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A chase on the planet Andrax against an army of nanorobots. Admire the last sunset of the Earth before its disappearance. Become the Muse of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Save an ancient alien civilization. Playing checkers with Albert Einstein.
Discover a new language in the galaxy of distant Jil. Meet John Fitzgerald Kennedy and kiss Marilyn Monroe. Attend the creation of the universe or drink tea with Marie-Antoinette before the French Revolution.
Such has been May Rives' extraordinary daily life since meeting the Doctor, whom she still describes as "mysteriously confusing". That was a long time ago...
She was a twenty-year-old student at the time. A pretty brown-haired person with a plunging square, beautiful green eyes with turquoise highlights, measuring one meter seventy-five with a rather rock style. Her outfit consisted of a short dark T-shirt, pants that perfectly matched these shapes, a pair of high ankle boots reinforced at the ankles and a Perfecto.
She used to find herself systematically involved in quite complex situations. The first time, she must have been about ten years old when strange noises in the evening were heard in the cellar. Then, around the age of sixteen, she was kidnapped and locked in a box where time passed differently from reality.
Luckily, she was saved during these strange events. His initial rescuer was a tall, slender handsome man, intricately sculpted hands and face, thick short brown hair, pale skin dotted with freckles, and large brown pupils. He wore a Duster-style overcoat and a dark suit with thin gray stripes as well as a dress shirt and loose tie under his unbuttoned collar.
The second was quite distinct from the previous one. He was younger, she gave him twenty, no more. He had softer features with khaki irises, a pronounced nose, and a large chin. Her chestnut hair was combed back, stylized with a slight lock on the right side of her forehead.
He was dressed in a purple eggplant cashmere frock coat that reached mid-thigh with a velvet collar, bow tie and burgundy straps, dark jeans and a new pair of leather ankle boots, also sporting a pocket watch.
But one element had piqued the girl's curiosity. The presence of a royal blue phone booth belonging to the police, followed by a very singular sound. No sooner had she had time to thank her mysterious benefactor than the box disappeared before her eyes, believing only in a dream.
But this time, everything was real. The imaginary creatures that scared her when she was smaller, came to life in front of her, without any explanation. She was alone in this huge eight-story building while all these university classmates had gone home for the holidays.
But May had decided to finish her thesis on the decadence of humanity.
She was suddenly chased around knowing full well that she could not escape. For more than a week, all that mattered was survival. Thanks to her father's advice, she had managed to stay alive. He was a hunter and an excellent shooter.
"When you hunt, you're either the prey or you're the predator. If you want to live, then climb the food chain and subdue the animal."
For once, he was a great help. Hidden in one of her mother's guitar holsters, a shotgun with several cartridge reloads kept a low profile until she decided to fight for her future.
By taking up arms, she wanted to deter nightmarish creatures from attacking her, to no avail. They were not frightened but rather amused by his desperate behavior. At the end of the seventh day, a hypnotic sound that she knew well was heard in the building. She then rushed to the window and widened her eyes.
This illusion, this machine that vanished without asking for its rest, was there. Neither one nor two, she began to run in the corridors to join her. But the monsters were not of the same opinion and blocked the exit, condemning the door. Tapping with all her might while aiming at the vital points of these things, she felt Death approaching.
It was all over. Nothing mattered anymore. She had lost. Let himself be lulled by the sweet sensation of his soul leaving his body, his eyelids closed before a heavy crash sounded. Despite the darkness around her, a recognizable noise among a thousand was perceptible in the surroundings.
Suddenly, the demonic beings disappeared to give way to the silhouette of a man in his fifties. He was of medium height and thin, sporting a semblance of a tousled hairstyle with silver hues and intense gray blue eyes as well as thick, furrowed eyebrows, making his face very expressive.
He also had a slightly hooked nose and large ears. Dressed in a long navy blue crombie coat with crimson lining, a dark zipped hoodie as well as indigo pants and black brogue boots completed the whole.
His delicate hands were covered by ebony wool mittens even though one could distinguish, by looking closely, the shapes of two rings on his left yearbook. He approached her, checking her condition. Without a word, he reached out to her and took her away from all the commotion. Silent but especially amused by the situation, she let herself be guided.
Once outside, her heart missed a beat when she saw the object in her dreams. Going inside, she pointed out to him that it seemed impossible to him until he showed her the universe.
First, he explained the basics to her. He is the Doctor, an inhabitant of the late planet Gallifrey but above all a Time Lord with the ability to regenerate and therefore change his appearance and even character. He also had two hearts that made him different from humans. He owns the TARDIS (Time to Interspatial Dimensional Relativity), a machine for traveling in space and temporality.
It contains more than a thousand rooms, from the kitchen, to the pool with a library to finish with the bar. After many destinations, each more absurd than the last, the duo began to trust each other.
She told him about her family in the United States, he told her about his past adventures with his former partners. She confessed to him that she had almost become engaged, he sometimes stated that he had been married and that he had a daughter.
They each had their secrets, he more than her but she didn't mind him keeping certain things to himself. She has seen so many incredible worlds, stars, galaxies and landscapes that she could not count them on the fingers of her hand.
Crossing historical figures or living beings from elsewhere had become his daily life. She was looking forward to the next expedition, he was willing to do anything to see her marvel.
Despite the hardships and pain at times, both continued to live adventures without worrying about tomorrow. But, suddenly the magic ended, without really understanding why. During one of their escaps, she lost consciousness and woke up a little later in an unknown place.
Sitting at a table, in an all-white room, she spent her days there. Today, more precisely tomorrow, it will be six years since she was in this place. At first, she was afraid. She didn't know where or when she was. It confused her until someone joined her.
Not just anyone. She. A nineteen-year-old blonde girl, thin, wearing a tight black slim, a red blouse with buttons and a pair of boots. Before the guest could utter a word, May instantly recognized her. Rose Tyler. The partner of the Ninth and Tenth Doctor.
She took a seat in front of her and began to tell her a story. Its history. Everything that had happened since she had entered the life of the man over two thousand years old. She kept repeating that he had not saved her, that he had destroyed her.
Then, the following year, a new face took over. Donna Noble. Tall, thin, auburn, light eyes, jeans, and gray tunic. She explained to him her cruelty to her and her stolen memories.
Then, Martha Jones. Medium height, dark irises, ebony hair, matte skin, burgundy leather jacket, blue eph pants, heeled ankle boots. She spoke to him of his coldness and indifference.
Afterwards, it was the turn of Amelia Pound, the eleventh Doctor's sidekick. Slender, redheaded, pale complexion, black shorts and tights, purple T-shirt, and brown jacket. Despite his good humor and strength of character, she sometimes let her tears flow when she insisted that he often lacked compassion.
Finally, the last to be at the man's side, Clara Oswald. Small, brown hair, big eyes, red sweater, blue skirt, dark stockings. She denounced his bad manners and his attitude, which she called "egocentric".
Every day that passed, May was forced to listen without speaking, without denying. She was only absorbing their words, their hatred, their sadness, their despair. Time passed without anything changing, she wandered through the testimonies and ready-made sentences.
Finally, for a year now, someone else appeared. Garrett, a staff member it seemed. He is always dressed in white, his head shaved, his pupils cerulean. Every day, he comes to see her to deliver a message.
And currently is no exception. He sits down in front of her and calls out to her, repeating the same refrain over and over again, like an old, scratched record.
- He will not return. He never comes back. He has abandoned you. You and all those who traveled with him, meant nothing to him. Don't forget that.
For once, she decides to answer, amused by the situation.
- Aren't you tired of rambling? Do you think today is different from yesterday?
- He will not return.
- Six years. That's how long it took me to figure out where I am.
- He never comes back.
- This hospital doesn't really have one...
- He has abandoned you.
- I am not a patient; I am THE patient.
- You and all those who traveled with him, meant nothing to him.
- Why continue to visit me?
- Don't forget that.
- Forget what?
- He will not return.
A fine laugh escapes from the girl's throat. Without being able to control herself, she laughs out loud before displaying a more serious look.
- I don't know the man you're talking about. All this suffering, this thirst for destruction that you keep talking about... The person you are describing to me is not THE Doctor.
- He never comes back.
- You don't know who you're dealing with.
- He has abandoned you.
A slight sneer appears on her sweet face before she sighs in amusement.
- If there's one thing you need to know about him, it's that he's the narrow-minded type... No matter the danger, no matter the distance... He will not give up.
- You and all those who traveled with him, meant nothing to him.
She abruptly gets up from her chair and looks all around her, scanning the surroundings intensely for anything that might seem useful to her. While walking around the room, she continues to speak, without worrying about the repetitive speech of her interlocutor.
- Let's talk about THESE women. They are not who they say they are. For six years, we have time to think about it. I first wondered why I haven't been able to utter a single word since my capture or why I haven't tried to get in touch with them. The answer is clear though... Because they are not real. They're part of a database, aren't they? A huge memory that collects information about the Doctor...
- Don't forget that.
- How could I? They came here, didn't they? Each in turn, listening tirelessly to the previous one on the faults of their savior... I won't play your game. It's over.
- He will not return.
At this moment, a warm sensation is felt near her. Despite the sharp edges of the words, she feels neither fear nor anger invading her. She remains calm, as if she knows she is safe. A shiver is felt at the back of her neck before she returns to her original place.
Slowly, she observes around her, while he continues to rant unnecessarily.
- He never comes back.
- You are sorely mistaken about it. Making him look like a monster or a hero doesn't change anything for him. It's just... the Doctor.
- He has abandoned you.
- No, and even if it really was... A part of him will never forgive himself for losing me.
- You and all those who traveled with him, meant nothing to him.
- They or me, it's the same ... We are very different, but it took a man in a blue box to enter our lives to change us forever. The five of us share the Doctor's timeline...
- Don't forget that.
- That's the hardest part, I think. On the contrary, we would like to forget. Not remembering all those unforgettable moments with him when the magic ends...
- He will not return.
This feeling of well-being increases as time passes. She subconsciously lets her tears flow and tells him her story.
- I am not exceptional. I'm not extraordinary, I often make mistakes. It is a human factor. And that's exactly what he is, a human. Gallifrey, Time Lord, the TARDIS, they are nothing but a way for him to remember that he does not belong to our world, that he can change the course of things... But he is still a human being, endowed with incredible intelligence and a big heart. Despite the hatred, the pain, the sadness in his eyes, he fights every day to save populations, entire planets...
- He has abandoned you.
- He does it, against his will. He would like to take us everywhere until the end... But we, who are ephemeral and fragile, prevent him from moving forward and turning the page.
- You and all those who traveled with him, meant nothing to him.
- Much more than you think. Most of the time, he feels guilty about us. He shows us mountains and wonders and decides one day that he must bring us back, for our safety. But we, naïve as we are, cling to the hope of continuing this life before he makes the fateful decision that it is time for us to live in reality.
- He will not return.
- It doesn't matter. He has better things to do than deal with my case. He must help others, run without stopping... Protect the universe from itself.
- He never comes back.
- I wonder where and when it is now. Surely in the 80s with his ridiculous dark glasses on his eyes, or challenging Thomas Edison on various inventions ... That's exactly his style.
She sees the man's face again, her eyebrows furrowed in front of her whiteboard, sighing in front of her at the sight of his smile that he thought was "stupid". She tries to catch her breath when she feels something brushing her hands, as if they were wrapped. She turns her head slightly by three quarters and looks at the empty space in front, smiling. Still, Garrett keeps repeating himself.
- He has abandoned you.
- He is not responsible. Sometimes he forgets that I have my own free will and that I am able to endure, without complaint. He's not at fault... He thinks it's his fault that I'm here, locked up without feeling the sun on my skin... But I worry much more about him than he does about me... My fault is that he is still alone.
- You and all those who traveled with him, meant nothing to him.
- You speak without knowing. There is one thing that even the Doctor does not know. A bond that connects me to others. Hidden in a corner of the TARDIS, there is a compartment that belongs to us. Where we store the memories of our adventures. A notebook filled with anecdotes, jokes, the different regenerations of the Doctor, important photos... Your holograms or these representations of Elles are nothing compared to the words written on the cover of this newspaper.
She gently wrinkles her hand, gently brushing the white table. Her heart slows down as her tears keep flowing without her being able to do anything about it.
- Don't forget that.
- I can't. I don't want to. "No matter where we are, who we are, where we come from and where we die, our role is to save the Doctor." He who goes to both sides of galaxies, he who makes his opponents tremble at the simple pronunciation of his name, too often loses sight of the fact that he must not be solitary. He needs to be stopped in his actions when they become absurd, he needs someone to extol his intellect, he needs an ephemeral being to remind him of the beauty and love that the world inspires.
Still scanning the emptiness, more precisely, addressing him, she looks at him tenderly.
- He will not return.
- Doctor, thank you for taking me with you. I love you with all my soul, my old friend... Take care of yourself and above all, above all... Do not eat pears.
Suddenly, a burst of energy passes through the brunette's body before she regains consciousness and sees the face, she has been waiting for all these years. Weakly, she takes him in her arms, knowing that he will probably show reluctance to her gesture, not being a tactile person.
But he doesn't. He hugged her tightly to him, before checking that she was okay. He inspects her quickly, satisfied to see her in great shape. Running his hand through the young woman's short hair, he sketches a thin smile before helping her up.
Stealthily, he explains that she was in a sphere of memories, a trap elaborated to plunge victims into deep despair by recreating snippets of memory to show only the negative aspects of life.
Thanks to an electrical impulse in his brain, he had freed it from its grip. She also believes she heard him say that she was only away for a few hours and that time passed differently inside, as if six hours turned into years.
Staggering, she nearly collapses before he catches her and makes her sit near the control panel. She recognizes the inside of the TARDIS and distinctly perceives the sounds of the engine, those of the buttons of the console or the sighs of the man.
She finally returned home. After six years of absence, she finds what she thought she had lost. She gets up and walks through the main room, making sure it's not a dream. His worries disappear when he calls out to her sharply.
- So where do you want to go this time?
- ... Am I really here, with you?
- It's up to you to tell me, is it a dream or reality?
She rolls her eyes before joining him, amused by his childish behavior despite the apparent wrinkles on his face.
- Knowing your dirty character and your permanent annoyance, I hesitate...
- Isn't this the life you chose to live? Uncertain, timeless...
For a few seconds, she begins to think. Everything that happened there is already far away and given the mess all around, she sees that he has spared no effort to bring her back. She takes a deep breath and bursts out laughing before answering him.
- The question is not where but when, Doctor.
- May Rives... Welcome home.
The sound of the phone booth that rocked his nights, his moments of loneliness or sadness, is now part of his life. Through space and time, they try to do good and give hope to those who lost it long ago. He then pulls the lever and flies away from the past to the future.
Somewhere in the TARDIS, in a secret compartment, unknown to the Doctor, is a notebook. The trials they will go through, each more trying than the last, will be worth nothing compared to the words written on the cover of this newspaper.
"Whoever you are, wherever you are, if you find this place, if you travel with it, save the Doctor. Hatred, grief, fear. But mostly of himself. Save him from his loneliness and be the one who will give him hope in humanity."