Does this Doctor character really have a clue? Or is he making it up as he goes along????

“But…” Cathy spluttered.

“Yes, yes, I know,” stated the Doctor. “Now close that door so we can return to the business at hand.”

Cathy slowly closed the door, not wanting to take her eyes off of what she’d just seen. She then turned to face the others. Addressing Simon and Stella, she asked, “Did you see that?”

Both Camerons found themselves in a similar state to Cathy, as if what had just transpired had completely overloaded their thinking capacity. They did finally manage to nod their heads yes in response to her question, but neither of them seemed able to form coherent thoughts at that moment.

“Come back over here Cathy,” instructed the Doctor. “Maybe I can shed a little more light on what’s going on here.”

She quickly made her way to beside the Doctor, who then began, “Put simply, the Earth is nearing a critical time. The proper balance must be maintained, or the consequences could be catastrophic.”

“Yes, we’ve known that for a long time,” responded Cathy.

“I don’t think there are many who grasp the full implications.”

Simon finally regained the ability to speak and said, “How did you do that?”

Ignoring Simon’s question, the Doctor carried on, “Thus far, nature has been able to adapt to the changes man has visited upon it, but things are reaching a point where that may no longer be the case. That’s why it’s so important for you to get the message out that the planet can’t afford to allow any more species to become extinct.”

Simon jumped in by asking, “What are you talking about?”

Finally acknowledging his presence, the Doctor replied, “Each time a creature ceases to exist on your planet, the delicate balance that is the Earth’s ecology is thrown out of whack. If things get bad enough, the entire ecology could fail.”

Cathy completed the thought, “Which would mean the end of our world as we know it.”

“Precisely,” added the Doctor.

Cathy continued addressing the Doctor, “But what can I do? I’m a field biologist.”

“Oh, come on,” moaned Stella.

The Doctor again manipulated controls on the console, causing the center column to come to life. When it stopped moving, he said, “Now go take a look out the door again.”

Stella, being the closest, went to the door and opened it. The sight that greeted the travelers was quite alien. “Where are we?”

The Doctor replied, “Exactly where we started, only a million years in the future.”

“But…” Simon began.

“Yes, I know,” interrupted the Doctor. “That’s not possible. Isn’t that what you were going to say?”

“Well…”

Cathy joined the conversation again, “How can this be? We were on the outskirts of Portsmouth. That looks nothing like what it should.”

“And that is because dormice became extinct less than 50 years after I picked you lot up.”

Cathy looked saucer eyed at Simon and Stella, whose faces mirrored hers. They then all turned their attention back to the Doctor, who stood waiting patiently for them to make the logical next step.

“So you’re telling us…” Cathy began.

Stella interrupted, “…that we’ve just traveled? Through TIME!?”

The Doctor grinned and replied simply, “Yes.”

The three of them resumed looking at each other, trying to find their voices. Meanwhile, the Doctor began manipulating the console once again.

When the column came to rest, the Doctor crossed to the door he had previously sent Cathy through and left the others alone so they could digest what they had just experienced.

It was Simon who first broke the silence, “So are we all going to wake up and find that this is some sort of weird dream?”

“I suppose that would make more sense than any other explanation,” retorted Stella.

“Other than for the fact that we’ve all just seen the exact same thing,” added Cathy.

Simon looked sheepish for a moment before a sly grin overcame him and he said, “Are we sure? I mean, maybe we’re not all really here.” As he said it he realized how ridiculous it sounded.

“So am I a figment of your imagination, or are you one of mine?” smirked Stella.

Cathy giggled and said, “I just had a vision of you as Kris Kristofferson in ‘A Star Is Born’.”

“Ha ha, very funny. I suppose you’re Barbra Streisand?” Stella said, trying to suppress a laugh of her own.

Simon took on a very determined look as he said, “Well, I’m not going to stand around here idly and just accept this hallucination or whatever it is as reality.” He then stormed toward the door in pursuit of the Doctor.

“My hero,” Cathy cooed, then resumed her giggling joined by Stella.

Simon wandered for what seemed like forever trying to find the Doctor and when he did at last locate him, he found him trying on different outfits of clothes. Not sure what to do, he silently watched him for a bit.

First, he put on a coat with a ridiculously long scarf and floppy hat. After looking at himself in the mirror, he muttered, “No, tried that already.” He then removed those things and went in search of something else.

Next he tried a velvet smoking jacket and ruffled shirt, but shook his head and removed them once again. He then put on a corset and Victorian dress, at which point Simon could remain silent no more.

“Umm, what are you doing?”

“Trying to find myself, young man,” responded the Doctor in a condescending tone.

“Well, if you wouldn’t mind, we’d like to get on with things, all right?”

“Yes, of course. Head back to the control room and I’ll join you there in a moment.”

Simon started to leave, but stopped and turned to face him again, “That’s all well and good, but I haven’t a clue where that is?”

Obviously frustrated by the interruption, the Doctor said, “Go out the door then turn left. Then left, right, left, left, over the bridge, left, left, right, up the stairs, left, left, right, then down the slide. Left, take the lift to the very top, then right.”

“How about if I just follow you?”

To be continued…