Doctor Who: Old Timer (3) There was a scream from the kitchen as Doris ran into the hallway having seen soldiers with automatics running across the lawn. The Brigadier caught her and they both stared at Banberra. “He’s not here Banberra. What’s all this about?” Banberra sighed and put her gun away reluctantly. “I must talk to you…alone I’m afraid.” The Brigadier nodded and motioned for Doris to go back into the kitchen. “It’ll be alright. Give me five minutes.” “But Alistair…” “Please Doris.” Doris nodded and went back into the kitchen as the Brigadier led Banberra into the living room and shut the door. He showed her a chair and collapsed into his favourite seat – the very same position from where he’d seen the TARDIS appear from nowhere out of the corner of his eye. It still stood there – still enjoying the garden. “Now what’s all this about?” “Sir, early this morning, a satellite received a message from outer space – from a spaceship.” Banberra almost expected the Brigadier to laugh at the thought but his eyes remained deadly serious as if it had all happened before. “The message called for the Doctor. He must be given up or the Earth shall be destroyed in forty eight hours. Since you took the Doctor’s car out of storage again, I figured that he must be here and that you know where he is. You must tell me.” The Brigadier smiled. “Just like old times.” “Sir?” “I know where the Doctor is…but I must go to him alone. He won’t like to be interrupted like you caught me.” “But…” “That’s an order Banberra!” Banberra rolled her eyes and gave in. There was no beating Lethbridge-Stewart in a roaring contest. An inaudible mumble of echo reverberated around the station trying to inform the waiting passengers about an incoming train but failed spectacularly. The commotion of trains coming in and going out and the passengers walking to and fro was a haze that surrounded the Brigadier and Doris who stood in the middle of it all. “Alistair, you don’t have to go. Banberra will go instead – she’ll find the Doctor.” “The Doctor trusted me with his whereabouts, Doris. It must be me who goes.” “But what if something does happen…what then? You’re not in the army anymore.” “I’m not pretending that I am.” The Brigadier stood with a tight necked black sweater and a black trench coat over the top. He wasn’t going to wear his old uniform. He didn’t know if Doris knew about the gun slipped into the back of his trousers or not – just in case of course. “Don’t worry about me.” “But I do. You don’t need to go…it’s just like last time. You can’t give up playing soldier.” “No Doris, it’s more than that. The Doctor is a good friend and I’ll go through thick or thin with him. He’s not the young and athletic man as I knew him. He’s old and weary. He needs my help.” “Alistair – if only you’d told Banberra where he was. She could be there in a couple of hours and it would all be over.” “Yes, perhaps for the world.” “What?” The Brigadier smiled. “My train. I’ll call you when I get there. I promise.” He hopped onto the step and waved at Doris who stood on the platform and closed the door after him. Soon enough the train began to move and the Brigadier found a seat by the window. He watched as his wife got smaller and smaller and further and further away until she disappeared from sight. He would see her again, he was sure. “Excellent. Excellent.” “I’m glad that you approve.” The Valyard, otherwise known as the Doctor, stood to one side in the very same ceremonial robes that he wore at the trial. The trial was long ago now – it was just another failure forgotten to the ages. Now the Doctor was in the middle of something much more dangerous. In the centre of the oval-shaped room sat Davros, creator of the Dalek machine, eying an open-cased piece of machinery that was, of course, stolen. “It is your ticket across the universe, through space and time.” “With this power I could go back in time and introduce the Dalek so that they could effortlessly sweep across the universe and conquer everything without resistance! The universe in the palm of my hand.” Davros held out his thin leathery hand, shaking with pleasure at the thought of such control. This was the last of the Kaled race in its old form – withered and now mostly robotic. In the corner of the room stood the TARDIS in the shape of an old grey pillar. It was too risky to let them see the police box – they may remember. They would remember. Next to this was a pair of Daleks guarding their creator built with a white and gold motif. They appeared to be royalty. “Well, if you are satisfied Davros…I have what I want and you have what you want. I’ll see myself out.” The Doctor turned towards the TARDIS smiling happily. “Wait,” croaked Davros. The two Daleks turned towards the Doctor and aimed their guns at him. Davros twisted himself round and stared at the Time Lord intently. “So…Doc-tor. You dare to trick me – you dare to bring yourself aboard my ship! I will have great pleasure in having you exterminated…for old time’s sake.” The Doctor was surprised. “How did you know it was me?” “I have your bio-print. I knew it was you the moment that you arrived. But I also know that you have foolishly given me a working TARDIS!” Davros moved closer so that they could watch each other eye to eye. “But I do not yet know your motive. Tell me!” Not wanting to reply, the Doctor moved quickly and turned towards the TARDIS. He reached the door but suddenly an intense pulse of chemical altering heat exploded towards him, catching him in the side. Wincing at the horrific wound, he staggered through the TARDIS doors and fell upon the control console, pressing a few buttons before falling to the floor. “Please…Take me somewhere safe…” Davros screamed from the oval-shaped room as the TARDIS disappeared. “Track him! Follow, follow!” *** A robin danced on the large garden surrounded by tall trees. The grass was of a perfect length having been recently mowed and was home to a plethora of different creatures. The bird found itself in the garden of a large home that sat at one end. Scared, the robin scuttled away quickly upon hearing a faint yet growing rumble coming its way. Slowly but surely a blue police box of the 1960s materialized at the centre of the garden. With a crack the door opened and an old man fell from the darkness onto the lawn. It was cold walking up the country lane so the Brigadier pulled his coat tighter about him, watching his breath condense into a thin wispy cloud as it swirled around his face and disappeared. He loved the Scottish countryside – the tall mountains and the lowlands; the clear air and the chilly breeze. It was all so calm and relaxing. He could enjoy none of this, however – not even when he stared out of the window of the train on the way up, watching the scenery roll past in a blur of green under blue. All his mind could focus on was the space ship up there and the Doctor’s involvement. Who could they be this time? The Brigadier wouldn’t miss this for the world. But it was not just that – not just a renewed childhood thrill of adventure. It was a friend in need. They weren’t as young as they used to be and the Doctor would certainly need someone by his side to pull through such a challenge. They were both getting too old for this sort of thing – shown clearly by the Doctor’s want to give it all up and settle down. This could never last for long. At the end of the old road sat a small cottage with Bessie parked just outside in the driveway, surviving the frosty cold. Good, he’s in, thought the Brigadier. Either side of the narrow lane was a thick hedge, cutting off sight of the fields beyond, of the grazing sheep and the thick grass. Finally the Brigadier arrived at the front door and knocked on it firmly, standing back slightly as he waited for it to open. It did so and the old and weary Doctor appeared. “Brigadier!” the Doctor exclaimed, holding a pot of tea in one hand and the door handle in the other. “Hello Doctor…not disturbing you am I?” “Of course not! Come in, come in.” The Brigadier followed the old Time Lord inside, closing the door after him and made his way down a short dark corridor. Evening was coming on. “Whatever are you doing here? I thought I told you not to contact me unless something bad happened.” “Well,” started the Brigadier, plonking himself into a seat that he was directed to, “it has.” The Doctor stared at him, putting the kettle to one side. “Did you want a cup of tea?” “Maybe later.” “What’s happened?” The Brigadier licked his lips and looked away slightly to have a peek at the tidy and nearly empty room. “I was contacted by UNIT yesterday. Brigadier Banberra. Remember her?” “Oh yes. You’re replacement.” “Exactly. Well…a satellite picked up a message from a spaceship. It was a ransom. You or the Earth is destroyed…I’m sorry Doctor.” “Don’t be.” The Doctor looked away. “I had an uneasy feeling that this was coming.” “Who are they? What do they really want?” “Daleks, Brigadier, with their creator Davros. Before I arrived at your home, I was doing a deal with them – I was giving them the power of a TARDIS.” “Why would you do that?” “Well it was trick. A bluff. In my last incarnation I didn’t have the best of personalities – he was slightly distorted... I allowed only one run of the machine, then upon being used for its second time it would destroy itself…and everything in the vicinity. They must have tracked the TARDIS and followed me here – you see how it wasn’t that good a TARDIS copy seeing as they’re months late. I thought Davros would destroy himself but it looks like I will have to help him.” “What do you mean?” “Well, they won’t leave without me so Earth is in danger. This is it Brigadier…this is the end. The end I’ve been waiting for.” “The end? What…” “The end of me. I must sacrifice myself.” The Doctor stood up uneasily, only just coming to terms with it himself, and twisted one of the rings on his fingers. Gradually the whirr of the TARDIS shook the air and the time machine appeared out of the window in the field straight from the Brigadier’s garden. His previous incarnations would never have done it this way but something of the Valyard was still with him – a blatant vision of winning, a distorted past. “Well Brigadier.” He offered out his hand to shake – the last goodbye. “I must leave you here I’m afraid. Thank you…thank you for everything.” “Wait a minute Doctor. Don’t think that I’m not coming with you!” The Brigadier stood up defiantly. “Brigadier…I can’t.” “Doctor, I’m coming with you whether you like it or not.” The Doctor gulped and wanted to argue but he felt the Brigadier’s want to be by his side. He loved humans after all, he remembered that. The TARDIS groaned into its coordinates – the very same oval shaped room as before where the negotiations had taken place. Why the Doctor had wanted to be paid in Dalek technology, he couldn’t remember – perhaps he wanted to build an army of mindless pepper pots of his own. He couldn’t remember at all. The Dalek waiting in the room, guarding the TARDIS device in the centre, sent a message to Davros that the Doctor had arrived. The creator would be there soon enough. The Doctor and the Brigadier appeared from the police box and confronted the Dalek. “HALT!” it yelled. “WAIT HERE!” “I think we’d better do as it says,” said the Doctor as he noticed the Brigadier fumbling with the gun lodged between his belt and trousers. Don’t do it Brigadier, he thought, don’t do it. “Where’s that Davros chap you were talking about?” “Oh he’ll be coming shortly,” the Doctor smiled, staring at the Dalek’s eyepiece. Suddenly the electronic door swung to one side and Davros swerved himself into the room. The hatch concealing his upper body opened and he stared angrily at the two intruders. “Ah, Doc-tor, you’ve returned…and you’ve changed again…more unsightly than ever.” “The usual Davros greeting…what do you want with me?” “You shall be taken back to Skaro and you will be ceremonially exterminated.” “Then let my friend leave. It’s me you want. Let him go free – he’s here by accident only.” “Oh no Doctor. Seeing as he’s here, he might as well die too. Exterminate him!” “I OBEY!” cried the Dalek, manoeuvring into position. The Doctor grabbed the Brigadier’s gun from his belt and fired at the Dalek, shattering the eyepiece into millions of tiny fragments. “VISION IMPAIRED! I CANNOT SEE!” The Dalek shot about itself randomly, hoping to pick off the Doctor or at least his companion. Moving quickly, the Doctor fired again at the door panel, permanently switching it off – no one could leave or come in that way. “Get into the TARDIS Brigadier.” In the commotion, the Brigadier had fallen to the floor and he staggered back to his feet upon hearing the Doctor’s voice. “I’m staying with you Doctor…I must stay.” The Doctor pointed the gun at the Brigadier’s temple and the old man’s eyes lit up in horror. “Get into the TARDIS now!” He was yelling – it had to be done. With a maniacal genius and a blind Dalek in the room, the odds were stacked against them. The Brigadier did as he was told and the Doctor twisted one of his rings, making the old vessel disappear. After a moment’s thought that he was doing the right thing, he turned to Davros. “What are you going to do now?” “You wanted to go to Skaro didn’t you? Let’s go then.” The Doctor moved over to the machine and after pressing a few buttons it lit up. One more button… But the Dalek got a lucky shot and blasted the Doctor before he could make the final step, sending him backwards slightly. Mustering up the remnants of his strength he leapt at the machine and slammed his fist at the remaining button, sending the entire room into a brilliant white. The spaceship floating through the vacuum towards Earth warped inwards as the machine tried to pull everything towards it. Failing this, everything exploded. The ship disintegrated into a billion tiny fragments, firing across open space like a bone china cup of tea smashing across a stone floor. Help yourself to a cup of tea… The grating noise of the TARDIS etched itself into that of the birdsong and the police box emerged from the vortex onto the lawn of the Brigadier’s home. Take me somewhere safe… The ex-UNIT officer stepped out as if he’d just been put through a disappearing act onstage. His eyes sunk down and his mouth warbled slightly. Looking up at the blue box he placed his hand on its side and a tear trickled from his eye. He couldn’t believe it was all over. The Doctor had saved everyone from the Daleks. Not only that – Davros’ daleks were now completely deactivated because of their creator’s death. Davros was ultimately a cautionary fellow – no one could control his Daleks but him…not after the blunder of the renegade Daleks. The Doctor had saved millions. The Brigadier took a step back from the time machine to take it all in but it was too much. The Doctor was gone forever but the Brigadier could at least be safe in the knowledge that he had made a difference – the Doctor had needed him. Then the TARDIS disappeared from the Brigadier’s lawn. Having viewed the Doctor’s death through the Matrix, the Time Lords back on Gallifrey retracted the vessel and put it into decommission. Its travelling days were over. It was all over. Deep in the recesses of space, billions of miles from the planet Earth, a small green and blue planet thrived with life. At least, it used to thrive. Twelve years before, the Daleks had arrived and took over everything – the population of the planet was turned into a labour force. In one of the many caverns, Tanesha carried a large rock with her bare hands over to a wheelbarrow and dropped it in. The sweat of the work dribbled down her face. When she was captured from the resistance she’d been pregnant and the Daleks exterminated the baby moments after the prison-light hit its little eyes. It almost drove her to suicide. It was five months on and she didn’t think that she could go on for much longer. Slowly, she picked up the pickaxe and swung it at the rock, dislodging another great pile loose. From high up on a ledge a Dalek came crashing down, smashing into the rock below. Oh no, another useless attempt at breakout, thought Tanesha, staring up at the ledge. But there was no one there. She stared at the Dalek that had been keeping guard but its eyepiece was slumped down and so too were its operating stick and gun. It was totally deactivated by Davros’ death millions of miles away and hundreds of years in the past. “It ain’t movin’,” said one of the miners, giving the Dalek a small push. “It’s dead!” Tanesha’s eyes brightened and she watched as people started their escape to the upper levels. She joined them eagerly, pushing her way through the corridors of rock, passing many Daleks that were slumped in the same position or had plummeted into pieces. They were free! Tanesha reached the daylight and it almost burned her eyes like it did to so many others. They stared about them and breathed in the fresh air that they were so unused to. The sun was setting into a pink haze – the clouds were catching the edge and were a bright gold. The three moons dotted the sky and everything was good again. Everything was perfect. A man beside Tanesha started laughing as tears flooded down his face. He couldn’t believe it – the Doctor had saved them all.
Copyright © 2004 Jack M Brown |