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Doctor Who: Legacy – I’ll keep you safe (by my standards)

Summary:

the Doctor and his companions arrive in the strangest of places where, in order to survive, they need to play a life size tile matching puzzle game. Is this the end for the Doctor?
A fanfiction featuring: the 12th Doctor, Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, Jo Grant, Sarah Jane Smith and Rory Williams.

Note & disclaimer:

this is a tribute to the game ‘Doctor Who: Legacy’, and to the people behind it, Susan and Lee Cummings, the teams of Tiny Rebel Games and Seed Studio.
No financial or material profit is generated from this story and no copyright infringement was intended.

Doctor Who: Legacy – I’ll keep you safe
(by my standards)

 

The Tardis shook violently as it went through another temporal anomaly. The Doctor, eyebrows frowning in concentration, was focusing on stabilizing his ship, while his companions were clinging on anything they could find to keep their balance.
‘How do you do it?’ Jo Grant shouted over the rumbling sound the Tardis was making.
‘How do I do what?’ The Time Lord shouted back.
‘Not falling down when it’s shaking and rocking like this. It doesn’t make sense!’
Sarah Jane Smith smiled at her:
‘He’s probably going to tell you that it’s because the polarity is reversed where he is standing.’
‘I had to reverse the polarity of the stabilization field around the console to allow…’
He paused, realizing that he had basically been repeating the journalist’s words.
‘Alright, this should work. Brace yourselves!’
The Doctor lowered a lever, and the ship went quiet instantly, saved for the central column that was going up and down steadily.
‘Ha ha!’ The Time Lord said, clapping his hands together. ‘I told you it would work!’
‘Yes, but… where are we?’ Rory Williams asked, still holding on to the handrail, just in case things weren’t totally in control. Experience had taught him that you could never be absolutely certain with the Doctor.
The Time Lord looked at the scanner and resumed his frowning.
‘This is odd…’ He said before walking towards the door.
Jo followed suit.
‘Are you sure this is safe?’
The Doctor shrugged: ‘Safe doesn’t apply to humans. You are doomed to die, and you don’t know when and where. Especially when. That’s why you can never be safe. But I have a duty of care. So I’ll try to make sure that you’re safe by my standards.’
‘I feel better already,’ smiled Sarah Jane, while Rory rolled his eyes.

They stepped outside the Tardis and looked equally astonished when they discovered their surroundings. The Doctor was the only one who didn’t look surprised. In fact, he looked…worried.
‘What is this place?’ Jo wondered.
‘Where are we?’ Rory asked.
It looked like a giant ball pool with zero gravity. Black, blue, green, red, yellow and pink gems were hanging in suspension right above them, in an intricate set of rows.
‘Look! They are moving!’ Sarah Jane told them, pointing in the direction of a yellow gem that was indeed moving, creating a line of four matching colour gems that popped simultaneously, only to be replaced by new gems.
‘I can’t believe this!’ Rory exclaimed. ‘This is a videogame! We’re inside a videogame!’
‘No, we’re not,’ the Time Lord said sternly. ‘It’s far worse than that.’
Before he could explain further, someone stepped in front of him. A lizard woman, dressed in Victorian clothes, was holding a long sword with which she stopped a blast of energy that would have hit the Doctor.
‘Don’t stay there doing nothing!’ She shouted. ‘Help us!’
Another figure, also dressed in Victorian clothes and also holding a sword, showed up next. It was a young woman, with soft features.
‘How can we help?’ Sarah Jane asked, ready for action.
‘Madame Vastra. Jenny Flint. Nice to see that you haven’t lost your touch!’ The Time Lord said, before turning to face his companions. ‘Rory was right.’
‘Was I?’
‘No. But while we’re not in a videogame, this place acts like one. We need to play in order to survive.’
‘OK, so it is a videogame after all.’
Jo nudged him, and he winked at her.
‘From what I understand, it’s a tile matching puzzle,’ the Doctor explained quite seriously.
‘Yes, I think we all got that part,’ Sarah Jane told him. ‘The question is: how do we make the gems move? And what happens when we match them?’
‘Use your mind,’ Vastra said, before demonstrating by moving a red gem until it formed a line of four red gems. ‘Picture where you want the gem to go, but beware, you don’t have much time to make your move!’
‘And then what?’ Jo asked.
‘Then you get special abilities!’ Jenny replied. ‘I can turn blue and yellow gems into red for instance! And I’m very good with red! Madame Vastra’s colour is yellow.’
‘What are we up against?’ Sarah Jane enquired.
‘Difficult to say, really,’ Vastra replied. ‘It is as if every enemy the Doctor has was trying to disrupt his timeline. We encountered Sontarans, Weeping Angels, Cybermen, Daleks, Toclafanes… All of them seem to have gathered here.’
‘Alright. Let’s do this then!’
They took position next to each other, and focused on the gems. It wasn’t difficult to get them to move around, the tricky part, however, was to be fast enough to match as many colours as possible.
‘Doctor! You’re regenerating!’ Rory suddenly cried out without warning.
And indeed energy was floating around the Time Lord, who looked down at his hands with concern.
‘He’s not regenerating, he is building up energy for his special ability!’ Madame Vastra hurriedly explained. ‘We all got one or two. You’ll find it out as soon as you matched enough gems of your colour!’
‘And how are we supposed to know what our strong colour is in the first place?’ Grumbled Rory as he was matching a tile of green balls.
Energy instantly started floating around him as well.
‘Wow! I guess that’s how!’
They soon realized that their opponents had special abilities too, and that those were quite dangerous.
Madame Vastra and Sarah Jane discovered that they had yellow in common, and that their attacks were powerful. Jenny was red, and she would easily manage to get a health and technical bonus. The Doctor used black gems, and because he would frown when focusing, Jenny and Sarah Jane decided that his special ability should be known as “Attack eyebrows”. Rory was green, and he could restore stamina to the group.
While fighting, they had discovered that when hit, they would slow down, and become less effective, unless they matched pink gems or used Rory’s ability.
Jo, however, was struggling to find what her special ability was. Like Jenny, she had a special affinity with red gems, but she couldn’t figure out what to use them for. This was the strangest fight she had ever seen in her life, and she was a bit concerned about the outcome. She was lacking Sarah Jane, the Silurian or Jenny’s self-confidence, and feared that she would be useless. She was decided not to let them down, though.
The strange fight went on, and as Sarah Jane, Jo, Rory and the Time Lord became more familiar with the gem moving technique, they also improved to the point where Vastra and Jenny felt confident that the odds were turning in their favour.
‘The Doctor’s super ability will be activated soon, and then our opponents won’t stand a chance.’
Sadly, their current enemies, three spoonheads, seemed to be aware of that fact as well, and they aimed their next attack at the Time Lord who was stunned upon impact.
‘Doctor!’ Jo cried out, and rushed to his side.
He had fallen on his back, and she checked for any injuries, but he was just out cold.
‘What can we do?’ She screamed, turning towards Vastra, tears already gathering in her eyes.
‘You need to wake him up! We won’t stand a chance without him!’
And indeed, now that he was down, the team struggled to keep the spoonheads at bay. Their stamina level was getting dangerously low, and Rory couldn’t recharge his ability fast enough.
‘Doctor! Doctor! Wake up please! We need you!’ Jo begged him, tears now running down her cheeks.
She grabbed his jacket and shook him, but he wouldn’t react.
Then, it was Madame Vastra and Sarah Jane’s turn to be stunned, and Jenny stared at Rory in horror.
‘This is it. We won’t make it!’
They kept matching as many tiles as they could, but Jo could tell that they were outnumbered and weakening. She looked at the gems, and that’s when she saw it. Some of them were flickering, turning into pink on and off. If she could just turn all those black gems into pink, maybe that would buy her friends some time? As soon as the thought came to her mind, all black gems turned into pink. Jenny and Rory let out a cry of joy that woke the Doctor up.
‘What did I miss?’ He asked to no one in particular.
He was already up, studying the gems layout. Jo was already helping Jenny match red gems. With their stamina at full level thanks to her, they were back in business. Soon, Vastra and Sarah Jane were up too, and they all concentrated their efforts on defeating their opponents.
And then, it was over. The spoonheads disappeared, and so did the gems. The Doctor and his companions were alone in an endless white room.
‘Where are we?’ Rory asked for the third time.
The Time Lord ignored his question. Instead, he pointed towards his ship:
‘Everyone! Back to the Tardis!’ He urged them.
They hurried behind him, and relief felt upon them as they realized they were now safe.
‘It’s not over yet,’ the Doctor said sternly.
Madame Vastra took a step forward:
‘What are your recommendations, Doctor?’
He grinned broadly, and his companions knew instantly what this meant. Further adventures and further danger
‘Now that we know how to fight them off, we have a chance to succeed! Time to restore the timeline!’ He said, and he sounded quite excited.
The Doctor lowered the lever, and the Tardis took off, flying through the vortex.

The White Lady

The signal was getting stronger, and the Doctor started running. He had been chasing a time disturbance from the past to the future, until the present. Each time the disturbance occurred, people went missing. He checked his sonic screwdriver, satisfied that the readings confirmed he was on the right track. He saw two young women in front of him and he realized that they were on the path of the time disturbance.
‘Stop! Stop right there!’ He shouted, but they didn’t pay attention to him.
He hurried up, but it was already too late. They vanished into thin air. Next thing he knew, everything went dark.

He opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was an antique crystal chandelier. He sat up straight and checked his surroundings. He was in a Victorian bedroom. He frowned, trying to gather his memories, before he jumped up from the bed and walked straight towards the mirror that was standing in a corner of the room. He saw the familiar wrinkled face, the dangerous eyebrows and the silver hair. Relieved that he hadn’t unexpectedly regenerated, he focused on his clothes. Last time he had worn such a nice suit, he had been fighting a mummy in the Orient-Express with Clara. Memories brushed over him, and he briefly closed his eyes to focus on his present situation.
Reaching inside his suit jacket’s inner pocket, he found his sonic screwdriver which he used to scan the room.
‘Just as I thought,’ he whispered to himself.
He left the room, following his device readings that brought him into a big Victorian dining room. It wasn’t any ordinary dining room. From the huge windows, the infinity of space could be seen. This was a luxury cruise spaceship, full of people who didn’t belong here. All the missing people were now passengers enjoying a meal served by an army of waiters. An orchestra was playing music in the background. Slightly puzzled, the Doctor looked around, trying to find who was responsible for this fancy party.
He spotted her on the far side of the room, staring through the window. The Doctor remembered how earthlings called this type of apparition: a White Lady. She was a ghost, wearing a white Victorian dress. He walked towards her, and as he reached her, she turned to face him.
‘You are unlike the others,’ she said in a gentle and soft voice. ‘You are different. You are like me, and yet you are not. You are out of time.’
‘I’m the Doctor,’ he simply said. ‘And who may you be?’
‘I’m Lady Geist. I can assure you that I mean no harm to my guests.’
‘Then why abduct them?’
She smiled sadly:
‘Because I’m lonely.’
She took his arm, and he shivered. The ghost was ice cold. She walked him from table to table, greeting her guests and urging them to enjoy themselves.
‘Look how happy they all are. They are from different places, different times; they don’t even know each other, and yet, just this once, they all get along to enjoy my Halloween party.’
‘And then what?’ Asked the Doctor.
‘Then I return them to their own time and location, of course!’
‘And they won’t remember any of this…’
The White Lady shook her head.
‘They won’t. And neither will you.’
‘Why? Why do you do that?’
Lady Geist walked him to a couch facing the windows. They sat down and admired the view, before the woman spoke again:
‘I was killed here. On this ship, during one of the cruises. Before I died, I cursed the man who ended my life, and as a result, I was granted to haunt him on Halloween Day, every year. After a while, my killer was so frightened by Halloween that he considered taking his own life to end the curse. I, on the other hand, was getting tired of haunting a single man. I wanted to experience life again; I wanted to feel as happy as I did on that cruise, before my death. I confronted my killer, and made him a proposal. Each year, on Halloween Day, he would staff this ship, bring passengers aboard and organize a party for me. If he agreed to my terms, then I wouldn’t haunt him on this day.’
‘And he agreed,’ noted the Time Lord.
The White Lady smiled:
‘He did. Now that you know my story, please waltz with me.’
The orchestra was playing a famous tune, and the Doctor and the ghost waltzed and waltzed until everything went dark again.

When the Doctor woke up, he was laying on his TARDIS’ floor. He closed his eyes, trying in vain to cling to his memories.
‘No, no, no. I’m the Doctor. I’m entitled to remember!’ He groaned.
But it was pointless. When he opened his eyes, the memories had gone. He got up, and his gaze fell upon his chalkboard. Two words were written on it, and the Time Lord wondered who had left this message for him.
“Happy Halloween.”

Disclaimer: "Doctor Who" and all related themes and characters belong to the BBC. 
No copyright infringement was intended. No financial or material profit is generated from those stories.

The Librarians…meet the Doctor

A fanfiction based on the TV shows “The Librarians” & “Doctor Who” originally written in June 2016, and revamped in September 2018.
Summary: The Twelfth Doctor retrieves a Victorian bracelet that leads him to more trouble than he asked for…
Note: it is advised to watch “… and the Happily Ever Afters” (2×09) before reading this story!
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan-fiction, with no affiliation to Electric Entertainment, TNT and BBC who are the rightful owners of the franchises. No profit has been made from this story, none is intended to be made other than the pleasure to have written a story about a fictional universe and its characters.

The Librarians…meet the Doctor

 

1.

Much to his dismay, not everything had gone according to plan. He had located the artefact, had discovered in whose hands it had fallen into and from then on…everything had gone wrong.

Had he remembered that the item’s new owners were a very sensitive race before trying to pickpocket them, he might have avoided a nasty situation. Of course they spotted him in flagrante delicto. It was only thanks to his extraordinary reflexes that he kept his hand attached to his body. 2000 years of practice paying off at that very moment. The aliens didn’t take it kindly to be robbed. The fact that they were visiting a foreign planet wouldn’t stop them from applying the right punishment to the thief in accordance to their homeworld’s rules. First they would cut the culprit’s hand, claw, tongue or whatever he used to rob them. Then they would recover the stolen object and finally they would kill the thief to prevent him from ever reoffending them.

“No wonder they have the lowest crime rate in the entire galaxy,” muttered the Doctor while fleeing in the dark streets of Maq’Nom, a small town lost on Loreïn, a peaceful planet, quite similar to Earth only with a more advanced space travel technology.

As he was trying to outrun his pursuers and reach the TARDIS before they caught him, the Doctor considered himself lucky. He had managed to retrieve the artefact, save his hand threatened by a laser knife and escape using his knowledge of the area. He had to revise the latter when he realized that two unfriendly aliens were standing at the far end of the alley he turned into. He could still hear heavy footsteps behind him. The aliens knew their way around the city as well… He was trapped.

He flashed his sonic out of his jacket pocket and configured it while running. Then he unexpectedly rushed toward one of the buildings backdoors and worked the lock. The alley he was in was filled with metallic doors opening to areas used by servants and other less respectable people. The Doctor wondered if he was about to burst into an illegal game session – his sudden arrival probably wouldn’t be greeted by a warm welcome – or if he would emerge in an honest home’s kitchen. When the door finally opened, it only revealed a black hole. The Time Lord didn’t think twice. He shut the door behind him and locked it again with his sonic. It didn’t take long for the angry aliens to start banging on the metallic frame. The Doctor quickly reset his sonic that almost instantly lit the surroundings. The green light revealed that had he taken two more steps, he would have fallen into a narrow descending staircase.

“So much for an escape route,” he sighed, realizing that he was indeed in a basement and that his only way out was behind him, blocked by some very angry aliens.

The Doctor walked down the stairs only to find himself in a narrow corridor. Heavy stones suggested that the cellar was also the building’s foundations. Small rooms opened on each wall, full of food and water supplies. As the Time Lord feared, there was no exit. He had trapped himself.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” he cursed himself before taking a deep breath.

There was no point in expressing his frustration right now. He needed a plan very urgently. His pursuers were still banging at the door. It was only a matter of time before they would manage to break it – unless they decided to be clever and ask for the house’s owner assistance…

The Doctor entered in one of the rooms and hid behind wooden crates on which the following words were printed in the Loreïn peculiar alphabet: FRAGILE – HANDLE WITH CARE. He sat on the floor, so he wouldn’t be seen from the corridor, and he took the artefact from his pocket to examine it. There was something extremely disturbing about the object. It was not its shape – it was a copper bracelet with nothing exceptional about it – but rather its source that puzzled the Doctor. Late 19th century Earth. A reading from the sonic confirmed its origin while also revealing that the last owner had been an earthling who had died wearing it. There was bone dust encrusted in it. How such a piece of jewellery had managed to travel half across the galaxy remained a mystery, however. Earth objects didn’t have such a great value to the rest of the universe, more interested in taking control of the blue planet and enslaving its inhabitants. Only the Doctor was fascinated by those items. When they landed far away from their rightful planet, it usually meant either an interesting story, trouble, or both.

Right now, the thief considered the troublesome bracelet. The door seemed to be on the edge of breaking any moment now. The Time Lord forced himself to focus on the jewel. Something was engraved in it. Using the green glow of his sonic, he managed to make out the words.

“I shall lead the way and bring you back to Ariel,” he read out loud.

This sounded much like a spell or a summon. The Doctor quickly assessed the risks trying on the bracelet but dismissed them even faster. He couldn’t be in more trouble than he was in right now. At least he hoped so. He put the jewel around his wrist just as the door upstairs cracked open.

 

2.

The Doctor opened his eyes slowly, despite his curiosity to see where the bracelet had taken him. The sudden flash of light, the feeling of losing grip on space as soon as the jewel had touched his bare skin had been an indicator. The item was a travelling device. A powerful one with that. The dizziness the Time Lord experienced was a sign that he had left the planet.

He was standing in front of a bookshelf full of books and documents. A smile blossomed on the Doctor’s lips as his eyes caught titles written in Greek, Latin, Italian, French, English… He suddenly knew that he was back on Earth. The air smelled of old papers and wood, the usual fragrance of a library.

There were two other perfumes too. The Doctor turned around, realizing that he was not alone. Indeed, a strange couple was staring at him in surprise.

There was something odd about those two. The white-haired man, with a wrinkled face indicating that he was in his late 60s in human age, seemed much older, infinitely older. The same could be said about his female companion despite the fact that she looked quite young. Her features expressed a mix of fear and surprise.

“Nothing to worry about,” happily said the Doctor. “I was merely hoping to escape a gang of unfriendly aliens and a rather terminal fate. I shall be on my way and leave you to whatever you were doing when I interrupted you.”

He looked around, wondering where he was exactly. The place looked strangely familiar with the huge table set in the centre of the room, the papers covering it and the big clipping book.

When he saw it, the Time Lord realized where he was. And at that precise moment, Jenkins realized who the visitor was. His face darkened instantly.

“As if I didn’t have enough to worry about,” he mumbled before he pointed a hand toward the Doctor and started casting a spell.

“Oh no, please, don’t do that again!”

The Time Lord’s memories about the place were foggy, but he knew that the spell the old man was about to cast on him was going to be all but enjoyable for him. In fact, the Doctor was starting to feel quite weak and he fell on his knees, as memories rushed back about the place and its occupants.

“Please, Judson, I swear I come in peace! In fact, I can even swear that I had no knowledge that I would end up in the Library. I didn’t plan the whole thing!” The Doctor managed to say, trying his best to fight off the effects of the spell.

“How did you call me?” Jenkins asked, interrupting the spell in the process.

“Judson. That’s still your name, right? And you must be the Librarian,” said the Doctor, smiling at the girl.

There was something about her. He could feel it. Was he attracted to her? The thought was so ludicrous yet the feeling was so strong that he decided that he should be concerned about the whole situation.

He started walking around the room, resting his eyes on every object of interest. He was about to reach a strange device set in a globe and plugged into a door, but was stopped by Jenkins who blocked his way.

“I must say, it’s about time the Library reached for me,” continued the Doctor. “I always found it surprising and should I say frustrating that it never considered me a suitable Librarian. After all, I am the perfect candidate, wouldn’t you agree?”

Jenkins didn’t have a chance to reply. Before he could understand what was happening, his female companion had reached for the Time Lord’s hand. The fearful expression had vanished from her face. She seemed overwhelmed with emotion, for no apparent reason.

Silence fell on the room.

 

3.

Ariel had been thrilled to receive Jenkins’ invitation to come and visit him at the Annex. The young Librarians and their Guardian had left on a mission that would last a few days at best, weeks maybe, allowing Jenkins and Ariel to spend some time together. The Caretaker was looking forward to conduct some of his experiments, and the fairy proved to be a valuable assistant. She was focused, dedicated and seemed genuinely interested in the Caretaker’s occupations.

They were working on a new filing system in the main room when a bright light appeared from nowhere, surprising them. Next thing they knew, a man was standing near one of the bookshelves. He wasn’t facing them so all Ariel could see from him was curly grey-white hair.

When he turned around, she was stricken by his powerful aura. Her gaze wandered to his bushy eyebrows and landed on his blue eyes. He had a deep energetic voice that seemed perfectly suited to the tall, thin man. There was something very Victorian about the way he was dressed: a dark jacket with a red lining, an old-fashioned white shirt, black trousers and boots. He behaved like he knew exactly where he was, despite the fact that he called Jenkins a different name. There was something almost familiar about him that troubled her, especially since the Caretaker seemed to know him well enough to start casting a spell.

She couldn’t help but shudder when she recognized it. It was meant to disable the stranger. And indeed, he soon collapsed on his knees, begging the Caretaker. She felt almost relieved when Jenkins interrupted the spell. The fairy had a good vibe about the man who started to walk around the Annex. He was just about to reach the Librarians’ travel device when the caretaker placed himself in his way. The man stopped abruptly and Ariel caught sight of the copper bracelet he was wearing around his wrist. Various emotions washed over her in an instant. Before she realized it, she had made a few steps towards the visitor. Now she could sense the bond that was already starting to grow without their knowledge. She knew that he didn’t recognize her, yet. He clearly had no idea that the bracelet had brought them together. He was obviously too happy to have escaped a dangerous situation and he seemed convinced that the Library had brought him on purpose. Ariel wondered what would be his reaction learning the truth. Would he be angry and blame her like the last one did? Would he hate her? The fairy couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was somehow different. Maybe things would be different as well this time? She reached for his hand and gently squeezed it. The stranger stopped his babbling instantly. The bond was sealed now. And deep inside, she knew that he could feel it too. Jenkins looked worried. She would have to explain. But not now.

Silence fell on the room.

 

4.

Time was frozen. As soon as the woman touched him, the Time Lord felt a connection so strong that it was almost overwhelming. He turned to look at the girl. She was smiling now, yet there was sadness in her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she said and he was instantly charmed by her voice.

“Don’t be. You’re perfect.”

She seemed a bit surprised by his words and she went on:
“No, you don’t understand. I’m really sorry. I don’t think you realize what just happened to you. Why you appeared here, in this place, with us.”

The Doctor shrugged:
“It’s pretty clear to me. The Library called for me so I would meet someone – you – who speaks perfectly. This is quite enjoyable.”

“Are you always like this?” Ariel couldn’t help but ask.

“He is even worse usually,” intervened Jenkins who was wondering what had caused his assistant to get involved.

“Thank you, Judson.”

“The name is Jenkins, Doctor.”

The Time Lord raised an eyebrow: “Oh, sorry, I thought that you were someone else. Did we meet before? Or is it my first encounter with you but you already met my future self in your past which would account for you recognizing me.”

The Caretaker sighed. Some things never changed.

“Not everything revolves around you Time Lord. Sometimes, your – bad – reputation precedes you. Judson did warn me about you. He didn’t speak too highly about you…”

“Tut tut tut. This is in the past, let’s talk about the present or the future, shall we?”

The fairy took this opportunity to speak again:

“It’s the bracelet you’re wearing. It’s the reason why you’re here.”

The Doctor smiled: “Oh, this.”

He let go of Ariel’s hand and tried vainly to remove the jewel.

“That’s odd…”

“No, it’s not.”

Ariel’s tone was so gloomy that the Time Lord stared at her with concern.

“How so?”

Jenkins was starting to understand. As soon as the girl had mentioned the bracelet, he checked her wrist. She was wearing a similar item.

“The bracelet is bonding us.” The fairy explained while showing hers to the Doctor.

“That’s why you can’t remove it. And that’s why you were sent here, our bracelets are attracted to each other.”

The Caretaker wondered if the magic involved would affect their mind as well. Somehow he couldn’t picture the Doctor being attracted to Ariel. In fact, he hoped it wouldn’t happen. It was shocking enough to see how the fairy behaved with him. If only she knew him as well as he did…

“So, you’re my new companion then,” said the Time Lord rather matter-of-factly. “Not exactly how I planned it all, but oh well. I hope that you don’t mind time and space travel?”

 

5.

Jenkins pictured Ariel with the Doctor and felt a sudden urge to prevent the fairy from leaving with him.

“Aren’t you at least curious to know more about the bracelet?” He asked. “For instance, how it works?”

The Doctor thought about it for a second then he used his sonic to study the item.

“Now that it’s active, I have access to a brand new set of data!” He said happily.

Ariel was staring at the green glow with such awe that it made the Caretaker cringe. The Time Lord quickly brushed the screwdriver over her bracelet as well and checked the results.

“Impressive piece of technology… It locks on the magnetic resonance of the carrier, becoming a part of it.”

“Alright, but why? And furthermore, how does the bond work?” insisted Jenkins.

“I can’t have an answer for everything, now, can I?” shrugged the Doctor.

“How did you get the bracelet in the first place?” asked the Caretaker to the fairy.

She smiled as she remembered old memories.

“It was a long time ago, in London. This Chinese man saw me with Prospero and decided to free me. Of course, it was impossible, he didn’t have the strength. There was nothing he could do except offer me the illusion of freedom. He gave me the same bracelet that he was wearing. He said that no one would be able to pull us apart. And indeed, when we left, he managed to find me again…and again…”

The fairy’s voice trailed off. Jenkins gently put an arm around her shoulders:
“You loved him…”

“And he loved me in return.”

The Time Lord was resting against a bookcase, looking at Ariel and the Caretaker. He smiled:
“The Red String of Fate. That’s why the bracelet can’t be removed.”

“You’re certainly not soulmates,” snapped Jenkins. “Knowing you, it’s just an experiment gone wrong.”

The Doctor was about to reply, but decided against it. Clearly the old man cared a lot for the young woman. He suddenly realized that he would probably have reacted the same way if a total stranger appeared from nowhere to take Clara away from him…

“Those bracelets are very powerful. It would be interesting to know for what exact purpose they have been created…”

He paused. A question had crossed his mind: “Who are you anyway?”

“She is Ariel, a spirit from The Tempest. Long story,” explained Jenkins.

“Oh, fascinating indeed… I really like where this is all going.”

The Time Lord’s eyes were shining with delight. The Caretaker sighed:
“Alright, let’s start again. Where did you find the bracelet?”

The Doctor told them about his collection of displaced objects from Earth, how he had located the jewel, stole it, and escaped the angry aliens.

“I can’t explain it – which is odd – but when I saw the inscription, I just knew I had to wear the bracelet…” He concluded dreamingly.

“What inscription?”

“I shall lead the way and bring you back to Ariel.”

As soon as he spoke the words, both bracelets started to glow. Pure energy escaped and formed an intricate network over the Doctor and the fairy.

“So that’s how it works,” smiled the Time Lord. “Bonding two compatible energies…”

“But what for? And how did the bracelet end up on an alien world in the first place?”

Jenkins was growing impatient. He wanted answers, but more importantly he needed to know that the girl would be safe.

“I suppose Ariel’s last companion decided to break up. Maybe he tried to escape as far away as possible from the bracelet’s influence. Or maybe the bracelet sent him here.”

“What happened to him?” Asked the fairy.

“He died,” bluntly replied the Doctor, revealing that he had found bone dust when he had analysed the item on the planet. So I would suggest that whatever we do, we do it together for the time being.”

“Maybe Jenkins can help investigate? In the meantime, I could try your lifestyle,” suggested Ariel

The Caretaker’s face expressed a mix of different feelings.

“I will conduct some research and find a way to free you from the bracelet’s influence, but I strongly recommend that you don’t leave.”

“Would you rather have him poking around your dear Annex?” Asked the fairy.

The Doctor was already looking around, disturbing books and objects to satisfy his curiosity.

“I guess not,” smiled Ariel when she saw Jenkins’ disapproving look.

She then turned towards the Time Lord:
“How should I address you?”

“Doctor.”

“Doctor who?”

“We are going to get on very well with each other, Ariel… I can’t wait to introduce you to the TARDIS…”

The Doctor was smiling, and Jenkins knew that he was sincere. He was looking forward to new adventures with a new companion, and the Caretaker decided that he deserved a chance. He operated the travelling device connected to the door, before gesturing the Time Lord and Ariel to go through the door.

“You should find yourselves inside the TARDIS. We wouldn’t want those angry aliens to catch you, now, would we? I recommend that you leave Loreïn this instant.”
Startled, the Doctor turned towards Jenkins, his eyebrows locked in a surprised brow.

“How did you know?”

Jenkins simply bowed at him. The Time Lord didn’t have a chance to insist. Ariel took his hand and pulled him through the door, right inside the TARDIS.

Time, Fashion and the Rani

Chapter 1

Things never go according to plan. Especially when Time Lords are involved. Especially when those two Time Lords are involved. He would have to remember that.

The Time Lady never suspected his presence on board and he was perfectly happy. She was a strange one, always conducting experiments that had a tendency to have an unexpected outcome, when they didn’t cost the unfortunate guinea pig his life. Unlike the Doctor, she didn’t travel with companions. Not because she didn’t want to, she loved being admired, but since they were her favourite guinea pigs, their lifespan drastically reduced once they foot step on board her ship.

One day, he decided that he needed fresh air. They had settled on the planet Lakertya and Eccleston had discovered the extent of the Time Lady’s megalomania. She was as brilliant as she was mad and for the first time, the Chartreux cat missed the Doctor’s companionship. The thought of the dull celery wearing figure slightly eased the feeling, though. Eccleston decided that he missed the Doctor’s TARDIS most.

That’s when he heard the familiar noise.

The cat had been wandering about the planet, discovering that the Rani had set nasty traps around as well as she had enslaved the natives. He felt really bad for those gentle looking aliens but thought it best to hide his presence to them too. He had a feeling that he was the only cat on the planet and he didn’t want to attract attention. When he heard the asthmatic noise announcing the TARDIS’ materialisation, he realised that the old girl had been expected. The Rani and her ugly Tetraps servants came from the compound he had been unable to infiltrate so far and walked straight towards the origin of the noise.

He was faced with a choice. Should he take this opportunity to get inside the compound and discover what the Rani was up too, or should he follow them and get a chance to return to the Doctor’s TARDIS?

 

Chapter 2

As soon as he was sure that no one would see him, Eccleston ran towards the compound. The heavy entrance door had been left ajar and he silently sneaked inside, making sure to remain in the shadows. There was something very disturbing inside the place. His empathic senses told him that it was a mix of sadness and fear. And indeed, the few natives he saw there all shared the same facial expression.

He sniffed the air, picking the scent of the Rani and decided to check what she was up to this time. The first zone he reached looked like a crude cryogenic chamber. When he realised that the capsules’ occupants were all famous geniuses from different times and spaces, Eccleston started to worry for the Doctor. All his instincts told him that this was a trap set by the Rani to add him to her collection.

Eccleston went on with his exploration and found the heart of the building, the Rani’s headquarters. He couldn’t help but admire her work. He jumped on the table displaying some of the controls and swiftly operated them, revealing a map and some strange coordinates. None of his findings made sense, so he went on with his investigation and looked around, checking every bit of technology present in the room.

A sudden concussion broke his concentration and he quickly found a hiding place. The Rani was coming back with her minions. Eccleston suddenly worried that the strange beast serving the Time Lady would pick up his scent.

“I’ll just have to keep my paws crossed,” he thought.

It was too late to run away, anyway…

The hairy beast entered the main control room and paused. He looked around as if to make sure that there was no one around before laying the man he had been carrying on the table. He then left, leaving the unconscious stranger and the chartreux cat alone…

What will be Eccleston’s next move? Wait to see what happened or rush towards the man on the table?

 

Chapter 3

As soon as the beast left the room, Eccleston left his hiding place and cautiously approached the table, jumping on it silently. The man didn’t react. The cat carefully looked at the stranger. He was not the Doctor. In fact, he was dressed like one of those clowns children from Earth enjoy so much. His clothes were very colourful and a matching umbrella had been placed next to him. The cat walked up to his face and confirmed that he was still breathing. Eccleston noticed the cat pin on the vest and he decided to make a little experiment. Closing his eyes, he focused until his whiskers became so sensitive that he could feel the man’s heartbeats. They were echoing. It could only mean two hearts. Another Time Lord. But what were the odds?

The cat put his paws on the stranger’s shoulder and sniffed his face, his hair, then his clothes. The TARDIS’ scent was all over him. There was no doubt in the cat’s mind: it was the Doctor! He had regenerated from a celery lover into a clown…

“Are you sure you regenerate? You look like a degenerate, right now!” Purred Eccleston, with a laugh.

The Doctor started to stir and his feline companion helped him speed his waking process by licking his cheek. He suddenly stopped when he heard the well-known sound of the Rani’s steps. She was about to enter the room and the Time Lord was still unconscious.

“Wake up at once!” Groaned Eccleston. “You don’t realise in which danger you are!”

Or did he? After all, he knew the Rani quite well too…

It was too late now, even if he woke now, she would be there.

The cat looked around, wondering if he should hide to conceal his presence or if he should remain on the table and face the Rani…

 

Chapter 4

At first, she didn’t see him. She walked to the table, checked the Doctor’s hearts and turned around to access another part of the room. Stairs led to what seemed to be a secret area that triggered Eccleston’s curiosity. She took two steps and then she stopped. The Doctor was slowly coming round. She walked down and spotted a Chartreux cat staring at her.

“What the…?” She started.

She then focused and Eccleston could feel that she was trying to make contact with him telepathically. He hesitated for a brief moment. It was tempting to reject her and let her believe that she lost her ability to communicate with his kind. But it might not be the smarter move for he needed some information.

Meow!

That was the universal cat salute.

Meow. How did you come here?

She seemed a little worried. She was angry, of course, because his very presence potentially meant that her project was under the C.A.T.S. (for “Cats Agency in Time and Space”) scrutiny.

I came here the same way you did.

Technically, it was true, but she didn’t need to know the full details.

What do you want?

Eccleston simply put a paw on the Doctor’s chest. The Rani’s reaction was immediate:

“Certainly no!” She shouted, forgetting about telepathy. “I didn’t go through all that trouble to have you ruin my plans!”

The Doctor chose this very moment to wake up. He sat straight and noticed both the cat and the Rani.

For a brief moment, he seemed confused.

Should he hug Eccleston, his long lost cat, or deal with the Rani first?

 

Chapter 5

“That was a nice nap. Now, down to business.”

The Doctor got up and went on: “I’m a bit worried about the temporal flicker in sector thirteen. There’s a bicentennial refit of the Tardis to book in. I must just pop over to Centauri Seven and then perhaps a quick holiday. Right, that all seems quite clear. Just three small points. Where am I? Who am I? And who are you?’

He looked at the woman and suddenly recognised her:

“The Rani! Stay back!”

He quickly grabbed his umbrella and stepped back only to fall down a short set of stairs.

“This is idiotic. You’ll injure yourself,” sighed the Rani.

Eccleston was still sitting on the table, witnessing the theatrical scene that was unfolding in front of his eyes. There was something quite familiar about the Doctor’s clumsiness and yet the cat felt a bit annoyed. It only seemed to get worse after each regeneration. The two Time Lords were still engaged in a heated discussion and the Chartreux yawned out of boredom. His interest rose again when the Doctor rushed to the table and activated the screen, displaying the planet and the asteroid Eccleston had seen before.

“You won’t recognise the planet. It’s Lakertya, and there’s no evidence that it’s ever been graced by your meddling presence,” said the Rani.

Now the cat was really interested. He considered his options: should he intervene and try to focus the discussion on the planet or leave the Time Lords to their discussion and hope to learn more in the process?

 

Chapter 6

Eccleston didn’t learn as much as he hoped. Not at first that is. He had to wait until the Doctor made a move, got himself into trouble and was rendered unconscious to actually learn something of interest. The Rani needed her fellow Time Lord. She needed him so badly that she even impersonated his current companion, a red haired woman called “Mel”.

“You better keep your mouth shut,” she warned the Chartreux cat who was actually admiring her makeup skills.

Of course, he had no idea what this “Mel” looked like in the first place, but since the Doctor recognised his companion in the Rani, it had to mean something. The Doctor seemed quite happy to help her repair whatever piece of technology that needed to be fixed but insisted that they should get some tools in his TARDIS.

The cat immediately got up, eager to pay the old girl a visit.

“Not you,” said the Doctor pointing at him. “You’ll put hair everywhere!”

Eccleston’s first reaction was to hiss in anger.

“Is that your cat?” Asked the Rani Mel.

“No,” replied the Time Lord. “I’ve never seen him in my life.”

”Correction. In this life.”

Eccleston had to put things straight. He wasn’t going to let the Doctor forget him so easily.

The Time Lord seemed a little confused and the Rani Mel’s eyes flashed with anger.

“Let’s go,” she ordered.

What is Eccleston going to do? Will he follow them or wait for them to return?

 

Chapter 7

As soon as the Doctor and the Rani left, the Chartreux cat followed them and didn’t even try to be discrete. The Doctor noticed him and waved him away a few times but Eccleston simply ignored him. The Time Lord also failed to prevent him from entering inside the TARDIS. In fact, the cat was the first one to enter, slipping through the humanoids’ legs.

“Get out!” Shouted the Doctor.

“Let him be!” Grumbled the Rani, who was eager to get back to business.

Eccleston was already exploring his old home, sniffing everywhere to determine how many companions had travelled with the Doctor. The TARDIS was gently humming, welcoming her feline friend. She seemed alright but he knew that she missed him. He could feel it. He told her that he intended on staying to keep an eye on the Doctor who had managed to get himself into trouble once again. Speaking of the Doctor, where was he gone?

Eccleston followed his trail to the wardrobe. The Time Lord seemed to be about to choose a new outfit. This might prove rather interesting, even entertaining…

Does Eccleston start a career as fashion advisor or does he simply Watch?

 

Chapter 8

Since Eccleston knew the Doctor, the Time Lord had shown no improvement in the way he dressed. His disregard for elementary fashion was quite distressing for anyone caring a little about his/her appearance. Right now, the Chartreux cat was wondering if his alien companion had ever listened to any of his previous advises. He found himself missing the third and fifth incarnations of the Doctor, who showed some effort in their clothing. They had style in their own way.

The cat sighed and decided to take the matter into his own paws.

Let me help here.

The Rani turned towards him and shot him a dangerous glance while the Doctor seemed amused by the distraction. He welcomed Eccleston’s advices, making a point in doing the exact opposite to see his reaction and was quite disappointed to see that like most cats, the Chartreux was very patient. The Rani, on the other hand, wasn’t the patient type. She tried to interfere a few times but was ignored by both the Doctor and his cat.

Now we are getting somewhere!

The Time Lord seemed equally satisfied. He was wearing a question mark motif pullover and red braces under a cream linen jacket.

“Yes, yes, yes. Very elegant,” intervened the Rani.

“Ah, thank goodness in this regeneration I’ve regained my impeccable sense of haute couture.”

Eccleston started laughing, but suddenly hissed when the Rani picked him up rather unfriendly.

“It’s time for you to mind some other feline business. We have work to do.”

“Mel?”

The Doctor seemed mildly worried and the Rani put gently the cat on the floor, patting him in the process, trying to hide the fact that Eccleston had managed to scratch her in a painful way.

“Get lost,” whispered the Rani.

Likewise!

The cat considered his options. The Doctor had managed to get in trouble (again) but Eccleston was confident that he would find a way to sort things out. He was tempted to help, of course, but on the other paw, he was eager to catch up with the TARDIS. Without the Time Lord around, he would have free access to the telepathic circuits… His mind set, Eccleston started purring and left the two Time Lords to their business. He could already hear the TARDIS hum her happiness to have her feline friend back…

The Night I became his companion

January 27th, 2017

Dear Doctor,

I wonder what happened last night. Did reality become fiction or did fiction become reality? I can’t say that something very strange happened as you might be upset by this statement, but my brain needs to adjust to the events, we human always need rationalising things, so it might take me some time to simply accept that last night’s dream might be a little more than a dream…

And to make sure that I never forget that night, I’ve decided to be the Watson to your Holmes and to record the events…

***

The Night I became his Companion

When I went to bed last evening, I had no idea that my night wouldn’t turn quite the way I had anticipated it to be: a good night’s sleep. I felt asleep alright, but woke up with a start to discover that I wasn’t home anymore. I was laying on the floor in a huge room that reminded me of ancient Rome. The floor was made of marble and there were huge vases full of plants and flowers everywhere. The walls and the ceiling were whitish. There were no windows. I registered that I was dressed in a strange way, not like a Roman woman, but close enough, with a long and yet practical beige dress (I hate beige, it really doesn’t suit me. It makes me look sick.)

Before I could even consider wandering off and try to find out where I was (and why I was there), a door slid open. I instantly felt an uneasiness creep inside me. Three women, dressed the same way I did, rushed in towards me. The eldest woman urged me to follow them.

“Your friend is in grave danger and I’m not even sure that he realises it.”

My friend? Which friend?

I was already confused but then the second woman started complaining about my so called friend:

“I told you that he was insane. Just look at the way he is dressed!”

The feeling of uneasiness grew stronger, but I followed the three women (I didn’t think of anything else to do anyway…).

As soon as I left the room, I understood that I was not in ancient Rome. I wasn’t even sure that I was on Earth anymore. The place looked like a village full of technological stuff, as if it had been built in the middle of a giant spacecraft to remind the passengers where they came from. The thought being a bit disturbing, I decided to dismiss it to concentrate on what was happening in what was obviously the village’s central area.

Around ten people were gathered there. Five looked like authority figures (they were all wearing black uniforms and a helmet that was hiding their features. Three were dressed in a manner similar to the women who were with me. The last two persons were very different. On the soldiers’ side was a tall and beautiful woman richly dressed. I instantly disliked the air of power and self confidence that exuded from her being. The other person was a little man wearing a suit that looked too big for him and a hat. My heart sank as I recognised the Doctor.

He was laughing as one of the soldiers was tying his hands up.

“See what I meant before?” Whispered one of the women. “He doesn’t realise how deep in trouble he is.”

I remained silent as I watched the soldiers take the Doctor and the three other prisoners away. My mind was filled with questions but I didn’t dare asking them. I felt like I was suffering from amnesia which was a rather disturbing feeling.

I followed the women back to the room where I had woken up and witnessed as they discussed how to rescue the prisoners. Listening to them, I managed to get more information about this place and what was happening. It was indeed a giant spacecraft carrying its passengers to their new settlement. They had been boarded by the beautiful woman and her crew in a rather violent way. Many people had died during the attack and the passengers were now living in fear, trying to avoid the soldiers as much as they could. The Doctor had appeared from nowhere and had decided to take upon himself to free the passengers by sending the woman away.

“Typical,” I sighed, still wondering (again) how I had ended up there.

The Doctor had managed to tell one of the girls from the settlement about a way to separate the two spacecrafts (as the pirates’ craft had merged with their victims’ ship) but nobody had seen the girl since then and the Doctor had been captured.

I heard myself offering to create a diversion that would allow the women to walk more freely around the ship to find the missing girl. I was confident that all attention would be directed to me.

That’s basically how I ended up in the beautiful woman’s quarters filled with people attending a party. Everyone there was as vain as they looked like, prompt to mock and criticise anyone who didn’t look like them. They started making jokes about me, even tried to put one of their fancy capes around my shoulders before laughing at me because it was far too big for me.

I eventually reached the beautiful woman who apparently knew already that I was acquainted with the Doctor. He was already there and greeted me with a broad smile.

“What a shame, I can’t greet you properly,” he said, showing me his hands that were still bound together.

He then turned to the woman and introduced me to her, only he called me a very different name than my own. I can’t remember it sadly, but it felt right, as if it was indeed my real name.

It turned out that the beautiful woman was the queen of the space pirates from this area and that she had harvested the giant space craft to start building her own empire. The Doctor tried to talk her out of her plan, claiming that the passengers didn’t deserve such a fate.

“Oh, little man,” she laughed. “You’re so funny! I think that I will keep you alive to entertain me.”

The Doctor, turning suddenly very serious, advised her to change her mind.

“You don’t have much time.”

Something in his voice worried me and I probably looked alarmed because the queen starred at me and her mood darkened.

“What have you done, Doctor?” She asked menacingly.

A heavy silence fell on the room as the Time Lord told the story of one of the passengers, a girl suffering from a fatal disease, who had agreed to operate the device designed by the Doctor to separate the ships, therefore sacrificing her life as the process would kill whoever was in the close vicinity upon activation.

It didn’t take long for the pirates to realise that the Doctor wasn’t joking. A commotion pulled us apart as the pirates fled to reach their ship.

I found myself with the three women in the room where I had woken up. They were holding a wake for a girl in her early twenties who was resting on a bed made of layers of fabric. Long dark hair framed her face that was so peaceful that I found it hard to believe that she had died of a rather violent death. I was still contemplating her, admiring her bravery when the Doctor walked in the room and stood next to me.

I turned to face him and I met his gaze.

“It’s time for you to wake up,” he said gently as I felt slowly hypnotised by his eyes.

He started singing ever so softly: “Klokleda partha menin klatch, haroon haroon haroon.”

Suddenly it was no longer my Doctor but his third incarnation who was singing.

“Klokleda sheenah tierra natch, haroon haroon haroon, Haroon haroon haroon.”

I woke up with a start. The song was my alarm-clock. I was in bed, it was morning and I was feeling exhausted as if I didn’t get any sleep at all that night…