen you want! What about roller coasters? Do you like roller coasters? Because I know of a place where-"

"Doctor," interjected Rory, cutting into his momentum. "I - I mean, we - do appreciate the thought, but I for one am still processing the whole space fish thing. I get that adventure is part and parcel of being in a place that's bigger on the inside, and I'm totally on board with that, but for the moment can't we go somewhere that's a little more, you know..." He searched for the right word, a more diplomatic word, before settling on one that bluntly said it all: "Safe?"

The Doctor stared at Rory as his enthusiasm was quickly replaced by a crestfallen defeat. Rory noticed the shift in demeanour and immediately regretted his lead balloon interruption.

"Just this once, though!" he offered, attempting to salvage the situation. "You know, ease the new boy in a bit, before you whack him with the paddle of alien hi-jinks?"

"I'll buy you an ice cream?" added Amy, also pitching in to lift the Doctor's sagging spirits.

Eyes jumping between the pair, the Doctor weighed up the options in his head. "Ice cream..." He paused, then tiptoed through his next breath. "I... know of a place where the mountains are made of ice cream?"

Simultaneously, Amy and Rory smiled, which the Doctor took as an immediate answer. "We have a winner!" he declared, raising both fists above his head in a victorious pump and instantly regaining his former energy. He rapidly flicked and twisted a new destination into the TARDIS controls. "It's a bit of a longer trip - have to loop us through the Krutahn Nebulla and back around Cyclovorp 4485 - but believe me, the Mellow Banana and Toffee Grape will make it all worth it!"

He heaved down on a lever and straightaway the TARDIS rocked with a sudden change in momentum, throwing Amy and Rory off their feet and causing them to flail desperately at each other for support. Wobbly legs and a knotted stomach meant that Rory was the one seeking extra balance, and Amy provided it as best she could. The Doctor, meanwhile, was still working the controls, seemingly charting his course on the fly as mid-trip adjustments were accompanied by jolts and jabs that rocked the three of them around like pebbles in a bottle.

Eventually the movement subsided, and the TARDIS thumped to a halt. The Doctor inspected the monitor, tapping it with a curled finger. "Close enough," he said. He continued to talk as he jaunted down the ramp towards the TARDIS doors. "Few years out, no biggie. Some of the better slopes will have melted, but on the upside, think how the rivers will taste! Here's hoping we won't have to wait until next seas-"

He opened the door but barely completed a single step outwards before stopping mid-sentence, mid-movement. Mid-thought. His hearts lunged in his chest with a cold echo at the horrible sight before him.

Dead bodies.

Dozens of dead bodies littered a brilliant white ceramic floor, surrounded by equally white walls curving up to meet a ceiling dotted with tiny nozzles. Dozens of dead bodies, slumped and draped over and into each other where gravity caused them to fall. All of them wearing the same grey uniform, their mouths all featuring the same tell-tale tendrils.

Dozens of dead bodies. All of them Ood.

They were in a room, totally enclosed, and on the far wall was a long windowed panel, its clear glass revealing what appeared to be a control room on the other side... and one very confused man staring right at the Doctor.

Somehow, he remembered to breathe.

"This..." the Doctor whispered, "...this is not ice cream."