Inside the TARDIS

"Ah, Doc? How long has it been that I've been wandering without any companions?" The AI form of the Doctor, the Rogue's old friend, whirrs to life. The AI, sounding far from the Doctor's voice, explains that it has been 142 years without companions. "This bites," the Rogue complained. "Any idea on where I can find one or two?" The AI explains that the two people that seem the most 'appropriate' to be companions are Kelly Hanson, a 27-year-old circa 2045, and Dmitri Katayshkia, a 30-year-old Russian soldier from WWII. "Alright then. AI, prime the engines. Set the course for 2045, wherever Hanson might be." The familiar moaning and whirring of the TARDIS taking off set in. From the outside, somewhere on a foreign planet, anyone would've seen the TARDIS vanish into thin air. If you knew what was really happening though, you'd know the space-time traveling machine was really reappearing on Earth, 31 years later.

The Rogue oh-so-slightly opened the TARDIS doors. "Oi, you there! Need any help? Come inside if you wish to live! Those are Empties! Don't let them touch you or you're finished!" The Rogue shouted out towards Storm. The Rogue darted out for no more than a minute to identify that the zombies were, in fact, Empty People. "Well, come in then! Unless of course, you have some kind of suicidal thoughts..." The Rogue made a face that was impossible to label between wincing, confusion, and disgust.

"This," The Rogue began. "Is the TARDIS. My TARDIS. Stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space. Welcome aboard." The Rogue replied, giving Storm a minute to take it all in. "And I'm the Rogue. And Empties, by the way, are a.... well..... who-knows-what caused by nanogenes. They touch you, the nanogenes turn you into one of them. First time it ever happened was during the London Blitz during World War Two. Speaking of which..." The Rogue paused. "We should get heading there. The other companion is there, and I've been told he's in a helluva pickle."

"Well, you see," the Rogue began "Nanogenes are little tiny robots that function kinda like doctors-" the Rogue trailed off. "Doctors... anyhow, they take the DNA and a 'photo' of sorts from any given species, and redistribute it to all of them that are of the same species and don't match." The Rogue began flipping switches and pressing buttons of all sorts and shapes. "But they only are spread by touch. Must've found a rotting corpse somewhere, reanimated it, and then made others like it, called Empties, because it empties them out of all though and or emotion. Thank goodness I got you outta there in time, eh?" The Rogue rambled. "Second question, as to how we're going to get to World War 2, the answer is the box you're standing in right now. It's both a time machine and a spaceship. That's what TARDIS stands for, after all. Time And Relative Dimension In Space." The Rogue continued, taking off his jacket. "You know, you don't have to come with me. I just figured you'd find it better than that death pit out there." The Rogue climbed the TARDIS's main stairs, and walked up to a keypad. He pressed in the key-code, making sure that Storm didn't see it, and stepped inside, the door closing behind him. He sighed. "Doctor... why weren't you there when I needed you? Why weren't you there when he..." The Rogue stopped, grief ensnaring his voice. He wouldn't show this sorrow, no. Not in front of others. He stepped out of the room. "So. Let's get going, shall we?" He asked, sounding on the verge of tears.

"Perfectly fine," the Rogue began. "I think." He began to pace. "So, World War Two, Soviet Soldier, about to blow the absolute snot out of himself. Better stop him, you think?" The Rogue pondered this a short bit before flipping some switches, pushing some buttons, and holding tight to a handle on the console. "Strap yourself into one of the bar stools over there, or grab onto something. This is about to get all wibbly-wobbly." The pillar in the center of the room began to rotate. A whirring sound filled the area. Lights flashed, rumbling ensued, and the TARDIS took off into the timestream.

"I see. That's what had to be done. That's all that ever had to be done." The Rogue had an argument with himself in his head. Should he tell them? Should he not? Maybe it was best to wait a while. Or would they hate him for not telling him sooner? The Rogue wasn't sure. "So! Where to? Anywhere cool, any-when you want to see? Anyone?" The Rogue began to pace.

"Don't you worry, Dmitri. It's just a console. Bunch of buttons and switches and levers and valves that take us places. No big deal, though that one button can melt you if you press it wrong..." The Rogue began rambling, eventually coming to a stop with a clap of his hands. "So! I have the best idea ever. Let's go to Osteon Two! Lovely place this time of year. Who's with me? Take a nice break from these aliens and rogue nanogenes, eh?" The Rogue pushed some buttons, and his expression changed as if he realized something.

"Oh! TARDIS, create two new rooms! We need bedrooms for the newcomers." A large whooshing noise could be heard, and a little machine on the dashboard went 'ding'. "Oop, fuddyduddies. Looks like we'd better go somewhere, and fast. And before you ask: I have a little machine, I leave it on the dash of the TARDIS. It goes-" The machine dinged again. "Ding whenever there's alien life nearby, not counting me. Now the only question is... what is it?"