Post by Slagathor on Dec 18, 2009 1:48:10 GMT
Part 7 – Speechless Paradox
“Well, there was at least one casualty here,” House announced. “This woman is dead.”
“That’s me,” Ann MacGregor cried.
“Greg, we can NOT have a paradox here. You’ve got to revive her!” the Doctor insisted. House looked up at the older MacGregor and then back down at the younger.
“You were hot,” House exclaimed, as he quickly began giving CPR. “Oxygen,” he called out. The older MacGregor shared her oxygen with her younger self, while House performed CPR.
In the meantime, the Doctor was monitoring the Time Tunnel. All he could see was an explosion in a New England town.
“That’s done it. Apparently, Newman and Phillips blew up the aliens’ equipment. We’ll need to get out of here.”
The younger Ann McGregor began breathing again.
“Carter, find the encryption key.” Ann pointed Carter to the appropriate panel.
“Got it!” Carter called out.
General Kirk started to rise. Ann was mesmerized. It was like seeing the dead come back to life. The Doctor grabbed her by the arm.
Once back in the Tardis, they monitored the temporal readings. “That’s it. That was the last transfer.”
The Doctor quickly dematerialized the Tardis to follow the signal. The hopeful expression on his face faded.
“What’s the matter?” Ann asked.
“Their signal doesn’t go anywhere,” replied the Doctor.
“That’s not possible,” Ann cried. “This has been all for nothing!”
“Not really,” said Samantha Carter. “We saved you and the rest of the Time Tunnel personnel.”
“That’s not nothing,” Mitchell added.
“Not nothing?” the Doctor mused. “Then, it must be something.”
“Well yeah,” Mitchell answered, confused. “Am I missing something?”
“No, I am.”
“Could he be a little less cryptic?” asked Jackson.
“Rarely,” House whispered.
“What’s not nothing? And not something?”
“See,” House confirmed.
“It’s something in between nothing and something. Something incomplete.”
“Can your Tardis find them?” Ann asked hopefully.
“No,” the Doctor answered. “But I have an idea.” He quickly went to the controls and materialized the Tardis. He checked the environmental scanner, and ran to the door. Outside was an empty void. They all followed.
“Is this some sort of temporal void?” Jackson asked.
“No, I think we’re in a cavern,” Mitchell suggested.
“Are we in a cavern?” Samantha asked.
“Yes,” Ann answered. “One dug over sixty years ago.” The Doctor smiled at her deduction.
“Do you remember where the emergency lighting is?” She nodded. “Here’s a torch.”
“A cavern with a linoleum floor,” House observed, shining his flashlight at the ground. Suddenly the emergency lighting came on.
“We’re back in the Time Tunnel,” Carter remarked. “Where did the staff go?”
“Home, I guess.”
“We’re back in the present, aren’t we?” asked House.
“How did you know?” Jackson asked.
“Maybe the thick blanket of dust gave it away,” House shot back.
“But what are we doing here?” Colonel Mitchell asked.
“We need the Time Tunnel to recover Newman and Phillips.”
“If they couldn’t do it before, how can we do it now?”
“What’s changed?”
“Destiny,” the Doctor answered. “Well, me and destiny.”
“Does anyone understand what he’s saying?” Jackson muttered.
“I find it best to just humor him when he’s one of his ‘Lord of Time’ moods,” House advised the others. At that moment, Ann McGregor came back into the main control room. She looked at the time tunnel; it appeared dark and foreboding, like a beast with a deep gaping mouth.
“I’m not exactly sure what you’re trying to do.”
“I plan to use the Time Tunnel to recover Tony and Doug.”
“That’s not possible. There are back-up batteries for lights and auxiliary systems, but the Tunnel required an enormous amount of power from three nuclear reactors. Sometimes even they weren’t enough,” MacGregor explained. “And those reactors were dismantled when they shutdown the project.”
“Can you shift at least enough power to activate the control panels?”
“I suppose so, but it still won’t activate the Tunnel.”
“Do it. Trust me. What could it hurt?”
“I’ll help,” Carter offered.
“That’s the spirit,” the Doctor grinned.
Samantha Carter and Ann McGregor worked on activating the control panels, while the Doctor examined the Time Tunnel systems. This left Mitchell, Jackson and House with little to do, so they went sightseeing inside the complex.
“Wow, I thought Stargate Command was big,” commented Jackson.
“This place is huge,” Mitchell exclaimed. “You could put a dozen of the biggest skyscrapers inside this place.”
“And they just closed it up. I’m surprised they didn’t use it for some other project.”
“Like the Stargate?”
“Maybe they didn’t want to disturb the ghosts of Tony and Doug,” quipped House.
“You don’t believe the Doctor can do this?”
“I don’t have beliefs.”
A thing is or isn’t. It happens or it doesn’t.
“I know there are aliens, Tardises, Stargates, and Time Tunnels. I now know my tax dollars are spent on a lot of really wacky government complexes, doing unworldly things….which on one level, I have to admit is really cool.”
“Yes, but…”
They all stopped in their tracks at what they saw before them. Jackson and Mitchell just looked at one another. Even House was speechless.
**********************
“Well, there was at least one casualty here,” House announced. “This woman is dead.”
“That’s me,” Ann MacGregor cried.
“Greg, we can NOT have a paradox here. You’ve got to revive her!” the Doctor insisted. House looked up at the older MacGregor and then back down at the younger.
“You were hot,” House exclaimed, as he quickly began giving CPR. “Oxygen,” he called out. The older MacGregor shared her oxygen with her younger self, while House performed CPR.
In the meantime, the Doctor was monitoring the Time Tunnel. All he could see was an explosion in a New England town.
“That’s done it. Apparently, Newman and Phillips blew up the aliens’ equipment. We’ll need to get out of here.”
The younger Ann McGregor began breathing again.
“Carter, find the encryption key.” Ann pointed Carter to the appropriate panel.
“Got it!” Carter called out.
General Kirk started to rise. Ann was mesmerized. It was like seeing the dead come back to life. The Doctor grabbed her by the arm.
Once back in the Tardis, they monitored the temporal readings. “That’s it. That was the last transfer.”
The Doctor quickly dematerialized the Tardis to follow the signal. The hopeful expression on his face faded.
“What’s the matter?” Ann asked.
“Their signal doesn’t go anywhere,” replied the Doctor.
“That’s not possible,” Ann cried. “This has been all for nothing!”
“Not really,” said Samantha Carter. “We saved you and the rest of the Time Tunnel personnel.”
“That’s not nothing,” Mitchell added.
“Not nothing?” the Doctor mused. “Then, it must be something.”
“Well yeah,” Mitchell answered, confused. “Am I missing something?”
“No, I am.”
“Could he be a little less cryptic?” asked Jackson.
“Rarely,” House whispered.
“What’s not nothing? And not something?”
“See,” House confirmed.
“It’s something in between nothing and something. Something incomplete.”
“Can your Tardis find them?” Ann asked hopefully.
“No,” the Doctor answered. “But I have an idea.” He quickly went to the controls and materialized the Tardis. He checked the environmental scanner, and ran to the door. Outside was an empty void. They all followed.
“Is this some sort of temporal void?” Jackson asked.
“No, I think we’re in a cavern,” Mitchell suggested.
“Are we in a cavern?” Samantha asked.
“Yes,” Ann answered. “One dug over sixty years ago.” The Doctor smiled at her deduction.
“Do you remember where the emergency lighting is?” She nodded. “Here’s a torch.”
“A cavern with a linoleum floor,” House observed, shining his flashlight at the ground. Suddenly the emergency lighting came on.
“We’re back in the Time Tunnel,” Carter remarked. “Where did the staff go?”
“Home, I guess.”
“We’re back in the present, aren’t we?” asked House.
“How did you know?” Jackson asked.
“Maybe the thick blanket of dust gave it away,” House shot back.
“But what are we doing here?” Colonel Mitchell asked.
“We need the Time Tunnel to recover Newman and Phillips.”
“If they couldn’t do it before, how can we do it now?”
“What’s changed?”
“Destiny,” the Doctor answered. “Well, me and destiny.”
“Does anyone understand what he’s saying?” Jackson muttered.
“I find it best to just humor him when he’s one of his ‘Lord of Time’ moods,” House advised the others. At that moment, Ann McGregor came back into the main control room. She looked at the time tunnel; it appeared dark and foreboding, like a beast with a deep gaping mouth.
“I’m not exactly sure what you’re trying to do.”
“I plan to use the Time Tunnel to recover Tony and Doug.”
“That’s not possible. There are back-up batteries for lights and auxiliary systems, but the Tunnel required an enormous amount of power from three nuclear reactors. Sometimes even they weren’t enough,” MacGregor explained. “And those reactors were dismantled when they shutdown the project.”
“Can you shift at least enough power to activate the control panels?”
“I suppose so, but it still won’t activate the Tunnel.”
“Do it. Trust me. What could it hurt?”
“I’ll help,” Carter offered.
“That’s the spirit,” the Doctor grinned.
Samantha Carter and Ann McGregor worked on activating the control panels, while the Doctor examined the Time Tunnel systems. This left Mitchell, Jackson and House with little to do, so they went sightseeing inside the complex.
“Wow, I thought Stargate Command was big,” commented Jackson.
“This place is huge,” Mitchell exclaimed. “You could put a dozen of the biggest skyscrapers inside this place.”
“And they just closed it up. I’m surprised they didn’t use it for some other project.”
“Like the Stargate?”
“Maybe they didn’t want to disturb the ghosts of Tony and Doug,” quipped House.
“You don’t believe the Doctor can do this?”
“I don’t have beliefs.”
A thing is or isn’t. It happens or it doesn’t.
“I know there are aliens, Tardises, Stargates, and Time Tunnels. I now know my tax dollars are spent on a lot of really wacky government complexes, doing unworldly things….which on one level, I have to admit is really cool.”
“Yes, but…”
They all stopped in their tracks at what they saw before them. Jackson and Mitchell just looked at one another. Even House was speechless.
**********************
