video; chalk off spot 3 on Doctor Bingo

[helpline]

[ The comm is obviously the Doctor's. And the background is obviously the Doctor's room in Heropa 11 (if you know what the Doctor's room looks like, that is). But there's some sort of hodge-podge device made up entirely of junk and taking up the majority of the bed. There's a fez sitting on a bedpost because the Doctor has money and Heropa has stores so the Doctor can buy hats. And the person who's grinning at the camera like a maniac is definitely not the Doctor. If it wasn't the lack of eyebrows, it's the bowtie and the fact that this Doctor looks like he'd be grumpy granddad Doctor's kid.

There's also a possum that's hanging out on his shoulders. Yeah, space granddad's affected like HELL due to the current plot. ]

Hellooooooo Heropa! Doctor here, or at least a Doctor, or at least a Doctor that you might not know, though that's the thing, isn't it! I don't know if you know me or not, isn't this fun? [ This Doctor does not shut up. ] But I do know that thanks to a few conversations with a few friends and a little bit of poking around here and there that some things aren't just adding up.

Now, someone mentioned magic. I don't know anything about magic, magic's not my wheelhouse, bother someone else if you want magic, but what I do know about are timelines. People who know people who've got weird memory issues, speak up! Who's affected, who's missing bits and pieces, who's backstories weirdly don't line up with your backstories, this might be a timey wimey problem and I'm the king of timey wimey.

[ There's a pause, while the possum yawns. ] Oh yes! This is Murray, by the way, he's informed me that he's quite happy with his living circumstances though he'd enjoy it if he had a few eggs. I think I'm taking Murray with me if the TARDIS ever were to show up here—he'll be new Handles.

[ another pause before ] Oh and also, I do hope that I wasn't the one who came up with the sonic sunglasses. There's nothing wrong with the screwdriver, screwdrivers are classic, screwdrivers are cool. Tell the other-Doctor if he shows up again that I'm rather put out by the changes! Right, Doctor out!

Comments

video;

[hyperkinesia]

Clarke's. Most definitely possible. Maybe we just need more advanced technology around here, then maybe people will stop using magic as a reason for anything strange and somehow mystical that happens.

[ Bruce doesn't even know what Poe's Law is. ]

Thinking of doing anything to figure out what's happening right now?

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[helpline]

Of course I'm doing things to figure this out, I'm the Doctor! And that's what this is for, [ said as he gestures to that random device made-up entirely of junk that's sitting on his bed. ]

video;

[hyperkinesia]

[ Bruce leans closer to the screen, looking at the random device like it's the next particle collider. ] What does it do?

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[helpline]

Temporal anomaly detector. It whirrs when time's about to be broken.

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[hyperkinesia]

Brilliant. [ Barely able to contain his excitement. ] Can I see it in person? I mean, if you don't mind me— maybe I can help? I'd like to.

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[helpline]

Obviously! [ sad with a big, huge, grin. ] I'm at Heropa 11, come on down!

video » action!

[hyperkinesia]

Great. Okay, I'll be there in a little while.

[ Not that Bruce has a lot of reasons to feel happy right now, but the chance to work with the Doctor is too great for him to not be at least a little bit excited. The Time Lord does tend to solve problems even with the most unorthodox of solutions, and even if he can't, at least it's a good distraction from everything else going on right now.

From De Chima to Heropa does take a while and a trip through the Porters, though, so it's about half an hour later that he's ringing the doorbell. ]

action!

[helpline]

[ The Doctor...sticks his head out of the attic window, looking down at Bruce. He yells down to the man, ] Hold on a moment!

[ About a minute or two later, the Doctor's run down the stairs and opened the door, grinning at Bruce. ] Hullo! I've moved the temporal anomaly detector to the attic, much more room there, plus I think the other me's taken over the attic already. You don't mind ladders, do you?

[ He held open the door, gesturing with his head for Bruce to enter the house. ]

[hyperkinesia]

[ That gives Bruce zero surprise and confusion. He looks up and smiles, waving at the Doctor. ] Alright.

[ Then he waits, and a couple minutes really isn't that long, even if he feels a little weird standing around awkwardly, fingers fidgeting. Finally the door opens, and he steps inside as soon as he's (sort of) invited in. ]

Not at all. Big fan of ladders. [ He gets distracted for a few seconds looking around, then staring at the Doctor. ] Lead the way.

[helpline]

[ The Doctor grins, closing the door behind Bruce, then he starts to walk towards one flight of stairs. The entrance to the attic is apparently on the second floor. ]

You've met other-Doctor before, have you? I don't really know myself cause he's older. I know about my past, not really my future.

[hyperkinesia]

I did, yes. We only really talked once, though, but he was nice. Just a little... grumpier.

[ It would be weird to say 'I like you better', so he refrains from doing it. Belatedly, he offers as he's climbing up the stairs. ]

I'm Bruce Banner, by the way. Sorry, totally slipped my mind. Not my name, I mean— introducing myself.

[helpline]

I've gotten the impression, [ the Doctor remarks, with a small little frown. He understands why his other self might be grumpy...but the Doctor still doesn't like grumpy. ]

Pleasure to meet you, Bruce! That's a good name, Bruce Banner, I don't really know why I like it but I do.

[hyperkinesia]

No need to make that face. You're both fine. [ Just sort of different. But both great fun and interesting anyway. ]

Thanks. I like yours too. Very solid. [ Never mind it's not his ACTUAL NAME but whatever. ] So have you figured anything out yet?

[helpline]

It's a universal shift, not a temporal one. Everybody's shifted sideways instead of forwards and backwards.

[ Now that they're at the top of the stairs, the Doctor pulls on the trapdoor to the attic. There's a sign taped to the bottom of the trapdoor that reads "GO AWAY HUMANS (AND HAZEL)" The ladder falls to the ground and, slightly awkwardly, the Doctor scampers up it.

The attic is small, but with enough room to stand up in. The walls are covered in chalk star charts—multiple tiny chalkboards litter the room, some propped up against the wall, some hung up on the wall. Said chalkboards are half star charts, half equations. There's a fast food cup stuffed with chalk and a fold-up beach chair propped up in the corner. A few milk crates are zip-tied together to make a bookshelf, in which more astronomy books are stored as well as a few children's textbooks and children's books themselves. It's a bit too organized for this Doctor, but it's unmistakably the Doctor's.

Something that's definitely the Eleventh Doctor's, however, is the mobile-ish thing sitting in the middle of the attic, some sort of contraption made from various household devices. There's what used to be an old-fashioned desktop computer sitting next to it as well as the innards of about five different electronics the Doctor scavenged. ]

It's a good thing that nobody else is storing things up here—it seems other me's made his claim!

[hyperkinesia]

To some sort of parallel reality. [ Bruce nods. ] I'd figured as much.

[ It made sense to him, in fact it was the theory he'd been going for, considering the changes he'd seen in the people so far. Betty's his main frame of reference for this, but she definitely fits this theory— she wasn't from a time before or after him, she just lived through different experiences.

It's still painful to have that reminder of what his life could've been like, but at the same time, at least in his reality she's still alive, even if she's not with him.

Luckily his attention's stolen by the attic once he follows after the Doctor, eyes roaming around the room like a kid lost in a candy store. He looks from the chalkboards to the books, paying some closer attention to a few of them, before he turns to the Doctor with a smile. ]

Quite the thing for stars. [ No surprise to him. He then approaches the device set up in the middle of the attic, peering into the computer but not touching it. ] So how does this work?

[helpline]

Well it's supposed to measure the amount of temporal instability in the region...but it's been wobbling nonstop ever since I made it.

[ spoiler alert: the mere existence of the Porter means that temporal instability is at an all time high. ]

[hyperkinesia]

[ His brain's already there. ]

It could be due to the Porter. Wouldn't that be a source of endless temporal instability in and of itself?

[helpline]

You know, I hadn't thought of that. [ said with a nod and a frown. ] Didn't get Ported in, don't really think about the Porter, a problem right there.

[hyperkinesia]

You didn't get Ported in? [ Color him curious. ] Then how did you get here? [ Please say TARDIS. ]