doyle: tardis (tardis)
doyle ([personal profile] doyle) wrote2005-05-03 01:50 am

DW: String Theory (Adam)

Title: String Theory
Author: Doyle
Fandom: Doctor Who (Ninth Doctor)
Pairing: (one-sided) Adam/Rose
Rating: PG
Summary: “It’s bigger on the inside… it’s alien… are you alien?”
Notes: spoilers for Dalek. ~600 words.

He’s thinking about sixteen-dimension string theory as he follows them through the doors, because Adam doesn’t know how to not think about a million things at the one time, even when they’re about to be sealed into the museum and the Doctor and Rose are arsing about with a blue box; he’s thinking about the exhibits as well, and working out how much concrete it’s going to take to fill in fifty-one levels, and wondering if his talking-to-girls problem’s gone away since the last time he saw one and whether he should ask Rose out.

When he finally cottons on to what’s in front of his eyes – when the door slams behind him and the… the spaceship starts to shake and Rose is looking over at him, laughing and pulling levers on some sort of control panel in the middle of the room as the Doctor shouts instructions – he doesn’t know what to think any more.

**

It’s bigger on the inside. Which is good, seeing as there’s three of them and they’d never fit inside if it was a real phone box or whatever it’s meant to be, but he’s finding it just a bit tricky to get his head round all this.

He doesn’t believe in starting at the beginning – linear’s never really worked for him – so he goes for the big one first. It’s a spaceship. A proper, real, genuine spaceship.

“It’s military,” he tries, because it’s the simplest reason, got to be, and he knew Occam’s Razor when kids his age were bleating Baa Baa Black Sheep. “Some sort of new plane, only it looks like a box from the outside ‘cause most of it’s cloaked.”

Rose and the Doctor look at each other like there’s whole unspoken conversations going on. “Pretty and in denial. You do know how to pick them.”

“Leave him alone,” she says, sounding scolding but smiling, “I wasn’t too quick off the mark either. I thought the shop dummies were students, remember?”

“Yeah, but you didn’t look at the Nestene Consciousness and go ‘oh, look at that, obviously it’s a really massive bowl of soup and we’re all imagining it’s talking to us’.”

Adam understood quantum cryptography when he was seven years old. By eight, he was hacking the Pentagon for fun. Whatever code they’re talking, it’s above his head.

“It’s alien,” Rose says, nicely – everything about Rose is nice, and he wonders again if she’d want to go to the cinema or something - “It’s all right. Took me a bit of getting used to.”

“And are you… alien?” He uses the word a hundred times a day, spends his time surrounded with bits of spacecraft and alien civilisations, but he hesitates over it. It’s different, same way there’s a difference between knowing there are other planets out there and looking through a telescope for the first time, seeing Jupiter come into focus.

“She’s human. I’m not.” The Doctor pumps one of the levers. Thumps a couple of buttons. “Rose, take him to the kitchen, make him tea or something. Keep him out of the way.”

“No way,” he says. “I want to know how it works. I want to know everything.” He wants to touch that console, convince himself he hasn’t fallen asleep at his desk back in Van Statten’s museum, but he gets his hand slapped for his trouble.

“Hands off. I’m trying to drive, here. These ion storms don't avoid themselves.”

Rose loops her hand through his arm and says, “Come on. One of the science labs is by the kitchen. Just looks like a big room full of electronics and test tubes to me, but you’ll like it.”

“But where are we even going?” he finally thinks to ask, as she pulls him away, and her smile makes him forget for a second that this is the biggest moment of his entire life.

“Dunno,” she says. “We’ll find out when we get there. Always do. Tea or coffee?”

[identity profile] taraljc.livejournal.com 2005-05-03 03:31 am (UTC)(link)
I want to eat your brain. Serious gift for dialogue, here. *hugs you close*

[identity profile] doyle_sb4.livejournal.com 2005-05-03 10:47 am (UTC)(link)
Eee, thank you! *invests in spoon-proof hat, just in case*
gwynnega: (Default)

[personal profile] gwynnega 2005-05-03 04:53 am (UTC)(link)
“Yeah, but you didn’t look at the Nestene Consciousness and go ‘oh, look at that, obviously it’s a really massive bowl of soup and we’re all imagining it’s talking to us’.”

Adam understood quantum cryptography when he was seven years old. By eight, he was hacking the Pentagon for fun. Whatever code they’re talking, it’s above his head.


Heeeeeeee! Great stuff.

[identity profile] doyle_sb4.livejournal.com 2005-05-03 10:48 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks! :)
ext_6657: She solders!  With glasses! (Default)

[identity profile] katemonkey.livejournal.com 2005-05-03 06:30 am (UTC)(link)
I'm officially obligated to hate Adam (because a friend of a friend tried out for that role and didn't get it), but you're making it really really hard when you write him so well.

And Rose and the Doctor as well! Aww!

[identity profile] doyle_sb4.livejournal.com 2005-05-03 10:49 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you! I liked Adam, but I was already biased from liking Todd in Corrie - plus, always have a thing for writing the (mad) geniuses.

[identity profile] pinkdormouse.livejournal.com 2005-05-03 06:48 am (UTC)(link)
Eeep! I like!

wondering if his talking-to-girls problem’s gone away since the last time he saw one</i fits so well. I love the Doctor and Rose interacting, and it all going over Adam's head. And the way Rose just takes care of everything. Gina

[identity profile] doyle_sb4.livejournal.com 2005-05-03 10:50 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you!

[identity profile] nostalgia-lj.livejournal.com 2005-05-03 07:57 am (UTC)(link)
“Pretty and in denial. You do know how to pick them.”


*licks your face like a wee excited puppy*

[identity profile] doyle_sb4.livejournal.com 2005-05-03 10:50 am (UTC)(link)
One would disapprove of such rambunctious antics and recommend a spell of national service to sort you out. *licks back*

[identity profile] paratti.livejournal.com 2005-05-03 08:59 am (UTC)(link)
Loved it.

[identity profile] doyle_sb4.livejournal.com 2005-05-03 10:50 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you!

[identity profile] dolores.livejournal.com 2005-05-03 10:05 am (UTC)(link)
Fabulous. Just perfect.

[identity profile] doyle_sb4.livejournal.com 2005-05-03 10:51 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks!

RTD's writing next week's, so I'm hoping for some good Doctor/ToddAdam slashiness.

[identity profile] stumbelina.livejournal.com 2005-05-03 10:21 am (UTC)(link)
Eeee! Lovely. I can't quote any because I would have to quote it all but so lovely and bewildered and the perfect Dr Who mix of freaky and cups of tea. I was squeeking at the end of the episode "The boy! They took they boy! OT3! Yay!" Which, um, confused everyone else in the room but whatever.

[identity profile] doyle_sb4.livejournal.com 2005-05-03 10:51 am (UTC)(link)
Whee, thank you! (And I was OT3ing as well. The Doctor did call him pretty...)

[identity profile] tricksterquinn.livejournal.com 2009-01-29 01:33 am (UTC)(link)
Kind of random years later, but the perfect Dr Who mix of freaky and cups of tea describes this show SO WELL!

[identity profile] gamiila.livejournal.com 2005-05-03 11:51 am (UTC)(link)
Really, really, really in awe of you now. Your Dr. Who fics are just so fantastically spot-on -- I'm not only looking forward to each episode, but looking forward to see what you'll make of it the next day, too.

[identity profile] cy-girl.livejournal.com 2005-05-03 04:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Lovely story. Great dialogue!

[identity profile] nhawk.livejournal.com 2005-05-03 06:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Very nice.

[identity profile] flurblewig.livejournal.com 2005-05-03 08:20 pm (UTC)(link)
::applauds:: Superb! ::pets poor bemused Adam::
infiniteviking: A bird with wings raised in excitement. (Default)

[personal profile] infiniteviking 2005-05-03 09:07 pm (UTC)(link)
obviously it’s a really massive bowl of soup

Fantastic dialogue. Just... are there ion storms in the time vortex? Maybe they'll end up in the mirror universe, hey?

Write more!
owl: Stylized barn owl (Default)

[personal profile] owl 2005-05-04 09:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Your skill amkes me jealous :-P

*fangirls you*

[identity profile] nevacaruso.livejournal.com 2006-09-05 02:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Squee! I just finished Season 1, and I've been on the lookout for good fic about Adam. The characterization and voices in this one were pitch-perfect. Fantastic!

[identity profile] tricksterquinn.livejournal.com 2009-01-29 01:34 am (UTC)(link)
This is great Adam-voice! I would love to see you do something with him from after The Long Game, because, geez, kid. *shakes head at him*

I love Rose and the Doctor. They really do have whole conversations to which other people just aren't invited.