Post by Fitz Kreiner on Jun 13, 2008 12:43:39 GMT
“That wave,” Jess asked, looking at the screen. “Is that the phased Space rift thing that hit the TARDIS. I mean, my TARDIS. I mean, the TARDIS I was in. Well, it was this one, but-” Jess trailed off, confusing herself. “Oh, I don’t know, this is too confusing.”
“Indeed.” The Doctor said. “If I were me, I’d try tracing the time shifts to their sources, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m already tracking it.”
Jess and Harry looked at each other before looking at the Doctor and then back to each other, not understanding a word the Time Lord was saying.
“That wave will indicate the source. There are the three spatial-temporal paths emanating out, one of which coming to us, so that must mean that there are three more of me involved in this. That’s me, the me you were travelling with Jess, and another two.”
“Three lines coming out from the TARDIS I came from?” Jess asked.
“Hmm.” The Doctor said, turning back to the console, his attention seemingly grabbed by a small light flashing.
“Three lines.” Jess said again. “Three of us.”
“I say, you don’t think that something will happen to us here?” Harry asked.
“No, I meant there were three of us travelling with the Doctor. Me, Tifa and Tom.” Jess turned to face the Doctor. “Those other lines could mean that Tifa and Tom were pulled out of time too.”
“Unless it was me, in which case, things could be even worse. Whatever, I think we’re about to find something else out.”
Harry and Jess looked on confused as the Doctor continued working at the console, seemingly not wanting to elaborate. Pulling himself to his full height, the Doctor reached out to the console. Staring at the screen he twisted a dial and grinned.
“Ah, there you are my dear fellow. Oh, good grief, a dandy, a clown and now a bohemian!”
Harry and Jess spun at the sound of the voice. The scanner image showed the console room of another TARDIS. No, not another TARDIS, the same TARDIS. A grandfatherly figure stood centre screen, proudly gripping the lapels of his black frock coat.
“So good to see me again.” The Doctor grinned at the screen.
“Yes, well let’s not dilly dally about here young man, we both know the trouble that we’re in, hmm?”
“Quite, quite. I don’t need to tell me twice.” The Doctor said. “I’m going to assume that you’ve had a disappearance from your ranks. Who am I with now?”
“Young Steven and Dodo.” The Old man replied from the screen.
“I’m getting lost with all these pronouns being thrown about.” Harry muttered to Jess.
“You know who that is?” Jess asked rhetorically. “It’s the Doctor.”
Harry looked at the old man on the screen and back to the Doctor stood at the console. He couldn’t see any resemblance in either of them, bar the piercing look in their eyes. He remembered something the Brigadier had said to him while the Doctor was lying unconscious in the sickbay back in UNIT HQ about him being able to completely change his face.
“Steven! Hello.”
The Doctors cry of recognition caused Harry and Jess to jump and look back at the screen. There were a further two figures behind the Doctor. Jess didn’t recognise one of them but the other was familiar. The dark features of his goatee beard, pointed sideburns contrasting against his bright blue eyes.
“Tom!” She cried stepping forwards.
“Hello Jess. Looking well. Everything alright?” Tom smiled back before spotting the other occupants of the console room. “Harry, hello. Doctor.”
“Do you mind, Mr. Rowan.” The Doctor almost snapped, turning back to Tom. Jess almost found herself sblack personing as Tom reacted like a scolded schoolboy. “Now young man, we need to get ourselves together to sort this muddle out, hmm?”
“Quite quite.” The Doctor replied, looking back at himself. “I was in the process of tracing the temporal wakes, but they’re fading and it won’t be too long before they’re gone completely.”
“Indeed young man, that’s why we mustn’t dilly dally about. Now, young Mr. Rowan here has told me that he was travelling with our eighth self.” From the screen, Tom leisurely saluted with two fingers as his name was mentioned. “Now from what I’ve managed to get from the ships readings, one of the wakes leaving the wave was one way only which would mean that someone was deposited but no one was picked up from that location.”
“That would make sense.” The Doctor replied.
“Yes yes, quite.” The Doctor on the screen waved his had absently. “Now my boy, we need to send a recall signal to the other versions of us so that we can be brought together to sort this out. I think I only managed to get through to you because you’re the closest to me. Ah, which regeneration?”
“Third, and quite probably the most well rounded and agreeable of us.” The Doctor grinned at the screen.
“Now now.” The Doctor almost snapped, glaring down from the screen. “Trying to send this message forwards to my own personal future is taking a lot of energy, I won’t be able to sustain it for very long.”
“Yes, OK. What do you suggest?” The Doctor replied almost sukily.
“Well young man. Hopefully I should be able to be more active this time, not being stuck in a time bubble. Now-”
The Doctor sprung into action like a jolt as the sound died.
“Doctor, the sound-” Harry started, having to jump back as the Doctor rushed round the console.
“I know, Harry. I know!” The Doctor shouted back. “I’m trying to get it back. Gha!” He added looking up as the image faded into static. “I’ve lost him.” He cried, hitting the console in despair.
“You said it was using a lot of energy. I mean, the other you.” Jess said, cautiously, almost backing away physically when the Doctor rounded on her.
“Of course!” He cried. “That energy will be fresher and easier to trace.” Turning back to the console at speed, the Doctor gripped the edges as he stared at the controls before his hands moved, almost like a blur, over the controls.
“Well, yours is certainly more manic than mine.” Jess whispered to Harry.
“What’s yours like? It wasn’t that old chap, was it?” Harry whispered back.
“No. He’s, erm, different. Young-looking, longer curly hair than yours. He likes his velvet coats.”
“I wonder what the others are like.” Harry mused.
“I’ve seen pictures.” Jess said. “In your office actually.”
Harry looked at her. “I get an office?”
Jess’s eyes widened when she realised that she shouldn’t be telling Harry anything about their encounter; he hadn’t experienced it yet. “Oops, I really shouldn’t say.” She said. “The Doctor’ll go mad.”
“Hmm, dangerous, but our only option.” The Doctor muttered from the console.
“What is?” Harry asked.
“Normally, I shouldn’t be allowed to meet myself. It normally only happens in the most severe emergencies. The way I just contacted myself, by transferring a signal into the TARDISes own future takes up a lot of energy. But to sort this mess out, I’m going to have to talk to my other selves.”
“We got that bit.” Jess nodded.
“Well, the only other way is for us to all land in the same place. But the TARDIS in the same place at four points in the old things life? Very dangerous and normally shouldn’t be allowed to happen.”
“How do you mean?” Harry asked.
“Think of it as four giant magnets.” The Doctor said, turning to face Harry and Jess. “In magnetics, like poles repel.”
“And the TARDIS is the same and acts like the like poles?” Jess asked.
“Very well done, that’s right.”
“So, what do we do about the repelling thing?” Harry asked.
“There is one way. A region of nulled space-time that would normally be unstable, but with the influence of four versions of the same TARDIS acting on it, it should act against the forces, balance them out and allow me to meet me.” The Doctor paused, a distant look in his wide eyes. “It’s possibly I’ve already thought of it and heading there. If not, I should still be able to send the recall signal.” He muttered, turning back to the console.
“And then we sort all this out?” Jess asked.
“Hopefully.” The Doctor looked up and grinned at Harry and Jess. “Hold tight and stand by for emergency materialisation!”
*
He sat forward in the chair he had brought into his control room and observed the screen. He had been lucky in finding his way home after reaching his ship. Arriving in stealth, he had managed to steal the desired directional unit to replace the one that had been stolen from his ship some years previously. He was now extracting his revenge.
Looking at the screen, he saw there were now four traces in relation to his target.
“Oh, ho ho. Four of you now Doctor.”
The Monk sat back and laughed.
“Indeed.” The Doctor said. “If I were me, I’d try tracing the time shifts to their sources, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m already tracking it.”
Jess and Harry looked at each other before looking at the Doctor and then back to each other, not understanding a word the Time Lord was saying.
“That wave will indicate the source. There are the three spatial-temporal paths emanating out, one of which coming to us, so that must mean that there are three more of me involved in this. That’s me, the me you were travelling with Jess, and another two.”
“Three lines coming out from the TARDIS I came from?” Jess asked.
“Hmm.” The Doctor said, turning back to the console, his attention seemingly grabbed by a small light flashing.
“Three lines.” Jess said again. “Three of us.”
“I say, you don’t think that something will happen to us here?” Harry asked.
“No, I meant there were three of us travelling with the Doctor. Me, Tifa and Tom.” Jess turned to face the Doctor. “Those other lines could mean that Tifa and Tom were pulled out of time too.”
“Unless it was me, in which case, things could be even worse. Whatever, I think we’re about to find something else out.”
Harry and Jess looked on confused as the Doctor continued working at the console, seemingly not wanting to elaborate. Pulling himself to his full height, the Doctor reached out to the console. Staring at the screen he twisted a dial and grinned.
“Ah, there you are my dear fellow. Oh, good grief, a dandy, a clown and now a bohemian!”
Harry and Jess spun at the sound of the voice. The scanner image showed the console room of another TARDIS. No, not another TARDIS, the same TARDIS. A grandfatherly figure stood centre screen, proudly gripping the lapels of his black frock coat.
“So good to see me again.” The Doctor grinned at the screen.
“Yes, well let’s not dilly dally about here young man, we both know the trouble that we’re in, hmm?”
“Quite, quite. I don’t need to tell me twice.” The Doctor said. “I’m going to assume that you’ve had a disappearance from your ranks. Who am I with now?”
“Young Steven and Dodo.” The Old man replied from the screen.
“I’m getting lost with all these pronouns being thrown about.” Harry muttered to Jess.
“You know who that is?” Jess asked rhetorically. “It’s the Doctor.”
Harry looked at the old man on the screen and back to the Doctor stood at the console. He couldn’t see any resemblance in either of them, bar the piercing look in their eyes. He remembered something the Brigadier had said to him while the Doctor was lying unconscious in the sickbay back in UNIT HQ about him being able to completely change his face.
“Steven! Hello.”
The Doctors cry of recognition caused Harry and Jess to jump and look back at the screen. There were a further two figures behind the Doctor. Jess didn’t recognise one of them but the other was familiar. The dark features of his goatee beard, pointed sideburns contrasting against his bright blue eyes.
“Tom!” She cried stepping forwards.
“Hello Jess. Looking well. Everything alright?” Tom smiled back before spotting the other occupants of the console room. “Harry, hello. Doctor.”
“Do you mind, Mr. Rowan.” The Doctor almost snapped, turning back to Tom. Jess almost found herself sblack personing as Tom reacted like a scolded schoolboy. “Now young man, we need to get ourselves together to sort this muddle out, hmm?”
“Quite quite.” The Doctor replied, looking back at himself. “I was in the process of tracing the temporal wakes, but they’re fading and it won’t be too long before they’re gone completely.”
“Indeed young man, that’s why we mustn’t dilly dally about. Now, young Mr. Rowan here has told me that he was travelling with our eighth self.” From the screen, Tom leisurely saluted with two fingers as his name was mentioned. “Now from what I’ve managed to get from the ships readings, one of the wakes leaving the wave was one way only which would mean that someone was deposited but no one was picked up from that location.”
“That would make sense.” The Doctor replied.
“Yes yes, quite.” The Doctor on the screen waved his had absently. “Now my boy, we need to send a recall signal to the other versions of us so that we can be brought together to sort this out. I think I only managed to get through to you because you’re the closest to me. Ah, which regeneration?”
“Third, and quite probably the most well rounded and agreeable of us.” The Doctor grinned at the screen.
“Now now.” The Doctor almost snapped, glaring down from the screen. “Trying to send this message forwards to my own personal future is taking a lot of energy, I won’t be able to sustain it for very long.”
“Yes, OK. What do you suggest?” The Doctor replied almost sukily.
“Well young man. Hopefully I should be able to be more active this time, not being stuck in a time bubble. Now-”
The Doctor sprung into action like a jolt as the sound died.
“Doctor, the sound-” Harry started, having to jump back as the Doctor rushed round the console.
“I know, Harry. I know!” The Doctor shouted back. “I’m trying to get it back. Gha!” He added looking up as the image faded into static. “I’ve lost him.” He cried, hitting the console in despair.
“You said it was using a lot of energy. I mean, the other you.” Jess said, cautiously, almost backing away physically when the Doctor rounded on her.
“Of course!” He cried. “That energy will be fresher and easier to trace.” Turning back to the console at speed, the Doctor gripped the edges as he stared at the controls before his hands moved, almost like a blur, over the controls.
“Well, yours is certainly more manic than mine.” Jess whispered to Harry.
“What’s yours like? It wasn’t that old chap, was it?” Harry whispered back.
“No. He’s, erm, different. Young-looking, longer curly hair than yours. He likes his velvet coats.”
“I wonder what the others are like.” Harry mused.
“I’ve seen pictures.” Jess said. “In your office actually.”
Harry looked at her. “I get an office?”
Jess’s eyes widened when she realised that she shouldn’t be telling Harry anything about their encounter; he hadn’t experienced it yet. “Oops, I really shouldn’t say.” She said. “The Doctor’ll go mad.”
“Hmm, dangerous, but our only option.” The Doctor muttered from the console.
“What is?” Harry asked.
“Normally, I shouldn’t be allowed to meet myself. It normally only happens in the most severe emergencies. The way I just contacted myself, by transferring a signal into the TARDISes own future takes up a lot of energy. But to sort this mess out, I’m going to have to talk to my other selves.”
“We got that bit.” Jess nodded.
“Well, the only other way is for us to all land in the same place. But the TARDIS in the same place at four points in the old things life? Very dangerous and normally shouldn’t be allowed to happen.”
“How do you mean?” Harry asked.
“Think of it as four giant magnets.” The Doctor said, turning to face Harry and Jess. “In magnetics, like poles repel.”
“And the TARDIS is the same and acts like the like poles?” Jess asked.
“Very well done, that’s right.”
“So, what do we do about the repelling thing?” Harry asked.
“There is one way. A region of nulled space-time that would normally be unstable, but with the influence of four versions of the same TARDIS acting on it, it should act against the forces, balance them out and allow me to meet me.” The Doctor paused, a distant look in his wide eyes. “It’s possibly I’ve already thought of it and heading there. If not, I should still be able to send the recall signal.” He muttered, turning back to the console.
“And then we sort all this out?” Jess asked.
“Hopefully.” The Doctor looked up and grinned at Harry and Jess. “Hold tight and stand by for emergency materialisation!”
*
He sat forward in the chair he had brought into his control room and observed the screen. He had been lucky in finding his way home after reaching his ship. Arriving in stealth, he had managed to steal the desired directional unit to replace the one that had been stolen from his ship some years previously. He was now extracting his revenge.
Looking at the screen, he saw there were now four traces in relation to his target.
“Oh, ho ho. Four of you now Doctor.”
The Monk sat back and laughed.
