The Broken Link

"Just one trip. That's what I said. One trip in the Tardis, and then home." The Doctor looked to Martha, and a still sleepy looking Thema, "Although I suppose we could stretch the definition. Take one trip into past, one trip into future. How do you fancy that?"

"No complaints from me." Martha smiled. Thema did too, she liked having the human on board.

"How about a different planet?" He suggested.

"Can we go to yours?"

The mood seemed to get tense, "Ah, there's plenty of other places." The Doctor just waved it off.

"Come on, though. I mean, planet of the Time Lords. That's got to be worth a look. What's it like?"

"Well, it's beautiful, yeah."

Thema shook her head, "But what fun is it for the Doctor? He lived there, nothing exciting for him. Lets go somewhere else."

The Doctor gave her an apprecitative glance, "Exactly, that idea is much better. Year five billion and fifty-three, planet New Earth. Second hope of mankind. Fifty thousand light years from your old world, and we're slap bang in the middle of New New York. Although, technically it's the fifteenth New York from the original, so it's New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York. One of the most dazzling cities ever built."

Martha glanced between the 2 aliens, wondering what they were hiding. But was happy when they landed on an alien planet.

The Tardis is blocking a narrow alleway. They walk out into rain, "Oh, that's nice. Time Lord version of dazzling."

"Nah, bit of rain never hurt anyone. Come on, let's get under cover!" Thema stayed out in the rain a bit longer and stuck her tounge out. She blanched when she got a taste, as it was so polluted it no longer tasted like water.

Martha chuckled at the alien, who now was noticibly alien, "Well, it looks like the same old Earth to me, on a Wednesday afternoon."

"Hold on, hold on. Let's have a look." The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver to get a monitor working.

-And the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New New Jersey expressway.
A picture of a high-tec Manhattan and flying cars flashes on screen.

"Oh, that's more like it. That's the view we had last time." He looked around, "This must be the lower levels, down in the base of the tower. Some sort of under-city."

"You've brought me to the slums?"

He shrugged, "Much more interesting. It's all cocktails and glitter up there. This is the real city."

"You'd enjoy anything."

"That's me." He smiled, "Ah, the rain's stopping. Better and better."

"When you say last time," Thema had joined them again, "was that you and Rose?"

"Er, yeah. Yeah, it was, yeah."

"You're taking me to the same planets that you took her?" Martha thought back to Thema's words, Don't be a replacement, be a mentor, a friend. Help him heal. Maybe this will help.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing." Just ever heard the word rebound, she wanted to add. But she held her tounge

A man opens the front of his stall, "Oh! You should have said. How long you been there? Happy. You want Happy."

More hatches open. The next two are women, "Customers. Customers! We've got customers!" "We're in business. Mother, open up the Mellow, and the Read."