My Rival, My Doctor

Chapter 42

"Why won't you tell me?" Converse whined. It had apparently been thirty minutes since Celeste left which, according to Martha, was full of the Doctor freaking out over her.

"Because I'm pretty sure it'll cause the world to implode." Celeste rubbed her eyes tiredly. She hasn't gotten much sleep ever, but now, this whole dream thing is a new level.

"Have you've been sleeping?" he asked, inspecting her face.

"Sleep is for the weak," Celeste yawned and ignored the Doctor's lecture. She started up the TARDIS for New New York. The last time she was there, a stretched sheet of skin took over her body.

Celeste was concerned what would happen now. First time, she made a complete fool of herself.

The TARDIS landed with a thump. Martha burst out excitedly while the Time Lords followed cooly. Her face fell at the sight of a deserted alley and rain. "Oh, that's nice," she said teasingly, "Time Lord version of dazzling."

"Nah, bit of rain never hurt anyone," Celeste insisted, "Come on, let's get under cover!" They kept walking down the alley to a plywood ghetto.

"Well, it looks like the same old Earth to me," Martha sighed, "On a Wednesday afternoon."

"That was oddly specific."

The Doctor ignored them and whispered, "Hold on, hold on. Let's have a look." He soniced the monitor to get it working.

An anchorwoman appeared, reporting, "And the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New New Jersey expressway." The picture changed to a high tech Manhattan with flying cars.

"Oh, that's more like it. That's the view we had last time," the Doctor smiled at Celeste who vaguely nodded. He continued emotionlessly, "This must be the lower levels, down in the base of the tower. Some sort of under-city."

"You've brought me to the slums?"

"Much more interesting," he assured, "It's all cocktails and glitter up there. This is the real city."

"You'd enjoy anything," Celeste scoffed.

"That's me." The rain slowed to a drizzle. "Ah, the rain's stopping. Better and better."

"When you say last time, was that you two and Rose?" Celeste nodded.

The Doctor seemed more affected by the question. "Er, yeah. Yeah, it was, yeah."

"You're taking me to the same planets that you took her?"

"I am following advice from an unknown person who took Celeste," he defended himself. Celeste's nose crinkled. The smell was weird, almost superficial. Like chemicals. "Do you smell that?"

Before they answered, a stall containing a cheerful man sprang open. "Oh! You should have said," he said loudly, "How long you been there? Happy. You want Happy."

More hatches opened. "Customers. Customers! We've got customers!" More people started screaming moods to buy, but the happy person persisted, "Don't go to them. They'll rip you off. Do you want some happy?"

"No, thanks," she politely declined.

Martha whispered urgently, "Are they selling drugs?"

"I think they're selling moods." The Doctor looked around in disgust with Celeste.

"Same thing, isn't it?" More people entered the area, dressed in rags. A women approached a "pharmacist" and requested, "I want to buy Forget."

"I've got Forget, my darling. What strength?" He asked, "How much do you want forgetting?"