Doctor Who Short Trips - Volume 1

Year of the Mammoth - Part 1

The sky was a shining blue in the colorful city of New Berlin, with rays of sunlight reflecting and sparkling across the tall, sleek, futuristic skyscrapers. Puffs of white cotton specked the firmament above, but more prominent were the flying vehicles that zipped back and forth every which way. In the midst of the blissful electronic hum which permeated the city, a rough and violent sound disrupted the calm of every day life, repeating its ugly noise until it finally came to a halt with an unpleasant thump. Despite all this, the buzzing routine of the environment beyond this odd object went on.

From the source of the disorderly growl there emerged a man, on the shorter side in regards to height, wearing an old fashioned coat and a quaint bowtie just below his neck. Following this oddity of a fellow, there came another strangely attired man, this one wearing ancient highland dress, and behind him, a young woman in a tightly fit outfit that went even beyond the acceptable style of the time period in which these newcomers had arrived. There the irregular medley stood and gazed around in awe, in front of the peculiar blue box which had parked itself upon the balcony of one of the shorter highrises of the metropolis. The bowtied fellow scratched his chin intuitively.

"Yes, it must be..." he trailed off. The man addressed his companions. "Jamie and Zoe, welcome to New Berlin! The jewel of Europe, and really the whole planet."

"Doctor!" exclaimed Zoe with amazement. "It's remarkable! We must be much later on in Earth's history."

"Yes, you're quite right," responded the Doctor with a cheeky smile. "This is the year 2120, and do I have something ever so special to show you two," he said, almost giddy with excitement.

"Aye, Doctor," Jamie returned, not as enthusiastically. "But it better not be just another one of your scientific gizmos! Last time you wanted to show us somethin' 'special,' we got into a pretty nasty bout with those, what'd you call 'em, 'andoids'?"

"Androids, Jamie," Zoe corrected.

"Aye, those! Nasty bunch, got the rear end of me fist real good, they did."

"Now, now, there's no need to be worried this time," the Doctor reassured. "We're perfectly safe; as a matter of fact, we've arrived in what is regarded as one of the most peaceful periods in Earth's history, which is really quite saying something for this planet."

"Oi, not funny Doctor!" Jamie protested. Zoe giggled.

"Now then!" exclaimed the Doctor, clasping his hands together in an excessively wide motion. "How we actually get to our destination, is another question entirely. Shall we head inside?"

The Doctor immediately began walking briskly, with quite the pep in his step, not waiting for an answer from his companions. The travellers followed the Doctor through sliding glass doors into a vacant, roomy apartment. They continued onwards, not without admiring the immaculate condition of the futuristic interior as they went, and entered a broad, white hallway with chill blue lights illuminating it.

Ahead and to the right of the travellers, a worker was scrubbing the pristine floors. The Doctor strode up to to the man and gave him a friendly tap on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, sir, but I was wondering if you could kindly direct my friends and I to the nearest Airbus terminal," he inquired with a kind smile.

The cleaning man turned around, only to reveal itself to be no man at all, but rather a machine.

"Greetings, stranger," it responded, tilting its head to the side. Zoe was intrigued. Jamie, on the other hand, was not.

"Andoid!" he screamed immediately, running forward with the intention of giving the metal man a good pounding on its unmoving, pearly white face.

The Doctor quickly reached out to hold his friend back.

"Jamie, stop it!" yelled Zoe. "He seems friendly."

"Yes, quite right," confirmed the Doctor, straightening out his clothing, a little shaken from Jamie's outburst. Jamie remained standing next to the Doctor, glaring at the robot.

The Doctor went on. "Ahem, pardon my friend here, he's had a bit of a poor experience with some people who happened to look just slightly similar to yourself," said the Doctor, addressing the robot with an apologetic smile.

"Oh, it is quite alright, sir. I am here to assist in any way I am capable to," replied the robot. "I am just one of many Assistants of the HELP Coporation, but you may call me Assistant One-Five-Three-Nine," informed the Assistant, apparently enjoying the Doctor's company. "And you are, stranger?"

"Oh, you may call me the Doctor, how do you do," responded the Doctor with a smile, reaching out a hand. The Assistant took it and gave a firm shake, again tilting his head kindly. Zoe looked on with keen fascination. Jamie had calmed down somewhat, but still looked wary.

"It is not often that I encounter such a... courteous client, The Doctor. You see, I quite enjoy socializing, but so many are in a hurry these days, or I suppose it has always been this way, but... ah, I can see I've become distracted." One-Five-Three-Nine spoke in a kind, soft, but mechanical voice.

"Oh, it's quite alright," interjected the Doctor, intrigued by this Assistant-1539 individual.

The android continued. "You can find an Airbus terminal five floors down from here, and a lift to get you there just down this hallway," pointed the Assistant. "I do hope you get to where you are going, The Doctor. If you ever require further aid, please do not hesitate to ask any othrr HELP Assistant you may find," concluded One-Five-Three-Nine. To top it all off, a holographic projection of a smile emerged from the robot's otherwise still face, much to the Doctor's enjoyment.

"Thank you, kind sir! It's been a real pleasure. Come along, Jamie; you too, Zoe. We have a convention to get to!"

Jamie began to move slowly past the Assistant, watching it carefully as he went along. Zoe, on the other hand, walked forward briskly, purposefully grabbed Jamie's arm, and began dragging him along with mock exasperation. The Doctor had already made his way down most of the hall.

His two companions had to run to catch him up. "What an interesting machine!" remarked Zoe.

"Yes, quite!" agreed the Doctor. "Although it's strange, I don't remember them being here on my last visit."

"Perhaps you just forgot, Doctor?" suggested Jamie. "Happens to the best of us, y'know."

"No, not likely, I'm afraid," the Doctor answered. "I'm not one to forget such things. I'm not looking that old, am I Jamie?"

They'd now reached the lift One-Five-Three-Nine referenced. "But it's hardly important," the Doctor smiled reassuringly. "Let's just hope the TARDIS hasn't overshot our destination somewhat..."

"Oh, that'd be a real treat," said Jamie, rolling his eyes.

"And it'd hardly be anything new, would it, Doctor," added Zoe.

"Really, there is no need to worry," reiterated the Doctor, waving his hand to dismiss the idea but smiling nervously nevertheless. "I'm sure we're precisely where we need to be."