Post by Fitz Kreiner on Jun 20, 2008 13:01:51 GMT
“But you said the TARDIS was indestructible.” Tifa shouted, struggling against the forces.
“Normally, yes.” The Doctor replied. “But if the power causes the console or column to fracture, then we won’t even know the power has escaped. But if I do this,” He yelled, throwing another switch. “Then everything will be alright.” The Doctor stood up straight as the TARDIS steadied and the cacophonic noise of the alarms and bells ceased and grinned.
Tifa staggered forwards as the forces pushing her back dissipated and she found herself fighting forwards against nothing. “Why didn’t you do that before?” she asked.
“I’ve got to say, I wasn’t expecting the TARDIS to react like that. But then the war wasn’t-” The Doctor trailed off, looking at Tifa, realising he had said too much. “So, meeting up with some of my old selves again. This is fast becoming a very bad habit.”
“What do you mean?”
“I met my fifth self a couple of days ago.” The Doctor replied, looking up at the central column, another wide grin forming on his face as it ceased moving. “Ah-ha!” He cried out bounding round the console towards the doors, stooping to pick his coat up from the floor. “Tifa, you stay here, I’ll be back in a, well, soon.” He said before opening the door.
Opening her mouth to say something, Tifa could only watch as the Doctor disappeared out of the door with a flap of his coat as he pulled it on.
“Ah, there you are young man! What kept you, hmm?”
The Doctor closed the TARDIS door behind him and looked to where his two earlier selves were already stood waiting. His first and fourth incarnations; just as he remembered them.
“So good to see that I’ve retained such a sense of style.” The first Doctor continued as the Doctor walked over to them. “Well, come along then, my boy, we haven’t got all day.”
“It’s also good to realise just how much I’ve mellowed with age as well.” The Doctor said, stopping face to face with his first incarnation, gripping his lapels, almost mirroring the stance of his first self.
“So, we’re still one of us short.” The fourth Doctor said somewhat grumpily at being passed over by his older self. “Any idea which of us it is? Not my replacement is it?”
“Oh, no no.” The Doctor said, turning to him. “Mine I think. Or at least he’s one or two down the line from me. Closer to me than you are. I guess that you two were able to contact each other like he and I were.”
“Quite right, my boy.” The first Doctor replied. “But there are more important matters that we need to discuss. I believe I have a travelling companion of yours, a Mr. Rowan.”
“Ah, he’s not been causing trouble I trust?”
“No, no. Quite the intelligent young man, I must say.”
“As is Jess. Clearly our influence is rubbing off on our companions more and more.” The fourth chipped in.
“Well, Dodo and Sarah Jane are safe in my TARDIS. On information from our other self, I’ve had to sedate Sarah.” The Doctor said softly, looking at his fourth self. “Apparently he met her and she didn’t remember us as me.”
The fourth Doctor flashed a glare at his future self before calming. “Well, as long as he hasn’t told us anything else about our future.”
“I’m sure he was just protecting the child, and ourselves. Hmm?” The first Doctor said, stroking his lapel and leaning on his stick.
“Well, I would suggest while we wait we could trade companions back. But the instability of this region, I wouldn’t like to think what it would do to the human body.” The Doctor said.
“Yes, good thinking my boy, hmm.” The first chuckled. “Now I wonder where the other has gotten too.”
The Doctor looked about the void where he and his past selves were stood. The three TARDISes were stood, two facing each other, the third perpendicular, anticipating the arrival of the fourth opposite to make up the square. As if anticipating its arrival, the TARDIS arrived again, in the anticipated fourth corner to a square.
“I think there is our answer.” The fourth grinned as the door opened. “Nice to see I’ll keep my impeccable timing.”
“Oh yes. Oh brilliant.” The tenth grinned as he walked towards the already gathered Doctors. “Of course, big big trouble, but brilliant.”
“When you’ve quite finished grinning like an idiot, young man.” The first snapped. “The pair of you.” He added, looking to the fourth. “Now that we’re all here, might I suggest that we put our heads together and figure out why we’re here and why.”
“Oh, the grumpy leader role, quite brilliant.” The tenth grinned attracting another glare from the first. “And as for the ‘young man’ bit, I am the eldest here.” He added pulling himself to his full height.
“Well, in that case, why don’t you use your centuries of experience to tell us what all this is about?” The fourth asked, pulling his jelly babies out of his pocket.
“Ooh, the jelly babies!” The tenth cried out, snatching the one the fourth was holding and popping it in his mouth. “Well, about all this.” He said, visibly cringing and running a hand through his hair. “You see, I don’t remember it. Well, a bit. Maybe.”
“Well, come on young, my boy. Which is it, hmm?” The first asked looking intently at the tenth.
“Well, memory is a tricky thing.” The Doctor said. “I’ve been having a little problem with it of late, post regeneration. My last three have been-” He stopped, realising what he was saying to his past selves.
“Yeah.” The tenth said, smiling at the eighth. “We all know what regeneration can do.”
“And how we can talk our way out of awkward situations and those that we’d rather not talk about.” The fourth chipped in.
“Quite, young man.” The first said. “None of us wish to or even should know too much about our own futures. It’s enough that we’re all here.”
“Yes, well, quite a lot has happened by the time you all get to me.” The tenth said. “I’m not going into it, but I’m sure I’ve had another time machine on my tail while I was in the vortex. And I don’t know if it was you or not.” He added looking to the Doctor.
“The Time Curve indicator, I’m guessing?” He said. “I’m sure we’re not the only ones who’ve had a reading on that, am I right?”
“Indeed my boy. The Time Curve indicator did show that there was another time ship on the same path as the TARDIS.” The first said.
“Ah, but did any of you trace those tails?” The Doctor said, hopping from foot to foot, the curls in his hair bouncing as he did.
“Well, my boy. It seems apparent that you’ve discovered something and are somewhat eager in wanting to tell us.” The first said.
“Well, I had two traces.” The Doctor said as his hopping from foot to foot lightened. “One was the old girl herself, most probably you.” He looked at his tenth self. “But the second, it had a TARDIS signature, but it wasn’t our TARDIS.”
“Another TARDIS?” The fourth asked, looking up, his eyes widening.
“The spatial rift that I ran into, on the outer fringes of the Isop galaxy, we’ve been there before. No such rift existed. But a quick study of its energy and properties showed it was artificial in origin.” The Doctor paused and looked about his other selves.
“You mean it was a trap, hmm?” The first asked, lifting his head high.
“Exactly. Although I’ve been wracking my brains as to whom laid the trap and why and I can’t quite place it. There’s something but it doesn’t fit.” The Doctor replied.
“The Master?” The fourth asked.
“No.” The Doctor replied at the same time as the tenth. “You met him recently as well then.”
“You could say that.” The tenth said, rubbing the back of his neck. “But there’s something about this that is so not his style at all.”
“Ah, ho ho. How right you are, Doctors. And how nice to see you again.”
The sound of the voice caused the four Doctors to spin and look in its direction. They were greeted by a translucent yet hazy blue holographic figure that stood watching them. His arms were folded, concealing his hands beneath the robes of the monk’s habit he wore. His jowled features smiling with an almost mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
“You?” The Doctor gasped.
“You foiled my plans to make a better world, stole my dimensional unit and then my directional unit and then left me at the mercy of Daleks.” The Monk said, his face becoming more serious. “It was only blind luck that got me back to Gallifrey so I could get a new directional unit for my TARDIS.”
“So that’s it! You’re after some childish act of revenge, hmm?” The first said, taking a step towards the holographic image. “Then why don’t you show yourself, hmm? Instead of hiding away in your ship and trans, erm, sending an image.”
The Monk laughed. “Oh, come now Doctor. And miss out on watching the fun. Watching you squabble. And imagine the fun that I can have when I do this.”
“Do what? You’re an amateur. Nothing but a mild inconvenience.” The fourth almost growled in a deep voice.
“Inconv-? Amateur?” The Monk stumbled over the words, his face becoming serious once again. “You forget that my TARDIS is a mark four. You never did answer me. What mark is yours, eh?” Looking at the gathered Doctors the Monk smiled again. “As I said, this could be fun.” The holographic image reached out and operated an invisible control. The nulled void was filled for an instant with a bright flash of light. The sound of the TARDIS dematerialising filled the void, causing the four Doctors to look about in confusion as the tenth and eighth faded out of being along with two versions of the TARDIS.
“What have you-?” The first began turning to where the Monks image had been. The holographic image had disappeared, leaving only the echoing sound of the Monks laughter.
“Normally, yes.” The Doctor replied. “But if the power causes the console or column to fracture, then we won’t even know the power has escaped. But if I do this,” He yelled, throwing another switch. “Then everything will be alright.” The Doctor stood up straight as the TARDIS steadied and the cacophonic noise of the alarms and bells ceased and grinned.
Tifa staggered forwards as the forces pushing her back dissipated and she found herself fighting forwards against nothing. “Why didn’t you do that before?” she asked.
“I’ve got to say, I wasn’t expecting the TARDIS to react like that. But then the war wasn’t-” The Doctor trailed off, looking at Tifa, realising he had said too much. “So, meeting up with some of my old selves again. This is fast becoming a very bad habit.”
“What do you mean?”
“I met my fifth self a couple of days ago.” The Doctor replied, looking up at the central column, another wide grin forming on his face as it ceased moving. “Ah-ha!” He cried out bounding round the console towards the doors, stooping to pick his coat up from the floor. “Tifa, you stay here, I’ll be back in a, well, soon.” He said before opening the door.
Opening her mouth to say something, Tifa could only watch as the Doctor disappeared out of the door with a flap of his coat as he pulled it on.
*
“Ah, there you are young man! What kept you, hmm?”
The Doctor closed the TARDIS door behind him and looked to where his two earlier selves were already stood waiting. His first and fourth incarnations; just as he remembered them.
“So good to see that I’ve retained such a sense of style.” The first Doctor continued as the Doctor walked over to them. “Well, come along then, my boy, we haven’t got all day.”
“It’s also good to realise just how much I’ve mellowed with age as well.” The Doctor said, stopping face to face with his first incarnation, gripping his lapels, almost mirroring the stance of his first self.
“So, we’re still one of us short.” The fourth Doctor said somewhat grumpily at being passed over by his older self. “Any idea which of us it is? Not my replacement is it?”
“Oh, no no.” The Doctor said, turning to him. “Mine I think. Or at least he’s one or two down the line from me. Closer to me than you are. I guess that you two were able to contact each other like he and I were.”
“Quite right, my boy.” The first Doctor replied. “But there are more important matters that we need to discuss. I believe I have a travelling companion of yours, a Mr. Rowan.”
“Ah, he’s not been causing trouble I trust?”
“No, no. Quite the intelligent young man, I must say.”
“As is Jess. Clearly our influence is rubbing off on our companions more and more.” The fourth chipped in.
“Well, Dodo and Sarah Jane are safe in my TARDIS. On information from our other self, I’ve had to sedate Sarah.” The Doctor said softly, looking at his fourth self. “Apparently he met her and she didn’t remember us as me.”
The fourth Doctor flashed a glare at his future self before calming. “Well, as long as he hasn’t told us anything else about our future.”
“I’m sure he was just protecting the child, and ourselves. Hmm?” The first Doctor said, stroking his lapel and leaning on his stick.
“Well, I would suggest while we wait we could trade companions back. But the instability of this region, I wouldn’t like to think what it would do to the human body.” The Doctor said.
“Yes, good thinking my boy, hmm.” The first chuckled. “Now I wonder where the other has gotten too.”
The Doctor looked about the void where he and his past selves were stood. The three TARDISes were stood, two facing each other, the third perpendicular, anticipating the arrival of the fourth opposite to make up the square. As if anticipating its arrival, the TARDIS arrived again, in the anticipated fourth corner to a square.
“I think there is our answer.” The fourth grinned as the door opened. “Nice to see I’ll keep my impeccable timing.”
“Oh yes. Oh brilliant.” The tenth grinned as he walked towards the already gathered Doctors. “Of course, big big trouble, but brilliant.”
“When you’ve quite finished grinning like an idiot, young man.” The first snapped. “The pair of you.” He added, looking to the fourth. “Now that we’re all here, might I suggest that we put our heads together and figure out why we’re here and why.”
“Oh, the grumpy leader role, quite brilliant.” The tenth grinned attracting another glare from the first. “And as for the ‘young man’ bit, I am the eldest here.” He added pulling himself to his full height.
“Well, in that case, why don’t you use your centuries of experience to tell us what all this is about?” The fourth asked, pulling his jelly babies out of his pocket.
“Ooh, the jelly babies!” The tenth cried out, snatching the one the fourth was holding and popping it in his mouth. “Well, about all this.” He said, visibly cringing and running a hand through his hair. “You see, I don’t remember it. Well, a bit. Maybe.”
“Well, come on young, my boy. Which is it, hmm?” The first asked looking intently at the tenth.
“Well, memory is a tricky thing.” The Doctor said. “I’ve been having a little problem with it of late, post regeneration. My last three have been-” He stopped, realising what he was saying to his past selves.
“Yeah.” The tenth said, smiling at the eighth. “We all know what regeneration can do.”
“And how we can talk our way out of awkward situations and those that we’d rather not talk about.” The fourth chipped in.
“Quite, young man.” The first said. “None of us wish to or even should know too much about our own futures. It’s enough that we’re all here.”
“Yes, well, quite a lot has happened by the time you all get to me.” The tenth said. “I’m not going into it, but I’m sure I’ve had another time machine on my tail while I was in the vortex. And I don’t know if it was you or not.” He added looking to the Doctor.
“The Time Curve indicator, I’m guessing?” He said. “I’m sure we’re not the only ones who’ve had a reading on that, am I right?”
“Indeed my boy. The Time Curve indicator did show that there was another time ship on the same path as the TARDIS.” The first said.
“Ah, but did any of you trace those tails?” The Doctor said, hopping from foot to foot, the curls in his hair bouncing as he did.
“Well, my boy. It seems apparent that you’ve discovered something and are somewhat eager in wanting to tell us.” The first said.
“Well, I had two traces.” The Doctor said as his hopping from foot to foot lightened. “One was the old girl herself, most probably you.” He looked at his tenth self. “But the second, it had a TARDIS signature, but it wasn’t our TARDIS.”
“Another TARDIS?” The fourth asked, looking up, his eyes widening.
“The spatial rift that I ran into, on the outer fringes of the Isop galaxy, we’ve been there before. No such rift existed. But a quick study of its energy and properties showed it was artificial in origin.” The Doctor paused and looked about his other selves.
“You mean it was a trap, hmm?” The first asked, lifting his head high.
“Exactly. Although I’ve been wracking my brains as to whom laid the trap and why and I can’t quite place it. There’s something but it doesn’t fit.” The Doctor replied.
“The Master?” The fourth asked.
“No.” The Doctor replied at the same time as the tenth. “You met him recently as well then.”
“You could say that.” The tenth said, rubbing the back of his neck. “But there’s something about this that is so not his style at all.”
“Ah, ho ho. How right you are, Doctors. And how nice to see you again.”
The sound of the voice caused the four Doctors to spin and look in its direction. They were greeted by a translucent yet hazy blue holographic figure that stood watching them. His arms were folded, concealing his hands beneath the robes of the monk’s habit he wore. His jowled features smiling with an almost mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
“You?” The Doctor gasped.
“You foiled my plans to make a better world, stole my dimensional unit and then my directional unit and then left me at the mercy of Daleks.” The Monk said, his face becoming more serious. “It was only blind luck that got me back to Gallifrey so I could get a new directional unit for my TARDIS.”
“So that’s it! You’re after some childish act of revenge, hmm?” The first said, taking a step towards the holographic image. “Then why don’t you show yourself, hmm? Instead of hiding away in your ship and trans, erm, sending an image.”
The Monk laughed. “Oh, come now Doctor. And miss out on watching the fun. Watching you squabble. And imagine the fun that I can have when I do this.”
“Do what? You’re an amateur. Nothing but a mild inconvenience.” The fourth almost growled in a deep voice.
“Inconv-? Amateur?” The Monk stumbled over the words, his face becoming serious once again. “You forget that my TARDIS is a mark four. You never did answer me. What mark is yours, eh?” Looking at the gathered Doctors the Monk smiled again. “As I said, this could be fun.” The holographic image reached out and operated an invisible control. The nulled void was filled for an instant with a bright flash of light. The sound of the TARDIS dematerialising filled the void, causing the four Doctors to look about in confusion as the tenth and eighth faded out of being along with two versions of the TARDIS.
“What have you-?” The first began turning to where the Monks image had been. The holographic image had disappeared, leaving only the echoing sound of the Monks laughter.
