Chapter 10 (Sweet Dreams are Made of This)
“Ah, glad you could make it,” said Reikon as the Doctor was shown into the lab by Bambera.
“Well, well, well, it’s been a while since I stepped foot into my old lab,” he said, removing his coat and throwing it over a stool.
“Doctor, Reikon,” said Bambera, “if you’ll excuse me I need to update command on the Huxley situation.”
“Thank you, Winifred,” said the Doctor, smiling as she left.
“Lovely woman,” said Reikon. He held out his hand. “Good to see you again, brother. I’ve been enjoying these little meet ups.”
“You could have found a more appropriate moment,” said the Doctor, peering down at the box on the table.
“I’m sorry I dragged you away from the Dream Catcher, but I think I’m getting closer to cracking this thing.” He frowned. “Have you heard anything from Gallifrey?”
The Doctor shook his head sadly. “I’m sure Celestia is safe and well.”
Reikon nodded. “So, this box. You say that your alternate self, Aldridge, just handed it to you?”
“That’s right,” said the Doctor. “He said that something inside it is important.”
“But nothing more than that?”
“Let’s cut him some slack – he was on a world that was about to be burned. He didn’t have much time to tell me anything.”
“Okay,” said Reikon, turning to face the Doctor. “I think I have an idea about what we can do to take a peek inside. The box is, essentially, linked to your alternate self who is, in essence, just a different version of you.”
“Okay, following so far,” said the Doctor, sitting himself down on a stool opposite Reikon.
“Time Lords have psychic links to their TARDISes,” said Reikon. “So, in some ways, you may well have a link to this one.”
“No,” said the Doctor, smiling and shaking his head. “This isn’t my TARDIS.”
“I know, but...well, just run with this for a moment,” said Reikon. “Although this isn’t technically your TARDIS, it is still linked to someone who is an offshoot of you.”
“I still can’t make a psychic connection with it,” said the Doctor.
“But how do you know?” asked Reikon, smiling at an idea. “Have you tried?”
“I think I’d have felt something,” said the Doctor.
“Maybe you just need a push,” suggested Reikon.
The Doctor folded his arms and stared at the little box, still and silent. “I don’t know. I’m starting to wonder if it’d be better to leave it locked away.”
“Come on, brother, where’s your sense of spirit?”
“I just have a bad feeling about this.”
“Are you at least willing to give it a try?” said Reikon, hopefully.
“I suppose a try is acceptable,” sighed the Doctor. “My synapses have already been opened today so I shouldn’t have too much trouble.”
“Excellent,” smiled Reikon. “Now, just place your hand on the box.”
The Doctor did as instructed. It felt warm though. When he had touched it last time it was cold and dead. Now it felt like something was glowing inside it. It felt ever so slightly alive.
“I’m going to reach into your mind,” said Reikon, “and in turn you try and reach into the box. See what you can see.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” said the Doctor wearily.
Faith approached Taggart and looked from her to the creature and back again. She lowered her gun ever so slightly and frowned at her teammate. “Claire, can you be a little bit clearer on what is happening here?”
“Well, it’s just like I said, Faith- ”
“Are you betraying us?” asked Faith, calmly.
“No, it’s not like that.”
“ARE YOU BETRAYING US?!” shouted Faith, her voice echoing around the basement.
“Do not blame your friend,” said the creature from behind Taggart. “I made her an offer she couldn’t refuse.”
“It said it’d give me my family back. It said I’d see them again.”
“Fake versions in a fake world, Faith,” said Beth sadly.
“She’s right,” said Holly. “You heard what the Doctor told us earlier. None of it is real.”
“It’s as real as I want it to be,” said Taggart. “I know they’re gone, but-”
“But nothing,” said Faith as she moved closer to Taggart. “We’re a team. We’re friends. We don’t betray each other.”
“You have to understand...”
“Understand what?” asked Faith. “Do you not think that we all want a perfect life? That I want my daughter back? That Holly wants to be with Lilly right now?”
Holly looked down at the floor. Beth rubbed her arm affectionately.
“That’s different. They’re still alive.”
“I know it’s hard,” said Faith, trying to hold back, “but it’s a part of life. It’s a part of trying to survive. Not everyone makes it through.”
“They murdered my entire family!” said Taggart.
“And you know how much we’re sorry for that. How many hours did we sit up drinking coffee talking about how cruel the world was?” said Faith. She had become softer.
“Then you should know how much I wanted to fix this.”
“Not by betraying us. Not by causing this much grief and despair to an entire town!”
“All this is academic anyway,” came the creature’s voice. “The deal is off. You were supposed to bring me the Doctor in exchange for your new world.”
“I can still get him,” said Taggart, turning to the Dream Catcher pleadingly.
“Oh, no,” said Faith, raising her gun. “Not a chance. This is where this stupid idea ends, Claire.”
The Doctor and Reikon both had their eyes closed. The Doctor’s left palm was face down on top of the box and Reikon had his right hand on the Doctor’s right shoulder. The two of them remained standing still, concentrating.
There was a spark from the box and the Doctor’s eyes opened. “There’s something. There’s something trying to push its way through.”
“Wait a moment,” said Reikon, reaching over to a monitor. A cable ran from the monitor to the box and a second cable ran from the monitor to the Doctor’s temples. “Maybe we can get a look. Keep concentrating.”
The Doctor closed his eyes again. “It’s hard to make out,” he said, as static appeared on the screen. “I think I can see something.”
The static began to clear to show a grainy, black and white image of a TARDIS console room. Sitting beside the console was a large, tubular container which looked worryingly like a futuristic coffin.
“Are you seeing that?” asked the Doctor.
“Yes,” said Reikon, peering closer at the monitor, but remaining connected to the Doctor.
There was a flicker on the screen and beside the console a holographic image of the Doctor’s alternate self – Aldridge – appeared.
“You’ve activated some kind of internal message,” said Reikon. “The TARDIS is reacting to you.” He smiled wildly at the screen.
“This is a message for whoever has broken into my TARDIS,” came the old, gravelly voice of Aldridge. “We are in the middle of a warzone. The Kro’Tenk are attempting to enslave this world and I have done the only thing I can do to keep this thing locked away – I’ve put my TARDIS into siege mode. If you are hearing this message then you have been stupid enough to break inside.”
The Doctor opened his eyes and looked at Reikon. Reikon looked nervously back at him. “Well we’ve already come this far.”
The Doctor closed his eyes again and Reikon looked at the screen.
Aldridge continued. “During my travels I’ve encountered a great many things, but I know, from my own races past, that this thing,” he indicated the coffin, “is one of the most dangerous of them all. I first discovered it when I was passing through the dimensions. My TARDIS had become trapped outside of space and time when Lethbridge-Stewart and I discovered a signal coming from deep in the nothingness. On further investigation we discovered this item. We took it on board and brought it back into our universe. Before the war against the Kro’Tenk I managed to get some assistance from a science institute on Earth. I was unable to open the container and my curiosity had gotten the better of me. I was assisted by my friend, Mary, daughter of the CEO of the Aldridge Institute. I spent five years there before the Kro’Tenk arrived, but before the creatures came we managed to momentarily open the casket.” The Aldridge hologram looked sad. “The power unleashed killed Mary and a dozen other scientists at the lab. We had no choice but to lock it away again. But not before we discovered exactly what it was.” The console began to beep, a flashing light indicating something was transmitting. “I’m transmitting the data readings to any device you may have that is monitoring the inside of this craft.”
Reikon checked as a computer he had set up beside the monitor began to receive the info via the cable.
“This will enable you to study the container without fear of opening it.” Aldridge straightened himself up. “You may wonder what it is. Perhaps curiosity is not such a good thing, but as you’re listening to this I have to assume that you want answers.” He breathed a heavy sigh. “In the legends of our people there...” The image flickered.
“No,” said Reikon, banging on the monitor. “Not when we’re so close.”
“Calm down, Reikon,” said the Doctor.
Reikon leant forward and touched the box. There was a hum of electricity, a collection of blue sparks, and without warning the Doctor and Reikon were thrown back across the room, sending the stools, paperwork and other scientific equipment flying.
On the monitor the holographic image of Aldridge was still flickering and glitching, but he was still speaking. Next to him the casket was starting to open, a bright glowing light coming from the inside of it.
“What’s he saying?” shouted the Doctor as the siege-mode TARDIS began to increase in size.
Reikon got to his feet and staggered towards the table. He turned the volume up.
The holographic Aldridge looked worried. “Do not open the container...what is inside...terrible consequences....The First Time Lord...The Time Lord Slayer...”
“Oh, no,” said the Doctor.
“But it’s just a myth. A legend,” said Reikon in disbelief.
There was an explosion of light and the siege-mode TARDIS returned to its normal size and slowly took on the appearance of a police box. The doors shook with the force from inside and the light shone through the windows.
“I warned you!” shouted the Doctor as the room shook, two glasses of water falling to the floor and smashing.
“We had to find out!” yelled Reikon over the din.
“If a box is sealed up for a reason with no way in and a warning from beyond the grave, then you don’t open it up!” said the Doctor, staring into his eyes.
The light on the other side of the door was growing bright now; the locked door struggling to stay closed. Whatever was on the other side was threatening to burst out.
“I had to know,” said Reikon. He looked at the Doctor again, his eyes shadowed. “I had to know.”
To be continued...
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