Soul's Shadow (Doctor Who - SI)

Part I (V)

I let out a frustrated sigh after the tenth turn or so. The Doctor's directions weren't that helpful. Especially with my short-term memory and a sense of direction that were both quasi non-existent.

And it also didn't help that this bloody ship was ridiculously huge.

It was fascinating that all of this actually fitted into this tiny blue box. But it was also annoying when you needed a toilet... seriously.

A light hum in the air made me look up and around, but nothing was there that could be the origin. Maybe just the engines?

But then it was back, closer to my ear and it sounded... questioningly? I tilted my head in confusion, trying to find out what this could mean. My hand reached out to poke the air in front of me. Just in case there was something invisible.

Nothing.

"Hello?" I tried and the hum returned, a little louder. "Eh, okay, I'm talking to air." This time the hum sounded... amused. I startled and glanced around once again, but with the same result. "Someone there? Are you some board computer, maybe?" And quieter I added, "If so, can you lead the way? I'm a little lost in here."

Immediately a thin line of golden light appeared before my feet, leading me around a corner, where I saw a bunch of doors... changing. Where one had been an alien looking metal before, it was now an ordinary wood door. Carefully I opened it and peeked in, sighing relived when I found an ordinary bathroom inside.

"Thank you!" I said to the air and vanished inside to finally release my bladder and splash some water in my face. Back outside I listened for the weird hum. "Can... you lead me back to the Doctor? That would be nice of you."

The golden light appeared again and I couldn't help but smile widely at it. This definitely was some cool tech! Way better than Google Maps!

Back in the control room I found the Doctor tinkering with a weird looking monitor. He wore a pair of glasses and made a face as if nothing in the world would be able to distract him from whatever he was doing. But as soon as I entered the room he spun around and gave me a warm smile.

"Good, you're back!"

"Yeah, your board computer was quite helpful."

He raised both eyebrows. "I don't have one."

"Great..." I sighed, strolled over and let me fall into the jump seat. "I'm on an alien space ship and I talked to a ghost. That's not weird. Not at all.... nope." I chuckled, finding the whole situation way funnier than I probably should.

"Might have been the TARDIS helping," the Doctor concluded. "She does that sometimes."

"She..." I repeated quietly. "But not a board computer, huh? So, the ship is alive?"

"Weeeell..." The Doctor clicked his tongue, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Probably not in a way a tiny human brain could comprehend." He ignored my eye-roll. "But yes. In a way she is."

"Right... why not." Tiredly I rubbed my eyelids, wishing for a cup of coffee in my hands.

"You must have tons of questions," the Doctor tossed in, tilting his head from one side to the other, observing me as if I were some curious animal. Maybe I was... being a different species than him and all... "First, though, let me tell you I'm sorry for what happened to you. This isn't something a human should have been dragged into."

"So you're not going to conquer earth and use our population as batteries?" I couldn't help but ask with a highly sarcastic undertone. Then something dawned on me and I straightened in the seat. "Your ship is super fast, Doctor. Can we land somewhere where there's coffee, maybe?"