Chapter 4

Life In The Multiverse

The bed was just the right soft of comfortable, it relaxed her muscles and made her feel content as she slept.

Link awoke and gave a yawn, she gazed around at the room, the dark wooden furniture didn't look like it was placed in the room it all looked like it had grown out of the walls and floor like ornamental vines, the only thing that didn't look attached to anything was the chair at the writing desk, but it was all the same wood, she wasn't about to question how it was the TARDIS actually made any of the rooms, she hadn't found anything to explain the TARDIS as yet, not even a manual of sorts, but then again the TARDIS was alive, and people didn't come with manuals so it was understandable that there was a lack of a TARDIS manual to be found.

Link sat up. 'Wow... I don't think I've ever slept so well before.'

'Well you were reading for a long while.' The TARDIS commented casually.

Link gave a smile. 'I like reading.' She gave a frown as her stomach grumbled. 'I'm hungry.' She acknowledged jumping up to a stand.

'I would say so, you haven't eaten in a fair while.'

'How long?' Link asked stretching.

'Oh, a month.' The TARDIS said calmly.

'A month?' Link repeated scarcely believing what she had just heard. 'But that can't be right, I only just...' She frowned thinking about how many books she had been reading, despite having gotten faster in her reading ability there was no way she had read all that in one night.

'We're temporally transcendental, outside in the void time doesn't even exist, we have our very own concept of time not dependant on anything else, somewhere in the multiverse right now it's the exact moment you and I met.'

'How could I have been reading for that long? Wouldn't I have needed to sleep, or eat or gotten uncomfortable or something?'

The response was a stunned silence, Link could tell that her question had caught the TARDIS off guard. 'You mean you don't know?'

'Does it sound like I do?' Link asked as her mind did a fast assessment of the question and the details. 'Is that a Time Lord thing?' She asked. 'There weren't any books on them.' Link added, then realised that it was probably a very sensitive topic, the Time Lords had taken apart every single one of the TARDISes kind to create their own, that sort of thing wasn't something anyone would like to talk about. 'Sorry... I didn't mean to-'

'You're very young.' The TARDIS commented suddenly. 'and very new...'

'Aren't those the same thing?' Link asked, somehow looking up at the ceiling was automatic even though she knew she was inside of the TARDIS so anywhere she looked she was talking to the TARDIS looking up just made sense.

'Contextually they normally are, but not about you, you're young in age and mind, but in species you're brand new... Impossible even.'

'Impossible?' Link asked. 'how so?'

'Time Lord and human are very different species, a long time ago, back before they became Time Lords, the two species could inter-breed, but not Time Lords and humans.' The TARDIS paused for a moment. 'There had to be an awful lot of differences between those two universes for you to happen.'

'Either that or some evil genius decided to force the issue.'

There was a pause, in which Link had to wonder when she had even begun to think about that sort of thing. 'I think, if anything, you were created by the multiverse.'

'For what though?' Link asked.

'I could look forward into your time-line and find out, but where would the excitement be then?'

Link gave a smile. 'Agreed, no hints on the future.'

'But what I can do is give you some information on the Time Lords.'

'Another book?' Link asked hopefully.

There was a long pause. 'If you like...'

A short while later, Link was sitting at a kitchen table with a bowl of cereal and an incredibly thick textbook on Time Lords.

The kitchen wasn't the white that Link had been expecting, it seemed that the TARDIS was actually enjoying creating these new rooms, throwing about something completely different from the next, the kitchen was huge with black marble bench-tops and deep red cupboards, the floor was covered up by one massive Persian rug.

Neither of them had spoke until Link looked up from the book and said. 'er...'

'Yes?'

'I hate to pry, but what are you doing? I mean what is it you do?'

'Do? Right now, I'm taking void particles into my engines stores, observing the flow of the multiverse and talking with you.'

'You can do that? Watch the multiverse?'

'Yes... there's always a new universe popping into life when people make those important decisions... it's an amazing event but no one else gets to see them... it's a lonely place the void.'

Link gave a sad smile. 'Well, there's us now.'

'Yes, there is... there's a very big universe about to snap into existence do you want to come and watch?'

'Do I!' She said leaping up from the chair and sprinting out of the room.

Link watched the view from the door, the word "Void" was very deceiving, certainly the dark was darker than it was inside a universe but the place was far from empty, thousands upon thousands of bright stars each and every one different in some way were shimmering outside 'So each of these stars?'

'Are universes... all sowed through the void like beads on a necklace.'

'So the whole of creation is happening as we speak?'

'Yes.'

'so this is eternity?' Link asked.

'Pretty, isn't it?'

'It's beautiful.' Link agreed.

'This is only the beginning... wait till you see the rest of it all.'

Link gave a smile. 'I can hardly wait.'

'So why should we? Come on... let's get moving!'

Link shut the doors and turned. 'I don't know what your name is.' Link realised.

'I told you I'm a Mark One TARDIS.'

'That's not a name' Link observed. 'that's a species.'

'Well... I don't know, I'm the only one of the originals left so I think it isn't going to be a problem.'

'It's not exactly the same as a name.'

'It isn't?'

'No... how about I call you Mark?'

'Mark?'

'Short for Mark One...'

'That sounds rather sad... It reminds me that I'm all alone.'

'I'm Link.' Link offered. 'Because I'm a connection between universes and races.'

'Well if you can go by that then I guess I can go by Mark.'

Link smiled. 'Nice to meet you, Mark.'

'So... are you ready to learn how to pilot me?'

'But you can drive yourself.'

'Yes, but it's hardly any fun for you if I get to choose all the time.'

Link smiled. 'Right...' She stepped up to the console, the higher buttons and switches were just out of her reach. 'This is going to be hard.'

'Oh you'll get the hang of it.' Mark said cheerfully. 'And you aren't going to stay little for long.'

'True I guess.'

'Don't worry, I'll keep us stable.'

Link gave a smile. 'Well if I managed to learn how to fly those assault fighters on my own back home then I can learn how to fly with you.'

'Oof!' The word was forced out of her on impact with the floor as Mark landed very abruptly.

'Oh I'm sorry, that landing was a bit rough, are you alright?'

Link smiled and giggled, then she found herself laughing loudly, and next thing she knew she had stitches in her sides from laughing so much. 'Cowabunga!' She cheered and jumped up to a stand. 'So, how was that for our first lesson?'

'You're a natural.'

Link grinned. 'So where are we anyway?'

'Go and find out.'

Link rushed to the door and opened it, stepping out and looking around at the rich jungle. 'Wow... this place is beautiful!'

'Welcome to the Prehistoric times of your home planet.'

'It's safe for me to be here?'

'Just watch out for the carnivorous dinosaurs.'

'Not what I meant, but okay... can I go and explore?'

'Don't be too worried, just let your senses guide you, it's a Time Lord ability to feel what's right when it comes to time travel.'

Link smiled and shut the door. 'You're still with me aren't you?'

'It's a mental connection, it'd take a really big distance for it to fade.'

'Good... because I think you want to explore this place with me.'

'You don't mind?'

'Course not, I won't feel lonely and it's an excuse to let myself give in to this urge to explore.'

'Don't get hurt.'

Link felt a surge of extra excitement and she ran off through the trees, a relief passing over her as she came to grips with the real gift of travelling through time, no one knew who she was, no one knew what she was, hell the people she was running from weren't going to exist for millions of years... she was free.