The Price of Fame

The Killing Ground Chapter 3

The Doctor was on the way to work. And she was certainly confused.

For one, the date. They were apparently in the 26th century. Humanity had barely gone out into space en masse by that time. Sure, there'd been a failed colonisation of Titan and a permanent civilization was being built on Mars, but nothing as large as an empire. When she'd reached the garage, an automatic car had been made ready for her, a car programmed with directions to the headquarters of the GBC, wherever that was. While initially very happy about this discovery, the Doctor had soon remembered that, although there had been lots of hype about self-driving cars on 21st century Earth, when they came out, people were very dissatisfied. Hackers had had a field day, breaking through the firewalls of the cars, driving them where they wanted to go or simply just crashing them. There'd been a public outcry in the year 2033 and the whole thing had been pulled from the market. Every automatic car was decommissioned. Yet, here one was. Another mystery for her to solve. Sure enough, the gate had opened automatically for her, like Brightside had said. But the Doctor couldn't shake off the feeling that she knew something she didn't. Plus, simply the name Brightside made her suspicious. People with overtly cheerful names made her feel that they were trying to compensate for something. She still wasn't sure what to make of her.

Suddenly, the car slowed down. Tyres screeching, the Doctor noticed that a man was crossing the road. The car had stopped just inches from him. Getting out of the car, the Doctor, slightly winded, said 'I'm so sorry. Just learning how to control it. Are you OK?'

'Yeah, should be.' he replied, brushing himself down. He was middle-aged, but still quite handsome. He was looking at her intently, as though he was sizing her up. 'When did you get here, Doctor?'

'Oh, around an hour ago, I think. For a Time Lady, I'm not really that good with actual time. Just travelling through it.'

'Do you like it?'

Slightly taken aback, the Doctor replied, 'Yeah, I do. Miss Brightside seems nice. They could cut down on the number of studios though. People don't need that many shows.'

'I'm glad you do. After all, you helped create it.' Suddenly, he thrust his arms around the Doctor in a bear hug. 'Thank you.' he murmured into her shoulder.

'What for?' she said back. His heart was beating fast, so it must be important, she thought.

'For doing this. Thanks to you, we saw the light. We cast aside our bigoted ways and embraced your teachings. Didn't a great woman once say that we are capable of the most incredible change?'

Flattered, the Doctor replied 'Suppose she did.'He finally let her go. 'I'm such a big fan of yours, Doctor. I know the stories they tell about you. The brave adventurer, fighting for justice across the universe. When I was young, I used to look around at the world and think, 'God, this sucks.' Discrimination was rife in those days. Racism, sexism, transphobia, the whole shebang. People like me dreamt of a better world. A world where everyone can be accepted. And, thanks to those stories, it's a reality.' A single tear rolled down his cheek. 'I'd better let you get on.' he said, wiping his cheek.

The Doctor, slightly embarrassed, turned to go back into the car. As she got in, she looked back and saw him fiddling with something. It looked like some sort of circuit, with a small button in the middle, connected by wires. He then pressed the button and vanished into thin air. She had recognised it, though. She now had an idea about who he was. And she didn't like it one bit.

Graham was watching TV when the doorbell rang. 'Unbelievable.' he muttered to himself. 'Ryan, look.'

Ryan got up from his armchair. 'What's up, Grandad?'