Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Doctor pulled the lever to bring his TARDIS to a complete stop, having let the old box find him some place he could be useful. Since the Ponds were gone now, he'd been alone for a good while and was feeling it a bit.

Opening the door, the Doctor finds himself near a convention. Looking back at the time rotor, he raised his eyebrow at the TARDIS.

"Really? I know I'm lonely but I don't think giant crowds is my style."

The TARDIS merely hummed in response, letting him know that she thought better of it. She always did bring him where needed to go after all.

Stepping out and closing the door behind him, he presented his psychic paper and received an entry pass. "Hmm, anime. Very interesting art form the humans used for centuries. Seems to be quite a lot of it on display here."

He continued walking around the convention floor, stopping here and there to have small conversations or peruse the manga and anime on display. He then noticed a display listing a musical act starting soon. He looked towards the listed hall and figured he'd be able to sneak himself in.

"Well... that could be a way to pass some time. I wonder what kind of music it is."

The Doctor entered the music area and found himself a relatively open spot near the back. There seemed to be a lot of people of all ages, including children.

"Ooh, a family friendly musical event? This should be fun."

The lights came down, and the intro music sounded. The Doctor could barely make out what was happening on stage but saw 3 performers with instruments setting up. He was mildly amused at the robotic sounds he'd heard.

As the lights came up the Doctor looked toward the stage with a brief flash of horror. There were automatons on stage! Rarely had his run-ins with them ended positively. The one in the middle even vaguely reminded him of some early forms of Cybermen. The other 2 looked nothing like that, however, and though clearly robotic, were very distinct models. In his concern he barely noticed the middle one begin playing the guitar. Then the one on the right started playing a... melodica? Those weren't very widely used.

The Doctor was quite confused by the turn in events, and as the singing began, he discretely pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and set it to scan the bots. It was at that time the middle one began to sing.

"♫ When I was a young boy I went down to the county fair... ♪"

He looked down at his sonic and, quite in line with their name and appearances, they were actually steam-powered. The Doctor relaxed slightly, but then noticed that there seemed to be an unknown element present in them. Now believing them to perhaps, for once in recent years, not an immediate threat, he relaxed some and began to actually enjoy the concert. He did however continue to scan, hoping to identify the element as it clearly wasn't in normal human technology.

He was quite surprised to find that they were all well over 100 years old and quite funny, apparently having a strong sense of improv. The vaguely cyber-model, "The Spine", true to his 'backstory' did indeed have a titanium-alloy spinal construct. "Rabbit" concerningly seemed to suffer from quite a lot of minor (and at least one very concerned major one) breakdowns, but the crowed didn't seem worried in the slightest. The third, going by "Zero", did also indeed have parts form 3 different designs placed together. He also found the AIs and human workers to be quite cute and entertaining.

A bit over an hour later, the show had ended, and the band had also started an encore.

"♪ Attune your ears, to the grinding gears... ♫"

The Doctor listened intently, he had a feeling that the story they were telling was actually based in some truth. They had originally been constructed as war bots? Now he was starting to tense up again. The Doctor felt his sonic vibrate in his pocket. Pulling it out and examining it, he saw something very worrying. There was blue matter present. And it was inside the bots! How could there be blue matter on Earth? There was blue matter around children? Something that dangerous in the hands of humanity was a very dire prospect. He heard mention of the band being available for autographs shortly and decided he'd need to get in line so he could get a more detailed scan.

He was near the end of the line, and, when he arrived at the bots quickly purchased a couple of their merchandise and asked them to sign one of the posters. As they did it he tried to sneak a closer scan, and seeing the initial results opened his eyes wide and muttered "... how can there be traces of contact with a space giant, I just don't understand..."

As the Doctor looked up he noticed all of the people at the table staring at him. "Uhh..."

"Is there some kind of p-p-p-problem sir?" The girl robot... Rabbit? had asked.

"Oh no, it's nothing, just some random stuff from... uhh... Why am I detecting blue matter within you? That stuff is exceptionally dangerous and is totally not something the humans should be playing with. I mean, it's not nearly as bad as green matter, but almost nobody in the galaxy is stupid enough to actually work with green matter. Though there was this one scientist on Exceli VII with the very big nose..."

The Doctor started as one of the humans with the group placed their hand on his shoulder. "Excuse me, I think maybe you should come with us to the mobile workshop after the show, you seem to want to have a discussion about stuff that's generally not public and we're a bit concerned with what you've been saying. I'm Steve, by the way."

Pondering for a moment, realizing that this may be his best way to understand what was going on, the Doctor agreed.

A while later that evening, the Doctor was lead to their mobile shop.

The Spine looked towards the Doctor with a small frown on his face. "You seem a bit more aware of things regarding our construction than most people. There are very few people on this planet who know these things. We know the full list of those people."

Rabbit cocked her hide slightly to the side, and said "Yeah, so w-w-w-w-we're a little worried about what you said."

The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair. "Hmm, not sure which regeneration I got that from. I'm the Doctor by the way. Anyway, I understand you being a bit worried, but it's quite like you said, you know all the people who live on the planet."

Zer0 let out of a soft hum. "The Doctor, are you saying you do not live on the planet?"

The Doctor laughs. "Wow, got it in one, and just Doctor is fine. I'm not from around here. And I think that doesn't surprise you as much as it would most. 2 of you have traces of elements only found near space giants. I'm also very worried about having blue matter so close to children. That's very dangerous stuff, very dangerous. Quite mutagenic if you survive exposure."

Rabbit looks down at the floor. She appears to give a small shudder.

Zero places his hand gently on her shoulder. The Spine sighs and turns toward the Doctor. "I'm sorry, you just brought up some bad memories for her. Under normal conditions our blue matter is exceptionally safe. Even with our occasional malfunctions we've never had an accidental exposure to blue matter."

The Doctor gives Rabbit a sad look. "I'm sorry Rabbit, I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories."

Rabbit looks up towards him, a small leak near her eye. "It's okay, when you've been around a dozen or so decades you pick up a f-f-f-few."

Nodding his head and giving her a comforting hug. "I understand, I've got a few centuries of those myself."

At that the entire trio look towards him in shock.

The Doctor laughs again. "Yeah, sorry, I'm a bit older than I look. Hope you won't hold that against me. Anyway, I really didn't mean to scare you, I was just worried about the blue matter, and now I'm curious as to how you've managed to contain it so well. Whoever pulled that off in your cases is clearly the foremost authority on blue matter in the sector."

The Spine shifts subtly. "That would be our creator, Colonel Peter Walter I."

With a narrowing of his eyes, the Doctor seems to recall something. "Is this the same Walter from your final song?"

The Spine nods. "Oddly enough we tell our history pretty straight in that song. We really were built back in 1896, by Peter Walter I. We did actually fight against copper african elephants. They were powered by green matter and..."

Rabbit interrupts. "Pappy always said g-g-green matter was too dangerous to allow people to use. We had to stop them!"

The Doctor gasped.

Chapter Text

The Doctor gasps.

"Someone was actually using green matter? I'm shocked the planet is still here."

Rabbit looked down sadly. "Pappy did teach us how to get rid of it safely. Mostly."

The Spine scooted closer to Rabbit and put his arm around her.

He looked up at the Doctor. "Doctor, as we just finished a show and need to clean up, would it be possible to continue this later? Or perhaps you could follow us home? I think you and Peter Walter VI should meet."

The Doctor thought for a moment, and nodded. "I understand, rough memories, long day. How about you tell me where to go and when to be there."

The Spine stood up. "Maybe it'd be best if I went with you? It can be a bit hard to find. And I think I'm sufficiently able to go without maintenance for the time being."

The Doctor looked like he was going to reject the offer, but stopped himself. A wide grin appeared on his face. "You know... that may just be the thing. See the sights, as it were, maybe find a shortcut or 2... Sounds good, I'll let you guys finish. Why don't you come meet me at a small blue box across the street, just inside the alley."

The Spine looked a bit confused at that. "I imagine your vehicle is parked nearby?"

Zero worried slightly as the Doctor's grin widened even more. "You could say that. I'll see you in a bit."

The Spine walked across the street from the convention center's main entrance and located the alley the Doctor had mentioned. Looking around, he didn't see the Doctor. "Hmm, not here."

He waited a couple of minutes, then began to inspect the blue box. It had designation marking it a "Police Box", but that was more a brief British thing and was quite confusing to see in the United States. He ran his hand along the side. To his surprise, it felt warm, and perhaps there was even a slight vibration. Interested, The Spine thought to knock on the door to see if it was solid or hollow.

To his further surprise, the door opened, and the Doctor peeked his head out. "About time. Why don't you come in, and we can head out." The Doctor disappeared back into the box.

The Spine looked around once more, then approached the door directly and stepped in. As his receptors took in the sight of the Control Room he stopped quickly. He looked over at The Doctor, who was watching him very closely with... anticipation?

The Spine blinked a few times. "Doctor, I fear I may have been incorrect about my need of maintenance, as when I entered the box I found a volume far greater than the outside could contain."

The Doctor looked giddy. "Really? You don't say? How unusual." And snaps his fingers, the door closes behind The Spine.

The Doctor moves towards the central console. "So, where are we going, do you have an address, would a touchscreen and a map be easier?"

"I could probably find it quickly for you with a map." The Spine said as he walked towards the central console, still wary of his steps.

The Doctor swung a monitor towards him. "Here, have at it."

The Spine poked the screen a few times and turned the monitor back towards the Doctor. "I believe that should be enough detail for you. I expect they'll arrive in about 17 hours."

The Doctor looked at the screen, nodded. He began twisting pieces of the console, typing at others, moving levers, and suddenly a loud, terrible sound wailed through the box.

The Spine became worried. "Doctor... that sounds rather bad. What is happening?"

After a few more seconds the sound dissipated and the Doctor ran over to the door and opened it. "Are you coming? I know she's fantastic but we're here."

The Spine blinked and walked towards the door. "Are we going to find your..."

As The Spine reached the door he spotted the unmistakable visage of the Walter Mansion. Lack of doors and all. "Doctor... how did we get here, did I go offline inside your box or something?"

The Doctor merely grinned again. "Nope, that's just my ship. TARDIS, Time and Relative Dimension in Space, best ship in the universe. Travels space and time. Sometimes even where I want to go."

The Spine looked as though he wanted to say something when he saw the SPG travel vehicle approach. "I... are you saying you brought us here in seconds, and just in time to greet them?"

"Yep" The Doctor said, letting the P pop.

The vehicle pulled to a stop just outside the mansion. Rabbit quickly ran out and hugged The Spine. "Hey little brother, how was the trip with Doctor?"

The Spine looked towards the Doctor who was just examining the mansion. "Far shorter than I expected. We'll have to talk about it. Also I might need you to help me tweak my internal clock, it appears to be a bit off now."

The Doctor, still looking with awe at the mansion, began talking without even looking over. "Yeah, sorry about that, I really prefer to skip the boring parts."

Rabbit looked confused, looking between them. The Spine put his hand on her shoulder. "By boring parts, Doctor, you mean things like entire trips?"

"Yep." With another popped P from the Doctor.

The Doctor helped carry stuff in, marveling at the interior as well.

Just as they finished bring equipment into the mansion, the Doctor spotted a man with a keyhole mask approaching the group. "Oh, I didn't know we had a guest. Pleased to make your acquaintance, I'm Peter A Walter VI."

The Doctor nodded. "Your band here speak highly of you!"

Rabbit smiled. "I mean, he's a Walter, they're all pretty great. The Doctor here, though, approached us after a show and had some interesting things to say about blue and green matter. We thought it might be wise to bring him here."

Peter nodded. "That was a wise decision. Perhaps it would be better if we sat in one of my studies? I get the sense we'll be at this for a bit."

The Doctor followed Peter down a lengthy hallway and up a set of stairs. Looking into one room he spotted a very large ball of fur. "Oh my, that's a large felidae. Bigger than the usual fare here on Earth. Didn't know they got that in this arm of the galaxy."

Peter chuckled slightly. "Oh, that's just Marshmellow. Don't worry, he's largely harmless so long as he's been fed."

Peter led the group into the study and gestured for everyone to sit down. "So, what shall we discuss?"

Chapter Text

"So, you're saying there's no more green matter left on earth?" The Doctor said, eyebrow raised.

VI nodded his head.

The Doctor relaxed into the chair he'd taken a seat in.

"So, Doctor, do you have any further questions?" VI looked a little tired after their long discussion.

"Only one, and it's very important. I spotted a duck pond as I was outside. Does your duck pond... have ducks?" The Doctor looked grave, suddenly.

VI appeared confused for a second. "Yes, Rabbit likes to feed them."

The Doctor looked as if all tension had drained out of him. "Good, very good. The last time I got involved with a duck pond it didn't have any ducks. I mean, why call it a duck pond if there aren't any ducks? I knew that was going to be trouble."

The Spine decided to take this moment to ask a question himself. "Doctor, your box seems rather impressive. I know it traveled here in seconds, but is it capable of more.?"

Instantly, The Doctor perked up. He loved talking about his favorite thing in the universe. "Oh, yes! Spaceflight, time travel, rescues and adventure. She's amazing! I've been to the end of universe, which I don't recommend by the way, and seen the Earth being formed. I've seen giant space whales and hungry stars and things which would boil your lubricant!"

The Spine nodded. "Space whales are pretty majestic. The pod we saw was simply fantastic! Even inspired Rabbit to song!"

This confused The Doctor. "Pod? There are more of them!? I only saw the one, seemed like she was the last one! Very nice, even if she was carrying Britain on her back. Good with kids."

"Yes, Doctor, we spotted an entire pod while we were visiting the Vice Quadrant." The Spine replied.

Visibly shook, The Doctor swallowed. "Vice Quadrant? You were there? I've heard the stories about the events that happened, but I've never gotten around to visiting. Wanted to meet that Cosmo chap, seemed like we could be friends. Also something about a dimensional rift, really should look into that someday."

Rabbit nodded. "Yeah, some s-s-s-stuff happened. Overall we had a good time though."

The Doctor laughed. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves!"

VI stood up. "So, Doctor, we've been here for a while, I need to perform maintenance on the bots and head to bed later, perhaps we could continue this later?"

"That works for me, I'll go do a little work on my TARDIS and perhaps meet up with you tomorrow morning?" The Doctor said as he rose from the chair.

VI nodded and walked over to shake The Doctor's hand once more. "Rabbit, would you like to escort him back to his craft?"

Rabbit bounced slightly and smiled. "Sure, come on Doctor, let's go see your little blue box!"

Chapter Text

Rabbit slowly escorted The Doctor back through the mansion towards the TARDIS.

“May I ask you a question, Doctor?” Rabbit paused, for a moment.

The Doctor stopped walking.  “Sure, Rabbit, what do you have on your mind?”

Rabbit looked pensive.  “What’s your time travel like?  Can you g-g-go back to see important events or meet people or would that ruin the timeline?”

“Honestly, it really depends, there are some things which are fixed points, things that must happen and will always find a way to happen, but outside of those there’s actually a fair bit of room to play.  My people kind of had an ability to sense which is which, and how to navigate that.” 

“That… seems complicated.  I’d rather imagined it trying to calculate all the possible changes.”  Rabbit considered.  Then she began to walk again.

The Doctor followed, curious as to where the line of questioning was leading.  The Doctor had, in the brief time he’d known her, taken quite a liking to this buggy little bot.  Then again, he did have a soft spot for the quirky robotics, as his dog has proven in the past.

Exiting the mansion, Rabbit leads The Doctor to his TARDIS.  

“Doctor, this seems rather… unassuming for the grand vehicle you described.”

The Doctor laughed.  “You’d think so, but as you know, appearances can be deceiving.  Most people see something like this and just think, hmm, curious, a relic of an age gone.  Don’t give it a second thought.”  

“Relic of an age g-g-gone?  I feel like that could apply to us, as well.”

The Doctor smiled.  “Most relics don’t look quite so good as you lot.”

“Thank you Doctor, you’re very kind.”

The Doctor suddenly also couldn’t resist one of his favorite activities, shenanigans, and decided to show off, snapping his fingers, causing the TARDIS door to swing open on it’s own.

“Well, Rabbit, would you like to come inside, look around a bit?  I’m sure you’d find it very interesting.”

Rabbit pondered for a moment, then agreed, nodding as she approached the door and entered.  And immediately stepped back out.

“Doctor, it appears someone has somehow stuffed an entire dimension inside your box.”

The Doctor stared blankly, for a moment.  “That… is a new one. You’re right, of course, it is essentially a sizable dimension within.  It’s powered by a collapsed star, so you gotta have a little room.”

The Doctor twirls around the console.  “This is my home, my best friend, my ship, and my greatest joy.  She’s taken me to times and places I could never imagine, helped me save countless people and places.  With her, I’m never truly alone.  Do kind of miss the round things, though.”

Rabbit slowly gazes around the room, captivated.  She brushes her land lightly on the console and could swear the ship seemed to hum… pleasantly… at the touch.  “This is truly a marvel, Doctor.  I can only imagine the stories this thing could tell if it could talk.”

“Actually, she did that once; it was a very weird day.  Still wouldn’t change it.”

Rabbit tilted her head slightly, The Doctor was one very curious individual.

The Doctor, to Rabbit’s surprise, snapped his fingers again, and the door to the outside world closed.

“So, Rabbit, I’ve got you here, let me ask.  Is there anywhere or when you’d like to go?”  Short little jaunt through time and space should knock any cobwebs loose.” The Doctor looked at Rabbit with a bit of a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

“Anywhere, D-d-d-Doctor?  Are you sure?”

“I could take you to the earliest days of civilization, or the end of the Earth.  To the furthest stars or to great wonders.  Time, and space, my playground.”  The Doctor said, with a bit of a flair.

Rabbit sat down on one of the seats around the console.  She knew she should probably go back to the mansion but the opportunity here was too good to pass up.  But when should she go? Where?”

The Doctor sat next to her, giving her time to contemplate.  “There’s no rush, Rabbit, you can think all night and I can get you back to 5 minutes from now.  Probably.”

Rabbit spent perhaps 10 minutes thinking.  Then she leaned over to The Doctor and quietly told him her answer.

The Doctor quickly stood up, nodding his head.  He could almost feel the perfect moment for this.  His hands flew over the console and they departed, the TARDIS making her signature groaning sound as he did.

A few moments later, The Doctor finished  manipulating the controls.  The craft parked.  He walked over to the door and opened them slowly, peering outside.  

“We’re here, my good lady.  Shall we go?”

Rabbit hesitated a moment, then stood up.  “Are… are we really here?  When I said?”

The Doctor looked at her, nodding his head.  “Yes, we are, perfect landing.”

Rabbit walked out of the TARDIS with The Doctor following, heading up towards the mansion.  She walked in at a slow pace.  

Rabbit stopped in the hallway a bit before a room.  “Doctor… do you think he’ll like seeing me?  Also as far as he knows, I was in the military when it was 1942.”

The Doctor looked at her gently.  “I’m sure he’ll be overjoyed, if not confused.  But if he truly loves you as I think he does, that will be all that matters.”

Rabbit remains still, for a moment, and walks towards a nearby room, while The Doctor takes up position outside of the room, not wanting to interfere.

“Father… I…” Rabbit starts to try and talk.

Peter A Walter I holds up a hand, looks at her a moment.  “Rabbit, is that you?  Oh my, you look beautiful!  Come here!”

The Doctor smiles.