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Ted blinks and looks up from his case files. It can't be...
It had been over a year since his experience with the Doctor. He had tried telling others about what happened, but no one ever believed his story. He was beginning to think he had imagined the whole thing. He had circled the building what felt like a million times where the Cybermen had set up shop. The Doctor had told him someone would clean it up, make it look like nothing happened. It was disconcerting when you think you're going crazy. Recently, he had even been considering seeking out Lucy Gardner and her husband just to make sure he had actually met them. But as far as he knew, Ms. Gardner never told her husband about what she had been through, afraid he wouldn't believe her, and he didn't want to open that can of worms a year later.
But there was that sound! That strangely wonderful sound the police box had made as it dematerialized. Ted jumps out of his chair, knocking over a file, and runs to the window. There it was. That magical blue box. Ted occasionally regretted turning the Doctor down for a chance to travel with him, despite his good reasons. But he had told the Doctor to call if he ever needed help. Wait, did that mean he was in trouble?
Ted quickly grabs his hat and coat and, after hesitating for a brief moment, his gun and some extra ammo. The Doctor had made clear his distaste for Ted's gun last time, but if the Doctor was in trouble it might come in handy. He writes down a note for his receptionist, letting her know that he'll be taking a short hiatus, should be back in a few days, and runs out the door.
The rain drizzles down from a bleak London sky as a young woman, dressed in tattered jeans and a leather jacket bristling with metal, her neon pink hair damp from the rain, hustles along the streets. Her head bobs along to music she isn't hearing, and her glasses reflect scenes of everyday Londoner life.
"Sir, it's of utmost importance that you capture her. Jen Kinley is dangerous. Very dangerous." The voice that crackled over the police frequency carried with it an air of authority, a weight that came with saving the world more times than they cared to count.
Jen walks faster.
A different voice, worried, tired, sincere, comes from her earbuds. "Yes, yes, ma'am. Of course. We, um, we finally got an actual tip from the hotline. Cruisers are closing on her location now." She begins hearing the faint wheedling of the cars. Jen begins jogging.
"We have visual contact." Jen breaks into a sprint. The wheedling turns into a screech as the cruisers turn the corner.
Everything freezes.
Police Cruisers: Authorized to break speed limits. Most likely closing at 100 kilometers per hour.
Jen Kinley: Top speed 15 kilometers per hour.
Alleyways: Restricts movement large vehicles.
Mysterious grinding noise: Needs further analysis. Most likely extraterrestrial or extradimensional in origin. Alien technology repurposed by UNIT? Distinct possibility.
Jen veers into an alleyway at breakneck speed.
Never one to miss out on something interesting, Max taps her glasses to record the sound and what she's seeing, relaying it to her personal cloud storage.
"tag date, time and location. Unusual sound, accompanied by disturbance of local ground cover. Don't think I've heard the sound before, but something about it is familiar? Trying to locate the source of the sound" Max records her observations, as she looks around to try and work out where the sound is coming from.
Jen blinks, then begins babbling. "Police box? Went out of use in '60s, '70s at latest. Model? Unknown. Placement is peculiar. Grinding noise in same general location suggests sudden materialization. Hypothesis: teleportation machine. No UNIT goons, so..." Jen attempts to throw open the door.
Tentatively, Ted Trapes approaches the blue box. He reaches out to pull the door open, and his hand freezes just above the handle. Was he ready for this? Memories of his first meeting with the Doctor begin flashing through his mind. The large, metal men taking humans and turning them into monsters like them. Cybermen, the Doctor had called them. He had dispatched them with what seemed like such ease. If he needed help now, what kind of terror would be waiting for him on the other side?
Ted shakes his head. I promised him. Hell, I owe him. Without him, I would have died that day. He grips the door and slowly pulls it open.
"Doctor? Is that you?"
"Police Box? Object has appeared, seems to be...fading in and out. Looks man-made and has English writing on it." Max looks all around the box, checks to make sure her video feed has uploaded and with a slight shrug, knocks on the door.
Jen begins exploring the strange room, booping the coral on the walls, vaguely fiddling around with the least-important looking controls. "Either spacial compression-which means technology tackles microfluid dynamics-or extradimensional space. Both interesting possibilities," she muses aloud.
Ted whirls around as hears the door lock behind him.
Well that can't be good, he thinks to himself.
Ted pulls out his gun, just to be safe, and begins inspecting the coral growths on the wall. Were those there before? He had been a little too distracted by the fact that the box was bigger on the inside to really pay attention the the décor. Eventually, he pulls his attention from the walls and starts inspecting the console. It was all alien to him. Screens that looked similar to the television he had in his office, but of all different shapes and sizes. And completely flat, too! Glowing buttons scattered everywhere, all of which he was terrified to touch. He assumes this console must be how the Doctor controls the box, but if that was true then where was he? How had it made its way to 1946?
Something was clearly wrong. Keeping his gun out, Ted moves to investigate for any signs of life.
Max steps into the doorway, before peering around the outside, "It's bigger on the inside?" she lets out a small giggle and steps inside properly. "HELLO!" she calls out. "Anyone here?". She tries to think of something to say to the recording, but can't find words to describe anything, so just ensures she looks at as muhc as she can.
As you all investigate this strange and alien room, it suddenly shudders violently, knocking you around. When you finally get your bearings again, you each notice that two other people have appeared in the room...
To her credit, Jen manages to not fall flat on her face. If only just barely. When she orients herself, she blinks rapidly, before words begin to rapidly tumble out of her mouth. "Oh, hello. Hello. Hello, there. Um, nice, um, longcoat you have there. It's very appropriate for the weather. And nice... bioluminescent tattoos? Um, who inked those? Name is Jen Kinley, um, wow, that's an interesting possibility. Spacetime distortion, perhaps? Would explain period wear, and sudden appearance of other individuals. Perhaps Smith's Theorem would-" She shakes her head somewhat violently, mussing up her hair. "I'm babbling again, aren't I? Words come right out of my mouth sometimes and I frankly don't know what to do with them." She makes a vague hand gesture. "Just... right out of there." Jen awkwardly pauses. "Um, do any of you own this most likely extraterrestrial craft? I sort of stumbled in here. Sorry."
As Ted moves to check out a room other than the one holding a control panel, he's suddenly knocked to the ground. As he struggles to get up, dusting himself off, he suddenly notices the two women who have suddenly appeared in the room with him.
Startled, he backs up, gun still in hand but not aiming it at anyone. Hoepfully he woudn't have to.
"Oh, hello. Hello. Hello, there. Um, nice, um, longcoat you have there. It's very appropriate for the weather."
Ted looks at the woman quizzically. "Um, thank you?" he says. He notes the British accent. Just like the Doctor. Maybe one of his friends? Although the Doctor wasn't exactly from England, now was he? Maybe she was an alien that just happened to look exactly like a human too. He glances at the other girl and her strange appearance and attire... Yes, definitely more aliens.
"Um, do any of you own this most likely extraterrestrial craft? I sort of stumbled in here. Sorry."
Or maybe she didn't know him at all. Ted shakes his head in response. "No, but I have met the owner before. He seems to be missing at the moment...." God, he could use a cigarette. His head is feeling dizzy after whatever just happened to him... them... Wait a minute, what was that word she had used?
"Extraterrestrial?" Ted sounds out the word. "I know it's alien, if that's what you mean."
"I've got no clue what's going on here. But when a strange blue box appears in front of you, you can't just ignore it can you? The name's Max, by the way." she noticeably can't keep her head from moving around to try and look at everything, if you're paying attention you probably notice she moves her head to look around, keeping her eyes close to centre.
Ted nods at Max's introduction. "The name's Trapes. Ted Trapes. Pleasure." He cocks an eyebrow at her strange head movement, but doesn't comment. Instead, he moves to get a closer look at the console. "Maybe one of these buttons unlocks the door?"
Max takes a look at the console, looking for any icons that make any sense.
"Nice, nice to meet you, Ted! Max!" Jen's eyes glaze over for a second.
First Recorded Appearance: Hospitalized after found near blue police box. Proceeded to help UNIT to neutralize Auton threat. Stayed a number of years, thwarting a number of extraterrestrial, extradimensional, and extratemporal threats before leaving under mysterious circumstances overnight. Some files suggest that the "Doctor" appeared over the decades to neutralize various threats to Earth, both with the help of UNIT and without, although it's more likely that the title of the Doctor was passed down from individual to individual, due to drastic difference in personality and appearance at various points in timeline.
With no explanation, Jen blinks and says, "Oh! Well, that explanation at least makes some sense. Why isn't one of them here, though?"
Ted continues to examine the console as Jen goes silent. There must be a reason why the three of them were brought into the Doctor's ship. But it was strange that there wasn't any sort of indication of what he wanted from them.
With no explanation, Jen blinks and says, "Oh! Well, that explanation at least makes some sense. Why isn't one of them here, though?"
Ted pulls himself away from studying one of the screens and looks at Jen, puzzled. "Sorry, what was that? Why isn't any one of who here?"
"The Doctor. Headed the science division of UNIT in '60s and '70. Still does, I guess, technically. Or at least one of them does. Appears to be hereditary title, as appearances and personalities change between appearances. Also appears to have time and space traveling capabilities, and owns this craft. Is almost always with it."
Ted gapes at the woman. "You certainly seem less confused than you were a second ago. Who gave you all that information?" He shakes his head and, realizing he was still holding onto his gun, sheepishly returns it to the holster.
"Yes, I know the Doctor. He's an alien like you two are. Um, you are aliens aren't you?" he asks, unsure. "Anyway, he's the owner I mentioned earlier. Strange, though. He never mentioned that were more like him." Even stranger, Ted found himself smiling as remembered the adventure they had had together. Oh sure, it had been terrifying. But it had been so exciting, hadn't it? Ted was sure now that even if he didn't owe the Doctor his life, he still would have answered the call gladly. "I can't really imagine there being anyone like him."
Ted returns his attention to the console. "Are either of you familiar with contraptions like this? Do you have any idea how to work it?"
"Um, sorry to break it to you, but I'm human. From the year 2017. As for your other questions: my brain is huge, it processes information through thousands of filters, and no idea how to handle this thing."
Suddenly a small blue button on the console begins to blink rapidly.
Ted silently nods as Jen talks, trying to wrap his head around her answer. 2017? That was over 70 years in the future! He had so many questions that he wanted to ask. Just as he as about to, he notices the button that suddenly seems to be calling for their attention.
He carefully walks over to the console. It sure seems like they should press it. Cautiously, Ted reaches his hand out to the button and presses down.
As you press the button, a blue light shoots out of the console and projects the image of a man in the air. The man looks elderly, with spiked-up gray hair and a worn face. He wears a weathered brown leather jacket, a brownish vest with silver buttons, a red and white scarf, a pair of brown pants and a pair of black boots. The image begins to speak.
"Ah hello there. If you're receiving this message, my TARDIS has done what I've asked and collected each of you from different time periods. Now I didn't ask for anyone specific, so I'm not sure if you're familiar with who I am. If you're not, then I am the Doctor. I'm an alien, specifically a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. The vessel you're standing in is my ship, the TARDIS. It's a time machine, a spaceship, a library, a laboratory, a swimming pool....Basically, it does a lot of things. Now on to the important thing."
"Now my people are at war with a race known as the Daleks. They're a terrible people who wish to eliminate all life that isn't them. I have the distinct displeasure of being their greatest enemy, having defeated them time and time again. Because of this, they've decided to make a weapon to kill me. It's called the Temporal Exterminator. It erases a person from time, slowly unraveling their past, present, and future. Unfortunately, they've succeeded in shooting me with it. It's slowly killing me, my past selves......and my undoubtedly impossible to come future selves. If something isn't done, I will be erased from time. All of the invasions I've stopped, all of the people I've saved, all the planets that still exist due to my intervention.....none of it will have happened. I ask you, whether you are a stranger or a friend,.....please save me. The way you'll do so is by finding traces of me throughout time. These traces will allow you to piece together my timeline until you are able to find the exact moment I was shot with the weapon. My TARDIS will provide transportation, and as for finding the traces, the TARDIS will give you a device that will help you track them. Just insert the device into the slot indicated by the console glowing around it, and it will immediately head towards a trace. Once you find a trace, just hold the locator near it, and the device will collect it. I wish you luck, and hope I have not brought more people to their deaths helping me...."
The message ends with the hologram disappearing and a small rectangular device pops out of the console.
"Well, at least now we know what's going on, kind of. And since you started pushing buttons before I got a chance to answer, I'm human, from 2041.
It appears that despite being in a time machine we have a time limit, so if there's no objections..." Max retrieves the device and hovers over the slot, for confirmation from the others.
Ted silently absorbs the Doctor's message, grateful that his curiosity hadn't led him to push a button that did something as terrible as blowing up the ship. So the man was in trouble after all. But the man on screen didn't look like the man he had met last year. But he could feel deep down that it was the same person. How could that be? He frowns, deep in thought.
"Well, at least now we know what's going on, kind of. And since you started pushing buttons before I got a chance to answer, I'm human, from 2041.
It appears that despite being in a time machine we have a time limit, so if there's no objections..."
"Ah, sorry about that," Ted says, reddening. "I just saw the button flashing and needed to know if it had the answers we were looking for- Wait, 2041?" 100 years? This is incredible! "So you're both from the far future? That would explain the strange dress. I have many questions I'd like to ask when this is over." He nods to Max. "But yes, we do seem to be crunched for time. By all means; I don't think I should be handling any advanced technology."
"Waitwaitwaitwaitwait," Jen says as she finally absorbs all the information. "Well, don't wait, because we're supposed to save the universe or somesuch, but is anybody else simply awed by the implications of this? This 'Doctor' not only has access to time and space travel, but he has temporally split himself into multiple parts, and, perhaps more insanely, there's an entire species of him! The things we could learn..." she waves her hand. "But, anyways, we really should get going. It sounds like he was rather... important."
Assuming there is a glowing slot to put the device into as instructed, Max does so.
"Yeah, I'm awed and all, but compartmentalising right now. I'm sure I'd have enough questions for you both if we get chance to sit down when this is over."
As Max places the device into the console, a thud is heard, the console room shudders, and the tall rotor in the center begins moving, making the same grinding noise as before. The ship takes off, flying throught the turbulence of the Time Vortex....
Max finds something to grab as the room starts to shake, wondering if she's made a terrible mistake. "It knows where it's going right? I don't fancy being stuck in 2022", she grins (just slightly manically) as she waits for the ship to land.
As the TARDIS suddenly lurches sideways, Jen desperately grabs onto a convenient handbar. "What happened in 2022?" she yells over the din.
Remembering last time, Ted quickly grips one of the growths on the walls to keep from falling as the ship takes off. "What's wrong with 2022?" he echoes Jen's concern, trying not to vomit when he opens his mouth. "And did the machine say where or when it plans on taking us?"
Suddenly, the grinding noise gets louder, then another thud rings out, and the console room is still once more. The temporal trace locator pops out of its slot on the console, the small light faintly blinking.
Max's grin broadens at the others' reaction. "Let's go see if we can get outside." she picks up the locator and holds it up. "Anyone want to take responsibility for this?"
Jen shakes her head. "Nope. Not me, not at all. I would either end up fiddling with it to death or taking it apart to see how it works. And then not being able to put it back together again." Jen casually strides to the doors and flings them open. "Shall we?"
"Anyone want to take responsibility for this?"
Ted shakes his head at Max's question, still trying to find his balance as the ship comes to a stop. Carefully, he lets go of the coral.
"Shall we?"
Nodding, Ted finally finds his center again. "Let's see where this contraption has taken us." He feels for his gun, making sure it's still safely secured in his holster. No telling what danger was lurking beyond the doors.
Max shrugs and tucks the locator away for now following Jen out to the door.
As you step out of the TARDIS, you find yourself in a small room. The walls and floor are all made of wood, and there are piles of bags and barrels sitting on the floor and some shelves. The air is filled with the aroma of the ocean's waves, and the room seems to be slightly rocking.
Ted's face noticeably drops as he takes in his surroundings. "We're on a boat?" He was expecting another planet, alien life, something exciting! But... A boat?
He shakes his head and pulls his hand away from his holster. Doubt I'll be needing it here. I'd probably just put a bullet in the hull and sink us. Out loud he says, "Might as well start taking a look around." Ted goes to investigate the shelves for any clues as to what kind of boat they find themselves on.
In your search, you find a small framed picture of a large ship. The flag that flows from the mast is that of Spain, and the small bit of writing below the painting reads, "The San Geronimo".
"Looks like we might be on a Spanish ship," he calls out to the women. "Possibly one by the name of The San Geronimo? Or whoever runs this ship might just be big fans of the Spanish." He grabs the picture and turns to look at them quizzically. "Erm, does Spain still exist in your times? Or boats, for that matter?"
"Not so much like that, though I think that's true of both your times too." Max nods at the picture. Max looks around for a door.
"Indeed," Jen says as she looks around. "San Geronimo... is that name familiar?" She then turns to Max. "Well, you have the device. Is it... blinking? Making noises? Doing anything recognizable that we might be able to follow?"
Max pulls the device out of her pocket, and unless it does something, waves it around dramatically looking for any reaction.