01: Open to All!

[nevercruel]

[Action]

If someone had been standing in the small cave filled with the glowing water and a single silver cocoon, their first inclination that the occupant had awoken would have been the very loud BANG, followed by the muffled shout of pain that came from inside. When the Doctor woke up, at least in this body, she tended to do so immediately. Doing so while contained within a small, metal egg without first looking to make sure your head wasn't aimed directly for the lid was a quick way to give yourself one hell of a rude awakening.

She groaned, more in frustration then any actual pain, nursing her forehead for a moment before she looked up with bleary eyes, confusion worming it's way into her gaze as her surroundings became clear.

Alright, first thing; not the TARDIS. She couldn't feel the familiar vibrations, nor could she feel the telepathic connection that told her she was home. That was, obviously, her most immediate concern, but not the only one. Second thing; Ryan, Yaz, and Graham certainly couldn't fit into this tiny pod with her. Their own pods? Still on the TARDIS?

"Hullo? Guys?" She waited, listening, fifteen breaths, but no answer came. So, either not within earshot or able to hear her from outside the pod. She shifted where she lay, first noticing the soft silks that lined the thing. Meant for comfort? Or as decoration. The fact that the thing resembled some sort of coffin didn't go unnoticed, but she certainly didn't remember dying, not that her memory could be depended on 100% of the time. There had been enough times in the past when the Doctor had been caught unawares and not been able to remember it afterward.

The next thing, or things, she noticed were the items that tumbled from her chest as she moved, dropping onto the cushion beneath her. She frowned, shifting to reach for them and press against the top with her other arm, finding it easy enough to open, when one weren't bearing all of their weight and momentum into their forehead as they sat up abruptly. The lid of the thing removed, she clambered out, landing in ankle deep water, her nose curling as she felt it sinking into her boots and soaking her socks all the way through.

"Oh, lovely. The least you could have done would be to leave me a pair of wellies." She snatched the items from inside, tucking them under her arm as she turned to stare at the area around her, eyes dazzled as they adjusted to the dim light and the bright lights coming from the water itself. Huffing out indignantly at the realization that there were no other signs of her friends inside the small inlet she'd found herself in, she turned back to the pod, looking it over curiously, studying it for any markings or features that would indicate just who or what had created it. Nothing.

Not even a scan with the sonic was able to give her an inkling of its origin, and she sighed, tucking the tool back into her coat's breast pocket and wading through the water toward the nearby shore. Once she were somewhere dry, she could take a few minutes to survey the items that had been left for her in her metal, watery life-coffin.

[Video, some time later]

[The Doctor smiled brightly into the camera on the phone that she'd been so graciously left by who only knew, looking much happier then she felt, her head tilted curiously to the side.]

Hullo, Genessia! [She repeated the word a few times, testing different pronunciations. Hard G's, soft G's, long and short vowels. Eventually shook her head as if to clear it of the wayward thought.] Nevermind, I'm distracting myself, not important! I seem to have found myself on your lovely, glowing beach, missing my friends and my ship! I don't suppose any of you have seen any new, out of place blue police boxes out and about, by any chance? I'd be most appreciative if you could direct me there, if so.

Also, if any of you have seen three humans going by the names Ryan, Yasmine, or Graham, I'd be happy to know that they were safe and sound. They're under my protection, and I promised to get them home, safe and sound.

[She let the unspoken warning in her tone linger for a moment before grinning widely and waving.]

Anyway! Nice to meet you all! I'm the Doctor!

Comments

[justabitunlikely]

[The problem was, you don't pull something on a soldier when she doesn't know who you are or what you're pulling, and Jenny's already preparing to act, muscles automatically tensing to....wait.....a sonic? She relaxes as quickly as she'd tensed, not as worried now, though]

A sonic screwdriver? Did you just pull a sonic screwdriver on me? Really? If I didn't know better I'd say you were my dad with that kind of reaction, but that can't be right, can it? Or can it be right. Can time lords regenerate into women, or do they only regenerate into one sex? I never honestly asked.

[She'd found out more about herself and time lords during her own adventures, but she was still limited in her knowledge, not having actually spoken to any time lord other then her dad, and River should River be considered a Time Lady or half time lady. River was a confusing one to say the least.]

And I'm here the same way everyone else is here. Came out of the pod. Pulled out of my own time line, universe, whatever term you want to use for it. This is like a pocket universe of sorts, not the first time I've been in one either. There was this one time I was trapped in one for oh, 2 years I think it was. Oh, and then there was this pocket verse of just nothing. Literal nothing. I probably shouldn't have tried to speed straight towards it. That was a bad idea having nothing to stop you either.

[Look at her rambling on. Right, focus Jenny, focus.]

You shouldn't know that much about me though. Not unless you're my dad, Donna, or Martha. Well, there was River, but I don't think you're River. You're certainly not Donna or Martha, which means either dad told you about me, which I get the impression he hasn't told a whole lot of people about me, or you are my dad. Or would it be mum now. Regeneration can be a bit confusing, yeah?

[Look at her figuring it all out on her own. She's so smart.]

Well, all the same, hello! Jenny's my name. Only one. Well, not the only one named Jenny, but there's only one me. Generated Anomaly, progenated soldier, time lord, you know.

I...think this got a little away from me? It feels too tl;dr, oops

[nevercruel]

[The immediately caught the way she made her jump, knowing herself how deeply-engrained those instincts were from harsh experience, and when the scan was over and the reading processed, she held it back out on open fingers. Look, it's alright, it's not a weapon, it's just a tool. She would never hurt you.

But the way the girl began rattling off thoughts and information at her a million miles an hour, she felt her own roiling emotions stumble over absolute confusion. Oh, she understood exactly what was being said, and she could stay up just as quickly as it could leave her mouth. Got the gift of gab from her father, obviously. It was just that the things she was saying were-]

Impossible! [Her head tilted sharply, staring as if she'd grown a second head to go with her second heart.] How can you know all of this?! I never got to tell you about those things, you d-...!!!

[She swallowed the word, couldn't say it out loud. This spoiler hurt far too much. She forgot for a moment that she was dealing with a young woman who was born with the intensive training of a hardened soldier and reached out for her wrist without thinking. Did she have a pulse, or was she stuck between one and her last? Had she been stolen from her timeline? Was there a single blink of any eye that she was forgetting having seen because she was too concerned with the dying, newborn Time Lord in her arms when she'd been a brand new Dad all over again? Surely she had learned the lesson with her last face, with Clara, and would never have tried to pull the same stunt twice!]

None of that is possible, I know, I saw it! [Saw her die, taking a bullet for her father after only being alive for less then a day! It should have been him, he could have regenerated from it and saved her life, but it hadn't, and she had watched it happen!] I saw it and I couldn't stop it, and you cannot be here!

[She doesn't seem to be able to hide the pain in her voice, anymore, or the tiny hint of panic.]

It's fine. I'm enjoying it :)

[justabitunlikely]

Well, I figured some out for myself after I died. The rest was information I picked up over time or you know, learned from dad here. Dads. Yeah, multiple. And River, she taught me a bit too.

And haven't you learned, it's not impossible, just a bit unlikely. Aren't those your words? You left Messa and I went on my own adventure.

[See, smart girl.]

Should I be saying hello dad? Or it would be hello mum now, wouldn't it. Finally have a mum. Who would have ever expected that.

Ok, just making sure. From time to time, the tags just seem weird to me. lol

[nevercruel]

[She hadn't even wrapped her fingers around that wrist before she felt her blood run cold at that word, her body freezing up as she looked back up into her eyes in shock. She knew! She knew, she wasn't stolen from that time and she knew who she was!]

Stupid Doctor, I knew I should have waited!!! [Now, instead of grabbing her wrist, the Doctor lunged in to throw her ams around Jenny, clutching her as tightly as she could. She should have known not to try and withhold the truth from her own daughter. She was a Time Lord, after all. Certainly a lot more clever then even the cleverest human she'd ever traveled with.] I was such an idiot, I shouldn't have left you there, alone!

[She buried her face against her hair, but it wasn't enough to hide the tears in her voice. Or the way she didn't seem to want to let go, as if doing so meant she would have to say good bye all over again.]

I don' care what you call me! I'm sorry I left you behind, Jenny, I'm so sorry!

[justabitunlikely]

[Jenny was always willing to welcome hugs, especially from her dad....no....mum in this case. How strange of a change it was for her to wrap her mind around. She hadn't thought regeneration could manage this and yet every clue had led to this being the right conclusion. Something confirmed when she felt the hug around her and couldn't help but hug her back, her arms going around neck as she'd hugged the other Doctor's so many times before.]

It's alright. Figured I'd catch up to you sooner or later, and when I did, it'd make an awfully fun surprise.

[nevercruel]

[The Doctor was definitely going to have to sit down and tell her all about regenerations after everything was said and done. Especially if her lunkheaded younger selves hadn't done it themmselves.

She certainly wasn't as tall as she had been in any of her past lives. Especially not compared to the face that was Jenny's original father. But that didn't mean she wasn't just tall enough to lift Jenny off of the floor when she hugged her closeabsolutely careless of the weight. Jenny could have been as tall as the curly-haired face that wore scarves, and the Doctor would have probably still found a way to lift her up.]

But you never have! Over a millennium since I lost you, and not once! [The entirety of all of time and space was a very large expanse of area to fly by someone you were trying to find. River had only ever been able to achieve it half the time by making the Doctor give her the coordinates!

she finally seemed to notice the strain in her arms and the way her back began to crick up from carrying a woman who was, for all intents and purposes, very close tto her own size, and she dropped her back to her feet, pulling away to hold her face, looking at every inch of her as if making sure she still had all her fingers, all her toes, both arms and legs, an ectospleen. Definitely a Mum.]

How did you survive??? Martha's a nurse, I'm the Doctor! You were...[Her voice dropped to a ragged whisper. Nope. Still hated that word right now.] You were dead

[justabitunlikely]

[Jenny was surprised when her mum was able to pick her up in such a way and hold her up, but let her do it, but it was nice to have her feet back on the ground when she couldn't keep it up anymore.]

I figured I'd run into you when the time was right again. Just means it wasn't the right time yet until now, yeah?

[As for how she'd survived, she didn't quite know that herself, though she had some theories of her own on the topic. For now though....]

Yeah, did the whole dying thing. A few times. Long story. But that's not really what's important here right now. The point is we've caught up now under interesting circumstances to say the least. Welcome to Genessia I suppose.

[nevercruel]

[She huffed out a breath, shaking her head gently to herself. Even now, when she was trying to stay positive, fresh and new in this face, she found it hard to have that much hope, most days.]

And to think, there I was, worried you'd be too military in the beginnin'. That's too happy of an outlook for a soldier. [The way she stated it, it was obviously a compliment. Not even having that mentality forced on you at the moment of your birth was enough to keep the Doctor's daughter down. she...actually reminded her a lot of the upbeat confidence she'd had when she was her Dad.

Her face scrunched up, shocked eyes almost bugging.]

A few times?!? And you never once regenerated into a new form? You-...er...I was going to say you should be more careful, but...[Thirteen. Not including one who didn't count himself, and oone that had been a throw away. But it made her laugh, wiping the tears out of her eyes and giving a watery sniffle. An actual, genuine laugh, because now that the shock was subsiding, it was leaving nothing but joy that made her hearts feel like they were bubbling in her chest!] You can say that again! 'Good Morning, Doctor, how did you like sleeping in a metal bubble? Oh yes, have some random bling, money, and the child you lost!' Least this way, when we leave, we can do it right.

[justabitunlikely]

[Poor Doctor, having to do all this catching up, though Jenny beamed at the compliment.]

Well, it's not always easy when people are trying to kill you to not act like a soldier. I chose my path though and I meant it. Even got a companion who helps....well... keep me from doing anything I shouldn't. His name's Noah.

[She couldn't help but grin at the Doctor, keeping the positive. Not to mention, it wasn't the first time she'd had to go through these explanations.]

Not into a new form, no. But it's a bit complicated. People don't stay dead here, nor did they do so where I was before I came here, but I can explain later. Don't you want to know more about where you even are? So hung up on me that there's barely been a chance to fill you in on everything else.

[nevercruel]

[She hummed thoughtfully, obviously not liking the thought that Jenny still found it difficult to separate herself from the violence that had been expected of her, but feeling infinitely proud that she was insisting on fighting those instincts.]

It can be, I suppose, yes. It's how you react in those times that matters the most. It gets easier, though, the more you practice. [And if anyone had practice in tha field, it was definitely her. She smiled, though, a thoughtful kindness in her eyes at the mention of Jenny havving someone to keep her true to her path.] I'm glad you've found a friend to travel with. One should never be without friends, especially people as long-lived as us. Solitude does nasty things to you, if you're not careful. You'll have to introduce me to him, when we get out of here!

[The smile was gone, though, and replaced with obvious concern at the thought that this place was doing something to interfere with the deaths of those who had come here. Normally, the Doctor would be the first to cheer at the thought that someone had lived something that was their certain demise. But systematic death-denial? The mechanics and implications of that left far more questions then reassurances.]

Yes, I think a proper explanation may be in order. Something isn't right, here, and I would definitely like to get to the bottom of it, even moreso now.

[Thank you, whomever had trapped them in this bubble dimension, for allowing her daughter to live long enough for her to have found her again, and for bringing them back together. But that doesn't make her less suspicious.]