The Stowaway

Chapter 2: The Malfunction

The Doctor woke up on the cold, hard floor of the Tardis. He tried to stand up, forgetting his injury. He felt a sharp twinge of pain, and it all came back to him. The Daleks, the gas pipes, the explosion. 'I'll really have to check on that,' he thought to himself, 'but first things first.'

He grabbed the railing and hoisted himself up on one foot. He managed to hop over to the doors and open them. The TARDIS had landed on some vacant beach. The Doctor let out a little sigh of relief. "Ah, safe on earth."

His moment of peace was soon interrupted, for behind him he heard a zap and smelled smoke. He turned to find that the console was sparking like a firework. "Oh, give me a break, would you?!" the Doctor shouted exasperatedly.

He quickly hobbled back into the TARDIS and started frantically pushing buttons in an attempt to stop the meltdown "Come on now girl, cooperate with me here," he muttered. Nothing was working! The Doctor stepped back and leaned himself against the railing, staring at the console in awe. It had started to glow a pale blue.

The glow slowly turned from dim to brighter than a pair of headlights. The Doctor shielded his eyes with one hand and craned his head the other way. There was a final bang and a spark and the glow died down. He cautiously turned his head back around. What came to his eyes when he looked around confused him even more.

A girl, about 15 or 16 by the look of it, was crumpled up on the floor. She had wavy brown hair and a long, white, draping dress on under a black cloak. "Right. Okay. That's new." The Doctor said to himself, not quite sure what had happened. Normally, if someone was lost and found their way into the TARDIS, he would just take them back home. But he had no idea who the girl was or where she had come from.
He went over to the girl and nudged her and said "Oi, are you ok?" She didn't answer. The Doctor checked to make sure she was still breathing, which she was. He also listened for her heartbeat. It sounded a bit irregular.

"You'd better get some rest, young lady," he said to her.

He was still too weak to pick her up and put her on a cot, and besides, even if he had the strength, how was he supposed to carry her and hop on one foot to a place where she could sleep? The best he could do was place a blanket over her and a pillow under her head. "I guess I'm going to have to take care of you for now, given the circumstances," he mumbled.

When he was finished tucking her in, and began to limp away, she quietly groaned and said "Father......" The Doctor looked at her. Her eyes were still closed. Her hand moved a little, but other than that, nothing. "Must be dreaming," he presumed.