When will people learn that the only good Cyberman/Dalek is one that's been totally disembowelled and checked every day? -- Anon Guest
The cavernous space echoed with their footfalls. The exhibits were corpses, or empty armour. Relics of things that destroyed. All within glass cases. All on little plinths. All with informative plaques with information about what they were and where or when they had come from.
The Doctor knew them all.
He added random information to the displays. Telling stories to Hope, who seemed less impressed with it. Even the singular Minotaur nanobot, displayed under magnification, did not impress.
"Now my question is," said the Doctor. "How did they get all of this?"
"We followed you," said a new speaker. It was a figure so unassuming that most who passed them assumed that they were one with the wallpaper. Bland and beige, all over. So dull and boring that they didn't seem to have a gender. "As far as the exhibits are concerned, you are our greatest source of potential material."
"I'm not sure I like that honour."
"Who're you?" said Hope, who had left finger marks all over a cases labelled Do not touch!
"I'm the Curator," said the bland one. "My purpose is to ensure that all exhibits remain inert."
The Doctor turned to look back at all the glass cases. "Them? They're dead. I killed a lot of them. And your job is to make sure?"
"Yes," said the Curator. "Some of your own history dictates that it is better to make sure they are dead. Many of these constructs contain devices both subtle and gross to ensure their continued operation."
Realisation dawned. "Oh yes. A lot of them do. Why, it might just be a matter of time before one of them figures out how to siphon energy from an active scanner."
The bland face of the Curator looked slightly worried. "If I was stupid," they said, "I would deny all possibility of such happening. And display how secure everything is." They produced a scanner from their robes. "But around you, stupid people die."
"'S right," said Hope. "Seen it loads."
The Doctor was busily analysing the scanner with his sonic screwdriver. "You know... it's very refreshing to meet someone who's actually clever."
"That a dig?" asked Hope.
"Not in the slightest. You're one of the clever ones, too." He peered at the screwdriver, frowning at the results. "Now. Let's see what's making trouble."
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