Post by Oldmankrondas on May 17, 2009 20:58:15 GMT
The Doctor paced the floor of the cellar, trying to figure out his next step. He didn't want to be out of touch with The Forge for too long, not while they had access to the Speculum, god only knows what would happen, there was already the risk that another had fallen through when Anna was transported. He hurried back inside the TARDIS and unhooked the long cable that ran from underneath the console into the cellar, he then rerouted the power that had been used by the Speculum to its original purpose, keeping a dimensional lock on The Forge. He stood there for a few minutes, trying to connect with the TARDIS, he knew it was keeping things from him, which meant it either belongs to an older version of himself, or it was someone else's entirely. But how many TARDISes were left? The last one he had come across was the Masters a lifetime ago when it was cannibalised into a Timelord warship, one he subsequently destroyed in a battle that had almost killed him. The other Timelords? The ones he banished, was it possible that they had been able to build a new one? None of it seemed likely, which meant that...
'Doctor!' Professor Ryan entered, clutching his mobile phone. 'It's for you.'
The Doctor took the phone from Ryan and put it up to his ear. 'Hello.'
'JOHN SMITH YOU WILL NO LONGER PLAY GAMES WITH US. YOU WILL MEET WITH US'
'I've got some things to wrap here so how about I meet you in an hour? Stick the kettle on.' He pressed the red button before they could respond.
'Doctor, what's going on here? What happened to Henry? Who keeps calling you?' Ryan asked.
The Doctor sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 'I was wrong about the creatures that existed between realities. At least, I think I am. The creatures that killed Mr Latham and Professor Sterling were imprisoned in some other dimension by....' He paused, looking at the console. '...by a Timelord. This is his ship, and it was left here for a reason, and that reason was to keep the prison sealed. Once you lot started siphoning power off elsewhere the prison bars began to rust and some of our friends managed to slip out.'
'So what do we do?'
The Doctor shrugged. 'Not sure yet, but I'm working on it. Hand me that book will you?'
Ryan followed the Doctor's pointing finger and picked up a small, black, leather-bound book from the small table in the corner of the room. He handed it over as the Doctor produced a pen from his suit pocket. The Doctor took the book and opened it, but noticing it had been written in slammed it shut immediately. 'Actually Professor Ryan, you take the book, find a blank page and write down these co-ordinates.' The Doctor handed the book back to the Professor and began reading the co-ordinates of The Forge's dimensional prison.
'So which district do you come from?' the man rasped, his pale bony hands keeping hold of the reins.
'District?' Anna paused for a minute, not entirely sure what to say. 'Aberdeenshire.' Aberdeenshire?
'Ah right, yeah one of the harbour districts. I went to Aberdeen once before the incident, beautiful city when the sun shines...not so much any other time of year.'
Anna laughed politely, not wanting to let on she'd never actually been to Aberdeen. 'So this doctor, you think he'll be able to help me?'
'He's lived in the old house for years, threw open the doors after the incident, treating the sick and the injured.' The man replied, his right hand resting on the rifle. 'Has a hotline to the government.'
Anna nodded. 'Good man to know then.'
They sat in silence for a few minutes as the cart turned a corner into a large courtyard with abandoned cars that had rusted long ago. Carrying on up the road they passed through a wrought iron gate and arrived outside a large mansion house, the windows smashed and the brickwork having seen better days. 'Here we are miss!' the man announced in a way that made Anna feel as if she were in a Dickens novel. She clambered down from the cart and followed her new companion up the path to the front door where he rang the doorbell. A few seconds later and there was a loud thud as the door was unbolted and a young blonde man with a scar running down the length of his face, dressed in a thick green turtleneck looked Anna up and down.
'Byrne what have I told you about bringing back strangers?'
'She wants to see the Doctor.' Byrne rasped in reply, before bursting into a coughing fit.
'Don't they all?' the blonde man replied, looking at Anna suspiciously. 'Oh what do I care? He'll just give me hassle for turning people away, come on in.'
George Burnett sat in the living room staring out the window at the rain falling heavily. He sipped his whiskey and thought about the strange man Professor Ryan had brought to the house. Could he be the one John had spoke of so many years ago? He glanced down at the photo on the table; John, Kathryn and himself all standing outside the house, all three of them looking so young and full of life. 'Mr Burnett.' a voice called from behind him. George turned to see the strange man standing in the doorway, hands in the pockets of his tweed trousers, a distant look upon his face.
'Yes...er...The Doctor isn't it?'
The Doctor gave a faint smile. 'Yes, that's right. I wanted to ask you a few questions about the man that used to own the house.'
'John? I'm not sure how much help they'll be but...'
'Did you know what he kept in the cellar?' the Doctor asked, walking over to the mantelpiece, picking up an oval shaped piece of metal with notches down the side.
'Memento's of his travels. You're interested in buying some of the artefacts?'
The Doctor was still turning the metal oval in his hands. 'Not exactly no...let's just say I'm an expert in the technology powering Professor Ryan's experiment and I thought I was the only person who'd ever seen anything like it.' He ran his thumb over the notches and suddenly the metal felt hot, then cold, it was pulsating his hand, the room began to shimmer around him. It suddenly looked ramshackle, the pristine fireplace now chipped and stained with soot, the grand windows all smashed, and George Burnett was gone, replaced by another man, a slightly younger man with thinning grey hair, dressed in a purple frock coat who was looking directly at him, eyebrows raised. Suddenly the scene began shimmering again and the Doctor was back in the room.
'Doctor!' Professor Ryan entered, clutching his mobile phone. 'It's for you.'
The Doctor took the phone from Ryan and put it up to his ear. 'Hello.'
'JOHN SMITH YOU WILL NO LONGER PLAY GAMES WITH US. YOU WILL MEET WITH US'
'I've got some things to wrap here so how about I meet you in an hour? Stick the kettle on.' He pressed the red button before they could respond.
'Doctor, what's going on here? What happened to Henry? Who keeps calling you?' Ryan asked.
The Doctor sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 'I was wrong about the creatures that existed between realities. At least, I think I am. The creatures that killed Mr Latham and Professor Sterling were imprisoned in some other dimension by....' He paused, looking at the console. '...by a Timelord. This is his ship, and it was left here for a reason, and that reason was to keep the prison sealed. Once you lot started siphoning power off elsewhere the prison bars began to rust and some of our friends managed to slip out.'
'So what do we do?'
The Doctor shrugged. 'Not sure yet, but I'm working on it. Hand me that book will you?'
Ryan followed the Doctor's pointing finger and picked up a small, black, leather-bound book from the small table in the corner of the room. He handed it over as the Doctor produced a pen from his suit pocket. The Doctor took the book and opened it, but noticing it had been written in slammed it shut immediately. 'Actually Professor Ryan, you take the book, find a blank page and write down these co-ordinates.' The Doctor handed the book back to the Professor and began reading the co-ordinates of The Forge's dimensional prison.
*
'So which district do you come from?' the man rasped, his pale bony hands keeping hold of the reins.
'District?' Anna paused for a minute, not entirely sure what to say. 'Aberdeenshire.' Aberdeenshire?
'Ah right, yeah one of the harbour districts. I went to Aberdeen once before the incident, beautiful city when the sun shines...not so much any other time of year.'
Anna laughed politely, not wanting to let on she'd never actually been to Aberdeen. 'So this doctor, you think he'll be able to help me?'
'He's lived in the old house for years, threw open the doors after the incident, treating the sick and the injured.' The man replied, his right hand resting on the rifle. 'Has a hotline to the government.'
Anna nodded. 'Good man to know then.'
They sat in silence for a few minutes as the cart turned a corner into a large courtyard with abandoned cars that had rusted long ago. Carrying on up the road they passed through a wrought iron gate and arrived outside a large mansion house, the windows smashed and the brickwork having seen better days. 'Here we are miss!' the man announced in a way that made Anna feel as if she were in a Dickens novel. She clambered down from the cart and followed her new companion up the path to the front door where he rang the doorbell. A few seconds later and there was a loud thud as the door was unbolted and a young blonde man with a scar running down the length of his face, dressed in a thick green turtleneck looked Anna up and down.
'Byrne what have I told you about bringing back strangers?'
'She wants to see the Doctor.' Byrne rasped in reply, before bursting into a coughing fit.
'Don't they all?' the blonde man replied, looking at Anna suspiciously. 'Oh what do I care? He'll just give me hassle for turning people away, come on in.'
*
George Burnett sat in the living room staring out the window at the rain falling heavily. He sipped his whiskey and thought about the strange man Professor Ryan had brought to the house. Could he be the one John had spoke of so many years ago? He glanced down at the photo on the table; John, Kathryn and himself all standing outside the house, all three of them looking so young and full of life. 'Mr Burnett.' a voice called from behind him. George turned to see the strange man standing in the doorway, hands in the pockets of his tweed trousers, a distant look upon his face.
'Yes...er...The Doctor isn't it?'
The Doctor gave a faint smile. 'Yes, that's right. I wanted to ask you a few questions about the man that used to own the house.'
'John? I'm not sure how much help they'll be but...'
'Did you know what he kept in the cellar?' the Doctor asked, walking over to the mantelpiece, picking up an oval shaped piece of metal with notches down the side.
'Memento's of his travels. You're interested in buying some of the artefacts?'
The Doctor was still turning the metal oval in his hands. 'Not exactly no...let's just say I'm an expert in the technology powering Professor Ryan's experiment and I thought I was the only person who'd ever seen anything like it.' He ran his thumb over the notches and suddenly the metal felt hot, then cold, it was pulsating his hand, the room began to shimmer around him. It suddenly looked ramshackle, the pristine fireplace now chipped and stained with soot, the grand windows all smashed, and George Burnett was gone, replaced by another man, a slightly younger man with thinning grey hair, dressed in a purple frock coat who was looking directly at him, eyebrows raised. Suddenly the scene began shimmering again and the Doctor was back in the room.
