Post by Cornelia_Africana on Dec 12, 2005 12:44:26 GMT
“Yes, this is the world your ancestors knew as Fairyland” the Doctor said, amused in spite of himself at the way the girl was looking around in wonder.
“The question is, where are we exactly?” she asked.
“Exactly? I’m not sure. But I would make a guess that we are at exactly the same spatial co-ordinates as we were when we stood at the centre of the Mound, but that we’ve shifted onto one of the other dimensions of time – there are more than one , you know – and so are effectively in a different space-time continuum. The multiverse is a very big place. An infinite number of universes, and a infinite number coming into existence every chronon – it would take a lot of energy to shift us too far from where we were in our own universe. Look!” He indicated a human figure moving towards them from outside the weirdly distorted circle of stones. As it grew nearer, it could clearly be seen to be a tall and beautiful female figure, not unlike the unearthly shapes they had seen in the stone circle the night before, only this time its features could be clearly distinguished. As she approached, she bowed to the visitors, and spoke with a musical voice.
“You are welcome, strangers.”
“Thank you.” The Doctor bowed low in turn. “I take it I am addressing one of the Tuatha de Danaan?”
The woman smiled. “I am Cian, a leader of the Tuatha de Danaan. I have seen you before, though only very faintly.”
“Yes”, the Doctor replied. “As we only saw you very faintly, when you partly passed into our world.”
“And you partly passed into ours. I attempted to warn you then of a danger that is approaching your universe. That unfortunate man who was murdered when the Moon was full in your world – I attempted to warn him too, but it was too late.”
“That is why I am here, “ replied the Doctor. “What is this danger? What is attempting to pass from your world into ours?”
”It is not from our world,” the fairy woman replied. “We do not know what it is, or where it comes from. Some time ago – and that would be a very long time ago in your universe – it attempted to enter our world. It failed because nothing evil can exist here. Nonetheless, some of us left our universe because of it, via the stone portals.” She indicated the circle which surrounded them. “We emerged in bubbles of light that floated to the ground.”
“The ships that floated through the air’ Saoirse whispered to the Doctor.
“We then built similar portals in your world, to get back when we needed too.” Cian continued. “But we found that more energy was needed, and that we needed to build huge mounds to concentrate the energies in your world. However, the being of evil now knows that a portal from our universe into yours exists via the Mound, and is seeking to access your world by tunnelling through ours. It managed to send a child back that had inadvertantly wandered into ours – such things unfortunately happen sometimes. I think its motive was to provoke your people into some sort of action. And – Doctor – it knows who you are, and it seeks you in particular.”
* * *
After the Doctor and Saoirse had gone to the Mound that evening, Katsumi had accompanied Francois back to the Manor, where they intended to keep an eye on Giles, as unobtrusively as they could. They were sitting in the great hall now, discussing him with Annikki by the light of the fire.
“Of course, you’ve known him longer than I have” Francois was saying to her. “Has he always been as obnoxious as he is now?”
“Not always” she replied. “It all began when we were on excavation together in Siberia. A semi-circle of standing stones had been discovered there, and we were investigating it. I found him one morning, lying unconscious at the foot of one of the stones. It seemed as though he’d had some sort of stroke. When he recovered consciousness he said – it sounds almost too bizarre for words – he said the stone had been talking to him.”
“Talking to him?” Katsumi repeated.
“Yes. He never said anything about it again, so I just attributed it to the effects to his illness. But it was after that that his strange behaviour began.”
“And this stone – did it have a high quartz content, by any chance?”
“Why, yes. They always do.”
“Of course they always do.” He and Katsumi looked at each other. “Where is our colleague by the way? I think we ought to check up on what he’s doing.”
He was, in fact, in conference with his master at that moment. As usual, the room was filled with the unearthly light from the strange, quartz like structure. But this time the voice sounded exultant, almost triumphant.
“The Doctor has fallen into my trap! You must take me to the Mound now! Now is the time – now I can come through! Now!”
“What about the soldiers?”
”Tell them the lie I told you to tell them.You will find a way to persuade them. But you must take me there now!”
There was a knock on the door, and Francois’ voice was heard. “Giles! What are you doing?”
“Go away!” he shouted. “I’m busy.” His voice was hoarse and strained.
“You don’t sound too good” Francois replied.
“Just go away!” There was the note of panic in his voice. “Leave me alone!”
“I don’t think you’re allright. I’m coming in!”
Francois pushed open the door, and the party had to shield their eyes from the light momentarily, and were almost pushed back by the sense of evil that was emanating from the structure. Not only that – some sort of sound was coming from it that seemed for all the world to be insane laughter.
“What the hell is that thing?” Annikki gasped. Katsumi ran towards him to try and grab it.
Giles knew there was only one thing he could do. He slammed the lid down on the box, and pushed Katsumi aside. He forced his way past Francois and Annikki at the door, and ran downstairs, still carrying the thing. When they had picked themselves up they followed him. He had already got out of the front door, and could be seen heading in the direction of the Mound. There was nothing else for it but to follow him, running as fast as they could.
* * *
Meanwhile, back in the fairy world, the Doctor struck his head as he realised what he had just done.
“Oh, great Gallifrey! It wants to enter our world – and I’ve just opened a doorway to it!”
“The question is, where are we exactly?” she asked.
“Exactly? I’m not sure. But I would make a guess that we are at exactly the same spatial co-ordinates as we were when we stood at the centre of the Mound, but that we’ve shifted onto one of the other dimensions of time – there are more than one , you know – and so are effectively in a different space-time continuum. The multiverse is a very big place. An infinite number of universes, and a infinite number coming into existence every chronon – it would take a lot of energy to shift us too far from where we were in our own universe. Look!” He indicated a human figure moving towards them from outside the weirdly distorted circle of stones. As it grew nearer, it could clearly be seen to be a tall and beautiful female figure, not unlike the unearthly shapes they had seen in the stone circle the night before, only this time its features could be clearly distinguished. As she approached, she bowed to the visitors, and spoke with a musical voice.
“You are welcome, strangers.”
“Thank you.” The Doctor bowed low in turn. “I take it I am addressing one of the Tuatha de Danaan?”
The woman smiled. “I am Cian, a leader of the Tuatha de Danaan. I have seen you before, though only very faintly.”
“Yes”, the Doctor replied. “As we only saw you very faintly, when you partly passed into our world.”
“And you partly passed into ours. I attempted to warn you then of a danger that is approaching your universe. That unfortunate man who was murdered when the Moon was full in your world – I attempted to warn him too, but it was too late.”
“That is why I am here, “ replied the Doctor. “What is this danger? What is attempting to pass from your world into ours?”
”It is not from our world,” the fairy woman replied. “We do not know what it is, or where it comes from. Some time ago – and that would be a very long time ago in your universe – it attempted to enter our world. It failed because nothing evil can exist here. Nonetheless, some of us left our universe because of it, via the stone portals.” She indicated the circle which surrounded them. “We emerged in bubbles of light that floated to the ground.”
“The ships that floated through the air’ Saoirse whispered to the Doctor.
“We then built similar portals in your world, to get back when we needed too.” Cian continued. “But we found that more energy was needed, and that we needed to build huge mounds to concentrate the energies in your world. However, the being of evil now knows that a portal from our universe into yours exists via the Mound, and is seeking to access your world by tunnelling through ours. It managed to send a child back that had inadvertantly wandered into ours – such things unfortunately happen sometimes. I think its motive was to provoke your people into some sort of action. And – Doctor – it knows who you are, and it seeks you in particular.”
* * *
After the Doctor and Saoirse had gone to the Mound that evening, Katsumi had accompanied Francois back to the Manor, where they intended to keep an eye on Giles, as unobtrusively as they could. They were sitting in the great hall now, discussing him with Annikki by the light of the fire.
“Of course, you’ve known him longer than I have” Francois was saying to her. “Has he always been as obnoxious as he is now?”
“Not always” she replied. “It all began when we were on excavation together in Siberia. A semi-circle of standing stones had been discovered there, and we were investigating it. I found him one morning, lying unconscious at the foot of one of the stones. It seemed as though he’d had some sort of stroke. When he recovered consciousness he said – it sounds almost too bizarre for words – he said the stone had been talking to him.”
“Talking to him?” Katsumi repeated.
“Yes. He never said anything about it again, so I just attributed it to the effects to his illness. But it was after that that his strange behaviour began.”
“And this stone – did it have a high quartz content, by any chance?”
“Why, yes. They always do.”
“Of course they always do.” He and Katsumi looked at each other. “Where is our colleague by the way? I think we ought to check up on what he’s doing.”
He was, in fact, in conference with his master at that moment. As usual, the room was filled with the unearthly light from the strange, quartz like structure. But this time the voice sounded exultant, almost triumphant.
“The Doctor has fallen into my trap! You must take me to the Mound now! Now is the time – now I can come through! Now!”
“What about the soldiers?”
”Tell them the lie I told you to tell them.You will find a way to persuade them. But you must take me there now!”
There was a knock on the door, and Francois’ voice was heard. “Giles! What are you doing?”
“Go away!” he shouted. “I’m busy.” His voice was hoarse and strained.
“You don’t sound too good” Francois replied.
“Just go away!” There was the note of panic in his voice. “Leave me alone!”
“I don’t think you’re allright. I’m coming in!”
Francois pushed open the door, and the party had to shield their eyes from the light momentarily, and were almost pushed back by the sense of evil that was emanating from the structure. Not only that – some sort of sound was coming from it that seemed for all the world to be insane laughter.
“What the hell is that thing?” Annikki gasped. Katsumi ran towards him to try and grab it.
Giles knew there was only one thing he could do. He slammed the lid down on the box, and pushed Katsumi aside. He forced his way past Francois and Annikki at the door, and ran downstairs, still carrying the thing. When they had picked themselves up they followed him. He had already got out of the front door, and could be seen heading in the direction of the Mound. There was nothing else for it but to follow him, running as fast as they could.
* * *
Meanwhile, back in the fairy world, the Doctor struck his head as he realised what he had just done.
“Oh, great Gallifrey! It wants to enter our world – and I’ve just opened a doorway to it!”
