Tag: fan companion

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 6

Planet of the Krynoids: Part 2

The repairs lasted a while. During that time, the ship was still hanging in space just above the planet. Finally, the Doctor grumbled and pulled herself out of the console she was working on. “…Well?” asked Tavis.

“…There’s nothing wrong with your sensors and Tevik’s math is correct,” sighed the Doctor.

“What on New Davius is THAT supposed to mean?!” protested Demna. “That planet looks nothing like Skaro! …Anything on long-range yet?”

“No saucers,” replied Tevik, “but I’d rather not run the risk.”

“And what I said means exactly what it means,” said the Doctor. “Your equipment is working perfectly and there’s no operator error. That IS Skaro we’re orbiting.”

“But that’s-!” argued Tysar.

“Look,” interrupted the Doctor, “us repeating the fact that the planet doesn’t look like how we remember seeing Skaro from space won’t change the fact that everything is working perfectly and Tevik’s the best damned helmsman of New Davius. The only way we can settle this mystery is to go down to the planet’s surface, risking the potential for a trap to be sprung.”

“That’s always fun,” sighed Tysar.

“The radiation may be less than normal Skaro readings,” said Tavis, “but I’m not running that risk. Demna, our stock of anti-radiation drugs?”

“We have enough for the Doctor and our friends,” replied Demna.

“Good. Tysar, you’ll need to arm yourself-.”

“Hold on! I didn’t need a weapon during my time in Gotham-!”

“Tysar, you ARE on my ship and I WON’T have my sister be exterminated so soon after reuniting with her. Arm yourself. That is an order.”

“Tysar, I loathe guns like you do,” said the Doctor, “but the Daleks will kill or enslave anyone that is unarmed. Not everyone can talk their way out of extermination like we do. Besides, those ARE stun weapons, enough for a quick getaway back to the ship or the TARDIS. Should the Daleks’ potential trap result in my death, take your people into the TARDIS and it will take you all back to New Davius. So, please, for my peace of mind, take it.”

“…Fine, Doctor,” grumbled Tysar.

“That goes for you two,” Tavis said to Eric and Setsuna.

“…Much appreciated,” said Setsuna, “but I am already armed.” She raised her hand. “Ordinarily, I’d consider everyone as civilians and wouldn’t do this in a public setting, but we’re pressed for time. Pluto Planet Power, MAKE UP!” A bright light surrounded Setsuna as her civilian clothes changed into her outfit as Sailor Pluto! Eric blinked.

“…You girls are real?!” he asked. “I thought you were just some superhero girl group from Japan!”

“We’re as real as you Power Rangers, Eric,” replied Sailor Pluto.

“…Sailor Scouts, I HAVE heard of,” remarked Demna, “but what are Power Rangers?”

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

The Bettan landed near the jungle. Everyone inside took their first dose of anti-radiation drugs and stepped out. …It felt like the Amazon Rainforest to the Doctor! Hot and humid with massive trees and plants! “Even the jungles I visited when I blundered onto Skaro,” muttered the Doctor, “weren’t Earth-like!”

“This should be a petrified jungle,” remarked Tysar.

“Readings indicate,” said Tevik, “that we’ll take our next anti-radiation treatment in six earth hours.”

“Excellent,” said Tavis. “Now, stay close and be careful. Slythers could enjoy a jungle like this.”

“Slyther?” asked Eric.

“A carnivorous beast, large and inky black,” replied the Doctor, “with fearsome claws on its hands. It’s a nocturnal predator, but it HAS been known to eat during the day.”

“And it’s got thick skin in the most literal sense,” said Tysar.

“EXCUSE ME! ALL OF YOU!” shouted a voice.

“Well, that’s not a Dalek,” remarked the Doctor. A Thal man then approached the group.

“Dr. Vrelan!” sighed Tavis in relief. “Thank our ancestors, we found you!”

“Yes, yes, you did! Now who are you?!” demanded the new Thal, Vrelan.

“We’re the rescue party from New Davius,” replied Demna. “We were sent to retrieve you and your team as Skaro is too dangerous for-.”

“Then tell High Command that your mission is a failure! I’m too busy!” snapped Vrelan.

“…I don’t think you understand,” said Tavis. “We’re taking you home, away from-.”

“No, no, no, NO! My work here on Skaro is too important!” insisted Vrelan.

“Sir, this isn’t up for debate!” snapped Tavis. “We’ve called this the Forbidden Planet for a reason and-!”

“I don’t care! GO AWAY!”

“Dr. Vrelan,” interjected the Doctor, “what is so important that you would risk being shot at by Daleks right on their native world?”

“That’s not your concern, human!”

“Time Lord,” corrected the other Thals.

“…Pardon?”

“Yep, that’s the Doctor,” said Tysar. “You know, the one who saved our ancestors’ butts?”

“Her TARDIS is on my ship,” said Tavis. “The same ship you WILL be boarding.”

“…I see,” remarked Vrelan. He then gave his attention to the Doctor. “Doctor, you’ll have to forgive me for dragging you into such a trifle, but my work is extremely important. Even-.” That’s when a scream echoed throughout the jungle.

“Tevik!” yelped Tavis. He and the group followed the scream. “Tevik, are you-?!”

“I-I’m fine, physically!” replied Tevik as he pointed to the body of a big, black, hulking thing with claws on its hands and eyes protruding on stalks like snails. “But seeing a shredded Slyther corpse will haunt my nightmares!” The Doctor stepped forward to investigate. Part of the flesh was missing and there were severe bite marks, meaning that the missing flesh was probably in the biter’s gullet and being digested.

“Whatever did this must have been strong,” remarked Tysar. “Those things can’t even be pierced by Varga plant spikes.”

“Or be stung by the flytrap type of Varga,” said the Doctor as she took readings from the sonic screwdriver. She checked the readings and goggled when she saw traces of chloroplasts and schizophytes around the bite marks! “But it WAS a plant that killed this Slyther!”

“What plant could do that?” asked Sailor Pluto.

“None of the native Skaro flora could-,” said Tysar.

“Exactly, none of the NATIVE Skaro flora,” interrupted the Doctor. “This wasn’t done by a native plant. I think I know why the Daleks haven’t attacked us, they had to abandon the planet! That would partially explain the lower radiation and the appearance of a proper jungle! I think Skaro’s home to a Krynoid!”

“Preposterous!” scoffed Vrelan.

“A Krynoid, Doctor?” asked Tysar. “What’s that?”

“I can’t say as I’ve heard of a Krynoid,” remarked Tavis.

“Well, on most planets, animals eat the vegetation, yes?” asked the Doctor. Everyone nodded. “On planets where the Krynoid gets established, the tables are turned.”

“What, all plants turn carnivorous?” asked Demna.

“Yes,” replied the Doctor. “The Krynoids are vegetable life that feed on animal life. Dr. Vrelan, if the Daleks are wisely leaving this world, you should too!”

“I can’t! My work is too important!” insisted Vrelan. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to the lab before I actually start believing spaceport stories about plant men!” He stormed off!

“Dr. Vrelan, come back here! My ship is THAT way!” called Tavis.

“Now that IS peculiar,” mused the Doctor.

“What is?” asked Eric.

“Not once did I mention plant men,” explained the Doctor, “but that IS one of the stages of the Krynoid’s growth.”

“Doctor, I think you’d better fill us in on how these Krynoids grow,” said Demna.

“They start off as seed pods, half as big as your head,” began the Doctor. “Once the seeds are given enough warmth and nutrients, they split open and a shoot grabs a nearby animal, then fuses with it, pumping it full of Krynoid-based schizophytes, plant bacteria. The schizophytes then consume the animal tissue while the host is alive, then the Krynoid cells take the consumed animal cells’ place. Eventually, the Krynoid will assume a vaguely humanoid shape and look for food and warmth. After a while, the Krynoid will just be a mound of vegetable matter with tendrils, ready to eat and spread more of its seed pods, as well as telepathically control any plant life to achieve its aims of killing all animal life.”

“And we’re in a minefield under Krynoid control!” gulped Tysar.

“Not yet,” said the Doctor, “or the plants would have attacked us already. I think something’s keeping our Krynoid at bay. …And I believe Dr. Vrelan will provide the answers.”

Back in the lab set up by Dr. Vrelan, said scientist had pulled out a recording device set next to two opened seed pods! He activated the device and spoke into it. “The pods have germinated well,” he said. “The first subject has responded to the treatment well. She has grown into a fine specimen; however, the lack of regular amounts of food, water, and sunlight has left her weak. This has allowed for some control. I am preparing the next test. In the first test, I allowed the shoot from the pod to fuse with the test subject in accordance with the natural life cycle of a Krynoid. The next few tests were smaller scale ones to see if Krynoid DNA would change them and also served to see if the deployment system I developed would work. While the test subjects after the control didn’t survive, the control could use the dead subjects as a sort of green bomb, hence the sudden appearance of the jungle and decreased radiation. Now I shall see if a direct injection into something bigger shall produce a faster result for something like the control.” He ended his log and pulled up the security feed to show the Doctor and her friends approaching the lab. “Once again, Doctor, you shall help us Thals in our greatest peril.”

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 6

Planet of the Krynoids: Part 1

“Adjusting heading,” reported a blonde man on the bridge of a starship.

“Why are we going back there?” muttered another blonde man. “We evacuated that planet for a reason.”

“Okay, at this point, I’m just repeating myself,” groaned the captain of the ship of blondes. “A science team was last reported there and we have to conduct a retrieval mission.”

“They’re probably dead already!” protested the second man.

“Well, would YOU wanna let them stay there?!” argued the helmsman.

“All right, all right!” called the Captain. “Let’s not start an argument. High Command already assigned us this mission and we’re too close to our target planet to turn back now.

“Approaching the coordinates,” said the helmsman. His brow then furrowed. “…Hang on…why aren’t their orbital defenses activating?”

“Tevik’s right,” said the second blonde. “They should be shooting at us by now.”

“…Scan for any ships and orbital defenses, Commander Demna,” the Captain ordered the second man. Demna ran his scans.

“…The sensors must be faulty!” he protested. “There’s nothing! No ships, no satellites, nothing!”

“Captain Tavis, sir, the readings I’m getting from the planet aren’t matching what we know of our target,” said Tevik.

“Put it up on screen,” ordered the Captain, Tavis. Tevik pulled up the view of the planet and everyone blinked in surprise. “…That can NOT be possible,” muttered Tavis. “Demna, I think you may be onto something about our sensors being faulty. Have Engineering-.” An alarm then cut out his order. “Another intruder alert?!” asked Tavis. Demna checked his instruments.

“Engineering’s reported an alien noise,” he said. “Security’s down there now and…hang on, that doesn’t make sense.”

“What?” asked Tavis. Demna turned in his chair.

“Security and Engineering are claiming that the TARDIS is aboard.”

“…I’m going down there,” decided Tavis. “Demna, you’re in command of the bridge.”

“Sir!” replied Demna as he and Tavis saluted each other. Tavis then left the bridge.

Security forces were aiming their stun guns at the blue box when Tavis arrived. “…Sure looks like that box the Doctor, Ian, Susan, and Barbara arrived in,” he remarked.

“Sir, can we really be sure it’s the TARDIS?” asked the lead Security Officer.

“That’s what we’ll find out,” replied Tavis. He knocked on the door. “Greetings,” he called aloud. “I am Captain Tavis of the starship Bettan. You are currently in the Engineering Section of my ship. If you could step out of the box and identify yourself-.” Tysar was the first to rush out.

“T-Tavis?!” she asked. Tavis’ eyes goggled.

“…Tysar?!” he asked.

“Gods, it IS you!” cheered Tysar as happy tears flowed from her eyes. She pulled Tavis into a hug as another Thal waved a machine over her. He looked at his readings and the genetic match confirmed that it was Tysar.

“Tysar, where have you been?!” asked Tavis. “You vanished three years ago and-!”

“I’ll tell you everything soon!” promised Tysar. “For now, how many of you here want to see our greatest hero’s current face?” The surrounding Thals nodded. “Thought so!” Tysar turned towards the TARDIS. “Doctor! Come on out! We’re among my people!” The Doctor stepped outside.

“So, this IS a Thal ship!” chuckled the Doctor.

“Doctor, it’s a great honor to meet you!” bid Tavis. “Sorry for the weapons pointing at you. I can assure you, they’re just stun weapons. …Speaking of which. All of you, stand down!” The security forces holstered their weapons. “You’ll have to pardon our jumpiness,” he said. “We’re on a dangerous mission.”

“The Bettan’s a science ship, last I checked,” remarked Tysar.

“Could someone fill me in on how Tysar and Tavis know each other?” asked the Doctor.

“Oh, he’s my baby brother,” replied Tysar. “We were together before I ended up in Gotham.”

“Ah!” The Doctor smiled. “Well, a really good thing I was tracking chronal surges, then! Tavis, was it? The reason for Tysar’s vanishing act was because an energy wave plucked her out of your time and put her somewhere else in time and space. Specifically, 21st century Earth.”

“Good heavens!” swore Tavis.

“I had to scavenge for food!” shuddered Tysar. “I am NEVER touching hot dogs again!”

“Sir, do you think that our stowaways are telling the truth?” asked a security officer. “That they were plucked out of their times by some energy wave like Tysar here?”

“Her return DOES give their story a little more credibility,” replied Tavis.

“You mean we’re not the only stowaways here?” asked the Doctor.

“No. In fact, come with me. I think you might be able to prove that they’re telling the truth.”

Tavis led the Doctor and Tysar to a room on the lower decks of the ship. He then keyed in a command and the door opened. Two people rose from the couch they were sitting on, one male and one female. “Hello again, Captain,” greeted the man. “Still don’t believe our story?”

“Oddly enough,” said Tavis, “I have two people that may confirm your story, Mr. Myers.” He stepped aside to reveal the Doctor and Tysar. The Doctor’s eyes lit up when she saw the woman, recognizing the tan skin and dark green hair.

“SETSUNA!” she greeted.

“Doctor!” yelped the woman, Setsuna Meiou, AKA Sailor Pluto! “I don’t believe it! It’s you again! …You’re wearing the wrong body.”

“No, I’m wearing the right body, but not necessarily in the right order,” said the Doctor. “So, odd question, but were you plucked out of your point in space and time by a chronal surge and plopped here on the Bettan, spooking the Thals here a bit?”

“That’s correct,” replied Setsuna. “And so was Mr. Myers here.” She gestured to the man.

“…Should I know you?” the Doctor asked the man.

“Eric Myers, Time Force,” greeted the man. The Doctor’s eyes widened again.

“The Quantum Ranger himself!” she said.

“You’ve heard of me?” asked Eric.

“You and your Time Force Ranger friends!” replied the Doctor. She turned back to Tavis. “They’re telling the truth! They’re not here to sabotage anything!”

“Excellent!” said Tavis. “Now…why are chronal surges popping up in the first place?”

“That would be because of the Grouping rearing its ugly head again,” explained the Doctor.

“The Grouping?” asked Setsuna.

“Then time and space are getting rearranged?” asked Eric. “That’s what I heard had happened last time the Grouping was going on.”

“Yes, but now there’s not as many races that can mitigate the damage,” answered the Doctor. “The Flux saw to that.”

“I was afraid of that,” sighed Setsuna.

“Now, we need to get you two back to your own times,” said the Doctor.

“I can handle that, Doctor,” assured Setsuna. “…But perhaps we can help the Bettan and her crew with the current problem?”

“So you DO know what the mission is,” grumbled Tavis.

“What mission is that?” asked Tysar.

Everyone was brought to the bridge. Demna and Tevik saw the new arrivals. “Sir?” asked Demna.

“Believe it or not, their story checks out,” replied Tavis. “The Doctor here proved that.”

“Hello!” greeted the Doctor.

“Hold on, that’s THE Doctor?!” asked Demna.

“No autographs, please,” replied the Doctor.

“Demna?!” protested Tysar.

“YOU!” snarled Demna.

“Tavis, why is HE on this mission?!” asked Tysar.

“He does good work, Tysar. You know this,” replied Tavis. “And this is my helmsman, Lieutenant Tevik.”

“A pleasure,” greeted Tevik.

“Doctor, I’m about to display a set of coordinates,” said Tavis. “Perhaps you can tell us if you recognize them?”

“It’s been a while since I read Thal Standard coordinates,” replied the Doctor, “but I think I can get by.” Tavis punched up the coordinates and the Doctor and Tysar’s faces fell to horror. “…No!” whispered the Doctor.

“No way would New Davius High Command send the Bettan there!” pleaded Tysar.

“Then you DO know the planet we’re supposed to be orbiting,” said Tavis.

“I’m afraid I don’t,” admitted Eric. “What’s wrong with the planet?”

“It’s our ancestral homeworld,” explained Tysar.

“…Skaro!” hissed the Doctor.

“Skaro?! Wait, isn’t that the homeworld of the-?!” Eric yelped.

“The Daleks, yes,” confirmed Setsuna. She then recalled something. “…Hang on, you said you’re supposed to be orbiting Skaro, Captain Tavis?”

“That’s correct,” replied Tavis. “But we haven’t been fired on and…well…” He pulled up the planet on the viewscreen. The Doctor blinked.

“…Skaro’s still a red, radioactive canker of a planet, yes?” she asked as she checked the readings.

“With Dalek ships still patrolling the skies and orbital defenses permanently set to kill any intruding vessel,” confirmed Tavis.

“So why haven’t we been shot at for one thing?” asked the Doctor. “Where are the ships and defense satellites? Why are the radiation levels only slightly higher than normal? And, most importantly, why is the planet on the screen yellow with just one green patch just south of the equator?! Are you sure you set the coordinates correctly?!”

“I’ve triple-checked my math, Doctor,” replied Tevik. “Maybe there’s something wrong with the sensors or the Daleks are trying something to disguise Skaro. Either way, we need to locate a science team on that planet and either retrieve them or…or their bodies, as is most likely the case, if that planet IS Skaro.”

“…I’ll give your sensors a repair service,” said the Doctor. “Meanwhile, I hope everyone is armed for a quick getaway.”

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 6

Ink of Doom: Part 4

The Irken Armada was priming its weapons as error reports flooded the Massive. “…Okay, not going to lie, my sabotage WASN’T supposed to imperil the Earth,” said the Doctor. By then, Tysar and the Squid Sisters arrived.

“NOBODY MOVE!” demanded Callie as she raised her roller and Marie aimed her charger.

“What the-?! How did you three get here with weapons that fired ink instead of-?!” protested the Doctor. She then thought for a moment. “…Actually, here is probably the safest place for you three specifically.”

“Why, Doctor?” asked Tysar.

“Because her attempt to sabotage the Organic Sweep,” replied Gaz, “has actually set it so that the Earth would be space dust instead of the new food court planet we wanted.”

“So, Irkens, I’d say disregard Callie’s instructions on not moving, because we ALL need to move to stop the Organic Sweep,” said the Doctor.

“I’M the Tallest here! I’M the one that gives the orders!” snapped Zim. “…Everyone, help the Doctor fix the Organic Sweep!” Tools on spider-like limbs sprouted from Zim’s PAK. All Irkens and Gaz did the same as the Doctor pulled out her sonic screwdriver.

“We’ve got two minutes before the weapons open fire!” warned Dib.

“There’s not enough time for a full shutdown of the Organic Sweep!” yelped XIR.

“We’ll need to redirect the weapons fire!” replied the Doctor. “Gaz, Zim, can you two adjust the weapons angle by thirteen degrees?”

“That should be possible,” replied Zim.

“Adjusting now!” called Gaz.

“We’re also going to need to lower the intensity by 52%,” continued the Doctor.

“Let me take care of that!” replied Dib.

“One minute left!” warned XIR.

“New spatial coordinates confirmed!” called Zim.

“Intensity adjusted!” reported Dib. Zim grinned.

“Even with a malfunction, the inhabitants of Earth will surrender!” cackled Zim. Gaz smiled.

“You just prepared the Earth for our conquest, Doctor,” she said. She turned to XIR. “Begin planetary broadcast for after our weapons open fire.”

“Yes, Tallest Consort!” replied XIR.

“Doctor!” called Tysar.

“Steady now,” soothed the Doctor, crossing her fingers.

“Five, four, three, two, one! Firing sequence has begun!” called an Irken. …The Massive then rocked as it was hit with laser fire while it shot other ships in the Armada! From a distance, it looked like the Irken Armada was firing on itself. The weapons switched off as the alarms blared.

“REPORT!” ordered Zim.

“I don’t understand, Sir!” replied an Irken Engineer. “Those repairs we made should have made all weapons fire away from Earth but still light up their skies!”

“So why did we attack our own ships?!” demanded Gaz.

“I don’t know, Ma’am!” replied the Irken Engineer. “I’m getting malfunction reports from every deck of every ship!”

“Wait, where are our prisoners?!” called XIR. The Doctor, Dib, Tysar, and the Squid Sisters were gone! Zim snarled.

“They screwed everything up!” he snarled. “I want all hands to fix everything!” he ordered. “We’ll turn Earth into Foodcourtia II one way or-!”

“Sir, a teleporter to Earth was just activated!” called an Irken Security Officer. “Our prisoners got away!”

“Send out a-!” called Gaz.

“Alert!” called another Irken.

“WHAT NOW?!” shouted Gaz.

“Alien fleet incoming!” called the Irken. “Their weapons are primed and ready!”

“We’re being hailed!” alerted the Communications Irken.

“Put it through!” ordered Zim. The call went through.

“O Jo Blo Ro To Mo Co Fo Ro!” barked a voice.

Back on Earth, the Doctor listened in on the call. “The Judoon?! I thought the Wrarth Warriors were coming!” she grumbled.

“Who are the Judoon?” asked Callie.

“Thug police,” replied Dib. “I met them once in my time. Reminds me a lot of American Cops.”

“…I am SO sorry,” shuddered the Doctor.

“The Judoon are preparing to attack!” warned the Irken Communications Officer.

“We don’t have enough power for weapons!” called the Tactical Officer. “We can’t fight back!” Zim hated that he had to give such an order, but even HE could see how outmatched the Irken Armada was against the Judoon.

“…Withdraw,” he ordered. Everyone looked at him. Gaz didn’t bother, knowing that he was right. “…You heard your Tallest! Give all available power to the FTL drives and set course back to Irk! We’ll be slaughtered if we fight the Judoon! Any ship that falls behind is left behind! …Withdraw to Irk!”

On the screen the Doctor had wired up, everyone could see that the Irken Armada was fleeing the Judoon Fleet! The Judoon ships laid in a pursuit course and followed the Irken Armada! “YES!” cheered the Doctor. “And away they go!”

“Doctor, what did you do?” asked Tysar.

“I tampered with the Irkens’ firing systems a bit,” replied the Doctor. “In essence, I made their targeting computers think that the smaller objects were planets to be fired upon while the planet was the Irkens’ new mothership!”

“But you made it so that they’ll be able to fix their ships,” remarked Dib, recalling the intensity adjustment.

“Well, I didn’t want them dead,” replied the Doctor. “I needed them to see that a more capable fleet could take them on in their weakened state. They’re retreating back to Irk now…though I’d prefer it if the Wrarth Warriors were sent instead of the Judoon. That’s who I asked for during the initial sabotage.”

“So it was a trap, huh?” asked Callie. “And that’s why you wanted us here.”

“Well, turns out I overdid it during my first sabotage and didn’t calibrate properly,” said the Doctor, “so disobeying me actually saved your lives in the long run. …Just don’t make a habit out of it. …Now, Dib…I said this already, but…”

“I can’t go back,” replied Dib. “Yeah, I understand. …Oh well! I can teach the new present how we did things in UNIT and the Swollen Eyeball Network!” The Doctor smiled at his gusto!

“The galaxy at large will need your help, Dib Membrane!” she said. “Good luck!”

“You too, Doctor!” bid Dib. He then headed off.

“Hey, where are you going?!” called Tysar.

“Somewhere with humans, I’m guessing!” replied Dib as he turned a corner.

“…Are there-?” asked Tysar.

“They retook Alterna,” replied Callie. “We can direct him there.”

“We can’t, Callie,” reminded Marie. “Concert?”

“Oh, Squid! Yeah! Sorry, Doctor! We gotta go!” Callie rushed off to collect her bags.

“Thanks for saving the world again, Doctor,” said Marie as she followed Callie.

“…Well, with all that,” said the Doctor, “back to the TARDIS!”

The Doctor and Tysar had returned to the TARDIS and it was spinning through the Time Vortex. The Doctor was typing some queries into the console as Tysar reentered the console room. “Morning,” she said.

“Hm? Oh, morning,” replied the Doctor.

“…Doing late night research?” asked Tysar.

“I promised you that I’d find out if you make to New Davius or not,” answered the Doctor. “Even then, I can’t tell you the specifics, but-.” The console beeped. The Doctor parsed the results quickly, then smiled. “…As I said, no specifics, but all possible timelines indicate that you DO return to New Davius!”

“YES!” cheered Tysar. “…Wait, you said all possible timelines. Does that mean that…even the bad ones…?”

“Yes, even the bad ones,” confirmed the Doctor. “So, let’s just try and get as good a return for you as possible, hm?”

“Sounds good to me!” replied Tysar. “I’m going to make breakfast. You coming?”

“In a minute,” answered the Doctor. “I need to check with Gallifrey on the Grouping’s progress.”

“All right. See you then!” Tysar headed to the TARDIS kitchen as the Doctor placed her hands on the telepathic circuits.

“Doctor calling Gallifrey,” she said. “Doctor calling Gallifrey. Come in, Gallifrey. Do you read?” Stognav then appeared on the screen.

“Gallifrey receiving,” he said. “Doctor, how fares your personal travels?”

“Eh, you know, still dealing with the chronal surges,” replied the Doctor. “How goes any research?”

“We’ve stumbled across notes Tecteun left within the Matrix,” explained Stognav. “Doctor, I’m sorry to say that the Grouping will get worse before it gets better. Thanks to the Flux event you went through, there won’t be enough people to undo all of the damage done by chronal surges.” The Flux, that event always weighed heavily on the Doctor’s mind. She could still see that wave of anti-matter ripping through space and time and almost killing her favorite planet after successfully killing half the universe. She could still remember the Toymaker’s taunts on the subject. …And now Dib and Gaz’s timeline was permanently damaged, all because of Gaz choosing her hedonism over her planet.

“…Keep me posted, will you?” asked the Doctor as she sent all available data on the chronal surge she had to deal with.

“Will do,” replied Stognav. “Data received. We’ll be processing it. Gallifrey out.” The call ended and the Doctor sat down. The TARDIS beeped in concern for her pilot.

“…After putting my fourteenth incarnation in therapy on Earth with Donna,” mumbled the Doctor, “and yet it somehow haunts ME! …Unless he passed and his memories passed on to me.”

“Doctor!” called Tysar. “Breakfast!”

“…Food, yes, that might help,” muttered the Doctor to herself. She then got up. “Coming, Tysar!”

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 6

Ink of Doom: Part 3

It was times like this that Dib wished Zim was still morbidly obese in Doomsville after finally learning the truth of his exile. Now things got so complicated. …Maybe the previous Tallest should have had Zim executed or at least put on trial. …Oh well, no point in the woulda-coulda-shouldas. Now he had to focus on getting out of his cell! He checked his pockets…and recalled that the Irkens had emptied his pockets before they interrogated him. “…Right, better see if there’s useful tech in-.” He then heard a noise outside his cell. “…Hello?!” he called aloud.

“Dib?! Dib Membrane?!” replied a woman’s voice.

“Yeah! I’m in here!” called Dib.

“One second!” said the woman’s voice. He then heard a familiar buzzing! The door opened and Dib saw the Doctor as she twirled her sonic screwdriver in her hand successfully. “Dib Membrane!” greeted the Doctor.

“…Doctor, is that you?” asked Dib.

“Count the hearts!” replied the Doctor as she removed her glove so Dib could feel her pulse. Dib checked and goggled, then sighed in relief.

“Your UNIT files told me you change your face often,” he said. “Your current appearance looks good!”

“Thank you!” bid the Doctor. “Now, we don’t have much time! I’m sure you’ve guessed where and when you are.”

“Yeah, Gaz took advantage of a chronal surge,” replied Dib. The Doctor arched an eyebrow.

“…Your sister? Why?” she asked.

“She hates the human race with a passion!” replied Dib. “She’s sold out Earth just so she could have endless video game time and pizza!”

“…She’s the Tallest Consort, isn’t she?” guessed the Doctor. “I always knew an alien would be to Zim what the previous two Tallest were to each other. They’ll both fall into hedonism!”

“Doctor, Gaz is ready to start the Organic Sweep!”

“Well, good thing I’m here, then!” The Doctor found a control console and began her work.

“…Can we go back?” asked Dib. The Doctor paused her work.

“…I’m sorry,” she said, “but your disappearance was recorded and…you were never found again in your home time. You…you can’t go back, otherwise it will damage time.” Dib sighed.

“Oh well, worth a shot.”

Back with Zim and Gaz, Gaz was waking up from anesthesia. “…Did you really have to put me to sleep?” she grumbled.

“When adult Irkens are implanted with a PAK,” explained Zim, “the process is painful. Believe me, the pain would have corrupted the computer systems in the PAK. Now, once you’re recovered, a test is needed. Just to make sure it’s properly working. We’ll start with the legs. Just think of you growing extra arthropod legs out of your back.” Gaz concentrated…and four robotic spider-like legs sprouted from her PAK and hoisted her up. She then thought about moving forward and the legs carried her forward. Gaz grinned. “Now, retraction is a little more difficult, but-.” The legs then set Gaz down and retreated into her PAK. “…Or you could catch on faster than an Irken,” muttered Zim. Just then, the alarms sounded.

“What’s going on?!” demanded Gaz.

“Intruder alert!” warned XIR. “Target known as the Doctor is aboard the Massive!”

“WHAT?!” shouted Zim. “Where is she?!”

“Brig area, Cell Block Gamma! She opened Cell Gamma Nine!”

“Dib!” hissed Zim. “Alert all troops in the area! The Doctor and Dib must NOT interfere!”

“Come on! Come on!” growled the Doctor. She then lit up! “Yes! Organic Sweep protocols!”

“What are you doing?!” asked Dib.

“Sabotaging the Organic Sweep!” replied the Doctor. “It will take more than the forty-eight hours Zim gave me to fix it!” It took all but a few seconds for the Doctor to screw up the coding needed to operate the weapons! “HAHA! Perfect!”

“HANDS IN THE AIR, ALIEN SCUM!” shouted a voice. The Doctor and Dib turned to see that they were surrounded by Irkens.

“…It was like that when we got here!” Dib lied. The Irkens just narrowed their eyes in disbelief that he tried that. “…Okay, that was not one of my better ones.”

“Bring them to the bridge!” ordered the taller of the Irkens.

Back in Inkopolis, Tysar was fiddling with the Spawn Point. “Not you too!” complained Marie.

“The Doctor’s fighting alone right now and she gets a little too self-sacrificing when she does that!” retorted Tysar. “Now, either I dither here like a damsel in distress or I go up there and help her!”

“If you’re going, then I’M going!” declared Callie.

“Callie, no!” argued Marie.

“Callie, listen to your cousin!” urged Tysar. “Your roller’s ineffective against laser weapons!”

“In fact, INK is ineffective against lasers!” continued Marie.

“I’m not letting the Doctor fight alone!” insisted Callie. Tysar had finished her adjustments by now.

“There!” called the Thal. “See you-!” Callie then jumped onto the Spawn Point. “HEY! YOU GET OFF THAT-!” Too late. Callie vanished. “Oh for-!”

“I’m going after her!” called Marie as she jumped onto the Spawn Point.

“NO! GET BACK-!” Too late again. Marie vanished. Tysar developed a nasty twitch, then stamped her feet as she unleashed a flurry of curses in her native Thal language that shall not be translated here as they’re unbelievably rude. She then hopped onto the Spawn Point and went after the Squid Sisters.

The Doctor and Dib were taken to the bridge where Zim and Gaz were understandably unhappy with the sabotage. An Irken technician reported their findings. “It looks like it’s going to take a full week to undo what the Doctor did,” they said. “seventy-two hours at best if we activate our PAKs’ overdrive mode, something we all think is best, my Tallest.”

“Do it!” ordered Zim. He turned back to the offending saboteurs. “Well, Doctor, you made your decision for Earth a little early, huh?” he said. “I WAS going to be merciful and make this a mining planet, but thanks to you, it WILL become Foodcourtia II!”

“Oh, please!” scoffed the Doctor. “As if Sizz-lorr would allow that!”

“Sizz-lorr is now under MY command! HE obeys ME! He has no choice but to allow it!” Zim then drew in a breath a calmed himself. “Doctor, there’s a way for you to get into my good graces, and that is to undo your sabotage!”

“I’m afraid your good graces are rather on the low end of my list of priorities,” replied the Doctor.

“I’d advise you to reconsider, Doctor,” warned Gaz.

“You know, Dib told me about what you sold Earth out for!” snarled the Doctor. “All to satisfy your hedonism?! That’s your planet you’re betraying!”

“You think I care, Doctor?!” retorted Gaz. “Humans have always done the stupid things and pushed themselves to the brink of World War III! Whether it’s the pedophiles we put into office or the useless protests, we’ve proven that we’ve lost the right to our own destiny! Better to end it now than let Earth slide into decadence and decay!”

“Decadence and decay?! What do you think happened to Blorch?! Or Foodcourtia?! It’s what YOUR planet’s future will be! The nightmare of all slaves working one specific field! Hell on Earth! The apocalypse!”

“At least people will be honest about it!” Before the Doctor could refute Gaz’s claims, the alarms sounded again.

“Intruder alert!” warned XIR.

“What the-?! SECURITY! DOES THE EMPIRE NO LONGER HAVE IT?!” complained Zim.

“Identify them!” ordered Gaz.

“Two Inklings, one Thal, according to readings taken,” reported XIR.

“Tysar!” hissed the Doctor. She ran her hand down her face. “One of these days, I’m going to get a companion that will understand that ‘stay put’ means to stay put!”

“You just HAD to go onto the ship, didn’t you?!” Tysar snapped at Callie.

“I wanna help!” protested Callie.

“Callie, these guys have LASERS!” argued Marie. “You’ve got an oversized roller and my charger can’t do anything rapid fire! We-!” The Irkens then arrived.

“HANDS IN THE AIR, ALIEN SCUM!” shouted one.

“No time for arguments!” called Callie as she pulled out her roller. She then slammed it onto the ground and steamrolled over the Irkens!

“MY SQUEEDLYSPOOCH!” screamed an Irken.

“I got you, Greenie Grandma!” called another Irken as he aimed his gun at Marie. Marie then pulled out her charger and fired, her shot knocking the gun out of the Irken’s hands! “I-I DIDN’T MEAN THAT GRANDMA COMMENT!” he begged. Marie fired again, the impact of her ink knocking the Irken out.

“…Come on, we need to pick up Callie and find the Doctor,” sighed Tysar.

“Got it!” agreed Marie. The two of them ran after Callie.

Everyone on the bridge saw the chaos unfolding from Callie’s charge! “HOW IS A ROLLING PAINTBRUSH DOING THAT?!” protested Zim.

“What’s the matter, Zim?!” taunted Dib. “Your Squeedlyspooch can’t take it?!”

“I’ll be feasting on your brain meats, Dib!” warned Zim.

“Sir,” called an Irken, “something is wrong! The Organic Sweep is activating on its own!”

“WHAT?!” yelped Zim.

“How bad is that?” asked Gaz.

“Without manual control, the Organic Sweep will vaporize the planet instead of bombard it!” replied Zim. “Earth won’t exist as a member of the Irken Empire! It won’t exist PERIOD!”

“…Oh dear,” muttered the Doctor, thinking she made a catastrophic mistake.

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 6

Ink of Doom: Part 2

“So, the war between you and Tak is over and you’re the victor,” remarked the Doctor. “Still, calling ANY war ‘Great’, it just…yuck!”

“Save your insults for people shorter than us, Doctor!” snarled Zim.

“Will you depart Earth or not?!” growled the Doctor.

“Are you threatening me?! If so, you haven’t a leg to stand on! As I said, Earth was kept OUT of the crossfire! I even behaved when Dib and Gaz vanished!”

“…Dib and Gaz Membrane?” asked the Doctor. “They vanished in your-?” A nasty theory formed in her head. “…Oh no!”

“What’s wrong with you?” asked Zim. “…Oh yes! You still care for the worthless inhabitants of this rock!” The Doctor snapped her thoughts back to the current crisis.

“I warn you, Zim! Earth has colonies ready to defend the cradle of their civilization!” she declared.

“I think even the shortest Irken can handle the humans’ primitive ships!” cackled Zim.

“I very much doubt that.”

“There’s no UNIT to stop me, Doctor! And no Zygons, as you said! These creatures that replaced the human stink will be excellent slaves! Earth shall become Foodcourtia II!”

“It most certainly will not!” argued the Doctor.

“You’re in no position to tell me what can and can’t be done!” Zim then grinned wickedly. “But I’m nothing if not merciful,” he said. “I’ll give you forty-eight earth hours to prepare this planet properly. Otherwise, I conduct the Organic Sweep and sterilize all life!” He turned to his subordinates. “We’re leaving!” he ordered.

“Yes, my Tallest!” replied his underlings. One of then pressed a button on his wrist and the three Irkens vanished.

“…Dib and Gaz Membrane,” muttered the Doctor. “…And their disappearance is recorded in history. …Drat.”

The Doctor returned to Tysar, noticing that two people were gone. “…Tysar, where are the Squid Sisters?” she asked.

“They went to the Inkopolis News Station,” replied Tysar. “Special announcement about the Irken Invasion. They overheard everything and wanted to calm the people down, assure them that you wouldn’t surrender the Earth to the Irkens.”

“And they’re right, because I won’t,” said the Doctor. By then, the Squid Sisters returned.

“We just got off the phone with our agents,” said Callie. “They’ve delayed our concert until this crisis is dealt with.”

“The Captain also reassigned our mission to his successor, the new Agent 3,” continued Marie. “What do you need us to do, Doctor?”

“First off, we’ve got forty-eight hours to deal with the Irkens and see if my hypothesis is true,” replied the Doctor.

“Doctor, Zim said that two humans vanished from his time,” said Tysar.

“Dib Membrane and his sister, Gaz,” explained the Doctor. “I really hope that the chronal surge didn’t grab them and plop them here. Because if their disappearance was recorded and they were never found…then we can’t bring them back.”

“What?” asked Tysar. “Y-You mean that bringing them back would…damage time somehow?!” She then started thinking about her own situation. “…Would that mean-?!”

“For you, I don’t know,” sighed the Doctor. “…But I WILL check your timeline when this adventure is over. For now, we need to see if Dib and Gaz are in this time.”

Aboard the Irken Flagship, the Massive, Zim was in his office, indulging in some snacking. As he snacked, the computer in his desk beeped. “Oh, what is it now?!” he complained. A spider-like robotic leg then grew from his PAK and tapped the computer. His new SIR unit, titled XIR (X-treme Information Retrieval), appeared on screen. “What is it, XIR?” he demanded.

“My Tallest,” said XIR, “two humans have appeared on the Massive. All physical indicators point to their names being Dib and Gaz Membrane.”

“Your sensors must be faulty!” scoffed Zim. “There’s no way they’re alive after all this time, even accounting for their disappearance!” He then slurped on some soda through a straw as XIR continued its report.

“We are currently interrogating the two humans…but the one that looks like Gaz is as scary as her! And the male that looks like Dib has as big a head as him!”

“MY HEAD’S NOT BIG!” protested a voice. Zim spat out his soda in surprise. That was Dib’s voice!

“TELL THE INTERROGATORS TO STOP!” ordered Zim. “I’M CONDUCTING THIS ONE PERSONALLY!” He got up from his desk and strode out of his office.

Zim arrived in the interrogation room to see two humans, roughly his height. One was a woman in a black skirt and shirt with purple hair and an expression that cowed many Irkens. The other was a man with glasses, slicked hair, and a black trenchcoat. “It can’t be!” protested Zim. “Dib and Gaz vanished millennia ago!”

“Yeah, well you can blame Gaz here!” snarled the man as he nodded his head angrily at the woman. “She stole UNIT property and took advantage of a chronal surge!”

“That was a Cyberman’s chronal net and you know it!” retorted the woman.

“It’s UNIT property and YOU know it!”

“ENOUGH!” shouted Zim. “XIR, did they have a chronal net on their person?”

“The scary woman had it, specifically,” replied XIR.

“XIR?” asked the man. “What’s the X stand for?”

“Extreme, what else?” asked Zim.

“…Z-Zim, extreme starts with an ‘e’ and-.”

“It’s MY updated SIR unit and I get to name it!” snarled Zim. He then calmed down. “…So, it IS you, Dib, Gaz! …Gaz, why would you steal a chronal net?”

“To take advantage of the chronal surge,” replied Gaz. “I was hoping to get a place where I could finally get away from humans, but now I see from your systems that the whole damned race spread out to the stars!”

“…I mean, yes, it IS annoying, but YOU belong to the human race-.”

“AND I HATE IT! I hate having to be part of a race that’s so idiotic! All I want to worry about are video games and pizza and people always get in my way about that! I want to crush the human race and any others that would get in my way! You have the tech needed to crush them, I have ideas on how to do that!”

“Gaz, wait a minute!” protested Dib. “You’re selling out the human race of this time!”

“More like the Cephalo-sapiens, but humans too,” remarked Zim.

“…Cephalo-sapiens?” asked Gaz. “Like…talking squids and octopuses?!”

“And live their lives exactly like humans of your time.” Gaz couldn’t believe what she was hearing! “There IS a future I have planned for it, though,” offered Zim.

“And what’s that?!” demanded Gaz.

“Like us Irkens, you lot enjoy fast food, especially that…pizza, I believe it’s called. How would you like it if you helped me make Earth into Foodcourtia II?” Gaz arched an eyebrow.

“…What do I get for helping you?” asked Gaz. “Not that I’m really objecting.”

“Joint rule of the Irken Empire,” replied Zim. “A PAK to make sure you live as long as us, an entire empire at your command, and all the hedonism you want to unleash. What do you say?”

“…One slight change,” said Gaz. “…I want to fire the first shot for the Organic Sweep, Tallest Zim!”

“Done, Tallest Consort Gaz!”

“…Consort?” asked Gaz, a little disgusted.

“Just a title, no real meaning. It’s just something we have to use when an alien helps rule the Empire jointly.”

“…No romance involved?”

“None whatsoever. Friends at best.”

“…I think we can work out a friendship.”

“GAZ, YOU TRAITOR!” shouted Dib.

“Orders, my Tallest? Tallest Consort?” asked XIR. Zim undid Gaz’s restraints and nodded to her, indicating that she should decide Dib’s fate.

“Throw my big brother in the brig,” she ordered. “We’ll deal with him when Earth becomes Foodcourtia II.”

“While you’re doing that, inform the Control Brain Monitors,” ordered Zim, “that a PAK for Gaz needs to be made.”

“Yes, my Tallest, Tallest Consort.” XIR saluted and dragged Dib away.

Back in Inkadia, the Doctor was working on a machine. It looked like one of the spawn points usually seen in Turf Wars. “Doctor, what are you doing?” asked Marie. “That’s a decommissioned Spawn Point!”

“And it SHOULD work as a transmat,” replied the Doctor.

“Doctor?” asked Marie.

“I checked the TARDIS historical databanks on the Irken Empire,” explained the Doctor. “All my research agree with Zim in that he defeated Tak and won the Irken Civil War two thousand years before the Flood that eventually gave rise to you lot. …So why is he only attacking now? Questions, questions.”

“You’re not planning on going up into an Irken ship, are you?!” protested Marie.

“Sorry, Thal overhearing that last tidbit, along with Callie,” called Tysar as she arrived. “Marie DID draw the wrong conclusion, did she?!”

“Actually, she didn’t,” replied the Doctor. “Specifically, I’m going onto the Irken Flagship.”

“Don’t be absurd!” protested Tysar.

“Doctor, there’s no way you’ll survive that!” agreed Callie.

“Callie and Tysar are right, Doctor!” urged Marie. “They’ll shoot you on sight!”

“See, the thing is, I have some research to conduct,” replied the Doctor.

“Doctor!” protested Tysar.

“Zim chose this moment to fulfill his ‘mission’ of conquering Earth for the Irken Empire when he already won the Irken Civil War!” insisted the Doctor. “Now, either we dither here and hope against hope that help from the human colonies arrive before the Irkens conduct their Organic Sweep or I beam myself onto the Massive and make their job easier while getting information along the way!”

“But what if the Irkens just blast you to plasma?!” argued Tysar.

“Well, at least I will have tried,” said the Doctor. She then finished up.

“Doctor-!”

“If I’m wrong, bring whoever you can into the TARDIS!” directed the Doctor. “It’ll bring you all somewhere safe!” She hopped onto the modified Spawn Point and then vanished.

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 6

Ink of Doom: Part 1

Inkadia, once called Japan. Home of new forms of life on Earth. Right now, humans were in a different colony away from Inkadia, leaving it to the native Inklings and Octarians, squids and octopuses that gained the ability to achieve a humanoid form to walk on land. Right now, two Inkling women were adjusting their outfits. One of them, with her tentacles tied into a bow at the back of her head with her club ends reaching all the way to her calves, was adjusting her hat to make sure it was tilted onto the right of her head. She then reached for something…only it wasn’t there. “…Marie, where the squid are my earrings?!” called the Inkling woman to her gray-tentacled cousin, having just tied her shorter tentacles into a bow that tilted towards the right of her head while her hat sat on the left of her head.

“I dunno,” replied the other Inkling, Marie. “You had them last, Callie.”

“I know I put them-! …Oh, here they are,” mumbled the first Inkling woman, Callie. She fished out a pair of chunky hoop earrings and attached them to each of her pointy ears.

“I swear, you can be SO disorganized,” muttered Marie.

“Well, excuse me for-!” She then stopped talking. “…Marie?”

“I hear it too!” replied Marie as she heard the noise Callie heard. The two Inkling Idols rushed out of their dressing room and into the hallway…to see a blue box appear!

“Hey, isn’t that the box John and Kaori found?” asked Callie. “The one with Amy and her doctor friend?”

“Yeah,” confirmed Marie. “But what’s it doing here? Octavio’s still in prison.”

“Maybe Amy wanted to visit again?” guessed Marie. “Come on, let’s go see.” The Inkling cousins knocked on the door and the Doctor poked her head out.

“Is there anything on my head?” she asked. “Tysar won’t tell me if there is.”

“…Um…yeah, y-you’ve got…well a rose headband,” replied Callie, not sure who this woman was.

“That’s supposed to be there. Anything else?”

“Yeah, antlers,” replied Marie.

“…Antlers?” asked the Doctor.

“Y-Yeah,” confirmed Callie. Tysar then started laughing as the Doctor’s expression darkened comedically. She looked into the TARDIS.

“It’s early spring!” she protested at the powerful time machine. “Why are you putting hologram antlers on my head?! And you, Tysar! Why didn’t you say anything?!”

“Because the TARDIS is right, Doctor!” laughed Tysar. “That’s just funny!”

“All right, you two had your laugh! Now get rid of them!” The antlers vanished. “Thank you!” She then turned back to the Squid Sisters. “Now, Callie and Marie, the Squid Sisters, yes? Odd that you’d call yourself that, given that you’re cousins.”

“Sorry, do we know you?” asked Marie. “It’s just that…the human over there called you Doctor.”

“I did,” replied Tysar. “Although, strictly speaking, I’m not a human. I’m a Thal. And that IS the Doctor.”

“I wore a pleated skirt last time I visited Inkadia,” explained the Doctor. “That business with the Slitheen infiltrating Octavio’s court and trying to nuke the planet and sell off its radioactive remains? Ring any bells, you two?”

“…That’s really YOU, Doctor?!” asked Callie. “B-But…how?!”

“Regeneration, my dear Callie,” replied the Doctor. “It’s a lottery. Now, enough of that, I’m a little pressed for time.”

“So it ISN’T a social call?” asked Marie.

“Sorry, no. Did anyone report any missing persons or strange people just appearing out of nowhere?”

“N-No,” replied Marie. “Why?”

“We’re tracking something called a chronal surge,” explained the Doctor. “They have a tendency to take someone in one time period and plop them into another. Sometimes a knight from the Middle Ages gets thrown into the 42nd century, other times a Star Warrior ends up a few seconds into the past on another planet, you get the idea.”

“…Yeah,” said Marie.

“Really?”

“No!”

“I’m stumped too, Doctor,” replied Callie.

“Right. Well, we’re going to have a look around, if you don’t mind?” asked the Doctor.

“Y-Yeah, sure!” agreed the Squid Sisters.

“Thanks!” bid the Doctor as she and Tysar left the TARDIS.

“…So…no Amy today,” remarked Callie.

“Doesn’t look like it,” replied Marie. “And apparently the Doctor’s a shapeshifter.”

“…Hm…shapeshifter against another superpower…I think that was a Splatfest theme,” mused Callie.

“Doctor, who were those two?” asked Tysar.

“Callie and Marie, the pop idol duo known as the Squid Sisters,” replied the Doctor. “Better known as Agents 1 and 2 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon currently under the command of the original Agent 3.”

“And what kind of creatures were they?”

“Squids, if you can believe it. Or, more specifically, squids that underwent genetic mutation after genetic mutation to become the Inklings you see today. After a great flooding, humanity left Earth and some of the sea life evolved into land-dwelling creatures. Then there was a war between the Inklings and their octopus cousins, the Octarians. Eventually, the Octoling branch of the Octarians made peace with the Inklings and now they live together.”

“…You mean this is Earth’s future?” asked Tysar.

“Yes, but humanity’s coming back and helping Inklings and Octarians spread out across the stars.”

“And the chronal surge is centered here?”

“Yes. Now, we must figure out what before-!” Just then, the familiar feeling of a chronal surge passed over them. “Oh no!”

“Doctor, we’re still here,” said Tysar.

“Callie! Marie!” realized the Doctor. She and Tysar ran back to the Squid Sisters’ general direction to see them walking away from the TARDIS. “HOLD ON!” called the Doctor.

“Hm? Doctor?” asked Callie as she and Marie looked back. The Doctor sighed.

“Oh, good! Still in the present!” sighed the Doctor. “Now, come on, you two! Let’s start searching for-!”

“Doctor, we can’t go on searching for anything right now!” retorted Marie. “Callie and I have a concert in Splatsville!”

“And the Captain’s got a mission for us after that!” supplied Callie.

“With respect, you two,” interjected Tysar, “the concert and mission will be a moot point if we don’t figure out what happened during that chronal-!” She was interrupted by screaming from outside.

“…That’s not a good sign, no matter where you come from,” muttered Marie.

“Come on!” urged the Doctor as she ran towards the source of the screams.

Outside was pandemonium! Inklings and Octolings were running for cover from objects in the sky. The Doctor and her friends took cover as the objects continued firing. “What’s going on here?! An alien invasion?!” yelped Marie over the screaming.

“Well, given that there ARE alien ships hanging in your skies,” remarked Tysar, “yes, I’d say that’s exactly what’s going on! I don’t recognize the design of the ships, but-!”

“It’s the Irken Armada!” replied the Doctor.

“The what?!” asked Callie.

“The Irken Armada! The main military force of the Irken Empire! A race of insectoid creatures hellbent on conquering the entire universe! With a collective gender of jerk!”

“Why are they setting their sights on Earth now?!” asked Marie. “We can’t possibly have anything they’d want!”

“They’re not interested in wealth or political power!” replied the Doctor. “They conquer planets just because they can!”

“Well, what can we do?!” asked Tysar.

“One moment!” The Doctor pulled out her sonic screwdriver and walked to the middle of the panicking crowd. She then switched the screwdriver on. “Intercepting any teleports to the planet!” Three Irkens then appeared, all surprised at the whole affair. Two were little, about the size of a human child, and the last was a few centimeters taller than the Doctor’s height and wore a mask.

“What is this?!” demanded the tall one. “I ordered us to go to Octo Canyon! Not Inkopolis Square! Invader Smeech, you have failed!”

“Apologies, my Tallest!” begged one of the shorter Irkens. “Our teleport beam was intercepted and-!”

“He’s right, you know,” interjected the Doctor. The Irkens gasped.

“A…human?!” asked the tall Irken, the Tallest. “But the dominant life forms of this planet are squids and octopuses! How-?!”

“Humans spread out from beyond the atmosphere of this little planet, my Tallest,” replied the Doctor. “Now…I’ve met you lot before, but not necessarily with this face. Under Convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation, I formally request a cessation of hostilities in order to parlay!”

“…You’re not human, are you?” asked the Tallest. “No worthless human could possibly know about the Shadow Proclamation, much less attempt to invoke it!”

“No, I’m not human, but I put a lot of work into this planet. I know there aren’t any Zygons on this planet to help enforce things, but I’m still here. I am the Doctor! Former President of the High Council of Time Lords! Keeper of the Legacy of Rassilon! Defender of the Laws of Time! Protector of Gallifrey! Under the Doomsville Treaty, I order you to leave this planet!”

“Ah, Doctor!” purred the Tallest. “So, it IS true! You Time Lords can change our faces! It won’t matter! I stuck to the Treaty! Earth was NOT caught in the crossfire between myself and the False Tallest, Tak! The Great Civil War is over and I won! You won’t interfere in my mission this time, Doctor!” The Tallest removed his mask so the Doctor could see his face!

“…Tallest Zim!” hissed the Doctor. “I should have known!”

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings The Specials

The Sorcerer’s Ascension: Part 10

Ssylphiel and Calliope spoke alone after the celebration. “Heck of a way to start a birthday, huh?” said Ssylphiel.

“No kidding,” agreed Calliope. “To learn that there are realities beyond what our gods created for us? …That’s a bit heavy.”

“…Calliope, look, we’ve had our moments. I don’t agree with your methods and you don’t agree with mine. …But you fight against evil in your own way and…well…that DOES make you an ideal candidate to replace Anacassandra-.”

“Lady Octopus herself snuck out and spoke to me,” replied Calliope.

“I thought I saw her missing after a bit,” said Ssylphiel.

“Well, I’m sorry to say that my answer then is the same as now. I must refuse. I feel like being a Divine Cecaelia would blunt not only my life, but my employees’ and Lukas’. …I DO know of one who’s more than capable, though.”

“Oh?” asked Ssylphiel.

“She’s a mermaid that’s done a lot for me and she’s tried to help ease the suffering of others in her spare time. Have you heard of Maris?”

“You know, I think I’ve met her on a few occasions. Green hair, blue tail, lost an eye and had it replaced with a crystal, and wears a sea rose in her hair?”

“That’s the one!” confirmed Calliope. “If you like, I can inform her of her good fortune.”

“…Knowing you, you need something in return,” mused Ssylphiel.

“…I DO want to make a deal, but that does not need to be a term within that deal. …I want your word that, should anything happen to me, my employees and Lovely Lukas…they will be safe under your protection.”

“…That seems reasonable,” said Ssylphiel. “I vow that no harm shall come to them. They will be safe under my care should anything happen to you.”

“…Thank you. And, on the off chance something happens to you, all those you love will be safe under my care.”

“…Shall we draw up a contract then?”

“A Sacred Oath, please.” Ssylphiel’s eyes widened.

“…You’re that serious?” she asked. “…In that case, your hand.” Calliope and Ssylphiel shook each other’s hand. “I, Ssylphiel Emerald Goldcoil, do swear that, should anything happen to you, Calliope, all those you love will be safe under my protection. Let Lady Snake, Lord God, Lady Rose, Lady Rabbit, Lady Green, Lord Sand, Lord Fire, Lady Divine, and Lady Black be my witnesses!”

“I, Calliope Crystal Seer-legs, do swear that, should anything happen to you, Ssylphiel, all those you love will be safe under my protection! Let Lady Octopus, Lord Deal, Lady Lotus, Lord Bat, Lady Blue, Lady Sea, Lady Water, Lord Immortal, and Lady Black be my witnesses!” Their handshake was surrounded by light as the runes attributed to their respective Zodiac signs flashed above them. The runes and light then faded, and they broke off the handshake.

“It’s not often people like us make the Sacred Oath,” remarked Ssylphiel.

“Well, we clearly trust each other, even if we’re not friends,” replied Calliope.

“…Enough of that,” chuckled Ssylphiel. “What say we enjoy our birthday?”

“Sounds heavenly to me!” purred Calliope.

While Ssylphiel and Calliope made their Sacred Oath, the Doctor and Tysar returned to the TARDIS. “So the Toymaker knows about the recent developments?” asked Tysar.

“She’s not happy, but she DID declare ‘mission accomplished’,” replied the Doctor. “She and Grand Zeno will make sure everyone keeps a lookout for the Dalek Sorcerer. We’re cleared to go back to our universe.”

“Thank goodness,” sighed Tysar. “I’d like to just deal with the Grouping and…uh oh.”

“Uh oh?” asked the Doctor. She then looked back to see their local friends coming back. “Oh. Someone thinks we’re skiving.”

“Doctor?” asked Ssylphiel. “You’re not leaving, surely?! You haven’t been properly honored!”

“Believe me, Ssylphiel,” soothed the Doctor, “I am quite adequately honored. I’m sure things will run smoothly here without us or the Daleks to muck everything up.”

“No, we can muck things up on our own, as Anacassandra proved,” remarked Nora.

“You WILL help those the families of the soldiers that lost their lives to the Daleks, won’t you?” asked Tysar.

“Naturally,” replied Calliope.

“Just as we’ll ensure that all traces of the Daleks’ presence here will be destroyed,” promised Ssylphiel. “Even the Ryuginese Empire won’t touch the schematics of Dalek gunsticks, calling them honorless. We will not tolerate a Dalek foothold in the world that our Gods labored so hard over!”

“That’s good to know,” said Tysar. “Just promise us one thing.”

“Anything,” said Coilzette.

“The battles, the loss of life, don’t glamorize it. Us Thals made that mistake a few times in our history and it cost us deeply. Tell everyone the truth about what happened, all right?”

“That’s a promise,” agreed Ssylphiel. “War will NOT be glamorized as long as I rule Serpentia.”

“Tysar, are you sure you…don’t wanna…?” Bea asked shyly.

“…I’m sorry, Bea,” replied Tysar as she gave the young Bunnygirl Naga a hug. “This isn’t my world and I have to help the Doctor return our universe to normal.”

“…Don’t forget me, okay?” mumbled Bea.

“I’m holding you to that same promise, Bea,” said Tysar. They hugged for a while, then had to separate. The Doctor held the door for Tysar, then entered the TARDIS and shut the doors. The lamp flashed as the TARDIS made its usual takeoff noise and faded, kicking up a strong wind. Eventually, the TARDIS was gone as was the wind it generated.

“…She should be very proud of the work she’s putting into her home and of the work she put into ours,” mused Ssylphiel.

“Yeah,” mused Bea.

“…Speaking of work to be appreciated, who made that cake?” asked Calliope. “It looked and tasted amazing!”

“Oh, that was me!” replied Bea. “If I might brag, no one can top me in baking. Although, I DID have a question, but it’s more sort of for Nora here.”

“Aye?” asked Nora.

“It’s about the candles,” explained Bea.

“Those were perfectly acceptable candles, Bea,” interjected Ssylphiel.

“Could you imagine putting an amount of candles equal to our collective life on that cake?” asked Calliope. “Don’t really wanna celebrate a birthday with a fire hazard.”

“Yeah, Lukas suggested the two fancy candles,” said Bea. “But Grandma Coilzette also said something about the origins of birthday candles, about how they’re actually a Dwarven invention.”

“Aye, they are,” replied Nora. “We lit them so the smoke would carry our wishes and prayers to the Gods. Humans just took that idea later.”

“So they ARE culturally appropriated,” muttered Bea.

“Technically, yeah,” said Nora, “but as it’s been a long time since any Dwarf ever lit candles for that reason, I think humans are okay grandfathering that one in.”

Back in the TARDIS, it drifted through the local time vortex. “Doctor, are we sure that we can go back to our proper universe?” asked Tysar.

“I wouldn’t worry so much,” replied the Doctor. “Grand Zeno said he needs our help in taking care of the Grouping. So, let’s see…one has to squeeze the rim of the button…” The Doctor pulled out the button and squeezed its border. The TARDIS shook a bit, thanks to turbulence. Eventually, the shaking died down. The Doctor checked the readings and smiled. “There we are!” she said. “Back in OUR time vortex, just as I said! No doubts at all!”

“Sure,” replied Tysar. The Doctor then keyed in a query and the TARDIS displayed some readings.

“…Good, Davros IS where and when I left him,” she reported to herself mainly. “…But nothing on the Dalek Sorcerer. No one in time and space has heard of it.”

“Shouldn’t it be back on Skaro?” asked Tysar.

“That WOULD be the logical thing to do,” replied the Doctor. “But Daleks don’t always follow logic. The Movellans taught them that the hard way.”

“…But…that was an entire Dalek Saucer it escaped in,” recalled Tysar.

“Yes, not a Void Ship,” agreed the Doctor. “Unless they somehow used the technology to make one to modify their Saucer.”

“A Void Ship?” asked Tysar.

“A ship designed to cross the void between universes,” replied the Doctor. “The one I first saw was capable of defying all sorts of analysis, meaning it had no detectable mass, heat, age, or radiation. Unsettling, people call it. …And I always thought it was impossible until the Cult of Skaro and the prison ship they stole swanned out of it.” Just then, the console beeped.

“Doctor?” quizzed Tysar as the Doctor checked the readings.

“…A chronal surge!” she reported. “Earth! Japan! …No, Inkadia! The Inklings! Something’s going wrong there!”

“Doctor, what’s Inkadia?” asked Tysar.

“I’ll explain when we get there!” replied the Doctor as she set the coordinates! The TARDIS then spun through the Time Vortex en route to the site of the chronal surge.

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings The Specials

The Sorcerer’s Ascension: Part 9

A blue-tinted visual display entered his brain directly. He realized he was looking down at a control panel. He then heard a voice, slightly distorted by electronics, but recognizable. “Davros? …Davros? Can you hear me?” …Yes, that was his name. Davros! And the woman in front of him was the…what in…?

“That…smell…” whispered Davros through his new throat microphone implant. “I…I can smell…”

“Don’t exert yourself,” urged the woman.

“…Doctor,” he hissed. He then realized something. “…What…is wrong with my voice?!”

“Your voice box was damaged in the explosion,” replied the Doctor. “I had to replace it.” Memories then flooded Davros’ mind.

“…Ah. …I remember the explosion. …I remember the source of the detonation!”

“The Daleks exterminated Anacassandra,” confirmed the Doctor. “You were at ground zero.”

“I raised my hands to shield myself from the blast,” recalled Davros. “Foolish instinct! The light…was so intense! …I saw the bones in my hands! And as the explosion hit me…I flexed my fingers…just to see my skeleton moving!” Davros then flinched. “What…is that smell?! I-I feel-!”

“You’re back in the Serpentian Capital Citadel, Davros,” soothed the Doctor. “We’ve given you the most powerful sedatives Ssylphiel could procure.”

“I don’t think they’re working, Doctor!” Panic was rising in Davros’ voice. “WHAT IS THAT SMELL?!”

“It’s your skin,” replied the Doctor.

“…My…skin?”

“I can’t sugar-coat it; you’re back at square one. I salvaged the Dalek Sorcerer’s old casing and made it into your new chair, even going so far as to add the instruments that helped you navigate the world when we first met. It took a great deal of healing magic to keep you alive long enough and-.”

“History…repeats itself?” asked Davros.

“…Yes, it looks like,” sighed the Doctor.

“…Show me my face.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“Show me! Show me!!”

“Davros, you are in the best hands now. The most skilled healers are tending to you and-!”

“YOU WILL SHOW ME!” By now, Davros was pointing a commanding finger at the Doctor.

“All right! You chose this!” grumbled the Doctor. “We’ll be mourning whatever sanity you had in there!” She pulled out a mirror.

“…I can’t see,” remarked Davros. “Move it down.” The Doctor lowered the mirror. “There!” Davros then gasped when he saw what happened to him. Staring back at him…was the face he had when he first met the Doctor during the creation of the Daleks. “…That is why I cannot open my eyes,” he whispered. “…The pain of doing so…” a crooked smile crossed Davros’ blackened lips, revealing equally blackened teeth. “Fascinating!”

“Oh, I always hate it when you smile like that!” complained the Doctor.

“Oh, I mourn my humanoid form, I’ll freely admit that,” interjected Davros. “It was nice to be able to taste things and feel as others do…but I must admit, I almost forgot your weakness! Good thing the Daleks did not! It served as a crucial step in their getaway!”

“Yes, I DID figure that they dumped you onto an operating table, knowing my compassion wouldn’t allow me to leave someone to die willingly, even if they were my greatest enemy.”

“Proving my own point that compassion is your greatest weakness! That my Daleks only need to understand its military value!”

“And YOU’RE proving the old adage of how a Dalek can’t change its bumps-!”

“I AM NOT A DALEK!” insisted Davros. “Even in this state, I am not-!”

“Davros, you’re the prototype Dalek!” retorted the Doctor. “You speak of killing and destruction as if that’s the only way the universe moves on, ignoring that there are MULTIPLE ways!”

“Only because their united fear of the Daleks makes them adopt such ways! But the central way is still that of conquest and war! It’s kill or be killed, Doctor!”

“All the times the Daleks betrayed you, failed you, lost territory, all the times your schemes went belly-up, and you still believe you’re doing the right thing, that you were right in creating the Daleks and that they will accept you as the ruler of the universe.”

“They WILL accept me, one way or another!” Before the Doctor could say anything more, Ssylphiel entered the room, looking fierce.

“…Your Majesty?” asked the Doctor.

“…I overheard the conversation,” said Ssylphiel. “Davros, you created a monster that would destroy any life that isn’t like itself.”

“The Unlike cannot be tolerated!” replied Davros.

“You sound like Anacassandra did. …I more than tolerate the Unlike, because the Gods themselves are unlike each other. If they can tolerate…no, if they can love each other and their differences, it really shouldn’t be that hard for people like us to do the same.”

“Then your gods deny what is real!”

“…If it were up to me, I’d have you executed for blasphemy. But there are gods higher than those I worship and they gave the Doctor a mission that required your survival. I will not interfere in that. But I must ask you one question, if you really had the power to destroy everything…would you use that power?”

“I DO have that power!” insisted Davros. “The power of life…and death! My Daleks are the culmination of that power! That power sets me up above the gods! AND THROUGH THE DALEKS, I SHALL EXERCISE THAT POWER!” The Doctor then grabbed Davros’ hand. “LET GO!” ordered Davros.

“Even you’ve heard of ‘fat chance’,” replied the Doctor as her hand hovered over a button. Davros smiled wickedly.

“We’ve been here before,” he recalled. “Our first encounter! You couldn’t press that switch before!”

“I pressed it before and you know it!” hissed the Doctor.

“What does that switch do?” asked Ssylphiel.

“It controls my life support systems,” explained Davros. “I could not survive less than thirty seconds without them.”

“Back then, I ordered him to destroy the incubation section that was keeping the Daleks alive and pressed the switch to show him how serious I was,” continued the Doctor.

“But you didn’t follow through with my execution!” chuckled Davros.

“There’s no Nyder to knock me unconscious, Davros! Now, you WILL be leaving this universe!”

“And miss the chance to create a new race of Daleks that will be utterly loyal to me?! NEVER!” The Doctor then pressed the switch! “…My life support’s still on, Doctor.”

“You’re right in that I’m not naturally a killer, so that switch DOESN’T control your life support systems,” she admitted as she released Davros, “but I gave you the option to leave this universe willingly. You should have taken it before I made the choice for you.”

“Wait! What is that buildup of energy?!” yelped Davros as his chair’s readings flashed over his camera eye.

“That, Davros, would be the one-way dimensional engine building up the charge for the trip you’re about to take,” replied the Doctor. “Stole the designs from the Saucer you arrived in.”

“You haven’t won, Doctor!” insisted Davros. “I cannot be defeated! I CANNOT BE KILLED! I! AM! DAVROOOS!” By now, the dimensional engine finished its charge and switched on. Davros was surrounded by a flash of light, causing Ssylphiel and the Doctor to shield their eyes. The light died down and the Doctor and Ssylphiel lowered their hands to see that Davros had gone.

“…He’ll be on a planet by himself,” said the Doctor. “I made sure that the planet will have just enough technology for him to survive there.”

“And you’ll meet him again and again and again,” mused Ssylphiel. “…Sounds a lot like my relationship with Anacassandra.”

“…How will her death affect things anyways?” asked the Doctor.

“By removing a Divine Folk’s life, the Daleks have made it so that answering prayers on the Gods’ behalf is a little harder, so many more will have to take her place. …I only pray that those that do will actually fulfill that duty.”

“She forgot it when she was alive, didn’t she?”

“She told me at one point that the Gods should not concern themselves with the wishes of lesser beings. …For one thing, just because they’re not Divine doesn’t mean they’re lesser. For another, they put in the work, so they SHOULD be rewarded before they die. And for one last thing, they’re the reason I have any form of real life at all. If they didn’t exist, I don’t think I’d personally enjoy life. I’d be stagnant and unchanging…a being like Anacassandra. So I try and help the non-Divine Folk where I can. I DO pray to the Gods that I’m successful, though.”

“Given that people genuinely love you,” said the Doctor with a smile, “I think your prayers are answered. I once said that hatred is always foolish and love is always wise. I think you’ve understood that a long time before I was even born in my original universe.” Ssylphiel smiled back.

“…Come along, Doctor,” said Ssylphiel. “Serpentia has just overcome a severe hardship and we NEED to celebrate it!”

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings The Specials

The Sorcerer’s Ascension: Part 8

Everyone was in the cells again. Tysar looked regretful. “I’m sorry, Doctor,” she said. “I let my people’s hatred of the Daleks cloud my judgement.”

“Don’t be silly, Tysar,” replied the Doctor. “You actually gave me enough time to get the information I needed.”

“Yeah, but now there’s a Dalek that can use magic!” argued Tysar.

“There’s quite a few flaws in the Daleks,” remarked the Doctor. “One of them is their impatience.”

“Doctor?” asked Bea, overhearing the whole thing.

“The Daleks are trying to exterminate all non-Daleks as quickly and as painfully as possible,” explained the Doctor. “Their plans require tight timetables.”

“But magic isn’t something you learn in a day!” argued Calliope. “Any witch worth their salt will tell you that to hasten learning magic leads to disaster!”

“Hence why Bea hasn’t used as much magic as you, Coilzette, Shannon, Nora, or Ssylphiel in their daily lives,” observed the Doctor.

“W-Well, yeah, but-,” stammered Bea, feeling called out.

“The Dalek Sorcerer doesn’t have the experience you do,” continued the Doctor. “And they all forgot rule two of keeping their most dangerous prisoners locked up.” She was looking at the force field emitters. Tysar looked up as well.

“…Wait, are those things expo-?!” Tysar face palmed. “…Don’t expose your force field emitters when one of them is an engineer that knows what they’re doing!” she groaned. “That’s basic!” She got to work rewiring the emitters at her cell door. The Doctor did the same with hers.

“And they thought taking away my sonic screwdriver would hamper me!” she chuckled.

In a central chamber, Davros and Anacassandra were meeting. “Davros, so far, we’ve been stuck here,” hissed Anacassandra, “doing nothing! You promised that your Daleks would conquer Serpentia, yet it still stands!”

“You are impatient!” retorted Davros. “My Daleks are dedicated to victory! To that end, we will wait!”

“My sister’s dratted city has stood as a blight against our Divine Right for too long!” insisted Anacassandra. “We must attack now! I’ve had my slaves construct a war machine-!”

“Your slaves didn’t get the chance to build it,” purred the Dalek Sorcerer as it glided into the room.

“…How do you know?” asked Anacassandra.

“They were no longer necessary to Dalek plans,” explained the Dalek Sorcerer.

“…You fool! I still needed a slave force!” snarled Anacassandra.

“They were slow! Weak! You blunted their potential!”

“I TOOK THE STRONGEST OF ALL THE LESSER RACES AND GAVE THEM PURPOSE!”

“You didn’t dispose of them when you were done! Even gardeners cull the weakest of their plants!”

“I presume there’s a reason why you’re telling us this,” grunted Davros, “so get to the point.”

“I would have thought the Chief Scientist of the Kaleds,” taunted the Dalek Sorcerer, “would have enjoyed the chance to puzzle something out. …Oh, very well. It is time to depart.”

“Depart?!” argued Anacassandra. “But-!”

“There’s still loose ends to tidy up!” protested Davros.

“Yes, there are at least two,” agreed the Dalek Sorcerer, “but they can be tidied up at the same time. Tell me, Anacassandra, when was the last time a member of the Divine Races had been killed?”

“We cannot be killed! We are superior in all-!”

“Spare me the propaganda and stick to history, please. Even YOU learned that you Divine folk have a vulnerability, hence why you personally act the way you do.” Anacassandra was taken aback.

“…It’s not supposed to be propaganda!” she hissed. “…But it was during the Ages of Chaos and War. It took an incredible amount of energy to kill one of us.”

“A blade containing the energy of all 54 of your gods…multiplied by 54,” purred the Dalek Sorcerer. “It’s considered a great effort to kill one that is supposed to the gods’ living means of granting prayers. …Not so for us!”

“What?” asked Anacassandra. 53 Daleks then arrived.

“Whenever one of the Divine Folk was killed,” remarked the Dalek Sorcerer, “it sent a bright, destructive light across the area, did it not? It took ages for the resulting pollution of that light to fully fade away. …Daleks blink in that kind of an explosion!” It then created a magic circle and chose runes from its sensor spheres, then the circle and runes were copied until the resulting circles numbered 54. The circles then hovered in front of all the Daleks’ gunsticks! Davros realized what was going on, but it was too late! The doors shut!

“WAIT!” he called. “YOU CANNOT DO THIS! I AM STILL HERE!”

“You survived a nuclear warhead before, Davros,” purred the Dalek Sorcerer. “Perhaps you’ll survive another one! As for you, Anacassandra…EXTERMINATE!” All the Daleks screamed their battle cry and fired on Anacassandra. Anacassandra screamed in absolute agony as she glowed. The light enveloped the room and Davros screamed in agony as well.

The Doctor had freed everyone by the time the Daleks’ betrayal unfolded. The instant the Daleks shot Anacassandra, Ssylphiel, Coilzette, and Bea collapsed, clutching their hearts like they were going through a heart attack! It passed quickly, but it woke them up! “…They couldn’t have!” realized Lukas.

“Lukas?” asked Calliope.

“…They did!” gasped Bea.

“Could someone fill their doctor in?” asked the Doctor.

“The Daleks…successfully killed…Anacassandra!” panted Coilzette.

“The only time…the Divine Folk…have a heart attack…” explained Ssylphiel as she leaned against the wall anc caught her breath, “…is when one of us is killed. No one’s been able to kill any Divine Folk since the Ages of War and Chaos.”

“From what I heard,” explained Lukas, “there was always a destructive light and a horrible aura that broke people down physically whenever one of the Divine Folk is killed.”

“A destructive-?” The Doctor’s eyes widened. “Lukas, is there a mushroom shaped cloud that follows that light?!”

“Th-That’s what the legends said!” replied Lukas.

“A nuclear explosion!” breathed Tysar.

“You Divine folk are living atom bombs!” yelped the Doctor. “This place has deadly levels of radiation!” Just then, a communications terminal buzzed and the Dalek Sorcerer’s voice came through.

“Is there a doctor in the house?” it asked. The Doctor accepted the call.

“You used Anacassandra like an atomic bomb, didn’t you?!” she accused.

“Guilty as charged,” replied the Dalek Sorcerer. “Rest assured, my fellow veteran, the radiation has been contained and the room which she was executed in has been fully decontaminated. But you may want to tend to your patient. He’s not looking too well. …At least, not by YOUR standards.”

“Evacuation ship now fully occupied!” reported the Dalek Saucer Commander.

“Coordinates for multiversal return established!” called the Dalek Pilot.

“Engage universal egress!” ordered the Dalek Supreme.

“Objection!” called a Drone Dalek. “The Doctor still lives!”

“The Doctor will be delayed by her mission objective!” replied the Dalek Supreme.

“The Doctor will return to our universe in pursuit of us!” argued the Drone Dalek.

“She won’t get that chance,” replied the Dalek Sorcerer as it glided onto the bridge. “She’s too busy with her patient. By the time she searches for us, we’ll be beyond her reach.”

“The Doctor is too devious!” insisted the Drone Dalek. “She must be exterminated immediately!”

“Dalek Sorcerer, destroy this dissenter!!” ordered the Dalek Supreme.

“I obey,” replied the Dalek Sorcerer. One shot was all it took to destroy the Drone Dalek.

“Takeoff within three rels!” reported the Dalek Saucer Commander. “All Daleks at their stations!”

“Engage!” ordered the Dalek Supreme.

The Doctor and her friends looked outside to see a Dalek ship lifting off. “…You know, I have to wonder why the saucer shape was deemed the best shape for a Dalek ship,” remarked Tysar.

“…Drat!” groaned the Doctor. “They knew I had a mission to complete! I bet the Sorcerer is laughing up its metaphorical sleeves!”

“Doctor, there’s no way the Daleks are telling the truth about Davros surviving a nuclear explosion,” said Tysar.

“Are these…nuclear explosions really that dangerous?” asked Calliope.

“Do you know about atoms?” asked Tysar.

“The things that make up all forms of matter?” asked Bea. “Yeah, it’s common knowledge here. Magic has to work with them.”

“Has magic ever split an atom before?” asked the Doctor.

“…No one’s ever attempted it,” replied Calliope.

“Good, because radiation sickness is nothing to joke about. I contracted it on my first visit to the Dalek homeworld of Skaro.” They arrived at the room and saw nothing but a naga’s skeleton…and a ruined man. His skin was horribly burned, he had no legs, his eyes looked like blackened pits, he had no hair, his left arm ended in a stump, and his right hand was as burned as his body. All the Doctor needed to visualize was a blue camera in his forehead, a throat microphone implant, a metal brace over his skull, wires in his skull to operate the equipment, and a black Dalek skirt with silver sensor spheres with a back support and controls for the man to operate. “…Davros!” she shuddered.

“Doctor, there’s no way anyone can survive that kind of explosion!” said Shannon.

“Davros did,” replied the Doctor. “And Daleks just blink at ground zero of a nuclear explosion.” She checked the readings of the room. “…It’s decontaminated. Come on!” She opened the door with the sonic screwdriver she retrieved. Everyone entered the room and examined the carnage. Ssylphiel picked up the naga’s skull.

“…She could have been so much better,” she sighed.

“…Sh…Shan…” came a voice.

“Did you say something, Doctor?” asked Tysar.

“That was a man’s voice,” replied the Doctor. “And I’m not a man right now and that was too wounded to be Lukas.

“Sh…Shan!” came the voice again. Everyone looked to the source of the voice…and saw Davros reaching out!

“That’s not possible! He was at ground zero!” protested Tysar. The Doctor looked up to see the abandoned Bronze Dalek casing.

“…Help me wire him up!” directed the Doctor.

“Where is Shan?!” strained Davros.

“…Shan?” asked the Doctor. “Is that a Kaled woman’s name? Davros, you’re the only Kaled here!” Davros was trying to say something else, but no words could be coherently formed.

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings The Specials

The Sorcerer’s Ascension: Part 7

The Doctor and her group were led to the lab. “Welcome, Doctor!” greeted Davros.

“What are you plotting in the long run, Davros?” hissed the Doctor.

“Plotting?” chuckled Davros. “That’s a bit much, even for you. I’m simply introducing something new into my creations.”

“You want to create an unstoppable army of magic-wielding Daleks!” accused Ssylphiel.

“The Doctor’s question concerned the long run, not the short term,” dismissed Davros. “Doctor, you really should choose your friends a little more carefully. Perhaps use Sarah Jane Smith as the benchmark?”

“Keep her name out of your mouth, Davros!” snarled the Doctor. “Anacassandra, why are you helping that lunatic?!”

“That’s where the money is, Doctor,” replied Anacassandra. “What matters to me is that the Great Chain of Being that everyone foolishly resists will be proven true once we accomplish our goals. I’m a pacifist at heart.”

“You and Davros are everything wrong with that Chain of Being nonsense made flesh!” accused Coilzette.

“No, Coilzette!” snarled Davros. “There’s someone worse, and that someone is content to let the universe fall to chaos and destruction!”

“That’s still you, Davros!” insisted the Doctor. “Do you really think that everything will be hunky-dory if the Daleks learn magic?! If those things can summon a fireball with a mere chant, who knows what kind of havoc they’ll unleash!”

“Rejoice, Doctor,” replied Davros. “Your questions will soon be answered.” He turned to the Daleks. “Bring forth the casing!”

Nora finally finished her work. “There, that’s the last,” she said as she handed the modified Dalek gunsticks to Shannon, Lukas, and Bea. “But I really must stress that I’m not a Ryuginese weapons-smith. Guns are outside my field of expertise and these things-!”

“Will be destroyed when this affair is over,” promised Bea. “I won’t let them exist a second longer.”

“Rest assured,” called Tysar when she entered the room, “all traces of Dalek influence will be destroyed.”

“Tysar, what were you doing?” asked Lukas.

“I picked over what remained of the Daleks’ computers,” replied Tysar. “I managed to locate where they took our friends.” She pulled out a map and pointed to a jungle area between Serpentia and a beach acting as a land border to the Aquarinix Empire. “Right there,” she said.

“That’s where we found Egg!” gasped Shannon.

“Davros and Anacassandra must have set up shop there to properly track the Dalek’s movements between Serpentia and Aquarinix,” guessed Tysar.

“Then we can conduct a raid?” asked Nora.

“I was thinking about a combined sabotage and rescue operation,” said Tysar. “But we need to be quick. We find our friends, help the Doctor in sabotaging the Daleks’ plans, destroy anything Dalek-related (including these guns), and send Davros back to my native universe. All right?”

“…I’m in,” said Shannon.

“Let’s do this,” agreed Bea.

“Ready and waiting,” said Lukas.

“Let’s tear the tin cans apart,” decided Nora.

“…Thank you. All of you,” said Tysar proudly.

The Doctor and her friends were restrained to a wall as a new Dalek casing in bluish gray was brought into the room. This one had a cowl over the whole dome, even shielding the speech illuminators. It was armed with a multi-dexterous claw instead of a plunger. Each sensor sphere on the travel skirt had a rune on it. The gunstick was also more elaborate, looking less like a whisk and more like a bejeweled wand. “Davros, you can’t do this!” pleaded the Doctor.

“I’ve come too far now!” replied Davros. “I will see it through!”

“That is to be my new casing?” asked the Bronze Dalek.

“That is correct,” confirmed Davros. “Unseal your casing!”

“I…obey!” The Bronze Dalek opened its casing. A Dalek arrived. It was built with a scoop attachment on its manipulator arm and a tank with a liquid attached to its back with a hose running from the tank to the scoop. The new casing then opened up as everyone got a good look at the Dalek creature piloting the Bronze casing. It was a greenish brown cephalopod with an exposed brain and a single eye.

“Ugh! That’s what a Dalek really looks like?!” gagged Coilzette.

“Pure evil made malignant flesh!” hissed the Doctor.

“The superior life form!” argued the Dalek Supreme. It swiveled its eyestalk to the Dalek with the scoop attachment. “Remove the Veteran from its old casing!”

“I obey!” The Dalek moved its scoop attachment to the Bronze Dalek creature. The creature slithered into the scoop. “Veteran organism connected to temporary nutrient feed! Life signs stable for now! Placing organism into new casing!” The Dalek moved the Bronze Dalek creature towards the new casing. The Bronze Dalek creature slithered into the new casing and settled in. “Veteran organism now connected to new casing!”

“Seal your new casing!” Davros ordered the former Bronze Dalek.

“…I…obey.” As it spoke, its hidden dome lamps flashed bright violet. The former Bronze Dalek sealed its new casing. Upon the final latch on the casing being sealed, the camera eye flashed bright violet and its limbs and eyestalk raised upwards.

“Report on operational status!” ordered the Dalek Supreme. The former Bronze Dalek looked around and tested its limbs.

“…Internal assessments,” it reported, “indicate 91% efficiency. Beginning simple magic usage test.” The former Bronze Dalek opened its new claw…and summoned a fireball. It then closed the claw, extinguishing the fireball! “…The positronic brain network wired into the new casing DOES facilitate proper magic usage!” it reported. “I’m no longer just the Veteran! I…am the DALEK SORCERER!” Lightning flashed behind it, spooking other Daleks.

“…Bit ostentatious!” called the Doctor.

“The Doctor and her friends are no longer required!” barked the Dalek Supreme. “EXTERMINATE!”

“NO!” called the newly rechristened Dalek Sorcerer.

“…No?” asked Davros. “She was only needed to witness your rise! She’s served her purpose!”

“It hasn’t fully sunken in for her how badly she failed,” replied the Dalek Sorcerer, now sounding more…human-like, for lack of a better word. “I want her alive so she can finally see how much we have risen.”

“But the Doctor-!” argued the Dalek Supreme.

“Rest assured, she will be properly restrained,” soothed the Dalek Sorcerer. Davros opened his mouth to argue, then the alarms sounded. “What is that?!” demanded the Dalek Sorcerer.

“Unauthorized Transmat in progress! Alert! Alert!” reported a Dalek.

“Locate source of the transmission! Locate! LOCATE!” ordered the Dalek Supreme.

“Triangulating!” replied the Dalek. “…Source located! The Serpentian Capital Citadel! The end point is within the stronghold’s command center!”

“Previous communications,” warned another Dalek, “indicate that the Dalek Task Force there was utterly destroyed by a Thal and her friends!”

“Tysar!” whispered the Doctor.

“The Doctor’s companions are attempting a rescue!” realized the Dalek Supreme. “Alert Daleks in the command center! They must not reach the Doctor!”

Tysar and her friends shimmered into view. Shannon was the only one not carrying a gun as her magic laid more in the medical field. Everyone looked up when they heard the alarms. “They know we’re here!” warned Tysar. “Move!” The group approached a door…just in time to run into Daleks!

“HALT! HALT!” ordered a Dalek. “EXTERMINATE!”

“YOU BUGGERS FIRST!” called Nora. She pulled out her forge hammer, swung it to the floor, and used her Dwarven magic to create cover for her and her friends. Those with the modified Dalek guns opened fire, tearing through Daleks that attempted to exterminate them.

“ALERT! ALERT! DALEK FIREPOWER BEING TURNED AGAINST US!” warned the de facto Battle Commander. “WITHDRAW! REGROUP!”

“Move aside!” called a new Dalek’s voice. The Dalek Sorcerer then arrived. “Let me see what we’re dealing with.”

“…That’s new,” remarked Tysar.

“Oh, we’ve met before,” replied the Dalek Sorcerer. “If they weren’t occupied, the Doctor and her companions would confirm that I’m the Dalek you’ve called Egg.”

“…Why the new casing?” asked Tysar.

“The better to channel my new abilities, my dear…Tysar, was it?”

“Tysar, if that’s Egg, why isn’t he talking like a Dalek?” asked Lukas.

“Must be a privilege that comes with the casing,” remarked Tysar.

“Privilege, necessary curse, take your pick, my dear,” remarked the Dalek Sorcerer. As they spoke, the Dalek Sorcerer used its claw to create a circle of red light! Bea and her friends backed up.

“That’s a magic circle!” she explained. “That thing is using magic! Egg DOES have a soul!”

“That’s impossible!” protested Tysar. “Daleks are soulless monsters!”

“Evidently, we’re not,” purred the Dalek Sorcerer as several runes on its sensor spheres flashed and surrounded the magic circle. The Dalek Sorcerer then rapidly extended its claw through the circle, multiplying it and the surrounding runes by four and making all four copies sail towards the modified Dalek guns. …All of a sudden, the modified Dalek guns burned their hands, making the group drop them! The Dalek Sorcerer then fired its gunstick on all four weapons, destroying them. “Very clever, using our firepower against us,” purred the Dalek Sorcerer. “But we Daleks are nothing if not adaptable.”

“That’s a laugh!” scoffed Tysar. “You lot hate change! …Come to think of it, you hate everything and everyone.”

“Perhaps by your antiquated definitions, we do.” The Dalek Sorcerer looked at a Drone Dalek. “Bring them into the cells. I want them to see how badly the Doctor failed.”

“The Dalek Supreme’s orders were for their immediate extermination!” argued the Drone Dalek. The Dalek Sorcerer slowly turned its eyestalk to the dissenter.

“The Doctor’s weakness is seeing her companions in danger at the moment of her failure,” it said softly, the tone making the Drone Dalek back up. “Only when they’re all in the same position as her will the Doctor’s hope truly dies. Only then will the Doctor die. Bring the prisoners to the cells. That…is an order!”

“…We…obey!”