Tag: fan companion

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 1

The Drums: Part 3

“I’m still just ONE of your greatest enemies?!” Miss Tarae gasped. “Who’s got the number one position?! Is it Davros?! It is, isn’t it! Oh, I could tear his throat out!” She fanned herself mockingly.

“Perhaps I can make it up to you by listening to your story?” suggested the Doctor. “Such as how you’re here, for a start. Let’s just say that the Toymaker took Davros’ position in terms of power.”

“Ah, want to know if he was telling the truth about our encounter?” asked Miss Tarae. “…Sadly, he was. I WAS a gold filling for his tooth after I lost to him. It was a simple chess match. …In hindsight, he’s probably played chess longer than me. I was conscious…and now I’m haunted by nightmares of food and saliva!” Miss Tarae shuddered, then recovered. “But I have you to thank for my freedom.”

“Me?” asked the Doctor.

“That bi-generation trick of yours, I thought it was a myth. Then the two of you ganged up on the Toymaker with a simple game of catch and banished him! But I saw an opportunity to escape! As his power over Earth unraveled, I took the opportunity to escape and forcibly claim my prize!”

“And that prize was?” asked the Doctor.

“To be the second Timeless Child, Doctor!” replied Miss Tarae.

“You utter fool! You think I LIKE being the Timeless Child?!”

“You might not, but I do! And once I defeat you, I will be THE Timeless Child! I will be the founder of a new Gallifrey!”

“So it was YOU that destroyed her home!” called William. “After all the effort she put into protecting it from those Daleks I heard about! You’re as bad as the dictators of Earth!” Miss Tarae snarled at that.

“Unlike people like Hitler or Putin, I have REAL power!” she hissed. “And I will exercise that power over everyone!”

“So you brainwashed Eggman to do your bidding?” asked the Doctor.

“…No, but not for lack of trying,” admitted Miss Tarae. “Somehow, his mind is more…resilient to my control.”

“Egg-breath’s trained himself to resist ALL forms of hypnosis,” interjected Sonic.

“That, I can believe, Mister Sonic. I’m just surprised he can resist Gallifreyan techniques.”

“Then you’re tenuous allies, huh?” guessed Amy.

“I’d say dubious, but I will admit, I do like YOUR phrasing of it, Miss Rose,” replied Miss Tarae.

“You know that I’ll stop your plan, whatever it is!” hissed the Doctor.

“My dear Doctor, you’re going without your sonic screwdriver like you did as that celery cricket player up to that little chess player,” chuckled Miss Tarae. “You’ve put yourself in a much harder position. Ta ta!” She sauntered off.

“…I suppose you’ll want answers about that Timeless Child stuff,” muttered the Doctor.

“That can wait,” replied William. “Right now, we gotta get out of here! She’s way too intelligent to fall for the Fizgig, though.”

“…But are the guards intelligent enough for…?” The Doctor stroked her chin. “…OH! THE PAIN!” She clutched her heart on her left side! William groaned.

“There is no way-!” he protested.

“GUARD! HELP!” called Amy. The guard turned to Amy. “It’s our friend! She’s having a heart attack!”

“But she has two hearts,” droned the guard. William rolled his eyes as he played along.

“Her people can’t survive with only one heart!” he said, rather hammy.

“Administering medical attention,” droned the guard. It opened the Doctor’s cell and entered it…then she leapt onto the robot and yanked a few wires out, shutting it down. She then grabbed the robot’s arm and stuck it into each cell’s lock, freeing her friends.

“…These robots are dumber than Sontarans?!” spluttered William in disbelief.

“I’m a little amazed that actually worked,” mused the Doctor.

“We better get out of here, then!” said Tails.

“No way, Tails!” protested Sonic. “I still wanna know how they met!”

“So do I,” agreed the Doctor. She found a nearby computer console. “Aha! Let’s see if we can find the archived monitor data.”

“Sounds easy,” remarked Sonic.

“Sonic, do you even know what she’s talking about?” asked Amy.

“…No,” Sonic admitted lamely.

“Security footage that Eggman saved,” explained the Doctor.

“Need any help?” offered Tails. “I’ve hacked into his systems before.”

“Thank you, Tails, that would be helpful,” replied the Doctor. The two technical geniuses got to work, then… “Aha! Found it!”

“Is…Is that a production line arm?” asked William once the footage popped up.

“No,” corrected the Doctor, “it’s a Type 75 TARDIS, a newer model compared to my Type 40.”

“Specifically, Miss Tarae’s Type 75 TARDIS,” realized William.

“Exactly, and there she is now, or then,” confirmed the Doctor as Miss Tarae climbed out of the arm’s base. She floofed her skirts and looked around. Eggman then entered the production line she landed in.

“Who the heck are you?!” he demanded. Miss Tarae then gave him her attention. “…Well?!” insisted Eggman.

“I am…Miss Tarae,” replied the evil Time Lord, “though I was once known as the Master.”

“Is that right?” scoffed Eggman.

“Universally.”

“Well, I am known as Dr. Eggman on this planet and I don’t need Lolita girls pretending to be an evil dictator! Robots!” Robots arrived on the scene.

“Unfortunately, I have need of you, Dr. Julian Ivo Robotnik,” sighed Miss Tarae in frustration.

“What did you say?” hissed Eggman.

“Dr. Julian Ivo Robotnik,” repeated Miss Tarae. “That IS your real name, is it not?”

“Now listen here, missy! Get out of Robotropolis while your mind is still your own!” Miss Tarae snarled at Eggman’s threat.

“Why, you insolent, primitive-!”

“Primitive, am I?!” Eggman raised his hand to grab Miss Tarae, but she proved to be faster as she grabbed HIS hand and tore his glasses clean off his face. Her eyes then glowed amber as her gaze bore a hole into Eggman’s.

“You will obey me,” she said matter-of-factly. “Do you hear? You will obey me. I am the Master and you will obey me.”

“…Obey this!” Eggman pulled his head back, then jammed his nose into her eye!

“ARGH!” Miss Tarae rubbed her eye to try and soothe the pain. “Did you just…peck my eye?!” The Doctor kept her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud! She went a little further along the footage and Eggman and Miss Tarae were now talking to one another.

“You’re telling me,” said Eggman, “that all of time and space can be seized if I get another TARDIS? What are the chances of that happening?”

“There’s one particular TARDIS piloted by my old friend,” explained Miss Tarae. “They always stick their noses in business like ours. All we’d need to do is kidnap someone and they’ll come running.”

“So will Sonic…but that just gives me the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone!” Eggman was grinning. “All we need are the Chaos Emeralds to make the machine work.”

“And how many do you have?” asked Miss Tarae. That was when a robot shaped like Sonic appeared with a fist-sized gem in his hand.

“Ah! Metal Sonic! Excellent! So you got Shadow’s Chaos Emerald!” praised Eggman. “That makes all seven!”

“Uh oh!” gulped Sonic.

“Erm, guys, I just found what Eggman and Miss Tarae built,” gulped Tails. He pulled up schematics for a machine suit.

“…Rassilon’s pajamas!” swore the Doctor. “Look at the weapons capabilities! Atomic reconstruction of a living organism into a machine life form…and a rewiring of the brain into a subservient mindset!”

“A suit with a Roboticizer!” gulped Sonic.

“And augmented with the Chaos Emeralds’ power!” finished Tails. “With the Emeralds powering the suit-!”

“He’d turn all of Mobius into his robotic playground!” whispered the Doctor.

“With humans dying all over the place!” said Amy. “The Roboticizer can’t convert humans without killing them!”

“With the alterations made by Miss Tarae, he can do more than roboticize humans!” explained the Doctor. “He’d roboticize entire planets! We have to stop him!”

“It looks like he’s getting himself ready!” warned Tails. “Come on! Laboratory 14-87!”

“Let’s go!” called Sonic. He led everyone to the lab and knocked the door down with a spin dash. Eggman was now suited up with Miss Tarae standing by.

“Ah, Doctor! Sonic!” cackled Eggman. “Come to see my magnum opus?”

“We’re here to stop you from roboticizing the planet in one fell swoop!” replied the Doctor.

“Miss Tarae, I thought you said the Doctor was a Time Lord like you,” chuckled Eggman.

“Did I say ‘like me’?” replied Miss Tarae. “My mistake. She does have a limited imagination.”

“What do you mean?” asked Sonic.

“It’s not just one planet I intend to roboticize, but all of time and space!” explained Eggman.

“So that’s why you need a TARDIS!” realized the Doctor. “Well, you’re not getting mine!”

“True, I’m not,” replied Eggman. Miss Tarae arched an eyebrow.

“…You’re…not?” she asked.

“I overheard the Doctor explain more about her TARDIS,” said Sage as she appeared. “They had seen security footage of your arrival, and I heard her call her TARDIS a Type 40 and yours a Type 75. That would indicate that your TARDIS is more advanced than the Doctor’s.”

“…Ah, I see,” mused the Doctor. “Eggman, are you sure now is the best time to betray her?”

“She’s right in chiding you like that,” remarked Miss Tarae. “You can’t get in without the key.”

“Oh, you mean THIS key?” asked Eggman as he pulled out a TARDIS key. Miss Tarae sighed as she pulled out her own key.

“Do you really think I would let a mere human have my key?” she asked.

“Are you sure I have the fake?” chuckled Eggman. He fitted it into the lock hidden in the robot arm…and opened it!

“WHAT THE-?!” spluttered Miss Tarae. She looked at the key she had and goggled. There was a tiny figure of a soldier taped to it! “How did I-?! Dr. Julian Ivo-!”

“You’re not my mother; you don’t have the right to full name me!” snapped Eggman as he put his arm into Miss Tarae’s TARDIS. “Sage, it’s time! Chaos Tempora Mechanica!”

“TARDIS console sighted! Beginning conversion now!” replied Sage. The Chaos Emeralds glowed and Eggman fired a beam straight at the console!

“NO!” shouted both the Doctor and Miss Tarae!

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 1

The Drums: Part 2

“What took you guys so long?” chuckled Sonic as the Doctor and William finally arrived, panting at running for so long.

“We’re not…designed…to run…at sonic…speeds!” panted William.

“I think…my hearts…are gonna burst!” wheezed the Doctor. Somehow, she preferred running when there was something chasing her with the intent to kill her. At that moment, Tails left the workshop the Time Lord and human were collapsing in front of.

“…Sonic, really?” asked Tails in a deadpan voice.

“Come on! It was fun!” argued Sonic.

“Who are they?” quizzed Tails.

“Oh, they’re both doctors,” replied Sonic. “I ran into their time ship and they fixed me up. The lady’s just called the Doctor and the man’s Dr. William Davies.”

“…Time ship?” repeated Tails. “You know what, I’ll ask them later. Help me get their breath back.”

The Doctor and Willam were so grateful for resting their tired feet and having tall glasses of water on standby. “Oof! My dogs are killing me!” said William as he dipped his feet in a tray of water. The Doctor had taken her shoes off and felt her feet.

“Ouch!” she said as she pulled her hand back from how hot her feet were. “Oh, be quiet, Fido!” She then dipped her feet into a water tray and sighed. “Aaaaahhhhh…much better.”

“Doing all right?” Tails asked his guests.

“Much better now,” replied William. “Thank you so much.”

“So, Sonic said you both fly through time and space in a dimensionally transcendental box?” quizzed Tails.

“…I doubt he used those words, but yes, we do,” replied the Doctor.

“…Wow!” Tails had a look of wonder in his eyes.

“Erm, Tails,” said Sonic, “you wanted me here earlier. Why?”

“Oh, yeah! Eggman’s on the move again!” Tails flicked a switch and darkened the room. A projector then displayed the data he gathered. “My drones spotted Eggman’s robots chasing down two people. One is Amy, don’t know why he’s giving himself that kind of headache, the other is a Miss Tarae, a human woman.”

“A human?” asked the Doctor. “I read somewhere that Eggman only turns animals or Mobians into robots. What’s his angle in kidnapping a human?”

“I’m not sure, but it’s nothing good,” replied Tails.

“Then I say we kick his fat butt again!” declared Sonic.

“You’re not gonna make me and the Doctor run there, are you?” asked William.

“No one’s running to Eggman,” replied Tails. “We’re taking my plane.”

“…Aren’t you a bit young to fly a plane?”

“Trust me,” said Sonic, “my little bro here is a genius at mechanics AND flying!”

The Doctor and William were in Tails’ plane in the seats behind him while Sonic stayed on the wing. “Isn’t that dangerous?!” the Doctor called to Sonic.

“Trust me, I’ve done this before!” replied Sonic.

“It’s getting him to NOT do it that’s the issue,” remarked Tails.

“Where are we even going?” asked William.

“To Robotropolis,” replied Tails. “That’s where Eggman’s got his prisoners.”

“How are we gonna get there without being shot at?”

“…We’re gonna be shot at, sorry to say,” muttered Tails.

In the control room, Eggman and his robots were pouring over the surveillance cameras. “What is taking that blue pest so long?!” complained Eggman. “You’d think he’d get here earlier, given his powers!”

“Father,” came a voice. A hologram of a little girl with white hair, a black dress, and red eyes and spots that looked like red data lines on her body appeared.

“Yes, Sage?” asked Eggman.

“Tails’ biplane has been spotted in our northern skies,” reported the girl, Sage the AI. “Reports indicate that Sonic is onboard that plane with two humans.”

“Let’s see them!” Sage obeyed Eggman and put up an image of the plane with Tails and his passengers. “Excellent! Bring them down!”

“Yes, Father,” replied Sage.

Flying robots were deployed and flew towards the plane. “Hoo boy! Here they come!” warned Tails. He pulled off some fancy flying maneuvers as he got closer. “Hang on, everyone!” he warned. “This is gonna be bumpy!” The plane managed to avoid the weapons fire of the flying robots and Robotropolis’ anti-aircraft weapons as it touched down on a landing strip. More robots arrived. Sonic leapt off the plane, curled into a ball, and dashed into the robots, turning them into scrap. Once a path was cleared, Tails and the Doctor made their way to the main door. Tails attached a device to the lock, then the device smoked and sparked. “Oh, come on!” complained Tails. “Stupid Sage, upgrading everything faster!”

“Allow me,” replied the Doctor. She pulled the lock’s panel off and began rewiring.

“Stop,” ordered Sage’s voice. Her hologram appeared. “You are intruding on Dr. Eggman’s territory.”

“A real artificial intelligence!” said the Doctor. “How do you do? I’m the Doctor.”

“You must leave,” directed Sage.

“Your creator kidnapped Tails’ friend and a random woman,” retorted the Doctor as she continued her work. “We won’t leave without them.”

“If you will not leave willingly,” warned Sage, “then you will be prisoners.” By then, the Doctor had rewired the door control, and the door opened.

“Voila!” she cheered. She then saw the robot horde. “…Oops.”

“OUT OF THE WAY!” called Sonic. He dashed into the robots at supersonic speeds, creating a sonic boom! The Doctor and her friends held their ears up until…robots grabbed them!

“Halt, Hedgehog!” called a robot.

“Yeah, right! That ain’t my-!” Sonic stopped when he saw the Doctor, William, and Tails. “Hey! You let them go right now!”

“Surrender and your friends will be spared,” said Sage as she appeared.

“Sonic, I rather think you should surrender,” remarked the Doctor.

“WHAT?!” protested Sonic.

“It’s the most expedient way to get to Eggman right now,” explained the Doctor. “You know the routine.” Sonic blinked, then his face lit up as he realized the Doctor’s plan.

“All right then, Sage, I surrender,” he said.

“Very wise, Sonic,” replied Sage. Robots then grabbed him.

“Hey! Watch the quills!”

“You want answers, don’t you, Doctor?” guessed William.

“Yes, I do!” confirmed the Doctor.

The group was brought to the main control center. Eggman was in his chair as usual, overseeing operations. “Don’t you get tired of that view, Eggbreath?” asked Sonic.

“Not in a million years, old friend!” cackled Eggman. “But, believe it or not, it’s not you I’m after.”

“Yes, I heard about Ms. Rose and Miss Tarae being taken,” remarked the Doctor. “But it was to lure Sonic here, yes?”

“Not just Sonic, my dear Doctor,” replied Eggman. Everyone goggled at that.

“…I…can’t say I’ve had the ‘pleasure’,” said the Doctor.

“Oh, this IS our first meeting,” answered Eggman, “but I stumbled upon one of your people before and they were rather…reluctant to give me the secrets of time and space. They told me you would use your brain to get out of a fight and that your time ship looks like a blue box.”

“Doctor, I’m not sure I like how accurate Eggman’s associate is,” muttered William.

“Neither do I,” replied the Doctor.

“Take them to the cells!” Eggman ordered his robots. “Perhaps the Doctor will get answers there!”

Everyone was put into a cell with the Doctor next to Miss Tarae. “…Why would he go after you, Madam?” the Doctor pondered to herself aloud.

“Which one?” asked Amy.

“The human one,” replied the Doctor.

“I don’t know!” replied Miss Tarae. “He’s never given me a straight answer, only talking about how time and space is his! It’s just…ooooooohhhh!” The poor girl started tapping on the wall. William heard it.

“…Can’t say as I’m familiar with morse code,” he remarked. “You ever heard that before, Doctor? …Doctor.”

“…It can’t be!” whispered the Doctor. She listened intently to the tapping. It was a specific series of four short taps…like a Time Lord’s Hearts-beat! She quickly turned to the robot guarding the cell. “Pen and paper!”

“Repeat,” droned the robot.

“I need pen and paper!” The robot sent the request along the semi-hive mind Eggman had programmed, then it printed out paper and gave the Doctor a pen. “All right, how do you spell Miss Tarae?!”

“M-I-S-S-T-A-R-A-E,” droned the robot. The Doctor wrote out the letters then rearranged six. M stayed where it was, then one of the A’s got moved, then an S, then T, then E, and finally R!

“…Master!” breathed the Doctor in fear. Miss Tarae then chuckled.

“Guard, she’s figured me out!” she said. The Doctor’s blood froze. That confirmation was all she needed!

“Doctor, you’ve got the serious voice,” said William. “You were only like that with the Krynoid and Gurast. Do you know Miss Tarae here?”

“Oh, she does,” chuckled Miss Tarae as the robot let her out of her cell!

“So that’s why Eggman knows about the TARDIS!” hissed the Doctor. “YOU told him about it!”

“Doctor, who is she?!” called William.

“Would someone tell me what’s going on here?!” called Amy. The Doctor hesitated to answer.

“Well, Doctor?” asked Miss Tarae. “Aren’t you going to answer your friends’ questions?” The Doctor sighed, hating that she’s indulging in the woman’s game.

“…She’s a Time Lord,” explained the Doctor. “One of my greatest enemies. …When she adopted a male body, she was always known as the Master.”

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 1

The Drums: Part 1

In a grassy field stood a workshop. Within that workshop worked a strange creature. It had pointy ears, yellow fur on its young, humanoid body, white fur on its torso and muzzle, and, most interestingly of all, two fox tails! The creature called itself Miles Prower, Tails to his friends. He was pouring over the blueprints of a biplane, trying to see if he can make it better. “…Maybe the Chaos Engine…no, that’s already been overhauled. …What about the Turbo…no. …Dang it! What do I need to do to make the Tornado better?!” he snapped. He was about to throw a wrench in frustration when he saw something pop up on his radar. The icon looked like a fat man’s face with a terrible moustache. “…Now what are you up to, Eggman?” muttered Tails as he examined the readings.

The TARDIS, a wonderful machine that can take anyone to any place in any time zone. Right now, the owner of the craft, the Doctor, was sitting in a nice chair and reading a book in her library. William was reading as well. “…When you said leisurely,” William finally muttered, “you weren’t kidding. How long have we been in the time vortex?”

“Couple hours,” replied the Doctor. She closed the book she was reading and got up. “Nothing like a little downtime after all the adventures we just had.”

“True that,” agreed William. “My part of human civilization seems to value overworking themselves to death over proper rest.”

“You’ll all grow out of that; I can assure you.” The Doctor climbed a ladder to put the book back on its shelf. “It WILL take a while, but you will.”

“The fact that you said we grow into an interstellar superpower somewhat gives me hope that we still survive and learn.”

“That’s why I like humans. You always evolve and change, discover new things! The Time Lords forgot that during our long existence.” She then gasped.

“Doctor?” asked William.

“Oh no!” whispered the Doctor.

“What’s wrong?!” William was more concerned now!

“The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer!” explained the Doctor. “What are these books doing in my library?! One of my enemies must have snuck them in here when they managed to gain access to the TARDIS! Their wickedness knows no bounds!” She took all the Twilight books off the shelves, put them on a table, then keyed in a computer command. The books then vanished.

“Did you vaporize them?” asked William.

“No, the bibliophile in me would weep at the burning of books,” replied the Doctor. “I simply had them moved to the forbidden section of the TARDIS library.” The TARDIS then made its arrival thud. “Aha! We’ve landed!”

The Doctor and William returned to the Console Room and the Doctor checked some readings. “Atmosphere’s earth-like…time zone’s roughly five…six million years into your future…gravity’s earth-like…radiation’s good…let’s see what the scanner says.” The scanner switched on to reveal a grassy plain with stone loops. “Aha! Mobius!” said the Doctor. “A million years ago, this current time frame, Earth gets roasted after the sun blows up. The last vestiges of humanity’s cradle is gone. But there are colonies out there among the stars, some taking on weird properties. You see, three million years ago, this planet, Mobius, was bombarded with radiation that mutated select animals into humanoid shapes and brain patterns. Some of them even developed special powers. I’ve never been here before, so let’s go exploring!”

“Wow, a first for the both of us!” chuckled William. The two of them headed to the door…then the TARDIS lurched thanks to something hitting the exterior dimensions hard! The Doctor and William were knocked to the floor from the impact. “What was that?! Did something hit us?!” yelped William.

“Sure seems like it,” said the Doctor once she pulled herself up using the console to steady herself. She checked the readings again. “…Yep, something hit us at a speed fast enough to create a sonic boom,” she said. “It’s…still by the TARDIS. …Rassilon’s beard! It’s a Mobian Hedgehog! It’s badly hurt!” William wasted no time in grabbing the TARDIS medical kit.

The Doctor and William had brought the Hedgehog to the TARDIS medical room. It was a male about three feet tall, blue, wore red shoes and sneakers, and his eyes were connected to each other. The hedgehog groaned after a while and rubbed his head. “Man,” he groaned, “what did I run into?”

“My ship,” explained the Doctor nearby. “We accidentally set ourselves on your path. I do apologize, sir.”

“Oogh, my head!” complained the hedgehog.

“You ran into it pretty fast,” remarked William as he brought over painkillers and water. The hedgehog slowly accepted them, popped the pills in his mouth, and washed them down with the water. “Our sensors,” continued William, “said that you ran at us at sonic speeds.”

“Heh, that’s how I roll,” replied the hedgehog with a weak smile. “Gotta go fast. …Hey, the headache’s going away fast.” The hedgehog was now looking visibly better, his eyes now totally taking in his surroundings. “…Definitely not a Mobian ship,” remarked the hedgehog. “You guys aliens?”

“She’s the alien,” replied William as he pointed to the Doctor. “I’m a human, just not from Mobius.”

“One of the colonies, then?” asked the hedgehog. “What’s this ship called, anyways?”

“TARDIS,” answered the Doctor. “Time and Relative Dimensions in Space.”

“…Time? Like…time travelers from the future?” quizzed the hedgehog.

“I don’t know what time she’s from,” remarked William, “but I’m from Earth circa 2025.”

“I think we’re all forgetting something here,” interjected the Doctor. “I’m the Doctor. This is Dr. William Davies. You are…?” The hedgehog grinned.

“I’m Sonic!” he said. The Doctor’s eyes widened in joyful surprise.

“Sonic the Hedgehog himself!” she whispered. She turned to William. “Sonic’s saved Mobius millions of times from a deranged scientist,” she explained. “He’s a hero on this planet!”

“Yep! Fastest thing alive!” boasted Sonic as he got off the bed.

“Hey, whoa there!” yelped William. “There’s no way you’re fit yet!”

“I wouldn’t worry,” assured the Doctor. “Mobians have a quicker healing rate than humans. It takes a lot of damage to put a Mobian out of action for long periods of time.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” confirmed Sonic. “Thanks for the help, but I gotta meet Tails. That scientist I always fight is starting something again.”

“Why don’t we come with you?” asked the Doctor.

“Sure, if you can keep up,” chuckled Sonic.

The trio left the TARDIS after one last checkup for Sonic (William’s insistence). “Come on, you heard Doctor…Doctor…um, Doctor who?” asked Sonic.

“Just the Doctor,” replied the Doctor.

“That’s seriously how people address her,” said William. “And I couldn’t take the chance. Sometimes people with good healing factors have bad days. And I speak from experience. I once had to visit Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters (a really popular haven for anyone in my time nowadays) and treat Wolverine. Woo! He was a tough patient!”

“Well, it’s nice to…to…” Sonic trailed off when he saw the exterior of the TARDIS. “…H-Hold on.” He went back inside, then went outside again and walked around the TARDIS. “…It’s…It’s…bigger on the inside?!” yelped Sonic.

“Is it?” asked the Doctor.

“We hadn’t noticed,” chuckled William.

“But…HOW-?”

“That’s just a headache for us non-Time Lords,” interrupted William. “Now, your friend…?”

“Oh, yeah!” recalled Sonic. “Come on! This way!” Sonic took off, leaving a trail behind for the Doctor and William to follow.

“…I guess we’re running,” sighed the Doctor. She and William followed Sonic’s trail.

Over in a city of machines, one of now two organic life-forms cackled. This was an overly obese human man with a beaky nose, a terrible moustache, glasses, goggles on his scalp, a red and white jacket, and black pants and boots. This was Sonic’s main enemy, Dr. Julian Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik. “Oh, this is just too rich!” he cackled. “That blue box appeared right as you said it would! There’s no denying it now! The secrets of time shall be mine! And I have you to thank for that, my dear!” Eggman was talking to the other organic life form, a human-looking woman with platinum blonde hair and dressing in a pink and white Lolita outfit, complete with wide skirt laden with petticoats and a frilly headband. She looked terrified. “Metal Sonic!” called Eggman. Sonic’s robotic duplicate stomped into the room, his optics surveying the place. “Get our guest ready!” Metal Sonic then grabbed the woman.

“No! Wait!” pleaded the woman.

“Now, now, Miss Tarae, it’s all very simple!” cackled Eggman. “I use you and Miss Rose as bait for both Sonic and the owner of that box, they surrender, and the secrets of time and space are mine to command!”

“You better let us go, Egg-breath!” snapped another woman’s voice. This woman was a pink hedgehog with a red dress, boots, and headband, Amy Rose.

“And why, pray tell, should I do that?” cackled Eggman. “Time and space are now mine for the taking!” He cackled as another robot grabbed Amy and carted her away in the general direction of Miss Tarae.

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 1

Monstrous Power: Part 4

Gigan was getting closer, despite all the firepower the EDF was throwing at him. “Doctor, you better have something clever up your sleeves as usual!” gulped William.

“I’m not too sure I’d call this clever, but desperate,” replied the Doctor.

“You’re not planning on taking us back to the Xilien ship, are you?” asked Martha.

“No way, she’s planning on going alone,” guessed Mickey.

“…Mickey, I would rather you DIDN’T guess my plans, even if you are correct,” muttered the Doctor.

“You can’t be serious!” protested William. “The Xiliens will kill you like they did Professor Yoshimura!”

“That ship is their only means of controlling Gigan,” replied the Doctor. “With their systems sabotaged, Gigan will be more vulnerable to Godzilla and his allies. …And no, I’m not putting you back in that situation.”

“But you’ll-!”

“William! …Just…please. …Let me do this alone. You witnessed enough death today and I can’t promise I can keep you alive if I let you come with me. And that goes for all of you. I’ll fight this alone.”

“You will not!” argued Sato.

“I’d think that what Davros and his Daleks did to Earth,” remarked Mickey, “proved you work better with someone by your side.”

“And if you’re seriously gonna tell us that being the last of the Time Lords makes you permanently alone, then shame on you!” snapped Martha.

“Doctor, I faced down ghosts, Sontarans, Doctor Doom, Loki, a Krynoid, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn,” said William. “I even preserved Grandpa Zeddemore’s history in the process. I’m coming with you to protect my present, even if I have to sneak onto the TARDIS.”

“That goes for me!” said Sato.

“And me!” agreed Mickey.

“And me!” finished Martha. The Doctor was about to argue, then Gigan roared! He was almost on top of the base! He prepared to fire his eye beam…when a stream of blue fire hit his backside! It wasn’t enough to kill him, but it caught his attention. Everyone looked out to see Godzilla, ready to fight! Godzilla gave off a challenge roar and Gigan roared back, accepting his challenge!

“…Come on!” the Doctor called to her companions, old and new! She led them back into the base as Gigan slashed at Godzilla with his scythes.

“So, what’s the plan?!” asked Sato as everyone ran through the base.

“We sneak onto the Xilien ship,” replied the Doctor, “take down any guards, sever their control over Gigan by any means necessary, Gigan becomes confused and is overwhelmed by three monsters attacking him, then we cause the ship to self-destruct and return to the TARDIS and escape.”

“By the skin of our teeth, by the sound of that plan,” remarked William. “Any finesse needed?”

“I’ll provide the finesse,” answered the Doctor. “Failing that, just break the machines.”

“Sounds like a plan!” said Mickey. They arrived at the TARDIS and the Doctor herded her friends in.

“Oh, you’ve redecorated,” observed Martha as she and Mickey took in their surroundings. “…I don’t like it.”

“Oh, come on,” argued Mickey, “you gotta admit it’s a lot cleaner than that coral reef theme she had going.”

“It really IS bigger on the inside!” breathed Sato.

“Oh dear,” remarked the Doctor as she checked various readings. “The Xilien ship is tunneling its way out of the mountain! This is gonna be tricky!”

“It’s taking off?!” yelped William.

“Maybe to get better radio control over Gigan?” guessed Mickey. “I mean, they were underground and that can jam up radios.”

“Better and direct,” replied the Doctor as she set the TARDIS in motion.

Gigan, now aware of Godzilla, flew through the air, dodging Godzilla’s fire. Godzilla was getting frustrated now. Every time he fights the cyborg chicken, Gigan comes back stronger! Gigan took advantage of Godzilla’s frustration and fired harpoon cables hidden in his forearms. They buried themselves into Godzilla’s back and extended backward-facing spikes once inside his flesh, making them as difficult and painful to remove as a cactus spine or porcupine quill! Godzilla was bleeding bad! His Regeneration Factor could heal the damage, but not with the harpoons still stuck in his back! Gigan then pulled Godzilla towards him by wrapping the cables around his scythes. Gigan then activated the buzzsaw in his chest! Godzilla was now inches away from the whirling blades…when a green sap splattered all over Gigan, burning what exposed flesh there was and melting the cables! Godzilla took advantage of that and pulled all the harpoons out of his back, his Regeneration Factor finally healing the wounds. He turned to see a giant plant monster with a glowing orange core and a crocodile mouth with sharp teeth and vines with open, toothy mouths! Godzilla recognized the monster as Biollante! He was about to fire when Mothra squeaked overhead. Gigan saw this and took off after Mothra, firing his laser eye. Biollante then spewed her acidic sap at Gigan. Godzilla then realized that Biollante was fighting against only Gigan. He begrudgingly accepted Biollante’s help and fired his atomic fire breath at the cyborg.

The input from three opponents was too much for Gigan and his Xilien masters! The Handler’s fingers were furiously dancing across the console, trying to take control of the situation. “Come on! Get SOMEONE in the head!” he complained.

“This situation is unacceptable!” snarled the Controller as she banged her fist on the armrest of her chair. “We must destroy those beasts and-!” She was interrupted by a noise. “What machine is that?!”

“Controller, LOOK!” called the Commander as he pointed out the TARDIS materializing right there on the bridge.

“The Time Lord!” hissed the Controller. “DESTROY THAT THING!” As the Xiliens raised their weapons, the TARDIS doors opened and a cylinder was thrown out. The cylinder exploded, filling the room with a white light and causing a ringing in the Xiliens’ ears. The Doctor and her companions then left the TARDIS.

“That’s the one!” called the Doctor as she pointed out a control console. The Xiliens were slowly regaining their sight!

“Doctor!” warned Mickey.

“I’ve got to figure out the release command for Gigan!” urged the Doctor.

“TIME LORD!” shouted the Xilien Controller. She swung wildly, but William and Martha restrained her. “RELEASE ME, YOU APES!”

“I’ve heard enough monkey ‘jokes’ from the white folk back home!” retorted William. “I don’t need them from knock-off grays!” The Doctor continued her work, unaware of the Commander regaining his sight and bringing his gun to bear on her!

“DOCTOR!” called Martha as she leapt on the Commander.

“GET OFF!” he shouted. He fired wildly. The Doctor got out of the way and a shot destroyed the console!

“YOU FOOL, COMMANDER!” shouted the Controller.

“I can’t regain control!” called the Handler as he tried to make the console work. “Hunter Zero is under his own power!” The Xiliens were so focused on Gigan, they didn’t notice the humans and Time Lord slip away in the TARDIS!

Gigan was LIVID! Forced to serve ants?! Not this time! Now he’s free and he’ll indulge in torturing them! He took off after the Xilien ship as it tried to leave Earth. Godzilla and Biollante prepared to fire, but Mothra shrieked something. She continued giving her squeaks as if to dissuade her allies. Biollante looked at Mothra in confusion, then powered down. Godzilla, however, was another story. He wasn’t going to take any chances. His dorsal spines went from blue to red! He then fired his strongest fire, the Red Spiral Heat Ray, right at the retreating Gigan and Xilien ship! The attack struck them, blowing a fatal hole in Gigan’s chest and destroying the Xilien ship! The dead monster and craft then plummeted to the ocean, causing a huge wave and then sinking to the bottom.

At the EDF base, Takahashi and his men saw the remaining monsters acknowledging their work and Godzilla grunting his acceptance of Biollante’s permanent presence on Monster Island. “…He did good as usual,” said a soldier.

“They all did,” corrected Takahashi. “It’s clear the Doctor and her friends succeeded or Gigan wouldn’t have taken off after the Xiliens.”

“…But that means…” realized another soldier. Takahashi frowned, practically finishing the soldier’s thought telepathically.

“…Get me UNIT Europe and UNIT Japan,” he ordered. “I need to inform them both about their sacrifices.” The soldier was about to hurry off and obey when…

“…Isn’t that the…?” he asked. The TARDIS then faded into existence! Once it fully materialized, the Doctor and her team stumbled out.

“Skin of our teeth, that’s what it was!” coughed the Doctor.

“Par for the course, then?” joked Mickey.

“Doctor!” greeted Takahashi. “I thought you all died on the Xilien ship!”

“We almost did, Takahashi-san,” replied Sato.

“But, as you can see,” finished the Doctor, “we’re all in one piece!”

“…Well, I WAS gonna tell UNIT Europe and Unit Japan,” said Takahashi, “that you all made a heroic sacrifice, but I think we can tell them something a lot more pleasant!”

“I quite agree!” replied the Doctor.

“You guys go on ahead,” said William. “I need to rest a bit.”

“All right. See you later!” called the Doctor as she, Martha, Sato, and Mickey followed Takahashi. Once they left, William looked at the small door with the phone instructions on it.

After making their reports, the Doctor led her companions back to the TARDIS. “Want a lift back home?” she asked Martha and Mickey. “For old time’s sake?”

“Kate’s already sent a plane for us,” said Martha. “Besides, I think I’ve had enough nostalgia for today.”

“Same here, Doctor,” agreed Mickey. “But it was fun to see you and the TARDIS again.”

“I need to stay here,” said Sato. “Professor Yoshimura’s work needs to continue and I’m the best one to carry on his legacy of science.”

“Now THAT is how you honor a scientist,” praised the Doctor. “Welp, must dash! See you all sooner or later! The latter being the more plausible!”

“Bye, Doctor!” called her friends as she headed off.

The Doctor returned to the TARDIS to see William using the phone in the door. Her hearts sank when she heard him wrap up the conversation. “Yeah. …Yeah, be home soon. …Love you too. …Bye-bye.” He hung up and saw the Doctor. “Oh! Doctor! I…I didn’t see you there.”

“Wh…Who was that on the other end?” asked the Doctor.

“My folks,” replied William. “The Avengers told them what happened in New York and told them I was travelling with you.”

“…I see,” sighed the Doctor. “…I would show you more. The Moons of Tasacta, the Fourteenth Galaxy of Contemplation. …You’re such a good friend, like Mickey and Martha. …You…you…y-you just wanted to let your folks know you’re okay,” she finally realized.

“Wait, did you think I was gonna leave you now?!” laughed William. “Look, I don’t exactly have a passport, for one thing! And another, it’s still fun, travelling with you! Besides, I still want to see another planet! On purpose, this time!”

“Right then!” said the Doctor, sighing in relief. “How about a human colony far into your future?” She and William entered the TARDIS just as Martha arrived. The TARDIS dematerialized and Martha waved.

“Good luck, Doctor,” she said once the TARDIS fully faded from existence.

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 1

Monstrous Power: Part 3

The Doctor and her group were stuck in their cell. The Doctor steepled her fingers, her mind racing with ideas, but all of them hitting a major snag. “…Shouldn’t you be sonicing the doors?” asked Mickey.

“…Doing what to the doors?” asked William.

“The sonic screwdriver,” explained Martha. “It’s pretty much the Doctor’s Swiss army knife, just without a knife.”

“Not this time, Martha,” remarked the Doctor. “It’s become too much of a crutch, post Time War.”

“There’s machinery in the walls,” said Yoshimura. “Perhaps we can destroy it to break the locks?”

“They’re not connected to the doors,” replied the Doctor. “…Now, if I had a torch…”

“A torch?” asked William. “Why something so primitive?”

“…Flashlight, I think you Americans call it,” explained the Doctor.

“I’ve got one,” replied Mickey. The Doctor looked to see Mickey pulling out a flashlight.

“Oh, brilliant!” she said. “William, Martha, help me get that particular wall open!” She, Martha, and William pulled the wall paneling off and the Doctor started pulling components out. “Let’s see. …Gonna need that. …No, don’t need THAT. …Might need that. …Ooh! That’ll be a perfect booster! …There we go! Just enough parts for a Fizgig!” The Doctor got to work.

“…What do you think our prisoners are up to?” The Xilien Commander asked the Controller.

“…No idea, but there’s nothing useful in that cell of theirs,” replied the Controller.

“Well, the Time Lord’s building something,” remarked the nearby Security Chief.

“Oh?” asked the Controller as she looked on the monitor. The Doctor had just finished her device. If it was possible, the Xiliens would have blinked in confusion. “…Bring them here. I want to see what their amusing toy can do.”

The cell’s door opened as two guards entered. “The Controller wants to see your toy, Time Lord,” said one. “You and your friends will follow us.”

“Oh, of course!” replied the Doctor. “I think your Controller will be amused by my Fizgig.” She got up and took the device. “Come along!” she said to her friends. Everyone left the cell.

They were brought to the main control room. The Xilien Controller was sitting in her command chair. “Making toys before your demise, Time Lord?” she asked.

“Well, I have nothing better to do,” replied the Doctor. She presented the device. “I call it a Fizgig!” The Xilien Controller then took it.

“What does it do?” she asked.

“You’ll see,” replied the Doctor. “Just press the button on the side.” As she said that, the Doctor covered her eyes. Her companions did the same. The Xilien Controller then flicked the Fizgig on…and blinding-white light filled the room!

“MY EYES!” screamed the Controller.

“THIS WAY!” called the Doctor as she led her companions to the elevator.

“Stop them! STOP THEM!” shouted the Controller. The Xiliens fired their weapons but couldn’t see well enough to know who they were firing at. “NOT ME, YOU FOOLS!” berated the Controller.

“A flash-bang!” said William. “You turned the flashlight into a flash-bang!”

“Well, more sort of amplified the flash to be able to project ultra-white light, but that’s essentially it,” said the Doctor. “Here we are! The elevator!”

“STAY WHERE YOU ARE!” called a Xilien guard as he raised his weapon.

“Come on!” groaned William as he pressed the button. “What’s wrong with this ele-!” A scream interrupted him. Everyone turned to see Yoshimura fall to the ground, a singe mark where his heart was located. Medical instincts kicked in for Martha and William as they checked the poor man over. …But it was too late. Yoshimura was dead. William barely heard the elevator arrive. “…You cold-blooded-!” snarled William.

“WILLIAM! COME ON!” called the Doctor. William and Martha then looked to the elevator, then to the approaching Xiliens, then to Yoshimura’s body.

“…You’ll be avenged,” William promised, just in case Yoshimura’s ghost was listening. He and Martha then entered the elevator. The doors shut and the elevator went up.

The doors at the top floor leading into Godzilla’s cave opened and the Doctor led everyone to the jeep. She started the vehicle as everyone piled in, then they sped off. “Doctor,” called Mickey, “have you noticed that the cave didn’t have the big fire-breathing lizard?!”

“I was wondering the same thing, Mickey,” replied the Doctor. “My best guess; something’s attracted his Monstrous Majesty.”

“A Xilien weapon?” guessed William. “What if he was more aware of Xilien squatters in his cave than we realized?”

“Godzilla HAS been known to have some form of ESP, so there’s that theory,” replied the Doctor. A monstrous cry then sounded from the heavens. Everyone looked up to see a new Kaiju flying down to Monster Island. It landed feet first and William could only describe it as an armored chicken with three membrane style fins, a red visor over its eyes, a buzzsaw in the chest, and scythes replacing the forearms.

“…D…Did the Xiliens-?!” he finally asked.

“That’s their cyborg,” replied the Doctor. “Designated Hunter Zero these days. …You humans call it Gigan.” Gigan set his sights on the jeep. He shrieked his usual battle cry and stomped towards them!

“Uh oh!” gulped William.

“Doctor, STEP ON IT!” urged Mickey. The Doctor hit the gas and the jeep sped off with Gigan in pursuit. As he pursued, however, missiles from the EDF base hit him. They didn’t stop him, but they DID slow him down just a tad. The jeep was quickly waved through. The Doctor and her friends then jumped out and met with Takahashi and Sato.

“You lot seemed prepared,” said the Doctor.

“Let’s just say we had a heads-up from the Shobijin,” replied Sato.

“Shobijin?” asked William.

“Two tiny island priestesses,” explained Takahashi, “servants of Mothra. They came to us to warn of Gigan’s arrival. Our firepower can’t stop him, but we can at least hold out until Gojira comes with allies.”

“I presume one of those allies is Mothra?” guessed the Doctor.

“That’s right,” replied Takahashi. “And the other is Biollante. Her head’s now in a much better place, apparently.”

“I certainly hope so,” remarked the Doctor.

“Just one question,” said William, “Commander Takahashi, how does the EDF know about the Xiliens?”

“Well, Japan was invaded by them twice before,” said Takahashi. “Hell, they unleashed a horde of monsters that Gojira and his allies had to fight.”

“A horde? When?”

“2017.”

“…I was in the middle of my residency at the time,” remarked William. “I don’t remember seeing any giant monsters then. I’m sure I’d have heard about it.”

“Do you remember your history classes talking about the Nestene Invasion?” asked the Doctor. “Or the Zygon gambit with the Loch Ness Monster? Or the Yetis in the London Underground?”

“How about the Sontaran Atmos incident?” quizzed Martha.

“Or the Daleks’ theft of Earth?” supplied Mickey.

“Or where a mutant iguana was mistaken for being Gojira as it rampaged through New York?” asked Dr. Sato.

“Or where Gojira battle the MUTOs?” quizzed Takahashi.

“How about the Chitauri Battle of New York?” continued the Doctor.

“That last one I know,” said William, “but the others?” The Doctor rolled her eyes.

“Like I said to Ace in Coal Hill School, 1963,” she muttered. “You humans have an amazing capacity for self-deception matched only by your ingenuity when trying to destroy yourselves.”

“Guys, table that for later!” called a soldier as he pointed out how close Gigan was now!

“Oh dear,” muttered the Doctor. “Do we have an ETA on Mothra’s arrival?”

“No,” replied Takahashi. “And we seem to have lost Gojira.”

“How do you lose an atomic fire-breathing lizard taller than most buildings?!” protested William.

In the Xilien base, the Controller made her way to the command center. “Report,” she ordered.

“Hunter Zero is en route to the EDF base,” replied the Commander. “However, I have allocated supplementary orders in light of Monster Zero One’s absence from the cave.”

“So you HAVE noticed, good. Those supplementary orders are…?”

“To destroy Godzilla at once. Don’t waste time with indulging sadism.”

“Excellent,” agreed the Controller. “The Time Lord can’t save these apes now! We will take their water, harvest their mitochondria, and make this planet into an outpost of the Xilien Empire!” At that moment, the radar pinged. The Xilien running radar checked his instruments.

“Controller,” he reported, “we have an enemy contact flying towards the island, bearing 4-7-4 Mark 3-1-9.”

“Identify its origin,” ordered the Controller. The radar operator coordinated with the navigator. Both Xiliens gasped.

“From a landmass the humans identified as Infant Island! Mothra’s been deployed!” said the radar operator.

“WHAT?!” shouted the Controller. She pulled up a visual and, as her subordinates reported, the giant moth goddess was speeding towards Monster Island! There was a glow behind her, but the moth looked unconcerned with the glow. “We have to destroy that thing now! Battle stations! Raise the ship!”

“Raise the ship?!” yelped the Commander. “Our invasion-!”

“Our timetable has to be accelerated! We MUST destroy Mothra! Raise the ship NOW!”

“…Yes, Controller,” replied the navigator. He then made preparations.

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 1

Monstrous Power: Part 2

“It looks like,” muttered the Doctor, “we need to find a live specimen of the creature this DNA belongs to.”

“Where can we possibly find that, Doctor?” asked Yoshimura.

“Yes, finding DNA that isn’t from your home planet is rather like finding your home star in a galaxy. You said you found the strand here on Monster Island?”

“Yes, around Gojira’s cave.”

“Goji-? Oh, yes!” The Doctor remembered the original Japanese name for the most famous Kaiju in existence. “Well, that’s a good place to-!” She opened the lab’s door and there was the tall woman pointing a gun at her. “Ah, how do you do,” she said.

“Back away, Time Lord,” replied the woman. “You will listen to and obey my instructions.”

“…I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure,” remarked the Doctor. “It’s terribly stuffy in here. I don’t think you should carry something so heavy.” She knocked the gun out of the woman’s hand. The woman then tried to perform a knife-hand strike to the Doctor’s throat, but the Doctor blocked and toppled the woman. The woman then tripped up the Doctor and reached for the gun, but Yoshimura took it away. The Doctor then pressed her thumb onto the back of the woman’s neck. The woman started convulsing, then the skin split away to reveal another life form, humanoid with gray skin, black veins running up and down the body, and a faceless, angular head. Yoshimura and the Doctor gasped.

“Xilien!” they said. Yoshimura then looked at the Doctor.

“You met them?” he asked.

“They were much more civilized before they allowed a computer to command their rulers,” replied the Doctor. “And I do believe her DNA has the same base pairs as our mystery DNA.”

“Couldn’t hurt to check,” mused Yoshimura. He went to get a slide prepared, but the Xilien sprang to life again and grabbed him by the throat, retrieving the gun and pressing it to his head.

“WAIT!” called the Doctor. A distorted voice then came from the Xilien.

“Yoshimura’s not my only hostage, Time Lord,” she warned. “Your three dark-skinned friends are with me. Unless you obey my instructions, this base will be painted gray. Brain matter gray. Understood?” Well, that put the Doctor in a bit of a pickle.

“…Very well,” she said.

“I knew you’d see things my way,” remarked the Xilien. “Come with me.”

Dr. Sato walked through the EDF base, looking for Professor Yoshimura. As she looked, she accidentally bumped into Commander Takahashi. “Oh! Sorry, Commander!” she said.

“I was the one that wasn’t paying attention,” replied Takahashi. “It’s my fault. Although, now that you’re here, have you seen Commander Smith?”

“No. I was going to ask you if you saw Professor Yoshimura. He’s not in his lab. …Come to think of it, neither is that Doctor.”

“And I haven’t seen Dr. Smith or Dr. Davies either,” remarked Takahashi. “Something’s wrong.” He activated a nearby wall-mounted comms unit. “All hands, this is Commander Takahashi. Our UNIT Europe allies, Professor Yoshimura, and the American civilian doctor are missing. I want this base searched from top to bottom.” Soldiers and scientists all over began a search at that order.

The Xilien was using a jeep to transport her hostages to a huge mountain with a titanic-sized cave opening up. “Gojira’s cave!” whispered Yoshimura.

“Is anybody home?” asked Martha.

“He’s always resting in there at this time of day,” replied Yoshimura.

“Got his naps mapped out, hm?” chuckled the Doctor. The Xilien then pressed a button and the jeep’s engine went quiet while still moving. “Don’t want to wake a slumbering titan, hm?” guessed the Doctor.

“He’s proven to be a useful watchdog, even if he’s an unwitting one,” replied the Xilien. The jeep then drove into the main cavern. There, slumbering on the cave floor with his head resting on a rock shelf, was a massive, charcoal-gray lizard with oak-leaf shaped dorsal plates running down to the tip of his tail. He had hands with massive claws on each fingertip and talons on each of his toes on his foot.

“…Godzilla,” whispered William almost reverently. Yes, this was the King of the Monsters. Every time Godzilla snored, his lips curled back so one could see his sharp teeth.

“Never thought I’d see him this close,” shuddered Mickey. The jeep stopped by the rock wall near Godzilla’s hindquarters.

“Out,” ordered the Xilien. Her hostages got out as she revealed a hidden keypad. She typed a code in and part of the rock wall slid away to reveal an elevator. “In,” she ordered.

“Teatime already?” asked the Doctor.

“Doctor!” protested Martha.

“Trust me, I know what I’m doing,” soothed the Doctor. She and her group entered the elevator. The Xilien then pressed the down button, the elevator doors closed, and the elevator went down. Unbeknownst to them…Godzilla was not as asleep as they thought! He opened a blazing amber eye! He could sense a threat coming and the tiny gray one was leading the forces responsible for it!

The base was searched from top to bottom. A Lieutenant spoke with Takahashi and Sato. “Sorry, Sir,” he said, “but we can’t find them.”

“They’re somewhere on this island,” insisted Sato. “That blue box the Doctor travels in is still here.”

“Keep up the search,” ordered Takahashi. “We’ll search the island after an hour if they’re not here.”

“Yes, Sir,” replied the Lieutenant. He saluted and left. Takahashi then looked to Sato.

“You UNIT people always vanish at the worst times!” he complained.

“We’re supposed to protect Earth from extraterrestrial threats,” replied Sato. “Maybe the Doctor found one.”

“…If she did, she might have been kidnapped by said threat,” muttered Takahashi. He called up the security room. “…Takahashi here. Are there cameras in the lab? …Pull up recent footage. …What?! Yuki?! …A Xilien?!” Sato’s eyes widened behind her glasses when she heard the word “Xilien”. “And she has Professor Yoshimura as a hostage?! …Can you see where she went?! …That would account for the jeep missing! Where did it go?! …I’m sorry, the cave?! …Get a team organized! We’re going to the cave!” He hung up.

“Why would she take them to Gojira’s cave?” muttered Sato.

“Whatever the reason is,” replied Takahashi, “it’s not gonna be a good one. And if the Xiliens are here, they may summon that cyborg chicken of theirs.”

“You are correct,” said two women’s voices in unison.

“Who said that?!” yelped Takahashi.

“Look!” called Sato as she pointed out two women, dressed as island priestesses and about two inches tall on the table.

“The Shobijin?!” gasped Takahashi. “So Mothra’s getting involved?”

“She has no choice,” replied the two tiny beauties, the Shobijin. “Her greatest enemy is returning thanks to the Xiliens’ control. Earth must be protected. She is bringing one who was once human and now lives as a plant Kaiju.”

“Plant Kaiju?” muttered Sato. “…Biollante?! She fought Gojira!”

“Now the younger sister of Godzilla must fight with him and Mothra to defeat the Xiliens’ servant. And Godzilla will have to work with the Kaiju of Time, the Timeless Child.”

“The Timeless Child?” asked Takahashi. “Never heard of that Kaiju.”

“You met her, Takahashi,” said the Shobijin. “She arrived in that blue box of hers.”

“…The Doctor?” asked Sato.

Speaking of which, the Doctor and her group were led out of the elevator with other Xiliens in human disguises working various instruments. One of them, a male, looked over and saw the group. “Controller, you brought humans here?!” he protested.

“Controller?” asked Yoshimura. “Our kidnapper is your leader?”

“I am,” replied the Xilien woman. “And to answer your question, Commander, that particular woman,” she pointed to the Doctor, “is a Time Lord.” All Xiliens stopped their work to gawk at the Doctor.

“A Time Lord?!”

“I thought the Daleks killed them all!”

“Oh, my family’s waited EONS for this!”

“Oh dear, the memory of the Xiliens is rather long,” muttered the Doctor. She turned to her companions. “During the Dark Times, the Time Lords and Xiliens went to war. We devastated their home planet, practically boiling their seas”

“Water is more precious than gold to us,” explained the Xilien Controller. She then turned to a subordinate. “Re-skin me.” The subordinate typed in computer commands on his console, then a tube appeared from the floor. The Xilien Controller then stepped into the tube. The tube shut and light spilled out from its seams. After a minute, the light faded and the Controller, now wearing her old human disguise, stepped out. She was now wearing a leather trench coat as well as black military gear. “Much better,” she said. A Xilien then handed her a pair of visor-style glasses. She put them on and grinned. “What do you think?”

“Can you get on with the gloating, please?” groaned the Doctor.

“And give you an opportunity to thwart me?” scoffed the Controller. “No. I’m saving my gloating for after we harvest you lot.”

“Harvest us?!” yelped William.

“Making my new skin is quite expensive and my soldiers need to be fed,” replied the Controller. “Your mitochondria will make an excellent food supply!”

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 1

Monstrous Power: Part 1

Over in the Pacific Ocean, an island rested. No native humans lived there…but titans of old, some woken by human weapons testing, some by carelessness, some by duty assigned from the very earth itself. Humans had set up a base there to study these creatures. They had called in help from another organization, UNIT. Dr. Martha Jones Smith and Commander Mickey Smith arrived and met with Dr. Sato, the scientific advisor of UNIT’s Japanese branch. “Welcome to Monster Island, Martha-san,” she said as she bowed. “I apologize for pulling you two away from your shared plans.”

“It’s all right,” assured Martha. “We still made it to a pacific island.”

“I was hoping to get us to Japan proper,” remarked Mickey.

“That may come later,” replied Dr. Sato. “In the meantime, perhaps we should see our EDF liaisons?”

“Sounds like a plan,” confirmed Martha.

“This way, please,” said Dr. Sato. She led the two European UNIT members to a lab where two men worked. One was busy with research, the other was standing guard. “Martha-san, Mickey-san,” introduced Dr. Sato, “meet Professor Yoshimura and Commander Takahashi.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll get right on it as soon as I untangle the base pairings,” remarked Professor Yoshimura.

“…Absorbed in his work, huh?” Mickey asked Takahashi.

“He needs someone to remind him to eat and sleep!” replied Takahashi.

“Martha and I knew a man like that,” chuckled Mickey. “Too busy building something and forgetting to rest for some reason. I mean, he built things that helped save our planet but…well…” Mickey shrugged.

“Does he also make long-winded explanations?” asked Takahashi.

“And then looks at you like you dribbled on your shirt?” continued Mickey. Takahashi grinned.

“Same with Yoshimura here!” he said.

“Making a new friend, Mickey?” asked Martha.

“I’ve got a can of the stuff below my workbench,” remarked Yoshimura, “industrial grade, that stuff, Takahashi-san.”

“I think we’d better leave him to his work, Mickey-san,” chuckled Takahashi. As they were about to leave, though, they heard a noise in the corridor. Mickey and Martha strained their ears, then their eyes widened in surprise.

“It can’t be!” whispered Mickey.

“You hear it too?!” asked Martha.

“What IS that noise?” asked Dr. Sato.

“DOCTOR!” called Martha as she and Mickey ran down the corridor to follow the noise.

The TARDIS arrived in a corridor of the EDF base. The Doctor and William left the TARDIS wearing winter-wear. “Here we are! Planet Arctica! Home of the most beautiful glaciers in the universe!”

“Er, Doctor,” muttered William as he saw people approaching.

“Though, I have to admit, this doesn’t look like the Arctican main base,” continued the Doctor, oblivious to the people approaching her and William.

“Doctor!” insisted William.

“And the air…it doesn’t feel right.”

“DOCTOR!” By now, the Doctor had her attention grabbed.

“Why are you shouting, William?” she asked. “There’s no need to-.” She then saw the soldiers. “Ah. Hello there. Um, you’re not Arcticans. I mean, your ears are round, your skin tone looks human, and-.”

“DOCTOR!” called a voice. The Doctor’s eyes widened.

“…Martha?!” she asked. Martha and Mickey then arrived.

“Doctor, it’s so good to-!” Martha trailed off. “…Okay, so he’s still in the TARDIS.”

“Martha Jones!” said the Doctor. “Great to see you again!”

“Hang on a minute!” protested Mickey. “Doctor? Is that you?!”

“And Mickey the idiot! Good to see you too!” continued the Doctor.

“…A woman now?” asked Mickey.

“…Oh yeah, you learned about regeneration during Christmas of 05!” remembered the Doctor.

“Hang on, Doctor?! That’s really you?!” asked Martha.

“Count the hearts, Martha,” replied the Doctor. “We first met facing a Judoon Platoon upon the moon!”

“Oh my god! Mickey, you weren’t kidding!”

“I told you the Doctor could change his…or rather, HER face,” replied Mickey.

“How’s it been, you two?” asked the Doctor. “Last I saw you, you were teasing each other while fighting a Sontaran!”

“Just one of those potato heads?” asked William. “You two were luckier than us.”

“Oh, you met more Sontarans?” quizzed Mickey.

“Erm, we’re getting off track here,” interjected Martha. She turned to the soldiers. “It’s all right! She’s a friend! Scientific advisor, UNIT European branch!” The soldiers stood down. “Sorry about that, Doctor. We didn’t expect you here on Monster Island.”

“So we’re on Earth?” asked William. “Doctor, the TARDIS seems to love leading us astray.”

“OI! I can’t help that!” protested the Doctor.

“So, you’re the new companion, eh?” Mickey asked William.

“Dr. William Davies, at your service,” replied William as he and Mickey shook hands.

“Commander Mickey Smith, UNIT Europe. And this is my wife, Dr. Martha Jones Smith.”

“Ah, so I’m not the first doctor to travel with the Doctor?” chuckled William. “Doctor, how many companions were doctors?”

“Look, I think we have more important matters to discuss,” remarked the Doctor. “Chief of which being…Martha, did you say Monster Island? Off the coast of Japan?”

“That’s right,” replied Martha. “This way.”

The Doctor and William were led to the lab where Yoshimura was still working. “EDF uncovered some remains,” explained Martha, “of a life-form that used to exist here on the island. The skeletal structure is humanoid like ours, but we can’t make heads or tails of the surviving DNA.” Yoshimura still toiled over the readings.

“…I think the H goes with the U,” remarked the Doctor.

“Does it?” asked Yoshimura. He tried it, then his face lit up. “It does! And the J goes with the L while the remaining base pairs are the same as ours! We have a-!” he stopped his celebrations and finally looked up from his work. “…I beg your pardon, but who are you?”

“I’m the Doctor, scientific advisor for UNIT Europe. This is Dr. William Davies of New York City.”

“Hi there,” said William.

“Are you that same Doctor that Sato says is an expert on all things alien?” asked Yoshimura.

“Well, I don’t know about every alien species, but I appreciate Dr. Sato’s praise,” replied the Doctor. She then studied the base pairs more closely. “…Then again, that DOES look like a familiar genome.”

“Erm, Doctor, is there anything we can do?” asked William.

“I think Professor…erm…I’m sorry, I don’t think I know your name, Professor.”

“Oh! I’m Professor Yoshimura!” replied Yoshimura. This time, it was the Doctor’s turn to be impressed.

“The same Yoshimura that dedicated his life to mapping out Kaiju DNA?!” she asked.

“The very same!” replied the professor.

“William, I think Professor Yoshimura and I are going to be a bit busy in talking shop about mapping out genomes,” said the Doctor. She and Yoshimura began talking.

“…Typical,” muttered Martha.

“This happens every time the Doctor meets a good scientist?” asked William.

“More often than not,” replied Mickey. “It was like that with the Slitheen at Downing Street.”

“Oh, it’s not just scientists,” remarked Martha. “Sometimes it’s proper historical figures like Shakespeare…and you learn something about how bi that playwright is.”

“Hang on, you met Shakespeare?!” asked Michael.

“…Have you had any goofiness with the Doctor yet?” asked Mickey. William grinned, then Martha and Mickey followed suit.

“Let me tell you about how goofy my first adventure with her was!” he said. As they walked away, the Doctor shuddered.

“My companions,” she said, “all talking about my more embarrassing moments. …Just like with Martha and Donna.”

“Sounds like she must have just regenerated when you met her,” remarked Mickey once William finished his story.

“Regenerated?” asked William.

“Apparently Time Lords can change their face when they’re dying. First time I met the Doctor, he had a shaved head, big ears, and sounded like he came from northern England. Then he changed into a skinny bloke with spiky hair and a totally different accent.”

“That’s the same Doctor I met,” said Martha. “Though, he WAS still grieving over the loss of Rose Tyler. Unrequited love and all that.”

“I used to date Rose, then the Doctor came into our lives and she chose him,” explained Mickey. “Now Rose is in another universe with a more human Doctor…and I have this lovely lady as my wife!” He pecked Martha on the cheek.

“Hang on, she…sorry, he stole your girlfriend, lost her in another universe,” summarized William. Then he pointed at Martha. “Then you traveled with him and were burdened with unrequited love for her…sorry, him. …So, how did you end up leaving the TARDIS?”

“I was a third wheel at the time,” said Mickey, “then stayed behind in another universe before coming back twice, the latter of which being a more permanent return.”

“I just got out after a year of hell by Harold Saxon, or, as the Doctor knew him, the Master,” replied Martha. William took some time to take it in.

“…Don’t get us wrong,” said Mickey, “the Doctor is a wonderful person, always eager to show us something beyond our planet and time…”

“But one thing you have to remember,” warned Martha, “is that the Doctor is a lonely alien. She’ll do things that would seem inhuman, but ultimately save us all in the long run.”

“…I suppose the Time War will do that to someone,” muttered William.

“Heard about the war with the Daleks?” guessed Mickey.

“Have you met one?” asked Martha.

“No, but I take it they’re…bad?” Martha was about to answer, but the click of a gun’s safety being undone interrupted her.

“If you’re quite finished,” hissed a woman’s voice. The three companions turned to see a tall Japanese woman pointing a gun at them. “I heard everything. So, there’s a Time Lord here? I wonder how well she’d handle you three being my prisoners!”

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 1

Specters of War: Part 4

The alarms sounded throughout the base. Gurast and Stregg entered the laboratory “What’s happening here?!” demanded Gurast.

“It looks like the female and the Doctor’s companion escaped with the help of a green blob,” replied Strev.

“Slimer?!” protested Peter. “That spud’s here?!”

“An escape attempt?” muttered the Doctor. That was when William, Slimer, and Janine ran into the lab with angry Sontarans unleashing plasma bolts behind them!

“FOOLS! NOT IN HERE!” shouted Strev.

“CEASE FIRE, YOU FOOLS! THAT EQUIPMENT’S-!” Stregg’s order came too little, too late. Slimer flew through the temporal bombardment array, leaving slime behind. The Sontaran trooper then shot it, causing it to go haywire!

“Oh no!” gasped the Doctor. “EVERYONE OUT!” The Doctor hustled everyone, even Slimer, out of the place. As they ran through the corridors, the Sontarans started dropping like flies! The energies being released went through their probic vents! …Or rather…their SOULS!

“They’re dying?!” yelped Peter. “How?!”

“Explanations later!” answered William.

“Over there!” called the Doctor as she pointed out the door. Slimer got it open and everyone got out. By then, Gurast’s voice was laughing. Her face appeared on the surface of the Battle Sphere as it started rising in the air, crackling with energy.

“I had not expected to get my army so quickly,” she said, “but a Sontaran Battle Sphere too! Oh, this is too much! I suppose I should thank your pet ghost!”

“Okay, what’s going on?!” called Winston.

“The temporal bombardment array,” began the Doctor, “was synced with ectoplasmic energy at the ratio I recommended thanks to Slimer sliming that thing! It gave Gurast the means to channel herself into the Battle Sphere’s computer systems and bring it into a spectral state!”

“You mean it’s a ghost ship now?!” gulped William.

“With a ghost crew!” replied the Doctor.

“It’s worse than that!” interjected Egon. “The Sontarans took apart our proton packs!”

“What?!” yelped the Doctor. “How are the Neutrino Wand cartridges configured?!”

“In an Ionic transfer circuit for more power!” The Doctor rubbed her temples as a headache was coming on, thanks to the situation being worse than she thought.

“Once the cartridges are depleted,” she said, “Gurast will start drawing on the ectoplasmically and temporally charged engine core of the Battle Sphere which will cause an implosion of the Battle Sphere, causing a singularity of disastrous, nay, BIBLICAL proportions!”

“Hang on, Doctor,” said Winston. “Singularity? As in…Black Hole?!”

“With Manhattan as the epicenter!” confirmed Ray.

“But the Sontarans took all our gear!” protested Peter, once he got the translation.

“…Even the ghost traps?” asked William. The Doctor and Egon then arrived at the same conclusion.

“Yes, even the ghost traps!” confirmed Egon. “If we can remotely activate them simultaneously-!”

“Then somehow draw the Battle Sphere into the containment unit-!” continued the Doctor.

“The ectoplasmic energy within the containment unit will overpower the temporal energy and avert the implosion!” the Doctor and Egon said together.

“We’ll have to draw them towards the firehouse!” said Ray.

“Boys, girls, and ectoplasmic beings,” said the Doctor, “get into Ecto-1! Egon, the equipment on top of Ecto-1-?”

“There’s a twin barreled Mega Proton Cannon on the roof!” replied Egon. “It works like our packs!”

“That’s all I need to know!” Everyone then jumped into Ecto-1 with the Doctor riding on top behind the Proton Cannon. The Battle Sphere fired on innocent people until the Doctor fired on it with the Proton Cannon.

“ARGH!” shouted Gurast as her face appeared. “WHO DARES-!”

“COOEE!” called the Doctor. The Battle Sphere rotated so that Gurast could see the Doctor. “NICE TASTY TIME LORD HERE!” continued the Doctor.

“I’ll finish what the Daleks started and slaughter you, Doctor!” promised Gurast as the Battle Sphere brought its guns to bear.

“NOW, WINSTON!” called the Doctor. Winston gunned the engine and Ecto-1 raced down the streets with the Battle Sphere giving chase.

They arrived at the firehouse ahead of Gurast and the Doctor and Egon rushed downstairs. “We don’t have much time!” warned the Doctor. “We need to establish a remote link with the traps from here!”

“I know the frequency of the traps’ laser containment grid,” said Egon, “but using a radio link-!”

“Laser containment? That’s easier for me to work with! Give me that frequency!”

“S-Sixteen by four by eight by two!” stammered Egon as he balked at the idea. “Doctor, we can’t use a light frequency!”

“I will admit, it’s a bit advanced for this time,” replied the Doctor, “but you just wait until the advent of LIDAR!”

“Of what?!”

“Spoilers! Come on, Egon!” She started taking apart traps. Egon did the same, then helped her construct a machine, linking it to the containment unit with plenty of cable! Once they were done, they brought the new machine outside.

“Doctor, Gurast and her Sontarans are almost right on top of us!” warned William.

“Don’t worry, we just need to ensnare them all at once!” replied the Doctor. “Proton Cannon! NOW!”

“Got it!” called Peter as he fired Ecto-1’s Proton Cannon at the Battle Sphere. Gurast’s face appeared again.

“That tickles!” she cackled wickedly. “Look upon me, Time Lord, and know your doom!”

“More like you should know your OWN doom!” replied the Doctor as she got under the Battle Sphere.

“You cannot hide from me that way! I have control of this ship’s tractor beam!”

“I was rather hoping you’d say that!” Gurast was confused…for all of two seconds once the Doctor fired up the machine! Gurast felt everyone being pulled into the machine! Herself, her crew, her ship, everything that made her up right now!

“NO!” she wailed. “YOU…CANNOT…IMPRISON ME! …I…AM…GURAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!” The machine pulled the Battle Sphere into itself and everyone saw a glowing object travel down the cables and into the containment unit! The Doctor and Egon followed the glow and yanked the cables from the containment unit once the glow went inside. They then shut the unit and kept their hands on the door…then the light flashed green. Egon sighed and relaxed.

“Containment successful,” he said. “Gurast and the Sontarans are safely inside the unit.” The Doctor then relaxed as well.

“…So that’s how Gurast faded from existence,” she said. The other Ghostbusters, Janine, and William then rushed downstairs.

“EGON!” called Janine as she rushed to Egon and hugged him.

“Doctor, are you-?!” asked William.

“I’m all right,” replied the Doctor. Egon managed to wiggle out of Janine’s grip as his buddies joined him.

“This is incredible!” called Ray as he looked through some sort of viewer connected to the containment unit. “Look!” Everyone each managed to get a turn of seeing the sight of Stregg and the Sontarans fighting Gurast.

“The containment unit’s energy,” mused Egon, “must have shattered Gurast’s control over the Sontarans.”

“And their natural chauvinism is chafed thanks to being forced to take orders from a woman,” remarked the Doctor.

“…That…was intense!” breathed William.

“Feels like I’m tying up a lot of loose ends left by the Time Lords,” muttered the Doctor. “Well, William, what say we find some time to relax?”

“Which part of history or the future?” asked William.

“You’re leaving?” asked Winston.

“Mr. Zeddemore, I’m from Earth in the future,” replied William. “I stay here any longer, I might cause a paradox that would erase me from existence. Trust me, the Doctor’s right on this one.”

“But if there’s something strange in our neighborhood, well, we know who to call,” said the Doctor as she and William headed back upstairs.

The Doctor and William were back in the TARDIS. The Doctor set the controls and the console’s time rotor moved up and down, indicating that they were now in flight! “There we are! Off we go to Tolkost VII! Lovely place! Beautiful art museums, best doctors in their galaxy, the lot! …So, as long as we have time…” The Doctor leaned on the console as she arched an eyebrow at William. “You were about to say a word that started with ‘Gr’ before using Mr. Zeddemore’s name. That ‘Gr’ wouldn’t have been the start of ‘Granddad’ now, would it?”

“…Grandpa, actually, but yes,” replied William. “Winston Zeddemore is my maternal grandfather. Maybe I was being selfish in not telling him anything about the future, but I didn’t want to fade from existence like Marty from Back to the Future.”

“That’s not selfish, that’s intelligent and safe-guarding the laws of time,” corrected the Doctor. “Now, if I were to bring us to Poland in 1939, or to any point along Africa’s western coasts before the official end of the slave trade, or to a year before the Black Plague…how tempted would you be to warn them?”

“…Overly, but if a small bit of time is so fragile for myself, it would be fragile for all points in time.”

“Exactly. Much as people like us want to change history for the better, we can’t or we’d doom all of time.”

“…Doctor, there’s something else I need to know,” said William. “What Gurast said about you being the last…” The Doctor stopped, then held the console and sighed deeply. “…If that’s too personal, you don’t-.”

“Yes, I do,” replied the Doctor. “…William, it started with a war. A time war. The Last Great Time War. …My people, my entire home planet of Gallifrey, went to war against a race known as the Daleks for the sake of creation and both sides lost. Accompanied by eleven points in my past and one point in my future, I sent Gallifrey into a pocket dimension while the Dalek fleet that surrounded the planet destroyed itself in its own crossfire. For a while, I thought I destroyed Gallifrey, then found that I didn’t. …The Daleks are now remnants trying to rebuild their empire of hate while the Time Lords were hidden away. …But then another Time Lord, one I used to call friend during my childhood, discovered the truth about Time Lord society and killed all the inhabitants of Gallifrey in his rage. …They’re all gone now. My family…my friends…even that sky. …I’m not just a Time Lord, I’m not even just a Gallifreyan. …I’m the last child of Gallifrey, the last of the Time Lords.”

“…I’m sorry,” said William. “I shouldn’t have pried.”

“No, no, you needed to know,” assured the Doctor.

“…I hope you had other companions before me,” remarked William.

“Oh, I’ve had companions long before the Time War,” replied the Doctor. “I initially left Gallifrey because, for all our brilliance, us Time Lords were too complacent and stuffy!”

“So you ran away?”

“Stole the TARDIS for good measure!” The Doctor’s face brightened, now focused on happier parts of her past. “And I’ve never regretted it to this day!” Her fingers were now a happy blur as she fiddled with the controls!

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 1

Specters of War: Part 3

The Doctor and the Ghostbusters were taken to the Sontaran Battle Sphere. Outside, the Doctor spotted William and Janine. “William!” she called. The Sontarans allowed her to join with him.

“Doctor!” replied William. The two hugged. “Doctor, what’s going on?! These creeps know you and apparently Gurast-!”

“These creeps, as you so put it,” explained the Doctor, “are called the Sontarans, a belligerent clone species dedicated to war. These particular Sontarans are the 13th Sontaran Space Brigade. …Or rather, that’s their official name. Those that probed deeper into Sontaran Intelligence would know it as the First Sontaran Temporal Operations Brigade. They’re time travelers from the 51st century. …Which begs the question of why you lot would free Gurast at this time in the first place.”

“The preservation of history, Doctor,” replied Stregg. “You of all people should know that if certain events didn’t happen, the web of time would unravel.”

“What bargain did you strike with Gurast anyways?”

“Come now, Doctor. Your people’s Cardinal Ollistra didn’t tell the Daleks her strategies and neither did the Dalek Time Strategist tell the Time Lords his own.”

“Enough prattle!” hissed Gurast. “Doctor, was it?”

“That’s me,” replied the Doctor. Gurast scoffed.

“Why you Time Lords insist on being addressed by titles, I’ll never understand. …I HAD hoped to destroy you all myself, but I heard rumors that Gallifrey already fell.”

“…I hate to have to confirm those rumors.” Gurast laughed at the Doctor’s admission.

“Then the Sontarans spoke true! You ARE the last of the Time Lords!”

“The last?” asked William. “Doctor, what’s-?!”

“When we’re safer, William,” replied the Doctor. “Gurast, what can the Sontarans offer you?”

“Oh, come, come, Doctor,” chuckled Gurast. “Surely you, of all people, know how warlike the Sontarans are! Their war with the Rutans is so delicious!”

“100,000 years, from Stregg’s standpoint. One hundred thousand years of bloodshed and for what?!”

“For victory!” replied Stregg. “Sontar HA! Sontar HA! Sontar HA!” The Sontarans took up the chant. The Doctor rolled her eyes at that.

“Tell me, what’s the point?” she asked. The Sontarans stopped as Stregg looked at her like she sprouted another head.

“…You’re a veteran of the greatest war in all of time and space,” he said, “and you seriously ask what the point of war is?”

“You’re talking as if war is all you guys know!” protested William.

“Silence, prisoner!” barked Stregg.

“Silence yourself!” retorted William. “I’ve never met a more useless society! Everything wrong with my own gender’s cultural expectations across the planet, that’s what you guys personify!”

“BE QUIET!” shouted Gurast. The air chilled. Gurast then drew in a breath to calm herself. “…Stregg, you said that your temporal expertise is good, but not at the level of a Time Lord’s, yes?”

“That is correct,” replied Stregg. “…Perhaps the Doctor CAN prove useful!”

“In what way?” asked the Doctor.

“A little experiment we’re running,” answered Gurast. “We’re trying to genetically alter a person to be immune to the ravages of time and the warping effects of spectral energy.”

“What?!” yelped Egon after a while. “Madam, you can’t do that! The body would detonate if too much spectral stress is on it!”

“And all things need to decompose,” said the Doctor. “This is inhuman!”

“The only humans here are the Ghostbusters, their receptionist, and your pet human, Doctor,” chuckled Gurast. “And thank you for volunteering your team, Dr. Spengler. I could use some help from spectral specialists.”

“Well, I won’t do it!” declared the Doctor. “So there!”

“…Very well,” mused Stregg as he aimed his rifle at William and Janine.

“WAIT!” yelped the Doctor and the Ghostbusters.

“It’s a simple choice, Doctor,” remarked Gurast. “You and the Ghostbusters assist us in our experiment, or people start dying, starting with William and Janine.”

“…Very well,” grunted the Doctor.

“Thanks a heap, Egon,” snarked Peter.

The Doctor and the Ghostbusters were taken to the lab while William and Janine were taken to the holding cells. The Doctor looked over the equipment. “Very intricate,” she said.

“My batch brother, Strev,” said Stregg, “will welcome the assistance.” His batch brother then entered the lab. “Ah, here he is!”

“Which one is the Doctor?” asked the new arrival, Strev.

“That would be me,” replied the Doctor. “Am I correct in assuming you’re Strev the Knowledge Bringer? The greatest mind Sontar has ever produced?”

“You would be correct,” confirmed Strev. “And these are…?” he gestured to the Ghostbusters.

“I’m Dr. Egon Spengler,” introduced Egon. “And this is Dr. Ray Stanz, Dr. Peter Venkman, and Mr. Winston Zeddemore.”

“Ah! A plethora of scientists! …But what does Mr. Zeddemore do?”

“I’m the mechanic for the Ghostbusters,” replied Winston.

“An engineer! The best friend of a scientist! Perfect!”

“I’m not exactly looking to be YOUR best friend!”

“Ah, you wound me, Mr. Zeddemore!” exaggerated Strev. “But you shall appreciate all that we’re doing here…in time!” He chuckled. “Just a little time travel humor.” The Doctor looked over the notes and recordings Strev made. She had to admit, they were detailed, despite using live, unwilling subjects. Egon and Ray looked over the notes and recordings as well, wincing all the while.

“So we know that temporal and spectral immunity,” remarked the Doctor, “can only be produced by an atypical spatio-temporal reaction?”

“Empirical evidence,” replied Strev, “indicates that the subject would need to be genetically programmed to be able to naturally produce that effect.”

“Double blind analysis?” asked Egon.

“Naturally,” confirmed Strev. “The results thus far are proving, however, that I don’t exactly know the correct reaction. My initial theory was disproven after a few experiments, so I ran the others to see if I can find a way to reproduce such an effect.”

“But the latest attempt resulted in immediate decomposition after the bombardment of temporal and spectral energy,” remarked the Doctor.

“Regrettably, yes,” sighed Strev. “Perhaps I need a way to introduce the energies at different times.”

“Judging by the way you’ve been using the spectral and temporal energies,” said Ray, “it looks like you’re trying for a balance between the two.”

“A balance? Therein lies the problem,” realized the Doctor. “Temporal energy is naturally imbalanced against spectral energy 52 to 1 against in order to make sure that things pass into the afterlife naturally.”

“So you’re saying that my experiments need to account for that?” asked Strev. He stroked his chin. “…It will require rewiring and recalibration, but it could be possible. I’ll just need help on flux comparative maintenance.”

“Yeah, sure, we can do that,” replied Peter.

“The DOCTOR can do that,” snapped Strev. “You lot calibrate the ectoplasmic relays!”

“…Well, you gotta admit, he knows our scientific strengths,” remarked Ray as everyone got to work.

In the holding cells, William’s mind raced. He couldn’t depend on the Doctor for a rescue attempt. He examined the cell walls for any sort of access point. A grate, a hidden switch, maybe even wiring so he could mess with it. …No dice, Sontaran cells were too well made against escape attempts. …He couldn’t believe he was gonna try this, but he had no choice. He collapsed and clutched his stomach. “ERGH! MY STOMACH!” he called. Janine rolled her eyes, but played along.

“Guard!” she called. “Help! My friend’s sick!” The guard pulled out his comms unit.

“Medical team to Cell Block A, Section 4, Cell 2,” he said. “Medical emergency-.”

“Never mind!” complained William as he dropped the act.

“Belay that. Just a pathetic escape attempt,” said the guard.

“So how often did that happen?” asked Janine as the guard hung up.

“Let’s just say the number of times a prisoner DIDN’T try what you two did is more easier to compre…” The guard stopped when he saw something. He pulled out his comms again. “Security Chief, come in,” he said.

“Trooper!” replied another voice. “Be advised! A Focused, Non-Terminal Repeating Phantasm has entered the battle sphere!”

“You mean the Class 5 Full Roaming Vapor?” asked the guard. “It’s right here, Sir. It’s looking at me.”

“Class 5…Slimer!” whispered Janine.

“So you can see how ugly it is, Trooper?” asked the Security Chief.

“He heard that, Sir,” replied the guard.

“Stand your ground, Trooper!” ordered the Security Chief. “It won’t hurt you!” William and Janine couldn’t see Slimer, but they could hear him shouting his usual noises as he flew towards the screaming guard. The guard fired, but Slimer went right through him, knocking him over and leaving slime all over him. Slimer doubled-back to the cell and saw Janine and William.

“Good work, Slimer!” said Janine. “Now see if you can open the door!” Slimer looked at the door lock and babbled in a panic. He pointed to his hand and the door lock.

“…Wait a minute,” guessed William, “it’s based on three fingered hands?” Slimer nodded. “Can’t you do like this?” He made a basic Sontaran shaped hand with his own fingers by keeping his pointer and middle finger together as well as his ring and pinky in their own group. Slimer blinked, then face-palmed because the idea was so obvious. He then shaped his hand like a Sontaran’s and put it to the door lock. The door opened! “Good job, Slimer!” praised William. “Now let’s get out of here before-!” The alarm then sounded.

“Prisoner escape!” warned the guard into his comms. “Prisoner-!” The guard had his back to the prisoners, so William could see the probic vent on the back of the guard’s neck. He saw a mallet and hit it onto the vent, knocking the Sontaran out. Unfortunately, Sontarans of the 51st century are quicker to respond to prisoner escape attempts than those of the 20th Century! Laser fire erupted from one end of the corridor.

“This way!” called William. He, Janine, and Slimer ran from the guards.

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 1

Specters of War: Part 2

“Everything’s in order here,” muttered the Doctor as she and Egon finished checking over the containment unit. “Though, I have to admit, I’m a little surprised New York City’s power grid can handle this kind of technology, even if it’s in its infancy in this time.”

“That’s one of the reasons our prices are the way they are,” replied Egon.

“Ah, yes, funds. The bane and greatest gift for all scientists,” agreed the Doctor. “All scientists want it, but not all scientists get it.”

“Sounds like you’ve had some experience,” observed Egon.

“Let’s just say I was in a similar situation to yours in the 70’s, all the way across the pond whilst working for UNIT. I was working as their scientific advisor. …Still haven’t retired from that position yet.”

“Too good a job to-?”

“WE GOT ONE!” called Janine as she rang the alarm.

“Excuse me, Doctor. Duty calls,” said Egon.

The Ghostbusters got the details of their new job and were loading up into Ecto-1 by the time the Doctor and William reunited. “Ah! William!” greeted the Doctor. “How did the tour go?”

“Gr-Winston led me around the more public areas, not wanting to give away proprietary secrets,” replied William.

“…Gr?” repeated the Doctor. “You know what, you can explain later. Ms. Melnitz, can you tell me what the boys are up to?”

“It’s a job in central park,” replied Janine. “They got a call saying that a ghost calling herself Gurast is terrorizing the place.” The Doctor’s eyes widened.

“Gurast?!” she said. “She’s loose?!”

“Doctor?”

“That must have been the cause of the dimensional disturbance we felt that forced the TARDIS to land here!” the Doctor said to herself. “But how?! Why?!” She dashed towards the Ecto-1, trying to open the door.

“Lady!” protested Peter. “Back off! We’re scientists!”

“Dr. Venkman, you don’t know the kind of danger you’re walking into!” argued the Doctor. “It’s Gurast the Star Breaker over in Central Park!”

“…She’s coming with us, Peter,” decided Egon.

“What?!” argued Peter.

“She’s done enough paranormal research to be scared,” replied Ray. “Egon’s right.”

“William, stay at the firehouse,” directed the Doctor.

“What?! Doctor-!”

“Don’t argue! Gurast is too dangerous for the inexperienced!” She then jumped into Ecto-1. Winston then switched the sirens on, and the Ghostbusters and their partner sped out!

“…What is it about Gurast that has the Doctor in a tizzy?” muttered William. He then heard someone pulling a book out. He turned to see Janine flipping through a big book called “Tobin’s Spirit Guide”.

“Let’s see…Garraka…” she muttered as she thumbed through the book. “…Ghostmaster…Goblin…Gozer…Grendel…Grundel…aha, here it is! Gurast the Star Breaker. Millions of years ago, Gurast was born obsessed with war. She spread the gospel of war throughout the cosmos, but she became dissatisfied with just bringing war through space. She then set her sights on making perpetual war across space AND time. It was said that mysterious people that could walk throughout time like a human walks through a city street rallied together and used what is believed to be superior magic to seal away Gurast. It is said that whoever breaks the seal condemns all of time and space to eternal war, now that the time walkers are gone.” William looked on to see the image of Gurast and a picture of the seal. William blinked.

“…I’ve seen that seal before,” he said.

“Déjà vu?” asked Janine.

“No, in the Doctor’s home. …I think she said that’s a symbol of HER people, the Time Lords.”

Over in Ecto-1, the Doctor and the Ghostbusters were also discussing Gurast and Egon showed her a picture of the seal. “…That’s the Seal of Rassilon all right,” she said.

“Rassilon?” asked Peter.

“One of the founders of Time Lord society,” replied the Doctor. “And also, the most power mad of my people.”

“So, you’re from the same race that sealed away Gurast?” asked Egon.

“And Mr. Tobin was quite right to mention how her release would wreak havoc across time and space!”

“So, let’s call the other Time Lords,” suggested Winston.

“There aren’t any more Time Lords,” replied the Doctor. “Though, good thinking. Their knowledge would have helped us.”

“What do you mean?” asked Ray. The Doctor sighed.

“I’m not just a Time Lord. …I’m the last of the Time Lords,” she explained. “After a great war, the Last Great Time War, my home planet had to hide away from our foes. Unfortunately, one of my people found out the true history of my world and killed them all. We’re on our own against Gurast.” That brought down the mood. Winston then saw something in the road and hit the brakes! Everyone jolted. “What on earth-?!” Winston honked the horn.

“GET OUT OF THE WAY!” he shouted. The Doctor looked out the window and goggled. There was a short person in space armor with a domed helmet!

“…What is a-?!” The Doctor then got out of the car and strode towards the person. “You! Yes, you! The Sontaran wearing 51st century gear!” The person looked directly at the Doctor in surprise. “Under Jurisdiction 14 of the Shadow Proclamation, I order you and any party you brought with you to cease all activities, retrieve all your technology, and return forthwith to your spatio-temporal origin!” Now the person, the Sontaran, was REALLY perplexed!

“You are a human,” he growled. “And a FEMALE human at that! What do you humans know of the Shadow Proclamation? This planet is a Class-C civilization! Undeveloped!”

“Wouldn’t YOU like to know?!” snarked the Doctor.

Back at the firehouse, Janine was being shown the TARDIS. “You’re telling me that that thing,” she said, “is bigger on the inside?”

“Yep, just like the containment unit,” replied William.

“Where’d the Doctor find that kind of tech?” asked Janine.

“…You know, the Doctor says she’s a Time Lord, so…” William was interrupted when he heard the stomping of boots. “…Army?” he muttered. He looked around the corner to see more Sontarans arriving. “Hey, Janine?” he called. Janine looked around the corner.

“That doesn’t look like a ghost army,” she said. The Sontarans were approaching the firehouse!

“Come on! Into the TARDIS!” urged William. He had never seen a Sontaran until today, but he had a nasty suspicion they weren’t friendly!

“William Davies…” whispered a woman’s voice. William gulped, then he and Janine turned to see Gurast right behind them. “Welcome to a new war!” whispered Gurast.

“Hold on a minute! You already have an army with those trolls there!” argued William.

“What’s wrong with adding more?” purred Gurast. The Sontarans then arrived. Two of them then saw the TARDIS!

“Sir! Permission to scan these humans!” said one as he pointed out the TARDIS.

“Checking to see if one of them is the Doctor, eh?” remarked his superior. “Permission granted, Corporal Tren.” The Sontaran, Tren, then pulled out a scanner and checked William and Janine.

“…My mistake, Sir,” he said. “They’re both human.”

“How do you know the Doctor?” asked William.

“Ah, the newest companion!” cackled the superior.

“What is the significance of this…Doctor?” asked Gurast.

“That particular Time Lord is an ancient enemy of the Sontaran Empire,” explained the lead Sontaran. “They have-.”

“Time Lord?! There’s a Time Lord alive?!” The air around Gurast turned very, VERY cold. “This Time Lord could undo everything! We must destroy them!”

“And we shall,” replied the lead Sontaran. He took off his helmet and gave a wicked grin. “And I know how to draw them to their destruction. I’m sure Stregg would love to see the Doctor with his own eyes!” His troops aimed their guns at William and Janine as he made a call. “Commander Draj to General Stregg!”

The Doctor’s Sontaran picked up his comms unit. “What is it, Draj?” he asked.

“Did that person call you-?!” gulped the Doctor.

“Silence, female!”

“Sir,” said Draj, “my unit has located the Doctor’s TARDIS and Gurast knows the existence of the Doctor. We have the Doctor’s companion and the Ghostbusters’ female as prisoners.”

“William!” whispered the Doctor. The Sontaran, Stregg, caught notice of that.

“…Standby, Draj,” he ordered. He approached the Doctor with a scanner and waved it over her.

“So, you’re Stregg the Indomitable,” muttered the Doctor. Stregg’s scanner beeped. He checked the readings and grinned.

“…I see my reputation precedes me, Doctor!” he chuckled. He called Draj back. “Stregg to Draj, I have the Doctor right here! Now, Doctor, unless you wish for your companion and the Ghostbusters’ female to die, I suggest you and the Ghostbusters surrender! You have five seconds to comply! Five!”

“Doctor, how bad is this guy?!” asked Ray.

“Four!”

“I’ll explain later,” replied the Doctor.

“Three!”

“But right now, William and Janine aren’t safe!”

“Two!”

“…Fine, you win,” muttered Peter. He and the rest of the Ghostbusters stepped out of Ecto-1

“One!”

“We surrender, Stregg,” said the Doctor as she and the Ghostbusters raised their hands in surrender.

“…A pity,” mused Stregg. “I was hoping you’d put up more of a fight. Draj, take the Doctor’s companion and the Ghostbusters’ female to base! Bring the TARDIS too!”

“Yes, Sir!” replied Draj. Stregg ended the call.

“Doctor, you are now a prisoner of the Sontaran Empire, however brief I deem fit your survival!”

“How very astute,” muttered the Doctor.