To Be Human

Chapter 20 - Utopia

Utopia, part 2 -

Over the speakers they heard the voice of the guard they'd introduced themselves to, "All passengers prepare for boarding. I repeat, all passengers prepare for immediate boarding. Destination, Utopia. All troops report to silo. I repeat, all troops report to silo."

Inside the laboratory, everyone was busy working on some machine. The Doctor sniffed one of the wires.

"Is this-?"

"Yes, gluten extract. Binds the neutrino map together."

The Time Lords laughed excitedly. "You built this system out of food, string and staples? Professor, you're like a real-life-MacGyver."

"You're a genius", the Doctor explained at the confused look Yana gave the Oracle.

"Says the man who made it work."

"Oh, it's easy coming in at the end, but you're stellar. This is, this is magnificent. And I don't often say that because, well, because of me."

"Aw, so you're not full of yourself at all, lovely", the Oracle sassed.

"Well, even my title is an affectation. There hasn't been such a thing as a university for over a thousand years. I've spent my life going from one refugee ship to another."

"Well, you've certainly earned it, whether a university gave it to you or it just came to you. Doesn't matter, you are a professor. The Professor, one might say", the Oracle said earning an appreciative smile from Yana.

"If you'd been born in a different time, you'd be revered", the Doctor agreed, "I mean it. Throughout the galaxies."

"Oh, those damned galaxies. They had to go and collapse. Some admiration would have been nice. Yes, just a little, just once."

"Well, you've got it now. But that footprint engine thing. You can't activate it from onboard. It's got to be from here. You're staying behind."

The Oracle moved over to where Jack was to help out there.

"So, you and the Doctor, you're married?", Jack asked.

She smiled, "Yeah."

"You're a Time Lady?"

"Time Lord, yeah. It's gender neutral, sorry", she corrected.

"How did he find you?"

"Well, I was stranded on Earth a few years back. It's all a bit of a coincidence. Martha found me. Couple years later, she met him, introduced us, and then, a couple months ago I got my memories back", she smiled.

"So, then how long have you been married now", Jack asked, his eyebrows scrunched, trying to do the math.

"Ah, that's all a bit timey-wimey. He's a bit older than me now. But about nine hundred years is a good estimate, I think."

"Oh", his eyes widened, "So, you've been married since before I knew him, since before Rose. You got married on Gallifrey."

"Yup."

"Well, congrats then", he smiled.

"Thanks, Jack", she smiled back.

"Professor, tell the Doctor we found his blue box", the guard's voice came through the speakers.

"Ah!", the Doctor said excitedly.

"There she is", the Oracle looked at the monitor that showed the Tardis.

"Doctor?", Jack called him over.

"Professor, it's a wild stab in the dark", he grinned, looking at the screen, "but I may just have found you a way out.